Last chapter seemed to be a hit and it's not surprise why. As I said last chapter, Mina and Izuku are now together and this chapter will be set to seeing their first outing together. I hope you all enjoy!
I do not own anything.
A Pink Ball of Sunshine
Chapter 4-Their Happy First
Don't panic, Izuku. You can do this. You can do this. Just treat her right and everything will be fine, and you'll be able to do this again with her. The last thought repeated itself in Izuku's head like one of his records stuck on replay. His date with Mina had just started and already he was thinking of their next one! Was he really that smitten with her?
One look at her right beside him and Izuku knew the answer-yes, a resounding yes.
Mina's face was bursting with glee. It wasn't just the fact that she was going to the mall, it was the fact that she was going to the mall with him. If all went well, this would only be the first of many such trips. Izuku's heart swelled with excitement at that possibility. It made him squeeze her hand back in happy joy. She looked back at him and smiled.
"Hey, Izuku?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"All those notebooks that you've written, when did you first start writing them? Have you always done that? Have you done it ever since you got into heroes?" She questioned.
Within his head, a set of gears began to turn. Once they began, they couldn't be stopped. "You're right that it's something that I've always done. You can ask Kaa-chan, I've always been a…nerd, a hero nerd."
"Being that definitely made you into a great writer." His pink-skinned girlfriend declared. The gears in Izuku's head suddenly grinded to a halt as he looked at her. Giggling, she reached for his right hand and laced their fingers together. His cheeks burned red and his eyes widen, it was just too cute for words. "Hey, after seeing your fill entire notebooks, I couldn't help but notice. You've got handwriting and drawing skills that I honestly wish that I had."
Maybe it was the heat from their interlocked hands flowing into him that made him speak his next words. "Um, M-M-M-Mina, i-i-if that's how you feel, then…maybe I can help you practice. Some time. After the-" His brain and correspondingly his mouth, all ceased functions as the horned girl leaned up and planted a kiss on his cheek. Yet again, all he could do was stare at her with those wide eyes; at least his jaw hadn't hit the floor.
"I'd love that, Izuku." Mina declared with a smile that made the fire burning in his cheeks reach new temperatures.
At some point, Izuku wondered if he was going to have something fall on his head, or he'd get hit by a speed car, or just outright walk into a wall, then he'd wake up from this incredible dream. Yet again, it was all real though, so happily real. He subconsciously gripped Mina's hand; he hoped that his palm hadn't become too sweaty to touch.
"S-S-So, u-um, a-a-anyway, y-yeah, I-I suppose it's always been a hobby of mine. Over time, once I realized how often I did it, I…I started liking doing it." Technical, he wasn't lying her. Izuku was telling her the truth, but he wasn't telling her the whole truth. Izuku quietly wondered if he'd ever be able to tell her that his note taking was actually his way of coping with the fact that he was Quirkless. In that explanation, he'd have to admit to her that he didn't have a Quirk and had been given it. Only the pain of death, Mina's death, would be enough to get him to divulge that secret. "I…it was a good way for me to…unwind." He prayed that she didn't pick apart his words.
"Ah, that's a pretty good way to unwind. For me, I do music, watching TV, and…maybe dancing a little. Actually, sometimes, I just put some music on and let myself tap away all the worry and stress that's been gnawing at me." She explained with a wistful smile on her face. Izuku smiled as well as he could see her doing all of those things, especially the dance part. "Hey, have you ever done your writing with music playing?"
"No, I always thought of it as a distraction. Whenever I do it, I just…want it to be me, the notebook, my pen, and silence." Upon saying the words, Izuku noted how different that made the two of them, or rather, it added another difference between them. Mina wanted to be active, even if she was fighting off negativity and stress. In contrast, he preferred silence so he could be alone with his thoughts. Sitting on it, he could see some charm in her way, even though his first impulse would be to say the music would distract him. Looking at Mina though, he felt that notion changing right before his eyes. "Um, Mina…what kind of music do you listen to in order to relax?"
A light flashed in her eyes as she began to talk. She talked and he listened, his eyes sometimes widening and softening as she told him of her dozens of "play lists". Izuku actually found it impressive that she knew so many songs, then again, some of them were more genres than anything. His heart fluttered upon hearing that she had a taste for American jazz. Admittedly, he listened to it a few times. One memory in particular rose to the forefront of his mind-him as a ten-year curled up in his mother's arm on the couch. A nice jazzy track was playing on the apartment stereo. Izuku could close his eyes and drift back to that quiet and serene afternoon.
Mina took notice of the blissful expression on his face. There was a part of her that wanted to know what memory she'd awakened, but she held back and simply enjoyed the tranquil look on her boyfriend's face. Izuku's blushing face was cute, but there was something just so…right about seeing him with a smile.
"I wouldn't be averse to trying that. It might make my writing a little bit easier." He mused.
"Here's hoping that you give it a try." His girlfriend offered. "Like I said, music can be a great stress reliever, it's also great to dance to! In fact, music and dancing go together like popcorn and movies!"
"Mina, how exactly did you get into dancing?"
Her eyes were already shining, but they lit up even more as he questioned her about the origins of her interests. She was more than happy that he did. "It's something that I would do when I was little. My love of music is something that's just always been with me. My mom told me whenever it was playing, I would subconsciously shake and wave to the beat, which she found adorable. As I got older and realized what I was doing, everything else just sort of fell into place from there. I accepted that it was who I was, just like how I was born with pink-skin and horns."
"They're what make you, well, you." Izuku affirmed with a cherry smile. His heart was already racing pretty fast, perhaps it was that fast pace that led him to continue speaking instead of cutting it off there. "And who you are…is…a pretty amazing person."
Suddenly, the pink-skinned girl spun on the tip of her foot and wrapped her arms around the green-and-black-haired teenager. Izuku had a good five seconds to blush beat-red, which Mina enjoyed seeing. Then she added to his blush by gently pressing their lips together. The fact that they were in public only made Izuku's blush deepen. He was being kissed in public, in public! By a cute and wonderful girl like Mina! This was like something out of a dream!
Coincidentally, Izuku had found that dreams could actually come true. They could come true in the wildest way imaginable.
Granted, any dreams he had regarding Mina were at best only a couple of days old. Just a couple of days old and here they were as boyfriend and girlfriend. Talk about things moving fast.
