Chapter 45: Dancing in the Moonlight
"Izuku Midoriya! Open up! This is the police!" a voice shouted through the door to his hotel room, accompanied by a lot of loud pounding on the wooden barrier.
Like any sane person, Izuku normally would've been highly alarmed at this turn of events. However, in this specific case, he was more confused than anything.
Mainly because he recognized the voice barking at him from the hallway outside his room.
Going to the door, he opened it, and found himself face-to-face with Ashido. The pink girl was standing with her arms crossed and her feet slightly spread apart. She wore dark aviator sunglasses and had a lollipop in her mouth, with the stick poking out from between her lips superficially resembling a cigarette. The way the candy caused her cheek to bulge out spoiled the already tenuous effect, though.
Slightly behind her and to the side, Hagakure was standing in a similar pose, judging from the position of her clothes. She also had dark sunglasses on, Izuku noted.
"Police?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.
"That's right. Fashion police!" Ashido nodded, producing an obviously plastic badge that proclaimed her to be a member of the very unofficial law enforcement agency. "And we're here for a surprise inspection!"
"…what?" he asked.
"We understand you're going to attend a formal functional tonight, Mr. Midoriya," Hagakure put in. She was clearly trying to sound stern but was just as obviously struggling not to start giggling. "We're going to need to inspect your planned attire and see if it passes muster."
Izuku blinked. "What?" he asked again.
"Show us what you plan to wear to the party tonight, Midoriya," Ashido ordered, flatly.
The invisible girl's slightly flowery language before hadn't been the source of his confusion, but he decided not question the two girls further and just go along with it. It seemed clear they weren't about to explain why they were doing this, anyway.
"Uh, okay."
He opened the small closet in his hotel room and withdrew his brown, pinstriped suit and the pale yellow dress shirt he intended to wear beneath it.
"Oh, god," Ashido recoiled at sight, completely dropping her fake cop persona for a moment.
"Wow," Hagakure added.
"What?" Izuku asked, caught somewhere between nervous and defensive.
"It's even worse than I was afraid of," the horned girl said, seemingly speaking more to herself than him.
"Do you even have dress shoes to go with…this?" the invisible girl asked.
"Uh, no," he admitted. "I was just planning on wearing my sneakers. Most shoes are really uncomfortable for me."
He left it unsaid that this was because he had the double toe joint that marked him as Quirkless.
"That's it!" Ashido proclaimed, raising a finger skyward. "This is a full-fledged fashion emergency! We're taking you out to get you a proper outfit for this occasion!" She grabbed hold of his wrist and started trying to pull him toward the door.
"Wait, what?!" Izuku yelped. "I can't just go out and buy a new suit!"
There actually was time to go out and get one; Iida had been very insistent that they give themselves plenty of time to get ready for the big reception. Indeed, everyone had thought the amount of prep time he wanted them to have was absurdly excessive, but he'd eventually worn them down (ignoring Jirou's teasing questions about whether he showed up to movies an hour early to avoid missing any of the previews the whole time) and convinced them to return to the hotel hours before they needed to head out for the party.
Still, he certainly hadn't planned on buying much more than souvenirs and food while he was here. Izuku certainly hadn't counted on having to buy something as expensive as a formal suit!
Ashido seemed to practically read his mind and quickly produced a plastic card. "Don't worry about it!" she said. "We've got it covered!"
"I can't ask you to buy me a suit!" Izuku said, mortified by the idea of the girls purchasing him something so expensive.
"Don't worry about it, Midoriya. Yaomomo gifted a crazy amount of 'walking around' money to us girls who don't get to go to the expo itself," Hagakure chimed in, producing her own card. "We can get you some new duds and still have plenty of cash for the rest of the trip!"
"I don't know…" he said, still reluctant.
"Well, I do!" Ashido said. "Now, no time for waiting around! Let's go and find us a shop where we can get you a new outfit!"
Finally giving in, Izuku allowed himself to be dragged out of his room by the two girls.
"God damn it, you assholes, could you possibly be any slower?!" Bakugo snarled as he precariously stacked another clean dish on the pile that was waiting to be dried.
He was going to absolutely murder Jacks the next time he saw her off this damned island, he decided. There was no doubt in his mind she'd deliberately been giving him more and more shit in an attempt to make him explode; she'd practically fallen out laughing when he'd finally lost it and then gotten chewed out by the manager.
That by itself was enough to make him want to kill her, but now he was stuck in the damned kitchen scrubbing an endless amount of dishes to work off all the plates he'd destroyed during the incident, when he should be out there, finding the truth about Deku and finally exposing the worthless little shit as the complete fraud that he was!
Just thinking about it made him want to blow more shit up, and only the fact that doing it would mean digging himself deeper into his current hole kept him from doing it. Deku was out there, still getting away with his elaborate fraud and making people think he was worth something—worth more than him, the rightful future number one hero—without anyone working on bringing down the whole house of cards on him. All because Jacks had needed to be a total bitch the moment the opportunity presented itself!
God, he couldn't wait until he finally—
"All right, that's it."
Bakugo jerked out of his silent seething and automatic dish washing to look at the Lightning Dolt. "What?" he spat out, more confused than anything else.
"We said we'd help you work off the debt after you destroyed all those plates, because Jirou wasneedling you," the electric boy said, gesturing to himself and Mineta. "But if you're going to be a complete asshole to us the entire time, you can forget it."
Bakugo actually had to stop and mentally replay the last few seconds to even figure out what the stupid doofus had his panties in a twist about.
"Are you really pissed off about that?!" he demanded.
He hadn't even given it a second thought when he'd snapped at him; it was the sort of thing he said all the time without anyone getting pissy about it.
"It's not just that," Dunce Face retorted. "You've been talking to us like that this whole time, and we're sick of it!"
The explosive blond gave the two of them an incredulous look. "Are the two of you really such sensitive little pansies that you're bent out of shape about such minor shit?" he asked.
Dunce Face scowled at him. "Yeah," he said, like that was a completely reasonable attitude to have. "I am. We don't need you to kiss our butts, but if you're just going to give us crap the whole time we're trying to help you, then you can do this yourself. Me and Mineta can get back to actually enjoying our time on the island when we're not on the clock." He added, taking off the apron he was wearing and tossing it into a corner.
