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Chapter Text

It was a crisp late summer night in Musutafu City, and Izuku “Deku” Midoriya was walking down Banaizu Boulevard, having gotten the biggest shock of his life ever since he saw All Might in his usual form. Months earlier, Shoto Todoroki – one of the manliest and most handsome boys in UA High’s Class 1-A – had revealed that he was in fact Shoko Todoroki. This had earned varying reactions from the rest of his…er, her…classmates, from Katsuki “Kacchan” Bakugo yelling at her for not being up front with him, to Minoru Mineta perving out, to all of the girls giving her their full support, with Momo Yaoyorozu and Kyoka Jiro being her biggest supporters.

It had been an overwhelming day for Todoroki, but aside from the girls supporting her, perhaps the most meaningful support came from Deku, who told her how proud he was of her and promised to stand up against anyone who so much as thought of laying a finger on her. The first time he’d laid eyes on Todoroki, he’d found her somewhat attractive as a boy, more so at the Sports Festival when they were having their little chat before their match at the battle tournament, wondering why he couldn’t control his heartbeat and his urge to sweat around her. However, he never imagined he’d find her strolling right next to him, her hair grown in a 60s-style flipped bob, with a figure to rival Yaoyorozu’s, and quite frankly, he still wasn’t sure how to handle this, but he did his best…

“So, Todoroki…”

“Please, call me Shoko.”

“Right. So anyways, I just wanted to say…I…I’m still trying to process you as a girl. I mean, I’m proud of you for being brave enough to reveal your true colors, but I’m really not good at the whole love thing.”

“I’m not good at it, either. All I know is that your actions at the Sports Festival touched me like nothing else could, and I owe you a debt of gratitude for your help.”

Deku smiled nervously. “I…I’m glad!”

Deku and Todoroki said nothing else as they strolled along the boulevard. One thing that Deku couldn’t help but notice about the boulevard was that it was frequented by furui tetsu no aiko-ka, a subculture of people who imported old American cars, trucks and vans from the 60s-70s and held cruise nights here. Though similar in principle to the Swedish raggare, the furui tetsu no aiko-ka not only differed in their vehicles of choice, but also preferred to listen to 60s-70s psychedelic rock, hard rock, blues rock and proto-metal. Some of the vehicles retained their left-hand steering wheels, but some were also converted to right-hand drive by an Australian company. Speaking of Australian, aside from the usual Chevy Camaros and Ford Econolines, some of them imported Australian cars such as Holden Monaros and Ford Falcons. To Deku, it was almost like being in a different world, and with Todoroki by his side, it felt that much more surreal. At one point, Todoroki gently tugged at Deku’s hand, and they stopped.

“Why are we stopping?” asked Deku.

“This street light…it’s so secluded. Isn’t it romantic?”

“Um…”

Before Deku could answer, Todoroki wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. Despite the heat rushing to his face along with the redness, he nevertheless wrapped his arms around her as well. For years, he had dreamed of being a hero just like All Might, but until he met Todoroki, he never once imagined that being a hero could mean doing something as simple as helping somebody to come to terms with their identity. Nevertheless, in this moment, he felt extremely proud of himself, knowing that he’d helped liberate a poor, unloved soul from the crushing oppressiveness that came not only from having to hide who she was, but also letting someone else define half of her Quirk. That, and he also got a great deal of joy from experiencing her soft, sensitive side.

Todoroki got a great deal of joy from kissing Deku, too. The first time she laid eyes on him, she thought he was the absolute cutest green bean ever. However, owing to the fact that she was masquerading as something she wasn’t, she would’ve been hugely embarrassed to try to make any moves on him, not that she cared if people were going to mistake her for a gay man, but more so that he would’ve turned her down and told her that he wasn’t into men. Now that she was free to share her feelings with him, she could feel her body tingling from the excitement of laying her affections on him. The more time she spent holding him, the closer she felt to him. Overall, this was heaven for both of them, though even heaven couldn’t last forever, and eventually, they broke away from the kiss, but kept making eye contact with each other, smiling.

“I love you, Midoriya.”

“I love you too, Shoko. Also…”

“Yes?”

“Please…call me Deku.”

“A cute nickname. How did you get it?”

“Well, Kacchan came up with it because he thought it was short for ‘Defenseless Izuku’, but Uraraka told me how much she loved it, and since then, it’s grown on me!”

“Well, then you should keep using it. It suits you very well.”

Deku said nothing else, simply chuckling at Todoroki’s kindness. Even if the future hadn’t been written in stone, thus far, he felt the future was looking more hopeful with her by his side.

Chapter Text

Deku and Todoroki rushed around a corner, having been forced into a hasty retreat by the League of Villains. The two heroes had prepared as well as they could, and they tried their best, but the League had a couple of trump cards up their sleeves. Both of them huffed and puffed as they tried to cool down.

“Looks like we’ve lost them for now,” said Todoroki.

“Yeah, but they’re still out there, looking for us!” exclaimed Deku. “Seriously, why do I even bother sometimes!?”

“Deku, it’s OK! We’re still alive, aren’t we?”

Deku pounded his fist on the side of the building they were next to. “No! I wasn’t strong enough! I should’ve been able to beat them!”

Todoroki put a hand on Deku’s shoulder. “I understand you’re angry, and you have every right to feel that way. Just know that you have a choice in this matter: you can choose to let this failure define you and cease to keep trying, or you can choose to look back on this as a learning experience and use that knowledge to do better next time.”

Deku said nothing; he merely shook his head. Todoroki wrapped her arm around him.

“I realize it’s not so easy for you to deal with, but I promise you, I’ll always be there for you, and I’ll always love you.”

“Shoko…”

Finally, Deku turned around, and after making brief eye contact with Todoroki, he gave her a big hug and cried. Despite still being frustrated with the retreat he was forced to make, he just found her words so comforting and reassuring that he just couldn’t help but be thankful that he had someone like her by his side to take solace in. After all those years of being Quirkless, he wondered how he could’ve gone on so long without her to alleviate the pain of being bullied. Nevertheless, he tried not to lament the years without love so much as he tried to be grateful that she was there for him. He wondered if she was an angel. Whatever she was, he couldn’t have asked for a better person to be with.

Todoroki couldn’t have asked for a better person to have in her arms, either. After Deku had given her the courage to use the Hot portion of her Quirk at the Sports Festival, she knew that he was the kind of guy that she wanted to be in love with, and now that she was here, giving him her love, she felt really good about herself, especially considering that she was giving him comfort in his hour of need. While she didn’t have an intimate understanding of how much hurt the little green bean been through in the past, holding him in her arms, she felt that he must’ve felt really messed up inside to feel awful about something like this. Because of this, she elected to hold him in her arms as long as possible. He stopped crying at one point, but he too kept holding on to her. He did let go eventually, but not before both of them had gotten their fair share of comfort.

“I’ll always love you, too,” said Deku.

Todoroki smiled and gave Deku some tissues, which he used to blow his nose and dry his eyes.

“Hey Deku, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to take you out to dinner. I know this place that has really good katsudon.”

Deku gasped and smiled. “I’d love to! Let’s go!”

Deku and Todoroki held hands as they headed for the restaurant. Even if the League of Villains was still out there, at least he could rest easier knowing that he had the kindest, most beautiful girl by his side.

Chapter Text

Todoroki took Deku to a small neighborhood restaurant called Karuichi Soba & More. It wasn’t especially packed, though there were quite a few students studying on their laptops. This particular restaurant had a ticket machine in one corner where patrons ordered their food.

“After you!” Deku gestured to the machine.

Todoroki walked up to the machine and inserted a few yen. Some of the choices lit up based on how much she’d put in, so she inserted more until she had enough for her favorite: zaru soba, which she ordered along with a cup of Keemun tea. The machine spat out some change along with two food tickets in a separate tray. Deku went next, but then Todoroki gently grabbed his hand.

“Allow me to pay for your food,” said Todoroki. “You deserve it!”

“Awww, thank you so much!”

Todoroki smiled. “You’re welcome!”

After Todoroki put some money in for Deku, he stepped up to order. Fortunately for him, this particular restaurant had katsudon on their menu, so he ordered that along with some Sencha green tea. After Deku had collected his tickets, him and Todoroki took a couple of stools at the counter, being fortunate enough to find two adjacent seats. They then handed the tickets to one of the staff members at the counter.

“Thank you!” said Deku and Todoroki.

While waiting for their food, Deku and Todoroki made conversation:

“So, how long have you known about this place?” asked Deku.

“Actually, I discovered it two months ago while looking up places that serve zaru soba. One review mentioned that the katsudon here was really good, and I know you love that, so I made note of it just for you.”

“You memorized this place just for me? Shoko, you’re so sweet!”

Todoroki blushed. “Well…I tried!”

“By the way, has anyone told you that you look beautiful today?”

Todoroki averted her gaze. “Oh, I…um…does that mean I don’t look beautiful on other days?”

Deku laughed.

“What?” said Todoroki.

“Oh, you crack me up!” said Deku. “Seriously, though, what I meant to say was that you look especially beautiful today!”

“How so?”

“Well…I mean, it’s not just the way the sun makes your hair glow, or the fact that you have a really nice body, it’s the way I get lost in your differently-colored eyes, the seductive breathiness in your voice when you tell me how you made note of this place just for me, the…”

Todoroki covered her face with her hands. “Stop!”

Deku frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I’m glad you think so highly of me, but…I…I just…I still don’t know how to be a girl.”

Deku put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder and smiled. “I dunno, I think you’re doing an all right job of it so far.”

“How? All my life, my father tried to make me into a boy, always pushing me during his training, and this girl stuff is still so confusing.”

“I realize it’s confusing, but if there’s anything I learned from life, it’s that there’s no manual on how to go through it. Only you can decide how to be a girl.”

Todoroki uncovered her face. “All right…I’ll try my best. I do, however, have another concern…”

“What?”

Todoroki grabbed her well-endowed chest. “I still feel funny knowing I have these. I will admit, however, it is liberating not to have to wear a binder anymore.”

“I mean, I’d feel pretty funny, too, but hey, haven’t lots of people felt funny during puberty, too?”

Todoroki nodded. “That is a good point.”

By this time, Deku and Todoroki’s food was ready, and they started eating. Deku let out a hearty “mmmm” when he took his first bite of katsudon. The way the panko breading made it crunch and the fact that the flavor practically took his senses to Mars meant that he had one response for Todoroki:

“This IS really good katsudon! Shoko, I knew there was a reason I was so attracted to you!”

Todoroki swallowed some noodles and raised an eyebrow. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it, but…did you really know there was a reason?”

Deku laughed again.

“Why are you laughing?” said Todoroki.

“I-I’m sorry! I just think you’re so lovely!”

Todoroki stared at Deku briefly, but then broke out into a smile.

“Oh Deku, you’re so cute!”

Todoroki wrapped her arms around Deku and ruffled the green bean’s fluffy hair, causing him to giggle.

“Tell me: how long have you been attracted to me?” asked Deku.

“I have to be honest: ever since I first saw you, I thought you were the cutest boy ever. Granted, the fact that I was still pretending to be a boy at the time made things very weird for me, but now that I don’t have to pretend, I feel much more comfortable opening up to you!”

Deku put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder and smiled. “Shoko, you shouldn’t have to worry about what other people think of you just because of how you identify! As long as you’re comfortable being yourself, that’s what really matters!”

Todoroki averted her gaze, but continued smiling. “I know. I was just worried that my father wouldn’t accept me, you know?”

Deku nodded. “I understand. By the way, I really love the way you did your hair! Why do you do it like that?”

Todoroki turned back to Deku. “Well, I was watching this old movie, and one of the characters had her hair done like this, and I thought she was so pretty, and I just wanted to be as pretty as her.”

Deku wrapped an arm around Todoroki. “Well, however pretty she was, I bet you’re at least a thousand times prettier!”

Todoroki cupped Deku’s face in her hands. “Deku, if you keep saying nice things to me, I’m gonna kiss you!”

Deku’s face turned bright red. “You know, for somebody who’s not sure how to be a girl, you’re really good at flirting!”

“Well…I do have a cute boy to thank for that.”

Without question, Todoroki kissed Deku. No matter how many times she kissed him, he still got that tingly, chilly feeling running up and down his spine, and he could never quite get enough of it. Even so, she broke away from it shortly thereafter.

“Why’d you stop?” asked Deku.

“As much as I love you, I also want to make sure our food doesn’t go to waste. Before we continue eating, however, I also wanted to ask why you do your hair like that.”

Deku stroked his chin. “I’m not sure. All I know is that it’s easier to take care of like this.”

“Keep it like that! It looks good on you!”

Deku giggled. “Oh, Shoko!”

===

After Deku and Todoroki finished eating and drinking, they stared lovingly at each other for some time before leaving the restaurant.

“Hey, Shoko…”

“Yes?”

“I can’t thank you enough for taking me here! May I walk you back home?”

Todoroki smiled. “I’m glad you asked! Please do!”

And so, Deku and Todoroki held hands as they walked back to Casa de Todoroki. At this time of the season, the sun was still sinking below the horizon later in the day, so there was plenty of light for the two lovebirds to walk by. As the sky gradually cast away its shades of yellow, Deku looked at Todoroki and couldn’t help but notice how the sun’s golden rays gave her bi-colored hair an ethereal glow. When the green bean first saw her hair, he really thought that snow white really went well with that wine red, so much so that he envied her. On the other hand, he was perfectly content with his own shade of dark green, and he figured that she would probably kill for that shade, too. One of these days, he vowed to ask her out just to watch the sunset, figuring maybe that she’d want to see it with him, too. Thinking on this, he also thought about how it had been a hell of a time since the two of them started going out. Even if she wasn’t 100% accustomed to acting like a girl, he thought she was doing well at it so far, and he was confident that she would shine in womanhood. Granted, he didn’t know what the future was going to be like, but he was hopeful that this woman – who at one point had been a fierce rival to him – would want to share in it with him. Soon enough, they reached la Maison de Todoroki.

“Well, I guess this is good night,” said Todoroki.

Deku nodded. “I guess it is. But, there’ll always be tomorrow, and the day after that, right?”

Todoroki wrapped her arms around Deku. “Right.”

Once again, Todoroki kissed Deku. Compared to the kiss at Karuichi, this one lasted longer, the better for her to make him melt like butter. Despite wanting to pass out in her arms, he wanted more of her touch. Even so, she let go eventually.

“Good night, my dear Deku!”

“Good night, my dear Shoko!”

With that, Deku and Todoroki parted ways. Even if they’d had a narrow loss to the League of Villains, both parties felt that love would win the day in the end.

Chapter Text

Thus far, today was another average morning for Deku. After being awakened by the sound of Danny Elfman’s Batman theme from his alarm clock, he headed out to the dining room, where his mother Inko had already prepared him a breakfast of grilled fish, miso soup, steamed rice, tsukemono, nori and a green salad, plus a hot cup of green tea.

“Hey, how’s my little hero doing today?” asked Inko.

Deku took his seat. “Ah, I had a weird dream last night, but other than that, I’m fine!”

Inko got a more serious look on her face. “Oh? What about?”

Deku shrugged. “I honestly don’t remember too much of it, but I remember it was like nothing I’d dreamed before.”

Inko smiled. “But you’re still here today, aren’t you? It was only a dream.”

Deku nodded and took a bite of his fish. Sure, it was only a dream, but those had to make him wonder sometimes.

===

After breakfast, Deku took care of his dental hygiene and did his daily workout, which mainly consisted of pushups, pullups and dumbbell curls. After that, he did nothing in particular. There were no classes scheduled for today, no special programs, no obligations in general. Knowing that he had all this free time to himself, Deku was at a loss as to what to do at first, but then when he fired up his computer, he decided to play GoldenEye on an N64 emulator. However, his GoldenEye ROM was unique in that it was modded so the player was playing as All Might, and all the enemies and NPCs were replaced with villains and heroes that the Symbol of Peace had encountered in his travels. Because a keyboard and mouse just wouldn’t do, he controlled the game using an N64 controller hooked up to the computer via a USB adapter. Even though he’d played the game several times over, it still gave him great joy to blow away KF7-wielding bad guys, and this mod was one of the things that kept it fresh. Then, while he was wasting enemies, he heard John Williams’ Superman theme, which was the ringtone for his phone, so he paused the game and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Deku, it’s Shoko.”

“Oh, good morning, Shoko! How are you?”

“I’m doing all right. And you?”

“I’m fine!”

“Good to hear. Listen, I called because I was wondering if it was OK if I paid a visit to you.”

“Of course! Feel free to come on over!”

“Thank you. I’ll be there soon. Goodbye.”

“Bye!”

Deku hung up. Ever since that fateful kiss on the boulevard, there hadn’t been a single person whom he’d been looking forward to seeing more than her, and now that she was paying a visit to him, he was looking forward to it that much more. He tried playing some more GoldenEye to while away the time until she got there, but considering that the mere thought of seeing her was causing his heart to race and his body heat to rise, it was very difficult to concentrate on the game. Nevertheless, he tried his best. Eventually, he heard knocking on his door.

“Come in.” Deku paused the game.

The door opened, and Inko stepped in.

“Izuku, one of your friends is here!”

Figuring it was who he thought it was, Deku headed for the door. Sure enough, Todoroki was waiting for him.

“Deku!”

Todoroki gave Deku a big hug and kiss, which he gladly returned.

“Glad to see you, Shoko! What brings you over here?”

Todoroki dangled a set of keys. “I thought we could go for a little drive.”

“Oh? Since when do you own a car?”

“I’ve had it for a while. Now please, come along.”

After Deku had put on his shoes, Todoroki led him outside to her car. He gasped when he saw it: a Matador Red 1972 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency with a white vinyl roof.

“Whoa, that is a NICE car!” said Deku. “Where did you get that?”

Todoroki smiled. “I had it specially imported. Now, enough talk; let’s drive.”

Todoroki handed the keys over to Deku, who eyed them curiously.

“Um…are you sure you want me to drive?”

Todoroki put a hand on Deku’s shoulder. “Of course I’m sure! Besides, I trust you more than anyone else.”

Deku smiled nervously. “Well…OK…”

Deku hopped in the driver’s seat of the big Oldsmobile, buckling his seatbelt like a good little green bean, and Todoroki sat next to him. He smiled as the velour seating caressed his body. After that, he fired up the engine and got quite a rush from hearing that 455 Rocket V8 sound. After taking in the mighty V8 for a few seconds, he put the car in “Drive” and drove off. At first, he was quite nervous about handling such a slab of American iron on tight Japanese roadways, but as time went on, he grew to appreciate not only how responsive the gas pedal was, but also how smoothly the car drove.

“Hey, thanks for letting me drive!” said Deku. “This handles really well!”

“Yeah, and it’s really luxurious, isn’t it?”

“I’ll say! By the way, do you mind if I listen to the radio?”

“I don’t usually listen to the normal radio stations, but since you’re driving, I’ll allow it.”

“Great!”

Deku turned on the radio and tuned it until he found the station he was looking for…

“Hey, it’s Moriko in the Midday on 78.5 JOHY, Shizuoka’s number-one classic rock station! Here’s Foghat covering an old Muddy Waters tune: ‘I Just Want to Make Love to You’!”

Deku smiled as the song came on. He’d always loved classic rock, and Foghat was one of those bands that was always good with him. While Todoroki was more into heavy metal, she thought this song was pretty good, and she understood why he loved it so much. There they were, cruising through the streets of Musutafu, taking in the sights. Despite running into a bit of traffic in addition to a few red lights, neither of them felt extremely frustrated. After all, they had no place in particular to go today, so there was no rush. Besides, Deku was really enjoying the fact that Todoroki’s car was getting more than a few looks from pedestrians.

“Hey, Deku…”

“Yes?”

“If you don’t mind, there’s some place I wanted to show you…”

“Where?”

“Just follow my directions. First, we turn left at this next light.”

Deku obeyed Todoroki’s directions. In due time, their course took them out of the city, through smaller towns such as Fujieda and into the countryside, the radio playing songs such as “Photograph” by Def Leppard, “Girls Got Rhythm” by AC/DC and “Looks That Kill” by Mötley Crüe. While Deku was still getting his fair share of enjoyment out of driving Todoroki’s car, he had to wonder just where she was taking him. Then again, she did say that she trusted him, and if that was the case, then he was probably better off trusting her as well. Eventually, Todoroki’s directions led them to a dirt path that went to a secluded area in the forest.

“Park here,” said Todoroki.

Deku put the Oldsmobile in “Park” and shut off the engine.

“What are we doing here?” Deku unbuckled his seatbelt.

Todoroki unbuckled as well. “This is a spot I always go to when I want peace and quiet. Of course, now that you’re here…”

Todoroki wrapped her arms around Deku and laid him down on the bench seat as she kissed him. There was no question in his mind where she wanted to go with this, but of course, he was more than willing to let her have his way with him.

Chapter Text

Todoroki sat at her vanity, wearing a white thigh-high dress, applying makeup. At first, after outing herself, she’d never thought much about makeup, but now that she was with Deku, she spent time learning how to apply it, with a good deal of training coming from her sister Fuyumi. On a night like tonight, she was obsessive about applying it, mainly because she wanted everything to be perfect for her little green bean. Tonight, he had invited her to Club 1186, one of the hottest discos in Musutafu City. Ordinarily, she didn’t think much of disco music, but he had told her how much it would mean to him if he had somebody to go with, and since she loved him very much, she agreed to go with him. While Todoroki was still applying her makeup, she heard somebody knocking at her bedroom door.

“Hold on a minute!” said Todoroki.

“Sis, your boyfriend’s here!” said Fuyumi.

“Tell him to wait a minute!”

“Gotcha!”

Todoroki tried to apply her remaining makeup as quickly as possible, but also tried to be neat, too. Fortunately, she managed to do so without messing up, and she headed for the door. There was Deku, wearing a brown suit with black pinstripes, a white button-down shirt and a black bowtie. She smiled when he saw him.

“Deku, you look very handsome tonight!” said Todoroki.

Deku giggled. “Speak for yourself! You look stunningly beautiful!”

Todoroki blushed, but kept smiling. “You’re so sweet! Now enough delaying, let’s go!”

===

Deku and Todoroki headed to Club 1186. Formerly the Horikoshi Theatre, it had been converted into a disco in 1979 and had survived throughout the rise and fall of disco by catering to different groups. The lobby was basically unchanged from the building’s theater days, save for some neon lighting around the admissions desk.

After paying their entry fees, Deku and Todoroki headed for the dance floor. Ever since they’d approached the front door of the club, they could feel the music beckoning them to the dance floor thanks to the club’s Graebar sound system. In the lobby, the music was starting to fill them up, and by the time they got to the dance floor, it was really taking them higher. The lighting system was something to behold: a series of disco balls of varying sizes hanging at different heights above the dance floor, plus a green laser shining at random disco balls in sync with the music. As if that weren’t enough, the walls were dotted with small strobe lights that sparkled in random patterns, also in sync with the music.

Speaking of the music, the DJ’s current selection was “Deliverance” by Space. Granted, the song was currently in the slow piano-laced intro phase, but it was enough to entice Deku and Todoroki to the dance floor. Once that disco beat kicked in, the laser started cycling faster, and Deku and Todoroki really got up and boogied. Despite having been a fan of disco music for a few years now, Deku had always been too shy about going to a club, feeling that it would be silly to go by himself, but now that he had Todoroki to dance with, it gave him great joy. He didn’t mind that tonight was one of those nights where the club was really hopping, either. After all, nobody paid any particular attention to either of them, so they were free to dance and get lost in the music and lights. Right now, he was having the time of his life, and the more he danced with her, the more he wanted to come back on some other night.

Todoroki was really enjoying herself, too. What she really loved about the experience was how the music spoke to her. Hearing the repeated chants of “deliverance”, it reminded her of how Deku gave her deliverance from the inhibitions she had in regards to the “hot” portion of her Quirk, which led to her finding the courage to out her true identity to the rest of her class. Sure, heavy metal had always been her greatest love when it came to music, but this disco song was really speaking to her in ways that metal never had. Given how much she was enjoying dancing with her beau as well, she decided that disco was a genre of music she could really get into.

===

Deku and Todoroki danced for at least a couple of hours before deciding to call it a night. They exited Club 1186 holding hands with each other, smiles on their faces.

“Deku, thanks for taking me tonight! This was one of the best times I’ve ever had!”

“Actually, I should be thanking you, Todoroki! For such a long time, I was hoping that I could find somebody to come to this place, and now that I had you to come along with me, I wanna go back!”

Todoroki wrapped her free arm around Deku. “You and me both!”

Once again, Todoroki kissed Deku. While he enjoyed her kisses regardless, the fact that he could still feel the music within him made this one that much more sensual. She held onto him for quite a bit of time before letting go.

“Deku…would you like to come back to my place?”

Deku frowned. “I would…but what would your father think?”

Todoroki smiled. “Who says he needs to know? Besides, he’s out of town on business.”

Deku’s smile returned. “Good point. I accept!”

Todoroki said nothing else as she took Deku’s hand and they headed back to her place for the night.

Chapter Text

Today had started off like any other day in New York City for Deku and Todoroki…that is, until they boarded the subway at the Mt. Eden Ave station. At some point between The Bronx and Manhattan, a group of four men wielding AKM assault rifles had brought the train to a halt and held all the passengers hostage. Their demand was simple: the NYC government was to pay them ten million dollars, or they would kill one hostage every minute the money was late. Supposedly, the mayor agreed to pay the ransom, but in reality, it was a trap set up by the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit to ensnare the terrorists.

Thus far, in spite of the imminent threat to their lives, Deku and Todoroki managed to remain calm. In Deku’s case, he had faith that somehow, both he and Todoroki would get out of this alive. As for Todoroki, she kept her cold as ice demeanor about her as usual. Suddenly, a burst of machine gun fire rang out from somewhere in the subway tunnel, and various people on the train panicked, wondering just what was going on. A couple of terrorists fired back, filling the subway with the familiar AK chatter. For one hot New York Minute, the tunnel sounded more like Vietnam than the Big Apple, and most of the hostages kept losing their minds even after the shooting stopped.

“All of you, SHUT UP!” shouted one of the terrorists. “SHUT UP NOW!”

The hostages who had been screaming their lungs out did as they were told.

“You, conductor!” The same terrorist – presumably the leader – shook his AKM at the conductor. “Out of the train…NOW!”

The conductor – a man of average build with brown hair and a goatee – raised his hands and complied with the leader’s order. He made it a few yards before the terrorist shot him in the back with a brief burst, causing a bunch more people to scream. Despite this, Deku and Todoroki remained calm throughout the ordeal. Holding each other’s hands definitely helped.

“Attention, whoever’s in the train, this is Sergeant Gershon Maekawa of the NYPD!” said a voice from within the tunnel. “We’re sorry about the shooting, and we’re bringin’ the money over! No tricks, we promise!”

“There better not be any tricks, or another hostage will die!” said the terrorist leader.

Sgt. Maekawa began to approach the train, holding a large gym bag full of money.

“Remove your service pistol before you approach!” said the leader.

Maekawa slowly drew his Glock 17 from its holster and dropped it between the train tracks. He then approached the train slowly, praying that the terrorists’ leader wouldn’t tear him apart with 600 rounds per minute of 7.62x39mm lead. The hostages all looked on with a mix of fear and hope as well. Fortunately for Maekawa, he was able to make it to the train and hand over the money.

“Thank you for your cooperation!” said the leader. “Now if you’ll excuse us…”

Another terrorist at the train’s controls set the train in motion.

“WAIT!” exclaimed Maekawa. “This wasn’t part of the deal!”

“Tsk tsk, deals are meant to be broken!” said the leader.

Various people on the train freaked out when the train set off, so the leader fired his AKM at the ceiling.

“The next person who screams is going to get shot!” said the terrorists’ leader. “Is that clear!?”

Everyone else did their best to suppress screaming lest they receive 7.62x39mm death.

“Good,” said the leader. “It’s been fun, but we’ll have to get off here. See you never!”

The four terrorists hopped off the train near the next station before it started picking up significant speed.

“What’s going on!?” said one passenger.

“Is anyone even driving!?” said another.

“WE’RE GONNA DIE!” screamed another.

Todoroki got up from her seat and flashed an NYPD detectives’ shield. “Nobody’s going to die! I’m a cop! Deku, stop the train; I’m going after the terrorists!”

“Right!”

Todoroki tucked and rolled as she hopped off the train, while Deku flashed his own detectives’ shield.

“All right, everyone, I’ll do my best to stop the train!” said Deku. “Please, try to remain calm!”

Everyone watched as Deku headed for the engine and discussed the situation amongst themselves. Stopping the train seemed easy enough…that is, until Deku got to the controls and not only discovered that the motorman was laying on the floor with his throat slit, but the terrorists had sabotaged the dead man’s switch.

(All right, keep your cool, Izuku. I’m sure you’ll figure this out!)

===

Meanwhile, Todoroki was running through the subway tunnel, chasing after the terrorists. She detached an Uzi from its DeSantis rig concealed beneath her M65 field jacket and brought it to bear.

“NYPD, FREEZE!” shouted Todoroki.

Instead of freezing like they were supposed to, the terrorists raised their AKMs at Todoroki and attempted to blow her away. Fortunately, she blocked their bullets with an ice shield and returned fire. In comparison to the terrorists, she had better aim, killing two and hitting a third in the leg. Not wanting them to get away, she started ice surfing in an attempt to catch up. She easily caught up to the terrorist who’d been shot in the leg, but his accomplice was nowhere to be found.

“HALT!” shouted Todoroki.

The terrorist dropped his rifle and immediately put his hands up.

“Get on your knees and interlock your hands behind your head!”

The terrorist complied with Todoroki’s orders, and she patted him down before handcuffing him. She then lowered her Uzi and pulled out a Motorola hand-held radio.

“44-Squad-9 to Central,” said Todoroki.

“44-Squad-9 K.”

“Central, I’ve eliminated two suspects and have apprehended a third. My partner is still on the train, and I’m at the corner of East 149^th Street and 3^rd Ave…”

Suddenly, Todoroki’s train of thought was interrupted when a Peterbilt towing a tanker trailer nearly ran her down. Feeling that the terrorists’ leader was the one driving, and thinking quickly, she grabbed onto the trailer and climbed up the ladder on the back. Trying to maintain her balance as well as she possibly could, she walked towards the front of the tractor-trailer.

===

While Todoroki was attempting to stop the terrorists’ leader, Deku was still trying to figure out how to repair the dead man’s switch. All he could see was that a bunch of wires had been cut, so he would have to find out which one went where in order to get the train to stop. It seemed easy enough, but he was no electrician, so he had to analyze the wires carefully, and considering how much speed the train was picking up, that was easier said than done. Nevertheless, Deku figured that he could do it sooner rather than later considering that he had a penchant for success if he just analyzed something hard enough. He grabbed the wires and was about to set on connecting them properly when…

“What are you doing!?” said a middle-aged woman. “Our lives are in danger and you’re just fiddling around!?”

“Ma’am, please remain calm and go back to your seat,” said Deku. “I’m doing my best to fix this mess.”

“Fine!”

The woman grumbled as she shuffled back to her seat, while Deku continued trying to figure out which wire went where. Sweat dripped down his forehead, knowing that if he didn’t do it in time, then the train would crash and people would die. Soon enough, though, he managed to figure out the correct way to connect the wires. Getting them connected, however, was a whole other matter, so he headed back to one of the train cars.

“Hey, does anyone have any electrical tape?” asked Deku.

“Yo, catch!”

A Con Ed worker tossed Deku a roll of electrical tape, and he rushed back to the engine and did his best to reattach the wires. Fortunately, he got them reconnected, thereby reactivating the dead man’s switch and bringing the train to a halt.

“Yes!”

After pumping his fist, Deku returned to the car he was previously in.

“Is everyone OK?” asked Deku.

People gave affirmative responses despite being really shaken up.

“Stay here!” said Deku. “I’m going to get some help!”

===

While Deku was going to get help, Todoroki was still on top of the tanker trailer, trying to catch the terrorist’s leader. However, it wasn’t easy keeping her balance, for the driver attempted to swerve about every which way but loose. Realizing that standing was more likely to result in her falling off, she got down on her hands and knees, crawling towards the front of the rig. Despite being afraid of becoming road pizza, Todoroki kept her cool about her, refusing to back down even for a millisecond. Despite her best efforts to make it to the truck part, though, the leader eventually swerved so hard that Todoroki was thrown aside. She managed to catch onto the lip of the roof of the tanker trailer, but it was clear that if she didn’t do something quickly, then she would get thrown off. Looking around, she focused her gaze on the truck, and then, she shot a burst of flames at the rear tires. The terrorist leader took notice of this and shook the rig around wildly in an attempt to extinguish the flames. Recognizing that her grip wouldn’t hold forever, Todoroki let go and started ice surfing, seconds before the tanker swerved so wildly that it actually flipped over. She hurried to the overturned rig, a Smith & Wesson Model 29 drawn. The terrorists’ leader emerged, largely unhurt but clearly shaken up. Todoroki pointed her .44 at him.

“This is where it ends, Tomura Shigaraki.”

Tomura Shigaraki chuckled as he removed his gloves. “You’re so naive, officer. This is where it ends for you!”

Shigaraki touched the truck in an attempt to disintegrate everything around him. However, Todoroki blew his head clean off, thereby putting an end to the plot. Knowing that leaving the tanker trailer unattended would likely result in a huge fire and explosion, she froze it before calling to Deku on her radio:

“Shoko to Deku,”

“What’s up, Shoko?”

“I killed Tomura Shigaraki, the leader. Did you stop the train?”

“I did. Where are you?”

Todoroki looked around. “I’m at the corner of East 149^th Street and Walton Ave.”

“OK, I’ll be there as soon as possible!”

Not too long after, Deku showed up.

“Shoko, are you OK?”

Todoroki nodded. “I’m fine. I have to be honest, I couldn’t have asked for a better man as my partner!”

Deku smiled. “I couldn’t have asked for a better woman, either!”

Deku and Todoroki wrapped their arms around each other and kissed each other. Shortly thereafter, a bunch of NYPD and FDNY units showed up. A Black male NYPD officer approached the two.

“Whoa, what a mess!” said the officer.

“It couldn’t be helped,” said Todoroki.

“Hey Matthews, we stopped the train,” said Deku. “Let Central know that the hostages are somewhere between the 86^th and 77^th Street stations.”

Officer Ken Matthews gave a thumbs-up. “Will do!”

Even if not everything had gone according to plan, Deku and Todoroki could at least rest a little easier knowing that they not only saved the day, but had each other, too.

Chapter Text

Even before they’d fallen in love with each other, Deku and Todoroki knew that there was no such thing as an ordinary day in their lives, and today was another reminder of that. Recently, a mysterious individual known only as the “Motorway Murderer” had been running down random young women in his car, a Tuxedo Black 1968 Chevy Impala SS with chrome exhaust pipes on the sides. He offered to turn himself in to the police, but on one condition: somebody had to beat him in a drag race. No one dared to challenge him…that is, until Todoroki took him up on it.

Truth be told, she had quite a bit of anxiety about doing so, but Deku had faith in her and promised to love her no matter what, so here she was at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire, driving her Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency. Despite her anxiety, she was reasonably convinced of her success, for she’d installed a supercharger on her car’s 455 Rocket V8. Thus, here they were on the starting line, facing the Motorway Murderer, whose identity was obscured by a black full-face racing helmet. Todoroki got some chills down her spine as she turned and saw the madman looking at her. Noticing this, Deku put a hand on her shoulder.

“You’ve got this, Shoko.”

Todoroki looked over at Deku’s smiling face and nodded. After a brief burnout between both cars, they pre-staged before staging. Within half a second, the Christmas tree went green for both lanes, and the race was on. Despite Todoroki putting her foot to the floor, it looked as though the Impala might have the advantage at first. However, Todoroki’s raw determination meant that she kept the pedal firmly to the floor, and about halfway down that quarter mile, the Oldsmobile overtook the Impala, and soon enough, Todoroki and Deku had proven victorious. The crowd went wild for them, applause tearing through the air. However, as they pulled away from the track, it became clear that the Motorway Murderer was unwilling to hold up his end of the bargain, for he gave Todoroki’s Oldsmobile a bump on the rear end.

“Deku, I don’t think we’re clear yet!”

“Keep driving! I’ve got an idea!

Todoroki kept driving, ending up on Route 101, while the Motorway Murderer kept following them. Once they got out onto a nice, straight stretch of freeway, Deku cranked down his window, unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed up out the window.

“Deku, what are you doing!?”

“Just keep driving!”

Using the window sill as a platform, Deku jumped up into the air and…

“DETROIT SMASH!”

Deku aimed a punch square at the grille of the Impala, which not only connected, but smashed the front end in and caused the car to do a backflip through the air, landing on its rear bumper before ultimately flopping down on its roof. Once the carnage was done, Deku ran over to Todoroki, who’d come to a stop a few yards away from the wrecked Impala, which was leaking gasoline out onto the freeway. Suddenly, while the Motorway Murderer was attempting to clamber out of the wreckage, a spark ignited the pool of gasoline.

“NO!” The Motorway Murderer desperately flailed about as the flames engulfed him. “OH GOD, IT BURNS! IT BURNS! SOMEBODY HELP ME! HELP ME!”

The Motorway Murderer let out a blood-curdling scream, but it was useless: the Impala exploded in a giant fireball and took him with it, while Deku and Todoroki watched.

“Well…we did it,” said Todoroki.

Deku nodded. “Yeah. Good driving, by the way!”

“Thank you! You did well stopping the madman, too!”

“Hey, this was a team effort, and I’m happy to have you on my team!”

“Likewise!”

Todoroki gave Deku another hug and kiss, while the New Hampshire State Police and the Epping Fire Department responded to the Chevy conflagration. Another day, another victory for the forces of good.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes had ended at UA, and Deku and Todoroki were walking back to the dorms, holding hands with each other. No matter how hard any of their classes got, they were happy knowing that they had the consolation of being able to join each other after classes. Even so, Deku could never quite shake the intense warmth that welled up within him whenever he was around her. Part of him didn’t want to, figuring that it was normal to feel so weird around a beautiful young lady that he was so intensely attracted to. Todoroki even took notice:

“Deku, is everything OK?”

Deku averted his gaze slightly. “Oh um…yes. I…well…I still have a bit of trouble getting used to the fact that the most beautiful girl in the world was right under my nose this whole time.”

“I realize it’s not easy thinking of me as a girl, but I really appreciate the fact that you’ve been so kind and supportive towards me. Really, that’s the only thing I ask for from a boy.”

Deku did his best to look Todoroki in the eyes. “Really?”

Todoroki smiled. “Of course! Why should love be complicated? If two people really like each other, shouldn’t their relationship speak for itself?”

Deku nodded and smiled. “That is a good point. Even if I do still have trouble getting used to thinking of you as a girl, I’m glad you’re not very high maintenance!”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

Deku and Todoroki held hands as they continued heading for the dorms.

“Hey Deku! Hey Todoroki!”

Deku and Todoroki paused and turned around to see who’d addressed them: it was none other than Ochaco Uraraka. Deku began sweating nervously when he saw her.

“Oh…hey Uraraka!” Deku rubbed the back of his head. “Hey uh…y-you’re not mad at me for going out with Todoroki…are you?”

Ochaco smiled. “Deku, I’m not mad at you at all! I’m really happy for both of you! I mean, all I want is for my friends to be happy, you know?”

Deku wiped off his brow and breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you! I couldn’t have asked for a better friend!”

Ochaco averted her gaze slightly and twiddled her fingers. “Honestly, though, I think I might actually be a lesbian.”

Todoroki smiled. “Uraraka, whatever you are, I just want to tell you that I really appreciate how you supported me during my coming out, and I promise I’ll be there for you if you need it, too!”

“Awww, thank you so much!”

Without question, Todoroki pulled Uraraka into a hug. Despite being flustered by the fact that Todoroki’s breasts were smooshing against her head, Uraraka nevertheless returned the hug. Also, in spite of not being 100% sure of her sexual orientation, Uraraka felt really good about hugging Todoroki, mainly because it meant so much to her that someone who’d been through so much and who had gotten quite the outpouring of support was giving it back to her tenfold. That, and she really appreciated how soft, warm and cuddly she was. In her time at UA, Uraraka had made her fair share of friends, but thus far, none of them were quite like Todoroki. Even if they hadn’t interacted often, she had seen deep down inside that this girl with the bi-colored hair was truly a kind, loving soul who deserved to be called a hero.

Despite not interacting with Uraraka much, Todoroki had heard quite a bit about her from Deku, and based on what she’d heard, she thought of her as a positive, uplifting individual and decided that she was somebody she’d like to get to know better. However, because of her own cold, withdrawn attitude, she could never have fathomed making an attempt to get to know her better. However, when Todoroki came out as a girl to everybody, Uraraka revealed her true colors, and to Todoroki, they were the most vibrant colors that her eyes had ever had the pleasure of feasting upon. Ever since that day, Todoroki looked forward to getting to know Uraraka better, and while they hadn’t always had opportunities to hang out, she was nevertheless extraordinarily grateful for moments like this one. Though the hug could have potentially lasted forever, Uraraka eventually let go of Todoroki, and Todoroki did likewise.

“You’re welcome, my dear Uraraka.”

Uraraka giggled. “By the way, I really love the way you did your hair! What made you choose that style?”

“Well, there was a character in an old movie who had her hair done this way, and I thought she looked so pretty, so I chose it for myself.”

“Well, it’s a great choice!” Uraraka gave a thumbs up. “By the way, mind if I join you and Deku on your way back?”

Todoroki nodded. “Go right ahead!”

Deku smiled. “Yeah, you’re always welcome!”

And so, Deku, Todoroki and Uraraka headed back to the dorms, united in love, friendship and heroism.

Chapter Text

It was a frigid winter night in Siberia, and Deku and Todoroki had but one mission: rescue one of their own from a Russian military gulag. To this end, they disguised themselves as Russian soldiers, wearing shinel longcoats over their M69 uniforms and ushankas with the familiar red star on the front. Both of them carried AK-74 rifles. Thus far, they were going about the camp unnoticed.

“Hey, got any idea where Kaminari is?” whispered Deku.

“I have a general idea, but to get more specific information, we’ll need to obtain a prisoner roster.”

Deku nodded. “Right. By the way, how are you not cold? Even with this coat and hat, I’m freezing!”

“I’m naturally resistant to extremes of hot or cold.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense with your Quirk.”

As they headed for the office where the prisoner roster was supposed to be, Deku and Todoroki continued to blend in with the other guards…mostly:

“Ey, kak dyela?” asked a guard.

“Nye plokho,” replied Todoroki. “A vy?”

“Mnye chyertovski kholodno!”

Todoroki said nothing further. Though he knew his fair share of Russian, Deku had elected to leave the talking to her. Besides, he thought she sounded really sexy when she was speaking Russian.

“Ty khorosho provodish’ noch’?” asked another guard.

Todoroki nodded. “Tak mnogo kak ya mogu.”

“Ah, khorosho!”

Thus far, Deku was relieved that their disguises were working, though he wondered how the guards didn’t say anything about Todoroki’s hair being visible under her ushanka. However, not everything was peaches and cream…

“Izvinitye, no mnye nuzhno uvidyet’ vashi dokumyenti,” said another guard.

Knowing that the guard was asking for identification, Deku and Todoroki wasted no time in whipping out their papers and handing them to him. They attempted to keep their composure as best as they could while the guard checked their IDs.

“Prostitye menya, rebyata.” The guard handed back their IDs. “Prodolzhat’.”

Deku and Todoroki nodded before continuing on their way.

“That was close,” whispered Deku.

Todoroki said nothing else; she merely nodded. Soon enough, they came upon a small office.

“This must be where the roster is kept,” said Todoroki. “Keep a lookout while I open the door.”

“Right.”

Deku did a brief looksee of his surroundings, and once he was sure that nobody was looking, he gave a thumbs up to Todoroki, and they entered the office. It was fairly sparse, save for some photographs and maps on the wall, plus a wooden office desk, a swivel chair and a file cabinet.

“Check the desk,” said Todoroki. “I’ll search the file cabinet.”

“Got it.”

Deku not only pored through the papers on top of the desk, but also the various drawers, while Todoroki went to work on the file cabinet. At first, they found nothing. Nevertheless, Deku was convinced that Todoroki was right, so they continued searching, but stopped when they heard the doorknob turning. While the door was opening, they attempted to compose themselves as best as they could and act normally. In stepped an officer, a lieutenant colonel or podpolkovnik judging by the two stripes and two stars on the shoulder boards of his uniform.

“Pokazhite mnye vashi dokumyenty!” said the officer.

Without hesitation, Deku and Todoroki whipped out their papers and handed them to the lieutenant colonel.

“Kto vash komandir?” asked the officer.

“Tovarishch podpolkovnik, razvye eta informatsiya nye dolzhna byt’ v nashikh dokumyentakh?” asked Todoroki.

The officer glared at Todoroki. “Kto vash komandir?”

Todoroki began sweating nervously. “Uh…”

“Kak vas zovut?” said the lieutenant colonel.

Todoroki’s face was red. “Um…”

“Kak vas zovut?”

Knowing that they were likely screwed if they continued to let the lieutenant colonel live, Deku whipped out his AK-74.

“STOP!”

Before the officer could draw his Makarov, Deku shot him in the head. Todoroki gasped.

“Deku, I’m glad you saved my life, but somebody could’ve heard that!”

“Then that’s a risk I’m willing to take! Help me drag his body behind the desk!”

“Right!”

Deku and Todoroki dragged the officer’s body behind the desk and continued their search. Soon enough…

“Deku, I think I found something!”

Todoroki held up a clipboard, which her and Deku did a quick lookover of. They found just what they were looking for: information on where Denki Kaminari was being held. However, they also heard someone approaching the office rapidly, so they put down the clipboard quickly and were about to leave when another guard burst in.

“Ey, kto-nibud’ iz vas slyshal stryel’bu!?” asked the guard.

Todoroki shook her head. “Nyet, zdyes’ vsye spokoyno.”

“Khorosho, prosto day mnye znat’, yesli uvidish’ chto-nibud’.”

The guard returned to what he was doing before, while Deku and Todoroki wiped their foreheads with the backs of their hands.

“That was close.” Todoroki put the clipboard on the desk. “Follow me.”

“Right.”

Deku followed Todoroki to the cell block area where Kaminari was supposed to be held. Along the way, despite the fact that Deku had shot a ranking officer, things were still going their way. Soon enough, they came upon the cell where Kaminari was.

“Oh no, please don’t take me away!” said Kaminari. “I know nothing, I swear!”

“Shh!” Deku put his index finger up to his lips. “Kaminari, we’re here to bust you out!”

Todoroki used her fire and ice powers to expand and contract the lock, breaking it within short order.

“Come on!” Todoroki quietly beckoned Kaminari over.

Despite having been thoroughly bruised and bloodied, Kaminari had enough strength to get up and hurry out of his cell. He would need all the strength he could get, too, for alarms went off all throughout the gulag.

“Ostanovite etikh dvoikh! Oni samozvantsy!”

The guards discovered Deku, Todoroki and Kaminari as they were attempting to make their escape and opened fire on them. However, since these guards were all graduates of the Imperial Marksmanship Academy, their shots missed by a country mile. However, the three heroes recognized that if they hung around here long enough, then their plot armor would run out and one of them would get shot. Thus far, though, Todoroki was doing a good job of keeping the guards at bay with her Quirk, and Deku was laying down some serious fire with his AK-74. However, Kaminari wasn’t too happy about the current arrangement…

“Guys, can we stop playing around!? There’s too many of them! We’ll never get out at this rate! Let me take care of this!”

Deku reached out for Kaminari. “Kaminari, NO!”

Thinking too quickly to stop, Kaminari let out a gigantic blast of electricity, shocking all the guards within shooting distance. While this made things significantly easier for the trio, this also had the effect of frying Kaminari’s brains like KFC.

“I’ll grab Kaminari!” said Deku. “We should be able to make a clean break for it!”

“Right!”

Deku slung Kaminari over his shoulder, and he ran away with the help of One For All, while Todoroki followed by ice surfing. Fortunately, they made it out of the gulag without injury, and in a clearing miles away, there was an Mi-17 “Hip” helicopter awaiting them, which they recognized as their extraction team, so they hopped on board and flew away.

“Well done, Midoriya and Todoroki,” said Shota Aizawa, aka “Eraserhead”. “Once again, you two have gone above and beyond my expectations. I’m mildly impressed.”

Deku smiled. “Well, I couldn’t have done it without the best girl ever!”

“Oh, Deku!”

Todoroki gave Deku another kiss.

“Having said that, I would have much preferred if you brought Kaminari back with his mind intact.” Aizawa crossed his arms.

“Duhhhhhhhhh,” was Kaminari’s only response.

Deku smiled sheepishly, while Todoroki frowned.

“Uh, he’ll get better…right?” Deku rubbed the back of his head.

Aizawa simply gave a stern stare to Deku. Deep down inside, however, he valued Deku’s and Todoroki’s help.

Chapter Text

Todoroki was driving with Deku through a torrential downpour. They’d left an anime convention in Tokyo and were heading home. The weather reports had said something about rain, but nothing about it being this heavy. Nevertheless, Todoroki was determined to get home. Granted, she was making an effort to be safe, but still, she wanted to get home badly. However, the trip home would be hampered when Todoroki heard and felt the familiar “bumpity bumpity” sound of a tire going flat, so she pulled her Oldsmobile over, put it in “Park”, put the hazard lights on and went to inspect the car. As it turned out, the left front tire was the one that went flat, so she popped open the Oldsmobile’s trunk. Being an older, full-size car, this Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight had a full-size spare tire. While this problem was taken care of, Todoroki frantically searched through the trunk and found no trace of a jack.

“Come on, where did I put that jack!?” said Todoroki.

Defeated for now, Todoroki returned to the cabin of the car.

“Did you call JAF?” asked Todoroki.

Deku nodded. “I did. However, they said it would be at least an hour before somebody gets here.”

“In the meantime, let’s just stay in the car.”

“Good idea.”

Thus, Deku and Todoroki stayed in the Oldsmobile, while the rain continued to pour. Occasionally, a flash of lightning would streak across the sky, providing a source of light other than the intermittent illumination given off by the car’s hazard flashers.

“So, Shoko, since we’re out here in the middle of nowhere, unable to return home for now, how do you want to pass the time?”

Todoroki stroked her chin. “That’s a good question. Personally, I was thinking, maybe…we could play ‘Truth or Dare’?”

Deku nodded. “That could work. Who should go first?”

“I’m not sure. Why don’t we play ‘Jan-Ken-Pon’ to decide?”

“OK!”

And so, Deku and Todoroki played a round of what in the US would be called “Rock Paper Scissors”. Deku chose “paper”, while Todoroki chose “scissors”.

“Looks like it’s your turn,” said Todoroki. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare!”

“Very well. I dare you to show me your best All Might impression!”

Deku chuckled. “Very well!” He changed his face and voice to resemble that of the legendary Symbol of Peace. “Have no fear! I am here!”

Todoroki giggled when she heard Deku’s All Might impression.

“OK, your turn!” said Deku, now sporting his usual voice and face. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“OK, so…have you ever been jealous of any of the other girls in our class?”

Todoroki smiled and averted her gaze. “Well, I was kinda jealous of Yaoyorozu, but other than that, not really. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Have you ever had a crush on any girls besides me?”

“Well, I’m aware of the rumors regarding me and Uraraka, but the truth is – and this might surprise you – I had a really big crush on Asui.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Well, I really love the way she does her hair, and she has a really cute face and voice, not to mention a nice body…not that yours isn’t nice, I mean.”

Todoroki giggled. “Deku, you’re such a sweetheart!”

“Well, I tend to be sweet on people, especially people like you who showed a need for it!”

“Come here!”

Todoroki leaned closer to Deku as if she were going to kiss him. However, before her lips could meet his, a pair of headlights approached the car from the other side of the road before coming to a stop, so she pulled away and looked over at the Toyota HiAce parked on the other side of the road.

“Could that be the JAF guy now?” asked Todoroki.

“Let me see something…” Deku looked at his phone. “I only called them a few minutes ago.”

“Let me take care of this…”

Todoroki got out of the car and waved at the mysterious shadowy figure who got out of the van.

“Hey, we need help!” said Todoroki. “One of our tires is…”

Todoroki cut herself off when a flash of lightning revealed the mysterious figure’s skull face and the glint of an axe blade. She gasped when she saw this and turned to her Oldsmobile.

“DEKU, HELP!”

Seeing that Todoroki was in trouble, Deku got out of the car and rushed over to her.

“Shoko, what’s wrong?”

“Over there!”

Todoroki thrust her index finger in the direction of the assailant, but…

“Over where?” said Deku.

“Did you not see that evil killer with the axe!?”

“Shoko, there’s nothing there but that van.”

Todoroki dropped her jaw when she saw that the mysterious figure had disappeared, and yet the van was still there. Without question, they searched the van, only to find nobody in it.

“We should find somewhere else to wait,” said Todoroki. “The car’s not safe.”

“But where?”

Todoroki looked around, and for a moment, she saw a mailbox illuminated by her Oldsmobile’s hazard flashers. Looking further down the driveway, she saw a large house off in the distance as another flash of lightning streaked across the sky.

“That house over there!” Todoroki pointed in the direction of the house.

Deku looked over to where the house was. “Shoko, that seems like a bad idea to me! The writer’s probably expecting us to go in! What if there are evil monsters in there?”

“What choice do we have? If we stay with the car, we’re probably doomed if a wanton motorist comes for us!”

Deku sighed. “All right, we’ll go in the house, but I’m doing so under severe protest!”

“Your protest is noted and understood!”

Continuing to struggle against the wind and rain, Deku and Todoroki headed for the house. Upon getting closer, they noticed that it was in a bit of disrepair. When they stepped on the porch, Deku knocked on the door. He got no response at first, so he knocked again, this time a bit more loudly.

“Hello!” said Deku. “Is there anyone in there?”

Deku knocked a bit more loudly than the last time, but he still got no response.

“Hey, let us in! We need some shelter from the rain!”

Deku and Todoroki still got no response, so Deku banged on the door quite hard. Still, there was no response, so with no other options, he decided to try opening the door and going in himself. Fortunately – or so it seemed – the door was unlocked, so they took their footwear off and went inside. Inside, it was pitch black, so Deku and Todoroki used the flashlights on their phones to search around in the darkness. Judging by what they could see, this house had fallen into disuse, with old, creaky floorboards, cobwebs covering various objects, old furniture that needed refinishing, even a dead wasps’ nest on the ceiling.

“Guess nobody’s home,” said Deku.

“Let me turn on the lights…”

Since the house was retrofitted with electric lighting, Todoroki looked around for the nearest light switch and found one. Unfortunately, turning it on did nothing, and an attempt to turn on a nearby lamp on a small table did nothing, either.

“Shoko…why is your hand on my shoulder?”

“I’m not touching your shoulder.”

Deku looked over at Todoroki and noticed that she was opposite the side of his body where he was being touched. Realizing that there was quite possibly a ghost in the house, he freaked out and ran away waving his arms around.

“DEKU, WAIT!”

Todoroki went after Deku, trying to allay his fears when all of a sudden, in one hallway, a giant skull leapt out at her, laughing evilly. She screamed as she recoiled from the terror, falling on her ass. She was unhurt otherwise, and she got back up and quickly looked around for Deku.

“Deku!? Deku!?”

Seeing no trace of Deku, Todoroki decided to proceed in the general direction of where she last saw him, hoping to find him.

===

As for Deku, once he was sure he’d gotten away from whatever it was that had laid its hand on his shoulder, he closed a door behind him and laid his back against it, sweating, huffing and puffing. Throughout his lifetime, he’d heard his fair share of tales about haunted houses, but up until now, he thought they were merely that: tales. Having gotten a taste of what this abode had to offer, though, he was doubting himself. Nevertheless, he was determined to find his dear Todoroki.

“There has to be a way back to Shoko,” said Deku to himself. “I think I heard her chasing after me after I got spooked, but I must’ve lost her. I could go back through that door and try to find her again, but what if I run into more spooky creatures again, and worse, what if they took her away? There has to be another way out of this room, but if there is no other way, I’ll have to make my own way because mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter…”

“COME ON IN HERE!” said a demonic voice.

Deku screamed as he saw another door open into a hazy, bright red room. Worse, the opening of the door caused a swarm of bats to fly into the room where he was, and he screamed and swatted about as he attempted to bat away the bats. Not wanting to become bat food, he scurried to the new door, seeing no other way out. He entered another hallway, and he tried his best to make his way back to Todoroki, coming into another room that had a dead end.

===

As for Todoroki, she was proceeding through the hallway where Deku was last seen. Though she hadn’t a clue as to where he was at the moment, and though the house was giving her more creeps than Radiohead, she refused to give up. She opened a nearby door, which led into a bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it was similarly decrepit, though one item of interest that she caught was the fact that the queen-size bed was neatly-made.

“Deku?”

No response.

“Deku, it’s Shoko. Are you in here?”

Still no response. Figuring that Deku would’ve responded affirmatively if he’d heard her, she left that room and proceeded onwards, using her fire not only as a source of light, but also readying herself in case of attack. Soon enough, she got to another room and got spooked when a bunch of bats flew out upon opening the door. Her flame burned brighter and hotter, and she very nearly burned the entire house down.

