Chapter 16: The Hazards of High Society
"Ah, thank you for coming." All For One said from the TV monitor.
The newly minted headquarters for the League of Villains -to be honest it was just Shigiraki's safehouse, just with some swiftly constructed additions- had gotten busy recently, especially with Shigiraki's own recruiting efforts. However, All For One had decided to vet these particular prospects personally. While it had been Shigiraki's idea to recruit them, there was always the risk of them trying to co-opt the League of Villains for their own ends.
On the left stood a vengeful Purity, leader of the Creature Rejection Clan. She had recently learned that her son had betrayed her, had abandoned her cause, and was currently attending UA. To become a Hero, with the express purpose of spiting her. At least, that was how Purity told it.
On the right, Eclipse, leader of the Quirkless Liberation Front was having a drink at the bar. While she had a powerful Quirk, the promise of Quirks for her followers that were born without them had drawn her like a moth to a flame.
"Tch, you couldn't bother coming in person?" Eclipse said.
Purity remained silent, preferring to stew in her own anger a little more.
"My life support equipment prohibits this, unfortunately." All For One explained, "A consequence of my last battle with All Might."
"You have my attention." Purity said.
"The terms of our agreement will be simple, Purity." All For One said, "You and Deathmonger will join the League of Villains, and will lend your forces when Tomura has need of extra muscle. In exchange, I will begin to turn my considerable influence to the cause of retrieving your son from the heroes."
"That's all well and good, but Deathmonger is in police custody."
All For One chuckled, "Not anymore. He is already on his way back to you. You may thank me later." He turned his attention to Eclipse, "As discussed, you will aid Tomura with your own considerable forces, Eclipse. Your fighters will be paid with Quirks at a date when I am able or provide enough for all of them."
"This better be on the up and up." Eclipse said. "If you're lying to me..."
"I assure you that I am not. I have a lie detector Quirk that happens to ping when I lie. A completely useless Quirk for me, but for you? Very useful." That was a lie of course, no such Quirk existed. It was a nearly foolproof manipulation tactic, though. He leaned towards the screen. "Now, I have a small job for you. It involves... intimidation of an enemy."
"Gonna need a little more than that." Eclipse said.
All For One pressed a button on his tablet, and Izuku Midoriya's picture appeared on the screen. "This is Izuku Midoriya. I have it on good authority that All Might is personally overseeing his training at UA."
Eclipse grinned, "Yeah, I know that kid. What do you need?"
"In about a week, he will be attending the Richards Awards gala as the plus one of the heiress to the Sapato Corporation. You will impress on him the folly of allowing anyone to be close to him. "
"I can do that. Do you want her dead?"
"Oh, heavens no!" All For One said. "Her father has been very forthcoming with intel, and killing her would make that well dry up. But if something should happen... accidents happen, do they not?"
Eclipse nodded. That they did.
Lunch at UA was always a highlight of the day. Between Lunch Rush's cooking -supplemented now by Bakugo's dad- and the general chaos that manifested when class 1-A didn't have direct adult supervision, there was never a dull moment.
"Oh, come on!" Kaminari protested, "Someone back me up here!"
"Uh... I'm not sure I should." Mineta said.
"Nah, you're good." Kirishima said, "I'll let you know if you go too far."
Kaminari slammed his hands on the lunch table, "Look, when it comes to formal wear, suits look infinitely better on women than dresses! Midoriya! Buddy! Back me up here!"
"Nope." Midoriya said.
Bakugo snickered, "You want a shovel so you can keep digging that grave?"
Jiro raised an eyebrow, "What grave? He's right, and all of you are cowards."
Kaminari turned to his girlfriend in shock, "Wait, you agree with me?"
"Yep." She said, leaning in closer and capturing his tie in one hand as she continued, "One of the many benefits of you having a girlfriend who plays for both teams. Now, just so we're clear... the thought of me in a suit brings you to your knees?"
Kaminari realized that he may have made an error. "Yes, ma'am!" He said.
"Ha! Whipped!" Bakugo taunted.
Yaoyorozu chose chaos. "Like you can talk, Bakugo."
There was a beat of silence before Midoriya burst out laughing. Bakugo's eye twitched. "MIDORIYA, I SWEAR TO-" He cut himself off and took several deep breaths. He looked Midoriya in the eyes, and proceeded to hand down the most vicious betrayal that was in his power.
