I don't own Boku no Hero Academia, of My Hero Academia (If you call it that). I own nothing.
Midoriya Izuku walked up to a desk in the Hero's Commission's Office with paper in hand. After the submission, he was told to have a seat and wait for a few minutes.
Sitting down, Izuku noted how empty the place was, like he was the only one there. The lady at the front desk noticed, along with the hero himself. She fluttered her eyes at the boy as she flashed a smile. But the boy rubbed his green hair and politely declined.
Long gone was the stuttering boy who could get nervous at a moment's notice, though his sweat glands did not have a permanent vacation. And while not fully grown up, he was the hero people were now expecting to be number one in Japan in the next poll results, and that was a lot to deal with.
He recall how proud he mother was when she called a while ago, bursting with tears as she talked about how she heard on the hero polls in the news. Apparently even the neighbors came by to congratulate her, with a couple staying in concern she'd dehydrate from all the crying.
The thought made him laugh. Once this was over, if no one was trouble, a tall order, he'd pay her a visit. But as he waited, a familiar voice called out, grabbbing his attention.
"Midori?"
Izuku turned his head at the familiar voice to see his fellow hero and former classmate, Mina Ashido, waving at him. It was not hard to remember her, what with the fact her appearance was of an attractive, pink skinned, pink haired woman with small curved yellow horns on her head and black sclera with yellow iris.
Without any conversation or words, the woman bounced over to a seat next to the man. She wore her signature smile as she greeted him.
"It is you! I haven't seen you since graduation! Though we all see you in the papers, Mr. Number One!" Mina said, nudging Midoriya with her elbow. "So how have you been?"
"I've been alright," Midoriya said, scratching his chin. Out of everything to expect, seeing an former classmate was surprisingly not on his list.
Gone were the days in the baggy costume his mother made him. While a symbol of his days in hero academia, it did him no good as the design needed an update. He sat proudly in his new uniform that fitted to his body, showing off muscles so well toned, you could cut stone with them. His usual colors of green with white stripes was accompanied with some blue accents and black lines which gave a more appealing look.
Of course, there was one last thing he needed to update. He only wished he realized this sooner.
"So how are you doing?" Mina was as exuberant as ever. "Even though it's hasn't been that long, it feel like forever!"
"Y-yeah," Midoriya chuckled. He glanced at Mina's costume.
Back in UA, Mina had a plain white mask over her eyes, with a purple and turquoise skin-tight bodysuit that ends just above her breaths, a camouflage pattern with a cropped, sleeveless, tan-colored waistcoat with white fur along its collar, and custom made plum violet and beige acid-proof boots.
But those days were gone, now the girl updated her costume. It still showed off her matured body, not that Izuku was complaining. The sleeveless waist coat was now a sleeveless coat that reached down to her knees. The body suit was the same, but with strategic Diamond shaped holes on her waist and knees. The shoes were more streamline in design. In addition, a small crown was nestled into her bushy pink hair, emphasizing her horns.
"Like what you see?" Mina teased, noticing his stare. Izuku turned a new shade of red when he pivoted his head. The girl giggled as she leaned in more. "So, what are ya up too, Midori?"
That was a lot to answer. Being a hero meant more than just stopping the villain, at least to Izuku. From helping a cat out of a tree to stopping a man with the power to lift cars with his mind, day to day life was full dangerous variety. And that was not including things like the media hounding him with fans following.
"Oh, you know, just basic hero life. I'm actually here to change my hero name," Izuku replied.
"Really!? Me too! I mean, Pinkie just sounds weird to a lot of people. It's just the color of my skin, and everyone's commenting on it." Mina sighed at the last part, slouching in her seat. "I mean, I'm changing it back to Alien Queen. It fitted me more, you know?"
"Yeah." Izuku chuckled as his friend continued her rant.
"I mean, we're not the only one either. You remember Bakugo's long name right? Well, not only does he have to shorten it, but there are some concerns about having murder in it."
Izuku chuckled lightly before going to his thoughts.
Bakugo. Now that was a name he had not thought of. He was a fellow student too, but was also a childhood friend turned bully. After UA, there had been a series of light losses and some changes, but the man was still the same loud mouth he always was, with a voice that never was quiet as was his abrasive attitude.
