"Woo! Thanks for coming Slugger, wasn't a lot of fun just sitting around in Peach's office, I'll tell you."
"Yeah I can imagine... we've both been there at one point in time, after all." Yang barked out a laugh as Izuku spoke up, the blonde brawler having sent a light punch into his shoulder as the two walked along. While most of Beacon Academy was closed for Color Week, Professor Peach's office remained open and would remain so throughout the entirety of the holiday. After all, while the students didn't have access to a lot of training facilities, that hadn't meant that accidents or training excursions into the Emerald Forest wouldn't have to be considered. If students got hurt in either case, well, it'd be a long way to a Vale hospital when they might need more immediate medical attention. Thus, Peach and her various staff were, at the very least, on call for the weekend, ready to respond to any sort of sudden distress on the part of students who were staying in the dorms.
Or, in Yang's case, her last check up before Peach would take out the stitches and remove the bandages to just allow Yang to naturally heal the rest of herself via Aura, as doing so would ensure that no scarring would be left behind.
"Yeah exactly, you know what it can be like with Peach. I swear, with the amount she worries it's a wonder she hasn't turned grey being the nurse at a place like Beacon." Yang offered a chuckle as she rolled out her shoulders. "It would've been worse if I had to find out just something to do on my lonesome after. Seems like everyone's busy right now; Tsuyu's out, Ruby's up to something, Tenya and Blake seem to be in weird moods and everyone else just seems to have their own deals going right now..." Yang grinned a bit as she looked over at Izuku. "Except for you Slugger, you're around to give good old Yang Xiao Long the time of day." Izuku smiled at that as he scratched his cheek.
"Well of course, it's been a while since we really had the chance to just hang out without worrying and last time was really fun." Izuku saw Yang's grin widened a great deal, the blonde having reached over to wrap an arm around his shoulder as she brought him into a slight headlock. "Aaaah, Yang!"
"Now that's what I was hoping to hear! I've been waiting for Peach to give me the okay to get out of her office and get those stitches out of me because, hoo boy, Slugger, you and I need to celebrate!" Yang clenched her fist. "Between you and I, we're a couple of big damned heroes now, Izuku! People are gonna be lookin' up to us from now on. I figure that's a pretty dang good reason to get out on the town and have a fun time."
"Yang that's great and all but, do you think you could l-let go of me!" Izuku's nerves from having been into such close contact with a girl had seriously acted up, a splash of red on his face as Yang just laughed and let him go, mirth obviously filling her as she watched him sigh in relief.
"Jeez Slugger, you can be so nervous sometimes. You weren't acting like this... well, actually, you were even 'more' nervous in The Tunnels, hah!" Yang gave Izuku a wink and a grin as he went red again, the blonde having put her hands behind her head. "Seriously though, last time was pretty fun for me too. Bumblebee's still in tip top shape so if that's what you're up for then we can hit the town again. Plus, man, as nice as Beacon is I really just need to get off campus after being forced to stick around by Peach. I have to imagine you could use a bit of a change of scenery again too Slugger." With that, lilac eyes met his emerald gaze as she gave him a wide grin. "So let's hear it Slugger, you up for 'Xiao Long' night?"
"... You're really enjoying Tsuyu not being around to punish you for these jokes, aren't you?" Even after a slight wince from Yang's joke, Izuku couldn't help but smile as Yang gave a quick 'woop' as she raised her hands.
"Absolutely Izuku! I'm gonna be milking this for all it's worth. No more... 'pun'ishments for me this week!" Yang stuck her tongue out slightly as she gave a short giggle. "But don't try to give me the run around there Slugger, let's hear it!"
Izuku took a moment to really think about what wanted to do. There were a few ideas he had in mind in specific; even if Vale itself didn't really do much formal celebrating during the Color Week Holiday, he was fairly certain that the piers would still have 'a lot' of activities to do, even beyond the usual touristy stuff that went on down there. From there, it was a bit more difficult to decide; he'd want to give Yang the chance to make her own choice on something, and honestly he'd lent slightly toward that, but on the other hand now that he had so much money he could afford to go to that clothing store to set up for a Dust-Treated outfit, which would help protect him. Maybe he could choose to do that too and then give Yang a chance to choose to do whatever she wanted la-
"You're a pretty dangerous guy there Slugger, but I guess I should've expected it. You are the guy who has all these plans after all... get me dinner after this and I might just be putty in your hands."
...
Izuku's ears turned slightly red as that memory played itself in his mind again. That time in The Tunnels had been a really, 'really' stressful one for him, though not unpleasantly slow. Having Yang on his back, with her... her arms slung around his shoulders, yeah, had really made him feel nervous and jumpy, despite the fact that he was just doing it to help Yang move around The Tunnels without much trouble. Yet Yang, as ever, really pushed the envelope on her end by teasing him; whispering into his ear and speaking in a low tone before laughing out loud about how red his face had gotten. It was the usual thing for Yang but, in that position he was in, that teasing had 'really' gotten to him and, as evidenced by the fact that he remembered her last jab, had really stuck with him...
What better way to get her back then to pay her own teasing back in kind?
Deciding to put off the decision of whether he'd leave Yang with the last item for the evening or if he'd ask to be taken back to the clothes store, Izuku sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he looked off to the side. "Y-Yeah Yang, Vale sounds great. Let's hit the town again!" It seemed Yang was too excited to notice his sudden nervousness or the way he seemed to be avoiding looking right at her, as the blonde brawler just gave a quick 'whoop' before she started on ahead.
"Well come on Slugger, Bumblebee's not gonna wait forever!" Whether the lilac eyed young woman was excited by the prospect of getting off Beacon's Campus and as far as Peach's office as possible or if she was particularly stoked about hanging with Izuku again... well, he really didn't focus in on those thoughts. Instead he just did his best to try and think over some of the places he might've seen around Vale during his time living around here, trying to think of some 'really' nice restaurant that would serve as the perfect backdrop for really getting Yang back for her teasing way back when.
