Chapter 1
Izuku was standing by himself, wringing his hands together nervously, waiting for his friends to show up. He knew they wouldn't miss it for the world, not after everything they had gone through. He was currently wearing a black suit with a red vest underneath with matching red tie, finished off with some black dress shoes that were made specifically for him. His fiancée told him the red would match her dress and had requested him to wear it, and he wasn't one to deny her requests.
"Green!" A voice called out through the gathering crowd, causing Izuku to turn around. He already knew who the voice belonged to, but seeing his two best friends push themselves through the crowd always brought a smile to his face. "Is everything alright? I could hear your heartbeat from across the room." Kyouka questioned as she stopped in front of him, Ochako standing right beside her.
Kyouka was never one for dresses, but his fiancée had specifically picked out a dress and asked her to wear it, and Kyouka had agreed to it. She was wearing a darker purple dress that ended right above her knees. It covered her shoulders and went all the way down her arms, ending right before her hands. She was still wearing her combat boots, absolutely refusing to wear heels, saying that the weight of them was similar to her hero boots.
Ochako was dressed in a light pink dress, another one picked out by his fiancee. Ochako had argued with her until the sun came up before she had finally agreed. Her dress was similar to Kyouka's, but instead of going all the way down to her hands, it ended at her shoulders. The outfit was finished off with black flats. Izuku had to admit, his best friends looked really good, thanks to his fiancée's choices.
"Hey, Kyouka, Ochako!" Izuku greeted, slipping one hand to his other wrist to test for his heartbeat. "I'm glad you two are here. Was my heartbeat really that loud?" Izuku could feel that his heartbeat was elevated currently, but it still surprised him that Kyouka could hear it across the room.
"It's beating like you just ran a marathon before getting here." Kyouka stated, putting her hands on her hips, while jutting a hip out. "What the deal, man?"
"Are you okay, Izuku?" Ochako questioned worriedly. "You haven't been like this since our last big mission."
"Yeah! Yeah, everything is okay…" Izuku scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking away. He didn't want to make his friends worry, but he also knew they would see right through his act.
"Green…" Kyouka trailed off quietly, in a voice that said she knew Izuku was everything but okay. Kyouka had gotten good at reading him and his heartbeat, especially after what happened during their second year. She made it her mission to make sure her friend was okay, and Izuku would be forever grateful for her concern.
Izuku slumped his shoulders, not even attempting to put up a fight when he knew it wasn't worth it, continuing to look away. "Okay… I might be just a bit nervous."
"Why?" Ochako questioned. "I remember when you came to ask me for advice on proposing, and you weren't anywhere near this nervous. You looked more excited than anything."
"Well…" Izuku let out a sigh, before turning towards his two best friends. Izuku knew that his two best friends understood more than most; the only one who understood him better was his fiancée. "Okay, you remember when she dressed up for our graduation after party? How drop dead gorgeous she looked in that dress?"
Kyouka and Ochako shared a look, remembering the dress quite well. Almost everyone's eyes were on the couple that night, with the party being hosted by them. They both turned back towards Izuku and nodded towards him, encouraging him to continue.
"And you also know that her family is known quite well throughout Japan, both within the hero community and support community." Both girls nodded, knowing that her family owned one of the biggest support companies that Japan offered. She was well known for her achievements throughout the hero community, only coming in second to Izuku himself. "Well, I'm kind of nervous about embarrassing her." Izuku looked away again, scratching the back of his head again.
"You are nervous about embarrassing her?" Kyouka questioned, and Izuku nodded as he continued to look away. "In what way?"
Izuku ran his hand through his hair, indicating that he was trying to get his thoughts in order. Both girls waited until he turned towards them. "I've been coming to these parties with her since we were kids, but back then, that's all we were. Kids." Izuku sighed, closing his eyes and hanging his head back, face pointed towards the ceiling. "But as we've gotten older, and started school at UA, the parties that we attended were far and few in between."
"Izuku." Ochako stated, causing him to open his eyes and look towards her. "I don't think you could embarrass her, even if you tried."
"How could I not?" Izuku questioned, bringing his hands back up to his hair and giving it a little tug. "I mean, just look at me!" Izuku waved towards himself a bit frantically. "I'm just me, I can't even begin to compare to how amazing she is."
Kyouka snorted, causing Izuku and Ochako to look at her, before she forced the laugh that was trying to spill out at her friend's worries. "I don't think comparing yourself to her is ever going to be an issue, Mr. 'I Save the World before Breakfast'."
Izuku raised both hands up to his hair again, running his hands through it and flattening it out a bit, before it popped back up to its original style. "I mean, come on, how can I compare to someone like her? She's magnificent, beautiful, hardworking, always helping out as many people as she can, putting other people's needs before her own, and absolutely the smartest person I know, bar none! I wouldn't be half the hero, nor half the person I am today if not for her." Izuku lowered his hands, closing his eyes and allowing his shoulders to slump, letting out another sigh. "But I'm still just me…"
Kyouka put her hand on Izuku's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze, forcing him to open his eyes and look towards her. "Dude, stop saying it's 'just me', because that's what she loves about you. She's loved you since you were both kids, before either of you ever realized it." Kyouka gave him another squeeze, a rare genuine smile gracing her face. "I know it's asking a lot of you, but you need to stop worrying so much."
Izuku looked away again, slumping his shoulders. "It's hard not to, Kyouka. No matter what everyone else sees in me, I still feel like the same quirkless kid I once was, so I just don't see how she could love someone like me…"
"Do you regret it?" Ochako questioned suddenly, causing Izuku and Kyouka to snap their heads towards her. "All those years you were friends? Spending time with her? Asking her out? What about dating her? Proposing to her?" Ochako knew that she was hitting sensitive points, but she knew before she asked them what Izuku's answer would be to each question.
"No! How could you even ask that?" Izuku responded immediately, getting a little annoyed with what Ochako was questioning him with. "I could never regret anything when it comes to her! She's been my best friend since I was six, and the best thing to ever happen to me!"
"Better than when All Might offered you OFA?" Ochako questioned.
