The next two weeks were the happiest of Mina's life.

It still didn't really feel like it was actually happening. A month ago, she'd been a bitter thief fighting for survival in the depths of the Underground. Now, she was living in a penthouse with her hero boyfriend. It was madness.

It took a lot of adjustment, naturally. Mina had to fight the old urges to hoard and steal food, and she wasn't always successful. Izuku, though, always understood, always helped her without the slightest judgement on his face. He was always there for her, always kind and gentle and perfect.

The fact that he seemed to effortlessly understand how to be a good boyfriend would have irritated Mina-who couldn't help but feel shitty in comparison-but for the fact that she knew that this was just how Izuku was. It was in his nature to be all the things he was to her.

Mina didn't do much, those two weeks. She mostly lazed around, watching TV, surfing the Internet, relishing all the things that had been stolen from her a long time ago. Honestly, she was surprising herself with her feelings about the whole thing. She'd have thought that two weeks of being cooped up in a penthouse while Izuku left most days for work would have driven her insane, desperate to escape her golden cage. But it didn't. Maybe it was because Mina's life, for nearly as long as she could remember, had been an endless, desperate scramble for survival, always alert, always ready to fight for her life at the drop of a pin. She had been on edge for so long, she'd nearly forgotten what it was like to just relax. But now, she finally had a chance to just…breathe. She could take long, luxurious showers; she didn't think she'd ever stop loving the feeling of being clean. She could sleep in, basking in the novelty of a soft place to sleep. She could watch decades of shows and movies she'd never had the chance to see before; in fact, watching hero movies with Izuku was her new favorite thing, especially when he got all offended when Mina openly rooted for the villains every time.

Oh, and the sex was wonderful, too, and always improving. Neither of them had any real experience at first. Of course, they weren't blushing virgins, either. Izuku had been best friends with Ejiro nearly his whole life, and that man was far from celibate. Mina had had plenty of exposure to…knowledge, usually from overheard conversations or cruder gang members. Besides, she'd lived with Mezou during his and Tsu's exceptionally messy teenage romance. Mina loved them both, she really did, but Jesus, did she wish she had had some earplugs during those years.

But that was beside the point. Mina had discovered what she was pretty sure was the closest thing to heaven she'd ever get to see. This life with Izuku, welcoming him home every night, spending evenings tangled together on the couch watching movies-or in bed-was cozy, blissful, warm. Sometimes, Mina just got the urge to laugh hysterically at the thought that she, the ugly, bitter monster from the Depths, was living with the hottest man in Japan, making him look at her like she was the world. It was perfect.

And it couldn't last forever.

One Saturday, Izuku and Mina simply didn't get out of bed. For a while, they just lay there, relishing the peace, nestled tightly against each other. For once, Izuku didn't have to leave-he didn't get many days off, but he and Mina were determined to use the ones he did get to maximum effect.

Mina's breath hitched as Izuku's fingers trailed up her side, skimming over her ribs with a feather-light touch. They came to rest on a gash of red scar tissue, dense and knotted on her shoulder. Funny, how Mina was literally lying here naked with the man, discussing every mark they'd acquired over hard, dangerous lives, and that touch was what made her feel vulnerable, made her feel cherished.

"What about this one?" he asked softly, a smile on his face. This was a game they played, sometimes-both of them were heavily scarred all across their bodies, and they often told each other the stories of how they'd gotten them. Mina had been fascinated by the story of the Sports Festival and what Izuku had done to twist and warp his hands so drastically.

Mina returned the smirk as she realized which scar he was asking about. "You were there for that one, dummy," she replied teasingly. "Or did you forget the first time you saved my life?"

Izuku chuckled, remembering the day she spoke of. Funny, how he could look back on the day she'd staggered, bloody and dying, into his agency with such amusement. "Are you sure that was the first?" he teased back. "Didn't I save you from starvation before that?"

