Sooooo...About the first date chapter...It's going to be awhile. I hope you guys can cope with that with a little more DRAMA to substitute. It is coming, and I have it written already. Please don't hate me. I had a comment about it lacking some emotional content and that the reveal to Uraraka felt...rushed. I'm pretty sure that person wasn't the only one, but part of the reason for that is because I didn't really plan on making this shipping fic too long.
But anyways, here is the new chapter. And As always, I own none of the original material except this here writing.
If you want to see through how this will, go, follow/favorite and maybe drop some feedback or just simple comments about what you think.
Having cried her eyes out as much as she could, Jirou spent the rest of that day at Izuku's room for a second time (her last "explorations" with the blindfold came to a close just past midnight). Turning on a playlist which softly played a Bill Evans album, they both reflected on the encounter with Uraraka.
Izuku couldn't have felt more at a loss as to his next plan of action. A friend that had been there for him since before day one at UA was now…..distant. Hurt. And he was partially responsible. Now he really was going to have to explain everything, maybe even as early as the next school day.
As Mika had told Jirou, it did not go well. Of course it didn't, she asked Izuku to be her boyfriend without consulting her on the matter, neglecting to tell her being too drunk on happiness. Like the unspoken, colloquially known "Bro Code," what she did was tantamount to treachery of the highest order amongst girls. She had apologized as sincerely as she could for doing so, but the guilt continued to persist like echoes, making her shift around in unease, clicking her jacks together even more frequently than usual.
The couple sat on the bed leaning into each other's backs while intertwining their fingers. For the longest time, the comfort of company contended with the cloud of guilt hanging above them. Outside, however, the sun shone in a cloudless, immaculately azure sky as if to mock them. They remained in silence for the longest time except for when they took turns breathing in and sighing heavily.
Izuku finally broke the silence as he leaned his head back. "Kyoka?"
"Hmm?"
"I know saying this won't do much, but…..you did what you could do for damage control. I mean, your mom….is right. It may not feel like it, and it doesn't yet to me but…."
"Yeah. I know, I know. I'm the one that acted first, yada-yada-yada. I heard you the first time. But it's just….I still feel like shit. Even after learning that Todoroki quoted Kung Fu Panda to give you advice."
"The more you learn, right?" Izuku chuckled softly as he tightened his grip on Jirou's hand. "But I understand how hard it can be. Letting go of the past as something unchangeable. Especially with, you know. People."
"Like with you….and Bakugou." She felt Izuku stiffen through her hand upon hearing that name.
"Yeah. We have a…..rather colorful history, to say the least."
Jirou's lips curved into a smile as she felt his lips on her knuckles for a few seconds. "Gross understatement of the century, nerd boy. I mean….when I first wanted to become a hero, I was in half way through my first year in middle school when I decided my career path. It took me over a year to come out to my parents that I wasn't going to the music industry and I was scared shitless. I broke down crying in front of them."
"They let you do what you wanted to though. Or else you wouldn't be here."
"Mm. I was so relieved, but I felt so stupid that I worried so much about it. They told me I could do what I like, just like they do what they do because they like doing it; that it wasn't their place to judge me for doing the same. I liked the idea of doing it, it looked cool, and I wanted to be good at it. That's all I really had and according to them all I needed. For the beginning, at least."
"Sounds like you have great, open-minded parents. As expected from a family of artists."
"Shut up." Kyoka lightly elbowed him in the side, but kissed Izuku's scarred knuckles immediately after that as she subtly glowed with pride. "That was my dad. My mom said that music and hero work share the same principle in terms that you think hard about what you can bring to people with what you do."
"Wow. That is…..that's very deep. I actually might want to meet your parents."
"Oh no. Nuh-uh. No you are not. No. They are not going to lay eyes on you until at least a month later."
"I didn't mean this weekend. But I'm starting to think that your parent's words applies to relationships as well."
"How so?"
