[ Introductory chapter with the purpose of highlighting the intentions of rewriting the work and that I am still writing xd. ]
[ WARNING: AFTER THIS CHAPTER, YOU WILL BE ENCOUNTERING A WHOLE FANFIC UNDER REPAIR. THERE MAY BE INCONSISTENCIES, INCONSISTENCIES AND THINGS REPEATED IN PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. THEY WILL BE CORRECTED IN THE TIME TO COME. THANKS FOR READING AND SORRY FOR THE MESS. ]
A bridge to a road never expected.
Izuku feels totally off course at the moment. His life so far has been a back-and-forth of various situations and events that exceeded many of his expectations and abilities in order to achieve what he has always longed for: Becoming a Hero.
In the process he has made many contacts, met so many people that have made an instant impression on his soul. Much later he made friends (real ones, and not the kind he names without them being disgusted that he even suggests it).
Sooner than this, he was recognised. It was All Might first, and on top of that it was for being himself; an indomitable spirit to help the afflicted that pierced the tortured grieving hero for being a swooping symbol. Fortunately, the torch was passed in time and form, which granted Izuku the opportunity to arrange everything so that when All Might disappeared... He would ascend.
Not everyone is the same at birth. He always knew that, but he never let reality crush him. He never gave up, even with fate against him being Quirkless because there was All Might, Toshinori Yagi, his mentor, his...
He can't bring himself to close that sentence; part of a life without a father figure is that it leads to problems of all kinds. A mother is not enough to affirm a lost spirit and his character so... Innocent, so to speak? So a hero appeared almost on the verge of retirement to take the missing picture. It wasn't perfect even in that aspect, but it was enough.
And how much. He needed it more than ever, for it not only established his intentions to imitate him in almost everything (as a hero and as a person), but also the beating with time to pursue something for his own sake; a figure of himself where he could generate an efficient inspiration of what brought him to where he stood and where he hoped to end up.
To be a symbol of peace did not necessarily need to be exactly like All Might, but required a resemblance. He shouldn't have to spend his entire being on imitating a perfect hero when he was even on the first rung of such perfection.
As he wandered in his memories, he tightened the straps of his backpack as he walked behind Tsuyu Asui and Ochako Uraraka who were leading him to his destination, drawn into their world as they conversed so animatedly about everything Izuku should be listening to.
That was the reason for his awkwardness: Izuku didn't feel in keeping with the world Mirio decided to send him to when everything about Sir Nighteye was so obscured: The professional hero, dead.
It's been two months since then. A horrific event that Izuku is sure scarred everyone here and entrenched them to move on... But he doesn't know if this is the right path, or rather the safe one for his growth.
Due to increasing criminal activity after the defeat of All For One, more heroes are required on the streets. Then, neglecting usual urban environments such as cleaning the streets, helping the elderly and various other factors, the idea of students was considered as the best prospect to keep control of such events.
According to Ryukyu, the recipient of the recommendation, he was an excellent receptacle for the activities that were about to be required at his agency due to his standard of skills. He hoped that his pain tolerance, now increased by the fucked up disorders he suffered all this time, was not one of those standards...
His scarred hand exemplified his concerns. His body was struggling to adapt to One For All and, added to that, the consequences of whatever injuries it was possible to tolerate in a heroic environment.
"Kikai-kun... We've arrived!" Uraraka announces as she turns towards him, taking him by surprise as he didn't notice until he turned left and saw the reflection of his face from the glass door.
His reflection in the glass with a strained expression, the reflection of Kikai: The manifestation of his inspirations and opportunities in a blurred state where he can barely see his face in the glass and even interpret the expression he had right now.
"Kikai" meant "Opportunity"; it meant being the bearer of the One For All, a secret to be secretly preserved as a golden torch from generation to generation to always establish its power in the service of society, as well as the responsibility it encompassed... and the evil it entailed to confront.
But as much as it symbolised his exclusive opportunity, it was also a pure emblem. Not only as a heroic figure, but also as a manifestation of those things he wanted to offer to others: The opportunities to fight for their dreams and thus also to fight to offer opportunities to others.
That's why the gift of All Might was so important to him. It was a chance to show the world who he was. A chance to be the hero he always dreamed of.
Going full quirk thanks to Eri to defeat Overhaul was a turning point as a chance to correct the mistake he made of giving her to Chisaki. Saving a helpless child from an adrenaline-hungry villainous lunatic. To save All Might from an untimely death more than once. Helping Ryukyu out of the rubble to continue the Yakuza's containment, the situation being the one that allowed him to instinctively prevent a dangerous bullet from stealing Mirio's powers.
Having to face a dangerous and even ancient villain in order to protect all the people of this country...
Now... Was his application okay for what he was about to experience under Ryukyu's tutelage? Would this be an opportunity to relate better to women even?
He is well aware of his difficulty with them; no girl his age ever wanted to talk to him, let alone approach him. Uraraka, the first one to do so, tried to make it easier, but her extrovert attitude was quite energetic for him and used to overwhelm him. Asui directly was like a big sister and made it even easier, but sometimes he felt the difference in mentalities made her look older than him. Ashido was always trying to be energetic so that everyone would be like her and share energy (that was a theory discussed by the entire male class committee, giving a thumbs up on his interpretation). Yaoyorozu was ideal for chatting or even friendship, but her righteousness as Iida and lack of topics made her a wall for him...
Everything has a hindrance because he's a problem in that he doesn't feel he fits into those surroundings, he thinks confidently. He could never fit in...
"Looks great! Where should we report?" He consults as Uraraka moves forward as normal and arranges his bags in a corner. Asui guides him towards the elevator, swirling Izuku's bags with her tongue. Surprisingly, an apparent employee received these and the girls' bags in a sort of trolley and disappeared into the corridors. Izuku was practically dumbfounded by such service. "I-Isn't anyone going to receive us?"
"Ryukyu-san doesn't usually do that unless it's a special case. Nejire-chan said it's because she doesn't want to waste time on ceremonies when she has a lot of work."
Izuku nods in understanding. Torino was ""somewhat"" equal in that, even if the old man took advantage of his confusion to toy with him and to catch him off guard. But assuming the heroine was just entering the Top in a straightforward manner, it was reasonable for her concentration to be in such a position.
"By the way, is she here too?" he queries, doubtfully. The frog girl touches her lip thoughtfully as her tongue pokes out to the side.
"Well... She's supposed to be meeting us. Not because of her job, it's because she's like that. But she's probably on patrol..."
"Alone?!" Izuku is overwhelmed to draw that conclusion.
"With Ryukyu, the heroes serve as support for general situations and are dedicated to helping in siege situations where needed. Nejire-chan will be offering her service in someone else's patrol."
"Th-That's okay? I mean! I know of Hado-san's capabilities, around her powerful Quirk that unwraps energy in the conversion of her vitality in response! It is believed that the spirals are due to the enormous inaccuracy, which makes them slow to walk in that format! So what-!"
