Chapter 45

At some point when I had stopped crying, Izuku and I found ourselves embracing on the hospital bed for a long time, though it was a bit of a slight squeeze between the bars. As I sat next to Izuku with my head resting on his shoulder, his hand rubbing calming circles into my arm, I realized that this had to be one of the most peaceful moments of my life. Even though I was calmer now, I found that I didn't want to separate from him. I had so many questions I wanted to ask him, but most of all I had the overwhelming urge of wanting to kiss him, though I restrained that part of myself. We had just made up, but even with my terrible judge of social situations, even I knew this wasn't the right moment to engage in a make out session, especially since my family could come in at any moment and we hadn't even established what we were yet. Despite those fears, I couldn't find it in myself to care. I had just finally met my best friend for over ten years, and damn it, I was going to enjoy it. Please God, just let me have this moment a little longer.

Blurry as my vision was, I didn't miss Izuku's gaze when it darted towards the vase sitting on the windowsill. "I see you got the flowers," Izuku said almost hesitant to break the peace we had established. Maybe he liked that we weren't fighting too.

"Yes, my sister brought them in," I said absentmindedly before the gears started to turn. I pulled back to give him a startled look. "Don't tell me you're the one who got me flowers."

"N-No, I umm... I didn't know what you liked so I just pointed your sister in the right direction and umm... maybe paid for them?" Izuku admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know. Maybe I should have gotten you flowers, but I wasn't sure if you were still mad or not." The brief wave of disappointment quickly turned into affection as it flooded through me, though I tried to hide it.

"It's the thought that counts," I said, offering him an olive branch. "Regardless of who gave me the lilies, I appreciate that you tried to get me my favorite flowers rather than just buy any bouquet in the giftshop." His arm went back around my shoulders, giving my arm a slight squeeze as I leaned into him, nestling my head at the crook of his neck. My eyes went back to the lilies, wondering whether they were done out of courtesy or affection. Just because Izuku had forgiven me didn't mean that everything was back to normal. What even was normal with us now? I had apologized, but with all the new information that had just been revealed, our dynamic had changed... hadn't it? My original apology certainly hadn't gone at all the way I had planned. Maybe helping my sister find my favorite flowers was just an apology to him. In retrospect, I guess it was a good thing I didn't buy two figures after all, since they're the same guy, I thought, not realizing that I had spoken out loud until Izuku shifted to look at me.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just... I had this whole apology planned out for making you wait this long, but now it feels kind of stupid."

Izuku's hand gave my arm another squeeze, his thumb tracing my skin in a way that left tingles on my arm. "It's not stupid. What were you going to do?"

"Well originally, I was planning on giving you the first printed copy of my Vigilante Knights comic as an apology after I had SmallMight39 spellcheck the finished product, but since you are SmallMight39 and you've already forgiven me, it feels redundant at this point."

"You mean you actually finished it?"

"Yeah, though fat lot a good that did me," I grumbled, silently cursing my own luck. In an effort to make running easier, I had shoved my shopping bags had been put into my tote bag and that had been the first thing that was crushed when the rhino villain shoved me into the wall. The comics were probably unsellable now with the corners bent and the spines broken.

"Can I see it?"

"You still want to?"

"Of course!" Izuku said with a burst of enthusiasm. With some reluctance, I went into my bag and handed him the three Vigilante Knights comics in all their glory.

"Well here you go. Vigilante Knights Issue #1 First Edition, signed, sealed and delivered. One to keep, one to read, and one to collect, as promised." I watched Izuku in anticipation as he went to open one of the comics, pulling it out of the protective sleeve to look over the final printed pages. "I tried keeping it in my purse to protect it, but I think I just made things worse," I rambled nervously, "I'll replace them for you, if you want. I just wanted you to see it beforehand, to make sure I spelled everything okay for Japanese readers."

"Holy whoa... This look amazing! I can't believe you actually finished it," Izuku exclaimed, his voice in awe as his fingers traced the edges displaying Arisa in an action pose with her sword, illuminated by the large full moon in the background. "How much?"

