A/N: Chapter 11, heck. I'm sorry these take a while, but I am working on a book at the moment that I hope to get published, so I'm trying to balance out the time I spend on this, and on that. I hope this doesn't bother any of you! Thanks! I want this chapter to focus mainly on Mina and Izuku's feelings for each other and I plan to fluff out at some point, so look forward to that!
Excited was a word that came to mind if Izuku had to describe how he was feeling. Although he and Mina hadn't reached the town quite yet, the closer her got, the more anxious he became. Last time he and Mina went out together they weren't as close as they are now and, although this wasn't something that bothered Izuku, it was something he couldn't seem to stop thinking about.
He wondered if she'd be as touchy and huggy with him in public as she was when they were around classmates or alone. He was half hoping, half dreading if this was going to be the case. He enjoyed being close to Mina and it gave him a strong buzz in his stomach every time they came into contact, but he was concerned as to whether people could get the wrong idea about them. Of course, he liked Mina. He'd realised that after their second meeting, but that didn't mean he was going to act on those feelings.
He didn't want to embarrass himself by telling her and then get rejected, but he would feel even more embarrassed if people saw them being as close as they usually were, and assumed the two were dating; that was what he dreaded the most. In his mind, the negatives outweighed the positives and, although he wasn't going to tell Mina specifically not to touch him, he was going to be cautious as to just how much she could try. He also worried as to whether this could give Mina a wrong idea. He was praying she wouldn't assume he didn't like her as much as before, because if anything he liked her more, he was just scared of everyone else.
"You comin' Midori?" Mina perked up, withdrawing the teen from his thoughts and averting his attention to her, a smile on her face as she nodded towards the train door.
"Oh right! Y-Yeah..." He exclaimed, before quickly quieting down as a few people averted their gaze to him.
"Okay good, for a second there I thought you were thinking about bailing on me." She laughed as the two made their way out of the train, through the station and out onto the city streets.
"W-What! I-I would never!-" He blurted, raising his arms defensively.
"Yeah I know, relax." She replied with a sigh, wafting her hand at him. "Anyway, do ya wanna go get dinner first or what?" She asked, changing the subject and pushing her hands into her hoodie pockets as they headed into the busier part of the city.
"Umm... Well... I guess yeah..." He stuttered; a little bit miffed what she'd said at first.
"Anything you wanna have? Noodles? Sushi again? Oh, what about pizza!" She asked, listing a few places of before a glint came into her eyes and she whipped around to Izuku with an enthusiastic expression.
"Well... I don't know... I'm quite happy with whatever really. What would you like?" He asked timidly.
"Anywhere that does some kind of natto." Mina responded, looking about at the different stores and restaurants. "Well actually... I know a few places that sell it but... You probably won't like the other stuff they sell." She added a little sheepishly.
"Well, I might." He replied with a shrug.
"If you don't mind something a little different, then I know just the place." Mina beamed, taking Izuku's hand and speeding up to a jog, dragging him off down the street.
"Hey! Do you have a table for two?" Mina beamed in the face of a rather surprised looking, half-dragon girl.
"Y-Yeah. Sorry, you gave me a bit of a scare. Please follow me." She smiled. The two girls shared a small laugh before she and Izuku followed the girl into the old Japanese style restaurant. Everything was constructed of quite light-coloured wood with leather booths lining the walls and smaller tables about the interior.
The entire time they'd been walking, Izuku hadn't spoken a word. His face felt like it had been on fire ever since Mina had first taken his hand and she still hadn't let go. He wanted to try and get free of her grip, but he couldn't even move. His entire body was stiff, and he couldn't look anywhere but the floor.
"Here you go, I'll be back in just a moment." The half-dragon girl smiled before turning and making her way up towards the bar.
"Oooo I love this place." Mina sang, sitting down quite heavily in the spongy seat, bouncing her legs with a smile on her face. "You gonna sit down or what?" She asked, turning her attention back to her still stiff greenette friend.
"Mmm... Mm-hmm." He hummed in response, slowly sitting in the opposite seat, and resting his head in his hands.
"Are you all flustered cause I held your hand?" Mina mocked knowingly, craning forwards with a jokey seductive look on her face.
"Well... A little, yeah. What if someone from school saw us." He muttered, clearly troubled, tugging at his hair and planting his face against the table.
"Really? That's what ya worried about? They've seen us hugging before, why is that any different?" Mina asked, a little more seriously than before.
