“You’re telling me.” He frowned. “Is it weird I still want to email you?”

 “I don’t think so?” Izumi said. “I mean, we had our emails faked, but they weren’t like… completely faked, right? I just thought your stories of Hawks were about your cousin, or they made it seem like you were training.”

 “And I thought you were in high school.” Hawks nodded. “Well then, I’m happy to keep emailing and talking. It’s nice having a friend.” The statement worried Izumi. She didn’t have friends herself but why would Keigo not have any? 

 The thoughts disturbed her for a while. How could someone not have any friends? Particularly a guy like Keigo? He was a workaholic, sure, but he was friendly and funny when you got to know him. Yet his only friend was Izumi, who was around seven years younger than him. It stressed her out, so when Tenya was allowed to come over to spend the weekend, given the slight distance between their cities, Izumi told him, horrifying the other preteen.

 “I can’t believe the Commission lied!” Tenya said in disgust as he sat next to Izumi on her living room couch. 

 “According to Keigo, he’s not too shocked,” Izumi said, grabbing some of the popcorn on the table in front of them. They were supposed to be watching TV, but Izumi just needed to get it off her chest. “Power and curiosity are deadly drugs.” She munched on the popcorn. 

 “Still!” Tenya huffed. “I’ll speak with Tensei about it and relay your worries of Hawks. Perhaps he may have advice.” 

 “Thanks, Tenya.” Izumi said. She brushed her hands off on a napkin. “What’s your opinion on the fact they’re going to be checking all of the hero polls now?” While the exact details of what occurred were not public, it had become known there was some corruption in the Commission ranks that cast some doubt on them. As a result, it led to various changes in how things would go from then on.

 “I believe it’s for the best,” Tenya said. “We discussed the rankings before, but I’ve come closer to the thought that most are simply popularity grabs that have little basis in reality.” He frowned. “Though I would argue the top three are well suited for their ranks.”

 “I’ll never say All Might doesn’t deserve number one,” Izumi agreed. “And Endeavour has a highly adaptable Quirk with a long history of all types of missions, even if he prefers combat-oriented goals over others. But the other ranks tend to feel faker. I won’t deny that some of the top ten make sense where they are. I mean, we have Wash beating out so many heroes, and his thing is soapy water! But…”

 “It’s a highly versatile Quirk. It can keep people suspended in the air while also helping remove things like muck or slime. It can trap people, knock them out and even help lift rubble.” Tenya listed. Their show came on then, and they forgot their discussion to watch the anime. A simple story of magical beings hiding out in a hero school and having to explain away their fantastical Quirks that kept coming out with weirder ways to explain it. 

 The two became engrossed enough in the show that the door opening barely startled them, Inko’s voice hardly registering.

 “Mitsuki, we are not having a meeting about this! I don’t understand why you-”

 “Come on, Inko, we all know-”

 “Oh!” a new voice joined the others, one the kids did react to. “Sorry Mrs. Midoriya, I just got off patrol and-”

 “I told you to call me Inko Ingenium.”

 “Then call me Tensei.” Tenya and Izumi traded wide looks before getting off the couch and heading to the hallway. Izumi paused, spotting the fact there were five people in the hallway. Her mom, plus Tensei (he told her to call him that, too) still in his hero uniform, but there was also the Bakugou family. They were all dressed in nice clothes, looking startled upon seeing a hero.

 “Tensei?” Tenya asked, stepping forward. “What are you doing here?” Tensei grinned.

 “Coming to see you. I’m helping out Zashi with some stuff here in Musutafu and knew you were here. Thought I’d stop in, say hi and stuff.” He nodded to Izumi who waved shyly. “What were you two up to?”

 “Watching Magical Academia,” Izumi replied. Tenya nodded, bouncing a little. 

 “Yes! It’s the newest episode!” He beamed. “It’s quite good! I’m happy Izumi showed me it!”

 “Awesome!” Tensei laughed. Bakugou Mitsuki coughed sharply.

 “Sorry, not to be rude, but what is a hero doing here?!” She looked at Tensei in confusion. 

 “Visiting my brother who is here visiting his fiancé?” Tensei asked, raising an eyebrow.

 “What?!” Kacchan asked mouth dropped wide open. “She picked him?!?” He looked at Tenya, who frowned back at him.

 “Yes, I did,” Izumi said. “I went through three hundred applicants, picked the six I thought were best and then picked Tenya.” She crossed her arms. 

 “I…” Mitsuki swallowed as Bakugou Masaru sighed. He shook his head, even as Izumi stared in surprise at Mitsuki. She’d never seen the woman look so stunned.

 “Apologies then. We’ll get out of your hair.” He said to Izumi, who simply nodded in understanding. “Katsuki-“

 “No!” The blonde boy shouted. “Why didn’t you pick me, Deku?!”

 “… why WOULD I pick you?” Izumi asked in bafflement. Kacchan opened his mouth but closed it a second later, his look matching his mother’s: stunned confusion. Masaru quickly ushered his wife and son away, apologizing to Inko once more. The green-haired woman shook her head before turning to the kids.

 “Go finish your episode. Tensei, would you like to stay for dinner?” She asked the hero.

