Neither of them wanted to wait for the wedding. Even with Cathleen's newfound ability to teleport across the globe, she spends most of her time in America, and they both want to maximize the time they spend together as wives and not as girlfriends. Or, fiancés, more recently. So they picked a date with enough time to plan for everything, but not so far away as to keep them waiting.

A bit over six months from the engagement.

New Years.

Which means in but a few short hours, Cathleen will face the coming year with her wife at her side. It's certain to make an interesting anniversary, and the thought of having anniversaries, of spending the rest of her life with Inko, sends a shiver of elation down her spine.

Cathleen puts the finishing touches on her makeup and takes a moment to admire her gown. It's as white as the snow gently falling outside. She hasn't seen Inko yet, but she knows she's wearing an identical gown. Both tailored by Mrs. Bakugou, who refused to let anyone else handle their wedding dresses. Cathleen can't help but chuckle at her insistence, given that she's Inko's Matron of Honor.

She hopes that Izuku and Katsuki aren't going to do anything too wild. At least until the reception, when Cathleen can properly introduce the boys to her friends. She's not entirely sure they have the willpower to sit still with some of the guests she has. Or, one guest in particular—her Best Man. She sends a silent apology to Mr. Bakugou for having to wrangle Little Katsuki today. Hopefully his respect for Inko keeps him in line for the procession. But that's nothing on Izuku. As the Ring Bearer, he'll have to stand next to him without disrupting anything!

Sadly, Inko's social life has been rather limited recently. Apparently, she'd never been particularly close with her parents, and Hisashi was the final straw. The more she hears about the man, the more she finds herself hating him. But it was his monumentous mistake that gave Cathleen the chance of a lifetime, so she's at the least grateful for that.

What matters for the ceremony is that they agreed for Cathleen to take the walk down the aisle.

And from the knock on the door, it's time.

Cathleen turns and smiles at her parents. Her father—a tall man, though not as tall as Cathleen herself, with short brown hair and eyes and a square jaw—removes his glasses to wipe away any mistiness.

"Cate," he says. "You have no idea how proud of you I am."

"I know," she says. Maybe one day she will, if Izuku decides to get married.

"You've grown so much!" says her mother, placing gentle hands on Cathleen's shoulders. Unlike her father, her mother isn't bothering to hide that she's about five seconds away from a full sob that might put even the Midoriyas to shame.

Cathleen buries her face in her mom's brown hair to cover the tears forming in her own eyes. They stay embraced like that for a few seconds before her father quietly clears his throat.

"Inko is waiting," he says.

Cathleen smiles. "We can't have that."

The aisle is everything Cathleen dreamed it would be and more.

Because Cathleen and Inko are both sentimental fools, they chose to have their wedding at the same hotel that Cathleen stayed at during her first visit to Japan. They have the entire two-floor Grand Ballroom rented out just for them and the ceremony. Ornate chandeliers overhead provide a soft light, dimmed enough so that the light from the candles lining the aisle is visible. Flower arrangements sit out on small pedestals.

Rows of chairs line the sides of the room. Cathleen was worried she'd have to force herself not to look at them, to focus on herself for this day dedicated to her and her soon-to-be wife. But the moment she steps out onto the white carpet running down the hardwood floor, everything but Inko vanishes.

The sight of Inko takes Cathleen's breath away. Cathleen knew what Inko would look like in her matching dress on an intellectual level. Seeing it in person is another thing entirely.

Luckily, her mother and father are at her sides, nudging her forward. Cathleen's brain turns back on, and she takes her first step down the aisle.

Her heart beats louder and louder in her chest until she's certain it's going to tear itself out and fling itself at Inko, who owns it so utterly. Cathleen can't hear the soft classical music over the blood roaring in her ears.

But here she stands, beside Inko, before the officiant.

"Dearly beloved and honored guests," begins the officiant, "Thank you all for being here on this most important of days. We are gathered here today to join Bate Cathleen and Midoriya Inko in wedded bliss. Cathleen and Inko, today you shall legally be joined in a way that your hearts already are. The two of you will move forward together into a new phase of your lives, and together, hand in hand, you will face the trials and tribulations to come, and enjoy the tranquility and peace between them. And I hope that every time you see each other from now on you fall in love with one another all over again."

The officiant looks out over the guests seated behind Cathleen and Inko. "If any one of you can give just cause for why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Cathleen holds her breath, but no such objection is raised. The officiant turns to Inko.

"Do you, Midoriya Inko, take Bate Cathleen to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love her in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you two live?"

"I do," says Inko, audibly choking down her Midoriya tears.

The officiant turns to Cathleen, and she stiffens under his gaze.

"Do you, Bate Cathleen, take Midoriya Inko to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love her in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you two live?"

