Note: mention of Mellisa Shield
When Your Friends Decide To Butt In On Your Love Life
SevenRenny
The two were being, as some of the boys liked to say, 'suspiciously chummy'.
The class let it slide, temporarily. It kept going on, to the point of it being a fact the classmates silently agreed on not voicing it out loud. It had started off with the boy just being shy around one of his friends. No big deal. He got over his jitters around her fairly quickly.
Then, it seemed as though the tables had turned. The poor girl had caught the nervous fever, going a tomato-red in the face, usually when his name came up. It lasted for a while, to the point of becoming a common topic to gossip about between selected groups of friends. What has started off as a local myth amongst teenagers had turned into a nicely framed vase the kids could do nothing but admire from afar. Oh, look how cute it was. Like a star at the top of a Christmas tree. It just had to be there. Expected, even.
It was hard not to look when, during gym, the pure squeals and laughs from Ochaco pierced the large training ground, sounding joyous and hearty. While every pair of twos wrestled, scattered about the gym, Izuku and Ochaco's grappling match on the mat had turned playful, with him on his back, hugging her from behind, his slightly larger hand grasping both her wrists together, and his other hand mistakenly or unmistakably around her midsection. Their legs were intertwined in a way that his legs wrapped around hers, caging her in place.
His back pressed the mat as Ochaco struggled to both take this seriously and to get loose, failing at the first but successfully making him lose his focus. He couldn't hold in his own chuckles and started laughing with his face pressing the side of her neck in an attempt to stifle his voice. That didn't make Ochaco's squeals any less attention-grabbing.
"S – Stop! It tickles!" she gasped, wriggling and kicking, moving his legs with her. They toppled to the side. He was full-on laughing, too, gasping and breathing into her hair. Their intertwined legs quivered.
"Deku!"
The practice fight didn't look serious anymore. Everyone had stopped and stared. Mineta's pupils had shrunk. Mina, on the other hand, was living the shipper dream, restraining her own excited squeal. Their teacher, Eraser Head, wasn't impressed. He raised a single brow, giving the two teenagers a few seconds to stop their shenanigans without being told to do so. They never did. And so, he intervened.
"Midoriya, Uraraka, this isn't a playground. Back to training or I'm pulling you out," he threatened.
That snapped them out of their little happy world.
"Yes, sensei!" they both yelped.
Panting, Izuku released his hold on Ochaco and they rolled in opposite directions, their giggles slowly subsiding. They hadn't noticed the attention they'd attracted, standing up and giving the other person a chance to catch their breath before they could go back to their grappling match. Their classmates, noticing the glare of their teacher, went back to their sparring partners.
Minoru, still traumatized, pointed a shaky finger. "What…?"
"Come on, man," Hanta whispered with a hand up to cover his mouth. "Sensei's watchin'."
Meanwhile, Katsuki didn't bother hiding his displeasure. "Disgusting."
…
Truth be told, it was nice to have two people crushing on each other in their class. It added… character, to the whole group. The group was a family, in a way, and what made their friends happy made the rest of them happy. No one asked questions when both Izuku and Ochaco sometimes arrived late to class. One waiting for the other, most assumed. They usually turned up just before the bell; a habit started just at the end of their second year and became more pronounced at the start of their third. Tenya had either gotten tired scolding, or they had given him a well-enough excuse that forced him to reluctantly let them continue on with this disappearing act.
Something was up.
And with neither of the two in question in class yet, Denkii unknowingly started the fire: "So what's up with Midoriya and Uraraka?" he asked oh so casually.
"That hugging thing?" Rikido asked.
"I think it's nice," Koji shyly admitted. It had taken him a while to get used to voicing his opinion.
"I think it's manly," Eijiro said. "Wasn't sure if they were dating or not. Guess they really are a thing."
"They're dating?" Mina's eyes were scary, bugging out in surprise like that. "And I'm the last to know?" she was almost screeching.
Minoru clutched his head. "It's true… It's happening… It's always the quiet ones… Damn that Midoriya."
"Wait, they're a thing?" Denki swiveled in his chair. "Since when? Wait… is that why Midoriya didn't wanna come to the beach when we invited him?" We, was in, Denki and Minoru planning to go to the beach to have a look at girls in bikinis.