 “If it’s no trouble.” He said.

 “None at all. Come in!” Inko motioned him inside. Izumi and Tenya went to finish their show, Tensei ducking into the bathroom to remove his uniform, leaving him in his athletic shorts and tank top. Inko went to start cooking, keeping an eye on the youngest two. 

 A part of Inko wanted to smack Mitsuki. The woman hadn’t stopped with questions about meeting to finalize things. No matter how often Inko had stressed that there would be no meeting, Mitsuki just happily bulldozed her way into obliviousness. Frankly, the entire thing made Inko worry. How could Mitsuki refuse to listen to words she didn’t like? That would be the other part of Inko, worrying over her old friend.

 “Hey, need a hand?” Tensei asked, entering the kitchen. Inko paused, torn between refusal as Tensei was a guest or accepting. “I can chop anything you need?”

 “Alright. It’s just going to be some simple stir fry, so there’s vegetables in the fridge….” Inko motioned, and Tensei went to grab said items. 

 “No! Don’t do it, Sakura!” Izumi cried out about her show.

 “That’s possibly the most ill-considered option!” Tenya said at the same time. Inko chuckled.

 “It’s good seeing him be a kid,” Tensei said softly. 

 “Because of your parents?” Inko asked quietly.

 “Yeah. I know they didn’t mean to but… but people don’t always mean to hurt others. It just happens.” Tensei shook his head. “Tenya’s had to grow up to fast; he deserves to spend time being a kid.”

 “He’s a good boy,” Inko told Tensei. “I’m happy Izumi picked him.” 

 “I’m happy she did, too,” Tensei said with a chuckle. “Not just because she’s a good kid, but I think this path will help the both of them.”

 “We can only hope,” Inko said as she checked what meat they had. “Are you in Musutafu long?”

 “Just a week. My friend, Yamada though you probably know him as Present Mic, has a case he needed extra hands-on.” Tensei explained. Inko paused.

 “...I forgot for a second you’re a pro,” she admitted. “Wow, Present Mic.” Tensei laughed.

 “Yeah. If Hizashi wasn’t such a BFG he’d probably be top ten.” Tensei shrugged. Inko gave him a puzzled look. “Ah right, BFG means… well big fucking gun. Present Mic is a heavy hitter, able to tear down buildings with his voice. Issue is that while he can do smaller stuff, too, he’s limited in versatility. You don’t wanna fight him hand to hand, but he’s not good for much else other than combat or capture.” Tensei motioned to himself. “Like me. I’m only good for capture and combat, too, as my Quirk is located in my arms, I need those free so I can run. So I can’t participate in things like rescue. Information gathering is out, too, since I can’t block my Quirk paths without being unable to use it. So I can’t hide them.”

 “Huh,” a new voice joined them. They looked to see Izumi poking her head over the couch to look into the kitchen. “That’s interesting. So is BFG the actual term?”

 “Uhhh…” Tensei looked trapped. Inko just snorted. 

 Things hadn’t changed in the sense that day-to-day life was the same for the Midoriya family, but certainly, they found themselves with much more interaction than before. Or simply just completely different interactions than before.

-0-

 After the weekend with Tenya, Izumi found herself suddenly facing off a flurry of bullying from Kacchan as the blonde boy seemed to decide Izumi was the perfect punching bag now. He worsened out of nowhere, his fists sparking as he chased the girl daily. He constantly taunted her, mocking everything about her with more intensity than before.

 “I don’t know why he’s doing this!” she said over the phone to Tenya. “He knows that using his Quirk is wrong, but he won’t stop. And the teachers don’t do anything!” not that they ever had before, but they’d make some attempt at stopping him. Now they just seemed content to let him run wild. It was so strange to Izumi.

 “That’s horrible!” Tenya said in disgust. “And you said he was your friend?”

 “He used to be,” Izumi muttered, hand going to her pocket where the friendship bracelet she made so long ago with Kacchan sat. She’d been carrying it around more, trying to remember the little boy who made her laugh and who’d play with her. 

 “Well, I hope….” Tenya hesitated. “I hope you like Soumei.” the words were feeble, Tenya not sure how to tell his true feelings. Izumi accepted the change in the discussion, not wanting to speak of Kacchan anymore. She was going to hero con with Neito that month, and Tenya was curious about the other boy. They were young enough that jealousy or worry did not affect their thoughts, rather just simple friendship being their only thought. 

 Tenya informed Izumi of his speaking about Hawks with Tensei, chatting about how his brother made a point to reach out to the younger hero. “They’re spending time together now, and I know that his friends have also spent time with Hawks.”

 “Is Tensei friends with a lot of heroes?”

 “Yes, he is! He has multiple friends from his days at UA.” Tenya said. “I only really know three, as his other friends tend to be a bit much.” Tenya sounded annoyed over the phone, and Izumi wondered what he meant by much. Loud? Rude? Either option would annoy Tenya, even if it was a bit hypocritical with his loudness. 

 The conversation continued for a while before Izumi had to hang up to do her homework. It left a smile on her face that continued until the next day. At least until Kacchan saw her and went after her, but it would be okay. It was September. She would be going to her new school in April.

