v writes

Izuku was the best boyfriend you could ever ask for, and before that the best friend you could ask for.

He is the sweetest most respectful person you know with a pure heart and his shy little blush that is just about the cutest thing you've ever seen. And even though he is a timid boy, he has so much determination to become a good pro hero, constantly striving towards his goal and pushing himself, sometimes too far. He was also great at being a boyfriend. Though he was very awkward in the beginning (while he had a crush on you, when he asked you out the first time, and admittedly even little bit still as the two of you have been dating for some time).

Now the two of you were on your way to a sunset picnic date he planned for the two of you at some mystery location he's been boasting about. Maybe you knew he got the idea from the internet because of the article he left open on his laptop but at least that meant he put the effort in to figuring out a date plan. He's always been a little clueless when it came to dating but you help him out along the way and plan most of the dates, this time he was insistent though that he wanted to plan something nice for the two of you.

And so, you arrive at the most spotless beach you've ever seen. You're marveling at the pretty, late afternoon sky's reflection upon the sea as your perfect boyfriend sets up the picnic blanket and food he packed. The weather is perfect, an almost summer day with a nice warm temperature and the slightest breeze. You note this right before you join Izuku on the blanket and see his arms clad in long sleeves. You decide not to bring it up right away, still needing to let him know how much you appreciate his excellent date plan but do ask about halfway though your homemade sandwiches.

"Izu?", you get his attention away from the fly he's shoeing off and he hums in acknowledgment. "Why are you wearing those sleeves, its pretty warm out here." You lay your hand on one of his sleeves to emphasize your point and he blushes just a little.

"I- Well its just because of my arms," he rolls the sleeve up and you see his toned arm littered with scars from his quirk use.

"Are they still healing?", you thought you knew which fights most of the newer scars were from and they had been quite a while ago, they shouldn't still be healing.

"No, its just," he lets out a sigh, "If I want to be the number one hero, I can't look weak by having so many scars and they're because of my own quirk too.", he rolls his sleeve back down. "And they're just kind of ugly." it looks like this really saddens him as he looks out at the horizon.

"Izu?", you say again trying to really get him to pay attention.

"Yeah?", now he seems confused.

You laugh a little at the absurdity, "Are you kidding me?"

His eyebrows furrow as he continues to stare at you, "What?".

You can't believe he'd think that of his scars.

"Izuku. Your scars are awesome. How could they make you look weak? They show how far you've come with using your quirk. If anything they'd show how strong you are, still standing after so many battles.", you allow yourself to gush about your favorite boy. "If anyone thinks you are weak after seeing your scars, that only works in your favor because you are so strong.".

He's beginning to cry, he always does when you praise him like this.

"Your scars tell your story. They make you all that much more interesting. They're not ugly.", you roll his sleeve back up. "How could you say that?", you kiss the scars that cross his knuckles. "They make you who you are.", you kiss the scars on the back of his hand and look up to his teary eyes, "They got you here.", you smile at him and quickly kiss up the scars on his arm to reach his face and pepper kisses all across his cheeks and soon the two of you are giggling, laying on the end of the picnic blanket. He's still crying some happy tears as the two of you settle down.

"You're an inspiration Deku.", you kiss him on the nose and rub the scars on his arm, trying to further reassure him they are not at all ugly. You'll never let him think so again.

You're about halfway finished unpacking into your new dorm. The room was a good size and the prospect of living on campus seemed pretty fun. As long as you didn't think too much about why the student body was put into dorms.

You're glad you can live on campus though, you can live closer to your girlfriend who you love and you'll always know where she is, know that she's safe. She's training to be a hero, you know she's smart and strong but sometimes close calls come just a little too close for your liking. The league of villains especially liked to get too close. That point was introduced at the USJ and really drilled in with their other schemes. You never had enough time with Tsu before. The two of you had lunch together and study dates for your core classes but she was becoming a hero and you were in the support course, your paths rarely crossed naturally.

Back before UA introduced their dorm system, when the ache of missing her got strong you thought of getting a pet, but you didn't have space or time for a dog, there were cat allergies in your family, and birds were just too loud for your liking. You were thinking about Tsu, daydreaming of future dates when you realized what would be the perfect pet. You were going to get a frog. Being a support course student, you were accustomed to extensive research, and since you knew nothing about taking care of actual frogs, you did your homework and at the beginning of your summer vacation, bought the best fitting space for a frog to live along with the frog. You didn't tell Tsu, you thought it'd be a little embarrassing to tell her that you missed her so much you bought a frog (and named it Froppy).

Froppy (the actual frog) only became that much more comforting to have around when the summer training camp incident happened.

