Chapter Sixteen: Why Don't You Try Me On Out?

"You need to learn to hold back! Laying me out like that hurts y'know!?" Kyouka berated, sitting flat on the ground as Izuku's fist laid right in front of her face.

The two of them had been doing combat training, and in their sparring match Izuku ended up tripping him. He opened up his hand to help the girl up, which she gladly took as he yanked her back up to her own two feet.

"S-Sorry. B-But I'm not going to hold back, Kyouka. W-We have to do this to get stronger." Izuku replied, getting back into a fighting stance. Kyouka sighed, and got into a stance of her own.

"Yeah, yeah… I just dislike how monstrously strong you are." Kyouka stated, before rushing the boy with a flurry of punches. Izuku dodged a majority of them before slapping her fist downward, disorienting the girl.

He then swung a right hook to her side, obviously not hard enough to hurt or leave a mark, but it was enough to bring her to her knees. Kyouka expected as much, and brought her hands to the sand and used them to propel herself upward doing a bicycle kick, hitting the boy right in his chin.

Kyouka lands on her feet and smirks. She finally got a good hit in, and took the opportunity to rush the boy once more before he could recover. Izuku had fallen onto his back after Kyouka's kick, and Kyouka jumped onto the boy, straddling him, and holding a fist to his face.

"So… Do I win?" Kyouka questioned, panting. Izuku smirked, and before Kyouka could realize what he had been doing, she had been flipped onto the sand of the beach. Their positions were reversed.

"It was a good attempt!" Izuku replied, chuckling. Kyouka glared at her friend, and jacked him in the neck, sending vibrations straight into it. He yelped and writhed in pain, flopping right onto the sand beside her.

"You fight dirty! I totally had that too!" The girl complained, releasing Izuku from her wrath. A whistle was soon blown as All Might finished analyzing their fighting styles.

"That was good, you two. Young Midoriya, you should focus on making your movements less pronounced. Even if you were able to get past Young Jirou, you still are as easy to read as ever. Be more subtle." All Might started, turning to Kyouka after. "Young Jirou, you did quite well against a strong opponent. I think you should be incorporating your quirk more into your style however, next time try going for surprise attacks."

Both teens nodded and All Might's teaching's and went back to sparring. Izuku had gotten increasingly used to using One For All at 3% and was now working his way up to 5%. It was straining to fight like this, but he was getting more and more acclimated to it as he progressed.

They had been at the beach for quite some time, but training had to be cut early, for the two of them had planned to rest due to the sports festival arriving tomorrow. Today was just for them to run combat drills, and they'd say that it was quite the success.

"Hey, think you can come over today?" Kyouka asked as the two of them walked back to Izuku's home. The two of them had been walking side by side, and Kyouka's parents wouldn't be home until late, so naturally Kyouka wanted to get in some time to cuddle with Izuku.

"I-I might be able to, but my mom said she needed me home for a few. I'll meet up with you in like an hour. I-If that's okay with y-you of course!" The boy replied, waving his hands frantically. Kyouka simply hummed in response and the two continued their walk, eventually splitting apart so that Izuku could both shower, and see what his mother wanted.

"You know he doesn't really like me, Inko… I-I haven't been around for years, a-and suddenly I'm here to support him..? I-I don't know about this.." Izuku heard a masculine voice say. A voice he heard only once before, though he couldn't match the voice with the face as he entered his home.

"Mom! I'm home!" He called, taking his shoes off at the entrance. The voice had gone quiet, and he heard his mother's shuffling footsteps nearing him. Who was that man in their home? His voice was really familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"A-Ah! Izuku, I-I'm glad you're home. S-Someone's here to see you.." Inko infomed, leading her son into the living room where Izuku's father stood, a nervous smile adorning his face. The man was clad in a black suit, he had black, unruly hair and sported Izuku's trademark freckles. He had a bit of stubble on his face and he stood at 5'11, or 180.4cm. He had sharper eyes than Izuku, but had the boy's facial structure.

"H-Hi, Izuku."

To say Izuku was pissed was an understatement. Here stood his father, greeting him in his deep voice that always managed to make the boy feel annoyed.

"Why are you here?" Izuku questioned with an icy tone. He glared at the man who literally sat 6 inches taller than him. His father looked quite fit, yet at the same time he was quite meek and shy just like his mother.

"W-Well, I had heard you were going to be in the Sports Festival, Izuku. I had to come and support my son. You've actually taken the step to be a hero like you've always wanted!" Hisashi exclaimed, still a bit nervous but it seemed he was earnest with what he said.

"So now that I've accomplished something you decide to show up? Not when I needed someone to be a father to me?" Izuku questioned further, balling his fists. Hisashi looked down in shame, he knew this was what was going to happen as soon as he got home.

Inko had begged him to come back at least for this, but he was hesitant. Hisashi knew he wasn't a good father, but he needed to work hard to provide for him and his family.

"I couldn't Izuku, you know that… I have to work." Hisashi stated meekly, a bit of fire seeping out of his mouth. Unlike Izuku's hotheaded friend, his father's flames seemed more prominent in moments of sadness.

