Archive of Our Own ^beta

There was a time when becoming a hero was something respected and honorable. The level of attention and fans it garnered paralleled it to being a celebrity, but the general respect and admiration kept them from the same kind of paparazzi scandals and trivialities that music idols and on-screen celebrities faced. It seemed like ever since people turned their back on the fickle heroes who had renounced their careers in the face of citizen backlash and ruthless villains, heroes had never quite redeemed their image. 

Since then, the new generation has proven themselves stronger, their wills and their drive more honorable than that of their predecessors. Additionally, the requirements to obtain a hero title and the rights that come with it had become more meticulous, weeding out those who weren’t absolutely, selflessly dedicated to saving people and improving society- whether that meant helping someone cross the street or putting their lives on the line. Despite it all, people didn’t place heroes on the same pedestal. There was no base respect for those who patrolled the streets and answered cries for help. 

Society was waiting, looking for the smallest mess up as proof that heroes would repeat history. Paparazzi and gossip shows slandered and judged and sought out anything that could become a scandal. Becoming a hero meant being scrutinized under a microscope, with almost all aspects of life placed in the spotlight for others to comment on. Any slight in a hero’s life was an offense to the citizens they protected. Any major event in a hero’s personal life was an event anyone in the world could speculate, opinionate, and become part of as if it was their own. 

Who a hero dated became the topic of magazines, talk shows, and interviews. There were some heroes who were encouraged not to date at all to be taken seriously, or to date a certain person to avoid backlash, and in extreme cases, had to sign contracts agreeing to remain single and wholly focused on hero work. Often, that was the case when heroes were starting out, fresh out of their hero schools and getting signed by a hero agency. Any breaches in contracts, any scandals, and any mistakes reflected on the agency and all the heroes who worked there. 

Signing that contract had been simple enough. Izuku had faced his share of struggles, had become a venerated hero before even signing with a hero agency officially. It was more of a formality than anything. He and his classmates had graduated and he’d signed on with a hero agency All Might had opened in hopes of passing it on to him and Kacchan one day. 

He really hadn’t thought of romantic relationships at the time. He had a lot to handle already considering the war he’d gone through in high school, the resulting trauma, and mentoring underclassmen. Frankly, romance was the last thing on Izuku’s mind when he signed his name on the clause. 

It had been Kacchan who hesitated, a deep frown etched in his expression as he questioned the importance of the demand. Kacchan had been different ever since the war. He never liked being told what to do and what not to do, but to have a dating clause make him fight back seemed strange. 

At least until he’d announced to the public in that typical Kacchan way that he was already dating a hero and had no plans to prove himself or his dedication to being a hero by signing something as stupid as a dating clause. The announcement made its rounds across the media with people speculating who it was and whether someone so young and new had the right to bend rules so early in his career considering the new wave of heroes were the first to begin reparation of the hero generations before them. Regardless of it, Kacchan remained unfazed, and his glare was enough to halt any prying questions from anyone who interviewed him. 

When it was revealed that the hero in question was Kirishima shortly after, everyone had their opinion about that too, but it was generally well-received news. 

Similarly, Izuku discovered that even those with approved relationships could fall to the rage of gossipers just as easily. There was a hero couple in America, a few years older than Izuku, but one had cheated. When it was discovered, he was required to make a formal apology to the country and had to agree not to be seen with whoever he’d cheated with. Izuku had no idea what kind of effect it might have had on his hero status, but he knew that after the incident, he rarely saw him in the news anymore. 

The dating clause was meant to be for five years, however, those who had been students involved in the war had that time reduced to three years. Because the Safety Commission omitted the names of those who had been students in the war in their reports, each person who wanted a reduced sentence had to get a signature from an upstanding hero who had been involved or show some sort of proof of their involvement- photos of rescuing people, old news footage of their fights, hospital records of injuries from said battles. 

While Izuku’s involvement was indisputable, known by practically the whole world, with videos and images that popped up whenever Izuku so much as typed Deku into a search engine, he hadn’t cared much for the process of submitting the documentation and further prolonging his official position at the agency. 

He signed the five year clause. 

At eighteen, newly graduated, exhausted, distracted, and eager to bring back the public’s faith in heroes and show the world what heroes were supposed to be, Izuku signed the five year dating clause. 

At nineteen and a half, Izuku began to wonder if he’d made a mistake. 

Ever since his visit to Otheon, Izuku had stayed in contact with Rody Soul. It became sporadic during the war, but that bond had never broken. Rody had visited him with his siblings once things had settled a bit and met Izuku’s friends. After that, visits weren’t always feasible, but video calls and texts allowed them to stay in contact. 

Once Rody got his pilot’s license, though, he’d kept his promise; he visited more often, bringing Roro and Lala with him to meet more of Japan’s future heroes. He’d even gotten to meet Izuku’s mom, though they communicated through a lot of gestures since his mom didn’t know too much English. Izuku translated when he could, but his mom and Rody seemed more than happy to figure out their own way of communicating, and she had fallen completely in love with the kids and Pino. 

Izuku couldn’t fully explain the joy he felt when Rody appeared in his life. It always felt like no time had passed, and yet they always had so much to catch up on that whatever time they were allotted was never enough. There were always promises of “Next time!” and “See you soon.” 

He couldn’t pinpoint when it became… different. 

When Rody visited, Izuku often spent as much time as he could with him, happy to show Roro and Lala around and laughing at Pino’s excitement and joy despite Rody’s evident embarrassment. There were all nighters and hushed laughter as they tried not to wake the kids, back and forth stories that filled the night, and a space between them that slowly and subtly became smaller and smaller. 

About a year after signing his contract, there was a battle. It was a bit of a haze to Izuku. The feeling of fighting in it merged with the memories of one similar to it, and before he knew it, he wasn’t fully… there. It was like he was in two places at once- the present and the past. 

Rody happened to be visiting when that fight happened. Izuku had walked into his apartment, still muddled and confused. He wasn’t sure where Roro and Lala had gone or how he’d gotten home or how the fight had even ended. 

All he remembered was Rody reaching for him, saying his name, and ending up in his arms, both of them in the middle of the floor as he sobbed and shook. He’d babbled broken English and frantic Japanese between tears and heaving breaths, and Rody had been there, holding him, reassuring him, listening to what he could understand. 

Izuku’s next clear memory was Rody’s hand pushing his hair out of his face. “There you are,” he’d whispered. “Welcome back, hero.” 

Izuku blinked, meeting his eyes, suddenly mystified by the silver gleam that made them look like stormclouds. And his heart sped up, but instead of fear or excitement it was… something else. Something reflected in the way Pino chirped softly and hid her face behind a wing. 

“Sorry,” he’d said immediately, only for Rody to give him a crooked smile as his thumbs wiped his cheeks. 

“Nothing to be sorry for. I’m just glad I was here.” 

“Me too.” 

From that moment on, Izuku noticed a lot more. He noticed the way Rody’s eyebrows scrunched together when he laughed, the way he scrunched his nose when he greeted his siblings, the way his hair was made of strands of dark red and soft brown, the way he bit his lip when he concentrated, the way his cheeks turned pink when he caught Izuku looking at him. Pino was the same as she always was- nuzzling his cheek, settling in his hair, chirping wildly and happily around him, wings fluttering when Izuku was near. 

He noticed the way he struggled to breathe when Rody was close, the urge to reach out and touch him, the way his heart sped up when Rody smiled at him, the way his whole body seemed to light up at the sound of his voice saying his name or the sound of his laugh. 

But Izuku had signed a contract. And there were three and a half years of that contract to see through. 

One day, Izuku’s friends came over to celebrate the new year. Roro and Lala had both fallen asleep shortly after midnight, and all of his friends had left around one in the morning, two at the latest. Rody and Izuku were facing each other on the couch, sake on their breaths as they shared a bag of chips and continued to talk until they’d sobered up. 

“I’m really glad you’re here,” Izuku had said with a soft sigh, excusing his loose tongue with the pretense that he was still tipsy.

Rody had given him that signature smirk, his gaze taking in Izuku’s face, lingering in a way that made Izuku’s heart pound obnoxiously. “Yeah? You know, my friends don’t believe I know some of Japan’s most famous heroes. They almost didn’t give me the day. I thought I’d have to spend another holiday camped out on Jack’s couch.” 

Izuku felt his jaw clench, his body tense, complete sobriety slamming into him and yanking him from his cloud. “Jack?” 

“Mm-hmm, the one I met at Stanley’s. New bartender. He’s pretty cool and gives me and the kids a place to go on holidays when people are usually with their families.” 

“Oh.” 

Izuku stood up, shaking off the strange nausea and frustration rolling through him. Images of Rody on someone else’s couch, laughing and leaning into some faceless guy filled his head. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Izuku shook his head as he began to tidy up, just to give his hands something to do. He thought of Pino chirping and cooing and pecking at handsome, faceless Jack, and left beer bottles to clatter together too loudly into a trash bag. 

Familiar hands took the trash from Izuku, and he tried to keep his facial expression from exposing him before he looked up to meet Rody’s eyes. 

“You’re not a very good liar, you know? I don’t think you ever have been,” Rody said. He tilted his head. “Do you really wanna start the new year off being a horrible liar?” 

“No,” Izuku muttered, his head swirling with what he feared and what he wished for. He imagined Rody sleeping next to someone else, then imagined himself instead. 

“Was it something I said?” he asked. “C’mon, you don’t have a Pino to give you away.” He grinned and squished Izuku’s cheeks with one hand playfully, for all of two seconds before Izuku was blushing. “Just a very expressive face.” 

Izuku blinked and realized how close they were. Rody’s presence was overwhelming. His scent, his teasing voice, his cocky smile, the curious gleam in his gray eyes, the warmth of his hand still squishing Izuku’s cheeks together. The sheer force of the longing, the desire, the desperation that swept through Izuku could have knocked him to his knees. 

Instead, he let his gaze drop to Rody’s lips, quirked up in their usual little smirk. He wondered if Jack had kissed him yet. 

Slowly, Rody’s hand pulled away, moving only so his index finger could tilt Izuku’s chin up slightly, bringing his attention back up to his eyes. “I thought I told you about Jack. The forty-two year old who lives with his wife.” 

Blinking rapidly, the fog in Izuku’s head cleared enough to vaguely remember Rody telling him about a new coworker who’d just moved to Otheon with his wife and had offered to teach the kids sign language. It was a conversation that was very hazy to him because he’d been fighting sleep in hopes of talking to Rody for the first time in days. 

“Oh. You did,” Izuku said. 

Rody smiled, scrunching his nose playfully. “You’re kind of hopeless, hero.” 

“No I’m not-” 

“Pino’s giving me away, and you still haven’t caught on,” Rody said, his gaze dropping briefly to where Pino perched on Izuku’s shoulder, her face practically smothered against his neck as she nuzzled him. He could feel the occasional soft flutter of her wings between soft chirps. 

“She’s always like this,” Izuku whispered, suddenly frozen. 

Gray eyes flitted back to meet his, and Rody sighed, his ensuing smile a little more tired. “Yeah, I know.” 

He took a sharp breath and held it. Slowly, he placed his hand on Rody’s cheek, delighted with the way a blush dusted across his cheeks. 

Before Izuku could tilt his head closer, Rody jerked back slightly, shutting his eyes as he let out a soft, “Wait.” Izuku froze, his heart pounding, every part of him insisting to close the space between them. He waited until Rody opened his eyes and looked at him. He hesitated before finally saying, “Don’t do this if it’ll just be tonight. I can’t handle that. And I understand how difficult being so far apart is, so I don’t expect anything, but-” 

“What are you talking about?” Izuku asked with a furrow between his brows. 

Rody took a deep breath. “I mean… don’t kiss me if I’ll never get to kiss you again. But you deserve better than what I can give you from such a long distance, so I understand if… you don’t want to get into something like that.” 

“Mm…” Izuku pushed Rody’s bangs back with gentle fingers. Then he leaned in, slowly, hesitantly, knowing what it would entail. 

Secrets, missing each other, timezones, breached contracts, a possible scandal. 

When their lips parted around each other’s, the euphoria that swept through Izuku was more than enough to tell him those were all risks and choices he would gladly face. Rody cupped his face with both hands, pulling Izuku closer, his tongue tentatively slipping into his mouth with a sigh. Rody tasted like lychee sake and potato chips, and Izuku’s heart fluttered, unable to imagine it any other way. 

“Tell me I’m not dreaming,” Rody breathed against Izuku’s mouth. 

“Kiss me again and prove it,” Izuku challenged. 

Rody smiled and did exactly that. 

Izuku had never kissed anyone before. It was terrifying and exciting and clumsy and fun. They spent hours kissing, whispering nervous questions between soft laughter, apparently making up for all the times they could’ve kissed and hadn’t. Izuku discovered that every nerve ending in him lit up when Rody’s lips were on his neck, that Rody let out shaky breaths when Izuku bit his lip lightly, how wonderful hands tugging his hair could feel, how muscular Rody was beneath the baggy clothes. 

They only pulled apart when they heard Pino chirping lightly from somewhere in the room, and realized that morning light was already streaming through the window. 

