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“And, if you look to your left, you can spot Pro Hero Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight working alongside the scientists in the Research and Development Lab! With the rise of this generation’s heroes, they effectively started a better partnership with support companies to ensure their Quirks are used to the best of their abilities—”
BOOM!
An explosion rattles the tour group, and green lightning sparks around the testing laboratory. There’s lots of screaming and yelling as several Quirks flare to life. The tour guide stares at the thankfully unshattered window and claps her hands together, ushering the group along. “Ah. I see they’re still testing out a very important project, so we’ll move along now! Please remember that we’re doing our best to stay out of their way, alright?”
“Did Dynamight just throw Deku at the wall?” Someone asks from the crowd. The tour guide grimaces and keeps pushing them along, waving her hands. “Important hero work! As we keep going, we’ll be in the gift shop, where you can buy exclusive merchandise…”
The door to the lab opens up, and Pro Hero Real Steel comes marching out, wrinkling his nose as he waves his hand to try and disperse the flood of smoke that comes flooding out after him. “I swear to god,” he says, turning to glare at Bakugou Katsuki, “if this idea of yours doesn’t work, then you’re making the agency pay for all the supplies you wanted.”
“I’m paying for most of it outta pocket, ass,” Katsuki snaps at him, running a hand through his hair. He glances back inside the room to see the damage; Pro Hero Deku’s made a solid crater in the wall, and there’s a melted puddle of metal on the ground. He huffs and shuts the door, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No, idiot, it didn’t work. I need to upgrade my materials then. What percentage were you at, Deku? I know you keep your stupid journal around for this stuff.”
“Trials are important to document,” Midoriya grins as he whips out a notebook, getting down from the wall and shaking dust out of his hair. “Alrighty! Trial number six, using the same steel that Tetsutetsu is made of. With a mix of Explosion and 55% of One for All, the ring melted around 1,538°C, which means we gotta get back to the drawing board.”
“Fine,” Katsuki rolls his eyes, heading back in to grab his coat. “Who’s next on the list? We’re running outta time, damn it! I want that deposit down before the end of the month, I need the venue for the fall!”
“I think Ashido’s next on the list, so we’ll have to cross off titanium,” Midoriya says thoughtfully before Tetsutetsu pushes a metal finger into Katsuki’s chest. “Hold on a sec!” Tetsutetsu splutters. “You guys just barged in here and demanded to use our labs while using me as an experiment, and now you’ve blown up half of it! What’s the big idea, Bakugou?!”
Katsuki gives him a look and crosses his arms, shoulders hunched up to his ears. “Damn it. Might as well tell you since you decided to actually help. I’m trying to make a stupid ring that’ll withstand my Quirk and everyone else’s too, alright? We keep having to find stronger metals for this thing and asking others to use their Quirks on it.”
Tetsutetsu gives him an incredulous look. “You’re making a ring? What in the world would you need a ring for? It’s not like you to wear jewelry that you’d find inconvenient—”
Katsuki’s eyebrow twitches, and Midoriya hides a smile behind his notebook. Tetsutetsu blinks once, twice, and then gasps, hands flying up to his mouth. “OH MY GOD! You’re not doing this just for your Explosions, you’re doing this to propose to my bro!”
“Shout it from the damn rooftops, why don’t you!” Katsuki snarls, his bright red cheeks giving him away. “Just! Shut up! Point us in the direction of a better metal for this dumbass ring so I can give it to Eijirou! Don’t you dare blabber about it or I will legitimately kill you.”
“He’s serious about this one too,” Midoriya adds. “Please don’t take away my chance of being the best man, I have so many childhood stories to talk about. Do you have any ideas? We were thinking of titanium, but the melting point is only slightly higher than steel, so that’s out of the question. We’re testing it with Kacchan’s Explosions, my One for All, Ashido’s Acid, and your Steel to see if it’ll withstand all of them. We’re hoping it’ll last through Kirishima’s Unbreakable form, or just his Quirk in general!”
Tetsutetsu taps his chin, doing his absolute best to ignore Katsuki shaking with impatience next to him. “Well, if titanium isn’t working, you can definitely try tantalum! It’s a super rare metal and its melting point is pretty high. But if you want the best of the best, you’ll have to get a ring made from tungsten—melting point is 3,400°C, if I remember correctly.”
“Then that’s what we need,” Katsuki narrows his eyes. “What’s the catch? Who do I need to intimidate to get my hands on it? I need NAMES, Tin Man!”
Tetsutetsu raises an eyebrow and grins, making both of them blanch. “Who do you think you have to talk to when you want to call in a huge favor like this? I’m sure if you bargain with her, she’ll come up with something suitable for you and my homie!”
Katsuki takes a deep breath, feeling his heart stutter for a moment. He’d been putting off going to her laboratory on purpose, and he’d rather face the League again than deal with her, but for his boyfriend and the love of his life? Katsuki can do anything.
