Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kyouka didn’t know how Mina had convinced her to download this stupid app, but here she was, laying on her bed in the apartment she and Momo shared, scrolling. She laughed out loud, if her father could see the guys she was currently swiping right on, he’d kill her. Her mom, however, would probably high-five jacks with her when he wasn’t looking. She was not sure how good of a thing that was.

A text message interrupted her journey. It was from Kaminari – the whole reason she’d gotten this stupid app.

Thinking about that idiot just made her smile nowadays.

Dangerous.

-

(15:53)

Kaminari: hey you up for some burgers?
Jirou: depends
Kaminari: yes yes I’m grilling
Jirou: what time?
Kaminari: :) 5p! bring yaomomo and todoroki! and maybe some beer. maybe.
Jirou: alright weirdo

-

“Yaomomo!”

“Hm?” she heard her roommate distantly from the living room.

“Kaminari’s at 5 for dinner!”

“I’ll tell Shoto,” she replied absentmindedly.

She continued to swipe, bored out of her mind. She couldn’t fathom being on dates with half of these guys – and the ones that were attractive enough seemed lifeless and uninteresting. She wished they presented more like Kaminari: intelligent but goofy, sweet and caring, confident and so, so, so handsome. Truly she’d been into him since their first year of school – but it was so much easier to tease them than take the crush seriously. He was too bright a sun to compare to Kyouka’s dark night. It made more sense for her to befriend him than it did to attempt to date him. Which quiet Kyouka probably wouldn’t have done anyway.

Then of course, he charmed the ever-living shit out of her, and Kyouka fell, hard. And quickly.

But Kyouka, after all those years, still believed it was silly to take any action, really. He was such a goddamn flirt, so she deduced that if he flirted with her, it likely wasn’t genuine. She still loathed witnessing it, mostly out of shame because she knew she was idiotic enough to have fallen for it herself. But still, she secretly remained incredibly jealous, because unlike her, those girls sometimes got to score.

She always blushed thinking about if she were one of the lucky ones, how she would react to the pressure of his lips against hers, the feel of his hair in her hands, the touch of his fingertips brushing her skin – and damnit, there she goes again. She cursed herself realizing she was much too distracted by her attraction to her friend to be searching through the potential on that goddamn app. She threw her phone down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Stupid Kaminari and his stupid fucking smile.

She, Momo and Todoroki were in the elevator on the way up to Kaminari and Sero’s shared apartment. Momo had her arm linked in Todoroki’s, head resting on his shoulder. It had been several months of their relationship but sometimes it threw Kyouka off to see them be publicly affectionate with one another. Honestly probably threw even them off. When the elevator dinged for the floor, Kyouka grabbed the case of beer from Todoroki’s arms and skipped down the hallway until she reached her destination.

Kaminari swung the door open almost immediately after Kyouka knocked, his handsome face stretched into a large grin.

“My savior!” He flung himself at Kyouka, wrapping her small frame in his large one. Her breath hitched as he hugged her, unable to reciprocate, because almost as quickly as it had happened, it was over. He grabbed the box out of her hands and gestured for the three newcomers to enter.

Kyouka was blushing and fidgeting, struggling to calm the tingles that stemmed from where Kaminari had touched her.

“Come on Jirou! You gotta see the new guitar!”

He was like an excited puppy, dragging her by the arm to his bedroom. His bed was barely made, blankets skewed lazily over the mattress and pillows haphazardly stacked. The floor was clean, at least, but the computer chair was a home of unfolded laundry. His dresser was surprisingly neat, with knick knacks all over the top – Kyouka smiled at a strip of goofy photos of the two of them from a photo booth a few months prior, displayed prominently against a candle. She beamed at the Pikachu plush she’d bought him on his twenty-first birthday hidden in his pillows when she took a second look. She plopped down on the bed and reached to grab it, holding it in her arms before she actually paid attention to him.

“Ha you found Fred, eh?”

“Fred? You named your Pikachu Fred?”

“Well yeah – you made me watch Harry Potter and why not memorialize one of my favorite characters so I can hug him tight because his death was sad as fuck?”

Kyouka laughed. “You’re a dork,” she grinned affectionately at him. “So, where’s this guitar?!”

Soon enough, more of their friends filtered in, the apartment filling with laughter and comfortable small talk. Kyouka left Kaminari to find Tsu and Ochaco in the kitchen when Mina intercepted her, shoving a drink in her hands and walking away.

“Do you think she drugged this?”

“Ah, probably,” Tsu shrugged.

“I heard that!”

“Where were you! I’ve been here for twenty minutes and have only seen you now!” Ochaco scolded.

“Pikachu got a new guitar – I was tuning it. He’s helpless.”

“Yes, and you love to help,” Tsu had a smirk on her face that told Kyouka that she wanted to say more.

Ochaco giggled and took a loud slurp of her drink, watching Kyouka’s face turn from confusion to irritation.

“Alright, you brats. Come out with it.”

“Hey, Momo thinks so too!”

“You. Are. Bullies,” she glared at her friends. She brushed a stray hair behind her ears, sighing. “Besides, I can’t ruin the friendship. It means too much to me. But!” she chuckled, “I downloaded Tinder, like Mina said to!”

Ochaco gasped. “I wanna see!” Kyouka pulled her phone out and Ochaco grabbed at it. “Oi, Mina!”

Mina poked her head into the kitchen, with an inquisitive look. “I didn’t really drug your drink, Kyouka –”

“She downloaded Tinder,” Tsu interrupted.

“EEEEEEE!”

Ochaco was already observing the app – she never needed it, dating her high-school sweetheart and all. Mina and Ochaco began fighting for the phone – Mina winning to check matches. Ochaco was whining to ‘play’ and Mina eventually allowed her visual access. They began to ooh and ahh and scorn the current prospects. Ochaco even shuddered at some of the messages the guys had sent, disgusted.

“Some of these guys need to be set on fire,” Ochaco mused, clucking her tongue.

“How is this going for you, then?” Tsu asked Kyouka.

“It’s, ah… going. Nothing glaringly obvious that I want to do anything about.”

“Can I play?” Ochaco whined again.

“Well, firstly, it’s not a game. But if you play like you’re me, not you, and we have a deal. Not super into angelic Midoriya-like characters.”