Pino looked flustered and sleepy and dazed, but she remained by the window, singing her morning song along with the birds outside. Shortly after that, he heard the door to his room opening and hurried to sit upright before the kids saw him completely draped over their brother. When Lala joined them, her hair in disarray, Izuku realized a series of things at once. 

He hadn’t told Rody about the dating clause, and even if he knew about it, he didn’t know that Izuku had agreed to a five year time period. If they got found out, and people didn’t accept it, whatever backlash they faced would reflect on Rody's siblings too. If people were merciful, the kids would still end up subjected to nosy paparazzi with every aspect of their lives out for everyone to follow just because they were associated with Izuku. He had seen a number of relationships in the media die because of the lack of privacy and misconstrued rumors. 

“G’morning,” Lala greeted before leaning into Rody, eyes still fluttering shut sleepily. “‘M hungry.” 

“Go get washed up then wake Roro. We’ll clean up here and I’ll cook something,” Rody said. Lala nodded and got off the couch to return to the room. Once the door shut, Izuku felt Rody touch his hand. “What’s wrong?” he asked. 

Izuku frowned and rubbed his face, trying to get his brain to work normally. “We need to talk about some things,” he said. He proceeded to explain his predicament with his hero contract, and why he hadn’t taken the three year offer. He explained the risks in detail so Rody would understand the severity. He pointed out the position it could put him and his career in, the position it could put Roro and Lala in even if they were still minors. Rody didn’t speak as Izuku talked, hands flailing as he explained until he was done. “I know it wasn’t fair of me not to mention this before. I… I did think about it, but I thought about it in terms of how it would fall back on me, not on you and the kids. If you need to think about this, or if you don’t want to deal with this-” 

“Would I be worth it to you?” Rody asked softly. “If people found out and got angry and they suspended you or something, would you regret me?” 

Izuku turned to look at him. “You would be worth all of it. The effort of keeping us a secret, the effects if anyone found out. I could never regret you. You make me happy. And I think I’ve given a lot to Japan. They can let me have this.” He sighed and scooted closer, leaning his head on Rody’s shoulder. “I want to keep you and your siblings safe, though. The media can be vicious. Being a teenager is already hard, they don't need those problems-” 

“We can handle it,” Rody said simply. “We've been through way worse. I want to be with you. I don’t need to scream it to the world. I don’t care about what they think. As long as you want to be with me. And… well, you know I’m sort of a package deal. Roro and Lala still need me, and I don’t really have the… luxuries people our age have with… dating. I’m in this for the long haul. If you are.” 

Izuku smiled and touched his nose to Rody’s briefly before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. “I want to be with you. And a… four for one deal seems like a win,” Izuku said, laughing softly. 

“I can confirm it’s the best deal you’ll ever find.” 

So Izuku welcomed the new year with a new secret. It was easy, which Izuku wasn’t sure how to feel about. Rody spent a lot of time away, only able to visit during the kids’ school breaks, and even when they reunited, they had to stay composed so no one would suspect anything was different. Izuku couldn’t even tell his friends. They couldn't even tell Roro and Lala yet, just to be sure they wouldn't slip up at school or with their friends. 

There were a little over two years left of the contract when someone found out. 

It’d been stupid, really. It was Izuku’s birthday and they were celebrating with a party at Todoroki’s house. Everyone he cared about was with him. He was floating on the joy of it all, surrounded by everyone and enjoying himself. 

“Can I steal you away for a bit?” Rody asked, interrupting Izuku and Todoroki’s conversation. Izuku noticed he had Pino hidden away. 

Izuku grinned at him. “Sure. I’ll be right back, Todoroki.” He followed closely behind Rody, fighting every urge to reach for him to wrap his arms around him. It was magnetizing, being so close to him in front of so many people, pretending like his heart wasn’t trying to break past his ribcage, pretending his skin wasn’t on fire, like he wasn’t struggling to take a decent breath. 

Inside Todoroki’s house were more of Izuku’s friends, all distracted enough that they didn’t really pay them any mind. 

Izuku hadn’t realized he was practically holding his breath until Rody led him to the backyard, now shrouded in shadows from a hot summer night. 

“Rody-” 

He felt hands pull him close and gasped before Rody’s lips were on his. He slid his hands into Rody’s hair, welcoming the scorching heat of their bodies pressed as close as possible despite the unforgiving summer temperatures. 

“Happy birthday,” Rody murmured, his fingers digging into Izuku. Somewhere nearby, Pino had been chirping delightedly, flying around the backyard freely with her happy song.

“We haven’t had a chance to be alone all day,” Izuku sighed. He hummed when Rody kissed along his neck before meeting his lips again. 

“Have you been having a good day, hero?” 

Izuku beamed at him, his fingers caressing Rody’s cheek reverently. “Yes. Though you just made it a hundred times better.” 

“For fuck’s sake, don’t make me hurl,” a gruff, angry voice snapped, leaving the two of them to split apart. 

It felt like Izuku had been dunked in ice water when he saw Kacchan leaning against the glass sliding door with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He winced when Pino moved to attack him before she screeched and decided to hide in Rody’s hair instead. He looked around briefly and gestured with his head.

“Both of you get your asses inside,” he muttered. 

“Kacchan-” 

“At Icyhot’s house? Really? You know he’s a paparazzi favorite, you goddamn idiot!” He didn’t spare them another glance before walking inside. 

Rody shared a look with Izuku and nodded, offering his hand. Together, they walked back into the house where Kacchan was waiting in the hallway. 

“What the hell are you thinking, Izuku?” Kacchan spat out through clenched teeth. “I can’t believe you not only put your hero image on the line, but you’re careless about it too?” 

“Oh, please, no one even batted an eye when you rejected that part of the contract for Kirishima-” 

“Yeah, because I was fucking smart about it and prevented a scandal before they could make me sign anything!” he shouted. “You signed! For five years-” 

“Because I didn’t think I’d want a relationship when I signed it! I wasn’t thinking about that!” Izuku shouted back. “How was I supposed to know this would happen?” 

“What’s going on?” Todoroki asked, walking toward them as a few others peeked into the hallway and whispered. Izuku crossed his arms, eyes narrowed as he stared Kacchan down. Todoroki looked between the two of them, noticing the way Rody hovered beside Izuku. 

“Do you have any idea what this will do to your reputation if it gets out?” Kacchan said, his voice quieter, but just as urgent. “You are Japan’s golden boy, Izuku. You of all fucking people can’t go breaking the damn rules!” 

“I knew what I was risking,” Izuku said. 

"You couldn't wait-” 

"Would you have waited?" he interrupted, leaving Kacchan to snap his mouth shut. "If you'd realized about Kirishima just a little too late, would you have waited? In our line of work?" 

Kacchan pinched his nose and let out a long breath, though all the anger seemed to have seeped out of him. All that was left was tired exasperation. “You put all this work into being a hero-” 

“I’m still that hero,” Izuku said. “Whether people find out or not, whether they get angry or not, I’m still me. I’m still doing everything to be a good hero.”

“And we won’t let them find out,” Todoroki interrupted. “If anyone has proven their dedication to being a hero, it’s Midoriya. That clause was pointless for him to begin with.” He looked back at Izuku and Rody. “It’s not like they hid it that well around us anyway.” 

“Wha-hey!” Rody called after him as he walked back down the hall. 

Kacchan stepped closer to him. His mouth was pressed into a hard line, and the furrow between his eyebrows was still prominent. But Izuku knew him well enough to know that furrow was borne from worry, not anger. “Be smart about this from now on, Izuku. We suspected, but I didn’t think you’d be crazy enough to actually….” He scoffed and shook his head. “We’ve got your back, dumbass.” He shifted his gaze to Rody. “And you. You know you’re dead if you hurt him, right?” 

“Yep,” Rody said with a sigh. 

Kacchan rolled his eyes. “I owe your sister 500 yen, where is she?” 

“I- uh- she was with Ashido learning a dance…. Why do you owe her money?” 

“Kid knows how to place bets.” He turned away from them and returned to the main room where the chatter had started up again. 

Izuku turned to look at Rody, a nervous smile on his face, but Rody's gaze remained soft and adoring. "What is it?" he asked quietly. 

Rody shook his head and tilted Izuku’s face toward his own before kissing him slowly, softly, taking his time because there was no need to hide or rush now. Rody whispered something Izuku didn't understand. 

He frowned and tilted his head. "What?" 

Rody let out a soft laugh. "I've been working pretty hard to learn Japanese, and you haven't picked up my language?" 

"In my defense, I was told I only needed English when I went, and learning that was a struggle for me too!" 

The amused laugh Rody let out was briefly interrupted by Lala shouting, "I knew it! Pay up, Kacchan!" 

Izuku tugged Rody closer by his shirt to get his attention back. "What did you say?" 

He sighed, giving him a sideways grin. "There's no good translation for it in English. And I don't think you use it the same in Japanese." He bit his lip and brushed Izuku’s lower lip with his thumb lightly. "It's an oath of devotion. To someone who is a vital extension of yourself." He pressed his lips to Izuku’s gently before whispering, “Ni mitz tlazohtla nochi noyollo.” 

A shiver course through Izuku at the way Rody said it. His voice was fragile but steady, the promise that the phrase held was echoed by the look in his eyes. He smiled against Rody’s lips and closed his eyes as he hummed. 

“Teach me to say it back.” 

“I will,” Rody promised playfully. “But you have a birthday celebration to get back to.” 

They returned hand in hand to the rest of his friends, who cast sly smiles at them, but otherwise remained unfazed. 

From then on, Izuku didn’t feel like a pressurized can ready to burst whenever Rody visited. He just had to keep things out of the public eye for two more years.

Which was what he did. It was easier with friends who were on his side, helping him to keep things quiet and giving them a space to be together without worrying. 

That wasn’t to say everything was perfect. It wasn’t easy to stay in touch when they weren’t in the same country, and it wasn’t easy for Izuku to find time to visit Otheon himself without arousing suspicion. Not to mention, the closer his five year mark got, the nosier interviewers became. Photos of him and his friends would splash across gossip headlines as people speculated whether Izuku would date one of them when he was allowed. Interviewers asked what he would want in a partner, if he was looking forward to dating, if he’d date a fan, if anyone had ever piqued his interest despite his contract. 

Izuku always maneuvered the topics pretty well. He’d learned to handle the press pretty early on, but it still irritated him. Then it got so much worse when his five year mark was up. 

To the world, he was a bachelor. He couldn’t be seen with anyone without public speculation assuming he was dating them. He’d gone for dinner with Uraraka, and a photo of them ended up online as everyone wondered if they were the newest hero couple. Some people went so far as to dig up things from high school about them for proof. He’d gone to train in aerobics with Sero, and a photo of them both shirtless as they talked about motion sickness got misconstrued as some steamy, flirty moment and branded them the “Spidey-couple” online. 

Izuku was absolutely terrified that some insane rumor or some horribly timed photo would reach Rody and put a dent in their relationship or ruin the peace they’d had for the last few years. 

Those fears were quickly proven unfounded. Rody took all the rumors and whispers and gossip with grace and humor. 

“I just think if they want a Spidey-couple it should either be with Kirishima or with Bakugo,” Rody said over the phone after Izuku had called to reassure him about the real context around the photo of him and Sero. “Granted the whole world knows those two are dating, but y’know. Redhead for MJ or smart blond for Gwen Stacy.” 

“You’re not upset?” 

“That you and Sero were discussing methods to keep from hurling when you swing through the city? Not at all,” Rody said. Then he hummed. “Well, I guess I’m kind of a redhead. So I fit the Spidey-couple thing too,” he mused, pulling a relieved laugh out of Izuku. “My siblings are placing bets on who will be the next friend rumored to be dating you. They said I wasn’t allowed to bet since I could influence you.” 

“What?” 

“Yeah, Roro says the next rumor will be that you and Todoroki are dating. Lala wholeheartedly disagrees and has her bets on your support gear technician- Hatsume?” 

Izuku scoffed and shook his head at his dark ceiling. “It doesn’t bother them?” 

“Nah, they’re smart kids.” When Izuku only hummed in response, Rody continued. “Hey, you know I trust you, right? I know the difference between a gossip magazine and breaking news. I know you, Izuku. A few dumb rumors about you aren’t gonna scare me off. Hell, I went on the run with you when everyone was saying you were a mass murderer, remember?” 

That managed to pull a laugh out of Izuku as he recalled the chaos of his first visit to Otheon. 

He heard Rody laugh on the other side of the world and felt like his heart was trying to stretch across the distance. He closed his eyes, imagining Rody near him. “Ni mitz tlazohtla nochi noyollo,” he whispered, slowly so he wouldn’t butcher the strange words which liked to stumble clumsily past his lips. 

“Ni mitz tlazohtla nochi noyollo,” Rody answered, his voice soft and full of adoration and warmth and trust. 

Now, at twenty-five, Izuku had some of the best pro-hero stats even in comparison to past generations of heroes. He’d taken on Eri and Kota as interns, and the agency handled hundreds of applications from newly graduated heroes who wanted to work with some of the biggest names in Japan’s history of heroes. He’d gone public with his relationship with Rody a year before, and they ignored the opinions thrown at them easily. 

