Red Shoes: an MHA Tale

Chapter 1: Remembrance

A tall man was sitting in a large red cushioned seat inside a small private dressing room. He was hunched over with his face buried in his scarred bare hands. Currently, a woman with hazelnut-colored hair was combing his green curly locks.

"Tell me what you're most stressed about, Izu." She insisted.

The man sighed before raising his head, both to speak and to give her more room to work. "I-" He took a deep breath.

"Sweetie, I understand your uncomfortable-ness in social situations but you have done this before many times." The woman said with a tone that was both informative and gentle.

"I know. It's just... B-Besides being on camera, I'll have to talk about last night." The man sighed and lowered his head, but this time, his hands fell between his knees.

The woman nodded.

He hadn't even recovered enough to tell her personally about it. As soon as he got home from his mission, he fell into her arms and they fell asleep not long after.

It wasn't even a full night's sleep later when they had to wake up for this.

Suddenly, a knock broke their gentle atmosphere and a voice quickly followed through the wood door.

"Deku, you're on in five." A man's voice announced.

The man's wife turned his chair around to face her. "Look at me, Izuku." She directed as she planted her palms on his freckled cheeks.

He obeyed silently, eyes widened at her strength. Not just physical strength but her strength in handling situations like this. They've been together since high school not even ten years prior, and although they've pledged to be equals, he can't help but feel how much stronger she is. Even if his Quirk is more strength-enhancing than hers.

"You have done the impossible. You've defeated gods before and you've conquered unimaginable demons. Part of the journey is sharing the experiences. This day will help others in tracking down the rest of that organization and put an end to it. One interview means nothing to you." She said.

She was very vague, but it was enough to make her husband smile.

"Thanks, Ochako." He said gently as he leaned in and kissed her lips.

He stood up and approached the door, still keeping his eyes on her.

"And once we're done here, since we both have the day off, it looks like we can finish....sleeping." Her speech was interrupted by a yawn and a brief stretch.

Izuku smiled again and nodded in agreement before stepping out and walking to the studio floor.

The echo of a talk show host's announcements rang through the halls and especially inside the studio as Izuku quietly made his way to the edge of the floor, outside of view of an audience and cameras he could barely see through the bright lights.

"Now without further ado, ladies and gentlemen. Here to comment on the most recent raid, please welcome, Professional Hero DEKU!"

Shifting his collar and wiping his forehead, Izuku marched forward, waving at the cheering audience and giving his best iconic hero's smile as he made his way toward a small couch and a desk where the host normally sat.

They shook hands and greeted before taking place at their respective seats.

"Welcome, Deku! It's such a treat to have you on the show today. We get so many fan letters asking about you and that contagious smile of yours!" The host said happily.

Izuku chuckled. "Yeah, well... Y'know...."

The host laughed loudly. "We all know you're not the best at interviews and I completely understand. One thing they don't teach you in hero school is how to respond to the media." He quipped. The audience responded with laughter.