 It would be okay.

-0-

 Things weren’t okay. Izumi didn’t want to admit it to anyone, too frazzled and confused as the bullying seemed to ramp up when Kacchan learned she would not be going to Aldera Middle School. Izumi spent more time hiding in the library, the nicer librarians hiding her in their backroom when needed. She emailed Tenya constantly and was given a phone when November came to keep in contact better, which led to texting. Something Kacchan seemed to hate whenever he saw her phone. 

 He tried to grab it once, but Izumi blocked him, eyes wide.

 “What are you DOING, Kacchan? If you break it, I will tell my mom who destroyed it!” that made him back off, but he seemed angrier and angrier. 

 “Break it off,” Kacchan ordered one day. He’d cornered her right outside of the library.

 “What?” Izumi asked.

 “Your fake ass engagement, break it off!” Kacchan demanded.

 “It’s not fake!” Izumi said in puzzlement.

 “Please, you just want to leave Aldera!” Kacchan snapped.

 “I could have done that with the money we got from the lawsuit,” Izumi snorted. “Mom was going to send me to Yavin.” 

 “...What?” 

 “Kacchan, I don’t understand-” Izumi shook her head, some of her curls bouncing around her face. Kacchan saw them, and a look of deep rage crossed his face, a hand going out to grab her hair. “KACCHAN!” she screamed as he let out an explosion. The library door flew open, and out stepped one of the librarians. Izumi didn’t know her name; apparently, her Quirk was connected to her name. But it was one of the nicer ones.

 “What the fu- BAKUGOU!” shouted the librarian, eyes wide. “You- LET GO OF MIDORIYA!” the woman lunged to grab the blonde, yanking him away from Izumi, who stood there, part of her hair now burnt, the smell of caramel in her nose as she shook like a leaf. “Principal’s office, NOW!” the woman said. The next few minutes were a blur. Someone came to look her over, making sure she was okay Izumi knew that. But she couldn’t tell you if it was the nurse or another teacher. Her mother was called, and when Inko arrived, she screamed at seeing her daughter standing there in shock in the principal's office. The librarian was still there, glaring at the man behind the desk, with Kacchan leaning back in his chair carelessly.

 The scream launched Izumi out of her thoughts, and she flung herself into her mother’s arms.

 “Mom!” she said. 

 “Baby!” Inko sobbed, hugging her daughter tightly. “Oh baby, what happened to your hair?!” The fact Kacchan was in the office should have been a sign, but Izumi didn’t bring it up. Instead, she just buried her face into her mother’s stomach. 

 “Your daughter provoked-” Principal Fujino said, the skinny man leaning forward.

 “She did not provoke him, you moron,” the librarian snapped in annoyance, throwing her arms up.

 “Well, why else-”

 “Because he’s a brat,” the librarian said. The door opened then to let in Bakugou Masaru. Kacchan’s easy posture lessened as he sat up straight to stare at his father.

 “Dad?”

 “I got the call and decided to come and see….” Masaru paused, staring at Izumi. “Bakugou Katsuki, what did you DO?” Masaru asked dangerously. Kacchan opened his mouth before closing it, suddenly looking stuck. Masaru continued his speech, “Because I know the only way you would have done that is by purposely grabbing her hair and setting off your Quirk. Which you KNOW not to do.”

 “Mr. Bakugou…” the principal started, but the librarian bulldozed over him. 

 “Your son has constantly been harassing Midoriya here and bullying her. Thanks to the policy, I have to toss both out of the library when I see it, but frankly, I’m tempted to outright BAN your son from it due to his behaviour.” the librarian scowled. Masaru froze before turning to Kacchan.

 “What?” 

 “Mr. Bakugou, the boy is simply teasing his fiance,” laughed Fujino.

 “He’s not her fiance.” both Inko and Masaru said. The principal froze, eyes wide.

 “What?”

 “My daughter is the fiance of Iida Tenya, the youngest child of the Iida family who currently run Iidaten,” Inko said calmly. Fujino went pale. “I trust Katsuki will be punished properly?” Kacchan looked so lost as he sat there. Izumi didn’t look at him, instead being ushered out by her mom as the principal stuttered out assurances. The Midoriya duo walked away from the office, Izumi looking back to the ground. “Are you okay, baby?” Inko asked her daughter.

 “...It’s just hair,” Izumi said honestly. “But… it hurts.” she looked up at Inko, feeling tears begin prickling in her eyes. “Not… why? Why did he do it, Mama? Why did he decide to do this? Why does he bully me?” Izumi’s tears began swarming down her cheeks as she sobbed. “It’s not fair! I didn’t do anything!” She’d never hurt Kacchan! She’s always looked up to him! He was strong and smart and always wanted to do his best! But no matter what, he just hated her. She didn’t understand!

 Izumi cried long and hard as they walked away, Inko holding her hand. Letting it out would be easier than trying to stop and wait. Midoriya’s cried long and hard after all. It was best just to walk and let it out. 

 When Izumi finished crying, they were halfway home. Inko still kept a tight grip all the way to their apartment, where they faced the worried faces of Tensei and Tenya. 

