Between his newly started Judo training, studying kickboxing through Herotube videos, keeping up with his workouts, studying for final exams, prepping for U.A.'s entrance exams, studying support gear design and all it's associated skills as well as getting enough time to sleep, Izuku suddenly finds himself lacking almost any time to go out and look for Hero fights. He may be able to watch the news and any clips that come up while studying or eating, but for a super Hero fan, it's not enough. His mind and body scream to get out there, to see it in person.

Naturally both Yu and Inko noticed this change and ended up suggesting he take a cheat day. Unlike a normal cheat day, where he would eat whatever he wanted instead of following his diet, a whole day to just do whatever he wanted. Naturally, he resisted the idea at first, stating his need to work harder than others to catch up, but in the end, the two most important people in his life broke down his defenses and got him to agree. And so the chosen cheat Sunday arrived with Izuku waking up with his early alarm and staring at the ceiling.

Energy buzzes in his skin, muscle memory pushing for him to get up and start studying. Fighting these urges, he closes his eyes to try to get a little more sleep, though ultimately failing. Giving up on that he grabs his phone to start perusing Hero News, very quickly becoming engrossed in the many takedowns, rescues and other events that have happened recently. A hand grabs for his notebook only for him to realize it's on his desk. Rolling out of bed with a grunt, slides into his chair, setting his phone on its stand and with the twirl of a pen and a smile, he starts furiously writing.

It wasn't until almost two hours later that he'd be interrupted by a knock at the door. "Izuku, breakfast is ready." Inko says from the other side.

"Oh, right, I'll be out in a minute." he replies as he looks down at his bare chest and All Might pajama pants, "Just gotta get dressed."

Her giggle is audible through the door before she walks off, and after changing into something suitable for the day, he joins her at the table. "So, how much hero news did you get caught up on Izuku? Anything interesting? I hope you didn't stay up all night to try and catch up."

Cheeks flush as memories of long nights and tired mornings come back before he shakes his head. "I didn't stay up all night, I just couldn't get back to sleep when my alarm went off, so I started looking at stuff." Picking up his rice bowl, he lifts a load up to his mouth before a thought strikes him. "Oh, All Might is still in the area, which is really strange, normally when he changes patrol areas, it's usually only for a few weeks before he's off somewhere else unless it's around Might Tower. A lot of people are wondering why, but I think there's a really obvious reason. All Might's getting old, most guesses put him in his 50's, and combined with his reducing activity over the past couple years, I think he's going to retire from heroics soon, but then why be out here, and then it hit me. U.A.'s here. He's looking to become a teacher to fill the hours he isn't working as a hero, and then once he retires completely, he can still push forward heroics!"

"You've really thought that through my little hero fan, though I shouldn't be surprised given how much you like All Might." Inko replies with another giggle, one hand sliding under the table while the other props up her chin, "Then again, All Might is your number one favourite hero, or..." fixing him with a sly smile, she brings her other hand up to idly set her phone on the table before joining the first under her chin, "maybe a different Hero has slid her way up there to the top?"

"Yu's not..." he starts before fading into silence, the gears in his head turning faster and faster.

"I never said anything about Takeyama-san, though you have certainly been buying a lot of her Hero merch lately. A lot more than All Might stuff from what I remember. Oh, and that special poster she signed with a kiss too."

"It's different, she's..." the rice bowl is set down with a quiet clack before Izuku's hands wrap over each other. "Yu's special, she saved Kac... Katsuki and I from the slime villain, and she even saved me from myself. She believed in me and my but also showed me I'd have to fight for it. I couldn't just coast by on wishful thinking like before. She's done so much to help me and yet..."

"You've done a lot for her too, you know." Inko says as he pauses, "I still remember the moment we saw that incident with her on the TV, you immediately dropped everything to call her before running off to make sure she was fine when she didn't answer. You were there for her in what was probably one of the hardest moments of her life so far. You did everything you could to make her feel better, even if it didn't seem like a whole lot."

His head shakes and his gaze drops to his food. "She's strong, amazing, she would have been fine even without me..."

