Genuine Feelings

The next week, I decided to take Hera out once again, this time as an official couple, after school.

I was dressed in my Sunday best for this date, because I wanted to really impress her. I was wearing a white shirt under a black suit jacket, black slacks and black dress shoes. And my hair was combed to the right. I usually leave it messy, but my heart wouldn't let me for this date.

Damn, I looked good! Dare I say I look better than Todoroki when he's all dressed up!

"Mom! Dad!" I called up. "I'm going out with Hera again!"

Mom almost immediately came downstairs after hearing that, probably to judge me on my outfit.

But no! She... COMPLIMENTED me?!

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you actually look nice today," she said. "My little boy is growing up to be a fine-ass young man!"

ExCUSE me?! A "fine-ass young man?" Now THAT'S progress! And that's something I haven't heard from Mom in, like, forever!

"Yeah, yeah, thanks," I replied.

"And where are the two of you going tonight?"

"I decided we should head to MKG's Mongolian Grill for dinner. I'm sure she'd love herself some Mongolian barbecue," I answered as I was opening the door to head out. "Y'know, something different..."

And as I was leaving, I heard: "Go get 'er, tiger!"

Of course, my good ol' Dad.

"Why, babe?" Mom said as soon as she heard it. "Just... Why?"

I chuckled a bit, shaking my head. "Ew. No, Dad... Remember who you're talking to; I got this. See ya later!"

And I stepped out the door without another word, ready to rock this date! Yup, this "fine young man" is about to get himself some action! And don't get any ideas; I don't mean it like that.

***

As I drove up to Hera's house, I was bumping some metal by Raised Fist. Reason being, I needed a good metal jam to pump me up, 'cause once again I had major butterflies in my stomach.

As Hera stepped out of her house, I turned my music down so that I could hear her. "Are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Well, duh!" Hera replied, gesturing toward her black dress. "Now, let's get going!" She began walking towards my car.

"W-wow, Hera! You look...beautiful!" I stammered. She looked too damn fine! If looking that good was a crime, she'd be arrested!

"Um, can you not, please?" Hera inquired as she stepped into my car, getting a little red. "You're gonna make me blush! Plus, I don't normally dress like this, oppa~."

And in case you're not fluent in Korean, oppa means either "older brother" or, in this case, "boyfriend."

"Wait, is that Raised Fist?" Hera asked, listening to my stereo.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Even though that IS one of my favorite rock bands," she answered, "you just need to acquire more of a taste for K-pop, JJ."

"I've heard of K-pop before." I put my car into drive. "But I don't even think I've actually heard any of it..."

As soon as I had finished my sentence and began driving, Hera plugged her smartphone into the auxiliary plug of my car's stereo, and a few seconds later, I was listening to a Korean boy band by the name of BTS! Before I knew it, while I was driving, I was moving and grooving to one of their most popular songs!

"This is the shit right here!" I said. "Turn that shit up on my stereo!"

And seconds later, I found myself singing along with Hera to "Not Today" by BTS!

***

When we arrived at MKG's Mongolian Grill, after parking the car and getting out, I opened the door for Hera, and she got out of my car.

As soon as we got in, the host, Jake, said: "Welcome to MKG's Mongolian Grill! How many of you will be there for this party?"

"Two of us, sir," I answered.

And instantly, he picked up two menus and said: "If you guys could follow me this way, please."

And we followed Jake to an open table near the stir-fry buffet. And I did the exact same thing I did while we were at Howdy-Hoe's. And as soon as she sat down, I sat down in my own chair.

"Your waiter Dave will be with you momentarily," Jake said once we were well situated. "Enjoy your meal!"

And as soon as he left, I decided to spark up some conversation. "Besides My Hero," I said, "what other manga or anime have you been into? And what would you recommend for me to watch?"

Immediately, Hera had her answer.

"Have you ever heard of InuYasha?" she asked.

"I have. I've read the manga, but I've never watched the anime yet," I answered.

"You should definitely watch the anime, JJ! It's really funny, plus it has all the emotion of the manga."

"Okay, anything else?" I asked.

As soon as I finished my sentence, I saw that Dave was already there, patiently waiting for us.

"Welcome to MKG's Mongolian Grill!" he said. "My name is Dave and I'll be taking care of you guys tonight. Can I start you guys off with any drinks?"

"I'll have a Mug Root Beer," I immediately answered.

"Perfect! And for you?"

"I'll have a Pepsi," Hera said.

"Excellent!" Dave said as he jotted everything down. "And can I also start you guys off with any appetizers?"

"We'd like to try the Potstickers," I told him.

"Okay! I'll have your drinks ready in a jiffy!"

