I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.
Tomorrow came quickly and Mineta left home just after eating lunch. He first met with Midoriya at the park before taking a train to the Kiyashi-ward. Along the way, the two began to rendezvous with their 1A classmates. And, as it was to be expected, they began to grow a little rowdier with each extra person. So by the time they arrived at the shopping mall, 1A became a particularly chatty storm.
Though now that they're here, their noise became par for the course.
"I kind of wish we came here earlier and got lunch together." Hagakure said, skipping down the path. While people were avoiding her path, the invisible girl was doing well to weave past unaware individuals. But not wanting to chance an incident, Ojiro moved forward to contain her pep.
"Would anywhere have enough seats for 18 people at once? I mean, just look at how busy it is." Mineta said as he stood on Shouji's shoulder. He had climbed up onto his multi-armed classmate earlier on the train when it was getting particularly crowded. But even with the amount of walking room now available, Mineta continued to perch on his shoulder.
It was mostly so that the shorter boy could see further. And while most people didn't like having a meter tall pest cling to them… Shouji seemed perfectly fine with this arrangement.
"We could've made it work. Although I don't think I have the budget to help contribute…" Uraraka said as she nervously peaked into her wallet.
"If that was the case, then I would've gladly covered your part Uraraka-san." Midoriya replied with a smile. Mineta internally cheered for his partner. It was hard to think that Midoriya used to be so nervous around the fairer sex. But now it was only a matter of time before someone fell for his dorky and chivalrous charms.
And Mineta was keeping his fingers crossed it would be Uraraka. That girl was nothing but a great match for Midoriya.
"Aww, thanks Dek–!" Uraraka began before stopping abruptly. The shorter boy mind paused as well, wondering what cat got her tongue. Mineta then noticed the gravity defying girl's round eyes weren't looking at Midoriya. Instead, she was looking at Aoyama and Mina, who were looking back at her. The former had this strange glint in his eyes while the latter was wriggling her eyebrows.
Oh… Them too?
"A-A-A-Anyway! Where to!?" Uraraka blurted out, turning away from Midoriya. It was hard to see, but the girl's normally pink cheeks turned cherry red. This was an unexpected yet favorable development, though it was best to ease up for now. Mineta doesn't want to make one of them so nervous they can't talk to the other. And as if to divert attention off of Uraraka, external forces drew 1A's attention.
"Young man sitting on your six-armed friend! We've got items you might like! And you too, with the giant calves!" A storeowner began shouting. Mineta looked over and saw the person flagging them. And soon enough, other nearby stores began to flag them as well. Some people in the crowd even recognized 1A from the Sports Festival way back when.
"Ah geez, we've got so much attention on us. But I suppose that could only benefit us since the storeowners may be able to recommend us something based on our abilities. I'm really impressed by how flexible their stock is. Being able to cover everyone's unique Quirk related needs, provide for all demographics, as well as keeping up with trends… How do they do it? Even with sheer inventory size–" Midoriya muttered as he took notes of his surroundings.
"Midoriya, stop, you'll frighten the children." Tokoyami interrupted as he noticed kids staring at the green haired boy.
"Well, for the time being, I'm going to need a bigger travel bag. Anybody with me?" Jirou said, loading up a map on her phone. Yaoyorozu and Tsuyu took up the girl's offer as everyone began grouping up based on their purchasing needs.
"Since everyone needs something different, why don't we split up and meet up later? It's a bit after 1 right now… So how about 3 o'clock?" Kirishima suggested.
"Sounds good, we'll get our things and come back. Maybe we could do something fun before heading back." Kaminari said with a nod. So with that settled, Class 1A split up to gather their respective needs. Mineta hopped off Shouji and stuck with Midoriya, seeing that they needed some sporting goods. Uraraka was also with them for some reason. Not that Mineta was complaining, his secret agenda was coming to fruition.
"Everyone's so fast... What about you Uraraka-san? Was there something you need?" Midoriya asked, turning to the only other classmate with them.
"Oh, I need to find some Bu–" Uraraka began before she froze, repeating that last syllable. Midoriya looked curiously at her, not knowing what got her tongue. But for Mineta, he could see the girl's cheeks turning color once more. Oh yeah, that confirms the reaction from earlier. She got hit and the shorter boy knew who the culprit was.
"BUG SPRAY!" The gravity defying girl screamed, sprinting away from Midoriya and Mineta. The green haired boy watched as Uraraka blended into the crowd. Soon enough, his lips were pulled into a frown as his eyes cast themselves downward. He slowly turned to Mineta and began to voice his concerns.
"Did… Did I do something wrong? Because Uraraka-san seemed keen on blasting me with insecticides…"
"Oh don't worry, I know what happened. And it's not what you think it is." Mineta replied, patting Midoriya's arm. The green haired boy seemed to have recovered some heart. But it looked like he was still confused. The shorter boy let out a low hum as he began thinking how to go about this.
