Chapter Text
“I’m exhausted,” Mina huffs, flopping onto Uraraka’s floor. She’s breathing heavily, her chest — which is clad with a t-shirt that reads ‘GIRLBOSS’ — rises and falls dramatically as she fans her face.
“If you’re going to be a superhero, you can’t get tired out from a pillow fight.” Uraraka laughs, though she’s breathing heavily too.
“You act as if you’re not sweating too.” Mina argues, taking in laboured breaths.
“True,” Uraraka says, walking into her bathroom and splashing her face with water. “But at least I'm not dying. Are you ok?” She asks, genuinely concerned.
“I’m fine. I just won a pillow fight. I literally couldn’t be happier.”
“I wouldn’t say you won–”
“Don’t take my victory away from me, Ura. It’s all I have left!” She says dramatically, draping a hand on her forehead.
“Right.” Uraraka says, handing Mina a drink. “You have nothing. No pro hero future, budding romance, friends or awesome t-shirts.” She says sarcastically.
Mina rolls her eyes. “Ok. I agree, this T-shirt is pretty amazing,” she looks down to her bright pink shirt, “but still.” She takes a long sip of water.
“You’re gonna have a great day tomorrow, Mina.” Ochako says, opening up a pink notebook and twirling a pen around in her hands — it’s full of notes, scribbles and shiny stickers. Each page has a drawing of a hero’s costume along with their name and information on their quirk.
“Okay, nerd.” Mina says, peering down at her notebook. “You seriously need to stop copying Midoriya’s weird noteboo-”
Mina freezes. “Wait-” She sits up, her shoulders tensing. “Did you say tomorrow?”
Uraraka clicks the cap off her pen on and off repeatedly. Click. Pop. Click.
“Yeah. Tomorrow.” She says casually, still looking down. “It’s 1:00 AM, so tomorrow.”
Click.
Tomorrow:
Mina has to spend at least an hour alone in her bedroom with Tsuyu.
Mina has to think of something to talk about.
Wait, was it even in her bedroom? What if she was going to Tsuyu’s dorm? Why was there so much left unplanned?
Not that Mina’s scared. Not that she's worried about what Tsuyu thinks about her.
Pop.
Oh, God. What if she messes up? What if she answers a question wrong?
No, you’ve studied for this. A voice reminds her.
“Uraraka!” She yells out of the blue.
“Huh?!” The gravity defying girl flinches, looking up from her Mount Lady page in her notebook.
“What am I gonna do? It’s tomorrow and she’s so cute and sweet and what if she wears makeup again? I’m gonna die!” Mina groans.
Uraraka smiles at her fondly. “Remember, you are the same girl who wanted to use fireworks to ask her out. You’re bold — brave! You’ll be fine.”
“What? Of course I’m brave! I-I’m not scared.”
Uraraka grabs both of Mina’s shoulders, her determined brown eyes staring into hers. She gives her a serious, determined expression, but her round, pouting face is so cute Mina can’t help but giggle a little.
Ochako ignores her, and stares at her still. “It’s okay to be scared, Ashido. It’s natural. I was freaked this morning before I arm wrestled Bakugou.”
Mina sighs. “And you won, blah, blah, blah. I know.” She said, averting her eyes from Uraraka’s determined gaze. “I’m not scared, Ocha.” She says, lying through her teeth.
“I know.” Uraraka says, “because, you’re like, a badass.” She grins at her. Standing up. “I’m headed back to my dorm now. G’night.” She gives her a tired smile and a wave.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Every time Mina is convinced that she’ll be ‘fine’ when she goes to bed at 1:00 AM, she realises her mistake when she has to leave at 8:00 AM for school.
Today is one of those mornings.
When she tosses on her uniform and arrives in class, sitting down at her seat, she’s hit with the distinct smell of lavender.
Tsuyu’s wearing perfume. She smells of lavender and lilies and every single floral smell that Mina can think of. Was it even lavender? Mina could barely trust her knowledge of plants. For all she knew, it was roses.
Whatever the smell was, it sent Mina into a daze — her mind spangled with dreams of Tsuyu and herself, sitting in a field of flowers, Tsuyu wearing a flower crown and smiling.
Tsuyu tucking a daisy into Mina’s hair.
Tsuyu handing her a bouquet of flowers.
Tsuyu telling her about her day.
Oh, god. Tsuyu doing anything.
She could spend hours thinking about Tsuyu doing anything.
Mina was head over heels, wasn’t she?
Her bliss and slight panic is broken by the sound of yelling. Very familiar yelling.
“I’M NOT WRONG, DUMBASS-” Tears through the classroom.