"I know more All Might trivia than you."
Midoriya shot to his feet. "LIES. LIES AND SLANDER!" He screeched.
He was about to continue on and explain exactly why Bakugo was wrong, but was stopped by Yaoyorozu's hand on his shoulder. "Let it go, Midori."
He sat back down and pouted, to everyone's amusement.
"Wait a sec, where's Tsu?" Uraraka said.
"Eating lunch with Maki." Yaoyorozu answered, "Apparently they've hit it off."
"Why?" Bakugo asked. When everyone looked at him, he shrugged, "What? Me and him work out together from time to time. I don't see it."
"Bakugo." Uraraka said, "Think about who his mother is."
"The most heinous racist bitch that ever crawled out of hell, yeah." Bakugo eloquently cursed, "What's your point?"
There was silence until the pin finally dropped. "Oh. Concentrated want to piss off my racist mom energy."
"I would like to say something." Todoroki said.
"What is it, Todoroki?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"I have a theory." This elicited a chorus of groans from around the lunch table. Todoroki's theories ranged from barely plausible to absurd.
"Alright, let's hear it, man." Kirishima was nothing if not supportive of his friends.
"I believe that Aizawa-sensei and Mirko have a secret love child."
Midoriya moved his lunch out of the way, then facedesked on the table.
The day of the Richards Awards Gala had been a flurry of activity in the Midoriya household. Culminating in a hurried lesson in how to waltz and All Might's Formal Party Survival Guide.
"Yaoyorozu just texted me!" Midoriya said, "The driver she sent to collect me is almost here!"
"Suit check!" Inko said.
Somehow, Yaoyorozu had perfectly guessed his measurements when she sent him his suit for the evening. Well, not just for the evening. It was just his now. He had suggested to her that he could just get a rental, but Yaoyorozu had said no man of mine is going to show up to the Richards Awards in a rented suit, so that was that. The gala was black tie, so the suit reflected that. Black suit, black pants, leather shoes, and bow tie.
"We're good!" All Might said, "Now, remember, the food's probably going to be fancy. Be prepared for small portions and no katsudon." He wisely ignored Midoriya's vague sound of protest, "Let Yaoyorozu do most of the talking, and follow her lead on the red carpet. She'll be in her element, so just go with the flow. Don't look directly at any cameras, and don't put your hands in your pockets."
"Got it. I think." Midoriya said.
"And for the love of God, do not- do not get in an argument with Rikiya Yotsubashi about anything related to Destro or his Meta Liberation nonsense." All Might said sternly, "I know that's a sore spot for you, but since he is also the CEO of Detnerat- and you will be attending while obviously romantically attached to the heiress of Sapato Corp-, it is imperative that you do not throw a proverbial Molotov cocktail into the perpetual rivalry between the two companies."
"So, don't piss off the Bakugo of Support companies, even if it's to ask why their goods are sub-standard and overpriced or why their CEO subscribes to a profoundly Quirkist ideology?"
"Do not do that, correct." All Might reaffirmed.
Midoriya's phone buzzed again. "Oh, the driver's here!"
"Wait!" Inko said, "Picture first!" Midoriya begrudged stood still until she took a picture of him. "Okay... got it! Just remember: be yourself, don't do anything overly foolish, and make a good impression on Yaoyorozu's parents!"
"Got it, mom!"
All Might caught Inko's error, and swiftly acted to prevent a possible Midoriya Moment. "And if villains should attack, keep your head down and let the pros handle it!"
"Alright, dad! I get it!" Midoriya scurried out the door and hurried on his way.
"Inko."
"Yes, Toshi?"
"He called me dad."
Inko nodded sagely. "I suppose he did."
"Well, no point in delaying this, then." All Might got down on one knee and pulled out a ring, "Inko Midoriya, will you marry me?"
Inko giggled as she felt a weight that had settled on her shoulders ever since Hisashi's death disappear. "Of course, Toshi! I just have one question."
"What's that?"
"How long have you been carrying that around waiting for Izuku to call you dad before proposing?" Inko asked.
All Might blinked. "Yes."
