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“I know I’m a total fool! Just gonna cry about it instead.” Sero groans into pillow on Kirishima’s bed. The guy has been crazy in love with his friend, Kaminari Denki, for a year and a half now. Denki, the guy who has a new crush every week, who crashes on Sero’s bed and cuddles him, all while saying “Bro, it sucks being single.” Kirishima lets out a sigh, the kind that says “Here we go again!” and Sero knows that he’s being redundant. For the past year, he’s hemmed and hawed about confessing to his friend and for what? To cuddle with him and jokingly flirt back and forth with Denki as “bros”. Enough was enough. Kirishima nestled down beside Sero and began his speech. “Listen, even though I’ve said this like 8 times now, you got to tell him. Denki is kind of clueless. Straight up he doesn’t read the vibe. He didn’t even know I was gay, and I made it pretty obvious.” Kirishima laughs a little, patting his friend’s back in sympathy. Sero turns over, nodding. “I should, shouldn’t I? It’s not fair that I keep making myself miserable.” Kirishima only “Mhms” in agreement.
The friends chill in the redhead’s dorm room a little while longer, shooting the breeze about end of the year exams, moving out of the dorms back to their families’ homes. Eijirou is going to be continuing his internship over the summer and spending some nights over at the Bakugou household. That must be nice, Sero thinks sadly. He’d do anything to have that kind of connection with Kaminari. Eijirou and Bakugou were kind of the wonder couple of the class. Katsuki was not vocal about romantic attraction to anyone and had all the charm of a Venus flytrap. Eijirou’s patience, paired with Katsuki’s passion, made them a real match made in heaven. Sero thought he deserved to be as lucky. With a huff, he got up from Kirishima’s bed, ready to go pass out in his own. The sun was well on its’ way to setting, coating the afternoon in purples and oranges. It made things feel melancholy, and Sero just hated that.
“I’m going to tell him. I won’t keep bothering you guys with my problem. It’s been a year now.” Sero says it with finality, wanting Kirishima to believe that he can really do this. The other boy turns his head and smiles wide. “I know you can do it man. No matter the result, we’ll be here for you. You don’t bother us. You’re cool and handsome, so Denki should open his eyes.” That’s the kind of loving reassurance Kirishima is known for. No matter how gloomy something gets, he’s the friend who lightens up the mood. Sero tugs at his tshirt, a gift from Kaminari for his birthday, and heads off to his room. As the night comes on, his room goes from lavender, to indigo, to navy blue. The bedside lamp is the only light Sero keeps on as he writes out his confession.
“Denki...my dude. I like you, and this is getting to be sad and painful, so I’m asking you out.” he writes onto clean notebook paper. Sero rubs the heel of his hand into his eye, frustrated with his lack of fine language. “I really am hopeless. He’s not going to bite.” He sighs, looking at the written confession before he starts again. Before he lays down in bed, Sero Hanta comes up with the following sentences.
1. You hate being single, I hate not dating you. I’ve got a solution.
2. It’s been an entire year of watching you get more handsome, so here goes. I’m in love with you, you dunce.
3. Please go out with me.
All of them scream varying amounts of desperation, which for Sero, isn’t his biggest problem. No; his most pressing issue is the way Kaminari acts around him without noticing his clear attraction. At the beginning of the current semester, Kaminari had stumbled into Sero’s room, eyes bleary and red, phone in his hand, looking for comfort. That day was the catalyst for Sero’s current malaise.
Kaminari was crying over a failed date with Tetsutetsu. Sero didn’t hold anything against the 1-B classmate, seeing as he was a pretty nice guy, but seeing Kaminari hurt was Sero’s kryptonite. “What happened, my man?” Sero asked, eyes soft. He waved his friend over, and Denki scrambled over him on the bed to put his head on Sero’s cheat and his left arm over his waist. “H-he d-didn’t want a-nother d-date! What did I do w-rong?” Denki bubblered, his eyeliner starting to dribble down his face. As Sero started to wipe the makeup off his friend’s face, he tried to reason with the guy. “I know it hurts, wanting someone to want you and they just…don’t. It’s gonna be okay though, ‘cause you always bounce back. Denki, you’re good-looking and comedic and a delight. You won’t always be someone’s “one”. You gotta be okay with that!”. His own words cut a deep canyon somewhere between his lungs and heart. Sero was desperately in love with Denki, who was curled up on his chest, heart-broken and whimpering.
