Tooru shivered before saying, "I hope it warms up on Sunday. Going on a rollercoaster in frigid weather would be tough."
"Just means we need to bundle up more if it does end up being chilly," Izuku stated with a shrug. Today's high looked at about 5° C, which was much better than the previous sub-freezing temperatures of the last week.
Power Loader yawned before saying, "You kids are crazy. The best place is on the ground, not being flung every which direction in a large metal death trap."
"Sounds like someone is afraid of heights," Hagakure stated before giggling.
"I'm not afraid to admit it. It's just not natural for humans to fly. So there's nothing wrong with having such a fear considering that."
Tooru jokingly asked, "What about those with flight quirks?"
The pro hero could only grunt at this statement.
Midoriya could only smile at the scene. He was glad the two were conversing as they hadn't talked much with one another. It was oddly similar to how Hatsume was around her mentor.
It was Christmas, and the trio was currently walking to the Hagakure household. Eraserhead had personally asked Power Loader if he would accompany the couple for the date, and he was happy to assist. Izuku figured his homeroom teacher had learned of his student's frequent visits to the support department at some point.
Hagakure pointed ahead as she said, "We're nearly there, sensei." Today she wore a red sweater and pom beanie with a white top. The rest consisted of a yellow scarf and gloves plus a black skirt and leggings.
"Not too far from the train. That must have been nice growing up," Maijima stated. He was wearing a black jacket with a hoodie and jeans. White gloves hid the large metal claws. It was odd seeing him without his typical headgear. It made his short stature much more noticeable as well.
"It makes these trips more convenient," Midoriya said in relief. He did appreciate the short distance walk. He was wearing a green camo jacket with black pants.
Once the trio arrived, the couple was about to walk in. However, they were surprised to see Power Loader take a seat on the bench on the front porch.
Tooru asked, "Don't you want to come inside?"
The pro hero waved off the concern as he replied, "I'll be fine out here. I don't want to interfere with family and all. Besides, a nap in such weather is quite relaxing."
"If you insist."
The two entered the household, and as they began to take off their shoes, as well as Tooru's scarf, voices could be heard from Mr. Hagakure's office.
"No way. He's here?" She then opened the door to reveal her ill-dressed father behind his usual computer and someone Izuku had never seen before. The dark-skinned man was sitting in a wheelchair beside the main desk and had a laptop. He was wearing an orange shirt with jeans, and a black jacket hung on his backrest. He had a buzzcut and was sporting some square glasses.
The stranger gave a soft wave as he said, "Ah, Tooru-chan, good morning."
Tooru quickly came over and hugged the man before saying, "Merry Christmas, Inoue-kun."
"Same to you, miss."
"Ah yes, that is today," the older Hagakure stated with a chuckle, never taking an eye off his work.
Inoue smirked as he said, "Men like us never let holidays slow our work down."
Midoriya walked into the doorway and said, "Uh, good morning."
Tooru let go of the visitor and said, "This is a family friend of ours, Izuku. He and my dad go way back."
"Hello, Midoriya-san, the name is Gou Inoue." He extended a hand to shake.
Izuku approached and did just that before asking, "Should I know you?"
"Nah, your gossipy girlfriend spilled the beans of who you are. It happened on my last visit with her during the summer."
Tooru put her hands to her face as she said, "Gosh, it's been that long, hasn't it?"
Inoue nodded before saying, "I've been here many times since, but since you've taken to living at school, our meetups have been cut short." He then looked back at the boy and said, "Even if you two hadn't hooked up, it would be hard not to forget the face of someone who put on quite the show at the Hero Festival."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Midoriya stated while scratching the back of his head.
The younger Hagakure then began to converse with Inoue. Izuku instead began to stare at this family friend and began to ponder.
"It's rude to stare Izuku," Tooru said after a few minutes.
"It's quite alright; I get it a lot. Everyone is always curious about why I am in this damn thing." Gou then gave his wheelchair a gentle shake.
The older Hagakure chuckled once more before saying, "Knowing him, he's more interested in knowing what your quirk is."
Tooru nodded before saying, "It's one of his many 'pleasant qualities'."
Gou looked intrigued and studied Izuku for a few moments. "Gotta say that's a first. Anyways, it's nothing special. Your run of the mill useless quirk."
A voice came from behind Midoriya, saying, "Good morning, you two!"