"Well, you think about what you can do for the other person and what you can give them. Not just what the other person wants, but something they want that they didn't even realize until they receive it. And whatever that is, however the relationship happens, you can't be afraid of how other people will judge you for it. If you're happy, that's all you need."
"I see your point, but that sounds super egotistical."
"I beg to differ. If you like someone, and I mean, really, really like someone, to the point where you wanna marry them or something, it's….you're basically entrusting that person with your entire being, which is arguably more than just your life. You show them everything. Your weaknesses, insecurities, shortcomings, attitude on a bad day, everything. Then they do the same to you and you accept each other, including the imperfections. It's the highest degree of trust you can give, so it's anything but selfish in my opinion."
"…..Ugh. Alright, fine. You win." Jirou muttered as she blew her bangs out of her face. "Damn your rhetoric and analytical skills."
"For rhetoric, I have you to thank. I barely stutter from being nervous anymore, so thank you for changing me for the better. As for analysis, it's what I do." Izuku peppered her knuckles with a couple more kisses.
Jirou squirmed as tingles ran up her arm and into her neck. "Hey, turn around?"
"Sure." They faced each other and instinctively leaned in for a kiss. It was not anything like they traded on the night of their confession, where passions had reached a smoldering apex but rather a tender, slow burn. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Izuku's thumb stroked her collarbone, which made her hum and pull him in closer by his hair. Jirou's other hand sneaked its way underneath his shirt, caressing his chiseled abs and eventually his back with feathery touches of her fingertips. He returned the favor but his hand traveled southward, massaging her curves gently which caused her to gasp, raking her nails along his shoulder blade. With a hiss, Izuku's body stiffened at the sudden flash of pain as his grip on her backside strengthened.
"Sorry," Izuku gasped as he peeled his lips away from her. "Need to…..dial it down. I still love you though."
"Right, yeah…." She panted hoarsely, "and I love me as well." Izuku snorted as he rolled his eyes. "I'm kidding, geez. I love you too, nerd boy." Sitting cross-legged, Jirou motioned him to lie down and rest his head on her legs. He complied, staring at her face turned upside down as she played with his hair. "Is your shoulder okay? Sorry about that."
"I'll be fine." Izuku growled quietly in his throat in comfort. "This….is new. It's comfy though."
"I'm doing it, so it better be." She retorted in a mock-indignant tone before kissing him lightly on the forehead.
"Kyoka, can you…do me a favor?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to hear you sing."
Jirou felt her cheeks grow warm upon hearing those words. Her hands instinctively reached for the jacks which she began clicking together. "Um….okay. Yeah, sure. Do you have any particular requests?"
"No. Just…..something. Anything at all that comes to your mind."
"Alright, here goes." Gathering her thoughts on all the song lyrics that she knew by heart, she sifted through them and began going through them, one by one, Izuku joining in every now and then. They had no instrument to play along with, but that was of little consequence. For him, hearing Jirou sing was more than enough to almost lull him to sleep.
By the time they ran out of songs, it was almost midnight. Feeling a slight rumble in his stomach, Izuku sat up. "You up for a snack?"
"Sure." They stepped out of the room and carefully closed the door, only to come into full view of Tokoyami who was holding a large platter of apple pie that was half finished.
"Late night gorging?" He asked without so much as batting an eye.
"More a snack than anything, but yeah. Did you actually eat half of that?"
"A quarter. The other quarter Dark Shadow partook. It was quite refreshing, and the cinnamon was….bracing. Thank you, Jirou."
She simply shrugged. "Hey, deal's a deal, right? Glad you like it."
"Would you two like a slice?"
"Wait…I got you that as a return for the favor I asked you and you're giving some of that to us? Doesn't that kinda defeat the purpose?"
"I am well aware. But now that Dark Shadow's craving has been satisfied, at least temporarily, I won't have to eat more of this. Don't misunderstand, the taste is unmistakably exquisite. However, that being said, even if it is stored in a fridge, I am not confident that I will be able to finish all of this before it goes bad. Hence the offer."