"Oh no, I cannot ask you to pay for these."

"But I told you I would pay for them."

"Seriously, consider it my long overdue apology- and because I owe you."

"Nonsense. An artist needs to be paid for their work."

"But- but they're damaged copies! The spines are all bent and warped, which makes them useless as a collector's item, and- and I haven't even priced them yet!"

"Then I'll make two of the damaged ones be placeholders for when you make new ones," Izuku argued before offering me a compliant smile. "I didn't expect my first copy to last long anyways. I tend to wear out books I like."

"...I suppose I could give the old ones out as free samples to family and friends," I muttered to myself before relenting, "Fine. I'll switch out two of your comics when I go to make new ones."

"Thank you. I'll be sure to take good care of them," Izuku beamed.

"Don't thank me yet. I'm still going to charge you for them, since you seem so adamant about it," I tried to be stern but I couldn't help but smile back. I wanted to see him smile more like that, not wanting him be sad over me and my situation. "I also have something else for you. I brought those comics because I owed you but this umm... this I bought as a peace offering." I leaned over to reach into my bag and held up Funko POP figure in the other hand, causing Izuku's already big eyes to grow wider still.

"Is that the Might-T edition of All Might?! I thought these were sold out!" he exclaimed as he snatched the figure from my outstretched hands to examine, wearing a bewildered expression as he was bombarded with another gift.

"Apparently not. I found this little guy hidden with the Hero Academy figures. I guess he was picked up and then put down in the wrong section by mistake," I explained, not realizing how great my fortune was at finding the little guy until this moment.

"...Is this really all for me?" Izuku asked, as if not believing someone would give him gifts outside of special occasions like birthdays and holidays.

"Of course it's for you. I got them for you- well technically one of the comics is for SmallMight39 since I printed four -but they were originally meant for you." Izuku silently eyed the box, examining the Funko POP figure in his hands. My eye went to the wrinkled corner of the back of the box. "I'm sorry for the damaged box. That rhino villain basically plowed into me when I left the store, so I'd be surprised if it wasn't damaged, but the figure should still be okay! Did you preorder him already? I'm sorry. You can sell it or something, though the damage probably brings the value down a little... do you not want it anymore?"

Izuku shook his head, causing my heart to drop a moment before I realized he was smiling, his eyes like vibrant emeralds as they filled with tears. "No... I love it. Thank you," he said, his voice strangled from emotion he was trying to choke back as he held his gifts to his chest. "I'll be sure to treasure them."

"You're welcome," I replied. My heart panged at the sight of his tears but relaxed at his bright, dopey smile. I'd always admired how emotionally honest he was with himself, so the sight of him being so happy to the point of tears had meant I had done a good job at picking a thoughtful gift for him. Was I awesome at make-up presents or what? "By the way, you can read my comic whenever. I still have a little while before I need it edited for Comiket."

Izuku sniffled a little before wiping his eyes with the back of his arm. "I guess that means you'll be wanting those Tween Titan comics, huh?"

My brow furrowed in confusion before brightening. "Yes... but only to borrow," I amended quickly. "Remember? The deal for me to keep them forever was seeing my watercolor paintings."

"And when will I get to see those?"

"Actually, you've probably already seen them. I may be busy with Patre0n, but I still post on DeviantArt and my personal Instagram accounts. You're still SmallMight39 on there too, right? So you should be set."

Izuku contemplated that for a moment while staring at the two presents in his hands, his expression sober. "So... you're really not disappointed that it's me? That I'm SmallMight39?"

"Disappointed?" I almost laughed. Was that what he had been worried about? "No! Why would I be disappointed? I liked you first, dummy, back when you were awkward and Quirkless. The fact that you're the same pro-hero I've had a crush on is an added bonus." Izuku let out a soft 'oh' before his tense expression melted into one of those warm smiles that just seemed to light up the whole room. "Hey, how'd that change, by the way?"