The process actually went a lot faster since he hadn't needed to go drop off books and, furthermore, that everyone on Beacon's campus had sort of settled into a bit of a pattern. Bumblebee was brought out in very short order from the garage, one of the other few buildings still open on Beacon, and the airbus was quick to load it into the back while Izuku and Yang quickly produced their Scrolls to verify their IDs. The minutiae of being a student at Beacon Academy had long since settled in and, for the most part, what might've been daunting before had become part of their daily routine... admittedly, it was more exciting daily routine than most people had, with 'a lot' more friends than his previous routine.
It wasn't long before he and Yang touched back down in Vale, the young woman having stretched herself out after departing the airbus as she breathed in the city air.
"Gods, I know we were in town just last week, but being cramped in Peach's office most of the day really made me miss this." With that Yang just gave a nice, wide grin as the afternoon sun bore down on the two of them, though its heat had begun to waver as Late Summer had long since given way to Fall and the chill of Winter began to set in. Not that Izuku had much problem shaking it off between his own usual manner of dress and his Aura, but he could still feel that chill tickling at his skin. It wasn't long after that Bumblebee was brought off the airbus and onto solid concrete, the sight of which caused Yang to offer a wide smile as she ran up to her bike. Izuku slowly followed after her, getting more and more nervous as his plan started to come more and more into fruition, as Yang reached for Bumblebee's storage and pulled out two very familiar helmets.
"Alright Slugger, same plan as before? You got some business or something and I'll handle the fun parts of the evening?" Izuku chuckled nervously.
"Hey now, I picked out going out to eat didn't I?" Izuku watched as Yang blinked before she just gave a slight laugh.
"Semantics Izuku, semantics." Izuku shrugged before shaking his head to the negative.
"Anyway... I had a slightly different idea. I thought we could drive around and look for someplace new to eat. I thought that going to the same place might be..."
"Pretty boring?" Izuku nodded as Yang finished his sentence, a wide grin on her face as she buckled her helmet in. "Slugger, you're speaking my language. Alright, hop on; I suppose I'll just have to settle for having fun driving my baby around while you keep an eye out for some place to eat." Yang quickly straddled Bumblebee before turning it on, the young woman having revved the engine before she patted the seat behind her. Nervous and excited, he nodded as he slipped in behind Yang, carefully positioning his hands where he had last time as you settle in. Before he could even give the 'okay' that he was in, Yang blasted off on Bumblebee.
'Alright... let's see what we can find.'
It took a while of driving around the Merchant District before Izuku hit on something that seemed like a pretty nice, high-scale place to eat. Most of the restaurants he and Yang had passed by seemed more of the caliber of the one they'd gone to previously and, while that might've been fine enough, if he 'really' wanted to get Yang, he felt like he needed something a little more risky, a little more high-style. Something that'd, hopefully, knock her off her feet the same way she seemed to 'repeatedly' do to him all the time. Eventually, his ears caught the sound of a rather majestic tune and, finding it coming out of a rather lively and nice looking restaurant, Izuku ended up stopping Yang and pointing it out. The blonde just nodded and, within short order, managed to pull in right next to it, the two of them depositing their helmets and tousling away his helmet hair before going in.
The music got louder and louder as the two approached and, as they pass through the doors, they finally got a good look at the restaurant. The Blue Note, as the sign proudly displayed, was a restaurant that featured as it central gimmick and draw a Jazz Lounge, where a small band of musicians currently played. Despite the name of the place, red seemed to be a far more favorite color of the establishment than blue; red carpet, red velvet drapes and various hues of the color and other complementary ones to it made up the major look of the place. The major exception to this was the lighting; while a good deal of it was your more typical, normal lights that just illuminated the room, a good deal more were a series of blue colored lights that mixed and intermingled every now and then, creating a small wash of color all around the Lounge. The furniture was nice looking and seemed comfortable enough and, all told, the atmosphere was just very... nice. It put Izuku at ease, despite how nervous he was feeling, how much he was internally screaming at trying to out tease 'Yang' of all people, and much of that was probably down to the band's playing. The calm, rhythmic sound filled the entire restaurant and, after a moment of the blonde looking around and taking it in, Izuku watched as Yang put her hands on her hips and gave a slight nod.
"Fancy." She said with a grin while Izuku just nodded nervously. One of the attendees walked up and, for a moment, seemed to double take at their attire. Given that he was dressed in some somewhat casual clothes and that Yang, well, is dressed in her Yang-iest, it was probably no surprise that they stood out a bit when the rest of the crowd is dressed in some slightly more fashionable attire. Still, the young man just shrugged his shoulders and, after some jostling for a table for two, the young man took them away to their table. It was a slight distance away from the band, but still close enough that the ambiance hung in the air between himself and Yang. The service ended up being relatively quick as Izuku and Yang quickly were waited on, allowed to give their orders and then left, relatively, alone.
...
'Oh Gods,'
"Gotta say Slugger, you picked a really solid spot. A bit ritzier than the last place we went out to eat but hey, guess we're mostly paying for the atmosphere." Yang said rather casually as she nodded her head over to the band, which still played its rather calming, soothing song. Izuku gave a short nod, somewhat glad that the blue lightning that intermingled in the place was at least probably helping disguise how red his ears felt right then.
"Yeah, I just figured it'd be fun to try something new and, well, rather than going down, why not try something up?" Yang nodded in ready agreement with that, taking a sip of the drink she'd ordered as part of her meal. Izuku watched as, slowly but surely, a wily grin snuck its way up onto Yang's lips as she looked over at him, a slight arch to her eyebrow.
"Yeah, why not right? I mean, start me off with something simple, something to make me comfortable... and then on our next time out and about, take me to something 'fancy', something that'll really 'wow' me." This time, not even the blue light can keep the red on his face hidden as Yang starts immediately teasing him, the blonde having given a big old chuckle. "Gosh Izuku, you really do just play a long game with the girls huh? This nervous and cutesy attitude hiding the mind of a real lady's man, I tell you. I warned you that I might be putty in your hands if you took me out to a fancy dinner..." Yang brought her glass up to her lips and, before taking a drink, offered him a teasing wink. An amused chuckle escaped her lips from over the glass as he nearly choked, Yang clearly having the time of her life teasing him as usual.
...
'Well... it is now or never, right?'
"W-W-Well... is it working?"
This was probably the first time he'd ever heard Yang choke in his time knowing her.
