Chapter 10: A Series of Illogical Events
"Miss Himiko, there's a couple visitors here to see you. Would it be alright for them to speak to you?" the nurse asked. After the girl sitting criss-cross on her bed watching cartoons and happily sucking on a blood bag nodded, a shaggy looking man in black with his long hair tied back in a ponytail and a smiling lady with seafoam green hair entered the room.
It's been a little over a week since she was admitted and Himiko was feeling and looking so much better. The hospital's quirk counselor had confirmed her need for blood wasn't merely psychological and that it didn't have to be human, though she needed less if it was. She had also asked the staff and any visitors to call her by her given name since cutting ties with the Togas.
"Hello, To- uh, Himiko," the shaggy man with the scarf said. "My name is Aizawa Shouta and this is Fukukado Emi, aka, the Smile Hero: Ms. Joke."
"How ya doin, kiddo," Fukukado asked, sitting at the foot of the bed and smiling. "Keepin' A positiveattitude?"
After a brief pause, Himiko snorted at the bad pun while Sho groaned.
"Really, Emi?"
"Oh, lighten up, Sho!" Emi said, nudging him with her elbow and winking at the girl. "No need to B negative!"
"Ugh," Sho moaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as Emi burst into laughter and Himiko started giggling.
"Ahh, but seriously, how are you, kid?" Emi asked, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Doin' fine, I guess," Himiko shrugged with a small smile. "The quirk counselor here is nice and I haven't had a headache since I started getting regular blood bags."
"Yeah, Sho's the same way with his jelly pouches," Emi joked.
"Anyway," Sho said, ignoring the comment, "we're here to talk to you about your upcoming living situation after you testify against the Togas."
Suddenly, Himiko looked a little more glum. "The lady from the CGC said I'd have to go into the foster system. Honestly, I don't care where I end up as long as I'm far away from the Togas."
Placing a hand on Himiko's, Ms. Joke looked at her with a sympathetic smile. "How about living with us?"
"R-really?" Himiko asked, eyes wide. "But…but, why?"
"Why not," Emi casually shrugged. "All UA teachers are licensed to foster, we have plenty of space, and I'm an adventurous foodie, so it'll be fun trying different blood-based dishes. Besides, I know firsthand how shady some foster homes can be behind closed doors."
Sho raised an eyebrow at that, but Himiko tearfully jumped into Emi's arms before he could comment.
"T-thank you, Fukukado-san," Himiko said, face buried in Emi's now wet shoulder.
"Call me Emi," Emi said, her own eyes starting to water.
"I didn't know you were a foster child," said Aizawa from the passenger seat of Emi's Volkswagen Beetle, nicknamed the Jokeswagen.
"Yeah, my birth mom was young when she had me and the bastard who knocked her up refused to take responsibility," Emi said.
"Sorry," Sho said, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck. Emi just shrugged.
"Meh, don't be. My experience wasn't nearly as bad as some of the stories my foster siblings told me. My parents adopted me when I was a little younger than Himiko and I never blamed my mom for giving me up. I even met her a couple years ago and we've kept in touch. So, what about you?"
"What about me," Aizawa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, what was your family situation growing up? I met your curious, mumbly nephew, but you never told me whether you were related to Greenie through his mom or dad."
"I'm Izuku's uncle through my workaholic older half brother, Hisashi," Sho sighed. "And, no, I don't mean Present Mic. They just have similar names."
At Emi's motioning for him to continue, Sho just shrugged. "There's not much of a story there. Hisashi's dad and our mom divorced when he was about nine and she soon after met and married my dad and had me within the year. He wasn't the worst big brother in the world, but we still got on each other's nerves. Imagine sharing a room with someone who mutters in their sleep."
"Was Hisashi like Izuku as a kid," Emi asked, to which Shota scoffed.
"You kidding? The only difference between the two is Hisashi was never interested in being a Hero. "Dragon Breath" isn't quite as strong as it sounds and he'd always complain about getting a dry throat whenever he used it. No, while Izuku's planning on using his analysis to help him become the Number One Hero, Hisashi devoted all his time and effort to becoming the world's number one quirk analyst. He even figured out the reason my hair floats while my quirk's activated is so it doesn't obscure my vision."
"So that's why it does that," Emi exclaimed, smacking the steering wheel and making Sho jump. She sheepishly apologized at his glare and it wasn't long before they were at Emi's place near Ketsubutsu.
"Are you still sure about this," Emi asked as she and Sho started loading the boxes from her apartment into the truck provided by UA. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still all for working at UA and fostering Himiko together, but the suggestion coming from you was just so…surprising. Hell, just about everything you've done since we became official has gone against all logic, your first love!"
Sho sighed as he re-tied his hair back. "First, thanks in part to my therapist, I've recently come to the realization that living life as "logically" as I had been wasn't really living much. It's…not the kind of life Oboro would've wanted for me. Second, we may not have been officially dating for very long, but we've known each other long enough that I think we both know we're in this for the long haul. And third," he got down on one knee and pulled a small, black box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal a ring that resembled two cats holding a diamond, stunning Emi, "against all logic, I love you, bad jokes and all. Fukukado Emi, will you marry me?"
After what seemed like an eternity, Emi burst into laughter and tears, tackling Shota to the ground and kissing him while shouting yes, over and over again. And Sho laughed with her, not knowing whether it was because of her quirk or if he was just that happy and certainly not caring.
"EEE! Congratulations, buddy!" Hizashi screamed. Even with his quirk canceled, his squeal of joy was loud enough to shake every window on UA's campus.
As he was being squeezed by Zashi in a constrictor-like hug and Emi was giddily showing off her ring to Nemuri and the rest of staff, Sho was cursing the weasel. He should've known Nezu wouldn't keep his mouth shut. This meeting was supposed to be to introduce Emi to the staff as the future second year Hero Informatics teacher, but the weasel decided to start off the meeting by congratulating them on their engagement and fostering of Himiko.
"Never thought I'd see the day," Snipe commented, Ectoplasm and Cementoss nodding in agreement.
"Zashi," Sho tried. "Can't…breath…."
"Ahem," Nezu cleared his throat, making Mic drop a gasping Aizawa. "Now that congratulations are out of the way, let's discuss Miss Fukukado's duties as Miss Ito's ta while she finishes her final year with us."
Rubbing his ribs, Sho took his seat next to Emi. As Nezu began the meeting in earnest, Emi placed her hand on his and in response to her kind smile, he gave her a tired one of his own.
