Mina and Izuku both felt exhausted from the week's studies. The prelude of their training in the summer camp with their class. On Mina's insistence, they both decided to enjoy themselves for a bit before that time came. Izuku forgot however that Mina said she would come by his home to start their day off.
"Ohhh! Izuku!" Miss Midiroya squealed through her tears as she hugged her son tightly. "My little boy is becoming a Man!" She nearly wailed. Behind her, a pleasantly surprised Mina Ashido. Mina took some joy from watching that Izuku crying tendency came from a very motherly source. She enjoyed the fact.
"Izu! Why didn't you tell me your mother was such a cutie." Mina exclaimed in earnest joy. Izuku gave an awkward laugh as he scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. A bit of red was in the cheeks of the green-haired boy.
"Oh come in! Come in! You must be famished." Ms. Midiroya tried to lead Mina into the apartment.
"Ms. Midiroya-"
"Oh please call me Inko." Ms. Midiroya said wiping some residual tears from her face.
"Ms. Inko, Me and Izu are actually going out today. Only so much free time before summer train starts and were going to enjoy every bit of it." Mina said with an excited smile, holding the arms of Ms. Midiroya.
"Oh...Are you now…" Ms. Midiorya's face was crestfallen. A creeping sense of sadness. Not the exaggerated kind of joy Mina saw earlier but a slow, hefty sense worry that a parent could express.
"Mom…" Izuku placed a hand on his mother's shoulder.
"I know you are getting stronger Izuku but let a mother worry about her special boy." Ms. Midiroya turned to face the boy with a smile on her face with a hand on her son's face.
"Alright. I call as soon as we get there. The train back and knock three times when I get back." Ms. Midiroya beamed.
"That's my boy." Mina slightly tilted her head as she watched the scene play out. Though given the villain attacks lately on the students and the public. That much notification seemed necessary.
A little while ago, Shigaraki of the League of Villains, held Izuku hostage in a wide crowd. The police interrogated all they could from Izuku afterward and Mina, A blond skeleton man she didn't recognize and Ms. Midoriya all broke into a cold sweat.
Mina felt guilty about it. She was there with a large chunk of her class to boot and a villain was still able to get the drop of one of them. All because he had a hoodie on. Mina decided if she saw that rat bastard again she was flinging acid into his eyes with no question. Aside from melting his scraggy hands, the best way to deal with quirk users who relied on touch. Also mild satisfaction for herself.
After Izuku and Ms. Midoriya had all of their cries and hugs out of the way, Mina and Izuku went out to enjoy the nightlife. Something Izuku barely believed he was doing.
It was like he was in a hazing dream. The walk and train seeming to melt together like butter. All while in the presence of his girlfriend. A reality he was having a hard time accepting. Not more than the reality of All might's quirk and its history type of heavy but hard to envision nonetheless.
He was the designated, plain, quirkless loser since they tested him. The only person he would regularly talk to was Bakugo. For the most part, even Izuku admitted from to time to time, his bully.
None he was with an eye-catching girl that was grabbing the attention of all the buys and some girls around him. Hugging his arm tightly.
"Where do you want to go next?" Mina said with a slight giggle, reveling in Izuku's awkwardness.
"Umm...well...you said you like dancing so why not an arcade with a ….dance game." Mina was well aware that despite the power Izuku possed, destroying giant robots in a single punch, he was still a shy Cinnabon of a guy inside.
It was what drew her to him. The quiet boy with the loud powerful ability that hurt him. Who had the attention of the prodigy, Bakugo, and the successor Todoroki.
"You always seem to draw people don't you?" Mina said under her breath.
"Huh?" Izuku questioned.
"Nevermind, let's go to the arcade, get some drinks at a karaoke place and maybe something special later~" Mina said in a soft, breathy tone in Izuku's ear. Izuku blushed a fine crimson color to rival Kirishima's hair.
From there the evening began. As the young couple galavanted throughout the prefecture. Mina leading Izuku like an over-eager dog on a leash. Mina had already been to many of the places because of her middle school friends and asking around her classmates. It was part of the reason that she wasn't doing well academically. A bit too much of a nightlife to be hitting the books. Being with Izuku lightens the load of that, however.
Izuku sort of stumble around the games that they tried. They split the coast between themselves, Izuku's mother giving some extra money to enjoy some more time with his pink date. As they played a variety of games, A very old one called Dance, Dance Revolution most of all, Izuku started to try and match Mina's energy.
A skill he's been desperate in trying to replicate. Having something like her in his life was rare enough. He put his over-analyzing brain to work on how to best be a good boyfriend.
Reading every guide, looking at every blog and memorizing all the facts he had on Mina to be that man.
Mina was just happy to see Izuku happy. The boy had a nasty habit of being in the center of many disasters and plots. The fact that he stilled smiled at all and had an overall cheery demeanor was shocking, to say the least. Most people would be looking over their shoulders because of circumstances like these.
She did notice something though. The worry. The tinge of fear in his eyes. Like how his mother's expression changed when they left.