Watching the guy get constantly rejected and develop a new crush every week was just part of being friends with him. Denki would fantasize about cute dates with a new person, ogle them from across the class or the lunchroom, make vague tweets about them. Sometimes he’d score a date, but usually it ended in disaster or disinterest from either party. Kaminari used to be a lot more resilient in the beginning, letting rejection and loneliness roll off his shoulders as smooth as water. Now, he approached every compliment like a live snake, ready for disaster. Even if he smiled, gave a thumbs up, and kept on trucking, Sero could tell. It was in the way Kaminari would joke and say “Eh, you’re just saying that to be nice,” or “Well, coming from someone as pretty as you, I’m floored!”. So Sero just laid there, rubbing his friend’s back, reminding himself that this wasn’t the right moment to unload his feelings onto his crush.
A half hour and one episode of Hell’s Kitchen later, Denki was back to his normal self, or as normal as he could get when he was remotely depressed. “Bro, it sucks being single.” He grumbled, rubbing his head against Sero’s stomach. The black-haired male patted Denki’s hair, noting a how soft it was, despite him mussing his against Sero’s shirt. He hummed in agreement, thinking about how he wanted someone in particular to hold and treat well. Kaminari was scrolling on his phone, which he then lifted to show a cute couple photo of Kirishima and Bakugou. They were cuddled on the train to Bakugou’s parents, the blond looking pleased as punch to be cuddled up to Eijirou. “Imagine cuddling with them! Dude, I wish that were me.” Denki sighed, annoyed as ever. Sero was about to commiserate, but then he took a good long look at his current situation. There he was, laying in his bed, with his crush, who has no goddamn clue, watching Hell’s kitchen, cuddling, listening to his crush complain about being single. Sero knew he wasn’t entitled to Kaminari’s time or even a date from him, and Kaminari didn’t have to be interested in him, but the irony of the situation annoyed Sero all the same. His gaze flattened, deadpan as hell, and he said, “Yeah bro. This is so sad.” He stared forward, thinking that he should quit being such a pushover with Kaminari and setting some boundaries to protect himself. Then Denki joked “Can we get 100 likes? Please and dates for both of us? Twitter, do your thing!”. The guy knocked his phone against his forehead and the pair started laughing. Even if Sero was pining hard for his best friend, he couldn’t hold anything against him. They had each other, even if it wasn’t how Sero wanted. He wasn’t going to be selfish though. He was going to stop crying about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Just getting started!” Kaminari shouts as he spars with Tsuyu, slapping his hands to the floor of the gym and expending electricity to stun her. He’s getting better, able to expend more and more electricity without turning himself into a burbling mess. His second year at U.A. is doing him well. Crafting himself into a more effective hero is fulfilling and this is evident in the way he fights, not just relying on his Quirk, but learning defensive techniques and a close-range combat style to deflect attacks. His sparring with Tsuyu continues for some time, himself getting nearly stuck by her tongue a few times, but also shocking her with his Quirk as well. He’s feeling good, which is what he needs lately.
Even though he’s attending the best Hero school in the country, has a close-knit group of friends, an awesome internship, and a million opportunities on his horizon, Kaminari feels lonely. Most people assume he’s just flirty, light-hearted, and usually kidding around when he hits on someone. The truth is, Denki wants one chance to prove that he isn’t some hapless fuckboy. The dates he does go on end with either the other person saying, “This was fun, but I think we’re just friends,”, a random makeout and no follow up, or the date never happens. These things affect him but tries his best not to let it show so to not bring a damper over anyone else.
