Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hey Eri,” Uraraka said, kneeling down at eye level to the little girl, “Why don’t you come with me and Tsuyu for some girl time, and we can let Midoriya take a little break?”

Midoriya tilted his head at the suggestion. It wasn’t unwelcome. After all, he had been with the girl and Mirio all day after Class 1-A’s performance. He was having a great time, but he did feel the need to stretch his legs and have a little, ‘me-time.’ “Are you sure, Uraraka?”

Uraraka nodded. “Yeah, for sure, you look like you need a minute to recoup. What do you say, Eri?”

Eri, to her credit, was growing increasingly more comfortable with Class 1-A after spending the day with them. She turned and smiled at Midoriya. “I’ll be okay. Just don’t be gone too long!”

Midoriya nodded and smiled, mouthing a quick, “thank you,” to Uraraka and Asui. As the girls walked off, he turned to Mirio. “Anything you wanted to do?”

“Eh, I was just going to check on Tamaki and maybe catch how Nejire is doing now that she won the beauty pageant. I miss my old friends.” Mirio laughed. “You can come if you want, but it’ll probably be boring.”

“I think I’ll just wander around and see some of the stalls,” Midoriya declined. “I’ll meet up with you later.”

The two friends departed, going separate ways, and Midoriya had to admit he was relieved to explore the Cultural Festival alone for a while. Years of bullying had left him an introvert, and even though he had really broken out of his shell this last year, he still felt the need to get away from groups of people. It was the best way to recharge his social battery, as he had come to call it. That, and he’d never been to a Cultural Festival before, and it was an interesting sight to say the least. Each class had really gone above and beyond - Plus Ultra - in both their food stalls and events.

As he retreated inside the building, he saw some classes had opted for turning their classroom into an attraction instead of a performance. As he passed the Support Labs, he saw Hatsume had turned one of them into a whole showcase of live demonstrations for her babies. “Heya Izuku!” She called as he approached, “Want to come test a special baby?”

Midoriya glanced up at the smoke gently wafting out of the open door. Smiling politely to his friend, he shook his head. “Sorry Hatsume, I’m meeting someone,” he lied. “But the gloves you made work amazing! I uh... tested them earlier.”

“Glad to have a satisfied customer!” She beamed. “Try not to break ‘em. Or if you do, break ‘em interestingly so it’s fun to fix!”

He chuckled as he kept walking. “You got it!”

One of the general courses classes was set up for a live poetry performance, while their class president gently played on the piano. He considered going inside, but a tall girl and a short girl were violently screaming at each other, while the class vice president sobbed on the floor. Quickly, Midoriya kept walking. “I wonder if Shinso knows those four....”

“I do.”

Midoriya jumped to see Shinsou coming out of an adjacent classroom that had been turned into a takoyaki stand of sorts. “Oh man, didn’t see you there.” Midoriya sighed.

“Yes, I’ve been training my stealth,” he nodded. “Make it easier to catch people off guard with my Quirk. And that’s the Literature Club. We uh... don’t talk to them.”

“That’s a great strategy!” Midoriya smiled. “Helping out with your class?” He ignored the sound of someone banging on the piano keys behind him and walked a little bit further from the door.

“Yeah, something like that,” he grumbled, “half of them were so lazy I had to brainwash them into going along with it. I’m on break now though. Where are you off to?”

“Just wandering around,” Midoriya shrugged. “Thought I’d check out some things I hadn’t gotten to yet.”

“Well, don’t eat here,” Shinsou warned. Midoriya laughed, but the purple-haired boy continued. “I’m serious. Don’t.”

“O-okay,” he replied, nervously. “Why?”

Something crashed from behind Shinsou. “You don’t want to know. Anyway. I was going to see if anywhere has any edible grub.”

“There’s plenty outside,” Midoriya chuckled.

With a nod, the general studies student left. Midoriya couldn’t help but smile. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood.

Everyone except...

“Ah, if it isn’t the attention-hogging broccoli from class 1-A!!!”

Midoriya inwardly groaned, but kept the friendly smile on his face. “Hello Monoma.”

“Come to see if any of you 1-A losers could possibly stand up to the nightmares our haunted house has to offer?!” Monoma cackled, “YOU COULDN’T POSSIBLY! YOU’LL BE CRYING LIKE A-”

A sudden chop to the neck silenced the boy as Kendo approached the two. “Sorry Midoriya.”

“It’s okay,” Midoriya laughed, a bit relieved to see the big sister of Class 1-B. Still, the obnoxious student had piqued his curiosity with the taunt. “Haunted house? I thought you guys just had the performance.”

“Well, not everyone was part of the play,” Kendo rolled her eyes. “And someone!” She glared at the fallen blonde, “Thought we’d really show class 1-A up if our classroom was an attraction too. Made twice as much work for me... Although really only Reiko set up the haunted house.”

“Yanagi? Oh, she has the Poltergeist Quirk, right?” Midoriya asked. “I’m sure being able to rearrange things telekinetically made it a lot easier for her to set it up.”

Kendo nodded. “That, and she’s also the most knowledgeable of all things creepy.”

Midoriya tilted his head. Truth be told, he’d never so much as said hi to Yanagi Reiko, but he had of course seen her at the Sports Festival and the Summer Training Camp. “She is?”

Kendo chuckled. “She’s very nice, but yeah. Spends her free time reading creepypastas online and... I mean, if you’re into spooky things, go check it out. You’ll see.”

Midoriya pondered it. He’d been tricked into watching old scary movies by Kacchan when he was WAY too young to be watching them. He’d be locked in his room, with no remote, and a television out of reach, being forced to watch Halloween and The Ring. And at first, he had been terrified...

But then he became enamored with all these regular - Quirkless - people going up against empowered entities. In a way, horror movies were somewhat inspiring for the natural to deal with the supernatural. Not that the underdogs always won, of course, but he began to look at it as an analysis for what a Quirkless person would need to do to fend off a strong Quirk. They were still scary, but he enjoyed them.

“I like some spookems,” Midoriya joked. “I’ll go check it out.”

With a friendly wave, he walked off. He was starting to like some of his class 1-B classmates, other than Monoma’s almost maniacal dedication to making class 1-A his archnemesis. And even then, it was sometimes good for a laugh.

The haunted house was easy to find; Class 1-B’s wall was covered in dark construction paper, and a fog was billowing out of their door. In red paint on the wall next to the door, “Enter if you dare,” was written to look like dripping blood.

It wasn’t particularly scary for any reason, other than the fact that no one was in that hallway at the moment.

Walking up to the door, Midoriya cleared his throat. “Is uh... is the haunted house open?” He called in to the entrance

He felt a shiver down his spine as a breathy, female voice seemed to whisper from all around him, “come in, brave traveler...”

Midoriya’s eyebrows raised. He had no clue where the words came from, but it certainly helped build a creepy atmosphere.

“Well,” he shrugged. “Here goes nothing.”

Deku walked into the classroom, and immediately the door slammed shut behind him. He jumped, but immediately reminded himself that moving objects was just what Yanagi’s Quirk entailed. A dim light clicked on from the ceiling, barely illuminating the other side of the room. There, where Midoriya could only guess a teacher’s desk normally was...a well.

That can’t be real, he thought. But it sure looks real. They got real cinder blocks for it.

He went to take a step towards the well, and immediately he felt woozy - a smell of mildew hitting his nose. There was some sort of odor in the room and it was making it hard for Midoriya to keep his eyes open.

“Leeeeaaaave my preeeseeennnccccccccceeeeee,” the voice said, hissing a bit at the end.

Head still reeling, Midoriya gulped and turned to leave. “I-if you say so.” Turning on his heel, he went to retreat, but found himself walking into a wall of desks that had suddenly been stacked behind him. “Or not.”

“EGRESS FROOOOOOOOM THIIIIIIIIIS DWELLLLLIIIIINNNNGGGGG,” the ethereal voice cried out, much louder now.

Good use of the word egress, he thought, trying to keep his nerves. Whipping around, Midoriya was shocked to see a figure rising from the well. It was donned in a white gown, with matted black hair hanging down past its waist. He’d seen stringy-haired ghost girls in movies before, but something about this instance and his blurred vision made him somewhat alarmed.

Jumpy from his tussle with Gentle Criminal earlier, he almost wondered if this was some sort of trap. “Trust me, I’d like to,” he muttered, grabbing his head.

He stepped to his right and immediately got his foot stuck in something. Rooted now to his spot he looked up to see the stringy-haired ghost approaching, arms outstretched. She was only a few feet away.

His eyes darted around, going into battle mode. Without thinking, Full Cowling crawled up his arms and legs. With the ghost a few feet away, he kicked his foot out of his shoe and rolled to the right. Before he could evaluate his next move, he heard an, “ACK” and he knocked someone to the ground.

The desks piled up behind him crashed to the ground, thankfully missing him, and the stringy ghost girl collapsed as well.

“Are - are you okay?” Midoriya called out to whoever had yelled.

“J-just one moment,” a voice replied, shyly.

To his relief, the lights flickered on. When his eyes adjusted to the light, Midoriya saw that he had rolled right into Yanagi Reiko herself, who had been hiding near the entrance and manipulating everything for the haunted house. Behind him, he could see the stack of desks had fallen, and that the stringy haired ghost girl was just a scarecrow of sorts. Around the room, various mushrooms had been placed - likely by Kinoko - and globs of glue were placed around the room as well to trap patrons.

Still, Yanagi was the only person in the room other than Midoriya. He jumped right up and offered her a hand, embarrassed.

“I’m so sorry Yanagi,” he said, blushing. “I didn’t see you there.”

“Well, a lack of vision is imperative for building the proper, haunting atmosphere,” she said, rubbing the back of her head. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her to her feet. She was a bit taken back by how easily he was able to pick her up, realizing he was stronger than he looked, “but I did not foresee that someone would try to engage in combat tactics against a spirit.”

As he met with the girl on eye level, he could feel his cheeks heat up. She was just a touch shorter than him, and her one blue eye poking out from her silver bangs appeared to stare directly into his soul. He looked down and only got more embarrassed as he noticed her full lips and moderate bust that was covered by a plain grey t-shirt. OH GOD SHE’S HOT, his mind screamed at him, realizing he was still touching her hand.

“You...” Midoriya admitted, sheepishly trying to distract himself, “you certainly did a good job with everything. I felt really woozy, and that mannequin looked so lifelike.” He bent down and pulled his shoe out of the glue glob, releasing it with a loud, “pop.”

Yanagi’s lip twitched upwards into a small smile. “Well, I partially have Kinoko’s mushrooms to thank. Their odor can cause dizziness when their aroma first tickles your senses. It assists in the low budget effects we had at our disposal. And Bondo, of course, provided his Quirk to ensnare those who would try to flee.”

“It’s a good haunted house,” Midoriya agreed. He looked around. Sure, two of her classmates had assisted with their Quirks but... “Is anyone else here helping you run this?”

Yanagi sighed, holding her hands in front of her in the zombie-like pose she usually took. “Once I had them set everything up, I advised them they were relinquished to enjoy the festivities around our campus. I did not want their spirits to be dampened from sitting around in the dark with only my company.”