Mina blinks, readjusting to the room she’s in. On the other side of the room, Bakugou is standing, yelling at Deku who is literally cowering in his seat.
“I- well, I think you might’ve been, Kacchan-” Deku stutters, averting his forest green eyes.
“I’M NEVER WRONG!” Bakugou roars, glancing back at the math equation on the board.
“I- I’m pretty sure…” Midoriya stutters, but soon he’s just silently moving his lips with no words. His fingers are weaving in between each other wildly as Kacchan yells at him.
“Yeah, Kacchan!” Mina decides to yell. “Your answer is wrong!” She teases him, sticking her tongue out.
“How the hell would you know? You’re almost as dumb as Kirishima!” He roars, glaring at Deku.
“I’m smart, thank you.” Mina says, looking to Uraraka. “Uraraka’ll back me up.”
Uraraka looks hesitant, which surprises Mina. Usually she’d take the chance to defend Deku, and challenge Bakugou.
“I…I’m pretty sure Bakugou is right.” She squints up at the board from the back, talking quietly.
Bakugou actually smiles at Uraraka. Well, almost, Mina is still convinced Bakugou isn’t capable of smiling yet. He gives her a look that doesn’t look hateful, which is an achievement. Now, come to think of it, Bakugou’s been looking at Uraraka differently lately.
And come to think of it. Uraraka sure has been talking to Bakugou a lot lately. Not to mention how she dropped hanging out with Deku at lunch a month or two ago.
A smile makes its way onto Mina’s face. “Fine! Bakugo’s right.” She says, sitting down as her mind tinkers away.
Gee, hasn’t Uraraka been talking non-stop about beating Bakugou. God, wasn’t it awkward when Bakugou held her hand trying to get a rematch with her yesterday.
Oh, Mina feels evil.
So evil, in fact, that she’s never going to let Bakugou or Ochako hear the end of this.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
seven - small talk
Mina is in the dorm common room, and she’s buzzing with excitement, fear and every other emotion she can think of.
It’s today, she thinks. She’s scared, excited and a little jealous, but it’ll be fine. So long as Shinsou Hitoshi doesn’t somehow become a topic of conversation.
It’s just studying with her. She reminds herself.
“Ashido?” Tsuyu says, tapping her shoulder.
“Hm!?” Mina says, awkwardly spinning around in her chair to meet her verdant eyes.
“I just want to thank you for letting me study with you. I’ve been pretty distracted lately.” Her voice softens and trails off as she speaks.
“Oh! That’s okay. I get distracted, like, all the time.” Mina says, laughing nervously and trying a little too hard not to get lost in her eyes.
“I know, kero.” Tsuyu says, and Mina is reminded of just how blunt the girl really is.
Mina laughs — it’s slightly awkward and for someone who was just lost in Tsuyu’s eyes, she can’t seem to meet them anymore.
“Of course! You know everything, Tsu!” Mina says, making wild gestures with her hands and resisting the urge to hide her blushing face in her hands.
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” She says, resting a finger on her chin, looking almost embarrassed. “Thanks, though.” Tsuyu says, and just like that, the conversation is over.
Great. That went just great.
The rest of the day doesn’t go much better. Mina is buzzing with nervousness during all her classes, but is completely dazed and zoned out during lunch.
“Ashido?” Uraraka asks, snapping her fingers in front of the pink girl.
“Huh?” Mina says, snapping out of her trance.
“You zoned out. Again.” Uraraka asks, pouting and giving her a slightly concerned look. “What’s up?”
Mina can’t even convincingly lie. Her eyes are trained onto Tsuyu, who is talking with Todoroki. Shinsou is at their table, too. She stabs her fork into her food harshly every couple of seconds, expelling her anger.
“I just…barely slept last night.”
“I don’t really believe that.” Uraraka says gently, peering over at the girl across from her. “If you want me to drop it, I will. But you can tell me if something’s going on.”
“Drop it, Ura. I’m okay.” She lies, peeling her eyes away from Tsuyu and taking a forced bite of her food.
She doesn’t notice Uraraka’s eyes looking between her and Tsuyu. She doesn’t notice how Uraraka’s expression sours, and how her eyes glimmer with pity.
Mina is far too busy watching as Shinsou and Tsuyu laugh — as they talk and eat together.
Mina doesn’t think she’ll ever get Tsuyu to be able to look at her like that. Mina doesn’t think she’ll be able to even meet eyes with Tsuyu again, let alone tonight.
“I’m…gonna go–” Mina says, standing up. She feels sick to her stomach — she also feels like she’s overreacting, but she can’t bring herself to calm down. — so she dashes out of the cafeteria, finding herself a vacant seat right in the middle of the hallway on the floor.