"Huh?" Yang coughed a bit as she brought her glass back down to the table, the young woman looking somewhat incredulously at him. He did his best to give a confident smile which, in all honesty, still probably looked absolutely terrified, as he nodded.
"I-I-I mean... you said so in The T-Tunnels right? That you'd be putty in my hands if I took you out to dinner after that... s-so... u-uh..." Izuku knew he momentarily had it, that he really had the whole thing going, but his own, natural nervousness ended up coming through to spook him again as he watched Yang's expression.
It's on the one hand really encouraging and, on the other hand, nerve wracking. Encouraging because he, Izuku Midoriya, managed to render Yang 'speechless'. Her mouth was slightly agape at having seen he tried to pull that, a very light hint of red on her cheeks, as she just seemed to 'try' to form words without much success. In all honesty, it reminded him of the expression she wore after he managed to dance with her at Pyrrha's birthday party; that weird mix of emotions he couldn't quite place at the time. Here they were before him once again and, well, knowing that it was in response to 'him' teasing her for once? That was a win.
But now he was worried... Yang teased him, yeah, but he was never really worried about it. He never took it the wrong way and it seemed like Yang was just having fun. As amused as he was, and as much as that amusement probably seeped through his nervousness, there was now worry that Yang 'might' not see it the same way. That he may have overstepped a boundary and ended up really tripping all over their relationship. After all, it was probably creepy when guys did it back, wasn't it? Oh Gods, he'd messed this up!
...
'Oh no...I did mess up...but not like that…'
Because instead of looking angry and insulted, Yang's blush grew slightly on her cheeks as a positively predatory look crossed her face, her teeth slightly bared in a wide, mischievous smile as the blonde raised an eyebrow. Izuku had challenged her. Izuku had teased her back and done so in a very flagrant manner... and what was maybe worse, Izuku actually got her to stammer and blush as she tried to process just what had happened.
"Izuku Midoriya... are you trying to out tease 'me' of all people? Do you really want to play this game of Chicken?" Yang leaned forward ever so slightly, her lilac eyes practically glowing and, he thought, turning red as she looked at him. "Because Slugger, I'm not sure you want to try to make me flinch. I mean, good show right there, you 'almost' got me... but Slugger, it's going to take way more than that." Yang gave a little laugh as she pulled back slightly, a coy smile on her face. "I wouldn't want to put you at risk of a heart attack from the attempt."
...
"I think my heart's a little stronger than you give it credit for Yang. L-L-Let's do this."
'WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?'
Whatever sense was trying to batter its way into his head, Yang's smile just widened as her eyes glinted dangerously at him.
"Alright Slugger, don't say I didn't warn you." At this point, he was about ready for anything; he was ready for Yang to do any manner of crazy thing to throw him off his game, to completely just toss him off your feet and force him to give in at a moment's notice. However, despite the warning that was clear in her predatory look, the excitement, instead of the blonde brawler having pounced on him... it was weird. It was almost like she cooled off instead, that smirk dissolving into a smile as she leaned back in her chair a bit. The waiter came by with their food and the only thing Izuku really took notice of was the fact that Yang had gone on to order something to drink besides the water they already had; a glass of wine.
The moment had confused Izuku as, for the next while, it really did just seem like he and Yang were hanging out. The two just talked for a bit, ate and, in general, it seemed like they were both just having a good time. Hell, at the moment, they both were having a conversation about Ruby and Bakugou of all people, Yang talking with him about stuff she needed to keep an eye out when it came to Bakugou to make sure that he wasn't hurting Ruby in ways she wouldn't be able to necessarily notice. The topic was somewhat laughable to Izuku; if Bakugou was bullying or hurting Ruby in any way, it'd be pretty obvious to everyone. He supposed it spoke to the lengths that Yang really didn't like or trust the fact that Bakugou was Ruby's partner on that team.
However, as all this is going on... Izuku started to notice a few things. Things that had subtly crept in while the two of them were just sitting there eating and talking. It wasn't so much a change in tone or even in conversation, but in demeanor. That demeanor having been reflected in Yang... err... well, it was hard to put words to, given how out of the loop he was but... well, 'hitting on you' was probably the best way he could phrase it? Without saying a word or even drawing attention to it, Yang manipulated herself in noticeable but very subtle ways: her posture leaned forward slightly, ever so slightly, which brought her face and other... things into focus. Yang also manipulated and tousled what she probably considered her best feature, her hair, subtly across the conversation, causing a good deal of it to spill over her shoulders and frame her in such a way that it pretty much created a curtain of gold around her.
Then there was the wine glass; when she wasn't very slowly taking a drink from it, letting her lips linger on the edge of the glass, she was running her finger lazily around the opening, around and around again as she just stared at him. She was clearly into the conversation herself and, every now and then, she even got visibly annoyed when the conversation would turn to Bakugou in particular... but no matter what, her eyes were always on Izuku and, owing to the fact that he was trying to win this declared game of Chicken, he couldn't exactly look away when she fluttered her eye lashes ever so slightly as part of a laugh, or just stare at him while he spoke at length, a slight droop to her eyelids.
It became abundantly clear to him that, Yang Xiao Long was way more experienced that he and she were intent on winning. Because even without vocally teasing him or doing 'anything' remotely touchy or what he might've considered forward, his ears were turning red. It seemed even Yang took notice as, after a moment in the conversation, she broke into a slight grin
"Don't be so stressed Iz-u-ku~" She toyed with his name as she spoke, leaning ever so slightly forward again. "After all, you've taken me out to some place fancy... you're allowed to look~."
...
'Cold thoughts Izuku, cold thoughts. Ice cubes, cold showers, Mountain Glenn winter. Going skiing on the top of the mountain and then tumbling down a good way through all that snow. Cold thoughts, cold thoughts, cold thoughts…'
Turn the table thoughts.
Doing his best to draw upon the various rants and points Kayama made about appealing to the opposite sex in so many of her classes, including instructions she gave to the 'male students' of all people, he tried your best to try to come off as suave and cool, playing up his limited frame, as he tried to grin back at Yang. He thought he was by and large successful but his natural nervousness was always going to be a hindrance.
"W-Well I wouldn't want to look too long... I mean, y-you're so... r-r-radiant I might just go blind."