The Grape Shit was apparently in agreement, considering he also removed his apron.
"Wait, you two assholes can't just leave me here with all of this!" Bakugo growled. "I won't have time to do anything else before we leave the island if I have to do it alone!"
He'd lose any chance he had to try to find out who'd provided Deku's mysterious piece of super support gear! The worthless nerd would continue to get away with it, and Bakugo would have come to the damned island so he could toil away as a dishwasher like some useless extra and then go home!
That wasn't the kind of thing that was supposed to be part of the future number one hero's origin story!
"Well, you should've thought of that before you decided to be a complete prick to us while we were trying to give you a hand," Dunce Face said as he walked out the door.
"Seriously," Grape Shit added. "I can take a lot of abuse, but even I have my limits."
Bakugo released a small explosion and the little shit let out a squeak of terror and rushed out of the room, following Dunce Face.
Leaving the explosive blonde all alone with a mountain of dirty dishes.
Bakugo scowled murderously then went back to the task with an angry fervor.
He was going to murder Jacks the next time he had the chance.
"Everything okay in there, Midoriya?" Tooru called teasingly through the door of the men's changing room.
"J-Just fine!" the hero student stammered. "I should be out in just a minute."
"Take your time, Midoriya," Ashido added. "We're not in that much of a rush."
The task of getting the boy getting proper shoes had taken them longer than the two girls had bargained for, with Midoriya reporting that every pair they told him to try on pinched his feet enough to be extremely uncomfortable.
Thankfully, they were in a super high tech place where people were allowed to use their Quirks freely, and they were armed with an absurd amount of cash (seriously, either Yaoyorozu felt really bad over not being able to give them all tickets to the actual I-Expo, or she did not have a very good grasp on how much money was worth). They had been able to find a cobbler who specialized in rush jobs, and he'd managed to make Midoriya a pair of bespoke dress shoes in less than an hour.
The invisible girl was still curious about the significant look that that cobbler and Midoriya had exchanged over the hero student's feet being wider than normal near the toes. It had been weird, but she couldn't imagine how the size of someone's feet being slightly outside the norm could be so significant.
In any case, the task of getting the rest of a formal outfit for Midoriya was proving much simpler; the only obstacle they needed to deal with there was the boy's atrocious fashion sense, and he was mercifully willing to accept their advice, at least on what to wear to a formal occasion like the I-Expo reception.
It would be a little closer than they'd initially expected, but all in all it seemed like they'd have little trouble ensuring that Midoriya looked nice when Yaoyorozu confessed to him.
Kind of surprising that Yaomomo's going for him,Tooru mused as she waited for Midoriya to finish changing.
Given how beautiful (and wealthy, it had to be said) the class rep was, Tooru would've expected her to end up with a really handsome guy, like Todoroki, rather than someone as plain looking as Midoriya.
Thinking about it a bit more, she supposed it wasn't that much of a surprise, really. Todoroki might be good looking, but he was so distant and stand offish all the time, she could see how that would come off as unattractive despite the handsome face.
Plus, he had a really powerful Quirk but always seemed to under perform when it truly mattered, not unlike Bakugo, really. When the rubber met the road, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu were the ones who were always winning and taking down terrifying villains like they were nothing.
Considering the class rep attributed a lot of her successes to Midoriya's help with better utilizing her Quirk, and how sweet and friendly he always was, she supposed it wasn't a huge shock that even a total catch like Yaoyorozu was interested in him.
The door to the changing room opened then, and Midoriya stepped out, dressed in the suit that she and Ashido had meticulously picked out for him.
"So, how is it?" he asked bashfully.
Tooru's lips pursed in appreciation, abruptly recalling the day that Midoriya had aggressively told off Mineta for his plan to peep into the girls' locker room and the spark of attraction she'd felt for him then.
Suddenly Yaoyorozu's desire to confess to Midoriya didn't seem mysterious at all.
"You look good, Midoriya," she said, getting a ferocious blush out of him.
He was lucky that the class rep wasn't the type to tease.
"I'm still not sure about that All Might thing," Ashido remarked, scrutinizing the pin by the breast pocket of his suit jacket.
"Eh, let him have it," Tooru countered. "It shows some of his personality without totally derailing the outfit or anything."
He was a giant fanboy, and everyone knew it, after all.
"Fair enough," Ashido shrugged. "What do you think, Midoriya?"
He looked vaguely surprised at being asked, the invisible girl noted. She really hoped it was just from being a typical guy when it came to clothes and fashion and usually not having an opinion so far as that went, and not from being accustomed to people not caring about his opinion in general as a result of everyone thinking he was Quirkless when he was a kid.
"I still don't see what was wrong with my original suit," he remarked.
Tooru took advantage of her forever unseen status and allowed herself to make a face at the memory of that fashion abomination.
"But this does look nice," he finished.
"Well, all right!" Ashido cheered. "Then let's get this suit purchased and get back to the hotel!"
Back in Tokyo, the pro hero known as Slugger was doing his patrols, making sure to keep his expression upbeat and his exterior disposition sunny as he greeted civilians and made his way through the bustling streets.
He had friends who had gone the underground hero route, and they thought it was silly to worry about such things, but any good spotlight hero knew that civilians would pick up on any disquiet or fear that the local pros displayed and would become afraid in response, believing something was wrong. That was why as a pro he always needed to project confidence.
Even if it wasn't an accurate reflection of what he was actually feeling.
He had been one of the pro heroes who'd responded to the ooze villain incident roughly a year ago. It hadn't damaged his career much, if only because most people hadn't even noticed he'd been there, what with bigger names having shown up; nobody would remember ol' Slugger when Kamui Woods, Death Arms, Mt Lady, and of course, freaking All Might were also there.
Still, he remembered that he'd been there.
Unlike most of the heroes there, who'd been upset at the reckless kid for making his suicidal attempt to rescue the boy who'd been grabbed by the ooze monster, Slugger had immediately felt ashamed at seeing a scrawny teenager stepping forward to do what the pros on the scene should've done, despite the danger.
Afterwards, though, he had resolved to do better in the future but had otherwise put the whole thing largely out of his mind.
Then he'd watched the UA Sports Festival.