"Well... They might get the wrong idea. You know, what if someone spread rumours around." He suggested. It was a realistic suggestion and although she didn't fully understand why it would be so terrible for anyone from their class to see them, she could kind of understand why he was worrying.
"That's alright, our classmates aren't the type of people to do that. Why? Does it embarrass you to be seen close to me?" She asked sounding slightly offended.
"N-No of course I'm not... I just... Well... Yeah, it's a little embarrassing, don't you think?" He asked a little softer, trying not to upset her anymore. He regretted how he'd voiced his concerns, but he didn't have any other way to put it. If Uraraka was close to him in the same way Mina was, he would feel just as embarrassed.
"Not really no. I don't feel embarrassed." She said a little sternly. This sternness clearly shocked Izuku quite a bit and he quickly quieted down, turning his gaze at the floor.
"I'm sorry I... I didn't mean to get frustrated..." She muttered. She sounded quite shocked at herself and quite rightly so. She'd never really spoken to anyone like that before, and she definitely didn't expect to speak to Izuku that way.
"I am too... I didn't realise how mean I sounded. I-I just don't want people getting the wrong idea." Izuku responded quietly.
"I did like it... Holding your hand..." He muttered, almost inaudibly with a glowing red blush on his cheeks. This, in turn, made Mina's cheeks begin to fade into lilac.
"Really?" She asked, a little apprehensively. Izuku didn't speak to her but instead gave a meek nod. The silence that followed this peculiar exchange was awkward and the two could do nothing but share flattered glances.
"Okay, I have some menus for you; would you like any drinks?" The half-dragon girl asked, cutting through the awkward atmosphere like it was nothing.
"Umm, right yeah... Can I just get a coke? Please?" Mina asked a little too quickly, falling on her words as her mind tried to catch up.
"I'd like a green tea please." Izuku mumbled, glancing up at the girl before looking back at the menu.
"Of course." The girl responded before turning and heading back towards the bar again.
"So... Food! Do you know what you want to eat?" Mina exclaimed, quickly grabbing the menu from the side of the table and burying her face in it, trying to hide the embarrassed blush on her cheeks.
*What's wrong with you? You're a mess!* She screamed at herself taking a deep, calming breath and trying to compose her mind. She'd never felt like such a mess before and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why today was any different than other days. When she went out with Izuku before she'd never felt anything like this, so why now?
"The umm... The Katsu Chicken curry sounds good..." Izuku muttered, closing his menu and carefully pushing it to the centre of the table.
"Yeah? It is pretty good, but not as good as natto." Mina replied with a small laugh. Izuku chuckled back a little awkwardly as he fiddled under the table.
"I've never tried it before..." He replied with a shrug.
"Really! How!" She exclaimed. The awkward feeling for earlier was thankfully beginning to wear off and it was nice. Nice to be able to get on with Izuku after her little outburst. It was something neither of them expected; Izuku didn't expect to upset Mina and Mina didn't expect to be upset by Izuku.
"I don't know... My mother and I don't really get to go out much..." He replied with a small sideways smile.
"Aww, well I'll have to get you two out with my family someday huh?" She suggested, pushing his shoulder playfully.
"I-I'd like that..." He smiled, his green eyes locking with her amber ones. Although she was the one who suggested the idea, she didn't expect him to agree with it; she wasn't even sure if she could pull something like that off. Mina was going to respond, but the arrival of their drinks interrupted her, and thankfully so.
"That was the beeeest!" Mina sang as the two of them headed out of the restaurant and back out onto the slightly quieter city streets.
"There is something I wanted to ask you M-Mina." Izuku perked up, ignoring what she'd said completely.
"Oh? What did ya wanna ask?" She asked curiously as the fountain they had last seen on their first outing, came into view.
"Why me?" He asked seriously. Mina stopped, shocked by the suddenness of his question. He didn't stop for her, continuing towards the fountain before stopping at its lip, staring into the cascade of water.
"What do you mean?" She asked a little loudly before jogging to catch up to him.
"Why... Of all the people you could hang out with, of all the people you could try so hard to appeal to, of all the people you could choose to be your... best friend. Why me?" He asked, not looking at her or even acknowledging she'd arrived at his side.
"Eheheh... Well because... Well, I dunno, cause' you're you." She replied with a smile, nudging into him playfully.