Midoriya couldn’t help but smile. She had a funny, eloquent way of speaking. She’d heard one of her classmates griping about it the other day, but he couldn’t help but find it pleasant. “Well, let me help you set it back up. Least I can do for knocking it all down.”

Yanagi gave him a smile but shook her head. “There is no need. I have the matter well in hand. Observe.” She played with her fingers, as if she were a puppetmaster manipulating a marionette, and the desks all returned to their place at the back of the class. “Once someone has entered, I use those to create a barrier from retreat,” she explained. Then, she picked up the scarecrow and shoved it back into the well. “And the rest is simple. The dizzy feeling from the mushrooms, and the sense of being trapped with an unknown entity creates the perfect recipe for horror.”

Midoriya became enamored with the Quirk immediately, and grabbed a notebook from his pocket. “Oh that’s so cool! I’ve seen telekinetic Quirks before, but you have such fine control over it!”

Reiko tilted her head and looked at the book. “Hero Analysis for the future, Volume... fifteen?” She read, “My oh my, you seem to be quite the studious one to take notes even during a Festival.”

It took a second to register that he had even taken his notebook out - it was such a habit he often did it without thinking. Way to embarrass yourself in front of a pretty girl. Again, he mentally scolded. His face turned crimson and he shut the book. “Y-yeah, w-well my Q-quirk developed r-really late. T-they thought I was Quirkless um... when I was little,” he explained. This was his most rehearsed lie when explaining his Quirk situation. “So I became just obsessed with Quirks. I-I would take notes o-on them all a-and a-analyze their p-pros and c-cons...”

“Why?” Reiko asked, head comically tiled to the side.

Midoriya had gotten this question many times in his life, but it was usually accompanied with a tone of sarcasm or even malice. This was merely curiosity. “O-oh. W-well, I g-guess I just w-wanted w-what I couldn’t have... but...” He rubbed the back of his head, “Even when I thought I was Quirkless I thought I could still be a Hero, so the more knowledge I had the better. So I started thinking of ways to counteract Quirks.”

To his surprise, Yanagi smiled. “So even from a tender age you showed the determination and strategic mind for heroics. I would find that admirable. Some in our class only decided to apply because they were told their Quirks were suited for it. Not that I have any doubts in their current endeavor for Heroics, but none have wanted it for the majority of our young lives.”

A knock at the door made the two of them turn as Kendo entered, looking alarmed. “Is everything alright? I heard a crash.”

Yanagi nodded. “Midoriya was the first to defeat the undead spirit with some quick combat tactics. All is well, for the room has been reset.”

Kendo raised an eyebrow and replied with a flat, “what.”

“I uh...” Midoriya stammered. “Got uh... my foot caught in some glue and rolled to the side. I bumped into Yanagi and everything fell over.”

Kendo looked around the room and snickered. “You know, I’m almost surprised that hadn’t happened yet.” She turned to the silver-haired girl. “Are you good here? Need anything?”

Yanagi shook her head, but her stomach betrayed her by rumbling loudly.

Kendo’s bigger-than-her-hands-sister-instincts took over, and she furrowed her brows. “Have you taken a break to eat yet?”

“I did not want to leave the haunted house unattended,” she replied, sheepishly.

“For the love of...” Kendo pinched the bridge of her nose, “We haven’t had a visitor before Midoriya since this morning. Put up the, ‘back in fifteen minutes,’ sign and go eat.”

“I shall just acquire some of the takoyaki from down the hall,” Yanagi replied. “I can be there and back relatively shortly.”

Midoriya’s mind flashed to what Shinso had told him, and the sound of crashing from the classroom. “I uh... wouldn’t eat there if I were you.”

The two girls turned to look at him, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “One of my friends - well I guess he’s more of an acquaintance since he’s kind of a grump - told me that the food there was... bad. Real bad.”

“I shall remain here to cause fear and chaos of those foolish enough to enter,” Yanagi said, turning to Kendo. “I shall just consume a larger meal this evening -”

“NO!” Kendo replied, sternly. “As class rep, get out there and go eat. That’s an order.” She looked to Midoriya. “Can you make sure she gets something? Please? This one will skip meals if I let her.”

Midoriya felt himself go red again. Kendo was basically asking him to go hang out with an incredibly attractive girl his age that he had essentially tackled to the ground.

“I do not wish to bother Midoriya Izuku with my presence,” Yanagi replied, “I’m sure I can -”

“I-it’s n-no b-bother at all,” Midoriya interjected with a sudden courage he didn’t know he had, “I-I g-got s-some food earlier so I can show you where the best stalls are.”

Yanagi’s stoic face revealed just a hint of surprise as she looked to him. “Are you sure? While I have found quite enjoyable friends in my class, those who do not know me can find me a bit... off-putting.”

Midoriya looked at her for a second. Other than the fact that she talked like an elegant British maiden and held her hands at elbow level like a ghost, he wasn’t sure why anyone would find her off-putting. “I don’t think that at all,” he replied, earnestly. “You seem... nice.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “For someone I just met.”

“See, you guys get along!” Kendo chuckled, approaching them and gently pushing them towards the door with slightly enlarged hands. “Now go get something to eat before Yanagi collapses and becomes a real ghost.”

“Quite comedic,” Yanagi replied, a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

Once the trio was back in the rather empty hall, Kendo flipped the door and put a, “be right back,” sign on a thumbtack. “I know, that’s why you all voted for me,” Kendo chuckled. “Bring her back in one piece, Midoriya.”

Midoriya blushed. Kendo was sounding more like a mom sending a daughter and boyfriend out on a date more than a class president... but she was just like that, he figured. Turning to Yanagi, he saw her looking at him with still only one of her blue eyes visible. It caught him off guard how striking it was. “Er.. um... what kind of food are you feeling up for?” He asked, finding it hard to keep eye contact.

Yanagi hummed, pondering. “I’m fairly impartial to katsudon, though I doubt I’d find anything here. Really anything better than cup ramen would be good right now.”

He smiled. “Katsudon’s my favorite, actually, but yeah, I don’t think you’ll find that here. I actually had some really good homemade noodles in one of the upperclassmen’s stalls outside if that sounds good?”

“That would be wonderful,” she nodded. “Lead the way.”

He did, and as they walked, an awkward silence made him uncomfortably aware that he really knew nothing about this girl he was suddenly accompanying. But before he could launch himself into a panic, she broke the silence.

“Pardon the question,” she began as they left the building and returned to the school grounds, “but I actually am still curious about those notebooks you have been keeping. May I inquire on something?”

“Huh?” He said. “Oh, um... sure. No one’s really asked me about them before.”

“Really? I find that strange,” she replied. “I just was curious about what other sort of telekinetic Quirks you’ve encountered and how they compare to my own.”

“Oh!” His face brightened right up. After all. Talking to girls was hard, but talking about Quirks was easy. “Well, the first one I ever knew about was actually my mom’s. Hers is very minor, but she has the ability to attract small objects to herself. Nothing really any bigger than a pot or a pan, but it’s very limited. She can’t manipulate them herself though. She can only bring them closer to herself. It might be closer to magnetism, really, but if that were the case she’d be able to push them.” He laughed. “When I was really little, she used to be able to use it on me when I was at the park and I’d run off.” He scratched the back of his neck, blushing a bit. “I-I guess that’s a little embarrassing.”

To his surprise, the girl chuckled softly, putting one of her hands up to cover her mouth in a demure fashion. “That actually sounds adorable. I can imagine a small Midoriya Izuku floating through the air.” She turned and looked ahead of her. “I can’t use my Quirk on people. Not yet, anyway. I hope to master that ability at some point, if possible.”

Midoriya’s hand twitched, but he suppressed the urge to write that in his notebook. “Does your Quirk have any other limits?”

“I can not manipulate anything bigger than myself, although that fluctuates if I really strain myself,” she admitted. “I used to only be able to handle three of four things at a time, but with proper training I’ve increased it to about twenty or twenty-five, all depending on their scope and shape.”

“Those Summer Camp Trainings must have really helped,” he smiled, “and I’m sure Vlad King has done a great job too.”

“Indeed,” she smiled, “he’s a wonderful instructor, though at times he seems to have the same sort of competitive spirit Monoma does. What other sorts of telekinesis have you researched?”

By now, the two had reached the second year's ramen stand, and a break in the conversation arose as Midoriya ordered two bowls of the pork ramen. Without thinking, he paid for himself and Yanagi’s orders, not noticing how red he had made her grow by doing that. There were a few benches and tables set up outside of the food stalls, and the two sat down on one that was unoccupied.

“This smells really good,” Midoriya beamed. “Anyway... you asked about other sort of telekinesis I’ve made notes on, right?”

She nodded, still blushing. Does he perhaps not understand that by paying for this sustenance, I could misconstrue the action as one of courtship? “Y-yes, that was my inquiry.”

“Well, that’s kind of a tricky subject,” Midoriya admitted, using his chopsticks to grab some noodles. “Because some Quirks have telekinetic-like characteristics, but it’s not full-on telekinesis. Like Hawks and his control over quills, or Tsunotori and her horns. They can control their projectiles with their mind, but that’s it. It’s not like they can control anything else.”

“And just like Tokage and her body parts when she splits them,” Yanagi nodded, using her Quirk to levitate her chopsticks and feed herself. The action captivated Deku momentarily. “Yes, I’ve noticed some similarities. Quite strange. It almost appears to be a secondary function of their Quirk.”

Oh man that’s so cool! He shook himself. “Well, Quirk evolution has theorized that some Quirks have developed those required secondary characteristics over time. But other than that, being able to manipulate things without actually touching them is relatively rare.”

Yanagi smiled. “I must be a fascinating subject for you then, Midoriya.”

His face turned scarlet. “I-I m-mean, y-yeah, I c-could p-probably ask you a lot.”

“Oh my,” she said, covering her mouth for a quick giggle once more. “I think I set off your stutter again.”

“Huh?” He hummed, embarrassed.

Yanagi levitated her bowl and took a sip. It was rather amazing to Midoriya that even when drinking ramen broth from a bowl, she could look prim and proper. He almost wondered if it was a second Quirk. As she set the bowl back down, she smiled slightly. “Well, I could not help but observe than when speaking so passionately about your Quirk studies, you speak with such confidence. But if the subject is turned to myself, you become nervous.”

“O-oh,” Midoriya replied, “S-sorry.” I still haven’t gotten used to talking to pretty girls...

“I can understand your nerves,” she said, her smile faltering somewhat, “I admit that I am nervous about being unexpectedly courted.”

The words hit Midoriya like someone punched him right in the throat, as he coughed and choked on his noodles. Quickly he covered his mouth with his arm and coughed to his side, looking at the bench. At the least, he could pretend his reddened face was from coughing. “W-what?!” He stammered when he caught his breath and looked up.

This time it was Yanagi’s turn to blush slightly. “Well, of course. While my manner of speech might be antiquated, I am aware that when a young man pays for the meals of himself and his accompaniment, it’s usually a romantic gesture.”