"Izuku, stop it! He is your father!" Inko berated, finally intervening between the two of them. "He provides for us, Izuku… I know you don't like the fact that he's never around, but please try to get along with him!"

Izuku sighed, and nodded his head. He couldn't say no to his mother, but he quickly excused himself as he went to take a shower. Inko looked to her husband, they both had the same sad expression on their faces.

After Izuku had finished his shower, Izuku sent a text to Kyouka letting her know that he'd be there shortly. He really needed to escape his father and since they had agreed beforehand this was the perfect opportunity.

Izuku grabbed his guitar, which was in its case and strung it over his back after changing into some casual clothes.

He had decided on a green plaid shirt, a green cardigan over top of that, and black jeans. And let's not forget his trademark red high-tops. His father's red high-tops that were given to him at a young age.

"Oh, Izuku where are you going?" Hisashi questioned as the boy exited his room, guitar case in tow. He knew very well that it was his guitar, though he found it odd that he actually played it.

"Out. My friend invited me over after we were training, so…" Izuku answered, less aggressively than how he had before. "I'll uh… I'll be back for dinner… Dad."

Hisashi smiled at his son, "It's the girl your mom told me about isn't it?" It was honestly quite surprising to find out his son had been changing so much since he last saw him.

He used to call Izuku everyday and he'd tell him all about what happened in his life, but then one day thing's just stopped. Hisashi became busier and busier and he just couldn't contact his family all that often. Perhaps he would look into getting a transfer back to Japan.

"Could be." Izuku said, walking right out of the apartment. He wasn't going to let his dad see him blush like that. Besides it was none of his business anyways.

Definitely none of his business.

Izuku stood outside of Kyouka's home, taking a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. He needed to compose himself before seeing her, he didn't want her knowing that something had happened.

Kyouka had opened the door soon after, standing shyly in a yellow "deep dope" tanktop and black denim shorts. The same outfit that he had bought for her at the mall. Izuku smiled.

"Oh good, you're here. C-Come on in, um… M-My parents aren't home." She informed, letting the boy inside. Izuku blushed and stared at her in shock. Was she insinuating something!?

"I-I was kinda hoping we could s-spend time together, y'know? J-Just us..." The girl admitted, mumbling and looking down as she spoke. Izuku had wanted nothing more than to s[end some much needed time out of his home, and Kyouka was the perfect way to do that.

Izuku, after Kyouka had closed the door to her home, stepped closer to the girl. The two of them were inches apart, and Kyouka was quite startled, yet she dare not move away from him.

Izuku looked exhausted, and somewhat frustrated at the same time. Kyouka became concerned, but couldn't voice it as Izuku abruptly kissed her. His kiss was gentle, yet feverish. It was as if he was telling her that he really needed her in that moment.

Kyouka wasn't having any of that. If something was wrong he was going to tell her whether he liked it or not. She tapped his chest, and slowly pushed the boy away, pulling away from the kiss as she did so.

"What's wrong, Izu..?" She questioned, bringing her hand up to his cheek. The boy looked down, his hair shadowing his eyes. Of course he couldn't hide it from her…

"My dad." Izuku said, surprising the girl. Never had he spoken of his father. "He came back home to see the Sports Festival with my mom… To 'support' me…"

Kyouka looked at the boy confused; wouldn't that be a good thing? Why was he so upset over his father being there?

"Well, what's wrong with that? Do you have issues with your dad?" Kyouka questioned, taking the boy's hand and leading him up to her room so they could talk. Izuku sat down on Kyouka's bed after placing his guitar down. He sighed. This was going to be a long explanation.

"My dad stopped talking to me after I had been diagnosed as quirkless.." Izuku started, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I think my mom told him about it, and then after that he was just gone, using the excuse of 'work' to avoid me."

Kyouka stared at Izuku somberly. He looked pained; this must have been something he's held in for a long time. Kyouka placed a hand on his shoulder, as she sat beside him.

"I-I guess that's why I resent him so much. He must have seen me as nothing but a failure, but now..? I don't know it just feels like he's come back only because I'm succeeding... Like he wants to ride off of my success."

Kyouka enveloped the boy in an embrace, she didn't really know what to say to him. She had never experienced something as messed up as that, abandoning your son and only coming back because of his success? It really seemed cruel.

"You don't need him. It's not like he'll dampen on how well you do, Izu… Besides, maybe he stopped contact for different reasons. You never know…" She said, as the boy hugged her back as tight as he could. It was almost as if he was afraid if he let go she'd leave. Just like his father.

The two of them embraced one another, eventually finding themselves laying down. They had continued to sit there, cuddling in silence as Izuku was deep in thought, and Kyouka was too afraid to say anything.

"You're right." He simply said after a long silence. "I shouldn't let it trample on my success. It's not like I ever needed him there to begin with either… I have my mom, and…"

He paused and turned his head to face Kyouka, smiling as his green eyes locked with hers. "And I have you, Kyo."

