Disclaimer: Of course I don't own My Hero Academia, its characters, or the franchise.
Story: Izuku ends up enjoying a fan convention, only to surprisingly run into and befriend none other than Sir Nighteye. Not that she knows that. Mirai on the other hand finally found a kindred spirit, albeit someone young. These two end up traversing a friendship full of fanboyism and fangirlism, all the while tip toeing around the awkward 'other' tension between them, even when All Might himself enters the equation…
Set as an AU genderbending fic, canon-rewrite.
Spoilers: Probably the whole series, at least up to the Overhaul arc.
Warnings: Age disparity, underage, cursing and sexual situations…
Pairings: Fem!Izuku/Sasaki Mirai (Sir Nighteye)
A Fan's Guide to Heroics
Chapter Ten: Mother, May I?
"You still have your overnight bag here," she noted, watching him. Mirai flinched back, having forgotten that he'd left it when he'd run away last time. "You can sleep over."
He hesitated but she rolled her eyes and poked his shoulder. "Mirai-san, you slept over just fine. I trust you."
He couldn't help feel happy and relieved to hear her say that, but he was still unsure about staying over the night.
She shook her head and stood up, moving to sit next to him. She huddled into his side and while he tensed for a few seconds in surprise, he relaxed and even put his arm around her.
"I've been propositioned for less, you know," she said softly and that made him scowl. "You're a good man, Mirai, and I know you won't suddenly decide to hold me down and take advantage of me. Don't overthink it and let's have the same relationship as we've had."
Mirai took a deep breath. He trusted himself and he adored her. He would never hurt her or do anything to upset her.
"Okay, let me get ready for the night."
She gave him his bag and he rummaged through it for the spare clothes he'd packed up the last time. Plain gray joggers and shirt, he fetched his spare underwear and headed up to the bathroom.
"I'll see you there," Izuku told him. "I'm just going to clean up my dinner. I'll be in bed by the time you're done."
Cheeks pinked, Mirai nodded to her. And even though it was his second time using her shower, it was like he was at home. Unable to feel unhappy anymore, Mirai cleaned himself up and then went to the bedroom straight after without anymore doubts or tension.
Seeing Izuku laying in bed, reading a book and scribbling into it…this was something he could've imagined what his life could be like; coming home to from work to his significant other, relaxing and winding down from the day.
Licking his lips nervously, he strode forward and made to lay next to her, sliding under the covers.
"Should I talk to your Otou-san too?" he brought up, thinking about it. "I know he's overseas, but he's your father and I know he's important to you too…"
"Please don't," Izuku groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.
He blinked. "Can I ask why?"
She gave him a blank look. "Dad is like…horrible."
Hearing that sparked alarm bells and he was ready to interrogate her more, only to see her then roll her eyes.
"He's the, uh, what do you call it? Helicopter parent —or what the Japanese typically classify as one of those idiot, doting father types."
That made him pause and backtrack, confused now.
"If you say one word to him, guaranteed I'm going to see my father behind bars," she grumbled. "Knowing him, if he found out you were a Hero, he'd pretend to be a Villain or something and try to attack you or something —cry foul once you had to lock him up and yell in outrage to me that I shouldn't 'hang out with someone who'd arrest her poor, loving father.'"
"Surely your Otou-san wouldn't," Mirai said in amusement.
She gave him the blandest look he'd ever seen. "Last year, I had a college classmate over to study with at that time, and Dad was visiting. He pretended he had ties to the Mafia and would put a hit on my classmate if he stood closer than a foot to me while we were studying. Then he also claimed he had associates in the government, the Vatican, the CIA, and the Cartel. My dad is not sane when it comes to me."
Mirai coughed. "…Oh. Right, I get it. I'll…avoid talking to your father in the near future then."
"Good," Izuku nodded. "Even if you talk to Okaa-san, she knows how Dad is and won't tell him about you either." Then she made a face. "God, I can already see it happening in the future when you two inevitably meet." She buried her face into her hands. "I'm having nightmares thinking about it already."
It made Mirai laugh and reach over to pat her back. "I promise that I won't arrest your father at least, no matter what he tries. Loving fathers should be admired."
Izuku shook her head and shut her book, putting it aside. Then she shuffled downwards, shifting the covers over as she turned onto her side and faced him. She was nibbling on her lip.