Upon pulling away from him, the acidic teenager grinned. "You know, for a guy who stutters and sometimes trips over his words, you always seem to know just what to see to make a girl's heart race." A stream of stuttering words spilled from his lips, making Mina giggle and grin. She silenced him with a short but sweet kiss. He went silent and simply stared at her. "I'd say the same thing about you, Izuku. You're pretty amazing yourself."
Izuku's mind had been going at a thousand miles a minute, then, with Mina's kiss, it ground to a halt. Her words got it going again, and reeved it up in the process. "I-I-I-I, y-y-y-you…I-I…I'll…I'll try to live up to that praise, M-M-Mina."
"Silly, you already have, now come on!"
Minute by minute, he was getting more used to Mina's forwardness. Izuku honestly found solace in it. A lot of people said that he could be extremely forward himself, but that was only when the situation called for it, otherwise, he was plain old timid Deku. The latter part though, some had called into question, including his girlfriend. Izuku wondered if he could ever be like Mina-that outgoing all the time. It would certainly help him to become more like All Might if he did. Truth be told, he admired people like his idol, and people like Mina, it was one of the reasons he'd grown attracted to her. He hoped that she never lost that forwardness. Some part of him said he wanted to protect it, as illogical as it sounded. If anything, it felt like that outgoing demeanor protected him.
He certainly chased after it, he chased after Mina. She was the one directing where this date went. First stop were several clothing stores. Izuku's eyes understandably widened, and he was pretty sure he could hear his wallet shudder in fear. From what he knew, Mina wasn't a big spender, or at least he hoped she wasn't. Regardless, if going past his budget made Mina happy then…so be it. He faintly remembered a saying particularly amongst the many men and guys he'd been around, "Having a girlfriend or wife comes at the expense of your wallet." When Izuku asked his father about it, he'd remarked that it was a worthy exchange.
Seeing Mina trying on so many different clothes and styles proved his father's words.
For the record, Izuku didn't stare at girls, at least not to the extent of say, Mineta and Kaminari, but he was still a boy who could be attracted to the opposite sex. He was most definitely attracted to Mina, and that was when she was just wearing her plain, everyday clothes, including her school uniform. Put her in designer brand clothes? Multiple brands? Izuku's jaw hung on the floor as she tried on various outfits. A voice in the back of his head told him he was lucky that they were in fall instead of spring or summer. Voices like his two previously mentioned classmates called to him he needed to stay in this relationship until then, and well after. Thoughts of Mina in skippy swimsuits attempted to burrow their way into his mind causing him to blush. Whenever Mina went into the dressing room, he did his best to expel them.
His thoughts regarding the future were cut short as Mina burst out of the dressing room in her regular clothes and grabbed him. "Alright, now it's your turn, Izuku!"
"W-W-What? M-M-My turn? B-But I already have enough clothes, especially some to make it through the fall!" He attempted to protest.
"What about the winter?" She had him there, which he admitted to with a cocked eyebrow and thinking look. "And besides…won't you let me gawk at you the same way you've gawked at me?"
Wide-eyed, he stared at her with freckled cheeks fast turning red. "Y-Y-Y-You n-n-noticed?" She nodded, continuing to grin at him. "A-A-And you're…okay with that?"
"Hm, considering you're my boyfriend, yeah. You're allowed to gawk at me. It actually makes me feel pretty good." His lips curved into an upward smile of relief. Mina raised her right index finger to Izuku's chin. "And if I were to stare at you dressed in various outfits…would you like it?" In spite of her finger, Izuku looked down, embarrassment once more coloring his cheeks. She switched from a finger on his chin to a palm on his face. "Izuku, I promise, I may laugh at you if you dress a little ridiculously, but as you girlfriend and you friend, I'm never going to laugh at you with the intent of emotionally harming you. You're too nice of a guy for that, and frankly, I have a hard time seeing you look…uncute in anything."
"Un…cute? Mina, I don't think that's a real word." The super strength-user laughed. Internally, he felt like he'd just been wrapped up in a big warm blanket. A big pink-colored blanket.
"Eh, maybe not, but plenty of people use it! Like me! And maybe you too."
"Me too, huh? I…guess I can start using it." Izuku admitted.
She smiled, "Good. Now then…would you ever use uncute to describe me?"
"No. You're never nooo-aaaaaahhh…"
Mina burst into laughter while he nervously smiled at him. "Ah! You're learning! Hopefully you won't learn too fast or else I might run out of tricks. I'll have to come up with some new ones."
That statement inspired both amusement and terror within the young hero. On one hand, he loved Mina for her teasing, on the other hand…what would happen if she stepped up her game? Would he be able to handle that? The possibility made Izuku shudder in fear as he had no idea how that would go. He got images of his head that left him feeling dizzy. Oddly enough, as the dizziness and even slight fear crept up on him…Izuku felt excitement. He supposed he really was changing, and he was inclined to say that he was changing for the better, and he had so many people to thank for it. Including the girl now guiding him into the guys section so he could get his turn of trying on clothes.
As he accumulated scars, there was a part of Izuku that grew more self-conscious of his appearance. If anyone saw him underneath his uniform, they'd have been taken aback by how much muscle and how many scars he'd built up, and he was still only a teenager. His male friends had all taken note and told him that if he ever walked around shirtless, he'd have a legion of fangirls; the thought genuinely terrified Izuku. Doubly so since he knew what some fans could do if they took their…obsession a bridge too far.
For the record, Izuku knew that he was a total All Might fan and a hero fan, but he had lines he wouldn't cross. Others, well, he heard stories and he left it at that.
He didn't have a problem bundling up in at times thick or heavy clothes. Given the weights that he sometimes ran with, it made little difference. Not to mention he could just shed them in a heartbeat if danger came knocking. It wasn't something that he'd like to do, but Izuku always kept himself prepared.
Still, he rarely found any pleasure in shredding clothes that cost anywhere from three digits to potentially four. Some heroes had actually had their careers ended over such reckless behavior. Others took joy in it. Anyone with an ounce of self or self-conscious awareness simply backed out of any of these clothing deals since they knew how it would end. Izuku sometimes wondered if he'd be one of those people. Fashion had never been an interest to him…unless it was superhero-focused, which meant that anything All Might centered would definitely tickle his fancy. He laughed at himself in the mirror as he pondered all these thoughts.
When he stepped out of the changing room, he got used to flashes of light from Mina's smartphone camera.