He graduated below Izuku in rank, but even with his incredible power and drive to be the best, he hadn't even made it to the top ten hero ranks. It just goes to show, that even with great power, if you can't show responsibility, or in this case, proper restraint, then people will have trouble trusting and liking you.
Not to mention after the Endeavor scandal where the number one hero of that time was found out to have been a cause of family abuse which led to the creation of one of the top villains. While he manger to live on and retire, his actions had lasting effects that prevented many heroes looking for fame or the number one spot to be under scrutiny. It was probably one of the few good things to come out of the event, but that wasn't saying much.
"I haven't talked to him since school," Midoriya lightly commented. "But I think that's for the best, right now.
Mina blinked, feeling like she stepped on a land mine. Good thing it wasn't exploding, because the green hair boy just sighed and stared off into space.
"Sorry about that, I know things things had been bad in the beginning but..."
"It's fine..."
"...I didn't mean to bring up stuff like that. I was just gonna say how he still has a long way to go."
"Speaking of long ways to go, Todoroki's father is getting better," Mina commented. She went to her social media page on her phone and opened the of their former classmate, Shouto Todoroki. "He says it helps that the son of Endeavor is doing everything he can to make things right and fix the remaining messes left."
"I heard," Izuku said with a small smile. "People have stopped vandalizing his home."
"Yeah, but that's what to expect after the S-class villain Dabi. He was lucky to be allowed to retire in the first place, and that's just him. Shouto's siblings could have been affected if they didn't take their mother's name."
Midoriya was silent, hoping the best for his friend.
"And then there are the guys who are heroes for fame." Mina winced, as did Izuku. "Even after a former number one hero was found of immoral behavior, nothing is stopping people from becoming heroes for fame and glory, but fans are learning to look closer at their actions. You can't be a glory hound these days, Bakugo's being by that everyday. If only he could really tone down his explosiveness."
Midoriya laughed at the understatement, recalling the last time he saw Bakugo on the news, only for it to cut short. The explosive hero was powerful, but power doesn't help on the news if you don't have an indoor voice. But that wasn't on his mind right now, as he kept laughing for a good few minutes at the irony.
"Yeah, but then there are his actions from UA, like how he was kidnapped and All Might had to retire." Midoriya laughed again, this one was drier and flat.
"Midori, are you alright?" Mina asked, slightly unnerved.
"I'm fine," Izuku replied as he calmed down. "I just haven't been able to laugh for a while."
"Odd, you always smile on TV." Mina poked his cheek, illicitly another smile from the boy.
"Yeah, but that's to make sure everyone feels safe. Things have been so busy, I haven't had a chance for me. Too bad the first chance I get is for me to change my hero name."
"So, what are you changing your name to?" Mina leaned in with a smirk. "I thought Deku was an important name to you."
Izuku flashed a faint smile, the kind that held distance like you were looking at a stranger across the city. it disappeared as quickly as it came as the hero scratched his head. Mina watched as he was silent, dropping her smirk as she felt a stone drop in her stomach. Or at least, that's what she felt.
"Midori—"
"It's not that the name doesn't have meaning...but after a while, there were people who weren't exactly thrilled to hear that the next number one hero was named Deku." Izuku's voice was solemn and uncertain. He recalled various comments from news articles his mother would show during his visits. "I mean, it still means useless."
"True."
"So I was thinking about how I move forward and decided on Zenshin. What do you think?"
"Sounds pretty cool. But I gotta ask Why didn't you do that before? Change your name back in UA?"
"Well...back then, Ochako said deku was cute and I decided to keep it." Midoriya blushed as he scratched his face in embarrassment. He noticed Mina lean in with a somber expression.
"You two would have been cute together," Mina darkly said.
Despite the shipper in front of him, Izuku sighed as he punched his nose. Pushing the girl's face away, he took a moment to collect himself before speaking.
"Mina...you do realize it was because you all were pushing us together that we didn't go out, right?" Midoriya looked Mina square in the eye, chastising her.
"B-but-but—"
"It was suffocating. I mean, if you let us be, then maybe, but having everyone push for us was tiresome. We couldn't even enjoy time with you guys without someone teasing us."
