For one month, he couldn't get a real conversation out of Ibarra; she told him she was busy getting back into things at the agency. That didn't bother him; she was a pro hero and had responsibilities, but she didn't even come by for a coffee, wasn't available for a lunch date, and was in a meeting when he popped by to drop off food for her.
He sat back, his head resting on his pillow, wondering if he had gone about it all wrong, maybe too strong…he didn't know, and that hurt. If she changed her mind, that would have hurt, but then he could at least understand and stop agonizing over it like a high schooler lying in his room at night, unable to sleep… precisely like he was now. He stopped and pulled out his phone, making one last call.
She was distant, pulling away. He had sat and had a long conversation with Inko, who, though she couldn't provide any information, did her best to comfort her son. She could tell he was hurt, but a dark suspicion was on her mind. And she wasn't the only one; Eri bit back her tears as she eavesdropped; she wondered if it was her fault, that maybe it would be better if she had never become his daughter.
But she watched him smile with her, not a forced or fake smile; she knew how to spot those, but it was real. She kicked herself for even thinking that he didn't love her; his life may have been easier without her, but he always told her she was the best part of his day and the most significant thing in his life. She may not be familiar with relationships, but she knew someone must have stuck their nose into this one. She knew who it probably was, and while Eri couldn't do anything to her, she wasn't about to let Ibarra walk away without an explanation. Her father was her greatest hero in the world; now it was her turn to be his. She owed him that. After all, the family fights for family.
-Ibarra-
She felt miserable, she was avoiding him, she didn't know what to say or do. So she just started to step back; his last message was what had her lying in the dark crying. Hitting play again on her phone, she laid her hand over her head as his voice filled the room.
"Hey, Ibarra,
I hope I didn't do anything to hurt you. I don't want to keep bothering you or make you uncomfortable. I won't call or text anymore; if you want to reach out, you know where to reach me. I am sorry if I did something wrong. I hope you will tell me so I can fix it. If I can't, then maybe I can learn from it. It was a great few weeks…Goodbye Ibarra."
When the light flicked on, she got to her feet, looking every bit the mess. Standing there was Setsuna and Itsuka.
"You can ignore anyone you want, but you don't get to ignore us!" Setsuna said, pointing between her and Itsuka. "Now, what is wrong? And who do I have to make disappear?"
Ibarra wanted to protest. She started wiping at her eyes until she got wrapped in a hug from Setsuna, "No, Ibi, you don't get to do that. I love you; you know how much I love you. Now talk to us."
Itsuka hugged them both, "We promise, Ibi, we are just here to help, and if helping is listening, then we can do that." Ibarra cried some in her best friend's arms. "And if we need to hide a body, we know people; besides, Mina owes us from her bachelorette party."
Ibarra started laughing despite the tears. "Darn right, she does."
"Go wash your face; I will get some tea going," Itsuka said. Set nodded as they separated.
Once Ibarra had some tea, she started to go over the conversation with Agent Hiro; Set then made her recap the date, the failed dinner, the successful dinner, and the attack.
"Ibi, not to be mean, but what the hell is wrong with you?" Set said, sitting back. "Why not just ask him? Are you afraid of him or something?"
"No, he has never made me feel afraid," Ibarra said, staring into her tea as if it would give her answers.
"Did he look like he got off on the violence?" Itsuka asked, to which Ibarra shook her head no.
"He told me he was part of the Shie Hassaikai Case, but he didn't tell me…details; we all know that a civilian killed Overhaul." She responded.
"But was it the level of violence?" Itsuka asked; it was brutal, and she had to admit it was surprising even to her, but she knew that sometimes violence could get out of hand or there could be a reason for it. "So your solution for the guy that gives you butterflies and makes you have impure thoughts is to ghost him?"
"Wait, impure thoughts?" Set said, shocked. "You seemed to have left that part out when you told me! Am I missing something? Is he not a good guy?"
"No, he is from my understanding," Itsuka said. "Mei talks about him a lot; in fact, Mei would go straight for him." Set was shocked at that. "Or try at the very least. I haven't had that much interaction, though. He did pull me aside and tell me little tricks to keep Mei from going off the rails and to be gentle with her."
"So we have a case or rather brutal violence without a whole lot of context because the files are all beyond our security clearance; we have him using correct and measured violence in two villain attacks, with no signs of him enjoying the violence. He even has said that he doesn't like to talk about what happened with Shie Hassaikai." Set put her cup down and stared at Ibarra, "Put on your big girl panties and figure this out! What are you doing? It's pretty messed up."