"Yes!" Izuku answered immediately, and Kyouka could tell he wasn't lying with his answer. He really thought that she was more important than him accomplishing his dream of being a hero. "She was there before I had OFA, believing in me that I could be a hero without a quirk. She was there when I received OFA, helping me train and figure out so that I didn't injure myself. She never stopped loving me just because I didn't have a quirk, and her love didn't change after I received OFA."
"Right there. You just said she loves you, for you." Ochako said a little more quietly. "Izuku, she told us that you were the first person to see her for herself, not for her family name. You recognized how hard she worked, how hard she trained, on both her quirk and weapon skills. You recognized how much she studied, not just assumed she was naturally gifted like everyone else did. You knew how much she loved to read, going out of your way to find books you thought she would love, both the ones she studied and the ones she read for enjoyment."
"Really?" Izuku questioned quietly. "I thought I was just being a good friend…"
"Seriously, Dude?" Kyouka questioned. "You're over here wondering why she loves you, but yet, you don't realize all the small things you've done for her?"
Izuku opened his mouth to respond, before the lights in the room dimmed, leaving only a spotlight that was racing around the room in anticipation, until it landed on the top of the staircase close to them.
"I present to you, Lady Momo Yaoyorozu!" Izuku felt like he recognized the voice, but he couldn't remember where. His only explanation was that it was one of the many servants that the Yaoyorozu family had. It didn't matter once Momo had stepped into view of the room, causing a current of gasps and whispers to flow through the room.
"Holy…" Ochako started.
"…Shit." Kyouka finished.
"Yeah…" Izuku responded quietly. Momo looked around the room, before her eyes landed on Izuku, causing her to smile. She gracefully descended the steps, looking as beautiful as an angel that was slowly descending from the heavens above.
Gliding across the short space between the staircase and their friend group, Momo stopped directly in front of Izuku, Ochako, and Kyouka, allowing them to get a full view of what she was wearing. Izuku looked her up and down a few times, her beauty literally forcing him into speechlessness.
The elegant red dress flowed from just below her collar bone with the straps along her biceps, draping all the way down to the floor, some of the material flowing along behind her in a train. There was a slit in the front of the dress, her porcelain toned legs peeking through as she walked. Her arms were bare, showcasing her scarred but strong arms. She had her hair up in her signature ponytail, the one that Izuku loved to help her with, tied with a perfectly matched piece of red ribbon.
"It would appear to me that I have broken Izu." Momo giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, before smiling towards him.
"I can't really blame him." Kyouka said honestly, looking at the dress up and down like Izuku did a moment before. "Holy shit, Yaomomo. I didn't think you'd be able to top the graduation dress, but wow…" Ochako was similarly awestruck beside them, nodding along as she looked at the dress.
"Do you think it's too much?" Momo questioned, twirling around in a little circle to showcase the dress from all angles. She stopped and looked back at Izuku, seeing him slowly shake his head.
"Beautiful…" Izuku whispered out, never taking his eyes off Momo's as he spoke.
"You back with us, Izuku?" Ochako questioned, poking him in the arm a few times.
"Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming." Izuku said quietly, causing Momo to giggle again. He shook his head a few times, before looking back towards Momo. "Are you an Angel? You're as beautiful as one…"
Momo blushed, still not used to how Izuku had become since she had agreed to marry him, but smiled nevertheless. She took a step towards Izuku, raising her hand to cup his cheek lightly, before guiding them together and engaging in a kiss. It wasn't a very long kiss, just enough to convey their feelings for each other, but it left them both breathless just the same.
"Still think you're dreaming, Izu?" Momo questioned with a smile on her face, not removing her hand from Izuku's cheek. She could see the love and affection in his eyes. The room around them fell away for a second as they got lost in each other's eyes.
"How did I ever get so lucky?" Izuku questioned a bit dreamily, causing Momo to giggle at him again. "Thank the Gods above that led me to you, my own Angel."
Momo moved forward, engaging in another kiss. It lasted a second longer this time, until Momo pulled back. She lowered her hand to find Izuku's linking their arms together. "Come, Izu. You remember how to make the rounds, right?" At Izuku's nod, she turned back towards their two best friends. "We're gonna thank everyone for coming, but don't go anywhere, please? I would like to catch up with you both." Kyouka and Ochako nodded, allowing Izuku and Momo to walk through the crowd, already talking to an older couple that was mingling in the party.
"I don't think they could have found anybody more perfect for themselves…" Ochako said dreamily, remembering her partner that was currently on their own mission and wouldn't be making the party tonight.
"You can definitely say that again." Kyouka responded, watching as they both gracefully walked throughout the room. "Come on, Ochako, let's see what they have to drink."
Izuku couldn't remember much before his fifth birthday. The few things he could remember were having a best friend that he spent almost every waking moment with, a father who loved him, and a mother who always played heroes and villains with him.
When his fifth birthday arrived, and Izuku was still showing no signs of manifesting a quirk like his parents, Inko had decided to take him to the local quirk doctor. Ever since his fourth birthday, Izuku had tried to use Fire Breath or Telekinesis like his parents without any success, going to bed disappointed.
"Quirkless."
When Izuku had heard the word, his dreams had been shattered in front of him. All he wanted was to be a hero like All Might, calling out to the world 'I Am Here'. It would ring inside their head for years to come, but that was only the beginning of what was to come.
Izuku remembered that his father loved him, but when he had been diagnosed as quirkless, his father had left one day and never returned. His mother had told him that he was moving to America to better provide for his family, but the only thing that Izuku understood at the time was that he had left him behind because he didn't have a quirk.
It wasn't long before his classmates found out about his status. He had shown up to school the following week, and his teacher had announced it to the class without a care in the world, causing all his classmates to look at him like being quirkless was a disease. Most of them had avoided him after that, while others would pick on him.
