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“I just think that if Midoriya-sensei had a girlfriend, maybe he wouldn’t be so attached to his job!”
Asato scoffed at Takayama, picking at a singed mark on the hem of his jacket sleeve as he tried to ignore his friend.
“That’s exactly the problem—he’s too focused on his career to even get a girlfriend,” Fujita replied from her perch on top of Asato’s desk, saving him the trouble of replying. “It’s a damning cycle.”
Takayama, who had brought this issue up multiple times already, frowned. He was half-slumped over his own desk next to them, absently doodling on his half-completed homework. “I’m just saying, maybe we wouldn’t have so much work if Midoriya-sensei wanted more time off for, like, date nights or whatever. It would be a win for everyone involved!”
“If he had more time off, he would probably just devote it to hero training,” Fujita said, her legs swinging absentmindedly as she gestured with a pencil. “He’s always going to overwork himself, even if it’s not about being a teacher. That’s just who Midoriya-sensei is.”
Asato would have to agree with Fujita, even if he didn’t feel like interjecting into the conversation.
Midoriya Izuku was a fantastic teacher, don’t get him wrong! There was really no one that any of Class 1-A would rather have teaching them Hero History. He was practically encyclopedic about heroes, even if you didn't take into account his massive wealth of practical experience and professional connections. Not only that, he was kind and empathetic, always ready to lend a listening ear or give a word of advice.
“So what if he wants to work himself to death and be single forever,” Takayama groaned, snapping the tip of his pencil off as he dug it into his paper. "That shouldn’t mean that I have to spend all night researching old heroes.”
But Midoriya did tend towards the heavy-on-the-homework end of the teaching spectrum.
“You didn’t have to spend all night on it,” Asato replied, finally chiming in. “He assigned this project two weeks ago. You could have started it then.”
“Not all of us are high-achievers like you,” Takayama grumbled back, petulantly shoving his homework back into his bag. He would probably ask Midoriya for an extension after class, and Midoriya would grant it, but would reach out in a day or two with a kind word and a suggestion for more effective time management.
He really does deserve a nice girlfriend, Asato thought to himself.
“My aunt asked Midoriya-sensei out on a date once,” a quiet voice chimed in from behind them.
The trio all turned to look back at Hokama, who hadn’t even looked up from her book.
“Did she really?” Takayama asked, not bothering to hide the surprise in his voice. Asato felt similarly—if Hokama’s aunt was anything like her, she wouldn’t be the type to approach somebody first.
True to form, Hokama timidly pulled her book up to cover more of her face, replying in something close to a whisper. “Yeah.”
Fujita leaned forward, propping herself up shamelessly on Asato’s shoulder. Her eyes were shining with interest. “What did he say?!”
“He said no,” Hokama said. She blinked at Asato, looking a bit owlish. “She just thought he was cute. It wasn’t a big deal. It just seemed relevant to your conversation.”
“It is, Hokama-chan!” Fujita replied, clapping her hands together excitedly. “We’re building up a story now! The story of Midoriya-sensei’s love life!”
“Maybe we can get him a girlfriend and get him off of our backs,” Takayama added, pulling a new pencil from his bag. “Set him up with a girl or something.”
“Oh, now you're talking!” Fujita cried out, spinning back around on Asato’s desk. “This is perfect! We just need to figure out his type! Asato-kun, you saw him in that rescue last weekend, right? Did he pay any specific civilians any special attention?”
Asato frowned. It had been chance that he’d stumbled upon Midoriya in the middle of a rescue with Cellophane and Chargebolt. Mostly, his focus had been on the rescue itself, and not the specifics of his teacher’s potentially flirtatious interactions with the civilians.
“I don’t know,” Asato replied. “He was extra careful with the kids, I guess. That was kind of it.”
“Useless!” Fujita exclaimed, gesturing widely with her hands. “We need more than this!”
Takayama propped his head onto his arms, looking up at Fujita with a bemused expression. “Why do you care so much about this all of a sudden? I thought I was the only one who was annoyed with the workload.”