“OK, get a hold of yourself, Shoko.” Todoroki took a couple of deep breaths. “Deku couldn’t have gone far. Besides, there are only so many rooms in this house.”

Aside from the bats, the room that Todoroki entered was pretty much empty. The hazy red glow that emanated from the other hallway was still present, so she followed it, hoping to find him before it was too late.

===

Meanwhile, Deku took a look at his surroundings. Like the rest of the house, there were a bunch of old knick-knacks strewn about that were covered in cobwebs, but one thing of note was a large wine rack on one wall with more than a few bottles of wine.

“Hello, visitor,” said a deep, mysterious male voice, quite possibly the same one from before.

Deku raised his fists. “Who are you!? Show yourself, wherever you are!”

“I am the one who has inhabited this house since years after my passing. Though my body is becoming part of the ecosystem, my soul remains here.”

“If you are the one who lives here, then why do you haunt me and my girlfriend?”           

“Because you two are intruding on my peace and quiet.”

Deku uncurled one of his fists and extended his hand, palm facing forwards. “Look, we don’t want any trouble! If it means that much to you, then we’ll leave you be!”

“I’m afraid I cannot allow that. You two must become my prisoners forever.”

Suddenly, a couple of the wine bottles removed themselves from the rack and hurled themselves at Deku, who dodged them as best as he could. Recognizing them as a threat, he resorted to another tactic…

“DELAWARE SMASH!”

All of the wine bottles exploded, showering the immediate vicinity with small shards of glass and random vintages. Having eliminated that threat, Deku attempted to exit the room, but found that the door was locked.

“Did you really think you could exit this room that easily?” said the owner’s spirit. “You are doomed to remain here.”

Despite what the owner said, Deku was intently determined to break out of this room, and no amount of locked doors would keep him from that goal.

“Deku, are you in there?”

Deku paused temporarily when he heard Shoko’s voice from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, I’m in here!” said Deku. “Can you get me out?”

“Let me try…” Todoroki attempted to pry the door open. “It’s stuck!”

“Stand back, I’ve got an idea!”

Todoroki obeyed Deku’s command. “OK!”

Ignoring the furniture that was being hurled at him, Deku readied his fist.

“DETROIT SMASH!”

Fortunately, this had enough force to break the door open, and Deku was free.

“Come on, let’s get out of here!” said Deku.

“But what about the rain? We don’t even know if the JAF guy is here yet!”

“Never mind that! Anything is better than staying in this haunted house! Hold my hand!”

And so, Deku led Todoroki back to the beginning of the house. Along the way, more apparitions jumped out at them and attempted to scare them, but with each other’s love bolstering their spirits, they decided to tough it out and run right through as if nothing mattered. Both of them were pouring buckets of sweat and breathing heavily, but all they cared about was getting out alive. Soon enough, they made it to the front door, but unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, this door was also sealed shut.

“All right, let me try this again!”

Deku readied himself for another Detroit Smash. Just then, him and Todoroki heard knocking on the door.

“Hello, is anyone in here?” asked a male voice from outside.

 “HELP US!” screamed Todoroki. “We’re trapped, and there are evil monsters in here!”

The door slid open, and there stood a man dressed in the typical uniform of the Japan Automobile Federation: a white helmet, an orange/blue jacket, an orange vest with reflective stripes, orange pants and black leather boots.

“Are you two OK?” asked the JAF guy. “What were you two doing in this house?”

“My girlfriend suffered a flat tire, and we needed a place to stay in the rain,” replied Deku. “Unfortunately, evil monsters and ghosts tried to attack us!”

The JAF guy nodded. “Yes, there have been many legends and superstitions about this old house. You two are lucky to be alive. Anyways, I presume your girlfriend is the owner of that red Oldsmobile?”

Todoroki nodded. “I am.”

“Well, then let’s get that tire changed.”

Deku and Todoroki looked at each other briefly before gathering up their footwear and following the JAF guy back to Todoroki’s Oldsmobile.

“Say, did you notice a van parked on the other side of the road?” asked Deku.

“No, the only other car I saw parked near this house was your girlfriend’s Oldsmobile,” replied the JAF guy.

Chills ran up and down Deku’s and Todoroki’s spines as they realized that the hauntings might not be over yet.

Chapter Text

It was one of the hottest days of the year in Musutafu, with temperatures hitting at least 95 degrees Fahrenheit – or 35 degrees Celsius as the Japanese would say – and Deku and Todoroki were out and about, trying their best not to melt from the heat. Ordinarily, they would’ve stayed home and blasted their air conditioners, but Uraraka wanted to have a little study session with them, so they agreed to help her out. Even dressed appropriately for the weather – Deku in an emerald green T-shirt and blue shorts, and Todoroki in a red tank top and white shorts with red stripes – they still felt as they were going to keel over from heat exhaustion. Not even Todoroki’s resistance to extremes of hot or cold was helping her out, and using the Cold part of her Quirk would only cause her to freeze up and have to defrost with the Hot part of her Quirk.

“We’d better find something or someplace to cool off,” said Todoroki. “I can’t take this heat much longer.”

“Neither can I, but we shouldn’t be too far from our homes,” said Deku.

“Problem is, it feels like they’re so far away. Why don’t we grab a cold beverage or something?”

“Kon'nichiwa, Musutafu shimin! Kyō wa genkidesu ka?”

Deku and Todoroki turned to see who’d addressed them: a young brunette of somewhat shapely build with her hair in a bun. She wore a dark green T-shirt with a lemon-shaped logo and Daisy Duke shorts. She was stationed at a small food cart with a green and yellow umbrella, and the cart itself had an enlarged version of the lemon logo, with the name “Del’s”, plus the slogan “STOP AT THE SIGN OF THE LEMON”.

“Hi there!” Deku smiled and waved at the woman. “We speak English!”

“Oh, cool!” The woman smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. “My name is Jen, and I’m a representative of Del’s Lemonade!”

“Del’s Lemonade?” Todoroki tilted her head. “What’s that?”

“We’re a company from the US state of Rhode Island that specializes in frozen lemonade!” replied Jen.

Deku nodded. “Interesting. How did this company get started?”

“Our story goes back to 1840, when Franco DeLucia’s father carried snow to caves near Naples, Italy and insulated it with straw. When summer came around, he took the snow and mixed it with lemon juice and sugar to produce frozen lemonade and sold it at the local market. After the family came to America, Franco’s son Angelo began work on a machine to produce the frozen lemonade as well as a method of making it consistently awesome. It was because of this machine that the first Del’s Lemonade stand opened in the town of Cranston in 1948, and our company has grown since then. We’re currently looking to expand our operation over here to Japan, and we figured that Musutafu would be one of the prime spots to put down roots!”

Todoroki smiled. “It is a nice city. May we have some?”

“Certainly!” said Jen. “We’re giving out free samples!”

Practically dying from the heat, the choice was obvious to Deku and Todoroki…

“I’ll have some!” said Deku.

“Me too!” said Todoroki.

Thus, Deku and Todoroki each took a small green and yellow paper cup of Del’s and proceeded to annihilate their thirsts. They each let out a hearty “mmmm” as the freezing cold of the ice soothed their souls and the sweet lemon flavor excited their senses. Considering how exhausted the heat and humidity had made them, they pretty much inhaled their Del’s.

“That was GREAT!” said Deku. “May we have some more?”

“Sure! The prices are marked over here.”

Jen pointed out a little sign indicating sizes and prices. Without question, Deku and Todoroki each whipped out some cash for a medium cup of Del’s.

“Thank you for your business!” said Jen.

“You’re welcome! Have a nice day!” Todoroki smiled and waved at Jen.

“You too!”

Deku and Todoroki headed home while partaking in another round of Del’s.

“Shoko, I’m glad we found out about Del’s, but I have one question…”

Todoroki lowered her cup. “Yes?”

Deku winced. “How do you drink this stuff without getting brainfreeze?”

“I’m immune to brainfreeze. Besides, I read there’s a trick to not getting brainfreeze.”

“What?”

“Try to drink it without letting it touch the roof of your mouth.”

Deku did his best to smile. “Right, I’ll try to remember that. Thanks!”

Todoroki smiled, too. “You’re welcome!”

And thus, Deku and Todoroki headed home, not only satisfied with their current rounds of Del’s, but eagerly anticipating more.

Chapter Text

The hot sun beat down on the landscape, and Deku had been through the desert on a horse with no name, and it felt good to be out of the rain. However, in the desert, he could remember his name, ‘cause there wasn’t…

The directors of the firm hired to continue the chapter after the other people had been sacked, wish it to be known that they have just been sacked.

The chapter has been completed in an entirely different style at great expense and at the last minute.

A dense fog shrouded the landscape of the Kingdom of Syrlania, and a quick galloping noise could be heard off in the distance. A faint outline emerged from the fog, and as it came into focus, it turned out to be Deku, clad in knight’s armor, only he was without a horse. Rather, the galloping sound came from his faithful manservant Bob – a brown-haired man of average height and build with a short beard – who was merely banging two coconuts together to make a galloping sound. Nevertheless, they were proceeding at quite a brisk pace.

“Whoa there!”

Deku held up his right fist and stopped, and Bob came to a stop as well. In the distance, Deku could see a light of some sort. He wasn’t too sure, but he figured it was probably a campfire. However, he could only faintly make out one other shape at best. He wanted to be sure that whatever the light source was, it wouldn’t lead him to danger. However, when a few minutes passed and nothing happened, Deku motioned forward to Bob, and they proceeded onwards towards the light. As the light grew brighter, it became apparent that it was a campfire. Furthermore, there were three knights seated around it. Almost immediately, they took notice of Deku and Bob.

“Who goes there?” said the first knight, a tall man with brown hair and a goatee.

“My name is Izuku Midoriya. Though I am but the son of a poor cobbler, I have ridden the length and breadth of this great kingdom, searching for valiant knights who will join me in my great quest. Will you join me?”

“What?” said the second knight, a man with blond hair and a moustache. “Ridden on a horse?”

Deku nodded. “Why…yes!”

“You’re using coconuts!” said the third knight, a man with black hair and a short beard.

Deku tilted his head slightly. “What?”

The third knight gestured at Deku with his hand. “You’ve got two empty halves of coconut and you’re banging them together!”

“So? We have ridden even as the snows of winter blanketed this land, over the northern mountains, through…”

“Where’d you get the coconuts?”

“We bought them.”

“Bought them?” said the second knight. “North of the northern mountains? The coconut’s tropical! If one were to attempt to transport it this far north, it would be bloody well rotten by then!”

“But it’s the truth!” Deku gestured at the second knight with both of his hands. “A fruit salesman was selling them at the market, and…”

“Oh, bug off, you silly sod!” said the first knight. “We’ve no time for your rubbish!”

The second knight gestured to an indeterminate point with his index finger. “Take your silly coconuts and bother some other poor bugger!”

Deku put his fists on his hips. “If you shall not join me, then I’ll find others to assist me in my quest!”

“HA! I should love to see you try!” said the third knight.

Undeterred by the knights’ rejection, Deku and Bob rode on.

===

The farther they went, the less faith Deku had in his chances of finding somebody to assist him on his quest. Sure, he didn’t seem all that bothered by the three knights turning him down, but given how far he’d travelled without anybody accepting his offer to join him, he had to wonder if he was doing this for naught. Despite his doubt, he also felt that he had to soldier on no matter what. Then, while lamenting his lack of companions on his quest, a loud sound interrupted his thought process. He looked over in the direction where the sound came from, and he noticed a large blast of ice emerging from somewhere. Upon closer inspection, he noticed two knights dueling it out in a clearing, one clad in light blue armor, and the other wearing black armor. The light blue knight was the one responsible for the ice blasts, while the black knight slashed through it with his sword and aggressively attempted to close in on his opponent. Deku wasn’t too sure, but his instincts told him that the black knight was not to be trusted, so he drew his trusty sword, charged at the black knight, and…

“NEWCASTLE SMASH!”

With one mighty slash, Deku chopped off the black knight’s arm, causing the knight to recoil for a bit and turn his attention to Deku.

“Interloper!” exclaimed the black knight. “How DARE you interfere with our duel!?”

“Black knight, I know you’re not a trustworthy person!” Deku pointed his sword at him. “Leave this knight be and stand aside!”

“HA! ‘Tis but a scratch!”

“A scratch? Your arm’s off!”

“No it isn’t!”

“Well, what’s that, then?” Deku gestured towards the chopped-off arm.

“I’ve had worse!”

“You liar!”

“Come on, you pansy!”

 Despite being partially dismembered, the black knight refused to give up and instead valiantly charged at Deku, putting up a surprisingly good fight. The light blue knight observed curiously. Soon enough…

“YORKSHIRE SMASH!”

With one flick, Deku knocked the black knight’s sword out of his hand and chopped his other arm off.

“Victory is mine!”

Deku raised his sword triumphantly, before turning to talk to the light blue knight.

“Excuse me, but I have travelled a great…”

However, Deku was disrupted by a blow to his backside. As it turned out, the black knight – still having not learned his lesson – was kicking Deku, who growled out of annoyance.

“Come on, then!” said the black knight.

“What?” said Deku.

“Have at you!” The black knight continued to kick Deku.

“You are indeed brave, black knight, but this fight is mine!”

“Oh, had enough, eh?”

Deku threw his arms out at the black knight. “Look, you stupid bastard, you have no arms left!”

“Yes I have!”

“No you don’t!”

“It’s just a flesh wound!”

Deku shook his head and turned around, while the black knight continued to kick him.

“STOP THAT!” yelled Deku.

“Chicken!” said the black knight. “Chicken!”

“‘CHICKEN’!? I’ll give you ‘chicken’!”

Deku chopped the black knight’s left leg off.

“Right, I’ll do you for that!” said the black knight.

“You’ll what?”

“Come here!” The black knight hopped around.

“What are you gonna do, bleed on me?”

“I’m invincible!”

“You’re a loony!”

“The black knight always triumphs! Have at you! Come on, then!”

Deku shook his head and chopped off the black knight’s remaining leg.

“All right, we’ll call it a draw!” said the black knight.

Deku motioned to Bob. “Come, Bob.” He turned to the other knight. “You…will you join us on our quest?”

The other knight nodded and then removed his helmet, revealing that he was in fact a she, a woman with white and red hair in a flipped bob, snow white on the right, and wine red on the left, along with a dark red scar over her left eye, which was blue. Deku gasped when this became apparent to him.

“You…you’re a woman!”

“I’m surprised this wasn’t obvious to you, my good savior. Nevertheless, I will join you on your quest…provided you join me on mine, that is.”

Deku scratched his head. “That sounds intriguing, but what is your quest?”

“I shall explain on the way.”

Deku nodded. “Right. Let’s go.”

Deku, the other knight and Bob went on their way.

“Oh, oh, I see!” said the black knight. “Running away, eh? You yellow bastards! Come back here and take what’s coming to you! I’ll bite your legs off!”

===

Deku, Bob and the other knight headed deeper into Gleifnir Forest, where Deku asked his new companion about her quest:

“Well?”

“Allow me to introduce myself: I am Princess Shoko of the Todoroki clan. In recent times, an evil sorcerer calling himself ‘All For One’ has threatened to destroy my kingdom unless my father abdicates from the throne, so I have taken it upon myself to destroy All For One.”

“All For One…” Deku looked off into the distance as he touched his cheek with his index finger. “That name sounds familiar.” He lowered his index finger. “Anyways, it’s nice to meet you, Todoroki. I am Izuku Midoriya, the son of a poor cobbler. A fearsome monster known as Gigantomachia has massacred several villages in my kingdom, and I’m going to stop him once and for all. Bob here is my faithful servant who has chosen to accompany me.”

Todoroki nodded. “I see. It’s nice to meet you too, Midoriya.” She turned to Bob. “Nice to meet you too, Bob.”

Bob nodded.

“You know, Todoroki, I had a feeling you were a princess,” said Deku.

Todoroki scratched her head. “How did you figure that out?”

“You don’t have shit all over you.”

Todoroki simply shot Deku a blank stare.

===

Deku, Todoroki and Bob continued onwards in their valiant quest to defeat Gigantomachia and All For One. While Deku wasn’t 100% sure what lay ahead of them, he was feeling better knowing that he had Todoroki by his side. Her Ice Quirk seemed like a hell of a Quirk to him, and coupled with his own, they were sure to be unbeatable. Hell, he hoped they were unbeatable.

“So Todoroki, that’s a most interesting Quirk you have.”

“Thank you, Midoriya. I can also shoot fire from my left side, but I much prefer my right side.”

“Any particular reason?”

“I’d prefer not to discuss it now. Tell me about your Quirk instead.”

“Well…mine was sort of a gift, actually. When I first got it, I had trouble controlling it, which led to many broken bones. However, a friend of my friend taught me how to better control it, so now I rarely – if ever – get injured from using it.”

“How did you manage to injure yourself using your Quirk?”

Deku shrugged. “I guess my body couldn’t handle that kind of power. I’ve been getting better at controlling how much of it I use, though, and I can concentrate it in certain parts of my body, like my fingers.”

Todoroki nodded. “Interesting. Perhaps I was right in accepting your offer.”

Deku smiled. “With a Quirk like yours, I think you were!”

“You seem so sure of me, Midoriya. How do…”

Todoroki’s thoughts were interrupted when she caught something out of the corner of her eye: in a clearing was a chicken.

“What’s wrong, Todoroki?” asked Deku.

“Midoriya, that’s…that’s the Vicious Chicken of Brinfnir!”

Deku gave a blank stare to the chicken, and then laughed. “Todoroki, I think you’re pulling my leg!”

Todoroki put a hand on Deku’s shoulder and gently shook it. “This is no time to accuse me of pulling one of your limbs! The Vicious Chicken of Brinfnir is a brutal beast! Scores of people have attempted to best it in combat, and none have survived!”

Deku raised his sword. “Then I’m gonna be the first! NEWCASTLE SMASH!”

Deku valiantly lunged at the Vicious Chicken of Brinfnir, and it charged at him, too. Deku’s sword struck the bird square on, and when he landed, the chicken…was completely intact.

“WHAT!?

“Stand aside, Midoriya, I’ve got this one!”

Todoroki shot a blast of ice at the chicken, and she succeeded in freezing it. However, a few seconds later, the ice began to crack, and shortly thereafter, the chicken escaped with only minor – if any – scratches.

“No being should have escaped my ice that easily!” said Todoroki. “Let’s try this again!”

Todoroki shot another round of ice, while Deku and Bob attempted to distract the chicken. Again, she froze the chicken, but again, it broke free.

 “Let’s try this again! No being can withstand cold forever!”

Once again, Todoroki attempted to freeze the chicken, but no matter how hard she tried, the bird always managed to break the ice. Eventually, ice started forming over her body, and her movements were slowing down drastically.

“Todoroki, use your fire against it!” said Deku. “It’ll just keep breaking through your ice!”

“NO! I’ll never submit to my father!”

“You’re hurting! You’ll have to warm up sooner or later!”

“Then let me hurt! I’d rather freeze to death than give my father the satisfaction of seeing me use his fire!”

Deku clenched his fists. “Todoroki, listen to me: just because you inherited half of your Quirk from your father doesn’t mean you should be ashamed of it! A Quirk is what you make of it no matter what your family history was like! It’s YOURS! Your Quirk, NOT his!”

Todoroki still didn’t want to use her fire, but hearing Deku’s words proved to be a veritable wake-up call for her. Feeling that she could use her own fire without having to submit to her father, she slowly raised her right hand as the chicken was charging at her.

“Thank you, Midoriya.”

Todoroki shot a mighty blast of flame at the chicken. That did it: not only was the chicken unable to dodge it, but it was fried through and through. Furthermore, Todoroki had managed to defrost herself.

===

After the battle, Deku and Todoroki made a little campfire and had some fried chicken for supper, as did Bob.

“Midoriya, thank you again for your uplifting words. For so long, I had shunned my fire half because of my father’s abusive upbringing of me, but because of you, I feel as though I can look to the future with hope.”

Deku swallowed the piece of chicken thigh he was eating. “You’re welcome! You seemed like you could use a friend, so I’m only too happy to help!”

Todoroki cast the drumstick bone she’d eaten aside. “About that…”

“Yes?”

“Midoriya, I haven’t known you for that long, but you seem like a very noble soul who would do anything for the people he loves, and I’m happy to have met you.”

Deku smiled. “Well, I’m happy to have met you too!”

Todoroki stared deeply into Deku’s green eyes. Then, she smiled, and after tenderly wrapping her arms around him, she kissed him. Deku’s eyes flew wide open when her lips met his. Having never been in a romantic relationship with anybody – never mind a princess – he lost all control of his senses. Nevertheless, feeling a mutual attraction with her, he wrapped his arms around her as well. He may not have known her for that long, but already, he felt such a deep, intense connection with her, and he wanted more of what she was giving him. Even if their quest wasn’t finished yet, he was feeling that much more optimistic about his chances of success.

Todoroki was feeling at least equally optimistic. Like Deku, she too hadn’t had any luck in the romance department, and to find someone who cared about her meant so much to her. It didn’t even matter to her that he was a mere commoner. She just found him to be so cute and noble that she felt that he deserved her heart. For so long, having labored under the shadow of her domineering father, she was now finally feeling free, and deep within her heart for what seemed like the first time in her life, she was also feeling hope. Todoroki couldn’t possibly abandon Deku at this point in her quest. She continued kissing him for quite some time, and when she finally broke away, she continued to make eye contact with him.

“I love you, Izuku Midoriya.”

Deku smiled. “I love you too, Shoko Todoroki. Also, you can call me ‘Deku’.”

Todoroki giggled. “What a cute nickname. Where did you get it?”

“Well, a friend of mine used it as a shortened form of ‘Defenseless Izuku’, but another friend really liked it and encouraged me to keep using it, so it stuck.”

Todoroki nodded. “Interesting. Since you allowed me to call you Deku, I shall allow you to call me ‘Shoko’.”

“Then it’s settled. Now let’s finish up the rest of this chicken!”

“Just one question…”

“Yes?”

“Your companion Bob, why does he not speak?”

Deku shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

===

After finishing what remained of the fried chicken, Deku, Todoroki and Bob continued on their quest. The next couple of hours proved to be uneventful for them. Soon enough, they came upon a lake in a clearing. By now, the sun was starting to sink below the horizon.

“Deku, I don’t know about you, but I feel that we should camp here for the night.”

Deku yawned. “Yeah, I’m getting pretty tired, too.”

Thus, Deku and Todoroki pitched a simple tent near the shore of the lake.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bathe in the lake,” said Todoroki.

“So am I. Y-you don’t mind…do you?”

“Oh um…not at all.”

Thus, Deku and Todoroki stripped, trying their best not to look at each other. Then, they proceeded to bathe in the lake, as did Bob. After such a long journey, feeling the cool lake water against his skin felt so refreshing to Deku. Despite his best efforts, Deku ended up peeking at Todoroki anyways, and in doing so, he noticed she was very well-endowed. He knew she was beautiful, but knowing this about her, he couldn’t ever imagine spending his life with any other woman. That aside, once he felt suitably cleansed, Deku exited the water, dried off with a simple cloth he’d brought with him and was about to enter the tent when…

“Going to sleep, Deku?”

Deku looked over and saw Todoroki nearby, also having dried off.

“Oh um…y-yes…”

“Then please allow me to snuggle with you.”

Deku dropped his jaw as all the redness went to his face. “Um…are y-y-you s-sure?”

“Would I have asked you if I wasn’t?”

“I um…well I…”

“Deku, you seem very troubled by my offer. Is everything OK?”

“I…well…i-it’s just…no woman’s offered to do that with me before!”

Todoroki put a hand on Deku’s shoulder. “Deku, there’s no need to be so flustered about it. Do we not love and trust each other?”

Deku stared into Todoroki’s eyes. As embarrassed as he was by the fact that a hot naked woman was offering to snuggle with him, she did have a very good point, so he came to his conclusion…

“A-all right, I’ll snuggle with you.”

Todoroki smiled. “Thank you.”

Deku and Todoroki entered the tent and snuggled with each other under the blanket. For the first time, he discovered just how soft, warm and cuddly she was without her armor.

“Hey Shoko, thanks again for joining me on my quest! This has been the happiest day of my life so far!”

“Speak for yourself! For so long, my life had been occluded by darkness, but for you to come along and say what you said…I don’t know how I could possibly repay you!”

Deku giggled. “Shoko, kissing me was payment enough!”

Todoroki giggled, too. “Good night, Deku!”

“Good night, Shoko!”

And so, Deku and Todoroki embraced each other as they went to sleep. Even if the quest had yet to conclude, Deku was feeling optimistic about it.

Chapter Text

Deku awoke to feel a strange sensation on his neck. Soon, it became obvious to him that Todoroki was nibbling and sucking on his neck. He gasped when this became apparent to him.

“TODOROKI!”

Deku gently pushed at Todoroki until she stopped nibbling his neck.

“What?” said Todoroki.

Deku frowned. “You know, you could’ve just woken me up with a kiss!”

Todoroki smiled. “True, but I really enjoy nibbling and sucking people’s necks, especially handsome boys.”

Deku gave a disbelieving stare to Todoroki, whose smile didn’t waver for one second. Then, Deku broke out into a smile of his own.

“Hey Shoko…”

“Yes?”

“Enjoy THIS!”

Deku grabbed Todoroki’s well-endowed chest, causing her to let out a loud gasp.

“How DARE you grab those, you impudent commoner!?”

Deku smiled. “Hey, you get what you give!”

“Oh really!? I’ll give you something back!”

Todoroki wrapped her arms around Deku and kissed him, and he returned her gesture. Soon enough, they broke away.

“You may be an impudent commoner, but you’re still the noblest, most handsome boy I’ve ever met!” said Todoroki.

“And you’re the strongest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever met!”

“Deku, you’re so sweet!”

“I could say the same of you!”

“Let’s just get breakfast, shall we?”

===

After having breakfast, Deku, Todoroki and Bob packed up their tents and blankets before moving on. Thus far, things were going smoothly.

“Ah, what a beautiful day!” said Deku. “I feel like anything is possible today!”

“Wow, you’re especially cheery today! Care to explain?”

“What is there to explain? I’m that much closer to finishing my quest, and best of all, I have the most beautiful woman in the world accompanying me!”

Todoroki giggled. “Well, I suppose I’ll give you that!”

“Ni!”

Deku and Todoroki froze when they heard that simple monosyllabic exclamation. Standing in their path was a group of knights.

“Who are you?” said Deku.

“We are the Knights Who Say ‘Ni’!” said the head knight, a tall man with a long brown beard.

Todoroki gasped. “No! Not the Knights Who Say ‘Ni’!”

“The same!”

Deku looked over at Todoroki. “Um…why are we so concerned about these guys?”

“We are the keepers of the sacred words ‘Ni’, ‘Peng’ and ‘Neee-wom’!” said the head knight.

“Deku, those who hear those words seldom live to tell the tale!” said Todoroki

Deku drew his sword. “Well, we might just be the first!”

“The Knights Who Say ‘Ni’ demand a sacrifice!” said the head knight.

“Knights Who Say ‘Ni’, we are but simple travellers who only wish to reach a castle that lies beyond these woods!” said Deku. “If you shall not allow us to reach this castle, then we shall have no choice but to fight you!”

“Ni!”

The rest of the knights continued to pummel Deku and Todoroki with shouts of “Ni!” While Deku seemed to be unfazed, it was clear that Todoroki was having trouble coping with the onslaught, as evidenced by her clutching her ears. Bob was also feeling the pain of having to hear “Ni!” over and over.

“Deku, make them stop!”

“We shall say ‘ni’ again if you do not appease us!” said the head knight.

“Well, tell us what you want and I won’t kill you all!” said Deku.

“We want…a strawberry!”

A dramatic orchestral sting sounded when the head knight made his demand.

“A shrubbery?” said Deku.

“No, a strawberry!”

The same dramatic orchestral sting sounded again.

“Please, don’t say ‘ni’ again!” said Todoroki. “We’ll get you a strawberry!”

“You must return here with a strawberry, or else you shall never pass through this forest alive!” said the head knight.

“Knights Who Say ‘Ni’, though I dislike you, I find you to be just and fair, and we will get you a strawberry!” said Deku.

“One that is sweet and juicy!”

“Of course!”

“And not too expensive!”

“Yes!”

“Now, go!”

===

Deku, Todoroki and Bob branched off onto a different path, hoping to find a strawberry. They found none growing in the wilderness of Gleifnir Forest, but they soon came upon a small village in a clearing. After giving it some thought, they approached an old woman.

“Excuse us, ma’am, but do you know of any place in this town where we could buy strawberries?” asked Deku.

“No, we have no strawberries!” said the old woman.

“Ni!” said Deku.

The old woman cringed upon hearing this, but nevertheless stood her ground.

“Go away! We haven’t any strawberries here!”

“If you don’t tell us where we can buy strawberries here, then my girlfriend and I will continue to say ‘Ni!’” said Deku.

The old woman cringed again, but continued to stand against Deku, Todoroki and Bob.

“Do your worst!” said the old woman.

“Very well, then!” said Deku. “Ni!”

“No! Never! No strawberries!”

“Ni!”

The old woman let out a wet, hacking cough upon hearing the repeated utterings of “Ni!”

“Ni!” said Deku. “Ni!”

“Noo!” said Todoroki. “Noo!”

“No no no, Todoroki, it’s ‘Ni’!”

“Noo! Noo!”

“I said it’s ‘Ni’!”

“Oh, sorry! Ni! Ni!”

The old woman covered her ears in an attempt to shield herself from the barrage of “Nis”. However, no matter how hard she tried, she found herself unable to resist such verbal injury, and it seemed that she too would fall victim to this infamous word.

“Stop, you two!” said a mysterious male voice. “Stop, I say!”

Deku and Todoroki stopped saying “Ni” and turned to see who’d addressed them: a man dressed as a commoner wearing a strawberry-shaped hat.

“Are you two saying ‘Ni’ to that old woman!?” said the man.

“Y-yes…” said Deku.

“What is wrong with you two!? Are you mad!? Have you no sense of decency!? At long last, have you left no sense of decency!? Why, such a sad day it is when such young ruffians as yourselves can be so free and reckless in saying ‘Ni’ to old ladies! As a seller of fruit, I must protest your disorderly behavior!”

Deku raised an eyebrow. “Wait…did you say ‘fruit’?”

“Why yes, I deal in fruit, mainly strawberries. My name is Roger.”

“Well, if it’s not too much trouble, we’d like to buy some strawberries from you.”

“Ni!” said Todoroki.

“Todoroki, you can stop saying ‘Ni’ now!” said Deku.

“Oh…sorry!”

===

Having bought a carton of strawberries, Deku, Todoroki and Bob returned to the Knights Who Say “Ni”.

“Oh Knights Who Say ‘Ni’, we have brought you a strawberry!” said Deku.

“Several of them!” said Todoroki. “May we pass through now!”

The head knight took a bite of one of the strawberries and nodded. “This is a good strawberry, perhaps the sweetest and juiciest I have yet tasted. However, there is one small problem…”

“What is that?” asked Deku.

“We are no longer the Knights Who Say ‘Ni’.”

“Huh?”

“We are now the Knights Who Say ‘Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi Pip Peri Pembo’! Also, we must give you a test!”

“What is this test, Knights Who…Until Recently, Said ‘Ni’?”

“Firstly, you must get us…MORE strawberries!”

The dramatic orchestral sting sounded again.

“But we already got you strawberries!” said Deku.

“Then, when you have gotten us the strawberries, you must get us…EVEN MORE STRAWBERRIES!” said the head knight.

Yet again, the dramatic orchestral sting cut through the air.

“Then, when you have gotten us those strawberries, you must cut down the mightiest tree in this forest, with…A HERRING!”

For the fifth time, the dramatic orchestral sting came up. Dissatisfied with the Knights Who Say “Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi Pip Peri Pembo”, Todoroki clenched her fists.

“A herring!?” said Todoroki. “I’ll show you what you can do with your herring!”

Todoroki stomped her way over to the head knight. The other knights, genuinely afraid of what might happen to them, ran away, leaving the head knight to stand, frozen in fear by the sight of the approaching Todoroki as she snatched the herring from him and forced him to bend over.

“NO! What are you doing!? You must use that herring to cut down the tree! Please, let me be! I’ll do anything you want! I…!”

The head knight let out a high-pitched shriek as Todoroki shoved the herring somewhere where no herring should logically go. Unable to comprehend the pain, he keeled over on the ground.

“Come on, Deku, let’s proceed forth!”

“Todoroki, did you really have to do that?”

“When a woman is fed up with someone or something, then yes, she is obliged to do as she pleases!”

Deku smiled nervously. “Heh heh…OK! Let’s just keep going, shall we?”

===

Having passed the Knights Who…Until Recently, Said “Ni”, Deku, Todoroki and Bob continued their trek through the forest. Aside from the sounds of various birds and insects, there was nothing to disturb their trek onwards.

“Deku, I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

“What is it, Shoko?”

“This Gigantomachia…you have no idea where he resides…do you?”

“Exactly where he lives, I couldn’t tell you. However, I have a feeling that this ‘All For One’ you mentioned has something to do with him.”

“You really think so?”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

Eventually, the forest ended, and Deku, Todoroki and Bob came to some grasslands. Not too far off from the grasslands, there was a lake. Proceeding further, not only did they notice a small boat on the shore and a man standing beside it, but across the way, there was a castle.

“That castle…” said Todoroki. “No! It can’t be! It’s none other than Castle Slayer!”

Deku and Bob gave Todoroki quizzical looks.

“Castle Slayer?” said Deku.

“This is the very castle where All For One is said to reside!” Todoroki briefly glanced at the castle before turning back to Deku. “Nobody who has set foot near that castle has survived! Rumor has it that even to see the castle is death!”

Deku patted the hilt of his sword. “Then let us be the first to do the impossible!”

Deku, Todoroki and Bob galloped onwards to the man with the boat, an old man with scraggly graying hair and an equally scraggly beard.

“Stop!” said the man. “Who would cross the Lake of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.”

“Ask away, my good sir!” said Deku.

“What is your name?”

“Izuku Midoriya.”

“What is your quest?”

“To defeat Gigantomachia.”

“What is the time it takes for a coconut to rot?”

“Where was the coconut carried from?”

“WHAT!? I don’t know that!”

Suddenly, the man spontaneously combusted.

“HELP ME! I’M BURNING UP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!”

Like many fictional characters, the man’s reaction to burning up was to flail his arms about until he dropped lifelessly to the ground rather than stopping, dropping and rolling like any sensible person would do. Once he’d collapsed to the ground, the flames consumed whatever remained of him, while Deku, Todoroki and Bob gave each other curious looks. After this, they got in the boat, and Deku and Bob each grabbed an oar.

“Hold on, I know a faster way.”

Todoroki used her ice power to propel the boat across the lake in a matter of seconds. Then, despite not knowing exactly what to expect, Deku, Todoroki and Bob galloped on to the front gate when all of a sudden, Deku heard a yelp, so he turned around, and…

“BOB!”

Noticing that Bob had been shot with an arrow, Deku cradled his body in his arms, while Todoroki created an ice shield to block further attacks.

“Bob, I promise you…you will not have died in vain!”

Just then, Deku heard a groaning sound, only to notice that Bob was still alive.

“Bob, I promise you…you will not have been mortally wounded in vain!”

“Oh, I’m quite all right, actually,” said Bob. “I don’t think that really broke the skin.

Todoroki dropped her jaw. “Wait…you can speak?”

“Of course! Listen…Deku, Todoroki, my mission is complete here. Go on without me!”

“You shall not go on any further!” said a mysterious female voice.

Deku, Todoroki and Bob turned to see who’d addressed them: a woman with short mint green hair and matching eyes. She wore a black bodysuit, a green hooded cape, chain mail armor, brown leather boots with a fur lining and a black mask obscuring the lower half of her face.

“Who are you!?” said Deku.

“My name is Beros. All For One has enlisted my aid in his quest to conquer Syrlania, and you shall perish for your intervention!”

“No!” said Todoroki. “It’s you who shall perish!”

Beros raised her left hand, formed a bow with it, while Todoroki shot a blast of flames at her. However, Beros managed to dodge it.

“Did you really think you could best me that easily?” said Beros. “Embrace your demise!”

“Deku, I’ll distract her!” said Todoroki. “You close in!”

“Right!”

And thus, the battle between Deku and Todoroki vs. Beros began. Todoroki alternated between using her fire and ice not so much to fry or freeze Beros, but to give Deku a chance to close in on her and land a finishing blow. However, in a curious turn of events, Beros turned on Deku and attempted to shoot arrows at him. Fortunately, he was able to block them with his sword, though he needed a clean break in the arrows to really do her in. Then, just when things were looking hopeless, Beros got careless with her timing and got her foot frozen by Todoroki, thus giving Deku that opportunity he really needed…

“NEWCASTLE SMASH!”

In one quick, clean swipe, Deku beheaded Beros.

“Well, she’ll never get ahead in life,” said Todoroki.

Deku burst out laughing.

“What?” said Todoroki.

“Shoko, I didn’t know you had a sense of humor!”

Todoroki shrugged. “I didn’t, either. Now then, let’s head into the castle.”

Chapter Text

Todoroki used her fire to burn down the door leading into the castle, and her and Deku headed inside. Already, they noticed that it was quite dark and foreboding inside. They proceeded quickly yet carefully through the halls, keeping ever vigilant for any foes that might pop out at them. Thus far, there wasn’t much in their way, but Deku could tell that there was something waiting for them. Sure enough, something did pop out at them: a low-tier Nomu. Almost immediately, Todoroki tried to freeze it, but shortly thereafter, it broke free of the ice.

“Shoko, leave its head exposed! Cutting off the head is the best way to defeat it!”

“Right!”

As per Deku’s command, Todoroki froze the Nomu again, leaving its head exposed, and acting quickly, Deku beheaded it.

“Come on!” said Deku.

And so, Deku and Todoroki hurried through the halls of the castle, twisting and turning their way ever closer to victory. For the most part, they had an easy jaunt, only having to deal with low-tier Nomus, though as they went on, they were encountering some mid-tier Nomus. These were tougher in that they broke through Todoroki’s ice more quickly, but a single beheading swipe from Deku was still able to defeat them. Sometimes, Todoroki would switch things up and use her fire not only to heat up, but also to distract the Nomus so Deku could behead them. Overall, their chances of completing their quest were looking good at this point. Then, in one room…

“Oh no, that must be one of the upper-tier Nomus!” said Deku. “Cutting off its head won’t do any good!”

“Then I’ve got another idea! Try to keep it occupied!”

“Right!”

Deku charged at the Nomu, not only valiantly attempting to dodge and parry its attacks, but also chopping off its limbs in an attempt to slow it down. Thus far, he seemed to be doing an all right job of it, but it was clear that unless him and Todoroki ended this battle quickly, then they would be done for. However, Todoroki seemed to have an idea in mind…

“FLASHFIRE FIST!”

Todoroki delivered a seismic, white-hot punch to the Nomu, which burned it significantly. However, even then, it still possessed enough of itself to start regenerating.

“Deku, keep going! I’ll have this thing done with soon enough!”

As per Todoroki’s orders, Deku kept dodging the Nomu’s attacks while hacking away at its limbs whenever he had the chance, and Todoroki herself proceeded to deliver more of those punches to the Nomu. Fortunately, their cooperation paid off, and the upper-tier Nomu was out of action for good. Todoroki wiped the sweat off her brow after the battle.

“You all right, Todoroki?”

Todoroki nodded. “I am. I’m just feeling really warm right now.”

“Then let’s take a short rest.”

Deku and Todoroki slumped against a wall embracing each other, while Todoroki used the cold portion of her Quirk to create some ice cubes to cool herself off.

“Hey, Todoroki…”

“Yes?”

“I…I just wanted to say, if we don’t finish this quest alive, I…I’m really happy to have met you, and I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.”

Todoroki smiled. “As do I.”

Todoroki gave Deku another kiss. No matter how many times she kissed him, he could never get over the weird, tingly feelings he got. Nevertheless, he welcomed them, knowing that the most beautiful woman in the world cared to go the distance with him. However, they didn’t spend an exceedingly long time locked in affection.

“Gigantomachia shouldn’t be too far,” said Deku.

“Right.”

Deku and Todoroki headed down a long hallway, eventually reaching a golden door with intricate carvings on it. Together, they opened the door, and sure enough…

“Intruders!” said Gigantomachia. “Have you come here to be my food?”

“No Gigantomachia, we have come here to stop you from attacking innocent villagers!” said Deku.

“Then you too shall be eaten in the name of my master!”

Gigantomachia led the battle off by making a crushing swipe in an attempt to stop Deku and Todoroki. However, the two heroes avoided the attack and countered with some attacks of their own. Unfortunately for them, no matter how hard they tried, the giant just shrugged off their attacks.

“This is impossible!” said Todoroki. “We’ll never defeat him!”

“Don’t say ‘never’ now! I think I have an idea! Just keep him busy!”

“Got it!”

And so, Todoroki alternated between using her flames and her ice on Gigantomachia in spite of the fact that neither of them particularly had much effect on him, while Deku dodged around and attempted to put his new idea into motion. However, Gigantomachia took notice of this and temporarily turned his focus away from Todoroki to try to crush Deku like a fly.

“Don’t think you’ll beat me that easily!” said Gigantomachia. “Everything I do is for my master!”

“Oh yeah!?” said Deku. “Does that include foul murder!?”

“SHUT UP! You know nothing of what you speak!”

Gigantomachia attempted to hammer a mighty fist down on Deku, but he evaded it…barely.

(Come on, Todoroki, distract him!)

Fortunately for Deku, Todoroki had another ace up her sleeve…

“FLASHFREEZE HEATWAVE!”

Todoroki shot a massive blast of heat and cold at Gigantomachia. Despite its impressive power, the monster survived, though he got distracted.

“Stop annoying me!”

Gigantomachia prepared a swipe in an effort to take out Todoroki. Unbeknownst to him, Deku – having raised his sword – had an ace of his own, and his sword gave off an ethereal glow. This was it for Deku: either he was going to do this, or him and Todoroki were doomed.

(Here goes…) “SWORD OF LIGHT SMASH!”

With one quick, decisive slash, Deku attempted to hack into Gigantomachia. At first, it appeared that his new ultimate move had been for naught, but then, Gigantomachia slowly fell apart into two halves, with Deku and Todoroki both huffing and puffing after the battle.

“That was an impressive move!” said Todoroki.

“Thank you! All For One shouldn’t be too far away now!”

“Were you two looking for me?”

Deku and Todoroki turned to see no other than All For One standing at the opposite end of the room.

“You…!” said Todoroki.

“Yes, me,” said All For One. “And I see that your family has yet to abdicate from their throne.”

“We’ll never abdicate, not while there are good people willing to stand up and do the right thing!”

“Then…you will die!”

Deku and Todoroki squared off against All For One in what would be the final battle to end all final battles. If they thought Gigantomachia was tough, then they clearly hadn’t seen anything yet. For example, one thing they noticed about him was how easily he dodged their attacks when compared to Gigantomachia. Compounding this difficulty, on the occasions when they did land an attack, not only did the attacks fail to do any damage, but the resulting force got reflected back at them. Fortunately, Deku and Todoroki were some pretty tough cookies, but how long they could hold out was another matter entirely.

“So, Izuku Midoriya, you are the one whom the legendary All Might has chosen as his successor,” said All For One. “I shall take pleasure in destroying you, too!”

“This ends here, All For One!” said Deku.

“For you, yes.”

The battle raged on, with Deku and Todoroki using their best attacks. Again, no matter how hard they tried, All For One simply wouldn’t die. Furthermore, All For One was striking back at them with some attacks of his own, such as coiling his muscles and shooting shockwaves at the two heroes. Another tactic he tried was attempting to stab Deku and Todoroki with long tendrils emanating from his fingers. The two heroes did their best to dodge and parry the blows, and while they were doing a good job so far, it was becoming clear that they wouldn’t be able to hold out against All For One forever.

“You are beaten!” said All For One. “It is useless to resist! Don’t let yourselves be destroyed as many others have been before you!”

“That’ll never happen!” said Deku.

“You’re the one who will be destroyed!” said Todoroki.

“Suit yourself!”

Deku and Todoroki continued their valiant, epic fight against All For One. As the battle wore on, however, the two of them were feeling a creeping sensation of hopelessness. Where it was coming from was unknown to them, but the more they fought, the less they wanted to fight. Deku and Todoroki did their best to power through the feelings, but no matter how hard they tried, they found the fog of darkness enveloping their minds like nothing else could. This translated to them having slower reflexes. As a result of this, All For One ended up knocking Deku’s sword out of his hands and knocking Deku himself to the ground before threatening him and Todoroki with his tendrils.

“There is no escape, Midoriya and Todoroki,” said All For One. “Don’t make me destroy you. Join me, and together, we can bring peace to Syrlania.”

“We’ll never join you!” said Deku.

“Deku’s right!” said Todoroki. “As long as we live, our fight won’t end!”

“HA! You speak of resistance, and yet your voices tremble with fear! Why do you bother resisting at all? If only you knew my true power. Midoriya, All Might never told you what happened to your father.”

“He told me ENOUGH!” said Deku. “He told me you killed him!”

“No…I am your father.”

Deku blinked and shot a blank look at All For One.

“Wait…is this some kind of joke?” said Deku.

“What!?” said All For One. “How DARE you accuse me of kidding you?”

“I mean, I didn’t tell Horikoshi that I wanted you to be my father.”

“You fool! You don’t just tell someone whom you want for a father!”

“Well, what makes you think you’re my father, then?”

“Because my Quirk is the opposite of yours, and by official mandate of the Laws of Villainy, it states quite clearly that the main villain is to be father to the main hero!”

Deku crossed his arms. “Listen, powerful villains ripping off a famous line from a famous sci-fi movie is no basis for fatherhood! Being a parent derives from a man loving a woman and making love to her, not from some farcical attempt at parodying pop culture!”

“Be quiet!”

“Well, but you can’t expect to be my father just because some other evil villain was father to another hero!”

“Shut up!”

“I mean, if I was a powerful villain and I told the hero that I was his father just because some sci-fi movie had a similar setup, they’d come to take me away, ha-haaa!”

“SHUT UP, WILL YOU!? SHUT UP!”

“Ah, now I see the violence inherent in your system!”

“SHUT UP!”

Deku gestured to All For One with his hands. “Hey Todoroki, look at the violence inherent in his system! Help! Help, I’m being repressed!”

“BLOODY PEASANT!”

“Oh, what a giveaway! Did you hear that? Did you hear that, Todoroki? That’s what I’m talking about! Did you see him repressing me? You saw it, didn’t you?”

Todoroki nodded. “I did indeed.”

“SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!”

All For One attempted to launch another attack, but Todoroki aimed another Flashfreeze Heatwave at him, distracting him long enough for Deku to grab his sword and prepare another special attack…

“GALAXY SMASH!”

With his sword vibrating at a million times the speed of light, Deku made one valiant swipe at All For One. That did it: not only did All For One get vaporized, but all life as he knew it stopped instantaneously, and every molecule in his body exploded at the speed of light. Deku stood there, huffing and puffing as his mind got acclimated to hope again. Once he had calmed down sufficiently, he put his sword away and ran to Todoroki, who ran up to him as well.

“WE DID IT!” said Todoroki. “Oh, Deku!”

Todoroki and Deku hugged and kissed each other again, elated that their quests had intertwined and ended in ultimate victory. However, it soon became clear that their lives would come to a premature end if they didn’t do anything, for the castle started collapsing.

“Let’s get out of here!” said Deku.

Deku and Todoroki ran as if they were running to the hills that Iron Maiden once sang about. The whole castle rumbled and stone blocks fell all around them. Despite the intense odds, Deku and Todoroki managed to escape the castle before it collapsed completely. Having gotten a fair distance away, the two of them looked back on the ruins of the castle.

“Well…I guess that’s the end,” said Todoroki.

Deku nodded. “Yeah. Say Todoroki, I wanted to ask you something…”

“Yes?”

“Will you…”

Before Deku could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by police sirens and the sounds of screeching tires. Him and Todoroki turned around, only to notice a few Plymouth Furies in the NYPD’s familiar blue-and-white paint scheme, plus an unmarked one in addition to a Boyertown Merchandiser van. A bunch of NYPD officers – including some ESU officers – got out and pointed their guns at Deku and Todoroki.

“NYPD! FREEZE!”

Deku and Todoroki put their hands up. A Lieutenant wearing a tan trench coat and a matching fedora approached the two pointing his Colt Detective Special at them.

“All right, you two, up against the car and spread ‘em!” said the Lieutenant.

The other officers led Deku and Todoroki to one of the RMPs, where they put their hands on the hood and spread their legs, while the officers patted them down for weapons. One of them grabbed Deku’s sword from him.

“Care to explain this?” said the officer.

“But I’m legally authorized to carry that!” said Deku.

“Sure. You have the right to remain silent. If ya give up the right to remain silent, anything ya say can and will be used against ya in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If ya cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for ya without cost. Do you understand each of these rights I have explained to ya?”

“I do,” said Deku and Todoroki.

“Having these rights in mind, do ya wish to talk to us now?”

“No,” said Deku and Todoroki.

 “Hey Todoroki, what’s up?” said Deku.

===

“WHA…!?” Todoroki closed her laptop. “Oh, hey Deku! I…I was just writing some medieval fanfiction!”

“Nice! I didn’t know you did any writing! May I read it when you’re finished with it?”

Todoroki rubbed the back of her head. “Yes, of course!”

“Anyways, I’m going back to my dorm. Best of luck!”

“Thank you!”

Deku kissed Todoroki before heading back to his dorm, while she smiled, knowing that she had the kindest, most handsome boy by her side.

Chapter Text

Today was largely an ordinary day for Deku. He didn’t really have anything of importance scheduled, so he just decided to take a walk around Musutafu City. He had no specific route planned; he just walked wherever his feet took him. Thus far, it was a peaceful walk, and it allowed him to concentrate on how beautiful the weather was and how calm he was feeling. As much as he enjoyed learning about how to become the best pro hero he possibly could be, there were times that he genuinely wanted to take a break from doing anything- hero-related and just live life on his own terms. Thus far, it was a good day. Then, at one point, he saw Todoroki sitting on a bench curled up in the fetal position, so he quickened his pace and headed over to her.

“Shoko, is something wrong?”

Todoroki sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. I’ve just been thinking about how everybody’s been so nice to me lately, and I just feel like everyone’s being nice to me just because I’m a girl.”

Deku sat down next to Todoroki. “Oh? Why do you feel that way?”

“Before I even came out as a girl, I just felt so invisible, even feared, like nobody wanted to be my friend, and now…” Todoroki started to tear up.

Deku put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “That’s not true! People like you not only because you had the courage to show your true colors, but also because you’re a very kind, caring person who would gladly stand up to protect her friends!”

“Deku, just stop. I get that you’re trying to cheer me up, but your words can’t change the facts.”

Deku frowned. “Then let me be even more honest: it doesn’t matter to me that you’re a girl! Even if you were a boy, you would still be one of the best people I’ve ever had the fortune to know, and I would still love you very, very much!”

Todoroki gasped when she heard this. In this moment, it occurred to her that maybe her friends really did care about her no matter what. Not knowing what else to do, she loosened her stance and cried as she gave Deku a big hug, which he gladly returned. After so many years of suffering abuse at the hands of her father, she just desperately needed to let her emotions out, and knowing that she was with Deku, she felt safe in doing so. His words meant more to her than anything else in the whole world, and it was because of them that she had that much more faith not only in him, but in the rest of her friends as well. Furthermore, she felt so liberated in being able to cry like this.

Despite being overwhelmed by Todoroki’s sadness, Deku held onto her tightly as she continued to cry. In this moment, he had to wonder just how badly she hurt to cry this much. He wondered if she’d ever felt like him in all those years of him not having his own Quirk and being bullied by Katsuki “Kacchan” Bakugo and other students for it. He speculated that this was exactly why they went so well together. Thinking back on when he told her that it was her Quirk and not Endeavor’s, he couldn’t help but think how much change he’d brought about in her and how much happier both of them had become as a result. Eventually, Todoroki stopped crying, but Deku continued to hold onto her, only letting go when she finally did.

“Deku, thank you so much! I…I can’t tell you how much your words mean to me!”

“You’re welcome, Shoko! I just didn’t want you to feel lonely and unloved, you know?”

Todoroki pulled out a tissue, dried her eyes and blew her nose. “Honestly, after hearing what you just said, I really don’t care whether or not people like me because of what I am, because I know that as long as my friends are there for me, then I’ll be there for them.”

Deku patted Todoroki on the back. “That’s the spirit! Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take you out for a drink at this café I know about.”

Todoroki smiled. “Anything for the cutest, kindest boy ever!”

Deku chuckled. “Then let’s go!”

Deku took Todoroki by the hand and headed off to the café, their relationship looking brighter than ever.

Chapter Text

The café that Deku took Todoroki to was a place called The Id Café, a small out-of-the-way place that was easy to miss even if one was looking for it. Open for about a year now, it was known for having an extensive library of comics and manga based on video games, and it was also decorated with merchandise depicting characters and objects from various video games, from cutesy, innocuous stuff such as Pikachu to decidedly more mature stuff such as the Pinky demon from Doom. Only a couple of other people were here, so Deku and Todoroki took a seat in a far corner.

“This is an interesting café,” said Todoroki.

“I found out about it around the time of the Sports Festival. I’ve been here before, but I figured it would be more fun to bring someone I like over here.”

Just then, Deku and Todoroki were approached by a waitress who was dressed like Princess Peach.

“Hello, and welcome to The Id Café!” The waitress handed out some menus. “Do you need some time to order or may I take it now?”

Deku and Todoroki gave their menus a brief looksee.

“I’m ready to order whenever you are,” said Deku.

“Right, I’ll have an Earl Grey with one sugar and no milk, please,” said Todoroki.

The waitress wrote Todoroki’s order down. “OK, and for you?”

“I’ll have a sencha green tea with two sugars and no milk, please,” said Deku.

The waitress left to get their orders.

“Deku, thanks again for taking me here!” Todoroki smiled. “After crying my eyes out, a relaxing cup of Earl Grey is just what I needed to cheer me up!”

“Well, you cheered me up when I was in need of it, so I thought it was only fair that I return the favor, you know?”

“Awww, you’re so sweet!”

Deku smiled. “Well, I try to be! Aren’t heroes supposed to be well-mannered?”

Todoroki frowned. “Try telling that to my father, or even Bakugo.”

“I’m not gonna go on about your father too much, but I will say that despite his loud, brash nature, deep down inside, Kacchan is a very good person.”

Todoroki raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“For one thing, ever since I first knew him, he always talked about how he wanted to be like All Might. Furthermore, based on his body language and other non-verbal cues, I can tell that he really feels depressed and just wants somebody to love him.”

“You can actually read people like that?”

Deku nodded. “Of course. That’s how I could tell during the Sports Festival that not only did you harbor no ill will towards me, but that you secretly wished that you could use the fire half of your Quirk without fearing your father.”

Todoroki smiled. “That’s impressive! You truly are a wonderful person! Now tell me: could you also tell I was really a girl?”

Deku scratched his cheek with his index finger. “Well…not exactly, but I could tell that you harbored a really big secret that you were dying to reveal to everybody.”

“Which makes me wonder: how are you able to read people so well?”

“I think, for me at least, it was a combination of having an analytical mind as well as studying human behavior a lot.”

“Impressive! I will be honest, though: I’m glad you’re using your skills for good rather than evil.”

“Shoko, I could never use my powers for evil, not when I have a bunch of good friends on my side, and especially not when I have the most beautiful girl on my side!”

Todoroki giggled. “Deku!”

“What?”

“I know you think I’m the most beautiful girl ever, but you don’t have to keep saying it!”

“Why shouldn’t I? It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“Then I’ll be honest with you: you’re the most handsome boy ever!”

“Awww!”

Just then, the waitress returned with their drinks.

“Thank you!” said Deku and Todoroki.

“You’re welcome!”

The waitress bowed before going to attend to other customers. Deku and Todoroki took their drinks, and the former held his out to the latter.

“Oh?” said Todoroki. “What’s this about?”

“You’ve never toasted before?”

Todoroki scratched her head. “No, what’s that?”

“So basically, it’s a way of either honoring someone or wishing someone well. Hold your cup out like this…”

“OK…but what exactly are we toasting to?”

“To good health and good relations for as long as we live!”

Todoroki smiled and held up her cup. “OK!”

Deku clinked his cup with Todoroki’s, and they proceeded to drink. Todoroki let out a hearty “ahh” as the warmth of the Earl Grey and the citrus notes of the flavor relaxed her senses.

“This is quite possibly the best cup of Earl Grey I’ve ever had!” said Todoroki. “Thank you so much for bringing me here!”

Deku lowered his cup. “You’re welcome, Shoko!”

