A/N: Wow. Okay, I don't really know what to say. There's just so much to unpack here. First off, thank you. Thank you all for your support and your reviews and your favorites and follows—I wouldn't be quite as motivated as I an today if it weren't for those. It's really sad to say that this is the end of the line. This won't be my last MHA fanfiction, though! I plan to write another one, albeit a much shorter one, soon! More about that in the A/N after this chapter.
This is my first real completion of a novel. After this and another short little fanfic, I am planning to maybe branch out into my own original work, although I am not sure yet. I have a couple ideas floating around in my head. But if it weren't for this fanfiction and your guys' support, I probably wouldn't be able to even say that, so really just thank you.
As for this last chapter, it's really its own short little story in and of itself. It's around 7,000 words and is pretty much purely fluff. I'm actually really happy with the way it turned out.
So really, just thank you all. I wouldn't be where I am today without you. As always, any final comments and reviews would of course be appreciated. I read every one. I hope you are all staying safe during the coronavirus pandemic!
- o - o - o - o -
Mina awoke cold. Despite the sound of the heater crackling quietly on the opposite side of the room, she was still cold, and it was then that she realized she only had the shivers over something psychological. She had a feeling she knew why, like she always did, as this was nothing new to her. It only took one look over her shoulder at the other side of the bed to confirm it.
Yup. Izuku was gone.
And on Valentine's Day, no less.
It wasn't like she could be surprised. This happened often. Hero work and all, being called in in the early hours of the morning before the moon could even fall curtain on Musutafu was a common occurrence.
And he was the Number One Hero. It happened a lot for her, but even more so for him. She only ranked in the top 20.
But still, that didn't stop her from being blue.
He had left her naked there, freezing under the covers, nothing but a brief goodbye note and a bouquet of flourishing flowers, lotuses and lilacs and a bundle of other beautiful blossoms thrown into the mix, to keep her company. It was sweet, she would admit, but depressing nonetheless.
She hated having sex with him the night before and waking up with him gone.
Tired and groggy, she sat up, read the note. Today was one of those days where work would be cut short, as she had already been told so antecedently by her agency. They delivered news in no time.
She read it over a few times until it finally processed in her mind, and it may have been short, but it was tantalizingly tender.
Mina,
I'm so sorry about the early leave. I got called into work before sunrise. I'll let you know how it goes. Or, better yet, you can just watch on TV. But I'm betting you'll be at work.
Last night was great. I guess it was my early Valentine's Day gift. Today, if I get back on time, let's go out. Let's go out on a date, like old times. And if I can't, we can just cuddle up and have a movie night. At least let me make this night special.
I love you, Mina, more than words can describe.
Stay safe out there!
Izuku.
She swooned. Still, after all this time, he had this idiotic effect on her. It'd been almost eight years. Eight years since they'd started dating. They'd recently turned 24.
So, and once again she had to wonder, where was the proposal?
She'd been waiting for so long. Sometimes she wondered if maybe he'd fallen out of love with her, as they weren't young, dumb kids anymore, and they weren't right smack dab in the middle of a premature puppy love. Had time taken its toll?
No, she thought. Izuku knew when to be honest about his feelings. If he truly felt that way, he would've broken up with her a long time ago.
Or at least she hoped.
She grunted, sighed, rested her head in her hand on her pillow. Her alarm clock rang, but she put it on silent. She needed to get ready. She had work soon.
But, her brain barbaric, running around in circles endlessly over and over again with the exact same thoughts, she had trouble dragging herself out of bed.
Somehow, after all this time, Mina had managed spectacularly not to fall out of love with him. In her mind, at least, it meant he was the one, the one she wanted to marry. Although, she already knew that, and she had since long ago.
She likely had her Hero work to thank. Not seeing each other so often meant they didn't have time to get sick of each other, bicker, and in turn, break up. She could also partially thank her, and his, undying love.
Besides, they only had sex two nights a week. At most. Half the time their sleep schedules were all wack, and they'd go to bed and wake up at completely different times. Last night was an anomaly, an outlier, something she'd never forget.
Could tonight be the same?
She couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, tonight would be the night he proposed.
And if he didn't, it was presumably her call to take matters into her own hands.
It wasn't traditional for the girl to be the one to propose, but, honestly, who really cared about tradition, anyway? As long as she got to marry him.
She decided, as she rolled out of bed and changed out of her pajamas into some more decent clothes, that she would phone Jirou about it, maybe get some new insight.