Momo Yaoyorozu smiled as she looked herself over in the mirror. It was funny, really. You could probably march Izuku Midoriya into a court of law, and he would swear under oath that she was the most beautiful woman alive.
But yet, he had never seen her at her best.
She had chosen her dress to blow him away. Since she knew of his appreciation of the ancient classics, she had made decisions that evoked the fashion of the Hollywood of yesteryear. Sweetheart neckline, lace bodice, silk skirt, and cinched at the waist. All in her favorite shade of red. She fiddled with the shoulder straps for a moment before moving on to the finishing touches. She opened up her jewelry box and selected a pair of ruby earrings with matching necklace.
She looked in the mirror again, and grinned at the mischievous glint in her own eyes. Before today, Midoriya had only seen her as Momo Yaoyorozu, the hero trainee. He had never seen her in her full splendor as heiress of the Sapato Corporation.
He was not ready.
Her phone buzzed. Midoriya had arrived. She would give him a couple of minutes before making her entrance, just long enough to let him introduce himself to her parents.
Fortunately, Midoriya didn't have any run-ins with the automatic sprinklers this time.
He knocked on the front door of the Yaoyorozu mansion. Somehow, he was more intimidated than the last time he was here. How did that work? Wait, last time was for training. And it was before his relationship with Yaoyorozu had gotten to the point they were at now, and he hadn't been worried about how her parents were going to-
The front door opened, and he was greeted by a woman with shoulder length black but graying hair in a burgundy dress. "Oh, you must be Midoriya! I'm Hiroshi, Yaoyorozu's mother. Momo's told us so much about you." She practically yanked him inside, "We're just waiting for Momo, then we can get going."
"Okay!" Midoriya squeaked.
"So, you're Midoriya."
Midoriya turned and saw a man in a suit similar to his own, with his arms folded. "Um, yes. I'm Izuku Midoriya." He extended his hand for a handshake.
The man shook his hand. Midoriya barely stopped himself from flinching from how hard the man squeezed his hand. "Tohru Yaoyorozu. Momo's father."
Why do I get the feeling he doesn't like me?
Hiroshi swatted her husband playfully on the arm. "Behave, Tohru. You know I taught Momo how to make sure a man isn't just after her money or her looks. If Midoriya's made it this far..."
Tohru looked at his wife, then back to Midoriya. "I suppose."
Midoriya froze. What was he supposed to say now? Or do?
"Midoriya! You made it!"
He turned to the staircase at the rear of the entrance hall to see Yaoyorozu descending it. No, that wasn't right. He beheld her. That was the only way he could describe it. She looked like she had walked right out of the silver screen of days long gone by. Her hand glided down the banister as she descended, the very picture of elegant grace. And that dress! It made her look like a princess! She reached the bottom the staircase, and she twirled in place, finally causing anything resembling rational thought in Midoriya's brain to vanish.
Dress go spinny.
She walked up to him and offered her hand. "When a gentleman greets his lady, it is expected that he kiss her hand."
Despite how questionable his mental faculties were at the moment, Midoriya didn't drop the ball. He took her hand in his, brought it to his mouth, and gently laid a kiss on it. "You're... you're..."
Yaoyorozu smiled and ran a hand over his arm. "It's okay, Midori. Take your time."
At Tohru's groan, Hiroshi chided her husband. "They're young and in love. Let them be."
Midoriya finally found the adjective he was looking for. "You're radiant."
"Thank you." She used his grip on his arm to draw him in close, and her other arm came up to cup his cheek, "And you look absolutely dashing in that suit." She swooped in and planted a quick kiss on his lips, leaving him reeling.
Tohru sighed. This was going to be his whole night, wasn't it? "The limousine's here."
"Oh, Midoriya." Hiroshi said, "Since I know this is going to be a trying night for you -new situations and all- I made sure to call ahead and tell the kitchen to have a piping hot bowl of katsudon ready for you. Momo said that was your favorite food, so..."
"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Yaoyorozu!" Midoriya said as he entered the limo.
The limousine started on its way, which meant the interrogation began, courtesy of Hiroshi Yaoyorozu. Tohru was content to just stare at Midoriya judgmentally. "So, Midoriya. When did you realize that you were in love with Momo?"
"Mother, please!" Yaoyorozu said, "Is this really necessary?"
