Archive of Our Own ^beta

Midoriya Izuku never had any doubts about the type of life he wanted to have.

As far back as he could remember, he always wanted to be a hero. He wanted to be the person who saved others' lives. To reach a hand out when they fell and pick them back up. To let them know that they would be safe, just by smiling at them. It was the sort of thing All Might always did, and he knew that he wanted to be just like him.

He couldn't have ever imagined that he'd have the good fortune to follow in his footsteps, and be chosen as his successor. All it took was his body moving on its own, and his life had been on a roller coaster ride that didn't look to be slowing down any time soon. He had a lot to live up to, and an incredible amount of pressure weighing on him, but he couldn't let that stop him. He had to keep pushing himself to meet those expectations, and be the hero he wanted to be.

It was his dream, after all.

Of course, like most teens pursuing their dreams, there were details about this line of work that he hadn't thought about when he first imagined what his future would be like. He thought about the highs and the triumphs, of the warmth that came with absorbing the gratitude that people would give him for his actions.

He didn't think so much about the failures, or the lows. Which would have to come, of course, that was just a fact of life. Naturally, however, one wouldn't stop and dwell on those thoughts when they were trying to psyche themselves up for their future career. It was one of those things that would just come and smack someone in the head when they least expected it.

What he thought even less about were the more annoying minutia.

"I said stop!" Izuku shouted as he made another jump, soaring over the heads of the civilians below him, who looked up in eager awe as they saw a prospective hero pursuing his quarry.

Said quarry did nothing to abide by his command, instead blindly moving his hand and making a very rude gesture in his direction. The minor league villain Rockethead obviously couldn't risk actually looking back at him, since that'd send him careening off in another direction and probably cause more harm than good. All he could do was keep his head aimed forward, the jettison of heat and propulsion shooting out of the back of his head to keep him moving through the air.

Izuku felt One for All surge through his body as he began to fall, quickly angling himself to hit a nearby building's wall, then kick off to fling himself at the villain again. This did get him to close the distance a bit, but just as he seemed to draw closer Rockethead would push himself forward a few more meters, necessitating another kick off of something else. Whether that was the ground or another wall, he had to keep moving. He tried not to think about any possible collateral damage he could be causing, but even then it was for a good reason! Surely people understood that some small cracks in the pavement could be excused when he was chasing a criminal!

(He hoped that was the case, anyway.)

As he kicked off of the ground again, he reached out to swipe at the villain's leg, only for him to pull ahead again. How was he still flying so easily? What did he convert into fuel to keep himself aloft? For that matter, how was his head not just flying off of his shoulders? Was it more specially reinforced to keep him from destroying his own body? Did that mean he could potentially cause him to careen off-course and he'd be alright? No, that was still a bit risky, plus that would only worsen any collateral damage that could take place. Maybe he just had to keep chasing him until his fuel - whatever it was - eventually ran out, but that could take anywhere from a few minutes to hours. Unless it was dependent on how much the human body could move, and he didn't look to be in very good shape, so maybe-

"Quit muttering so much, zygote!" came the voice of Gran Torino over the communication device in his ear. "Just focus on catching him already!"

"I-I'm trying to!" Izuku protested, as he propelled himself off of the ground with a bit more force this time. "But at this rate I'm going to end up wrecking the whole street just following him!"

"Hey, do you know that old quote?"

"W-What old quote?"

"Do, or do not! There is no try!" the older voice cackled over the comm link. "Come on, if you can't even catch this guy, what chance have you got of surpassing Toshinori?"

Izuku groaned slightly, knowing the man had a point, but not exactly being happy with it. Surely All Might had minor annoyances like this from time to time. In a way, the Sludge Villain was way beneath him on the totem pole, but he still managed to slip by his notice more than once. Izuku certainly didn't want to end up worsening this situation in the same way.

Though really, he could never have expected his first internship would've gone this way. Learning how to use Full Cowling was a definite benefit, but this was proving to not be his day.

As Rockethead shot forward towards an intersection, Izuku kicked off of another building wall, preparing to use a bit more energy this time for an extra boost.

Unfortunately, when he moved, his one foot slid just a bit further back than he meant to, sending him off-balance.

Life has a funny way of introducing new situations to people. Through sheer happenstance, fortune, coincidence, or Murphy's Law kicking in at the most inopportune time, a person's life can change in a myriad of ways.

Izuku was already familiar with this truth. He just couldn't have expected this to be the first step of another major change.

As he slipped and began to tumble forward, he let out a shout as a reflex. Without thinking any further, Rockethead glanced back just for a moment. With how his head turned, he drifted downwards just a bit, just enough to make a difference. As he reached the intersection, he looked ahead again.

Just in time to see the armored vehicle drive out right in front of him.

There was a resounding crash as the villain collided with the vehicle, sending it onto its side and skidding along the road, sparks flying everywhere from the metal rims squealing along the hard pavement.

At the same time, Izuku spun through the air, performing a full somersault, thinking only about reaching the nearest flat surface and kicking off again to go after his target before this spiraled further out of control.

Problem was, he was instead careening right towards a girl that was pursuing the armored vehicle.

She turned her head, their eyes meeting for just a moment, as they both let out shouts of surprise, knowing what was about to happen.

Fortunately (for her anyway) she quickly lifted up a large shield that she was holding, placing it between her and the living cannonball that Izuku had become.

There was a loud dulled thud, her whole body shaking along with her shield from the impact, pushed back a number of steps until she almost tripped on the edge of the sidewalk. She kept her footing, however, and waited for the shaking to stop before she moved her shield aside.

Only to see the boy laying back-first on the ground, his face quite red as blood seeped out of his broken nose, looking just barely conscious.

"Oh no!" she shouted, temporarily forgetting that she was in the middle of pursuing villains. She dropped her shield and quickly knelt down at the boy's side, shaking his shoulder to try and rouse him. "I'm so sorry! Are you OK?! Please, if you can hear me, say something!"

Izuku, for his part, gave a dulled groan in reply. His vision was definitely duplicated as his eyes spun from the impact. Of all the ways to make his hero debut, landing face-first on a metal shield was not what came to mind. As his eyes started to focus again, he could hear someone speaking to him, and he managed to get a proper look at his newfound compaion.

He only really got a look at her face, but that was enough. Short light violet hair, like lilacs, hung down as she knelt beside him. Part of it hung over one of her eyes, though he could still see it peeking out from her bangs. Said eyes were a deeper purple, reminding him of amethysts. Even while the girl looked as worried as she did, he couldn't help but stare deeper into those shining eyes.

Wow, he got hit in the head pretty hard alright.

"Hey! Deku! What's going on out there?!" Gran Torino's voice shouted over the comm.

"...sir...I think I'm dead..." he groaned out, his head still spinning.

"Dead?! Boy if you were dead I'd drag you back here and smack you one for dying on me! What the hell makes you think that?!" the retired pro yelled.

"I think...I'm looking at an angel..." he replied.

The girl couldn't help but fret. She really wished her Japanese was up to snuff so she'd know what he was saying!

"Kid, flirt with the civilians later! Did the villain get away?!" Gran Torino demanded.

That did help snap Izuku out of his state, and he suddenly sat straight up, the girl just narrowly getting out of the way before he accidentally headbutted her. Before he could have the chance to apologize, they both heard shouting from the fallen armored car, looking to see what was going on. Rockethead managed to pry himself free from the vehicle, but looked pretty dazed himself, staggering back and forth like he'd had one too many drinks. The car door opened up, and a couple more figures scrambled to get out, each of them carrying large bags with them.

Both teen heroes let out dual cries of recognition, then hurried to their feet and began running after their respective targets.

Maybe they could still salvage this mess!

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They did, but only barely.

Afterwards Izuku had a number of apologies to make for how he had messed up the entire ordeal. To the citizens, to the police, to Gran Torino, and he would've included that girl among them but she was quickly escorted away before they even had the chance to talk. He must've bowed his head so many times it was a wonder he didn't crack his neck from all the movement.

All the same he just felt miserable. The first time he went out on patrol and he made such a mess of things. It didn't happen again for the remainder of his internship, but it still left a sour taste in his mouth. Them never tracking down the Hero Killer didn't help matters either. The only upside to this whole thing was that he had a better handle on One for All, but it felt like he gained too much and gave too little. That wasn't at all what a hero was supposed to do.

He made a short turn as he walked down the street, stopping off at a collection of vending machines tucked away in a nook along the row of stores he was passing by. He made a beeline for one and automatically selected some green tea, tuning out most everything else around him. Classes were starting up again for him tomorrow, and even with a day off he still felt like he was constantly on edge. He was supposed to be better than this, wasn't he? Why was he still so far behind everyone else? All Might had One for All under control by this point, and he was still trying to grasp it. Sure he could use it without automatically blowing his arm off but it was still just getting to the point he should've been at already. He couldn't begin to imagine how much stronger all of his classmates have become in this time, while he was still just getting to where they used to be.

Would he ever be good enough for this?

He turned away from the machine after retrieving his drink, then let out a tired sigh.

A second later, after he pulled the tab on the canned tea, he realized someone had sighed right at the same time he did.

He looked beside him, then froze, his eyes widening in utter disbelief. He recognized that light lilac hair. He recognized those violet eyes, even if they were partially hidden by glasses now. He recognized that anxious expression aimed his way again, on that admittedly very cute face.

She was here?!

They both ended up giving brief squawks of surprise at seeing the other, then quickly turned and started bowing profusely to the other.

"I'm so sorry about before, I should've been more careful-"

"I didn't meant to hurt you like that, that was so stupid of me-"

"I made a mess of that whole thing, I could've made it so much worse-"

"I should've had that more under control, I let that escalate so much more-"

They both soon came to a stop, realizing what the other was doing, despite the language barrier between them. Izuku's English wasn't bad, but he was a little rusty at it. Still, he picked up enough to understand the gist, and he had to wonder why in the world she was apologizing considering it was his fault.