Without saying much, Deku and Todoroki continued to drink their tea as they let the sounds of the café color their relaxing break. During this time, Deku reflected on how far he’d come with Todoroki. When they’d first gotten formally acquainted, the green bean actually feared the bicolor babe, though he didn’t think anything of backing down from his fear. Instead, it was because of his ability to read her and his willingness to face his fears that she became who she was today and that they were so close with each other. He couldn’t possibly think about what would’ve happened had he not given her those six little words during the Sports Festival. Similarly, Todoroki couldn’t help but think about how happy she was to have met Deku. When she first met him face-to-face, though she saw him as an arch-rival due to his connection with All Might, she secretly found him very cute and wanted to get to know him better, but feared what would happen if Endeavor found out. Since their battle at the Sports Festival, she had grown much more confident not only in herself, but also in her friends, and she smiled as she thought about how she owed it to her boyfriend. After finishing her tea, Todoroki took a brief look around the café, and then took a seat right next to Deku.

“What’s up, Shoko?”

“So…the café’s almost empty, and we’re sitting in this little corner by ourselves…”

“And?”

Todoroki said nothing else; she wrapped her arms around Deku and kissed him. Naturally, he couldn’t help but do the same. The first few times she’d kissed him, he couldn’t help but feel all hot and bothered by it, but now that he’d grown closer to her, he eagerly looked forward to moments like these. What he didn’t know was that contrary to her seeming enthusiasm for touching him this way, it actually took her a lot of courage to do such a thing the first time around. However, after the first time, it got a lot easier for her, and the moments would stay with her forever. Eventually, she broke away from the kiss, but kept her arms wrapped around him.

“Deku, I’ll never stop loving you. You gave me your heart, and I am forever grateful.”

“I’ll never stop loving you, either!”

While Deku and Todoroki were still embracing each other, the waitress came back with their check, which Deku paid.

“Deku, you didn’t have to do that!” said Todoroki.

“Logically, no, but because you were kind enough to pay for both of our meals that one time at Karuichi, I thought it was only fair to return the favor.”

“You’re so sweet! So, what shall we do now?”

“I had nothing in particular thought up. Why don’t we just go to a bench by Dagoba Beach and embrace each other while looking out at the ocean?”

“You’re so romantic, Deku!”

Deku giggled. “I try!”

And so, Deku and Todoroki left the café while holding each other’s hands, confident that no matter what happened the next day, they would both make the best of it.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes had ended at UA, and as usual, Deku and Todoroki were spending it by walking back to the dorms holding each other’s hands, much to Deku’s approval:

“You know, I never used to think much of walking back to the dorms, but now that I get to walk back with you, that gives me something else to look forward to every day!”

“Speak for yourself, Deku! School – not to mention life – in general has become more enjoyable ever since I came out, and I couldn’t have done it without you or…”

“Hey Todoroki!” said a familiar female voice. “What’s up, girlfriend?”

Todoroki spun around and saw none other than Momo Yaoyorozu standing behind them. Todoroki let out a loud gasp, and then smiled.

“YAOYOROZU!”

Todoroki ran up to Yaoyorozu and gave her a big hug, which the latter gladly returned. While Todoroki had always considered Yaoyorozu a good friend, the two had grown that much closer after Todoroki’s coming out as a girl, especially considering how supportive Yaoyorozu had been. Deku smiled when he saw those two hug, not only because he thought it was nice that two girls could be so physically affectionate with each other without people batting an eyelash, but also because he loved seeing Todoroki be happy in general. Finally, Todoroki finished off the gesture by kissing Yaoyorozu on both cheeks, what the French would call “la bise”.

“Wow, you’ve SERIOUSLY become a ball of happiness since you showed your true colors!” said Yaoyorozu. “Do you really enjoy being a girl that much?”

“It’s not just about being happier as a girl, it’s the fact that ever since I found the courage to reveal who I really was, I feel like I’ve had a weight lifted off of my head, and I owe a lot of it to Deku!”

“And I never imagined you’d be so into boys! You two really seem to be an item!”

Todoroki gently brushed her hair. “Well, the thing with Deku is…he’s so brave, heroic and selfless, he never gives up no matter the cost, he does his best to put smiles on peoples’ faces, he makes EVERY moment of my life feel special, he’s sweeter than all the honey in the world, and he’s so cute!”

Deku’s face turned the brightest shade of red, especially when Todoroki called him “cute”. Yaoyorozu even took notice:

“Awww…does Midoriya love when pretty girls call him ‘cute’?”

Todoroki turned around and saw Deku blushing. “Deku, there’s no need to act so shy! We’re in love, aren’t we?”

Deku rubbed the back of his head. “I know, it’s just…I feel so weird when you act so nice towards me!”

“Why should there be anything weird about it? This is supposed to be a happy thing!”

“Todoroki’s right,” said Yaoyorozu. “Being called ‘cute’ is normal!”

“Besides, I only flirt with boys I really like, and I really like you!” said Todoroki.

“Awww! Look at that, Midoriya! You really brightened up her life! Come on, Todoroki, let’s show Midoriya how much we appreciate what he’s done for you!”

Deku turned even more red. “Um…girls…!”

Before Deku could flee, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were on him in short order and simultaneously hugged him. Still red in the face and sweating nervously, he wondered how he had not collapsed from how hot he was feeling at the moment.

“All right, you two lovebirds, say ‘cheese’!”

Yaoyorozu whipped out her smartphone and took a picture of her, Todoroki and Deku together. Despite his flustration, Deku nevertheless put on a happy face, feeling much better about himself knowing that Todoroki was happy and that this happiness was spreading to other people as well.

Chapter Text

It was seasonably warm, but not overly hot, in Musutafu, the perfect day for people to head down to Dagoba Beach and take in the sun however they could, and that was just what Deku and Todoroki were doing today. Currently, they were sitting together on a large teal beach towel, Deku dressed in aqua green swim shorts, Todoroki dressed in a two-piece bikini that was white with red polka dots.

“Ah, what a beautiful day!” said Deku. “The sun’s shining, the breeze is nice and cool, and best of all, I get to spend it with my favorite girl!”

Todoroki smiled. “Awww, you’re so sweet! You’re my favorite guy too, Deku!”

“By the way, has anyone told you that you have a really nice body?”

Todoroki giggled. “Stop it!”

“What?”

“Really, you’re too kind!”

Deku rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I try to put smiles on people’s faces, especially beautiful girls like you!”

Todoroki giggled some more. “Deku, if you keep being so flirty with me, you’re gonna get a smile back!”

“Not if you get one first!”

“Deku, what are…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Wow, who knew the youngest daughter of Endeavor was so ticklish?”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHP!”

“You’re already asking me to stop? But we’re just getting started!”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN’T TAKE IT!”

“Awww, tough girl can’t take a few tickles? Too bad!”

“I’LL GET YOU! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“I don’t think…WHAT THE…!?”

“See Deku? I told you I’d get you!”

“SHOKO! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Did you really think you were gonna get away with tickling a girl?”

“PLEASE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Say ‘please’ all you want! I’m not stopping until I’ve had my fun!”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS ISN’T FUN!”

“Maybe not for you, but I’m really enjoying this!”

“NO MORE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Hmmm…I wonder what All Might would think if he found out you were ticklish.”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! DON’T TELL HIM!”

“I tell you what: I won’t tell him if you admit you love it when I tickle you.”

“I’LL NEVER ADMIT THAT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“OK, I guess I’ll just keep tickling you!”

“YOU SUCK! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Deku, that’s not a nice thing to say to your girlfriend!”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I’M SORRY!”

“Too late! Now you’re really gonna get it!”

“No Todoroki, don’t tickle…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Don’t tickle your feet? I’m afraid they must be tickled!

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHP! STAHP!”

“Every time you say ‘stop’, I’ll tickle your feet harder!”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OK, I WON’T SAY IT!”

“There, that’s a good boy!”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHY ARE MY FEET SO TICKLISH!?”

“So that cute girls can make you laugh!”

“I’M DYING! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Don’t die on me now, Deku! How will I explain that to All Might?”

“EXPLAIN YOURSELF! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Just for talking back to me, I’m gonna make the tickles worse!”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! EVERYTHING’S SO TICKLY!”

“What else were you expecting, Tickledoriya?”

“PLEASE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN’T TAKE ANY MORE!”

“I’ll stop tickling you, but you have to answer one question…”

“What?”

“Who’s the kindest, smartest, strongest, most beautiful girl you’ve ever met?”

“Y-you are!”

“There we go!”

Todoroki lied down with Deku, who was huffing, puffing, tingly and red in the face from all the tickling, and snuggled with him. He squirmed a bit.

“Um…Shoko…y-you can let go now!”

“Relax, Deku! I only want to snuggle with you!”

“Er…OK!”

Despite having received his fair share of tickles, Deku did his best to relax and enjoy the snuggling. Besides, he enjoyed having Todoroki’s ample chest pressing against his back.

“Ahhh, this is heaven!” said Deku.

“Glad you’re enjoying it!”

And so, Deku and Todoroki continued to snuggle, greatly enjoying each other’s company.

Chapter Text

It was a partly cloudy Sunday in Musutafu, and Deku was at home, playing Helltaker on his laptop. He’d discovered the game purely by accident, mainly because he saw one of those parody edits of a porn animation done by Twitter user Liquorice_NSFW, and since then, he’d been hooked. Even if it was a short game, he liked the gameplay and the presentation well enough that he couldn’t stop playing it. Then, while he was doing the third level with Cerberus, he heard knocking on his door, so he paused the game.

“Come in,” said Deku.

Inko entered the room.

“Izuku, your girlfriend Shoko is here!”

Upon hearing that his favorite girl was here to visit him, Deku bolted out of his chair and headed for the front door.

“SHOKO!”

“DEKU!”

Both parties gave each other a big hug and kiss.

“So, what brings you here today?” asked Deku.

Todoroki smiled. “No reason! I just wanted to hang out with my favorite person, is all.”

Deku chuckled. “Well, let’s go to my room, then!”

Deku led Todoroki to his room. Inko smiled as they walked past, thinking about how happy she was that her precious son had found somebody with whom he was in love. The two lovebirds finally reached Deku’s room, and the first thing that Todoroki took notice of was the computer.

“What are you playing?” asked Todoroki.

“That? Oh, it’s Helltaker!” Deku smiled.

Todoroki scratched her cheek. “A curious title. May I play?”

Deku gave a thumbs up. “Sure! Just let me reset it to Level One…”

Deku set the game back at the first level, while Todoroki took Deku’s seat.

“So, how do you play this?” asked Todoroki.

“It’s a puzzle game. Basically, your objective is to reach the woman at the end of the level in a set number of moves. Use the arrow keys or WASD to move around. You can kick rocks and skeleton monsters out of the way if you need to.”

Without further prompting, Todoroki began playing, and almost immediately, it became obvious to Deku that she didn’t need much – if any – training to master this game. As she navigated the level, she rhythmically bobbed her head side to side while the music – “Vitality” by Mittsies – thumped on. Ordinarily, she was into heavy metal, but ever since Deku took her out to a disco, she’d grown an appreciation for electronic music. Todoroki reached Pandemonica on the first try, and she selected the second dialogue option – “Maybe I can serve YOU instead?” As she got further into the game, Todoroki came to see just why Deku was so enthralled with it. When she got to the fifth level, where Zdrada was, she paused the game and smiled.

“This is fun. I do, however, have one question…”

“Yes?”

Todoroki raised an eyebrow and adopted a more serious look. “Why would anyone go to Hell just to meet women?”

Deku smiled sheepishly. “Why not? Video games don’t have to make sense, you know!”

Todoroki got up from Deku’s chair.

“Where are you going, Shoko?”

Todoroki walked towards the door. “I’m gonna pay a visit to Bakugo. Maybe I can convince him to join my harem.”

Deku dropped his jaw, sweated nervously and waved his hands back and forth. “Um…I don’t really think that’s a good idea!”

“Why not? Don’t heroes take risks?”

“Well no…um…yeah…but…!”

“Then what is the problem?”

Todoroki exited Deku’s room.

“Shoko, WAIT!”

Deku ran after Todoroki in an attempt to save her from being horribly murdered.

Chapter Text

Once again, Deku and Todoroki were walking back to the dorms together. However, judging by the way Todoroki had her hands on her back, not all was well, and Deku took notice:

“Shoko, what’s wrong?”

“My back really hurts! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind having breasts; it’s just…they’re such a pain sometimes!”

“I may not know exactly what that’s like, but if it’s any comfort to you, I have an idea that may help…”

“Oh?”

Deku made a “come hither” gesture to Todoroki, who leaned in a bit closer, and he whispered:

“Shoko, I’d like to give you a massage.”

Todoroki froze and blushed when she heard these words. Never before had anyone offered anything like that to her. Deku took notice and began sweating nervously:

“Um…did I say something wrong?”

“Oh no,” said Todoroki. “I…it’s just…are you sure about this?”

“Hey, it’s just a massage! There doesn’t have to be anything weird about it! It’s normal for people to give massages without any sexual intent, you know?”

Todoroki stared at Deku briefly. On one hand, she still wasn’t too sure about this, but on the other hand, she trusted him, and the more she stared at him, the less weird it seemed, so the answer was obvious:

“All right, Deku, I accept. Just give me some time to shed my clothes, please.”

Deku gave a thumbs-up. “Will do!”

===

After returning to their dorms, Deku and Todoroki began getting ready. First, Deku changed into more casual clothes, which included a gray AC/DC T-shirt, blue jeans and his favorite red shoes. Then, he grabbed a bottle of baby oil. He usually used it for himself, but he figured that it would do just as well for Todoroki. After this, he headed to her dorm and knocked on her door.

“Just a second!” said Todoroki.

Deku did so.

“OK, come on in!”

Deku entered Todoroki’s Japanese-themed dorm, and he had to muster his best effort not to drop the baby oil when he saw her kneeling naked on the bed, grasping a blanket in front of her. Even with the blanket, he could tell that she cut such a fine figure.

“Everything OK, Deku?”

Deku nodded. “Y-yeah. Just lie down face-first on the bed and let me take care of you.”

“As you wish.”

Todoroki lied down, and after he took his shoes off, Deku walked over to her, knelt down next to her and applied some oil to his hands. Then, he began massaging her. As soon as she felt his touch, she let out a soft gasp. While having his hands on her was nothing new to her, this was like nothing else she’d felt before, and she could tell that it was going to be a most sensual experience.

“You like this so far?” asked Deku.

“A little higher, please!”

Deku obeyed Todoroki’s wish.

“Mmmm yes…that feels so good!”

Todoroki moaned softly as she took in the delightful relaxation of Deku’s touch. After years of being forced to bind herself as per Endeavor’s orders in addition to enduring the aches and pains that came with being so well-endowed, it just felt so liberating for her to receive this sort of therapy. Also, any scruples that she initially had about the whole thing melted away as soon as he laid his hands on her, to be replaced by the satisfaction of knowing that she was getting such heavenly treatment. Granted, she wondered why he hadn’t offered this to her earlier, but she quickly pushed the thought aside and continued to bask in the pleasure.

She wasn’t the only one, either: Deku was also getting a charge out of doing this. While he was no stranger to doing kind things for Todoroki, this felt like a whole other level for him. In the past, he never would have had the courage to ask any girl to let him do this to her, never mind someone as beautiful as Todoroki, but because his confidence had grown so much since they began dating, they were here now. Granted, he still felt a bit nervous about being around a naked woman, but it was like he said: there didn’t have to be anything sexual going on. Nevertheless, Deku enjoyed rubbing his hands across her soft skin, and he especially felt good knowing that this was doing her good, too. However, all good things had to come to an end…

“Deku…”

“Yes?”

“I’m feeling much better now. You may stop.”

Though he really wanted to keep massaging Todoroki, Deku obeyed her wish and took his hands off of her, leaving her to let out a contented sigh as she took in the afterglow. After lying down some more, she got up.

“Deku, thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome! How did that feel?”

Todoroki rubbed her back. “Well, I’m still feeling a little sore, but other than that, that was really good.”

“It’s OK to still feel sore. I read that a little soreness is normal after a massage.”

“Even so, that was really nice of you to offer this to me! We should do this again some time!”

“Really?”

“Really!”

Deku smiled. “I’d be glad to! You deserve it!”

“Oh, Deku!”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku and laid her head on his shoulder. If there was another girl who was meant to be with him, he hadn’t found her yet.

Chapter Text

For Todoroki, today was seemingly another day in Epping, New Hampshire. Having finished some strength training exercises, she decided to go out to her backyard to meditate. Prior to meeting her current crop of friends, she’d never thought much of meditation, but ever since Yaoyorozu suggested it to her, she decided to give it a try. At first, it didn’t seem to do much – if anything – for Todoroki, but within a few sessions, she really started getting it, and it really helped to calm her. She was aware of the sound of birds and cicadas in addition to the occasional passing car, but none of those proved disruptive…that is, until she heard one particular car. Judging by the direction it was coming from, it seemed to her that this one was pulling into her driveway. Figuring that someone wanted to visit her, she got up and headed for the front door. Granted, she would much rather have been meditating, but there was the possibility that it was somebody or something important, so she answered the door.

“Hey, Shoko!”

Todoroki smiled. “Hey, Deku! What brings you over here today?”

Deku smirked. “Well, I just wanted to tell you that you’re not the only one with a nice car!”

“Oh?”

Todoroki looked over Deku’s shoulder and noticed his car parked in the driveway: a Green Gold 1973 Chevy Caprice sedan with a black vinyl roof. Without question, she stepped outside to get a closer look at it.

“That is a really nice car,” said Todoroki. “How long have you had it?”

“I got it last week! By the way, I was wondering…”

“Yes?”

“How would you like to go drag racing…you know, my car against yours?”

Todoroki’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Deku nodded. “Really!”

Todoroki smiled. “Then let’s do it!”

===

After Todoroki grabbed the keys to her Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight, both of them headed down to New England Dragway. Plenty of people were here, not only to race, but to spectate as well. Eventually, it came to be Deku and Todoroki’s turn. Prior to the actual race, both competitors did a burnout in the “water box”, which not only produced a large cloud of smoke, but laid down some serious rubber. After this, both of them slowly inched to the starting line to stage. They ended up pre-staging and then staging at about the same time.

3…

2…

1…

The green lights lit up, and both of them proceeded to zing down the track. At first, Todoroki’s Ninety-Eight seemed to have the lead, but then Deku’s Caprice overtook her, shrinking away before crossing the finish line first. After the race, Deku and Todoroki met each other in the pit area.

“How did you beat me, Deku? My car has a supercharged 455 Rocket V8.”

Deku smirked. “Well, you see, I knew your car was going to be some hot stuff, so I decided to make mine even hotter by installing a 502 V8!”

Todoroki stared at Deku briefly. Then, she smiled and ruffled his hair.

“Deku, you may be a real showoff, but you’re still the cutest boy ever!”

Deku giggled. “Hey, what better way to impress the most beautiful girl ever, right?”

“Awww!”

Todoroki gave Deku another hug and kiss. No matter who won today’s race, being with each other and having fun was victory in and of itself.

Chapter Text

The waves of the Pacific Ocean gently lapped against the hull of the Oki Mariner, and Selkie and his valiant crew stood alert, ready to take on the mission that had been presented before them. According to intel from the CIA, a Russian Oscar-class submarine had sunk somewhere off the coast of Shizuoka Prefecture. What made this notable was its payload: one Status-6 “Poseidon” Oceanic Multipurpose System vehicle. Better known as the “tsunami bomb” in the popular discourse, this unmanned underwater vehicle was capable of vast destructive power, and Selkie’s crew had been given one task: retrieve the bomb before the Russians did. Also present among the crew was Tsuyu “Tsu” Asui, being accompanied by Deku and Todoroki, who had each been given a bit of a crash course in scuba diving as a condition of volunteering for this mission.

“Thanks for volunteering for this,” said Tsu. “Your help means a lot to me, ribbit.”

Deku smiled. “You’re welcome, Asui! We’re only too glad to help!”

“I told you to call me ‘Tsu’.”

Deku rubbed the back of his head. “Oh, right, sorry!”

“Anyways, what made you two want to come along with me?”

Todoroki gestured to Deku with her thumb. “Well, it was mostly Deku’s idea. We had nothing better to do, so he convinced me to come along with you.”

Tsu nodded. “I see. By the way, Todoroki, can I ask you something?”

Todoroki smiled. “Sure!”

“You’ve become a lot happier since the Sports Festival. Did using your fire power make you that happy, or was it something else?”

“It wasn’t just the fact that Deku made me feel better about the ‘Hot’ portion of my Quirk. You see, when I finally used my fire, I also found the courage to come out to you, Deku and everybody else. That, and the fact that you and all the other girls gave me your support meant A LOT to me.”

Tsu smiled. “Well, I’m glad! Besides, one of my best friends is transitioning, so I can totally sympathize with your reasoning, ribbit.”

“Thank you! And Asui…”

“Please, call me ‘Tsu’.”

“Right! You may call me ‘Shoko’!”

Tsu nodded. “Ribbit.”

“Come here!”

Todoroki gave Tsu a big hug. Tsu gasped and blushed when she felt Todoroki’s voluptuous chest press against her head, but she nevertheless returned the hug. Even if she did find the whole experience to be a touch awkward, she would much rather have had a warm, friendly Todoroki than one who was cold as ice and not approachable at all. Even so, the little frog girl felt the need to speak up about something…

“Shoko, I’m glad you’re happy, but you can let go now, ribbit.”

“Oh.” Todoroki let go of Tsu and smiled awkwardly.

“Now hear this:” said Selkie. “We’re just about at the area where the submarine is. Sirius, Mick, get the retrieval harness ready. Midoriya, Todoroki, Asui, prepare to dive.”

“Right!”

Sirius and Mick threw a retrieval harness attached to a rope over the side of the Oki Mariner, after which Deku, Todoroki and Tsu dove into the water. Deku, Todoroki and Tsu grabbed the retrieval harness and began their descent into the depths of the Pacific. To find the submarine, Tsu was using a waterproof Geiger counter that Deku managed to scrounge from Mei Hatsume, so it was mainly Deku and Todoroki following Tsu’s lead. As they went deeper and deeper into the water, Deku and Todoroki couldn’t help but be hypnotized by the various forms of aquatic wildlife that inhabited these depths, so much so that Tsu had to gently tug at the harness to snap them out of their trance.

Finally, after diving so far, they found the submarine, K-715 Severnaya. When they approached the submarine, Deku aimed another one of Hatsume’s toys – a wrist-mounted cutting torch – and started cutting open the area where the bomb was on the submarine. He would have to hurry, for Tsu tapped him on the shoulder and pointed her finger off in the distance. Todoroki had taken notice as well, and one thing became clear to them: the Russians had found the submarine, too. Breaking from his cutting job, Deku readied an APS underwater assault rifle, while Tsu got a speargun ready. The Russians attempted to fire at them, but Todoroki blocked their shots with her ice. Using the ice as cover, Deku opened fire on the Russians, hitting two of them, while Tsu used her ability to secrete mucus to mask her thermal signature from the Russians and sneak around them. In doing so, she plugged one of them with her speargun, which caused a bit of a panic. Knowing that the Russians’ attention was divided, Todoroki shot a blast of ice at them, freezing a couple more. Though the Russians were superior in numbers, the trio from the Oki Mariner had better training, and it was this training that enabled them to wipe out their opponents and get back to cutting open the submarine.

One thing that Deku had to be careful about when using the torch was that he didn’t accidentally cut through the bomb and set it off. Fortunately, his care paid off, and he was able to cut away enough of the Severnaya’s hull so they could reach the bomb. Because it was heavy, Deku and Todoroki had to work together to lift the bomb up just enough so that Tsu could get the harness underneath it. Fortunately, their teamwork paid off, and because the crew of the Oki Mariner was observing them through special CCTV mounts, they knew that the bomb was ready to be transported to the surface, so they brought it up carefully yet quickly, with Deku, Todoroki and Tsu supporting the harness so the bomb wouldn’t fall off. Fortunately, they managed to get back to the surface, but Selkie had bad news for them…

“Ladies and gentlemen, look over there!”

Selkie pointed off in the distance, where they saw a Russian Udaloy-class destroyer.

“Attention Japanese ship: this is the Russian Navy destroyer Friedrich Engels. You are hopelessly outgunned, and you cannot get away. Surrender now and hand the Poseidon to us, and we shall allow you to live. Do not test us.”

“Midoriya, what’s your plan?” asked Tsu.

“Shoko, can your fire or ice reach that far?” asked Deku.

Todoroki stroked her chin. “I might. I’d feel better if Tsu used her tongue to launch me at the destroyer so I could get a better shot, though.

“All right, I can do that, ribbit.”

Tsu stood behind Todoroki.

“Ready, Shoko?”

Todoroki gave a thumbs up. “Ready!”

With one more “ribbit”, Tsu wrapped her tongue around Todoroki and hurled her at the Russian destroyer as hard as she could. Fortunately, this got Todoroki close enough, and…

“FLASHFREEZE HEATWAVE!”

With this single attack, Todoroki blew the Friedrich Engels to kingdom come before splashing down in the water. In short order, the Oki Mariner showed up, and Mick threw down a life ring to her, which she grabbed onto. He then pulled her up, and Deku and Tsu came over to her.

“Wow Shoko, that was impressive!” said Tsu. “No matter how many times I see you in action, you never fail to amaze, ribbit.”

Todoroki smiled. “You can thank Deku for that. Had he not made me feel better about my Fire half, I would never have unlocked such immense power. Then again, the support from you and the rest of the girls revived my esprit de corps.”

Deku blushed. “Shoko, I didn’t know you knew French!”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. « Je suis un étudiant de plusieurs langues. »

“Hey, mind if I get a picture of you two?” asked Tsu.

“Go ahead!” said Deku.

“Please do!” said Todoroki.

“OK then.”

Deku and Todoroki continued to wrap an arm around each other, while Tsu snapped a picture of them with her phone. Overall, it was another great day for peace, love and teamwork.

Chapter Text

Another evening cast over Musutafu, and Deku and Todoroki were trying something a little different: tonight, they were going to a hockey game at the Musutafu Ice Palace to see the Musutafu Wolves take on the Oji Eagles, both teams being a part of Asia League Ice Hockey. Deku had plenty to say about this, too:

“You know, I’m still surprised that you’re into hockey.”

“Why for?” said Todoroki. “I’ve always been into winter sports.”

“On second thought, I guess that makes sense considering the Cold half of your Quirk. Still, you’re more adventurous than I thought.”

Todoroki put a hand on Deku’s shoulder. “I owe much of that to you.”

Deku smiled. “I’m not surprised by that. By the way, I was wondering…”

“Yes?”

“Why are you wearing an American hockey jersey today?”

Todoroki briefly looked down at her vintage Boston Bruins jersey, which had Bobby Orr’s name and number on it.

“You know, I’m not 100% sure. I have watched my fair share of NHL games, though, and perhaps my favorite hockey moment is the 1980 ‘Miracle On Ice’ at Lake Placid.”

“Well, you should wear this jersey more often! It looks cute on you!”

“Oh, Deku!”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku briefly. Then, they proceeded to the main arena and took their seats. While neither of them had rinkside seats, they weren’t in the so-called “nosebleed section” either. There they sat, greatly anticipating the action that was to come. Soon enough, the lights dimmed, and the spotlights came on…

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Musutafu Ice Palace for another exciting presentation of Asia League Ice Hockey!” said the announcer. “And here’s your Musutafu Wolves!”

The players of the Musutafu Wolves came out onto the ice as spotlights shined on them. A good portion of the crowd cheered for them.

“Challenging them tonight is the Oji Eagles!”

Spotlights shined on the Oji Eagles’ players as they came out onto the ice as well. There was also a portion of the crowd that cheered for them. Soon, the lights came back on, and the players got into position. The ref dropped the puck, and the game got on as Musutafu’s Noboru Kawakami took possession. One thing that separated Asia League Ice Hockey from the NHL was that unlike the NHL, fighting in this league was against the rules and was severely punished. That didn’t make this game any less exciting for Deku or Todoroki, however. In fact, the game was that much more exciting because they were sharing in it with each other. It was a tough game for both teams, and neither one scored in the first period. However, things would get even tougher in the second period when Musutafu’s Masaru Inaba scored the first goal of the game, and Juro Kobayashi of Oji scored one a few minutes later, and thus, the score would remain tied at the end of the second period.

===

Neither team had been particularly willing to cede another goal, but in the end, the Musutafu Wolves won 3-2. Deku and Todoroki excitedly discussed the game as they left the stadium:

“Wow, that was one of the most exciting hockey games I’ve ever seen!” said Deku.

“I know! One of my favorite moments was when Okazaki blocked Matsumura’s shot near the end of the second period! Had he not done that, then Oji would’ve won the game for sure!”

“You know, it’s interesting how some games are decided by those little moments in between.”

Todoroki nodded. “I agree.”

“Anyways, thanks again for inviting me, Shoko! I always enjoy hanging out with you!”

“You’re welcome! The pleasure is likewise!”

Todoroki held Deku’s hand as they headed on home. While not the biggest sports fanatic in the world, Deku was looking forward to whatever other sporting events Todoroki might invite him to.

Chapter Text

It was another ordinary Saturday morning for Deku as he sat in his dorms, looking through his notes on hero analysis. While he’d pretty much memorized the contents of those Kokuyo Campus notebooks, he figured that doing a read-through every now and then couldn’t hurt. Perhaps his favorite part of reading through these was reading about the Quirks of his fellow Class 1-A students, excitedly wondering what other super moves they’d develop by training with their Quirks. Out of all of them, he was having trouble deciding who had the best Quirk, but if he had to choose, he thought that Kacchan, Todoroki, Iida, Uraraka, Kirishima, Tokoyami, Ashido and Hagakure were top contenders. Then, while mulling over his friends’ Quirks, he heard knocking on his door.

“Coming!”

Deku put down the notebook he was reading and went to the door. Sure enough, Todoroki was there.

“Hey Shoko!”

“Hey Deku!”

Deku and Todoroki gave each other a big hug and kiss.

“So, what brings you over here?”

“I’m hosting a foreign film festival in my dorm. Are you interested in joining me?”

Deku gave a thumbs up. “Definitely! Just one question…”

“Yes?”

“Do I have to bring popcorn or any other treats?”

“I have already bought an ample supply of popcorn, and I have a mini refrigerator with plenty of drinks. You are, however, welcome to bring another item of food or drink if you so desire.

Deku nodded. “OK then. Who else is showing up?”

“Only Uraraka and Asui have shown any desire to participate.”

Deku shrugged. “Still, it sounds like fun! Let’s go!”

===

Deku and Todoroki headed to the latter’s dorm, where Uraraka and Tsu were waiting for them, along with somebody whom Todoroki hadn’t expected, but was glad to see, nevertheless…

“Hey girlfriend!”

Todoroki gasped. “YAOYOROZU! Glad you could join us!”

Once again, Todoroki gave Yaoyorozu a big hug in addition to “la bise”. Uraraka and Tsu smiled when they saw this.

“Wow Todoroki, you’ve grown so enthusiastic since you came out!” said Uraraka.

“Yeah, I only wish Uraraka and I had what you two have, ribbit,” said Tsu.

Uraraka giggled and ruffled Tsu’s hair. “Hey, you’ll always be my best friend, Tsu!”

Tsu let out another “ribbit.”

“Pardon me, is the guest list completely occupied or do you have space for one more?”

Everyone turned to see who’d addressed them: Fumikage Tokoyami.

“Ah, hello Tokoyami!” Todoroki waved at Tokoyami. “Yes, there should be enough space in my dorm for you, though it may be slightly cramped.”

“That makes little difference to me. As a connoisseur of cinema, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.”

Deku smiled. “I’m looking forward to it, too!”

“Then let’s go!”

Todoroki led her guests into her dorm, where there were seating mats and chairs set up, plus a few large bags of movie theater-grade butter popcorn and a pile of DVDs/Blu-rays next to her TV. Tokoyami, Uraraka and Tsu ended up sitting in the front row, while Deku, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu sat in back.

“So, does anyone have any preferences for what we watch first?” asked Todoroki.

“Not really,” said Deku.

“I will be content with whatever you choose,” said Tokoyami.

“Same here,” said Uraraka. “I haven’t watched a lot of foreign films, so I’m excited to see what you’ve got, Todoroki.”

“Very well, then.”

For the first movie, Todoroki popped in The Fugitive. Everybody seemed to be engrossed as they watched Harrison Ford’s Richard Kimble desperately prove his innocence while being pursued by Tommy Lee Jones’ Sam Gerard. When it came to the language selection, Todoroki insisted on watching the movies in their original language with Japanese subtitles…not that anybody couldn’t understand English. By the time the movie was over, everybody was clapping.

“That was very well-done,” said Tokoyami.

“I agree,” said Uraraka. “I’d like to watch something a little less violent for a change, though.”

“I can do that.”

Next, Todoroki put in Encanto. This one proved to be a hit too as everybody not only got wrapped up in Mirabel’s quest to save her family’s magic, but also discovered exactly why nobody talked about Bruno. Overall, the films that Todoroki picked ranged from the popular to the obscure, the classics to the modern, the family-friendly to the brutal, including Mary Poppins, First Blood and The Laughing Policeman. Occasionally, they would take breaks to eat food other than popcorn. By the time Power Play wrapped up, it was clear that not everybody could go on with the fun:

“Todoroki, this was fun!” said Yaoyorozu. “Why were you laughing at some of these movies, though?”

Todoroki rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah…I have a habit of whenever the bad guys get killed in violent movies. Sorry!”

“Honestly, you’re weird sometimes, Shoko,” said Deku.

“But you still love me, right?”

“Of course!”

“Well, I liked this, but I gotta go.” Uraraka yawned.

Tsu yawned as well. “Ribbit…”

“I am in accord with everyone else,” said Tokoyami. “As much as I enjoy foreign cinema, I must also get rest. Have a good night, Shoko Todoroki.”

Todoroki smiled. “You too, Fumikage Tokoyami! Have a good night, everyone!”

Everyone got up and left…that is, except someone…

“Tokoyami, what are you still doing here?” asked Todoroki.

“Todoroki, I wanted to give you my thanks for having the courage to reveal that you were really a girl. That act was far more daring than any heroic deed than I have read about or witnessed, and it gives me hope that one day, people can exist in a society where people love one another regardless of immutable sex characteristics.”

“Awww…you’re welcome! That’s so sweet of you!”

Tokoyami blushed. “Right. See you tomorrow, Midoriya and Todoroki.”

“Bye!” said Deku and Todoroki.

Tokoyami headed back to their dorm.

“You know, the more my classmates tell me about how courageous I am, the more I like not only them, but myself as well.”

Deku put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “You should! I feel like everyone’s better off now that you’ve gotten a more positive outlook on life!”

“You really think so?”

Deku nodded. “Really!”

Todoroki smiled. “Deku…”

Todoroki gave Deku another hug and kiss. As always, he was greatly looking forward to other opportunities to hang out with her, and he relished the fact that she was more open to hanging out with everyone else.

Chapter Text

Once again, Deku and Todoroki headed back to the dorms with each other on this lovely Friday afternoon. Today had been a bit of a tough one as the members of Class 1-A had to train their Quirks even harder not only to improve their power, but also their efficiency. The two lovebirds wiped their foreheads off.

“No matter how much I do Quirk improvement training, it never gets any easier,” said Deku.

“I agree. As much as I can withstand extremes of hot or cold, I get a great sense of relief from being able to return to my normal body temperature. By the way, I was wondering…”

“What?”

“You’ve gotten much better at using your Quirk without breaking limbs. How did you manage that?”

“Well, my internship with Gran Torino helped me to regulate how much power I can use, plus…”

“Midoriya, Todoroki, wait up!”

Deku and Todoroki turned around to see who’d addressed them: it was Eijiro Kirishima.

“What’s up, Kirishima?” asked Deku.

Kirishima had a serious look on his face. “I got a HUGE favor to ask of you guys…”

“What sort of favor?” asked Todoroki.

Kirishima pointed his hand, palm-up, at Deku and Todoroki. “So I bought three tickets to a heavy metal concert tonight, hopin’ that Bakugo and Kaminari could go with me, but Bakugo doesn’t even like the band that’s playin’, and Kaminari pulled out at the last second!”

“Did you ask anybody else?” asked Deku.

“I tried askin’ Ashido and Tokoyami, but Ashido is havin’ a girls’ night out with Hagakure, and Tokoyami’s goin’ out to eat with their parents.”

Todoroki stroked her chin. “We might go. Which band is playing?”

Kirishima smiled. “Aw, you’re gonna love ‘em! It’s Anvil!”

Todoroki’s eyes widened, and she let out a loud, drawn-out gasp as she put her hands up to her mouth.

“OH MY GOD! I LOVE ANVIL!” Todoroki smiled, put her hands on Deku’s shoulders and shook him a bit. “Deku, we HAVE to go!”

Deku smiled nervously. “Well…I’m not the biggest metalhead in the world, but I like metal, so I’ll go with you!”

Kirishima gave a thumbs up. “Hell yeah! This is gonna rock!”

===

The Anvil concert was being held at the Musutafu Civic Arena, a multipurpose arena that had been built 45 years ago and had played host to a number of events over the years, including rock concerts. The three comrades of Class 1-A dressed up in their own ways: Deku was wearing a black studded leather vest over a Judas Priest Hell Bent For Leather T-shirt, blue jeans and his favorite red kicks. Todoroki was wearing a Vanson Villainess leather jacket over an Anvil Forged In Fire T-shirt, skinny blue jeans and black knee-high high-heel leather boots. As for Kirishima, he was wearing a denim vest with a bunch of metal band patches sewn on, a Metallica Kill ‘Em All T-shirt, blue jeans and Vietnam-era jungle boots. Despite having to go through some security measures, Todoroki could barely contain her excitement:

“Wow, I can’t believe I’m actually going to a heavy metal concert! Thank you SO MUCH for inviting us, Kirishima!”

“No, thank you, Todoroki! If you and Midoriya hadn’t accepted my offer, those tickets woulda gone to waste!”

“We’re glad to help!” said Deku.

“Hey guys, how’s it going?”

Deku, Todoroki and Kirishima turned to see who’d addressed them: it was none other than Kyoka Jiro, who was wearing an Anvil Metal on Metal tank top, a denim skirt, red and black-striped leggings and black leather tanker boots.

“Hey Jiro!” said Deku. “We’re doing fine!”

“Glad to hear it! And I’m especially glad to see you, Todoroki!”

“The pleasure is likewise!” Todoroki waved at Jiro. “Although I must admit, I’m surprised to find out that you’re into Anvil, too!”

“Well, I’m mainly into alternative metal, but I’ll listen to pretty much anything. Besides, these guys influenced a bunch of bands.”

“I’m not surprised. By the way, may I ask you something?”

Jiro nodded. “Shoot.”

“Are you not jealous of being less well-endowed than the other girls?”

Jiro smiled and did a dismissive wave off to the side. “Not at all! As far as I’m concerned, smaller boobs are better because 1. I don’t have as many back problems, and 2. I don’t get stared at as much like you.”

Todoroki did a brief lookaround, but couldn’t really see anyone staring at her.

“I was unaware that this was a thing, and I’m confused as to why people would stare at me,” said Todoroki.

Jiro chuckled. “Come on! Lots of guys have a thing for big boobs! They see it as a sign of true womanhood!”

Todoroki crossed her arms. “I still don’t get how the size of one’s breasts is an indicator of womanhood, but if guys want to stare, then let them stare. I’ll break them if they touch me the wrong way.”

Kirishima chuckled nervously. “Todoroki, I’m glad you’re more assertive, but why don’t we concentrate on how much fun the concert’s gonna be?”

Todoroki loosened her stance and nodded. “Right.”

Deku, Todoroki, Kirishima and Jiro all took their seats in the arena, which were right next to each other. They weren’t in the “nosebleed section”, but they certainly weren’t right next to the stage, either. Then, an MC came up to the stage:

“All right, Musutafu, are you ready to rock!?”

The crowd cheered.

“I said, are you ready to rock!?”

The crowd cheered louder this time.

“Come on, let’s make some noise!”

The crowd cheered even louder.

“That’s what I like to hear! All right, give it up for our opening act, straight from Toronto, Canada: Skull Fist!”

The crowd cheered, and despite not expecting Skull Fist, Deku and Todoroki nevertheless had a good time headbanging to their stuff. Conversely, Kirishima and Jiro knew that this was to come, and they also enjoyed this band. Overall, the crowd seemed to really enjoy Skull Fist, and one of the more popular tunes seemed to be “Heavier Than Metal”. After they did their set, the MC came back up.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and people of alternate gender identities, here’s the band you’ve all been waiting for. Also from Toronto, it’s…Anvil!”

The crowd cheered really loudly this time as Anvil kicked off their set with “March of the Crabs”, a short instrumental from their 1982 album Metal on Metal. After this tune, lead singer/guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow thanked everybody for coming to the concert and expressed his gratitude for being here, and after some humorous banter, him and the band continued the set with the first cut off their 1981 album Hard ‘N’ Heavy: “School Love”. Overall, Anvil’s set consisted of classics such as “666”, “Bedroom Game” and “Free As the Wind”, plus newer material such as “This Is Thirteen”, “Badass Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Ghost Shadow”, with Lips entertaining the crowd with his banter in between songs.

One particular highlight came when Lips told the crowd a story about meeting Lemmy in 1983 while touring the UK and getting extremely drunk – much to Lemmy’s amusement – after which he snorted something that the Motörhead frontman/bassist offered him, thinking it was cocaine, only for it to be speed. Lips even did a dead-on Lemmy impression at times. Lips even recounted fawning over Lemmy and how the rock god told him that somebody else would be fawning over him was well, and sure enough, Lips ended up meeting the members of Metallica later that year.

Another highlight came during the band’s performance of “Mothra”: during an extended instrumental break, Lips did his trademark trick of playing his guitar with a vibrator. In particular, Kirishima and Jiro laughed when he did this, while Todoroki looked on curiously, but nevertheless finding the trick fascinating. Deku had a bit of a curious giggle at the whole thing. Finally, Anvil closed out their set with what was perhaps their trademark song: “Metal on Metal”. The crowd got into it so much that not only did they sing the choruses – with Todoroki even singing along to the entire song – but also the ending chants of “metal on metal”. Overall, it would be an unforgettable experience for all.

===

After the concert, everyone was still feeling the rock power, but perhaps none more than Todoroki:

“Kirishima, thank you AGAIN for inviting me and Deku to this concert! I’ve always enjoyed listening to Anvil’s music, but this is my first time seeing them live, and it was a very nice performance!”

Kirishima gave a thumbs up. “You’re welcome, Todoroki! Glad you and Midoriya could be here!”

“I’m glad, too!” said Deku.

“Yeah, it’s nice to see you open up more, Todoroki!” said Jiro.

“Well, that was mainly because of Deku, although there is one other person I’d like to thank…”

“Who?”

Todoroki smiled and gave Jiro a big hug. Despite not expecting this gesture, Jiro gladly returned it and greatly enjoyed Todoroki’s touch, although there was one thing she had to speak up about…

“OK, Todoroki, I think I’m starting to become jealous of your boobs now.” Jiro’s face was smooshed against Todoroki’s chest.

“Then be jealous. You’re still a friend to me!”

“That’s nice, but I’m gonna have to ask you to let go now.”

Todoroki did so.

“Hey, can I have a hug too?” asked Kirishima.

“Of course!”

Todoroki gave Kirishima a big hug, which he also returned with a smile on his face. While he’d been aware of her ever since he joined UA, never in a million years did he imagine they’d get to this point, and now he saw some of what Deku saw in her. Soon enough, they let go.

“Ya know, Todoroki, it makes me feel happy that you’re in such a good mood! If only Bakugo was as cheerful as ya…”

“Well, I may not have an explanation for Bakugo, but I can’t thank my sweet little Deku enough for what he’s done!”

Todoroki gave Deku a hug and kiss, which he gladly returned. Kirishima and Jiro let out a collective “awww” when they witnessed this. Neither Deku nor Todoroki particularly minded this, because they knew that their friends only had very good intentions for them. Soon enough, they broke away.

“Hey, I’m gonna get goin’ now.” Kirishima waved at Deku and Todoroki. “Thanks again!”

“Yeah, see you back at the dorms!” Jiro waved as well.

“Bye!”

Deku and Todoroki waved at their friends as well.

“OK, I think Anvil is one of my new favorite bands now!” said Deku.

“Glad to hear you’ve taken so well to them!” said Todoroki. “I like sharing my favorite things with my favorite people!”

“Me too!”

And so, Deku and Todoroki headed back to the dorms, each with an arm wrapped around each other, not only basking in the afterglow of tonight’s fun, but looking forward to whatever fond memories they’d have in the future.

Chapter Text

A crisp fall chill permeated the air, and Deku and Todoroki were driving up a winding road on Mount Kenashi. Eventually, they reached a cabin in a small clearing, which looked like a traditional Japanese home on the outside. When they got out of Todoroki’s ’72 Oldsmobile, they had a good stretch.

“Ah, nothing like fresh mountain air!” said Deku. “And it was nice of Endeavor to let us use his cabin, too!” He stroked his chin. “Although…I have to wonder why he agreed to this if you two don’t get along too well…”

“Well, my father was in a tolerable mood for once. Besides, who says that he needs to know about you?”

Deku chuckled. “Good point!”

Despite the cabin’s traditional look, when they got inside, they found a few modern conveniences, such as a TV and a large selection of books. There was also an irori, a type of Japanese fireplace sunken into the middle of the floor that could be used for various purposes, including cooking, clothes drying and just heating the house. As soon as Deku and Todoroki got inside, they sat down on a mat in front of the irori, while Todoroki put some kindling in and used the Hot half of her Quirk to light a fire.

“So, what are we going to do now?” asked Deku.

Todoroki grabbed a canvas bag. “I decided to make a batch of my special zaru soba for both of us! Deku, would you mind helping me with this?”

“Not at all! Just tell me what to do and I’ll do my best!”

“First, fill that pot with water.”

Deku did so.

“OK, hang it over the fire now,” said Todoroki.

Deku hung the pot on an iron rod encased within a bamboo tube, after which Todoroki put the noodles in. Deku sat down, while Todoroki turned on a timer on her phone and wrapped an arm around Deku.

“Deku, thanks for coming along with me! You make everything worth it!”

Deku giggled. “You’re welcome! I could say the same of you, Shoko!”

“Oh, Deku!”

Todoroki laid her head on Deku’s shoulder. During this time, Deku reflected again on how things had changed between them. Even so, he still couldn’t help but shake that weird feeling about how he’d once known her in the guise of a boy. Still, he was willing to go along with the weirdness because he figured that it was a sign that he was truly attracted to her. Besides, she probably still felt weird about being a girl, too. Soon enough, the timer went off.

“OK, the noodles should be done by now,” said Todoroki. “Drain them, and I’ll run them under cold water. You get the seasonings ready.”

“Got it.”

Not sure of where else to drain the pot, Deku took it outside, being careful not to spill the noodles in the process. After that, he handed the noodles to Todoroki.

“Now bring the seasonings to a boil,” said Todoroki.

While Todoroki was rinsing the noodles under cold water, Deku whipped up some dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a saucepan and brought the whole thing to a boil. After letting the mixture boil for a bit, Deku removed it from the heat and set the pan down next to the irori, and Todoroki – who got back from rinsing the noodles – set them down next to the pan with the seasoning mixture and set another timer.

“So, would you like to snuggle?” asked Todoroki.

“Of course!”

And so, while waiting for the seasoning mix to cool to room temperature, Todoroki snuggled with Deku.

“I love snuggling with you!” said Todoroki.

“I love it when you snuggle with me, too!”

“Deku, you’re so cute!”

Deku giggled when Todoroki called him “cute”. While this wasn’t his first time snuggling with Todoroki, it still felt as warm and cozy as ever. Plus, with her voluptuous chest pressing against him, it felt like he had two large, squishy pillows to lean against. Eventually, the second timer went off, so Todoroki mixed the noodles with the dashi sauce before dividing them between her and Deku, after which she topped them with nori and green onions.

“Enjoy!” said Todoroki.

Deku dug into his soba and nodded as he took in the taste.

“Well, this isn’t my favorite food ever, but it’s very good, and I can see why you like it!” said Deku.

“I know, right? Ever since I was a little girl, this has been a major comfort food for me. Whenever I eat this, I don’t feel any sadness or pain. As a matter of fact, ever since you helped me to reveal myself as a girl, I feel like this has tasted even better!”

“Well, good, because I’m going to make you my favorite katsudon someday!”

“Awww, you’re so sweet!”

Deku and Todoroki continued to enjoy their meal. In particular, even though it wasn’t his favorite food, Deku had gained a positive association with zaru soba because Todoroki had once offered it to him when he was feeling edgy and sad from failing to rescue Eri. He figured that given the right moment, katsudon could have the same effect on her. After they finished the food, Todoroki grabbed two lowball glasses plus a bottle of Mitsuya Cider, which she poured into the glasses before offering one to Deku. She then held hers out to him.

“You remembered the custom of toasting!” said Deku. “So, what do you want to toast to?”

“To many more wonderful years of being together!”

“I’ll drink to that!”

Deku and Todoroki toasted, and they drank up. By this time, the sun was setting below the horizon.

“So, what do you want to do now?” asked Todoroki.

Deku turned his attention towards the bookshelf. “Well, one of my greatest fantasies has been to curl up and read a good book with a woman I really love…”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. “Who says it has to remain a fantasy?”

Deku blushed. “You’re right. Mind if I pick the book?”

“Not at all!”

“Cool!”

Deku broke free of Todoroki’s grasp and proceeded to pore through the bookshelf. When his hand hovered over one particular book, he thought he could hear vague chanting. His hand froze when he heard this, and he got chills up and down his spine. Nevertheless, he found the intrigue of that particular book to be more gripping than a vise, so he went for it again, only for the chanting to return. His hand froze again, and he got those chills, but even so, he ignored what should’ve logically been a sign of danger and just tore the book away from the shelf. In doing so, he heard the sound of something crashing against the wooden floor, so he looked down and found a Panasonic tape recorder, its battery door having been thrown off by the impact. After putting the battery door back on, Deku picked up the tape recorder and inspected the book. It was a brown book with a heavily-wrinkled  cover resembling a mutilated human face. On the spine, Deku could just barely make out the title: Naturom Demonto. He brought the book over to Todoroki.

“What have you got there?” Todoroki took the book and looked at it. “This is highly unusual.”

Deku shrugged. “I don’t know, but it was almost like the book beckoned me to read it.”

“Does that explain the tape recorder you’ve got there?”

“Well…why don’t we find out, my dear Shoko?”

Todoroki only smiled as she wrapped an arm around Deku, and they proceeded to read the book while snuggling with each other. Reading the book, however, proved to be a memorable experience…and not necessarily in a good way: after getting past the stained inner front cover and first page, they came across a series of Satanic images such as a goat’s head superimposed over an inverted pentacle and messages such as “ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO READ THIS TOME.” Todoroki readily expressed her disapproval:

“Deku, should we…maybe pick a different book?”

“I would, but I feel like the book doesn’t want me to.”

“Please, stop reading it! It’s scaring me!”

“I…I can’t! Plus…what about…”

Deku hit “PLAY” on the tape recorder, and a mysterious male voice began talking:

“It has been a number of years since I began excavating the ruins of Kandar with a group of my colleagues. Now my wife and I have retreated to a small cabin in the solitude of these mountains. Here, I continued my research undisturbed by the myriad distractions of modern civilization and far from the groves of academe. I believe I have made a significant find in the Kandarian ruins: a volume of ancient Sumerian burial practices and funerary incantations. It is entitled Naturom Demonto, roughly translated…Book of the Dead. The book is bound in human flesh and inked in human blood. It deals with demons, demon resurrection and those forces which roam the forest in dark hours of man’s domain. The first few pages warn that these enduring creatures may lie dormant, but are never truly dead. They may be recalled to active life through the incantations presented in this book. It is through recitation of these passages that the demons are given license to possess the living.”

Todoroki hit the “STOP” button on the tape recorder.

“What did you do that for?” asked Deku.

“Deku, I really don’t like this! Please, let’s read something else!”

“All right, we’ll read something else, but let me check out the rest of this tape first…”

Deku fast-forwarded through a good portion of the tape before hitting “PLAY” again, and this time, the mystery man recited the following incantation:

“nataS das, reffus su edam eh erehw dehsloot elttil a saw erehT. 666 uoy evig uoy evig lliw eH. nataS si rewop esohw, das em ekam dluow htap elttil esohw eno ehT. nataS teews ym ot s’ereh, on hO.”

“ENOUGH!”

Todoroki hit “STOP” on the tape recorder again, but this time, it seemed to be a bit too late, for the cabin shook quite a bit, and the fire in the irori went out.

“Deku, what is wrong with you!?”

Deku rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry! My curiosity got the better of me!”

“We have to get out of here!”

“Right!”

Deku and Todoroki bolted for the door, but they would soon find conventional escape impossible as branches had grown all around Todoroki’s Oldsmobile. Todoroki dropped her jaw and put her hands on her cheeks upon seeing this:

“What do we do now!?”

“There’s only one thing we can do: RUN!”

Deku led Todoroki in a run down the same road they took to get up to the cabin. By now, the sun had completely set. Unfortunately for them, their escape was cut short when a landslide blocked the road ahead of them.

“Stand back, Shoko, I’ve got this! DETROIT SMASH!”

Deku aimed a super-powered punch at the rock pile. Unfortunately for him, not only did the rocks not break, but he very nearly busted every bone in his hand. Undeterred, he headed back to Todoroki, and…”

“DELAWARE SMASH!”

No matter how hard Deku tried, the rocks just wouldn’t budge. Todoroki put a hand on Deku’s shoulder:

“Let me try. FLASHFREEZE HEATWAVE!”

Not even Todoroki’s massive superheated ice attack could lay a scratch on the boulders.

“Hang on, I’ve got another idea!”

Todoroki scooped Deku off his feet and used her ice to try to surf over the pile of boulders. However, even this was thwarted when a bolt of lightning struck Todoroki and caused her and Deku to hit the ground.

“Shoko, are you all right!? Wake up!” Deku shook Todoroki.

Todoroki groaned as she slowly got up. “OK, that hurt way worse than any pain I’ve ever been through.”

“Can you walk? We have to get back to the cabin!”

Todoroki put her hand on her head and rubbed it. “Are you sure? What if something’s waiting for us back there?”

“What choice do we have? It’s probably safer than staying out here in the dark!”

“Right!”

Todoroki stumbled to her feet, and though she had difficulty moving at first, she managed to get up to speed again thanks to Deku. As soon as they got inside the cabin again, Todoroki used her fire to relight the irori. Just then, she heard the sound of breaking glass behind her and turned around, only to see a grotesque-looking humanoid with blank white eyes, grayish-green rotting flesh and clawed hands. She shot a blast of ice at it to stop it, but it just slashed through.

“Deku, there’s a shotgun above the bed! There should be ammunition on the bookshelf, too!”

Deku rushed over to the bed, and sure enough, there was a Parker Model 1878 side-by-side double-barrelled shotgun hanging above it. Also, as Todoroki told him, there was indeed a box of shotgun shells on the bookshelf. Deku broke open the shotgun and loaded two shells in. He had to hurry, too, because even though Todoroki was doing a manageable job of holding off the mysterious monster, more just like it had shown up. With careful aim, Deku fired at one that was getting too close to Todoroki and stopped it. Thus, the cabin became a scene of absolute bedlam as Deku and Todoroki worked their damndest to hold back the monsters. Todoroki in particular seemed to be having trouble with the monsters because they proved resistant to her fire and ice. Only by grabbing a katana from a stand on a nearby table was she able to do any significant damage to them, for they died automatically once beheaded or otherwise had limbs removed. Overall, Deku and Todoroki seemed to do an all right job of holding off the monsters, but it was clear that unless they found another way to defeat the monsters, then they would get overrun. Despite this possibility, they elected to keep fighting, hopeful that they would end up the victors. However, hope would soon begin to ebb when one monster – despite Todoroki hacking its arm off with her katana – managed to scratch her face before dying.

“TODOROKI!” exclaimed Deku.

As if the wound wasn’t enough, Todoroki clutched her face and screamed as she underwent a horrifying transformation, ending up turning into one of the monsters herself.

“Kill…” said Todoroki.

His face paler than a ghost, Deku dropped the shotgun and backed away from Todoroki. On one hand, he didn’t want to kill her, but on the other hand, if she was allowed to continue living like this, then he too would become one of them. Thus, his eyes darted desperately around the room, fumbling for anything that would put an end to this living nightmare. Then…

“THAT’S IT!”

Doing a front flip over the monsters, Deku jumped onto the couch and grabbed the Naturom Demonto, also ejecting the tape from the cassette player. Grabbing both in one hand and backing away from the onslaught of monsters at the same time, he drew his hand back, and giving it all he had, he tossed the book and the tape at the irori. Fortunately for him, both landed square in the fire, and as they burned, beams of white light emanated from the monsters’ bodies, and they desperately grasped about, not wanting to perish. Soon, most of the monsters disintegrated into puffs of smoke, barring Todoroki, who crumpled to the ground and fell unconscious. Once the smoke cleared, Deku ran over to Todoroki.

“TODOROKI!”

Deku cradled her body in his arms and shook her.

“Please, wake up!”

Just then, he heard a low groaning sound, and he looked down to see Todoroki opening her eyes.

“Deku…?”

“TODOROKI!”

Deku embraced Todoroki tightly and cried his eyes out. Hearing this, she lovingly returned his embrace.

“It’s OK to cry, Deku! I’m right here! Let it all out!”

