You step out of the shower with a sigh, the warm water relaxing all your muscles. You wrap one of your soft towels around your chest and move from your bathroom into your bedroom. As you walk, you see your clothes from the night before laying on the floor from when you got home and practically kicked them off. When you pick up the dirty clothes, you feel your face go hot as you remember how the end of the night and this morning played out.
Waking up wrapped in Izuku's arms was definitely a surprise. You were the first of the two to wake up, and when you realized someone else's arms were holding you, you had to take a second to remember exactly where you were. It was probably around 10:30 when you stirred, and at the sudden movement, Izuku began to wake up as well, but as he did, his hold on you tightened ever so slightly as he was getting pulled out of his deep sleep.
You stared at his face, how his hair fell in messy curls over his forehead, how his long eyelashes rest delicately over his freckled cheeks. You couldn't really look anywhere else since both of your chests were practically smushed together, but it wasn't like it was horrible. In fact, it was pretty enjoyable to be cuddled. Then, his eyes flutter open, and the first thing his green orbs do is connect with yours. You watch as his face goes from confusion to realization and he instantly sits up, consequently almost knocking you off the couch. He rapidly blinks a few times, trying to organize his thoughts, one hand holding himself up and the other still resting on your hip.
To ease his apparent hesitancy at the situation, you untangle your legs from his and swing yourself around, so you're now sitting up. "Good morning," you whisper.
The hand that fell from your hip when you moved now runs through his hair, a nervous habit you've seen him do several times now. "Uh...hi," he replies. "Sorry about-"
You cut him off before he can finish. "Don't apologize. I was actually very comfortable, I promise."
He nods in response, cheeks dusted a light pink. You reach your hands up over your head and stretch. As you do, the bottom of your shirt pulls up a little, exposing a few inches of your skin, and Izuku realizes he's staring. When you look back at him, he tilts his head to the side and smiles softly. "Okay," he whispers back.
Mina comes into the room and rubs her eyes. With a yawn, she looks around the room, littered with empty bottles and plates. She finally notices you both, and when she does, she smirks.
"Good morning, you two!" She says, loud enough to stir awake Ochaco, who was sleeping a few away from her. "How'd you sleep?"
Before Izuku can get a response out, you politely say, "we slept just fine, thanks. How about you?"
Mina smirks again but decides not to push further... just yet. "I slept SO well! Sleeping after drinking always blesses me with the best night's sleep."
Izuku stands up off the couch, "Are you just saying that as an excuse to keep drinking?"
Mina laughs lightly as she makes her way past you and into the kitchen. "Always so insightful... but you will never know."
You smile at her retreating figure. Before you went to bed, she offered you some of her pajamas since you came here in jeans and crop top. Looking back, she didn't even give you much of a chance to say no since she practically threw a t-shirt and pair of shorts at your face. You're pulled from your thoughts when a figure stands in front of you. You look up at Izuku, who offers his hand, and with a small smile, you take it, and he pulls you up and to your feet.
"Thanks."
He nods and heads into the kitchen, and as you're about to follow, you hear a groan erupt from Ochaco as she sits up off the floor.
You bend down, watching as she groggily opens her eyes.
"Good morning, party girl. How're you feeling?"
She groans again as she sits up, hand instantly carding through her brown, tangled hair. "Oh god, I am never doing that again."
You laugh lightly, and she glares at you, "come on, let's go into the kitchen to grab you some water."
You help the poor girl onto her feet, and as you walk with her towards the kitchen, Denki's eccentric hair pops up off the floor. He was sleeping on a mattress topper, but he must've fallen off at some point in the night.
"What time is it?" He yawns, standing up to then loudly crack his back.
You check your watch, "it's 10:45."
He whips his head towards you at your comment, and his eyes practically bug out of his head. "It's what?" He questions loudly, frantically running around the living room, picking up his keys and sweatshirt. "I gotta be at work in 15 minutes!"
