Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kaminari was on a roll.

She was an adorable blonde with long feathered eyelashes. They sent a gentle flush of breeze towards him with every flutter. The way she was giggling, with a lock of hair twisted around a finger, made him feel giddy. He didn’t know girls actually played with their hair like that. Of course, he’d seen it before in movies and such but never in real life. It was especially baffling knowing that he’d caused her to act that way.

He leant back in his chair with a casual grin. This is it, Kaminari. Go for the kill. “So, what do you like in a guy then?”

Her eyes sparkled coyly. “I bet you’d like to know.”

“You’re not wrong,” Kaminari agreed.

The girl bit her lip with a smile, seemingly contemplating. “Well, if you must know… I love a guy who can make me laugh…”

Kaminari hummed knowingly, leaning forward to fold his arms on the table. They’d already been talking for a good ten minutes, and he’d had her caught up in giggles for a decent portion of that time. Her smile widened, eyes crinkling.

“I love a guy who makes me feel beautiful…”

“Did I mention how incredible you look today?” Kaminari piped up. The girl laughed, her hair floating around her shoulders as she threw her head back.

“I love a guy…” she continued softly, “who is steady…and supportive of my dreams…”

Her eyes suddenly widened and Kaminari jolted as she abruptly sat up. A whimsical stare aimed at nothing, her lips slightly parted in awe, her entire countenance had morphed in an instant. He was about to ask if she was okay when she began speaking again.

“A guy who doesn’t see my insecurities…as weakness…” A sharp gasp. Kaminari looked around wildly, baffled by the unexplained shift in the atmosphere. The girl looked at him intensely. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go. There’s someone I need to see.”

“But—” Kaminari stood as she did, chair scraping behind him. “What? Wait—”

She took a few steps before turning back to him. “You seem like a great guy, you know? I’m sure you’ll make someone really happy. But I have someone waiting for me. So good luck! With everything!”

The girl had already started to run off as she spoke, calling her well-wishes behind her as she sprinted from the mall, leaving Kaminari floundering. He gaped, staring at her disappearing form. It had been going so well. He replayed their conversation in his mind, desperately trying to pinpoint what he’d said to screw it up.

For once, he had thought a girl actually liked him.

His disappointed confusion was interrupted by cackling behind him. He yelped as a hand slammed down on his shoulder. Suddenly, he was surrounded by familiar faces, most of which looked entirely too amused for his liking. Scowling, he brushed the hand off and stormed over to the now-empty table. He could hear the others follow, but he didn’t look up. She’d genuinely seemed interested. So what happened?

“So, what’d you do to have that chick literally run away from you?” Sero grinned toothily as he distributed the containers of food they’d gone to pick up. “You must’ve done something real bad. I’m used to seeing girls turn you down, but this has gotta be the first time seeing one bolt like that.”

“You said something really dirty, right?” Mineta asked, leaning over to hear the details. “Like, about how you wanted to–”

“Who invited him?” Bakugou interrupted, sneering down at Mineta like he was unworthy of his seat at the table.

“He’s been here the whole time,” Sero responded. He’d wasted no time digging into the food and looked like he was already eyeing up Kaminari’s.

“Has he?” Bakugou looked mildly surprised as he pulled out his chopsticks. Mineta’s incredibly offended expression went ignored by everyone.

“Hey,” Kirishima spoke up from across the table, blatantly disregarding the others and reaching out to pat Kaminari’s hand, “don’t worry about it. I’m sure she just…left the oven on at home or something.”

“That’s what they all say,” Sero interjected through a mouthful of ramen.

Kaminari rolled his eyes. He was usually more than happy to get ribbed by the others, but this one stung a little. The complete lack of warning or explanation, the destruction of the hope he’d let himself build up. It sucked.

“And it’s okay! You don’t need a girlfriend to be manly!” Kirishima continued, clenching his fist.

Kaminari smirked. He could’ve told him that wasn’t the reason he wanted a girlfriend, but he didn’t have the heart to. Besides, Kirishima was the only one with the decency to even consider that he may have been feeling down about the situation.

"Thanks, man." He tugged his bento towards himself, away from Sero's hungry gaze. "I'll keep that in mind."

A half-hearted grin was all he could manage, but it seemed to be enough, earning him a cheerful thumbs-up. Sometimes he wondered why Kirishima didn't have a girlfriend. He was encouraging and optimistic, not to mention capable – it was no wonder girls seemed to like him so much. And yet, no girlfriend.

Maybe he was just too busy training to bother with one. He had become really dedicated to hero work lately, which he clearly considered far more manly than dating. Some days, Kaminari almost agreed with him.

He sighed imperceptibly.

"I have someone I need to see." What did she think she meant by calling him a great guy before running off like that? If she had someone waiting for her, why even humour him in the first place?

 He just couldn't understand girls.

A pair of chopsticks darted forth, snatching a piece of beef. With reflexes he wished would make an appearance in battle sometimes, he smacked them with his own. He glared at Sero.

"You've got your own!"

Sero snorted, his hands retreating after the loss. "Yours looks better, though."

"Too bad!" Kaminari huffed, shifting his meal away from his friend.

He let his eyes casually scan over his friends after Sero had turned away. Ashido would usually be with them, but she'd apparently been roped in for a 'girl's night'. He had a great group of friends and was training at a prestigious heroics academy. Maybe Kirishima was right. He should forget about girls and focus on what he has.

Who was he kidding?

His resolve not to worry about girls broke within days. There had to be someone out there willing to give him a chance. He wasn't the most repulsive guy out there —  people told him he was funny, whether purposefully or otherwise, and he was a part of the most esteemed class in U.A. history.

That's gotta count for something, right?

He lounged against a workbench. In his hands, he held a metal rod that was tightly wound with taut elastic. It was connected to a complex mechanism Hatsume was tinkering with, her eyes wide and her grin even more so. He admittedly had no idea what she was doing. Or what he was holding, for that matter. But he was there to get his upgraded sharp-shooting equipment, so he imagined it was something to do with that.

He'd been there for at least twenty minutes. Initially, he'd been pleased to have an excuse to skip class, but now it was threatening to eat into his lunchtime. Although, he had made the most of it.

"I like a girl who's good with her hands," he quipped, watching her work.

Hatsume snickered. She'd put up with his persistent flirting the whole time, probably because it meant she got a personal assistant for the time being.

"I've always been particularly dexterous," she humoured him as she pulled out a blowtorch.

Kaminari flinched as the flame burst to life. It curled around the metal in Hatsume’s hands, leaving a white-hot path in its wake. He couldn’t say he was a huge fan of fire. One too many bad experiences with Bakugou, if he had to guess. He rolled his neck, uncomfortably.

“I’d like to experience that for myself.” His smirk was a bit more forced now, but he wasn’t giving up.

“You have been for the past twenty-seven minutes, though,” Hatsume countered, the blaze reflected in her eyes, “haven’t you?”

Kaminari wrinkled his nose at her lack of reciprocation. He tapped his nails against the metal thoughtfully as he considered how to recover the suggestive nature of the conversation. “Well, I’m happy to see how dedicated you are to improving my equipment for me.”

“Huh?” Hatsume turned off the blowtorch, straightening to stare at him. “What are you talking about?”

He blinked. “My sharp-shooting gear?”

“Oh! Right, no. That’s been ready since you got here.” Hatsume shrugged, returning to her previous work. Before she could start up the blowtorch again, he quickly jumped in.

“But that’s what I thought I was helping with…”

“Hmm!” Hatsume didn’t sound too apologetic for what may very well have been a purposeful deception. She thankfully let the blowtorch drop to her side temporarily. “I guess I should’ve specified.”

Kaminari had to suppress a scowl at that. “Where’s my stuff then?”

“Over there,” Hatsume chirped, focusing back in on her work, “in the red box on the shelf.”

He nodded, handing the metal rod back to her despite her evident displeasure. Crossing the room, he pulled the box down, noting the perfectly finished equipment inside. He couldn’t help but feel slightly scammed. Did she always try to trick people into helping her out? Weighing the object in his hand once he had slid it from the box, he frowned. There was no visible difference whatsoever. Maybe she didn’t even improve it at all — she just made it up to get a free assistant.

Turning around, he watched her expectantly hold the rod out to him. There was no way in hell he was sticking around to be Hatsume’s gullible little servant. But at the same time, he didn’t want to ruin his chances by just denying her and leaving.

“Uhh, sorry.” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “I can’t keep helping out. I’ve got…a thing. To do. Soon. Like right now. So…”

Hatsume narrowed her eyes at him. He didn’t like seeing that look on her face, especially considering the blowtorch that rested by her hip like a pistol ready to be drawn. “You can’t just leave! I need someone to hold this!”

She waved the metal rod around menacingly. It whipped through the air, aggressive and chaotic, nearly hitting his face in its fury. He yelped, leaping backwards. If Hatsume noticed the close call, she didn’t seem to care. Instead, she continued brandishing her new weapon, glaring at him accusingly.