Despite the rational, logical part of his brain arguing against his recent decisions, he was glad he decided to ignore it for a change. For the first time since Oboro's death, Sho was honestly, truly happy.
Chapter 11: Surprise!
After the camping fiasco, the boys' parents agreed it would be for the best if they spent their rest days at each other's houses for the foreseeable future. Today, they were relaxing at Shinso's. As it turned out, Hitoshi had other interests outside of cats and the boys were reading some of his pre-quirk American comics.
"Dude, I can't believe your parents let you read some of these," Izuku said, admiring Shinso's bookshelf. "I mean, my mom would kill me if she caught me reading something like Punisher Max."
Hitoshi shrugged while sitting on his bed and stroking the purple Cornish Rex napping next to him. "My parents trust me and blood and gore just doesn't freak me out. You can partly thank Beerus the Destroyer here for that. You have no idea how long it took for him to stop drawing blood when me or my parents went to pet him."
"Speaking of blood, Hobo-sensei and Clown-sensei are bringing the bloodsucker home today, right?" Katsuki asked without looking up from the Immortal Hulk tpb he was reading.
"I don't think she'd appreciate being called a bloodsucker, Kacchan," Izuku dryly said, trying to decide between a Batman or Superman trade.
"Fine, are they bringing home Fangs today," Katsuki corrected, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, they were supposed to bring her home yesterday but Uncle Sho said one more night at the hospital would be for the best after her meltdown in the courtroom," Izuku said with a sour expression. "I still can't believe her parents were bad enough to trigger a panic attack at the sight of them."
"I still can't believe Aizawa-sensei and Ms. Joke are a thing, let alone going to be raising a kid together," Hitoshi said, not pausing his petting of Beerus as he continued reading an old issue of Radiant Black with one hand.
"I was more surprised he was the one who asked her to marry him," Izuku said. "Anyway, Uncle Sho said he wanted us to wait till tomorrow to officially introduce us so she can spend today settling in. I'm also not allowed to ask her about her quirk yet so I'm counting on you guys to stop me from going into a mutter storm."
"Like either of us have any chance of stopping you from doing anything," Shinso muttered under his breath.
"Makes sense, I guess," Katsuki shrugged from his spot on the floor. "I mean, we all saw her freaking out about her quirk while Baggy Eyes was pinning her to the ground."
'...do I prefer Baggy Eyes to Cotton Head?' Shinso wondered to himself until he heard a crash.
"The fuck!?" Katsuki exclaimed.
"Dammit, Champa, that better not have been the treat jar again," Shinso tiredly muttered to himself as he got up to check on the noise.
As the now awake Beerus glared at the two remaining boys like he would destroy them if they approached, Izuku looked up from his Batman to smirk at Katsuki.
"That's another ten, Kacchan."
"Dammit," Katsuki grumbled, getting into position. He was regretting telling his friends about his challenge to do ten push-ups for every swear. Just as he was finishing his set, Shinso came back carrying another purple Cornish Rex, though this one was rather overweight.
"Either of you guys want a cat with an eating disorder," Shinso dryly joked, plopping Champa down on the bed and sitting between his two cats before they could do more than make annoyed noises at each other.
Himiko still couldn't believe this was her life now. After almost six years of trying to suppress her urges to avoid upsetting her parents the Togas, it was so surreal to not only be allowed to drink blood, but even encouraged to! Now, she was gulping down blood bags like Aizawa gulped down those gross jelly pouches.
"You ok back there, kiddo?" Emi asked from the driver's seat of her totally cute Jokeswagen.
"Y-yeah," Himiko responded, pausing her chewing on the ear of the green bunny stress toy she was given so she would stop making her bottom lip and cheek bleed. "Just, y'know, a little anxious."
"That's only logical," Sho said with a nod, eyes closed and arms crossed. "Your life has changed so much in such a short amount of time. I'd be more surprised if you weren't a little anxious."
"I just…this past week has been like a dream," Himiko said, before shuddering slightly. "Y'know, except for yesterday. I-I just keep feeling like I'll eventually wake up locked in that room with an aching head."
"Don't worry, kiddo," Emi said, confidently as she tightly gripped the wheel. "I promise, yesterday was the last time you'll ever have to see the Togas."
"I hope so," Himiko said quietly as she continued to absent-mindedly gnaw on the ear.
"Tell ya what, how about we spend tonight getting you comfortable and we can have a girls' day out tomorrow to buy some decorations for your room," Emi proposed, to which Himiko excitedly nodded and grinned, fangs on full display.
Sho smiled to himself. A relaxing night before his patrol sounded nice.
Meanwhile, at the on-campus residence of Aizawa Shota and Fukukado Emi:
"ARTISTE, IS THE BANNER FINISHED!?" Mic called out.
"Finished and haning up, Blondie," UA's visual art teacher declared with a thumbs up. Looking up at her work, Mic grinned and returned the thumbs up.
"Perfect! Now, all we need is Lunch Rush to bring the-"
"Behind ya! Hot!" Lunch Rush said, carrying a large pot and being followed by several robots carrying different dishes.
"Two minutes, 17 seconds, Yamada," Nezu cheerfully announced from the couch where he was tracking the Jokeswagen on his phone and petting a one eyed, white kitten with a scar like his own named Neddy.
"I think we're all set, Zashi," Midnight said as she and an out of costume Thirteen finished tying balloons to a banister.
Mic grinned and clapped his hands. "Places, people! Let's give this kid a Plus Ultra UA welcome! YEAAHHHH!"
"Goddammit, Hizashi," Sho muttered under his breath as they exited the car. Standing outside his and Emi's new house and grinning like idiots was almost the entire staff of UA in civilian clothes.
"WELCOME HOME, HIMIKO!" everyone shouted, matching the large, colorfully animated banner hanging above them.
"I thought you told them no surprise parties," Emi whispered a little nervously as Himiko's grip on her hand tightened.
"I did," Sho said, glaring at Hizashi and Nemuri.
Meanwhile, Himiko was eyeing the approaching blonde and violette with caution.
"Emi, who are these people," Himiko whispered, moving a little closer to her guardian.
"These are some of our coworkers," Emi calmly explained.
"We were planning on introducing you to them after you were finished settling in," Aizawa said, still glaring but now activating his quirk, "but it appears our irrational friends had other plans."
"W-well, you never said no parties," Mic said, rubbing the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Just no surpriseparties."
"How is this not a surprise party?"
"...we didn't all yell surprise?"
"C'mon, Sho," Midnight said, smiling kindly at Himiko. "You can't blame us for being excited to meet such a cutie!"
That made Himiko blush.