Izuku had finally bought his mom a house and one for himself just a street over. Rody had gotten a job as a pilot in Japan rather easily. Roro was living in dorms at the medical school he had chosen to attend and Lala was in her last year at Shiketsu where she had applied as a support student, but Izuku had gotten a house with three rooms for when they wanted to come home. And Roro and Lala came home often to be with Rody and Izuku. They’d even gotten a dog, a two year old goldendoodle they named Hiro, who loved to wait for them when they got home and often slept curled around Pino. 

Crime was at the lowest it had been in decades. Things were good. They were manageable. They were happy. 

Until someone decided to take a sledgehammer to Izuku’s life. 

It’d been a relatively normal day. He’d patrolled the outer edge of the city, greeted fans, stopped a car robbery, and had been ready to go home and have a nice dinner with his family since it was the weekend and the kids would be home. 

When he got closer to his agency he saw the swarm of cameras and microphones and people shouting. As soon as one person saw him, they all raced toward him, surrounding him mercilessly and screaming over each other. 

A microphone was shoved harshly at his face as one reporter asked, “Mr. Midoriya, do you have anything to say to the people of Japan for what you’ve done?” Another pushed forward with a camera shining a horribly bright light on him. “As the most respected hero of Japan, what drove you to do this? Did you consider the repercussions for you and fellow heroes?” 

Before Izuku could question any of it, he heard a barking, angry voice before Kacchan cut through the crowd in civilian clothes, yanking him by the elbow and shoving him into the agency and away from the crowd of reporters. 

“What’s going on? What happened?” Izuku asked, looking over his shoulder before Kacchan turned him away and shoved him forward. 

“What do you think? They found out. The whole damn world found out.” 

“Found out what?” 

“Izuku.” He froze at the heavy, tired sound of All Might’s voice. He gestured to his office, and Izuku suddenly felt anxious, like a child marching toward the principal’s office. He looked at Kacchan who looked just as tired beneath the angry scowl. He walked toward All Might’s office with Kacchan right behind him. 

On the desk in the office were a series of photos spread out in no particular order. Izuku took them all in, his mouth going dry. 

There were photos of him in the airport greeting Rody and his siblings, photos of them walking around the city, photos of them with Izuku’s friends, lagging behind and standing too close, photos of them eating somewhere, zoomed in photos of hickeys along Rody’s neck when they were saying their goodbyes, and a few photos that had been enhanced with some sort of night vision technology of the handful of kisses they’d risked in dark corners and shadowed places. In them was a higher view of their kiss at Izuku’s birthday party in Todoroki’s backyard all those years ago. 

It was clear from these photos alone that they had been taken way before Izuku went public with Rody. Way before his contract had ended. 

In his chest, Izuku’s heart pounded quicker than a hummingbird’s wings. He felt an echo of Danger Sense with a dull ache at the base of his skull. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was completely dry. 

“These are the ones I could find that were leaked online. They spread pretty quickly.” He cleared his throat and looked at Izuku with a deep frown. “I’ll remind you that the contract you signed when you graduated stated you couldn’t date for five years. Which includes one night flings, physical intimacy of any degree, and of course outings with romantic connotations.” He regurgitated the clause with a sort of monotone contempt, like he hadn’t cared much for the specifications but was required to mention it, along with some degree of embarrassment that tinted his cheeks. He arched an eyebrow. “Young Midoriya, did you breach your contract with Rody Soul?” 

Izuku opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He found it hard to breathe, much less speak. 

“The damn thing ended two years ago, who gives a shit about this now?” Kacchan said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. 

“While the contract ended two years ago, there is proof of the contract being violated when it was in effect. I don’t need to explain why this is a problem in the eyes of the citizens-” 

“Where did these things even come from? How do they have photos like that? Does no one give a shit about the crazy stalker who followed Izuku around for more than five years to compile this?” 

“Are they safe?” Izuku asked, suddenly finding his voice again. All Might furrowed his eyebrows, and Izuku pointed at a picture. “All Might, that is my mom’s house. This one is my front yard. Is my family safe?”  Surely Danger Sense would have gone off if this person posed an imminent, physical threat when they were close, but what if that wasn’t what they wanted yet? 

All Might lowered his head. “From what we’ve managed to gather, this person doesn’t seem to have the capability to physically harm you, the Souls, or your mom. This move seemed to be an attempt to ruin your reputation. To reignite the distrust in heroes.” 

“A villain?” Kacchan asked. 

“That’s uncertain. It could just be a radical. There are many people who are still angry for the things they lost during the war when heroes stopped responding. People who don’t agree with or believe in the new generation. By targeting you, Young Midoriya, they’ve proven even those held in the highest esteem can falter.” 

“But this has nothing to do with my work as a hero,” Izuku said, his voice shaking from rage or fear or hurt. 

All Might didn’t say anything in response to that. They all knew that while their personal civilian lives were not meant to be included in their images as heroes, Japan and the rest of the world thought differently. They believed they were entitled to it all. “There is a police car around the back to take you home,” he said after a while. “I suggest you stay home for a few days while I gather a PR team to discuss how we handle this.” He went around the desk and put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “I know the kind of hero you are, young Midoriya. And as your mentor, I’m so glad that you’ve found the happiness you have in your life with that young man. But you should prepare yourself for a complicated journey and for the attacks from the public. Rody and his siblings too.”

“This is fucking ridiculous-” 

“And you, young Bakugo, need to think about how the things you say in response to this will reflect on you as well. You’ve avoided dating scandals, but supporting young Midoriya’s contract breach will drag your reputation down as well.” 

Kacchan scowled and uncrossed his arms. “Like I’ve ever given a shit what these dumbasses think. We’re the ones keeping them safe.” 

“And you’ve been the ones to restore the faith in heroes,” All Might said. “Which is why that faith can crumble even quicker at your hands.” He looked at them both in turn. “I only ask that you both be careful moving forward until we figure out how to handle it.” 

With that, they were dismissed. Izuku went to the back entrance which was closed off, and Kacchan braved the crowds of cameras and microphones. In the car, Izuku called Rody, fighting the panicked tears in his eyes. 

“Izuku?” 

“Hey, Rody,” Izuku whispered, barely keeping his voice from breaking. “Um. I have to tell you something when I get home. A-and keep Roro and Lala away from the TV-” 

“It’s uh… too late for that,” Rody interrupted. “They came over as soon as they heard. It’s on almost every channel, Izu. Photos of us. I-I can’t fully understand everything everyone’s saying but Lala doesn’t want to translate what I don’t catch. What are we gonna do?” 

Izuku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know yet. But… I’ll be home soon. Draw the blinds, lock the doors and the windows. All of it. Don’t let Pino or Hiro out.” 

“Be careful,” Rody said quietly, urgently. 

Izuku smiled to himself. “Ni mitz tlazohtla nochi noyollo.” 

When Rody repeated the phrase to him, he could hear a smile in his voice, and it let Izuku take a real breath for the first time since the reporters found him. 

When he got home, he didn’t linger outside for a moment longer than necessary. He got inside and almost instantly had his family in his arms. Hiro barked at their legs and Pino chirped nervously around their heads before she settled in Izuku’s hair. 

“Are you okay? We saw the reporters bombard you on TV,” Roro said. 

“Do they know who leaked everything?” Lala asked. 

“Guys, give him some space. Let him sit.” Rody kissed him chastely three times as he squeezed his hand. “I’ll get you some water. Come on.” 

His personal phone was blowing up almost as much as his social media one. All of his friends were trying to check in on him and Rody, his mom kept asking if he was safe, and All Might kept sending him updates on the PR team he was making. Meanwhile, he didn’t even want to touch the social media phone. He didn’t want to see what people said or what they thought or the things they would call him or Rody. 

Roro and Lala were the ones skimming online articles and social media responses, sharing looks and winces, though they didn't say anything. 

"It'd be best if you two stayed here all weekend. I don't know what the fallback on you at school might be. I'm so sorry-" 

"Hey," Lala interrupted, her hand on Izuku's as she smiled at him. "There's nothing to apologize for. We can handle it. We're not little kids anymore." 

Izuku bit his lip and nodded. Roro and Lala eventually put their phones away and they tried to have a semi-normal dinner. Once they’d gone to bed, Izuku stayed on the couch, staring at the remote. He felt like none of it was real. It couldn’t be. 

“Do you think we should’ve waited?” Rody asked softly before sitting beside him. 

Izuku tore his gaze away from the TV remote, noticing the way Pino hid into Rody’s shirt. He shook his head vehemently and pulled Rody closer until he was in his arms. “I told you. I knew what I was risking. I just thought we were out of the woods now.” He sighed and kissed Rody’s temple. “I don’t know how….” Izuku let out another slow, tired breath. “I’ll keep you all safe, Rody.” 

“Hey.” Rody turned to look at him, one hand cupping his face. “You don’t need to save me, hero. Not anymore. We’re in this together.” He smiled at him, and Izuku once again felt certain that regardless of the fallout, he’d made the right choice that New Year’s night. 

“You’re beautiful,” Izuku murmured, smiling at the way Rody’s cheeks darkened. “Go to bed. I’m gonna make sure everything’s locked one more time.” 

Rody hummed and kissed him briefly before he stood up and went to their room. Izuku went to every window, every door, every vent, and made sure it was air tight. He made sure all the curtains were drawn, made sure all the alarms were on, and even then he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t doing enough. 

Before going to join Rody, Izuku hesitated and doubled back to the couch, grabbing the remote. He shouldn’t look. But he wanted to know the damage. 

He pressed the on button, and nothing happened. Izuku pressed it again, only for the television to remain off. 

“C’mon, hero. Did you forget how good I am at swiping things?” he heard Rody say with a hint of amusement. He looked over his shoulder to find Rody looking at him with that confident smirk that had Izuku falling in love with him all over again, a pair of batteries in his palm. He walked over, one eyebrow arched. “You’re gonna come to bed, get some sleep, and tomorrow, once we’ve all processed and feel a little less overwhelmed, we can tackle whatever the news and the talk shows are saying. Together. Yeah?” 

Izuku nodded and dropped the remote in favor of taking Rody’s hand. 

He didn’t sleep much, staring at the ceiling more than actually sleeping. He passed the time running his hands through Rody’s auburn hair, listening to his soft snores, watching the rise and fall of his breaths. He oscillated between guilt and indignance throughout the night. He felt horrible for ruining the hard work he and his friends had done to regain public support, he felt like he’d hurt someone with his secret, like he’d lied directly to someone. But with Rody beside him, arm slung lazily over Izuku as he unconsciously shifted closer to him in his sleep, Izuku felt he had every right to enjoy this. To love Rody, to be happy with his little family and their pets and his hero efforts and his friends. It wasn’t fair for a world full of people he barely knew to want to take that from him or make him apologize for wanting it. He had given them the last of his boyhood; he deserved this little world of his own. 

The next morning, they had breakfast together, holding on to the semblance of normalcy while they could. Once it was inevitable, they sat on the couch together. Rody put the batteries back into the remote and took Izuku’s hand before turning the television on.  

“-comments from the Golden Hero, Deku, or the All Might Agency regarding these allegations. There is demand for a public apology-” 

Rody changed the channel. 

“-is not the first time a hero puts on a farce! Come on, there’s no way we’ve all forgotten what Endeavor did. If Deku faces no consequences, what does that say to all the other heroes?” 

Rody changed the channel again. 

“That Golden Boy act was so transparent, I mean, really- who knows how many other things this guy has lied about or hidden from us.” 

“Yeah, frankly Shizune, I think he leaked this himself. Yes! I mean, he was becoming irrelevant and the guy’s been in the spotlight since high school. I’ll bet you he’s basking in the renewed attention at home. No doubt he’s got a fun way to destress with that foreign boyf-” 

“Whoa! Okay!” Izuku and Rody both shouted, changing the channel several times without even looking while Roro groaned and hid his face in his hands and Lala just stared at the television with a grimace.

The next one was a news report which at least took itself more seriously. 

“-new details from an undisclosed source which states that Deku’s life partner was, at one point, a criminal in his home country. In light of these recent revelations, some are debating whether the hero truly breached his contract by choice, or if this criminal somehow blackmailed him in exchange for financial support.” 

“Wow, they’re imaginative,” Rody mumbled. 

But Izuku was furious. “Turn it off.” 

“Hey, it’s okay-” 

“No, it isn’t! They can talk as much shit as they want to about me, but they have no right to drag your name-” 

Hands settling gently against his cheeks made Izuku come back to himself. He hadn’t realized he’d been pacing or that he’d even stood up at all until Rody anchored him back to his living room. 

“Easy, hero,” he said softly. “I’ve never cared much for what people say about me. I have you, Roro, Lala, and all our friends. They know me. You know me. That’s all that matters.” He grinned, cheeky and sarcastic. “Besides, I was a criminal. Maybe I still am.” 

“What? No, of course not, Rody! You-” 

“Oh yeah?” Rody interrupted arching an eyebrow. “Well I stole your heart. And I haven’t given it back.” 