 “Boys?” Inko asked in surprise.

 “I… there’s a fight going on with our parents again. I wanted to ask if Tenya… what happened?” Tensei asked. Izumi felt the tears begin to well up again, and she sobbed. Tenya moved quickly, walking up to her to hug her awkwardly. The two had been trading some form of physical affection each time they saw each other, but it was the first time he’d fully hugged her. Izumi hugged back, dropping her mother’s hand.

 “Kacchan burned my hair! It’s so dumb! Why am I crying?!” she sobbed into Tenya’s shoulder. 

 “The kid did what?” Tensei asked. “Are you okay, Izumi?” Izumi didn’t answer; she just kept crying. Tenya held her tighter, which felt nice. Sure, Midoriyas could cry and cry while walking it off. Being held felt way better, though, making her feel like Tenya understood that she was upset and wanted to make sure she felt better. 

 Inko ushered the three inside, watching as Tenya carefully led Izumi inside, not stopping his hug. Seeing the boy treat her daughter so well made her heart warm. Especially after the recent incident at Aldera Elementary. God, it made her blood boil, walking in to see that and hearing that weasel of a principal try to blame Izumi. She wanted to rip his teeth out. But she couldn’t. No, she had to remind herself to be strong for Izumi and to help her out first. Then figure out how to murder the man.

 Tenya and Izumi sat on the couch, the girl still crying as Tensei and Inko escaped to the kitchen to speak softly. 

 “Bakugou Katsuki, the boy you met, briefly burned her hair. The principal tried to brush it off as her provoking him and then saying it was teasing his fiance. I had to clarify that he wasn’t her fiance. From the sounds of it, it’s been going on for a bit.” Inko explained.

 “What… Tenya said she was being bullied, but this?” Tensei shook his head. “Destroying hair isn’t… it’s not…” he huffed. “I don’t want to diminish what happened, and I’m not, but I’m scared he’ll escalate.”

 “Do you think he will?” Inko asked.

 “I don’t know. It’s possible.” Tensei said. “Ugh, this… this right now and mom and dad and… shit fucking hell.”

 “What’s wrong?” Inko asked. Tensei laughed bitterly, shaking his head. He looked so much older than his 26 years. 

 “What’s right? Dad wants to go back to work now, but mom is upset as hell he’s considering it. He tries to say Tenya will be fine and tries to push mom to go back, and she’s just furious he thinks that you can step in for a parental figure.” Tensei explained. “Plus, he found out WHY mom has been refusing to do omiai for me.”

 “...Oh?” Inko asked cautiously.

 “I have a boyfriend,” Tensei admitted. “...two of them.” Tensei sighed. “And I honestly do not want kids. They freak me right out. Just…” he shuddered. “I like them in small doses. And I could stand being an uncle, but being a parent? God no, that is one job I don’t want. Dad hates it, and no, he’s not against the boyfriend stuff. But he doesn’t approve of them.” Tensei ran a hand through his hair. “God, this is a mess.”

 “Tenya can stay for a while. It’s the weekend.” Inko said. “Given Izumi was attacked on site by another student, I can use that to get her to stay home for a week.”

 “Thank you,” Tensei breathed. “I… the kid, he knows where you live. Is it safe here?”

 “He’s eleven like Izumi,” Inko said. “I don’t….” Mitsuki would. She’d drag her son over to apologize, with or without Masaru’s knowing. And Katsuki would not react well to seeing Tenya. Mitsuki sure wasn’t afraid to bombard Inko with messages disparaging the boy and Izumi’s choice of him as a fiance. Inko knew the woman would eventually give up but until then… “His mother would bring him here,” Inko said. Tensei bit his lip and then nodded.

 “Alright. I’ll contact my boyfriends. They live here, I was… I was planning to move here, but then the agency and… it’s a mess.” Tensei groaned.  “No matter, I’ll contact them; they’re heroes. They can watch the place….”

 “I’m sorry for this,” Inko whispered.

 “Not your or Izumi’s fault Inko,” Tensei said. “Some people either are just born like that or are raised like that. It’s on that Katsuki kid, not you.” 

  “He’s a child, too,” Inko said.

 “That’s true, but child or not, he should know better. Especially with a Quirk that allows him to create explosions. Any counsellor worth their degree would tell him that.” Tensei said. “Or his parents should stop it.” 

 “Masaru seemed very upset,” Inko agreed quietly. But Mitsuki… Inko didn’t know about her. 

 She didn’t really know about anything.

-0-

 Tensei’s boyfriends showed up a few hours after Izumi had her crying session. Tenya held her through all of it, which made Izumi feel a bit weird. She wasn’t used to anyone but her mom being so nice to her.

 “You’re my friend,” Tenya said when she told him that, the boy baffled by her words. “Why wouldn’t I comfort you?”

 “Heroes don’t cry.”

 “Tensei cried at the beginning of that pre-Quirk movie Up,” Tenya replied.

 “HEY!” Tensei complained. “It’s a sad opening!” 

 “See, heroes cry.” Tenya sniffed. Izumi giggled, covering her mouth and ducking her head. Tenya beamed at being able to make her happy. 