Asui shuts him up with a lick to the back of the head. He apologises for his nerdy babble, which makes Uraraka laugh as he admits he deserved it. He quickly apologises again, to which Asui replies.
"They have GPSs all over the place and anyone inside and outside the agency is on standby for anything that might happen. There are backup heroes patrolling everywhere... At least until Ryukyu-san decides to patrol on her own, reducing groups to search and care."
The lift doors open, just so that when they want to step through, they see in front of them the woman they were looking for...
Ryuko Tatsuma. AKA "Ryukyu". The heroine ranked number 7 in the national top is standing in noble bearing before them, looking at them with a friendly smile showing her pointed teeth. Tsuyu and Ochako embrace her, much to the boy's surprise, who quickly becomes uncomfortable when the heroine sees him.
"Welcome to my agency, Midoriya-kun." She greets as she nods towards him. "It's nice to know that you decided to accept my recommendation to join us."
Izuku responds to the greeting with an exaggerated bow, just enough to allow the confusion he had upon hearing that not to show. Looking up and demonstrating it to her, she smiled with some amusement and raised her finger to her lips in a sign to hold back any doubts for the time being.
"It is good to see both of you again... But we can't afford to waste time. Girls, please go and settle in. I'll come get you after I introduce the place to Midoriya-kun and designate his room."
The girls don't argue with the request, giving a quick wave to the boy who sees them off. His tense expression goes to the heroine, who smiles amicably as she nods for him to follow.
"The recommendation was requested by me, not Mirio. He gave me the go-ahead for you to come... I asked him to be discreetly arranged by him as if he had recommended you." She explains to him as they proceed through the halls of the place, Izuku looking at her in confusion as he follows her.
"Why?" he queries, at which she turns around as she continues walking. He is surprised to see her smiling almost like a mischievous child, so beautiful for that moment as she shows her pointy teeth and slouches with her arms behind her back.
"Because I want to." She states calmly, which throws the boy out of sorts for the absurd reason. "In itself, it's for several reasons; you've got a big Quirk with an explosive reaction that you're desperately trying to accommodate. At the time, at the sporting event, I didn't consider you ready for what I do. Tactical skills without proper control of your power would not have allowed you to exploit that potential... Now it is the opposite. You are in the best position to contribute and even add to the success of an operation. That makes all the difference, Midoriya-kun."
He listens attentively. On the other hand, he fully understood the more serious motives when she detailed them. He was not ready then and she saw him as a potential intern later. He is not surprised, he understands that it would have been difficult for her to try to help him in his development and, even more, to make him useful afterwards.
"I didn't bring you here to lift boxes or carry paper from side to side, if that's what you're worried about." She jokes as she watches him out of the corner of her eye silently, analysing everything. "As you can see, these facilities are no big deal. We have a gym, break room, kitchen, bedrooms, another break room, bathrooms. Nothing different from what you may have already seen."
"I understand..." He acknowledges with a strained smile at the noticeable difference he hadn't mentioned yet. "W-why are there so many fancy things?"
"Hmm?" She gets confused, turning around to see the gorgeous kitchen present. "Oh, that's because I like it. It looks nice."
"I-I see..." He mutters, resigned to the knowledge that she had whims and these would be the answer to many of his questions in the future. "M-may I ask, are you rich?"
She smiles with amusement as Izuku blushes. She moves closer to his face, proving for a while now that the difference in height between the two of them is only a head. She then leans almost glued to him, pinning her gaze fixed on his eyes, the ones that fight to hold him out of nervousness.
"Rich? In many ways..." She declares with a certain suggestive tone, which makes her laugh almost uncontrollably at seeing the boy so embarrassed by the double meaning. "Sorry, sorry... Ah, you're funny." She rubs her eyes as she pauses, which surprises the boy for her behaviour so foreign to her professional persona. "To answer your question, I certainly am. Everything I have of prestige I forged from scratch, but a small part comes from family inheritance..."
Her certainly displeased expression at nothing makes him rethink about that whole subject, but he decides not to wave too much about it out of respect for the hospitality. She pulls herself together and resumes her comfortable expression.
"I-I understand... I hope to be of great help my entire stay here." He expresses as he sees her stop at the lift at the beginning. She faces him with a friendly smile.
"Relax, Izuku. You can call me Ryuko..." She tells him, only to then show a horrified expression. "Oh, sorry. If you do, just keep it between us... Only a few people call me by my name. Besides they'd be shocked if I called you by your name..."
"H-H-Huh?!" He exclaims, overwhelmed. "How could I?! It's okay for me to call her that?!"
She's amused by his expression, just as she touches the lift button and waits, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall next to him.
"I'm her." Ochako whispers to her friend who quickly covers her mouth to keep from laughing. "I'm her in the future but without money."
"I heard that." Warns the dragoness with amusement, to which Tsuyu covers her friend's mouth who starts laughing shamelessly. "As you'll see, Midoriya-kun, we're not so different from other agencies... Perhaps I'm too lenient with these two." She looks at them with narrowed, steady eyes, which makes them both reassert themselves which soldier, then sweetens the look and laughs. "Who am I kidding? I couldn't even hold a look like that for long. Nejire would make all sorts of jokes that would break me completely."
She glances sideways at the boy, noting either the relaxation or the slow comfort he was acquiring from her. She closed her eyes happily as she saw that Izuku had stopped feeling so tense in the atmosphere.
This would be an excellent internship, she would make sure it would be...
...
A month later.
...
Part of working at Ryukyu's agency was that Izuku had to learn to be less of a protagonist in operations. That is, to provide support and, while he did it as ordered, he also committed the masculine impulse of wanting to risk saving the first thing that came into his field of vision.
Surely, as a result, Ryukyu would scold and congratulate him on the success of the operation. Slowly that perhaps was what made the two of them begin to chat more concretely on a personal level. In yes, jokes from her that he didn't understand and some rather intense attitudes to direct him.
Like now, for example.
Izuku lifted weights while extensive sweat embraced his body and some groans echoed from his mouth. The One For All activated until his current percentage mastered. His gaze fixed straight ahead goes sidelong to Ryuko who looks earnestly and attentively at the boy.
"Excellent. That's enough." She compliments as her arms suddenly became scaly with extensively detailed and worked muscles. He held the weight smoothly, allowing Izuku to release it calmly as he relaxed. "You're doing excellent, Izuku. You'll soon be able to use your Quirk to a higher tolerance if you manage to retain that well.
And here we go again. He averts his gaze in embarrassment as he tries to catch his breath as notice he was looking again at the woman in a tight-fitting silky training suit that highlighted her more sexually attractive physical proportions. What boobs, mother's worth...
"Are you pretending to kill me, or am I the one who's just now realising it?" he mutters, exhausted, drawing a chuckle from her at that. Her arms cross under her breasts, realising them to the embarrassment of the boy who pretends to stretch with his eyes closed.
