The sea crashed against the shore, soothing in some spots, such as the sand, while rougher in others, such as the rocks of the wave breakers. Sometimes it got stormy, other times the sea was calm. This could be said of life as well, of time as it ebbed and flowed. Izuku and Mina's relationship was no different. Rough patches occurred, such as Izuku's acceptance of his treatment by Bakugou, his recklessness with his quirk, and how he nearly died several times. It had been a year of highs and lows, but the tide brought just as much as it washed away and they endured as time went on.

A year had passed and Mina wiggled her toes in the waves, her pink hands leaving prints in the sand. Izuku was playing with her boogie board as she watched, enjoying the cool water on her toes and the sea breeze in her hair. She was surprised she wasn't out there splashing around in the waves still, playing around with Izuku and giggling as the waves threw her around alongside her boyfriend. Still, she decided to think about a few things, like how she was one of a select few who knew All-Might's secret, and in turn, Izuku's. It added to her admiration of the boy. He was born quirkless, bullied, and beat down, and yet he still threw himself into danger, worked his ass off, and impressed the world's greatest hero. And yet, Izuku was still one of the nicest, sweetest, and most awkward nerds she had ever met.

Now that they were living in the dorms, Mina and Izuku saw a lot more of each other. They practically lived in each other's dorms However, this beach had become a second home, and whenever they could they visited. They did a bit of training here today, since early in the morning. Mina objected at first, even though she had the idea. He had to pick her up as she flailed and tried to grab her bed sheets but she relented. They ran laps, swam laps, did practice rescue drills (after talking with the life-guard. They didn't want to leave the muscular man with a lobster head out of the loop). It went slightly better than the flimsy flirt-fest their first few attempts at such a thing went, though the flirting still occurred. Mina couldn't help herself and Izuku, despite his normal reaction, really didn't mind.

She looked out at All-Might's chosen successor, the new symbol of peace in training. He was such an awkward dork, who mumbled, got flustered easily, and often injured himself with his quirk, much to Mina's chagrin. Who wants to see their boyfriend nearly kill himself? And yet, she loved this boy so much it hurt. He swam for shore, board in tow, a big smile on his face.

She jumped up and ran towards him, tackling him back into the water, right as he got to shore. He let out an odd quacking noise as she made impact and hovered over him. She smiled at him and grabbed the boogie board back.

"W-what the heck, Mi-?" he gasped as she cut him off with a kiss and then helped him up.

"You're just cute." Mina grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him up.

They sat and watched the sunset, holding hands as they dipped their feet in the waves and let this moment blanket them as they enjoyed the warmth of each other's company. Izuku had thought back to their rescue drills, especially that first, when she had teased him. He had thought about how close they had grown, physically and emotionally. They hadn't really gone that far yet. He was still nervous and slower to move forward than Mina, but she had been patient with him. Try as he might to fight those emotions, they were only natural and he might as well go back into the ocean and fight the tides themselves (though to be fair, with his quirk, he probably could pull a Moses, at least partially, if he felt like breaking his finger.)

Izuku gazed at Mina, and Mina at him. The young protegee of All-Might kissed the acid girl deeply, prompting her to wrap her arms around him as they fell to the ground, caught in the moment and a mix of love and hormones. They broke the kiss, panting heavily as they both stood up.

"Want to head back to the dorms, Izu?" Mina asked as she stretched, Izuku trying not to let certain thoughts escape as his eyes wandered to his girlfriend's slender and muscular form. They might have been dating for a year, but he still didn't want to come off as a pervert. Unfortunately, Mina noticed how he looked at her, even as he blushed and tried to hide it.

"Admiring the view still, Izu-kun?" she teased He made it way too easy sometimes but it never got old for her. She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "You can take a closer look in my room." Her breath on his ear and her smooth voice made his face beet-red. She was tempted to roast Marshmallows on this poor boy's face, the way his face was heating up. Alas, she brought no such thing.

"M-mina!" Izuku stuttered. He bit his lip, trying to hide how much he liked that idea, and not sure why he was hiding it. A year onward and he was still somewhat of an awkward mess.

Izuku relented and took Mina's hand as she smiled at him. He smiled back and they headed for changing rooms. Once they arrived and boarded their train, Mina cuddled up to Izuku, burying her head in the nape of his neck and holding his hand. A blush crept across the green-haired boys face as he obliged her and kissed her nose. Mina smiled, content with how things were going.

