Archive of Our Own ^beta

If you told Izuku two years ago that he would eventually be dating Uraraka, he didn’t think he would believe it.

It wasn’t because he couldn’t ever imagine himself being in love with Uraraka. She was easy to fall in love with - she was kind, and sweet, and she was really pretty. And she was smart, and determined, and Izuku could go on for ages listing positive things about her, but then they’d be here all day.

But it was the fact that Izuku would actually be dating her, that he probably wouldn’t believe.

Izuku had never dated anyone before. And before Uraraka, he had never actually thought that much about it, besides fleeting imaginings sometimes about what it would be like to have a girlfriend, or the occasional flustered thought about how pretty some girls he saw were, or when he got close to them.

But it was never something he thought about often. What he primarily thought about was heroes, and everything to do with them. Of course, this included his analysis of Pro Heroes, analysis of quirks, and his admiration of All Might. But also his own dreams and aspirations as a hero, and thinking about his career path. Regardless, everything about heroes would always lead him down a very interesting train of thought. He hadn’t reserved much room in his mind to think a lot about dating, and being in love.

So when he started dating Uraraka, he firstly thought about how lucky and glad he was. Secondly though, he felt a little out of his depth.

He was currently walking back to Heights Alliance with Uraraka after their date at the shopping mall. They had only been dating for a few weeks, so they had only been on a few dates so far, but they had all been nice, because it was always nice being with Uraraka. It didn’t really matter what they did on the dates, because as long as it was with her, he would enjoy it.

The sun was setting, the light casting a lovely glow over Uraraka. It lit the top of her head so her hair looked a little golden, and the light brought out a sparkle in her brown eyes. She was smiling at him, the smile wide and bashful, and it made Izuku’s heart flutter in his chest.

“That was fun,” she said, holding a few shopping bags in her right hand. “I’ve wanted to go shopping for a while, so. I’m glad we went together,”

One of the things Izuku liked about Uraraka was her sincerity. She would easily say what she thought - and Izuku appreciated it, even if it was blunt. He liked that she was honest.

“Me too,” he replied. “It was really fun,”

“And thank you for the clothes again,” she said, turning slightly pink. “You really didn’t have to,”

“Oh! No, it’s fine. I wanted to buy them for you,” he said, clutching his own shopping bag. “Thank you for the figurine again,”

“You’re welcome, Deku! I wanted to help add something to your All Might collection. I’m surprised you didn’t have it already.”

“I was focused on the new line of posters they released… then they announced those figurines… But, thank you. You also didn’t have to do that.”

Uraraka smiled at him. Another thing Izuku really liked about Uraraka was her smile. It tugged at his heartstrings because it was so openly sweet, so uplifting without her even realizing it.

So, Izuku couldn’t really wrap his head around actually dating her, even though he would think about it a lot, incredulous at the very thought. It was like a dream. He was dating a pretty and kind girl, an idea he thought only belonged to his imagination, never expecting it to be a reality anytime soon.

And it was Uraraka, one of his best friends. Someone he was so grateful for. And she actually liked him back. The thought made him feel really… warm, actually. He felt his cheeks grow hot.

Oh. He was literally blushing thinking about Uraraka… That was embarrassing, since he was already with her. Izuku silently lamented the fact that he was never very good at keeping calm when it came to girls… And since it was Uraraka, the flustered feeling in his stomach was totally magnified–

“Deku?” she asked, looking up at him inquisitively. “Are you okay?”

She tiptoed, resting the back of her hand that wasn’t holding the shopping bags against his forehead.

“You’re so warm…” she murmured.

Oh my God… Her touching him did not help with his warmth.

“I’m fine!” he said a little too eagerly, pulling away from her.

Uraraka placed her hand down, laughing lightly. Izuku had a slight suspicion that he was being made fun of, but Uraraka’s laugh was a nice sound. It was light and joyful, and it made Izuku feel the same.

All his thoughts about Uraraka definitely took up a big part of his mind. Maybe he should write all these thoughts down? Of course, he dedicated notebooks to Pro Heroes and quirk analysis respectively, because he loved thinking about them. So, maybe he should have a notebook about Uraraka?

They finally got to Heights Alliance, and Izuku followed Uraraka as she walked down the corridor, stopping outside of her room. “Well… I’ve got to finish up some homework now, sorry.”

“It’s fine,” said Izuku.

He leaned towards her as he spoke to her, and he realized abruptly that he was really close to her - their faces an inch apart. Izuku focused on the smile on her lips, and Uraraka seemed to turn her head to lean even closer to him. Their faces were around a few centimeters apart, now. Izuku continued to focus on her lips–

“Ah, well!” she said quickly, her voice shaking slightly. She stepped backwards towards her door, looking up at him. “See you tomorrow, Deku,”

She shut the door in his face gently, leaving Izuku to blink in its wake.

So, he had almost kissed Uraraka.

That was something for Izuku to think about for hours, instead of heroes.

He was sitting in his room, removing the All Might figure she had bought for him from its box. The figure was small, easily fitting in the palm of his hand and he had an exaggerated smile, to the extent that it took up more than half of his head.

He placed it on his desk and looked at it, thinking of Uraraka.

Him and Uraraka hadn’t ever actually kissed yet. They hadn’t even kissed each other on the cheek yet. Kissing in general was foreign territory.

And Izuku felt unequipped, as it hit him that his knowledge about this topic was lacking. And this made him unsettled.

We almost kissed.

What if they actually had?