Deku continued to cry as he hugged Todoroki. While life-threatening situations were nothing new to either young hero, this was probably the first time that he genuinely felt like he was going to lose her forever, and to pull her back from the depths of eternity meant more to him than anything in his life. Despite the overwhelming sadness, though, he enjoyed the fact that crying made him feel more snuggly in her arms.

Although Deku’s unbridled sadness proved overwhelming for Todoroki, she nevertheless happily embraced him as he continued to cry. He had gotten her through some tough times, so she figured it was only fair that she be there for him in his hour of need. In this moment, she also came to understand why he wanted to be a hero so much and how important putting smiles on other people’s faces meant to him. Even after Deku stopped crying. Todoroki continued to hug him until he let go.

“Deku, thank you so much for saving me! I promise I’ll love you forever!”

Deku smiled. “And I’ll also love you forever, Shoko!”

Todoroki chuckled. “Here…”

Todoroki handed Deku some tissues, which he wasted no time in blowing his nose and drying his eyes with.

“So…shall we snuggle again?” asked Todoroki.

“Absolutely!”

And so, Deku and Todoroki snuggled with each other by the dying embers of the irori.

“Deku, why are you so cute?”

Deku chuckled. “Well, God must’ve known that we were going to meet, so he decided to make me into the cutest boy that any girl would ever have the fortune to be with!”

Todoroki giggled. “Oh, stop it!”

Deku smiled as the warm and fuzzy feelings overtook him. Even if it was hard to forget about the hellish events that came to pass, it was also difficult to forget about how happy he was that he saved Todoroki and how happy he was just being with her.

Chapter Text

Today was supposed to have been a simple day for Deku and Todoroki. It started when they’d been assigned to investigate an arms dealer known to have connections with the League of Villains. For the most part, the investigation had been going well…right up until they started suffering a series of what appeared to be random accidents, which escalated into a group of powerful villains pursuing them. No matter how hard the loving duo tried, they just couldn’t seem to defeat their foes, and tonight, they found themselves on the run yet again. They managed to make a narrow escape when Todoroki used both halves of her Quirk to break open a locked door. They then found themselves in a long, dark hallway, which Todoroki managed to help navigate using the light given off by her flames. Eventually, it led to a small room with what appeared to be electrical boxes.

“Let’s see if we can turn on some lights,” said Deku.

Deku and Todoroki opened a bunch of electrical boxes and flipped random switches. Sure enough, the lights came on, and when they exited the room, it became apparent where they were…

“I know this place!” said Deku. “This is the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall!”

“The mall? There should be plenty of places to hide, then.”

Deku looked down as his stomach grumbled. “Hopefully, there’s still some food here, too. I haven’t eaten much today.”

Thus, Deku and Todoroki made it a priority to find something edible as soon as possible. It was certain beyond all reasonable doubt that the food court would be closed, so they would have to find another source of comestibles. Fortunately, they found one before long: Uzaki’s Candy Store. Logically, they wouldn’t have been able to enter because of the retractable metal door placed over the storefront, but once again, Todoroki’s Quirk came to the rescue, and the two lovebirds headed inside and proceeded to gorge themselves on random candies: Smarties, Swedish Fish, Gummi Worms, M&Ms and such. Soon enough, they stopped filling themselves up, but they took some candy for later.

“That probably was no good for either of us, but I feel much better.” Deku smiled.

“I agree. Plus, I got to share in those treats with my favorite person ever!”

“Awww!”

Deku and Todoroki gave each other a kiss and a hug. They broke away and were about to snuggle up in a corner when Deku keeled over after a throbbing pain shot through his head.

“Deku, what’s wrong!?”

Deku clutched his head. “Something evil…it lurks in this building. I…I don’t know where, but…”

Todoroki knelt down next to Deku and wrapped her arms around him. “Listen to me: everything’s gonna be OK! Just take a deep breath!”

“God…so much pain…”

Todoroki continued to embrace Deku, and he did the same. Even if the pain didn’t go away, it did hurt a bit less with her holding on to him. Still, he could sense an evil presence somewhere in this building, and worse, he could sense that it was somewhere close by. His eyes filled with tears as he prayed for the pain to go away. However, his prayers would be dashed when he felt Todoroki tap him on the shoulder:

“Deku…”

Deku looked over to see what Todoroki was trying to signal him to: standing near them was a being who was human in almost every way except for his lack of skin. His muscles, organs and other visible parts had a bluish hue to them.

“You two…leave my domain immediately,” said the mysterious being.

Deku raised a shaky hand towards the mysterious being. “Please…don’t kill us! We only needed a place to hide!”

“That is unacceptable. You must leave immediately.”

“Whoever you are, please let us go,” said Todoroki. “My boyfriend is hurt.”

“My name is Electrocage. Your boyfriend’s pain is immaterial to me…as is yours.”

Todoroki got to her feet, as did Deku.

“Fine, if you won’t leave us alone, then we’ll make you leave us alone!” said Todoroki.

“Then…you will die.”

Now in fighting stances, Deku and Todoroki charged at Electrocage, Deku leading with a St. Louis Smash and Todoroki firing some ice at the demented being. Unfortunately, neither of those attacks had any appreciable effect, and Electrocage spread his arms apart, palms forward, and glowed. At that moment, a glowing blue cage with a grid pattern materialized around Deku and Todoroki.

“SHOKO, RUN!”

Despite the pain still throbbing in his head, Deku grabbed Todoroki’s arm and attempted to dash out the front door with her. Unfortunately, they were too late: by the time they made it out the door, the grid cage exploded in a blinding strobe flash, and Deku and Todoroki were blown off their feet as a massive jolt of electricity shot through their bodies. They survived, but were lying on the floor, struggling to get up after receiving such acute pain. Deku managed to get up first, and he shook Todoroki.

“Shoko, are you all right!?”

“Deku, I…I can’t move!”

“We gotta move! Electrocage is gaining on us!”

Sure enough, Electrocage had left the candy store and was rapidly walking towards Deku and Todoroki.

“Leave or perish,” said Electrocage.

Seeing that Todoroki still wasn’t moving, Deku hoisted her to her feet.

“Come on, let’s go!”

Despite Deku’s best efforts, Todoroki couldn’t stay on her feet, so he scooped her up and carried her bridal-style. Another cage formed around them, but it dissipated when Deku got out of Electrocage’s sight. However, it was clear that Electrocage wouldn’t remain out of sight for long when he began running after Deku and Todoroki. Even worse, the electrical villain could run faster than the green bean, especially considering the latter’s legs still felt a bit weak. When Electrocage got close enough, he attempted to form another cage around the two young heroes, but Deku ducked behind a directory board and again managed not to get shocked. However, it was clear that if him and Todoroki remained in this mall for too long, then they would eventually get electrocuted to death, so he beat his feet as fast as he possibly could, not particularly caring about where he was going so long as he could get him and her away from Electrocage. His efforts soon took him to the main entrance of the mall. Unfortunately, their hopes for an escape were dashed when they saw some familiar – and unwelcome – faces:

“So, you thought you could escape the Death’s Head Front?” said the leader of the villains, a tall man with white feathered hair, who was wearing a gray longcoat over a dark red T-shirt, blue jeans and black leather tanker boots. “You’re sadly mistaken!”

“I wouldn’t be here if I were you!” said Deku.

“Oh yeah? Why?”

Deku stepped aside, and Electrocage appeared on scene.

“More interlopers?” said Electrocage. “Have you no idea of whom you’re dealing with?”

“Yeah!” said the leader of the Death’s Head Front. “We’re dealing with some really pathetic sucker!”

The leader attempted to use his Quirk to bind Electrocage with chains, but the electrical madman simply broke them apart. Deku and Todoroki used this time to make a break from the others, while Electrocage used his Quirk on the leader.

“Hey, what the hell!?”

Once again, the leader attempted to attack Electrocage, but again, with a blinding strobe flash, he got horribly electrocuted. Seeing this, the rest of the villains scrambled to his aid.

“Boss!” said one villain, a bald, muscular man with red tattoos all over his body. “Wake up!”

“You’re gonna pay for that, asshole!” said another villain, a brunette with long, flowing hair and a dark pink bodysuit.

While the villains were vainly attempting to take out Electrocage, Deku and Todoroki were making a beeline for the electrical room and hallway where they’d originally entered. Fortunately for them, Electrocage kept his focus on the villains, and they made it out of the mall and a fair distance away before Electrocage could come back. They stopped running once they made it to the Id Café, and Deku set Todoroki down next to the building.

“Are you OK, Shoko? Can you walk?”

“Let me see…” Todoroki got to her feet, but obviously exerted herself in doing so. “I doubt I’ll be able to run very fast, but I think I can walk home.”

“Good.” Deku stroked his chin. “Though I gotta wonder: why did Electrocage help us back there?”

Todoroki shrugged. “He probably thought that the villains were a bigger threat than us. Regardless, I’m glad to be alive.”

Deku smiled. “As am I.”

Deku held Todoroki’s hand as he walked her back home. Later on, conducting his own independent research, Deku found out that Electrocage was a being that had manifested at some point after the first Quirks had manifested, inhabiting the electrical grid in the Kanto region. Also according to Deku’s research, Electrocage was a benevolent guardian, watching over the people in the various cities and towns in that region, but he much preferred sleeping at night and would turn violent if any lights or other electrical appliances were manually activated by intruders who happened to be in the building that he was sleeping in. Thus, Deku decided that maybe Electrocage had a fair deal going: don’t disturb him, and he won’t disturb you.

Chapter Text

Today seemed to be another peaceful afternoon for Deku as Todoroki was taking him on a quiet little drive through the countryside of Shizuoka Prefecture. While Deku loved being with Todoroki regardless, he loved riding with her in her ’72 Oldsmobile because not only did it have such a smooth ride, but also because the special edition velour seating was so comfortable. He didn’t even care that she was listening to Saxon’s “Rough and Ready” over the custom-installed cassette radio. Even if he wasn’t as big a metalhead as her, he was growing to appreciate NWOBHM through her playing it for him. Overall, the drive was going well. Then, at one point, Todoroki pulled over.

“Why are we pulling over?” asked Deku.

“The oil light came on. Something must be wrong.”

Todoroki and Deku got out of the car, only to notice a trail of oil coming from it.

“Damn it.” Todoroki shook her head. “I must’ve sprung a leak somehow. Deku, could you please lift the car?”

“Right!”

Deku lifted the front of the car, and Todoroki looked under it. Sure enough, one of the oil lines had sprung a leak.

“How far is it to the nearest town?” asked Todoroki.

Deku put the car down. “Let me see…” He pulled out his phone. “There’s a town called Tatun less than a kilometer away from here.”

“I guess we can push the car, then…”

Todoroki hopped in the driver’s seat and shifted the Oldsmobile in “NEUTRAL”, while Deku pushed the car. Sure enough, they came upon Tatun, a small mountainside town that was rather easy to miss if one wasn’t deliberately looking for it. While they were pushing the car, an Atomic Silver 2016 Lexus IS 300 stopped nearby. Seeing this, Todoroki stopped her car and nearly knocked Deku off his feet.

“Need me to call a tow truck?” asked the driver, a tall, older man.

Deku waved at the man. “It’s fine, really!”

“We just need directions to the nearest mechanic!” said Todoroki.

The man gestured out the driver’s window with his thumb. “Take the third left at Yamashita Street, head two blocks, take a right at Kaji Street, keep going and Okamoto’s Garage will be on your left.”

“Thank you!” said Deku and Todoroki.

“Just be careful; some really strange things have been happening here lately!”

Deku put his index finger on his cheek. “What sort of strange things, may we ask?”

“Well, there’s been a string of odd murders happening in the past few days. Me and my department are doing our best to investigate, but we haven’t turned up any solid leads.”

“Your department?” asked Todoroki.

“Oh, that’s right! I’m Superintendent Haruki Kishimoto, Head of the Tatun Police Station, Shizuoka Prefectural Police!”

“I’m Shoko Todoroki, and that’s my boyfriend Izuku Midoriya!”

“Hi!” Deku waved at Kishimoto.

“Nice to meet you both! Anyways, I have to get going; I have business at the main police headquarters.”

“Bye!”

Deku and Todoroki waved at Kishimoto before pushing the car to Okamoto’s Garage. A couple of employees turned heads as soon as the red/white Oldsmobile pulled in.

“Whoa, I’ve NEVER seen a car like THAT before!” said one employee, a muscular fellow with a beard.

“What seems to be the trouble?” asked another employee, a man of Todoroki’s height with average build.

“One of the oil lines sprang a leak,” replied Todoroki. “I’m not exactly sure how it happened.”

The shorter man gave a thumbs up. “OK, we’ll take a look. Can’t exactly guarantee when we’ll get the part considering no one’s ever brought anything like this over here, but we’ll do our best.”

“Thank you!” said Deku. “In the meantime, you wouldn’t happen to know any place where we could stay until the car gets fixed, would you?”

The man pointed to his right. “There’s the Miyaki Family Lodge just four blocks down that way. I’d be really careful if I were you, though.”

“So you know about the murders too?” said Todoroki.

The man nodded. “Everyone around these parts knows, but nobody knows exactly who’s to blame. Jun here has an idea, though…”

The muscular man known as “Jun” cleared his throat. “This wouldn’t be the first time anything like this has happened in this town. In the first year of the Meiji Restoration, a man known as Makoto Matsushita was arrested for the murders of six young women. He escaped an execution attempt and hadn’t been seen since. Supposedly, he started a family of cannibal murderers, but nothin’ definitive has been brought up.”

Deku and Todoroki gave Jun blank, frozen stares, and their skin turned whiter than a porcelain doll. No matter how many villains they’d faced, hearing stories like this was something they could never get used to, and to Todoroki, the answer was obvious…

“Deku…why don’t we find somewhere else to stay?”

Deku pointed his hand, palm-up, at Todoroki. “But what choice do we have? This must be the only place to stay for miles around!”

Todoroki sighed. “All right…I’ll stay at the motel with you, but on one condition…”

“Yes?”

Todoroki crossed her arms. “If we fall victim to the mysterious murderers, I don’t want you to cry to me about it, OK?”

Deku nodded and smiled. “Agreed!”

Deku gave Todoroki a big hug. As much as she loathed the idea of staying in a town where murders where done, she just couldn’t resist when her cute, green-haired boyfriend hugged her with his strong arms, so she hugged him back.

“Enjoy that hug while ya can,” said Jun. “It’s your funeral.”

Deku and Todoroki shook off Jun’s words as best as they could.

===

After grabbing a few things from the Oldsmobile, Deku and Todoroki headed down to the Miyaki Family Lodge. It was a small place, but there was at least one vacancy, so Deku and Todoroki checked themselves in and got set up.

“I’ve changed my mind,” said Todoroki. “As much as I dislike staying in this town, this room is cozy enough, so I’ll put up with it.”

Deku smiled. “Plus, you get to stay with a cute boy! How’s that?”

“Deku!”

Todoroki gently shoved Deku down on the bed and proceeded to kiss his brains out. Even if he could never quite get used to the tingly feelings he got from her kissing him, he enjoyed it nevertheless. Once she’d had her fill of smooches, she snuggled with him.

“Deku, promise me one thing…”

“Yes?”

“If we make it out of this alive, I want you to buy me a gift.”

“Any gift?”

Todoroki smiled. “Any gift!”

Deku smiled. “Anything for my sweet Shoko!”

“Awww!”

Just then, Deku heard what sounded like Todoroki’s stomach grumbling.

“Are you hungry, Shoko?”

Todoroki nodded. “Very!”

“Let’s see…” Deku broke out his phone. “Hey, how about that? There’s a restaurant right next to this motel!”

Todoroki smiled. “What are we waiting for, then?”

===

Deku and Todoroki went next door to the restaurant, called Hisakawa’s Eatery. It too was a small place with a counter and only a couple of small tables. They paid for their food at the machine and handed the tickets to an old guy with glasses at the counter.

“Welcome, you two!” said the old man. “Out here on vacation?”

Todoroki shook her head. “My car broke down, and they said it would take a while to fix, so we’re just staying here until it gets fixed.”

The old man raised an eyebrow. “Considering what’s been happening in this town, you might not sleep a wink.”

Deku nodded. “We’re aware of the murders. Still, we’ll be all right. As a matter of fact, we’re interested in finding out who’s responsible.”

Todoroki gave Deku an odd look.

“Good luck with that,” said the old man. “If the police couldn’t find anything, then I highly doubt either of you will fare any better.”

Deku lightly banged his fist on the counter. “But we’re still gonna try, no matter the cost!”

The old man nodded. “You’ve got spirit, kid. Thing of it is, you remind me of a hero I once knew. You’re not the son of the legendary All Might…are you?”

Deku dropped his jaw as his eyes widened, while Todoroki looked at him and had a bit of a giggle. After recomposing himself, Deku shook his head.

“No, I’m not, actually. As a matter of fact, I barely know my own father.”

“Oh?” The old man leaned in a bit closer. “Did he leave or what?”

“Well, he was posted on an overseas assignment some time after I was born, and the only contact I ever had with him was a series of letters I wrote to him.”

Todoroki gave Deku a curious look. “Funny, you’ve never told me about your father before. Still, based on what you’re telling me about him, you seemed to have a better relationship with him than I ever did with my father.”

The old man looked at Todoroki as well. “May I ask about your father?”

“My father – who is currently the top hero in Japan – not only treated me as a weapon to surpass All Might, but also insisted on making me pretend to be a boy since he wanted a boy instead of a girl.”

The old man shook his head. “It breaks my heart when parents mistreat their children. I expected better from a man like that.”

“Well, when you want to surpass All Might, you tend to lose sight of what’s really important. By the way, what’s your name?”

“I’m Hayato Hisakawa,” said the old man.

Todoroki smiled. “Nice to meet you! I’m Shoko Todoroki, and this is my boyfriend Izuku Midoriya.”

“How do you do?” said Deku.

Deku and Todoroki each bowed at Hisakawa. Shortly thereafter, their food was done.

“Enjoy, you two lovebirds!”

Okamoto handed Deku and Todoroki their food, and they wasted no time in chowing down. Within the first few bites, they nodded and let out “mmmms” of approval:

“OK, this is officially the BEST katsudon I’ve ever had!” Deku gave a thumbs up. “Even if there are strange murders going on in this town, I’ll DEFINITELY be coming back for more!”

“I know, right? This zaru soba is extremely good, too!” said Todoroki.

Hisakawa smiled. “Glad you two like the food!”

===

After finishing their meals, Deku and Todoroki were heading back to the motel when…

“HELP! HELP!”

The two of them noticed a middle aged woman with graying hair running down the street in a panic, so they headed over to her.

“What’s the trouble, ma’am?” asked Deku.

“My Yuki…somebody killed my Yuki!” cried the woman.

“We’re sorry to hear that,” said Todoroki. “May I ask who Yuki is?”

“H-he was my dog! WHY!? WHY WOULD SOMEBODY DO THAT!?”

The woman buried her face in her hands and continued crying. Todoroki gently approached her and gave her a big hug, which the woman returned. In the past, Todoroki never would’ve had the confidence to approach a stranger like this but with Deku’s influence rubbing off on her, things were different. It was also because of Deku’s influence that hearing this woman cry made Todoroki hurt. Nevertheless, she kept holding on because she found hugs to be very comforting, not only to give, but to receive. Eventually, the woman stopped crying, but she kept holding onto Todoroki for a bit before letting go.

“Thank you, young lady!” said the woman.

“You’re welcome.” Todoroki pulled out some tissues. “Here…”

The woman blew her nose and dried her eyes.

“Ma’am, if it’s all right with you…” said Deku, “…my girlfriend and I are training to become pro heroes, and we’d like to investigate the murder of your dog.”

At first, the woman stared at Deku as if he had two faces. Then, she sighed.

“Well…all right. I don’t see what good it’ll do, though.”

===

The woman lived within walking distance of the motel and the restaurant, so it wasn’t too much trouble for Deku and Todoroki.

“By the way, we forgot to introduce ourselves. I’m Izuku Midoriya, and my girlfriend is Shoko Todoroki.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hikari Uchiyama.”

Deku and Todoroki each bowed at Uchiyama.

“So, Uchiyama, where is your Yuki?”

Uchiyama sniffled a little. “He’s in the backyard, under a blanket. I’d be careful looking at him if I were you.”

Deku and Todoroki nodded before heading for Uchiyama’s backyard. Sure enough, there was a green blanket there, and when they lifted it up, they discovered Yuki – a Shiba Inu – whose corpse had numerous pieces of flesh stripped from it. Deku and Todoroki did their best not to regurgitate the contents of their supper upon witnessing such a horrific sight.

“Who would do something so horrific, and why?” said Todoroki.

Deku stroked his chin. “Judging by the way the flesh has been torn, I’d say that whoever killed Yuki also ate the animal. I can see a stab wound in the head, which means that the dog was killed with a knife or sword. If we could get a closer look at the stab wound, then maybe we could get some further insights.”

Todoroki waved her hands back and forth. “Forget it. I’m NOT getting that close to it, and if you even think of touching it, you’re washing your hands, understood?”

Deku nodded. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Holding his nose, Deku leaned in closer to look at where Yuki had been stabbed. He eyed the wound carefully, scrutinizing it from various angles. Then, after a minute’s worth of looking, he backed away.

“Well?” said Todoroki.

Deku stroked his chin. “Judging by what I saw, this dog was definitely killed by an uchigatana. Based on what else I’ve heard about the killers, if they have been breeding, then most likely, they’re Quirkless…unless they kidnapped people with Quirks and forced them to mate.”

Todoroki put a fist on her hip. “Then we’ll have to act quickly. Who knows where else they’ll strike next?”

“Right!”

Deku and Todoroki prepared to leave when Uchiyama approached them.

“Did you find anything?”

Deku nodded. “We think so. Listen, you might want to find somewhere to hide, just in case.”

“All right. You two be careful, OK?” Uchiyama clasped her hands together.

Todoroki nodded. “We will.”

Deku and Todoroki left.

“Where to now?” asked Todoroki.

“We go to the police. Even if Superintendent Kishimoto hasn’t been able to find anything, we may be able to help.

===

After punching in directions on his phone, Deku led Todoroki to the police station. On the way, they saw a group of people crowding around, making a commotion near some bushes, so they went to get a closer look. Upon doing so, they discovered a man’s body, beheaded and chewed up similarly to Yuki. Deku eyed the body carefully, but not too closely.

“This man was beheaded by an uchigatana,” said Deku. “The more of these bodies I see, the more I’m convinced that those stories I’ve been hearing are real.”

“So what do we do now?” asked Todoroki.

“Let’s keep going to the police.”

===

Eventually, Deku and Todoroki reached the Tatun Police Station. By now, it was getting dark.

“Can I help you two?” asked the officer at the front desk, a young woman with dark purple hair.

“We have information regarding the murders,” said Deku. “Superintendent Kishimoto might be interested, too.”

The officer gave a serious look and shifted in her chair slightly. “He’s supposed to be on business at the Prefectural Police Headquarters, but we called them not too long ago and they claim he hasn’t arrived.”

Deku nodded. “Thank you anyways!”

The officer smiled. “You’re welcome!”

Deku and Todoroki left the station.

“Something’s really off here,” said Deku. “If Kishimoto hasn’t arrived at his destination, then whoever’s responsible for the murders may have gotten him, too.”

Todoroki stroked her chin. “Do you really think the murderers would be foolish enough to attack a police officer, though?”

Deku pointed a hand – palm up – at Todoroki. “If they’re going around eating dogs and people, then would a badge really stop them?”

Todoroki nodded. “That’s a good point. How are we even going to find Kishimoto?”

Deku shook his head. “I don’t know. He could be anywhere by now. Odds are, he’ll probably…”

“HELP ME!” shouted somebody. “SOMEBODY HELP ME! I’M BURNING UP! OH GOD, HELP!”

Without delay, Deku and Todoroki hurried to the source of the shouting, and in doing so, they found somebody crucified to a tree on fire, burning brighter than an Olympic torch. Todoroki used her ice to extinguish the fire, afterwards, using just enough of her fire to melt the ice. They then removed the man from the tree, only to discover that it was Kishimoto. A few bystanders had shown up as well.

“What happened!?” said one woman.

“Smells like barbecued dog hair!” said one guy.

“I’ll go get some blankets and sake!” said another guy.

Meanwhile, Deku and Todoroki attended to Kishimoto, who was exhaling puffs of smoke from his lungs, not an easy task considering the burnt hair smell.

“Y-you’ve got…to stop…them,” said Kishimoto. “Please…you…m-might be…our…”

Kishimoto laid his head back, while Deku turned to Todoroki and shook his head.

“This is bad,” said Todoroki. “What do we do now?”

“We analyze the pattern that the murders took place in. If we can do that, then…”

“Hey, I got one!” shouted a mysterious male voice. “I GOT ONE! SOMEBODY GIVE ME A HAND!”

Deku and Todoroki rushed to the scene of the yelling, where they discovered an older man in his backyard with somebody caught in a bear trap. The trapped person was wearing rusted samurai armor and had diagonal black stripes painted on their face, and was carrying a katana.

“Is he one of the murderers?” asked Deku.

The old man nodded. “I think so.”

“Let me go, ya old bastard!” said the samurai man.

Deku looked at Todoroki and nodded. Todoroki proceeded to freeze the samurai’s feet.

“HEY! What the hell’s goin’ on here!?”

Deku took a step towards the samurai and shot a piercing glare into his eyes.

“You’re going to tell us everything you know about the murders, whoever you are!”

“I know nothin’!” said the samurai. “I’m innocent!”

“Shoko!”

Todoroki proceeded to freeze the samurai’s calves.

“Go ahead, turn me into an ice cube!” said the samurai. “I still won’t talk!”

Todoroki proceeded to freeze the samurai’s knees and thighs.

“Still not talkin’!”

“Is that so?” said Todoroki. “Perhaps this will convince you.”

Not only did Todoroki freeze the samurai man’s hands to prevent him from using his sword, but she lit a flame in her hands and approached him.

“HEY! Hey wait! What the hell are ya doin’!?”

Once Todoroki got close enough, she held her flaming left hand in front of the samurai’s crotch.

“Would you like to defy us still?” said Todoroki.

“WAIT! STOP! STOP! OK, I’ll talk!” The samurai was in tears. “Our hideout is in Mt. Yanbushi! I’ll even take ya there! Just don’t fry me or turn me into an ice cube!”

“Deku?” Todoroki turned to Deku.

“He’s telling the truth.”

Todoroki withdrew her fire hand and melted the samurai’s icy shackles, but not before grabbing his katana.

===

With the info they needed, Deku and Todoroki forced the samurai to lead them up Mt. Yanbushi. It was a rather perilous trek, mainly because daylight was almost gone, but so far, nothing had befallen them. However, Deku wondered just how far up the mountain the murderers’ hideout was located, especially considering the path they were taking wasn’t very well-marked. Nevertheless, he knew that this samurai was telling the truth, so he decided to put up with the trek. Eventually, they came upon the entrance to a cave, marked by a couple of dim lanterns.

“Stay here,” said the samurai. “They’re expecting me.”

Deku and Todoroki did as they were told, while the samurai entered the cave.

“Suisei, you’re late!” said a mysterious older male.

“Yeah, where the hell have ya been!?” said a mysterious older woman.

“Sorry, Papa Mokusei and Mama Kaiosei,” said Suisei. “I was almost ambushed by the local authorities.”

“Papa, Mama!” said a young woman. “Suisei’s lost his katana!”

“How DARE ya lose your weapon!?” said Papa Mokusei. “That’s a treasured heirloom!”

“I-I’m sorry, I…I musta dropped it when I was runnin’ away!” said Suisei.

“YOU BASTARD!” shouted Papa Mokusei. “You’ve killed us all!”

“Hey Pops, can I chop this dumbass’ head off?” said a young man.

“Keep your mouth shut, Dosei!” said Papa Mokusei. “If anyone’s gonna punish him, it’s gonna be ME!”

While the murderers were still arguing, Deku tapped Todoroki on the shoulder and nodded, after which they proceeded to charge into the cave, which was quite well-lit.

“DETROIT SMASH!”

With a single punch, Deku knocked down a samurai with a long beard, whom he presumed to be Papa Mokusei. The other murderers took notice of this:

“INTRUDERS!” Mama Kaoisei – an older woman with random-colored splotches painted on her face – pointed at Deku and Todoroki. “KILL THEM!”

Immediately, the cave turned into a massive frenzy as Papa Mokusei, Mama Kaiosei and their cannibal children attempted to kill Deku and Todoroki. Upon seeing Deku’s Blackwhip in addition to Todoroki’s fire and ice, though, most of the children scattered, being without Quirks of their own as Deku had predicted. However, one of them raised his sword, which gave off a bluish-green glow, and he swiped at them, shooting a laser bolt in the process. Another one turned her fingers into bandage-like appendages and attempted to restrain Deku and Todoroki. As for Papa Mokusei, he turned into a giant ball and attempted to crush the two lovebirds, while Mama Kaiosei turned into a wolf and charged at them. Despite the intense odds, Deku and Todoroki fought on. Deku caught Papa Mokusei with Blackwhip and hurled him against the wall, though he had to dodge another sword laser. As for Todoroki, she managed to freeze Mama Kaiosei, but nearly got caught by some bandages. Fortunately, an expertly timed blast of flame saved her. As the battle raged on, the Quirkless children easily gave up, but the others staunchly refused to surrender, especially Papa Mokusei, who briefly turned back into a human to chew out Deku and Todoroki:

“YOU! Release my wife from your ice…NOW!”

“Not until you surrender!” said Todoroki.

“Then, you will DIE!”

Papa Mokusei changed back into a ball and charged at Deku and Todoroki, who managed to evade him and take down the other two children who had Quirks. The family patriarch was proving to be quite a tough customer, much to Todoroki’s concern:

“Deku, how do we stop him!?”

“Think: a lot of transformation Quirks are temporary, aren’t they? Let’s just stay alive until he turns back into human form!”

“Right!”

Despite the odds, Deku and Todoroki kept using their Quirks on Papa Mokusei. Deku’s Delaware Smash and Blackwhip seemed to do a good job of at least diverting the villain, and Todoroki’s fire and ice at the very least slowed him down. Nevertheless, Papa Mokusei kept going. As Deku had predicted, however, he eventually had to change back to his regular form, which was the perfect opportunity for Deku to hold him down with Blackwhip and Todoroki to cast a more permanent restraint with her ice, also restraining others who were unbound.

“What sort of sorcery is this!?” said Papa Mokusei. “Lemme go!”

“No!” said Deku. “You’re going to Tartarus, and you’re gonna stay there for a LONG time!”

“YOU BASTARD! YOU WON’T GET AWAY WITH THIS!”

Deku opened his mouth to say something else, but was distracted when he heard Todoroki drop something.

“What was that?” said Deku.

“Yaoyorozu made me some emergency beacons, so I set one so the police can find these guys.”

“Shouldn’t we wait until they arrive, though?”

Todoroki nodded. “A wise decision.”

And so, Deku and Todoroki waited until the Shizuoka Prefectural Police could arrive. Even if it was going to be a while until Todoroki’s car would be fixed, at least they could rest easy knowing that they stopped this gang of cannibalistic killers.

Chapter Text

The cloak of night had been well and truly draped over Japan, and being that it was the day of All Hallows’ Eve, Deku and Todoroki were taking part in the ages-old custom of trick-or-treating. Deku was dressed up like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, and Todoroki was dressed up like Belle.

“You know, even with that monster makeup on, you’re still very handsome!” said Todoroki.

Deku smiled. “I mean, wasn’t that the point of the movie, to show that there is beauty in everything?”

“Deku, what are you saying?”

Deku gave a mischievous smirk. “What? I’m not saying that my dear Shoko looks drop-dead gorgeous in that costume!”

Todoroki gasped. “Wait…people will die because I look gorgeous!?”

Deku laughed. “No, that’s an expression! It means you look so extremely gorgeous!”

Todoroki giggled. “Come here, you little beast!”

Todoroki wrapped her arms around Deku and kissed him. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be with her in a grand ballroom slowly dancing with her to “Beauty and the Beast (Tale As Old As Time)”. However, his little fantasy was interrupted by a flash of light as well as a girlish giggling. The two lovebirds looked over to see a short, buxom young lady with her hair in a pixie cut. Not only was she wearing a strapless thigh-high dress, but she was bathed in an ethereal bluish-purple glow.

“Who are you?” asked Deku.

“Greetings, earthly travellers. I am Mademoiselle Veillée de la Toussaint, the goddess of All Hallows’ Eve, more commonly known to you as Halloween.”

“But why are you visiting us?” asked Todoroki.

“I visit all who honor me on this day and the next. I am especially interested in those who honor me as loving couples.”

Deku smiled. “Awww, that’s sweet of you! So, how did you happen upon us?”

Mademoiselle Toussaint chuckled. “I have a ‘sixth sense’ that draws me to people who are romantically involved with one another. It makes me very happy to see such young folks as yourselves professing your love for one another. Now come, join hands with me and receive my blessing.”

Deku looked at Todoroki, smiled and nodded. Seeing that her boyfriend put his trust in Toussaint, she too smiled, and they joined hands with each other before joining their remaining hands with Toussaint. Shortly after doing so, they were enveloped by a blinding bluish-purple glow, and throughout their bodies, they could feel a tingling sensation similar to orgasm, but not as earth-shakingly intense. Still, Todoroki gasped when she felt this tingling. It was only when Deku slightly increased his grip pressure on her hand that she kept holding on. As a side effect of the tingling, the romantic couple also felt the heat and redness in their faces. As powerful as the whole experience was, it didn’t last forever, and when the blinding glow dissipated, Toussaint let go of both of them.

“This blessing will ensure you good health and good fortune, and it will remain throughout your whole lives so long as you continue to love one another,” said Toussaint. “Now, I must depart; there are others still waiting to receive my blessings as well.”

Deku smiled and waved at Toussaint. “Bye! Thanks for the blessing!”

Todoroki waved as well. “Yeah, it was nice meeting you!”

“You’re welcome!” Toussaint waived at both of them. “Have a happy holiday tonight and the next day!”

With another blinding flash, Toussaint disappeared into nothingness. Deku and Todoroki then looked at each other.

“Well, that was really lucky of us!” said Deku.

Todoroki nodded. “It was, but…will we really be able to maintain the blessing for that long?”

Deku smiled. “Why not? I mean, we love each other very much, and I could never, ever see myself leaving you for another girl!”

Todoroki smiled. “Fair enough. I mean, you are the kindest, loveliest boy I’ve ever met, and I do owe much to you.”

“As I do to you!”

Deku clasped Todoroki’s hands together with his own, and he stared lovingly into her eyes for a bit before kissing her again. In his opinion, she was sweeter than all the candy that had ever been confected.

Chapter Text

In contrast to how he usually slept and woke up, Deku decided to wake up early to catch a taste of the Musutafu sunrise. After eating breakfast, he was drinking a cup of his favorite Sencha green tea when he heard knocking on his door.

“Coming!”

Deku opened his door, and…

“Good morning, Deku!”

Standing at his doorstep was none other than Todoroki, who was dressed in a red sports bra, white vintage-style running shorts with red stripes, and red/green/white running shoes. Deku smiled and did his best to keep his composure even though he couldn’t help but notice how drop-dead hot she was.

“Hey Shoko, what brings you here this morning?”

“Well, I was going on a morning run, and I wanted to invite you along!”

Deku gave a thumbs up. “Great! Just let me get ready…”

===

After brushing and flossing, Deku dressed up for his run, wearing only a pair of aqua green running shorts and his favorite red kicks. Then, him and Todoroki went out for a run. While Deku enjoyed feeling the breeze against his skin while running, it somehow felt cooler and more refreshing with Todoroki by his side. As much fun as he was having with this run, however, he couldn’t help but think about how uninhibited she seemed in her current outfit. As far back as he’d known her, she’d struck him as the type to dress more modestly. He figured that all the love and support that he – and by extension, the rest of Class 1-A – had given her had also raised her confidence to the point where she couldn’t care less about what people thought about her mode of dress, and he admired confident women, especially considering that he thought she had a nice body.

“Thanks for joining me, Deku! I love running, but I feel like this is more fun with you joining in!”

“You’re welcome! I’m only too glad to do this!”

Todoroki’s look grew more serious. “There is, however, one thing I can’t really get over…”

Deku’s look turned serious, too. “What?”

“As much as I love running, it was really hard to find a sports bra in my size. I looked in every store that I could in this country, and all of the ones I found were too small for me, so I had to import the ones I bought.”

“That’s odd. You’d figure that with girls like you, Yaoyorozu, Ashido and Hagakure that more Japanese sportswear companies would offer sports bras in larger sizes.”

“I figured too, but I guess not.”

“On that note, you don’t mind me asking you a question, do you?”

“Go ahead.”

“What is your size, anyways?”

Todoroki smiled. “I’m an F90*.”

Deku nodded. “I see.”

“That aside, I really love this sports bra because not only is it comfortable, but it’s very supportive.”

“I wouldn’t know too much about that, but I’m glad you found one that’s right for you.”

“Deku, you’re so sweet!”

After running for a bit, Todoroki gently tugged at Deku’s arm, so he stopped when she did.

“Yes?” said Deku.

“Why don’t we take a break for now?”

Deku nodded. “OK.”

Todoroki led Deku to a nearby bench, which happened to be facing Dagoba Beach. There, they sat down, and Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku.

“You wanted to see the sunrise?” said Deku.

“Of course! I’ve been waiting for a good opportunity to see the sunrise with my favorite guy!”

Deku wrapped an arm around Todoroki. “And you said I was sweet! Well, I was on my way to catch the sunrise when you showed up!”

“Then that works out perfectly for both of us!”

And thus, Deku and Todoroki basked in each other’s company as they watched the sun rise over Musutafu. It was the perfect cherry on top of their exercise sundae.

Chapter Text

Today, Deku and Todoroki were taking a trip like no other. More precisely, they were taking a trip to Washington D.C., the capital of the United States of America. However, this wasn’t just any day of the week. Rather, it happened to fall on a certain November day. The number of security measures they had to go through at Dulles Airport was bewildering, but the two lovebirds put up with it all because both of them were excited to see the land of the free and the home of the brave. Finally, after getting out of the airport terminal, Deku hailed a cab.

“Where to?” asked the cab driver, a tall Black man.

“The World War II Memorial, please,” said Deku.

And thus, the cab driver drove off.

“So, where you two from?” asked the cab driver.

“We’re from Japan, more precisely a city called Musutafu,” said Deku.

“Japan? Didn’t think anybody from there would wanna visit the World War II Memorial.”

Todoroki shrugged. “I still don’t get it, either. Why are we going there again, Deku?”

“I’m not only doing this as a way of paying respects, but as a way of putting the ruins of the past behind us and ushering in a new era of peace and love.”

“Does that also explain the wreath you brought with you?”

Deku smiled. “Yep!”

The cab driver smiled. “Yeah, that’s good stuff! They teach a lot about World War II over there?”

Deku frowned and shook his head. “They only covered it briefly, if at all. I had to do a lot of research for myself, and I was horrified by what I found out about Japan’s role. Rather than getting angry at my home country, however, I decided to look back on my own life and how Japan was able to move forward, and I feel like I owe much to America for that.”

“Hey man, America did some pretty bad stuff too.”

Deku nodded. “I’m aware of this, but the way I see it, all the good things that America’s ever done far outweigh the misdeeds in its past.”

“Sounds like you’re a pretty optimistic dude!”

Deku smiled. “Well, I always wanted to be the kind of guy who could put smiles on people’s faces even when things looked bad, and I see this as another opportunity to make someone’s day!”

Todoroki smiled. “Deku, you’re so sweet!”

===

Eventually, the cab reached the World War II Memorial. Deku paid the fare, and him and Todoroki headed to the grounds of the memorial. Straight ahead of them was the Rainbow Pool, still standing after the memorial had been put up, albeit sunk slightly lower into the ground. On either side were a series of granite pillars, each inscribed with the name of one of the 48 states that were part of the US at the time of World War II, plus the names of US territories such as Hawaii, the Philippines and Guam, for a total of 56 pillars, 28 on each side. Also on each side was a large arch, one marked “ATLANTIC” and the other “PACIFIC”, representing the two theaters of the war. Deku led Todoroki to his left, towards the Pacific Arch. Along the way, they saw various scenes of the war depicted in bas relief, such as prospective servicemen getting physical exams, taking the oath of service and being issued their gear. Once they reached the arch, Deku laid his wreath at the base of the arch.

“Well, hello there!” said a mysterious male voice. “Come to pay your respects?”

Deku and Todoroki turned to see who’d addressed them: an old man wearing glasses, but not just any old man. He was dressed in a green-and-khaki US Marine Corps Service “A” uniform with various medals on the left breast, including the famed Medal of Honor. Deku smiled when he saw the man.

“Hi!” said Deku. “Yeah, we came all the way from Japan!”

“Japan?” The man raised his eyebrows and put his hands over his heart as he dropped his jaw. “Well, I’ll be! When I was serving in the Marines, I never imagined that the Japanese would come here years later to honor my service! God bless you young folks!”

“You served in the Marines?” said Todoroki. “So you must be a World War II veteran, then.”

“Exactly. I’m Gunnery Sergeant Ernie Carruthers, 1^st Battalion, 7^th Marines.”

Deku waved at Carruthers. “Pleased to meet you! I’m Izuku Midoriya, and this is my girlfriend, Shoko Todoroki!”

Todoroki smiled. “How do you do?”

Deku and Todoroki each shook hands with Carruthers.

“You two have good handshakes,” said Carruthers. “My daddy always said that a good, firm handshake was a sign of honesty and good character.”

Deku smiled. “Interesting! So, where are you from, Mr. Carruthers?”

“Please, call me Ernie! I was born in Cranston, Rhode Island, and I’ve lived there ever since.”

“Interesting,” said Todoroki. “What made you want to join the Marines?”

“During the Great Depression, I knew I wanted to do something with my life, but I wasn’t sure what. Then, Pearl Harbor happened, and immediately after that, I enlisted. I remember my first assignment was at the Battle of Guadalcanal. I took part in the battle of Henderson Field, and we came under heavy fire from the enemy. One of our machine gunners was killed, and we lost the tripod for the gun, so I grabbed the gun myself and used one of my buddies’ shoulders as a tripod. He suffered some pretty bad hearing loss, but we held the enemy off long enough to claim victory.”

Deku and Todoroki had been listening in awe at Carruthers’ story. Even if they hadn’t experienced war firsthand like he had, the way he talked about it reminded them of their own experiences as young heroes-to-be.

“Fascinating!” said Deku. “So, what did you do after the war?”

“I married a girl I knew since middle school and had a family. For several years, I worked at Electric Boat in North Kingstown.” Carruthers stroked his chin and briefly averted his gaze. “Funny how things work out, isn’t it? When I was in the Marines, I never imagined I’d live to see the end of the war, never mind living to 100.”

Todoroki’s eyes widened. “You…you’re 100 years old?”

Carruthers nodded. “101, to be exact. I celebrated my birthday yesterday.”

Deku smiled. “Happy birthday!”

“Thank you. Honestly, I don’t think much of it anymore since my wife died, but even so, I consider each day that I’m alive to be a gift from God.”

“Considering what Deku and I have been through, I’ve been trying to be grateful for each day that comes, too,” said Todoroki.

“Oh really? Are you two training to be pro heroes?”

Deku’s eyes widened. “How did you guess!?”

Carruthers lightly shook his index finger. “I’ve seen that look in your eyes before. I’ve heard my own tales about pro heroes over here in the US, and when I think back to the day that Quirks first came about, I see my own story happening over and over again. It breaks my heart to hear stories of young kids using their Quirks for evil.”

Todoroki raised her right hand. “Believe me, Ernie, Deku and I would never use our Quirks for evil. After all the love and support that Deku’s given to me, I wouldn’t even dream of doing that.”

“Then you two are very wise young folks. Perhaps one day, you two will start your own family like Marjorie and I did.”

Deku smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I love Shoko very much, but we’re not really ready to have a family just yet!”

Carruthers smiled. “Who says you have to start one right now? You have plenty of time!”

“Good point.”

“Anyways, do you two mind if we exchange E-mail addresses?” Carruthers produced a notepad and a pen. “I’d like to keep in touch, but I don’t really make a lot of phone calls anymore.”

Deku and Todoroki looked at each other briefly.

“Sure!” said Deku.

Deku and Todoroki exchanged E-mail addresses with Carruthers.

“Hey, Shoko and I have to get going now,” said Deku. “It was nice meeting you, Ernie, and thank you for your service!”

“You’re welcome! You as well, Izuku and Shoko!”

Carruthers saluted Deku and Todoroki, who returned the gesture.

“God bless you, Izuku Midoriya and Shoko Todoroki!”

“You as well, Ernie Carruthers!” said Todoroki.

Deku and Todoroki parted ways with Carruthers, choosing to explore D.C. for a bit before returning home. Unbeknownst to the two heroes in training, Carruthers passed away in his sleep a week after he’d met them. Even if he was no longer among the living, at least his soul could rest easy knowing that his sacrifices had made the world a better place for future generations. Deku and Todoroki would be able to rest easy, too, because no matter what the news people said, no matter what various self-serving politicians were devising, these two young folks knew that if they kept loving each other and fighting for the values of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, then the sacrifices that people like Carruthers had made would continue to mean something.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes had ended at UA, and Deku and Todoroki were spending the evening in the dorms sitting on one of the couches in the lounge area, doing nothing in particular but wrapping their arms around each other.

“So, what else do you wanna do today?” asked Deku.

Todoroki smiled. “I don’t know, what else do you wanna do today?”

“I don’t know, what else do you wanna do today?”

“I don’t know, what else do you wanna do today?”

Deku giggled. “I don’t know, what else do you wanna do today?”

Todoroki giggled. “I don’t know, what else do you wanna do today?”

“WILL YOU TWO IDIOTS SHUT UP!?” yelled Katsuki “Kacchan” Bakugo.

Todoroki giggled at Kacchan’s yelling, causing Deku to giggle as well.

“Shoko, why are you giggling at Kacchan?”

“I don’t know; I guess I think he’s cute when he tries to be angry!”

Deku gently shoved Todoroki. “Shoko, you’re so silly!”

“DEKU! TODOROKI!”

Deku and Todoroki temporarily broke away from their silliness to see who’d addressed them: it was none other than Eri. Both of them beamed when they saw her.

“ERI!”

Deku gave Eri a hug, which she gladly returned.

“Say, what’s that you have there?” asked Deku.

“Check it out!”

Eri unfolded a piece of paper, which she showed to Deku and Todoroki. It turned out to be a very childlike drawing of the two lovebirds together. Despite the obvious crudeness of the drawing, Deku and Todoroki still smiled when they saw it.

“I drew this because I’m really happy for you two!” said Eri.

“Thank you so much, Eri!” said Todoroki. “That’s really sweet of you!

“You’re welcome, Todoroki!”

“Problem is, which of us is going to keep it?” asked Deku.

“You keep it, Deku!” said Todoroki.

Deku frowned. “Are you sure about that?”

Todoroki smiled and wrapped an arm around Deku. “Deku, you saved my life! You deserve to have the original!”

Deku smiled. “OK, but I must insist on making a copy for you!”

“Oh, Deku!”

Todoroki gave Deku a kiss, and Eri giggled when she saw this.

“I hope you two get married and have a family!” said Eri.

Todoroki blushed and rubbed the back of her head, but kept smiling. “That’s awfully sweet of you, Eri, but I think I’m going to wait a few more years until I think about marriage.”

“Me too,” said Deku.

“By the way, Todoroki, can I ask you a question?”

“Yes, Eri?”

“I heard you used to be a boy. Is this true?”

“Not really. My father wished I was a boy, so he tried to dress me up as one and give me a boy’s haircut. However, it was because of Deku that I decided to come out as a girl.”

“Well, I like you better as a girl!”

Todoroki smiled. “I like me better as a girl, too!”

Deku smiled. “Shoko, I would still love you no matter who you were!”

“Awww!”

Todoroki gave Deku another hug and kiss, while Eri smiled, knowing that she was going to be among such good people for the foreseeable future.

Chapter Text

Lunchtime rolled around again at UA, and as usual, Todoroki was sitting with Deku. However, he couldn’t help but notice that she was merely poking at her zaru soba with her chopsticks:

“Shoko, you’ve barely touched your food. Is something wrong?”

“Sort of. I’m just really anxious at the moment.”

“May I ask why?”

“So, as we both know, the fact that I revealed that I’m really a girl has caused a real commotion around UA, so much so that I got called down to Principal Nezu’s office. He’s so proud of me that he recommended that I take part as a guest speaker at the Japan Pride Conference this year.”

Deku smiled. “Hey, that’s great!” His look turned more serious. “Why are you anxious about it, though?”

“See, the thing is…I’m not gay, so I have no clue why he wants me to speak there.”

Deku placed a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “You don’t necessarily have to be a lesbian, bisexual, pansexual or anything like that. I mean, your experiences could be an invaluable inspiration to the transgender community and people who struggle with gender identity.”

Todoroki paused briefly. Then, she stroked her chin.

“Actually, you’re right. I should go, shouldn’t I?”

Deku smiled. “Definitely!”

Todoroki smiled as well.

===

A month later, the Japan Pride Conference was being held at the Tokyo International Forum. Built on the site of the old City Hall, it had a total of eight halls for events, plus restaurants, shops and other facilities. Not only were members of Japan’s LGBTQ community in attendance, but members of the LGBTQ community around the world, and the center was practically packed. Todoroki would be speaking in Hall B7, and Deku was waiting off one side of the stage that had been erected. A few guests came before Todoroki, who was introduced by Kenshin Yamauchi, president of the Tokyo Prefectural Pride Committee:

“Thank you, everyone! Our next guest is the youngest daughter of Japan’s #1 hero, and she has come here to speak about her experiences with her gender identity. Without further ado, please welcome…Shoko Todoroki!”

The audience cheered, and despite having butterflies in her stomach, Todoroki stepped up to the podium as Yamauchi stepped back. She then delivered her speech:

“Good morning, everyone. My name is Shoko Todoroki. I’m a student at UA High School in Musutafu, training to become a pro hero. I’m here today because for the longest time, I was forced to pretend to be somebody I wasn’t, and I’m still dealing with the aftermath today.

See, when I was born, my father conceived me as the ultimate weapon, a hero to surpass the legendary All Might. However, he was hugely disappointed that his ultimate weapon turned out to be a girl, so from the moment he started training me, he forced me to present as a boy, giving me a boy’s haircut and dressing me up in boy’s clothes. In my early days of school, I felt like I didn’t fit in with the other students because they tried to give me boys’ toys to play with and they felt wrong to me, but I couldn’t play with dolls or anything like that because my father would’ve killed me if he found out. Puberty was probably the worst time in my life, because not only did my father force me to bind my quickly-developing breasts, but I couldn’t express my attraction to boys, so I spent every night crying myself to sleep.

Things changed when I got into UA, where I ended up meeting my boyfriend. At first, I was genuinely afraid of him because I didn’t want to upset my father by being friendly to him, but then the Sports Festival came, and I ended up facing my boyfriend during the battle tournament, where he gave me six very powerful words: “It’s yours! Your Quirk, not his!” In that moment, I realized that not only did I not have to hold back the Fire half of my Quirk because of the hatred I held for my father, but I also realized that I didn’t have to pretend to be a boy anymore.

My boyfriend ended up being the first person I told about my true identity. I remembered crying not only because I felt like a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders, but also because he just made me so genuinely happy to be alive and because his words meant so much to me. I was really scared about telling anybody else in my class, but my boyfriend did his best to encourage me, and it was such a huge relief when I got up in front of them and showed my true colors. The best part of this whole thing was when all the girls in my class came up to me and told me how proud of me they were, especially a girl whom I considered to be my best friend, and…” Todoroki began tearing up and gently pushed her hands forward. “Please excuse me for a moment.”

Todoroki pulled a tissue from her cleavage, dried her eyes, blew her nose and held the tissue against her face briefly. The crowd gave her a collective “awww”, suitably touched by her display of emotion. At one point, her gaze rested on Deku, who was smiling at her. He nodded at her, and she nodded back, which gave her the courage to keep going with her spiel:

“So anyways, I feel much better about myself now, but sometimes, being a girl feels weird to me. Whenever I put on makeup, for example, I find myself wondering why any girl would put herself through this, but I do it anyways because I like it when people tell me how beautiful I look. I just want anyone here who’s struggling with gender identity – trans, nonbinary and such – to know that it’s OK to feel whatever you feel in regards to your struggles. Coming to terms with one’s identity takes different amounts of time for everyone, and I feel so happy knowing that I’m not alone in my struggle. I hope my story can give you hope, too. Thank you.”

The standing ovation that Todoroki got was akin to the rumbling of ten thousand freight trains. Despite never having received such adoration before, she nevertheless smiled and put her hands over her heart, knowing that she was a person to be loved rather than a weapon to be feared.

===

After Todoroki’s speech, Deku came up to her:

“Shoko, that was great! You should be proud of yourself for standing up and making a difference for other people!”

Todoroki smiled. “Believe me, I am.” She rubbed the back of her head. “To be honest, I felt a little ashamed about crying in front of all those people, but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, too.”

Deku put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with crying! That’s what’s part of being a person is about!”

“Come here, Deku!”

Todoroki gave Deku another hug and kiss. No matter how many times she kissed him, he still felt quite warm and tingly.

“Hey, Todoroki!”

Todoroki turned around to see who’d addressed her: a thin young woman of average height who had rainbow-colored hair that mostly covered the right side of her head. She wore a black tank top, a black pleated skirt and black Doc Martens.

“Can I help you?” asked Todoroki.

“My name is Samantha Traverson, and I just want to say that your speech really meant A LOT to me. When I was growing up, I felt really alone, and some of your experiences reminded me what I went through as a trans woman.”

Todoroki smiled. “Well, I’m glad I could have a positive impact on you, and I’m really proud of you for staying strong despite the difficulties you faced!”

“Awww, thank you!”

Traverson gave Todoroki a big hug, which she gladly returned. Deku smiled, because even if Todoroki still felt weird about being a girl, he knew that she at least could stand up and be a positive force for change in this world.

“Deku! Todoroki! Glad to see you!”

Deku turned, and Todoroki broke away from the hug when they heard that familiar voice…

“Hey Uraraka!” said Deku. “How’s it going?”

“Well, it’s going really well considering I really enjoyed Todoroki’s speech! I’ve never suffered from gender identity issues, but hearing that made me feel more comfortable about identifying as a lesbian!”

Todoroki smiled. “I’m glad to hear that, Uraraka. And please, call me Shoko.”

Uraraka giggled. “Will do! By the way, I hope you don’t mind, but I taped your whole speech so I could show the rest of the class!”

Todoroki put her hand on Uraraka’s shoulder. “Not at all! If this can inspire anyone else in our class who’s part of the community, then by all means do so!”

“Thank you, Shoko!”

“No, thank you, Uraraka!”

Todoroki gave Uraraka a big hug, which the latter gladly returned. Deku kept smiling, genuinely proud of how far Todoroki had come and also knowing that she was going to be a great hero in more ways than one.

Chapter Text

It was a cool day in Musutafu, and Deku was doing a bit of shopping. He didn’t mind shopping too much because as far as he was concerned, it was good exercise. While he was cognizant of the fact that a villain attack could happen at any moment, he tried not to let the possibility consume every fiber of his being and just went on about his business. Given how smoothly things were going, though, he figured that this would just be another day.

“Excuse me…”

Deku figured wrong the moment he turned around. Standing behind him was none other than Enji Todoroki, Todoroki’s father, better known as the #1 hero Endeavor. Deku did his best to stay calm.

“Oh…hello, Endeavor. How are you doing today?”

“I’m doing all right. I do, however, need to have a talk with you, Deku.”

Deku began sweating nervously and trembling. “Um…about what?”

“I understand you’ve been dating my daughter Shoko for a few months now.”

“And…?”

Endeavor looked around briefly before leaning in closer to Deku, as if to whisper something to him:

“I’m actually really proud of both of you. Not only does it warm my heart to know that you’re treating her well, but it makes me happy knowing that she’s happier, too.”

Deku raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes. Don’t tell Shoko I said this. You understand?”

Deku nodded. “Yes, and I PROMISE I’ll keep treating her as well as I possibly can!”

“Good. Hopefully, you two will become the greatest heroes that the world has ever known. Have a nice day.”

“Um…you too!”

Endeavor walked away, while Deku stared at him, just wondering what had gotten into him. By all of Todoroki’s accounts, this man was a brutal, unforgiving father who only saw her as a weapon to become a greater hero than All Might. Why he was suddenly so proud of his creation was beyond the green bean, but eventually, he decided to stop puzzling it out and continue shopping.

“Hey, Deku.”

Deku spun around and yelped, only to find that a very familiar, very friendly face was behind him:

“Oh…hey Shoko! Glad to see you!”

“I’m glad to see you too, but…I saw you with my father. What did he want?”

“Oh, he just wanted to wish me luck in my career as a hero.”

Todoroki stroked his chin. “That’s strange coming from him, but understandable, I suppose.”

“Anyways, while we’re out, I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me.”

Todoroki smiled. “Sure!”

Deku and Todoroki held hands as they walked on. Despite the unusual encounter with Endeavor, Deku vowed to do his best and to help Todoroki do her best, too.

