Chapter Text
Izuku wrung his hands as he rapidly bounced ones of his legs up and down. Sitting still was simply impossible for him right now. He stared at the floor mumbling nonstop, occasionally glancing up towards the door he was next to.
The restless boy was at a hospital, sitting outside the room the staff had brought Mina to. It had been maybe an hour or so since the incident at the park.
The memory replayed itself in Izuku's head in vivid detail. Those frantic few seconds of seeing Mina out on the ice, knowing exactly what she was about to do and being powerless to stop her. That nauseating feeling in his stomach as he watched her vanish under the water.
He had tended to her until the paramedics arrived, making sure she stayed warm and conscious. It had been terrifying seeing her so pale and cold, on the verge of simply passing out right there. What would have happened if she had? What if help was just a few seconds later than they had been?
Of course, the young hero feared for the boy she had dove in for as well. Death Arms wound up performing CPR, managing to get him up. He too managed to keep the boy stable long enough before handing him off once help arrived.
Izuku went straight to the hospital, of course. He needed to know they were okay, that this hadn't all been for naught. Waiting for the confirmation was one of the most agonizing experiences ever; he had actually gone to the bathroom a few times to dry heave he felt so awful.
By contrast, hearing that they were both stable and recovering was the single greatest relief he had felt in a long time. Unfortunately, Mina was still unconscious (she had passed out shortly after being given to the paramedics), so Izuku couldn't go see her just yet. So here he was, waiting outside her room with all the patience of a 5-year-old on Christmas.
He needed to talk to her, no, apologize to her. He actually needed to apologize to a lot of people.
Izuku had felt a whole range of emotions during this little incident. Fear, grief, dread… But the single biggest feeling may have been guilt. Guilt for not being able to act quick enough to stop Mina from doing what she did. Guilt for not keeping a closer eye on those kids and letting his fanboyism distract him that long.
But most of all, guilt for what he had been putting his friends and family through for so long.
Izuku thought back to that conversation he and Mina had had in the park about his arms. How she had expressed concern over all the injuries he had inflicted on himself. At the time he had given her a small apology, thinking he understood the extent of her – and likely others' – fears.
How wrong he was.
All the awful emotions he had experienced during this little incident, that constant sick-to-his-stomach feeling that refused to go away… It all stemmed from watching Mina throw herself into a dangerous situation without the slightest hint of caution. She didn't hesitate for a second before jumping into that pond. In that moment, nothing about her own safety mattered to her. She was willing to sacrifice herself to try and save this random kid.
It was like looking in a mirror. This obviously wasn't the first time Izuku had seen someone risk their neck for another, but something about seeing Mina do it with that conversation still fresh on his mind just opened his eyes. He was hurting the people who cared about him as much as he was hurting himself. Possibly more even.
Some hero.
"Just this way."
Izuku was drawn from his thoughts by the voice of a nurse passing by. Accompanying her were a man and woman he had never seen before, but they had some very familiar-looking traits. They both looked about as nervous as he felt, each comforting the other. The nurse stopped at Mina's door, knocking. It opened a moment later as a second nurse answered it and conversed with her. She then turned to the others, who Izuku had deduced by now were Mina's parents.
"She's awake now, please come in." The boy sat up straight upon hearing this. Of course, he would have to wait before seeing her; family first, after all. They probably felt even worse than he had.
Mina lied back into her pillow, sighing loudly as her parents left the room. She hated making them worry like that; she couldn't imagine how it felt to find out your kid was in the hospital. They had obviously been very emotional just now, scolding her for her actions just as much as they were crying tears of joy for seeing that she was alright.
She had only woken up a little while ago. Well, woken up with any sort of clarity; she had been slipping in and out of consciousness ever since coming out of the water, and it was all pretty much a blur. She remembered Izuku's voice, an ambulance, and then… Nothing.
Upon waking, the first thing she asked was how the kid she had pulled out was. She was more than a little relieved to hear he was fine, though like her he needed to rest and recover. Frostbite and hypothermia had taken their tole on both her and him. She actually still felt a bit sore and stiff, especially in her hands and feet.
It was hard to even remember everything that had happened. One second she was watching Izuku trying to get an autograph, the next she was diving into deathly cold waters. There had been no hesitation or thought to any of her actions. She saw that kid fall and her body just started to move.
