Chapter 25: Last Light

They stood apart, leaning on the stone wall looking over the bridge, the sun reflecting off the perfectly still water. Around them the park was bathed in the golden-orange light of the setting sun, from the sun-touched leaves on the trees to the flowers, still in full bloom, seeming to almost glow. Mina always thought that the sunset was the prettiest time of the day, and maybe it was just because she was here with Izuku, but right now it felt as though she was in the most beautiful place in the world. It was peaceful, with the only movement about them being the sun creeping ever closer to the edge of the horizon.

Then that seemed to be all Mina could focus on, it was a moment in time and one that was slipping through her fingers. She had already let moments pass her by, moments she had since dared to wonder, could she have reached out and took what she wanted? Could she have closed the distance on the bus back then?

"Izuku" Mina began, shakily. "I guess we need to talk" she simpered, losing her nerve to just come out and say it in the moment that he looked from the sun to her, his eyes wide, expression curious, happy but a little scared. He smiled at her.

"Yeah, I guess it's time we had the conversation" he agreed, nodding then looking back toward the sun. A moment of silence passed between them, the moment becoming a minute. Each knew what they wanted to say, but neither knowing how to even begin to say it.

"Do you ever wish you could just come out and say what was on your mind?" he asked, shifting high weight on his arms that sat on the wall, hanging over the edge. "Smash right through the barriers in your mind" he spoke quietly, as much to himself as to her.

"You know" she moved closer to him, earning her his attention again "If anyone can 'smash' through them, it's gotta be you. You seem to have a knack for it" She grinned, nudging his shoulder with hers as she finished, leaning forwards right next to him.

Midoriya looked back ahead, he didn't want to lose his nerve now which he might if he focused too much on how beautiful she looked right now or how close she was. Even just realising how comfortable he felt with her this close to him. But what could he or should he say? All Might kept telling him to live a little more in the moment, and that had been part of what had inspired him to take the risk and ask her out. Still, if they were really going to have the conversation, he wanted to say what was really on his mind. He didn't want to steal her first romance if he knew it didn't have a chance in the long run. Maybe that was ridiculous, All Might's reactions seemed to indicate that it was, but that's just who he is.

"I hope you had a good date" he blurted out to fill the silence, glancing at her momentarily. She sighed and leant closer, almost closing the gap entirely.

"I had a wonderful date, one that I think you, or anyone really, would struggle to beat as first dates go" she complimented slowly, pausing and then adding "But somehow I don't think that's quite what you really wanted to say"

"It's wasn't high on the list, no" he agreed meekly. She bumped against him again.

"Then, how about we start from the top?" she offered. He turned to her, recognising that despite as nervous as he was, she was looking at him unflinching, she was ready. He had to be too; it was past time to be hesitating. He nodded.

"Yeah, alright." He turned to her. Following suit, she stood up straight and faced him as well. They stood less than two feet apart, but somehow it felt that much more intimate than just earlier, in each other's arms, less than six inches from full body contact.

Looking at her now he felt his heart swelling, bursting even, with so many feelings, emotions and memories. He couldn't possibly even begin to convey them all. But she was right, maybe, just maybe, if he started at the top and worked his way through them, maybe he could navigate at least part of the way toward what he wanted, needed, to say. Where it all began, that much at least was easy enough. After that he would just have to try to listen to the whispers of his heart to guide him.

"You've always been someone I had my eye on, ever since the first day at U.A. You were so bright and cheerful, someone I knew I could learn so much from after I saw how you ignited everyone around you with not just energy, but happiness." He recalled it as though it were yesterday. Even among the hopefuls that stood out early on in their class, she had stood out the brighter. "I remember thinking; that's the kind of hero I want to be."

Mina listened patiently, doing her best not to look or shy away from what he was saying. As much as she wanted to after hearing how he had noticed her immediately. Not for her appearance, but for how hard she tried to make friends, create smiles and soothe concerns. Hearing that he saw all of that was both embarrassing and oddly gratifying. He hadn't just noticed her; he had actually seen her.

