𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬||𝐈𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀

a long-needed talk.

 The little meeting that Izuku had was a date. A date with Ochaco. Mina wasn't surprised, neither were her friends.

"I'm surprised they didn't tie the knot earlier." Sero snorted. Ashido started sitting at her regular seat at Bakugou's table. Ochaco and Bakugou were missing from the scene. Ochaco was sitting with Midoriya and friends. She would too, but she wanted to give them space. Kiri also invited her over. Mina didn't think Bakugou was even in the lunchroom.

She found herself at ease with the red-haired man. They became each other's confidants. Something Mina would never admit is that Kirishima became her new Midoriya.

It wasn't a secret. Everyone could tell the inseparable pair from the first term didn't hang out as much. The sparkles were gone. The chemistry, gone. The only times you could publically catch them together is in a group of people, like the study sessions 1-A held each week. They spoke here and there. They always seemed happy to see each other. However, something felt wrong.

Mina couldn't put her finger on it, why interactions with Izuku had decreased over the week, she didn't know. Izuku probably wouldn't either. It wasn't on purpose! Fate seemed to get in her way every time she made her way to talk to him. She accepted it and left it alone. Well, she thought she did.

"They're not married, idiot," Jirou snorted. "They're just going out."

"Yeah, yeah," Sero yawned while he picked at his food. "Same thing."

"Still would have never thought Izuku would be the first person to get with someone," He fiddled with his milk carton.

"I mean, we were first," Kaminari waved from his arm from across the table. One of his hands rested nicely on Jirou's shoulder.

"Oh," Mina yawned. "I forgot about you guys."

"Congratulations, by the way!" Kiri smiled.

"We've been together for a while now-" Kaminari huffed.

"Oh-" Kirishima shrunk in his chair.

"Anyways!" Jirou clapped her hands together. I always had a feeling they'd get together! Since winter break! Don't you agree, Mina?"

Mina had forgotten to tell the girl about what went down the past few weeks. She made a note to do it later.

"Uh, yeah," She smiled. "They are cute." She looked back at Izuku's table. The pair were close together. They were peering over a book, probably Izuku's quirk assessment journal. Mina never got to see it.

He promised her that they would go through it one day together. The offer still stood. It felt too foreign, though, just like everything else.

That feeling of guilt when she saw the two of them together had long passed. She felt happy that she wasn't in the way of her friends.

That was enough, or was it? This entire time she kept telling herself things were okay, things were enough. What if one day her unresolved feelings sprout up again? Then what? She listed her feelings for Midoriya as unclear for the time being. 

"I'm glad you're doing better after that night, Mina," Kaminari beamed. She rose her eyebrows, taken aback but nodded. Kirishima shot her a look of confusion, but she mumbled. "long story,"

---

She opened up on her run with Kirishima. They began running together. The fang-toothed boy could keep up with her, so she didn't mind his company.

One early morning, they were jogging together. The pair decided to take a break before heading back to the dorms for a shower and to get ready for school.