He could just say it outright… But where's the fun in that?
"… Humor me for a bit. What do you think about Uraraka?" Mineta asked. Midoriya raised an eyebrow to that, his head filled with an assortment of questions. But the boy put those aside and began to comb his brain for a good answer. As he did so, Mineta looked around to make sure they weren't blocking anyone. Even if they were mostly out of the way, he can't guess where people would go or how they wanted to get there.
Suddenly, the shorter boy felt a chill crawl up his back. He could feel someone's cold contempt aimed in their direction. Mineta quickly looked around again, trying to locate the source of this hatred. But despite how unnaturally strong it was, Mineta couldn't find whoever it was that wanted to kill them. And soon enough, the feeling passed and the atmosphere returned to a calm normal.
"… What was that?" Midoriya asked as sweat rolled down his neck. The shorter boy turned to him and shrugged with a great deal of unease. Whatever it was, it's gone now. Both the boys, however, silently agreed to look around one last time. They couldn't afford to be caught off guard like that again. But the more they checked around, the more everything was in place.
In fact, with how strange Mineta and Midoriya were acting, they were the ones looking off.
"… I don't see anything wrong." Midoriya commented as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
"And I'm hoping it stays that way… Let's go, we're starting to look like weirdoes." Mineta replied, subtly gesturing to the people staring at them. Midoriya let out a quick apology before he and Mineta vacated the scene. The two didn't speak as they walked, being more concerned with that strange feeling. They continued to examine their surroundings until they've reached the sporting goods store.
"Nothing out of the ordinary so far… I think we're in the clear." Mineta said.
"Yeah, but I don't like it. Let's be careful from now on." Midoriya said as the two entered the store. They've went to right for baseball equipment, taking note of the different brands. But because the ominous presence was still on their minds, the boys were still too tense to talk. It was only when an employee tried to speak to them that their tongues finally loosened.
"Oh no no, w-we're fine thank you." Midoriya said nervously before continuing to look through the rack of baseball gloves. He randomly picked a glove and began examining it, Mineta doing the same before the employee left. The two looked at each other before letting out the longest sigh. This was getting ridiculous.
"We've got to calm down… How about some catch?" Mineta asked, putting the glove on his left hand. Midoriya raised an eyebrow before looking around. The store wasn't terribly crowded as people came and went at a steady pace. But there still wasn't a lot of room for what the shorter boy wanted to accomplish.
"… I don't think we should, not here anyway." Midoriya replied, turning to Mineta. The shorter boy let out a hum as he began looking around. He really wanted them to blow some stress. Between the exams, One for All's colorful past, and that strange feeling from earlier, they needed to relax. That's when his eyes found a sign hanging on one of the walls.
"Take a look at that sign." Mineta said, pointing to the wall.
"Let's see… Feel free to try the equipment… You will, however, be held responsible for any and all damages made to property or person… I still don't know if we should." Midoriya read before turning back to his partner.
"Not confident in our skills?"
Midoriya opened his mouth before stopping himself. He then faced an employee who was staring at them, pointing to the sign on the wall. The employee made a 'go ahead' gesture before the green haired boy faced Mineta again. Midoriya then put on the glove he was holding and stepped back. Mineta did the same and took out the baseball he carried. It was pretty worn, so there was no confusing it with any other in the store.
"Your ball." Midoriya said as he hit the palm of his glove. The shorter boy first made sure no one was heading towards them. He then turned back to his partner before tossing the ball to him to warm up. Midoriya easily caught the throw, though his face scrunched a bit as he flexed his glove. He quickly took off the glove and exchanged it for another. Only then did the green haired boy throw the ball back to Mineta.
This went on for several throws, both of them changing gloves to find one that best fitted them. So by their 16th throw, they've found their new gloves. And as a bonus, the tension that gripped them earlier had finally loosened. Granted, the pair did knock over quite a few things in their escalating game of catch. At least nothing got damaged…
"Alright, what's next?" Mineta asked as he and Midoriya left the store, having cleaned up their mess. With only one item on their checklist down, they needed to hurry before it was time to meet up with the others.
"Well, we should get some repellents. I wonder if Uraraka-san found some place that sells them…" Midoriya replied as the two began walking. That name reminded Mineta of the conversation they were having earlier. And, while suppressing a sly smile, he steered things back to that topic.
"I wonder if she calmed down by now."
"Oh right, she was pretty flustered last we saw her… I still haven't figured out what's wrong though. Are you sure it isn't me?" Midoriya asked as his face became gloomier. Mineta quickly nudged his partner before shaking his head. How on Earth does he keep arriving at the worst possible conclusion? The shorter boy shouldn't be talking though, he really wasn't any better in the self-confidence department… But that wasn't the point right now.
