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At first glance, you might not even realize who Yui Kodai is.
Just another face in the class photo. A photo of a class already being overshadowed by it’s sister class.
Even if you squint or look hard enough, you might not recognize her.
And for some reason, Yui feels like it’s her own fault.
Sometimes, she just doesn’t get things other people can. She doesn’t know what’s wrong, or even how to explain it, if she could even talk.
Talking was hard for her. After her first year in elementary school, she just shut her mouth completely and let her life be what it was, now. Yui was tired of the taunting and how she had to talk slower, or not pick up on social cues that other people did.
At least she was smart. Or that’s at least what her parents, teachers, and very, very few friends told her. Her report cards all showed it. The worst grade she’s ever gotten was a 90.07.
Then there was her supposed beauty.
When they weren’t making fun of her, they were trying to ask her out. Both boys and girls. She even had a fan club all throughout middle school and into her first year of highschool school before U.A. Those were the very few that didn’t hate her or were disgusted by her. Maybe it was just teasing or a joke when they asked her out? Yui doesn't answer them, just stares at them. Eventually they start belittling and bullying her again, or just won’t give up after no answer, right in her face before she has to cover her ears and then start crying from the auditory overload.
Speaking of that, her hearing isn’t just the only thing that’s sensitive. She doesn’t like being touched randomly (Something which kids in middle school abused to the fullest extent-), but also wants a hug every once in a while, and not just from nobody (Kendou gives the best hugs in her opinion, since she’s strong and well-built but also since she’s only a little taller than her). It’s also why her costume is skin tight so she’s able to remain calm and collected during training or hero work. The only downside is that some of the boys (And all the boys outside of U.A) keep gawking at her (At least Tsuburaba and Sen are able to control themselves, unlike that gremlin Mineta in the other class-).
All of this combined…
It sucks.
That’s about as much as Yui was willing to say. Or could say.
Then came U.A.
Now… Now it seemed like people wanted to actually be her friend. Yui could officially say Kendou was her first actual friend since kindergarten. And it was during the Entrance Exam, too, that Kendou said she wanted to be friends with her. Yui couldn’t stop herself from crying for a good long while.
Then on her first day at U.A, she and Reiko sat at the same lunch table. They didn’t say a word to each other, but Reiko caught a glimpse of a worksheet they were supposed to do as introductions to each other, and asked why she liked tomatoes so much. Yui didn’t respond, only stared until Reiko’s eyes softened and said she wasn’t making fun of her if that’s why she was remaining silent. Things escalated, and… Well, now Kodai has two friends.
The day after, both Kendou and Reiko said something to her together…
"You just need to be more upfront about what you're feeling and what you want. We'll even help you if you want us to."
It’s not as easy as it sounds and both Kendou and Reiko knew that. But… it was the help part of that sentence that made it so genuine. Of course, Reiko was the resident introverted spooky girl who liked reading creepypastas, so she really wasn’t the best person for the job even if she did help tremendously, and even though Kendou was a social butterfly, she was only one person and was limited on what she could do and what she could teach Yui.
Yui’s able to hold a conversation now, just with few words.
Kendou and Reiko want her to start thinking of ways to build up enough courage to talk to someone…
Though, right now, at least in the present, she couldn’t be asked to.
Yui wipes the sleep from her eyes, blinking wearily as she walks over to the couch in the commons room. Her mind always ends up running away like that when she didn’t have anything better to do, and even then, sometimes she’d get distracted by nothing at all and start fiddling with her pencil or something. The only time it didn’t happen was in training or hero work, which she was thankful for, but she still wished it didn’t happen at all.
As to why she was down here, it was to greet Kendou and Reiko for the morning. Both of them had asked her to do that since moving into the dorms to get her to interact more. They didn’t force her, they asked and allowed her to refuse if she wanted to. That’s what makes Yui love them so much.
She grabs the nearby blanket and swipes for herself, only for a resounding snore to violate her ears. Yui looks over, her blank expression still on her face, to see Reiko slowly sit up, her arms outstretched like a zombie coming back from the grave. Reiko stretches, her bones cracking before she looks at Yui with a dead tired look to match Yui’s stone cold expression. Reiko yawns before speaking.
“Hello, Yui.” She says quietly. “Funny seeing you down here.” Yui just nods, something that she wouldn’t have done earlier this year, something that makes Reiko smile just a tiny bit. The early morning light flooding through the closed curtains makes Reiko and Yui’s hair shimmer. No one else is down there, just both of the quiet girls enjoying each other's company.
Well, at least they were the only ones down there with the (previously) closed curtains.
It’s almost like both Yui and Reiko can sense the chaos ball that is Setsuna coming down the hall before she even reaches them. Both of them shield their eyes before the greenette cartwheels into the commons room and yanks open the curtains with her detached hands.
“Oh, I won't ask for much this Christmas, I won't even wish for snow! I'm just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe, I won't make a list and send it to-!” Setsuna’s singing and dancing routine was quickly interrupted when an abnormally large pillow smacked her across the face, and then continued beating her after she had fallen to the ground. “Ow! Ow! Stop it!” Setsuna splits her body into pieces to escape the Poltergeist Pillow.
“Shut up.” Yui ground out blankly. Reiko glanced over as she pressed her fingers together, releasing the pillow as it fell back down.
“Please don’t make me turn the heater off to calm you down, as I quite enjoy the warmth it gives, too.” Reiko says verbosely as always. Setsuna playfully pouts, secretly scared at the fact Reiko might actually turn the heater off that she depended on to stay awake thanks to her stupid lizard-like traits.
“Fine.” Setsuna pouts. She turns to Yui as her eyes begin lighting up again. “Oh! Happy Birthday by the way Yui!”
Oh…
Yeah…
That…
“Mmh.” Yui mumbles simply, looking up at the energetic greenette buzzing around her personal space, but being careful not to come too close and to keep her voice down. Even Setsuna was able to tone it down around her, she cared so much.
It made Yui almost smile, just the tiniest bit.
But honestly, Yui had completely forgotten about her own birthday. She never really celebrates it, she didn’t like the noise it brought and the attention it brought her, or the places she had to go to before her parents decided to respecte her wishes and stopped.
At least she had a reason to be happier than normal, now.
“Here, I’ll go get my present!” Setsuna shouts as she runs off. Yui whimpers lightly at the sudden shouting, causing Reiko to turn to her in concern.
“I’m fine.” Yui whispers. Reiko just nods, her eyes lingering on Yui a little longer, still concerned before she turns away, grabs the TV remote, and turns the TV on.
Just then, another figure rounds the corner from where Setsuna just disappeared down. Both Reiko and Yui look up to see Kendou smiling down at them. She doesn’t seem tired like usual this early in the morning, probably because of the fact they were all currently on winter break.
