“wait, you were flirting with me?””
eijiro kirishima didn’t think there was anything confusing about his situation.
“bro,” kaminari said slowly, staring at him across the common room, “you cannot be serious right now.”
kirishima grinned. “about what?”
mina made a sharp noise of disbelief. “you literally carry their stuff for them every day.”
“yeah,” kirishima said, like that was obvious. “their hands were full.”
bakugo, from the couch, immediately snapped, “YOU’RE DOING IT AGAIN.”
“ACTING LIKE A DAMN HUSBAND.”
kirishima blinked. “what does that even mean?”
then mina pointed at him like she was presenting evidence in court. “you also told them you’d break anyone’s jaw who made them uncomfortable.”
kirishima nodded. “yeah.”
“THAT’S NOT FRIEND BEHAVIOR.”
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 didn’t 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, that’s what he told himself.
he didn’t notice the way you started leaning into him a little more each time.
didn’t notice the way your fingers would brush his longer than necessary when you handed him things.
didn’t notice the way you always looked for him first in a crowded room.
and just didn’t know what to do with it.
“you’re hopeless,” mina declared one afternoon.
kirishima laughed nervously. “what? why?”
“because you are absolutely being flirted with and you think it’s just ‘vibes,’” she said.
kaminari nodded aggressively. “bro you are in a rom-com and you think it’s a friendship montage.”
“that is not helpful,” kirishima said.
bakugo scoffed. “idiot’s gonna explode when he realizes.”
“hey!” kirishima protested. “i’m not- i mean- what if i’m wrong?”
mina leaned forward. “then why do you get all weird when they’re not around?”
“you do,” kaminari said immediately.
kirishima opened his mouth.
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.
“hey!” he called, waving.
you sat beside him without hesitation.
kirishima liked that about you.
you tilted your head. “you okay? you look like you got hit by a truck.”
he laughed. “yeah, i’m good! just tired.”
you hummed, then lightly bumped your shoulder against his. “you always say that.”
“because it’s always true!”
that feeling in his chest.
confusing in a way he never named.
kirishima scratched the back of his neck. “hey, uh…”
then just blurted it out.
“are you flirting with me?”
kirishima nodded like he was confirming a hypothesis. “kaminari says you might be.”
you stared at him. “kaminari said that.”
kirishima frowned. “so… are you?”
you were quiet for a second.
you raised an eyebrow. “that’s it? just ‘oh’?”
“i mean- i didn’t think- ” he rubbed his face, suddenly flustered. “i thought you were just really nice to everyone.”
kirishima sat there for a moment, staring straight ahead like his brain had just taken a direct hit.
then slowly said, “so when you grab my arm in crowds…”
“…and when you steal my food…”
“…and when you lean on me during movie nights…”
you smiled. “definitely flirting.”
kirishima made a strangled sound. “i have been so normal about this.”
you nudged him again, softer this time. “you’re kind of cute when you panic.”
he nearly fell off the step.
“…okay i panic a little.”
you laughed, and the sound made him relax just slightly.
then his expression shifted.
“…i think i like you,” he admitted, voice a little quieter.
you softened immediately. “yeah?”
he nodded firmly, like he needed to be honest about it now that he started.
kirishima blinked. “good?”
“yeah,” you said simply. “because i like you too.”
his brain short-circuited again.
“oh,” he said again, but this time it came out way softer.
“…does this mean i can do it back properly now?”
you tilted your head. “do what?”
he looked away, suddenly shy in a way that didn’t match his usual confidence.
you laughed. “you’ve been doing it the whole time.”
you grinned. “it kind of does.”
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 didn’t 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.
“okay,” he said. “that was definitely flirting.”
and for once, he got it exactly right.
denki kaminari genuinely thought he was just being normal.
that was his defense, anyway.
“bro,” kirishima said slowly, staring at him like he’d just watched a disaster unfold in real time, “you cannot be serious.”
kaminari blinked. “about what?”
mina leaned over the couch armrest, eyes sparkling with pure chaos. “you told them you’d short-circuit anyone who made them uncomfortable.”
“yeah?” kaminari said. “i mean… i would.”
then bakugo, from across the room: “that’s the stupidest romantic shit i’ve ever heard.”
kaminari sat up. “WAIT, WHAT?”
mina was already dying laughing.
kirishima looked physically pained. “that is NOT a normal friend thing, dude.”
kaminari pointed between them. “no, no, no- i was just being protective!”
“that’s called flirting,” mina sang.
“it is if you’re hot,” 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.
you’d grab his sleeve to pull him along when you were excited.
you’d text him first thing in the morning.
you’d rest your head on his shoulder and say things like “you’re warm, i like sitting here.”
and kaminari, instead of questioning it, just… got used to it.
“you’re cooked,” mina said brightly one afternoon.
kaminari nearly dropped his phone. “i’m what?”
“cooked,” she repeated. “done. emotionally compromised.”
“i am NOT emotionally compromised.”
kirishima nodded solemnly. “you are, bro.”
kaminari groaned and flopped backward onto the couch. “i don’t even know what counts as flirting anymore.”
“whatever you do with them,” mina said immediately.
“that is useless advice.”
bakugo scoffed from the kitchen. “you’re all idiots.”
“says the guy who screams at everyone he likes,” mina shot back.
kaminari sat up slowly. “wait…”
mina pointed at him. “don’t.”
“no, no- listen,” he said, eyes widening. “what if i’ve been flirting and didn’t know it?”
kirishima nodded slowly. “you have.”
mina started counting on her fingers. “you fix their charger when it’s broken, you walk them to class, you literally save them a seat every day-”
“that’s just being nice!”
“you also call them ‘your person,’” kirishima added.
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.