Mina waved her hand dismissively. "Eh, I would have been fine, if a big dumb abovegrounder hadn't felt the need to be a moron after I saved his life," she countered, running her own hand down one of the rough scars on Izuku's chest, relishing the way his breath hitched as her cool fingertips ran down his skin.

Izuku chuckled, "That's fair, I guess. Besides, we're well past keeping score, now. We've saved each other too many times for that."

Mina snuggled into him, tucking her head artfully under his in a way that wouldn't stab him with her horns. Izuku pressed a kiss to the jagged yellow tip of one of those horns, and Mina shivered as electricity ran down her spine. They were sensitive-a fact Izuku seemed to love. "I suppose so," she agreed. "But for the record, I'm still ahead. If we were keeping score, of course."

Izuku just laughed, burying his face into Mina's curly hair and pressing kisses to her scalp. She sighed happily, sprawling out over her taller boyfriend's body.

This was madness. Pure, utter madness. How had Mina's life ended up here, where she could do this with a man like Izuku? Forget about being a mutant, she just wasn't the kind of woman who ended up with a guy like him. She…oh, who was she kidding, she was just being dumb and insecure, like always. Why question why you're able to snuggle your unbelievably cute boyfriend when you could just cuddle your unbelievably cute boyfriend instead?

Mina set about doing just that, but before she could, Izuku leaned down and asked, "Mina…what are those marks on your hands?"

Mina looked down, eyes widening a little as she saw what he meant. All across her fingers and palms, creeping up over her forearms, her skin was marked with tiny white dots. They were tiny-so tiny that they were invisible unless you got right up close, like Izuku was now. Irregular and pale, they dotted her skin like freckles in reverse-white on pink, not pink on white.

Mina hesitated for a second, wondering if she was ready to share. Izuku waited patiently, lips and fingers circling, ready to hold her like he did some nights, when the pain hovered like dark clouds.

At last, Mina sighed. "I…they're old scars," she explained. "From my acid."

Izuku looked at her, confused. "I thought you were immune to your own acid," he said.

Mina's gaze started to cloud over from memories. "I am now," she replied. "I…wasn't always."

Izuku's eyes widened at the implications. Instead of demanding more, though, he simply waited; if Mina wanted to share, he was here. If she didn't, he would accept it.

But for Mina, the words came tumbling out, now that the dam was broken. "When…when I first started trying to really learn my quirk, when I finally stopped trying to hide it, I didn't know what I was doing," she said, speaking quickly and nervously. "And…well, some quirks don't come in all at once. They keep developing and growing, year after year, sometimes even through puberty. That's what happened to me. When I was younger, I had all the horns and skin and stuff, and I could make acid-but I wasn't resistant to it. That happened later."

Izuku's fingers stroked Mina's forearms, dancing over her palms as he studied the marks. He could see it now: splash patterns, trails of spray across her skin. She was struggling to meet his eyes.

"Did it hurt?" he heard himself ask. "Using your quirk?"

Mina took a long, deep breath that turned into a sigh as she let it out. "Yeah," she admitted. "It stung. Not too bad, most of the time-I was scared of making my acid too strong, and I was probably right to be-but if I tried to push myself, or if I didn't have a choice…"

Her voice trailed off, and Izuku was left to fill in the gaps. His eyes tracked the pale dots, up her arms and across her fingers. Some of them were layered, dots on top of dots; scars on scars on scars.

"How did you learn?" he asked softly.

Mina hung her head. "Fumi," she whispered. "He…he had a lot of experience, controlling a quirk that backfired as often as it worked the way you wanted it to. He taught me how to control myself, taught me to use my quirk in ways that didn't hurt. Managing flow, consistency, acid strength…I owe all of that to him. I was able to survive on my own because of what he taught me."

Once again, Izuku found himself aching for how deep his girlfriend's pain ran. She'd never be able to tell Fumikage those things. She'd never be able to thank him. If the man hadn't been dead, Izuku would have thanked him, too-he sounded like a good man.