"Can I ask about that night?" she whispered. "The night you got drunk and I had to pick you up at the bar? You just seemed…I don't know, a little melancholy?"
Mirai hesitated. "Did I say anything?"
Her cheeks tinted. "You just kept saying how happy you always are with me…that you haven't been happy in a long time but that I make you happy. D-do I really?"
He was so embarrassed he could die. But…
"Yes, you do," he answered quietly. "You really, really do and that's why I couldn't stay away."
She was fully blushing now but she was smiling too, so he didn't think he'd overstepped and made her uncomfortable by admitting his truth.
"You also told me you were too drunk to drive and let me drive you to your Agency, and you complained about living at work and having no work/life balance," she teased him. "You said you wanted to live in a place like here, and I said —just to remind you, now that you're sober and awake —you can stay here anytime, Mirai-san. I really do like having you over."
Thoroughly embarrassed, Mirai just embraced it. "Well, your bed is most definitely better than mine," he patted his pillow.
"Your bed isn't too bad," she giggled. "A bit small to accommodate both of us, but like you said, I was tiny. It worked out."
Oh God, did he really comment on her size? He wanted to dig a hole and disappear into it right now.
"Mirai-san?"
Looking at her, he saw she was back to being serious and he remembered her original question.
"I had…a phone call from someone I hadn't heard from in a long time, and it didn't really end on a good note," he murmured. "He…I suppose it's open talk that I split off from All Might all those years ago. Truth is, it wasn't a clean break; we'd parted on bad terms, in a way, and hadn't talked to each other in a long time. At one point last year, I called to let him know I had taken on Mirio-kun as a student, but it had been as brief and tense as this recent call. And this recent one…he called me this time and it took me aback," he admitted to her.
"I was happy though. I missed my friend and I was glad that he'd reached out. I was hoping we could talk and maybe bury the hatchet. I even managed to talk about you before things went sour," he said bitterly.
Mirai gritted his teeth as he remembered the phone call, of the things Toshinori had accused him of. A soft touch to the side of his face startled him out of his thoughts and he looked to Izuku to see her give him a small smile, her hand still against his face.
"The thing about All Might…about Toshinori is that he works so hard; too hard and never knows how to rest or take care of himself," he told her. "I was at his side for years and I'd tried to get him to not take it all on himself. And then there was this huge fight that did a horrible number on him and yet no matter how much I begged him to stop, to slow down and think about retiring or taking it easy…I was worried sick enough then that I'd even looked into his future and saw his death, you know? I wanted him to take better care of himself and told him if he didn't I'd leave."
"And you left," she concluded softly. "That's what the whole split was about back then and why you two went your separate ways."
"Yes. I couldn't take it anymore; I couldn't watch him keep harming himself and not caring about his life the way he was, especially when my words meant nothing and he wouldn't listen to a thing I said. So I left," he said, his voice a tinge regretful. "And now we're years later and we can't communicate properly."
"What did he say to you?" she asked hushed, eyes intent on him and her hand unwavering against his face.
"I couldn't even get passed talking about you before he thought I was trying to get him to mentor you or something," Mirai said in lieu of talking about passing on One For All to her, since he knew better than to talk about that Quirk. "And after I angrily corrected him about that, it wasn't long until he mentioned the Principal of UA calling him to offer a teaching position and then accusing me of putting him up to it. I denied it and cut him off, and then I got raging drunk at a bar."
And thinking about it again got him angry once more and he wanted to call his former friend up and rant to him —
The soft lips on his forehead brought him out of it and when Izuku pulled back, she gave him a sad smile.
"I'm really sorry you're still so hurt by this, Mirai-san."
He didn't cry (even though he really wanted to), but he hunched towards her, letting her hold onto him while he shook in her arms.
"You look fine, Mirai-san," Izuku called out, even though Mirai kept fixing his hair over and over.
"I'm going to meet your mother and I want to make a good impression."
After the heady, emotional night, Mirai was ready to do his best to beg Izuku's mother to allow him to continue his acquaintance with the young girl.
"She'll like you," Izuku drawled, leaning against the bathroom's entranceway. "Like I said, it's my dad that has issues."
