Work Text:
Mina let out a sigh as she stepped out from the agency doors. It had been a long, frustrating day of patrols and she felt like she had walked around the entire city twice over without catching a single villain. On the one hand, not encountering any crime was probably a good sign for the city. On the other hand, it meant she had been intensely bored for the entire day. Now she was finally free to head back to her apartment, scarf down some convenience store dinner, and wait for Izuku to get done with his own patrol.
If she was lucky she might even be able to talk him into watching a movie together over FaceTime, before he inevitably passed out from exhaustion and left her to disconnect the call. Not that she really blamed him. He resolved more cases in a single day than most heroes resolved in a week. There were a lot of people who were calling him the second coming of All Might, with no idea just how right they actually were. A few of their former UA classmates came close to matching his numbers, but none could quite close the gap.
She was proud of her boyfriend, and everything he had achieved, but she did wish he weren’t quite so married to his job. She missed the UA dorms, where he had always been available for cuddles on demand. Now they lived cities apart, and only got to visit each other a couple of times a month when hero work brought him into her neck of the woods.
So it was that she nearly dropped her bag in surprise when she heard Izuku’s voice calling out to her from the other side of the street.
“Mina! I’m so glad I caught you!” he called, dashing across the street to wrap his arms around her in a tight hug that made her ribs ache a little with its force.
She didn’t care about that in the slightest, though. She returned the hug with equal force and affection, burying her face into his shoulder and inhaling deeply. He smelled almost exactly like she remembered, a calming mix of the cheap fruity shampoo he favored, cinnamon, and… sweat?
“Izuku, did you run here or something?” Mina asked, lifting her head up to give him a curious look. He was dressed in jeans and a button-up shirt, which would have made dashing there quite awkward.
“Ummm, maybe?” he said, looking away sheepishly, “I was just… really excited to see you again.”
“Awww, I missed you too, you big goof!” Mina said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Then her curiosity won out over her elation over seeing him. “Izuku, what are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming.”
“I wasn’t planning on coming until this weekend,” Izuku said, “But some stuff happened faster than I thought it would, and… now I’m here. Sorry for not letting you know.”
Mina shook her head, then gave him a soft smile. “Don’t be. It’s a surprise, but a nice one. Like finding 2000 yen you forgot about in your jacket pocket!”
“Glad to know I’m only worth 2000 yen to you,” Izuku said, returning her smile.
He had gotten so much better at banter in the nearly three years that they had been together. He still wasn’t quite at Mina’s level, but on a good day he could at least give her a decent challenge. And sometimes, when she was feeling particularly slow, he even came out ahead and turned her into a giggling, blushing mess of affection.
Today, however, was not one of those days.
“You’re worth way more than that,” she quipped, shifting to his side so that they could walk arm in arm. “In fact, you’re worth at least a meal at Nakahara’s”
It was her absolute favorite sushi restaurant in the entire city. The man who ran it was a mad genius when it came to sushi, constantly pushing the boundaries of what most people would consider acceptable sushi ingredients. Even still, his food was always delicious, and Mina and Izuku made a point of stopping there for dinner every time he was in town, despite the price.
It was, after all, the site of their first real date. Mina had dragged Izuku there after hearing Yaoyorozu raving about the meal she had eaten there with her parents. Ostensibly it had been because she didn’t want to eat alone, and Izuku had been the only one of her friends with free time that day. The burgeoning feelings she had been developing for her then friend had nothing to do with it in the slightest.
In hindsight, they probably should have realized that the shop was a bit pricier than the restaurants they usually attended. Mina had been a little preoccupied with denying her feelings at the time, however, and hadn’t realized what kind of place she was dragging Izuku to until they were already seated and were browsing the menu.
In the end, they had split an order of assorted sushi, since it was the most affordable option on the menu. It wasn’t a particularly large dish, which had led to their hands brushing halfway through the meal. Izuku had pulled back as though he had been burned, his face burning bright red from even the brief contact, while Mina had been left frozen with a similar blush on her cheeks.
That had been the point where she had finally stopped lying to herself about her feelings, and had just accepted that she had a crush on her classmate. To her delight, it had quickly become clear that Izuku felt similarly to her. He had even accompanied her that night under the impression that they would be going on an actual date, which put a lot of his blushing, awkward demeanor since she had asked him to come with her in perspective.
From there, the dinner had only gotten better. With her feelings acknowledged, Mina had been able to relax and really be herself. Before long, she’d had Izuku giggling uncontrollably as she made up stories about why the other patrons of the restaurant were there that night. They weren’t the best stories that she had ever crafted, way more absurd and ridiculous than her usual style, but they had been exactly what was needed to dissolve the last of the tension between them.
