Embarrassment and Excitement

Everlong

'This is usually the part where you would have your recontextualizing flashback about me... But we both know how much you hate mixing your personal life with your hero work... Isn't that right, Izu?'  

Camie stared off at Bakugo and Todoroki pulling Shindo and Izuku away from each other as she popped her bubble gum into a pink mist.     

"Ah, I don't know what it is about that guy, he just always brings out the worse in me." Izuku exasperated out as Bakugo and Todoroki dragged him to the beach before the three of them sat down. 

"I know the feeling!" Kacchan said with a roll of his eyes referring to Izuku. 

"Oh, I don't know about that, I'd say Midoriya brings out the best in you." Todoroki mentioned as he sat by Izuku's left with Kacchan on his right.   

"That's only for you, I've always been great." 

Todoroki ignored him, going back to the situation. "But it is really out of character for you to be so confrontational over trivial things. What is it, between you and Shindo, that always gets you both riled up like that?" 

"Ha, that just proves how much you don't understand Deku." Kacchan just wanted the chance to be obnoxious and superior to Shoto. "He's always confrontational when it comes to the things he cares about, that's why he's so annoying."

Todoroki raised a confused eyebrow. "What he cares about? What does that have to do with Shindo?" 

"You can't be that dense! Don't you get it, Deku has to trust Shindo with his girl's life when it comes to heroing, but the same also applies to Deku considering how ditzy that blonde is." 

"She's not as dumb as she looks..." Was Izuku's only interruption to the conversation. They both turn to him with confused eyes, but their expressions only became more perplexed as they stared at his face. He had that same faraway glance as if recalling a certain memory with his eyes both vivid and hollow, yet there was a liquid lull. It wasn't until he noticed their focus on them that he stopped being the hero Deku and went back to being Mina's boyfriend, Izuku, continuing his words. "Ah, but I mean she also is, haha, but at the same time there's a reason I trust her so much." He cleared up as he ruffled the back of his hair. 

But that didn't clear up anything for those two, if anything they grew more question marks over their heads.

Seeing as how they didn't say anything, Izuku continued to speak, as is the curse of his rambling nature. "But what you said Kacchan, about me being confrontational... I think you're wrong about that, because honestly, it feels like I'm always running away." 'I don't even have the nerve to tell Mina I love her, despite the fact that we said it already.' 

But Bakugo had enough of Izuku. "Why don't you just grow a pair, then! I can never deal with this mushy side of yours! Damn it, where's that floating bikini that keeps bothering me!" And Kacchan left looking for Toru. 

"I'm sorry, Midoriya but I gotta agree with Bakugo on this one. I usually don't mind your sappy side, in fact, I sometimes encourage it, but today Yui and I are-," 

"N-No, yeah, I totally get it. Go have fun, I feel bad enough for dragging you and Kacchan into this."

Todoroki put his hand on his shoulder, "Don't mention it, we know you'd do the same for either of us," And he gave him a pat before heading out to spend time with Yui.                      

And that left Izuku alone in thought to watch the waves go by. "We did plan to watch the fireworks today, didn't we?"  

Mina and Momo were walking back to the group with the sun having long since set with the remaining light fading. Izuku was the first to notice them, as he was the one who was the most worried. Seeing them look like they were getting along relieved his worry but his anxiousness grew back when they started to approach him, as if all three of them knew they needed that closure. 

He also walked to them, as to get away from the group, keeping it between the three of them. He had a small smile while scratching the side of his cheek. "U-Um, h-how are you guys?"      

Mina gave him deadpan eyes, "Wow, talk about subtlety." 

And that sarcastic remark caused Momo to burst out in a small fit of giggles, cupping her hand over her mouth. "Yes, he's always been like that, hasn't he?" At this point they were both sharing in the laugh and as they finished both Momo and Mina gave Izuku a reassuring smile. "Well, I should be heading to the bathrooms to go wash up and change." Momo said as she made her leave. 

Izuku wanted to say something but he still didn't know how to talk to Momo after their argument in the classroom. Midoriya wanted to be friends with Yaoyorozu like they used to be but he knew that was impossible after everything Izuku shared with Momo. He could only hold his tongue as she walked away.     

Now that Izuku and Mina were finally alone, she did the only rational thing one would do in this situation. 

She smacked him. 

"Ow, what was that for?!" Izuku yelled at her with shark eyes, holding the comical bump on his head. 

"That's for breaking my friend's heart!" She yelled back with her own shark eyes. 

"Eh?! But I'm your boyfriend!" 

"I know that you idiot! That's why I'm also giving you this kiss!" 

"Huh!-," His confusion was interrupted by her lips, and that caused him to forget the argument as he began to kiss her back.

As they separated, Mina placed both her hands on either of his biceps, giving him an empathetic smile. "And I can only guess how hard it was on the both of you..." 

Izuku's eyes grew a liquid glass at the honey orbs staring back at him in a want to understand. "Mina..." 

He didn't think about it, he simply leaned in and kissed her on impulse. She let out a surprised squeak, but didn't protest it, moving her lips against his. 

As they settled and pulled away from each other, Mina had her usual toothy grin but there was more to it, and Izuku couldn't help but to be enamored. Her hair was being swept by the salty breeze, moving like the waves, her horns had a missing semblance of the faded sunset and her pink cheeks had the hue of the swirling clouds, 

And she didn't need to say much to express her joy.   

"C'mon, let's go get ready. We're gonna watch the fireworks together, right?"