He scrambles around, and after he shoves on his shoes, he yells, "Thanks for letting me stay, Mina, see y'all around!" and then slams the door. The slamming of the door is enough to stir the sleeping Jirou, who sits up from her spot on the recliner. She exhales slowly and reaches for her phone, typing something on it before turning her attention to you, who's folding the blankets Denki threw all over the ground in his rampage to leave.
"Hey," she says, also standing up to help fold.
"Hey," you say back. "How was the recliner?"
"It was good. I'm so glad I snagged that spot."
You both fold the blankets in silence, and as you round up the empty and paper plates to make them easier to throw out, Jirou speaks up again.
"You sure looked cuddly with Midoriya."
You look up from your bent position over the coffee table to see a knowing smirk on her face.
You shrug and go back to rounding up the garbage.
"You guys sure are getting close."
You quirk an eyebrow but can't help your smile from finding its way onto your face. "Yeah, I guess we are."
She nods with a small smile. "It's cute, but Midoriya is way too nice to make a move, so you gonna have to do it first."
You laugh, "Thanks for the advice. I'll figure something out."
With a nod from Jirou, you both are almost done cleaning up the living room when Ochaco books it out of the kitchen, holding a hand over her mouth with Mina trailing close behind.
"Make it to the toilet! Make it to the toilet!" She yells as she follows Ochaco into the bathroom.
"Shit," Jirou curses. She sets down the napkins and walks towards the hallway, "I'll go help them."
"Good luck," you encourage with a small laugh. Figuring that two helpers are enough, you decide to move to the kitchen to find a garbage bag for the trash. As you walk in, you smell the sweet and welcoming scent of pancakes wafting through the kitchen.
You look over at the stove to see Izuku, hunched over, spatula in hand, as he pokes the batter to see how it's cooking. His gray t-shirt hugs his back, and each time he moves the spatula, the fabric moves over his shoulders, doing a pretty great job at showing off his fitness.
Just after you break yourself from your trance, Izuku turns and notices you.
"Hey! I'm almost done."
You stand next to him and watch as he flips the pancake to start cooking the other side. "You can cook too?"
"Mmm sorta, my mom and I would make pancakes on weekends when I was younger, so she taught me how to make them too. Kachann's the real cook, though. He can make a 5-star meal right out of thin air."
"That's really sweet. What made you decide to make pancakes?"
He snorts, "well, part of it was Mina basically guilt-tripping me into making them, but the other part was that I wanted to."
You laugh, "that's cool. Do you need any help?"
Izuku turns his head to scan the kitchen counter, then looks at the fridge, then back to the stove, "I thought Mina put out the strawberries, but I don't see them. You could wash and cut those?"
With a nod, you head over to the fridge. After opening it and finding the fruit, you go back over to Izuku's side, and after washing them, you cut the stems off and slice the strawberries into halves. There's a comfortable silence as you both work, each of you focusing on your own tasks. It's domestic and sweet. It makes you wonder the last time you actually helped cook a meal, let alone breakfast.
After Izuku had a solid mound of pancakes, you move to the kitchen table and set it up so everyone has a plate. You put the strawberries in the center and set the carton of orange juice next to it. As you complete the finishing touches, you turn to Izuku, who is drying his hands from cleaning the dishes he used.
He sets the towel against the side of the sink and makes his way back over to you with his arms raised, palms facing you. You meet him halfway and double high-five.
"Nice job, partner."
"Likewise."
You then remember you came into the kitchen in the first place to grab a garbage bag. So, you go back out and get rid of the garbage from the living room. Izuku offers his help, so you give him the task of holding open the garbage bag as you throw the empty solo cups away. Once you're both done with that, Mina and the girls come out of the bathroom. Ochacho's face is pale, but she looks much better than when she was running to the bathroom.
"Ochaco is gonna stay out here. The smell of pancakes was a little too overwhelming for her," Mina says as she guides her friend to the couch to lay down.
"I'll bring her a glass of water, and then I can drive her home after breakfast," Jirou responds.
After Ochaco is situated, you three go into the kitchen and eat a delicious breakfast. Small talk fills the space, and once you are done eating, Jirou leaves with Ochaco, and you leave with Izuku. Mina embraces you in a big hug, but as you pull away, she whispers, "get your man."
