Well, hi there. It's been a while but this fic is back. I am still working on commissions and trying to work on non-MHA stuff again, while dealing with full time work and other things. Either way, I hope this chapter is well received. I almost included more in this chapter, but I thought it might work better if that stuff was in the next chapter.

I found a middle-ground, turning out 5000ish words but also pacing things more reasonably. I wanted to plant some seeds for this arc and the next, as well as the movie. Next chapter will be the beginning of the internships, but also touch on what 1B is up to. Stay tuned this month for the return of YHIM and who knows what else. Thanks again for your patience and support.

—-

Random passersby muttered as they passed by. If they had known Izuku since middle school, they would be wondering why that green Otaku was on a date with a cute Genki girl, let alone doing so consistently. Instead, they mostly muttered about that crazy kid that nearly broke his body as he beat the tar out of that blonde kid.

Izuku and Mina, however, chose to ignore them all. It was nice to be recognized but even nicer to just relax. "It feels good to just be on a date. You and me. Just wish we didn't get noticed everywhere."

The two sat outside at a little cafe in Musutafu, drinking in the sounds of the city as well as the flavor of their boba milk teas. Mina let out a satisfied sigh as she reclined in her seat. Her boyfriend still looked uneasy, but she decided to be of some assistance by placing a gentle hand upon his.

"I know you're worried about airing dirty laundry at that fight, but it wasn't going to stay secret forever. Besides…as much as I think he should pay the piper, neither you nor Bakugou have to talk about the past. You don't owe anyone an explanation if you don't want to give one just yet."

"I know, Mina. Thank you."

"So what do you think is going to come next? Do you think we're going to do anything special in class?" Mina leaned back, stretching out her entire body before scooting back into her seat and leaning in towards her boyfriend.

"I don't know. Sorry for being a downer. You're right. I guess I just have to wait and see what happens. As for class wise? I don't know but it will probably be something big. I doubt it will just be normal classes after the Sports festival, at least right away. Then again, most of the big stuff like hero names and internships come normally around 2nd or 3rd year."

"Really? How do you know all that?"

"I… um…I've collected UA brochures for years."Izuku sighed and smiled, trying to drink his boba without his arms. Nearby, there was a tray with 8 coffees nearby. Izuku certainly needed them.

"So that's what that shoebox is for underneath your bed." Mina chuckled, deciding to multitask by teasing the green-haired boy and testing a new nickname. "You keeping secrets from your girlfriend? For shame, Midorizu!"

"Sorry for the secrecy. I know I don't have to fear it with you." Izuku winced and looked downwards, apologizing to his girlfriend. He had to say, she could go a bit over the top with the pet names, but he honestly appreciated it.

"I know, love. Either way, it's super dorky but I like that about you." She gently pat her boyfriend on the shoulder from across the table, trying not to agitate his injuries. "Also this is funny coming from me, but you sure you need all that coffee, Zuzu? You probably don't need all that caffeine."

"One of them is decaf. I'll be fine." Izuku stated bashfully. "Besides, you're one to talk."

"Uh huuuuh? Yeah, not buying it, babe. Maybe you should save some of those later" Mina raised an eyebrow. She gently and carefully tried to scoot the tray away from him. "And I am one to talk because I know my limits. Clearly you don't. "

"Yeah…My mom told me something similar this morning at breakfast. Sorry, Mimi."

Mina's eyes lit up as her cheeks flushed. She absolutely melted at that nickname and tried to stifle a giddy laugh. Why was this boy so feral one moment and adorable the next? If he didn't have fluffy sheep hair or a costume like a bunny rabbit, she would call her boyfriend a catboy. His gaze met hers, confused at first. A realization soon dawned on the boy.

"You're thinking of me in cat ears, aren't you…" Izuku blushed and sighed.

"Whaaaat? Noooo. Sh-shut up…maybe. Did Ofa give you mind reading powers?" Mina flailed and made a grand display, punctuating it with a pout. That pout soon melted as if it had fallen victim to her quirk. Izuku could relate.