"As I have told you since we began, I apologise for my intensity, but it is the best way I can offer you to master your vast strength. Using the rest days to prepare you at this pace serves excellently to give you time to recover so you know how to use everything at a rhythm that pushes you." She explains as she gives herself the luxury of looking at the boy's entire body. She averts her gaze abruptly, trying to keep her expression calm for some reason. "Anyway, it's easy for you to adapt since you came with an already worked out body. I dedicated this kind of training for my transformation, in order to make it last longer and longer to the physical stress I put myself under."
"Did it work?" He looks at her, noticing that she had just bent down to lift some small dumbbells, giving him perfect view of her butt. He gained enough strength to sit up and struggle to cover his erection in time for her to turn around.
"Well, my transformation lasts about 5 hours, unless I were to exhaust myself in a confrontation so intense that it demands too much of me." She explains as she fixes her gaze on his immensely worked back. She struggles not to lick her lips at the sight and keeps moving forward until everything is in place. "Let's hope it doesn't rain tomorrow, we were supposed to go out for a walk."
Izuku is uncomfortable with that statement: ever since his stay, Ryuko made it a point to keep him away from the other girls and mostly with her. It wasn't that obvious, since she did it randomly, but he felt it when they talked. It was brutal the difference in communication they had between each other and when they were all together. So many times in all the time in their stay didn't seem like a coincidence to him. For more, they started going out into the streets in their civilian clothes when they stopped training, just for Uraraka, Tsuyu and Nejire to come in, either because they were getting up late or for some other strange reason. He barely counts on his fingers the outings he had with the rest without Ryuko being there.
He doesn't understand anything, but the problem particularly is that he's enjoying it. Ryuko made him feel like an adult and treated him like a friend, calling each other names and making all sorts of jokes with no brakes other than the time and place. They both started going around the city with such familiar normality. He feels that something escapes him and for that reason he begins to feel a strange tension between her and Uraraka.
Perhaps and it was true that act that Ryuko used to have with the kids, where she saw them as her children and cared for them as such. Due to his late joining the group, she was always having a preference with him because he was new...
What kind of nonsense was he thinking? It didn't make any sense, at least not entirely... And yet, he can't help but squeeze the pendant he's wearing, which she bought for him once in their outings, with some hesitation.
...
Dinner was something he enjoyed very much. Everyone cooked with so much excitement and fun that they devoted their whole being to making it splendid.
Just as now he was chopping some onions while Ryuko, at his side, was preparing the stir-fry on the side. Tsuyu and Uraraka, next to the heroine, were preparing the noodles.
And Nejire... Well...
"Ryuko, I burnt the water."
"Neji, love, how do you burn water twice in a row?"
Yeah, it was helping her form.
Izuku finishes and wipes his sweat with his forearm. Thinking, he smiles as he realizes that the awkwardness he had since arriving was partly because of the way he thought they would have expectations of him, being proven quite the opposite. Ryuko... Ryukyu, opened her arms to him upon his arrival and granted him all manner of equal treatment. While he considered that she did have a demand on him, it would be then in the gym, where he was pushed to the max every day.
"Are you done, Midoriya-kun?"
He looks at her, she looks at him. He can't explain the feeling he has in front of her, being that she tilts her head when she doesn't hear a response.
"Y-Yes... Um, I don't think I'm going to eat tonight. Sorry, girls. I'll go get some rest."
Izuku withdraws as they question him from a distance as to his motives. It's... Strange. He likes this, so much so that perhaps he's not seeing the right perspectives on why.
Moving down the corridors from the staircase, he realises that the building was impressive. An acquisitive level of the heroine that surely allowed her to afford these luxuries. The pendant hidden in his clothes, even though she told him there was no problem to show it as long as he said he bought it...
He shakes his head. Deciding to stop thinking about it for the moment, he makes his way to his room. Hopefully, he'll forget all that and carry on working as usual...
Locking himself inside, he throws himself on the bed and tries to sleep. There is a knock on the door, which catches his attention. From the lock, he sees Uraraka, worried, waiting for an answer.
He decides to turn back, pretending to be asleep. He is sure she gave up as she then left. For some reason, he expelled the sigh he was holding as he stared at the ceiling.
What the hell was happening to him?
Maybe that's why he knows who to contact.
...
Toshinori Yagi was returning home after a peaceful day. The smile on his lips should hint at how much fun he had been having, for the fact that he was in much more casual attire than usual was indicative of something.
His phone vibrates. He takes a quick glance, smiling even more when he receives a message from the woman he spent his evening with earlier. It's then that his eyebrow raises when above his message, Izuku's message appears.
"All Might. Are you there?"
Izuku was someone very particular, which is why he found it entirely odd that the communication started like this.
"Midoriya-shonen. It's too late for a greeting, did something happen?"
"No, but there is something... I mean, I want to ask you something personal."
Personal. Toshinori had told Izuku everything about himself, more for his Geek and fanboy factor than anything else. However, the few times they did talk, there were a multitude of important topics that led to concrete talks...
"How personal? And stop calling me like that, boy. You know you can call me by my first and last name when we talk outside of school." The man reminds him calmly.
"Right. Sorry, Yagi-san. It's about women."
His eyebrows raise in surprise. Was Izuku interested in a woman? Was there a girl who had flirted with him? Was he dating one? If so, did he know her? He shook his head at his nonsense and decided to answer him.
"I'm not an expert in that field, you know. But I intend to provide you with any useful information you need... Tell me, what's going on?"
A tear drop falls on the back of his head as he notices that he seemed to be talking about something in his professional field, i.e. heroic, when it was something very natural...
"A gir-."
He pauses. Izuku looks at that word halfway through, knowing it was certainly contradictory; Ryuko was a woman, not by far a girl, but she certainly wasn't one anymore.
"A girl at Ryukyu-san's agency is very kind and nice to me. Lately we've been going out around the city, to get to know it, but it's just the two of us... And I feel that something is not normal between us."
Looking at the message, he couldn't help but cringe as he felt that they weren't the right words or that best depicted the situation.
"I mean, I like this."
"There's nothing wrong, is there?"
"Maybe there's something wrong with it."
"Are we even friends?"
"What does 'friends' really mean?"
"Was it always this complicated?"
"If the Joker is such a sick criminal, he would most likely understand moral degradation as a big joke. Given that, it's strange that he hasn't made use of countless paraphilias just to upset Batman. Could it be that he actually has moral values and uses them at his whim?"
Toshinori watched as more and more messages came in, so he sighed and pressed the call button. Izuku answered almost instantly, assured by the blond that he dropped the phone on the floor just as he answered.
"A-All Migh-.! Ahem! Yagi-san!" The blond smiled at hearing the boy this nervous. Just like when they first met...
"Midoriya-shonen. I read the main reason, at least before the profligate word splurge." He greets and teases as he walks into his flat and turns on the lights. "Tell me something, what do you think of everything you told me?"
Izuku can't help but snort, frustrated by that question.
"If I knew, I wouldn't have called you..." He whispers, realizing he said it into the phone, which made him nervous. "I-I mean, I-I...!"