'Oh Gods, that was horrible. I'm 'never' going to follow Kayama's lessons again as long as I live.'
...
He thought for a moment he saw Yang's carefully crafted, alluring smile squirm around, as if she was doing her best to not break out into a smile or a chortle, before she got her composure back together, fluffing her hair slightly as she did so.
"Well aren't you a sweetie, paying me such a nice little compliment. I'll have to remember that..." Yang gave a 'slow' wink back as, slowly but surely, the meal came to an end. Drinks had been finished, the food had been eaten and the atmosphere of the place, once fresh and really uplifting, had become a bit stifling, especially in the presence of the game of guts he and Yang were playing.
"Well that was delightful. Thank you Izuku, that really hit the spot... so nice of you to take me someplace nice. Such a gentleman." Yang spoke with a quiet laugh behind her voice as she spun in place to look back at Izuku as they both headed back out toward Bumblebee, her lilac eyes having twinkled as she looked him right in the eyes. Izuku gave a nervous chuckle, doing his best to not look away as she looks at him so intently.
"W-Well what can I say, I-I had to do my best if I was going to live up to your expectations." Yang gave a grin as she just nodded slightly at that, the girl humming to herself.
"Yeah, I suppose that's right. I do have to admit... you have me feeling a bit weak at the knees now Izuku." Yang sighed airily as she placed her hand on her cheek. "What's a girl to do with such a dangerous playboy hunting after her... it's almost enough to make a poor young thing faint." Yang gave a slight shake again, which sent her hair cascading about, before she turned back forward toward Bumblebee, procuring a couple helmets as she did so. For a moment, it's a pretty simple affair as he and Yang put their helmets on. For the moment, he thought he was in the clear long enough to at least not have to deal with Yang teasing him constantly, let him build back up his nerve... up until he watched as she 'slowly' straddled Bumblebee before turning those lilac eyes back on him, eyelashes fluttering as she gave him a coy smile.
"Come on Izuku... we've got someplace else to go, right? I promise I won't bite..." At that, Yang gave a slightly predatory smirk. "... Unless, of course..." She let those words hang in the air. Of course she'd take advantage of the moment; he was nervous enough directly touching a girl and riding right behind her as it was, and that was when Yang 'wasn't teasing him over it...
Without breaking eye contact, without blushing in Yang's line of sight and without much hesitation him pretty much march forward, quickly swung his legs over Bumblebee and slide in behind Yang, placing his hands as normal. "Alright Yang, let's do this." Even Yang seemed pretty surprised by him just bull rushing his way onto the bike with so little hesitation, the blonde having to blink slightly before nodding.
"Right, yeah... damn..." Yang muttered something in a disappointed tone under her breath before she turned Bumblebee on, the young woman having turned her head to face Izuku as she tilted her head to the side. "So what's the next part of our little... night out on the town, Izuku~?" Despite how she might've felt about him just rushing through her attempt to get him to throw the game, she seemed right back in it just a moment later. He took some time to think, trying to dredge up some other activity.
"Well... I've heard that Beacon's dockyards are pretty touristy and usually have some fun stuff to do. I thought we could try something there." At that, Yang gives a wide smile as she winked back at him.
"Ah, a romantic evening on the pier? Are you sure you've never done this before, Izuku?" He did his best to keep composure as he just nodded, even as Yang hummed to herself in thought.
"Oh! I know the perfect place." Yang gave a quick grin, Yang having looked pretty satisfied with her thought, as she kicked Bumblebee into gear. "Vale doesn't usually do much for Color Week on its own, but the dockyards, the piers especially, usually do have all sorts of activities they do that they kick into high gear when Color Week hits." For a moment it seemed like the game of Chicken was on pause as Yang got her opportunity to play tour guide for him, the blonde having driven Bumblebee onto the road as the two swiftly drove down it. For the entirety of the drive, nothing really came of the game of Chicken; probably because Yang didn't want to get too distracted by driving.
Priorities, they're good things.
Still, as the sun began to dip down slightly, the days having grown shorter and shorter as winter slowly approached, they did reach a section of pier that stretched out for a 'long' way into the water. A sign hung over the entrance to the pier titled 'Luna's Wonder Park' and he could see that, stretched out across the pier, are a lot of various attractions and tourist trap sort of deals that had brought in quite the crowd, even so late into the season and this late at night. Several crane games stretched in rows upon rows near the entrance, a whole wide open area toward the end of the pier where there were several men fishing with... friggin 'huge' fishing poles, a ladder that extended down to the water leading to a smaller dock that has a few boats docked to it, 'tons' of food stands and little shops and game stalls filled to the brim with various trinkets and snacks and, that which most thoroughly dominates the pier's skyline, a massive Ferris Wheel.
It was a pretty big surprise to him; usually he only saw attractions like that during limited times of the year in Mountain Glenn.
"Holy woah, I thought you said that Vale really doesn't do anything for Color Week, Yang?" Momentarily forgoing the game of chicken, Izuku couldn't help but be amazed at the sight stretched out before him, which caused the young woman to chuckle.
"It really doesn't Slugger, this is something pretty different. Luna's Wonder Park is pretty much from late spring all the way into late fall, regardless of whether there's a holiday or not. Heck, it was a family tradition to take Ruby here as part of her birthday when everyone was together." Yang placed her hands on her hips as she looked out at the park, before turning back to Izuku. A genuinely friendly smile was on her face and, Hell, even a slightly nostalgic look as she watched him gawk at the park before them. Eventually though he noticed her grin again as she beckoned him toward the park.
"Now come on, I-zu-ku~... you can't tell me you're done showing a little lady like me a good time..." He fought back the urge to blush as he just coughed into his fist, looking out across the park.