"You won't be waving those around the dorm, will you?" Izuku casually asked.
"Oh, don't worry about that. These will be staying with me. I don't want anyone else seeing how good you look. At least not until you make it big and your name and face are plastered everyone." It was a future that Mina was sure would come to pass. She'd do her best to make sure that it did because Izuku was her friend, and her boyfriend. "You really like green, don't you?" she remarked in reference to the dark green stripped sweater that he'd tried on. "Then again, it is in your name, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. Green's always just been my color. Suppose I get it from my mom, my taste for it and my hair."
"Your mom, huh? What's she like?"
"My mom," he mused trying to think of how best to describe the woman whom raised him and loved and supported him. She was practically part of his whole world. "She's…kind, so incredible kind and loving. You'd love her, or at least you'd come to." He said with a warm smile.
"You know, I think I will…and I'd love to meet her one day." Mina half-expected him to swoon at the thought of her meeting his mom, but he didn't. Izuku continued to smile, seemingly accepting the proposition. If their relationship really took off, then it would be inevitable that they'd meet. Mina just hoped she'd be able to make a good impression. "Izuku, I've heard you talk about you father a couple of times…what's he like? I-I mean are you two still in contact with each other?"
Oh, if only you knew, Mina. He thought. Izuku thought of how absurd it was for him to receive a gift and letter from his father the day before he got his first girlfriend, and went on his first date. That gift being a record player of all things and the girl in question being a person like Mina was kind of funny to think about. "Yeah, we still talk, and he and my mom are still together. Having a long-distance relationship isn't easy, but they've made it work. That's something about their relationship that I've always…admired." It felt strange talking about his parents, and that was because he so rarely did it. The only person he'd done it before was with his mentor.
"What does your dad do for a living? He works over seas for some company?"
"Yep. Hold on a second." Back into the changing room he went, and out in his regular clothes he came. Mina followed him to the other side of the men's section, where formal suits lay. Izuku gently pulled at a black business suit and smiled at her. "Corporate accounting, and he's pretty good at it. You know the way I can be hyper focused, he can be like that too sometimes."
Mina smiled back, but then her smile morphed into a grimace. "That's…well, at least that's a stabilizing job, and apparently he's good at it. It's just…"
"Not the kind of job that you'd ever want to have for yourself? The kind of job that would suck out your soul and leave you a decayed husk of a person?" Izuku laughed throughout the entire statement, showing that he wasn't a stranger to talking about it, which he hadn't done in years. "Yeah, it was never the kind of job that I wanted for myself either."
"Good, it's too boring for you, and it'd be way too boring for me. I'd lose my mind within a day."
"What, you don't think you could last maybe a week?"
"No! Look at me, Izuku! Do you think I would be able to wear a suit and sit behind a desk doing paperwork!" She shouted while waving her arms about.
Laughing, Izuku let go of the suit and crossed his arms, making a show of seriously thinking about it. Apparently, the acidic in-training heroine wasn't the only one who knew how to have a little fun at another's expense. Namely his girlfriend's. "Hm, let's see…I could…sorta picture it, but it wouldn't quite be you. You're too bright for an office room…unless you're fighting a supervillain in it."
"Ah, I suppose you've got a point there. Luckily, stuff like that will always stay confined to just the imagination. I'm more than happy having chosen the path of a hero, and you're better off in doing the same, Izuku!"
Where would I be if I hadn't chosen that path, if that path hadn't opened itself up to me? It was a question that sometimes gnawed at him, and the terror of it kept him up at night. That question was something else that separated him from his classmates-they all likely could have gone done different paths besides hero work. Or most of them, Izuku thought of Bakugo and Todoroki. "Um, Mina,"
"Yeah?"
Swerving his eyes over to the various suits, he felt his cheeks heating up and his stomach twisting itself into various knots. "Um, how would you think I would look in a suit, like this?"
"Cute." She answered in a heartbeat. "You'd look really, really cute, especially if you kept your hair as it is." He smiled as she reached up and ruffled his dual black and green-colored hair. "Matter of fact, I'm hoping one day I can see you in a cute suit. I heard from the other girls you looked pretty cute when you were at the part on I-Island." Her happy expression dampened as the memory sunk its venomous fangs into her. "I practiced my rock-paper-scissors game after that." He laughed while she shook off her temporary depression. "I know that things went off the rails, but I still would have liked to have been there."
"We could have used your help, but…we made do. I'm happy that everything turned out for the best."
"I know…and I'm glad that you were because you and All Might were there to save the day."
"It wasn't just us, it was everyone. If it weren't for everyone working together."
"Including…Melissa Shield?" She watched Izuku's entire demeanor change at the mention of the name. It confirmed a silent suspicion that she had. "Jirou and Momo told me about her. It's not like they told me the whole story or some confidential information! If I'm ever going to hear any of that…I want to hear the full story from you, that is if you're willing to tell me. You don't have to."
He was quiet for a minute, a response that quietly wondered Mina. Her intuition was sometimes spot on, and sometimes it was quite a ways' off. This was one of those times she felt it was the latter, and she wasn't sure that was such a good thing. Her intuition told her that whatever had happened on I-Island, there was more than what the official report had said; Mina was sure of it. Little by little, her suspicions had been confirmed, and they just had been in a big way based on Izuku's response.
His lack of a response was…troubling to her. It left her wondering what was his relationships to this girl called Melissa? Did Izuku have a crush on her? She him? Apparently, they'd clicked quite well together. Mina wasn't the jealous type, or at least she didn't think herself to be one. She'd had crushes, but never an actual boyfriend. If Izuku had felt anything for this girl, wouldn't he have said no to becoming her boyfriend?
"One day, I'd like to take you there…ya' know, for a…date." She looked to him with shocked eyes. "I-Island's an incredible place and it'd be awesome for you to go there. If I could personally take you there…for…like a date, well…I'd be beyond happy, Mina."
His words dissipate the growing cloud of uncertainty within her. Mina wasn't the type to let such dark clouds form within her, but this was one of those times. Her trademark bright smile returning, she took Izuku's hand. "Then I guess we've got a future date to look forward to."
"…Yeah, we do." He affirmed. Izuku just hoped when that future date happened, it went peaceful. Seriously, his adventure on I-Island had been unforgettable for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the surprise theft and supervillain situation he had to resolve. Which had indirectly been caused by the dilemma of All Might's power fading. Whenever he looked back on the tragic incident involving the Shields, specifically the now disgraced David Shield, he wondered if the mess could have been avoided if he knew the truth. "Next time will definitely be better." He affirmed.