"Know but I know my own girlfriend. What's oh-fuh? Is that like that Bofa thing?" Izuku squinted and picked at his food before placing a morsel in his mouth. He grimaced as Mina ruffled his hair.

"No, you goober. It's what I call your quirk to abbreviate it, but also because it's…it's… know." Mina looked around, then locked eyes on Izuku. She shifted her eyes left, then right, before leaning inband whispering in his ear. "Secret."

"I wha- buh…I mean, it is but you literally just attracted more attention that way." Izuku blushed but after a hitch in his breath that one could mistake for a hiccup. Would he ever get used to this sort of attention? Perhaps not, but he was getting there. And that beaming smile of hers was always a welcome destination.

"Babe, I always attract attention. I'm that good. They probably just think I'm teasing you, which is fair." Mina softened up. "Besides, you wanted secrecy and I will provide."

"I wouldn't call your teasing fair but go ahead." Izuku chuckled before looking at his food.

"Well look at you, my confident smiley boy…you ok though? I know you're still worried."

"Yeah. It's definitely going to raise questions for a lot of people. I appreciate it by the way…your attempts at secrecy."

"We're both Secret Squirrels, Izu. Who else in our class knows about One-for-All?" Mina leaned in and whispered.

Izuku raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were calling it Ofa now."

"Jerk. So are you sure you're OK? You don't think Bakugou will escalate because he didn't get to be a big boy champion?"

"He wants to be a hero. He's not going to jeopardize that. He has the instinct. I hope he can learn to be a good person, but it's not my responsibility." Izuku sighed. He wanted to make similar barbs. He certainly earned it. Why was he being so charitable? "Whether he deems that we get his bluster and steam is irrelevant. He won't risk it."

"You still seem to think of him positively." Mina frowned, tapping her fingers against the table. Izuku reached across the table and held her hand. He paused, thinking carefully about his words as his mood darkened a bit. It hurt, but he was working through it. Besides, he trusted his girlfriend implicitly as he spoke softly, so nobody else could hear.

"I am letting go but he still goes to school with us and I can't deny how good he is at what he does, but he's such an arrogant ass. I can't believe I ever…"

"Was his friend?" Mina looked at her boyfriend with concern. She thought she had hit the nail on the head but instead it was something else. It took her a while to process. "Oh…OH!...So you had a…"

"It was hard not to admire him. He was my best friend…I thought at least…my first friend. He was so cool and confident and it showed in his smile. Of course I had a weird… crush on him. I don't really talk about it because I didn't know there was a term for liking guys and girls at the time and, well…You know how he is."

Mina got up from the table and hugged Izuku tightly, while he was holding his food still. He put it down haphazardly, trying not to drop it or tip it over, then returned the hug. It felt weird to talk about, especially in public, but he chalked it up to how comfortable he was around Mina. She really was a big pink beacon and he couldn't help but feel secure.

"Sorry. That was weird to-" Izuku was shushed by Mina, who stood up and dragged him along with her. "No need to apologize. I've had bad taste in boys too. I think we both made pretty good picks now though. Come on. Let's go hit up the arcade before we have to head home."

Izuku smiled and got up, allowing himself to be puppeted upwards. He rolled his eyes playfully. "Ok, but I pick the game. You may have been teaching me a move or two, but I still have two left feet. So no DDR."

"Ugh. FIne. I'll make a dancer out of you yet, Mr. Midoriya. I'll still kick your butt at skee-ball." The pink girl winked as they both held hands and headed deeper into the bustling city.

X

Class was tense as Aizawa entered the classroom, no longer bandages like some sort of mummy. Mina could still remember how he showed up like that after the USJ incident. It was scary how their teacher managed to drag himself to work despite his physical injuries.

Mina looked at Izuku knowingly. He wasn't that different. She followed his gaze to the empty desk that once belonged to Mineta. The kid was a perv but it was still weird to have him drop out, or at least transfer schools. She wondered who would fill his spot, and if they would be any better.