"You really think I'm…cute," she asked, smiling hopefully.
"Of course we do, li'l listener," Hizashi chimed in. "Especially that beautiful smile! Now, c'mon! Lunch Rush has been dyin' to meet you!"
"After all, it's not every day he gets to experiment with blood-based dishes," Nemuri said with a wink. Seeing the girl sniff the air and begin to drool, Emi chuckled and gave her a nudge towards the two Heroes.
"Go ahead, sweetie," Emi said. "Sho and I will be right behind you."
Grinning even wider, Himiko excitedly took Nemuri and Hizashi's hands and the two led her inside to introduce the girl to their friends. As the couple started emptying the car, a red convertible pulled up and a large man with gray hair and prominent bottom canines hopped out of the driver's seat.
"Sorry I'm late," Vlad King apologized, holding up a bandaged palm. "Had an emergency while walking Jabba. You two need any help?"
"No, but thanks, Kan," Emi said, she and Sho holding up two bags and the green rabbit Himiko had dropped in her excitement. "Himi didn't really have a lot she wanted to bring."
"Poor kid," Kan said, shaking his head and walking with the couple. "It never ceases to amaze me how closed minded some people could still be in a world of quirks. And just so you know, I was against the party but was outvoted!"
"Didn't stop you from showing up," Aizawa said, to which Vlad chuckled, guiltily.
"Well, Lunch Rush asked for a few of my mom's old recipes," he said. "She had similar dietary requirements to Himiko that I fortunately didn't inherit, but I still miss those dishes from time to time. Her Taiwanese blood cakes were outta this world!"
"I'll take your word for it," Sho said dryly.
"Oh, no you don't," Emi immediately said, playfully bumping up against him. "We made a promise to support her and if I gotta eat bloody pancakes to do that, so do you!"
"Mmm, blodplättar," Vlad dreamily said, licking his lips. "Smothered in homemade lingonberry jam and served with venison; the perfect way to start the day!"
"...ok, I might not be that daring," Emi nervously chuckled while Sho rolled his eyes.
Inside, while the less adventurous staff members were enjoying the more traditional dishes Lunch Rush brought, others like Hound Dog and Snipe were enjoying the various blood sausages while Himiko was happily slurping a bowl of soup.
"This duck blood soup is super yummy, Mr. Lunch Rush," Himiko exclaimed, licking her lips. "I still think I liked that tiết canh stuff more, though."
"Glad ya like it," Lunch Rush said with a smile in his voice, next offering her what looked like fried bars on sticks. "My favorite part about working at UA is catering to all the different needs of the students and it's been a while since we had anyone with your unique requirements. Here, try a blood cake next!"
"We'll take three," a gruff voice said. Himiko turned around to see Emi and Sho approaching with a big guy in a red t-shirt. She was about to tell them how good the food was when she suddenly froze at the strong scent of fresh blood coming from the big guy.
Passing two blood cakes to his coworkers, who still looked apprehensive, Vlad King was about to take a bite when he noticed Himiko staring up at him. He gave her a friendly smile and kneeled down in front of her.
"Hello, little Himiko," he said, not bothered by her staring at his bottom canines and scarred cheek. "It's an absolute pleasure to meet you. My name is Kan Sekijiro, AKA, the Blood Hero: Vlad King!"
"B-blood Hero?" Himiko questioned in awe.
"Yup," Kan smirked, opening the bandage on his palm. The cut opened and Himiko watched in fascination as blood started rising out of it like the goo in a lava lamp, hardening and taking different shapes before returning to liquid and back into his palm. "I can control my blood to make different shapes and weapons to capture villains." Pointing to what looked like a port in his neck, he continued. "I normally have support equipment that I plug into here to access my blood so I don't have to constantly cut myself. Pretty cool, huh?"
Himiko nodded excitedly. "That's SUPER cool! Are you an Underground Hero like Shota!?"
"Nope," Vlad said, puffing out his chest. "I'm proud to be ranked the one hundred sixty sixth Hero in Japan!"
Himiko's jaw dropped. "But…but that's so high! Don't people think your quirk is kinda…y'know, gross or creepy?"
"Some, do, yeah," Vlad shrugged, "and that's probably one of the reasons I'm not higher ranked. However, the people I save with my quirk rarely care and that's what being a Hero is all about! It's a person's actions that make them a Hero or Villain, not their quirk."
"...do you think…I could be a Limelight Hero," Himiko nervously asked. "M-my quirk is-"
"I know what your quirk is," Vlad kindly said, ruffling her hair, "and I think it can help you be an incredible Hero, Limelight or Underground!"
Suddenly, Himiko found herself tearing up and Kan pulled her into a hug. While Emi looked on with a smile, Sho finished his blood cake and threw away the stick.
"I'll have another," Sho said to Lunch Rush.
"Well, that was fun, huh," Emi said, starting the dishwasher.
"It could've been worse," Sho said, walking out of their bedroom with his hair tied back and in full costume minus the boots. He gave Emi a kiss on the cheek before heading over to Himiko, who was in her pink pajamas and nodding off on the couch in front of the tv with Neddy purring on her lap.
"C'mon, kid," he said, picking her up while Emi grabbed the now mewing kitten and her stress toy. "Time for bed."
Emi followed as Sho carried the girl to her still barren room and she helped tuck her in. After she got comfortable, Neddy jumped up and curled up next to her.
"Sleep sweet, kiddo," Emi said, kissing her on the forehead.
"Sleep sweet, mama," Himiko yawned and began to doze off, hugging her green rabbit. "G'night…daddy."
After closing the door, Emi jumped into Sho's arms and started quietly bawling her eyes out.
"S-SH-SHOOOO!" Eni happily sobbed. "Sh-she called M-ME- sh-she called U-U-US-"
"Yeah, I heard," Sho said, smiling and rubbing soothing circles into her back as his fiance absolutely drenched his shoulder.
'I wonder if she's somehow related to Inko.'
After changing his shirt, Eraserhead began his patrol. So far, it was a slow night. An electronics store robbery, three muggings, two bar fights, two home invasions, and a few everyday cases of dumb kids trying to get away with illegally using their quirks. He let them off with a warning.
He was halfway through his route when he spotted a familiar white cape billowing in the wind at the edge of a roof.
"Sensei," Eraserhead greeted as he landed on the roof and approached his old teacher.
"Scruffy," Big Green returned without looking at his old student. "Something I can help you with?"
"Shouldn't that be my line," Aizawa asked with a raised eyebrow. "After all, this is my patrol route."