Izuku heard Roro let out an exaggerated groan of exasperation while Lala swooned past her soft laughter. Meanwhile, Izuku could only blush as his own laughter bubbled up in him. “You can keep it,” he whispered. “Ni mitz tlazohtla nochi noyollo.” 

Rody beamed at him and leaned in to kiss him. 

“We are right here,” Roro said, covering Lala’s eyes as he threw a couch pillow at them. 

“Cover your eyes then,” Rody said before playfully and dramatically pulling Izuku closer, kissing him over and over until Izuku was laughing too hard to reciprocate. 

Despite the pretense of disgust, Roro ended up laughing too, rolling his eyes at their antics. He called Hiro over then obnoxiously slipped between Izuku and Rody, forcing them apart when their dog got between them with his wagging tail, knocking them off balance. 

Rody grabbed Roro in a headlock, teaming up with Hiro to torment him with play fighting. Meanwhile Pino chirped softly on Izuku’s shoulder, nipping his jaw lightly and fluttering her wings. Lala moved to sit on the floor with him, leaning against him. 

“Hey, Izuku?” she said quietly. Izuku hummed and looked at her. “You know we love you, right?” 

Izuku smiled and wrapped an arm around her. “Of course I do. I love you all too.” He squeezed her gently, pulling a laugh out of her. “And it’s more than enough for me, no matter what happens.”

She nodded, clinging to him as they watched the two on one fight which soon became Roro and Hiro against Rody. 

The television remained off for the rest of the day. They found other things to do to pass the time. They tried a new recipe from a worldwide cookbook for lunch, they listened to music then pushed all the furniture in the living room against the walls so they had space to dance around, they played hide and seek with Pino around the house, they laid down to stare at the ceiling while making shadow puppets while Roro and Lala filled them in on all the drama in their classes and their social lives.

Honestly, Izuku had half a mind to thank the rumors and the speculations. Having to stay home and being unable to be on social media or turn on the television had given him a chance to be closer to his family than he’d been in a long time. It was full of laughter and games and a sense of togetherness that made Izuku’s heart feel full, regardless of the shitstorm brewing outside the safety of these walls. 

That night, he reassured his friends that they were doing well, and he called his mom to soothe her worries, hoping she could hear the genuine serenity in voice. He found sleep much more easily that night, slipping into a hazy dream between sleepy kisses and hums. 

He woke the next day to his phone ringing. He answered it with a sleepy hello as Rody grumbled and rolled over. 

“Good morning, young Midoriya,” All Might said, his voice calm and kind. “Would you and Rody be able to come to the agency today? The PR team has an idea they’d like to run by you. It’d be best to let them present the concept to you both and discuss it.” 

“Oh,” Izuku said, rubbing his face to wake himself up and sit up. “Yes. Roro and Lala are here with us, I wouldn’t want to leave them alone-” 

“They can come as well,” All Might assured. “Just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll send a patrol car to you.” 

“Okay. Thank you, All Might. For… the support and the PR team and…. I’ll see you soon.” 

He heard a sort of soft hum on the other end. “Of course, son. See you soon.” 

Beside him, Rody shifted to pull himself up on his elbow, squinting past puffy eyes. “Everything okay?” 

“The PR team wants to present an idea to us.” He sighed heavily, but smiled when Pino flew toward him and let out a comforting warble. "I really don't know what could possibly fix the mess that was on TV." 

Rody took his hand and held it tightly, blinking sleepily at him. "Let's go find out." 

Roro had made breakfast, and after they'd eaten, they got ready to head over to the agency. Despite their protests, Izuku convinced Roro and Lala to head out to the patrol car with a blanket over their heads so reporters wouldn't manage any photos. 

Even with a patrol car, all the reporters and angry civilians who cared enough had camped out at the gates of his home, shouting and demanding answers from the moment they opened the front door. Rody kept Pino firmly in his grasp as she screeched, and once they reached the gate, Izuku used his Smoke Screen to confuse the reporters long enough to make it into the car. 

The dense, purple fog spread out and pulled indignant shouts from everyone around them, distracting them long enough that the car made it down the street before any of them could see what had happened. Roro and Lala pulled the blankets off their heads with a huff and Pino continued to flutter her wings in agitation until Izuku intertwined his fingers with Rody's.  

They went into the agency through the back, and Izuku led them up to All Might’s office with polite greetings to the fellow heroes and the interns. 

All Might greeted them warmly, ushering them to sit on the plush couch as he offered them something to drink. Despite the cool, collected way Rody carried himself, Pino continued to chirp and flit around in a mix of frustration and nervousness. Izuku squeezed Rody's hand and rubbed reassuring circles against him with his thumb. 

All Might managed some small talk by asking Roro about college and Lala about her plans after graduation, but Izuku cleared his throat to interrupt. 

"What's this supposed to be about, All Might?" 

"The team will be here shortly," he assured. "I just ask you to let them present the full idea before responding." 

Rody and Izuku shared a brief look. Shortly after, three people walked into the office and bowed respectfully at All Might then to Izuku and his family. 

"It's an honor, Deku," the woman in the middle said with a kind smile. "My name is Asato Naomi. This is my team." She gestured to the man with pointed ears and swirls of blue glittering up his arms. "Seki Akira." She turned and presented a woman with short teal hair and almost transparent eyes. "And Miya Keiko."

"It's nice to meet you," Izuku said. "This is my family, Rody, Roro, Lala, and this little one is Pino." Pino cooed softly, nuzzling Izuku’s cheek. "They know Japanese, but English would be easier, if that's alright." 

"Of course," Asato said, switching languages. "We know you'll have some reservations about our idea, but we ask that you hear us out and consider it before giving an answer. We spent all of yesterday parsing through public responses and reading articles in response to the leaked photos. It seems that overall the general sense of betrayal mostly comes from the image of you they held." 

"You were known as the Golden Hero, sir," Miya added softly. "The amount of time you've been in the spotlight has… taken your humanity in the eyes of the public. You were no longer human, you were a concrete symbol. The perfect hero." 

Izuku took a deep breath and clenched his jaw. 

"What we want to do is… remind the public that at the end of the day, you're human. You feel love and hurt and exhaustion and nervousness. You have a human experience," Asato said. 

"Okay," Izuku said with a nod. "That seems sensible enough. How? An interview?" 

This time it was Seki who spoke. "An interview alone is too fleeting. It's easy to find it rehearsed, and there's not enough time to touch on all the aspects that make you like everyone else on a human level. We want to do something raw and honest." 

Before Izuku could ask, Asato said, "We'd like to do a documentary. Give the world a peek into your world when you're not in costume." 

Rody scoffed. "You want to give up even more of his privacy?" 

"To a certain extent," Miya said. "We know how it sounds, but this way you have control over what gets released about you. You won't have to be on your toes waiting for the next leaked photo or something."

"And it wouldn't just be Mr. Midoriya's privacy. As his partner, as his family," Seki said, looking at Roro and Lala, "you would be part of it too." 

Beside him, Rody tensed, his hand clenching tighter around Izuku’s while Pino went into a distressed frenzy. "My brother and sister don't need to be part of this-" 

"We need to show the world why Mr. Midoriya was willing to risk his reputation for you. Which includes his relationship with you and your siblings," Seki said calmly. 

"What does the documentary entail?" Roro asked before Rody could respond. 

"Everyone involved would sign an NDA, of course. We would have a camera crew at the house during certain hours of the day. We obviously don't want to impose 24/7, but it is important to show the reality of a hero’s mundane home life. You simply have to pretend the cameras aren't there and go about your days as you always do," Asato said. "The cameras need to be able to film everything. From eating takeout in front of the TV together to any stressful moments like arguments or responses to the current state of the public. We can't polish these things or make them pretty. We can't script anything like the American reality shows. It has to be honest." 

"We would also like to include casual interviews. We'd have several questions, but not everything would make it to the final cut. If any friends would be willing to talk about your time in school together that would be good too. We want to remind the world about what you went through in high school. Remind them what makes a hero."

"What makes you think anyone will even watch?" Roro asked. "If they're angry, they won't want home videos of him with us. They won't bother sitting through it." 

"You'd be surprised. People are always invested in the people they claim to dislike," Miya said, making Izuku wince. "Getting them to watch the whole thing is something the editing team will have to worry about. Those opening scenes, the first ten minutes, that's what has to be enough to keep an audience." Her transparent eyes settled on Izuku. “The three of us are here because in some way or other you saved us or someone we love,” she said, her voice soft but urgent. “We know you’re a good hero, and our faith in you hasn’t wavered. We want to help you, Mr. Midoriya. We’re aware that having a camera team in your home to present your daily life to civilians is an even bigger invasion of privacy than what the world has already done to you. What they want is transparency; this will give them that without them taking things from you. And of course the final cut would have to be completely approved by you. We can give our input and suggestions, but this is meant to be your choice. They’ve dehumanized you because of what an incredible hero you’ve been. Let us fix that by reminding them that there’s a real person under the costume.” 

It was quiet for a long time after she finished speaking. Eventually, All Might cleared his throat and said, “You should discuss this thoroughly with each other. It’s a very big decision if you agree. If you don’t, then we would need more solutions-” 

“Do you think it’s necessary to go this far?” Izuku asked wearily. He looked from the PR team to All Might. “I haven’t been online. We skimmed some channels for all of ten minutes. Is there any way this can die off if I just keep doing my job and don’t comment on it?” 

All Might let out a long sigh as his eyebrows scrunched together into a pensive look. “From what we saw yesterday… it’s not just Japan, young Midoriya. The whole world is talking about this illicit affair and are demanding a response or some sort of action to atone. I assumed you wouldn’t want to apologize for a relationship you’re happy in, and after everything you’ve been through, it doesn’t make sense to me to punish you. Heroes shouldn’t go around breaking rules, but having a secret, serious, long-term relationship is very different from arranged marriages and domestic abuse.” He cleared his throat again, shaking his head. “Your reasoning for your decision can be something you discuss within this documentary, should you choose to do it. Right now, the world is angry, indignant, either because they feel lied to or because it was you specifically. Your name has always been in people’s mouths. Your moves have always been scrutinized. It’ll get even worse now.” 

“And what effect would this documentary have on my brother and sister’s lives?” Rody asked. “I’m willing to do anything that’ll help Izuku. I’m with him whatever he decides. But my brother and sister-” 

“I’m willing to be part of this,” Roro interrupted. “If it’ll help Izuku, I’m in.” 

“Yes, well, technically the only one who needs permission is Lala since she isn’t quite of legal age,” Asato chimed in. “As for repercussions, they wouldn’t be dragged into the same spotlight as the two of you. Especially since they were so young when your relationship started.” 

“I want to help too,” Lala said.

“Could you give us a moment, please?” Izuku asked softly. All Might nodded and led the PR team out of the office. The door closed, and Izuku let out a shaky breath, his head dropping between his hands. 

“Izuku?” Rody’s hand went to his hair, his finger combing through the untamable tufts gently. Pino cooed and pecked lightly at his fingers as if to coax him out. 

“We’ve managed to be so private about our life, even when we went public,” Izuku murmured, fingers pressing into his temples to stave off a headache. “The idea of letting these people who turned on me so quickly into the private aspects…. It feels….” 

“Don’t think of it like that,” Lala said softly, moving to sit on Izuku’s other side. “This documentary isn’t about them taking our privacy or butting into our lives. It doesn’t even have to be about cleaning up the mess from this whole scandal. This is just a chance for you to show everyone how happy you are. To show Rody off to the world and say, yeah I found my person. To stand up to everyone who thinks they’re entitled to an apology. And like they said- to remind them that you’re human.” Izuku took a shaky breath and looked at her, soothed by the comforting smile on her face. “You chose us, Izuku. You chose my brother, you chose us to be your family. Let them see why.” 

“I’m with Lala,” Roro said. He’d moved to stand by the window. “If we do this, we might risk pissing people off again, but we also have a shot at reducing the fallout. If we do nothing, then there’s no telling how long we’ll be dealing with… all that.” He grimaced at whatever was outside. 

“And you?” Izuku asked, taking Rody’s hand between both of his. “What do you think?” 

“I think it’s unfair that you have to do any of this,” he whispered. “But I understand it. I’m with you. We can handle the fallout without the documentary, or we can give it a shot and see if it helps. At the end of it, there are still things they won’t be able to take from us. Things that will still be ours.” 

Izuku sighed and nodded. He liked Lala's view of it- doing the documentary, not to fix his reputation or as a way of compromising his privacy for respect, but to tell the world This is my family, and this is why they’re worth it all. He took a deep breath before he sat up squaring his shoulders. Pino chirped at him and tugged his hair with an agitated flap of her wings. 

“Okay. Let’s do it.” 

Throughout the following week, the documentary crew and the PR team took a few test shots, mostly to get Rody and Izuku used to having more people in their home without necessarily reacting to them. Asato took care of directing. Miya would handle the interviews. There were two camera men whose quirks and equipment allowed them to literally blend into their surroundings, and a sound editor. Seki would work with someone else regarding the final footage. 

They’d talked to their friends, and they were all willing to be part of interviews and fine with appearing in footage if they happened to visit. His mom seemed more hesitant about a film crew documenting his private life, but Izuku reassured her as much as he could. 

