Izuku folded the tent back to its original shape and wrapped it neatly inside of the tent bag. He picked the tent bag up with both hands and scurried over to where Aizawa and Mirio were mathematically figuring out how to fit everything inside of the trunk of the SUV. Izuku placed it on the ground next to the other bags and stood still, looking at the two of them arguing.
"No, Mirio..." Aizawa's expression darkened as a vein bulged out from the side of his head. "Didn't you learn geometry in school? Or just simple stuff like shapes?"
"Oh, come on, Aizawa sensei! Not everyone is good at math! And shapes are a little weird when they turn three-dimensional!" Mirio took a step back and smiled at his proud work that resembled a jumbled mess, much like a storage room that hadn't been touched in years. "But I think this looks fantastic! We can put our suitcases in that corner there and then the kitchen tools over here!"
Aizawa slowly turned his head and stared at Mirio with a blank expression, as if he had grown a third eye. "Mirio... I... You know what? I give up. Go help the others."
"Wait, what? But this is perfect, we can fit everything in here!"
"I don't know where you got that assumption from, but okay..." Aizawa lazily pointed a thumb towards himself. "Just leave all this to your reliable sensei."
With a sigh, Aizawa quickly rearranged the items in the back of his trunk by pulling belongings out and placing them back in the most efficient way possible. Mirio frowned, but his sour mood quickly turned for the better the moment he made eye contact with Tamaki, who was struggling with carrying a few of their suitcases.
"Tamaki! You look like you need some help!"
"Yes, please..." Tamaki gladly accepted Mirio's offer and dropped his arms to his side as Mirio claimed all the suitcases without working up a single sweat.
Aizawa eyed Izuku out of the corner of his eye and cleared his throat in annoyance. "Midoriya, are you going to stand there all day or help us out?"
"Sorry, I spaced out!" Izuku apologized and quickly set out to help the others. He found Nejire waving him over to the small kitchen area they had set up on the first night camping and made his way over there. He helped her gather the tools and placed them into the cardboard box, one by one.
"So... Did you have fun?"
"Fun…? As in cleaning this area up?"
"No!" Nejire bonked him on the head with a wooden spoon and giggled. "I'm talking about the camping trip!"
Izuku rubbed the top of his head and smiled. "Yeah, it was fun. How about you, was it fun?"
"Yup, it was! I just wish I could spend some more time with you before our busy lives start back up again." Nejire puffed her cheeks out and pouted. "It's going to be so boring working alone at Ryuko's hero agency... I wish I was still in high school, so I could visit you whenever I have free time."
"Didn't you already complain that you wanted to be back at high school on the car ride here?"
"Yes, I did... But hey, hey! It wasn't complaining, it was more like..." Nejire smiled sheepishly. "Never mind, it was complaining."
Izuku laughed as he picked up the cardboard box and walked towards Aizawa's car. "But at least you get to be a pro hero now! You can save lives and maybe open up your own hero agency one day."
"You're right! This is everything I worked up to! To become a pro hero!" A mischievous smile sprouted on her face. "Besides, we can meet up during summer break."
"We can?"
"Of course, I still get breaks once in a while since I'm working under the nicest lady hero known as Ryuko! She's very understanding. If I ask for a few days off during the time you guys have summer break at U.A. high school, she'll allow it! Unless there's an emergency and she requires my help. She'll probably contact me via phone. Then I have to go to where Ryuko is located ASAP-"
"Okay, Romeo and Juliet. If you two are done with the kitchen area, go help the others. I want to get home before the sun goes down," Aizawa interrupted their conversation.
Izuku and Nejire shared an amused look with each other, but they obediently carried out Aizawa's orders. And within a few minutes, they packed up the remaining items lying around the grassy field. With a grunt, Aizawa shoved the last suitcase into the trunk and wiped his brow on his sleeve. "Is that everything? Just know once we leave this place, I'm not turning this car back around for a phone charger or something insignificant."
Mirio scanned the campgrounds one last time. "That seems to be everything! We can finally go home!"
"Good, then get in the car." Aizawa opened the door to the driver's seat and plopped his body down. But after a few seconds of considering his next move, he stood back up. "Actually, all that packing made me tired... Can you take over for the first half of the drive, Mirio?"
"Yes, I can! You can trust me to get you guys home safely!" Mirio and Aizawa switched seats while the rest of them filed in the backseat of the SUV.
"Say bye to the nature spirits, Eri!" Nejire held up Eri's hand and shook it at the forest.