Before he could say anything else, she quickly waved a hand to stop him, as she looked rather embarrassed over this communication mishap. Not that he could blame her, he certainly felt the same way. He watched as she set down the drink she had purchased (some kind of vegetable juice, it looked like) then rummaged around in the small bag she had hanging from her shoulder. She certainly looked the part of a tourist, wearing a rather plain grey hoodie over a black skirt and similar leggings. Quite the contrast to what he thought was some tight-fitting pseudo-armor that he saw her wearing during the conflict. Which he very quickly put out of his mind as she pulled out a small handbook and started flipping through it. He watched as she ran her finger down the page, trying to pick out a particular phrase, her eyes focused in concentration.

"How...is...your...face?" she slowly sounded out, before looking back up to him a bit hesitantly.

It took a second for the question to register in his head, mostly because he couldn't really figure out what she meant by it. Though given the context of their meeting, it soon became apparent. He blinked once, then pointed up at himself. "My nose?" he asked, indicating the bandage still stretched over the bridge of it. When she quickly nodded, he adopted a nervous smile and quickly waved his hand. "Ah, it's no problem! I'm fine!" he assured her. After a second, he wondered if she actually understood, so he added a thumbs-up gesture to his statement. Really, a broken nose wasn't anything to worry about in comparison to everything else that happened.

(OK, so he also got a slight concussion, but she didn't need to know that.)

The girl gave a sigh at his response, clearly relieved. She then flipped through the book again, carefully scanning the pages for what she was trying to find. She nodded slowly at what she saw, then lowered the book and bowed deeply to him. "I humbly apologize for my grave error. I beg for your forgiveness." she solemnly stated.

"O-Oh, really, it's OK!" Izuku quickly replied, waving his hands anxiously again. "R-Really, it was more my fault than anything! I'm the one who crashed into you, after all!"

She lifted her head after that, and only seemed to look more anxious after his reply. Had he said too much that she didn't understand? She turned to her book again, quickly rummaging through it once more. She frowned slightly, slowly reading off another passage. "I...shall...slit my belly...as payment...?"

Izuku let out a surprised shout at that, quickly shaking his head. "N-No, no, absolutely not!" he hurriedly replied. What the hell kind of translation book was that supposed to be?! "Er...no need! Too far! Too far!" he responded in what he felt was the best way.

It did serve to get her attention, her head lifting to stare at him in surprise. "You can speak English?" she asked.

"Um...little bit!" he responded while holding his thumb and forefinger a few millimeters apart. "Not very good!" he added, naturally downplaying his ability. He then held out his hand towards the book. "Can I...?" he asked. The girl swiftly understood and nodded, handing him the book in question. He quickly flipped through it, trying to find something appropriate, frowning as his eyes scanned the page. "Uh...do you have Prince Albert in a can?"

"Wha-" the girl replied, just a tad confused by that. "No, no..." she replied, while holding her hands out to take the book back. Confused, and a little worried, Izuku did so, as she flipped through the pages once more. It seemed as if she didn't get her money's worth after all, much to her chagrin. So she sighed and put the book away, then bent down and picked her drink back up.

Which left them both to stare awkwardly at one another as they just stood there, unsure of what to do.

The two held each other's gaze for what felt like ages, but it was really only a couple of uncomfortably long minutes. The both of them quickly took in what details they could about the other. He noted her hair and eyes again, while wondering why she was wearing glasses now when she wasn't before. She noted his wilder green hair, the freckles on his cheeks that made him look a bit younger than he probably was, and the nervous energy that seemed to just radiate off of him. Both were curious what the other's Quirk could be, though neither thought to actually ask.

After a bit longer, they both seemed to realize what they were doing and quickly looked away from the other, both adopting embarrassed blushes soon after. Neither of them really seemed to know what to do here, now that the language barrier was even stronger than it was before. Sure they both had a rough idea that they were sorry, but that didn't make it any clearer what they were supposed to say now. Did they just apologize again and move on? No, that'd just be rude. Wouldn't asking more questions just be invasive, though?

The silence stretched on. Izuku briefly glanced back at her, just as she did the same, and so they both quickly looked away again. He tried to focus on the oh-so-interesting selection of drinks in the machine, despite having already chosen his. Damn it, he just had to say something, but what?!

"Um..." she voiced, which caused his head to nervously snap back to look at her. "Are you...pro hero...?" she asked, eyeing him a bit anxiously. Thankfully, even with the sentence fragments he could understand her.

"Ah, w-well..." he stammered, feeling just a bit embarrassed and wondering if she really thought he was a fully-fledged hero. "Still-er, still training!" he added as a brief explanation. His eyes lit up briefly, and before he stopped to think about it, he ended up introducing himself. "I'm Deku, the Hero Who Can Do It!" he declared with a wide, All Might-esque grin.

About half of that was sadly lost on her, but she had a rough idea of what he was trying to do. So she in turn smiled as brightly as she could manage. "I'm Shielder, the Hero Who Protects Everyone! I'm still in training too, and I was brought here on an international assignment with my father-"

Before she could finish explaining, which Izuku was having a bit of a problem keeping up with anyway, a louder male voice suddenly called out: "Mash!" Both teens looked across the street to see an older, quite tall man with wild hair in a darker shade of hers waving to them. Though he soon directed his gaze to Izuku, his expression shifting to mild displeasure. Izuku tensed up a bit, just a tad worried about the gears turning in the man's head.

"Ah, sorry! Just a minute!" the girl replied. She started to quickly walk away from the machines, but stopped just as she reached the sidewalk. She turned to look at Izuku, bowing her head again, then flashing another brilliant smile that actually made his heart skip a beat.

"My name is Mash Kyrielight!" she introduced.

He blinked, understanding just enough of what that was to know how to reply. So he smiled widely back at her, not knowing that he produced a similar reaction in her. "Midoriya Izuku!" he answered.

The two held their gazes for only a few seconds that time, before she turned and waved back at him, then crossed the street to join the older man. Said gentleman still leveled a suspicious look Izuku's way, but before long the two of them were busy talking about something that he couldn't overhear. Soon, they departed from that spot, leaving Izuku to watch in a mild daze.

That had been a rather...unique interaction, to say the least. After a few seconds, however, his eyes lit up again in realization.

He just talked to a girl! For real this time! He hadn't even thought that much about it! OK there was all the unease with the language difference, but he still managed to say a few things to her! He actually made some progress there!

With a girl he'd probably never see again.

Dang it.

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Izuku dutifully scrolled through the articles on the screen before him, pausing only to jot down notes in one of his numerous notebooks, before returning to his studies.

The upcoming assignment required reporting on heroes outside of Japan, and it was certainly one of the easiest he could've been given. (Although Snipe was very clear that he couldn't submit another 30-page report, not after Aizawa-sensei warned him.) Still, even with the added challenge of having to condense his report down, he still just enjoyed researching this on his own.

The choice of looking into the heroes of England also was a no-brainer. His English had been improving, it was a good chance to flex his knowledge by looking up English articles and whatnot. Plus, what better choice to do a report on than their greatest heroes, the Knights of the Round Table?

The hero organization had been around for many years now, easily establishing itself as the top organization in Great Britain, which no one felt the need to contest. Led by King Arthur (real name, Ursula Royale, Quirk: Holy Light) since around the same time as All Might's debut, no villains dared to stand against them for very long, and they easily brought about an era of total peace for the nation.

Any of their members could be worth a report in and of themselves, but how could he pick just one? They were all so amazing! King Arthur herself was a fantastic hero, but he couldn't ignore the likes of the Knight of the Sun, Gawain! Then there was the Knight of Loyalty, Bedivere! He could also focus on the Knight of Lamentation, Tristan! (Truthfully he wasn't his favourite among the group for reasons he couldn't really pick, but he wouldn't deny his heroism anyway.) Not to mention the Knight of the Lake, Lancelot-

Wait. Hold on a second. Hadn't he seen him before?

Izuku stared at the picture showing the Knights all standing together, before zooming in on the one figure in particular. He quickly studied the face, the distinct jawline, the wild purple hair. No, he definitely saw him before. Was it possible?

He clicked one of the provided links, drawn to a page dedicated to the specific knight. Real name, Lambert du Lac. Quirk, Eternal Ownership, which allowed him to reinforce any object to near-indestructible density and wield it as if it were a weapon. Joined the Knights early in their tenure, after Arthur and Bedivere founded the organization. Hotly contested to be the strongest among their ranks, still tops the English popularity charts to this day. Once engaged in an exhibition duel with fellow knight Gawain that lasted a full twelve hours. Once defeated a villain while wielding a simple tree branch. Undoubtedly deserving of his reputation.

Izuku scrolled down the page, then paused at one of the pictures on display. It was a humble picture, one meant to show a bit of the man behind the hero, something that wasn't really done on this side of the planet. It simply showed him standing in front of a humble house, his arms around two teenagers.

The first was a male, with messy white hair, part of it covering one of his eyes. (Name: Harold Kyrielight. Prospective hero name: Galahad, the Knight of Heaven. Quirk: Castle Walls.) Naturally, however, it was the other teen in the picture that stood out to him. The one with light purple hair that also covered one of her eyes.

He honestly couldn't believe it. He didn't even need to look at her name. It was her!

He'd made a fool of himself in front of the daughter of one of England's greatest pro heroes and he didn't even know it!

He found another link and swiftly followed it, and soon found more information on her. Mash Kyrielight, currently studying at Camelot Academy. (A bit on the nose, Izuku mused.) Though she initially got in on recommendation through her father, and is already assumed to join the Knights herself when her training is complete, she has quickly proven to have earned her spot in the academy. Though she hasn't gotten top marks, she has consistently placed in the top five of the school throughout her first year, so it's considered only a matter of time. Her Quirk, Wall of Snowflakes, is similar to her brother's in that it creates a barrier that's nigh-indestructible. Although she can only create it in a space in front of her, it's large enough to protect multiple civilians, and some have reported it even has some unique element that draws projectiles towards it. Many are predicting she will develop it further into something truly spectacular, and just going by what he read Izuku couldn't help but agree. How he missed this when they actually met escaped him, she sounded amazing!