Mina laughed, handing Ochaco the phone. She explained how the app worked and hovered over her shoulder as they critiqued the presented choices.

“Oh my god, I’m going to regret this.”

Chapter Text

Sero and Kirishima stood by Denki on the balcony, who was currently burning some hot dogs to a crisp because he knew Jirou liked them that way. He was barely listening to his friends’ conversation. They were discussing the most recent development between Bakugo and Utsushimi, and how she was suddenly the only person that could neutralize his nitroglycerin sweat.

“Dude, are you even here?”

“Huh?” he looked up at Sero, who was stifling a grin.

“Why are you burning that hotdog dude, take it off, it’s done!” Kirishima said, panicking.

“No, this one’s for Jirou – she likes them overdone.”

“Oh. Jirou.”

“Dude, what?” Denki’s frustration edging in his voice.

Sero continued, “You know what I’m going to say, dumbass.”

“I told you, it’s not like that!”

“Oh, it’s totally like that,” Kirishima agreed, grabbing the almost too burnt hotdogs off the grill with tongs, placing it on a plate.

“Okay but actually I do have to tell you guys something.”

“Out with it,” Sero said, sounding bored.

“I was on Tinder –”

“You’re always on Tinder, trying to find someone like Jirou!” Sero cackled. Denki threatened his friend with the metal spatula.

“Anyway, I found her.”

“Who?” Kirishima was biting into a burger no one knew he’d made.

“Jirou. I found her on Tinder.”

Kirishima choked on the burger. He went into fits of coughs, to the point that Sero had to beat his back and prepare for the Heimlich before it finally dislodged itself so he could choke out: “Dude, did you swipe right?! What did you do!”

“I don’t know I closed it almost immediately!”

“Well don’t be an idiot – fucking swipe right!”

“I can’t!”

“Why not?!” they chorused.

“She’s Jirou! What if she literally stabs my eyeballs? I can’t fuck that up, man! Or my eyes!”

“Then activate your electricity quirk, then you’ll both be fucked up.”

“Not helpful, Sero.”

“Man, seriously, give me your phone. I’ll do it. Don’t be unmanly.”

Denki didn’t move.

Sero and Kirishima glanced at the other, sharing a look, before grabbing Denki violently. Tape bound his hands behind his back, and he felt someone digging in his pockets. Denki yelped in protest but was quickly silenced by a slap of tape over the face. Kirishima had his phone and immediately unlocked it, forcing Denki to discharge his quirk while Sero’s arms were wrapped around him in a bearhug. Sero roared in pain, falling to the ground, forcing Kirishima into higher gear.

“DONE!” he held the phone up victoriously, grinning like a madman. Denki was wriggling in a desperate panic, eventually slumping to the ground in defeat.

Yaoyorozu and Todoroki had rushed over, confused by the scene before them. Yaoyorozu produced a pair of Sero-proof scissors to cut the bindings around Denki’s hands. Once free, he continued to lay limply on the ground by the grill, tape still over his mouth. His thousand-yard stare concerned Yaoyorozu, but she began to focus on the electrocuted Sero before she could assess all damages.

Todoroki placed his right hand against the back of Sero’s neck, waking him in a cold shock. He gasped loudly, coming to, and pointed to Denki with his jaw dropped in betrayal.

“I’m not taking that shit off you, you dick!”

Denki stayed motionless and suddenly, it was high school again, donning his Jamming-whey face. Jirou’s favorite. And this time, it was not from overdoing the wattage.

Kyouka was sipping on her beer when Sero entered the kitchen and shoved a plate with a couple crispy hotdogs into her hands, evidently made by Kaminari. She smiled and thanked Sero, who grumbled in response as he left, which confused her, but she was more worried about the trio of friends in front of her to care. They were giggling and avidly discussing the pros and cons of each potential date.

“I… really don’t enjoy this,” she said out loud, earning a side glance from Tsu. Mina was grinning wickedly while Ochaco had the decency to blush.

“Sorry!” Ochaco said quickly. “But I think you’ll like what we’ve chosen for you!”

“Give me my phone!”

“But –”

“Give it!”

“WAIT!” Mina screamed, causing all commotion to come to a sudden stop.

“Jesus, WHAT?!”

“LOOK!” Ochaco and Tsu gasped dramatically, peering over Mina’s shoulders. Kyouka rolled her eyes and thought to herself, can’t be that interesting. Mina slowly turned the phone in her hand to face her. She was quite wrong.

Kaminari stared back at her, in a group photo with Sero, Bakugo and Kirishima, a shit-eating grin on his face, a look of happiness so attractive that it stole the breath from Kyouka’s lungs in one fell swoop. She grabbed the phone, searching through the pictures. Every photo stirring butterflies in her stomach, his handsome face pulled into the goofy smile she loved so much; so much personality shining through it.

“God, he’s hot,” she breathed. The girls burst into loud giggles, unyieldingly callous about Kyouka’s accidental admission.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“Yeah, what’s the harm in swiping?” Mina said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Uh, everything?”

“Okay, but why?” Ochaco asked her, exasperated.

“You guys know! He’s my friend, we are friends, we can’t just suddenly date, and don’t you think it would have happened already?”

“You can’t fucking expect things to happen if you don’t make things happen, Kyouka,” Mina said, crossing her arms.

Tsu placed a finger on her chin in true Tsu fashion. Kyouka knew to expect logic. But it didn’t stop her from hoping it wouldn’t be.

But Tsu was nothing, if not, consistent. “I think it’s only reasonable that you do. You obviously like him beyond friendship, and since you won’t do anything about it, how else are you going to get those feelings out there? What if you’re missing out on something you could revel in? From what I understand, it won’t notify you unless you match each other. It’s basically foolproof.”

“Ah! What Tsu said! What Tsu saaaaaaid!” Ochaco cheered, bouncing up and down.

Mina stuck her tongue out at Kyouka. “See? Even Tsu says so. Now you know you have to.”

When Kyouka stayed silent to roll her eyes, Ochaco added, “I bet we could get Momo in on this too, she’d know what to do.”