Izuku didn’t think they could do much with the footage of him and Rody making food and eating together and playing with Hiro. Roro and Lala had gone back to classes and wouldn’t be back until the weekend. It took getting used to in order to not respond to the cameras or to Asato as she moved around discussing angles. 

They also fixed Izuku with a body camera for the moments when he couldn’t have a crew with him. 

At first Izuku wasn’t sure what that was even going to help, aside from showing him doing his hero work once he went back on patrol. But that first day back to work was enough to realize why. 

He hadn’t even made it into the second block of his section of the city before he saw graffiti of his own hero mask with an X across it. Beside it was a pile of merchandise- clothes, posters, figures, plastic renditions of his mask or his gloves- all of it charred and tattered. Izuku felt his stomach twist, but he kept his reaction in check before turning around and continuing his route. The next day, Izuku found himself barred from one street by angry civilians screaming at him to go away, to apologize, to face his consequences. After a conversation with All Might, they were able to get a different hero to cover the area. 

The day after that, Izuku was about halfway through his patrol when someone screamed, "Liar!" at him and Danger Sense flared. He managed to evade the drink thrown at him, gasping as it landed at his feet with a splash. 

He stared at the puddle for a few moments too long, chest heaving with how heavily he was breathing. With a shake of his head, he swallowed back the tears and continued his patrol in a daze. 

It wasn't until he got home that he felt it all burst. The moment he opened his door and found Rody coming out of their room with a smile on his face, Izuku felt the fight go out of him. 

Rody's grin dropped instantly, and he'd closed the space between them in time to take Izuku in his arms as he collapsed, body shaking with violent sobs. 

"Izuku, Sunlight, what- what happened? What did they do to you?" Rody asked, unable to mask the panic in his voice as he held Izuku tightly against himself. Pino seemed just as frantic, flying all over the place with distressed screeches which only had Hiro whining and pacing with his tail between his legs. 

Izuku could barely recognize his own voice and how it scraped past his throat, half muffled as he clung to Rody. "I've given everything," he cried. "I've worked my whole life to be someone who could make people smile a-and feel safe, and it's like none of it matters!" He felt Rody hold him tighter and his own cries became stronger. "I'm not even a person to them anymore. How could they do this? How could everyone be so cruel and hate me this much after everything? I-I'm so tired, Rody, I don't know how long I can- how much more of this-?" He shook his head and buried himself into the crook of Rody’s neck, finding safety in his scent, his warmth. 

Slowly, Rody pulled him to the couch, wrapping himself around Izuku like a protective blanket. "It's horrible, Izuku," Rody whispered. He pushed his hair back and wiped away his tears, even if more streamed down his face. "Do you want to quit?" 

Izuku jerked back. "What? Of course not!" 

Rody smiled, and Izuku realized he hadn't really meant that question. "Will you ignore their cries for help? Those people who have been hurting you?" Izuku shook his head. "Mm. Because you're a true hero. Saving people is bigger than yourself. I know that there has to be people who see that. Maybe these jerks are a lot louder right now, but there is no denying your heart, Izuku." He sighed and held him close again. "This will blow over. I can feel it. You're gonna be okay. And I'll be here for you to come home to, always. Okay?" 

Izuku nodded, wiping his eyes before Rody gently took his face in his hands and pressed three chaste kisses to his salty lips. Izuku smiled and felt his cheeks warm. 

"Ni mitz tlazohtla nochi noyollo," Rody murmured. "Go take a warm shower. I'll cook something for us to eat, then you can sleep and get some much needed rest." 

Izuku nodded and stood, huffing out a weak laugh as their limbs worked to disentangle themselves. "Hey, wait." Izuku took Rody’s hand. "How was your day? How was work for you?" 

Rody’s expression softened. “Oh, Sunlight. I’d do anything for you.” 

“Huh?” Izuku questioned, turning bright red as Rody kissed him again, more insistently this time. 

“My day was fine,” he said with a grin against his lips. “Go on; I’ll have dinner ready when you’re back.” 

Frankly, Izuku had completely forgotten about the camera crew until they packed their things that night after dinner, scaring the hell out of him and Rody for all of two seconds when their camouflage ended. The realization made him feel embarrassed, but Rody did his best to get him to relax. 

As they got ready for bed, Izuku got a call from Asato. After a quick greeting, she took a breath and sighed. “So…. Listen, we all stand by what we said- this documentary has to be 100% approved by you. That being said, what happened when you got home…. Well, it’s exactly what we’re trying to show people. The effect that their extreme views and actions have on the heroes. I completely understand if you’d rather have it cut out, but that emotion and that moment with Rody… it’s very emotionally effective. Of course, if you don’t want to include it, we can always ask you to tell us about it in the interviews.” 

Izuku couldn’t help the bad taste in his mouth at the idea of letting the world see him break down. “Uh…. Can I… think about it?” 

“Of course,” Asato said. “And we can do the interview thing anyway, that way we can show you both cuts. So if you say it’s fine now and change your mind at the last minute, we can still have that moment.” She sighed and cleared her throat. “Business aside, I hope you’re okay. This kind of thing would be hard on anyone. We’ll be there tomorrow at the usual time. Miya will start the interviews so they go through the weekend since the kids will be there too. It’ll be good to show the family dynamic.” 

“Yeah. Okay. Um, thank you, Miss Asato, for how much work you’re putting into this. On the bright side, I think we’re getting pretty good at forgetting the crew is around.” 

She laughed softly in response before saying, “Goodnight, Mr. Midoriya. Sleep well.” 

He hung up and took a deep breath as he laid back. Rody sat on the bed, drying his hair while Pino rested on his shoulder, watching Izuku closely. “What is it?” he asked past a yawn. 

Izuku shook his head, idly tracing his fingers over Rody’s back through his thin sleep shirt. “She asked about keeping the footage of me coming home today. The idea of broadcasting the weak moments just… unsettles me.” 

“Isn’t that the point? To remind the world that you’re not strong all the time because you’re a human being with feelings?” 

Izuku shifted, slotting himself behind Rody, his chin on his free shoulder, arms around his torso. “I’ve never thanked you,” he whispered. Rody glanced at him, brows furrowed in confusion. “For how incredible you are about all the mess that comes from being with me. The reporters, the publicity, the danger, my breakdowns. And now with all this…. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” 

Rody snorted and leaned back against Izuku’s chest. “Probably not in this mess to begin with.” 

“I’d do it all over again, you know that. I just wish I could give you the same sense of peace you've given me.” 

“You’ve given me a home,” Rody answered. He turned his head enough to give Izuku a soft, sideways smile as he gently caressed his cheek. Izuku leaned in to kiss him, reveling in that sense of belonging, love, and comfort that came from being with Rody. When he deepened the kiss, Rody bit his lower lip playfully and pulled back. “You sure that camera crew is gone?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Good, ‘cause I think a hero sex tape would make this whole scandal a million times worse.” 

“Rody!” 

Rody only laughed, snapping his fingers twice to make Pino leave the room before shifting around to face Izuku and tackled him back against the bed with another persistent kiss. 

The next day, Izuku patrolled closer to home, in the heart of the city. Everywhere he looked, he saw more of the same. Whispering civilians, merchandise with his face on it in trash bins, graffiti denouncing him, updates on public outcry from news commercials along giant LED screens. One child tried to greet him, eyes lighting up with excitement, but before he could reach Izuku, the child’s mother had pulled them away briskly, turning her nose up at him. 

By the end of his shift, he was more exhausted than he’d ever felt after patrolling. He went home, counting down the seconds until he could get to the gates of his house and open his front door and see Rody’s confident smirk. 

When he stepped inside, Rody was in the kitchen with Lala, but he pulled away long enough to greet Izuku with three playful kisses to his lips. “Welcome home, Izuku.” 

“How was work today?” he asked Rody, keeping an arm around him as he followed him back to the kitchen where he greeted Lala with a bear hug. 

“We’re training newbies, so that’s fun,” Rody said with a smile. 

Before Izuku could answer, he noticed movement from the living room and saw his PR team walking toward him. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you; I forgot you said you’d be here today.” 

They bowed to him, and Miya smiled warmly. “It’s alright. We won’t start the interviews until later- I’d like to get an idea of the home dynamic with everyone here before settling in for them, if that’s alright.” 

“Sure, of course,” Izuku said, still not used to having to be casual about his homelife in front of strangers. He wondered where the cameramen were today. 

Roro arrived a bit later, and Hiro pounced on him almost instantly. Lunch was just about ready by then, but Izuku noticed a solemn look in Roro’s eyes, something subdued about his smile as he petted the dog. 

He touched Roro’s shoulder discreetly while Rody and Lala served the food. “Hey, Ro. You okay? Heavy workload?” 

Roro hesitated, shaking his head. “No, classes are fine,” he said quietly. He sighed and glanced at the PR team. “Feels weird to talk about anything in front of them.” 

“I know. Is that what’s bugging you? Them being here?” 

“No, no, it’s not-” He broke off when he noticed Pino fluttering around him nervously, cooing softly as she tugged at his hair. Roro and Izuku both looked over at Rody who could only smile sheepishly. Roro sighed, a mix of fondness and exasperation. “I can never hide anything from either of you,” he said. 

Izuku frowned. “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to. But we worry. And if we can help….” 

“It’s just all the bullshit online,” Roro said, crossing his arms. “People are at least decent enough not to say things to my face, but I can see them whispering. And I’m online too, I get random messages asking me weird things, I see the trending tags, I see the clickbait articles just… just dragging both of your names through the mud like they know anything about you, about us-” 

“Breathe, bud,” Rody said, placing his hands on his shoulders. “Like you said, they don’t know us. Whatever they’re saying doesn’t matter. I’ve taught you that since the two of you were little.” Rody pulled Lala into a side hug and tousled Roro’s hair. “You’re home now, yeah? You’re safe here. And we’ve got a great meal to eat and movies to watch, so c’mon. I wanna know what’s up with school work.” 

He ushered the two of them to the table, but Izuku grabbed his hand and pulled him back before he could follow. “Rody? You don’t need to be strong for everyone, you know that right? It’s okay if this mess bothers you. Especially if it affects the kids.” Izuku regarded him with analytical eyes. He pressed his palm to Rody’s cheek. “This isn’t a real smile.” 

Rody arched an eyebrow, relaxing a bit. “You know my smiles?” 

Izuku nodded. “They have a whole section in my journal.” Rody let out a small laugh, his cheeks turning red as he tried to hide behind his bangs. “There it is,” Izuku said fondly. “My favorite one.” 

“Eww,” Roro and Lala said together, throwing wadded up paper towels at them. “You two are cheesier than rain scenes in dramas,” Lala said. 

“You say this like I didn’t witness you watch the same drama three times in a row,” Rody answered, throwing the wadded up paper back at them. Izuku only laughed and nudged him to the table. 

Rody seemed to relax further once they were seated, listening to Lala and Roro recount what they’d done that week. Izuku was aware of the PR team whispering and writing something down throughout the day, but they were as discreet as possible about it. 

In the evening, Miya began the interviews. She started with the kids, making sure it was okay to speak privately with them wherever they were most comfortable. Then it was Rody, who stayed in the living room while Izuku, Hiro, and the kids went to the backyard. 

They both seemed a little tired from whatever their interviews had consisted of, but they seemed to have been okay. They played with Hiro for a while, and Izuku tried to be casual about it until he just couldn’t.  

“I’m sorry we’ve dragged you two into this. I imagine it’s hard seeing your names and your brother’s online and on TV like this-” 

“Don’t apologize,” Lala said. “Rody deserves to be happy. And so do you. Our lives have gotten better ever since you came around. Crazier, sure, but… it’s nothing we can’t handle.” 

“Rody always said that as long as we had each other, nothing else matters. Besides, I think this crew really knows what they’re doing with this documentary thing.” Roro looked over and smiled. “We don’t need any apologies. We just need you to stick around, okay?” 

Izuku felt his eyes tear up, but he just nodded and distracted himself by petting Hiro who was laying beside his legs, panting after an arduous game of fetch. 

The door to the backyard opened, and he felt a hand touch his neck, massaging gently. “Your turn, hero,” Rody said softly. 

Izuku looked up in alarm, his heart clenching at the sight of Rody’s red-rimmed eyes. He didn’t seem particularly upset though. Just tired. On his shoulder, Pino looked just as exhausted as she hid into the hood of his sweater.

Taking a deep breath, Izuku looked at Roro and Lala who gave him encouraging smiles. He nodded and stood up, kissing Rody quickly before he went inside. 

Miya greeted him with a smile. “Wherever you feel most comfortable, Mr. Midoriya,” she said. 

He nodded and moved to sit on the couch, pulling one leg up while the other bobbed up and down restlessly. 

Miya moved her chair across from him. “You seem nervous.” He laughed awkwardly and shrugged. “Okay, well, the camera is right here.” She gestured to the space beside her. The cameraman beside her turned off his quirk briefly to wave before camouflaging again. “But I want this to feel more like a conversation, rather than a typical interview.” 

“Okay. So how do we start?” 