To Mina, it sounded like a promise to her, one that she took in strides. That assumption was half-right. It was a promise to her, and it was a promise to Izuku himself. He wanted to give Mina the best he could, and hew as going to do that. That included a spectacular date at I-Island, without having to risk their lives to save the world.
But if it came to that, well…maybe they could find some enjoyment in fighting together. They were a couple and heroes-in-training, right?
"Hey, it's him! It's Izuku Midoriya!"
"Wait, really?
"Seriously? Him!"
Beware the perils of becoming famous.
Izuku wasn't sure who said it, but he was pretty sure that someone said that phrase.
It was true, though to differing extents. In some cases, it was horrifically real, and in other cases…it was a little more…comical.
The latter could probably be used to describe getting swarmed once their faces were recognized, or namely, once Izuku's face was recognized. One minute, they were just another pair, and the next they were being crowded by would-be-skaters of all ages, including one or two seniors. Mina wasn't surprised at that part, nor was she entirely surprised at the attention that her boyfriend was receiving.
Okay, maybe she was just a little bit surprised at how many girls came upon Izuku.
Everyone seemed to be trying to touch his hands, which they recognized as being the hands that had thrown earth-crushing punches. In spite of having seen such destructive power, they sure did seem eager to feel up his arms. Feel them up to the point of rolling his sleeves back and feeling up his scars, which they gasped and marveled at.
"Okay, that's it! Sorry to break it to ya', folks, but there's a fee for this!" Mina shouted shooting her arms out and waving off the horde of clawing and grabbing hands. Izuku took the opportunity to retract his hands to his chest, looking quite like a…scared rabbit. The acidic girl wrapped her arm across her boyfriend's body. "Look, we appreciate the attention, but we came here to do some roller skating enjoyment and that's it! We can sign autographs later!"
"Uh, actually, we want his autograph." One girl sniped, not even trying to hide her glare pointed squarely at Mina. She was high school-age, perhaps seventeen or even eighteen. Whatever heavy perfume she was wearing, it was going to be wiped away once they got into the rink. Her sapphire blue eyes moved from Mina to Izuku. "It's your first time skating here, right, Midoriya?"
"Y-Y-Yes, it is." He replied feeling a new surge of embarrassment rushing through him. In spite of that embarrassment, he wasn't blind to the situation unfolding around him. "I-I-I'm here on a date with my girlfriend."
Normally, Mina wasn't a rude person, not without reason anyway. This redhead who'd came up and gripped her boyfriend's hand had given her reason. She'd given her more than enough reason to near her black and yellow eyes in anger. The redhead responded by narrowing her sapphire blue eyes; she glared back at her in return. Mina had only known this girl for little more than thirty seconds, and she already hated her. And Mina had a feeling that the feeling was mutual.
"Girlfriend, huh?" She repeated. It was clear that she found Mina…wanting in that position in regard to Izuku.
Granted, this girl had no right to judge Mina.
"Come on, let's go sign in so we can get out skates." She near growled. Her grip on Izuku's hand was tighter than it had ever been before. He didn't protest her sudden grip, though the small crowd that had assembled certainly did. Mina could feel the redhead's glare on her, but she didn't pay it any mind.
"Mina," Her boyfriend called.
All it took was the simple call of her name for the anger building within her to dissipate. Letting out a heavy sigh, she turned around and looked at him. "I'm sorry about that, Izuku. I didn't know that coming to this rink would end this way. I come here all the time and…well…it's just me. I'm not the superstar."
"Well, I don't really consider myself a superstar. I'm just…me."
"Yeah…and everyone saw you during the Sports Festival, everyone saw you proving that you're the next Symbol of Peace. It sucks, but that kind of comes with the territory I guess." She mused with evident disappointment.
"You're right, I guess there's no getting around it. If anything, I suppose I should just start getting used to it." All Might had warned him that the more he exposed himself, the more attention he would draw to himself. The media's attention, the attention of the masses, and the attention of the supervillains of the world. He'd so much time warning about the last of the three that thoughts of the other two ever crossed his mind. What a way for him to be reminded of them. "I'm sorry, Mina."
"Izuku, you don't have anything to be sorry for. What happened back there wasn't your fault." Her cheeks puffed out as she thought of her own conduct. She'd handled it well, right? Mina didn't want to say she'd gotten too possessive of Izuku yet, but seeing another girl so blatantly come onto her boyfriend had roused something in her. Then again, maybe the reaction could be seen as a testament to the feelings she had for Izuku. "Hey, what do you say we focus on the reason we came here? It's your first time skating and I'm just the girl to teach me!"
"I'll follow your lead then!"
Izuku at least knew how to tie up his skates or the pads and helmets. It honestly wasn't that complicated, that part was reserved for when he stood up and tried to take a step forward. Skates were a new world for him, and it showed. Luckily, Mina was there with him, quite literally.
"Okay, okay…I can do this. I can totally do this." He repeated to himself.
"Yes, you can, Izuku. Just take it nice and slow." His girlfriend comforted. They were going at what might as well have been a snail's pace, but it's not like they were alone. A handful of other skaters were going at the exact same speed, maybe even a little slower. There wasn't anything to be ashamed of. At least not yet anyway.
"Mina…I'm going to try and do a couple of laps. On my own." Though it seemed that the snail's pace wasn't to last long.
"You sure?" Mina asked. As he nodded, she moved away, though not far enough he wasn't out of arm's reach. "I'll be right here."
They shared a smile between each other. That smile was the spark that lit the fuse between them, or primarily, Izuku. His eyes burned with a determined fire that Mina recognized, and loved. He took off with speed that surprised her.
The first ten seconds were comedic as Izuku realized he'd perhaps put a little more force in than he should have. His hands waved about as he wobbled his way around the corner. Mina barely repressed her giggles, yet she didn't follow her natural impulse to help him. As he wobbled, Izuku locked eyes with her and shook his head. She got the message and let her boyfriend stumble and wobble; it was how he was going to learn. Personally, Mina had faith in him.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Note to self, thank the person who invited skating pads. Compared to the pain his training had brought him, falling on his butt, knees, and arms wasn't so bad. It wasn't even as embarrassing as he thought it would be. He simply got up and tried again, getting a little better each time. There was a fire burning inside of him, the same fire that burned in his chest when he was training. He pushed on, feeling the fire growing stronger.