Chapter Text

Today was about as normal as it could get at UA, barring the fact that the students of Class 1-A were setting up the dorms for a party, more precisely, Mr. Aizawa’s birthday. Even if Aizawa hadn’t always agreed with his students, they liked him well enough that they figured a little celebration in his honor was warranted. At the moment, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki were helping to erect a “HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. AIZAWA” banner.

“Hey Todoroki, thanks again for your help!” said Yaoyorozu. “Honestly, I feel like everyone’s been better off since you revealed that you were really a girl!”

Todoroki smiled. “I certainly agree! And please, call me ‘Shoko’!”

Yaoyorozu chuckled. “Will do! You can call me ‘Momo’ too, if you want!”

Todoroki gave a thumbs up. “All right, then!”

Just then, Deku came over to the two:

“Shoko, YaoMomo, have either of you seen Iida around?”

“He said he was going to get Aizawa’s cake,” replied Todoroki. “Why?”

“I wanted to ask him something, but he hasn’t picked up his phone for a few minutes now, and I’m getting this weird feeling like something’s wrong.”

“Iida does take a bit of time to return calls when he’s running errands,” said Yaoyorozu. “I wouldn’t worry too much.”

Deku shrugged. “Understandable, but still…”

Just then, he heard the Facebook notification chime coming from his phone, so he opened up Facebook and found a most chilling news report from Fuji TV:

“In breaking news, Chizome Akaguro, better known as the infamous Hero Killer Stain, has escaped from Tartarus after a riot broke out among prisoners,” said anchorwoman Masami Ito. “Akaguro was initially imprisoned after…”

Deku froze. How somebody could break out of the world’s most secure prison was beyond him, but he knew that if nobody intervened in this situation, then one specific person would meet their inevitable doom, so the answer was obvious…

“Shoko! YaoMomo!”

Todoroki and Yaoyorozu had just finished erecting the banner when Deku called out to them.

“What’s going on, Deku?” asked Todoroki.

“Look!”

Deku showed Todoroki and Yaoyorozu the news report. They both gasped when they saw it.

“Oh no, this is bad!” Yaoyorozu clasped her fists to her chin.

Todoroki got into a fighting stance. “We have to stop him!”

“Then let’s not waste time!”

Feeling that every second counted in a situation like this, Deku, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu didn’t spend time putting their hero costumes on; they just put on their shoes and ran for the door.

“Hey, where are you guys going?” asked Tsu.

“Tsu, we think Iida might be in trouble!” replied Deku.

Tsu put down some party decorations that she was setting up. “Well, then I’m coming, too!”

“Me three!” said Kirishima.

“We thank you, Kirishima, but we’ll be all right,” said Todoroki.

“No! I gotta help out! Standin’ aside while our class prez is in trouble is unmanly!”

“Shoko, let Kirishima come along,” said Deku. “His Quirk could be very useful here.”

Todoroki nodded. “OK then.”

“Hey, what about the rest of us?” said Uraraka, accompanied by the rest of the 1-A students.

“Uraraka, you and the rest of the class stand by and keep decorating the dorm,” said Deku. “I’ll call if we need you.”

Uraraka gave a thumbs up and smiled. “Right!”

===

Meanwhile, Iida was exiting Tsurugi’s Cakes & More, humming Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3” while carrying the cake meant for Aizawa. Thus far, it was just a routine operation for him…right up until the part where he got snatched by a mysterious person and dragged into an alley at swordpoint.

“You remember me?” said an all-too-familiar voice. “I remember you…you and your brother.”

“You bastard! How did you manage to escape confinement!?”

“Let’s just say that there are people on the inside who care about me. Now, enough talk, it’s time I finished what I started.”

Stain attempted to slit Iida’s throat. However, he found his katana snatched out of his hand.

“What the hell!?”

Stain looked over to see who’d thwarted his pitiful attempt at revenge: it was Yaoyorozu, who’d swiped his katana using a bullwhip.

“Let our friend go!” said Yaoyorozu.

“In your dreams, girl!”

Stain attempted to wrap his arm around Iida’s neck. However, with a single “ribbit”, Tsu grabbed Iida with her tongue and pulled him away.

“That’s it!”

Stain charged at Yaoyorozu and attempted to land a punch on her. However, Kirishima stood in the way at the last second and used his Hardening Quirk to protect her. Stain screamed as he felt as though all the bones in his hand had been broken. Meanwhile, Todoroki froze his feet, while Deku used Blackwhip as a temporary restraint so Yaoyorozu could bind him with some rope that she created.

“Let me go!” said Stain. “Listen, I can get you anything you want; I know a guy!”

“We know a guy, too!” said Deku.

Iida dusted himself off. “Thank you all for coming to my rescue, but…how did you ascertain my whereabouts?”

Todoroki smiled and pointed her thumb at Deku. “You can thank my dear Deku for that. He’s the one who found the news report of Stain breaking out.”

Iida smiled. “A most exemplary display of decisiveness, Midoriya! Perhaps you truly will become the world’s greatest hero!”

Deku smiled and rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah…of course!”

Still smiling, Todoroki took a couple of steps towards Iida. “Speaking of heroes, there’s one in particular I’d like to thank…”

Iida raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”

Todoroki took a few more steps towards Iida and gave him a big hug, causing him to let out a short gasp.

“Todoroki, I…I’m grateful for the gesture, but what is the meaning of this?”

“That’s for sticking up for me when I came out to the rest of the class and for maintaining order!”

Iida smiled nervously. “Oh…y-you’re welcome…”

Despite not knowing how to process Todoroki’s affection, Iida nevertheless returned the hug, and the other four students let out a collective “awww” when they saw this. Even if he wasn’t used to being fawned over, Iida still welcomed the warm and fuzzy feelings he got from the whole thing. Eventually, Todoroki let go.

“You still surprise me with your warmth and affection, Todoroki,” said Iida. “Even today, I can hardly fathom this development.”

“Really, I feel much better about myself now that I can present as a girl, and I owe it all to this guy…”

Todoroki gave Deku another hug and kiss, which elicited another “awww” from everybody. Even Iida couldn’t help but gush over their loving touch.

“Midoriya, Todoroki, your feelings for each other warm the cockles of my heart, but we cannot tarry around for too long!” said Iida. “Let us get Aizawa’s cake back to the dorms!”

“But what about Stain?” Todoroki pointed at the still-struggling Stain.

Yaoyorozu smiled. “I think that’s taken care of, Shoko!”

Yaoyorozu pointed out a police car that pulled to a stop. Two officers got out.

“Excuse me, but we got a report of a villain being sighted here,” said one officer, a male of average height. “Is everything OK?”

Iida pointed to Stain. “You may remove this ruffian from our vicinity, officers!”

The officers proceeded to take Stain away.

“YOU’LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS, IIDA!” shouted Stain. “I WENT TO COLLEGE!”

Todoroki scratched her head. “But I didn’t see his diploma.”

“Let us go, shall we?”

Iida picked up the cake, while his friends escorted him back to the dorms. Once again, Deku and Todoroki’s love had saved the day like David Mancuso.         

Chapter Text

Today had largely been an ordinary day for Deku. After breakfast and his morning exercises, he didn’t really do much except watch a marathon of the Liberation movies on TV. Even if they were Soviet propaganda, he just found the cinematography and the epic scale of the films to be so gripping that he was easily able to look past that. Then, while he was watching the first part of Direction of the Main Blow, he heard his doorbell ring, so he paused the movie and answered the door.

“Good afternoon, Shoko!”

Todoroki smiled. “Good afternoon, Deku! May I come in?

“Sure!”

Deku stepped aside and let Todoroki in, and she closed the door behind her.

“So, Deku, I’m really happy to see you…”

Deku smiled. “Me too!”

“Thing is, I was feeling really lonely, and I needed something special from my favorite boy.”

Deku blinked, but nevertheless smiled. “Well, whatever you need, I’ll be happy to help!”

Todoroki giggled, and then gave Deku a big hug, which he gladly returned. No matter how many times she wrapped her loving arms around him, he just couldn’t get enough of the warm and fuzzy feelings that came from it, nor could he help but be reminded that it was his own doing that led to her being so affectionate. While he liked being hugged, there was just a special something in her touch that he never quite found in other people’s embraces. Whenever she held him, he could tell that her heart was filled with nothing but love, not only for him, but also for her fellow UA students. Of course, he also loved the fact that she was so soft, warm and cuddly. Whenever she did anything like this to him, he forgot about anything that might be troubling him and instead thought about how happy he was to have met her and how lucky he was to hold her in his arms.

Todoroki felt lucky to have Deku in her arms as well. Ever since her mother had been sent away to a mental hospital, she had been desperately crying out for someone to embrace, but now that she had her green bean, she didn’t have to cry anymore. Besides, after hearing stories about how he’d grown up Quirkless, she figured that he could really use one, too. One thing that she really enjoyed about hugging him was having his strong, manly arms wrapping around her. It not only reminded her that she was deserving of love, but it made her feel secure. Like her boyfriend, she too forgot all about whatever was causing her anxiety or depression or other such negative emotions. She couldn’t even imagine living life with another boy. In the words of the cast of Grease, he was the one that she wanted. Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time had passed, she let go.

“Feeling better?” asked Deku.

Todoroki smiled. “Much better! No matter how many times we embrace, I always feel good about myself!”

Deku smiled, too. “Glad to hear it! By the way, you’re welcome to stay over if you want!”

“Yes!”

Deku led Todoroki to the living room, where they proceeded to watch some TV. Overall, it was another victory for love.

Chapter Text

A light dusting of snow had sprinkled over Musutafu, and the fact that the dorms at UA were all lit up said one thing: it was Christmas. After all the good times and hard times that the members of Class 1-A had been through, they deserved to engage in such merriment. The table in the lounge area had been bedecked with various items of food and drink, and most of the students were dressed up in red or green Santa outfits.

“So Bakugo, have ya thought any more about what you’re gonna do for your work study?” asked Kirishima.

Kacchan – perhaps the only one not wearing a Santa outfit – crossed his arms. “No, and I don’t see the point.”

Kirishima thrust his arms towards Kacchan. “I mean, come on! You had a ton of people scouting you out for the Sports Fest! You came in first! You could go wherever ya want to!”

Kacchan turned away. “I’m not interested in learning anything from some second-tier wannabe.”

Trying to get him wrapped up in the festivities, Mina Ashido leapt towards Kacchan and attempted to put a red Santa jacket on him. However, he caught wind of this and swung around to face her:

“YOU TOUCH ME AND YOU DIE!”

“Come on, give in to peer pressure!” said Ashido. “It’s Christmas! Where’s your festive spirit!?”

Deku and Todoroki giggled at Kacchan and Ashido’s little exchange.

“Wow, I never noticed how cute Bakugo is when he tries to be angry!” said Todoroki.

“I know, right?” said Deku. “Look at him getting flustered in front of Ashido!”

“I CAN HEAR YOU TWO NUMBNUTS TALKIN’ ABOUT ME OVER THERE!” shouted Kacchan.

“Don’t make me huggle you!” said Ashido.

“WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT TOUCHIN’ ME!?”

“Don’t worry, girlfriend; I got this!”

“WHAT THE HELL!?”

Kacchan found himself being held down by Toru Hagakure.

“LET ME GO! THIS IS TRICKERY! I’LL HAVE YOUR HEADS ON POLES FOR THIS!”

“Here it comes!” said Ashido.

“WHAT ARE YA DOIN’!? NO, NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT! NO! SOMEBODY HELP ME! I’M DYIN’ OF CUDDLY!”

The fact that Ashido and Hagakure were hugging Kacchan caused Deku and Todoroki to burst out laughing, which also caused Uraraka and Yaoyorozu to laugh. Even Kirishima, Kaminari and Jiro caught the laughter bug.

“I fail to understand how Bakugo could be so against this merriment,” said Tokoyami. “Isn’t this supposed to be a holiday of positivity?”

“Hey, what’s everybody laughin’ about?” Rikido Sato entered holding a cooked chicken.

“Sugarman can cook regular food!” said everybody else.

Just then, the door to the dorms opened, and a familiar face entered…

“Sorry I’m late,” said Toshinori Yagi, better known as “All Might”. “Have you guys started the party yet?”

“No, we were waiting for you!” said Deku.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get the party started!”

As per All Might’s command, everyone dug in and ate, drank, and were generally merry. Even Bakugo partook in food despite having passed out earlier from Ashido and Hagakure’s hug. It was quite a scene as Deku and Todoroki had a jovial chat with All Might, Kaminari talked music with Jiro, Ashido and Hagakure teased Kacchan for being flustered by cute girls and Tokoyami discussed action movies with Kirishima, among other things. Once people had their fair share of food, it was time for something else…

“Hey, when are we gonna open presents?” asked Kirishima.

People cheered at the mention of presents. To determine who would go first in exchanging gifts, All Might drew cards from a red plastic bowl, each card with two names written in advance. Up first were Uraraka and Iida.

“Here you are, Uraraka.” Iida handed Uraraka a moderately small, flat rectangular box in white wrapping paper. “Merry Christmas!”

“Thank you, Iida!”

Uraraka opened her gift, which turned out to be a box of Russell Stover chocolates. Her smile beamed brightly when she saw it.

“Thank you very much, Iida! You’re so sweet!”

Iida smiled. “You’re welcome, Uraraka! I hope you enjoy them!”

“Anyways, here…” Uraraka gave Iida a moderately large, flat rectangular box in silver wrapping paper. “Merry Christmas!”

“Thank you, Uraraka!”

When Iida opened his gift, he found it was a Mastermind board game.

“Ah, what a most splendid gift! I’ve heard of this game before, but had yet to acquire one! Thank you again, Uraraka!”

“You’re welcome, Iida!”

Next up was Kacchan and Koji Koda.

“Um…here’s your gift, Bakugo.” Koda handed Kacchan a small, flat rectangular gift wrapped in multicolored paper with pictures of cats and dogs on it. “Merry Christmas!”

“Thanks, I guess…”

Kacchan opened his gift, which turned out to be a book titled Wild Birds, Four Seasons. He shrugged when he saw it.

“Well…I like books, I guess, so I’m gonna let you live,” said Kacchan.

“I hope you like it!” said Koda.

“Anyways, here’s yours…” Kacchan handed Koda a small, somewhat flat square gift in black wrapping paper. “Merry Christmas…I guess…”

Koda opened his gift, which turned out to be a CD compilation titled Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection. His eyes widened, and he gasped when he saw it.

“H-how did you know I loved Pete Seeger!?”

Kacchan shrugged. “Kirishima told me you were into these weird singers who nobody cared about, so I looked him up.”

“THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”

Koda charged at Kacchan, arms wide open.

“Wait…NOT AGAIN!”

Kacchan attempted to run away, but Koda gave him a big hug. This time, rather than dying of cuddly, Kacchan growled and clenched his fists. Everyone let out a collective “awww”.

“I’M GONNA HAVE ALL YOUR ASSES FOR THIS!” shouted Kacchan.

“Bakugo, you should be more appreciative of your classmates’ thankfulness!” All Might smiled. “This is a happy holiday, after all!”

Kacchan growled again. “Fine…”

“Anyways…”

All Might drew another card. This time, it was Deku and Todoroki’s turn, and they excitedly stepped up, although Todoroki had a nervous smile on her face.

“So…Deku…I was thinking really hard about what I should get you for a gift, and I was having a lot of trouble deciding until I went to a thrift store and found this…”

Todoroki handed Deku a small, rectangular/square box in green wrapping paper.

“Don’t worry, Shoko! I’m sure whatever you got me will be awesome!”

Deku proceeded to unwrap his gift and opened the plain cardboard box, which contained a vintage music box with a statue of All Might in his hero form. Deku let out a happy “ah!” when he saw it, and then wound it up. The music box played a music-boxy rendition of “The Day” by Porno Graffitti.

“Shoko, thank you SO MUCH! I had NO IDEA that such a thing existed!”

“They were a hot item in my younger days as a hero,” said All Might.

“Interesting!” said Todoroki. “Also, you’re welcome, Deku!”

Deku gave Todoroki a big hug and kiss, which not only elicited a collective “awww” from everybody, but caused them to take pictures. Soon enough, they broke away from the kiss.

“Anyways, here’s your gift, Shoko!”

Deku handed Todoroki a flat, rectangular gift that was no doubt a DVD of some sort.

“Thank you, Deku!”

Todoroki proceeded to open the gift, and it was a Blu-ray, namely of the 1982 movie The Final Option, known as Who Dares Wins in its country of origin and Finaru Opushon in Japanese. She gasped and nearly dropped the DVD when she saw it.

“OH MY GOD! I’ve been looking for this movie for AGES ever since I saw it on TV! Where did you find this!?”

Deku rubbed the back of his head. “Uh…eBay?”

“Still…THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!”

Todoroki didn’t just kiss Deku; she got into a full-blown makeout session with him. Reactions varied: all the girls let out long, girlish “oohs” when they saw this, Kirishima, Kaminari and Minoru Mineta all smiled and gave thumbs-ups upon seeing this, Kacchan put his palm on his forehead, All Might blushed, but perhaps no one was more involved than Iida:

“Todoroki, I’m glad you’re happy with your gift, but you must cease this unbridled passion at once!” Iida waved his hands around.

Even All Might blushed at this sight. “Uh…Midoriya, Todoroki…”

Finally, Todoroki broke away from the kiss. “Yes?”

“Anyways, I have a gift for you two as well…”

All Might presented Deku and Todoroki with a moderately-sized box wrapped in red/white/blue striped wrapping paper.

“Who’s gonna open this, though?” said Todoroki.

Deku smiled. “Why don’t we open it together?”

Todoroki gave a thumbs-up. “Good idea!”

And so, Deku and Todoroki proceeded to open the gift. Inside the box, they found a hand-carved, hand-painted wooden statue of themselves in their hero costumes. They both beamed with happiness when they saw it.

“All Might, did you really make this for us?” said Deku.

All Might nodded. “Woodworking has been one of my greatest hobbies, and I wanted to do something really special to show how proud I am of you two.”

Todoroki clasped her hands together to the side of her head. “That’s extremely sweet of you, All Might!”

Deku and Todoroki went over to All Might and gave him a big hug, which he happily returned. Once again, this elicited a collective “awww” from the rest of the students.

“Hey, mind if I get a picture of you three?” said Uraraka.

“Sure thing!” Deku gave a thumbs-up. “You two don’t mind, right?”

“Not at all!” said Todoroki.

“I’d be honored!” said All Might.

And so, Deku and Todoroki got on both sides of All Might and wrapped an arm around him, and he returned the gesture. Deku and Todoroki even held the statue with their free hands as Uraraka took a picture. Overall, it was indeed a Merry Christmas.

Chapter Text

The cold night air had blanketed Musutafu, but Deku and Todoroki were nice and warm, for they were gathered at the former’s apartment for the penultimate celebration of the year: New Year’s Eve. Deku, Todoroki and Deku’s mom Inko had cleaned the place thoroughly and prepared a pair of kadomatsu – that is, traditional Japanese decorations meant to welcome Toshigami, the New Year’s god – which were placed in front of the apartment. They were also watching NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen TV special, where two teams of musicians – “red” and “white” – performed songs.

“So, this is it,” said Deku. “Earlier this year, I never imagined I’d get into UA, never mind spending New Year’s with the most beautiful girl I’ve ever had the fortune to me.”

Todoroki giggled. “Deku!” She gently shoved him, too. “In all seriousness, I’m glad I get to spend New Year’s with you! Mrs. Midoriya, thank you for letting me come over, too!”

“You’re welcome, Todoroki! And please, call me Inko!”

“Will do.”

“I have to be honest: when I saw that fight between you and my little Izuku at the Sports Festival on TV, I was biting my fingernails.” Inko stroked her chin. “I’m still surprised to find out that you were actually a girl, too.”

Todoroki got a more serious look on her face. “Yeah, I still have trouble comprehending the whole thing, too.” Her smile returned. “On the other hand, I feel way more comfortable not only with myself, but also around other people, now that I don’t have to pretend to be a boy anymore.”

Inko smiled and put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “You should feel comfortable with who you are! Just because other people expect you to behave a certain way doesn’t mean you can’t be yourself!”

“Thank you, Inko! That means a lot to me!”

Todoroki gave Inko a big hug, which caused her to let out a surprised “oh!” Nevertheless, Inko returned the hug with a smile.

“Todoroki, you’re such a sweetheart! I hope you and Izuku get married and have a family of your own!”

Todoroki frowned. “Inko, I’m glad you think so highly of me, but what is it with you and everyone else hoping that Deku and I get married?”

Inko chuckled. “What? Doesn’t a mother have the right to be proud of her little boy and his girlfriend?”

Todoroki chuckled, too. “Fair enough. Honestly, I’m proud of you both, you for raising Deku to be the boy that he is and Deku for being so kind and caring to me.”

Deku opened his arms wide. “Come here, Todoroki!”

Deku gave Todoroki a hug as well. Having a girlfriend like her was something, but snuggling with her and his mom in beautiful harmony really warmed his heart like nothing else. Even if it was still early for marriage, he couldn’t imagine getting married to any other girl. Then, he heard a beeping coming from his phone.

“Hey, I think it’s time for the countdown!”

Deku switched channels to one that was showing a New Year’s Eve celebration at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo, where people were releasing balloons with New Year’s wishes up into the sky. Both Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Skytree were lit up, and there was also a countdown timer at Shibuya, similar to the one at Times Square.

10…

9…

8…

7…

6…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

And just like that, a number displaying the new year on the Tokyo Skytree lit up, whereupon Deku, Todoroki and Inko cheered and gave each other hugs and kisses. Once this little jubilation was done with, Deku put on a New Year’s song, more specifically the “New Year’s Medley” by the Salsoul Orchestra, so all three of them got down to the groove. With one promising year done, a new year began with new possibilities.

Chapter Text

For Deku, it had been almost like yesterday: UA had held its annual Sports Festival, where contestants raced, snatched headbands and battled it out to see who would be crowned the champion. It had been rough for all contestants involved, but for Deku and Todoroki, it was nothing short of epic. Throughout the battle, Todoroki repeatedly attempted to freeze Deku with his ice, but Deku always destroyed it using One For All. However, this came at a cost of Deku breaking bones. Eventually, it happened that Todoroki was freezing up due to repeated use of his ice, and it became clear that unless he used his fire, then he would turn into a human popsicle. Then Deku uttered those six words: “It’s YOURS! Your Quirk, not his!” With that, Todoroki decided that he didn’t have to repress the “Hot” portion of his Quirk anymore because of his hatred for Endeavor, and with that, he managed to beat Deku. After the battle, Deku was sent to the office of Chiyo Shuzenji, better known as UA’s head nurse “Recovery Girl”:

“I’ve healed you enough that you should be able to walk. But be careful.”

Deku steadied his breathing. “Thank you very much, ma’am.” He gasped slightly when he saw the scar on his right hand.

“That’s what you get for overusing your Quirk in a short timeframe. Consider your crooked right hand as a warning from now on.”

All Might walked over.

“And just so you know, I will not heal injuries like this anymore!” said Recovery Girl.

Deku and All Might gasped upon hearing such stern words.

“You must find a new way for him to use his power!” said Recovery Girl. “There has to be an option that’s not so self-destructive!”

===

On the way out of Recovery Girl’s office, Deku and All Might were mulling over her words.

“A new way of using your Quirk…” said All Might.

“Excuse me, may I have a word in private, Midoriya?” said a familiar voice.

Deku and All Might turned around to see Todoroki standing there. Deku nodded.

“Yeah. You don’t mind, All Might?”

“Not at all.”

Thus, Deku went over to Todoroki, who led him into a nearby bathroom.

“Midoriya, are you OK?”

Deku frowned. “Yeah, but…what’s wrong with your voice?”

Todoroki blushed, gasped and covered “his” mouth when they realized that their voice had slipped.

“Todoroki, is there something you’re not telling me?”

Todoroki uncovered “his” mouth and cleared their throat before using their male voice: “Midoriya…I’m not who you think I am.” They switched to the female voice. “My real name is Shoko Todoroki. I’m really a girl, but all these years, my father…he really wanted a boy, so he forced me to disguise as a boy, but you…because of what you did back there, I…I…”

The amount of emotion that Todoroki was feeling at the moment became too much for her to process, so she broke down crying, ran up to Deku and gave him a big hug. While unsure of how to process such raw emotion, and while it was difficult to return her hug considering how busted up his arms were, he did his best to reciprocate everything. After all, she was a fellow student, and it was because of his words that they were here right now. Despite having trouble dealing with this outpouring from her, he actually welcomed it because he felt more like a hero. Besides, being a hero didn’t always entail saving people from burning buildings or beating up some of the most vile, despicable villains that ever walked the planet.

Despite feeling awful from being unable to hold her emotions together, Todoroki also welcomed being able to cry. After all these years of being forced to hide who she was, to conform to someone else’s domineering will, she could finally feel that baleful burden floating off of her shoulders, making her feel lighter than even a single feather. When she first saw Deku, she didn’t know what to make of him, but in holding him, she could see that he was the kind of guy who would never threaten her, never get drunk and hit her, and never say he was too busy to spend time with her. In this world that could go insane at any second, he was the sanest choice. Even after Todoroki stopped crying, she continued to hold on to Deku as if he were her favorite stuffed toy, though there was one problem…

“Todoroki…”

“Y-yes?”

“I love it when you hold me, but I feel like you’re crushing my windpipe.”

“Oh.” Todoroki let go of Deku. “If you’ll excuse me…”

Todoroki grabbed some paper towels from a nearby dispenser, blew her nose and dried her eyes.

“Midoriya…don’t tell anybody else about this…not yet.”

Deku smiled and raised his right hand. “Your secret’s safe with me, Todoroki!”

Todoroki nodded. “Thank you. I think this could be the beginning of something beautiful.”

Deku smiled nervously and made a pushing motion towards Todoroki. “OK, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here!”

Just then, All Might knocked on the bathroom door.

“Is everything OK in there, you two?”

“Everything’s fine!” said Deku and Todoroki.

“Listen, I better get going,” said Deku. “I promise I’ll back you up if you ever decide to confess!”

“Please do. It would mean a lot to me. Anyways, goodbye for now, Izuku Midoriya.”

“Bye!”

Deku waved to Todoroki and caught up to All Might. Even if this had been a bombshell of a day, at least both parties could look to the future with hope.

Chapter Text

Todoroki had a rough time sleeping last night. Between the fact that she finally had the courage to reveal her true colors to Deku in addition to the battle between her and Kacchan, her anxiety was on what Rita Coolidge would call an “all time high”. In spite of the fact that doing so would cause her more of the same, she had two cans of Mountain Dew for breakfast before heading off to UA. To steel her nerves for what she was about to do, Todoroki hummed “Am I Evil” to herself, trying to mimic Metallica’s rendition of this metal classic. Soon enough, she made it to class, trying her best to ignore everyone, though she swore that Deku had taken a knowing look at her. Despite her anxiety being able to reach Mars, she did her best to conceal any outwards signs of it. Thus far, her efforts seemed to be working, for her fellow students were more interested in discussing how they’d gotten so much recognition after being seen participating in the Sports Festival. In the meantime, Mr. Aizawa got on with the day’s announcements:

“…Anyway, we have a big class today, on…”

Todoroki raised her hand.

“Yes, Todoroki?”

“Mr. Aizawa, if you’ll excuse me…I have something I have to tell everybody.”

“Can it wait until after the morning announcements?”

“With all due respect, I feel as though it would be better if I got it off my chest now. I assure you it won’t take too long.”

Aizawa gave a cold stare to Todoroki, and her fellow students could feel the frosty chill permeating the air as they awaited the eventual response:

“Very well. You have one minute.”

Todoroki nodded and got up from her seat. The trek to the front of the room seemed simple enough, but to her, it felt like the Bataan Death March. Ever since she told Deku about her true gender identity, all she could think about was how she was going to break the news to the rest of Class 1-A, and she had spent countless hours replaying various scenarios in her head, hoping that things would pan out well for her. Finally, she reached the front of the class, turned around and clasped her hands in front of her as she continued to speak in her male voice:

“Um…so…I have to be honest with all of you: I’m not who you think I am.”

Already, there were hushed murmurings when everyone else wondered just what Todoroki was going on about, until she dropped the bombshell in her actual voice:

“My real name is Shoko Todoroki. I’m actually a girl, but my father forced me…”

Todoroki’s speech was drowned out by a collective “WHAT!?” from the rest of her fellow students, who had the utmost difficulty trying to process what they were hearing at the moment. Even Aizawa’s eyes widened when he heard this, and responses from the rest of the class were varied:

“WHAT THE CRAP!?” yelled Kacchan. “WHY THE CRAP DIDN’T YA TELL US BEFORE!?”

Todoroki began trembling and sweating. “I…well…it’s just…up until the Sports Festival, I…I never had the courage.”

Mineta suffered a severe nosebleed and passed out upon learning that there was another girl in class, while Kirishima responded more politely:

“Whoa, that’s awesome! Hell yeah!” Kirishima gave a thumbs up.

“I’m GLAD we have another girl in class!” said Kaminari.

Todoroki smiled nervously. “Um…thank you?”

Uraraka smiled. “Todoroki, I just want to say that I’m really happy that you had the courage to confess this to us!”

“Me too!” said Ashido.

“Me three!” said Hagakure.

“Ribbit!” said Tsu.

Jiro stood up and put her hands on her heart. “Todoroki, that was the bravest thing you’ve ever done! I’m so proud of you!”

Yaoyorozu got up as well. “I second Jiro’s sentiment! If there’s anything you need, you can always talk to us! You’re my best friend, and you always will be!”

All of the girls surrounded Todoroki. While usually cool and strong by nature, she was trembling with emotion, not knowing how to process what was going on right now. Then, in a flash, she ran over to Yaoyorozu, gave her a big hug and cried.

“I LOVE YOU, YAOYOROZU!”

Yaoyorozu also had trouble trying to comprehend everything. This was her first time seeing Todoroki break down like this. Despite the overwhelming confusion, Yaoyorozu put on her best smile and returned the hug.

“It’s OK, Todoroki! Everything’s going to be OK!”

Most of the class let out a collective “awww” when they saw Yaoyorozu and Todoroki hugging. Nevertheless, Aizawa had to do something:

“Yaoyorozu, would you mind escorting Todoroki out of the class until he…er, she calms down?”

Yaoyorozu nodded and took the still-crying Todoroki out of the room. Deku looked on with plenty of sadness himself, but also felt a sense of happiness knowing that it was his words that gave her the courage to open up like this. Even Tokoyami had his hand over his heart as he beheld the whole thing.

“Class, there’s nothing to see!” Iida had stood up and waved his arms around. “Please calm yourselves!”

===

Later on in the day, Todoroki had been called down to Principal Nezu’s office. She still had a great deal of anxiety about her, not knowing how he was going to react to this new development. Nevertheless, she kept her front of steel up as she stood before Nezu, who told her exactly how he felt:

“Todoroki, in all my years as principal of this school, this is the first time that any of my students has done what you’ve done. Nevertheless, I’m extremely proud of you. All of us at UA value our students no matter what gender they identify as, and we’ll do our best to accommodate your new identity.”

Todoroki bowed before Nezu. “Thank you, Principal Nezu. The last few days have been a real mess for me, so knowing that none of you are angry at me helps out. Still, I’d feel better if you or somebody else talked to my father because I’m afraid he’s gonna kill me for what I’ve done.”

Nezu nodded. “I understand your fear. You have my assurance that we will do everything in our power to keep you safe.”

“Once again, thank you. May I go back to class now?”

“You may. Have a nice day, Shoko Todoroki!”

“You too.”

Todoroki left Principal Nezu’s office and was heading back to class when she ran into a familiar face…

“Hey there, Todoroki!”

Todoroki stopped dead in her tracks. “All Might!”

“Yeah, that’s me. I just thought I’d drop by to check up on you.”

Todoroki drew in a short breath. “I…well, having to confess in front of the whole class really hurt, but I feel much better now that I got over it.”

All Might smiled and put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “I don’t expect anything like what you did to be painless. I’m proud of you no matter what you identify as, and if you need anything, I’ve got your back!” He gave a thumbs up.

For the first time in her life – or at least in a while – Todoroki smiled. “Thank you, All Might. It’s an honor.”

“You’re welcome! I won’t keep you too long, so run free and have a great day, Todoroki!”

Todoroki nodded. “I will.”

Todoroki and All Might went their separate ways. For the former, it was the beginning of a whole new life, and for the latter, it was another happy chapter in his long and storied career.

Chapter Text

Another morning had come to UA, and the students were eating breakfast. For the most part, it was just a routine morning…that is, until Kacchan spoke up:

“Something’s wrong. Where the crap is IcyHot?”

“She could still be sleeping,” said Uraraka.

“Yeah, she does sometimes sleep in.” Deku took another bit of nori.

“WELL, SHE BETTER WAKE HER ASS UP SOON!” yelled Kacchan.

Ashido covered her ears. “Gosh, do you need to yell this loud this early?”

Iida put down his teacup. “Ashido’s right. We mustn’t disturb anyone who’s not fully awake.”

“NO ONE ASKED YOU, MOTOR LEGS!”

“Bakugo, if you continue your tirade, then I’m afraid that I shall have no choice but to register a complaint with the faculty.”

Kacchan grumbled. “Fine.”

===

After breakfast, Deku was heading towards Todoroki’s dorm when…

“Good morning, Deku!”

“WHOA!”

Deku stopped abruptly and dropped his jaw when he saw what Todoroki had done: instead of her usual 60s-style flipped bob, Todoroki’s hair was now done in a 70s-style feathered look a la Farrah Fawcett.

“Shoko, you…you look so…”

“I decided to change my hairstyle to freshen up my look! Do you like it?”

Deku nodded. “Yeah, that looks so beautiful on you!”

Todoroki giggled. “Then let’s get to class!”

===

Deku and Todoroki were walking to class, as they always did, only the latter had a bit more of a spring in her step, feeling bolder because of her new ‘do. Nothing could break their stride, not even…

“PICK IT UP, DEKU; YOUR ASS IS GONNA BE LATE!”

Kacchan paused briefly and looked over at Todoroki.

“SINCE WHEN THE CRAP DID YA GET A NEW GIRLFRIEND!?”

“What’s wrong, Bakugo? Don’t you recognize your old friend Todoroki?”

“WHAT THE CRAP!? WHY THE CRAP DID YA CHANGE YOUR HAIR!? YOU LOOK LIKE 12,000 POUNDS OF BIRD SHIT!”

Todoroki kept smiling. “And you should know!”

“THAT’S IT!”

“Whoa, Bakugo, why are ya yellin’ at the new girl?” said Kirishima.

“Kirishima, it’s me, Todoroki!”

“Wha…?” Kirishima smiled and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, I didn’t recognize ya with the new ‘do! Lookin’ good!”

“Thank you!”

“Bakugo, Kirishima, why are you dallying about?” Iida then turned to Todoroki. “Pardon me, Miss, but are you new here?”

“No, I’m Todoroki! Why does no one recognize me?”

Iida dropped his jaw, and then bowed before Todoroki. “Forgive me; your new hairstyle threw me off. It looks very nice on you!”

Todoroki put a hand up to her mouth. “Wow…I never imagined that something as simple as a new hairstyle could have such a powerful effect on people! I wonder what the rest of the class will think…”

===

Todoroki didn’t have to wait too long to find out what the rest of Class 1-A would think…

“Holy crap! That new girl is hot!” said Mineta.

“I know, right?” said Kaminari.

“I do not recall anything about us getting a new student…” Tokoyami stroked their chin.

Yaoyorozu shook her head. “Neither do I, but I like meeting new people.”

“What are you all talking about? It’s me, Todoroki!”

The class let out a collective gasp when they realized this.

“OH MY DAMN CHERRY BLOSSOMS!” exclaimed Ashido. “I LOVE YOUR HAIR!”

Hagakure bounced around. “Me too! I wish mine looked that good!”

Jiro nodded. “I know, right? Seriously, I’m so jealous of how good you are at styling your hair!”

Todoroki blushed. “Awww, thank you!”

“Really, that new style ties your look together!” said Yaoyorozu. “You should keep it like that, girlfriend!”

“Considering how many people like it, I might just do that! Now, if you’ll excuse me, Deku and I have to take our seats.”

Todoroki and Deku took their seats, the latter feeling a bit bemused by the whole thing. Sure, he was used to people giving his bicolor girlfriend more attention nowadays, but with her new look, he felt like the attention had exploded tenfold. Nevertheless, he was willing to put up with it because he loved her that much. Shortly thereafter, Aizawa entered.

“Good morning, class.” Aizawa raised an eyebrow. “Has anyone seen Todoroki?”

“Over here, Mr. Aizawa!” Todoroki waved her arms above her head.

Aizawa blinked slowly. “Sorry, Todoroki; I didn’t recognize you with your new hairstyle. Having said that, I liked the old style better, but I have no time to debate with you.”

Todoroki kept smiling as Aizawa got on with business as usual, feeling fresh thanks to all the adoration she’d received.

Chapter Text

Today was just another ordinary evening in the dorms for Deku. Hell, it had just been an ordinary day in general for him. Even so, he didn’t mind. Compared to the harrowing encounters he’d had with random villains, these ordinary days seemed like heaven. Even better, he was enjoying Sonic Frontiers on his Nintendo Switch. The only thing disrupting him was the knocking on his door.

“Coming!”

Deku paused the game and answered the door.

“Hi, Deku!”

Todoroki gave Deku a hot, passionate kiss, which caused him to blush. Nevertheless, he had a big smile on his face when she broke away from him.

“Wow, you’re cheery today!”

Todoroki giggled. “Why shouldn’t I be? I had a good day today, and now I get to see my adorable boyfriend!”

Deku giggled, too. “Come on in, lovergirl!”

Todoroki stepped into Deku’s dorm room, and he closed the door after her. When she walked over to his bed, he sat down on it next to her.

“So, tell me more about your day, Shoko!”

“Well, the thing is…I just couldn’t help but think about how good you’ve been to me…so good, in fact, that you’ve truly excited my passions.”

Todoroki took off her shirt, and proceeded to strip down to her bra and panties. Not sure of what else to do, Deku stripped down to his underwear as well.

“I guess I really got you excited, huh?” said Deku.

Todoroki cupped Deku’s cheeks in her hands. “Like you wouldn’t believe!”

Todoroki kissed Deku and leaned into him until he was lying down on the bed. While he’d gotten used to feeling her lips against his, having her dominate him still got his face hotter and redder than molten steel. Nevertheless, he wrapped his arms around her and gladly accepted her passion.

Then, things took a turn for the interesting: after kissing Deku for about a minute, Todoroki briefly sucked on his bottom lip and kissed across his cheek for a bit before going down to his neck, where she proceeded to nibble his neck. Immediately, Deku let out a soft gasp when she started doing this to him. Again, her being more open about romantic gestures was nothing new to him, but he never expected her to be so frisky. Even so, he didn’t push her away. In fact, he embraced her a bit more tightly and welcomed her passion. In this moment, his mind couldn’t focus on anything else except for how beautiful he thought she was and how much he lusted for her. Because of this, his heart rate went up, and his breathing became a bit more rapid and audible. He didn’t care, though. He loved her so much, and he didn’t want anybody else.

“Oh, Shoko!”

Hearing how much Deku enjoyed her touch, Todoroki moaned as she continued to nibble his neck. It all stemmed from a moment in her childhood where her mom Rei once nibbled on her neck. Rei had done it only for a second, but that second was enough to imprint on her daughter for a lifetime. For years, the youngest member of the Todoroki siblings had been denied the opportunity to indulge in her fetish, but now that this cute little green bean had come into her life, she was indulging as passionately as she possibly could. With every little nibble, the flames inside her heart burned brighter and hotter than the Earth’s core, and she tightened her grip on him a little. She didn’t even care if he thought she was weird; she just loved him so much that she wanted to do every single naughty little thing to him. Even so, there came a point where her hunger was sated, and she stopped nibbling his neck, but stared deeply into his green eyes.

“Sh-Shoko…”

Todoroki smiled. “Yes?”

“That…that felt so good!”

Todoroki chuckled. “Glad I could make you happy! May we snuggle?”

Deku nodded. “Y-yeah…”

Todoroki lied down behind Deku and snuggled with him.

“I love you, Deku. Let’s spend every night together.”

Deku smiled. “I love you too, Shoko!”

Deku and Todoroki continued to snuggle. Sure, her passion was going to leave a mark, but then again, who said that love was perfect?

Chapter Text

Deku had nothing better to do this Friday evening, so he figured he’d visit Todoroki today. Besides, he was always welcome in her dorm, and he always enjoyed it when she kissed him and wrapped her arms around him. Even after he’d experienced her touch so many times, he couldn’t help but feel warm and tingly whenever she did this to him. Thus, as he knocked on the door of her dorm, he took a short, deep breath as he anticipated the touch of her lips against his…

“Hi, Deku!”

Sure enough, Todoroki wrapped her loving arms around Deku and kissed him. Naturally, his face turned red and tingly, but he nevertheless accepted her touch with a smile.

“Hey, Shoko! How are you doing today?”

“I’m doing well. And you?”

Deku nodded. “Same here.”

“Good. Come on in!”

Deku stepped into Todoroki’s dorm, and she closed the door behind him.

“So, any particular reason you came to visit?” asked Todoroki.

Deku shook his head. “Not really. I just…”

Deku trailed off when he saw what appeared to be a terrarium against one wall.

“What’s that?”

Todoroki smiled. “Glad you asked! Let me show you!”

Todoroki led Deku over to the terrarium, and he gasped when he saw what was inside: a scorpion.

“Shoko…what’s that?”

“That’s Abraham. He’s an emperor scorpion.”

Deku put his index finger up to his cheek. “Um…where did you get a scorpion?”

“Funny you should ask! There’s a shop in town that sells exotic pets.”

“OK, but how do you care for a scorpion?”

“First of all, scorpions generally live in warmer areas, so you have to keep the tank warm, and you have to give them at least 75% humidity, so regular misting of the tank is a must. Scorpions also like to burrow, so give them three to six inches of soil to burrow in. Soil type isn’t terribly important, either. I generally use peat, but other scorpion owners may have different tastes. You can also use pieces of bark, broken ceramic flower pots or flat stones as hiding spots. They may move these around, but don’t worry, that’s normal. Just don’t move them around if the scorpion’s decided to move them to given spots, otherwise you’ll cause it unnecessary stress. As for their diet, they primarily feast on a variety of insects, arthropods and occasionally small reptiles. I feed Abraham a mix of crickets, mealworms and moths. He eats every other day, so I feed him accordingly. You should also provide a shallow water dish, one that’s not too deep so the scorpion will drown.”

“Sounds like there’s plenty of work involved. How do you keep him cared for when you’re in class?”

“I set up a special device that will automatically mist the enclosure every so often.” Todoroki pointed out a black box on one side of the tank.

“But aren’t scorpion stings fatal? Why would you have something like this?”

Todoroki put a hand on Deku’s shoulder. “No need to worry, my dear Deku! Most scorpion stings are no worse than a bee or wasp sting. Only scorpions in the family Buthidae have venom that is fatal to humans. Besides, Abraham – like other emperor scorpions – will primarily use his claws for attacking.”

Deku nodded. “I see. Do you keep any other unusual pets besides Abraham?”

Todoroki smiled. “Funny you should ask!”

Todoroki led Deku to another corner where there was a larger terrarium. Inside was a snake, which caused Deku to shriek briefly.

“Oh my god!”

Todoroki put her hand on Deku’s shoulder. “It’s OK, Deku! Eve’s not venomous!”

Deku blinked. “Eve?”

“She’s a California kingsnake.”

Deku put a fist on his hip. “Shoko, I can safely say that you’re the first person I’ve ever known who’s had a snake for a pet. Why would you keep animals like this?”

Todoroki smiled. “Why not? I love exotic pets! They make me feel happy!”

Deku smiled. “OK then! I mean, even if people think it’s weird, do it anyways! That aside, how do you care for Eve?”

“California kingsnakes can grow to be six feet long. Eve here is fully-grown, but only about three feet long. Nevertheless, these snakes require at least a 20-gallon terrarium for optimal space. Like scorpions, these require a certain level of humidity in their enclosures. However, since the room is well-lit, heating isn’t much of a problem, but you have to keep the enclosure away from windows because the glass of the enclosure will amplify the sunlight and cause fatal overheating for the snake. I generally have a heating pad on one side of the enclosure. You should also clean the enclosure once a month. They make special cleaning solutions for reptile enclosures, but I make my own with a gallon of water, a few tablespoons of soap and a few tablespoons of bleach. As for the bed of the enclosure, I use a special bedding made by ZooMed. Don’t use oily woods like pine or cedar, and don’t use anything that’s been chemically treated. Also, clean the bedding wherever the snake does its business, and if you’re using bedding that can accidentally be ingested, use a separate enclosure for feeding. As for food, these snakes will eat anything they can overpower and swallow whole, including other snakes. I feed Eve a diet of mice that have been killed beforehand. She really only needs to be fed once or twice a week. I also provide her with a dish of water, which I change daily and clean once a week. Be careful, because the water dish can also adversely affect the humidity of the enclosure.”

Deku – who’d been listening intently – nodded. “Sounds like a lot of work.”

“It is, but I believe it’s worth it.” Todoroki opened the enclosure. “Eve’s very friendly, too. Would you like to hold her?”

Deku blushed, sweated, and smiled nervously while making a gentle pushing motion towards Todoroki. “Thanks, but I’m gonna pass!”

“Suit yourself!” Todoroki picked up Eve and let her slither around her arms and wrap around her neck. “See? She likes me!”

Deku slowly backed away. “Listen…I gotta go now! It was nice seeing you again, Shoko!”

Todoroki waved at Deku. “Bye, Deku!”

Deku made a hasty exit out of Todoroki’s dorm, while Todoroki put on a more serious look and scratched her temple.

(I don’t get it. What is it about these animals that freaks people out?)

Chapter Text

It was – as Queensrÿche once said – just another rainy night, and Deku had nothing better to do than go through his various Kokuyo Campus notebooks about hero analysis. He’d read them so many times that he practically had the contents committed to memory by now. Nevertheless, he still got a kick out of actually reading the notebooks because of the physicality of holding them in his hands. To him, nothing would ever replace traditional paper books. Then, while he was going through his notebooks, someone knocked on his front door, so he put down the current notebook and opened the door.

“Hey, Shoko!”

Todoroki was looking soaked to the bone, her hair in particular drenched from the rain. “Um…h-hello…D-Deku…”

“Don’t just stand there in the rain! Come inside!”

Todoroki stepped inside, and Deku closed the door behind her.

“So, what brings you here?” asked Deku.

Todoroki lifted a trembling hand to her mouth. “Um, so I…well…I don’t know how to tell you this, and there’s really no better way, so…I…I just got really afraid today and had doubts about this relationship, and I…I…I wanted to tell you that it was over and…”

Deku dropped his jaw. “Why would you want to tell me it’s over? I don’t understand.”

Todoroki put her hand up to her other hand. “I…I don’t know. I…I just…I could never end it now. My feelings for you seemed to get in the way. I’m so sorry, Deku.”

Deku put his hands on Todoroki’s shoulders. “It’s OK, Shoko.”

Deku gave Todoroki a big hug, which the latter returned before letting out a few tears. While still confused by the whole thing, Deku didn’t think any less of Todoroki. He’d read that relationships aren’t perfect and there were bound to be a few bumps in the road. Heck, there were times when even he’d had doubts about their relationship. Nevertheless, he knew that she was a very good person and that her hellish relationship with Endeavor meant that she didn’t always think straight. Even if their relationship hit any more snags further down the road, he vowed that he was going to do his best to work with her and figure everything out. After all, they’d been through so much together, and he could never envision leaving her for another girl.

As Todoroki continued to hold onto Deku, she also beat herself up over the fact that she even dared to think about breaking things off with him. Furthermore, she cursed Endeavor for having such a ripple effect throughout her whole life. Despite being filled with so much pain, she was also grateful for the fact that her feelings stopped her from terminating the relationship and that he had forgiven her for being so hasty in her thinking. Even if she still wasn’t totally knowledgeable about how relationships were supposed to work, she vowed that no matter what, she was going to do her best to continue to make this one work. She owed so much to her green bean, and she wanted to repay her debt to him any way she could. Eventually, she broke away from the hug.

“Deku…thanks.”

Deku smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“Can you ever forgive me for my moment of doubt?”

“Oh Shoko, of course I forgive you! Let me get you a towel and a hot cup of tea.”

Todoroki smiled and nodded. “That would be very nice. And Deku…”

“Yes?”

“I promise I’ll never leave you! I mean, I’m not sure about getting married, but you mean a lot to me!”

“Awww, thank you! You mean a lot to me, too!”

Deku went to get a towel and some tea for Todoroki, while she looked at him with a smile, thinking about how wonderful it was that their relationship was still intact.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes had ended at UA, and once again, Deku was making his way to the dorms. As usual, he was hoping to find his belle Todoroki, and it didn’t take long for him to catch up to her.

“How are you doing today, Shoko?”

“Not too bad. Training was a bit rough today, but I’m grateful to have made it through.” Todoroki smiled. “Of course, seeing you made it all worth it!”

Deku smiled. “Well, I’m glad! Actually, since we’ve caught up to each other, I wanted to ask something of you…”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to go ice skating with me later on?”

Todoroki dropped her jaw. “Absolutely! I’ve been ice skating before, but it wasn’t always fun because I was always doing it by myself, so having someone join me should make it that much more fun!”

Deku pumped his fists. “Excellent! Maybe we can create more happy memories this way!”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. “That’s always a plus!”

===

After supper, Deku and Todoroki headed to Endoru Ice Rink, an indoor ice skating rink located only a couple of blocks away from UA. Todoroki had her own skates to bring, but Deku rented his, and he twiddled his thumbs while doing so, earning Todoroki’s notice:

“Deku, is everything OK?”

“Um…Shoko…I have to be completely honest: I’ve never ice skated before. I just asked to go with you because it seemed very romantic.”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku and smiled. “It’s OK! I can teach you!”

Deku blinked. “Wow! Really?”

Todoroki nodded. “Of course!”

Deku and Todoroki put their skates on.

“First of all, before we head out onto the ice, be sure of what to do in case you fall,” said Todoroki. “If you feel like you’re going to fall, bend your knees, squat down, and when you start falling, try to fall sideways, leaning forwards, with your hands in your lap. Once you fall, roll over onto your hands and knees. Then, to get back up, place your feet between your hands – one at a time – and gently push yourself back up. Did you understand that?”

Deku nodded. “Right, so…bend my knees, squat, fall sideways, leaning forwards, hands in my lap, roll over on my hands and knees, feet between my hands and gently push back up. Did I miss anything?”

Todoroki gave a thumbs up. “Perfect! Do you feel comfortable going out onto the ice now?”

“Almost. How do I even get going?”

“To do that, march forwards two steps and let your body glide slightly. Keep doing that until you feel comfortable. Then, begin picking up one foot as you glide.”

Deku nodded. “Right.”

Deku and Todoroki headed out onto the ice, where there were some people already skating, but not enough to crowd the rink. Most of the skaters were couples, too. As per Todoroki’s directions, Deku marched forwards for a couple of steps and gasped as he started to feel himself glide, almost feeling like he wanted to fall down. He steadied his nerves, however, and just let himself glide a couple more times.

“Are you OK, Deku?”

Deku nodded. “I think so.”

“OK, to really get going, do a stroking motion. Basically, you do the same thing for gliding, but you extend the motion of your legs longer. Once you do a marching motion with one of your legs, lift your leg off of the ground, set it down, and then lift the other. Also, remember to lean forwards a bit and bend your knees slightly when skating.”

Deku nodded. For now, him and Todoroki didn’t do anything especially fancy; they just held hands while gliding across the ice. As they did so, Deku could feel a warm, fuzzy feeling radiating throughout his body. Sure, he’d gotten some interesting sensations from being with Todoroki before, but nothing quite like this. Whether it was from the cold air brushing against his face or the feeling of holding hands with her while letting the motion imparted by the skates just take his body away, he felt a more electric bond with her than he’d ever felt before. Best of all, he didn’t worry about any villain attacks or whatever weird things One For All was going to do to him next.

On a similar note, Todoroki got her own kind of charge out of skating with Deku, one she’d never gotten before. As she’d mentioned to him, this wasn’t her first time ice skating, and while it had been fun in and of itself, she hadn’t gone often because she always felt like there was something missing. Now that her green bean was with her, her smile beamed more brightly, and she tightened her grip on his hand a bit as she felt freer than the wind. She’d always loved winter-based activities, but thus far, this was quite possibly her favorite of them all. As she skated, she didn’t think about the numerous squabbles she’d had with Endeavor, or how it sucked to have to pretend to be a boy for much of her life. However, Todoroki’s bliss was interrupted when she heard Deku yelp, so she skidded to a stop, only to discover he’d fallen.

“Deku, are you OK!?”

Deku nodded. “Yeah.” He pushed himself to his feet just as Todoroki had instructed. “I’m a tough guy; this is nothing.”

Todoroki smiled. “OK, just making sure!”

Deku grabbed Todoroki’s hands, and then gently pulled her over to him. Then, he gave her a big hug and kiss, which she gladly returned. This one heated them up better than any hot beverage could’ve done. They didn’t even care that a couple of people had stopped to take a look at them. They were just so happy to be in love with each other and could think of nothing else.

===

After skating for a few more minutes, Deku and Todoroki decided to call it an evening.

“Deku, thanks again for inviting me here! That was the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for me!”

“You’re welcome, and thank you for accepting my invitation! Ice skating really is fun!”

“You’re welcome! Also, if you ever wanna do this again, feel free to let me know! I’ll gladly come along!”

Deku nodded. “Will do!”

Deku and Todoroki wrapped an arm around each other as they headed back to the dorms, both looking forward to that next great romantic activity that they could share with each other.

Chapter Text

Deku strode up to Todoroki’s front door with a spring in his step. The weather was cool, but not exceedingly cold, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. If there was anything that could make this day better, it was seeing his bicolor-haired girlfriend. Ever since she’d revealed her true gender identity, he felt like things had gotten that much better for the both of them, and there was nothing he looked forward to more than seeing her beautiful face. His pep continued as he knocked on her door and hummed “T.N.T.” to himself. Soon enough, the door opened.

“Good morning, Shoko!”

Deku’s smile faded away as soon as he saw Todoroki, whose hair was looking messy, along with her eyes looking rather sunken and her clothes looking rumpled.

“Oh…hi, Deku.”

“Shoko, you don’t look too good. Is everything OK?”

“Come inside.”

Deku stepped inside, having a bad feeling about what she was going to tell him next.

“Well?” said Deku.

“OK, so I have been having the WORST time of my life. I was driving to the mental hospital to visit my mother, and on the way there, a dog ran in front of my car. I tried to stop, but I…I couldn’t do it in time, and I killed it!” Tears instantly filled Todoroki’s eyes. “Even worse, the owners were right there, and one of them…she accused me of being on my phone and I…I…”

Todoroki was unable to finish her sentence as she buried her face in her hands and cried. While seeing her cry was nothing new for Deku, this was a whole new kind of pain for him, and his mouth was agape as he saw her cry.

“Shoko, I…I’m so sorry!”

Not knowing what else to do, Deku gave Todoroki a big hug, which she gladly returned. As he held her, he could only imagine what intense pain she must be going through, and it was perhaps the most unbearable thing that anyone could bear. He too wanted to cry knowing that a poor, innocent animal had been taken from this world too soon. Nevertheless, he kept his feelings together as he did his best to comfort her. Even if it hurt him hearing her cry like this, it also gave him a sense of satisfaction knowing that he could be there for her in what was quite possibly one of her darkest hours. After all, he’d want her to do the same thing for him if he were ever in this much pain.

Despite being in so much pain, Todoroki did her best to think about how wonderful it was that Deku was here to comfort her and do his best to make things all right. Even if crying hurt for her, at least she didn’t have to do it alone anymore, and it hurt that much less now that she was in his arms. Granted, she still wondered what she could possibly have done differently to avoid this, but she eventually came to realize that it was futile. Besides, he didn’t judge her for what he did, and even if he was shocked by the fact that an animal had died at her hands, at least he still loved her. To her, the fact that he still loved her enough to give her a hug meant everything to her. After what seemed like eons, Todoroki stopped crying, but she continued to hold on to Deku. He was her first, her last…her everything. She would die for him. Finally, once she felt well enough, she let go.

“Are you OK, Shoko?”

Todoroki pulled out some tissues, dried her eyes and blew her nose. “Sort of. I still hate myself for what I did, but I’m glad you were here for me.”

Deku put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “I don’t expect you to get over this overnight, but if it makes you feel any better, I’m gonna cook you a delicious lunch. Sound good?”

“That sounds nice, but…” Todoroki averted her gaze. “Deku, please don’t leave me.”

Deku put his hands on Todoroki’s cheeks and refocused her gaze on him. “I know you don’t want me to leave, but I promise I won’t be gone long! Promise me you’ll do your best to keep yourself together until then?”

Todoroki nodded. “I’ll try…I guess…”

“OK, please do!”

===

It had only been a few minutes for Deku to go out and get the ingredients for what he needed, but for Todoroki – who was curled up on the couch in the fetal position by the time Deku got back – it felt like an eternity.