"Bye, nature spirits!" Eri waved both her hands out the window and sat back down on Nejire's lap. With that brief farewell, Mirio pulled out of the camping site and began driving them on the road home.
As time passed, the sun slipped past the horizon, causing the Earth to grow dimmer. Everyone fell asleep, except for Izuku and Mirio. Izuku looked outside the window and stared at the sun setting in the distance while thinking back on the brief vacation he had experienced.
But as he fell into the maze of his mind, he felt something touch his shoulder. Although he'd gotten slightly used to Nejire being a touchy person, it still made his stomach leap whenever she did touch him. Like the moment right now. She was currently sleeping while her head was resting on his shoulder.
Izuku let out a content sigh and continued to look out the window. In just a week, so much had happened, and he was glad everything went the way it did. That he was now dating Nejire.
Ever since the camping trip, everyone returned to their busy, hectic lives. Nejire's time was occupied as a pro hero, while Izuku was in his second year at U.A. high school, training to be a pro hero. But with the first semester now coming to a close, he was vigorously studying for the final exam.
With a huff of frustration, Izuku put his head down on his desk. It was a warm Sunday night, perfect for walking while eating ice cream or something sweet, but here he was studying.
Izuku was about to drift off to sleep when he heard the balcony door open. With a sleepy expression, he lifted his head up and watched as Nejire swooped into his room. "Nejire…? What are you doing here?"
From what Izuku could tell, she either had no hero work today, or she somehow found time to go home and change out of her hero costume. She was wearing a pink t-shirt and blue shorts. Simple yet perfect for a warm night like today.
She was also carrying a plush dark blue blanket. Why she had it was puzzling since it wasn't cold outside.
"Ryuko allowed me to rest today as a result of working so hard for the past few weeks non-stop! And today is the perfect day to go watch the firework festival!"
"Oh, yeah... The firework festivals." Izuku had forgotten about it. During the months of summer, Japan would hold firework festivals throughout the weekends.
Impatiently, Nejire dragged him out of his seat. "Let's go, Izuku! It's going to be tons of fun! I'll help you with your homework after the festival!"
"W-Wait, but don't we have to wear a kimono or a yukata for the festival?"
"Forget formality once in a while!" Nejire responded with a giggle while using her quirk to float them out of his dorm room. When they neared the ground, Nejire landed on her feet gracefully while Izuku fell on his back.
"Ow." Izuku laid flat on his back and stared up at the sky.
Nejire tapped him on the head and smiled. "Come on, we don't have a moment to lose! It's going to start soon!" Nejire reminded as she helped Izuku up on his feet.
Together, they walked for a few minutes until they stood in front of an empty field where a few houses lined the side. Food booths were set up in an attempt to make money while small paper lanterns were stringed across the streets. The atmosphere of the world seemed to carry an air of festivity around it, despite it not being a major holiday.
"You know what would make this firework festival even more special?" Nejire asked.
"Watching it while eating something sweet?"
"No, watching it from the rooftops of someone's house!"
"Er... Isn't that illegal?"
"Not when everyone is happy!"
"What does that have to do with if something is illegal or not?"
"It doesn't~!" Nejire sang.
She lifted him up with the use of her quirk and brought them up to a nearby house where it was dark enough for people to miss them if they didn't look closely.
She placed the blanket down on where they were going to sit and smiled. "I bet you were wondering why I brought this. It's because I didn't want to ruin our clothes with debris from the rooftops."
"Ah, I get it now. But won't the blanket get dirty?"
"I can always put it in the laundry, so don't worry."
And while they situated themselves on the rooftop, the small firework festival started. The fireworks screeched as they made their way up in the sky. With a flashy explosion, colors spilled out from the shell and created intricate patterns and designs that made people marvel at the beauty of the fireworks.
But while they watched the fireworks, Izuku couldn't help but feel out of place. When they first started dating, he went along with it, but as time passed, he felt confused more than anything. Small doubts sprouted up in his mind. And fighting it only made the questions louder and louder. Why did she like him? Why did Nejire choose him over all the other boys? She gave him a minor reason while they were stargazing, but nothing else really connected in Izuku's mind.
Izuku glanced over at Nejire. She looked happy. Really, really happy. The light from the fireworks reflected off her eyes and the brightness painted her in different shades of colors while they thundered away in the distance.
"Uh... Nejire? I want to ask you a question." Izuku fidgeted around with his fingers. How was he supposed to put this in a way where he wouldn't hurt Nejire's feelings? It was obvious she was having fun at the moment. Was his question going to ruin the happy moment they were having?
Nejire stared at the fireworks for a few more seconds before turning her head to look at Izuku. "Go ahead, I'm listening."
