I decided to do one more chapter of relationship building before UA. Next chapter is U.A first day tho I promise. I am also working on an unhinged non-canon to this fic one-shot for funsies. Honestly this was going to be a funny little one shot too, but i think it's needed in the main fic.
CW: Suggestive language

=VI=

As part of the deal with Prime Minister Mifune Takahiro, all former MLA members who stood down will be offered the opportunity to take the hero licensing exam, but will only be allowed to operate within the area surrounding Deika City for the next twenty years on probation per the advice of the HPSC.
Additionally, all heroes who were in on the conspiracy will be put on probation or retirement. Those that did not surrender are to be sent to Tartarus under the charges of treason. The remaining rebels under Arachnophobia have gone dark and the Tenryou and HPSC Commissions are currently investigating.

Cabinet Briefing, July 26, 2228

=VI=

[Takoba Municipal Beach Park, February 14th, 2243]
"So how's your arm?" Lumine asked as she sat down.
"It's still a little sore, and I was told to take it easy for the next few days. I'm sticking to leg exercises until the exam." Izuku rubbed his wrist.
"I bet Tenno wasn't happy with you." Lumine joked.
Izuku's face reddened. "I didn't mean to impale her!"
"Lucky she can heal, am I right?" Lumine smirked.
"Yeah…"
It was just the two of them today, with Haylee out running errands all day with Ms. Tau. Toshinori was gone too, doing some hero work as All Might. Izuku was being extra careful, returning to the beach to pick up little scraps that had washed up and kept in shape. He just couldn't exert himself too much with his recent injury.
"I can't wait to see your quirk in action once you get a better handle on it," Lumine said with a warm smile, causing Izuku to stammer and blush.
Lumine opened her mouth to say something else but stopped. 'C'mon, I need to ask him while it's just the two of us. Ayaka said that if I'm really interested in her, make sure there isn't any conflict between friends…' She just needed an appropriate time to bring it up.
Izuku noticed Lumine staring off into space and chewing on her lip nervously. "Eikyō, are you alright?"
Lumine was so startled she nearly fell off the bench, waving her arms around to catch herself. "Woooah! Oh erm, yeah I'm fine."
"Are you nervous about the exams too?" Izuku guessed.
"That's part of it…" Lumine nodded. "I uh, forget I said anything."
"Oh… well if you want to talk about it…" Izuku offered, watching as Lumine shifted awkwardly, looking especially flustered for some reason.
'Screw it… now's as good a time as any.' Lumine decided. "Midoriya, uhm…" She twirled a strand of hair from her bangs around, gaze flicking around anywhere but at him. "Tenno is pretty amazing, isn't she?"
Izuku's expression brightened. "Yeah, she is. She's so smart and strong. I want to be just like her!" Lumine didn't know as much about Haylee's past as Izuku did, but even knowing where she came from and some of what she had to go through didn't diminish the admiration and gratitude he felt toward her.
"You must really like her." Lumine nibbled on her lip, betraying her uneasy feelings.
"Of course, she's my best friend. Not that uh, you also are…" Izuku stumbled over his words, not wanting Lumine to feel as if he appreciated her less.
Lumine giggled. "Midoriya, calm down. I get it."
"Oh, sorry." Izuku blushed.
"Do you uh…So... do you think she's, like, cute?'" Lumine flubbed, her cheeks as red as Crimson Riot's hair.
"Do I think she's-" Izuku froze, realizing what Lumine had just asked.
Oh.
OH.
Lumine likes Haylee.
That epiphany was probably the only thing that kept Izuku from going catatonic, because he would've if he had to answer whether he found her cute or not. It still didn't stop him from nearly faceplanting in the sand
"W-what?!" Izuku stuttered with wide eyes, nearly losing his balance. "I mean—I, uh, well, she's... uh..." He shifted from foot to foot. "Haylee is uhm… I guess she's pretty cute, not that I think about that a lot."
'Oh my god, that's adorable.' Lumine thought. 'He's so nervous, not that I'm any better…' She put her legs up on the bench and hugged them, trying to hide her nervous smile.
"Why do you, ehem, why do you ask?" Izuku tried to maintain some semblance of calm.
It was Lumine's turn to blush, though she didn't stammer as much as Izuku had. "I uh… well you see I… just wanted to know what you thought…" Her blush grew deeper. "And if you also… felt strongly about her?"
"Well, I uh…" What did Izuku think about Haylee? She was undoubtedly cute, but the same could be said for most girls he hung out with, like Tokage and Eikyō. Truly, he was blessed to be friends with multiple pretty girls. "I don't know. Why are you asking me?"
