Hey, everyone. As another part of my New Years Resolution, here I am finally writing for My Hero Academia, one my favorite shonen series. Rather unexpectedly, I'm writing for a couple that didn't really catch my eye until a year ago (one of the perks of being in quarantine and binge watching), socially awkward but lovable Izuku and hyperactive Mina. If I'm gonna start, might as well start with a big with these two. Enjoy!
I do not own anything.
A Big Pink Ball of Sunshine
Chapter 1-A Taste of Pink
Izuku already felt himself wincing as if he were the one about to be hit instead of Mina. Some part of him quietly pondered if there was any way he could get to her before the predator who'd set his eyes on her. He could practically feel his heart beating in frantic fear as it sometimes did in the heat of battle. Every fiber of his body was screaming for him to act as he usually did. Someone needed saving, and he was training to be a hero, wasn't he?!
Biting his lip, Izuku racked his brain around possibly courses of action. Time was running out. Ironically, pressure always seemed to help him think. Well, he was thinking, probably harder than he should have. Of the numerous ideas spinning around in his head, he grasped a hold of one above the others. With that decision came a clarity that blew away the storm that had been rapidly consuming his mind.
His right thumb touched upon the tip of his right ring finger and concentrated. Precise control was critical, if he overshot this then the results weren't going to be pretty. He didn't need a bullet, just a breeze. There was no time like the present to learn if he was capable of such a thing.
TWOOSH!
Everyone was caught off-guard, but none more so than Mina, who was the target. The gale of wind was enough to snap her awake, and then some. Namely, it was enough to send her school work sailing off to the side while Mina shot bolt up, her black eyes wide and her heart racing.
"Ahhh! Duck! Three o'clock! Enemy on your three o'clock!" Shouted the pink-haired girl.
"Uh, actually school lets out at three o'clock." Kaminari informed with a sweat drop. He'd felt the brush of air whistle just past his back as it sped toward its target. It was quite impressive…but he was glad that it wasn't aimed at him, and he was glad that he wasn't the one snoozing in class.
"Not for you, and not for Midoriya." Commanded a cold voice that caused the entire classroom to freeze. The chill was colder than Todoroki's cyrokinetic Quirk; the boy himself shifted his attention from Izuku to their homeroom teacher. He recognized the look on the teacher's face, and rightfully feared it like the rest of his classmates. It was far colder than the ice he could produce. He silently gave his condolences to his classmates who were the unfortunate targets of such a glare.
Both of them were shivering like leaves, and rightfully so. The shivering only came to a stop when they locked eyes with one another.
Izuku was relieved his plan had worked, even though it was likely going to cost him. Mina was happy for it too, after all, she'd been spared Aizawa-sensei waking her up. The pink-haired and skinned girl smiled at him in spite of the fear pupping through her heart.
"Thanks." She whispered even while the heroic teacher's irritated eyes bore down on her.
He smiled at her, then went back to trembling in fear of Aizawa-sensei who hadn't said a word during the silent exchange. Was he being merciful in letting them have that, or was it his anger was so great he wasn't able to speak? Or was he genuinely interested in seeing if one flipped on the other? If so, it would have been more accurate he was waiting to see if Mina flipped on the boy who'd woken her from her classroom slumber.
She did her best to play it off though. "Um, hehehe, sorry, Aizawa-sensei. I…kind of uh…dozed off." His deadpan stare made her feel like she was trying to charm talk a ravenous tiger who was in the mode for some nice pink-skinned ham, with or without a side of poison to it. "Um, I…I-"
"Uh-huh, did you bother to finish your assignment before deciding to take your little nap?" He asked in his trademark deadpan voice that belayed how annoyed he truly was.
Her laughter grew even more pained until it ceased completely. Practically everyone knew how this was going to end, but stopping it was beyond their control. Mina definitely knew that, but decided to press on anyway. Sucking it up, she reached to her left and grabbed a hold of her schoolwork and handed it over. A thick sigh followed as she knew what was about to come next. Mina knew for a fact she wasn't going to be enjoying the spring weather that they viewed through the classroom window. It wouldn't be the first time.
Everyone watched with baited breath as the bandage-wrapped teacher examined the horned girl's schoolwork. Even if it had been complete and the work accurate, it's entirely possible that Aizawa-sensei's expression wouldn't change. Hell, just the sleeping alone was enough to warrant any all work suddenly being invalidated.
"Uh-huh, Ashido, you will be doing remedial lessons after class in detention." The all too obvious verdict fell like a guillotine. As expected, the acid-user's head fell, a resigned acceptance of her fate following suit. Then Aizawa-sensei turned his eyes to Izuku, who flinched under his gaze. It was time to deliver his verdict, which was a bit of a mystery to everyone. The greasy black-haired man did not play favorites, not even with the most diligent of students like Izuku and Ida and Momo. In a way, he was incredibly fair, but that also meant that he would fairly dish out punishment as he saw fit. "Midoriya, you'll serve out your detention alongside her, you'll be helping her study. In addition, you will complete chapters six through ten and turn them in by the end of the school day tomorrow, is that clear?"
