I don't own Boku no Hero Academia. I own nothing except original characters.

"And in other news, a series of thefts and robberies have been halted by unknown heroes, who have not stopped to take credit all over Japan. Citizens are cheering for these heroes, after the loss of many heroes against the League of Villains and All-for-One..."

As the news anchor continued, Izuku remained on the sofa as he listened. A warm smile graced his face as reports of crimes being stopped eased his aching muscles. The variety of quirks was becoming more apparent as villains, but thugs and crooks began displaying more versatility, and this was starting to make his super strength almost mundane.

While the boy had more than enough physical power to sink Japan, statistically, he needed to up his game. If not for his intelligence and adaptability, his ranking would have fallen into the hundreds, skimming the four-digit numbers. And Zenshin was not the only hero in trouble.

News media, podcasts, videos, and social media outlets formed a vast complication of recorded fights. The ratio of wins and losses was nothing to scoff at, but it added pressure to an already stressful job, which was part of the problem.

"It's not a job," Midoriya said to himself. Repeating his words like a mantra, the muttering habit reformed as time was lost.

The boy snapped out of his stupor only when he heard his doorbell.

"I'm coming!" Izuku got up, but as he went to the door, he froze, glancing at his phone. Before he gripped the handle, green sparks surrounded his body. A turn of the handle, and black tendril protruded from his left arm as his right fist clenched.

Mina jumped back as she saw her boyfriend staring at her with intense eyes. The gaze made her break out in acid as she took a stance.

"Izuku, what are you doing!?" Mina yelled.

The boy blinked as he saw his punk girlfriend growling at him. Her black and yellow eyes were full of danger, as was the acid hanging on her arms, bouncing in the wind. With a sheepish smile, all aggressions were withdrawn as the doorway was unblocked with a come-in gesture.

"S-sorry! Usually I don't have any company unless they call," Izuku asked. His face, full of apologies, soon dropped as he blinked for a minute as he realized something. "Wait a minute..."

Extending his head out the door, the boy saw a modest-looking car with Uraraka waving through the window. The girl liked just as nervous, having jumped out of the car when it seemed a fight was starting.

The exhausted Uraraka hit her head against the steering wheel, sighing loudly. Taking a deep breath, she exited the car and yelled, "I thought you texted him we were coming!"

Mina fidgeted with her finger, looking between the two with a sly, raccoon-like smile. While Uraraka did tell her to notify Izuku, she thought it better to surprise him and lied about it,

"I thought he'd like it " Mina said. A bead of sweat trickled down her face. She watched as her friends hummed in disapproval.

"Mina," Ochako dragged the name.

Izuku sighed, dropping his guard as he walked to the door. "I'm happy you came, but next time, you tell me. Otherwise, I sometimes get jumpy," he said.

The pink girl nodded; the bead of sweat trickled further down, accompanied by a second drop on her head. If the boy acted like this during surprise visits, that enticed her curiosity, but she would not inquire about that for now.

"Sorry." That was all Mina could say.

Ochako sighed, shaking her head at the moment. Her phone pinged, alerting her to more urgent business. "Midoriya, you tell Mina. I've got to do to more than just patrol today. I'll text you later. Give Inko my regards," she said before starting the car.

With a wave of her hand, the girl drove off, sighing as she glanced back from the rearview mirror. Her neutral face stared like that before going back to the road.

Thinking back to their days at UA, Izuku was one of the most prominent inspirational students. Apart from All Might, Iida, and Gunhead, the boy had been her friend since day one, becoming best friends in no time. The maiden year was simple, but villainy, and not the random thugs that seemed to appear out of nowhere pushed their education into overdrive.

And all this was only their first year. As rushed as they were, the girl smiled, remembering how her goals had started from simple monetary necessity to seeing the bigger picture. Midoriya was one student who wanted to save people, and Mina was the same.

"I wonder how this'll turn out," Ochako said to herself as she entered the main road.

Mina walked past Izuku, studying the house and its decorum intensely. To her surprise, it seemed like your typical Japanese household with the essentials, including the greeting area.

There were bookshelves and furniture, but nothing designer or lavish. Nobody would think this was the home of a hero if they walked in, but then again, Izuku was never one for showing off.

"So...this is your home?" Mina was uncertain in tone as her words scrambled out. Her face turned with an open mouth.

"It's home. For the most part, I'm not here all the time," Izuku walked around directionless with a hand scratching the back of his head. "I'll show you around..."