Izuku imagined kissing her for a moment. Running his fingers in her hair, cupping her cheek, stroking it with his thumb as the warmth of her skin warmed his palms. The thud, thud, thud of his heart as he pulled Uraraka closer, pressing his mouth against her sweet smile–

He would probably die on the spot.

But imagining it made Izuku grow warm and fuzzy, the feelings he always had when he was around Uraraka. But it was so much more intense when he imagined them kissing, even thinking about it made his heart beat restlessly.

It seemed terrifying, but he couldn’t deny the excited fluttering feeling he felt in his chest, too.

Yeah. He wanted to kiss Uraraka.

And it wasn’t even just Izuku craving the physical feeling of it. Kissing would also signify a new stage of their relationship - a new level of intimacy, them growing even more comfortable with each other.

But did she want to kiss him? Uraraka pulling away at their previous interaction made Izuku suspect that she didn’t, although he wasn’t sure. But they were dating. So she probably wanted to at some point, right?

Another problem was to do with the fact that he had never kissed anyone before. So, if Uraraka eventually wanted to, how would he know how to kiss her? Kiss her well at least. What actually made a kiss good? What would Uraraka like, in terms of kissing? Would she like it if he put his hands in her hair, or would she prefer if he touched her cheek, or her shoulder? She did seem to prefer physical touch - she seemed visibly calmer whenever she would touch Izuku. So, would Uraraka want to hold his cheek instead? How can he be sure? Was Uraraka sure? He would have to ask her. Had she kissed anyone before? He didn’t realize kissing was so complicated until he actually thought about it, but now he felt completely out of his depth, even more so than before.

Izuku was already sitting at his desk, so he turned his computer on and went on a search engine. When it loaded, he searched: how to kiss.

The pages loaded, and he clicked on one of them, his eyes scanning over all the information the website provided. It was a blur of words and pictures, and to be honest it was a little overwhelming. There were apparently a lot of steps involved, such as building up to the moment, having a soft and relaxed mouth, oh, surprisingly he didn’t even consider speed and pace, but that was definitely important, how could he not think of that? And it had tips about tongue, and well, he should probably hold off of tongue, that was a little much for a first kiss–

Izuku sighed as he clicked off the first page. There were too many pictures of just kissing and mouths alongside steps that didn’t actually explain anything properly. They weren’t very descriptive, but this website also had a lot of pictures. Observation was an effective way to learn, but he already knew what a kiss looked like. It was more about the movements of a kiss that he was unsure of, what it was like in the moment.

Maybe he was over analyzing. But he didn’t think he could help it, because he still deeply wanted to kiss her. At the same time, he felt like he was about to burst when he thought about kissing Uraraka. But he also couldn’t stop thinking about how nice it would be.

Izuku scrolled through the countless other websites, and kissing still seemed terrifying, regardless of them all suggesting you needed to relax. He clicked on the next web page and he read through all the information. It was quite similar to the first one, but this one had one tip that stuck out to him.

Consider time and place. Make sure that the atmosphere is suitably romantic and that you are both in the moment.

Okay, so that meant he should plan out a really romantic date for her. That was something. Otherwise, all the kissing advice he was reading was a little dense for him, and he was still unsure of himself. Because how do you know how to do something if you’ve never done it? And you needed experience and practice to do something well in the first place.

However, that was the problem in the first place. He lacked it.

Izuku’s mind lingered on observation again. Maybe he should observe other people, and how they kiss? Observation can sometimes be very effective in learning something.

But how was he going to observe a kiss? It was definitely weird to stare at some poor couple kissing just so he would potentially learn some kissing tips himself. This train of thought was definitely bizarre.

He started wondering if he should ask someone for advice. He thought about his class, but he was pretty sure that Kacchan and Kirishima were the only other couple currently. And he wasn’t sure about anyone else’s kissing experience.

Should he ask Kacchan for advice?

Okay, that would definitely be too weird. It was obvious that asking Kacchan for kissing advice would never go well. Maybe he should ask Kirishima. Would that be weird?

Izuku sighed. The thought of actually kissing Uraraka was so nerve wracking, and thinking about it just made it worse.

And, what if Uraraka didn’t enjoy it, if he kissed her? Izuku was so nervous about potentially messing up if he tried, if he did something wrong.

The fact remained though, that he really wanted to kiss her. He didn’t quite know how to go about it, but he knew he definitely wanted to.

He turned his computer off, dissatisfied.

“Deku,” said Uraraka at lunch two days later, sitting to the left of Izuku. “Do you wanna have a picnic on the weekend?”

“Sure. That sounds fun! What food do you wanna bring?”

“I’ve got a lot of ideas,” said Uraraka.

“What’s your favorite fruit?” Izuku asked.

Uraraka paused. “Hmm… Strawberries.”

A smile tugged at Izuku’s mouth. He grabbed his bag and brought out a new notebook and a pen, leaning it on the table beside his lunch tray: Uraraka’s favorite fruit is strawberries.

“That’s so like you,” he said, mostly to himself.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her eyebrows scrunched together.

“I don’t know,” he said, smiling into his notebook. “It just makes sense,”

Uraraka was silent, however her cheeks were dusted with a slight pink hue. “Ah… What are you writing?”

“Uhm…” said Izuku. Should he tell her that he was writing facts about her? Would she think that was weird? “Just some notes!”

Even when he said it, he knew his answer was lame.

“Oh,” said Uraraka. “I see…”

Oh. Should he tell Uraraka about this notebook? Well, maybe he should show her it after he had written more, because he had only just began making notes, so it barely had any information in it, in which case it would probably be more flattering if–

“Hey, Deku,” said Uraraka, cutting off his train of thought. “What’s your favorite fruit?”

