The majority of the ride back to the Midoriya household was in complete silence. Izuku kept Mina's hand in his, interwinding their fingers, and in turn, she rested his head on her shoulder. It felt a bit like the calm before the storm, but that calm had never opened up to anything.
Both of them had been expecting to get into an enormous argument with Inko, to the point they'd almost rehearsed the fight in their minds and had predicted counters to anything that she had to say. They had been prepared, ready to fight their corner as fiercely as they needed to, unwilling to change their stances or minds about their feelings about the subject.
It had to be Yuuei. Because Yuuei was important to them.
Yuuei was the school they had both dreamed of going to since they discovered that they wanted to be Heroes. It was the place that they had aspired to go to throughout most of their years in middle school. It was what they had both trained and studied so, so hard for.
And it was where both of them met. Yuuei had sentiment to them. It was important to both of them, and they wanted to keep attending the school. Together. It had to be Yuuei. Even if it was dangerous, and even if Yuuei wasn't safe from all the Villain attacks anymore. Anywhere else… And it wouldn't be the same.
But they hadn't needed to fight. Inko had given her son her permission to attend, even in the face of all the danger and uncertainty. Because of Mina.
Because of how much she clearly cared. Because of how far she was willing to go. Because of what she had done. All because of a simple phone call… As Mina found herself looking absently at the background of her phone, dimly lit, she just found it bizarre to think that something as mundane as just calling Izuku's mother had affected everything about today. It was weird to think about. Difficult to consider that if she hadn't done what many would consider to be a dangerous choice, things might not have worked out the way that they had.
Things had worked out. Somehow.
It was just around the beginning of sunset. The sky was mostly blue, but the beginning of orange had begun to bleed into the colour, as the sun began to fall from it's place in the sky. Izuku, Mina and Inko were all in a taxi, their driver being a woman who had some kind of insect Quirk that gave her antenna and reflective eyes. Inko didn't drive.
No words were spoken between the three of them because of said taxi driver. Somehow, just talking about what had gone down over the last week just felt… Private. Like it wasn't something to be casually discussed.
Of course, hiding Izuku's identity after everything was nearly impossible. Thanks to his name being broadcast all over the country due to being kidnapped, alongside Bakugou, he was one of the most identifiable people in the country right now. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for Izuku to not get swamped various citizens asking him questions and wanting to know more about his experience.
Though, Mina still had his hoodie. Which she was able to return, finally. Putting the hood up, and his trademarked fluffy green hair was hidden easily. No one would think to look twice, and the drive hadn't either. Hiding Mina wasn't an easy task, but more people would be willing to just overlook her given the circumstances. Besides, Mina could handle people. Izuku was still an awkward sort.
Mina looked down at Izuku, for no real reason in particular. After going through Hell and back to get him and bring him home, just having him here right now almost felt like it was some sort of dream, or joke. It took everything inside her to remind herself that this was all real. That he was here. That he wasn't going anywhere, and that they were going to fight like Hell to make sure that they stayed together from here on out.
As she looked down, she saw that in his hand was a sheet of paper. A small piece, that he'd just been staring at for the longest time. She didn't even know how she hadn't noticed it until now. Perhaps it was because she just hadn't been focusing on what he had on him, more concerned with him just being there.
"What you go there, Izu?" She asked quietly, not wanting the driver to hear her.
"Huh?" Izuku turned his head to look towards her, with one eyebrow buried, and another one raised up. He looked a bit tired, though given all the painkillers and drugs he'd been given as part of his recovery, Mina wasn't surprised. "Sorry… I didn't catch that."
"The paper." Mina pointed to it with her free hand. "What's on it?"
"Oh." He paused for a moment before holding it closer, so Mina could read it. "It's a thank you letter. From Kota."
"Kota? That edgy kid from the lodge?"
"I… I'm not sure if I'd use the same word to describe him as you did, but, yeah, that's him." Izuku laughed gently, before handing the paper to his pink girlfriend.
