Chapter Text
“ Psst. ”
Izuku swayed gently, the boat beneath him rocking with the waves. The sun bathed him in a warm glow, gracing his features with gentle warmth.
“ Psssssst. ”
An ocean breeze washed over him, pleasantly cool, and he smiled. It felt nice to just be able to relax for a change. Here, in the middle of the ocean, with the sun beaming down at him and not a single soul in sight… here, life felt good.
“ Psst, hey, Greenie, wake up! ”
The breeze returned, more insistent this time, and Izuku scrunched up his face slightly. It almost felt like the wind was trying to speak to him, whispering faint snatches of words into his ears.
The boat shook again, harsher, and he started awake. No longer was he alone in the middle of a beautiful ocean; now, he found himself firmly on land once more - more specifically, atop a futon in the middle of his living room. To his side sat Mei, looking at him with a mixture of excitement and amusement.
He blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, “Oh, good morning Mei. What’s up?”
“The ceiling!” She grinned, before taking his hand and helping him to his feet, “Oh, and the breakfast I made for us!”
Izuku furrowed his brow, but glanced over to the table anyway. Sure enough, there was what seemed to be a fairly traditional breakfast spread strewn across the table. The placement was best described as ‘carefully haphazard’, as if whoever had placed the dishes had been trying to follow rules of etiquette they themselves were only dimly aware of.
It certainly looked like a Mei breakfast, to be sure.
“Oh!” His eyes widened as he walked over to the table, glancing over plates of rice, vegetables and fish, and a big bowl of miso soup, “Thank you, Mei!”
She beamed, before rushing him into his seat, “No problem! Go ahead and eat up quick, cuz we’ve got a big day today!”
Well, he could hardly refuse such an earnest offer, now could he?
After piling a little bit of everything onto his plate, and serving himself some soup, he wasted no time in digging into the food, marvelling at the taste. Truth be told, he was a little surprised that Mei had managed to cook something that tasted so good. Don’t get him wrong, he had a lot of faith in his best friend, but home economics was by no means her best subject. Sure, the fish was possibly a little over, and the vegetables could have done with a bit longer, but it was more than just edible - it was good .
“It tastes great, Mei!” He praised, completely earnest, “So what’s the occasion?”
She beamed at him, though a faint blush seemed to dust her cheeks, “I did mention your birthday present comes tomorrow, right? This is all just a part of that!”
Izuku blushed, “You really didn’t have to-”
“But I wanted to!” She cut in, “You deserve all this, and a lot more. So let me spoil you today, okay?”
He wanted to protest more, but just one look at Mei’s face showed she’d refute any argument he had. And so, not for the first time, and certainly not for the last time, he caved to the indomitable will of Hatsume Mei.
Before long, the two of them had polished off their breakfast, leaving them pleasantly full, and Mei wasted no time in hurrying Izuku out of his seat and into his bedroom, “We’re gonna go out for the day, Greenie, so you’d better get dressed!”
Izuku saw no reason to refuse; as he did so, picking out what he thought seemed like good clothes for any situation they could be heading into, he found himself wondering just what Mei had planned for the day. Oh, sure, he was aware he could just Know the answer, but where was the fun in that? He loved a good surprise; most of the time, anyway.
After pulling on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt with the simple text, ‘Hero Costume’ written on it, and a plain green hoodie, he was once again met by the human storm named Hatsume Mei, who all but shoved him out of the apartment so fast he didn’t even have time to question the incredibly convenient and slightly suspicious absence of his mom.
“Right!” She shouted, “Come along, Greenie!” Without another word, she grabbed Izuku’s hand tightly - the boy himself turning bright red - and practically dragged him down the stairs of his apartment building and out onto the street.
Izuku, for his part, decided once again not to resist Mei, especially when she was like this. She was just as energetic as ever, to be sure, but there was an undercurrent of another emotion he couldn’t quite place. Nerves, perhaps? Either way, she was a woman on a mission as she marched down the street, Izuku trailing behind her as he struggled to keep up.
As they walked, he couldn’t help but admire her energy. It was one of her defining characteristics, after all, alongside her tenacity and, sometimes, her sheer hard-headed stubbornness. Looking back, it was this chaotic energy that so completely marked their relationship - such as it was - from the beginning. Their very first day at school had shown just how much of a pure force of chaos she was, and so many other moments in their friendship, big and small, had been defined by her boundless enthusiasm for just about everything that interested her.