“We’re all players in this game, Takayama-kun,” Fujita replied, suddenly serious. “We just have different stakes. You may see your homework on the line, but I… I am in this for the affairs of the heart!”
Asato couldn’t help but laugh at how genuine Fujita sounded. She threw him a scathing glance, but eventually she cracked a smile of her own. Even Takayama chuckled, his smile making the bags under his eyes lessen for a moment.
“Good morning, everyone! I’m quite glad to see you all so chipper this morning!”
Asato’s laugh fumbled into a cough as Fujita sprung off of his desk and into her own chair a few rows away. Midoriya walked to his desk with an easy grin, looking as jovial as ever. He set his briefcase down as he surveyed the room with a kind smile. His words, however, were anything but cheerful.
“Now, I trust you all remembered that there is a quiz this morning?”
—————
The weight of the forgotten-about quiz was enough to dull Class 1-A’s spirits until even their next Hero History lecture. Midoriya tried to be kind about it, but there was no denying that more than half the class hadn’t studied. Asato had a feeling that he felt guilty for not giving them more reminders to study, even if he shouldn't have had to. He was just that kind of guy—too empathetic and forgiving for his own good.
Asato leaned forward, pillowing his cheek on his fist. Midoriya was sitting at the front of the class, sorting through the damning pile of graded quizzes in front of him. He didn’t seem to be aware that he was biting at his lip, but Asato knew that a few of the students in the front row were probably swooning over it.
It wasn’t uncommon for students at U.A. to be infatuated with Midoriya. He was young and attractive and—as Takayama could attest, with his week-long extension—very kind.
Maybe he already has a girlfriend.
It wouldn't be a surprise if someone had snatched him up already—honestly, he was the total package. Asato glanced over at Takayama, who was using the tip of one of his razor sharp nails to carve his initials into his desk. If Midoriya already had a girlfriend, that would probably ruin Takayama’s master plan to get less homework, as well as Fujita’s desire to meddle in her teacher’s life.
Well, Takayama would be out of luck, but Asato thought Fujita would be just as happy to learn new gossip about her favorite teacher than to create it herself.
“Apologies, class! I was just sorting out your quizzes, which I will be handing back at the end of class,” Midoriya announced, clearing his throat and standing up behind his desk. “Most of you did… Well, we have a whole year to improve, don’t we!”
He smiled brightly as half of the class groaned and slumped over in their seats, including Takayama.
“Not to worry, not to worry!” Midoriya continued, his grin pulling at the large scar on his cheek. It didn’t take away from his boyish charm, Asato thought.
“Like I mentioned at the end of our last class, we’re going to be starting today with an old interview from All Might’s time in America,” Midoriya said, leaning over his desk as he attached his computer to the projector. “It is in English, but there are Japanese subtitles, so don’t feel like this is an English test! I’ll leave that to Present Mic—I was never too great at English, to be honest—”
Midoriya’s computer screen flashed to life in front of the class. A bright, bold title proclaiming Top Ten Most Attractive Pro Heroes On the Japanese Scene! had approximately five seconds of time on the projector screen before Midoriya slammed his computer shut with a yelp of surprise.
The class, Asato included, just stared in silence for a moment.
“Sorry, class! I must have forgotten to—to close my tabs! That’s on me, I thought I had the interview pulled up, let me just find it for you…” Midoriya trailed off into mumbles, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Asato shot a glance over to Fujita, who was staring back at him intently. She blinked at him a few times, like she was trying to communicate something to him telepathically. Neither of them had a mind reading Quirk, so Fujita settled for jerking her head in Midoriya’s direction and slowly mouthing ‘Pro Hero crush!’
Asato raised his eyebrows, but Fujita just nodded aggressively.
“Sorry about that again, class! Here we are, the right video this time,” Midoriya announced, the projector flickering back on. This time, it indeed showed a still frame of All Might with an American journalist. Asato glanced over at Takayama, who seemed to be in a similar state of mind as Fujita.
Takayama waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Asato looked away.
