βwait, you were flirting with me?ββ
eijiro kirishima didnβt think there was anything confusing about his situation.
βbro,β kaminari said slowly, staring at him across the common room, βyou cannot be serious right now.β
kirishima grinned. βabout what?β
mina made a sharp noise of disbelief. βyou literally carry their stuff for them every day.β
βyeah,β kirishima said, like that was obvious. βtheir hands were full.β
bakugo, from the couch, immediately snapped, βYOUβRE DOING IT AGAIN.β
βACTING LIKE A DAMN HUSBAND.β
kirishima blinked. βwhat does that even mean?β
then mina pointed at him like she was presenting evidence in court. βyou also told them youβd break anyoneβs jaw who made them uncomfortable.β
kirishima nodded. βyeah.β
βTHATβS NOT FRIEND BEHAVIOR.β
it started the way everything did with kirishima: loudly, earnestly, and without much overthinking.
you were just someone he naturally gravitated toward.
you laughed at his jokes like you actually meant it. you didnβt flinch when he spoke too loudly. you matched his energy instead of shrinking away from it.
so he matched yours right back.
you were cold? he gave you his jacket.
you looked tired? he walked you to class.
you seemed stressed? he stuck by you until you smiled again.
at least, thatβs what he told himself.
he didnβt notice the way you started leaning into him a little more each time.
didnβt notice the way your fingers would brush his longer than necessary when you handed him things.
didnβt notice the way you always looked for him first in a crowded room.
and just didnβt know what to do with it.
βyouβre hopeless,β mina declared one afternoon.
kirishima laughed nervously. βwhat? why?β
βbecause you are absolutely being flirted with and you think itβs just βvibes,ββ she said.
kaminari nodded aggressively. βbro you are in a rom-com and you think itβs a friendship montage.β
βthat is not helpful,β kirishima said.
bakugo scoffed. βidiotβs gonna explode when he realizes.β
βhey!β kirishima protested. βiβm not- i mean- what if iβm wrong?β
mina leaned forward. βthen why do you get all weird when theyβre not around?β
βyou do,β kaminari said immediately.
kirishima opened his mouth.
ββ¦okay maybe a little.β
you found him after training, sitting on the steps outside the dorms, elbows resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
he looked up when you approached and immediately lit up.
βhey!β he called, waving.
you sat beside him without hesitation.
kirishima liked that about you.
you tilted your head. βyou okay? you look like you got hit by a truck.β
he laughed. βyeah, iβm good! just tired.β
you hummed, then lightly bumped your shoulder against his. βyou always say that.β
βbecause itβs always true!β
that feeling in his chest.
confusing in a way he never named.
kirishima scratched the back of his neck. βhey, uhβ¦β
then just blurted it out.
βare you flirting with me?β
kirishima nodded like he was confirming a hypothesis. βkaminari says you might be.β
you stared at him. βkaminari said that.β
kirishima frowned. βsoβ¦ are you?β
you were quiet for a second.
then, softly: βyeah.β
you raised an eyebrow. βthatβs it? just βohβ?β
βi mean- i didnβt think- β he rubbed his face, suddenly flustered. βi thought you were just really nice to everyone.β
kirishima sat there for a moment, staring straight ahead like his brain had just taken a direct hit.
then slowly said, βso when you grab my arm in crowdsβ¦β
ββ¦and when you steal my foodβ¦β
ββ¦and when you lean on me during movie nightsβ¦β
you smiled. βdefinitely flirting.β
kirishima made a strangled sound. βi have been so normal about this.β
βi THOUGHT i had been!β
you nudged him again, softer this time. βyouβre kind of cute when you panic.β
he nearly fell off the step.
ββ¦okay i panic a little.β
you laughed, and the sound made him relax just slightly.
then his expression shifted.
ββ¦i think i like you,β he admitted, voice a little quieter.
you softened immediately. βyeah?β
he nodded firmly, like he needed to be honest about it now that he started.
βyeah. a lot, actually.β
kirishima blinked. βgood?β
βyeah,β you said simply. βbecause i like you too.β
his brain short-circuited again.
βoh,β he said again, but this time it came out way softer.
ββ¦does this mean i can do it back properly now?β
you tilted your head. βdo what?β
he looked away, suddenly shy in a way that didnβt match his usual confidence.
you laughed. βyouβve been doing it the whole time.β
βTHAT DOESNβT COUNT.β
you grinned. βit kind of does.β
kirishima groaned, but he was smiling.
then he looked at you again, a little more serious this time.
kirishima leaned in slowly at first, like he still didnβt fully trust that this was real-
then kissed you like he finally decided it absolutely was.
and when he pulled back, forehead resting briefly against yours, he laughed under his breath.
βokay,β he said. βthat was definitely flirting.β
and for once, he got it exactly right.
denki kaminari genuinely thought he was just being normal.
that was his defense, anyway.