It hadn't entirely been a shock to see that Bakugo kid there, but he'd been bowled over to see the green-haired one who'd charged in to save him was competing in it as well. Midoriya, his name was. Not only had he been there, he'd won the whole damn thing, showing off an incredible Quirk he'd displayed no hint of having during the ooze monster incident.
The Bakugo kid's performance had been middling in comparison, but he'd still managed to make it to the third and final event of the festival, and as a UA hero student, Slugger felt safe in assuming he most likely had a promising career as a pro hero ahead of him.
Knowing he'd stood by while one bright future hero almost died in the course of trying to save another hit harder than the initial failure had.
These days, Slugger found himself caught between a need to redouble his efforts at being a pro hero and questioning if he even deserved to be one at all.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a low groan coming from an alleyway off the street he was walking down.
Slugger's first thought was to assume it was a homeless person in there, waking up and feeling the effects of whatever substances they'd consumed the previous night. The neighborhood he was in was fairly upscale with few vagrants around most of the time, but it would hardly be the craziest thing that had ever happened.
Still, there was a chance there was someone in distress there. Regardless of whether they were homeless, Slugger had to render assistance if it was needed.
"Hello?" he called as he walked into the alleyway, not wanting to startle whoever was there. "Do you need help?"
Another low groan sounded from behind a large dumpster inside the alley.
Slugger felt his hackles rise but quickly suppressed them. Nothing ever happened around his patrol route, and besides, why should he suspect anyone would be about to attack him, anyway? Nobody would ever put any effort into setting up an ambush for a nobody like ol' Slugger.
He rounded the dumpster, and the young man who'd been standing behind it struck with the speed of a viper, grabbing him and pulling him behind the trash receptacle, then slamming him against the wall.
Half-forgotten combat training drove him to action, but it was already too late. He felt a hand close around his neck, and suddenly pain flared there, and oh God, of shit, he couldn't breathe—
"Sorry," a voice rasped out. "I don't have a beef with you personally, hero. You're just a casualty in my little war. I need heroes and NPCs alike to realize they're not safe. Never safe."
Oh damn, this was Shigaraki, Slugger realized. The man-brat who was allegedly the head honcho of the League of Villains and he declared himself the heir of Stain. And oh damn it, the guy had a disintegration Quirk; his windpipe was probably gone by now, but he had to do something, he was a pro hero, but what could he do…?
"A fun little thing I realized from watching the Hero Killer: you don't actually need to murder too many members of a group before all of them start looking over their shoulder for you, fearing you," Shigaraki remarked. "So, thank you, hero, for advancing the League's cause."
Slugger wanted to say something defiant or at least curse the man who'd killed him with his final words, but he had no breath left. The pro's vision faded, and he knew no more.
"So, how do I look?" Momo asked as she emerged from the bedroom in her formal attire.
She had a large suite at the hotel, while the other girls had still nice but relatively modest, adjoining rooms. The class rep had left the doors which connected the other rooms to the living room of her suite open, basically turning said living room into a common room between them all.
At the moment, it was host to some girls dressed for a formal function and others attired much more casually.
For the I-Expo reception, the raven-haired girl had chosen a flowing, pale yellow-green gown, along with a gold choker, elaborate hair ornament, and white shoes with a short heel.
She hoped she looked elegant.
Of course, as the child of an extremely wealthy family, Momo was no stranger to formal functions, and normally she wouldn't have given her dress another thought at this point. However, given what she planned to do tonight, everything seemed much more high stakes than usual, and it felt harder to be certain of anything.
"You look very nice," Uraraka smiled at her, the brunette looking adorable herself in the pink dress she'd borrowed from Momo.
Ashido appraised her with a critical eye. "You might want to go with something that shows more cleavage," the horned girl remarked bluntly.
"Ashido!" Jirou snapped.
"Hey, she's trying to get her man! She needs to entice him! And she's got plenty to do it with! You know what they say: if you've got it, flaunt it!" the pink girl retorted.
"Eh, I think it's fine," Hagakure said.
"Thank you," Jirou said.
"Midoriya's seen her in hero costume all the time, not to mention her workout clothes. He knows what she's got," Hagakure added, and the waggling of the invisible girl's eyebrows was practically audible.
Asui's tongue lashed out, smacking first Ashido and then Hagakure on the back of the head, getting surprised yelps from the two of them.
"Knock it off, you two," the girl with the frog Quirk commanded. "She's planning to confess to Midoriya, not Mineta."
A collective shudder ran through the girls present at the notion.
Asui turned her attention to Momo. "Don't let these two make you nervous," she said. "You look gorgeous, and besides, you could wear an old rice sack and I'm sure Midoriya would still think you were the most beautiful girl in the room. Any room."
"Thank you, Tsu," Momo said, mustering a small smile.
She wished she was as completely confident of Midoriya's feeling as the others all seemed to be. Her rational brain told her that Uraraka had probably been correct when she'd said that it was just that confessing to someone would always be nerve wracking, but it was difficult to keep her mind from whispering doubts and offering up disaster scenarios as to how this night could go.
It was almost enough to make her want to abandon her plan. Indeed, she would've been sorely tempted to do just that, if not for the fact that she was increasingly unable to find herself thinking of little else when she was around Izuku.
Well, that and the fact that she dearly hoped that confessing to Izuku would at least decrease the frequency of her having that dream where she encountered him as he was leaving the gym and he peeled off his shirt, then started moving in slow motion as he shook out his hair, his muscles glistening with sweat in the morning light.
It wasn't an unpleasant dream by any means, but it was starting to impair her ability to get a good night's sleep.
"Are you okay, Yaomomo?" Uraraka asked. "You look a little flushed."
"Just fine," Momo was quick to reassure her, somehow managing to sound reasonably calm.
"If you two are ready, we should probably go," Jirou said. "You know Iida will never let us hear the end of it if we're late, especially after he pestered us into coming back to the hotel extra early to get ready."
Momo raised a hand to cover her mouth as she giggled. "A fair point," she allowed. "We should go."
"Have a good time, ladies," Ashido said. "The rest of us are going to that super duper IMAX theater here on the island to take in a movie, but we'll back before you are, so you'd better be ready to tell us all about tonight!"
The heiress bid them goodbye without remarking on that, departing along with Jirou and Uraraka. A car she'd called earlier was waiting outside the hotel for them, and the trio of students climbed in, quickly arriving at tower at the very center of I-Island, where the reception was being held.
