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Nothing stays the same as when you were a child. As time goes on, we become more aware of our inner feelings. How we handle those feelings is up to us.
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"Eh?? A shopping spree??"
Izumi was stunned beyond belief at the fact that her other girl classmates invited her to (what felt like) a random shopping trip to the mall. It wasn't the first time they had invited her to one of their many hang out plans, but she was usually busy with something or had some sort of excuse as to not go. They ended up taking advantage of the opportunity she unintentionally gave them, when she claimed she had no big plans today.
"C'mon, you could use a little girly charm! I've been actually DYING to get you into a guilty pleasure outfit!" Mina grinned with "devilish" intent as she tugged on Izumi's basic shirt. "I can't let you hide your adorableness under baggy pants and the shirt that says SHIRT on it anymore!"
"You could use a break from all your working out too, Izumi," Tsuyu chimed in, "I think you've been overdoing it, it's no good."
"You don't have to worry about prices either!" Momo's eyes sparkled with her fists pumped as she added to the conversation. "If there's anything that catches you fancy, I'll happily pay for it! It would be my treat!"
"H-Hold on just a sec! You don't have to buy me anything! I mean, there's nothing I really need, y'know..?" Izumi's mind raced as she tried to think of some sort of believable excuse to get out of this, but her thoughts were cut short by her hands being held hostage by Ochako, who was beaming just like the other girls.
"Don't worry about needs! This is just about girls hanging out and spoiling ourselves! It'll be fun! Pleaaaase Deku??" The hero that defied gravity must've somehow developed her quirk within that moment, since Izumi's heart felt like it flew up and exploded in the sky. Having her brain cease to function properly caused her to say one thing that made the girls cheer in victory.
".. I'll get ready.."
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Obviously this wasn't Izumi's first trip to the mall. She went here whenever she needed comfortable clothes or workout equipment, or whenever her mom wanted to do her own small shopping trip, but that was it. To go to a mall and buy whatever caught you fancy..
Well, that sounded what a normal person would do, huh?
But Izumi would be considered weird as hell in this case, following her friends like a timid puppy and looking at different clothes and accessories as if they were new historical discoveries. Whenever the nerd mumbled to herself about the convenience of certain clothes, Mina or Toru would drag her away to focus on other items, or Kyouka would poke her side to snap her out of it. When she got lost in an aisle, Momo, Tsuyu and Ochako would pull out random items and check to see if they would fit her, only confusing Izumi more.
"Look look, those were the boots I was talking about before~!" The invisible girl pointed at the shoe display, dragging Izumi with her as the girls followed. "Wouldn't they look cute with the pleated skirt and button up shirt I got not long ago?"
"Let's find your size!" Mina moved closer to the shoe boxes, scanning for Toru's size and pulling out a pair. "We might have to get it if it's a perfect fit, Cinderella~"
Izumi stood awkwardly as the girls spoke to each other, glancing around at the other random shoes on display. Nothing really caught her eye, probably because she was used to her red sneakers. Maybe she should at least try and find something out of her comfort zone, even if it's just to satisfy the girls.
"Izumi, what do you think??" Toru's bubbly voice snapped the greenette out of her daze and caused her to snap her attention to her friend, who was sitting in a seat, adjusting her boot a bit more, leaning down..
Giving Izumi a good view of the inside of her shirt.
Her face immediately turned beet red, and she could only speak in "Uh"s and "Um"s, confusing the others. Ochako stepped closer, reaching up to touch the other's forehead. "Are you ok, Deku? You feel really warm.." she worriedly asked, which only worsened Izumi's rising panic.
"I-I-I-I-.. W-WATER!!" Izumi practically screamed, flailing her arms and laughing hysterically. "I'MMA GET WATER! BE RIGHT BACK, HAHA!" And with that, she bolted out the store with the speed of an Iida, leaving the girls baffled and bewildered.
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God that was stupid.
Izumi sighed as she sipped the last of her water, sitting on an empty chair in front of a random shop and replaying the scene over and over in her mind until it would make her numb. Normal people wouldn't be so on edge when hanging out with friends, and she NEVER acts like that when she hangs around the guys like Eijirou and Shouto. Even around KATSUKI she was more relaxed. So why with them..
"Deku! There you are!" A familiar voice caused her to jump instinctively, but seeing her first friend of high school relaxed her nerves a bit.
"Uraraka..? How come you're not with the others?" Izumi looked behind the other to see if the group was following her, but Ochako shook her head before sitting down.
"You think I could act like nothing happened after you ran off like that? I was really worried. I told them I would find you and see what was wrong."
Great, she made them worry. After a random outburst like that, it'd only make sense to make others concerned. "It's fine, I'm fine. Guess I'm just not.. used to shopping like this?" She giggled and tried to smile, even if it looked and felt pretty shaky. Ochako looked unconvinced. Looked very convinced. Looked.. looked a lot. "Uh.. i-is there something on my face? Eheheh.." Izumi pretended to wipe at her mouth, then at her cheek..
