A/N: Big news, My Hero has just hit 100,000 reads as I'm writing this. That is astounding as I've never written anything that people have enjoyed this much xD I can't thank you all enough for reading my work and it means the world to me that it has gotten to this point. Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out, writer's block really had me for a while, but now I'm back and ready to go!
"How ya feelin' after earlier hun?" Mina asked softly. Izuku finished writing the sentence he was writing in his hero notebook before tucking the pen behind his ear.
"Better... It just scared me is all. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt." He responded, resting his head in his fist and sighing. Mina sighed as well.
"It frustrates me. Of all people for it to happen too and of all the times it could've happened, it was to you today." She grumbled, clearly annoyed by the tone of her voice.
"I would've rather it happened to me than to anyone else." He admitted, keeping his tone deadly serious. If it had happened to a random member of the public or maybe to one of his friends, then there was no telling how Tomura would've acted.
"Well I don't, you've got enough to worry about." Mina argued. Izuku sighed but didn't bother trying to keep pushing his point because he knew he wouldn't win against his stubborn girlfriend.
"Maybe you're right." He responded, smiling to himself. "I'm just glad no-one else was hurt." He added.
"Me too, although I'll admit, I was more worried about you." Mina admitted with a nervous laugh. Izuku felt a light blush coming onto his cheeks and smiled to himself.
"So, what about the training camp..." Mina started through the phone, changing the subject from her and Izuku's previous topic of conversation. "If you get the chance, is there anything you want to develop about your Quirk?" She asked.
Izuku's mind cleared quickly. It'd been so calm since Mina had been let in on the secret of Izuku and One For All that he'd forgotten he'd even told her about it.
"Midori?" Mina perked in, cutting him from his thoughts.
"Huh? O-Oh right, sorry... I want to focus on developing my body to handle ten percent of my Quirk comfortably." He responded, pushing his notebook and pen to the back of his desk before leaning his head in his hand.
"Didn't you use ten percent of it at U.S.J though? I heard All Might ask you to." She responded curiously.
Izuku nodded to himself. "I did, but my body can't handle it. After all the training I did with All Might, my joints were stiff and creaking. ten percent is still an unsafe amount of power for my body currently." Izuku responded. Mina didn't respond for a little while, probably thinking.
"That's pretty crazy... I didn't realise it put ya under that much strain. I can't imagine what I'd do if my Quirk was like that for me." She responded, a little more seriously. "So, wait, what percent were you using when you fought Bakugo during the Practical Exam?" She asked.
"T-Ten percent..." Izuku responded.
"That was ten? What! That's crazy- and you were that strong! Dude, I'm really excited to see how powerful you are using one hundred." She said excitably, but also with a strange, seductive, or playful tone. He expected this reaction from her, but thinking into the future, Bakugo would probably end up being just as strong with his Quirk too. The explosion was already on par with One For All in terms of attack power, but as they developed, it would be a real battle to keep one above the other.
"I-I am too, but it's still a long way off I feel like..." Izuku replied simply. "What about you? You must have something you want to develop too right?" He asked, changing the subject from One For All and pushing it back on Mina.
"Uhhh... I don't really know honestly. Strength wise there isn't much about my Quirk to improve, it's mainly just utilising it in every area it can be utilised." She responded, the sound of her moving around on her bed coming through the muffled phone speaker.
"Actually, I have been doing a little thinking about that. I-If you don't mind me telling you obviously! I-It is your Quirk, so you don't have to-."
"Off you go again. Y'know, you've never really changed from since I first met you, really." Mina sighed, giggling quietly. Izuku felt his cheeks beginning to heat up with embarrassment and massaged the brow of his nose and smiling down at his desk.
"Just tell me, you've got me curious now." Mina said sweetly. Izuku felt his stomach churn a little with excitement but quickly forced it down, focusing on what it was he was originally talking about.
"S-So, I noticed how you use your Acid to slide around, right?" Izuku started. Mina hummed a sound in response to show she was listening. "Well, I thought that, if you could somehow concentrate it like a jet, you could use a really weak corrosion level to boost you into the air. Y-You know. Like how I use my Quirk to leap up and around." He suggested, looking down at the small notes he'd been making on his girlfriend's Quirk page in his notebook.
"Hmm... I guess that could work... I was thinkin' more along the lines of a high corrosion jet that could burn through buildings and stuff real fast. It'd be good as a way of getting someone trapped in a building out to safety." Mina explained. "I do like your idea too though, maybe I'll try both." She said with a little giggle. Izuku hadn't thought of her idea at all.
"Her Quirk would be incredibly handy for something like that, but the thing that concerned him about the idea was that if the rescue target was nearby wherever it was she was burning into, they could get badly hurt. It wouldn't be a bad move, so long as she was mindful of the potential outcomes." He started quietly muttering to himself, playing out different scenarios in his mind.