Izuku pondered this. “I’m not too sure, actually. I like most fruits.” He closed his notebook and placed his pen down. “Well, one of my favorites is blueberries. They help lower blood pressure, and they also help reduce muscle damage after exercise, that’s very important.”

“Mm hmm.” Uraraka brought her spoon to her mouth and sipped her miso soup. “That’s so like you. Knowing the health benefits.”

Izuku felt his face grow hotter, looking down.

When he eventually lifted his gaze, his eyes settled onto Kacchan and Kirishima, sitting on another table opposite Izuku and Uraraka side by side. Both their trays were already clear, although they both seemed to have no intention of going anytime soon. Izuku couldn’t hear what they were saying from where he was, but remarkably Kacchan’s usually taut facial expression was subdued, and Kirishima’s facial expression was relaxed, a lazy grin spread over his face as he spoke.

Looking at Kacchan and Kirishima together was actually really nice; they clearly had a deep relationship. Izuku saw it when Kacchan’s eyes widened as he looked at Kirishima. When Kacchan’s gaze focused on Kirishima as if trying to take in every detail of his face. The way that when they were together, and talking to each other, Kacchan’s face would always be in intense concentration, as if hanging onto every word Kirishima said.

Kirishima always smiled easily regardless - his toothy, overjoyed grin almost perpetually plastered onto his face. But around Kacchan, he wore a different type of smile. It was quiet in the way that he didn’t bare his teeth, and he never said anything. But the smile he reserved for Kacchan was amazingly intimate - Kirishima’s eyes wide and always sparkling with adoration when he looked at Kacchan. Sometimes, Izuku would see the way the two of them looked at each other, and he would feel like he was intruding on something private. That he needed to avert his gaze. But at the same time, he refused to tear his eyes away. Like he would blink and miss something incredible.

Izuku noticed the second the mood changed between them. Kacchan swallowed, his gaze lowering towards Kirishima’s mouth. Izuku immediately recognized that expression on Kacchan’s face. It was the same glare Kacchan did when he was anticipating something - eyes absolutely transfixed.

Kirishima noticed and grinned bashfully. Kacchan placed his hand on Kirishima’s neck, and Kirishima seemed to lean into the touch. And Kacchan kissed him, Kirishima’s eyes widening initially, then he closed them and kissed back roughly.

Okay, so that was really natural and nice, thought Izuku once he got over the initial shock, despite having anticipated it. The tension was naturally built up and they were definitely on the same wavelength. He supposed that since they had been dating for six months, they were both at the point of their relationship where they had already kissed often, and that’s why it was so natural, so sweet for them - so easy. At first, it was definitely interesting to see Kacchan date someone, however, Izuku wholeheartedly respected it, and he was so happy for both Kacchan and Kirishima. To see Kacchan so comfortable in a relationship–

“Quit staring!”

Izuku blinked as Kacchan looked directly at him, eyes wide and his face twitching with fury as he clenched his fist on the table.

It was definitely completely different from the look he was giving Kirishima only seconds earlier.

“I–I wasn’t!” said Izuku. “I was lost in thought!”

Really. That wasn’t a lie!

“Yeah, right!” said Kacchan. “It’s so damn distracting!”

“I wasn’t doing it on purpose!” Distantly to the side, Izuku could see Uraraka’s confused expression and his embarrassment grew in magnitude.

Kacchan huffed, face still tight with irritation. He leaned back in his chair and turned his head towards Kirishima. Kirishima gazed back at him and laughed, incongruent to the previous tension in the air.

“It’s alright, Bakugo,” said Kirishima, so quietly Izuku had to almost strain to hear. Kacchan’s face lost its tension slowly, and then Kirishima said, his voice growing louder. “Sorry about that, Midoriya!”

“What the fuck?” Kacchan said immediately, eyes wide as he looked at Kirishima incredulously, regaining all the previous tension in his face.

Kirishima laughed, saying something quietly to Kacchan, though this time Izuku couldn’t quite hear. Kacchan’s facial expression slowly softened again and it hit Izuku not for the first time how nice their relationship was. Kirishima was the only person who had that placating effect on Kacchan.

It made Izuku want to keep looking at them, regardless of everything.

No, no… he shouldn’t…

Kacchan and Kirishima exchanged a knowing look between each other - as if they were the only two people in the room. They got up, grabbing their lunch trays and walking to the front of the cafeteria to put them away, before leaving the room.

Izuku blinked as they left. He shouldn’t have been staring, really. He knew he shouldn’t have. But once he realized they were going to kiss, embarrassingly he had been fixated - eyes absolutely glued to them.

“Uh… Deku?” asked Uraraka, snapping Izuku out of his reverie.

Izuku looked at her, blinking again. “Ah, sorry?”

“Were you staring at them?” she asked, though her tone was curious rather than accusatory.

“I saw them, then I started thinking about them. Kacchan must have noticed…”

“Oh…” said Uraraka, looking down at her lunch tray.

Seeing Kacchan and Kirishima kiss had strangely invigorated Izuku. He turned to look at Uraraka, as she put a spoonful of soup in her mouth, and Izuku focused his gaze on her. Uraraka took the spoon out of her mouth, putting it down before grabbing her bottle of milk. As Uraraka drank out of it, Izuku focused on her mouth.

Izuku could really kiss her right now, too.