“Okay, okay!” Kaminari curled away from her, hands up in surrender. “I’ll…go find someone else, alright? Chill.”

Hatsume cheered up immediately, putting down the rod and grinning at him. “Great! Thanks for your help.”

Kaminari grimaced as he turned around, heading into the hallway with a steadying breath. It was a bit of a dilemma. He wasn’t sure he wanted to get involved with such a…colourful character. But at the same time, she was both hot and hadn’t shut him down immediately, unlike most other girls in school. 

He gazed down the hallway. How on earth was he supposed to find someone naive enough to sign their life away to that beast in there? Tucking his hands into his pockets, he wandered forward aimlessly.

But luck seemed to be on his side for once. 

From the other end of the hallway, he heard sharp steps coming his way. He lifted his head to see Iida striding down the hallway, stiff and formal as ever. His eyes widened. Just as his classmate went to pass him, he reached out, stopping his momentum and swinging him around.

“Hey, man!” Kaminari grinned, giving him a friendly pat on the arm. “I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

Iida, who had looked surprised, seemed to change at the notion of being needed for something. His expression grew determined and he somehow stood even straighter. “Of course! As your class representative, I am here to assist with whatever you need. I am dedicate—”

“Awesome!” Kaminari interrupted. Usually, he would let Iida continue his little spiel - it was pretty endearing. But today, he was worried that if he took too long to find Hatsume an assistant the next swing she took at him would land him in the nurse’s office. “It’s just through here!”

He urged the other boy forward, leaning forward to tug the door open. Iida barely had the time to start questioning him before he was pushed inside, Kaminari quickly closing the door behind him. He felt a bit bad. But not bad enough to rescue Iida from his fate. Besides, he’d probably appreciate the experience, he figured. Call it a new learning opportunity or some other nonsense like that.

After lingering for a moment, he shrugged. Turning on his heel, he sauntered back down the hall, guilt effectively eliminated. Now, he could get back to the important stuff. Like what he should do with his precious lunch break. He had several comics calling his name, but he also distinctly remembered Sero mentioning something about an awesome prank they could pull. Decisions, decisions.

He swung around the corner, delighted to see a conspiratorial-looking Sero beckon him from out the window. Looks like those comics would have to wait.

Sero tugged him off to the side as soon as he left the building. Kaminari looked around. It seemed like Mineta wasn't with him this time, which meant the prank probably wasn't something to do with girls. Which honestly might have been for the best.

As they ambled aimlessly around the side of the building, Sero frantically whispering his plan, Kaminari noticed him. 

Partially hidden by a tree, there stood Koda. He looked antsy, trying to appear focused on his lunch, but his eyes kept creeping upwards. 

It wasn't the first time, either. Kaminari had seen Koda in such a state several times of late. He'd just sort of stand there, pretending to do something he obviously wasn't actually doing, his eyes constantly drawn to one spot. But no one else seemed to see it. He'd briefly considered asking Jirou to try and talk to him about it, but he didn't want to risk pointing it out had she not noticed.

How no one mentioned it, he had no idea. He'd park himself in the same spot every time, a good distance away from, but still with a decent view of, a specific bench. A bench Kaminari happened to notice the same kid would sit on every day.

Someone needed to tell him that secretly watching someone that intensely wasn't a great first impression. Or maybe Koda knew something he didn't.

"—and that's when he'll notice the onion!" Sero declared, opening his arms wide as if he'd just revealed a masterpiece.

"An...onion?" Kaminari winced as he tried to fill in the blanks as to what Sero might have been plotting.

"Dude." Sero's arms dropped to his sides. "You didn't hear any of that?"

"Sorry, man." He grinned sheepishly. "You know how I get sometimes."

Sero rolled his eyes but seemed to recover from his irritation pretty quickly. "Well, anyway—"

"Hey, guys!" A strong arm was tossed around each of their shoulders as they were urged forward by the additional weight. "What are you up to?"

"We're about to enact Sero's genius prank!" Kaminari quickly responded to make sure the conversation didn't get derailed again. "He was just about to tell me about it."

Kirishima's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh! Who's the prank on?"

"Well, it's—"

"Why are you extras huddled around like a bunch of conspiracy weirdos?"

They all turned to watch Bakugou approach, scowling like they were the most unbearable people in existence. Yet, he clearly sought us out.

"Bakugou, shut up! Sero was trying to speak," Kaminari pointed out accusingly.

Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "How was I supposed to know that?!"

"Anyway." Kaminari turned, blatantly disregarding the response. "Sero, please continue."

"Oi! Don't ignore me, you worthless battery!"

"Sero, do go on."

" I should be the one ignoring you, you fuzzbrained screwup!"

"Sero—"

"Stop saying my name, you weirdo."

"They're planning a prank," Kirishima chimed in.

"Hopefully we're not pranking Bakugou," Kaminari added.

Bakugou sneered. "You sure as hell better hope you're not."

"Anyway—!"

"Hey, guys!"

Sero growled in frustration as the peppy voice interrupted him for the third time. If Ashido noticed his irritation at her approach, she didn't seem to care. Prancing about like a particularly excitable deer, she made it clear that they were going to talk about whatever she had to say first.

"Did you hear?!"

Bakugou's expression only worsened at the screech. "What the hell do you mean? Could you try asking a more vague question?"

Ashido seemed to consider this request, pausing. "You mean like—"

"It was a trick question," Bakugou snapped, "because you can't. So, hurry up and spit it out. We have a dumb, stupid prank to hear about."

"Alright, alright! Geez, grouchy." Mina pouted before her eyes brightened again. "Oh! Right! So, you'll totally never believe this, guys, but guess what?"

"What?" Kaminari quickly responded, eager to get back to Sero so that he no longer had to feel guilty for not paying attention earlier.

Mina paused, for dramatic effect before blurting, "Iida and Hatsume totally got together, like, just now!"

What.

Kaminari gaped at her. The thought of any prank was immediately erased from his mind, replaced by thousands of frantic questions. But of all those questions, one stuck out the most, drowning the others out.

HOW?!

He'd only left them mere minutes ago. What had happened within that frame of time to result in the pair of them getting together?! And if he'd stuck around for a bit longer, could that have been him instead?

Why did this keep happening to him? So close, yet so far. Another cute girl slips out of his reach, stolen away by another.

What exactly was going on here?

Chapter Text

Something had to be up.

He'd been noticing it more and more of late — girls getting into relationships just after interacting with him. Initially, he’d just figured it was bad luck. But after it kept happening, the timing was just so ridiculous he was starting to get suspicious. What was it about him that led girls into relationships? Was there some sort of mystical force at work? Did he have a second, romance-based quirk?

Or was he just desperate for some external explanation to reassure him? That way he wouldn’t have to consider that the thought of being with him was so repulsive, that it literally scared girls into the arms of others.

Which was why he had decided to conduct some experiments. Purely scientific, one hundred per cent reliable experimental studies to determine the cause. Maybe if it was a second quirk, he could be famous! Or make some money from it, at the very least.

For his first test, he’d settled on Uraraka and Midoriya. This was admittedly mostly for his own sake. Out of all the students in the school, those two were easily the most infuriating pair, dancing around their feelings for the entirety of their first year at U.A.

So, he’d resolved to put his newfound talent to the test.

They were on a class trip. Supposedly, it was to reward them for the progress they'd made, but Kaminari was convinced it was more because Aizawa couldn't be bothered teaching them today. He'd made some blatantly last-minute plans for them to visit a local aquarium.

The group had almost immediately split up, much to his chagrin, leaving Kaminari to awkwardly hover around subtly searching for the pair. He had no doubt they'd be together. It was just a matter of where they'd ended up.

He wandered past Todoroki, who was staring at a school of fish like he was having an existential crisis. Hmm, Todoroki isn't with them either. Don't tell me they've already turned this into a date! That'd destroy my whole plan!

Speeding up, his eyes scanned his surroundings. A man was in one of the tanks, shooting raw steaks from his hands. The shark with him was swimming theatrically as it dived towards them, prompting delighted shouts from Kirishima.

"Kami! Bro, come see this little guy!" He waved to him as he passed. How Kirishima could dub that massive shark a little guy, he'd never know.

"Sorry!" He called over his shoulder. "I'm a bit busy right now."

He'd feel bad about not hanging out with him later. For now, he had some lovebirds to catch.

Finally, he found them. Awkwardly lingering in an intersection between exhibits, Midoriya was endlessly mumbling away as Uraraka desperately tried to keep up. Kaminari smirked and approached them. 

Uraraka seemed relieved to see him, perhaps hoping for someone else to help translate the ramblings. He tucked his hands in his pockets as he pondered. Admittedly, he hadn't really planned out his approach, figuring he'd make it up as he went along.

Midoriya kept babbling away. He didn't even seem to have noticed Kaminari join them, his head down and eyes unfocused. The words leaving his mouth were unintelligible. Besides the select few that could be deciphered, there was no real clue as to the context of the conversation. Kaminari definitely heard All Might’s name, but that didn't really narrow things down. Midoriya could find a way to bring their teacher up regardless of the topic.

