The crepe shop was a pastel explosion that smelled overwhelmingly of burnt sugar.
Pink walls. Mint green chairs. Tables shaped like hearts. Fairy lights strung across the ceiling in patterns that probably spelled out something romantic in a language Izuku didn't recognize.
A bell chimed sweetly overhead as they pushed through the door, the sound lost under Mina's immediate gasp.
"Oh my god." Mina's eyes went wide as dinner plates. "This place is adorable. I'm going to die."
"Please don't," Izuku said. "The paperwork would be annoying."
Kirishima was already at the display case, pressing his face against the glass like a child at an aquarium. His breath fogged the surface as he catalogued every option.
"They have matcha! And strawberry! And... is that one shaped like a swan?!"
A waitress in a frilly apron approached them with a professional smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. The kind of smile that said she'd seen too many excited teenagers and not enough tips.
"Table for four?"
"Yes please!" Toru's voice came from somewhere to Izuku's left. Her uniform bounced as she spoke. "Somewhere by the window if you have it!"
The waitress's smile flickered. Her gaze swept over the group, lingering on the floating clothes with visible confusion before landing on Mina's pink skin and horns.
To her credit, she recovered quickly.
"Right this way."
The window seat was a curved booth with plush cushions that threatened to swallow anyone who sat too deep. Kirishima and Mina slid in on one side. Izuku took the other.
Toru hesitated for half a second.
Then she slid in next to him.
Close.
Very close.
Her thigh pressed against his through the fabric of her uniform skirt. The warmth was immediate and unmistakable.
Izuku's expression didn't change.
Internally, his brain performed several complex calculations involving proximity, intent, and the extremely distracting sensation of fishnet-covered leg against his own.
"So!" Mina planted her elbows on the table, chin resting in her palms. Her yellow eyes sparkled with mischief. "Wild boars. Spill."
Izuku leaned back, draping one arm across the top of the booth. His fingers brushed against Toru's shoulder.
"When I was seven, my sensei decided the best way to teach survival instincts was practical application."
Kirishima leaned forward. "Practical how?"
"He dropped me in the woods with a knife and told me dinner was whatever I could catch."
"That's..." Kirishima's brow furrowed. "Kind of messed up?"
"Extremely."
"But also kind of badass?"
"Also that."
Mina's grin widened. "Did you catch anything?"
"Mushrooms."
"Mushrooms?"
"The boars were too much work." Izuku shrugged. "I figured out pretty quickly that fighting something with tusks when you're seven years old and three feet tall is a losing proposition. So I gathered mushrooms instead and told my sensei I was being strategically efficient."
Toru giggled. Her shoulder shifted under his fingers.
"What did he say?"
"He called me a lazy brat and made me run laps until I threw up."
"Your sensei sounds terrifying," Mina said.
"He is."
"I want to meet him."
"You really don't."
The waitress returned with menus. Laminated. Covered in pictures of elaborate crepe creations that looked more like art installations than food.
Kirishima grabbed his with both hands. "I'm getting the Manly Meat Special."
Mina snorted. "Of course you are."
"What? It has bacon! And eggs! And more bacon!"
"That's not a crepe. That's a breakfast burrito in denial."
"Don't judge my choices!"
Toru's uniform leaned toward Izuku. Her voice dropped to something closer to a whisper.
"Which one should I get?"
Her breath ghosted across his ear.
Izuku turned his head slightly. They were close now. Close enough that if she had a visible face, their noses would nearly touch.
"The triple chocolate strawberry deluxe. Since you're paying."
"I know I'm paying!" Her words came out slightly breathless. "But is it good?"
"I have no idea. I've never been here."
"Then why did you suggest it?!"
"Because it sounded expensive and I wanted to punish you for spilling my secrets."
Her sleeve smacked his arm.
"You're terrible!"
"You love it."
"I do not!"
Her protest lacked conviction.
Across the table, Mina's eyes darted between them with the intensity of a nature documentary narrator observing mating rituals in the wild.
Kirishima remained blissfully oblivious, still arguing with himself about whether to add extra bacon.
The waitress took their orders. Kirishima got his meat monstrosity. Mina ordered something called "Alien Queen Surprise" purely because she liked the name. Izuku requested a simple strawberry and cream.
Toru ordered the triple chocolate strawberry deluxe.
"With extra whipped cream," she added.
Her voice carried a note of defiance.
Izuku's smile grew.
While they waited, Mina launched into a detailed account of her middle school years with Kirishima. The stories painted a picture of two people who'd been friends since childhood. Kirishima's relentless optimism balanced by Mina's chaotic energy.
"And THEN," Mina was saying, gesturing wildly, "he tried to harden his entire body during the school play and got stuck!"
"I was a rock!" Kirishima protested. "I was supposed to be a rock!"
"You were supposed to be a STATUE."
"Is there though?"
"YES!"
Toru laughed at their banter. Her body shook with it. The movement pressed her more firmly against Izuku's side.
He didn't move away.
Neither did she.
Under the table, her hand found his knee.
Izuku answered by placing his own hand over hers.
Her fingers twitched beneath his palm.
"So Midoriya!" Kirishima's voice cut through the moment. "Tell us about your training! Like, specifically. What's a typical day look like?"
Izuku's thumb traced a slow circle on Toru's knuckles. Her hand trembled slightly.
"Wake up at four." His voice remained completely steady. "Run ten kilometers with weights. Strength training until seven. Breakfast. School. More training after school. Sparring until I can't move. Sleep. Repeat."
"Every day?!"
"Every day for ten years."
Mina whistled. "No wonder you're built like that."
