"C'mon, Midoriya! It'll be fun! Eri-Chan will love it!"

Izuku pouted. He couldn't believe he was being roped into this. Months ago, almost a full year, he would have been a stuttering mess. He was talking to a pretty girl After all.

But he had gained more experience in doing that since then. He was on friendly terms with practically friends with every female member of his class and had even been personally trained by Mina in breakdancing.

And now his anxiety was coming back because she needed a tango partner for her dance class. And she just had to use Eri as an incentive.

"Why can't you apply yourself in class as much as you applied yourself to talking me into this, Ashido?"

"Hey! My grades are better now! And don't forget, I taught you how to dance. Don't want to let down your fabulous sensei, do ya?" the pink girl grinned, getting closer to her dance student now.

His anxiety about cute girls was flaring up again now, face turning pink to match the girl in front of him.

And of course he would help. He was a friend and a hero. He cursed Ashido under his breath for already having him wrapped around her finger.

"Ok. Not sure why Eri would want to see us Tango, but ok."

"Yippee! Thanks Midoriya! You rock!" The acid girl cheered, nuzzling the green-haired boy without thinking. She could be openly affectionate without thinking sometimes.

"No problem. You're kinda close."

"Oh. Woops. Sorry. Don't wanna make Uraraka jealous." Mina winked, nudging her friend.

Izuku just chuckled lightly and walked away. He had harbored feelings for his friend, as she did for him. However…

"It didn't work out between us…"

This shocked Mina. Her eyes widened and cheeks puffed out.

"Whaaaaa? She was clearly crushing on you! I have seen the signs! I pay attention to these things! What happened?"

"Well….um...we kissed…" the green-haired boy squeaked out softly, throat dry from embarrassment.

"Get out! How the hell did I not hear about this? I feel so betrayed! I'm gonna-"

"Uraraka and I decided to keep things low key. We're still friends. Best friends...but the kiss was...weird? Like...she described it as weird and not what she expected. And I apologized and...we both thought it over. For a week, maybe two. And…"

Izuku paused. It wasn't his place to say any revelations Ochako made about herself. That was her secret to tell, not his, and he would respect it.

Mina still managed to glean some ideas from his tone and posture though.

"Oh...Oooooh…ok. Man, I didn't even see that coming...but no biggie. When she is ready to tell me, I will be there for her."

Izuku sighed and smiled. "Yep. That is what friends do for one another. Shall we...shall we get started?"

Mina unleashed her widest grin and went about clearing the area, signaling to Izuku to help her.

"What...here?"

"Yeah? It's just us right now and I don't have a room reserved. Sorry." The acid girl shrugged and guffawed, her carefree attitude dripping feely off of her and onto the floor like her acid.

Izuku was sure she was going to drag him elsewhere enthusiastically. Instead, the girl pulled him into her arms and began teaching him. He gulped and blushed, feeling his anxiety rise steadily.

"You sure know how to keep me on my toes, huh?"

"Better you than mine. Now relax and follow my lead, ok?"

"Yeah."

This continued for an hour, the two of them practicing until Izuku started to get the hang of it. It took him far less time to get the hang of these moves after his previous training with her, but Mina still coached him on things that needed work.

"You're still a bit stiff. Try relaxing your shoulder muscles, ok? Fluid movements. Just repeat the basic steps for me."

Izuku was enthralled. He was really starting to get into this, in no small part to the passion and care Mina had for dancing. He wanted to do this to help a friend, sure. Helping Eri was another bonus for sure, having the chance to make the poor girl smile again.

But the green-haired boy had to admit, spending more time with his admittedly attractive classmate was another incentive. She could be warm and inviting, but also tough when she needed to be. It was an approach Izuku very much appreciated. And being so close and holding her was overwhelming. He tried distracting himself from how close they were by thinking about heroics. He then had to snap himself out of that so he didn't get into his own head and could focus on those words: fluid movements.

Likewise, the pink girl enjoyed her friend's company and was more than happy to spend the time with him. It wasn't often that they did so, but she had wanted to change that in their downtime.

There was a pang of guilt with her developing feelings, since she wanted Uraraka and Izuku to be happy, but they still lingered a little in light of recent revelations. She shook her head and tried not to he distracted by his muscular form and admittedly adorable face. "How did I think he was plain? He has such a baby face! He's like a buff, handsome baby!"

The two focused, music still playing softly on Mina's phone, causing the time to just flow for them as one hour became two. People passed by but the dance was all that mattered.

"Hey, dude. Don't give up on me yet. Focus on my movements."

Everyone else had headed to bed and Mina and Izuku were about to join them.

"Not bad so far, Midori. Let's just practice the dip and we can call it a night." The acid girl smiled, melting Izuku to his core. He was having fun now and didn't want to stop yet, but he was getting tired and knew some rest would be good.

"Ok. So like thi...ACK!"

"NoWHOAH!"

Thud!

Izuku lost his balance and landed on top of Mina awkwardly. He wasn't sure why. His balance had improved a lot. Maybe he shifted his weight too enthusiastically this time.

However, that didn't matter now as much as how he and Mina had landed. Their faces were incredibly close, lips brushing up against each other, with the green-haired boy and his pink dance instructor still holding onto each other.

Their eyes met and everything became blurred. Their hearts were racing and their faces were burning, red and Lavender respectively. Izuku meant to speak first and pull away, but he was stunned, breath caught in his throat.

And that's when Mina acted, almost on instinct. Her lips closed what little distance there was between the two. Izuku's eyes shot open as his body and soul jolted to life with a spark more intense than full cowling. Her lips were so warm and soft against his. The pink girl could only think the same if his, the slight taste of mint on them.

They separated, still unable to say anything other than soft, consecutive "wows" until once more Mina took the lead.

"Um...sorry. I didn't...oh god, did I weird you out?" She wasn't used to being this much if an awkward mess. Her body felt so giggly and bubbly but her mind could only wonder if it crossed any boundaries for her timid classmate.

And then his lips found hers again and none if it mattered. Time stood still once more. The dance class was over, but they could worry about that later. After several minutes, Izuku spoke up and averted his eyes.

"Sorry. I don't know what came over me. You just...and I just…"

"Want to hang out in my room?" Mina cut the boy off. Realizing what she had said and seeing how Izuku was slowly freaking out, she followed up swiftly.

"Not like that! We just missed! I'm not...I just, maybe we should head back to our rooms. I kind of want to cuddle you? I know it is really sudden but, I dunno."

"Thanks for the offer, Ashido...it actually sounds tempting...maybe not tonight though. I kind of need to process things more, you know?"

Mina's shoulders slumped, but she yawned and smiled tiredly, nodding in agreement.

"Sure. Yeah. Take your time, dude. Sorry for being pushy."

"No, you were fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok?"

"Yep! G'night, Midori~"

"Good night, Ashido."

And thus, Izuku went to bed to consider his feelings on the night's events. Mina, however, stood there in silence, alone with hers. She touched her lips and felt her heart race once more as her cheeks heated up. And that is when it hit her. She had a crush on Izuku.

"Crap…"