Tsu abruptly ripped Kyouka’s phone out of her hands, dropping it into Mina’s across the room. Mina’s smile turned devilish, and she made a move to sprint out of the room. Kyouka dropped her beer in a panic and wrapped her arms around her pink friend and cannonballed her into the ground. Mina yelped and whipped the phone to Ochaco, who floated the phone in the air. Kyouka jumped as high as she could, attempting to retrieve it. When she missed, she tackled Ochaco instead, who threw her arms apart to keep her fingers from touching. Kyouka was straddling Ochaco, grabbing her elbows, desperately pushing them together when they were stunned by screaming.

“WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS PLACE?!” Momo shrieked, her voice immobilizing the girls out of fear.

Momo pointed towards the girls wrestling and Todoroki grabbed Kyouka under the arms, lifting her easily off of Ochaco, who released the phone into Tsu’s possession. She hid the phone behind her back as Momo picked Mina up from off the ground, who was rubbing her rear end with an annoyed look on her face.

“I just cut Kaminari out of Sero-bindings, Sero got electrocuted, Kirishima ran into a wall and now, what is happenng in here!?”

Todoroki blinked, still holding Kyouka. He was awaiting an answer too before: “You’re insane, I’m going home!” she screeched. “Come on Shoto!” He released Kyouka, shrugging a goodbye at his friends before following a steaming Momo out of the apartment.

Tsu handed the phone to Kyouka.

“I didn’t do anything,” Tsu said. “But I still think you should.”

“Welp, the fun’s over in here so I’m gonna go see how the boys are doing!” Mina winked at Kyouka before strolling out of the kitchen.

Ochaco leapt onto Kyouka and held her tightly. “You’re so grounded!” she whispered in her ear before giggling and disappearing into the next room.

Kyouka groaned, stomping her feet in a tantrum before reluctantly rejoining the party.

Denki laid star-fished on his bed, staring up at the ceiling in shock. The barbecue had ended, and his friends had left, Jirou shooting him a confused look when he refused to answer why she had to peel Sero’s tape off of his mouth. Sero knocked on the door, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

“You ever gonna get up and help me clean?”

“No. You have betrayed me. I will not assist you. I refuse.”

“Dude! You needed this kick in the ass. You’ll never know if you don’t! Plus, if she doesn’t match with you, she’ll never know that you swiped on her! It’s literally a foolproof plan!”

“Okay, but, what if she swipes on me because she thinks it’ll be a good joke? Answer me that, you dick! Then I’m stuck with hurt feelings AND Jirou bullying!”

“Welp, we’ll find out, bro.” With that, Sero shrugged and left the room, hopefully to clean up.

Denki double face-palmed before rolling over and finally attempting to sleep.

Chapter Text

(17:45)

Jirou: I haven’t seen you in three days, pikachu
Kaminari: yes it has been quite a while
Jirou: come over and watch Disney with me?
Kaminari: Disney?
Jirou: yes.
Kaminari: can we watch anything else?
Jirou: no.
Kaminari: you’re lucky I miss you

Kyouka was sitting on her bed, rotating through the selection of classic Disney movies, the animated, of course. Kaminari was let in by Todoroki, who was pretty used to letting him in. In fact, he was often surprised that Kaminari didn’t have his own set of keys.

She lit up when she saw him enter the room. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and jogger sweatpants, comfortable and ready for a Disney marathon, is what he’d said to her when she noticed it out loud. She smiled at him and kept scrolling through the queue. He took a side-glance at her, noticing she was just as comfortable, a cropped hoodie and a pair of black leggings. Her hair was long again, so she piled it atop her head in a messy bun. He noticed there were stains on her cheeks from leftover hero paint. He thought despite the obvious exhaustion she was exhibiting she was the most breathtaking sight he knew he’d ever want to see.

“You didn’t wipe the paint off your cheeks all the way, Jirou,” he teased. She scrambled to get up. He grabbed her arm, “You don’t have to wipe it off! You look fine!”

“Yes, I do, Pikachu! It could clog my pores! I could easily be horrendous in a week!” she leapt to her feet, darting into her bathroom.

“You’re a loser,” he called after her. Softly followed it up with: “You couldn’t be horrendous if you tried.” He picked up the remote and began to scroll. She came back in, face cleaned, and stuck her tongue at him.

“I’m beat, I got off of work last night feeling like I was dying, and I woke up today and felt like I was still dying. I’m so sore.”

“Patrol?” he asked.

“Yeah, and it ended with a convenience store robbery. Dude was way more fit than I thought, I barely had enough time to plug into my speakers. I was so glad I wasn’t alone, but I really need to brush up on my hand-to-hand combat.”

“Poor baby,” he laughed.

"Not funny! I hurt!"

He continued to laugh at her so she rolled her eyes and pulled a bowl of popcorn off her desk, “Guess you don’t want any of this. Even added some Reese’s Pieces mixed in, just the way you like it. And it’s gonna be all for me!”

“Hey – wait! I’m so sorry for making fun of you, Queen Jirou, I will do anything! I’ll help you train – and pay for pizza!”

She grinned at him, and his stomach overturned. “Deal.”

He was ordering pizza when she excused herself to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. She saw a tired stare, baggy under-eyes, messy, unwashed hair, and a lazily put-together outfit. If she wasn’t so tired and sore, she would have tried harder to make a real impression on Kaminari. She was proud of herself for not caring yet was still repulsed by her haggard appearance. Not too tired to cancel on him, but way too tired to put thought into glamming up. She sighed, washed her hands and tried to fix her hair at the very least. When she redid her bun, it almost looked worse. She was hopeless. Whatever. It didn’t really matter anyway; he probably wouldn’t notice or care.

He was in the same spot, with the bowl in his lap, throwing pieces of popcorn into the air and trying to catch them. She half-smiled at how silly and adorable he looked when he missed. She crawled into the space beside him, and readied herself for round two, since she’d allowed him to choose. But when she looked at the screen, she gasped in betrayal. “This isn’t Disney!”

“No, but it’s my favorite Harry Potter, so suck it up. Eat your free pizza.”

“Ugh, fine. You’re lucky it’s my favorite, too.”