After three laps around the rink on his own, he felt confident in himself. Mina was still beside him, ready to intervene at a moment's notice, but able to see he could rollerblade on his own. He could do that…but going at high speeds like she could was still likely a long way off. Mina wondered when she'd get the chance to show him that.
A flash of red and she realized the decision might not be in her hands.
"Hm, you seem to be taking to this pretty fast, color me impressed, Midoriya."
Both U.A. students blinked in surprise at the realization that there was someone between them, an uninvited by familiar someone. Mina nearly tripped over her feet as did Izuku.
"U-U-Um, uh…thank you." He spoke, clearly uncertain of how to proceed. His eyes moved past the redhead to his girlfriend.
The redhead moved smiled at him. She had quite a beautiful face, but Izuku couldn't and didn't let that distract him. "I don't think we got properly introduced before, my name is Akane Hagimoto, I'm a second-year at U.A."
"Y-You go to U.A.?" the green-haired boy questioned.
"Of course," the now identified girl winked. "It's for the best of the best. Like you and me."
"Ahem." They didn't look to the side, they looked to the front, where a very peeved Mina Ashido was skating backward, arms crossed with her yellow eyes brimming with irritation.
Normally, Izuku would have commented on that, but there was something else that took up his attention. "Mina, you can…you can skate backward? That's awesome!"
Like a bolt of lightning light up the sky, Mina's frown broke. "It is pretty cool, isn't it? Takes a lot of practice, but hey, practice makes perfect! I can show you, if you want!"
"I-I-I'd love for you to teach me!" The enthusiasm in his voice was undeniable. "I mean…who else would I want teaching me."
Her heart pumping with joy, Mina uncrossed her arms and turned to her redheaded senpai. Her grin was one of unapologetic smugness that she rubbed in her face. Akane shot her a dry stare, clearly bemused by Mina's own expression. She had no one but herself to blame, she played this game and had been handed a defeat by the very object of her interest. It was the kind of delicious irony that Mina would have laughed at, and given the situation, she was on the verge of doing exactly that.
"Well, word of advice, make sure you don't have a concussion when you teach him. Otherwise he may just have to find a new teacher." Akane jabbed.
Mina had about three seconds to contemplate the upperclassman's words. Within that time span, her boyfriend called out, "Mina!"
He lunged forward, grabbing at her arms and pulling her against him. Izuku did so just in time, whipping her head around, Mina saw that if he hadn't, she'd have bumped right into the ring's edge, and with the loss of balance she likely would have toppled to the floor. Right in front of the girl who'd oh so subtly tried to hit on her boyfriend. Now that would have been embarrassing.
At least she got to be held by Izuku as a nice consolation for the near blunder. Mina definitely enjoyed that.
"Um, you okay?" Izuku questioned, seemingly not caring about the positions they were in.
Mina was happy that he hadn't notice it, it let her more thoroughly enjoy the moment. "Yep, thanks to you. My ever-faithful boyfriend." She cooed. Looking to the side, she saw Akane skating away, her red hair tied up in a ponytail. Mina had just met the girl and already she dreaded future encounters with her, but she wasn't going to let that tarnish her date. Izuku certainly didn't seem to be willing to let that happen.
Their hands found one another as they realigned themselves. Together, they began to skate, and together, they found their rhythm.
Izuku knew that Mina wasn't going at her full speed for him. Maybe one day, after probably hours upon hours of practice, she'd be able to move at that speed with him at her side. A new thought sprung in his mind-how would Mina react to him running at his maximum speed carrying her? He wasn't Iida, but he could still move pretty fast, leap across tall buildings. How would it feel to do that with her in his arms?
That'd be…pretty awesome. Were his internal thoughts. They would stay internal so long as he could help it.
At his behest, they began to move a little bit faster. It was clear that Mina enjoyed the speed up as her already wide smile grew. Loops made around the rink came and went much faster, yet the pink-haired girl wanted more, and Izuku could feel a bit of that eagerness bleeding into him.
"I can see why you love this place!" He shouted over the air whipping in his face. "It's pretty cool!"
"You should see this place when they're having races! I'll bring you back here some time! That's when you'll really get to see me move!"
"How's about now?" Izuku called over the rushing air. Mina looked at him with widen eyes. In spite of his declaration, he kept holding her hand, getting all that he could before he would have to let go of it. "Go for it! Go as fast as you can, I'll be on the sidelines watching you!"
Whenever she skated, Mina tried to keep a loose grasp of her surroundings, she had to otherwise she'd end up with far more scraps and bruises than she'd like. Those were to be saved for actual combat training. There were times she was tempted to do something stupid and likely to get herself injured. In this moment, hugging Izuku seemed like one of those things. Luckily, she could wait until after they'd slowed down and he got to the sidelines.
"Three more laps?" She offered. Izuku grinned at her and nodded. By the time that those three laps were finished, maybe she would ask for another, or two.
Inevitably, that's what ended up happening.
Spending almost two hours skating had worked up quite an appetite for the both of them. It was hard to tell who was hungrier as both teenagers felt their stomachs growling, calling out for attention. Izuku ad Mina had looked to each other with blushing faces, then broke out into complete laughter a second later. Their next destination in the mall was decided and they set out to the food court.
Which was expectedly packed. It wasn't quite dinner time yet, but everyone definitely seemed to have decided to grab something to eat. Some people actually were grabbing dinner to go. Izuku's green eyes searched for a table alongside Mina's. The latter found a table first and guided her boyfriend there. Upon sitting down, both teenagers went spread eagle in their seats, their heads leaning back.
"First time skating…and it was pretty awesome." Izuku chuckled. "Thanks, Mina."
"That's what a friend and a girlfriend are for." She responded with a hearty laugh. "Quick question, how does skating compare to your leg workouts?"
"If my workouts were a ten, I'd say this is about…four and a half."
'Eh, good enough."
"It could have been more if the rink allowed Quirks. Then again, it's for the best since that kind of rink isn't meant for that kind of workout." He popped an eye that looked directly at her. "You know a couple of rinks that do that, don't you, Mina?" She laughed and raised her flashed him a thumbs-up sign. "Would you…take me to a few of them some time?"
