A/N: Hey guys! Here's the new chapter! As I've said, I've been very busy lately (high school's hard but also pretty fun—I've been talking to a lot of people in my grade who I never really used to talk to before), so this chapter is a little later than usual. I'm assuming it'll be the same with the next chapter (expect 2-3 week intervals for the fall), so sorry about that! But this chapter is back to the usual length about 5,000 words, and I think it speaks for itself. I really think you'll all enjoy it, and I'd love it if you could leave a comment with some feedback! I love hearing what you guys think!
~+~+~
"Freaking finally! I've been waiting all week for Finals to end, and I actually think I did good this time!"
Mina's feet were falling asleep from sitting down for so long, pins and needles tingling the tips of her toes, and there were no words to describe how good it felt to finally stretch and stand up. She'd never been so happy to finish a test, or anything related to school for that matter, and she couldn't help but wear her heart on her sleeve as she made a desperate attempt to hide her exhilaration. Final Exams had been complete and total chaos despite the not-so-terrible outcome, so she realized over the last two days she must have done something right. They were officially over today, Friday, and not only were they done but she also thought she did really well in the areas she was most worried about. Math, science—not her strong suits. Maybe she was simply getting her hopes up, but she had a good feeling this time around, especially compared to last semester.
Kaminari (and he wasn't the only one) had noticed the aura of enthusiasm around her. "So after all that time you spent freaking out you actually think you did good?"
"Yup," she said, glowing from head to toe. She wanted to thank Izuku, but doing it from all the way across the room might give the rest of her classmates a weird idea. So, on the way out, when Uraraka wasn't paying attention, she whispered a "thank you" in his ear, and when he turned around, the tips of his ears red, a blush rang true on her cheeks. After a moment of silence, she said, "We're still on for the beach, right?"
He went wide-eyed, and neither did he know how to answer her. He'd forgotten about the beach and assumed he wasn't the only one, but he wasn't all that surprised—she was such a sucker for social events, and she did have a pretty undeniable love for anything that had to do with ocean, even in the middle of March. So, despite how suddenly this had been thrown at him, he gave her a thumbs-up and hurried off to catch up with Iida and Uraraka.
~+~
Neither of them wanted to swim. It was far too cold, and Dagobah's waters were known for being chilly during the winter. Not only that, but after a stressful Finals week, all they really wanted to do was relax. So, without exchanging a word, they both came to the consecutive decision not to pack their bathing suits.
When Izuku made it downstairs, he realized for the very first time that Mina was alone. He had told her to invite other people, hadn't he? He even said it again after they woke up that one time from their late-night study sesh to head up to bed. Turns out that sleeping with your head on the table could get a little uncomfortable after a while. "So, um, where is everyone?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"The other people we were supposed to invite?"
She furrowed her eyebrows. "We were supposed to invite people?"
"I thought—"
She faked an epiphany, finally knowing what to say. "O-Oh Um, honestly?" she laughed. "I forgot."
He was dense if he couldn't tell she was feigning how much she'd forgotten—she knew good and well what she was doing was wrong, but she just needed to be alone with him.
"Ashido!" he hissed.
"What? I'm sorry, okay? Everyone already has plans anyway, and it's not that big of a deal."
He scratched the side of his cheek. "Well, it kinda is..."
She stopped dead in her tracks, curiously raising one eyebrow. "Of course it isn't. Why would it be?"
He looked away.
She understood. She had a sneaking suspicion that would be the reason.
"Oh, Midori. No one's gonna see it like that. Besides, we don't feel that way about each other."
Lies.
You are a liar, she told herself.
Would he even believe something so silly? Was she beginning to become transparent?
He looked again toward the floor, avoiding seeing eye-to-eye. "I know, but still." Then, knowing he wasn't going to win against someone so stubborn, he reconsidered. "Just... nevermind. You're right. We should probably go before it gets dark."
She lit up like a lantern. "Yup!" she said, smiling, the specks of gold in her eyes brighter than ever before, and she wondered: How could something so little make me so happy? How could I let him do this to me?
Leaving the dorms with him by her side, she knew the inevitable truth. With the way she was acting, she'd never be able to keep her feelings a secret forever.
~+~
"I probably should've worn more layers," Izuku said, sarcasm strong in his voice as his feet finally touched the sand. It was freezing outside, and by the time they'd turned onto Dagobah, the welcome sign withered away with rust, gray clouds had already begun rolling in. The forecast never said anything about rain. They didn't have an umbrella, or even a rain jacket—they weren't prepared for this.