While she had guessed that Izuku saved that kid from the way that he'd brought him to Aizawa, Mina knew little about the exact nature of his rescue. "You're gonna have to tell me about what you did to save this kid sometime."
"When we're alone…" Izuku muttered. He seemed to be falling asleep slowly now that his only distraction had been taken away from him. He already knew that the moment he had to get out of the taxi, he was going to be wide awake, especially by the time he reached his and his mothers apartment, but even so. Mina's shoulder was warm. Like a pillow.
Kota had written an extremely blunt letter of thanks, to put it mildly, though Mina could tell he was sincere. From what little she knew about the kid, he had just been an angry kid. To be fair though, he had every right to be angry. Still, it was the most definitive feature about him that she could remember about him, and how he talked about Izuku. How he'd pushed aside everything that Izuku had tried to say, and tied to make him stop and leave him alone. Seeing this letter made her smile a small bit. It was like he'd come out of his shell. Just a little, tiny bit.
She didn't know what he did, but Mina knew that he was a Hero through and through. She had no doubts that he'd gone to every extreme that he could to hep Kota. Actually, now that she thought about it, that had to be where his broken bones had come from that night, didn't it?
He'd put himself on the line like that for pretty much anybody, wouldn't he?
That was just the kind of person Izuku was. Selfless, and willing to break himself over and over just to save one person, no matter what happened to him. That was why he was in such a broken state now. Why he only had one arm explosion left in him.
That was what made him a real Hero.
Mina smiled gently, and rested her head on top of his.
"It's pretty scary about what happened to All Might, isn't it?" The taxi driver asked, making meaningless conversation with Inko to pass the time as she waited for the green light to appear, to give her the go ahead to pass onwards.
The older Midoriya nodded, though she felt her voice shake a little. "I-It really was…"
"I was with my nephew and brother when it came on TV. Don't think I've ever heard the little guy scream at a TV screen as much in my life, trying to support All Might on."
"I can imagine. My son practically idolizes All Might."
With a quick quirk of the eyebrow, the driver then pointed towards her two passengers in the back with her thumb. "Speaking of, I think they're both catching flies."
When Inko turned to see what she was talking about, she saw that both Mina and Izuku had fallen fast asleep, Izuku's head comfortable between her shoulders and her own head, both their fingers still intertwined. Mina's mouth was hung open slightly, thanks to the angle they were both positioned at. Both looked so calm and peaceful, thank it would be a shame to eventually wake them up.
Inko felt herself smile. She had been about to ask them what they wanted for food once they got home. Not wanting to disturb them for even a minute before she had to, she quickly decided that take out seemed like the best option, pressing a few keys into her phone as she called up an app for ordering.
"…You should call someone at your house."
Mina let out a small sigh, and put the phone down on Izuku's desk, and leaned back into the seat she sat on. Izuku was right, and she knew that he was. Showing up tomorrow without a word and just expecting everyone to side with them was just idealism. Especially after not even speaking to them for over a week. They'd either be worried sick, or beyond furious.
Her choices hadn't been the best in the last couple of weeks. She knew this. She'd made dumb choices, emotion fueled calls, and just been an idiot in more areas than she cared to admit. Just getting Izuku back had been at the forefront of her mind. Little else had mattered to her. She hadn't been able to think about anything else. And she felt like she knew why.
Izuku was her first boyfriend, and she loved him to bits. But the issue with that was, she had held on too tightly. She didn't have a frame of reference for when to cling on tightly or when to loosen her hold. These last few weeks, she had a tight grip on him, wanted things to go a certain way. She had wanted to make sure that things had been just right, and how she felt they deserved to go. But that hadn't worked. It made her feel like she was obsessed. And when things didn't go the way she wanted them to, like with Bakugou…
She let out another sigh. Things went badly. That was the result of holding on too hard. Thing would go bad, or wrong, and she wouldn't be able to hide her frustration, even if it came from a place of honest good intent. She wanted to be better. She knew she could be better. Izuku deserved better. And she was going to loosen her hold. She trusted him, above everything. She wasn't as good at this as she let on.