He began to give a small tour of his home. The pink girl looked around with a neutral face, noting that something seemed off.

"This place is really...not was I imagined it to be..." Mina commented, searching the walls and rooms. "I was kinda expecting wall-to-wall hero memorabilia or souvenirs. What gives?"

"It...got really embarrassing when All Might visited and saw I still had a room full of his merchandise," Izuku said, fiddling with his fingers. "So I put a bunch in storage."

Mina was confused now. Sure, the place seemed luxurious, but it didn't fit Izuku's character. It was almost like this was not the boy's—

"Want a drink?" Izuku's words cut through Mina's thoughts.

"Maybe later. Right now I wanna see more of this place. Specifically something that you wouldn't find in every house."

Izuku smiled nervously before he clapped his hands. His grin turned genuine as he walked faster, beckoning the girl to follow.

Where was he going with such enthusiasm? The pink rarely saw this side of the boy outside of costume, especially back in U.A. Smiling widely, her curiosity grew as the two stopped before a closed door.

Izuku slid the door open, revealing the contents inside like a treasure chest.

"How's this?" He asked, gesturing to the room. "The gym."

Mina was amazed at the various equipment lying around. Dumbbells, power racks, weights, and even high-end technology were scattered in the oversized room. Usually, this kind of space was reserved for different recreational hobbies, but for the boy, it was all reserved for fitness and training.

But as hilariously obvious this was for Izuku, Mina could not find herself smirking. She neither giggled nor teased a remark of the room's usage, standing silently as her emotions dwindled to an entirely neutral state. She turned to her boyfriend, her black eyes dull red with curiosity.

"Izuku, why do you basically have a gym built into your home, but no games or movies?" The pink girl studied her tour from memory. "I mean, even Iida would have something to do for fun...what gives?"

Izuku hummed indescribably softly as he walked up to a weight bench. His finger touched the barbell, loaded to 200 pounds. Whatever was on his mind, he did not share as he took off his jacket, beginning his reps.

Mina did not pressure the boy. Instead, going to another room to change into workout clothes and came back in a white tank top and tye-dye sweatpants. The latter clung to her toned legs, accompanying her arms and stomach in showing off the results of an active hero career.

"Alright, let's test these babies out!" Mina jumped around as she started with the hand weights.

To her surprise, Izuku was completely absorbed into his reps, silently lifting the bar, never moving from his spot. Sweat began dampening his shirt after five minutes into the routine.

This was the obvious result from working out, but what came next surprised the pink girl as she went over to a leg press machine with calf blocks. She watched as her boyfriend put down the heavy bar handle after a long set, his shirt soaked with perspiration, and began removing the top entirely, throwing it to the side as he rested for a minute.

Mina paused wide eyes as she watched the boy's chest lift and drop with each breath. She knew having super strength would significantly tone his body, but seeing how chiseled the boy was now sent shivers down her body.

Izuku Midoriya was no longer a high school student.

Mina stood in place and stared as the boy returned to his routine, his mind on the task at hand. And the succulent sight did not end for the pink girl there.

Throughout the hour, watching Midoriya's muscles move in sync as his body perspired began to distract Mina. She had barely registered her hand going for her phone as she took a few snapshots and a video.

"This is gonna be fun, later on," Mina whispered to herself before returning to her workout.

The hour flew by, and exhaustion knocked at her door before the pink girl knew it, almost ringing the bell in impatience. But that was not bothersome to her, and the expected guest was ignored as she grabbed a towel.

She glanced at Midoriya, expecting him to be the same, but only saw the boy continue his weights and cardio. Nothing seemed to be stopping him. With a blank face, he looked like he was doing more chores than strength training.

A girlish hand was waved in his face as he ended a set. His face came back to life as his head came to earth. It was almost curious how his focus narrowed in on his hero career, making it seem more cautionary than what your average person would put into this lifestyle. Many would stop after an hour, even the more ambitious heroes wishing to climb the ranks.

But not Midoriya. He seemed ready to train for hours if not stopped.

"Hey, I think you're good for today," Mina chimed in with a smile, hiding her concern as her boyfriend nodded. "Got any water? I need to cool off."

"Sure. You grab some from the fridge. I'll get changed and swim some laps in the pool and-"

"Pool! Awesome!" Mina yelled as she ran out the door.

Finding her way around the house, she ended up outside in the backyard. Compared to the house, the swimming area seemed more relaxed with a large rectangular pool, benches, lounge chairs, and tables with umbrellas.