As the video of All Might started to play, Asato found his gaze drifting back to his teacher. Midoriya was sitting at his desk with his chair pushed back and spun around so that he could see the projector screen as well. He watched with a small smile on face, nodding every now and again at All Might’s answers. He looked generally unphased by his previous slip-up, but this certainly wasn’t the first time Midoriya had embarrassed himself in front of his students. Asato vividly remembered during the first week of classes, when Nedzu had pinched Midoriya’s cheeks in front of the entire lunch room.
Besides, it wasn’t particularly embarrassing to have a crush on a Pro Hero. No one could deny how charming Nejire-chan looked in her press interviews, or how manly Red Riot appeared when he burst onto the scene. Not to mention, most of the heroes on that list were probably Midoriya’s friends—it wouldn’t have been shocking to see Deku himself on that list.
Asato huffed out a sigh, shifting his focus back to the interview. Surely, Fujita and Takayama would want to process the whole situation in great detail over lunch, and someone in their trio had to take notes on this video if they wanted any chance of passing their next quizzes.
—————
Fujita didn’t get anymore ammunition for her master plan (currently dubbed Find Midoriya-Sensei a Girlfriend or Figure Out Who His Girlfriend Is, Whichever Comes First, though Asato had some suggestions on that front) until the end of the week, when Asato and Takayama were walking through the courtyard and listening to her discuss her fan theories for the show she was currently binging.
“Well see, some people say that he’s dead, but I don’t think so. I think he’s going to come back,” she said, walking backwards in front of them. Asato was half-afraid she was going to stumble on a tree root and crack her head open, but he tried to listen anyway.
“Come back as a demon?” Takayama asked before taking a bite of his apple.
“Of course not,” Fujita scoffed. “Were you even listening? He can’t be a demon, because his blood is—”
“No, no, it’s not a bad time! Don’t worry about it!”
Fujita stopped in her tracks, and Asato just barely caught himself before he tripped over her. Wide-eyed, she hurriedly gestured for both Asato and Takayama to shush, not seeming to realize that neither of them were making any sounds. She tugged them both behind a nearby bench as Midoriya stepped into the courtyard, his phone to his ear.
“Seriously, don’t worry about it! I’d rather you call than just freak out on your own,” Midoriya said, smiling to himself. “I promise, your sister won’t mind if we just order take out tonight.”
Fujita’s eyes lit up as she squeezed Asato’s arm so tightly it was nearly painful.
“I don’t think we have any,” Midoriya continued, replying to whoever was on the other end of the phone call. “But I can pick some up on my way home if you want me to. No, really! It wouldn’t be any trouble.”
Takayama was starting to turn bright red as he tried to keep an incoming sneeze silent. Fujita was quiet as a mouse as she violently elbowed him in warning.
“Okay. Okay! I promise, whatever you do, she’s going to love it. She’s just excited to come over—you know she’s been asking ever since we moved in. Right. Right,” Midoriya said, his smile growing somehow even fonder. “Okay, I’m going to let you go. You can do this! Text me if you need anything. Alright. Yeah. Love you, too.”
Fujita’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Asato faintly wondered if his arm was going to lose circulation.
Midoriya took the phone from his ear with a soft chuckle, his smile never leaving his face as he stepped back out of the courtyard and back into the school. The second the door clicked shut behind him, Fujita was already squealing.
“Did you hear that? Did you just hear that?” She demanded, as if Asato and Takayama hadn’t been right next to her for the whole conversation. “Midoriya-sensei has a girlfriend! A girlfriend he lives with! That was her on the phone, I’m sure of it!”
Takayama smacked his knee indignantly. “If he already has a girlfriend… then why does he give us so many essays?!”
“This is so beyond homework, Takayama-kun,” Fujita said, her grin wide. “This is the story of the year. The gossip of the decade. Midoriya-sensei has a girlfriend—this is the biggest news of the century!”
“Would that not be the war that Midoriya-sensei fought in?” Asato asked dryly.
Fujita rolled her eyes, but didn’t drop her triumphant grin. “You’re in the investigative squad, Asato-kun! You’ve got to be a supportive member of the team!”