And as he left, we decided to watch the baseball game on the TV near the bar; it was between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox. It was slated to be a good game.

One inning later, Dave came back with the drinks. And as he handed them to us, Hera was the one to speak for us.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem!" Dave replied. "Your potstickers will be out in just a moment!"

And after Dave left, while we were watching the game, we decided to continue our conversation.

"Any other anime and manga?" I asked.

"I would totally recommend the subbed version of Slam Dunk," she answered, "since you do like the NBA so much..."

"Hera, babe," I said, "you know me too well."

And then after that, we decided to watch the game again. Jarrod Dyson was on second base; he's the speedster of the team, so I would be ecstatic to see him steal a base! As soon as Chris Sale was into his windup, Jarrod was off of second base and was blasting his way to third. The throw from Christian Vasquez wasn't nearly in time; Jarrod had made it to third base!

"That's exactly what speed do!" I marveled. "Nice steal, Dyson!"

A few seconds later, Dave came back with the Potstickers, which were basically dumplings.

"Here are your Potstickers, guys," he said. "Now, is everyone ready to order?"

"Yes, we are!" I answered. "We both would like to get unlimited bowls of stir-fry."

"Okay! Is there anything else you'd like?"

"No, sir, I think that'll be it for the moment!" I replied.

Immediately, Dave went to the back and got us two fresh-out-the-wash bowls.

"Here you are!" Dave said, passing out the bowls. "Enjoy your stir-fry!"

And as he left, we decided to immediately head to the ingredients section.

I filled my bowl up with all the ingredients I could amass: sausage, teriyaki chicken, shrimp, steak, snow peas, shredded carrots, string beans, pineapple, and an egg. (am I making you hungry?).

Hera and I took our bowls up to the chefs' table, and after they were done with two people's stir-fries, two chefs, Johnny and Will, took our bowls and began cooking.

"Looks like this BakuDeku story has changed to an IzuOcha story, hasn't it?" I said as I was waiting for the chef to prepare my stir-fry.

"Nah, JJ..." Hera replied. "It's still BakuDeku, but with fluff."

"And I'd prefer not to be called JJ anymore; It still hurts me to this day. Please, just call me 'Jase' or something like that," I told her.

"Dream on! I actually like JJ better, so you'd best get used to it."

"'It's funny, 'cause I haven't given you any kind of good nickname yet," I replied.

"Lay it on me," Hera demanded. "What do you have in mind, babe?"

"Somebody's getting a bit too eager here," I said with a chuckle. "Hmm, let me think about it..."

A minute later, Hera had grown a little impatient.

"Well?" she pressed.

"You know that my favorite character is Shoto Todoroki, right?" I said.

"Yeah. And?"

"And half of his quirk is fire based; plus, it takes a single spark to get a fire going. So I've been doing a lot of thinking about this, and I've decided that I should call you...'my spark,' because you set me ablaze every time we're together."

"Aww, I like it!" Hera said. "Thanks, JJ!"

"No problem!" I said. "I'm glad you like the nickname, my spark!"

I know public displays of affection are pretty old, but we happily kissed again just as the chefs got finished preparing our stir-fries.

***

Back at my house the next day, unbeknownst to my mother, I had invited Hera over to my house for another playdate. But Hera was a bit too loud for my taste... Was she trying to blow our cover?!

"I...really think we should keep it down, my spark; my folks are still here," I told her. "And if we're too loud, we're sure to get caught."

"Whoa! Somebody's being a bit too paranoid!" Hera retorted softly.

All of a sudden, I heard: "Ey, what the hell's going on in there?"

"Shit!" I hissed. I knew exactly who that was.

"What is it, JJ?" Hera asked.

"It's my annoying fucking sister," I replied. "Brace yourself..."

Just then, the door opened, revealing that nosey pain of a sister of mine.

"Jackie, why the hell are you in here? I told you not to—"

"First, shut up." Jackie interrupted. "Second, who the hell is this?" She gestured to the gorgeous idiot next to me.

"Hey, I asked first, Jacqueline, so you answer me first!"

"No! You answer my question, or I'm telling Mom that you brought a girl over! She'll kick your ass into the middle of next year!"

"First off, you little spawn of Satan," I said, "she already knows about it! I told her that she would be coming over to our place. And second, this is my girlfriend."

"Nah, you're capping. Listen to me, and listen good. If you don't give me $200, I'm telling her you got this...girl over here pregnant." she said, looking around for my wallet.

I slapped the bitch's hand away from my dresser. "Fuck off, Jack. She already knows!" I squealed, hoping she didn't catch the fact that I was obviously lying. I could feel Hera's hot glare.