"It's not you dude. Well, not the part of you that you're thinking of. Okay, let's get back to my old question before that weird feeling caught us… What do you think about Uraraka?"
"Well… Even though we've only met a few months ago, I feel really comfortable around her. And who wouldn't feel that way? Uraraka-san's nothing but helpful and nice to the people around her. I mean she saved me, a complete stranger, from face planting when we first met. She even did it again at the Sports Festival! No one but you did that before." Midoriya replied confidently. Mineta was about to say something but was cut off by more of his partner's answer.
"Oh and that's not even going into Uraraka-san's drive and motivation. Despite her social status and perception of her own Quirk, she chose to fight against that for the people she cares about. It's inspirational! And it makes me want to work harder as well, since I'm kind of in a similar position. That's the reason why I… I…" Midoriya continued before slowing down. The shorter boy had to hold back the smirk as a blush painted his partner's face. Honestly, it was super adorable how quickly he switched gears. And as Midoriya uttered the next few words…
Mineta's was about to spring his greatest scheme.
"I like Uraraka-san… Don't tell anyone…"
Midoriya's voice was almost drowned out by the surrounding crowd as the two stopped. But because Mineta was solely focusing on his partner, he heard it loud and clear. And this wasn't even going into the many hints his strawberry looking face was leaving. So with a deep breath, Mineta was about to give Midoriya a heart attack of sheer joy.
"I won't… But have you ever considered that the opposite is true?" Mineta asked with a smirk. The shorter boy could see the gears in Midoriya's head turn. And with each completed cycle, his already red face began to become a degree hotter. The green haired boy stiffly opened his mouth, his jaw flapping to get some kind of response out. But to no avail.
Mineta began to look around to stop putting pressure on Midoriya. And while he was at it, making sure nothing sneaks up on them again. His eyes then happened on a girl with a familiar bob of brown hair walking up on the second level of the shopping mall. The shorter boy almost laughed at how the universe both loved and hated him. He quickly filled his lungs before overcoming the noise of the crowd surrounding him.
"HEY URARAKA! FIND THAT BUG SPRAY YET!?"
Mineta could feel several eyes staring at him, but that was of little consequence. What's more important was the fact that he got Uraraka's attention as well as Midoriya's. He could tell the two were looking at him before feeling their gaze move towards the other. He subtly glanced to Uraraka above; her cheeks were turning cherry red again. Mineta then looked to his partner, who started to look like a steamed tomato.
The two were stuck like that for what seemed like the longest time. That was until both of them ran in opposite directions, doing their best to not screech their lungs out. Mineta finally let out a laugh before chasing after Midoriya's back. This was a first, Midoriya being in a mutual crush instead of a one-sided one.
But that's what makes things exciting.
He and his partner were in uncharted waters full of opportunity and danger. Whether it was in Heroics, School work, or new relationships, Mineta and Midoriya needed to face them all. And in order to do so, they both needed to become stronger in mind, body, and spirit. But while the upcoming summer lodge will help…
Having a wingman will only make sailing that much smoother.
And that has been Chapter 62!
The trip to the mall was mostly for Midoriya and Shigaraki to meet and talk about Stain's ideals. But Stain was never captured in The Saint and the Sinner, so Shigaraki has no reason to approach Midoriya now. All he could is murderously glare at our duo before wandering off to mull over League of Villain matters. Though that does leave a very important question... What is our lead Villain thinking about right now?
Could it be about those new upstarts? Could it be about his own presence, or lack there of, in the world of Villains? Or perhaps it involves... His hazy past?
While The Saint and The Sinner won't explore these questions since the focus is solely on our Heroic Duo...I might make another story that contains excerpts that'll fill in certain gaps in the story. I'll let you know if anything will ever come of that. So for now, use your imagination to answer those unanswered questions.
Now for what I actually wrote about...
I'll be honest, writing a romantic relationship is something I've never done before. At least, I've never built a relationship from the ground up. So me exploring this maze we call love will either be an interesting or painful time for you guys. And I fully apologize in advance for the suffering I'll be inflicting upon you all. But here's to hoping I learn how to do this along the way.
Currently, my ships for this story is IzuOcha (Midoriya and Uraraka). I have someone planned for Mineta but... Now's not the time for me to reveal it.
But what do you think, my dear readers, of what you've seen thus far? I'll take any questions, comments, and concerns down in the usual place.
As for the next update... We'll be getting a step closer to the fabled magazine treasure... But the guys kind of slip up and end up in a bit of hot water. Stay tuned to find out what or who that hot water may be.
So with all that said...
Until Next Time. T1.