It was why she agreed with him now. "…I know you're right. Guess I'm thinking about who to call. Or hoping they'll call me."
"What… What did you even say to them last time you spoke?"
"…It wasn't exactly pretty." Mina admitted, awkwardly glancing towards one of the many All Might posters that cluttered Izuku's walls. "I uh… I basically told them they had no idea about the first thing regarding Heroes, called Micha a coward, and told them to get lost."
"I – I thought you and Micha got along really well?"
"We normally do… But the guy can be kind of over-protective of family sometimes. He sided with Mom and Dad about sending me away from Yuuei. Apparently, they'd already looked into places like Shiketsu." Her hand curled up into a small fist. "…You know my feelings about that."
Izuku nodded slowly, biting his lower lip before he spoke. "…You…. Your brother always struck me as being a pretty rational, open person. Maybe if you just talked to him…"
"…That makes it harder, y'know?" Mina let her eyes fall to her phone, and could swear that she could feel it pushing her way from her. "…Micha's always been a good guy to me. More like a friend than a brother. He drives me up the wall sometimes, but…" She let herself smile softly, remembering various antics from their childhood. "…You kind grow close to someone who has a Quirk like yours. Especially if you're the Mutant of the family. It doesn't bother me much anymore… But when I was a kid, my skin and eyes and horns really bugged me."
The green haired boy didn't say anything. He remembered the night they had their first kiss, and the things Mina had said to him then. He remembered her quiet insecurities, that only came up quietly once every so often.
"…Then you had a brother like Micha, who didn't give a damn. He was awesome. Helped me get over that first wave of anxiety when it came to my mutations. I think he's part of why I'm so alright with them now. I remember seeing other Mutants when I started going to school, and I got used to it… But for the first few years of my life? Micha was there. And he's been there the whole time. Making sure that we were all okay. Being a good brother…"
Her eyes fell to the floor.
"And I call him a coward just to shut him up because I didn't want to hear it."
"Mina…"
"Meltdown's a really powerful Quirk. Anything he touches, it just melts, even if it isn't supposed to melt. Metal, rocks, paper, plastic… People. His Quirk is awesome. And he wanted to be a Hero when he was younger. I always thought that he'd be a second year to my first year. That I'd know people 'In high places'… When he came back from the trial though, he looked really happy. I thought he'd passed…. He didn't. But he was still cheerful, like it wasn't the sort of thing that he'd been looking forward to his whole life. I didn't get it until I took the practical exam myself… Those robots could be kind of horrific, couldn't they?"
She didn't need to explain anymore.
"…Being a Hero isn't for everyone. I know that." Mina said, looking to Izuku. "But Micha learned that the hard way. And even though he didn't become a Pro… He still stuck by me and supported me. And I called him out like that… I don't know if I even deserve his help. And even if I did… I don't know if he'd want to help. And I wouldn't be able to blame him."
He drove her insane. He teased and joked and embarrassed her. He got on her nerves and he was downright capable of screwing her over at times. But Micha…
Izuku was an only child. He'd never really even thought about what things would be like if he had a sibling. So many different possibilities existed there, especially if that sibling had a Quirk. He suspected that he would have been a lot less lonely throughout his childhood, but alas, he had grown up a single child. So he couldn't really say what it would be like having a brother, or a sister. He didn't know what that was like.
So what could he say to Mina now? What could he say, when he didn't know what the situation was like? He hadn't even been there for Mina's call. What right did he even have to comment on it? Could he even really offer any advice worth heeding?
No. He couldn't. He couldn't claim to know what was going through Mina's head, or even pretend that he knew what the best thing to do in this situation was. Nothing he could say could really be taken as anything other than the second guesses of someone who wasn't familiar with the world that Mina inhabited.
All he could do was offer her his support.