"The security in this place is insane," Jirou remarked as high tech scanners outside one of the doors to the tower swept blue light over them.
"The island is home to all kinds of technology that any villain would love to have," Momo pointed out. "And the tower is the nerve center of the whole place."
"It's still weird," Jirou said. "This place feels like it's part Tomorrow Land, part amusement part, and part Tartarus prison."
The doors whooshed open before Momo or Uraraka could reply, and the three young women stepped into the lobby.
"Ah, you're here!" Iida said at once. "I was afraid you were going to be tardy!"
"Iida," Izuku gently chastised him.
Momo turned to look at him and swallowed, feeling a bit of heat rising in her cheeks. Izuku looked very nice in a dark suit that complimented his athletic physique. The jacket had green buttons that matched the for-once neatly knotted necktie he wore. She smiled at the sight of the little All Might pin he had on one of his breast pockets.
She used to understand why her female classmates mostly felt Izuku was plain looking, but at the moment it was a total mystery to her.
"It would've been difficult to be late, with how much time we had to prepare," she was distantly aware of Uraraka giggling. "Though Jirou certainly tried. She was feeling shy about getting dressed up."
The violet haired girl chuckled nervously. "This is fancier than anything I've ever worn before," she said, idly gripping her jacks in her hands. "It feels less like I'm dressed up and more like I'm wearing a costume."
"I kind of know how you feel," Uraraka giggled. "I've never worn something like this before. I had to borrow a gown from Yaomomo."
"You look great, Uraraka. You too, Jirou. Your dress really suits you," Midoriya said. He turned to look at Momo and stopped short, face reddening at his gaze quickly swept up and down her form. He swallowed. "Momo, you look, um…wow."
"Thank you," she said, voice a little higher than normal despite her best efforts to maintain her composure. "You're looking very handsome."
"Th-thanks," he replied bashfully.
Momo tried to ignore the certainty that Uraraka and Jirou were trading smirks.
"We should get to the reception," Iida pointed out. "Assembling here in the lobby on time will be meaningless if we're still late because of how long we loiter here."
Jirou sighed. "It's a party, not an exam," she said. "But you're right, we should get going."
The five students boarded one of the tower's many express elevators, which, after scanning them all again, obediently took them to the floor where the reception was occurring.
"Oh wow," Jirou breathed as they stepped into the enormous room, which was bustling with a combination of finely dressed, important looking people and pro heroes in full costume.
"Whoa, look at that spread," Uraraka said, gazing wide-eyed at the long tables laden with platters of gourmet food.
"Oh wow! There's so many amazing pro heroes from all over the world here!" Izuku exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement.
The hero student suddenly produced his notebook from…somewhere, and made a beeline toward the nearest pro, clearly keen on getting as many autographs as possible.
Jirou learned over toward Momo. "An unforeseen flaw in the plan?" she whispered teasingly.
"Hush," the raven haired heiress replied. "This isn't a surprise. I knew there would be a lot of international heroes here. There's plenty of time for him to get his autographs. Besides, I'm glad to see him so excited." She added, looking fondly at the young man.
The punk rocker smiled. "I see," she said. "Well, good luck. I'll be rooting for you, but in the meantime, I'm going to go check out the buffet tables."
Momo nodded, then waited patiently while an excited Izuku practically bounced around the room, eagerly asking the collection of pro heroes from all over the world who were there to sign his notebook.
It was nice, she decided, to see him so happy. As much of a hero fan as he was, he was hardly in a perpetual state of excitement over it. Most of the time he was cheerful enough, but there was a seriousness about him. She admired the dedication he had toward his goal of becoming a pro hero, but she knew that part of the mentality came from being Quirkless and long accustomed to knowing he'd have to work as hard as possible if he ever wanted to have any chance at all. It was what made the moments when he was so excited that he forgot about that all the more precious.
A spotlight suddenly illuminated a man in a tuxedo on a short stage at the far side of the massive room. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to I-Expo's opening night reception, we hope you enjoy yourselves!" he proclaimed. "Now, I've been informed that we have Star and Stripe, the number one hero from the USA, here with us tonight! I was hoping we could get her to say a few words!"
"Whoa, Star and Stripe is here?" Izuku breathed.
Sure enough, America's number one hero approached the stage, clad in her red, white, and blue hero costume. It was easy to see her now that they were looking for her; the pro was nothing short of Amazonian in both height and musculature. Only the massive size of the hall they were in and the number of other people present had allowed her to escape immediate notice to begin with.
"Thank you, very much," she said, accepting the microphone. "I'm not much for big speeches, and I'm sure you don't want to listen to me ramble all night."
There was a smattering of polite laughter, which was nearly drowned out by the heroine's own boisterous chuckles.
"So, I'll just keep it short," she continued, "and say that the work the scientists here at I-Island do benefits heroes all over the world. My master, All Might, used to say that his first sidekick and support technician was his hero, and that's an attitude and a level of appreciate that I wish more pro heroes had. More than that, though, the advances you make here eventually benefit all mankind. So all of you who make it possible for I-Island to reach for the stars on all our behalf, you have my gratitude!"
There was a round of applause and the huge heroine stepped off the stage.
"Wow, I had no idea she'd be here tonight," Izuku remarked to Momo, gazing over at the burly woman, who was now chatting with a young, much smaller blonde in a blue dress. "Do you think it would be weird to go and ask her for an autograph?"
"I'm not sure," Momo replied.
She was hardly unfamiliar with fancy parties where multiple pro heroes might be in attendance, but this was clearly a bit different from those, both in the location and the fact that most of the heroes present with in costume. Her instincts told her it would be a social faux pas but…
"To be honest, I wouldn't mind getting her autograph myself," the heiress confessed.
She wasn't nearly as much of a hero fan as Izuku, but nobody went into the hero course at UA because they disliked heroes, and it wasn't every day she encountered the number one hero of another major nation.
Momo and Izuku were still mulling it over when Star and Stripe gazed their way, apparently having realized she was being watched.
The raven-haired young woman was ready to apologize for rudely staring at her, but the massive heroine smiled broadly at the pair of them and approached, leaving the relatively petite woman she'd been speaking with.
