Had a oneshot idea I just needed to get out there. Hopefully it turns out okay!

It was a dark and stormy night…

A Saturday night to be precise. The campus of U.A. was currently being pelted by some severe weather. A torrent of rain fell in sheets as gale-force winds ripped through the air. Small streams of water flowed into storm drains like rapids. Every so often the night sky would illuminate from the flash of a lightning bolt, followed shortly by a deafening crack of thunder.

For Izuku Midoriya, it was nothing short of terrifying.

The hero-to-be let out a small yelp as another crash of thunder rang out, hugging the All Might plush in his arms even tighter than before. He was currently buried underneath his bedsheets, quivering slightly as the storm raged outside. The howling winds rattled his windows as rain pelted the outside wall of his dorm room.

"It's alright now, I am here!" The recorded voice of the #1 hero came from the toy in Izuku's arms as he squeezed it. Those words did little to comfort the frightened boy, unfortunately.

He hated the fact that thunderstorms could still do this to him. He'd had a fear of them ever since he was little, but it had been awhile since he had been this shaken by one. It was so severe that he wondered if it was actually because of a Quirk. Perhaps some villain was actually attacking U.A., creating a storm over the school to terrify students like him and make sure they don't get sleep.

Yeah, he wasn't exactly thinking rationally.

The shivering boy wasn't really sure why he was so bothered by the sounds and sights of a storm. Perhaps it had developed when he was younger and constantly being tormented by Bakugou? He may have started to associate the booming thunder and flashing lightning with the explosive boy. Part of it may have just been his paranoia; he was convinced the wind was going to shatter his windows any second now. The fact that the gusts almost sounded like wailing didn't help either. He had a pretty wild imagination, after all.

He realized how absurd it was that someone like him could still be so frightened by a completely normal and (mostly) harmless phenomenon. Shigaraki and the League of Villains, Stain, All for One… How many times had he been inches from death by now? And yet it was a stupid storm keeping him up at night. Then again, phobias were irrational.

Another roar of thunder, and another wince. It was about 12 AM and he was still wide awake from fear.

Letting out a sigh, he suddenly sat up. He was never going to get to sleep at this rate. If nothing else, he could maybe try to relax in the common room downstairs for a bit. Not being right next to the windows might help his nerves a little.

Getting out of bed, he quietly slipped out of his room.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to Izuku that the power had gone out. The dorm's hallways normally had some dim lighting even late at night, but they it was pitch black when he stepped outside his room. He silently crept toward the stairs, using his phone as a makeshift flashlight. The darkness wasn't exactly helping him relax, and he had to shove a hand over his mouth to avoid screaming when a crash of thunder surprised him.

The tense boy wasn't exactly sure what he intended to do downstairs. With the power out, TV wasn't really an option. Would he just sit there in the dark, hoping the slightly thicker walls would let him relax a bit? Should he just try sleeping down there tonight? Was that even allowed?

Mumbling to try to distract himself from the storm, he eventually got to the bottom of the stairs. Opening the door to the first floor, something quickly caught his eye.

Light was coming from the common area, just around the corner from where Izuku was standing. It was extremely faint, but the fact that it was even there at all was surprising. Was someone else up? He knew some of his classmates liked to stay up late on Saturday nights, but with no power he didn't see what they would be doing. Plus, there weren't any voices or anything.

Slowly approaching the entryway to the common area, Izuku poked his head around the corner to see what the source of the light was.

What he saw made him do a double take.

The dim light appeared to be coming from inside a large mass of pillows, cushions, and blankets in the middle of the room. The sofas, chairs, and tables that normally decorated the area were nowhere to be found, evidently all being used to construct this… Thing Izuku was staring at.

Curious about the structure, he cautiously approached. The sounds of the storm were still audible from outside, though slightly dampened by the change of location. He couldn't make out the finer details of the cushion-blob, but it was clear some of the pillows and blankets that made up its structure did not come from this room. If there was more light he might have been able to tell who they might belong to.

Circling the mass, one object did stand out to Izuku: A large sheet draped over some of the cushions. The light seemed to be coming from directly behind the sheet, allowing the curious boy to make out the leopard print coloring of it. Tilting his head, he combed through his memories trying to figure out who it might belong to.