"Yes sir." Answered the green-haired youth, nary a hint of dissent on his face while some of his classmates balked at the extra assigned work. Well, some balked, others shrugged as they knew Izuku would be able to handle it. After all, for good reason he was one of the top students of Class 1-A, a position that almost everyone respected.
Almost everyone. A certain walking, talking (shouting), mass of anger and fire mere grunted from his seat. Yet again, they were wasting time, prolonging yet another boring day in class instead of moving along.
Mina looked to Izuku with wide eyes, half ready to jump across the room and hug the living daylights out of him, but she restrained herself. If she didn't then Aizawa-sensei would do it for her and probably tack on some extra punishment. That was the last thing she wanted, especially since it could transfer over to Izuku who'd already stuck his neck out for her.
His punishment accepted Aizawa-sensei returned to his original teaching plan, continuing on without missing a beat. The rest of the class followed suit, partially knowing that nay disruption would yield them the same punishment as their two classmates, or worse. Said two classmates outwardly went back to normal, but on the inside, it was a bit of a different story. Well, for one of them.
Izuku let out a quit sight of acceptance then refocused on the chalkboard upon which Aizawa-sensei continued the lesson on. For Mina, it was a little harder to do as her focus continuously drifted elsewhere. The pink-haired and pink-skinned girl quietly cursed the sitting arrangement as she couldn't look back at her classmate without arousing suspicion. Sure, she could try when their teacher turned his back to them, but Mina wasn't feeling bold enough to take that chance, especially since she was already in hot water as it was. She especially didn't want to drag herself or Izuku deeper with her.
And yet, she felt the desire to turn back and look at him across the rows like an irritating itch. What made it worse was that the more she tried to fight it, the worse it became! Mentally groaning, the acidic girl hung her head and took a deep breath. Mentally clearing her head, she looked up at the chalkboard, attempting to make sense of the scribbles that Aizawa-sensei had put up. She'd done it before and managed to squeeze by, and she could do it again!
"Midoriya, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
As per usual, Izuku was fluttered. What was unusual was that he wasn't the one apologizing, instead it was someone else apologizing to him. And it was amongst the last people he expected to ever need to apologize to him.
"A-Ashido, it's fine, really." The green-haired youth proclaimed hoping to quell the sadness that had gripped the normally upbeat and optimistic girl. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something…troubling about seeing her looking so down. It stirred whatever heroism slept within him and moved him to correct it any way he could. "We can use the chance to study."
"I agree with Midoriya, instead of lamenting, Ashido, I believe you can use this opportunity to make sure that this sort of thing doesn't happen again." Of course, Iida was onboard with the idea. He meant well and always did, which everyone appreciated…when they weren't overly annoyed with him suggesting the most academic and borderline boring path possible. "That said, Midoriya, it was quite dangerous of you to use your Quirk in class like that. You could have accidentally hit Kaminari or Jiro!"
"But he didn't, and I think that's actually a remarkable thing." Uraraka spoke up, shooting a quick affirmative look in Izuku's direction causing his lips to twitch into a smile.
"That's true, I mean, normally when Midoriya tries stunts like that, we get a miniature hurricane ripping through the place." Hagakure added in. The vitality of her statement was undeniable, causing the student in question to shirk his head in embarrassment. "Not that that's always a bad thing! In training, it's super cool, and you learning how to make the blasts smaller and more contained is proof you're getting better at controlling your Quirk!"
"Right! And besides, it's not like either of them got hurt, or complained." If anything, Kaminari had just been happy that he wasn't the one caught sleeping. He was already doing bad enough in terms of grades; that actually made Mina feel slightly worse about herself. She was failing just as badly, and odds were the earlier incident wasn't going to make things better. She chased away the negative thoughts to focus on why she'd came over to the table that Midoriya usually sat at. "Consider this the first part of my apology, Midoriya. You like pancakes?"
Izuku's eyes widened as his nose wrinkled, finally catching the whiff of the delectable treat that Mina had brought with her. Uraraka, Ida, and Hagakure all joined him in focusing their attention on the plate of freshly baked pumpkin pancakes that their pink-haired classmate had come to deliver. Primarily for him, but Mina had been thoughtful and nabbed a few more, enough for his other friends and even Hagakure who'd chosen to sit with them that day.
"Ashido, thank you! You didn't have to do this though, I-"
"Like I said, I really owe you." She softly cut off with a jubilant laugh. "You took the fall to wake me up and now we've both got detention. All that's on me, so I'm going to make up for it starting now!" With that declaration, she pulled a seat, ironically right beside Izuku sandwiching him between her and Uraraku.
He stared at the former, his mouth hanging open in shock while she pushed the plate of pastries in front of him. Again, he took a whiff of them and felt his stomach rumble even though he'd already taken a few bites out of his lunch. Where was the harm in eating a little something more, namely dessert? Even he and his mom had indulged themselves a little from time to time before skipping to the main course. A quick look around and he saw that all the attention was on him, which only furthered the racing rhythm of his heart. It reached its peak when he saw Mina grinning at him. Izuku was sure his heartbeat was a grenade in his chest seconds away from going off; the pin was pulled when he took hold of one pancake and took a bite out of it. His eyes lit up like fireworks. His eyes weren't the only ones.