Giving it a few more seconds, Kaminari shrugged. It would be a waste of time to wait for the boy to finish and trying to interrupt him once he was in that state had proved difficult in the past. In fact, maybe that could prove helpful to his little experiment.

He shot Uraraka a sympathetic look. "How long has he been going on like this?"

"Oh…" Uraraka pressed her lips together. "Not that long…"

She was clearly trying to be generous, downplaying the extent of the rant. Kaminari shook his head in faux disapproval. "You're a patient woman, Uraraka."

She laughed in response, turning her affectionate gaze to their muttering friend. "Oh, it's not that bad."

Kaminari raised an eyebrow. "You know, I bet we could go check out some exhibits and he won't even realise we've gone."

She looked surprised. Shifting from foot to foot, she looked between the two of them uncertainly. "Umm, I'm not sure about that."

"Aww, come on!" Kaminari insisted. "I'll treat you to something from the café. We'll be back before Midoriya even snaps out of it."

"Hmm." She still looked unsure, watching for signs of Midoriya slowing down. "I suppose we could, as long as we were quick."

Kaminari also looked at their companion with quiet frustration. Come on, man. Wake up already! How am I supposed to use my powers on you guys when you're off in your own world like this?

Maybe he needed to ramp things up a little.

"You know, Uraraka…" he said, eyeing their reflection in the aquarium glass, "we look good together, don't you think?"

"Huh?!" Her eyes widened, taken aback by the sudden comment.

"I think we'd make an attractive couple, you know?" Kaminari said, casually linking his hands behind his head. 

Uraraka looked flustered. "Um, I—"

"Huh? W-what are you guys talking about?"

Bingo.

"Hey Midoriya, you agree, right?" It was becoming a bit more direct than he was hoping for, but hey, that's what experiments were for, right? Finding the best methods of approach. "That Uraraka and me would make a hot couple?"

Midoriya stared, his mouth moving like the fish behind him. 

"We'd be U.A.'s biggest power couple, I reckon," Kaminari continued with feigned obliviousness, tossing an arm over her shoulders.

"You can't!" Midoriya squeaked. He was staring at the point of contact between them with far too much attentiveness.

"Huh?" Kaminari cocked his head. "Why?"

"B-because… we need to focus on training, right?" Midoriya asked the question more like he was trying to convince himself than anything. "We shouldn't be distracted by dating."

Kaminari waved a hand dismissively. "Tons of people date while they're training. It probably even motivates some of them to improve."

"But…" Midoriya floundered, desperately looking around as if another reason would be found floating among the stingrays.

"But what?" Kaminari asked encouragingly.

"Um, I—" Uraraka began but was interrupted by Midoriya.

"You can't date her just because you'd look good together!" Midoriya sounded almost offended as he made this declaration. "She deserves someone who wants to be her partner because she's amazing a-and special."

Uraraka was now beet red, her eyes wide and awestruck. Kaminari had to fight back the self-satisfied smirk that threatened to crawl into his face.

"Deku…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I-I think you’re really special,” Midoriya said, flushing. Clearly, he wasn’t talking to Kaminari anymore.

He was pretty sure he’d never seen any two people so red before, both staring each other down, trying and failing to form a sentence. It was hilarious, if slightly awkward. Especially for him, now lingering on the outskirts of the conversation, waiting for them to continue.

“That’s gotta hurt.” Kaminari turned to see Jirou join him. “Midoriya just hijacked your date.”

She shot him a sarcastically sympathetic look, to which he rolled his eyes. He looked back over to the couple. They were only a few steps away, but neither even seemed to have heard Jirou’s approach or comment. Kaminari shrugged. Turning back to Jirou, he flashed a self-satisfied grin, watching her eyes narrow.

“All part of the plan!”

She raised an eyebrow. “How is getting Midoriya involved gonna get you a date? You know she likes him, right?”

“Obviously,” Kaminari huffed.

“Then it seems like you shot yourself in the foot.”

“Look, Jirou,” Kaminari said, tucking his hands behind his head. “It’s not my fault you don’t get it, alright? Not everyone can be cool enough to have so many gifts, but that’s okay.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Jirou snapped. “Did you fry your brain again or what?”

Kaminari reached over to pat her head condescendingly, avoiding her jacks with the dexterity that could only be achieved after over a year of practice. “Don’t worry about it, Jirou. You wouldn’t understand.”

Jirou scowled. She didn’t seem to appreciate his attitude. He smirked — it was always gratifying to turn her ribbing back on her. Even if he only did it by confusing the hell out of her. It still counted, as far as he was concerned. 

She looked like she was about to say something else, but someone spoke first.

"I r-really like you."

They both simultaneously turned back to the other pair. Midoriya looked like he was about to explode, his eyes wide as if blinking would somehow make Uraraka disappear. The girl in question looked notably embarrassed. She probably didn't want to be having this moment in the middle of a crowded aquarium, if he had to guess.

He winced. Maybe he should've tried this somewhere a bit less public.

"I…" Uraraka's voice was barely audible, likely to avoid drawing any more attention to them. "I like you too."

Mission success.

Sure, he had been a bit more involved than he'd hoped, but it had still worked as he'd expected. He had approached Uraraka to flirt. Mere minutes later, she had received a confession from the guy she liked, after over a year of the pair stubbornly avoiding the issue and aggressively denying their feelings.

Kaminari was a miracle worker. He was thoroughly convinced by this point that he had some kind of second quirk.

Later, as they filed after their fed-up teacher, he pondered what to do with this new information. It kind of sucked, once he thought about it. If he really had a quirk that drove girls into romantic relationships whenever he flirted with him, what did that mean for his romantic prospects? Any cute girl he tried to chat up was going to end up taken not long after?!

He huffed. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Sero give him a weird look, but he couldn't bring himself to care. This was the worst second quirk ever. The excitement that had come from the revelation had faded away, leaving him bitter and resentful.

What a rip-off.

Chapter Text

Kaminari was forced to squint as he stepped outside, the glaring afternoon sun more aggressive than he'd been expecting. He'd been floundering for the last few days. As far as he was concerned, his new gift was more of a burden than anything. How was he supposed to get a girlfriend if his flirting was what ended up causing them to get with other guys?

He kicked at the ground, perhaps with slightly more aggression than strictly necessary. It was totally unfair. His eyes scanned disinterestedly over his surroundings.

Wait.

He paused.

An easily-recognisable mop of hair was just visible, mostly hidden by the bench nearby. Kaminari knew who it was instantly. The dude's hair was pretty crazy, halfway between tangible and incorporeal. It was a strange haze that floated around his shoulders, almost like hair, but not quite.

He was kind of jealous; he'd heard more than one girl in the support class gushing over it. But he'd have recognised him, even without the hair. After all, he'd gotten pretty used to seeing the guy. He'd usually be on the bench, but still.

Kaminari's curiosity had gotten the better of him eventually, and he'd asked Hatsume about him during one of his many failed attempts to score a date. A bunch of other girls from the support class had piped up, too. He'd initially been thrilled before he realised they were just there to giggle over Bench Guy.

He'd basically forgotten his name immediately.

What he didn't forget was the information he'd garnered. According to his classmates, Bench Guy's quirk was what they called 'heat breath'. He could expel air from his mouth that could reach extreme temperatures.

Kaminari thought it sounded like fire breathing but less cool. So, he'd tried not to be too bitter as he'd listened to the girls expound about how strong he really was, and how he could've been enrolled in the hero course if he wanted to be. But, apparently, he was too passionate about support to even consider a different path.

Wow, how noble.

But his spiteful thoughts hadn't stopped him from prying. The girls told him that Bench Guy was cheerful, popular, and charming. It was interesting to hear about how outgoing and friendly he was, considering how often Kaminari saw him spending his lunch alone on that bench.

He cast his gaze around casually. Yep, there he was. 

Wherever Bench Guy went, Koda was sure to follow, at a carefully maintained distance. Honestly, Kaminari would be surprised if Bench Guy wasn't creeped out by the behaviour.

But Koda was his friend. And despite his questionable methods, Kaminari knew that he didn't have any bad intentions. So, why not help him out?

Maybe it wasn't the flirting that prompted his gift. Maybe him just talking to someone was like a romantic good luck charm or something?

Maybe that way, he wouldn't be completely doomed when it came to girls.

Before he could second-guess himself, he shrugged. Bench Guy seemed pretty cool. Sure, he'd been kind of resentful listening to all those girls enthusing over him, but it wasn't his fault Kaminari was having such difficulties with the ladies.

And if his new gift could help Koda out, that'd be an awesome benefit from a pretty annoying circumstance.

He casually wandered over to the bench. From the corner of his eye, he was sure he could see Koda's eyes widen in horror. Oh well. He can thank me later.

If this even works, that is.

