About a month later, definitely better than the last wait, huh? Last chapter saw Izuku and Mina enjoying their first date and it felt good to write. The fluff continues this chapter and we'll be getting some look at the fallout. I hope you all enjoy!
I do not own anything.
A Big Pink Ball of Sunshine
Chapter 5-Gravity of the Sun
Izuku felt like he could dance until midnight, or maybe even until the morning. Mina felt the same way, but they both knew that probably wouldn't have been a good thing to actually test. Still, it would have been awesome if they could.
Dancing had never been something Izuku thought much of, most on account of the fact that he was a horrific dancer. He had as much grace and rhythm as a rhino. In spite of that, the last half hour had been…incredible. It'd been an incredible learning experience that he took to his heart, just like he did all other lessons. This one was special since it was arguably the first one that Mina had taught him; how fitting it was such a relaxing yet exciting thing as dancing.
As they danced, Izuku seriously considered putting in hours upon hours into practicing his dance skills just for her. There were a lot of things that he suddenly felt himself willing to do for her.
Mina was utterly oblivious to his thoughts. She wasn't a mind reader, though she could certainly read expressions and go off of her intuition. The latter was telling her that Izuku was enjoying this moment as much as she was, and potentially thinking about the next time they could dance together. Her heart jumped up and down in excitement at the thought of sharing another dance with the green-haired boy she now called her boyfriend. Now that they were in a relationship, she realized she could ask him to dance whenever she liked. A light bulb went off above her head.
"Do you wanna dance together at the culture festival with me?"
Her words knocked him out of whatever happy trance he was in, something that Mina admittedly felt a little bad about. "M-M-M-Me?"
She couldn't help but giggle. How was it possible for him to make looking embarrassing so cute? "Yeah, you. I mean, you are my boyfriend; it'd be a crime if we didn't share a dance together."
On that, he couldn't help but admit she was right. Izuku knew he'd forever regret it if he didn't share a dance with her at the cultural festival. He knew that every other couple would no doubt share at least one dance; dance, and…probably a couple of other stuff best confined to the shadows. Thankfully, as he thought of those things, his cheeks didn't blush any more than they already were. Not that he was thinking of doing any of those things with Mina.
"You have a good point. It's just…I…I don't think I'd be the best dance partner." He tried to explain. "B-B-But I can practice!" The follow-up burst out of him like a wolf that had failed in its first lunge, but wouldn't in its second to catch its prey.
"Hmm, I'm glad to hear that second part, because I can definitely help you in that area." She batted her eyes at him causing a flare-up in his cheeks. "Yeah, I figured you'd like that option, Izuku." Embracing a sudden thought, she leaned back, a faux pouty expression on her face. "Unless there's some other girl who knows how to dance that you'd like to practice with."
"What? No! Only you, Mina! S-Seriously, you're the only girl that I can ever see myself dancing with!" He immediately proclaimed. A second later ad he realized just how easily she'd played him, again. Not that he was against her doing it. With blushing cheeks, both of them ended up laughing together. "I-It's not like I'm ashamed to be seen with you. If anything, I-I think it'd be the other way around…"
"Why? I can't think of any reason why I should be ashamed of being seen with you." Mina proclaimed, a hardness building up in her eyes. She slid her hands from his shoulders to his cheeks, locking his face in so he could look nowhere but into her eyes. Throughout the last couple of days, she'd gotten to know just how much of a great guy Izuku Midoriya was. Problem was, he seemed to have a tough time seeing it himself. "Izuku, I'd have no problem walking back to U.A. hand-in-hand with you, letting everyone know that we're an item. Hm, actually, I'm kind of thinking about doing that considering you're more popular than I could have thought."
Izuku's cheeks burned a little brighter as he thought back to what had happened at the skate rink. It was a genuine shock to him that he'd become so popular outside of the school. At U.A., he'd found himself becoming a growing source of curiosity amongst some of the students and a few teachers. His showing at the Sports Festival had made the rounds and his physical strength and tenacity were all undisputable. It shouldn't have been surprising that some people had become enamored with them, and by extension Izuku himself. Even his own mother had been talked to and passed along some praise!
He remembered Akane and how she'd looked to him with open interest, interest that, in another lifetime might have led him down a different path.
Shaking his head, he brought Mina in close, surprising her. He buried his head in her pink spikes and not minding her horns. Izuku loved her pink hair and horns, her skin, he loved everything about her, everything that made Mina…Mina. "Just you, Mina." He whispered. "I…I feel so lucky that a girl like you chose a guy like me to be your boyfriend. Having people know that, well…it may come off as a little selfish, but I'd be happy to let people know that we're together. I'd be more than happy to let people know that…" His heartfelt speech came to a momentary pause as he thought how best to phrase his next words. Izuku didn't see himself as a possessive person, but saying, "You're mine," sounded rather, well, possessive.
Albeit it was totally true, and Mina knew that.
"I'd be more than happy to let people know that I'm your girl." She whispered, leaning up and kissing him. There was an immediate urge to intensify it, but Mina kept the kiss heartwarming and gentle, Izuku recuperated the sentiment. They both ended up enjoying the kiss, a kiss at the last second of sunset. Neither of them cared how the last of the sunlight utterly vanished, leaving the stars and moon as the sole lights in the sky. "I'll be happy to let everyone know that you're my man. Especially mine." She added an extra emphasis on that last part.
Suddenly, being possessive didn't quite seem like such a bad thing.
"A-A-Alright, um, what do you say we head back? I'd love to stay out a little longer, but it is still a school night." The super strength-user proclaimed. Izuku was thankful that the heat in his cheeks was beginning to die down, giving him more ability to think coherently.
"Good point, not to mention we'll have Ida on our…hm."
"What is it?"