"I… don't think they are?" Rikido asked, mostly to himself. "At least, they never said anything."
"Are they supposed to say anything?" Denki really wanted to know.
"So… they're not a thing?" Eijiro asked carefully, his thoughts going back and forth.
"I don't think it's our place to speculate," Momo commented, not liking where the conversation was going.
"Now I'm confused!" Denki had been so sure his two friends had sealed the deal in a quieter manner. Now, he wasn't so sure anymore. "Everything I know is wrong!"
"That part," Kyoya said, pointing an ear jack at him. "We can all agree with."
"What's the matter with all of ya'? Didn't you see?" Minoru cut in, his voice leaking with distress. "Didn't you see? Midoriya did it again! First, he's messin' around with the Shiketsu girl at the exam, now this! Midoriya is a lady's man in disguise, I'm telling you! The bastard went right under our noses. I underestimated the guy, damnit."
Hanta chuckled. "Easy, little guy. Take a chill pill."
"Mineta, I advise you to get off the desk this instant," Tenya ordered with authority.
"But there are only six girls and fourteen of guys! And now they're down to five girls and all because of that guy." Minoru greeted his teeth so hard they were ready to crack.
"Someone's jealous."
"Now, now," Tenya intervened. Everyone was getting railed up. "That's no way to talk about your classmate."
"Oh, yeah, Iida, what do they always do before class?" Toru was practically bouncing to know. "Do they go kissin'? I bet they go kissin' somewhere!" She squealed. "Maybe, like, in the janitor's closet! That's so romantic."
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Momo tried to calm the situation.
Minoru was literally biting the edge of his desk.
"Aaaand now I can't get it out of my head. Thanks, guys," Kyoka said sarcastically.
"Why wasn't I told?" Mina demanded, pulling at her hair in frustration.
"Iida, do you know something we don't?" Hanta asked with a grin.
Tenya cleared his throat, wanting to sound loud and clear. "As a form of respect for my friends' personal space, I cannot say."
"You don't hound them anymore about being super late to class."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Yeah, they're totally makin' out somewhere, aren't they?"
Minoru's desk cracked under the pressure of his teeth.
"Mineta, I beg you, don't eat your desk! Respect public property."
"I thought they were dating for, like, months," Eijiro said. He'd started off suspecting, then, when no one else in class said anything, he'd gone ahead and assumed his suspicions were correct. Now, it looked as though everyone had different thoughts on the matter.
"Bet they got together three months ago!" Toru came to the conclusion. "Ochaco kept skipping our girl get-togethers. And, come on – that thing they did was a tickle match."
"I bet it happened three months ago."
"Are we placing bets?"
"Guys, please, don't."
"Bet it's been a year!"
"Yeah, I'd say a year."
"Five months."
"Two."
"I say they're not together."
"Please, I humbly request you do not engage in gambling!"
"It's just for fun, Iida."
Minoru made dying noises.
It was all too much for Katsuki to handle. "Will you all shut up?"
The door suddenly opened. One curly-haired boy walked in with his friend, both too bust talking in hushed voices.
"–come to my room, later?" she asked, giggling like she'd been laughing for hours before.
"Okay. I'll text you." Izuku plopped his yellow backpack. He was breathing heavily, sounding almost out of breath.
Tenya crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "You two are even more late than usual."
Izuku shyly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Iida. We got carried away."
"No matter. You have arrived, at least." Tenya let it slide.
The three either didn't notice the suspiciously quiet classroom or simply didn't acknowledge it out loud; possibly the latter, because Minoru's death glares were hard to ignore. Come to my room, she said. Okay, he said. Minoru thought of the worst-case scenario; a cartoonish image of a door illustrated with crayon appeared in his head, along with crude doodles of Izuku and Ochaco prancing their way into the room and shutting the door behind them, only for the door to sway side to side with stupid hearts popping around the doorframe.
There was a nighty-nine percent chance it was all Minoru's imagination, picking out the worst-case scenario. However, there was still a chance it was true. And that was scary.
He was going to get to the bottom of it.
…
It was another match of Super Smash Heroes in the common room. There was no space left on the couch and many sat on the floor. The colorful television screen omitted exaggerated punching sound effects, along with comic book sound bubbles flashing here and there.