"I do," Cathleen says. It's a fight not to scream to the heavens.

"Inko, as you look into Cathleen's eyes, please say your vows."

Inko raises a hand over her mouth, and though her eyes shine with wetness she does not look away.

She's beaming.

She's radiant.

"We met," says Inko, voice quivering, "by chance. A cosmic accident. And you worked your way into my heart in such a short meeting. I love you. When I needed you, you were there, not only for me but for my son. I love you. You have supported me and inspired me every single day, and I am so grateful for that. I love you."

By now, the tears Inko has failed to hold back are streaming down her face. She makes no move to wipe them, to break her eye contact with Cathleen.

"And so I promise to be there for you. I am giving myself to you, for now and forever. I will be there for you for each of your triumphs and all of your struggles. I promise to love you in good times and bad. When laughing is easy and when it seems crying is all we will ever do. Loving you is the easiest thing I have ever done or will ever do. I know that our life together will not be perfect. I know there will be times when everything is difficult. And I will love you just as much then as I do now, if not more. All of this and more, I swear."

It's taking everything Cathleen has not to cry herself right now. She has no illusions that she'll make it through the entire ceremony with dry eyes.

"Cathleen, as you look into Inko's eyes, please say your vows."

She takes a deep breath and remembers the countless times she has recited this speech, the revisions and edits. The times she asked her brothers for help and the input they gave.

"When I decided to become a Hero, I thought that meant that I would never have time for a family of my own," Cathleen starts. "There are few Heroes who pursue relationships, and even fewer who find love outside of a Hero School or agency. But then, one beautiful summer day, I met the most amazing woman in the world, and not long after that I learned that I was wrong. And I had never been happier to be wrong. And I never will again."

Oh, there it is. She can feel the tears. She blinks them a few times hoping that will at least delay the inevitable.

"I want to share my life with you. You are the most beautiful, brilliant, kindest person I have ever met. I want to be by your side for the rest of our lives. I want to build our lives together. I love you."

There is a perfect moment as they stand there looking into each other's eyes.

The officiant speaks again. "Your wedding rings take the shape of a circle. The circle that is the same shape as the sun and the moon and the stars. Of the universe. Of eternity. And of love. Wear them proudly, for they are the symbols of the love you have for each other."

He hands to both of them the rings that Izuku earlier carried up to the front of the altar.

Cathleen gingerly holds out her hand and Inko slowly slides her ring into place. Where it belongs. The cool metal sends a rush through her nerves. She lowers her hand again, bringing it down in front of her, as Inko holds out her own hand. Cathleen turns the ring over in her palm. Once, twice, three times. And she slides it over Inko's smooth skin into place on her third finger.

"In the acts of giving and receiving these rings, you once again acknowledge and promise that your lies remain joined together, like the circle itself, no matter where you go you shall always return to your shared life together."

And then the man says the words that Cathleen has dreamed of for the past six months.

"Inko and Cathleen, you have expressed your love to one another and made vows you both hold sacred to one another. You have made the bond you share formal with words and with the giving and receiving of the rings. I now pronounce you to be wed. Congratulations. You may now kiss."

Inko doesn't hesitate to throw herself at Cathleen, who scoops her wife into her arms and with practiced ease plants her lips against Inko's.

"I can't believe you," Mrs. Bakugou says without any real heat. "You didn't tell me you were dating a Hero for two years!"

Inko smiles mischievously.

"So," says Cathleen, "How does it feel to know you played wingman for a Pro Hero?"

Mrs. Bakugou laughs. "Katsuki's probably pissed," she says. "But damn, what a way to tell us!"

"I figured the Best Man gave it away," says Inko, nodding over to where All Might is terrifying the people serving the banquet food as he continues to pile more and more onto his plates. Izuku and Little Katsuki stand a respectful distance away staring at him with stars visible in their eyes even from all the way over here.

Mrs. Bakugou scoffs, shaking her head. "Damn near shit myself when I saw All Might come down the aisle as the Best Man! Give a girl some warning next time!"

Inko pats Mrs. Bakugou on the back, mirth dancing across her face. "I'm proud of you for getting through your whole speech before you yelled at me about it."

They had been good speeches too, with All Might talking about Cathleen as a person and not just as a Hero, while Mrs. Bakugou recounted tale after tale of the various mischiefs that Inko had gotten up to in the time they'd known each other.

Admittedly, Cathleen doesn't think anyone in attendance will ever be able to take All Might as seriously ever again, except save for maybe the kids.

Ah well. At least the wine was perfect for toasting.

"Where are your parents?" Inko says.

"If I had to guess," Cathleen says, "They're keeping Beth away from the dessert table." Her sister is wonderful and she loves her, but Elizabeth cannot control herself around chocolate.

