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You know, when Izuku left the house that morning he had been pretty confident about his plan to ask you out: go to your house, bring you some flowers, beg a little; foolproof. And even if it wasn't, he assured himself that the worst that could happen was you saying no. He had liked you for such a long time and he was so tired of being such a nervous wreck around you and he just wanted to get it off his chest, so he decided to man up and just do it. What could go wrong?Well, now that he thought about it, standing at your door with his fist poised to knock, just about everything actually. His hands became clammy and he felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. Oh my God what if you said no?! What if you thought he was disgusting and never wanted to speak to him again?! What if your friendship was completely ruined and beyond repair forever?! What if you hated him so much that you moved back to America and he never saw you again?! What if  —?!Izuku caught himself before he could continue down that train wreck of a thought. He sighed deeply and shook his head, dejected. "Who am I kidding?" he muttered to himself, eyes fixated on a crack on your porch. He turned around to go home so he could sulk in his room. "I'll never be able to tell her.""Tell her what?""AAAAHH!!!!" Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin and let out a very high-pitched and undignified shriek. He whipped around, and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Standing right in the doorway, with adorably furrowed eyebrows and a puzzled expression to match, was you. All of the blood in his body rushed to his face and he immediately tensed up, back straightening with an uncomfortable sounding 'CRACK'.He squeaked out your name and hurriedly tried to hide the bouquet he was holding behind his back in a flurry of petals. "W-when? How...? Umm, uh, haha." He laughed nervously, his voice at least two octaves higher than comfort. He brought a fist to his mouth and coughed in an attempt to retain some composure. It did not work. "Um, uh, fancy seeing you here..?" he said, trying to appear at least somewhat casual. Unfortunately, the buckets of sweat pouring down his neck and the violent red pigmentation of his entire face gave him away.His response only made your face contort in even more confusion. "Umm... I live here?"If it was physically possible for Izuku's face to get any redder, it would have, but as it now stood he was a shade of red previously unknown to man. 'WHY DID I SAY THAT????? WHAT KIND OF A STUPID RESPONSE WAS THAT?????? NOW SHE THINKS I'M AN IDIOT!'  he screamed internally. "Oh. Right, uh, of course," he said dumbly.He could see you fighting back a smirk, no doubt reveling in his awkward misery. Your expression became quizzical once again. "But what are you doing here? I mean, I'm happy to see you, but why'd you drop by? And why were you leaving before I even opened the door? And what is it that you'll never be able to tell this mystery girl?" Your eyes widened slightly when you noticed him desperately trying to hide something behind his back. "Oh!" you exclaimed, "And what's that you've got there?"Izuku's head was spinning after your verbal barrage. He was unable to conjure up a response to any of those questions that didn't sound completely moronic or out himself on his true intent. He was overcome by the intense desire for the ground to open up beneath him and swallow him whole. Or to just run away screaming. That worked too. It was becoming apparent that this was probably one of the worst decisions of his life.He scratched his cheek and averted his eyes from your expectant gaze. "W-well um, I'm uh... What I mean to say is...! T-that is I, um..." He sighed deeply. "I actually wanted to give something to you..." he muttered so lowly it was barely audible to his own ears.Even so, you must have heard it, because Izuku thought that he saw your cheeks flush a sweet pink, but he could have imagined it. Your mouth formed a cute little circle in a silent 'oh'. "So, um, does that mean that that's for me?" you questioned, gesturing to the bouquet he failed to fully hide behind his back.   'WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!?' Izuku mentally screeched. There was no way that you didn't know now! Not after you caught him trying to bring you your favorite flowers! Izuku was positive that his ears were smoking by now, and he cringed as though his next words and actions physically hurt him, which they very well may.He quickly swung his hands out, offering the large bouquet to you, and nearly smacking you with it in the process. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that not being able to see your rejection would help soften the blow. "Y-yes," he forced out, his voice entirely too airy and high-pitched. "Yes, I-I wanted to give these to you."He heard you gasp softly and he peeked open one eye to gauge your reaction. Your eyes were owlishly wide with surprise and you had a hand over your mouth. Even more endearing was the soft rose tint to your cheeks that Izuku was definitely not imagining. You remained silent for a long, agonizing moment, making Izuku's mortification spike with every passing second. "I-Izu-kun, I... I don't know what to say..." Switching the flowers between his hands, Izuku desperately tried to wipe the sweat on his palms off on his pants. "I, um, I know that this is really sudden and everything, but I, uh... I..." 'It's now or never.' He let out a sharp puff of air to clear his head and psych himself out. With a surge of newfound courage, he steeled himself and met your eyes, which were only widening with his every word. Still red-faced, he confessed, "I just wanted to let you know how special you are to me. You always work so hard and are so kind to me — to everybody! I-I really admire you and I... I just..." Looking at your stunned, silent face caused his confidence to wane, and he murmured his last sentence bashfully. "I just want to say that... that I... I r-really like you..."There was a long, heavy silence following Izuku's awkward confession. 'Why didn't I just run away when I had the chance?!' he thought woefully. Throughout his entire profession you had remained frozen on the spot, stunned. Now you were blinking rapidly in disbelief, and your mouth was opening and closing like a fish in desperate need of some water. A few strangled sounds came out of your throat, as if you were fruitlessly trying to say something, but other than that you remained silent.'Now look what you've done!' Izuku mentally berated himself. He deflated. Taking your silence for rejection, he sighed dejectedly, but quickly managed to plaster a hopefully believable smile on his face. "But if you don't feel the same that's totally fine!" He waved his hands around in a reassuring manner. "We can just, uh, forget about this! Entirely! Yeah, let's, um, do that! I uh, should be going now...!" Izuku turned to leave but was stopped abruptly by your bubbling laughter. Izuku whipped around, red all the way from his ears to his collarbone and mouth gaping. Were you laughing at him?! Even so, it didn't sound malicious, not when your eyes shone so brightly, and you were attempting to restrain your musical giggles so genuinely. "Ah-ha-ha! I-Izu, I'm sorry I *snort* I don't mean to laugh but *chuckle* it's just —!" You were now doubled over and clutching your stomach, not even attempting to hide your loud snorts and delighted snickers. 'Am I really that pathetic?' Izuku thought, a terrible dropping feeling in the pit of his stomach. You caught your breath and wiped a tear from your eye with an airy sigh. You shook your head and chuckled again. "You're just so cute." Izuku felt like he was going to pass out then and there due to the dizzying rush of blood that went directly to his face. He made a strangled noise. "C-cute?!?!"You smiled warmly and let out a little giggle. "Yes," you said, walking over to him. You leaned in close, making Izuku's heart leap into his throat, and whispered in his ear, "Very cute." You took his face in both of your hands and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek. Lightning shot through Izuku's entire body. His heart hammered against his ribcage a mile a minute, like a caged animal. His pulse was so loud in his ears that he was sure you could easily hear it due to your close proximity."I-I-I uh, er, um..." Izuku stuttered like an idiot.You giggled again and flung your arms around his neck, looking him directly in his bright scarlet face. "I like you too, silly," you teased lightheartedly. Izuku sputtered and he swore his ears were smoking by now."W-w-w-w-what?!" Izuku choked out. This couldn't be real. You couldn't have just said that you liked him back —!He was pulled from his jumbled thoughts by yet another little chuckle that escaped your lips. "You can come pick me up on Saturday at eight, 'kay?" you said with a little wink. Izuku just stared at you slack-jawed and nodded as if in a trance."Perfect!" you exclaimed, glowing. You planted another little peck on his cheek and skipped back inside your house. Before you closed the door, however, you turned back to him. "Oh, and Izu-kun?""Y-yeah?""Thanks for the flowers." Only then did Izuku realize that you had snagged the bouquet out of his hands. Probably sometime while he was busy being a total blushing mess (which, let's face it, was just about the entire duration of the conversation). You waved it in the air saying goodbye and then disappeared back inside your house.Izuku just stood there for a moment. He was gently touching the spot on his cheek where you had kissed him, disbelieving. 'What just happened?' he thought, completely dazed. But Izuku quickly found that he didn't care, as he let an elated grin grow on his face. 'Well, that went a lot better than expected.'