The losers had to hand over their controllers over to the next person. Mina was the undefeated champion, topping at first place at the end of every match, followed by Denki trapped with the second-place trophies. Minoru's button mushing technique had worked up until Katsuki joined in and knocked him out of third place.
"That's what you get for sticking with Midnight's whip, you coward." Katsuki made sure to rub to in his face, flipping a middle finger.
"Midoriya, buddy, grab the controller," Eijiro reminded him.
"Oh, it's my turn?"
"Stop making me wait," Katsuki grumbled on the floor. "I'm kicking your ass, first."
"Do your best, Deku," Ochaco said from where she sat above him on the couch.
Katsuki wasn't happy with Izuku's character of choice. "Don't copy me!"
"I'm not. I just like All Might." His All Might had a silver belt instead of yellow, along with a cap.
"Am I gonna need to keep track on which All Might is who?" Denki asked.
"I'm switching!" Katsuki declared.
"They're all the same stats, guys," Izuku reminded them.
"Just start the game," Katsuki said impatiently.
And they did. The four players said nothing, aside from the occasional cussing from Katsuki, random noises from Mina, and 'ooooh, I gotcha, I gotcha' from Denki. A few students commented and laughed.
Seeing her chance, Toru scooted next to Ochaco.
"Pssst. Psssssst!"
Ochaco reluctantly looked away from the screen. "Hmm?"
Toru put her hand up to cover her mouth despite being invisible. "Ochaco."
"I hear you," Ochaco whispered back. If her friend was whispering, she might as well.
"Since when?"
"Since when… what?"
"You know, you and Midoriya."
Ochaco tilted her head, confused. "Huh?"
"Fuck!" Katsuki cursed, his controller clicking loudly.
Toru tried again. "When did you two start dating? It's no fair you never said anything."
Ochaco looked at her blankly when a few of the players threw down their controllers.
Katsuki tossed his and it slid across the floor. "Stupid game!" He was vocally unhappy with being fourth place, and even more pissed about losing to the two idiots and Deku, of all people.
"Midoriya, holy crap!" Denki gasped in disbelief. "What the heck was that?"
"I'm… sorry?" Izuku panted, tired from clenching his muscles while at the same time trying to not break the controller in his hands. His chosen character posed heroically for the first place spot.
"Midoriya, you wiped the floor with Kaminari," Mina laughed.
"Hey!" Denki sounded offended.
Laughing awkwardly, Izuku turned back to presumably check on Ochaco, finding the spot on the couch empty. "Uraraka?"
"She's on the ceiling," Toru said, pointing and waving up.
Everyone looked up in unison. Sure enough, there was Ochaco, floating, curled up in a ball and hands covering her face.
"Does that mean 'recently'?" Toru yelled.
…
"So, Midoriya!" Denki said, sliding a few morning plates next to Izuku's as the other boy ate from his rice bowl in the common area.
"Good morning," Izuku said, placing his bowl down, chopsticks still in hand.
"Guy-to-guy talk," Danki started. He looked around to make sure everyone else was busy around the kitchen area. "So… when did you and Uraraka–" He pointed behind him with a thumb. "–happen?"
Izuku had a blank, innocent look on his babyface as he chewed his food. He visibly shivered and rubbed the back of his neck. Unaware to him, Minoru was glaring, trying to somehow read his mind and only getting imaginary scenarios of Izuku and Ochaco holding hands and prancing in meadows.
"I… uuh… I don't understand," Izuku admitted. "Me and her happened?"
"So it did happen? I knew it! I knew – first that Shiketsu girl, then that American one on I-Island. Midoriya, you dog." Denki gave him a playful smack on the back.
Izuku still wasn't sure what his classmate meant. "You mean Melissa?"
"What about Melissa?" Mina perked up from behind them, a plate of food in both hands. Her question attracted everyone else's attention.
Denki turned to her. "When Midoriya was on that date with her on the island, remember?"
Izuku choked and grabbed at the front of his short, suffocating.
"Oh. So that was a date," Kyoka said nonchalantly.
Ochaco peeked from behind Momo, her hands full with a spatula and the handle of a frying pan, her brows pinched with slight concern.
