𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬||𝐈𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀

breathe easy

It's like the aftermath of exams. Everyone's tired and trying to get by. Things calmed down, but everyone eagerly awaits the arrival of break.

That's how the rest of Mina's break went.

Misha showed up not too long after Izuku left. The car ride home was silent, and Mina was grateful her sister didn't try to pry about the long face.

Christmas morning was a day to remember. She woke up to a thousand missed messages and called from both Jirou and Ochaco. Her heart swelled at the thought of her friends as she reassured them both that she was okay. Her friends weren't dense. They could tell something else was up. However, per Mina's request, they left it alone.

She got the things she asked for, new shoes, a dress, some makeup, the usual, even a happy birthday text from Izuku.

She sent one back. It was a nice thing to do. Formally taking time for yourself didn't mean cutting people out of your life entirely. She knew that now. It was more of still being there, but not really.

It's cutting some things out of your relationship and giving yourself time to heal. The moments with tension, the tight hugs, staying up late at night, drinking hot cocoa together. She winced at the last line. It would feel weird to get back to U.A and not share the infamous drink with Izuku. She's done it before, she's done it without him, but it became their thing.

She stared into the cup of cocoa she held herself. It didn't taste the same.

"What's wrong, Mina?" Her mom called from across the room. She was stuffing the wrapping papers into bags. "Is the cocoa cold? You can heat it if you want." She offered before going back to cleaning.

Her thumb traced the side of the mug as she stared into the pool of milk. "I don't think I'm hungry, Mama. I'll drink it later," She set the cup down and made her way to her room.

---

When things clouded her mind, she was always running. She loved it. It allowed her to be alone with her thoughts and sort things out without the negative thoughts taking over her mind. In all truth, she should have spent the last week running. It probably would have helped things not end so badly.

Her mother didn't want her to run outside. She said she'll catch a cold, leaving Mina to be in her feelings, inside. The latter half of Christmas break was much warmer than she anticipated, so her mother let her out. She appreciated the cold air, though. It provided a welcoming striking feeling in her bones. It was enough to wake anyone up. It was calming, beats blasting in her ears, the silent pound of her chest, and the gentle sway of her braids in the wind.

Back during school time, she'd probably force one of her friends to go running with her, maybe Kirishima. She hasn't talked to him in a while.

It'd be nice to catch up with the cool, steely, spiky-haired classmate. She needed a new running buddy, anyway. Midoriya was out of the question.

Midoriya.

"No!" She suddenly said aloud. She slowed down to a walking pace and slapped her hands on both sides of her cheeks. "We aren't thinking about Midoriya today!" She was persistent to keep this change of scenery. She didn't want thoughts of her current problems to ruin her mood. She slipped an earbud back in and continued jogging.

She was about three blocks from her house when she decided to turn back. The chilly air was a bit too much for her. Besides, a cup of hot cocoa was waiting for her.

---

The new year and the rest of the week went by in a blur. Before Mina knew it, her bags were in the car, and she was whispering her last goodbyes to her family.

"I promise, guys. I'll visit more this semester!" She whispered between the faces of her father and mother.

"Good. We're planning on seeing you more as well, kiddo," Mina's father gave his daughter one last hug before stepping back. "Go on now. We don't want you to be late going back, now do we?"

After a tight hug from her mother, she settled into the car and had her sister drive off.

Things were easier after the car ride and some back and forth debating with herself, she decided to come clean. She snuck into her sister's that room and woke her up. She planted herself down on her sister's bed and declared that she was going to come clean. Her sister, who was grumpy about being woken up, changed her attitude to listen to the girl in need. At first, Misha didn't say anything. Misha just kept quiet, which Mina appreciated.

Once Mina finished her tale, she pressed Mina into a small hug and whispered, "You're stronger than you know. Give yourself credit for that,"

She cried, of course, but more out of relief that she could open up. She would have to update Hagakure on the situation and then debate telling Jirou what happened, but that was in the future. She focused on the feeling of comfort she was experiencing.

Since then, Mina has tried to live those words. She didn't beat herself up over what happened or try to move on right away. She just took it slow. Slow was nice. Things were easy right now, she couldn't say for sure that things were gonna be easy when she got back to school, but she didn't have to worry about that.

---

She wasn't late for the train for once. They got there pretty early. Misha helped her get her bags for the trunk and saw her off.

"Promise that you'll call!" She called.

"You know I will," Mina rolled her eyes while checking her bag. She had to make sure that she had her train pass.

"Promise that you'll come home for a weekend! I can't wait until summer to see you again!"

"Alright, alright, Misha," She sighed. "I'll call you once I'm at my dorm!"

This time, Mina was going to make that promise. The weight from her chest has lifted, and her nausea was gone as she made her way to the train. If you looked closely, you could see Mina's signature bounce in her step.

Everyone's favorite pink-haired girl was back, and better than ever.