Izuku Midoriya had been pacing back and forth in his dorm room for what felt like hours. Today was the day. He was finally going to tell him—his classmate, his friend, and, lately, the center of his thoughts—how he felt.

It had started small: glances stolen during training, an involuntary smile whenever he laughed, and the inexplicable warmth that filled Izuku’s chest whenever he was nearby. It was almost embarrassing how obvious he felt his feelings had become, but despite that, Izuku couldn’t bring himself to say anything. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if it made things awkward? Or worse—what if it ruined their friendship?

"No, you’ve got this, Midoriya," he whispered to himself, gripping his fists in determination. "You can face villains, so you can definitely face this."

With his mind made up, Izuku headed to the common area where he knew he would be. His heart raced with every step, the words he’d rehearsed tumbling around in his head. He spotted him sitting at the couch, flipping through a textbook with a look of concentration. The late afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows highlighted the soft features of his face, making Izuku’s heart skip a beat.

“Uh, h-hey!” Izuku’s voice cracked slightly as he approached, and he cringed inwardly at how nervous he sounded. He looked up, a smile spreading across his face when he saw Izuku. That smile—the one that never failed to make Izuku’s legs feel like jelly.

“Oh, hey, Midoriya,” he said, closing the book. “What’s up?”

Izuku froze for a moment, his rehearsed lines suddenly evaporating from his mind. “I-I… uh…” He scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing. “I was just wondering if… if maybe you’d like to, um, go out sometime? Like—not like a training thing or a group hangout—but like… like a date?”

His words tumbled out in a rush, and the silence that followed felt suffocating. Izuku was sure his face was a deep shade of red by now, and he resisted the urge to just turn around and bolt.