"Because you're her best friend. You've known her longer than me and you two are… well, you're really close." Lumines's fingers tapped rhythmically on her knees.
Izuku could feel his heartbeat growing ever faster. "I mean, we're friends, I wouldn't say we are that close…" He tried to laugh it off, scratching the back of his head.
"Midoriya, when I first met you she had her legs wrapped around your neck." Lumine deadpanned.
"She was teaching me a move!" Izuku protested.
"It didn't look like you minded though," Lumine teased, enjoying the flustered and emarrassed look on the green-haired boy's face. "Which, to be fair, I wouldn't either." She muttered to herself.
Izuku wisely chose not to say anything further, because he would only dig himself a deeper hole. Haylee was strong, pretty, and nice to him. Did he like her like that? Was that why Lumine was asking him? "Do you really think so?"
"Yeah, you spend pretty much all of your free time together, like seriously, you do everything together."
"Haylee was helping me train and she didn't have any other people to hang out with…" Izuku pointed out.
"She also hugs you a lot." Lumine shot back.
Izuku didn't really have a response to that one. Haylee didn't… like like him, did she? Him, of all people? There was no way.
"I just don't want to get in the way of whatever you two have." Lumine shrunk back, embarrassed.
"I don't… I don't think it's like that at all." Izuku said. "Haylee, she speaks her mind. If she was interested in me," He gulped. "romantically, she would say so."
"You really think that?" Lumine wondered. It would be in character for Haylee to out and say it. She was pretty direct with what she wanted. The blue-haired girl was the type of person who didn't take crap from anyone, and if she felt strongly about anything she wasn't afraid to say it out loud. Plus, she had a bit of a temper.
"Yeah…" Izuku nodded. "You uh, you have a crush on her, don't you?" His cheeks heated up.
"Was it that obvious?" Lumine mumbled.
"When did that start?"
"Uhm… back on New Year's Day, I suppose." Lumine touched her index fingers together anxiously. "She's always been, well, hot, but like in the general sense."
"Mhm, mhm." Izuku nodded desperately, trying not to look too bashful.
"Like, I just thought she was hot. I think lots of people are hot. But… seeing her in that kimono made me see her in a different way. I'm used to her throwing us around and kicking our butts in training. Frankly, she's kind of scary."
"She can be, yes." Izuku shivered, remembering the overwhelming presence Haylee could get when she was fighting seriously, and he knew she was holding a lot back.
"And I like the way she fights with the sword. I know that you are new to using one, but I've been practicing for years. Her swordplay is beautiful. Is that weird?" Lumine worried. Of all the things to like about someone, swordplay felt like something people would find odd.
"I don't think it's too weird," Izuku assured her. "It doesn't have to be something physical that you like about someone."
'Though she's got me in that department too.' The tips of Lumine's ears burned red. "Yep. Totally right." She squeaked, resisting to the urge to literally slap the dirty thoughts out of her head.
The two silently shuffled in place for a moment.
"So, uh… you thought that she was into me?"
"Yeah…" Lumine confirmed. "I really like her, but I don't want to do anything if you wanted to… I mean, I could, but it would be a jerk move if you did. I don't want to ruin our friendship over a girl."
"You want to date her?" Izuku asked shakily.
"Y-yeah… but I don't know if she's uh… I don't know if she swings that way." Lumine sighed restlessly. "I figured she was at least into guys the way she acts around you though." The blonde glanced at Izuku, fidgeting with the sleeve of her shirt. "You aren't upset about this, are you?"
"No, I uh," Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. "It wasn't something I'd thought about until you mentioned it. I-If you are interested in her it wouldn't bother me at all."
"You're a good friend, Midoriya." Lumine stood up and hugged him before he could react, causing steam to erupt from his ears.
'Tooclosetooclosetooclose!' He felt like he was about to faint. Lumine's hair smelled like flowers (mostly because of the flowers in said hair). Thankfully, she didn't hug him long enough for Izuku to do something embarrassing like passing out.
"So uh, now that that's out in the open… do you have any ideas on how to flirt with her?"
"F-f-flirt?"
As Lumine would later think back on, perhaps asking for the assistance of someone as nervous as Izuku wasn't her best idea.