"You misunderstood me. You don't need technicalities right now... What do you feel when you're next to her in those times together?" he asked more pointedly, rendering the boy mute.
The boy leaned back against the bed, staring at the ceiling again. Ryuko Tatsuma's face smiling as she laughs at a joke he hadn't understood. Ryuko Tatsuma watching as he looked at the hero items with longing... Ryuko Tatsuma buying him a necklace with the symbol of her combat instrument and putting it on with a blushing smile... He can't help but blush and cringe between the sheets.
"I love it." He confesses rather sheepishly which makes the hero smile.
"I see... So, I reckon you have to keep enjoying it and not think too much about it yet. When you slowly feel that everything is deepening or, even more, you feel it's time to talk about it again, feel free to call me again... On the other hand, you also have your mother. Feel free to go to her as well."
"If I went to mom, I'm pretty sure she'd start crying like when I told her I had friends, or when I told her I was invited to a birthday party, or when I told her I was going to the mall, or when..." The green-haired recalls with a grimace.
"I get it, boy. Don't make fun of your mother." Reproaches the hero with some amusement.
In the silence, Izuku smiles. He looks at his phone happily, grateful for so much, apologising for so little.
"Thank you for your words, Yagi-san. We'll be in touch..."
The retired hero smiled happily at that.
"Take care of yourself, son. Later."
And so he cut off... The hero went completely static when he realised the way he called him and looked at his phone uncertainly, waiting for the boy to send him something.
Izuku, on the other hand, was having a fan attack as he was totally silent and covered up, trying not to squeal with happiness.
Yes, Midoriya couldn't ask for anything better than this in his life.
And maybe he's got more than he wants...
The door is knocked again. He is startled by the time, as it's very late, so he's wondering who it could be.
"Izuku? I brought you something from the Katsudon."
Ryuko's voice captures his attention fully. Embarrassment embraces him as he remembers what he talked about with All Might... Enjoy what happens and then spend the time to evaluate it.
He approaches, noting from the keyhole that she was looking around so as not to run into one of the girls surely. The darkness of the corridor, except for the moonlight shining on the heroine through a small window, made her look stunning to his eyes.
And, unwillingly, he opened the door by leaning on the handle. He was surprised at his stupidity, but crumpled his face and peered out cautiously. The screw-up was done, with honour he had to take it...
"R-Ryuko?" he muttered sheepishly as he caught sight of her in the darkness smiling slightly at the sight of him.
"Are you alright? I was worried about you leaving just like that. But Uraraka-kun wanted to go after you, so I..." She began to explain as she handed him the saucer. He took it while smiling in amusement at her excuse.
"I'm fine." He clarified to her, then thought about it. I mean, it wasn't safe maybe, and even awkward, but... "W-would you like to join me? I mean, there's a desk here. W-we could chat while I eat!"
She then smiled with that look that so many doubted him, but he so loved to see. She nodded softly and moved towards the door, being that he allowed her access.
"You really made yourself at home in this room, huh? Are you using the bed anyway? I remember the first few days you slept on the floor for fear of wrinkling the sheets..." She jokes as she looks at the desk and sits in the chair, looking at the books he had. "These are your hero studies books, aren't they? You were on volume 7, if I remember. You said it the other time... Izuku?
Then, with his free hand, he turned on the light and had the luxury of admiring her pyjamas. He even froze with his mouth open, and she had to turn around to face him and notice why he didn't answer her. They both stared at the silence, she laughed lightly and decided to break it.
"What, you've never seen red pajamas?"
"Huh? Y-You look great in them. The colour, this one, it's... It's... Are those jaw slippers?" He reacted, embarrassed, until he noticed her footwear.
"Hmm? Ah, these? They're from my most recent merchandise. They open and close with every step. They're due to be released soon and I was given a few to give to my close ones. I intended to give some to everyone when the internship was over..." She noted normally, until she glanced sideways at the boy with a smile. "You want them now?"
"I'd be lying if I said no." He acknowledged as he sat down on the bed, right in front of her, starting to eat as a pleased moan echoed down his throat. She laughed at the sound of it.
"Is it good?" She queried as she leaned her arms back against the backrest and laid her head on them, looking up at him reassuringly. He nodded, which made her smile. "That's good... Do you want to talk about why you didn't have dinner with us?"
He choked a little but passed it instantly in one gulp. He glanced sideways at her, and she looked worried, which made him sigh.
"I'm fine, I just needed to think." He explains as he goes back to eating, just as he thought seriously. "Ryuko... Thank you." She was curious for such a thank you. He noticed and delved deeper. "For everything. From inviting me here, even, well... Being my friend. We didn't talk about it much, because we didn't take the time to be so clingy about it. I told you that I'm shy around women, but it's like that with everyone... I never had friends until this year. In my childhood, people pushed me aside for being Quirkless."
She nods. She remembers that because everyone remembered the boy for being the one who awakened his Quirk much later than everyone else. She looked troubled at that, now understanding some things.
"I understand everything now." She understands, looking at him with acceptance and respect. Something he's thankful it's not a look of pity. "I'm glad it's all better now. It's still too much to say that to me; Quirkless or not, I would have opened my arms to you as I do to everyone I offer the same. I didn't become a heroine just with the prestige... In fact, it's funny because I told you I did it to meet All Might."
"Yes, you did." He recalls, nodding. "Oh, remind me to ask him to say hi and give you an autograph when we get back to the U.A."
"Hmm? Oh, right. You have to come back, of course." She recalled with some embarrassment, which intrigued him.
"Had you forgotten?" he asked skeptically, amused at how she denied with embarrassment.
"Noo! How could I?!" She replies with false confidence, giving up when she noticed he didn't believe her. "Yeah, I forgot... You can't blame me, we had a great time together!"
He smiles happily and nods. She does the same, returning to her normal, relaxed posture.
"Yes, that's right... Let's enjoy the time until the next request then."
She laughs lightly as she denies. He was very sweet when he put his mind to it.
"Yes, let's do that... Now, since you're done, let's go to sleep. Tomorrow we have to train and then we'll go for a walk like you promised." She reminds him with a suspicious look, which makes him laugh as he raises his arms, innocent.
She reached over and took the bowl, both hands touching. He didn't let go of the bowl, and she didn't let go of his hands... They both looked at each other, and that's what made Izuku know that something awoke inside him.
She reacted. Her face completely red as she tried not to smile cheekily, which was why she lowered her gaze. She cut the gesture short, gently snatching the bowl from his hands, then glanced sideways at him and noticed some disappointment in his expression.
Turning off the light, Izuku decided to settle into bed, thoughtfully. However, he could feel a kiss on his cheek, so close to his lips, that he was speechless.
"Good night, Izuku." She said goodbye as she smiled sweetly at him and left, "See you tomorrow."
The poor boy, it should be noted, had a splendid night.
...
The day begins. Although it is Tuesday, the service is on break because it is the day of rest.