You were getting ready for bed and checking on little Froppy when you caught wind of the breaking news that UA students had been attacked yet again by the League of Villains. You stayed up all night, first waiting for news updates, then trying to call Tsu, and eventually when she finally called back to explain she was caught up in the police interview and checked out by doctors but completely fine, you broke down just a little. The whole thing felt like a trip, you had really worried yourself sick over her. When you saw her after that she didn't seem too shaken by it herself but you could feel it in the way she'd held your hand tighter, kissed you more, and hugged you a lot longer.

Now you're moving Froppy's sanctuary into your dorm, a cloth covered it over the top since pets weren't technically allowed and you set her on her table next to the window. You decide to set her amenities up last since it will take a little while and begin putting finishing touches on the other parts of the room.

There's a knock at your door. It was probably a classmate but it could be a teacher so you double-check that Froppy is out of view before you open the door. It's Tsu though. The most pleasant of pleasant surprises.

"Hi.", she croaks out, muttering a little ribbit. Her smile is like a breath of fresh air. You wrap your arms around her and lift her up, holding her close like your hoping to keep her safe there in your arms.

"Hi.", you say back. She is a person of few words, it's something you like about her though because when she does speak it means she really wants to and she's always sincere.

"Are you unpacked yet?" she asks as you set her down and walk her in past the doorway.

"Almost." you gesture around the space, "I just have some clothes left to unpack and finishing touches. Are you?"

"Yeah." She observes the room and goes to sit on the chair you brought specifically because it was her favorite (the fuzzy blankets too). You watch her get comfortable then go over and tuck her in the blankets extra well, parting with a kiss to her forehead before getting back to your unpacking work. Ever since the summer training camp incident you've been extra attentive to her, and maybe you spend extra time in your support class shop trying to think up the best kind of supporting items for her. She means so much to you and you can't stand to think of her getting badly hurt in a fight.

After emptying the box of clothes you were working on you turn back to her to ask how things were going with the rest of 1A but her eyes are shut and she looks so peaceful in her sleep. You continue to finish unpacking, setting up Froppy's spot before covering it back up so the real Froppy won't see it when she wakes up.

Once you finish you join her on the large chair. There's no way to get in with out moving her a little so you move slowly, wrapping your arms around her with her head resting on your chest the way you know she likes. She stirs a little and remembers her surroundings and noticing the now empty boxes, seeming a little put out.

"I wanted to help you move in.", she looks up at you. She's frowning and you can't help but smile at her cute little pout.

"It's ok. This is all I could ask for.", you smooth your hand over her hair, hoping to give some extra reassurance with the gesture. She relaxes under it the same way little Froppy does when you give her pets with your finger, you melt. She's too precious for your heart to handle.

The two of you relax and drift off to sleep in each other's arms, getting closer and tangling your limbs together further in your unconsciousness. You have happy dreams of picnics in the grass on nice summer days with her. You are at peace.

She is the first to wake up, then waking you up when she looks to your alarm clock and notices the time, it's now late in the afternoon and the two of you take your time waking up since you were given the day to settle in and this was the best possible way you could think to do that. As she wakes and stretches her limbs, Tsu notices a box left with a cloth covering it.

"I thought you were done unpacking?", she moves towards the box.

"I-" before you can even begin to think of an excuse, she removes the cloth and sees Froppy.

She's frozen. Dropped the cloth to the ground to watch Froppy climb the sticks in her habitat.

"You have a frog?", she looks to you.

"Yeah.", you don't see a point in trying to cover any of it up at this point. "That's Froppy." You move to stand beside her and pick up the spray bottle next to Froppy's spot to give the small frog a spritz.

"Why?", she tilts her head as she watches you care for the little amphibian.

You explain to her about how you'd miss her and thought of getting a pet and a frog just seemed to be the best fit. You're not looking at her when you explain, feeling a little embarrassed. But she wraps her arms around you once you've finished your explanation.

"I'm sorry", she says it in the same tone she says most everything else but just saying it at all, you know she's sincere.

"What?" Why would she be apologizing? For not noticing little Froppy's presence sooner?

"I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm sorry you were lonely." She'd always been the quiet type and wouldn't speak up when she herself felt lonely. That just made sense to her but now that she's hearing your feelings, she can't believe she didn't notice you'd been doing the same. She squeezes you tight.

You squeeze her back, "Tsu no. Don't feel bad, it's not your fault.". She pulls away to look at you and she begin her rebuttal but you speak first. "You're becoming a hero Tsu. Danger is just written into that path and as your s/o I'm with you for the ride. Don't worry about making me worry. We'd get nowhere with that." You let out a little laugh and rest your head against her shoulder, hugging her tight again. "It's not a matter of trying not to make me worry, it's a matter of showing me that everything is ok in the end. Just you being here is enough to let me know that.". You think you've said the right things but she's quiet for a little too long. Then you hear her sniffle.