You roll your eyes, and after several more goodbyes and promises to hang out again soon, you and Izuku get in the car, and he drives you back to your apartment.
Based on the reactions from your new friends, it must be pretty evident that you both like each other. So as Izuku pulls into your driveway, without much more thought, you blurt, "wanna go out with me tonight?"
"Uh... w-what?" He practically squeaks as he parks the car. Looking at you with wide eyes that search your face to see if he can tell if you're bluffing or if the question was just a joke. He needs to make sure he heard you correctly because there's no way the thing that he's been hoping to happen is actually happening right now.
You feel your face get hot, but since you have already started to rip off the bandaid, you might as well keep going. "Would you like to go out on a date with me tonight? We can go get dinner or something fun?"
Izuku can barely believe this. You, absolutely stunning with great personality and passion, are asking him out! He realizes he may be waiting too long to respond when he watches you fidget nervously with your fingers.
"Yes!" He blurts, "I mean... yes, yes, that would be great."
You grin, "okay, cool, would like 6 be a good time?"
"Yeah, that's perfect. I can pick you up then."
"Okay," you say.
"Okay," Izuku smiles.
"Okay," you nod and unbuckle your seatbelt, grin still plaster to your face.
You open the door and hop out of the car. The whole time Izuku watches; mesmerized. "Well then, I'll see you later." You add, fingers running through your hair.
"Sounds like a plan."
"Okay, bye." You laugh and close the car door before walking up the driveway and up the stairs to your room.
'Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, I just did that!' You think as you unlock your door and head inside to shower.
As Izuku watches you enter your apartment, he then reverses and drives back to his place. After he's a good ways away, he then celebrates this exciting development.
"Let's go!" He shouts, one hand holding the steering wheel, the other punching the ceiling in celebration, a grin also plastered on his face.
+++++
You throw your dirty clothes in your hamper and move to your closet, opting for a cozy pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt. It's now almost 1, and you decide to pass the time by doing some school work. But every time you get into the rhythm of writing a sentence, you remember the date you have planned later, and the butterflies come back, and you need to will yourself back to your work.
You pull out your phone and click on Izuku's contact. You press the call button, and it rings for several seconds before he picks up. Unbeknownst to you, he was freaking out in his apartment for those seconds before he remembered he needed to accept the call.
"Hello?"
"Hey, I know I probably could've texted you this, but we never decided on a plan... so we could go to that Kamui Wood-fired pizza place that just opened up downtown?"
"Yeah, sure! That place looks so good!" He exclaims, moving around his apartment anxiously. "Are we still on for 6?"
"Yes, 6 is great," you smile. "Well, that was all I gotta say, so I'll see you later."
"Okay, see you soon."
"Bye, bye."
"Bye y/n."
You hang up, and for the next few hours, you continue doing work and occasionally freak out about later. You decide to start getting ready at 5:00, so if you get done early, you can sit on your phone for a few minutes.
Since the pizza place is casual, you decide on a pair of light wash wide-leg jeans paired with a white ribbed cropped tee. You decide to also bring a dark blue cardigan in case the restaurant is cold. You choose several signature jewelry pieces and slip on your favorite sneakers to complete the casual look. You then move into your bedroom, put on your favorite playlist, and get cranking on your makeup and hair.
As more time passes, the more excited and nervous you become. A mix of emotions swirl around in your stomach almost makes you want to vomit...But in a good way? As you add mascara to your eyelashes, you realize this is the first time in a while that you've been excited to go out on a date. Obviously, Tomura took up all of your time, but you were never this exhilarated even when you went out with him. Speaking of, you feel your heart sink at the thought of him. You never want to deal with a situation like that again, and you know Izuku is one of the sweetest and most genuine people you've ever met, but the fear of the relationship turning into something toxic gnaws on far depths of your heart. As you spritz yourself with perfume, you decide to voice your concerns and put it all out there because shit, you've already dumped your sad relationship story on him, might as well make things crystal clear. You really like him, and you want to be someone that he can like too, so being honest and upfront about what's bothering you is probably the best place to start... right?