“Happy birthday, Yui.” Kendou greets quietly, waving. Yui waves back, expressionless. “Can I give you a hug to celebrate?” It takes Yui a second to nod. Kendou smiles even brighter when Yui does nod, and makes her way over before embracing Yui in a bear hug “There you go,” Kendou whispers. Yui hums in response with her eyes closed. “Now,” Kendou sits down to her left beside her. “Do you have any plans for your birthday?” Kendou smiles, cocking her head to the side as she brushes her hair to the side.
“No.” Yui states simply, shaking her head a little. Kendou’s eyes soften, her face falling a little at that.
At least it was better than her just shaking her head, Yui managed to actually say something.
“Well, we were thinking of ways for you to be more social with those around you, and, well…” Reiko suddenly pauses, contemplating what she’s about to say. Yui turns to face her, a little surprised as Reiko shoots Kendou a quick glance, Kendou nodding. “Well, we figured today would be the best day to execute it, it being your birthday and all.”
“Why don’t you get yourself a present?” Kendou grins. Yui turns back, confused.
“What she means is you should finally ask out Midoriya from Class 1-A and make him yours.”
Oh…
Yui’s face flashes as red as the tomatoes she loves oh-so much (Not really as much as Izuku-). Kendou giggles in response, Reiko smiling a little at her plight. Yui grabs a pillow and hugs it to her chest, bringing her knees up and burying her face in it.
“Aww, Yui…” Kendou comforts her. Yui just whines, shying away and shrinking in on herself even further (If that was even possible at this point-). “Okay, you don’t have to. We’re not saying you have to, but we were just suggesting it since… Well, today’s your birthday, and if you tell him that, then I bet he'll be more than happy to celebrate it with you!”
“Isn’t that… Kind of manipulative?” Reiko frowns, looking up at Kendou with furrowed eyebrows in confusion now that she put some more thought into their plan. Kendou shushes her quietly, mouthing ‘No’ before turning back to Yui.
“Yui, I promise it’s not that scary. Just look at me and Bakugou! The self-proclaimed God Explosion Murder, and when I asked him out, he blew himself up out of confusion! And this is Midoriya we’re talking about. He instantly becomes a blushing mess whenever a cute girl comes near him, and you’re waaaaay above just a cute girl. Please, just consider it.” Kendou soothes. She gently and slowly reaches down and rubs Yui’s back lightly so as to not trigger her. Yui doesn’t flinch away, instead letting out a low noise of approval at the pleasant skin contact.
“Ok.” Yui says after a few seconds. Kendou suddenly beams, schooching closer to Yui.
“That’s great! I promise you, Yui, you won’t regret trying at all.” Kendou says. “Here! I’ll go get your present!” Kendou suddenly stands up and quickly walks back down the hall towards her room. Yui misses the warmth of her touch already. Reiko then suddenly stands up as well.
“I still need to get my present for you as well. Please hang tight!” She called back as she disappeared around the corner.
Yui was left alone.
Again.
But the silence gave her time to think…
What could go wrong by asking Midoriya out?
If he made fun of her or said no, the… Well, Kendou and Reiko, as well as the rest of Class 1-B would be more than willing to beat anyone’s asses for her, not to mention the trouble of bullying or assaulting a… someone like her (Saying ‘autist’ or ‘mentally deficient person’ made Yui want to cry, it just made her feel less than human and her reality all the much more real-).
But… Again, this is Midoriya.
There is a way higher likelihood that he just ends up fainting from being asked the question than literally any other outcome.
How could it hurt?
W̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶a̶ ̶r̶e̶t̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶!̶?̶ ̶U̶g̶h̶,̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶ ̶b̶a̶d̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶h̶i̶d̶e̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶-̶!̶
Yui gulps, breathing in deep and then out to remove that unsavory memory from her mind.
She made one (t̶o̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶n̶y̶-̶) mistake(s̶) in the past…
But fuck it this time, she had support.
Yui stands up off the couch and grabs her coat and winter hat from the rack nearby. Putting them on, she quickly slips out of the door, closing it gently so as to not cause ice to fall. Only a few seconds later, Kendou, Reiko, and Setsuna, all come back down with their presents, only to stop once they see the vacant spot where the resident silent beauty once resided.
“Where’d she go?” Kendou asks. She turns around, looking across the commons room into the kitchen before going down the hall calling her name out gently. “Yui? Where’d you go?”
“Hey, her coats’ missing!” The eagle-eyed-as-ever Setsuna points at, pointing to the coat rack. Reiko manages to piece two-and-two together, causing her to stop completely.
“Oh no.” She says, her pupils shrinking as a sudden wave of fear and dread washes over her.
—
“Wow, we really had a lot of snow last night!” Kirishima throws the snow he currently has in his shovel into the nearby snowbank.
“Gh- Yeah!” Izuku grunts as he begins thumping away at the ice covering the sidewalk beneath the snow they just cleared. He feels himself slipping, but manages to right himself just in time.
The greenette and the (shirtless-) redhead were assigned to clearing the pathways to both the Hero Classes dorms for today after a heavy blizzard last night.
As the two work though, neither of them notice a certain someone sneaking up behind them quietly.
Someone taps Izuku on the shoulder. The greenette spins around, beaming and smiling, only to freeze as he comes to eye level with Yui. He drops his shovel, the clang causing Kirishima to turn around before he beams brightly at Yui, waving.
“Oh, hey, Kodai!” He greets. “What’cha doin’ here?”
“I want to talk to him.” Yui says quietly, pointing slightly at Izuku, who’s still frozen.
“Oh, okay! I won’t intrude any longer! Oh, and happy birthday by the way! Tetsubro told me!” Kirishima finishes, still giving off his signature shark-tooth smile before turning back to the snow drift he was currently clearing before. This seems to snap Izuku out of his frozens state as he shakes his head, confused.
“Wait, it’s your birthday?” He asks. Yui just nods. Suddenly, Izuku’s face lights up brighter than the sun. “Oh, happy birthday, then! I bet everybody got you lots of presents to celebrate!” The sight of Izuku’s smile and beaming eyes entrances her. Yui’s still expressionless, but secretly, she’s melting down on the inside over how simultaneously cute and handsome Izuku looks right now.
“Thank you.” She says quietly.
“So, w-why’d- wh-why’d y-y-you want to talk? T-To me? O-Of a-all p-people?” Izuku asks, stammering and stuttering as he does his best to keep his composure now all of a sudden. He reminds Yui of a tomato with the way his face looks, and she wants to do nothing more than bite his cute little freckled cheeks as he freaks out adorably.
“Go out with me.” Yui blurts out, quickly and cohesively. A record scratch plays, and Izuku’s entire body goes rigid before he falls over limp on the ground.
‘Told ya.’ Kendou’s voice sounds out in Yui’s mind.
Kirishima turns around, shocked as he throws his shovel into the snowbank.