He stared at the picture of her in her hero outfit, the form-fitting armor made of a substance the Knights' on-site support team crafted. How she was able to carry that giant shield around so easily was rather strange, but perhaps it was made of the same material? Although that begged the question of why she needed it. Maybe it was a better focus for her Quirk? Her overall look was certainly eye-catching; invoking the classic knights of old like her father, but modernized just enough to be appealing to the populace.

A few seconds after, he suddenly flushed and rapidly shook his head. What in the hell was he doing?! Why was he scooping up information on her all of a sudden?! This was stalking, wasn't it?!

No, hang on, if she becomes a pro hero all of this info would be out there anyway, and he'd eagerly be lapping it up then. What difference did it really make? Because he personally met her?

Was it because he kind of wanted to see her again?

He gave an embarrassed groan and closed the page. He needed to take a break.

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This was not how Mash hoped her return to Japan would go.

It was supposed to be a much simpler mission, one that would hopefully redeem herself in the eyes of the public after the fiasco that was her last trip. Just stake out a possible villain hideout, report back on any activity she found, help out with the inevitable raid. Nothing major, nothing complicated, straightforward.

Except the Vortigern Club was far more numerous than they were led to believe, and they had stolen some surprisingly-versatile weapons, which escalated the threat level a lot higher than they expected.

All of this to say, after jumping clear of what must've been some kind of rocket blast (boy did she have bad luck with those sorts of things here) she was now in freefall off of a large building.

As the ground started to rapidly approach her, she hurriedly formulated a plan of action. All she had to do was make a barrier in front of her just as she fell, and it should prevent her from impacting with the ground. Key word being 'should'. It was simple enough, however, she just needed to focus!

"I've got you!"

Wait, what?

She looked up just in time for a blur of green to hit her side, and an arm to wrap around her back. The momentum forced her to lean into the unknown figure, but at least she wasn't outright falling anymore. She looked up, and could've sworn her heart stopped for a second.

She absolutely recognized that wild green hair and vibrant green eyes. It was a little strange that he was swinging through the air, his arm attached to a long strand of black rope, but it was definitely him. At the same time she made that realization, he glanced over to her, only to do a double-take as his eyes widened much as hers were.

"It's you!"

They both expressed their shock at the same time, in their own languages, just as he swung down to ground level. He stumbled just a bit on landing, but thankfully nothing disastrous happened, and he let her land on her feet as he let her go.

She turned to face him, about to express her gratitude, only for her eyes to unintentionally land on the black rope again. Now that she could see it was coming out from his arm, it was a bit more noteworthy than it would be otherwise. He seemed to recognize this, and the rope quickly retracted into it, as he hid his arm behind his back with a nervous smile.

Wasn't his Quirk supposed to be some sort of super-strength? At least, that's what she found when she did her research on him.

Don't tell him you looked him up! she quickly reminded herself.

"I-Izuku?" she stammered instead.

"Mash...?" he responded, a bit hesitant.

A second later they both realized their error, and quickly tensed up as their faces began to flush. Both proceeded to bow profusely to the other, eager to recover from the minor faux pas.

"S-Sorry! I-I meant to say thank you for saving me, Deku-san!" she started. Thank goodness her Japanese had improved!

"I-It's fine! I'm just glad you're OK, Miss Shielder!" he replied. Oh, his English had gotten better too. Funny, that.

The both of them seemed to realize how they were acting soon after, lifting their heads to look at the other a bit awkwardly. They then adopted nervous smiles, straightening up and laughing nervously.

"A-A bit too formal...?" he wondered.

"Y-Yes, I think so..." she offered. Though really, what were the odds they'd run into each other again like this? She thought she might run into him again if she was lucky, and even then the chances of it being while on the job were incredibly slim. Even so, here they were again.

Well at least this couldn't get any weirder.

"Mash!"

Oh, right. Villain attack.

She and her new savior looked behind her as her father hurried over, naturally fretting over that near-disaster they just narrowly avoided. "Oh thank God! When I saw that explosion I-" he started to express. However, he and her brother came to a stop when he saw the green-clad teen standing behind her. "Wait...isn't that..." he started to wonder, suspicion beginning to grow.

"Ah! Dad, it's OK!" Mash quickly replied, stepping closer to him while wearing a reassuring smile. "I wasn't in any real danger, and Deku saved me! So it all worked out fine!"

"Sir Lancelot!" Izuku stated, drawing their attention as he made a stiff and formal bow. "It's an honor to meet you in person! I'm a really big fan of yours!"

The older hero blinked a couple of times in surprise, especially at the near-perfect English that the teen displayed. "Well...at least he's a polite one..." he muttered to himself. He gently nudged Mash aside and stepped forward, giving Izuku a grateful smile as he raised his head. "Young man, thank you for rescuing my daughter. I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to her, so I'm very grateful to you. Unfortunately we have to keep this brief, but if you'd be willing to assist us on this matter, we'd greatly appreciate it." he responded.

"O-Of course, sir!" Izuku replied, straightening up as stiff as a board. "Actually, I'm here on an internship with the Hawks Agency, so we should be getting more reinforcements soon!"

"Excellent! Let's not waste any time then!" Lancelot responded. He turned and began to run back the way he came. Mash paused for just a second, solely to give a pleasant smile and nod at Izuku, before turning and following her father.

Izuku prepared to run after them, only for the third member of the family to hold out a hand to stop him. He blinked once, looking at the young man in slight confusion, wondering what the problem was.

The white-haired teen slowly moved his eyes up and down Izuku, seemingly studying him for reasons he couldn't quite guess.

He then silently jabbed a thumb at himself.

Then pointed at his eyes.

Then pointed at Izuku.

The young hero gulped. Some things didn't need to be translated to be understood.

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Fortunately, the situation was different enough from the last time that neither prospective hero really caught any flak for their involvement. It was a large enough incident that required the involvement of multiple pro heroes, so they could only do so much as it was. They were able to mitigate the damage much more easily this time, and the pros took down the gang members soon enough once they were able to disarm them.

The press arrived soon after the subsequent arrests were made, and both Hawks and the Knights were busy fielding all of the expected questions. Which did give their wards a chance to avoid that whole circus for a little while.

"Funny how we keep meeting like this, isn't it...?" Mash remarked.

"A-Ah, yes, i-it is..." Izuku replied.

The two had snuck off just out of sight, which was probably a guaranteed way to draw suspicion over what the two of them might be doing, but they hadn't really thought that far ahead. The problem was, now that they stood just behind a somewhat-damaged building, a lack of knowing what to actually say.

What was Izuku supposed to start with? 'Hi I remember you because I kinda arguably stalked you online a little bit'? (All Might told him he was worrying a bit too much about that, but he was pretty sure he was worrying a reasonable amount!) It wasn't like he actually knew anything about her as a person, and while he could understand her a bit better, that didn't exactly solve the issue.

He watched as she fidgeted a bit while standing before him, keeping her gaze aimed away from him. Alright, so she seemed about as nervous as he felt, so there was at least that in his favour. Surely there was some way to break the ice, right?

Well, when all else failed, he could stick with what he knew, right?

"S-So, your Quirk creates barriers, right?" he asked, which got her attention. Although she looked a bit confused for a second, so he quickly tried to correct himself. "Ah, your...ability creates barriers, right?" he attempted, not really having the appropriate term in mind for 'Quirk'. When she nodded, he quickly launched into a more excitable ramble. "That's really amazing! How strong are they? I saw that one took the large cannonball and stayed strong, but can it defend against anything stronger? How big can you make them? Do you need to use your shield to focus or can you make one without it? Can you make one away from your body? What if you make a lot of smaller barriers and spread them out, maybe you could cover more ground-"

"Wait, wait, slow down please!" Mash exclaimed, just a bit overwhelmed by the peppering of questions thrown at her. The fact that he had started leaning closer while questioning her just added to the embarrassment she was feeling.

"O-Oh, sorry-er, sorry!" Izuku responded, having to quickly switch to English again mid-apology. "I-I just find that sort of thing really interesting! A-And your ability is just so heroic, I just couldn't stop thinking of all the ways you could use it!"

That only served to make her flush more than she already was. She certainly wasn't expecting all of that to be from a stance of praising her, of all people. "That's...very nice of you to say, but I'm really not that amazing. My brother's Quirk is stronger, and I still can't really control mine very well..." she admitted.

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked, clearly confused. "When that one person with the bone ability started firing them at the crowd, you were right there blocking every shot! He couldn't get a single one through! That's absolutely amazing!"

Mash was starting to worry her face was permanently going to be red at this rate. She was certainly not prepared for this guy who she kinda-sorta maybe online stalked a little bit to actually act like a fan of hers. Especially not when he had plenty to be proud of himself.

"Y-You're easily more amazing than me, Deku." she replied, taking the chance to attempt her own language skills in the process. "After all, you were the one who actually defeated the bone villain." she pointed out, albeit while avoiding looking directly at him.

"Ah-!" he started soon adopting a sheepish look of his own as he likewise averted his gaze from her. "Th-That was just lucky! I-I only really got that hit because you were keeping him busy, and I could've come in faster, b-but I'm still getting a handle on my Quirk..."

Mash looked to him in clear surprise, not expecting his response to be so much less confident than he had been a second ago. "But...you're so much stronger than me! I mean..." she tried to explain, before looking to the rubble nearby. She pointed at a large piece of concrete that was resting atop a pile of similar debris. "You lifted something twice as big as this once you thought someone was trapped underneath! And you made it look so easy too! Besides, you saved me too-" she started to reason. After a second, however, she jolted as she realized her error. "Ah! I never thanked you for that!" she exclaimed. She quickly turned to him and bowed her head once again, feeling just a bit mortified for forgetting such an important act. "Thank you so much for helping me! I can never repay you properly!"

"O-Oh, no, i-it's OK!" Izuku replied, hurriedly waving his hands. "I mean, I heard earlier that you had it under control, so I wasn't really needed-"

"You still saved me!" she quickly cut him off, looking up to him out of disbelief that he might actually downplay saving her life. "There were a number of ways it could've gone wrong, and you saved me in an instant! ...actually..." she rationalized, before something stuck out to her. "How did you do that, anyway? I thought your...Quirk just made you really strong. How did you make that...hair?" she asked, not really sure what else to call the black strands he produced. She leaned over to get a look at his arm, which he quickly hid behind his back again.

