"Typhoon Amagi is breaking records this early in the season." The soothing voice of the news carried into the bathroom despite the pounding of the rain against the window. "Residents are advised to stay indoors and be prepared for power outages."
Izuku nodded, toothbrush half in his mouth. Big storms were always a mixed bag since he graduated from U.A. and became a pro hero. Crime rates went way down, so over all less patrols were needed, and for most heroes, going out there in a storm like this was a bad idea. But it wasn't called a Natural Disaster to be a vacation. There was still rescue work if something went wrong.
He'd have to keep his pager, and his cellphone on him until the storm passed. Fortunately, they were really good at handling storms, a long history of coastal disasters did that to people.
With one last brush he spat out the tooth paste and began to use the mouthwash. His home was clean, if a bit sparse, and the washroom was the same way, he was used to his mother's style where every drawer was jam packed with things. Instead, he was finding it a struggle to fill one drawer.
He pushed on his usual shaggy green hair, that was perhaps a week past needing a haircut. His still largely beardless face. He tried to grow a mustache. Once. It turned out looking like he drew one on with a pencil. "And I still haven't grown out of my baby face."
All things considered, he hadn't really changed that much since graduation. He was a bit taller, finally able to say that he was over six feet tall. And due to his training, he was a bit more muscular, but still had a lean build. Ehh, he was who he was. And he really should just be getting ready for bed, he needed to get up to keep his work out schedule.
With a yawn - one born from boredom, more than actual tiredness - he put on his usual plain grey T-shirt and made his way towards his bed room.
A knock, closer to a bang, came from his front door. It was too uniform and forceful to be the wind. Was something wrong? He all but leaped towards the front door, nearly tripping on a weight he should have put away before opening it.
He knew who she was the moment he saw her.
Her long curly pink hair was barely contained in a ponytail that flirted with her hips. Its usual wildness was muted by the rain. Rain had done more than just get her hair wet, her shirt was soaked to the point of being ruined, and her pink skin looked like she hadn't just gotten out of the bath, but that she was still in one. She also only had one shoe.
But, beyond that, there was something off about Mina. She didn't have her usual ear to ear grin, and her black sclera and yellow iris of her eyes that often reminded him of a solar eclipse lacked the usual flame and energy she was known for.
"Mina? Is something wrong?" He asked, stepping to the side to let her in and out of the storm.
"Hey, Izuku." She looked up at him, wiping at her cheeks and forcing a smile. She didn't seem to even notice the storm. "Do you think I can stay here for a bit?"
"Huh? Yea, sure. Come on in." He gestured for her as the wind began to blow again sending Mina's hair flying and spraying them both with rain. Again, she didn't seem phased by it at all. "Are you okay, Mina?"
"Fine." Was all she said as she stepped into his home. She was beyond soaked, water all but pouring off of her. Her lip trembled as she took a couple more steps forwards. "Really really fine. Thanks, Izuku."
"Sure, uhh, do you want to take a shower? I can put your clothes in the wash." This was about the longest he had seen Mina gone without smiling - actually smiling - or cracking a joke. It was odd seeing her so muted.
Mina blinked and looked down at her shirt, her eyes widened slightly as though she just realized how soaked she was. "Uhh, yea. Where's your shower?"
"Just down the hallway. I'll see if I can find you something to wear." He scratched his head. He might have some old clothes? Or maybe something with a belt. But what would she do for underwear? How did he even wash girls underwear? "Do you need anything?"
"No, I'll be fine. Thanks." She took her one shoe off and headed into his bathroom. A moment later, he heard the sound of her clothes hitting the ground and his shower turning on.
Mina seemed out of it. Way out of it. Even more out of it than when she barely passed their finals in their senior year. But this was something different. Biting his lip he resisted the urge to scream. Problems he could punch were so much easier. He'd just have to be there and smile for Mina. That's what friends did.
He went through some old clothes, finding a shirt, a sweater, and some sweats that he might have worn once or twice. The important part was that they had a spandex waist so hopefully Mina could wear them. A night without underwear probably wouldn't hurt her. Especially just for sleeping.
The lights flickered for a moment as the storm continued to rage. And now, the power might go out.
Holding the clothes, he entered the dressing room. The sound of Mina's showering was louder here, he could see her blurred and darkened image sitting on his stool, holding the shower head above her head and running a hand through her hair. And he really shouldn't be taking the time to check her out while she was in his this state of mind. Or at all. Didn't she have a fiance?
He probably should have paid more attention to her on Facebook.