"I know you're all buzzing from the Sports festival still, and wondering if we'll be filling Mineta's vacancy. For now, pay attention. Today is a very important topic..."

The entire class froze, wondering what serious material they would be covering today. The Sports festival was fun and all, but also intense, especially that last match. Izuku could feel eyes on him but never for more than a few seconds. For now, the focus was on the day's activities, whatever they were.

"You're going to be choosing Heronames. You may get the chance to change them down the line but these are names that may stick with you for the rest of your lives. So make them count. Come in, Nemuri."

Everyone cheered, feeling relieved that this would be something fun and a good way to decompress. Izuku looked to his friends, then to the front of the room.

"Excuse me, Mr. Aizawa? Midnight?" The young man raised his hand.

"What is it, Midoriya?" Aizawa grumbled gruffly, having just gotten settled in his sleeping bag while Midnight took over.

"You said someone will be filling Mineta's seat eventually. Will they be choosing their hero name too or will they have to wait?"

"A decision is still being reached as to who will fill the spot and we don't have an exact time table yet. We will alert you when a decision is made. Prior to that, your new classmate will have the chance to stand before you and present their hero name. Now shall we proceed?" The man stated calmly, crawling back onto the floor to nap.

Everyone went up one at a time, with a few having to go up more than once, namely Mina. Everyone had put their all into their names, with some trying harder than others.

"Come oooooon! I was sitting on Alien Queen for years!" The pink girl protested when her first pick was rejected. Izuku was tempted to chime in but he just let it play out. Hopefully she could change it to Alien Queen later.

The only exceptions were Todoroki and Iida, with the latter still looking troubled. His friends shot him a glance, wishing to speak with him about it later but for now, their focus was elsewhere

Izuku scribbled furiously. He remembered all the hero names he thought of as a kid. They were almost all some derivative of All-Might.

What else could a fanboy do when he dreamed of becoming the sidekick and successor to the #1 Hero? He couldn't exactly name himself Star & Stripe 2.0, could he? He didn't live in America like his dad. Actually he wasn't even sure what country his dad was in anymore.

Now, however, it was different.

Izuku got up in front of his class and exhaled. "It was tough and I almost went with Deku. It holds a lot of bad memories, but a friend recently helped me see it in a new light. Perhaps one day I can be comfortable with it. In the end though, I choose Midori Rush, the Can-do hero. The hero in green who will never keep you waiting" Izuku stood confidently by this name.

He wasn't without nerves but he made his choice. He added more under his breath "…also for the rush I get from when she calls my name…

Midnight heard it well enough and gushed on the spot. "A brilliant and verdant name, filled with love. The passion of youth!"

Ochako smiled, knowing that she had such an impact on her friend, even if he ultimately decided against the other name. To know she could help him in some way made her feel warm and gooey inside.

Mina was trying so hard not to scream in excitement and hug her boyfriend. He was so cute and romantic and a colossal dork. How could he be so cute? It was bonkers!

Kirishima stood up in excitement "Such a manly name! And colorful! Red and green! Nice, bro!"

Aizawa grumbled loudly."Kirishima, sit down. You're disrupting class."

The spiky haired boy slid down in his chair bashfully, like a golden retriever that was told "No".

Tsuyu croaked fondly. "Guess I'm the only one out of the four of us not to pick a color-coded name, ribbit."

"I mean, Pinky wasn't my first choice but it worked out I guess." Mina sighed but couldn't complain that she wasn't alone. At least if Micha or anyone gave her any lip, Izuku would be there.

After the hero names were chosen, Midnight departed. As the period wound down and the bell rang, Aizawa stood up. "On the board is everyone's name and the list of offers they got from agencies. "

Izuku didn't get as many as one would expect of the champion, probably because of how scary he came off.

"Hey, what if we do our externship together! Pinky, Red Riot, and Midori! Team color Guard! No! Team Rainbow!"