"She'll kill you the second she hears it, and you know it. You're supposed to die a virgin in her eyes."

I looked at an angry Hera, then back at the bitch. Sigh.

"Fine, you asshole," I sifted through my wallet until I found two ugly Benjamins. No way in hell was she getting my crisp ones, fuck that.

"Take this and shut the fuck up." I gritted, throwing the money at the brat. She grinned and ran off, slamming the door behind her.

Sigh. We dodged a bullet...

Suddenly, Hera punched me real hard in the arm.

"Ow! What the fuck was that for, my spark?!" I yelled, reeling in pain.

"Really, Deku?! You didn't even tell your mom you were bringing me over?!" Hera shouted.

Before I could even respond, she hit me again.

"And you didn't even introduce me to your sister!" she continued. "I'm supposed to be your waifu, oppa~!"

I rolled my eyes with a small smile. And when I heard Jack's footsteps fade off into the distance, I said: "Listen, Hera-chan, I know I got us in a bit of trouble, but knowing you, you like trouble and you know it."

"I know, JJ-san, I know," Hera said, "but not as much as you do."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, ner–"

Hera immediately pulled me by my collar and shot me a deathly leering look, as if she was going to hurt me again.

"Come again, Deku?" she said.

"W-whatever, m-my spark," I quickly said.

Hera rolled her eyes and let go of me. "Nice save, dweeb," she retorted.

I've stopped listening to her. Instead, I listened for Jackie's footsteps or her voice. It sounded like she had finally gone to her room.

"Now that imouto-chan is out of the vicinity," I said, "where were we?"

"You were thinking of kissing me before she rudely burst in here?" Hera asked.

I nodded, pushing a few strands of her dark chocolate-colored hair behind her ear as my eyes were literally locked onto Hera's. And before I knew what I was doing, I leaned in close to her, close enough to smell the scent of her Luna Vera perfume. Damn, that dweeb really knows how to pick her perfumes; it's tantalizing! I noticed the adorably small dimples on her face; how cute. I've never actually seen her genuinely smile like this. Nonetheless, I could tell that she wanted this more and more; the anticipation was killing her inside. There was so much adrenaline pumping through her, making her long more and more for my lips. Everything went mute for both of us. All I could hear at the moment was my own heartbeat as the heat of this very moment was beginning to settle in. I was ready.

And then it finally happened: All that longing became unbearable for Hera; her lips finally met mine. My head tilted to the left, Hera's tilted to the right, noses touching each other's cheeks. Her lips were super soft, like mochi, caressing mine with the slightest movement. Seconds later, I found my arms around her waist, and she had thrown hers around my shoulders as it became slightly more passionate.

By this time, it's all fireworks; all the conflicts we ever had were soon forgotten. I was so damn lucky to be in love with my former enemy.

And a few seconds later, I pulled back; the kiss was over, and I was finally freed from the vice of my feelings. We were both trying to catch our breath.

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" Hera uttered in one breath while trying to regain it. "That? Was amazing, JJ."

"I know, right?" I replied, standing up. "So... I'll see you tomorrow at school?"

Hera stood up and nodded. "I guess so."

We left our room and tried to sneak out the front door. But, sure enough, there was She Who Humiliates Her Son, right there in front of the door. And guess who was beside her?

It was my annoying ass sister! She had a big, evil grin on her face.

"Jason, who is this?" she asked.

Fuck. There's no point in lying to my own mother now. If everyone must know, fine.

"Mom, this is my girlfriend Hera," I told her. "You might recognize her; this is the girl I bullied back in eighth grade."

At this point, Mom was shocked. "How is this even possible?" she demanded. "I actually thought you two would end your little 'deal' hating each other."

"Yeah, Mom. There was a bit of hatred towards each other," I answered. "But you can say we...bonded ever since you and Dad forced me to date her. And by the way, she did turn the tables and bully me, giving me a taste of my own medicine plenty of times during our deal, which I didn't like one bit, but I dealt with it. Off record, I deserved it..."

"Hey, just one question," Mom said softly enough so that Hera couldn't hear her. "Have you two been...baking together?"

My face immediately turned red. I knew EXACTLY what she meant. If you haven't watched The Golden Girls, you wouldn't understand.

"No!" I answered in a sudden shout. "We would never do that! In your house, no less!"

"Your sister wouldn't lie to my face, would she?" Mom asked.

"Actually, she would, Marion," my old man said as he came down the steps. "I know about the playdate they just finished up. And I know my son; he would never lie about something as serious as this."

YES!! Dad to the rescue! Jackie's face turned fire-engine red with fury.

"LIARS!" she yelled. "I know what these two motherfuckers did. And I know what I—"