Archive of Our Own

Kaminari Denki groaned. He opened his eyes to the sight of the infirmary ceiling. He couldn’t recall how had gotten there, but he also wasn’t surprised. The nature of his quirk caused him to become very well acquainted with Recovery Girl’s office. Kaminari would frequently short circuit during the hero course exercises. Though he had made huge improvements to his own limitations, there was still a long way to go.

“Enjoy your nap?” the short nurse sat her desk in the opposite corner of the room. She was reading a tabloid; The cover featured a poorly shopped image of Midnight standing next to Mt. Lady. Midnight had had her chest severely enlarged, as well as her lips. The accompanying caption read ‘Midnight resorts to bizarre illegal surgery to keep up with her young rival!”

“I did indeed. Thanks for asking. How’s the dirt on Midnight?” Kaminari rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up.

“Hysterical. Did you know that she was rebranding from dominatrix babe to ‘milf’?” The old lady deadpanned, without lifting her eyes. Kaminari chuckled.

“Sounds about right.” He stretched his arms above his head, popping his spine in the process. “Oh shit! You hear that? Damn, that felt good.” Recovery girl rolled her eyes and smiled. She continued to thumb through her gossip magazine while Kaminari climbed out of the Infirmary bed.

“Did you talk to her yet?” The boy groaned in response.

“No, no I did not.”

“When are you going to grow a pair?” She mumbled under her breath.

“When are you going to mind your business?” The old lady dawned a smug grin.

This banter had become a bit of routine. Kaminari had grown pretty close to the nurse. He was in the infirmary every other day, if not more. He thought back to how it began. The first few days he had spent in her company had been painfully boring. Recovery Girl spent most of her time reading pro hero gossip columns. It was a little-known fact that she collected tabloids. She found it extremely amusing to read the painfully fake articles written about her friends and coworkers.

It was around his third day in, almost 3 weeks ago, that Kaminari had begun to notice the cheesy magazines that were scattered around the room. He once thumbed through one on a particularly quiet evening. The article he had read was about ‘Present Mic’s secret lover!’ The article featured blurry snapshots of who appeared to be Mr. Aizawa. When Recovery Girl returned from her dinner break, he asked her about them. That’s when their friendship really began. She promised to bring more of her collection the next day.

“Collection? How many do you have?” Kaminari couldn’t hide the fact that he was excited. An evil grin danced across the small nurse’s lips.

“I started collecting these bad boys during my first year as a pro hero.” She looked extremely proud of herself. “I started when a work friend of mine started to pop up on covers everywhere. She told me it didn’t matter since no one ever even read those articles. I made her eat her words the next day when I came in with a copy of every gossip magazine I could find. I read every single article, and pestered her with questions about her fake scandals for the rest of the month.” The lady chuckled to herself. “Ever since then, I’ve bought every magazine that features fake articles about any of my friends.”

Kaminari smiled. That was actually pretty hilarious. He was also really impressed at how long she had kept it up. She was one of the oldest heroes still working. He bet she had some real gems in her collection.

“Do you think I could borrow some of these? I’d love to read some!” Recovery Girl beamed excitedly.

“Who do you want dirt on? I have something on everyone!” Kami was surprised that so much chaos could exist in such a small woman.

“Um... Just bring me your favorites I guess!” He had to admit, he was pretty excited to see what she had!

“Perfect! I actually store all my favorites together, sort of a ‘best of’ kind of thing. I’ll bring them with me tomorrow! I suspect you’ll be back here again within the week, so next time you’re in here I’ll show you the good stuff!” They left the infirmary, locking the door behind them. “For now, go get some sleep! My quirk will tire you out pretty quick, so it should be a restful night!” Kaminari waved to her as he walked toward his dorm.

“Don’t worry, I will!”

The weeks that followed were anything but boring. He quickly got to know a side of Recovery Girl that most people never had a chance to see. The old woman was surprisingly hilarious. Kaminari found that she was also very easy to talk to. His visits with the nurse became more of a treat than a necessity. Kaminari found himself confiding in her about his personal worries while they read their tabloids together. She always listened thoughtfully. When he was done, she would either give him advice or crack a joke at his expense. It depended on what kind of mood she could read off him.

Outside of the infirmary, there weren’t many people that Kaminari found himself turning to. It wasn’t that he didn’t have friends, it was just that he found it difficult to talk to them about his feelings. To the rest of the class, he was a confident and energetic guy that never worried about anything- just there for a good time.

He wished he could be that.

In reality, Kaminari was a swirling mess of anxiety and self-doubt. He hid it pretty well for the most part, but there was one person who seemed to almost see through him.

Jirou Kyouka was the only person that he couldn’t hide from completely. He didn’t know if it was just her Intimidating presence that made him nervous, or if maybe her quirk could hear the lies in his words, but he had never been able to keep up the act around her. Or perhaps, she always just caught him at the wrong time.

Kaminari also recalled a couple of nights ago, when he had been roaming the halls late at night. He couldn’t sleep, so he had resorted to pacing around the common area for hours. As his lack of sleep finally began to catch up with him, his anxiety also decided to hitch a ride. All the stupid things he had done and said that day came flooding back to him. Worry ate away at his stomach, and his pacing had grown more frantic. He could feel his heart beating at an uncontrollable rate while he desperately gasped for breath. Kaminari’s legs gave out, and he collapsed in on the floor. He grabbed at his hair as his panic rose. His gasps for air turned to sobs. He clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to muffle the sounds of his cry.

It felt as if the floor was falling out from beneath him. His brain stopped processing his surroundings entirely; Eyes wide open, he couldn’t see a thing. There was no sound, only a deeply resonating sense of terror. Kaminari was so too far gone to even feel the embrace he was suddenly pulled into.

Jirou had been up to go to the bathroom. She noticed her friend pacing the common room but didn’t give it much thought. While she was in the bathroom, however, she heard what sounded like crying. It occurred to her that the boy was probably out here because he was worried about something. She quickly finished up so she could check on her friend.

When she came out, she couldn’t immediately see him. As she followed the muffled sobs, she realized that he was on the floor. She gasped. Jirou had never seen anyone look so terrified. A thousand questions raced through her head as she tried to figure out what to do.

“K-kami?” She placed a hand on his shoulder, but he didn’t react. “Kami! What’s wrong?!” He was tucked in a ball, knees hugged to his chest. He gripped his hair so tightly that she thought he might rip it right out.

“Please Kami! You’re scaring me!” Jirou shook the boy, trying to pull him back to reality. She was trembling. What could have done this to him?

Instinctively, she pulled the boy into her arms. She held his head against her chest, stroking his hair gently. Tears started to form in her eyes. It wasn’t helping, nothing was helping! She hugged him tighter, whispering reassurances in his ear softly.