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"Oh come on, Izu! Just ask her!""It's not that easy! She doesn't even like me that way...""How do you know if you've never asked? It's not that big of a deal. And who on earth could resist you?"You were currently walking home from school with your best friend, Izuku Midoriya, but unfortunately, Izuku had a bit of a problem. UA was hosting a school dance on Friday. It was currently Tuesday, and Izuku, being the shy boy he was, had yet to ask anyone to go. He obviously had someone in mind (probably Uraraka if anybody asked you), but he insisted on not asking them. So, there you were, trying to convince your friend to grow a spine."But it is a big deal," Izuku whined, exasperated. "And what are you even talking about? It's not like I'm super great or anything..." he mumbled self-deprecatingly.You gave a short bark of a laugh. "Oh, bullcrap," you said, "You're the most amazing person I know." You saw him open his mouth to contradict you, but you interjected before he could say anything. "And no, I'm not just saying that because I'm your best friend." He closed his mouth and blushed, looking sheepish.He sighed and stared at the ground as the two of you walked. "I wouldn't even know how to ask. She's so amazing and strong and confident, and I'm just, well, me."You felt a twinge of pain in your heart. 'It's definitely Uraraka,' you thought. Even though hearing him talk about another girl like that hurt, hearing him talk so poorly of himself sent a knife right through your heart. How could he not see how positively wonderful he was? How charming and sweet and adorable he was? How his very presence in your life made it infinitely better? How his cheery smile always managed to brighten up even your darkest days without fail? "Now what are you talking about?" you asked, throwing his words back at him, "'Just you.' Ha. you are literally the sweetest guy I've ever met; and your looks don't do ya any harm, either. What's there not to love?" You stopped in front of his house and shrugged your shoulders, turning to look him in the face.He flushed a dark pink at your proclamation, but his eyes lit up and you could see that it helped his confidence. He ducked his head shyly and looked up at you. "You really think so?" he asked. You felt a bit of heat rise to your own cheeks. 'He is just too cute. Uraraka is one lucky girl.' You smiled and clapped your hands onto his shoulders, looking into his eyes intensely. The pink on his face turned dark red. "I know so," you said, "So go get 'em, tiger. You've got this! She won't know what hit her. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?""Well, actually —""Don't answer that." You frowned, but quickly regained your reassuring smile. "The worst that can happen is she says no, which I seriously doubt she will." You punched him in the arm playfully. "Have a little more faith in yourself, will ya?"Your reassuring words must have helped, because he showed you one of his signature, adorably lopsided, bright smiles. 'There's the Izu I know. Mission accomplished.' "I still don't think that you're right, but thanks for saying so. Maybe I will ask. Yeah, I think I will!" He pulled you in for a hug. "Thanks for being such a good friend." He pulled away and ran up to his house, leaving your heart racing. "See you tomorrow!" he yelled, before shutting the door.Now you were alone, and unable to ignore the empty ache in your heart. If you were being completely honest, hearing him say the word "friend" felt like a giant slap to the face. A reminder of what you were, and what you always would be. It brought a crushing guilt that you had tried to bury to the surface; guilt for having such feelings for your innocent best friend when he had his eyes on someone else. Helping him to get with another girl was absolute torture, but you'd never let your selfishness stand in the way of his happiness. If he needed you to play the role of the supportive friend, then you would. You managed to plaster a smile onto your face as you got back on your way home. If he was happy, you were happy. 'That's all that matters.'  The next day at school you noticed a change in Izuku's demeanor. He was restless, constantly tapping his fingers on something and bouncing his leg. Even so, he also seemed more confident. He answered questions in class, he didn't stutter hardly as much a usual, and he was even being quite social for a change. 'I knew she'd say yes,' you thought, more than a little melancholy. You slapped both of your cheeks. 'No. I can't be thinking like that. He likes Uraraka. She makes him happy. That's all I want.'Lunch rolled around and Izuku was still thrumming with energy, so you decided to pull him aside and get the scoop. "Soooo, I take it she said yes?" you teased, nudging him playfully in the ribs.To your surprise, he shook his head no. "No, not yet anyways. I haven't asked yet," he said. You groaned. "Oh, don't give me that," he countered, "I asked her to meet me after school. I'll ask then."You chuckled, sitting down at your table. "With how abuzz you've been, I swore that you'd already asked — with favorable results."He blushed lightly and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry for being misleading. I'm just a little excited, I guess. You really helped me out yesterday. Maybe I do have a shot!"You laughed. "Of course you do! Just make sure to fill me in on every juicy detail." You leaned forward, your elbows on the table, and winked.He gave you a joking salute. "Will do, captain."Just then, Uraraka and Iida made there way over to your table, effectively cutting off your conversation. Izuku's eyes lit up and practically sparkled upon seeing the brunette, and he began an animated conversation with her. You looked down at your food and ignored the painful squeeze of your heart. 'It's all okay. If he's happy, I'm happy.' You waited around for about a half hour after school for Izuku to finish asking Uraraka to the dance. You always walked home together and, as much as it hurt you, you did really want to know how she reacted. After twenty minutes you started to get worried. 'Where is he? He can't have planned some super long romantic gesture, can he? Nah, that's not like him.' You fired off a quick text to him.
Hey, Izu, you done yet? Ready to spill the beans ;).
You waited, but he didn't respond. Now you were staring to get pretty concerned. Did something happen? Why wasn't he answering your text? He was usually pretty punctual about that.After about fifteen more minutes you decided you were tired of waiting around. You were about to head home on your own when he finally replied. You flung your phone up to you face and read.
Sorry to keep you waiting. You can head on home without me.
Uh oh. Something was very wrong. You and Izuku always walked home together. You felt your eyebrows crease in worry. You texted back.
No, it's fine. I'm just glad you're not dead in a ditch. I don't mind waiting.
His reply came almost immediately.
No seriously, don't worry about it. I've already left.
Okay, red flag right there. It wasn't at all like Izuku to stand you up like that. He was obviously upset about something and didn't want you to worry about it. Something couldn't have happened during his talk with Uraraka, could it have? You felt the mom friend in you stir, so you shot off another concerned text.
Hey, are you alright? Did something happen? Do you want to talk about it?
He responded shortly after.
Nope, everything's good :)! Just felt like walking home alone today. I'm so so sorry that I forgot to tell you!
Okay, no no no no no no no. No. He was trying to pretend that everything was alright when it was crystal clear that something was seriously bothering him. No no no. That was one hundred percent not okay. Despite not believing a word of what he said, you shot off a quick 'OK' and started on your way to Izuku's house. There was no way in hell that you were going to stand around and let your best friend cry alone. He was going to be comforted, whether he liked it or not. You arrived at Izuku's house only a few minutes later. You were a girl on a mission — a mission to comfort you best friend. Mrs. Midoriya opened the door almost immediately after you arrived, looking horribly worried. "Oh, thank goodness you're here. sweetie," she said, "Izuku's been acting awfully strange ever since he got back home. Do you think you could go talk to him?"You smiled down at the shorter woman. "That's exactly why I came. I noticed something was up, and I wanted to check up on him." Mrs. Midoriya smiled warmly at you. "That's so kind of you, sweetie. Come on in, he's in his room.""Thank you, Mrs. Midoriya," you said, stepping inside. You were just about to turn down the hallway to Izuku's room when Mrs. Midoriya stopped you."Oh, and sweetie?" she asked."Yes Ma'am?"She winked. "Good luck."You flushed bright tomato red. You guess you weren't as inconspicuous as you thought. Well, at least you had Mrs. Midoriya's approval. "Th-thank you, Ma'am!" you squeaked.You quickly scurried around the corner, face burning. You could hear Mrs. Midoriya laughing. "Ah, young love," she said. That certainly did not help the heat in your face. You stood in front of Izuku's bedroom door, losing your embarrassment to your initial concern. You debated knocking but decided against it. If he was truly upset (which he definitely was) you knew he wouldn't let you in. Foregoing all niceties, you barged into his room like a freaking bull. 'Nice one.'Izuku had been lying face down on his bed, but he jumped up and crawled backwards to the headboard in fear upon your aggressive arrival. His wild eyes fell on your figure and he put a hand to his heart, saying your name with a relieved sigh. "Thank God, it's just you. You nearly gave me a heart attack! And what are you doing here? I told you I was fine," he said, relaxing.You marched over to his bed with your hands on your hips and a cross expression on your face. His expression became one of fear again. "Bullshit, Midoriya," you snarled. He winced at your harsh tone and use of his last name. You were extremely casual, and you almost always called him "Izuku" or "Izu".He backed up more and waved his hands around frantically. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about! Nothing's wrong! I s-swear!"You sighed and shook your head. Your expression softened. 'He's such a terrible liar.' You sat down on the bed next to him, placing your hand on top of one of his. He whipped his head around to face you, startled by the contact and your dramatic shift in demeanor.Your voice was much gentler this time. "Izu, please tell me what's wrong. I know that something's upsetting you. I just want to help." You looked up into his green eyes. "Don't you trust me?"Izuku flushed. "O-of course I do! You're my best friend! I... I just..." He looked away, struggling to find words. His expression became downcast and he muttered something unintelligible.You cocked your head to the side curiously. "What was that?" you gently coaxed."Sh..aid...o.""I'm really sorry, Izu, but I can't understand you.""She said no!" he snapped. His face was bright red and he looked to be on the verge of tears. Your heart utterly broke for him."Oh, sweetie...""No, no. It's not that big of a deal. I shouldn't be this upset about it." He rubbed away the tears from his eyes. "I knew that this would probably happen. It's just... after you said all those nice things to me, I really thought I had a chance."Your sympathy began to transform into anger. How dare she make him feel this way?! She was so ungodly lucky to have someone like him fall for her and she didn't even appreciate him! "Of course you had a chance!" you snapped. Izuku jumped at your sudden aggression. "She must be freaking blind to not see how lucky she is."Izuku's face flushed a bright crimson. "L-lucky?"You stood up, feeling your overprotective side kick in. "Yes, lucky! Very, very lucky. Any girl would be overjoyed to have someone as sweet as you after her!" You started to pace, getting caught up in your outrage. " How dare she!? What is wrong with her!? You're so sweet and strong and selfless and just plain adorable! This makes literally zero sense!""A-adorable?!" Izuku squeaked."Yes, adorable! Just like that! That was extremely adorable and endearing! You see what I mean? Who on earth wouldn't want to go out with you?!" He looked down and played with his fingers. "U-Uraraka, apparently." He gave a heavy sigh and raised his eyes to meet yours. "Look, it's really nice of you to say all of this about me, but you don't have to make stuff up. I know I'm not the most... 'desirable,'" he said, using air quotes.Your blood nearly boiled. "You think I'm lying?! Why in the world would I lie about about something like this? You are truly wonderful, and it's heartbreaking that you don't see it. It's infuriating that Uraraka doesn't see it. I'm not gonna just stand here and let you believe bad things about yourself!""C-calm down. It's really not that big of a deal that no one wants to go to the dance with me.""I'd go to the dance with you!" You swiveled around and pointed an accusing finger at him. "And you were very obviously about to cry, so it is a big deal." You placed your hands on your hips sassily. "Well, that settles it! You're going to the dance with me!"Izuku choked. "W-w-what?!?!""We'll go shopping for our outfits at six at the mall. And you better show up because I won't take no for an answer! You're going to have a great time whether you like it or not!""W-wait --!" Izuku tried to stop you, but you had already stormed out. It wasn't until you were halfway home that the gravity of your actions sank in. You had just (very rudely), demanded for Izuku to go to the dance with you. Your face burned with hot shame. 'Oh, well. At least now he knows.'

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was an average day at the coffee shop Y/N worked at, if a bit slow. It was almost closing time, so most of the café's patrons had already left. In all honesty, Y/N was just ready to get home. Just when the last of the customers left and it looked like Y/N was going to be able to close up shop, the bell above the door rang, signaling the arrival of yet another customer. She sighed heavily. Sure, she enjoyed her part-time job, but it was late, and she still hadn't finished her latest project. 'Who on earth goes out for coffee at nine o'clock at night, anyways?!'Plastering on her best pleasant expression, she walked out of the kitchens to behind the counter, ready to get this last order over with as soon as humanly possible. Still shutting the door, she tried to seem cheerful while addressing her latest customer, but probably sounded just as dead inside as she felt. "Hello, welcome to Espresso Yourself. May I take your order?" she said, but if you listened closely, it sounded a lot more like "Go kill yourself." She lifted her eyes up to observe to object of her current disdain.If Y/N was being completely honest, he was pretty cute. Like, really cute. The tall male had a mop of curly green hair that resembled a small shrub, and he kept having to push it out of his matching viridian eyes. His cheeks were dotted with charming little freckles and he had a cheerful, if tired, smile on his face. He actually looked a bit familiar, if Y/N thought about it."Hi. Can I have a second? I've never been here before." the man said, scratching the back of his neck.Y/N exhaled through her nose in irritation. "Yeah, sure, take your time," she said, trying her very hardest not to grit her teeth. In all honesty she sounded super shitty, even to herself.Even so, it didn't seem to faze him. "Thanks!" He paused for a moment. "What would you recommend?" he asked conversationally.Y/N audibly sighed this time, but she did give her input. "I personally really like our herbal teas. I'll even stop by to pick one up on my mornings off work, most of the time."The man smiled at her. "Really? Well then I'll have one of those.""Excellent choice." Y/N quickly made her way to the kitchen to fix up the man's drink. Alright, when he smiled he looked even more familiar. But for the life of her Y/N could not figure out where she knew him from. It was maddening! She didn't think it was art school, and he definitely wasn't some previous co-worker. She'd like to think she'd remember someone so attractive crossing her path, but she was drawing a total blank. She gnawed on her lip in thought.A few minutes later the tea was done and Y/N was delivering it to her late-night customer's table. "Here you go, sir. I hope you enjoy it," she said, but before she could set the dainty cup down on the table, someone else barged into the café. She jumped slightly but managed not to spill any of the tea."Hey Y/N! You still haven't closed up shop yet? I mean, I appreciate your dedication but it's past closing time and — OH MY GOD IS THAT DEKU?!?!?!?!""W-WHAT?!?!" Y/N yelped, dropping the scalding hot liquid directly on the man she now recognized as Deku, the Number One Pro Hero."Shit!" he yelled, jumping up and out of his seat. His chair gave an ear splitting 'SCREECH' as it was violently scooted across the hardwood floor.Y/N was absolutely mortified. It was so obvious! How had she not realized that the Deku was in the store she worked at?!?! Oh my Lord, she had acted like such a bitch! And now she had just dumped boiling tea on him!!! She jumped into action, quickly and frantically grabbing some towels and drying him off. "Oh my god I am so so so sorry, Mr. Deku sir!!!! P-please forgive me I can't believe I just did that I am so clutzy — oh my god I am so sorry!!" His smile was a little pained, but Deku chuckled good naturedly. Y/N snapped her head up, wide eyed and face burning. He took the towels from her and finished cleaning himself off. "Don't worry about it, it was an accident. And just Deku is fine," he added, giving Y/N a lopsided grin. Y/N's head started to spin, and she was 99.999% sure she was going to faint. The Deku smiled at her! 'Oh my god he's even more handsome than on TV,' she thought."Th-thank you, Mr. — uh, I mean, Deku. I-I'll go make you another tea — on the house!" Y/N said, scurrying off to the kitchen."You really don't have to do that! It was just an accident! I can pay!" he called, but Y/N was already out of earshot.A second later she came back, with a less scalding cup of tea. She set it down on his table and put her hands on her hips sassily. "Absolutely not! I was very rude to you earlier and I just dumped boiling hot tea on you! The least I can do is pay for your drink.""Well, to be fair, I did walk in right before closing time, so your bad attitude was justified, and you got startled. I'd hardly call any of that your fault," he empathized. His big, sympathetic eyes made him look like a baby deer with freckles, and it made Y/N's insides feel like melted goo and brought a pink tint to her cheeks. 'Not only is he the Number One Pro Hero, but he's crazy adorable and a super understanding guy!'"Ahem." Both Y/N and Deku's heads whipped around to face the stout woman who had previously stormed into the café. Looked like they both forgot she was still standing there. She waltzed over to Deku and clasped both of her hands over one of his dramatically. He flushed lightly and made a surprised noise. "I am so incredible sorry, Mr. Deku! If I hadn't just barged in like that we could have avoided this entire situation! Nevertheless, I am so honored that you would choose to stop by my humble little coffee shop!" she exclaimed, gesturing theatrically. She bowed lowly. Deku looked very obviously uncomfortable, so Y/N decided to swoop in to the rescue."So, how about you try some of that tea, Mr. Deku? I'm sure you'll love it," she interrupted, changing the subject.He looked over at her gratefully. "Yes, thank you." He picked up the delicate cup and took a sip. "And please, just call me Deku. Or, even better, how about Midoriya?"Y/N's jaw dropped and every ounce of blood in her body rushed to her face, making her feel lightheaded. She waved her hands around frantically. "O-oh no! I c-couldn't! You're a hero! An idol! I-I couldn't possibly —!"He gave a genuine, twinkling laugh, much different from the hearty and heroic ones Y/N was used to hearing from him on television. "Oh, come on. I'm not that big of a deal, am I? I'm actually a pretty average guy when you get to know me. And Midoriya's just my last name. I'd say pouring hot tea on me is enough to at least get us on a last name basis, right?" He winked and took another drink of his tea. "Ooh, you're right! This is delicious! I'll have to stop by again sometime!" He gave a smile that shined brighter than the sun itself.Y/N wheezed and forgot how to breathe momentarily. She was internally shrieking. 'He winked at me!!!!!' He finished off the rest of his tea and returned the cup to her."Thanks! It was really good! You know, this place is actually really close to my house; I might have to become a regular customer. I guess I'll be seeing you around, Y/N." He winked again playfully and with that, he walked out the door, leaving both women utterly stunned.The moment the door swung shut, the store owner turned on Y/N. "Deku just winked at you!""Deku just winked at me twice!!!" She slapped both of her cheeks and shook her head frantically. "And he said my name and he told me to call him Midoriya and he said he's going to come back!!!" The shop owner swooned, and Y/N swore she could see hearts in the older woman's eyes. "Just imagine: the Deku in my coffee shop! And let me just say that he is so much more handsome in person, isn't he?" She raised a knowing eyebrow at Y/N."I-I wouldn't say that —""But you were thinking it." She smirked."I, uh, I — you...!" Y/N growled, glaring at the other woman, "Just shut up." The store owner only laughed jovially."Well, if anything, it looks like that won't be the last we'll be seeing of him."Y/N looked back at the door Deku had walked out of and smiled softly to herself. She felt a light warmth on her cheeks, but if anyone asked her about it, she'd deny it. 'No, it most certainly seems like it won't be.'

