Even after that first kiss ended, the heady rush of finally confessing still ruled both Izuku and Mina's thoughts. They tangled together, lips meeting again and again on that ledge above the Underground.

They lost track of time up there, kissing like it was the end of the world. Neither of them could quite believe that this was real. It felt too perfect, like a dream that could never be realized. And yet, it was real.

Mina felt like her blood was on fire as she grabbed fistfuls of Izuku's shirt, dragging him in and in until there was no space left between them. His arms were around her, protecting, securing, claiming. She never wanted them to leave.

It was the first time Mina had ever felt desire this powerful. She'd never allowed herself to get anywhere close to this entangled with somebody; her whole world had been survival and fear, with no space to let her guard down. Well, now it had come crashing down, and she had no chance of raising it again, not when Izuku's lips were still on her own.

They shifted again, and Mina's back hit the stone with a jolt that stole what little breath she had. She realized that Izuku was filling her whole world, the sight of him-so much bigger and stronger than her-blotting out the light as he loomed over her. Her legs were wrapped around his waist; when had she done that?

Mina braced herself for the rush of panic that her subconscious should have had when getting pinned to a wall by a much stronger man; even if it was Izuku, some survival instincts were just too strong for a single day to wipe away. Sure enough, it came, making her body tense for a fraction of a second, her breath hitching as a whine escaped her lips, swallowed up by Izuku's a second later.

"Dammit," she thought, brutally crushing the irrational fear, hoping desperately Izuku hadn't noticed. "Why can't I be better? Why am I broken like this?"

She just wanted to kiss Izuku-whatever he was to her-without the reminders of the life she'd led. She wanted to be the kind of girl he could love without making her panic. She wanted to enjoy this, not be afraid of it. Was that too much to ask?

Despite Mina's best attempts to hide her reaction, Izuku noticed the way she hesitated, the brief moment when she went rigid under his hands. Instantly, he froze, breaking the kiss to look at her with tender concern. He asked, "Are you okay, Mina?"

Mina blushed, kicking herself. She was ruining it already! "Yeah," she replied quickly-too quickly. "I'm fine. Just…habit, I guess."

Izuku frowned. On some level, he seemed to have already guessed what had caused Mina's reaction; he quickly stepped away from the wall, arms pulling back a little to give her space. She appreciated that, she really did, but she hated the fact that she felt better now that she wasn't pinned to the wall. If that was how Izuku wanted to kiss her, he should have been able to, right? She certainly didn't mind the way it showed just how much he loved her. And yet…she'd fucked it up already.

Seeing the concern on Izuku's face, Mina rushed to say, "It's fine, it really is. I just…subconsciously panicked a little, I think. Old instincts, that's all. I'm sorry I ruined it."

Izuku stared at her, the look in his eye making Mina worried. He stepped forwards, hand reaching out to brush along Mina's cheek. Just before it made contact, though, he paused for a moment, clearly wondering if he should ask. Mina grit her teeth. For this, he never needed to ask. She could do that much without flinching, without hesitating, without being broken. Ever so slightly, she nodded, leaning forward into the touch until Izuku's fingers were stroking her scarred flesh.

Voice steady and strong, but still tender, Izuku began, "You didn't ruin it at all, Mina. Don't apologize for not feeling comfortable with certain things. I'll always listen and make sure you're happy, I promise-"

Izuku's voice cut off abruptly with an audible gulp, his eyes locked on her face. Mina forced down the fear that bubbled up in her gut.

"Izuku?" she asked timidly, worried. Had he seen something about her that was making him reconsider this? Did he realize she didn't deserve to love the greatest man in Japan? Had he recognized just how ugly she really was-

"Y-your cheeks," he stammered gently, eyes wide. "Your blush, it's…"

Finally recognizing the burning warmth in her cheeks for what it was, Mina sighed. No hiding from it now, she guessed. Just another way she wasn't human enough for this.

"Purple, yeah," she confirmed, trying desperately to suppress the blood flow in her cheeks. It didn't work. The warmth of this love, the way her body was pressed against Izuku's, the things she wanted to do to him…there was no way even she could stop herself from blushing.