Mina couldn't say anything to defend herself. The boy was dead right, recalling tales like how they all went to the mall one time and some one commented on him and Ochako. The girl vividly remembered how everyone on their goats, and even had them sit together when they went to get something to eat. The vision of how uncomfortable they were was as clear as day.
"Sorry...about that...I guess we were just trying to get you guys...well..." Mina couldn't finish that sentence.
"Ochako and I are still best friends, but we didn't want to go out of it meant having everyone pushing us. So, that's why we never went steady."
Mina was silent.
"We do call each other though. She's doing fine. Actually found someone she likes too." Midoriya smiled, not a sad one or a jealous grin, but a real smile. He was honestly happy for his best friend. "He sounds like a great guy, but she won't tell me his name for some reason."
"I guess she wants to make it a surprise." Mina wore a mischievous smile, something the boy noticed.
"You know something, don't you?"
"I'm not saying a word." Mina got out her phone, opened her messages, and texted something. She snuck a glance at Midoriya before sending something. "But let's just say you'll be surprised when you meet him, one day."
Izuku sighed, just wanting to relax a bit. He looked at his own phone, unlocking and opening up the photos as he and the pink girl pass the time. He looked over many photos, from his recent heroic exploits to those of his friends. Then the pictures of high school came, flooding many memories, both good and bad, back. He saw old classmates and teachers, and even the principal in one too.
"I heard Aizawa quit teaching, " Midoriuya said offhand.
"Really? I didn't think he was serious when he said about teaching one more year then quitting," Mina sulked, having different memories. "He was sneaky like that, like when he had remedial lessons during the school trip on our first year."
"Yeah, but we had a villain attack. So..."
"I still wanted a romantic journeyin the quest of courage!" Mina puffed her cheeks in anger.
Midoriya looked at her with a nervous face, not fully sympathizing with her. That moment in their lives was a bit chaotic and could have gone better, among other things.
Izuku stared at his former classmate as she went back to her phone. Despite graduation, Mina was still as fun-loving back in the day, and that made him wonder about their school days. He never said much to her, though he barely made attempts to initiate conversation when heroes weren't involved. He looked over her body, recalling how exotic her quirk made her, realizing how Alien Queen was a more fitting name. The little girl back then had grown into a beautiful person, and with her pink skin and yellow horns, she looked...
"Exotic."
Mina paused as she slowly turned towards Izuku.
"Exotic?" Mina asked, turning her face red.
Midoriya did the same as he now realized he had said that last part out loud. It was an honest slip of the tongue, but his was too tied up to say anything properly. He began muttering gibberish in attempts to defend himself, but all that did was give the girl another laughing fit.
"I'm sorry, but you thought I was exotic?" Mina said between her laughs. "You never said anything!" She gasped as a thought came to mind and got up. She turned around and leaned over the boy, with a big smile. "Did you think I was pretty?"
"You always were pretty—" Mina gave a sly smile, making him blush. "—I-I-I mean that you looked...your appearance is..."
As the hero stuttered like a boy, Mina could not help snorting at the predicaments she had not know much about her former classmate, for some reason, she barely approached him, but it was entertaining to see the person most expected to take the place of number one hero acting like he has never talked to a girl before. It was not long before she burst out laughing, returning to her seat.
"Well now, it seems Mr. Soon-to-be-Number-One still can't talk to girls," Mina teased. She rolled back laughing, almost hitting her head on the wall. "Can you even talk to Ochako as a friend?"
"Hey! I talk to her!"
"Yeah, but when was the last time you took a girl out?"
Izuku glared at the pink girl, who was still laughing at him. He had come a long way and was reaching his dreams and goals, and could take being laughed at like that. But that was also adding to the problem as the pink girl's words sank in. Being a top hero meant a lot of fans, with many girls and women swooning after him. The boy's face blushed the countless times he was swarmed by beautiful girls, with the biggest contender being the time he saved everyone at the beach from an Cephalopod gang.
Izuku blushed as he recalled the many women in bikinis and the like, all very grateful for his presence and more.