The hallway is empty at lunch. The only person is so far away Mina has to squint down the hallway to see her, and she’s wearing headphones, so she decides this is an adequate place to cry.
Mina is rain clouds. Mina is cold and shivering and alone. Mina Ashido is a shred of her happier self — she is a fraction of sunlight, a tinge of warmth.
Luckily, Uraraka is snow — gentle, soft, calm and quiet — not blinding sunshine or thunderstorms. She walks down the hallway, the heels of her shoes connecting with the floor with satisfying clicks.
She sits herself next to her, resting on her calves, her hands tucked under them snugly.
Mina sees her mouth opening and shutting ever so slightly, as if she’s deciding how to tackle the conversation.
There’s nothing to say.
Mina is scared — alone, if not for the silent girl next to her. She doesn’t need words, she doesn’t need reassurance. She doesn’t know what she needs.
Clarity?
Hope?
A fucking chance?
She doesn’t know what she needs. She doesn’t know. She’s felt so lost lately. Mina Ashido is never without direction, never without a goal — until now.
She forces herself to meet Uraraka’s eyes. Her soft, chocolate eyes. They’re warm and soft.
If Ochako is snow, then her eyes are hot cocoa — warm, comforting and reassuring.
Ochako doesn’t say anything, instead, she keels to her side, resting her head on Mina’s shoulder.
That’s when Mina cries.
She isn’t sobbing, and she’s not whimpering. Instead, tears well in her eyes and drip down her cheeks. But she doesn’t make a sound as she leans into Uraraka’s warmth.
“You’ll be fine, Ashido. I trust that you can just have fun with her tonight! Just enjoy it. You don’t have to worry, or be sad. I trust that you can host a totally great study session.”
Mina hiccups a laugh. “T-thanks.” She smiles, feeling a flicker of hope.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Ashido will admit it. She’s been scared — really scared. She can’t deny it any longer. Tsuyu makes her heart race and her hands sweat and her already pink cheeks turn unbelievably cherry pink. Regardless, Ashido is as ready as she’ll ever be.
Tears are long dried, the afternoon is slipping away as she checks her phone's time.
4:30.
Tsuyu will be here any minute now.
Just as she’s running over algebra in her head, she hears a gentle knock emanate from the other side of the door.
She takes a deep breath.
Studying with someone should not be this hard.
She grasps the door knob, opening it gently.
At first, Mina can only see big, gentle eyes gazing up at her. Then she blinks, taking in Tsuyu’s carefully braided hair that is strewn over her shoulder. Her eyeliner and the outfit she’s picked out. It’s a casual crop top and a black skirt, but it’s enough to make Mina’s heart race a little faster.
“Ashido. Thanks again.” Tsuyu says, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ears and looking down.
“Come in!” Mina says — and after Uraraka’s pep talk, she’s not trying so hard to force a smile. “Okay! We’re gonna ace this test!” Mina says, sitting down on her bed and gesturing for Tsuyu to follow.
She can’t help but feel just a little excited.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
As things always do with Mina, their studying goes off the rails. They’ve barely studied, spending most of the time talking, and Mina has chewed through 2 bags of chips already.
The awkward tension has long dissolved, and Mina is left to remember exactly why she likes Tsuyu Asui in the first place.
She’s calm, a little blunt — ok, maybe a lot — she’s absolutely gorgeous and she’s as refined and elegant as a lily.
A lily — delicate, grateful, calm.
Mina smiles at the thought.
It’s nice. Really nice.
Nice to relax in Tsuyu’s presence as the golden hour sunlight streams through the window.
Nice to look into her big, curious eyes as they study.
Nice to watch her small hands gracefully write in her perfectly legible and beautiful handwriting.
Mina looks down at her practically illegible scrawl on her notepad.
She stifles a giggle so as not to confuse Tsuyu. But Asui, ever observant, squints at Mina, a smile curling onto her lips.
“What is it, kero?” She asks gently.
Mina chews her lip. “Your handwriting is really nice.” She says, scratching her neck awkwardly. “I wish I could write like that.”
Tsuyu doesn’t respond, she thoughtfully nods her head — Mina notes that she doesn’t deny that Mina’s handwriting is bad — and slowly, the frog girl reaches forward and gently encloses her hands around Mina’s.
Mina can feel time come to a stop. Tsuyu’s hands are gentle. She feels her breath hitch in her throat as Tsuyu guides her hand to the paper, slowly tracing letters along the page.
The letters aren’t as perfect as Tsuyu’s normal handwriting, but they’re a hell of a lot better than Mina’s normal.
“Better?” Tsuyu asks, in her ever gentle voice.