Uraraka heads towards Izuku's room, now processing with some annoyance why Ryuko's is just down the hall, technically next to it. She knocks, becoming overwhelmed when the door instantly opens to reveal a full Izuku in his training clothes. His extremely happy smile crumpled a little in surprise at the sight of her, but held as it lessened in length.
"Good morning, Uraraka-san!"
"Good morning, Kikai-kun... Emm, we're about to prepare breakfast. Tsuyu is already in the kitchen. I have to wake Nejire up, so..."
"See you downstairs." He deduces to which she nods quickly. "Then I'll meet you there, let me prepare some of the mess I have here and..."
"O-Oh, yeah! Emmmm! See ya!"
She leaves, and after a few minutes where he peeks around the doorframe to see if anyone is around, he slips out to the heroine's door. He knocks twice, hoping for some response, and then sees it open. Turning around, he swallows deeply when he sees her standing in front of him.
"Good morning..." She greets in a sleepy tone. The look on her face, along with her completely disheveled hair and shirt-like pajamas with certain chest buttons open knocked the wind out of him. "Oh, Izuku. How are you?"
"G-Good morning..." He stammers, dumbfounded. Then he rearranges himself and, while not looking directly at her, resumes chatting. "W-We're about to have breakfast, then training, lunch. Lastly, rest, where we would then go out..."
She smiled in anticipation to rearrange her buttons just as it dawned on her. Her embarrassed expression was no match for Izuku's, who looked like he was dying.
"S-sorry about that. I didn't mean to..."
"I-It's okay! I-I didn't expect you to only just wake up..."
In the awkward silence, she clutched her arm pitifully as he thought about what to do.
"W-Well! See you at dinner! I mean breakfast! I mean, the kitchen!" he awkwardly says goodbye as he rushes off to which she giggles as she shakes her head. She leans against the frame for a second, watching him go with a blushing smile.
"Oh shit, I didn't comb my hair! He saw me like that! AAAAAAAAAAAH!" She freaked out in embarrassment.
...
"Hey, Nejire-chan! Don't eat all the cereal!"
"'Ghat?" She asked this one with her mouth completely full, driving Ochako crazy with the demonstration.
"The tea is good, Tatsuma-san." Compliments Asui to the heroine who smiles happily.
"I'm glad. I'm surprised Midoriya didn't complain about the cereal too, his bowl of milk is mostly intact."
"Ah, I finish it in a few gulps. It's not really a problem." Izuku mutters with some discomfort over Nejire looking guilty. For the love of all that's holy, that she wouldn't rejurgitate anything or there'd surely be no lunch for him from the disgust he'd get from the sight of it... "Honestly, I'm more afraid of getting to lunch than some cereal."
"Hey!" laughs the heroine as she looked around for something to throw at him, giving up when she realised where it was. "I'll totally keep that in mind to that, Midoriya-kun!"
And he chuckles at that response. The two of them already seemed almost so much in their own world, that Tsuyu herself watched the whole thing with intrigue at their obvious friendship. It is when he stands up that the image is broken.
"I'm going to go warm up, I'll wait for you there!" He said as he washed what he used to eat and left. Uraraka went next, with Nejire being next and the last two going last.
...
Ryuko settled the last weight as she watched out of the corner of her eye through the huge mirror as Izuku lifted up his shirt and wiped away the sweat, letting his sculpted physique come into view. She noticed that was the only one watching as she saw Tsuyu and Uraraka chatting and decided to feign dementia about it when Nejire approached her.
"Neeee, Ryuko! Let's order pizza!"
She sighed at that. However, she was agreeing with her when she felt her stomach growl with a certain pleasure at the recommendation.
"Alright, but you're going to go get them. Take Tsuyu and Uraraka with you. Bring five." Orders the blonde with some resignation, pulling out her wallet and reaching for the money she needed.
"Hmm? Are you going to torture Izuku with more weights?" Nejire queries, which causes a vein to mark her forehead.
"It's called making an effort! I'm making him work hard! Get out of here or I'll take your pay for the month!"
"Haaa?! But I don't get paid!" she complained.
"Yet! You don't have long for the year to go, young lady. Get out... Oh, okay. Here." Surrendered the heroine when she noticed the pleading look on the girl's face, then giving her more money. "Don't tell them I gave it to you."
"Yes, ma'am! I'll bring dessert!"
Ryuko sighed again. All of that would have to be burned off all week or she'd have to join the boy's intense training.
As she watched it all work out, where Uraraka seemed to be about to invite the boy to fetch the pizzas, she interfered, appearing behind him, and putting both hands on his shoulders. He quickly became uncomfortable with the oddly annoyed look on the girl's face, or worse, with the blonde's cruel look.
"Midoriya-shonen." Scoffs the heroine. "I hope you're not forgetting that you still have one more set left with your Quirk at max allowable? Also, we'll be eating an allowance this week, so be ready tomorrow to start burning it off..."
The boy swallows deeply as the heroine walks away and Uraraka sighs, leaving in resignation. He looks at Tsuyu and Nejire, the latter standing aside with different reactions... The fact that Nejire looked at him with a suspicious smile worried him a little for not understanding her, but she seemed to feign insanity and returned to her childish attitude.
They left, which made him sigh as he stretched to work. As he turned around, he noticed that she was just smiling in amusement and watching him from one of the stationary bikes. It was then that he noticed.
"You lied to them." He understood with realization and some resignation.
"Of course." She was amused by the response as she approached him and they walked out of the gym together.
"Why? Nejire seemed to know..."
"Because I want to. Why not? And Nejire just wanted money for dessert."
" Right, I should have expected that answer... But are you sure? I'm sure I saw her..."
"Call me by my name, Izuku. We're alone." She relaxes, noticing his discomfort at the realization.
"Aaaah..." He sighs, tense. "It's hard enough not saying your name in front of them..."
"Oh, but you handle it very well." She compliments.
"Aren't you worried? It could be a problem. You told me that very few people call you by your name... And as far as that goes, I never understood why I was the exception."
She looks sideways at him with a quiet smile, seeming to dismiss it all. He sighs, hoping so.
"Nah, if it happens, it happens."
"Uh-huh, and how would you excuse it?" he's almost quickly annoyed with that answer.
"I'll think of something... Do you care that much about why I want you to call me by my name?"
"Honestly, yes. I'm the last one to come in here, Tsuyu and Uraraka are the ones who are supposed to be calling you by it."
"Oh, but they can... They just don't know it." She assures him with amusement.
"Could you please take this seriously... Just a second?" he whines almost frustrated at being the only one concerned about it, she ruffles his hair in amusement, dismissing him.
"Relax, Izuku... And on that point, well you remind me a lot of me when I was your age. Shy, quiet, without many friends until I became a professional... I feel like we really hit it off."
Izuku sighs with resignation. The answer doesn't satisfy him, but it's something. She laughs as she notices him, daring to kiss his cheek, which totally gets his attention.
"Come on, they're coming with the food soon and we have to get everything ready!"