“Well, there’s a lot of TV specials out there detailing how you became a hero. Everyone kind of knows the story about the quirkless boy who inherited the Symbol of Peace’s power. We know why you wanted to become a hero, and we know the underdog story about rising in the ranks at UA.” Izuku nodded. “What I’d like to know is how you held on when things seemed absolutely hopeless. When bombs threatened to end all quirks, when one of the strongest villains managed to track you down, when heroes were hanging up their costumes for the last time, what made you keep fighting?” 

Izuku took a deep breath and thought for a long time. “There just… wasn’t an option not to,” he said. “Giving up, even before I had a quirk, wasn’t an option. Even if it seemed hopeless or like I couldn’t win, I needed to know I’d done everything I could. And, I mean, I didn’t do any of it alone. I couldn’t have. I had a lot of help. From All Might, from my friends, from my teachers. And the bombs- I didn’t save the world there. Rody did.” Izuku smiled as he thought back to his teen self and that moment when Rody had shown up to catch him, to fight, to become a hero himself. “Rody didn’t have any training. He didn’t owe the world anything. But he had reasons to keep going, to keep trying. And he saved the world that day.” 

“You light up when you talk about him,” Miya noted. 

He blushed and cleared his throat. “Yeah, well. He makes me happy.” 

“There’s speculation about how long you’ve really been together,” she said. “Would you like to clarify that?” 

Izuku took a deep breath, but he knew it was best to be honest. “We got together when I was nineteen,” he said quietly, his lips curving into a nervous smile as he shrugged. 

“So you had four years left of your contract.” 

“Three and a half,” Izuku corrected. “Yeah.” 

“What was your thought process when you made the choice to be with him? To be frank, you knew you were violating your contract when you decided, didn’t you? You knew you’d have to hide for nearly four years. Even then, you waited to tell the world until recently.” 

Taking a deep breath, Izuku nodded. “Yes, I knew what I was doing. Uh…. Well.” He winced and rubbed his forehead. “Okay. Rody and I became friends in Otheon. We stayed in touch throughout the years. But that war in high school took a toll on me. I wasn’t thinking about anything that wasn’t being a hero and doing better and doing more. I think Kacchan was affected too, but with what he went through in the war, he came out of it differently. I didn’t get that until the day I realized I felt something romantic for Rody.” 

“Can you elaborate on that? I’m not quite following.” 

“Life is really short,” Izuku said simply, his voice low. He thought back to the war, the carnage, the losses. He sighed and wiped his eyes. “Kacchan got lucky. But after that war, a dating clause must have seemed so ridiculous. To put a part of your life on hold for someone else when… you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. We’re not invincible just because we’re young. I think all of my former classmates learned that. 

“So when I realized I felt something for him, and I realized he felt something for me, it just didn’t make sense to wait. To turn those feelings off and wait three and half years for my contract to end. Being a hero is dangerous. It’s not about the fame and the money- it’s about putting your life on the line to make sure someone is safe. I was always willing to do that. Something which broke my mom’s heart. I’m still willing to do it. And sometimes, when I leave the house, I think I can see it break Rody’s heart too.” 

Miya hummed. “I imagine that’s a big commitment to make.” 

Izuku only nodded and looked at his hands, his eyes tracing the scars that refused to fade with the years. “But he still chose me back. We liked our privacy, but we also wanted to have a life together. So we went public, and even then everyone had something to say about it.” He shrugged and clasped his hands together, the nail of his thumb scraping nervously against the side of his hand. 

“Well, then I’m even more grateful that you’ve allowed us to see your homelife. In fact, I’ve noticed something about when you leave and when you come home,” Miya said, her voice a bit lighter. Izuku looked at her and hummed inquisitively. “Rody always gives you three kisses.” 

A smile spread across Izuku’s face as he felt his cheeks heat up. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m not sure how it started. He changes the reason every time I ask. Three’s a lucky number, a kiss to count for him and Pino and Hiro, or a kiss for loving him and Roro and Lala, a kiss for each syllable of my name, a kiss for the morning and the evening and at night in case he doesn’t get home on time. I don’t know which one’s the real reason, but… it’s a nice routine. Even the worst days get better with those kisses.” He hid his face in his hands and laughed at himself. “I sound like a schoolboy with a crush, don’t I?” 

“That’s a good thing, especially after how long you’ve been together,” Miya assured him. “It’s sweet.” 

Izuku sighed and smiled as he thought of all the times Rody’s presence and laugh and touch managed to make it easier to breathe, to keep going. “I feel like… I’m most human when I’m with him.” 

“How so?” 

“I don’t have to prove myself to him all the time. I can break around him. I can argue with him and get angry and know it doesn’t make him think less of me. I can go into total fanboy mode and he gives me this look that I just….” He shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to be a hero. But I like being human too. Being loved by him makes me feel really happy. And I don’t think it makes any sense for me to apologize for being happy or to apologize for not waiting to feel these things. Y’know, he wasn’t a fling or some rebellious caprice of mine- he’s it for me.” 

Izuku didn’t notice how quickly time passed. Miya asked him questions that had Izuku rambling, but she listened to every word. And frankly, Izuku enjoyed talking about his family. He loved talking about Rody, he loved talking about Roro and Lala, he loved talking about the life they had together. And something about her questions reinvigorated Izuku’s love for heroism. 

The last week had been disheartening, but talking to Miya, Izuku could feel the passion he’d had at fourteen, at sixteen, at eighteen. She asked about his journals, and Izuku managed to find all the journals he’d accumulated in his school years. Miya assured that anything he didn’t want shown would be blurred, and with that reassurance, Izuku felt the waves of nostalgia freely. 

At one point, Rody, his siblings, and the pets all came back inside with a soft apology for interrupting. The kids went to bed after politely saying their goodbyes to the crew, but Rody lingered curiously.

“You look like you’re having fun,” Rody said, smiling at the journals strewn around. 

“Come here,” Izuku said, holding his hand out to him. “Look, this is where I have the lists for you.” 

“Plural?” Rody asked as he sat beside him. 

Izuku nodded and handed him a journal. Inside were notes and lists about Rody. All of his favorite things, all of those little ticks that told Izuku when he was angry or sleepy, a list of reasons for those three kisses, his different smiles, sketches of him when he was studying or asleep, a few phrases where Izuku had tried to learn his native language. 

“How come I’ve never seen this?” Rody asked, blushing as he flipped through it. “What’s this?” He held up a cloth tucked between pages. 

“Remember when we were moving in? Your shirt got caught on the door when we were bringing in the couch.” 

“It was my favorite comfy shirt,” Rody said with a laugh. “This is from that?” 

Izuku nodded. “While you were throwing out multilingual curses, I found that in the doorway.” He flipped through the journal a bit more. “And this is the receipt from when we went to eat with my mom for the first time since you’d moved to Japan.” 

Rody gasped. “You have a Pino feather here too!” 

Izuku laughed and nodded. “Hiro’s pawprint when we brought him home too. Oh, and-” Izuku flipped to the back cover where he’d carefully taped a retouched version of Rody’s old locket photo. The locket had broken a long time ago, and it remained in a little box in their bathroom, the photo inside faded and worn. 

But there, at the back of Izuku’s journal, was a sketch of the locket and a bigger version of that photo, which looked like it was taken the day before. Rody, Roro, and Lala, all ten years younger and hunched together. Beneath it was a photo of all four of them and Pino, taken at Izuku’s birthday at Todoroki’s house when they didn’t have to hide from their friends anymore. Next to that one, a photo Izuku’s mom had taken of them once they were properly moved in with Hiro and Pino and the kids. 

Rody let out a soft breath and turned Izuku’s face to him. He kissed him tenderly, as if they might both break after the week they had. It was a kiss that was too intimate for a camera, but it didn’t stop them. As Rody pulled back, Izuku could see the love in his eyes, the affection, the devotion. 

Ni mitz tlazohtla nochi noyollo. 

The crew left shortly after, and Izuku wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with Rody and sleep for a hundred years. Unfortunately, the next day refused to wait for them. Rody left for work pretty early, a dopey smile on his face when he kissed Izuku goodbye three times. 

Izuku had breakfast with the kids before the camera crew arrived. Kacchan and Kirishima visited him later that day. Izuku thought it was just for the interviews, but once they’d settled down, Kacchan asked if they’d been watching any news channels or talk shows. 

“No, we’re… trying not to get too overwhelmed with it. Why?” Izuku asked, already feeling the ball of dread in his stomach. 

Kirishima handed his phone to Izuku. 

The headline read The Truth About Deku’s Past and it was full of out of context photos. From his time looking bruised and beaten that first semester at UA, to the report that called him a mass murderer in Otheon, to blurry photos of him when he’d dropped out of school and gone rogue to track down All for One alone. The way it was pieced together made it seem like Izuku was one pace away from becoming an uncontrollable villain who needed to be stopped. 

The news source wasn’t the most reliable, but it wasn’t the most unhinged gossip blog out there either. It was in a perfect spot to be misconstrued and blown up by anyone who read it. In fact all of the comments were either people who were seeing it all for the first time, connecting events that had no correlation whatsoever, and people who recalled the events themselves, shrugging the article off as bad journalism. 

“They’ve also dug up some dirt on Rody. Old criminals he’d work with and the shady errands he’d run. There’s a crazy conspiracy theory about you guys working together to bring down hero society,” Kirishima said, rolling his eyes. 

“These idiots don’t know a damn thing,” Kacchan said. “We only tell you so you’re not blindsided in the streets. But it’s all so damn ridiculous, and anyone who knows the two of you knows how fucking insane all of this is.” 

“You doing okay?” Kirishima asked. “With all the rumors and stuff? How’s Rody?” 

“We’re okay,” Izuku said. “Rody doesn’t even give the rumors a second thought. I don’t know how he does it. The kids are good too, but they see a lot of the mess online.” He shrugged. “It’s pretty hard, though. I mean, I was never in this for fame and glory, but it hurts to go from people wanting to thank you and take a picture with you to having them insult you and throw things at you in the street. It’s not easy feeling like the whole world hates you.” 

“Everyone’s a tough guy behind a screen,” Lala said from where she sat at the table reading a book. 

“Let’s hope the documentary has the intended effect,” Roro said, sitting beside Izuku on the couch. “How long are they supposed to be filming you for anyway?” 

“I’m not really sure,” he said.

“Probably not much longer. Your people work pretty quick,” Kacchan said. “They already interviewed Mr. Aizawa, Icyhot, my parents, Four Eyes, Pink Cheeks, and who knows who else.” 

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Izuku said, blinking in surprise. 

“I think they want to tackle this all as soon as possible considering how it keeps growing with the internet,” Kirishima said. 

"Just be careful," Izuku said. "All of this will reflect on you guys too-" 

"We don't need you to take care of us or our image," Kacchan said sharply. "We know what we stand for. We were on the damn battlefield with you, and we always will be." 

Miya interrupted to let them know she was ready for whoever wanted to be interviewed first outside. Kacchan stood up immediately, leaving Izuku to call after him, "Be nice!" 

"Fuck off," he answered. 

He was out in the yard for a while, but Izuku never heard him yelling, so he figured it was going okay. Kirishima busied himself by talking to Roro about how his med school classes were going, both of them alternating between Japanese and English. 

Rody came home when Kirishima was in the middle of his interview and Kacchan had taken over the kitchen to show the kids “what a real meal was.” 

Once the interviews were over, the PR team left, but the cameras stayed. Izuku was able to trick himself into thinking that things were more or less normal, and a lot of that was thanks to Kacchan being there. He reverted to a younger version of himself competing and debating and getting into animated shouting matches with him over anything and everything. 

The cameramen left with Kirishima and Kacchan, startling Roro so much that Rody had doubled over in breathless laughter. 

It became their new routine, working around the cameramen who only became visible when they were taking breaks or arriving or leaving. The PR team handled other interviews and the compilation of all the footage. 

Asato had volunteered herself to speak for Izuku, finally breaking his silence in terms of the contract scandal. She assured there would be a more personal response soon, simply done in an unconventional way. With reporters leaking the brief snapshots of the PR team and cameras leaving his house, speculation began online. Eventually, Asato confirmed that they were working on a documentary, which sent the world into a frenzy. 

Izuku got most of the reactions through his friends or through Roro and Lala since he'd been terrified to even touch his social media phone. It seemed everyone was torn between indignance, swearing up and down that they wouldn't watch a second of a staged documentary meant to sway the public, and curiosity, with people dying to know more about the home life Izuku had been so private about and the elusive partner who had sparked the controversy. Izuku's name had become a joke, but at the very least it seemed people were waiting to know what he had to say, what he had to show them. 

Filming went on for another week. Despite the hope that things would settle or die down, there was a new effort from the public demanding that Izuku face some sort of consequence for his breach of contract. The longer he went without any sort of punishment, the louder the outcry, because of all things, heroes were supposed to follow rules. 

Whether he was in costume or not, Izuku faced angry crowds and pushy civilians. He thought he’d gotten through the worst of it. Now people just whispered and glared and the reporters had taken to nagging Asato for information about the upcoming documentary. 