Visibly summoning her strength, Mina met his gaze again. "I don't like them much," she told him. "I…they're not disfiguring, really, but they remind me of a time when I was weak and scared. When my own quirk hurt me-when a lot of things hurt me. I know it's silly to complain about marks like these when nobody notices them, but-"

Gently, Izuku's finger came up, pressing against Mina's lips. "You don't have to explain it, or justify it, remember?" he reminded her, his voice soft and tender. "What you feel is real. What you feel is true. And I love all the parts of you, even the parts you don't like so much."

Mina's face split into a smile, and she pulled herself close to him. Gently, Izuku took her hand into his, lifting it up to his mouth. One by one, he kissed her knuckles, lips dancing over freckled, pale-dotted skin. Mina beamed at him as Izuku tenderly kissed his way over her palms, the backs of her hands, and up her forearms.

"I love you, you stupid abovegrounder," she muttered.

When he reached her shoulder, Izuku pulled away, and smiled back at her.

"I love you too," he whispered, pulling her close.

She wrapped herself up in him, and let him take the fear away. For the hundredth time, she found herself wishing that this day would last forever.

The universe responded by ringing the doorbell.

Izuku and Mina stared at each other as the loud ding sounded through the apartment, briefly startled out of their bliss. A second later, an equally loud series of knocks began, accompanied by an amused but insistent female voice, which called, "Come on, Izuku! We haven't got all day!"

Whispering more out of worry than actual need, Mina demanded, "Who is it?"

Izuku, finally regaining his faculties, hopped out of bed, rapidly beginning to dress. "A couple of my friends," he said more normally. "They aren't on duty today, and they like to swing by for a bit when they can."

Mina blinked. "They're heroes?" she said.

Izuku nodded. Mina sighed, slumping back into the bed. "Great," she said. "I'll just hide in here until they go away."

Izuku snorted. "I was kinda hoping I could introduce you to them," he admitted. Mina turned to glare at him.

"They're heroes," she repeated, as if that explained everything. To her, it did.

Izuku shrugged. "You can trust them," he promised. "Ejiro found out, and that was okay, wasn't it?"

"He's been making fun of you for weeks," Mina shot back.

"He does that anyway," Izuku replied. "Besides, aren't you the one who makes sure to give me hickies where he's guaranteed to see them?"

Mina fell silent, a grin threatening to sneak onto her face. She did do that. It was very funny. But still…

Izuku, now fully dressed, leaned over to press a kiss to Mina's temple. "How about this," he offered. "I'll go out and talk to them, and if you feel up to it, you can join us. I won't say anything about having a girlfriend to them."

Mina let out a deep breath. "They're going to freak out if I come out of nowhere," she pointed out.

Izuku grinned, the corners of his lips twitching up. "Probably," he agreed. "It'd be kinda funny."

Damn Izuku and his well-hidden sense of humor. Mina found herself sorely tempted. Still, she couldn't help but hesitate.

"I'll…think about it," she said.

Izuku nodded. "That's all I ask," he assured her, standing up. "Now, I should probably go let them in before they kick down my door."

Mina raised an eyebrow as Izuku headed out of the room. "They'd do that?" she asked disbelievingly.

Izuku turned, arm across the doorframe. Looking back at her, he answered, "Oh, absolutely. I've had to replace that door three times."

With that, he left, heading towards the source of the increasingly loud knocking. Mina could only shake her head as she laid in bed.

Fucking heroes. Insane, all of them.

Mina lasted about twenty minutes before her curiosity got the best of her. She could hear the muted sound of voices through the bedroom door, though not clearly enough to make out words. She wanted to know what they were talking about, dammit. What did heroes talk about while they weren't at work, anyway? How many mutants they'd oppressed since they last talked to each other? How much fun they had enforcing a hateful, lopsided social order?