"That's your que, everyone, dig in, but save some for me!" Exclaimed the pink-haired girl as the other three dove in now that Izuku had taken his first bite. "I'm the one who brought these things."
It was pure luck that the same day she got detention along with one of her classmates, the cafeteria happened to be serving one of her favorite treats, and they had enough for the small lunchtime get-together. All of it was a turn of odd but fortunate luck that Mina wasn't in the mood to question, not like she ever did. She did what she always tried to do-make the most of a bad situation. So far, things were turning out pretty damn well.
Especially since she got to see what her green-haired classmate looked like with a face smeared with food crumbs. Mina couldn't but help but find something rather adorable about it. Just a moment ago, the guy had seemed on the verge of swelling up like a balloon, while he had burst, it'd been in joy instead of anxiety like he was seeming ready to. Now he looked so…relaxed, and happy. While she'd seen Midoriya get like that, this was her first time seeing such relaxation and imagination up close. Mina decided that she rather liked it, she also decided that if she could, maybe she could get him to make that face in a couple of hours when they were serving out detention. They were already paying a price for her in-class snoozing, how much worse could things get?
"Ashido, for the duration of the next hour, you'll be studying with Midoriya. I'll be back within the year and I'll be expecting the remedial work to be completed by then."
The two students caught the way that the bandage-wearing man's eyes shifted to Izuku. Brief as it was, the message was unmistakable, and picked up on by Mina. She felt an odd twinge of relief in realizing that once again, their homeroom teacher was showing his caring side. Hidden by apathy at best and overbearing hostility at worst, the Aizawa-sensei that they'd all come to know and love.
Mina nodded in acceptance of her punishment and stayed silent until the door to the classroom shut. Her ears waited until she heard the professional hero's footsteps leading him further away until he was out of earshot. "Dammmn!" Finally, her head hit the desk. All the stress she'd built up came gushing out in that one phrase. "Isn't there an easier way to tutor me!"
Izuku looked at his classmate with naked sympathy. "W-W-Well, it's Aizawa-sensei, at least he cares. In his own way, I actually think it's…well, it fits his personality, don't you think?"
"Heh, I'll give you that." Mused the horned girl. Fully raising her head, she turned to her classmate with an apologetic smile. "Again, sorry that I got you into this. I'm…well, school work isn't really my thing, something I'm sure you already know. Heh, to be honest, Midoriya, I actually wish that I was a little more like you. Strong in body and in mind."
Upon registering her words, the taller boy looked flustered, his mouth somewhat hanging open. "A-A-Ashido, you consider me…strong in body and mind?"
"Of course, I do! I mean, seriously, you're one of the best students in our entire class! If there were a top three of Class 1-A, you'd be it. There's you, Ida, and Yaoyorozu, you three are the smartest and amongst the most skilled in our whole class. Of all three of them though…I'd say…maybe you're the bravest." Saying the words felt oddly uplifting for her, almost like she'd been carrying them in. "You're a gutsy guy, Midoriya, and you showed that by trying to save my dumb butt."
"I was just doing my best to help out a classmate…and a…um, would you consider me a friend, Ashido?" His voice was ringed with nervousness, which showed on his face. That was another thing about Midoriya that always struck her-he seemed to have a hard time accepting praise toward himself, but he had no problem heaping it on other people.
Well, maybe it's time I changed that. Thought the horned girl as she turned about in her seat to face him. "Midoriya, I consider practically everyone in our class my friends, including you. I'll admit, I'm closer to some like Kirishima more so than others, but that doesn't mean I don't value anyone else any less. Hehe, even Mineta." Leaning in, the girl continued to snicker. "Don't tell him I said that though, I don't want him thinking he's got a chance with me or something." With a laugh, he nodded affirming his promise. "So, yeah, I consider you a friend, and I think you're pretty awesome. Hell, I'd say that you're downright heroic, probably one of the most heroic members of the whole class."
Her words had been pure and honest, yet they'd left Izuku looking like he'd been struck by lightning. The tick of the clock on the wall and rustle of the leaves outside were the only sounds in the empty classroom. Said classroom was no doubt meant to serve as a private place for the two of them. Like Izuku had said, Eraserhead was showing his ability to teach and care for his students…in his own bizarre and at times harsh way. The fact that he'd phrased it as such was another testament to what she believed was her classmate's ability to see the good in everyone and cherish it.
"Uh, hey, Midoriya? I didn't break your brain, did I?" Inquired the acid user waving her hand in front of the still dazed boy.
"U-Uh? O-Oh, s-s-sorry about spacing out like that, Ashido. I guess I just…" His hands came together and his head was bowed. Mina didn't like that and again surprised the wielder of One For All. By some miracle, Izuku didn't completely jump out of his seat when he felt Mina's hand on his cheek, gently pushing him to look upward. What he found was a bright and warm smile that had butterflies hatching and fluttering about in his stomach. "I guess I'm…still kind of getting used to being praised like that." He proclaimed without a stutter, the words just flowing out of him like a river.