Reaching across the table, she sets her hand on his and says, "Maybe, but when something like that happens, having someone be there for you can make all the difference in the world." He nods slowly, eyes still locked on the food in front of him. "I've seen how much you care for her, not just that night but in so many other ways too."

"I do, she's... really important to me." Scooping up another mouthful of breakfast, he chews slowly to let himself think. "I wanted... I still want to keep her safe, even though I know she's a hero. Talking with her and spending time with her makes me happy, even if she keeps teasing me." Pink slowly starts filling his cheeks as he talks, his fingers clenched tight around his chopsticks. "Seeing her smile at me, or when she hugs or holds me, I..." Slaps echo out as he claps his own cheeks before stuffing breakfast into his face as fast as he can. Shooting to his feet the moment most of it's done, he says, "Sorry Mom, I need to go for a walk to clear my head."

"Alright, just be safe out there Izuku." She replies, tapping on her phone while he rushes off to get his things. Within a minute or two, he's out the door with cheeks still flushed, leaving her home alone with a new recording to do some editing to.

Out in the cool morning air, Izuku's heart continues to pound in his chest, it's beat far more intense than his activity should have caused. A flash of a half smirk, half smile dances through his head, intensifying the heat in his cheeks, especially as the phantom feeling of her nearly bare chest against his joins it. More and more memories flick by as he starts walking with no destination in mind. From the countless little teases to the bigger moments, posing her for the poster and massaging her after, holding her hand as he guided her to his place, his arms wrapped around her as they cuddled under a blanket.

Trying to shake his thoughts free, he heads out into the thick of Mustafu, mind and heart in turmoil as he seeks a distraction. As luck would have it, it's not long before he finds one, a small jewelry shop being robbed by a trio of villains. With alarms blaring and small crowds watching the scene from a distance, it's probably been called in already, but just to be sure, he sends in a report on his phone too. As expected it's not needed, a whistling of air marking the arrival of Airjet.

His notebook comes out in an instant, all thoughts outside the fight vanishing as he observes and analyses the situation. With the skills of a Pro Hero, Airjet quickly brings down the villains with only minimal collateral damage. Of course, while the fight still thrills Izuku, his mind is much more focused on Airjet's equipment.

"... still good defensive gear despite being a mobile hero..." He murmurs, sketching out the various pieces of support gear, "... must be strong enough to protect in a crash since he's a flying hero..." Still mumbling to himself, he starts off again, notebook open in front of him as his pen twirls in his other hand.

A nearby coffee shop becomes a quick stop to rest and get his thoughts all on paper before he's off again, heading for the local Hero Merch store. With a clear mind, he enters the store, ready to go over all the new releases. Naturally, there's several new All Might pieces, though nothing groundbreaking or striking. A couple posters for some newly debuted heroes, some new keychain dangles, a sweater or two, nothing really striking him until he comes across a display of the new Hero-Series poseable figurines.

Standing there in the middle of them is a Mt Lady figurine complete with her detachable armour.

Like a tidal wave of anxiety, the discussion of this morning crashes back upon him, leaving a nervous energy in its wake. Even just being painted plastic, her lovely eyes stare back at him, bringing forth a warmth from his chest. Swallowing the knot in his throat, he picks up one of the boxes, her photo plastered across the front with her sweet, charming smile on it.

A small embarrassed part of him yells in his brain to put it back, but it's simple to resist the urge before grabbing a new All Might Keychain and a Mirko bunny eared toque as well. Doing a quick once over of the store, he pays for his choices before heading out.

With the bag clutched to his chest, Izuku follows his hero hunting instincts while trying to push down the feelings bubbling up from his thoughts. 'Imagine if it was the real Yu instead of the toy you're holding...' The horny, monkey part of his brain whispers, bringing with it a flush of blood to his cheeks. As if to try and run from the thoughts, his pace quickens and he turns down a random street seeking some form of distraction.

Street after random street he would take, but fate would have a different plan for him as when he decides to look up, he finds himself not far from a gathering of pedestrians surrounding a Hero, or rather, Heroine. Purple horns crown blonde hair over the crowd as Izuku's teacher signs autographs and chats with fans. Purple eyes meet green, and her smile changes ever so slightly, developing a warmth to it he can feel in his chest.