Kyouka's heart skipped a beat. Why did Izuku always have to be so sweet!? But it was nice to hear him say he was glad that she was around. It honestly just reiterated the fact thata she liked this dumb forest-haired cutie.

"Idiot…" She mumbled, hiding her face in his chest. Izuku chuckled and brought a hand up to pat her head. He really was lucky to have her in his life, no matter what she might be insecure about. He might even like her more than he led on.

Izuku nudged Kyouka, causing her to face him with her red face as she scowled at him. She quirked a brow at him, but as soon as they locked eyes she realized just how close he was to her. Kyouka closed the distance between them, as her lips met his.

Their kiss deepened as Kyouka ran her hands through Izuku's hair. He reciprocated her acts of affection and rubbed the girl's back slowly as they kissed.

Izuku felt Kyouka sigh blissfully, a big hint to indicate she was enjoying this. He smiled in their kiss, and one of his hands reached up to her face, brushing up against one of her dangling ear jacks.

Kyouka giggled after separating herself from the kiss for air, Izuku joining in soon after though not really knowing why.

"That tickles, y'know…" She stated, rubbing the jack that still lingered with the feeling of contact with the boy. Turns out they were more sensitive than she had originally thought, though that could just be because of Izuku.

"Sorry…" He responded, sitting up. Jirou looked over at the clock and sighed, at most they had an hour before her parents got home. But the Sports Festival was tomorrow, maybe she could finally make things official with Izuku!

"So the Sports Festival's tomorrow…" Izuku said, bringing Kyouka out of her thoughts. It was like he read her mind in that instant. "A-And I promise that I'll win it! I want to make the top spot and impress everyone… To impress you.."

Kyouka laughed at Izuku's seriousness, though she could understand it, it was a bit too soon to get so serious about it. Izuku looked confused and his face went red as the girl laughed at him. What was so funny?

"You can go ahead and try to win." Kyouka said as her laugh subsided, "But know that I'll be aiming for the top too. So don't go trying to impress me when I'm your competition!"

Izuku chuckled and nodded, "Of course. I wouldn't expect any less." He stated, as Kyouka sat in his lap. He wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and they just sat together.

Kyouka began to think about what would happen at the Sports Festival. Izuku had said that if he won he would ask her out officially, did that mean that if he didn't win he wouldn't ask her out? Would that make things take longer?

"Izu, if you aren't the one that places first… Will you still..?" Kyouka trailed off. Izuku had planned to do it either way, but was she worried about it? He glanced down to see her looking at him with concern at his silence.

"I was planning on doing it either way. M-Me winning would've just given me a b-better boost of confidence to d-do it." Izuku answered, scratching the back of his neck. Kyouka tried to hold back her laughter; of course it was a confidence issue with this guy!

Izuku pouted as Kyouka laughed at his awkwardness, she was always one to tease him no matter the circumstances. Though he couldn't help but be entranced by her laugh. That damn laugh.

"So cute…" Izuku mumbled unconsciously as he listened to her laugh with nothing but pure joy expressed on her face. Kyouka's laughter soon died down as she blushed after hearing his mumbling.

"I-I'm not that cute, c'mon now…" She mumbled, feeling a bit insecure now. Izuku always said that she was beautiful, gorgeous, cute, etc. Yet she could never believe it. She had always felt as if she wasn't pretty enough, and here comes a boy who says otherwise and it actually shows that he believes it.

Izuku pouted. He flipped her around so that the two of them were facing one another. She instinctively wrapped her legs around the boy's waist, as he tried to look her in the eyes. She avoided his gaze.

"Kyouka, don't say that. You're gorgeous." He stated, softly. She just shook her head and continued to look away. Izuku exhaled softly.

She then yelped as she felt Izuku place a kiss on her ear. She turned to glare at him, but he was just smiling.

"Got you to look at me. You're adorable, Kyo." Izuku said, making the girl blush heavily as she glared even harder at him. She mumbled a "No fair" as she held a jack to his eye threateningly.

"Well, I've got to get going anyways. Save your threats for tomorrow." Izuku said, standing. Kyouka just clutched onto him like a Koala as he stood; she objected to him leaving.

"Noooo!" She whined, tightly holding onto the boy as he stared amazed at the fact she was essentially hanging off of him. This really just proved his point about her being cute.

"I've got to go, you'll see me tomorrow." He said, placing a quick kiss upon her lips. She finally released the boy and he grabbed his guitar, realizing he basically brought it for nothing. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kyo. Let's do our best, alright?"

Kyouka nodded as she led him back downstairs to the front door. He waved to her as he left and walked his way home.

Tomorrow was soon to arrive.

And that's chapter sixteen, everyone! This chapter's just a bit of fluff before the Sports Festival seeing as I'm still in the middle of writing it.

I also have to tell you guys about there being an Izujirou discord server that I am apart of! Feel free to join and come interact with a few other Izujirou writers! Here's the link: /wXQvzm2

Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I wanted to get something out before I have the Sports Festival as I mentioned and this ended up being a sort of rest day for the two of them, with Izuku's father making an appearance.

Anyways that's all I have to say, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!