'Well... huh, I've never really gone to a carnival before with a girl. I mean, I've gone with Mom, but that really doesn't count, especially because I wasn't playing a game of embarrassment Chicken with Mom at the time…'
Shaking off that particularly cringe-worthy thought from his mind, he tapped his chin as he took in the sights of the park. Roller coasters, boat rides, the 'Wonder Wheel' as the sign proudly proclaimed it, it was all a lot to take in at once. He tried to really consider his options as he took a lot of this in until, finally, his eyes settled on the various rows of games that seemed to stretch across the pier, side by side. The rows upon rows of hanging prizes, the stuffed animals and the like, it reminded him of a lot of toys he'd try to win or, hopefully, his mom would win for him back in the day. Then the idea hit him; the idea of winning Yang a prize, that would've had to be pretty embarrassing for her, right? After all, if he actually won, then she'd have to lug around some big old thing, right? Besides, even once he either won or lost this game of Chicken, it'd be a nice little souvenir of his day out with Yang. So, swallowing that nervous lump in your throat, he did his best to appear confident as you nod to the stalls.
"How about I try to win you something Yang? Give you something to remember this... m-magical evening by?" Gods, he really wasn't good at purposefully hitting on people. Yang looked at him for a moment, a look of surprise on her face that quickly folded into a big old grin... which then folded into a look that reminded him all too much of that gaze from the Blue Note.
"Oh my... goodness Izuku! I would 'love' that. A nice little toy to remember this day by? You pretty much read my mind!" Yang fluttered her eyelashes a bit as she frowned slightly. "Oh... but I've heard these carnie games can be rigged... I'd worry more but, well..." Yang looked you up and down for a moment, placing a finger just so delicately on her bottom lip as she did. "I know 'you' can win them. After all, you're so tough and strong." He was that, his training had been paying off. "Rippling muscles over every inch of you." ... Okay, he was pretty muscle-y, but it was more toned and fit rather than rippling, still, you supposed- "That square jaw and those broad, strong shoulders that just scream 'man'. There's no way they'd be able to stop you from taking your prize, Iz-u-ku~." ... Okay, he was fairly sure she was having a go at him now. Her tone was completely genuine, or at least, genuinely flirtatious; she was speaking in a low, breathy tone as she listed off his 'features', eyes trailing over him as she did so. Still, he wasn't really the picture of the man she was painting...
...
'SO THEN WHY DO I STILL FEEL LIKE YOU WERE GOING TO THROW UP?!' He swallowed a lump in his throat as he pulled at his collar. 'Jeez, am I just 'this' easy to tease that even when I 'know' she is just having fun that the tease was enough? Or do all guys just get well chuffed when a pretty girl complimented them in such a manner?'
...
'Actually that last part sounds like as good a theory as any.'
Still, despite Yang's rather flirtatious, if false, compliments, he just did his best to clench his fist and give a smile. "Y-Y-Yeah, I can totally do it! I'll get you the best prize out of a stall!" He managed to speak with only a slight hiccup and with no blush on his face, even as he felt his heart pounding in his ears. Yang, again, seemed to stall when he didn't respond, her lips in a bit of a thin line as he managed to keep his composure. Still, a regular old Yang-grin formed on her face as she gave a nod.
"Well let's not waste any more time! Go and fetch me a prize!" Izuku chuckled slightly as he and Yang finally head into the park, each of them paying their way in before doing so. Afterward, their eyes started scanning the various stall games for one of the games he thought he had a solid chance of winning. As his eyes moved about, he locked onto a particular game; a rope ladder, connected at two various ends, that contestants were trying their best to climb up. The ladder would spin and throttle around, tossing people off, and it looked like the aim of the game was to try to get to the other end of the ladder. It looked simple enough to Izuku and he actually turned to try and approach it. Up until Yang lightly grabbed at his shoulder. At first he was worried that she was going for something of a kill as she does so but, as she pulls him off to the side, his turn to see a thoughtful expression on her face.
"I'm sure you'd be great at that game Slugger, but... hmmmm..." Yang tapped her chin, the first time she'd referred to him as 'Slugger' since the two of you started this game of Chicken. Eventually, Yang's lilac eyes shine as she grinned, pointing him in the direction of another stall. That stall had several, classic looking milk bottles stacked on top of a barrel in a small triangle, with contestants throwing baseballs at them. "There. You'll absolutely demolish that game." he was a little bit surprised that Yang was doing that and, as far as he could tell, she wasn't 'lying' to him. So, with a shrug, he followed Yang's lead over to the game.
Manning the stall is a large, 6'2" carnie who looked about forty-five years old. A plain white tank top that stretched over his rotund stomach was worn underneath a light jacket, mostly meant to keep the chill off of him, that didn't do a whole lot to keep his hairy stomach from popping out. Various stains, most of them either sweat or grease, stained the man's wife beater as well, giving him a slightly grungy look. A full, five o'clock shadow graced this man's chin that seemed to be doing its best to distract from the guy's thinning hair line. A pair of blue jeans finished off the look of something that just 'screamed' carnival worker.
"Well, well, well, look at the pretty lookin' pair we got ourselves here. Little blonde gal and a walking bonsai tree. About as skinny as one anyway, hah!" The carnie laughed out loud as he slapped his knee, Izuku having just nervously, 'very nervously', laughed as he scratched at the back of his head while Yang just rolled her eyes.
"Alright, alright big guy, we get it, mind games, throw him off, yada yada. Listen, my friend here's gonna beat your carnival game in one go and get me a top rung prize, so how about we skip the formalities and you go ahead and hook down one of the real good ones, alright?" The carnie looked over at Yang, the giant of a man having just grinned a slightly yellow smile as he raised his eyebrows.
"Oooh, got some piss and vinegar in this one. 'Your friend' huh bonsai? Ouch." Yang again just huffed as she pat him on the shoulder while the carnie steps up the trio of bottles. As he did so, Yang took the opportunity of his back being turned to lean over slightly.
"Alright Slugger, here's the deal... one of those bottles is heavier than the others. He'll place it on the bottom and slightly to the back and 'slightly' behind the other bottle so that most normal people who walk through here won't have the strength to knock down all three at once. Aim for the bottom ones and throw as hard as you can and that top one will just ricochet away too, alright?" Izuku nodded slightly... before a look of confusion came over his face.
"... Wait, I'm 'trying' to win one of the good prizes to embarrass you. Why are you giving me advice to help?" Yang gave him a positively predatory grin as she looked him in the eye.
"First, I like screwing with these carnies, second, well, just cause you win a prize doesn't mean you'll pick one that'll sweep me off my feet." He swore, for a moment, that Yang seemed to try to hold back chuckled as she shook her head a bit, looking at him with that flirtatious look. "So win me a good prize, okay Iz-u-ku~?" Yang slapped his back and pushed him forward to the counter, the carnie having walked back with a baseball.
