Chapter 24: It Takes Two

"Surprised?" he asked, a smile breaking out as he saw the excitement on her face. She turned to him, nodding, her lips frozen curve into a smile, her lips parted.

"You win, I'm definitely surprised. I never would have guessed this" she bubbled, a massive Cheshire grin then appearing on her face, her free hand curling into an excited fist at her chest.

"It's what I thought you might like. Besides, our first date should be memorable, shouldn't it?" he shrugged, returning his eyes to the building ahead of them thankful that his idea had apparently been a good one.

She glanced at him as he said 'first date' surprised, her eyes softening at the thought of more to come. That was a pleasant thought for later though. She leant toward him as she resumed walking.

"Come on!" she tugged at him, pulling him hurriedly onward.

Quickly they accelerated from walking to running, darting up the street and rounding the corner onto the property, only coming to a walking pace once they reached the door. He opened the door for her, and they entered the cooled building into the lobby, to their left a woman behind a desk looked up at them from papers on the desk.

"Yes, can I help you?" she politely asked.

"Um, yeah, I have a studio booked out for a dance class for two, under the name Midoriya?" Midoriya inquired, peering down at the sheet list before her as her approached the desk. The woman glanced down, pulling a folder and flicking it open, scanning the list.

"Ah, yes, I have you. Tango was it?" she looked up "Very good choice" she commented with a knowingly smile, looking between them.

"Studio D, just down there on the left" she pointed further down the hall "I'll give you instructor, Sone Kotori-san a call and let her know you are ready and waiting for her."

"Thank you very much" Midoriya bowed shortly, then together with Mina, headed down to where she had directed.

"Tango?" Mina bubbled "Never would have though you had it in you" she grinned, her mind in a multiple places at once, remembering how he 'danced' if you could call it that, thinking of his own temperament, of her own expectations of a first date and what her expectations had been of his idea of a first date. None of which would have led her to this. Yet here they were, he had surprised her in such a brilliant way again.

"W-well, I don't. Yet" he smiled awkwardly, knowing how clumsy he was probably going to be "But I don't mind learning. Besides, it's what I thought you would like the most out of everything I could think of" he smiled. She couldn't take her eyes off him, feeling a new wave of heat rise as he spoke.

"You're the best, you know that?" she grinned, squeezing his hand a little, bumping her body lightly against his at the shoulder as they walked.

"J-just doing what I think anyone would d-do" he stammered, flustered by the sudden contact. Mina giggled at his response, to both what she said and did.

"Somehow, I think your idea of what 'anyone would do' seems that much more than what I think most people would actually do" she teased, grinning at him all the while "It's one of my favourite things about getting to know you" she added happily, sending him into another pinkened flush.

They reached the glass door and opened it to the smaller studio, not much bigger than their classroom really, Mina thought. On two walls there were mirrors, presumably for watching what you were doing more carefully so as to correct it, probably. This wasn't just some random place that were opening their doors for a side gig, this place looked to be a real dance studio. She begun to wonder what it was they really specialised in when the footsteps sounded out behind them. Turning they saw a smallish woman with neat shoulder length hair, one side swept back the other sitting on the side of her face. She looked like she might be in her early twenties and had big brown eyes. She wore a somewhat baggy short sleeve top that was tucked into her knee-length a-like skirt.

"Midoriya-san and Ashido-san?" she asked, closing the distance

"Yep!" Mina beamed. She returned a smile and gave a slight bow, mostly just of her head and put her hands together.

"First time?" she continued, looking between them.

"Yeah" Midoriya confirmed. Her smiled seemed to widen, knowingly, as she nodded to herself.

"Alright, well what say we jump right into it. If all goes well, we do run a class here so if you want to really learn feel free to sign up." She explained as she circled around to the other side of them. "Let's begin with you taking the basic position for the Tango. Face each other, take each other's hand, Midoriya-san, your left and Ashido-san, your right." She begun organising them as they followed her instructions.

Midoriya immediately now facing Mina in a very intimate feeling way, he wanted to look away but had already met her eye, seeing she was experiencing a similar panic. Then something passed between then, they saw it in each other, and they couldn't help but grinning goofily over how silly they felt right now, so surprised and unprepared as though this were somehow unexpected of them to dance with one another. He took her hand as instructed, the feeling seeming new despite having been holding it all the while. It seemed so small and warm all over again. Now faced with Mina he realised that although he had always though of her as his classmate, his equal, tough as anyone and strong too, yet standing here now there was something so unmistakably delicate about her.