Izuku swallowed hard, staring at Mina's face. Sure enough, her cheeks, instead of blushing red, blushed purple, a deep shade that looked beautiful on her smooth pink skin, even with the red gash that was her scar obscuring some of it on one side of her face. It was unexpected, unique, perfect, and completely, utterly-

"Gorgeous," he breathed, fingers tracing her cheek, trembling a little as a whole new wave of love surged through him. "It's beautiful, Mina."

Mina blinked. Confusion rushed through her. Had he just…called her beautiful? That wasn't…she definitely wasn't. You had to look human to be beautiful. She was just…weird-looking. Monstrous.

Softly, she replied, "You don't have to lie to me, Izuku. I know I'm not very pretty. Even without this scar, I'm-"

Izuku couldn't even wait long enough to let her finish a statement so blatantly wrong. He wrapped her up in his arms again, silencing her with a long, deep kiss that did its best to tell her how amazing she was without words. She melted into it without hesitation; despite all her insecurities, she couldn't turn down something so loving, so overpowering.

Just in case she hadn't gotten the message, when Izuku broke the kiss, he muttered fiercely, "You are gorgeous, Mina. Scar and all. I don't care how you look compared to anybody else. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met."

Mina couldn't find it in her heart to argue, not when she could feel how sincere and heartfelt Izuku's words were. Somewhere in her chest, a tiny spark of faith grew. Maybe he was right. It was the first time anyone had ever called her beautiful-the first time anyone had believed it, probably.

Laughing softly, Mina murmured, "Jesus. Five minutes of being with you, and my insecurities are already trying to ruin it."

Izuku snorted. "I won't let them," he assured her. "I love you, Mina, no matter what you think of yourself. Besides, even if you weren't gorgeous, you'd look like it next to me."

Mina blinked. "Um…what?" she asked, staring at Izuku's stupidly handsome face.

Izuku's smile faded into confusion. "You know, because I'm plain?" he replied, though he phrased it more like a question.

Mina's eyes suddenly blazed with intensity as she leaned in, finger jabbing at Izuku's collarbone as she snapped, "You better be joking, Izuku. You're literally the most handsome man in Japan."

Izuku stared at her, eyes uncomprehending. Mina felt like screaming as she yanked herself free from his embrace, turning to the rock wall and leaning against it as she let out a long, deep breath. Then another.

When she spun back to face him, Mina said, "Okay. So. I guess we're just both insecure morons when it comes to how we look."

Izuku finally managed to shove his lingering fears from his quirkless past back into the box he'd trapped them in for a decade, and nodded in amused agreement. "You're probably right," he admitted. "Now…do you still think that having boundaries will make me stop loving you?"

Mina looked shocked and more than a bit irritated for a second, but she sighed and replied, "If I admit that I do, you're going to stand there and pick apart my stupidity piece by piece, aren't you?"

Izuku nodded.

Mina couldn't keep the tender smile off her face as she said, "You're something else, Izuku. I…can't promise anything, but I'll do my best."

"That's all I want," Izuku told her, walking forward to hold her close again-gently, leaving space for her to react, and not pinning her up against anything. "Just…come to me whenever you feel like that, okay? I promise I'll always listen."

Mina nodded, basking in the glow of being held, relishing every bit of love she could soak up. She could feel guilt clawing at her-but not from her insecurities. No, this was from something else.

"Izuku," she said softly. "We still need to talk. About a lot of things."

Izuku, surprisingly, seemed to understand immediately. "You're right," he agreed. "But how about we do it somewhere more comfortable?"

Mina couldn't think of many places more comfortable than Izuku's arms, but she nodded anyway. She didn't want to sully this beautiful view with the kinds of conversations she needed to have with Izuku. "Okay," she said. "Your office, then?"

Izuku nodded, and Mina went to slip from his arms, only for Izuku to tighten his arms and say, "How about we go back my way, instead? It'd be faster."

Mina paused, raising an eyebrow. "The Elevators?" she asked. "I thought that route was only available to heroes in an emergency."