Izuku slapped his chest twice, then snatched his glass of orange juice and gulped quickly, successfully dislodging the ball in his throat. "It's – It's not, guys, I swear!" he managed, still in pain.
Eijiro yawned just as he walked out of the elevator. "What? What's going on?"
"Midoriya dated Mellissa," Denki announced for all the world to hear.
"I knew it!" Minoru accused, pointing a shaky finger. "I underestimate you! We could've been friends! Best buds! Why did you decide to be my rival? Why?" Fat tears and snot ran down Minoru's face as he cried dramatically.
"It's not like that!" Izuku yelled, turning in his seat and waving his hands to stop the incoming assumptions. "Mellissa's… Mellissa's like, like a cousin to me," he tried explaining.
"Mellissa's your cousin?" Eijiro asked, still half-asleep.
"Wait, you were dating your cousin?" Denki asked. It looked like he was trying to solve a complicated puzzle in his head. "You're into some weird stuff, my guy."
"It wasn't a date, guys! She was just showing me around," Izuku yelled, his voice cracking and his face turning pink.
"Which cousin were you dating, then?"
"I didn't date any cousins!"
"Then wait – who were you dating?"
"No one – I wasn't dating anyone!"
"That's enough!" Tenya spoke up. "Please respect your classmate's personal space."
Izuku quickly stacked his empty cutlery. "I'm gonna clean up and head out for a run," he said in a hurry.
Ochaco kept glancing at him with silent worry. She placed her omelet down and leaned over Tsuyu. "I'm gonna go talk to him. Be right back."
Thankfully, all Tsuyu said was a 'Kerro' as an affirmative.
…
Again, the two didn't show up for class like everyone else.
"Iidaaa," Mina whined.
Tenya crossed his arms and turned his head to the side.
"Pleeeeaase!" she begged, her elbows on his desk and hands pressed together. "I'm dying, Iida. Ochaco won't tell me anything! She just floats to the ceiling."
"Then it's safe to assume its classified information."
"But why?"
"Midoriya's tight-lipped, too," Hanta said.
"I'm still confused," Eijiro said. "It's like everyone knows they're in a relationship but them."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"No way."
"Is that it? They're dating and they don't know they're dating?"
"Dude…"
"Is that even possible?"
"Like, they do lovey-dovey stuff and not notice what that looks like."
"Are you serious?"
"So they're dating but not dating?"
The door opened. Jaws shut and heads turned. Izuku and Ochaco nervously shuffled in, their faces tilted down and hair disheveled. Being surprisingly quiet, they turned to head for their seats and a few students took notice of how hard the two were blushing. Even when they sat down, shoulders hunched, they both had the same embarrassed expression: lips wobbly and brows pinched in shame.
Aizawa shut the door behind him and sighed deeply. He kept messing with his scarf, folding loops under loops, adjusting them in place like he'd used them recently.
"Let's make things clear: I don't want to see you – or any of you, in the janitor's closet. Understood? This is you're only and last warning."
Somehow, everyone behaved themselves while the teacher was still around. Somehow, they still heard each other's brains popping like popcorn through the awkward silence. The scrapping of rolling ballpoint pens over paper only highlighted the forced quiet atmosphere.
And finally, finally, as soon as the teacher walked out, they exploded with screeching chairs and banging desks and falling pens that rolled away. Hanta whistled, Minoru screamed "I knew it!" followed by a string of accusations; a few girls hooted, and Tenya tried to restore order with no luck. It was so loud even Katsuki's threats to 'shut the fuck up' drowned in the mess.
Izuku kept shrinking into his seat with his arms wrapped over his head in an attempt to hide his pink face. He didn't uncoil when Eijiro nudged him with his elbow.
"Congrats, man! I knew you two were hiding something! I felt it in my gut," Eijiro said happily.
Minoru, however, wasn't happy. "What were you doing in the janitor's closet? Something dirty? Something dirty, right?" He demanded to know, yanking on Izuku's sleeve and crying.
"It's not… it's not like that…" Izuku squeaked, his voice cracking.
His partner, as it turned out, wasn't having a pleasant time, either.
"Can someone rope Ochaco down? She's gonna hit the ceiling fan."
Notes:
-Yeah... I, I have no clue what happened with this fic. Just wanted to have fun. I haven't done a silly one in a while.