"Fair enough," Big Green shrugged, gesturing to the old building he was watching. "Got a tip on a local gang selling Trigger and I'm waiting for their boss, Kragara, to return. Figured I'd do you a favor and take 'em down for you."
Aizawa scoffed. "I think I can handle a few gutter punks."
"Be my guest," Big Green smirked, nodding at the large snapping turtle mutant walking into the building with a briefcase. "Did I forget to mention they're all mutant types?"
Aizawa smirked back and adjusted his goggles. "Like you taught me all those years ago, no Hero is a one trick pony."
Eraserhead then jumped and used his scarf to swing across the street and sneak in through an opened window while Piccolo continued watching and listening.
He heard Eraserhead quietly choke someone out, then saw the building's lights go out. Soon enough, there were gunshots, glass shattering and shouts of pain. He then heard a distinct 'pssh' sound and a roar before he saw his student being violently thrown through a window. Not even a second later, the leader of the gang burst out of the building, larger and using flames shooting out of where his arms and legs were to fly.
"KRAGARAAA!" the villain roared into the sky, flames shooting out of his mouth.
"You need some help, now," Big Green called down.
"Maybe a little," Aizawa groaned as he narrowly avoided the giant flaming shell. Leaping down, Big Green landed an ax kick on the Villain's head. Though seemingly unaffected, this did get Kragara's attention and allowed Eraserhead to gain some distance to use his quirk. The flames suddenly died and Kragara came crashing down.
While the monster was confused, Big Green charged in and began delivering powerful energy strikes to his plastron while avoiding Kragara's claws swiping at him. When Aizawa had to blink, he wrapped his scarf around the Villain's beak to avoid him using his fire breath and with Big Green's help, the two pulled and slammed his head into the pavement. After repeating this process a few more times, they finally succeeded in knocking the Villain out and watched him shrink as the Trigger wore off.
"Thanks," Aizawa said, retying his hair back.
"If you wanna thank me, feel free to handle the paperwork," Green said, walking away as they both heard sirens approaching. "See you tomorrow, kid. And by the way, congrats on your engagement and the kid. I expect a good seat at the wedding."
Aizawa watched as his mentor stretched one of his arms to the top of a building and swung around a corner.
"...he's so cool," Sho couldn't help muttering to himself.
Chapter 12: Emi and Himi's Boring Day
"I like food cause it is yum~my; I will put it in my tum~my…," Emi hummed to herself.
She had just finished setting the table and had begun plating her family's breakfast when she heard Himiko walking behind her.
"Good mornin', sweetie," Emi cheerily called as Himiko made her way to the table. "How'd you sleep?"
"Alright," Himiko yawned, hair a mess and Neddy in her arms. Emi wasn't sure whether she was lying or not, given what Hound Dog told her about night terrors.
"What's for breakfast?"
"It's called a "full English,"" Emi explained, setting the plate down in front of her before opening a can of wet food for Neddy. "Bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, baked beans, toast, black pudding, aka, breakfast blood sausage courtesy of Lunch Rush, and a tall, cold glass of orange juice mixed with pig's blood to wash it all down!"
Himiko had put Neddy down and was practically drooling, trying to decide what to eat first when she suddenly covered her nose. Emi realized why when the front door opened.
"Morning," Sho tiredly greeted as he kicked off his boots. "What smells so good?"
"Eyugh! Definitely not you, hun," Emi said, joining their daughter and pinching her nose shut. Sho sighed.
"I had to chase a villain through the sewers," he explained, putting his capture scarf in a special washer by the door. He tried to kiss his fiancé on his way to the coffee machine, but Emi blocked him by making an "X" with her arms.
"NOPE! No kisses or coffee until after your shower, mister!" Emi commanded with Himiko rapidly nodding in agreement.
"...can I drink my coffee in the shower," Sho half-heartedly asked, trying to mimic Izuku's kitten eyes. He got his answer when Emi's eyes narrowed and she stamped her foot while pointing towards the bathroom. He then shuffled past her, shoulders slumped and head hung in defeat.
"And don't forget to empty your utility belt before throwing that uniform into the incinerator," Emi called back, putting on a rubber glove before picking up his boots and throwing them into the metal trash can with a fire symbol on it. After closing the lid, a red light on the can turned on and within seconds, the boots were nothing but ash and the light turned green.
"This and that special washer for his scarf were the best requests to Higari I ever made," Emi said, smiling as she sat down to eat across from Himiko.
"Hey, mo- um, Emi-," Himiko started, but was interrupted by Emi.
"You know, you can call me and Sho mom and dad if you want," Emi said, smiling at the now blushing girl. "It's totally fine if you don't want to, but we won't mind if you do."
"Alright…m-mom," Himiko said. "When we go out today, can we get a Vlad King poster?"
"Of course we can," Emi said. "I know just the store and I bet Kan would even be willing to sign it for you! You really liked him, huh? What did you think of the rest of our friends?"
"Well," Himiko started, taking another bite of her black pudding as she considered her answer. "They're all ok. I liked Kayama and Tsukaru and thought Nezu was funny and kinda cute, but Yamada was kinda loud. Inui was nice, but Kan's definitely the coolest! He doesn't care what people think of him or his quirk. I wish I was like that."
"We'll work on your confidence with Inui," Emi said. "Now, eat up! We've got a big day ahead of us and a UA credit card to max out!"
Not long after both girls were finished eating, Aizawa came out of his bedroom wearing pink sweatpants and a ratty black shirt with the faded words "MY HERO COSTUME" written on it and carrying a disposable bag.
"There was a time I could've been covered in week-old fish guts and I'd still have to beat her back with a stick," he grumbled to himself as he dropped the bag containing his old uniform into the incinerator.
"Oh, yeah! I remember that mission," Emi said, kissing him and handing him his plate while he poured his coffee. "That was one of your first assignments while interning under His Purple Highness, right? That restaurant was a front for that Villain with a shrinking quirk. What was his name?"
"Captain Pipsqueak," Sho said after taking a gulp of coffee. "And it wasn't a front. The restaurant was a legitimate attempt at trying to retire from Villainy. Too bad chum isn't considered an FDA approved ingredient for those without special quirk needs."
"Yeah, you'd think someone who claimed to have gone to college would know something like that," Emi chuckled. "Anyway, Himi, why don't you go take a shower and then we can get going!"
"Ok, mom," Himiko said, skipping to the bathroom as Neddy followed.
"Mom, huh?" Sho smirked behind his mug at Emi getting misty eyed.
"Shut up and eat your bloody breakfast, Sho," she said, wiping her eyes with a crooked smile.