You look up and she has tears welling in her eyes but she won't look at you, instead watching little Froppy in her habitat.

"Ok.", she says, her arms draped over your shoulders. "I'm- We're ok.", then she looks to you and the corners of her mouth turn upwards again, then she jumps up into your arms and you have to catch her. The way she nuzzles into you after jumping up so fast has you off balance so you direct the two of you towards your bed and you fall down onto the covers together.

It was typical for you to show up just on time or late to class. Something that often got you in some trouble with your class rep. and teacher quite a bit, but you didn't mind, you found it worth it to enjoy a nice slow morning. Starting the day like that reminded you of your hometown, the one you had to leave to start your years at U.A. However, while you usually found it worth it, today everyone was finally done with their work studies and you were dying to ask your best friend how hers went. You didn't have the time to now with class starting as soon as you sat down (getting side-eyed by Iida).

Your home town was smaller, fewer buildings, fewer people, less commotion. There was also less crime that could be handled by just over a handful of hero agencies. One hero was even a sort of mascot for the town, her and her agency usually taking on the most serious cases and restoring peace in the community. She was the one who inspired you to be a hero growing up and for the last week you'd had the chance to train under her for your work-study, it was a dream come true. When you first moved into the large city to attend U.A. all the people were overwhelming. Back home you knew most people's faces but it seemed like here, you never saw the same one twice.

Until you saw Uraraka's face.

After just that first time, it was like you saw her everywhere, you just couldn't get her sweet, friendly smile out of your head.

On your first day, you were lost and tapped on the shoulder of the first person in front of you to ask for help. When she turned it was like a slow-motion movie scene played right in front of your eyes. The way her hair swished around her face, the ever-present light dusting of pink on her cheeks. It took you a second to squeak out your question to her, frazzled by her good looks. As it turned out, she was in the same class and slightly lost as well. The two of you talked about your middle schools and your expectations of the hero course as you worked to find the 1A classroom. And just like that, you'd made a friend on the very first day. You didn't want to let your little crush get in the way of that friendship, she was the only person in the whole city you really knew, so you kept your feelings tucked into a little box inside your heart.

She was your best friend in the class and you were hers. Though your heart did ache at seeing her precious self sometimes, you couldn't live with yourself if you ruined your friendship with her by telling her how you truly feel. It was great enough just being friends, though she was a small girl she had so much determination in her. She was kind and strategic as a hero should be. If only she hadn't committed the crime of stealing your heart. It was fun to be in the hero course alongside her, watching her learn and grow and get closer to her goal of helping her family each day.

You knew she was really pumped for her week of training with the pro hero Gunhead so you couldn't wait to grill her on what she learned as soon as you saw her again. Though now you had to wait till lunch since you had once again shown up just a little too late (resulting in a detention with Aizawa). So when during lunch after you'd both gotten your food and went to sit at your usual table you were so ready to finally talk to her.

"So how was your training with Gunhead?" you ask politely, trying not to seem overly eager.

As soon as she registers the question her expression gets all intense like when she was readying herself for the sports festival and she turns to you to give the somewhat ominous answer "It was absolutely amazing."

"Really? Gunhead seems like he'd be a little intimidating to work with.", with this, her face returns to normal and she responds to correct you.

"He was intimidating in the sense that he is a pro hero but when you meet him in person he talks and acts really cutely.", she giggles as she finishes the sentence. That damn giggle that gives you butterflies every time.

"Hm.", you reply as inconspicuously as possible while you're still coming down from the lightheadedness of just being around her after so long apart (that you actually weren't sure if it was a side effect of your feelings or her quirk).

She's happy to go on, "He taught me so much though. I learned so much about hand-to-hand combat, something I really could've used when fighting against Bakugo back at the sports festival.". The sports festival. It was hard for you to think about the sports festival. You had to see the most precious thing in the world fall unconscious from the intensity of all the explosions she endured.

Since you're still quiet she continues, "I've actually been dying to spar with someone since I've learned these cool skills, would you spar with me after school?", she turns to you doe-eyed and waiting for a response.

"Of course." You smile now, happy that the dread of the festival is behind you. "Oh but I have detention with Aizawa for an hour.". She seemed confused at this, which is weird, she knows just as well as you how often you get in trouble for your tardiness.

"I'll wait for you.", she says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'd rather you than someone else anyway. I know you wouldn't even think about holding back in a match against me.", she explains, "plus we haven't had a lot of time together recently and I miss hanging out with you," at this your heart clenches. She'd be willing to wait. She wanted to hang out anyway. "You're my best friend Y/n.", she ends with such a genuine a smile.