"Midori, I can still hear you doing that." Mina spoke up, scaring him from his thoughts.
"S-Sorry, it's not intentional, I-I swear." He stuttered, laughing with embarrassment. Mina giggled back before letting out a sigh.
"It's fine. Anyway, there's no point you worrying too much about all of this. I'll concentrate on my Quirk and you focus on yours. I want what's best for you just as much as you might for me." Mina responded sweetly. Izuku couldn't help but smile, because he could hear that she was smiling too.
"Tomorrow is our only chance to have a break and let our bodies recover before kicking it into high gear again, you especially!" She replied, a hint of sternness coming through her tone when she directed her statement to Izuku. "After what Tomura did to you today, give yourself a break and get away from the stress. I'm not asking you." Mina added, still stern, but also with a sensitive and caring tone in her voice.
"Y-Yeah... I guess you're right." Izuku responded quietly, smiling to himself.
"Alright then... Welp, I'm goin' to bed because I'm really, really tired." Mina yawned. Izuku also stretched, putting his left arm behind his head and clicking his back between his shoulders lightly.
"Okay, I probably will now too." Izuku replied, putting Mina on loudspeaker as he got up from his desk and pulled off his dressing gown, leaving him in only his white T-shirt and flannel pyjama bottoms.
"Alright, see you on Monday Midori. I love yooooou!" Mina sang. He beamed up at the ceiling as he stretched again.
"I-I love you too." He stuttered before she hung up and left him in the silence of his room again. That statement, 'I love you', was one that Izuku still wasn't used to saying accept to his mother. It was nice, telling Mina he loved her, because he did, but after what Uraraka and himself had spoken about at Momo's, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe things were going to fast.
"Izuku, dear, are you decent in there?" Inko asked suddenly, pulling Izuku from his thoughts.
"Y-Yeah, come in." He faltered on his words, shaking himself back to reality and turning to the door as his mother walking in wearing her own pink nightgown. He smiled at her as she looked over at him, her usual nervous expression on her face.
"How do you think you did in your exams? She asked curiously as he sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed, looking over the scars on his arms.
"Honestly, I really don't think I did that badly." He admitted, looking over the darker and stretched looking markings.
"Well, just know that I'll be proud of you no matter your results." Inko beamed, clapping her hands together. Izuku had only half heard her, however, as his mind fell back to Mina.
"H-Hey mum... Can I talk to you about something?" He asked, the butterflies in his stomach showing signs of awakening as his mother's face became curious.
"Yes, of course." She said softly, walking over to him and sitting at his side.
"It... It's about Mina and I..." He added, looking up to his greenette mother from the corner of his eye. She looked a little uncomfortable, probably expecting to say he didn't think he'd made the right decision.
"I... I'm not sure if things between us are going too... Fast." He said, thinking carefully about how he was wording the phrase.
"Oh? Too fast, how?" Inko asked, her nerves seeming to calm a little as she turned on the bed a little more in his direction.
"Well... I'm just wondering if we started telling each other we... You know... Said 'I-I love you' too soon." He said, struggling to get the phrase out from embarrassment.
"Well, in my eyes, you only start dating someone if you love them. Otherwise, there's no point to the relationship, right?" She asked rhetorically.
Izuku slowly nodded. "I suppose so... B-But... Maybe we should have gotten to know each other a little more. I-I'm not having second thoughts! But, Uraraka spoke to me about it whilst we were at Yaoyorozu's house." Izuku explained.
"I see. Well, maybe, but your relationship can also be a good time to get to know that person on a personal level; a way you can't as friends." Inko explained, before both herself and Izuku froze up and blushed with embarrassment.
"I-I'm not implying in a sexual way! It's too early for that!" She exclaimed. Izuku's face became beet red and he also jumped up from his bed.
"W-What! I-I know that! That's not even close to what I was thinking!" He stuttered back, holding his arms out and backing away from his mother, who let out a heavy sigh rubbed her face with her hand.
"I-I'm sure you understand what I was trying to say." She replied, calming herself and looking back to her son, who'd also managed to tame the butterflies inside him somewhat.
"Y-Yeah, I get it." He muttered. Inko slowly nodded as Izuku flicked off his desk lamp and climbed into bed.
"Good boy. I love you dear." His mother chuckled, walking over to him and leaning over him, pecking his forehead before heading towards the door.
"I love you too." He responded, watching her out the door. Then, once she'd closed it, he let out a heavy sigh, allowing his body to sink into the mattress. It made sense, what his mother was saying, and he knew himself well enough to know he was probably just overthinking this whole thing. He would be able to get to know Mina in a much more personal way thanks to them dating, and that would benefit them in the long run.