"Most parents wouldn't be keen to have a grown adult man talking to their teenaged daughters," Mirai nervously pointed out. "I'm 37 years old and you're 14. That's a 23 year age difference."
Izuku walked into the bathroom and began to adjust his tie nonchalantly. "Technically more 22. In less than 3 months, I'll be 15 years old, Mirai-san."
He paused. "Your birthday is coming up?"
He'll have to think about birthday gifts too, so he didn't end up just getting her something last minute. 3 months seemed like enough time, but time passed by quickly and it'll be her birthday before he knew it —
"All the more reason for you to stop worrying so much about my age," Izuku said airily. "I could marry you in a year, you know, with my parents' permission. Or actually, my own permission and get married now."
Mirai opened his mouth to tell her to stop teasing, but he thought about it —as he'd studied up a little last night and that morning, regarding Quirkless, there were ways to be able to offer sufficient support to them; spousal support being one of them (unfortunately even encouraged upon). She couldn't be under parental insurance, but spousal insurance was different. If her parents couldn't claim and support her, she could go under his insurance permanently if she were married to him.
That was notwithstanding his wanting to be married to her in the first place.
"Okaa-san will like you," Izuku repeated confidently, patting his chest. "Now come on. It'll be lunch soon and she has a day off for once."
"Are you sure she doesn't mind meeting us today?" he asked her. "It's really last minute and I don't want to intrude." That Izuku had called her just that morning was as last minute as it could get.
"No, she's excited to meet a friend of mine," she said. "She knows what it means for me to have a friend. I don't have any."
Mirai frowned and reached out to grab her hand, incidentally slowing her down too. "We are friends. You don't have to say you don't have any."
Izuku smiled shyly at him. "Still trying to get used to it. Having an actual friend is new to me."
He could only just squeeze her hand to reassure her. She kept hold of it and led him out of the bathroom, where they traveled to the main floor of the loft and she grabbed her bag and he grabbed his keys. They made quick work of getting out of there, heading to Mirai's car.
As the driver, he tried to keep his nervousness out of his mind while he drove to where Izuku's directions took them. As he drove though, he saw something at the corner of his eye that made him make a sharp swerve and turn to park at the sidewalk.
Not answering Izuku's bemused look, he exited the car nervously and headed towards the vendor, who looked startled at his abrupt entrance. Mirai glanced around the wares, trying to discern the best choice.
"She likes regular roses, Mirai-san," he heard Izuku tell him and he sheepishly looked over to her. "Are you really getting her flowers?"
"I want to make a good impression," he insisted. "I should have prepared a gift earlier. A bottle of wine probably would've been best —"
"She doesn't drink it," she interrupted him with raised eyebrows. "And flowers are fine. Don't worry about it, Mirai-san. Pick a bouquet and let's have a homecook meal with my mom."
Only glancing at her hesitantly once, he turned back to the flower bouquets on sale. He wished this wasn't all last minute —if he had been able to plan better, he would've been able to come up with a better introductory gift and settled some of his nerves.
Some, not all. He was still meeting Izuku's mother after all.
"I'd like that one, please," he pointed out to the bright red, not yet in full bloom roses. They were the classic red ones, but since they hadn't fully bloom, at least they'd have a longer time to stay fresh and not die so quickly.
The vendor carefully grasped the bouquet of roses and handed it to him and he paid quickly. Izuku quietly but patiently stood by him while he finished up, and afterwards she led the way back to his car. Resettling, Izuku took the bouquet and held it, while he started to drive away.
"What're your favorite flowers?" he found himself asking.
She gave him a surprised look. Then she looked hesitant. "I'm not…normally fond of flowers," she said softly. "The only flowers I've ever been given were the ones dumped on my desk at school…and I don't really care for spider lilies. I know what higanbana is meant to say after all."
He tried not to look upset, but he probably failed. "Sorry," she muttered.
"You shouldn't be the one that's sorry," he took a deep breath. "You deserve to be given the loveliest of flowers."
He hated that she had never gotten flowers before and that he himself hadn't done so yet was unforgivable. He should have long gifted her some.
"We're almost there," was what she answered with instead and he inwardly sighed.
Inko checked one more time to see her daughter's favorite dish was on its way to being finished, before she went to double check her appearance was alright. She couldn't do anything about looking tired, but she could at least make sure she was decent. Her daughter was bringing someone over after all.