"U-Uh, well...m-mutations happen all the time!" he excused, looking even more nervous than usual for some unclear reason. Just as Mash was about to ask for details, however...

"Mash! Where are you, we have to go!" came Lancelot's voice. Both heroes-in-training jolted at the sound, with Mash instinctively looking over her shoulder to where it came from.

She looked back to Izuku and was about to give a hurried goodbye, but hesitated for a moment. She actually felt a bit reluctant to part ways again so quickly, and much to her surprise, the expression he wore mirrored that feeling. Perhaps he had made the same connection she had just now.

The both of them were in similar positions of feeling like they had a lot to learn, and talking to someone else who understood that could only be a good thing for them. To just let the other disappear again, when the chances of them meeting a third time like this seemed nearly impossible, was a foolish decision.

Plus, his suggestion for her Quirk was a good one. Maybe she needed to focus more on condensing her barrier sizes to give her more to work with anyway.

"...um...a couple of the Vortigern Club members managed to slip away..." she mentioned, while looking down at the ground. She somewhat nervously twiddled her thumbs, the extra energy going through her needing to be expelled in some way. "So...we might be staying here for a little longer until we find them...and I'm still not very familiar with Japan..."

"Oh..." he replied, trying not to sound excited by that thought. "It...sounds like you could use a guide...?" he suggested.

"That's a good idea..." she responded.

The two let awkward silence settle in again for a second, staring at one another as their faces started to heat up again. It wasn't like this was a major deal. They were just making an alliance official. That's all it really was. They could pick each other's brains for ideas on how to use their Quirks, vent to one another if they were frustrated, boost one another's confidence if needed. It was just useful that way.

So why did this actually feel really important?

"Could I have your number please?"

The two ended up blurting out the request at the same time, in each other's languages, which caused them both to stare at the other for a moment in mild disbelief. The shock faded quickly however, and they soon descended into light laughter. Really, the whole thing just felt kind of silly. They were probably worrying just a little too much.

That didn't stop them both from feeling their heartbeats skip a little once they actually looked at the other's number on their phone.

---------------------------------------------------------

Mash stretched her arms over her head, groaning a bit as she felt them strain tiredly. Morning exercises weren't meant to be overly intense, but after her last assignment she felt more than a little tired. A full-blown endurance round of villain fights, even if they were simulated, felt like just a bit much to go through. Even if this was her second year, it felt like something more suited for her graduating exams or something like that. She had to wonder if the pressure was on for the academy to produce better heroes more quickly, after the rumors going around of a villain rising who had his hands in numerous groups worldwide. Better to be safe than sorry, she supposed.

At least it was the weekend and she could relax a bit more. Which also meant devoting time to what had become the highlight of the day. Though she wasn't sure if it was the best idea to admit that out loud. She got enough teasing from some of the other girls over spending her free time online with her "imaginary boyfriend". Which was just flat out rude, they knew Izuku actually existed!

Wait, why was that the part that irked her? Something to unpack later, she only had so much time.

She sat down at her computer, but then just as quickly got back up. She looked down at herself, having had the sense to change out of her workout clothes this time. (She didn't want a repeat of that one incident she swore to never think about again.) She wasn't sure if a rather casual overly-large T-shirt was smart, but she supposed he'd only see the top half of her. It wasn't like she was naked besides that, although she wasn't sure she wanted him to see the somewhat-beat-up sweatpants she had on.

She looked at her reflection in the computer screen, quickly lightly brushed her hair to make sure it looked decent, then readjusted her glasses. She then saw the notification pop up at the bottom of the screen, and figured that was good enough.

So she sat down, brought up the chat program, and it wasn't long before her webcam turned on. She smiled as she saw the familiar face smiling back at her.

"Good morning, Mash." he greeted pleasantly.

"Good evening, Izuku." she responded happily.

Nine-hour timezone differences, to put it bluntly, sucked. It meant they could really only see each other at this specific time, with little wiggle room. Sometimes they could chat when she was ready to turn in for the night, but only if he was up really early. Which he sometimes was, but she didn't want him specifically ruining his schedule just for her sake.

(Flattering as that notion was.)

"How was your day?" she asked, making sure to keep her Japanese going, as per their ritual. They both wanted to keep their practice up, just for when they would inevitably meet again, so they made it a habit to speak in the other's language when interacting like this.

"It...wasn't bad!" he replied. "There was a bit of an incident with the Support Department that I kind of needed to clean up, but aside that nothing...major happened!" he assured her, smiling anxiously all the while.

She paused, staring at his face. By this point in time she had gotten a bit better at reading him, and it was easier to tell when he wasn't being entirely honest. Which, sadly, was often. She was sure he had his reasons and she'd never doubt that he was a good person, but this little element of him frustrated her a little bit.

At least it was simple to get the truth out of him.

"Izuku..." she whispered, giving a slight pout as she leaned closer. It was already proving to be effective, as he tensed and looked away from the screen. She could see the faint blush coming up on his cheeks, thanks mostly to the glow of his computer screen. It did bother her a little that it was this easy to provoke this sort of reaction from him, but sometimes it felt warranted. She watched as he briefly glanced at the screen again, but she maintained her pouty look. If anything could get him to cave, it was the possibility of upsetting her.

So, eventually, he sighed and lowered his head. "There was...another mutation..."

Instantly she snapped out of her forced mood, her eyes wide in surprise. "Another one? Isn't that the third time...?" she asked. Developing Blackwhip was strange enough, but then he revealed that he had gained Float as well, which didn't add up with the other abilities at all. "What happened?"

He sighed, turning to face her while looking like he'd just admitted to stealing something valuable. "I suddenly got this massive headache while I was training with Kacchan. It was like...I could tell that he was going to do something dangerous right before he did it? Then I started dodging his attacks more easily, but my head hurt so much I couldn't really fight back..." he explained.

Mash frowned. Frankly, anyone could tell working with this 'Kacchan' was dangerous without needing this new ability, just going by what she'd heard about him, but she wasn't going to open that up again. "So it's a sort of precognitive ability?" she suggested.

"I don't think I'd go that far. Just sort of an...instinctive warning sense, I guess? It wasn't like I knew what he was going to do, I just knew I had to get out of the way..." he clarified.

She hummed while leaning back in her seat. That was a useful ability to have, for sure, but it still didn't line up with the others. It was almost like he was developing some all-purpose multi-function Quirk, except it was still manifesting in specific ways. Maybe it was still meant to be that, but shouldn't it be more variable for different scenarios? Then again, maybe it was, he just hadn't encountered the right situation to bring something else out?

She glanced back up at him after pondering this for a moment, and saw the guilt-ridden expression still on his face. She wasn't entirely sure why this bothered him that much, it wasn't like he could control what his Quirk did. Yet he still seemed ashamed every time it was brought up. Considering how much he loved gushing about her Quirk and all the different applications it had - which she definitely appreciated - it just further perplexed her that he would be less enthusiastic about his own.

Still, this was getting a little tense. She didn't want these conversations to end poorly, she looked forward to them more and more each day. It wasn't like she had many real friends to talk to outside of the other younger Knights. "Well, we can figure this out-"

"I'm sorry, Mash."

She stopped abruptly when he spoke up. He looked to her again with the same guilty expression, which actually began to worry her. She straightened up in her seat, wondering just where this was going. He sighed, doing much the same. "I haven't been entirely truthful with you. About...a lot of things...I mean, I've been honest about us! Y-You know, I haven't lied about liking these conversations or...seeing you when you come to Japan, or anything like that..." he confessed.

"R-Right, of course..." she responded. She tried not to look like it, but privately she was very relieved that was the case. Even so, this sounded pretty serious. "What...have you been dishonest about, then...?" she cautiously questioned.

He gave another sigh at that. "It's...it's a big deal. Believe me, if I felt like I could've talked about it sooner...but, it feels like telling you over this isn't...right." he reasoned. "It's...it's the kind of thing I need to say to you in person." he affirmed.

She slowly nodded. Even without it being connected to their relationship (wow was she concerned about that) this still sounded quite serious. Question was, how to approach it?

A slight silence feel between them as she looked away, mulling this over for a moment. "Well...my winter vacation is coming up soon...I won't have much time, but I could come over..." she admitted.

"Honestly, I'm kind of jealous you get so much time off." he admitted, which did earn a slight laugh from her as she looked back to the screen.

"Izuku, if you did have that kind of time, I'm worried you wouldn't take it." she replied, shifting closer to her desk. "There could be a cat in a tree somewhere that needed rescuing."

"Geez, you make it sound like I'm a workaholic!" he answered with a slight laugh.

She smiled, but pointedly did not laugh. Which did cause him to wilt a little bit, a sign that he was very much aware of the criticism.

A slight pause followed that, as Izuku seemed to consider the proposal made. "Well...that means you'd be coming in in time for Christmas, wouldn't it...?" he mentioned, slightly hopefully.

"Mhm..." she responded. "And...I could always stay for New Years', as well..." she added, the prospect being quite appealing to her.

"And...your dad wouldn't mind?" he cautiously wondered.

"We can have our usual celebrations earlier this year, I'm sure." she pointed out. She omitted the fact she would need to be very convincing to make that happen, but she was fairly certain she could pull it off.

Izuku nodded slowly at that. He shifted a bit closer to his desk, a slight smile on his face as he tried to picture what Mash was suggesting. "You could finally meet my friends..." he pointed out.

"Mhm..." she responded, leaning in a little. Though, truthfully, she wasn't terribly interested in that.

"I could show you around Shizuoka a bit more..." he continued, sounding thoughtful. "There's a zoo there I think you'd really like..."

"Yeah..." she replied. That did sound like a really nice way to spend a day.

"It'd be a little cold, but the city looks really nice at night..." he went on, as if he could already picture the scene himself. "Especially if it starts snowing..."

"Mm..." she hummed. A slight dazed smile was on her face as she was leaning into her hand, her elbow propped on the desk. An act he was mirroring, and she wasn't entirely sure he was doing it on purpose.