Had she been scared? Absolutely. The ice could have broken up and trapped her. The shock from the cold could have caused her to pass out like Hiroto did and drown. But letting him die down there was a much scarier thought, and so she pressed on.
Ugh. She hated that she'd made her parents so scared, but what else was she supposed to do? Heroes risked their lives all the time. Had she not acted as quickly and directly as she had, there's a pretty good chance Hiroto wouldn't be here.
"…Is this how Midoriya feels?"
Her mind drifted back to her conversation with him earlier. How she expressed her concern for his constant disregard for his own safety. Well, didn't she feel like a big old hypocrite?
"Uh… Hello?"
A light knock at the door accompanied a familiar voice. Mina looked over and smirked. Speak of the devil.
"Hey, Midoriya."
Izuku quietly shut the door behind him before slowly approaching the bed. Mina's nurse had stepped out for the moment, leaving just the two of them alone.
Izuku was relieved to see most of the pink girl's color had returned to her face. Seeing her so pale and faded was incredibly unsettling.
"Are… Are you feeling alright?"
"Mostly. Don't think I want to go swimming, like, ever again though," she laughed lightly, sitting up a bit. Well, her joking around was a good sign. "Really, I'm fine. Hands and feet still feel a little weird though." Looking at her hands, they did look a little strange. Frostbite, most likely, but it didn't look too severe.
"That's good." Izuku wasn't exactly sure what to say; he had been pretty fired up while waiting for her to wake up, but now that he was actually here he couldn't find the words. Mina couldn't seem to either as a long silence passed.
"…Thanks, by the way," she finally said.
"Huh?"
"For keeping me safe. I only sorta remember it, but I know you were there making sure I was ok after Death Arms got me out, right?"
"Oh, r-right." He had been scared out of his mind but yes, he had done that. "I mean, I just… Did what anyone would have done there, really."
"Well still, you probably saved my life. So, you know, guess I owe you one."
"Wha-no, that isn't necessary!" Izuku flailed his arms as Mina laughed.
"Just messing around." She was still grateful, of course. "…Have you been here the whole time?" It dawned on her that he had likely been waiting for her to wake up.
"Um, well, yes." Izuku blushed slightly, knowing that may have seemed a bit excessive. "They said you were okay a while ago, but I just… I wanted to make sure."
"Well that was very sweet of you." Mina couldn't help but smile as the boy's face grew slightly redder at this. "I mean for what it's worth, I'm sorry if I made you worry."
"Of course I was worr-Ahem…" Izuku cut himself off as he started to raise his voice. "Well… I'm the one who should… Who should be apologizing." He looked at the floor as he said this, his face growing a bit sullen.
"Wha? Why?" Mina tilted her head. "I'm the one who went charging in there like a dumbass."
"It wasn't dumb!" Izuku shouted as he looked at her suddenly "It was… Just, well…" He cleared his throat. "Scary to watch you do that." Mina was silent as he paused. "I, um… Recall you saying something similar to me earlier." Looking to the side, he rubbed the back of his head slowly.
"…Yeah, I did."
"It's…" Izuku inhaled. "Ashido, I was… I was terrified. More than I've been in a long time. I-I felt sick to my stomach and well… I just didn't know if you were going to be okay, and that…" Another long pause as he stared at the wall. "…Is that how you felt before? With me and my Quirk?"
Mina took a moment to answer.
"…Kind of, yes. Like, seeing you in that hospital bed after the attack, then finding out you went into that… Deathtrap." She swallowed as she recalled finding out Izuku and a few others had gone after Bakugou. Not even a few hours prior to finding out that news she had seen the boy in two full arm casts and more.
"I see." Izuku sniffled, wiping an eye. "W-Well, I… I'm sorry for putting you through th-that. I never… I never really appreciated how, well, this." He gestured to his right arm. "Made people feel." It was likely others shared Mina's opinion. God, he felt terrible now.
"Well…" Mina sighed. "Your apology does mean a lot, so thank you. And I mean… Sorry for making you go through that too."
"I… I understand."