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"You know." She waved vaguely at his general torso area. "All... that."
Toru's hand squeezed his knee.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was meant as one!" Mina grinned. "Seriously though, your dedication is insane. Most people would've given up after like, a month."
"Most people aren't trying to prove a point."
"What point?"
His thumb continued its slow circles on Toru's hand.
"That Quirks aren't everything."
Kirishima's eyes went soft. "That's... really inspiring, man."
"It's not inspiration. It's spite."
"Can't it be both?"
"...fair point."
The crepes arrived.
Kirishima's was indeed a breakfast burrito pretending to be dessert. Mina's "Alien Queen Surprise" was bright purple with what appeared to be edible glitter. Izuku's strawberry and cream looked almost boringly normal by comparison.
Toru's triple chocolate strawberry deluxe was a monument to excess.
Three types of chocolate drizzled over fresh strawberries. Whipped cream piled high enough to require architectural support. Chocolate shavings scattered across the top like edible confetti.
"Oh." Toru's voice went soft. "Oh wow."
She picked up her fork with her free hand. The other remained firmly on Izuku's knee.
The first bite made her moan.
The sound was low. Involuntary. The kind of noise someone makes when they encounter unexpected pleasure.
Mina choked on her water.
Kirishima, bless his oblivious heart, just kept eating his meat crepe.
Izuku's grip on Toru's hand tightened.
"Good?" His voice came out rougher than intended.
"So good." She was already cutting another piece. "The chocolate is so rich and the strawberries are perfect and the cream is..."
She trailed off. Her fork hovered in the air.
Then she turned toward him.
"Here."
The fork extended in his direction. A piece of crepe balanced on its tines. Chocolate. Strawberry. Cream.
Izuku looked at the offering.
Then at where her face would be.
"You're feeding me?"
"You suggested it! You should try it!"
"I have my own crepe."
"But mine is better!"
Her logic was flawless.
Izuku leaned forward.
His lips closed around the fork.
The chocolate hit first. Rich and dark. Then the sweetness of the strawberry. The lightness of the cream. The texture of the crepe itself, perfectly crisp at the edges.
He pulled back slowly.
Toru's uniform was very still.
"Well?" Her voice had gone slightly high-pitched. "What do you think?"
"Worth every yen you're spending."
Kirishima looked up from his crepe. "Did I miss something?"
"Nothing!" Toru's voice came out too fast. Too loud. "Nothing at all! Everything is fine! We're all friends here! Just friends! Eating crepes! As friends do!"
Izuku took a bite of his own crepe.
The rest of the meal passed in a haze of conversation and barely concealed tension. Mina kept shooting knowing looks across the table. Kirishima remained gloriously unaware, regaling them with stories about his favorite Pro Heroes and his dream of becoming someone worthy of the title "manly."
Under the table, Toru's hand migrated slowly upward.
From his knee to his lower thigh.
Izuku continued eating.
His expression betrayed nothing.
But his pulse had definitely increased.
"Hey, we should do this again!" Kirishima declared as they finished. "Like, make it a regular thing! The four of us!"
Mina nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Study groups! Training sessions! More crepes!"
"I'm down," Izuku said.
Toru's hand retreated as they prepared to leave.
Outside, the evening air was cool. The sun had begun its descent, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink that would've looked cheesy in a painting.
Kirishima and Mina's station was in the opposite direction.
"See you tomorrow!" Mina called, already dragging Kirishima away.
"See Ya!" Toru shouted back.
Izuku and Toru stood alone on the sidewalk.
The silence stretched.
"So," Toru said.
"So," Izuku agreed.
"That was..."
"Something."
"Yeah."
Her uniform shifted. Nervous energy given physical form.
"I really am sorry about earlier. About telling them. I know you wanted to control the narrative and I just... got excited."
"I already forgave you."
"I know, but..."
"Toru."
She went still at the use of her first name.
Izuku turned to face her fully.
"I'm not angry. I'm not disappointed. You got excited about me and wanted to share. That's..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Nice."
"Nice?"
"People don't usually get excited about me in a positive way. It's usually fear or anger or 'oh god what is that Quirkless freak doing now.'"
"That's awful."
"That's reality." He shrugged. "So having someone who's genuinely proud of me? Who wants to tell everyone how amazing they think I am? That's not something I'm going to punish."
Her uniform shifted again.
"But the crepes..."
"The crepes were because I wanted to spend time with you outside of school and needed an excuse."
She went very, very still.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"That's..."
"Manipulative?"
"I was going to say sweet."
"Those aren't mutually exclusive."
A laugh escaped her. Bright and sudden.
"My train is the other direction," Toru said eventually.
"Yeah?"
"I should go."
"Probably."
Neither of them moved.
"Midoriya-kun..."
"Izuku."
"What?"
"Call me Izuku. We're past the family name stage."
Her uniform seemed to vibrate with contained energy.
"Izuku."
"Spotlight."
"That's not my name."
"It should be."
She laughed again. Then her sleeve reached out and smacked his arm.
"Fine! Izuku! There! I said it! Happy?!"
"Getting there."
"You're the worst!"
"You keep saying that too."
"Because it's also true!"
"And yet you still want to do this again."
She paused.
"...maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Definitely." The word came out small. Almost shy. "I definitely want to do this again."
Izuku smiled. "Then we will."
"Tomorrow at school?"
"Obviously."
"And you'll sit with me at lunch?"
"Was that ever in question?"
"I just wanted to make sure!"
She was backing away now. Reluctant. Her uniform floating down the sidewalk like a ghost in reverse.
"Goodnight, Izuku!"
"Goodnight, Spotlight."