Mina hurriedly threw on some clothes-one of Izuku's awesomely stupid t-shirts and some sweatpants; she hadn't yet been able to get any sort of wardrobe for herself, so she just stole Izuku's clothes most of the time-and slowly crept down the hallway, careful not to make any noise. Finally, she reached the end of the hallway. Out in the living room, unable to see her, she could hear Izuku and the others talking.

"So, Izuku," a female voice said. "Have you gotten a girlfriend yet?"

Mina fought back a laugh as Izuku choked on air. "W-wha?" he spluttered. "You're really gonna start off the conversation like that?"

The woman laughed. "Of course I am," she scoffed. "It's guaranteed to be funny!"

Proving to be a slightly better actor than Mina had thought, Izuku sighed, "I don't know why you all find my love life so interesting. Why does nobody ever make fun of Ejiro for sleeping with literally every hot person he runs into?"

"Because he's hot," the woman immediately replied. "And also, he and Setsuna have something going on between them, and that woman terrifies me."

Izuku didn't seem satisfied by that. He complained, "He isn't hot! I don't-it's the beard, isn't it? What is it with you people and the beard?"

Mina chuckled to herself, and a moment later, the woman answered for all of them when she simply said, "The beard is hot, Izuku."

Then, a second woman-her voice softer and more posh-sounding than the first-added, "I have to say, though, the reason I'm asking is because Shoto would like to know when you'll join him on the hottest non-bachelors list."

"They have one of those?" Izuku said. "That feels…kinda weird, honestly."

"Oh, it's actually the hottest couples list," the second woman answered smoothly. "Which, yes, is a bit invasive…but it is quite amusing, honestly."

"You say that because you and Todoroki are on top of it, I bet," the first woman teased.

"Yes," the second woman admitted, a little sheepish. "With Camie and Bakugo a distant second."

Izuku and the first woman laughed-though Izuku's laugh seemed to be weakened by the difficulty of holding back the secrets he wasn't telling. However, he did manage to crack, "Camie's really carrying that team, I gotta say."

"She sure is!" the first woman agreed. "But seriously, Izuku, you can stop lying now."

Mina froze, her heart skipping a beat. Judging by the strangled wheeze Izuku made, he'd done something similar.

"E-excuse me?" he sputtered, coughing. Okay, yeah, he was a bad actor.

Mina got the distinct impression that the woman was rolling her eyes as she said, "Izuku. I have known you since we were fifteen. You're a shitty liar. Besides, we're trained as detectives, remember? This apartment is clearly not as cold and sterile as you usually keep it, dude. There's dishes everywhere, it looks like somebody has actually used this couch for once, and I'm pretty sure I see one of your shirts tossed up on that bookshelf over there. You're seeing somebody, aren't you?"

Mina couldn't help but smirk as Izuku continued weakly stammering. Yes, that had been one of Izuku's shirts-but he hadn't been wearing it at the time it got thrown off. She had. Of course, under her grin, she was fighting back panic.

At last, Izuku got himself under control. "I-I don't have a…" he began, only to apparently realize the pointlessness of his argument. With a sigh, he admitted, "Okay, yeah, I have a…girlfriend."

Mina probably should have been annoyed that Izuku hadn't managed to keep his mouth shut, but then, it wasn't really his fault. Apparently his friends were scarily perceptive.

The women cheered, and the first woman declared, "Finally! Come on, Izuku, tell us her name!"

"What's she like?" the second woman added.

Izuku sighed for a long moment, and Mina wondered what he would say. Eventually, he replied, "How about I introduce you instead?"

There was a beat of silence, and then the first woman realized, "Wait a second, she's here? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I was trying to keep it a secret?" Izuku replied, so dryly that Mina could easily imagine his raised eyebrow and incredulous expression.

The woman must have winced, because her voice was noticeably strained as she admitted, "That's fair. But yeah, we'd love to meet her!"

Mina could feel her heart beating louder. She wasn't going to get out of this one, was she? Her fear kept rising, anticipation building endlessly.