Aldera became hell for Izuku, a constant reminder that his dreams weren't possible anymore. None other than Katsuki Bakugo, his childhood best friend, would continuously pester him about him not having a quirk. At the beginning, Katsuki seemed kind of sad that Izuku wasn't going to summon a quirk at all, but it wasn't long before he had completely changed. As time went on, Katsuki's pestering got worse to the point of him using his quirk, Explosion, around Izuku to try and 'stress test' his quirk out.
When Inko had questioned how his days were going, Izuku had completely broken down in her arms, revealing everything that was happening at school and questioning his mother why he didn't have a quirk. It broke Inko's heart to see her baby cry, receiving bad news after bad news, but going to Aldera solved nothing for them. The teachers that Inko had talked to would always lie and tell her that Izuku was the one picking fights, and the results were the consequences of his own actions. Inko knew the teachers were lying to her, fabricating stories, but with no proof and their word against Izuku's, there was nothing she could have done.
Eventually, Katsuki's pestering got worse, to the point that Izuku was being used as a quirk test dummy. Katsuki would constantly release Explosions around Izuku, or slam his desk with his hands. The teachers had paid them no mind, often blaming Izuku for starting the fight in the first place, and sending him to detention. The class would always laugh with Katsuki, encouraging him to put the diseased quirkless kid in his place.
'You'll always be a useless, worthless, quirkless, Deku!'
'Worthless Deku! With no quirk, you can't fight back!'
'You can be our quirk practice dummy from now on! That's the only thing a useless Deku like you is good for!'
When Izuku had started coming home with his uniform ruined, Inko had questioned him if the bullying was getting worse. Izuku had never hidden anything from her, telling his mother everything Katsuki and his goonies had done. Just as she suspected, Katsuki's pestering had turned into physical abuse, and started leaving cuts, bruises, and burns all over his body. It had broken Inko's heart when she helped apply the medical bandages that he needed, promising herself that she would take care of it as soon as possible.
"Bakugo is an honorable student, and only attacks in retaliation. Maybe Midoriya needs to stop picking fights he can't win." Inko had just about lost it when hearing the principal state such false things about the two boys. She knew that Katsuki was the one beating up his son, the burns had proven it. She also knew that Izuku wasn't one to pick fights, wanting to be a hero himself and protect others. She just about pulled him out of Aldera then and there but with no backup plan for his education, and the fact that the income she had plus what little Hisashi sent over mostly went towards their small apartment, she couldn't afford anything else.
"I'm not sure what to do, Yoshida." Inko started off in their breakroom, running her hands through her hair to try and calm her worries. "Ever since Izuku was diagnosed, the bullying has gotten worse."
"You've tried going to the school?" Haru Yoshida questioned in return, already knowing the answer. Haru and Inko have worked side by side for many years, and while Haru didn't know the Midoriya family personally, she had painted a pretty decent picture from the times Inko would talk about them.
"Multiple times." Inko let out a sigh, dropping her hands to the table. "They keep saying that Izuku is the one causing the fights."
"That doesn't sound like Izuku." Haru responded, taking a sip of her tea.
"That's because it isn't. Izuku wants to be a hero, he wouldn't go around just picking fights." Inko took a sip of her own tea, holding it in both hands as she looked down into it. "If I could pull him out of Aldera and send him somewhere else, I would. Ever since Hisashi left, I've just been scraping by."
"I thought he moved to America to better provide for you both?" Haru questioned, looking at Inko in concern. She could remember the day when Hisashi had packed up and moved to America, Inko had come in looking like a wreck and was sent home by their big boss. Yaoyorozu was a family man, and he always tried to take care of his employees as if they were one of his own.
"That's what he told me, but the numbers say otherwise." Inko responded, closing her eyes and hanging her head. "It seems like he is sending the absolute minimum that he can, and I haven't heard from him in months." Inko clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles going white. "The only contact I received was when his lawyer showed up with divorce proceedings, already signed."
Haru was frustrated on Inko's behalf. Her father had suddenly passed away due to sickness when she was younger and it had only been her and her mother. Even though her mother never had to work after he passed, it was still a struggle for both of them to move on. Haru could relate with Izuku in certain ways, knowing that Hisashi leaving the family must have broken them completely, especially after how much Inko talked about him loving his family.
"I had to purchase two uniforms this week, because the last ones were destroyed beyond repair…" Inko sniffled, remembering when Izuku had come home with many more burns that day. "Oh, my poor baby. I don't think there was skin visible when I finished bandaging him this time."
Haru felt her heart break at how Inko was breaking down in front of her. She wished there was more that she could do for Inko, but beyond giving her money to help send Izuku to another school, she couldn't do much. Inko had refused the first time Haru had offered, knowing that Haru was saving up for a family of her own one day.
Haru reached out and grabbed Inko's hand in comfort. "Have you tried to contact the education board? This amount of bullying shouldn't be allowed."
Inko nodded, allowing a few tears to fall. "Every time I get into contact with them, they refer me to contacting the school themselves. I've tried going to my lawyer, and with the school saying that Izuku is causing the fights, there is nothing that he can do. I tried going to the police, but they just informed me that they had more important matters to deal with." Haru felt when Inko squeezed her hand tighter, the woman looking up at Haru. "I don't know what to do, and I'm worried about my poor baby. What if he doesn't come home one day?"
"Do you think that's a possibility?" Haru asked seriously. If neither the education board or the police were stepping in, there had to be a bigger power at play, and that was setting off red alarms in Haru's head. Everyone had heard the rumors about kids getting pushed around enough before they finally snapped. Knowing how kind and loving that Inko was, she could only imagine how much Izuku would take after his mother. The world would become a darker place if something were to happen to him.
"It's getting so bad." Inko sniffled again, raising up her other hand to clear away the tears. "Some days, Izuku doesn't seem to register at home. No matter if I put his favorite All Might video on or not, he just seems like he isn't there."
There was a knock at the door to the breakroom, causing both women to look towards the newcomer. Yuukichi Yaoyorozu stood in the doorway, looking directly at Inko. She wiped some more tears away, before straightening up her posture.
"Yaoyorozu." Inko greeted, bowing as best she could in her seat, trying to act like she wasn't just bawling her eyes out a few moments before. "I wasn't expecting you back until later today. I hope the meeting went well?"
