Spacetime Anomaly: MHA Fanfic

Chapter 7.4: Disconcerting Dinner

Izuku seemed to have noticed as well as he smiled and apologized as all sorts of other realizations took hold of him at the moment. He said, "Damn, have I really kept you around for so long? Forget training, you must be sore if not hungry since we've been here for half the day..."

Almost as if on cue, Mina's stomach agreed with his sentiment as it issued a low growl amidst the two's silence. As outgoing and energetic as she was, even Mina could help but find her face flush from the embarrassment of that moment. She could only helplessly sigh and agree saying, "Can't argue with that..."

The two shared in a stifled moment of laughter before Izuku proposed, "Why don't we eat something before going our separate ways. It'll be my treat." Though he wasn't exactly rolling in dough, that wasn't because his financial situation was poor. It was the opposite, in fact, as both his mother's career had gotten much farther than it had in his first life and he was a fully-fledged doctor. Just because he spent the overwhelming amount of his money donating to charities, didn't mean he wasn't earning a doctor's wage. Even before he was making money for practicing as a doctor, Old Take had been paying his wage as a licensed nurse.

Izuku wasn't struggling financially, not by a longshot. So without much thought, he followed Mina to the place of her choosing for their meal. As a long term home cook and religious consumer of his specific diet, he couldn't remember the last time he ate out, thus it was up to Mina to pick where they would be eating as he didn't so much as have a guess as to where to go.

In the end, Mina settled for a small family-owned burger joint. True to his word, Izuku paid for the meal and the two indulged in a soda, a burger, and fries. Today was Izuku's cheat day, so he figured he might as well go all the way. Normally he wouldn't eat a meal as unbalanced as this, but he couldn't exactly complain as the food was outright delicious. Probably not healthy by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely tasty.

"Ah, what a cute couple..." A hushed whisper entered Izuku's ear and left the other as he couldn't even fathom it being related to him.

"How'd a plain guy like him get a girl like her? They're like even the same thing?" Another comment floated by the ether.

"Ah! Ashido-chan!" In the middle of their meal, a large man entered the restaurant and made a beeline for Izuku and Mina's table. When he finally got close enough, he looked at Izuku for a couple of seconds before grinning at Mina and saying, "'Bout time you brought a boyfriend." His words left both teens in shock; Izuku much more than Mina as she seemed used to his attitude.

"Don't mind him Izu-ku-" Mina was just about to refer to Izuku by that oh-so informal nickname she had blurted out in the park when she suddenly realized what she was doing and promptly covered her face in a rushed attempt to cover the purple shade that covered her face.

"Boyfriend?" Izuku simply repeated; as if the concept was so foreign it as entirely alien.

"Are you not?" The large man asked puzzled. If he went with Mina's expression it would seem that he was right on the money, but Izuku's confused state begged to differ.

"Heh," Izuku, as per usual, depreciated his value by over a thousand times as he humorlessly commented, "As if a guy like me could get a girl like her." For as highly as he thought of his powers and dedication to heroics, Izuku didn't have so much as one ten-billionth the confidence when it came to social interactions; nevermind romantic ones.

His self deprecating comments left all those who heard him a tinge saddened as they could practically hear the lack of confidence in his voice. His plain appearance only bolstered this sentiment to those that could see him. Needless to say, the jovial mood with which the man entered the restaurant was turned down a few pegs and he rather quickly ended pestering Mina lest he makes her would-be date with the boy any more awkward. The rest of the meal was shared with silence, which only followed the two until they left the building altogether.

Feeling less stuffy outside, Mina said, "Thanks for the meal Izu… Midoriya-san… But I really should get going now; it's pretty late."

Izuku nodded as night had descended. However, even if he was a socially inept person with the EQ of a child, he didn't feel right about letting Mina stroll on home by herself, so he offered, "Why don't I walk you home?"

She nodded sheepishly and thus led him over to the nearest train station. Eventually, the two got on a train and only halfway through did Mina gather the courage to start another conversation after that extremely embarrassing moment in the restaurant. She lightly tapped on Izuku's shoulder to get his attention and asked about the particulars of when they could meet up actual training.

As Izuku responded and the two gradually returned to normal, both were filled with a sense of relief. Izuku was simply glad he hadn't lost his first friend after she had temporarily ceased all contact with him after the incident and Mina was happy to see Izuku invariably unaffected. She'd thought being outed and humiliated like that publicly would make him hate her, given the nature of his upbringing; which she now knew all too well. Though a small part of her was conflicted about the particular wording he used during that final sentence before the situation went rogue.

"As if a guy like me could get a girl like her..." Though the tone of his voice as he said it barely revealed any emotion, the way in which he said these words made it seemed like she was out of his league or something. Like he thought himself to be unworthy… It both highlighted how little he thought of himself whilst propping her up on this pedestal as if she was out of his reach. 'Something...' about that didn't sit right with her, though even as they separated and days passed, she wouldn't be able to figure out what exactly that something was.