βbro,β kirishima said slowly, staring at him like heβd just watched a disaster unfold in real time, βyou cannot be serious.β
kaminari blinked. βabout what?β
mina leaned over the couch armrest, eyes sparkling with pure chaos. βyou told them youβd short-circuit anyone who made them uncomfortable.β
βyeah?β kaminari said. βi meanβ¦ i would.β
then bakugo, from across the room: βthatβs the stupidest romantic shit iβve ever heard.β
kaminari sat up. βWAIT, WHAT?β
mina was already dying laughing.
kirishima looked physically pained. βthat is NOT a normal friend thing, dude.β
kaminari pointed between them. βno, no, no- i was just being protective!β
βthatβs called flirting,β mina sang.
βTHATβS NOT FLIRTING!β
βit is if youβre hot,β she added.
it started innocently enough, in his mind.
you laughed at his jokes even when they were bad. you sat next to him without hesitation. you leaned into him during movie nights like his shoulder was a designated resting place.
and kaminari, being kaminari, assumed that meant you just liked being around him.
so he matched your energy.
he shared snacks with you. he fixed your hair when it got messy. he draped his arm over your chair whenever you were sitting together.
definitely not stuff that made bakugo look like he was about to commit a crime just by observing it.
you started doing things that made his brain lag.
youβd grab his sleeve to pull him along when you were excited.
youβd text him first thing in the morning.
youβd rest your head on his shoulder and say things like βyouβre warm, i like sitting here.β
and kaminari, instead of questioning it, just⦠got used to it.
βyouβre cooked,β mina said brightly one afternoon.
kaminari nearly dropped his phone. βiβm what?β
βcooked,β she repeated. βdone. emotionally compromised.β
βi am NOT emotionally compromised.β
kirishima nodded solemnly. βyou are, bro.β
kaminari groaned and flopped backward onto the couch. βi donβt even know what counts as flirting anymore.β
βwhatever you do with them,β mina said immediately.
βthat is useless advice.β
βitβs accurate advice.β
bakugo scoffed from the kitchen. βyouβre all idiots.β
βsays the guy who screams at everyone he likes,β mina shot back.
kaminari sat up slowly. βwaitβ¦β
mina pointed at him. βdonβt.β
βno, no- listen,β he said, eyes widening. βwhat if iβve been flirting and didnβt know it?β
kirishima nodded slowly. βyou have.β
mina started counting on her fingers. βyou fix their charger when itβs broken, you walk them to class, you literally save them a seat every day-β
βthatβs just being nice!β
βyou also call them βyour person,ββ kirishima added.
βyou did it yesterday.β
you found him on the roof later that day, sitting with his legs dangling over the edge, hair slightly windblown like he was in the middle of a dramatic internal crisis.
βhey,β you said, stepping out carefully. βyou okay?β
kaminari turned so fast he almost fell off the ledge.
you blinked. βthat soundedβ¦ stressed.β
βnope! totally normal! extremely chill! emotionally stable kaminari denki right here!β
you slowly sat beside him. βthat was a lot of words.β
βi contain multitudes,β he said immediately.
that laugh did not help his situation.
kaminari stared at you for a second too long.
then blurted, βhave you been flirting with me?β
βlike,β he gestured vaguely, βthe whole time?β
βbecause mina said- okay wait, no, let me finish,β he rushed. βyou always sit close to me, and you let me borrow your stuff, and you text me random things like βi saw a dog that looked like youβ-β
βthat was an insult.β
you covered your face. βoh my god.β
βso you were flirting,β he said, voice rising slightly, βor i am insane, and honestly both are possible-β
βi was flirting,β you said, dropping your hands.
you stared at him. βthatβs it? just βohβ?β
βi need a second,β he said quickly. βmy brain is rebooting.β
you nudged his shoulder. βyou good?β
βno,β he said honestly. βi think iβve been flirting back accidentally for like a month.β
you nodded. βkaminari, you literally call me your favorite person every day.β
βthatβs just truth!β
βyou hold my hand in crowds.β
βyou get lost easily!β
βyou said youβd electrocute anyone who looks at me wrong.β
ββ¦that one mightβve been flirting.β
kaminari slowly dropped his head into his hands.
βiβve been so obvious.β
βpainfully,β you agreed.
βiβm never surviving this.β
you laughed under your breath and bumped his shoulder again. βfor what itβs worth, i like it.β
his head snapped up immediately.
your expression softened. βyeah. i like you.β
kaminari stared at you like heβd just been handed a live wire and told it was safe.
then his face turned bright red.
βoh my god,β he whispered. βi like you too.β
βiβm efficient in emotional emergencies,β he said weakly.
you grinned. βare you going to overthink this now?β
he groaned. βiβm literally going to die.β
you leaned closer. βyouβre not dying.β
you tilted your head. βare you going to kiss me or are you just going to keep panicking?β
then, much quieter this time:
then kaminari carefully reached out, like he was worried he might short-circuit the moment itself, and cupped your cheek.