She had never done so before.
It made Inko a little anxious, hoping it wasn't someone looking to take advantage of her daughter…but also pretty sure of her daughter's judgment. She had taken care of herself for years and even before she'd had to move out and pretty much start living as an adult, she'd already been maturing faster and realizing the world she would have to live in.
It had only been a little over a year and a half after Izuku had been told she was Quirkless, that Inko's daughter had understood and reality had set in for the young girl.
Inko and Hisashi hadn't been able to keep their little girl from facing the world that was against her.
So to say that Inko was beyond relieved and glad that Izuku had managed to find someone who accepted and wanted to be friends with her (and a hint more, if what Izuku had been hedging around implied). Even if she'd also said her newfound friend was…
"He's older than me," Izuku said bluntly on the phone. "But he's a really good guy. We get along really well and he cares a lot about me. You'll like him."
And if her daughter said so, Inko was pretty sure then that she would.
Inko had finished up as soon as there was knocking on her door, so she quickly checked on the katsudon and then headed to the door. Pulling it open, she smiled widely at seeing her daughter, who looked carefree for once.
Then she caught sight of her daughter's friend.
Standing next to Izuku, the man (and it was definitely a man, not an older boy as she'd assumed) was quite tall and very much older than her daughter. The size difference caught her off guard too —he was very tall overall, much less for the average Japanese man, and compared next to her tiny Izuku? Goodness, he towered over Inko's daughter.
But she kept in mind what Izuku had told her (and it helped that he looked nervous, even with his stern expression).
"Come in!" she said brightly and stepped aside to let them into the apartment.
The man cleared his throat and held out the bouquet of roses to her. "This is for you, Midoriya-san. Izuku-kun said you liked roses."
Blinking in surprise, she accepted the bouquet and smiled at him. "Thank you…?"
He gave a polite, slight bow. "My name is Sasaki Mirai; pleased to meet you, Midoriya-san."
Inko laughed and waved him off. "Pleased to meet you, Sasaki-san. And please —don't be so formal. If my daughter lets you call her Izuku, then please call me Inko! Plus, if you meet my husband, he'll be the one insisting on Midoriya-san vehemently," she and Izuku snickered together. Hisashi really did take parenting to the extreme sometimes. "It'll be less confusing like that anyway, so leave the formalities to my husband."
"Ah, yes, right. Izuku-kun told me about Midoriya-san…" he muttered. He cleared his throat again, refocusing. "Then please, call me Mirai as well, Inko-san."
Her daughter and he hovered rather close together and she noticed that, while the man was outwardly very serious and calm, Izuku had a hand slightly touching an elbow. She hmmed slightly, still smiling at the duo while assessing them together.
"The food is almost ready," she told them. "But I might've forgotten a few things for dessert. Izuku, would you mind popping out and going by the market to buy them for me?" Seeing her daughter glance at her older friend and look hesitant, Inko pressed on slightly. "Please, dear? And don't worry, I won't scare Mirai-san off," she teased.
Izuku sighed and then rolled her eyes, giving her mother a look as she nodded and left, patting Mirai's arm gently a couple times as she left his side. Inko told her what she needed, things she did have but needed more of for the future at least, and sent her off. Then it was just Inko and Mirai left.
"Please, have a seat, Mirai-san," she gestured to the kitchen table. "I'll just be right out with the food."
"Do you need help?" he asked, not moving towards the table just yet.
Inko thought about it, but decided their talk could get started on already this way. "Would you mind getting the dishes and utensils then? I'll bring out the katsudon."
"Are we eating Izuku-kun's favorite then?" he asked as he walked with her into the kitchen area and she directed him towards the correct cabinet and drawer.
Inko gave him a glance. So he was familiar enough and cared enough to know and memorize Izuku's favorites. Point to him.
"Yes," she affirmed as she carefully retrieved the pot.
Without asking, Mirai already retrieved the cutting board on the counter, and they headed back to the table where he placed the board in the middle and she was able to place the pot on it. Then he was efficiently settling down their plates and utensils.
"I'll leave the whole how you two met for when Izuku comes back," she said suddenly. "I think that part's important enough for you two to share together. I guess I can just ask why the sudden meeting with me? Izuku's never brought anyone over and if there was someone she was working with or studying with, she might give a mention or two but still not care enough to have them meet me."