You're her best friend. Friend.

If only she knew what an awful best friend you were, always wishing for more.

You push that away though, this is something she's been looking forward to and she wants to work out her new fighting skills so you agree and the two of you set up to meet in the gym after your detention session with Aizawa.

---

You're mentally scolding yourself on the way to the training gym after you changed into your PE clothes. It's gotten harder and harder for you to ignore your feelings since the two of you have gotten closer, you've only learned so much more about how wonderful she is, how kind and smart she is. You should really tell her, it'd feel dirty to keep it a secret, to continue being friends without her knowing how her laugh makes your heart stutter. By the time you get to the gym door you resolve that you will confess on your walk to the train station with her after school on the following Monday. It'll be hard and awkward and you know you'll get your heart broken but such a sweet person deserves to know, deserves better friends.

When you open the door you see her stretching. She brought towels and water bottles for the both of you, she knows how you forget to take care of yourself properly after training.

At the sound of the door she looks in your direction and waves you over to stretch. Together, you count out the stretches and you survey the area, noting how many of the typical objects are missing. When the two of you are finished stretching, you bring this up.

"Where are the realistic obstacles?". Aizawa likes to have them around during training matches so that you can get used to villains who will take advantage of their surroundings. Uraraka typically gravitated toward them due to the advantage they gave her with the use of her quirk.

"Well, sometimes the streets really are empty.", she says with a mischievous smile. (As mischievous as a pure bubble of joy like her can get.) You shrug it off and get the timer ready. Also something ingrained in Aizawa's training, believing time is a key element in saving the day.

You ready your stance. Usually you charge straight in when sparring with Uraraka since you know she’s not the most offensive due to the quirks of most of her opponents. You always try and find a way to grab her arms or something else to make sure her hands can't reach you before you win the match because you know the second her fingers touch you its game over. You've pretty much got it down to a science of possible outcomes when you go in for a fight against her so you cycle through the index of moves you have in your head as the timer counts down to start. You force yourself to focus on the fight, not the opponent. While you were so focused though you failed to see how her beginning stance is a little different than usual.

This time, when you charge, she charges too.

You don't have time to register this before you're flipped and on your stomach, hands pinned behind your back and Uraraka straddles your hips to keep you in place. Moments pass filled only with silence and some heavy breathing.

Uraraka swings her leg so that she is kneeling next to you, letting go of your hands.

"Sorry, did I drop you too hard?", her voice is a little panicked and it seems like she's even surprised herself a little with her strength. You turn your head to the side to stare at her with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape. She looks a little scared from your expression, then confused as a smile spreads across your face.

She really is incredible. You remember now how she expressed her enthusiasm about learning new hand-to-hand techniques from Gunhead before you parted ways for your separate work studies. From the day you first met her she was the cutest girl you had ever seen and she always has been but you've also gotten to see more sides of her, watch her hero potential grow. "Wow.", you huff out, still catching your breath.

Once she sees that you are physically ok she smiles with you and starts gushing about how fun her training with the pro hero was. "I know right! He taught he how to fight so well and I don't even need to rely on my quirk for up close battle! It's so cool!"

"You're so cool.", you're in awe. She giggles at your tone and continues.

"I can't wait for the next time we do one-on-one matches for hero training! I'd love to see the look on my opponents face when they've underestimated my skill.", she's giggling, she's so pretty. "I really like knowing that I have this new skill I can count on.", and then you let it slip out.

"I really like you.". You don't even realize what you said until you see her face fall.

"What?", now her eyes are wide, she looks like she just took one of Denki's shocks.

"Oh no I- I didn't mean... I just...uh...", you can't string a sentence together. You stop trying for a moment as she starts to float upwards, staring off into space.

"You...you "really like"...me?" she's off the floor now and just beginning to float out of reach. You grab her hand before she spins any further from you.

"Ochako, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it. Don't leave.", now you're freaking out a little. You knew the odds weren't in your favor and she most likely wouldn't like you back, not the same. But you didn't think she'd be so eager to get away from you.

At your plea though, she looks back down and realizes how far she's gotten from the ground, touching her fingertips together and settling herself stable on her feet.

"You really like me?" She asks again but this time she's really searching for the answer, eyes darting over your face like she might find it written somewhere on your skin.

You hang your head in shame. "Yes.". You're closing your eyes trying to brace for her rejection.

"I...I really like you too.", she says it slowly. It sounds like a question.

And now it's your turn to ask "You really like me too?", you try not to get your hopes up too high.