Kyouka didn’t remember when she dozed off, but she did, with her thoughts fondly on her friend, and how she still wanted to jump his bones even as he was irritating her. She enjoyed the constant back and forth; it kept things exciting. She felt at home in his presence and wished that it were that easy to keep him around. Kyouka was always afraid that he'd end up dating some girl that he would spend all his time with and it almost broke her. She knew she had to eventually say something but when was the right time? Would it be easier to keep him as a friend as she watched him get closer with another girl? How would their banter change? How would their relationship change? How would she handle seeing him kiss another woman, or even hold each others' goddamn hands?

Still, when she woke up with her head in his lap and his hand in her hair, around the bun that was half-there, she almost leapt up in embarrassment. Once she got her bearings, her heart calmed and she decided that she was just going to enjoy the moment, him absentmindedly stroking her head, avidly watching the film on the screen. She smiled contentedly, loving the feeling of his hands in her hair, shifting her weight to be even more comfortable, careful not to show that she was awake. She was soon fast asleep again, very much feeling safe in his arms. She might as well soak it up, right?

He had raised his hand in surprise, waiting for her to wake up and swat at him for messing up her hair. But she settled back down, and his hand automatically returned to its original task. As he continued to watch the movie, he couldn’t help but feel like he never wanted to leave.

When she woke yet again, she’d almost forgotten she was in her own bed. It took a second for her to comprehend her surroundings and peeked to see that Kaminari was somehow lying next to her, mouth wide open, snoring loudly. She rolled her eyes at how sweet he looked despite how loud he was being. But her thoughts drifted into despair again; she couldn’t help but hope that maybe one day he could be lying there, purposefully. And that she could playfully be shaking him awake for waking her with his snoring.

The clock read 01:00 and she didn’t know whether or not to wake him. Kyouka decided against it. She snuggled back under the blanket that Kaminari must have thrown atop her, curling into his side. His warmth was soothing and the jitters from his closeness nearly kept her awake. She wished she could stay there forever. She didn't want to acknowledge the swirl of emotions she was feeling. She felt safe being so close to him. She felt comfortably at home. It would be a perfect match - they were the right amount of similar and different to keep things interesting. They could rely on each other without worrying about the natural insecurity of depending on another person. They were symbiotic; being around him made her a better person, a better hero. She never got tired of him, which terrified her, and simultaneously excited her. She'd never felt this way about anyone before.

Kyouka fell into his warmth again, feeling soft and happy and delving into sweet dreams.

“Shit, my bad,” was the first thing Kaminari had said to her in the morning.

She laughed, shrugging. “I mean, I was tired, and you probably got bored. No big. It's not like it was anything but sleeping.” Even if an adult side of her wished the opposite.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, alright. I got a patrol in a few hours; I’ll text you later?”

“Whatever.”

He grinned, saluted, and left. Kyouka was leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping her coffee, staring after him in thought. She tried to ignore the fact that he’d slept over – even though it was platonic, even though it was an accident, even though it meant nothing. A part of her was obviously wishing it wasn’t an accident, but a wave of despair washed over her – that kind of thinking was just going to bring more pain.

“I just saw Kaminari leaving?” Momo had a large coat on, covering her hero costume.

“Yeah, we accidentally fell asleep watching movies last night.”

“Oh?”

“Oh, what?”

“Well, it’s very noticeable you’ve developed some sort of crush on him. And his sleeping over sounds like an interesting topic of discussion.”

Kyouka choked on her coffee. “W-what?”

“Don’t play dumb, Kyouka, it doesn’t suit you,” Momo grinned. Kyouka stuck her tongue out, but Momo continued, “Seriously, it's obvious. Are you going to do something about it, or are you going to keep watching him date girls that you hate? And then bother me with how much you hate them?”

“Wowwwwww,” Kyouka rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to do anything because the feelings aren’t mutual. Simple as that.”

“Well you’ll never know if you don’t try,” Momo shrugged, smiled, and walked out of the kitchen.

What the fuck, did they plan this?

Shinso was twirling a plastic fork between his fingers, curiously studying Denki’s side profile.

“You’re different today. Why?”

Denki jumped, dropping his chopsticks into his bowl. “What do you mean?”

“Well for one, you’re jumpy. Secondly, you called me, out of the blue, begged me to have dinner with you, and now you’ve barely said a word.”

“I did not beg,” Denki rolled his eyes. “But I do have… questions.”

“You know very well that I am not great with advice.”

“I guarantee you Sero and Kirishima are much worse.”

“Then why not Jirou? You two are close.”

“Yeah, so that is the issue…”

“You guys confess that you’re in love with each other yet?” At this, Denki choked, making a strangled sound. Shinso snapped his fingers, lips twisted in a lopsided smirk. “You haven’t, but you want to.”

Denki gasped for air through the noodles half-lodged in his throat. Shinso clapped his back violently, until he was able to catch his breath.

“Sero and Kirishima found Jirou on Tinder, swiped right on her and I’ve been panicking for three whole fucking days.”

“No match?”

“I have been panicking for THREE DAYS, dude. The whole apartment is staticky – can’t you feel it? I'm literally static.”

“Actually, yeah. My hair is sticking up more than usual.”

Denki shot him a dirty look. “Yeah. More than usual,” his voice dripping with sarcasm. He took a deep breath. “I’ve just been waiting for a response, a mention, a reaction. Literally anything. I’m going crazy. I accidentally slept over at her place last night. And if I was being brutally honest, I'm pretty positive it was no accident, she'd fallen asleep and I couldn't stand to leave her and I ended up falling asleep anyway. How fucking lame is that? I kept feeling like that's where I belonged, with her, happy, warm, safe. I know that sounds stupid but damnit. I can’t do this much longer, man, I’m going to discharge the next jump-scare I get.”

“Duly noted. And none of those feelings are lame. So, what do you think you want to do?”

“I’m too hyped to think things through. I want her to know but I'm terrified. I can’t lose her – she’s literally everything to me.”

“As sweet and gross as that is, you can’t tell me, you have got to tell her. Grow some balls, Pikachu.”

“You know, you’re actually as unhelpful as the rest of them.”

Shinso grinned darkly, “I can’t wait to fuck you up later.”