Kirishima chimed in, absolutely loving the idea. " I dig it! Best friend Brigade. Tsu, you gotta get in on this."

"Sorry to burst everyone's bubble but as cool as that sounds, I don't know if we all got the same offers. Ribbit," Tsuyu stated curtly. Kirishima brushed the back of his head and sighed while Mina slumped in defeat.

"Ugh, Tsuuuuu why do you have to rain on my parade with your 'observations' a day 'realistic expectations '!" Mina flailed and pouted while Izuku just patted her head. He knew she wasn't actually mad but he still liked to provide comfort. Besides, she was adorable when she got like this, if not chaotic.

Tsuyu shrugged and put a finger to her cheek. "I am the Rainy Day hero after all. Also I would have broken up the teeming anyway. Frog isn't a color afterall."

"Yeah but like…Salmon is a color and so is Timber Wolf gray."

Mina chimed in. "Yeah! Crayons never lied to me before…except when the colors were named after food…but let's not talk about that anymore."

Izuku looked at his girlfriend with concern. "Babe, was that a joke or did you actually eat crayons?"

Mina laughed. "Yeah. I was kind of weird as a kid. I used to eat stickers too. Isn't that wild?"

Tsuyu looked at her friends with a mix of "I love you goofballs so much" and "I am literally the one person in this quartet who will not end up in an emergency room for silly reasons," painted all over her face.

As Izuku walked with his friends, All Might stepped in. "I AM HERE… to speak to you, Izuku Midoriya!"

Having put on the spot in front of his friends, izuku looked bashful. He could feel Todoroki's eyes on him, as if that burning question had ignited again. "Oh, hello All-Might. Just me?"

Mina noticed her boyfriend starting to panic. It had to have been One-for-All related. Why else would he want to speak to Izuku.

"Of course, Zuzu. You took home the gold, remember? There's probably something big and cool surrounding that, other than a medal, right?"

Izuku and All-Might noticed the pink girl wink as she asked the question. She wasn't subtle but most of the group wasn't paying too much mind. Tsuyu thought it seemed off, but she couldn't deny the logic of it all. She would just have to ask about it later.

X

The hero and his protégé once more entered his office for a one-on-one meeting, though Izuku did not know why. He would soon find out.

"Looks like you got a few offers, huh? That's great kid. I'm proud of you. Knew you could do it."

"Thanks. I wasn't sure I could. Was there something you wanted to see me about?"

"A couple things. One, There was a special request that came in for you. You don't have to take it, but he did want to meet you."

"Who did exactly?" Izuku asked.

"The man who taught me. He was the closest friend of my master and one of the toughest teachers I ever faced. He goes by Gran Torino "

"Like the movie or the car?"

All-Might gently smacked the boy on the neck. "Don't be a smart ass. It's his hero name. If you don't intern with him, that's fine, but he did want to judge you for himself. He knows about One-for-All and that you're my successor."

Izuku thought for a moment. He wanted to go through his options before making a decision.

"Can I go over the other agencies first? I am eager to train with the man that trained you, but I stood out, like you asked. I wasn't sure I would."

"Yeah. I'm proud of you, kid. A lot of people expected Bakugou to win. He definitely has good instincts and skills." All-Might mused, sitting on the couch in his office. He started to shake. "As for the man who made the request…he…" The pro hero paused, looking like an embarrassed file clerk who had just been demoted, despite still being in his muscle form.

Izuku was unsure what to do and reached out his hand. Was it weird to pat his idol on the back and say "There there,"?

Before the young man could speak, All-Might continued. "Pretty sure Gran Torino requested you because of a letter I wrote about you. He probably thinks my teaching is inadequate. He always was a hard ass and even if you won, he'll still find something to point out."

It was starting to worry Izuku, seeing someone even All-Might was scared of. It made him definitely want to weigh his options more. Still, to learn from someone who taught the greatest of the all time greats? It was too tempting to pass up.

"I will consider his offer and give you my answer soon. What was the second thing?"