It was Mrs. Hagakure. She was wearing a white T-shirt with blue jeans.
"We ready to cut some hair? I already have it all set up."
Already? Izuku seemed to underestimate the woman's enthusiasm for this, considering how hesitant she was about it months ago. He then answered, "Yes, ma'am."
"Well, let's get a move along. We don't want to keep your date from running too late. I would hate for you two to be late to your Christmas Party."
Tooru sighed before saying, "Well, I can't argue with that." She turned to Gou and stated, "We'll talk later if I have time."
Inoue nodded and then looked at Midoriya as he said, "Just don't be shaving it all off like my style. She might be invisible, but even she doesn't want a buzz cut."
"I'll keep that in mind."
As they walked down the hallway, Mrs. Hagakure asked, "Where's this escort that was supposed to come with you?"
"He's outside mom, on the porch."
"In this cold? Did he not want to come in?"
Izuku said, "No, ma'am. It seems like he doesn't want to be a bother."
They entered the kitchen, and Izuku recalled the scene before him since the last time he was here. The dining table had been moved, and a chair with a tarp underneath stood in its place.
Mitsu sighed before saying, "Well, if it's what he wants, I won't stop him." She turned to her daughter before saying, "Get into place, dear. We'll take it from here."
Tooru did as told, and her mother then turned to the boy to ask, "How much help do you want from me, Midoriya-san?"
"I'll take all the help I can get ma'am." He had details on Tooru's hair ingrained in his brain by now, but cutting it? Reading online was only going to do so much. He needed experience. And this woman had much of it.
The younger Hagakure then sarcastically said, "Then you're not gonna get to do much if you let her have her way."
Mrs. Hagakure shot her child a look before returning to her guest to say, "How about I advise as things go?"
"That's perfect," Izuku stated as he walked over to her tools. He grabbed the appropriate-sized electric razor and walked over to his girlfriend. She already had the salon cape on and had taken off her pom beanie plus gloves. He then said nervously, "So sideburns first."
Mitsu nodded before saying, "Right where the top of the ear connects to the head."
Copying what Midoriya saw at his last visit, he felt the length of the hair on the cheek and the placement of the ear as advised. Slowly he cut and then checked his work. A little long near the ear, and then corrected it. Mrs. Hagakure then came over to inspect and was pleased. The next sideburn went flawlessly. He then worked on the rest of the sides and the lower back of the head.
"Tooru, you need to stop laughing," Mitsu stated with a groan.
"I'm sorry it's just ticklish."
"You never laughed before."
"I never had a skittish boyfriend cut it before."
Izuku turned off the razor as he said, "Tooru, that's not helping." Now his hands were really shaking.
"Well, you are moving around a bit. It's not a problem, just ticklish is all."
Mrs. Hagakure sighed and said, "Just take a deep breath, Midoriya-san. Things will get easier with time, but a steady hand is vital."
Midoriya nodded before continuing. Next was the top of the head; he changed the size of the razor and began to cut away. Thankfully it was much more comfortable with this part.
"And now we even out the transition," Mitsu stated as she got up from her chair. "I'll do one half to show you since this is the hardest part without having a visual to use."
She wasn't kidding, even when shown, Izuku didn't do so well at this portion of the cut.
"Okay, so it feels a bit weird on the right side of my head, but it's not like anyone will notice," the younger Hagakure said while rubbing said side of her noggin.
"But you'll notice," Midoriya said as he hung his head. "And I'll know."
Mrs. Hagakure put a hand on the boy's shoulder as she explained, "It's quite alright. That's the beauty of cutting her hair. Even if you mess up, it's not a big deal. It's a reality I soon learned to live with as I self-taught my way through this." She then turned on a hairdryer to blow the invisible strands of hair off her daughter.
Once the salon cape was taken off her, Tooru said, "Yeah, her first few tries were quite a blunder." She then went over and hugged her boyfriend. "You did just fine."
Mistu started cleaning her equipment as she said, "Cause I was literally flying blind. Midoriya-san would be too if he hadn't my advice."
"Which I greatly appreciated, ma'am," Midoriya stated while his girlfriend still clung to him.
The younger Hagakure whispered, "You're such a suck-up sometimes Izuku."
Mrs. Hagakure then said, "You should probably go clean up while we move things back into place, Tooru."