“Mhm.” Mina says, not being able to manage words.
Tsuyu doesn’t respond — she looks occupied with other thoughts.
Mina can’t help what she blurts out next. “Maybe you could do that more often.” She says, a shred of her normal confidence returning for a fleeting moment.
Tsuyu looks a little taken aback — and is Mina imagining the embarrassment?
It’s silent for a moment. A moment that’s a little too long. Mina stares at Tsuyu, and Tsuyu, for once, is staring back.
It’s silent, but perfect, in the strangest way.
Mina wants to bury her face in a pillow and scream from the sheer gay panic.
But Tsuyu is looking back.
Weeks of unrequited staring are finally returned.
Mina recognises the starstruck expression on Tsuyu’s face. It’s akin to her own. Akin to the way Uraraka looks at Bakugou.
Not quite akin to the hurried, impatient and cautious way that Tsuyu and Hitoshi were staring at each other with, back in the gym a few days ago.
Mina doesn’t know what it is.
The golden sunlight illuminating Tsuyu’s face?
Tsuyu’s big, mascara-clad eyes blinking up at her?
The way Tsuyu is biting her lip — a little nervously, her fingers slowly weaving between each other as she fidgets?
Whatever it is, something possesses Mina Ashido to lean in and kiss Tsuyu Asui.
eight - lips
In true Mina Ashido fashion, the only thought that crosses Mina Ashido’s mind as she kisses Tsuyu, is:
HOLY SHIT- HOLY SHIT-
It’s new and exciting and mostly terrifying, and Mina can’t help but wish it could last a little longer.
She pulls back, carefully studying Tsuyu’s face, for any indicator, any reaction to tell her that what she had just done was okay — or good, preferably.
There’s nothing for a moment, until Tsuyu breaks the silence with a simple. “Oh.”
Great! Mina thinks, I’m absolutely doomed!
Tsuyu speaks up again, tapping her finger nervously against her chin. “Uh, t-that was nice.” She says, a little nervous.
Mina could scream.
Correction, she does scream.
“Oh my God, Tsu! Really?” She squeals, bouncing her right leg nervously. “A-are you sure?”
Tsuyu looks flustered, she bites her lip and continues speaking. “Yes. It really was.”
Mina feels her insides soften. She feels dizzy and a little dazed. She could nearly pass out — whilst simultaneously feeling like she could lift Tsuyu up and throw her across the room and single handedly take on The League of Villains.
“Ok.” Mina takes a deep breath in. “Wow.”
“Yep.” Tsuyu whispers. “Wow.”
“I’m sorry-” Mina says breathlessly, “I just thought…thought that you and Shinsou were a thing, but I kissed you anyway, like a total idiot-” She groaned, slapping her forehead.
“No! No!” Tsuyu says. “Me and Shinsou…we, well…” Tsuyu groans. “It was a stupid plan to begin with…” She mutters, her cheeks flushing red.
“Plan?” Mina inquires, leaning forward, squinting at her huge, mysterious eyes as if she could decode the puzzle behind them.
“Plan is the wrong word. An idea.” Tsuyu corrects. “We were confused and a total mess.” Tsuyu admits.
Mina raises an eyebrow.
Noticing this, Tsuyu continues with her story. “Shinsou and I never really talked before . . . this, but he sat with Midoriya a lot, just like me, and eventually…we were friends. Nothing more…”
Mina senses a ‘but’ coming.
“But, Shinsou was kind– he still is. We thought that maybe we liked each other. So we went on a date or two, and it was nice. But-” Tsuyu cuts herself off with a nervous giggle.
“All that he could really talk about on the dates was Kaminari, and all that I could really talk about was…you, kero.”
Mina feels like Uraraka has used her quirk on her. Her stomach flutters with butterflies and she feels lightheaded.
“And you didn’t realise?” Mina asks gently.
“Well, not really…not until…”
Thoughts race through Mina’s mind. Not until what? Last night? Last week?
Mina imagines Tsuyu sitting in her room, having a revelation that she likes her. It’s enough to make her cheeks redden.
“...not until I saw you studying for me.”
Mina’s heart stops, her palms are clammy and she wants to curl up into a ball. “You knew!?” She squeaks.
“...yes.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“That’s so embarrassing!” Mina whines, until it turns into a snicker, and then the pair are laughing as they sit on her bed, confessions made, hearts lighter and the mood happier.
Mina likes how Tsuyu looks in the sunset. She likes how Tsuyu laughs with her, how the sunlight frames her features and how it makes her forest green hair glow a cool yellow.
She likes how Tsuyu smiles at her, and how she leans closer, taking Mina’s hands in hers.
