Yes I'm doing more song bonus things but like the second song I decided on is r e a l l y fucking long so it's taking ages-
Third person pov
"So." Harper was still ghosting her classmates. Like hell she was making up bullshit just to cover up Aizawa's slip up. She didn't have the will to deal with any of that mess. So, she was here with Mic. "What do you know about Aizawa's personality?"
Digging into other people's shit? Not really her thing. She had no idea what she was doing. She sure as shit didn't know how to fix Aizawa, but there was one thing she could do. There was something both Mic and Aizawa wanted. Each other. Romantically. Only neither of them would say it because they were fucking idiots. So instead of playing therapist, she was going to take the easy road and play matchmaker instead. The idiots were already in love with each other anyway, which made her job all the easier. She just had to attack Mic's proverbial life jacket before she tossed him into the proverbial deep-end.
Mic looked like he was considering the question. Harper clued into his thoughts. He scooted around Aizawa's harsh demeanor, his exhausted tone of voice most days. The way he brushed off things that should have upset him, and the way he didn't react to others that would have made anyone else smile. Harper patiently waited, knowing full and well she was missing class at the moment. Midnight would have to give her a pass on this one. And if not, then Harper would absolutely resort to blackmail. She was truly that low.
"Well... I know it's fake, if that's what you're asking." Mic answered after a moment. He gave a sad smile. It was just the two of them in the teacher's lounge, where she'd managed to corner him. The brunette almost melted with relief at his words. "Harper must know more than I do. Kid's a mind reader, so she's seen another side of Aizawa nobody else has. Kinda gnarly, now that I think about it! She always gives him these withering looks, so it must be pretty contrasting to how he acts now."
"You're right. It's absolute bullshit. But how do you know that?" Harper asked, arms folded across her chest. Mic grinned at her, nostalgia in his eyes. Mic was a loud person, but that only made his thoughts all the quieter. It was sort of nice. Almost. She just wanted to get through this and call it a day.
"Well, when I first met him, he was tired as hell. Super stoic, but almost like he was overdoing it. It was totally forced, yo!" Mic clapped his hands together, grinning at her wildly. "But a few times, he slipped a bit. He'd grin. Not like his creepy grin, you know? It was a really happy one! And every once in a while, I'll hear him laugh. Not like a chuckle. I've heard him when he thinks nobody is listening! Totally just... laughing and happy! It's awesome." Mic's smile faded a little. "It's a side of him I fell in love with too, but I never see it! I'm... he hides it. And I don't know why! I want to see all parts of him. That sounded sexual. Wait, the kiddo can hear me! Sorry, Harper!"
"Bingo! Thank fuck!" Harper exclaimed, causing Mic to flinch in surprise and look startled. She didn't care how insensitive she was being. She leaned forward in an urgent manner. It was time to bag this. "He is bullshitting us all. On the inside, he's all sunshine and rainbows! Puppies and unicorns! He tells us he loves us, refers to himself as our father, constantly asks if I want a hug, he's the one making the fucking muffins, and today he smiled for real! It's killing me!"
"Wait, what?!" Mic shrieked, the windows rattling. If he saw Harper's wince, he didn't notice. "What?! He likes puppies and he didn't tell me?! Oh my god, and he IS the one making the muffins! I thought I was tricking myself! He's this happy-go-lucky guy and he didn't tell me? But I'm happy-go-lucky! We can be happy-go-lucky together! I can't believe this! He's been hiding all that inside him since high school? Oh my god, this is insane. I'm going to cry. I have to go find him and demand he tell me everything about everything."
"Okay, calm down! Jesus Christ, this is why I called you in." Harper was about to throw this issue onto Mic. If she had to deal with it, then so did he. He was in love with Aizawa, and thus could take the brunt of whatever was wrong with the guy. Right? Sure. "Look, I don't know the details. Apparently his dad sucked and his middle school buddies were little shit heads. Yes, he told me himself. No, I'm probably not supposed to tell you. But he's afraid to show this part of himself for fear of rejection, and it's fucking me up?"
This was an entire headache. But she, again, just had to get it over with. It was like ripping off a band-aid. Mic was in shock, honestly. His mind was now going a mile a minute, but Harper expected that. He wasn't too taken aback. On some subconscious level, he'd somehow seen this coming. He'd seen the signs. Aizawa's mask was big enough that it had gotten some holes in it over the years. Nobody can pretend forever, and that's what Harper had really been banking on.