Kyouka slumped in her work chair. She was exhausted. She'd had a stealth mission that finished over an hour ago, but she still had paperwork to complete. She contemplated a nap at her desk before tackling more tasks, but she longed the feel of her soft sheets, black-out curtains, and the lavender candle she was going to light the hell up the second she got home. She sighed, taking another look at her messy desk. What she really needed, was coffee.

(07:30)

Kaminari: how’d your shift go
Jirou: well, considering
Kaminari: considering?
Jirou: considering I’m currently dying at my desk. ok, help me out. should I nap and then be productive, or do the bare minimum, go home and have to catch up tomorrow?
Kaminari: I say bare minimum and go home!
Jirou: so I’ll do the opposite
Kaminari: why do you even ask me:(

She smiled at her messages, taking a breath and exhaling slowly. She was going to take Kaminari’s advice, despite what she’d told him. She began to organize her desk and prioritize her tasks, all the while choosing a playlist that would hopefully, keep her awake.

Three short stacks of paperwork out of five later and she was feeling the strain. Bare minimum was almost too much for her tired eyes. Kyouka stood up and stretched her arms above her head, leaning into the movement with delight. Her door slammed open and she jumped out of her skin, yelping and almost throwing her back out.

“Jirou!” her friend sang loudly.

“Kaminari, what the fuck!”

“I brought you breakfast and coffee!” his stupidly goofy grin was infectious, and she couldn’t help but smile back, despite her annoyance. He plopped down a piping hot cup of coffee and a brown paper bag atop her pile of paperwork. She made a face while gingerly picking up the bag and moving it off the papers but sighed happily when she grabbed the cup to take a sip.

“I love you and I love this coffee. Thanks, Pikachu.” She’d said it before she could actually understand what came out of her mouth. She quickly hid her face in the coffee again, sighing loudly in an attempt to cover her mishap. She opened the bag to see a container of natto. She grinned up at him, appreciative. She felt a hot flush spread over her face, feeling suddenly so lucky and loved. “Pikachu, honestly, you’re the best. What would I do without you?”

“Probably wake up with your warpaint all over your paperwork. And you know that shit is hard to get off.”

She smiled at him. “You are the best friend I’ve ever had,” she said, secretly projecting the genuine, deep emotions she had buried within her, hoping he would feel it so she wouldn't have to go through the irritating process of dancing around feelings.

“I’m telling Yaomomo!”

Before Kaminari had left, he’d made her promise that she would text when she got home safely. Then he made a swift exit, with a wink and that stupid, amazing smile that she loved so much.

Why the fuck had she slipped the L-word? Was she that tired? Did she even love him? Well okay, she did love him, but was she in love with him? She shook her head violently. She couldn’t think about this now. She had work to do, and now that Kaminari had brought her sustenance, she felt obligated to finish. She picked up her pen, and continued on, her life dreadfully full of moody sighs.

(08:30)

Jirou: hey I made it home, and I’m okay
Kaminari: thank goodness, I was gonna send a search party for you
Jirou: it’s literally only been an hour
Kaminari: well get some sleep, you owe me dinner
Jirou: wait when did I agree to that
Kaminari: :-* I’m feeling sushi

Kyouka, sipping on water in her kitchen, stared at her phone some more. Firstly, the kissy face. Secondly, she was so tired she wasn’t thinking straight. Was she actually going to do it? You can’t fucking expect things to happen if you don’t make things happen, Kyouka. She could hear Mina’s voice in her head, followed by Momo’s you’ll never know if you don’t try.

In a moment of hazy, sleep-deprived brevity, she opened Tinder, swiping until Kaminari showed up again on her screen. Looking through the photos again, her heart filled with angsty longing, affection and heated familiarity. How could she not love that goofy smile and charming personality? Or that stupid blond hair and stupid black shock that apparently was permanent because he caught his hair on fire when his quirk manifested at age five? How could she not appreciate that dumb hot body with chiseled muscles capable of strength she got bothered by? The intelligence and quick wit she had come to trust and rely on? That stupid, annoying man that she loved so much.

She swiped right and threw her phone down onto the counter. She took another sip of coffee, which she realized was probably not great for her nerves, but she did it anyway. Her phone vibrated and her heart lurched. With shaking fingers, she opened the notification, “You’ve got a match!”

Kyouka screamed, dropping her phone in shock.

Momo, with a towel around her haphazardly, hair drenched from her shower, sprinted into the kitchen in a panic, almost slipping in the process. “Kyouka! What happened? Are you alright?”

Kyouka pointed at her phone on the ground. Momo picked it up and saw that she’d matched with Kaminari. She rolled her eyes.

“You are so dramatic! When I said do something about it, I did not mean this! Let me finish my shower and we’ll figure this out, together.”

Momo tossed the phone at her and stomped back to the bathroom. Kyouka laid it down on the counter carefully, then sprinted to her bedroom.

Several minutes later, Kyouka heard Momo’s loud, authoritative voice. “KYOUKA. COME HERE. NOW.”

“But Moooooooom,” she whined. “I don’t wanna face what this could possibly meaaaaaaan!”

“Kyouka Jirou, I will call your real mother and tell her you’re being a coward.”

“FUCK!” Kyouka slunk out of her bedroom, into the living room, where Momo was patting the space next to her. Her normally beautiful and sweet roommate had a dark look in her eyes, and quite the holier-than-thou smirk on her face. Kyouka knew she wasn't going to enjoy this.

“I just want to know everything. Please start at the beginning.”

“Well, I was born via C-section –”

“Kyouka, I am warning you.”

“Alright, alright. He brought me coffee and natto this morning because I’d told him I was tired and concerned about my workload. Without me asking, might I add. I just, ugh. Everything has been bothering me, and I’m too old for this high-school shit, Momo!” (You’re only twenty, Kyouka.) “I’m so nervous! What if it was a joke, like, ‘ha, found you on Tinder, how desperate are we, ha ha.’ I don't think I can take it, honestly. I'm making myself sad.”

“I think you need to take a deep breath and calm yourself. I’ll make some tea.”

“Tea?! I need a shot!”

“Kyouka, honestly, it’s nine in the morning. Can you settle for a hot toddy?”