“hey,” you said, stepping out carefully. “you okay?”
kaminari turned so fast he almost fell off the ledge.
you blinked. “that sounded… stressed.”
“nope! totally normal! extremely chill! emotionally stable kaminari denki right here!”
you slowly sat beside him. “that was a lot of words.”
“i contain multitudes,” he said immediately.
that laugh did not help his situation.
kaminari stared at you for a second too long.
then blurted, “have you been flirting with me?”
“like,” he gestured vaguely, “the whole time?”
“because mina said- okay wait, no, let me finish,” he rushed. “you always sit close to me, and you let me borrow your stuff, and you text me random things like ‘i saw a dog that looked like you’-”
you covered your face. “oh my god.”
“so you were flirting,” he said, voice rising slightly, “or i am insane, and honestly both are possible-”
“i was flirting,” you said, dropping your hands.
you stared at him. “that’s it? just ‘oh’?”
“i need a second,” he said quickly. “my brain is rebooting.”
you nudged his shoulder. “you good?”
“no,” he said honestly. “i think i’ve been flirting back accidentally for like a month.”
you nodded. “kaminari, you literally call me your favorite person every day.”
“you hold my hand in crowds.”
“you said you’d electrocute anyone who looks at me wrong.”
“…that one might’ve been flirting.”
kaminari slowly dropped his head into his hands.
“i’m never surviving this.”
you laughed under your breath and bumped his shoulder again. “for what it’s worth, i like it.”
his head snapped up immediately.
your expression softened. “yeah. i like you.”
kaminari stared at you like he’d just been handed a live wire and told it was safe.
then his face turned bright red.
“oh my god,” he whispered. “i like you too.”
“i’m efficient in emotional emergencies,” he said weakly.
you grinned. “are you going to overthink this now?”
he groaned. “i’m literally going to die.”
you leaned closer. “you’re not dying.”
you tilted your head. “are you going to kiss me or are you just going to keep panicking?”
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.
“okay,” he muttered. “cool. cool cool cool.”
he didn’t accidentally shock anything at all.
hanta sero first noticed something was wrong when kaminari almost fell out of his chair laughing.
“dude,” kaminari wheezed, pointing at him like he was a breaking news story, “you cannot be serious right now.”
sero blinked, arms still casually stretched behind his head. “about what?”
“you literally told them you’d wrap them up so they wouldn’t get lost.”
“yeah,” sero said slowly, like this was obvious. “they get distracted easily.”
the common room went silent for half a second.
then mina screamed into a pillow.
sero frowned. “no it isn’t.”
kirishima was already crying laughing. “bro that is the most boyfriend thing i’ve ever heard in my life.”
sero stared at all of them.
it had started off simple for him.
you were just easy to be around.
you’d 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 didn’t do that with everyone.
you didn’t save them seats.
you didn’t fix other people’s collars when they were crooked.
you didn’t laugh that hard at other people’s dumb jokes.
and you definitely didn’t look at anyone else the way you looked at him when you thought he wasn’t paying attention.
that part stuck with him.
because it made his stomach feel weird in a way he didn’t have a name for yet.
“you’re overthinking it,” mina said, swinging her legs off the couch. “just flirt back.”
sero groaned. “i don’t even know what counts as flirting anymore.”
“easy,” kaminari cut in. “if you do something nice but it’s like… extra. that’s flirting.”
“example,” kirishima said, way too confidently. “if they’re cold, you give them your hoodie.”
sero blinked. “they looked cold.”
mina slowly sat up straighter. “oh my god.”
kaminari pointed at him again. “you’re not helping your case, bro.”
sero rubbed the back of his neck. “i didn’t think it meant anything.”
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. “you’re hiding up here?”
“not hiding,” he said. “strategic thinking.”
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. “i think i might’ve been flirting with you.”
you choked on absolutely nothing.
sero frowned slightly. “apparently.”
you stared at him. “what does that mean, apparently?”
“she said wrapping my tape around your wrist so you don’t get lost in crowds counts.”
you covered your face instantly. “it does not help that you said that so calmly.”
“it is never just tape with you.”
sero tilted his head. “so… that was flirting?”
you were quiet for a second too long.
you already knew where this was going.
his eyes narrowed slightly in concentration.
“you were flirting with me?”
you made a sound of defeat. “are you kidding me right now?”
“i thought you were just really comfortable around me.”
“i WAS flirting with you.”
then slowly said, “so when you stole my hoodies…”
“and when you leaned on me in class…”
“and when you told me i’m your favorite person to sit next to…”
you sighed. “flirting, sero.”
he nodded slowly like he was processing a complicated physics equation.
“yeah,” he said. “kaminari owes me five hundred yen.”
you snorted despite yourself. “that’s what you got from this?”
sero shrugged, then looked at you again, softer this time.
“so,” he said, “you like me?”
your expression shifted immediately.
“yeah,” you admitted. “i do.”
for once, he didn’t joke.
just looked at you like he was actually thinking about it.
“cool,” he said. “because i like you too.”
your heart tripped over itself.
“what do you want me to do, explode?”
“nah,” he said, pushing off the railing and standing closer to you. “i’ve got a better idea.”
he tilted his head slightly. “can i do it correctly this time?”
you narrowed your eyes. “do what correctly?”
sero reached up casually and lightly wrapped a strip of tape around your wrist.
“what is that supposed to mean?” you asked quietly.
sero leaned in just a little.
“kaminari said this is flirting.”
you laughed under your breath. “he’s going to be unbearable about this.”
“yeah,” sero agreed. “but he was right.”
you looked at him for a second.
then tugged him closer by the front of his shirt.
“yeah,” you said. “you can.”
sero’s smile widened slightly before he leaned in-
and this time, he didn’t hesitate at all.