"Alright there bonsai; throw the ball at the bottles, if you knock all three down on your first try, to get the top rung prizes. Sound good?" Izuku nodded slightly as he grinned that yellow grin of his again. "Good, good. Now come on, let's see if you actually got any muscles in those twigs you call arms there, hyah!" The man's stomach lurched with his laughter as he took a step back away, allowing him plenty of room to make his own toss.
Izuku took a deep breath as he adjusted his grip on the baseball, his eyes locked on the three bottles in front of him. True to Yang's word, he could tell, just ever so slightly, that one of the bottles was positioned behind the other one on the bottom so that it wouldn't be hit with the same first contact on a throw and that, should he aim for it, he'd likely miss the other bottle all-together. It was a 'really' dirty way to rig this game, now that he thought about it, especially if Yang was right that the other bottle was also heavier, but in the end Izuku decided to just ignore it. He wouldn't let a little rigging keep him from winning the game. So, with another deep breath, he brought himself backward as he prepared to throw, his grip tightening.
In one fell swoop he threw the ball and it screamed through the air, slamming into the trio of bottles. The first two flew off without much resistance, having been utterly blown away. The ball slowed ever so slightly from having its force imparted as it struck the third bottle. He was nervous for that split second, however, such nerves prove utterly unnecessary as the bottle, too, soared off into the air after being struck, his ball following through the impact the back of the game stall with a dull thud. The carnie's face dipped into a frown slightly as he looked at that display, even as Yang's hooping and hollering and pumping her fists into the air.
"Yeeaaaah! How do you like your 'bonsai tree' now? First try, all three bottles, no sweat! Woop!" Izuku couldn't help but grin himself as he got caught up in his fellow Hunter-in-Training's excitement, pumping his fist ever so slightly at having won on his first go. Several other people at the park seemed to be slightly envious of him at the moment; a few of the younger ones and women were jealous because he managed to win in one go. For the guys, it was harder to tell what exactly they were most envious of when it came to him. The carnie just bit back a slightly grumbled as he reached out for his hook.
"Alright, alright. I didn't see any funny business with a Semblance either so... grrr... you get your prize, kid." Dropping the insult, the carnie rattled his hook against various prizes. "Luna's Wonder Park maintains a certain promise of quality; these ain't shit prizes, kids, not like you'll get at Sol's Fair Grounds. Take your pick and then get out of here... one grand prize per customer per day." The man clicked his tongue against his yellow teeth as he waited for Izuku to pick out a prize, Yang also seeming all too eager to see what he'd pick out for her.
'Oh boy, so many choices.' His eyes rapidly glanced around the various prizes, trying to pick out the right one. 'It'd need to come with one with some kind of witty joke or one-liner; that's something really confident, cool guys did when they were hitting on girls and giving them gifts, right? Plus knowing Yang's sense of humor, it'd pretty much tickle her right down to the bone if I do that so, hey, even more reason to go for that, right? Okay so... what would be best, then? The bumblebee? Maybe make a joke relating to her bike like 'Well you can't bring 'that' bumblebee into the school'? Maybe, maybe, but you weren't entirely sure. Maybe the bear? Uh... okay, wow, I actually can't think of anything for the bear, I'm stumped. The green plush horse that had green hair? Something to remember I bought when she took it to…'
...
'Nope.'
Briefly his eyes glanced over to the Toshinori doll; as much as that might've been something he would've wanted, he didn't think that Yang would be embarrassed beyond belief. She'd probably laugh, yeah, but he was really not sure that would count for much. So, with a little hesitation, he settled down on his most confident option, the one he'd thought a smooth one-liner for almost immediately. Yeah, it'd be perfect. He'd just need to roll with the execution.
So he ended up picking an orange and yellow dragon off the rack, the giant plush toy having settled comfortably into your arms before he turned to Yang, offering her the most suave look he could manage... which, come to think of it, probably wasn't very suave at all but he'd worry about that later!
"I-I know that heroes aren't supposed to bring the dragon and the fair maiden together, b-but I think we can make an exception this time, right?"
...
'Nailed it.'
"Oi vey..." The stall runner just palmed his face in his hands, shaking his head side to side as he went off to deal with other customers.
Yang just looked at him for a moment, a long drawn out moment, as her mouth squirmed around a bit. For a moment, he thought he saw the corners of her lips start to rise up, her breathing becoming sharp for a moment as she momentarily turned her head a bit, coughing into her fist. He swore he heard something akin to a snort in there but, as soon as Yang turned back, it was all smiles and grins as she practically hopped forward, staring at the prize he'd gotten.
"Oh my gosh Izuku! Thank you soooo much! I 'love' it! It's perfect, and all the better because you got it for me with those manly arms of yours." Again Izuku fought back the instinct to sheepishly grin or blush at Yang's compliments as the blonde woman took the stuffed toy from his arm. It was pretty much half as large as he was so, even with Yang having been ever so slightly taller, it still took up most of her torso as she took hold of it. He watched as Yang looked down at the toy, her attention having been split off from him, as she took a moment to stroke the fuzz of the thing. He saw, for the briefest of moments, a nostalgic glint in her eyes as she quietly muttered something under her breath. Those lilac eyes, warmed by nostalgia, looked up to you as she gives him a wide grin, nodding her head again.
"Thanks Izuku, it's great!" She declared again as her expression evened out into a normal smile. "So what's next there big guy? What else you got up your sleeve?" Yang asked with a toothy grin, to which... Izuku actually shrugged.
"I dunno... honestly, I'm a bit out of ideas. I was going to offer to let you pick what we do next, but if we're-"
"Perfect!" Yang declared all at once as she immediately grabbed him by the shoulder. "Come on, time's a wastin'! If we don't hurry we'll miss our chance!" Before he could even ask Yang what she was on about, the blonde immediately pulled him off through the park, his feet just barely keeping up with hers as he was bodily dragged about by her, several guys outright glaring at him at this point.
'Well, whatever Yang has in mind...couldn't be all bad, right?'
xXxXxXxXxXx
'I was wrong,-'
...