“We could do it again?” She asks, and Mina nods, a smile locked onto her lips as she runs a hand through Tsuyu’s hair, and they kiss once again.
It tastes like picnics, flowers, dates and all the things Mina now gets to enjoy with Tsuyu.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Uraraka Ochako doesn’t know what’s happening down the hall. She doesn’t want to know, necessarily. She doesn’t want to wallow in Mina’s heartbreak, not right now.
She’s the reliable friend, the shoulder to lean on.
But who’s offering a shoulder to her?
It's funny — her problem, that is.
It’s funny how the pendulum can swing
just
so
far
She wonders how the hell she got here.
How she went from being — what she thought was — in deep, true love with Izuku Midoriya…to Katsuki Bakugou.
Maybe it’s not love, love. Not yet. She assures herself.
Because if it is, she’s so very doomed.
Maybe the constant urge to be around him, the nervousness, the butterflies are all in her head?
Maybe, somehow, through hearing all of Mina’s romantic rants, her stupid teenage brain has latched those thoughts onto Bakugou? Which is totally…totally stupid.
Sitting in the dim light of her dorm — the curtains closed, the only light being the dim white light that crawls under, illuminating the room — she can see her tired, overworked hands in front of her.
They’re shaking.
She groans. She’s not very good at denying it, is she?
Sure, Bakugou’s annoying. He’s arrogant and self-righteous and violent.
But he’s also hurt. That is clear to Uraraka. He’s brittle and fragile and scared.
She can see that when he’s around Kirishima, she can see how he isn’t so angry all the time. How he is human.
When he’s around her he’s not quite as calm or open. But Uraraka gets to see how driven and determined he is.
Who knew that stupid arm wrestles and bickering could actually mean something to her?
Who knew that Uraraka Ochako could be so stupid?
Katsuki Bakugou? The boy who had thrown her around at the sports festival, teased her.
Inside, she knows that isn’t true — that he treated her like a normal opponent, and she knows that that’s where it all started.
But that doesn’t matter anymore.
She can hear the disapproval already. That she’s just asking to be in a toxic relationship. That Midoriya would be so much better for her.
She can’t tune it out. Maybe that’s good — maybe the voices of disapproval are correct.
Maybe this whole ‘I can fix him’ mentality is in fact, really stupid.
But she can’t help how she feels.
God. Out of everyone she could have liked…
Katsuki Bakugou?
Yeah. She was fucking doomed.
nine - girls
Tsuyu has always known, really.
She’s just different around girls. Different in the way that got her teased in middle school. Different in the way that makes you repress your feelings.
Shinsou is nice. Nice in the way that made you want to be around him. It’d been a stupid thought, but one she’d had regardless — that maybe, maybe she was finally normal.
Maybe she really just hadn’t found the right guy. Maybe it had been a phase. The longing glances that had never been requited by girls in the past, maybe they were long gone.
And maybe the girls who teased her were right. She really did just need to find the right guy, before jumping to such conclusions about her feelings towards girls.
Maybe most girls don’t make a permanent note of just how pretty other girls' eyes are, and maybe most girls don’t think about kissing other girls.
In the end, she should have known, really. Should have known that most people don’t talk about the girl they like on dates with a guy. Maybe most people don’t have a boyfriend, yet all they do is stare at a girl.
She’d realised it a little too late — that Mina liked her back.
She realised it when she took Mina’s hand and traced letters onto the page. The way Mina had blushed and looked at her.
“Maybe you could do that more often?” Mina’s words were now permanently burned into her brain.
They’d probably looked like idiots, staring at each other with their mouths hanging open slightly and their eyes full of realisation.
But no one had to know, that moment last night was between them.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Everyone has to know. That’s what Mina had decides. There’s no way that she’s letting go of the fact that she’s the first person in their class to score a girlfriend.
She’s so going to rub it in Kaminari, Bakugou and Sero’s face. It’s going to be fucking hilarious.
She actually had a girlfriend.
She still can’t believe it. There had been a silent few moments after their second kiss, before she had uttered, ‘So…are we girlfriends?’
Tsuyu had laughed and told her, "Of course we are, Mina.’
It’s nice hearing her first name on Tsu’s lips. It was even more nice being able to kiss those lips, actually.
She’s never going to stop bragging about it. Literally never.
And she’s going to be the best girlfriend ever.
She doesn’t know exactly how, but she has a few ideas, involving fireworks and incredibly convoluted sappy speeches.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Tsuyu is promptly jumpscared by Mina Ashido at her doorstep.
Her girlfriend.
Her heart picks up its pace a little at the thought.
“Ashido. Good morning, kero.” She smiles, her tongue poking out from her lips.