He imagined for a second, pulling Uraraka towards him and kissing her, as easily as Kacchan and Kirishima kissed each other. Like it was as natural as breathing. And then Izuku wondered how Uraraka’s mouth would feel, and how kissing her would make his body feel. His heart thumped as he continued to look at her, and he felt his cheeks get embarrassingly hot.

What had those websites said about kissing?

Consider time and place. Make sure that the atmosphere is suitably romantic and that you are both in the moment.

But this was a terrible time and place! Izuku couldn’t make their first kiss in school, at lunchtime. Izuku may not be the most knowledgeable about dating, but he could still tell that school was an extremely unromantic place to kiss someone. He didn’t think Uraraka would like having their first kiss at school very much. It was very likely she wouldn’t be in the mood.

Izuku thought about Kacchan and Kirishima again. How they kissed so easily, like it was so simple. But Izuku didn’t find it easy and simple when Uraraka was actually next to him. It was the opposite. Izuku didn’t know what he was doing, and he felt his chest tighten with frustration. Perhaps he was making things more complicated than it had to be, but he just wanted to do it right for Uraraka. It needed to be perfect. That was what she deserved. Not a flustered, messy attempt. He needed to really plan this out carefully.

Uraraka was silent next to Izuku. Izuku looked to his left, eyes glancing over the curve of her cheek and the smile on her face as she ate, and warmth spread through his whole body.

He yearned to kiss her – he felt it deep in his bones. He felt it when his heart pulsed in his chest looking at her. He felt it when she was near him, and he also felt it when he was alone. An undeniable part of him consuming his thoughts.

Izuku was familiar with yearning. And he knew that it never subsided. It merely grew and grew out of control, bigger than you could ever imagine.

A week later, the cherry blossoms were lush and bright pink, the sky vibrantly blue. The slight breeze was nice on Izuku’s skin.

Izuku liked every season, because every season had opportunities and memories attached to it. But spring meant growth, the flowers blooming out of the ground, growing into something beautiful. And the days grew longer, and Izuku appreciated what he felt like was more time in the day.

In one hand, Izuku held the picnic blanket, and Uraraka’s hand was laced in his other as they walked through the park, the crisp green grass beneath their feet. The day was bright and inviting, the sun illuminating.

“Let’s go under the cherry blossoms,” said Uraraka quietly.

Izuku hummed in agreement. They sat directly underneath one of them, the grass providing a flat surface for Izuku to lay the picnic blanket, and the basket afterwards.

Uraraka was to his left, and she opened the left side of the picnic basket. They had packed separately, wanting to surprise each other with the food they brought. So Izuku opened the right side, and brought out the strawberry mochi, the pickled mustard greens onigiri and the strawberry sandwiches with cream. Izuku looked at what Uraraka was laying on the blanket.

Firstly, he saw blueberry bagels on the blanket. That’s thoughtful of her, Izuku thought dazedly. He also saw katsu sando, pickled plum onigiri and she was currently placing sandwiches wedged with cream, raspberries and blueberries on the blanket.

“Looks delicious,” said Izuku. As he looked at the food Uraraka brought, his heart felt like it was about to burst because of the thoughtfulness.

“Yeah! We did a good job.” Uraraka turned to him quickly. “Hold on. Before we start eating, can I show you something first?”

Izuku nodded, looking at her. She leaned towards the food, palms hovering over them. She pressed her fingertips to the food furthest away first: the mochi, the onigiri, then the sandwiches. Her fingertips glowing as the food floated in the air. Uraraka then pressed her fingertips onto the blanket, and the blanket floated below the food.

“Wow,” breathed Izuku.

Izuku couldn’t explain why, but watching the food float in the air filled him with joy. The sun shone down, making the food look almost like it was sparkling, and the blanket fluttered slightly in the breeze, complemented by the cherry blossoms in the background. Beautiful. He started laughing slightly to himself, as he realized that he thought everything about Uraraka was beautiful: how she looked, how she acted, what she touched.

And then Uraraka started laughing, her soft laugh filling the air, and Izuku was in awe as she revealed another beautiful thing about her. And because Uraraka was laughing, Izuku laughed more, and he supposed neither of them really knew why this was so funny. And Izuku realized he wanted to burn the sound of Uraraka’s laugh forever, and the image of floating food.

Eventually their laughs quietened. Uraraka pressed her fingertips together. “Release.”

The food fell onto the blanket again.

“Sorry, I don’t know why I did that,” said Uraraka, playing with her hair on the back of her head. “I just thought, that might be—”

“No, no, that was— really nice. Seeing that made me feel pretty good, for some reason,”

“I’m not too sure what it is,” said Uraraka, smiling slightly. “But it makes me feel good too… When I first got my quirk, I would try and make everything float. Like my toys, and my stuffed animals. I totally struggled with keeping them all afloat though! But now, it feels effortless,”

“You’ve gotten really far since then,” Izuku said, starting to mutter. “From being able to make over three tons float at once, to training to reduce your nausea when you make yourself float, and the incorporation of martial arts brings you better access to touch someone… and your quirk awakening! That was amazing!”

“Wow.” Uraraka turned pink. “You’ve been paying lots of attention.”

“Of course!”

Uraraka laughed nervously. “Deku, I– Um… Let’s eat!”

“Let’s eat.”

Izuku grabbed the katsu sando first, and Uraraka grabbed the strawberry sandwich. He took a bite, the chicken crisp as he relished the taste. He continued to eat as the sun warmed his skin, Uraraka eating quietly beside him and he couldn’t help but sigh in contentment.

Izuku finished his sandwich and turned to look at Uraraka, focusing on the curve of her cheek, and he felt the instinct to run his finger over it.