"I was just thinking…obviously, Todoroki's got something going on, maybe Ida does too." Izuku's eyes widened. Mina smiled and motioned for him to get their bags. As they started walking, she began to explain. "I was talking with Asui and Tokoyami and they saw he's been spending a lot of time running errands. In fact, I met him on one. You know how normally when you ask him what he's doing he'll give a straight answer? Not so when I asked him why he was running supplies."
"Huh, that…definitely unusual." Izuku noted. His lips curved upward. "That's actually kind of reassuring to know."
"Yeah, Ida could use a social life, maybe it'll teach him to be a little less uptight. And give us something to tease him over." Mina finished with a fiendish smile. Izuku felt an immediate ping of sympathy and sorrow for his bespectacled friend. He'd never survive Mina's priding, nor Hagakure's if she joined in, which she might. "Him ad Todoroki, cross your fingers our straight shooters can get some girlfriends so they can have some social lives! Any ideas what kind of girls they'd be into?" Mina excitedly asked.
Izuku had a feeling that she was looking to him because she believed he'd get close to the right answer. Frankly, he was still new to the concept of romance, but Izuku could make an educated guess on who's personalities could mesh well with his classmates. He knew that it probably would have to go further than that. Images of his parents filled his mind, being the most on-hand piece of romantic experience for him to call forth, even though his father was working overseas. All in all, one could argue he didn't have much romantic history to go on, but he still tried. Izuku looked up to the night sky trying to put a picture together. He stopped in his tracks once he did. Mina stood beside him, curious as to what conclusion he'd arrived at.
"So," she began. "Who'd you come up with? What girls do you think are the ones for them?"
"Only for Todoroki, I think…"
"Momo!"
"Gah, why'd you ask me if you were just going to shout that!"
"Just wanted to see if we were thinking of the same person." She chirpily responded. "You were thinking of her, right?" He nodded causing Mina to puff her chest out a little. "She's an awesome fit for her."
"I think so too." He admitted.
"So, you'll help me hook them up?"
"Mina!"
"Hah! Hey, just a thought! Besides, we'll only act if we have to!"
"When you say it like that, I'm thinking of us dressed in white robes, sporting white wings, and bows with heart-shaped arrows."
She was visibly impressed with his remark. "You know, I don't think that'd be a bad look for you. Consider it the next step since you helped Todoroki open up. I hear you're able to do that with a lot of people, almost like it's another Quirk of yours."
Suddenly, the freckle-faced youth came to a stop and turned around. Mina turned with him, looking back to find they were practically at the edge of the beach. The night was in full swing, the ocean water reflecting the stars and the moon above. Its waves softly beat against the sandy shoreline as a natural melody you could lose yourself in. Izuku seemed to be lost in that melody, but Mina had a feeling that wasn't the case. He was looking at something else, something she couldn't see. Mina wanted to see it though, and maybe one day she would be able to see it.
"I…sometimes I can't believe that some people talk about me that way. I mean, I was never…that type of guy." He whispered. His eyes were still distant, still looking at that unseen thing. Mina was beginning to suspect that he was looking to the past. She watched his face move up and down the beach, recognizing the sense of familiarity in his eyes. She kept it to herself though. "Sometimes it just feels so surreal. I feel like any second, I'm going to wake up all of this will just…vanish."
"It won't vanish, and you deserve this. After everything you do for so may others, you deserve this twice over." As he looked to her, Mina took the opportunity to peck him on the lips. "And I'll be there to remind you of that every time."
"Thank you, Mina."
"You're welcome, now, come on. Like you said, we better get back."
They wouldn't be walking the entire way back, though Mina would have liked that. Izuku wouldn't have mind taking a few…leaps to get back. He'd doe it before-a great way to exercise and practice his control. That sort of thing couldn't exactly work now, at least not tonight. Maybe one day when they weren't carrying anything, and maybe on that day…she would know the truth about his Quirk.
On this beach, he'd struggled and struggled to prepare himself to inherit One-For-All. It was funny how he'd came back, with a girlfriend, the last thing he expected to have when inheriting his idol's Quirk. The story of that inheritance involved Takoba Municipal Beach Park, now a popular leisure and date spot. Little over one year ago, that was a laughable statement, but thanks to Izuku's efforts, all the pollution had been cleaned up. He wondered what would Mina think of that story. Knowing her, she'd sing his praises from here to the United States on the other side of the ocean.
Izuku didn't need praise from anyone else, not from the city's citizens or even the wildlife of the beach, just from her. But to get that, he'd have to tell her just a little bit of the truth. How much of it would he be able to tell her? A fraction? The whole truth? All those questions bounced about in his head, but he pushed them aside when he caught a bus with her back to U.A. As she leaned against his shoulder, blissfully happy at the day they'd spent together, he decided he could wait on thinking about the future. For now, he was happy and content, and so too was the girl who'd stolen his heart.
Heights Alliance, 7:15 PM...
"Um, it's not too bad!"
All heads turned to the pair of girls who'd been hovering around Izuku, who did his utmost best to prepare a serving of cookies as part of their dinner. As Bakugo had so eloquently put it, "Dumbass, you're making cookies, not cannon balls!"
Naturally, Izuku practically jumped, his head nearly hitting the ceiling and accidentally pushing aside Mina and Uraraka.
"I'm sorry! I tried my best!" Izuku squeaked.
Mina looked to the blond with a tiny glare that he briefly returned. Uraraka looked more concerned about Izuku, then her gaze turned to Bakugo. The explosive student looked from Mina to her and something seemingly changed. The ferocity of his expression softened.
"Gah, from now on, leave Deku out of anything involving baking! He sucks at it!" He shouted to Ida and Yaoyorozu, who he was clearly holding responsible for the baking travesty that had taken place. "Have him do the dishes or something, he's better at that than he'll ever be at cooking."