"No need for a shower this time. I'll just wash my hair," Tooru stated before parting from her boyfriend and making her way upstairs.
"I'll help move things back," Izuku said while he walked over to the dining table.
"Thank you, dear." Once the boy was done, he noticed the parent go over and inspect a slow cooker. She noticed his gaze and said, "Just working on a stew for lunch."
Midoriya then looked down the hallway and noticed the door to Mr. Hagakure's office was closed. "Does Inoue-san come here often?"
"Every couple of weeks, though sometimes I won't see him for months. Very rarely is not related to business."
"Is he freelance like your husband?"
Mistu sat down at the dining table with a glass of water before saying, "Pretty much, but instead of working as a general software engineer like my husband, he dabbles in security."
"So he comes here for advice."
"That or to share a contract. They both worked at the same company before leaving to do freelance work and sometimes do joint ventures for difficult or high paying work." Hagakure squinted her eyes as she asked, "You seem awfully interested in him."
Izuku held up his hands as he stated, "Oh, sorry if I come off as nosy. Tooru just never mentioned him is all."
"It's quite alright. You can go see them, while you wait for my daughter. Inoue-kun will at least answer your questions unlike my husband when buried in their work," Mistu stated before taking a sip of her drink.
Midoriya made his way back into the hallway, but since the door was still closed, he decided to put on his shoes instead and step outside.
The door opening stirred Maijima. "Back already?"
"Oh, Tooru is washing her hair at the moment."
Power Loader sat up before asking, "Well, how did it go?"
"There's room for improvement," Izuku stated while rubbing his arm.
"Well, did she complain?"
"Not exactly."
"Then you did good kid. No one's perfect on their first try. Especially in this case."
Midoriya then sat next to the pro hero before saying, "I know, but I can't shake the feeling that I could have done better."
"Well put that worry into focusing on next time. If you stress too much, you're going to set yourself up for failure when given another chance." The two remained quiet for some time until Maijima asked, "Still, why not spend time with her parents while you wait? No need to keep me company."
"Her father is busy with a business partner, and her mother is preparing lunch as we speak." He then turned to the adult and asked, "Is there any reason you don't want to join us inside?"
Power Loader crossed his arms as he stated, "The teacher in me says not to cause I barely know your girlfriend. Feels awkward."
"What about the regular you? What does he say?"
There was a pause until Maijime answered, "The real me has some family issues of his own. Being in there might dig up some bad memories."
"That bad?"
"Let's just say, there's a reason I asked another teacher to visit my students over the summer on getting permission for the dorm living. Well beside Hatsume-san."
"Okay, then. I won't ask anymore."
Power Loader nodded as he said, "I appreciate it, so let's change the subject. Got anyone in mind for the internship over the break?"
"I'm not so sure. I called Centipeder's office but they are swamped with work and Gran Torino is busy assisting a significant investigation."
Just before the break began, Aizawa announced that starting on New Years', the internship program would resume once more. However, this time, it was mandatory. So much for the rest and relaxation, Midoriya thought.
"I'll worry about it after today. I have too much on my mind to think about it at the moment."
"Understandable. I can offer this, though. If for any reason, you can't find anyone, I'd be happy to put you to work if you need it," Maijima stated with a grin.
To have a back-up plan would be reassuring, Izuku thought. "I'll take you up on that offer if I come up empty-handed."
"Only negative is you have to deal with Hatsume's antics for a lot longer than usual."
"I think I can manage," Midoriya stated chuckling. Once he was finished, a thought came into his head, and he said, "Oh, I should tell you about our plans the rest of today."
"That would be nice. You two only told me about what was happening this morning."
"Well what happens exactly after this I can't tell, it's supposed to be a surprise for me. However, we do plan to shop for our gift exchange tonight. Finally, at some point, I plan to dance with her."
Power Loader gave a long hard look at the boy before asking, "You can dance? You don't seem like the type."
Izuku sighed before saying, "I'm not, but it's a present for Tooru. I know she does enjoy it."
"You've been practicing?"
"With an expert since the start of November."
"Hmmm. This I have to see then."
Great, another onlooker, Midoriya thought. He was hoping to convince the pro hero for some privacy in this matter, but it wasn't looking good. The bigger problem was where they were going to do this. He had nothing to go on since Hagakure would be presenting her gift first. In front of a crowd would kill him from embarrassment. He would just have to play it by ear once it was over.