As he approached, he realised exactly why Bench Guy wasn't sitting in his usual spot. He was crouched in front of the bench, leaning forward to offer a piece of lettuce to a curious rabbit. The animal twitched. Clearly, it was anxious and unused to human contact. However, the promise of food seemed enticing enough to prevent it from running just yet.

Kaminari stopped mid-step. While he was shameless enough to intrude on the boy's time alone, he didn't quite have the audacity to interrupt and scare the rabbit away. Instead, he was happy to spectate.

The rabbit’s nose quivered as it hesitantly analysed the lettuce leaf. It placed a paw forward. Slowly, it inched closer, and Kaminari found himself holding his breath.

The animal leant forward as if only having its head nearby would significantly lessen the chances of danger. Kaminari leant forward himself in anticipation. The rabbit opened its mouth, taking the edge of the leaf and tearing a tiny chunk from it.

If you're that scared of getting close enough to eat, you'd think you'd help yourself to more than that once you get there.

He still didn't move. Bench Guy was almost inhumanly frozen, even his weird, smokey hair settling down. The rabbit took this success as a cue to be more daring. It lopped forward to help itself to the treat, apparently no longer concerned about Bench Guy's presence.

To Kaminari's surprise, Bench Guy seemed to share this spike of confidence. He leant forward. As the lettuce was gradually consumed, he gently scooped the animal into his arms, sliding back onto the bench. Kaminari blinked. The rabbit also blinked but seemed strangely okay with this sudden development.

It had resumed its meal by the time Kaminari rounded the bench.

"Hey, man!"

Bench Guy looked up. He continued to stroke the rabbit's fur, throwing a relaxed grin Kaminari's way.

"Hey!" He greeted as Kaminari made himself comfortable next to him. "You're Kaminari Denki, right?"

Kaminari winced. Why'd the guy have to know his name when he'd made no effort to remember his?

"Yeah."He chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, I don't know your name. I always just call you Bench Guy."

Why the hell did you say that, Denki?! You didn't need to add that last part.

Bench Guy laughed. "Well, my actual name is Arata Takashi. But I like 'Bench Guy'. It's got flair."

Kaminari let out an inaudible sigh of relief. At least he wasn't offended. "Sweet, Bench Guy it is, then. Now, you've got an awesome nickname!"

"Cool, I've always wanted a nickname," Bench Guy said, looking back down at the rabbit. 

Throwing a leg up on the bench, Kaminari eyed the animal as well. But as soon as he reached out to rub its head, it ducked out of the way, thumping its leg irritably. Rude.

"So, Bench Guy," Kaminari said, "people tell me you're a pretty sociable kind of guy…"

He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do to prompt his quirk into action. Hopefully, he could just chat to him normally. Something had to eventually happen, right?

"Do they?" Bench Guy scratched behind the rabbit's ear thoughtfully. "That sounds like a pretty good assessment to me. Why's that?"

Kaminari shrugged as he turned to look at him. "No particular reason. I was just surprised to hear that since I see you out here alone so often."

This was something he was curious about. Considering how beloved he seemed to be by his classmates, how did he so regularly end up alone during lunchtime?

Bench Guy hummed. "Well, sometimes it's nice to just hang out by myself. But that's not really it."

"Then what is it?"

Bench Guy brushed a strand of haze behind his ear, eyes darting to the side. "You see that guy back there? Sort of hidden behind the tree?"

Kaminari didn't have to look back. "Oh...yeah…"

Leaning back, Bench Guy scrutinised him. "Do you know him? I think he's in your class."

"Yeah, that's Koda," Kaminari said before his eyes widened. "But, you know, he's not trying to be—"

"He's been hanging out not too far from me during lunch for a while now. Maybe a few months at this point," Bench Guy cut in, reaching back to bundle his hair into a low ponytail at the base of his skull. Kaminari was tempted to ask how that wispy stuff could be contained with a normal hair tie. But preventing Koda from being reported to the school board was his top priority right now.

"I'm sure he's just curious about you…" Kaminari said sheepishly.

"I thought he might be more comfortable if I was alone, so I told the others I wanted to spend some lunches by myself." Bench Guy turned back to Kaminari, shrugging a shoulder with a smile. "But he never approached me even then."

"You...Oh!" Kaminari leant forward. "Dude, he's just shy! It's totally nothing against you!"

"You think?" Bench Guy asked. "Do you think I should go over and introduce myself then?"

Kaminari frowned. Immediately, the image popped into his mind of Koda anxiously dashing away at the mere hint of a conversation. That probably wouldn't work out.

"Ahh…"

"I'll take that as a no." Bench Guy snorted.

"You know what?!" Kaminari jumped to his feet, spinning to face his new friend. The rabbit on his lap freaked. Within seconds it had slipped from Bench Guy's grasp, running off. "I'll think it over and then we'll regroup tomorrow with a plan of attack!"

Bench Guy looked a little sad at the abandonment but grinned at him regardless. "Sounds good to me!"

"Sweet!" Kaminari pumped his fist enthusiastically before wincing. "Sorry about your friend there."

Bench Guy waved his hands. "Nah, nah. I'm sure he just had places to be. It's all good!"

Kaminari grinned. "Cool. See ya tomorrow then!"

He couldn't help but feel a little excited as he walked away. Bench Guy seemed like a really chill dude, and Kaminari always got himself pumped up over the thought of making a new friend. Even though that meant his gift hadn't worked exactly how he'd hoped.

He didn't want to think about what that meant for his own romantic future.

And as much as he wanted to help Koda, he really didn't want to flirt with a guy to achieve that. So, he'd have to devise a backup plan. Some method that wouldn't scare Koda away or freak Bench Guy out.

He snuck a peek over his shoulder to see how Koda was reacting.

Wait, where is he?

Turning a little further, his narrowed eyes scanned the trees in the area. No Koda. Had he left during their conversation? He hadn't even considered something like that could've happened. Was his classmate mad at him now?

He was starting to feel bad. Maybe he'd overstepped a boundary by approaching Bench Guy before Koda had the opportunity to do so himself. He should probably apologise to him later.

A slow movement caught his eye.

Wait a second.

That hulking, square build looked awfully familiar. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he could've sworn it was the form of Koda hesitantly making his way towards a very familiar bench. But that couldn't be. Right?

Bench Guy looked up, surprised, as the figure approached. After a moment, he gestured to the seat beside him. Damn. Kaminari felt a little disappointed. He guessed that meant no Plan B was necessary anymore, so he didn't really have any reason to hang out with Bench Guy tomorrow.

In fact, he should probably avoid him in case his presence made Koda nervous. Realistically, he had never expected him to be the one to approach. Even when considering how his gift might work, he'd always imagined that Bench Guy would be the one to make a move.

So, he was proud of him.

Overall, this was the best possible result. He'd gotten his answer. It looked like flirting wasn't required to prompt his quirk into action, which, in turn, meant his romantic prospects weren't necessarily doomed to fail.

And now that he knew the extent of his powers, he wouldn't be much of a hero if he didn't put them to good use.

Chapter Text

"Thanks, Kaminari! I don't know how I'll ever repay you!"

The girl giddily ran off, barely pausing to call over her shoulder. No doubt to go throw herself into her girlfriend's arms or whatever people in relationships do.

He certainly wasn't bitter.

What was there to be bitter about? He was the most popular with girls now than he had ever been. Sure, it was only because they were all seeking him out to help them with someone else, but still. One of them had to be after him eventually. Right?

Besides, this was the matchmaker's lot in life. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. All's fair in love and war. Good things come to those who wait. And other such tangentially-related proverbs.

He sighed.

"You alright, Kami?" Kirishima poked his head around his shoulder, eyeing him. "You seem down."

Kaminari perked up. He waved his hands dismissively with a bright laugh."Nah! It's just hard work, being a love guru and all."

He'd wasted no time in spreading the word of his talents. Once he'd been convinced of the power he held, he'd figured he had no choice but to use it for the greater good. He was nothing if not benevolent.

Besides, girls like guys who help people, right? If he just showcased how selfless he was, he'd get a girlfriend in no time. At least, that's what he'd assumed.

But so far, no luck.

Naturally, everyone had been sceptical initially. A second quirk? Preposterous, surely. But he'd proven his abilities within weeks, successfully coupling several people, knowingly or unknowingly.

Those who'd snickered at his claims were now coming to reluctantly accept his proclamations. How could they deny it when seeing the happy new couples?

It was pretty cool, getting so much attention. But still. Not the kind of attention he'd really been hoping for. 

With Kirishima chattering away by his side, they wandered into the classroom. He couldn't help but wince at the ruckus; people must be particularly excited today. Usually, he'd be more than happy to join in. But he was too tired to bother, slumping in his seat.

He'd thought this whole 'being selfless and helping others' thing was meant to fill him with some sort of satisfied contentment. Typically, he'd enjoy helping people out. But right now, he just felt flat.

He leant his cheek against his fist.

Even as Mic entered the room, his usually contagious energy didn't stir Kaminari. The view out the window was far more interesting to him right now.

Why was life so unfair?