"He can get better." Mina sniped. A stray glance at one of her boyfriend's cookies and she was reminded of Bakugo's earlier statement. He called a cannon ball; she was wondering if getting hit in the head with one would be a comparable experience.
"Maybe, but not he can practice using his own ingredients, not ours." He shot back.
"S-S-Sorry," Izuku muttered.
"Bakugo, Mina's right. Besides, it's not like this is the first time someone's cooking has…gone array." Uraraka stated, and her words caused several of her classmates to grimace. It was practically an undeniable fact that Sato was the best cook in all of Class 1-A. As fun as it was to have him around, they tried not to overly rely on him, which led to nights like this-them trying cooking on their own. The results were a mix of success and failure. "Tonight was just one of those nights where making dessert didn't quite go the way we planed it. Nothing new, and it's just an opportunity for us to improve on."
"Well, that, or just go out to the store and book pre-made cookies." Kaminari mused in the background, then winced as Jiro subtly jabbed him in the side. "Anyways, like Uraraka said, no sweet! We've all had our share of cooking mishaps, so out need to single out Midoriya!"
"At the very least we can tell that he was actually trying to bake cookies." Asui mused. Beside her, Kirishima bristled, something that didn't go unnoticed by his former junior high classmate. Mina broke her glare at Bakugo to giggle at the still recent memory of his attempt at baking.
"Grr. Just move aside and let me do the rest of the baking." The blond boy grumbled. "As for these…" he reached over and grabbed one of the cookies, tossing it about in his hand for a minute. Then he threw it off to the side, not caring where it landed, or how Ida's face fell. "Do whatever the hell you want with 'em."
"Bakugo! At least have the curtsy to throw them into the trash!" Ida shouted.
"Um, Ida, have you forgotten who it is you're talking to?" Mineta called from his place on the couch. Not seeing a talent for cooking, he simply chose to wait for the baking to finish and enjoy the delicious fruits of his classmates' labor. He had no problem waiting a little longer.
Sighing in acceptance, Izuku stepped aside. His sorrow was short-lived as he felt a familiar hand wrap around his. Before he knew it, he was smiling as he stared into the bright yellow eyes of his girlfriend. She laughed as she did her job in driving away his sorrow, and all it took was a single look.
A look that didn't go unnoticed.
Uraraka didn't meant to stare, but she couldn't help but stare at the interlocked hands, and the mutual smiles. Her heartbeat sped up as she looked from their hands to their faces and back again. No one else had seemingly noticed, just her; that made it all the worst.
"Oh, hey! Hey, Midoriya, Kirishima! We're getting some more fallout!" Mineta shouted from the couch.
The collection of teens snapped their attention to the TV, which had been playing the news for the last several minutes. Only a few had paid much attention to the report, but those that did weren't at all surprised. Even if it'd been a solid week and a half, the fallout from the raid was still continuing; such a thing was natural when it came to tackling criminal enterprises, especially ones that had one hell of an operation going. Luckily for the world, the Shie Hassikai's operations had been halted before they could truly begin to take off. That was the good news that everyone had been celebrated.
Izuku knew firsthand of the bad news though, the news that couldn't be discussed on national or international TV. He knew that in order to stop the Shie Hassaikai, sacrifices had to be made, sacrifices that would haunt him for the rest of his life. The faces of the ones who made those sacrifices flashed into his mind causing his entire body to tense up with fear and sorrow. Sometimes, it felt like the final battle against Overhaul wasn't that far away; Izuku had woken up in cold fright believing that he was still in that battle, and he failed, he failed Eri.
With a touch, he was reminded that he hadn't failed. A sudden breath escaping his lips, he looked to his right to find Mina looking at him, visible concern on her face. Izuku couldn't help but whisper her name, as if he were actually waking from some nightmare and her face was the splash of reality he needed. The bright pink that was her skin and hair coupled with the black and yellow of her eyes chased away the mounting darkness that was bubbling within him.
Yep, just like the sun. He thought while his lips began to curve into a smile, letting Mina knew she'd intervened at just the right time. She sighed in relief and squeezed his hand.
While basking in the feel of her palm, Izuku realized something, there was someone to his left-someone holding his left hand. Remembering he wasn't alone, he turned to his left and briefly met Uraraka's gaze. Her eyes widened seconds before she fully looked away, seemingly embarrassed. Izuku suddenly realized that though somewhat on and off, she was the one that he often ended up beside. She also always seemed to intentionally seek him out to check on him, much like Ida, but a tad more often. The two of them were his closest friends, the two people he trusted most since coming to U.A.
On one hand, nothing seemed to have changed since then, yet so much had. The greatest sense of warmth he felt was coming from his right side, his dominant side. Meanwhile, on the left was a girl whom he'd come to consider a good friend. That friend seemed to be staring at the report of the attempted prison escape a little more intensely than one would expect.
Wait, Uraraka…she couldn't possibly be… He thought behind a calm façade. Izuku wasn't particularly good at hiding his emotions, but he knew how to try. Sometimes he could even succeed, though never as gracefully as this.
Like most kids of his generation, Izuku hadn't grown up fearing the yakuza. They were mostly seen as a relic of a bygone era, but not all relics were content to stay dead. Overhaul was hellbent on reviewing the prestige that organized crime syndicates used to have, and he was willing to become a monster to do that. Literally.
"Holy shit, Midoriya, that's really you!" Kaminari shouted, now leaning forward along with the rest of their classmates as footage of the battle was shown. The hulking monstrosity that was formerly the man know as Kai Chisaki, or as he was known to the public, Overhaul, was engaging in battle with another-a fighter clad in an emerald green aura. "Dude…this one's an even better picture!"
