𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬||𝐈𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀

Spirit

Ochaco looked happier now. She held hands with Bakugou in the hallways, like he used to. She ate with him at his table with his friends, like he used to. Sometimes, if Midoriya found himself restless and studying downstairs, he would hear them coming back from sneaking out after a date. The smell of that one cafe filled the air.

It wouldn't be too farfetched to say Midoriya might have missed Ochaco. It wasn't out of the question entirely. It wasn't unusual to have unresolved feelings towards your exes. Complicated feelings were simply a part of the process of moving on.

----

It wasn't fun. The whole hung-up over his ex thing was tiring. Word leaked to the rest of the students. They offered their silent condolences to him in the hallway. Hell, even All Might and Mr. Aizawa pulled him aside and asked if anything was wrong. It would take more than a wave in the hallway or a quick whisper to shake Midoriya out of his funk. His friends could cut the crap and actually try something else.

It was late one night, and Midoriya decided to leave his room. He said the reason was fresh air. His thoughts were starting to prove to suffocate him since he couldn't get out of this depression. Ochaco plagued his mind, whether he wanted her to or not.

The soft smile she did before letting out a laugh, the pads on her fingers, and the way her hair framed her face perfectly, was mesmerizing. If he could just talk again, just say he's sorry, explain himself then-

"Izuku?" A voice called from across the room. He flinched, then turned behind around to see who had called for him. A small part of him had wished it was Ochaco. Still, he was stunned when he saw a horned girl staring back at him.

His words were caught in his throat when it registered that Mina was standing in front of him. She wore a baggy T-Shirt and some sweats. Her braids were out, and her hair was pulled up, her horns peeked out nicely. Something about her glowed since the last time he looked at her, really looked at her. She tilted her head, and her black scleras stared back at him.

How long had it been since this happened, back in the first semester? Mina was crying to herself in the living room, Izuku couldn't sleep, and they stayed up together. Neither one knew what would unfold over the next few months. Neither knew that the events of that fateful night would unfold again.

"Hey," She said again. "Are you alright, Izuku?" Out of instinct, he took a step back.

"Um, yeah," He swallowed, looking around. "U-um. W-What are you doing u-up?" Both of his hands found each other and started to make random signs. His stuttering had returned, but he could care less about the temporary speech impairment. Mina frowned.

"I just came down for some food," She shrugged. "That's not important, though. Are you sure you're okay? Come sit down with me."

Before he could protest, Mina had grabbed his hand. Her hands were warm and soft as she dragged him to the couch. "I don't care if it's against the rules or whatever. Something's wrong with you, Izuku," The grip on his hand tightened.

"I know we haven't been talking much, so it's weird for me to be the one to talk to you," She shifted uncomfortably on the sofa and cleared her throat. "We're all worried about you. Everyone's noticed this shift in your behavior. I'm the only one with the balls to say it. Really though, what's wrong?"

His hand found his arm and rubbed it. "I g-get what you mean," He started. "I-I don't feel like m-me and I-I haven't felt like m-me, in a long l-long time." Tears trickled down his cheeks, and he wiped them off with his sleeve. It was a stereotypical response, but it was all he managed to let out.

She hummed. "Do you want to talk about it?" The weight on his hand started to lessen, and he grabbed her hand again.

"No!" He said at once after a sniffle. Mina raised her eyebrows. "I-I m-mean no, not really."It sounded fine in his head, but once the words escaped, he couldn't help but sob a little.

She nodded at the crying boy and simply scooted closer. Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around Izuku in a tight embrace. He let his arms stay pinned to his side. He had no energy to hug back.

"It's okay." She whispered into the crook of his neck. "Whatever you need, I'm here." She paused, trying to figure out what to say. "I-I'll always try to be here for you like you were for me." She said quickly. "It's the right thing to do." She pulled back and rested her hands on Izuku's shoulders. She took a good look at him, scanning for what he would say next.

He did nothing but laugh, a genuine laugh, for the first time in a while, at Mina's attempts of trying to cheer him up.

---

The night before practical exams, he texted her everything. The letter, the breakup, the phase he was in, all led up to their reunion. On that night, they didn't do much but just lay there. He eventually fell asleep in the living room, Mina left pillows and a blanket to cover him. Everyone else figured he had passed out from studying too much. They were still awkward, not back to their usual friendship, but the conversation they shared was a start. A bridge.

Practical exams were as easy as predicted. Nothing special, just a match with classmates, quirks allowed, inside Gym Gamma. His fight with Aoyama was simple enough. He didn't manage to break any bones. It was over before he knew it.

The real trouble was Mina's fight. She had been paired with Todoroki. From the start, the match's fate had been determined. It was no secret that Todoroki would have obviously won. However, it wasn't the result of the fight that troubled young Midoriya. It was how it happened.

He didn't speak much to Mina that day. He uttered some words of luck to her on her match.

Todoroki was reluctant to use his ice this round since Mina could melt through it. She kept a safe distance from the Half and Half user, making sure his flames didn't touch her. Walls of ice emerged from the ground in front of her and covered her surroundings. It was like she was trapped inside of an igloo from the outside. Out of instinct, she secreted acid and sliced through with ease.

It happened to quickly.

Waiting in front of her was Todoroki himself. She moved forward. He reached his hand, and particles of ice formed around the side of her stomach before gathering in a concentrated spot. At once, her eyes widened while her hands found the place where a chunk of ice had impaled her.

She stumbled back a bit and looked at the crowd. She searched and searched until she found who she was looking for. She smiled. Todoroki offered a hand out for her to grab. Before she could grasp it, she fell to the ground with a thump.

Todoroki had won the fight.

Mina layed unconscious on the ground, a growing pool of red was beneath her.

And Midoriya wished Mina didn't hold his gaze before collpasing.