Chapter Text
Izuku rushed down the hallway as fast as he could, not even bothering to apologize to the students he nearly slammed into. It had taken all his willpower to not just leave training early, and now that he was out he wasn't going to waste any time.
Before long, the winded boy found himself at his destination. He had been to the school nurse many times in the past, but always as a patient. Today he was a visitor. Someone else was just leaving the room as he approached, looking quite sullen.
"Tokoyami…" Izuku could see the guilt in the shadowy student's eyes as he turned toward the voice. "H-How is she?" A sigh escaped his beak.
"...She has a broken leg," he answered, looking down. "It's only a stable fracture, and she's recovering, but…"
"What happened!?" There was a hint of anger in Izuku's voice.
"Ashido was scaling a building. I had to guard the entrance, so she used her Quirk to try to go around me." Tokoyami shut his eyes. "When I saw her, I must have gotten a little angry at how easily she got past, and Dark Shadow just…" The sentient Quirk, as Izuku recalled, was tied to its user's emotions in some way. While he normally had good control of it during the day, little outbursts could happen.
"So you just lost control? That's it!?" The Tokoyami winced a bit as his classmate's voice rose.
The agitated boy took a deep breathe. What the heck was he doing, lashing out like this? It was clearly an accident. Besides, he was the last one who should be yelling at anyone about not controlling their Quirk.
"I… S-Sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"It's alright, I understand."
Not wanting to make things any more awkward between them, Izuku simply nodded at his classmate before heading into the office. Recovery Girl was at her desk filling out some paperwork. As for Mina, she was resting on one of the beds with a cast over her left leg.
"Mina!" He cried, quickly making his way to her bedside. "H-How are… Are you alright?" The bedridden girl yawned as she looked up at him.
"Yep… Doing just fine." She grinned. "Tired though. This Quirk really does a number on you, huh?"
"Yes, Midoriya here is quite familiar with my Quirk's effects." Recovery Girl had gotten up and walked over to the two of them. She gave Izuku a soft smile. "Don't worry, dear. She'll be just fine after some rest."
The boy let out a huge sigh of relief. Seeing Mina acting like her normal self took a lot of weight off his chest.
"I-It doesn't hurt or anything?" He asked her.
"Oh, it hurt like a bitch before-Oh! S-Sorry." The pink girl put a hand over her mouth, blushing a bit as the elderly nurse's eyes narrowed a bit. "But anyway, it feels fine now."
"It may feel fine, yes, but it will still take some time to fully heal," Recovery Girl reminded her. "We'll need to give it a few hours before I can let you go." That was par for the course; Izuku was all too familiar with how long it took that Quirk to fix fractures.
But… Hold on.
"Wait." Mina looked back at Izuku, evidently realizing the same thing he did. "But the talent show is in like, an hour!" She turned back to the nurse, concern in her eyes. "I-I'll be fine by then, right?" The old woman rest her hands on top of her cane, frowning.
"I'm afraid not, young lady."
Oh no.
"B-But we're supposed to perform! We've been working on this dance since-
"Dance? Oh my, you certainly shouldn't be doing that. Not until tomorrow at least." She sighed, understand the dilemma. "I'm terribly sorry."
"Oh come on! Look, my leg's fine, I can just… AAH!" Mina tried to get up to prove her injury was healed, only to cry out in pain as she started to move her left leg.
"Mina!" Izuku instinctively moved to help her.
"Young lady!" Recovery Girl was not pleased by this display. "As I said, it will take time to fully heal."
"Well… Can't you just, like, use your Quirk again? I can take a quick nap or something."
"It… Doesn't work like that, Mina," Izuku explained. He wasn't happy about this either; nervous as he was, he had been looking forward to their performance.
"UGH!" Conceding, the injured girl flopped back down on the bed, groaning in frustration. "Stupid shadow thing… Stupid gravity." She looked at Izuku again. "Well buddy, guess it's just you."
Wait, what?
"Huh?" What was she trying to say?
"Well I obviously can't dance now, but there's no reason you still can't. I mean sure, the synchronized dance would've looked cooler, but still."
Wait. She expected him to do the performance without her? Alone?
"What's wrong?" His face betrayed how he felt about that idea. "You're… Still going to do it, right?"