"Dammit, why can't I get them right," Himiko grumbled in front of the mirror as she undid her hair for the tenth time. "This used to be so damn easy before-"
"You alright?" Sho asked, making Himiko jump. She turned to see the Underground Hero leaning lazily against her door frame.
"Can you get mom, please," she sighed, brushing out the knots. "I need some help with my hair."
"I actually know a bit more about styling hair than Emi, y'know," Sho said, pointing to his own pulled back hair as he approached. "What're you going for?"
"...I was trying to make my hair look like it did before the Togas told me I was too old for the style," Himiko admitted.
"Two messy buns with two bangs framing your face, right?" Sho asked as he began fanning out her hair with his hands, shocking the girl. "I remember seeing some pictures of you when you were younger."
He then grabbed two clumps of hair and with a quick turn of his wrists, had flawlessly recreated her old, cute hairstyle. Himiko was speechless.
"...is that ok," Sho asked, a little nervous at her lack of reaction. Suddenly, Himiko jumped out of her chair and pulled him into a tight hug.
"It's perfect," she said, grinning up at him. "Thanks, Sho!"
"Call me dad," Sho said, smiling as he returned the hug and patted her head. "Now, c'mon. Your mother's waiting for you and I need some sleep before the problem children arrive."
After the two girls said their goodbyes, Sho collapsed onto the couch and Neddy jumped onto his back.
'Just like your namesake, you're a pain in the back, Neddy,' Sho thought, wincing as Neddy dug his claws into his back, trying to get comfortable.
"Mom, who are the 'problem children?'" Himiko asked. "Is daddy in a band or something?"
Emi couldn't help snorting.
"No, sweetie, they're a group of kids Sho trains on Sundays," she explained. "He calls them 'problem children' because they have a habit of sticking their noses into situations that usually end with him talking to the police."
"Are they UA students?"
"No, they're about your age. One of them is actually Sho's nephew and the other two are his friends. If we get home early enough, I'll introduce you."
"Do you…think they'll like me," Himiko asked, nervously fiddling with her new chew toy. "I mean, my quirk's-"
"BUP BUP BUP!" Emi interrupted, wagging a finger at her behind her seat. "None of that! These boys don't judge anyone based on their quirk. Sho's nephew loves all quirks and I'm sure he'll be positively giddy to learn all about yours!"
Himiko smiled before going back to chewing on her toy.
"By the way, did Nezu mention his plans for your education?"
"Yeah, he said something about wanting to tutor me for the rest of the school year before returning to regular school a grade behind next year," Himiko said. "I think I'd like that. The headaches made it hard for me to concentrate and I could use some help catching up."
"Good," Emi said as she parked. "Welp, here we are!"
"'Stan's Place?'" Himiko questioned, reading the sign above the large, red and blue building.
"The best place to get Hero merch," Emi explained with a grin. "If we can't find any Vlad King merch here, we won't be able to find any anywhere! I even found a replica capture scarf and goggles for Eraserhead cosplays and you know how much your dad values his privacy!"
When they entered, Himiko's eyes widened. The store was two floors of everything Hero related, from several toy aisles to shirt racks littered throughout the first floor to a wall of autographed photos of varying prices. She even saw a life-sized Midnight mannequin next to a purple curtain with the words "Adult Hero Fans Only" above it.
"Hi, welcome to Stan's Place!" a white haired woman with green skin cheerily greeted with a wink and her hand in an ok sign. "My name is Cheelai Nana! Anything I can help you find?"
"Hi, Cheelai," Emi greeted back. "We're looking for some Vlad King merch, specifically posters."
"And some cute shirts, please!" Himiko added.
Cheelai then took out a small notebook and as her eyes glowed, she wrote the name of the Hero in it and then removed the page and gave it to Himiko. As soon as Himiko touched it, she saw several sections of the store start glowing green.
"Anything you see glowing is a product related to Vlad King," Cheelai explained. "My quirk allows me to locate certain objects related to whoever I write down and I can pass on that ability to others for a limited amount of time. Come find me if you still need help when the effect wears off."
"Thanks, Cheelai," Emi said as Himiko ran to a toy aisle. Grabbing a cart before following, she soon found Himiko with her arms already full of Vlag King figures, including the McFarlane Toys Gold Label "Blood Golem Variant" figure as well as a Vlad King plush and keychain.
"Um, you know I was mostly joking about maxing out that card, right, sweetie?" Emi nervously questioned. However, at Himiko's disappointed look, she sighed. "Ok, how about you put one figure back and pick out one more plush before we check out the clothes?"
"Ugh, fine," Himiko relented, choosing to put back the cheapest of the figures and exchange it for a Hound Dog plush.
Soon enough, the cart was full of Vlad King shirts, figures, posters, and even a comforter bedspread set, as well as a few other hero products like a Present Mic alarm clock and Midnight brand pajamas as well as various stickers and pins.
As the two were finishing up, a van with a blue, red, and yellow triangle painted on the side crashed through the front door. Three men with wolf mutations then jumped out of it.
"Listen up, ya Hero worshiping dogs! We are the Trio De Dangers and this is a robbery!" the large, blue furred one called out, brandishing a gun as the red and yellow ones ran in different directions.
As the leader started barking out orders, Emi and Himiko ducked inside a round shirt rack.
"W-what are we gonna do, mom," Himiko nervously asked.
"You are gonna stay here, where it's safe," Emi said as she pulled her brass knuckled gloves out of her purse and gave Himiko a confident grin. "Mama's gotta go kick some ass."
"-and while my brothers are completing their collections, you're gonna-" Bergamo, the leader, continued barking at Cheelai before he suddenly started laughing. He was suddenly laughing so hard he dropped his gun and was struggling to remain on his feet.
"Um, Basil," the yellow brother paused his shopping spree, arms full of expensive merch as he stared down from the second floor at their brother having a fit.
"Huh? What's wrong with Bergamo, Lavender?" the red furred brother asked.
"I dunno," Lavender said, looking around until he spotted a woman with seafoam green hair running up to and knocking out Bergamo with one punch before cuffing him.
"There! It's Ms. Joke!" He called, dropping his loot to blow his toxic breath on his palms before jumping down to engage the Hero.
Watching as Joke effortlessly dodged Lavender's poisoned punches while giving him a few quick jabs of her own and activating her quirk, Basil decided it might be in his and his brothers' best interests to take a hostage. Luckily, he spotted a blonde girl poking her head out of a shirt rack to watch the fight.