He was her teacher. This wasn't something she was supposed to get involved in. Were this a different school with different people, she might be getting in a shit ton of trouble right now. But she knew Nezu had surveillance everywhere. If he didn't want her doing this, she was positive he would have stopped her already. It's not like she was planning to blow up the place or anything. She was just going to clue Mic in so he could lend a hand to a friend who needed his help.
"Really?" Mic whispered in a not-so-quiet tone of voice, his eyes wide. "I mean, I always thought, but I had no idea! He's never talked about his time before UA, or about his dad. Man... I should have dug more. He always acted so pissy when I tried to pry, though!"
Mic was... sort of excited. Of course he'd tried desperately in the past to look into who he really was. Even Kayama recognized that he was totally faking on them! But he'd lock up and seem... sad anytime he tried to ask. Mic had been prepared to wait until Aizawa was ready. But Harper had taken it upon herself to come to him on her own. A part of it seemed wrong. Harper giving him this information that was offered to her in confidence. However, Harper also knew what she was doing. Mic knew she was a smart kid, and she'd dealt with this her whole life. If she was bringing him into the fold, it was for a good reason.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So you're fine with him being a mental Care Bear? Yes? Excellent. I have a favor to ask of you." Harper wanted to get this over with. She was about to enter a hellish internship, and Aizawa was mentally crumbling. He was being crushed by the sheer weight of his own happiness. How damn ironic was that?
"Yes, of course! I'll do whatever you need. I..." Mic's cheeks went red, and he flushed a bit. "I'm in love with him! You know that. Obviously. Since I've thought about it... a lot. Sorry about that, Little Listener. But it doesn't matter what his personality is! He's Shota, and I know him and love him!"
Heartfelt. Feelings. Ew. Harper sighed and pressed her thumb and pointer finger against her closed eyelids. Alright, cool. Mic was in love with Aizawa, and was fine with the whole mental Elmo thing going on with the guy.
"Awesome. I need you to propose to him." Harper said. Mic immediately froze up, donning a nervous expression that made Harper want to sigh all over again.
"Propose... what?" He asked. "She's not asking what I think she is, right?!"
"Marriage." Harper held up a hand, cutting of his shriek. "Yes, he's in love with you as well. I've heard his thoughts, I've felt whatever sadness is going on underneath that. He's in love with you. What I think he needs is a committed relationship with someone. Something permanent. It won't fix all the shit that's wrong, but I think... it's what he needs."
Okay, so maybe this wasn't a good idea. Harper didn't know. But Aizawa felt so unstable. Like he was constantly fighting with two sides of himself, teetering between keeping his happiness shut up, and his expression outside neutral. It was shaky, sort of like Iida. Similar to a fight in a lot of ways. Marriage was all about commitment and trust. Aizawa was already deeply in love with Mic, and Mic was the same with him. She could feel it without having to even dig that deep. So if they could get closer and accept, at the very least, their feelings for each other, then...
"You think he needs me... to marry him?" Mic checked, eyes wide. Harper sighed but nodded. "Holy shit.... Holy shit! He loves me back! He loves me enough that Harper thinks we should get married! Oh my god, this is the best day of my life. I-I have to get a ring, and just- holy shit, I'm going to marry Shota Aizawa! I'm going to marry Shota! This is awesome. Harper is the best thing that ever happened to us! There's going to be an us! AaaaaaAAAHHHHHH-"
Harper took a deep breath, tensing up as Mic sprung from his seat and wrapped her in a hug. She barely had time to bring her hands up to her ears as he let out a joyful "YEAHHHHHH" that shattered a few windows. It still left an uncomfortable ringing, but he was bouncing around and happy, so she supposed that was something. She didn't doubt the whole school had heard that. Whatever. She wasn't the one causing the property damage.
"I'll do it today! I'll go get the ring now! Yeah, it'll be great! You should come too, as our witness!" Mic exclaimed, whirling around to face her again. "Yeah! Maybe he'll be more inclined to smile with her around, since she already knows! I already know his ring size. I'll get a band with the diamond pressed inside instead of protruding. If I leave now, I can put a rush on it and get it by the time school's out! I have vacation days to burn! Oh my god, this is happening. Yes, I'm doing this! This was just the push I needed. Confirmation that he felt the same way!"