Matching bra and panties sat in a puddle next to the rest of Mina's clothes. They were pink and blue with sparkles and flowers on them, it looked both at once cute and sexy. Which was pretty much Mina in a nutshell and now he was picturing her wearing them. No bad thoughts!
"I brought you a change of clothes." He said firmly, placing the sweats and an old shirt in a basket next to the door. "I'm going to put yours into the wash."
"Huh?" She sounded out of it and turned to look his way. Hopefully, she couldn't see his blush through the fogged glass door. "Oh, thanks Izuku."
Once her clothes were in the washer, he sighed running a hand through his hair and tried to figure out what to say. Was this even the place for it? "Is there anything else you need?"
There was a pause followed by the squeak of the knob as Mina turned the shower off. Only the storm outside and the dripping water broke the silence. "Do you have any chocolate?"
"Yea, I think so, I'll get them out for you."
"And do you have any good movies to watch?"
"Yea, a few."
"Okay, I'll be out in a bit. My hair takes forever to dry. I don't even know if it looks good on me or not. Maybe I should cut it?"
"I think it looks good on you. Well, so does your short hair, but I meant, if it's bothering you. You should just do what you like. It's your hair. If you like it shorter then uhh, yea."
She gave a short laugh, a real one that he could feel her smile through. Good. She was getting out of whatever funk she had shown up in. All he had to do was keep being awkward around her and she'd be normal in no time. He could do that. Actually, he couldn't not do that. "Thanks Izuku. I'll think about it."
"Right, okay, well, if you need anything else just yell."
"You…" She started, then she shook her head and sighed. "Thanks Izuku."
"No need to thank me. We're friends, Mina."
XXXX
Izuku sighed, leaning back on his couch and looked towards the T.V., the title screen of some romantic comedy he had gotten as a gift during his house warming party looped for the third time. A bag of chocolate sat on the table next to a couple cans of tea. Cell service was down, or severely limited due to the storm, but his pager still had signal.
He had wanted to ask Ochako, Momo, or anybody really if they knew what had happened to Mina. But it looks like he'd have to get those answers from her.
Mina emerged from the bathroom her long pink hair was pulled into a ponytail again, once again back to its luscious and wild self. Her bright pink looks contrasted with the dull grey of the sweats she wore. She was all but swimming in them.
"Feeling better?" He asked as she zoomed in on the chocolate.
"A bit." She popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth, swooned for a second, and then flashed him a smile before slamming down on the couch next to him. "And now a bit more."
"That's good." He leaned forward smiling at her. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Her smile vanished and she leaned forward grabbing the remote and another piece of chocolate. The movie started and she sat back pulling her legs up to her chest. She didn't look at him for a long time, or at anything.
"You don't have to, I'm just worried about you is all," He said softly. "I mean you appeared soaked at my front door in the middle of a typhoon completely out of it."
"I know." She finally looked at him through her crossed arms. Her golden iris's all but glowing at him. Another bit of silence followed before she spoke again, burying her face further into her arms and knees. "Izuku, do you think I'm hideous?"
He leaned back in shock. Mina? Hideous? "What? Why would you think that?"
She hummed. "My skin, my horns, and my eyes, they're not exactly normal. I look like a freak."
"What? Mina, no you don't. Your skin stands out but it's really bright and cheerful, your horns are cute, especially when they twitch. And your eyes. Well, your eyes." He paused to catch a glimpse of them peering out from her arms. "I've always thought that your eyes were really beautiful. So no, I don't think you're hideous."
She pulled her head up and smiled at him. Her black and gold eyes pulling him in like a blackhole. "Thank you Izuku. That actually means a lot. You're a sweet guy, you know that right?"
"It's just the truth. But why did you ask that?" His face felt hot.
Mina sighed and played with a bit of her hair. The storm made its presence known by shaking the house with a burst of wind and rain. She looked towards the nearest window and then turned back to him. "I'm really lucky I remembered where you lived. I kind of threw my phone into the river."
She looked at her hand and ran her finger along her ring finger.
"Okay," He nodded. "Why?"
"Same reason I walked around in a storm for hours before I showed up here." She grabbed a handful of chocolates, and popped one into her mouth. Her smile was a pained and forced. "I found my fiance cheating on me."
Izuku blinked and opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was "Oh."
AN: Can I just say I love the title? Hey look! I wrote IzuMina! Finally got over the trauma others inflicted upon me with the character! I do hope you all enjoy this take on the pairing, it's been pretty fun to write.
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