Instinct takes hold for a moment as he starts walking closer, all parts of his brain agreeing he should be closer to her. This grinds to a halt, however, as he spies a man moving in, half hunched to partly conceal one hand that glints in the sunlight. Opening his mouth, he's unable to say anything before a bladed hand rears back, sparkling in the sunlight before driving itself into Mt Lady's side.

Her warm smile turns to shock as the fist is pulled back and raised, blood dripping from it as it is raised to the sky. "Fear me!" The man cries out even as Izuku starts running towards them, "I will be the NEW Hero Killer!" He turns to strike the staggered Mt Lady even as the crowd begins to scatter, but gets stopped as Izuku's bag of merchandise slams into his face.

His heart hammers in his ears as he weaves through the dispersing crowd, eyes locked on the villain even as theirs lock on him. The man pivots, bladed fist striking out as Izuku closes in. Green hair parts as he ducks the blow, raising his own hand to the man's chest while stepping in beside, sliding his leg behind the villains. With all the strength built over the last almost eight months, Izuku pushes.

It's almost too easy as the villain's balance breaks immediately, their body slamming to the ground audibly and their head hitting with a dull crack. Mt Lady flips the villain over before Izuku can even turn to check on her, pulling their now normal hands behind their back. "Hey, can you call this in?" Yu asks, giving him a pained smile, "My hands are a little full and I don't keep any cuffs on me. Oh I'm gonna need an ambulance too."

"Y-yes Yu... er Mt Lady." Izuku replies before fumbling for his phone. After phoning it in, he goes to grab his bag before his eyes wander over Yu, in particular, the blood leaking down her side. "I..." he starts, anxiety rising before he forces it back down. "I'm going to try and staunch your wound, is that okay?"

"Go for it."

Stripping off his shirt, he folds it into a bundle before popping the side of her armour open. Almost half dozen puncture wounds and lacerations dot her suit and side, blood leaking from each. Pushing the cloth over the wounds, he can feel his own pulse start to calm as the situation winds down. After nearly a minute of silence between the two, Izuku suddenly says, "I'm sorry, Sensei, I saw him, but I couldn't say or do anything in time and you got hurt because of it..."

"None of that," She retorts immediately. "You couldn't have known, and you did great besides. Just, let's save any real talk till the police and paramedics get here, okay?"

He nods in silent agreement, and the two remain in position as best they can, even when the villain begins to stir. The police arrive not a moment too soon, cuffing the villain and allowing Mt Lady to relax a little, the ambulance arriving barely a minute later. As the paramedics arrive, Yu pulls Izuku off her injury, dragging him in front of her. "Today, not just your armour, but you, Izuku, saved my life. Thank you."

Her hands grab his face, pulling him in before pressing their lips together. Izuku's eyes go wide, before closing after a few seconds as he melts into the kiss. While his heart beats like a drum, his hands move to wrap around her shoulders until she pulls away far too soon for his body's liking. That soft, loving smile returns to her face as she licks her lips briefly before saying, "I gotta go with the medics now. Stay safe, Izuku, and thank you again." She blows him a kiss before letting herself get ushered into the back of the ambulance, proper gauze being pressed to her injuries as she moves.

And so Izuku is left standing there, shirtless, face growing redder and redder as he realizes what just happened while officers gather the statements of those still around. One of the officers just looks at Izuku with a chuckle before saying, "It's like dealing with a young Midnight all over again. Give him a few to reset and we'll be good." It does, at least on the surface, take a few minutes before he's able to formulate thoughts well enough to answer the police questions, and after a soft warning about vigilantism, he's free to go.

Still in something of a daze, he grabs his bag, folds up his bloody shirt as best he can and heads for home shirtless.

In the back of the ambulance, Yu's phone beeps with a text from Inko. Opening it reveals a sound file that she plays. Two familiar to her voices begin talking, and as she listens, she can't help but smile more, despite the pain of her wounds.

Arriving home after more than a fair share of stares, Izuku enters, takes off his shoes, drops his bag and then crashes face first onto the couch. Looking over from the kitchen where she had just begun lunch, Inko asks, "Izuku? What's wrong?"