“Hey, Tsu!” Mina says, a little awkwardly. “Do I call you…babe…or something?” She mutters, and a tired snort sounds from Tsuyu’s nostrils.
“Tsu’s fine for now. Let’s not be too obvious.” Asui replies, twisting a strand of forest green hair around her finger.
Mina quirks her eyebrow. “Haha, yeah. Totally.” She laughs, apparently picking up on some non-existent sarcasm in Tsuyu’s deadpan voice.
“Uh, well—”
“Anyways, let’s go!” Mina cheers, looping her arm through Tsuyu’s and dragging her to class. “God, this is going to be the coolest!” Mina says through a grin.
“Yeah, but, uh—”
“I swear I’m going to be the best girlfriend of all time.” Mina smiles as she skips down the hallway and leads Tsuyu down the stairs. “Race you to class!” She lets go of her hand and sets off down the staircase and bounds out the door, her hands clamped to her backpack.
Tsuyu wants to tell her about the fact that she’s not quite ready to tell everyone, but maybe that can wait until class.
“Right!” She croaks. “I’m going to win, kero!” She laughs as she sprints down the last few stairs and chases her out the door.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Tsuyu plants a hand on Mina’s shoulder as she catches up to her.
“Got you, kero.”
Mina sighs, and then she laughs. “Yeah, I’m exhausted, so…that’s why. You never could have caught me on a regular day. I’m, like, super athletic, remember?”
“Why are you exhausted?”
Mina seems to contemplate her answer.
“Because I stayed up all night thinking about you..?” She says slowly, a smirk appearing on her features.
Tsuyu can’t help but blush. “Okay. And the real reason?”
“I pulled an all-nighter doing homework, but I thought about you, too!”
Tsuyu giggles through a sigh. “You didn’t finish all your homework? We were studying!”
Mina rolls her eyes and waves her hand through the air.
“There were certain…distractions.” She grabs Tsuyu’s hand and pulls her closer.
Tsuyu blushes, her arm draping itself around Mina’s shoulder and nestling its fingers in her hair.
“Oh. I see.” Tsuyu replies. She couldn’t help but give Mina a shy smile.
Mina hums. “Well, I’m a little distracted right now…” She smirks, leaning in closer to Tsuyu.
Tsuyu feels her breath hitch in her throat.
“I…I can’t—”
Mina pauses, loosening her grip on Tsuyu’s hands.
“Huh? Are you okay?”
“Not…not while there are people here.” Tsuyu takes a step back and looks at the stray students making their way to class.
Mina frowns. “What? It’s fine, Tsu. Nobody cares. And if they do, I’ll beat them up.”
Tsuyu bites her lip. “I don’t know…I just…what if they do care?”
Ashido gives her a soft smile, and takes her hands again. “C’mon,” She gently urges her out of anyone else’s view, towards the side of the school.
“Where are we going?” Tsuyu asks, still nervous. Mina’s hand in hers keeps her grounded in the meantime.
“My favourite place.” Mina whispers excitedly.
ten - honest
Mina hates to admit it, but she’s never really honest. She’s never honest about how scared she feels, and honest about her feelings. She’s made a name for herself—made herself known as the happy one.
She can’t lie right now, as she sits under the tree that she’d studied with Uraraka under just a few days ago—now with Tsuyu. She has to be honest and be the good girlfriend.
“I just,” Tsuyu pauses barely a second after she begins speaking. “No matter what we do, people’s perceptions of us are going to change. Just because we’re dating. Their views and their opinions of us are going to be different—no matter how hard we try to convince them that we’re the same, Mina.” She says, and her big eyes are so scared and tearful that Mina wants to cry as well.
“Different isn’t always bad, Tsu.” She says gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, pressing them snug against the tree trunk. “And you know our classmates. They wouldn’t care, Tsu.”
Tsuyu nods her head, but she isn’t convinced. “But there are people who I’m not so sure of. Mineta? Bakugou?” She says, tears dripping from her eyes.
Mina laughs softly. “Oh, Tsu, you really care what that pervert thinks? I’m gonna crush him under my foot the next time he hurts you. He won’t have an opinion then!”
Tsuyu laughs, but it’s followed by an exasperated sigh. “He’s still my classmate. He’s still going to have an opinion—and the school doesn’t care. He never gets punished, anyway. If you hurt him, you’ll get punished.” Tsuyu sniffs.
Mina tries to think of something to say. Something to support her.
“And then there’s Bakugou.” Tsuyu quietly sobs. “And Yaoyorozu and Iida…Kaminari? what are we going to do if they don’t accept us?”
Mina wraps her arm around Tsuyu’s a little tighter, before a smile envelops her features. “Hey, at least we’ll have Aoyama!”