Mina was in the midst of brushing her teeth when she rang her up. A gruff voice came in from the other end, one still strained by sleep. "Hello?"
"Oh, Kyouka. I'm so sorry to be calling you at"—she checked the time—"7:30 in the morning, but I really need some advice!"
"Go for it. You know I've always got your back."
Despite it being years, Jirou and her had managed to stay in touch. And not only was it Jirou, but all of the rest of the girls in Class 3-A as well. It was usually conventional for most to meet their closest friends in college, but since they didn't have that, they met them in high school.
So, how was Jirou doing after all these years? Mina was able to answer that question, as they'd managed to stay so tightly knit, and it was something similar to a simple "alright." Kaminari and her had been dating for the last little while, as things didn't exactly work out at U.A., and it wasn't until much longer later, after they'd grown up and matured, that they truly found each other and fell in love.
As they say—right person, wrong time. Without any indication of doubt, Mina was proud to say that in her case she could easily alter her wording around a bit to fit her own fantastical reality—right person, right time. Things weren't perfect, as nothing ever would be, but, despite the rocky road they'd ridden, they certainly were good enough.
"Mina, you gonna tell me, or…"
"O-Oh!" she said. "Yeah. Sorry. You know me, always getting lost in my thoughts." She took a pause, huffed, held her hesitation in her hand and then squeezed it tight until it burst and disappeared into thin air. Finally, this being on her mind for months now, she started rambling. "It's just— Izuku. He hasn't really… asked me to marry him yet. And, like, we're 24, Kyouka! I know that's early for most people, but we've been together for eight years! We've talked about it before, and I'm sure he wants to, but when? I can't just keep sitting around forever! Like, does he not love me?"
"Mina. Tonight's Valentine's Day. Just… Before you get upset, give him that, okay? He loves you, girl. You don't need me to tell you that. He loves you to pieces. You two haven't lasted this long for no reason. Hell, I'd bet money on it that he's already asked your parents for your hand in marriage."
"He better have. My dad would go crazy if he didn't."
Besides, Izuku was a respectable guy. Almost too respectable, always apologizing and going above and beyond about his manners, even profusely so, a bit over the top. And now Mina was thinking about it, him sitting down with her mother and father and asking so politely and sweetly and so very Izuku-like for permission to propose. And even after all these years, it still got her heart racing.
"Yeah," she smiled. Her eyes glistened beautifully bright yellow in the sunlit window. "I guess I'll just… give him tonight. And if he doesn't do it then, we'll sit down and have a talk."
"Oh, thank God, Mina. You're finally thinking rationally. I mean, look at Bakugou and Kirishima. And Denki and I, for God's sake! None of us have proposed yet. Speaking of, how are those two doing? Bakugou and Kirishima, I mean."
Mina ran a hand through her hair, the length just a little bit longer than it was back at U.A. Kirishima was doing well. He'd risen to fame, a few slots away from the top five, and there wasn't any individual who didn't know the name the Unbreakable Hero Red Riot. Now, Bakugou had even gone beyond that. He sat at two, dead set on Izuku's tail. Todoroki and him had gone back and forth between the spot for years.
As for Kirishima and Bakugou, they were still ever so happily in love. They owned their own apartment, as did Izuku and Mina, and Bakugou's anger had toned down a bit since his earlier days. He even had a somewhat peaceful relationship with Izuku. Well, as peaceful as things could get while fighting over the Number One spot.
"Good," she said. "Great, actually. Eijirou's just as feisty as usual, and Bakugou's just as belligerent."
"Great! Well, Denki and I are doing well, aren't we, Denki?"
Kaminari's voice came in through the background, now much louder than Jirou's. "Yup! Long time no see, Ashido!"
"Hey, Kaminari. That Class 3-A reunion can't come any faster, huh?"
"Yup."
His voice fizzled out as a cutesy kind of quarrel erupted between the two. Jirou's voice was once again more prominent. "Alright, so, anyway, now that Dunce Face is out of the picture—"
"Hey! I heard that!"
Mina could just imagine Jirou rolling her eyes. "The girls of Class 3-A really need to hang out sometime soon. We should text in the groupchat."
Mina and her worked out a plan for that until eventually they had it all set.
"Okay! Done!" Mina shouted, and all of a sudden she was in a much better mood, lively and energetic and bubbly, almost barbarically so. She was probably getting her hopes up too high, but she had a good feeling about tonight.
"Hey, Mina? I wish you the best of luck on your date."