Loneliness isn’t the only thing he feels though. There’s confusion and some regret, roiling in his stomach. In the locker room, Kaminari finds himself haunted by the memory most attached to these feelings. For the past year, he’s held romantic feelings for his friend, Sero Hanta. There’s a lot of reasons he hasn’t pursued anything with the guy though, many of them his fault. As he changes in the locker room, he catches a glimpse of the fine line of Sero’s back. A lot of the thoughts Kaminari has on this guy do not fit together. Sero is his friend, one of the people he trusts most, both on and off the battlefield. Friendship means a lot of things to Kaminari: emotional support, trust, closeness, quality time, comfort. Sero gives these things, and Kaminari returns them, but they share moments which border on something else entirely.
The night of his disaster date with Tetsutetsu, it had felt right as rain to cry into Sero’s chest and let him wipe his face off. In that moment, Denki hadn’t thought about how he was coward for not telling Sero he liked him, or that he wanted a chance, or that he was a moron for chasing other people. No, all he had thought about was that he was tired, unhappy, and feeling unwanted. He had cried and cried into the soft gray material of his friend’s tshirt and smelled the sandalwood incense that so often came along with Sero’s presence. Kaminari had reveled in the feeling of slender fingers stroking his hair and lulling him into a state of calm. Then a conflicting thought came up in his head. Why does Sero let him cuddle, and touch, and lean on him so often? Of course friends could be close like that, but Kaminari did it so much because it was out of a want to be closer to Sero.
Later, after Kaminari did his patrol for his internship and returned to his dorm room, he reflected on his peculiar situation. He had no idea if he should take a chance with Sero. There was no evidence that Sero was attracted to men, only showing minimal interest in people and commenting lightly on the relationships their friends found themselves him. Sero was not the type of person to concern himself with those matters, which led Kaminari to believe that he either was asexual, aromantic, or just private on the matter. With these assumptions, he didn’t pursue his friend. Sero never complained about the gentle contact Denki gave him, and often reciprocated, but this was assumed to be just part of their friendship.
Pulling the blankets over his head and whining in sadness, Kaminari remembered how annoyed Sero seemed when he complained about being single. Denki had caught the edge in the guy’s voice, how his shoulders had tensed, and how since that day forward, Sero had been nothing but neutral about Denki’s comments on who was attractive or interesting in the classes. “Maybe he’s just sick of me. It wouldn’t be surprising.” Kaminari mused to himself. Maybe sleep would soon take over him and he could ignore all the romantic failures in his life, and he could soldier on tomorrow, as boisterous and gleeful as ever. Then Kaminari felt them; tears stinging at the corners of his eyes. He doesn’t stop them or even reach for a tissue. He just lays there, and no amount of memes, terrible Youtube videos, or head pats could fix this sadness. “All my fault, right?” he whispered to the empty room. No one would hear him that night. He fell asleep thinking about how Sero was getting tired of his ineptitude and idiocy.
~~~~~~
Jirou Kyoka and Mina Ashido are studying their friends, because it’s a fun past time and they can learn all sorts of interesting little tidbits about these people. They know that Bakugou wakes up early to cook breakfast and always makes extra for Kirishima, who gets up precisely 15 minutes later to have some one-on-one time with his boyfriend. One afternoon, they find Tenya watching the Initial D anime on his phone and theorize that he fights to the opening theme song. They know for a fact that Hagakure designs her own clothes, which isn’t so much a secret as much as it’s hobby she doesn’t share. Mina is the recipient of two very high-quality skirts from the invisible girl. Jirou knows that Momo loves thrift stores and that there are several Katy Perry songs on Tokoyami’s iPod. They like knowing these little things.
Currently, they are watching Kaminari Denki and Sero Hanta in the common room. They’re playing Mario Kart, jostling each other, trying to push each other off the digital track. Jirou’s eyes narrow at the friends and she nudges Mina’s elbow. “I know I’m not the only who sees it. They’re flirting. Totally flirting.” Mina tries to be subtle, but because that is an entire contradiction to her character, she turns head on to watch them. “I think they’re oblivious. Let me go do intel.” With that, she pats Jirou’s hand, winks, and goes to plop herself down on one of the bean bag chairs near the television. She notes that Sero and Kaminari’s legs are crossed over each other, which is pretty common for the pair, but they’re meshing together so much that they could be one person. “You’re gonna lose, and then I’m playing the Baby Shark song for 4 hours. You’re gonna listen to it for 4. Whole. Hours.” Sero playfully threatens, gaining a small lead in the gang while Kaminari bumps his right arm, trying to jostle the controller out of the other guy’s hand. “That’s not even a threat! That’s my ringtone!” the yellow-haired boy laughs, leaning forward and Mina sees how he doesn’t shy away from touch at all. Jirou has moved to the other couch to make small talk with Momo, but she hasn’t taken her eye off the scene.