"Oh I uhh... got my Quirk later in life," he admitted somewhat bashfully, suddenly appearing embarrassed and tense.

"Oh... well, good for you. I'm glad your dream of becoming a hero came true," I smiled, trying to hide my disappointment at being the only Quirkless person left before shoving that thought down. I didn't need my petty insecurities to ruin the moment. Izuku was a good person, and him gaining a Quirk didn't change anything about him. Deep down, he was still the earnest kid that couldn't wait to tell me about the latest figure or merchandise he had acquired for his collection. I smiled at the memory. "I guess now you can collect your own figures instead of always hunting for the next F4F figure of All Might."

Izuku blushed at my teasing, his posture shifting from rigid to awkward. "Ah ha... I keep forgetting you know all about that," he chuckled nervously, scratching the edge of his cheek with a strangled smile. I giggled.

"Of course, but don't think I'm going to hold it over you forever. After all, you're the only person other than my sister that's ever heard my Jigglypuff impression, and I'm planning on taking that to my grave."

"Don't forget about the mermaid obsession," Izuku added with a slight smirk of his own. "Now, that I think about it, didn't you say you once thought about buying a tail?"

"...oh god, I thought I repressed that," I groaned as Izuku stifled a laugh, though it wasn't malicious. I turned to him, cheeks burning as I gave him a playful shove. "It's my ASD, I swear! Besides, that's rich coming from Captain All Might," I fired back, my smirk widening as Izuku's face paled slightly. "Ohhhh yes, I remember all the little nicknames you told me about wanting to be your hero name, Mighty Boy~ You think I could forget about something like that, Mighty All Man? 'Cause you're allllll man, alright," I teased as Izuku's face burned a shade brighter, accenting his freckles.

"Ah stop! It's embarrassing!" he squealed, hiding behind his hands.

"Too late! You're stuck with me now, Mighty Smols, especially since you've got dirt on me too, so if you go down, I go down with you, chuunibyo and all," I patted him on the shoulder and gave him a wry smile. Now that the word was out about both our identities, it was easier for me to be myself around Izuku. In fact, it was sort of a relief that he knew about my autism and the anxiety it brought me without me having to explain or worry he'd run straight for the hills when he found out. Sitting here, joking around with him in real life, it was like we were old friends again. But was that all we were now? Just friends? Or was Izuku just being nice and comforting me?

"Hey Izuku?"

"Hmm?"

Debating on whether or not I should say anything, finally I steeled my resolve and asked the million dollar question, "What are we exactly? I mean, neither of us has brought up the whole thing on whether we're still dating or not, and I hate to be that girl, but I need to know- are we still boyfriend and girlfriend or are we just friends now?"

Suddenly the carefully guarded look Izuku'd had worn earlier when he had first come to visit was back up. He shifted a bit in place, as if to remind himself to put space between us as his hands netted themselves together in his lap. "I don't know... So much has happened lately. Up until a few days ago, I didn't think you ever wanted to see me again, and then after finding out that you were someone I had been friends with online, it's like a total paradigm shift for me. It's one thing to think of you as Alyssa but it's another one entirely to think of you as Muse-Musume."

I nodded. "Yeah... I get that. I still have to wrap my head around the fact that you and SmallMight39 are the same person, let alone that you were the pro-hero that I had a crush on," I smiled to myself as I stared towards the lilies on the window sill. "That day in Akihabara, I wanted to fix things with you. I wanted it so badly that I tried to look for advice or answers to my problems in other places, thinking I would find some sort of easy solution. Now I think I was just putting off a bad conversation." My fingers gripped the fabric of my pants, as I forced the words to come out. "For the record, I never really thought of us as broken up. I just figured we had a really bad fight. I want things to work with us. I still like you, Izuku. Me finding out about all the other stuff doesn't change that. In fact, I think I like you more now because of it," I admitted with a half-smile. Strange as it was to admit, it had actually been somewhat of a relief to find out that someone as kind as Izuku had a past similar to mine, that he wasn't all smiles and rainbows, that he was human like me and could understand my pain. It made him come off as more relatable and made his optimism less naïve, something that I couldn't understand about him in the beginning. "Anyways... what are your feelings towards all of this?"