"I know I feel like crap, I want to follow my heart, and it has been screaming at me to run over there and ask for answers, but my brain.." Ibarra laid her head down on the table.
"You need to figure it out," Itsuka said, coming around the table to hug her friend. "If it is bad and something you can't move on with, then you owe it to him to tell him that. He saved your life. The least you can do is tell him face to face that you don't want to see him anymore."
Ibarra nodded; her friends stayed for a bit longer before they left her alone to get some sleep. She texted her mother, telling her she needed to talk with her.
-The Agency-
When her intercom went off, Ibarra was behind her desk working through some paperwork from her morning patrol. "Vine, a very distressed young girl says she needs to speak to you about a villain attack! She won't speak to anyone else."
"Is she hurt?" Ibarra responded.
"Not that we can tell; she is refusing to let anyone get near her till she talks to you specifically, ma'am; we cannot even get her name." the receptionist responded.
"Have Floral escort her up to my office immediately!" Ibarra ordered, rushing to grab the more extensive medical kit just in case. When the door opened, standing there was Eri!
"Oh my God, Eri, are you OK? Does your father know?" Ibarra's face began to panic. Had villains targeted Izuku because of her…"Is your father injured?"
Still crying up a storm, Eri closed the door, and as the door closed, she stopped crying; this made Ibarra freeze. Eri wiped her eyes, "He is just fine. I needed to see you and didn't want you to try to dodge me."
"Eri, what is going on?" Ibarra said.
"I want to know the same thing?" Eri demanded. "If you don't like my dad, then just tell him, don't be a dick and just ghost him!"
"Listen, Eri, things are more complicated than that," Ibarra tried to protest.
"Or did some little blonde bitch who looks younger than me come in and tell you some bullshit?" Eri said, taking a seat. Ibarra briefly stared at the young woman, "Hina Hiro?"
"How do you know her?" Ibarra said, taking a seat next to Eri.
"Hina was engaged to my dad when I came along. That is to say, when my father rescued me from the Shie Hassaikai. My dad went through hell to save me and promised me that he wouldn't let anyone take me away from him. She wanted me to be turned over to the Hero Commission, and she insisted on it." Eri reached into her bag and pulled an apple core into a plastic bag. She pulled the core out, and Ibarra watched as the apple core turned back into an apple. Eri took a healthy bite to show it wasn't a trick.
"My quirk is called Rewind; I can reverse an object in time back to a previous state of being," Eri looked sad, "That is what I did to my biological father; my mother freaked and gave me to Overhaul. He told me I was diseased, that I was worthless, a monster!" Eri's eyes welled with tears. "He would take my blood and perform all kinds of experiments on me or with parts of my body. You see, he could assemble and disassemble matter on a molecular level. So he would explode me that remake me to start over again."
"How old were you when this started?" Ibarra asked in horror.
"I was five," Eri said matter-of-factly.
"Why would he do such a thing?"
"He thought quirks were a disease, a plague upon the world, and with my quirk, he was going to make it all go away!" Eri said, wiping her eyes.
"Quirk Erasing Bullets!" Ibara whispered.
Eri nodded, "I ran away a lot, but he would always find me; he had heroes and cops on his payroll. Till I found him."
"Izuku?" Ibarra said though she knew the answer.
"He found me and took me in; Overhaul found us and dragged us both back to the compound. He would explode both of us or Izuku to get me to comply. OVER AND OVER AGAIN," Eri's tears started falling; she didn't even notice. "Izuku never got mad or called me a monster; he would tell me I was a precious unicorn, pure and sweet. He would get us out and home, and I would be with him forever…"
"Overhaul never would have stopped; when the raid came, he was ready to kill my father and take me away to some Dark Lord," Eri angrily wiped the tears. "That stupid Toga chick had convinced him to turn me over as the leader of the LOV."
"All for One," Ibara said.
"My father did what he had to save me; he killed Overhaul; I watched it happen. Then when it was over, to make sure he put a bullet in that son of a bitches head. He did what he had to do for ME!" Eri got to her feet and walked around the room, ignoring her tears and screaming.