"I... Am?" Him, dancing all by himself in front of a huge crowd. Just the thought made him queasy.
"…You don't want to?" Mina looked confused. "But I thought…"
"N-No, I… I want to, just… I c-can't!"
"Yes you can."
"No, I can't! N-Not without…" He paused, realizing how this might sound. "…N-Not without you…"
"Izuku…"
"I-I'm nowhere near as good at this, a-and if I get up there and mess up-
"Izuku. Look at me." Shutting up, he listened. Gold and black eyes stared into his. "You got this, alright? How many times have I told you not get caught up in your head like this." She gave one of those warm, comforting smiles he'd come to love. "I know you, Izuku. You can definitely do this."
"I…"
"Look, if you really, really don't want to, I can't force you. But don't think for a second you're not good enough, kay?"
Izuku thought back to their first lesson. How hopeless he had felt, how convinced he was he just couldn't do it. And yet he was wrong. Same with that first time he went to the arcade with her and the others.
…She was right. He could do this. It would be tougher without her there, yes, but he could definitely do this. And frankly, he felt he needed to.
"…Okay." He nodded, smiling.
"Good. Now go dance your butt off, mister."
Izuku let out a small laugh at this. As he turned to go, he noticed Recovery Girl giving them both a knowing smile.
…Right, she had been standing there this whole time.
"Uh…" He felt blood rushing to his face. "I-I should let her rest."
"Yes, you should. Good luck, young man," the nurse said, winking. Izuku rubbed the back of his head.
"Hah… Uh, thanks."
He left the room, cheeks still bright red as he did.
The backstage of the auditorium was bustling with activity. There were a lot of entrants for the competition, and all of them were setting up for their acts. Izuku had acquired the few things needed for his performance, and he was now in the middle of stretches and warm up. He had run through the routine in his head multiple times now, having practiced it so much it felt like second nature to him.
Of course, it still felt like his heart was about the burst out of his chest.
Despite his little boost of courage from before, the stage fright was really starting to set in. Though he was still set on performing, the shy student couldn't completely relax. The crowd out there was huge; a couple hundred, give or take. His mom and friends were in there somewhere (with the exception of Mina, who was still resting) but that did little to comfort him in the face of a sea of strangers.
Before long, the show actually got underway. Izuku's act was more toward the middle of the show, so he had a little more time to psyche himself up. Other students went on stage as he did, performing all sorts of acts such as juggling, unicycling, musical performances, and more.
Whether or not his act won didn't really concern him. He was putting on this show for his own benefit, to prove to himself that he could get past his fears. After all, he had been in much, much scarier situations before.
"Up next… Izuku Midoriya!" Present Mic's voice was heard. Standing, Izuku took a moment to collect himself one last time and headed out onto the stage.
"Oh shoot, it's starting."
Recovery Girl looked over as her patient checked the time. Mina had definitely been a one of her more difficult cases; the girl simply refused to sit still. And this talent show was making things worse.
"I told you, Ashido-
"Yes, I know. I have to rest."
"Tone, young lady." She swore these students were getting ruder ever year.
"Sorry, sorry. Just frustrated." The old woman did understand, of course; Mina had clearly been excited about this performance she was supposed to do. Still, her health came first.
"I know you are, dear. And I'm sorry about all this."
"Hey, not your fault. Just…" The young girl sighed. "Even if I can't dance, I at least wanted to watch Izuku…"
Her words gave the elder pause. That moment between Izuku and Mina earlier had been quite touching; the two obviously cared about each other a great deal.
"…If I let you go, will you promise me you'll take it easy?" While her leg likely wasn't fully repaired just yet, it should be fine as long as she didn't put too much strain on it.
"Huh?" Mina looked at her, confused.
"I can let you go watch the show, at least. But you need to promise me that's all you'll do."
The pink girl's face brightened as she sat up.
"Ohmygosh, for real!? You're the best RG!" Recovery Girl had already grabbed some crutches.
"Now, you promise you won't-
"Yes, yes, I promise. Don't want to bust myself up again." The nurse helped her patient to her feet, making sure everything was in order before sending her off.
"Now, be sure to… Hey, slow down young lady!" Mina took off on the crutches.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful! Thanks again!" She called out as she waved back. The old woman sighed, questioning if she made the right choice or not.