"Then over our time together something changed. I still admire that about you, and I want to learn to be a hero that brings a smile to everyone's face, like you do." He came to a pause, swallowing. This was it. The point of no return. "But also, I don't just want to be like you. More and more I wanted to be with you" he admitted. He was hot, flustered and beyond nervous, yet he had to say what was on his mind.

"What?" escaped from her lips in a whisper. She hadn't even intended on saying anything but out it came. A cry of disbelief.

"I want to be with you. You make me feel like I've never felt before." He repeated, his cheeks now glowing a softened pink, disguised by the orange light of the sun.

Mina suddenly felt so aware. Of how her cheeks burned, how dry her throat felt, of the space between them, of the way the light seemed to ignite the green of his eyes. She parted her lips to speak but her throat disobeyed. For a moment she was afraid she couldn't speak. She inhaled sharply and tried again.

"I feel the same." She managed, speaking softly, barely above a whisper. She swallowed and continued in a stronger voice "Ever since starting at U.A it's felt a bit surreal. Like a dream, and occasionally a nightmare" she considered, thinking of the less savoury moments that had happened.

"There's always been so much going on, things to learn and overcome. To be honest I've had an eye on you too, ever since that first fight. You are the enigmatic Midoriya, that crazy guy who rushes headlong into situations and achieves the impossible. You don't always win, but you do always make a difference. I always just thought you were this quiet, quirky, cool guy." She hesitated, pausing in between sentences as she considered the next. She brought her hands together at the hip, one holding the other to try and steady and calm herself.

"Most of that is just luck. I rushed into situations and got luck each time." He mumbled, considering how often he had help or circumstances that changed the situation. Mina sighed happily and shook her head.

"No one is that lucky Midoriya. And that's not even what impressed me. It's how you never stop reaching out for people to save." She gave him a last look before turning back to the water below.

"I've always been confident in myself and my ability to act. The crazy attacks of the league scared me, and I've often wondered if we or you guys were right about the Bakugo incident but I never hesitated away from what I knew I had to do, once I figured whatever it was I ought to be doing." She confided, speaking evenly and thoughtfully as she looked back over the crazy year so far. Even as hero student years went, this had to be on the extreme side.

"Then we teamed up, and I've been hesitating for half the time since then." She frowned as she said it, of all the drama that had come out of it, the needless pain, needless tears. "I think I'm done hesitating with you." She mused; her eyes locked on the reflected sun in the pond.

Midoriya blinked, not quite following what they exactly meant. His eyes snapped back to hers as she turned back toward him with renewed purpose in her eyes. A confidence and resolve he hadn't seen in her for some time.

"At some point I began to understand something about myself. About how I felt. I didn't realise it at first and then I tried to ignore it. It caused problems with me and Ochaco, then with me and you."

"Your crush?" he asked, recalling his visit to her room after what he could only assume to be the time she was talking about as it was the only time he could think of where it looked like there was a tension between her and Ochaco.

"Yeah, my crush" she confessed, her head turning slightly downward, her eyes not leaving his. "Anyway, I still had my doubts about it. What was the right thing to do? For me, for her, for… him… It caused me to stagnate. To hesitate. But luckily, we made a promise. One purely selfish action, right?" she braved a smile, holding up her index finger, turning he head slightly as if in question.

"Yeah, that's the deal" he confirmed, feeling his nerves rise up in protest again. He had forgotten about the crush. When he had been thinking of it before that was when all the problems between them seemed to arise, so he had pushed it to the back of his mind. Mina opened her mouth to speak again but he interjected. He had to speak before she did.

"Then before you make good on that promise let me ask you something, making good on my side of that deal" he asked hurriedly, Mina blinked at this, pausing.

"Y-yeah, okay then?" she stammered, wondering what this was about suddenly.