"You're my best friend Y/n of course I do." She presses it like she’s trying to reassure you.

"I mean more than that Uraraka.", you tell her sadly.

"I know I..", she's searching for her words now. "You're my best friend and I never thought about it but more... more sounds nice.", she looks back to you with a smile. "More sounds perfect.". She puts her hands on either side of your face and giggles as you start to smile back.

You grab her wrists and ask one more time, "Really?"

She leans in to rest her forehead against yours, looking at you with her big, beautiful eyes, "Yes really."

You stare into each others eyes for a few beats before you can't take the intensity of the gaze and you both fall into a laughing fit.

You feel so happy. It's like you're on cloud nine. She likes you back, she really likes you back. You feel overjoyed, you feel weightless.

Wait. You feel a little too weightless.

You look down to see the ground far below your feet and you gasp, now clutching Uraraka in a hug. She hugs you back before she realized herself that she's made the two of you float. It makes her laugh a little harder before she pulls back, holding your hands and beginning to spin the two of you in the air around the gym. Its almost like dancing.

You'd been in the same class as Lev since first year but you were only properly introduced to him when you became manager of Nekoma's volleyball club. He's always been a big goof and while the team liked to pick on him for it, you always found it impossibly adorable and endearing. You were like a parental figure for the team, helping them with injuries, giving advice, and (of course) breaking up fights. If you had to pick a favorite child though, it would be Lev. He's always appreciated you as well, you often being the only one to take his side in disagreements with the team and calming Yaku down when he'd be a little too harsh on his underclassmen. He actually tended to talk with you most out of everyone on the team. You did share a class and you were the manager so it makes sense but his teammates loved to tease him about it nonetheless, dissing his flirting game, throwing balls at his head in the middle of a conversation between the two of you, and Kenma's favorite, glaring until the tall boy notices and then making a snarky insult. These were just typical antics that went on at practice until later in the season when the boys got a little bit more serious about getting to nationals.

And get to nationals they did. You couldn't be more proud of your boys, indulging yourself in the celebrations after every winning game.

When they started competing in the big stadiums you didn't want to be a distraction to the boys (or let them see how nervous you got about the games) so instead of sitting on the bench, you opted to sit in the stands with the family of the team and other students from Nekoma. It was fun to meet Yamamoto's sweet younger sister and Lev's intimidatingly gorgeous older sister. You'll never forget that meeting or what it led to.

You wiggled your way through the crowded stairs to get to the front row and see two women talking to each other about the game, seeming to be a little confused about the scoring system. You politely insert yourself in the conversation to clarify their understanding of how the game goes, answering all of their follow up questions as well.

"Thank you so much. What's your name?" The tall silver-haired woman asks, you have a feeling of who she might be related to on the team.

"I'm Y/n, the volleyball club's manager.", you offered them both a nod, "I assume you both are family of players", you add, glancing to said players down below on the court.

"Well I'm Alisa Haiba, Lev's older sister!", she introduces herself with a smile before letting the brown-haired girl talk, Yamamoto's sister, Akane.

Alisa excitedly turns back to you, looking more interested than she had when you spoke of volleyball. "You must be my Lev's little s/o!"

Your eyes go wide with your shock as she goes on.

"Oh I should have known just from seeing you, you're just how he described.", she looks over your frozen frame, "I have to say, I was worried when he joined volleyball, I thought he become one of those meat head jocks but since you became his manager-and more I suppose- he is just like a lovesick little puppy.". Finally she senses the confusion coming off of you, assuming you want to talk she asks "And how is my Lev behaving at school and in club? No trouble is he?"

"..."s/o"?" you slowly ask. And now she mirrors your deep confusion.

"Are you...not Lev's s/o?", she looks down to him on the court like she wants to ask him herself.

"Um, no. I'm just the manager. I am closer with him than the other team members but we're just friends, we share a class too so" You list out the extent of your connection with him, she probably just assumed you were dating because of how much time the two of you spend together.

Her perfectly groomed brows draw close together "But...When he talks about you-", then, seemingly in an attempt not to embarrass him by bringing up their private conversations, she cuts herself off with a laugh, "I guess I misunderstood." She gives an apologetic smile.

"It's no problem." You finish just in time for a whistle to blow, rounding up the team from practice for the game to start, the stands quieting. You can't help but watch one player in specific as he jogs over to the bench, hunching down to reach the others in the huddle as they talk.

You think back on all the time you'd spent with him, handing him his water and towel at practices, eating barbeque with him at the training camp, all the times you'd sat next to him on the bus rides to and from games. You realized just how much time you spent around him, and how you always gravitated towards him. You realized how many times he's made you smile with his cheesy jokes, his cute little pouts when Yaku would work him out, and his too pretty face when he tries to memorize volleyball terms from Kenma.