So once the crew had left his house for the last time and his PR team assured him they’d work as fast as possible to get him a final cut for approval, he and Rody decided to go out together for a few simple groceries. They hadn’t even gone into the city or to a particularly big store, and somehow word spread like wildfire. 

By the time they were trying to leave, a huge swarm of flashing lights and bulky microphones and overlapping shouts bombarded them. If it wasn’t a film camera, it was a phone, but everyone was taking photos and videos of him, shouting questions or insults at both him and Rody. With a scowl, Izuku used Smoke Screen before pulling Rody close enough to carry when he used Float, and he got them out of there with Blackwhip, leaving the groceries behind. 

Rody clung to him, hiding his face in Izuku’s neck until Izuku had been able to land them on a rooftop far from the store. Pino collapsed beside them, chirping frantically before Rody followed suit and laid on the concrete to catch his breath. 

“Oh man, that was insane. Did someone call me a golddigger? I think someone called me a golddigger. I think it was a child.” He shook his head. He groaned and sat up, putting his head between his legs. 

“Are you okay?” 

“A little dizzy.” He untucked his head and grinned at Izuku. “Been a while since you took me for a swing through the city.” 

Izuku couldn’t help but laugh as he sat beside him, leaning his head on Rody’s shoulder. “You’re incredible,” he said softly. He sighed and intertwined their hands. “What are we gonna do if the documentary doesn’t work, Rody?” 

“People are fickle, Izuku,” he said. “It might be a while, and maybe some people won’t change their minds, but they’re gonna get over this before you know it, and you’ll be able to keep being a hero. The rumors have always been around, they’re nothing new. They can say whatever they want, but you’re gonna show them what a true hero is.” He pulled Izuku’s hand to his lips. “All the people who matter are on your side.” 

“Our side,” Izuku corrected. 

Rody laughed and nodded. “So don’t you worry that pretty, unruly head of yours. They’re not gonna take what we’ve built.” 

Izuku hummed and tilted his head to kiss Rody’s jaw. “Ni mitz tlazohtla nochi noyollo,” he whispered. When Rody said it back to him, Izuku could swear he could feel every ounce of love and sincerity within the soft words.

They sat on the rooftop a while longer before Izuku swung them back home. Rody groaned as they stepped in, burying his head in his hands as he leaned against the kitchen counter. 

“What is it?” Izuku asked, slightly alarmed. 

“My rice crackers, Izuku,” he moaned past his hands. 

Izuku rolled his eyes and shook his head, smiling fondly at him. “Lucky for you I had an emergency stock of those.” Rody perked up instantly, making Izuku laugh loudly before he rummaged into his hiding spot. He held up a bag of packaged rice crackers, the crinkling getting Hiro’s attention and making his tail wag frantically as Pino chirped and jumped excitedly on Rody’s shoulder. 

Rody took them and planted a playful kiss on Izuku’s lips. 

“My hero,” he said with a cheeky grin. 

In the middle of the following week, the PR team called him and told him they had a final cut of the documentary for his approval. They could have a copy for him that evening if he had the time. 

Izuku let Rody and the kids know then called his mom so she could watch with them. He picked her up after his shift, keeping her safe from the straggling reporters around his house. 

They were both given a heartfelt welcome by the Souls and the pets alike, which pulled a light, happy laugh from Izuku’s mom. She'd visited the week before, but the kids hadn't been home since it was the middle of the week. Now, she squished their cheeks and hugged them both tightly before she turned to give Rody the same treatment. 

She smiled warmly at them, a sad smile on her face. "You boys look tired." 

"We're okay, Mom," Izuku assured her. 

"Are you hungry?" Rody asked. "Roro and Lala brought some takeout on their way here." 

As they distributed the food, Izuku said he'd eat later, feeling far too nervous to stomach anything then. Sure enough, Asato arrived as they were finishing up, greeting everyone with a respectful bow. She plugged in a drive to the television and set everything so they’d simply have to press play to watch it. 

Then she pulled Izuku aside and smiled. “I’m going to go so you can watch this with your family. I should warn you, there’s some painful stuff on there. Seki pulled from some of the talk shows and news segments and some of the online stuff I know you’ve been avoiding. We tried to find a balance of transparency while still salvaging some privacy for you and Rody.” She looked at the dining table where Roro and Lala were both leaning into Izuku’s mom for a photo. Then she returned her gaze to Izuku. “If there’s anything at all you want us to change or remove or something you’d like to add, don’t hesitate to let us know. And… if you decide after watching this that you don’t want this to be put out into the world, that’s okay too.” 

“But you’ve all worked so hard-” 

“At the end of all this, we want you to be completely comfortable, Mr. Midoriya,” she said gently. “Watch it, process it, and then let me know what you’d like to do moving forward, okay?” 

Izuku nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Asato.” 

She bowed again. “Have a good evening, Mr. Midoriya.” She left the house after calling out a goodbye for the others. 

Roro and Lala cleared the table while Rody put up the leftovers. Izuku went to his mom and hugged her tightly before suggesting they all sit in the living room. He knew his mom had seen some things on the news. Maybe she didn’t get all the ugly sides from the internet, but she still saw a lot of what people said about him, and she worried. Pino had taken to hopping back and forth along the backrest of the couch, emulating all of Rody nervous restlessness. Roro and Lala took to sitting on the floor with Hiro who laid between them, seeming to sense the overall nervous energy. 

Izuku sat between Rody and his mom. He took a deep breath and pressed play. 

The documentary had been titled Behind the Smoke Screen, with an imitation of Izuku’s quirk making the words fade away. It opened to Izuku sitting on the couch, quiet and pensive as he thought of what to say to an interview question. Then he opened his mouth. 

“The legacy I want to leave behind… is that I was someone who helped people and made them smile. That I protected people. And that I managed that while loving someone. I want to prove that you can do both- be a hero and be a person who loves and is loved.” 

There was another beat of silence before Izuku let out a breathy, embarrassed laugh. 

Then it cut to a morning with Rody, Roro, and Lala. He and Lala were bustling around the kitchen while Roro was making Hiro do tricks. Rody was about to go to work, saying goodbye to the dog and his siblings, and of course giving Izuku his three kisses before leaving the house. 

As the video continued with Izuku talking to Roro and Lala, there was a voice over of Miya asking, “How old were you when you decided you wanted to be a hero?”

“Oh, man, aha- Maybe five or four?” 

“And did you ever think becoming a hero could lead to something like this for you? This level of public backlash?” 

The video cut to Izuku on the couch again, a tired, sad, disheartened look on his face which had Rody taking his hand and Pino cooing softly in his hair. “No,” on-screen Izuku said quietly. 

A montage of videos flashed across the screen. Bits and pieces of news reports and talk shows and fan videos directed at Izuku. Various horrible tweets and article headlines had been edited onto the screen, and Izuku heard his mom gasp before her hand clasped tightly around Izuku’s arm. 

The public had been vicious to Izuku the last few weeks, and the documentary didn’t shy away from it. From comparisons to Endeavor to threats to a hashtag serving as a petition to revoke his hero license, Izuku read the cruel words thrown at him from former fans and those who swore they’d never bought his Golden Boy act to begin with. It was clipped together with footage from Izuku’s body camera where people in the street yelled at him or pulled their kids away from him or threw something at him. There were images of his merchandise in trash bins, videos of it being pulled from shelves, videos of people making a point to damage what they owned.

The documentary cut to Izuku’s interview again, at the moment he discussed why he willingly broke his contract, knowing what it would risk doing to his career. As he talked about Rody and the happiness that came from being with him, the voiceover remained, but the video had shifted to a series of moments that the crew had managed to film- Izuku brushing Rody’s hair in the evening while they watched TV, the two of them sitting together with notebooks scattered around them, the moment Rody had taken him in arms when he came home and broke down. When his own voice had finished answering the question, he was surprised to see a video that seemed to have been filmed on a phone. 

They were at Kacchan and Kirishima’s house for Christmas, and Kacchan had managed to film the mistletoe kiss, the very one that Uraraka had snapped a picture of for Izuku to use as a public announcement on his social media. The video then moved to Kacchan rolling his eyes. 

“Yeah, bird boy’s pretty alright, but I’m still gonna give him a hard time.” 

“Of course,” Rody said with a slight scoff and a smile. 

That served as a segue into clips from interviews with Izuku’s friends. Kacchan and Todoroki took up a majority of it, but overall, they vouched for Izuku’s character. 

When the video cut to Kacchan looking like he was on the verge of tears, Izuku felt nervous. 

“The world’s full of spineless idiots,” he muttered, making Izuku wince. “If they can’t look at Izuku’s hero work and realize he’s one of the most dedicated heroes out there, that’s just plain stupidity. What, just ‘cause he found a person he wants to share his life with?” Kacchan shook his head. “I was possibly one of the first people to make Izuku’s life miserable,” he said quietly. “I think I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for it. So for the whole world to do it to him…. They don’t deserve him. But that’s not gonna stop Izuku from saving them or forgiving them.” 

“You were childhood friends, right?” Miya asked off-screen. Kacchan nodded. “Did you expect this kind of scandal from him?” 

Kacchan barked out a laugh, wiping his eyes. “No, ‘course not. And I think that goes to show just how ridiculously in love with each other those two are. Whoever leaked all of this… I dunno why him being happy makes them so angry.” 

“Can you tell me the first word or phrase you think of when you think of Mr. Midoriya and Rody?” 

Kacchan smirked. “Nauseating.” 

“Has he ever seen himself with Kirishima?” Rody muttered. 

On screen, Kacchan shook his head. “Lucky.” 

The scenes changed quickly between interviews of other people, all seeming to answer the same question. 

Happy. Defiant. True love. Soulmates. Fairytale. Endgame. 

Izuku’s mom had smiled and shrugged as she said, “They’re my boys.” 

Roro had ducked his head and laughed. “To their face I’d tell them they’re corny and gross. But honestly… they’re the blueprint.” 

Lala had smiled widely and said, “A dream come true. My brother has gone through so much, and I love seeing him… loved and happy. I’d love to find someone who can love me the way they love each other. They set my standards.” 

“Just so you know, they totally edited my answer,” Roro said, only for Lala to punch his shoulder. 

The documentary switched to more home footage, now of Rody being home with the kids. He’d been making sure they were okay, that they weren’t having to deal with any backlash in their classes or on the street. 

“We’re fine. People don’t really care about us, it’s like… they’re pissed at Izuku for lying and you for corrupting him,” Roro had answered. 

“I keep seeing stuff online about you being a criminal,” she said. “It’s not fair, they don’t even understand-” 

“You guys know what’s true and what isn’t,” Rody said. “That’s all that matters.” He’d pulled them both into a hug, and Miya’s voice layered over the moment. 

She’d taken the time to ask Roro and Lala about their experience growing up with Rody, and when they’d found out about how he made money to help them survive. That at least explained their mutual exhaustion after their interviews. 

It wasn’t easy to watch them recount their childhoods. Izuku knew it’d been hard, but Roro and Lala remembered things that Rody hadn’t bothered mentioning explicitly. Like watching him get beat up by thugs just because they’d wandered into the wrong alley to sleep or the way people spat at them and forced them to flee their vandalized home, Rody going without eating just so they had enough for themselves.

“What else was he supposed to do?” Lala had said, pitching forward slightly. “What other ways could a kid make money to support two other kids? I’m telling you, Rody has struggled all his life for me and my brother’s sake. I can’t really remember our dad, but from my very first memory, it’s been Rody.” She shrugged. “It’s, like, a nine year difference, but for me, Rody’s my dad. Everything he’s done for us and the way he’s been there for us, you know, it’s what a dad should be. And when Izuku came into the picture, he just sort of… it’s like he was reborn almost. And now I have a whole family. I have Rody and Izuku who feel like my parents, I have Roro, I have Nana Inko, and all these hero aunties and uncles like Auntie ‘Chako or Uncle Kacchan.” She shrugged. “I don’t get why the world wants to try to ruin that.” 

Izuku noticed Pino crying quietly, burrowing into Izuku’s hood, but Rody only looked down at his hands. Izuku’s mom took a shaky breath and began to comb her fingers through Lala’s hair since she was sitting on the floor in front of her. 

“How old were you when you were left in charge of your brother and sister?” Miya asked when the documentary switched to Rody. 

Beside him, Rody groaned and slouched into the couch. Miya went over the basic opening questions, asking Rody how old he was when he was left to watch after the kids on his own, and how old he was when he met Izuku. 

“Did you think about the backlash your siblings might receive when you started your relationship with Mr. Midoriya?” 

Rody hesitated before he nodded. “I just underestimated it, I guess. I mean this isn’t the first time we’re under public scrutiny. I guess, I thought that if we were worth it to Izuku, then I wanted to jump in too. I mean, I think I fell for him way before he fell for me, so when he reciprocated… I wasn’t gonna pass that up. Izuku’s incredible. I think everyone he meets falls a little bit in love with him. He could’ve chosen absolutely anyone. There’s millions of people in Japan, billions in the world, and his friends are all incredible, but… he chose me. With my past and my siblings and the distance, he still chose me. I don’t think anyone could make me let him go.” 