Izuku said, "Alright. Just…be understanding, alright? She's kinda shy."

"Shy about what?" the second woman asked.

"Uhh…it's a long story," Izuku said weakly. Mina snorted at that. It certainly was.

Perhaps to avoid any more pointed questions from his friends, Izuku called out, loud enough that Mina would have been able to hear him from the bedroom, "Hey, Mina! Can you come here for a second?"

Mina winced. More softly-and a little embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping-she called back, "You don't have to be so loud, Izuku. I'm right here."

The women both made surprised noises, while Izuku caught himself and replied, "Oh, sorry, babe, I didn't realize you were there. Is everything okay?"

Maybe it sounded innocuous to Izuku's friends, but Mina knew what he was really asking. He wanted to make sure that she was okay with this. If she wasn't, he'd stop the whole thing, and damn the consequences.

She was sorely tempted to say no. She really was. But, when it came down to it, she trusted Izuku, and he'd told her that she could trust his friends. And part of her wanted to be seen, at least by them. Maybe…maybe it could work out okay.

"Yeah," she answered. "Everything's fine."

Izuku didn't seem convinced. "You sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure," she confirmed. "You want me to come out there?"

"If you'd like to," Izuku told her.

Mina nodded to herself. "Alright," she said, taking one last deep breath.

As she stepped out into the room, the first woman said, "So, Izuku, how did you two…meet…"

As Mina revealed herself, the voice-which apparently belonged to a short, solid-looking woman with shoulder-length brown hair and adorable pink spots on her cheeks-slowly trailed off as she got a good look at Mina. Her jaw hung open, shock visible on her face.

There was a crashing sound, and Mina looked over to see that the second woman-tall, elegant, with silky black hair tied up in a spiky ponytail-had dropped the teacup she'd been holding. Her gorgeous features were just as frozen and shocked as the brown-haired woman's.

"Here I am," Mina thought, a bit too savagely to be said aloud. "Look at me. Let it sink in. Izuku is in love with a mutant."

For a frozen, infinite heartbeat, nobody moved or spoke. The women just stared, and Mina did her best not to crumble under their gazes. She fiercely controlled her blush, keeping her skin pink instead of purple.

The brown-haired woman coughed. "Oh," she said, so quietly and softly it could have been a squeak. Her friend just stared helplessly.

Izuku stood from his own seat, coming to put an arm around Mina. She welcomed the solid, anchoring touch, soaking up his warmth, his strength. She couldn't look away from the brown-haired woman's eyes. She couldn't make sense of her eyes. The expression in them was frozen, stunned…but not hostile. Not yet. Would that change?

"Ochako," Izuku said in a firm, defiant voice, nodding at the brown-haired woman, "Momo. This is my girlfriend, Mina."

Mina nodded. "Hi," she said weakly, but without flinching.

All of a sudden, the silence snapped. The brown-haired woman-Ochako-erupted from her seat, squealing. Mina braced herself as the slightly shorter woman skidded to a stop in front of her.

"Holy shit!" Ochako cried, beaming. "You're gorgeous!"

Mina's brain screeched to a halt. Nope. Did not compute. No sense at all. She stared awkwardly as Ochako continued, "It's nice to meet you! Sorry about the reaction, you caught me off guard a little…"

Managing to shove away whatever awkward feelings Ochako had managed to dredge up with her words, Mina choked out, "I-it's fine, I do that a lot."

Ochako shrugged. "Still," she replied. "I didn't expect Izuku to have a girlfriend before he turned thirty, let alone one so beautiful."

Mina promptly suffered a total mental freeze-up again, leaving Izuku to splutter, "Hey!"

Ochako just laughed, letting the tense atmosphere dissolve even faster, like clouds breaking up as the sun burst through.

Having taken a little longer to recover from her surprise, Momo finally leaned down to clean up the shattered remnants of her teacup, a broom seeming to materialize from her hand in a shower of glittering sparkles. When she was done, she, too, came to coo over Mina.