 “Izumi honey, let’s fix your hair, okay?” Inko asked, seeing her daughter look happier. Izumi nodded and went over to her mom, who’d gotten out the hair styling tools. Curly hair was much harder to deal with than most other hair, and despite how far Quirks came, people still didn’t know how to handle it. So Inko usually cut her daughter’s hair or dealt with it. “What should we do with it?”

 “Dunno… could we do a bob?” Izumi asked. Inko hummed, grabbing a kitchen towel to drape over Izumi’s shoulders.

 “A curly bob might be a lot of hassle, baby,” Inko said. 

 “Well, how long can I keep it?” Izumi asked. Inko paused.

 “...curly bob it is.” she began cutting as the door rang. 

 “I’ll get it, don’t worry,” Tensei told Inko, who sighed but accepted it. He was over enough that she was okay with it. Inko went back to cutting her daughter’s hair, trying to make sure it was all equal as Tensei went to let in his partners. Izumi quietly sat there until the two people came in. One was a black-haired man wearing a grey sweatshirt and jeans, a long white scarf wrapped around his neck, while the other was a blonde in a jean jacket over a band shirt and jeans. 

 “Hizashi! Shouta!” Tenya said in surprise. “You’re dating Tensei?”

 “Are you actually that surprised?” laughed the blonde. Izumi frowned, staring at the man as he lifted his sunglasses to expose a pair of green eyes. 

 “...Present MIC?!” she squeaked, staring at him in shock. The man did a double take, eyes wide as he looked at her.

 “You recognized me that fast little listener?” he asked. Izumi opened and closed her mouth, swallowing once before she stuttered out. 

 “Your eyes are unique, and umm, Tensei mentioned knowing you once, so it wasn’t hard.” She shrugged as her mother cut more of the burned hair away. Both men watched the black-haired man’s face tightening for a second before smoothing out. 

 “Still, kid, it’s impressive,” the dark-haired man grunted. “I’m Aizawa Shouta.”

 “Yamada Hizashi,” Present Mic said with a slight bow of his head. “Thanks for letting us into your home, Mrs…”

 “Midoriya Inko,” Inko said, pausing to bow her head as well. “And thank you, given I assume Tensei told you what was going on.”

 “He did,” Aizawa said. “I don’t mind hanging around for a bit. Or even changing up patrols to include this area.”

 “Ah, I assumed you’d be a hero, too,” Inko said, checking Izumi’s hair. “Hmm, I think it’s working. We might have to make an appointment at the Cut baby.”

 “Yay,” Izumi couldn’t help the snark. “A three-hour train ride.” The Cut was the only place that could handle her hair, and it was in another prefecture- further away than Tokyo. With the bullet train being expensive, it was why Inko was usually the one doing the cutting. “You can’t do it?”

 “I’m trying, baby, but some parts are going to be a bit jagged.” Inko ran a hand through Izumi’s hair. “Not all the burnt pieces were the same.”

 “Curly hair sucks. Tell dad his genes are dumb,” Izumi announced. Inko snorted, the two sharing the private joke. Perhaps a regular kid wouldn’t be able to understand why their parents loathed each other, but Izumi did. It was something Inko took pains to explain to Izumi and something even Hisashi himself made sure to talk about. Incompatibility, forced marriage, a loss of friendship… it bred distaste and hatred. Inko never spoke to Hisashi if she could help it, barely being civil the three times he came to Japan to visit Izumi. But she tried not to let it affect Izumi. 

 “You can do that when you talk to him. I’ll warn Emily about it if she and him have a kid together.” Inko said plainly.

 “Oh, you’re divorced?” Yamada asked. Izumi winced a little. Everyone asked that when hearing about Emily.

 “Oh, no. Thanks to our marriage contract, we can't divorce without going bankrupt. Emily’s from Quebec; she doesn’t mind.” Inko shrugged. Izumi shrugged herself as Tenya shifted a little. 

 “Oh, that’s cool!” Yamada grinned. Aizawa sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Would you like anything to drink?” Inko asked, snipping a burnt lock away. “I have water, juice, coffee….”

 “Coffee, if you don’t mind,” Aizawa said as Yamada agreed. Inko nodded, snipping one last lock away.

 “Go and change your clothes, honey. Tenya, the guest room is open. Go put your things in it.” Inko said. Izumi gave her mom a confused look before looking at the adults in the kitchen. 

 “Alright, mom…” Izumi said slowly, getting off the chair to head out to her room. Tenya happily grabbed his bags, unaware of the looks the adults were trading. The kids moved to complete their tasks, Izumi making sure to change fast before darting out of her room to open the guest room. “Tenya!”

 “Izumi!” he jumped, bags open as he unpacked.

 “Come on, if we keep our voices down, we can listen in!” Izumi said softly. Tenya gave her a wide-eyed look.

 “We shouldn’t be eavesdropping!” Tenya hissed.

 “You really don’t want to know what they’re saying?” Izumi asked him softly. He opened his mouth before sighing. He couldn’t disagree, and Izumi knew what listening in unseen helped with. She certainly made sure to keep an ear out for bullies when she could. And she was curious- three pro heroes and her mom? What could they be talking about?

