When Mina woke up, she was vaguely aware of the hushed argument that was going on just a few feet from where she was laying, though she didn't quite know where she even was. The bed - at least, she assumed it was a bed - was firm, yet comfortable enough to allow a wave of drowsiness to wash over her, while the smell of antiseptics faintly hung in the air, causing her to scrunch up her nose as the bitter smell wafted around her.

"... you're too stubborn, Toshinori! Be gone, unless you want the girl to see this form!

There was the sound of someone sucking air through their teeth before silence, and then a resigned sighed after a moment of silent contemplation. "Okay. Let me know if her family needs anything."

"Of course." Mina recognized the second voice as Recovery Girl, not that she was very familiar with the elderly nurse as say, Midoriya. Her voice was much softer this time, lacking the challenging edge it had before. "She's fine, I tell you. Just a minor laceration to her scalp, and I already fixed that up manually. Once she's awake, I'll have her out of here in no time."

The voice seemed satisfied with the nurse's explanation, and after a moment, there was a soft click as the door closed, signaling at least one person's departure. Mina debated between opening her eyes and keeping them closed for at least a few more minutes - she didn't want to come across as suspicious.

Plus, she hadn't even really reflected on anything yet.

The flood of information came rushing back as Mina laid in the bed, various words making her stomach lurch as she recalled the overwhelming amount of information she'd overheard. To be honest, even though she knew she had heard it, part of her wondered if it had just been a weird dream. After all... she couldn't imagine half of it being true! It was just... too far-fetched! Like a fantasy tale, straight from a manga or something.

A loud rumble from her stomach forced her to give up on her possum act, drawing her hands to the protesting organ and eliciting a faint groan to escape her lips. At this, Ashido decided to peek her eye open, and came nearly face-to-face with the elderly looking nurse, drawing a sharp, surprised yelp from the pink-skinned girl. Since she was unable to back up, she simply scooted up the bed as high as she could.

"Ah, you're awake. Good, good, how do you feel?"

Mina blinked. "Ah, good. What happened?"

"You fainted; thankfully, you were found pretty fast when you hit the ground. You only had a little cut on your head, which I glued shut. Now that you're awake, I can heal you properly." Recovery Girl then held out her hand, and with a granny-like smile, she opened it to reveal several little gummy-snacks. "Gummy?"

Without hesitation, Mina snatched the little snacks and stuffed them into her mouth, cherishing the taste, even if it wasn't much. Recovery Girl smiled good-naturedly, and repositioned her chair so that she was above Mina's head, before parting the unkempt curls of her pink hair, and taking a peek at the wound.

"Good, it looks very good. You shouldn't feel that tired, but you might feel a little light-headed, so take it easy, okay?" Before Mina had a chance to respond, she felt something mildly damp press into her head, and suddenly, it felt like she'd just binge-watched an entire movie series overnight, as her eyes drooped and a yawn forced its way from her lips.

She was vaguely aware of Recovery Girl lowering her chair so that she was back on eye-level, and she hopped off the chair, with her cane in hand, before walking over to a mini-fridge. She opened it and clattered around, before coming free with a small plate with what looked to be chilled okra... one of Mina's favorite foods. The fatigue she felt seemed to ebb away at the prospect of real enticing food, and her stomach grumbled in response to simply seeing her favorite food.

"Where did that come from?"

Recovery Girl smiled. "Izuku Midoriya is the one who found you. Needless to say, that erratic boy was worried senseless about seeing you out cold, so after we contacted your parents, he requested that I ask them your favorite food. I didn't pry too much, poor lad was practically short-circuiting just at asking in the first place."

It was slightly unexpected; after all, the interactions between her and Izuku were... slim, at best. Sure, she thought his fight against Todoroki was awesome (if not a little scary), and his dodging in his first fight against Bakugou had been pretty impressive (she appreciated the little things), but other than that, they hadn't personally interacted. At least, she didn't think they had. Maybe, in his mind, they did?

But even then, he was a nervous wreck at least 9 out of 10 times. For him to get her food...

Despite herself, a very faint blush crossed her face, spreading across her cheeks and warming her face. Had there been any particular reason he decided to do something like that? It was rather... bold, at least, for someone like him. It would've even been a little odd - if, of course, it hadn't been him. But she knew he was as sweet as he was innocent.