“Did you just ask Midori-bro out on a date!? That’s so manly!” He pumps the air with both his fists, grinning. For a second, Yui was scared he was going to yell at her for what she just did, but takes in a quick breath to calm herself down. “Uh-oh, Midori-bro down!” He runs over and quickly picks Izuku up like he’s just a ragdoll. “Don’t worry, he does this all the time!” Izuku groans, his face completely spaced out and detached from this world like he just got hit over the head with a frying pan a thousand times over. “He doesn’t know how to function when a girl asks him something, especially out on a date!” He responds, Pushing Izuku’s head upright.
Kodai just watches silently and stone-faced as ever. Eventually Izuku snaps out of it, Kirishima patting him on the back confidently before striding off back to receive his shovel from the snowbank it got lodged into.
“I- A- Wh-” Izuku stammers, almost seizure-like as he tries to find his words and his breath to say something as Yui keeps waiting on patiently, but secretly growing anxious on the inside. “Me!?!?!?” Yui jumps from the sudden noise, her head already hurting. Izuku must notice this as he jumps as well from her reaction.
“Oh my god! Did- I-I didn’t mean to shout! A-Are you okay!?” Izuku lowers his voice to a whisper. He reaches a hand out, only for Kodai to suddenly recoil away. Izuku mirrors it almost exactly and covers his face with his hands. “Oh my god, I screwed this up already! I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t know-” Izuku devolves into muttering again as he floods in on himself. Yui loosens up, but is still tense as the pain in her ears and head is gone now. She walks over and places a hand on Izuku’s shoulder.
“It’s okay.” She says softly. Izuku stops and looks up, confused and shocked all at the same time.
“R-Really???” He asks as if he himself couldn’t believe it. Yui just nods in response.
“You didn’t know. You stopped. And you apologized... profusely... a lot afterwards…” Yui says, stammering herself. She feels herself die a little inside as she keeps screwing up bigger words. She knows what apologized, profusely, and afterwards mean, she can pronounce them to herself in sentences when she’s in private, she just can’t say them in sentences to actual people . At least she can write them. Yui usually texts people or writes out what she means instead of speaking, or even signing to people (That’s why Present Mic was her favorite teacher next to Vlad King-).
Izuku looks up at her, worried but quizzically before he stands up. He looks down at his shoes, sullen slightly.
“S-Sorry.” He apologizes. “I-I made myself look like an idiot. I-It’s okay if y-you don’t want to-”
“Can you go out with me?” Yui asks, cutting him off. She didn’t want to be rude, but the words slipped out faster than she could choke the back. Besides, it was probably for the better considering what he was about to say. Izuku freezes again, looking Yui dead in the eye with beady pupils.
“U-Uh- Y-Y-Y-Y-Yeah???” Izuku stutters out, his entire body shaking. Yui just stares at him for a couple of seconds before nodding. Izuku coughs exhaling through his nose. “O-O-Okay… S-So… W-Where d-do y-y-ou w-want t-t-t-to go?”
Yui just stares at him again.
“Plaza.” Yui responds finally after going through a list of locations in her head frantically.
“O-O-Oh, o-o-okay! T-T-T-That’s a-a-a good l-location t-t-to go t-to!” Izuku has a wavy smile on his face as he pulls the collar of his sweater out a little bit. Yui wants to giggle at the sight, but manages to force it down.
Before she realizes what she’s doing, Yui reaches down and grabs Izuku’s hand gently before pulling him along in the opposite direction towards where they were going.
“W-Wha- W-Wait! I-I s-still ne-”
“It’s okay, Midori-bro! I’ll cover for you!” Kirishima reassures, waving to Izuku before he just becomes a dot as Yui drags him off. Izuku turns around and looks at Yui. She’s looking forward, her face stoned and expressionless again. Even like this, Izuku can’t help but feel the radiating beauty from her. On a less important note, he finds her little winter hat really cute on her, as well as her coat, and her… Well, everything. It’s Kodai, simple as that.
“So, u-uhm…” Izuku scratches the back of his head, correcting his earmuffs on the top of his head. “D-Do you have a s-specific place in mind?” Yui shakes her head. “T-That’s o-okay! T-The plaza o-on campus i-is really cool, I-I’m sure w-we can find somet-” Izuku’s suddenly silenced when Yui stops and puts a finger up to his mouth. Izuku looks down, and feels a cool, wavy kind of feel when his eyes meet Yui’s cerulean blue ones, almost like the ocean just washed over him. “S-S-Sorry…” Izuku says.
“Mmh.” Yui just says simply. When she looked into Izuku’s eyes, it felt… Weird. Like she was in a dense forest full of life and sound, almost.
The two continue walking on towards the plaza on campus, which acted like a sort of hangout for U.A students since they were rarely allowed to go off campus, especially after the mall incident, Izuku shivers.
Eventually, they manage to reach the plaza. A lot of the stores are currently closed, but some of them are still open considering it’s a Sunday and all.
“So, w-where do you wanna stop f-first?” That’s the first coherent sentence Izuku has managed to say since meeting up with Yui.
Progress!
Yui just shakes her head before looking around. Izuku looks around idly too, unaware of the fact he and Yui are still holding hands.
Suddenly, Yui’s eyes land on an open stall near the center of the plaza.
A vegetable stand.
Yui tugs Izuku forwards suddenly towards it. Izuku lets out a noise of surprise, but doesn’t object. They make it there, and Yui begins looking over the menu.
“I want a tomato.” She says blankly, and reaches into her coat pocket. Yui usually keeps money in there in case she ever wants to come down here for a tomato or two.
“H-Here, I’ll pay for it!” Izuku offers, and reaches into his own pocket.
“Mh-mhh. No.” Yui states as she stares at Izuku. Izuku looks back up, his face showing a slightly hurt expression.
“Please, it’s your birthday. At least l-let me do t-this for you.” Izuku says softly. Yui just stares at him before nodding. Again, neither of them realize their holding hands subconsciously.
Both of the cinnamon rolls walk up to the counter.
“Hey! What can I get ya?” The vendor asks.
“Uh- A tomato! Just one.” Izuku says, raising his index finger. Yui glances over at him. He really is this cute all the time, huh?
“Alrighty! Comin’ right up!” The man disappears behind the counter as Izuku sets the money down. He reappears again with a, frankly, giant tomato. He hands it to Izuku, who gingerly receives it.
“Thank you!” He says.
“ No problem!” The vendor responds, putting his hands on his hips as he smiles. He looks down at the two before speaking again without missing a beat, smiling. “You and your girlfriend enjoy that one, it took a while to grow!”
“Okay-! Wait, girlfriend?” Izuku looks confused up at the man. The man looks stunned before he looks between the two again, at each other obviously holding hands and how their heads are cocked towards each other in the middle. He then chuckles, waving them off.
“Ah! Nevermind! Enjoy! Next!” Both Yui and Izuku move out of the way as the next customer comes up.
‘Girlfriend?’ Izuku thinks, still confused. ‘We’re just friends, and I offered to buy her a tomato. I don’t see what the big deal is-’
It was then did Izuku become aware of the unnatural, but relaxing warmth, emanating from his left hand.