After spending a good few hours at the arcade Night had fallen on the prefecture. The lights at their most dazzling all around them. Izuku felt in awe for a minute as Mina watched him with a smile.
"Com' on we got some time before we gotta leave!" Mina urged the green-haired boy, pulling him by the arm.
"Wa-wa-wait!? The Karaoke is-" Izuku was jerked before he could finish his observation as Mina bulldoze her way through the crowd to a labyrinth of streets.
"We don't have a lot of time left! I'm using this last hour!" Mina proclaimed as the lively district fell out of sight of the speedying couple. As they bolt past street after street. Something familiar ached in his stomach. A memory. A fair recent one.
"I think this placed for Friken trashed a few months ago and some kid and old guy cleaned the whole beach. By themselves!" Mina excitedly explained. "Isn't that amazing!" Izuku did his best to avoid letting any hint of his identity in that story be revealed. It reveals too many questions. He hasn't told her about the secret of One for All yet.
He wasn't even sure that he could ever tell her. It was an intimate secret of All Might. He no right to reveal it, No matter how much he cared for Mina. Maybe because of the danger the secret it brings, all the more reason to keep it secret.
"There's no need to hide it anymore." Mina stated plainly but suddenly.
"Wait. What do you mean?" Izuku said with his trademark nervousness.
"Something has been bugging you today. You're just not showing it." Mina said as she pointed a finger at the center of Izuku's chest.
"Mina…" Izuku wanted to protest but knew she was right. He was having fun all night but he was also suppressing his other thoughts to do it.
" Please don't. Don't try to Mina me and avoid talking about it. I know you're probably used to keeping things to yourself but That's not how I do things." Mina lifted her pant legs and took off her shoes and socks. "Take your shoes off." Mina requested.
Izuku hesitated but relented and took off his shoes. Mina's hand leading the young boy to the waters of the beach.
"What now?"
"We keep walking I guess?" Mina said as she dipped her toes in the water, nearly jumping from the shock of the cold temperature.
"Till what?"
"Till you feel comfortable I guess?" Mina held out her hand while standing in the cold water. Izuku took careful steps and walked with Mina along the cove of the beach.
"It's just… pressure...I guess."
"You guess? Izuku you have the ear of the greatest Hero alive and were held captive by the face of villainy a few days ago. Pressure is an understatement." Mina interjected.
"What do you mean about the ear?"
"Please, who doesn't know that All Might isn't rooting for you. Your power is even similar...aside for the self-harm bit." Izuku began to sweat nervously. "Though the secret love child thing from Todoroki is a bit much." Mina tried to lighten the mood.
"Alright, it's not just pressure, it's expectation." Izuku stated plainly.
"Your own, or someone else?"
"A little of both. So many people have helped me get here and sometimes...I think that I'm might deserve it some times but I can't let all the people who got me here down." Mina turned to face the green-haired boy and held his cheeks in her hands with a caring touch.
"You are here because you deserve it. Even without your power or All Might, you would've found a way into U.A!"
"You...you really think so?" Mina had a large grin to counter Izuku's grimace.
"Even if you were quirkless! I mean its almost scary how much info your cute noggin has. If you got any other class it would properly be support."
"R-really?" Izuku try to hold down a bit of laughter.
"Who knows maybe even if got stuck in generals studies, Shinzo did well with impressing the people at the sports festival, That I remind you that you did two-thirds of it- WITHOUT USING A QUIRK." Mina shouted, slamming her palms on Izuku's cheek like she was swatting mosquitoes. The boy let out a small laugh.
"Its was luck-"
"Luck nothing! I want you to say these words after I say them!" Mina dictated with an outstretched finger on Izuku's chin. The boy nodded. "I am smart."
"I am smart."
"I am brave."
"I am brave." Mina started to circle around him.
"I did well at the sports festival and while not using a quirk for two-thirds of it."
"I did well at the sports festival and while not using a quirk for two-thirds of it." Izuku started to have a small chuckle while saying the words.
"It was never luck."
"Mina-"
"Say. It."
"It was never luck." Thought it was kinda silly. Izuku started to feel a bit better about himself.
"I deserve." Mina held Izuku's hands in hers.
"I deserve." Izuku stared at Mina's smiling face.
"To be." Mina's face and smile captured the glow of the rising, full moon.
"To be." Mina started to edge her face closer to Izuku's. Although he was blushing like a tomato, he didn't back away.
"Here."
"He-" Izuku lips were preoccupied with Mina's to finish. They embraced as they melted into the kiss. The cold of the water being there the only reminder of reality as they simply enjoyed the fact they were there. The boy who retook the name Deku felt worthy for once. To be here, To be with her, To be who he is.
A feeling so tragically rare for the young man. They pulled away for a brief second for some air.
"Just so you know though~ I will Lorde the fact I got higher in placements at the sports festival than you~" Mina's mischievous smile returned.
"Oh, I know." Izuku held her tight around the waist. "Just remember that I got close without using a quirk." He said with an uncharacteristic smirk. Mina's smile grew larger as the two simply walked along the cold water's, their shared warmth keeping them satisfied.