And he could least pay attention to that now.
...
Everyone was eating quietly. Izuku, from the corner, felt the tension at his sides of Ryuko and Ochako who were eating while the chestnut looked at the heroine with some resentment; she just smiled at her as if nothing was wrong.
Another kiss on her cheek. She still can't help but wonder why the fuck he loved it, more on record that it felt wrong to enjoy it.
He has an ugly feeling. She was a woman all the way, and he couldn't help but admit that she was starting to become very attractive to his eyes. The more he looked at her, the harder it was to stop... And the harder it was not to get turned on by it.
"Bon appetit. I'm going to take a bath." The boy declared abruptly as he rose from his chair and headed upstairs, leaving the admittedly tense silence into nothingness. Uraraka no longer even disguises his annoyance and the heroine raises an eyebrow at that.
"Something wrong, Uraraka-chan?" she queries with some amusement, which angers the girl.
"Tatsuma-san, aren't you making him try too hard? We're barely two months in and he's working so hard. He's not even enjoying his free time. I'm not one to make demands of him, but I want to know why he's taking all this pressure on himself."
The heroine puts on a serious expression, listening to everything her intern has to tell her. At the end of it, she folds her arms and nods.
"Ochako, I believe and well you lived through what happened with the assault on the Shie Hassaikai. Izuku helped me out of the rubble, saved Mirio from losing his Quirk and defeated the villain. At a level like that, that kid, his future, is greatness as a hero... However, as well as I train him, he's the one who pushes himself to keep going. Each and every reinforcement I give him is to give up and rest. But he doesn't give up... Tell me, Ochako. If now, when I am pretending to make him stop, he is still straining to go on. Is it a good idea to allow him to do so by crawling on the ground or to keep standing?"
The girl fell silent, Tsuyu had no opinion and Nejire listened seriously. The latter's gaze fixed sidelong on her teacher, analysing her.
"Surely he feels responsible for Nighteye's death. Mirio was like that for a while too..." Adds the sky-haired girl, glancing at the window with some distaste. "Personally, I feel Ryuko is doing a good job. I was under her care for two years straight, I know exactly what she's capable of. I understand your concern, Ochako-chan. But it's his life and it's up to him to make the judgement he wants from it. He's the one who should use his time the way he wants to... Because, when he becomes a professional hero, he probably won't be able to do it."
In the distance, more especially on the stairs. Izuku was leaning against the wall, listening to everything. He clutched the pendant hidden in his clothes and sighed. Finally, he decided to go take a bath.
"He's a good man who needs a reference for his life, outside of heroism." Ryuko states, causing him to pause for a moment to listen. "He lives in a rut that this is what his life should be. And that is why I can assure you, Ochako, that I am doing my best to make him see the world differently... I'm pretty sure that the way I'm going, by the time you go back to the U.A., things will change a lot.
She was sure that everything would work out one way or another.
...
After getting out of the shower, Izuku headed to his room, just as he arrived to see them walk in, Ryuko being the last to enter, stopping the moment she saw him. They both looked at each other, her smiling happily at him.
"Our date. On break." She whispered in amusement, fading away without seeing how he was totally embarrassed and frozen at that hint.
And now he lay there in his bed, thinking as he stared at the ceiling. He didn't know what to think at Ryuko's teasing. How she treated him in comparison to the rest. How she was a totally different woman when she wasn't on duty. How he enjoyed all of it...
Not that he could think much either when he heard the door knock. Someone was knocking and his expectations for who were rising so high with impatience. He peered through the keyhole, praying in his heart that it was the blonde.
There she was. Standing in front of the door, scanning the corridors for anyone, arms behind her back. He sighed and opened it, ready for anything. She smiled at the sight of him.
"Ready?" she whispered. He'd been more than ready since he'd heard her enter her room after the bath.
...
The city had tightened its lethality after the defeat of Chisaki and the dismantling of the Yakuza. In itself, the criminal environment did not change, as new villains sought to take the place left behind by this group. But, because they were such small or organised forces, they were dealt with in cautious and safe ways.
It is because of this hard work that Ryuko and her interns could afford to enjoy their rest without having to come to the assistance of any heroes at the time.
Both of them, in discreet civilian clothes, strolled through the streets unknown to the boy as she guided him through the places she knew. He glanced sideways at her, noticing that she was holding a smile from ear to ear without any discretion. They were heading towards an ice cream parlour away from the centre that, according to her, was the best in town. In the process, Izuku was enjoying the moment, either silently or talking to her. She seemed to be the same, being then that there was no uneasiness in both of them as they strolled the streets freely.
They stopped at a shoe shop, where Ryuko saw a bargain, and Izuku sighed because this sort of thing happened regularly when they went out. While he sat in front of her, relaxed and waiting, she tried on the different shoes on display.
"As you can see, Miss. It is excellent for gala ceremonies. It is not tight and gives glamour." Said the saleswoman, being abruptly stopped by the blonde who looked at Izuku, expectantly. He sighed as he shook his head, rearranging himself to look at her.
"You look good, Ryuko. Just like the other four you tried on... Anything looks good on you anyway." He replied almost robotically. Then he noticed what he said next, noticing the contented, embarrassed smile on her face and the embarrassed look on the employee's face that glanced at both of them from time to time.
"I buy everything! Please, I'll need them sent to this address when you can."
And so Izuku was left alone and embarrassed again.
...
Moving on, the two pass by a heroic merchandise shop. Izuku glances sideways at this one for a second and moves on, it is then that he notices her gaze on him.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"You want the figure over there?"
"H-Huh? N-No need, I can pay for it. Anyway, it seems to be a fake edi-."
...
"Thanks for shopping here! Come back soon!"
Izuku walked off with a bag in his hands, embarrassed at how she got away with buying posters and collectible figures for him again.
"There was no need to spend on me..." He muttered, chagrined.
"Oh, but I wanted to spend for you! Come on, any minute now those three will wake up and we'll need the ice creams to disguise!"
She strode forward with a calmness and happiness so infectious to him that he couldn't help but shake his head as he enjoyed it. She always did that when they went out.
Arriving at the ice cream shop, they both notice the comfortably quiet atmosphere and can't help but feel at ease. Ryuko advances towards the clerk at the cashier and he quickly takes action.
"Good afternoon! What can we get you!"
"Good afternoon. Let's order three quart ice creams and two 3-ball cone ice creams... Izu?"
The call embarrassed and surprised him. After coughing to compose himself, he looked at the flavours and chose the ones they liked. She then took up hers and those of the girls she seemed to know excellently.
Izu. A diminutive of his name that he had never in his life heard from anyone but his mother; he felt so strange and at ease that he didn't know what to say about it... Worse was not being able to refute anything when the look on the mature ice cream man's face implied that he didn't think he could believe any explanation at all.
Ryuko paid and went to sit down, running her hand all over the boy's shoulders, winking at him with amusement. He understood that and sighed. Then he connected glances with the man and he chuckled.