"Mom, I..." he starts pushing himself up as he works on gathering his thoughts, "I think I'm in love with Yu."

"You're gonna do wonderful, Izuku." Inko says as she re-does his tie, the two of them standing in the doorway to their apartment. "You've studied and trained hard, now go on and make Yu and I proud." Giving him a hug, she ushers him out the door where he stumbles face first into Yu's chest.

Arms wrap around him, trapping him there for a moment before easing up and letting him come out, face now red with embarrassment. "Morning Izuku, I figured I'd take you for a ride, it's a big day after all. You don't want to be late." She smirks before stepping back, letting him get a good look at her.

All his brain can think is 'Mature Schoolgirl'.

A white button up long sleeve shirt covers her torso with a loosely tied green ribbon bow around her collar while a soft lavender pleated skirt goes down to her knees. Below it, black socks rise up from her polished leather shoes just to disappear underneath the skirt. Her hip suddenly juts to the side as she shifts, setting a hand there and breaking his stare as he realizes he was. "Well, I'm glad you think I look good, but we should probably get going I-zu-ku."

Still red faced, he nods and follows as she leads him to her car. He slides into the passenger seat and soon they're off on their way to U.A.. Things are silent for a few minutes as the boy calms down, just watching traffic around them. One hand clutches his bag, his other pressed to his chest as he takes long slow breaths to fight off anxiety.

"You'll do great, Izuku. I've seen your designs, I've worn your designs and they've even saved me from some nasty injuries." Yu says, taking a brief moment to pat his shoulder at a red light, "If having a pro endorse and even use your stuff isn't enough to get your foot in the door, I'm sure that brain of yours will be."

"I know, you're right, but it doesn't make it less nerve wracking. It's U.A., the best Hero school in the country and one of the best high schools as well. The pass rate of the entry exams is super low and..." His hand moves from his chest to be held in front of him, clenching into a fist, "I'm gonna do my best. Even if I don't pass, there are other schools too, and like you said way back when we first met, I barely need a license, I just have to prove I'm good enough to be a hero."

"I did a little digging myself, and if by some miracle you make it through without ending up with a Hero license, I can bring you on as a sidekick in training." Yu says, smiling as he looks over at her with admiration, "But then, any school worth their salt would recognize your heroic heart and put you on the right course right away." A small blush forms, but his smile remains as he nods, turning back to the road ahead.

It isn't long before they arrive near enough to U.A., the parking ahead a literal nightmare as thousands upon thousands of potential students arrive for testing. Both of them get out, moving onto the sidewalk where she reaches into her shirt from above. "Izuku, I... made you this." Yu says, pulling out a pink Omamori from the confines of her bra. "It's a special good luck charm, but you absolutely can't open it until you come back to me after the exams, okay?"

His hands are gentle as he accepts it from her, holding it close to his chest with a smile before putting it in his uniform's breast pocket. "Thank you, for this and for everything since we met." He says, bowing deeply to her, "I'll do my best and make you proud."

As he straightens back up, Yu pulls him into a quick hug before giving him a light shove in the right direction. "I know you will. Good luck Izuku, I'll be here to pick you up after you're done." Watching him run off to the school's entry, she stands alone by her car until a chill breeze makes itself known by blowing down the street and up her skirt. The cold wind sends chills across her bare crotch and makes her thighs squeeze together to keep it warm.

Slowing down as he nears the gates, Izuku can't help but look up at the school in awe as he approaches. Imposing pillars of glass that shine like a beacon in the morning sun. Slowing to a walk, he looks all over the U.A. gate, a defensive wall set to spring closed at a moments notice, over a foot thick of defensive potential just below their feet.

A heavy shoulder slams into his from behind, a familiar voice cursing, "Get the fuck out of my way, Deku."

Red eyes glare at him in passing, and he fights down the urge to flinch before retorting, "You walked into me, Bakugo, maybe you should watch where you're going."

As if a brick rose up from the paved path, Bakugo stumbles in shock before barely catching himself and whipping back to face Izuku, explosions crackling in his hands. "What the fuck did you just say to me you worthless Deku?"