The two continued to talk a while, mostly about school. Eventually, the front door opened, and out came Tooru holding a bowl of stew.
"I got some beef and veggie stew for you, sir. You sure you won't come inside and join us?"
Maijima gladly took the bowl and spoon offered to him and said, "I'm good out here, but give my compliments to the chef."
Hagakure crossed her arms as she said, "But you haven't even had a bite yet. How do you know it will be good?"
"Free food is free food. That's enough to be thankful for me."
Midoriya got up and stated, "We'll head out once we're done eating."
"Sure thing. No rush," Power Loader said before trying his first taste of the stew.
As the two stepped inside, Izuku noticed the door was still closed to Mr. Hagakure's room. He then grabbed Tooru's hand before she could continue forward.
"Something wrong?"
Hesitantly Izuku asked, "Can I, uh, feel your hair once more?"
"A simple wash isn't going to change much."
"I know, but I just want to see my handiwork without the eyes of your mom watching."
"Sure but not here." Tooru then led her boyfriend up the stairs, and into her old bedroom. As they sat down, she said, "Well, now we are out of view of any onlookers, so go ahead and make it quick."
Midoriya then went to work, giving a thorough inspection of the damage. There was a hint of dampness, and the smell of mint now dominated his nostrils. Her left side was still bothering Izuku, but he shook the thought off and took to the advice the adults gave to him to strive to do better next time.
Once the boy had removed his hand, Tooru said, "Well, if you want, I'll let you cut my hair from now on. Though it's probably better we do it back home then come here each time."
"I don't have any equipment, though."
"My mom said she was happy to give her own to you earlier. It's not like it will have any use anymore being here."
"I suppose," Midoriya stated.
"See? It will work out. Now let's get something to eat."
The two then went downstairs. The boy looked at the closed door once more before asking, "Should we get those two to join us for lunch?"
Hagakure shrugged, "I tried to coax them before going outside with Power Loader's bowl, but those two get way too absorbed in their work sometimes." She then pulled up her boyfriend as she said, "Now let's get this done so we can continue our date!"
As Izuku got dragged to the kitchen, he could only ponder what Tooru had in store for him.
The trio exited the Seibu Shinjuku Line station into an afternoon breeze.
Tooru excitedly said, "The place is just across the street." Currently, she was leading Izuku along. He had been blindfolded just minutes before to keep the suspense of the surprise.
"Doesn't make this any less awkward," Midoriya stated as he held his girlfriend's shoulders.
Maijima then spoke up and said, "Well, you'd see the place from the train. It's no wonder she blindfolded you."
Izuku only knew they were heading west towards Nishitōkyō before getting off the line. He wasn't too familiar with this location at all. Within about a minute of walking, he felt his obstruction loosen.
"Tada!"
Midoriya's eyes laid upon a stadium. The letters at the entrance read Dydo Drinco Ice Arena. "Ice skating?!"
"Judging from that reaction, you've never ice skated."
Izuku shook his head slowly.
"I figured, so today I'm gonna give you a crash course!"
The trio entered and paid for their admission and skates. As they put them on, Midoriya asked, "Did you do this often growing up?"
"All the time. It was one of the few things I would be able to drag my dad into doing. I even have some skates of my own, but it would have been obvious of my intent if I brought them along." Hagakure then turned to Power Loader and asked, "How about you sensei? Ever skated before?"
"I've dabbled with it in my youth." Maijima then finished putting on his skates and began to walk towards the rink. "See you guys on the ice."
Midoriya then tried to stand by and nearly fell to the side, only to be caught by his girlfriend.
"Already? We haven't even stepped on the ice yet silly." Hagakure gave her boyfriend a minute to adjust to walking with the skates. They then walked towards the ice rink.
It was a hockey rink, and it made Izuku wonder if anyone used it for such a purpose anymore. Professional sports weren't that popular as quirks became more and more prominent.
Tooru stepped onto the ice and held out her hand as she said, "Come on now, nice and easy. We're going to find a corner to ourselves first before we try anything."
Once Midoriya stepped onto the ice, Hagakure explained, "Just march forward, for now, I'll keep you balanced."
Three near falls later; the two were in an unoccupied corner of the rink. "Alright, first things first. We need to learn to fall properly."
"What? Shouldn't we avoid falling?"