"HE WOULD WAKE UP SCREAMING FOR YEARS BECAUSE OF ME! HE DIDN'T GET MARRIED BECAUSE OF ME! HE COULDN'T HAVE A NORMAL LIFE BECAUSE HE LOVED ME! THAT STUPID BITCH COULDN'T STAND THE THOUGHT OF ME!"
Eri sat back down, "He was crying, and Mei came over and was just being his friend, holding him, and that dumb bitch tried to destroy Mei's career. Something had to be going on. I tried to run away, but he chased me down. When I couldn't take it anymore, he held me until I could. My father loves me; he is a good man. Don't let some jealous little troll make you walk away."
Ibarra looked at Eri; her face was tear-streaked, and her eyes were even more red than usual. "Vine, my father did what he did because he saw a man kill at least 20 people, explode me over and over, every day for six months, and felt that same pain every day himself. I sleep knowing the monster is gone; he can't sleep some nights because of that." Eri stood up and grabbed her bag. "I don't know you, but I know you make him happy in a way I never can. I want to get to know you, though."
"Why did you do this?" Ibarra asked. This young woman had come in, dropped these revelations, and walked out like nothing.
"Because he is my father, and I love him," Eri smiled. "Family fights for Family! Even harder than we fight for ourselves. That is what he says, and that is what my grandmother says."
That smile just captivated Ibarra. This girl who had gone through hell had been rescued by a quirkless boy who took the burden of saving her upon himself. He gave up on relationships and whatever goals he had to ensure she could stand there one day and smile. He would throw himself into danger to save people; he didn't for Eri, he did it for her. He didn't want anything in return.
What he wanted was to be with her! He never lied; he told her Eri was the most important thing, that he wanted to get married and have children. To have a partner…a partner doesn't listen to the words of others and let that make their judgments. A partner talks, work it out together and carries the burden of the day and their lives. He never boasted about what happened with Overhaul; he didn't tell her that she of the burden he took from it. The cross he bore. And she was about to or had let it slip right through her fingers.
Ibarra didn't believe in destiny, not in a traditional sense. For her, it was a path that her God wanted her to walk down; he would put the choice in her hands and let her choose. And when she chose the path he wanted, she could feel it. Izuku had been placed in her path; she wanted to go on an actual date with him, and he had asked her. She felt it with him; she knew when they kissed. No one had ever made them feel this way; she had been in misery this past month. Now, his daughter had come to fight for him. Somehow, Eri knew what had happened and had come to make sure Ibarra understood what she was letting walk away and what she was throwing away. Izuku didn't want Vine, he wanted Ibarra. And she wanted him.
She ran from her office to the stairwell, leaping quickly. When she hit the lobby, she saw Eri stepping out of the elevator. "ERI!" she called out as she ran to the girl. Eri jumped at the sound of her name but relaxed at the sight of Ibarra running towards her. "Is it too late?" Ibarra asked, then she realized she was asking his child.
"I don't know," Eri shrugged. "But you can come home with me, and maybe you can salvage it. My dad always says the worst anyone can say to a question is No. But they might say Yes!"
-Higher Grounds Coffee Shop-
Izuku was in a down mood; he had received radio silence since the voicemail. He had his answer; maybe he was just doomed to be alone. Perhaps he could be lucky number 10 for Inari's Mom. The door to the café opened; it was close to closing time. He heard his favorite words. "Hi, Dad." His funk immediately lessened, and when he looked up, he was speechless; his daughter and Ibarra were standing with her.
"I have homework," Eri said and ran off. Ibarra fiddled with her hands before he saw her visibly steady herself, and she walked over.
"I didn't think I would see you again," he said; he saw her wince some.
"Am I too late?" she whispered.
"Too late for what?" he responded.
"For us, for you?" she replied, looking him in the eyes. "I messed up, I know I messed up, and I am sorry. I am so sorry, Izuku. Please don't tell me I am too late. Please tell me I can fix this."
His heart soared, his blood boiled, and his brain was confused. It was a torrent of emotions that ran through him. "It hurt Ibarra; if you were too busy, I understand, but you couldn't give me ½ an hour: ten minutes. I called and texted, but you barely responded. You are saying everything I want to hear, but I don't know."
"I messed up. Ok, I know that" Ibarra was almost pleading. "I listened to the wrong person instead of my heart; my heart told me to be here, to be with you."
"Then what was the problem?" Izuku responded; she could hear the hurt in his voice.
"Instead of coming to you like a partner, like a freaking adult, I hid. I hid because I was scared," she said.