"Yeah, you do don't you?" She laughed a little, shaking her head. Her face then grew serious as she looked at him. "Can I ask you something kinda personal?" Izuku was reluctant, but eventually nodded. "Whenever you would do, well, anything stupid… You were scared, right? Like, scared of your bones breaking and how bad it would feel, or of failing to beat the bad guy and, well…" She didn't want to finish the sentence, figuring he could piece the rest together. His grave face suggested he did.
"…Of course I was scared. Who wouldn't be?" Mina nodded.
"But you were more scared of letting the villain get away, or someone innocent getting hurt than any of that, right?"
"I… Yes." It was why Izuku was so willing to charge headfirst into extremely dangerous situations again and again and again. The consequences of inaction were far, far scarier than the consequences of getting involved.
"I figured." He was pretty sure he understood why she was asking. "That's sorta what was going through my head at the time too." Yep, knew it. "Like, I didn't even have time to think. My body just…"
"Started moving on it's own?" Izuku finished her sentence for her. She looked at him with mild surprise.
"…Yeah, exactly." After a beat, she smirked. "You sure you don't have like, a mindreading Quirk?"
"Uh, heh… No, nothing like that. Just, you know, know the feeling." Mina nodded sagely.
"Hm… Well honestly, I think I get you a bit better now. At least, why you are so darn reckless all the time." She laughed a bit heartier this time. "Still, wouldn't hurt to just calm down like, a little bit."
Izuku was taken aback. He hadn't expected Mina to so wholly understand what went on in his head during those tense, make-or-break moments. The fact that she had the same thought process (or lack thereof) at the pond that he typically had was equal parts good and bad. Good because it meant she had a fantastic heroic instinct. Bad because, well, like him it meant she would be willing to throw herself into all sorts of problems.
Some basic, primal part of him didn't want that. He wanted Mina to be safe and secure, to not put herself in harm's way. But his rational side knew she, like him, wanted to be a pro. She needed to be willing to put her life on the line like that. Plus, she was a strong girl; she could probably handle herself.
Didn't mean he wouldn't worry though.
"In fact, why don't we both agree to at least try to think a little more before we act sometimes." For the first time, Izuku actually laughed a little.
"Yeah, sounds good."
They stared at one another for a moment.
"…That was really smart, by the way." Izuku spoke first. "Using your Quirk to melt the ice like that. A lot safer than just breaking through."
"You think so?" Mina grinned. "I mean like I said, I wasn't exactly thinking but I just kinda knew what to do."
"Well, still."
Once again, they simply looked at each other without speaking. The shock of the whole situation had finally left Izuku's system, and he was returning to his normal teenage self. Which meant realizing he was standing here alone in a room with this really pretty girl that he had now gained more admiration for than he already had. She had been a true hero today, not just someone learning to become one. She had that same instinct that he did, that undeniable urge to do good.
Mina had a new fondness for him as well, now that she had a better idea of what was going on in his head. She, like much of the class, had always thought highly of his him both as a student and person, but this was different. While she still did think he needed to be less self-destructive (which as of the last month or two seemed to be the case), she at least understood why he acted that way now. Had she been in his position, she likely would have done the same.
Plus, he had seriously waited the whole time for her to wake up just to check on her and apologize for making her worry. He was a total sweetheart.
It took about 20 seconds for them to realize they were still staring.
"…O-Oh!" Thinking how creepy he must have looked, a streak of red crossed Izuku's face as he turned away. Mina's face darkened as well as she giggled to hide her nervousness. "Um, s-sorry, just…"
"Spaced out? Yeah, me too." She paused. "Oh by the way… What happened to my groceries?" It was mostly a joke meant to lighten the mood a bit. Though if they had been saved, that would have been nice.
"What? Oh. OH! S-Sorry, I… I kind of just l-left them there." They weren't exactly a priority, but now Izuku couldn't help but feel bad. "Again, sorry!" He blushed more.
"Dude." Mina laughed. "I was kidding." She shook her head. "Gosh, you get so worked up over little things. You're so cute!
"…" Izuku's entire face suddenly turned deep red as he hid his face.
"What?" Mina was confused by this reaction. What had she said?
…Wait.
Black eyes widened as it hit her.
"Did… Did I say that out loud?" That last sentence was supposed to be in her head. She felt her whole face heat up as she put a hand over her mouth. "Whoops. Well, uh…"
Izuku gulped as Mina went into fit of nervous giggling. He was cute? Where… where had that come from? What was going on?