"What about Kirishima? Or Kaminari? Anyone... I just... I-I don't get why, of all the people you already knew, why you'd go through the hardship of knowing me? I've caused you so much trouble and... I don't know..." He explained before giving up.
"I don't understand what ya tellin' me. Have I said something that upset you? If it's about earlier, I didn't mean to-." She started before Izuku shook his head, a small smile.
"It's nothing like that. What I mean is... I'm nothing like you; I'm not confident, I'm not as fun as you, I don't make people happy the way you do. We're opposites and yet, you seem closer to me than anyone else..." He explained, not looking at her the whole time he spoke.
"Honestly, you talk a lot of shit." Mina laughed. "I know you're a nervous guy, but I never expected this." she added. Izuku was slightly shocked by this response and quickly turned to look at her.
"W-What?" He said without really thinking.
"Everythin' ya just said, why do you think so much of what I do?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I-I just... I've never felt this close to someone before..." He stuttered awkwardly, turning his gaze down to the water.
"Aww, I'm kinda flattered now. I can't really answer what you're askin' me because, honestly, I don't know myself." She smiled, shrugging at him before taking his hand again.
"There is one thing I know though." She added a little quieter. Slowly Izuku turned to her with a curious look on his freckled face. Her heart was racing; She knew this would probably be the best time to tell him how she really felt. He'd given her an open opportunity to tell him, and after what he'd just told her, she was suspecting that maybe he didn't think he could make her happy. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but it wasn't something that could be shown just by saying it. She had to prove it.
"I really like you." She muttered. But Izuku hadn't heard, just as she was about to tell him her phone rang out, drowning her quiet voice out with the loud, bouncy tune. In an angry rush, she dropped her bag to the floor and pulled her phone out of the main pocket.
"Who's that?" He asked curiously.
"Some anonymous bastard!" She barked, throwing her phone back into her backpack before sighing and resting her head against the outer wall of the fountain.
"Oh... Umm... What was it you wanted to tell me?" He asked uncomfortably, picking her bag up from the floor before holding out his hand to help her up. With a quiet chuckle, she accepted, taking his hand and pulling on him as he helped tug her to her feet. She was about to tell him, she wanted to tell him now but the thought that she was just about to actually do it made her stomach tight.
"I-It's nothing, don't worry about it." She smiled, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.
"Oh okay... Is there anything else you'd like to do?" He asked curiously.
"How aboooout... We watch a movie. Sound good?" She suggested, shaking the embarrassed feeling she'd gotten previously.
"Oh... That's actually not a bad idea." Izuku replied, pleasantly surprised.
"Awesome! I've been meaning to go for a while anyway." She smiled, going to reach for Izuku's hand before stopping herself. Maybe it wasn't the best time for that, especially after the conversation they'd just had.
"Come on, let's go." She smiled, nodding over her shoulder before continuing away from the fountain and towards the cinema.
The past few days had felt extremely strange to Izuku. His friendship with Mina had begun smoothly, but now he felt like things were getting a little hectic. Some days she was perfectly happy and normal, then other days she was almost a total opposite. It didn't change how he felt about her, but it was confusing to him. Maybe he was making thing difficult by letting his emotions get to him, switching from happy to sad and back again like there was no tomorrow.
He felt bad for her because he knew he was not an easy person to deal with, and yet she was always so kind. He felt like he could be trying harder to give back to her what she'd given to him, but he just didn't know how to do that. However, he knew that with time, he'd have the confidence to try and ask her out. If she ends up feeling the same way he would've achieved exactly what he wanted. He would've found a way to make her as happy as she makes him.
A horror film. Contrary to many people's beliefs, Izuku was actually okay with watching horror movies. They gave him a little scare every time something jumped out when he didn't expect it, but other than that he quite enjoyed them. Strangely though, the same couldn't be said for Mina. The pink-skinned Acid Quirk user had been clutching Izuku's arm ever since the monster of the film had first appeared. This time Izuku was perfectly okay with it; this was because it was dark and a movie was playing, this assured him that no-one would be looking at him and thus, he had no reason to panic.
"Midoriya." Mina hissed suddenly, taking his attention from the large cinema screen.
"Hmm?" He hummed quietly to show he was listening. Her face looked like a sheep facing off with a wolf, pasty and petrified. Izuku wanted to laugh but he knew it would be cruel to.
"Why did you let me agree to this?" She whimpered, gripping his arm a little tighter and pushing herself against him. These actions caused his stomach to twist a little and his cheeks to slightly heat up, but he did his best to suppress the feeling.