Hiroshi waved her daughter off, "Please, you know you get your taste in fiction from me. Besides, didn't Midoriya's mother ask you the same thing?"
"Yes." Yaoyorozu confirmed. "But Midoriya was unconscious at the time."
Well, there was no escape unless he jumped out a window, so... "It was during the Sports Festival, the Obstacle Race. When she used a cannon to destroy one of the zero-pointer robots.. it was just about the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He smiled as he remembered it, "It didn't hurt that she winked at me, though."
Yaoyorozu blushed. "Wait, you confessed to me right after the Obstacle Race..."
"You're pretty and you winked at me! What else did you expect?" Midoriya asked.
Tohru glanced at his wife and tried to hide his smile in vain. It was... almost like how it had gone with Hiroshi. Only without killer robots and cannons. "Out of curiosity, is fighting the most dangerous villains... normal for you?"
Midoriya could feel Yaoyorozu stiffen beside him. "No!" He said emphatically, "I'm only a first year student, I know I have to leave that to the pros. Hosu was an extreme situation, and I was acting under orders from Mirko." He chuckled sheepishly, "Besides, Yaoyorozu really laid into me for going in with only twelve percent of a plan."
"Someone has to watch out for you if you won't." Yaoyorozu said, placing her hand on his, "I don't regret what I said."
He looked at her and returned the hand hold, "I know. I needed to hear it."
A bottomless pit opened up in Tohru's stomach. There was no way that his daughter and Midoriya were ever going to break up due to outside forces.
Which meant that since he told All For One exactly where to find Midoriya tonight, he had also put his own daughter in the line of fire. He could only pray that the villain would keep his word that she would be safe.
"Sir, it appears that Mr. Yotsubashi is ahead of us."
Tohru groaned. "Thank you, Tanaka." He shook his head. "He said he was going to try to show me up this year, this must be how."
Midoriya was confused. "By being first to get on the red carpet?"
"Well, he knows that he can't actually compete with Sapato when it comes to things like reliability or affordability, so he makes petty digs in an attempt to get a rise out of us." Hiroshi explained.
"It's why I'm not on social media much." Yaoyorozu admitted.
"But... aren't we about to show him up though?" Midoriya asked.
Tohru frowned, "What do you... oh, right."
Yaoyorozu grinned, "Congratulations, Midoriya. You're catching on to the little games we have to play at events like this."
"How're we going to play this?" Midoriya asked.
"Me and Tohru will exit first. Count to twenty, then follow." Hiroshi said. "Also, don't be afraid to ham it up."
"Ham it..." Midoriya wondered, "Am I about to get kissed in front of all of those cameras and reporters?"
Everyone looked at him in silence.
"Okay. Glad we cleared that up."
The limousine stopped and the door was opened. Tohru exited first, then was followed by Hiroshi. "Showtime, darling," He said to her.
She smiled slyly, "My favorite time."
Yaoyorozu turned to Midoriya, "Okay, so-"
"Don't look directly at any cameras, don't put my hands in my pockets." Midoriya recited.
"When and how?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"All Might." Midoriya explained. "He also said to follow your lead."
Yaoyorozu smiled at him, "Good. All you need to worry about is being a perfect gentleman. I guarantee we'll be stopped by some of the tabloid reporters. With you getting the credit for the Stain takedown, we're too much of a power couple for them to not stop us. I'll do as much of the talking as I can, but they might ask you some questions directly. Just be yourself."
Midoriya nodded. "Okay. I can do that." He stepped out of the limousine to the confusion of the assembled reporters and paparazzi.
"Hey, isn't that the kid that got second in the Sports Festival for the first years?"
"Yeah, it is! Wait, why's he even here?"
"Yes, you heard right, Hayashi! Mister Miracle is here! The hero trainee who took down the Hero Killer is here at the Richards Awards gala!"
Midoriya turned and offered his hand to Yaoyorozu as she exited the limousine. They then began to walk down the red carpet arm-in-arm. There was approximately one second of silence before the world around them exploded in flashbulbs and shouted questions.
"Tune it out." Yaoyorozu whispered, "Only answer their questions if they approach us directly."
They made it about halfway to the entrance before Yaoyorozu took it upon herself to ham it up, as her parents had said to do. She captured Midoriya's chin with her free hand and tilted his head until he was looking up at her with that particular blend of happiness and devotion that just made her heart do backflips.