More dates had followed, getting more elaborate and romantic as they went. They had even taken a trip to Okinawa at the end of their third year, spending an entire week together in a romantic beachside cabin. It was honestly one of Mina’s favorite memories, and she’d been quietly making plans to repeat the trip for their next anniversary.
“Dinner sounds lovely,” Izuku said, drawing Mina back from her reminiscing, “but… could we go tomorrow? There’s something I want to show you today.”
Mina was a little surprised by the suggestion. Izuku was usually perfectly happy to go along with whatever plans she made, and almost never took the lead. Then again, he almost never showed up to see her unannounced, so maybe this was just a day for surprises. Even still, she wasn’t going to just let him get away with such a vague statement.
“Something you want to show me tonight, huh?” Mina said, a coy grin on her face, “Has Mineta been giving you pickup lines to try again? Because I’m not gonna say no, though I do wish you’d put a little more effort into selling it…”
She could practically see the gears turning in his head as he tried to work out what she was insinuating. When he finally did, he choked slightly and threw a hand up in front of his face to hide the slight blush. “N-No! I wasn’t saying we should… I mean, not right now…”
Mina laughed at his response. If only the world knew that the invincible Deku could be brought low by just a few flirtatious words. Then again, she had heard that he had taken down a villain calling herself “The Temptress” a few weeks back without too much trouble. There might come a day when her teasing ceased to affect him. She doubted that, though. Izuku would be Izuku, no matter what he went through.
“Alright, I’m done with the teasing for now,” Mina said, tugging on Izuku’s arm to grab his attention, “Let’s see this surprise!”
He nodded once, then pulled out his phone. Mina glanced at it too, hoping for a clue to their destination. Izuku probably wouldn’t keep her in suspense for very long, but she couldn’t help but want to see what had him so excited that he showed up unannounced.
To her surprise, he pulled up a map of the city, with a pin stuck in a nearby district. Because of her patrol route, Mina was actually fairly familiar with the area. It was an upscale neighborhood, with plenty of nice houses and apartments. The shops there were fancy as well, which piqued Mina’s interest even more than before. Wherever Izuku was taking her, it was somewhere nice .
“So, should I consider this an early anniversary present?” Mina asked as they began to walk towards their mysterious destination.
“No… I, uh, haven’t really gotten you anything yet,” Izuku admitted, “I’ve been busy focusing on… other stuff.”
“Same!” Mina chirped. It was a total lie, but she couldn’t have him getting the idea that she was responsible. Then he might stop helping her fill out her insurance forms. “Maybe we can go shopping after your surprise? There are a couple of good shops near there”
Izuku frowned. “How did you know where we're going?”
“I peeked at your phone,” Mina explained, “Gotta admit, I’m pretty excited. We’re going somewhere nice, yeah? Maybe a fancy cake shop of some sort?”
“Oh, it’s… not that fancy,” Izuku said apologetically.
“Hmmmm,” Mina hummed, racking her brain for another idea, “Some kind of hidden gem you heard about then? A little mom and pop diner?”
Izuku shook his head. “No, it’s not a restaurant either.”
“Awww, C’mon Izuku!” Mina whined, “Give me some sort of hint! I’m dying here!”
“It’s not far,” Izuku replied, “Can you hold on for just a couple of minutes?”
Mina let out the loudest groan that she could manage, hoping to get a bit of sympathy from her boyfriend, but instead drawing the eyes of several passersby to them. Whispers quickly followed as she and Izuku were recognized. He was famous everywhere, and she had been working hard to grow her own following in the city.
Normally, getting recognized while she was out of costume was something she enjoyed. The looks of realization on kid’s faces as they realized the pink lady standing in line in front of them at the convenience store was a pro hero were absolutely priceless, and she was never shy about stopping for a picture or autograph. But that was most of the time. Right now, the thought of being stopped for even a minute or two sounded like torture.
It would probably be for longer than that, though. Pinky was popular around the city, but Deku was a household name in every city in the country. There was no way they were getting away with just a few handshakes and a selfie. And, if a crowd started gathering around them then that would only attract more attention, which would just make things take even longer.
Before the whispers could turn into actions, Mina suddenly found her legs swept out from under her as Izuku lifted her into a bridal carry. The action was smooth as silk, and Mina had no doubt that he had practiced it plenty of times before that point, probably so that the people he saved felt safe and comfortable the entire time. She certainly did, with his powerful arms wrapped around her, pressing her into his chest.
“Hang on,” he said, low enough that only she could hear it, before blasting off into the sky in a single bound.
The feeling of soaring through the sky on a barely controlled trajectory was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. It wasn’t the first time that Izuku had brought her along while leaping from place to place, but it was the first time that he had done so outside of a combat situation, which gave her time to really appreciate the experience.
She whooped, raising her hands over her head like she was on a roller coaster. Izuku said something back, probably asking her not to move around so much, but the wind whipped his words away before they could reach her ears. He was probably right, and she was being overly risky, but Mina didn’t care. She was having way too much fun.