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The next day at school you put all of your energy into avoiding Izuku. He kept trying to grab your attention, no doubt extremely confused by your actions yesterday, but so far you had been successful in evading him. You definitely did not want to talk about it. If you had it your way, you would never have to confront Izuku and the two of you could pretend that it never happened.You sighed heavily. Unfortunately, you knew that you would have to face him sooner or later. You wanted him to have a good time and you would be thrilled to go with him, but you were mortified by the way you asked him. You didn't even really ask, you just told him that he was going with you, no questions asked. And jeopardizing your close friendship by letting him know about your not-so platonic feelings for him was definitely not on your list of things to do that day.You heard someone yell your name, startling you out of your troubled thoughts. You turned around, only to be met by a blur of green barreling into you. You let out a surprised yelp as you tumbled to the ground.You groaned. You tried to sit up, only to find that Izuku was pinning you to the ground, his face mere inches from yours. You were afraid you were going to break a rib from how hard and fast your heart was beating in your chest."I've finally got you!" Izuku exclaimed, "I've been trying to talk to you all day! It almost seemed like you were avoiding me! But that's beside the point; we need to talk."All of your blood rushed to your face, making you feel extremely lightheaded. You could only give little squeaks and stammers in response to Izuku's proclaimation. With his face this close you could count all of his adorable little freckles peppered across his cheeks. You found yourself unable to form coherent thought: not with his eyes boring intensely into yours and his warm breath fanning gently across your face whenever he breathed. All you would have to do was lean up a little and then you could —!His eyes widened and he flushed strawberry red. He yelped and immediately jumped off of you as if you were made of molten lava. "Oh my gosh I am so so sorry I don't know what came over me I just really need to talk to you and I'm so sorry!" he babbled, offering you his hand and helping you pick yourself up off the ground."I-it's fine," you choked out, attempting to act as if that was a completely normal situation that didn't affect you at all. Unfortunately, your voice was an octave higher than normal, giving you away. You cleared your throat. "I, uh, I... agree. We have a lot to talk about." You internally cringed. 'I guess the time has come. Goodbye Izu forever.'"Yeah, uh, about, y'know yesterday?" he asked, very obviously flustered. You nodded, indicating for him to continue. He scratched his cheek and averted his eyes. "Yeah, I, uh, know you're really passionate about making sure I enjoy myself and I really appreciate that, and uh, even though you didn't really give me a choice, I've been thinking about what you said..." You held your breath and braced yourself for the oncoming rejection. "And I'd love to go with you!" he chirped.You blanked. "W-what?!""Yeah!" He smiled cheerfully. "I think it'll be fun! A lot of people go to these things with friends!"Ouch. You felt your heart give a painful squeeze. 'Is he really that oblivious? Does he really not know? Or is this just his way of letting me down easy?' Either way, you supposed that this was probably the best outcome you could hope for. And hey! You still got to go with Izuku to the dance! Even if it's just as friends, it's better than nothing!You mirrored his sunny grin. "Good! It'll be fun!"He looked at the ground shyly and twiddled with his fingers. "So... um, do you think we should coordinate outfits or something?"You blushed and stuttered, "W-well, um, only if you want to...!"He looked back up at you with a demure expression, a sweet blush on his face. "Yeah," he said, "I think I'd that that.""O-okay! I'll meet you at the mall in an hour," you squeaked, quickly scurrying off so that Izuku couldn't see your bright red face. Once you were far enough away you covered your face with your hands. 'If he keeps acting that cute I'll never make it through the dance.'  Despite all of the awkwardness you expected, you and Izuku actually had a really great time getting your outfits together. You talked and laughed and joked around — it was as if nothing had changed, and your feelings for your best friend had remained strictly platonic ones.Izuku's suit had to be dark green, of course so you bought a flowing emerald dress to match. You may not actually be together, but you'll be damned if you're not the best-looking couple there. An evil little part of you wanted to dress up Izuku all nice, and then rub it in Uraraka's nose. You were friends, but it'd serve her right for hurting Izu like that.Everyone was totally wired at school on Friday. All anyone could talk about was the formal later that evening. Even the teachers seemed pre-occupied. The school day rushed by in a dizzy blur, and before you knew it you were getting ready for your not-date with Izuku.Just as you completed the finishing touches on your makeup, the doorbell rang. You rushed downstairs and flung the door open to be greeted by a very dapper looking Izuku. Your heart could have stopped right there, and for a second you forgot how to breathe. He cleaned up nicely. The suit jacket fit him very very well and the color complemented his whole green motif that he had going on. He had obviously tried to slick back his hair, but his stubborn curls made any attempt at taming his hair virtually impossible. You brought a hand up to your mouth to cover up your quiet giggles.He pouted. "Does my hair really look that bad?" You just chuckled and straightened his tie for him. "No, no," you said, giving him a fond smile, "It's just very... you."He smirked and raised an eyebrow playfully. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"You laughed softly and winked at him. "That's for me to know and you to possibly never find out. Shall we be off?" you asked, holding out you elbow for him to take.Izuku just chuckled and shook his head. For a brief moment, you thought you saw a kind of soft fondness in his gaze that made your heart stop dead in its tracks and your breath catch, but it was gone in an instant, if it had been there at all to begin with. He took your outstretched arm as you attempted to clear your head. "Yes, we shall."And with that, the two of you were off. You hid your face behind your free hand so that Izuku couldn't see your magenta blush. If moments like that kept happening, you didn't know if your heart was going to last the night.The party was in full swing by the time you got there, and it looked like you might actually be able to enjoy yourself. You usually weren't one for big social events, but dancing and laughing and hanging out with Izuku was always welcome in your book. It was your number one priority to make sure that he had fun, and you hadn't forgotten that. It looked like there may be a chance of the night not being super awkward! That is, at least until you spotted Uraraka out of the corner of your eye, making her way towards you."Hey, you two! You look like you're having fun!" She turned to address Izuku. "I'm so glad you still came. And it seems you're even better off for it! You finally managed to ask her out!" she exclaimed, gesturing towards you.You both flushed bright red and stuttered simultaneously "W-we're not really together." "A-actually, she asked me." Your head whipped around to face him. 'He didn't correct her.' He looked pretty surprised by his answer himself, as his eyes were wide, and his face was even redder than before."I-I'll just, um, go get us some punch. Yeah, I'll, um, go do that..." Izuku stammered before scurrying off, likely to avoid the awkwardness and embarrassment.That left just you and Uraraka. You stood in a tense silence for a long moment. You felt your previous anger rise in you again. Why did this girl have the power to bring your best friend to tears? How could she have him wrapped completely around her finger, and still choose to reject him? It made your blood boil, and you were never one to hold back your opinions."He was really torn up about it, ya know," you said, facing away from her."What?" she asked, confused by your crypticness.You turned to face her and pointed an accusing finger at her. "When you turned him down! He was super upset about it! He is the sweetest, most innocent boy in the world and you just tossed him aside." You crossed your arms in a display of hostility.Uraraka looked shocked. "He was really that upset? I didn't mean to hurt him like that — I just don't like him that way." Her face brightened. "But, hey! Looks like everything worked out for you, right?"You raised an eyebrow skeptically. "How so?"She beamed at you. "You're on a date with Deku, of course!" Her expression became sly and playful. "Everybody knows about your major crush on him, so don't even try to deny how happy you are!"You choked on your own spit and started coughing violently. Uraraka rubbed your back supportively, but she still had that stupid smirk on her face. After your coughing fit died down and you were able to catch your breath you wheezed, "E-everybody?"She smirked. "Everybody. Except for him, of course. He's so smart, but I swear he can be a bit of an idiot sometimes."You groaned and facepalmed. Looked like your not-so-little secret had gotten out. 'Please kill me now.' You sighed heavily and shook your head. "It's not like it matters, anyways," you said, sitting down at a table with Uraraka. She cocked her head to the side and gave you a quizzical expression as if asking, 'What's that supposed to mean?' "He doesn't like me that way," you clarified, "This isn't a date and we're not together. We came as friends because I still wanted him to have fun, even if he didn't have a date."Uraraka's eyebrows furrowed and her expression became a bit dismayed. It didn't last long though, as she leaned her head on her hands on the table and grinned soon after. "Well, now's your chance to change that!" she declared."What?""Yeah! Get over there and tell him how you feel! This is the perfect opportunity!" She leaned in and looked shiftily from side to side. "And if you ask me, I think he likes you too."You let out a curt scoff. "Are you kidding me? He likes you, not me. Heck, he likes you so much that I found him on the verge of tears after you turned him down!""But who's always been there for him? Who comforted him? Who is even now sacrificing her own happiness for his sake? He has a lot more reasons to like you than me. I think he really does have feelings for you, whether he knows it or not. You should go for it!""I don't know, Uraraka… We've been friends for such a long time. I wouldn't want to screw it up like that because I was selfish.""But you wouldn't be screwing it up!" she exclaimed, forcefully standing up, causing you to recoil and jump in your seat. "You'd be making it better! Are you happy with the way things are right now? And don't give me some crappy answer like 'If Deku's happy, I'm happy.' How do you really feel about it?"You opened your mouth to refute her claims, but closed it, finding her words to be right. You gave in and gave a small, sad shake of your head. "No," you said, subdued, "No, I'm not happy." You sighed. "Frankly, being here with him and not actually being with him is tearing me apart.""Then change it!" You both spotted Izuku approaching your table with the aforementioned drinks in hand. "Now's your chance! Go talk to him! I'll make up some excuse to leave so you two can be alone." She winked mischievously. "What?! Uraraka, no! I can't!" But it was too late, as Izuku had already arrived at the table. Uraraka had a shit-eating grin plastered on her face as she made up some bullshit excuse about having to use the bathroom and left, leaving you alone with him. There was an uncomfortable silence. As much as you would like to, there was no way you could confess to him — not while you knew he still liked Uraraka. You couldn't just throw away the years and years you had spent cultivating your close relationship like that.It was Izuku who broke the silence. He coughed nervously into his fist. "I, uh, probably should have said this sooner, but you look really pretty tonight!" he said with a toothy smile and a faint blush on his freckled cheekbones.Warmth flooded your face. "Th-thank you. You look very nice as well! Very dapper."He grinned. "Even with the hair?""Especially with the hair." You stood up and boldly took his hand in your own. You felt him tense up at the unexpected contact, but he relaxed after a moment. You felt some of your confidence wane, and you stammered, "D-do you want to g-go dance some more?" You glanced up at him shyly through your eyelashes.His face was bright red. "S-sure," he stuttered. You made your way over to the dancefloor, both blushing and refusing to make eye contact with the other, your hands still intertwined. Just then, a slow song came on, sharply contrasting with the peppy party music you had been dancing to before. Izuku's face flushed even darker, if possible, and you saw a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. His hands hovered over your waist awkwardly, as if you were some sort of venomous reptile that was about to bite his head off. You hadn't seen him this scared when he was fighting actual villains. You fought back a giggle. 'He's so cute.' "You don't need to look so terrified," you said, grinning playfully, "I don't bite.""I-I know! I've just, uh, never... never danced with a g-girl before..." he mumbled, ducking his head bashfully and looking at you through his thick eyelashes.You smiled cheerily. "That's okay! I'll teach you! For starters, your hands go here." You placed your hands over his larger ones and guided them to your hips. Once you were sure he was actually touching you and wasn't going to pull away you placed your hands gingerly on his shoulders. "Also, you have to stand closer to me. You can't dance if your partner is ten feet away." You ignored the rapid thumping of your heart and took a step closer to him. He was struggling to look you in the eye, and you were so close you could feel the heat radiating off of his face.You chuckled. "And it wouldn't hurt if you actually looked at the girl you're dancing with." You instantly regretted those words leaving your mouth, because he obediently snapped his gaze to meet yours, making you catch your breath. His big, doe-like, viridian eyes stared into yours and you were standing so close and his hands were on your hips and you could feel his warm breath fan across your face and it was all just too much. Even so, you found it impossible to look away. "And now, you just sway," you breathed, your voice no louder than a raspy, hushed whisper.And so, the two of you danced and swayed to the music and they played slow song after slow song. You found the space between you unconsciously growing smaller and smaller as the night went on, until Izuku's arms were wrapped around your entire frame and your head lay on his chest, listening to the soothing music of his steady heartbeat. You snaked your arms around his torso and breathed in deeply, a deep sense of contentment and belonging washing over you.You felt him rest his chin on the top of your head and you filled with conviction. 'A better opportunity isn't going to be presenting itself any time soon. Just get it over with!' you thought. You took a deep breath and gazed up at him. "Izu?" you murmured softly, asking for the boy's attention."Mmhm," he hummed lazily in acknowledgement. You could feel the vibrations of his voice rumble in his strong chest, making your heartbeat stutter.You buried your face in his chest, embarrassed. "I have something I need to tell you," you said, your voice muffled by his shirt."I'm all ears. Shoot." You could hear the grin in his voice.You felt your face grow hot and your mouth became as dry as the Sahara Desert. 'It's now or never. You've gone too far to back out now. Just spit it out!' You gulped in an attempt to bring back some moisture back to your arid mouth. "I, uh, we've been friends for a while now, right? Like, really good friends?""The best," he confirmed. He was definitely grinning now.You continued, pointedly ignoring the fact that you were likely digging your own grave. "And, you know, when two people are very close, and they see each other all the time.... sometimes, well, sometimes one of them.....""One of them what?" You couldn't tell if he genuinely had no idea what you were going to say or if he was just teasing you. His innocent nature led you to believe the former, but you couldn't be sure. You weren't sure which was worse."O-one of them sometimes might.... W-well, let's just say that, hypothetically, I was one of these people who, um, this phenomenon occurred to, and I... I..." You took a sharp breath and pulled away from him, looking into his eyes. "Izuku, I —""Hey, uh, can you put a pin in that for a second?" Izuku interrupted, looking down at you with a boyish grin and a tender warmth in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but there's something I've been wanting to do." Your breath caught in your throat and your heartbeat grinded to a halt. He looked at you with such ardor. As if you were the only thing he ever wanted to look at for the rest of his life, and it made your brain turn to a pile of mush. So much so, that you almost didn't register when his lips came crashing down on yours in a deep, adoring kiss.Your mind went blank. One of Izuku's rough, scarred hands gently cupped your cheek as the other remained wrapped protectively around your waist, pulling you even closer to him. Your body seemed to move on its own as you instinctively flung your arms around his neck and buried your fingers in his mass of unruly hair.You kissed him back fervently as your lips moved against one another in a slow, sensual dance of their own. You tugged on his hair, eliciting small noises from him that made your head spin and heart race. In response, his arms tightened around you, pulling you closer until your pelvises were flush against each other.It felt like a dream — straight out of your most romantic fantasy, the dim light creating the perfect atmosphere. Since when had Izuku become so forward? Just a little while ago he had been a blushing, sweaty mess at the prospect of dancing with you, and now he was holding onto you as if he never planned on letting go and boldly nipping at your bottom lip. As happy as you would have been to stay in that position forever, the need for air overtook you and you parted, panting softly. Your knees were weaker than cooked pasta noodles, and you were sure that you would have fallen had Izuku not been holding you up. He smiled at you sweetly and lovingly tucked a lock of hair behind your ear. "I love you too," he whispered."B-but I thought you liked Uraraka?" you breathed, dazed."I did. But I love you. It may have taken me way too long to realize it, but I do. You have always been there for me — how could I not?" He ducked his head, returning to his original bashfulness. "I'm sorry I didn't realize how you felt sooner. Looking back on it, it was pretty obvious." He chuckled, scratching his cheek.You pouted and shook your head. "And here I thought I was being inconspicuous."He laughed. "Well good thing you weren't, otherwise I probably never would have noticed." His expression became tender again as he said your name and blushed. "Would you be my girlfriend?"Your face lit up in the brightest smile that had adorned it in a very, very long time. "There is nothing that would make me happier." And it was true. Because now you were snugly in his arms, and that's all that mattered.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