Midoriya stared at her, mouth agape for a second while his brain caught up with what she was saying. He looked down at the ramen, slack-jawed. “O-oh! I just thought I would pay for our meals since I knocked you down in the haunted house.”

Yanagi looked down and nodded. There was almost a look of disappointment in her eye that was just barely there. “Oh. I see. I thought that this was perhaps a romantic pursuit, but I appear to have misread your intentions.”

“I-it’s not that I don’t have any interest in you,” he blurted out. This time, both of them turned red at his words, and he found himself scrambling to salvage the situation. “I just didn’t buy the food f-for that reason. Who wouldn’t be interested in someone as pretty as you?”

Her eye widened slightly. “Oh my, how bold.”

The reaction made Deku panic, and the rate of his speech quickened. “N-not that... I mean... I just don’t know you very well... I um... I’m sorry!” This is how I die, isn’t it? Not Shigaraki. Not All for One. Not Kacchan. Just talking to this really hot girl.

With the pink tinge on her face, Yanagi closed her eyes and giggled again, this time forgoing covering her mouth. “Well, that is certainly an understandable reaction. I am sorry if I made you nervous by putting any pressure on you. I will say, I am very much enjoying our brief time together.”

“I-I am too!” He assured her. What’s happening right now?

“Well, perhaps we can continue to get to know each other,” Yanagi suggested, “And you can decide if you’d like to pursue a romantic courtship?”

Midoriya almost choked again, but he kept it together, despite his face feeling like it was about to light on fire. “Y-yeah, w-we can d-do that!”

“Delightful,” she replied, lifting her bowl telekinetically one last time to finish her ramen. “If I may be so bold, I am closing the haunted house around five. Will you still be around the festival this evening?”

“Y-yes,” Midoriya nodded. “My friends and I are watching Eri, but I’ll be around with them. I think we were going to watch the fireworks.”

“Then may I also be so brazen as to join you?” She inquired. “Perhaps catch up on some of the game stalls I’ve missed out on.”

If earlier he felt like his face would catch on fire, now he felt like his whole body was about to ignite. Is this pretty girl asking me out on a date?

He nodded, unable to find his tongue for a minute. “I-I-I-I,” he shook himself out of it. “I’d like that.”

“Wonderful,” Yanagi smiled. She stood up. “I need to be getting back now, but would you mind meeting me around here around 5:30 this evening?”

He nodded. “S-sure.”

“I look forward to seeing you,” she smiled. She glanced behind him. “I do believe your friends have arrived. Goodbye for now, Midoriya Izuku.”

He gaped as she walked off. He couldn’t stop himself from getting a good look at her rear and thighs too. OH GOD A REALLY HOT GIRL ASKED ME OUT!

But what was she saying about...

He turned around to see Iida, Uraraka, Asui, Todoroki, and Eri behind him. Iida looked rather pleased, Asui and Todoroki had smirks on their faces, Uraraka was puffing her cheeks out, and Eri looked rather curious.

“Was that your girlfriend, Midoriya?” Eri asked, prompting the others to snicker.

“Yes Midoriya,” Todoroki said, in his usual stoic voice, but a grin on his face betrayed the sarcasm, “Is that your girlfriend?”

Midoriya covered his face in embarrassment. Would he even make it to 5:30?

Chapter Text

“Oh, you’re back!” Kendo said, smiling, as she saw Yanagi approach Class 1-B. She was immediately taken aback when she saw the ghostly girl smiling. And that was a little odd. She was at least more expressive than Kodai usually was, but she stayed neutral most of the time. “Oh wow, someone’s in a good mood!”

“Perhaps,” Reiko replied, a coy undertone in her voice. “I think some sustenance is what I needed after all.”

“I dunno,” Kendo replied, just as coyly and then some, “I don’t remember the last time you came back from lunch looking like you won the lottery. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had a good time with Midoriya.”

“HHHHHWWWWWWWWWHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTT?!” Came the enraged cry of a recovered Monoma, who burst into the door, looking particularly infuriated. “WHAT DISCUSSION OF TREACHERY IS THIS?!”

“Your overreaction is noted,” Reiko replied, annoyed, “but I merely had a very enjoyable conversation with Midoriya, and I had engaged in plans to continue it this evening.”

“TREASON!” Monoma cried.

Kendo, however, squealed excitedly. “Wait, you asked him out this evening?!”

“N-nothing like that,” Yanagi replied, blushing slightly. “I’ll just be accompanying him, some of his friends, and the young lady he had rescued a few weeks ago around the festival.”

“Consorting with the enemy,” Monoma growled. But after a moment, his face twisted into a sick grin. “Ah, wait, wait. This could actually be a grand opportunity! You could be our woman on the inside.”

“Inside?” The ghostly teen parroted.

“Precisely!” Monoma cackled. “You can be our spy for class 1-B and find out all of those fools' wretched secrets! Then, the next time we clash with them, we’ll be prepare-GAH!”

Kendo chopped him in the neck once more. “Wow, he’s going for a record today,” she muttered. But then she looked up at Yanagi, eagerly. “Tell me everything!”
-----
“W-well y-yeah,” Midoriya said, having a hard time looking any of his friends in their faces, “she thought me buying the ramen was trying to be like... romantic, but then we kinda laughed it off, and she thought maybe it would be nice to get to know each other, and she’s going to come with us?”

To his saving grace, Eri provided a reasonable distraction from the smug looks on Iida, Todoroki, and Asui’s faces. “Is she nice too?” The younger girl asked.

“I think so,” Midoriya said, smiling at her. “Enough about me, what did you guys do while I was taking a break?”

Eri excitedly began to tell Deku about the game stalls she had visited with Uraraka and Asui, until they bumped into Todoroki and Iida. Midoriya felt his embarrassment melt away as he saw how great of a time the little girl was having. “...but now that you’re back, Midoriya, can we see if we can find those candy apples you talked about?”

“Oh!” Midoriya agreed, straightening up. “Yeah, I nearly forgot! Let’s go look!”

As he walked with Eri, holding her hand, he wasn’t too surprised by Todoroki taking up the other side of him. “So then,” Todoroki said, quietly, so that Eri wouldn’t hear, “I didn’t expect you to take the memes so seriously.”

“What... memes?” Midoriya asked, confused.

“That you’d be out looking for, as they say, a big tiddy goth girlfriend,” Todoroki deadpanned.

Asui broke out into a fit of giggles, while Iida went berserk. “Todoroki! That is a deplorable way to speak about a classmate! That’s the sort of behavior I may expect from Mineta, but I considered you way more respectful than that!”

Uraraka pouted and silently pondered if her boobs were good enough for Deku.

Midoriya, of course, turned bright red and covered his face with his free hand, “You guys...”

Still, after that, Izuku’s friends laid off him somewhat, though he partly suspected that was because they didn’t want to make Eri uncomfortable or draw questions from her. Either way, it was a relief to get her a candy apple in peace as the afternoon dwindled on. It was also a good distraction, since if left to his own devices, he knew he’d freaking out about making a fool of himself in front of Yanagi later that evening.

As the afternoon went on, the second years began putting on performances and special attractions as well. Iida insisted they attend to see what sort of effort their seniors could give.

Class 2-A’s demonstration was... strange, to say the least. Their two class representatives recreated the sword duel between MacDuff and Macbeth using toy lightsabers and Yu-Gi-Oh dueling music. They updated the dialogue to be reflective of Quirk terminology, and half of their class was in the background harmonizing to the music.

Present Mic, the school’s resident Shakespeare nerd and aficionado, stood and applauded as soon as the performance ended. He was the only one.

“What did we just watch?” Eri asked Asui, earnestly.

“Kero...” Asui croaked, placing a finger to her chin, “I have no clue.”

Midoriya glanced at his phone and realized it was already 5:20. “Hey, I’m going to go meet up with Yanagi. Want me to meet you guys back here?”

Uraraka pouted, but Iida answered first. “Indeed, we have to see what the other classes will present. I’ve been taking notes for how we proceed next year...”

As Todoroki reminded Iida that this was supposed to be more fun than anything else, Midoriya took his leave.
------
As five o’clock approached, Yanagi Reiko took some satisfaction in sending a general studies student running in terror from class 1-B.

“I think that’s the last of them,” Kendo called in from just outside of the room. “We can probably close up.”

Yanagi sighed in relief. The afternoon had picked up considerably after her late lunch, and the constant Quirk usage had left her a little drained. “I suppose I should not have stayed up all night watching those foreign horror films.”

“I told you to get plenty of sleep for today,” Kendo replied in her, I-told-you-so voice. As Yanagi flipped the lights on, Kendo began putting the desks back.

“I can get that, Kendo I just -”

“No no no,” The class president insisted. “You look ready to fall over from using that Quirk all day. Sit down a minute. You look deader than you usually do.”

“You flatter me,” the silver hair girl sniped, but took a seat on the floor with a sigh. “Though I don’t doubt you’re correct. I am pleased that our second attraction was such a success.”

“Yeah, I think the other classes will really see us as something special,” Kendo admitted. “I appreciate you staying here most of the day to do this.”

“I am usually not a festival person, but I admit I am looking forward to exploring it a bit this evening,” Reiko answered.

“You’ve changed a lot this year,” Kendo grinned at her. “I mean, you used to never leave your room until Yui and Kinoko adopted you into our friend group.”

“And I have never forgiven them for this transgression,” Yanagi replied, only the slight change in her tone giving any indication she was joking, but Kendo had grown used to that.

“Such a kidder,” Kendo rolled her eyes. “I think it's time for you to get going so you aren’t late.”

Yanagi levitated the phone out of her pocket and saw that, indeed, she should get going. “Always looking out for us. Very well. I shall see you later, class president.”

As Yanagi lifted herself to her feet, and walked out of the door, Kendo called out to her, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t dooooooo.”

The ghostly girl cursed as a pink tinge touched her cheeks. Surely there was no reason to be embarrassed.
-------
Midoriya sat at the bench he and Yanagi had eaten at earlier that day, hands shaking as he waited for the silver-haired beauty to join him. As the clock on his phone ticked to 5:32, he felt the existential dread set in - a familiar feeling.

Oh god she’s going to stand me up, he thought, throat running dry. This is just like that time in middle school a girl put a love note in my locker, but it was just some girl trying to make fun of me for being Quirkless.

“Ah, there you are,” a voice behind Midoriya made him jump.

He turned and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he saw Yanagi Reiko walking up to him. Did she get... prettier, he gulped as he made eye contact with her one visible blue eye. A small smile graced her lips as their gazes met. “H-hey Yanagi,” he said. “I got here a little early so I was just browsing my phone.” Definitely not panicking that you weren’t going to come.

“I would do the same,” she replied. “Though I would likely have gone to the creepypasta wiki to pass judgement on the newer entries.”

Midoriya tilted his head. “Yeah, Kendo mentioned you were a big fan of horror stuff. But creepypastas are like... Slender Man and stuff, right?”

“Oh, my, I have much to teach you,” Yanagi said, throwing a, “tsk-tsk-tsk,” in, but her smile reassured Midoriya it was all in good fun. “Slender Man is likely the most well known creepypasta, but people craft all sorts of scary narratives, under the guise of events that have happened to them.”

Midoriya’s interest was piqued, “Like what?”

“Hmmm,” the girl hummed, tapping her chin as her other hand hung in front of her like a ghost. “Well, perhaps I can explain it best with Candle Cove...”

Midoriya sat quietly and listened as Yanagi explained the premise of the story; a few adults using message boards to find out about an old children’s show that just seemed a bit too scary to have actually been for children. The series was alleged to have ended when a hidden episode of morbid footage was mistakenly aired. But the network had no official record of the show, and when one of the users asked their parents, they were told they were merely watching static on the screen as a child and called it, 'Candle Cove.' Paired with Yanagi’s chilling eloquence and delivery, Midoriya felt a chill run up his spine.

“So wait, a lot of people saw the show, but it never existed?” He asked, smiling. “Oh man, I didn’t see that coming.”

Yanagi smiled. “That is what makes it effectively uncanny. It’s a shared experience, but scarce enough that it’s doubtful.”

“But the show never actually existed?” He asked, just to clarify.

“No... then again, if it was real, we would never know,” she replied with a shrug. “Which is what makes it stick with you. That one is one of my favorites. And then of course... there are bad ones.” She looked around, suddenly. “Were you not supposed to be with your friends?”

“O-oh!” He realized. “Right! They were watching some of the second year's performances. Come on, I’ll take you to where they are.”

He sprung up, and the two began to walk towards the stages. As the sunlight began to dim, lights on strings that were hung from stall to stall began to turn on. Midoriya looked over to her, and almost gawked at how the light shone off her silvery hair and her striking blue eye.

She looked over to him, her smile faltering slightly. “I am sorry to tear you away and keep you from your friends. I hope that was not rude of me.”

“N-not at all,” Midoriya assured her. “I-I’m the one w-who asked you about the creepypastas. You said there are really bad ones too?”

Yanagi sighed and gave a morose chuckle. “Ah, yes. There are many, unfortunately. They usually focus on haunted video games and the phrase, ‘hyper-realistic blood.’”

Midoriya laughed. “How can something be hyper-realistic?”

“I have not the foggiest clue.”

That drew another laugh from Midoriya. “Well, some people just aren’t meant to be writers. Or maybe they just need practice. I used to,” He stopped, blushing.

“Used to what?” Reiko asked, curiously.

“I used to write... All Might fanfiction...” He blushed.

There was a pause as they walked, and then Reiko raised a hand to her mouth and suppressed a laugh. “Y-yes, I heard you’re something of a fanboy.”

He groaned. “How did you hear that?”

“I believe Yaoyorozu mentioned it to Kendo,” Yanagi admitted. “And the girls in our class do love to talk.”

“Yeah... well, that was another thing about growing up Quirkless,” Midoriya sighed. “All Might was everything I wasn’t, so I just really idolized him.” Putting it mildly. “But when I first started writing, I was really bad. It was all over the place. So maybe the people writing bad creepypastas are just practicing.”

“Well stated. Writing, like any skill, requires some degree of practice. As for you, now you have a Quirk that resembles All Might's itself,” Yanagi mused as they left the food area, the stages approaching. The parents with younger children in tow had left, leaving the crowd somewhat thinned. “Perhaps you wrote your dreams into reality, Midoriya.”

You’re more right than you think, he couldn't help but think to himself. “Maybe. But tell me what the worst creepypasta you’ve ever read was.”

“Oh, that is quite the question,” she said. “That takes a little thought. In the meantime, are those your friends?”

She raised a hand and pointed down to where Uraraka was waving, trying to flag Midoriya down. “Y-yeah, that’s them. We should hurry, I think the next class is about to perform.”

The two quickly pushed into the row of seats, and Midoriya found himself seated between Eri and Yanagi. On Eri’s otherside, Uraraka still had her cheeks puffed out. Midoriya wondered if she had eaten something that was causing an allergic reaction.

“I’m afraid you’ve missed Class 2-B’s performance,” Iida scolded in a hissing whisper from the end of the row.

“If you can call it that, kero,” Asui snarked.

“Yeah, it was some weird... interpretive dance.” Todoroki said, but he sounded more like he was guessing. "Maybe a reenactment of some sort?"

After those two statements, even Iida admitted, “Yes, it wasn’t... much.”

“I liked it!” Eri cheered. She turned and looked across Midoriya’s lap, feeling much more social after having such a fun day. The sugar from the candy apple helped too. “Hi Midoriya’s girlfriend! I’m Eri!”

Midoriya turned scarlet, and didn’t notice that Yanagi had color rush to her cheeks as well. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance Eri, my name is Yanagi Reiko.” The ghostly girl smiled. “I trust you are enjoying yourself today.”

“Yeah, I have had a lot of fun with Deku and Lemillion!” Eri beamed. “They’re my heroes! They saved me from my evil yakuza dad! And his friends have been really nice to me!”

“Oh my, sounds like you and Deku have quite the tale,” Yanagi replied happily, giving Midoriya a smirk. “I will have to make sure he regales me in it sometime.”

Snickers could distinctly be heard from Todoroki; both his laughter and him unwrapping a candy bar. Before Midoriya could be made to suffer further, the lights dimmed for class 2-C’s performance, and Iida shushed them thoroughly.

This was a General Course Class, and they actually put on a coherent adaptation of Hamlet as a Maury Povich episode. Midoriya couldn’t help but laugh at the student playing Ophelia managed to drown herself during a commercial break...using a wicker basket of all things.

“They certainly outperformed our class,” Yanagi chuckled as the skit wrapped up.

After another performance from Class D, Asui suggested they take a break and get some dinner, which Eri eagerly agreed with.

“Well, if Eri says so, it must be dinner time,” Uraraka had laughed. “What do you want to go get?”

Before she answered, Todoroki interjected. “You should definitely say soba.”

Midoriya, Yanagi, Asui, and Uraraka all laughed, though Iida looked stern. “That’s what you want, Todoroki! Shame on you!”

“Soba sounds good though!” Eri replied, cheerfully.

‘Well, I believe that settles it,” Yanagi added.

The group quickly left, pushing past the people in the aisle, and returned to the general area. Midoriya couldn’t help but notice that Yanagi and Eri were both looking at some of the game stalls. “See something?” He asked, trying to keep pressing his bravery. After all, if he could defeat Gentle earlier today, then asking a simple question couldn’t be too bad.

“Oh, just wondering about some games,” Yanagi admitted. “I used to visit arcades a lot as a child. My Quirk allowed me to... manipulate the rules unnoticed.”

Midoriya laughed. "I can't say I wouldn't do the same. I haven't had a chance to play many games either."

“You two can definitely go play some after we eat,” Todoroki interjected. “We don’t mind.”

Uraraka went to object, but Eri spoke first. “Can I come with you and your girlfriend, Midoriya?”

Midoriya turned scarlet, and looked to his feet, trying to stop the heat in his face from killing him. Yanagi blushed, though not nearly as ferociously and laughed. “I would be honored, Eri.”

“I shall take various notes on the rest of the performances for you!” Iida volunteered.

“Th-thanks, Iida,” Midoriya said, quietly.

The stand run by some third years selling soba took some time to get orders out for all seven them, but once they did, Deku’s group of friends turned their attention to Yanagi.

“So not everyone in class 1-B hates us as much as Monoma, right, kero?” Asui asked.

“No, not at all,” Yanagi laughed. “I think there is still a feeling of competitiveness, but a lot of that died down after the horrible tragedy that occurred at the Summer Camp.”

“Indeed, we were all in that mess together,” Iida nodded.

“Monoma had made a comment about the Villains kidnapping members of the inferior class, but everyone berated him for being so insensitive,” Yanagi continued. “Vlad Sensei seems to have a rivalry of sorts with your teacher, though it rarely comes up, if ever.”

“I didn’t think Mr. Aizawa could care enough to have a rivalry with anyone,” Uraraka replied, drawing a laugh from everyone.

“Is it true he teaches from a sleeping bag?” Yanagi asked. “I have heard rumors, but it seemed absurd.”

“Oh, he does,” Midoriya laughed. “Sometimes he even has Iida or Yaoyorozu do his morning lectures while he sleeps.”

“It’s good public speaking practice!” Iida added.

“Then Present Mic bursts in and wakes him up,” Midoriya finished. “I think this happens more times than it doesn’t.”

“Well, your class antics certainly seem as lively as ours,” Yanagi chuckled. “Shiozaki often tries to begin our mornings with a reading from her scriptures and Vlad King must chase her back to her seat. Tokage often leaves pieces of herself in everyone’s desk or bags for a laugh as well.”

The others laughed. Even Uraraka was lightening up somewhat. “It didn’t know Heroes were sho neat,” Eri beamed through a mouthful of noodles. She set her bowl down and looked at Deku excitedly. “Can we go play more games now?!”

Midoriya finished his own meal and looked to his friends. “Are you okay with that?”

Before anyone else could answer, Todoroki nodded, and said with a certain firmness he hadn’t had in his voice since the Sports Festival. “Absolutely. In fact, I demand it.”

Midoriya raised an eyebrow at the taller boy. “O...okay then.” He turned to Yanagi. “Are you um... all set?”

She nodded, as she began to levitate hers, Midoriya’s, and Eri’s disposable bowls and throw them in the trash. “Indeed.”

“Wow!” Eri cried, clasping her hands in front of her face. “Are you a spy-kick?”

Midoriya and Yanagi both chuckled. “Yes, I’m something of a psychic,” Yanagi answered.

The three began to walk off towards the games. “Alright,” Todoroki said, turning to the other three still at the table with him. “I would put them in a boat.”

“What - boat?” Iida asked. “What do you mean?”

“Kero, I think he means he ships them,” Asui replied.

“Well I don’t,” Uraraka replied, puffing her cheeks out.

“I’m confused, why are we shipping them?” Iida said, “They don’t need to go anywhere.”

“They’ll be holding hands when we see them again,” Todoroki added. “I will bet money on it.”

Asui laughed. “I didn’t think the relationships of our friend would be so entertaining for you.”

“Yes, well, according to my sister, I’m what she calls a, ‘gossipy bitch.’” Todoroki shrugged. “She’s not wrong. I ship them. I bet you anything they’ll hold hands today.”

“You’re on, kero.”

Chapter Text

Having left the food area, Eri had taken Midoriya’s hand and began pulling the two towards a ring toss stall. “Midoriya, can we try this one? I tried to win a stuffed bear earlier, but we couldn’t get it.”

Yanagi was right behind them as they got in line behind the current contestants. “Often, games like this are rigged to be impossible.”

Eri pouted, “does that mean we can’t try?”

“Oh no,” Yanagi answered, shaking her head. “It just means I want to try harder.”

Midoriya laughed. “Usually the tops of the bottles are just too big and it makes the angle harder.”

As he said that, the stall worker, a second year of the General Studies Course gave Midoriya a friendly scoff. “Big talk, underclassmen. Try and win your girlfriend and sister a prize then if you got it all figured out.”

This is going to be my whole night, isn’t it? He blushed. To his relief, Eri stepped in front of him. “C-can I go first?”

Both Yanagi and Midoriya nodded.

Eri tossed her three rings, and pouted as none of them stuck on the bottles. “Tough luck, little lady,” the barker tsked, “You two want to give it a try?”

“I shall partake,” Yanagai said, elegantly.

“No quirks,” the barker advised.

Midoriya couldn’t help but blush as Yanagi’s full lips pouted slightly. I bet kissing her would feel -WHOA BUDDY WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM?!

Yanagi flicked the ring like a frisbee, and it overshot the bottles altogether. Both Midoriya and Eri giggled slightly, causing her to give them a mock-dirty look.

“Easy there muscles, two more tries,” the barker laughed. ‘

She threw the next ring, more gently, and it grazed the top of the bottle and bounced off.

“Oh!” Eri cheered, “That was close! You’ll get the next one, Yanagi!”

Yanagi flicked the last ring, which bounced off the bottles’ neck and onto the grass.

“Aw man,” Eri moaned. “Guess not.”

“Come on, broccoli,” the barker was now getting cocky, “show these two how a real man handles this!”

Midoriya furrowed his brow as he accepted the rings. “Dude, not cool.”

Eri looked up at him in confusion, “What does that mean?”

“Casual misogyny is a common tactic used by stall workers to goad patrons,” Yanagi explained, “it’s a very crass tactic.”

The upperclassmen shirked back as he got told off by both Midoriya and Yanagi, grumbling to himself.

Midoriya threw his first ring, and it hooked on a bottle neck and flew off in it’s spin. “Hmm.”

On his second try, the same happened.

“One left, greenie,” the barker sneered. “You’re making a line, so hurry up.”

Midoriya paused looking up at the sign on top of the stall and back at the bottles.

“Is something the matter?” Yanagi asked.

Deku shook his head and took a step backwards. He flicked the ring upwards so that it bounced off the stall sign and fell downwards with a little more force, perfectly landing on the bottle in the middle.

“You did it!” Eri cheered. “Can I get the stuffed dog?”

“You have to get all three rings to get the stuffed dog,” the barker sneered. “Here. This is the prize for one.”

Disdainfully, the upperclassmen handed Midoriya an... All Might fidget spinner.

As the three moved away from the stall, Midoriya dejectedly knelt down and gave Eri the toy. “Here Eri. Sorry I couldn't get you the dog.”

Eri, however, took the fidget spinner, and spun it in her hands. It lit up when spinning, making her eyes widen in wonder. “Whoa. Whooooaaaaaaa. Neat!” She beamed up at him. “Thank you Midoriya!” Her eyes darted elsewhere. “Oh! Let’s do the dart throwing.”

As she ran off, Midoriya and Yanagi chased after her. “You seem to have quite a way with children, Midoriya,” Yanagi said as they caught up to her in the dart-throwing stall's line.

“Well, not all of them,” Midoriya laughed. “Remember Kota?”

“Ah yes,” Yanagi chuckled. “Not your finest hour. Even still, you saved him too.”

“Midoriya’s going to save everybody!” Eri cheered as the line moved forward.

“W-well I don’t know about everybody,” Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, blushing.

“Oh no, I think you will,” Yanagi replied, teasingly. “You heard her. You certainly can not let Eri down, can you?”

Midoriya had to admit, having Eri there to act as a buffer for his... well, he wasn’t sure if this was a date, but either way, it helped. Eri would chime in with some funny comments or questions. Neither of them had any better luck with the darts. They tried the goldfish scooping game as well, but they got chased out when Yanagi tried to sneakily use her Quirk to help her out.

“I can’t believe you cheated,” Eri giggled.

“I merely thought the spirits wanted me to win,” Yanagi replied, evenly.

Midoriya couldn’t help but let his curiosity get the best of him. He knew her Quirk was called Poltergeist because it resembled how one would operate in scary movies. But he didn’t think there was anything actually ghostly about it. “Can you actually speak to spirits, Yanagi?”

Yanagi gave a small but coy smile. He’d learned and learned quickly today that her expressions were more subtle, but they were there. “Well, it is not part of my Quirk, but considering it’s paranormal nature, I have always been more attuned to the spiritual matters of the world.”

“Creepy!” Eri said, but she sounded pretty happy about it.

That... wasn’t really an answer, Midoriya mused, but figured he’d drop it.

“I used to get called creepy, among other things, when I was your age,” Yanagi nodded. “Though usually in ways that were not so... friendly.”

“Oh, I don’t think YOU’RE creepy,” Eri corrected. “I just thought you talking to ghosts was creepy. You’re beautiful. I hope I look like you when I’m older.” She looked up at Midoriya. “Right? Isn’t she pretty?”

Midoriya looked up in terror and realized Yanagi had met his gaze with the same wide-eyed expression. “Y-yeah she’s g-gorgeous.” He found himself blurting out.

Thankfully, with the true attention span of a child, Eri tugged on Midoriya’s hand. “Can we try one more game and then go get ready for the fireworks? I think Uraraka said they would be soon."

“Y-yeah, sure,” Midoriya gulped, aware Yanagi was still... staring at him while blushing deeply. “What do you want to play?”

“I wanna do the thing where you swing the hammer and try to hit the bell.” Eri replied.

“Oh, the test of strength?” He said, a bit surprised. “Sure, why not?” He looked up at Yanagi, trying desperately to ignore his embarrassment. “Coming?”

“O-of course,” she nodded, seemingly snapping out of some sort of trance.

The three made their way over to the test of strength. To Midoriya’s surprise, Nejire was running it now that the beauty pageant was over. “Oh hey there Midoriya! Oh! And Eri! I’m so glad I got to see you today!”

Eri beamed. “Good evening Nejire!”

Nejire smiled down at the little girl and looked up at Yanagi. “Oh, and I met you when me and the others went and talked to class 1-B! You’re Yanagi, right?”

“Indeed.”

“Right, you keep your arms like a ghost,” Nejire said, cheerfully, briefly mimicking the stance. “I was about to close up and watch the fireworks, but I can let you guys give it a try.”

“Are you sure?” Midoriya asked, concerned. “I don’t want to hold you up.”

“Nah!” She laughed, handing the kids’ mallet to Eri and adjusting the setting. “Give it a wack. Don’t hold anything back either!”

The three watched in surprise as Eri yelled, “Power! Detroit Smash!” And gave the button on the machine as big of a wack as she could muster, nearly getting it to the top.

“Aw man,” she groaned, “I thought if I yelled like you and Mirio, I’d get it to the top.”

“Perhaps you just need to train,” Yanagi smiled. “I have a Quirk that requires I do some physical training too.”

“Want to give it a try?” Nejire asked, handing the younger teen a mallet.

“I suppose,” Yanagi agreed, taking the mallet in both hands.

“You have to yell when you do it!” Eri told her.

Yanagi raised her eyebrows at the girl. “Oh, is that the rule?”

“Them’s the rules,” Nejire confirmed, turning stone-faced, but just barely suppressing dissolving into a fit of giggles.

Yanagi looked to Midoriya for help, and he just nodded with a smile. “Them’s good rules.”

Yanagi took hold of the hammer and held it above her head. “If you all insist. Huuu... WARG!”

It was the strangest battle cry Midoriya had ever heard, and it took all his power to hold back his laugh as she didn’t make it halfway up the pole to the bell.

“I... could use some more physical training,” Yanagi sighed. “Oh well.”

“Alright, how about you Midoriya?” Nejire asked, before turning to Yanagi. “I saw him fight Mirio in the gym. Look out, he’s more ripped than he looks.”

“I have noticed,” Yanagi blurted out, before a horrified look hit her face as she realized what she just said.

Nejire snickered as she handed a Midoriya the mallet. “Well you heard her, Muscles! Don’t let her down now!”

Midoriya suddenly felt his palms sweat and his arms shake. She had noticed his muscles? When? When was this? The Sports Festival? Earlier today? How am I supposed to think straight now?

“Don’t forget to say Detroit Smash!” Eri said, clutching her fists up by her face. “Or Manchester Smash. Those are your special moves, right?”

Snapped out of his internal crisis, Midoriya nodded to her. “Right. Okay then,” he took a deep breath and raised the hammer over his head. “Detroit... SMAAAAAASH!”

He may have accidentally triggered a very small percentage of his One for All: Full Cowling, but he truly didn’t mean to cheat. Either way, the marker flew up to the top of the bell with a deafening, “DING!”

“Woohoo!” Nejire cheered. “Haven’t had a winner since Mirio gave it a try earlier. Pick any prize, Midoriya!”

Midoriya looked at the wall of inflatable toys and stuffed animals before Eri pulled on his arm. “PSST!” She hissed, not subtle in the least.

He leaned down, and Eri whispered a suggestion in his ear.

How is this little girl smoother than I am? He pondered. I never would have thought of that.

“Th-that one,” Midoriya replied, pointing at the wall of.

Nejire smiled, and reached up, grabbing Midoriya the small, stuffed ghost he had pointed at. “Good choice! I’ll catch you guys later.”

Nejre turned and began closing up the game, and Eri gave Midoriya a nudge. Yanagi, of course, had been watching the entire exchange curiously. As they took a few steps away from the stand, Midoriya looked to his feet and held the ghost plushy out to Yanagi, red-faced and eyes looking down to his feet. “Th-this i-is f-f-for you.”

Yanagi’s face also turned scarlet. “A-are y-you certain Eri w-would not like it more?”

“Nuh uh,” Eri shook her head. “Midoriya already got me something, so I think he should give you something too.”

Yanagi gently took it from the boy’s outstretched arms. “Well then... th-thank you, M-Midoriya.”

“Y-yeah... n-no problem,” Midoriya gulped. “W-we should g-go find my friends for the f-fireworks.”

Yanagi nodded, and Eri trotted alongside Midoriya, happily, and grabbed his hand.

Then, after a minute, something happened that made Midoriya’s heart jump into his throat.

Yanagi timidly reached over and grabbed his other hand. When he instinctively looked down at it, he noticed she was looking at her feet, clutching the stuffed ghost to her chest.

Holy crap, a girl’s holding my hand! I hope it’s not sweaty and she’s regretting it, he gulped. Still, he left it there, and they walked the Festival grounds looking for Midoriya’s friends. Most of the crowd had dispersed, leaving students and their parents, and most everyone who wasn’t still manning a food station was gathered at the front grounds for the fireworks show. And for whatever reason, when Midoriya’s friends came into view, Asui handed Todoroki a small wad of cash.

“Good evening,” Iida greeted as Midoriya, Yanagi, and Eri sat down on the grass beside them. “Did you have any luck with games?”

Eri excitedly held up her fidget spinner. “Look what Midoriya won me!”

“Neat!” Uraraka laughed. “Leave it to Deku to actually win one of these games.

“Two of them!” Eri piped up, pointing to the ghost Yanagi was holding. “He got his girlfriend the cute little ghost.”

Yanagi held it slightly closer to her, embarrassed. “Indeed...”

“I trust you two had a great time then,” Todoroki smirked.

“It was a most pleasant evening,” Yanagi nodded, smiling.

“Yanagi!” A voice cried from a few meters away. The ghostly girl turned to look to see Kinoko and a few of the other students from class 1-B waving her over.

“Oh, I think some of my peers wish for me to join them,” she said. Despite her usual monotone that Midoriya had picked up on for most of the day, she almost sounded a bit wistful.

“Maybe you should go join them?” Uraraka suggested.

Yanagi looked to Deku hesitantly. Finally, they let go of each others hands as he scratched the back of his neck. “It... it’s okay if you want to catch up with your friends.”

She nodded, and turned to get up, but paused. She turned back to Midoriya and levitated her phone out of her pocket. “Midoriya, if I may be bold once more today, would it be okay if I... contacted you electronically later?”

HOLY FUCK, Midoriya’s mind screamed at him.

Holy SHIT! Uraraka, Todoroki and Asui all thought at the same time.

“Y-yeah sure.” Midoriya handed her his phone.

“Okay, just put your number into my device, and I shall do the same for yours,” Yanagi said, the small smile returning to her face.

He nodded, dumbly, as he put his number in her contacts, making sure he got the numbers right with how much his hands were shaking.

As they exchanged their phones back, Yanagi quickly texted the word, “test,” which chimed on Midoriya’s phone right after. She smiled up at him again. “I shall speak with you soon, I hope,” she said, standing up to rejoin her classmates. She gave a polite wave, all while keeping her hands at elbow level.

“Aw, I’m sorry your girlfriend had to leave,” Eri said, patting Midoriya on the arm. “I like her, she was nice.”

“Y-yeah,” Midoriya answered. “She... she is.”

He jumped as the fireworks started. They were beautiful, sure, but...

His eyes kept getting drawn to where Yanagi Reiko was, sitting and watching them with her friends.

He’d only just met this girl, really. Was it okay for him to feel so... smitten with her?

Chapter Text

Midoriya plopped down onto the couch, relieved he still had two days off after the Cultural Festival to recover. He couldn’t help but feel proud of himself, and that was a foreign feeling. All in one day, he had clashed with a criminal, performed for the whole school, watched Eri, and... perhaps even courted Yanagi Reiko of class 1-B?

The rest of the class was entering the dorm room, all except for Bakugou, who skipped the fireworks for his usual 8:00pm bedtime. Todoroki, Asui, Uraraka, and Iida all sat around him on some of the couches.

“I’m exhausted,” Uraraka sighed. “What a day! Eri’s cute but kids sure are a lot of work.”

“Kero, I hope they let her out of the hospital soon,” Asui croaked. “That’s no place for a kid to stay at long-term.”

“She seemed to have no issues with her Quirk today either, which can only be a good sign,” Iida nodded. “Did you and Yanagi observe anything odd?”

“Not at all,” Midoriya shook his head, relieved to have a question about Yanagi that was not designed to make him blush. “Eri had a blast.”

“Did Yanagi have a blast?” Todoroki asked in a serious tone.

“Todoroki, give it a rest!” Uraraka groaned before Midoriya could answer. "You’ve been like this all day!”

Midoriya heaved a sigh of relief as he was spared from answering the question. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if she HAD enjoyed herself. Maybe I should text her?

The thought made him nervous. Was it too soon? Would he drive her away by being clingy? Was there a rule? Kaminari often talked about that sort of thing, but he never seemed to actually have much luck with girls. As if on cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He perhaps grabbed it a little too quickly, drawing a knowing smirk from Todoroki.

He frowned; it was just All Might. Usually he’d be ecstatic to get a text from his Hero, but it was just, “remember that we have training first thing in the morning!”

Since his phone was already out, he hovered over the test message she sent earlier. Should I...?

He knew himself; if he stalled, he’d delay himself until he just didn’t send a message. Quickly, he typed, “Hey, I had a great time today!”

He hit send before he could change his mind, and shoved the phone back into his pocket.

“Anything good?” Todoroki asked.

“Just... making sure my alarm was set for training tomorrow,” Midoriya lied.
-------
“So is the wedding going to be All Might themed or horror movie themed?” Tokage asked with a snicker, teasingly, as the girls of class 1-B sat on the couch in their dormitory common room.

The rest of the girls, Yanagi included, laughed as well. “You get ahead of yourself, Tokage.” Yanagi rolled her eye.

“I’m just saying, you two are pretty hardcore about your hobbies, from what Yaoyorozu told our prez,” Tokage said, holding up her hands in faux-surrender. “You could invite him to your room and trap him in the pentagram.”

“I don’t just leave the pentagram on the floor,” Yanagi deadpanned. “It’s only for seances.”

“I thought you were Jewish and it was the star of David,” Yui added.

There was a pause amongst the girls as they all laughed. “N-no, I am not religious, Yui,” Yanagi chuckled.

“Layoff Yanagi guys,” Kendo laughed.

“Why, you don’t let mush tease you about you and Tetsutetsu!” Kinoko snarked, causing Kendo to turn red.

Reiko smiled as her friends bickered. She never used to have this many friends. In fact growing up, people found her and her Quirk creepy. Class 1-B was the first time she really felt accepted. As she mused on the matter, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out with her Quirk, and, despite her impeccable poker face, her heart skipped a beat.

He’d texted her!

“Hey, I had a great time today!” The message read. She had only looked at it from her notifications, but she couldn’t deny her was heart racing already. She tried, her best, to text him back discreetly. “I quite enjoyed myself as well. The night is still young, what will you be doing with your dusk hours?”

As she put her cell phone back in her pocket, she looked up to see the dismembered eye of Tokage hovering over her shoulder. “You thirsty girl, are you going to try and get him to come over?”

This comment took Yanagi by surprise completely, her eye widening. “W-what? Of course not, the curfew is coming up, Tokage.”

“Hey, as long as he’s inside, he’s technically not breaking any rules.” The lizard-like girl cackled evilly.

“He absolutely would be,” Kendo snarked. "You have to be in your OWN dorm building."

“So sinful,” Ibara scoffed, shaking her head.

-------

Midoriya yawned as he went up to bed. Despite not being an early-riser by nature, he knew if he was going to be up at 6:00am to train with All Might, he couldn’t stay up much later than 10. As he checked his phone again, he texted Yanagi back. The fact that she had asked him a question filled him with confidence - at least she actually wanted to talk to him. “I have some extra training in the morning so I have to go to bed. Getting my Quirk under control means having to be an early riser. What about you?”

He was surprised how quickly she texted him back. “Nothing is more hateful to my being than rising with the sun. My deepest apologies. However, I will be pleased to see you not breaking any further appendages. I shall be watching some new horror films that have popped up on my streaming services. Pleasant dreams, Midoriya."

“Good night Yanagi. Talk to you tomorrow.”
------
It was funny how much a simple, “good night,” could make her blush as she rested with her back against the wall, sitting on her bed.

Setting her phone down, she used her Quirk to retrieve the remote and turn on the television. Finding the newest additions to the, “horror,” section of Netflix, she decided to go for something gory.

For the next two hours, she found herself clutching the stuffed ghost tightly as foolish, horny teenagers were gutted by an undead high school principal wielding a serrated machete. Her heart was hammering in her chest again, though this time for other reasons. While she loved all things macabre and creepy, she actually was not immune to the fear they instilled. She was just better at not showing it. And despite being advised time and time again that scaring herself before bed was a bad idea, she just couldn’t help it. She loved spooky things too much.

She had planned to stay up for another movie or at least some online browsing, but she was more drained from the day than she thought. She found herself nodding off as the movie ended, so she switched it off and went to bed, holding onto the ghost she’d received that day (named Poe, after an influencer of the macabre).

Despite going to bed slightly earlier than normal, it was still near noon before she finally yawned and woke up. And usually, even being a late riser didn’t make waking up any easier. But as she floated her phone over to her, something brought a smile to her face - a rarity of an occurrence before her morning coffee.

“I’m sure you’re still asleep, but good morning! :)”

Oh dear, she found herself fretting, cute and charming. This boy is dangerous.
-------
“Well, I would say your fight against Gentle was inadvisable, but it seems to have really helped your Air Force maneuver,” All Might grinned, proud of his protégé. “I think you’ve got it down to a science.”

Midoriya panted, shaking out his fingers. “It’s a little bit harder to do without the gloves, but I guess the pressure really helped me perfect it.”

“He’s even given some Pros trouble, and here you defeated him. No help, no injuries. Just some quick thinking.” All Might beamed. “You really are coming along, Midoriya.”

The boy turned red, which was something that was really happening to him a lot lately. “Th-thank you, All Might.”

“Sounds like you certainly had a full day.”

“Yeah, having to rush back and perform right afterwards, and then watching Eri for the rest of the festival really was exhausting.” Midoriya admitted. “I slept like a log, almost missed my alarm.”

“Well... I had passed by you yesterday with a young lady as well,” All Might said, his skeletal features smirking. “You didn’t even notice me. What could that have been about?” Despite the question, the tone in All Might's voice betrayed his taunt.

The teen’s eyes widened. Here he thought he would be safe from being tormented about Yanagi during training. “I-it was n-no big d-deal, All Might!”

Finding himself explaining his day yesterday, Midoriya felt just as embarrassed as if Todoroki was egging him on. Still, All Might dropped the teasing and nodded along. “Sounds like you had a nice time, Young Midoriya."

“I know, I know, but...”

“But?” All Might repeated. “Something on your mind?”

“Well, I just feel like... I’m doing something wrong,” Midoriya admitted. “We’re at U.A. to become heroes. It just feels silly to worry about something like... romance.”

All Might’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s a mature line of thought for someone your age, Midoriya. But Pro Heroes don’t take a vow of abstinence. Sometimes couples form their own agencies, or teams. Like Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady. Don't go throwing your future away for a girl, but there's nothing wrong with love or anything like that."

“I guess that’s true...” Midoriya frowned.

“Are you sure that’s the only reason you’re having these doubts?”

Midoriya winced. Usually All Might wasn’t this perceptive as a teacher. “Well... no. I guess from all the bullying I got growing up Quirkless, I sometimes don’t believe people actually really like me.” I guess this turned into a therapy session.

All Might approached the boy and grabbed his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You know, regardless of what happens with this, you have a dorm full of classmates who think the world of you. You’ve already made friends who will stick by you through anything. And no matter what, I’ll always be in your corner.”

Midoriya could feel himself tearing up, and sniffled. “T-thanks All Might.”

“I’m not saying you should run off and elope with the girl,” All Might added, making, Deku laugh, “But now is the best time to have fun, while you’re still young and the weight of the world isn’t on your shoulders.”

As if on cue, Midoriya’s phone vibrated audibly. All Might checked his phone as well. “Almost noon. I think we can call it a day. Take tomorrow off too, it’s important to get a rest day in.”

Deku smiled up at his mentor. “Alright, All Might. I think I’ll take your advice.”

“Just be careful,” All Might smiled back. “I er... don’t need to give you, ‘the talk,’ do I?”

“N-no,” Midoriya replied, backing away in horror. “I um... I know where babies come from, thanks.”