Unable to hide her excitement, Mina caused a big splash as she cannonballed into the deep end, as Izuku caught up with her. Some water landed on him as he watched the girl backstroke in a lackadaisy manner, hmming a nonsensical tune to relax after an intense workout.

Cool waters soothed the tension and burn of muscle fibers breaking down as the air above gave a warmer sensation, balancing the temperatures for maximum relaxation.

"Mina, don't you think you need a swimsuit?" Izuku asked, scratching his hair.

Mina stopped in the middle of the water, realizing she was still in her tank top and sweatpants. The drenched clothes felt heavy, not suitable for swimming or any water activities. With a sinister smile, she dove down, disappearing for a while.

Izuku leaned over the side, curious about his girlfriend's smile. He had not known the pink girl well enough to know what she was thinking, mainly when she was mischievous.

A large splash of water erupted as something wet slapped Izuku in the face as he squatted at the edge. Like a statue, the boy remained motionless as he picked off the soaked layers, staring at the same tank top and sweat pants Mina had just been wearing. His eyes darted at his bare girlfriend swimming in the pool.

"M-mina!" Izuku choked out in a red, stuttering face, frozen in awkward energy as his mind raced to process the predicament.

"What's wrong?" Mina teased the boy as she sank into the water, lifting a slender pink leg in the air as ripples distorted the vision submerged.

"D-don't make me say it, just put something on!" The tank top and sweatpants were shielded in front of him as he dangled them in the air. Shutting his eyes, she could hear the drops of water dripping off the clothes and a sly laugh.

His girlfriend just giggled and couldn't stop teasing him. The sight of a young adult reduced to a hormonal mess was something she did not know she wanted to see till now. And every second was hilarious as she couldn't hold in her laughter, pointing at her boyfriend, who could be mistaken for a traffic light.

"M-M-Mina," Izuku stuttered softly, unable to look beyond the soaked shields in front of him.

"Not ready for this, huh?" Mina stood up as the sound of water rustled.

"Yes-I mean, no! I mean...Isn't this way to bold for you? Most people would be ashamed to expose themselves like this, so soon!"

"I'm not ashamed of how I look." Mina laid herself in the waters, floating aimlessly as she stared at the clouds. The teasing tone in her voice lowered as she calmed down.

"And it's not just me. With a bunch of people, it doesn't matter how human you look." Mina used air quotes for the third to last word. "Doesn't matter if you look a little bit like a normal person, people will stare at you when you're the tiniest bit of a morph."

Midoriya paused, now eyeing the girl with concerned curiosity. He sat down, dipping his legs into the waters as he listened. She turned her eyes towards the boy, the yellow in her black eyes reflecting solemn emotions never seen often.

"I may not have a sexy outfit...maybe not yet, but I want to inspire people to be proud of how they look," Mina hummed at the prospect of a different outfit, but continued as she changed positions, standing up straight. Her arms covered her chest as her eyes kept staring into the sky. "I've honestly been talking to other morphs too. Body positivity is something we all try to express."

Midoriya, for all his bashfulness, could not stop staring at the girl. This was a new side he never saw in the typically energetic pink girl. It was mysterious and tantalizing, not from what was being shown from her body but rather from her soul.

"Mina," Izuku gasped, softly drawing out the name.

"Besides—" Mina smiled widely. "I trust you, Izu."

Iuku looked into the waters, staring at his reflection, ruffled by the waves. A painful shadow could be felt creeping along his back as his eyes blanked, giving way to a storm of emotions he had been fighting his entire life.

Growing up quirkless, the idea of body positivity, or anything that would bring him alacrity, was a pipe dream to him. He never met any morphs, but from the friends he made back at UA, there have always been hints of a troubled childhood. It never occurred there was a spectrum differentiating the preferences to those born quirkless and those born with inhuman features.

Mina swam up and saw the turmoil in the boy's eyes. A soft smile was given before she exited the pool and walked to the house.

"I'm gonna get changed," Mina said, pointing through the door. "How about I show you some movies I like to see. We'll rent something online, my treat."

Izuku drifted out of his thoughts and nodded slowly, sailing out of his inner storm as he got up and went inside to relax properly.

"You'd think after dating Mina for a while, I'd see this coming," Izuku sighed to himself, closing the door as the sun began to set.

Going to the couch, he turned on the television, glancing at the evening news and reports. A soft hum turned his attention as Mina walked in.

"Is the news the only thing you watch?"

Izuku turned to retort but was stunned red as he saw one of his large shirts covering the girl.

"Wh-wh—?"