Izuku grinned. "Technically, yes," he agreed. "But the operators don't really ask questions…and anyway, I figure a talk with my girlfriend counts as an emergency."

Mina…probably should have objected, out of fear of discovery if nothing else. But the rush of warmth she got from Izuku calling her his girlfriend was too powerful for that…and besides, the thought of getting to hold onto Izuku like that was very appealing.

"Alright," she sighed, happily clambering onto his back. "Let's go, boyfriend."

The whoop of joy they both let out as Izuku leaped from the ledge towards the city below was quite a bit louder than normal.

The trip back to Aegis was exhilarating, if much shorter than Mina's previous experience with the Elevators. Part of that was the sheer joy of holding on to Izuku; it was real, tangible proof that this was actually happening. She was still struggling to believe that. Next to the warmth of him under her hands, all her fears seemed tiny and distant.

They slipped through the window into Izuku's office, and Mina regretfully let go of Izuku. This room, the whole building even, had always felt hostile to her before, as if it were enemy territory; in a lot of ways, it was. But now, she could feel Izuku's fingerprints all over it, in the pictures on the walls, in the simple, comfortable furniture, in the messy but efficient look of his desk. Mina was shocked by how safe she felt in this room. Was that why she hadn't bothered wearing her mask in here for so long?

She was jolted from her thoughts by Izuku closing the window, then crossing the room to sink into a cozy leather armchair with a relieved sigh. With a gentle, tender expression, he gestured towards the identical chair next to him.

Mina thought for a second, tempted by the sinfully comfortable-looking chair, but even more tempted by something else.

"I still get nervous when we're kissing," she thought, "but maybe I just have to…do things on my terms."

Mina made her decision. Ignoring the chair Izuku was pointing out, she grinned playfully as she strode across the room and pointedly laid in Izuku's lap, throwing her legs over the side of the chair as Izuku grunted with surprise at the unexpected weight.

"Mina?" he asked softly, clearly confused. She'd gone from being tense and timid in his arms to happily throwing herself into his lap in the span of the handful of minutes the trip back here had taken, it made sense that he'd be a little lost.

She rolled her eyes as she cuddled up to him. "I know you want to make sure you respect my boundaries," she told him, one hand stroking his collarbone. "But if I start something, it's definitely within those boundaries, alright? I'll let you know where the line is, I promise."

Izuku nodded, smiling at her. "Of course," he agreed, arms gently wrapping around her waist, drawing her closer. Mina smiled happily, even as she braced herself for the hard conversation ahead. These things needed to be said-if she was going to do this, was going to let herself love a hero, then she wanted to do it right.

"So," Izuku asked, "What do you want to talk about?"

Mina gestured at the two of them, lying there in that chair, already wrapped up in each other. "This," she answered. "Us. How this is going to…work."

Izuku nodded, though his expression was still confused. "Work how?" he asked.

Mina sighed, turning to pierce Izuku with an intense golden gaze. "Izuku," she said quietly, "You're a hero, and I'm a mutant thief. We may be in love, but…that's a big gap to bridge, you know? There are a lot of problems that I…don't want to get in the way of this. I want this to…to last, Izuku. I'm serious about this. About you."

Izuku smiled softly, looking touched at Mina's admission. "I am too, Mina," he replied, sending thrills through her heart. "And whatever you need to say, I'll listen. But I want you to know that I don't care what you are or where you come from. I love you."

Mina's chest felt like it would burst, but she forced herself to stay focused. "I love you too," she responded. "But…look, I trust you. I know you would never hurt me on purpose. The thing is, that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about…well, I'm worried about a lot of things, but especially the fact that you're one of the most famous and recognizable people in all of Japan, and I'm just a homeless thief."

Izuku nodded slowly. "Are you worried about how different our lives are?" he asked, understanding slowly dawning on him.

Mina shrugged. "Sort of," she replied. "I'm more worried about what would happen if…if people found out about us."

Izuku's eyes narrowed. "I don't care what others think," he assured her. "If anyone says or does anything, I'll deal with them. I don't care who it is. The media, other heroes, the public-I'll deal with them."