"Excellent! That's all I ask!" All-Might gave a triumphant thumbs up before reverting to his true form. Reaching for a handkerchief to wipe the blood away, the hero thought for a moment and composed himself. "Was it too soon?" There were other things of importance right now. There couldn't be any harm though. "I was going to wait til Ashido is in the room. She'll probably want to come. Tell me, young man. Are you familiar with I-Island?"

X

As the day wound down, Izuku lingered in the locker room with Iida. He couldn't help but notice his friend's mood shift. He didn't seem like his usual self and the news that the hero known as Ingenium was nearly murdered had lead the young man to fear for his friend. The Hero Killer, Stain, had ambushed Ingenium and failed in ending his life but succeeded in ending his career.

As such, Iida had kept more distance of late and Izuku wanted to be there. He knew what it was like to not have much of a support structure for some time but was grateful to have found one when he did. He wanted to pay it forward to his bespectacled buddy, having gotten to see him as he was and no longer by first impressions.

"I assure you, Midoriya. Everything is fine. My emotions will not cloud my judgment. I ask that you trust that."

Izuku really didn't want to be pushy. His friend clearly needed time to process things, but also needed to know that there were people that cared about him. The green-haired boy placed a hand on the taller boy's shoulder.

Iida flinched, a pained look in his eye as he craned his head towards his friend. "Please unhand me."

"I will. Sorry. Just…I'm not great at this. Better than I used to be though. Just…you don't have to be alone. I am here. We all are. Me, Mina, Uraraka, Tsu, and Kirishima. We all are."

He still wasn't sure about Todoroki but he hoped they could be friends too. He might have had better luck on that front if they had fought but life couldn't always be a Shonen anime. Besides, he still made his point to his classmate, much like he was doing here. "Just come to us when you're ready, ok?"

Iida brushed Izuku's hand away and adjusted his glasses. There was tension in the air. The taller boy gripped his briefcase and seemed to quake before steadying himself. He turned and smiled placidly.

"Thanks for your concern. I will if I must, but I assure you. I am fine. I will see you in class and again after my internship in Hosu. Wish me luck."

Before Izuku could pursue that line of question, Iida was out the door and swallowed up by a sea of other students. The conversation dropped after that and the two boys made their way back to their homeroom to finish the day.

Izuku knew Iida was masking, that he was bottling things up. He wanted to be patient and let the other boy open up at his own pace. Sure his brother had survived, but what had happened was still jarring and very much a close shave.

Izuku stood there and lingered on his friend's reaction. He had known pain and turmoil but could not relate to this, having been an only child. Iida kept to himself, keeping a distance from even Ochako.

When the final bell rang, the speedster had made a quiet exit. All Izuku could do was meet up with his other friends. He knew Iida was fast but making a decision in regards to his internship site before most of the others was concerning to say the least, especially given how close it was to where Ingenium was attacked.

X

-That weekend-

Izuku laid down on his bed, rolling over to grab his phone. There were some good offers, with pros like Airjet, Backdraft, and King Yeti reaching out. Ultimately, however, the young man decided to go with his master's teacher. If anyone could help him the most, it was someone familiar with One for All and its secrets, or at least some of them. The boy grabbed his phone and sent All-Might a text.

"I will intern with Gran Torino."

All-Might texted back after five minutes, having called the older pro to inform him of Izuku's acceptance. The young man once again found himself thinking "That was fast".

Everyone else was deciding on who they would be shadowing, with only Mina keeping hers a secret. Meanwhile, Iida left him on read. Was he being nosey and violating boundaries? He wasn't sure. He just needed to trust his friend.

It wasn't even a full minute after he put his phone down that he got a text from Mina.

"Hey Izuku. Can you meet me at the park?"

Izuku texted back. "Which one?"

"Our park, you goof. I want to show you something."

Izuku showed up, wearing his most sporting clothes that weren't his gym uniform. He settled on forest green athletic shorts, a white graphic tank top with All-Might's iconic smile plastered on the front, some black socks and his favorite red sneakers.