"Yes, it did. Thank you for asking, Midoriya." Yuukichi looked at Haru, and could see that she was shooting her pleading eyes towards Inko, requesting him to talk with her. He didn't hear the full conversation, but he had heard enough to where he understood why Inko was crying. "Can you meet me in my office once you've finished your break, Midoriya? I would like to have a word with you."
Inko straightened up, worry and concern filling her gut, after hearing those words. "O-Of course, Sir."
Hearing a knock, Yuukichi looked up from his desk to see Inko standing in the doorway, cleaned up and looking professional again. If he was being honest with himself, he would consider Inko one of his best employees, and would have promoted her long ago if she would have accepted. When her son was born she had reduced her hours to take care of him, which he understood well, having a daughter of similar age.
"Please come in and close the door behind you, Midoriya." Yuukichi smiled to reassure Inko, but it only seemed to cause her more worry. Inko did as she was requested, before moving over to stand across from Yuukichi, bowing her head in greeting. Yuukichi would wait until Inko raised her head, so there was nothing but silence between them for a few moments.
Finally, when Inko raised her head to look at Yuukichi, he could see tears starting to brim in her eyes again. "Please, have a seat, Midoriya." He said quietly, holding his hand out towards the seat.
Inko nodded, finding the seat and sitting on the edge, as if knowing not to get comfortable. "Did I do something wrong, Sir?" Inko questioned quietly.
Yuukichi sat back in his chair, bringing his hands up in front of him, connecting the ends of his fingers together. "Why would you think you did something wrong, Midoriya?" He questioned, wanting to see what her answer was.
"You've never requested to have a 'word' with me before, and never when I was on break." Inko responded simply, looking down towards her own hands. Yuukichi knew that Inko was telling the truth, because he always made it clear what he wanted to talk about with his employees, and would never request them during their breaks. That was their time, and he understood that many of his employees taking that time for breaks needed that time for themselves.
"I heard part of your conversation during your break." Yuukichi stated, causing Inko to snap her head towards him. He could see more fear creep into her eyes, and the tears start falling before he could even continue. "Midoriya, please stop worrying so much. You're not in trouble, neither is anything going to happen." Inko seemed to relax a bit more, reaching up and wiping her eyes to clear them of the tears. "Deep breaths." Inko responded well to his words, taking a few deep breaths as she wiped her eyes again.
"The reason why I requested to have a word with you is because I didn't want the rest of the office to know." Yuukichi explained, leaning forward on his desk. "I know you're a very private person, Midoriya, only opening up to Yoshida on occasion." Inko nodded, a bit of surprise behind her eyes. "Tell me, how is little Izuku?"
"Not good." Inko said, looking down towards the ground again. "He's getting bullied to the point of needing medical attention when coming home." Yuukichi clenched his fist tightly causing his knuckles to go white. While he never experienced what it was like to be bullied, being homeschooled most of his life, his wife had experienced it throughout her childhood. "This past week has been the worst."
"And the school board, education board, and the police will do nothing about it?" Yuukichi questioned, getting a nod from Inko in response. He let out an angry sigh, causing Inko to look up towards him. "Very well." Yuukichi opened up his desk, pulling out one of his personal business cards, before turning it over. "I want to help you and Izuku, Midoriya." He said simply, writing down his own personal name and number followed by his wife's name and number, before writing an address below it.
"You said Izuku goes to Aldera, correct?" Yuukichi looked up to see Inko watching him, giving him a nod. He reached over and hit a sequence of numbers, before pulling up the phone to his ear. "Do you know how to get to Aldera Elementary in Musutafu?" He heard his driver confirm that he did. "I am sending Inko Midoriya down to you. I want you to take her to Aldera and pick up her son and bring them back to the estate." Yuukichi watched as Inko's eyes went wide as his driver responded again. "Please make sure you treat them well." Yuukichi ended the call by putting the phone back into the receiver.
"Sir?" Inko questioned with wide eyes.
"Please, Midoriya." Yuukichi said, reaching over and holding out the card. "I told you I want to help Izuku and yourself, and this is the first step in doing so." Inko took the card, looking down at the information on it. "Of course, you don't have to accept, but I would like you to meet my wife and daughter regardless. On that card, you will find mine and my wife's personal numbers, as well as the address to our home." Inko looked back up towards Yuukichi with even wider eyes than before. "My driver downstairs is waiting, so I will meet you at our estate after you pick up your son."
Chapter 2
"Mom? Where are we going?" Izuku questioned as they rode in the backseat of the black limousine. Izuku was worried when he was called into the principal's office today, knowing that Katsuki was planning on using him as a quirk test dummy after school. He thought that the principal had somehow caught word of what was going to happen, and decided to pre-punish him, something that had happened in the past.
Izuku was surprised when he got to the office to find his mother standing there, holding out her hand. She explained that she was taking Izuku out of school for the day, and they were going to meet some very special people. He hadn't been pulled out of school before, so it must have been some really important people for his mother to do so.
"I don't think you remember him, but my boss, Yaoyorozu, has requested us to meet him at his home." Inko explained as they drove further away from their home. "He told me he has a daughter the same age as you."
"Oh." Izuku said a little sadly, still looking out the window at the scenery going by. "Okay, Mom." Inko's heart cracked a bit more when Izuku responded, already expecting the worst to come, but agreeing with it nonetheless.
To be perfectly honest, Inko didn't know why her boss wanted them to meet his family. Yuukichi was a private person when it came to his family, keeping them away from the office, and never talking about them much. Inko looked at the card in her hand, finding the personal numbers and their address written down in his hand writing, wondering about how he would help them. Inko had never accepted help in the past, but with her boss asking her, it was hard to refuse his requests.
They both sat in silence the rest of the way to the Yaoyorozu home, the driver speaking up every once in a while to ask if they were okay, if they wanted to stop for any reason, if they were hungry or thirsty, and many other questions. Enough to show that he was paying attention to them, but not enough to be overbearing in his questions.