"It's going to happen regardless of how careful we are, especially once I let you go on your own. Even as durable as you are, Izuku, I want this to be fun, not painful."
Midoriya wiped his forehead as he said, "Well, you are the expert, so go ahead."
"Hold the wall while I show you."
Izuku did just that and watched his girlfriend put a bit of distance between them.
"The biggest things are not to brace your fall with your arms and to keep your head tucked in." Tooru then bent her knees and twisted her body to one side and then fell on it. "You want to keep your hands in your lap as well." She then sat upright and placed her hands by the sides of her feet before pushing herself up to stand. "I know each fall is different, but you should try to do as best you can."
Midoriya then tried a few times. The first, he instead fell on his butt, but the rest were as instructed. Getting up, however, was quite the struggle.
"We can work more on standing up later. More falls will come anyways."
Izuku sighed as he said, "That's reassuring."
Tooru took her boyfriend's hands and then instructed, "Alright, let's do the march again but with a bit more oomph. Take two steps and then slide. Two steps and slide. Over and over until you get used to that feeling, I'll be here for support until I think you're ready to do it on your own."
The first few minutes had two falls, the first being face-first to Midoriya's dismay, but the second was much cleaner. They then made two circles around the rink before Hagakure asked, "You ready to go solo?"
"Might as well give it a go." Izuku then felt Tooru let go, and the initial jolt almost made him topple, but he regained his composure and started the process once more. After his first turn around, he was feeling quite confident. A black blur then came to his side and then started to circle him.
"Baby's first steps. Not bad," Power Loader said as he effortlessly lapped the boy.
Hagakure then sarcastically asked, "Dabbled, huh?"
Maijima then came alongside the invisible girl and explained, "It was my second favorite activity growing up back at home, besides tinkering, of course. I prefer a frozen lake, but this ice rink is serviceable."
Midoriya then asked, "Is this where you always skate Tooru?"
"Nah, I usually go to the Tokyo Dome, but this was closer to our school. Plus, I know some shops nearby, so we can buy presents for the gift exchange."
"So while Midoriya-san continues to practice, wanna race Hagakure-san?"
"Three laps?"
"Easy."
"Be back soon Izuku, keep that motion."
The race itself was quite intense. Tooru took the early lead, and one time, when she passed, Izuku almost fell from the rush of wind as she passed. However, by the third lap, Power Loader was gaining fast and, by the end, barely edged her out to claim victory.
"I'm still rusty, and I beat you. Perhaps I should come here more often," Maijima stated with a wide grin.
Hagakure slowed down her speed and then came by Midoriya's side. As she grabbed his hand, she said, "Yeah yeah, gloat it up. Anyways, I'm going to teach Izuku a few more things before we go."
"Let me know when you're ready then. I'll use what time I have left to get back in the groove."
Once the teacher was gone, Izuku said, "That was blazing fast."
"I could have been faster if I had my skates. Ah, well, his speed even caught me off guard." She then took a deep breath before asking, "So how are you holding up solo?"
"Wobbly but doable."
"Ready to move on?"
"Sure!"
"Next is some swizzles." Hagakure let go of Midoriya's hand, picked up some speed, and then placed her heels together. Her feet then spread apart. Then came back together and repeated the motion. The lines she left behind were shaped like an hourglass. "After this, the only change is you lifting your feet instead, so you keep your momentum. So again, take a few steps to gain speed. Then bring your feet together and apart until you run out of steam. Then repeat."
"Got it."
After a few attempts, Tooru said, "Too wide, make your arcs smaller." Izuku was going wide as it allowed him to balance easier, but he was losing speed fast with this method. After a few laps of this, Hagakure asked, "Alright now alternate lifting your feet with the motion in mind."
The transition to this point was seamless and, in no time, was Midoriya properly skating, albeit slowly.
"See? The basics aren't so bad. Give it a couple more sessions, and we can up your speed and maybe even do some fancy moves." Tooru then began to skate backward and then jumped to do a twirl. She then returned and said, "I could never get my dad to twirl, the baby. Ah, well, ready to go?"
"Uh, would you mind if we could just skate a bit like this together for a while?"
Hagakure took Midoriya's hand and said, "Sure! I like your plan better anyways."
"That was quick," Power Loader said.