She kissed him. In the middle of the red carpet of the Richards Awards Gala, with both the eyes of Japan's high society and hero society on them. To Izuku Midoriya, this finally put to rest the lingering doubts he had never told her, never told anyone. That he didn't belong in her world. That when the time came for her to be the Sapato Corporation heiress, he would have to stand aside. No, Yaoyorozu had just swept those doubts away.
After they broke apart, there was no way he could stop the words from spilling out. "I love you, Momo."
There was a brief flash of surprise on her face that passed just as quickly, replaced by her own look of adoration. She caressed his cheek with her thumb. "I love you too, Izuku."
They continued on their way, and no reporter dared to interrupt their reverie.
The awards ceremony was more or less as boring as Midoriya had imagined it to be, but being with Yaoyorozu and the bowl of katsudon -which he ended up sharing with her to prevent her stomach from letting all of Japan know she was here- made it interesting enough.
The after-party, on the other hand, was full of hazards.
"Excuse me, Mister Miracle, may I have a moment of your time?"
At least they used his hero name. Midoriya turned to find... oh, that wasn't good. All of the people in suits were starting to blur together. Why did he get separated from Yaoyorozu again?
Oh, right. He had needed the bathroom. "Sure, I've got a moment." He did his best to smile, but was sure it was forced.
"My name is Tetsuya Kano, I'm a Quirk analyst with the police department, Organized Crime to be specific. I was wondering how you figured out what the Hero Killer's Quirk was, from the press conference after Hosu, you made it seem like you had figured it out before you ran into him."
Midoriya's smile turned into a grin. Finally, someone that spoke English! Figuratively speaking, "Well, first I had to consider what information was publicly available about the Hero Killer. His methods, his patterns, and the like." He began to count the pieces of evidence off on his fingers, "The attacks would always happen in a secluded area, and injuries would always be cuts or stab wounds. Implying that he wants privacy for an extended period of time, and that his Quirk has a probability to have something to do with blood."
"That's still too much of a leap in logic." Tetsuya said.
"Normally I'd agree with you." Midoriya admitted, "But that's when I decided to cross-reference whether he keeps his victims alive or not with the blood type of all his victims. He killed all of his type O victims while leaving type B and AB alive. With this, I was able to infer that his Quirk allowed him some sort of paralytic effect, the effectiveness of which is dependent on blood type."
Tetsuya looked at him, dumbfounded. "How did you figure this out? You're just a kid!"
"I might be just a kid," Midoriya said, "But I've studied Quirks my whole life in preparation to become a Hero. This way, I'll be prepared for any situation that comes my way. It's only rational." Oh, God. I'm turning into Aizawa-sensei.
He made his excuses and left, due to the fact that he still felt very out of place. That was probably only something experience would solve. Fortunately, Yaoyorozu found him soon after.."Making new friends?"
He shook his head, "I don't think me talking circles around professional Quirk analysts is going to win me any favors."
The deadpan stare Yaororozu gave him was priceless. "Izuku, you didn't."
Midoriya shrugged as innocently as he could. "Hey, you know me."
Yaoyorozu shook her head with a smile on her face. It was a universal law. The sky was blue, Midoriya knew more about Quirks than professionals who were paid obscene amounts of money to analyze them. "Do you want to get some air? There's a balcony over there."
Midoriya slipped his hand into hers. "Lead the way."
He still marveled at how Yaoyorozu was able to cut through the crowd in mere minutes, an endeavor that would've taken him at least twice that. But then again, she had been training her while life on how to deal with this these sorts of things.
They exited the ballroom through a pair of double doors. Midoriya let out a gasp as the night air hit him. There was no one else out here, and the balcony gave them a perfect view of the city below. This could be the perfect time to tell Yaoyorozu about One For All! "Momo, there's something I need-"
He was stopped in his tracks by the doors they exited through closing.
"That's odd." Yaoyorozu said. "Those doors aren't supposed to be closed..."
"I'm sorry kids, is this a bad time?"
They both looked up to find a woman perched on the stonework above the door. A woman with white and black hair and dressed in military fatigues.
Midoriya froze. It was Eclipse! What was she doing here? She hopped off of the stonework and landed on the balcony. She turned and locked the door that led back into the ballroom. "There we go, that should give us some privacy."