"Scared of what?" he said, "Of me?"
"Scared I made some sort of mistake, scared that way I felt was wrong," she sighed. "When I returned to work, a woman from the Hero Commission was there, and she wanted to talk to me about the villain attacks." Izuku did not like this; he was beginning to get angry about where this was going.
"She showed me pictures of Overhaul and told me what happened, well, part of what happened. Made me doubt myself, doubt you!" she hugged herself. "instead of coming to you, I just withdrew. I shouldn't have withdrawn; I made a mistake, Izuku. Can you forgive me?"
"Hina Hiro?" when Ibarra nodded, he saw red for a moment. "Then show me what you want, Ibarra."
Ibarra didn't hesitate; she stepped up and kissed him full in the middle of the café. "I want you! I want to be with you! I want to date you and fall in love! After that, I want to get married, have children, and live together."
"Then you have to stay for dinner tonight," he whispered, breathless and a little weak in the knees from the kiss.
She hugged him tightly, "Thank you, Izuku."
The clapping and the cheering from the staff and patrons made them blush and step back.
Ibarra was nervous about joining the family for dinner; she had to excuse herself to call her agency as she had just run out. Inko was polite, but Ibarra could tell the matriarch was upset with the heroine. It seemed to go a long way when Ibarra apologized in private and promised to try not to do something dumb again.
"That was perfect," Inko said to Ibarra's confusion. "You didn't say it wouldn't happen again but that you try and not let it. Listen to an older woman; mistakes will be made, trust me on both ends. But as long as you both sit down and talk about it, you can mitigate the disaster or prevent the weed of anger from destroying your garden." Ibarra smiled at that turn of phrase.
Dinner was a lovely chicken curry and rice, with ice cream for dessert. Ibara hadn't been in such a warm home in so long. Inko, Izuku, and Eri all just smiled and laughed with each other; they just pulled Ibara in effortlessly. It made Ibarra miss her parents; she hadn't seen them as much as she should, and now she wanted to introduce them to Izuku.
Izuku and Eri were making popcorn for the movie they would watch. Inko had gone to the café to grab drinks, and Ibarra could see little ones holding blankets and fighting over a spot in front of the television. She blushed slightly at the fantasy, but it felt warm, inviting, and obtainable.
"So, are you guys a couple now?" Eri said with a sly grin as the movie was about to start.
"I think so?" Izuku said, confused; the very tone of his voice made Ibarra giggle as she snuggled in—another thing to check off her list.
"Yes, Eri," Ibarra said. She wasn't sure when she fell asleep against him, but she never felt so warm.
When she awoke, the room was dark; his hand was on her hip, over the blanket. His head was tilted back as he snored lightly; her head was in his lap. She blushed furiously, ever so thankful for the darkness. When she went to get up, she heard him speak. "Don't go."
"But Izuku," she protested; her protest was cut off when he pulled her down to his lap and kissed her.
"Stay; you have to get up in about 3 hours anyway," he pulled back from their kiss, their breathing slightly heavy.
"I know, but" she leaned down and started kissing him again; this time, they decided to take their kissing lessons from the country of France. When they broke apart, they breathed heavily, "I need fresh clothes."
He leaned in and started to kiss her neck; she tilted it to the side, allowing him more access. "Oh my," she managed to say. When they broke apart, she started to do the same to his neck.
They broke apart again. "I have an idea," he managed to say.
"I am listening," she responded, trailing her fingers down his chest.
"You stay here, and we keep making out!"
She blushed a bright red, "What are we, teenagers?"
"We can be," he responded as they started kissing again.
"I never made out with a boyfriend before," she said between kisses.
"We should make up for lost time," he said, capturing her lips again. He took her moan as yes.
Ibarra had never felt like this before and had never been in this position. She now understood how things could go farther than intended sometimes. He was on his back, and she was straddling him; his hand grabbed her butt, a rather pleasant sensation. But when their hips moved together, the jolt of pleasure and sensation made her pull away red as a tomato. They stopped and separated for about 3 minutes, then she was on her back, her leg up around his hips, his kisses on her neck trailing slightly lower than electric charge between them, and both hips met. She looked at him wide-eyed.
"I need to go," she said, blushing and breathing rather heavily.
"Go?" he said, confused, lost in a haze of desire.