Mina, on the other hand, was wearing angular sunglasses, a hot pink crop top, matching hightops, and light blue shorts that were probably too short. If Izuku didn't know how comfortable she was wearing whatever, he would say this outfit was designed to get his attention. But given how her thought process for getting dressed was mostly "This looks cute and fun! Sick!", he promptly ruled that out

"You look amazing. Not like me. I'm kinda plain."

"Yeah. Plain cute. Now focus. Watch me." The pink girl placed down a Soccer ball, the gentle noise it made as it touched the grass bringing a smile to her face.

She gently tapped it, letting it roll to the side. Her smile morphed into a confident smirk as she dribbled the ball around the course, doing circles around Izuku before landing a devastating kick towards one of the nearby soccer goals.

She took the ball out of the goal and placed it once more in the center of the field. She breathed through her nose and glanced at her boyfriend before turning again to the ball. With a running start, she sent the ball flying through the air. It landed in the parking lot.

"Whoa. Maybe I overdid it." Mina panted. "Hope I didn't hit anyone's car. Still, once I get back, it's your turn."

"We're here to play soccer?"

"No silly. This is training. I brought a baseball too, like at the quirk apprehension test thing"

"Why?"

"So you can stop breaking your bones, Mr. Ouchies," she poked her boyfriend's forehead, staring with an intense, no-nonsense expression before dissolving into a goofy grin.

"It's not about eggs in microwaves or stuff like that. It's muscle control. You can kick a ball super far or just a little, low to the ground. Get it yet?"

It clicked for Izuku in an instant. Was it really that obvious? He could still use a muscle without overdoing it or flailing wildly and if he went to the gym, overdoing it could overexhaust him or hurt his muscles. It really wasn't that different here, was it?

"Mina…You're a genius!"

"I keep telling you but it's all 'Mina, that's not the correct answer!' or 'You can't just draw hamburgers on your math homewo-umf'," Mina was interrupted by a sudden peck on her lips, which took her by surprise.

"N-No fair! I wasn't ready, you jerk! Stop taking a page out of my playbook!"

"Whatever you say, coach," Izuku smiled, a light blush on his face. He still wasn't super used to public displays of affection. Even this far into their relationship, he still couldn't believe he even had a love language sometimes. Yet here they were, alone on an athletic field. He really was grateful. "Hey, Mina?"

"Hm?" The pink girl looked at him inquisitively.

"I don't thank you enough, Mina. For being my best friend, my girlfriend, and just all around amazing " He looked to the ground, fists shaking and heart throbbing. He just could not express his full gratitude in words, even now

Izuku looked up expecting his girlfriend to be teasing him with a mischievous grin. Instead, tears streamed down her face. Was she crying?

"Why are you such a cutiiiiiiie!?" the girl gushed, wiping her tears away. It really was easy for Izuku to forget that his girlfriend could be just as emotional as he was. She continued, giving an enthusiastic clap. "You really are a romantic, huh?"

"Nah. I'm a Midoriya. Romantic is my cousin." Izuku teased, causing Mina to groan.

"Ugh. You're a dork! I'm taking you back where I found you!" Mina stomped playfully, making a scene. In honesty, she loved seeing his playful side and was glad it was more frequent these days, even if he was still getting used to it.

"I mean, the bench we met at is right around there I think." The boy smiled fondly. It was so odd that he could be a bit of a smart ass. It sometimes felt out of character for him. But why? If anything, Mina had seen more of what was buried by trauma than anyone else. And their time at this park was a testament to that in and of itself.

"Jerk! Jerkzuku Jerkdoriya! Wait, you're right. It is here. Let's go sit on it." Mina grabbed his hand and dragged him towards where it all began.

As the bench came into view, so did something new: a food truck selling parfaits. Mina's mouth watered and her eyes twinkled with desire. This would make the date even sweeter.

"Wait, should we eat right now during training?" Izuku asked, scratching his cheek. Mina had already rushed over to the food truck and purchased two Strawberry Matcha crepes.