"There's only so much I can say but, I have a responsibility to live up to. For a time, it felt crushing, like I had to spend every waking moment committed to living up to it. Even now, it feels insurmountable, and when the thought of making other commitments occurred to me, it felt as though it would like be trying to climb the highest peak with just one hand. That's why I… closed myself off for a while back then" he spoke quickly, as though he had to hurriedly explain it before something happened.

Mina listened, really trying to understand. It was hard to, as he had only given her part of the story, but she understood enough to make a little sense of the enigma that was Midoriya Izuku. The way he had that look about him, that feel where you could swear, he was a person acting with the weight of the world on his shoulders. With no room for hesitation or second guessing. Was this, unknown, responsibility that weight?

"So, that's what you were talking about with the one hundred percent thing?" she wondered

"Mostly, yeah… although…" he trailed off, looking away with a guilty expression.

"Although, what?" she pressed, determined to get everything out of him, it seemed to her that today was the day for secrets. He glanced at her, then back down seeing her waiting for him to continue patiently but expectantly. After a moment he sighed in apparent resignation.

"Although, I think the reason I said that was my being defensive" he admitted heavily, as though this were some grave sin. Even so, Mina didn't understand what it meant.

"Defensive about what?" she urged, shaking her head trying to get the pieces to fit.

"About your crush" he meekly whispered.

She blinked. Why would he feel so defensive about that? The only reason anyone would is if-

It clicked.

Her surprise cracked, giving way to a smile, which in turn became a giggle.

Midoriya stared, unsure if this was a bad sign for him or if he had said something silly.

"W-what's funny?" he asked uncertainly.

"You are" she laughed, breaking her hands from each other, raising one over her mouth trying to stop. She quickly succeeded, resettling her eyes on him. Despite being such a keen observer when it came to quirks and abilities, he sure had a way to miss the obvious.

"I'm sorry." She removed her hand from her mouth. "You'd get what is so funny if you hadn't interrupted me" she jibbed, with a knowing, nervous smile. Midoriya flushed a little and looked down.

"But you said you were going to make good on the promise" she commented, folding her hands behind her back, leaning slightly forward, grinning. "So come on, are you going to tell me how so?"

"Y-yeah, well, I don't think I realised how much I was being crushed by the self-expectation of the heights I need to reach. When things started to deteriorate between us, I retreated into the mentality that it because I was trying to reach out for two things, and that this was wrong." He explained, looking up again, forcing himself to meet her eye. "I didn't see that I had it backwards."

"Backwards? I don't get it." she puzzled, still struggling with the half-formed picture.

"It wasn't that my reaching out caused those feelings. It was the feeling of losing you."

A pulse of heat shot through her.

"I didn't want to say anything to you without telling you all this because, it didn't seem fair. I felt like you ought to know at least as much as I can tell you." He finished, nodding, sure that he had said as much as he could and as little as he had to.

"So, with that said, Mina, the truth is I don't want to just settle for being friends. I know you have a crush on someone but I was hoping-" As she listened something snapped in Mina. This misunderstanding was kind of cute to her but if he was going to act on it as an assumption in a moment like this then she couldn't tolerate it any longer. Even know she knew full well what correcting it meant.

"How about you let me finish what I was saying earlier?" Mina interrupted, her cheeks pinkened "It might help clear up a misunderstanding you seem to have" she added, seeing that he was thrown by her sudden interruption.

"O-oh, okay then?" he agreed uncertainly.

"The thing about that crush thing is…" she trailed off, her eyes falling to the side, the words getting caught in her throat. Should she say it wasn't what he thought?

"The thing is…"

No! this wasn't the time to be coy, she would just have to come out and say clenched her fists bringing her hands to her side

"The thing is, it's you, Izuku. You're my crush." She confessed, her voice trembling, her eyes flickering up to meet his.

It felt like his heart had stopped, he searched her sun-kissed golden eyes, sparking even more than they ever had. He felt his mouth drop open.

She took a step forward, reaching out and taking his hands from his side, holding them in hers.