"If I don't go, I think I may be in trouble," he got up so she could stand, and they started kissing again, the passion threatening to take over. "Yes, trouble," she kissed him briefly and fled. Izuku stood there confused and aroused, so he went to take a shower.
Ibarra fled onto the street; she had never felt like this and didn't know what to do. She went to Itsuka's; she knew her friend had just gotten off patrol, and it usually took her a while to wind down.
Itsuka opened her door, confused and in a robe, not expecting to see Ibarra.
"Honey, is everything okay?" she asked.
"Yes, he took me back; we are a couple," Ibarra replied. "I fell asleep on him, then we started kissing and…and I want him," she said, putting her hand over her face.
"Like you want to be with him," Itsuka said, confused.
"No, Itsuka," Ibarra struggled. "I WANT him,… please don't make me say it."
"You want him sexually?" Itsuka said with a smirk. Ibarra nodded her head. Before anything else could be said, a new but unfamiliar voice rang out.
"Are you coming back to bed?" Itsuka blushed, and Ibarra looked mortified as she looked past Itsuka and stood there naked with Mei. That wasn't entirely true; Mei had on fox ears and bushy fox tail…Ibarra saw no straps.
"Oh god…I am so sorry," Ibarra squealed. "Sorry to interrupt, Mei," she yelled as she fled.
"You naughty fox," Itsuka purred as the door closed. Ibarra was mildly annoyed that she had such good hearing.
Instead, as soon as she got home, she took a very long shower.
After a very frustrating and unproductive day at work, though it was highlighted by Izuku bringing her lunch, she loved that he brought her food. Even though he sat on the opposite side of the desk when he came around to kiss her goodbye timidly, the thoughts that ran through her head made the rest of the day a mess. Ibarra did everything she could think of…she called her mom.
-Mother and Daughter-
Seinaru was pleased to hear from her daughter; they had spoken when she had been injured. She and her husband even traveled to see Ibarra and spent a few days with her. She wanted to spend more, but Ibara sent them home. In truth, Seinaru worried about her precious Ibarra, especially after the first month at U.A. But the lord called her daughter to be a hero. That was what Ibarra felt in her heart, so Seinaru respected that.
She was surprised to receive the call from her daughter, but the topic knocked her for a loop. Her husband Shinko was surprised when his wife told him they needed to fly to see Ibarra; he wasn't upset by it. The urgency surprised him; once she assured him that all was well, he cleared his calendar and ordered the jet to be fueled. He met his wife at the terminal, and she divulged that their daughter had met someone, and they had started dating.
Shinko was slightly shocked, a little bit excited, and very overprotective. He needed to know who this person was immediately. Seinaru told him the truth because she didn't even know the young suitor's name, but apparently, Ibarra was quite smitten, as his wife put it. He frowned some, not that he didn't want his daughter to be happy; quite the contrary, he wanted all the happiness in the world for her. The dream of grandchildren was not dead for him or his wife; they had tried numerous times to "arrange" meetings for her, but it never failed that after the initial meeting, there was nothing more.
He remembered mentioning a matchmaker; he was in trouble for well over a year after that one. But now they were flying to hear about some rogue that had swooped in and was attempting to sweep his little girl off her feet. Well, not on his watch; he had to protect Ibarra even if it was from herself, hero or not; she was his little girl.
-Higher Grounds-
Izuku almost did a double take from the kitchen when he saw the group of women come in; one could say that they were all wonderful. Second, Pinky trying to be in disguise was quite funny. It was a whole group, trying to be in disguise but trying not to look like they were in disguise, hats and sunglasses, attempts at inconspicuous clothing. So they stood out like a sore thumb. It wasn't hard to piece together who they were, but he smiled; they were probably here to spy on him. With a smile, he emerged from the back and told his work, Annabelle, that he would handle that table.
"Hello, ladies, welcome to Higher Grounds. Have you had a chance to consider what you would like to drink, or were you open to some suggestions?"
The rather voluptuous raven-haired woman with the ten thousand dollar sunglasses, "Oh, we were just discussing that; what do you recommend, sir?"
"Our coffees are delicious; if coffee is not to your taste, we have a lovely house blend of black and wonderful green tea. If you are looking for a snack, I have to recommend our cinnamon rolls, something light. We have a very nice cranberry walnut salad. Our club sandwich is quite popular, and our special today is a French Dip." He said with a smile, addressing the whole table and keeping eye contact, though some of those shirts offered tempting views.