“It’s going to be ok, I promise everything’s ok.” She wasn’t even sure if he heard her. He showed no signs of calming down. Jirou rocked back and forth, holding him close to her.

“Please let me help you..” she blinked hard, spilling tears down her cheeks. “Please Denki, please”

Something clicked when she said this. His breath hitched, and he froze. The boy released a small sigh, and slowly began to relax his muscles. Jirou could feel his heartbeat returning to normal. Thank god.

“D-Denki... Everything's ok now. I’ve got you.” She softened her grip on her friend, letting herself relax as well. She caressed his hair gently as he began to settle. “Everything's fine, I promise.” She placed a careful kiss on the top of the boys head instinctually. It was then that Kaminari finally regained enough energy to look up to identify his savior.

“J-Jirou?” his voice quivered. Kami studied her face, shocked. It had been a long time since he had had a panic attack this bad. He hadn’t even noticed that the dark-haired girl was there, let alone holding him through his break down.

“Denki, I was so worried!” She hugged him tightly again. “I heard crying and I saw you on the floor, and I was so scared!” she blinked back tears. “What happened to make you like that?”

He looked at her and felt a wave of guilt flood his body. She had tears staining her cheeks, and her eyes were red and puffy- almost as much so as his own.

“I-I’m so sorry Jirou… I’m so sorry that you had to see that.” He broke the hug and took her hands in his own. No one else knew about his anxiety disorder.

“I was having a panic attack.” He said carefully. Kaminari knew that Jirou wouldn’t ever hold something like this against him, but as usual, worry tried to keep him from telling her. He had to force the words from his mouth, his voice quivering as he did so.

“Most people don’t know this, but I have a really bad anxiety disorder. Most days I can handle it, but sometimes it gets really bad. When I get too anxious I start to, well, panic. And then this.” He sniffed back a stream of snot that threatened to spill from his nose. God, he needed to start carrying tissues in his pockets.

“Denki… That’s horrible. I’m so sorry… What can I do to help?” Jirou clasped his hands and looked into his swollen eyes. It hurt her to see him like this.

Denki chuckled. “Well, you already did… I don’t know what you did, but you somehow got me to calm down.” He really didn’t know how she did it. Most of the time, the only way he’d been able to come down from such a high caliber attack was with powerful sleep meds to knock him out.

“I-I just held you for a while... You didn’t show any response until I called you by your first name though. I hope I didn’t overstep any boundaries.” She bowed her head, realizing that he may not have been comfortable with the way she handled the situation. She was a little surprised when Kami hugged her.

“What you did was amazing. I don’t deserve such an incredible friend. Thank you so much Jirou.” She smiled and wiped a tear from his cheek.

“You’re welcome Kami. Would you like me to help you to your room?”

“Uh, um, actually, would you mind just sitting out here with me for a bit?” He felt a little bit silly asking her to stay with him. Hadn’t he already made enough of a fool himself? Jirou smiled gently and nodded.

“Of course Kami. Would you some tea or anything?”

“That would be great actually... Thank you so much.” Jirou looked at Kaminari with puffy eyes. They were tear-stained, but they were smiling.

It wasn’t long after Jirou had come back with his tea before he fell asleep. Jirou was relieved that he was alright, but she still wondered what it could have been that sent him into such a frenzy. It didn’t really matter though. All that mattered is that he was finally able to get some sleep. After sitting with him for a few minutes, she hoisted the blonde boy on to her back. She carried him back to his room, careful not to wake him. After setting him down on his bed, she ran back to the common room to grab his tea, just in case he woke up again. She covered him with his blanket and placed a small peck on his forehead. With that, she left him to sleep.

Kaminari woke the next morning far later than he had intended to. He glanced at his clock and realized that it was already 11 o’clock. Shit. That meant that he had already missed a good portion of class. He sat up in his bed and noticed the mug on his nightstand. Kami didn’t remember too much about last night. By the time he finally calmed down, he was already basically asleep. He only remembered bits and pieces of his conversation with Jirou. Wait, Jirou! Had she really carried him all the to his room last night? He felt so stupid for letting her see him this way. His heart began racing. What if she told someone else about last night? Kami squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the thought from his mind. Logic brain was telling him that Jirou would never betray his trust like that. Anxiety brain, however, pointed out how ridiculous he must have looked. Of course, she was going to tell everyone! Kaminari Denki, crying on the floor like a fucking child.

No.

He wasn’t going to do this again. Kami wasn’t going to let one small and insignificant detail derail his entire day. He took a deep breath. Everything is fine.

Kaminari hastily threw on his uniform. He was going to go to class, and he was going to be fine. If things got bad between now and the end of the day, he would stop by Recovery Girls office. Not only was she good for talking, but her quirk also helped to soothe his anxiety.

Kaminari arrived at his classroom just before lunch. He took one look inside and felt his stomach grow weak. Maybe he should just come back after lunch was over. That way he could come in with everyone else, without making a scene. Yes, good plan. In the meantime, he could go visit Recovery Girl.

Chiyo Shuzenji had mixed feelings about her job. Most days it was drab. She didn’t dislike it, but it definitely wasn’t her favorite of hobbies. That is, except when Kaminari Denki came to visit. The boy was special. Maybe it was the fact that he reminded her of her own children when they were younger. Or perhaps, she just enjoyed that he wasn’t afraid to throw back whatever sassy comments she served him. More likely than either of those, though, was the fact that she could tell that the boy needed her. Through getting to know the hero in training, she had come to learn about his home life and his history. Kaminari hadn’t had the best luck when it came to the gene pool. He had inherited a pre-existing anxiety disorder from one or both of his parents; but on top of that, when he was young, he had had a fairly traumatic incident involving his quirk. She came to learn that this mishap from his childhood was partially responsible for his frequent short-circuiting.

When he had first developed his quirk, Kaminari had no way of controlling it. Most children don’t at such a young age. However, Kaminari’s quirk proved itself to be far more dangerous than he or his parents could process. It was summer when it happened when he was about seven years old. Kaminari couldn't understand why he couldn't go into the pool like his siblings. His parents would drag him away whenever he got too close the water. They tried to keep him occupied with various lawn games, but he still wanted to swim.

As the sun started to set, his parents and siblings packed up and dried off, ready to head home. Unfortunately, this was more than enough time for Denki to run to the water. By the time his parents realized what was happening, it was too late. The electricity filled child had already hurled himself into the pool. A loud splash had been followed by the sound of sparks crackling in the air. He learned the hard way that water was a conductor. Unable to control his ability, Kaminari’s body surged with enough electricity to permanently short circuit part of his brain. When they were finally able to retrieve him safely, he had been unresponsive. After a few days in the hospital, he recovered. However, the amount of energy he could handle ar one time had been severely limited. The experience har also scarred him emotionally, causing extreme anxiety.