"You should eat while I reach out to your parents, again." Recovery Girl then placed the food in front of Mina, and gestured toward it. "Go on, eat!"

The acid-user wasted no time, ravenously digging into her food, whilst still trying to maintain as much dignity as she could. She didn't quite recognize the taste of any particular restaurant, so she decided he must have contacted either a local place, or a place he knew about from personal experience. He didn't quite seem like the type of person to have a close connection to any food joints, though, so she was leaning more toward a random, but local stop.

As she ate - and Recovery Girl spoke to her parents - Mina took a moment to consider what her next course of action should be. Ordinarily, she would just go with whatever felt right, and let the consequences occur as they were meant to - but in this particular instance, she wasn't quite sure if that was a good idea, considering the sensitivity of the information. Midoriya, for lack of a better term, was completely in the dark about her knowledge... and, for that matter, she wasn't exactly sure how much she really knew.

Was All Might the man she'd heard talking? It made sense, theoretically, but... any semblance of sense had already been thrown out the window. She wasn't sure how far logic would get her in this case.

Furthermore, how did she even convene that she knew? It was clear as crystal that All Might - assuming it was All Might, since she had no other leads to go from - didn't want anyone knowing, considering she'd never even known of a transferable quirk. In fact, she wasn't really sure if he'd ever told the press about his quirk. He usually averted the question with a well-timed laugh. It hadn't really resonated with her in the past because she'd never been that enthralled by his quirk - she just thought he was awesome, and that was all there was to it.

But since he might have had a quirk he could pass on, and he might have given it to Midoriya, she wasn't sure how to just... bring it up. And she did have to bring it up. She couldn't just sit on that knowledge - the guilt would eat her alive. Hell, it was already eating her alive!

"... very well, thank you for your patience. I'll ask her now." With a blink, Mina realized that Recovery Girl had set the phone to the side, and peered over in her direction. "Do you feel well enough to take the train home?"

"H-huh? Oh! Yeah!" She casually waved her hand. "I feel great! No problem!"

The elderly nurse gazed at her for a stern moment, but relented, and went back to the call. "She insists she's okay. I... yes, I believe she is well enough to walk to the station. Even so, she has a friend here who wouldn't mind walking with her."

Mina's attention perked. A visitor?

"Mhm. Okay, I'll send her home now; let me know if you have any questions, okay? Have a good evening, Mr. Ashido." With a click, the phone was back in the holster, and Recovery Girl seemed pleased with the exchange. Mina, however, couldn't contain her curiosity, and blurted the question on her mind before she could even consider what she was doing.

"Who's here?"

With a sly smile, Recovery Girl removed the now empty tray from the bed, and gestured out the door. "I think you know."

Standing up, Mina ignored the sudden black dots that danced across her vision, as well as the sudden lightheadedness that descended upon her skull, drawing her hand to her temple in a feeble attempt to ward off the disorienting feeling. Recovery Girl simply supported her leg with one hand, and the feeling began to fade as she became adjusted to standing. The duo walked toward the door - Mina a bit more wobbly than she'd care to admit - and opened it, revealing one green-haired teenager sitting on the chair, his notebook in his lap as he furiously scribbled away.

As if realizing he was being watched, he slowly looked up, and turned red, stuffing the notebook back into his backpack with haste and an embarrassed expression. "A-ah, s-sorry! I was a b-bit distracted!"

"Midoriya? What are you doing here?" Ashido asked, trying to keep the surprise from her voice. He rubbed the back of his head, a faint red blush still splashed across his freckled cheeks.

"W-well, I couldn't just leave you? S-so, I decided to s-stay until you were okay." He then became a bit more conscious of his decision, as if saying it aloud changed its impact. "U-unless you didn't want me to stay! T-then I'm sorry!"

Mina had to stifle a giggle. Really, he was worried about the simplest of things. "It's fine, Midoriya. I really appreciate it."

He smiled awkwardly, before hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders and prepping himself to leave. By his feet, Mina recognized her own bag, and graciously accepted it from him with a wide smile. "Wow, did you do my homework, too?"