He stood up from his bedside and made his way towards her, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and offered her a soft smile of encouragement and support. It wasn't much, but it was really all that he could offer her. "…I… It'll be fine. I'm sure of it…. I - I don't understand much about having siblings… But if he wanted you to leave Yuuei because it was too dangerous… Then, to me… That sounds like he really does have your best interests in mind. Even if you disagree…"
Mina's hand reached up to her shoulder and placed itself on top of Izuku's, and she let herself smile gently again, as well as taking a deep breath, and then exhaling. She took another look at her mobile phone. Micha's number was in her list of contacts, just waiting to be called. She took another deep breath.
And hit the dial button.
It rang for about ten seconds, and for a moment, Mina thought that her brother wouldn't pick up.
"Mina?"
She'd never been gladder to be wrong in her life. Her grip on Izuku's hand tightened. "…Hey, Micha."
"It's late. What's going on? You alright?"
"I'm… I'm fine, thanks. Mostly tired. It's kind of been a long day."
"…How's Midoriya?"
"He's awake." Mina glanced towards her boyfriend as she spoke. "I'm at his house right now."
"Oh, thank God." She could hear her brother letting out a loud sigh of relief, and the sound of him collapsing onto his bed in the background. The clattering of plastic could also be heard, more than likely from game controllers hitting the floor. "The news hasn't said anything about him for the last week. Most of the attention's been on Yuuei."
"I guess they'll report on it tomorrow, now that we're out."
"You need me to come pick you up?"
"…Do you even know how to drive?"
"Well, we ain't gonna know unless I try, are we?"
The comment actually elicited a laugh from Mina. Even in this sort of awkward back and forth, her brother still found a way to crack jokes. She let out a laugh – A good, hearty, out loud laugh – For the first time in a while. She could hear her brother also chuckling on the other end, apparently proud of his joke and of making his sister break down into hysterics. Izuku remained ignorant of the joke, but he was able to smile at the sight of his girlfriend losing her mind over a small, dumb joke.
A lot of the tension had suddenly just died. "I really don't know where, how, or why you make these things up, Micha."
"It's all created in the vast boiling point that is my brain."
"That explains both everything and nothing."
"Just as was intended."
"I'll bet you've missed having an audience that actually laughs at your crap, huh?"
"Kind of." Micha's tone became a lot more serious suddenly. "It's been… Pretty quiet here to be honest. Mika and Mara hang out now, and I'm stuck with Mom and Dad trying to figure out… What happens next… We got a message from Yuuei today." Mina felt herself freeze. "They said All Might is coming to discuss you staying at Yuuei."
"…Yeah. All Might and Izu's mother had the same talk in the hospital today."
"And?"
"He's still attending."
"Damn. After what happened to him?"
"Yeah."
A brief pause. "…It's kind of funny, don't you think?" Micha said. "Normally its parents having to fight like hell to get their kids to go to certain schools, or they'll go to teachers to try and figure out some sort of deal to keep their kid attending… I think Yuuei is the only school I've heard of where the school will actually fight like this to keep its students attending. Skin off the waters back for most places."
"…Most schools don't deal with Villain attacks."
"…No. No they do not." Micha let out a small sigh. "…You are dead set on staying at Yuuei, aren't you? There's no way I'm gonna change your mind."
"…Nope."
"…They've got cool hats at Shiketsu." Micha chuckled, just the once, at his own pathetic attempt at persuasion. "…You were right about me, you know."
"Huh?" Mina blinked in confusion.
"About what you said. About me and... Attending Yuuei." The older Ashido let out a sigh. "Seriously. If I were trying to get into Yuuei with a Quirk like mine… There's no way I woulda failed, is there, let's be honest. Meltdown is a pretty damn strong Quirk, and… I always feel guilty about not pushing past everything and doing the best I could… But that… That world just… It's not something I think I can deal with."
Mina hadn't ever thought less of her brother for not pursuing Heroism. Even if his Quirk was powerful, that didn't mean that he was require by law to pursue a field in that sort of area. What he wanted to do with his life was his own deal, and no one else's at the end of the day. People might not try out for Heroics for any number of reasons. People might decide the world of Heroism isn't for them. And that was fine.
"…You didn't have to go after Heroics if you didn't want to."