It was almost like you were already dating. You would miss him if you started to see him less. You definitely wouldn't mind spending even more time with him, being even closer to him.

Shit.

You might be just a little bit maybe in love with him.

Your eyes are glued to him and as he jogs onto the court and he looks to the crowd for you too, smiling and waving when he finds you. You smile back and give a thumbs up, Alisa eying you from the side. One of the other boys on the team yells at him to get his attention on the game and he flinches, nodding before turning back to give you one last sheepish grin before focusing. Your heart melts at that smile. You are very much in love with him.

Throughout the game you carry this, heavy on your mind as you try to maintain an observant eye on the match. You feel a little bad, you cheer for every point but you can't help but get the most excited for Lev's points. He just looks so happy every time, you just want to give him all the praise he seeks for but never finds from his other teammates. Your feelings are overwhelming you and your heart stutters a little when he looks up to the crowd to give you another smile or wave.

As soon as the game ends you celebrate briefly with the team members' sisters who you sat next to and hurry down to the court. You get in with your pass and rush to hand out water bottles and towels, somewhat avoiding Lev because you just don't know what you'll do when you see him so close again having realized the intensity of your feelings.

"Hey, Y/n!" You can hear the smile in his voice and even through your fear you can't help but smile even brighter at hearing it. When you turn to him you feel like a cartoon character with starry eyes, frozen in awe. He was crouching down a little so his face was closer to yours as he kept smiling at you. The proximity isn't the closest you'd been to the boy but this time it made your heart flutter like it never had before.

"Hey." You sound sort of out of breath yourself though he is the one who's just finished a grueling game of volleyball.

"Did you see my spikes? I had them totally shocked! I know you were impressed, I saw you in the stands." He beams, knowing you'll agree with him and compliment his performance further. The team starts to walk off the court to the surrounding area, seeking out the Karasuno and Inarizaki match to watch. The two of follow.

"Yeah." You giggle like a schoolchild. "I met your sister." You nervously blurted out the first thing you could think of.

"Oh yeah I saw her too." He seems a little confused that you brought it up, then nervous. "Oh. Did she uh- Did she say anything?" He tries to act nonchalant but he isn't fooling anybody.

You break out into nervous laughter, "She actually thought I was your s/o." You discreetly keep your eyes on him to gauge his reaction.

He chokes on the water he was drinking and sputters a little bit of it out into his towel. He's turning red but its hard to tell if its because of embarrassment or respiratory distress.

"I-" he coughs again, "I wonder what made her think that." He's not looking at you as the two of you walk, eyes wandering in every other possible direction.

You figure that by pressing just a little further you can always brush it off as teasing if he really doesn't want to talk about it. "I believe she said something about the way you talk about me." You try not to sound too interested in the topic. "And she said I looked just how you described."

"Oh- It's...She probably just thought- since we're friends you know, she probably thought so just cause we're friends. I mean, we are just friends." Maybe you were imagining it to make yourself happy but he sounded a little sad.

"..."just"?" You repeat, looking to him with hopeful doe eyes.

"Well not "just" I mean we are good friends, at least, I think so. It's just we're not CLOSE close like Alisa thought but I do LIKE being friends with you its just- I meant-" He's nervously rambling but you cut it off, not able to hold it in anymore.

"I don't want to be "just"...friends." You stop walking to make him look you in the eye.

He panics a bit, "No I swear I didn't mean it as an insult! I-" Usually you find his moments of idiocy to be cute and charming but right now you just need your feelings to be known.

"Lev, I don't want to be "just" friends because...", you step closer to him and hold his large hands in yours, "because I want to be more."

He's frozen. Eyes focused on you and mouth open like he wants to speak but has forgotten all the words. You don't let yourself back down.

"Your sister, she said that and I realized how nice it sounded. I love being with you Lev, you make me so happy", you look off, trying to find the right words to describe the feeling, "and I don't know how I didn't realize it sooner, I- you just- you're so-", he withdraws his hands from your hold. You look up, thinking he got upset but he's wearing a wide shaky smile and his eyes appear the slightest bit glassy. He hooks his long arms under yours to hug you and he picks you up, grasping you close, laughing that sweet laugh. You laugh too. Laugh out of relief that he doesn't hate you for liking him, and because the two of you must look so absurd right now to passers by. You hug him back before he sets you down to verbally respond.

Extra lessons. You don't necessarily have an issue with taking them, you value you education and understand that this is an important step to raising your grades. You are a little bummed out however that you won't get to accompany any of your closest friends for the nighttime activity being put on by the Wild Wild Pussy Cats. You specifically feel a little anxious that you can't be with Tokoyami right now.