"Your girlfriend's got her trousers between you, huh?"
"H-Huh? S-she's not..." He tried to explain, being silenced by the man who held out both ice creams.
"Will you listen to some advice, kid? If you like her, go for it. Because everybody can tell she likes you."
Silence. Izuku blinked twice as he nodded and went to the table where Ryuko waited patiently with a smile, automatically. His mind thinking of only one thing: Everybody could tell she liked him.
"What a gentleman." She jokes as she takes her ice cream and tastes it with delight. "Nejire didn't bring dessert, so I assume either they ate it on the way to the agency, or she kept the money for herself. What do you think, Izu?" It's then that she looked at him with concern when she noticed his blank stare. "Izuku?"
He reacted when he felt her hand on his. His gaze goes to her, noticing her concern. It's then that, thinking about it, he shakes his head.
"Sorry, I was thinking of the excuse for when we get back." He lied, reddening. His heart pounding with all these thoughts he needed to talk to All Might.
"Come on, don't worry about it!" She tells him to relax, he of course ignores her and looks at her with slight scolding. "I'm serious, Izuku. You don't have to worry so much... I can tell you that we were meeting in the kitchen because we wanted another snack and the idea came up to bring ice cream. Poof! I'm a genius!"
Izuku laughs at that confidence and imagination. His understanding now furrowing at the comfort she has in acting the way she does when she's by his side. How they both enjoyed everything with such excitement when they're alone... How he had such a good time by her side...
In the distance, the man sees how they both laugh and have such a good time. He smiles wistfully as he looks at the framed photo underneath the cash register, caressing it fondly. Love was a beautiful thing to say the least...
...
"Thank you very much for everything. We'll be looking forward to coming back in the future." She assures her with full joy.
"Then we'll be waiting for both of you!" The man says goodbye, just to notice how Izuku looks directly at him and nods firmly. He understands the gesture and returns it. "Have a safe return!"
And so, the day ends. Back at the agency, the two enjoy each other's closeness in silence. From time to time, they glance at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Izuku with many doubts, while she with happiness.
The movement of the city comes to a halt when they notice a villain speeding past. They both look at each other, quickly knowing what they should do.
"Colt style! 40 S&W impact!"
The guy carrying what appeared to be a briefcase was intercepted by Izuku who stepped forward with One For All and hit him in the stomach with appropriate force to immobilize him. It seemed to be ineffective in damaging him, which surprised him slightly, but gave him no time to try and prepare for a counterattack when a huge clawed hand caught the thief and buried him against the ground with a jolt. He looked at her, surprised at how she seemed to have clothes adapted to her transformation, even though it was casual clothes... It was then that he noticed the enraged look on her face that he tensed up about it.
"You're ruining our date!" she complained shamelessly, fortunately no one seemed to hear it over the squeezed subject's shrieks of pain. Izuku was shocked and embarrassed, jumping up to face her, not noticing that he had taken off much higher, reaching her transformed face, which he clung onto to keep from falling.
"OH, HOLY MOTHER! Ryuko, that's enough! It's enough! It's over!" he began to tell her as he clung to her muzzle. She fixed her gaze on him, quickly identifying him.
"Izuku? Izuku! Are you okay?!" She reacted, releasing the criminal and using both hands to allow the boy to let go. Seeing them from the sides, he let himself down. She then lowered him to the ground, right where Izuku watched with some pity as the criminal was practically passed out from such an impact. "I... I didn't mean to-!"
He held out his palm to silence her. She did so abruptly, concerned. Izuku sighed as he checked that the transformed subject was alright, then noticing his blue tongue.
"Trigger..." He muttered in some surprise. "Ryukyu-san, look at this."
She didn't like him taking a professional role, thinking perhaps that he had been annoyed with her. But then she didn't have time to think about it when she saw the guy's tongue.
"Trigger?!" she worried almost immediately as she de-transformed. "We were supposed to have stopped a distribution plant in last week's raid..."
"... Unless it's from another plant in the area." He completed with some concern. "We must inform the authorities. It's obvious that when this spreads, they'll all go into hiding."
And, as Izuku prepared everything for the arrival of the police force, she held her hand to try to get his attention and talk about what happened earlier...
...
"This is very troublesome." Tsuyu noted with her usual flat expression.
Ryuko sighed as she slouched back in her seat and glanced sideways at the boy who appeared detached from everything, thoughtfully, on the couch next to her.
"We will prepare a whole new investigation process. The detective is already working on this, so we'll be ready for everything... We'll have the usual routine tomorrow, so be well prepared."
"Shesh, lashy!" nods Nejire, taking another taste of her scoop of ice cream. "Hey, Kikai! Relax! Everything will be fine!"
Izuku reacts when Uraraka shakes his shoulder. He looks around, understanding his distraction. He stands up, heading upstairs.
"Yeah... Um, I'll see you girls tomorrow. I'm going to sleep." He waved goodbye, taking the bags that belonged to him.
Ryuko didn't even know how to react when he left and sighed loudly, drawing the attention of the rest.
"What happened?" the chestnut queried with doubt and concern.
"I went a little overboard when we apprehended the guy. I buried him with a jolt and Izuku had to stop me from crushing him."
"Wow!" Nejire was surprised. "What drove you to such an extreme!"
"Izuku used his Quirk and it didn't do anything to him. I got worried when this one seemed to be about to counter him... He's probably upset about that."
"I doubt it." The frog girl assures. "Izuku doesn't usually have that kind of anger, let alone for long. I'm sure he's just feeling weak from what you explained."
She's sure that Asui is wrong because he lied to her in a way about the cause after all. On the other hand, the boy was repeating a stomp to the ground as his phone called Yagi Toshinori.
"Kid." Greeting the blond as he entered his flat with a smile. He looked at himself in the mirror, noticing the kiss marked on his cheek, and smiled even wider.
"Yagi-san... I need to talk to you. It's important." The boy began with a seriousness that captured his master.
"Go ahead, shoot." Invites the latter as he advances towards his desk and settles in for whatever.
"I..." He tries to begin, searching for the words. "We all trained together today, and she pretended she needed me to be together for a while."
"Uh-huh." The blond replies as he types on his computer and goes over the hero reports on the interns in his class so far.
"Tatsuma-san sent the rest to bring pizzas, and 'she' took the opportunity for us to prepare everything together."
"Yes." He understands as he continues typing. Analyzing everything about Ryuko's monthly analysis of the group sent there.
"So, after that, Uraraka and her confronted each other about how she and I spent time alone."
The blond paused and spun around, turning away from the desk with some surprise. He took full attention to the talk with that.
"Did it move on to anything else?"
"No, they just argued. Afterwards, 'she' asked me out for a walk and I..."
"You accepted because you wanted to." Acknowledges the man with a sympathetic smile.
"Yes... We went shopping for some nonsense. She tried on some shoes."
"She asked your opinion?" the blond straightened up, expectant of the answer.