"What? Really? Midoriya, you're one of the nicest, smartest, and strongest guys I've ever met. You're awesome! How can anyone not see that!" Mina's eyebrows rose as if a thought occurred to her. Turning to her left, her eyes focused on a now empty seat, but she could visualize the occupant. He would have been there sneering at not her but the boy beside her. A slight pout coloring her face, she looked back to Izuku; her right hand slid from his cheek to his shoulder, her left hand falling on the adjacent one. "Screw whatever the hell Bakugo says about you."
"Ashido," he began with a pained look in his eyes.
"Look, I may not be as close to you as Uraraka or Ida or Tsuyu, but I pay attention. There's a reason why everyone counts you in the big three of Class 1-A, because like I said, you're genuinely a heroic guy. Maybe even super-heroic given that you were willing to disobey the teachers and go off and rescue Bakugo. Did he ever thank you for that anyway? You, Iida, Kirishima, Todoroki, and Yaoyorozu risked your lives to save him."
"He thanked us." Affirmed the green-haired boy, a small smile on his face. He'd gone from being nervous to looking content in a heartbeat. This was another side of Izuku Midoriya that she'd seen-the side of him that looked so…serene. Mina wondered how he could attain such a feeling, especially when discussing the guy who seemed to make it his mission to threw venom his way every time they saw each other. She was speechless as he looked at her, his eyes shimmering with a soft hardness that mesmerized her. "What we did for Kaa-chan, we did it because it was the right thing to do, what we knew was the right thing to do. We're all students of UA, we look out for each other."
Mina retracted her hands, a look of amazement coloring her face. Yep, totally heroic. That's one makes you…kind of cool, Midoriya. Her lips twitching into a smirk, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned forward. "Having said that, Midoriya…would you ever go that far to rescue anyone else? Like me?"
"R-Rescue you? Of course I would, Ashido." Yet again, the words so easily flowed out of his mouth before his mind could fully process the mood they'd fallen into. Even once he did, he felt…happy, especially as Ashido's face broke out into a warm grin. "I wouldn't be much of a hero if I didn't try to save someone in danger."
"Well, you tried to save me from my own stupidity, and here you are trying to do it again by helping me study." Winking at him, she reached forward and gently pumped her fist against his chest. "Midori, you're a little dorky, but you're the cool kind of dorky, and you're an awesome guy. Don't ever let anyone tell you any different…and if they do, just let me know and I'll set them straight."
From the spot where her fist was, Izuku felt pure warmth blooming like a flower. It didn't stop there as the flower's petals fanned out to the rest of his body. Secretly, he liked the feeling and wanted it to remain within him for as long as possible, but Izuku knew that they had work to do. Detention wasn't meant to be used as free time, though some students certainly did either unknowing or uncaring of the cost that came with it. As much as a part of him wanted to do that, his common sense won out. If Aizawa-sensei came back and they hadn't so much as started on their work, they'd have detention for the rest of the week, at best. Izuku wouldn't put it past him to threaten have them doing school work during the School Festival in little more than a week's time; there was little doubt he'd actually do it.
The thought of that happening to him was bad enough, but when he thought of that same punishment applying to Mina, he could feel a fire lit within him. He didn't know it, but that fire burned when he looked up to his classmate.
"Ashido," he started. "Everything you don't understand, tell me and I'll do my best to help you understand."
Her grin was practically ear-to-ear. "Well, gee, lucky me, getting such a passionate declaration from one of the classes' five students. Um, hold on a sec." Excusing herself, she walked over to the window then looked back at him. "You won't mind if I open the window and let a little spring air in here, will you?"
"Not at all, I actually think I'd like it." Izuku answered with a smile. He shut his eyes and let the spring wind Ashido had spoken of tickle him. He could smell the scent of cherry blossoms and pollen riding the wind. Upon opening his eyes, he saw his pink-skinned classmate looking quite pleased with herself, taking in the spring breeze herself. Izuku felt his eyes drawn to the way her short pink hair bristled in the breeze, then there were her horns. Personally, Izuku always felt himself more fascinated than horrified with mutation-type Quirks. In the case of Ashido's, he felt it was definitely fascination.
He failed to hide it. "You think they're pretty cool, huh?" Blinking, he realized she'd taken back her seat beside him and was grinning. She'd also deduced that he'd been staring at her horns, something told Izuku that this wasn't a first for her. "If you want, you can touch them."
"W-What? Really? He squeaked.
"Yeah, you can touch them now…or you can wait until after detention's over and we finished studying." She offered. There was genuine curiosity in her eyes as she watched her classmate shift between embarrassment and awe at her proposal. Mina had a guess as to which of her two choices Midoriya would pick, and he would pick one or the other. As she'd observed, the green-haired boy tended to geek out over anything related to Quirks and heroism. In her eyes, it was absolutely adorable.
"I'll wait until after we're finished." He said with a bit of a blush on his cheeks. "A-Anyway, let's get started. Math is your worst subject right?"