"W-what? No, I-"

"I'm kidding, jeez!" Ashido said with a light-hearted laugh. She hadn't really known what she was expecting, but so far, she was pleasantly surprised in talking to him. His reactions were just a bit too amusing for her. "But it would've been a nice gesture..."

He frowned. "I-I mean... I g-guess I..."

"Kidding, dude!" Recognizing Recovery Girl was patiently waiting, Mina suddenly realized they were probably just intruding at this point, so she eagerly began to step down the hall, grabbing Midoriya's arm and pulling him forward in a protesting mess. "C'mon, let's get to the station before tomorrow, hmm?"

"Be careful, young lady! I don't want to see you become a regular - I already have enough of those!" Midoriya seemed to shrink under the nurse's stern gaze, but offered her a timid wave, which she returned with amusement.

Mina whistled lowly. "I think she might have it out for you."

"Y-you... might be right..." Izuku sighed.

The two traversed through the now-empty halls of U.A., the fading sunlight casting a deep golden glow upon the lockers and empty classrooms, seemingly aging the building by several years. It hadn't even occurred to Mina to ask how long she'd been out for, but judging by the sun's position, it hadn't been more than an hour.

"O-oh! I forgot! Present Mic said not to worry about meeting him... he didn't really go into specifics, but he asked me to let you know!"

Mina sighed contently; it was just one more crisis averted, it seemed. Admittedly, she'd pretty much all-but-forgotten about the small conference he had called her for, especially with everything that had been on her mind. Her little fainting spell had only made things a little more complicated.

And now, walking with Midoriya, the thoughts came slowly drifting back. All the unanswered questions that sat heavily on her mind, just begging to be asked. She could feel the temptation biting at her tongue, but she did all she could to squash the feeling - it hadn't even been a day yet! She couldn't cave that fast!

When they turned onto the sidewalk that would lead them straight to the station, she snuck a peek over at her companion. His uniform, ever immaculate and well-kept, seemed a bit loose on his body - something she hadn't quite noticed before. Because of that, he appeared smaller than he really was, the sleeves rolling over his wrists and almost extending past his knuckles. They hung on his shoulders almost loosely, but somehow, it still fit somewhat well around that part of him, at least.

His pants were no better, and almost rolled under his shoe with each step he took, and she found herself being reminded of how young he really was. He was only... what, 15? 16? Too young to have a life-threatening destiny weighing upon his shoulders.

But, somehow... he looked at peace. His emerald eyes - vibrant, lively and warm - seemed to glisten in the glowing sunset, shimmering with a jovial tint that just screamed out, 'I'm happy!'. Maybe it was because of his usual timid visage, but the way he was now, he seemed much... nicer to look at. Not that she believed he wasn't before, but the relaxation that had settled over his freckled face gave him a much happier expression, and really brought out that infectious innocence that only he could have. She might have dared to call him plain-looking on any other day. But right now... he looked... cute.

She almost tripped over her feet.

Cute?

Where in the world had that come from?

"A-Ashido?" Mina became aware of her staring, and quickly averted her gaze, trying to avoid any heat coming to her face. She almost cursed - she wasn't this easily embarrassed! So why had she blushed so much? "A-are you okay?"

"Yep, I'm great! I got a new walking-buddy; I couldn't be better!" She wasn't lying, either. Truthfully, she wasn't really sure what she thought or felt. She was conflicted. This whole ordeal was giving her one massive migraine. She didn't want to lie to him, but it was clear that she couldn't be honest - at least, not yet. There was a time and place for that.

As she took another peek at him, catching the poorly masked concern that highlighted his face, she realized that he knew exactly what she was going through. He was an honest kid - at least, from what she'd seen of him. He was very straight-forward and truthful, and whatever bad bones were made of, he obviously lacked in spades. He was everything that exemplified a hero. Everyone in Class 1-A would attest to that.

But it was because of that fact, which made her realize the truly difficult position he was in. This whole time - likely, since before starting U.A. in the first place - he was having to lie and hide things about himself, in order to protect a secret that was significantly more ancient that Ashido had thought possible. The uncomfortable look that constantly settled on his face whenever someone would bring up his quirk was a testament to the gnawing guilt he was probably feeling, and suddenly, she felt bad for letting everyone hound him, even though she'd had no idea. All those times someone had called his quirk similar to All Might's...