"Do you need your ears checked too? You walked into me, you're the one being a jerk here."

Bakugo's hands curl into claws as more small explosions crackle off before being interrupted by a loud shout of "HEY HEY HEY Little Examinees, no getting fired up out here." The crowds part as Present Mic approaches, Bakugo throwing the hero a brief glare before huffing, stuffing his hands in his pockets and stomping off towards the school again. "Everything alright Little Listener?" Mic asks as he reaches Izuku, an eyebrow rising as the green haired boy starts vibrating.

"Oh my gosh, you're Present Mic! I'm a big fan! I listen to your radio show all the time when I'm doing my workouts or at home relaxing." Izuku exclaims rapid fire, hands digging into his bag instantly for one of his notebooks, "Could I get your autograph maybe? I know you must be busy watching over everyone to make sure nothing happens but between your Teaching, Hero work and Radio Show, it's so hard to find you to get one otherwise..."

"Sure thing," The Hero replies, throwing finger guns at Izuku before accepting the notebook and pen, "And who's the cool cat I'm making this out to?"

"Midoriya. Midoriya Izuku." The pen flies across the paper and after a brief moment, Mic hands the notebook and pen back, a bombastic signature gracing the page. "Thank you so much, Present Mic Sir!"

"Any time for a fan, but you better skedaddle or you'll be late for the exams." Shooting one last finger gun at Izuku, Mic walks off back to his post while Izuku gazes at him in awe before the words sink in.

Letting out a surprised yelp, Izuku jumps before hurrying to the building, bag and notebook clutched tight. Following the signs everywhere, he's soon at his assigned spot, ready for the written exam.

True to its reputation, U.A.'s written exam is tough. Even with three hours to complete it, Izuku still finds himself going over his answers at the fifteen minute warning. Despite going over it, he hands his exam in with no small amount of dread, Yu's good luck charm held tight in his free hand. Keeping it close to his heart, he takes his bag and heads for the practical room for the support course. One of U.A.'s massive doors stands before him, and after kissing the charm and catching a whiff of peach, he stows it away and opens the door.

A large room with dozens of workbenches and easily almost a hundred prospective students greets him, some of those students looking over at him before returning to their waiting. Moving to an open spot, he sits next to a girl with pink dreadlocks tinkering with something. Still with time to spare before the practical, he pulls out his support gear notebook, and starts going over his notes and designs again.

"Hey, I recognize that baby." A voice from beside him says, making him jump before looking over. Bright yellow eyes with crosshair pupils stare into his briefly before looking back at his notebook. "That's that mountain woman's detachable armour, right? Did you make that baby for her?"

"H-huh? Baby? I uh, did design and build it for her, but I..."

The girl's yellow eyes immediately shoot up to focus on him again, the crosshairs spinning back and forth as she stares. "You got a Pro to use your support gear before you even made it to U.A. Greenie?" Hands grab onto his shoulders as she leans in closer, "How? I've bugged tons of Heroes to use my stuff but they always just brushed me off or said to get a license first."

"It's a bit of a story, but put simply... She decided to pick me up and help train me for becoming a hero eventually, I helped her with analysis and so she suggested I try and come up with some support gear for her and to learn how to do it for myself in the future since I don't have a quirk and will need gear to be a Hero. I ended up designing and building the armour for her, and it got approved and yeah."

She leans back in surprise, blinking rapidly before her hands begin to coast over his torso and arms. Reaching some sort of decision, her hands clap onto his shoulders again. "That's perfect Greenie! If you go and be a Quirkless Hero, you're gonna be in the spotlight and that means all your gear is going to be in the spotlight too. The name's Hatsume Mei, future Owner and head technician of Hatsume Inc. and I'm gonna make your future babies."

His brain skips like a record player being tossed down a flight of stairs before a loud voice declares "Alright everyone, take a seat. We'll be going over the practical exam momentarily." Marching through the room, Power Loader stands up at a lectern at the front of the class. His odd yellow helmet sweeps over the prospective students as they sit and look to him before nodding. "Alright then. The practical has two parts, the portfolio, which you were told to bring in when you got your examinee ID's in the mail, and the time pressure design, which you will be making right away."