Mina smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. Softly, she asked, "I know how brave you are, Izuku… but what about me?"

Izuku blinked. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking ready to hit something.

Mina sighed. Typical Izuku. Cavalier about things that posed a risk to him personally…and willing to move heaven and earth if anyone else suffered even a mild inconvenience. Softly, she said, "If the media or whoever finds out that we're…together…they'll come for me. They'll try and learn everything they can about me, then rip me apart. Or they'll try and turn me into some sort of symbol-and I won't get to choose what I'm a symbol of. Anyone with an axe to grind, anyone with an agenda-they'll make sure I become a weapon to hurt you, or an ornament to make you look better. And I don't want that. Any of that. So…can we keep this secret? Please?"

Izuku…hesitated. He replied, "I…wish I could disagree, Mina. But you're right. As much as I wish I could shout how much I love you from the rooftops…I don't want to put you through that. We'll keep this a secret. Though…can I at least tell some of my friends?"

Mina thought for a moment. At last, she answered, "If you trust them to keep the secret…I guess. I don't know how they'll respond, though, and I don't want to force you to choose between them and me."

Izuku drew her deeper into his arms. "They're good people, I promise," he told Mina. "They'll accept it."

Mina let out a shaky breath. She hoped so. "If you say so," she said. "I don't know how they'll take the news that you're in love with a mutant street rat…"

As she trailed off, Izuku's arm tightened around her waist, just a little. He told her, "You don't need to stay on the streets anymore, Mina. I've got plenty of room in my apartment, if you wanted to…"

Izuku trailed off, seeming to realize what he was offering mid-sentence. Mina found herself…conflicted.

She began, "I…I don't know, Izuku. That feels like…like I'd be putting myself in your power, you know? And even though I trust you…that's a big step to take. But…"

Mina, too, found herself trailing off as something else came back to her. Tsu had told her that she couldn't stay in the Depths, hadn't she? The cavern was burning, the whole place was being torn apart by a war…and one of the main parties in that war wanted to kill her.

Mina hadn't forgotten any of that, exactly, but it hadn't really been in the forefront of her mind either. She'd been so worried about confessing to Izuku, and then so wrapped up in the rush of the revelation that he felt the same, and then so determined to start things off right that she just…hadn't thought of it.

Guilt flooded her. Tsu and Mezou had been charging into danger, and she'd been more worried about the boy she liked than them. She didn't even know if her oldest friends were okay, if the place she had lived for years was safe for her. and here she was curled up in Izuku's lap. Some friend she was.

Mina felt Izuku's hand on her shoulder, jostling her from her thoughts. She realized that he looked worried; she'd just stopped speaking, and grown a distant, scared look on her face.

"Mina? What's wrong?" he asked.

Mina sighed, forcing her concerns from her mind. She…didn't have anywhere else to go, did she? "Nothing, Izuku," she said.

He looked skeptical. "That didn't look like nothing," he pointed out. "If you don't want to tell me, I understand, but if something's bothering you, I want to know."

Mina closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Izuku was right. If she was going to do this, if they were going to do this, they couldn't lie or hide things. She opened her eyes again, and admitted, "Sorry, Izuku. I should have told you earlier. There's a war going on in the Depths right now…and it's really not safe for me to be down there. Mezou and Tsu think I should leave."

Izuku's eyes widened. "Oh," he breathed, filing that information away before another thought struck him. "Why can't they take you in, just for a little while."

Mina sighed. "You don't understand," she explained. "It's not safe for me, personally. One of the groups fighting wants to kill me."

Izuku flinched. For a second, Mina thought she saw green lightning flicker across his skin, jumping to her, wrapping protectively around her like a second cloak. It should have scared her…but it didn't.

"Why?" he asked, sounding scared. Scared and angry. Mina wasn't sure whether to be offended or touched by his protectiveness.

"Because of you," she answered quietly. "Because I brought you to the Depths."