If the situation had been a little lighter, she might have snorted. Her classmates were hitting the nail right on the head, and they didn't even know it.

"A-Alright..." Midoriya trailed off awkwardly, unable to come up with anything else to say. Their walk had been rather uneventful in words, but for both teens, it was an accommodation process. Mina's infectious energy and jovial mood were reasons people got along with her, but with her mind plunged so deep in thought, she was having a difficult time being the chatter-box she usually was. "D-do you come this way often?"

Ashido was surprised; Midoriya was actually trying to instigate a conversation... willingly? She smiled widely, shaking off her surprise. "Yeah! Well, sometimes I go out with a few of our classmates, but this is where I always end up at the end of the day!"

Midoriya nodded with a small smile, accepting the answer, and the duo settled back into a more comfortable silence.

"Hey, Midoriya?" The green-haired boy looked over at her. "How'd you know what food to get me?"

The quirk-inheritor blushed a deep red, and stopped walked, flailing his arms widely in a frantic attempt to ward off any possible projectiles? Mina wasn't really sure, she just giggled and stopped with him, folding her arms behind her head and jostling her unruly hair. "W-w-well, I-" He groaned, unable to compose himself enough for an answer - which, internally amused the pink girl.

He sighed. "I, uh, I-I asked Recovery Girl... w-when she was on the phone with your p-parents." He didn't make eye-contact with her, probably from the fear etched into his features, instead, opting to look around their surroundings and find interest in pretty much anything that wasn't her gaze. She didn't take offense though - she knew his habits. At least, kind of. "I-I know you didn't eat at lunch... y-you looked r-really busy."

Mina's eyebrow raised. "Oh~ spying on me?"

"W-WHAT?! N-n-no! I...!" He trailed off as he heard a giggle escape from her mouth, and he dragged his eyes over to her form. She couldn't keep the amusement from her expression - he was just too fun to tease! "I-Iida was making a scene about it... I think he t-thought you were copying homework, or something..."

That made sense. She hadn't even thought about Iida and his helicopter-like tendencies when it came to abiding by the rules. Kaminari was supposed to be her lookout, but as the tales of the tape went, he had also forgotten to do his homework, so he had been right alongside her, frantically scribbling down everything he could. They'd been too caught up in their race that they hadn't even stopped to consider if Iida had noticed.

But then... why hadn't he come over?

As if sensing her confusion, Midoriya weakly smiled and rubbed his upper arm, near the bicep. "Mineta ended up drawing his ire first, though."

"I guess that little slime-ball is good for something," Mina mumbled. She wouldn't ever say it aloud, but for once in her life, she was actually thankful for the purple-haired leech's frustrating antics. As long, of course, as they weren't directed at her or her friends. She turned her attention back to Midoriya, and resumed walking in pace with her. "But that doesn't explain why you got me the food."

"O-oh, w-well... I figured... y-you could use it. Missing lunch for class isn't really fair, a-and I know how Recovery Girl's quirk works, so..." Midoriya smiled bashfully, eliciting a laugh from the acid-wielding teen.

Desperate to show her thanks, she scooted a step closer to Midoriya - their shoulder were practically touching at this point - and leaned her head in, nearly poking him with her horns, forcing him to move his neck a bit to avoid the dull ends. She giggled at his flustered reaction, and thanked him, which he awkwardly waved off, before she reverted back to her regular spot. She hadn't thought much of the close contact, but judging by the splash of red that stubbornly lingered on his cheeks, it was clear he was a bit more impacted than she was. It only made her want to do it more.

Before it's too late...

Despite her forward steps, her brain stopped working.

... What?!

WHERE had that come from?

It was one thing to absentmindedly think of Midoriya as cute - with his child-like innocence, emotional emerald eyes and perky smile, he was one of the cuter guys in 1-A - but that thought was significantly off-rail from her usual thoughts. It was terrifying!

But... was it wrong?

"Of course it's wrong..." she muttered, shaking her head to try and rid herself of the thought. She realized she'd spoken aloud and quickly turned to Midoriya to explain herself, only to find that he was staring at the screen of his phone, none-the-wiser. She sighed thankfully, and pushed the ominous thoughts into the furtherest, most isolated corner she could find in her brain. She'd be visiting them later, no doubt, but for now, she refused to acknowledge them. Midoriya wasn't dead.