"Thanks, Kyouka. You too. Talk to you later."
"Yup. Talk to you later." She laughed. "And probably see you soon."
Jirou hung up the phone. Mina threw herself back on Izuku's side of the bed and suffocated her head in his pillow, hugging it so hard the feathers fell out. Suffice to say she was swooning, and she felt like a lovesick little girl again. Although, to be perfectly honest, she would be willing to admit that she didn't particularly mind.
- o - o - o -
Mina got off work at 2:00 p.m.
Today was one of those days, those incredibly quiet days when a majority of the Villains she fought were really only minor. Most of them were heartbroken and lonely. It was really quite sad.
Except, who in their right mind took out their forlorn feelings on a bunch of innocent townspeople? Her ideologies did a full 360.
Nevertheless, she, her mind still running rampant over the perceived personalities of the Villains she'd put behind bars, grabbed a bag of chips, the TV remote, and hunkered down on the couch. She turned on the TV.
Ah, yes. Until Izuku got home, today would be a docile day.
Except, immediately, as soon as the static turned to pixels turned to pictures, there he was, smiling sportively under the eyes of news reporters on her television screen. "Save the world with a smile," he'd said. His catchphrase.
Or, maybe more like All Might's. To laud the legacy of the Symbol of Peace.
He went off into battle.
Her heart hammered wildly in and out of her chest.
This always got her nervous. It was a given from the get-go, the moment they decided to become Heroes, that in the duty of saving people they would see their loved ones get hurt. They would see them wounded, scared, helpless, lying lifelessly on the ground, potentially even reaching their demise. She had seen that scene plenty of times.
She held her breath.
Luckily, the fight ended with the Villain incarcerated with ease. With the help of Kirishima and a slightly extra airheaded Uraraka, the criminal was quickly deemed unconscious and taken into the hands of the police. She sighed.
Speaking of Uraraka, Mina hadn't really talked to her in a while. Well, if a few days counted as a while—they were best friends, after all, so talking every day was completely conventional. Not seeing her for so long left her at least a little bit lonely.
Uraraka was doing well. She'd had a few boyfriends over the years, but currently she was single, and more than happy to be, to be honest. Boys had never really suited her style.
Uraraka would always cheer her on when Mina merely mentioned the possibility of getting married. It was sweet of her. She still had that same bubbly, go-get-'em personality she'd had back at U.A., and was still considered an airhead. It was honestly kind of cute.
That was enough of her old friends. She needed to get back to the TV to make sure Izuku was okay.
Luckily, he gave the reporters a sincere, sweet smile, saving the city of Musutafu all the while, and through the television screen his face felt strangely familiar, almost like he was smiling at her.
She knew he wasn't, but she couldn't help but swoon. He seemed so sweet when working yet so sexy at the same time.
She looked down at her phone, buzzing and beeping at an incoming message. Izuku had texted her, letting her know he would get off of work early today. She began getting herself ready.
- o - o - o -
Izuku was in the middle of watching his most recent Villain capture be turned over to the hands of the police when, from his back pocket, his phone rang.
He pulled it out, replicas of All Might's two tufts of hair and wings on the sides of his costume getting caught on the cloth of his clothes. Yeah, that never changed. Izuku was still a fanboy at heart.
It was his agency. Although for the most part he was on his own and worked primarily independently, he still got most of his calls from them for the specifics of what to look for, what Villains he'd be fighting, and where he'd find them.
"Deku," a deep male voice started. To any other it'd seem intimidating, but to Izuku it was anything but. "You're done for the day."
This was Fujiwara, one of Izuku's allies. He was a partner in crime, in a way, just without the fighting. "Already?" Izuku shrieked. "But it's only 6:00 p.m."
"I know," Fujiwara continued, his voice getting gruffer. "But there are plenty of Heroes who have decided to take the night shift, and, with today being Valentine's Day, there are of course not many Villains around. If we need you again, we'll call you. Besides, I know in regards to Pinky you have big plans for tonight."
Izuku blushed. He took a second, and then said, "I— Yes. Thank you, Fujiwara."
"Anytime. It's a man's duty to help another guy out."
Izuku laughed. "Yup."
And with that, Fujiwara ended the call.
Izuku took a deep breath in. Then, letting that same little lasting breath out, he ran full speed back to his agency. He changed into regular civilian clothes, and knowing that today, of all days, he most definitely could not get caught, he covered himself up with a tall top hat and a pair of somber sunglasses.
