"Hey, Izu?"

From behind what seemed to be a mountain of books, the curly, green-haired boy hummed in response, frantically jotting down note after note, barely registering his girlfriend's voice. She couldn't help the ghostly smile that touched her lips as she observed his dedication. Really, it was too much sometimes, but for someone that had spent... so many years being told they'd never reach that point, she admitted that he had every right to prove all the doubters wrong.

Even so, she did wish that sometimes he'd relax a tad. Since they'd begun dating, his enthusiasm for heroes hadn't died out in the slightest, but she'd managed to break through his nigh-impenatrable wall that he'd enclosed himself into, which kept him focused on either school or training. She'd essentially taught him how to have fun. And, in return, he began to show her the flip side of the world - the world where she'd put in hours of training or work, and the reward was the growth, both physically and mentally.

"D'ya remember when we were kids?" She asked, idly twirling one of her many pink curls around her fingertip, letting her mind drift off into the distant past. Izuku kept scribbling from behind his books, but she heard the pace slow exponentially, and at one point, it even paused momentarily before resuming.

"Yeah, of course. We used to play hero together," he mused.

Mina giggled. She couldn't easily forget the 'fierce' battles she'd waged with him. He was terrible at being a villain (even pretending) so she'd often take up the villain tag, and they'd face each other with enthusiasm, though she made sure not to use her quirk, lest she want to have an unfair advantage. If he won several 'battles' in a row, she'd scare him off with a spray of acid, only to be met with protests, where she'd cheerily respond: 'I'm a villain, and villain's don't play fair!'

"Why do you ask?" Izuku asked, snapping her from her thoughts.

She paused momentarily. "Do you ever wished it turned out... I dunno, differently?"

The writing stopped. Slowly, the bush of green hair moved from behind his books and looked at her with a mix of curiosity and concern, causing a light flutter to spread through Mina's chest. He cared way too much sometimes, but she'd never, ever complain about that. It was just part of his adorable charm.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." She paused. What did she mean?

It had been a random question - there wasn't much thought behind it, but the words had tumbled from her mouth before she'd had a chance to think about exactly what she was asking. It had been something on her mind for a few days, though. Originally, she thought about asking him the moment it had popped into her head, but after deliberation, she decided to just wait, in hopes the thought would go away.

Only, it hadn't.

Watching Bakugou's tamer, but still rather venomous treatment of her soft-spoken boyfriend had irritated her initially, but it had also brought up minor insecurities. Early in their childhood, before they were friends, they were mocked individually. Young children didn't understand why Izuku was quirkless, and they didn't understand why she was pink and so different. They didn't understand, so they simply made fun of the things that didn't make sense.

Obviously, as they'd gotten older, Mina began to fit in significantly better with kids her age, because no longer did they not understand her complexion - but they also thought her quirk and changes were cool. People began to see her in a light that she'd only dreamt of; and although her first few years of schooling was difficult, the acceptance and general awe was able to undo most of the damage that had been inflicted.

But Izuku wasn't given that same curtesy. If anything... the tormenting became worse. And she, having transferred schools following her father's new position at work, was not there to support him anymore. They had drifted apart, but she blamed herself for that. She had gotten sucked into the fame - she let herself get distracted by her new friends, and failed to support her oldest, and truest friend. The only person to stand beside her when she was ridiculed. The person that would willingly present himself as a more attractive target for harsh words. The one who could have a massive bruise forming, but would comfort her when she cried.

The one who, in the end, inspired her to be a hero.

"Don't you kinda wish..."

You hadn't met me?

I hadn't abandon you?

The questions swirled around her brain, but for whatever reason, she couldn't find the confidence to say them out loud.

"I wish..." Izuku began, quietly. "I wish... I gotten to be there for you. M-more than I was."

She froze.

He sighed heavily, and closed his notebook, fully moving from behind the wall of paper, and sat onto the floor, shuffling so that his back was leaning against her chair, and she was positioned in-between her legs. She felt a speckle of warmth dust her cheeks and knew she was probably blushing, because the times where he was a little more forward with his actions were the times that she was least expecting it. He leaned his head back, resting it against her knees, and she wrapped her calves around his torso.