He looks down to his left.
He’s holding hands with Kodai.
He screams.
Almost.
Izuku manages to choke it down, covering his mouth. Yui looks over at him, a confused look in her eyes and one of her eyebrows slightly perched but still expressionless. Then she looks down and stops walking. She looks back up at Izuku, who is frankly mortified, before a light pink blush dusts her face, becoming richer and redder by the second. Izuku feels his chest become heavier by the second looking at Yui’s blush. Surprisingly, she makes no effort to move away.
“U-Uh, K-K-Kodai-”
“Yui.”
…
“...What?” Izuku asks, his stammer gone as he becomes genuinely confused.
“Yui.” She repeats, her blush still there.
“W-Wait, y-you mean l-like, y-you want m-me t-to call y-you Yui?” Izuku asks, pointing between the two of them. Yui just nods. “A-Are y-you sure? T-That- N-No o-offense, b-but t-that s-seems kind o-of p-personal s-since-”
“Yui!” Izuku jumps, meeting the determined stare of Yui, whose eyebrows are furrowed a little bit as she turns to face him fully. Izuku’s frankly a little terrified at this point. Izuku feels the cool, wavy feeling from before turn into a cold, torrential thrashing feeling inside of him.
Did… Did she just shout?
It made him shiver, that’s for sure.
“O-Okay, I-I’ll c-call you Yui! S-Sorry…” Izuku responds sheepishly.
“It’s fine.” Yui says simply. Izuku then looks down at the tomato in his right hand. He brings it up gently, holding it out like a peace offering.
“H-Here’s t-the tomato I got you.’ Izuku says. Yui grabs it wordlessly but gently, and wanders over to a nearby seat on the frozen over fountain in the center of the plaza. She sits down and eyes the tomato. Izuku bounces his foot a little as he waits, looking around so as to not pressure her.
Yui bites into it.
It’s quiet for a few seconds, Izuku looking away before he hears a muffled squeal. He looks back over, shocked, only to find Yui smiling at 1000 watts, her free hand flapping a little bit before she grabs the bottom of her coat with it, stopping it.
“It’s so good!” She exclaims. It’s been a while since she last had a tomato, let alone one this good.
Izuku’s frozen completely, his face turning red like a tomato again. Yui stops chewing and looks at him, confused as her smile drops off her face.
“Mhh?” She mumbles.
‘She- She- Sh- She-’ Izuku devolves into incoherent noises inside his mind.
Yui just smiled.
And it wasn’t just a small, passing smile, no it was a full grin.
That was forever etched into his memory. It was like watching the sea parting in front of him to reveal a giant, endless treasure. It was beyond beautiful. Of course, it wasn’t only her smile, all of her was beautiful, but it was really Yui smiling that enraptured him in that moment so briefly before.
Too bad it went away already.
‘She’s so cute with her little chipmunk cheeks though!’ Izuku gushes internally. It’s the most adorable thing he’s ever had the blessing of witnessing.
Then he realizes he’s probably really creepy just staring like this.
Izuku shakes his head, his blush becoming even more prominent and turning into a deep red as his mouth contorts into an awkward smile.
“N-N-Nothing! J-J-Just-... Y-Y-Y-You… Y-You smiled.” Izuku says softly, his body and muscles loosening up. His smile straightens out into a genuine one, his blush becoming deep red instead of the dark red it was before.
For Yui, it was like looking over a giant rainforest while on top of a mountain that stretched over the horizon and even distant mountain tops. It was gorgeous. All of Izuku was, but his smile… His smile, combined with the look in his eyes and the blush just turns her into jello.
Both of them are stuck looking at each again, completely enamored with each other that they didn’t even realize it was snowing lightly again. Both of them are eventually snapped out of their stupor, and look up at the dark, overcast sky above them.
"It’s really beautiful…” Izuku says. ‘Like you.’ He forces the thought that almost became the ending of that sentence down.
“Mhmm.” Yui mumbles. ‘Like you.’ She wants to say it but she knows what she could ruin if she did and doesn’t take the chance.
Eventually, Yui shifts over a little, and rubs up against Izuku’s shoulder and arm. It’s only then does she realize his coat is made out of fleece like hers, too. She decides to rest her head on Izuku’s shoulder, and rubs her cheek into the material, letting out a low hum. The warmth that Izuku was emitting only adds to that effect.
“Mmh. I like your coat.” Yui says.
“Th- Tha- Tha- Th- Th-” Izuku’s body is completely frozen in place, gridlocked as he stutters and fumbles with his own words. Yui giggles lightly, a small smile on her lips as she continues nuzzling Izuku’s shoulder.
Of course, the happy times had to end.
In a stall nearby, a radio that was playing the news for nearby shoppers was blaring on about some boring political garbage, before the shopkeeper suddenly turned it up, seemingly intrigued by what the woman on the radio was saying.
“This just in, there are reports that the Japanese Federal Government is considering issuing cuts on Special Needs Education programs around all of the prefectures. While almost all prefectures have objected, the government, along with the HPSC, are overruling these vetoes, with a spokesman saying “it is necessary to secure the finances from these cuts to-”
Thankfully, the shopkeeper becomes disgusted with what they were hearing, and very quickly changes the channel to a pop station. Izuku was, also, very disgusted.
“There’s a special place in Hell for those ‘people.’ ” Izuku puts emphasis on the word ‘people.’ “Them and the people that pick on special needs people and the disabled. Those are the kinds of people I don't have a problem hurting. What do you think, Yu-”
Izuku stops when he feels Yui shudder.
He looks down at the ravenette as she sits up, her head down with her hair obscuring her face.
“Y-Yui? W-What- What’s w-wrong? D-Did that upset you? T-They probably won’t go through with it, i-if tha-”
“N-No…” Yui chokes, sobbing as she grabs the sides of her head in what Izuku could only assume was building anger. Izuku’s taken aback a little bit, but raises an arm out towards Yui, only for her to flinch away and continue crying. Wow, he screwed up again, shocker. “I-It’s n-not t-t-that… W-Well, y-yes, k-kind of-” Yui chokes again as she lowers her head down even further, bringing her knees up to her face.
Izuku keeps staring, confused before it suddenly clicks.
The trademark silence, the trouble pronouncing some words, the odd food choice, the lack of expressions, the stimming with his coat.
His eyes widen in horror and realization. How didn’t he put this together sooner!?! Or, Hell, at least have someone tell him!!!
It didn’t matter now, Yui needed comfort and help right now.
Yui tries standing up finally, but Izuku catches her hand, and tries to, as gently as possible, hold onto it. Yui tries yanking it away, but Izuku’s still able to grip since he has fingerless gloves, unlike Yui.
“N-No, l-let go-!”
“Yui, please! I want to help you-!”