Feeling brave, I cast a sidelong look at him, squinting to see that Izuku's face for once was unreadable. His fingers clasped and unclasped themselves before his hands settled in his lap into small fists. "...You know, I almost didn't show up."

I blinked at him. "What? Today or... Akihabara?"

"Both."

I could feel my stomach plummet like I was climbing up the steep incline of a rollercoaster while staring at the sharp drop. The anticipation gnawed at me as I asked in a small voice, "...Why?"

"A couple of reasons, mostly that you would be better off without me. I've never been in a relationship before. I don't know the right things to do or say, only from what I've heard from other people and their experiences. I wanted to see you, be with you, but it felt like every decision I made was something that only caused you more pain, and after I found out you were Muse-Musume, a friend I had been so close to for years, I didn't want to jeopardize what we had for a silly little crush, especially after Jaku. If you reacted that badly to someone that you were only just starting to know after a few weeks, I couldn't begin to imagine how you would react to finding out about someone you had known for years. I didn't want to risk our friendship, so I figured the best thing was to pretend that I didn't know who you were and to not to see you again and let you move on with your life."

Yep. That sounds about right, I thought, the guilt from our fight eating me from the inside as my lips pressed my lips together in a thin line, eyes boring a hole in the floor. "...What made you change your mind?"

"I kept thinking back to something a friend of mine said, about some things in life being worth doing over others, because what's the point if you can't be happy. Every time I look back to that moment in Jaku Hospital, I keep thinking about how very unhappy that moment had made me. Then I think of how much worse I felt seeing you in the alleyway, bloody and unconscious. It was one of the worst moments of my life, something I never want to experience again." I nodded, my shoulders drooping in disappointment, having an idea where this conversation was going. "In that moment, all I could think about was how badly I wanted to save you, not because it was the right thing to do, but because I didn't want to watch someone else that I cared about die, and to make matter worse, I was the reason that you were there in the first place-"

"No," I interrupted, giving Izuku a fierce look. "No, that wasn't your fault, Izuku. I chose the meeting place. I chose to help Hitachi. It was my decision."

"But I'm the reason why we had to meet up in the first place. If I had just told you who I was when you asked, none of this would have happened-"

"Izuku, stop. You can't put yourself down for my choices. I'm not your responsibility. Say all you want about the terrible things that I've done and mistakes that I've made, but there's no way in hell I'm going to let you blame yourself for the stupid shit that I did." I gave him my most stubborn glare, something I had learned from my mother, like there was no wiggle room to argue. Izuku grew silent after that before I gave him a nod to continue.

"Well... despite everything bad that's happened, every moment I've spent with you before all that were times I felt happier than I ever thought I could be. I thought I was satisfied with being a hero, that I didn't need anything else in my life other than that because I was doing what I loved, but the more time I spent with you, the more I realized how much of a hole there had been in my heart before you were in my life. I had family and friends, but not people I could talk to. Life has been so busy for me that I didn't realize how much of it was just moving onto the next day, the next goal. Comics and work were just distractions to help fill the void. I didn't realize how lonely I was until I suddenly had someone to do things with, to go out to arcades and museums and share ice cream with. You've been such a great friend, Alyssa, one of my best friends, and I don't think I could really do without you anymore."