"Yes, I told her that she looked good with everything... I think she liked it..." The boy muttered in embarrassment. The blond made a gesture of pride and amusement in silence. "Yagi-san?"
"Yes, i'm here! I'm still here! Excellent answer!" the blond continued with inherent pride for the boy, not disguising his grin. "So...?"
"W-Well..." Izuku muttered, both chagrined and pleased by his mentor's treatment. "The ice cream man told me she was my girlfriend and something. I wanted to deny it, but then he stressed how obvious it was that she had feelings for me..."
"Haaa..." The blond complained with some annoyance. "I didn't want it to be obvious, even though you surely suspected it..."
Izuku's eyes were wide as he looked from side to side. "Eh... Yeah, I suspected it. Sure..."
"I wanted you to figure it out on your own." The man explained. "It's important that you know how to interpret these behaviours and attitudes so that you don't confuse friendship with romance, boy... That's what happened to me lately..."
Izuku's eyes widen resolutely at that, agreeing with his teacher on those grounds. Truth be told, he had even suspected it in the first place, rather because everything he saw he understood as a sort of too-close friendship.
"So, what do you think of all this?" he asked the boy, making him react.
"I... I don't know..." He shakes his head as he reaffirms himself with the words. "I was never in this world, Yagi-san. Love, from a romantic perspective, was never that close to me... I, I don't know what to think..."
"If you need time, go ahead. But you have to keep in mind that you have to be prepared to give her an answer, either directly because she wants it that way, or indirectly, with your behaviour and actions. If she's looking for something more from you, she'll let you know... And if you don't get it, you know what-."
"A-Ah..." Izuku muttered, somewhat troubled as he remembered what happened earlier. This brought out total optimism in Yagi, who quickly sighed.
"What happened?"
"Ah... Well, when we were coming back from the ice cream shop..."
"Yes?" he insisted for the boy to reveal.
"This... A thief passed in front of us, and for obviousness' sake we took charge."
"Uh-huh."
"Then she went over the top, angry because she said he interrupted our date. I, ignoring how she got when I seriously got her attention, went on with the subject of the thief who had Trigger injected..."
"Trigger?" intrigued All Might, quickly settling in to investigate. "You need an eye in the sky?"
"She told me the detective was taking care of it..."
The blond raised an eyebrow at that, how would she know about that? He decided to ignore it and took action.
"I'll arrange an eye in the air. It will also serve to test young Mei's drones." Izuku sighed at those words. All Might helped as he could at the cost of any opinion. Typical of him. "Set things right with her."
"Huh? A-Ah! Yes, I will!" That's when he reacted. "Wait a minute. Are you seeing anyone? You mentioned something about that earlier."
"Huh?!" startled the blond as he realized he'd messed up. "Ah, ha, ha! Please, my boy! I only have time to work! Besides, I must congratulate the three of you! Ryukyu gave the month's evaluations and they're excellent observations...! Don't say any of this to Aizawaa, okay? I wasn't supposed to tell you..."
Izuku laughs. There were times when All Might barely seemed like a teacher, those times being when he most appreciated his closeness to him as a father figure... He blinked twice at such resolve. Perhaps...
"All Might, have you seen my mother in the last few days?"
The question nearly choked the retired hero for how unexpected it was. His fingers tremble as he grips the phone firmly.
"Huh? Y-Yeah, kid. A few days ago... Why?"
"Ah. It's nothing, it's just that I wanted to know if she was alright? She's been so lonely lately and-." He began to mutter, almost as if he was looking for an excuse for something.
"Don't worry, Izuku. She's fine the last time we saw each other... I'll try to see her more often if her safety worries you." He assures the blond.
"Oh, thank you very much. I hope that doesn't bother you." He thanked happily. No, very glad for the blond's approval.
"Please, son! Whatever you need and whatever is at my disposal! It won't be a problem to help you, ever!"
Izuku smiles at those words. He tries not to cry, unfortunately tearing up happily. "Thank you so much, Yagi-san... We'll be in touch."
"Rest up, my boy..." It was then he heard him hang up that he covered his face, embarrassed. "Haaa... Master, this boy can get to me. Inko will kill me..." However, he smiled cheerfully as he touched his cheek. Yes, dying like this was fine.
And with Izuku, he felt better after talking about this topic that had him so vulnerable. Love. If he had anything to say about it, he could say with totality that he knew little to nothing about it.
The door is knocked softly. He is no longer startled or surprised, for he has been expecting this for a long time. Peering through the keyhole, he confirmed that it was who he expected, so he braced himself and calmly opened the door.
"Ryuko." He mentions with acknowledgement, calm. He tries not to smile at her obvious nerves.
"I-Izuku." She replies, anxious. Her fingers fumbling with each other from nerves. "W-What happened back there..."
Izuku stops her with his hand again, which works excellently to his surprise. He glances sideways at it with some intrigue, does such a thing work with a bit of security?
"Ryuko, back there, in the showers and on the definite date, you said that we were in one... I don't know much about relationships, but I'm pretty sure that's what couples do..." He looks into her eyes, noticing that, in the darkness, she looked utterly majestic as she ran her hair out of her face, completely red with grief, a resolution that reassures him somewhat. "Ryuko, please. Be honest, okay? Do you... Do you like me as a lover?"
Silence. He finally plants the situation with confidence, even though his knees are shaking like jelly. She stops her nerves, freezing her body completely as she looks totally out of it in her embarrassment.
"Yes. That's right."
His eyes widen with resolution and utter surprise. Hearing it from her was totally different than a guess from All Might or an ice cream man... Oh, hell it was different...
"I... I don't know what to say." He confesses. The surprise left him utterly absorbed, unable to take back words for such a revelation that should have been obvious for some time. "I mean, is this a confession? Does it even count as one? Should I say 'I do'? B-But we're not getting married! Mom's not ready for me to get married!"
She blinked, intrigued by all his babbling that didn't register in her concern.
"You're not mad at me?" she asked doubtfully. He reacted, sighing at her doubt.
"Ah, that... I'm sorry. I couldn't help but lash out at the situation as a professional right away... I didn't give myself the time for us to talk about what happened. You need to calm down."
" He was going to hurt you..."
"And so I also need to be ready to deal with it. I understand that you let your emotions get the better of you, but you can't let them cloud your judgement... And, back to the statement..."
They both looked at each other, embarrassed. They didn't know how to go on after this, but acceptance was evident as he took her hands shyly and held them with the same strength as she did.
"Izuku, I like you... A lot. As a man." She stated calmly. "You... What do you think of this?"
Sincerity. All Might advised him to be honest and enjoy the moment with her; he heeded this, knowing what he should do.
Kiss. Ryuko was completely overwhelmed when she felt her lips collide with his as he pulled her to him. By the time he pulled away, it was mere seconds, but hearts would never forget such a connection.
"I wanted to do this a long time ago..." He blurted out, contentedly. She was frozen and totally embarrassed. Hearing no response, he began to worry.
Maybe the sincerity he had with her was not what he had expected...