"I did want to… But It's not a world I think I can live in. I couldn't even get past the freaking entrance exam because I didn't wanna go anywhere near those robots. How pathetic's that?"
"Micha – "
"But that's my problem. Not yours." He spoke a bit louder now. "And you shouldn't have to deal with my crap because I didn't go to Yuuei. You were right about Mom and Dad too. None of us really know what being a Hero is like. You're the first person in our mess of a family that even tried out for it. We shouldn't speak for you… Might be harder to convince Mom and Dad of that though."
That was no question going to be a far tougher fight. Logic, reasoning, and everything else would probably be out the window with them. Mina was their daughter, and they could present all the diagrams in the world that proved that she would be safe and that no harm would come to her, and it wouldn't matter. Because the faith in Heroes had been eroded too many times, and they weren't just about to send their daughter off to a Hero school to live with Heroes. It wasn't because they were selfish or bad people. It was the opposite. They cared about their daughter, and just wanted her to be safe.
The worst part was that Mina couldn't even disagree. Yuuei hadn't done a whole lot to convince any parent really that they were fit to look after their kids. It wasn't Yuuei's fault, but they'd take the blame. They always had to. She couldn't even imagine the fights that the rest of her classmates had needed to go through to attend the school still.
"…I'll help."
Mina blinked again. "Huh?"
"You're gonna fight like mad to stay at Yuuei anyway. If I can't stop you, I might as well help you. I'll admit that I don't really trust Heroes anymore, but I'm sure not gonna stop you from becoming one. So, I'll help. However I can."
"A-Are you serious?"
"When am I ever not serious?" A pause. "Don't answer that."
The pink girl laughed, mostly not even from her brothers joke, but from the sense of relief that she was suddenly feeling hit her like a tidal wave. She felt Izuku's hand leave her shoulder, presumably to check on something with his mother, but she didn't need the comfort anymore. "Seriously, Micha, you're the best. Just, ever."
"Of course I am. I'm me." Mina could swear that she could hear him grinning. "So, you're gonna be here tomorrow then, I'm guessing."
"As soon as All Might tells us to head there."
"I'll talk to Mom and Dad now. See if I can try to sway their heads by tomorrow."
"You're the best."
"Yep, yeah, let's hear it for me, the alpha Ashido."
"Don't push it." Mina chuckled.
"Pushing it's fun though! What's the point of having it if you're not gonna push it?"
Mina could feel her brain whirling to find a quick response, but she was interrupted by a gentle tapping on her shoulder again. She glanced over, and saw Izuku, pointing towards the door. He gave her a quick, one word answer to what he was trying to tell her. "Food."
"Got it." She nodded, then turning her head back normally. "Micha, I gotta go. Some actual food is here."
"As opposed to all that fake food that people normally eat. Like Mika, and her regular consumption of plastic bananas." Her brother snarked.
"I've been living off of sandwiches and vending machines for a week. I'd like actual sustenance."
"Fair enough." Micha chuckled at his last joke once more. "I'll see you tomorrow, Pinky. I hope it goes well."
"Me too."
Mina hadn't ever felt more intimidated by the sight of her own neighborhood.
She had lived here for the majority of her life, or at least the portion that she could clearly remember. She had vague memories of her previous household, but that was it. This was where all her memories actually had come from, where she had grown up, played, and knew like she knew her own hands. It was peaceful and quiet, especially compared to the rest of the city. As they walked, she could see children from the Akayama family playing on the pavements. She'd only ever really known them in passing, but the sight of a kid with two sets of wings, and one with feathers instead of hair, was entirely recognizable.
Peace honestly felt slow to her right now. It was why the days sat by Izuku's bedside had been a blur. A blur that just kept on going, and going, and going, and going, and going, and going, and going, and going and going, and going, until it finally, finally, finally ended. She had no idea if it was the side effect of being in constant fighting all the time, or from the trauma of her injuries. Or maybe she was just used to the constant hustle and bustle that was Yuuei.
The days would go back to normal once she had stuff to do. She hadn't ever looked forward to school work more in her whole life.