The game ends with Sero winning, chanting “Baby shark! Baby shark!” and Kaminari laughing into Sero’s shoulder. Mina knows that Sero pines, and Kaminari has said some offhand flirtatious things about his friend before, but right now she can see it. She shoots at look at Jirou, mouthing “You’re right! How cool.” All Jirou does is puff up in a prideful manner, feeling valid in the proof of her theory.
When Sero gets up to fill his water bottle in the kitchen, Mina slides next to Kaminari on the couch and decides to make a point. “Hey man, you seem happy today!” she mentions, and Denki offers her a grin and a thumbs up. “I’m feeling alright! Nothing to cry about, you know?”. He sounds content and is staring at Sero, who is evidently making Satou laugh in the kitchen. “You two seem pretty cozy.” Mina suggests, the implication sending a flash of embarrassment and nerves through Denki. He’s blushing, the red smattering his neck and cheeks brightly. “I-I, uh…yeah? I mean, no! Friends right, friends are like that!” he stutters, waving his hands in a gesture to foist off any suspicious. Mina is not swayed, not even a little. She’s dug into the mystery and is going to at least plant a catalyst in Kaminari’s mind to consider the possibility of having a crush on his friend.
“I’m just saying, Sero doesn’t cuddle or let anyone touch him like that but you. Think about it,” Mina offered, knocking her fist lightly against Denki’s temple. As she left to go study with Hagakure and Ojiro for Math class, she hoped that her buddy would get his ass in gear. There’s only so much pining one person can do!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sero had meant to confess a week ago. He really did! He was going to walk to Denki’s dorm, tell him to listen, and let him know what was up. Then he saw Denki ask Jirou out. Sero swore that Jirou was gay, or at least he thought she was. It was none of his business who she was attracted to, but when it came to Kaminari, Sero couldn’t help but be the slightest bit concerned. Watching the interaction had shaken Sero to his core. That Tuesday afternoon, he got final confirmation that there’d be no chance with Kaminari. It had all just been a fantasy, a farce Sero had dreamt up to shroud his loneliness.
He’d been searching for Denki all afternoon. Sero didn’t find him at his dorm, in the student lounge, sparring, anywhere. Leaning into the lounge a second time, he inquired as to the location of the electric boy. “Hey, anyone see Kaminari? I have to ask him something.” Sero looked hopefully around the room, waiting for a response. “I do believe he asked if Jirou was around. Maybe he is with her?” Tenya suggested, giving Sero a sympathetic look. There was no way he could know the nature of why Sero was searching for Kaminari, but maybe Sero just looked that desperate running around the dorms. With that information, he headed to the girls' dorms.
In his pocket, the note sat folded and worn. Writing down all his most intimate thoughts had taken a lot of energy out of Sero. Now he was just running pure adrenaline. The idea that in moments he could hand the note to Kaminari and let his affections be known. Then he’d either be accepted or rejected and Sero could move on with his life. Rounding the stairs, he saw Denki leaning into Jirou’s doorway, looking scared as hell. The girl wasn’t that terrifying. She didn’t even glare that much. Why would Kaminari be looking like that as he spoke with her? Sero decided to slow down and read the vibe before going any further.
“Maybe we could hang tomorrow and talk?” Denki was groveling.
Sero saw the hunch of his shoulders, the way he was shrinking himself. Kaminari was living on a prayer and Sero just…he couldn’t do it.
There in the silence, he heard a sigh and a “Sure,” from Jirou. There it was. She said yes to a date. That’s all folks! Go home, nothing to see here, unless you like burning human wrecks, in which case, the show is just about to get started.