He never felt comfortable talking to anyone. His parents never quite understood his disorder, let alone his siblings. Recovery Girl was a trained professional. She had to experience helping traumatized children, and Kaminari was no exception. She recognized that he needed someone, and she was more than happy to listen.

When Kaminari came into her office that day, she could tell that the circumstances were different. He didn’t wear the dolty smile that usually accompanied his regular short circuits. Today must be an anxiety day.

“Ms. Chiyo?” His voice was quiet.

“Oh please Denki, I’ve told you a thousand times to just call me Shuzenji. We’re buddies, right?” The old lady grinned widely. Denki couldn’t help but smile too.

“Sorry, I’m just not used to calling anyone by their first name.” He studied the linoleum tiles and rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you think I could stay in here till lunch is over? I had a panic attack last night, and I was so exhausted that I overslept. I don’t want to draw attention to myself by interrupting class.” Recovery Girl nodded and handed him her latest find.

“Make yourself comfortable. Also, read this- Endeavor is coming out as transgender now” Kaminari scanned the front cover and laughed.

“Oh damn, this is fantastic! Thanks, Shuzenji.”

“But Denki,” she approached the topic carefully. “May I ask what happened last night?” The boy sighed.

“Yeah, I guess that was to be expected. Honestly, it was really stupid. I just started thinking about how everyone laughed after I short-circuited, and I started worrying that they might be talking behind my back, or laughing about me even when I’m not all stupid… I lost control and it got really bad.” Shuzenji listened as he recounted the situation.

“How did you manage to finally calm down?” He had to think about this for a moment. He still wasn’t entirely sure why he had suddenly come back to his senses.

“... Jirou was there. I don’t remember her even coming into the room. I could faintly hear my name, but it was fuzzy, and not all the way there- you know, like when you’re about to fall asleep and you’re just barely hearing things? It was like that.” Shuzenji was intrigued. As far as she knew, none of the other students were aware of Kaminari’s anxiety.

“I heard a voice talking, but I couldn’t focus on it. Then I heard my name. Not Kaminari, but Denki- like you and my mom call me… It was surprising enough to grab my attention I guess.” This was an interesting detail. Only close family and friends called one another by their first names. Hearing his own name while away from home had probably acted as a subconscious comfort for the boy. She made note of this and listened as he continued.

“I started coming back to reality, and she was just holding me. She played with my hair and whispered nice things to me until I calmed down. I didn’t realize it was her until I had completely relaxed.” Recovery Girl smiled. Jirou had acted very admirably for someone who had likely never seen such a severe breakdown.

“When I was calm again, she made me tea and sat with me till I fell asleep. I think she might have carried me to my room too, since I woke up in my bed, and not in the common room.”

“Denki, it sounds like you have yourself a pretty amazing friend.” He really did. But that wasn’t what he was thinking about.

“Yeah.. but... I keep thinking about if she told anyone about it. I don’t want anyone to know how bad I got, and I especially don't want her to tease me about it… She’s super cool, and now she’s seen how dumb I am… I don’t know what to do!” Kaminari clenched his fists, anxiety bubbling once more to the surface. Recovery Girl took grabbed his hands.

“Denki, you’re ok. You know Jirou cares about you... That was made evident by how hard she worked to help you. If you don’t want her to say anything about it, then she won’t. Just let her know how you feel. You can do this.” Denki took a few deep breaths. She was right. He just needed to talk to her.

“Thank you. I think I can talk to her.” Recovery Girl smiled and nodded in agreement. Kaminari was a smart boy, and she knew that he could move past this.

“Of course Denki, you know I’m always here to help. Now get going Drooly, lunch is almost over.”

Kaminari left nurse’s office just before the bell rang. Crowds of students returning to class filled the halls. He felt much better about the situation overall and hoped to find Jirou before class began again. The boy waited next to the door of his classroom, scanning the halls for Jirou. He finally spotted her, but to his dismay, she was already talking with Momo. Kami didn’t want to discuss last night while anyone else was present. He sighed. Oh well. He could try again after class.

That had been two days ago. Every time he had attempted to talk to Jirou, someone else would show up. The longer he waited, the more anxious he became. It shouldn’t have been this hard.

“Denki, did you even hear what I just said?” Recovery Girl swatted the blonde boy with one of her magazines. Kaminari had been lost in thought, trying to process the last couple of weeks.

“O-oh, sorry. I was just... Thinking…”

“Well, there’s a surprise!” The nurse mocked jokingly. “I asked you what was stopping you from talking to her.”

“It’s not as easy as I thought it would be, ok?” He rubbed his temples and sighed. “She always has someone with her, and I don't know, I just get really uncomfortable talking about all of this stuff.” In truth, Denki had been thinking about the girl a lot lately. Not even his own siblings could calm him down when he had his episodes. He had never seen that side of her before. Normally she would tease Kaminari, calling him names like Charge Dolt, or Jamming-whey. He never showed it, but those names hurt. Kaminari didn’t think she did it specifically to hurt him, but it still was painful. Of all the people he would have guessed to be the most willing to comfort him, she would have made second to last, only barely ahead of Bakugo.

“Then maybe it isn’t as big of a deal as you thought since you haven’t put forth enough effort to resolve it.” He hadn’t thought of it that way.

“Now that you mention it, I haven't been nearly as worried as I was before. It’s been a few days and no ones treated me any differently.” Kaminari came to a sudden realization that the problem had been in his head this whole time.

“Exactly! You’ve been doing great the past two days, and nothing bad happened because of it.”

“But is it weird that she didn’t bring it up to me at all? She didn’t even ask me if I was ok after all that..”

“Denki don’t be an idiot. Did you even thank her after all that? She knew you well enough to realize that you didn’t like to show that part of you, so she decided not to bring it up. She didn’t want to embarrass you.”

“Do you really think that’s why?” Her words made sense. It was logical that she would feel weird bringing it up.

“I would bet every All Might coming out story I have on it.” Damn, that was a big claim. Gay All Might articles were her favorite…

“If I were you, Denki, I would do something special for her to thank her, rather than avoid her. She’s probably just as anxious as you are!”

“You’re right! I need to do something!” Kami wanted to do something spectacular for her to make up for all the trouble he had caused.“Thanks, doc. I better get going! I have to decide how I’m going to do this! I’ll let you know how it goes!” With that, he took off down the hall, like the energizer bunny had just tried coffee for the first time.

Jirou kicked her shoes off and flopped down on her bed. Class was finally over and she was so glad to finally relax. The week had been pretty stressful for her. She never had a chance to talk to Kaminari after that night, and she was pretty worried about him. He seemed fine in class, but then again, he always did. She never would have guessed that he could break down like that. She thought about asking him about it but decided not to. It didn’t seem like the kind of thing that he wanted to relive.