"I asked Izuku-kun if it was alright and we were lucky enough that you were home today," he easily admitted. "The two of us…we'd just recently got over a bit of a bump in our friendship," he hesitantly said. "I'd just found out about…how old she actually was."
He cleared his throat and looked down. "Admittedly, I'd assumed she was much older when we met. I'd made the assumption that she was a young adult," he said contritely.
Inko didn't judge since she knew plenty of people who had done the same regarding Izuku. It was just an unfortunate byproduct of the way Izuku looked and acted.
"I was very caught off guard and I admit that I'd gotten a bit scared off," Mirai confessed to her. "The age gap and how young she actually was had me spiraling and I ended up staying away for a week."
"That's not actually too long away," she said neutrally, though inwardly she was amused at the short time lapse and wondering why it was so short.
"I couldn't stay away," he looked visibly uncomfortable. "Izuku-kun is the first person I'd ever connected to, at least in a long time. I love being around your daughter —she makes me the happiest I've been since I could remember and I treasure our friendship too much to just let it go and forget about her. I also don't want her to think, especially when I'd found out she was Quirkless before that, that I would just easily abandon her and our connection when I promised her that I wouldn't."
Inko already approved of him because her daughter had, but this short conversation with him had her heartily and personally approving him herself wholeheartedly.
"When I reached out to her again, we had a talk last night and she told me about…her circumstances. The Quirkless laws and how she'd lived in that loft apartment…she made me understand that she was more or less her own guardian and has made her own living and all her decisions for the past 4 years at least. And that I should treat her like I had been and to not start to infantilize her and treat her like a child, when —despite her age —she hasn't been for a long while."
He moved closer to her and to her shock, he went straight into a seiza right before her, head bowed to the floor.
"She is the best person in this world and the most important to me. That is why, because I understand the age difference between us and how much older I am than her, I thought it only proper to come meet with you and ask your permission to continue our friendship."
Oh, oh dear. This was unexpected and she was caught off guard by the formal, serious request from the other.
"I'm going to assume Izuku already told you that you didn't have to meet with me or Hisashi, and that her decision to be with you is on her own terms," Inko said, already deducing what her daughter had said to him beforehand.
"Yes, she had and I accept her choice," he admitted. "But I also told her I'm old-fashioned and understand normally how concerning our friendship would be, if it weren't for those stupid, archaic nonsense laws and the discrimination against her 'status'. I also not only thought then that it'd be appropriate and assuring to reach out to you, as well as I'd be a lot more comfortable with you knowing of—if not accepting our friendship, despite the oddities."
Well, Inko guessed she understood why they'd been so urgent in meeting her that day.
She headed towards him and knelt to grasp his arms, helping him up from the formal position. Inko smiled brightly at him, knowing that she could trust this man with Izuku and that he genuinely cared for her.
"I think you and I both know that Izuku wouldn't forsake you either, not even if I denied you two meeting together," she said wryly, still smiling. "But for what it's worth, I find you a very admirable, sincere man and I would trust you with Izuku with her judgment alone, though you have definitely earned my approval right now."
She was happy to see him looking relieved and the slight smile from him made her understand the physical appeal of him for her daughter. A handsome man made more handsome with a smile.
"I'm back! Smells good in here!"
Inko chuckled. "Let's go greet my daughter and let her see I haven't traumatized you or anything."
"It would be an interesting prank, were we to pretend to do so, but I doubt Izuku-kun would appreciate the humor in it," he said dryly, a brief smirk flittering across his lips.
Oh, yes, she definitely approved and liked her daughter's friend!
Started 3/7/23 – Completed 6/21/23
A/n: Mama Inko approves :D
Quick Points:
1. Mirai is such a nervous wreck. I fear a time where both he and Izuku are nervous wrecks together.
2. Mirai also really, really still cares and still hurts :(
3. Most times, I headcanon Hisashi as stereotypical overbearing, doting parent type. He is Kuu Hizuri from Skip Beat! Basically XD
4. This chapter was like 95% done a long time ago, just leaving off the meeting with Inko. Then I went back to it finally finish the chapter and thought the quick, short scene would be that…and became much more trouble and larger than I thought it'd be…