Awkward Energy - MinaDeku

Screw It

Mina never really gave too much thought to the prospect of romance. Sure, someone her age thought about it a bit, but her situation was a bit different, wasn't it? Being a student at Yuuei, Mina's efforts had been on trying to get good grades - Honestly, she was trying her absolute hardest! - And not getting killed by Villains. It was a full time commitment to any student who got into the academy, even those who weren't bombarded with attacks from Villains every other few weeks. Training and learning how to better control her Quirk, to expand her abilities and better herself - that was the true essence of what Mina tried to do, even if it never looked that way.

In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, when she finally heard about Izuku's run in with the Hero Killer, it made her stop, step back, and re-evaluate some things. Izuku was a friend, and a close one at that. At least, that's how Mina felt. Fundamentally, they were both rather different people, him being reserved and prone to stuttering and awkward hesitation, traits that led to him being rather reclusive and shy, whereas Mina was the exact opposite, being hyperactive and sociable with basically everyone. Her boundless energy contradicted alone contradicted Izuku's personality. And yet, they had gotten along so swimmingly over the past week and a bit. They'd gone from basically being strangers Izuku willing to confide in her about the things that caused his lack of confidence. He was willing to trust her with his secrets, even if they were just secrets because he was too embarrassed to admit them to his classmates.

It was stupid, Mina thought, that despite only knowing him for so short a length of time, the prospect of her maybe... Just maybe caring for Izuku a bit more than just as a close friend seemed totally inane. More than that, just incomprehensible. Almost wrong. They didn't know each other all that well at all. And yet... It wasn't entirely an unwelcome idea either. Mina wanted to know him more, but didn't want to seem pushy all the time, so she allowed him some space wherever it was required. But through text messages, face to face interacts, and watching him suddenly outperform himself once again, it became hard... So unbelievably hard to deny this sense of fondness she was nurturing for her freckled classmate.

Could it have been because she didn't want to lose her friend after making a new one so soon? That she didn't want to entertain the prospect of only now just getting to understand Izuku, and establish the friendship so recently kindled suddenly being torn away by the hands of someone like the Hero Killer, or were these the hidden feelings that she didn't know she had? Of course she hadn't wanted him to get killed in the USJ, even then managing to impress her, but that was back when they hadn't even spoken a word to on another. She would have gotten over it fairly quickly, if not left a bit shaken by his demise. Now she didn't want to even confront a possibility like that.

Only adding to her confusion was the reaction her body had whenever she contemplated this. Never before had her heart suddenly gone aflutter whenever she thought about an individual. Band members, celebrities, her favourite Heroes, of course she'd thought about those kinds of people, everyone did, but they never made her feel this warm inside. Hearing his voice after learning about the Hero Killer, seeing him when they returned... All of it added up to feelings Mina never knew she had, and never had experienced before in her life... But she couldn't deny, she liked them, and that Izuku was attached to those feelings, that he was probably the one responsible for them directly. Whenever he was around, she felt more jumpy than usual, which in itself spoke volumes as to the effect he had on her, and whenever he was hurt or in danger, she wanted to do anything to help him, no matter the danger to herself. She trusted him unconditionally, willing to risk her life if it was in his hands. And just being around him, thinking about him, made her heart beat that bit faster and made her giddy.

Could it be... Was... Was it possible that Midori Izuku was her first crush? The idea made her blush. Hard. Her pink cheeks turned a shade of lilac, standing against the normal pigments of her unusual skin colour when she thought about this. The mere fact that she didn't dislike the idea in the slightest only seemed to confirm it.