 “Fine,” he grumbled. The two preteens quietly left his room to lurk near the kitchen and living room entrance.

 “You patrolled here before?” Inko’s voice asked. “Really?” 

 “About… six or so years back, I was a pretty new underground hero. So I got drafted to patrol the area to watch out for attempted kidnappings.” Aizawa said. “Something about a high-interest target.”

 “...Oh,” Inko said, her voice impossibly soft.

 “Mrs. Midoriya?” Yamada asked.

 “That was when Izumi’s information was stolen and released by the nurse,” Inko said.

 “Stolen?” Tensei’s voice asked.

 “You didn’t know? I told your parents.” Inko said as Tenya looked at Izumi in confusion. She shrugged. “A nurse at the doctor’s office we went to found out Izumi can pass on stronger versions of the sire’s Quirk. She was a Quirkist who became outraged a Quirkless girl wouldn’t be having children with Quirks.”

 Izumi knew that. She did but hearing it put like that, without her mother trying to be gentle, made her stomach drop. 

 “What the fuck?” Yamada asked a bit loudly. “That’s messed up!” 

 “Indeed. More so since I couldn’t remove Izumi from the list the agency published.”

 “They published it without permission?! I saw the rules; they had to talk to a guardian!” Tensei said in shock.

 “Why do you think they have that rule? The lawsuit from me and the fact I think the medical community got wind of it… it might have ended up on the news a bit. Not much, but it did enact that new rule for them.” Inko snorted.

 “Why couldn’t you remove her name if you hadn’t given them the info?” asked Aizawa.

 “Because her name was out. Aizawa, I’m a small woman with a quirk that works on small things in my line of sight. I wouldn’t last against a villain trying to take her or some asshole with money which could have bribed the right people. Endeavour sure showed how much someone with money could do.”

 “What?!” Yamada’s voice was a squeak at the end. “Shoooo!”

 “Don’t use your Quirk.” Aizawa snapped. “Did Endeavour try something?”

 “His son was one of Izumi’s potential suitors. Shouto himself was fine, and he still emails Izumi every week despite her picking someone else. However, Endeavour tried to bribe me three times, tried to bribe the agency, and then I got a message from the HERO commission about him trying something there.” Inko snorted. “Luckily, they messed up with Hawks and Izumi, though the agent I listened to blatantly said it was a waste of power and stupid he was trying. I trust that.”

 Izumi felt her knees shake as she stood there. She hadn’t known that. She hadn’t known anything about the whole situation other than it was annoying, marrying someone she didn’t know. She hadn’t known about Endeavour or thought about her name being out there.

 Her newly short hair fluttered in the corner of her eye, making her stomach drop and the smell of burnt hair fill her nose. She’d never been attacked like that, meant to seriously hurt her. Never had anyone done that to her. Being pushed or shoved felt little compared to being attacked as she had. The entire situation felt sickening.

 “So the only reason you went along with it was because of her safety,” said Tensei softly.

 “...Aizawa, how many times did traffickers or villains show up?” Inko asked.

 “Mrs. Midoriya-”

 “Aizawa, please.”

 “... twenty times I know of.” the words made Izumi fall to the floor with a thump.

 “Izumi!” Tenya shouted, drawing the attention of the adults. Not that Izumi noticed, too busy with her panic. Twenty times at least, she was nearly taken. They had to call in a hero to keep an eye on the place. 

 She could have been stolen at any time. She could have been forced into a marriage, had social workers bribed, and removed from her mother’s house. She could have lost her mom, could have lost everything. There would have been no way to fight back.

 “Izumi-”

 “I think she’s having a panic attack-”

 “Damn it, kids-”

 Voices surrounded her, and then she found herself sitting at the dinner table. She was shaking still. The adults were looking at her in worry, and she looked back at them with wet cheeks from her silent crying during her panic attack.

 “... I could have been taken,” she whispered.

 “Could kid, not did or almost or anything, it’s could,” Aizawa said firmly. She laughed a little.

 “What difference does it make? I nearly was TAKEN. I could… god, I could have ended up a broodmare like that one American lady- except for me, it wouldn’t have been consensual!” Izumi burst out.

 “Honey! What have you been looking up?!” Inko asked in horror. The case Izumi referenced had been an American woman with a Quirk that enabled her to be pregnant for only a month. She made a living being a surrogate. There was nothing wrong with it, but it had been something Inko hid, given some comments about it and how the American government contracted her for six years straight to produce a lot of kids.

 “The teachers assigned the case,” Izumi muttered. Inko scowled, her chair creaking as it strained under a Quirk yanking at all the little pieces.

 “I’m going to have WORDS with them,” she growled.

 “I wouldn’t be able to fight back,” Izumi said. They’d given the lessons back to the Commission in exchange for money after the reveal, nervous about using it. It meant they struggled to find someone to teach Izumi, though. “I-”

 “It’s not would, kid,” Aizawa said. “And it won’t be will either.” He took a drink from his coffee. “You wanted us to watch the kids, right, Tensei?”

 “Just while mom threatens dad, yeah,” the speed hero admitted. Tenya winced slightly but kept silent, staring at his friend in worry.