Kaminari stood up straight as an arrow and looked happier than he had in months. With that, Sero turned on his heel, sucked in a breath, and ran. He didn’t stop until he reached his dorm, got inside, and collapsed on his bed. All this time he had spent wishing on the dreams in his head had been for nothing. He'd fallen in love with a guy who didn’t notice him and never would. Kaminari didn’t owe him a damn thing; not his time, reciprocated affections, or a date. Sero had looked in the mirror so many days thinking he was plain, that Kaminari was only humoring him, that there was no way in any reality that he'd ever look Sero’s way and get all googly-eyed. All of his suspicions had been correct. Kaminari had finally gotten his date with Jirou, the girl who had evaded him for eons, and they’d go out, have a great time…Sero didn’t want to entertain the thought further. He plummeted into his bed, turning off his phone and resigning himself to the loneliest night he’d have in weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaminari’s stomach is twisting. He’s pretty sure his lower intestine is knotted. Lunch doesn’t taste right; just bland and horrible. Sero is absent from class on this Saturday, something about having a stomach flu and not being able to get out of bed, according to Bakugou, who is livid over the guy missing sparring for today. Kaminari is hoping his plans for later today won’t agitate Sero, because he’s been building up to this for weeks. When Denki texts Sero he gets no answer, and a terrible thought comes across his mind. What if Sero is angry with him? Kaminari doesn’t know why that would happen, not in a realistic sense. But because his mind is set up to work against at every turn, the inanest idea occurs to him. Sero has figured out that Denki is into him and now Sero is hiding from him because rejecting him would be ten times more painful.
When Jirou comes around his dorm after class, Kaminari has been listening to Fall Out Boy and pouting like a huge baby. The door swings open and his friend is standing there with her hands on her hips, the image of “Can do!”. “Alright, why are you drowning in your tears? Did Monoma come around and try to insult you? Something with your Quirk? What is it?”, Jirou presses, her eyes narrowing. She had cancelled a lot of plans in order to help him with today, so Kaminari supposes that she deserves an explanation. “I think he’s avoiding me. I think Sero found out and now he hates me!”, he sniffles, sulking. Kyoka moseys into the room, shutting the door behind her. Denki waits for her to sit down next to him on the bed before continuing, making sure to wipe the tears from his face. “So, how did you arrive to this conclusion, Denk?”. Jirou has her own way of getting him to open up and divulge his more sensitive emotions. All it takes is one of those direct, honest stares and a pat on the arm from her.
Kaminari straightens himself up, letting the stress he’s holding in his shoulders release. “I texted him this morning, just to see if he wouldn’t mind me droppin’ by later. He never answered. Not once. I think he knows I like him and it’s over for me!”. As he speaks, his voice goes from groaning to whining. His vision starts to blur again, but Denki doesn’t want to cry for the second time today. Jirou shakes her head, taking a moment of silence before she offers a logical nugget of advice. “I think that’s a stretch. You’re assuming shit that you don’t even know for sure. Sero isn’t a prick like that. He’s never been homophobic and I really doubt he would completely ignore you if he found about that you like him as much as you do. Denki, you have to try. He’s probably just sick, so let’s go out, get the cute shit you’re going to get for him, and then you can confess to him. Come on.” Kyoka speaks with a solid confidence that reminds Denki that sometimes, yes, he is capable of overreacting.
Kaminari’s spirits are lifted again once he and Jirou have reached the shops and she’s helping him put together a gift. He knows that Sero loves gardening, plants, incense, soft folk music, the color olive green, and matcha flavored Kit Kats. Kyoka brings Denki to a small florist’s shop where the shopkeeper has an assortment of succulents and flowered cacti in the windows. Each one looks like something Sero would adore and nurture. Jirou is looking over a small orchid plant, violet and white, and Kaminari knows who she’s buying it for. He’s seen the glances and hushed conversations between Momo and Jirou. He hopes things go well for them; out of Denki and Jirou, she deserves the win. Eventually he picked out a pincushion cactus and carried it gently, thinking about what he was going to say to Sero.
Jirou is staring at her orchid plant while the friends catch dinner, waiting for their bowls of tonkatsu. “I think she’ll love it, Jirou.” Kaminari wants his friend to feel confident in her own romantic situation. His phone buzzes in his pocket as they chat about their upcoming English exam. The text is from Sero.