She sighed. Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe he was doing even worse and she didn’t even notice. This was so frustrating. He was always so easy to talk to, and she truly loved the way he joked with her. At times she wondered if maybe his jokes weren’t really jokes at all, and maybe he really was flirting with her. But then she realized that that was just wishful thinking.

Jirou had always been bad with words- especially with words that were meant to convey her attraction. She didn’t know how to make someone feel special with her words, and she definitely couldn’t sweet talk anyone. The best she could do was tease him about the things that made her heart jump. That stupid Charge Dolt drove her crazy- his dumb jokes, and his dumb hair, and especially his stupid dumb face. Kaminari was such a dork, but he was a dork that she couldn't tear out of her head, no matter what she did.

It was probably a good thing that she couldn’t flirt to save her life. If she was more direct about her feelings, then maybe he wouldn’t see her the same. Kaminari was popular, funny, and cute. Plenty of girls liked him. What’s more, he clearly enjoyed their attention. Jirou hated watching him flirt with other girls. She hated watching him take every other girl in the class on cute dates. She hated not being able to tell him how she really felt about him. But as much as she hated not having his flirtations aimed her way, she couldn’t bear the thought of ruining their friendship by telling him how she felt.

When she saw him in the common room the other night, Jirou’s heart broke. She had no clue why he was crying, but she hated it. Kaminari was usually so cheerful, and whatever it was that ruined that for him deserved to be destroyed.

Jirou screamed into a pillow. There was nothing she could do. She was bad at helping him and she was bad at being his friend, and she was just bad, just so fucking bad.

Her existential crisis was interrupted by a knock at the door. “What?”

“Can I come in?” Momo’s voice inquired from beyond the door. Jirou contemplated throwing something at the door to make her go away. Alas, Momo was her best friend, and she couldn’t take out her frustration on her.

“Doors unlocked.” Momo entered her friend's room, closing the door behind her. She sat down on the bed next to Jirou and immediately began massaging her back. Momo could always tell when Jirou was hurting.

“Talk to me, babe. What’s going on?” Jirou made no hesitation before jumping into her rant.

“I fucking hate him Momo! He’s the fucking worst! It’s not fair that he can just make my heart hurt like that! That stupid idiot!” Momo nodded. She knew about Jirou’s crush, and she had heard this same complaint before.

“Why does he never talk to me like he does all the other girls?” Momo wanted to respond with the fact that Jirou constantly pushed him away, but chose to remain silent.

“I thought we really connected the other night too…” Jirou knew she couldn’t place all the blame on Kaminari. She didn’t know anything about his situation, and it wasn’t as if she was known for being the most comforting friend. Momo pursed her lips.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I originally came up here to let you know that Kaminari has been asking about you.” Jirou sat up quickly.

“What? Why?” Momo shrugged.

“He didn’t say, just asked if anyone one knew where you were. He said he wanted to talk to you.”

“Where is he now?” Jirou was already standing up, throwing her shoes back on.

“He’s just down in the kitchen right now. If you hurry you can still catch him.” And hurry she did. She was out the door before Momo could finish her sentence.

Kaminari was chatting with Kirishima when Jirou walked in. He saw her and immediately smiled! She looked to the side, pretending not to notice the boy’s infectious grin. She was hiding a smile of her own.

“Jirou! I was just looking for you!” He stood up and walked towards her.

“Oh! Jamming-whey! I didn’t see you!” She lied.

He winced internally at the nickname but pushed it aside. “I, uh, I was hoping I could talk to you.”

“Yeah? Did you want to go somewhere private?” She figured that he was talking about the incident the other night.

“Um actually, it’s fine. I was just going to see what you were doing this Friday?” Her heart skipped a beat.

“Nothing too crazy. I was going to pick up some new guitar picks after school since I’m running pretty low, but other than that, nothing.”

“Do you think I could tag along with you? I’ll take you to dinner after.” Jirou’s face turned a soft shade of pink.

“L-like a date?” Her mind was reeling. Was he being serious?

“Well, I know you don’t really like me that way, so you don’t have to call it that if you don’t want to, but essentially, yeah!” The boy beamed. Jirou was stunned silent. Her thinking face must have been very similar to her RBF (resting bitch face), because the boy hastily added.

“But I promise it won’t be anything weird! I just.. Wanted to thank you for your help the other night.” Jirou was very confused. He had called it a date a few moments, but now it was just a thank you dinner? She shook her head, confused.

“I’m sorry, I’m going to have to get back to you on that.” She noticed the disappointed look on the boy’s face. She felt bad for not being able to answer him directly, but she had too many mixed emotions to be able to properly think. She turned and left abruptly, leaving a very concerned Kaminari behind.

Kaminari turned to Kirishima. “Did I do something wrong?” Kirishima just shrugged.

“Girls are weird mate. If I were her, I’d totally take you up on that date.”

“Thanks, Eiji…” He wasn’t sure if the redhead had helped or made the whole thing worse by saying that.

“No problem my dude.” He stood up to leave. “Hope you get the girl man, you’d be cute together.” Kaminari waved his hands defensively, face pink.

“Y-you have it wrong! I’m not taking her out because I like her or anything…It’s just that I owe her. SHe helped me out big time the other night, and I want to make sure she knows how much I appreciated it.”

“Then why would you call it a date then? Doesn’t that make it sound like you’re into her? You shouldn’t play with girls feelings like that, bro.” The blonde boy pursed his lips

“Well, people go on casual dates all the time, don’t they? Isn’t that what it’s called when two attractive people go to dinner together?” Kirishima opened his mouth to say something, but closed again, giving Kaminari’s words some thought.

“And I’m not not into her… Jirou’s a great girl. I doubt she’d be she would actually consider it a date, but who knows! Either way, the goal is to make her feel special!” Kami grinned and shot his friend a thumbs up. Kirishima just looked at him, dumbfounded. Nothing he had said was necessarily wrong, but he couldn’t help but feel like Kaminari was going about this too casually.

“I’m mean, I guess… But I don’t think girls think the same way we do dude…” Kaminari laughed.

“Kirishima, this isn’t a girl. This is Jirou!” The shark-toothed boy massaged his temples. He stood up from his seat and walked out of the kitchen.

“Kaminari Denki, you’re an absolute dunce.” He muttered as he left. Kaminari wasn’t about to stay in the kitchen alone, so he followed the redhead out, and made his way to his room.

As he approached his door, he noticed a piece of paper taped to the doorknob. His name was written on the front of the folded slip. The letters were small and a little messy. The words slanted slightly. He smiled. This was Jirou’s handwriting. He unfolded the paper. Kaminari scanned the note.