You'd like to think you're a relatively friendly girl. Maybe not the most social out there, but you can enjoy hanging out with a large variety of different people, even ones that most wouldn't think you'd get along with. One of these such people was Katsuki Bakugo, the violent hot-head that went to middle school with your boyfriend, Izuku. At first you were very wary of him, even a bit angry with him. He was known for his explosive outbursts whenever he was angry (which he was a lot) and you knew that in the past, more often than not that anger was directed at Izuku. It really ticked you off, and his cocky attitude didn't help matters. Even so, one day you decided to reach out to him, He couldn't be nearly as awful as he seemed, could he?You were pleasantly rewarded for your efforts when you found out that no, he wasn't as awful as he seemed. He was actually pretty fun to hang out with. He was funny, and his hot-headedness could be charming at times. You actually had a lot more in common with him than you would have thought — you didn't have the longest fuse yourself. You found yourself hanging out with him more and more, so much so that you'd say that you were best friends (aside from you and Izuku, of course). It was nice to have somebody that you didn't have to filter anything with.You were very happy lately because of your newfound friendship with Katsuki, but you noticed that Izuku seemed a bit out of it recently. It was subtle, but definitely there. He didn't want to hang out as much and when he did he was lost in thought most of the time. You noticed that he hardly ever touched his lunch at school nowadays, and it was almost as if all progress you had made in your relationship had been erased. He acted reserved around you, like when you had first met, and it always seemed like there was something he wasn't telling you. To put it lightly, you were very concerned. What had happened to your sweet little Izu? Was someone making fun of him again? Was something going on at home that he didn't want you to know about? Did he — did he just not like you anymore?That last thought shattered your heart. You loved Izuku. You hadn't told him yet, but you truly did. It would simply break your heart to learn that he was unhappy in your relationship. You were so happy to be his girlfriend, but the last thing you wanted was for him to feel like he was being forced to date you. Honestly, you wouldn't put it past him to pretend to like you just to spare your feelings.You decided that it was just about time to get to the bottom of this! Unfortunately, you had no idea on how to confront him about it. Every time you tried to bring it up, he would dismiss you and say that it was nothing or that he was just tired or something. So, in light of your budding friendship with Katsuki, you decided to ask your favorite blond for some advice. He and Izuku grew up together, he was sure to know something that might help."I just don't know what to do, Katsuki! No matter what I do, he won't tell me! I'm starting to get really worried..." you confided, "I can't stand the thought that he might need me right now, but I can't help because he won't tell me what's wrong! Something's obviously upsetting him."Bakugo shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets as the two of you continued your walk home. "Beats me. I didn't notice anything, but hey, you're his girlfriend, I guess." He made a sour face on the word 'girlfriend.' "How can you even like that damn nerd so much?! He's just some crybaby loser! I don't know how he managed to get a girl like you," he said gruffly.You smacked him on the arm, causing him to let out an angry 'Ow!' "What did I say about talking about Izuku like that!" You scolded. He opened his mouth to respond, but you cut him off. "Not to do it! Yeah, he's a nerd, but I find it cute! He's sweet, and kind, and charming, and sensitive — unlike some people I know," you lectured, sticking your tongue out at Bakugo childishly.He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever. But why are you telling me about this? Don't you have some girl friends you can talk about your relationship problems with?" he scoffed.You placed your hands on your hips in a display of sass. "As a matter of fact, I do. But I'm not just here to complain. You've known Izu ever since you were kids; I thought you might have some ideas in how to get through to him.""Ha! Now I know you're crazy," Katsuki sneered, "There's no way in hell I'd do anything to help that damn nerd!""Then don't think of it as helping Izuku! Think of it as helping me! And you loooove me, don't you?" you teased. "Plus, if we end up breaking up over this I'm going to do nothing but bother you with how upset I'll be. Phone calls in the middle of the night, uncontrollable sobbing, the whole shebang."Katsuki blushed and looked away. "Fine," he conceded, growling. You whooped in victory. "But don't think I'm doing this for you or anything! I just don't want to have to listen to you whine.""Suuure ya aren't," you taunted with a shit-eating grin on your face, "You just keep telling yourself that.""J-just shut up, you stupid loser!" he snarled, but his dark red face revealed that he had no real malicious intent. You stopped in front of his house, but before he went inside he turned to you. "I'll help you, but you better not give me any grief about trashing that damn nerd again!"You glowed and jumped onto him in an appreciative hug. "Oh, thank you so much, Katsuki! You're the best!"He sputtered, and you saw his ears go red. "I know," he mumbled, lacking his usual cockiness, "Just give me a day. Talk to me tomorrow, I'll try to think of something. And get the hell off of me!"'And he's back again,' you thought, grinning. You giggled and let him go. "Thanks again, Katsuki!" You gave him a quick peck on the cheek as thanks and ran off, yelling, "See you tomorrow!"You failed to notice the dumbstruck look on Katsuki's face, or the tentative hand that reached up to touch his cheek. He clenched his fists and jaw as his eyes started to sting. But you didn't notice that either, after all, you were already gone.The next day after school you immediately sought out Katsuki, but unfortunately, you couldn't find him anywhere. He said he would talk to you, so he couldn't have ran off already. 'I swear if that idiot got himself locked up in detention again I'm gonna kill him!'You were pulled out of your murderous thoughts by the sound of someone calling your name. You turned around to see your adorable, green-haired boyfriend approaching you with a radiant smile on his face. You felt your features melt into a fond smile. "Hi, Izu! What's up?"He reached you and you noticed that a soft pink dusted his cheeks. "Hi! I, uh, was wondering if you maybe wanted to walk home with me today! We could play video games o-or watch a movie or something! L-like an at-home date!" He ducked his head and smiled bashfully. "I-I thought it might be fun."Your heart absolutely melted. You couldn't accept fast enough. "Oh, honey, I'd love to!"His blush darkened, still not used to your many pet names, but he beamed at you nonetheless. "Really? Great! Sh-should we get going th—""Out of my way, loser!" Katsuki growled, shoving Izuku roughly out of the way. He turned to you and snarled, "You! Where have you been? Come on, let's go! You're the one who wanted to see me, remember?Shit. In your eagerness to go with Izuku you completely forgot your previous arrangement with Katsuki. Even so, he didn't have to push Izu like that. "Hey!" you objected, placing your hands on your hips. "You can't talk to him like that!"Katsuki crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at you. Nevertheless, you stood your ground, glaring at him for his rudeness. He scoffed. "Tch. Whatever. Let's go." He roughly grabbed your arm."My Lord, Katsuki! Chill out!" You yanked your arm away from him and turned to address Izuku, who was watching the scene play out with wide eyes. "I am so so sorry, sweetie! I completely forgot, but I already have plans with Katsuki! I am so sorry, I promise to make it up to you. Another time?" you pleaded, placing your hand on his cheek tenderly.You saw hurt flash across his face. 'I'm doing this for Izuku. I'm doing this for Izuku.' You had to repeat that mantra in your head over and over again to keep from caving and brushing off Bakugo. Izuku's smile tightened, and he tried to mask the pain that you saw clearly reflected in his doughy, emerald eyes. "N-no, it's fine! I understand! A-another time! You... you have fun with K-Kaachan!" His voice broke as he said 'Kaachan', and so did your heart. You couldn't just leave him like this, but apparently Bakugo thought otherwise because he jerked his head in a 'let's go' fashion.You sighed and gave Izuku a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you so much, Izu. You're the best." You heard Katsuki growl. "I promise I'll make this up to you! See you tomorrow!" With that, Katsuki grabbed your arm again and dragged you away.You couldn't get Izuku's pained expression out of your head. 'This is all for him. This is all for him.' Once you were a ways away from the building you slapped Katsuki's hand off of you and yanked your arm away from him. "Could you have had worse timing?! He's barely spoken a word to me all week, and he just asked me to hang out with him at his house! And did you have to be such an ass to him?"Katsuki only grunted. "Like I give a shit about your love-life. You wanted my help — I'm not going to wait for you to finish flirting with the damn nerd! Anyways, it's not that great, but I think I've got something."You crossed your arms and glared at him. "You damn well better after you dragged me away like that! Well, let's hear it."He crossed his arms as well and put on a self-assured expression. "Just ask him what's wrong.""...…………….""YOU THINK I HAVEN'T TRIED THAT ALREADY, DIPSHIT????" you howled, slapping his arm hard. "Ugh. I should've known better than to ask you.""THE HELL WAS THAT FOR???" he retaliated, "I WAS TRYING TO HELP!!! AND I DON'T MEAN JUST ASK HIM NORMALLY!!! LET HIM KNOW HOW WORRIED YOU ARE AND TELL HIM ALL THE STUFF YOU'VE BEEN TELLING ME, LIKE HOW YOU'RE AFRAID HE DOESN'T LIKE YOU ANYMORE!!!!""Sooo, your advice is to just be honest with him?" you cocked your head to the side. "Damn, would've thought I could've come up with that one.""Yeah, well, you didn't," Katsuki barked, "You can thank me any second now."Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you realized something. "But wait, I don't remember ever telling you that I was scared that Izuku might not like me anymore."Katsuki's ears grew red and he scoffed, turning away from you. "Like you needed to. It's written all over your stupid, lovesick face."You chose to ignore the insult. "Are you serious? That's a pretty specific thing to be able to read from someone's face, and I don't think my expressions have ever been that transparent.""Well, they are!" Katsuki snapped. "Nevermind how I know, but it's true! He's a total sap — I'm sure something like that will have him blubbering and tripping over himself to tell you in no time.""Really? Thanks, Katsuki! I definitely owe you!" You beamed at him, giving him a big hug. You heard him mutter something under his breath, but you couldn't quite make it out. "What was that?" you asked."I SAID, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE IT UP TO ME YOU CAN BUY ME BREAKFAST TOMORROW!!!" His face was red as a ripe strawberry, and he was obviously very embarrassed about asking you.You fought back a snicker. How very like Bakugo to demand compensation immediately after doing someone a favor. "Sure, Katsuki," you laughed, "Whatever you want. As long as you don't mind getting up early, we can go to the waffle house. I'll swing by at six."He looked genuinely shocked that you actually accepted his demand. "Seriously?"You couldn't hold back your laughter this time. "Of course, Katsuki. You did me a huge favor; it's the least I can do!He huffed and tried to hide his red face by turning his back to you. "You're damn right it is! I'll see you tomorrow! And you better not be late!" he yelled, storming off.You stood there and shook your head, chuckling to yourself. 'He's honestly kind of cute when he's embarrassed,' you thought. Just then, you heard your phone ding, signaling that someone had texted you. You opened it up to see that it was Izuku. You felt a fond smile grow on your face. The text read,
Hey there! Since you couldn't hang out today, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to grab breakfast tomorrow! It'll be my treat :)!
Your heart sank. You didn't want to have to blow off Izuku twice. He honestly wanted to spend time with you, and you'd love nothing more, but you literally just gave your word to Katsuki. If he had texted you a moment sooner, you would have told Bakugo you'd take him another time. But as it stood, you unfortunately had no choice but to keep your promise with Bakugo, as much as it killed you to let Izuku down. You explained,
Oh, I am so so so sorry, sweetie, but I can't! Katsuki just did me a huge favor and he made me promise to buy him breakfast tomorrow morning! I'd love to go with you, and if you had texted just a moment earlier I would have! I am so sorry, Izu! I owe you big time after today.
He texted back shortly after, and you almost didn't want to read it, knowing that he was going to pretend that he didn't mind. But you did anyway, and it read,
Oh! That's fine! I get it! Another time then! Have fun with Kaachan! Tell him I said hi!
Oh dear, now that broke your heart. You hated to do that to him, but you promised Bakugo. You knew that Izuku was lying, but there wasn't much else you could do but go along with it.
Thank you so much, Izu! Yes, another time! Hey, how about I take you up on your offer to walk home with you tomorrow? I'm not doing anything after school tomorrow, so I'd be able to stay for as long as you want!
You felt a little better after saying that. At least you weren't totally brushing him off. He responded almost immediately, and you could tell he was sincere this time.
That sounds great! I'll see you tomorrow, then :D!
You smiled fondly at his eagerness. You responded.
Yup! See you tomorrow! ~<3
You turned off your phone and skipped all the way home, humming a sweet tune. There was a lightness in your heart that you hadn't felt since Izuku became so withdrawn. It looked like whatever was wrong was getting better! You couldn't wait for tomorrow.You woke up early the next day so you could buy Bakugo's breakfast at the waffle house, as promised. When you got to his house, he seemed genuinely surprised that you showed up, but when you mentioned it he only looked away and said, "I just thought that you were gonna be a loser and forget or something, alright?!"Other than that, Katsuki was surprisingly quiet during breakfast, chewing his food without a word or a look in your direction. Honestly, it kind of worried you. "Hey, Kats, something up?" you asked. "I've never known you to be this quiet." "Well, what do you know!" he said defensively, his cheeks growing redder than Kirishima's hair. He averted his eyes and lowered his voice to a point where you couldn't make out what he said next. He looked almost... Embarrassed? Shy?"I'm afraid you're gonna have to speak up if you want me to hear you, Katsuki," you said."I said thank you!" he shouted, "God, do you ever hear anything?!"Your eyes widened. Katsuki Bakugo saying thank you??? Now that was something you never thought your ears would have the pleasure of hearing. Nonetheless, you were proud of him. That couldn't have been easy for him to say. You gave him an appreciative smile. "You're welcome," you said.He looked away and scratched the back of his neck. "Hey, uh if you want, maybe we can hang out again sometime after school today?" he asked.Now that was also out of character. Usually you were the one that asked him. You were starting to get really concerned for your red-eyed friend. "Uh, yeah, sure that sounds great. I'm going to be at Izuku's right after school, but I can't imagine I'll stay any later than 6:30, so how about seven?" you asked.Katsuki sneered. "Ugh. Again with fucking Deku. But whatever, that sounds fine."You reached across the table and placed your hand on top of one of Katsuki's, concerned. He looked up and you with wide eyes. "Hey, is everything alright?" you asked, "You've been acting weird all morning. Is something wrong? And what exactly is your problem with Izuku? He is my boyfriend — I'm allowed to spend time with him."Katsuki pulled his hand away from yours. "It's nothing! It doesn't matter!" he snapped. He stood up to leave. "Thanks for the food. I'll see you at school." He marched out of the restaurant.His violent reaction left a bitter taste in your mouth. He's not one to hold back his opinions like that, and sure he's been rude, but he'd never spoken to you that angrily before. But if he didn't want to tell you, you wouldn't push it. You were having enough trouble trying to pry information out of Izuku, you could deal with Katsuki later. You sighed and exited the shop. 'Today I'll enjoy my time with Izuku and find out what's been bothering him. I can pick Katsuki's brain later.'  