They landed at the far end of the district, touching down in an alley behind a convenience store that Mina vaguely recognized from her patrols. The flight had left her slightly breathless, and more than a little windswept, but she wasn’t going to complain. They’d covered a dozen blocks in a tenth of the time it would have taken to walk the same distance. Not for the first time, Mina dearly wished her own Quirk allowed her to move like that, instead of just letting her skate around a bit.
“Thanks for the ride,” Mina said, doing her best to finger comb her hair into something a little more presentable than its current state.
“Don’t mention it,” Izuku replied. His own clothes were somehow even more disheveled looking than Mina’s were, which was quite the impressive feat. He was doing his best to straighten them out, but was only really making things worse.
With a small smile, Mina stepped forward and straightened his collar. That was one thing that hadn’t changed, despite the years she had known him. He still couldn’t keep a collar straight, or a tie unbunched to save his life. Thankfully one of his sidekicks was always there to help him out before an interview, even if Mina couldn’t.
“I’m surprised you used your Quirk,” Mina said as she tugged his collar into shape, “You’re usually such a stickler for not using it in public.”
Izuku rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, shifting in place a little as he did so and messing up Mina’s work on his collar almost instantly. “S-Sorry,” he said as she went back to work on it, “I just… didn’t want to have to wait any longer.”
“You’re really excited for this, huh?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I really am.”
“Well then!” Mina said, stepping back a little to admire her handiwork, “Now you’ve got me really intrigued! Let’s go!”
“Okay, you definitely surprised me Izuku,” Mina said, glancing around at the empty house that was apparently their destination.
After their landing, Izuku had led her through a large apartment complex, earning them a few curious stares from the various nosy grandmas who lived there, and behind it to a large wooden fence. For a minute, Mina had thought he had gotten lost somewhere along the way, but then Izuku had produced a key from his pocket and opened the gate, letting them into the lot beyond.
A small house, with its own garden was tucked away back there, far away from the prying eyes of the apartment complex and the street, which was interesting. Mina had no idea how anyone had gotten the permits to actually build the place. Then again, it looked old enough that it might have been here well before the apartments that now surrounded it were even proposed. The paint on its walls was a bit faded, and there was a positively ancient looking satellite dish on the roof, but otherwise the house looked rather well loved and maintained.
To her immense surprise, Izuku had produced a second key and brought them both inside. Tit was devoid of any furniture, and a layer of dust covered most of the floors and windows. There were a few signs of life, however. A large tarp had been laid out across the floor of what had obviously been a living room at some point, with a half dozen cans of paint holding the corners down. At the center of the tarp was a large picnic basket that looked like it had just been taken out of an old-timey British drama movie.
“So, you brought me for a picnic in an abandoned house?” Mina said skeptically. She trusted Izuku to the moon and back, but this was pretty odd behavior, even for him. “Do I get an explanation?”
Izuku shuffled a little, and turned his gaze to the floor in a display that was so nervous Mina almost felt bad for asking the question that had caused it.
“So, uh, you know how we got a new intern at my agency a couple months ago?” Izuku asked.
Mina’s mood instantly fell. Of course this was a work thing. He was probably in town to track down some villain who was lurking in the area, and had decided to bring her along for a picnic while on the stakeout. It was still something, but with how excited Izuku had been about the whole thing, she’d been expecting something a little more impressive.
“Yeah,” she said, doing her best to sound enthusiastic and failing miserably. “Shimmer something or other.”
“Shimmer Path,” Izuku corrected, “She’s got a really cool Quirk. She can make portals from place to place, like Kurogiri from the League of Villains, but even quicker. And she can make them almost anywhere she’s been before.”
That did catch Mina’s attention. Warping Quirks like that were really rare, especially ones that could be used more than once or twice a day. This newbie had probably been in high demand, which made it all the more impressive that the agency he worked with had managed to snatch her up.
“That’s neat,” Mina said, genuinely meaning it. Her feelings about the disappointing date aside, she was genuinely happy that his agency was growing.
“Yeah!” Izuku said, his enthusiasm for Quirks and heroics overwhelming whatever nerves he had been feeling up to that point. “She’s really nice too! I helped her out a little ago with a problem she was having with her Quirk, and in thanks she offered to make a portal to bring me into the office every day.”
Mina whistled, impressed by the generous offer. If this girl was really as powerful as Izuku said, it meant he would never have to worry about commuting to his agency ever again. He could take the time to make a decent breakfast, get in a morning workout, or even just sleep in. Not that he’d actually do that last one, but Mina was still a little bit jealous of him for having the opportunity.
She wished she had someone with a warp Quirk at her agency. Although now that she thought about it, they wouldn’t even really need to be at her agency at all. They could live in another city entirely and simply warp to wor—
Mina’s thoughts ground to a halt as the reason they were standing in an empty house, one that appeared to have been freshly purchased, finally clicked into place.