"Oh, definitely." Sitting upright, she laid her hands flat against the table and shyly glanced at her boyfriend. "See, I've actually been working on a way to apply my Quirk to skating, use it to skate." She watched his eyes light up like Christmas lights. "Hehehe, yeah, I figured that'd be your reaction."
"That's awesome to hear, and I like forward to seeing how that application works out." There was a beat as he contemplated his next words. "If I can…help out in any way, I'd love to, Mina."
"I know you will." Her yellow eyes briefly moved down to his hands. It'd felt great holding his hands, especially as they were skating. She knew that she was serving as Izuku's anchor, yet in some ways, she felt like he was also being hers. Mina knew she was a girl that flew life at a mile a minute; Izuku went at a slower pace, and sometimes that was some charm in that. As they spoke of applications for her Quirk, she thought of his. Again, there was so much about it that she didn't know, yet she wanted to know. She wanted to know if there was a way to help him with it as he'd helped her and he planned on continuing to help her in the future. "So, what do you want to eat?"
Izuku scoured the food court. It had a little bit of everything giving them a wide selection to choose from. There were some simple choices like burgers and pizza and tacos and sandwiches, then there were some more colorful restaurants, none of which either of the teenagers were particularly interested in. They didn't feel like going through the long wait. His eyes made several round trips around the food court before settling on final conclusive choice.
He genuinely wondered what drove him to chose that one, but he hoped Mina would be okay with it. "How do you feel about tacos?"
Mina's black-sclera eyes widened. "You eat tacos?"
"I've had them before. Depends on whose making them and I'm willing to give them a try." He said stabbing his thumb in the direction of the taco joint that he'd chosen. "I'm willing to give theirs a shot."
"Then so am I. I've got nothing against tacos, I actually think they can be pretty awesome." She answered. Mina was a little surprised, but she smiled at the image of Izuku chowing down on some tacos. The image was missing some finer details, though she would get those in a couple of minutes when Izuku came back with their food.
He'd regained enough feeling in his legs to get up, go, and stand around for almost ten minutes as their foot was prepared. Like he said, it didn't come close to his daily workouts, but it was a fun way to burn off energy. And tacos were a great way to replenish that burnt off energy. Near simultaneously, they took their first bite of their tacos together, the faces of both teenagers bent in gluttonous joy. Mina raised her soda, proposing a toast to what was turning out to be a pretty successful first date. Izuku was inclined to agree with her.
That was the surprise to him, that everything had gone so…well, even with the minor speedbump at the skate rink. Truth be told, Izuku was actually in shock that an upperclassman had taken notice of him and seemed so…invested in getting to know him. Izuku was flattered, but more than a little rattled. He knew that Akane was hitting on him, which led to the rattling part. Had he been with his friends, other than Mina, he could only imagine how things would have gone. It was easy to picture Kaminari and Mineta's reactions; he got a laugh out of doing so.
"Thinking of our two perverted classmates?" His girlfriend chirped.
"That easy to guess at?"
"Yeah, plus, I was kind of thinking about them myself." Mina admitted. The smile she wore was one of half-annoyance and half-amusement. She knew the ins and outs of both boys well, maybe too well for her liking. "You know…once word gets around, you're going to get pestered with a lot of questions from the two of them. Oh, and suggestions."
"Um, I…think I'm better off taking those from different sources. As for the questions…well, there's some things that I'd like to share just between us." He declared.
Mina leaned her head on her palm and smiled at him. "As it should be, Izuku. Let those two think whatever they want, at least until they take it a bridge too far. Then I'll be more than happy to straighten them out." He laughed as she held up her right hand and flexed her muscles Though he knew she was serious, he couldn't help but find something funny in Mina terrorizing his two male friends into silence regarding their relationship. "Speaking of our relationship…Izuku, are you okay with it being public?"
"I can't see a reason why it shouldn't be. Especially since I…um…" he trailed off with his cheeks gaining a slightly pink hue.
"Don't want to be ogled by annoying fans?" Mina inquired.
He nodded. "Yeah, there's that and…Mina, I…I don't want it to seem like I'm ashamed of being with you. And I-"
Just like before at school, she rose from the table, took two short steps, and pecked the inheritor of One For All on the lips. Just like that time, she pulled away leaving him utterly speechless. He didn't even care that he had crumbs on his face that Mina had somewhat sensually licked up. She returned to her seat with a cherry smile, clearly not at all regret what she'd just done.
"Izuku," her voice snapped him out of his stupor. "You're an amazing guy and I'm happy about being seen with you, about people seeing us together. I want everyone to know it, especially some…harpies who probably think they can pull a face one on you."
"I've…had that happen to me a handful of times after the Sports Festival. That was the first time that someone was so…upfront about interacting with me." He explained with blushing cheeks. Izuku's eyes went to Mina's causing the blush to deepen. "B-B-But I never really felt anything serious for them, not as serious as what I feel for you."
"Like I said, Izuku, you seem to always know just want to say to please a girl. It's one of the reasons I gotta keep you for myself." Her statement was capped off with a wink that really had the green-haired teenager blushing, and practically on he verge of exploding in his seat.
"T-T-Thank you, M-M-Mina, thank you for…so much." He whispered in a heartfelt voice.
Humility was a virtue, or at least that's what she'd heard. Mina believed it, but it wasn't until Izuku Midoriya came along that she realized it could be downright attractive. She knew that humility didn't mean being unable to stand up for yourself or for others, Izuku did both of those things in amazing ways. Seeing that, Mina felt an urge to stand up for him, to spend more time beside him. She also felt a desire to keep him to herself. As that little encounter at the mall skate rink had showed, in spite of what Izuku thought of himself, was becoming seen as the hero he strove to be. He was on the right track and that was undeniable.
And Mina was going to make sure he stayed on that track, and fend off anyone attracted to that growing reputation. Izuku Midoriya was off the market and she wasn't going to be afraid to enforce that. Nor was she ever going to be afraid of being seen with the dorky but heroic young man.
Being the quiet and seeming meek person he was, it couldn't have been surprising for Izuku to be at home in a place like a book store. Normally, it was quiet and serene, except if one were in the kids' section and something like story time was going on. Izuku himself could attest to how loud some of those story telling sessions could get. The better the story, the more hyped kids could get.
Izuku liked his peace and quiet, especially when he had a book in hand.