When they had finally reached the street that the address was on, Inko was surprised to see no other houses around, just a steel fence that bordered the sidewalk and seemed to go on forever. After a few moments of driving, they had finally reached the gate of the Yaoyorozu home. The driver entered his passcode, the gates swinging open and granting them access. It was another few moments before they arrived in front of the main entrance way, standing taller than any house that Inko or Izuku had ever seen before.
"Midoriya!" Yuukichi greeted with a smile as he walked out of the doors that could seemingly accommodate their whole apartment passing through, a few servants either falling behind him or standing off to the side. Yuukichi stopped in front of the two Midoriya's before crouching down to Izuku's height. "And you must be Izuku." The man smiled, holding out his hand.
Izuku looked at it a second, before looking up towards his mother and getting a nod in response. He reached out his hand and gave the taller man's hand a shake. "It's nice to meet you." Izuku said quietly.
"So well mannered!" Yuukichi said excitedly. "It's nice to meet you too, Izuku. Your mother has told me so much about you." Izuku nodded, dropping the man's hand and taking a step back towards his mother. Standing back up, he looked towards Inko. "Come, my wife and daughter are waiting to meet us in the dining hall." Yuukichi was still smiling as he turned around. "I hope you're both hungry. I requested our chefs to make an assortment of sushi."
Yuukichi had walked a distance that felt like three times the size of their apartment, until finally reaching the dining hall. Just inside the doorways stood a woman that was a little shorter than Yuukichi, and standing similarly beside her, was who Inko suspected was their daughter. "Miyuki, this is the employee I was telling you about." Yuukichi informed his wife. "This is Inko Midoriya and Izuku. Midoriya, this is my wife Miyuki Yaoyorozu and my daughter, Momo."
Inko stepped forward and bowed towards the other woman. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Yaoyorozu."
"Oh please, Midoriya, call me Miyuki!" Miyuki exclaimed, taking a few steps forward before stopping. "Do you mind if I hug you? I'm a hugger, but my husband likes to make sure I ask beforehand." Inko stood back up with shock on her face, before nodding, allowing Miyuki to hug Inko tightly. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Midoriya, Yuukichi has told me so much about you, and when he called me today to see if you could come over, I immediately agreed."
Inko cleared her throat after they had separated, trying to push away the surprise that she was feeling in the difference of character between Yuukichi and Miyuki. "Please, call me Inko, in that case." Inko coughed once again, before looking over towards Yuukichi. "I didn't realize that Mr. Yaoyorozu talked about me so much."
Yuukichi chuckled, looking away a bit awkwardly. "Please, Inko, call me Yuukichi in my own home." Yuukichi gave her a genuine smile as he looked back. "And it's been nothing but good things, I assure you. Miyuki enjoys listening to how my days normally go, so you normally come up more often than most."
"And this is little Izuku?" Miyuki said, crouching down in front of him. "Hello, Izuku, my name is Miyuki."
"Hello." Izuku responded simply, looking up at the woman with curious eyes.
"Oh he is just adorable!" Miyuki exclaimed, before waving behind her. "Come here, Momo. I want you to meet Izuku." The little girl that was a spitting image of her mother walked around Miyuki and stopped in front of Izuku. "This is my daughter, Momo. I hope you two can be great friends."
"Hello, Izuku." Momo greeted, bowing politely in greeting.
Izuku's eyes were wide as he looked at the girl in front of him. She was slightly taller than him, but she was dressed in a cute red outfit that looked similar to her mothers. "Pretty…" Izuku said quietly, before continuing. "Hello." Izuku followed her actions and bowed politely towards her.
Inko was watching the interaction, and had heard when Izuku had called Momo pretty. Momo seemed to know what the word meant, because her cheeks got a little rosy as a small genuine smile graced her face. Izuku was none the wiser that he spoke at all, a habit he picked up when watching other heroes on TV.
"Momo, why don't you show Izuku your room? Your father and I would like to speak with Inko." Miyuki requested, getting a nod from Momo in return, allowing her to stand up. "If one of you doesn't mind shadowing them, we'll call once dinner is served." Miyuki said to one of the servants, getting a nod in return.
"Come, Izuku. I'll show you some of my books." Momo said, reaching forward and grabbing Izuku's hand.
"Do you have any hero books?" Izuku questioned as Momo guided him out of the hall, the servant following along behind them.
"I hope they get along…" Inko said quietly, before turning back towards her hosts.
"Come, Inko." Yuukichi said, gesturing towards the small family sized table in the room. It allowed a family to sit much closer compared to the huge dining hall table that sat in the middle of the room. "Now I've told Miyuki a bit of what I overheard, and before we ask for you to let us help you, I want you to know why I requested you here."
"Yuukichi told me he overheard you telling another employee that Izuku is getting bullied at school because of his quirklessness." Miyuki started off, getting a nod in confirmation from Inko. "To the point where he needs medical attention and the school board won't do anything about it." Another nod. "It seems like things never change…" Miyuki said quietly, she waved at another servant, and he brought over tea for the three of them. "Before we ask you anything more, just know that I understand, and I would like to tell you my story."
They all accepted the tea, sipping it for a moment, before Miyuki continued. "You see, my family grew up on the outskirts of Japan, which means we were poor." Inko's eyes went wide at that declaration. "That's the reaction most people have when I tell them." Miyuki smiled, before continuing. "Because of that, I was bullied relentlessly for what I had or didn't have. My quirk was considered weak because it only allowed me to understand how items were created, but I had no way of doing anything with that information, so I was viewed similarly as someone who was quirkless."
"My family tried their hardest to put me through school, and there were times when I came very close to giving up." Miyuki said quietly. "I don't think I had it as bad as Izuku does, because I never needed medical treatment, but I do understand how ruthless kids can be." Miyuki took another sip of her tea, before she let out a sigh. "I remember this one girl that used to constantly pick on me, put me down and call me every name in the book. She was one of the popular kids, and everyone loved her because her quirk was seen as 'powerful' and perfect for heroics."
"That sounds exactly like what Izuku is going through…" Inko said quietly.