At the beginning of the school year, Tokoyami was a quiet student, but there were a few of his classmates with which he had created friendships. You had the honor of being a close friend to the boy along with Tsu and Shoji. You had found his interest in you slightly ironic due to your quirk. You have an illusion quirk that you often use for disorienting light attacks.

You felt quite overwhelmed by most of your classmates, most having large and often overbearing personalities with goals of being a top pro hero. But Tokoyami was a calming presence and he found you to be the same so you two got along great and a friendship blossomed.

As you sit in the classroom now, staring straight ahead at the whiteboard, you fondly remember your favorite times with Tokoyami. The first time he spoke to you in hero training, the first time he offered you to sit with him at lunch, the times you'd studied together at each other's houses, and of course, the time that you realized that your feelings for your classmate were more than strictly platonic.

You begin to reminisce on a certain memory with the boy that had you falling even deeper. You two were finished with your studying and you were looking around and admiring the décor of Tokoyami's room, noting how he prefers darkness.

"You know, I found it kind of funny when you wanted to be friends with me. You prefer dark conditions due to your quirk yet, with mine, I'm always using light." you noted while looking over some of the book spines on his shelves (classic literature, gothic mysteries, poetry).

"I wouldn't let that get in the way of a friendship. To be honest, I think you're quirk might've only worked to have me all the more interested in you." He was sitting in his desk chair and occasionally telling you stories behind some of the things he had in his room. Suddenly though, it felt like you were the decor being looked at, the story behind you being told. "I remember as everyone was getting to know each other in class and you made that illusion of a light show, it reminded me of all the nightlights I had when I was really young. My parents were cautious of dark shadow so I always had multiple in my room."

You note his words, looking around and observing the numerous small light sources littered around the space. "'had'?", you look over to him with a teasing smile.

He appreciates the jest and chuckles lightly before responding, "Ok, ok. Well, in my defense, I have a lot less now than I used to. I'm trying to feel out my limits with dark shadow and exercise working with him rather than letting him take over completely.", with his finishing statement the atmosphere grows slightly tense. This seems to be a bit of a sore subject for him.

It makes your heart ache to see him upset. "Tokoyami, I haven't known you long but I have seen you in action multiple times now and the way you work with dark shadow is so sinuous it almost seems choreographed.", you compliment.

You see a small smile creep onto his face before he elaborates, "You have seen me in the light. Dark shadow is stronger in deep shadow, much stronger, but also much more difficult for me to control. I want to increase my ability to remain calm while using that strength with precision, so that I can be an asset in the dark rather than a hazard.", he frowns, "It scares me to think of losing control. I want to be a hero but if I lose control...I could hurt someone."

He's looking off now with concern on his face. You really can't stand seeing him like this so you take his hand to gain his attention.

"Then I'm all the more impressed that you continue to follow the path of becoming a hero. What courage you must have to strive for such goals, determination, passion." You look him in the eyes and let your heart speak freely for just a split second, "You are an inspiration Tokoyami.", you quickly shut your heart up the moment after, "It's awesome to be friends with such a person.", you give the most platonic smile you can muster before pretending to receive a message from your parent about needing to leave and doing so.

Now, rather than taking notes, you doodle images of those gothic light fixtures across your notebook's page. You've got nearly half the page filled when Mandalay's message comes in.

The group of students in the room aren't too concerned. There were only two reported villains fighting against two classes of aspiring heroes and four pros. But when a group of students who were out for the activity join the class with Vlad King, they give more details and it's difficult to stay optimistic.

Looking out the windows, you struggle to even make out the shapes of the trees and worry about your friend who is out there somewhere in the night's darkness.

Time passes slowly as you try to distract yourself with small illusions in the palm of your hand. When the fuss breaks out in the classroom over whether or not to fight when Aizawa's permission is given, you stay back. You're antsy to find out how Fumikage is doing but you lean towards agreeing with Vlad King that Aizawa meant the message to apply only for self-defense. When Aizawa himself comes in to deal with the fake fiery villain it's only solidified and you must wait oh so impatiently. Worrying about your closest friend, somewhere out in the trees.

When the emergency vehicles begin to arrive after Vlad King's call, students are let out of the building as the area surrounding is found clear of villains and many go out to search for the students littered throughout the forest. Koda is a big help in this effort, communicating with the animals of the area and locating groups of students. He is a quiet boy, but an observant one. He tells you which direction Tokoyami is in hopes to calm your nerves, as soon as you get the information though, you run off to find him immediately and ignore the yelling of the officers telling you that the scene is unclear past the trees.