Sero [5:02pm]: im around. Sup?
Jirou’s lips pull into a Cheshire cat’s grin. “See? He doesn’t hate you.” Denki texts back in a flurry.
[5:04pm]: I’m just out getting good! I wanted to talk to you about something when I get back. Maybe like 6:30?
[5:05pm]: Yeah I’ll be here!
Even if Sero is just putting on a brave face, any contact from him makes Kaminari happy. “It’s going to be alright, I think. Even if it doesn’t go perfect, life moves on, you dig?”. And as he says that, Jirou nods in agreement. She looks proud of her friend. “I dig.”, she replies from the other side of the booth, leaning back, all self-satisfied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since Kaminari texted him, Sero has been fidgeting in his bed. There’s only so many rounds of Super Smash Bros someone can play while waiting for their crush to come over. Sero figures all Denki wants to come talk to him about is his date with Jirou, which will be painful. He’s going to stomach it though, because the wrong thing to do would be if Sero acted all bitter and resentful. So, he’s not going to do that. It’s late evening, and he watches the light from his window fade from orange to indigo, like it does most nights. Maybe Kaminari and Jirou are watching that same sunset and they’re falling in love. At least someone will be happy, Sero thinks, and he tries to tell himself that he should be supportive of his friend. Sero’s parents taught him humility in spades; the art of stepping aside and hiding his anger was a signature Hanta trait.
It hadn’t been that long ago that Kaminari had come into Sero’s room and cuddling him while he cried over his last romantic failure. The guy had smelled like fresh laundry and his weight had felt right in Sero’s arms. That would probably be the last time that such a situation would ever occur. Years from now, Sero would move on and so would Denki. Maybe Kaminari would marry Jirou, and they’d have beautiful children and live in an apartment with 6 guitars and Sero could go find a small piece of land and garden when he wasn’t doing hero work, and that would be that. That future didn’t seem so bad.
Waiting was getting to him. Sero could hear the ticking of the clock above his bed starting to echo in his head. He closes his eyes, letting his breath even out so when Kaminari started to gush about his date there would be no sign that Sero was on the verge of tears.
The first knock at the door startles Sero out of a trance like state. His body moves on instinct, like he’s not about to open his life up to harsh rejection. When he turns the knob, he expects to see Kaminari standing there with a goofy smile plastered on his features, probably on a date high. Instead…he’s there but holding the prettiest pincushion cactus and the grin on his face more uncertain than happy. He’s dressed so nicely, in a pair of black ripped skinny jeans, a pastel blue t shirt, and the black denim jacket he insists is his “signature piece”. Sero thinks that he’s never looked better.
“Caaaan I come in?” Kaminari asks, his eyes expectant and whole body radiating anxiety. Sero feels himself smile wide and easy, like there’s nothing else he’d rather do. “Yeah. Wow…you look…you know you look great right?”. Sero’s voice is strained and he’s rubbing the back of his neck, feeling heat rise onto his face. Just a normal compliment between friends, right? Kaminari chuckles, the sound musical. He looks around the dorm, still holding the plant, deciding where he should place it. “I got you this. I know you like having little succulents and stuff…but I’m terrible with plants so maybe you know how much light this needs.” Denki sounds like the nerves are working out of his system slowly. Sero takes the cactus from Denki’s hands gently, their fingers brushing for a microsecond before he turns away to place it on the shelf above his bed. “These little guys need lots of sunlight, but not a lot of water. They’re resilient little dudes,” the black haired boy offers, remembering the Christmas cacti that sat in the kitchen window back home.
When he turns around, he sees Kaminari rubbing his hands together, his brows tilted upwards in worry. “I need to say something. Can we sit down?”. Denki’s voice sounds so small, like he’s speaking from far away. Sero waves over to his bed, and they take spaces beside each other. Sero knows what’s coming. “Today, I hung out with Jirou and she told me some really good things. I need to let you know that I’m…” Kaminari speaks slowly, his eyes drilling into the floor. Sero decides to interject to save his friend the pain of putting him down. “So your date went well. I’m glad. I know you liked her for a long time. Thanks for the sympathy gift.” It comes out so cold and uncharacteristic that Sero thinks another being possessed him for a time. He goes to stand up and open the door for his friend, so this awful night can end and he can get back to wallowing.
