Chapter Text
Izuku Midoriya has a problem.
He's in love with his best friend, Mei.
And he'd only realized it because Eijirou slapped some sense into him.
Literally.
He shakes his head as he nervously drums his fingers on the desk, lower lip rolling between his teeth. Izuku doesn't know what he's doing, or maybe he does, somewhere inside of him. Anxiety thrums in his palms as he wipes them on his uniform pants.
The bell rings, and Izuku bolts.
"Here's the plan," Kyoka starts, and Izuku frantically nods.
"You're going to go to her classroom..."
First step of Operation: Support was a go.
He stops by his locker and grabs the remnants of his costume's gear. The easiest way to Mei's heart was to brandish mechanics in her face, and she always did seem to enjoy repairing things. The parts are tied up neat and wrapped in paper, like a fucked up bouquet of scrap metal. It was garish, and maybe even crass, but it fit her perfectly. Izuku nervously straightens his tie in the mirror and catches a glimpse of his nervous smile before he closes the locker door.
The pathway to the support hallway suddenly seems simultaneously thirty years longer and seconds away. He swears that everyone passing by can hear his heartbeat thundering in his chest; he knows he sure does, because it echoes in his ears like gunshots. Each step feels like he's walking to his death, and yet he's happy.
Honestly, Izuku just wants to get this over with. Despite this fact, he stands outside of class 1-F for as long as he can. Explosions ring behind the doubly reinforced steel door.
A push, and Izuku's eyes meet hers. The bouquet behind his back feels extremely heavy as he smiles, trembling slightly.
He knows she sees it, and he feels horrible. She catches everything, and she probably already knows why she's here, but he stammers out an explanation anyways.
"I-I wanted to see you," he takes the bundle from behind his back and shoves it into her hands with two much force, apologies immediately littering his tongue before he swallows them back. "I, um..."
"You?" Mei raises an eyebrow, and Izuku's breath catches in his throat.
Izuku may be a hero, but damn if he wasn't a coward. He wants to back away and run out the door, but he can already see the disappointment in Eijirou and Kyoka's faces. He mentally imagines going to Nezu and begging to drop out, but then he shoves it down. This is his dream school and his dream girl, he'll be fine, because the worst she can say is no.
Actually, the worst thing she can say is "Why would I ever want to date a Deku like you? Go die," but Izuku doesn't think she'd ever say that at all.
"I really like you," he manages out, immediately cringing into himself. Damnit, too strong! Now what will she think of you? Stupid!
Mei blinks at him for a moment, and Izuku immediately clocks the way her crosshairs shift as her studying him. "Cool," she says, and Izuku sweat drops.
He admires her blunt personality, but right now, he needs literally anything else. His nails dig into his thigh as he forces a shaky smile. "Right..."
"I think you're perfect for my babies," she decides after a moment, and Izuku is suddenly shoved into a chair, her hands on his shoulders as she wraps some sort of gear around his neck.
Usually he entertains it, and he's tempted to continue to let her do it, but Izuku knows that she's distacting herself and him from the topic at hand.
He takes a deep breath, and firms his tone. "Mei," he states, and that catches the mechanic's attention. "We have to talk about this."
"We just did," Mei shrugs, and Izuku's eye twitches. "You like me, and I think you're perfect."
"Are you... saying you like me back?" he asks softly. The weight on his shoulders lifts slightly, but not entirely - he needs an answer, or he's going to go crazy. Ballistic. Every word that means 'batshit insane' ever.
He honestly can't tell. Izuku is exceptionally gifted at Mei-Speak, but right now, he feels completely incapacitated. He's never been in this situation before besides that one time in elementary that he swore to never talk about.
It feels like a lifetime, but Mei finally nods, and Izuku lets out a breath he didn't really realize he'd been holding. "Okay," he nods sharply, teeth clicking as he slams his jaw shut. "I... um... would like you to be my girlfriend."
Mei nods again; he's starting to think that she's gotten overwhelmed and gone nonverbal when she finally pipes up, once again reaching up to adjust the gadget on his neck. Izuku had never even noticed that her hands had fallen from their position at all.
"Yes," she murmurs, focused on the work at hand. "Sure. Whatever. I think you're neat, you think I'm neat, let's fuckin... Shazam."
He can't hold back the laugh that bubbles in his throat, even when she gives him a miniature glare that warns him not to move. He gets a sharp jolt to the neck for it, and he barely spares it a wince.
"Let's Shazam."
He's so unimaginably happy right now.