Including, apparently, Izuku himself.
The thought made him blush as they walked up the stairs to Izuku’s usual train station, and his thoughts went back to May, and his kidnapping. He’d heard the story from his teachers after the fact, but the very idea of Mei muscling in on a clandestine police operation was both completely hilarious, and completely in character. When there was something she wanted, Mei would stop at nothing to get it. She’d break down every barrier, smash through every obstacle, let absolutely nothing stand in her way.
It was one of the things he admired the most about her.
An announcement through the station’s tannoy brought him from his memories; just in time, too, as no sooner had the next train arrived, than Mei marched them onto it, diving to grab a couple of seats for them both. Glancing up at the route map, Izuku realised that this was the train he usually took to get to Musutafu city centre, and his curiosity grew.
Just where was she taking him?
The door in the back of his mind creaked with the promise of knowledge, but he held it firmly shut. He wouldn’t ruin the surprise Mei was so clearly excited to show him.
Was it just excitement, though? Looking over at her, he could certainly see the twitching of her muscles and jittering of her right leg that always happened when she couldn’t wait for something, but there was a certain anxious undertone to it all. She wrung her hands, and kept glancing out of the window, as if searching for something she’d never find.
“Mei,” he spoke quietly, and golden eyes darted over to him, “what’s the matter?”
“Hmm?” She cocked her head to the side, “Nothing’s wrong, Greenie! Don’t you worry! Everything’s a-ok!”
Her steady tone and subsequent reassuring grin might have convinced someone else, but Izuku knew his best friend a little better than that. He could hear the slight tremble in her voice, the twitching corners of her too wide smile, “I can tell there’s something bothering you.” He insisted.
She kept up her facade for a moment longer, before slumping in her seat and turning to stare at her hands, “Nothing’s wrong , really. It’s just…” she bit her lip, leg still jumping with anxiety, “it’s like… when you’re demonstrating a new baby in public for the first time, and it passed all the safety checks, and you know it’s fine… but you’re still worrying that something could go wrong at any time, y’know?”
Izuku nodded, understanding, and laid a hand on her shoulder, “You know… even if everything goes wrong today… I’ll still love whatever you have planned, because it’s coming from you .”
Mei turned her head, golden eyes sparkling at him, but it was only when he noticed the heavy blush across her cheeks that he realised just what he’d said, and how it sounded. Instantly, his own face erupted into a brilliant red, and he stammered incoherently, not even knowing himself what he was trying to say. She took one look at him, and laughed, loud, bright and vibrant, the sound cutting through the serious atmosphere between them. After a moment, Izuku joined in, and the combined sound of their laughter dismissed any lingering anxiety.
Once they’d calmed down, Mei smiled gratefully at him, and the rest of the journey was spent in a much more comfortable silence.
20 minutes later, they arrived at their stop, and Mei wasted no time in grabbing Izuku’s arm and dragging him off the train, out of the station, and through the streets, all but barging through people like a woman possessed.
As they walked through central Musutafu, surprisingly busy for a Thursday morning, something about their path felt familiar to Izuku - not in the sense that he’d lived in the city his whole life, but in the sense that, wherever their destination was, he’d been there before.
It was a mere 10 minute walk from the station before Mei halted at a corner, and turned to Izuku, “We’re here! Just follow me!”
He nodded, heart thumping with excitement, and she led him around the corner, to their destination…
The Musutafu Museum of Heroics.
He almost laughed to himself. Was he really that predictable?
She turned to him, grinning, “Well, here we are, Greenie! I’ve bought us tickets for the entire day, so we can go nuts!”
He smiled, fighting back tears of happiness, “Thank you, Mei. I can’t wait to get inside!”
She grabbed his arm, “Then don’t!”
With that, the two of them charged inside, Izuku no longer trailing behind, ready for a wonderful day.
Their tour of the museum was slow, but never boring. Izuku stopped by every single exhibit, reeling off facts about each hero so fast, it would have taken a supercomputer to understand him
Fortunately, Mei was a human supercomputer, and kept up with every one of his mad mutterstorms. She listened intently as he rambled on at length about the earliest heroes - those vigilantes from the Dawn of Quirks. She nodded along as he discussed the very first generation of heroes, and how that system developed into the one they knew today. And when he discussed the commercialisation of heroes towards the turn of the century, the rise of agencies and the HPSC, she even started taking notes, as if he’d quiz her on it later.