Sero only gets a couple steps away before Denki is reaching out, his fingers gently wrapping around his slender wrist. “Did you say date? That’s not…it wasn’t a date.” Did he just hear Kaminari right? Not a date? “So…then what was it? She’s just giving you mercy?”. His voice still comes out cool, his anger collecting in his stomach. Denki laughs full and hearty, pulling Sero back to the bed. The taller boy plops down, flabbergasted by the turn of events. “Not at all dude. She was helping me! Plus Kyoka is head-over-heels for Momo. You know that right? They’re all smiles and giggles around each other for crying out loud.” Kaminari is being so honest, and he’s a little confused by Sero’s assumptions. Jirou has about zero interest in dating a man, so Kaminari finds that idea comical.
“What was she helping you with? Giving you fashion advice? You’re not wearing cargo pants or a meme shirt so I would have to guess that that might be the next best option.” Sero needs to know. The suspense is killing him! Kaminari shifts to tuck his left leg under him and make direct eye contact with Sero. His fingers shift from his wrist to the top of the other boy’s hand. “No, I picked the outfit out on my own! Come on dude, give me a little credit. At least I don’t wear crocs like Kiri.” The pair laugh over their friend’s fashion choice, even if the shoes are crazy comfortable. “Sero, she took me out to get that gift for you and motivate me. I,” Denki takes in a comically deep breath and his eyes flash wide like he’s going to see the last moments of his life. “I really like you. I’m probably falling in love with you. For real. All day I thought that you were pissed at me because you didn’t answer but I was out with Jirou building up my confidence to come and tell you. There’s nobody else.” Sero knows his hearing is just fine but he somehow can’t fathom that this beautiful boy is confessing right here, right now, with a cactus plant and hands that are a little clammy.
It's the sweetest thing Sero could have ever wished for, so he tears up a little.
“Oh, fuck. You don’t like me, do you? You hate it. Shit. I’m sorry dude, I’ll leave, I read the situation wrong…” Kaminari sputters, pulling his hands back and smoothing his hair back in fear. Then there’s more laughter. Sero is chuckling and wiping tears off his cheeks before he grabs Denki’s hands to steady the guy. “Calm down Kami. I don’t hate you, not even a little. I’m into you, deep. I spent months watching you crush on other people thinking you didn’t want me. It crushed me; but here you are! You like me. When did you know?” Sero’s words are spilling out of him so fast, like a vocal waterfall. Kaminari flashes a huge smile, and it’s taking Sero all of his energy not to lean over and kiss the guy into next week. Whatever that might mean, he’s going to do it.
“We were out at the beach and there were these little flowers growing in the dunes, and you were telling me all the scientific names and their care needs and natural environments, and I just thought “Damn, that’s the most beautiful man.” And I spent months trying to figure out how to ask you out, but you never seemed to hit on anyone or express interest, so I assumed you were either not into it or you were asexual. But yeah…that was the moment.” Kaminari speaks so giddy, like he won the lottery by getting to tell Sero all this. Sero listens closely, cradling Kaminari’s hands in between them. They laugh over their misunderstanding and Sero compliments him three more times on his choice of outfit before Denki does the second brave thing of the night. He almost dives forward, crushing his lips on the corner of Sero’s mouth. The other boy yelps in surprise, holding Kaminari up and looking down at him when he pulls back. “Kami, let’s try that again.” The guy’s gold eyes twinkle, actually twinkle, Sero notes, and they kiss again, this time without any clattering or tears or nonsense. It’s all laughs caught in their throats and faces held gently in shaking hands.
Neither of them is crying anymore. Tomorrow, Sero will get to hold his boyfriend’s hand while they’re out on patrol and call him babe and cuddle him conflict-free. There’ll be no more tears or doubt. The rest of the evening is spent trading secret’s they’ve held for a year and a half, pressing kisses to cheeks and letting vine compilations run in the background. No two people had ever been more deserving of such simple happiness.