Throughout the course of the day you had completely forgotten about Bakugo's little episode at breakfast, your train of thought favoring to giddily anticipate your date with Izuku. Was it still considered a date if you were just going to his house? You found that you didn't really care — you were just happy to be spending time with your sweet boyfriend again.You couldn't focus on anything during class at all. You felt like a giddy schoolgirl with how excited you were. Well, you guess that you were a schoolgirl, but that was besides the point. To you, the school day couldn't end fast enough.Izuku met with you outside of the building immediately after school, a huge smile on his innocent face. You began on your way to his house, but the closer you got, the more reserved Izuku became. His hand brushed against yours a couple of times, and you wanted so badly to grab it, but you didn't want to make Izuku uncomfortable. You decided that now would be a good time to bring up your concerns about his recent actions. Just as you were about to say something, however, Izuku broke the silence."Hey, um, uh, c-can I... can I hold your hand?" he asked, his hand brushing against yours again and his face growing red. "I-it's okay if you don't want to, but I just thought that... that it might be nice...!"Your face grew warm and butterflies fluttered in your stomach. Was he just quiet because he was nervous? Your heart melted, and your face softened into an encouraging smile. You intertwined his fingers with yours and leaned your head on his shoulder. You felt him tense up, but he relaxed after a second. "Hmm," you hummed, feeling a wave of contentment wash over you, "This is nice." You looked up at his red face through your eyelashes and pouted. "But you don't have to ask, you know. I'm your girlfriend! It's my job to make you happy.""R-right...!" he stuttered. He looked away and scratched the back of his neck shyly. "I-I guess I'm just not used to having a girlfriend yet, hehe."You beamed up at him. "That's okay! I'm not going anywhere, so you have time!" you said cheerily.He ducked his head and gave you a small smile. "Th-thanks."You continued the rest of your walk in a comfortable silence, occasionally chatting about idle things here and there. At some point, you had latched your other hand around his arm and nuzzled your face into his neck. When you did that Izuku kissed the top of your head tenderly, turning your insides to mush.When you got to his house you immediately piled onto the couch, and Izuku put on some old superhero movie. He went and got a couple blankets and pillows and wrapped the two of you up in your own little cocoon. You snuggled up to him and he wrapped his strong arms around you, resting your head on his chest. You don't think that you had ever felt more content than in that moment, huddled into Izuku's arms, listening to his heartbeat, constant and steady.You loved this boy. It filled you up and ran through your veins, leaving you feeling warm and fuzzy all over. It was as integral to who you were as your name. As natural to you as breathing. As much a fact of life as any aspect of nature or scientific discovery. The sky was blue, the earth was round, and you loved a boy named Izuku Midoriya. When you had suspected that he didn't want to be with you anymore your heart had bled, both for him and for yourself. You never wanted him to be unhappy, but you also never wanted to be without him. You don't know what you would have done had those interests conflicted.Time seemed to fly as you cuddled and watched movies for hours, until finally it was 6:30. You really really didn't want to leave, but you did make plans with Bakugo. 'Damn it, why on earth would I do that???' You gently nudged Izuku to wake him up, as he had fallen asleep at some point. "Hey, baby," you whispered as he groggily rubbed his eyes, "I've got to go."He frowned and gave you the most convincing set of puppy dog eyes that you had ever seen. "Do you have to? Can't you at least stay for dinner? I'll tell my mom — I'm sure she won't mind!" he pleaded, sitting up and letting the blankets fall off of him.You shook your head sadly. "I'm sorry, baby. I have plans with Katsuki at seven."You saw Izuku tense up, and his left eye twitched almost imperceptibly. "K-Kaachan? Again? Didn't you just eat breakfast with him this morning?""Yeah, but something was really off. He was acting really strange and I'm worried about him. He asked me to hang out this evening, so I said yes," you explained. Izuku seemed to immediately close himself off, and his eyes adopted the distant look that you had gotten used to seeing in them the past few weeks. You couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong. Just a second ago it seemed like everything was okay again! Did it have something to do with Katsuki?"O-oh. I see," he said, putting on a strained smile, "Y-you go then. F-find out what's wrong with K-Kaachan." He wrapped his arms around himself and hung his head. His voice sounded choked, like he was fighting back tears.Your heart broke for him, and you immediately crawled over and cupped his cheek. "Izuku, sweetheart, what's wrong? You've been so distant lately — I've been worried about you. You can tell me anything," you said, wiping away his tears with your thumb."I — I just —it's nothing. You go take care of Kaachan," he whimpered. You could tell that he was choking back a sob.You cupped his face in both of your hands, making him look up at you. "Baby, you can't expect me to leave you like this. What kind of terrible girlfriend would I be if I just abandoned you like that? It's my job to make you happy, remember?""R-really, it's fine, I just... I just.." You stroked his cheek lovingly, and that broke him. "PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!!!!" he wailed, flinging his arms around you and burring his face into your chest, sobbing uncontrollably. You were stunned by his sudden outburst, but you simply petted his hair and chuckled fondly, "Leave you? Izuku, I'm just going over to Katsuki's house! I'm not going to leave forever!"He shook his head violently. "N-no! That's not it! You're with Kaachan all the time nowadays! I-I almost never see you without him! He's so cool, and strong, a-and confident and I-" He sobbed. "I-I'm just me! I-I love you! P-please don't leave me!" he bawled.It finally clicked in your brain. Izuku thought that you didn't want to be with him?! It was almost laughable. You had been spending so much time with Bakugo recently, it must've seemed like you preferred his company over Izuku's. making Izuku feel insecure. How could you not see it before? How could you not realize how that must have looked to Izuku? You felt absolutely horrible.You lovingly stroked Izuku's curly green hair as he sobbed into your shirt. "Izuku, honey, it's not like that. Not like that at all. Katsuki and I are just friends.""No!" Izuku howled, startling you, "He likes you! It's so obvious! He-he loves you and h-he's trying to take you a-away from m-me!" He tightened his hold on you to the point where it was almost painful. "Please don't leave me! Please! H-he's so much better than me, b-but I promise I'll try to be b-better! I love you! Just please don't leave me!" he wailed in between sobs.It all made sense now. Katsuki liked you! That's why he acted so weird that morning, and why he got so angry whenever you mentioned Izuku, your boyfriend. Your heart broke for Izuku. As close as you were to Katsuki, you loved Izuku and you weren't going to leave him for anything. You shot off a quick text to Katsuki, telling him that you weren't going to make it tonight. You could make it up to him later.You took Izuku's face in your hands and looked him straight in his watery eyes. You wiped away his tears. "Izuku, listen to me. There is nothing going on between me and Katsuki, no matter what his feelings are. You don't need to be anything other than what you already are. I love you, not Katsuki, and that will never change. I wouldn't trade you in for anything." You leaned your forehead against his and said softly but sternly, "I will never leave you. Ever. Not unless you want me to."Izuku's lip quivered, and you watched fresh tears overflow from his viridian eyes. "I — th-thank you," he whispered, sniffling. He gave you a watery smile. "I love you so much.""I love you too, Izuku. More than you can imagine." You placed a tender kiss on his lips to cement your words. He kissed back passionately, gripping your hips firmly.He peppered your face with kisses, punctuating each one with an "I love you," until his tears were all gone, and in their place was his melodious laughter and his radiant smiles.You giggled and said, "I just texted Katsuki that I won't be coming over tonight." You beamed at Izuku "And I'd love to stay for dinner."Izuku gave you a smile with enough watts it could have powered all of Japan. "Really?! I'll go tell my mom!" He immediately leapt over the back of the couch and ran to the kitchen.You laughed and shook your head. You loved Izuku Midoriya. You truly did.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Izuku Midoriya had been missing for the past month. No one had any idea on where he could have gone, and as it currently stood there were no leads in the case. When it was announced that the friendly, green-haired boy had gone missing the entire school was put into an upheaval to find him, and perhaps none more so than yourself.Izuku was one of your closest friends, you would even say he was your best friend. When you learned that he had been reported missing you were thrown into a great despair. There was simply no way that he would have just ran away — he had a very happy home life with his mother and he was currently living his dream of attending UA High School. That led you to believe that there was no other possible explanation for his sudden disappearance than an abduction. At first, you couldn't bring yourself to do anything. But what could you have done? Every police officer in the surrounding cities was instructed to be on the lookout for him. If the police couldn't find him, what made you think that you could?Even so, you found that you couldn't just stand idly by, not while your best friend was in trouble. Izuku had always been there for you, through the good and the bad, and now it was time for you to be there for him. So, you decided to stop laying around and crying about it, and actually do something.You started your investigation simply by asking around. 'Excuse me, have you seen this boy?' Unfortunately, so far, those efforts had been fruitless. It was as if he had just vanished off the face of the earth. But even as time went on, you didn't lose hope. You couldn't lose hope. You couldn't afford to even entertain the idea that it might be too late.You made missing posters and posted them literally everywhere throughout the entire city, along with Mrs. Midoriya. If there was anyone taking Izuku's disappearance harder than you, it was his mother. Mrs. Midoriya was practically beside herself with worry, not knowing if her son was dead or alive, so you made a point to visit her frequently and updated her on your private investigation.It was beginning to seem as though all of your efforts were in vain, that is, until you got a mysterious text message from an unknown number at three AM exactly one month after Izuku vanished.
Tomorrow night. Third ally on Mainstreet. You're in for a surprise.
What? You tried to text them back, but you only go a message saying that the number was discontinued. The only way a stranger would have your number would be if they had gotten it off of the missing posters, which had both yours and Mrs. Midoriya's contact information listed on it. This had to be about Izuku. But what did it mean by a surprise? Izuku wasn't hurt, was he? What if whoever took him did something terrible to him? What if he had been tortured, or they had crippled him or something? What if — what if he was dead? You shook your head to snap yourself out of it. No. You couldn't be thinking like that. You had to have hope. But you also had to make sure that you were prepared for whatever was going to happen tomorrow. You'd have Mr. Yagi and the police department on speed dial in case something goes wrong. You felt yourself fill with conviction. Whatever was going to happen tomorrow, you'd be ready for it.7 PM. You set out early, so as not to miss your mysterious alley confrontation. The person who texted you hadn't told you an exact time, so you figured you should try to get there as early as possible. Better safe than sorry. You didn't want to miss whatever was going to happen, because you had no doubt that it was somehow tied to Izuku's whereabouts.You arrived at the location around 7:30. Your heart was racing and pounding against your ribcage with anticipation and nerves. You were prepared to wait all night, so long as you would be closer to finding Izuku in the end.And so, you waited. For hours and hours, you waited, the nervous thumping of your heart growing faster and harder with every passing second. At this point, you were desperate for any leads. Desperate enough even to follow the directions of a creepy text you received in the middle of the night. Izuku was probably the most important person in your life. He had stood by you through thick and thin. He encouraged you in all that you did with his optimistic smile and acted as your shoulder to cry on when you needed him. He was so precious to you, and you didn't know what you'd do if he was hurt, or worse. You... you loved him. He.. he couldn't die before you got the chance to tell him. He just couldn't.11:45 PM. You heard a noise from somewhere further down the alley, which had remained silent ever since you arrived. This was the first sign of any activity you had witnessed all night, and even if it was nothing you decided to check it out. (That's when you know you're desperate: when you're willing to follow a creepy noise down an even creepier alley way in the middle of the night). You plastered yourself to the wall and crept along it, hoping to remain unseen by whatever had made the noise. As you went further, you began to make out voices. "Good work back there. Looks like the owner didn't hear a thing. The cash from selling this off will definitely be beneficial to our... efforts."You covered your mouth to prevent yourself from making any sound. You couldn't see much through the inky blackness of the night, but you could see the vague outlines of two people. One nearly towered over the other, and the smaller one appeared to be holding a bag of some kind. It seemed to be the taller one that was talking, as you saw the short one pass the bag onto him. His voice was raspy and cruel, and it gave you goosebumps all over. You were beginning to regret your decision to come here. Maybe it didn't have anything to do with Izuku at all — just some random criminals meeting to pawn off stolen goods.God, you hoped it didn't have anything to do with Izuku."Yeah, uh, take it. H-happy... happy to help."That voice seemed to belong to the shorter one. It was higher pitched and hesitant, as if he really wasn't all that happy to help. It sounded heavy and weighted, like the owner carried a great burden on his shoulders.Wait. You knew that voice. You'd never heard it with such a hopeless edge to it, but you knew it nonetheless. That voice as you knew it usually held such spirit, such cheerfulness. Now it sounded monotone and nihilistic, as if all the life and joy it previously possessed had been sucked out of it. You knew that voice, but it couldn't be —! He would never —! It... it just couldn't be —!"Good. I knew you'd come around. I'm glad I didn't just kill you. You're proving to be a very useful ally, Midoriya."But it was. You couldn't believe your ears. Your sweet little Izuku? Villainy? Why? Your eyes stung, and you couldn't help the quiet gasp that escaped you.The tall figure paused. You held your breath. "Well, well, well. Looks like we have ourselves a visitor. I'll take that as my cue to leave. Midoriya, you can take care of it." And with that, the man disappeared, leaving just you and the silhouette of your best friend.You didn't know what to do. You had come here in hopes of finding him, but not like this. Never like this. Why? Why would he do something like this? You knew better than anyone how badly he wanted to be a hero. What changed? There had to be more to this story. There just had to be."Who's there?" Izuku called. "Show yourself!" He started to move closer to where you were hiding. A million courses of action ran through your brain in a split second. You took a deep breath, and stepped out into the middle of the alley, making yourself visible.Izuku stopped dead in his tracks. He breathed out your name, utterly bewildered. "W-what are you doing here???""I could ask you the same thing," you said, the stinging in your eyes becoming almost unbearable, "What are you doing here?"His eyes looked pained. "I... I can explain.""Then explain!" you lashed out, causing Izuku to start. "Explain the conversation I just heard! Explain disappearing for the past month without a trace! Explain the reasoning behind putting me and all your other friends through this! God, explain putting your mother through this!!! She's been beside herself — we've been looking and looking for you! A-and to find out that you're... you're..." You looked him up and down, your tears finally overflowing. "You're doing... this?!" You gestured to the air around you and marched up to him. "Start talking!" you demanded.He bit his lip. "I... I..." His lip quivered, and you could see tears well up in his eyes. He hung his head low as the wet streams poured down his face. "I'm sorry," he whispered shakily, "So, so sorry."You reached a hand up to his face and cupped his cheek, wiping away his tears with your thumb. "Then why?" you asked, voice barely above a hushed whisper, "Why would you do this?"His shoulders shook, his body wracked with silent sobs. "I-I had... I had no choice." His voice cracked, and he brought a hand to his mouth to muffle his whimpers.You brought your other hand up, so that you were holding his face tenderly. You tilted his head up and looked him in the eyes. "Explain," you breathed.His face contorted as a fresh wave of tears flowed from his eyes. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself, as if trying to physically contain his volatile emotions. "I-I —! H-he —! He was — he knew — he was g-going to —!" Izuku started to hyperventilate.You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and stroked his back soothingly, embracing him. You rested your forehead against his own and calmly murmured, "Breathe, Izu, breathe. It's okay. I've got you. It's okay. I won't let anything happen to you. You're safe." You took the hand that wasn't rubbing his back and cupped his face again. "But, Izu, sweetie, you need to tell me what happened. We both know this isn't you.""Y-you're right," he sniffled, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "I — he was going to hurt people if I didn't help him! H-he knows where my m-mom lives — where y-y-you live! He-he said he would h-h-hurt you two if I didn't do what he said...! I didn't have a choice!" He sobbed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I-I couldn't let that happen...! I couldn't let mom die! I couldn't let you get hurt!" he wailed, wrapping his arms around you tightly and burring his face in your shoulder.He sobbed and wailed and whimpered until the sleeve of your shirt was drenched and his voice became raspy and hoarse. "I couldn't, I just couldn't!" he bawled over and over again. You just held him, whispering quiet shh's and it's okay's. Izuku was always there for you — now it was time for you to be there for him. You stood there for what seemed like hours, simply comforting him.When he had calmed down a bit, he pulled away and rubbed away some of his tears. He looked down at you, a heavy self-loathing settled in his deep green eyes. "I don't know how you can stand to look at me, let along hug me like that. H-how can you just accept me so easily? I-I'm a criminal." He looked away as new tears pooled in his eyes. He hung his head and began to sob again. "H-how do you not hate me?"You firmly lifted his chin up, looking him dead in the eye. "Hey, listen to me," you commanded sternly. "I could never hate you, and you are not a criminal. You were being manipulated against your will. We can call All Might in the morning, and I promise that you will not be charged with anything. That man earlier, the one who's been making you do this, that was Shigaraki, right?" Izuku nodded. "You will not receive any blame for this: not from me, not from UA, not from the police. This was entirely his doing. We all know that you would never willingly do something like this. It just isn't you." You gave him a crooked smile, and you felt a few drops of water fall on your cheeks. "I will always stand by you. No matter what. After all, I... I love you."Izuku's gaze snapped up, eyes wide and bewildered. A few more wet droplets escaped his eyes. "You... you love me?" You watched his face morph into a watery smile as a waterfall of bittersweet tears cascaded down his face. "I... I love you too...!" He gave a short laugh and pulled you into another tight embrace, crying and laughing softly into your hair. "Thank you," he breathed shakily, "Thank you so much."And so, you stood there, holding each other and reveling in the comfort the other brought. You knew that everything would be alright tomorrow. After all, you had your Izuku back. What else could you possible need?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Izuku Midoriya showed up at his office after school hours, Toshinori didn’t know what to think. His first thought was that maybe he was having more trouble with One For All than usual and needed guidance, but the way he was sweating profusely and refusing to make eye contact dismissed that idea in a heartbeat. What could possibly have Midoriya so worked up?“Ah, Midoriya my boy! What brings you here?” Toshinori asked.“H-hey, All Might!” Izuku stuttered nervously, giving a small wave of his hand, “C-could I come in for a second? There’s, uh, something… something I’d like to, um, ask you about…”“Oh. Of course! Come right in!” Toshinori stepped to the side, allowing Izuku to enter his office. “Have a seat.”
Toshinori sat himself down behind his desk, and Izuku plopped into the seat in front of it. Toshinori rested his head in his hands and leaned forward expectantly. “What, uh, seems to be the problem?” he asked.Izuku started fidgeting in his seat, His gaze darted all around the room so that he was looking anywhere and everywhere other than at Toshinori. Toshinori was mildly alarmed, and he felt a bead of sweat trickle down the back of his neck. What on earth could Izuku possibly want to ask him that would make him so visibly nervous and uncomfortable? It made Toshinori anxious.Izuku scratched the back of his neck and continued to deliberately avoid eye contact with Toshinori. “W-well,” he stammered, “It’s not r-really all that big of a deal, b-but, I mean I don’t really have a-anybody else to ask and — you know what nevermind.” His voice was an octave or two higher than normal as he stood up abruptly. He swiveled around on his heel stiffly and was about to bolt for the door, but Toshinori stopped him.“No, it’s really no trouble at all. Tell me what’s eatin’ ya.”Izuku turned back around slowly, his face beet red. “I-I really don’t want to bother you! It’s not that important! I promise!” he squeaked, flailing his arms around frantically.Now Toshinori was really worried. Sure, Izuku could be a bit of a worry wart at times, but he hadn’t seen him this nervous since the U.A. entrance exams. “Now Midoriya,” Toshinori said authoritatively, clasping his hand over his student’s shoulder. His tone shifted to something softer and more concerned as he continued, “If it wasn’t important you wouldn’t have come here in the first place. I can’t promise that I’ll have all the answers, but I can promise to help as best I can.”A conflicted look passed over Izuku’s face as he seemed to battle with Toshinori’s offer. After a moment of thought, he gave a long sigh, shoulders slumping in defeat, and sat back down, Toshinori doing the same. Izuku sank down into his chair, twiddling his thumbs and looking off to the side. “…It’s just embarrassing…” he mumbled, his cheeks an even brighter shade of cherry than before.
Toshinori was confused, to say the least, but he was determined to help his pupil in any way he could. “It’s all right,” he said, trying his best to sound comforting, “Just tell me what’s on your mi—"“How do you confess to a girl?” Izuku blurted out, effectively cutting off Toshinori’s sentence.Toshinori’s mind went blank. It took him a moment to process exactly what Izuku had said, but once he did an overwhelming feeling of dread came over him and settled in his stomach. ‘Oh, dear God, why??? Not that, anything but that!!!! If it were anything, anything else, then maybe I’d be able to help. Oh God, he’s looking at me, what do I say?!?!?!?!?’ Toshinori internally panicked. He cleared his throat to at least appear as though he had gained some semblance of composure. “Oh, um… is there any… specific reason you want to know?”Izuku’s flush deepened to a shade of crimson that rivaled Kirishima’s hair. “N-no reason!” he squeaked, obviously lying.Toshinori might have laughed had he not been almost as nervous and uncomfortable as Izuku about the entire situation. Although he was anxious about being put on the spot about a topic he knew virtually nothing about, however, he was now also curious as to who Izuku was referring to. He went through his mental roster of female students in class 1-A. Jirou? No, she and Denki definitely had something going on. Asui? No, while she and Izuku were friends, they were obviously just that: friends. He probably spent the most time with Uraraka, so maybe her. Then he suddenly recalled a certain sweet, cheerful, and optimistic student that had transferred to U.A. around the time of the sport’s festival.“………This isn’t about Y/N, is it?”The way Izuku sputtered like a broken train engine and practically fell out of his seat answered Toshinori’s question for him: he’d hit the nail on the head. “Wh-wh-what?!?! No! Wh-where did you get that idea?” he stammered, his voice cracking somewhere in the middle of his avid denial. A knowing look from Toshinori caused him to shrink down into the chair, subdued with hot embarrassment splattered all across his freckled face. “………M-maybe….” he mumbled.Honestly, it was pretty obvious in hindsight. Ever since the girl had joined them Izuku had been very blatantly trying to impress her, and Toshinori was sure he’d almost fainted when she gave him a hug that one time. It was actually pretty cute, and despite being horrifically underqualified, Toshinori wanted to help him out. So, he said the first thing that came to mind. “W-well, if you want to tell her your feelings, then you should just be honest with her.”Izuku cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean by that?” he asked.‘Oh God that was all I had!’ “Wh-what I mean is that you clearly must care a lot for this girl, so you just need to tell her that.” As he gained more steam, Toshinori stood up. “Be a man, Midoriya! You just have to gather your courage, march on over to her, and tell her exactly what you think of her! That’s all you can do! …And, uh, a gift or something might be a nice touch too.” The last sentence of his little speech was spoken sheepishly.“B-but what if she says no?”“Listen, Midoriya,” Toshinori said, walking over to Izuku and placing a large hand on his shoulder, “That’s just a risk you’re going to have to be willing to take. Besides,” He gave one of his signature grins, “you’re a good kid, I’m sure it’ll work out fine. I’m rooting for you!” Izuku smiled up at him and stood up as well. “You’re right,” he proclaimed, a newfound confidence in his eyes, “I just have to be more confident! I’ve got to go. Thanks, All Might! I knew I could count on you!” And with that, he was out the door.Toshinori smiled softly to himself. ‘Well, I’m glad I could help.’ And help he must have, because the very next day after school he caught a glimpse of Izuku and Y/N, the former holding a giant bouquet of flowers and the latter crushing him in the biggest bear hug Toshinori had ever seen.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Y/N! Are you okay?!” your friend, Izuku, yelled, rushing to your side.You were, in fact, not okay, if your crumpled-up form collapsed on the ground wasn’t enough of an indication. Sweat dripped down your forehead as you panted heavily, eyes screwed shut in pain. Dammit, you knew you should’ve taken it easy today, but extra training after school with Izuku was too necessary for you to pass up (that and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t super excited to spend some time with the freckled boy). Plus, you knew he’d be worried if you didn’t show up and stayed home, like you really ought’ve.You groaned, clutching your churning stomach. The pain was so excruciating you almost didn’t register Izuku’s anxious voice. “H-hey, Y/N, are you doing alright? What happened?” You blinked your eyes open in the all-too bright sun, seeing the concerned face of your friend peering down at you.You pulled yourself up into a sitting position, ignoring the screaming pain in your head. “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” you labored out, attempting to wipe some sweat from your forehead, “Just not feeling my best today.”“As in, like, sick?” The worry etched on his face nearly broke your heart. He leaned over and pressed the back of his hand to your forehead. The proximately would have flustered you, but you didn’t have the energy to be embarrassed. His eyebrows shot up upon feeling the heat radiating off of your skin. “Oh my gosh, Y/N! No wonder you fell down, you’re burning up! You should be home in bed!”You cast your gaze to the ground, unable to meet his eyes. “I’m really sorry, Izu. I just—.” A loud, hacking cough wracked your body, interrupting your thought. Izuku rubbed your back soothingly.“Don’t push yourself,” he said, “Let’s just get you to bed.” Before you could protest, he scooped you up in his arms bridal style. You let out a surprised squeak and your arms reflexively flew around his neck, holding on for dear life.Your face burned, and not just from the fever. His arms wrapped around your legs and back, holding you close to his chest. “I- I can walk, you know,” you stuttered, suddenly finding his shoes infinitely interesting.“I’d rather not take any chances. Don’t worry, I don’t mind.” His kind, smiling eyes and little lopsided smile made your heart melt. His eyes darted to the side and his freckled cheeks reddened. “Th-that is, unless it makes you uncomfortable! Oh, gosh, it probably does, doesn’t it? Y-yeah, just, uh, forget about it,” he rambled just a little too loudly.“N-no, it’s okay.” You both fell silent for a long awkward moment until you felt his pounding heart slow down again.He let out a short huff of air. “Well, in that case, let’s get you home!” Brightness and conviction returned to his voice, and you had to hide your flushed face in the crook of his neck. You found it more than a little impressive that he carried you all the way to your dorm room without breaking a sweat: it’s not like you were particularly light. You might have been a little embarrassed at having a boy in your room, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care much when your eyelids suddenly felt so heavy. You didn’t notice the soft coolness of your bed when he set you down and tucked you in, as you were already fast asleep. The sound of the door opening roused you from your slumber. You painstakingly blinked open your eyes to find Izuku struggling with two large paper shopping bags as he attempted to close the door with his foot. The cute little sound of satisfaction he made when he finally succeeded made a warm bubbly feeling rise in your chest, and you couldn’t help the giggle that escaped you. His head whipped around faster than a gunshot. His startled eyes softened upon reaching your cozy form. “Y/N,” he said, setting the bags down and plopping down in the seat next to your bed, “I’m really sorry for waking you up — I didn’t mean to. How are you feeling?”You smiled weakly up at him. “A little better, I guess, but still pretty terrible,” you croaked, your voice scratchy from both coughing and sleep. You nodded your head in the general direction of the shopping bags. “What’s all that?”“Just, uh, medicine and soup and stuff. You seemed really sick passing out so quick and all, so I figured I’d go pick up some things to help you feel better.” His warm, freckly grin sent a wave of affection and gratitude crashing through you. What a sweet boy: he could be off doing anything he wanted but instead he chose to stay there with you and help nurse you back to health. You knew it was futile to argue with him once he truly set his mind to it, so instead of feeling bad about being an inconvenience you just felt grateful.“Thank you so much, Izu. This means a lot to me. But…” You eyed the bulging bags. “How is all that medicine?”His cheeks flushed and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well, I, uh, don’t really know what kind of bug you have, a-and I don’t know what brands work best, so I kinda got a bit of… everything?” He said it like a question, like he was seeking your approval of his decision. You bit back a smile at the sheer cuteness.You were about to respond when a lung-crushing cough gripped your throat. Izuku immediately jumped up to go rifle through one of the bags for some medicine. By the time he found it and your fit had subsided, your sides ached so badly you were sure you had bruised a rib.“Well, looks like the cough syrup’ll come in handy,” he said, pouring some out onto a spoon with an uneasy smile sent your way. He raised it up to your mouth, and you blushed.“I-I can take it m-myself…” you stuttered.“No,” he insisted, not unkindly, “You’re sick, and I’m taking care of you. I don’t want you to use up any more energy than you have to, got it?”You were touched by his sincerity, and more than a little shocked at his boldness. You were certain that had it been under any other circumstances he would’ve been a blushing, fumbling mess. You found it sweet that his desire to care for you overrode his shyness, so you swallowed to calm yourself and just let him feed you the medicine. He beamed at you, and you decided it was worth it to let him do as he pleased.“So, do you think you can eat anything?” Izuku asked about two hours later. He had been kind of flitting about, bringing you glasses of water or tidying up your desk periodically. You had to say, you didn’t expect him to stay this long.You poked your head out from your burrow of blankets and pillows. “Oh, uh, yeah, maybe a little.”“Okay, I’ll make some soup then.” He gave you a warm smile.A few minutes later he returned with a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup and a thermometer. “Let’s see if your fever’s gone down any,” he said, handing you the small object. You popped it in your mouth and waited for it to beep before pulling it out and checking it. Izuku took it from you and his eyebrows scrunched up in concern. “It looks a little bit better, but not much.” He looked up to meet your eyes and placed a comforting hand over yours. “Really, Y/N, how could you let it get this bad? Why didn’t you say something sooner?” He looked away and color rose to his freckled cheeks. “I… I was really worried. I’d be devastated if something happened to you.”You felt a tug at your heart. How could you be so careless? In your attempt not to worry Izuku by still showing up to training, you only made it worse. “I am so sorry, Izuku. I never meant to upset you. I guess I underestimated how bad it was.”He gave you a comforting smile. “It’s alright, just promise not to push yourself like that again, okay?”“Yeah, okay,” you said through a yawn.Izuku stood up and pulled your blankets back over you. “Good. Now get some rest. I promise I’ll still be here when you wake up.” No further encouragement was needed: you were out like a light within the next couple seconds. Izuku smiled gently and sighed. “What am I going to do with you. You’re almost as bad as me.” Only once he was certain you were asleep (and even then, it was so quick he almost wasn’t sure he had even done it), only then did he lean over and place a soft kiss on your forehead. “Goodnight, Y/N,” he whispered, “Sleep well.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