"Izuku, I love you" she grinned, elated that she had finally been able to tell him. Her cheeks reddened and her heart hammering in her chest but finally feeling free of the secret.

"B-b-but… your crush?" he spluttered.

"Was always you" she confirmed, her grin fading to a small, shy smile. "Ever since you gave me the necklace, I knew how I felt about you. I wasn't sure what to do, I've never been in love before, but I'm done running and hiding" she beamed, squeezing his hands slightly.

Midoriya's brain became stuck, replaying the moment over and over in his head. Was this real or was he fantasising right now? Her hands squeezing his brought him out of his head, back to her. This was real. This was happening.

No person had ever seemed so perfect to him before that moment. She had always been a pretty girl. She had made a lot of effort today especially, but the way she was looking at him now, an expression he had never seen before; hopeful yet nervous and happier than she had ever seemed before.

"I love you too, Mina" he whispered, finding his voice suddenly unwieldy and heavy in this throat.

She burst out in a tearful single laugh, letting go his hands she reached up and grabbed onto him by his checkered shirt, and yanked him close, then swiftly letting go, reaching up and sliding over his shoulders, coming together behind his neck as she then drew herself to him. This time, she wouldn't let either of the stop short.

Instinctively he found himself reaching around her. One hand sliding around the curve of her back, the other around and holding her between the shoulders. The last thing he saw was her face inches from his own, those perfect golden orbs disappearing behind a curtain of dark eyelashes and then pink, her glossy lips parting ever so slightly.

Closing his own eyes, he felt her lips meet his. The feeling soft, warm, wet and utterly perfect. He held her a little more firmly against him as he surrendered what was left of his thinking mind to the ecstasy of the moment.

She bent her arms at the elbow around him, strengthening her hold on him, holding the back of his neck close to her with her forearms as she urged him against her. She moved her lips slowly, just enough to spark new sensations, her whole body seeming to quiver at this contact, like electricity was flowing through her. She pressed herself against him, responding to his arms around her squeezing her, holding her tight.

Neither one of them noticed the sun, finally disappearing over the horizon.

They broke the kiss, but not the hold they have over one another, instead staring into each other's eyes.

"I've been waiting for that…" Mina whispered, her lips curving back into a very satisfied smile.

"I-I've been thinking of doing it for a while" he admitted, his mind wouldn't even recall the moment, refusing to abandon the present.

"Mm, well I wish you'd done it sooner" she moaned, nestling herself into the nook of his neck.

"S-sorry" he reflexively replied, holding onto her. Pressing her against himself, thinking that he never wanted to let her go.

"It was worth the wait" she whispered.

They held each other tightly for a few minutes, each soaking in the feeling, the moment, the reality that everything had finally gone their way. It was like a dream made real.

As his mind began to settle, and he was able to make sense of the brain noise once again, one thought in particular called to him. The question. The most important question right now. It seemed like it could be an obvious one, but he had to check.

"So, are we…" Midoriya began but couldn't finish before he felt her pull back out of the hug to peer at him for a moment, as if he'd said something strange. Her expression softened, her lips curling upward again, her eyes half closing tenderly.

"Oh yeah" she confirmed "Midoriya Izuku, you are now officially all mine." she finished, pulling him back in for another kiss.

Author's Note: "And they both live, happily ever after". As some of you foresaw, this is, regrettably, the end of the story. The story of how two hearts met, and how love can form in the most unexpected of places. That not every love story involves an epic story but are none less magical for occurring through the everyday moments. And that if you are willing, anyone can reach out and find their own "happily ever after", you just need to find the courage to do so.

As for what happens next, well, that is something I leave entirely up to you.

I also want to add my warmest thanks for every one of the reviews kindly submitted. I have read each of them and I take great pleasure is knowing that my story was enjoyed by so many people and I while I am not one for including author notes throughout my stories to address them, I did feel it was important for you to hear that your thoughts and feelings have both reached and moved me.

With that I extent you each of you my very deepest thanks and warmest regards, until next time, my friends

Mesirus