 “Well then, you’ll have a sparring partner for a while, but we’ll make do after.” the erasure hero grinned at the surprised looks. “Hey, the kid wants to be a hero. I think it’ll be hilarious to see people when they realize she’s kicking their ass without a Quirk.”

 “..Thank you,” Izumi whispered. The man gave a single nod.

 “Don’t mention it, kid.” Aizawa grinned as Yamada smirked.

 “It is going to be hilarious.” the voice hero agreed. Izumi felt hope hearing that, and a smile slowly began growing as Tenya started rambling about workout plans, and Tensei stared at his boyfriends dopily. Things were going to get brighter.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Notes: 

-I wanted this out of the way. No we’re not getting a huge scene in any route but the Hawks one. Mostly cause like… there’s no point in doing so since other then being an email buddy and now Tensei’s friend Hawks won’t show up to much. 

-The original chapter had Izumi quickly going to her new school which I decided didn’t make sense because she’s still in the middle of her last year of elementary. So instead she stays in Aldera. 

-And Bakugou lashes out. Yay. Look, this guy has an entire ‘backstory’ plotted out for himself that he relies on constantly. You can’t tell me he wouldn’t lash out in anger if it ever ends up being threatened.

-I tend to vary a bit with Mituski and Masaru and their raising of Bakugou. In this version, Mitsuki was raised to be a trophy wife, but she ended up flourishing as a model and made it her own. She had her goals and met them, her life planned out and it happened. So for her, Katsuki should also get the life he wanted and how they both wanted it. Masaru though is much more aware and knows that Katsuki needs to grow up. It’s just he’s a bit stuck because he loves his wife and son, and wants them to both get what they want. It’s just… yeah. 

-The principal not knowing is a mix of me going: why would they tell the teachers, rumours being spread by Katsuki and Mituski, and simply they don’t think she would pick anyone else.

-Izumi breaking down about her hair over the rest is more because while I fully think Bakugou has used his Quirk on Izuku in canon and he does so here, I don’t actually think it left scars. But destorying her hair? That was a shock to her.

-I didn’t really do much with the Iida family in the previous version, but here I am trying to display a dysfunctional family. Time will tell where I go with this.

-Originally, I was going to cut the Eraser/Mic/Tensei pairing because it didn’t work but I kept it in here because it gives me a reason why Tensei isn’t being pushed into an arranged marriage himself. 

-One of the biggest issues I’ve ranted about before on my tumblr with gender being/cis swap characters is that they don’t ACTUALLY take the time to sit down and think how different the socialization would be. So with that in mind I also realized while plotting stuff that each route would end up with a different personality for Izumi. Sort of: at her core it’s still Midoriya Izuku the hero nerd who wants to save everyone. But like… socialization. It changes people. Why am I ranting about this here? Cause of the bob cut. This will be the only fic where she gets one. Just something I wanted to toss out. It’s also fun to try and keep characters still their own canon character while adding in bits and pieces to show how the new world shaped them. Delicate balance. 

-When plotting this, I discovered that Musutsafa is in a prefecture two hours away from Tokyo, which is said to have IidaTen’s agency in it. Now, I’m Canadian- a two hour drive one way and a two hour drive back is a day trip for myself. I assume it’s for them to. Though it makes me wonder about Tenya and where he lives cause sure, a two hour drive isn’t a big deal for me (and I used to drive and hour and thirty minutes to work and back each day when I was working 12 hours watching an abandoned gas plant) but for a teenager who is training to be a hero? That would be MURDER. Then I learned about bullet trains and realized: oh he probably takes that. Problem solved. (Transit is trash in my city and I only use it on weekends because there’s a cute coffee shop near a train station)

 “... Tenya.” Izumi said. “He’s funny even if he’s stiff, and he knows a lot about heroes. He listens to me, and even their agency took my advice. So I think he’s the one I’d prefer out of them all to marry.” 

 “You sure?” Inko asked seriously. “Honey, this will end up like me and your dad; a marriage you can’t get out of at all.”

 “I know,” Izumi said, frowning at the file in her hand before putting it down. “Tenya’s nice and likes listening. He stumbles a bit when he’s talking, I think… I really do think he’s the best choice.” 

 “Well then, baby, let’s send them a message.” Inko smiled at Izumi. “Will the others be okay with it?”

 “I think so…” Izumi frowned. “They all said they would be.”

 “Well then, there’s no need to worry. You can still be their friend!” Inko grinned at Izumi, who gave a soft smile back. She hoped so.

-0-

 Tenya honestly did not believe Izumi would pick him. While he treasured his friendship with her, he did not expect her to view him as an option. Too stiff, too obedient, and a fun sucker were the common complaints about him from his peers. 

 He wished for her to pick him. Izumi was kind and intelligent, a bright flame that would burn long. Her sense of justice, her mind creating new things, how could he not want her to pick him?

 But Tenya knew better. She wouldn’t pick him, not when others were more fun or interesting to spend time with. Nevertheless, he still wished to be her friend and would not back down from her friendship. 

 However, walking into the kitchen to find his parents beaming one day, he was told differently than his thoughts.