He didn’t.

He then focused on her mouth, and his heart thudded maddeningly. This was the perfect timing, right? He could kiss her here. Of course, Izuku had already previously considered if he should kiss her at the picnic, although he ultimately decided it would be impossible to know until the picnic occurred. The timing had to be perfect, and it was impossible to know beforehand if the timing at the picnic was perfect. It was too dependent on circumstance to solidly plan something such as a first kiss.

Yet, the timing seemed perfect now, and Izuku was filled with want.

What did he learn from his research? Well, he needed to have a soft and relaxed mouth. As for the other tips… wait, what were they?

How was he supposed to move his lips? Should he open or close his mouth? What should he do with his hands?

Uraraka had finished her sandwich, and Izuku cupped her cheek, making her face towards him. Did he grab her face too hard? Oh no…

She has a bit of cream on her mouth…

“Uraraka…” he murmured.

Uraraka looked up at him with wide eyes, and Izuku’s heart felt like it stopped in its chest. Because how was he supposed to function, when she looked at him like that? Eyes wide, like they were anticipating something, like they were filled with admiration. It almost made Izuku want to squirm at the intimacy. But at the same time, he wanted to touch her. He wanted Uraraka to wrap her arms around him. He wanted so much when it came to Uraraka, like he was greedy for her.

Kiss her.

Izuku remained still.

Kiss her?

Izuku stroked her cheekbone with his thumb. He felt jittery and nervous. Uraraka was so beautiful. He didn’t think it was possible to be so near Uraraka and to not be flustered.

He dropped his hand and wrapped his arms around her, chin on her shoulder.

“Oh!” she said, returning his hug.

His heartbeat started to slow as he was pressed towards her, yet Izuku felt his frustration build up again.

“I…” he started, yet Izuku’s mind ran rampant with things he wanted to say to her. How could he even begin? And if he began, would he ever be able to stop? You’re beautiful. I’m nervous. I want…

I want…

Izuku breathed in, and Uraraka’s arms around him relieved the tension that was building up inside him.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said at last, almost a whisper.

“Oh…” she said, taken aback. Pressed against her, he could almost feel the vibrations of her heartbeat against his own chest. “I’m glad you’re here, too,”

Izuku smiled, pulling away. And when he looked at Uraraka… He felt the same nervous, jittery feeling that was messing him up. At the same time, the exact same yearning remained. And Izuku realized the two would be coexisting for a while.

“Uraraka…” said Izuku suddenly. “You’ve got cream on your mouth!” He started scrambling for a napkin from the picnic basket.

“Huh?” said Uraraka, stunned.

When Izuku turned to look at Uraraka, napkin in hand, she was pink.

Outside of Heights Alliance, Izuku liked to sit outside on the bench facing the doorway after a long day of training, writing down his final notes for the day after training. The bright crescent moon was distantly visible in the night sky, and Izuku focused on it for a second.

He was about to open his notebook and begin writing, when across from him two figures caught his attention.

Kacchan and Kirishima, their backs facing Izuku as they spoke quietly in front of the doorway.

Oh, thought Izuku.

He probably should not be staring.

Yet, he lost focus on his notebook.

And Izuku got the same feeling again that he did when he saw them both at lunch. That he was intruding on something. And he figured he shouldn’t be here.

Kacchan and Kirishima angled towards each other, and Kirishima looked at Kacchan’s mouth. He kissed him, and it was short and sweet, Kacchan’s hand grabbing the front of Kirishima’s shirt.

Suddenly, Izuku’s stomach dropped, and he turned his head away.

He was happy for them. He really was. And he felt guilty for feeling this way, but his heart panged a little bit, as he realized how easy it was for them to kiss. And how easy it was for other people his age, in general.

When he was quirkless, it stung constantly, like a fresh wound that never closed up. He felt the pain of it when he saw other people his age flaunt their quirks, as he constantly remembered he didn’t have one. He felt it sometimes when he watched footage of heroes saving people, realizing he didn’t hold any power of his own to do the same thing. He felt the sting the most when he thought about himself and the mere absence of a quirk, and sometimes it felt like it tore him apart.

But then, he got a quirk. And surely that made him equal to everyone else now, right?

Then he suddenly realized he was still behind. He had a lot to learn compared to everyone else, who already had the experience he lacked.

And Izuku had the gnawing feeling that he was behind again, compared to everyone else.

He knew he shouldn’t compare himself to others. But he wished again that he was better at this. That he knew more about dating, about kissing, about girlfriends. Like other people his age.

Izuku looked at Kacchan and Kirishima again, because admittedly, they looked good together. The type of good where you can’t help but stare in fascination, regardless of everything.

They eventually broke off, and Kirishima went back into the building, although for some reason Kacchan remained.

“I can tell you’re staring again,” said Kacchan loudly all of a sudden, turning towards Izuku’s direction, an intense edge to his face.

“What?” said Izuku incredulously. How did he know?

“I already saw you. I’m not stupid.”

“Sorry…” muttered Izuku. He saw no point lying if he had already been caught.

Kacchan made an irritated sound, walking up to Izuku menacingly.

“What’s the problem?” snapped Kacchan.

Izuku blinked. Kacchan could tell something was up?

Izuku paused as he considered. The question was on his tongue.

“Nothing,” said Izuku.

Kacchan rolled his eyes, hands in his pockets. “I’m not stupid, Deku. I can tell. Spit it out already.”

Izuku considered his options. Would it be so bad to ask him? It wasn’t as if this only concerned Izuku. It concerned Uraraka, too.