Like a switch, all of her cheer evaporated. "You have no idea."
It wasn't that she hated schoolwork, it just…wasn't for her. In contrast, schoolwork was apparently just the right thing for Izuku. Mina had discovered that about her green-eyed classmate within the first month of classes at UA. Unlike Iida and Yaoyorozu, he was less uptight about it, which was something Mina was grateful for. In her opinion, it made him a better tutor. Another thing about him was when it came to certain topics, he got incredibly excited, just like she tended to. Math…well, it wasn't exactly that kind of subject, but it was one that Midoriya knew extremely well.
In retrospect, maybe it wasn't that surprising that he was so good at mathematics. Mina had seen how even when he took off like a rocket, there was a part of Izuku's brain that was always doing calculations-distance to the bad guy, distance to civilians, distance to safety areas to ferry civilians, how much force would be needed to take a villain down, and so forth. Personally, Mina wasn't the type of person to think about all of that, at least not in a number's sense, she wasn't even the type of person who really thought-out things in a step-by-step basis.
Izuku told her that he wasn't that type of person either. "I really don't see myself as a master strategist, long-term thinking like that isn't my forte."
"But when it comes to battlefield tactics, you're pretty smart. That's why when push comes to shove, we're all willing to follow you." Interjected the acidic Quirk-user. With her trademark boldness, she reached over and poked the side of Midoriya's head; he expectedly blushed while Mina giggled. "You've got the strength and the brain; Midoriya, you're the complete package. Heh, kind of makes me feel even happier that I got you all to myself for a little while. Granted, I did get you into this."
"Ashido, I told you, I don't regret what I did. I'd do it again." Quietly affirmed the green-haired teenager.
At the last part of his statement, Mina felt her stomach drop. "Er, well…I'd hope that I never land in that kind of situation again, but let's be real, it'll probably happen. I can't help it- schoolwork just isn't my thing!"
"Then…I don't know, just learn to tolerate it. Sure, it can be a bit boring, but it's all important." Izuku softly asserted. "Besides, you're going on like you're failing all of your classes, which I know isn't true."
"Heh, well, you got a point there. Believe it or not, but I'm actually doing slightly better in history than I am in other classes. Except chemistry." Wearing a proud smirk, she the pink-skinned girl raised her right fist, the implication obvious. When it came to heroes-in-training like her, whatever subjection their Quirk fell into tended to be the one the student had a slight edge in. That held true for Mina, somewhat. "I wouldn't mind a little help though if you're willing to-"
"Of course, I will, Ashido." Responded the superstrength user wearing that same generous smile.
Warm wind continued to blow into the classroom, with it came the sounds of the school courtyard. The laughter was the most tempting sound that drew them, especially Mina. She could practically picture the rest of their classmates enjoying the near perfect spring day outside. Izuku and Mina exchanged looks, their resolve to make it through this detention period strengthened whenever they did. In the case of the former, it empowered him to dig deep and find his inner teacher, for the latter, Mina forced her brain to work as academically as it possibly could.
Little over thirty minutes in and she felt it was working. She knew without a doubt that Izuku was to thank for that, and when this was over, she would thank him.
It was when they came to history did she watch the hero-focused encyclopedia within Izuku burst out. Unlike those times in history class, there was a genuine air of excitement in his voice as he recounted the origin of heroes and the acceptance of Quirk-users into society. Funny enough, that was the subject that Mina could inject a personal stake in.
"My great grandpa was in that march." Her finger was right on the picture of thousands marching down the streets of Yokohama protesting the treatment of mutation-type Quirk users.
It was like lighting the fuse to a firebomb. "What? Really! You had a relative involved in the 2101 Mutant Rights March! Ashido! That's amazing! That's awesome, you had a family member who was a part of history!"
Mina giggled at the star-like twinkle in her classmate's eyes. "Yeah, that's what my grandparents and mom always said." Her bubbly expression fell as she leaned back into her chair and looked out the window. The once jubilant smile had grown saddened. "I never really got to know him, he died when I was about two years old, but I hear that great-grandpa was happy he was able to hold me. Heheh, and he was happy I inherited the family horns!"
"So, your mom's side of the family are full of mutation-type Quirks?" Asked the green-eyed boy with curisoity.
"Yep! Stretching all the way back to my great-grandpa. He had to endure a lot of crap since while some Quirks were still being accepted, mutation-type Quirks were still facing a lot of discrimination. My great-grandpa grew up with that, until he decided that he wasn't going to stand for it and became an activist! He marched and protested in the streets so people like his kickass great-granddaughter and her friends could walk down the street without having to worry about being harassed because they're sporting a pair of horns or weird colors!"
Izuku was quietly taken away by the bombastic pride that his classmate was exhibiting. It was the first time she'd ever opened up about her family, and it had came from studying of all things. His gaze flickered back to the photography in the history book. As much as Izuku loathed his existence as being born Quirkless, he was happy he was born into an era of peace brought about by his idol. If one read the pages of the opened textbook, they'd have found that the peace he and his classmates enjoyed had came at a heavy cost. Just like Ashido had said, her great-grandpa fought the good fight to give people like her a future where they were free to be who they wanted to be. He was a hero, just of a different sort than the kind most people normally thought of.
