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The first thing Denki sees when he wakes up is the white ceiling tiles of Recovery Girl's infirmary. Now that isn't a very unusual sight, not with his quirk anyway. Hell, the only person that's in here as much as him is Midoriya. He practically lives here, the poor dude. Denki doesn't envy him, not with how Recovery Girl likes to lecture every student that passes through here.
Speaking of Midoriya though, he's currently hovering above his head, staring down at him with an adorable crease between his brows. Honestly, Denki's not sure how he failed to notice him before now. It's blasphemy, actually, how Denki didn't see the literal angel just above him. The fluorescent light looks almost like a halo around his head to Denki's sleep-addled brain.
He can practically see the white wings framing his back, or maybe they're green to match his hai–
"Are you alright, Kaminari?" Oh he sounds so concerned, so worried, and Denki is the centre of his attention. He's subject to those wide green eyes that look at him like he's priceless – but not fragile, never fragile. Midoriya would fight for him, not because Denki can't protect himself, but because the other boy wants to help him. He's such a good, kind friend.
"Kaminari?" Midoriya says, his eyebrows furrowing further. Ah, he probably should've said something instead of admiring looking at his face. Oh well, he'll just have to start paying attention from now.
He goes to sit up and, well, it goes about as well as everything usually does for Denki – that is to say, terrible.
Denki really didn't need this, didn't want it either. Well that's a stupid thought, who ever wants to bump heads with someone. That's not really a thing people generally want– unless, well, unless they're in some sort of romance manga. That's how most of the couples meet anyway, and Denki always thought it was pretty cute.
Until he experienced it himself.
He groans, rubbing his forehead as his headache — one he was only just beginning to notice as he woke up. It seems Recovery Girl's quirk hadn't healed everything. That was fine though, he was used to the pain — began to bloom like a particularly ugly flower.
"Oh– I'm so sorry, oh my god," Midoriya says. He's flapping his hands like those shy boys do in anime after they run into another boy around the corner. It's funny, almost enough to distract Denki from the pain.
"It's fine!" he smiles, slapping on a goofy grin. It's not a difficult thing, honestly. He's had a lot of practice, of course, but Midoriya is just… so easy to smile around. It's a little ridiculous at times, how light the other boy makes him feel.
He scoots himself back along the bed until he's squished up against the pillows. There are questions burning in his mind, questions that light quickly and dissipate into the air before he can get them out. "So, what are you doing here Midoriya?"
"Oh, uh, I just wanted to see if you were okay." Midoriya gets all shy, and his cheeks go just a little pink. It's cute, so unbelievably cute. How the class's resident feral wall of muscle could get so flustered from something so small, Denki will never know. He loves it though.
Denki tilts his head. He holds back his questions, letting them burn until he can't remember them anymore. All he has is their ashes, but that's fine. "Well, I'm all good!"
Midoriya exhales softly, a little sigh of relief at the news. It's almost like… he cares. But no, that's ridiculous. Why would Midoriya be so hung up over his well-being? He shorts out pretty much every day – surely Midoriya is tired of his antics, like everyone else.
"Really?" he asks, tension slipping from his slumped shoulders like he was holding the world up on them. "I'm glad, Kaminari. You've been in the infirmary a lot lately and– well, I was a little worried."
Denki… doesn't know how to respond to that. He can barely process it right now. Even if he could, his brain simply wouldn't. Someone being worried about him, enough to go out of their way to make sure he's okay. Hell, someone being plain worried about him is more than he can handle.
So he does what he always does, deflect. And he uses his favourite shield, humour. "Well damn, Midoriya, I didn't realise someone would catch on to the budding romance between Recovery Girl and I. Please! Don't expose us to the school, I can't handle the shame!"
Midoriya snorts and plays along. Denki's more than aware that he isn't going to let the topic drop for long. "Oh I don't know Kaminari, just think about the money Mina could give me for gossip like this! I could be rich beyond my wildest dreams."
"Oh Midoriya, what ever can I do to make sure this doesn't get out?" He bats his eyelashes, for dramatic effect of course, no other reason. Not because he wants Midoriya to take his hands and confess to him like a man to his new god.
The joke is broken, however, when Midoriya's face lights up like a Christmas tree. He mourns the loss of the distraction, but seeing Midoriya blush and mumble beneath his breath is a good enough substitute, he supposes.
"I– no, Kaminari that's– What?" He's so loud as he tries to backpedal. Denki would be mad at him for shouting while he has a headache, but he looks so cute while doing it that he can't possibly be angry. "I'm not– I mean I wouldn't– no, stop thinking about that Izuku oh my god–"
"Thinking about what?" Denki asks quickly.
"About kissing you–" that's all Denki hears before Midoriya shoots off the bed in a blur of green. Soon after comes a loud crash as a Midoriya-shaped hole appears in the wall opposite his bed.
Denki isn't focusing on that though. No, he can't focus, not with how his brain has come crashing to a halt. Everything is so quiet, eerily so. The only thing he can hear, can think is 'About kissing you'
"What?" He practically leaps out of his little bed, running to Midoriya's side. He tells himself it's because the other boy is hurt, but it's mostly because he needs answers or he'll push himself to the verge of insanity. "What did you just say?"
"Nothing!" Bullshit. Denki knows what he heard. Usually his brain would be attacking him by now, because it simply can't comprehend how someone might actually like him, but it's blissfully silent at the moment, so no attacks come. He can think clearly, without doubt or anxiety stabbing his ideas and thoughts. "I said nothing!"
His voice cracks, and Denki knows he's lying. He knew before, but now he's certain. Midoriya… Midoriya actually said that. Wow. He… he likes him, Denki. Denki is liked by a guy. not only that, but it's Midoriya who likes him – sweet, feral, crazy-strong, and popular Midoriya that wants to kiss him.
Now Denki isn't a very forward person, not at all. Hell, all the romance he's ever come into contact with has been through manga pages. He hasn't even had his first kiss! Not even a peck! Sure, he makes jokes about romance all the time, but… well, nobody's ever seen him that way before. It's… nice. It's even nicer that it's Midoriya, that it's a boy he likes that likes him in return.
He'd always imagined his first kiss would be epic, and that the other person would make the first move.
It's not.
The action itself is entirely underwhelming — of course it is when Midoriya is too shocked to kiss back. His lips are just a flat line against Denki's own — and the dust from the walls sits bitter between their lips, but it's nice – really nice.
Midoroys takes a moment to respond, too surprised to do much else than sit there and stare at Denki as he tries to relish his first kiss — he is not going to have a bad first kiss, he just isn't — but he relaxes eventually and suddenly reciprocates.
It's really nice, even if it is messy as all hell and pretty disgusting since all the two of them can taste is the wonderful taste of Wall, but it's Denki's first kiss, and so he cherishes it. It's beautiful, anyway, and he'll never forget it – neither of them will. They'll look back and laugh at this someday, cringe first at how awkward it was, and then laugh as they remember the look on Recovery Girl's face when she finds them both — still kissing — lying on the floor.
Denki's happy, more so than he has been in a long time, and judging by the smiling lips pressed against his own, Midoriya's happy too.
All they need to do now is somehow scrape together enough money to fix the infirmary wall, but whatever, that's a problem for future-them. Right now they're a little busy.