"I know what you mean," I jumped in, Izuku's words striking a cord with me as my heart thudded in my ears. "When I don't have something to keep my mind off of things, like sitcoms or drawing or playing videogames, I can go to a really dark place. Before you were in my life, I was going through a really tough time. Moving to Japan has been a lot harder than I expected. My only real-life friend is thousands of miles away, and with my mom as sick as she is, I feel obligated to stay with her, even if we're constantly at odds. I can't grow beyond her rules and become my own person, and I can't leave her because we moved here for her health, so until I met you, I had no reason to leave the house other than for work and lightsaber practice. I was trapped... but now I have something to look forward to every day, someone to talk to who gets the stuff I'm going through and the things I'm passionate about that I don't have to worry about coming back to hurt me," I gushed, hoping that our mutual understanding meant that we were on the same page, that Izuku definitely wanted me to be in his life, but as what? His friend? His girlfriend? So much of what he was saying was kind but still unclear. Ugh, why can't boys be more clear with their feelings? I growled internally as darker thoughts and self doubt pushed themselves into my head. Was I just a distraction to him? Was our relationship just a distraction until he moved onto the next thing that made him happy? "That being said, I understand if you wanna stay friends, but... do you think there's anyway we can just... start over and go back to the way things were?"

"I'd like to..." Izuku said though I could sense a 'but' coming as his smile dropped slightly, along with my heart, "but I don't think things can ever go back to the way they were."

"Oh... y-yeah... you're probably right," I admitted, voice shaky with uncertainty and fresh hurt as my arms wrapped around myself in a tight hug. Even after expecting them, I didn't expect his words to sting so much. Of course there was no going back. I had made sure of that after effectively torching our relationship, but I had hoped... I faked a smile and gave him a playful look, choosing to hide behind my humor to push back the pain. "I mean, now that I know you're Deku, there's no way I'm going to just let you get away-"

I am such an idiot.

"-I mean, I know where you live now because of Patre0n, and you owe me an autograph." Before Izuku could answer, I held up my hands in mock surrender, still fighting to not meeting his gaze. "Kidding, kidding! I don't expect anything from you. To me, you're still the same Quirkless kid I met on the internet that I fell in love with-" Stop talking, you moron! "-but after everything that's happened, if you don't want to be anything more than that, that's fine. I totally understand. So... friends?" I held out a shaky hand towards him, lips pressed into a tight smile as I forced myself not to cry- not just for my sake but for his. If I started crying now, Izuku might just decide to be with me out of pity, and that wasn't fair to either of us. Izuku stared at my hand for a moment, uncomprehending on what it was doing there. Rather than shake it, he grabbed my hand and pressed it down onto my lap. I flinched, almost like his touch had burned my hand, but I didn't pull away.

"The thing is, Alyssa, I don't really want to be friends anymore."

"Oh..." I felt the crushing weight of Izuku's rejection clench around my heart, squeezing until it shattered. I am so naïve. Why couldn't I just be normal and understand social cues rather than run my mouth like some gibbering idiot and hope for the best? Similar thoughts and regrets crowded my mind, shouting and clamoring over each other that I completely missed what Izuku said next for his apology, only realizing he had stopped talking after he had said my name. I felt a slight squeeze from his hand, looking up to see he was looking expectantly at me for some sort of answer. "What?" I asked dumbly. "I'm sorry, I kind of zoned out there for a minute. What did you say?"

"I said-" Izuku reiterated with a shy blush, "-that I want to be more than friends... if that's okay with you."

"Ohhh... Oh!" I let out a shaky laugh as a rush of relief began to overwhelm me, the turbulence was almost too much for me to handle as tears welled in my eyes. Then I turned towards Izuku and smacked him hard in the chest.

"Oww!" he yelped and shrunk back from the unexpected assault. I gave him a pinched look, tears blurring my vision as my voice wobbled, "God, Izuku! Don't scare me like that! You about gave me a heart attack! I thought you were going to dump me!" I wept, hiding my face in my hands.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you," Izuku apologized before pulling me into a side hug that tucked my head into the crook of his neck. Damn it. It was hard to be angry with him when he was being so sweet. A flash of anger quickly melted into something soft and warm as I laughed despite myself, delirious from the emotional rollercoaster I'd been on.

"I'm okay it's just- gosh, I don't mean to be all emotional. I'm just so relieved. I don't know what to do," I admitted, smiling behind my hands through the tears. "Do you really mean it? You still want to be with me?"

"Yes," Izuku grinned and I couldn't stop myself from flinging my arms around him.