"Midoriya, I had no idea your Quirk was that powerful." Yaoyorozu whispered. Like the others, she was taken back by the flare up of energy surrounding her classmate as he battled the giant-armed monstrosity. Her eyes flickered to Todoroki, then back to Izuku; they were glowing with concern. "You didn't push yourself too hard, did you?"
"Yeah, given how your Quirk works, I'd imagine that you must have been feeling incredibly sore after all of that, more so than you would let on." Asui seconded. Her voice was tinged with just as much concern.
At heart, Izuku actually felt a little bit relieved that all of his classmates were showing such concern for him. It was…nice to know that they cared about him so much. "Well, I won't deny that I was feeling pretty sore afterward, but not enough that I couldn't move around."
"Usually, when you use your Quirk to such an extent, you end up breaking parts of your body. It's something that we all get concerned about." Shoji voiced. Izuku tensed up as he looked around him at the rest of his classmates, Uraraka and Mina being the last ones for him to gaze upon. They both nodded in full support of their masked student. "But…we know that more often then not, you're doing it for a good cause."
"He had one. We all did." Kirishima spoke up. All eyes went to him, though his attention seemed focused entirely on Izuku. And briefly, Mina. In the back of his mind, he noted how close those two had been since they came back from town, and the fact that they'd apparently gone out together. He kept those thoughts in the back where they belonged. "Midoriya was trying to save someone special, someone that I'm happy they're not showing o TV. He did, he Plus Ultra, like we're all trained to do. Him…and Lemillion."
At the mention of the name, a shadow fell over the two boys, one that everyone, including Bakugo, took notice of. Though he was busy in the kitchen, his ears remained open and alert. He'd kept a loose eye on the news report playing, and he'd occasionally swerved his glance to his former childhood friend.
"Hey, can either of you tell us what really happened to him?" Mineta questioned.
"There's a lot of rumors floating around." Fumikage stated. "We've all refrained from believing anything too outlandish, but…"
"Let's just say that we've had some people come to us trying to get an exclusive on what's going on. Especially since Overhaul's convoy was attacked." It fell to Todoroki to explain it. The latter statement caused Izuku's whole body to tense, a fact that went unnoticed by no one. "Midoriya, we're not trying to pry you for information, but…if you need to talk about what happened. You or Kirishima, we're here for you two."
Izuku remembered when he and Kirishima first came back from their battle with the Shie Hassaiki. To say that they looked worn out would have been an understatement. Their classmates hadn't wasted a minute in going to check up on them.
This is what it means to have friends. That's what he remembered thinking, and finding enormous joy in. He had that feeling again, but more intensely, and that was thanks to the girl at his right side. Izuku craned his head to the right to see Mina smiling at him-that same bright smile that he'd fallen for.
"Thanks, guys." He finally said.
"Yeah, seriously. I don't think we could have asked for a better set of classmates, and friends!" The redhead exclaimed.
"Hey, the cookies are almost finished so start grabbing a plate!" Bakugo shouted from over by the kitchen.
"Well, we came close to getting it exactly right." Mina noted, calling attention to the almost on-point timing.
"Eh, hopefully next time." Uraraka sounded off, also a little disappointed by the off-beat timing. "On the plus side, just a little while longer!"
"No one calls dibs on anything. The cookies shall be distributed evenly." Ida declared.
"Kind of funny coming from the guy who can literally move as fast as the wind in the blink of an eye." Kaminari coyly cracked. Again, he received a jab in the gut curtsy of Jiro. Was this the reason why she sat next to him this time?
"Hey, maybe Bakugo will have baked enough we'll have a few extras lying around. Wouldn't that be nice." Mina off-handedly offered. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught her boyfriend's widened gaze. She shot him a slight wink that he caught before looking back to her original target.
Ida flinched and looked away, a curious pink tint coloring his cheeks.
Maybe…maybe Ida really IS seeing someone. Izuku thought in utter bewilderment at what he'd seen with his own eyes. He knew what he'd saw, but he was still in shock at it. Ida seemed to be in shock himself, utterly speechless at how an aspect of his personal life had come dangerously close to being exposed. Yeah, I was definitely right to feel sorry for him. Izuku wasn't eager to pry into his friend's social life, but he had a feeling his girlfriend was going to have some…other ideas. Would it be worth it to try to talk her out of some of them? He was left oddly excited at the prospect.
"T-T-T-That would be…w-w-well, i-it'd be best we distribute the leftovers to others!" He finally said as a recovery.
"I'm not cooking anymore than I have to! You idiots want there to be leftovers, then don't pig out!" Shouted the night's current chief cook. Several looked to him and merely snickered in response to his declaration. Bakugo, of course, took it with a huff and grumbled to himself.
Looking at him, Izuku had a feeling his old friend wouldn't mind using up a little more cookie dough tonight. For as much he tried to push people away, Izuku noted how he always seemed a little more at peace when he was cooking, just like he was at peace when he was drawing and writing. Another example was a new addition-the peace that Mina brought him. Her sitting next to him eating cookies and watching TV, that was peace, that was practically heaven.
But Izuku had to wonder, what could possibly be higher than heaven? What could describe Mina discretely licking the crumbs off his face when no one was looking at them? He was pretty sure he discovered a brand-new shade of red which kept him having to keep his head ducked. Mina herself twirled away with a go-lucky smile on her face as if nothing had happened.
Could they really keep their relationship a secret until the festival?
Had they kept better track of one of their classmates, they would have found the answer to be no, they couldn't keep a secret from all of them. But that was a dilemma that would come afterward, as when morning came, they would face a new one, or rather, Izuku would.
11:44 PM...
"Hey, Izuku?"
"Mina," he responded holding the phone to his ear. "I'm okay."
There was a pause on the other end, no doubt from her realizing that he knew the question she was going to ask before she even asked it. Mina wasn't exactly surprised. Though he could be a bumbling dork, Izuku Midoriya knew how to get o the ball and stay with it, it was part of his charm.