(13:23)

Kaminari: CODE RED CODE RED
Sero: IS THE APARTMENT ON FIRE
Kaminari: no dude what
Sero: WELL WHAT ELSE WOULD CODE RED MEAN
Kaminari: I matched with Jirou on TINDER so NOW you have to TELL me WHAT TO DO is what CODE RED MEANS

         Hanta Sero has left the chat

         Denki Kaminari added Hanta Sero to the chat

Kaminari: you don’t get to leave you did this to me
Sero: ugh
Kirishima: dude, what else is left to do other than talk to her?
Bakugo: are you serious why am I here
Kaminari: you were always here??
Bakugo: then fucking talk to her you idiot
Kaminari: what if it was a joke?!
Kirishima: well you’ll never know if you don’t talk about it
Kaminari: but that’s hard :(
Bakugo: like you won’t be if you don’t fucking talk to her
Sero: ow oWWWWW
Kaminari: :( now I feel worse

(13:45)

Kaminari: I’m supposed to go to jirous tonight
Shinso: RIP
Kaminari: not helpful
Shinso: ill write a beautiful eulogy
Kaminari: we matched we fucking matched on tinder
Shinso: should I put you on farmersonly.com?
Kaminari: how dare you, christian mingle, if anything, I'll still have to face my mother

Chapter Text

“Wait, where are you going?” Kyouka’s voice was shrill and desperate as she watched Momo, her own life force, her savior, her best friend, slip on ballet flats in a slinky black dress.

“Shoto and I have a dinner date.”

“But you know what’s going to happen tonight! You’re supposed to be here for me! When did you make this date?!”

“Maybe an hour after you told me Kaminari was coming over for dinner.”

“MOMO! Why?”

“Because you are twenty years old and you need to face this head on! You’re a pro-hero, for goodness sake, you are fully capable of having a discussion with your best friend about your feelings.”

“But here, look, you’re my best friend and my feelings about you include betrayal, hatred and anger,” Kyouka counted with her fingers for emphasis. Momo smiled at her, unyielding.

“See how easy that was? You’ll do great.” Momo kissed the top of her head and literally sprinted out of the apartment before Kyouka could activate her jacks.

Denki walked in holding a six-pack of various beers and said, “Why is Momo running in a dress?”

“Because she’s the worst."

“Oh. Okay.” He handed Kyouka the pack before searching for the bottle opener. He took the rest to the kitchen once Kyouka had chosen.

“I already ordered the sushi,” she said before taking a sip as he took a seat beside her on the couch. She couldn’t help but notice that he sat on the opposite end, so maybe the match was just a ‘haha, we’re both on Tinder’ match. Fuck. Why did it hurt so much?

“How’re you feeling? How many hours of sleep did you actually get?”

“I got a full six and am still exhausted. My feet are killing me. I think I may need to ask Support for better soles if they’re going to ask me to tiptoe around on precarious rooftops,” she said, thoughtfully.

“Well, here, gimme.” She looked over at him in surprise, seeing that he was gesturing for her to put her feet up in his lap.

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, dude, jeez.” She turned toward him and placed her feet on the couch, but because she was too short, so he had to get closer (thank god). He barely touched her before she let out a long sigh of pleasure, mostly from the relief they were close again.

“Hey, uh, thanks again for bringing me breakfast this morning. You really did save me from a less than ideal way to finish off a shift.”

He smiled at her, causing her to blush and look away, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. How was she going to bring this up? How was she going to confess? Okay, honestly, did she have to? Couldn’t she just bask in the safety of their close friendship? She didn’t want to lose him altogether – what if he was actually uninterested? Kyouka couldn’t handle the thought. And she really didn’t want to try to.

“Hey, you okay?” he stopped massaging her feet to peer at her curiously. “You went really quiet for a second.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I got lost in thought.”

“Well, what are you thinking about?” he poked the sole of her foot. She jumped and ripped her foot away from him. “Thinking about how much you love me and how much you wanna buy me dinner all the time and – oh, maybe! You’re thinking about how you can repay me for having to smell your stinky feet!”

“Hey! They’re not stinky!” Kyouka pouted, slowly attempting to remove her legs from his lap. “And you offered, don’t be a dick!” He grabbed onto her leg, tickling her feet and binding her legs tightly with one arm as she tried to wriggle from his grasp. She was laughing but struggling against his grip, and the more she fought, the harder and closer he pulled her legs toward him for control. Once he got her close enough, he began to poke her sides with the other arm, earning more squeals and squirming.

“Kaminari – wait – you – let me – GO!” she wheezed, flailing against him. She was flailing, hitting his chest and face defensively, so he stopped poking and pinned her arms down above her head. She was laughing despite still fighting against his strong grip, while he tried to recover from when she suddenly knocked the wind out of him with one swift blow.

“Damn, Jirou, you’ve gotten stronger,” he choked out.

“Or! I just know all of your weak spots!” The giggling between them began to die down, both becoming hyperaware of the precarious positioning they’d put themselves in. Denki was straddling Kyouka’s hips, leaning over her, with one hand steadying him by her face and the other holding her wrists above her head atop the armrest. Kyouka blushed; the strength of his grip was hot, and the closeness allowed her to appreciate the definition of his muscular arms as well as his broad, strong shoulders that stretched the fabric of his t-shirt as he was reaching over and around her. If she peeked subtly enough, she could see the lines of his Adonis belt leading into his basketball shorts, forcing her cheeks to heat, recalling the last time she’d seen him shirtless. She didn’t even want to think about what was in those shorts – she knew she couldn’t handle that truth without having some sort of embarrassing reaction. He was so close – her gaze fluttering to his lips, which were slightly parted in a smirk. She could easily lean up and capture his lips with hers and hypnotized, she really began to –

The doorbell rang and the pair jumped, Denki releasing his grip on her wrists to sit up on her hips. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him off of her and to the floor, chuckling at her triumph. He grunted when he landed on the ground, arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish as she leapt to her feet and daintily walked around him on her tiptoes to get the door. She was vastly grateful for the distraction – she was entirely too close to ruining their friendship. She had wanted to kiss him senseless and wrap her legs around his body and discover the secrets beneath his clothes. She was so flustered at her thoughts that she could only blush, imagining what a disaster she probably looked to the delivery guy at the door.