Well, this was working out. And two of her teachers were going to get married, which she guessed was kind of cool. Had she proposed to Mic for Aizawa? She was actually pretty sure she just had. Whatever. She was missing Art History, which wasn't the worst, but it was the most quiet. Everyone zoned out, little to no thought whatsoever circulating in their minds as Midnight jovially droned on.
Harper stood, cracking her back. She could watch Mic get down on one knee if that's what it took to make Aizawa feel better. If Aizawa really had been keeping his joy hidden just to solely fuck with the world, then she probably would have butted out. But no, there was trauma over a decade old sitting within him, waiting to be addressed. And if he wasn't going to do it herself, she may as well take charge. With nothing to lose and nothing better to do, she may as well take this whole Hero Course shit by the horns.
Mic was nothing short of ecstatic. The man he'd been in love with around fifteen years, give or take, loved him back! It was an absolute dream come true. And, apparently he didn't hate things as much as he let on! Maybe that meant he liked Mic's music, and Mic's sense of fashion, and Mic's hair, and literally all the things he scoffed at. It was such a relief to hear that there was a happy person locked away in there, even if Mic never got to see him! He knew there was a joyful side to Eraser all along.
"Help me pick out the ring." Mic rounded on Harper again before she could shuffle out the door. She paused, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, come on, you made this all possible anyway! I need a wing-woman for this! I've never had to propose to someone before! This is so cool!"
"I have class." Harper said in a plain tone of voice.
"I'll write you a pass!" Mic insisted, bouncing in place with a grin so wide it looked as though his face might split open.
"I don't think that's how that works." Harper admitted. Almost as if on cue, the door to the teacher's lounge swung open. Poor, unsuspecting Hound Dog, caught up in Harper's shit again. Guy really couldn't catch a break, and she was honestly sorry for that. Hound Dog wasn't a bad person (canine?), and was actually one of the most bearable individuals Harper had run across in quite a while. Even better than her parents, who had learned to quiet their thoughts over the years for her comfort. God, she was starting to miss them.
"Am I interruffting something?" Hound Dog's brows furrowed curiously. Another thing great about him-- the puns. He wasn't even intentionally doing it. It was just how he talked, and that's what drew the line between bearable and annoying. "This pup sure does get herself involved in a lot of trouble. I've got to keep an eye on her fur sure. She's a bloodhound when it comes to sniffing out mental issues! Mic's tail is wagging, so she must have barked about something relating to Aizawa. Still, shouldn't she be in class?"
"Hey, Mr. Hound Dog." Harper sighed, her tone so dead and so absolutely done, she was surprised her own heard didn't flat line at the sheer blandness of it. "Want to go with Mic and I to find him an engagement ring? He's writing me a pass."
"And I'm going to get married!" Mic added happily. Hound Dog's ears pricked. Harper wondered what conditioner he used to make them look that soft.
"You found a mate?" Hound Dog's head cocked curiously, his nose twitching. "This'll be a treat fur sure. Though... I'm not sure that's how passes work..."
Harper sighed again, staring at the ceiling. When she finally got to have a phone call with her parents, she was going to have a lot to tell them. Maybe she'd leave out the part about her making friends. Sure, they'd be happy to hear, but she really didn't want to have to explain that she'd only become friends with one because they wanted to die, that one was an invisible atheist, that another was in love with her-- they'd never let that go-- and that another was a brain washer she'd eaten ice cream with after getting kidnapped. Not to mention Izuku's sort-of-but-not-really Schizophrenia and Ochako's milk thing. She... she couldn't even begin to explain any of that.
~~~~~~~~~~~
They'd all just walked right out the front door. Nezu made no moves to stop them either when Mic handed in a signed note giving permission for Harper to come with him on this wedding ring excursion. All he did was force Harper to call Tsukauchi on speaker phone so she could ask for permission. Tsukauchi obviously had no issues with it, especially when he heard Hound Dog would be attending. Seeing as Present Mic really didn't count as adult supervision, especially while he was in his hero costume.
"What about that one?" Mic pointed. Harper stopped staring at the ceiling long enough to glance at it. Having her head tilted back, for whatever reason, helped muffle the thoughts of those around her. She didn't know why, but she was willing to embrace it no matter how odd it looked.