The call changed into a face-time session between the two of them. Not at all unusual for teenagers. For Izuku, it certainly wasn't the first time he'd done so with a loved one, but it was his first time with Mina. He smiled as he saw the bright pink color-scheme of her room. In turn, she could see a little bit of his room.
"I…know you didn't spill all the details to us when we were all watching the news report." She said. Izuku didn't need to say a word as his face showed she'd hit the nail clear on the head. "Are you worried about any of those guys attempting another break out?"
"No, at least not anything that law enforcement can't contain." Amazingly, Izuku actually found it slightly comical that a few of the yakuza thugs had attempted a break out of police custody. Some of them were real die-hard believers in apparently bringing back "old crime"; it was ironic that they were all Quirk-users themselves and seemingly longed for the days of more mundane criminal activity. It was a fleeting dream that went absolutely nowhere, something he could unwilling sympathize with. "Now that they're locked up, I don't really think they'll be causing trouble for anyone, any time soon."
"Then it's something else, isn't it? It's the fact that Overhaul was attacked mid-transport, right?" The pink-haired woman pressed. Soft determination was coloring her eyes; it would only take a few wrong words for that softness to turn hard. "Izuku, you know who went after him, don't you?" His eyes widened. "You know, don't you?"
"Not for sure." He defended.
"Then who's your suspect?" She followed up. His whole body tensed, and Mina could see it. She immediately regretted her intrusiveness. "Um, sorry. Here I am calling you up before you go to sleep, and I'm pretty much making it impossible for you to sleep."
"No, no, it's fine. Truth is…I actually think it's better this way, it gives me someone to talk to about my thoughts. I don't really get to do this with a lot of people."
"Not even with All Might?" She jokingly jabbed.
His cheeks turned light pink. "M-M-Mina, h-he's my mentor, but I know he's stilly busy. Even if he is technically retired from official field work."
"It means that he can now teach full time, though he's no use when it comes to physical instructions, which kind of sucks." It wasn't the first time that she'd complained about the depowered state of the former number one hero. She was far from the only one who complained. "You know, from time to time, they still run reruns of his final battle. Do you…watch some of them when they come on?"
"…Sometimes. It's…hard to watch."
"You know it's not your fault, right." Izuku watched through the screen as she sat up and held the phone with both hands. From several doors away, she had his undivided attention. "Izuku, that battle was balls-out insane. There was nothing you could have done besides get Bakugo out of there, and you did."
Those simple words caused his worn face to brighten and a smile to form, just as Mina wanted. "I'm sorry you have to keep on doing this for me. Usually, I…try not to be this moody."
"Hey, like I said, I'm the one that started this whole thing. It's just…I remember being glued to the TV watching the final battle. I saw the All Might we all grew up admiring, but then, when the dust settled…I don't know, I guess I was reminded of something I forgot-he's still human. Even All Might has limits, and he even though he pushed past them, apparently, even his powers could be burnt out. I've heard it can happen, but…to see it happen to All Might was just…unreal." Her hands trembled and her heart raced at the memory. It wasn't the night that she'd been expecting, more so when she learned her classmates had been dead-center of that mayhem. The fact that Izuku had been there and given their current relationship, Mina felt a chill run up her spine. "You know, every now and then I forget that heroes are still people…and that includes us."
"I know what you mean. Mostly, you're so in awe of them so much that you do forget that." The words were truer than Mina could know. Izuku couldn't ever forget the images of his mentor's deflated form, his "true" form as it was now. He'd known all along it was his true self, but the rest of the world hadn't until that battle's epic conclusion. That still didn't make it easy to see, or accept that it had finally become permanent. His eyes met Mina's, and he could instantly read her thoughts. "I walked away from that battle pretty bruised, but I made it out alive. And whole." He added holding up his right arm."
"Yeah, you did, and you beat the bad guy to save an innocent little girl to boot. I'd actually like to meet this little girl one day."
"Eri? Um, I'd…think it'd be pretty nice if you could meet her too." There was a pause as he shifted his gaze to the top of her head.
"Horn buddies, right?" She grinned. "Come on, it'll be awesome!"
"You might have a point there. I'll think about it, though it may end up taking some time. Eri's been through a lot, more than…more than I want to describe." As awesome as the idea seemed to be, Izuku knew that he had to be a bit realistic. Eri's trauma was likely going to be with her for the rest of her life, but something could be done to make sure that trauma didn't utterly consume her. He believed that Mina could help her do that. "One day though, I'd love to introduce you to Eri."
"I'll be looking forward to that day. The same way that I'm looking forward to meeting your parents." And just like that, his face fell ad his cheeks reddened. "Hey, we sorta of talked about this at the mall. I'd love to meet your folks, and I'd love for you to meet mine."
"I-I-I-I'd love do that too. M-M-Maybe…um…maybe with the holidays coming up."
"Yeah, that's another fun thing. After the Culture Festival, we ca start planning for Halloween, and the Christmas! Oh man, I can't wait for that!"
Admittedly, Izuku couldn't either. Halloween with Mina…he was both excited and terrified. Followed by Christmas with her; his heart fluttered with holiday joy that was still months' away.
"That," he was cut off by a yawn. "Is something else I definitely agree with you on."
"Alright, I think it's time we brought this exciting day to a close, huh? See you in the morning, Izuku." She took yawned at the end of her statement showing that she was ready to hit the pillows as well. "Oh, and thanks for today."
"Thank you too, Mina. Thanks for…everything, and thanks for giving me a chance." In spite of the exhaustion nipping at him, he still found it in him to put all of his heart into those words. It was worth it as she smiled at him before hanging up. Izuku placed his phone beside him on the dresser, another yawn passing his lips as he slipped underneath the covers. The entire conversation had taken place in darkness on his end, the call being the sole illumination in his room, there was only darkness, which Izuku welcomed.