In a world where 90% of the population has superpowers, the idea of soulmates wasn’t such a stretch. Along with the emergence of quirks came these mysterious bonds between strangers. Some have multiple, some have none at all. Some don’t learn they have one until later in life, and some have known ever since they could hold a pencil. Some live right next door, and some don’t even speak the same language…One such case was that of Izuku Midoriya.Izuku had always known that he had a soulmate. For as long as he could remember mysterious pictures and words would appear on his skin only to vanish later. That knowledge grounded him, and at some points in his life felt like the only reason he kept going. Even when he found out he was quirkless, the innocent little doodles still showed up: a reminder that there was still someone out there that would love him no matter what. Now, he had no idea where they were, what their name was, or even what gender they were, as that sort of information never goes through, but that wasn’t Izuku’s main problem. No, his problem was that the words that his soulmate wrote for him… were not in Japanese.It wasn’t unheard of, but it certainly wasn’t common for a pair of soulmates to live in different countries. They learned early on that they’d have to think outside the box to communicate, so they mostly just drew pictures: what they liked and disliked, what they saw, things they cared about, everything. Izuku wasn’t the greatest artist, but his soulmate was very good and would even draw little comic strips detailing how their day went. It always brought a smile to his face to see the care and effort they put into those drawings. It may have been easier to just use an online translator, but they’d been doing things this way for so long that it almost felt like cheating. Deciphering the images was all part of the fun and mystery of it. So imagine Izuku’s surprise when words, and no pictures, appeared on his skin for the first time since he was a young child.Izuku hadn’t heard from his soulmate all day, and it was starting to worry him. They usually drew little doodles for him on their arms periodically throughout the day, but so far there had been nothing. He hoped to entice them into responding by scribbling a few stars and flowers on his hand, but to no avail. The last message he had gotten from them was a drawing of an airplane yesterday morning, so he assumed that they were traveling. But even so, they certainly would’ve landed by now, even if they were going half-way across the world. It was driving him insane. He decided to throw himself into his studies with a few of his friends to take his mind off of it, but it wasn’t helping much.“Hey, Midoriya, what’s that on your arm?” Denki asked, completely ignoring his homework.“Huh?” Izuku paused from the notes he’d been furiously jotting down and began to examine his arm. “What are you talking about? Where?”Tenya looked up from his work at the commotion and furrowed his eyebrows. He grabbed Izuku’s arm and flipped it over. “Right here! It appears to be English. Really, Midoriya, you shouldn’t be taking notes on your skin! It’s not good for you! Especially since there’s plenty of paper right here."
“English? But I didn’t…” Izuku checked the inside of his arm and frowned. It was true; there did appear to be a few words of English scribbled on the inside of his forearm, but he didn’t remember writing them. And his handwriting didn’t look anything like that… He blushed as the realization dawned on him. He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. “Oh, that’s, uh… probably just my soulmate.”