Power Loader's hand raises before slapping a button on the lectern in front of him, causing panels in the workbenches to flip over, revealing tablets. "You've got one hour to pick a Hero that isn't in your portfolio, and create either a new costume or a new piece of support gear specifically for them that again, isn't already in your portfolio. When you're done or when the time is up, save and submit the design with it saved as your full name, and then drop off the portfolio with me up here. Go."

An awkward silence hangs in the air as everyone stares at the flat yellow helmet before giggling comes from beside him, Hatsume already drawing on her tablet.

Turning to his own, he picks up the tablet pen and twirls it in his finger as his brain goes into Hero analysis mode. 'Any hero, and either a costume redesign or a new piece of support gear... It's such a wide topic, and there's so many fan pieces out there. I can't choose a well known Hero if I want to stand out. Something that will show my skills... someone who would show what I'm aiming for as a student...' Writing down the names of less known Heroes he could go for, a sudden name jumps out and brings a smile to his face.

'Eraserhead, an underground Hero who specializes in quirkless combat. Quirk: Erasure, can disable the quirks of those he stares at with his quirk active, doesn't work on Mutation type quirks and passive mutated aspects of other quirks.' Drawing out a quick sketch of the man, he finds himself staring at a scruffy looking hobo wearing a black tracksuit, a white scarf and yellow goggles. "His only true support gear is his capture scarf, though the goggles are designed to work with his quirk too..." he mutters quietly, careful not to draw the ire of those around him.

Drawing a second blank body to work off of, he starts adding cutaway layers to the costume. Extra padding and protection to vital areas, armoured and reinforced elbow and knee pads to boost attacking power and most importantly, a protective hood that acts as a facemask too, to obscure his eyes and hair, reducing the tells of his quirk. The scarf is moved off the neck and into an arm where it no longer poses a massive choking hazard and provides easier use. "For the support gear..."

"Thirty minutes left!" Power Loader calls out, making Izuku's heart jump.

'Shoot, I've not even started... Okay focus.' Clapping his cheeks softly, he takes a moment to pull out the charm again, inhaling it's scent. More than just peaches, it reminds him of her, pushing down his anxiety and letting him get back to work. 'Eraserhead's fighting style focuses around ambushes mostly, but he doesn't really have support gear to really take advantage of that.' Running his fingers through the fluffy mass that is his hair, his brain runs through countless Heroes and their quirks that do great with surprise attacks. Like a bolt of lightning, an idea strikes him. 'He already uses one capture scarf, a second one would be easy to add to his combat, but if it was made different, with electricity resistant materials, and a built in taser system, it could be used to instantly down villains from a range and...'

A second scarf is drawn from the Hero's other sleeve, this one dark to match his costume, to be unseen in the night. 'It'll need multiple contact points so it can effectively discharge no matter how it wraps around, and it'll need some control systems on it, the costume will need some grounding and insulation...' Getting started on the blueprint, he works as best as he can from memory, eventually coming to a suitable enough final design with only a few minutes to spare. Before any insecurity can kick in, he saves and submits the work, the tablet flipping back into the table a moment later as he takes a deep breath to steady himself.

Hatsume is already gone, the seat next to him empty as he pulls out his portfolio to bring up. He feels a little twinge of sadness, the girl was nice, if a little weird, and he can't help but want to talk with her more. Turning in his portfolio and getting an autograph from Power Loader does bring a smile to his face, though as he leaves the classroom, he's suddenly ambushed from the side.

"There you are Greenie, what took you so long?" Hatsume asks, holding his arm tight, "I finished twenty minutes ago, and have been waiting here for you so we can talk about your future babies."

Once again, his brain skips a beat before it clicks into place. "Oh, by babies you mean inventions? Your support gear?"

"Duh, Greenie. I made them, so I'm their mom and they're my babies."

"That... makes a lot of sense. Weird, but it makes sense." Pausing a moment, Izuku's eyes widen before he takes a half step back and tries to bow, only to be held in place by Mei's strength. "Ah, sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm Midoriya Izuku, it's nice to meet you Hatsume."