"Jerk. You could've said something sooner..." I choked, mumbling scornfully into his chest though I didn't have an ounce of anger in me.

"Sorry." Izuku squeezed me tight around my shoulders, relieving that last bit of weight on my heart. This time when I cried, I didn't hold back. I was just so happy that I couldn't help it. It was one of those happy ugly cries, the ones that women and children got when they were surprised with a puppy on YouTube, ones that had sobs intermingling with laughter that felt so cathartic at the end. Feeling emotionally spent, I pulled back from the embrace and heaved a deep sigh.

"Oh wow, I've cried a lot today. I'm such a mess," I sniffed, wiping away the tears with my palm before Izuku handed me a pale blue handkerchief he fished out of his pocket, one that had a little All Might icon embroidered into the corner. "Thanks," I said before dabbing my eyes with it. "Ugh... I never cried this much before. I blame you for this. It's like you opened up a dam or something." I dabbed away another tear before I felt Izuku tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

"Hmmm..." I pretended to think about it for a moment. "I'll let it slide this one time. You've caught me in a good mood." I leaned my head into his hands as Izuku cupped my face, the pads of his thumbs tracing the edges of my skin to wipe away any stray tears. For the first time in ages, I was able to look into his eyes. They were so pretty, like pools of emeralds and turquoise that I wanted to swim in. I could feel myself drowning in them as Izuku leaned forward as if to inspect something on my face until he was mere inches away from my lips. Then he stopped.

"Is... is it okay if I kiss you? Because I really, really want to kiss you right now," Izuku asked in almost a whisper, his eyes set on my lips and cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Feeling my own face flush, I smiled at his need for consent and gave him a slight nod before I closed my eyes and felt the lightest brush against my lips. It was soft, like worn velvet, warm and comfortable. It tasted like home. When he tried to pull away, I almost immediately chased after him, demanding more than just a chaste kiss as I pressed my lips to his, only this time there was a bit more pressure, an urgency to deepen the kiss. A startled noise escaped from him before I felt Izuku's hand slide down from my face to my waist, the other tangling in my hair as I wrapped my arms around his neck, inhaling sharply as he pulled me flush against him. The exchange was a bit awkward at first. Neither of us could really stop smiling, occasionally breaking the moment to smile or giggle before continuing into something more lasting. The elation his kisses left was positively intoxicating. It was like I had drunk a six pack of grape soda and the fizzy bubbles were giving me a sugar high. Everything in my chest felt so light and heavy at the same time. Michael Bublé was right. I really could hear the sound of violins long before it began. Right now a whole orchestra of music sang through my ears. I could hear the swell of Tamaru Yamada's "Scarborough Fair" in my mind as I just let go, the key change intermittent with the storm of emotions flooding through me, only I was the storm and the rain and the darkness, and Izuku was the sunshine and the light and rainbows that followed.

Once I had pulled back to catch my breath, I let out a blissful sigh. "I'm so glad you changed your mind," I breathed out, trading dreamy smiles with the green-haired boy across from me.

"Me too," Izuku said as his eyes lowered to half-mast, lost in a haze before they glanced over my shoulder and lit up in some semblance of recognition. "You still have it..."

"Huh?" I hummed before finally turning to notice the yellow scarf that had been lying on my pillow. It was the part of his hero costume he had left to me. "Oh... Yeah... You probably want this back." I held out the yellow scarf that had been draped around me like a shawl, hidden by my back after it had slipped off.

"Have you been wearing it this entire time?"

"Ah well, you did leave it with me, and the hospital has been really cold, so it's been keeping me warm," I rambled, suddenly feeling embarrassed that I had done something inappropriate.

Izuku's expression grew pensive, his eyes flitting from me to scarf before softening, his lips stretching into a kind smile. "You can keep it," he said, pushing the scarf back into my hands.

"Really? You sure you don't need it?"

"I'm sure. The fabric was getting old anyways. I'm sure it'll be in good hands. Besides, I have a few ideas for the new replacement."