Kami, I’m sorry but I have to decline your offer, though I appreciate your intentions. -Jirou

His heart dropped. He must have read that wrong. After rereading the note a second and third time, he concluded that he had not read it wrong, but had in fact been shot down. A knot formed in his stomach and his heart rate picked up significantly.

Of course, he had been rejected before, but somehow this felt different. Kaminari had been so confident going into this too. His mind raced to a million different conclusions as he processed the note. Maybe she liked someone else. Did she think he was weird after the other night? Perhaps the thought of going on a date with him was so repulsive that she couldn’t even say it to his face without laughing. He entered his room without bothering to hit the lights. Kicking off his shoes, he climbed into his bed. He rolled over and began to cry.

Jirou Kyouka sat with her back against her bedroom door. She twirled her left jack around her finger while she stared at the floor. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. It had been hard to write that note. She wanted nothing more than to go on a date with that idiot, and hold hands, and laugh with him… but she couldn’t. She knew that this wasn’t a real date. This was just Kaminari being Kaminari. She was just a placeholder until someone pretty caught his attention. Jirou blinked hard, causing tears to escape. Going to dinner with Kaminari would be undoubtedly the best night she could ask for. But she also knew that her heart wasn’t prepared for the pain that would be caused when he took someone else to dinner the next night. It was better not to know what she was missing.

Momo arrived to class the next morning. She was shocked to find an empty desk next to Kaminari. Why wasn’t Jirou here yet? Jirou was always one of the first to get to class. She woke up early every morning so that she could grab coffee off campus. Perhaps the cafe was busy this morning.

The second thing that surprised Momo was the unusually sad expression that painted the face of her typically cheerful Kaminari. Most mornings, he would be chatting with Sero or Kirishima, laughing and joking. Today, however, he was silent. He rested his chin in his hand and stared at his desk. Momo furrowed her eyebrows. Something wasn’t right. She tentatively approached Kaminari.

“Excuse me, Kaminari, is everything alright?” she placed a hand on his shoulder, dawning a concerned look. He jumped and looked up at her.

“Yaomomo- you scared me. Yeah… I’m fine.” He wasn’t fine.

“I’m sorry I startled you. You just seemed... Off…” She glanced to Jirou’s empty desk. “Do you happen to know where Jirou is this morning?” He winced at the sound of her name and shook his head.

Kaminari had gotten no sleep the previous night. He had been up thinking about his run-ins with Jirou, and what Kirishima had said earlier. Kami had considered staying in Recovery Girl’s office again, but he decided against it. He knew that if he went, she would undoubtedly ask him about Jirou, and he wasn’t ready for that yet.

Momo was growing more and more worried. Kami was obviously less fine than he claimed to be, and she had a feeling it had to do with her missing friend. She carefully chose what to say next.

“Did you two get in a fight or something?” Kami’s eyes widened, and he immediately looked away. Momo could tell she had touched on a rough topic. She raised an eyebrow.

“N-not exactly.” He whispered. His stomach twisted.

“What do you mean? What happened?” Kaminari sighed and closed his eyes tightly.

“Yaomomo, can we talk about this later, please? I’m really not in the mood.” This shocked momo, but she obliged. He clearly was not ready to talk about whatever it was that was bothering him.

Back in her room, Jirou laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She hadn’t planned on skipping class today, she had even gotten dressed in her uniform. She had been about to leave for her morning coffee when she saw Kaminari leave his room ahead of her. She panicked and immediately went back to her room. Jirou couldn’t look at him. It hurt in so many ways, and it was too difficult to process right then. She supposed that she could have waited till he was gone, and then left herself, but that couldn’t solve the problem of sitting next to him in class. Overall, she figured it was better to just stay away for a bit.

Jirou heard her phone ring from her desk. Reluctantly, she stood up to go retrieve it. It was Momo. She let the call go to voicemail. The ringing stopped, and she noticed a second missed call. She was surprised to find that this one had come in at 2:24 the night before. It was Kaminari. She instantly felt guilty as she recalled the last time he was up late at night. Jirou wondered if he had had another panic attack, and called her for help. She mentally cursed herself for not being there for him when he needed her. She let her stupid crush get in the way of helping her friend.

She slammed her head against the wall angrily. Why was she so bad at this? Why did she have to ruin every good thing that she had? He trusted her. He wanted to spend time with her. Hell, he even wanted to take her on a date! Why couldn’t she just accept things for how they were? She sighed and threw her phone back on the desk, not caring when it bounced off and landed on the floor. She stomped back to her bed and collapsed onto it. Jirou stared at the ceiling. What could she even do to fix the situation? Could it even be fixed? In the end, she knew she would have to talk that stupid Charge Dolt, and that fact scared her. With a long sigh, she pushed herself up and off her bed. The ball was in her court now, and she couldn’t afford to drop it again.

Kaminari sat with Mina and Sero at lunch. They could tell how miserable he was, and had bought him lunch consisting of two cheeseburgers and a milkshake. The gesture had made the boy smile.

“I just don’t know what I did wrong guys! I thought taking her to dinner would have been a great idea!” Kaminari had filled the two in on the happenings from the night before and had skimmed over details of his panic attack. They reacted well to him telling them about his anxiety, which came as a huge relief.

“Maybe she just doesn’t like you that way dude,” Sero said, through mouthfuls of food.

“I thought of that. But I specifically told her that it didn’t have to be a date… I made sure to specify that I just wanted to thank her.”

“Then maybe she was disappointed by it not being a real date then!” Mina piped up, waving a fork in the air as she spoke.

“What do you mean ‘real’?”

“Look, we’ve been on date’s before, ya?” Kami nodded. He had taken Mina out a few times when the school year first started. He commonly took his friends on casual dates. He loved spending time one on one with them. He also liked taking that time to make them feel special. When Kami would take Mina and the other girls on dates, he always made sure to keep things friendly, but also to pay for their meals or movie tickets. It was a gentlemanly thing to do. He was always open to letting the dates turn into something more, but was comfortable letting his date decide how serious he should take it.

“We went on a few dates so that we could gauge our relationship and see if it was platonic or romantic. What if she already knows what she wants your relationship with her to be, but assumes you would treat it like any other friendly date?” Kaminari contemplated this. He had never thought of it that way.

“But that would mean that Jirou liked me… I know that isn’t it.” Sero shrugged.

“You never know man!”

“All she ever does is make fun of me… I’ve flirted with her before, you know, to test the waters and all… but she only ever calls me names and shit.” He didn’t mind it too much most of the time. He assumed that it was just friendly banter, even if it went too far sometimes.

“What about Bakugou and Kirishima?” Mina gestured to the two, who sat a couple tables back. “Bakugou teases Kirishima constantly, and yet it’s common knowledge to just about everyone that he has a huge crush on him.” She had a point.

“But the real question,” Sero pointed to his friend with his cup. “Is if you like her.”

“W-what?”