There. Now, hopefully, no adoring fans would get in his way. He headed back home.
Before Izuku opened his door, he tucked a small, velvet, elegant-looking black box he was planning on saving for later deep inside his back pocket. Hopefully she wouldn't notice.
She had his arms around him as soon as he walked in the doorway.
"Oh, you're safe!" she squealed. "I was so worried about you!"
He hugged her back. "Of course I'm safe."
She spun him around and around and around until she got sick of spinning, dizzy and weak in the knees. "I know," she said, looking down. "I just get worried, with you being the Number One Hero and all. It's a new title for you."
"Almost a year in the making." Overenthusiastically, he threw his hands in the air, smiled, that super signature sprightly look in his eyes, and winked down at her. Then, all of a sudden he got serious. "Mina… I worry about you too, you know. It's dangerous out there."
Her face flushed. After lifting her chin a little (okay, a lot), she was able to bury her head into the crook of his shoulder. He'd gotten taller since U.A., no longer 5'7" but now nearly 5'11." She still stood a measly 5'3."
"With all these Villains, it can be." She pulled away. "But we're safe now. And it's Valentine's Day." She winked. "And you promised me a date."
But, no matter how much Mina denied it, he was right. Hero life was unpredictable, treacherous, oftentimes the exact definition of dangerous. Their lives were on the line twenty-four seven.
And with Izuku's One For All, a majority of the past successors died young.
No. Mina shook her head. Don't think that way. Izuku could be an exception. And oftentimes, for those one-of-a-kind, top-of-the-line Heroes, early meant only a few years, a few years off from when they would've originally died, so she should've held her head up higher.
Yeah, Mina! That's the spirit! Save him from whatever troubles come his way!
Besides, over the course of the past few years, he had spent a considerable amount of time mastering the six inherited Quirks that came along with this borrowed power and diligently training his body to accommodate them. He was even specially selected by All Might, the former Number One Hero himself. Many of the other past successors didn't get that God-given grace and were, by default, not ready to take on the Quirk.
"Musutafu?" he asked.
She let her mind down slowly. She needed to get her head on straight. "Musutafu it is."
That would be a throwback—a sentimental reminder of their first date.
Izuku excused himself to go get changed—really get changed this time, not into civilian clothes but more fashionable ones, going especially out of his way to make sure he didn't look like too much of a big deal. He didn't want her getting any ideas.
With that said, suit slacks and sleek jacket in hand, he went for the sharp, sophisticated look of a done-down street-style savant. As Mina had told him, it weirdly worked well with him, something she'd have liked to see from him more often.
He showered and threw on his clothes and looked himself over in the mirror, grabbing his gift bag off of the counter and nervously taking a breath. Out of his work-pants pocket came the box and into his suit slacks it went.
It wasn't until he walked out of the room that he really got a good look at his girlfriend. Her outfit was cute, casual, as even though it was Valentine's Day, they didn't feel the need to go out of their way to get dressed up, as even though they loved each other, this was their eighth year together. They still felt the need to look good, but never anymore did they willingly go above and beyond. That didn't mean that in this attire he didn't find her beautiful. In fact, he found her fabulous. No flashy high heels or prim and proper dresses were necessary.
But, still, she wore that hair pin.
That pin—the one that had held her hair up on the night of the dance, the one he remembered so clearly, angelicas and bits of silver and gold scattered scarcely throughout. She wore it all the time now. It was beat-up and battered, but her favorite.
Tonight was the optimal time to use it.
Although he'd keep that quiet.
They held hands as they headed hastily out of the apartment complex. To the public, the loving relationship between Pinky and Deku was no secret, but, as they weren't in Hero costumes, luckily it was, in a way, illegal for fans to approach them. The most they could do was ask for an autograph.
This was mostly for privacy reasons. Heroes had lives too, you know.
"What're you feeling tonight, Izu? Dinner date? Movies? I'd be totally down to get drunk if we didn't have work in the morning."
Izuku began muttering to himself. In truth, he'd already laid out a plan. He knew exactly how he wanted this night to go, and not once would he allow himself to fuck any of it up. "We start with a fancy dinner, and then hit the boulevard, and then mini-golf, and then the park, and then the boats, and then… that..."
"Izuku, you're mumbling again."
He sat up prickly stiff, her voice sending shivers down his spine. "O-Oh! Sorry about that, Mina! I was just thinking, y'know, maybe we ought to head out to dinner."