They ordered drinks, then food, and ended with pastries. They always talked to him, asking him simple but revealing questions; it was a pleasant interrogation. At the end, he walked over and thanked them for their patronage; when they asked for the bill, he smiled.
"Any friends of Ibarra are more than welcome," he said with a smile. "But I would ask if I could get your autographs for my daughter; she is a huge fan of you ladies, especially you, Pinky."
"You knew who we were," Ochaco asked, grinning.
"I did; some of you stick out like a sore thumb, but I remembered you," he grinned. Ochaco blushed and pointed at herself. "Me, why me?"
"We met before the wharf collapse. I was one of the volunteers that came down. I saw how exhausted you were, and then this group of girls came up behind you and called your name. You just came alive for them; you didn't show them the fatigue, the frustration, or anything. You smiled for them that day; it made them feel that despite the tragedy, everything would be alright," he said with a fond tone. "Pinky, no way in hell I could forget you. And the rest I could piece out from there. So, did I pass?"
Setsuna smiled, "Ya did; the food was great; you didn't stare down our tops, and you didn't make a scene."
"Good, I look forward to getting to know you better in the future," he bowed; once they signed the autographs for Eri, he left them to their after-meal drink and pastries.
Ochaco was still blushing, then she took a bite of the cinnamon roll, her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. "Ok, if Ibarra doesn't want him, I call fucking dibs."
The table looked at her, shocked, "The things I would eat off that body…" the table started laughing.
-The Ibarras-
Shinko was happy to see his daughter, but his wife and she had disappeared into Ibarra's bedroom, with his lovely wife telling him this would take a while. Shinko tidied up for about 2 minutes. The home was immaculate, and he smiled at that fact. He decided to take out the trash and noticed a few bags from somewhere called Higher Grounds. He pulled out his phone. It wasn't too far, a short drive or long walk, He decided he could go for a cup of coffee and maybe a muffin. He left a note on the counter and headed out the door.
It was close to closing time when the bell above the door announced the arrival of a customer. Izuku was behind the counter as he had sent everyone else home for the day. The man was dressed in a nice suit; he was of average height with a lean build, and his hair, white, was parted to the side. Izuku smiled as the man walked over and looked at the pastry case before he came down and sat at the bar in front of Izuku.
"Hello, sir, welcome to Higher Grounds," he said with a smile. "Is there something I can help you with?"
The man momentarily looked at the drink board, "I would like a cup of House Blend, sugar on the side, and one of the Cranberry Orange Muffins heated, please."
"For here?" Izuku asked, to which the man nodded. Once Izuku set the food in front of him, the man took a sip of the coffee, smiled, then a bite of the muffin, and smiled even more.
"I wish this place were in Tokyo," the man said.
"Oh, are you visiting?"
"Yes, my wife and I came down to see our daughter," the man responded. "But they are engaged in girl talk, so I decided to get out and have a cup of coffee."
"Thank you for coming in," Izuku smiled. "Is it hard with your daughter living away?"
"Is that your little girl?" the man pointed to a picture of Eri, him, and Inko standing in front of the shop at the grand opening.
"Yes," Izuku said, looking at the picture and smiling, "That was taken when we opened."
"You…uh…look rather young there," the man commented; the man looked apologetic, "I am sorry, sir, I didn't mean to…"
"No, it is understandable. She is adopted, but I couldn't imagine loving her any more than I do," he smiled. "She is the light of my world."
"That is a sentiment I could get behind," the man chuckled. "Has she started dating yet?"
"No, thank goodness," Izuku laughed as he knocked on the wood countertop. "Yours?"
"Nothing serious, she is about your age, but she met someone," the man said, taking another drink of coffee and smiling. "That is why we are here; she is all smitten."
"Is that a good thing?"
"It can be," the man looked off like he was gazing out over the distance. "I don't know him, though, I haven't met him. I want to make sure he is good enough for her. Do you know what I mean?"
"I think I do, but…" Izuku smiled and looked at the photo again. "Is there anyone good enough?"
The man laughed, "No truer statement; you know I like you. Shinko," the man said, extending his hand.
"Izuku," he shook the man's hand firmly. "Owner of Higher Grounds."
"Well, this is a nice place, a little quiet though," he said, looking around.
"It is about closing time; we do mornings and lunch mainly," Izuku responded. "It works out good; it gives me time to spend with my daughter, though she is of the age that going out with friends is her highlight."