“You’re still here,” said Deku.

“Just barely.”

“Well, I’m back, so I’ll have the food ready soon!”

“OK…”

Deku headed to the kitchen and began preparing his famous katsudon. Thus far, knowing that Todoroki had stayed strong in his absence helped him to regain some of his pep. Then, while he was cooking, he felt Todoroki hug him from behind.

“Huh!?” said Deku.

Todoroki laid her head against Deku’s. “Deku, thank you so much for everything you’ve done. You really are my angel from paradise.”

“Awww…you’re so sweet!”

Deku did his best to continue cooking while Todoroki embraced him. Granted, it was rather difficult, but he did his best, though it took him all his strength not to melt from her affection. Eventually, he finished the cooking.

“OK, come and get it!”

Todoroki let go of Deku as he served up the katsudon, and they both sat down.

“Wow, this smells delicious!” said Todoroki.

“It’s my favorite!” said Deku.

“OK then…”

Todoroki took a bite, and within seconds, she let out a hearty “mmmm” as the crunchiness of the panko breading and the savoriness of the pork massaged her broken soul.

“Thanks again, Deku! You’re the best!”

Deku swallowed. “Anything for a soul in need!”

Todoroki smiled as she continued to eat. Even if this incident would haunt her for the rest of her life, at least she could rest a bit easier knowing that she’d have Deku to comfort her.

Chapter Text

Deku had just gotten back from an afternoon run when he headed upstairs and took a shower to clean up. Thus far, today had been a non-notable day. Even so, he didn’t mind at all. In fact, he sometimes enjoyed those days where he didn’t have to worry about anything major. He had just put on fresh duds and was humming “Runnin’ With the Devil” to himself when he heard knocking on his door.

“Coming!”

Deku headed to the door, and when he opened it, he was greeted by a very familiar, very friendly face:

“DEKU!”

Todoroki gave Deku a big hug and kiss. No matter how many times she laid her loving on him, it never got old. Soon enough, they broke away.

“Well, you seem to be in good spirits today!” said Deku. “How are you feeling?”

Todoroki frowned. “I’m not gonna lie; I still hurt from accidentally hitting and killing that dog, and it’s probably gonna haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Deku frowned as well. Knowing that Todoroki was still in pain from that incident hurt him as well, and it made him wonder if he’d done enough to comfort her. However, he knew what to say:

“Shoko, it’s OK to feel whatever you want about it. None of this was your fault. Accidents happen even to the best of us.”

Todoroki smiled. “Thank you for your kindness, Deku. Because of you, it doesn’t hurt as much, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for what you did for me, not to mention everything else you’ve ever done!”

Deku’s smile returned as well. “I’m glad I could help!”

“In fact, I’m so grateful that I’ve got a special surprise for you!”

Deku raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Let’s head for your living room.”

Deku led Todoroki to the living room.

“So, about this surprise…” said Deku.

“First, I want you to take all of your clothes off.”

Deku dropped his jaw and blushed. “WHAT!?”

Todoroki kept smiling and made a gentle pushing motion towards Deku. “Relax; I only want to give you a massage!”

Deku smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. “Oh…OK! I mean, there doesn’t have to be anything weird about it, right?”

Todoroki chuckled. “Of course not!”

Without further ado, Deku stripped down to his birthday suit and lied down face-first on his couch.

“Ready for it, Deku?”

“Uh-huh.”

Todoroki cracked open a bottle of lavender/chamomile-scented massage oil, rubbed some between her hands and proceeded to massage Deku’s back. Upon feeling Todoroki’s hands rubbing him, Deku let out a soft gasp, and moaned softly.

“Shoko, you have no idea how much I needed this.”

“Rough day, my dear?”

“I just did a long afternoon run, and I feel kinda achy.”

“Well, I’ll gladly take care of that!”

Deku continued to moan as Todoroki massaged him. The way she was working her soft hands over him gently yet firmly, he couldn’t think of anything else but how good it felt to have his troubles melting away at the hands of such a beautiful girl. What made this even better for him was that she was giving this to him as a reward for being there for her in an hour of need. At one point, he wondered how he could possibly repay her for being so kind and loving towards him, but then he decided that he’d already paid her back enough and that he should really just focus on how sensually heavenly the massage felt. Considering all the life-threatening situations he’d been in, this did indeed feel like heaven to him.

“You’re so cute, Deku,” said Todoroki.

Deku let out a happy sigh upon hearing Todoroki’s sweet compliment caress his ears. As for Todoroki, having felt as though she’d massaged Deku’s back and shoulders enough, she proceeded to work downwards until she was massaging his feet, which caused him to moan a bit more. She smiled, not only because it gave her pleasure to have him turn to putty in her hands, but also because she was doing something nice for someone who truly deserved it. Hearing him moan also caused her spine to tingle. Thanks to everything that was going on, she completely forgot about the fact that she was still troubled by accidentally killing a dog with her car and instead thought about what a wonderful person her boyfriend was and how she owed so much to him.

“Sh…Shoko…”

“Yes?”

“I’m good now. You can stop whenever you want.”

Todoroki massaged Deku’s feet for just a moment more before stopping. Deku basked in the afterglow of the massage briefly before sitting up, and Todoroki sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around him.

“Thanks again for letting me do this!” said Todoroki. “You are the sweetest, smartest, sexiest boy I’ve ever met!”

Deku blushed at Todoroki’s words, but nevertheless did his best to put on a smile as he wrapped an arm around her. “Oh…um…thank you!”

Todoroki giggled. “You’re welcome!”

“By the way, Shoko, I was thinking…”

“Yes?”

“If you’re still feeling hurt by what happened, there’s an animal shelter in this town that not only accepts donations, but they might be looking for volunteers, too.”

Todoroki nodded. “Interesting idea! Thanks for thinking of me like that!”

“You’re welcome!”

Deku and Todoroki continued to embrace each other. Even if the latter couldn’t take back what she did, at least she had the satisfaction of knowing that she had a boyfriend who gave her comfort in her hour of need and who permitted her to return that favor.

Chapter Text

Once again, another day of classes had gone by at UA, and once again, Deku and Todoroki were walking back to the dorms with each other, holding each other’s hands.

“You know, until I got into a relationship with you, I never knew how much fun holding hands could be!” said Todoroki.

“I know, right?” said Deku. “Whenever I hold hands with you, I feel so happy!”

“Me too!”

“Todoroki! Wait up, girlfriend!”

Deku and Todoroki turned around to see who’d called out to them: Ashido, who was being accompanied by Hagakure.

“Oh, hey there, Ashido!” said Todoroki. “What’s up?”

“So, Hagakure and I were thinking of having a super-girly shopping trip at the Kiyashi Mall, and we were wondering if you’d like to join us!”

Hagakure bounced around. “We’d be super-honored if you could join us!”

Todoroki smiled. “Of course! I’d love to!”

Ashido gave a thumbs-up. “Grand! Bring Midoriya along, too!”

Deku blushed. “Um…are you girls sure you want me to come along, too?”

“Why not?” said Ashido.

“I mean, it’s not like we’re with the League of Villains or anything!” said Hagakure.

Deku sweated nervously. “Um…I…well…”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. “Deku, you shouldn’t be ashamed to hang out with your friends just because they’re girls! Besides, we just wanna have fun!”

Deku gulped and put on his best smile. “Well…all right.”

“YAY!” Todoroki, Ashido and Hagakure all threw their arms up.

===

After changing back into their civilian clothes, Deku, Todoroki, Ashido and Hagakure were venturing out to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall.

“Ashido, Hagakure, thanks again for inviting us here!” said Todoroki. “The more I hang out with girls, the better I feel about being one!”

Ashido put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “That’s how you should feel, silly!”

Hagakure gently shoved Todoroki. “Yeah, Sillyroki!”

Deku and Todoroki both giggled at Ashido’s and Hagakure’s antics.

“Seriously, though, you have NO IDEA how happy we are that Class 1-A has another girl!” said Ashido.

“Really?” said Todoroki.

“Yeah, we love talking to the other girls, but it’s so boring just having the same six of us around!”

“Besides, you’re hotter than any of us!” said Hagakure.

Todoroki blushed, but still smiled. “I’m not a lesbian, but thank you!”

“Speaking of hot, aren’t you warm in that jacket?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty warm, too!” said Ashido.

“This?” Todoroki tugged at her olive green M65 field jacket. “No. As a matter of fact, this is my favorite jacket, and I think it’s very comfortable.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so!” said Deku. “Where did you get that, by the way?”

“I bought it from Buzz Rickson the year before I entered UA. Considering how big my breasts are, I’m surprised it still fits.”

“Yeah, how did you get so big?” asked Hagakure. “Seriously, you’re bigger than Yaoyorozu!”

Todoroki shrugged. “I don’t know. I do, however, have a question for you, Hagakure.”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you ever sad about being invisible?”

Hagakure smiled. “Well, not really! I mean, there are times I wish I could just turn it off and on like a lightbulb, but for the most part, I’m good with it!”

Ashido wrapped an arm around Hagakure. “And you’ll still be my bestie no matter what!”

Deku smiled. “See, this is one of the things I like about girls: you have such a special way of expressing your friendship!”

“I know, right?” said Ashido.

“Plus, unlike guys, we don’t say ‘hi’ to each other by punching each other in the arm!” said Hagakure.

Todoroki stroked her chin. “I never understood that, either.”

Deku put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “Yeah, I’m a guy and even I don’t understand that.”

“Then again, you never really seemed like a typical guy to me.”

Deku stroked his chin. “That’s a good point, but then again, is there really any such thing as a ‘typical guy’?”

“He’s got a point!” said Ashido. “I mean, Todoroki’s living proof that there’s no such thing as a ‘typical girl’, either!”

“How so?” asked Todoroki.

Ashido stroked her chin. “Well, for one, you really like heavy metal, and I don’t know a lot of girls besides you, Jiro and I who are metalheads. Plus, I’ve never seen any girl with hair like yours!”

Todoroki smiled. “I’ll take the hair thing as a compliment!”

“Also, you…”

Ashido trailed off when they passed by a Uniqlo clothing store, seeing a pink hoodie with a pile lining.

“OH MY DAMN CHERRY BLOSSOMS!*” Ashido put her hands on her cheeks. “That’s such a CUTE top!”

“Totally!” Hagakure bounced around. “Hey, we should get Midoriya to try that on!”

Deku blushed. “Um…”

“Come on, let’s go, lover!”

Todoroki grabbed Deku by the hand and led him into Uniqlo as Ashido and Hagakure headed on in. They immediately proceeded to the section where that particular hoodie was stocked, and Ashido pulled one off the rack.

“Well Midoriya, aren’t you going to try it on?” said Ashido.

“Eh…heh heh…”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. “I’ll give you a massage if you try it on!”

“Well…OK…”

Deku took the hoodie from Ashido and tried it on. The pink acid girl had a good eye for sizes, for it fit the green bean perfectly, which was part of the reason why all three girls giggled.

“Hey everyone, guess what time it is?” said Ashido.

“What?” said everyone else.

“IT’S SELFIE TIME!”

The girls all squeezed together, and Ashido took a selfie of all four of them, much to Deku’s embarrassment. In spite of this, he knew they meant no harm; it was all just good, clean, girly fun.

Chapter Text

It was a cold fall night, and Todoroki was driving from Shizuoka, having attended a Future Heroes of Japan convention with Deku. Thus far, the drive home was going smoothly. Then, about 25 miles from Musutafu, Todoroki noticed the “temperature” light come on, and she pulled her Oldsmobile over just as smoke started coming out of the hood, so once the car was in “PARK”, she shut the engine off. Her and Deku got out, and she opened the hood to check the problem.

“Well?” said Deku.

“The radiator has no coolant. One of the coolant lines must’ve sprung a leak, but I can’t be sure of which one unless I take it to a mechanic.”

“Right. I’ll call JAF.”

Deku whipped out his phone and called the Japan Automobile Federation. Once he hung up, a man dressed in a security guard uniform consisting of a light blue button-down shirt, dark blue pants and a dark blue peaked cap approached them.

“Excuse me, is everything OK?” asked the security guard.

“Aside from some car trouble, yes,” replied Todoroki.

The guard gestured to a nearby security gate. “You can park in our lot for the time being. I’ll inform the tow truck driver that you’re here.”

“Right. Deku, please lift the car.”

Deku gave a thumbs up. “Got it!”

Deku proceeded to carry Todoroki’s Oldsmobile into the nearby parking lot while the guard opened the gate for them. While carrying the car, Deku caught sight of a sign that read “IKITAMIZU PREFECTURAL PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL”. While he had slight qualms about visiting the place, he reminded himself that him and Todoroki were just parking her car here until a tow truck could arrive. Once Todoroki found a suitable spot for her Oldsmobile, she signalled Deku, who put the car down. Then, she heard a grumbling sound.

“What was that?”

Deku rubbed his stomach. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

Todoroki’s stomach grumbled, too. “Now that you mention it, so am I. Question is, how are we even going to get food?”

“Good evening, young fellows! What brings you here?”

Deku and Todoroki turned to see who’d addressed them: an old, balding man with a goatee and glasses. He was dressed up in a gray suit with a black tie and black leather dress shoes.

“Hello there,” said Todoroki. “We’ve had some car trouble, so the guard out front let us park here until a tow truck arrived. Who are you?”

“My name is Nobuyuki Minami. I am the administrator of this hospital.”

“I’m Shoko Todoroki, and this is my boyfriend, Izuku Midoriya.”

“Pleased to meet you both!”

Deku and Todoroki both bowed to Minami.

“Can I interest either of you two in some food?” asked Minami.

Deku nodded. “Please do! We’re hungry!”

“Then please come along with me.”

Minami led Deku and Todoroki to the hospital. On its exterior, it hardly appeared to be any different from modern hospital buildings. Perhaps the only thing distinguishing it from other hospitals was a fountain near the front of the building that was topped with a recreation of Michelangelo’s David. When they got inside, however, they noticed that the reception area of the building was richly-furnished, with an imported Persian rug, chandeliers for illumination and a fireplace at one end. A receptionist – a middle-aged woman with her hair in a bun – sat at a mahogany office desk.

“Oh, Mr. Minami, who have you brought today?”

“These two were having some car trouble, so I’m inviting them in for some food and drink.”

“Very well.”

Before Minami could lead Deku and Todoroki to get some food, he noticed that they had become entranced by a petite young woman with long hair – possibly their age – playing the Night Court theme on saxophone. After playing for a minute more, she stopped as she took notice of Deku and Todoroki.

“Pretty good, huh?” said the young woman.

Deku smiled. “That was great! Have you been playing the saxophone for long?”

“Ever since I was a little girl.”

“What made you want to take up the instrument?” asked Todoroki.

“I can’t exactly remember. All I know is my uncle encouraged me to take up some sort of creative pursuit, and TADA! Next thing you know, I’m playing the saxophone.”

“Having a jovial little chat, Saori?” said Minami.

Deku and Todoroki turned to Minami.

“Is she one of the patients here?” asked Todoroki.

“Heavens, no! This is my niece, Saori Sasaki! Saori, this is Izuku Midoriya and Shoko Todoroki.”

Saori smiled. “How do you do?”

Saori bowed before Deku and Todoroki, who returned the gesture as well.

“Hey, sorry about that…” Todoroki rubbed the back of her head.

“It’s OK!” said Saori. “I get that a lot!”

“Yes, more than once, my little Saori has been mistaken for one of our patients,” said Minami. “However, this pales in comparison to the various incidents we’ve had in regards to the thoughtlessness of certain visitors. While this hospital’s former system of treating patients was in effect, during which patients were given a great deal of liberty to roam about as they pleased, they often went into a dangerous frenzy by visitors who weren’t very careful. Because of this, I was forced to maintain a rigid system of standards for potential visitors, excluding those whom I deemed untrustworthy to be around the patients.”

Deku stroked his chin. “Your former system? What more can you tell us about that?”

“It was a promising system, albeit…unfortunately…one in which its drawbacks far outweighed its advantages.” Minami temporarily averted his gaze. “Rather than seeking to punish our patients for the mental incompetencies that brought them here in the first place, we sought not only to understand their issues, but even to reward them with the highest degree of love and caring that we could provide, and it was because of this love and caring that many a patient left here much better off than if they’d been left untreated.

However, not only did we work on attempting to treat their conditions, but we also gave them leisure to indulge in amusements of a simple sort such as music, dancing, exercise, board and card games, and even certain books. As a matter of fact, we acted not as if we were treating them for mental issues, but for ordinary maladies such as colds and the flu, and in doing so, we tried to avoid words directly related to the treatment of mental health. Another one of our methods was to employ a patient to supervise other patients, and by investing our confidence in the patients, to grow their own confidence as well. Not only that, but we were able to reduce the amount of money we spent on employing security guards.”

“And you never punished a single patient?” asked Todoroki.

“No.”

“But did you ever confine them?” asked Deku.

“Rarely, if ever. On occasion, there would be patients whose challenges were so great or who proved to be overly violent that they had to be confined to a special cell, where they would be kept until they could prove that they were ready to behave in an orderly fashion.

“But why then would you discontinue this system?” asked Todoroki.

“As I have mentioned earlier, its drawbacks were too great to merit further continuation. As to anybody who would sing its praises, believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see. After dinner, however, once you are feeling up to it, I will be happy to give you a further tour of the hospital, and in doing so introduce you to a system that I – in addition to those who have witnessed its application – believe to be the most effective yet.”

“Is it something that you came up with?” asked Deku.

“To a certain degree, yes. But let us discontinue our idle chat for now and have dinner.”

Minami led Deku and Todoroki to a private dining area. One thing that the two lovebirds took notice of was that, like the foyer, the rest of the hospital was decorated in such a manner that was more suggestive of a hotel than a hospital. At one point, they passed through a hallway that offered a view of a central courtyard. Deku and Todoroki marvelled at the gardens that were planted here.

“I wish I could show you the patients at the moment, but I’m afraid that I would spoil your appetites in doing so,” said Minami.

Eventually, the three came to the private dining area, where the hospital staff dined. Like the rest of the hospital, it too was ornately furnished, with a number of long, rectangular mahogany tables placed end-to-end along with matching chairs. There was a veritable smorgasbord of food on silver platters, with fine china plates for eating along with porcelain chopsticks. Seated at the table were a number of doctors, nurses and orderlies who were employed here. To the untrained observer, they looked like ordinary hospital staff, but Deku noticed that their uniforms seemed to be rather ill-fitting. For now, though, he chalked it up to uniform shortages. In one corner, somebody was playing a Minimoog, and to Deku’s ears, it sounded like a half-assed attempt at Emerson, Lake & Palmer at best and a laser gun being thrown in a garbage disposal at worst. Nevertheless, he sat down with Minami and Todoroki when instructed by the former.

“Good evening, Mr. Minami,” said one of the nurses, a short blonde woman. “May I ask who our two guests are?”

“Miss Nakai, this is Izuku Midoriya and Shoko Todoroki. Midoriya, Todoroki, this is Chiyo Nakai, one of our nurses.”

Deku and Todoroki said “hi” and waved to Nakai before helping themselves to some food.

“So, what made you bring them here?” asked Nakai.

Minami finished serving himself some chicken katsu. “Well, they were having car trouble, so I thought it best to bring them in and share our food with them while they awaited a tow truck.”

Nakai smiled. “Then perhaps you’d like to tell them the story of that guy who set his blanket on fire and ate it!”

Minami chuckled. “Perhaps you’d be better suited to telling that one! You were, after all, the one who attended to him.”

“Very well. OK, so one of our patients somehow got a large supply of hand sanitizer, and he used it to set his blanket on fire and ate it while it was still burning. We ended up having to send him to another hospital for severe burns to his esophagus.”

“Or how about this one guy who had a Quirk that could turn inanimate objects into fish?” said a tall doctor. “Man, he really stunk this place up!”

One orderly nearly choked on her food. “Isamu, do you really have to gross us out like that?”

Isamu Mizushima smiled. “Sorry, Sachiko; I couldn’t help myself!”

“That aside, are you two enjoying your food, Midoriya and Todoroki?” asked Minami.

Deku smiled. “Very much so! This is quite possibly the best katsudon I’ve ever had!”

“Yeah, and this zaru soba was expertly cooked, too!” said Todoroki.

“Good, I’m glad you’re enjoying it!”

“Hey, did I tell you about this guy who had a frog Quirk?” said another doctor.

Deku and Todoroki perked up at the mention of this. While they knew that it wasn’t uncommon for different people in different parts of the world to have very similar Quirks, they were still surprised at the possibility of somebody sharing Tsu’s Quirk.

“No, you didn’t,” said Todoroki.

“So basically, his Quirk allowed him to turn into a giant frog, and he went around trying to eat the other patients as if they were flies.”

“And how did you cure him?” asked Deku.

“We had another guy whose Quirk could change the size of living beings, so we had him enlarge flies for our frog man to feed on.”

The hospital staff had a good laugh at this story.

Deku smiled. “That’s interesting, but…” He turned to Minami. “Will you excuse Todoroki and I? We have to go to the bathroom.”

“Very well. Go down the hall and take a left. There’s a bathroom on the right.”

Deku led Todoroki out of the dining hall and stood a few ways away from the door.

“What’s wrong, Deku?”

Deku leaned a bit closer to whisper to Todoroki. “Shoko, I don’t trust these people. Judging by the way their clothes are ill-fitting and their body language, they’re definitely up to something.”

Todoroki put her index finger up to her cheek. “But what?”

“I don’t know, but let’s just play along for now, and we’ll strike when the time is right, OK?”

Todoroki gave a thumbs-up. “Got it.”

Deku and Todoroki returned to their seats.

“Everything good?” asked Minami.

Deku smiled and nodded. “Yes, very good!” He continued eating his katsudon.

“So anyways, wanna hear about the guy with the cola Quirk?” asked another doctor.

Deku nodded. “Sure.”

“So basically, he would often shake himself around, and when he did that, his Quirk would cause the cola to spray everywhere!” The doctor had a good laugh. “Boy, the janitors had a fun time with that!”

Everyone had a good laugh hearing this story, though Deku’s and Todoroki’s seemed a bit forced.

“Hey Yuuta, we can’t forget the guy with the donkey Quirk!” said another orderly.

“Donkey Quirk?” Todoroki took another bite of soba.

“Yeah, it was the weirdest thing: basically, he could do everything that a donkey could, and then he found this really fat patient and attempted to paint him green! Can you believe it?”

The hospital staff once again had a good laugh. Minami got up and made a downwards pushing motion with his hands.

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, that’ll be all for now.”

Just then, the room fell dead silent as Deku and Todoroki thought they heard what sounded like screaming coming from elsewhere in the hospital. They got chills up and down their spines, feeling as though the screams were those of a thousand lost souls – that is, the departed souls of mortal men and women roaming unseen upon the planet seeking to find life they would not find, for it was too late, for they would never see again the life they chose not to follow.

“Did you hear that?” said Deku.

Minami nodded. “Yes, on occasion, our patients will get together and howl in concert. It does happen sometimes where these yells are accompanied by an escape attempt, attempts that rarely – if ever – succeed.”

“How many patients do you house here?” asked Todoroki.

“At present, we are caring for 35 patients.”

Deku nodded. “Anyways, this new, more rigorous system…tell us more about it.”

“While the confinement of patients is indeed rigorous, the treatment is still far more agreeable than anything that is to be found in Japan nowadays.”

“And you said it was something that you had at least partially devised?” said Todoroki.

“To a degree. Parts of this system were devised by an American, a fellow by the name of Doctor Edgar Tarr. Perhaps you’ve heard of him, or of another American, a Professor Allan Fether, whose works had also contributed to the creation of my new system.”

Deku and Todoroki shook their heads.

“No, I can’t say I’ve heard of either of them,” said Deku.

“Neither have I,” said Todoroki.

Minami gasped. “Good heavens! You two mean to tell me that neither of you have heard of the learned Doctor Tarr or the celebrated Professor Fether!?”

“Nope,” said Deku and Todoroki.

“I implore you, research their works once you have left this institution! For now, though, join me and the rest of us in a glass of imported American cider!”

Minami and a few of his employees cracked open some bottles of Martinelli’s sparkling cider, which they poured into some lowball glasses.

« Pour la santé ! »

Everyone toasted and drank up.

“So, Mr. Minami, the old system that you talked about earlier…tell me more about why you discontinued it,” said Deku.

Minami lowered his glass. “As I have mentioned before, its drawbacks outweighed its advantages, chiefly in the fact that if left unattended for any appreciable length of time, patients can become unpredictable. It is my opinion as well as the opinion of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether that even if a patient appears to be cured, he/she is apt to become very stubborn. You’d be surprised how cunning certain patients can be, too. Once they get something in mind, they’re bound to keep it hidden from the hospital staff, and it is in my opinion that when patients appear to be at their sanest, then they are to be restrained.”

“No…this can’t be true!” said Todoroki. “You couldn’t possibly believe that giving patients such liberty is hazardous…could you?”

“In my own experience, yes. You see, a while ago, there was a certain incident that occurred when the old system was in place: one morning, the patients staged an uprising against the hospital staff and locked them in the holding cells.”

Deku’s eyes widened as he gasped. “No way!”

“Yes way. One of the patients had gotten it into his head that he had a better system of treating patients than any that had come before, and having thought of this system, he convinced the rest of the patients to join him in a conspiracy to overthrow the hospital staff.”

Todoroki shook her head. “I still can’t believe he succeeded!”

“Neither could I, but the fact remains that he did, and the hospital staff were treated in a very cavalier manner by the patients.”

Deku scratched his head. “But if that happened, wouldn’t somebody take notice? If somebody had come to visit the hospital, then they definitely would’ve alerted the authorities!”

“And that’s where you’re wrong. The leader of the uprising was far too clever for that. He refused to admit any visitors…that is, with the exception of a young couple of whom he had no reason to be afraid. He let them in to see the premises, just to have some fun with them. As soon as he’d thoroughly convinced them of his upstanding nature, he sent them on their merry way.”

“So how long did the patients reign?” asked Todoroki.

“For about a month or so. In the meantime, the patients ate, drank and made all sorts of merriment of themselves. They certainly lived well.”

“So I guess the head of the uprising put in his own system of treatment.”

“No doubt he did. In fact, I am of the opinion that his treatment was better than the one it superseded, and…”

Just then, Minami was cut off by another series of yells, but what got to Deku and Todoroki was that they sounded as if they were approaching the private dining area.

“Hey,” said Deku, “is it just me or have the patients broken loose?”

“I fear that you are right,” said Minami, now looking very pale.

Sure enough, the door burst open, and a group of men and women in ill-fitting clothing stormed into the room. One man pointed at Minami.

“Stop them!” said the man. “He’s the one who imprisoned us!”

Almost immediately, the employee dining area turned into a scene of mass bedlam as hospital staff and patients alike fired Quirks at each other. Deku turned to Todoroki and nodded, and they too joined in the fray as tables were overturned and food and drink flew about, creating such a mess on the fine carpeting as if to suggest a Jackson Pollock painting. Even the guy who was playing the Minimoog abandoned his poor attempts at ELP to join in the frenzy. Then, while Deku and Todoroki were assisting the newly-freed hospital staff in combatting the patients, the former saw a golden opportunity regarding Minami, and…

(One For All, Full Cowling, 45%!) “DETROIT SMASH!”

Deku slammed Minami into the wall with a punch, and it was upon this happening that the patients’ attempts at continuing their uprising began to crumble. Todoroki ran over to Deku.

“Let’s get out of here!” said Todoroki.

Figuring that the hospital staff had things well under control, Deku hightailed it out of there with Todoroki in tow. It was later on that the two of them learned that Nobuyuki Minami had indeed once been the administrator of Ikitamizu Hospital, but had gone mad himself and was made into a patient. The exploits that Minami had related to them at dinner were merely his own, and the hospital staff, after being imprisoned, were treated to the centuries-old custom of tarring and feathering before being locked away. They had been imprisoned for about a month, during which they were not only applied with a generous portion of tar and feathers – the “system” that Minami had spoken of earlier – but were fed a meager diet of bread and water. It was only because one of the hospital staff used his own Quirk to break free that the hospital staff was able to regain control of the situation, and the prior system of treating patients was restored.

As for the works of Doctor Edgar Tarr and Professor Allan Fether…Deku scoured the Internet as well as every physical library in Japan, but failed to procure even a scrap of evidence pertaining to their works.

Chapter Text

It was Sunday, and the students of UA had no classes today, so they were using their free time however they wished. Today, Todoroki was using her free time in a most unique way: she was volunteering at the Musutafu Animal Sanctuary. Naturally, Deku was volunteering alongside her. However, they weren’t alone in this endeavor, for a familiar face was volunteering at the shelter as well: Koji Koda.

“Hey guys, thanks for helping me out,” said Koda. “This place has been a bit shorthanded lately, and there are so many animals out there that need a home.”

Todoroki smiled. “You’re welcome! This is probably my first time volunteering for anything, and it gives me great honor to be doing this!”

“I’m only here because I wanted to support Shoko, but yeah, this makes me feel really good about myself!” said Deku.

“Now you know how I feel,” said Koda. “Hardly anyone at school speaks to me, but when I come here and visit my animal friends, I feel so alive.”

Todoroki scratched her head. “Why would nobody speak to you? You seem like a very nice boy.”

Koda shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s just…all my life, people have ignored me, and in those rare occasions when they did acknowledge me, they treated me like I was some kind of freak. That’s why I’ve always loved animals: they always have such a kind, cute way of showing their love, and they never express fear or hatred towards me.”

Todoroki smiled and put a hand on Koda’s shoulder. “Koda, you’re not a freak! I may not know you as well as some of my other friends, but you seem like you deserve to be loved!”

Deku put a hand on Koda’s other shoulder. “I’m with Shoko! I could never hate a guy like you!”

Koda smiled. “Gee, thanks, you two!”

Koda wrapped his arms around Deku and Todoroki and pulled them in tightly.

“Whoa, that’s some grip you’ve got there!” said Deku.

“Yeah, I bet your parents love hugging you!” said Todoroki.

“Really, you have no idea how much I needed one of these!” said Koda.

“You sure seem like it!” said Todoroki.

Koda let go of Deku and Todoroki when they heard a dog barking. Todoroki looked over and saw the source of the barking: a white Scottish Terrier. As soon as it made eye contact with her, it let out a soft whimper, its ears drooped and its tail lowered. Seeing the kind of look it was giving her, she could sense that this one really wanted to go to a loving home where its owner would give it nothing but undying love, and she formed tears in her eyes, much to Koda’s concern:

“Todoroki, is something wrong?”

“I-I’m sorry, this dog…it’s just so cute, I…I wanna adopt it so bad, but I’m afraid the UA staff won’t let me keep it, and I’m worried that it won’t take kindly to Abraham or Eve!”

Deku smiled and put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s OK to feel sad! If the dog means that much to you, I’ll talk to Mr. Aizawa, All Might, Principal Nezu and any other staff members about this! Maybe it can be the new mascot of UA!”

Koda smiled. “That would be nice! That way I’d have something to look forward to after getting out of class!”

Todoroki smiled and put her hands on Koda’s shoulders. “You and me both! I mean, I already have Deku to look forward to, but a little extra love never hurt anyone, right?”

Deku smiled and gave a thumbs up. “I like your thinking, Shoko!”

For the first time since she’d accidentally hit and killed a dog, Todoroki could feel a sense of closure. Even if her mind would still bear the scars of that day, the possibility of giving another dog a chance healed her heart like nothing else could.

Chapter Text

It had been a hard time for hero society, but it had been an especially hard time for Deku. Having witnessed the incredible destruction brought on by the Paranormal Liberation Front in addition to possessing the knowledge that Tomura Shigaraki and All For One were targeting him in a mad attempt to steal One For All, he made the hard decision to leave UA and fight alongside the pro heroes to try to restore some semblance of order in Japan. However, vengeance ran through his veins like gasoline, so much so that he eventually ignored basic necessities such as eating and sleeping. Even his mentor All Might wasn’t enough to placate his need to have Shigaraki’s and All For One’s heads roasted on a spit.

That wasn’t going to stop the members of Class 1-A from trying though, and with Principal Nezu’s approval, they went out to seek their shining star, the one who’d been with them through thick and thin, who’d inspired them in more ways than he could ever imagine. Today, they were using their Quirks to the best of their abilities, doing their best to help Deku see the light that he was currently choosing not to follow. At first, it looked as though their attempts were in vain. Even Todoroki – the love of his life – couldn’t pierce his cold heart with her Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall. It wasn’t until the combined efforts of Kacchan, Ashido, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Iida came together that he came down to earth…physically, at least. Mentally and emotionally, he continued to resist, even as Kirishima used his Quirk:

“These two…won’t…break me!” Kirishima dug his heels in, trying his best to stop Deku. “Midoriya, I never mentioned this, but a while back, this story blew me away: some kid my age rushed in to harm’s way to save his friend from danger! That kid was you, wasn’t it!? It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a special power, or fate, or whatever! What you did back then is the same sort of thing we’re trying to do for you now!”

Having come to a stop, Deku lifted his head slightly and saw that all of his UA classmates had gathered before him, ready to welcome him back with open arms in spite of the amount of time he’d been gone for, and their efforts had taken more of a toll than a booth. Ashido especially wanted Deku back:

“Please, stop running! I don’t think I can lose another person I care about! Let’s stick together! It’s time for you to come back to our class!”

Deku got up and released himself from Kirishima.

“Yes…we all agree,” said Iida.

“For sure,” said Kirishima.

Deku turned away from Iida and Kirishima, continuing to resist:

“I…I wish I could, but…I’m too scared. There are a lot of people who sought refuge at UA, and I don’t wanna cause them any trouble. You guys must get it; things can’t go back to the way they were before!”

Any other person would’ve just resigned themselves to saying that Deku was right and that yes, things would never go back to the way they were before. However, out of all of Class 1-A, none had staunchly refused to accept this fate more than a certain bicolor girl:

“Deku…I know why you cry. I know everything hurts for you right now, but please, at least let me tell you this story: ever since I first saw you at UA, I was attracted to you not just because of your cute looks, but because I sensed something deep down inside you. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it then, but I knew you were special. When I met you at the Sports Festival, when I told you that I was going to beat you using only my right side, I…I wanted to tell you how much I wanted you so badly, but…you know how you’re saying you’re scared? That was exactly how I felt when I was talking to you then, not just because I feared being rejected by you, but also because I was afraid of what would happen if my father found out. I was so afraid that I hid in one of the stadium’s bathrooms and cried for what felt like forever. When you told me those words, ‘it’s yours, your Quirk, not his,’ I knew right then I didn’t have to be afraid anymore. Every battle we ever fought together, every laugh we ever shared, every time either one of us cried and hugged each other, every time both of us kissed, every special moment we ever had with each other, I…I’ve never forgotten any of those. You helped me to become the person I am today, and now I wanna give that exact same help back to you. We all do. Please, come back to us…to me.”

Deku stared into Todoroki’s heterochromic eyes. He could sense how much this meant to his girlfriend. His answer came thusly:

“I…I’m sorry, Shoko. I can’t let you get hurt.”

Todoroki formed tears in her eyes. “Well how do you think I feel right now!?”

“Please, just…let it be.”

Todoroki clasped her hands over her heart. “Deku, please, don’t do this to me! I don’t know how I can go on living without the one boy who means everything to me! If you have any good bones left in your body, if there’s still any nobility left in your heart, I beg you, reconsider your words! Please say you understand how I feel, honey! I know you’ve got a lot of things on your mind! Oh, I’m missing you so bad! Please, oh please come on home!”

At this point, Deku’s mind continued to tell him to resist Todoroki’s attempts to bring him back to UA, but his heart was telling him a different story. Seeing his favorite girl in the world forming tears in his eyes because of his attempts to push her away, not to mention hearing the hurt in her voice, this ultimately proved to be too much for him, and he formed tears of his own.

“Shoko…I…I…I…I’M SORRY!”

Deku collapsed to his knees and cried. Immediately, Todoroki hurried over to him, got down on her knees and gave him a big hug, which he returned.

“Deku, listen to me: I’m not mad at you. I was just so worried about you! Everything’s gonna be OK, you hear me? It’s OK!”

Deku continued to cry as he accepted Todoroki’s warm, comforting embrace. Sure, everything still felt horribly messed up to a degree that he couldn’t even have dreamed of, but because of her, things didn’t feel as messed up, and he was better able to concentrate on how much he loved her and how she meant everything to him. Granted, a small part of his mind was telling him that this was wrong and he should leave her behind to prevent her from getting hurt, but his heart was stronger than ever, and how could he ignore that? Moreover, how could he ignore the fact that she felt softer, warmer and more cuddly than ever? He would’ve had to have been a fool to let her go now. She was, after all, his angel from paradise.

Angel or not, making Deku feel better about himself made Todoroki feel better, too. While she’d treasured many a moment with him, this was probably the moment she’d treasure the most. Of all of the good and the bad things she’d seen, nothing else had quite felt like heaven to her more so than this. In this moment, all she could think about – aside from wanting to hold on to him forever – was bringing him home, fixing him a nice, warm plate of katsudon and wrapping him up in a cozy blanket. After today, there was no doubt in her mind that he would be her favorite person forever and ever. Even after Deku stopped crying, Todoroki continued to hold on to him. In the meantime, while the two lovebirds were tearfully embracing each other, the rest of Class 1-A had let out a collective “awww” as they beheld the whole thing.

“Sh-Shoko…”

“Yes, honey?”

“Thanks.”

With that, Deku went limp in Todoroki’s arms.

“Deku!? DEKU!?”

Kacchan grabbed Deku’s wrist and put his index and middle fingers on it.

“Don’t worry; he’ll live.”

Todoroki nodded. Even if she was worried about Deku, she still had faith in him.

===

Later, Deku awoke to the sight of Mezo Shoji, who was carrying him.

“His eyes are open! Thirteen, he’s awake!”

“Good!”

Anan Kurose – better known as the Space Hero: Thirteen – opened her helmet, revealing a hazel-eyed young woman with short, bobbed navy blue hair with blonde at the top.

“Hi there!” said Thirteen. “Midoriya, can you hear me?”

“Thirteen…?”

“I’ll update you: most civilians have been evacuated to shelters. The ones left in the streets are anti-hero vigilantes or looters taking advantage of the chaos the jailbreakers caused.” Thirteen turned to the left. “But they won’t last for long. More and more of them have asked for our protection. Plus, since most of the rioters formed gangs, they’re easy enough to deal with in one swoop. During evacuations, we had to split up our forces. We’ve done our best to improve the situation outside and in, though. At this point, all of the help you’ve been providing around the city can be taken care of by others. You can leave it to us now, OK?”

Deku looked up at the huge wall that was standing before them, only to notice a marking that said “UA EMERGENCY SECURITY SYSTEM”.

“This is…UA?”

“The UA Barrier, to be exact!” Hanta Sero pointed at the wall. “And this big wall is just the tip of the security iceberg!”

Hagakure pounded the outsides of her fists together. “You’re totally gonna geek out when you hear about the system! They said we could even merge with Shiketsu!”

Deku looked away from Hagakure and towards UA.

(I want to respect what everyone has done for me, but…) “I just can’t…take this risk.”

One thing that Deku definitely wouldn’t be geeking out over was the throngs of people within UA’s walls who were opposed to the idea of a super-powered boy who was being pursued by a super-powered madman:

“Keep the boy away!”

“Jeez…loud, aren’t they?” said Thirteen.

“Prioritize our safety, like you promised!” said another protester.

“Prioritize our safety!”

“Don’t let that boy into UA’s shelter!”

“Keep him out!”

“He’s the one Shigaraki’s rumored to be after! Bringing him here would kill us!”

“Hey hey, let’s calm the vibe down!” said Hizashi Yamada, better known as “Present Mic”.

“Didn’t you hear the principal’s speech!? He said he’d guarantee our safety! So guarantee it!”

“We won’t let this happen!”

“Take the boy away!” said all the protesters.

“If you’ll just…”

A short-haired brunette with a light blue suit cut off Present Mic:

“We were told that if we abandoned our homes, you’d keep us safe here!”

“Now you want a time bomb living with us!?” said another protester.

“No way!” said all the protesters.

“Hide him somewhere that’s not UA!”

At this point, knowing that the people of Musutafu were all against him became too much to bear for Deku, and he wondered if there really was any place for him in this world. Thus, he decided to back away slowly and turn around to leave a second time, only for a hand to grab his. He turned around and saw Todoroki:

“Deku, I don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks! Even if you believe everyone in the world will be against you, know that I’ll always remain by your side!”

Once again, Deku gazed deeply into Todoroki’s eyes. Knowing that she was that determined to be with him, he smiled, which caused her to smile as well.

“Thank you so much, Shoko. And one more thing…”

“Yes?”

“I don’t want to get married or anything, but…at the same time, I…I couldn’t imagine ever spending my life with another woman.”

Todoroki giggled and ruffled Deku’s hair. “Deku, we don’t have to get married right now! We’ve got plenty of time to think about this! Now come on, let’s teach these bastards a lesson or two.”

“Hold on, Todoroki!”

Standing before Deku and Todoroki was none other than Kacchan. Todoroki gasped and put her fists up to her cheeks as she sparkled.

“Bakugo, you actually called me ‘Todoroki’ for once! That’s so adorable!”

“Never mind that. Deku, there was somethin’ I wanted to say to you before, but I never got the chance…”

“Go ahead, Kacchan. You’ve earned it.”

Kacchan proceeded to tell Deku how he really felt about him and apologized for being so hard on him, and Todoroki smiled as she looked on, happy that her little green bean was safe.

Chapter Text

It was just another day in the dorms for Todoroki as she fed her pet scorpion Abraham. The day had been a pretty uneventful one for her class-wise, which she was thankful for because she’d had some pretty stressful days recently and just needed to relax. Then, she heard knocking at her door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s the pizza man! I’ve got your pizza!”

“Coming!”

Todoroki headed for the door of her dorm. When she opened it, she saw Deku standing there, only he was dressed in a Domino’s Pizza uniform.

“Excuse me, Miss, but did you order a Large Sausage Pizza?” asked Deku.

Todoroki nodded. “I did, yes.”

“That’ll be 1,439 yen, please.”

“But I don’t have enough money. There must be some other…” Todoroki blinked. “Um…why are we doing this again?”

“Hey, you said you wanted to do some sexy role-playing, right?”

Todoroki put her index finger up to her chin. “But why would any woman have sex with a pizza delivery guy just to get a free pizza? I don’t get it.”

Deku smiled. “Hey, porn doesn’t have to make sense, you know!”

“Even so, this feels weird to me.”

Deku shrugged. “Oh well. I guess we can try something else some other time. In the meantime, why don’t we have some pizza together?”

Todoroki’s eyes widened. “Wait…there’s actually PIZZA in the box!? What kind!?”

Deku smiled “Charcoal-grilled chicken teriyaki!”

Todoroki gasped. “That’s my FAVORITE kind! Deku, thank you SO MUCH for getting that for us!”

“You’re welcome!”

Deku and Todoroki headed on in to the dorm, where they sat down and proceeded to eat the pizza.

“Even if you are weird sometimes, I still love you very much!” Todoroki took a bite of pizza.

“And I love you very much too! Besides, you’re not that normal yourself!”

Deku and Todoroki had a good laugh, united in peace, love and pizza.

Chapter Text

It was a cool spring afternoon in Musutafu, and Deku and Todoroki were enjoying it by walking down Banaizu Boulevard. Compared to the nighttime hours, there wasn’t as much activity at this time, though the occasional 60s/70s muscle car could be seen driving down the boulevard. Deku even took notice of the situation:

“Wow, this place sure looks a lot different than it did at night!”

“I know! Besides, daytime or nighttime, this is one of my favorite places to take a walk.”

Deku smiled and put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with the night you first kissed me…would it?”

Todoroki giggled. “It might!”

Deku giggled as well. “Oh Shoko, you’re so silly!”

“THERE YOU ARE! I’VE BEEN LOOKIN’ ALL OVER FOR YOU TWO IDIOTS!”

Deku and Todoroki instantly turned around to see who was yelling at them, and unsurprisingly, it was…

“Kacchan?” said Deku. “Why are you so angry at us?”

“I’VE BEEN WATCHIN’ YOU TWO, AND I’M GONNA BE HONEST: I’M SICK OF YOU BEIN’ SO LOVEY-DOVEY WITH EACH OTHER! SERIOUSLY!? YOU ASSHOLES THINK YOU’RE HOT SHIT JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE HAPPY AND SMOOCHIN’ EACH OTHER!? WELL YOU’RE NOT! YOU’RE JUST A COUPLE OF LOSERS LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, AND ONE OF THESE DAYS, I’M GONNA SHOW YOU WHO’S REALLY NUMBER-ONE AROUND HERE!”

“Bakugo, we don’t think we’re better than anyone else,” said Todoroki. “Our love for one another has no bearing on our proficiency as heroes. Besides, if there is something troubling you, I’m willing to talk about it, but please, let’s be civilized here.”

Kacchan opened his mouth to yell something else at Deku and Todoroki, but found that the words died in his mouth with their boots on. Seeing that the two lovebirds were giving him looks of concern, he struggled to yell anything else at them, and as cool and strong as he fancied himself, he just couldn’t keep himself together, so he fell to his knees crying.

“OH, WHO AM I KIDDIN’!? I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE! I…I HATE MY LIFE SO MUCH! NO ONE LIKES ME! I WISH I WAS NEVER BORN!”

Despite being surprised by Kacchan’s crying, Todoroki smiled, got on her knees before him and put her hands on his shoulders.

“Bakugo, no one hates you! Even if you have been notorious for your foul attitude, deep down inside, I know you’re a good person, and me and everyone else in Class 1-A will do anything for you!”

Todoroki gave Kacchan a hug, which he gladly returned. As he continued to cry, all Kacchan could think about was how he’d missed so many opportunities to connect with people by pushing them away. On the other hand, being in Todoroki’s arms and feeling her soft, warm, cuddly touch, he could also feel all the anger, hatred, depression and trauma that had plagued him throughout his life melting away, taking a huge weight off of his shoulders. He also thought back to the time that the League of Villains had kidnapped him and she’d been among those who’d come to his rescue. Secretly, he’d always wanted to thank her, and now that they were hugging, he felt like he was able to take advantage of that opportunity, which also eased his pain. He didn’t even care that a few bystanders were looking at him. He needed this more than ever.

Speaking of pain, Todoroki got her fair share knowing that Kacchan was feeling so messed up inside. On the other hand, it also made her feel really good knowing that she could be there for such a poor soul who cried out for love. Owing to her motherly instinct, all she wanted to do right now was wrap him up in a blanket and fix him a nice, warm meal. Even if they had their differences in the past, that didn’t matter to her. As far as she was concerned, they were on the same side, and she would definitely have wanted him to do the same thing for her if she was ever feeling down. That was what heroes were for, wasn’t it? Speaking of heroes, another thing that Todoroki liked about being able to comfort him was that were it not for Deku, she might not ever have gotten the chance to comfort Kacchan.

As for Deku himself, knowing that his greatest rival, the one who’d bullied him for so many years had broken down like this and admitted how hurt he was caused the green bean to just freeze up and behold the whole situation, even wanting to break down crying himself. Never in a million years had he ever thought that Kacchan would ever open his heart and pour out his emotions like this. Even so, seeing Kacchan letting the pain flow freely and allowing Todoroki to comfort him gave Deku hope, knowing that someone who had previously been perceived as a nasty brute had learned the value of vulnerability and humility. Even after Kacchan stopped crying, he continued to hold on to Todoroki. The bicolor girl didn’t even let go of him, figuring that he could really use the comfort. Eventually, Kacchan backed away, but kept his hands on Todoroki.

“IcyHot…I mean Todoroki, I’m sorry for every bad thing I ever did to you and anyone else. Can ya forgive me?”

Todoroki smiled and put her hands on Kacchan’s cheeks. “Of course I forgive you, Bakugo! I couldn’t hate someone who’s been by my side through thick and thin! Besides, you have the face of an angel! How could your own mother look at you and not think ‘I’m so proud of my little boy’?”

Kacchan sniffled. “OK…just stop. I don’t wanna cry anymore!”

“Here…”

Todoroki gave Kacchan some tissues, which he blew his nose and dried his eyes with.

“By the way,” said Todoroki, “since you’ve been such a good boy, I wanted to express my appreciation for everything you’ve done for us!”

Todoroki put her hands on Kacchan’s shoulders and gave him a couple of cheek kisses – what the French would call “la bise” – which caused the explosive blond to blush.

“Todoroki, I can safely say that that’s the gayest thing you’ve ever done.”

“What’s wrong with being gay? Doesn’t that word also mean ‘happy’? Besides, what’s so gay about being kissed by the most beautiful girl in Class 1-A?”

Deku smiled. “She has a point, Kacchan!”

“Wow, I never imagined that you’d ever be so full of yourself,” said Kacchan.

Todoroki giggled. “You should only know!”

Deku smiled and approached Kacchan. “Kacchan, I forgive you, too! Considering everything we’ve ever been through at UA, I couldn’t be mad at you anymore! You’re my best friend, and you always will be!”

Kacchan smiled. “Thanks, Deku! You’re my best friend, too!”

“You’re welcome!”

Deku also gave Kacchan a hug, which the latter returned, albeit with a bit of reluctance…

“Deku, I’m glad we’re on good terms, but I’m gonna let go now ‘cause this is gettin’ really gay, more than Liberace.”

Todoroki put a hand on Kacchan’s shoulder. “Bakugo, if you talk about anything being gay again, I’m gonna do the cheek kisses to you again!”

Kacchan sighed. “All right, you win, Todoroki.”

Deku giggled. “Anyways, enough standing around! Let’s go get ice cream or something!”

Deku wrapped an arm each around Kacchan and Todoroki, and they headed on down the boulevard.

“Deku, tell me somethin’, and be honest,” said Kacchan.

“OK.”

“Are you secretly All Might’s son?”

Deku and Todoroki laughed at Kacchan.

“WHAT!? I WAS BEIN’ SERIOUS!”

“Bakugo, I asked him that same question at the Sports Festival!” said Todoroki. “Oh, you’re so funny!”

Deku and Todoroki continued to laugh, and Kacchan even broke down laughing himself. All in all, it was a better day than anything Ice Cube ever had.

Chapter Text

For the first time in what must have been ages, Deku once again left his last class of the day accompanied by Todoroki. This time, however, something was off:

“Shoko, are you OK?”

Todoroki didn’t respond; she merely kept a look of stone on her face.

“Shoko, please…answer me!”

Todoroki sighed. “OK…I’ll be honest, but let’s wait until we get back to my dorm to talk about it.”

Deku nodded. “OK.”

===

Soon enough, Deku and Todoroki got to the latter’s dorm.

“So, what’s going on?” asked Deku.

“Deku, I can’t thank you enough for those kind words you gave me at the Sports Festival.”

Deku nodded. “Yes, you’ve mentioned this before, but I get the feeling like there’s something else you haven’t told me.”

“I…well…after hearing what Toya said on live television, all those things about my family’s past, I…I just couldn’t help but think about how I once said that I was only going to beat you using my right side and how easily I could’ve ended up like him. You have no idea how your words saved my life that day.”

Deku dropped his jaw. “Did…did my words really mean that much to you?”

Without saying anything further, Todoroki gave Deku what was perhaps one of the biggest – if not her biggest – hugs she’d ever given him, which he gladly returned. Hearing about how she’d been on the brink of evil like this, though, the green bean ended up shedding a few tears. While there had been times when he genuinely feared for her life and wondered if he was going to lose her, he’d never thought that he could’ve lost her forever were it not for that one fateful moment. Even so, he was proud of himself not only for saying those six words, but also for the ensuing moments that came about thanks to him doing so. Furthermore, he greatly looked forward to whatever moments they’d share in the future.

As she held on to Deku, all Todoroki could think about was how much she loved him and how much being with him meant to her. In the years prior to her meeting him, she never really knew the meaning of true love. With Endeavor lording over her with his harsh training, Rei being unable to look at her and being isolated from her siblings, all she knew was pain and hatred. Seeing this green bean for the first time, however, stirred up desires that were innate to most – if not all – human beings. With every second she kept her arms around him, she felt warmer and fuzzier, and she greatly looked forward to spending more special moments with him. Eventually, she let go, though she did take notice of one thing:

“Why are you crying, my dear Deku?”

“I…I just…I’m so glad I didn’t lose you like that!” Deku wiped away a few tears.

Todoroki smiled. “I’m glad, too! You’re my favorite person ever!”

Deku smiled. “Shoko…”

Todoroki kissed Deku. From this point forwards, he would never think about leaving her.

Chapter Text

After another day of classes, Deku headed to Todoroki’s dorm and knocked on her door, excited for what he had in mind.

“DEKU!”

Yet again, Todoroki gave Deku a big hug and kiss, which rejuvenated his spirits after these classes.

“How are you doing?” asked Todoroki.

Deku smiled. “Not too bad, especially considering I’m excited for what I’ve got planned for us!”

Todoroki put her index finger on her cheek. “Oh? And what do you have planned for us?”

Deku flashed a pair of tickets. “I bought us tickets for a monster truck show this Sunday!”

Todoroki’s look turned serious. “What’s a monster truck?”

“So basically, they’re highly-modified vehicles – usually pickup trucks – that compete by racing and crushing cars. Here, I’ll show you…”

Deku stepped inside Todoroki’s dorm, where he brought up YouTube and showed her various videos of monster trucks, including older footage of trucks such as Outlaw 35, Bear Foot and Rollin’ Thunder, to newer footage of trucks such as Grave Digger, Maximum Destruction and El Toro Loco. Todoroki watched the videos with fixated intent, and after watching a number of videos, her answer was obvious…

“That actually looks interesting. I’ll go with you.”

“Great!”

===

That Sunday, Deku and Todoroki headed to the Musutafu Civic Arena, where the show was being held. The main arena floor had been covered with dirt and old junk cars, some as part of a racing course around the ring of the arena, some placed in the center of the arena. Surrounding the crush cars in the center were two other tracks, a dirt track for sled pulling, the other a mud pit for mud racing. The stadium’s PA system was playing 70s and 80s rock and metal songs such as “Manic Mechanic” by ZZ Top, “Money Money Money” by John Hyde and “Running Wild” by Judas Priest. Already, as she saw the whole setup, Todoroki got a tingly feeling up and down her spine.

“Are you excited so far?” asked Deku.

Todoroki nodded. “So far, yes.”

At some point after Deku and Todoroki had taken their seats, the stadium lights went dark, and a voiceover made a little monologue over the synth-laden intro of “Movin’ On” by Missouri:

“Ever since man created the internal combustion engine, motorsports has been a popular pastime all around the world, from outdoor race tracks to NFL stadiums. With the rise of monster trucks in the 80s, International Motorsports USA came together to bring monster trucking, sled pulling, and mud racing to audiences all over the world. Please join us at International Motorsports USA as we bring you the hottest event in off-road motorsports…THE UNITED STATES OFF-ROAD MOTORSPORTS SPECTACULAR.”

As the song kicked into the rock section, a bunch of spotlights came on and danced around the arena, while an announcer welcomed everyone to the show:

“Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone outside the gender binary, welcome to another edition of the Motorsports Spectacular, the hottest four-wheel drive show in the world today! And here come the big boys with the big toys: from Flint, Michigan, driving a 1974 GMC Sierra 25, it’s Andreas Towner and Bad GMC!”

The crowd cheered as Bad GMC – painted dark blue with white and red lettering – thundered into the arena with a spotlight focused on it, parking on one side of the arena.

“From Buffalo, New York, driving a 2006 Chevy Silverado 1500, it’s Bob Robbins Jr. and Carolina Crusher!”

The crowd cheered again as the red/yellow Carolina Crusher – a legendary name – drove out to more applause and parked behind Bad GMC on the side of the arena.

“From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, driving a 2019 Ford F-350, it’s Zeno Walker and Car Eater!”

Car Eater – a gray/yellow Ford – drove out to some more applause and parked behind Carolina Crusher.

“From Jonesboro, Illinois, driving a legendary 1988 Chevy Silverado 1500, it’s Rodney Tweedy and USA-1!”

The legendary USA-1 – still sporting its iconic US flag paint scheme – drove out to some of the biggest applause.

“From Reno, Nevada, driving a 1978 Plymouth Fury, it’s Jason Ford and Above the Law!”

Above the Law – which was painted in the typical black-and-white scheme of American police cars and sporting a red/blue Twin Beacon Ray lightbar – drove out next, also getting its fair share of applause.

“From Fort Worth, Texas, driving a 2023 Dodge Ram 2500, it’s Michael Kemp and Ram It Down!”

Ram It Down – which was painted red and black – drove out to more applause.

“From Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, driving a 1950 Chevy panel van, it’s Adam Anderson and the legendary GRAVE DIGGER!”

Grave Digger – which needs no introduction – drove out to applause that dwarfed that of even USA-1.

“And last, but most certainly not least, from Pacific, Missouri, driving a 1974 Ford F-250, the one that started it all, it’s Christian Norman and the legendary BIGFOOT!”

Bigfoot – which, like Grave Digger, needed no introduction – drove out to applause that rivalled that of Grave Digger’s.

“And now, please welcome our drivers as we see what they have to say about the sport of monster trucking!”