Miyuki nodded. "When I finally finished school, I moved into the city with little yen to my name. I wanted to do something that would provide for my family, and I went through many different job applications before finally landing something that could actually support me." Miyuki found Yuukichi's hand and gave it a squeeze. "It was Yuukichi's grandfather that saw the potential in what I could do, and found an amazing use for my quirk, working side by side with Yuukichi. You see, Yuukichi has a quirk that allows him to assemble anything while fixing the flaws. With my quirk being able to see how items were created, I was tasked with putting those items into blueprints, while Yuukichi was tasked with bettering those items."
"Did you know…?" Inko trailed off.
Miyuki smiled, looking towards Yuukichi. "Did I know that Yuukichi was the grandson of the owner of the company? No, I never suspected a thing until he asked me to meet his family, and I saw my boss sitting at the head of the table." Miyuki looked back towards Inko, to see the amazed look in her eyes. "By then, we were already dating."
"But… Why tell me all of this?" Inko questioned, looking between Yuukichi and Miyuki. "Not that I didn't enjoy listening! I just, I don't know how this will help my little Izuku."
"We're in a position where we can pay forward the kindness that Yuukichi's grandfather showed me all those years ago." Miyuki stated simply. "I know what it's like to be bullied, and I hate to hear about other kids getting bullied over having no quirk or a weak quirk." Miyuki smiled. "You should know what charities that Yaoyorozu Co. donates to the most, being one of our main accountants."
"The Quirkless or Hard to Control Quirk Foundation…" Inko said, the information finally clicking.
"Momo has a wonderful mutation of our quirks." Yuukichi explained. "She can create anything she knows the molecular construction of, by converting the lipids in her body to what she wants to create. A very hard quirk to control and master, but with the proper knowledge, she could create anything she sets her mind to."
"And to get her the proper knowledge in how she can use her quirk, and to get her the proper education that would update the official records, we needed a teacher that could teach her." Miyuki smiled as Inko's eyes went wide. "So we hired the best teacher we could find as a private tutor for Momo, one that can help her with perfecting her quirk and with expanding her knowledge. I think we were lucky to have a daughter that just loves to constantly learn."
"You can't mean…" Inko started off, her mouth hanging open as she looked between the two Yaoyorozus.
"We would like to extend an offer to Izuku to take part in the private lessons that Momo takes, right here in our home." Yuukichi offered.
"But I can't afford that!" Inko said suddenly, looking a bit worried between them.
"Who asked you to pay anything?" Miyuki questioned with a raised eyebrow, allowing a smile to grace her face when the shock appeared on Inko's face. "Yuukichi and I both know how lonely Momo gets when she's by herself. She tells us she is fine, saying that she enjoys getting lost in her books that she reads, but there are times when I just know she wished she had a friend to talk with."
"So not only would you be helping my little Izuku, you would be helping out Momo in turn…" Inko started to put the puzzle pieces together. "What if they don't get along?" Inko questioned.
"I don't think we have to worry about that." Miyuki smiled towards Inko. "I heard what Izuku said before Momo grabbed his hand, something that she has never done to anybody close to her age before."
"You and your romance novels." Yuukichi said, shaking his head. "You know Momo has been requesting more of those since the first one you gave her."
"Oh come on, they're not that bad!" Miyuki said, smiling towards her husband. "Oh, it would be just like one of my favorite books! Momo and Izuku meeting as kids, growing up and falling in love, facing the struggles of the world together, before living happily ever after." Miyuki looked back towards Inko. "Wouldn't that just be a fairy tail waiting to happen?!"
Inko smiled at Miyuki's explanation. "It would be nice to see Izuku have at least one friend, and if all that happens along the way? You won't hear me complaining." Inko looked towards the door where the kids had left. "Izuku hasn't had a friend in years, and to see Momo so willingly guide him away, it's almost a dream come true."
"You two are hopeless." Yuukichi smiled as he shook his head. "I can see you two are already gonna be great friends."
"Yes, I do have some hero books." Momo responded to Izuku as they left the dinner hall. Momo didn't understand why Izuku had called her pretty, it's not like she hadn't heard the word from other boys at her parents' parties before. She looked back towards Izuku, seeing he kept his head down as she guided him throughout her home. It was different when it came from the timid boy, maybe because he didn't mean to say it, or because he really meant the words he was speaking.
"Do you have any on All Might?" Izuku asked quietly, still looking away. "He's my favorite hero."
"I should have some on All Might, both in his early days as a hero, and his most recent accomplishments." Momo responded, still looking at the boy beside her. He had looked towards her when she mentioned the books on All Might, and she could see the sparkle behind his eyes, causing her to smile back at him. "I don't have a favorite hero, but All Might is pretty cool."
"You don't have a favorite hero?" Izuku questioned, now more engaged in the conversation. "I've wanted to be a hero ever since I saw All Might's debut video, the one where he saved all those people!"
"Well, my quirk is unique, and I don't have any heroes that I can look up to in reference." Momo explained. "So I often look up many different heroes and their fighting styles to allow me to adapt it to my own."
"A unique quirk?" Izuku questioned excitedly. "What is it?"
Momo giggled, before raising up her other hand and producing a matryoshka doll exactly how Izuku currently looked. Momo held it in front of him, and if Izuku's eyes weren't full of stars before, they were shining brightly now. Izuku reached forward and picked up the doll, and inspected it. "My quirk is called Creation. As long as I know the molecular structure of something, I can create it using the lipids in my body." Momo explained. "The hardest part of creating matryoshka dolls is getting the design on them. It took me so long just to create one, and much longer to learn how to do the designs."
"This is amazing!" Izuku exclaimed, looking at the doll more closely. "This looks exactly like me!" Izuku looked back towards Momo to find her smiling, while Izuku smiled towards her. "That is such an amazing quirk!"
"Thank you, Izuku." Momo responded kindly. "Do you mind if I ask what your quirk is?" Momo knew she asked the wrong question with how Izuku froze in place, pulling his hand out of hers, and looking away. "Izuku?" Momo questioned, moving back towards him. Izuku turned around even more, before Momo heard a sniffle. She circled around him to find tears falling down his cheeks. "What's wrong?" Momo asked worriedly.