“I-I d-don’t n-n-ne-”
“Yui!” Izuku keeps his voice calm and gentle, standing up but not going towards Yui. “I know you’re upset, but you can’t control it! Please, I’m not mad! In fact, I’m the opposite! I’m happy you trusted me enough to tell me , just trust me enough to help you!”
Yui stops, her head still down as she shakes. Thankfully, no one looked over as some started leaving when it started snowing. Yui sits down on the fountain bench again, hand still in Izuku’s before she yanks it away angrily, holding it near her chest with her other hand in her lap. Izuku doesn’t motion to reach for her, just sits down next to her and lets her cry herself away. Yui angrily grabs at her own hair under her hat, and begins shaking.
Eventually, she calms down a little, still sobbing before she inches closer to Izuku. Izuku schooches a little closer, too, only to be grabbed by Yui and pulled into a hug as Yui sobs harder into his chest. Izuku hugs her back, just a little bit so as to not agitate her.
“H-Harder…” Yui manages to sob out. Izuku just nods, squeezing Yui tighter and tighter. He’s gotta be careful, though, with the way Yui’s hugging him, ‘careful’ is not an option, only ‘full-on bearhug.’
It’s like that for a few minutes, Izuku being completely silent as Yui gets a grip on herself.
“I-I’m s-s-so s-sorry y-you had to-” Yui hiccups. “F-Find o-out like t-thi-iiiiis- '' Yui continues sobbing as Izuku begins stroking her back gently. It’s enough to cause her to stop momentarily, before she carries on, but quieter and seemingly feeling more safe.
“It’s completely fine.” Izuku soothes gently, resting his head on top of Yui’s. “I hold nothing against you, and I don't see you as less than human. Didn’t you hear me before?” Izuku asks. It’s quiet, and there’s no response before Yui nods a few seconds later. “Those people aren’t good people. They don’t care about you, so why should you listen to them? It’s not like those stupid ‘cuts’ or whatever are actually going to pass.”
“S-Still.” Yui sniffs. “W-Why w-would t-they e-even t-think of d-doing that!?” Izuku feels his body temperature spike with rage towards the people who made Yui feel like this before he simmers down and continues stroking Yui’s back.
“Like I said, they’re horrible ‘people.’ Don’t pay them any attention. They’re afraid of what they don’t understand. If anything, we need to educate people, so they’re aware and not left not understanding and hateful towards you for no good reason.” There’s a sort of finality in Izuku’s voice that even he doesn’t know where it came from.
“B-But- W-what a-about e-everyone e-else like me??? W-What a-about t-them!? T-They a-aren’t s-safe!” Yui cries.
“...Well, Let’s protect them, then.” Yui looks up, though not directly at Izuku. “We’re heroes, after all.” Yui stops shaking momentarily. Izuku thinks he somehow managed to single handedly calm her down before she starts shaking and sobbing again, though this time much more quieter and less erratic.
Izuku lets her continue again. It’s heart wrenching listening to Yui cry like this, it’s so bad it makes him shed a tear or two, which quickly freezes in the cold mid-December air like nothing. Eventually Yui’s breathing evens out, her chest rising and falling rhythmically.
“I’ve always wanted to be a hero for people like me…” Yui chokes out quietly, her voice still watery.
“And you’re doing an amazing job…” Izuku soothes gently.
“W-We lost Joint Training and I didn’t even get a proper chance to fight.” Yui replies, her voice becoming more taut with each passing second.
“Okay… So I can train with you!” Izuku suggests, beaming as he looks down at Yui. Yui looks up just barely to where she’s facing Izuku's chest.
“Wh-... Wha…???” Yui stammers quietly, almost whisper-like but still in a normal voice.
“You can come train with me tomorrow so you can become a better fighter! You can even train with Ochako, too, since you faced off against her with Reiko! You can invite her or anyone else if you want! Though, you’re more Rescue Hero orientated, actually…” Izuku’s voice trails off. He begins mumbling, bringing his hand up over Yui’s shoulder to hold his chin up in thought with a focused look on his face. Yui looked up fully now at Izuku and giggles, smiling lightly. Apparently that was enough to snap Izuku out of it.
Yui’s eyes were rimmed with red, and puffy. Her face was red all around, not with a blush but from pressure in her head from crying. She sniffs, that beautiful smile still on her face as she stares into Izuku’s eyes, the refreshing forestry sensation coming back. Izuku stares back too, the cool, wavy feeling overcoming his senses again.
“You’re my best friend now.”
…
Wait, what???
“Huh?” Izuku asks, confused yet again. Yui looks down and hugs Izuku’s chest tighter. A pleasant, comforting feeling of warmth spreads across Izuku’s chest, radiating out across his body as she did so.
“I said you’re my best friend, now. Along with Itsuka and Reiko. I’m never letting you go.” Yui says, a sort of finality in her voice that made it clear there were no objections. Not that Izuku would want to…
“O-Okay… I-I’ll be one of your best friends… I’ll never let you go, either… You c-can… C-Call m-me Izuku, b-by the way…” Izuku replies softly. Yui giggles into Izuku’s chest, the sound being partially muffled by his coat but it’s still absolutely adorable nonetheless.
Both of them stay locked in each other’s arms for a while as the snow keeps lightly coming down. No one pays them no mind, just a happy couple keeping each other warm and safe from the snow.
Izuku breathes out, water vapor mist appearing from his nostrils and slowly rolling onto Yui’s winter hat.
“D’you wanna go back?” Izuku asked finally. Yui just shook her head. “You wanna keep walking around to see what else they got around here?” Yui nods. “Okay!” Izuku says gently. Slowly, he sits up fully now, and begins to stand up. Yui loses her grip for a moment, and scrambles to get it before latching onto Izuku again. Instead of holding his hand, she has her arms wrapped around Izuku’s waist, her head resting on Izuku’s shoulder, and both her hands holding onto Izuku’s arms for dear life.
Izuku smiles, and rubs his cheek against Yui’s forehead before he slowly begins walking.
They don’t really go anywhere specific, really, just walking around, enjoying the fresh, winter air around them.
Too bad it didn’t last longer.
A giant crashing sound snaps both of them out of their love-filled stupor. They turn around to see part of a store collapse. Thankfully, the plaza was relatively empty, and one or two people ran from the building for their lives as Izuku and Yui were stuck frozen.
Suddenly, Izuku begins running towards the building.
Yui stumbles, whimpering before she starts running with Izuku behind him. They run straight through the dust cloud.
“Oh, and what do we have here? Two U.A students?” It was a quizzical-sounding male voice, and the sound of a revolver clicking has Izuku shooting a Blackwhip tendril through the smoke towards the voice. There’s a grunt and a pained sound coming from them before the smoke suddenly turns a purplish color.
Yui suddenly staggers back,and begins coughing and wheezing.
“Gas- T-Training Camp- G-Gas-!” Yui’s able to choke out. She falls back, accidentally tripping before pulling her sweater and coat over her nose as she struggles to get up through the smoke and debris.