"Izu." Mina moaned in contentment as she lifted herself away slightly and looked at him, with half-lidded eyes.

"Yeah Mina?" Izuku's arm was falling asleep, so he gently pulled it out from under her and wrapped it around her.

"I'm glad we met." The pink girl confessed in a simple yet honest matter. No flirtation or teasing or gentle ribbing. Just a single statement of love.

"W-where is this coming from?" Izuku was taken by mild surprise, but was still very much honored, even if part of him still didn't believe he deserved such praise, even after all he had done.

"I dunno. Just feel like I don't say it enough, dude." She shrugged a she snuggled up to him again. Izuku nodded and kissed her forehead. He knew why. They had brought out the best in each other, simply put. Izuku had become more confident and less awkward and Mina's grades had started to improve, as had her ability to strategize. In the past, Mina would have taken certain things for granted or wandered in ill-prepared without worrying about studying. Under Izuku's guidance, she managed to improve her grades dramatically, rising from towards the bottom of the class towards the middle. It was certainly better than where she used to be and even Aizawa was mildly impressed, even if she still wasn't near the top of the class.

"Glad I met you too, Mina. "he snuggled up to her in turn and they remained like that until they reached their destination. He didn't deny what she said or look downward in embarrassment. He just accepted the kind words of the acid girl and whispered "thank you." Izuku and Mina got off at their stop, grabbed their bags, and walked to the dorms. When they arrived, they headed to Izuku's room, closed the door, and taken that first step to a new level.

They were both nervous, but their hearts were pounding and hormones were flooding through their young bodies, barely able to keep themselves apart. Izuku was particularly unsure, as Mina grasped these things faster than him, but he still wanted this. He had constantly chastised himself for having such thoughts, even when Mina indicated that it was ok (and that she had had similar ideas). Mina had condoms on her. Her older brother Micha gave her some, just in case. She remembered Izuku almost having a heart attack and her wanting to scream from embarrassment, but it turned out to be a good call.

The two sat on Izuku's bed, making out heavily, both blushing wildly as Izuku tumbled backwards and Mina hovered over him, her black and yellow eyes staring lovingly into his white and green.

"Hi." Mina said softly, stroking Izuku's hair and gazing lovingly into his eyes.

"H-Hi." Izuku responded with a gulp while returning her gaze. "A-are…are we doing this…. you know…this?"

"Depends on what you mean by…. this…" Mina tilted her head, doing her best to lighten the mood for the big scary step they were about to take.

"Y-you know what I mean." Izuku choked out,

"W-we don't have to. I understand." Mina was nervous herself. She knew full well that Izuku was sweating bullets.

"No…I want to." Izuku spoke softly, composing himself as best he could.

"Are you sure? I don't want to pressure you if you're not ready yet, Izu." Mina was shaking a bit herself, but she was ready if he was. They had already done a lot together, from the USJ to the Vanguard attack. If they could handle those, they could handle this, together.

Izuku took a deep breath as he touched her face. "I'm ready." It helped to calm Izuku down, and it helped Mina stop shaking as well.

"To…Delaware Smash?" the pink girl joked, waggling her eyebrows.

"MINA!" Izuku started laughing. He was so nervous and flustered, but his girlfriend's goofiness was alleviating that, at least a little. He calmed himself. "I'm ready if you are."

Mina smiled softly and got up to close the window curtains so that nobody could peep. She placed her phone on her speaker and selected a playlist, then hit start. Soft music played as she got on the bed with Izuku and they dimmed the lights.

The next morning, Iida had ventured to Izuku's room to issue a noise complaint. It was an awkward scene that kept the dorms buzzing for weeks, but that's a story for another time. The Class president had told Mina and Izuku to be more respectful of noise levels from now on, but congratulated them like the dad-friend he was.

The waves roll, hero careers launch. Tide goes out, an argument breaks out about recklessness and nearly dying. The tide comes back in bringing new beginnings. A sparkling rock, sharp like the chiming of wedding bells. The sea takes life, like that of a great and beloved hero, and brings it, like a child born bearing his name. Time and Tide wait for no one, but as Izuku and Mina can attest, they will welcome you at Dagobah beach, like a gorgeous sunset welcomes a cool summer night.