He had not one but two, and three more waiting on the side. In clearest terms, he was a bookworm, and a proud one at that. Having said that, he wasn't the type to bury himself in purely educational books and the like; he was a comic book reader. That last part should have been obvious given his intense hero worship. Heroes were an age-old concept, that concept literally stretching back thousands of years. Izuku always took some solace in that. The ancient world had its heroes, albeit those heroes were mythically-based instead of genetic like the heroes of today.
Albeit every day, scientists and historians questioned if those supposedly mythic heroes were actually Quirk-users. That's when the conversation looped back to academic circles. Scholars' heads would spin if it turned out that Quirks really originated in the BC era, nearly forty-one-hundred years ago from the present day. The first reported Quirks were during the twenty-first century, and what had followed was utter chaos as such abilities defied all known science and rationality. Contrast to the ancient world were myth and superstition ruled the day and people could pass their Quirks off as divine gifts or proof of their unnatural parentage.
"Living in that era…" Greek mythology seemed like a ripe world that could have been populated with early Quirk users. Demigods like Hercules possessing super strength? Fantastical monsters? Perhaps Quirk-using animals appearing thousands of years before the phenomena was reported and confirmed. So-called gods? Extremely powerful Quirk-users. Particularly some Quirk user with electrokinetic abilities like Kaminari could have easily passed himself off as the god of thunder and king of Olympus. "Heheh, that actually sounds like the kind of thing he would do. Especially if it got him loads of girls."
It went without saying that those myths are the sorts that didn't particularly catch Izuku's eye.
Unfortunately, he noticed quite a bit of these epic stories involved a lot of lust, a lot of sleeping around, some of it not even consensual on one half, and a whole lot of drama.
Few heroes led as a dramatic and interesting life though, as Hercules, the son of Zeus and greatest hero in Greek mythology. Or, as Izuku and several dozen other children around the world called him-ancient All Might.
Was there a real Hercules? Was he All Might before All Might himself? They were certainly interesting questions that could fill a person like him with awe and wonder. Regardless, stories of him had long since fascinated humanity, serving as a symbol of unimaginable physical strength and endurance. The stories centered on his life, his Twelve Labors and other adventures, were numerous.
Marvel, one of the two comic giants of the twenty-first century, had an entire line of stories centered on him, growing out of the mythology of their Norse hero-Thor. Izuku loved them both, but he personally felt a stronger connection to the Greek demigod; given the similarities between their powers, it wasn't hard to see why. What Izuku had been happily surprised to learn that in spite of being known for his strength, the favorite of son of Zeus could also be pretty clever, and it seemed a few of Marvel's writers remembered that and showed that. It furthered the sense of kinship that Izuku had with the fictional character.
Twenty minutes later and he definitely knew he'd be adding a couple more books to his library collection. He could have stopped there, but he didn't.
The Alien franchise had been the scariest movie franchise he'd ever seen, and it was over a century old! In spite of its age, it's horror still held up, or at least it did in Izuku's book. He didn't know if there existed alien life out there, but he prayed it wasn't anything like the murderous xenomorphs that were the stars of the franchise.
If alien life did exist…how would he feel if there existed the masked and menacing Predators who hunted the acid-blooded monsters?
Yes, Izuku Midoriya had been scared shitless of his girlfriend's favorite horror movie monsters and her inspiration. Yes, he'd likely be having nightmares about them, especially if he did the unthinkable and actually watched the movies with Mina (something he felt was inevitable). Yes, he could go the rest of his life without ever looking up anything to do with the franchise ever again. But he knew that wasn't likely to happen, so he might as well suck it up.
In reading up on xenomorphs, Izuku discovered that the creatures had something of a natural enemy-Predators, larger-than-human extraterrestrial hunters who, well, hunted the monsters and other races for sport, including humans. Exactly what was it with the early eighties and nineties pumping out so many horrific monsters?
The thing was, Izuku believed while monsters were scary, they could be slain. That's what ancient myths showed, that's what usually happened at the end of horror movies, and that's what he struggled to uphold as a hero.
But these masked-wearing killers weren't exactly heroes, but they sure knew how to kill the parasitic aliens that reproduced via…urgh, one of the most disgusting means imaginable. Seriously, who in the hell came up with something like that?!
Izuku had reached for the first comic book that caught his eye, one that would focus on the xenos' humanoid hunters when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He then heard his girlfriend's voice.
"Izuku! Izuku!"
It was a whisper with the force of a yell, Mina was calling to him but trying to remain as quiet as possible. He immediately dropped his books and whipped his head about to look at her. She waved her hand at him, indicating for him to follow her around the shelves. That's exactly what he did, his heartrate spiking a little; what had caught his girlfriend's curiosity so much?
"Mina, Mina, what is it? What's got you so-! Mmmmm!"
Her hand came over his mouth with the swiftness of a bear trap. She moved him aside, behind the shelf and whispered for him to stand still. If they made one wrong move, they'd be noticed. Realizing that, Izuku went dead-still. The last thing he wanted was to create an awkward situation; he was prone to too many of those.
Both teenagers could feel the eyes on them, at least indirectly. Their target had a feeling that someone had been looking at him and that suspicion kept his eyes glued to the bookshelves. Izuku and Mina knew stillness and silence were their best tools to avoid detection. Their best, but they weren't guaranteed to work. Green eyes and yellow eyes swerved to each other, anxiety building within them. Seconds ticked by in agonizing suspense.
They made for quite a sight to a few of the other shop goers. Several shrugged and assumed it was teenagers just being teenagers.
Slowly, the sense of anxiety began to loosen. Izuku and Mina gradually relaxed as they felt the seeking gaze on them ease up, then disappear entirely. Neither released their breath, though they did finally peer around the corner.
Shoto Todoroki hadn't noticed them. He was far more interested in the book that had caught his attention. Lucky for his two classmates, that seemed to have eaten up all of his attention. Izuku and Mina tried to get a look as to what that book was, but to do that, they have to reveal themselves, that option was definitely off the table. All they could do was wait.
Waiting is what they did for the next three minutes, or at least that's how long it'd been when they checked their phones, or watches in Izuku's case. Finally, he turned his back to them and began to walk, seemingly toward the register at the front of the store. His focus was entirely on that.
"Ohhhhh man." Finally sighing in relief, both teens collapsed to their knees, leaning on each other.
"That was intense, I usually don't do that sort of stuff when I come to the bookstore." The green-haired boy muttered.
"Same here." His pink-skinned and haired girlfriend agreed. "Usually, I'd have waved at him and walked over to see what he was reading."