Izuku’s eyes widen at what Yui just said.
Mustard.
Izuku’s eye twitches as he charges forward and begins charging up One For All.
Before he can clear through the smoke, Danger Sense pricks his mind sharply, and he narrowly avoids several small, black, wire-like strings shooting past him and embedding themselves in a nearby wall. He looks over, and sees a black figure with a white mask, hunched over and smiling at him, the wires coming out from his back.
Dictator.
Apparently he escaped again. Whatever, Izuku will deal with him. He shoots out several more Blackwhip tendrils as he continues moving, grabbing Dictator and pinning him. Several more villains appear out of the smoke, which is now beginning to affect Izuku. He flicks his finger, using One For All, and blasts the smoke away, as well as the villains, knocking them unconscious. Izuku swears he sees someone to his right in the smoke before two more villains from his left distract him. He has to be careful to not cause any more damage to his surroundings, but uses Black whip to hold them off before finishing them with Fa-Jin punches to each of their stomachs.
Another one ambushes him, but is somehow stronger than his Blackwhip tendrils. He’s dressed in all black, and is clawing and tearing his Blackwhip tendrils away towards Izuku. Izuku decides to try and choke him out with them, but it’s straining his arms way too much, and he can feel his nerves going dead already. Several more villains emerge on either side of the man Izuku’s holding up with Blackwhip.
Suddenly, he feels Danger Sense painfully stab his mind before he hears the revolver clicking again, and sees himself staring down the barrel of it, Mustard’s eyes glowing red through his gas mask right before Izuku crashes into him.
Something hits the both of them, and Izuku hears the revolver fire, but doesnt feel anything hit him. Is he in shock?!? Is he dead!?! What even happened?!?!? He keeps Blackwhip summoned, but Dictator is still struggling and Izuku can’t summon any more Blackwhips than he already has. Suddenly, Dictator goes limp as well. The sound of screaming and pained, terrifying noises sound out as Izuku could only guess the villains bones are broken or are beat into the ground painfully.
Izuku doesn’t bother opening his eyes for a couple more seconds. Everything is quiet before he does so.
The purple smoke has receded completely, only the beige colored dust from the collapsed building washing over his vision. He sits up, arms shaking from what just happened. Mustard’s helmet is lying shattered and broken on the ground, both it’s glowing red eyes gone, and Mustard’s unconscious body lying nearby with both of his arms clearly broken.
Izuku hears a pained breath from in front of him, and his vision focuses in on Dictator, unconscious, having been pinned to the wall with giant pairs of scissors which clearly have been affected by some kind of Quirk. Izuku quickly pieces together it must’ve been Yui’s Quirk that did that.
He looks around, and sees many of the villains he once saw completely unconscious and or incapacitated. Only one figure is left standing, and that’s… Yui??? She’s standing above the man dressed in black, one half of a pair of scissors, having been sized up by her Quirk, over her shoulder, with the blade pointing directly down at the villain’s throat, daring him to move even a millimeter. Yui has her sweater and coat pulled over her nose, breathing heavily and wheezing, but her eyes are narrowed, raging slits of fury as she stares down at the man and the rest of the villains surrounding them.
Izuku gulps, but apparently that’s enough to gain Yui’s attention.
Izuku scrambles up as Yui very angrily throws the giant pair of scissors down, not even bothering to undo her Quirk on them.
“W-Wow, y-you, y-you d-did r-really good o-out th-there-” Izuku was only trying to be nice, but was cut short.
Yui grabs him by the chin, yanks him closer, and stares into his eyes for only a brief second before kissing him on the lips hard like she’s trying to suck his soul out.
She lets go after what seems like forever, when in reality it was only a few seconds, and Izuku falls backwards, fainting.
—
Izuku’s eyes snap open, only to find himself looking directly into Yui’s eyes. The same cold, torrential feeling came back, but her eyes were full of worry and concern now.
Izuku’s pupils shrank to just beady dots, and there was an awkward, second-long pause before Yui dove down and hugged him tightly. She let out a sob into his shoulder, shuddering. Yui didn’t let out another sob, but kept shaking and whimpering.
Izuku brought his arms up around her back and hugged her back tightly. Yui seemed to calm down, but only marginally. It was then did Izuku recognize the ceiling past Yui’s shoulder as Recovery Girl’s office ceiling.
Wasn’t he kind of far away from here when he fainted?
He’d hate to have burdened Yui with dragging him all the way here.
“I-Izu-...” Yui chokes out. Izuku begins stroking her back again in an attempt to reassure her that he’s fine.
“Shhh, it’s okay, I-I’m f-fine-”
“H-He nearly shot you-!” Yui sobs and squeezes Izuku tighter, forcing all of the air out of his lungs to shut him up so he can’t respond.
Izuku thinks it’s a wise decision to just shut up and let Yui just get it out, for both his and her sake.
“Well, you’re lucky it was just fainting and not a broken arm this time or I'd tell you I can’t do anything for ya!” Recovery Girl’s voice sounds out. Izuku sits up and looks over Izuku’s shoulder to see Recovery Girl getting ready to whack her cane, but hesitates when Yui shuffles over and puts herself in her line of sight. “Ah! Well, young love!” She coos. Recovery Girl then looks down at her clipboard. “You’re fine by all accounts… So get out!”
Both Izuku and Yui are pushed out of the office by the small old woman. Yui’s still clinging onto him like she’s afraid he might disappear if she lets go of him. Izuku brushes the hair out her face gently, only for her to whimper and bury her face into Izuku’s coat further.
“O-Oh! U-Uh, s-sorry-!” Izuku yelps, inhaling the icy air as he feels Yui drive her fingers under his ribcage on both sides.
“Shut. Up.” Yui all but demands in a low voice. Izuku gulps, sweat dropping, before nodding. “Mmph.” Yui mumbles into Izuku's coat, and brings her head up to rest it on Izuku’s shoulder. Izuku blushes lightly at this, looking back at Yui’s weary but beautiful eyes staring off into the distance.
Izuku begins walking forward, past the overhang of Recovery Girl’s office entrance, enjoying the feeling of the snow hitting his face. Yui separates from him but is still holding his hand. The two walk slowly through the snow, just enjoying each other’s company and warmth, as well as the beautiful snow-laden scenery.
“Where do you think everyone is?” Izuku asks Yui.
“They’re away.” She says simply. Izuku looks over at her, confused before she continues. “They’re listening to Kan-sensei and Aizawa-sensei… Lecture about teamwork, coordination… And how to… mitigate damage…” Yui says slowly. Izuku just nods understandingly before looking away. It feels like as if a giant weight just got lifted off of her chest and shoulders at the same time. Izuku… Izuku actually listened to her…
“Ah, yeah! Bakugou can learn something from that!” Izuku chuckles. Yui chuckles as well, a small smile on her face, but she tops laughing shortly afterwards, the smile still there before slowly fading away.