"Hey, Ashido, is your great-grandfather the reason you decided to become a hero?" He plainly asked.
A sheepish look overcame the pinkette. "Heheh, as much as I'd like to say yes…no. Truth is, I hardly knew the guy, but I am thankful that he fought hard to make the world a better place. I guess you could say that I want to do that too, but in my own way. A way that particularly involves kicking bad guy butt!" Looking at Midoriya, she could see her reasons were accepted, which brightened Mina's smile. "Alright, what about you, Midori? Do you have any relatives who have mutation-type Quirks?"
"No, practically everyone in my family has had…well, there's really no Quirk pattern to us. My dad could breath fire and my mom has telekinesis." Admitted the former Quirkless teen. It'd gotten easier, talking about his family and their Quirks…without mentioning his own.
"I think your Quirk is pretty awesome, it actually reminds me of All Might's."
The words struck like lightning, Izuku's entire body tensing up as he desperately thought of a way to divert the conversation elsewhere. "P-P-Pure coincidence! A-A-And luck on my part!"
"Hm, maybe, but Quirk-users like you helped turn things around." Mina proclaimed with a smile that belayed the curiosity in her that had been piqued. Woah, as soon as I brought up All Might and his Quirk, he got super defensive. It's almost like there's something about it he doesn't want me to know… In her subconscious, Mina could see her curiosity, a giant horned pink-skinned alien predator on the prowl. It had found Midoriya and was salivating at the chance to sink its jaws into him. As much as Mina wanted for that to happen, she put a leash on the beast. Smiling, she reached over and took hold of Midoriya's left hand. Near immediately, she felt the scars on it, the rough texture that characterized him as a person who'd gone through hell and high water, but was still going. "Regardless of what they look like, us Quirk users still had an uphill battle to get people to accept us. People were just as scared as someone who could shoot lightning from their fingers as they were of someone with tiger stripes and claws. It took a lot for people to accept all that, people like you helped make that happen."
Izuku readied a response, but that response was silenced by the feel of Ashido's hand gripping his. She felt so…warm, just like the spring breeze blowing in from the outside. Sheer impulse caused him to squeeze her hand back. "Ashido," he felt a familiar nervousness creeping up on him as a small bud of confidence bloomed into an emerald-petaled flower. "Thanks for the compliments, they…they really mean a lot to me."
"I'm glad you're finally starting to accept them." She giggled. "Seriously, Midori, you're a great guy, and I'm sure one day you're going to be a great hero. You're on the path already, and you're sitting here helping me!"
Maybe she had a point. In a lot of ways, Izuku realized he was still getting used to being praised, having his efforts not just acknowledged but even treated with gratitude. Not that such things were entirely why he ever dreamed of becoming a hero, but they were nice to have.
They were also nice to hear after the painful sense of failure that still lingered within him from the battle against Overhaul and Eri's rescue. It hadn't been without cost, nothing worth doing was ever free of costs.
"Alright, after a pep talk like that, I think it's time we got back to studying, huh?" He proclaimed flipping the page on the history book. "We've still got two more subjects to get through after this."
"Hey, now that you helped me make it through mathematics, I feel like I can take on anything. Let's go!" Responded the acid-tossing future heroine.
The noise in the empty classroom gradually died down, though it never entirely faded. Izuku's voice was a constant with Mina's chirping in. She was unafraid to ask questions, and he always did his best to answer them. One wouldn't have been wrong to assume they'd taken up the roles of teacher and student. The two professional teachers watching their progress certainly thought so, albeit only one of them would have said it aloud.
"I'll admit, all things considered, maybe he could one day take your place here at U.A." The disheveled-looking hero stated in his usual dry tone. It belayed the approval that had taken root within Eraserhead as he watched one of his best students tutor one of his more academically challenged, and so far, the tutoring had been progressing smoothly. It was progressing so smoothly, neither of them had noticed the two pr heroes standing right outside the doorway.
Beside him, the former Symbol of Peace couldn't help but laugh. "You know, I don't think you're wrong there. Young Midoriya would make for an ideal teacher, albeit I'm sure that might be into his later years, not his prime."
"If he keeps on pushing himself so hard, those years will come and go like a flash." As their homeroom teacher, it was his job to know the ins and outs of his students, their Quirks and their personalities. When Aizawa looked to Izuku Midoriya, he saw a young man so committed he was lively to break himself into pieces trying to save lives. It was admirable…but that kind of suicidal drive would likely cause him harm than good, specifically harm to himself. Sighing, he turned his back to the classroom. "I'll give them an extra five minutes."
"Mighty generous of you, Aizawa." All Might chuckled.
"As poor as Ashido's grades are, she can still turn things around. Partnering her up with Midoriya seems to be the best way to do that." There was a beat as the stumble-faced hero looked back to his blond coworker. "That doesn't mean either of them will be getting special treatment, like a seating arrangement change up."