You turn off your bedroom light and walk into your small living room. It's almost 6. You go to your kitchen and take a glass out of your cupboard to pour yourself some water. As you set your cup in the sink, you hear a light but firm knock on the door. Your heart jumps up your throat, you run to the door, and before you open it, you run your fingers through your hair.
With a deep breath, you open the door and see the green-haired cutie with a nervous smile on his freckled face.
"Hey," you smile.
"Hey," he says softly. "ready to go?"
You nod, and after closing and locking the door, you follow him down to his car. He opens the passenger door for you again, and then you guys are off. You both talk, catching up with each other's lives since you last saw each other only a few hours ago.
The drive is short since downtown is really close to campus, so Izuku pulls up to the restaurant after a quick drive. After parking, he runs around to your door to open it for you. With a giggle, you hop out of the car and walk with him inside. Like the gentleman he is, he holds the door open for you, and after quickly getting a table, you both sit down and look over the menu.
"Ugh... I don't know what to get. Everything looks good," you comment.
"I know... okay, don't make fun of me, but I think I might stick with a pepperoni pizza." Izuku laughs, setting his menu off to the side and turning his full attention to you.
"Can't go wrong with a classic," you smile. "So in the car, you were talking about that project you have for that engineering class. How's it going?"
At the question, his eyes light up, and he instantly dives in-depth about all the different components he needs to analyze and all the parts that go into his thesis. As he talks, you take notice of the crisp dark grey button-up he wears, paired with a simple pair of khaki-colored shorts that stop a few inches above the knee. He's just in casual clothes, but he looks handsome as always. He stops rambling suddenly, and his hand flies up to smack his forehead.
"Sorry, you can just tell me to stop if I just go on like that..." he mumbles, shaking his head as if he was doing something wrong.
"But I'm interested in what you're doing," you start, leaning a little forward, head resting in hand. "Besides, I like your voice."
Izuku takes a second to process that last part and quickly picks up the menu again to hide his face. "Right... so how about you? What's going on with your writing?"
For the next several minutes, you two have casual conversation, catching up and diving deeper into what you both are passionate about. He asks you more about your family, and you ask him more about his mom. All the nerves from earlier have entirely disappeared, and the more you think about it, you realize that you're never felt more comfortable around another person before in your life. There's just something so warm and friendly about the boy sitting across from you that you can't help but be drawn in. The server comes back to the table and quickly takes your orders before leaving you two alone again. As the night goes on, you realize it's time to talk to him about what's been on your mind. You're really starting to like Izuku; every second you spend with him grows your interest, but you don't know if you want to get too attached. What if he decided dealing with your stupid bullshit past would be too much of a burden?
"Hey Izuku," you start, looking down at your hands. He notices your sudden change in demeanor and puts his full attention on you again. He sees the way you fidget with your fingers, something he's noticed you do when you're nervous.
"Hey y/n," he responds gently.
"Listen, I asked if you wanted to go out with me because I like spending time with you." You start, eyes still gazing down. Willing yourself to get to the point you're dreading. "And I want you to know that I really like you." As you finish your sentence, you reluctantly look up at him, but as you do, you're met with kind green eyes that are more than enough to keep you on your task.
You look off to the side at other tables, "But, I just-... I'm a little hesitant to do all of... this again..." You turn back to Izuku; he nods slowly, listening to every word you say. "You don't make me feel scared or uncomfortable or anything like that, I promise. You're the sweetest guy I have ever met. But... ugh, I think something's wrong with me because I know it wouldn't be...like that again."
"Nothing's wrong with you y/n/n," Izuku states seriously. "You have every right to feel the way you do, and I completely understand. Thank you so much for telling me how you feel. I know that takes a lot of courage."
You meet his eyes again, a soft smile falls on his lips, and it makes you feel better already, almost bringing tears to your eyes. "If it helps at all, I really like you too!" Izuku blushes, head tilted to the side, a radiant grin settles on his face. The response makes you laugh, a genuine laugh that makes your shoulders feel lighter, and the stress evaporates from your mind. All the uncertainty and nervousness have entirely disappeared, and now you're just happy.