“When did we sign up to be on the team?” Asato asked, but Fujita ignored him.
“Our next mission is simple, but it won’t be easy,” she said, sending grave looks at Asato and Takayama in turn. “We need to find out who, exactly, this mystery girlfriend is.”
Takayama raised his hand. “Excuse me, squad leader. I agreed to be on this team because I thought it would end up with me having less homework.”
“We are seeking knowledge for knowledge’s sake,” Fujita replied seriously. “I expect you to support this team’s mission, even if it does not benefit you personally!”
Takayama scoffed, but Asato knew as well as he did that Fujita’s excitement was always infectious. Whatever mission she wanted to be on, whatever gossip she wanted to seek out, she could be confident that her friends would accompany her.
“Do you think it’s a Pro?” Takayama said as he stood, offering a hand to help Asato up.
“That’s my guess,” Fujita replied, brushing a leaf from her skirt. “Asato-kun, which Pro’s does Midoriya-sensei usually spend time with that could be his girlfriend?”
Asato clicked his tongue, putting his hands in his pockets as their trio made their way out of the courtyard. “Uravity, definitely. Froppy, Creati, Pinky… Anyone from his graduating class really. Nejire-chan, too, but that’s mostly when he teams up with Lemillion.”
“Such a long list…” Fujita groaned, before she clapped her hands together with renewed vigor. “Takayama-kun, get your notebook out and take notes! We’re narrowing this down!”
—————
Another week later, the plan was set to be put into action.
Asato couldn’t say he wasn’t at least a little bit excited. Fujita’s energy really was infectious and it was hard not to buy into it. Even now, she was bouncing up and down next to Asato’s desk as the rest of Class 1-A filed out into the hall for lunch.
Midoriya smiled as they left. Asato watched as he took an extra moment to tap a stack of papers on the table to line them up before he tucked them into a folder. He glanced curiously over to their trio, none of whom had made a move to leave the classroom.
“Do you guys need anything from me?” Midoriya asked good-naturedly after a moment. “I’m always happy to help out, but I wouldn’t want to keep you all during lunch.”
“Just a quick question, Midoriya-sensei!” Fujita chirped, practically skipping up to his desk. He just looked up at her bemusedly as she borderline slammed her hands down in front of him. “Who’s your favorite Pro Hero?!”
Midoriya looked taken aback for a moment, but his smile returned quickly. “Well, I would have thought that was rather obvious. It has to be All Might!”
Asato bit back a laugh, forcing it into a cough. Takayama glanced over at him, sharing the same look.
“Ah, naturally, naturally,” Fujita replied, feigning casualness. “But, what if you had to choose someone active now?”
“Well, the rankings do take popularity into account to a degree,” Midoriya said, thoughtfulness starting to cloud his expression. “And Lemillion is certainly an excellent hero, and lives up to his goal to save a million people! So, that would be a clear choice for a ‘favorite hero’, if you had to pick—”
“Midoriya-sensei,” Fujita interrupted, seemingly too invested to worry about being impolite. Asato started to grab his lunch out of his backpack in case he needed a quick escape if the conversation started to go south. “I just want to know who your favorite hero is! The one you like for, y’know, personal reasons. Not just the rankings.”
Midoriya opened his mouth and closed it again, a sheepish smile creeping onto his face. With a chuckle, he brought a scarred hand up to the back of his neck. “For completely personal reasons, my favorite hero…”
Fujita nodded vigorously. Even from behind, Asato could envision the greedy look on her face. If he said Uravity, or Creati, or even Battle Fist, it would cement her theories.
“It has to be Shouto.”
Takayama snorted. Asato watched as Fujita physically deflated, disappointment radiating off of her.
Midoriya didn’t seem to notice, smiling absentmindedly down at his desk. “Shouto is my favorite,” he repeated, almost to himself. With a start, he seemed to reboot, blinking rapidly at Fujita. His cheeks started to flush as he suddenly busied himself with the papers scattered on the desk.