"Now, Midoriya-san, put your arm around Ashido-san, like so" she continued, unaware or choosing to ignore their reactions to being placed like this. As she guided his arm below Ashido's, pulling him to holding her back right above the curve of her back. He couldn't help but feel the small but unmistakeable lump that was her bra-strap beneath the dress. "Come closer Midoriya-san. You need to be right up close" she explained, pushing him toward her. Their bodies were inches apart. His pink became a red.

Mina wasn't fairing much better a she looked up to him, feeling his arm around her suddenly. She smiled sheepishly as their faces were inches apart. She straightened and arched her back reflexively to create an extra inch or two, her own face steadily growing a darker shade of pink as well. Had he known how intimate this form of dance was? Looking at the surprise, nervousness and yet unmistakable thrill on his face she knew instantly the answer was a no. No way. He was every bit as shocked by this as she was. He must have just picked it out because it was a dance everyone knew was a couple dance. He obviously hadn't known, as she hadn't, exactly how intimate it really was.

"That's good Ashido-san, perfect posture, now just put your arm around here, like so" Mina hummed in agreement, allowing her left arm to be sat around Midoriya's left, now firmly locking them together all the while wondering what she had done right about her posture. "Now, try to get a sense of how you are positioned right now as this will be your default stance together, if it helps look in the mirror or just let yourself feel it"

They both looked eyes with each other, already very acutely 'feeling it'. Midoriya wondered if she suspected him of being some kind of fiend to have planned something so intimate for their first date while Mina was beginning to panic that he might fall over her when they started moving. She wasn't sure her heart could take it if he did, it was already beating away in her chest like a jackhammer. They both felt the heat rolling off of one another like waves, reminding them all the more how close they now were.

"Alright, when you're ready, Midoriya you are going to take three strides forward, nice a lengthy, Ashido you need to match his stride, keeping your legs equal distance from his." She instructed, moving around them pausing when she was standing to the side, in between them, watching them both readily. "On three; one, two, three"

Midoriya pushed forward with his body and arms as he begun the motion, causing Mina to lurch back a little too quickly trying to avoid him bumping into her. As he then stepped forward, she had to hurriedly move her legs back and out of the way enough to avoid contact there too. She then hurried to keep up, all the while never taking her eyes off his, seeing the same sense of uncertainty in him as she felt herself.

"Okay, a little nervous I see" she commented warmly, "it's okay" she added with a whisper of a laugh. At her laugh they couldn't help but chuckle too, 'a little nervous' was an understatement. Every inch of each of them were electric right now, the nerves steadily becoming something else.

"Let's turn you around, and try again" she guided them and retook her position next to them, ready to follow "On three; one, two, three"

Again, Midoriya lead with his body and arm, though not as suddenly or as awkwardly as before. Now Mina knew what was coming she followed him a little more easily, no longer risking falling underneath his advance. They moved together, not perfectly in sync, yet so much smoother than either of them had expected for the second attempt, recognising it in each other's eyes, reigniting their genuine smiles from behind their embarrassed masks of awkward smiles.

"That's much better. Now let's turn and keep this going until you really feel yourselves moving naturally together, as one" she instructed. They turned on the spot and repeated the motion. Now Midoriya was able to start to get used to the feelings of the steps and his nerves were finally starting to settle down after Mina had all but been thrust into his arms, well and truly inside his personal space. Not only that but being so head on he found himself all too aware of how beautiful she was. Even though he found he couldn't take his eyes of her own, he was still easily about to take in all of her beauty. The way the gold in her eyes naturally glistened, or the how soft her lips looked right now. He swallowed and reminded himself that he was just getting so conscious of it because she was up close like this.

That's right, and there wasn't exactly anything new about that, once she got excited she had the habit of doing this anyway, but it even at her most intimate she hadn't been this close. Then the time she had chased him out of the kitchen came to mind, slipping him up with her quirk then pouncing on him, then again later that same evening after he had teased her over her stuffed bunny. He couldn't help himself but grin at the memory.

Mina tilted her head in question at this. He didn't even seem to notice that she was looking at him funny as they continued the same three steps, turn and repeat. She wondered if he was thinking of something or perhaps it was just a reaction due to his nerves? More probably the former as he had almost been near trembling when they had first been put together. Then his eyes refocused on her, and a guilty expression came over him, as though he had been caught in the act of something. She grinned herself. Only Midoriya could get so lost in thought that it would surprise him that someone six inches from him, looking right at him had noticed.

"Something on your mind?" she cooed in a whisper.

"Uhm, just thinking of you… I guess" he replied as silently as he could. This time as they turned, Mina swung more fiercely around, causing Midoriya to have to tighten his arm around her to hold her in place. She grinned at him as his need to hold her firmer brought her closed for a moment.

"I'm right here, Izuku, focus on that" she winked, earning newly pinkened cheeks from him again.