"Unimportant details, Greenie, and just call me Mei, its quicker. What is important is I need your phone number so we can talk gear later." The moment he pulls out his phone and unlocks it, she swipes it from his hand, sending a text to her own phone that beeps in her overalls. "There we go. Now if you don't make it into U.A. we can still get hold of each other." Pushing the device back into his hands, she starts walking away with a wave. "See ya Greenie, I gotta head home. This grapple gun isn't gonna finish itself."

"I... Okay, bye Mei." he says, giving up trying to understand the situation while giving her a wave. Putting his phone away, he thumbs the charm in the same pocket, a smile forming. "I did my best. If it's not enough, I'll try other schools." He says to himself, shouldering his bag and heading for the entrance.

True to her word, Yu is standing there, hand on her hip and a smile on her face. "Come on, Izuku, let's get going so we can celebrate."

"Celebrate?"

"We may not know if you passed or not, but that smile looks like you're pretty confident you did well to me." She says, patting him on the back as he reaches her, "I let your mom know you'd be over at my place for the evening so we can have some fun and unwind and stuff."

"That sounds nice. I feel like my brain's gonna crash as soon as I relax, that exam was hard."

"Tell me about it on the ride there. I'd rather get going before I get swarmed, and I got the stuff to make Katsudon for dinner, and figured we could... Hey!" His warm, gentle hand grabs hers, pulling her along to the car in excitement. "Geez, I know you like it, Izuku, but this is a bit much."

His stomach growls audibly in response, to which she giggles. "Sorry, I forgot to bring a snack so I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast, and Katsudon..." Another roar comes from his stomach, his hands going to cover it after releasing hers.

With a laugh, she bumps his hip with her own, nudging him off towards the passenger side. "Let's go then." She responds, sliding into the driver's seat and starting the car. He joins in the passenger seat, setting his bag on the ground and buckling in quickly. "So," she asks as they get going, "Gimme the rundown of the exam. What all happened?"

"To start, I guess I told off Bakugo when he was a jerk to me at the entrance."

"Hey, way to go," She exclaims, reaching a hand over to blindly ruffle his hair, still sinfully soft and fluffy as usual. "If you're going to be a quirkless hero, you'll need to be able to stand up for yourself like that, and your old bully is the best way to start."

He leans into her hand a bit, relishing the contact as he adds, "I even got to talk to Present Mic because of it, though it was only really enough to ask for an autograph. After that, I had to head in for the exams..."

The drive isn't long, but then, neither is his telling of the day's events except when he went off on a tangent about Eraserhead. As she pulls into her own apartment's parking lot, she has to fight down a not so subtle twinge of jealousy as Izuku talks about Hatsume and their interactions. Leading him up to her place, she waves him in first before taking a moment as she locks the door behind them to gather herself.

"Before you open the charm I made you, I want to tell you about it." Yu says, sitting down on the sofa and patting for him to sit too. "It's an old design I found, one used even earlier than the pre-quirk era. It's supposed to grant success and safe return, because it was given by women to their husbands and lovers before they would go off to battle."

Holding the charm in his hand, he blinks at it before turning to her, his cheeks growing red with a blush. "W-wait, you gave this to me, does that mean...?"

"Yep." She says with a nod, a little colour filling her own cheeks as she does. "Way back when we first met, I'll admit I thought you were cute, and I kinda wanted to seduce you for a little fun, but then everything happened, and well... Through all this time training you, doing all the support gear stuff and just hanging out, I've changed. Oh, you're still the adorable boy I saw then, but I can see the rest of you too. You're kind, smart, driven and have become more than a little hunky, and past that, you care for me. Not just as a Teacher or a Hero, but as a person. You've been there for me, through highs and lows, and you even put yourself at risk to save my life. I guess what I'm saying is, Izuku, I love you, will you be my boyfriend?"

Instead of speaking, he lunges across the couch, wrapping her up in a hug before pressing his lips to hers in an inexperienced but fiery kiss. Embracing him back, Yu runs a hand up his back, sinking her fingers into his hair to help keep the kiss close. Eventually, they have to break for air, and he gasps out, "I love you too, Yu. I'll gladly be your boyfriend but..." Her finger covers his mouth to silence him, though before she can say anything, his stomach growls loudly again.