'I was horribly, 'horribly' wrong.'
What Yang had been dragging him off to, what the young woman had seemed so eager to rush to in order to ensure that you two would have their 'chance' was in all honesty the biggest attraction in the park... and the one that had him feeling the most nerves at the moment.
The Wonder Wheel.
In front of so many people he could barely count them, Yang Xiao Long had bodily dragged him up to the Wonder Wheel, presented their tickets, and then as soon as cage for the ride opened up, dragged him on board, having practically tossed him in before enthusiastically jumping in herself. The downright predatory gleam had told him damn near everything he could've possibly needed or wanted to know; Yang had fun with his game of Chicken, but now she was primed and ready to get the show on the road. She was going in for the kill. Heck, where better to, to be honest? What theme park attraction, what fairground folly, was better suited for that, then the Ferris Wheel.
Now, he wasn't a suave fellow and he'd never really even technically held hands with a girl before he touched Blake's all those weeks back. However, even he of all people knew how 'romantic' a Ferris Wheel was supposed to be. He and his 'date', being raised higher and higher into the sky, his cage occasionally stopping every now and then as other people left and got on, leaving him more and more time alone. Way up in the sky where no one else could see him... or what he was doing. Alone. With one other person.
Izuku glanced over at Yang again who had sat across from him with her stuffed dragon in hand, the girl just giving him a grin as she daintily waived to him. Still, even with that calm look, he could see it in her eyes. Yang knew she had him cornered... and she knew that he knew that she knew that she had him cornered. His eyes briefly glanced out over the ocean as a means of trying to settle himself, to solidify his iron will... okay, maybe like a copper or bronze will, for the coming ploy. The game was so close... he'd come so far and resisted so much! He couldn't just bow out now, not when it was all coming down to the wire! He took a long swallow of that nervous lump in his throat, turning back to face Yang. Maybe if he struck first, came up with something embarrassing, then maybe Yang would be knocked off her footing and he could sweep this opportunity out from under her!
That hope, however, was dashed when he looked over at where Yang had been sitting... and found nothing.
"Looking for someone, Iz-u-ku~?"
He barely kept from screaming as his head immediately snapped over to the right...
Oh Gods, she knew what she was doing. Yang had positioned herself in such a manner that the broken moon that had appeared in the night sky, as late as the day had dragged on, was practically shining a light down behind her along with the rest of Vale's and the Park's lights. Her hair practically glowed in it all, even as she twirled a strand of it around a solitary finger. Lilac eyes stared into his emerald ones as a soft smile played at her lips. She was still some distance away from him, but that just meant she was leaning over in order to 'appear' closer... and the angle she was leaning meant that if he craned his head-
DON'T LOOK DOWN DON'T LOOK DOWN DON'T LOOK DOWN!
"What's wrong Izuku? Nervous about having an audience?" He nearly choked slightly as Yang slowly dragged herself across the seat next to him, bringing herself closer, her eyes glancing over to the dragon. "Don't worry... it's okay if he watches."
COLD THOUGHTS!
COLD THOUGHTS COLD THOUGHTS COLD THOUGHTS COLD THOUGHTS COLD THOUGHTS COLD THOUGHTS COLD THOUGHTS COLD-
...
*Snerk*
... thoughts?
He watched in some amazement as, after Yang draws slightly closer to him, there was a hesitation in her body language, one that was immediately followed up by the young woman biting her lips as tears well up in the corner of her eyes.
"bw...bwHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Finally, it all seemed to be too much for her as Yang suddenly burst out laughing, the blonde young woman bending her head down slightly as her other hand went for her gut, the other arm supporting itself on Izuku to keep her from falling onto the floor of the cage. More confused than embarrassed, he watched Yang just laugh it out for a bit as she brought self back up, wiping a few tears away as she exhaled deeply.
"Gods Izuku... you needed to see the look in your eyes. Wow, I mean, I thought I've seen panic before but 'wow'." Izuku immediately frowned at that, a slightly disappointed expression on his face as he looked off to the side.
"Oh... so I guess I lose then, huh?"
"PFFFT!" Yang practically blew her cheeks out as she waved him off, causing his further confusion. "Slugger, you kept your composure and didn't flinch. Sure, I thought you might fall over from a stroke if I kept going but you were still looking me dead on. No, you didn't lose Izuku." Yang shrugged her shoulders as, pushing off from him, she switched seats back to her original side of the cage. "I lost. Congrats, you beat me at Chicken."
...
"Huh?" Izuku seemed utterly blown away for a moment as Yang just nodded.
"Yeah, I lost my composure and I flinched hard. You won Izuku, congrats. You're the second person who's ever beaten me at a game like this." Yang leaned back in her seat as she brought the little dragon back in her lap, stroking its fluffy exterior as he just looked at her.
"... Wait, I'm confused. Couldn't you have actually just... I dunno, done something that'd make me lose my cool or something before you lost it? I don't understand how I won that if you could just..." Izuku blushed, finally, as he scratched the back of his head, Yang just snorting slightly as she shook her hands.
"Slugger, I tease a lot and I can appreciate a good looking fella but I'm not 'creepy'. This was a game between friends to see who'd flinch first; of course I could've-" Yang pouted her lips as she gave him a wink, "-immediately gone in to try and give you your first kiss." He immediately blushed as red as a fire truck as Yang suggested this, the blonde just chuckling as she waved at him. "Yeah, I would've won easily... but the name of the game was to make you flinch, and just that, and going straight for 'creeper who doesn't respect personal space' isn't my style. Strictly a 'look don't touch' policy with me on that end." Yang offered a small smile. "You on the other hand? Slugger, you gave it your all... and you know what, it was just fun to watch. So yeah, you won."
...
'Huh, it's weird that I still feel kind of disappointed by that.'
"Oh... well, I was kind of hoping I'd get you to blush for once. You know, get you like you get me..." Yang looked at him for a moment before a smile graced her lips.
"Slugger... I had three boyfriends in and out of my life by the time I was Ruby's age. At this point I think I can safely say that I've been on more first dates than I have fingers. I have heard every macho line, every bad boy come on and every little compliment or gesture you could think of... heck, you don't look 'this' good without drawing a lot of attention." Yang tosses her hair slightly as she continued to smile at him. "Slugger, you could've been the most dashing guy this side of Remnant who rode in on a white motorcycle and offered to take me for the ride of my life and I'd probably be more amused than embarrassed. I'm 'used' to stuff like that."