"Absolutely not." Harper immediately denied.
"Too paw-" Hound Dog cleared his throat and shook his head out, his hair fluffing in the process. "Too gaudy."
"Man, come on! I'm trying here." Mic's thoughts crowed. Outwardly, Harper was happy to see he remained calm and didn't accidentally shake the entire building again. They'd already been thrown out of three places. If it happened again, Harper and Hound Dog would be going in by themselves and picking one out. "Well, what do you two think?"
"The one with the paw print is nice." Hound Dog said in a quiet, nearly hesitant tone. Harper and Mic both stared at him before looking back to the engagement bands.
"Right, well, let's think Aizawa." Harper said, rolling her shoulders. "What's your budget?"
"I'm loaded." Mic said immediately, not even stopping to think about it. "I work three jobs. I'm rolling in it. And if Aizawa and I marry, he has two jobs, one of which he gets paid extra for because of how much dirty work Underground Heroes do... we'll be rich! Bahamas, here we come!"
"Alright, go with the stainless steel. Six multi-colored diamonds. It's gay pride, it's colorful, and it's expensive as all hell." Harper listed off, ticking off the points on her fingers. Mic's eyes trailed over to it, and you could practically his eyes light up as he zeroed in on his prize. Hound Dog's head tilted. Harper realized belatedly that he had no idea what Aizawa was really like. She considered telling him for a moment before shrugging. Yeah, no. She wasn't going to corrupt him and his content little life. Not with Endeavor's thoughts, and not with Aizawa's. He didn't deserve that.
"I knew there was a reason I brought you." Mic said fondly, ruffling her hair and making it messier than it already was. "When Shota and I get married, we should adopt Harper."
Harper looked at him mournfully. He and Aizawa truly deserved each other. "I have parents, you know."
"Well, now you can have two more! Isn't that fun?" Mic asked, waving down a sales clerk. Harper shared a look with Hound Dog, who just looked perplexed. The brunette huffed slightly. Yeah, Mic and Aizawa would make for a great match. So great, in fact, that she almost regretted doing this. Because apart, they were both pretty intense. But... when you put them together.
Harper shivered. She really wasn't looking forward to the details of their honeymoon later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Why do I have to be here again?" Harper had literally missed all her afternoon classes going with Mic to get this ring. Now, they were back at the school where Aizawa remained, doing the extra paperwork they'd asked Cementoss to shove on him. He was a real one, that's for sure. Now, the dark-haired man remained one of the only people on campus aside from the new (and carefully vetted) janitors, Harper, Mic, and Hound Dog. Aizawa hadn't been able to say no to the cement-manipulating hero when he'd dropped a stack on his desk and ran.
"You made this all possible, Harper! You basically proposed to the both of us." Mic said proudly. "This is going to be amazing. I'm going to have a husband. And that husband is going to be Shota. And we're going to move in, and I'll gladly help parent his thirteen cats that I still don't know the names of-"
"His thirteen what?" Harper whispered, mildly horrified. Mic just hummed happily to himself, bouncing down the hall to the teacher's lounge. Hound Dog clearly had no idea what to do with himself, but had opted to stay with Harper nonetheless. Half of him wanted to see how this would play out, and the other just wanted to make sure the teenager would survive whatever hell storm she'd stuck herself into the middle of this time.
Mic was teeming with nervous energy. Deep down, he was expecting a cold no. Harper really didn't think it would play out like that. And if it did, she would beat Aizawa over the fucking head until he accepted and finally did something beneficial to his health. Harper was done with that man. If she could slam dunk this, she could go back to focusing on Iida. Make his brother a fruit basket. Have a come to Jesus meeting with Tenya, see if she couldn't get him to admit his feelings. Release some of that pressure.
The blonde Voice Hero all but slammed open the door to the teacher work room. Harper put a hand on Hound Dog's arm, shaking her head. He nodded in an understanding way, giving a doggish grin as he took a step back. He addressed her within his thoughts rather than risking alerting Aizawa of his presence, "Good luck, pup! Tell me how it goes."
"You'll be able to tell." Harper mumbled before trudging in after Mic, softly closing the door behind her. The man of the hour was already looking up from his paperwork, his tired expression staring back at them. Something in his eyes flashed when she came in, coming to a stop next to Mic. The blonde was vibrating with excitement, his quirk causing his entire body to reverberate as he held his voice in.