“Wait, Izuku, you don’t mean that this is…?”
He nodded once more. “Yeah, it is. I filled out the last of the paperwork this morning. The house is mine, and…” he swallowed loudly before continuing, “And I was hoping it could be yours too.”
It took all the willpower Mina possessed not to simply drop to the floor and melt into a puddle of delighted goo. Slowly, a smile so wide that it made her cheeks ache spread across her face. A moment later, she surged forward and leapt into Izuku’s arms, wrapping herself entirely around him in a full body hug.
“Yes!” Mina cried, “Yes! Absolutely yes!”
He returned the embrace, twirling her around him and laying kiss after kiss on her cheeks as he did so. The move was straight out of a romance movie, and Mina would have chided him for being so cheesy if she hadn’t been so absolutely enamored at the moment.
Eventually they broke apart, allowing Mina to take stock of the house once more. Somehow, it looked so much nicer now that she knew she was looking at her future home. It wasn’t nearly as cold and empty as her first impression had made it seem. It was just waiting to be filled with furniture, life, and maybe a bit of paint and spackle. Then it would really be a home.
Her home. Her and Izuku’s home.
Mina squealed in delight, and took off on a whirlwind tour of the house, poking her nose into every nook and cranny that she could find, and mentally planning exactly where she would put all her furniture and decorations. They would even have to buy some new stuff, since the house was easily larger than both of their current apartments combined.
“This place is awesome Izuku!” Mina said, as she burst back into the room.
In the time that she had been gone, Izuku had unpacked the picnic basket and laid out the somewhat meager fare. It was mostly convenience store bentos and drinks, with a few fresh fruits thrown in as a nod to eating healthy. At that moment, though, it looked absolutely delicious to Mina.
“I’m glad you like it,” Izuku said, holding a can of her absolute favorite soda out to her, “I had to look for quite a while before I got lucky with it.”
“How did you hear about it?” Mina asked, plopping down next to him, “It’s not exactly easy to spot.”
“A real estate agent,” Izuku said, his eyes taking on a far away look, “I saved his daughter from a villain attack, and the next day, I found a big stack of real estate listings on my desk. Apparently someone in the office told him I was looking, and he decided to help out.”
“Using your hero connections for personal gain?” Mina said, her voice filled with mock astonishment as she elbowed Izuku lightly in the ribs, “How scandalous!”
“I didn’t say anything to him!” Izuku protested, a slight grin on his face showing that he wasn’t serious, “I wasn’t even going to look at them, but this one was on top of the pile, and it just… caught my eye. I thought it looked like somewhere you’d like to live.”
“You were absolutely right,” Mina said, snuggling up to his side, “I love it. But not just because it’s funky. I love it because you love it. You could have asked me to live in a shack, and it would still feel like a mansion.”
Izuku blushed a little bit at her words, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders before pulling her in to lay a quick kiss on her forehead.
“So, now what?” Mina asked once she had stopped giggling like a schoolgirl.
“Well, there’s still a lot to do before we can move in,” Izuku said, “But I thought we could start with painting?”
Mina nodded. It was a good place to start. The slightly cracked and faded white paint that surrounded them now was fine, but it wasn’t exactly inspiring. They could make it better, make it theirs , and paint it in any color that they wished.
“Well then, let’s get started!” Mina said, hopping to her feet.
More than an hour later, Mina dropped back onto the tarp with a sigh of relief. She was dressed in a painter’s smock, courtesy of Izuku thinking ahead and knowing her well, that was liberally coated with paint.
Their painting session had devolved into a paint fight when Mina had gotten bored halfway through the second wall and flicked some paint onto Izuku. He’d assumed the first barrage was an accident, and had ignored the second, but on the third attempt he had retaliated in kind, and the war had begun.
The living room was mostly untouched, since neither of them had wanted to undo their hard work, but the other rooms had not fared quite so well. The kitchen counters would probably need to be replaced after their paint splattering, and cleaning the floors would probably be a pain. They’d also need to haul the three paint cans they’d managed to empty through the apartment complex outside, which would probably make a terrible impression on their future neighbors, considering their current dishevelment.
Mina didn’t care one bit, however. She was still flushed from dashing around the house, laughing at the top of her lungs as Izuku tried to wrap her in a pain soaked bear hug. She’d dodged him for just long enough that he would feel like she wasn’t giving up, before finally allowing him to catch her, dooming her to a flurry of kisses right then, and a long shower when they finally headed back to her apartment that night.
She slowly lifted her hands up towards the sky, eyes tracing the splotches of green that dotted her pink skin. Growing up, she’d never thought that the two colors could go so perfectly together, but now she knew better.
Now she knew there had never been two colors that mixed so well.