She pumped up her fists. Despite being taller and buffer and even more beautiful than he was way back when he was young, he was still like he was back then, still that same old stuttering kid. Besides being Japan's (and not only Japan's, but also in some instances the world's) Number One Hero, not much had changed. "Sure thing! And what's this about boats?"
He scratched his cheek. "N-Nothing in particular, really. I'll show you later."
Suspiciously, she tilted her head to the side. He was seemingly more jumpy than usual tonight, and she had to wonder why. "Mhm, whatever you say. It sounds to me like you're taking me on one of those extra special dates today."
"Well, I mean, it is Valentine's Day."
She latched onto his hand. "Yup!"
"And"—he held his hand to his heart—"because of all this Hero work, I haven't really gotten to see you lately..."
She stared up at him, his nervousness nothing to hide. Her lips turned down slightly before turning back up. "Then let's just let tonight make up for that!"
She was really just a ball of positivity, a bundle of joy. An optimist at its finest—and once again he knew why it was he was so in love with this girl. As she stood there, smiling, eyes bright and brave and bubbly and anything but bleak, he could see it on her face—It'll all be alright, she silently said. Together, we'll make it through. We'll support each other and lift each other up and give each other the chance to live our best lives. I can easily prove it to you, Izuku!
Little did she know, he needed no proof.
"Okay," he said. He'd surrendered. She was just too hard to handle, too hard to resist.
They decided on a quick-and-easy-Google-search-certified restaurant right up the street. It'd been a while since they'd had authentic Japanese food.
After dinner and a delicious dessert, their waitress, seemingly overjoyed to be serving the two of them, walked willfully over to their table and handed them the bill. She swooned. "You know, now that my work's over, would it really be rude to ask you for an autograph?"
Izuku stuttered, waving his hands. "O-Oh, no, of course not! From Pinky or me?"
She pulled out her notebook. "Would both be okay?"
"Of course!" Mina said, and she signed first. Quickly following suit was Izuku.
They gave her a generous tip that night.
Besides, she seemed like such a sweet, young lady, college-aged, and the two of them could sympathize with that. She also had magnificent manners.
Mina, prepared to leave the restaurant, packed her purse and stood up, completely taken aback by Izuku's hesitancy and holding onto her wrist.
"I-Izu—"
He stumbled back. "Sorry. I was just thinking… Maybe I should give you my gift now?"
Her heart hammered wildly in and out of her chest. She'd told herself over and over not to get her hopes up, that there was an existentially, earth-shatteringly slim chance that tonight would be the night, but she still found herself sweating bullets and, as she sat back down, squirming in her seat.
He handed her his gift bag. It was small, but cute, decorated with pink confetti streamers spilling out over the sides. She nearly tore it apart.
"W-Woah, Mina, slow down," he said. They were drawing too much attention. "You're missing the best part."
Besides, wasn't the wait the best? Why rush? Why not let the excitement build a bit?
But, of course, Mina had never had that mindset. She never would. Continued digging led her to an astounding, and, as she wouldn't have liked to admit, a bit disappointing discovery.
"It's… Polaroids? And a new wallet? And— Woah! You packed this chock-full of Pocky!"
Mina had always had a special place in her heart and on the tip of her tongue for the sweet, strawberry-flavored snacks. Those and candy hearts.
Sadly, there was no little black box, no ring at the bottom of the bag, no matter how much she ripped up the wrapping. Nothing.
She slapped her cheeks. She shouldn't have been thinking that way! The chances were slim, anyway, and she should've been more appreciative! Besides, these Polaroids were cute.
She had remembered a few of his friends taking them on their nights out at the bar or little get-togethers and gatherings and mini high school reunions. He'd likely been compiling them since then.
One was of her totally catching him off guard, leaning up for a quick kiss on the cheek, dressed up nicely with bottles of beer behind them as the other former members of Class 3-A photobombed their shot by giving them bold and brash bunny ears. That must've been a year ago now. What a throwback.
The next was a Polaroid picture, a selfie slightly blurry, he distinctly remembered Mina snapping in the spur of the moment on one of their dates one day, his hair disheveled and self sweaty as she held his hand running on the roller rink. A few months ago they'd decided to go roller skating, and Mina really wanted one of those aesthetic kinds of photos, as she called it, the chaotic ones that created the most beautiful and sentimental memories. Izuku didn't question it.
She took it, and before she even had the chance to look at it and regret giving it to him, she'd already handed it off to him.