Ochako’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “You already have a soulmate, Deku?! That’s amazing! Have you met them yet? What does it say?”

Izuku’s blush deepened and he planted his gaze firmly on the ground. “Well, uh, no, not yet. I’m pretty sure they only speak English, so we haven’t been able to communicate much.” He furrowed his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. “But they usually just draw pictures… It must be something important if they felt the need to write it down, especially since they haven’t drawn anything all day…”

Ochako clapped her hands together, stars in her eyes. “Oh, how exciting! We’ll have to decipher it! Iida, can I see your English book?”

Tenya dutifully passed it over and Ochako started flipping through the pages. Panic rose up in Izuku’s throat. What if it said something really personal or embarrassing? He didn’t want everybody reading it! “H-hey, aren’t we supposed to be studying? I can take care of this later, yeah?” His voice was at least two octaves higher than normal. He made a desperate grab for the book, but Ochako pulled it just out of reach at the last minute.

“This is studying! We’re translating something! Can I see your arm?”

Izuku hesitated. Shouto finally spoke up, not looking away from his books. “Just let her have her fun. She’s going to get her way no matter what; might as well make it as painless as possible.”

“Yeah!” Denki added, “Besides, this is way more interesting than homework.”

Izuku eyed Ochako’s outstretched hand warily but relented under everyone’s expectant gazes. ‘Let’s just get this over with.’

Ochako’s smile brightened and she continued flipping through the book, occasionally glancing back at the words on Izuku’s arm. “Okay… so that looks like it could probably be… and that seems like a conjunction…” She muttered to herself for a few moments before bolting upright. “I’ve got it!”

Everyone crowded around her, leaning over to look at the book. Izuku swallowed dryly, slightly nervous. “W-what? What does it say?”

Ochako grinned deviously at him and winked. “It says, ‘You’re cute’!”

Izuku’s face flushed dark red. “W-w-what!? Are you sure?”

She crossed her arms and nodded, a self-assured smile on her face. “Yessiree, that’s exactly what it says. And it’s not wrong either.” She gave him a playful wink.

Tenya looked over Ochako’s shoulder at the book and Izuku’s arm, humming. “Yes, that does appear to be the correct translation.” He clapped his hand on Izuku’s shoulder, nearly knocking the wind out of him. “Congratulations, Midoriya! It seems your soulmate thinks highly of you!”

Izuku sputtered. “B-b-b-b-but how would they know that! Have we met before and I just didn’t notice?!” He buried his face in his hands. “This is all just too much.”

“Chill out, dude, it’s just one compliment.” Denki placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “And hey, maybe this means you’ll meet ‘em soon! I mean, they know what you look like, so they have to have seen you before, right?”

“I-I guess… But they say weird stuff all the time…! How do I know that they actually know who I am?”

Just then, a few more lines appeared on her arm, signaling that his soulmate was writing something again. Everyone crowded over him and waited with bated breath. It looked like it was going to be a picture. First green, then blue, then a bit of red, then more green… gosh, that was a lot of green.

“It’s you!” Ochako exclaimed, bouncing up. “It’s a drawing of you in your uniform from the sports festival! It’s broadcasted all over the world: that’s how they know who you are!”

Shouto leaned over to get a closer look. “…It’s really good. Looks exactly like you.”

Izuku could’ve sworn there was steam coming out of his ears. He thanked God that Katsuki wasn’t there: he would’ve ridiculed him relentlessly for having his own self-portrait on his arm. A few more words appeared underneath the drawing and Tenya snatched up the English textbook to find a translation. After not even 15 seconds of flipping, he stopped abruptly. “Right here! It says, ‘Is this you?’” He snapped the book shut. “You need to respond!”

Izuku quickly grabbed a pen and scribbled a ‘yes’ in English. A few seconds later a cute little smiley face surrounded by hearts appeared. He felt his heart thump hard in his chest, and he ducked his head down to the goofy smile that had snuck onto his face. Ochako glanced over his shoulder and giggled. “Aww, how cute! They must really like you! You’re so lucky to already know you have a soulmate, Deku. Especially one that’s such a good artist and acts so cute.” She winked cheekily.

Izuku felt you could’ve fried an egg on his face, but he still managed to give a little chuckle and joke back. “Hey, don’t get any ideas. They’re my soulmate.” His expression softened as he gazed back down at the affectionate doodles on his skin. “And yeah. I really am.”

He went back to his room shortly after that, as it was getting late, but he was far too buzzed with excitement to sleep. His soulmate knew who he was! That was, like, the first step to actually meeting each other! If they saw him on TV at the sports festival, then that also meant that they knew he went to UA, which drastically narrows down the search. Could that airplane they drew for him mean that they were coming to Japan to see him? His heart raced at the very thought. But he couldn’t let himself get too excited. The chances of that being the case were extremely low, but he couldn’t help but cling on to a little shred of hope.
He cracked open his English textbook, flipping through it until he found what he needed. The drawing of himself had faded by now, so he had plenty of room to write his message. He was only half-confident it was grammatically correct. ‘Can you show me what you look like?’A few lines of color popped up on his skin, but they disappeared before they took on any recognizable shape. A couple minutes later more words showed up. According to the textbook, they said, I drew a picture, but I don’t think it’ll go through. Sorry.’ A little frowny face was drawn at the end.Izuku probably should’ve seen that coming, but his heart still sank a little. He drew a crude thumbs up to let them know that it was okay. A moment later a picture of a crescent moon appeared along with a heart. It had never been officially stated, but Izuku knew that was code for, ‘goodnight, I love you.’ His stomach did a flip and he returned the gesture. He fell asleep with a soft smile on his face and a warm heart in his chest.
The next day all Izuku could think about in all his classes were the messages that he had gotten from his soulmate the night before. Well, all of his classes except English— he always paid extra attention in that class. He hoped to one day be able to speak it (or at least write it) well enough to be able to communicate with his soulmate without the use of drawings or a translator. (He liked the uniqueness of speaking through pictures, but sometimes playing Pictionary on his arms and legs got old.) Apparently, it was all the girls could think about either, or at least it was all they could talk about. Ochako must’ve said something to somebody, and word spreads fast in class 1-A. He was glad that Ochako was happy and excited for him, but he was more than a little embarrassed that his classmates kept asking him questions about it. He knew that they were just curious, but he still wasn’t used to being asked so much about his personal life.

“So, how long have you known?” Mina asked. Mr. Aizawa had let the class have a study hall for the last period of the day, but instead of studying all of the girls were crowded around Izuku’s desk asking questions about his soulmate. All of their expectant gazes were trained on him. It was actually quite intimidating.

“Oh, well, um… since I was really little, I guess. To be honest, I can’t remember a time where I didn’t know.”

They all ‘aww’ed, stars in their eyes (well, he couldn’t tell with Hagakure, so he just assumed). Sue cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. “Wow, Midoriya, that’s really rare. And lucky. It must’ve been nice to always know…” A slightly wistful look crossed her face.

Izuku knew that he was very fortunate for his soul marks to start appearing at such a young age. Most people didn’t start getting them until their early to mid-twenties, and some have to wait even longer, if they get any at all. He chuckled bashfully and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’m a really lucky guy. They’ve always been there for me, you know? Even when no one else was. They’ve really kept me going.” He smiled brightly, warmth flooding his chest as he thought about it. “And even though we’ve never met, and we can’t really talk to each other, they already matter so much to me.”

The girls practically melted into puddles of goo at that, choruses of ‘aww’ and ‘how sweet’ filling the air. Izuku was still embarrassed to be talking about it, but it made his friends happy, so he’d endure.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the awkward questioning. As Izuku was getting his stuff together, Katsuki passed by and sneered at him. “Would you just shut it with the chick flick shit, Deku. No one cares about your stupid fucking soulmate.” Before Izuku could defend himself, Katsuki stormed off.

Sue put a comforting hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to him, Midoriya. I think it’s wonderful that you already have a soulmate and I’m really happy for you.” She gave a happy little ribbit and smiled up at him.

Izuku sighed, ribbing his arm. “I know, Asui. I’m used to him by now.” He cracked a small, appreciative smile back. “Thanks though.”

“Don’t mention it.” She gave him another closed-eyed smile and hopped off.

Izuku grabbed his bag and headed out. He had some special training with All Might after school, and he didn’t want to be late. Even though he had officially retired, he still took it upon himself to continue privately training Izuku with One For All. He met up with him on a hill nearby UA, as there was a lot of open space there and the risk of Izuku destroying something important was low. The area’s only distinguishable feature was a single sakura tree that sat at hill’s crest.

About halfway through the training session, Izuku took a short break to have some water. That break would soon become a much longer one because when he sat down, he noticed another new drawing on his arm. It was unmistakably a picture of UA, along with four new words underneath it. “Hey, All Might! You know English, right?”

All Might looked over, confused. “Yes… Why do you ask?”

Izuku blushed and looked away. “Oh, well, you see, my soulmate only speaks English and they just wrote me something and I was wondering if maybe you could… translate? Only if you don’t mind, though!”

“Oh, um, sure. Let me see.” Izuku gave All Might his arm and he whistled lowly. “Wow. That is one impressive drawing. Your soulmate’s quite talented. Now, let’s see…… It says, ‘is this your school.’ Congratulations, young Midoriya, it looks like you might be meeting your soulmate soon if they’ve figured out where you go to school.”

Izuku’s stomach flipped and his heart fluttered at that thought. He began to frantically pat himself down for a pen. All Might tapped him on the shoulder and handed him one from his pocket, a knowing smile of his face. Izuku blushed darker as he wrote a hurried English ‘yes’ on his arm. The both of them watched as the picture disappeared and a new one slowly replaced it. Each line appeared separately, gradually forming a whole image. They seemed to be putting a lot of care into this drawing, as they were taking far longer to finish than usual. Had Izuku been sitting, he would’ve been on the edge of his seat, and he had to resist the urge to chew on his nails.

When it was finally finished, it revealed itself to be a breathtakingly detailed rendering of a hill. There were two tiny people drawn on top of it and one lone sakura tree, just starting to blossom.

Izuku gasped, his eyes wide. “That’s…!”

All Might shushed him as more words appeared. “’Is this where you are right now.’” All Might looked up, his eyes gleaming. “Hurry, my boy! Answer it!”

With a shaking hand, Izuku scribbled another ‘yes’. Almost immediately after, another sentence appeared, this time in Japanese. ‘Turn around.’

Izuku whipped around and came face to face with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her hair shone in the fading sunlight and her eyes twinkled from the elated grin on her face. She was a bit taller than him, but he certainly wasn’t complaining about that. But most importantly, she had a detailed pen drawing of a hill all up and down her arm.

Izuku’s heart thumped painfully in his chest. This was it. “H-hey.” He sounded a little breathless even to himself.

The girl took a step forward, her smile widening. “Hi,” she said with an adorable American accent, “It looks like you’re my soulmate.”

He swallowed. “Y-yeah, it looks like it.” He held out his hand for her to shake. “I-I’m Izuku Midoriya. It’s nice to finally meet you!”

She laughed: a full and rich sound. “Oh, c’mon. I’m your soulmate! I think I get a little more than just a handshake, don’t cha think?”

Izuku stuttered, and he heard All Might laugh behind him. The former number one hero muttered something about “leaving them to it” and walked off, leaving Izuku completely alone and defenseless to this girl.

She laughed again (that was a sound that Izuku could get used to). “C’mere you.” She wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him into a warm hug. He stiffened, but relaxed and melted into it after a moment, hugging her back, It felt so… right. Like he belonged there.

After a long moment, the girl pulled away, still smiling brightly. “My name’s Y/N Y/L/N.”

“Y/N,” Izuku breathed, awestruck. His eyebrows furrowed. “But wait, I thought that you only spoke English?”

Y/N giggled. “Are you surprised? I’ve been studying! I’m not all that good yet, but when I realized who you were, I just couldn’t stay away for long.” A sweet blush grew on her face and Izuku’s heart melted.

“I-I think you’re doing wonderfully! I’m so glad to finally meet you.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say. I’m happy too. Besides…” She winked. “You’re even cuter in person. I’ve always had a soft spot for boys with freckles.”

Izuku’s cheeks grew hot as she cupped his face in her hands. She leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. He felt lightheaded and happier than he could’ve ever dreamed. He knew, deep down, that this was the beginning of something wonderful.