I draped the scarf back over my shoulders despite that I didn't exactly feel cold, feeling like one of those girls that got to wear their boyfriend's high school sports jacket. "Okay, but I hope you know that you're never getting this scarf back. No take backs."

"You like it that much?" Izuku chuckled.

"Of course! How can I give up an original Deku artifact? It's the ultimate souvenir, plus," I said before hiding part of my face behind it. "it... it smells like you."

"...You like how I smell?" Izuku gaped, incredulous at my reaction as I buried myself deeper into the fabric.

"Y-Yeah... you smell good, like peppermint and sunshine. It's nice..." I admitted shyly, glancing to see that Izuku's cheeks burned as hot as I felt. "So umm... what do we do now? With us, I mean."

"I don't know. I guess we just figure that part out ourselves."

"Probably. But I don't mind figuring it out with you," I gushed, feeling a bit sappy, "and as far as starting things fresh, here I go-" I cleared my throat before formally holding my hand out to him. "Hi, I'm Alyssa Blake. I'm an impulsive twenty-six year old artist with autism who created a comic called Vigilante Knights."

Izuku laughed and took my hand in his before giving it a slight squeeze. "Hello, Alyssa. My name is Izuku Midoriya. I'm a twenty-four year old pro-hero known as Deku. I'm an emotional nerd who likes heroes and reading comics online as SmallMight39 and is still very new to dating." I smiled at the nerd comment before locking eyes with him. Right as I was about to lean in for another kiss, reality came knocking. Literally.

"(Alyssa?)" I jolted at the knocks on my door, suddenly aware of my surroundings. For a split second, I thought it was the nurse coming in to run more tests, but she never called me by my first name. Then another went by and I realized with cold dread that I had about four seconds before my mother walked in on me and my boyfriend about to make out in my hospital bed. A look of panic overtook me as I shoved Izuku back. Before now, I didn't believe Izuku had ever met my mother, but judging from his expression and how quickly he recovered from my violent reaction, he knew that was about to change. After a mad scramble of trying to get off the bed, Izuku's posture went rigid and formal, like he was minutes away from letting out a loud All Might-esque laugh. I worried he would look suspicious by appearing so disheveled, but thankfully his hair was naturally messy. Besides, I had just been the victim of an assault. I could afford to look like a hot mess.

"(Hi, Mom. What's up?)" I said, trying to keep the uneasiness out of my voice.

"(I- what's going on? Who's this?)" she stopped, noticing the strangely unkempt pro-hero in the room.

"(This is Iz- Deku. He was the hero that rescued me. He just wanted to come by and see how I was doing.)" I said with a false smile. Technically I hadn't lied. Izuku had come to see me. It just wasn't the only reason he had come to see me.

"Hello there, Mrs. Blake. It's nice to meet you," Izuku replied cordially with a respectful bow, wearing a certain kind of stiff formality I had never seen on him before.

"It's Ms., not missus. She's not married anymore."

"Oh sorry."

"Don't worry. She can't understand Japanese anyways. Just try not to look nervous," I said through a light grin, relieved for that one saving grace as I turned back to my mother. "(He says that it's nice to meet you.)"

"(That's nice. Tell him I said thank you.)" I relayed this back to Izuku, but my mom's expression was still one of politeness. I couldn't tell if Izuku could read into it or not, but there was something else warring underneath the surface. Then the bomb dropped. "(Now please tell your friend that it was nice to meet him but he needs to leave. You have some visitors to see you.)"

"(What? Visitors?)" I frowned.

"What did she say?" Izuku asked, concern etched into his face.

"She's trying to kick you out. Apparently there are people here to see me," I said though I couldn't imagine who. Even if word had gotten out about my hospital visit, all of my family and friends lived in America, and my dad wouldn't waste money on a plane ticket just for a short hospital visit, even if part of me hoped that he would.