Deciding to investigate further, he grabbed the sheet and slowly lifted. There was clearly some empty space behind it where the light was.

"H…Hello?" He quietly asked, holding the sheet open just enough to peer in. "I-Is someone-

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

A piercing shriek from within the construct caused Izuku to let out a scream of his own, falling backwards onto his rear. He frantically scrambled backwards on his hands and feet, staring wildly at where the terrifying sound had come from. A ripple in the sheets made him tense up, his overactive imagination going haywire. Had he disturbed some sort of spirit? Were these dorms actually haunted!? Oh god, was he about to get cursed!?

He nearly screamed again when the sheet opened to reveal a human face, but he stopped himself as he recognized it.

"…M…Midoriya?"

"A…A…Ashido?"

As it turned out, the source of that scream was not some long-dead specter. Mina Ashido's familiar pink visage was still quite visible even in the dim light. She was holding the sheet open just enough so her head was poking out, and she didn't exactly look happy.

"Dude… What the heck? Y-You almost gave me a freaking heart attack just now!" She sounded a bit shaken.

"S-S-Sorry!" Izuku stammered as he apologized, slowly climbing to his feet. "I just… I wanted to s-see what this was."

"Well, it's nothing. What are you even doing up this late?" Mina was acting very unusual. Her normally happy-go-lucky demeanor had been replaced with one of impatience and annoyance.

"I…I was wondering the same thing, actually." Why was Mina in this pillow pile at midnight?

"None of your business," the pink girl snapped. "Now go away, I'm-AAH!"

"GAAH!"

Both students simultaneously let out a yelp as a particularly loud blast of thunder suddenly rang out. Izuku dove back on the floor, covering his head as Mina threw her hands over her ears, crouching down even further than she already was. After a couple seconds, the two of them looked at each. Izuku could see the fear in his classmate's black-and-gold eyes, and she could no doubt see his.

"…Y-You too, huh?" Mina quietly asked after a brief silence. Izuku simply nodded. It seemed he wasn't the only one with a fear of thunderstorms.

"I…I couldn't sleep," he confessed.

"Well, get in here," Mina instructed, holding the sheet open a little more and motioning for him to enter. Like him, she was also in pajamas. "We'll be safe in Fort Ashido!"

…Fort Ashido?

Deciding some company would be nice right now, the confused student accepted the invitation, crawling into the pillow fort.

The inside of the structure was mostly hollow. Mina had brought in a few additional pillows and blankets, likely for personal use, as well as some stuffed animals. There was also a laptop that was currently closed, a few snacks that had been picked at, and a lantern-like flashlight that was shining brightly.

The vibrant girl crawled over to a blanket, wrapping herself up inside it as she huddled against some of the stray pillows. With more light, Izuku could see signs that she had actually been crying a little bit.

"S-So… You have astraphobia too?" He asked, sitting with his knees tucked in and hugging them close with his arms. Mina looked at him with utter confusion.

"I have what now?"

"You know… F-Fear of lightning and…" A soft rumble was hear outside. "…Th-Thunder."

"Oh. That. Yeah." The blanketed girl shook her head, muttering something under her breath about "stupid big words". "Thought I was over it honestly, but…" She let out a heavy sigh.

"Y-Yeah, same." Normally being alone with a girl would have turned Izuku into a stuttering, blushing mess, especially one he didn't know well like Mina. However, his fear of the storm was currently trumping his fear of the opposite sex. Besides, knowing she shared his ridiculous fear made him feel a bit more comfortable talking to her.

"Couldn't sleep either," the girl continued. "Guess we had the same idea of waiting it out down here?"

"Er… Yeah, but um… I wasn't going to…" Building a small fortress had not been on Izuku's mind.

"Yeah yeah, I know." Mina managed to give a small smile. "I know it's stupid, but… It makes me feel safe."

"O-Oh, I don't think that!" Izuku held out his hands as he spoke. Sure, it was a little strange, but he had to admit being inside this cushiony fort made him feel at least a little more relaxed. "So, um, what exactly were you d-doing in here?"

"Waiting out the storm I guess? It's taking its time though." She looked at her laptop. "Like, I was watching stuff on there but it died a little while ago. And the stupid power went out so I can't charge it."