After the introductions, there were various interviews with the drivers, and then the first round of racing events got on, with Above the Law facing Bad GMC. By now, the arena’s smell had become rather acrid with the smell of burning alcohol fuel, and the growling of unmuffled big-block V8s thundered throughout the arena. Then, the gate dropped, the nonsense stopped, and the two trucks roared around the race course. Both drivers put up a valiant effort, but in the end, Towner and Bad GMC won the race. For the next three races, Bigfoot, USA-1 and Grave Digger all advanced.

Then, the monsters took a break for some sled pulling, where highly-modified 4x4 pickups pulled a weighted sled across a dirt track, and whoever pulled it the furthest won. It was a close competition, but a truck called The Mistress took it. Thus far, despite never having been to a monster truck show before, Todoroki was watching the whole thing with a smile on her face, thinking about how wonderful it was that Deku got her to try a new thing. In the next round of racing, Bigfoot beat Bad GMC, and Grave Digger beat USA-1. Then, it was onto mud racing, which was even more nitro-powered fun as modded trucks and sandrails wildly churned up mud in their quest for gold. Obviously, whoever got through the mud pit the fastest won, and in this case, it was a vehicle named Wild Wuff.

Finally, the moment that all the fans had been waiting for had arrived: the racing finals for monster trucks. Bigfoot and Grave Digger was a rivalry for the ages, but in the end, only one truck and driver could take it all, and Deku was practically on the edge of his seat waiting for the outcome. Todoroki took notice of him, and despite having had fun so far, she wondered just what it was about these two trucks that could get him so worked up. When the green was a go, though, she didn’t need to wonder any more. Both the drivers were extraordinarily skilled, and for the first half of the race, it seemed that things would be close. Even in the second half, the drivers of both trucks were really going hard, hoping to clench the gold, but as Highlander always said, “there can be only one”, and that one was…

“Ladies and gentlemen, your racing champion…BIGFOOT!”

Everyone stood up from their seats and cheered raucously as the King of the Monster Trucks kept his crown. However, all wasn’t over yet, as the trucks were going into a freestyle competition next. Here, the crowd really got to see what monster trucks were capable of as they zipped around the arena and raucously crushed cars. One of the more notable moments during the freestyle event occurred when Grave Digger hit a pile of cars in such a way that it ended up on two wheels and nearly flipped over. Fortunately, Anderson was able to get the truck under control and upright again, much to the fans’ delight.

===

Unlike Monster Jam, the freestyle event of the Motor Spectacular wasn’t a judged competition, so there was no real winner in that sense. Even so, Todoroki was beaming with happiness as she left the arena with Deku:

“Deku, thank you SO MUCH for taking me out to this! This was way more fun than I thought it was gonna be!”

“I’m glad you liked it! I always enjoy sharing new things with you!”

“And I enjoy it when you share new things with me, even if not all of them are hits!”

Deku rubbed the back of his head. “Hey, I’m sorry if not everything I share with you is a hit. I just like hanging out with you, you know?”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. “Hey, don’t worry about offending me! The fact that you’re even thinking of me is so sweet of you!”

“Well, I’m glad! Being with my friends and loved ones makes me happy!”

“And so it should!”

Todoroki kissed Deku as they headed back to UA, wondering what other new adventures awaited them.

Chapter Text

After the incident at the Beast’s Forest training camp, Deku was recuperating at the nearby Sakura no Izumi General Hospital, having injured himself fighting against Goto Imasuji, better known as the villain “Muscular”. The fight ended in a mixed bag: while the green bean had indeed succeeded in saving the boy Kota, he failed to rescue Kacchan, who was captured by the League of Villains, and it was weighing down on his conscience more than an anvil. His recovery hadn’t been an easy one; he’d slipped in and out of consciousness, had his fair share of seizures, and even awoke with a fever. Recovery Girl had stepped in at one point, as did the police, though Deku didn’t remember either. The first thing he really remembered was waking up and seeing a small bowl of apple slices on the nightstand next to him along with the following note:

“When you wake up, please eat this and call me”

Deku had a pretty good idea who’d brought those to him, too. It was at this moment that he thought about his mother Inko, right after his encounter with Shigaraki:

“My baby, I can’t do this anymore! I don’t think my heart can handle another scare!”

Despite Inko’s worries, Deku was still determined to rescue Kacchan and become the world’s number-one hero. For now, though, all he could do was lie in bed and try to heal as best as he could. There was something else on his mind, too:

“What about Kota? I hope he’s OK.”

While Deku was ruminating on his situation, somebody knocked on his door and opened it, revealing a familiar face:

“Hey! Midoriya! Good, you’re finally awake!” said Kaminari.

Deku looked over, and not only was Kaminari there, but most of Class 1-A, barring Kacchan. Kaminari continued:

“Did you see the news? Reporters are all over the school right now!”

“It’s worse than last time,” said Rikido Sato.

“I brought a present!” Minoru Mineta held up a cantaloupe. “I mean, it’s from all of us! It’s a melon!”

“I caused you trouble, Midoriya,” said Tokoyami.

“No please…I did this to myself,” said Deku. “Did everyone from Class A come to visit?”

“No…Jiro and Hagakure are still out,” said Iida. “They were knocked unconscious from that villain’s poisonous gas, and Yaoyorozu took a pretty bad hit to the head. She’s hospitalized here, though I just found out she finally woke up yesterday. So it’s just us, though obviously we wish the whole class could be here.”

“Only 15 of us for now,” said Uraraka.

“Because Bakugo is gone,” said Todoroki, whose hair had grown quite a bit since her gender reveal, but had yet to reach her shoulders.

Ashido freaked out upon hearing this. “He knows, Todoroki!”

This mention caused Deku to have a flashback to when he failed to save Kacchan.

“If all of you will excuse me, I need to have a word in private with Midoriya,” said Todoroki.

No one responded to her request.

“Well GO!”

Todoroki swiped her arm in the direction of the other students. They gave each other looks of confusion and concern before slowly filing out of the room. When everyone was out except Todoroki, Deku slowly sat up, mustering every ounce of strength he had in order to do so.

“What’s up, Todoroki?”

Todoroki grabbed Deku by his upper arms and shook him. “What were you thinking!? Are you out of your mind!? You could’ve been killed!”

Deku formed an angry look on his face. “Excuse me, Todoroki, I’m glad you’re concerned about me, but you don’t have to insult me like that!”

Todoroki relaxed her grip on Deku and sighed. “I’m sorry. I…it’s just…well…I care about you, and I like you.”

Deku smiled and put one of his cast-wrapped hands on Todoroki’s shoulder. “I understand. I like you too, Todoroki.”

“No, I mean…” Todoroki turned away, hoping to conceal the fact that she was blushing. “I like you.”

Deku gasped when he heard those words. Sure, Todoroki had become friendlier with him since their match at the Sports Festival, and he had figured she had some sort of feelings for him, but still, hearing her admit to such a thing was more of a shock than sticking a fork in an electrical socket.

“T-Todoroki…”

Not sure of how else to process this revelation, Deku broke down crying. Todoroki gasped when she saw this:

“No, Midoriya…don’t cry! I…I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t be! I-I’m so happy right now!”

Despite being confused as to how somebody could be happy and yet cry their eyes out, Todoroki gave Deku a big hug, which he gladly returned. Doing so made her think back to when she first confessed her true gender identity to him and how badly messed up she felt at the time, which made her think that he must be feeling messed up right now, too. Even so, she was not only proud of him for doing his best during the training camp incident, but also of herself for being able to open up about her feelings for him and have him accept her affections. All she wanted to do right now was hug him forever and ever, to let him know just how much he meant to her. He had done her a great service back then, and she wanted to return the favor to him now, even if it hurt to do so. Besides, whatever hurt she was experiencing now was probably small potatoes compared to whatever she’d experienced under Endeavor’s tutelage.

Chapter Text

As if everything that had already happened this year wasn’t enough, Deku had another hell of a time, this time with the Shie Hassaikai, a local Yakuza branch that was temporarily under the command of Kai Chisaki, better known as the villain “Overhaul”. The heroes mounted an attack on the Shie Hassaikai’s hideout, knowing that the League of Villains were most likely involved. While it succeeded in wiping out the Shie Hassaikai and led to the apprehension of Overhaul and the rescue of Eri, it was not without a cost: Mirai Sasaki – better known as the pro hero Sir Nighteye – was fatally wounded, and Mirio Togata of UA’s “Big Three” had been deprived of his Quirk after taking a hit from a bullet filled with a new Quirk-destroying drug. Speaking of Togata, that was who Deku visited at Musutafu General Hospital after having a little chat with Aizawa and Recovery Girl, much to the former’s protest. After the visit, Deku was heading down the hall of the hospital, feeling better about himself, ready to go back to UA when:

“DEKU!”

Upon seeing her little green bean, Todoroki ran towards him with her arms wide open. At first, Deku was shocked to see her, but then he gladly ran towards her as well, and they gave each other a big hug and kiss upon coming to each other.

“I’m so glad you’re alive!” said Todoroki, her hair now grown into a flipped bob. “I heard about the news on TV and I was so worried!”

“Thank you, Shoko. I’m glad to be with you again as well.”

“You’re welcome.” Todoroki frowned. “Sorry about Sir Nighteye, by the way.”

Deku nodded. “It’s OK. I’m feeling better about it now, but thank you for your condolences anyways.”

Todoroki smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“Anyways, how are you feeling today?”

Todoroki frowned again. “Well…except for some anxiety I have about the remedial course, I’m all right.”

Deku frowned as well. “Is there anything specific about it that’s bothering you?”

“It’s just…” Todoroki averted her gaze. “…I have to take it alongside Bakugo, and I’m scared of him.”

“What about him scares you?”

Todoroki twiddled her fingers together in front of herself. “Well…he always seems so angry, and whenever he yells at people, it really frightens me and reminds me of the abuse I suffered at the hands of my father.”

Deku put his hands on Todoroki’s shoulders. “I understand, and it’s OK to feel scared. But you know what?”

Todoroki made eye contact with Deku. “What?”

“I’ve been observing Kacchan, and based on the tone in his voice and his nonverbal gestures, I can tell, deep down inside, that he’s more scared of others than you are of him and that he’s really crying out for someone to care about him. Hell, he very nearly broke down crying when he was having that big fight with me.”

Todoroki’s eyes widened. “He really did that!? Oh, that poor guy! I’ll have to give him a big huggle!”

Deku smiled nervously. “OK, I appreciate your concern for him, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here!”

Todoroki giggled. “Anyways, I think I recall you mentioning something about how you can read people. Still, I’m confused as to how anybody can do that.”

Deku smiled. “Well, I guess it comes easier to some people than others, but if you learn the right tricks, it’s possible to read anybody.”

Todoroki frowned and averted her gaze. “It sounds so easy, but I have enough trouble as it is learning basic interactions with people…”

“It’s OK! I don’t expect you to know everything! I’m proud of you just the way you are!”

Todoroki fixed her gaze upon Deku again and smiled. “Oh, Deku!”

Todoroki gave Deku another hug and kiss, which he gladly returned. However, Deku raised an eyebrow when it was done:

“Shoko, you look like you have something else on your mind.”

Todoroki frowned. “I’m glad you helped reassure me about Bakugo, but I’m still pissed at Yoarashi. If he didn’t get in my way, then I wouldn’t have to take the remedial course with Bakugo.”

Deku smiled. “I understand. I don’t expect you to forgive Yoarashi overnight, but I know you’re a good person, and maybe someday, you’ll find it in your heart to forgive him and move on!”

Todoroki smiled. “Maybe someday. For now, though, I’m just gonna concentrate on doing my best and letting you and the rest of my friends know how much I love them!”

Deku gave a thumbs-up. “That’s the spirit! Now come on, why don’t we go out to eat together? I’ll even pay for us both!”

Todoroki put her hands on Deku’s shoulder. “You’ve been through enough, Deku. Why don’t I pay for us?”

Deku shrugged. “Ah, what the heck! Let’s do it!”

Deku and Todoroki walked out of the hospital holding hands with each other, not only relieved to be safe with each other again, but looking forward to what either of their futures held.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes down, and another walk back to the dorms for Deku and Todoroki. No matter how hard the day’s classes were, the mere act of being with each other made everything worth it.

“Phew, I’m glad all that’s over!” Todoroki wiped the sweat off her brow. “I think that might’ve been our most difficult training regimen yet!”

“I know, right? I swear, the longer we spend at this school, the less forgiving Mr. Aizawa gets!”

Todoroki stroked her chin. “That reminds me: why is he so harsh on us students?”

Deku scratched his head. “I’m not sure. My best guess is…”

“Midoriya! Todoroki!”

Deku and Todoroki turned around to see that Mezo Shoji had addressed them.

“What’s up, Shoji?” asked Deku.

“I need your help,” said Shoji.

“Oh?” Todoroki tilted her head. “What for?”

Shoji tapped his index fingers together. “You see…there’s this girl I like, and I want to ask her out, but I don’t know if she likes me.”

“Why wouldn’t you think she liked you?” asked Deku.

Shoji shook his head. “It’s my face. I just have such a horrible, ugly face that no girl would ever want to date me.”

“Why would you think you have a horrible, ugly face? It can’t be that bad…can it?”

Shoji looked at Deku and Todoroki briefly. Then, he sighed.

“All right, I’ll let you see my face, but only in private.”

===

Shoji led Deku and Todoroki to his dorm.

“Are you two sure you want to see my face?”

Deku nodded. “We’re sure.”

“Very well.”

Shoji took off his mask, and what Deku and Todoroki got was unexpected: his face looked like a cross between a human’s and a reptile’s, with a few scars. Nevertheless, the two lovebirds smiled.

“Shoji, you look so handsome!” said Todoroki. “How could any girl not want to date you?”

Shoji blushed. “D-do you really mean that?”

“Let me show you how much I mean it!”

Todoroki gave Shoji a big hug. Not knowing how else to process the intense emotion he was feeling, he hugged her back using his Dupli-Arms, even shedding a few tears in the process.

“Todoroki…this is one of the happiest days of my life!”

“Awww!”

Shoji continued to hug Todoroki. Growing up in a town where people were easily frightened by his unusual appearance, he’d always felt so self-conscious, so for a girl like her to tell him that he looked handsome, it was a major boost to his self-confidence. Feeling that much better about himself, all he could think about was how much he was looking forward to asking that girl out. Finally, when he’d had his fill, Shoji let go.

“Thank you, Todoroki.”

“You’re welcome, Shoji!”

“Shoji, you’ve got this!” Deku gave a thumbs up. “Just out of curiosity, though: who is this girl that you plan on asking out?”

“She’s nobody that either of you know. Her name is Yumiko Miura, and she’s part of Class 1-J, Department of Management.”

“How did you come to know her?”

“She once asked if she could sit next to me at lunch. We didn’t have the deepest conversation ever, but she seems like a nice person.”

Deku nodded. “I see. Listen, if you still need help in asking her out, Shoko and I can back you up as moral support.”

“Thank you, Midoriya. That would be very nice.”

===

The next day, the students of Class 1-A went on about their usual business. For Shoji, however, this day was anything but usual as he hotly anticipated asking out the object of his affection. Then, after classes, Shoji was proceeding through the quad when he saw Yumiko Miura, a short, voluptuous girl with voluminous light blue hair.

“Hi, Shoji!” Miura waved at Shoji.

Shoji waved back. “Ah, hello, Miura! How are you doing today?”

“Not bad! How about you?”

“Not too bad, either. How were your classes today?”

“There was this one class on Human Resources that was pretty tough, but other than that, they were all right.”

Shoji nodded. “ I see. Usually, I have the most trouble with Math class.”

“Yeah, that hasn’t been my strongest subject, either, but I do all right.”

“Anyways, Miura, I wanted to ask you something…”

“Yes?”

“There’s this café a few blocks west of the school called Bettencourt Café, and I was wondering if you’d like to go there with me tomorrow after school.”

Miura smiled. “Sure! I’d love to go with you!”

Shoji smiled as well. “Oh, wonderful!”

Meanwhile, a distance away, Deku and Todoroki – who’d been observing the whole exchange – smiled and gave each other a fist bump, knowing that it was their efforts that helped Shoji to succeed. Deku in particular was pleased, knowing that his efforts to help Todoroki led to this ripple effect.

Chapter Text

Another summer had cast its warming rays over Japan, and Deku and Todoroki were taking advantage of the season in a most interesting way: camping. More precisely, they were going to Besupin National Park, just outside of the Musutafu city limits, and they lucked out as they had gotten a nice campsite at the edge of Lake Besupin. As soon as Todoroki parked her Oldsmobile there, her and Deku got out and proceeded to set up the tent…or at least tried to:

“Gosh, this is so difficult!” said Todoroki. “How am I supposed to get Tab A into Slot B when the tent won’t cooperate with me?”

Deku smiled. “Hey, if it’s that much trouble for you, then why don’t we just throw Tent A into Lake B?”

“But why would we waste a perfectly good tent that way?”

Deku laughed. “What? I’m only making a joke!”

Todoroki giggled. “Just come over here and help me set up the tent, lover!”

With some assistance from Deku, Todoroki managed to get the tent set up.

“So, what should we do now that we’re camping?” asked Deku.

“I don’t know about you, but I worked up a sweat trying to set up that tent. Why don’t we go swimming?”

Deku smiled. “Considering you have such a nice body, I’ll go swimming with you any time!”

Todoroki laughed and ruffled Deku’s hair. “Oh, shut up!”

===

After changing into their swimsuits and putting on sunscreen, Deku and Todoroki jumped into the lake for some swimming. While not one to go swimming on a regular basis, Deku did indeed enjoy a good swim, and going on one with Todoroki was no exception. The water felt that much cooler and more refreshing with her accompanying him. Plus, being out here in the wilderness, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, he was less apt to think about stuff related to heroes and villains and more focused on how much fun he was having on this camping trip. Eventually, when they’d had their fill of swimming, Deku and Todoroki headed for shore and lied down on a towel, where they snuggled with each other.

“You know, I’ve done my fair share of camping before, but this has to be my favorite camping trip so far,” said Deku.

“You and me both, Deku. I never got to go on any camping trips when I was younger, so this is a fresh new experience for me.”

“Glad you’re having a good time!”

“I always have a good time when I hang out with you, but this…this is on another level.”

“I know, right? Nothing like…”

Deku’s thought pattern was interrupted when he heard what he thought sounded like a loud buzzing sound. He looked towards the sound, only to get a nasty shock when he saw an Asian giant hornet buzzing about. He screamed bloody murder and broke free of Todoroki’s grasp in a mad attempt to escape the murderous insect.

“Deku, what’s wrong!?”

Unsure of why Deku had freaked out and broken away from her all of a sudden, Todoroki beat her feet as quickly as possible while calling out for her green bean repeatedly. While an impressive runner, she had a bit of trouble keeping up with him, so she used her ice surfing to give her a boost, and she caught up to him, albeit not without a struggle:

“Deku, please, tell me what’s wrong!”

Deku thrashed about in tears. “Shoko, please…don’t let that thing kill me!”

“What thing!?”

“That wasp, it was so huge! It’s gonna kill me!”

“You…you were scared by a wasp?”

Deku’s thrashing became less pronounced. “I’m scared to death of wasps, especially the Asian giant hornet!”

“Oh Deku, I…I’m so sorry!”

After thrashing around for so much, Deku buried his face in Todoroki’s shoulder and cried while giving her a big hug, which she gladly returned. Knowing that he was so scared of wasps not only caused her great pain, but also caused her to rethink this whole camping trip. On the other hand, she didn’t want the entire trip to be ruined just because of one bad incident, and she vowed that she would do whatever she could in order to ensure that this wouldn’t happen again.

As for Deku, even if the hornet had frightened the living crap out of him, he was at least grateful that Todoroki had taken sympathy on him. She’d been really good for that ever since she revealed her true colors, and it still meant so much to him that she cared about his feelings. He could never leave her be after this. As he always did, Deku continued to hold on to Todoroki even after he stopped crying, finding her soft touch to be very comforting, though he eventually let go when he was feeling good enough.

“Shoko, I’m sorry I freaked out on you like that. I looked pretty stupid being afraid of a hornet even though I have the most powerful Quirk, huh?”

Todoroki smiled and put her hands on Deku’s cheeks. “Deku, you’re not stupid! Everyone has things they’re afraid of, like me; I’m afraid of flying in airplanes.”

Deku blinked. “Really? Then how did you manage to survive the Otheon mission?”

“It wasn’t easy, but thinking about you kissing me really helped.”

Deku smiled. “Well, I’m glad I could be such a positive influence!” He then frowned. “I hope I didn’t ruin the trip for us, though…”

Todoroki leaned in a bit closer to Deku. “Here’s the thing: I promise I’ll use my Quirk to stop any wasps that get too close to you, but I want you to promise that you’ll try to have as good a time as possible on this trip, OK?”

Deku nodded and smiled. “I promise!”

“Good boy!”

Todoroki kissed Deku, who couldn’t help but wrap her arms around her. While the newness of this gesture had worn off by now, he still got a charge out of feeling her lips against his, as did she.

“Well, what now?” asked Deku.

“You look pretty tense. Why don’t I give you a relaxing massage?”

Deku gave a thumbs up. “OK!”

“But first, why don’t you dry your eyes and nose?

===

After returning to the towel that Todoroki laid down as well as blowing his nose and drying his eyes, Deku lied down on his stomach, while Todoroki cracked open a bottle of her favorite massage oil and proceeded to give Deku a massage. While he loved her soft yet firm touch regardless, feeling the sun beaming its warm golden rays onto his skin really enhanced the experience. Then again, a beautiful girl was touching him, so what more did he need?

“Shoko, thanks. This always feels good.”

Todoroki giggled. “You’re welcome! You’ve been so good to me, so I’m happy to do this for you whenever you need it!”

Todoroki continued to massage Deku. Knowing what he’d been through earlier, it made the experience that much better for her. There weren’t really any other wasps to deal with, but she kept an eye out just in case.

“Shoko, I’m good now, so you can stop whenever you want.”

Soon enough, Todoroki stopped massaging Deku.

“So, what else would you like to do?” asked Todoroki.

“I don’t know about you, but I’d like to keep snuggling.”

“Sure, we can do that!”

And so, Deku and Todoroki continued to snuggle. However, their little snuggle session was interrupted by a grumbling noise.

“Something wrong?” asked Deku.

“I’m getting hungry. Why don’t we cook something?”

“OK.”

===

After setting up a portable fire pit in addition to some folding chairs, Deku and Todoroki put in some wood and lit a fire.

“So, what’s on the menu for today?” asked Deku.

“Well, aside from my usual soba, I’ve never tried cooking katsudon over a fire pit before, so I’ll be making that as well.”

Deku smiled. “Nice! I’ve never had katsudon cooked that way, so this should be interesting!”

“You can help out too if you’d like.”

Deku gave a thumbs up. “Then I will!”

Once the fire was going, Todoroki opened up a cooler she’d brought and gathered the ingredients she’d need to make soba, while Deku grabbed the stuff for the katsudon. That was another thing he’d liked about her: ever since she revealed her true gender identity, she’d become a lot more cooperative with others. Already, he could tell that cooking with her was going to be just as enjoyable as – if not more so than – other activities he’d done with her. Granted, he worried about how long it was going to take to cook katsudon over a campfire as opposed to cooking over a stove as he was used to, but he decided to steel his nerves and do his best. Judging by the fact that the food wasn’t on fire, he seemed to be doing a satisfactory job thus far. At one point, he looked over to see how Todoroki was doing, and without intending to, he locked eyes with her, and she smiled at him, so he just couldn’t help but smile back at her. After all, he did think she had the prettiest smile of all the girls in Class 1-A. Eventually, both parties had finished cooking their respective meals.

“Wanna try some?” asked Todoroki.

Deku smiled. “Only if you’ll try some of mine!”

“Gladly!”

After grabbing a couple of paper plates, Deku and Todoroki served each other some of their respective dishes before serving themselves. Then, they prepared to eat. Almost immediately, Todoroki’s eyes widened when she took a bite of the katsudon.

“Deku, this stuff is FANTASTIC! It might just be the best katsudon I’ve ever had!”

Deku slurped a soba noodle. “Really?”

“Absolutely! I’m so glad you helped out!”

“Always a pleasure! I mean, isn’t that part of a healthy relationship?”

Todoroki smiled. “That is a good point.”

After finishing up their meals, Deku and Todoroki put their plates into a portable garbage can that Todoroki had brought along, while Todoroki grabbed two bottles of Ramuné from the cooler, giving one to Deku before holding hers out to him.

“What do you want to toast to this time?” asked Deku.

“To many more years of happiness and health!”

“OK!”

Deku and Todoroki toasted, and after popping the marbles out of each of their bottles, they drank up. After they’d consumed their drinks and properly disposed of the bottles, Deku grabbed a box of graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows and some Hershey bars, which Todoroki eyed curiously.

“What’s all that for?”

Deku grabbed two thin metal rods, each with a grip on one end. “You’ve never had s’mores before?”

Todoroki put her index finger on her cheek. “What’s a ‘s’more’?”

Deku cracked open the graham crackers, marshmallows and Hershey bars. “So basically, it’s a sweet treat consisting of a marshmallow and a chocolate bar sandwiched between two graham crackers.” He put a marshmallow on one of the metal rods before handing it to Todoroki along with half a Hershey bar and two graham crackers. “You hold the marshmallow over the fire using this stick until it gets mushy enough to put between the graham crackers, but be careful not to burn it.”

Deku and Todoroki proceeded to roast their marshmallows over the fire. So far, things were going well except for…

“Shoko, I said don’t burn it!”

“But I like them burned!”

Deku laughed, which got Todoroki laughing as well. She did, however, blow out her burning marshmallow before it got too burnt, and then she proceeded to smoosh it between the Hershey bar and graham crackers, just as Deku had instructed, whereupon she took a bite. Having never experienced the tripartite of graham crackers, Hershey bars and marshmallows, her eyes widened at the crunchy sweetness of the s’more.

“Deku, this is SO GOOD!”

“I know, right? Nothing says summer quite like s’mores! Well…except maybe Del’s Lemonade…”

===

Having had their fair share of s’mores, Deku and Todoroki proceeded to just sit around the campfire. By now, the sun was beginning to retreat to the safety of the world below the horizon.

“So, what should we do next?” asked Todoroki.

“Hmmm…” Deku stroked his chin. “Why don’t we talk about some of the things we’re grateful for?”

Todoroki smiled. “A good idea! You want to know what I’m grateful for?”

“Besides being with me?”

Todoroki giggled. “Oh, you’re so charming! Seriously, though, one thing I’m especially grateful for is being able to visit my mother in the hospital. Even if it was her who gave me this…” Todoroki pointed to the scar over her left eye. “…I feel much closer to her now than I ever did.”

“It must be nice to be able to bond with one of your fellow women, huh?”

“Indeed. I mean, I’ve grown closer to Fuyumi as well, but there’s nothing like having support from my mother, too.”

Deku frowned. “You’re lucky.”

Todoroki frowned as well. “Is something wrong, Deku?”

Deku averted his gaze. “I’m sorry, I…well…my own mother hasn’t exactly been the most supportive person in the world. I mean, she’s gotten better recently, but…”

“It’s OK. I’m here for you.”

Todoroki got up from her chair and walked over to Deku, who got up as she approached and gladly accepted the hug she gave him. Naturally, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Shoko, where have you been all my life?”

“What are you talking about? I went to a different middle school.”

Deku giggled. “It’s a joke! I’m just telling you how happy I am to have met you and how much you mean to me!”

Todoroki giggled. “Oh, Deku!”

Todoroki gave Deku another kiss.

“That’s one thing I’m grateful for, too:” said Deku. “Being able to go up against you in the Sports Festival and helping you to break out of your shell.”

“Speak for yourself, honey! Not a day goes by when I don’t think about how happy I am that you said those words to me!”

“Oh real…wait, did you just call me ‘honey’?”

“I did. Why?”

Deku put his index finger up to his chin. “I mean, I know you love me and all, but I never expected you to call me that.”

“I know, but I heard Yaoyorozu call me that once, and I liked it, so I decided that my favorite boy ever was worthy of the nickname.”

Deku chuckled. “Fair enough! By the way, do you mind if we watch the sunset with each other?”

Todoroki smiled. “Not at all! I was hoping you’d ask me that!”

And so, Deku and Todoroki returned to the towel, sat down and wrapped an arm around each other as they watched the sunset. As Deku watched yellows and oranges give way to red, he reflected not only on how much fun he’d had today, but also how grateful and happy he was that Todoroki brought him out here to share it with him. It was another moment in a series of happy times that he’d had with her. Similarly, Todoroki felt as though coming out here was one of the best decisions she’d made. Even if she was still feeling somewhat sorry for the hornet incident, she decided that her dear Deku was probably having a good enough time that he’d forgive her for it. Considering how tightly he’d wrapped his strong, manly arm around her, he probably did. Even after the last gasp of green gave way to dark blue and black, Deku and Todoroki continued watching the sky, hoping to get a glimpse of the moon or at least see the stars. Fortunately for them, the moon was fuller than a mug of beer, and there were stars aplenty. Best of all, being away from the light pollution of the city, they were better able to enjoy the sight. They couldn’t enjoy it forever though, as evidenced by Deku’s yawn.

“Tired?” asked Todoroki.

“Uh-huh.” Deku nodded.

“Well, then let’s brush our teeth and go to bed.”

After brushing their teeth using a portable washbasin that Todoroki had brought, the two young lovers stripped naked and got into the tent, where they snuggled in the same sleeping bag.

“Shoko, I’m so glad we got to do this! This was probably one of my favorite days I’ve ever spent with you!”

“I’m glad we got to do it, too! Granted, I still feel kind of bad about the hornet, but other than that, I’ll gladly do this with you again!”

Deku put a hand on Todoroki’s cheek. “Don’t feel bad! It wasn’t your fault; you just didn’t know.”

“I know; it’s just…you’re my little green bean, and I care about you.”

Deku laughed. “OK, where did you get the whole ‘green bean’ thing from?”

“I mean, isn’t your hair green? Aren’t beans cute?”

Deku laughed some more, “Good night, Shoko!”

Even Todoroki laughed a bit. “Good night, Deku!”

Deku and Todoroki closed their eyes and let the comforting caress of sleep take them over. Both of them dreamed that night, and though neither one could particularly remember what they dreamed about, they felt that being with each other was a dream come true in and of itself.

===

The next morning, Deku awoke, only to discover that not only had Todoroki awoken before him, but she was now nibbling on his neck. He gasped and blushed when he became aware of this.

“Sh-Shoko…!?”

Todoroki stopped nibbling Deku’s neck and smiled. “Good morning to you too, Deku.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love when you do that to me, but do you have to wake me up like that?”

“Well, how else am I gonna get you to wake up for what I wanted to show you this morning?”

“Oh? What did you want to show me?”

“Why don’t we get dressed first and I’ll show you?”

After Deku and Todoroki put on their clothes, she led him outside and sat down on the towel with him. Just like last night, they were watching the sun, only they were watching the sunrise instead of the sunset.

“You got me up for this?” Deku smiled. “Shoko, you’re so romantic! One question, though…”

“Yes?”

“May I lie down in your lap?”

Todoroki smiled. “Go ahead!”

Deku lied down in Todoroki’s lap and watched the sunrise, while Todoroki gently ruffled Deku’s hair. For the two lovers, this wasn’t just the start of a new day; it was also the start of some exciting new possibilities, the start of things to look forward to, and also a chance to wipe away the mistakes of yesterday and possibly do better. If this wasn’t heaven, they didn’t know what was. However, even heaven couldn’t last forever…

“Deku, as romantic as this is, I’d like to cook breakfast before we head out.”

“Awww, but I was having so much fun!”

“Me too, but I have some things to take care of at home, too.”

“OK, fair enough.”

===

After breakfast and freshening up, Deku and Todoroki took one last dip in the lake before packing up their camping gear and heading out.

“Shoko, thanks again for planning this trip! I’ll remember it as long as I live!”

“So will I! Having you to come along with made it that much more worth it!”

“Speak for yourself! Before I met you, I was content to just stay at home, but hanging out with you makes me feel more alive!”

Todoroki giggled. Even if there were a few occasions when they needed space, she would always enjoy a good outing with her dear Deku.

Chapter Text

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and Deku was riding with Todoroki in her Oldsmobile, rocking out to “Armed and Ready” by the Michael Schenker Group. Overall, it was a relaxing ride, though there was one thing on the green bean’s mind:

“Shoko, I love riding in your car with you, but you’ve been very quiet about the reason you’re bringing me along.”

Todoroki smiled. “Relax! You’ll know once we’re there! Besides, don’t you trust your beautiful girlfriend?”

Deku shrugged. “You know, you’re right. I should just take it easy and enjoy the ride.”

Todoroki giggled. “Exactly!”

Eventually, Todoroki brought Deku to their destination: Irohamomoji Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Deku raised an eyebrow when he saw the sign.

“Um…Shoko…”

“Yes?”

“This isn’t going to be like that one time your car broke down and we got tricked by those patients…is it?”

Todoroki gave a dismissive hand flap to Deku. “Of course not! We’re just here to visit my mother!”

Deku smiled. “Oh, OK! I can’t wait to meet her!”

“I’ve told her about you, and she’s dying to meet you.”

“Then I’m very interested!”

Todoroki parked her Oldsmobile in the nearest parking spot, and her and Deku headed into the hospital, which was decorated more like a typical medical facility than Ikitamizu ever was.

“Can I help you two?” asked the receptionist, a short young woman with orange hair.

“I’m Shoko Todoroki. We’re here to visit my mother Rei.”

The receptionist gave Todoroki a clipboard. “Please sign in here.”

Todoroki and Deku signed in.

“OK, I’ll let her know you’re visiting.” The receptionist picked up the phone and called. “Hi, Dr. Yoshida, please inform Rei Todoroki that her daughter Shoko is here to visit her, and she’s bringing a guest.” She hung up. “Just wait here a moment.”

Deku and Todoroki waited a moment more, and then another call came in for the receptionist:

“Hello?”

“…”

“Yes, I’ll inform them.” The receptionist hung up. “OK, go on ahead.”

Todoroki led Deku up to Rei’s room, where the Todoroki matriarch was waiting.

“Hello there, Shoko. You never told me you were bringing a guest.”

Todoroki smiled. “I wanted to surprise you, Mother. This boy here is Izuku Midoriya, my boyfriend. Deku, this is my mother.”

Rei got up from her seat. “How do you do, Midoriya?”

Deku smiled. “Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Todoroki!”

Deku and Rei shook hands.

“Please, call me Rei. Shoko has told me much about you. From what she tells me, you seem like a very nice boy.”

“Well, I try to be a good person. After all, shouldn’t a hero be nice to people?”

Rei nodded. “Most certainly.” She frowned and averted her gaze. “If only Enji could’ve learned from your example.”

“I understand if you have trouble forgiving Father, but I’ve spent some time with him, and his demeanor has improved,” said Todoroki.

“I won’t doubt your words, but…it’s just…” Rei sighed. “It was his influence that gave you that…” She pointed to Todoroki’s scar. “I still feel so much remorse about it.”

Todoroki smiled and put her hands on Rei’s shoulders. “Please don’t continue to trouble yourself. I’ve completely forgiven you, and I love you very much.”

Rei formed tears in her eyes. “Oh Shoko…!”

Rei gave Todoroki a big hug as she cried. After scarring her youngest daughter for life and having to spend time in this institution, it took a huge weight off of Rei’s shoulders knowing that Todoroki was willing to forgive her. After all, didn’t a mother deserve to love her daughter without any guilt? Granted, it was still pretty overwhelming for Todoroki to hear her mother cry, but at the same time, she recognized that it wasn’t all out of sadness. In fact, she was grateful that she was able to be there for her, and she owed it to Deku, who was struck with awe as he beheld the whole thing. Even after Rei stopped crying, she continued to hold on to Todoroki until she had her fill, but even after backing away from the hug, she kept her hands on Todoroki’s shoulders.

“Shoko, where did you get to be such a kind, caring person?”

Todoroki gestured her thumb at Deku. “You can thank Deku for that. If it wasn’t for his encouragement at the Sports Festival, I would never have been able to overcome my insecurities. Truly, his kindness inspires me!”

Rei blew her nose, and then turned to Deku. “Well, you are quite a marvelous boy, aren’t you? No wonder Shoko speaks so highly of you!”

Deku smiled nervously. “Oh…thank you! I was just doing what I felt a hero should do when someone’s in need!”

“Regardless, it warms my heart to know that someone cares deeply for my little Shoko.”

Todoroki giggled. “Well, I’m hardly little anymore, am I?”

“You know what I meant! By the way, I have good news…”

“Yes?” said Deku and Todoroki.

“The doctor says my prognosis is very good and that I should be able to leave here in a couple of weeks.”

Todoroki clasped her hands together. “That’s great news! I’ve missed you terribly!”

“So have I.” Rei frowned. “Having said that, I do have one concern…”

“Oh?”

“While I am excited about being able to leave, I am still concerned about getting along with Enji.”

Todoroki put her hands on Rei’s shoulders. “I understand your concern, Mother, but I had an idea about that…”

“What?”

“I can’t exactly talk about it, but I promise you that it’ll work. All I require from you is your utmost faith.”

Rei stared solemnly at Todoroki briefly. Then, she gave a weak smile:

“Well…all right. I do trust you, but I’ll be praying for you, nevertheless.”

Todoroki smiled. “I won’t let you down!”

“Rei, I’ve been through some difficult times with Shoko, and time and time again, she’s never let me down,” said Deku. “I too have faith in her, and even if I don’t know exactly what she has planned, I know that it’ll work.”

Rei’s smile brightened. “Sounds like you trust her, too.”

“I trust her more than most people in this world, and I’ll do whatever I can to help her out. I know she’d do the same for me.”

“Deku, you’re so sweet!”

Todoroki gave Deku a big hug, which he gladly returned. Rei smiled when she saw this:

“Awww…you two look so adorable together!”

“Thank you!” said Deku and Todoroki.

“I think we’d better get going now,” said Todoroki. “I promise to visit again soon.”

“It was nice seeing you again, Shoko, and I’m glad to have met you too, Midoriya!” said Rei.

Deku smiled. “It was nice meeting you too, Rei!”

“Good luck, Midoriya!”

Rei hugged Deku, who gladly returned it. While he hadn’t been expecting her to hug him, he nevertheless enjoyed the gesture. Hugging Todoroki was one thing, but knowing that her mother cared enough about him to do this made him feel like a true hero. Soon enough, Rei let go.

“Bye! Have a nice day!” Rei waved at Deku and Todoroki.

“You too!” said Deku and Todoroki.

In the halls of the hospital, Todoroki had something to say about their visit:

“Deku, thanks again for accompanying me! Mother really seems to like you!”

“You’re welcome! I’m glad I got to meet her; she seems like such a nice woman!”

Todoroki rubbed the back of her head. “Well, I do still feel a bit awkward knowing that it was her who scarred me, but as I said, I have forgiven her, and I’m not only grateful to have patched relations with her, but that it was your words that led to that moment.”

Deku blushed. “Wow, even after all this time, I still can’t believe my words had that effect on others!”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. “Really, you should be proud of yourself!”

“Believe me, I am!”

Deku and Todoroki headed on out, the former still having that warm glow of knowing that his words were continuing to touch other people’s lives.

Chapter Text

It was another late spring day in Musutafu as Deku and Todoroki were strolling about, headed for nowhere in particular. They didn’t mind this, though, for even if they had nowhere to go, the mere fact that they had each other meant volumes. Holding hands with each other helped, too.

“Ah, what a beautiful day!” said Deku. “And I get to spend it with my wonderful girlfriend, too!”

Todoroki giggled. “You’re quite wonderful yourself, you know!”

“I know!”

Todoroki gently shoved Deku. “And so modest, too!”

Deku chuckled. “I do my best!”

“You do more than…”

“Shoko, LOOK!”

Todoroki snapped to attention when Deku pointed out something going down, namely Endeavor fighting two High-End Nomus.

“FATHER!”

Without hesitation, Todoroki sprang into action, and Deku quickly followed. However, one of the two Nomus took notice:

“Toxic, you handle Endeavor! I’ll take care of the two interlopers!”

The second Nomu – named Brother – charged at Deku and Todoroki. However, neither of the two lovebirds were ones to take this lying down, and immediately, Deku attempted to restrain Brother with Blackwhip. However, it used one of its Quirks to liquify.

“What the…!?” Deku dropped his jaw.

“Don’t worry, Deku; I’ve got this! FLASHFREEZE HEATWAVE!”

Todoroki unleashed a superheated blast of cold air at the liquefied Nomu, and when the smoke cleared, it was clear that she’d done more than enough damage to prevent Brother from regenerating. All that remained now was to take care of Toxic. Endeavor was doing a good job of holding him off so far, but it was clear that without assistance, he might not get out of the battle alive, so they ran over to his side.

“Deku! Shoko! Thanks for showing up! I don’t know how we’ll defeat this last Nomu, but I’m glad you took out the other one!”

“Endeavor, you and Shoko use Flashfire Fist!” said Deku. “I’ve got an idea of my own!”

“Right!” said Todoroki and Endeavor.

Deku manifested Blackwhip, and…

(One For All, Faux 100 Percent!) “MANCHESTER SMASH!”

“PROMINENCE BURN!” shouted Endeavor.

“JET KINDLING!” shouted Todoroki.

Deku, Todoroki and Endeavor really gave their all, and much to their good fortune, it paid off: Toxic was no more. For a moment more, they looked on at where the Nomu had been, and then Endeavor turned to Deku and Todoroki:

“Thank you two for your assistance. I appreciate it very much.”

Deku smiled. “You’re welcome, Endeavor!”

Todoroki, however, was trembling with anxiety because she had something important to say:

“Um…so, Father…there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while…”

Endeavor raised an eyebrow. “What is it, Shoko?”

Todoroki clasped her hands together. “I know we haven’t always been on the best of terms, and I know you probably still hate me for telling everyone that I’m really a girl, but the truth is…I…I’ve been thinking about you recently, and considering what you’ve done about trying to become a better person, doing your best to protect Japan during the Paranormal Liberation War and to atone for what happened to Toya, I’ve realized…I can’t be that mad at you anymore. Endeavor…Enji Todoroki…I forgive you.”

Endeavor let out a slight gasp when he heard these words from his youngest daughter. Never in a million years did he ever imagine that she would ever forgive him for his mistakes. Nevertheless, he knew exactly how to respond to this:

“Shoko…thank you so much.”

Todoroki broke down crying and gave Endeavor a big hug, which he gladly returned. In all his years as a hero, the #1 Pro had learned to expect the unexpected, but even then, nothing could prepare him for what was happening right now. He wanted to cry as well, knowing that at least one member of his family had forgiven him for how badly he’d treated them. Nevertheless, he kept himself together as well as he could and gladly accepted the outpouring of emotions. In doing so, he found it to be very cathartic. As the darkness that had polluted his soul was cleansed, he felt not only did his daughter deserve to be loved, but that he too was deserving of the same.

Despite feeling horribly yucky from breaking down crying in front of Endeavor, Todoroki also felt that a terrible burden was being taken away from her. Even after all these successes she’d had in going out with her dear Deku, there was that one part of her that always felt incomplete without her father’s love. Sure, he had treated her like a weapon rather than an actual human being, but that same part of her wanted to reach out to him and let him know that she still loved him. Repressing this part had caused her great pain, but now that she’d forgiven him, she didn’t have to worry about this pain anymore, especially considering his new acceptance of her.

As for Deku, he tried to keep himself together, but he eventually ended up crying as well, not because his lovely girlfriend was crying, but because those six words he’d told her long ago at the Sports Festival were still reverberating now. All he could wonder to himself was whether or not those six words would eventually lead to him saving the world somehow. In this moment, he felt so proud of himself, and he was sure that All Might and his mother would be proud of him, too. He didn’t even care if anyone else bore witness to this; he was just too proud of himself right now. As for Todoroki, she eventually stopped crying, but kept her arms around Endeavor until she was good.

“Shoko, if there’s anything I can do for you…” said Endeavor.

Todoroki smiled. “I don’t want anything big from you. I…I just want you to love me and be proud of me. That’s not so much to ask for…is it?”

Endeavor smiled. “Shoko…I am proud of you, and I love you very much.”

“Oh, father!”

Todoroki gave Endeavor another hug, which the #1 Pro gladly returned again. As for Deku, he had stopped crying as well, though he still had a few tears in his eyes as he beheld how the two Todorokis had reconciled with each other. Fortunately, he had some tissues on hand for that. Then, after the second hug, Endeavor turned to Deku:

“Deku, thank you for your support as well. I am honored to know that you will be a leader amongst the next generation of Pro Heroes.”

Deku smiled and bowed. “You’re welcome, Endeavor.”

“As a reward for what you two have done for me, I’ll be taking you two out to dinner on me.”

Deku and Todoroki’s smiled beamed brightly as they looked to each other, and then to Endeavor. If the day could get any better, they didn’t know how else it could.

Chapter Text

As per Todoroki’s request, Endeavor took her and Deku out to Karuichi Soba & More. As he regarded the menu, the #1 Pro was surprised to see one thing…

(I didn’t think they’d have kuzumochi on the menu.)

Fortunately, despite the oncoming supper rush, there were three open spots at the counter for them to sit at, so they sat down, with Todoroki seated between Deku and Endeavor. Immediately, the restaurant staff took notice:

“Hey Endeavor! Glad to see you here!” said one of the guys at the counter.

“Thank you. In the aftermath of the Paranormal Liberation War, it’s refreshing to see people who still believe in me.”

“You’re welcome! We’re always rooting for you, and we know you’ll crush Shigaraki!”

“I’ll do my best.”

As for Todoroki, she had her own thing to say to Endeavor:

“Father, thanks again for taking Deku and I here! I’m so glad we’re on good terms!”

“I’ll admit, I’m not used to seeing you being so happy, but at the same time, seeing you happy makes me feel better about myself,” said Endeavor.

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. “You can thank Deku for that. Because he taught me not to be afraid of the side of me that came from you, I feel like a terrible burden has been lifted from me!”

Deku smiled. “You two are very welcome, by the way!”

“Tell me, Deku: just what was it that made you want to encourage my daughter like that?” asked Endeavor.

“I’ll be completely honest: when I first met Shoko, I found myself attracted to her even though she looked like a boy. At the same time, I could tell that she was feeling really sad and just wanted somebody to reach out to.”

“Oh? You must be really special if you saw that in her.”

Deku stroked his chin and smiled. “Well, I’m very good at reading people, and when I first met you at the Sports Festival, I could tell that you were feeling insecure about yourself and were worried about what people really thought of you.”

Endeavor nodded. “I won’t lie. For years, I had self-confidence issues stemming from being #2 to All Might, and I was worried about what would happen if word about Toya got out. While Toya’s revelations really hurt me, knowing that you, Shoko, All Might, the rest of my family and the students and staff of UA still support me after that mess really touches my heart.” He smiled.

Todoroki smiled and hugged Endeavor. “And knowing that you’re willing to own up to your past, stay strong in the face of adversity and make up for your mistakes means a lot to me! Honestly, I could get used to being a daddy’s girl!”

Endeavor smiled. His smile, however, faded quickly when he saw that Deku had a sad look on his face and was averting his gaze.

“Deku, you look troubled,” said Endeavor. “Is everything OK?”

Deku sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just…Shoko, as much as you hated your father, you’re lucky you even had him around. For most of my life, I never knew my real father because he was posted overseas when I was really young and I don’t have too many memories of him. All Might’s been the closest person I ever had to a real father.”

Todoroki frowned. “Deku, I’m so sorry.”

Todoroki gave Deku a big hug, which he gratefully returned. If there was ever a moment in which he decided that she was the one for him, it was this one. Endeavor just couldn’t help but take notice of his daughter’s affection, either:

“Shoko, it warms my heart knowing that you’re giving such care and affection to those less fortunate. As for you, Deku, if there’s anything you need from me, please let me know.”

“Thank you,” said Todoroki.

“I will,” said Deku.

By this time, the restaurant staff brought their meals to them, and they ate up. Endeavor nodded after taking a few bites:

“This is quite possibly the best kuzumochi I’ve ever eaten. Shoko, how did you find out about this restaurant?”

Shoko swallowed some soba. “After the Sports Festival, I was looking for ways to get myself out there more, and I happened to smell this restaurant when I was on a walk with Yaoyorozu, so I Googled it and looked at reviews, after which I made a note of it and vowed to come with Deku. Since then, it’s been my favorite.”

“Interesting story. We’ll have to come here again someday.”

“I mean, I really enjoy it, too!” said Deku. “And Shoko, thanks again for your kindness!”

Shoko put a hand on Deku’s shoulder. “Don’t forget to thank yourself, either. It was your words that led to this moment.”

Deku giggled. “Oh, Shoko!”

===

After finishing their meals, Deku, Todoroki and Endeavor headed out.

“Father, thank you again for bringing us here!” said Todoroki. “This was my favorite moment with you!”

Endeavor smiled. “No, thank you for your forgiveness. Knowing that you, Rei, Fuyumi and Natsuo have reconciled with me fills my heart with joy. And Deku, thank you for being so kind and caring towards my daughter. If you two represent the next generation of Pro Heroes, then I can safely say that this country – the world, even – are in good hands.”

Deku smiled. “And we’re proud to be a part of that! We’ll make you, All Might and the rest of them happy!”

“You’ve already made me happy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have unfinished business to attend to at the office. Best of luck to both of you.”

Todoroki smiled. “You’re welcome, Father!”

Todoroki gave Endeavor another big hug, which he gladly returned. Eventually, they let go.

“Good night, and good luck to both of you!” Endeavor waved at Deku and Todoroki.

“Bye!”

Deku and Todoroki waved at Endeavor as he parted ways with them. Meanwhile, Todoroki had some words for Deku:

“Deku, thank you again for supporting me! Without your kindness, I might never have been able to forgive my father!”

“You’re welcome! Anything for the sweetest, most beautiful girl at UA!”

Todoroki giggled and ruffled Deku’s hair. “Oh, stop! Anyways, I wanted to ask you something…”

“Yes?”

“How would you and your mother like to spend Christmas at my place?”

Deku beamed with happiness. “Hey, I’d love that! I’m sure Mom would love to meet your family!”

“Then it’s settled! Now come on, let’s head back!”

Deku and Todoroki held hands as they headed back to UA, the future looking brighter than ever.

Chapter Text

Once again, another day of classes was done with, and Deku and Todoroki were going out for supper, only they had another familiar face in tow: Kacchan. He’d agreed to go with them not only as an effort to try to be a nicer person, but also to get out more. He didn’t mind it too much, but there was one question on his mind:

“Guys, where the crap are we goin’ again?”

“Shoko brought me to this cozy little restaurant once that she says has the best zaru soba, and we figured you too might enjoy it,” said Deku.

“Do they have spicy foods?” asked Kacchan.

“They should,” said Todoroki. “I didn’t study the menu in depth, but I’m positive that they had at least one spicy food on their menu.

Kacchan nodded. “Sounds like it might be worth a shot.”

Todoroki smiled. “You’ll love it, Bakugo.”

“I’ll wait to try their food to come to a decision. Besides, what’s the name of the place?”

“It’s called ‘Karuichi Soba & More’.”

Kacchan shrugged. “Never heard of it, but it might be good, I guess.”

===

Eventually, Deku, Kacchan and Todoroki reached the restaurant, where they proceeded to order their food. Deku got his usual katsudon and Sencha green tea, and Todoroki got her zaru soba and Keemun tea. As for Kacchan, he wasn’t sure, so he ended up picking kare nanban, that is, hot soba in a curry-flavored broth, topped with pork and sliced scallions, plus some oolong tea. Naturally, Todoroki paid for everything. After handing in their meal tickets and thanking the chef, they proceeded to sit down, with Deku seated in between Kacchan and Todoroki.

“Todoroki, let me ask ya somethin’…” said Kacchan.

“Yes?”

“Did ya really have to pay for everything?”

Todoroki smiled. “Why shouldn’t I? Both of you are two of my favorite people, and you deserve to be taken care of!”

Kacchan raised an eyebrow. “What the crap? Ya mean, even after all those times I yelled and swore at ya, I’m one of your favorite people?”

“I know it may sound strange to you, but I know you’re a good, heroic boy who cares deeply about his friends and would do whatever he could to protect them!”

Kacchan’s face turned redder than communism, causing Todoroki to frown.

“Bakugo, is everything OK?”

Kacchan nodded. “Y-yeah. I…I…I gotta be honest: I’m still havin’ trouble thinkin’ of ya as a girl. When I first met ya, you did such a good job lookin’ and actin’ like a boy that I feel weird around ya.”

Todoroki smiled. “Why should it be weird? Am I not also a human being? Do I not have wants, needs, fears and hopes just like you? Aren’t we both training to become heroes?”

Kacchan shrugged. “Yeah…I guess.”

“Come here, Bakugo!”

Todoroki got up from her seat and hugged Kacchan from behind, causing him to gasp. Nevertheless, he let her do so, though he felt hotter from accepting her warm embrace. In short order, though, he not only came to accept her embrace, but even like it:

“Todoroki, I take back everything I said about this being weird and gay. I…I like when you do this to me.” Kacchan smiled.

“Good, because I like doing this to you, too!”

Deku smiled. “Awww, look at that, Kacchan! You made Shoko happy! You must’ve earned a special place in her heart!”

“OK, I like the fact that Todoroki likes me, but I still can’t believe that anybody likes me that much, never mind her.”

“Bakugo, are you suffering from low self-esteem?” asked Todoroki.

Kacchan furrowed his brow. “What? Why would I be suffering from low self-esteem?”

“I’ve been reading about this, and they say that one of the signs is having trouble accepting compliments.”

Kacchan didn’t respond at first. Then, he sighed:

“Deku, Todoroki, don’t tell anybody this, but…sometimes, I…I just hate myself so much that I wish I was never born.”

Deku and Todoroki gasped when they heard this.

“Kacchan, don’t say that!” Deku put a hand on Kacchan’s shoulder. “I mean, it’s OK to feel sad, but think of all the people who would miss you if you were gone! How would Kirishima feel if his best friend wasn’t there for him?”

“Yeah, and think about Ashido, too!” said Todoroki.

Kacchan nearly jumped out of his seat. “What the crap!? Why did ya mention Raccoon Eyes?”

Todoroki smiled. “Well, she did mention she had a crush on you…”

Kacchan let out a loud gasp. “What the CRAP!?”

“Kacchan, why are you so upset about Ashido having a crush on you?”

“I’m sorry; I’m just havin’ trouble gettin’ used to the idea of girls likin’ me like that.”

Just then, one of the restaurant staff got their food ready, so Todoroki returned to her seat, and her, Deku and Kacchan proceeded to chow down. Kacchan in particular was taken with his food:

“You know, I usually have my food with really hot sauce, but this is probably the first spicy food that I can enjoy without using that sauce. Thanks again, guys!”

“You’re welcome!” said Deku and Todoroki.

===

After finishing their meals, Deku, Kacchan and Todoroki headed back for UA.

“Guys, I had a GREAT time today!” said Kacchan. “I feel a HELL of a lot better about myself!”

Deku smiled. “Glad to hear it, Kacchan! It meant so much to me that we could get together and get along so well!”

“Me too! And Todoroki, you’re an awesome person, too!”

“As are you, Bakugo.”

Kacchan frowned. “There’s somethin’ I can’t get outta my mind, though…”

“What?” said Deku and Todoroki.

“I…I actually like Ashido as well, and I wanna ask her out, but…what if she says ‘no’?” Kacchan averted his gaze.

Deku smiled and put his hand on Kacchan’s shoulder. “Kacchan, it’s OK to be afraid of rejection! What’s important is that you give it a try!”

Todoroki smiled and put a hand on Kacchan’s other shoulder. “Besides, if you keep a positive attitude and do your best, I’m sure it’ll work out fine! After all, I did say that Ashido had a crush on you!”

Kacchan remained silent for a brief moment. Then, he smiled:

“Thanks for the kind words! Those made me feel better!”

Kacchan wrapped his arms around Deku and Todoroki, who smiled and returned the gesture. Once again, another life had been touched by Deku’s – and by extension, Todoroki’s – kindness.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes had ended, and Deku and Todoroki were spending the evening by hanging out in the former’s dorm. It hadn’t been an especially hard day…well, no harder than what Aizawa usually put them through, anyways. Regardless, both parties were extraordinarily grateful for each other’s company. At the moment, they were sitting next to each other on Deku’s bed.

“Deku, you look like you’ve got something on your mind. Mind sharing with me?”

Deku smiled. “Oh, I was just thinking about the Sports Festival. I don’t know about you, but of everything we’ve been through at UA, that was probably the most memorable time of my life.”

Todoroki smiled back. “Oh? Why do you say that?”

“Well, aside from the fact that I helped you break out of your shell, I had a lot of fun moments that day. Remember the foot race we had?”

“Of course! Probably my favorite part of that was when I purposely froze that giant robot while it was off-balance.”

Deku chuckled. “And I didn’t think you were clever enough to play dirty!”

Todoroki gently ruffled Deku’s hair. “You’d be surprised, honey! Speaking of clever, I thought that was an ingenious move on your part using part of the robot to dig up land mines!”