Despite the earlier confession, that tension seemed to be far from her mind now. Just the idea of spending a week or two in Japan, just as a tourist, with Izuku by her side, sounded far more important than anything he could have to say. The more she thought about it, the more she wished her break time would come so she could just go already. She hadn't even talked to her father about it but she was pretty sure she'd end up on that plane no matter what.

Wait a second. Wasn't this starting to sound more like a-

There was a knock at Izuku's door, causing the both of them to jump a bit at the sudden shift in mood. He looked over his shoulder at the sound, then back to her, smiling sheepishly as he rose from his chair. "Sorry-er, sorry, just a second..." he voiced. She watched as he turned and moved to the door, and though she couldn't see what was going on when he opened the door, she could still hear what was being said. Quiet as Izuku was trying to be.

"Eri-chan, what's the matter?"

"Deku, I had another bad dream..." a girl's voice whimpered.

Mash winced. She remembered Izuku telling her about the girl he rescued from the Shie Hassakai. Considering just how horrific the events that transpired, especially to one so young, she couldn't claim to be surprised that she was having nightmares.

"Oh, I'm sorry Eri-chan..."

"C-Can I stay here...? Just until morning?"

"Of course you can. A-Actually, I'm talking to a friend right now. You remember when I told you about her?"

She blinked. Izuku had been talking about her?

"You mean...the one from, um...Win-chess-tuh?"

"Winchester, yes."

"The pretty girl with the shield?"

Mash forced back a squeak. It was entirely possible he just showed her a picture and she drew that conclusion on her own. Still, the thought that he called her that wasn't something that was leaving her brain that easily.

"Y-Yes, yes, her. Do you want to meet her?"

"...is she nice?"

"She's the best, I promise."

"...not like Kacchan?"

"N-Not like Kacchan, no."

"OK..."

There was some slight movement following that, and it wasn't long before Izuku's face was seen on the screen again. He sat back down in his chair, then reached down and picked up a small form, placing her on his lap. Mash was greeted with the sight of a rather shy girl with long white hair and a single horn sticking out of her forehead. She gave a very slight wave, though she pressed back against Izuku just as a reflex as she did. "H-Hello..." she greeted.

Mash smiled gently, waving back at her. "Hello. You must be Eri-chan, right?" she asked. When the girl gave a slight nod, her smile brightened. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Mash Kyrielight." she introduced.

The girl tilted her head, looking confused for a second. "Mas...Mas...Mashuu...?" she attempted. Which was positively adorable, and judging by the smile on Izuku's face, he absolutely agreed with that sentiment.

"You can just call me Shielder, if you like." she offered.

"Is that your hero name...?" Eri wondered. To which Mash nodded.

"Once I become a full-fledged hero, it will be." she replied. "I'll be 'Shielder, the Hero Who Protects Everyone'!" she proudly declared, though as gently as she could at the moment.

The younger girl paused, then allowed a slight smile to grow on her face. "That's a good name. I like it." she stated. Which certainly warmed her heart to hear.

"Thank you, Eri-chan." she replied. "I'm glad you approve."

The girl nodded slightly, but her red eyes seemed to be focused on something behind her. "Um...Shielder? Is that the sun?" she asked, pointing behind her. Mash turned to look at one of the windows on the other side of her bedroom, noting the sunlight pouring in, before looking back to the screen.

"Yes it is! It's morning here!" she explained. Though that only seemed to confuse Eri.

"But it's night here..." she answered. "How can it be night here but day there?"

"You remember what I said, Eri-chan?" Izuku weighed in, drawing the girl's attention. "Winchester is aaaaaaaall the way in another part of the world! So when the sun moved away from us, it went to where Mash is!"

"Shielder is that far away?" Eri asked. Izuku nodded, but she only seemed to remain confused. "But she's speaking Japanese really well."

"Izuku has been helping me learn how to speak your language." Mash clarified. Eri looked at her after that, then seemed to smile more proudly.

"Right! That makes sense! Because Deku is the hero who helps everyone! That's why he's the best hero!" she happily exclaimed.

Mash looked up at Izuku, who was smiling sheepishly as ever, and she couldn't help but smile in turn.

"You're absolutely right."

------------------------------------------------------------

Izuku groaned as his eyes slowly fluttered open. He felt every bone in his body scream in exhaustion and pain, and even the natural light drifting in from outside through the window seemed to offend his senses. As his vision refocused, he saw the tile ceiling above him, then groaned again.

"Hospital bed...we have to stop meeting like this..." he mumbled.

He took in a slow breath, letting it fill his tired lungs, then filtered it back out. With sleep drifting away from him came remembering everything that took place. Recognition, remembrance, and regret.

The League of Villains - or the Paranormal Liberation Front, as they had renamed themselves - had struck one last time. After their first major assault nearly leveled Tokyo, their next threatened to finish the job, and with it bring an end to Japan's structure as a whole. If they had succeeded, All For One would've had an iron grip on the country, and would've been in the prime position to make a move on the rest of the world. With numerous heroes dead, countless more injured, and morale at an all-time low, the odds were severely stacked against them.

Yet, miracle of miracles, they pulled it off. Not without consequence, but they did it. Japan was safe, All For One was gone, and peace could return.

There was so much he had to process. Recognizing the flaws that the Hero Commission had made that allowed the League to even grow in the first place. What would have to come next to replace them and ensure it didn't happen again. Just how far All For One's reach spread, and if there were those in other parts of the world who would need to be stopped to ensure someone like him didn't appear to fill in the gap.

Everything that happened with Shigaraki.

What would happen now with One For All.

He groaned, feeling his head throb just thinking about it. At least, he hoped that's all it was, and not his Danger Sense about to go off again.

He supposed it was fitting, in a way. Enough people had joked that he was practically married to a hospital bed, now he was going to be stuck in one once more. Hell of a way to spend what would likely be his graduation from UA.

He then heard a familiar buzzing sound from close to his head. He turned to look and saw his phone vibrating on the table close by. He had a pretty good idea of who that was, but his body wasn't exactly in the mood to get up and go get the phone. He tried to move his hand to grab it, but sure enough it was weighed down by a heavy cast. Just his luck.

He kept his gaze on the phone, then tried to concentrate on what he needed to do to move it. His arm still didn't really do anything in response, and the phone kept buzzing. "Daigoro-san, please, help me out on this one..." he groaned.

Almost as if in response, a thin strand of black emerged from his elbow. It shot out, wrapped around the phone, then tossed it right onto Izuku's lap. He sighed. "Thank you..." he whispered, as his left hand grabbed the phone and brought it up to his face. He winced a bit when he saw the image there, then pressed the button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"IZUKU! Oh thank God!" Mash's voice nearly screamed over the line. "I've been trying to reach you for hours! What happened?! Are you OK?!"

He sighed. Yeah, this was not going to be easy. "I'm...alive..." he groaned out.

"Obviously you're alive, I'm talking to you!" she responded. She made a sound that he wasn't sure whether it was a laugh or a sob. He hoped it was the former. "God...after the news came in about what was going on over there, I tried to push to come over, but our government said we needed to stay here in case All For One's forces reached our borders, but that was just so stupid I nearly hopped on a plane anyway, if Dad hadn't-"

"Mash..." he croaked out, his throat feeling just a bit dry. "It's OK...it's done. It's over."

A pause followed that. "It's over? You're sure?" she asked.

"Mhm..." he hummed. "He's gone. I...we beat him."

Another pause followed. He could hear Mash give a long exhale after the news settled in. Then she made another noise that was definitely a sob, much to his regret. This was followed by a few more, which she tried to keep under control, but seemed to be having difficulty doing so.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered. He wasn't sure if she was crying out of relief or not, but he wasn't feeling very optimistic.

"Why...?" she asked between sobs. "Why...why did it have to be you...?"

"I know...but...I was the one chosen for this..." he responded.

On that fateful night she had come to Japan, he told her everything. What One For All truly was, how he received it, his life before and after, and what it all meant for him. It felt like the right thing to do. If anyone should know the truth, it should've been her. She had of course been utterly stunned by it, left at a loss for words for a few long minutes after he'd finished. She tried to apologize, saying she had no idea of the legacy he had to live up to, that her own problems seemed so minute in comparison, but he assured her that her problems were just as important.

That whole event had been eye-opening in a number of ways. How similar the two of them really were, and how much they had a tendency to berate themselves over situations they had very little control of. How maybe they should reconsider what was really important to them, as far as being a hero.

How much she really meant to him.

"Please...please tell me you didn't go after him alone..." Mash requested, trying to calm herself down.

Izuku hesitated. He knew he wanted to be honest with her, but right now may not be the best time. Even so, she did ask. This was going to be difficult.

"...I almost did." he admitted. She sniffed on the other end, but said nothing, so he pressed on. "He...he was after me, Mash. Me specifically. Wherever I was, he would come find me, and go through anyone else in my way...I was so scared that he could kill everyone else in UA if I stayed...so many heroes were already dead, how could UA stand a chance...?"

No response from her. Clearly she was waiting for him to finish. So, he paused to catch his breath, then proceeded.

"I kept thinking that I had to get away...for everyone else's sake, it had to be me...but if I went out there, I...I wasn't going to come back. And I knew that..." he admitted. He heard her take in a sharp, shaky breath, but pressed on. "But...I kept thinking about what we talked about. About how we both decided we had to be different. About...our plans for the future...and I didn't want to go. I didn't want to...to die..." he stated. Another sharp breath from her. "I wanted to keep being a hero, I wanted to make so many people happy, I...I wanted to see you again..."

Another sob. Followed by a series of others. He wasn't sure if he was saying the right thing, but it was the truth. If not for her making him hesitate just long enough, he wasn't sure what he would've done differently.

He waited for her to finish, not sure what else he could say. Whether he needed to reassure her more or not, or just talk about something else now. He just wished they were in the same place so he had a better idea of what to do.

After a few seconds, he heard her take in another shaky breath to steady herself. She sniffled once, then managed to speak again. "It's over? It's done?" she asked, just to confirm.

"Yeah. It's done." he repeated.

A slight pause followed. "As soon as I can, I'm coming over there." she stated.