"Oh... well, maybe I should go-"

"No way. Just because I have visitors doesn't mean she can kick out any other people that come to see me," I declared sternly, anger bubbling in my chest at the unfairness of it all as I turned towards my mother. "(Mom, you can't make him go. That's so rude. He came all this way to see me.)" I argued, hoping to appeal to her need for manners, but she didn't budge.

"(Well he can come back and see you another time. Right now he needs to go.)"

"(Mom-!)"

"It's okay Alyssa. I'll go," Izuku said with a resigned expression, as if he could sense the discourse between us.

"Wait! You don't have to go. Please don't go..." I pleaded, clutching onto his sleeve like it was a life preserver. "Please don't leave me. I don't want you to go. Please stay..." Right now, I was fighting every urge to push him away, to protect him and myself from my mother and her incurring wrath.

Izuku gave me a kind smile and pat my shoulder before giving it a light squeeze. "I'm not going to leave you. But I really should get going though. I need to check in with the agency, and I still have to check in with Hitachi. He's with some of my associates at the moment," Izuku said before his smile turned secretive, "His sister says 'hi,' by the way. You've already met her."

"His sister? Who's his sister?"

"Amaya."

"Wait... you mean he's that Hitachi?!" Izuku nodded and I almost wanted to laugh. I really shouldn't have been surprised by this point, but it appeared that Izuku and I were linked in more ways than one. Thanks, Universe!

"I need to go. I'll see you later, I promise," Izuku said before turning towards my mother and giving her a polite bow. "(It was nice to meet you, Ms. Blake. Goodbye.)"

"(Bye.)" she replied before he left through the door.

"(He's nice, isn't he? Coming all this way to see me,)" I said, hoping to win Izuku some brownie points for effort.

"(Yes... though perhaps if he had done his job right in the first place, you wouldn't be here in the hospital.)"

"(Come on, Mom. You can't put that on him. It was my own fault for getting involved. It's not like he attacked me. In fact, he got me to the hospital faster than the EMTs did.)" I pinched the bridge between my brows, realizing she wasn't going to compromise her opinion, and I sighed. "(...What's this about people needing to see me?)"

"(Some officers here would like to have a word with you,)" she said, barely containing her unsaid thoughts of 'what did you do' and 'you are in so much trouble, young lady.' Two police officers trod in the room behind her wearing standard uniforms, holsters and keys jangling on their belts, and suddenly the fear of being arrested came back. Thanks a lot, Universe...

"Miss Blake, I'm Officer Satoshi and this is my partner Officer Sugimori. We're from the Musutafu Police Department. Do you mind if I get a statement from you?"

I glanced between the two of them before I noticed Izuku's silhouette hovering by the doorway and felt more relaxed. "Not at all. Go right ahead."

As they took my statement, I promised myself from that moment on that I would treasure Izuku like he treasured me, that I would not for one instant make him regret his decision to be with me, that I would strive to be a better person because of it. No matter what my mother said or what the police had to say, I would walked towards that uncertain future with people that cared about me and with my head held high.


A/N: References are "Sway" by Michael Buble, and Satoshi Taijiri and Ken Sugimori, the creators of Pokémon. AHHHHH MY GOD I'M DONE! FINALLY! Oh my gosh, I never thought I would ever write this much, much less complete a story this big- or at all! I want to thank so many people for helping me make it this far, most of all my sister and my beta reader Illeana-Starbright, both who have put up with my constant need for feedback and crazy edits throughout this whole story. I'm probably going to do one last final edit, since fanfiction is essentially a first draft, but I promise it won't get cut down too much. For those who read this before April 7th, 2022, don't worry. I saved the April Fools chapter this originally was as a separate one-shot that you can check out on my profile. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you in the next story!

Hero/Villain Profiles

Name: Alyssa Blake
Alias: Muse-Musume
Quirk: N/A "Autism"
A self established power, autism gives her the ability to think spacially, hyper focus, and keen intellect for a variety of interests and hobbies. Drawbacks are oblivious to social norms and awareness, sensitivity, overstimulation, extreme emotions, and anxiety.