Izuocha's Love Stories

21 - THE SCARS MAKE THE MAN

By Air Quiet Reader

Some days Izuku wondered whether falling in love would be the death of him.

The idea of even being in love was something he hardly ever fathomed as a child, isolated and unpopular as he was. Nobody was interested in associating with a quirkless loser like him, even as a friend, let alone a crush. He hardly even interacted with girls; they tended not to acknowledge him and he was far too shy to try to change that. His childhood had left him with zero experience when it came to romance, and for a long time, he was fine with that.

But now he cursed his social ineptitude and fortunes with all his might for leaving him wholly unprepared for the lovely, horrifying world of dating.

Trying to navigate the rules of romance with no real experience to draw from was making his trip up far too often — figuratively and literally. Trying to put out flirtatious banter and displays of affection simultaneously drove him into nervous madness and made him feel like he was going to combust. That was all besides his difficulty trying to manage his appearance with a vigor that was alien to him before he started his romantic escapade. He wanted to look and be as good as possible for her; she deserved that, and more.

But despite fears that his heart might leap out of his chest any day now, the joy they shared made all the hardship more than worth it.

Izuku was endlessly thankful that Uraraka was far more courageous than himself, in many ways. After over a year of longing glances, quiet smiles, unwitting flirting during sparring sessions, and overcoming life-or-death situations (which there were far too many of), she had finally worked up the nerves to ask him out. That was something he would probably have never been able to work up the gumption to do. After the shock wore off and he regained his thinking capacities, he blurted out a "yes" and he was almost blinded by how brightly she beamed at him.

The next few weeks were a mixture of explosive nerves and blissful oblivion.

With how strong the foundation of their friendship was, they flowed together so seamlessly that most of the dates proved fairly straightforward. Spending time with Uraraka was already so natural that most of their dates were very easygoing. Just spending time with one another, laughing, and enjoying each other's company made the ordeal worthwhile.

But many of the technicalities of dating proved to be a source of constant consternation for him. Working through the awkwardness and the nerves of first love was driving him to ruin. He needed information but he hardly had any good sources. The internet was polluted with contradicting information on dating that did not seem very effective (he had tried a couple of cheesy romantic lines from the web, causing Uraraka to laugh in his face while telling him to 'be himself'). Beyond that, he was hesitant to try to ask anyone for advice on this, especially since the pair were trying to keep their new relationship under wraps, lest they face an onslaught of relentless teasing or worse.

Although given the number of knowing glances they had received over the past few weeks from their classmates, he wondered how effective that strategy was.

As a result, Deku relied on improvisation to navigate the uneasy waters of love, causing him to capsize on more than one occasion. For her part, Uraraka was not exactly sure of herself either and seemed to be winging it as much as he was.

But as they always could, they worked through it together and found a way to persevere, whether with a laugh or a helping hand. And the rewards of the effort — the contact, the intimacy, those kisses — made his blissful heart somersault in a way he had become addicted to. Life was good, despite the misgivings that the rate of his heartbeats might not be good for his long-term health.

Thus, he found himself sweating hard as he tried to get ready for his next date with Uraraka. The still budding relationship and his desire to constantly impress had made him far more anxious than he usually was. He had developed a habit of rigorous cleanliness, fretting about what shirt to wear and trying to comb his hair to make it slightly less weird-looking (to little avail).

Deku starred in a full-length mirror in his room (a recent addition after he and Uraraka started getting serious) after settling on a fancy green collared shirt and his nicest pair of jeans. The freckled boy peering back at him looked terribly plain. Were it not for his quirk, he would never stand out, but at an outward glance, you could hardly tell he even had one. The only parts of him that really stood out were the harsh scars that crawled around his right hand and up to his arm; a mark from his extensive quirk usage.

He had taken to wearing sleeves these days to avoid any awkward stares.

Nodding to his own image, he stepped out of his room and trudged out to the dorm common area, ready to face the day with his...girlfriend (his own thinking still stumbled at the word). His heart was already kicking up a notch as his upcoming date with Uraraka approached closer with every footstep.