Instead of nightmares, light came to him in the form of the day's events. Izuku went to sleep with a smile on his face and calmness in his heart.
The Next Day,
"They're together."
All Might chuckled. "Yes, I can see that, Midnight."
The vixen superheroine fixed her old classmate with a grin. Personally, she found something undeniably sweet about the parental bond shared between All Might and his protégé. From what she understood, Izuku didn't speak all that much about his father, though their relationship was by no means cold. The fact of the mater was for the aspiring hero, there was a strong parental figure to be found in the Symbol of Peace. But as she'd seen, Izuku Midoriya wasn't a carbon copy of his mentor, and he was all the better for that.
For starters, the green-haired youth had accumulated far more romantic experience than his mentor ever had. The young inheritor was in one serious relationship, which was already more than could be said for his mentor.
How did Midnight know this? Well, she had an eye for these sorts of things. Anyone who knew her probably wouldn't have been surprised by that, All Might certainly wasn't.
"I'm happy for him, and Miss Ashido. Young Midoriya will be good to her." The skeletal-looking man said with a warm smile.
Though she was smiling, Midnight's was of a different variety. "Oh, he will be, and in turn Mina will be very good to him as well." Her fellow teacher chose not to comment on her remark, and it was for the best that his protégé and his girlfriend have no idea that they're watching them. "So, you think they could end up becoming a duo? And I mean an actual duo instead of hero and sidekick?"
"Heh, I think we both know that Miss Ashido is not the type to play sidekick, nor would Izuku see her as such." The retired hero noted.
Midnight cast him an aside glance. "You're right there. She's far too spirited for that, not to mention she'd likely remind him that she's his equal in this partnership. She'd have to, for his sake just as much as hers." Her words weren't said in an accusing manner, but the undertone was there.
"Yes…that would be…for the best, for both of their sakes." The blond admitted.
Her eyes softening, the black-haired woman placed a comforting hand on her senior's shoulder. It was clear to many, especially the U.A staff, that All Might saw a great deal of himself in Midoriya. They all saw the similarities as well. While that was cause for praise in some areas, in others it was cause for concern. All Might knew that as well. It was the boy's dream to be like his ideal; that was admirable, but it was impossible for one person to be an exact replica of someone else. Or at least it was ill-advised for that.
All Might certainly didn't think it was a good idea for his successor to follow in all of his footsteps.
"She's too nosy to simply let things go…and I think we both know what that'll mean, All Might."
While the two students continued to dance, the two teachers looked straight at each other. It was like night and day between the two pairs. The youngsters were undoubtedly the day, basking in the light of their youth and the peace that they had. For the adults, darkness had settled over them. Eventually, it would move to the young couple that they'd spent the last twenty minutes watching. Neither of them wanted that, but they knew it was inevitably, especially All Might.
"I'll…leave things to you and Principal Nezu." The heroine noted.
"Yes. As much as I hate to do it, we are going to have to talk about this. I would rather wait until after the School Festival, but…I just can't shake this feeling that might be too late. For that matter, I'm genuinely hoping the festival itself is able to run as smoothly as possible."
"It will, so don't worry your pretty little head about that." Midnight winked. "For now, you focus on helping your protégé hone his abilities, and be there to give him what little romantic advice that you can."
The blond hero chuckled. "Painful, but true. I'm not much when it comes to romance. That may be one road Young Midoriya will have to walk on his own."
"He can always turn to me for advice. You wouldn't have a problem with that, would you, All Might?"
Just because he'd never been big on romance doesn't mean that the former Symbol of Peace was romantic deaf. Or just an idiot regarding women.
On top of that, he and the black-haired heroine had gone to school together. He knew at heart, she was as worthy of the title of hero as any other; she was also a shameless flirt and seductress who rarely passed up an opportunity to mess with others for her own amusement. There was a reason why a handful actually committed crimes with the intention of being caught by her. Many heroes had their fanbases, and some of those fanbases had their bizarre parts. For Midnight, that distinction actually made up almost a quarter of hers; she was somewhat proud of that.
"Um, I…think we leave that to Young Midoriya, and possible Miss Ashido." He finally said trying to sound polite.
Midnight recognized that and held back her amused snickering. They were still hiding, partially as not to disturb the dancing couple. "Alright, alright, I'll keep it toned down for his sake. Besides, they're still maybe a year or two away from getting into those sorts of activities…possibly."
"Um, Midnight, with all due respect, can we stay on topic?" The depowered hero asked, letting his nervousness show.
"I am staying on topic, which is the next generation of heroes." She happily retorted. "The future's looking bright, eh, All Might?"
Boldly, he poked his head out from behind the door into the classroom. It gave him a better look, which he'd sacrificed in favor of going unseen. He was putting himself and his colleague at risk of being noticed. Personally, All Might thought that it would be worth it, and so did Midnight, who peaked her head out as well. She wanted to get a better look at the pair.
For someone who could move as fast as a speeding bullet train, and even faster, it might have been surprising to see Izuku Midoriya moving so slowly. Alternatively, that was in the heat of battle and superheroics. When he was dancing? Not so much.
His girlfriend was taking the time to remedy that. The music was fast-paced and she felt an urge to dance to it at the same speed. If she did, she'd lose Izuku, who was nowhere near that level. Their dance by the beach had been to a slower pace; it had been romantic in every sense of the word. What they were having now? Still romantic, but at a faster pace. The fast footwork that she could do, Izuku couldn't, not on command. That was another reason why they were practicing.
It was clear they were having fun doing so.
Even though he was clearly struggling, Izuku was smiling. As he learned, it was great learning how to dance with your girlfriend. It was even better when said girlfriend was a patient teacher.