"Well... It was your idea to watch this." He whispered with a small smile.
"Oh... Shut up." She pouted before a sudden, loud robotic roar rumbled around the room and caused the girl to yelp loudly, burying her head under Izuku's and almost cutting him open with her horns.
"Mina!" He squeaked, shocked at how close she'd gotten so quickly. He was okay with her hugging his arm because she'd been doing it for so long, he'd gotten used to it. Still, these kinds of actions were so sudden though.
"I can't watch this, just let me stay here." She pleaded; her voice muffled from the way she'd pressed her face into his chest. Izuku was shocked; of all the people he'd met in his sixteen years of time on Earth, he never expected Mina to be someone who was scared of a horror film. The gore sometimes made Izuku a little shaky and hearing screams made him extremely uncomfortable, but he knew it wasn't real and that was how he was able to tolerate it. Mina, however, clearly didn't find this an easy mindset to get into.
"I-I mean... Okay." He whispered, slowly returning to his relaxed position, and letting the pink-skinned girl cuddle into him a little more. It was definitely a nice feeling, having her holding him in this way, but it still didn't change the fact he was a complete mass of flustered teenager. He would've rather had her tell him she was going to do it than do it so suddenly, but it was still nice. It made his insides feel warm and fuzzy and a small smile crept onto his face.
He wanted to hug her, he wanted to hold her like she sometimes held him. She wouldn't mind, would she? If she could do it to him then surely he could do the same to her, even if it was only a little. Taking a deep breath that was so long Mina absolutely had to notice, he suppressed as much anxiety as he could and slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulder whilst using the other to gently pet her hair. As soon as his hand made contact with her head, all of his fear melted away.
He felt so content, so secure, so trusted. It was a feeling he hadn't felt before, at least not at this magnitude. Her hair was so soft, and her body was warm, her hair smelled like cinnamon apples and her skin was smooth to the touch. He felt almost as if he was protecting her and with this thought, he carefully tightened his grip on her a little more. He was undoubtedly in love with her, he knew that now better than ever and he wanted nothing more than to tell her.
He loved everything about her; her toothy smile, her adorable face, her sclera eyes, her small horns, her curly pink hair, her beautiful figure, her smile, the way she laughed, and her humour. He loved that she cared about him, he loved that she was always there for him if he needed her. He just loved her.
Mina felt the same; Izuku was warm and comforting. Her hand was clamped between her body and his stomach, but because of this, she could feel his abs that were hidden away under his shirt. He was so toned and refined; his muscular arms around her were like a warm human blanket and the way he gently smoothed her hair instantly brought her a feeling of peace of comfort. Although she was scared, she felt so much safer in her greenette friends embrace. The feeling of being so close to him was making her cheeks heat up so much she felt like she was going to melt into him, but she didn't care. She was far too happy to move.
Opposites attract was a phrase that came to her mind as she snuggled into Izuku. She was absolutely in love with this boy, head over heels; she'd fallen for him like a boulder to the bottom of a lake. If she was given the choice, she would never move from this spot and would quite happily hold him forever. She felt like she was protected from anything and everything when he held her and yet, when she first began talking to him, she never would've expected to feel this way.
He was right when he said they were opposites, yet she felt closer to Izuku than she felt to anyone else. His smile was soft and caring, his large and glimmering emerald eyes were ones she could stare into forever, his determination, his fearlessness, his compassion, his power, and his personality. There wasn't one thing about him that she didn't love, and she wanted to tell him more than she'd ever wanted anything before. She felt blessed to have been the girl who offered him to walk home that day, she felt happier now than she'd ever felt before and she knew that was something pretty incredible.
This boy, this timid, quiet, anxious and nerdy boy was so much more than she ever could've imagined, and she would never change any of it for anything. Sure, he had his flaws and he wasn't the best looking boy in her class, but everyone had their flaws and she didn't really care that he wasn't as attractive as other boys. She was happy he was him and that's all she wanted.
"That. Was. The scariest film. I've ever seen in my life." Mina said, clearly pronouncing every word to show her seriousness. Izuku sighed and let out a small chuckle as the two friends walked hand in hand towards the train station. The majority of the time they were walking she was highlighting what she thought were the worst parts of the film, which Izuku laughed at, at her expense.
"The thing is, you didn't even really watch the film." He teased with an amused smile.