“You heard me Sparky! You’ve never been this upset over a rejection before. Why does this one matter so much to you?” Kaminari had asked himself the same question multiple times during the night. He had finally come to the conclusion that he did indeed like Jirou. He had tried to ignore it for a long time, but after this week, he couldn’t.

“You’re right.” He sighed. “I’m pretty sure I like her… a lot actually.” Kaminari recalled his restless night, at some point of which, he had tried to call Jirou. He hung up after two rings, realizing that he didn’t even know what he would say if she answered. Part of him wanted to ask her why she didn’t want to go on Friday. Another part wanted to apologize for being so dumb. But a much smaller and quieter part of him had been urging him to say ‘I love you’. Kaminari was too scared to commit to any of those options, so he opted for his favorite fall back: Avoid and ignore.

“If that’s the case, then you should tell her!” He shook his head violently.

“I can’t. Not yet anyway… I don’t even know if she likes me back… What if I ruin our friendship?”

“I hate to break it to you, Kami, but no matter what you do, your friendship with her won’t be the same.” Mina’s words stung. “Even if you pretend things are normal, you’ll be lying. If you think she won’t notice you acting differently around her, then you’re wrong.”

Sero nodded in agreement. “It’s true dude. You’re already making it weird by not talking to her. You avoided her all day yesterday and the day before. I get that you were nervous and shit, but that just proves my point! She probably knows something off.”

“Then what should I do? She said no already. How do I fix this?”

“Oh! I have an idea!” Mina clapped her hands excitedly and explained her plan to the boys.

Jirou shoved her way through the crowded lunchroom. Kaminari usually sat with her at lunch or at least tried to, before she would shew him away. She had no idea where he would go after she banished him. Jirou looked for Kirishima. They seemed to hang out quite a bit at the dorms, maybe they sat together for lunches too. His bright red hair was easy to spot. Bakugo was sitting next to him, but she didn’t see any sign of Kaminari.

“Kirishima!” The redhead smiled and waved her over.

“Jirou! Where’ve you been? Want to sit?” He gestured to the open seat across from him. She hesitated, but ultimately decided to sit down. She couldn’t spot Kaminari anywhere.

“I, uh, overslept.” She lied and scanned the crowd once more for the electric blonde.

“Oi, earphones, what’s got your panties in a twist?” Bakugou growled. Kirishima kicked him under the table. They had talked about this- no vulgar metaphors. Luckily, Jirou didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s nothing… I was just looking for Kaminari.” Kirishima remembered the events from that night.

“Is this about that date thing?” He asked cautiously. She studied his face. Kirishima was never anything but good intentioned. He was kind to a fault.

“Yes. I wanted to talk to him about it.” Jirou’s expression was hard to read. He couldn’t tell if she had a good talk or bad talk in mind.

“Drooly? Are you guys a thing?” Bakugou glared her way.

“W-well, no, but I-”

“Because I saw him walk off with that Pinky a few minutes ago. They looked pretty chummy.” Kirishima looked at Bakugou, confused. Sure, Kaminari had not explicitly stated that he was interested in Jirou, but he didn’t think he would jump to someone new so quickly.

“W-with Mina…?” Jirou’s heart fell. She knew those two were close. It was common knowledge that they dated for a few weeks near the beginning of school. Questions flooded her head. What was he doing asking her on dates if he was already moving in on Mina? Was he just doing this to get back at her for saying no to the date?

Bakugo nodded. “Last I saw, they were heading back to the classroom. They were holding hands and shit.” She let out an exasperated sigh. She knew this was a bad idea. Jirou squeezed her eyes shut to avoid spilling tears.

“O-oh. I see.” Kirishima opened his mouth to offer some words of comfort. He didn’t get very far when she jumped up from her seat and fled from the cafeteria.

“Bakugo, what the hell was that!” He knew the boy was blunt, but Bakugou had always considered Jirou a friend, and Kirishima was surprised to see him so careless with his words.

The raging blonde slammed his phone on the table for Kirishima to read. His phone was open to a conversation with Kaminari.

Drooly: If you see Jirou, make it sound like Mina and I are dating again

KingExplosionMurder: What the hell are you pulling you fucking idiot

Drooly: Please, I just need to know if she’d be jealous!

KingExplosionMurder: That's a fuckin stupid ass idea dipshit. Why would you need to know that

Drooly: because I fucking like her Bakugou! I need to know if she likes me too

KingExplosionMurder: this won't motherfucking work

KingExplosionMurder: but fucking fine. I’ll do it.

Drooly: Thank you Bakubro!!!! I’ll buy you lunch for a week!!!

Drooly: Also throw in that we’re in the classroom :]

Kirishima scanned through the messages. What was that damn idiot trying to do! There was no way in hell that this would work.

“Damn it Bakugou, Why would you agree to this?”

“Because I fucking know how it feels to not fucking know if your crush likes you or not” He shoved the table just hard enough for a few stray utensils to fall to the floor. Kirishima noticed a light blush hidden behind his glare.

“Bakugo?” The blonde stormed off before Kirishima could ask any hard questions. God damn it, why were all his friends so bad at communicating!

Jirou ran through the halls towards the classroom. She couldn’t tell if she was being propelled by sorrow or by anger. It didn’t matter either way; at this point, her emotions were in complete control. She heard voices as she approached. They belonged to Mina and Kaminari.

“Yeah, I’m free Friday! What did you want to do?” Mina’s voice echoed.

“Well, I was thinking we could stop by that one music store, maybe get some dinner!” Jirou froze as she heard Kaminari ask Mina on the exact same date he had proposed to her just last night. Every piece of her heart shattered. She guessed he didn’t need her after all. She tried to process what was happening, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t understand what kind of joy he got out of this twisted game of his. She hated it. She hated Mina. She hated him. For a moment, she considered storming in and kicking his ass. Jirou sighed. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t. At this moment, she was entirely defeated. All she could do was shuffle back to the dorms, sniffling miserably.

Kaminari and Mina sat near the open door of the classroom. They had run the same lines five times now. Mina’s brilliant plan had been to lure Jirou to the classroom so that she could hear Kami asking another girl out. She would then be so jealous that she would come in and yell at them both, then Kaminari would explain it all, and they would kiss and fall in love and be happy. Kaminari’s first mistake was taking any piece of advice he got from Mina seriously.  He let out a loud sigh.

“She should have come by now! Bakugo texted me as soon as she left the lunchroom!” He slammed his face into his hands. “This was a stupid idea! I can’t believe you talked me into this!” He groaned.

Mina slumped down into her seat. Admittedly, this was the worst plan she had ever enacted. The two sat silently, taking in their failure when a very angry Kirishima stomped into the room.

“Kaminari, what the hell are you doing!” He stormed towards the two, giving off a very Bakugou-esque aura.