Sure, he was glad he could help everyone else out. But didn't he deserve love, too?

In the midst of his pity party, he was vaguely aware of a pair of eyes drilling into him. He looked to his side. Jirou's eyes narrowed when their eyes met, but she didn't look away. Her stare was unnerving.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, but she gave no indication as to what her problem was. Jeez, what's her deal? She didn't look angry, per se, but she was still eyeing him pretty intensely. He did a quick rundown in his head of something he might've said recently to get on her nerves. Which, realistically, could've been anything.

Jirou could find a way to get annoyed at any word that left his mouth.

They were friends, of course. At least, he was pretty sure they were. Sometimes she'd even go out of her way to spend time with him, which he didn't think she'd do if she hated him. But she definitely still liked to get irritated by him and his general existence.

“What?” he mouthed, shifting to hide his silent communication from Aizawa’s disapproving gaze. Jirou didn’t respond, her stare deepened into a scowl. He rolled his eyes.

Whatever. The last thing he needed was to deal with her attitude right now. He was busy feeling sorry for himself, and her inevitable insults weren’t going to help matters.

She could glare at him all she wanted.

Luckily, Aizawa had now left the class to Mic's devices, which meant he could mope all class without fear of repercussion.

The world should be grateful I'm so kind, otherwise, I'd have stopped using my wondrous gifts out of spite.

So, that was how the rest of the class went. He was usually pretty quick to put on a happy face and get on with things, but he just wanted to get it out of his system. After an hour's worth of lamenting, he felt a bit better. 

And hopefully, he could borrow someone's notes later.

As he moseyed out the door, he was suddenly jerked in a direction he hadn't planned on heading. His body immediately conceded to the change in plans. He'd learnt long ago to just go along with things like this. Knowing those who were most likely to forcibly drag him somewhere, fighting back was more trouble than it was worth. 

It was Jirou.

As she spun him around to face her, he wasn't sure if he should be preparing for an attack of some kind. He didn't remember doing anything to warrant it. But she'd looked pretty irritated in class, and it was always best to err on the side of caution.

He took a step backwards.

Not that the movement would really help him much. He attempted a disarming grin. "Yeah? What's up?"

Jirou's face softened from its stiff expression, which he took as a good sign. She opened her mouth to speak. But just as quickly, she'd closed it again and turned away. Letting out a frustrated groan, she aggressively tousled her hair, her jacks tapping against each other.

Kaminari's eyes widened. "...You okay?"

She nodded, sighing angrily. He twitched. There were certainly some mixed messages being sent. But at least it didn't seem like she was mad at him. Probably.

Finally, the girl straightened and looked him dead in the eye.

"I need your help."

“...Help?”

He was surprised for a variety of reasons. Most notably, he wasn’t used to people who planned to ask for his help glaring at him for an hour beforehand. But it made sense, he supposed. After all, it wasn’t like Jirou to ask anyone for help, really, let alone someone like him. She was probably angry that she had to rely on someone else. Or maybe she was angry at him for having the audacity of being able to assist her.

“Yes.” The response was short, with no elaboration, and he found himself wondering if he was somehow meant to know what she needed help with. He waited for a second, but she apparently had no intention of continuing.

He wracked his brain.

She definitely didn’t need his help with anything school-related. If she hadn’t taken notes today — because she’d been too busy death-staring the back of his head — there was no way she would immediately approach him to borrow notes from. Besides, she should know full well that he didn’t have any.

“Uhh,” he said, scratching his neck, "help with..?"

Jirou scowled again. "What do you think? The only thing you're actually good at."

Kaminari glared back this time. Personally, he didn't think that narrowed it down at all. There were plenty of things he was good at.

Like… video games.

And other stuff, too.

"Why would I even help you with anything if you aren't gonna at least pretend to be nice to me while asking?" He huffed, crossing his arms across his chest.

Jirou blew out a long breath. "Look, I…I just…I can't believe I'm coming to you for this, alright?"

Kaminari looked at her questioningly but didn't speak any further.

After a moment, she continued. "I need your help…with that matchmaking thing you've been doing lately."

"What?!"

Jirou levelled him with a flat stare. "Don't you dare make a scene, alright?"

Her jacks lifted, floating menacingly in front of his face. He automatically raised his hands in defence. Why must she always threaten me?!

"I'm not! I'm not, okay? Jeez." He took a step back, away from the threat of pain. "But I'm gonna need a bit more info than that, you know? I'm not a mind reader."

It was a fair comment. In fact, Kaminari had no idea what sort of person Jirou would even be interested in. Out of all of the girls, she seemed to be the one least interested in any sort of romance. He'd have expected a hopeless romantic like Ashido to approach him. Maybe even someone like Yaoyorozu. But Jirou?! He'd never seen that one coming.

Jirou's eyes darted around, alert for eavesdroppers. He'd never seen her so nervous before. Even their concert last year hadn't elicited the kind of anxiety he saw in her now.

"Kirishima. It's Kirishima, okay?"

He had to lean forward to even hear the mumbled response.

"Kirishima?" He repeated, noting the blush that dusted her cheeks. Since when had Jirou been into Kirishima? They barely even spoke outside of a group setting, and even then it wasn't often.

"Shut up, you idiot! Or do you want everyone else to hear?!"

He didn't take her insult to heart. It was pretty obvious she was desperately trying to distract from her own embarrassment. He decided to take pity on her.

"Fine, I'll help. But under one condition."

"I knew it'd come with a catch." Jirou rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"I need to borrow your notes."

Chapter Text

He had thought it'd be easy. 

Every other time, things had found a way to sort themselves out pretty quickly, thanks to his gift. But it looked like this situation was going to need some prompting from him. Just like with Uraraka and Midoriya, he was going to have to be a bit more proactive this time. Kirishima and Jirou hardly ever interacted, especially not one-on-one. And apparently, his new quirk alone wasn't going to be enough to create such a situation.

"Hey, Kiri!" 

They were training today, so he figured now was as good a time as any to put things into motion. Kirishima turned to him with a cheerful grin as he slammed his hardened head into a boulder.

"Yeah, man, what's up?"

"It's really awesome how Jirou can cause those huge earthquakes, don't you think?"

If Kirishima was confused by the strange topic, he wasn't for long, catching on to Kaminari's enthusiasm. "Yeah! It's great to be surrounded by so many strong to-be heroes. They're so tough and manly, it makes me want to work even harder!"

That wasn't exactly the answer Kaminari was looking for, but it would do.

"We should take a break and go see what everyone's doing," he said.

Kirishima frowned. "Shouldn't we be training, though?"

"Watching is training!" Kaminari insisted, already beginning to walk away. "You learn so much about strategy from watching others!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right!" Kirishima said. "Just a second, I'll go grab my water bottle."

Kaminari didn't bother to wait up. He hiked up towards where Jirou was training without hesitation. Maybe if he could get her to do something impressive, Kirishima would arrive just as she was doing it.

"Hey, Jirou!" He said, jogging up to her.

She scoffed but didn't look too irritated by the distraction. "What do you want, doofus? Can't you see I'm actually trying to work here?"

"Can you do that wicked thing where you plug your jacks into the ground and make it explode or whatever?!" He threw his hands out as if she needed a demonstration of what an explosion generally looked like.

Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked around. "What the hell are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about, dude! It’s your best move!”

“...I dunno if it'd be safe to do it here."

Kaminari pouted. "Aww, come on, Jirou! It's so super cool, I wanna see you do it again!"

Jirou flushed, as flustered as ever to receive such a shameless compliment, but a smirk played on her lips. "You know—"

"Hey, Jirou!"

They both turned simultaneously to see Kirishima jog up to them. Kaminari watched Jirou in his peripheral vision, her eyes widening in panic at his sudden arrival. Ah. I probably should've warned her.

"Uh, hey," she said, turning to busy herself with her water bottle.

Kaminari winced. 

Kirishima, for his part, seemed completely unaware of Jirou's abrupt guardedness. He eagerly looked around, scanning the rest of their class, hard at work. 

"Isn't it great to see everyone like this? Working hard to better themselves and achieve their dreams?!" Kirishima turned to him with an expectant grin, clenching his fist. "I'm so proud of how far we've all come!"

As heartwarming as Kirishima's little speech was, this really wasn't the direction he was hoping this would go.

"Yeah, dude!" He said quickly. "Jirou was about to show me that cool move she does. Right?"

He looked at Jirou meaningfully, but she just stood there, her eyes darting between the two of them. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. What on earth…

He'd never seen her so shell-shocked before. She'd completely clammed up, leaving him out to dry as he tried to prompt a conversation between them. Had she always been like this around Kirishima? How was he just now noticing it?!

Come on, quirk. Now's your time to shine! Only your magic can help salvage a situation as awkward as this.

"Looks like Jirou isn't as onboard with a demonstration as you hoped, Kami!" Kirishima laughed, somehow still oblivious to Jirou's socially-stunted behaviour. "But I bet Bakugou would show us something cool if we asked him!"