She was honestly expecting him to keep it for himself, but she guessed she liked it more this way. She had an affinity for on-the-spot photos like this.
Well, this was what she'd gotten out of it. They looked more like knuckleheaded nobodies than fiercely famous Pro Heroes. She was honestly a little embarrassed.
Oh well. She'd hang it up at home on an empty clothespin on their... hideously decorated bedroom wall anyway. Half of it was his, Hero posters scattered scarcely throughout, while the other half was hers, more popular-media kinds of stuff like vintage fairy lights and retro indie disks hanging around the room to give it a "vibe." They didn't work together too well, and mixed to create an... intriguing palette of colors, to say the least.
The other Polaroid picture, she decided, the one of her kissing him on the cheek, she would slip sparingly into her phone case. She cherished Izuku so much that she wanted to have him with her everywhere she went.
The last was taken of the two of them after a troublesome talk show on TV. Off set, they stood in the snow in their Hero costumes after some of the city's most famous talk show hosts had interviewed them asking interpersonal questions about their relationship. Neither were crazy about the attention, and were only told to indulge in more publicity by their respective Hero agencies, and gave bland and ambiguous answers.
He had draped his coat over her, just as he had done at that dance. It'd been years since then, but she still remembered it as if it were yesterday. She remembered almost all of their milestones, from their first date to their first kiss to their very first time. That last one was a wild ride, mainly because they were only a few months into their relationship when it happened.
"Izuku, I didn't know you were saving these for me." She smiled, swooned. "These are so sweet."
"Well, I wanted to give you something more special than just a box of chocolates."
She pouted. "And to think you would've done that to me a few years back because you"—she accented a few subtle air quotes—"'didn't have the time.' 21-year-old you was really immature."
"Maybe just a bit," he admitted. He still sometimes told her he was sorry for that, even nowadays. "I promise I still loved you back then, too."
She held his hand on top of the table, fiddled around with his fingers. "I know." Oh, how she dreamed of wearing a wedding ring. "Although, I have to admit, that might not be your finest moment in our relationship thus far."
Her sarcasm was like a brisk blow to the chest. "Oh, don't bring the memories back!"
She laughed, shook her head. Part of her felt guilty but good seeing him embarrassed. She pulled out the Pocky and then the brand new wallet. It was a purple, more of a mauve, that so perfectly matched her Hero costume, and would've gone well with all of the black she had in her closet. Izuku Midoriya really knew how to pick a good fit.
Well, that had certainly changed from when he was younger.
Upon opening it up, there was copious amounts of space for her to fit her credit cards and money and personal belongings into particular pouches, much more so than the last wallet she'd owned. That old one had wear and tear and was getting all scuffed up anyway.
"Aw, Izuku, how'd you know?"
"You've been complaining about your old one for a while."
She winked. "You might know me better than I know myself."
He gave her no response, and then, all of a sudden, as she looked down at the accidental array of puffy pink confetti strayed out on the table in front of her, she laughed, and laughed and laughed and laughed until even Izuku couldn't wrap his mind around her peculiar behavior and she supposedly got her head back on straight. "Sorry," she said. "I guess I'm just happy." And a little mad at herself for thinking he'd possibly propose to her, but that was beside the point.
"Over my gift?"
"Yup."
"What? Why?"
"Earlier I was getting way in over my head, but now that I look at this more clearly I really appreciate it."
He wasn't sure if he even wanted to ask her what she meant.
"Oh, don't mind me." She'd noticed bewilderment etched into his emerald eyes. "I'll tell you later, maybe."
He tilted his head to the side at that, but decided once again to not even bother to ask. Over the years, he'd learned that was typically the most suitable course of action with Mina. Besides, she probably had a reason for keeping it quiet.
She pulled out her purse and dug through it a little and handed him a glacial green gift bag. She'd hidden it much better than he had. He was taken completely by surprise.
"This… Mina, this is huge! Thanks! But how'd you even fit it into that purse?"
She smirked, rolled her eyes, gave him a telling look. "I have my ways."
Instead of ripping up the wrapping paper like mischievous Mina did, he opened her gift more carefully, double-checking each last layer to make sure he didn't miss anything meaningful. The last thing he wanted to do was miss out on a note or some sum of money or something super special. It would totally ruin his night.
He pulled out posters. Hero posters, to be exact, more to add to his room. A little love letter was left inside, faintly falling out as he unraveled the paper and plastic, and much to his amusement he read it. He read it whilst squeezing Mina's hand, letting her know all the while that he loved her. He needed no love letter to tell him that.