Still, she could appreciate the general tranquility of her surroundings. It was a relatively nice day without any wind, but a pleasant breeze that was warm against her skin. Aside from the Akayama children playing, it was nice and peaceful too. Calm, and quiet.
Her own street had an entirely different feel to it.
Instinctively, she grabbed hold of Izuku's hand. It was all in her own head, but it suddenly felt colder, and more serious. The silence suddenly became deafening. And she could swear that the buildings were taller than she remembered. Or had she just not noticed beforehand?
"You're okay." Izuku told her, squeezing her hand and offering her a smile. "It's alright."
She allowed herself to blink and let out a small sigh. Her mind cleared itself, and she took another look around. Nothing had changed. It was just in her head. Apparently she was a lot more nervous about this meeting than she had thought – And she had thought she couldn't get any more nervous or anxious as it was.
A small smile crept onto her lips. "Y'know, I thought I'd end up having to be the one to look after you. Not the other way around."
"We wouldn't be a team if we didn't watch out for one another." Izuku said, echoing his girlfriend's sentiment back at the hospital. "We'll get through this. We'll convince your parents to let you stay at Yuuei, and then we can work on getting better… Or, at least as best we can."
"So, we won't work on becoming Heroes?" Mina laughed gently. "Who are you, and what have you done with my Izu?"
Izuku just let himself smile.
It didn't take them too long from then to finally see the outline of a skinny man that was now the public face of All Might exit a vehicle that had been parked outside the Ashido residence. He looked solemn, in the way that teachers always seemed to look when there were serious matters to attend to. Maybe stern was a better word. Mina didn't really know what she would use to describe the look on the former Pro's face. It was like he was resigned to this not going smoothly.
"All Might!" Izuku called out to his teacher when he saw him. He would have run up to the skinny man, had he not been holding Mina's hand.
"Midoriya." All Might seemed to forgo the over familiar nicknames, due to his mothers presence. "How are you feeling?"
The green-eyed boy took a glance towards Mina, and then a glance towards his right arm. He seemed to struggle to find the right words to articulate his feelings right now. Like Mina, he wasn't entirely certain about how he felt, given everything that he'd been through. The boy had been though so much…
It took him a few moments, but he answered with a small smile, and his fist held up just gently in front of him, almost like he was showing off his scars. "I'm alright."
Even in his state, he still did his best to follow All Might's ways. Mina felt her hand squeeze his again.
All Might nodded, and offered a smile of his own, clear pride on his lips to anyone who knew the familiarity between the two. His head turned gently, to look at Inko, and then towards Mina. "Ashido, are you feeling okay?"
"About as good as I can be, I guess." Mina said quietly, putting on a much smaller, but still present smile. A smile which faded when she looked towards her own house. "Not looking forward to this though…"
"An understandable thing to feel." All Might nodded. There was a moment of silence as they all looked at the Ashido household. Of course walking into what you knew was going to be a fight with close family was going to be intimidating and nerve wrecking. Like a child who had stayed out past their curfew and hadn't been answering their phone.
Just knowing that there was going to be a fight here was unsettling enough. Normally, Mina could guess her parents well enough. She knew how they acted and how they thought… But this was the first time she honestly hadn't been able to hazard a guess. Would they be furious at her for how she had acted? Would they be calm, or would they not want to even consider a discussion at all? Had they already made up their minds?
Micha hadn't reported back anything from the previous night. No texts and no calls. Not even anything in the morning. If that was a good or a bad sign, Mina had no idea.
"This is where you live, Mina?" Inko asked, standing like she was absolutely amazed at the sight of the Ashido residence.
"Yeah." Mina remembered Izuku having a similar reaction. She suddenly wondered if his mother had ever lived in an actual house before, or if she'd resided in apartments for her whole life.
There was suddenly some movement from the curtains on the second floor that Mina noticed. Just a sway, indicating someone had been watching, but had left before Mina had spotted them. She recognized which room it was as well.
Her parents'.
"…Here we go then." She sighed.
She could have sworn her house wasn't so tall when she left it last.