The couple had come back to the teacher who was resting on a bench. They only looked at two shops, Midoriya finding a gift in the first, and Hagakure in the second. Though they kept what they bought from each other, there was a remote possibility they could receive each other's gifts.
Izuku then said, "Well, the spending limit was 2,500 yen, so we didn't have much to choose from, sir." He had purchased an All Might keychain, a new one he hadn't recognized. His All Might merchandise collecting had mostly come to a halt since starting at the hero academy. Two were bought, one for himself and whoever his recipient was to be. Midoriya also nabbed some cheap ski goggles in the second store, which he was currently wearing. He figured they might come in handy on Ochako's birthday because of all the rollercoasters.
Maijima nodded before saying, "Fair enough. Anyways, ready to reveal the last surprise?"
"Oh, so he knows before me? Now I feel cheated," Hagakure said before giggling. Once she stopped, she asked, "So what is it?"
Midoriya gulped before saying, "I learned to ballroom dance, and I want us to dance together."
Tooru remained silent as she brought a hand up to her cheek. She then asked, "You continued to train after the cultural festival?"
Izuku nodded as he responded with, "With the help of Ashido-chan and Aoyama-kun."
"Okay, she makes sense. Him? Not really."
"I was just as surprised as you were when Ashido-chan brought him the first day. But he's been a great help. I even made a video for you to see the style I learned."
Hagakure grabbed an arm of her boyfriend and then said, "I'd love to see it, but let's head to the nearby park. It's a lot quieter there."
The trio walked for a few minutes until they came upon a long bench at the edge of the park. It was starting to lightly snow at this point, but luckily the bench was under an evergreen tree. The park's Christmas lights helped light up the area, as it was now in the evening.
Once they were seated, Izuku pulled out his phone. He sat in the middle of the bench, Tooru on his left, and Power Loader was leaning in from behind. He first explained what Bolero was in a very general sense and how he practiced with his two classmates before playing the video. It was taken yesterday, the last dance practice. The duo was dressed as usual, so when the Spanish music began playing, it did fit the attire, which Tooru was happy to point out. Still, she became silent once the Finales started.
Once it was all over, Power Loader said, "Well, I have to hand it to you, Midoriya-san. In no way did I think the style you were going to dance would be that intimate."
Midoriya scratched the back of his head as he said, "Yeah, I keep looking back and wondering what had gotten into me."
"And the fact you did this with Ashido-chan."
"Trust me; it's gonna be much more embarrassing to dance with you."
"You think? I feel like I should be the one."
Izuku started to panic, was this dance too sensual for even Tooru? Had he screwed up? "W-what do you mean?"
"I mean, I know how to slow dance, but I know nothing on how to ballroom dance. Screwing this Bolero up would lead to a lot of accidents, I feel."
It does, Midoriya almost said but kept it within his head. The last thing his girlfriend needed to know was his various trips onto Ashido as he learned. "I mean, it's safer than falling on ice like I did today."
"I get it, but do you want to like, practice here? Or later."
Considering their options, Izuku answered with, "We can start in the third term if that's okay." However, he still wanted to do something here, so he asked, "Would you like to slow dance at least tonight?"
"Oh, she taught you that too?" Midoriya nodded and was surprised by Hagakure as she brought him up off the bench. "That would be wonderful."
"I'll provide the music," Power Loader said as he took out his phone. Once a slow piano solo began playing, he placed his phone on the bench and walked over to sit at the base of the evergreen tree.
As the two began to sway to the music, Tooru said, "You know, I was hoping I was going to have the wackier gift, but you blew mine right out of the water."
"Yours was good too."
"Yeah, but I like ice skating. Been doing it since I was eight." Hagakure's head then rested on her boyfriend's right shoulder before saying, "You did something you weren't comfortable with and busted your butt for two months to make this happen."
"Well, when you put it that way."
"See?"
Tooru sighed before saying, "I guess I should try and even it out somewhat. You did do two things for me today."
Izuku gulped before saying, "Like what?"
"Well, I could tell you some secrets of mine."
Midoriya stopped dancing and said, "You don't have to reveal anything if you don't want to."
"It's not about wanting to; I need to. We had that whole spat about you not telling me things; I should follow that same standard."
A new song began playing, this time with accompanying string instruments.
Tooru then continued to dance before asking, "You know those talks I had with your mother and Yagi-sensei?"