Another cellphone video came up, of the day they stayed in after the photos had been leaked. Lala had filmed some of their wild dancing around the living room, zooming in on Rody and Izuku who had been completely unaware, laughing and blushing and entirely lost in their own world where the words and the drama couldn’t reach them. 

“Find someone who looks at you the way they look at each other,” Lala had whispered to her phone. She moved to film Roro dancing with Hiro before Hiro had toppled him over and excitedly licked his face. “Or that, I guess,” Lala had said past a laugh. 

“Lala, I’m trying to become a doctor!” Roro exclaimed. “No one’s ever gonna take me seriously again.” 

“Oh you drama king,” Lala said with a roll of her eyes. 

The documentary cut to the day Izuku’s mom had visited, desperate to check on him and Rody. Rody had suggested distracting her by cooking up something sweet. She’d walked Rody step by step through all of the steps, attempting broken English with occasional translations from Izuku who had simply watched with adoration and fondness that threatened to knock him to his knees. Somehow, Rody had gotten homemade frosting splattered on his face, which had Izuku doubled over the counter laughing. Before his mom could help him clean it off his face, Rody had scooped Izuku closer and obnoxiously rubbed their faces together, leaving them both covered in frosting and Izuku laughing so hard he couldn’t even catch his breath. He saw his mom share a look with a happy, flustered Pino before she grabbed Rody’s chin and wiped his face and proceeded to do the same to Izuku. 

It cut to a moment where she’d pulled Izuku aside, asking over and over if he was okay, begging him to be careful, to stay safe, asking if Roro and Lala were okay, if they needed anything. 

“Mom,” Izuku had said, taking her hands. “I promise, we’re okay. Don’t worry so much. I’ve been through worse, you know that.” 

“I do,” she said, her voice wavering and her eyes watering. “So I don’t want anything else to happen to you.” 

At the time, Izuku could only sigh and pull her into a tight hug, reminding her that he loved her. Then her interview came on, pulling a quiet, “Oh goodness,” from her beside him. 

“It’s been just the two of us since he was a toddler,” she said. “As his mother, I worry every single day of my life. As his mother, I want him to be happy. I’ve seen him break and bend himself backwards for the sake of others over and over again.” Her voice wavered, but it was strong, almost angry. “He’s given everything he has to Japan, to the world. And now they want to erase it all just because he did one thing for himself? How is that fair to him? What kind of rotten thank you is that? What kind of fans turn on someone they admire so quickly? He never hurt anyone, he never broke a government law, he’s not using quirk enhancers. Not a single person can say that his hero ethic faltered because of his relationship with Rody because Izuku has always worked as hard as he could to keep people safe. So what’s the real reason so many people have become so cruel to my little boy?” 

Izuku could barely swallow past the knot in his throat. He looked at his mom who looked just as distressed as she did on screen. He pulled her into a sideways hug, his heart clenching with the way she shook and hugged him back tighter. 

The footage from the day Roro had been stressed about the online comments on Rody and Izuku flashed across the screen. They watched Rody reassure the kids, the group hug, and the moment Izuku stopped him to make sure he wasn’t putting on a farce. The kids threw their wadded paper towels at them, laughing as Izuku and Rody joined them to eat. 

Then a different montage came up. Online videos and live streams and vloggers and reaction videos and tweets all flashed across the screen. 

In them were people from all over the world voicing their support for Izuku. People analyzed and debunked various slandering articles in their videos or simply gathered their friends to scream, “We love you, Deku! Go beyond! Plus Ultra!” They had their own hashtag to spread across the world to show their support too- #AlwaysMyHero. Some people had even worked to salvage any broken merchandise or cover up demeaning graffiti. 

Izuku had never seen any of it. And based on the reactions from the kids, they had never seen any of it either. Lala quickly pulled out her phone and typed. 

“Oh my god,” she whispered. She held up her phone for them. “They’ve been posting since the pictures were leaked.” 

Suddenly, Izuku felt a burst of hope. It might have been a small corner, but there were still civilians who believed in him, who trusted him, who still saw him as a hero. 

Once the montage ended, the documentary settled on Izuku and Rody on the floor of their living room, surrounded by journals as they flipped through the one Izuku had dedicated to Rody and their life together. The last image was them smiling at each other, love and devotion and a blush reminiscent of those first couple years together dusting across their cheeks. 

As the credits rolled, a smaller square beside the words and names began to cut between every greeting and goodbye in which Rody gave Izuku three kisses. Across the rest of the screen there were photos scattered across the screen like a scrolling scrapbook. They must have been a contribution from his friends since some hadn’t even been taken by him. 

It included photos of Izuku in his regular clothes making silly faces with his friends, posing with Rody at a barbecue, the kids throughout the years with his mom or with the rest of his friends, one of Rody holding Izuku in the middle of a party, surrounded by their friends at a celebration, the kids piled onto Izuku when they were little followed by one where they’d both tackled him now that they were bigger.

Photos of the smaller, happy, mundane moments of Izuku’s life with Rody. 

They stayed quiet for a moment before Izuku broke the silence with a questioning, “Well? Is there anything you guys didn’t want to be part of that?” 

“I liked it,” Roro said. “It wasn’t as… imposing as I thought it would be when they were filming us.” 

Lala nodded in agreement. Izuku looked at Rody for his verdict. He smiled that crooked grin of his and combed his fingers through Izuku’s hair. “There’s nothing I want to change. What about you?” 

Izuku shook his head. He looked at his mom, at the kids, at Pino who looked calmer than she had in a while, and then Rody. “I loved it. And regardless of what anyone else thinks, this is special.” He took a breath and stood up. “I’m gonna call Asato. I’ll be right back.” He went to the backyard with Hiro at his heels and pulled out his phone. 

She answered on the second ring. “Mr. Midoriya, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so quickly.” 

“You can send it out,” Izuku said with a smile. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep on it? There’s no deadline.” 

“No, we all felt it was perfect as it was. I… I can’t thank you and the team enough for the work you put into this. I didn’t know a lot of things that came up in it, and I guess it helped me remember how lucky I am. So thank you. And… I noticed that the phrase Rody and I say to each other was muted…?” 

He heard a soft laugh on the other end. “I’m not sure what it means, but it seemed special. I thought the two of you would like to keep it to yourselves. I’m glad you were happy with it. I’ll still have to wait until tomorrow to send the reel out, so if you change your mind by morning, you can tell me.” 

“I’m sure I won’t,” Izuku said, noticing that his own voice seemed lighter as he did. “Have a good night, Ms. Asato.” 

“You too, Mr. Midoriya.” 

The line went dead, and Izuku took a deep breath, feeling the brisk, spring wind against his skin and hair. He smiled and walked back inside with Hiro, reveling in the laughter he heard from the couch. 

Izuku did not change his mind by morning. Asato sent out the final cut to the distributors who handled the subtitles for a worldwide release. They worked incredibly fast, and by Saturday night, the documentary was premiering on television. 

Izuku’s friends went over, filling up his house for moral support. Roro and Lala were home for the weekend, ready to tackle the social media responses as the documentary aired. Rody stayed at Izuku’s side throughout it, hiding behind him for most of it since he was suddenly self-conscious about being on screen. 

As the documentary reached the last ten minutes, Izuku glanced at Roro and Lala who were laughing and sharing screens to point things out. 

“I take it there’s good reception?” he asked them. 

“Depends on how you look at it,” Lala said with a sly smile. “Half the world wants to date Rody now. And the other half wishes they were Rody.” 

She held up her phone and Izuku scrolled with Rody at his shoulder. 

13sblackhole: idk I mean I get it. i'd breach a contract for that man too like goddamnnnnn 👀

Suneatersmeal: Do I wanna be the one being kissed by frosting covered Rody Soul or do I wanna be frosting covered Rody Soul kissing Midoriya 😭😭😭

KatsukisRealWife: Those kids said this couple is goals and tbfh they're right🤷🏽♀️

creatimademywig:🥰I talked to God n he said Midoriya Izuku can do whatever he wants sorry I dont make the rules 🥰

touyawasright_98: FIND SOMEONE WHO LOOKS AT YOU THE WAY THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER LITTLE LALA WAS SO REAL FOR THAT 🥹🥹

Chargegoat420: Dynamight is the one man Rody/Midoriya protection squad and Ms Midoriya is his back up when necessary. 

kentucky_fried_keigo: Yo anyone else feel sufficiently chastised by Ms. Midoriya?? 🤧Like yes ma'am I'm so sorry ma'am I'll never speak again 🫡

smallmightsolos: The rest of you are so weak for needing a documentary to trust him I was RIDE OR DIE #AlwaysMyHero 

Of course, there was the occasional negative remark among the feedback. People still demanded some sort of punishment for the contract breach, otherwise what stopped other heroes from ignoring theirs? Others still claimed the whole documentary was staged, but seemed to have watched it in its entirety. 

For the most part though, it seemed that the documentary had its intended effect; people realized that Izuku was still a human who wasn’t perfect and who had a mundane life outside of hero patrols. Most of the tweets didn’t even use his hero name, instead referring to him as Midoriya. The PR team had succeeded in humanizing him once more for the world. Apologies streamed in as the documentary ended. 

All of Izuku’s friends took to their phones, relaying messages from strangers in which they were tagged or the ones that came across their feeds. Asato called Izuku to let him know that they were still tackling all the numbers, but that the general consensus seemed to be positive. 

By Monday, he had another meeting with All Might and his PR team. The public outcry had died down, but those who were still angry were upset about the principle of the contract. All Might had suggested a short suspension or a mandatory class about the importance of the new hero laws imposed after the ruin of the HPSC. While Izuku hadn’t done anything necessarily wrong, it sent the wrong message to let him get away with breaking his contract for so long just because he had been Japan’s Golden Boy and All Might’s successor. Though it seemed redundant now, Izuku agreed to whichever option All Might deemed suitable, as long as he didn’t have to apologize for falling in love with Rody or for supposedly lying to the world. 

He went on his patrol when the meeting ended and was overjoyed to find that no one in the street gave him ugly looks or yelled at him from their windows. Then, as he looped back around, he heard a young voice call his hero name. He turned and saw a little girl with long pink hair flailing in the wind as she ran toward him. Behind her was a young woman watching fondly. 

“Mr. Deku,” the girl said, breathless when she reached him. “I made this for you.” She handed him a folded up paper with a heart on the front. He opened it and felt his heart swell and his eyes water at the sight of childish renditions of himself, Rody, Lala, Roro, and even Pino and Hiro. He looked down at the child, who gave him a wide grin with a missing tooth. 

“This is beautiful,” he said softly. “Thank you so much.” 

She giggled and jumped in place excitedly before colliding against him with an incredibly strong hug. 

“Easy on the hero, Monchi,” the young woman said with a light laugh. She bowed to Izuku. “Sorry, she was really excited to see you.” 

“Don’t apologize,” he said with a smile. “I’ve missed this.” He knelt down to look the girl in the eyes. “I’m gonna keep this safe until I get home and then I’m gonna frame it. Sound good to you?” 

Monchi nodded delightedly before she joined the woman and left, waving enthusiastically as they walked the other way. 

He got home before Rody that day, but when Rody did walk in, he was amused to find Izuku using Float to place the drawing on the wall. 

“Whatcha doin’, hero?” he asked. Izuku floated down, tilting upside down so Rody could give him his three kisses- one on his forehead, one on his nose, and finally one on his lips. “You seem extra happy today,” he noted, tilting his head. 

Izuku fixed the framed drawing so it wouldn’t tilt then allowed himself to drop back to the floor with a happy sigh. “A little girl gave me that today. It’s a drawing of us.” 

Rody looked up and a smile spread across his face as Pino looked at the drawing and chirped her approval. “She’s a great artist. Reminds me of Lala when she was little.” 

“How was work today?” 

“Good. Really good. All my coworkers were acting a little weird since they saw the documentary and they didn’t know about everything back in Otheon, but it wasn’t horribly awkward.” Izuku hummed sympathetically then pulled Rody into a hug. “It’s alright,” Rody assured. “What do you want for dinner?” 

Izuku grinned and took Rody’s hands. “Why don’t we go out to eat?” 

Rody arched an eyebrow, a smirk pulling at his lips. “You sure you wanna risk that?” 

“With you, I’ll risk it all,” he said playfully. “Besides, I have a good feeling about it.” 

Rody scrunched his nose, his smile widening as he peppered Izuku’s face with kisses. 

“Hey, now that it’s just us, no one to host, no cameras to watch us, I wanted to say something,” Izuku whispered. Rody pulled away and looked at him suspiciously. “I don’t plan on letting you go either. No matter how crazy things get or how much is on the line, I don’t ever want to lose you.” He cupped Rody’s face gently, smiling when Rody leaned into the touch. “You were right; there’s billions of people in the world. And somehow I found you. Chasing you through the city was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Rody bit his lip and bumped his nose against Izuku’s, his words a gentle breath against Izuku’s lips, said with the same amount of emotion and sincerity as the first time. 

“Ni mitz tlazohtla nochi noyollo.” 

Izuku smiled widely, echoing the phrase before closing the space between them and kissing Rody tenderly. 

Monchi's drawing, courtesy of my little sister: