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It was around eight thirty in the evening, but because it was early winter, there were only a few rays of sunlight left outside the building, which seemed to fade with each step the girl took towards the campus dormitories.
Once she got to the door, she couldn't help but feel like she needed to stop for a moment to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and dropped the bags she was carrying on the floor, then sighed; it had been an intense week, with difficult tests and a ton of "finals" that brought tears to more than one student's eyes.
U.A. was a prestigious, difficult, and, above all, expensive university.
The girl with pink hair opened her eyes again and, determined, knocked on the door three times slowly, in that peculiar way that had occurred to her to let her boyfriend know that it was her.
But there was no answer; there was absolute silence. She looked under the door, and couldn’t see any light on inside the room.
But of course, Mina Ashido wasn’t a woman who gave up easily.
She knocked on the door again, and when there was still no response, she decided it was time to use her voice.
– “I know you’re there, Izuku. If you don’t want to open the door for me, I’ll sit here in the hallway and sing all night, until your roommates get angry and come to ask me to be quiet, then I’ll argue with them and surely…” – while the girl was telling him a possible catastrophic scenario caused by being locked out of the room, she heard a pair of shuffling footsteps, which finally stopped in front of the door, and she fell silent when the male voice interrupted her.
– “I’m fine, really. You don’t need to worry about me” – with an evidently dull and dejected tone of voice, the boy weakly tried to convince her to leave.
– “Too bad then, because I’ve already worried, and I inform you that I have with me a delicious okonomiyaki, several pork nikuman and also some dorayakis, if you want something sweet. So, unless you open the door for me, I’m willing to set up a picnic in your hallway and start singing” – the pink-haired girl couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, imagining the chaotic scenario she had previously proposed to her boyfriend.
After a few seconds of silence, the door slowly opened and then stopped, just enough for the boy to poke his face out to see her.
– “Oh, honey…” – she exclaimed, when she finally saw the boy’s tired and discouraged expression.
His eyes showed dark circles that were hardly the result of just one or two bad nights of sleep, and his usual smile, which she thought was so tender, seemed to have been absent for a long time; his skin was pale and his hair was more disheveled than usual. For a moment, the girl feared he might be seriously ill.
She reached out her hands to cup his face in her palms, and Izuku closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment of peace; that peace that always invaded him when he felt the touch of his girlfriend's delicate hands on his skin.
Mina caressed his cheeks gently, and almost as if asking permission, she took a step towards him, subtly pushing the door, and making her way until she managed to hug him.
Izuku didn't resist at all. The moment Mina's arms wrapped around his torso, he realized how much he had missed her; they had been apart for the entire exam week, simply because he needed to focus and study harder, otherwise, he wouldn't get the grades needed to keep his scholarship.
However, now that he had the girl in his arms, hugging him with that affection and love that only she could convey, he realized the grave mistake he had made. How had he been able to endure the whole week without her cheerful presence? How had he even thought of not opening the door for her? He felt so stupid.
With these thoughts in mind, he held Mina tighter to him, as if in doing so, he wanted to make up for all the lost time during that week of exams, which had finally come to an end.
The pink-haired girl couldn't help but laugh softly as she felt the desperation with which her beloved hugged her; Izuku had always been an anxious boy, and after getting to know him better and starting to date him, she had discovered that he could be quite dependent on physical contact.
– “I know you feel very comfortable hugging me, and I wouldn’t want to be separated from you either, but…” – Mina moved away a little, just enough to look the boy in the eyes – “We’re still halfway down the hall, and the food is getting cold. Can I come in?”
As if coming out of a trance, the green-haired boy realized that, in fact, they were halfway between his room and the hallway, and that on the floor there were a couple of bags, presumably with the food she had mentioned to him before.
– “I’m sorry, I… Ugh” – Izuku released her from his grip, and couldn’t help but run his hand through his hair, smoothing his messy mane back – “Please, go ahead… I’ll carry the bags”
Mina smiled sweetly at him, knowing perfectly well that the boy was a mess just by looking at him. And she also knew perfectly well that he needed her.
Once inside, Izuku turned on the lights, and cleared his coffee table so he could place the food his girlfriend had brought there. However, judging by the automated nature of his movements, he seemed to be really affected this time.
For any college student, the end of the semester was a tremendous challenge. Especially since they had to cram their final assignments and final tests into a single week, during which they stretched their abilities to the point of collapse. But, regardless of the fact that it was a difficult time for everyone, Mina knew very well that each week of tests was especially challenging for her boyfriend.
Izuku wasn’t in a good financial situation; before living on campus, he only lived with his mother, and the only reason he managed to get into U.A. had been thanks to the “plus ultra” scholarship, which was awarded to students with great potential and excellent grades. Because of this, the green-haired boy usually jumped from one part-time job to another, since he knew that his mother's salary was barely enough. And exam week was precisely when there was the most work, because almost all the students quit at the same time to study and concentrate, and Izuku ended up working twice as hard to cover the vacant positions.
– “Hey” – the pink-haired girl caught his attention by taking him by the hand, and stopping him for a moment – “Are you sure you're okay?”
Mina knew perfectly well that the question sounded stupid; she could see him and immediately deduce that Izuku wasn't okay, but at the same time, she knew her boyfriend very well, and she knew that many times, he himself wasn’t aware of his emotions, until he managed to verbalize them.
He looked at her for a moment, as if his mind had returned from some faraway place and finally focused on her.
He was tempted to say, “Yeah, I’m fine,” but when he opened his mouth to answer, he knew immediately that he wasn’t capable of lying to her; not to her. And he fell silent.
– “I’m sorry,” he murmured, taking a few steps back to sit on the edge of the bed, while he brought his hands to his face to cover his eyes – “I’m… It was a tough week, no matter how hard I tried, I’ll… If I don’t get the minimum grade… The… The scholarship asks me to… Ugh, I’m sorry, love, I just don’t… I can’t lose that scholarship… If I do, I’ll…” – before he could continue murmuring, caught up in that spiral of thoughts in which he used to sink and murmur for hours, he felt the warm touch of the girl’s finger, resting on his lips, and forcing him to remain silent.
Izuku swallowed, and looked into her eyes again, but feeling in his chest that he was seeing her in the eyes for the first time that afternoon.
– “Izuku, honey, look at me for a moment” – she asked him, lowering her hands to catch his, feeling that the boy’s were too cold – “You are an exemplary student; you have tried too hard to be here, and definitely all your effort will give you the results you deserve, I know well that your performance was excellent. And even if it were not so, only if that were not the case, I am sure that all your grades are above average, and that all of them are more than enough to show this damn university that you are someone promising; that you gave everything of yourself, and more! Every teacher in this place who knows you, knows well that you work hard to achieve your achievements. And if anyone thinks differently, fuck them! I myself will go and punch them in the face, and when I have them on their knees against the ground, I will yell at them that Izuku “my wonderful boyfriend” Midoriya is definitely the best”
Mina's speech didn’t fail to elicit a hearty laugh from the freckled boy, who, moved by her words, and before the lump in his throat could betray him, reached out his arms to grab his girlfriend by the waist, and pulled her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and back, and hid his face in her belly, thus feeling the unmistakable warmth that Mina Ashido always seemed to radiate, no matter what season of the year they were in.
– “I regret to inform you that your boyfriend’s a mess at the moment… And that your “wonderful image” of me is not available right now” – he said, trying to joke, although with quite a bit of bitterness in his voice.
Mina used her hands to touch his face and find his chin, and once she found it, she gently lifted it up, forcing him to look at her.
– “What nonsense are you talking about?” – she asked, with a genuinely confused expression – “I have before me the wonderful boyfriend of always! Although of course, you would be even more wonderful if you took a shower, don’t you think?” – she laughed, pressing his nose when his cheeks blushed.
– “I showered this morning! It’s just that I was lying down all day…” – he answered embarrassed, hiding his face in the girl’s belly again, tickling her with his nose.
– “I knew you hadn’t left here all day… It’s a good thing you have a fantastic girlfriend who comes to your rescue” – she whispered, stroking his hair tenderly, taking care to watch, fascinated, how her fingers slid through the soft, green strands of his disheveled hair.
Izuku loved it when she caressed his hair.
– “Fantastic isn’t enough of a word to describe my amazing girlfriend, you know?” – the green-haired boy commented, his tone of voice evidently more relaxed than at the beginning, and even with raspier tones, like how it usually sounded when he had just woken up.
Mina couldn't help but smile, and feel her heart begin to beat faster than normal. She thought that boy was a sweetheart; they had been dating for over a year, and despite the time, the green-haired boy still managed to find new ways to speed up her pulse.
Distracted by this thought, the pink-haired girl didn't notice when Izuku stood up; the male hand took her face, lightly squeezing her cheeks, and stealing a kiss that, without a doubt, both of them had been needing during that long week.
Mina reached out her arms to wrap them around his neck, tangling her fingers in his green hair once again, while Izuku wrapped both arms around her waist and began to caress her back, as if trying to completely cover her with his body.
When their lips finally parted, Izuku hugged Mina even tighter, and hid his face between her neck and shoulder, taking a moment to inhale the unmistakable fragrance of her perfume; that aroma that reminded him of the beautiful flowers of spring, and the sweet scent of freshly formed cotton candy.
– “You should’ve called me, I would have come even at midnight” – Mina whispered, catching her breath, and allowing herself to enjoy the calm that being hugged by her lover gave her.
– “I was about to do it, many times” – he confessed – “But I always regretted it at the last moment, it was always too late”
– “It’s never too late, silly… Although now you will have to make it up to me, okay?”
Izuku smiled, and came out of his comfortable hiding place to look into her eyes, although not before intentionally caressing her neck with the tip of his nose.
– “How can I make it up to you, my love?” – he asked, watching her lips, but without getting close to taste them again; he would wait for her answer.
– “Let me think…” – she murmured, stealing a short kiss on his lips, and then another, and finally one more – “You could start by sharing with me the food I brought, at this rate, it will be cold and it won't taste the same anymore” – she suggested, kissing him again with the same softness and briefly, to separate from him again and rest her hands on his chest.
Izuku couldn't help but feel his chest fill with tenderness; it was a warm, gratifying and pleasant feeling that flooded over him every time his girlfriend showed him how sweet she could be.
He kissed her again, softly, and then smiled at her, allowing her to guide him from the bed to his coffee table, where he had previously left the bags of food.
But as soon as he reached out to take one and open it to empty its contents, the pink-haired girl stopped him.
– “Wait a minute. I’m the one who brought the food, so I’ll be the one to serve it. Have a seat here and let your fantastic girlfriend take care of everything” – she finished her sentence by raising her arm and patting her bicep, as if it were huge and strong, and then taking him by the shoulders to force him to sit down.
Izuku smiled and wasn’t able to refuse; he knew well that there was absolutely nothing in the world that he could refuse if it was Mina who asked him. So, without wiping the smile off his face, he stepped back and let himself be guided to the small cushion placed on the carpet that covered the entire area of his little table.
Without much care, probably because she was already hungry, Mina began to tear open the bags to access their contents, and it didn't take long for her to finally place the delicacies she brought in front of him.
The okonomiyaki was undoubtedly the most ostentatious dish she brought, which had kept its temperature, because the moment she opened the box it came in, the steam emanating from it began to leave a long trail, and its aroma caused Izuku to remember how hungry he was, having stayed locked in the room all day.
Mina wasted no time in placing the nikuman around the main dish, then set aside the dorayakis that could serve as dessert, or for a late-night snack.
Mina took a slice of the okonomiyaki and, walking around the table, reached her boyfriend.
– “Is the first slice for me?” – Izuku asked, remaining seated as he watched her stop in front of him.
However, Mina shook her head at him, and after that, she proceeded to sit on his lap, settling into the free space on the cushion.
– “The first slice’s all mine, I’m starving!” – she joked, glancing at him once she sat down, and taking a big bite of the slice of dough she had brought with her.
– “Hey! I’m starving too” – he laughed, grabbing her by the wrist of the hand holding the okonomiyaki, and stealing an equally big bite.
– “Noooo! This one is mine! You get yours!” – Mina complained, unable to stop laughing when she saw that Izuku had strings of melted cheese hanging from the corner of his lips – “Don’t do that, Izuku!” – she protested when the freckled boy tried to steal a second bite.
The boy had to fight his desire to laugh at his girlfriend's failed attempts to save the okonomiyaki, because his mouth was full, and the moment he started to laugh, he would run out of air and start to choke.
During that dark week of exams, he had almost forgotten the warm and bright light that always emanated from his girlfriend and that never failed to calm him down; she was his sunshine, and even if days went by without seeing her and he felt like it was always cloudy, he was certain that she would be there. Waiting for him with a huge smile.
With that thought in mind, he stopped struggling to snatch the already small piece of food that the pink-haired girl was barely able to keep in her hand, and instead, he grabbed onto her waist and pulled her closer to him, as if he feared that some supernatural force would suddenly appear to try to snatch her away from him.
– “Hey, honey… I’m not going anywhere, okay? The okonomiyaki either” – she laughed softly, noticing the almost desperate intensity with which the green-haired boy clung to her, although she wasn’t complaining either – “But if you keep squeezing me like that… Neither the okonomiyaki nor any of the delicacies on the table will be able to find their way to my stomach”
Although she tried to sound calm and carefree with her joke, she knew in her heart how much the green-eyed boy needed that hug; he needed her.
– “I didn’t realize how much I’d been missing you, Mina,” – he whispered, his cheek resting on her chest and his eyes closed, as if he wanted to forget for a moment that dark cloud left behind by the week of exams.
– “I’m here now; we’re together, and we have the whole weekend ahead of us… What do you say if after lunch, we go to bed and watch a movie? One of those that always make us sleepy”
– “Us? You’re the one who always falls asleep in the middle of any movie, hahaha” – the boy raised his face, and, in a quick movement, snatched from her hand the last little piece that the pink-haired girl had left of the first slice of okonomiyaki – “and you’re also easily distracted!”
– “Cheating! That was cheating!” – protesting, Mina tried in vain to get out of her boyfriend’s grip.
Izuku just held on tighter; it wasn't hard at all for him to hold on so tightly to everything he loved. It wouldn't be any different with the woman of his life.
They both laughed relaxedly, as they deserved to do after so much academic stress, and finally decided that they would enjoy the meal properly.
Mina gave up, and let herself fall on top of the freckled boy, defeated, letting him know that this victory belonged to him. Izuku smiled at her, and after releasing her from the grip on her waist, he raised his hands to cup her face; those pink and round cheeks that he loved so much, were quickly caressed by his thumbs.
The green-haired boy gave her a kiss on the lips, and then one on each cheek.
– “The food is delicious, thank you so much for worrying about me” – he whispered, looking into her eyes intently, as if he wanted to convey with that gesture that he was genuinely grateful to have her in his life.
Mina smiled back, and leaned her face to lean more intensely on one of her boyfriend's hands.
– “I always worry about you, exam week or not, you know it's always like that” – the pink-haired girl responded sweetly, while her eyes reflected the immense love she felt for the boy.
They approached to kiss, but instead, and almost as if they had synchronized, they both decided to caress each other, brushing the tips of their noses.
Mina closed her eyes and smiled, fascinated and happy by the tender interaction, while Izuku remained with his eyes slightly open, as if he feared that if he closed them completely, he would miss the beautiful sight before him.
The okonomiyaki was the only dish on the table that ended up disappearing completely. They decided to save the nikuman for breakfast, and each ate one dorayaki, saving the rest to have, effectively, a late-night snack. That is, if either of them managed to stay awake after (or even during) the movie they had agreed to watch.