Izuku let out a sigh, looking away from Momo again. "I'm…" He started out, before taking another deep breath. "…Quirkless." Izuku responded quietly. "I'm diseased, broken, useless…" Izuku said quietly. "I'm just a worthless Deku."
Momo's worry was replaced with shock, seeing how much her question had affected him. She couldn't believe that the same boy who was so excited to talk about heroes had just broken down in front of her, revealing that he was quirkless. She could see that Izuku really believed he was diseased, or broken, just because he didn't have a quirk. "Why do you think you're a worthless Deku?" Momo asked quietly, putting a hand onto his shoulder.
"Because that's what everyone tells me!" Izuku responded, looking back at Momo, allowing her to see all the hurt and pain behind his eyes. "Ever since the doctor told me I was quirkless, everyone always called me diseased, or broken. I'm just a worthless, useless, Deku." Izuku grabbed his sleeve and pulled it up, showing Momo the bandages. "Every single day, I'm used as a quirk testing dummy, no matter how much I try to run away." He took another deep breath, before looking away and closing his eyes, allowing more tears to escape. "I'll never be a hero like All Might…"
"Izuku…" Momo said quietly, looking down at the bandages that were circling his arm. Her mother had taught her that when someone was feeling down, that a hug would fix everything. While Momo knew that a hug couldn't fix what Izuku was feeling, it didn't stop her from moving forward and circling her arms around him. Izuku froze in her grip, and when Momo hugged a bit tighter, Izuku circled his arms around Momo. "You aren't diseased, or broken, Izuku." Momo said quietly, feeling his arms tighten on her back. "And I doubt you're worthless or useless."
"But…" Izuku started out, and Momo just tightened the hug.
"No buts, Izuku." Momo stated firmly. "Did you know that Midnight fights quirkless?"
"Yeah…" Izuku responded quietly. "She uses fans and a whip to fight villains, and her quirk allows her to put villains to sleep. She has to be careful when using her quirk in villain encounters because it could easily affect the civilians around her, only relying on it as a last resort."
"So if Midnight fights quirkless most of the time, who's to say you cannot become a hero?" Momo asked quietly. "It might not be like All Might, but I think you could still become a hero." Momo felt Izuku freeze in her grip again, causing her to hug tighter again.
"Do you really think I could be a hero without a quirk?" Izuku asked with so much hope in his voice, Momo was willing to give him anything if she could.
"With enough training, I believe you could." Momo reassured, feeling Izuku tighten his hug on her.
"You're the first person to ever tell me that, beside Mom." Izuku whispered out so quietly, Momo almost thought she imagined it. "Thank you, Momo."
Izuku pulled back out of the hug, Momo releasing her grip on him as he went. "You're welcome, Izuku." Momo smiled down at Izuku, while he wiped away some stray tears, before he smiled back up at her.
"Come on, let me show you some of my favorite books!" Momo said with a bit more energy. She reached down and grabbed Izuku's hand again, giving it a squeeze to which he returned. She started moving back towards her room, excited to show her new friend some of her books.
"Did you enjoy spending time with Momo, Izuku?" Inko questioned after dinner was finished. He had come back in a better mood, and requested to sit beside Momo as they ate dinner. They were continuously talking, the topics often changing. Inko had tried to keep up with the two kids for a bit, going from talking about Momo's quirk, to training, to school work, to heroes and books. Inko was surprised when Izuku had mentioned training to become a quirkless hero, and Momo didn't even hesitate, offering him some advice on weapons that he could use.
"Momo is really nice!" Izuku responded as he nodded excitedly. "Mom, you should see the books that Momo has on heroes! She has some limited edition All Might ones that I haven't seen before! But that's not all, she has these books that have heroes before quirks!"
"Oh?" Inko questioned, looking towards Momo sitting beside Izuku still. "I didn't know there were heroes before quirks."
"There were plenty of heroes before the dawn of quirks, one most notably was one by the name of 'Spiderman'. He had powers similar to a spider and would swing around saving people in New York City." Momo responded, smiling at Inko before looking back to Izuku. "Izuku found some of them, and asked to borrow them."
Izuku nodded excitedly with a smile on his face. "I told Momo I would take very good care of them! I can't wait to read them!"
"So does that mean you want to come back?" Inko asked, a smile forming on her face at the excitement that was coming off Izuku in waves.
"Can we? Please? I really want to see Momo again!" Izuku exclaimed. "Momo said she'd help me train to become a hero without a quirk!"
"So you told Momo?" Inko asked carefully, already knowing that her son would pick up on the question.
"Yes, I told Momo I was quirkless, and she didn't treat me anything like my classmates at Aldera." Izuku responded, looking back at Momo and giving her a smile. "She told me that I could become a quirkless hero, but I would need to train really hard! She showed me some of her skills with her staff, and I think I'd like to learn!"
Inko couldn't keep the smile off her face, and giving a quick glance to Yuukichi and Miyuki, could see they were just as happy with the outcome. "So I have a serious question for you, Izuku." Inko said, causing Izuku to look back towards her. He knew that tone of voice, and while it shot some worry through him, he nodded to encourage her to continue.
"When you were hanging out with Momo in her room, Yuukichi, Miyuki, and I had a serious conversation." Izuku nodded again. "What are your thoughts on getting pulled out of Aldera, and instead coming to the Yaoyorozu's home to learn beside Momo instead?" Izuku's eyes went wide, looking between the three adults before looking at Momo and seeing the shock evident on her face as well. "It would be difficult, as Momo learns a lot harder material, but it would allow you to train after, and spend more time with Momo."
Izuku whipped around to look at Momo. "What do you think, Momo?" He questioned with a smile on his face.
Momo looked taken aback from his quick reaction. "You're asking… me?" Momo questioned in return, and Izuku nodded his head quickly, causing Momo to giggle at him, before smiling. "I would like that, Izuku."