βokay,β he muttered. βcool. cool cool cool.β
he didnβt accidentally shock anything at all.
hanta sero first noticed something was wrong when kaminari almost fell out of his chair laughing.
βdude,β kaminari wheezed, pointing at him like he was a breaking news story, βyou cannot be serious right now.β
sero blinked, arms still casually stretched behind his head. βabout what?β
βyou literally told them youβd wrap them up so they wouldnβt get lost.β
βyeah,β sero said slowly, like this was obvious. βthey get distracted easily.β
the common room went silent for half a second.
then mina screamed into a pillow.
sero frowned. βno it isnβt.β
kirishima was already crying laughing. βbro that is the most boyfriend thing iβve ever heard in my life.β
sero stared at all of them.
it had started off simple for him.
you were just easy to be around.
youβd sit too close during movie nights, steal his snacks without asking, and lean your head on his shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.
sero figured that was just your personality.
a little clingy, maybe, but in a cute way.
then he started noticing things.
you didnβt do that with everyone.
you didnβt save them seats.
you didnβt fix other peopleβs collars when they were crooked.
you didnβt laugh that hard at other peopleβs dumb jokes.
and you definitely didnβt look at anyone else the way you looked at him when you thought he wasnβt paying attention.
that part stuck with him.
because it made his stomach feel weird in a way he didnβt have a name for yet.
βyouβre overthinking it,β mina said, swinging her legs off the couch. βjust flirt back.β
sero groaned. βi donβt even know what counts as flirting anymore.β
βeasy,β kaminari cut in. βif you do something nice but itβs likeβ¦ extra. thatβs flirting.β
βthat makes no sense.β
βexample,β kirishima said, way too confidently. βif theyβre cold, you give them your hoodie.β
ββ¦i already did that.β
sero blinked. βthey looked cold.β
mina slowly sat up straighter. βoh my god.β
kaminari pointed at him again. βyouβre not helping your case, bro.β
sero rubbed the back of his neck. βi didnβt think it meant anything.β
βIT MEANS EVERYTHING.β
sero stared at the ceiling like it might give him answers.
you found him later on the roof, arms lazily taped to the railing so he could lean back without falling.
you walked up quietly. βyouβre hiding up here?β
βnot hiding,β he said. βstrategic thinking.β
you bumped his shoulder gently and stood beside him.
the sunset was turning everything gold.
for a few seconds, neither of you spoke.
sero liked that a lot more than he wanted to admit.
then he cleared his throat.
he glanced at you, then away again. βi think i mightβve been flirting with you.β
you choked on absolutely nothing.
sero frowned slightly. βapparently.β
you stared at him. βwhat does that mean, apparently?β
βmina gave me a list.β
βshe said wrapping my tape around your wrist so you donβt get lost in crowds counts.β
you covered your face instantly. βit does not help that you said that so calmly.β
βit is never just tape with you.β
sero tilted his head. βsoβ¦ that was flirting?β
you were quiet for a second too long.
you already knew where this was going.
his eyes narrowed slightly in concentration.
βyou were flirting with me?β
you made a sound of defeat. βare you kidding me right now?β
βi thought you were just really comfortable around me.β
βi WAS flirting with you.β
then slowly said, βso when you stole my hoodiesβ¦β
βand when you leaned on me in classβ¦β
βand when you told me iβm your favorite person to sit next toβ¦β
you sighed. βflirting, sero.β
he nodded slowly like he was processing a complicated physics equation.
ββ¦that explains a lot.β
βyeah,β he said. βkaminari owes me five hundred yen.β
you snorted despite yourself. βthatβs what you got from this?β
sero shrugged, then looked at you again, softer this time.
βso,β he said, βyou like me?β
your expression shifted immediately.
βyeah,β you admitted. βi do.β
for once, he didnβt joke.
just looked at you like he was actually thinking about it.
βcool,β he said. βbecause i like you too.β
your heart tripped over itself.
βwhat do you want me to do, explode?β
βnah,β he said, pushing off the railing and standing closer to you. βiβve got a better idea.β
he tilted his head slightly. βcan i do it correctly this time?β
you narrowed your eyes. βdo what correctly?β
sero reached up casually and lightly wrapped a strip of tape around your wrist.
βwhat is that supposed to mean?β you asked quietly.
sero leaned in just a little.
βkaminari said this is flirting.β
you laughed under your breath. βheβs going to be unbearable about this.β
βyeah,β sero agreed. βbut he was right.β
you looked at him for a second.
then tugged him closer by the front of his shirt.
βyeah,β you said. βyou can.β
seroβs smile widened slightly before he leaned in-
and this time, he didnβt hesitate at all.