"Hey, I recognize you two!" she said. "You came in first and second place in the UA Sports Festival, correct?"
"I…yes, that's us," Momo said, taken aback at being recognized. "I never would've imagined the number one hero from the US would watch the UA Sports Festival."
Star and Stripe laughed. "Normally, I don't, I admit," she said. "But when I heard my master was teaching at UA, I made sure to watch it. Your final match was extremely impressive! You certainly showed the world that the heroes of tomorrow aren't lacking ingenuity or power!" she punctuated her statement by flexing one arm, showing off a muscle the size of Momo's head.
"Thank you," Momo said, feeling her face warm. "It's an honor to have someone like you acknowledge us."
"Can I have your autograph?" Izuku suddenly blurted out.
Star and Stripe laughed. "Sure, you both can, but only if I can have yours, too!"
It was clear from the look on his face that Izuku's mind was completely blown by her wanting such a thing, and Momo had to hold back a giggle at how utterly gob smacked he looked.
However, with an autograph on the line, Izuku forced himself out of his stupor quickly, producing his notebook for Star and Stripe to sign while Momo created some paper for herself and the blond heroine.
They quickly swapped signatures, then took a quick selfie together.
"That was fun," Star and Stripe said, grinning. "But I'll leave you two to your date now. Please tell my master that I said hello, and that his students are most impressive!"
Momo and Izuku both flushed, but neither one managed to correct America's number one hero before she walked off.
"…do you think she actually managed to read the gossip about us, or that she just assumed?" the raven-haired young woman wondered aloud.
"I…I don't know," Izuku stammered.
Momo took a deep breath to steady herself. "Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway," she said. "Why don't we get something to eat?"
"Sounds good," Izuku agreed.
The two grabbed plates and then made their way to the expansive buffet tables, both of them eagerly loading up their plates and digging in. The shock of having a number one hero not just recognize them but act like they were celebrities in their own right slowly drained out of the two of them, and it wasn't long before they were talking about how best to spend their remaining days on I-Island.
"I think I'm going to get another portion," Momo announced eventually, rising from the table where she and Izuku had sat down to eat.
"I'm about done, but I wouldn't mind trying some of desserts they have," Izuku replied.
"Having a cheat day?" she teased him lightly.
"We are on vacation," he said with a smile. "I can enjoy myself a little, even without a Quirk that basically turns calories into power."
Momo chuckled. "I admit, the other girls are often very jealous of Creation for reasons that don't have much to do with being able to make things."
The two of them were on their way to the buffet tables when they were intercepted by a very tall, slim man with streaks of gold in his dark hair. His suit looked more appropriate for a day at the office than a formal party, the heiress mused.
"Excuse me," he said, looking straight at Izuku.
The green-haired young man blinked. "Sir Nighteye?"
Oh, the white suit and the polka-dotted necktie were his hero costume, Momo realized belatedly.
"Yes," he said, gazing down his pointed nose at Izuku. "And you're Izuku Midoriya, are you not? Star and Stripe mentioned to me that you were here, and I wanted to meet you for myself."
Despite his words, his tone was anything but friendly. He might as well have been looking at a puddle of vomit or something equally unpleasant, for all the naked distaste in his eyes.
"Thank you," Izuku said, though it came out more like a question than anything else. "It's, um, an honor to meet All Might's former sidekick."
"Is that so?" was Nighteye's only response.
"Of-of course," Izuku said, clearly trying to remain collected in the face of the pro hero's unexpected coldness. "I, uh, heard that it disrupted an investigation of yours when I, um, fought Overhaul and caused him to be arrested. I couldn't do nothing when it was clear a child was being abused, but I hope it didn't mess things up too badly."
The contempt that the tall hero was projecting seemed to increase a notch. "It was an investigation that my agency had invested a great deal of time and resources in. I was quite furious when I heard a hero student out on work studies may have ruined it all," he said, light reflecting off his glasses. "However…my agency later discovered that the child was the lynchpin of Overhaul's plans. Rather than saving the yakuza as I had feared, your actions may have condemned the organization to a slow demise."
He sounded like it pained him to admit that, Momo thought, frowning.
"How could Eri have been that important to Overhaul's plans?" Izuku asked, his discomfort forgotten at the knowledge of a potential danger to his surrogate little sister.
"Overhaul was using her blood to create a drug that could erase people's Quirks," Nighteye explained. "He had a version that worked temporarily and was aiming to make a permanent one. Eri's Quirk made her blood uniquely crucial to this effort."
Izuku paled, freckles standing out in stark relief. "Her blood?"
"Indeed," Nighteye said. "The reports I've seen suggest that he used his own Quirk to take what he needed in brutal fashion, often completely…disassembling her and putting her back together in the process."
Momo glared at the pro hero. There was no need to tell Izuku that.
"That monster," Izuku whispered, clenching a fist.
"Be careful, Midoriya," Nighteye said sternly. "A hero should never strive for vengeance, only justice. I'd hope All Might would've taught you that." He added, lip curling slightly in disdain.
"Of course," Izuku mumbled.
"Izuku acted as a hero should, saving an innocent child in need of help," Momo interjected, glaring daggers at the pro. "Were you aware that Overhaul was abusing Eri before he did?"
"I'm not at liberty to divulge that," Nighteye said coolly, deflecting the question without missing a beat.
"Are they still after Eri?" Izuku asked. "The yakuza?"
"With Overhaul in custody and the Shie Hassaikai increasingly splintering, we suspect they're too fragmented for that," Nighteye answered, to Izuku's obvious relief. "There are hero agencies maintaining a watch on the girl to ensure nothing happens to her if we're wrong. I'm surprised you haven't noticed them."
The additional jab was too much. "Excuse us," Momo said, taking Izuku's arm. "I'm afraid we have others here to associate with."
"As you wish," Nighteye shrugged, unperturbed by her frosty tone.
She led Izuku away from the tall, thin pro hero. "I'll bet anything he at least suspected that Overhaul was mistreating Eri and didn't do anything because it would jeopardize his investigation," she seethed. "And he has the gall to lecture you about how a hero should behave."
"It's…well, it's not okay, but I'm still glad I didn't help criminals get away," he said. "What Overhaul did to Eri, though. I can't imagine how anyone could hurt someone as young and innocent as Eri like that."