"I see that you are feeling ready for more" Kotori declared, approaching them. She talked them through adding a sidestep and a turn into their routine. When they repeated this in addition to what they had been practicing three times, they ended up back in where they began, allowing them to continue the same steps repeatedly. She followed them closely for the first few, guiding them. Seeing how quickly they grasped it, she once again stood back and allowed them to repeat the motion by themselves.

Mina felt herself responding to his lead naturally, seeming to easily read his movement just by continuing to look into his eyes. It was a strange feeling, knowing, despite the fact she couldn't quite understand how. She wondered how it was that this time she wasn't getting lost in his eyes, despite how she still felt she could fall right in them, the deep green calling to her. Their legs touched.

"S-sorry" she muttered, refocusing on what they were doing, averting her eyes. As they wondered, looking for something new to look at she noticed them in mirrors. It was so strange to see it. She barely recognised herself like this, but seeing her and Izuku moving together, totally in sync, it just made sense to her. Like it was the right answer to a question she didn't even remember being asked. It fit. She turned back to him and smiled, relocked gazes with those great green pools.

Midoriya hesitated a little at the contact, he had to actively think and resist instinctively pulling back. He was thankful for her looking away from a minute while he brushed it off, he didn't want to seem so nervous about it all the time. It was normal after all, a bit of contact while dancing. She turned back to him, looking in his eyes again, then she seemed to look further into him until she was looking right through him when it happened. He was tempted to tease her about it as she had done but his nerves hadn't quite caught up yet. It was still taking just everything to keep straight faced and moving smoothly. She had, as he had, fallen into thought, despite the situation. Maybe it was a defence mechanism or maybe it was just that it was impossible to accept this situation without retracing the steps that brought them here. He found his own mind flickering over it all, feeling as though this were the culmination of so much, he wasn't even aware of just how much and how much had had grown from it all.

He had no doubt that he wouldn't be capable of doing this were it not for Mina and who she was. How she naturally leant in close, initiated physical contact and entered personal space. She didn't invade it anymore; she was a welcome guest in it after all. She had been for awhile now, he realised.

They danced. It wasn't fancy, complicated or raunchy. It was just them, moving in tandem and very much in sync. With each step their pace steadily increased, their confidence growing. He felt more at ease with her than he had ever before, such that he understood something else now. He had suspected it since around the time of the exam that he had gotten used to being close to her, but holding her now, he understood that it wasn't that he had gotten used to it, far from it actually. No, it was just that he wanted it. Maybe it was even fair to say he had been actively seeking it out, in his own way. He didn't know tango would be this intimate, but he knew that dancing would bring them together. When he had gotten the idea, he knew it would get Mina's approval given her own love of dance, but he had several ideas that he was sure she would have liked. The real reason this one won out was as simple as the steps to their dance; He got to hold her.

Just as he began to implode with that revelation the instructor approached them again, this time showing them how to do the twist turn. The movement requiring a comfort with the previous steps to achieve, and a willingness, a nerve, to turn together, a motion that involved them brushing around each other as they turned together.

Mina was sure that it would be enough to send him into a nervous state again, but as they practised it, she didn't see it in him. She saw something else, a spark of willingness. Was he getting that into it? Or was it just that he was getting used to this closeness? She flushed a little herself at the thought but didn't shy away from it in her mind. She knew she was already finding herself not only getting used to it but now she had been able to calm a little, she was actively enjoying it. What better way to spend their first date that doing something that she loved, something intimate, something that couples did and something romantic? She couldn't think of a single thing. She had to give it to him, he had nailed it as first date. Now the question was what was he going to do about the second one?

"The second one…" the thought alone was enough to spike her happiness and make her feel practically giddy with excitement. Reality sunk in a little more as a result; she was on a date with him right now. Looking into his eyes while in his arms as they danced the afternoon away. The firmness and warmth from his hands becoming all the more apparent to her, the way they guided her, supported her and embraced her. It almost seemed like some kind of wonderful dream. Except it wasn't, it was really happening. There was only one thing that could make this date any better, her eyes flickered to his lips just for a moment.

"Alright, well I'll show you the most basic spin, then I'm afraid our time is almost up, once you have it down, I can leave you two alone, this room isn't being used again for another hour so I'm sure no one will be in a hurry to kick you out." She offered, her smile indicating she knew all too well exactly what was going on in the silence between them. They each shuffled a little under the look but smiled meekly to themselves, unaware the other had the same expression on their face and had been experiencing the same kind of thoughts and feelings.