“What can I say? I had no control over One For All at the time, so I had to figure out a way to get through that and preserve my body at the same time.”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. “You know, given your immense intellect, I feel like you could’ve become a great hero even without a Quirk.”

Deku dropped his jaw. “D-do you really think so, Shoko?”

“Of course! You’ve been through so many tough situations, and yet you’ve still come out on top because you had the smarts to work your way out, and I really admire that in a boy!”

Deku smiled. “And you know what I really admire about you?”

“What?”

“The fact that you were willing to reach out to me…or any of us at UA…and accept our love and support. I feel like everyone’s better off for it, and I’m really proud of you, Shoko.”

“Oh, Deku!”

Todoroki gave Deku a big hug and kiss, which he gladly returned. Even if their pasts had a few bumps in the road, the future looked so bright that they felt that they could navigate whatever else lay ahead.

Chapter Text

The UA dorms were filled with the heady, sweet smell of sugar as Deku and Todoroki helped Rikido Sato in baking various desserts.

“Hey, thanks for helpin’ me out with this, guys!” said Sato. “This year’s food festival is gonna rock!”

“You’re welcome, Sato!” said Deku. “We’re only too glad to help!”

“Not to mention I’ve been interested in baking ever since I learned that you were into it, so this works out perfectly for me as well!” said Todoroki.

Sato gave a thumbs up. “Glad to hear it! Say, what are ya makin’, Todoroki?”

“I’m making fudge. I found this really simple recipe on a jar of Marshmallow Fluff, so I thought I’d try it.”

Sato stroked his chin. “What’s ‘Marshmallow Fluff’?”

“It’s a brand of marshmallow cream from the United States. It’s also used to make a type of sandwich called a fluffernutter, which is peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff.”

Deku smiled. “I’ve had peanut butter before, but I’ve never tried it that way, so it sounds pretty exciting!”

“By the way, Midoriya, what are you bakin’?” asked Sato.

“Oh, I’m baking a special type of chocolate cake called ‘Death By Chocolate’.”

“‘Death By Chocolate’? Sounds heavy!”

“I got the recipe from an American website, and it looked so good that I just had to try it for myself.”

Sato gave a thumbs up. “Well then I’m lookin’ forward to tryin’ it, too!”

“That reminds me: what are you baking, Sato?”

“I couldn’t decide on one thing, so I’m bakin’ some blueberry cheesecake and my famous vanilla-frosted chocolate cake!”

“Sounds delicious!” said Todoroki.

“I know!” said Deku. “I’m especially looking forward to that blueberry cheesecake!”

“That reminds me: Sato, what got you into baking in the first place?” asked Todoroki.

“Oh, I’ve always been into eatin’ sweets! I remember the first time I ever tried a chocolate chip cookie, and it was the best cookie I ever had. No other cookie I’ve ever had has even come close. A couple years later, I was watchin’ TV with my mom, and she had this baking show on, and I loved seein’ ‘em bake all those cakes and stuff, and I wanted to try that for myself. Heck, some of my favorite memories are helpin’ my mom bake her famous Christmas cookies!”

Todoroki smiled. “Wow, what a beautiful story! It’s too bad you’re not more renowned amongst Class 1-A.”

Sato gave a dismissive hand flap. “Doesn’t matter to me! I’m happier bein’ one of the side characters anyways! Besides, bein’ in the same spot as you or Midoriya sounds like a huge hassle.”

Deku nodded. “I’ll agree, it’s a huge responsibility, and I often find myself wondering how I manage to survive, but overall, I think it’s worth it, especially considering it helped bring Shoko and I together.”

Todoroki clasped her hands together and held them up to the side of her head. “Awww!”

Todoroki gave Deku another hug and kiss, which Sato approved of:

“You two were really made for each other!”

Todoroki’s look turned serious. “I love Deku very much, but were we really made for each other?”

Sato gave a thumbs up. “Of course! The way you two talk to each other and act around each other, you were made for each other like apple and cinnamon!”

“Sato’s got a point!” said Deku.

Todoroki giggled. “Oh, what the heck!”

“Anyways, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta attend to my cake.”

Deku went to one of the ovens to check on his Death By Chocolate cake, and Todoroki attended to her fudge. Meanwhile, Sato smiled, happy to have found two more friends to share in his hobby with.

Chapter Text

Once again, the students of Class 1-A filed out of their last course of the day, and once again, Deku accompanied Todoroki…or at least tried to:

“If you’ll excuse me, I have to go on ahead,” said Todoroki. “Yaoyorozu wanted me for something in the dorms.”

Deku nodded. “OK.”

Todoroki hurried on to the dorms.

(I know Todoroki’s hiding something, but at the same time, I could tell it was nothing dangerous. Still, I gotta wonder what her real reason for going on without me is…)

“Hey Deku, what’s up?” said Kacchan.

“Oh, you mean other than the fact that Shoko ran off without telling me exactly why and I suspect she’s up to something? Not much.”

Kacchan raised an eyebrow. “That’s awful specific. Why do ya think she’s up to somethin’?”

“Kacchan, I can read people very well, and it was extremely obvious to me that she was hiding something from me. Exactly what it was I couldn’t tell, but at the same time, I could also tell it was nothing malicious.”

Kacchan stroked his chin. “Interesting. So how the crap can ya tell stuff like that?”

“You forget that I have a very analytical mind, and over the years, I’ve been observing people carefully, so I developed a sharp eye for various non-verbal cues and an ear for subtle changes in the tone of somebody’s voice. In other words, I can easily tell when somebody’s lying.”

“OK, so tell me: what can ya read from me right now?”

Deku stroked his chin. “At the moment, I can tell you’re feeling pretty tense and that you have plenty on your mind.”

Kacchan shrugged. “OK, ya got me. Thing is…I’m still havin’ trouble getting’ used to this whole ‘bein’ nice’ thing, but on the other hand, I kinda like it better than bein’ angry all the time. Also, I wanna ask Ashido out, but I’m still afraid that she’ll say ‘no’.”

Deku smiled. “Why would she say ‘no’? I’ve been watching how she interacts around you, and based off the signals she’s been giving off, I can tell that she’s into you!”

“Really? I thought she was like that with everybody.”

“You’d be surprised!”

“Heh. Anyways, if I ask her out, do ya promise not to make a big deal out of it?”

Deku’s look turned serious. “Kacchan, why would I make a big deal out of it? I’d actually be genuinely happy if you asked her out and things went well between you two.”

“Really?”

Deku smiled and nodded. “Really!”

Kacchan smiled. “Thanks, Deku! You really are my best friend, ya know that?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t say Kirishima was your best friend, but that makes me feel happy!”

“Anyways, enough chit-chat; we’re home.”

Sure enough, Deku and Todoroki had arrived at the UA dorms. When Deku got inside, he got a real surprise: not only were the dorms decked out with birthday-themed decorations, including a banner that said “HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEKU”, but something else was afoot as well…

“One, two, three, four!”

Perhaps the biggest surprise for Deku was seeing all of the girls of Class 1-A dressed up in the orange UA cheerleader uniforms. They – Todoroki leading the bunch – sang the following chant as they waved their pom-poms around:

“Happy happy birthday
From all the girls to you!
We wish it was our birthday,
So you could cheer us too!
Hey!”

Deku gasped and held his hands up to his mouth when he witnessed the whole spectacle. His face soon grew a bright smile.

“Shoko…is this why you had to hurry on ahead of me?”

Todoroki smiled and approached Deku. “Sure was! Happy birthday, honey!”

Just as Todoroki had made her way to Deku, so too did the other girls:

“Happy Birthday, Deku!” said Uraraka.

“I hope you’re having a fun time, ribbit,” said Tsu.

“Believe me, Tsu, I am!” said Deku.

“I know we are!” said Ashido.

“Totally!” said Hagakure.

“Ordinarily, I wouldn’t do this whole ‘cheerleader’ thing again, but since Todoroki’s my best friend, I’m rolling with it!” said Yaoyorozu.

“I’m with ya, girlfriend!” said Jiro.

“Shoko, this was the sweetest birthday surprise you’ve ever given me!” said Deku. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome, Deku!”

Todoroki gave Deku a big hug and kiss, which he happily returned. The other girls let out a collective “awww” when they saw this, as did a bunch of the guys,

“OK, girls, who’s ready to give Deku his birthday present?” said Todoroki.

“We are!” The girls pumped their hands in the air.

“Girls, what are you…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“I hope you like your birthday tickles!” said Todoroki.

“Yeah, I bet this is your first time getting tickled by a bunch of cheerleaders!” said Uraraka.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHP! STAHP!”

Kacchan had a good laugh as Deku got consumed by the tickles. Even if this was one of the weirder birthdays he’d had, the green bean was at least glad that Todoroki went to such great lengths to make it a happy one for him.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes down, and another few hours of relaxation for Deku. Today, he was relaxing by playing Final Doom on his laptop, more specifically, the second episode, The Plutonia Experiment. Even more specifically, he was playing it via the GZDoom mod, which also had the Brutal Doom mod attached to it. Brutal Doom was a special mod that allowed one to play with enhanced graphics, more blood, more weapons…in short, more of everything. While he was enjoying this game, he heard knocking on his door, so he paused the game and got up to answer it.

“Shoko!”

Deku and Todoroki greeted each other with a big hug and kiss. No matter how many times they did this, it never got old.

“Glad to see you too, Deku!”

“Come on in!”

Deku led Todoroki into his dorm.

“So, what’s up?” asked Todoroki.

“Not much. I was just relaxing by playing some Doom.”

Todoroki gasped and put her hands over her mouth.

“OH MY GOSH!” she exclaimed. “I LOVE DOOM! Tell me, do you create your own WADs for it?”

Deku smiled. “I do, as a matter of fact!”

“Super cool! You HAVE to show me one!”

“OK, just let me save my game here and I’ll show you one I created.”

Deku saved his game, exited Final Doom and opened up Doom with one of the WADs he’d created for the game.

“OK, so what’s this WAD called?” asked Todoroki.

“It’s called Operation: Bloodfeast, and it adds a whole new challenge to the usual Doom game.”

Todoroki stroked her chin. “Sounds intriguing. What sort of challenge?”

“Why don’t we find out? Here, have a seat.”

Todoroki sat in Deku’s chair, and she proceeded to start the game. For the first level, she was in a small room, so she opened the door immediately ahead of her and stepped out into a large arena, where she heard the sound of a door opening. She went to investigate, only to get a nasty surprise…

“OH MY GOD! WHY ARE THERE FOUR CYBERDEMONS!?”

Having only a pistol, Todoroki did her best to dodge the Cyberdemons’ rockets while trying to blow them away with just a pistol. Soon enough, she came to the realization that she was going to need more firepower if she was to have any hope of stopping those Cyberdemons, so she looked around the room, trying to open whatever door she could find, only all of them were locked.

“NO! How am I supposed to defeat those things!?”

Despite Todoroki’s best efforts, she eventually ended up getting killed by the Cyberdemons. All the while, Deku was laughing at her, much to her chagrin:

“Deku, that was mean! Why would you do something like that to somebody!?”

Deku continued to laugh. “I’m sorry; I just like messing with people sometimes!”

Todoroki glared at Deku and growled before putting him in a headlock and attempting to tear his head off, much to his dismay:

“Hey, what are you doing!? Shoko, stop that!”

“Yeah, you think it’s funny to mess with your girlfriend now!?”

“OK! OK! I’m sorry! Stop doing that!”

Todoroki let go of Deku, and she gave him a look of concern:

“Deku, promise me you won’t do anything mean like that again?”

Deku nodded. “I promise. I didn’t intend for it to be so hurtful; I just like creating prank WADs like that as a joke.”

“I understand. Next time, please warn me before you do anything like that, OK?”

Deku smiled and gave a thumbs up. “OK!”

Todoroki smiled as well. “Now then, why don’t I show you a WAD that I created?”

Deku’s look turned serious. “This isn’t gonna be revenge for pranking you, is it?”

Todoroki gave a dismissive hand flap. “Relax! It’s not mean or anything, but it is challenging.”

“I can’t wait to see it, then!”

Todoroki took a flash drive that she wore as a pendant around her neck, and then she plugged it into Deku’s computer before loading a WAD called Bloodlust Maze. Deku then sat down at his laptop.

“OK, let’s see how this goes…”

Deku proceeded to play the WAD that Todoroki loaded. Unlike the prank WADs that he usually made, this one was more intricate in its execution, requiring the player to solve elaborate puzzles in order to advance. Both episodes of Final Doom were challenging enough, but this one made it look like a cakewalk, not because of the enemies that were present, but because the solutions to the puzzles really required the player to think. With a lot of sheer determination, though, Deku managed to beat the first level.

“Phew, that was tough! Shoko, how do you manage to come up with something like this?”

“I often daydream level designs while in class, and then I sketch them out and spend time refining them in SLADE3.”

Deku smiled. “Sounds like you put a lot of thought into it.”

“It’s not always easy, but I find it’s very rewarding.”

“I’ll say! And I’m glad we found something new to bond over!”

“You and me both!”

Deku and Todoroki continued to spend time not only talking about and playing Doom, but also thinking up new ideas for WADs.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes had come and gone, and once again, Deku decided to spend his free time with his beloved Todoroki. On the way to her dorm, he heard a familiar yapping, so he bent down to greet David, the white Scottish Terrier that Todoroki had adopted for the dorms:

“Hey David! How are you, boy?”

David let out a happy sigh as Deku petted him.

“What a good dog you are! Yes, you’re such a good dog!”

David sat and panted happily upon hearing Deku’s positive affirmation. Having spent so long in the animal shelter wondering if he’d ever go to a loving home, the little terrier’s happiness had improved by leaps and bounds after going to what was perhaps the most loving home of all: UA High. All of Class 1-A had received the little fellow overwhelmingly positively, barring Kacchan, who hated smaller dogs. Nevertheless, it was clear that David was more than welcome there. After laying some of his affections on the little dog, Deku headed on to Todoroki’s dorm, where he knocked on the door.

“DEKU!”

Once again, Todoroki gave Deku a big hug and kiss.

“Come on! I’ve been waiting for you, honey!”

Todoroki beckoned Deku inside. The first thing he noticed about her was that she was dressed in a red sports bra and white retro-style running shorts with red stripes, plus a neon red headband and matching leg warmers.

“OK, Shoko, what’s the exercise getup for?” asked Deku.

“Well, I discovered this fun new exercise program, and I wanted to share it with you!”

“OK, just let me go back and change…”

Todoroki smiled. “No need! Just let me get you grab some of my old clothes…”

Todoroki dug through her bureau, past some old breast binders and pulled out a gray T-shirt and some black gym shorts, which she handed to Deku:

“Here!”

Deku gave the clothes a curious look. “Why do you keep your old clothes from when you used to identify as a boy?”

“It’s more for nostalgia than anything else. Besides, I figured my favorite boy might need to borrow them someday!”

Deku smiled nervously. “Wow…you’ve certainly thought this through! Anyways…”

Deku proceeded to change his clothes, not particularly caring that Todoroki was in the room with him, which she took notice of:

“You’re very comfortable removing your clothes in front of a woman.”

“Why should I be uncomfortable? You’re not the first woman who’s seen me naked.”

Todoroki giggled. “Good point!”

Once Deku was changed, Todoroki fired up the exercise video. After a brief ident from the production company, the program kicked off in earnest with “Body Jam” by Shawn Lee’s Incredible Leg Warmer Band, and a Black man known only as D-Qwon hosted the program:

“Welcome to D-Qwon’s Boogierobics! Are you ready to boogie and sweat?”

“YEAH!” Todoroki pumped her fists.

“Then let’s get started!”

The exercise program involved all sorts of high-energy cardio exercises such as twists, lifts and jumping jacks, all set to 70s and 80s Hi-NRG disco music. Deku was getting quite the charge out of the program. Sure, he’d always been into disco music, but experiencing it this way made the whole experience that much more refreshing for him. Looking over at Todoroki, he could tell she was really enjoying it as well, but he had to be careful not to look over at her too long because his eyes ended up being fixated on her massive chest. Even so, he found that he was easily able to concentrate on the exercises. As much fun as he was having with the exercises, though, by the time the program got to a segment with “Vibration From the Sky” by Yann Linhart, he was slowing down noticeably and having trouble keeping up with everything, which Todoroki took notice of:

“Deku, are you OK?”

“Tired…can’t…keep…up…”

Knowing that Deku would probably collapse at this rate, Todoroki paused the video, leaving him propping his upper body up with his hands on his thighs, panting and sweating.

“Deku, you look really worn out!”

“I…that…that was the toughest exercise program I’ve ever done. I can’t understand how you have so much energy for it.”

Todoroki shrugged and smiled. “Guess that’s a perk of being a woman!”

After catching his breath, Deku stood upright and wiped the sweat off his brow.

“Shoko, I still love you very much, but you have the weirdest ideas sometimes.”

Todoroki smiled and put a hand on Deku’s shoulder. “Come on! Normal is so boring! Were we not meant to live a little?”

“A little? You call wearing me out with your new exercise video a little?”

Todoroki giggled. “OK, you’re right; I think I went overboard with that one. Still, I’m glad you were at least willing to try it with me!”

Deku smiled. “Believe me, Shoko, you turn the song in me into a symphony!”

“Awww, you’re so sweet! Wanna take a shower together?”

Deku gasped, and then smiled. “Definitely!”

Deku and Todoroki grabbed some towels, and they headed for the dorms’ showers, looking forward to lovingly caressing each other.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes down, and another opportunity for Deku and Todoroki to spend time together.

“Ah, nothing like the end of the day’s classes!” said Todoroki. “Not only do I feel that much closer to becoming a great hero, but I get to walk back to the dorms with my favorite boy in the world!”

Deku giggled. “Shoko, I know I’m your favorite boy in the world, but do you really have to pound it through my head?”

Todoroki wrapped an arm around Deku. “Why not? You are the sweetest, sexiest, most caring boy I’ve ever had the fortune to meet, and you pretty much saved my life, so I think laying on my love that thickly is in order!”

Deku shrugged and smiled. “Ah, what the heck! If I did save your life, then I suppose it’s in order!”

“Midoriya! Todoroki!”

Deku and Todoroki turned around to see who’d addressed them: none other than Mineta.

“What’s up, Mineta?” asked Deku.

“Listen, there’s somethin’ I really need to talk to ya two about…”

Todoroki glared at Mineta. “It’s not some perverted sex thing, is it?”

Deku put a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “Shoko, we don’t know that. The tone in his voice and his body language suggests that he’s serious about this.”

Todoroki looked over at Deku, and then over at Mineta. She nodded.

“OK, what’s on your mind?”

Mineta fidgeted about. “OK, I know pretty much everyone around here knows me as a Grade A pervert, but…well…the truth is, I…I…I’m actually very scared of women, and I only act that way to hide my insecurities.” He averted his gaze.

Todoroki put a hand on her hip. “Why should you be scared of women? Are we not people just like you? Do we not breathe the same air as you? Do we not also bleed when we’re injured? Do we not eat, drink and sleep like you do? Most importantly, do we not also want to be heroes like you?”

Mineta nodded nervously. “Well yeah, but…I feel like if I tried to ask a girl out, then she’d say ‘no’, and I dunno if I can handle that kind of rejection.”

Todoroki smiled. “Mineta, one rejection’s not the end of the world! Just because one girl doesn’t want to go out with you doesn’t mean there’s nobody who won’t love you for who you are!”

“Mineta, I have a feeling like you experienced a traumatic event in your past that damaged your opinions about women, and I’d like to ask you about it if it’s OK,” said Deku. “Forgive me if I’m wrong; it’s just a feeling I had.”

Mineta sighed. “All right…I’ll talk, but only because I trust you guys.”

Deku and Todoroki leaned in a bit closer to Mineta.

“When I was in elementary school, there was this girl I knew. Almost immediately, we became friends, and we did pretty much everything together, whether it was helping each other out with homework, playing on the playground, or even playing video games at my house. She was my favorite person in the world. Then, one day, she said she didn’t wanna be my friend anymore, and I felt so sad, and since that day, I could never look at women the same way again.”

Deku put a hand on Mineta’s shoulder. “Mineta, I’m sorry that happened to you. That sounded like it was a really life-altering experience for you, and I just wanna let you know that me, Todoroki…everybody will be here for you.”

“Thanks, but…” Mineta averted his gaze. “…how do I get women to like me? I feel so hopeless.”

Todoroki put her hand on Mineta’s other shoulder. “Mineta, you don’t have to do anything extreme! All you have to do is be polite, be respectful and be a good listener! Granted, not every woman is exactly the same in terms of what they like, but it never hurts to ask!”

“You’ve got this, Mineta!” said Deku.

“Guys, I…” Mineta broke down crying. “This is the greatest day of my life! Thanks so much for listenin’ to me!”

“You’re welcome!” said Deku and Todoroki.

Deku and Todoroki gave Mineta a big hug, which he gladly accepted. Finally, after years of hiding behind his own perverted fantasies, the little grape juice hero felt liberated, knowing that two of his friends took the time to hear him out and offer him their encouragement. For the first time in his life, he felt like an actual human being who was worthy of being loved, and he was immensely grateful for it. Granted, it would probably take some time for people to see past his reputation as a complete perv, but with two of Class 1-A’s finest backing him up, he felt like anything was possible. Eventually, Mineta stopped crying, but Deku and Todoroki continued to hold on to him. They knew how badly they needed him.

“God, that felt awful.” said Mineta. “I think that was the first time in a while I cried.”

“But don’t you feel better after crying?” said Deku.

“And don’t you enjoy being hugged?” said Todoroki.

“Well, yeah…I guess…”

“Here…”

Todoroki handed Mineta some tissues, which he wasted no time in blowing his nose with. Then, he gently pushed Deku and Todoroki aside.

“All right, watch out, ladies! There’s a new Mineta in town!”

Deku and Todoroki giggled. The former especially got a charge out of the experience, knowing that it was own kindness and willingness to hear out his now-girlfriend that they’d gotten to this point.

Chapter Text

It was another date night outing for Deku and Todoroki…well, almost. Today, Todoroki’s oldest brother Toya was coming along with them, much to Deku’s wonderment:

“Shoko, I love you, but remind me why your brother is coming along with us again?”

“It’s simple, Greenie,” said Toya. “Shoko here lost a bet with me, so now I have to follow her everywhere she goes.”

Shoko crossed her arms. “I’m happy for you, Toya, but you don’t have to rub it in my face.”

Toya wrapped an arm around Todoroki. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, sis. Going anywhere special?”

“Shoko and I are going to the movies,” said Deku.

“Cool. What movie?”

“I was thinking we’d see Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 9.”

Toya stroked his chin. “I’ve never even seen Volume 1.”

Todoroki gasped. “You’ve NEVER seen any of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies!?”

“No, and I don’t see why I should.”

“Toya, those are some of the best superhero movies of all time!”

“Yeah, Shoko and I have a BLAST whenever we watch those!” said Deku.

Toya shrugged. “Well, if it’s as good as you say it is, I’ll go.”

===

Soon enough, Deku, Todoroki and Toya reached the Musutafu Showcase Cinema, which was located inside the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. In the past year, it had undergone significant renovations and was perhaps one of the most high-tech theaters not only in Musutafu, but in all of Japan. Deku, Todoroki and Toya walked up to one of the ticket terminals, but before they purchased the tickets, Todoroki had something to say to Toya:

“Hey Toya, why don’t we make a little bet?”

“What sort of bet?”

“I’ll bet you can’t get through this movie without laughing at least once.”

“And if I lose?”

Todoroki smiled. “Then you have to do whatever I say!”

“You’re on, but you have to do whatever I say if you lose.”

Todoroki and Toya shook on the bet, while Deku eyeballed the whole thing with curiosity, and he was a bit intimidated by the prospect of Toya winning the bet, especially since the guy had some nasty scars of his own, but he was Todoroki’s brother after all, so he couldn’t be all bad…right? That aside, once they’d purchased the tickets, they went to the concessions counter.

“What can I get for you?” asked the woman at the concessions counter.

Toya pushed his way past Deku and Todoroki. “I’ll have the flaming mouth things, a large popcorn with barbecue sauce and an large Pepsi.”

The cashier punched in Toya’s order. “OK, anything else?”

Despite being ticked off by Toya’s rudeness, Todoroki stepped up next. “I’ll have a large popcorn with extra butter and a large Dr. Pepper.”

“Anything else?”

Deku went last. “I’ll have a medium popcorn, a box of Sno-Caps and a medium Pepsi.”

After they’d paid the exorbitant fee for their concessions, Deku, Todoroki and Toya went to the room where the movie was showing and took their seats, near the back of the theater.

“I still can’t believe theaters charge prices like that for popcorn and shit,” said Toya. “Still, it’s not often I get to have popcorn.”

“I don’t know; I thought it was worth it,” said Todoroki.

“Of course you would.” Toya ate some popcorn.

“Toya, do you always complain this much?” asked Deku.

“Hey, if you hated life as much as I did, you would too.”

Deku said nothing else. After sitting through the usual round of trailers – some of which looked better than others – they finally got to the movie. Within minutes, Toya ended up laughing at the movie, thereby losing the bet. In fact, out of all three of them, he laughed the hardest at the movie.

===

By the time the movie was over, Toya was still enthralled by it:

“OK, that was one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen! Thanks for taking me to this one!”

Todoroki smiled. “Glad you enjoyed the movie! Too bad you lost, though.”

Toya crossed his arms. “All right, Shoko, tell me what ya want.”

“First of all, let me give you a huggle.”

Todoroki huggled Toya, who couldn’t help but return the gesture. Even if she found him intimidating at times, he was her brother, and he wasn’t all that bad once one knew how to speak to him. Even if he lost the bet, Toya enjoyed a good hug as well. Soon enough, they let go.

“Second of all, please go on home!” said Todoroki.

Toya crossed his arms. “And if I don’t?”

Todoroki glared at Toya. “Don’t make me tell Father.”

Toya backed away as he made a gentle pushing motion. “OK, OK, ya made your point. I’m goin’.”

Todoroki waved at Toya and smiled. “Bye, Toya.”

Deku waved at Toya. “See you later!”

Toya went home. Meanwhile, Todoroki breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her forehead off.

“I thought I’d never get rid of him! Don’t get me wrong, Toya’s a good older brother, but he can be scary sometimes.”

“Yeah, he does seem pretty scary. Still, having him tag along sometimes is worth it if I get to be with you.”

Todoroki giggled. “Oh, Deku!”

Todoroki gave Deku a big hug and kiss. Family could be a bit of a letdown sometimes, but lovers could offer an escape from that.

Chapter Text

It was a peaceful Saturday afternoon in the dorms for Todoroki as she played Doom II on her laptop, with David curled up by her side. This week’s classes hadn’t been any more difficult than usual, but they had given her a fair challenge, nevertheless, which was why she valued the weekends. Plus, she had a feeling that her dear Deku was going to visit any minute now, and she always looked forward to seeing him. Having a dog increased that anticipation, too. Sure enough, she heard knocking on her door, so she paused the game.

“Come in!”

The door opened, and sure enough, Deku entered, much to David’s delight. The little terrier yapped and eagerly ran over to the green bean.

“Hey David!”

Deku bent down to pet David.

“How’s my favorite doggy doing today, huh? How are you doing today?”

Once again, David eagerly panted at having one of his favorite humans pet him. Speaking of humans…

“Hello to you too, Deku.” Todoroki smiled.

“Hey, Shoko!”

Once again, Deku and Todoroki gave each other a big hug and kiss, the warm and fuzzy feelings as strong as ever.

“So, what’s up?” asked Todoroki.

“You know that I love you, right?”

Todoroki nodded. “Of course.”

Deku’s look turned serious. “Well, I was thinking about how much I love you, and I wanted to tell you but I…well…” Deku rubbed the back of his head. “…I just couldn’t find the right words to say.”

Todoroki’s look turned serious. “Why are you so concerned about finding the right words to say? I promise I’ll still love you even if you can’t get them out.”

“I know I shouldn’t fret over this, but…well…since I’m having so much trouble finding the right words, I decided I’d tell you with a song.”

“A song?” Todoroki smiled. “Now you’ve got me intrigued. Do play it for me.”

Deku smiled. “OK…here goes…”

Deku pulled out his phone, and he put on “All Time High” by Rita Coolidge. Todoroki smiled and clasped her hands together when she heard the opening saxophone, and she grabbed Deku’s hands.

“May I have this dance?” asked Todoroki.

Deku nodded, and they proceeded to dance around the dorm. For Deku, this was one of the most magical moments of his life. Sure, he’d had his fair share of happy memories with Todoroki, but this was by far one of the most memorable. He could tell by the sparkle in her eyes that she really appreciated the gesture, which not only meant volumes to him, but also caused him to hear his own heart beating. After going through his fair share of battles against some of the most evil villains that had ever walked the earth in addition to some other traumatic events involving friends, it was the greatest relief ever for him to be sharing another romantic occasion with his bicolor girlfriend. All he wanted to do was dance with her forever and ever, and he was sure she was thinking the same of him. Right now, everything felt like heaven to him.

Todoroki was taking her own little slice of heaven as well. Every day that she continued to be in love with Deku, the pain of her earlier life laboring under Endeavor lessened and lessened. All she wanted to do was spend every waking moment of her life with this adorable little green bean. Her initial concern over his inability to find the right words had pretty much dissipated by now, to be replaced by gratefulness, gratefulness for having a boyfriend who knew how to express his love in many different ways. Even if the future was not set in stone, she simply couldn’t imagine spending her life with another boy. He meant so much to her that she wanted to do every romantic thing with him until they both died of happiness.

Meanwhile, David sat down and looked upon the whole scene with curiosity. Even if he didn’t grasp the concept of music, he could sense that Deku and Todoroki really loved each other and were happy, which made him feel good as well. Soon enough, the song ended, and Deku and Todoroki gazed deeply into each other’s eyes.

“Deku…that…that was the sweetest, most heartfelt thing you’ve ever said to me. You’re so adorably romantic!”

“Awww, thank you, Shoko! I’m glad you appreciated the gesture!”

“Just one question…”

“Yes?”

“How did you know I was secretly a fan of Rita Coolidge?”

Deku chuckled. “I didn’t…not until you told me just now!”

Todoroki giggled. “Fair enough! Anyways, why don’t we snuggle?”

“Great idea!”

Deku and Todoroki lied down on the latter’s bed and snuggled, ready to take on the world and win.

Chapter Text

It was just another day in the UA dorms for Deku, who was lounging on one of the couches reading a volume of the My Hero Academia manga. Never in his lifetime did he ever imagine that anyone would take enough of an interest in his life story to do a manga series about it, but he was honored that Kohei Horikoshi had taken up the task, and he thought it was beautifully executed. Granted, there were certain scenes that he felt had been embellished, understated or left out altogether, but overall, he felt it was a very faithful account of his adventures as well as those of his friends and allies. Then, his enjoyment of the manga was disrupted when he heard the front door loudly slamming.

“Shoko! Hey there!”

Todoroki clenched her fists. “Shut up and leave me alone, Deku!”

Deku nearly dropped the tankobon in shock. “Is something wrong? It’s not like you to be this angry.”

“Look, just leave me alone! I hate everyone right now!”

“I understand if you need some time to yourself, but could you please at least tell me what’s upsetting you? You don’t have to if you’re not comfortable; I’m just trying to be a good boyfriend.”

Todoroki glared at Deku briefly. Then, she sighed.

“I’m sorry, Deku. I…I’m just so frustrated right now.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“I was going out to a local bakery for this pastry I really like, and this guy got impatient with me and called me a ‘bitch’. God, the nerve of some people! Really, when did it become cool to insult women like that?”

Deku placed a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “You have every right to be angry, Shoko. No woman deserves to be called that. But you know what?”

“What?”

“I read that there are actually women who took that word and reclaimed it as a positive thing.”

Todoroki crossed her arms. “And how can that word be positive?”

“Think about it: that just means you’re Beautiful, Intelligent, Talented, Creative, Honest.”

Todoroki shot a blank stare at Deku. Then, she smiled.

“Actually, that’s not bad. I like it.”

Deku smiled. “Well, isn’t it all about Being In Total Control, Honey?”

Todoroki chuckled. “I guess you’re right.”

“I mean, you are a Babe In Total Control of Herself, right?”

Todoroki giggled. “Oh, shut up!”

“Wait, you haven’t heard my favorite one yet: Beautiful Individual That Causes Hard-ons!”

This time, Todoroki slapped her knee as she broke out into full-blown laughter, almost losing it in the process.

“Oh Deku, that was priceless! Thank you very much; that made me feel much better about myself!”

“You’re welcome! I realize it was unusual, but I’m glad you took to it so well!”

Todoroki pumped her fist. “Watch out, world! I’m Shoko Todoroki, and I’m the baddest bitch in UA!”

Deku had a good laugh at Todoroki’s statement, and his heart was warmed, knowing that he’d empowered his loving girlfriend.

Chapter Text

Another day down, and another walk back to the dorms for Deku and Todoroki. Unfortunately for the former, it wouldn’t exactly go as planned.

“Hey Shoko…”

“Shut up, Deku.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said ‘shut up’!”

“Shoko, I can understand if you had a bad day, but please, don’t take it out on me! I’m sure we can talk this out!”

“What is there to talk about? Either you shut up, or you’ll regret it!”

Deku clenched his fists when he came to the realization of what was going on.

“OK, Shoko, ever since you revealed yourself as a girl, you’ve been acting like a complete asshole every time around this time of the month, and I don’t appreciate it! I still love you, but please, if there’s something bothering you, talk to me about it! I promise I won’t judge!”

Todoroki shot another death glare at Deku. Then, she sighed.

“Deku, I’m sorry. It’s just…I have PMS.”

Deku unclenched his fists and loosened his facial expression. “Oh? What’s that?”

“It’s short for ‘premenstrual syndrome’. Every month, in the week before my period, I get these terrible headaches, I feel bloated, and I’m just not a generally pleasant person to be around.”

“Listen, I don’t know what it’s like to go through that, but if there’s anything I can do to help out, please, let me know.”

Todoroki sighed. “Honestly, there’s not much you can do. Just get me a bunch of snacks and leave me alone.”

“Right.”

===

After changing back into his civilian clothes, Deku bolted for the nearest Lawson and bought as many snacks as he could manage. Then, he returned to Todoroki’s dorm and knocked on the door.

“Thank you.” Todoroki took the snacks and quickly slipped back into her dorm.

“You’re welcome.”

Deku stood at Todoroki’s door, trying to comprehend how such a sweet girl could have this side to her.

“Hey.”

Deku turned to see who’d addressed him. It was…

“Oh hey, Kacchan.”

“Lemme guess, Todoroki’s goin’ through that time of the month again?”

Deku gasped. “H-how did you know?”

“My mom goes through that shit, too. There’s really nothin’ any of us can do about it. Why don’t we watch a movie together and leave her be?”

“OK.”

Deku followed Kacchan to his dorm. Even if contending with Todoroki’s PMS was going to be an ordeal, the green bean vowed to love her forever. After all, love meant vowing to be with someone in spite of their imperfections.

Chapter Text

Once again, Deku and Todoroki got to walk back to the dorms with each other after their day’s classes, only this time, Todoroki wasn’t suffering a terrible case of PMS, so it was much better for both of them.

“So, what do you wanna do today?” asked Todoroki.

Deku shrugged. “Nothing special, really. I was thinking we could get together in your dorm and watch a movie together while romantically wrapping an arm around each other.”

Todoroki laughed and ruffled Deku’s hair. “Oh, you silly boy! Seriously, though, I’d love to watch a movie with you! Besides, I need something to help me relax after our most recent training session.”

“I don’t blame you. Seems like Mr. Aizawa gets less forgiving each day.”

“I know, right?”

“Midoriya, Todoroki, wait up!”

Deku and Todoroki turned around to see who’d addressed them this time, and it was Jiro.

“Hey Jiro, what’s up?” asked Deku.

“Listen, there’s something that’s really bothering me, and I just need somebody non-judgmental to talk about it with.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Todoroki.

“It’s just…I feel so ugly. I look at you and the rest of the girls and I wonder why anyone would bother with me.”

“Why would you be ugly? I don’t think you’re ugly.”

“Maybe you don’t, but…I mean…you and the other girls are just so…so…” Jiro cupped her hands and held them out in front of her chest. “I know I said I don’t envy not having those, but sometimes, I feel like that would be the only way anyone would notice me.”

Todoroki smiled and placed a hand on Jiro’s shoulder. “I know you feel ugly because of that, but really, beauty isn’t all about breast size! Look at you: you have such a cute face, not to mention I love your hair!”

Jiro blushed, and her lips trembled. “T-Todoroki…”

Deku smiled and placed a hand on Jiro’s other shoulder. “Beauty’s not always about physical looks, either! For one, you’re a woman who plans carefully and lays things out in simple terms. Also, you’re not afraid to say what’s on your mind, and you’re very musically talented! Those are some very attractive qualities in a woman!”

Unable to take Deku and Todoroki’s kindness anymore, Jiro covered her mouth.

“Guys, I…I…I LOVE YOU BOTH!”

With a big smile on her face, Jiro hugged Deku and Todoroki at the same time, and they hugged her back. Knowing that two of her friends were being so encouraging and supportive to her about something that was a contentious issue for her, Jiro felt all warm and fuzzy inside. She’d been struggling with this for a while even before she came to UA, and it meant so much to her that anyone would see just how beautiful she really was. As she remained in this embrace, she considered herself to be so lucky to be a student here at UA. What really made her feel good about herself was the thought of being able to face her darling Kaminari with a renewed sense of confidence. This time, she didn’t even mind having Todoroki’s voluptuous chest pressing against her head. It just felt so welcoming and comfy that she wanted to keep being hugged forever. Eventually, she did let go.

“Midoriya, Todoroki, you two are two of my best friends! I don’t know what I’d do without either of you!”

Deku smiled. “Well, we’re always happy to help! Aren’t we all training to become heroes, after all?”

Jiro nodded. “Good point. Wanna hang out together?”

Todoroki gave a thumbs up. “Sure! Deku and I were gonna watch a movie, and you’re welcome to join us!”

“Don’t mind if I do!”

Jiro wrapped her arms around Deku and Todoroki as they accompanied her to Todoroki’s dorm. Deku in particular was proud of himself knowing that his words were still having an effect months later.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes down, and another few hours of freedom for Deku and Todoroki. Today, Deku had a little question for Todoroki:

“Shoko, I’m curious…”

“Yes?”

“Do you play any musical instruments?”

Todoroki smiled. “It’s funny that you should mention that because I actually play bass!”

“Awesome! I play guitar myself. I’m not the best at it, but…”

“Hold up!” said a familiar voice.

Deku and Todoroki turned around to see Jiro standing behind them.

“Oh, hey there, Jiro!” said Deku.

“Did I SERIOUSLY hear you two saying that you can play musical instruments!?”

Todoroki smiled and nodded. “We did. Why do you ask, my dear Jiro?”

“Guys, we HAVE to get together for a jam session some time!”

Deku smiled. “That’d be great! As a matter of fact, I can also sing.”

Todoroki smiled. “So can I!” Her look turned more serious. “I’m not as good as Deku, though.”

Jiro smiled. “Doesn’t matter! What’s important is that we have fun! Heck, I’m also thinking of inviting Bakugo over because he plays drums.”

Todoroki clasped her hands together. “Oh, good! Then I can huggle him again!”

Deku gave Todoroki a strange look.

===

A little later on, Deku, Todoroki, Jiro and Kacchan were all gathered in Jiro’s dorm, ready to rock out. Jiro elected to be the lead guitarist, wielding a Gibson Les Paul for the task. She was also serving as a backing vocalist alongside Todoroki.

“So, are we gonna play a specific song, or are we just gonna jam out?” asked Todoroki.

“Whatever you guys want!” replied Jiro. “Actually, I think I’ll let Midoriya pick!”

“Ya better not pick somethin’ crap,” said Kacchan.

“Relax, Kacchan; I’ve got something really good in mind!”

“What?” said Todoroki, Jiro and Kacchan.

“So, this song’s a little party tune, an old rhythm-and-blues boogie-woogie number called ‘Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)’.”

Todoroki stroked her chin. “I don’t think I know that one.”

“Neither do I,” said Kacchan.

Jiro smiled. “I think I actually know that one! Play a riff or two for us!”

Deku nodded. “I will, but first, I just wanted to tell everybody that there’s a little opportunity for all of us to do a little shouting out in this song. When I say ‘Boom Boom’, all of you will say ‘Out Go the Lights’, got it?”

“Got it,” said Todoroki, Jiro and Kacchan.

“OK, here we go!”

Deku demonstrated the opening riff on his Fender Stratocaster a couple of times, and then Kacchan truly kicked the song in with a drum roll. Despite never having heard the song before, Todoroki and Kacchan were following along with Deku and Jiro quite well. As the late Wesley Willis once said, the band was getting down like a Magikist. Even though blues rock wasn’t a subgenre that Kacchan liked, he was really putting his all into the song. Todoroki was getting into it, too. However, nobody was getting into it more than Jiro, who pulled off an extended Van Halen-esque solo in the song. After that solo, Kacchan even engaged in a drum solo worthy of Neil Peart. Of course, everyone gave an emphatic “Out Go the Lights” every time Deku said “Boom Boom”. By the time the song was finished, everybody’s instruments were practically smoking.

“Wow, Midoriya!” said Jiro. “You and Todoroki are some of the best musicians I’ve ever had the honor to jam with!”

“I’ll say!” said Kacchan. “That song’s never gonna be as good as death metal, but it was all right.”

Deku smiled. “Glad you two liked it!”

“Say, why don’t we make something up?” said Jiro.

Todoroki smiled. “Great idea!”

“Let’s do somethin’ metal,” said Kacchan.

Deku smiled. “You want metal? OK!”

Deku banged out an E chord before improvising a riff of his own. Todoroki followed along on her Fender Precision Bass, and soon enough, the whole band was rocking out to a song that Deku called “Lightning Wind”:

“Got thunder in my feet,
Got speed inside my head,
Got heavy metal speed,
I won’t stop ‘till I’m dead!

You won’t stop me!
Your chance is slim!
I’m way too fast!
I’m called Lightning…
Lightning Wind!”

Once again, everyone played the hell out of this song, and when they were done, they all expressed their approval:

“Know what, Deku?” said Kacchan. “You can really rock!”

“Yeah, you did great for a song you just made up!” said Jiro. “Have you ever considered a professional songwriting career?”

Deku smiled nervously. “Thanks, but I don’t think I’m cut out for that!”

Todoroki wrapped her arms around Deku. “You never know, honey! I mean, I thought that song could be a hit!”

“OK…I guess I’ll give it a shot…”

“Good boy!”

Todoroki leaned her head against Deku’s. Even if he wasn’t sure of his skills as a songwriter, she made him feel like he could do anything.

Chapter Text

While Todoroki was the apple of Deku’s eye, the two of them were taking it to another level in the dorms as they were baking various apple-based desserts. The whole thing had been Todoroki’s idea because she impulsively bought a bunch of apples at a local grocery store for cheap and found out that she had no clue as to what to do with them, so she teamed up with Deku, much to his delight:

“This was a great idea, Shoko! It’s been a while since anyone baked anything like this!”

“Thank you, Deku! I’m just relieved that I found something to do with all of these!”

“By the way, how’s your apple strudel coming along?”

“Not too bad. How’s your apple pie doing?”

“It’s still got some time, but it should be done before long.”

“Did someone say APPLE!?”

Deku and Todoroki looked to see who’d uttered that exclamation: none other than Tokoyami, who was practically drooling at the scent of apples. Todoroki took notice of this:

“Tokoyami, are you OK?”

“Yeah, you seem to be out of it,” said Deku.

Tokoyami kept drooling.

“Earth to Tokoyami!”

Deku waved his hand in front of Tokoyami’s face, which got the black bird hero to snap out of it.

“What’s going on?” said Deku. “Why were you in a trance all of a sudden?”

“I-I’m sorry; it’s just…I smelled apples and I…I…I couldn’t contain myself.”

“That’s because Deku and I are baking some desserts with apple in them,” said Todoroki.

“Does this mean there will be APPLE PIE!?”

“Yeah, I’m baking that,” said Deku.

Tokoyami grabbed Deku by the collar. “Please, give me some!”

Deku smiled nervously. “Um…Tokoyami…you really need to calm down. Besides, it’s not ready yet.”

Todoroki picked up an apple. “Besides, I have some leftover apples if that’ll hold you over.”

Without question, Tokoyami snatched the apple from Todoroki and hungrily devoured it.

“Thank you for getting honeycrisp!” said Tokoyami. “That’s the best kind!”

Todoroki smiled. “You’re welcome!”

Without question, Tokoyami gave Todoroki a big hug. Despite being surprised by the gesture, she happily returned it. She enjoyed giving hugs regardless, and Deku approved, so it was no big deal for her. However, Deku had to point something out to Todoroki:

“Hey Shoko, I think your apple strudel’s done.”

Todoroki broke away from the hug. “Hold on a second, Tokoyami…”

Todoroki put on an oven mitt, opened up her oven and pulled out the pan with the apple strudel on it. The sight of the baked goods got Tokoyami drooling again.

“I know, you want these really badly!” said Todoroki. “You’ll get some; just let them cool off first, OK?”

“I’ll try, but…the smell is killing me.”

“Well, is there anything you use to calm yourself?”

“I do have a Fidget Cube on me…”

Tokoyami pulled a Fidget Cube out of their pocket and began messing around with it, which got Deku’s attention:

“Interesting that you use one of those. How long have you had it?”

“For about a year. I’m usually good at keeping myself calm, but whenever I’m around apples, I lose my cool.”

Todoroki smiled. “Then have another one, sweetie!”

Todoroki handed Tokoyami another apple, and once again, they eagerly stripped it to the core.

“OK, I think the apple strudel should be cool enough by now.”

Tokoyami swiped two and devoured them with gusto, much to Todoroki’s concern:

“I’m glad you like them, but please, save some for us!”

Deku – who’d taken his apple pie out of the oven – smiled. “I think you’re somebody’s new favorite person!”

Todoroki giggled. If this was what forging new bonds with people felt like, then she was looking forward not only to getting closer with her current crop of friends, but to making new ones as well.

Chapter Text

Another day of classes ended, and this time, Deku was in a hurry to catch up to someone:

“Kacchan! Kirishima!”

Kacchan and Kirishima turned around.

“What’s up, Deku?” asked Kacchan.

“So, Shoko and I are going to a Judas Priest concert later this month, and we were wondering if you’d like to come along.”

Kacchan shrugged. “Never heard of ‘em.”

Todoroki, Deku and Kirishima let out simultaneous gasps of shock.

“YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF JUDAS PRIEST!?” exclaimed Deku and Todoroki at the same time.

Kacchan crossed his arms. “All right, why the crap are you two actin’ like I joined the Paranormal Liberation Front?”

Kirishima put a hand on Kacchan’s shoulder. “Judas Priest is one of the best metal bands of all time, brother! They even got one of the best lead singers: Rob Halford!”

Kacchan raised an eyebrow. “If they’re so great, then how come I’ve never heard of ‘em?”

“Maybe you just missed out!” said Deku.

“Then they can’t be that great, can they?”

Todoroki smiled. “Believe me, Bakugo, you’d love them!”

“I’d love to believe ya, Todoroki, but at the same time, I feel like this concert would be a waste of my time.”

“Then let me sweeten the deal: if you go to this concert with us, I’ll give you a relaxing massage!”

Kacchan blushed at the thought of a girl as beautiful as Todoroki rubbing her hands all over him, and Kirishima took notice:

“What’s wrong, brother? It’s just a massage! It doesn’t have to be weird! Besides, Midoriya let her give me a massage once and I felt much better afterwards!”

Kacchan looked at Kirishima’s smiling face, and then over at Todoroki, who was equally radiant with her smile. He sighed.

“All right, I’ll go to the concert.”

“AWESOME!” said Deku, Todoroki and Kirishima at the same time.

“Just know this, Todoroki…”

“Yes?”

“If the concert sucks, I’m gonna punch ya.”

Todoroki smirked. “Go ahead. I’d enjoy it.”

Kacchan gave her a weird look.

===

Later on in the month, Deku, Kacchan, Todoroki and Kirishima were headed off to the Musutafu Civic Arena, where the concert was being held. Deku, Todoroki and Kirishima wore their usual concert wear, while Kacchan wore a Venom Black Metal T-shirt and a spiked leather collar. Also attending the concert were two other familiar faces:

“Hey Kaminari! Hey Jiro!” Todoroki waved at them.

“Hey Todoroki!” said Kaminari and Jiro.

“Kaminari, I remember Kirishima saying that you couldn’t make the Anvil concert the last time,” said Deku. “Any particular reason?”

“I had a little family emergency. I felt sad that I couldn’t go because 1. I was looking forward to hanging out with Todoroki, and 2. I love hanging out with Jiro. Seriously, she’s my favorite girl!”

“Awww!” Jiro wrapped an arm around Kaminari.

Todoroki clasped her hands together. “You two look so cute together! May I get a picture of you?”

“Sure!” said Kaminari and Jiro.

Kaminari and Jiro wrapped an arm around each other, and Todoroki took their picture.

“Hey, I’m happy for you two and all, but let’s quit screwin’ around, huh?” said Kacchan. “I wanna see what Judas Priest can do.”

Todoroki ruffled Kacchan’s hair. “Oh Bakugo, you’re so silly!”

Soon enough, everyone took their seats, and the MC announced the opening act:

“All right, Musutafu, are you ready to rock!?”

The crowd cheered.

“I said, are you ready to rock!?”

The crowd cheered louder this time.

“Come on, let’s make some noise!”

The crowd cheered even louder.

“That’s what I like to hear! All right, give it up for our opening act, straight from Los Angeles, California, it’s White Wizzard!”

White Wizzard kicked off their set with the song “Over the Top”, which the audience seemed to enjoy. Other songs in their set included “High Speed GTO”, “Iron Goddess of Vengeance” and “40 Deuces”, which also got a positive response from the audience, though Kacchan seemed rather indifferent to them. After their set was done, it was time for the main course:

“Ladies, gentlemen, and people of alternate gender identities, here’s the band you’ve all been waiting for. From Birmingham, England, give it up for…JUDAS PRIEST!”

The metal gods themselves kicked off their set with “The Hellion + Electric Eye”, from their hit 1982 album Screaming For Vengeance. This may only have been the first song, but it really brought the house down. Even Kacchan couldn’t help but headbang to it. After the song, once the applause had died down, lead singer Rob Halford thanked everybody for coming out tonight and told them how much he enjoyed being in Japan, reminiscing about the band’s 1979 live album Unleashed In the East: Live In Japan. Judas Priest’s set consisted of fan favorites such as “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”, “Heading Out to the Highway” and “Living After Midnight”, plus deeper cuts such as “Prelude + Tyrant”, “Diamonds and Rust” and “The Sentinel” and newer songs such as “Firepower”, “Never the Heroes” and “Halls of Valhalla”. During the performance of their 1980 hit “Breaking the Law”, Rob Halford literally turned the mic over to the audience so that they could sing the song, and perhaps nobody’s singing was more emphatic than Deku and Todoroki’s. Kacchan was confused as to why everybody else was singing the song, and not knowing the lyrics, he just “na na na’d” along to them, except during the refrain, when he actually sang the song’s title.

===

After the concert, much to everyone’s surprise, Kacchan had nothing but good things to say about Judas Priest:

“OK, that was much better than I thought it was gonna be! I’m usually into death metal, black metal and stuff, but those guys rocked! Granted, the opening act sucked, but hey, I had a good time!”

“Glad to hear it, brother!” said Kirishima. “Glad we could open your mind to new forms of metal, too!”

“I mean, metal doesn’t have to sound like Cookie Monster on crack to be awesome!” said Jiro.

Kaminari burst out laughing.

“WHAT DID YA SAY!?” yelled Kacchan.

Jiro burst out laughing as well, much to Kacchan’s annoyance:

“WHAT THE CRAP!? IT’S NOT FUNNY!”

Even Deku and Todoroki couldn’t help but laugh. Kacchan clutched his hands over his ears.

“I HATE THIS.”

Even if he was the butt of his friends’ jokes tonight, Kacchan would later look back on this concert as one of his fondest memories. Deku and Todoroki were happy for Kacchan as well.

Chapter Text

On this particular Tuesday, Todoroki was in UA’s library, obsessively poring over a stack of books. While she never considered herself a hardcore bookworm, today was a day when she heard a certain rumor and had taken it upon herself to investigate. At one point, Deku took notice of this:

“Shoko, what’s with all of the books?”

“Well, I heard about something known as ‘the Ghost of UA High’, and I became intensely curious about it, so I decided to read more about it.”

Deku stroked his chin. “‘The Ghost of UA High’…I’ve heard of this before. Wasn’t that where a student died under mysterious circumstances?”

Todoroki nodded. “On Halloween night in 1977, a student’s body was discovered on the school grounds, horribly mutilated. The police chalked it up as a murder, but were unable to pin it on a suspect, so the case remained unsolved, and to this day, the student’s ghost is said to inhabit the school.”

Deku scratched his head. “Weird, in all my time at this school, I’ve never seen or even heard anything eerie.” He smiled. “But, now that we’re in the library, that reminds me…”

“What?”

Deku leaned closer to Todoroki. “Wanna come to my dorm later on and play ‘Sexy Librarian’? I’d love to know what the penalty for an overdue book is.”

Todoroki scratched her head. “I don’t get it. What’s so sexy about librarians? Also, I believe you have to pay a few yen per day for an overdue book.” She smiled. “Although, if you were interested in inviting me to your dorm, I had some kinky fetishes that I wanted to explore…”

Deku smiled nervously. “Thanks, but judging by the look in your eyes, those don’t sound like anything I’d enjoy!”

“I understand. If you just wanna make out and feel me up, I’d love that, too!”

Deku gave a thumbs up. “OK!”

===

Later on, after the day’s classes were done and the sun was going down, the students of Class 1-A were gathered in the common area of the dorms, lights off, telling ghost stories. At the moment, it was Kirishima’s turn, and he shined a flashlight under his chin as he told his bit:

“…and then, the boogey monster ate his pajamas! They were never seen again. They say he still goes around, eatin’ people’s pajamas…your pajamas might even be next!”

Kaminari couldn’t contain his fright anymore, and he yelped as he jumped out of his chair:

“Don’t scare me like that, Kirishima! I love my pajamas; they’re so soft and fluffy!”

Even David the dog whimpered in fear. Jiro, however, burst out laughing.

“WHY IS THAT SO FUNNY!?” yelled Kaminari.

Jiro had covered her mouth. “I’m sorry, I can’t get over how freakin’ stupid you sound getting scared of a pajama monster!”

Todoroki shook her head. “I don’t get it, either, but since it’s my turn now, I have one that’ll scare the shit out of all of you.”

Kacchan crossed his arms. “Oh, what’s this one gonna be about, the Abominable Snowman?”

Todoroki took the flashlight from Kirishima. “Even worse. Have you heard of the Ghost of UA High?”

“That sounds made-up, too.”

“Actually, that sounds familiar,” said Tokoyami. “Do tell, Todoroki.”

“OK, so for this one, we travel back to Halloween night on 1977. On that fateful night, the bloodied, mutilated corpse of a student was found on the school ground. Not only were the police never able to find a suspect, but the only way they were even able to identify the remains was through dental records. Since then, spooky, unexplained happenings have occurred at the school: inexplicable power outages, messages written in blood on the windows and bathroom mirrors throughout the school, voices whispering Satanic messages, a mysterious fog…”

Ashido snatched the flashlight from Todoroki. “ENOUGH! That story is TOO SCARY!”

“I agree with Ashido,” said Tsu. “I’m all for scary stories, but you’re taking it too far, ribbit.”

“Not to mention that one was really messed-up,” said Jiro.

Kirishima had a serious look on his face. “I mean, I like slasher movies and all, but this ‘true horror’ stuff is a bit much.”

“I don’t know; I thought that was a most fascinating story,” said Tokoyami.

“Perhaps you did, but I must object to blood and gore!” said Iida.

Todoroki shrugged. “What?”

===

Later on, Todoroki snuck into Deku’s dorm, and as she promised, they started making out and feeling each other up.

“Oh Deku, you’re so naughty!”

“Speak for yourself, you bad girl!”

Todoroki giggled. “Give it to me!”

Suddenly, Deku and Todoroki’s little makeout session was interrupted by a loud, girlish scream.

“What was that!?” said Todoroki.

“I think that was Ashido!”

Deku and Todoroki scrambled to get their clothes back on, and they hurried to where they thought the scream came from. Naturally, the scream had attracted the rest of Class 1-A. When Deku and Todoroki came to the source of the scream, they found that it had come from one of the girls’ bathrooms, and sure enough, Ashido was curled up on the floor in the fetal position.

“Ashido, what’s wrong?” said Deku.

“RED RUM! RED RUM!”

“‘Red rum’?” Todoroki scratched her head. “I don’t get it…”

“Look!”

Deku pointed to the mirror, which had the word “REDRUM” scrawled on it in what appeared to be blood, dripping down the mirror. While Hagakure went to comfort Ashido, Deku looked around at the bathroom, but found nothing out of the ordinary except for a cube of cheese on the sink, so he wrapped it up in a paper towel and brought it to the fridge in the kitchen/dining room. He wasn’t entirely sure, but he figured this was the work of somebody…