Both of them keep walking in silence for a little bit longer, their hands slowly untangling. Both became acutely aware of this, but neither made a move to hold hands again out of fear of triggering the other.
Izuku looks over at Yui eventually, and sees her face. Water vapor from her mouth and nose is all around her, shrouding her in mist, her skin is almost deathly pale, save for the bright red blush currently on her face.
She looks really cold.
“H-Hey K-Ko-” Izuku catches himself in time as Yui looks over at him. “H-H-Hey Y-Yui. Y-You l-look cold… I-Is t-there a-anything I can d-do t-to help you w-warm up?” Izuku asks awkwardly. That wasn’t his intention to sound like that, but he can’t just sit there and watch Yui freeze.
It takes Yui a second to nod.
“W-Wait, s-so I-I can w-warm you up?”
“Yes.” Yui responds flatly. Izuku just gives a little smile and nods. He turns back and takes his scarf off. He slowly wraps it around Yui’s neck loosely with only one hand, afterwards it covers Yui up to just below her nose.
“T-There, better?” Izuku beams. Those eyes and that smile… God, Yui wants to kiss him again.
“Mmh.” Yui hums, slightly disappointed. Izuku’s smile grows brighter before he turns back around to face forward.
‘I just wanted a hug…’ Yui thinks, disappointedly and whining to herself.
…
Actually, screw it.
She was going to get a damn hug.
Suddenly, Yui stops in the middle of the empty path her and Izuku was traveling down. Izuku stops, surprised as he turns around to face her.
“Wha- Yui”
“Give me a hug.” Yui demands flatly. Izuku freezes, his pupils shrinking to just mere dots.
“What???”
“Hug me.” Yui growls. This seems to snap Izuku out of it, as he jumps.
“O-Okay, s-sorry!” Izuku apologizes shakily. Slowly, he makes his way over to Yui. Izuku reaches his arms out slowly to wrap them around Yui, only for Yui to crash into him and temporarily lift him off of the ground with her hug. Izuku yelps, surprised, before he embraces Yui in a bearhug as well. Yui lets out a low noise of approval, closing her eyes and humming at the warmth spreading across her body.
“This is what I meant when I wanted you to warm me up.” Yui says softly. That’s the longest sentence she’s spoken to Izuku, and probably to anyone. Izuku just giggles.
“T-That’s my bad.” He says. Well, it’s better than just a ‘sorry,’ so it doesn’t warrant a ribjab in her books.
“It’s fine.” Yui responds simply. The two stay embraced like that in the middle of the pathway for what seems like forever as the snow continues to fall all around them. Eventually, Izuku sucks in an icy breath, and pulls away slightly so he can look Yui in the eye. It’s a gentle, cool feeling, Izuku notices again, like he’s in the ocean when he meets her eyes.
“S-So… W-When y-you k-kissed m-me d-druing the v-villain a-attack… W-Why???” Izuku asks. Yui just stares at him blankly, her head ever so slightly cocking off to the side a little bit. “I-I’m n-not-! I-I’m n-not p-pressuring y-you o-or a-anything… J-Just… W-Why me???”
“‘Cause I love you.”
Oh…
Fair point…
Surprisingly, Izuku doesn’t faint.
It gets pretty damn close, don’t get him wrong. He can feel his head become a balloon as it rushes red with blood in his face, but he manages to stay still.
“I… I started panicking… When I saw the gas… I didn’t… Want to fall… Unconscious like I did at the Training… Camp… Mustard… Mustard was going to shoot you…” Yui’s voice breaks a little at the end, and Izuku hugs her tightly again. She draws in a shaky breath before she hugs Izuku back.
“I’m so, so sorry that happened to you… To all of you… We all made it, though… They can’t hurt us anymore…” Izuku chokes out. He wants that to be true. He wants the biggest enemy they’ll have to eventually face be Shigaraki and All For One. Or, Hell, none of them.
“H-How???” Yui sobs out, sucking in another shaky breath.
“...Us. We all got each other’s backs. I got yours, and you definitely got mine… We’ll win this, I promise…” Izuku smiles at Yui. A small smile graces her lips as she looks back at Izuku. Oceanic, cerulean blue on lush, forest-like green. “N-Now…” Izuku begins again. “B-Back on t-topic…” He looks away sheepishly. “Y-You…
“Love you? Yeah.” Yui finishes, blank-faced as ever, but a small smile makes itself evident on her face. Izuku’s heart jumps, the light, pleasant feeling in his chest encouraging him on. “You’re caring. And Loving. And Lovable. And Kind. And Trustworthy. And Honest. And Encouraging. And Smart. And A Good Hero. And Strong. And Cute. And Handso-”
“Ah! O-Okay! I-I get it!” Izuku stammers, his face having been flushed bright pink. Yui just shakes her head, nuzzling her forehead into Izuku’s neck. The action makes him blush even more.
“No you don’t.” Yui snuggles him closer before pulling away to look at him. “You beat yourself up all the time, even I can tell, and I don’t like that you do. You’re worth everything. Please stop it.” Yui said bluntly.
“O-Oh, o-okay… S-Sorry-” The look Yui gives him makes the words crawl down his throat and die.
“There you go.” Yui cooes softly. Izuku just giggles. “So can I kiss you again?”
“U-U-Uh…” Izuku’s heart begins racing, the thumping loud in his ears as he feels his face heating up again. “...S-Sure???” Izuku confirmed. Yui says nothing, only slowly reaching up and grabbing the collar of his coat gently as she tucked her scarf she was wearing under her chin. She stares at him, directly into his eyes. That same oceanic feeling overcame him again.
Izuku breaths in a shuddery breath. Yui’s already leaning in, and Izuku does the same. He hears his heartbeat in his ears, pulsing and beating faster than he thought ever possible.
They kiss.
It’s like feeling clouds grace his lips. Yui’s lips taste like cherries, being the same color as them. Kissing her is such a weird feeling, but Izuku’s too elated to even care at this point. He stops overthinking, and just lets what’s happening be what it is.
They eventually part from each other after a few seconds, but what felt like a bliss-filled eternity to them. Izuku opens his eyes, and finds Yui’s half-closed eyes still staring at him. Almost immediately, he misses the feeling and warmth of kissing her, and wants to do it again, but stops himself, knowing he could scare Yui if he did so.
It’s quiet for a little bit.
What was only around 10 or 15 seconds felt like an eternity to both of them. Yui’s expression was completely unreadable, and for a moment, Izuku thought she didn’t like kissing him, and that she was just going to walk away from him now.
Then Yui smiles.
What starts out as a small smile turns into a full blown grin as Yui starts giggling. Izuku starts grinning and giggling like an idiot, too, feeling the snow falling down from the sky cool his face off.
“S-So…” Izuku begins, still grinning like the adorable dork he is. “...D-Did… W-Was t-that o-okay?” He asks. Yui just nods as she hugs him again, nuzzling her cheek into his chest.