“Kiri, relax! We were just making Jirou jealous so she’d fall in love with Kami!” Kirishima slammed his fists onto the table.

“Mina, shut up! Do you have any idea how badly you could have just fucked this up?” Mina looked away bashfully. She knew she had messed up, but she didn’t like being called out for it.

“Kaminari, you are the least manly guy I know! If you liked Jirou you should have said so! Now she thinks that you’re just rebounding to the next available girl. Your stupid idea of flirting is ruining your only chance to get with someone who actually cares about you!” Dread settled throughout Kaminari’s entire being as Kirishima cut into him.

“B-but I just thought-” He was cut off immediately.

“No Kami, you didn’t think! I tried to tell you from the beginning! I tried to explain to you that she doesn’t think the same way you do! You can’t just play your mind games and expect her to know the rules!” Kirishima massaged his temples, trying to regain a sense of calm. He took a deep breath.

“Look, she cares about you, ok? Anyone could see that she cares about you. I can’t say if the care is platonic or romantic, but it’s there, all the same. Why would you want to put her in a situation that could potentially hurt her, rather than talk it out, like the grown ass person you are?” Kaminari said nothing. Everything Kiri had said was right. He was being childish and skirting around the issue rather than facing it straight on.

“B-bakugou said she was heading this way… did you see her on your way here?” Maybe it wasn't too late to fix this. He just needed to talk to her.

“Yes actually, I did.” Kaminari looked up, relieved. Unfortunately, his relief was short lived. “I saw her running towards the dorms, sobbing uncontrollably.”

Kaminari’s face fell instantly. This wasn’t what he wanted. This isn’t at all what he wanted. He squeezed his eyes shut as he silently berated himself. The glare on Kirishima’s face only made his guilt worse.

“I-I have to go.” He stood up, dizzily. He had ruined everything. He was an idiot.

“And Mina,” Kirishima turned his menacing gaze toward the pink girl. “You owe Jirou one hell of an apology. This whole scheme was your idea, and if that electric idiot can’t fix things, then you’re also partly to blame.”

“No. Don’t blame her. It was me who went along with it. I should have known better.” He walked to the door. Lunch was almost over. If he wanted to fix things, then he needed to hurry. “If I’m not back before class starts, tell Aizawa that I’m in Recovery Girls office. Tell  him I fried myself with a fork in an outlet or something, he’ll believe that.” With that, he left to find Jirou.

Bakugo knew he shouldn’t have gotten involved. The plan was screwed from the start. Yet, he somehow pitied Kaminari. Talking to your crush was hard, he of all people knew that. Sure his idea was full of shit, but at least he was trying something. That was more than he could say of himself. However, he regretted his words as soon as he said them. Jirou was his friend, and seeing her hurt like that made him angry. He cursed himself for being part of the cause.

He had left the lunchroom with the intention of apologizing to her. When he caught up with his Indigo haired friend, he realized that he was already too late. Bakugo rushed to her side and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, and a pang of guilt sucker punched him in the gut. Her eyes were puffy and red. A black stream of mascara traced tears dripped off her cheeks. The normally cold boy pulled her into a hug. Jirou hesitated for a moment before hugging him back. A muffled cry escaped her lips.

“Jirou I’m sorry. That idiot isn’t being fair.” Bakugou growled, rubbing her back in an attempt at comfort. “He doesn’t deserve you if he’s willing to hurt you like this.”

Jirou’s knee’s threatened to collapse. She felt so weak. No one had ever affected her as much as Kaminari Denki had. She berated herself for falling victim to his games.

“C-can you help me to the Nurse’s office?” She managed to choke out. Jirou looked up at Bakugou with the eyes of a stray kitten caught in the rain. In other words, he was powerless against her pleas.

“Climb on.” He turned around and lowered himself, offering a piggyback. Jirou would have smiled at the surprising act of kindness if she wasn’t already sobbing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he hoisted her up. Jirou rested her head against his shoulder, careful not to let any snot or tears drip on him.

“Thank you Bakugou… you’re too kind” She sniffled. Bakugo scoffed.

“Shut up, Earphones. You’re hurt- this is what you do for someone when they’re hurt.” This time she did smile. Bakugo had a soft side after all.

The two made their way to Recovery Girls office. Bakugo kicked the door, hands preoccupied with carrying his friend. Recovery Girl opened the door and greeted them with surprise.

“Jirou, are you alright?” The dark haired girl just shook her head violently, fighting back sobs. Bakugo walked in and set her down on one of the hospital beds.

“It’s my fault. I listened to that stupid chargedolt.” Jirou shot him a confused look. Bakugo sighed. “He asked me to send you to the classroom. I shouldn’t have agreed. I’m fucking sorry.” Both Jirou and Recovery Girl looked to the angry blonde with looks of shock on their faces. Bakugo almost never admitted faults. He showed the nurse his text conversation with Kaminari. He was careful not to let Jirou see. He suspected that could make the situation worse.

“She’s fucking hurt, can you make her feel better? That’s what you do right?” He sneered, with a hint of concern in his voice. The old lady pursed her lips. She had healed many injuries before. But this one might be different. Even she couldn’t heal a broken heart. She wished Denki had talked to her before pulling this stunt, she would have knocked some sense into him real fast. She let out a long sigh.

“I’ll see what I can do. Jirou, dear, you go ahead and relax. Let’s see if we can’t fix this mess.” She pulled a mug from a cupboard and began to heat some water in an electric kettle. “Do you prefer tea or coffee?”

“C-coffee please.” she stood up and walked to Bakugo. She gave him a quick but tight hug. “Thank you Bakugou.” The boy scoffed and look away to hide the fact that a small smile had spread across his pink cheeks.

“Yeah yeah, whatever, Earphones. Just… feel better ok?” She smiled and nodded. “I’m going to go find that idiot and kill him.” he shoved his hands in his pockets and stomped out. Jirou was left alone with the little old nurse.

“Kaminari… what did you get yourself into this time…” Recovery Girl murmured as she poured Jirou’s coffee. “He talks about you a lot, you know?” She glanced back to Jirou.

“W-what?”

“Denki. He never shuts up about you. This week especially.” She walked over to her patient, handing her the mug. “Just yesterday he spent most of the day cooped up in here, talking my ear off about how great Jirou is.” Jirou sipped her coffee, letting the warmth envelop.

“Did you know how highly he spoke of you?” The teen shook her head. She found it rather hard to believe that he ever even acknowledged him. “You know, Denki has pretty severe anxiety. I’ve seen his panic attacks in person, and they get pretty scary.” Jirou recalled the night she found him crying, and the worry she had felt for him. Scary was definitely the right word.

“Yeah… I didn’t know what to do, he looked terrified…” she trailed off, not wanting to relive the details.