She had such a weakness for young love…
Izuku stood rigid on the stage, staring out into the crowd. He had set his cardboard box down, and he was waiting for the music to be all set to play. Looking out into the crowd, he tried to spot any familiar faces to focus on for the moment.
Eventually, Present Mic gave a signal that things were all ready. Izuku just needed to signal back to indicate when to start the song.
Unfortunately, the poor boy had frozen up.
Actually seeing the crowd he would be performing for was overwhelming. His legs were locked in place, and no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get himself to move.
Damnit, not now! He could this, he could this… Come on!
Just before the delay could be considered awkward, though, one of the auditorium doors opened up. The noise got Izuku's attention, and he looked over at it.
Mina had just strolled in. Her crutches indicated that she still hadn't fully healed, but she was here nonetheless.
Taking a moment to see what was going on, she waved excitedly to him.
…
Izuku gave the signal.
The music started up as he stood on the cardboard. As he got a feel for the rhythm, he let himself forget about the crowd. About the show. Right now, all he needed to think about was the music.
He started with that first little sequence he learned. A little warmup, a prelude of sorts. Still on the ground from the third move, he starts to get a little fancy and began swinging his legs around. It started slow, then picked up speed as he lifted off the ground on only his arms, twisting and turning his body to maintain balance.
He then did a handspring to get to his feet, continuing the performance with some lightning-fast legwork. Spinning in circles as he danced, he started quickly switching between toprock and downrock, dropping to the floor for a few moments before picking himself back up just as fast. The crowd was starting to get into it, but he wasn't focused on that.
At this point, the dancer was starting to get a bit dizzy. He was twirling, flipping and spinning from all sorts of angles, pausing only for second at a time to hold a pose. He'd hold himself up off the ground using only one hand for a moment, only to "hop" to the other hand, then gracefully slide to the floor and start going nuts again. At one point, he pushed off the floor with one hand and, while in midair, laid his body parallel to the floor and rested his hand on his chin and the other on his hip. He landed on the floor in that pose, almost looking bored. The crowd loved it.
Then came the hard part.
Izuku knew the finale was coming up. The part he hadn't quite gotten down. Still, he didn't let himself hesitate or slow down as he built up the momentum necessary for the final move. Using his hands to rotate himself over and over, he slowly lifted his body into a rotating handstand. Finally, having built up enough speed, he dropped his head to the ground and lifted his hands. Now completely upside down, he did about 4 or 5 full rotations on nothing but his head in rapid succession, barely keeping his balance as he did. When he felt himself about to fall, he braced himself with his hands again before pushing off the ground and, in one fluid movement, reorienting himself so he landed on his feet. Unfortunately, he didn't quite stick the landing as he staggered a bit to one side, but rather than let this bother him he simply stuck both his arms out, stopping himself and striking his final pose to indicate the act was done.
The world he had drowned out all came flooding back at once as a massive applause rang out. He was sweating, red in the face, and weak in the knees as he stood there soaking it all in.
A huge smile was plastered on his face.
Taking a small bow, the performer quietly made his way off stage. The second he did, he collapsed into the first chair he could find. Clutching his chest (his heartrate was somewhat concerning), he simply sat there gasping for air.
"Holy crap…"
He actually did it.
"That was awesome, Midoriya!"
"You gotta teach us some of that!"
"A truly dazzling display, mon ami!"
"Great job, Deku!"
Izuku struggled to get a word in as his friends all crowded him, congratulating him on his performance. Being the center of attention like this was still not something he was used to, but he was managing.
"You've should've seen that Monoma guy's face when they announced you won," Mineta said. "Guy was sitting behind us going on about how they'd never pick you."
Looking down at the trophy in his hands, Izuku shrugged.
"I… Honestly didn't think I'd win either." While that wasn't his goal, it was still a good feeling. He'd never really won anything like this before.
"There you are."
Everyone turned to see Mina shuffling over to them.
"Mina," Uraraka started. "Your leg, shouldn't you-
"I'm fine." The others gave her space as she approached the show winner. "…Told you you could do it," she said with a smirk.
"Ha… Yeah, you did." Izuku looked at the trophy for a second before holding it out to her. "Here, um… You probably should have this."
"Uh… That's yours, dude." Mina pushed it back.
"But you were the one who-
"I'm not the won who actually got up there and earned it. That was you, buddy." She beamed. "All you."