“It was perfect...” She says dreamily, the smile still not gone from her face. Suddenly, she brings her right leg up, and wraps it around Izuku’s hips, before doing the same with her left. Izuku looks down, shocked and confused before he meets the adorable, yet expectant look of Yui as she stares at him. “Please?”
Oh, that’s what she wants.
“...Sure.” Izuku chuckles. He wraps his arms around Yui’s back, lifting her up as she giggles softly again before continuing on down the path. Yui hums and brings her left leg up. Izuku brings his right arm down to grab it to prevent her from falling down, only for Yui to rotate around and put her right leg up on his arm as well, and was now being carried by Izuku bridal style. Izuku giggles at Yui's antics as she snuggles into his chest, and moves his left arm to hold Yui's back up. Faintly, Izuku can feel the rising happiness inside of him at the fact he could hear Yui’s giggles and laughter as long as he wants to.
Eventually, both of them make it back to their dorms. Yui hums, motioning towards 1-B’s dorms. Izuku just chuckles lightly, smiling as he walks over to the foot of the steps leading up to them. Carefully, he makes his way up them, making sure not to slip.
When inside, Yui slides down and lets go slowly, kicking her boots off and hanging her coat and hat up. She doesn’t take Izuku’s scarf off, though. Izuku keeps his coat on, not wanting to intrude since this wasn’t his class's coat rack, but Yui motions him to. He hangs it up, only for Yui to quickly hug him from behind and peer over his shoulder. Izuku giggles, and slowly rubs Yui’s hands. She lets out a low noise of approval as she closes her eyes, only to start walking again, pushing him from behind.
“Wha- Y-Yui!” Izuku stammers, trying to keep his voice as low as possible.
“Mmh.” Yui wordlessly mumbles as she keeps walking, hugging Izuku’s back still. She practically forces him into the elevator, going up to the top floor where her room is. She slowly pushes him out of the elevator, down the hall, and unlocks her door with the finger scanner.
Yui pushes him in, closing the door with her foot. Izuku is silently freaking out because holy shit he’s in a girl’s room this is against the rules holy shit holyshitholyshit-
Before Izuku can regain his thoughts, Yui’s already pushing him over to the bed. She pushes him down before grabbing a small remote on the bedside stand. Suddenly, the area above Izuku lights up with so many different colors in different spots it snaps him out of his trance.
Above him are Christmas lights slowly flashing and changing colors at probably the lowest setting. Izuku’s so fascinated by them that he doesn’t even realize Yui slipping into the bed with him.
Izuku jumps, freezing before he turns to Yui, who is, again, staring at him expectantly. Izuku smiles at her, a warm, genuine smile. Yui smiles a little as well, giggling at Izuku’s face.
“Can I hug you?” Izuku asks quietly. He doesn’t stammer, he actually feels really, really comfortable.
“Mmph.” Yui just huffs, pouting and puffs her cheeks up in rebellion before rolling over, facing away from Izuku and begins schooching away from him. “No. No cuddle.”
Izuku’s face falls, slightly hurt at the rejection. He looks away, dejected, before he looks back up at the lights above him.
“Your lights are really cool!” Izuku says softly. Yui just pouts again as she wraps herself up in fleece blankets. Izuku just giggles slightly at what Yui’s doing, still looking up at the lights.
Suddenly, something warm collides with his left side.
“Mmph!” Yui pouts. Izuku looks over to see an angry look on Yui’s face, her cheeks puffed up adorably as she looks at him expectantly.
“Your chipmunk cheeks are really cute…” Izuku coos, grinning. Yui just glowers playfully at him, her face lighting up red as the Christmas lights reflection dances across her eyes. There’s a playful glint in them that tells Izuku she just wants his attention and physical affection.
And who’s he to deny that.
“Come here!” Izuku beams. He wraps his right arm around Yui, sneaking his left under her. Yui playfully pouts again, squirming to get away before Izuku wraps his legs around hers, locking her in place underneath the fleece blankets.
Izuku kisses her forehead, and Yui whines before she giggles, rubbing her cheek into Izuku’s neck lovingly. This only spurs Izuku on, and kisses Yui silly with a flurry of them as Yui begins giggling uncontrollably.
Izuku eventually stops, giggling as well before he hugs Yui tightly towards his chest, squeezing her with his legs too. Yui hums at the physical affection, and sinks into Izuku’s touch, unable to hug him as her arms are pressed close to her chest underneath all the blankets. She kisses his neck, causing Izuku to giggle, only for the tables to turn as Yui begins rampantly kissing Izuku’s neck and face.
Izuku begins kissing Yui’s forehead again, and the two enter a cycle of just giving each other small little kissies every now and then. Time seems to grind by, but both of them would never of had it any different than that as they bask in each other's company.
Yui lays her head on Izuku’s chest at the base of his neck, smiling to herself as she closes her eyes. Izuku does the same, hugging Yui tightly, just as she likes. It makes her feel so safe and loved, a feeling she hasn’t had for a very long time. Yui never wants to let go of him, and she doesn’t want him to let go, either.
Izuku’s the same for his end.
“...I love you…” Yui says softly. Her voice is like silk, slowly flowing and entering into Izuku’s ears. He feels drowsy, ready to take a nap, or, Hell, just go back to sleep with Yui cuddled up in his arms like this, despite the fact it was still relatively early.
“...I love you, too, Yui…” Izuku answers after a few seconds. He hugs Yui closer, snuggling his face into her hair lovingly. “Please never change… You’re absolutely perfect just the way you are, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise..."
“...I won’t…” Yui answers, her voice breaking slightly. She feels a hot, salty pin pricking in her eyes as beads of tears form in the corners of them, falling down the side of her face and forming tiny wet spots on Izuku’s sweater. “...T-Thank you, s-so much…” She brings her arms closer to her face, hugging Izuku closer.
Izuku doesn’t say another word, just starts wordlessly stroking Yui’s back and hair with both of his hands.
“...You’re welcome… Anything for you…” Izuku says softly as he kisses Yui’s head through her hair. Yui giggles wetly, her smile crooked but still shining.
Time drags by again, and eventually Izuku hears soft snores emanating from below him. He looks down, only to see the adorable, yet pristine, perfect, and beautiful face of Yui peacefully sleeping on his chest. Izuku smiles, and very gently pulls Yui up closer to him. He rubs his cheek against her forehead before he breathes in, and kisses Yui’s lips again.
She giggles in her sleep, a small smile appearing on her peaceful, perfect face. Izuku smiles to himself, knowing he did a good job at that before he snuggles Yui closer and closes his eyes.
Eventually, sleep drags Izuku away, and he gets washed away by the waves of Yui’s soul willingly.
For Yui, it’s the best birthday present she could’ve ever asked for today, and probably for eternity until Izuku proposes to her…
For Izuku, well… Christmas definitely came early… And he got the best present anyone could’ve ever dreamed of…