"Oh." Izuku wanted to say more, but he couldn't really think of anything. Even after all this time he was still a bit of a mess when it came to social situations.

After a few seconds of silence, more thunder was heard. The two teens both flinched a bit.

"So, uh… H-How long for you?" Mina asked, clearly wanting to keep the conversation going to distract them.

"How long for-Oh. Um… S-Since elementary school, actually." Again, his phobia had manifested shortly after Bakugou and the others had really started tormenting him. "I-I thought I'd gotten over it, but… Tonight's just…"

"Yeah. I know what you mean."

"Wh-What about you? I-If you don't mind saying." Izuku didn't want to pry.

"Hey, I asked you right? Same timeframe for me, honestly. Got lost at the park when I was little. Was alone when a big storm hit… Folks found me crying under a tree." Mina shook her head. "God, that was a day." Izuku would have shared the causes for his phobia, but he wasn't exactly comfortable bringing up his past. Fortunately, his classmate didn't feel the need to ask for those details.

"So, um… Why the fort?"

"Again, something I would do when I was little. Thought the thunder was some big monster and that I'd be safe from it inside." She blinked. "I-I mean, n-not that I think it's a monster now! Just… Just habit, you know?" There was a hint of color (well, more color) in her cheeks as she said this.

"Oh." Izuku rubbed his arm, feeling a bit bad she was saying all this personal stuff and he wasn't. "W-Well, i-if it makes you feel better. I, uh… I deal with it by sleeping with a… An All Might toy." Now it was his turn to blush.

"Aaaaw!" This seemed to snap Mina out of her funk for a bit, turning her more into her usual self. "That's cute!" The blushing boy looked down a bit, hearing his companion giggle. "Guess we're both just a couple of big kids, aren't we?"

"Heh… Y-Yeah, I guess." He had to admit the whole situation was pretty childish for both of them. A couple of heroes-to-be getting spooked by thunder, building pillow forts and hugging dolls to protect themselves.

"Still… Never thought someone else here would be like me. And you of all people!" Izuku tilted his head.

"What do you mean?"

"Uh… Because you're, like, super duper fearless all the time?" She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Seriously, how many times have you had to fight bad guys already?" Not used to flattery, the One for All inheritor felt his cheeks warming up.

"I-It's… I-I was just doing what a-any hero would do…"

"Oh come on, don't sell yourself so short! You're like, one of the coolest guys in the class!" She was now making motions with her hands as she talked excitedly.

"C…C…Cool?" He'd never been called that before. Not by a girl, anyway.

His fear of girls was slowly starting to overtake him again.

"Yep! I mean, you're a huge dork but still! Honestly, I don't know why we don't talk more… Sorry."

"I-It's… It's fine." To be frank, the things Izuku admired about Mina were the things that also kept him from speaking to her much. Her near-endless energy and cheeriness made her prime hero material, but also very intimidating for someone like him to talk to. Again, their mutual fear of the weather was the only thing keeping him from freaking out right now.

"Well, now we can be storm buddies… Or something."

"Ha… Yeah." Her little name for their common thread was goofy, but he didn't mind the idea.

Another brief silence.

"So uh… Wh-What's there to do in, um, Fort Ashido?" Conversation was well and good, but Izuku really wanted to do something to take his mind off the storm as much as possible.

"Hm…" Mina tapped her chin. "Well, my laptop's dead… Oh! They keep some puzzles and board games and stuff in a cabinet in this room. We could get some of those out."

"Oh! That sounds good." Exactly the sort of thing he was looking for.

The two stared at each other for a moment, neither really wanting to leave the safety of the fort. Eventually, Mina held out her hands, making a fist with one and resting it in the other.

"…Rock paper scissors to see who has to get them?"

Izuku lost track of how long he had been sitting with Mina in this mound of pillows. Together, the two of them had built a small puzzle, played a round of checkers (Mina wasn't the best strategist… Or loser), and Go Fish (Izuku was convinced Mina had lied a couple times about her cards, but he couldn't prove it). They chattered constantly throughout it all, partially to drown out the storm as much as possible but also because they simply enjoyed talking to one another.

Currently the two were lying down next to one another, waving their arms in front of themselves as they made shadow puppets.

"That's… Not a dog, Midoriya."