'He isn't going to die.'

Her mental scolding was put on pause as the duo arrived at the station, a fork in the paths in front of them. Izuku glanced at her, uncertainty on his face, and scratched at his cheek, his trademark awkward smile on his face. "W-well... we're here?"

"I can see that," Ashido teased lightly. Her smile faded as she realized this was the end of their little walk. While she was happy to almost be home... she felt a little sad that their time had come to such an abrupt ending. They hadn't interacted a whole lot, but just his presence was enjoyable - and once she figured out what to do, she wouldn't mind spending more one-on-one time with him, teasing and joking with him. "I suppose you go that way?" she asked, pointing to the path on the right.

He nodded. "Y-yeah." He looked toward her path - which, although went unspoken, it was clear she went to the left - and a flash of indecisiveness rolled across his face. "I-I can walk with you... i-if that's okay?"

Ashido blinked; did he not want to leave yet?

She smiled merrily. "Of course!"

It was a feeble attempt at delaying the inevitable; but, she was glad that he offered. They began walking toward Mina's stop, passing by groups of people, completely enthralled by their lives that they didn't pay the duo any attention. Mina was quietly glad- she'd been stopped for her autograph a few times upon coming to the station, and while she never minded, she wasn't sure how Izuku would react.

"So, are we going to hang out, or are you going to pretend this never happened?" Mina asked casually, although a teasing ring hung in her tone, drawing a smile from Midoriya.

"I wouldn't mind h-hanging out," he replied. "B-but... maybe not only because you fainted..."

"Was that a joke?" Mina laughed. "I almost thought it was impossible!"

"I-I can joke!" Izuku protested weakly, but sighed as she quirked an eyebrow in doubt. "I... I'm just not good at it."

She slapped him gently on the back. "If you put as much work into that as you do everything else, you'll be a pro in no time!" She then came a stop in front of her usual train stop, and sighed dejectedly. "Well... this is it."

"Yeah..." A frown touched his lips. "T-that's okay - there's always tomorrow, right?"

Mina perked up; there was always tomorrow. It wasn't like she'd never see him again... maybe, next time...

"You're right," she said, a smile reappearing. "Just don't break yourself before then, okay?"

Before he had a chance to respond, a sudden urge to hug him overtook her, and before she knew it, she'd draped her arms around his body and tugged him close, her head resting on his collarbone as she breathed in his scent. She couldn't pinpoint what it was - cinnamon? - but it filled her nostrils, and she felt her overworked brain settle as she drank it in. He was stiff under her grip, but after a moment or two, she smiled as a pair of arms wrapped around her back and gently returned her squeeze.

She smirked; his hands were significantly higher than they needed to be, and she suspected that was due, in part, to one purple-haired leech.

The release was not mutual - not at all - but it was needed as Mina's train came screeching into the station. The pink girl cheerily waved to her new green-haired friend as she boarded, flashing him a wink and a bright grin. "See you tomorrow, Midoriya!"

"B-bye, Ashido!"

Once the doors were closed, the train was moving, and she was resting against the wall, she sighed heavily, letting her eyes close as a tidal wave of thoughts rushed over her.

He was sweet. He was kind. He was... she stopped to think about it.

He was a hero.

It was accurate, although, not quite the description she was looking for. She had felt the gentle flutter of her heart as she'd hugged him - it was part of the reason she'd been so compelled to do so - but she hadn't taken time to consider what she thought about him. That had been the first time she'd extensively talked to him. She'd thoroughly enjoyed it, of course, but she hadn't spent nearly enough time with him to develop any sort of feelings - right?

Besides...

Subconsciously, she clenched her fist.

She still had a lot to think about.

The ride home was as uneventful as possible - not that Mina had even noticed. She'd been submerged in her own thoughts, desperately trying to stay afloat in the rising waters, despite her insistence that she'd just think about things later. No matter what she tried - apps on her phone, texting classmates, even staring out the window - her thoughts just kept drifting back to Midoriya and All Might. And why wouldn't they?

She still had no leads on her next move.