=VI=

Attempt #1: Try complimenting her!
"So uh, Tenno. Your clothes look cute today." Lumine mustered up the courage to say.
Haylee stopped. "But I wear the same clothes every day?" Haylee puzzled. "Did they… look bad before?"
"No, they looked fine, I mean, uhh… I just thought they looked especially cute?" Lumine said, dying inside slightly at how much she was fumbling with this. 'Oh god, does she think I'm trying to insult her? Craaaaaaaap!'
Izuku facepalmed.

"It's not supposed to be cute. It's supposed to be functional." Haylee corrected, oblivious to Lumine's internal plight. "I like pockets, and I don't have to worry about choosing an outfit."
She then proceeded to lecture Izuku and Lumine about 'form vs function' for the next half hour.

=VI=

Attempt #2: Bond over similar interests!
"So uh, Haylee." Lumine started. "Do you have a favorite weapon type? You seem to use swords a lot."
The three teens were currently perusing a shop that sold cosplay weapons, taking a small break from training.

"I wouldn't say I have a favorite… just whatever suits me in the moment. Swords are just easy to start with. If I were either of you," Haylee put her hand on her chin. "I'd probably use daggers or a bo staff, it would synergize better with your quirk. If I was Izuku I'd use something strong that could withstand my strength, like a hammer or mace."
"Do you know how to use those too?" Lumine asked.
"Yeah. I was trained to use a lot of weapons." Haylee shrugged. "Not to brag, but I've mastered everything I was given." She said smugly, contradicting her statement.
"Woah… what types?"
"Let's see… whips, fans, daggers, nunchucks, staves, scythes, fisticuffs, shields, tonfas, claws, glaives, hammers… chainsaws."
'Chainsaws?!'
"And swords, but for them there were a lot of different styles like rapiers, blades with whips, katanas, machetes, and just straight up wielding two swords." She turned back to Izuku and Lumine who were wobbling in a daze, trying to keep track of all that.
"So many…" Izuku staggered.
"Oh, here's one." She grabbed a model hammer off the wall, probably from some famous game or anime. "Here, this would be a good one for you. Give it a swing."

"Like this?" Izuku stepped back and swung the weapon. It was surprisingly heavy for being a plastic replica.
"If you want to let it slip out of your hands, sure." Haylee moved closer. "With these types of weapons, you need to have a tighter grip and control the weight. It's easy to hurt yourself if you don't." She grabbed Izuku's hand and moved it higher up. "Pay attention too, Eikyō. This is helpful for larger weapons."
"Alright…"
"So with hammers, the blunt part is called the head. It's the biggest and heaviest part of it. Sometimes the back of it will be a shaper end used for other types of attacks, but in this case it's just a basic warhammer." She pointed to his left hand. "That part is the shaft, your right hand is on the grip, or handle. Generally, you want to have a hand on both of them. If you try to one hand swing with just the grip you could really mess up your wrist depending on how heavy the hammer is."
"So I should wear gloves?" Izuku guessed.
"Yeah, or put something on your hands to keep them from getting too sweaty. But, if you get something slippery on the shaft it can be really hard to hold, which is why the handle is made out of something easier to hold onto. You do want to be able to move your hand up and down on the shaft though, so that you can shift your position depending on how you swing. Got it?"
Lumine and Haylee both nodded, a slight blush marking their cheeks from her phrasing.
"Good, remember, you need to grip the shaft firmly, even when it gets slippery," Haylee instructed, oblivious to the implications of her language.
Izuku's hands started to sweat, and he nearly dropped the hammer on his feet.
Haylee whirled around. "I said to firmly grasp it! Wait, why are your noses bleeding?"

=VI=

Attempt #3: Give her a small gift!
"Midoriya, I want to give her something to celebrate getting into U.A. What does she like?" Lumine asked.
"Well, it should be something small…. Candy? She loves chocolate…" Izuku pondered for a moment. "I imagine something cheap? You want to see how she reacts, right?"
"Yeah, I read online that you shouldn't get your crush something expensive because it puts pressure on them if you get an expensive gift," Lumine confirmed. "What else does she like?"
"Uhh…. she doesn't really do that much else. She erm…" He wondered if this was something Haylee would want to share. "She likes to sew and carve stuff out of wood too."

"I have no idea what I would get her for that… so chocolate it is!" Lumine declared, then sprinted inside the nearby store. A minute later she walked out with a small bag of chocolates.
They made their way across town to meet up with Haylee, Lumine using her quirk to lightly chill the chocolate to keep it from melting.
"Izuku! Eikyō!" They could see Haylee waving at them. "Sup!"
"I um. I got you something to congratulate you on getting into U.A." Haylee said nervously, looking back to see Izuku giving her a quick thumbs-up. She held up the bag of chocolate. "Izuku said you like chocolate."
Haylee stared at the bag for a few seconds, drool already leaking from her lips. "Eikyō, I want you to know something." She placed her hand on Lumine's shoulder, meeting her eyes.
'Oh god, is she going to…?" Lumine's breath hitched.
"I will literally kill for anyone who gives me free chocolate. We are best friends now." Haylee said matter-of-factly.
"Eh?" Lumine stared blankly as Haylee snatched the candy from her hands and poured the entire thing in her mouth, cheeks filling up like a demented blue-furred chipmunk.
Izuku nearly collapsed trying not to laugh out loud. It didn't take Haylee more than thirty seconds to devour the entire bag completely.
"You uh, really love chocolate, don't you…" Lumine sweatdropped.
"Mhm!" Haylee nodded furiously, licking the remaining chocolate off her teeth. "I'd never had it before I came to Japan, and now I can't get enough of it!"