Izuku looked back towards his Mom, giving her a smile and nodding excitedly. "Yes! I promise to try my absolute hardest!" Izuku whipped his head back to Momo, and Inko was surprised he wasn't giving himself whiplash as he did so. "Can you help me if I start to struggle, Momo?"
"Of course, Izuku." Momo responded with a smile. "I can lend you some of my notes before you leave, that way you know what we are working on when you start."
"Okay! Let's go get them!" Izuku said excitedly, standing up. Momo giggled, standing up beside him as well, before grabbing his hand and guiding him back towards her room. "Be right back, Mom!"
"Take your time, Dear!" Inko called back as they disappeared behind the door again.
"That went exactly like you said it would, Inko." Yuukichi said, smiling towards her.
"Oh, my goodness!" Miyuki said, holding her hands up to her chin in excitement. "Did you see how cute they looked together?! Momo even held his hand again! They both look so excited!"
"I haven't seen Izuku this excited ever." Inko commented, still looking towards the door. "I wonder what happened."
"Oh, that's easy." Yuukichi said, pulling out his phone. Clicking a few buttons, he placed it in front of them. "I have cameras throughout the estate, because you can never be too safe." They all looked down at the video, seeing them walking towards Momo's room the first time, until they suddenly stopped and Izuku looked away. Not even a few moments later, Izuku and Momo were hugging in the hallway.
"No! Way!" Miyuki said excitedly.
"Well, you did tell her hugs would fix anything." Yuukichi said with a smile, before he pointed towards the video. "She gets that from you."
"And I'm damn proud about it too!" Miyuki responded, sticking out her tongue at her husband, causing him to chuckle. "Look at how the mood completely changed after Izuku pulled out of the hug! Momo grabbed his hand again!"
Inko chuckled at the antics of the Yaoyorozus. She never would have expected Yuukichi to be so open considering how professional he is at work, nor could she have imagined that Miyuki would be so invested in what their kids were doing. It brought a genuine smile to Inko's face as she thought about how Izuku's future was changed for the better, just because of one small act of kindness from someone she barely even knew before today.
If someone had told Inko a year ago that she would be pulling Izuku out of Aldera and sending him off to private tutoring, she would have claimed they'd gone mad. Yet, here she was at Aldera on Monday morning, doing exactly that. The principal and the teachers had looked at her as if she had gone crazy, but when she officially signed off on the paperwork to release Izuku from Aldera, she felt like a humongous weight had lifted off her shoulders.
Within a few months, Inko's quality of work increased, getting more done in a shorter amount of time. Yuukichi had noticed and brought her into his office, offering her a promotion. Without having to worry about Izuku's schooling, nor about how he was being treated at school, she gladly accepted. Yuukichi had made it clear about the clause he put into the description, allowing her to take as much time off as she needed in terms of Izuku's schooling, which wouldn't be much considering how much he wantedto spend time at the Yaoyorozu's Estate.
Izuku was ecstatic when Inko had finally pulled him out of Aldera. When he had walked out of the school for the last time, he didn't even spare the school or his previous classmates a final look, instead walking directly to the black limousine. From that day forward, he started taking his classes with Momo at the Yaoyorozu's Estate, and while the material was much harder than what he was used to at Aldera, he loved having the challenge. Izuku and Momo both worked their hardest, challenging each other in their schoolwork, and constantly pushing each other to do better.
It wasn't long after Izuku had started when he told Inko that he would be getting picked up earlier and dropped off later on the days he went to the Yaoyorozu's Estate. She had questioned Yuukichi and Miyuki about it during one of their weekly dinner nights, and they had told her that Izuku and Momo were spending a lot more time either training by themselves or just spending time together somewhere in the home.
Months went by, and Inko started noticing a lot more changes within Izuku, and after confirming her findings with the Yaoyorozus, they had agreed. Izuku and Momo were both pushing themselves beyond what most students their ages did, and Inko had noticed how much more muscle Izuku had put on in such a short little time, constantly having to buy him new clothes. Maybe it was because he was finally eating better, or he enjoyed learning now, or he had a friend that he enjoyed spending time with. Inko couldn't be sure what the reason was for the cause, but she was happy that Izuku was happy nonetheless.
Miyuki had mentioned that she'd been noticing changes in Momo as well, most noticeably how close she had become with Izuku, and how much time the two spent together. Even when the two kids didn't have schooling or training that day, Izuku would come over to the Yaoyorozu's Estate just to spend time with Momo. They were most often found working on quirk analysis together, or reading their own copies of matching books and/or discussing them.
Miyuki had constantly been sending pictures of the two of them, either reading side by side or when they were training. Inko was overjoyed that her baby found such a great friend in Momo, and she couldn't help but hope that it expanded beyond just friendship. Miyuki had agreed with her, already saying how cute of a couple they made together. When Miyuki had shown her the photo of them sitting side by side, their legs just barely touching as they both read matching books in hand, Inko had to save the photo of them.
When Yuukichi and Miyuki realized that the Midoriyas were spending more time at the Yaoyorozu Estate compared to their own home, they decided to sit down and consider a few options. Yuukichi eventually called Inko into his personal home office, requesting her to sit across from him, while Miyuki sat on the desk beside her husband. It wasn't uncommon for Yuukichi to call Inko into his personal office after hours, especially when working on a big project with a deadline.
Yuukichi had placed a folder on the desk, indicating that what was in the folder could very well change Inko's and Izuku's lives forever, if she so chose to accept. Inko was skeptical at first, reaching forward and picking up the folder to read what was inside. Her eyes went wide as she continued to read through the folder, before she lowered it down and looked in shock towards the Yaoyorozus across from her.
Inside the folder contained information about Inko and Izuku moving into the Yaoyorozu's Estate permanently. It detailed how Yuukichi would buy out their lease on their old apartment, and help them move into the Yaoyorozu's Estate, giving them their own 'apartment' within the Estate. Inko looked at the space they had set aside for her, realizing that her current apartment was only half the size of the space they were offering. In the end, it wasn't a hard decision for Inko and once she asked Izuku, he wholeheartedly agreed after he found out he could spend even more time with his friend.