It wasn't a traditional combination but it was one that fit the two. The green-haired boy could only smile wistfully as his girlfriend came back with a Cheshire grin and handed him his crepe

"Oh we're done with that. Let's have some fun, especially since we aren't going to see each other much during the internship."

"Yeah, that's right. Thank of them will have room and board, right?"

"You're welcome. And yeah. From what I heard. Airjet has a little barracks thing set up at his agency apparently." The pink girl chirped cheerily as she enthusiastically ate her treat. Izuku casually ate his crepe at a slower pace.

"That's right. He wanted to have a helicarrier to fit his theme but it was over budget for a hero that isn't even in the top 10 of the billboard rankings." Izuku recited information off the top of his head like a walking Wikipedia article. "I still can't believe you're interning with him!"

"Me neither, Mr. Encyclopedia. Death arms actually requested me as well but I went with Airjet instead because I love him! He's so cool!"

Izuku raised an eyebrow as he took a bite out of his crepe and swallowed. "Wow. Saying you love another man, right in front of me. Should I be jealous?"

Mina snickered as she elbowed her boyfriend. "Hush, you. You already know you're my favorite." She leaned in and gave a crepe flavored kiss on his cheek.

Izuku looked at her, excitedly reaching into her bag for her phone to take a selfie of the two, which he was not prepared for. He thought back to how much progress he had made but also how far he had to go. He remembered his talk with All-Might about All for One. He thought about how things would probably be more tense with Bakugou now.

However, in this moment, none of that mattered. He was happy. He was living his dream, he had possibly made a breakthrough that could help him manage his quirk, and he had people who cared for him.

"Mina?"

"Yefffafe?" Mina looked at Izuku with a face full of crepe before swallowing it and starting again. "Sorry. Yes, babe?"

"Do you think Iida will be OK?" The green-haired boy asked his girlfriend, staring into space as she rested her head on his shoulder. She shrugged, wiping the crepe bits off her mouth.

"Honestly, no idea. You're closer to him than I am but he does seem off. I would be pretty out of it if anything happened to my brother, even if he annoys me sometimes. I can't imagine what 'zippy-zoomer-acts-like-a-boomer' is going through. But I will be there for him how I can be and I know he's lucky to have you as a best friend. "

"That was very heartfelt despite the ridiculous nickname. Please call him that when he's feeling better." Izuku chuckled lightly.

"That's the plan. We should head back home soon. Mom will be making omurice and I want to get home before my bro hogs it all." Mina smiled, kicking her feet energetically as she breathed in the fresh air.

"That sounds delicious. Wish I could join you. I promised my mom I would help with dinner," the green-haired boy exhaled as he offered a gentle smile at the girl who helped him come out of his shell.

"Same. Oh! You and your mom should totally swing by sometime! You're always welcome!" Mina pounded her arms up and down in unison, buzzing with energy.

"I'll run it by my mom. It has been a while. " Izuku chuckled, feeling at ease. Even with all the uncertainty in regard to his quirk, the internships, and wondering when the shoe would drop with Bakugou. For now, however, he felt at peace.

"Oh, Mina. I almost forgot. Keep your calendar open around the end of first term."

Mina eyed him curiously as they got up. "Oh? How come? Thinking pretty far out, huh?"

"I got invited to i-expo because of All-Might, but because I won at the Sports festival, I also get to take a plus one."

Mina's eyes bugged out. "Vacation! Vacation! WOOOOOOOO! HECK YES! I'M PUMPED! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" The Pink girl squeezed her boyfriend in the mightiest of bear hugs, relenting when he tapped on her back. "Sorry, babe. But yes. I would love to. "

"I thought you might but I still had to ask. I'll mark my calendar. Shall we head home now?"

"Yes. We shall." Mina bowed with a flourish, trying to restrain the giggle fit she was having. She grabbed his arm and the two strolled back to the field to retrieve the balls, then onward towards the station.