"What are you doing here?" Yaoyorozu asked.
Eclipse laughed. "Y'know, it's real funny that you're the one asking me that, girl." As she talked, she kept getting closer to them, until the two of them were backed against the balcony railing. "It's pretty simple. The QLF has a wonderful new benefactor. One that's gonna make all our dreams into reality. He just wants me to send a little message to you... Izuku Midoriya."
Midoriya felt like someone had reached into his chest and was slowly ripping out his heart. No... she couldn't mean... All For One? "What do you want with-"
Eclipse held up a finger "Hold on. First, some ground rules for this little discussion. If either of you do not do exactly as I say, I will kill everyone at that party just beyond those doors. Got it?" After she received nods from them, she clapped her hands together. "Perfect!"
"What are you talking about?" Yaoyorozu asked, "Who are you working for?"
Eclipse glanced at her and then back to Midoriya. "Wait, she really doesn't know? You haven't told her?"
Yaoyorozu's eye twitched. "Told me what?"
Eclipse grinned. "Why, that your life is in mortal jeopardy just by being around your beloved Izuku!" She reached out and grabbed Yaoyorozu and spun her around so that she was facing Midoriya. Then she drew a tactical knife and brought it within a hair's breadth of her throat. "Does this make the message sink in?"
"Let her go!" Midoriya said. He saw the fear on Yaoyorozu's eyes, and it was not doing his emotional state any favors at the moment. "She has nothing to do with this!"
Confusion joined the melting pot of emotions ricocheting around Yaoyorozu's brain. Nothing to do with what?
Eclipse cackled, "Are you kidding? Did you really think that making an enemy out of the most powerful villain that the world has ever seen wouldn't have consequences? Deadly ones?"
A bottomless pit opened in Midoriya's stomach. His eyes grew wide with panic and began to be pricked with tears. "No! You can't!"
Eclipse grinned. "Let me teach you a lesson, kid. In a hostage situation, you do not tell the hostage taker no." Yaoyorozu cringed when she felt the cold metal of the knife on her skin. "If you do, you run the risk of... very bad things happening."
Midoriya despaired. He was about to witness a villain slit Yaoyorozu's throat, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. "Please... don't kill her. Please, I'm begging you!"
"That won't change a thing, kid." Eclipse canted her head to the side, "You've been awfully quiet, Princess. You got anything you want to get off your chest? Might be the last time..."
"Go to hell." Yaoyorozu spat. "You really think killing me will accomplish anything? It won't. All it'll do is paint a target on your head for All Might to come down on you like a living intercontinental ballistic missile."
"Oh, it's adorable that you think you can intimidate me while I have a knife to your throat." Eclipse said. "But you know what? I'm not going to use this knife on you."
A spark of hope lit up in Midoriya's eyes. Was she... just going to leave?
"I'll just let the pavement do my job for me!" She shoved Yaoyorozu forward into the railing. While she was recovering from having the wind knocked out of her, Eclipse lifted her by the arms and hoisted her over the side.
"NO!" Midoriya screamed. He lunged forward and grabbed Yaoyorozu by the wrist. They were ten stories up, if she fell here...
She slammed against the wall, and Midoriya almost lost his grip. "Come on, climb!"
Yaoyorozu tried, but she couldn't find purchase on the wall with her high heels. "I can't!"
"Just... just hold on!" Midoriya said, "I'll save you! I promise I'll save you!"
Eclipse rolled her eyes. "You trying to tell her that, or convince yourself?"
Midoriya ignored Eclipse. All that mattered was saving Yaoyorozu. He tried to haul her up and over the railing but with only a grip on her wrist, he didn't have the leverage he needed.
His heart nearly stopped when he felt her hand slip. "No! No no no! Hold on, Momo! Just hold on! Please! I can't lose you!"
She looked up at him. There was no accusation. No blame. "Don't you dare stop fighting. You hear me?" Her voice cracked, and Midoriya's heart was poised to shatter.
Midoriya shook his head. "Don't... don't say that! I'm not going to let you die here, I-"
Her hand slipped from his grasp, and she began to fall.
"MOMO!" He finally activated One For All. Screw the law, he was going to save her. Consequences be damned.