She guided them through the motion, Mina would spin once, out of Midoriya's arms, letting go entirely. Turning to face him after the spin they reached for either one with her left and his right hands. He would give her a gentle pull, they let go and she spun back around counter clockwise, as she spun into him, she slip her right arm over his shoulder, as though she were going to embrace him, the other resuming it's position around his as he caught her.

The first time she spun out of his arms was the first time since they started dancing that he really looked at all of her. The way her dress rose in the twirl, the way she looked at him when she rounded back to face him, and her offering her hand to him. She wasn't some girl in his class in that moment. She was a stunning lady, who for whatever reason saw something in him. He wondered if it was that same thing, that same spark he saw in her and felt around her. He reached out and took her hand in his, giving her a gentle pull. She spun and he found himself enchanted by it, by her. He was supposed to catch her. In a rush his arms shot out just intime to stop her from sliding off him and onto the floor. He looked down guiltily at her as she looked up amusedly at him.

After several attempts they began to get the hang of it and as they looked up for further pointers, they realised she had slipped out already, leaving them alone in studio the room.

"Alone at last" she grinned at him, as she took his hand and they resumed their steps of the basic dance. Midoriya chuckled nervously, still not confident enough to tease her in this situation.

"I still can't believe you picked something so… intense" she giggled

"It's not like I knew it would be this…close" he muttered, averting his eyes from hers.

"Oh? Are you sure? You do seem to be getting increasingly bold recently." She jibbed, studying his reaction with some satisfaction at finally getting him back "I just assumed this was what you really wanted"

"It's not like that!" he insisted, his step falling out of sync in his fluster.

"Aw, don't worry, Izuku." She cooed, playfully but less so than before, then leaning a little nearer him, whispered "It's not like I'm complaining or anything"

Midoriya swallowed hard and nearly stumbled over his own feel, earning him another giggle from Mina. His lips quivered into an unsure smile

"It's n-not nice to tease me t-too much" he stuttered, regaining steady footing and pace. She moved away from him, as though to spin, only when he reached out for her hand and she too it, she did not respond to his light tug, and simply looked at him, their hands joined outstretched.

"I'm not always just teasing you, you know?" she gushed, then spinning back toward him, leaving him scrambling to catch her having hesitated as he processed her words. In the next moment he was holding her, looking down at her as she looked up to him. He couldn't place the look in her eyes, it was a soft warm look, her lips curved in a smile, not her usual grin though, her lips parted. To him it almost seemed as if her eyes sparkled even more so than usual but couldn't explain quite how or why.

Mina looked up at him, her heart hammering in her chest, her cheeks burning after saying such an outrageous thing. Yet she didn't feel the fear she expected, nor the urge to shy away and hide herself behind something. Against all her experience if anything she found herself unable to take her eyes off him or peel herself back in any way. She felt as though she had just ripped off the cover of the part of herself that had been steadily awakening throughout the dance lesson, perhaps since before then. She had grown impatient of the steady unwrapping; it was time to tear it off and expose what was underneath. She wanted to see it, experience it and share it with him.

He pulled her up and they simply looked at each other. The die had been cast.

"Sh-shall we go?" he suggested, hesitating, nodding toward the door. Mina couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, sure she had sprung it on him a little, but she had been hoping for some kind of romantic reaction there beyond just a hesitation. What did he really want to respond with?

"Sure" she agreed with a nod, she loosen her grip on his hands and one fell free. The other was gripped more firmly, unwilling to be let go of. She gripped lightly back and smiled to herself. She hadn't quite gotten the response she wanted, but it now seemed she hadn't gotten a bad outcome either. He must have understood what she was getting at, right?

It would have the be a question that she got the answer to later. They left the room, Mina glancing back, taking in the sight one last time of the scene of their first date.

They thanked the woman at the desk on their way out they then found themselves outside, the sky no longer sky blue but the deep blue it took on before the sun streaked yellow, orange and gold across the sky in it's final minutes. Reaching the end on the property and stepping back onto the sidewalk she turned to him.

"Did you want to head back?" she asked, reluctantly but acknowledging that all good things came to an end sooner or later. Midoriya glanced around and then back to her.

"Not really, no" he admitted, a small embarrassed smile breaking out. She blinked. Then her open mouth retook on her signature grin.

"How about we take a detour? The park?" he suggested, nodding down the road.

"I'd like that" she beamed, letting him lead the way.

They set off again down the road, hand in hand. The earlier awkwardness of this contact now all but evaporated given the intimacy icebreaker than had been the tango. She still focused very much on her hand in his, but she was no longer worrying if her hand was getting too hot and sweaty, if she was holding it right or swinging too much. Now she just focused on the feeling, on the moment, on the idea that this could become something they would always do.

Subconsciously she traced her thumb over the back of his hand.