"…Right."
There was a brief silence among the group. Familiar feelings began welling up inside Izuku's chest.
Hagakure, Mineta, Aoyama, and Uraraka all looked around at each. Suddenly, they all started walking off. Izuku's face blanched a bit when he realized what they were doing. For some reason, Mina didn't say anything as they left.
A few seconds later, the two of them were all alone.
Izuku could feel it. This was it; he had already done one impossible thing tonight. What was one more?
"Hey, uh, Mina?" He started, setting down the trophy. "You, uh, got a second?"
"Do I look like I'm going anywhere?" It was an awkward way to open, but he needed something.
"U-Um… Look, there's… Something I've been wanting to tell you." No going back now; he had to do this.
Mina stayed quiet.
"Um, see, the th-thing is… I…" He gulped, twiddling his thumbs together. "Um, I, uh, um, I-I… L-L…L…"
For a moment, all his fears from before flashed in his mind. All the things that could go wrong if he said this. This time, however, he ignored them.
"I L… L… Ilikeyou." It was barely a whisper.
"Say again?" Oh god. Come on, just be a little louder
"I LIKE YOU!"
…
Resembling some kind of human tomato, Izuku shoved his hands over his mouth. He just screamed that for the world to hear.
God, this had to be the most awkward confession in history. He shut his eyes, waiting for whatever her response was. Knowing her, she'd try to let him down gently, lead with how great a friend she was-
"I know."
Huh?
The tomato boy opened his eyes. That was not exactly the response he had been expecting.
"S-Sorry?"
"I said, I know." She had a playful smile. "Like, I've kind known for weeks, dude." A giggle escaped her as Izuku's eyes bugged out.
She knew!? All this time!?
"Wha… Buh… Ng…" He quickly shook his head. "B-But then wh-wh-why didn't y-y-you s-say anything?"
"Because I wanted to wait for you to tell me yourself," was her answer. She took another step, further closing the distance between them. "Figured you'd work up the guts to do it eventually… But man, you really know how to keep a girl waiting."
"I… Wha?" Wait, what did she mean by that. "W-Waiting…? Why were you-
"Dude, I like you too." There was a hint of lilac in the girl's cheeks as she said this. "I just… Wanted to hear you say it first."
…
…
…
"Uh, dude?" Mina snapped her fingers in the boy's face a few times. "Helloooooo?" Izuku suddenly came back to life.
Boy, that was a weird dream. He'd confessed to Mina, and she'd actually said she…
Wait.
Looking around, he realized he wasn't in bed.
…This wasn't a dream.
"Y…You do!?" Mina let out another adorable giggle.
"Of course, silly." She poked his nose a few times, clearly a bit nervous about this all herself. Izuku could feel himself grinning from ear to ear.
She liked him. She actually liked him.
Riding a bit of an emotional high, he suddenly leaned in, puckering his lips. However, a hand stopped his advance.
"Woah there, buddy! We haven't even gone on our first date yet!"
Green eyes snapped open as the boy realized what he just tried to do.
…Perhaps he was getting too confident.
"S-S-Sorry, I…" He wished he had a Quirk to melt through the floor right about now.
There was an awkward silence between them before Mina sighed loudly.
"Oh, who am I kidding. Come here, you!"
Before Izuku could respond, the horned girl grabbed his cheeks and pulled him in for a fat, wet kiss. He flailed wildly as his brain worked itself up into a frenzy.
"MmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMAH!" Releasing him with a loud smack, Mina had a huge, giddy grin. Izuku just stood there in a daze, trying to comprehend what just happened.
A moment later, he returned the gesture.
The two held each other close as they shared a rather passionate first kiss. Weeks of built up feelings between them all came rushing out at once, the only sound the smacking of their lips.
They paused briefly, foreheads against each other.
"S-So, d-does this make us… B-Boyfriend and girlfriend?" Izuku asked.
"Uh, yes?" Mina said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. They said nothing more before returning to their kiss.
Down the hall, a small figure watched the action from around a corner with a pair of binoculars.
"Heheheh… Yeah buddy, get in there!" Mineta cheered.
A hand reached out from around the corner, grabbing him by the ear. Suddenly floating in mid-air, the midget started shouting in protest as he was dragged off.