Mina found herself envious of the tall, beautiful woman. She seemed to own the space around her, carrying herself with a confidence that suggested that she knew she belonged there. But Momo was all smiles and kindness as she said, "It's wonderful to meet you, Mina."

"I-it's nice to meet you, too," Mina replied, still awkward and a little overwhelmed. She'd been bracing herself for a bad reaction-or at least an icy one. But instead, Izuku's friends seemed to be swooning over her. What the fuck was going on?

Somehow, they all ended up sitting back down, with Mina secure and warm with Izuku's arm around her. Ochako and Momo returned to their own seats on the couch opposite them.

"I do still want to know how you met," Ochako said, unable to stop grinning. "I bet it's a real story."

Mina couldn't help but chuckle. Looking at Izuku, she agreed, "Oh, it sure is. For starters, I saved his life."
Ochako's eyes widened. Izuku, recognizing the sudden worry on his friends' faces, sighed, "Yeah. She did. I'm fine now, though."
"Thanks to me," Mina added. Izuku just rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around her more tightly. Mina certainly wasn't going to complain about that.

Momo and Ochako exchanged a look, communicating a thousand worries at once. At last, Momo said evenly, "I didn't realize you had been in danger, Izuku."

Izuku winced. Softly, he said, "A villain got a couple lucky hits. I was up and walking the next day, thanks to Mina stepping in."

Mina nodded. She wondered how they were possibly going to explain the rest of the story without making the heroes freak out. She was fine with revealing herself to Izuku's friends, but she didn't want to talk about her past, or how she and Izuku had gotten closer, or…any of it, really.

Ochako opened her mouth, presumably to ask another question, but before she could, the apartment was filled with a shrieking noise coming from Izuku's pocket. Mina flinched at the sound, but Izuku moved quickly, yanking his phone out and answering it with the steely gaze of a hero that always laid under whatever expression he wore. He nodded along with whatever the voice on the other end told him, then said, "Understood. I'm on my way."

He rose from his seat, looking torn between frustration and guilt. "Villain fight in the Underground," he explained, clearly embarrassed. "They're calling me in."

"On your day off?" Mina asked, incredulous. Izuku nodded, as did Ochako and Momo. They all knew that, if they were needed, days off didn't matter. They'd be called anyway.

Izuku hesitated for a moment, looking reluctant to leave Mina alone with Ochako and Momo. Mina felt the same way…but she also knew that Izuku had to go. It was in his nature to help people. If he was needed, that was that.

Ochako, it seemed, knew it as well. She made eye contact with Mina, and nodded once. Then, she told Izuku, "You get going. Mina can come hang out with us for the day. Maybe we can get coffee or something. I'd like to get to know her better, anyway."

Still, Izuku didn't move. He looked at Mina, a hundred fears warring on his face. Mina took a deep breath. She wasn't exactly looking forward to spending the day with two heroes, but…they were Izuku's friends. They had called her beautiful. Ochako barely seemed fazed by the revelation that the Number One Hero was dating a mutant. Maybe…maybe she could trust them. Just for today.

She nodded to Izuku. "Get going," she said firmly. "I'll be fine. Go do your hero shit."

Izuku let out a deep breath, finally realizing that there was no point in arguing. "Okay," he said, leaning down to kiss Mina gently. "I love you."

"I love you too, you big dumb hero," Mina replied. "Now go."

Izuku straightened, then ran out onto the balcony. Without even pausing, he threw himself from the top of a skyscraper, green lightning wreathing him as he vanished from sight.

Now alone in the apartment with two heroes she barely knew, Mina turned, forcing herself to stop trembling. Ochako rose from her own seat, Momo half a step behind her.

"Coffee?" she offered. "I know a good place not far from here."
Mina nodded. "Sounds good," she said.

With that, the three of them left, as well. Mina couldn't help but wonder why she felt so scared of what was to come.