Her short walk to her house was marked by a slow gait as she endlessly mulled over the information she'd taken in, for what seemed like the twentieth time. By the time she'd opened her door, she was practically seething with anger, still unable to come up with the proper course of action. She nearly slammed the door as she closed it - really, it couldn't be this hard, could it?

"Gah..." She tossed her shoes off at the door, not caring about how they landed on the mat. "What the hell...?"

With a growl, she began marching toward the bathroom - maybe a steaming hot shower would help her think?

Just as she passed the kitchen, she caught an eyeful of tan, along with a passing comment. "You seemed stressed."

She paused. Was she stressed?

"Yeah, I..." Hesitation clouded her throat, forcing the words back down before she'd had a chance to speak. "... have a lot on my mind."

From the kitchen emerged a man that looked nothing like Mina. He was wearing a plain white dress shirt - likely because he'd only recently gotten home - and his basic black dress pants that Mina had practically associated with his figure. Really, she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him in anything else; not that she was mad, or anything. She understood - in order to provide for their family, he had to work. Plus, he was a caring man who'd given her all the time he could, and she loved him for that.

Her father's frown was far from stern - meaning, he understood it wasn't a trivial topic. A gentle smile touched her lips; as busy as he was, he just... understood. He could be away from home for a month, and when it came back, it was like he was never gone in the first place. "You can always talk to your old man."

"You're not old, dad," Mina stressed lightly. Whereas Mina and her mother enjoyed teasing and joking about others, Mina's dad was a little different in the sense that he enjoyed joking about himself. "I don't even see a gray hair."

"Then you're not looking hard enough," he responded, running a hand through his hair. His horns peeked through the auburn locks, one of the only distinguishing features that led people to see the family resemblance. Mina didn't mind - he was her father, regardless of what everyone looked like. "So out with it."

When Mina hesitated, his concern only grew as his frown deepened ever-so-slightly.

It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him - because, of course she wanted to. It was just the same problem she'd been having up until this point.

She didn't know what to do.

"Would you like some tea?" He asked softly, drawing her back from her thoughts. Tea sounded... good. Calming.

She smiled graciously. "Yes, please."

Despite his concern, he smiled back and walked into the kitchen, fetching some water. Mina walked over to the dining table, and pulled out a chair, practically throwing herself into it as the day's fatigue began to catch up to her. While the meal had provided her with some energy, she could still feel the lingering effects of Recovery Girl's amazing quirk. And... with that...

A gentle lilac blush tinged her cheeks as she thought back to the source of that food.

"So," Her father began not-so-subtly, patiently standing by, waiting for the water to boil. It was a stark difference between the two Ashido's - Mina's patience was thin, whilst Hiroma Ashido was a much gentler, kinder and patient man. For as large as he was (and, really, he was gigantic), he was surprisingly soft as a person, which could contradict the look he had going for himself. Horns that could grow fairly large, and such an imposing figure... he could be scary-looking, as far as dads went. "Maybe we could talk about something else..." Mina suddenly had a very rough idea about where the conversation was heading. "... like, what happened today?"

She almost wanted to laugh - he had no idea how much of a failure that conversation switcher had been. His intension was nice, but he also had no idea how similar those two topics were.

Still; she'd indulge him. As much as she could. "Just, y'know, school-stuff. Heroics. All that jazz."

"And you fainted because... you wanted to test yourself?"

"It was... an accident?"

"Oh, good," Hiroma said casually. A small stream of steam called him back over to the tea, drawing him to remove the kettle begin pouring the scalding water into a cup, along with some leaves. Mina silently hoped she could find some sugar - she hated bitter tasting things... maybe it had something to do with her quirk, but her sweet tooth was insane. "I was worried you were trying to do it on purpose."

Mina accepted the offered tea from her father with a wide smile and slight bow of her head. "Very funny. I... I didn't mean to. I guess I was..."

This was it. How would she proceed forward?

"I-I was a little hungry." Coward. "I was distracted at lunch."

Hiroma didn't even notice the hesitation - or if he did, he didn't give any indication he did. "That would explain why the school nurse was asking for your favorite meals."