Tsuyu laughs, even through her tears. “Mina! We don’t know that he’s…”
“Tsuyu. You can’t look me in the eyes and tell me that Yuga Aoyama is into women.”
Tsuyu rolls her eyes, and her laugh has long stopped.
Mina shuffles closer to Tsuyu—if that’s even possible. “There will be people who support us, Tsu.” She says, as gently as she can.
Tsuyu sniffles, and wipes a plethora of tears from her eyes. “But that doesn’t matter, as long as there are people who don’t like us for it. There’s too many risks and unknown factors—”
Mina takes both of Tsuyu’s hands in her own, and makes her look dead in her eyes. “Well, good thing, that your girlfriend is the master of taking stupid risks! And we’re taking the risk together!”
Tsuyu is still shaking from the tears, and now, from the cold wind, and Mina realises that it’s almost snowing. It’s so quiet outside that she’s starting to worry that they are going to show up to class incredibly late and covered in snow.
“I–I’m sorry, I know you want to tell people.” Tsuyu says.
Mina nods. “Yeah. I’m like, really, bad at keeping secrets. I’m honestly astounded that I kept my crush on you a secret for over a day. But it would mean a lot to me if my friends could know.”
Tsuyu doesn’t laugh at Mina’s joke this time, she barely smiles.
Mina sheds her jacket and wraps it around Tsuyu’s shoulders. She objects, but Mina insists.
“We can’t come out to anyone if you freeze to death. Or go into hibernation.” She giggles, and Tsuyu forces a laugh. Mina’s jacket, paired with Tsuyu’s tights and short skirt make her look adorable—not to mention her earmuffs. Mina is just in her white shirt and her skirt, and she is cursing herself for not wearing her knee-high socks today. But what was she supposed to do? Check the weather?!
Mina straightens up, trying to stay serious. “I want to do what’s good for both of us, Tsuyu.” Mina urges.
Tsuyu nods. “I…I do, too!” She says, wiping a tear from her cheek.
Mina hums in thought for a moment. “Then we tell the people who matter.” She says, her voice cloaked in the breeze and the snow, which falls and lands in Tsuyu’s hair, she smiles. She does look beautiful in the snow. “I’m not gonna force you to tell everyone. But I want to tell the people close to me.”
Tsuyu nods in understanding, she still looks scared, but her hands are intertwined in Mina’s, and she gives her a brave smile. “And you don’t think they’ll care?” She whispers.
Mina shakes her head. “Of course they won’t, Tsu. They’re our friends. It’s just Kirishima, Sero, Kaminari, Bakugou…Todoroki, Deku, Iida. And hey, if they do have a problem, I’m still very happy to beat them up.”
Tsuyu laughs—genuinely this time, and Mina’s ears feel blessed. The snow makes everything feel so quiet, so Tsuyu’s laughter is the only thing that fills her ears.
“Thank you. For talking to me. You’re really good at this kind of thing. I didn’t really expect that.”
Mina giggles. “Me neither. But I guess I’m just a really good girlfriend.”
“I think you are.” Tsuyu whispers, and Mina can feel her warm breath against her lips as she leans in. Tsuyu cups the back of Mina’s head, her fingers tangling in her hair.
Mina places a hand on Tsuyu’s thigh, the other cupping her cheek.
They kiss, and it tastes like sunshine—even in the snow.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
“Okay,” Mina breathes heavily, pulling away from the kiss. “Now we really need to go.” She huffs, grabbing Tsuyu’s hand and tugging her up.
“Oh, man!” Mina yells. “We are going to be so late!” She bounces from foot to foot, as Tsuyu brushes the snow off her skirt.
“Let’s go!” Mina yells, gripping Tsuyu’s hand and sprinting towards the building.
“Yes. Let’s go!” Tsuyu agrees, sprinting behind her. She can’t help but giggle at the situation.
The snow isn’t thick—thank god—but Mina can feel her boots crunching against it as she runs, and Tsuyu is shorter than her, so she’s ankle-deep in the snow.
“Oh, we are so dead!” Mina shouts.
Tsuyu nods in agreement. “Detention, for sure!”
“It’s like a date, then!”
“Detention date. So romantic!” Tsuyu rolls her eyes.
“I know, right?”
Tsuyu rolls her eyes, taking the steps two at a time as they get towards the building, shivering from the snow.
They fumble through the door, and Mina immediately sighs in the warmth of the heating.
She stood still for a moment, sighing in relief.
“Okay, no time to relax!” Mina said, taking Tsuyu’s hand again and rushing her down the empty halls.