"So," Mr. Bakugou says. "You're Bate Inko now." There's no judgement in his voice, only curiosity. There are questions implied but he hasn't explicitly asked any of them.

"Izuku and I talked about it, and we agreed on taking Cathleen's name," Inko says.

They'd explained it to her as well, since it was necessary for some of the paperwork—the wedding certificates and licenses. They had both noticed that Cathleen's Quirk requires her to name her target and wanted to emphasize how much she had become a part of their family by taking on her name.

Sentimental fools, all three of them.

She might cry thinking about it.

And now that they're married, she can finally tell Inko what her Quirk actually is, and she knows Izuku would love to hear about it. With the partial information he's gotten on his own he's already figured out so much. What a little genius.

And he's her son now!

She apparently doesn't hide the air she sucks in at the thought suddenly smacking her upside the head.

"Cathy?" says Inko.

"It's nothing," she reassures quickly, wiping a tear from her eye. "I just realized that… Izuku is my son now. I have a son now!"

"Don't let him hear you say that," Inko says. "He's been calling you 'mama' ever since we proposed."

They are going to kill Cathleen.

"He has?" She has to blink out more tears.

"You didn't hear it from me," says Inko. "I think he wants to surprise you with it, or he's working up the courage to say it to you directly."

Cathleen nods earnestly.

Mr. Bakugou laughs. "Mitsuki, she's acting like you did when you found out about Katsuki!"

"Don't tell her that!" Mrs. Bakugou hisses, blushing furiously. Cathleen can't help but to laugh. Today is… it's everything she had ever dreamed.

Inko nudges her. "So who is that All Might is talking to?" While Inko had approved Cathleen's guest list, she hasn't met everyone on it before, and she likely doesn't remember all of Cathleen's brothers. And with all twelve of them in attendance, it's probably easy to get them mixed up if you aren't familiar with them.

"That's David Shield, the Support Engineer?"

It's actually been a while since Cathleen herself has spoken with him. She met him before when she was still learning from All Might. Discovering that he was the man who designed the car All Might used that day when he saved her life gave Cathleen a whole new appreciation of him and his work. She's stayed in contact with him, but that was on a professional level, and she hasn't needed any new Support Items in a while, and her costume's holding up perfectly.

"Aunt Cathleen!"

Cathleen is startled out of her memories by a young, clear voice in English that she knows quite well, despite the time between their meetings. She turns with a smile to see David's daughter running up to her, dragging Izuku along behind her.

Melissa Shield would be the sweetest little kid that Cathleen has ever met if it wasn't for Izuku. Her long blonde hair frames the large, round glasses over the blue eyes she inherited from her father. She's a little under exactly two years older than Izuku, having turned eight back in October.

"Mel!" Cathleen says with a wide smile. "It's so good to see you again!"

"You got married!" Melissa cheers.

"I did!" Cathleen turns back to the rest of her table. "This is Melissa Shield, David's daughter, and my honorary niece." It's a lot like the relation between the Bakugous and Izuku, and Inko and Little Katsuki, so she's sure they'll understand.

"Ah, how nice to meet you!" Inko says sweetly. "I guess that makes me your aunt too, doesn't it?"

"Uh huh!" Melissa nods. "And that means Izuku here is my cousin!"

"It sure does," Cathleen says.

Seemingly satisfied by that, the two kids take off again together towards All Might. Ah, Cathleen should've expected that. Melissa's as close to him as she is to Cathleen, and it was inevitable that Izuku would want to go speak with him. She sends All Might a mental apology. He is in no way ready for Izuku's energy.

Inko frowns. "I hope that Mr. Sasaki is enjoying himself," she says. "He doesn't look that happy."

Mrs. Bakugou glances over at the tall man in a business suit content to keep to his distance from most of the other celebrants. "Ignore him. I can tell he's the kind of guy with resting bitch face. It's all in the posture. You can see from here that he's not tense at all."

"Even if he was having a bad time," Cathleen says, leaning close to breathe into Inko's ear. "It's not his wedding day." She can see Inko tremble from the warmth of her breath. She bets Inko is thinking of the same thing as Cathleen: their plans tonight.

Soon enough, it's time for the dance floor to open. As the wedding couple, Cathleen and Inko of course have the first dance.

Inko smiles, holding out a hand and Cathleen took it. Together they move to the dance floor with graceful strides. The music swells, and they begin.

It's like when she saw Inko in her gown all over again. The world fades out. Nothing matters beyond her, Inko, and the music.

They move as one, in perfect harmony.

Step, step, step, pause, twirl.

Their bodies nearly press together as they waltzed hand in hand. Cathleen can feel Inko's heart beating as one with her own.

And when the music stops and everyone claps, she can't help herself. She kisses Inko.

And they are happy.