She fell about two feet before she landed on an invisible platform.
Midoriya blinked. The only Quirk he knew of that could do that was... Eclipse. The platform rose up until Yaoyorozu was back to the balcony. "Don't just stand there, Mister Miracle. Be a gentleman."
Midoriya took her hand and helped her back across the balcony. "Why didn't you let me fall?" Yaoyorozu asked.
Eclipse shrugged. "You forgetting how I said I don't want to kill either of you? My job here was to send a message, and I think you two got it." When she saw their expressions of absolute disbelief she groaned. "Look, I know I'm a bitch. And I guess that I'm probably a mass-murderer for that whole thing in Yavin Ward. But I have standards. I don't kill kids." She created a surface underneath her and began to fly away on it. "Just remember. The next villain that gets sent after you two probably won't have any problem with killing you where you stand."
Eclipse flew off, leaving Midoriya and Yaoyorozu alone. They immediately pulled each other into a tight embrace, neither wanting to let go. Tears were flowing from both of them in equal measure.
After she had calmed down, Yaoyorozu decided to address the elephant in the room. "Izuku, what did Eclipse mean when she said that you made an enemy of the strongest villain in the world?"
Midoriya stepped back from her and leaned against the railing. "Okay, uh... to explain that I have to start from the beginning, and it'll take a bit to explain..."
"We probably shouldn't do this here." Yaoyorozu said, "Too many ears."
"Yeah..." Midoriya admitted, "And I should probably let All Might know what happened here..."
Yaoyorozu did a double take. "All Might? Why?"
Midoriya took out his phone. "Long story short, I'm not just his protégé. I'm his successor."
Yaoyorozu bluescreened. "His... what?"
Midoriya would've responded, but All Might had answered the phone. "Young Midoriya, do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Time for an emergency meeting." Midoriya countered, "Me and Yaoyorozu had a run-n with Eclipse."
"Are either of you hurt?"
"No, we're... shaken, but unharmed." Midoriya confirmed, "All Might, she's working for All For One."
Yaoyorozu shuddered. Why does that name fill me with such dread?
"Did you get the chance to tell Yaoyorozu everything?" All Might asked.
"No!" Midoriya shouted, his frustration finally boiling over, "She jumped us literally as I was about to tell her!"
At first, Yaoyorozu was uneasy about the prospect of Midoriya hiding things from her, but the. She remembered what Inko told her after the Sports Festival. That Midoriya didn't keep secrets to hurt others.
"Don't panic." All Might admonished. "We'll have our emergency meeting tomorrow, since trying to wake Aizawa at this time of night is tantamount to suicide. Bring Yaoyorozu along."
"Alright." Midoriya said, "I'll talk to you later, All Might."
He hung up then looked back at Yaoyorozu. "Do you think we could convince your parents to leave? I'm just so tired."
Yaoyorozu took him by the arm. "That shouldn't be a hard sell by this point of the night. Come on, let's go find them."
He laid his head on her shoulder and leaned on her. "Just... give me a couple minutes."
She ruffled his hair. "Alright, Izuku." The pressure you must be under... how would you manage without someone who can share your burden? No matter how thorny the path you walk, you will not have to brave it alone.
A:N: As you can see, I am a merciful god. I give you angst and fluff in equal measure.
All For One thinks he's clever, but he's actually made a critical mistake here. He thinks that sending villains to attack Midoriya and Yaoyorozu is going to drive a wedge between them, when in reality it will only bring them closer. That's because he doesn't understand love.
In case you needed reminding, Kaminari and Jiro are in fact a thing.
Bakugo is making progress! Look at him actually responding to Midoriya in a socially acceptable manner. Sort of.
Why are you like this, Todoroki?
So... I don't really know much about dresses. So I asked a fellow writer by the name of MahinaFable for advice. She went crazy In the Discord, posting a bunch of pictures of dresses and talking about... their style? I guess? Anyways, all I got out of it was "Audrey Hepburn" and "dress go spinny".
Sometimes it's about sending a message, and Eclipse made sure that message was signed, sealed, and delivered. Nothing like making your enemy think his girlfriend is about to fall to her death because he let her be close to him.
And before you ask, yes, Nezu absolutely has a big red button labeled Emergency Meeting.
Until next time.