"Neither can I," Momo said softly.
"I, um, don't feel much like getting dessert anymore," he chuckled weakly.
"I've lost my appetite as well," Momo said. "Come on, why don't we go and get some air?" she added, leading him toward a door. She knew one of the tower's many balconies could be accessed easily from there.
"Thanks," he said. "Careful, if you keep holding my arm like that, people will assume we're a couple." He chuckled weakly.
"They already do that, in case you hadn't noticed," Momo said with a small smile. "In any case, let them. It would hardly be something for me to be ashamed about. Quite the opposite, in fact."
He blinked at that, face coloring slightly, and protested no more as Momo led him outside onto a balcony and into the warm night air.
"I'm sorry," Izuku said once they were there. "I know I'm being a downer right now. And everything was going so well tonight, too."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Momo said firmly. "You certainly didn't ask Sir Nighteye to walk up to you and tell you…that."
"Thanks," he said. "Was it just me, or was he looking at me like something he scraped off the bottom of his shoe?"
"It wasn't just you," she confirmed.
"I heard he was really upset about Overhaul, but still, that seemed like…a lot of hostility," Izuku muttered.
"Don't give him a second thought," Momo said. "He's not worth it."
He smiled weakly at her. "You're right. Thank you," he said. Then his expression turn grim again. "I'm more concerned with Eri, anyway. It was obvious from the start that Overhaul had abused her, but I didn't know he was doing that. I mean, we knew he'd taken blood from her, but she never mentioned he did that to get it. I can make sure the therapist that Mom's been taking Eri to knows about it, but aside from that, I don't know what to do."
"I don't think there is much to do," Momo said, gently rubbing circles in his back. "You already saved her, Izuku. You were already the hero she needed. I completely understand that you'd probably like to rough up Overhaul again right now, but that won't help Eri. What Eri needs now is for you to do what you've been doing, which is to be a caring brother to her."
"You're really smart, Momo," he said softly, smiling gratefully at her.
"So are you," she replied, leaning against him.
He blushed but didn't try to reject the compliment.
The two of them stood there in comfortable silence for several minutes, looking out at the expanse of I-Island, the myriad of buildings glowing with light in the dark.
"I'd understand if you wanted to leave the party early," Momo said eventually.
She hated the idea of having to scrap her plan, especially when she felt so close to Izuku, his form warm against hers. Still, she knew that if he didn't feel up to going back to the reception, then it certainly wasn't a good night for a confession.
"Thanks, but I don't want to just bail on everybody," he said. "And anyway, I don't want to let Nighteye get me down like that."
"Good for you," Momo smiled. "Why don't we return to the party, then?"
He nodded, and the two of them returned to the hall, but she noticed his hesitance right away. Even Izuku's enthusiasm for collecting heroes' autographs was momentarily muted after the encounter with Sir Nighteye.
Momo decided to take a chance. "Would you like to dance?" she asked, holding out a hand in offering.
He looked surprised, but quickly returned her smile, even as his face with crimson. "I'd like that a lot," he said, taking her hand.
David Shield didn't bother turned around as the door to his expansive private office opened, knowing that only a handful of people who he trusted implicitly could let themselves in. Instead he kept looking out at the city below, unaware that a pair of hero students several floors up in the tower were looking at the same view at that moment.
"I'm surprised that the illustrious Dr. Shield is willing and able to slip out of I-Island's biggest gala early," Sir Nighteye remarked, dry amusement just hidden beneath the surface of his tone.
David chuckled once. "I learned years ago that I could sneak away after putting in an appearance for only an hour or so, and nobody would notice. As much as the I-Expo pays lip service to the notion that it's all about the scientists, the pro heroes always end up getting all the attention," he said. "Speaking of which, I'm surprised that you were able to get away."
"I'm not exactly the most colorful pro," Sir Nighteye replied. "And despite the great importance I place on humor at my agency, I'm not exactly known as a 'fun' hero. No one noticed my departure."
"Probably for the best," David replied. "As much as the Expo is the event of the year, I've hardly ever encountered anyone who actually enjoys it, at least not after their first one."
"Mm," the pro hero grunted.
The banter completed, the two men lapsed into silence. David did his best not to show how anxious he was as he waited for the tall, thin pro to give him the news he was waiting for.
"The authorities have arrested your assistant Abramson," Sir Nighteye said eventually. "I've taken steps to ensure that they'll find no evidence that you were in on the plans to hire people to steal your prototype. With Wolfram neutralized and already on his way to Tartarus, the police will never suspect you had anything to do with all of it."
David heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you," he said. "I…I was willing to endure the consequences of my actions, if it came to that, for the sake of ensuring the world didn't lose All Might. But not for nothing. Not when I'm all the family my daughter has left."
"Of course," Nighteye replied. "It's only natural you'd want to avoid that."
David exhaled, deflating slightly. "You must think I'm a big, selfish fool."
"If I believed that, I would not have covered up the evidence of your involvement in the scheme," Sir Nighteye said bluntly.
David chuckled weakly.
"But I'm uniquely suited to understand why you did what you did. The fact of the matter is, the only difference between you and me is the knowledge and resources we each had at our disposal," Nighteye said. "We both understand, probably better than anyone else in the world, how important, how essential, All Might is. I absolutely might've done something like you were planning, had I been in your shoes."
"I wish Toshi had told me everything sooner," David muttered.
"He was hoping to protect you, though in hindsight, it was a decision that could've easily brought more harm than good," Nighteye said. "As amazing a hero as he is, Toshinori's judgment isn't always the best. I confess, I'm glad that some decisions were taken from his hands."
"Hm?" David grunted, arching an eyebrow. There was no way there wasn't more to that remark.
"You recall the boy he mentioned? The one he thought would be a good candidate to succeed him?" Sir Nighteye asked. "Izuku Midoriya?"
"Yes, of course," David nodded, recalling how wistful and regretful his old friend had been when he'd mentioned the young man and what might've been if he'd seen his potential sooner.
"I met him tonight," Nighteye replied, reaching up to adjust his glasses. "He did not impress me."
"I thought he won the Sports Festival?"
"The boy's power isn't lacking, but it takes more than power to make a hero like All Might," Sir Nighteye said. "It requires a certain charisma, a presence, a je ne sais quoi. The boy's a little ball of nerves. Having a Quirk he can wield like a sledgehammer doesn't change that. If anything it makes it worse."
"You're sure you don't just dislike the young man because Toshi preferred him to your own handpicked successor?" David asked, suppressing a smirk.
"Quite," Nighteye said peevishly.
David shrugged. "Well, I suppose it's a moot point now."
"Indeed," the taller man nodded. "The future may not be as either of us initially expected or intended, but we still need to shape it with what we were given."
"Yes," David said softly, nodding. "We can't leave the next generation with a darker world than the one we enjoyed, no matter what it takes."
Back in the main hall, Izuku and Momo were swaying softly to the languid tone of a slow song. The raven-haired hero student allowed her eyes to flutter closed, enjoying the sensation of holding Izuku and being held in return as they gently moved to the music.
"Momo?" he spoke softly.
Her eyes opened. "Yes?"
"Thank you."
"For what?" Momo asked.
"For dancing with me all night to help me feel better," he answered.
She chuckled. "I didn't do it just for that," the heiress replied. "I've enjoyed tonight a great deal. I confess, I wasn't expecting you to be such a wonderful dancer."
His face reddened. "I think it's all the training we've done together. I, um, when I danced with Uraraka and then Jirou before, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing," he said, grimacing slightly at the memory of the brief dances he'd shared with the other girls in their party, or rather how awkward he'd been during those. "It's different with you. It feels like I just know what you're about to do and what I should do in response. It...feels natural."
It feels right, Momo thought, allowing herself a contented smile and holding him a little tighter.
"Even though you're taller than me and those heels you're wearing aren't helping," he added with a little smile, vaguely nervous even about the very gentle bit of teasing.
She giggled. "Does my height intimidate you?"
"Yes," he answered without reserve, grinning.
Momo laughed again. "I thought you were all about having no fear?"
"Any…reputation I may have for fearlessness in all things is greatly exaggerated," he replied.
She smiled and was about to reply when Jirou happened to catch her eye, giving her a very significant look.
The message was only too clear: hurry up and confess already.
Momo took a long, slow breath through her nose. She knew her friend was right; she had been dancing with Izuku for hours now, and the party was clearly winding down. Her window of opportunity was rapidly closing.
Yet she couldn't seem to make herself do it, couldn't make herself say the words she needed to say tonight.
She had no idea why this was so hard. Even though she didn't have the same, absolute confidence that Izuku returned her feels that the other girls possessed, Momo didn't doubt for a moment that he thought highly of her.
Izuku was always quick to tell her how smart he thought she was, despite the fact that she'd needed him to point out ways of using her Quirk that seemed increasingly obvious in hindsight. He'd made it clear how brave he felt she was, even while he himself routinely went off to combat interstellar criminals and horrors. He had absolutely gushed about how amazing she'd been after she had defeated Bakugo in the Sports Festival. He'd told her about the power ring, his most important and best kept secret.
Also, he clearly viewed her being mistaken for a literal goddess as completely unsurprising and understandable.
Yet…having a positive, even glowing opinion of someone didn't automatically mean romantic desire for them.
"Good evening, everyone," the host took the stage again as the current song finally wound down. "This year's I-Expo reception is officially drawing to a close. We hope you've enjoyed your evening and that you'll join us for the rest of the Expo. For now, I'd encourage you all to get home or back to your hotel rooms."
Momo and Izuku shared a surprised look. They had known it was getting late, but neither had expected the host to essentially tell the remaining guests to be on their way so soon. The two hesitated for a moment.
The raven-haired young woman refused to give up and walk away now.
"I don't want the night to end," she told Izuku. "There's courtyard not far from here that's open to the public. Why don't we have another dance there?"
He nodded. "I'd like that," he said. "Tonight's been really amazing."
Momo sent Jirou a quick text to let her know that she and Izuku weren't planning on going straight back to the hotel, then the two of them departed the tower and made their way to the courtyard that the heiress had mentioned, which was large enough to almost be described as a small park.
Her heart sank as they arrived, the heiress immediately realizing her error in choosing this place. The walkways were all cobblestone paths, too uneven for her to hope to be able to dance in, especially while wearing heels.
She was in the middle of apologizing for her mistake and trying to suggest something else when a halo of soft green light surrounded both of them. Momo felt herself being lifted off the ground ever so slightly, but when she experimentally tried to take a step, she found that not only could she, but it did in fact propel her forwards.
"It feels like I'm walking on air," she smiled at Izuku. "Very clever."
He blushed. "I didn't know if I could manage the effect until just now," he admitted.
Before she could respond, a small set of viridian speakers came into existence nearby and began to play a slow song. Izuku placed one hand on her waist, she placed a hand on his back, and their remaining hands found each other as they began to sway gently, feet hovering just a few centimeters above the ground as they moved.
"I could've made a music player," she said softly.
"I know you could've," he replied. "But what about the economy?"
She chuckled. "I think it would've endured," she said. "But thank you, for taking care of it."
"Of course."
They lapsed into silence after that, both of them just enjoying the dance.
Momo allowed herself to lean into Izuku, indulging in the feeling of contentment that being with him like this gave her before turning her mind toward the anxiety inducing task she had assigned herself for tonight.
Just tell him! She command herself. People who only want to be friends don't dance together like this! You've seen the way he looks at you! Tell him!
The words refused to come out.
Come on! You've faced dangerous villains without blinking! You should be able to tell him!
"Momo?"
Izuku speaking up surprised her more than it should have, thanks to how deep in her own thoughts she'd been. "Yes?"
"I wanted to tell you that...I think you're really amazing, Momo," he said. "You were born to a wealthy family and have an absolutely amazing Quirk, but you're one of the nicest people I know and just want to help others. And I just...I just feel so warm and happy when I'm with you. It's so great being able to talk about things like Quirks and hero support gear with you, and working with you to help the rest of the class. I've never had someone who actually got excited or interested instead of annoyed when I talked about things like that before. And it's so amazing when you get really excited and happy. It's just the best thing to see."
Momo flushed.
"I...what I'm trying to say is that I really like you, Momo. As more than a friend," Izuku continued, green eyes glimmering slightly with the power he was currently channeling to keep them floating above the ground. "And I know that someone as beautiful and smart and gifted as you are could have anyone you want, but I was hoping you might be interested in dating?"
Her eyes widened and a surprised laugh escaped her as her mind tried to process the fact that he had just confessed.
Izuku felt his heart break.
In truth, the larger part of him hadn't really thought she would return his feelings. Momo was just so gorgeous and smart, so wonderful and desirable, that he couldn't quite make himself truly believe she'd want any sort of romantic relationship with him.
She knew he was Quirkless beneath the emerald light, after all, and too much of his life had taught him that Quirkless people were seen as inferior for him to dismiss that so easily.
Still, while on some level he'd expected a rejection, Izuku hadn't expected her to outright laugh at him. He'd thought she was too kind and their friendship too strong for her to do that, rather than letting him down easily.
"I've been trying to work up the nerve to ask you the same thing all night," Momo said.
A sound like a record scratching filled his mind. That certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting at this point.
"You...what?" was his articulate response.
"I've been planning on confessing to you tonight since I was certain you'd be coming to the island with me," Momo smiled. "I was just having trouble making myself say it. I didn't think you were about to do it instead."
"But...you...me?" he stammered. It occurred to him, dimly, that it might be a good idea to try using complete sentences again in the near future.
"Yes, of course, you," Momo said warmly, calming down from her surprise at his confession. "I know part of you still thinks of yourself as just the Quirkless one, but I don't see you that way. You're the man who helped me improve the use of my Quirk more than I could've ever thought possible. The fighter who stood by me at the USJ. The hero who saved me at Hosu. You're so amazing that ancient aliens from halfway across the universe took notice of you and decided you were worthy of incredible power! You may be surprised that I was about to confess to you, but I wouldn't be shocked at all if it turned out you had some alien princess somewhere fall for you."
A surprised little laugh burst out of him. "That...um, that definitely never happened," he assured her.
She beamed down at him, eyes like pools of liquid obsidian. "I feel so much stronger and lighter when I'm with you, even if we're just training or studying or talking," she said. "So yes, I like you, Izuku, a lot."
He smiled up at her, not caring that he was probably grinning like an idiot. The devastation of a moment ago was suddenly so distant it might as well have been a fading dream.
"...what should we do now?" he asked eventually.
Momo giggled. "We should probably kiss," she said, cheeks reddening, even as she held his gaze.
Izuku swallowed. The raven-haired young woman's slightly parted lips were suddenly the most alluring sight in the world. "Good idea," he whispered, leaning forward.
Meanwhile, the USA's number one hero was making her way back toward the hotel where she was currently staying, the huge woman moving with surprising grace through the relatively quiet night.
"Thanks again for walking me back, Mel," Star and Stripe said to her companion, a significantly shorter blonde in a blue dress. "I always get so turned around on I-Island for some reason. At least when I travel along the ground!" she added with a boisterous chuckle.
"I can't imagine why," Melissa Shield replied. "Then again, I did grow up on the island, so I suppose it would seem to make sense to me. How did you enjoy the party, by the way?"
"I would've enjoyed it more if the host had given me a little warning about asking me to make a speech," Star and Stripe scoffed. "What about you?"
"I've been to a few of these things, so some of the novelty has worn off," Melissa admitted. "Still, I did enjoy the break."
The Amazonian heroine barked a laugh. "Just don't get used to it!"
Melissa was about to respond when something in the distance caught her attention. "Oh my," she said as she turned her gaze skywards.
"Wow," Star and Stripe said. "I didn't know there was a fireworks show planned for tonight."
"Neither did I," Melissa said, not taking her eyes off from the spectacle. "I wish we had known, so we could've found a better place to watch it from. This is amazing!"
Star and Stripe nodded. "Whoever put this together should be proud. It even puts the average Fourth of July show back home to shame!" she agreed. "But...why is it all green?"
Melissa could only shrug.
Back at the courtyard, Izuku and Momo broke apart, both panting for breath.
"Wow," he gasped.
"Wow," she agreed.
They were silent for a moment, aside from their gradually slowing breathing.
"Kiss me again," Momo said eventually.
Izuku didn't need to be told twice.
It was after midnight by the time Momo had returned to the hotel and was making her way back to the suite where she was staying, but she felt fairly confident that at least a few of her friends would still be awake.
Reaching up to smooth her slightly mussed hair and gown as best she could, the raven-haired young woman carefully schooled her features, forcing down the radiant smile she'd been wearing to a much more neutral expression.
She inserted her key card into the lock on her suite's door, opening it and striding into the living room/unofficial common room. Momo was unsurprised to see the other 1-A girls there, all of them in comfy pajamas.
"Well?" Ashido demanded, immediately abandoning the game of Uno she'd been playing with Hagakure and Uraraka.
"Well what?" Momo asked in a placid tone, removing the elaborate hair clip she'd worn all night and running her fingers through her dark locks.
"Don't you 'what?' me, Missy!" the horned girl shook a finger at her. "Did you confess to Midori or not?"
"Hmm? Oh, no," Momo answered calmly, gently kicking off her high heels.
"What?!" Hagakure squawked.
"Why not?" Ashido demanded.
"Oh, well, we were just having such a nice time that I didn't want to possibly spoil it," Momo answered with a shrug.
She could tell by the way Jirou and Asui were looking at her that they knew there was more than she was letting on. Uraraka merely looked confused.
The invisible girl and the horned girl, however, were too invested to read into her lack of dismay.
"But that's the best time to confess!" Ashido exclaimed.
"I suppose the nerves just got the better of me," Momo replied, heading for her bedroom door.
"Are you going to try again before we leave the island, at least?" Hagakure asked.
"Maybe," Momo answered noncommittally.
"But...you...and he...gah!" Ashido moaned, reaching up to clutch at her head as though in pain, burying her fingers in her short hair.
"Oh," Momo stopped right in front of the bedroom door. "There was one more reason why I didn't end up confessing to Izuku like I'd planned..."
Ashido and Hagakure both went totally silent, staring at her intensely.
Momo allowed herself her a grin at last as she turned back to regard them. "He beat me to it," she said. "Now, feel free to stay here as late as you like, but I really must be getting to bed. My boyfriend and I made plans to get breakfast together tomorrow morning."
Then she slipped through the door before the two could react.
The sound of their excited squeals warred with Jirou's barking laughter.