"Let's make lunch, then we can talk buts, 'kay?"

His stomach growls in agreement before he nods and moves off her. As Yu moves for the kitchen, Izuku remembers the charm still held in his hand. Undoing the string, the paper unfolds to reveal a satiny purple fabric within. It unfolds as he pulls it out, revealing itself to be a pair of panties just as Yu throws a look over her shoulder.

"Those are yours now, Izuku, do whatever you want with them." she says with a sly smile, "The charm required I wore them all of yesterday and today until I made the charm. Haven't put new ones on yet either, see." Hands grasp the waistband of her skirt before pulling it down, baring her supple cheeks to her new boyfriend.

"Ah..." He says, standing there red faced and stunned for a few seconds, "That's why the charm's smell reminded me of you."

She can't fight her own blush as she pulls her skirt back up and hurries into the kitchen. It takes a few minutes for him to gather himself before he joins her, and they quickly settle into a rhythm together as they cook. Quick and easy, they soon have their katsudon ready, taking it to the couch to relax as they eat.

"So, what was that 'but' about earlier?" Yu asks, setting her bowl on the coffee table.

"It's..." His chopsticks tap on the edge of the bowl as he gathers his words, before he sets it down like she did. "First, I love you, I truly do. More than anyone I've ever known except Mom, Oh gods what will Mom think about this?" His train of thought crashes to a halt, his hands grabbing for his face until hers reach across and wrap around them, pulling them down to between their laps.

"She already knows Izuku, and she has for a while. I'm sure you remember when you first brought me over, after that incident, well in the morning she gave me a bit of the talk and also her blessing to date you."

"Eh?! All the way back then? Is that why she taught you how to cook katsudon?"

"Yep. She said something like 'Everyone needs to know how to cook, and anyone dating my son better know how to make his favourites.'."

"She's right. Everyone should know how to cook katsudon."

"I also remember how you reacted to seeing me in that apron." She adds, shuffling a little closer while tracing a circle on the back of his hand, "Such a shame I can't find one of my own anywhere. I had been wondering what you'd do if you saw me cooking in just the apron?"

His mouth hangs open as he tries to come to an answer before swallowing nervously. "I guess I'm lucky it was a limited run before it got pulled for, ah, obvious reasons."

She just smirks and shrugs before saying, "I guess I'll just have to borrow yours. Back on topic...?"

"Right, sorry, sorry." He says with a quick bow, almost headbutting her with how close they are. "I'm just worried about what I'd mean for you and your career. After all, I'm just a quirkless underaged nobody support course wannabe right now, and you're Mt Lady, a rising star hero and shoe-in for making the Top Ten Hottest Heroine's list this year." Flushing red, he quickly adds, "At least in my opinion."

"Well if my boyfriend says it, it must be true." She says, leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Shuffling over till she's pressed up against him, she slides an arm around in a half hug that he returns. "As much as I hate to say it, you do have a point. To everyone else, you're a nobody right now, and even if you're going to prove them wrong in the future, I know you wouldn't want it hurting me and my career."

He bobs his head in a nod, before she turns his face to her. "But I don't care. I love you Izuku." Punctuating her statement with a kiss, warmth spreads both from the contact and from her chest, lingering even as she pulls away. "We can keep it a secret, go on dates in private or just spend time here or at your place, but I'm not going to give you up. We both worked hard to get you from the weak, scared little boy you were to the very fine young man you are now, and I wouldn't trade that time for anything."

Kissing her back, he reaches for a hug but her hands guide his to her chest, making him look like a strawberry again, especially as he's pushed to squeeze them. "We may need to hold off on sex, but I'm sure we can find other ways to have fun instead." She whispers before getting shut down as Izuku's stomach reasserts itself. "After lunch."

Katsudon rarely stands a chance in front of Izuku, but this bowl found itself very swiftly demolished.

This took longer than it should have, but here it is. I'm not 100% on the last bits of this, but my Beta has said it's fine, so I'll leave it unless inspiration strikes.