“How do you kiss so easily?” asked Izuku.

Did he seriously just ask Kacchan for kissing advice?

Kacchan raised an eyebrow, before his face morphed into realization suddenly. “You haven’t kissed Round Face yet?”

“Don’t call her that, Kacchan,” responded Izuku. “And, no. Not yet. I’m a little nervous about it. But we don’t have to talk–”

“Look,” hissed Kacchan, sighing eventually. “Not my problem your loser ass is too scared. But I can already tell it’s because you’re way too in your goddamn head about it. If you wanna kiss her, just do it,”

“I see…” mumbled Izuku. And suddenly, when prompted, the words started flooding. “I just keep thinking a lot about it, that’s true. I think about the mouth movements, even though nobody mentions that when I look at advice, I feel like that’s important? And then I wonder what I should do with my hands, and how long it should be, and how should I move my head? And then—”

“Shut up!” yelled Kacchan. “I can tell why you haven’t kissed yet! It’s because your mumbling is creepy as hell! You kill the mood!”

“I don’t mumble when I’m about to kiss her!” said Izuku defensively.

“You’re still creepy as hell!” shouted Kacchan.

Izuku paused. Through Kacchan’s layered insults, he had made a good point. Overthinking had made him spiral, and then he didn’t kiss her. He needed to stop doing that. He needed to relax around her. Overthinking their first kiss had stopped him from initiating it in the first place. Instead he needed to assure that both him and Uraraka were fully comfortable when the kiss happened.

Even though Uraraka just naturally made him flustered.

“You wanna know something? You need to talk to Round Face!” yelled Kacchan again. “And, stop staring at me and Kirishima! It’s distracting as hell!”

“It’s not on purpose!” exclaimed Izuku.

“Yeah, right!” said Kacchan menacingly, walking closer towards us. “Stare at us again, and I’ll blow your ass to bits—”

“Thanks Kacchan!” breathed Izuku, eye to eye with him.

He really was grateful for Kacchan’s advice, but it was time for him to run from him and the sound of his insults. If Kacchan caught up to him and really followed up on his word, he would never get to kiss Uraraka. And he didn’t want that.

Izuku rinsed the mouthwash out of his mouth. The sting was extremely unpleasant, but this was necessary!

With what Kacchan had said in mind, Izuku had a steely resolve. He was going to have a really nice kiss with Uraraka, and he was going to focus on the present, and his nerves weren’t going to fail him this time.

Firstly, Izuku was intent on the perfect atmosphere, and the perfect date for their first kiss. So he asked Uraraka out on a date at a Japanese restaurant. Uraraka’s favourite food, of course.

Then after they ate their food, they would walk around in a hopefully secluded park and sit at a bench. Then, if Uraraka was willing and if Izuku didn’t back down, they would have their first kiss.

He was still nervous thinking about it. Izuku didn’t think it was possible not to be. It was natural to be scared for your first kiss, right?

Though, there was a fuzzy feeling in Izuku’s chest, his heart thrumming in his chest with want. He fantasized again about kissing her, pressing his mouth against hers, running his hands through his hair like how he’s always wanted to. Wondering how that would feel.

He should put some more lip balm on. It would be terrible if he kissed her with dry lips.

“Deku!” called Uraraka outside his room. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah!” called Izuku as he grabbed his lip balm frantically.

I’m ready.

“What are you getting, Uraraka?” asked Izuku as they both sat in the restaurant, facing each other.

“Hmm…” she said, looking at the menu on the table. “I’m not sure. There are so many nice options,”

Today, her hair was tied up, besides two thick strands of hair that framed her face. Uraraka had a different air to her when her hair was tied like that. It made her look older, yet she owned her prettiness like a flower that had just fully bloomed. Honestly, she was so pretty with her hair up it did things to Izuku’s stomach. She wore a stylish pink denim jacket, and Izuku looked into her eyes and gulped. He had bought her that when they went to the shopping mall together. 

“I like your hair,” said Izuku.

“Oh…” she said, avoiding eye contact. “Thanks. You look cute too, Deku. I like your shirt.”

He wore what he had considered his unimpressive yet comfortable white shirt, yet he still felt his cheeks grow warm. “Thanks,” he managed.

Uraraka looked back at the menu. “I think I’ll get the chicken katsu udon soup. Ha… I’m really hungry,” she laughed. “What are you getting? Katsudon?”

“Yeah.”

With that sorted, they called a waitress over and ordered.

“You know,” started Uraraka as the waitress walked away. “It’s not felt that long since we first met. But we’re leaving school soon. It’s kinda hard to believe,”

“Right. I still remember the entrance exam like it was yesterday.”

“Of course, Falling Boy. It was so stressful!”

“Yeah,” said Izuku, blushing slightly. “I thought I was screwed… But you helped me. I still really appreciate it,”

Uraraka turned pink. “Oh. It’s nothing.”

“No, it meant a lot!” said Izuku quickly. “You really helped me a lot,”

“Deku, you—” she started, before pausing. “I guess it’s equal. You helped me a lot, too. I felt a little lost, sometimes, when we just started here. But being friends with you reassured me a lot. Plus, I could tell you were definitely going to become an amazing hero,”

The words made Izuku’s heart swell with joy. The idea that he helped her just as much as she helped him.

“Back then…” started Izuku, when he could find his words. “I thought you were really nice. And pretty. I still think that,”

He looked at the strands of hair framing Uraraka’s face, and got up and leaned towards her. Pushing down his nerves, he reached his hand out and carded his fingers through them.