"Mash...I'm stuck in a hospital bed, I can't really do anything..." he pointed out.

"You think that matters? I'm going to be in the same space as you before the month is out, and an entire army of All For Ones won't stop me." she firmly promised.

He couldn't help but smile a bit at that. He could actually see her pulling that off at this point. That said, an idea was starting to form in his head. "Well...actually, about that..." he started.

"What...?" she asked, a bit hesitant.

"I'm going to be here for a bit, I think...but my graduation is soon, and I've have it on good word that I can take some time off afterwards. I mean, I did just help save all of Japan, so I think I've earned it..." he brought up. He did have plans to start up a hero agency with his fellow classmates, but they agreed they all needed the time to recover. "So...maybe if you're willing to wait a little longer..."

"...yes...?" she wondered, slightly curious.

"I...could come see you...?" he finished hopefully.

Silence came from the other end of the line. At least, until he heard her stammer something incoherent. It took a second, but she did eventually manage to respond. "You...c-come here...? N-Now?" she asked anxiously.

"Well, now-ish?" he replied. "I mean, it'll have to be when I can get out of here, but factoring that and graduation in...a couple of weeks?" he said optimistically.

"A-Are you sure? Would it really be OK?" she wondered.

"Well...I might have to talk my mom into letting me out of her sight..." he admitted.

"I think she would have good reason to feel that way..." she answered. The slight amusement in her voice told him he was on the right track.

"Buuuut...if I told her I'm going to see you, I think she'd understand..." he pointed out. Which earned something of a sputtering squeak from her that was just so damn cute.

Yeah, he could do this.

------------------------------------------------------

OK so maybe he was getting some cold feet now.

The actual ride over had been a bit on the harrowing side. Sure, he'd been to I-Island by now, so he wasn't unfamiliar with getting on a plane. Getting on a plane by himself, to head into a completely foreign country, that was a wholly different experience. As soon as he touched down he felt like he stepped onto an alien planet. The streets, the buildings, the general mood that permeated the landscape. It all just felt strange to him. Granted, that may be partly due to the unease that the world was still feeling after All For One's defeat, but there was definitely something different about it.

He hoped no one actually recognized him. He did get a few odd glances as he left the airport and began walking through the streets, though he imagined it was just that general feeling of knowing he didn't actually belong there. It was a good thing he could already read and speak English perfectly well, or that feeling might be worse.

Whatever the case, he managed to maneuver his way to the right address easily enough. Now, here he was, standing outside of her apartment. All he had to do was knock on her door and announce his arrival.

Why was he so nervous? She had done this enough times for him, why was this so hard? Unless this was what she felt when she came to Japan? This felt...really important. Like he was making a statement about, well, them just by being here. Considering it took a while for them to even admit to themselves that there was a 'them' to begin with, it probably made this a bigger deal than it really was. Then again, it wasn't like he knew exactly what he was doing during any of this, but it still more or less worked out in the end.

Right?

He paused, reaching up to adjust his hair that was as wild and untamed as ever. He straightened his jacket, shook his hands a bit as he exhaled to calm himself down, then focused on the door. He inhaled, reached up, and lightly knocked.

"Just a minute!" her voice called back. He didn't say anything, just anxiously balancing on the back of his feet as he waited for her. He could hear footsteps quickly approaching the door, hear the door unlock, and watched as it was pulled back.

"Yes-" Mash started. However, upon seeing the person standing there, her initial pleasant smile was replaced by a shocked expression.

Izuku grinned and spread his arms out. "Surprise!" he stated. "There was a bit of a mix-up, so-"

His explanation was cut short when she practically jumped out of the doorway and into his arms, her lips planted right onto his. Which did catch him off-guard, but not so much he couldn't reciprocate. So he snugly squeezed his arms around her, leaning into the kiss, as he could feel her practically buzzing with excitement.

The two held each other for a few prolonged seconds, before she managed to pull herself back and look up at him, still surprised but now much more excited. "You're here! You're...you're actually here!" she exclaimed, as if she couldn't even believe that much. "You're...early!" she then added almost as an afterthought.

He gave a slight chuckle at that. "Well, as I was saying...I think we got the times mixed up a bit, because I ended up landing an hour earlier than we thought!" he explained. Which was probably the only time in the history of the entire planet that a plane landed ahead of a person's schedule.

"But how did you even find me?" she asked.

"You mentioned your address when you first moved in, remember?" he pointed out. Which was a tad irresponsible of her in the moment, but it sure paid off now. "I didn't come too early or anything, did I?" he then asked.

"No! Not at all, I was just going to head to the airport to wait for you!" she quickly assured him. She pulled back for a moment to step back into her doorway, only to just as suddenly re-emerge with a white jacket over her arm. She turned and locked the door behind her, then grabbed Izuku's arm and already started to take off into a run. "Come on! Let's go!" she exclaimed excitedly.

He couldn't remember ever seeing her this energetic, but he sure wasn't going to complain.

He'd let her drag him just about anywhere she wanted.

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The day had been mostly ideal.

Winchester was a bit smaller than the cities he was used to, so once they left her apartment they were soon out into the wilderness in what could've only been a short walk. There had been plans to visit the Great Hall that was said to house the original Knights of the Round Table, but Mash said that could wait for another day. It'd be more appropriate to go there with the heroes, as a number of them did want to meet Izuku. No, today was just for the two of them.

So they instead explored some of the nature areas that Winchester held, and Izuku could not complain about that in the least. St. Catherine's Hill was a gorgeous place to walk along, especially during the day. The vibrant greenery shone in the sunlight, and once they got high enough they could see almost the entirety of the city below them. It was oddly comforting to see it like that, making the place feel more like a tight-knit community than a bustling city. It was something Izuku was very unfamiliar with, being a city kid for his whole life, but he couldn't find fault in it.

Blackwood Forest was a bit different. Equally beautiful to explore, yet there was a feeling of mystique to it. Like if he and Mash checked behind the right tree, or stepped over one particular bush, they'd discover something almost supernatural that had been hiding for eons. It added a bit of nervous curiosity to their exploration, and while at times it was almost like they were walking through the set of a horror movie, neither of them really wanted to stop.

For that time, it felt like they were the only two people in the world, discovering everything for the very first time. It was a memory unique and special only to them.

Sadly, the day couldn't stay perfect.

As they were about to enter the science centre closer to the main city, as the day was heading to a close, naturally a villain just had to make an attack. Naturally, they both felt they had to get involved, and thankfully the incident ended quickly without any injuries. Unfortunately, after the police got involved the centre had to close for the day as a safety precaution, and while they had been assured they could come back tomorrow at no cost as a reward, that still left them with nothing to do right now.

So they headed back towards Mash's apartment building, with her hanging onto Izuku's arm, while looking rather displeased with the previous events. Not that he could entirely blame her, but he felt maybe she was focusing a little too much on that.

"Mash?" he asked, just to get her attention. She didn't answer, leaning on his shoulder as they continued to walk. He sighed, leaning his head against hers. "Come on, Mash. I had a wonderful time today, there's nothing to worry about."

"But...I wanted today to be perfect..." she complained. "I had it all planned out, and then he had to go and ruin the whole thing..."

"Mash, he didn't ruin anything. Everything up until then was perfect!" he pointed out. It didn't seem to improve her mood much.

"Do you remember the last time I came to Japan?" she asked. "And when we were out, a few of your friends started spying on us?"

He gave a weary sigh, that memory coming back clear as day. "Yes, I do..." he admitted.

"Which ones were they again?" she wondered. "Mineta...?"

"And Kaminari and Ashido, yeah..." he finished.

"And do you remember how annoyed you were over that?" she questioned. He sighed and nodded, looking unhappy just thinking about that. "Well, this is like that, except at least five times worse..." she grumbled.

They soon arrived in front of her apartment building, the both of them coming to a stop. Without thinking about that at the moment, Izuku turned to fully face her, as she moved off of his arm. "And do you remember what you said after that?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he smiled softly as he held her hands in his. "You said that it didn't matter to you, because it made the day that much more memorable, and the flaws only made it that much more precious to you." he repeated. He watched as she smiled gently at that, but didn't give her the chance to weigh in. "So, if I might take that a step further..."

He moved one of his hands up to cup her cheek, his touch causing her to shiver a little bit, her face already heating up a little.

"The day was perfect, Mash. Because I spent it with you. That makes it perfect by default." he concluded.

A very brief pause followed that, but Mash quickly broke it with a soft giggle. Rather than comment, she expressed her feelings on his promise by moving in closer, her lips soon finding his again. His hand remained on her cheek as he leaned into it, the gesture soft and gentle, yet no less affectionate for it.

The kiss lingered for a few seconds, before she gently broke it. Then she dove in again, this time with a bit more energy to her movement. She hummed against his mouth, both of her arms looping around his collar as she leaned against him. His other hand found her opposing cheek, seemingly to keep her in place, not that she was going anywhere. The kiss broke apart after that, but a new one was swiftly made in turn. Mash's hands moved down to his waist, clinging to his back as she pressed her chest against him. Izuku's tongue began to slide out and probe into her mouth, which she was happy to allow him to do so, a slight gasp leaving her as she did.

In the back of her mind as this hunger overtook her, she couldn't help but think on just how close she came to losing him completely. How she wouldn't be experiencing this right now, something she wasn't sure she ever considered doing with anyone else. Granted that could be just the romance overtaking her, but it made the desperation no less real. As if she was at risk of him disappearing right before her eyes if she let him go for a second.

Even so, they had to come up for air at some point, and so they pulled apart after another moment or two, the both of them huffing slightly after the burst of passion. Mash leaned closer again, but rather than go for a kiss she just gently rubbed her nose against his, sighing softly as she closed her eyes. She felt quite warm in the midst of the chilly evening, thinking only of Izuku being so close to her. It was a sensation she never wanted to be without now.

Which made her subsequent decision quite clear.

She opened her eyes again and pulled back slightly, her gaze drifting down from Izuku's face. "...you know..." she started, slightly nervously. "I...haven't shown you my place yet..." she pointed out.

"...y-yeah..." he responded, not very creatively.