Aaand now she's covering her face with her arms.
"Deku, are you feeling ok? You seem more reclusive than usual.." Ochako questioned, peeking closer at Izumi's covered face. She couldn't help but feel guilty seeing Izumi like this. She wanted to help.. no, she HAD to help. "I thought you were having a fun time with us-"
"N-No, I am! I mean it!" Izumi quickly cut her off, waving her hands as if that would clear away all confusion and embarrassment. "It's just, well.. how do I say this.."
Ochako reached over and grabbed Izumi's trembling hands, taking a mental deep breath and looking at the greenette with calm brown eyes. "It's ok, take your time, I just wanna know if you're alright. You can talk to me, right?" She smiled bright, which didn't do anything for Izumi's blush, but it did seem to release some tension.
With a deep sigh and nod, Izumi finally answered, "Well.. this is a bit embarrassing to say, but I never really.. had girl friends. L-Like friends that were girls, not-! Y-Y'know.." She quickly shook her head before continuing. "When I grew up, it was only really Kacchan and his friends with me, so I was always around boys growing up. I think the only woman that was around my life was my mom."
"So you're not used to being around girls?? Oh no, Deku.." Ochako frowned a bit, feeling some pity for the other, but she quickly smiled again, this time with confidence. "Well this is the future now! You have all the girls in our class that wanna be your friend, me included! We'll be sure to include you in all of our plans to make you feel right at home with us~!" It seemed like a good idea in her head, but when Ochako focused on Izumi again, she noticed that the freckled girl was trying to cover her face in her arms (since she was still holding onto her hands).
"I-I know you're trying to helpful, Uraraka, but.. it's still super hard.." she mumbled, fidgeting in her seat. "Because it's, uh.. it's not that I don't like you girls, I mean, I REALLY like you girls, because you all are so pretty and cute and full of energy and.. well.." Finally the pressure got to her, and she shouted, "I-I DON'T KNOW HOW TO TALK TO AND BE CLOSE TO YOU CUTE GIRLS! AND WE'RE HOLDING HANDS LIKE A-A-A-A..." Izumi couldn't even finish her sentence, her brain overheated so hard that anyone could see smoke fuming out of her ears.
Ochako wasn't far off, seeing as how her reactions went from surprise to confusion, to realization and now embarrassment. Having the information finally hit her caused her to let go of Izumi's sweaty hands, which went right back to the owner's face. Oh god. Izumi was a mess. Ochako was now a mess too. "O-Oh. So.. so that's why you were so shy when we.."
"Yeah.."
"And when Toru.."
"Uh huh.."
"A-And when.. I-"
"MmmmmmmMMMMM!!"
Both fell quiet. Faces red and on fire. Emotions conflicting with each other. Passerbys only glanced at them for a moment before going about their own plans. Izumi wanted to melt away and slip away into a manhole, blend in with the sewer water and be released to the sea (did it go to the sea? How did sewers work? Goddammit this wasn't the time!).
"... You too.."
"Huh..?" Izumi peeked through her cover to look at Ochako, who was playing with her hair and staring at her own feet.
"You, Deku.. you're a cute girl too.. you don't need pretty clothes or need a girly charm to prove you're cute." Her words almost sounded too quiet and mumbled to be heard, but Izumi was sharp. Izumi trained everyday. And she heard every word.
By god she heard every word.
"O-Oh. Uh.. you.. you too..?" Izumi stammered out, shocking Ochako entirely. "I-I MEAN-!! UM.. Y-Y-You have a cute face, and a cute voice, a-and you look cute in everything you wear, and you look cute when you eat food you like, and you're cute when you daydream, a-and-"
"Deku?"
"Huh??"
"Do.. do you.. like m-"
"THERE YOU ARE!!"
Both girls stood at attention as the group rushed to them, Toru and Mina hugging Ochako tight while Tsuyu rubbed Izumi's shoulder. "We all got so worried when you both rushed out, we're sorry we made you uncomfortable, Izumi.." Momo apologized, bowing in hopes of forgiveness.
"No no, it's ok! I should be apologizing for being weird!" Izumi bowed multiple times, Tsuyu having to stop her from giving herself a headache. "I'm just not used to these kinds of.. hangouts, I guess. I'm always around guys, so.."
"Yeah, that's what we figured." Kyouka waved it off and smiled. "We know you're the type of person to think hard on stuff, so we'll help you NOT have to think hard on stuff that doesn't require that kinda thinking. For example.." the musician pointed ahead at a tea shop. "Bubble tea?"
"Oo! I love the peach flavor! Let's go get some!" Toru's giddiness infected everyone else, including Izumi, as they rushed over to try some sweet drinks. Ochako had glanced over at Izumi once more before smiling to herself, letting those earlier compliments run through her mind over and over again.
No one could ever be as cute as Izumi Midoriya, and that was the undeniable truth.