"Y-Yes it is!" Izuku was trying desperately to form a dog with his hands.

"Are you sure you know how to do this?"

"Just let me… Aha!" Finally, he got his fingers positioned right to form the proper silhouette.

"Alright, now I see it." Mina was currently making a deer with her hands; it was clear she was better at this.

Izuku couldn't remember the last time he'd just… Goofed off like this. Especially with someone else. U.A. had kept him pretty busy, especially considering all the extra work his class had had to endure due to their bad luck. And to think just a little while ago he had been literally shaking with fear in bed.

"That deer's really-AH!"

"EE!"

Another extra-loud thunder strike rang out, startling the puppeteers. Instinctively, Izuku grabbed the closest thing and hugged it tightly.

That thing being Mina's arm.

"…"

"…"

"GAH! S-S-Sorry!" After realizing what he had done, the now red-faced boy quickly let go and recoiled away. Mina, who had actually huddled closer to Izuku as a reflex when the thunder boomed, was blushing about as hard.

This had actually happened a couple of times now. Thunder would occasionally frighten the pair, and they would automatically seek comfort in each other.

"Y-You're fine…" Mina stammered. It was awkward every time, of course. They quickly calmed down before returning to their activity, each understanding the other's actions were simply a fear response.

However, a yawn soon escaped the green-haired boy. Now that he had finally relaxed for a bit, drowsiness was rapidly kicking in.

"Hey, Ashido?" He put his hands down. "What time is it?"

"Dunno. Phone died." Power was still out, and the storm was still going. "Feels like we've been here for at least an hour or two though…" She let out a big yawn. "Oh, man. It's like… All hitting me at once."

"Yeah, same…" Izuku seemed reluctant. "…Storm's still going, though." He wasn't thrilled with the idea of returning to his room.

"Yeah. To be honest, I think I'm…" Another yawn caused Mina to pause. "I think I'm going to crash here at this point."

"O-Oh… Alright." Part of him had wanted to do the same, but if she was going to be here… "W-Well, I'll get going then, good night." Despite his fear, he began crawling toward to fort's "doorway".

"…Wait."

Stopping, Izuku turned his head. Mina had a worried look on her face.

"Um… I-I know this might sound weird but… C-Can… Can you stay?" She didn't need to explain why; Izuku also didn't really want to be alone with the thunderstorm again. But he obviously didn't have to guts to ask if he could stay here with the pink girl.

"Uh…Er… I-Is… Are you s-sure?" Naturally, the idea of sleeping in the same room… Fort… Thing as a girl did not sit well with him. Especially given how little room was actually in here; they'd be… quite close.

But at the same time, the companionship sounded nice. Plus, he didn't want to leave her all alone.

"P-Please?" Mina asked, her face glowing. Deciding the awkwardness of sleeping next to a girl was better than the potential terror he would experience in his room. Izuku nodded.

A moment later, the two were lying down with their own pillow and blanket, about a foot apart.

"Th-Thanks," Mina said softly.

"N-No problem." Despite his nerves, the exhausted boy quickly found himself drifting off to sleep.

…At least, until another roar of thunder caused him and Mina to close the distance between them.

"Ah…"

"Er…"

Izuku's whole body went rigid as Mina suddenly pressed her body against his.

"Sorry sorry sorry! I-I know this is super duper weird but… C-Can I just stay like this?" The fear in her voice was clear.

"I… Guh…" Izuku's heart was pounding so hard he felt it might rip out of his chest. Yet… The feeling of another person huddled against him like made him feel a lot better.

…

Face still on fire, he held Mina close, hugging her like a giant All Might plush.

"…Th-Thanks, storm buddy."

It was a testament to just how tired Izuku was that, despite the immense awkwardness he was experiencing right now, he still managed to fall asleep a few minutes later.

Izuku paced back and forth, mumbling to himself as he wrung his hands together.

The night had passed, and he and Mina had received a rather rude and early awakening from one Tenya Iida. The student rep, up at 5 AM for a morning run, reprimanded them about their "misuse of dormitory equipment" among other things. To say the two of them were embarrassed about the whole ordeal was an understatement.

By some miracle, the speedy student had kept quiet to the rest of the class about the whole ordeal. Izuku was thankful he was so oblivious about some things; he never once questioned why the two of them were holding each other when he found them.