With the top two buttons undone and her long legs showing, Mina had Izuku staring in starstruck awe as she waltz over to the couch. She giggled with her usual mischievous smile as she jumped on the couch and placed her legs along the cushions, draping over Izuku's limbs as he turned red again. Taking the remote, the pink girl scrolled through the list of purchasable movies in the demand menu.

"Let's watch this one," Mina said, stopping on a favorite. This is a good one."

Izuku said nothing while the pink girl prepared everything for the movie, finding every snack she could find in the house and laying them on her legs. It seemed ease of access prioritized cleanliness as the girl would not allow any tasty to be out of reach.

As they watched the film on the large TV, Izuku felt tense as Mina tried to cuddle closer to him. To feel another's touch so close had been unfamiliar to him, sending mixed signals of caution and anxiety as his back grew taut. Soon, green sparks of energy encompassed his body, startling the pink girl.

"You alright?" Mina could feel the tension cycling in his body. Leaning back to her original position, she watched the boy slack his back and relax as the green aura disappeared.

"Sorry. It's been...well..." Izuku could not finish that sentence, groaning into the couch as he returned to watching the movie.

"Let me guess, the most people who touch you are the bad guys you fight." Mina watched her boyfriend shamefully nod, sighing back into the side of the sofa. "Izuku, being a hero doesn't mean you need to make your life about it twenty-four hours a day. And what was with your quirk? You just saw me naked a few minutes ago."

Izuku was quiet, lowering his head in shame. He tried to turn away, but a soft hand guided his eyes into Mina's black and yellow orbs. There, his inner turmoil was on full display and he knew he had t tell her.

"I...still don't have complete control over my powers," He said shamefully. "Even after all the training in UA, I still can't go all out..."

The couple stared at one another in silence, the pink girl hummed in intrigue as she leaned her forehead aginst the boy. Her yellow horns combed through his hair, offering a soothing motion.

"Izuku, you are being too hard on yourself. You're not the only one who is still learning to deal with their quirk. To be honest, sometimes I think the system is still in need or work." Mina went back to staring into Midoriya's green eyes. "Just because one becomes an adult, it doesn't mean problems go away. It just means that you have more to do. But that doesn't mean you can't find joy."

"Joy..." Izuku said sarcastically while the pink girl placed a hand on his cheek. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek as she laid against the couch.

"I mean it. You don't have to have all the answers, just know you're going in the right direction." Mina leaned into Izuku, her hand reaching to his shoulder. She listened as the boy's breathing stabilized to an average pace, his muscles relaxing as his arms dropped to his side.

Now, let's get back to the movie! I'm tired of being the mature one in the room." Mina giggled, eliciting a smile from the boy as they returned to the movie. One of the strong arms went around, landing on the pink girl's back. It was warm and comforting as she was to him, enticing the girl to lean into the gesture, repositioning herself to sit properly next to him.

"Next time I come, I'll bring some movies and snacks." Mina nuzzled her fuzzy head into the boy's arm. "You need more than to be a hero."

Izuku grunted in uncertainty, feeling the back of his head shiver with fright. A portal of darkness had conjured from the depths of his mind as the feeling of long slender arms reached out to him, whispers following and growing louder.

"Hey, Izuku?" Mina's voice cut off the darkness. "I gotta ask, do you think we're doing the right thing?"

The boy looked at her, puzzled at her question. With a low hum, his neutral face cringed as no answer came to mind.

"Hard to say...I mean, we're not only keeping the public safe, but this time, we're doing everything we can to change the way we do it," Izuku said.

"Yeah...maybe for us, but what about everyone else?" Mina lied back, looking at the ceiling. "I mean, there's still a competition...it just feels the same. Like nothing's changed?"

The boy and girl were at a loss for words, not knowing how right their hearts felt as the sun began to set. Darkness was now spreading over Japan, with whatever nocturnal evil that was now waking up.

But for now, they could ignore that as they nuzzled against each other. Their company was a light in the same darkness they felt. Perhaps one day, they could find a way to bring more light.

One day.

I meant to update this in May, but yeah, things happened, as said before, such as my cat's death. So, I put in a little bit of fun, fluff, and fanservice.

Anyway, next chapter, some worldbuilding and then some romantic action. That's all for now. Please leave a review about any questions you have so far, and remember to follow.

Special Thanks! to Flower Princess11 for all her help!

RonaldM40196867: A quirk? Maybe, but in the end, I'd prefer the human qualities that made our civilization in the first place.