She glanced back up at him, noticing how his freckled cheeks were starting to get pinker, much like hers were. Clearly, he was on the same track as her.

"...do you want to come inside?"

He most certainly did.

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To be honest, Mash's apartment wasn't anything impressive. It was a small one-room flat, with all the basic amenities that a prospective heroine needing space from her family would have. The only thing that really stood out that felt like her were the collection of various books on a couple of shelves pushed against the wall.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, neither she nor Izuku were particularly interested in a tour of the place.

Once the door to her place had been closed, they were back on each other. Izuku almost bowled her right over when he dove in for a new kiss, at least it sure felt that way from how passionate he was. Not that she was any less eager, humming pleadingly as she started blindly pulling off his coat. It was quickly dropped to the floor, but she was already tugging at his shirt in turn, grasping at the buttons and nearly risking prying them right off. Izuku utterly refused to pry his mouth away from her at that moment, so she had to make do with tugging at his shirt until the buttons were pried free. She pushed the two flaps of his shirt aside, her hands reaching in to touch his bare chest and yes it was worth it. After their one trip to the beach last summer she was definitely sure she wanted to see and feel every square inch of him that was possible.

He moved his arms back and shrugged his shoulders, breaking the kiss just long enough to get his shirt off to let it fall to the floor as well. He dove back in for another kiss, feeling her gasp against his mouth as she likewise tugged her jacket off and tossed it aside. She made the next move, however, reaching down to his pants and blindly fumbling with the belt buckle. He broke the kiss again, reaching down and helping her undo the belt, then felt her pull down the zipper almost as soon as she had the chance to. He soon stepped out of his pants and left them crumpled on the floor, wasting little time in resuming this unusual dance with her.

As their lips melded together again, he pulled her as close to himself as he could, though mostly to reach behind her and find the back of her dress. It was a lovely little number, a mainly white dress with black starting at her left ribs and spreading diagonally down across the fabric, must've been fairly expensive. He soon found the zipper to it and pulled it down, trying to be a bit more careful but having far too much nervous energy to do that properly. She rolled her shoulders as she prolonged their energetic kiss, the straps falling off one after the other, allowing her to tug it down and step right out of it altogether, the crumpled fabric left on the floor as well.

She leaned against him to resume the kiss, idly knowing where the bed was, her arms wrapped around him to pull him in that direction. Then, all of a sudden, he had picked her up, a brief squeak leaving her mouth as she was suddenly held aloft over him. She felt his hands right on her rear, forcing her to press entirely against him, an act that left her brain buzzing with surprise and plenty of eagerness to spare, as the only thought bouncing around in her head could be described as oh dear God this was happening now. It did light a metaphorical fire under her, as her kissing grew even more intense, her mouth practically clamped onto his as if she intended to suck out every breath he could produce.

It wasn't like the bed was hard to find anyway, given the small space, so it wasn't long before the two practically tumbled onto it, pressed tightly against one another. They both held their newest kiss for just a little longer, before once more needing to break for air. Izuku pulled his head back as he perched over Mash, taking a moment to catch his breath, much as she was doing. As the two locked eyes, the reality of the situation finally sank in.

Here they were, on her bed, in only their underwear. Seconds away from something they were both very certain they wanted. They both scanned the other's face, searching for any signs of hesitation. Anything that might indicate this wasn't the right time.

Finding nothing of the sort, they had no reason not to proceed.

Mash shifted up just slightly, planting a quick kiss on Izuku's lips, then leaning her head against him as her arms reached back behind her. He was already moving his own hands back, perhaps to help out, but she took care of the problem first. Her fingertips easily undid the strap with a brief snap, allowing her to shift back from him and slide her bra off. He briefly noted it was a similar violet colour to her eyes, before she dropped the fabric off of her chest.

She paused, looking at Izuku, waiting for a reaction. She knew she was in good shape, and she knew her armor didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination. Even so, some small part of her felt a bit self-conscious. This was Izuku that she was showing herself to, his opinion felt a bit more important than just the average person.

Judging from how he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her chest for those brief few seconds, that was probably a good sign.

Indeed, it took a moment or two for him to snap out of the more primal thought of boobs, before he carefully reached his hands out to them. He slowly placed his hands on them, Mash letting out a nervous exhale once they wrapped around them. He hoped that was a good sign, but regardless, he looked back up to her and started to kiss her again. Slowly, gingerly, he shifted his hands around on her chest, not entirely sure what he was doing but hoping it was good all the same.

Indeed, the way his hands brushed against her nipples sent tiny tingles through her from those two points, instinctively causing her to give small whimpers against his mouth. However, his movements were a little clumsy. Which was fine, they were both obviously new to this. All the same, it made her more eager to move on. Hence why her hands moved down his sides, soon finding the hem of his underwear, and beginning to tug down on them. Taking the hint, he gently broke their kiss, then shifted back a bit to help her slide them off. Before long, the boxers as green as his hair were gone, and he was the first of them to be totally naked.

Meaning a particular organ was now on display for her, and funnily enough, she in turn couldn't quite take her eyes away from it. Though there was just a slight bit of trepidation going through her, something was certainly awakening within her that was shouting that feeling down.

So she wasted little time and moved her hands down to his member, her fingertips carefully brushing along the shaft. She heard him give a slight hiss at her touch, and felt his body shiver just a little in turn. She assumed that meant she was on the right track. So she shifted closer, leaning against him, her face soon meeting his shoulder. She kept her hands slowly gliding along the shaft, gently sliding up until they reached the tip. She heard him give a breathy sigh at that, another hopeful sign. She slowly slid them back down, gently kissing the skin on his shoulder at the same time.

She would repeat this gesture a couple of times, mostly just to get a good feel for him. Slowly up, slowly back down. He would breathe in, then out. She would feel his chest rise against hers, then come back down. She could feel his heartbeat quicken against her chest, all signs that she was doing the right thing here. In some way, this was a soothing gesture, just to feel him so close to her like this while acting in a rhythmic pattern.

Though it seemed like he wasn't willing to remain a passive participant for long. At first his hands were clasping the bedspread beneath them, giving tiny gasps and huffs as her hands continued to move. However, she felt them move up to her own sides soon after, tugging at the waistline of her underwear. She shifted her hips a bit, letting him pull them down, and thus removing the final piece of clothing between them.

He pulled his head back to look at her, seeing the tuft of lilac hair down below, that being enough to clue him in on where to go. His one hand already made a move for the spot, a fingertip slowly moving down and finding her lower lips. It slid along the outside, Mash giving a slight squeak in response. He lightly brushed his finger along the lips back and forth, seemingly emulating the same motions she was doing to him. She would give slight gasps here and there, but nothing really substantial, much to his confusion. She did lean on him again and continue stroking his shaft, making it a bit harder for him to focus, but he still had enough of an idea on what to do next.

Which made Mash gasp a little louder when his finger pushed past her lips and slid into her.

Her grip on his member tightened just a little out of reflex, which earned a slight grunt from him. Both of them stilled in their movements, giving their partner the chance to recover. After a few short seconds, Mash resumed her slow strokes, which incentivized him to slowly slide his finger in and out of her. She would listen to his breathing get slightly more shaky with each stroke, while she in turn would give brief whimpers and gasps as his finger slid softly out, then back into her. It was an alien sensation for the both of them, at least as far as another person performing the acts for them. It added a layer of realization to the whole affair, knowing that they were rapidly approaching the point of no return.

Neither of them were sure who sped up first. Perhaps the nervous anticipation got to them both at the same time and they just didn't realize it. Whatever the case, Mash's hands began to move up and down the shaft a little faster. She could feel the heat radiating off of it as she moved, hear his breaths getting more and more ragged, and realized on some level she was exciting him. Which was a flattering thought, to say the least. At the same time she felt his finger start to move a bit faster within her, which in turn was making her clench her legs together just out of reflex, holding back her own moans as she felt the protrusion slide along her inner walls, her whole body shivering.

Then she felt his finger curl, causing her to make a louder gasp. Which in turn sent a brief feeling of pride and disbelief that he managed to get that reaction out of her.

The two would then find themselves instinctively acting slightly differently. Mash's hands gripped onto his member a bit more firmly, even as they continued to move up and down. Izuku's finger would resume sliding along her inner walls, albeit moving in different ways. Sometimes it would curl and press up against a particular spot, sometimes it would wriggle from side to side, sometimes he would draw small circles within her. Each act caused the other to gasp and shudder against their partner, their minds becoming foggier as it became harder to focus on another else but the other.

Then, one of Mash's hands moved up to the tip, starting to rub along that while the other continued along the shaft. Izuku gave a slightly louder gasp in reply.

In turn, Mash let out another yelp as he inserted a second finger within her, the both of them moving in tandem with one another.

They both increased the speed of their movements, their faces pressed against the other's shoulder, gasping and moaning as their hands continued their work. They felt the fog infect their minds, the unique pleasures the touch brought about being the only thing they could think of. They could feel pressure building up within them, like a valve building up steam, moving closer and closer to a boiling point, with the both of them eagerly bringing the other ever so closer to that finale.

Then, abruptly, Mash moved her hands away and placed them on Izuku's chest. "W-Wait, wait..." she stammered. Izuku gave a breathy gasp, forcing his own hand to stop, as he shifted back to look worriedly at her. For a moment he thought he had done something to hurt her, but the dazed look on her face didn't really answer that.

The two took a few seconds to catch their breaths, their gazes locked with one another as they swiftly came back down from the rapid ascension they were both moving along. Mash then slid back down to lay on the bed properly, as her hands moved back to his throbbing member. She gently tugged on it to lead him into position above her, and as he removed his hand from her in turn, she led him to shift between her slowly-spreading legs.

She aimed the tip right at her entrance, looking down at where they were about to be joined. The tip poked at her lower lips, slightly awkwardly, brushing along the outside as she tried to move it into the right spot.

"Wait, h-hang on..." Izuku breathed, looking nervously at her. "Shouldn't I...?" he started to ask, but she shook her head in reply.

"No, it's OK..." she replied. She looked up to him and briefly kissed him to reassure him, while still carefully nudging him into position. Maybe this wasn't the smartest move, but at the moment she didn't especially care to approach this logically. It just felt right.