"What?!" Kaminari was momentarily distracted by what sounded like a life-threatening suggestion. "There's no way he would! Unless said demonstration landed us in Recovery Girl's office!"

"We can just dodge it!" Kirishima called, already running towards his horribly-tempered classmate.

Great. Now, what have I gotten myself into?

He turned to Jirou, who was still watching Kirishima's departure.

"What the hell was that?!"

"I'm sorry, okay?!" Jirou said, whipping around to face him. But despite the aggressiveness of delivery, she really did look apologetic, so he couldn't bring himself to get too annoyed. He sighed.

The sound of her jacks anxiously tapping together was the only one between them as he straightened, ready to face the inevitable hostility he was about to face.

"I always get like that around him," she spoke up as he started to walk away. "That's why I need you. I mean, you got Koda to talk to someone. Surely, that means your quirk will help me too, right?"

Kaminari looked over his shoulder at her. She looked so unsure, so desperate. Like she was reaching out to the last possible hope for her situation. There was something about that look that he couldn't stand to see on her face. Something that swirled deep in his gut and made him feel sick.

He nodded firmly. To make sure she'd seen, he gave her a solid thumbs-up.

Don't worry, Jirou. I'll help you. And if my quirk won't do it alone, I'll just get it done myself. 

He walked with a renewed sense of purpose. His determination was so encompassing — he no longer cared that he was strolling towards his inevitable attempted murder. A friend needed his help. And he might very well be the only one who could wipe that discomforting expression from her face.

But how was he going to go about it?

Kirishima was friendly to everyone, but he definitely didn't seem to pay any special attention to Jirou. And he wasn't exactly the type to respond to subtle hints.

"Shut up, you stupid extra. You wish I'd show you what I can do."

"Yeah!" Kirishima agreed as Kaminari approached. Case in point. 

Although, he believed Kirishima was less oblivious to Bakugou's aggression and more willfully ignoring it.

"What? You want to see the cool stuff I can do, too? Guess I can't blame you. If I had shitty quirks like you losers, I'd want to watch the real quirks at work too."

"Nah." Kaminari waved him off. "You can only see explosions so many times before they get boring, you know?"

He smirked as Bakugou's face darkened. His classmate was ridiculously easy to rile up — just as much as he had been when they first met. It was a little concerning, honestly. Heroes were supposed to keep their cool no matter what, but Bakugou clearly had no interest in becoming less reactionary. And it wasn't like his attitude hadn't already gotten him into trouble since they started at U.A.

But whatever — not his problem.

"What did you say, you glorified phone charger?"

As long as they didn't send him on any rescue or hostage missions, he'd probably be fine.

"Oh, nothing."

Kirishima was frowning. He was always against any form of argument, regardless of how many times Kaminari tried to insist that it was just banter. As far as he was concerned, he was helping Bakugou out.

Maybe he should suggest he take up meditation.

Nah, he'd definitely get scorched for that one.

"You're damn right it was nothing, and you better keep it that way."

But the real question was, how did he insert Jirou into their dynamic without anyone asking any questions?

"Oi, dumbarse. Are you even listening to me?"

He needed something to prompt his quirk into action. And clearly just talking to one of them wasn't going to cut it this time. But he also didn't want to humiliate Jirou by being too obvious, like he was with Uraraka. For her sake. And for the sake of his precious, damaged eyeballs.

"Hey! What, you wanna fight or something?!"

Kaminari looked up just in time to throw himself out of the path of a huge fireball. Pretty rude, honestly.

He had to wonder if it was a good or bad thing that he'd been threatened so many times by Bakugou that a giant fireball hurtling towards him no longer freaked him out. Probably bad.

"Hey, Bakugou, he was just distracted!" Kirishima said, his voice tinted with mild concern. Guess he wasn't the only one desensitised.

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to involve Jirou too often. Although it would be cool to hang out with her more, he didn't really want her to get caught up in their friendly banter.

"Well, maybe the idiot should get his head out of the clouds before it gets stuck there."

"Hey," he said, pointing a finger at him, "some of us have observations about life and its meaning to consider. It's not my fault I'm more philosophical than you."

"You couldn't philosophise your way out of a paper bag," Bakugou snapped.

"What does that even mean?!" Kaminari asked, scowling.

Kirishima's eyes swung between the two, painted with confusion, as Kaminari dusted off his jacket and stood up.

"I gotta go."

"Huh?" Kirishima's head cocked to the side like he was a perplexed dog. "I thought we were going to analyse everyone's strategies?"

"Yeah, I know, I just… gotta go think for a sec."

"Think any more and your shitty brain will explode," Bakugou called after him as he left.

Thanks for the support, man.

He screwed up his nose in concentration. Wandering aimlessly, he watched his classmates, all singularly focused on their training. You know what? Screw it. If his quirk wasn't going to help Jirou talk to Kirishima through regular conversation, clearly he had to try a different tactic.

A confession.

That's what was needed. She'd confess, and then his quirk would bring them together the way it was supposed to. If he'd learnt anything from all his scientific experiments regarding it, it was that there was no tried and true method to kick it into action. Some couples needed more of a push than others...some coerced conversation if you will.

And if she couldn't converse with him, they'd just have to do something else. Wait a second…

He was a genius.

Of course, Jirou was too nervous to speak to Kirishima. She was way too easily flustered and just came across as if she didn't want to talk to him. If she planned some elaborate speech to confess her feelings, there was no way she'd manage to go through with it. However, there was one place where Jirou was expressive, earnest, and willing to be vulnerable.

On stage.

Ah, Denki the Love Guru has done it again! Who needs heroics when you're the ultimate matchmaker?! People will travel from the ends of the Earth to witness my power! Or even better, I can be the first matchmaking pro-hero! Girls love heroes and they love romance. I'll be the most eligible bachelor around.

A self-satisfied grin crawled onto his face. Sure, he was going to have to convince Jirou, who was weirdly humble about her awesome musical abilities. But he knew she'd agree eventually. It was for her own benefit, after all.

He'd have to figure out a place and reason to perform, too. Maybe the principal would allow them to hold another concert, considering how successful their last one had been. It'd be great advertising for the school. Maybe they could even excuse it as some kind of school fundraiser.

It was perfect.

Don't you worry, Jirou. I'll sort this out for you.

Chapter Text

There's absolutely no way I'm doing that."

"Come on, Jirou," Kaminari droned, following her around the side of the building. "It's the best idea we've got."

"I'm not about to completely humiliate myself in front of who knows how many people, Kaminari!" She spun around, squinting at him. "Besides, you're the one with the weird romance quirk, right? Isn't that supposed to just fix everything?!"

"It's not that simple," he said. "Besides, you literally refuse to talk to him, or even hang around him, really. I gotta have something to work with!"

"But Koda had never said a word to Arata and your quirk worked right away, right?" She gestured vaguely with a hand. 

"Who's…" Kaminari frowned, turning to see what she was referring to. "Oh! Bench Guy, yeah. Well, I guess, Koda was at least hanging around him and trying to build the courage to strike up a conversation."

"I try—" Jirou began to protest, but he continued thoughtfully.

"Maybe my quirk needs to know you're committed or something. Like, maybe there's some weird catch that stops it from working sometimes?"

"You think?" Jirou sounded unsure and he winced, turning away as the fleeting image of her unconfident expression invaded his mind. He didn't like when her voice got so hushed. It wasn't like her to doubt herself like this.

His gaze wandered to distract himself. They landed on that familiar bench, where Koda sat, contentedly feeding a bird. Next to him, Bench Guy's eyes left the sight and met his. He grinned, lifting a hand to greet Kaminari.

They both seemed so happy. Slowly, he raised a hand to wave back. Spinning around with newfound determination, he nodded.

"I know it! Tons of quirks have limitations, you know? Why should this be any different?"

Jirou nodded as well but still didn't seem reassured. "You don't think it's because the feelings aren't reciprocated, do you? I mean, that could be the limitation, right?"

Kaminari bit his lip, looking back over at the two on the bench. As much as he hated to admit it, he had considered this. He'd never gotten even the slightest impression that Kirishima held any sort of special regard for Jirou. When they hung out together, he never talked about her unless Kaminari had started the conversation. He'd always been a lot closer to Ashido and Hagakure than he was to Jirou.

Even in the last couple of weeks, as Kaminari had been purposefully prompting reactions from him regarding her, he'd only gotten lukewarm responses in return.

He'd gotten worried that maybe it was exactly as Jirou said. Maybe his quirk only worked when both people felt strongly towards each other. Or, even worse, maybe it only worked when there was any chance of reciprocation at all. Which would mean that Kirishima wouldn't be convinced to give her a shot no matter what anyone did.

But…

He couldn't give up on her.

Not after she'd specifically come to him for help. Not after he'd seen just how self-conscious and small she'd seemed, standing there alone on the training ground. How she'd looked at him like he was her last hope.

There was no way he'd let her down. He was going to do everything he could to try and knock his quirk into action. Hopefully, it wasn't as futile as it seemed. His quirk probably just wanted to sense some passion from her, some drive.