After cleaning the common area up, Izuku opted to go back to sleep in his room. At around 11 he woke up again, and he had just finished his usual "morning" routine.

Now that he was in a regular state of mind again, thinking about last night brought was making his brain go haywire. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding it, he had spent the night more or less cuddling Mina. He knew he shouldn't think of anything of it, but his teenage boy's mind just couldn't help but wander.

And that scared him. It wasn't as if he felt that way about Mina. Or at least, he had never thought about it before. He had barely spoken to her before tonight; how could he possibly have feelings for her? He could consider her a friend now, yes, but that was it. Last night had been awkward enough for both of them, and he didn't want to make it any worse.

Unfortunately, none of that made accepting what had happened any easier for him. Talking to Mina was certainly going to be weird for a little while.

As he continued pacing, a knock at the door pulled him from his inner ramblings.

"Coming!" He called out, walking over to the door. Not bothering to see who it was, he opened it.

…And nearly slammed it shut.

"Hey Midori." He shouldn't have been surprised to see Mina standing there, her usual smile plastered on her pink face.

"Uh, um, h-hey A-Ashido…" He was back to his usual stuttering self.

"You okay, dude?" He could tell he was shaking slightly, and it was clear that she could too.

"YEP!" He blurted out a lot louder than intended. "Eep!" Eyes wide, he covered his mouth with a hand. Mina stifled a laugh. "Uh… Haha." He forced himself to smile, face streaked with crimson.

"…Thinking about last night, right?" The pink girl grew a bit more serious as she asked this. "I mean… Yeah, I get it. That was a little weird to do." Izuku exhaled loudly. At least she understood.

"Yeah… S-Sorry, I know it wasn't…" He trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. "A-Anyways, um… Did you want something?" He still wasn't sure why she was here.

"Well, figured I should check up on you. And, you know, say thanks. I, uh… Really appreciated your company last night." Her smile reappeared, albeit softer than before.

"O-O-Oh… Th-Thank you." Struggling to make eye contact, Izuku rubbed an arm as he looked down. "I, uh, I did too." He certainly would have had a much tougher time getting any sleep without her.

There was an awkward silence. Mina bounced her head back and forth a little, clearly wanting to say something else.

"Anyways, um… I'll see you…" She looked trailed off before shaking her head quickly. "Eh, screw it. You want to grab lunch together?"

"Wha?" Izuku's eyes bugged out at this question. "L-Like… With some of the others?"

"Nah, just you and me." Oh god. He could feel his heartrate accelerating.

"L-Like a d-d-date? AAH!" Once again covering his mouth, Izuku internally swore. Why had he asked that!? "Oh god, sorry, I didn't-

"Sure." One word silenced the flustered boy. Mina was blushing intensely but still managing to keep her composure. "I mean… We got pretty close there last night. Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure what to make of it all… Figured maybe this'll help me figure it out, you know?"

Izuku barely heard her. He honestly felt like he was about to faint. Where in the world had this come from? How did he respond? This was all so sudden, so spontaneous, so… Mina.

"…S-Sorry, if you don't want to-

"O-Okay!" He practically squeaked out the word.

He also had no clue what would come of this. But much like her, he was struggling to figure out how he felt after last night.

"…Oh. Cool." An awkward pause. "…You good to go now? We can figure out where we want to eat on the way."

"O…Okay."

Still dazed from everything that had just happened, Izuku followed Mina to the stairs.

There was a flash as a lightning bolt illuminated the room. A few seconds later, thunder followed.

"Ugh… So noisy." Mina mumbled. "Just wanna sleep…"

"Maybe we should build a fort?" Her boyfriend asked playfully, his arms wrapped around her midriff.

"Mmm… Maybe." She nuzzled his chest with her head. "So tired though…" She felt a soft kiss on her forehead, causing her to giggle. "Izu…"

"Mina…"

No longer fearing the sounds of the storm, the couple soon drifted off to sleep.

Bit of a weird one to be sure. Basically had the idea of both Izuku and Mina being spooked by thunder, and I built from there without much of a plan. Not sure if it was good, per say, but it was certainly fun to write. Feel free to let me know what 'yall thought.