Taking the hint, Izuku reached down to move his member into position. He glanced down at the spot in question, then back up to her, carefully nudging the tip into the right spot. He shivered slightly at how sensitive he still felt, and imagined she felt much the same.

"Just...slowly, OK?" she asked nervously. He nodded in affirmation, then made his move.

Slowly, carefully, the tip pushed past the lips and began to enter her. She tensed slightly, even that being a bit larger than his fingertips, but she gripped down on his shoulders and waited. He could already feel the immense heat coming from within her, but he tried not to let that goad him into moving faster. He had to make sure this was good for her, not just for him.

Very slowly, he pushed in a little more. She gave a slight hiss through her teeth, her eyes closing as she leaned back against the bed. Her walls clenched anxiously around him, as he slid in just a little more. He gripped down on the bedspread beneath them, trying to keep his focus, but the urge to push in more and more was overriding his senses. Her walls pulled on him, almost like a living thing in and of itself, slowly guiding him to move further and further.

Inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter, he moved further into her. Each slight twitch earned a husky huff from him, and a shaky gasp from her. Her eyes had opened up again as she felt him move deeper and deeper still, wondering when it would actually stop. Every time she thought it was done, he shifted a little more, sending new tremors through her.

Until, finally, his hips pressed into hers, the journey complete. His hands squeezed the bed sheets while hers dug into his shoulders, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open as she stared at the ceiling of her room. The both of them remained as still as they could, both trying to adjust to the entirely new sensations that this act provided them.

"A-Are you...OK, Mash...?" Izuku asked, already moving his arms to wrap around her.

It was a hell of a question to ask. At first it felt like she had taken on an extra weight right into her, and she wasn't sure she could keep it there or not. It was foreign, the way it throbbed and trembled within her, yet provided an insane amount of heat inside at the same time. It was taking a lot just to keep it together. Yet the longer it stayed within her, the longer she adjusted to it, the more it felt like it was scratching an itch she didn't even know she had until then. Which she supposed was a good thing.

To answer Izuku's question, her hands moved up to slide her arms around his shoulders. To further emphasize her point, her legs slowly wrapped around his hips. She gave a breathy gasp, then concluded verbally. "Please...move..." she asked.

It was all the incentive he needed.

He pressed into her briefly, hearing her hum in reply. Slowly, he dragged his hips back as far as she would let him, then pressed back in. Both of them hummed at the movement, a positive sign. He pulled back again, then pressed back down, slightly more easily this time. Another anxious hum, the hesitation falling from them more and more. Another pull, another push. Another, more pleasant hum in response.

This would prove to be a comfortable rhythm for them both. Short, shallow thrusts, Mash not wanting to let him get too far away from her. Not that he had reason to want to either, her intense warmth and her slick walls eagerly drawing him back in as soon as he tried to move away. His short hums began to turn into huffs and gasps for air, his arms tightening around her middle to keep her close. He felt her legs squeeze just a bit tighter around him, making it harder to move, but what little movement he could manage making the sensations all the sweeter.

For her part, she tried to push up against him as he pulled away, a tiny part of her brain still subconsciously wanting to keep him close even in this situation. Any earlier discomfort she felt was very much gone, and now she couldn't imagine feeling anything else right now. She didn't really want to imagine it either. She just felt the way his hips pressed into hers and wanted to capture that feeling for as long as humanly possible.

The bed shifted beneath them as they both picked up speed. Though Mash still wouldn't let him pull too far away, the slight movements getting faster and faster was enough for the both of them. Her walls squeezed tighter and tighter around his member, as it continued to rub vigorously along them. His huffs grew in intensity in her ear, while her own gasps turned into outright moans as she shut her eyes again. They both felt electric shocks trail through their bodies with each meeting between them, a feeling they both found themselves growing quickly addicted to.

Unfortunately, due to the earlier petting, Izuku was at risk of losing himself fairly soon. Something he wanted to stave off as much as he could. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was make this night at all disappointing, so he buried his face in the pillow and tried to keep his focus on something else for just a few seconds longer.

Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about that for very long, as Mash was just as wound up as he was. With each rapid thrust into her she almost thought she was seeing stars explode before her eyes. Likely an exaggeration, but in moments like this people tended to do that. Her moans were getting louder and louder, her fingers digging into his back, to the point that her nails might end up leaving marks. One particular thrust slid even deeper than she initially believed he could reach, and she was sure she didn't have long after that.

"I-Izu-!" she gasped out, unable to do much else but endure the movements at this point. "I-Izuku-!" she gasped again.

"Mash-!" he grunted, lifting his head slightly, as her sounds were proving to be the final breaking point for him. "I'm-! I'm about to-!" he tried to warn her.

"Don't stop!" she practically begged. Her arms and legs squeezed just a bit more to emphasize her desperate request. "Don't stop don't stop don't stop-!"

Unable to even consider the option, his hips thrust at an even faster speed than before. They slapped against hers, each thrust earning another shout from the both of them, any thoughts of turning back long gone.

Then, with one last one, his hips pressed as tightly as they could into hers, and the pressure was released.

He let out a brief shout, his eyes shutting tight as he met his climax. He felt her walls constricting around him, squeezing the life out of him, each tug on him earning another shuddering gasp from his mouth.

She let out a longer cry, clinging onto him for dear life as she reached her end. She felt him pulse within her over and over, felt something warm fill her very core. She tried her best to savour this new sensation, it being unlike anything else she could've imagined.

The tension they shared soon broke, their muscles relaxing as they descended into gasps for air, both shivering slightly as exhaustion began to take them. All the same, neither had any desire to untangle from the other, both still holding onto the other as if they were made to be that way.

So, now the day was perfect, in their eyes.

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Morning came, as it always did, and Izuku was the first to feel it. The first streams of sunlight cracked through the window, which was enough to rouse him from a deep slumber. He hummed slightly, moving his hand up to try and shield him from the light, tempted to go back to sleep again.

Then he felt the weight against him, heard the rising and falling of breathing, and turned his head to look. There was Mash, curled up against him, her arms still wrapped around him as she clung to him almost like an oversized koala.

Now he really didn't have a reason to go back to sleep. Not with this wonderful sight before him.

He allowed himself to watch her for a little bit, staring at the serene smile on her face as she dozed peacefully. He kept his own arms wrapped snugly around her, likely what was helping keep her sleeping so happily.

Though he couldn't help but shift a hand up to lightly brush at her hair, gently moving the strands hanging down over her face. Even this slight movement was enough to rouse her, as she hummed and slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times upon seeing him, causing her smile to grow in turn.

"Good morning, Izuku."

"Good morning, Mash."

The two leaned in and shared a soft, gentle kiss. They both felt they could get used to waking up like this.

Afterwards, Mash shifted back down to rest her head on his chest, listening to his slow heartbeat again. She lightly trailed her fingertip along the skin, which at first caused Izuku to shiver a little. He was a little more ticklish than he let on, seemingly. Sometimes she might have to keep in mind.

The two laid there in peaceful silence, not wanting to let anything spoil this moment. All concerns about their lives were gone for that moment. It was just the two of them, and nothing else.

Of course, those concerns couldn't stay gone forever. Before long, they both found themselves thinking of their lingering problems, despite their efforts not to.

Izuku knew things were going to change going forward. One For All would die with him. The Quirkless population was decreasing with each generation, and the odds of him finding another to pass it on to were slim. Even then, the chances of them being able to control it as the power increased weren't very good either. So there was no other option but to let him be the last wielder of the power. Arguably, it wasn't really needed now that All For One was finally gone. Even so, it was still a lot to live up to. Even with everyone now assuring him that he could be his own hero, he still felt the lingering need to make his predecessors proud of him. It was more subdued now, but it was still there.

Mash knew that her father would want her to join the Knights of the Round before long. They had been carefully preparing the next generation to take their places, but it was still a short-sighted goal. Focusing on their country's borders alone couldn't be done again. They had to make grander changes than this, and she knew that if she just explained it to him, he would understand. She began to dream of an international group of heroes, who had spaces all over the world, who could answer the largest threats and ensure something of All For One's level would never rise again. That, in her mind, was a far better way to pay tribute to the heroes that came before her.

They both let out tired sighs. So much work ahead of them now. So much to do to live up to their own interpretation of "hero". So much that could still go wrong, so much doubt over whether they were making the right call.

Mash lifted her head just as Izuku tilted his, and their eyes met again. Soft smiles returned to their faces.

At least they had no doubts about this.

"...you know..." she started, as she shifted up a bit under the covers to lay atop him. "I hear France is very nice this time of year." she pointed out. With spring just around the corner, she was very certain that was the truth.

Izuku hummed, the implication bringing a very nice thought. "France, huh?" he echoed. His arms slid around her again. "Neither of us can speak the language, though." he mentioned.

She gave a soft giggle. "You remember my father is French, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, but didn't he move away before you were even born?" he wondered.

"True, but it did make me a bit curious about my origin, more or less." she suggested. She smiled just a little mischievously, which was not a typical expression she wore. "J'ai donc decide d'apprende en peu." she then replied.

Izuku stared at her after that, his smile frozen on his face. She giggled again at that, his expression being just a bit goofy, and continued. "Ce n'est pas tres bon, j'aurai peut-etre besoin de m'entrainer un peu plus." she admitted.

His expression remained the same. Still smiling, she tilted her head a little out of curiosity. "Vous n'avec aucune idee de ce que je dis, n'est-ce pas?" she asked.

"...I have no idea what you're saying, but please keep saying it." he responded, obviously very appreciative of her efforts.

She giggled a little longer that time, then shifted closer and softly kissed him. "Autant que tu veux, ma amour." she responded as she pulled back. She shifted down slightly, kissing him softly on his chin. "Ma merveilleux heros." she added, which earned a pleased hum from him. She moved down to his neck, kissing again. "Ma bel homme." she continued, as he responded with another hum.

She then slid back up, leaned in right beside him, and whispered in his ear.

"Je t'aime."

Even without knowing the language, he was pretty sure he got what she meant.

It was a feeling he completely reciprocated.