As she was finishing the transaction, Denki discreetly returned to his spot the couch, crossing his legs and adjusting his shorts while Kyouka wasn’t looking. He had gotten excited – and way too quickly. The look in her eyes when he had her pinned made his stomach turn in a strangely pleasant way. Heat rose in his cheeks when he thought about how close he'd been to her - close enough to have leaned down and captured her lips with his own. He shifted himself, comfortably uncomfortable with his arousal. It was beginning to overwhelm him and if he didn't calm himself down, he would absolutely have to leave. But he couldn't! He needed to get to the bottom of this whole thing! Maybe he'd be able to find out if he had a chance to even enact these shameful fantasies... Like if he'd been able to sit her up from the ground so she could wrap her legs around his hips, then he'd really be able to show her what he thought of her... 

“Hey, do you want soy sauce?” she called from the kitchen. Shit, when did she even get there? Did she see him? Denki panicked, how much of a doofus did he look like when she’d walked by him while he'd been literally fantasizing about her? She called again, “Hey, Kaminari?”

“Oh no, I’m okay.” His voice cracked like he was twelve again. He cleared his throat and swallowed the thoughts that threatened to force blood to his shorts again. She returned to the couch, handing him a plate of exuberant sushi and chopsticks, plopping down beside him and looking at him curiously.

“You okay, weirdo? Did you just hit puberty? Should I call your mom?”

“Yeah, I’m fine! Just super hungry,” he stuffed a piece into his mouth when he noticed Kyouka smiling affectionately at him. She reached up and wiped the corner of his mouth where he hadn’t realized he had pieces of rice on his cheek from haphazardly shoving in food. Her thumb lingered over his cheek and they stared at each other before realizing her hand had been on his cheek for far too long. She yanked her hand back, burying her attention into her meal. Denki was speechless. It took him everything not to bring it up.

“So, now that I’ve repaid my debt to you in food, what do you wanna do?” she said, still looking at her plate.

“We should watch some Hulu.”

“Brooklyn 99?”

“Obviously.”

Kyouka prepared the television for their binge, while Denki fetched more beer and settled beside her on the couch. She pressed play and set her empty plate on the coffee table, graciously accepting her next drink. She pulled a blanket off the armrest, a warm, fleece one – Denki’s favorite. She tucked herself in and threw the rest over his legs. This was a routine for them, but this time, the air was charged with electricity that wasn’t radiating from Denki.

They watched in silence, intermittently chuckling at the show, Kyouka’s legs laying across Denki’s lap. She readjusted herself halfway through the first episode, tired of turning her neck to watch. She leaned into his side, sighing as his electric warmth immediately made her feel at home. She was breathing his scent in, subconsciously snuggling into him. He lifted his arm and pulled her towards him, taking a slow, deep breath with it.

He felt like his heart could burst. They’ve cuddled plenty of times before – but after the revelation, it felt different. The warmth was affectionate, the touch of his skin on hers was electric, and he could feel his heart racing in his chest. He wanted to show her how much he liked her in all of his motions. He wanted so desperately to emote passionately and not end up a bumbling, horny idiot. And so far, he was already failing. He kissed the top of her head and snuggled her into his shoulder.

Kyouka was sensitive to sound, and her heartbeat was so loud in her ears that she thought she’d accidentally plugged into her speakers that weren’t even on her feet. She foolishly checked to make sure; she was afraid he could hear it too. The sound of Andy Samberg and Andre Braugher riffing back and forth filled her ears and she decided that if Denki wanted to make a move, he would have already. Why did she think she was special enough for him?

He was everything she’d ever wanted in a partner. Despite their differences, they just seemed to fit. He was loud and boisterous to her quiet and snarky. He was a sunny personality – someone you wanted to see on your bad days. While she was the friend you’d call if you wanted someone to beat up your bad day. He was sweet and kind, passionate and grounded, handsome and playful, and she was pretty sure she loved him.

She jolted at her own thoughts – that was quite the assumption – seeing how her friend probably only saw her as such and was likely debating on how to let her down gently. She sighed, her anxiety revealing itself in the twiddling of her thumbs. Should she be the one to say something?

“Ha, I relate to that,” he said suddenly. She looked at him, surprised. “That part where Holt says that Peralta’s got a big, goofy grin and that it’s like being yelled at by some cartoon character. I’m pretty sure you’ve said something similar the last time I actually tried to be angry with you.” He laughed and squeezed her shoulders.

“Kaminari, you are exactly Peralta. Dopey but smart, funny but serious – you’re so good at your job it surprises people. You’ve come a long way from frying your brain when you overuse your wattage. It's kinda impressive.”

“Wow! Is that a genuine compliment from the one and only sourpuss Kyouka Jirou?!”

“Sourpuss?!”

“Yeah, you’re over here pouting, and I don’t know why! You know you’re notorious for being secretive, right? Sometimes I can’t tell what you’re thinking. I will always love that you’re so down to earth, but damn, Jirou, you know you can talk to me, right? About anything?”

“I’m fine!” she said, a little too quickly. Denki raised an eyebrow, wanting to press more, but she turned her attention back to the show.

He was beginning to panic. He’d given her a bit of an opening. Should he bring up the Tinder match? How was he going to do it? He couldn’t just say anything, he knew he’d be a mess and say something stupid rather than something productive. History had told him that despite their closeness, he could always find a way to mess things up. He really preferred that she bring it up, but he knew better. Jirou would maim herself before she ever admitted having feelings, he thought, smiling to himself. Usually, he found it endearing when she would blush nervously but get defensively snarky halfway through some sort of emotional event. He loved teasing her and loved watching her get flustered. But he’d prefer to put that fire out than put out the one she’d set on him for being a dumbass.

He opted for continuing their cuddle session, adjusting himself to face her ever so slightly, so that if she wanted to, she could lay on his chest. She responded like he hoped, snuggling her face into his chest and allowing him to bring his legs up on the couch as she lay on her side between his legs. She sighed, burying her face in his t-shirt, taking in the scent of him, feeling safe in his arms, all the while a shy flush spread through her body. She began to feel her exhaustion weighing on her again but was simultaneously too wired about it to give in to the tiredness. But she knew she could, and she definitely wanted to, surrounded by his strong arms.