"Ithinkyou'recutetoo!" He suddenly squeaked out without thinking.
AH!
Why!? Why did he just do that? So she wouldn't be the only one embarrassed?
His heart was pounding as his stomach did somersaults. Mina was a bit less nervous than he was, but still fidgeted. Neither was really sure what to say. How did the conversation get to here all of a sudden?
Fortunately for both of them, the tension was broken by the sound of the door opening.
"Ashido!?" Kirishima cried as he entered the room. Alongside him was almost all of 1A.
"We all came as soon as we could!" Uraraka exclaimed, worry in her face. "Are you… Are you alright?" Other class members echoed her concerns.
Izuku exhaled deeply as he forced himself to calm down. He had sent most of the class texts about Mina's situation a little while ago.
"I'm fine, guys." Mina was more than happy to have that awkward little moment interrupted. Though she was admittedly curious to see where it would have gone…
Ah well. Maybe later.
"What happened?" Kaminari asked. "Midoriya here told us the general stuff, but like…"
Mina gestured for everyone to gather around. Looks like it was story time.
Izuku turned the page of his textbook, mumbling the words to himself as he read. He was sitting at his desk in his room, finishing up the last of his homework for the weekend.
It had been a week since the incident at the park. Things had gone back to normal pretty quickly; Mina had to stay the night at the hospital but was back in school the next day. Her little stunt was the talk of the class for a day or two, but things quickly settled back into routine.
One thing that had changed was that Izuku had started hanging out with her a lot more. They'd sat together at lunch every day this week, as opposed to once or twice to sit with mutual friends. They also had started walking to and from classes together a lot more. If they weren't friends before, they certainly were now.
That awkward conversation in the hospital never came up again, though it definitely lingered in the back of their heads. Izuku chalked it up to them just both being emotional after everything they had talked about prior. He tried not to think about it much, lest he start to get other ideas about what it meant.
In addition to spending more time with the Mina, the freckled boy had taken the time to apologize to his friends and family about his prior actions. As it turned out, they pretty much all felt the same way Mina had. Not that Izuku was surprised. He promised them all what he and Mina more or less promised each other: He would try, at least, to act with a little less rashness. To think just a little bit before rushing in to dangerous situations.
As he sat there reading, the young hero heard a knock at his door. Getting up, he checked the peephole to see who was there. Smiling, he opened the door.
"Hi, Ashido." Mina stood before him, dressed in the same set of winter clothes she was wearing last Sunday. "Uh, what's up?"
"Hey Midori. You busy right now?"
"Well, I got a little homework left but otherwise no. Why? Were you going grocery shopping again?" Mina shook her head.
"Nah, not this time. Just going into town to have some fun. Hit up the mall, see a movie, maybe grab some dinner… You want to join me?"
"O-Oh, um… Okay, yeah." That did sound fun. "Who else is going?"
Mina raised eyebrow. Was he serious?
"Uh, nobody." Based on how they'd been acting toward each other all week she figured he wouldn't be this oblivious.
"Nobody? Is everyone busy?" Izuku found it hard to believe that would be the case two weeks in a row.
Black and gold eyes stared blankly at him.
"…Dude, I'm asking you out."
"Oh, I-WAIT, WHAT!?" Izuku leapt back as he screamed, face on fire as he flailed his arms. Mina snorted out a laugh.
She'd thought about the flustered boy quite a bit this week. And while she wasn't exactly certain of her feelings for him yet, she figured a date would be a good way to figure them out.
"So, you still want to-
"YES!" Izuku squawked before covering his mouth. "Um… Y-Yes." Was this really happening? He honestly didn't know if he even liked Mina that way. Sure she was pretty, sure he wanted to spend more and more time with her, sure he thought about her nonstop this week…
…Oh.
"Well bundle up, it's another cold one," Mina suggested.
A few minutes later and the pair was heading out the door. Izuku tensed up as he felt Mina's gloved hand grab his as they walked. He didn't protest, however.
Looking at each other, they both smiled with enough warmness to melt the snow around them. Neither of them knew for sure where this was going to lead. For all they knew, this could be a total disaster.
But in both their heads, it was better to take that risk then to do nothing.