Izuku is about to say something else, but then the server comes back with your food. With a quick "enjoy your food" and "thanks," you both dig in. The first few bites are in silence, both processing the new development. Of course, both of you are mentally freaking out, but it's exciting and new! Izuku has never had his feelings reciprocated up to this point before, and you are finally moving towards a healthy and genuine relationship with someone who will actually treat you right.
As Izuku finishes a bite of his pepperoni pizza, he looks up at you with a smile, "I've never been in a relationship before, so I don't really know how these things typically work..." He chuckles nervously, hand rubbing the back of his neck. "But I'm more than willing to take things as slowly as you need."
You appreciate the support, but the first part really caught you off guard, "You've never been in a relationship? Really?"
"Uh... yeah, I know, it's kinda embarrassing."
Realizing your shock probably sounded condescending, you shake your head and throw your hands out in protest. "No, no! Sorry, I'm just shocked. You're super cute. It just surprises me, is all."
"Oh!" He squeaks, that familiar red hue dusts his cheeks. "Well, I think the closest I've gotten to getting a confession was when it was a prank."
"Are you shitting me?" You question, leaning over the table a little. "What the hell?"
Izuku huffs and shrugs, "yeah... in middle school, a girl gave me a Valentine's Day confession, but at the end of the day, she said it was a dare from one of her friends. Don't worry, I got over it... and like I said before, my younger self was... a little different than who I am now."
"Fuck," you say, leaning back and looking off to the side. "Middle school girls suck."
He laughs and takes a sip of his water. "Yeah, but anyway, I'm serious about what I said. I-I like you, have for a while, and we can do or not do whatever you want to make things as comfortable as possible. And to be quite honest, I think I would appreciate that too."
You smile gratefully, feeling so lucky to have met someone like him. "Okay."
With the heavy topic discussed, you now fully dive into the rest of the date after finishing up your delicious meal. You offer to pay since you were the one who asked him out, but as soon as the bill is placed on the table, with lightning-fast reflexes, he swipes the cardholder before you can get to it and gives it back to the waiter with his card inside. "I got it," he starts, "I'm the one with a job after all."
You gasp, "Wow, I see how it is." You cross your arms over your chest. "I'm sure making all those frappuccinos racks in a ton of money."
"Pout all you want, but you're technically paying for this with the amount you spend when you come to the cafe," he laughs, leaning over the table slightly.
You lean forward too, faces getting close, but not that close. "If you want me to stop coming, then just say so."
"We'll lose all of our business, and I won't have a favorite part of the day anymore."
"Favorite part of the day?" You question, quirking an eyebrow.
You can see his ears turn pink but he stays where he is. His face relaxed, a slight smirk where the soft smile was moments ago. "Yeah, especially when I need to wake you up."
"That was one time!" You laugh, rolling your eyes.
"I don't know... there's been a few times where you looked like you were sleeping."
"Maybe that's because the coffee isn't doing its job."
Now Izuku gasps, hand placed on his heart. "I can't believe you'd even suggest such a thing. Everything I make has the power to keep anyone awake. It's my cafe superpower."
He pushes back his chair and stands up.
"Right, totally." You start, also standing up and grabbing your purse. "Coffee is here! Or whatever your guys' slogan is."
"Yes! Go One for All!" Izuku laughs as he opens the door again for you. You both turn to each other and break out into laughter, the night air filled with the happy noise. You follow Izuku back to the car, and with a small thank you, he opens the door for you.
Once he gets into the car, it's silent for a beat. Neither of you wants the night to end, but both of you are a little hesitant to offer to come back to one of your apartments.
"I heard there's a really good ice cream place near here. Wanna go?" You ask.
"Who says no to ice cream?"
The drive is less than 3 minutes, and you both hop out of the car and get in line in front of the small ice cream stand. There aren't many options, so this time, the decision on what to get was easy, and after a few minutes of waiting, you order, Izuku pays again despite your protest, and you both are on your way, opting to eat and walk through the park nearby.