And didn't move physically touching him to show him how to move his body.
So engrossed the two teens were in their practicing, they didn't notice the pair of teachers covertly poking their heads out from behind the door. The teachers moved back around the corner when they saw the pair about to do another spin.
"Think the boy will ever be appearing on 'Dancing with Heroes'?" Midnight cracked.
"Young Miss Ashido might, and if she goes then…maybe." All Might offered.
"Can you see them making it past the first round?"
"Yep."
"Would you be willing to let me teach them so they can go even further?" The heroine pressed.
Smirking at her, the retired Symbol of Peace began to walk down the hallway, his colleague moving to follow him. They needed to get some distance for his next statement. "Hm, I'd be willing to, or they could always just go to Mt. Lady for dancing instructions."
Immediately, the seductive heroine's face fell. Her formerly jubilant expression went cold as she stared at the scrawny-boned man. She'd forgotten that from time to time, the former Number One Hero could be cheeky, almost as cheeky as her. "Let's not go getting ahead of ourselves, Mr. Retired Number One."
Said retired hero let out a proud chuckle. This was one he needed to get some distance from the classroom. While his protégé was off having his fun, All Might decided that it wouldn't hurt to have a little of his own fun too.
Thirty minutes later…
"Um, am I in trouble?" Izuku asked.
"No, no, far from it actually." The former Symbol of Peace said. "Young Midoriya, you're not in any sort of trouble at all. This meeting we're going to, it's…actually about the future. It's about All for One and One for All." As he knew, and as he feared, that caused the boy to tense up and ready himself. All Might hated it, he hated how his words had put his student on instant alert. He could take a guess at the thoughts racing through his mind; All Might himself had some of the same ones when he was…learning about what his life would be like.
His life wasn't easy, and Izuku Midoriya's life wasn't easy. It hadn't been easy up to this point and it wouldn't get any easier, in fact, one could argue that it was going to get a lot harder from this point out.
None of this was actually new to Izuku. He was ready for it. Some would have said it was practically a skill of his, not a Quirk, but an outright inborn skill. Whatever the challenge was, Izuku could and would face it with that same determined stare of his.
Principal Nezu was somewhat pleased to see that look when the duo arrived in the teacher's lounge.
"Good afternoon, Principal Nezu." The young hero said giving the mouse a respectful bow before taking his seat directly in front of the green couch upon which he sat. Right beside him sat his mentor. He looked about as tense as Izuku did.
"First off, I've heard word that you've begun a relationship with one of your classmates, Mina Ashido. I'm quite pleased to hear that, congratulations!" The hyper-intelligent mouse stated taking a seep of his coffee.
The words temporarily broke the tension that had gripped Izuku. "T-T-Thank you, sir. I guess word travels fast. W-We only started dating yesterday."
"How'd the first date go?" Principal Nezu asked without missing a beat.
Luckily, Izuku wasn't detoured by the mouse's forwardness. He was beginning to get used to people with such attitudes. "I-It went pretty well. Personally, I felt like it was probably amongst the best times of my life."
"Ah, we're happy to hear that. It's our deepest wish that you and Miss Ashido will have more such moments in the future." The white-furred mouse declared in an amicable voice. Izuku was almost entirely suckered in by it. Almost. "But the future is why I had All Might bring you before you two began your training."
Looking to his mentor, Izuku spattered out. "T-T-This is about her potentially finding out about One For All…isn't it?"
Rather surprisingly, both men raised their eyebrows in surprise.
"I've…thought about it myself." Izuku admitted, his gaze drifting down toward the table,
All Might's gaze softened as he realized that such a thing was only natural. His successor had one hell of a thinking mind. In fact, sometimes All Might wondered if Izuku thought too much. "You're right, that's the focus of this discussion we felt we needed to have. Young Midoriya, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you beginning a relationship with someone, in fact, we're all quite supportive of it."
"It's just, it's for the best that you know that this relationship may be put through certain stress." For the first time, the principal's expression lost its usual cheer. Not even the hot and bitter taste of coffee could mask the sadness in which he was speaking with. "Midoriya, as the current inheritor of One For All, you have a massive target on your back, even with All For One imprisoned. Which we're hoping he will stay."
Izuku wondered if that was meant to convince himself or them, maybe all of them?
"Regardless, there are still threats out there. Tomura Shigaraki and the League of Villains primarily." All Might clarified. "We have reason to believe that he…may have been the one to attack Overhaul's convoy."
"Y-Yeah. I figured it was him a while ago. He was after Overhaul's Quirk-Erasing Bullets." Just thinking about them filled him with fear and unease. It was a combination of the trauma Eri had gone through and the trauma that he had gone through in regard to Overhaul's mad quest to perfect them. "Has he…tried going after Eri?"
"No." Both mouse and man said in unison. It was a spontaneous event, spurned on by the concern that they both shared for the teenager in front of them. In most cases, one would have assumed he would have been trembling in fear, but the fear wasn't all-consuming.
"While we believe The League's gone underground, they are not the only threat out there. There have been…reports about some new villains attempting to fill All For One's place, just as you are training to fulfil All Might's place. As we all felt that night months ago, one age has ended, and a new one has begun." The Principal of U.A. explained, his voice heavy as if each word were a weight being dropped on him. In truth, the one bearing them was the young man across from him. he was handling the pressure remarkably well. The mouse and the man beside him were both impressed and troubled by that.
"Have any of those people made a move towards…me?" Asked the green-haired boy with a tight voice and laced fingers.
"So far, no. Thankfully no." All Might answered, quick to ease the tension gripping his successor. He breathed an internal sigh of relief as Izuku let out an external one. "But that brings us to the focus of this talk. Young Midoriya, we know this may sound harsh, but…you mustn't let Miss Ashido know of One For All."