Uraraka looked up at him, turning pink. “Deku, I…”

She was silent. Izuku’s heart beat rapidly, but he kept his fingers wrapped around her hair, relishing the feeling. He tucked the strand behind her ear, and Izuku marvelled, not for the first time, at how pretty she was.

A waitress walked up to them, food in hand. Izuku withdrew his hand and sat back down, as he and Uraraka thanked her.

Uraraka looked overjoyed as she looked at her dish: crispy chicken katsu lay on top of the udon. She grabbed her chopsticks immediately and grabbed a bite of the chicken katsu.

“Mm,” she said in delight. She took another bite. “So good. Um, we were talking about school right?” she said frantically.

“Yeah,” said Izuku, grabbing his chopsticks and taking a bite of his own chicken katsu.

“Ah, yeah, as I was saying, I can’t believe we’ll be Pro Heroes soon.”’

“Right,” said Izuku wistfully. “I’m so excited,”

It was almost strange. He had been dreaming about this for so long, and now he was so close to becoming a Pro Hero. And he was still as excited for it as he was at four years old.

“I know you’ll be an amazing hero!” said Uraraka.

“Thank you,” said Izuku, his heart swelling. “I know you will be, too,”

She paused for a second. “Thank you.”

She took another bite, but she seemed strangely withdrawn. Quiet, compared to the excitement she displayed earlier.

“Uraraka,” said Izuku. “Is something wrong?”

Uraraka looked up, but she didn’t say anything.

“You might feel better if you tell me,” he said.

“That’s true,” said Uraraka, before taking a deep breath. “I know this was a while ago, but remember how I told you I want to be a hero because of the money? To help my parents?”

Izuku nodded.

“Well, it started like that. That was definitely the main reason. But, a lot happened while we were at U.A, and I realized how hard it actually is to be a hero. But I still stayed at it. And, for me I finally realised it wasn’t just about money anymore. Even though it’s still a big part of it! I just– I realized that I want to save everyone,”

“That’s great–”

“Everyone,” Uraraka insisted. “And I’ve started to think… What if I can’t save everyone?”

She looked down, moving her chopsticks around in her bowl, and Izuku suddenly understood in a flash. The thought of not being able to save someone made Izuku feel sick - even thinking about that possibility pained him, making his chest tight and his throat dry.

That was exactly the reason why he was working so hard in the first place. To ensure that that would never happen. All Might always saved everyone. He was going to save everyone too. He was going to ensure that.

But, Izuku understood Uraraka’s fear. Sometimes, you would look at a villain, and viscerally feel their pain, their suffering.

Heroes saved everyone.

I guess both of us are kinda weird.

“Uraraka,” he said softly at last.

He put his chopsticks down and reached his hand out to Uraraka’s free one on the table, Uraraka clasping it. Izuku placed his thumb on the inside of her palm and stroked her palm lines. Uraraka seemed to like physical touch – her mood would seem to lift when Izuku wrapped his arm around her, or when they hugged. Izuku suspected it made her feel more secure, more stable.

Izuku could see it now, Uraraka calming as she blinked, looking down at their hands, stilling at the touch.

“You’re kind,” confessed Izuku firstly, remembering his list of positive adjectives he had to say about her. “And sweet. And smart,”

“Deku, you don’t have to–”

“I mean it.”

The words came from deep within him. Praises that were previously unspoken, belonging only in the lines of his notebook, yet present in the forefront of his mind.

“I know you,” he continued. “I know you’ll save as many people as possible,”

Uraraka’s eyes widened again. Izuku hoped she felt more confident, as what he had said, he had sincerely believed. Because despite her fears, it was difficult for him to envision a future where Uraraka didn’t save as many people as she possibly could. Because she was Uraraka, and she was always going to try her best, no matter the situation or if things seemed hopeless. And Izuku knew he would deal with every situation with empathy and kindness, yet she’d be determined and be able to navigate anything that hero life threw at her.

The familiar, warm fuzzy feeling that would stir within him at the thought or presence of Uraraka started again in his chest. He allowed the feeling to grow within his chest, embracing it.

You’re amazing, Uraraka.

“Deku…” said Uraraka, no more than a whisper.

And Izuku didn’t think he had ever heard her voice sound like that before - so wistful, so stunned. Izuku was silently pleased at himself for the effect his words had on her, but most importantly, he hoped she believed them.

“We better eat,” she said shakily at last, letting go of his hand. “The food is probably getting cold,”

Izuku nodded, his face starting to heat as he pulled his hand away. “Right.”

“But, thank you. That means a lot. That really does.”

Uraraka smiled, blindingly sweet, and Izuku smiled back. And he realized he was always smiling and grinning around her. Always uncontrollable smiles that he couldn’t control forming on his face, always the warm gooey feeling in his chest spreading.

Uraraka really did have a pretty smile. And Izuku wondered what it would feel like to press his lips against that smile.

I really want to kiss you, the same thought that had been consuming him bubbling up again.

They ate the rest of their meal comfortably, as Izuku babbled on with Uraraka about their favorite movies and new ones coming out that they were excited to see. They also both agreed on going on a date to an amusement park at some point, and Izuku looked forward to it.

When Izuku and Uraraka left the restaurant, Izuku discretely popped some strawberry gum into his mouth, purposefully turning away from her so she wouldn’t see and pocketing the wrapper. He then held hands with her, chewing nervously.

It was dark now, the street lamplights the only source of illumination, and they were now approaching the park with the cherry blossoms, the same one they went to for the picnic. Izuku appreciated the calmness of night, the clarity it brought. Hardly anybody was there, which made Izuku feel better.