Staring out at the water reminded Mina of the last time they were here. It wasn't just them back then. It was Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero too, and it wasn't too long before she realized how she felt, but she still had a little inkling at the time that she saw Izuku as more than a friend. Now, today, they were all alone. No one wanted to go to the beach on a weekend in the midst March, that was a fact.
She remembered him chasing after her, following in her footsteps, and the adrenaline rush that had finally awakened within her at that exact moment came back all at once in the here and now, coursing through her body like it did back then and giving her the confidence boost she'd always needed. It made her want to run, rule the world, tell Izuku exactly what she'd been hiding from him all this time. She knew it'd come back to her, but it was just a matter of when. And now here it was: This was the when, and it was back with a vengeance.
She took off the button-up part of her uniform. "Don't you remember the last time we were here?" she asked, smiling back at him, shimmying out of her top. She was left with only her shirt and skirt to cover her body, and, if it counted, her stockings, and although she felt a little exposed, she could undoubtedly say she didn't mind.
"Y-Yeah," he replied, cheeks hot with a red hue. "Training for that Quirk thingy Aizawa threw at us. I don't think he ever actually gave it a name." He tried his damndest to search for an excuse to keep talking so that he didn't have to look at her, but he couldn't find one. This was just like the last time—she was technically stripping down right in front of him, and she either didn't realize or, the more likely possibility, didn't care.
"So, what're you waiting for?" she said without ever taking her eyes off of him. "Take yours off, too."
He was clearly kind of uncomfortable, since, if put in the wrong context, what she was saying sounded a little inappropriate, whether she meant for it to be interpreted that way or not. But he followed through with it anyway, unbuttoning his jacket and letting it fall to the ground.
"So, you ready to go in?" she asked, kicking off her shoes.
"But, I thought—isn't it a little cold to swim?"
"So? We can wade if that's what you want. But I'm just letting you know that you sometimes gotta take risks in life, Midoriya."
And then, to prove herself right, she took a risk she'd wanted to take for a while, did something brave. She grabbed his hand, this time slowly, carefully, letting him know that this wasn't just a spur of the moment decision—that this was something more, this was her throwing her heart out on the line.
"A-Ashido, what if our uniforms get wet?" he stammered, her grip on his wrist too tight for him to let go.
"They'll dry. It's just water," she said, her stubborn side stopping him from sneaking away. This reminded her so much of that night, except the stars weren't out this time and they were really completely alone, not another soul in sight.
"B-But people will notice!"
"Let them talk. It's not like we did anything bad."
He kept on complaining until they were knee-deep in saltwater and surrounded by seaweed and stepping on seashells, to which he finally realized his efforts were futile and succumbed to the fact that he should probably just give up. He wasn't winning any battles and he certainly wasn't winning a war, and he knew there was no use fighting the inevitable. Besides, he knew he'd have fun, it was just the consequences he'd eventually have to face that were forcing him to reconsider.
Wanting to tease him a little, she splashed him first. He stood there stunned, and she waited patiently for his revenge, but it never came. "You gonna get me back, or what?"
He wasn't one to turn down a challenge. He simply needed to wait for the initial shock to wear off, and once it did he used up every last bit of energy he could to splash her back with the force of a thousand suns.
She wiped the water out of her eyes. "Oh, it's on."
A battle broke out between them, a not entirely serious battle, a battle filled with laughter and enthusiasm and euphoria. They were dancing, running in circles around each other, surrounded by their own little bubble of happiness that nothing and no one could burst. The only thing that mattered was right here and right now in this very moment—everything else seemed meaningless.
Izuku was suddenly brought back to reality by the feeling of something cold hitting his shoulder, and then again on the tip of his nose. Raindrops. He'd predicted this, but that didn't make him any more prepared for it.
It started out as a light drizzle, but only grew heavier as time went on. Eventually it began to downpour.
He stopped splashing for a second. "Maybe we should get out, you know, in case of a thunderstorm."
"Yeah," she said, beginning to tread toward the shore. "I did not bring a change of clothes for this."
He laughed, walking back beside her, sitting down on the sand once they were far away enough from the sea. Their shoulders were brushing against each other due to the close proximity, but Izuku remained completely unfazed up until the moment he realized he could see through her shirt. She looked so vulnerable in that black bra, her chest rising and falling with each and every breath, and a bright red blush made its way onto his face because he knew he shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't even be here, he shouldn't be getting so close to her, and he certainly shouldn't be letting this go on without some kind of form of intervention, even if he was the one who'd have to make that move.
He decided at the very least he'd inch a little away from her. "A-Ashido, I don't mean to startle you, but I-I can kinda see your bra..."