"Umm…." Izuku and Jirou looked at each other and shrugged simultaneously. "I don't see why not," they said in unison.
"Perfect," Tokoyami uttered quietly as the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "It came with several paper plates. Give me a moment." Disappearing behind his door, he reemerged from his near pitch black room lit by eerie purple lights with two paper plates, a slice of apple pie and a plastic fork resting on each of them.
"Awesome. Thanks."
"You are very welcome. And while it may be none of my business, as someone that was involved in….well, that matter, I would like to offer a candid opinion. If you'd like to lend an ear, that is"
"Sure. But could we….not do this in the hallway then?" As they accepted the plates, the couple followed Tokoyami who wordlessly motioned them to enter before closing the door.
"I personally think…..you botched it. Utterly."
"How so?" Izuku asked slowly after a pause.
"The fact that you had people other than yourselves present." Tokoyami slowly exhaled as he sat down in his chair. "Yaoyorozu is a good friend of yours, Jirou, and Todoroki has gotten close to Midoriya. I am…well, I would like to consider myself your friend as well, but I am not on the level of Todoroki, which puts me on neutral ground at best in terms of partiality to you or Uraraka. And at least in Uraraka's mind, you were undoubtedly on her side, Midoriya. You and only you, and I mean that in every sense of the word. Bringing everyone else is equivalent to bringing a firing squad to a peace summit."
"I….I didn't….mean it that way. I was….I was still scared."
"I am not blaming you or anyone. Like I said, this is a candid opinion and nothing more. But be that as it may, the intervention of third parties partial to either one of you led to passive aggressively strong-arming Uraraka to accept this…peace treaty."
"Which is why she lashed out." Izuku slapped himself in the face. "God, I'm such an idiot."
"So…I go to her at some point again at this week, and I do this one on one. That'll solve this. Right?" Jirou stared at Tokoyami with an expectant look.
"If the steps had been taken the other way round, then yes, perhaps. But….I am afraid it will not be so easy now. I would give it another few days before you attempt to engage her. Perhaps ask a friend mutual to the three of you that has no stake in this predicament you are in, relatively equivalent in closeness if not more partial to Uraraka?"
"Mutual friend…." Jirou began pondering but Izuku cut her thinking short in a matter of seconds.
"Asui. That's the only person I can think of that says what's on their mind all the time, no matter who it is, without offending anyone. For the most part. We could go to her tomorrow."
"Alright. Sounds like a plan."
"You see? This is why it pays to have a tactician on board."
"Thanks. We definitely needed that advice." Jirou said as she gave the bird-headed teen a hearty smack on the back. "Oh, and I'll make sure to put a good word in her ear about you."
Tokoyami's face contorted itself into a look of utter perplexity as he turned to her. "I….have no idea why the thought of doing such a thing would cross your mind."
"Oh, c'mon, you two got past Ectoplasm during exams! You're a reliable guy."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I would appreciate it even more if you didn't interfere with my social circle, thank you very much."
"Alright, alright. It was just a thought."
"But seriously, thank you so much, Tokoyami. For the pie and….for this."
Tokoyami merely nodded and lightly motioned them to leave so he can sleep. As he heard the door close, he let out a deep sigh and flopped onto the bed. "Oh, the things I do for friendship….."
"It's what we do, man." Dark Shadow chided.
"Shut up."
"Guess this means our date plan needs to be put on hold….." Izuku sighed as he took a bite out of the apple pie at his desk, which was surprisingly tasty, especially with the aftertaste of cinnamon.
"Only until we fix this." Jirou squeezed her boyfriend's shoulder reassuringly as she took a gander at his pouty face which she had never seen until now. It reminded her of a grumpy, fluffy cat, making him seem all the more adorable. "We'll figure it out, okay? Look, I wanna go on this date as badly as you do. You're the smart guy here, an idea will come to us eventually. I mean, you didn't even have to think to pull Tsu's name out of the hat."