"Actually, that was a classmate of mine," Mina said. Midoriya might not admit it to anyone, knowing how humble and quiet he could be, but she wasn't going to let him go without credit. Especially because when it came to brownie points, you could never have too many. The more her parents liked her friends, the more they'd let her hang out with them. "He was just looking out for me."

"Oh," Hiroma said with a glint in his eye. "I see."

Mina rolled her eyes. She knew her father was joking, but that didn't mean she would play into his joke. She didn't feel anything for him - he was cute, that was all. Right?

"Do you have any homework you should be doing?"

A hesitation kept Mina from denying the question outright, and she frowned in thought. "Yeah... I guess I do."

"Go on," he said, dismissing her with a sly smile. "You can't hang out with this guy if you don't have the grades to leave the house."

Again, she wasn't going to acknowledge it. "Yeah, yeah, I'll get on it." She stood up from the table, her tea still in hand, and began to walk over to her room (much calmer than earlier), but she stopped as she reached the hallway, knowing her father was still listening. "Hey, dad?"

"Hmm?"

This is it.

"If... if you knew a secret about someone... b-but, it was... you weren't meant to hear it... what would you do?"

There was silence. Mina didn't dare turn around, lest she want him to see the self-doubting expression on her face.

"Well..." He began. "I'd take my time telling them. Secrets are a hard thing to keep, but hopefully, they're keeping it for a good reason. If you think it's a good reason... maybe you should wait for them to bring it up." Wait for him to bring it up... she bit her lip. But if she did that... he might wait until it was too late. She couldn't wait that long. Not with the things that were happening.

"Gotcha; thanks!"

She bounded up to her room, without another word, and closed the door silently behind her, before throwing herself face-first onto her bed.

"How does he even do this...?" she mumbled, turning her head sideways so that she could breathe again. She sighed.

Izuku...

What are you fighting for...?

That's a wrap for this chapter! Follow me on Tumblr (Scandinavian_Sensation) if you want to chat or ask questions, or if you don't want to, I usually respond to reviews, too. Otherwise, this will be a bit of a slower paced relationship building story, but I'll keep it from painfully slow. It'll also diverge from the manga, so be ready.

Responses:

animeflunky: Thank you! I'm a huge fan of it, admittedly. I have no idea why... but the pairing just seems so fun! I like Uraraka, don't get me wrong, but something about this is just awesome. I hope to not disappoint!

Dragontitan: Haha, thank you, if you believe me, I actually had the second chapter done before I even uploaded the first. I was too amped to add the next chapter!

FireDusk : I thought about it, and I applied some real-world experiences I've seen with people involving radical revelations. Most of the time, it turns out, people DO faint!

evolvelove : Thank you; that's the plan! Evolution is key!

allen Vth : Yeah, she really got a wake-up call! Talk about being kept in the dark...

Guest: Absolutely! I couldn't leave this as a one-shot... well, I could, but it'd be horrible of me.

DeltaWing13: Your wish is my command.

Xpparda: Guess I have high expectations now!

YukariNanaya22: Thank you! I tried to add something fun and unique, whilst also having a good premise to walk upon. I debated on where to start, and I realized, the most interesting thing that the manga portrays is that the Symbol of Peace has been a mystery for a long time... but ultimately, their job is dedicated toward stopping All-For-One. And Midoriya is so young... I wanted someone to recognize that burden, and so, ta-da! Mina was the (un)lucky recipient! I'd love to take the title, but I think Awkward Energy is still more interesting; but I'm glad you think so highly! I'll do my best to deliver!

12AngryMen : Thanks; Mina is fairly flexible to write, but what makes her enjoyable is her personality. It's fun and exciting to write!

DominoMags: Thank you! Connection was my attempt at breaking the wall and seeing where I stood in the fandom for Mina/Deku. I was OVERWHELMED by the responses, and ultimately, it drove me to give this a real shot. So far, it seems like it's been a good call. Thanks for your feedback :)

Serthrek871: The inner conflict is something I plan to keep on the front lines, because it's something I really want to focus on for Midoriya, too. He's being forced to keep an age-old secret, and now, Mina is stuck in the same boat. She now understands the burden he's under with the secret alone - and that's not including his mission. Something like this, psychological back-and-forth, is fun for me to write, and I hope you enjoy!