Grinning, Basil used his strong legs to jump down and sneak up behind her. However, before he could grab her, he felt a knife cut his cheek and before he could make a sound, his whole body suddenly went stiff.
Himiko jumped at the noise of a body hitting the ground. Turning and peeking through the other shirts, she saw the red brother on the floor with a tall man with long black hair wearing an All Might cap standing over him and smiling while he licked a knife with his long, bumpy tongue. He then slammed his boot down on the red brother's head, knocking him out. He looked ready to stab the Villain when he seemed to spot Himiko watching. The man gave her a tight smile and put a finger to his lips before pocketing his knife and silently making his escape.
Soon enough, Lavender had joined his brother on the ground, cuffed, knocked out and waiting for the police. Emi was about to go search for the third brother when Himiko came running up to her.
"Himiko, I told you to-"
"I know, I know," Himiko interrupted, panting, "but the red one tried sneaking up behind me but some other guy knocked him out before running away and-"
"Alright, calm down, Himi," Emi said, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Now, are you sure he's knocked out?"
Himiko nodded.
"Alright, I'm gonna go grab him. Cheelai, can you watch Himiko for me?"
"Yes, ma'am," Cheelai answered, cheeks turning a darker shade of green. "A-and, uh, can I…have your autograph? When you get back, I mean!"
Ms. Joke gave her a grin and a thumbs up before heading to the shirt rack Himiko had been hiding behind.
"Dude, your mom is so cool," Cheelai said to Himiko, who nodded proudly.
"She's the coolest," Himiko agreed, with a wide, fanged grin.
Joke was dragging Basil over when the police finally arrived. After giving their statements and posing for a couple pictures, the manager of Stan's Place tried to give them a 50% discount on their order but Emi, knowing he wouldn't let them pay full price, talked him down to a 10% discount instead.
"...well, that was fun, huh?" Emi joked when they got to their car. "So, do you wanna keep shopping or…?"
"I think I'm ready to go home," Himiko said, a little tired due to the adrenaline wearing off. Nodding in understanding, Emi started the Jokeswagen.
"Was that your first villain attack," she asked.
"Yeah," Himiko nodded. "The Togas never really took me anywhere they didn't have to."
"Do you want me to call Inui or maybe someone outside of UA?"
"No, I think I'm good waiting to talk to him on Monday," Himiko said, smiling. "Actually, I've made up my mind about something."
"Oh," Emi asked. "And what's that?"
"I wanna be a Hero like you, mom!"
"And like Vlad King, right?" Emi asked, feeling a sense of pride in her daughter.
"Of course!" Himi said. "I wanna be a kickass Limelight Hero who's proud of who she is and can inspire others like her!"
"Well, if you're serious, you should know Sho's gonna want you to join his problem children for training and he won't go easy on you. Think you can handle it?"
"Hell yeah!" Himiko cheered, raising a fist with a big, pointy grin. "Let daddy do his worst!"
'You're gonna regret saying that,' Emi thought with a grin.
"Begin," Aizawa called out.
At Aizawa's signal, Katsuki threw his signature right hook that Hitoshi had finally learned to block. However, he wasn't ready for the knee Katsuki delivered into his stomach. Falling backward, Hitoshi rolled to avoid Katsuki's axe kick and was soon back up.
Quickly getting back into his stance, Hitoshi and Katsuki continued trading blows until Hitoshi tried a kick of his own. Unfortunately, Katsuki caught it and soon had Hitoshi in a wrestling cradle, forcing him to tap out.
"Alright, that's enough," Aizawa said as Katsuki helped Hitoshi up. "Shinso, good effort, but your kicks need some work. That's gonna be our main focus today. Bakugou, nice takedown but you need to break that habit of opening with a right hook. Overall, you both did good but have plenty to work on. Take five before going off for your solo lessons."
"Thank you, sensei," both boys panted and bowed as Izuku walked over carrying towels and water bottles. As the three boys sat down, Emi kicked the PE door in.
"Hiya, boys," she happily greeted.
"Hey, Fukukado-sensei/Clown-sensei," Hitoshi and Katsuki tiredly answered as Izuku got up to hug his future aunt. Aizawa, however, sighed and crossed his arms.
"Alright, what happened," he asked.
"What happened?" Emi innocently repeated as she hugged Izuku. "Why, what ever would make you think something's happened, Shouta darling?"
"For starters, you're wearing your Hero gloves, which appear to have a few specks of dried bloo-," Izuku pointed out before Emi slapped a gloved hand over his mouth. As she began to awkwardly giggle while Sho just looked at her with a raised eyebrow, there was a loud gasp, making everyone turn to the door where Himiko was gawking at them.
"Y-you guys are the problem children!?" Himi questioned, shakily pointing at them in disbelief.
"I hate that name," Katsuki muttered before taking another drink.
"Welcome to my friendship with you," Shinso dryly said under his breath as he got back up and reached for something in his backpack.
Izuku, meanwhile, was so excited to officially meet the girl that he completely forgot what his uncle had said about questioning her and had on an excited grin as he made a b-line to her.
"HellomynameisMidoriyaIzukuitsnicetofinallymeetyouIknowwetechnicallyalreadymetbutwedidn'treallygetachancetotalkspeakingofwhichdoyoumindifIaskyouafewquestionsaboutyourqu-GAHH!"
Izuku jumped nearly ten feet in the air as he was interrupted in his ramblings by an airhorn in his ear.
"What the hell, Hitchan!?" Izuku asked after crashing back down and glaring at the boy holding the airhorn.
"You told us to make sure you didn't go into one of your mumble storms," Hitoshi shrugged. "Had to do something to get your attention."
Looking back at Himiko, Izuku winced at how uncomfortable she looked.
"S-sorry," Izuku apologized, bowing low. "My name is Izuku Midoriya and it's nice to finally meet you, Himiko."
"Shinso Hitoshi," Shinso waved with a slight bow and pointed a thumb at Bakugou as he joined them. "And this happy little firecracker is Bakugou Katsuki."
"S'up, Fangs," he nodded.
After an awkward pause, Shinso spoke up.
"Um, I'm sorry if I hurt you when I-OOF!"
Himiko suddenly surprised all three boys by pulling them into a tight hug.
"Thank you," she whispered, letting them go and bowing deeply, tears hitting the floor. "I'm sorry for attacking you guys, but I'm glad it happened."
"Uh, d-don't worry about it," a blushing Midoriya said as he looked at a similarly red and nodding Hitoshi in the middle and a shrugging Katsuki on the left.
"Yeah, it's not your fault the Togas were quirkist bastiches."