"Nah, I don't think it's that." He waved his hand. "I've got a feeling this will work, alright? You hold a concert, impress him with your kick-ass vocals and a smooth bass line, and I'll do the rest!"

Jirou rolled her eyes at his dramatics, but he spotted the slightest of smiles as she turned away. "Fine, whatever. But this better work or you're gonna have a lot to answer for."

He grinned, hoping it would look more confident than he felt. "You can count on me!"

She snorted. "Alright, alright. It's so weird how you've changed your tune from getting dates to getting other people dates, instead. Finally realised you had no chance, huh?"

"Hey, I'm still getting dates!" Kaminari said, highly offended by the suggestion of anything otherwise.

"Still? As if you ever got dates beforehand." Before Kaminari could cut back, she continued. "Anyway, I'm going to go talk to Koda and Arata."

Kaminari scowled but followed her regardless. The pair looked up as they approached, but their presence didn't seem unwelcome.

"Hey, guys!" Bench Guy stretched, his limber legs casually splayed in front of him like he was the most relaxed person in the world. Kaminari envied him.

Koda waved. He seemed peaceful, tucked up on the bench like he belonged there. Kaminari grinned — it was good to see him like this, rather than hidden away behind a tree in the distance.

"You've got a good little spot here," Jirou said. "Mind if we join you?"

Kaminari noted that he'd been grouped in along with her, despite not having been invited to tag along. He wasn't bothered though. Admittedly, he'd been waiting for an excuse to hang around with Bench Guy again.

Kaminari looked at the two as they settled themselves on the ground across from them. Honestly, he wasn't sure if they were dating or not. But whatever they were, they looked happy, and that was all he really cared about. He leant back on his hands, head lolling back.

A couple ran past them. The girl in the back spun around to wave to him. It was weird, seeing so many people he'd helped lately, wanting to share their joy with him.

Was this what it felt like to be a hero?

Everyone trying to share their admiration and express their gratitude? That was probably a bit of an exaggeration, but what he did know was that romance quirks were awesome for making new friends. Most of these people he likely would never have talked to if it wasn't for them approaching him for assistance.

And if he wasn't going to get a girlfriend, that was a pretty good alternative, really.

No one was talking, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Koda made a vague gesture at the sky, and Bench Guy nodded in response as if he'd completely understood his meaning. 

Which surely he hadn't…right?

Kaminari looked over at Jirou. She'd flopped down on the grass beside him, tucking her hands under her head, to watch the sunlight filter through the leaves above them. It was nice to see her so relaxed. Especially after the anxieties that had surfaced during their earlier conversation.

He let his body fall back to join her, the speckled light dappling his face as he attempted to count the shades of green above him.

Soon, though, he'd lost count, and his mind wandered. It reminded him of the intricacies of their conversation, pressure like a weight against his chest. He could feel the familiar pull of anxiety in him. The fear of disappointing someone was a real one, something he could very easily get caught up thinking about. But he didn't have time for that.

He needed to get planning already.

His gaze fell to his side, only to see Jirou's eyes already on him. They paused for a moment, caught off-guard by the sudden eye contact. She smiled. The weight on his chest lessened if only a little.

"Hey," she said, her voice barely audible.

He hummed to encourage her to continue, surprised she'd spoken up at all.

"...I never thanked you."

"Huh? For what?" Kaminari struggled to keep his voice down, afraid of disturbing the other two.

Jirou rolled her eyes. "For agreeing to help me, obviously."

"Oh!" He was shocked to hear the blatant gratitude. That wasn't something he was used to coming from her.  "Nah, that's cool."

"But I appreciate it," she said, turning back to him. "I really do."

He grinned. "What, did you think I'd say no? We're friends. Of course, I'm going to help you out. Trust me, you'll have yourself a boyfriend in no time."

Jirou blushed, jabbing him sharply in the ribs as her eyes darted over to their companions. "Shut up, you idiot."

"Oh, come on," he said, "as if they wouldn't know what you'd be asking me for help with."

Bench Guy snickered. 

Jirou seemed to grudgingly accept his statement, pushing herself up. "Hey, Koda. You were scared to approach Arata, right?"

Kaminari's nose scrunched. It felt so weird to hear him being called by his actual name after being dubbed ' Bench Guy' for so long.

Their quiet classmate's eyes widened at being suddenly addressed as he nodded. Jirou looked to her side as she pondered.

"Do you know why you felt the courage to talk to him when you did?"

Koda looked anxious as he shook his head as if he was worried about disappointing her.

"Maybe it's because it was Kaminari's first time talking to me." Bench Guy said, leaning forward. He seemed pretty intrigued by the whole phenomenon. Kaminari wondered if he should talk to him privately to get a second opinion on the whole Jirou situation. He had initially been trying to puzzle it out himself — he didn’t want to tarnish his reputation as a world-class matchmaker by revealing that his miracle quirk wasn’t as all-powerful as he’d hoped. But for some reason, he trusted Bench Guy would keep quiet about it.

The people he would usually go to for advice were out of the question. He’d been too braggadocious, had indulged too heavily in the attention he’d gotten, and now his pride wouldn’t let him admit that things weren’t going quite as smoothly anymore. Up until now, only Jirou and himself had known that something had gone awry.

“Maybe…” Jirou said, letting herself fall back into her original position. Kaminari watched her, concerned. Well, it’s not like it’d hurt, asking for advice. Besides, Jirou asking those questions had basically already confirmed to the other two that they were experiencing some technical difficulties with his gift.

As they began to retreat back to class later, Kaminari pulled him aside.

"Hey, man, could I get your advice?"

Bench Guy looked at the other two, who'd paused to wait for them. After a moment, he waved them on with a grin. "You guys go on ahead. I need Kaminari's help with something."

Kaminari blinked at him curiously as the other two nodded and went on their way. "Yeah, what's up?"

Bench Guy raised an eyebrow at him before smirking wryly. "This is about Jirou, right? It's probably better if she thinks I'm asking you for help rather than the other way around."

Kaminari suppressed a sigh. He had a point.

"Alright, well, I'll try to make it quick. Aizawa-sensei will kill me if I'm late again."

"I don't envy you guys, having a teacher like that. He seems pretty intense."

"You're telling me." Kaminari snorted. "But anyway, yeah. Things aren't going too well with Jirou's request right now."

Bench Guy nodded along as Kaminari detailed the situation. He seemed interested in the abrupt difficulties he was facing with his quirk, and Kaminari began to feel his hopes build that he might provide an easy answer to his problems. Until he opened his mouth.

"Maybe some people just aren't meant to be together, you know?"

Oh god. It was the same theory Jirou had been worried about. The absolute last thing he wanted to hear.

"But every other time things have just worked out! Why not this time? Why hasn't this happened before now? And how does it decide who's meant to be together, and who isn't? That seems pretty subjective, right?"

His mouth was running before his brain could even process the words, desperately spewing out questions as he dug around for a solution that wouldn't result in a heartbroken Jirou. 

"Dude, why are you asking me? It's your quirk." Bench Guy laughed, but Kaminari didn't join him.

"What am I supposed to do?" Kaminari asked out, waving his arms around uselessly. "I can't just turn around and tell Jirou that she's on her own 'cause Kiri probably isn't into her."

"So what are your plans, currently?"

"Well, I wanted to stage a confession scene, to try and prompt my quirk into working," Kaminari explained, suddenly self-conscious of his planning. "But since Jirou struggles to talk around him, I thought holding a concert would be the best way."

"And what happens if it fails? If he says no?"

Kaminari frowned. "She'd be devastated."

"And what else?"

"And super embarrassed." He thought of the horror on her face when he'd initially made the suggestion.

"Completely." Bench Guy looked at him. "But there's something else you aren't thinking about."

"Hmm?"

"The way you've planned this makes it at least a semi-public event. So, if it fails, everyone will see your abilities as a love guru…" Bench Guy paused at Kaminari's self-given title, making teasing air quotes as he spoke the words. "... aren't as foolproof as advertised."

There was silence as he let Kaminari digest his words.

"Obviously, it's not really fair for people to expect a quirk to be without drawbacks, that's not really how they work," he continued after a moment. "But the people who approach you are looking for a quick solution to their romance problems. Not potential public humiliation and rejection."

"But I don't know what I'm meant to do!" Kaminari looked at him pleadingly. He needed something. Something that would wipe that sad look from her face without risking his credibility or, even worse, their friendship.

Bench Guy shrugged at him helplessly. "I can't tell you what the right course of action is. I mean, maybe you're right, maybe a display like that is what your quirk needs to activate. That's the thing about quirks, man. It takes trial and error to figure out what you can do and what you can't. I once thought I'd be able to crack an egg over my face and cook it with my breath in time for it to fall into my mouth. That was the day I realised my reflexes aren't that great and that a frying pan makes a far better egg than the half-raw half-burnt monstrosity I managed to make."

Kaminari laughed, grateful for the sight distraction. "Sounds gross, dude."