"Oh... so I didn't stand a chance, huh?" Izuku sighed as he spoke, looking off to the side. Instead of the 'yep' he might've expected, he instead heard a small 'hmm' from Yang as she tapped her chin.
"... Well, I wouldn't say that." Izuku blinked in surprise as he immediately turned back to face her.
"What, you're serious? How?! What did I need to do?" Yang barked out a loud laugh at his enthusiasm, the blonde just waving him off as she leaned forward to pat him on the shoulder.
"You know what Izuku? Don't worry about it. Really, just... be you and that kind of stuff will work out. Trust me." Izuku sighed at the piece of advice but, seeing Yang's genuine smile, he nodded as he sat back in his seat, looking out into the ocean again. The two of them slowly reached the zenith of the Wonder Wheel, hitting the highest point of the ride which allowed them both a 'long' view of the surrounding bits of Vale and a long look out into the ocean. Between the city lights, the moon and the limited starlight... it was something to see.
"So... you wanted to get me like I get you, huh?" Izuku blinked slightly as he looked over at Yang, a thoughtful look on her face as he tilted his head slightly.
"Uh, yeah, that's what I said anyway." Yang nodded slightly as she frowned a little, though that frown lessened slightly as she turned to look back at him.
"Look, Slugger... you know that if my shtick bothered you, it was okay to say something, right?" Izuku blinked slightly, a little surprised, as Yang just smiled. "Look, I get it; constantly getting hit on, even jokingly, for a nervous guy can be a bit of a thing. Heck, I don't think Weiss was kidding back in the Tunnels when she said you looked like you were about ready to die of a heart attack. Granted, that wasn't entirely my doing, but still, I was probably making an embarrassing situation worse." Yang gave him a grin as she nodded. "Sure, it's fun to watch you react and all... heck, it's so weird to see someone who can stand up in a fight like you can act so nervous that it's kind of constantly funny. But it isn't cool for me to do if it's actually bugging you." Yang nodded slightly at that as she turned to face him, plush toy still in her lap.
'Huh, this wasn't quite the turn in the conversation I was expecting.'
It really wasn't where he was expecting the conversation to turn. So much so that he actually end up chuckling despite himself, a surprised laugh that drew Yang attention as she pouted slightly.
"Hey now, I'm being serious here."
"I know, I know. It's just, well, jeez Yang, do you think I'd keep hanging out with you if I didn't like who you are?" He did his best to give Yang a bright, honest smile as he shook his head. "You're funny, energetic and, well obviously, you're really caring. Heck, I have a blast whenever we're just doing stuff, whether it be hanging out like this or sparring or whatever it is we're doing." He nervously glanced off toward the ocean, a little uneasy with being so frank with someone, especially considering what he had on his mind to say. He sheepishly scratch at his cheek slightly before he continued. "Besides... well, you could even argue this has been a real learning experience for me."
"I think it's pretty obvious that I haven't had much experience with girls... or any at all, if I'm being perfectly honest. I've never really had any that particularly cared for what I had to say or would stop to try and help me. Especially not ones who were 'really' cool, social and..." He took a moment to cough into his fist as a blush rose to his cheeks, "-pretty." He turned back to look at Yang, laughing in a self-deprecating manner as he did so. "Heck, when I first met you and Ruby, I pretty much nearly broke down, not to mention how I nearly fumbled being friends with so many of our female friends in the first place." At that point his smile widened greatly as he threw his arms out to the side for emphasis. "Now look at me! I've been spending the entire night playing romantic Chicken with you and I haven't collapsed into a gibbering puddle yet! I'd consider that to be some major progress." He smiled genuinely as he lowered his arms back down to his legs.
"I wouldn't have made that kind of progress if it wasn't for you dragging me out of my shell and being my friend and you're doing it because that's just you being you... and I like that. So don't worry, because sooner or later, I think I'll get the Yang of all this." As he finished he relaxed back into his seat, an earnest smile on his face as he'd, hopefully, disabused Yang of any notion that she might've been bullying him somehow.
The entire time he was speaking, Yang's holding onto that stuffed toy he got her, the giant animal having pretty well obscured Yang's torso and the head of it having hidden the lower part of her face. Still, he could see her eyes blink slightly, a little bit amazed, as they stare right back at him. Before he could worry too much over Yang's silence or her lack of reaction, he saw a playful glint in those eyes as she suddenly-
"PAH!" The stuffed dragon is summarily tossed at his head as Yang chuckled on her end of the cage.
"Big talk coming from you Slugger. You'll get the 'Yang' of all this eventually? Bold words, bold words indeed. I guess I'll just have to step up my game if I don't want to lose out on seeing your blush and stumble your way through a conversation with me." Despite the fact that Yang threatened to keep up the teasing, he couldn't help but grin as it seemed that Yang's been reassured of his friendship with her, a wide smile on her face as she looked over at him. "Now give me that back."
"I-I'm not going to give it back if you're just going to throw it at my head like that!"
"Pssh, like that actually hurt... or if it did, maybe I should kiss it a little to make it better?"
"AAAAAAH!"
It wasn't long before the Ferris Wheel ended up rolling the two back down to the bottom and, as late as it had gotten, it was time to head back to the airbus station before it closed. Bumblebee made the ride a breeze, with him now having the additional duty of holding onto Yang's new stuffed toy on the ride back. In good time they managed to return to Beacon Academy, Bumblebee being returned to the school's garage and the pair of them on their way back to the dorm room. They were left with the distinct satisfaction of having had an excellent night out with ones friends and he got the feeling that Yang had been equally chuffed by it all. Sure, he might not have won his game of Chicken like he hoped he would, but still, everything had pretty much gone great.
Still, he couldn't help one last curiosity. As he watched Yang walk away, he watched her comb her hair behind her ear, tucking it there for a moment as she walked off. For a second, he thought that Yang's ears seemed to be unusually red.
a/n: Once again, next update should come out on the 17th as normally planned despite this one being a day late.