"Hm, they'd probably suspect something, especially young Midoriya."
"If they want to spend some time together, they can do it on their own time…and hopefully Midoriya will be able to get Ashido to stay awake in class." The response of the two professional heroes couldn't have been anymore different. Aizawa quietly groaned remembering the number of times he'd caught the pinkette slumbering through his lessons. As for All Might, well…he couldn't exactly condone sleeping in class, but he preferred a gentle nudge over the more extreme measures his coworker preferred. One thing they could both agree on was that from time to time, they got some rather amusing reactions from the acid user. "I'm going to get some coffee, want some?"
"I could go for a cup," Replied the retired hero. Just before following after his coworker, he leaned around the corner, running the risk of exposing himself. Luckily, the two still-in-training heroes were still too engrossed in their schoolwork to notice him. That was good, the last thing he needed was for his protégé to see him watching him, it'd probably cause him to freeze up and throw off the harmony he'd found with young Ashido. He looked so genuinely happy that he couldn't bring himself to disrupt the detention-turned tutoring session. All Might had a hunch that it wouldn't be the last, tutoring session, he was hoping this would be the last detention that they shared together.
-O-
"You know, when it comes to this sort of stuff, I don't say this often, but I think I've got it." Proclaimed the yellow-horned teenager with slight amazement in her voice. Before her lay an array of math-based schoolwork that had left her scratching her head to the point she was ready to impale her horns against the wall. The mathematical equations that had once left her stumped now seemed…solvable. They had been solved, all thanks to the help of the boy beside her.
Mina could practically picture the smile of approval on Ectoplasm's face when she turned in her math work tomorrow. And Cementoss when she turned in her writing work, and Thirteen when she turned in her physics work.
And she owed it all to the smiling green-haired classmate beside her.
"Then it means that I've managed to successful impart some academic wisdom onto you." Izuku laughed.
Laughing alongside him, Mina responded, "You sure did, and you made this detention not only bearable, but fun." She reached over and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "You know, I don't think I'd mind doing this again. Er, ya' know, this studying thing, not the detention part." There was a brief pause as she met his eyes. "Um, sorry about dragging you into this."
"Ashido, it's no problem. Like I said, I'd do it again, and I'd spend all afternoon with you if it meant helping you." He responded.
"…Would you be up-" Her eyes widened as the doorknob turned then the door itself swung open. Both Mina and Izuku looked in unison to find their homeroom teacher walking in looking as casual and detached as he always did. "Aizawa-sensei!" they shouted in unison.
"Hopefully you two spent all this time doing more than just talking. Show me your work so far." He declared in his usual flat voice, albeit his gaze was somewhat softer as he looked between the two teenagers. For a moment or so, his eyes seemed to linger on Izuku.
Looking back to Mina, he smiled giving her his full support as she stood up and marched over to their teacher's desk.
The ticking of a clock and the ruffling of paper filled the classroom. Izuku and Mina stood before the desk awaiting the judgement of their teacher, not at all an unfamiliar feeling for any student of U.A., especially Class 1-A. Several times, the latter's eyes shifted to the former, each time he gave her that reassuring smile that calmed her frantically racing heart.
"…You've both served out your time and completed your remedial work. Midoriya, same as usual. Ashido, I want to see this kind of work repeated in the future, as will several others." Pure joy exploded across the faces of the two student heroes, especially Mina's. Any second, a hug was coming, and likely Izuku's way. "You're both free to go, and Ashido, no sleeping in class tomorrow."
"Yes sir!"
She waited until Aizawa-sensei was out the door before throwing her arms around her classmate and letting her excitement and relief totally consume her. "I did it! I really did it, and it's thanks to you, Midoriya! You're awesome!"
"Y-You're welcome, Ashido! A-And it was no problem!" On sheer impulse, Izuku felt his arms moving to recuperate the hung. He wasn't even going to deny how good it felt. Her skin was soft and warm, not to mention up so close he got a whiff of her perfume. Strawberry, she smells like ripe strawberries. He realized with an almost mesmerized voice. A hot blush was spreading across his cheeks and stayed there when Mina pulled away. "I-I was happy to help, a-a-and if you ever need my help again, just ask, Ashido."
"You know, I think I may end up taking you up on that offer." She said lightly tapping her foot against the floor. "As you know, when it comes to schoolwork, I really suck. You on the other hand…"
"As your classmate and friend, I'll always be there. I mean, if I can't be there for a friend like you, how can innocent people be expected to rely on me."
"Yet again, spoken like a true hero. Seriously, how'd you become this…dedicated?" Questioned the horned girl with genuine amazement and curiosity written all over her face.
Izuku's trademark nervousness crept back up upon him. "Well…I just…this is who I've always been for as long as I can remember. The…well, hero-worship, the drive to live up to the example heroes like All Might set…all of it has just been a part of me. It's-"
"Made you a good person." Mina interrupted with her lips curled into a bright smile. Izuku felt like she was hugging him again, smothering him in the warmth that was her existence. Suddenly, she bowed, pointing her horns directly at him causing him to jump. "Well, you kept up your end, here, give 'em a feel!"