“Oh man, that’s a relief.” All Might laughed, turning away. “I think I’ll get some grub. Enjoy your day, young Midoriya.”

Midoriya shook his head as the retired Symbol of Peace walked away. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he smiled to see Yanagi had messaged him.

“Good morrow, Midoriya Izuku. Or shall I say good afternoon? Have you completed your morning training?”

Bending down, he grabbed his water bottle and finished it off. Maybe it was because he’d gotten a pep talk from the one and only All Might, or maybe it was because he was protected behind the phone screen, but he felt a little more confident today. So he texted her back, “Just wrapped up and heading for the showers. Have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet. I am still gathering the will to face the day.”

“Would you want to join me for lunch?”
------
After responding to Midoriya’s question about having eaten yet, Yanagi yawned and opened the door to her dorm. She was still in her pajamas, but no one in her dorm was going to bat an eye at the sight. Kendo might chastise her for her sleeping habits, but that was about it. Meandering down to the kitchen, she found Tokage sitting at the table, using a disembodied finger to scroll through her phone, while one of her eyes and the rest of her hands were making a quesadilla at the stove.

“Hey Spooky,” Tokage greeted, looking up with the eye still attached to her face. “Dream of any broccoli boys?”

“I do believe my sleep was dreamless, if you must know,” Yanagi replied. “Is there any coffee left?”

“Nah, you’ll have to brew it yourself. You want a quesadilla? I can throw one on here for you.”

Before she could answer, Yanagi felt a vibration on her phone. Her eyes widened. “I do not believe that will be necessary.”

“Ey,” Tokage said, mock-offended and pointing the finger at her phone at the ghostly teen. “You saying you’re too good for my cooking?”

“N-no,” Yanagi replied. “I have... plans.” She held up her phone for Tokage to read.

“Sufferin’ Spooks!” Tokage cackled. “Broccoli moves quick!”
------

To say that some of the confidence had worn off in the shower would be something of an understatement. As he stood in his t-shirt that said, “t-shirt,” and jeans, the nerves crept back up on him. To think he’d have the nerve, the confidence to ask Yanagi to get lunch with him.

Is she going to get sick of me, he wondered. Maybe this was too clingy and I should have waited a few days...

He shook the thought from his head. She had held his hand last night. That was a good sign. Girls didn’t just... do that. Right?

“Good afternoon, Midoriya,” A voice from behind him called.

He turned around and felt a smile hit his face, and the nerves in him spike. Her black blouse displayed just a hint of cleavage, and her black leggings were very form fitting. The dark clothing just contrasted her silvery hair and blue eyes, though only one was visible, as usual.

“H-hey Yanagi,” he replied. “Th-thanks for meeting up with me.”

“It is I who should thank you, Midoriya Izuku,” she replied, shaking her head. “I was glad to know you found my company so enjoyable that you would ask for it again.”

“O-of course!” He said, doing his best to keep the stammer under control. “C-come on, T-Todoroki and I know a Chinese diner around here.”

“Fantastic, it has been some time since I had Chinese fare. I didn’t think there were any places around our facility like that.” Yanagi smiled as the two of them began to walk off campus. Despite the increases in security, Midoriya was relieved they were free to come and go from the campus.

“It’s not anything special,” he added, rubbing the back of his neck. “But sometimes when we have short days we’ll come for lunch or something.”

There was a new sort of pressure on him without his friends or Eri there to buffer the conversation. But before he could think about it, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest as Yanagi reached over and held his hand again as they walked. Ooooooohhhh god. Oooohhhh my god this is happening.

Still, trying to remember the words All Might had told him earlier, he intertwined his fingers with her so that he was comfortable. He stole a glance over at her and saw her other hand was still at elbow level like a ghost. It was a little silly, but he couldn’t help but find her adorable. “So did you end up marathoning some horror movies?”

“I only had the energy to take in one film,” she answered. “By the end of it, I was so worn out from running the haunted house I nodded off.”

“Aw, I’m sorry,” he said, “I’m sure doing that all by yourself was exhausting. What did you end up watching?”

“Death-tention, the newer one about the murderous, undead principal. It was... well, I suppose it was worth viewing, but I would not recommend it.”

“Why not?”

“While the gore and effects were decent, the plot was rather thin. The characters were all rather flat and the scares were heavily dependent on the gore.”

“I know what you mean,” Midoriya nodded. “When I go for a scary movie, I usually prefer a psychological horror. Something with a twist or makes you doubt your own observations. Those are the ones that really get me. Like Get Out.”

“That was a good one,” Yanagi agreed. “You seem to be a man of impeccable taste.”

Blushing slightly, he scratched the back of his neck, “I-I don’t know about that. I’m sure you’re the one with the good taste when it comes to horror. Kendo said you were the expert,” Midoriya smiled. “What’s your favorite movie?”

“My favorite movie is actually where I derived my Hero name, Emily,” Yanagi explained, a rare, full smile gracing her stoic face. “The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Though I also wanted the name after reading Anya’s Ghost. But as far as the movie goes, I just really find nothing more terrifying than having your body hijacked by a malevolent entity, and being completely helpless for all your actions. Alienating your friends and family, causing mayhem and destruction whilst being powerless to cease....” She gave a slight shudder. “It chills me.”

“Yeah, that was one of the first scary movies to really give me nightmares as a kid,” Midoriya nodded. “That one really got to me.”

It was a particularly warm autumn day, and the sidewalks around U.A. were not particularly crowded. As they talked, a warm breeze would occasionally blow the strands of Yanagi’s bangs, revealing another piercing blue eye. It always took Midoriya slightly off guard. What’s she doing with someone as plain as me?

He stopped at a small hole-in-the-wall a few blocks from campus. Yanagi tilted her head, surprised. “Chinese Diner, Aiya.” She read. “Strange, I do believe I have walked past this place almost daily prior to living in the dorms. Not once did I notice it.”

“Really?” Midoriya chuckled. “I love it here! We did a whole class outing here once.”

As they went inside, Midoriya was relieved to find it wasn’t busy. The small diner had rather limited seating, and every now and then big crowds would come in. As they were seated, a kettle of tea was placed on their table. In his infinite politeness and wonderful raising that had come from Inko, he poured Reiko some tea before getting himself some, not noticing the blush on her face.

Well, this is a conundrum, she pondered. How do I NOT kiss him?

“You seem like something of the unofficial leader for your class,” Yanagi pointed out. “I’m surprised you aren’t their class president.”

Midoriya laughed, embarrassed by the old memory. “F-funny story. They um... actually voted for me. I just uh... didn’t think I was cut out for it.”

While browsing their menus, he told her all about his harrowing four hours as class president for class 1-A, before figuring Iida was better cut out for the task. "But I guess I did kind of lead a lot of my classmates in the Licensing Exam. Some took off with Bakugou though."

"Our class had to split into groups as well," Yanagi nodded. "I was with Tokage, who, despite her wisecracks, is a phenomenal strategist."

"Yeah, you guys all passed! It was a big shock to us when Todoroki and Bakugou didn't."

They paused, briefly, as their server returned to take their orders. Yanagi wouldn't admit it, but she was so enamored in talking with Deku she hadn't even glanced at her menu.

"I'll have the sweet and sour pork," he ordered. "And the chicken fried rice."

Hiding her panic as the server turned to her, Yanagi said, "I'll have the same."

As she left, Yanagi asked, "If I may inquire, how old were you when you watched the Exorcism? My parents were strict about horror until I was in middle school."

Midoriya blinked, realizing he had mentioned watching the Exorcism as a kid. "Oh! W-well…" he trailed off, a bit embarrassed.

Yanagi noticed and shrank back slightly. "I do not mean to pry if it's a sensitive subject…"

"It's not that," he replied hastily, "I just… well, I used to get bullied pretty intensely for being Quirkless. Kacch - er, Bakugou, used to lock me in rooms and make me watch scary movies when I was little."

Yanagi's mouth curled into a subtle scowl. "Deplorable."

"I ended up really liking horror movies though." He laughed. "I found people going up against the supernatural relatable. Maybe that's silly."

"Not at all," she chuckled, shaking her head, "that's how I began enjoying them, though I related more to the paranormal entities. Because of that, I was no stranger to bullying."

"But your Quirk is so cool!" He replied.

Yanagi couldn't help but chuckle at his genuine reactions. "Not everyone is so enamored with Quirks like you. Because of my stature and Quirk, and my way of speaking, I was often called a zombie and such. Bullies would throw things at me to see how many I could stop at once."

"That's horrible!" He frowned.

"Indeed, but it's in the past." She fiddled with her fingers like a puppet master and made her tea stir. "I have wonderful friends now, and I am thankful for it. It sounds like you do as well."

As their food came, they talked more about the friends they had made at U.A., finding comparisons between their classmates and laughing about them. Yanagi was pleasantly relieved that what she ordered was delicious.

As usual, she used her Quirk to eat, but at one point she was laughing too intensely at the story of how Midoriya pulled Hatsume out of the burning Support Lab after one of her items for Deku blew up… and then she ran back in to keep working and he had to pull her out a second time.

"She is lucky to have a friend like you," Reiko chuckled as she corrected the trajectory of her food, as it bumped into her cheek from laughing.

"Y-yeah," he laughed. "She goes overboard a lot. Oh you've got something here." He pointed at his cheek.

She raised a napkin with her Quirk and wiped, but missed.

"No, it's… here."

He grabbed his own napkin and reached over, wiping her cheek gently. In doing so, it pulled the hair over her left eye back, and he suddenly found himself looking in both of her eyes while cupping her cheek.

"M-Midoriya…" she uttered with a waver in her voice, looking at him with wide eyes.

He froze. How do I keep getting in these situations? “S-sorry.”

“Do you guys want any dessert?”

The two teenagers jumped back in their seats as the server had snuck back up on them.

“N-no, I’m o-okay,” he stammered out. “Are you okay, Yanagi?”

She nodded, a little too flustered to get the words out.

As the bill came, Midoriya paid. “That was really good,” he sighed, rubbing his stomach slightly.

Yanagi nodded, but she still was thinking about the warmth of Midoriya’s hand on her cheek. She suddenly felt compelled to extend their time together. “Midoriya, have you watched The Conjuring?”

“Hm? Oh no, I haven’t,” he answered. “I haven’t really had a chance to catch up on any recent movies or anything. I’ve barely had a chance to keep up on my manga or any games.”

“W-would you...” she bit her lip as she considered the question, unsure if she was rushing things. It feels right though, she thought. “Would you like to accompany me back to my room and we can observe it? I find it’s a very well-crafted narrative.”

Midoriya turned bright red when he realized that this girl, who he had maybe gone on two dates with, was asking him to go to her room. Could he do that?

I mean... I don’t have anything else I need to do today.

“S-sure!” He said, trying to put on a smile that wasn’t strained from nerves. HHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLYYYYYYYYYY CRAAAAAAAAP!

Chapter Text

“WHY IS HE HEEEEEEEEEEERE?!” Monoma shrieked the second Yanagi opened the door to class1-B’s dorm and lead him inside.

The other students all looked up in alarm, but relaxed once they saw it was only Midoriya.