Izuku secretly threw the gum he was chewing away, and asked, “Want to sit on the bench?”

Uraraka hummed in agreement, and they sat on a bench together, their fingers still intertwined as they sat under the cherry blossoms.

Make sure that the atmosphere is suitably romantic and that you are both in the moment.

And the atmosphere was perfect. It was beautiful here.

Izuku turned to Uraraka and looked at her mouth. His stomach felt like it was in knots, realising he still didn’t know what to do.

Izuku leaned towards her. She didn’t shy away, blinking lazily at him. He leaned even closer towards her and was an inch away from her lips, his heart thudding maddeningly in his chest, his palms sweaty.

He was going to do it. He leaned further against her–

His heart was beating so fast, and he swallowed. He placed his chin on her shoulder. He hugged her instead, before eventually pulling away, disappointment flooding his body when he stopped touching Uraraka.

He clenched his fist and sighed deeply. Why? He didn’t understand. He had fought villains before, and that was always terrifying, but his body acted before his brain said anything, before his heart told him otherwise.

So, why couldn’t his body just move when it came to this? Why would he freeze up instead? Why was he too scared to kiss her?

Now, what if Uraraka thought he didn't like her? What if she was now upset with him? What if he was letting her down?

“Deku, what’s wrong?” she asked.

He didn’t realize he had made it so clear that he was upset.

“You can tell me,” she said, looking up at him.

Izuku took a deep breath. Talk to her, was what Kacchan had said. And he was right. He did need to talk to her. She deserved to know.

“I want to kiss you.”

The words were in the air now, and he couldn’t take them back. And it was warm. It was too warm, the spring air feeling too humid, his clothes too tight on him, too uncomfortable, as he almost forgot how to breathe.

Uraraka blushed.

“Well…” said Uraraka nervously. “You can,”

“That’s the thing,” said Izuku, pained. “I’m too nervous,”

“Why are you nervous?” she asked, tone gentle.

He looked at her, and she was so pretty - her silky hair, her wide eyes, that it was overwhelming.

And he was nervous for a multitude of reasons.

“You’re amazing, and you’re really pretty, and I do want to kiss you. But whenever I think we’re going to kiss I just–“ he sighed. “I’ve never kissed anyone before. So I don’t know what I’m doing. But I wanted to make a good impression… I want it to be good. I want you to enjoy it,” he said.

“Woah, Deku,” she said. “You want it to be good?”

He nodded.

Uraraka paused. “I already know it will be good,” she said quietly. She smiled at him, and an awed feeling settled over Izuku. “I really like you, Deku. Your drive, your kindness…” She laughed nervously. “The way you act – you’re inspiring, Deku. And, I know you’re well intentioned,”

“Uraraka…” he said, feeling overwhelmed again.

“So, Deku, I know it’s going to be a good kiss. Because it’s you. And I like you. That’s how I know I will like it. Even if you’re not technically good at it. And because you’re cute…” she said, though she was looking away from him now.

“Thank you,” he said fondly to her.

He couldn’t help another smile forming, her words like a comforting blanket. Izuku’s nerves dissipated somewhat, and he unclenched his fist.

“You always know the right thing to say…” said Izuku, awed. “I mean, except when you said my bed head looked weird,”

“Okay, well, it did look weird…” said Uraraka.

Izuku gave a small laugh at that.

“It’s totally fine that you’re nervous,” continued Uraraka. “It’s cute that you want it to be good. But I know it will be. And, um,” She was whispering now. “I also really want to kiss you,”

Izuku nodded as Uraraka gave him a small smile. Her eyes lingered on her lips and she leaned forward.

Before Izuku could even register what was going on, soft lips were on his. Izuku blinked, his heart fluttering, warmth spreading through his whole body. Uraraka smelled like roses, and as he breathed it in, he knew he liked the scent. Izuku angled his head to lean towards her, however they ended up bumping their noses together. They broke off, laughing.

Izuku leaned towards her again, cupping her cheek, staring into her eyes, before kissing her again. And it felt like how he had imagined - warm and soft and comforting, but magnified now that he was actually doing it. It was so much better in reality than in imagination, where Izuku could actually feel her, and press against her lips like he had always wanted. Izuku readjusted his hand on her cheek, his fingers gracing the hairs on the back of Uraraka’s head, and Uraraka sighed in his mouth as she kissed back. And Izuku felt overstimulated, but he felt he didn’t mind, with the warm, fuzzy feelings intensifying inside him as he kissed her, content.

Until, they broke off to breathe.

“I–” said Uraraka breathlessly.

Izuku pushed a strand of Uraraka’s hair behind her ear that had fallen out.

“Honestly, I was also really nervous,” she admitted. And Izuku felt oddly comforted, that it hadn’t been easy for her either. That he hasn’t been alone in feeling like that. “But, I really liked that,”

“You did?” asked Izuku quietly, cupping her cheek again as he beamed at her. “Me too,”

“Yeah. I like when you do that, too,” she whispered, her eyes lingering on Izuku’s hand on her cheek.

Izuku kissed her again, quickly, before breaking off almost immediately. And he relished in the fact that he could do it so easily, now.

“Your breath tastes like strawberry,” she muttered. “Wait–”

“You don’t have to mention that!”

Uraraka laughed, the sound pleasant and melodic in the otherwise silent park. And Izuku laughed too, as his heart sung with the discovery of this new feeling.

With delight, he realised he had something new to write about Uraraka in his notebook - what it was like to kiss her.