As it was her custom, Mina followed the same routine she always did when she stayed overnight in her boyfriend's room, which consisted of “stealthily” raiding the closet and choosing from there some comfortable shirt or t-shirt that could serve as pajamas for the night. Izuku knew that the girl had a lot of pajamas in her room, of different designs, colors, patterns and prints, but due to “mysterious twists of fate”, whenever she came to visit his bedroom, she forgot to bring her own, and ended up choosing one of the freckled boy's clothes.
This time, she settled on her favorite: a black t-shirt that Izuku used to wear for training, quite loose, and with a white print in the center of the chest that contained the Japanese kanji for the word “strength”. It was supposed to be a motivational word, inspiring self-improvement and personal strength, however, and thanks to the fact that it had become his girlfriend’s favorite pajamas, now every time he saw the item of clothing, he couldn’t help but think that she was his “strength”.
And he smiled widely as he watched the woman he loved take off her rose-colored dress, then wrap herself in that garment of his, which on its own seemed so simple, but on her it seemed like a divine piece of haute couture.
When she was satisfied with her theft from the boy's wardrobe, she turned to him, thinking she had gone unnoticed.
However, once she turned around, she found him standing behind her, arms crossed, watching her with a smile that was worthy of someone who had just caught a child in the act of mischief.
At that moment, she didn't care how long it had taken to fold the clothes she had taken off, and simply threw them in the boy's face, who couldn't help but start laughing at the act.
– “Don’t just stand there staring!” – she yelled at him, half amused and slightly embarrassed, though not because he was watching her, but rather because she knew she was caught in her little mischief of raiding his clothes.
– “You do know that I always notice when you’re going after my stuff, right?” – he smiled at her, catching the clothes the girl had thrown at him in the air.
– “Well, from now on they’re “our stuff”, whether you like it or not” – she said, walking up to him and taking her clothes from his hands.
– “Oh really?” – he said raising an eyebrow, as he watched her approach him – “And who was supposed to decide that?”
– “Me, and I won’t let you disagree” – she said the last thing winking at him and sticking out her tongue, in a gesture that was meant to be mocking, but the green-haired boy thought it was cute.
He immediately put his hands around her waist and pulled her towards him, forcing her to look into each other’s eyes.
– “I don’t remember agreeing to these tyrannies when I asked you to be my girlfriend” – he whispered, looking at her sweetly as he slowly approached her lips.
– “You always knew what I was like, you should have seen it coming” – Mina replied in the same tone, closing her eyes when she felt their lips were about to meet, and finally letting go of the clothes that had been folded, thrown, caught and then abandoned to the floor.
The pink-haired girl stretched out her arms to surround his neck, and tangled her fingers again in that disheveled mane that she loved so much. She began to caress him softly while they kissed, trying to hide the smile that appeared on her lips every time she noticed how the freckled boy squeezed her more in his arms.
– “Maybe… If it seems okay to you, we could, uhm…” – Izuku tried to find, without stopping kissing his girlfriend, the words to ask her for something that he had in mind for a while.
– “Skip the movie and go straight to sleep?” – Mina finished his sentence, separating from his lips and staring at him with a big smile, as if she had known her boyfriend’s intentions very well from the beginning.
Somewhat embarrassed at knowing he had been discovered, he couldn’t help but blush his cheeks as he nodded; in reality, the week had been exhausting, and he knew well that, even if he had complained to Mina for falling asleep during the movies, the same fate would await him, even if they chose the most exciting movie ever seen.
– “No problem, honey, I knew we wouldn’t be watching the movie anyway, and we both need a good night’s sleep… There’s nothing more comforting for me than sleeping in your arms” – Mina told him as she hid in his chest to hug him, reaffirming once again that she knew from the beginning that this would happen.
The green-haired boy smiled for the thousandth time that night. He and Mina finally got into bed, and he took care of turning off the lights, making sure that they could rest properly.
And so, in the darkness of the night, and with his beautiful girlfriend snuggled against his chest, Izuku thanked fate for having put such an incredible woman like Mina in his life.
He fell asleep with a wide smile on his lips, and with the love of his life sheltered in his arms.