“But you calmed him down, didn’t you?” she nodded. “Jirou, there are only two people who I know of outside of myself that can calm that boy down during a panic attack. Those two people are his mother, and his best friend- you.” Jirou looked at the nurse in shock.

“R-really?” The nurse nodded again.

“Denki was worried that you would think he was dumb or childish after seeing him that way. You’re the only one in the class that he’s talked to in regards to his anxiety. For three days, the only thing he could think about was whether or not you would make fun of him.”

“Make fun of him? For something as serious as a panic attack? That idiot, of course, I wouldn’t say anything about that! I didn’t even bring it up to him, because I thought it might make him uncomfortable and I hated the idea of him feeling bad for having anxiety.” Recovery Girl smiled to herself knowingly.

“Funny, I told him the exact same thing.” Jirou sighed and threw her head back against the pillow. Why was he so complicated.

Kaminari Looked for Jirou in the dorms. She wasn’t in the common room, nor in her bedroom. He had no idea where she could be. A buzz went off from his back pocket. He pulled his phone out to see an incoming call from Bakugou. He answered.

“Hello?” He yanked the phone away from his ear as Bakugou answered loudly.

“You’re an idiot you fucking dolt!” He yelled over the phone. “Jirou’s in the nurse's office right now. She’s fucking crying and it's your fault.” Kaminari sighed. He knew it was his fault. But why was she with Recovery Girl? His heartbeat quickened and his breath became heavy. Had she hurt herself? Did she do something stupid because of him? Oh god, please let her be alright…

“W-why is she in the nurse’s office?!” Panic laced his voice as he spoke.

“Because you fucking hurt her, you fucking shitty ass nerd!” He practically screamed. “You better not go looking for her unless you intend to fucking fix things, you understand?” Kaminari was shaking, partly over fear for Jirou, partly from intimidation from Bakugou.

“I definitely want to fix things! I love her!” He slapped a hand over his mouth, realizing what he had admitted for the first time.

“Yeah, idiot, I fucking know that. Just don’t be so stupid this time. No more fucking games!” Kaminari was too stunned to speak. Luckily, Bakugo hung up after his final remark, leaving Kaminari to linger on his words.

He slid his phone back in his pocket and took a deep breath. He wouldn't let this get any worse. Kaminari sprinted back to the school, preparing himself to face his fears head-on.

The boy was out of breath when he finally reached the infirmary. He attempted to settle his heartbeat before shyly opening the door. When he entered the room, he saw Jirou sitting with his elderly friend, holding a gossip magazine between them. His crush laughed at something she read. The sound sent chills down his spine.

As he walked closer, he could see stains on her face caused by running mascara. His stomach lurched, knowing that he was the cause. She looked up from the magazine and her smile fell as she saw him.

“J-jirou!” He rushed to her side, but she turned away defiantly.

“What do you want Jamming-whey? Shouldn’t you be leaving hickeys on some your latest fling?” Her words were sharp, but her voice trembled as she spoke them. Kaminari’s face fell.

“Jirou it’s not like that…” Recovery Girl stared him down, and he felt guilty once more. She then stood up and excused herself from the conversation, making it clear that she would not be coming to his rescue this time.

“Oh yeah? Then what is it? What other reason could you have for asking another girl on the same date you were going to take me on, not even a full day after asking me? Are you just so horny and desperate that you couldn’t wait? You didn’t even bother coming up with a different plan! You even asked her to my favorite music shop you fucking prick!” Her voice grew louder with every painful remark. Tears began to fill her eyes again.

“Jirou stop! You don’t understand!”

“Me stop? No! You stop! You’re always so busy running around with other girls that you never see how much it hurts me! You know why I didn’t say yes to the date? Because I fucking loved you! I loved you and it would hurt too much to see you jump to another girl after realizing that I’m not your type. I-” She had more to say but she was cut off. Kaminari cupped her face in his hands, pulling her towards him. He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her hard. Jirou’s eyes widened in shock, her heart melting. He pulled away after a few seconds and studied her face. She wore a rose-colored blush on her cheeks, stunned into silence.

“Jirou, I have been an idiot. I was fucking stupid, and I know that. But you need to know that I love you. I’ve been with lots of girls and been on plenty of dates, but I never took them seriously. I always held back because I was looking for someone I wanted to be with long term. When you held me the other night while I was having my panic attack, I knew it was you. The way you said my name and the way you cried for me… No one else has ever been there for me the way you have. I couldn’t recognize it for what it was before, but I know now without a doubt that I love you.” Kaminari’s heart raced. He didn’t know where he found the courage to say all of this.

“Denki… please kiss me again.” She placed her hands over his, which still held her face delicately. She bit her lip softly as her mind wandered. The simple act drove Kaminari over the edge. He wasted no time fulfilling her request. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him closer. God, she needed this.

After a few moments of a passionate embrace, the two broke, panting heavily. Kaminari smiled at the girl in front of him. The girl in front of him slapped Kaminari hard.

“What was that for!” He exclaimed.

“You dumb idiot, you should have done that ages ago!” He rubbed his cheek and chuckled.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” He hoisted himself onto the bed next to Jirou. “Can I tell you something?”

“Sure, jamming-whey” She moved her hand ever so slightly so that her fingers would overlap his. Kaminari looked down and smiled.

“That was my first kiss.” Kaminari blushed intensely as he looked into her eyes.

“A-are you serious?” Jirou asked in surprise. There was no way that Mr. flirts with every girl he comes into contact with had never kissed anyone.

“Yeah…” he smiled bashfully. “I wanted to save my first for someone special. That, and I always panicked even thinking about kissing anyone” Jirou matched his blush with one of her own.

“I-it was my first kiss too. I’ve never actually even liked someone before you…” She looked away, ever so slightly shy. Kaminari beamed.

“Really? How long have you liked me Jirou?” His heart fluttered just saying her name.

“At least a year.” She laughed nervously as Kaminari grabbed her hand. She was so cute. He almost felt like he didn’t deserve her admiration.

“Jirou,...” He hesitated nervously before continuing. “I want to be with you. I want to make you smile like this every day.”

“I would like that.” She brushed her hair behind her ear, smiling ear to ear.

“If it’s alright with you, can I re-ask you to dinner?” Jirou giggled, a sound that sounded like a million stars twinkling.

“I would love it if you did. But on one condition-” She placed a small kiss on his cheek. “From now on, Denki, I’m the only girl you’ll take on dates.”

“Deal!” The boy squeezed her hand gently, smiling into her gaze. “Does this mean I can call you my girlfriend?” Jirou nodded happily and pulled him into her, initiating another much-needed kiss.

Recovery Girl stood just outside the door to her office, listening carefully to the conversation happening inside. She chuckled to herself. Denki owed her big time- she was the world's greatest wingman.