“Sup, broccoli?” Tokage said, giving him the finger guns.

“Oh, hey Midoriya,” Kendo added as she looked over the top of her motorcycle magazine.

"Hey bruh!" Tetsutetsu waved from the kitchen.

"Hey everybody," Midoriya replied with an awkward grin.

“WHY IS NO ONE GIVING THIS THE TREATMENT IT DESERVES!” Monoma shouted into his calming chamomile tea.

Yanagi laughed and turned to Izuku. “Pay Monoma no mind. We try not to pay him any mind, as it were. Come.”

As Yanagi led him up the stairs towards where her dorm was, Ibara shouted, “LEAVE ROOM FOR JESUS,” from her spot on the couch without even looking up from her book, causing everyone in the dorm to groan, save for Tokage who just laughed.

“So she’s not Jewish?” Yui asked with her usual monotone.

Everyone in the dorm groaned, save for Tokage who cackled even harder.
-------
Up on the fourth floor, Midoriya gulped as he prepared to enter a girl’s room for the first time under... romantic circumstances. He wasn’t sure what to expect. If she was into the occult, like Tokoyami, it’d be something gothic, perhaps.

Maybe this is still somehow a trap. Maybe when she opens the door, Kacchan and all those guys from my middle school will jump out and laugh at me for thinking a girl could ever like me?

He shook the thought from his head. Even at his highest anxiety, that was impossible.

Reiko paused as she reached for her doorknob, cheeks tinging pink somewhat. “It... might be somewhat untidy,” Yanagi muttered, turning her head away slightly.

She waved her hand to open the door, and Midoriya’s first thought wasn’t that she was untidy, but more that she was definitely passionate about her hobbies. The room was painted a very dark blue that seemed to absorb the light coming in from the windows. On one end of the room was a desk with a few large tomes that were open and on top of each other. Next to the books was a box of salts, candles, a sage stick, chalk, and some multicolored rocks and crystals. The floor was also peppered with clothes, but with a few waves of her hand, Yanagi hastily shoved them all into her hamper. Midoriya turned red and tried to pretend he hadn't seen all the underwear that had just been flying around the room. Pure thoughts, Deku.

On the other side of the room, a large screen TV was mounted to the wall, with some vintage horror movie posters surrounding it. A dresser was next to the TV, and the top of it was covered in... what looked like shrunken heads and voodoo dolls. Unable to help himself, Midoriya's feet carried him over to them as he asked, “What are those?”

Yanagi turned red. “Those are voodoo materials I’ve acquired in one of the more mystical places I’ve ever visited.”

“Where’s that?”

“New Orleans.”

“Neat, I’ve heard that place is a lot of fun.” Midoriya replied.

“When I was in middle school, my parents enlightened my senses by traveling there during All Hallow’s Eve. The entire city seems to celebrate the occult. It is truly an experience I would love to repeat.” She explained, though clearly a bit embarrassed. I hope this isn’t a bit too much for him.

Midoriya looked over and tilted his head as he examined the shrunken heads. “What are these for?”

Yanagi laughed. “Those are not real, just so you are aware. Those are merely souvenirs. But they are real enough to get a quick scare if someone is not expecting it.”

Midoriya breathed a sigh of relief, making Yanagi giggle again.

“They are used for certain rituals, but not one I would dare try with a replica. Nor have I attempted voodoo, as there is no one I feel enough malice for to attempt such a thing,” Yanagi explained. “I just find the subject so fascinating.”

To her relief, Midoriya smiled up at her. “That’s pretty cool. I would love to go see New Orleans and this sort of thing. They have so many Horror-themed Pro Heroes with interesting Quirks in that part of America. Like Chainsaw Hands."

"I wrote our English midterm paper about Chainsaw Hands," Yanagi piped in, excitement sparking in her eye. "For someone with a Quirk aptly called Chainsaw Hands to model herself as a pastiche of so many classic horror entities? It automatically makes her so much more recognizable!"

"Not to mention, using something normally so scary to strike fear into the hearts of villains instead!" Midoriya added. By now the two were moving closer together, practically bouncing on their heels as they geeked out.

"I so badly wanted to meet her and the Bayou Brawler as well," Yanagi sighed. "But alas, when I went, the tickets were too expensive."

"Aw... I'm sorry Yanagi," he said, "I hope one day you can go back and meet them. Or maybe they'll come visit here?"

"One can only hope."

While she went over to her DVD shelf to look for the movie, he walked over to her desk and looked at the box of candles and the books. “Can I ask what this stuff is?”

“Oh, those are some of my more... conventional witchcraft materials. Chalk and salt for conducting seances and other summoning rituals. Candles help with that too, of course. The books are all for rituals I’ve attempted. The sage stick is to smudge spirits out after a summoning or communication.” Yanagi explained.

“What about the rocks and crystals?”

“Well, they’re supposed to allow me to channel and focus spiritual energy,” she replied, before looking to her feet, embarrassed. “Though, truthfully, I just like them because they’re pleasant to look at.”

Midoriya laughed. “Nothing wrong with that. Have you had any luck contacting spirits?”

“Sometimes.” Yanagi answered. “I do not always hear a clear voice, but I will then speak to the departed in my dreams. Or sometimes a strong urge to do something I had not done before. Spirits work in muddled ways, so it is not always clear when they are influencing us.”

Midoriya nodded as he held a crystal in his hand. “That’s really cool, Yanagi. I wouldn’t even know where to begin with stuff like this.”

“I could always teach you sometime, if you’d like.” She offered as she placed the disc in her DVD player. “It may require a late night on the next full moon, however. That's usually when the time is right.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he grinned. "The only late night things that ever go on at our dorm is Ashido and Hagakure marathoning romantic comedies."

“I would be delighted to have the company.” Yanagi smiled back. “Yui used to join me, but she has a tendency to fall asleep part of the way through. Kinoko gets bored and grows mushrooms all over, and Tokage always floats her eyes and ears away to observe the television downstairs. And Ibara will come in when I’m done and fling holy water everywhere.”

Midoriya laughed. “Well, I can’t promise I’d be of any help, but I can guarantee I won’t do any of those things...”

Yanagi breathed a sigh of relief as she sat on her bed and grabbed the remote. “I appreciate your intrigue in my occult collection. Not everyone is as... accepting of my hobbies.”

“You mean Ibara?” He asked. "I was wondering about that, you guys seem like opposites."

Yanagi looked down, embarrassed. “N-no. Ibara is lovely, and we usually get along quite well. I'm refering to a time I was a time in middle school I was courted by a young man. But when I began to share in my interests with him, he was thoroughly put off by them. He, ironically, ‘ghosted,’ me. Which, despite the term, is not enjoyable.”

Midoriya frowned. “I’m sorry, Yanagi, that's horrible. I think all of this is pretty cool. I mean, as long as you’re not trying to sacrifice someone, I don’t see what the harm in any of this is...”

“Your reputation of kindness and understanding precede you,” she smiled. She noticed he had frozen by her desk as she was getting the movie ready. She patted the spot next to her on her bed. “Come. I do not have much in the way of seating, but this is the most comfortable spot to observe the film.”

Midoriya gulped. I can stare at all this magic stuff and feel fine, but the second she tries to get me to sit on the bed with her, I’m terrified. Still, he nodded and sat down next to her. Sitting with their backs against the wall, Yanagi started up the movie.

He was able to get into the movie - it took place in a time before cell phones and certain technological advances, which made the lengths they went through to capture and document the paranormal occurrences all the more impressive. He also thought some of the twists were very well done. At the first real scare of the movie, he jumped slightly and gasped, but was even more shocked when suddenly Yanagi gripped onto his arm, tightly.

Guess she gets scared at these too, he thought, trying to keep his focus on the movie, but was distracted at the feeling of her arms around his, and her head pushing into his shoulder. She smells really nice...

Yanagi became somewhat distracted as well once the scare had worn off as well, clutching his arm. O-oh my, he is quite well... built. She found herself thinking, running her fingers up and down his upper arm. I do feel somewhat safer being in contact like this...

As the movie continued, the two only managed to find themselves moving closer together, until her body was curled up into his as she clutched his arm.

And both of them screamed when halfway through the movie, Kendo knocked on the door to make sure everything was okay, though they all were able to laugh that off.

When it finally ended, Midoriya felt himself let out a huge sigh of relief. “That. Was. Terrifying.”

Yanagi nodded into his shoulder. “Yes... it has been some time since I had watched this, which allowed me to forget some of the more... scary parts.”

The two stared at the title screen of the DVD before Midoriya began laughing unexpectedly.

“Was something comical?” Yanagi asked, looking up at him.

“W-well, it’s just... you know, we’re here at UA to become Heroes, right? And every day, we’re going to be running into potentially life and death situations,” he said. “And I’m not trying to inflate my own ego, but I just feel silly about being able to fight a yakuza boss with a Quirk that could kill me in one touch... but feeling scared out of my wits because a ghost in a movie slams the door shut.”

Yanagi chuckled softly as she rested her head on his shoulder once more. “But isn’t that what makes horror all the more enjoyable? It allows us to forget the worries. To entrance ourselves in a story and suspend our disbelief. Sometimes fear is our greatest ally.”

“You think so?”

“Indeed, Midoriya Izuku. Fear is our fight or flight, our desire to stay alive. Fear is what has kept humans alive since the beginning of time. Whether it’s self-preservation, or the fear of failing to save others, it pushes Pro Heroes too. At least, that’s what I believe,” she said, looking him in the eyes.

Something about this conversation and the looking in his eyes seemed different. Yanagi turned red as she added, “And sometimes we can even be afraid of things... that we want...”

I definitely understand that feeling, he thought as he looked down at her full lips that were slightly parted. “A-and what does it m-mean w-when w-we’re af-afraid of w-what we want?”

“U-usually,” Yanagi said, swallowing her own nerves. “Usually w-we’re afraid because we really want it... and we fear w-we may not get it.”

As she said that, her eyes glanced from Midoriya’s own lips to his eyes, and he realized the look in her eyes was something he hadn’t recognized yet.

That statement, and the look she was giving him... was an invitation.

Closing his eyes, he leaned forward and brought his lips to hers. Eagerly, she pushed her lips back into his, giving him his first kiss. The second their lips broke apart, she hungrily pushed them back together, this time opening her mouth to allow their tongues to meet and interact. He cupped his hand against her cheek, making her shudder happily at the contact. After a passionate few seconds, they broke apart, as Yanagi let out a very happy sounding sigh.

“Well,” she sighed as she rested her head against his shoulder, “I take it that you were deciding to court me after all.”

“Y-yeah,” he replied, as he snaked his arm around her shoulder. HOLY CRAP I DID IT! "I'm glad you brought it up yesterday..."

“Well, I am overjoyed you did,” she laughed. “Though I must say, I had no idea you were so good at this.”

"Me either," he couldn’t help but admit. The two looked at each other and laughed.

"Should we watch another one?" Midoriya asked.

"No," Yanagi replied, smiling at him. She leaned him and kissed him a third time. "No, I think I'd like to explore this a bit further..."