Izuku looked at her, "Why didn't you?"
"Just a gut feeling. He looked so engrossed in what he was reading I didn't want to disturb him. Heheh, sorry if it feels like I dragged you into this and made a mess out of nothing."
"It's fine, Mina." He replied with a smile. "Kind of felt a little…exciting to be honest." The fire of courage burned within him, guiding him to press his lips against her cheek. It was the first time that he'd been the one to kiss her, something that Mina knew all too well.
She promptly squealed in joy, throwing her arms around him making a further scene, not that she cared. Izuku didn't care either. He was sure that Todoroki was at the register by now and almost done.
"Yesterday, I picked up a package from my dad and he was there picking up a package himself." He explained once Mina pulled away from him. "He, um…he asked me about…well, how I'm good at forming relationships with others."
"He was asking for romance advice." Mina declared.
"H-Huh? H-H-How could you know that?" He responded with shock.
Sitting upright, Mina assumed an almost sagely position beside him. "Trust me. Izuku, while you may know the ways of the hero…I know the ways of romance! I, Mina Ashido, future superheroine, Pinky!" His confused expression broke into amused laughter. Mina snickered alongside him. "Seriously though, trust me. If he came to you asking something like that, then he's trying to get closer to someone."
"Now that you mention it, he said there was someone he wanted to make a request to." The pieces started to come together with his girlfriend's assertion. Romance hadn't exactly been on his mind, but he did realize that Todoroki's thoughts were focused on someone. Who that someone was, he had no idea. "Mina," he called.
"I have an idea…" Leaning forward, she put a finer to her lips and flashed him a mischievous grin. "I'll keep it a secret for now. For my amusement and for Todoroki's sake. The guy's still coming out of his shell, so let's take it easy on him."
"You know, I think I can go with that." He affirmed. "Come on, what do you say we finish up here and get ready to head back to U.A.?"
"Sure, but…can we stop by one place? I…kind of what to since…well, this is my first real date with a guy." Her cheeks flushed purple at the words, something that Izuku found adorable enough he wanted to kiss her again.
He did and he agreed to her request.
Night was officially just a couple of minutes away from beginning. There was still a light bit of light left, like a candle flickering in the darkness, moments away from being snuffed out. It was a perfect time to visit the beach, whose waters reflected the dying light so well.
It was even better to visit it with company.
The last time Izuku had been to Takoba Municipal Beach Park, it'd been beside his mentor. Inevitably, the place had a special place in his heart and memory. It's where he put in the first of what had become a long and grinding path to becoming One For All's successor. Obviously, it'd been anything but easy, it'd been such back-breaking work that there were times he felt like he'd never make any progress.
But he pressed on, and through blood, sweat, and tears…he'd succeeded, yet he was still pushing himself.
Watching Mina trot across the sand, he felt strangely like he was being rewarded for all that hard work. In the fading light, Mina looked…she looked…she looked simply beautiful.
"Brrrr, a little colder than I was expecting, but it's fall so, what are you going to do. This place will be great to come by in the spring and summer." She mused, seemingly oblivious to his inner musings, and the role he'd played in cleaning up the beach.
Izuku didn't mind it staying that way. Fame and credit weren't what he fought for, only the smiles of the people. An unintentional part of his cleanup had resulted in quite a lot of people smiling and laughing…and hugging and kissing and…ya' know. One of the perks of doing cleanup duty.
Mustering his courage, Izuku walked to the shoreline beside his girlfriend. "You know, Mina…we could…come back here when it gets warmer."
She grinned at him. "Oh, we're definitely coming here for a date in the spring and summer." Leaning into his ear, she whispered, "Just the two of us, Izuku."
Though the sun was setting Izuku's blush did its best to make up for the lack of heat and light.
"You know, this place was once filled with mountains of trash until it seemed like suddenly, one day, it was all cleaned up. No one knows who did it, but whoever they are, everyone's pretty thankful for them. Including me. Thanks to them, I can enjoy a sunset view with my boyfriend."
Dramatic irony, that's what it's called in stories. "Yeah, I'm grateful to them too." He said placing some of his bags down to wrap his arm around her. "Mina…I had a great time with you today."
"Me too, Izuku." She whispered back. Her eyes always had an exotic beauty to them, it was more pronounced. He felt like he could spend the rest of the evening, all the way into the night, staring at her. "Hey, come here. There's something that I wanna do with you."
Blinking in surprise, he followed her to the pier, curious as to what else she had planned. They were lucky that they were alone on the beach, having it all to themselves. She set their bags down by the side and placed her phone in front of her purse. Grinning, she took hold of Izuku's hands and moved them to the center of the gazebo.
Hearing the music playing, Izuku spattered out. "I-I-I can't dance."
"Which is why we're going to do a little practice here and now. Hell of a way to cap off our first date, huh?" She'd already had him, but fluttering her eyes too? That was just overkill.
But it worked none the same. The music played and the ocean waves flowed in and out. The bodies of the two U.A. students swayed to it. Just like at the skate rink, Mina led and Izuku followed, a romantic air evident between them. He was more than happy to let her take the lead, he was happy to be so close to her.
Izuku Midoriya was happy that a girl like Mina, who shined like the sun, had chosen him.
Sorry for the long wait in getting this chapter out. I had a lot of things to do over the last couple of months, including a family health emergency over the last two and a half months. My writing got a bit backed up, but I'm sorting through them. Getting this chapter out was on my list and hopefully I managed to show a fun first date between Izuku and Mina. I did my best to show their hobbies and interests, and some ways they could intersect.
I'm a Marvel fan, though I definitely still love DC, I'm also a big fan of mythology, often using it as a creative basis. While writing this chapter, I'll admit I had a whimsical idea about how in the MHA universe, various mythological figures could have been Quirk-users. The numerous amounts of manga covers featuring the cast in various outfits, including fantasy outfits, definitely helped. Back to Marvel, their Hercules is far more heroic and I think he'd be a comic character Izuku might gravitate to. On the subject of comics and characters, I'm diving a little more into the Aliens franchise, and bringing in the Predators. A movie night where our heroic nerd and pink heroine have a binge marathon? Yeah, that's coming amongst some other couples activities.
Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry that it took so long in posting it. The next one should come out faster, and it'll feature some more fluff between Izuku and Mina, along with some minor appearances by the rest of Class 1-A and a few other faces. Until then!