"So smart that I neglected to think of the simplest approach of just going to her with you and nobody else. Instead I went for the needlessly elaborate which blew up in our faces. On top of that, we needed someone to point it out." Cramming what was left of the pie on the plate in his mouth, Izuku swallowed, barely chewing a dozen times. "I mean, I appreciate the fact you have confidence in my strategy making but I honestly feel like I'm about to tread through the minefield of the Sports Festival. With live mines. And other booby-traps."
"Good times. You literally went flying and rolling before you finished the run to first place, from what I heard."
"Oh. Yeah, I…wasn't really thinking in a way that Mr. Aizawa would call rational in those moments. Just….the fastest way to get ahead everyone. And I was given ten million reasons to regret my decision."
"Hey, it worked. And for tomorrow….I'll…I'll go talk to Tsu, give her the details."
"You don't want me to go with you?"
"Yes and no. Having you around is…..comforting, but I just feel bad making you do all the brainwork. We'll sort this out together, but only after I talk to her. So just….don't do anything until then, okay?"
"Sure."
"And….as much as it pains me to say this….we really should work hard to dial back our, you know, intimacy….to a minimum. At least until this is done." The mere utterance of those words made Jirou wince slightly as her heart ached a little.
"I understand. Let's think of it as avoiding instant gratification and we let it build up."
"So, an experiment?"
"Kinda, yeah."
"Alright. Let's do it. Oh, but before I go, can I ask you a favor?"
"What?"
"Can I….borrow your hoodie? The one that's hanging on your chair?"
"…..Do I want to know what for, exactly?" He asked, folding it up and cautiously holding it out towards her.
"Just shut up and gimme the hoodie, nerd boy!" Snatching the olive drab hoodie from Izuku, Jirou left after a fierce kiss.
Izuku patiently waited in his room as he began his set of calisthenics for the day until his phone rang about ten minutes before noon. "Hello?"
"Ribbit, Midoriya, it's me."
"So…you know what happened?"
"Ochako didn't leave her room for dinner last night and there was no answer when I knocked on her door at night or this morning, so I assumed as much."
"I'm sorry that we had to rope you into this. I'm really scared I might be making things worse, honestly."
"I'm actually glad you came to me. And well, Tokoyami isn't exactly known for poor judgement――"
"――Unlike the Grapist!" Jirou interjected with a snicker over her shoulder.
"But honestly, I don't think I or anyone else should intervene. You already had people there the first time and it didn't go well. Although on a smaller scale, you're trying to do the same thing as last time. You do know Einstein's quote about madness, right?"
"Right. So what you're saying is we need a different approach. Got it."
"I know you didn't exactly get off on the right foot, but regardless, congratulations to both of you."
"Thank you, Asui."
"Call me Tsu. Ribbit."
"Right. Tsu. Again, thank you so much."
"You're welcome."
Ending the call, the gears in Izuku's mind began whirring and grinding furiously as he wondered how he and Jirou were going to do this. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, think. Think. Best way of approach….definitely not casually, definitely not in the open. After class? No, too many eyes then. Right after getting back to the dorms? Yeah….probably the better alternative…" Taking a piece of scrap paper, he began scribbling down some thoughts on it, crossing some lines out and replacing them while his other hand fished another piece of scrap paper out of the trashcan.
"Tsu, are you really sure about this?"
"A little late to back out now, don't you think? You were the one that asked in the first place and the proverbial ball is in your court now, ribbit."
"I know. I just….feel guilty for not letting Izuku in on this. And having you help in cleaning up our mess."
"I want all you to be happy…..which is easier said than done, but I do. As for Midoriya….Well, he's smart, but he tends to get….a little too involved in things from what I can tell in the months I've spent at UA getting to know him. Plus, statistically speaking his go-to approach is the path of least resistance or even a passive one. The direct path isn't something he goes for often unless that's the option or it's an emergency. Let's see what a girl's touch can accomplish. I will agree to talk to her and I won't tell Ochako you came to me, but promise me one thing."
"Name it."
"Don't ask what I discuss with her."
"Yeah. Of course."