Tsuyu runs with Mina up the halls, and she should be so incredibly stressed. She should be worrying about what other people think of their relationship. She should be worrying about just how late they’re going to be—and even detention.
But right now, she’s much more concerned with the feeling of Mina’s hand in her own, and the sound of her laughter, her pretty pink lips, her cute little skirt and her smile as bright as the sun.
twelve - feelings
Bakugou Katsuki doesn’t do feelings. He didn’t do them when Kirishima would wrap his arm around his shoulder and his heart would flutter. He didn’t do them when he pinned Deku during their fight at school—which got him suspended—and he most certainly did not do it around fucking Pink Cheeks.
His heart didn’t flutter when she finally beat him at an arm wrestle and she did that cute little spin, cheering.
His heart didn’t flutter when he grabbed her hand seconds after.
His heart doesn’t flutter. It’s stone cold and mean, and there are rose thorns and dirt covering any actual feelings.
So why does she have to be the one to dig it up? To brush off the dirt and see the beauty in the roses?
He groans in frustration, which solicits a few strange looks from his peers—Goddamn extras should be used to it by now.
Todoroki is once again reading a book—fucking nerd—and Momo is peering over the pages, concealing her smug laughter with her hand.
Shouji, Ojirou, Sato and Kouda are talking quietly in the corner, comparing study notes.
Kaminari, Kirishima, Jirou and Sero are wheezing their asses off to some video on Sero’s phone. Bakugou can hear the deranged screaming that Sero has on the lowest volume—the group of nerds leaning in just to hear it—and he’s sincerely glad he’s not over there.
The fucking nerd himself, Deku, is sitting at his desk, scrawling something in a page of notebook. Bakugou can tell from the rapid pen scratching and flipping of the pages—not that he paid enough attention to him to know that, totally not—no doubt some page about that IcyHot bastard.
Bakugou isn’t jealous. He doesn’t care what the fuck Deku thinks of him. He’s so fucking done with all that—he’s gonna leave him the fuck alone.
Uraraka is at the back of the class, and he can see her pensive face in the reflection of the clock at the front of the classroom—he can’t exactly snap his neck around to stare at her. Not that he wants to.
She is repeatedly checking her phone, like she’s waiting for a message to come in. She stares at Mina’s desk, which is only a few in front of her. Then, her eyes shift to the vacant spot where Tsuyu should be behind her.
He hadn’t really noticed. God knows what Ashido is doing with her. Probably going off on some stupid fucking shopping spree that Katsuki would rather die than partake in.
Still, the way that Ochako bites her lip gently, one hand resting in her chin, the other thrumming her nails against the wood of her desk.
It’s fucking dumb, but it feels like his heart is beating to the same rapid rhythm.
Her brown hair is tucked into a short ponytail, and she’s wearing a jacket over her uniform—it’s a little too small for her, and it’s kind of cute. He’s perfectly fine with this view of her, until she sheds the jacket and stands up, gawking out the window, her fingers pressed to her mouth barely concealing any of her laughter.
Katsuki wonders what all the fucking fuss is about, so he snaps his head around to see one of the strangest things he’s seen all week.
Mina Ashido, screaming with laughter, holding Tsuyu Asui’s hand, dragging her to class—covered in fucking snow, mind you—as Tsuyu shivers, giggling loudly. They are such lucky fucks that Aizawa is late to class, because they are also incredibly late.
And by the looks of it, their relationship status has been updated. A pink hand holds a pale one.
Mina shoves open the door, and if the entire class hadn’t been looking on in amusement and confusion, the slam of the door was certainly enough to garner their attention.
“...uh, hey!” Mina says, dusting the snow off of her skirt. She instantly whips her head to her right, checking if Aizawa is there, and a huge exhale of relief exits her body when he isn’t.
Tsuyu’s hand slips out of Mina’s slightly, but Mina grips it tighter, glancing her way.
“Ah, fuck it.” Mina says, and she grabs Tsuyu’s waist with one hand, the other coming up to her messy green hair. She leans in and kisses her, and the class goes fucking wild.
Ochako squeals with laughter. “Mina, you dumbass!” She says from across the classroom, as Mina is breaking away from the kiss. “You can’t tell me you got a girlfriend and then be late to class with her the next morning! I thought you were…um…” Ochako’s face goes pink, and Bakugou can tell she’s glad Mineta isn’t around to finish her sentence.
Ashido’s cheeks flare pink—pink-er atleast. “You dumbass! How could you assure something so…unchivalrous?! I have at least some class, Ochako!”
Ochako giggles.
Kaminari is staring at them with shock and dying-of-laughter on his face. “You actually pulled a girlfriend!?” He yelled.
Mina flipped him off. “Yes! Unlike you!”