Aizawa then cleared his throat.
"As glad as I am that you four have finally met, you can talk more later, Himiko. The boys need to get back to training," he said.
"Um, about that," Himiko said, nervously approaching Aizawa. "Do you think I can join them?"
"Why? You looking to become a Hero like me?" Sho smirked, but then felt a sting of disappointment and a bit of confusion when Himiko shook her head with an excited grin.
"Nope! I wanna be a Hero like mom and Vlad King!" she excitedly declared. "I wanna help people like me see that they're not defined by their quirk!"
Sho sighed, but hid a small, proud smile behind his capture scarf. While he thought her quirk was better suited to Underground work like his and Shinso's, he couldn't help but admire her determination.
"You do realize I won't go easy on you just because you're my daughter, right?"
"Bring it on, old man!" Himiko cried.
"That's my girl!" Emi yelled, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Alright," Aizawa nodded before turning to his fiancée. "Em, do you think you handle her physical? I need to help Shinso with his kicks."
"Can do, hun!" Emi grinned with a wink and a thumbs up. "C'mon, kiddo! Let's get you a gym uniform!"
As Himiko excitedly followed her mom, Bakugou and a slightly disappointed Midoriya left for their own lessons while Shinso prepared himself for his own one on one lesson with Aizawa.
"Now, then," Aizawa began, bringing over a standing punching bag. "Let's start with a front kick…"
'It is time,' Chizome thought to himself as he zipped up his black and red jumpsuit. 'Today was a sign, divine providence. Had I not gone to that den of fake-worshiping garbage to find that rare All Might pin, that poor girl would have suffered a terrible fate!'
He then put on a flak jacket with six foldable knives on the front.
'After ten years of honing my skills, destiny has called to me, telling me the time is right to begin my crusade. This society needs someone willing to do what needs to be done; to do what even All Might cannot.'
Finally, he donned a v-shaped half red, half black mask and strapped a katana to his back.
"It is time for STENDHAL to make his debut!" he declared, grinning wildly under his mask.
Chapter 13: The Big Day
While tying his hair back as neatly as he could, Shouta pondered how he got here. He had spent most of his adult life trying to avoid relationships that weren't strictly professional. Oboro's death had hit him hard and he sought to avoid repeating that pain by keeping his friend group small and at a distance and focusing all of his time and energy on Hero work.
It seemed logical at the time. Then, his nephew got his quirk and his whole world changed.
If not for Izuku, he'd have never joined UA or been forced into therapy. If not for Izuku, he'd never have realized just how illogical he had been living for so long. If not for Izuku, he wouldn't be here today, trying to figure out his bow tie and thinking about how lucky he was to be marrying the most wonderful woman he'd ever met.
He was brought out of his musings by a knock at the door.
"Come in."
When Sho turned around, he was greeted by the wobbly smile of his beanpole of a brother. Like his son, Hisashi had diamond freckles on his cheeks and his hair was even more wild and shaggy than Izuku's used to be. However, unlike Izuku, he was rather skinny and almost sickly looking. The irises of his round, tired eyes were black and beady and his once solid black hair was beginning to pepper.
Shouta remembered how surprised he was last night to see Hisashi joining Zashi, Inui, Kan, and Snipe in kidnapping him for his bachelor party. After all, being I-Island's top quirk analyst meant having little time for family.
Though, in Hisashi's defense, the man wasn't willfully neglectful of his wife and son. He called them regularly and constantly reminded them they could call him any time they needed. He blamed his excitement at being offered the contract by David Shield himself for not realizing until after he signed it that it was a thirteen year exclusivity contract.
Thankfully, Inko was a kind, understanding woman. Hisashi's childlike energy and impulsiveness was one of the reasons why she loved him and was content to remain in Japan and wait out the contract with their son. Izuku was also fine with the arrangement so long as Hisashi continued to bring him autographs of International Heroes whenever he did visit.
"May I?" Hisashi asked, attempting to help with the tie only to have his hands smacked by Sho.
"No. I've seen what you've done to normal ties."
"Heheh. Fair," Hisashi said, sweatdropping and rubbing the backs of his hands.
There was another knock at the door and this time, it was Inko in her emerald green bridesmaid dress. She rolled her eyes at seeing the state of Sho's tie.
"Honestly, Hisashi, what is it with the men in your family and ties," she sighed, using her quirk on Sho's mess of a tie and forcing him to lean forward so she could fix it.
"I have a theory that one of our ancestors was hit with some hereditary anti-tie quirk at the DoQ," Hisashi joked, popping a throat lozenge.
"For the record, I know how to tie a normal tie," Sho said dryly.
"Of course you do, sweetie," Inko said, rather patronizingly in Sho's opinion. When she was done, Sho looked himself up and down in the mirror before turning to his brother and sister-in-law.
"How do I look?" he asked, not really caring about their answers.
"You clean up nice, little bro," Hisashi complimented with a thumbs up.
"You really should've let me cut your hair," Inko said, sighing dramatically. "At least you had the decency to tie it back properly and shave. Welp, we better get going!"
"Um, actually, can you give us a minute, hun?" Hisashi asked, leaning down to kiss her.
"Alright, but make it fast, you two," Inko said, leaving the room. Once she was gone, Hisashi shuffled a little in place.
"Look, Sho, I-"
"Thank you," Shouta interrupted.
"...w-what?" Hisashi asked, dumbfounded.
"For having Izuku. If not for him, none of this would be happening. Thank you."
After a moment of silence, Hisashi couldn't stop himself from awkwardly chuckling.
"Damn," he said to himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "And here I am trying to thank you for being a better father to him than I'd ever been."
"Please," Sho scoffed. "He's done far more for me than either of us have or will ever be able to do for him."
"Still, thanks for being there for him and Inko when I couldn't," Hisashi smiled.
"Don't mention it," Sho smiled back, patting his shoulder and leading them towards the door. "Now, c'mon. Like Inko said, we need to get going and we don't wanna make her angry. I happen to like having all my teeth, thank you."
As the processional began and Sho followed Emi's adoptive and birth mothers to his place at the altar, he observed everyone gathered. While he would've been fine just buying a marriage license at a courthouse, he and Emi agreed on a small ceremony with only their closest friends and family.
He of course recognized his fellow Heroes and teachers out of costume but couldn't quite place Tsukuru's plus one. The tall blonde definitely looked familiar, specifically the big, yellow eyes and wide smile, but Sho just couldn't place a name to the face.