"I remember those days; they grow up so fast," he ate more of his muffin. "One day, they hold your hand and never want to let go. Next thing you know, they are running off, and you are just trying to keep up."
"But the hugs," Izuku said, smiling. Shinko just smiled back. "Those hugs from them…those are just magical."
"You are most definitely a father to a little girl," Shinko said. He finished his coffee and muffin. "Can I get a cup to go, 4 of these Cranberry Orange Muffins, and 4 of those cinnamon rolls? Extra Iciing on the side, please."
"Happy to sir," Izuku packed up the man's order, rang him up, and placed the bill down. The man took it, nodded, and paid with a smile.
"Do you recommend anywhere I can pick up some food for the trip home, something local?" Shinko asked.
"There is a place, just down the block called Frites, that does an amazing Steak and Frites with fresh vegetables. I highly recommend it," Izuku said, handing the man his change.
"Thank you, sir; maybe I will bring my wife and daughter by. If these cinnamon rolls taste just as good as they look, she will always be here," Shinko liked the smile that Izuku gave and the polite bow of respect.
"That sounds wonderful, sir; I hope whoever this guy is, he at least has enough common sense to treat her like the princess she is," Izuku laughed. "For his sake."
Shinko laughed as he walked towards the door, "Yeah, be a shame to have beat him up…"
-Ibarra's Apartment-
Seinaru listened to her daughter's tale from the attack, including the details that Ibarra had omitted. To the second attack, the thank you dinner, the date, and then a visit from the Hero Commission. She saw all the emotions on her face, and then she told her about Eri coming to her office. How she just felt so terrible for how she had treated him, how miserable she felt trying to pull away. She ran to him and asked forgiveness, which he gave. She had dinner with his family, falling asleep on the couch, and they made out. Watching her full-grown PRO heroine, a survivor of the war, blush, telling her that she made out with her boyfriend, and making her "excited" was almost enough to make Seinaru laugh. But she didn't, for all their sakes.
"Honey, that is lust," she said. "You are attracted to this man, and you are feeling lust."
"But how do I deal with it," Ibarra fidgeted, "I never have had anyone make me feel this way. I want to be around him and do stuff, but I want to kiss him and…."
"That is a good thing, Ibarra," she smiled and squeezed her daughter's hand. "Your father has that same effect on me, and he knocked me for a loop when we started dating. I never knew a man could kiss so well." Ibarra laughed. "But once I knew he was the one for me and wanted to be with me for the rest of his life, that was all I needed."
"But mom, the wedding night," Ibarra muttered.
"Honey, you can do a lot and save that for the wedding night still," Ibarra went beet red. This time, Seinaru couldn't suppress her laugh. "Now listen, Ibarra, I have always told you that you needed to make sure that the person you gave yourself to like that was special, that once you gave it away, you couldn't get it back, and I would change everything. In your line of work, heck, if you came to me and told me that during school one night you were intimate with one of your classmates, I would have understood."
"MOTHER!" Ibarra was shocked.
"What you and all of them went through," Seinaru didn't let the tears loose. "No one should have to go through that. You put your life on the line daily; you had to fight to survive school…I would never think to judge you. That is not my place. I am your mother, and I love you."
Ibarra smiled as her mother pulled her into a hug. "If you tell me this is the one, then this is the one. I want to meet him. I insist on doing so before we go home. But I think it is time I give you the TALK."
"Umm, mother?" Ibarra said questioningly.
"We are lambs before God, but we are Lionesses in the bedroom!"
Ibarra questioned her life choices at that moment as her mother shocked and embarrassed her in ways she had never thought possible. Once, Ibarra composed herself, "We need to talk to your father. I am sure he will have questions about this Izuku Midoriya."
The two ladies walked into the kitchen to see take-out waiting for them while her father was eating; he looked up sheepishly. Then, Ibarra noticed the bag on the table, Higher Grounds; she knew it wasn't there before she went to the room with her mother. Her sweat dropped, and she panicked slightly.
"Um, Dad," she pointed to the bag. "Where did you get this?"
"Oh, I was bored waiting for you guys, so I took out the trash and saw you had a few bags from this place, so I looked it up," he responded, walking over to get his hug. "Great little coffee shop met the owner, nice guy, the name was…Izuku. Do you know him?"
Seinaru froze, "Yes, Dad, he is my boyfriend." Ibarra said. The room was silent for about 4 seconds.