Izuku's eyes went wide. He looked stunned, agony at having put her in danger showing plainly on his face. He began, "God, Mina, I'm so sorr-"

She put a finger against his lips. "Don't you start," she hissed. "This isn't your fault, you hear me? I made the choice, and I knew the risks. I don't regret it, either. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Izuku fell quiet after that-though only for a moment. Soon, he pleaded, "Please, Mina, come stay with me. I could never live with myself if something happened to you."

Mina still hesitated. Izuku was offering her something precious, something she'd always craved-safety. But still, she grew nervous at the thought of the power it would give him over her.

That was what it came down to, in the end. Power. Izuku had so much more of it than she did-his quirk, yes, but his wealth, his reputation, his fame…in every way, the difference between them was unimaginably vast. If he wanted to hurt her, it would be so easy for him-even easier if she was living with him. She loved him, she really did…but that kind of power was hard for her to ignore.

Then again, did she have a choice? The only other place she'd ever been safe in…no longer was. Tsu and Mezou couldn't protect her, not from this. And besides…Mina trusted Izuku. She could see it in his eyes-he would sooner die than hurt her. The mere thought of inadvertently exposing her to risk had nearly brought him to tears. That knowledge didn't soothe all her fears…but it helped.

Mina hesitated. Slowly, she said, "I…I don't know. I don't want to be in your debt."

Izuku's eyes shone with urgency, though they were muted by love and gentle understanding. He reached up with the hand that wasn't around her waist to cup her cheek, and Mina sighed into the touch all over again. He was so warm, and kind, and gentle. She was safe with him. She knew it.

"I've told you before, Mina. I don't keep debts," Izuku reminded her. "As far as I'm concerned, neither of us owes anything to each other. I'm not offering this because I expect you to pay me back or something. I'm offering because I love you, and I want to keep you safe. It's okay if you don't want to-I understand why you might be nervous about it. We'll figure something else out. But please, don't think that you owe me anything. You don't."

Mina smiled, eyes glistening with light. "Thank you, Izuku," she murmured. There, in that moment, she made her decision. "I…okay. I'll come stay with you, at least for a little while."

Izuku beamed. "Thank you, Mina," he whispered. "I won't betray your trust."

Mina couldn't help the lightness in her heart. "God," she said quietly. "Of course I'd fall in love with the most stupidly honorable man in the world."

Izuku snorted. "Of course I'd fall in love with the most unique woman in the world," he shot back, earning himself an amused grin from Mina. Seized by a sudden whim, she leaned in close.

"You, Izuku Midoriya," she whispered in his ear, enjoying the shiver that ran down his spine from the tickle of her breath on his skin, "are a sappy, lovey-dovey idiot. And I love you for it."

Izuku didn't reply with words. Instead, he reached around Mina's waist, pulling her tight, hauling her up until she was straddling him, her face pressed against his. It was the most natural thing in the world for her to kiss him hungrily. Soon, they were both lost in their own world, letting the kiss deepen and deepen, sucking them both down into a whirlwind of heat and love with no end-

A loud, sharp knock on the door broke them from their reverie. Both Izuku and Mina looked up with a startled, deer-in-headlights look as the unmistakable voice of Ejiro came from the other side of the unlocked door.

"Hey, bro!" the redhead shouted cheerfully. "I've got more paperwork for you to do!"

Izuku and Mina glanced at each other, their brains acting in perfect unison. "Shit," they thought.

Mina stayed frozen, while Izuku fought to get himself under control just long enough to shout back, "H-hold on a second, Ejiro! Don't come in yet!"
Predictably to anyone who had ever known Ejiro Kirishima, the man immediately replied, "What's that? Come in right this second?" and barged through the door with ease.

The loud noise startled Mina, who, fueled by panic, managed to leap straight up and grab at the ceiling, melting handholds and footholds into it thanks to already-acid-coated hands. Izuku scrambled to escape from the chair, hoping desperately to pretend like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. Ejiro opened the door to find his startled best friend in the middle of a hot and heavy makeout session, a woman hanging upside down on the ceiling, and Izuku himself looking extremely terrified while blushing a deep, vivid red.

"Well," Ejiro said, actually looking mildly embarrassed for once, "This is awkward."