But it was sweet, seeing her run right over all the highs and lows of their relationship. She wrote with such passion, fire in her heart, like a moth drawn to a flame. As soon as the lightbulb went off, she was writing and writing and writing until her hands hurt.
He leaned over the table and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. If they weren't Pro Heroes feasting at a fancy restaurant, he'd probably do much more.
At the bottom of the bag was a chain. A golden one, a new one to replace the old one that'd fallen into the river not too long ago and rusted. He'd had an unhealthy obsession with them lately. She felt bad feeding into it, but what was the worst that could happen? He clogged up their closet with them? He was more likely to do so with Hero posters.
He threw it on right there in the middle of the restaurant. Even in such an unfitting outfit, it looked good on him. She gave him a thumbs-up.
And then, finally, they headed out.
Izuku needed a break from that place. It was starting to get stuffy. It was refreshing to be outside.
He decided he probably wanted to stay outdoors for the rest of the night. If it didn't get too cold, that was. It was a strangely warm winter this year, especially for the middle of February. But besides the boulevard, he needed some fresh air.
They hit up mini-golf first. Then, they carried on back to the boulevard. By now it was 9:00 p.m. They shopped for half an hour or so before taking a walk in the park.
"This brings back memories, huh?" Mina mumbled. She was too busy taking in the scenery.
"Y-Yup. Reminds me of our first year." He held her hand tighter, a dash of doubt discriminately detectable in his voice. He seemed scared. Of what—she didn't discern.
She looked at him with equivocal eyes before returning her gaze to the sidewalk cement. Whenever she wondered and wandered, she preoccupied herself by studying those lines, all while thinking of Izuku. What was he pondering now?
She decided it'd be best not to ask.
His hands grew evidently more sweaty as they walked. She wondered why. Eventually, their legs lagging behind after an incredibly eventful day, they took a break, sat down on a nearby bench.
They took a look up at the moon and stars.
"Imagine the universe being finite."
She glimpsed over at him and realized he was being sarcastic, poking fun at those who believed such a thing. Besides, she had changed his thinking a long time ago. "Yup. No, I don't think so."
And suddenly she was so sad.
So there really was no proposal.
And yet again, there goes another year.
Not at the boulevard, not at mini-golf, not even at the park. The time was tilting toward ten. They'd be going home soon.
"Mina."
"Hm?" she asked.
"There's one more place I wanna take you."
Her eyes widened, black sclera becoming bigger and brighter than his.
"Well, you see," he said, scratching the nape of his neck, "there's these boats. And they just opened, and I thought it'd be fun if we rode one, y'know?"
"Oh, um, okay. Where?"
He pointed back beyond some trees and into the bleak black abyss. "From what I read"—he whipped out his phone—"they're right here in this park." He lit up like a lightbulb. "Yup. And they close soon, so we'd better hurry."
She stood upright and bolted.
She felt ridiculous for getting her hopes up, but she felt good all of a sudden, like maybe she had a chance. If it didn't happen tonight they'd probably break out into a fight about it soon, since marriage wasn't something minor.
"M-Mina!" He ran to catch up, grabbed hold of her hand. He wrapped his right arm around her neck—scarred, bruised, and blemished—burying her head into his shoulder, and the two of them had a good laugh at that, bubbling over with glee. All of a sudden he wasn't so on edge, his nerves tingling with not nauseousness but a new sensation: serenity.
He released her, and the two of them held hands normally. Had they mentioned they weren't into PDA?
But he still smiled all along the way.
He felt up his back pocket, just to make sure. He sighed to himself upon realizing he was all set.
The line was long. Even minutes before the company was about to close down for the day, people still gathered, conglomerating the little remaining space left behind them. Izuku eagerly held her hand to counter his clouding claustrophobia.
He was scared, that with the little time they had left, they wouldn't make it.
He held his breath.
And all of a sudden they were at the front of the line.
He began beaming.
Although potentially prematurely, as immediately after he did so, the receptionist running the ride sounded her speaker and said something rather surly he most definitely did not want to hear.
"I am sorry to inform you all, ride-goers, that the time is now 10:00 p.m., and, along with this park, we will be shutting down." She let the two in front of them go and informed them that they were the last ride.
Mina groaned.
Izuku stared at her wide-eyed. "Well, so much for that."
"Yup."
And so much for that other thing he was planning, too.