Midoriya still looks insanely pale as he snaps the notebook shut. “Oh, boy. Well, thanks Tetsutetsu! We’ll be sure to send invitations to the funeral if we don’t make it back. Thanks for all your help!”
“See ya,” Tetsutetsu waves them off. He watches them go for a moment, and then whips out his phone, grinning the entire time.
“Do we knock?”
“I think she knows we’re here, Deku.”
“Well, yeah, but we can still be polite about it—”
“BOYS!” There are several crashes and yelling as the laboratory door gets thrown open and Hatsume Mei rushes out in a cloud of smoke, frantic as she looks over the Wonder Duo. “I heard through the grapevine that you want me to make a certain someone their engagement ring out of tungsten! What an honor, first off, and congratulations, Bakugou!”
“I haven’t even asked him yet,” Katsuki protests, even as his lip curls up. “But yeah, you heard right. What kinda metals do you have on you, Cross Eyes? I’ll be in your debt, but only this once! I’ll even throw in a free hour of testing whatever the hell you want on me.”
Midoriya gasps and Hatsume’s eyes widen. That’s a certified death wish for heroes, and since Katsuki can withstand a good amount of pressure in battles and training, Hatsume has a bad habit of using higher powered inventions on him. There’s no mistaking it—Katsuki’s willing to do anything for his boyfriend and partner of several years.
“Deal,” Hatsume says, giving him an absolutely feral grin. “Now, get in here! I’m sure you want to test the durability of my babies, of course, and I have an entire cubby full of metals that range from their value and rarity! I’m sure I have a handful of tungsten around here, and I’d be more than happy to help you make a ring!”
Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight is notorious for taking on individual assignments, missions, and patrols. He’s top of the line, best of the best, rarely asks for help, and knows how valuable his cooperation can be if needed, but has to remember that it’s alright to ask for help when needed. With Eijirou’s help, he’s worked hard on reaching out to others and maintaining the relationships that he keeps to this day, both professional and personal. He nods his thanks and follows Hatsume deeper into her lab, Midoriya right next to him as they look around warily.
“I can even make an engraving if you really want me to,” Hatsume says excitedly when they arrive at her metal collection. “You just let me know, Dynamight, and I’ll whip up something badass for you! What’re you thinking about for the proposal? Anything particular in mind?”
Katsuki barks out a laugh, making the other two look at each other in surprise. Midoriya trips and eats shit, crashing in the background. “Yeah, I’ve got an idea for that. Don’t worry about it. It’s a foolproof plan, and no one’s gonna stop me from doing it.”
“That’s incredibly concerning,” Hatsume snorts, and Midoriya sighs from where he’s buried in a pile of scrap metal. “Yeah, how do you think I feel? I’ve been dragged around all day recording all these variables for Quirks that could potentially break the ring. I’ll save a page for this trial, I’m pretty sure this is gonna take us a while.”
“Code Red. All available heroes in Sector B have been called in to deal with a potential class-A villain. Unknown Quirk, possibly working with a partner. Requesting backup from any on-call hero.”
“Oh, fuck yeah,” Katsuki says out loud, grinning as his fellow heroes look at him in alarm from where they’re recuperating in an alley. “What? We’re already kicking ass out there—that villain won’t know what hit them! I’ve been planning this scenario for a long time!”
A month after the ring’s been crafted and engraved, Katsuki finds himself in the perfect scenario: a villain rampage is tearing up downtown, the box is safe in his pocket, and Pro Hero Red Riot is currently on call. Since Katsuki knows his boyfriend, he knows this means he’ll finally have the opportunity to put his proposal into action.
It takes about ten minutes, and Red Riot appears with a bright smile and slamming his fists together. “Oh, hey babe!” He calls out as the other pros head back into the field. “Long time no see! Y’know, this is really good timing for both of us—”
“The villain’s still at large, please, save your flirting for afterwards,” Jirou grouches. She looks exhausted—hell, they all do. Having an attack go on for so long would tire anyone out. Katsuki, however, feels himself get filled with more energy when he sees his partner, and rushes out of the alley to join him.
“Let’s go, Riot!” Katsuki shouts, and Kirishima laughs out loud as he runs to stand at Katsuki’s side. Together, they face the villain, refusing to be intimidated by the power that crackles around him.
“Hell yeah, Dynamight! Let’s kick some ass!”
It takes another fifteen minutes before the villain is finally subdued, and now, after checking on civilians and talking to the police, everyone’s wandering around. Katsuki’s panting, freshly bleeding from a few wounds he’d gotten, and frantically searching for his boyfriend.
There! He’s standing next to Kaminari and Jirou, laughing out loud at something. He’s also looking around, and he lights up when he sees Katsuki. “Babe!” He shouts, waving excitedly. “C’mere, there’s something I gotta tell you!”
“Funny, I was gonna say the same damn thing,” Katsuki snorts as he comes jogging up. Weirdly enough, Kirishima looks nervous as he fidgets with his dumbass hero fanny pack, toying with the zipper. “I have something to tell you too.”