She didn't even bother looking down because she knew that already, and instead kept staring at Izuku. Didn't he realize it was just as bad for him as it was for her? His shirt clung tightly to his chest, showing off the abs running down his torso, the incredibly lean physique he'd worked so hard to get that she couldn't take her eyes off of. She blushed. "Yours is see-through too, y'know."
Neither of them felt it necessary to cover up.
Thunder—mind-bogglingly loud thunder—screamed from the sky, scaring the living bejesus out of Mina. She jumped, letting out a small squeal and grabbing Izuku by the arm, holding him close for a little longer than necessary. She'd only done it out of instinct, but the damage was already done, so might as well not let go. "God, that scared me," she said, still shaking.
He tried to keep calm, but with her body pressed up against his he was bound to be nervous. "Thunder scares you?" he laughed, a slight stutter in his voice.
"No! I just... wasn't paying attention... So I wasn't really ready for it..."
She had to pause multiple times mid-sentence upon realizing—they were unusually close, closer than what she was used to, and she wasn't sure she could handle it. She shouldn't have turned around, and she was mad at herself for doing so. She just had to tell him face-to-face that it wasn't the thunder; she couldn't have him thinking she was a chicken.
But she didn't regret it. Staring into his eyes right then, she didn't regret a thing.
Warmth spread over her face like a forest fire, and in order to avoid an irreversible amount of embarrassment, she looked the other way and hid behind her hair.
"Midoriya."
It was only the faintest of whispers, but Izuku still heard, his breath catching in the back of his throat.
She placed a hand on the center of his chest and pushed him to the ground. She was delicate about it, he'd admit, but it still managed to take him off guard.
What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say?
What did she want?
The same thing he did?
Would it be wrong for him to let her have it?
Would it be wrong if he wanted it too?
They froze for a second, taking in the sound and the sight and the smell of the coast, taking in each other's eyes, taking in the serenity they'd created around them. What had once been a small spark had caught fire in their hearts.
She straddled his hips, her legs resting on either side of his body, the knee he'd raised grazing the bottom her skirt. Her hair was dripping wet, droplets of water trickling down her scalp to the end of her curly pink strands, landing on his face and then finally hitting the ground. She parted her lips a little.
Izuku was so at peace. Nervous, but at peace. He didn't think he could feel this way about someone. Maybe he liked Mina more than he thought.
She leaned in, shortening the distance between them, the background noise becoming fuzzy as all he could focus on was her. Everything else had been forgotten—his friends, his family, his hero life, even Uraraka.
Even Uraraka.
She got so, so close to kissing him, but before she could he separated himself by putting his hand between their lips. "Ashido," he whispered, furrowing his eyebrows, eyes downcast and looking away. He put his hand on her shoulder, reality hitting him hard as he gently pushed her off of him.
They sat facing each other, looking into each other's eyes, and in her moment of clarity Mina finally knew what to say, what she'd wanted to say all this time.
"I like you."
"But, Uraraka—"
Of course the first thing to come out of his mouth was Uraraka. She leaned in a little closer and grabbed his hand. "Just, before anything else, answer me this: Do you like me too?"
He froze, blinked a few times, cheeks fiery with a furious red. After a moment's hesitation, he breathed, letting out a sigh of relief and looking her in the eyes just to make sure she knew he was telling the truth.
"Yeah. I do."
She could've cried right then and there, and it wouldn't have been because she was happy. "So, then, why? Why did you push me away?"
"Because I'm seeing someone else right now, Ashido. You know that."
It was funny. When Izuku first started studying at U.A., romance wasn't even a possibility that could've come close to crossing his mind. But now here he was, caught between two girls who both seemingly had feelings for him, heavily leaning toward the one he wasn't supposed to be with. He swore up and down that romance would never come before heroics, but lately it seemed it was sure getting close.
"Midoriya, do you even like Uraraka?"
She acted as if she already knew the answer to that question. He didn't even know if he knew the answer to that question.
"I don't know."
"But... You like me?"
"Yes."
That was the one thing he was certain about.
Truth was, he thought he liked Uraraka, but it wasn't until he started to fall for Mina that he realized his so-called feelings for her probably weren't genuine.
That meant he probably really did like Mina, huh. A lot.
"You know, we can't just pretend there's nothing going on between us forever," she said, shattering the possibility of keeping this on the down-low and eventually even forgetting about it. But then again, that would be a horrible thing to do, and he wasn't quite sure he could do that Uraraka.
Yet, somehow, he was still indecisive. "But, I-I mean, I don't know if I can tell her. I don't know if I want to tell her. I really don't know what to think right now, or do," he said, suddenly feeling crazily overwhelmed. "I-I know Uraraka cares about me, and I know how bad of a person I'd have to be to keep this a secret, but I just don't want to hurt her."