Mina made him really happy. He didn't feel like he deserved such a great girl as his girlfriend, but he was grateful every day for it. He was just overthinking it, no doubt. Just go to sleep, you'll feel better. He ordered himself, rolling over and closing his eyes, before very slowly beginning to doze off.
Mina woke somewhat late the next morning. The sun was already up and beaming and the sound of her parents and little brother downstairs showed that she'd definitely slept in. Her father probably hadn't made her wake up because she'd just completed her exams, but even so, she felt a bit of regret that she hadn't awoken earlier. The hours of daylight she'd already lost could've been used to do something more fun and constructive, but she had nothing planned, so it didn't massively concern her.
Groaning loudly, she rolled over and stretched, the light shining through the window at the opposite end of the room blinding her slightly. Squinting to try and stop her eyes from feeling like they were being squeezed she grabbed her phone from her bedside table, rolling onto her back and turning the device on. There was nothing from Izuku, but he was probably still asleep too, which she would rather him be doing over going out and training.
It felt somewhat strange, now she had nothing really to do. Her suitcase and backpack were completely full and packed, ready for the trip, and there was nothing else she really needed to do. Putting her phone back on her bedside table she pushed her bed covers off herself and got up, sighing. She was getting the feeling that compared to the previous week, today was going to be incredibly slow.
She didn't bother changing out of her pyjamas, so after making her bed, she headed straight downstairs to her breakfast. Her usually fuzzy curly hair was even more unruly this morning than usual, and she quickly picked up on this when the three other members of her family all turned their attention to her as she walked in.
"What?" She asked absently, looking around at the three. Arata let out a quiet chuckle before taking a sip of his coffee and turning back to his magazine. Her little brother Yuuta however, was more audible when he laughed at her untidy morning state.
"Yuuta!" Fumika snapped, flicking water from her fingertips and onto her son's face, causing him to quickly recoil.
"Yeah I know, I'll sort myself out in a minute." Mina grumbled back, frowning at the Solidifying Quirk user as she walked over to the cupboard nearby her mother and crabbed the cereal from it, sighing as she did.
"Did you talk to Midoriya yesterday?" Fumika asked, trying to make some form of conversation with her daughter as she prepared her breakfast.
"Yeah, we went to Kiyashi Ward with the class yesterday, remember?" Mina responded with a smile.
"Oh... Right..." Her mother muttered quietly. "So how does he think he did in his exams? From what you've told us about him I'll bet he was really focused." The Concentration Quirk user added with a laugh. Mina giggled as some of the faces she's seen Izuku making during the exams flashed back into her mind.
"You're telling me?" She asked rhetorically.
"So? Are you bringin' him to meet us after this Training camp ya going to?" Arata asked in his usual, gruff but cheerful voice
"Maybe, it depends if he feels ready to do that yet. Not even I'm sure I want him to right now." Mina said with a smile. "He's not as confident as we are." She added thoughtfully.
"Ah, what are ya talkin' about? He's got nothing to worry about!" Her father exclaimed, still smiling.
"Maybe... He did say last night about organising a day for us to meet each other's parents, so it's probably gonna happen, I just dunno when." Mina replied, walking over to the fridge and grabbing the milk, pouring some into her bowl before replacing it and heading over to the dining room table.
"I understand what you mean." Her mother said more calmly as the pink-skinned girl sat at her side. "It's no rush, just tell him that whenever he's ready, he's welcome." She added reassuringly, smiling at her daughter. Arata nodded enthusiastically, before taking another, quite a loud sip from the last of his coffee.
"I will." Mina groaned through a long yawn, resting her head in her hand as she started eating. "Are we doin' anything today?" Mina asked after swallowing her mouthful of food.
"Uhhm... I'm not suure..." Arata hummed thoughtfully. "I think your mother wanted to go to the city to pick up a few bits and pieces for something Yuuta had going on." He added, looking up to Fumika for reassurance.
"Yeah, I'm planning to go in a minute. Why? Do you have something planned?" The platinum-haired woman asked curiously.
"No, I just want to have something to do today." Mina responded simply, eating another mouthful of food.
"Well, you're more than welcome to come with me." Fumika said. Mina nodded in response but didn't bother saying anything else, continuing with her food.
Izuku stumbled to a halt and leaned on his knees, panting heavily as he reached his usual spot where he took breaks on his runs. He did promise Mina he'd relax today, but it felt like such a waste, watching the hours of the day fading away and not using them to help himself or do anything constructive. He'd rather be outside than in though.
He would've liked to find someone to run with him, but he knew he'd get a bit more done if he went alone, and it gave him a chance to think things through as he made his way back home.
There had to be some other ways to develop his Quirk and how he used it, over just physical training. Maybe he fine new ways of taking the strain off his arms, but then again, he relied on his arms more than his legs. He knew he could hit harder with his fists and he'd had more practice in that area, but it would still do him some good to try and at least start learning an easier, less demanding way to fight with One For All.