Through the show, both heroes were gritting their teeth and attempting to summon the courage to discuss their real issues. Neither could figure out how to bring it up organically. So, like idiots, they waited.

Kyouka’s eyelids got heavier as time passed. She didn’t fully realize how tired she was – all that contemplating and anxious pacing before Denki arrived was finally taking its toll on her. Atop the fact that she was still sore from the night before, she didn’t know how much longer she would last. She hoped she wouldn’t succumb to the exhaustion, or at least hoped that Denki would say something shocking enough to wake her up.

In the end, both of their stubbornness became their downfall. They fell asleep waiting for the other, Hulu blaring in the background.

The door creaked open a bit later; Todoroki and Momo had returned, giggling and kissing and throwing their belongings, making quite the entrance. Kyouka abruptly woke at the noise, taking notice of Denki, still fast asleep. She didn’t want to move for fear she would never feel this kind of comfort again. So, feeling trapped, one ear listening to the slow beating of Denki’s heart, and the other listening in on her friends’ heated exchange.

“Shh, shh, they will wake up!” Momo giggled. Yeah, like their messy entrance wasn't enough to do so.

“We shouldn’t have had that third bottle of wine,” Todoroki whispered into her neck, planting sloppy kisses all over it.

“I regret nothing,” Momo sighed, running her hands through his hair. Several seconds of contented sighing later and Kyouka's growing discomfort began to overwhelm her to the point that she nearly woke Denki up to abandon ship.

“Do you think they’re sleeping on the couch as a couple or do you think they chickened out again?” Kyouka heard someone’s back hit the wall. Her jaw dropped, those bitches, she thought to herself. They were plotting against her!

“Well, Kyouka was pretty rattled about matching him —” Momo elicited a low, breathy moan before continuing. “— but you know Kyouka would rather die than admit that she was in love with him.” She wanted to be upset at this, but Momo was right, as usual.

“But it’s so obvious they like each other.” A low groan. “Almost as much as I like you.” Kyouka rolled her eyes but heard Momo giggle followed by a loud, sloppy kiss between them.

“You should have seen Kyouka this morning, screaming about matching him and throwing her phone – Shoto, wow – I had to make her an alcoholic tea at nine in the morning so she could calm down enough to explain to me why she was so panicked about the prospect of dating him, even though she very –” a gasp, followed by a moan, “— clearly likes him.”

“Panicked? Why?” Todoroki’s voice was muffled, and Kyouka really didn’t want to know why. Her shame at listening in to their sexytime was overtaking her senses.

“She worries for their friendship. They’re best friends. She doesn’t want to ruin that.”

“But isn’t that the best foundation of every relationship? And if she doesn’t try, she’ll never know, right?”

“And I so wish I could tell her that I’m 100% positive that he feels the same way about her.”

“I feel that way about you, right now,” Todoroki groaned, and Kyouka could hear muffled noises, suspiciously like he had picked Momo up and ran her into the bedroom. The door shut quietly, which Kyouka found ironic; that was the portion they decided to keep quiet.

“Jirou?” Denki murmured. She lifted her head to look at him, his eyes heavy with sleep. She thought him adorable; mussed up hair, awkward sleeping position with half a smile on his lips.

“Yeah?”

“Did you match me on purpose?”

“Ah, huh?”

“Did you. Match me. On Tinder. On purpose.”

“Well –”

“Yes or no, Jirou.”

“God, yes,” she bit out, annoyed.

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“Not an answer, Kyouka.”

She shivered. “Say it again.”

“Say what again?”

“My name.”

“Kyouka,” he said softly, staring deep into her eyes. “Would you like me to kiss you, right now?”

“God, yes.”

She held her breath, turning toward him again. Instead of him leaning down, she immediately closed the gap between them, turning herself to face him and ran her fingers through his hair as she powered through the kiss. He was so surprised, he almost let her win. He wrapped his arms around her, one going to the back of her head and the other to the small of her back. She was kneeling awkwardly between his legs so she shifted her weight into his chest so she could right herself to straddle him and get the best vantage point to his lips. She wanted to prove between breathy moans and fierce kisses how much she’d longed for this kind of connection between them. He was parting his lips so their tongues could dance together, and they turned their heads opposite of each other, allowing the deepening of their kisses. Their hips began connecting in a slow, rhythmic motion and Kyouka could feel Denki’s excitement. Electricity flowed between the two, sparking with every painful touch. Denki so wanted to flip her over and dominate over her, hoping to display his own yearning for her, but continued to let the moment flow.

“Denki –” she breathed.

“Uh,” Todoroki awkwardly stood behind the couch and they turned their heads slowly, disbelievingly. “We, uh, heard noises and wanted to make sure you guys were okay.”

“But it looks like you’re absolutely fine,” Momo smirked.

“Yeah well, we heard your noises first,” Kyouka said defensively, sitting up and disconnecting their touch, much to Denki’s dismay.

“You guys think you’re so quiet,” Denki added. He mimicked Momo’s voice with high-pitched atrocity: “Oh Shoto, wow!”

“It’s so obvious they like each other, almost as much as I like you!” Kyouka quoted Todoroki, whose face was turning beet red and nearly steaming.

“Shoto, kiss me! Let’s get a fourth bottle of wine and just make out loudly against the kitchen wall! Let's be so loud that we're quiet!”

The two collapsed onto each other in an uncontrollable fit of laughter, unable to continue kissing the other or even breathe properly. Their two friends were blushing so hard they resembled tomatoes. They lacked the capacity to argue; they were too embarrassed to speak.

“I hate you two together. You should break up,” Momo tried to say with finality, but it only caused Kyouka and Denki to laugh harder. Momo crossed her arms and opened her mouth to say something, but Todoroki just began to push her toward the bedroom.

“Let’s let them have this one,” he said.

“Oh Momo!”

“Oh Shoto!”

“Momo, we have to go before I use my quirks on them,” he said in a low growl.

“Light the fire, Shoto, light it under me! Get me hot and ready!”

“Creati, fashion us some rose petals and lead us to the bed!”

“Oh my god, I should have let them pine for each other for another three years,” Momo bit out.

She had to admit, she was happy for her friends.

But all Momo wanted to do in that very moment was punch her friend violently in the boob.