"Hey! That doesn't matter! I was still there for it!" Mina argued with a fake frown. Izuku did nothing but laugh and she couldn't help but join in. "So, how was it today? Did ya have fun?" She asked hopefully. Izuku frowned at the floor, pretending to think for a moment and watched as Mina's face fell a little. He was glad he was catching onto how she thought and to her humour. He'd developed a much better understanding of the girl ever since they started talking and it felt much better to be able to share the same sense of humour as her.
"Yeah, it was awesome." He smiled, accepting the inevitable punch to the shoulder that quickly followed.
"I feel like you're starting to catch onto me, and I don't like it." She replied with a childish, pouting expression on her face. Izuku gave a simply shrug in response as the two strolled up the stairs and into the station. They separated their tight grip on each other's hands briefly whilst they paid for their tickets, but as soon as it was all done and dusted, Mina quickly took his hand back in hers. Izuku had been so distracted by joking and talking with the Acid Quirk user, that he'd completely forgotten the two of them were holding hands in the first place, he didn't mind though, he was happy either way.
As the two made their way onto the train Izuku took his hand from Mina's and removed his phone from his pocket whilst Mina found them a seat. He wanted to tell his mum he was heading home so he wouldn't have to get home and be lectured again about how he should keep her updated on what he's doing.
"Listen Midori. Thanks for coming out with me again today." Mina perked up as Izuku pushed his phone back into his pocket.
"Oh, t-that's alright! Thanks for having me." He replied with a wide smile. Mina giggled a little and Izuku's expression changed to a slightly confused smile.
"You sound like you've just been to a dinner party." She replied with a smile, leaning forwards on the table and resting her head in her hands.
"Sorry." He muttered. Mina was going to make a joke about him apologising from something that he didn't need to apologise for, but there wasn't a point. If she was being honest, she felt too tired to laugh anymore. All she wanted to do was get home and go to bed.
And that's what they did. The two teenagers didn't say another word to each other, but simply sat side by side with Mina resting against his shoulder again. Before long, however, Izuku's stop was within sight and the half-hour train journey felt like it had only been ten minutes. He didn't want to leave Mina's side, he felt like sitting there with her forever, but he knew he couldn't keep her from her family, that and he would be happy to have a little peace and quiet, just to sit and relax a little before going to bed.
"This is my stop." He perked up, taking his arm from Mina's grip and squeezing out from the window seat into the aisle.
"What! Really? Already?" She asked with wide eyes, quickly turning to the window and crawling over to Izuku's seat, looking out onto the platform.
"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled, waving at her once she'd turned back to him before making his way towards the door.
"Midori wait!" She called, running after the boy and grabbing his arm before he had a chance to leave the carriage, tugging on his sleeve to get him to turn and face her, which he did. As soon as he'd turned to her their eyes locked and time seemed to freeze. Her stomach was thundering, and her mind was racing. This would be her chance, the last chance she had to tell him how she felt before he left.
"What's up?" He asked kindly, cocking his head a little with an adorable smile that made her heart race even more. His eyes glistened in the light as the moon cast a white halo around the greenette. Gazing up at him she looked like completely captivated. Then, before she knew it she'd grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled him down to her height and pressed her lips against his.
Izuku was astounded and he felt like he was about to float into the stratosphere. Mina was kissing him on the train. He was about to pull away, but the taste was intoxicating, the same taste as her hair smelled and although the kiss only lasted a few seconds, it felt like hours to them. Mina pulled away after about three seconds of holding the kiss and looked up to Izuku; she couldn't help but laugh. His face was the same colour as beetroot and his eyes were glued open like he'd seen a ghost.
"I love you." She cooed before pushing him backwards and out the door of the train. He wanted to speak but he just couldn't do it and before he knew it, the doors were closed, Mina was out of sight and the train was pulling away down the tracks. 'I love you'. The phrase was echoing through his mind about a thousand times a second and he could move.
"I... I-I love you too..." He whispered, staring after the locomotive as it sped into the distance.
A/N: Finally, a new chapter! I hope it lived up to all your expectations! I had a blast writing the cutesy stuff for this chapter and it can only get more interesting from here. I have my own character development ideas ready and waiting to come in to play, so get hyped for that.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, a comment, follow and/or favourite won't go unnoticed. Thanks so much for joining me and I hope to see you in the next chapter. Take care!
-ElliottChap