You run and dodge the obstacles in your path and run faster, you pass Midoriya quickly and find Tokoyami not far from him.

He is quite clearly in shock, standing still with his back to a tree and breathing shallowly. You approach him slowly and announce yourself so you don't scare him. When his sharp gaze makes contact with yours he seems to be broken from his overthinking trance and falls to his knees. You rush over and meet him in the dirt, placing your hands on his shoulders and assessing his body for any big injuries. There doesn't appear to be any so you look back to his face, he looks like a child who just woke up from a nightmare, like he lost everything.

"Tokoyami, breathe.", you realize you need to help him calm down, rubbing your hands up and down his upper arms, longing to hold him as close as possible to reassure yourself as well as him that he is ok.

You remember his words - "It scares me to think of losing control." -

"I did it...I let go. It was so dark and I let him take over." He's not looking you in the eye, shivering, though it's not cold out in the summer evening.

You remember his room, the lights. Using your quirk you recreate the candles and crystal balls, placing them all around the two of you and illuminating the space with a soft purple glow. You slowly surround yourself and him with the light as you continue gently rubbing his arms.

"You're ok though. You're here and you're ok. I'm here with you." Maybe your words served to console yourself slightly more than they worked to console him but you did grab his attention, his eyes lifting to meet yours. "Breathe. You're ok."

He caves into your steady form, hugging you tightly, his arms under yours and head tucked into your chest. His breathing seems more intentional at this point, relieving you. You move your hands from his shoulders to stroke at the feathers on the top of his head.

"I just- it was so fast and Shoji- He- and I couldn't-" He starts rambling, constantly stumbling over his words. You knew he didn't talk much, he preferred only to speak when it was necessary or directly useful for conversation.

"Tell me about it.", you rub up and down his back with one hand.

He takes a few deep, shaky breaths to steady himself before he pours out the story of him losing control to dark shadow. How he was trapped, enveloped in the darkness and at it's mercy as he watched it chase down Shoji and then Midoriya with lethal intent. How he figured out their plan to lure dark shadow over to others who could help and how he prayed to the gods it would work and no one would get hurt in the process. How bright and hot the flashes were next to him as Bakugo and Todoroki blasted their quirks on either side of his body to stop dark shadow. How he was shaking, walking with the others on the way to the summer camp's building before he got captured with Bakugo by a masked villain. The feeling of being trapped in the tiny marble of the villain's quirk. He was almost kidnapped himself along with Bakugo.

He's been talking for some time now, crying into your shirt and holding onto you tightly. He looks up at you then. You're also crying but there's a shakey smile on your lips. The furrow between his brows deepens as he looks at you.

You bring your hands to the sides of his head. "And you're ok?" You look over him again looking for any obvious wounds. "You're ok." You pull him back into a hug with his head on your shoulder and you cry, embracing him as tightly as you can manage. "I was so worried."

You realized as he was talking just how deeply you were in love with him, how much care you had in your aching heart for his safety. It surprised you how well you had been avoiding your feelings, concealing the full extent from even yourself and now you were a wreck. He could have been hurt, he could have hurt others and been unable to deal with the guilt of it, he could have been kidnapped. You held onto him now as if you were attempting to keep him safe from the dangers that were really gone for the time being.

With your arms around him he feels safe. With the lights around the both of you he feels at home. Hearing your heart beat slows his own down to a more healthy pace and he realizes too how much you mean to him. You've always been there for him, you've listened to his concerns, helped him in hero training and regular studying. You had become a part of what home meant to him and you grounded him. These feelings over came him and he reached up to pull your hands from his body to hold them in his own. Pulling away from you just far enough to look you in the eye.

You sat there with him on the forest floor, bodies pressed close and hearts beating loud. He looks you in the eyes for a second before bowing his head to rest his forehead against yours. You close your eyes to soak in the moment while you can.

"Thank you.", he says.

You separate from him by an inch to look questioningly into his eyes.

"You- You being here, the lights. Thank you Y/n. You mean so much to me and this,", he looks around "this is perfect. Thank you." He smiles and huffs out a small laugh, you really made things perfect in your little bubble of light in the woods even after all that's happened, he's calm now with you here.

You're speechless at this. He misses being as close to you as possible and surges forward with a bit too much force, capturing you in his arms before you both hit the soft dirt. You both share a little laugh at this that almost sounds like a sigh of relief and he nuzzles his head into your shoulder.

"You won't have to worry in the future. I want to be with you all the time Y/n, we'll stay close and when the next attack comes we'll fighting side by side."

He says it like no big deal but you hug him back that much tighter. "Close?" You don't want to get your hopes up.