Full Cowling was still a very new technique that he was open to change, but it was just what to change that he was stuck on. He could always call All Might and ask, but he'd said to try and find his own way of using One For All, so that seemed to be the only thing he couldn't do in this scenario. Recovery Girl would probably say that, in Izuku's case, not using One For All, in general, was the best cause of action, so he couldn't ask her.
The only other person he could ask about it, and who knew about his Quirk, was Mina, but she had her own Quirk to worry about and he'd rather she prioritised herself of what he was doing, 'I'll concentrate on my Quirk and you focus on yours'. She'd even said it herself the night before. He had all day today to try and think of ways to get the most out of his Quirk without pushing his body to its limits, and he was sure there were many ways he could do this, but they just weren't coming to him, at least not now.
He just wanted tomorrow to come quicker. Today was the first day he'd ever had that genuinely annoyed him because of how slow it was going. Looking at the clock tower on the walkway by the beach it was only eleven-thirty in the morning, yet it felt like he'd been out for much longer. He wanted to offer Mina to come out with him, but after she'd told him to rest, she probably wouldn't be too happy about him disobeying her, even though he was curious about what she'd say.
He didn't have a set time to be home, so he wanted to get a hot chocolate or something to have whilst he rested before starting back home. Picking himself back up and regaining his breath his eyes fell on a distant cafe, the same one Uraraka had taken cover in when he battled Melodyne. It was scary to think about, just how much responsibility he'd taken on when he decided to take on the music-based villain.
"Hey, you there!" A male voice called out over the hubbub of the cafe as Izuku walked in. He froze as an albino man in about his mid-twenties rushed over to him. "You were the kid who fought that villain a few weeks back right?" He asked urgently. Izuku took an anxious step back, looking past the guy and over to the counter. A few more of the employees fired each other glances and a few of the customers turned their gazes to the greenette.
"I-I... Ummm... Y-Yes, I think so..." Izuku stuttered. They must've been talking about him because, since his fight with Melodyne, no small-scale villains had attacked, not in this specific area at least.
"We never had a chance to thank you! You saved us!" He beamed, grabbing Izuku's hands tightly, a huge smile on his face. The greenette was speechless. He'd not been thanked this way before, and not by this many people. What was he meant to say? What were they expecting him to say? How did they remember him? He wasn't even that close for most of the fight and he was always moving.
"I-It's fine, really! I'm glad you're all okay." He chuckled with a small blush on his cheeks, holding his hands up nervously.
"Please, can we do something to thank you? You can have anything you like! On the house!" He exclaimed, pointing over his shoulder and at the counter towards two quite eager looking waitresses. This didn't feel right. What this what pro-heroes went through after fighting off a villain? Izuku felt really happy with the simple thank you but giving him anything 'on the house' felt like overkill.
"N-No, really, it's okay, I don't mind paying." He chuckled, earnestly trying to convince the albino gentleman that his thanks were enough.
"I insist, really!" He beamed, waving for Izuku to follow as he hurried over the counter. Izuku was incredibly flattered, but also embarrassed. Everyone's eyes were fixed on him, and if it wasn't for the ambient music playing through the overhead speakers, it would be silent.
This was something he hadn't ever asked All Might about. How was he meant to handle things like this? Was accepting this kind of act as gratitude the wrong thing to do? It was strange, he'd never really experienced any members of the public thanking him for anything like this before. It felt good- great even, but it still felt like too much.
"You looked really beat up when the Ambulance came for you, so I'm glad to see you're okay." One of the waitresses smiled, walking over to the counter and resting on her elbows, smiling up at Izuku whilst the blonde-haired male was called off by another table.
Izuku chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I'm fine now. I'm glad none of you got hurt." The greenette respond, trying not to let the awkward feeling in his stomach show through too much.
"So anyway, what'll it be?" She asked with a smile, flicking her off white hair out of her eyes and picking herself up and folding her arms.
"Just a hot chocolate please. I-It's been a while since I last had one." He replied trying to make the situation feel a little less tense.
"Good choice, I'll get that together for you real quick." She smiled, before turning away from him and starting to prepare his drink. This was a strange and awkward feeling, but it was also a really nice feeling.
So, this is what it's like to be a hero. Izuku smiled to himself.
A/N: Hey all, I apologise for this small and slow feeling chapter. I started off with a few ideas but quickly realised they would really fit, so I went for this instead. I really hope that alright!
The next chapter will be a hell of a lot more interesting, I promise, but for now, thank you again for reading my story, it means the world and I have a lot more I want to happen through the next few chapters. My plan for this story is to keep it going for as long as I am able, so don't expect and end to the chapters any time soon.
Thank you! Take care!
-ElliottChap.