"Blergh!" Mina exclaimed in frustration, collapsing back into her chair, "Midori, I can't take any more of this. Can't we be done?"

Izuku leaned back in his own chair, and set his pencil down. The two of them had taken over one of the common room tables for a study session that afternoon, and had hardly left the table since. For Izuku, that was a fairly normal study session, but for Mina it was the kind of epic studython that she rarely engaged in.

They had gone through each and every subject, with Izuku meticulously explaining each part she didn't understand with the same patience and kindness that he always displayed when helping her study.

If it weren't for him, she never would have made it this far. She had always found it hard to concentrate on studying when there were so many other interesting things she could be doing. Even if she sat herself down in front of a textbook and refused to get up until she had finished a chapter, the words often refused to stick in her brain, and her eyes had a tendency to glaze over as she skimmed through the book without really understanding any of it.

Studying with Izuku was different though. She swore that her boyfriend could read the phone book to her, and he would still find a way to make it interesting. She wasn't sure if it was something about his voice, or just the way he explained things to her without seeming like he was talking down to her that did it, but whatever the reason was, having him read the material to her was way more effective than any study method she had ever tried before. It wasn't a perfect system, and she still needed plenty of repetition to actually cram everything into her head, but it had helped her raise her grades significantly.

"We have been studying for quite a while," Izuku admitted, "I suppose a break could be good, so long as you don't make it too long."

"Yes!" Mina cheered, hopping to her feet. She was happy that her grades were rising, especially since it meant her parents had upped her allowance significantly, but she had always been an active person, and sitting still for so long had been driving her a bit stir crazy.

She stretched her arms out above her head, leaning to the side as she did so to help work some of the kinks out of her back. As she did so, the light of the full moon pouring in the window caught her eye, and she was suddenly struck with the perfect idea for how to relieve her stress, and maybe buy a little extra break time for herself too.

"Hey, Midori, want to go for a walk with me?"

He cocked his head in confusion, then turned to stare out the window into the night beyond. "Ummm, isn't it a bit late for that?"

"Nope!" Mina chirped, "We've still got tons of time before lights out. And there's plenty of light, cuz of the moon. It's the perfect night for a stroll!"

"Mina, I really can't. I still haven't started on the essay for English, and I really should go over this section ahead of time for when we review it together," Izuku said, gesturing at the textbook that was in front of him.

Mina blew a raspberry in response. "C'mon Midori! That essay isn't due till next week. Besides, you've been studying for even longer than I have. You need a break as much as I do."

He wavered for a moment, and Mina seized the chance. She put on her best pleading face, knowing that Izuku was helpless when it came to resisting a pair of puppy dog eyes. She'd realized that little tidbit rather early on in their relationship, and had made great use of it.

Their eyes met, and his resistance crumbled as a small smile spread across his face. "Okay, okay. I'll come with you. But we are going to finish studying when we get back."

"Fiiiiiiine," Mina said with a sigh. Having that hanging over her head would bring down the mood a little, but she would manage.

DDD

Despite how warm the day had been, the night air was cool and crisp as Mina stepped outside. She had pulled on a light jacket before heading out, but she still cuddled up to Izuku's side and pulled his arm around her before they could even start their walk.

Even though they had been dating for several months now, Izuku's cheeks still flushed slightly from the contact. She liked that look. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that no matter how much time they spent together, and no matter how many times they cuddled, Izuku still cared enough to get flustered over something so simple.

She didn't really have a destination in mind as the two of them set out into the evening. She just wanted to move around and spend time with her boyfriend thinking about anything but homework. Thankfully UA had plenty of walking paths for them to explore.

The one they ended up choosing wove around the edge of the campus and through the carefully maintained trees there. With the only light coming from the moon overhead, Mina felt like they were walking through an isolated patch of forest instead of the nearly urban school grounds.

"Pretty romantic, huh?" Mina said, glancing up at her boyfriend. He wasn't that much taller than she was, but the difference in height was noticeable enough when they walked arm in arm.

"Yeah, it really is," Izuku said, turning his own gaze up to look at the night sky.

"Sooo, why don't we make it even more romantic?" Mina asked, giving him a light poke in the ribs to pull his attention back to her.

"How so?"

"Like this!" Mina said, stopping in her tracks and turning slightly so she and Izuku were face to face, arms wrapped around each other.

"I like you because you're one of the nicest people I've ever met. You never make me feel stupid for not understanding something, even though it takes me forever to get math. I like you because you're so passionate about everything you do. You never stop giving it your all, even when things are super tough and it's honestly so inspiring. Everyone in the class looks up to you, me most of all. You make me want to do better, to be better all the time. And even when things are tough, you always help me out. I really, really, really like you, for all of those reasons and a bunch more!"

As she finished, she pulled Izuku in close and planted a kiss on his lips. She put all the feeling she could into the gesture, wishing that she could convey even a tenth of what she felt for the wonderful, adorkable boy who had stolen her heart all those months ago. She couldn't, of course, but she still tried her best.

By the time she pulled back, Izuku had turned completely red. Mina had thought she had seen him at his blushiest before, but that had been nothing compared to this. Honestly, he looked like he was going to keel over from the amount of blood that had rushed to his head. Not that she really had any room to judge. She could tell her own cheeks were flushed

"Th-That's not fair," Izuku mumbled, "You need to warn me before you say stuff like that."

"No way," Mina said, "That would mean I don't get to see your flustered face anymore, and that's way too cute to never see again."

"I'm not cute," Izuku protested, "I'm just… plain."

"You are a cutie-patootie, mister," Mina replied, booping him on the nose to forestall any protest, "And sure, I'm a little biased because we're dating, but that doesn't change facts. Besides, being cute is more than just looks. It's how you act too, and that's something you've got down pat. I've never met someone who acts quite as cute as you do."

To her surprise, that last line didn't send Izuku into another spiral of blushing. Instead, a soft smile bloomed on his face as he locked eyes with her.

"I can think of someone," he said calmly, "And she's standing right in front of me."

Now it was Mina's turn to be reduced to a blushing mess. There was something about seeing the change in him, from shy and awkward to surprisingly smooth that never failed to set her heart racing.

He wasn't done there, though. "Mina, I really, really, really like you too. You're the kindest, sweetest, happiest girl I've ever known, and just being around you is enough to make me smile. But that's not enough for you. You keep getting stronger, and faster, and more amazing every day because you never give up. Even when it's tough, you just keep smiling and making the world around you a brighter place, just by existing. You've taken my breath away since the moment we first met, and I can't wait to see how you'll do it next."

Whereas Mina's kiss had been quick and passionate, the kiss Izuku laid on her lips was slow, gentle, and so loving that it was all Mina could do not to melt into a happy pink puddle right then and there.

Thankfully, she resisted the urge, and they spent several minutes simply standing there, arms wrapped around each other as they enjoyed the simple intimacy of being close to the person they loved most in the world.

Eventually, however, they did have to break their embrace and return to the dorms. Neither of them were in Aizawa's good graces at the moment, so any curfew violations would see them cleaning the dorms for a week.

To Mina's surprise, however, she wasn't as reluctant to return to the dorms and the pile of unfinished homework within them as she had expected to be. Hearing Izuku's confessions of affection had been exactly what she needed to recharge her batteries.

It was still going to be a long evening, but she felt like she could handle it. After all, she had her favorite person in the whole world to help her out, and together they could conquer anything.