Shrugging, Sho continued, nodding at Shinso, whose hair was combed back, sitting with his parents and did a double take at seeing Bakugou sulking next to his father. His hair looked like it had a ridiculous amount of product in it and was combed to the side. It took all of Sho's self-control to stop himself from laughing at the annoyed look the boy gave him.
Taking his place, Sho saw his parents sitting to the left. His and Hisashi's mom was dabbing her eyes and his dad, who was a stoic salary man, was smiling and gave his son an approving nod.
He then watched as he was joined by his groomsmen and Emi's bridesmaids; Hizashi, his best man, walked with Nemuri, Emi's maid of honor, Hisashi with Inko, and Kan with Bakugou Mitsuki.
Next, Izuku, the ring bearer, was followed by Fukukado Himiko, his daughter and flower girl. While ten years old was pushing it for a flower girl, Himiko didn't care and he was proud to see her so happy. She's really come a long way in the past few months and her seafoam green hair with two black buns really suited her.
Finally, it was Emi's turn, and Sho couldn't quite keep the smile off his face as she was being escorted down the aisle by her father.
Fukukado Mushi was a large man with a pillbug mutation and while he would normally cut an intimidating figure, he was at this moment curling in on himself, antennae drooping and twitching as well as his mustache as he was trying his best not to turn into a blubbering mess.
Finally, upon lifting Emi's veil and seeing his daughter's wide, excited smile, the man broke down, hugging his daughter tightly as he began balling his eyes out like a Midoriya. As his wife gave him a handkerchief and rubbed calming circles into his back, the man did his best to compose himself before giving Sho a trembling smile and a thumbs up, which Sho returned.
As the small woman led her husband back to their seats next to Emi's birth mother, Nezu popped up on a podium. As it turned out, the weasel was a court ordained minister. Who knew?
"Hello, everyone!" Nezu cheerily greeted. "While I would normally ask what you think I am, that does not matter. All that matters is that I am happy to officiate the marriage of Fukukado Emi and Aizawa Shouta. Now, while I would be delighted to share with you my own philosophical beliefs and thoughts on the abstract concepts of love and marriage, I sadly promised Aizawa I'd 'stick to the script,' as it were."
After giving everyone a chance to laugh and Sho to roll his eyes, Nezu continued.
"Aizawa Shouta, do you take Fukukado Emi to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you honor and cherish her; love, trust, and commit to her, through joy and pain, sickness and health, and whatever life may throw at you both, until death do you part?"
"I do," Sho said.
"And do you, Fukukado Emi, take Aizawa Shouta to be your lawfully wedded husband? Will you honor and cherish him; love, trust, and commit to him, through joy and pain, sickness and health, and whatever life may throw at you both, until death do you part?"
"You bet your furry butt I do, boss!" Emi said.
"Now, the bride and groom shall exchange their vows."
Sho cleared his throat and looked Emi in her eyes.
"Emi, when I first met you, I thought you were the most annoying and illogical person I've ever met…well, second only to Zashi." He paused as everyone chuckled, apart from Hizashi, who was making a face and clutching his chest in mock hurt. "I'd never been a social person, so to say I was uncomfortable when the Hero intern next door asked me to marry her before even telling me her name would be a gross understatement. The worst part was that no matter how blunt or rude I was, you just wouldn't take a hint and leave me alone. In fact, it only seemed to make you more determined."
Taking a deep breath, he looked down at his feet as he continued.
"Then…something happened. My friend, Shirakumo Oboro, was killed by a falling building during our work-study and…I didn't handle it well." He felt Hizashi squeeze his shoulder. "I retreated into myself, deciding that the most logical thing to do was to dedicate myself to my work. I thought the best way to avoid reliving that pain was to keep my relationships professional and my friends and family at a distance."
He looked up at a wet eyed Emi and smiled.
"Thankfully, neither you, nor my friends, gave up on me. You always held out hope that one day I'd realize how illogical I was living and give you a chance; give us a chance. It took me a while, years, in fact, but when I was finally ready to start moving on with my life, I decided that maybe a romantic relationship wasn't as illogical as I always believed. I decided to finally call your bluff and I'm glad I did."
Sho then took one of the rings and slid it onto Emi's finger.
"With this ring, I thee wed and promise that no matter what life throws at us, to always have your back, in the field and in life. I promise to always come home to you and our daughter. And, most of all, I promise that no matter how many bad jokes you tell, I will always love you."
After wiping the tears from her eyes with an already drenched handkerchief Inko had passed to her, Emi began reading her vows.
"Shouta, the first time I saw you, I thought two things:
"First, 'this guy could use a few laughs in his life;' and second, 'this guy looks like he'd be fun to tease.' And, wouldn't you know it, I was right. The face you made when I first asked you to marry me was priceless! You were just too perfect a straight man to not have fun with."
Realization seemed to dawn in Shouta's eyes, but Emi continued.
"You also had a drive and dedication to helping people that I couldn't help but admire and, soon enough, I started to genuinely fall for you. I became a Hero because I wanted to help make people smile, including my fellow Heroes. After your friend died, I knew I had to do my best to distract you and make you smile, if only from exasperation."
She squeezed Sho's hands, rubbing a thumb on them.
"I never gave up hope because I knew, despite all of your 'logical' arguments to the contrary, that you enjoyed our banter. I could tell you were developing feelings for me over the years but were too afraid to act on them. I knew I just had to wait until you either realized the truth or someone finally called you on your so-called 'logic' and forced your ass into therapy."
She waved and called out to one of the guests. "By the way, thanks, Inui!"
Hound Dog chuckled awkwardly and waved her off from his seat as the crowd laughed. After giving everyone a chance to compose themselves, Emi picked up the remaining ring and slid it onto Shouta's finger.
"With this ring, I thee wed. I promise to always be there for you, as your wife and as a fellow Hero. Even when you're at your lowest, I will be there to pull you back up. And, most importantly, I promise our life together will be one of costant laughter!"
Sho rolled his eyes, but smiled at that last part. Nezu then clapped his paws together with a large genuine smile.
"Now that vows and rings have been exchanged, by the power vested in me by the Shizuoka Prefecture, I am happy to pronounce you husband and wife! You may ki-"
Nezu hadn't finished the last word before Shouta had pulled Emi into a long, passionate kiss, taking her by surprise as everyone clapped and cheered.
"...wow," Emi said with a wobbly smile, blushing as Sho looked at her with a shit-eating grin and led her down the aisle and out to the Jokeswagen.
It took a while, but after finally fitting all of Emi's dress in it, they led everyone back to UA for the reception and the beginning of the rest of their life together.