"She's in love with you, y'know. Uraraka. It would really kill me to see her find out this way."
Izuku's eyes widened.
Mina felt sick knowing she'd let Uraraka's secret slide, Uraraka's and Uraraka's only, quickly flipping around and covering her mouth in shock. She'd pinkie promised a while back that she wouldn't tell a soul. "I-I thought you knew already," she stammered, the only excuse she could think of. "It just slipped."
He laughed, anxiety clear in his voice. "O-Oh, well, I guess I'm flattered? But I should probably be hearing this from Uraraka..."
"Yeah, if only I could learn to keep my damn mouth shut," she said, letting out a dramatically long sigh.
The rain died down and the clouds cleared up, giving them a chance to dry off. They were already drenched to the point of no return, and a little less of a drizzle wasn't going to do all that much for them, but it was better than nothing.
"Hey, Ashido?"
"Yeah?"
Do you... really, really like me? Like, if what you said earlier was true, as much as Uraraka does?"
She had to think about it for a second, wondering how to phrase it in the simplest way possible that would both satisfy Izuku while also preventing her from saying those three little words. She didn't want to tell them to him too early, as the likelihood was high that doing so would lead to a negative outcome in the future, and the fact that it was even crossing her mind right now was enough to freak her out.
"Here, let me put it this way," she said, a slight tremble in her voice she tried so hard to hide. She was beginning to become more and more comfortable talking to him about her feelings, but the thought of him not liking her as much as she liked him made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. But, still, she decided to go through with it. "I like you enough to want to kiss you. I like you enough to want to steal you away from another girl, a girl who is one of my closest and bestest friends. You're the only person I've ever felt this much for, Midoriya."
He blushed, sighed, the pretty purple lilac on her cheeks clear as day. "What?" she asked.
"Just thinking," he said. "Weighing out my options."
"So Uraraka and I are 'options' now?"
His jaw dropped. He hadn't even taken the time to process what was coming out of his mouth. "N-No, I didn't mean it like that! I—"
She wanted to reassure him that everything was fine and she'd only meant it as a joke. "It's alright, Midori. I get it. Heat of the moment kinda thing, am I right?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah. Sorry. I've just been a bit stressed out lately because of all this. No matter what I do I feel like I'll look like an asshole."
She reached over and wrapped her arms around him. "Stop it, Midori. I seriously doubt anyone's gonna think you're an asshole. And if there is someone, you better believe it won't be me."
With his hands so clammy and his heart hammering out of his chest, he hesitated to hug her back. "Um, Ashido, what're you..."
She squeezed him as tightly as humanly possible, their clothing seeping together in the cold as she surrounded herself with his warmth. "Giving you a hug. Friends are allowed to hug each other, aren't they? Besides, you really looked like you needed one."
He buried his head in the crook of her shoulder, his poofy green hair tickling the nape of her neck as he rested his arms comfortably around her torso. He relaxed and let out a sigh upon realizing that all his worries had magically gone away the moment he touched Mina.
They stayed like that for a while.
You are my first love, she wanted to say. Please, if there's anything I want in my life, it's for us to be together.
She prayed he would find a way to make it work.
A lightning bolt struck the sky, surprising them both. A few seconds later it started to rain as heavily as it had when they were once wading in shallow waters, interrupting their peace. They weaved out of each others' arms.
"Maybe we should go," Izuku said, eyes on the tide. The waves were getting increasingly larger and more and more menacing as they neared the shore.
"Okay," she replied. "The rain's getting to be too much for me anyways."
The walk back to U.A. was at least supposed to be a little relaxing compared to the events that had occurred down at Dagobah, but the thought of anything remotely in that realm was immediately ruined by the continuous dreary downfall. They strolled in silence, everything that needed to be said hanging over their heads like a heavy gray storm cloud, and there was really no reason to say it aloud because they both knew what the other was thinking, clear as day.
The school's skyline appeared above the edge of the horizon, balconies of the upper-level dorm rooms coming into view. Mina knew she didn't have much time.
She stopped short, right dead center in the midst of Izuku's dust.
"Tell Uraraka."
He turned around. "What?"
She bawled her fists. "Tell Uraraka about what happened today." Part of her couldn't believe she was finally admitting they were more than friends. "It's the right thing to do."
"But, I don't know what to say—"
"Midoriya, c'mon. She deserves to know. She really likes you a lot, and if she were to find out you stayed together with her while secretly having feelings for someone else, she'd be heartbroken."