"So earlier, you said you liked me for a while..." you start with a smile. "How long is a while?"
Izuku giggles. His nerves are a lot calmer than earlier. Knowing that you like him back and all cards are on the table, he feels more at ease. "Umm... oh goodness, probably a little after the time you fell asleep in the cafe. I mean, when I first met you, I thought you were beautiful, but then I figured I would never see you again. Then to my luck, you kept coming back, and my crush grew from there."
You feel your cheeks burn, so you take a large spoonful of your ice cream in hopes of cooling them down. "Interesting, I'd say I started liking you around then too. I think the doodles on the coffee cups really sucked me in."
"Alright! My strategy to mesmerize you worked."
You snort, almost spitting out the ice cream that was in your mouth. Once you recover, you turn your head to look at Izuku, who has a look of amusement on his face at your previous action.
"You must get a lot of girls with that tactic then."
"Well, I'm one for one now, so that's a good start," he smiles. "Thanks for this beneficial data."
As you talk, the lighting from the street lamps illuminates your path, casting your shadows down on the pavement. It's the time of year when the wind becomes chillier, and the temperature is getting farther and farther from summer. You pull your cardigan closer to your body and subconsciously move a little closer to Izuku, lightly brushing shoulders every couple of steps.
You pass a trashcan, and both throw away your now empty cups. You walked a good ways away from where you started, so you think it's time to turn around and head back. As you begin your trek, you look down at his hand occasionally. You bet his hands are getting cold, especially from the ice cream... so he probably needs to have them get warm.
"Oh my gosh, guess what." You start, stopping in your tracks.
He raises his eyebrows, the look of curiosity on his face, and also stops walking. "What?"
"I forgot to tell you, but I can read palms."
"Palms?" He questions.
"Yeah, here I'll show you." You hold out your hand in front of yourself and wiggle your fingers, hinting that he needs to place his hand in your open palm.
He does, and with his open palm to you, you lightly trace the lines that are indented into his skin. "Okay, so this line," you start, moving your finger over the center line on his palm, "it's telling me that you will live a long, healthy life."
You look up at Izuku with a smile to which he reciprocates. The feels of your finger tracing his skin gives him goosebumps, and now he's so glad that Shoto told him to bring a jacket.
"What does this line mean?" He asks, pointing to the line that's right above the center one.
"It means that..." but before you answer, you rest your fingers that were tracing his palm over his hand and successfully lace your fingers with his. "I just tricked you into holding my hand."
He looks from your interlaced hands to your face, then back at your hands again. "That... that was pretty sneaky."
You, of course, laugh, and you both start walking again, but this time truly together.
"So you can't actually read palms then... right?"
You giggle."Unfortunately, I can't."
As you both continue talking, Izuku swings your guys' hands a little. He has a pep in his step, so happy with how well this date is going.
Once you guys get into the car again, the car clock reads almost 10. Since Izuku has to work early in the morning, you both decide that it'd be best to head back. This time, the drive is quiet. A comfortable silence falls over you guys, but still both buzzing with excitement.
Much to your disappointment, the car ride is over too quickly, and after Izuku parks, he walks you up to your door, both with soft smiles on your faces. You sadly reach your door and have to say goodbye for the night.
"I'll see you later?" Izuku asks, hope gleaming in his eyes.
You turn, leaning somewhat on the closed door. "Yeah, I hope so. Maybe we can meet up for a study session sometime this week?"
"Yes! I would really like that. Okay cool, then... have a good night." Izuku smiles.
You smile too, never having felt so comfortable around another guy before. You lean close and press a soft kiss to his cheek.
"Goodnight, Izuku."
With that parting gift, you open your door, and after offering a slight wave, you close the door.
Izuku quickly snaps out of his surprised daze and walks back down your apartment complex's stairs and into his car, hand holding the side of his face where your lips were.
+++++
Hey! Hope you're enjoying the story!
This week is full of midterms so I won't be able to write as much but then after I will hopefully be able to post chapters more frequently!! (I am so ready to take a break from school...)
Hope you all are doing well! I believe in you!
xoxo - J