"Looks like someone is thinking of something juicy," Mina teased, noticing how the boy had been quiet. She giggled as Midoriya gulped loudly yet tried to speak through a dry mouth. "I guess you're thirsty, huh?"
The blush on Izuku's face spread across his face. Any more expansion and people could assume he had a quirk that turned his body red. All this served to fuel Mina's laughing fit. Truth be told, he didn't want to say that despite all the fangirls, not to mention the fan clubs, he never had a date before. Focusing on becoming a hero was rough, but took too much time.
"Now this is hilarious. The great hero, Zenshin, hasn;t been on a date." Mine lowered her voice at the last part before whispering into the boy's ear. "Don't worry, Midori, I won't tell anyone. I know how bad the press would use that info. Promise."
Izuku paused at the smiling girl, thankful for her honesty. "Thank you, Mina," he said in awe, staring into the girl's eyes.
Mina blushed at her first name being used, but more so at the fact the two were staring at each other. Her heart was now dancing, with certain emotion rising. She didn;t know what to say, and honestly wasn't sure if following on them was a good idea.
"See something you like?" Mina asked. The instant she said that Izuku 's head became red. She went back to her laughing fit, only taking a brief pause to stare at the boy before snorting and going back to laughing out loud. She didn't calm down until the receptionist came out to tell her she was being loud.
Izuku sat up straight and turned to the girl abruptly. Something in that stare stirred him, and he wasn't going to let it go.
"You think I can't ask a girl out?" Midoriya grabbed the girl by the shoulders and looked her square in the eye. "Then, how about you and I go out?"
"Eh!" Mina shouted, now excited in a different manner. It was now her turn to blush as she listened.
"Y-yeah. I know a place. We can eat and catch up. How does that sound?"
The famous hero wore a confident smile as he stared, it held some nervousness, but it got the message across. Mina could not help blushing brighter at the invitation, wondering whether or not she should accept. Her mind was racing with possible outcomes.
But after staring at the boy for a while, she calmed down and smiled.
"Alright," Mina finally replied. "You got a date."
The two nodded in agreement, blushing madly, but the date was on hold as they heard that their Hero Ids were now ready. As they left with their new ID cards, they quickly made sure they had each other's numbers, planning to go through with things.
"Ok, I'll text you when I got some free time. You do the same, alright?" Mina asked.
"You got it." Izuku smiled, waving a hand. "I'll see you later, Alien Queen."
"You'll be seeing me one the front page, Zenshin." Mina winked. "Just you wait, I'll be making it to the top ten before you know it!"
The heroes gave one last look at each other. The world seemed far away as they blushed, waiting for the coming date. It would not be until later they realized what they agreed to, but neither backed down, feeling a spark coursing through their bodies. And when the day came, they would meet with a smile with tales and stories of their lives.
But the downside of being a hero, especially if you're expecting to reach the top rank, the paparazzi will hound you. And it was not long before the news circulated the picture of Zenshin and Alien Queen at a restaurant and the comments flowed from every corner of the internet.
I wanted to make something like this for a while, a fic of this pairing I like, though I haven't been a fan of this series since the Christmas chapter. I've honestly had enough of the series, but I love Izumina. Anyway, I decided to post this for Valentine's Day just because, though it doesn't seem as romantic as it was in my head. I'm happy still. As for some of the other stuff, like with Bakugo and Ochako, it's just an observation of mine, specifically with how Endeavor might have changed things, particularly since Dabi revealed everything.
Any questions about that, leave a review. But enough about the series. I hope you all enjoyed this, and maybe I'll make this a multi-shot if reader response dictates it is needed, but for now, this is the end.
Edit 2-14-22: Just an FYI, I'll be deciding in a week whether to leave this as a one-shot, multi-shot, or story.
Special Thanks! to 61394 for all his help!
Have a Happy Valentine's Day!
By the way, just to clarify:
Zenshin means forward, advance. I thought it appropriate due to Izuku's character development, and because it also sounds cool. Much better than Deku.
As for Alien Queen, let's be honest, Pinkie was terrible. To me, it was just pairing Mina up with Kirishima, who's called Red Riot. It's nothing more than putting a square in a square hole, one of the reason I'm not big on shipping with other characters in the series.