 “Izumi picked you,” his mother told him gently. 

  He hadn’t expected it. Hadn’t thought it possible. But she had. 

 He would make sure that she wouldn’t regret it. He would help her reach her dreams of heroics and enable her to become the great hero he knew she could be!

 She picked him, him! He would make sure it was worth it.

-0-

  The meeting to agree on the contract occurred at the For the Future agency, with Haruno presiding over the agreement. Inko and Izumi sat across from the Iida family, no lawyers involved yet. Both had agreed with the preliminary contracts they drew up and felt it would be simple to agree to things together.

 “I don’t have an issue with this part,” Inko said, pointing at a paragraph. “But I would argue that Izumi would also be expected to go to University if she is not a hero at this time. Also, being pregnant in university isn’t a great idea.”

 “You and my wife can hit me for this, but if she is not a hero when she’s twenty-one, then why not have children as soon as possible.” Iida Tomomi said to Inko.

 “You don’t think she can be a hero?” Inko asked dangerously.

 “I don’t know,” Tomomi argued. “We won’t know until she’s that age. I have no issues with a Quirkless hero, but the fact is she might not-”

 “Tomomi,” Kin said, giving her husband a nasty look. He rolled his eyes but fell silent anyway. “What he means is this is a worst-case scenario. If she is a hero, we have another part asking for a child by age twenty-five.” Inko nodded, looking at the contract closely. Izumi and Tenya traded wide-eyed looks before quickly glancing away. Izumi just learned where babies came from! She didn’t want to think about that!

 Ingenium snorted, and a sharp sound came from under the table. He gave Tenya a pout as the younger scowled. “Mean Tenya.” Ingenium muttered.

 “Knock it off!” Tenya hissed at him. The parents ignored the two boys. Even Inko refocused on arguing about some of the contract. Izumi just giggled, smiling at Tenya shyly. He copied her, only kicking Ingenium again when the man made kissing noises.

 “Should your husband be here?” Kin asked after a few more arguments.

 “Hisashi is a Quirk scientist currently in Atlantis,” Inko said simply, looking at the contract in front of her. “He and I were arranged as well, except neither of us had a choice. I’m aromantic and asexual, making it worse for me.” she hummed, circling something on the page. “We can’t get divorced, so we live apart. He has little say in Izumi’s life. Hence why I would like to remove this part. We don’t know if either of them is attracted to the other.” she tapped on the contract. “Allowing a boyfriend or girlfriend on the side is the best option.”

 “Emily is nice,” Izumi mused. “Dad’s girlfriend,” she explained to Tenya. “I think I mentioned her to you.”

 “You did,” he agreed. “Do you see her often?”

 “Oh no. Dad is usually out of contact, and Emily might not care at all about him being married, but it’s weird, you know?” Izumi asked. “She’s from the Quebec island, so she’s really chill with it and totally fine with me not knowing how to refer to her.” 

 “Really? That sounds fascinating!” Tenya said. The parents looked at one another, and Kin nodded.

 “Scrap the infidelity part, then. Unless it is done in secret without the other’s knowledge, I mean.”

 “Agreed, an actual affair is disgusting,” Inko said. She made the corrections. Haruno sipped her tea. “Something wrong?” Inko asked the agent.

 “What? Oh no. This is easily the simplest job I’ve ever had.” Haruno waved her hand. “Keep going!” The parents looked at one another as the kids snickered before getting back to business.

 “You said you were thinking of sending Izumi to Yavin?” Kin asked.

 “Yes, I was,” Inko agreed. 

 “We can afford to send her to Soumei,” Tomomi suggested. “Keeping her and Tenya close would build their bond and give her a much more prestigious education.”

 “I see,” Inko hummed. “Agreed for that; it would allow her a better education. And you will pay for everything?”

 “Of course,” Kin said. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before pointing at the contract. “I would also like to stress that this contract can be broken if either party becomes abusive. Not that I think so….”

 “But better safe than sorry.” Inko nodded. The rest of the meeting went smoothly, and they had a new contract by the end of the day, thanks to Haruno. With the contract there, the parents took one more time to speak to their children.

 “Are you sure about this, Izumi?” Inko asked her daughter. Izumi nodded.

 “I am,” she agreed. 

 Across the room, Kin looked at her son seriously. “Tenya, if you don’t want this, you can back out. We messed up as parents, and this offer was made before we realized what we did,” she told her youngest. Tomomi winced, looking down at his hands. Tenya shook his head.

 “No, I do,” he said. He had never been picked before. Not for being himself. Izumi may have chosen his family for their connections, but he knew she had other people who had more as her suitors. She still picked him, Tenya, over them. He’d been chosen.

 He would never say no to that.

 With the children still in agreement, the contract was signed to make it official. Midoriya Izumi and Iida Tenya would marry at age nineteen. 

 The two kids traded a hopeful smile, ready for the start of their lives.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Notes:

-With removing the emails from the beginning, the old chapter 1 and 2 were kind of collapsed into one chapter.

-I want to be clear that this is ONE path. I do plan on doing all of the others to. 

-Hisashi and Inko also you know HATE each other so… yeah him hanging around often isn’t something she likes.