Oh well. He guessed he'd just have to improvise. It wouldn't turn out so bad, would it?
It wouldn't be romantic, nor would it be remarkable like those scenes straight out of the movies, but it would be done purely out of love.
And so, as soon as for even a second she looked away, he got down on one knee.
There were shocked shrieks coming from the confounded crowd. If that didn't get Mina's attention, he didn't know what would.
She turned. And then she brought her hands from her hips to her lips. She was still trying to process it. As soon as he pulled out that little black box from his back pocket she silently started to cry.
Eight years. Eight years she had been waiting for this moment.
Tonight she had gotten her hopes so high she was practically preparing herself for a heart attack in cold blood!
And now all of a sudden he was down on one knee?
It didn't feel real.
She pinched the skin on the back of her elbow, and then on the front of her forearm. Yup. This was real, alright. She was awake, and totally freaking out.
"Mina…" he began. The people behind them were still, stunned, shocked, gossiping on the grounds that the Number One Hero, Izuku—"Deku"—Midoriya, was proposing to the love of his life right in front of their eyes. For the rest of their days they'd be able to say that they were the ones to bear witness to this. "I met you at U.A., when we were both young and dumb, and I must have been kidding myself to have not fallen in love with you sooner." He looked down at the ground, face flushed, cheeks tinted with a tinge of riled-up red.
He continued on, stuttering slightly, as if he had completely lost his composure and with a quick flip of the switch had totally turned it back on again. "It was really all thanks to that dance. And then, after sorting some things out, we started dating, and ever since then I haven't been able to take my eyes off you. Ashido Mina, I love you from the bottom of my heart. I loved you when we had our first date, our first kiss, when we graduated and moved out and into our first apartment. I couldn't imagine my life without you, and for the longest time now, I've known that you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my days with. So, with that being said, Ashido Mina"—he trailed off a bit and fizzled out of his confession before coming back into it full force—"will you marry me?"
She stood there, stunned, unwittingly wiping away the tears, but it was no use, as they just kept on rolling, sliding softly down her cheeks, piling up on her clothes and forming a puddle on the ground beneath her. She wanted to say so much but so little at the same time, and in the heat of the moment, all she could manage to get out was a meek and meager "Yes."
He stood up, tears now brimming blatantly beneath his benevolent eyes, maybe even more so than the slightly overemotional Mina's. Izuku Midoriya was an idealist, especially when it came to Heroes and even when it came to something as silly as romance. Well, he wasn't quite sure "silly" was the word to describe it.
This was a crucial part of his life—as was she—and this declaration, this proposal, was nothing short of magnificent.
He took her up into his arms. "Yes," she mumbled into the satiny sleeves of his shirt. "I thought you'd never ask. A million times over, yes."
The two shared a kiss.
It was a sentimental kiss, a purely passionate one, emotions running high. She kissed him all over—the cheek, the forehead, even the tip of his nose. As said before, neither were particularly fond of PDA, but tonight they could make an exception.
"Of course I'd ask."
As soon as they let go of each other, still basking in bliss and standing so close, they were alarmed by the sound of cheers.
"Go get 'em, Deku!"
"Ah!" one girl screamed. "I love you guys! Pinky, you really got yourself a good one. That was so cute!"
He slipped the ring onto her finger. It was nothing flashy, but with a real diamond embedded into the center and gold surrounding the exterior, it sure must have been expensive.
And it did signify one thing: Izuku Midoriya was now not only her lover, but also her fiancé.
She squealed.
"I love you so, so much," she said, and she leaned in for another kiss on the lips.
And, as they were beginning to sign some autographs, he whispered in her ear, "I love you too."
Mina Midoriya. What a name that would be.
She spun on her heels like an innocent, lovesick schoolgirl, only giving her senseless swooning a second thought when she realized she still had a whole line of autographs to sign before she could even think about going back home. She wasn't sure whether to cry tears of joy or agony.
They waved the last of their fans goodbye a little after the clock hit eleven. They'd really drawn in a crowd.
And with a ring on her finger and a newfound closeness between the two that they'd never ever once reached before, they walked home idly under the moonlight, happily hand in hand.
- o - o - o - o -
A/N: Well, that was it. The end of my first novel. As for my next work, it'll be a 20k-25k word IzuOcha fanfic. It'll be pretty angsty. I will definitely be posting it on Wattpad, and probably also on here. Once again, I simply thank you all for your support! I can honestly say I love you guys, and I'm glad you came along with me on this journey!