Kirishima reaches out a hand, and Katsuki reacts. He slaps it away on instinct, fumbling into his pocket. Not for the first time, he thanks every star out there that he’s holding onto the box, and he immediately drops to one knee, shaking a bit from blood loss and nerves. “Figured this was as good a place as any,” he exhales, giving his boyfriend a feral grin. “I figured I’d save the sappy shit for our wedding, hopefully, so I’ve got something to ask—”
“WHAT,” Kirishima says at the top of his lungs. “What the HELL are you doing?! Oh my god! No, hold on! I swear to god, this CANNOT be happening right now.”
For one terrible, heartbreaking moment, Katsuki feels his heart stop. The only things that stop him from freaking out are that he knows his boyfriend dearly, and that the other pro heroes around them are absolutely losing it, cackling and wheezing at the same time. They wouldn’t be this easygoing if something were wrong.
He gets an inkling of what could be happening when Kirishima also drops to one knee.
“Ain’t no fucking way,” Katsuki says, feeling the laughter starting to bubble in his gut. “Are you fucking serious? There’s no way we just proposed at the same time. What’re the goddamn odds of that, you dumbass!”
“You haven’t even said anything yet!” Kirishima throws his left hand in the air as his right hand goes into the fanny pack. “I hate us. How long were you planning this?”
“Like two fucking months!” Katsuki shouts. “I had a bunch of favors to call in for your ring, you bitch! I did NOT offer up my own precious time to Hatsume Mei for you to say no to my proposal!” He reaches into his pocket and whips out the box, glaring when Kirishima holds up a matching box. “Nope! I dropped to my knee first, so you gotta hear me out!”
“This is the funniest shit I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kaminari says from where everyone else is still watching. “Who’s holding our bets, Yaoyorozu? Or was that Midoriya? I don’t know, but I know that I won something in the betting pool.”
“It’s Todoroki and I, actually,” Midoriya offers, holding up his notebook as everyone starts swarming him to cash in their bets. Katsuki and Kirishima keep looking at each other with wide eyes as Katsuki whips open the ring box. In all its glory, the tungsten ring shines brightly, and one of them chokes on their tears.
On closer inspection, both of them are trying not to cry, and Kirishima’s jaw drops. “That’s tungsten, isn’t it?” He whines, opening his own box. “You said Hatsume’s name earlier, and since I was also going around to try and find something that would hold up against your Explosions…are you saying we both told our friends and no one let it slip that we went to Hatsume’s to make rings for each other?”
The odds of that are astronomical, and yet, it’s on par for how ridiculous their lives are. “Damn right we did,” Katsuki grins. He shakes the box enticingly and starts his speech. “You’ve been mine since high school, and I want to be yours for the rest of our lives. It’s always been you, Kirishima Eijirou, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Marry me, dumbass.”
“Honestly that’s the nicest proposal I’ve ever heard,” Kirishima admits, laughing as he wipes his tears. “You’re taking the words outta my mouth, Katsuki! Oh, man, can I put the ring on your finger already? I’ve been dreaming of this for so long!”
“That’s too damn sappy!” Katsuki barks, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Save it for the wedding vows! And gimme your hand, asshole, I’m putting this ring on you first!”
“No, I’m doing it first! You already asked me to marry you, so I have dibs on the rings!”
“You never even answered me, so I’m gonna take back my damn proposal if you don’t—”
“DON’T YOU DARE—”
“I can’t believe both of them asked all of us on separate occasions to help us with the same stupid thing,” Tetsutetsu cracks up, remembering how Katsuki looked horrified at having to talk to Hatsume Mei and how Kirishima had high-fived him a few days prior. Sure enough, they had asked their friends days apart to help with their respective proposals, and everyone was delighted to find out they had the exact same metal and proposal in mind.
In the background, Katsuki and Kirishima keep arguing about who’s putting the ring on first, and everyone else watches on. Kaminari whips out his phone and starts recording, flash and all. And finally, after a solid ten minutes of fighting, Katsuki triumphantly slides the ring on and throws his fist into the air. “FINALLY! SAY YES, ASSHOLE!”
“Yes, I’ll marry you!” Kirishima laughs so hard he snorts. “It’s fine, it means I get first dibs for our wedding speeches. You’re not gonna proofread mine either, I won’t let you.”
“As long as it means I can wrestle you at our reception, I don’t care what it says,” Katsuki replies, feeling a bit vulnerable when Kirishima chooses to tackle him in the middle of everyone. There’s a lot of yelling, laughter, and kissing, so the rest of their friends just turn back to each other.
“So now the next question is,” Midoriya laughs, closing his journal with relief, “who's going to be their best man or maid of honor at the wedding?”
Everyone goes quiet. As expected, fists start flying and the group starts shouting why they’d be worthy of the title (for Kirishima, at least). Midoriya, knowing he’ll be Katsuki’s best man already, looks on and grins proudly. Down on the battlefield, Katsuki and Kirishima keep holding onto each other, laughing and excited to spend the rest of their lives together.