Of course, when they reached the special exhibit on the history of support equipment, it was Izuku’s turn to listen. And listen he did, as Mei launched into a complex analysis of support gear of ages long past, and how they had been foundational in their own ways. He made sure to remember every detail of every item she mentioned even offhandedly; he knew he was able to Know everything, but he didn’t want to cheat, not when Mei seemed so happy.
Yes, this was a day for him, but it meant more to him that his best friend was enjoying it as well.
By the time midday rolled around, they had made some decent progress through the museum, and stopped by the cafeteria to get a bite to eat. The sandwiches they picked up were nothing special, but the company made them taste like a Michelin-starred meal.
After lunch, their tour continued, and by the time they had seen every inch of the museum, the sun had begun to make its descent towards the horizon. Izuku and Mei walked out of the building with matching smiles, content with the time they spent together.
As they descended the stairs outside the museum and started the walk towards the station, Izuku turned to his best friend, “Mei, today was one of the best birthday presents I’ve ever had. Thank you so much!”
She grinned at him, eyes sparkling with a familiar warmth, tinged with her usual mania, “No problem, Greenie! But! The day isn’t over yet! We’ve got one more stop to make!”
Izuku blinked, but followed, curious, as she led him back to the station and onto a different train than the one they came on. During the journey, Izuku tried to wheedle their destination out of Mei, but she stubbornly kept her secret.
It was something of a moot point however, as, halfway through the journey, the train started taking a very familiar route: the route to the nearest station to UA.
“Um,” Mei glanced over at him, “why are we going to UA?”
She grinned, “It’s a secret!”
He frowned, “Will.. will it even be open?”
“Oh, yeah,” she nodded, “PL gave me permission to go in during regular school hours this whole summer!”
He blinked. That was… strangely reckless of Maijima-sensei, especially considering Mei’s propensity for causing mayhem. Although… perhaps it was as thanks for helping Izuku’s mom while Izuku himself was… away.
He fought back the twist in his gut. He didn’t need to ruin today with his own self-loathing. He had hurt the people closest to him, but they’d forgiven him, and that should be the end of it.
By the time Izuku pulled himself from his thoughts, they had arrived at the stop, and Mei wasted no time in dragging him off the train and out of the station, following the same path they had walked nearly every day for the past 4 or so months.
Had it really only been 4 months? His life before UA felt like a lifetime ago now, and he felt like he’d known Mei forever.
Certainly, he could no longer imagine his life without her.
Lightly blushing at that thought, Izuku followed Mei towards UA, still confused about their business at the school. He wondered if, perhaps, she’d made something for him, but he couldn’t imagine what she’d need to keep at school if that was the case, let alone when she even had time to make it while she was staying with his mom.
It seemed like he’d soon be finding out, however, as she led him through the gates of the school, unchallenged by any teacher or the infamous UA barrier.
At least it seemed they actually did have permission to be there.
The walk up the path to the main building was as beautiful as ever, but the slowly setting sun playing across the gleaming glass of the vast edifice certainly added to its aesthetic appeal. A part of him, the creative part that stubbornly refused to die, desperately wanted to capture the moment in a picture. But he had other business to attend to, and the sight vanished as Mei hurried inside the building, Izuku following soon after.
He felt he had a good idea of where they were going by this point, and his intuition was proven correct as they wound through the twisting halls of UA, and ended up at 1-H’s classroom.
Their classroom.
Mei slid open the door and headed inside, but as Izuku stepped over the threshold himself, his heart began to race in his chest. A boy and a girl, alone, in an empty classroom, in the late afternoon… wasn’t there a scene like this in every romance anime?
He shook his head. No, it couldn’t be anything like that . It was probably just another birthday present. Mind clear, he followed his best friend inside, shutting the door behind him.
Across the room, Mei stared at their desks, side by side with each other. A moment of peaceful silence fell between them, before she spoke up, much quieter than usual.
“This is where you first came into my life, Izuku.”
He blinked at the unusual usage of his given name; usually, Mei called him ‘Greenie’ unless the situation was serious, “Yeah, I guess so…”
“My life has been… so much crazier since then,” she chuckled gently, before turning around and smiling at him, far softer than any he’d seen on her before, “but I wouldn’t give it up for anything .”