Izuku thought about the question he was going to ask one last time before deciding it was better to get it over with since he had her attention. "Why... Why do you like me? N-Not to be mean or anything, I just wanted to know... Because I don't feel like... Well-"
"You don't feel like you deserve it?" Nejire finished the question for Izuku.
"Yeah... That." Izuku suddenly felt shameful that he had even asked the question. But despite all that they went through, he still wanted to know why she had chosen him. Life wasn't magical, and it wasn't going to hand everything over to him. There had to be a reason why she liked him.
Nejire looked back at the fireworks shattering the sky with their enormous flash and bangs before opening her mouth. "Well, I guess it started when I first saw you trying to take on Mirio. When he challenged your class to a fight, I saw the determination in your eyes. It was really admirable; despite being severely outmatched by like a mile. And the day you fought Overhaul and saved Eri while keeping the damage to a minimum was honestly amazing."
A short silence fell over their conversation as she thought about what to say next. When she found the right words, she continued.
"When you and Mirio also came over with Eri to the equipment room where Yuyu and I were picking out dresses for me to wear for the festival, I thought it was cute that you were taking care of her. And then at the U.A. school festival, I saw you in the crowd during my beauty pageant performance. That made me really happy, despite not knowing you well... I don't know, maybe I'm just going off on a long tangent, but I admire you for being such a kind person and a great hero to everyone around you. And it was because of Eri that I actually got to spend time with you. It was through her I was able to get closer to you without making you feel uncomfortable. And it was also because Mirio got sick, but we won't talk about that," Nejire ended with a laugh.
Izuku smiled at her joke but thought about what she said for the next minute. She really liked him. Or should he say, she really loved him. It wasn't fake or anything. She had noticed him from the first time they ever met. The very first day when she walked into their classroom and they went to fight Mirio in that gym.
"But now I want to turn the question around on you. Why do you like me?" Nejire watched as some kids pointed at them sitting on top of the roof. She waved her hand at them with a smile and looked back at Izuku. "As you said before, not to be mean or anything, but I kinda feel like this is a one-sided love. Or maybe I'm getting the wrong notion here."
"No, it's not a one-sided love. I love you, Nejire. I really do... It's just that I find it hard to express it, I guess?" Izuku avoided her gaze but continued on with his explanation. "When I was younger, I was bullied a lot. I was never really shown genuine love by anyone until my first year at U.A. high school. Maybe I'm just making up excuses, but what I'm trying to say is I don't know how to react when someone shows me love..."
Nejire stared at Izuku for a few seconds before a lightbulb lit over her head. "Oh, I get it now... You're just a sweet, little boy who was bullied a lot when he was younger that needs to be loved! But don't worry, I have plenty of tactics to show love up my sleeve!"
Izuku let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I guess that's it... But I really hope we can make this work."
Nejire gave him a comforting smile. "Yeah... Me too." She slowly leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. "But you still didn't tell me what you liked about me."
"Oh, I didn't?" Izuku fumbled around for an answer. "Well, I... I like how straightforward you are... You don't hide behind masks or anything, and that makes it really easy to talk to you. You're also really nice to everyone, no matter who they are. And you seem to be good with kids since you took care of Eri like an older sister and... Uh, I can't think of anything else."
"You forgot to say I'm pretty, beautiful, and cute."
Izuku smiled as he slowly put an arm around her. "Yeah, I can't forget about that... But I feel like my reasons for liking you fall short compared to yours..."
"It's fine, you don't need too many reasons to like someone. Other than feeling happy around them, no matter what situation the two of you are going through."
"You're right... And I feel happy around you."
"Same here." Nejire grinned and turned around to see the rest of the firework show.
But there wasn't much to see anymore. It was a repeat of the same fireworks shot out from the beginning of the festival. It was the same patterns and the same colors. And while it left a hint of distaste in his mouth, the talk with Nejire didn't. Though their relationship was fairly new, Izuku was sure they could take it one step at a time. No matter how long it took, they didn't have to rush it.
Author's Note: I felt like exploring what was going on inside of Izuku's head. I got inspired to do this scene from a story I read a long time ago. I forgot the name of it, but I felt like it would add a nice touch to this story since Izuku was a person who never really received true love and he just needed some words of confirmation from Nejire. He just needed to know if she really loved him!
But with this chapter now finished, I am super close to concluding this fluffy story! I have the last chapter pre-written, I just need to edit it! The problem is finals are coming up for me this week so wish me luck!
And leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter, it would make this college boy very happy :P
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Bye from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!