Izuku did. The former happened way back in June, the week after they started dating. The latter he remembered happened on the day of the Cultural Festival. "Uh, yeah, I recall them."
"I just wanted to get to know you better from their eyes, but I thought asking them in length in front of you would not only be embarrassing but skewed. With you there, they might not have been as open as they were."
Upon hearing this, Midoriya couldn't fault her. He, too, was inquisitive about those around him and could see the logic in what she said. Sure he would have appreciated hearing this earlier, but at least it was now known. "I understand Tooru; it's okay."
"Thanks, Izuku, but I still want to tell you one more thing."
"Go ahead."
Hagakure groaned before saying, "It's pretty obvious I got some beef with my mom."
Oh, this, Midoriya thought. This had been a long time coming. He then nodded before saying, "It pop-ups from time to time."
"It happened when I decided to change myself for the better. I told myself, No more shy Tooru. No more fat Tooru. No more depressed Tooru. I was going to be social again and try and make friends on my terms, not my quirk. But my mom didn't like the change. Said I...was faking it."
Izuku stopped in his tracks and thought for a moment. "Do you want to sit down and talk about it?"
"Sure that works."
The two went back to the bench, and Midoriya asked for the teacher to stop the music.
Maijima gave a concerned look but soon nodded and kept his distance as the couple walked to a far-off bench.
After both were seated Hagakure said, "She wanted her shy daughter back. Not some pro hero wannabe."
Izuku considered why. It could have been a matter of safety. To have a kid show no sign of wanting a dangerous profession and then wanting THE type of job that was defined by the high-risk one took with the work. It would be quite unsettling. "And your dad?"
"It surprised him, but he was all for it. Caused a lot of fighting between the two. They never had big fights before that, that I know, and it made me wonder if I had made the right choice. I was causing a rift between my parents, and the initial results of my transformation did little to change how things were going at school."
"So, what made things change?"
Tooru leaned her head on her boyfriend's shoulder as she explained, "Time. I started to make progress at school, and my grades went up as well. This cooled my mom and, in turn, made the fights less frequent. And in the end, I got accepted to U.A. and made a bunch of friends and found a boyfriend in you. Still, though, my mom never apologized. To this day, I still think she would rather me be the shut-in daughter I used to be."
Midoriya rubbed his forehead. There was no doubt Mrs. Hagakure could be brash at times, but still, resentment for her daughter's decisions after all a few years felt off. "Have you tried to discuss it with her as of late?"
"No, I didn't want to open old wounds for either of us. Besides, I don't want to risk her going back to acting as she did before."
Izuku could feel his girlfriend hated talking about this. Trying to fix it now was too rash, despite how much he wanted to, so he hugged her and said, "That must have been hell. Sorry, you had to revisit such feelings just to keep me informed."
"It's alright; I feel better that you know now." Tooru then stood up and said, "The party is soon; we should get going." She waved over Power Loader, who grabbed his phone before the three began their walk back. They cut through the park as apparently, it was a shortcut.
The couple stayed in front while the pro hero trailed behind, probably to give them space. Eventually, they came to a bridge that crossed a creek. The lights of the surrounding trees made it quite a sight. After a few steps on the bridge, Hagakure stopped and said, "Just one before we head out." She then pulled Midoriya into a long kiss on the lips. Neither dared to full-on make out in front of Maijima, but considering everything; this was perfect for now.
Once they parted, they looked to see Power Loader with his phone out. With a smirk on his face, he said, "Well, this picture should satisfy Hatsume-san's curiosity on how today went."
In the first scene, we finally see the fruits of labor from the rooftop "practice." We also get the first new OC in quite a while. That reminded me that it'd been ages since I used Yasumura (Momo's head butler). I had plans to use him in the second term, but I later found an additional use for him if I waited till the third term. So expect to see both in action quite soon. Choosing Power Loader as the chaperone made a lot of sense, and it allowed me to start giving him a bit of back story.
Tooru teaching Izuku ice skating had been in my head for over a year. If you remember, I commissioned hazel0219 on 2018's Christmas to draw that exact scenario. So I'm glad I FINALLY got to write it. I based Hagakure's learning on how I learned to do it. It's not perfect, but it worked well enough for me.
Writing the final scene made me want to commission the two dancing Bolero, but I've done quite enough as of late. Perhaps much later this year. For anyone that saw my recent Christmas commission, then the final shot might seem very familiar. ;p