She stepped towards him, and a flush rose unbidden to his cheeks, “Before I came to UA, my life was so boring . I didn’t have any friends, and my parents worked so much… my babies were all I had. But since I met you… it’s gotten so much better . I have friends, people who care about me… I have you .”
“Mei…” he whispered softly, and she took another step towards him. He was completely unused to seeing such a quiet, earnest side of his best friend, but he appreciated just how vulnerable she was in that moment, even if he still couldn’t wrap his head around why .
She reached out, and clasped his hand in her own, holding it gently, “Izuku, you’re… basically the greatest person I’ve ever met. You’re so smart, so brave, and so, so kind.” He flushed bright red as she let go of his hand, her warmth lingering on his skin. “If you asked me a year ago what my biggest goal in life was, I’d have said something about making Hatsumei Industries the premier support manufacturer in the world, but now… now, all I want, more than anything else, is to live my life with you by my side.”
“So,” she breathed in deeply and shuffled backwards a half step, “Midoriya Izuku…” she smiled softly and, to his complete and utter shock, pulled out a ring and got down on one knee .
“Will you marry me?”
Izuku’s heart, once racing, pounding at his chest, stopped dead, as he struggled to comprehend just what Mei had said. She wanted to…? To him? And now ? Sure, the ring was nice - a beautiful and simple silver inset with green and pink gems - but still! They were sixteen, and that was the least of their worries!
Long seconds stretched out as Mei’s question dropped through the air like a lead balloon. Izuku stared down at her, eyes wide, jaw dropped. His thoughts raced, too fast for him to catch any single one for longer than a vanishing moment.
Seconds turned into minutes, and slowly, Mei’s smile faltered, her gaze falling from him and fixating on the ground, “Ah,” she sighed, “I guess that’s a ‘no’.” Her voice trembled, “I’m such an idiot -”
Izuku snapped back into the room the instant the words fell out of her mouth, the sight of his friend hurting, cutting through the storm in his brain, “ No , Mei, you’re not .” He kneeled down himself, getting on her level and speaking softer, “A-and it’s not a ‘no’, either.”
She looked up at him, hope gleaming in her golden eyes, and he took a deep breath to settle his nerves before continuing, “Mei… I’ve been… so alone my entire life. I’ve never even had a friend, not a real one, and definitely not a friend like you .” He smiled softly, memories replaying in his mind, “When I came to UA, I never expected to meet someone like you, someone so smart, and energetic, and bright, and so stubborn,” they shared a wet chuckle, “just… someone I’d want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Her eyes sparkled, and he continued, focusing now on the floor between them, “You… you see me like no one else does, not for the monster I could be, but just… for me . You’ve stood by me through so much , even when I was being an idiot ,” he grinned up at her, eyes watering, “and my life is so much better because you’re in it. So…”
He took a deep breath, met her gaze once again, and took her hands in his own, “Hatsume Mei, someday…” he smiled, soft, sweet and pure, “I would love to marry you.” Her lips trembled, and she looked at him as if he hung the stars themselves, but he wasn’t quite finished yet, “But first, I think we should try dating.”
Her reaction was instantaneous. With a shouted, “Yes!”, she pulled him in for a tight hug, the strength of which would have hurt had he not been hugging back with just as much force. Tears fell freely from green and golden eyes, tears of relief, of happiness, of pure love , and matching smiles wormed across their faces.
Their embrace could have lasted ten seconds, ten minutes, or ten years for all they knew, but they couldn’t have cared less. All they knew was, the moment they pulled away, holding each other’s faces and staring into each other’s eyes without fear, or disgust, they felt the overwhelming urge to kiss each other.
And so they did. It was awkward, of course, with neither of them having any experience, but their feelings for each other more than made up for it, as soft lips met, and they expressed their feelings for each other in a way words simply couldn’t capture.
“Ahem.”
The clearing of a throat cut through the silence of the classroom, and they scrambled out of the kiss and to their feet, turning towards the door to find Aizawa-sensei standing their, somehow managed to look bored, tired and unimpressed with a slight hint of smug satisfaction, all with the raise of a single eyebrow.
Izuku’s face burned bright red, and Mei developed a similar blush of her own. Without another word, they raced out of the classroom, through the halls and out of the building, completely mortified at having been caught by their teacher.
They still held each other’s hands for the entire journey home, though.