He ran his hands up the sides of his face, letting out the breath he'd been holding in his puffed up cheeks and lacing his fingers through his hair. "I know, I know, I know. The very last thing I want to do is break her heart, and maybe that's why telling her might not be such a good idea."
"But she's going to find out. No matter what you do, she's going to find it out. Would you rather her hear it from you, or someone else?"
He listened to her drone on and on and over and over about the same exact thing—"tell Uraraka; she needs to know before it's too late"—until it finally dawned upon him that she might've made a good point. Though he didn't necessarily agree that ending things with Uraraka so suddenly was such a great idea, he knew he'd eventually have to do it, so why not now?
Why not now? he asked himself. Because I'm scared. Scared of losing a year-long friendship with someone I trust, scared of making her hate me.
But he decided that even though he was fearful, it was for the best. "Okay," he agreed. "I'll find a way to tell her. But... You need to give me some time."
He looked up at Mina to see her smiling sweetly at him, her puppy-dog eyes her only weapon. She took his hand. "As in 'some time', do you mean today? Tomorrow?"
From the neck to the tips of his ears, he turned red. "A-Ashido! The school's right over there!"
Her features fell flat as she succumbed to the inevitable by letting go of him, a sickening feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. They were still a good distance away from U.A., and an even further distance from the dorms. So why was he so adamant about this?
"O-Oh, sorry, Midori," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "But I doubt anyone will see us."
"Well, it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Yeah..." she replied, her voice soft and shaky as if she were skating on thin ice. They were walking back a little too far away from each other for her liking.
He even insisted they entered the dormitory at different times. "To avoid suspicion," he'd said. Since apparently them both being glum and soaking wet would be a dead giveaway that something had happened.
She knew it would be silly for her to fight him, so, as a big f-you, she marched straight through the main gates before he could even say a word. She assumed, or at least hoped, that he'd waited a little while to follow in her footsteps. Nobody really questioned her when she immediately walked in, as only a few of her classmates were downstairs and she wasn't exactly the greatest of friends with any of them, so it was an easy task to make it to the elevator without raising much suspicion. But, before she could press the button, Kirishima came out from the shadows.
"Why are you so wet?"
She jumped. "Holy crap, Kiri! Don't scare me like that."
"What? I just wanna know."
She realized she needed an excuse, and fast. "U-Um, no real reason. Just needed to head back home real quick and forgot my umbrella."
"So you didn't come back to get it?"
She freaked. She had no idea how to counteract this. "Um, uh, I... was in a rush!"
"Y'know, Ashido, you're a really bad liar. I can always see right through you."
It made her furious that he found this funny, since anyone who knew him knew that he was also a bad liar like she was. But she decided not to bring that up right now, as it definitely wasn't the time to be picking a fight.
She instead tried to play it off as if he hadn't caught onto her. "Okay, and? It doesn't really matter. It's not even that big of a deal. I need to go upstairs now, so—"
He grabbed her arm. "Ashido. Something must've happened, or you wouldn't be trying to avoid me like this," he said.
"Okay, fine. Maybe something did happen, but is it cool if I don't tell you? I really want to keep this a secret."
It suddenly sprung to Mina's mind that she needed to let Izuku know that Kirishima was downstairs, and that if he walked in at the wrong time, he'd probably question him.
Kirishima nodded, let her go, and watched as she hit the button for the fourth floor. "Okay, but if you need to talk to someone, I'm here."
"You sound like the school counselor," she laughed. "But thanks."
The elevator doors closed, Kirishima slowly leaving her line of sight, and, once she knew she was all alone, she let out a sigh of relief. She took out her phone and texted Izuku.
Kirishima was in the lobby and he seemed suspicious. I didn't see him go upstairs or anything, so try your best to avoid him, okay?
Izuku gave her a one-word answer. Okay.
She tapped her foot against the tiles as the elevator halted on her floor. She wasn't exactly sure whether to be happy or sad. On one end of the stick, Izuku liked her. Izuku, who she'd been chasing after for weeks, had feelings for her, real, genuine feelings. But on the other end, she didn't believe he'd have the heart to tell Uraraka, and wouldn't that technically be cheating? She really hoped he'd just get it over with, because she'd rather not be known as the girl who got involved with a cheater. It didn't matter to her if he intended for it to be that way or not.
Which he definitely didn't. Izuku was a good person, a great one at that, and she knew he had a heart of gold. And that was exactly why he wasn't ready to tell Uraraka. He simply didn't want to hurt her.
One thing she did know, though, was that she'd somehow gotten herself wrapped up in quite the predicament, and, if things kept heading the way they were, she was oblivious to how she was going to get out of it.