"What's this about?" The dark-haired man asked dryly, raising a brow. "Harperrrr. Did you go talk to Mic after I talked to you?! It's sooo cute how you care. Oh my god, wait, is this a surprise party? I LOVE surprise parties! It's not even my birthday! Or maybe you got be a puppy! I can't take it! I have thirteen cats, if you didn't know. Sparkle, Sunshine, Asshat, Glitter, Cutie, Sprinkles-"
"Mic has something he wants to ask you. I'm just here to witness it." Harper grumbled, cutting off his mental listing of his cats. Mic let out a little squeak that would have been quiet coming from anyone else, but it bounced around the room like a ping pong ball instead. Ah, and right when the ringing in her ears from earlier was finally starting to fade. She ran a hand down her face. She hoped Tsukauchi had picked up more ice cream like she'd asked him to. The girl would be needing it after this.
"Right." Aizawa said shortly. "Harper, what's going onnnn? Why's Mic here? I mean, he's hot and I adore him, but you can't be his partner in crime! You're my partner in crime."
"Please hurry." Harper sighed, bringing her hands up to cover her face. She needed Advil, ice cream, and a nap she'd (hopefully) never wake up from. That, and maybe The Office. She and Tsukauchi had started watching that and Brooklyn 99 and now couldn't stop. It was very relaxing. They were really bonding. He was even more bearable than Hound Dog, but maybe that's because he too was done with life. Stressed, somewhat of a hermit. Etc.
"Alright, I'm doing it!" Mic stepped forward, taking a deep breath. Aizawa raised his eyebrows curiously. "Shota Aizawa, I uh... wow, I didn't plan this."
"Good fucking job." Harper called from behind him. Then, she added, "Just tell him about your emotions or some shit."
"Perfect! Thanks!" Mic was genuinely taking the advice. Good to know Harper wasn't completely useless. Poor Aizawa was lost, though he didn't show it on the outside. "Alright, uh... we've been best friends since High School, you know? We've been through a lot together. I've spent over half my life with you, and... I think I'd like to spend the rest of it with you too. Harper came and talked to me today, and she told me some stuff that made me feel like the happiest guy in the world! And I just... I'm in love with you, and I have been for well over ten years. So I guess what I'm asking...."
Aizawa had frozen, his eyes wide. Harper actually couldn't believe she was witnessing this, and that it was her idea. She'd literally engaged her teachers. Aizawa's mind was going a mile a minute too, more so than hers, "No way. No way! Oh my god, I'm freaking out. Is this actually happening? I think this is actually happening! It isn't a dream! Oh my god, he's in love with me too? I always joked with myself about it, but it's true?! Oh my god, we could have been having sex ages ago! This is the best day of my life! Harperrr! Now watch this!"
Wait, watch what?
Harper blinked as Aizawa abruptly stood up, shoving his hand in his pocket and withdrawing a box of his own. It was worn out and definitely more than a few years old. Harper's lips parted in surprise as she stared at it. Mic also seemed stunned and confused. "Wait, what? What's in that box? Why is he standing? I didn't get to finish and-"
Shota got down on one knee in front of Mic before the man could even get the chance to crouch down himself and blurt out the question, popping open the box to reveal a colorful band that looked like it might be made of dyed marble. Definitely LGBTQ, still shiny and new. Three perfect diamonds embedded in the stone of the ring, and Harper wondered how long he'd carried it around thinking of proposing to his best friend. Mic's jaw dropped, and honestly, so did Harper's. Because honestly, this wasn't the plot twist she saw coming when she decided to pursue this. Just how long had Aizawa wanted to propose?
"Hey, Mic." Aizawa grinned up at him, in a not-creepy way that left Mic speechless and dumbfounded, cocking his head like a little shit. "Marry me?"
Harper covered her ears before the scream could escape.
~
Uhhh this is the ring I used for reference because I wasn't creative enough to come up with my own shit. I don't think the ring in this photo actually uses diamonds. I think this one averages out at about thirty bucks? I don't remember but I did change it so don't @ me in the comments bein' like "THIS RING CHEAP AS FUCK" because I knoW let me live my dream-