“But it’s hard to choose! All the heroes out there are incredible for different reasons, and of course I’m extremely proud of my friends!” Midoriya said hurriedly, haphazardly shoving folders and papers into his briefcase. “Now, now, you’re all growing heroes! Get to lunch and eat your fill, or you’ll have no stamina for training!”
—————
Fujita was practically vibrating next to Asato as they stood in the training gym a few weeks later.
“Today is the day!” She hissed, rocking up and down on the balls of her feet. “Today, we get an answer!”
After a few weeks with no new hints or breadcrumbs, Fujita was due to explode with curiosity and a good dose of nosiness. On Asato’s other side, Takayama spoke up dryly. “We’ll see. If she is his girlfriend, she might not want to say anything. And if it’s not her, she might want to keep her friends’ lives private.”
“Have a little hope,” Fujita griped, leaning over to glare at Takayama. “I’m sure Uravity-san will understand the need for information!”
Asato hummed neutrally, rolling out his neck. Even if Uravity wasn’t willing to give Fujita any answers regarding Midoriya’s love life, Asato was looking forward to her guest lesson. She was an incredible rescue hero and seemed like a genuinely kind person, but also like someone who would not go easy on them. Good—Asato welcomed the challenge.
“She’ll probably value her friendship with Midoriya-sensei over some hero student she’s never met,” Takayama replied.
“You’re so frustrating, Takayama-kun!” Fujita huffed, righting herself. “You’re supposed to be on the squad!”
“I am on the squad,” Takayama said. “I just don’t know if this is the best way to get the information you’re looking for.”
Fujita sighed with annoyance, glancing over with a cocked eyebrow. “Well, your idea was to stake out his apartment, which is not only way more obvious, but also way more likely to involve jailtime.”
“Forgive a guy for thinking outside the box, will you?” Takayama replied, scuffing his shoe against the floor. “What do you think, Asato? Should we ask Uravity to spill all of Midoriya-sensei’s dirty secrets?”
Asato shrugged noncommittally. While he was happy to be a part of his friends’ scheming, he wasn’t usually the idea guy. “It depends on if she shows up.”
Fujita sighed again, glancing at her watch. Their guest lesson with Uravity was supposed to have started nearly ten minutes ago, but the Antigravity Hero was nowhere to be seen. The class was starting to get antsy—someone had started a competition to see who could jump the highest, seemingly forgetting about their classmate with the jump boost Quirk.
Asato was about to suggest that they might actually be in the wrong gym when Midoriya suddenly burst into the room. The class hushed immediately as he took a steadying breath. He looked like he’d run to get to the gym, which was probably a little uncomfortable in his suit.
“I’m so sorry, everyone! Sorry for the delay. I know you were all waiting on Uravity, but unfortunately, she was called into an emergency rescue this morning,” Midoriya announced, a little out of breath. A wave of disappointment crashed over the room, with grumbles already starting to grow in volume. Fujita seemed especially heartbroken. “I know you were all very excited for a guest lesson today, but… Please hold your disappointment, because I managed to call in a special favor!”
Midoriya made a small gesture to the door, and the Number Two Pro Hero Shouto walked into the gym.
The class erupted immediately, clamoring and exclaiming as Shouto gave them a small wave. Even at U.A., where All Might walked the halls and Deku taught history, the surprise of the Number Two Pro was thrilling. Beyond that, Shouto was cool. He was easily a head taller than Midoriya and obviously covered in muscle under his sleek hero costume. His heterochromatic gaze was equal parts welcoming and intimidating, if only because Asato had seen it so many times on magazines and billboards.
“Hello, everyone. Thank you for having me,” Shouto said, and the class erupted again.
Midoriya seemed sheepish, turning to Shouto with an almost apologetic smile. Shouto returned his gaze fondly, and whatever they shared in that look seemed to soothe Midoriya’s nerves.
“Alright, alright! I expect you all to pay close attention to this lesson!” Midoriya said, turning to the class. His ears were slightly red, probably from the run over. “Shouto-san doesn’t have a lot of spare time to teach students, so I expect you all to be very diligent today! I wish I could stay, but I’ve got to grade those essays you turned in yesterday..”