Remembering their earlier discussion, Izuku felt his familiar curiosity creeping into him. Sucking in a breath, he reached forward and felt the bone-based horns with his fingertips. "Woah, they're actually made out of keratin just like real animal horns."
"You can tell that with a feel? Midori, you haven't been filling anyone else's horns, have you?" Just as quickly as she'd bowed, Mina rose her head, arms crossed and a peeved look on her face.
To Izuku, it might as well have been the death glare of giant monster. "N-N-No! N-Never, yours are the first that I've ever touched! And they feel great! They're hard and strong and….and…" Green eyes widened and freckled skin turned beat red as Izuku's brain finally caught up to his mind, and he made the link as to what he was saying. Needless to say, steam exploded from his ears as he swerved his head back to the door.
Personally, Mina would have found it funnier if someone had chosen to walk by the door and eavesdrop on their conversation. The absolute wrong idea would be the most obvious conclusion they'd reach; it'd probably sent Izuku into a further comedic meltdown, which Mina wouldn't have minded seeing. Still, she supposed she had enough fun with this little stunt.
"Oh, relax, I'm just messing you with!" Mina laughed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "R-Really, you're way too easy to tease! Still, I guess that's part of your charm."
"Charm, isn't exactly how I'd put it…but thanks for the compliment." Though the blush remained on his face, Izuku had managed to calm himself enough he didn't feel like he was going to spontaneously combust.
"I'm glad that you finally accepted it, call it a hunch, but I feel like I'm going to be tossing a few more your way." She noted before walking over to her desk to collect her work. "Hey, Midori, that move that you used to wake me up, that was…it was like All Might's…what's it called…"
"His Delaware Smash, you saw it at the Sports Festival. I'm trying to learn how to control it better so I don't break all my fingers." There was a beat as he remembered Recovery Girl's warnings to him. In spite of taking them seriously, he found himself laughing at the memory. "Twice over." He added causing Mina to snicker. "I'm still learning, and still developing my Shoot Style so I won't have to keep relying on my punches."
"You know, I think we're alike in that way. I wouldn't trade my Acid Quirk for anything in the world, though if I overuse it, boy does it hurt." Her gaze flickered to Izuku's arms. Mina may not have been particularly been in the green-haired boy's inner circle, but she was observant. "I'm happy you came out that yakuza mess alright, you and Kirishima. And I'm…sorry to hear about Nighteye and Mirio."
Brief as it may have been, a shadow fell over Izuku's face. "Thanks for that, Ashido." His right hand rose, his rigid and scared palm stared back at him. Izuku wasn't under any delusions about what his future held, he was fully prepared to accept the possibility that he may end up losing one of his arms at best, but if it was the dream he'd been given the chance to follow, if it was carrying on for those who'd died, he'd consider it worth it. "For Sir Nighteye, Mirio, and Eri…for them and so many more I'm going to keep on mastering my Quirk. I know I've still got a long, long way to go, but I'm looking forward to heading down that path." No sooner had he finished speaking did he feel Mina's hand falling atop his, and did he see it. For the second time, he was taken back by how soft and gentle her hand felt in comparison to his own.
Looking up at her, the green-haired boy was greeted with a pair of black and yellow eyes that shimmered with good-hearted affection. "Which you be up for some help in doing that? You helped me with my school work, I think I can do the same with my area of expertise."
He smiled while squeezing her hand. "I'd appreciate that, Ashido."
"Then it's settled! Let's get going!" Shouted the excitable girl. With their hands locked, she headed toward the door, her heart pounding with excitement at the thought of finally being able to indulge in physical exercise. Even better, it'd be with someone as strong as Midoriya! She could hardly-
"A-A-Ashido! Wait, my schoolwork!" Shouted the superstrength-user, just barely managing to avoid tripping over his feet. He was still enjoying the feel of his classmate's hand clapped around his, and was silently saddened when she let it go and looked at him with an apologetic smile.
"Heheh, sorry about that, guess I got a little too excited there." She spoke as they walked back into the classroom.
As she helped him collect his schoolwork, Izuku realized something-he tended to think at high-speeds then act accordingly, at least out in the field. Off the field, he took things at his own pace. Mina moved fast on and off the field, something that he took some getting used to…and he liked her for it, admired her even. She was a little pink ball of energy, one that he was looking forward to spending the rest of the afternoon with.
Whelp, that's one chapter down, and potentially two more to go. My first step into My Hero Academia writing. Hopefully it went well enough. I love writing polar opposite duos like a shy cinnamon roll like Izuku and hyperactivity incarnate like Mina. This chapter I ended up letting her take the lead since she would be both sorry about getting Izuku caught up in detention, but take the chance to make the most out of it. It's always fun writing characters making the best out of a bad situation, I find that's also a good starting point for stories.
Next chapter I'll be telling things primarily from Izuku's point of view. This story takes place just a short while after the Shie Hassaikai Arc so he's still recovering, but that just means he could use someone as social as Mina to help give him an extras lift.
Until next chapter, take care, everyone!