The tension came back as his face tightened. "I…I know, All Might, Principal Nezu. I know that I can't tell her any of it, and frankly, I'm…I'm a little scared to."
"That is not wrong, Midoriya." The principal softly offered. "Being a hero and being in a relationship are dangerous things, but as the inheritor of One For All, you are in an especially precarious situation. If All For One were go find out, I'm sure, even from prison, he'd attempt to use Mina Ashido as a way to get to you."
"He'd use it as a way to get to One For All." Izuku immediately deduced. He looked to his mentor, who'd also been the Quirk's previous wielder. The grave look on the retired hero's face affirmed what Izuku thought-that he'd come to this same point before. Maybe not with a serious romantic partner, but someone close to him. Izuku's stomach twisted into knots as he remembered how secretive he'd been to the point that not even his tech support, David Shield, knew the full story. "He'd use Mina." He repeated in a voice tinged with fearful unease.
"Regardless of rather or not she knows anything." His mentor clarified, clearly not liking doing so. "That said, we're not going to tell you that you two can't be together. Just that you…hold off on telling her the truth. If you do, then you're dragging her into all of this in full."
"It may be overwhelming for her." The principal added.
That's an understatement. Hell, sometimes I'M overwhelmed by all of this. The green-eyed and haired teenager thought. "I…I…I've had that same thought. That's why I've…thought about avoiding telling her the truth. At least for a little while." Izuku looked between the two chief authority figures at U.A. He was asking them one all-consuming question, how long was "a little while" going to be?
Principal Nezu and All Might looked to each other; them doing so told Izuku that they didn't have an answer to that question either. He felt his stomach twist itself into more knots.
"We were thinking maybe…until next spring." The former inheritor of One For All finally said. He watched as Izuku's eyes slightly widened at the proposed time.
The significance of the time wasn't lost on the scar-faced mouse that headed Japan's most prestigious hero school. "Spring, huh? Well, I was going to say toward the end of the year, but perhaps that's a better timeframe. Hopefully by then we'll know more about exactly what we're up against."
And by that, I think what he really means is by the, the hope is that we'll have caught Shiragaki. Izuku thought. Truth be told, that sounded like a dream come true for him. He just couldn't shake the feeling that the two of them were destined to clash against each other just as their mentors had. "So…spring."
"Possibly. Be aware of this, Izuku, this timeline is not set in stone." Principal Nezu warned. "We're talking at least five more months. Five months of sometimes avoiding telling the truth to outright lying. It isn't going to be easy on you."
"…No, it won't, but if it'll keep her safe then…then…then…I think I can do it." It was like trying to speak with wet cement in his mouth. The thought of lying to Mina for another five months was painful, hell, just the thought of lying to her for the next several weeks about his Quirk wasn't going to be easy. Spring was his new hold out, but like Principal Nezu said, even that was subject to change; he didn't like the idea of extending it any longer. "What about the others?"
"Young Midoriya, maybe it's for the best that we keep this limited to Young Ashido for now." The former Symbol of Peace advised.
"You know, that's probably a good idea." He noted.
"Then it's set then. If all goes well, you can consider telling her the truth sometime in the spring. That said, if anything serious happens between now and then, be ready for that date to change, Midoriya. Remember, little is certain in life, besides hardship."
Izuku's hands instinctively tightened. "Yeah…that…always seems to be the one constant in life."
"But moving forward in the face of that hardship is what helps define us." Spoke the third member of the trio. His words made the other two brighten up.
"Ah, spoken like the hero that you…still are, All Might." Reaching forward, Principal Nezu took a long sip of his coffee, almost as if he'd been holding off on it. "Now that we've settled that, I believe you two had the latter hours scheduled for training. Do make the most of that time, and don't forget about the School Festival. It could be the unwinding that you both need, especially you, Midoriya. This'll be your first big date with Ashido, so…make it memorable."
For the first time since the meeting began, Izuku's cheeks flushed red. He was grateful that this was happening at the end of the meeting. "R-R-Right. Thank you, Principal Nezu, and thank you, All Might."
The past and present successors of One For All rose and took their leave, bowing in respect to the Quirk-using animal. Neither of them ever treated him as animal, something that Nezu quietly liked about both of them. He could garner a smidgen of respect and fondness for any human that treated him decently. When it came to individuals like Izuku Midoriya and his mentor, it was much bigger than just a smidgen. That was why Nezu hoped, with all his heart, that the former's relationship with his classmate would turn out well.
He was in the mood for some human romance, and the young successor seemed like a prime candidate. After all, with his heroic willpower, somewhat good looks, and knack for getting into trouble, it was inevitable that some girl would set their sights on him. Now that one had laid a claim, he looked forward to seeing how their relationship unfurled.
And that ends chapter five. One half more couples fluff and the other half some seriousness and slight drama revolving around Izuku's unique situation. Secrets and superheroes tend to be tied together, don't they? For that matter, tense relationships too since I had some eyes focus on Izuku and Mina this chapter. All of that was where the title of this chapter came from. As Izuku starts to feel like he's floating on cloud nine, gravity starts tugging at him.
The second portion of this chapter was meant to tease hard the idea of Mina finding out about One For All. For the record, yes, she will be finding out. I had that idea as far back as the second chapter of this story and since then, I've worked out the buildup. Admittedly, I'm a bit of a sucker for those big reveals and how it emotionally affects the characters. If Izuku's case, it's incredibly tantalizing since he's such a nice person…but his ability to lie leaves much to be desired, but he does his best (like he does in everything). On top of that, how exactly would Mina take him having to lie to her, and the truth? I want to take a crack at this, including how it's revealed.
Hopefully when that moment arrives, it'll be well worth the wait. Until then, the next chapter will feature the Culture Festival and the happy mayhem that'll ensue. Until next time, stay safe and healthy, everyone!