Like a unit, Class 1-A all managed to avoid Midoriya’s gaze as he raised an eyebrow and looked around the room. Shouto chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. Midoriya gave him a small, sheepish smile before ducking out of the gym with a wave. Shouto turned back to the class, and Asato felt a shiver of dread run up his spine.
“Well, then,” Shouto said, looking around. “Let’s begin.”
—————
“If I ever say I want to intern at Shouto's agency,” Fujita huffed between breaths, “please, talk me out of it.”
“That was brutal,” Takayama wheezed, his face red. “Seriously, brutal.”
“Ten times harder than Practical Heroics usually is,” Fujita agreed, rubbing at her probably bruised side.
Asato hummed neutrally as they walked towards the locker room, trying to ignore how heavy his legs felt. Shouto had worked them incredibly hard, but Asato had a feeling that it was closer to how hero work actually felt than their previous Practical Heroics lessons. He was undeniably sore, but not necessarily in a bad way.
“I bet Uravity wouldn’t have worked us so hard,” Fujita continued, gesturing towards Asato. “Can I have a sip of your water?”
Asato reached down towards his belt, feeling nothing but an empty holster. In an instant, he could picture it on the side of the gym, where he’d tossed it before his final set of drills.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, wheeling around. Takayama just grunted in reply as Fujita continued to moan more about how sore she was.
As Asato approached the door to the gym, propped open to try and air out the smell of twenty sweaty heroes-in-training, the sound of voices slowed his steps.
“Thank you again for coming in today,” a voice that sounded like Midoriya said. “You didn’t have to, and I really appreciate it.”
Curiosity and the consequences of being Fujita’s friend got the better of Asato, and he leaned over slightly to peer around the door frame and into the gym.
Midoriya stood near the doorway, talking with Shouto. Asato watched as Midoriya adjusted the towel slung around Shouto’s neck, needing to get on his toes to do so.
“I’ve already said you don’t have to thank me,” Shouto replied, smiling down at Midoriya. Seemingly automatically, his hands shot up to steady Midoriya’s waist. “Of course I’m here.”
Midoriya either didn’t notice the hands hovering at his waist, or he didn’t mind them. Asato leaned in further. “Oh, but it’s your day off! You should have been at home relaxing!”
Shouto’s hands stopped hovering, settling firmly on Midoriya’s hips. “A day off is only really worth something if I can spend it with you,” he said tenderly, his features melting into something achingly soft. Midoriya was a strong man and a formidable hero, but he seemed practically dwarfed by Shouto’s large frame and massive hands.
“You’re such a sap!” Midoriya protested, but there was no fire behind it. He halfheartedly smacked Shouto’s chest but left his hand resting there, like he was feeling his heartbeat. “I was barely even here, I was grading!”
“Just seeing you made my day,” Shouto replied easily. He tugged lightly on Midoriya’s waist, making him stumble forward a step. To catch himself, Midoriya threw his other hand up—which left them both pressed against Shouto’s broad chest as he stared up at him. “Besides… When else would I get the chance to hear you call me Shouto-san?”
Shouto leaned down gently, so gently, and Midoriya surged back up onto his toes to meet him, their lips pressed together in a way that seemed incredibly natural and obviously practiced. Shouto’s hands didn’t leave Midoriya’s waist, but Midoriya moved his arms to hook around Shouto’s neck and pulled him down farther, deepening their kiss.
It took about ten seconds for Asato to realize that he was currently watching his Hero History teacher and the Number Four Pro Hero start to make out with the Number Two Pro Hero, and that they didn’t seem like they were stopping any time soon.
Without a second thought for the water bottle still lying on the gym floor or the soreness in his limbs, Asato dropped into a dead sprint. He caught his friends still standing outside the door to the locker room, both turning to him with equally surprised expressions.
“I have something to tell you,” Asato said, slightly out of breath. “And you are never going to believe it.”