"You didn't have chocolate before then?"
"Tragic, right?" Haylee's reaction distracted Lumine from asking how that was possible. "Izuku gave me chocolate when he first met me, and now we're friends. Therefore, if a friend gives me chocolate, we are destined to be besties!" Haylee said, assured by her impeccable logic with a 100% success rate. "And as best friends, you now get the honor of referring to me by first name if you want."
Izuku couldn't help but feel off-put about this development, considering it took a heartfelt, tear-filled conversation with Haylee to solidify their friendship and get on a first-name basis after revealing their greatest secrets to each other, but Lumine just had to give her chocolate.
Then again, this was entirely in character for Haylee.
It wasn't what she was planning, but a first-name basis with Haylee was something at least. Lumine would take it.

=VI=

[Takoba Municipal Beach Park, April 2nd, 2243]

Lumine flopped down on the bench next to Izuku and groaned. It was a week until they started at U.A, after nearly two whole goddamn months of trying to gauge Haylee's response to her attempts at flirting. Well, not entirely three months, because she slowed down as they got closer to the Entrance Exams as to not distract either of them.
"Why isn't this working…" Lumine moaned. "We've tried almost everything I looked up, and even consulted your romance manga!"
"Are we doing something wrong?" Izuku buried his face in his hands, having tried his best to support his other friend's romantic pursuits.
"I don't think so. But… there's no chemistry between us. I don't think she gets what I'm trying to do at all." Lumine despaired at her mountain of failed flirting attempts.
Neither of them wanted to say it, but they were both thinking it.
Haylee was the densest fucking person they had ever met in their lives. Most people would catch on to the fact that maybe, just maybe, having your friend constantly compliment you and try to get closer to you meant something, especially after almost two months. And it wasn't like Lumine was being subtle, at least not to the point of outright asking Haylee what her preferences were.

Izuku had tried, only to faint building up the courage to ask on Lumine's behalf. Bless his heart. When Lumine attempted to ask, it seemed like fate itself was against her attempts, because something would come up midway through the question and interrupt her.

=VI=

[A week or so ago…]

"Puppy!" Haylee bent down and started ruffling the dog's fur, Lumine's mouth frozen midway through the start of her sentence.
"I'm so sorry, he's a therapy dog in training!" The owner ran up with a detached leash.
Haylee frowned at the implication of why the dog was interested in her, but also, she really loved kubrows… well, whatever canine-adjacent thing this was? "Oh, it's fine, I love animals."
"He really seems to like you too. He's only about a year old, so he still gets excited." The owner explained.
"So still a pup then." The dog licked Haylee's hand, and Lumine bent down to give it scratches. "How many eggs were in it's litter?"
"Pardon?"
"Uh, Haylee?" Izuku's eyebrows furrowed. "Dogs don't lay eggs."
Her cheeks immediately flushed. "I-I knew that! It was a joke!" Haylee stammered.
"Mhm…" Izuku replied with a nod of mocking disbelief.
"A. Joke." Haylee grabbed his shoulder in a vice grip.
Lumine cackled off to the side, earning a sharp glare from Haylee.

=VI=

"Am I being stupid Izuku?" The two of them had grown closer as Izuku assisted Lumine, to the point of referring to each other by first name. "I'm trying my best, but she just… GOD!" She created a small snowball with her quirk and threw it into the sand. "She just can't get the hint. All I want to know is if I have a chance dammit!"
Izuku tried to give her a reassuring head pat, at least as much as his frazzled nerves would allow.
"We aren't even going to be in the same class for god's sake. And I don't want to stress her out before school starts, because I know we'll all be busy." Lumine wailed. "Ayaka said that Class A and B don't interact that much until the later terms, so we probably won't get to see each other that much while classes are in session." She deflated like a balloon man at a car dealership, sliding down the bench on her back.

"W-well, look at it this way." Izuku tried to cheer her up. "You'll get to see her every day at lunch, and we can all walk to the train station together on our way home!"
"I guess you're right…" Lumine sighed, slightly less crestfallen than before. "I just, I dunno, expected to get further with this, at least before school started…" Her eyes widened. "Oh gosh, I'm going to get to see her in a school uniform!" She flailed around on the ground imagining Haylee looking all cute and flustered wearing the U.A. uniform… well, probably not the skirt because she liked having pockets, but that was part of her tomboyish charm that Lumine found so adorable.
God, she was such a fucking disaster. At least she had the solace of knowing she wasn't alone in her struggle.

=VI=

Lumine: Confesses her feelings about Haylee to Izuku
All Might (In izuku's head): A true hero is an ally to the LGBT community!
Poor Izuku, still not having enough confidence to believe that anyone would be romantically interested in him.
Next Chapter: AFTER ALMOST 300K WORDS, ITS FINALLY HAPPENING!
I have art prepared and everything, I'm so excited!
It's all coming together now!