"I was distracted by... school, my dreams... bullies... I missed out on a lot. Like, Kirishima told me all about that villain that you stood up to... and that was so cool!" He sighed again. "I was too scared... you'd think I wasn't worth the time, and so... I just didn't want to message you. I-I thought... you'd moved on."

Part of her wasn't surprised by his logic. He was selfless - he'd always been selfless. His desire to be a hero had permeated his very being and leaked from every one of his actions, which is why she suspected that her classmates were so drawn to him. She suspected that was the reason that she was so drawn to him. But at the same time, she was surprised. Every time she thought she'd seen the upper limit of his selflessness, he went and did it one higher.

He felt guilty for something he had no control over. His damaged confidence was a completely rational excuse for not trying to get back into contact - and even though part of her wished he had tried anyways, the fact remained that she, as well, had failed to contact him. And she had no such reason to not try. She had... pretty much forgotten, though she loathed to admit it.

She scooted forward on her chair and squeezed her thighs around his head, causing him to snort and turn red, but she felt a wave of lilac come on as he softly kissed her inner thigh. She bent over and placed a kiss on the top of his head, parting his untamable green curls, and smiled as she did so.

"You're too kind, Izu."

"I-I don't think that! I mean... I missed out on a lot of your life... o-or what feels like a lot."

Mina shot him down, though. "And I missed a lot of yours. Sure, I did some... cool stuff." It was cooler than cool, but at the moment, that wasn't important. "But... I wasn't there for you. You had to face Bakugou and all those bullies, and I wasn't there to help you. Honestly, I'm surprised you don't hate me for abandoning you."

He turned so that he was looking up at her. "I could never hate you!"

"I wouldn't blame you if you did," she muttered.

"But I don't. A-and I won't." His green eyes shimmered strongly, and like every single time Mina looked into his eyes, she was captivated - drawn in, like a moth to a light. "No matter the reason... it doesn't matter now. We're together now, aren't we?"

She smiled. He was right... per usual. She was usually the one preached that the past didn't matter, but it seemed that, this time, he was the one turning the tides on her. The guilty feeling hadn't completely evaporated, but she did feel much lighter, like he'd just taken a mountain off of her back, lifting it like it was nothing. He had that gift. It was a Midoriya family trait.

Truthfully, he was too pure for her, but in a way, she enjoyed 'corrupting' him, as Hagekure phrased it.

"Yeah..." she smiled, and leaned down to kiss him, which he eagerly returned with a small smile. Their lips made contact, and the guilt was washed away, replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling. When the kiss broke, she pulled back just slightly, and sighed happily. "I guess I'm glad things played out the way they did."

A smirk grew on her face as she realized the position they were in. Her thighs were still squished around Izuku's head, although now, they were pressed against his cheeks, and he was resting his chin of the edge of the seat, staring up at her innocently. He hadn't put the dots together, but when he did, she knew he'd probably break mentally. Not that she had a problem with teasing him in this state, although it was a bit nerve-wrecking, even for her.

Still, let it be known Mina Ashido took her shot whenever it was available.

"Wow, Izu... you're really pushing us forward, huh?"

He frowned. "W-what?"

She 'fanned' herself, pulling at the collar of her shirt, like she was overheating. "I mean, at least take me to dinner before you position yourself like that."

It clicked, and, as she'd expected, he turned redder than red. "I-I-I'M S-SORRY!"

"If you wanted to do that, all you needed to do was ask," she said sweetly.

"M-MINA!"

And as her sweet laugh filled the room, Izuku, through all the blood that was now rushing to his face, quietly mused to himself that he was glad things went the way they did. He wouldn't trade anything for something different - he had all that he could ever want now, anyways.

I know it's a much shorter chapter... and that it's late. Sorry about that. I was pressed for time yesterday with double class and practice, so accept my sincerest apologies!

Anyways, yeah, here's the Day 2 prompt, and you best believe I'm working on Day 3 now, though it won't be up until later tonight. Remember, if you have any questions, the list is on Tumblr under the MinaDeku blog, and you can also search me at ScandinavianSensation. Enjoy and thanks friends!