"Nah, don't worry. Most of it ended up on my uniform and the kitchen floor."

"Wow, I couldn't imagine you doing something that badly." It was true. From the way all the girls in the support class had gushed about him, the thought of him standing in his kitchen with egg splattered all over him was one that almost couldn't be believed.

Bench Guy chuckled. "Well, I was eight years old. And that's kind of what I mean. We've all had years to develop and understand our quirks, but yours is totally new to you. This one, at least. So, of course, you don't know exactly how it works."

"I want to figure it out though. And I have to help Jirou. There's no way she'll forgive me if I let her down."

"Look," Bench Guy began, his face growing serious as he turned fully towards Kaminari, "if this is the direction your instincts are telling you to go, I'd say do it. I'm just telling you to be prepared for all possible outcomes."

"Yeah." Kaminari bit his lip. "I getcha."

Bench Guy nodded, giving him a friendly pat on the back. "It'll be fine, man. I've got faith. Talk to you later, alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks for hearing me out."

Kaminari sighed deeply as Bench Guy began to walk away. He'd begun to regret ever agreeing to help Jirou in the first place. The lack of results had made what he'd thought would be a fairly straightforward favour into a stressful pile of expectations he didn't know if he could fulfil.

"By the way," Bench Guy said suddenly, pausing mid-stride, "I don't think Jirou would be mad at you, even if it did fail. Anyone could see how much you want to help her. Even if things don't go to plan, she won't hold it against you."

Kaminari didn't respond as Bench Guy walked away.

He wasn't so sure.

Chapter Text

"A school concert, hmm?" 

Principal Nezu leant back in his chair as he pondered on the idea. Kaminari nodded.

"Exactly! You know how popular our performance was last year! It'll raise a bunch of money for the school."

"Kaminari, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you don't need to worry. We're well-funded here at U.A. and we have more than adequate resources to provide the very best for our students."

"It'd be great advertising!" Kaminari ignored the platitudes in favour of what he knew was a stronger point.

"Advertising…?" There was a glint in the eye of the creature in front of him. He'd got him now.

"Yeah! Imagine all the potential future heroes, attending a killer concert held by the students! They'll all want to go here!"

"Well…"

"And the public! They'll get to see us all thriving, not a villain attack in sight!"

"Yes, yes…"

"Everyone will be talking about how versatile and well-educated all the students here are. And how supportive U.A. is of the creative arts."

"You know, now that I've given it another thought, I think this an excellent opportunity to see you kids grow. Why shouldn't we celebrate our students' talents? And all for such a good cause, too." Principal Nezu sipped his tea leisurely, nodding. "What a fantastic idea!"

They both turned as the door to the office opened, Aizawa's slumped body pushing past it and into the room.

"Ah, Aizawa, perfect timing!" Principal Nezu chirped, unbothered by the wry eyebrow that was raised in response. "Kaminari here had an excellent idea!"

Aizawa's disbelieving gaze fell upon his student. "Did he now?" 

Kaminari was mildly offended by just how doubtful his teacher seemed at the concept of him having a good idea.

"Yes, indeed. The students are going to hold a fundraising concert!" Principal Nezu informed him. "So, I'll leave you in charge of the preparations, Aizawa. That should be fine, right?"

Kaminari could feel Aizawa's deadly gaze drilling into the back of his head as he kept his eyes firmly on the principal. Great.

As if his teacher wasn't irritated with him enough as it was, given his recent string of late arrivals. Now, he'd been saddled with the responsibility for his latest idea. If Aizawa found out this was regarding his newfound quirk, Kaminari might be volunteered as target practice for the other students during their next training session.

Aizawa made no secret of his distaste for his new matchmaking hobby. But that probably had something to do with him being an old, bitter cat lady who wanted everyone to be as miserable as him. At least, that's what Kaminari thought whenever he was feeling particularly feisty.

"...Sure."

Kaminari had never heard Aizawa sound so unenthused. Which was really saying a lot.

He slinked from the office, trying to ignore the cold stare that followed him out. Well, at least that was one thing taken care of. He figured the other classes would be happy to participate after the rousing success of last year's concert, too. Of course, Jirou would have to be the starring act.

Not that it really mattered for his plan, though. He just wanted her to be because she was so talented, and he was hoping the excitement of the crowd would help boost her confidence.

He figured the simplest way to go about it would be to throw together the same group as they had done last time. That would also make it easier for him to work with Jirou. Although, he didn't really want Bakugou to know what the concert was really for. Something gave him the feeling he'd be a bit of an obstacle for them if he found out.

But that was fine. He didn't have to know. They could just write the lyrics in secret and bust them out on the day of the performance. They could use decoy lyrics or call it an instrumental in the meantime.

"Yo, Tokoyami!" He called out. "You onboard with getting the band back together for the concert?"

His classmate turned to him, expression curious. Or at least Kaminari assumed his expression was curious, given his next words. "The concert?"

"Oh, haven't you heard?" Kaminari replied, casually sliding through their classroom door. "We're holding a fundraiser concert for the school."

Ashido's head whipped up, just like he'd hoped it would. "A concert?!"

And before long, the entire class was in an uproar, eagerly discussing the potential possibilities for such a project. Yet another reason for Aizawa to hate him once he returned to the room. But oh well. He'd committed to it now.

Sitting at his desk, he looked over to the girl-of-the-hour, who was half-heartedly engaging with the questions her classmates were now shooting at her. He nudged her foot with his. She looked up to meet his eyes and he flashed her a reassuring smile.

Don't worry. Everything's going to work out.

She returned his smile with a lopsided one of her own. He didn't know if she had understood what he was trying to say, but she had seemed to relax a bit, regardless.

That was until Kirishima made his way over to them and she stiffened up like a board. Geez, she really does struggle to talk to him, huh? Luckily for her, she could get away with the short, stilted answers by playing them off with her disinterested persona.

"It'll be so great to hear you guys play together again!" Kirishima said. "Everyone was so impressed last time, and I bet you'll be even better this time!"

"Maybe," Jirou said, staring out the window. Kaminari watched her, concerned. One of these days, someone was bound to notice how odd she acted around the boy.

"Hey, Jirou—!" Kirishima began to continue, but Kaminari quickly cut in.

"Sorry guys, but maybe you should lay off all the questions for now. We don't wanna put too much pressure on her, you know?"

The crowded students agreed and slowly dispersed back to their desks as Aizawa entered the room.

"I assume you've heard the news," the teacher drawled, his eyes lingering on Kaminari for far too long to be comfortable. He was definitely in trouble.

The class responded vigorously. They always took on every new task with enthusiasm, like it was a secret challenge to prove their worth. He always appreciated being around people who were so ambitious - it was admirable, though they wore him out sometimes. Some of his classmates never seemed to rest. So much to prove to the world and, apparently, so little time to do it.

If Aizawa hadn’t expected such a response, he didn’t show it. In fact, he looked utterly resigned to his fate, unwilling to even bother trying to persuade them against the idea. Even his irritation towards Kaminari seemed to fade. Instead of ascribing him some sort of barely concealed punishment, he slumped himself in his awaiting chair, fully engulfed in the misery his life was to become.

Kaminari felt a little bad. He knew of his teacher’s abhorrence of anything irrelevant to their training. But Jirou’s happiness was more important than avoiding Aizawa’s momentary displeasure.

His gaze wandered over to the girl once more. She looked a lot less anxious now, as she watched the other students call out various suggestions regarding their upcoming endeavour, none of which Aizawa seemed to hear. He figured she was probably pleased with the concept of performing again, despite the additional pressure she faced this time.

He was determined she would enjoy the process just as much as she did previously. If anything, it would be better. There was no way anyone could have a song dedicated to them by her and not be delighted. And he knew his friend well enough to be fully confident that he'd appreciate the effort put into the gesture.

So that, combined with his gift, guaranteed them success.

They'd end up together, and all would be well. 

….Right?

He shook his head frantically to rid himself of the hesitant thought. There was no time to be doubtful. Faith was what was needed here: faith in her talent, faith in his quirk, faith that things were going to work out the way they were supposed to.

He'd given her his word, after all.

"Kaminari? You don't think the other classes should be involved?" Ashido was looking at him, surprised by his unintentional objection.

"Huh?" As he tried to snap back into the conversation, he was vaguely aware of an amused snort from his left. "Oh! No, no, I didn't mean that. The other classes will have sets too. I mean, probably."

Aizawa rolled his eyes, the only feature of his still visible by this point.

"Will we be able to work with people from other classes, or are we going to be separated by class?" Uraraka spoke up, addressing Aizawa, who looked like he neither knew nor cared.

Luckily, no one seemed too put off by his obvious lack of investment. Iida spoke in his stead. "I'm sure if we approach Principal Nezu with a reasonable request to collaborate, he'd see no issue."

"You just want the excuse to run off and suck face with that weirdo support nerd." 

Iida looked appropriately outraged by Bakugou's callous suggestion. "I would never abandon an extracurricular activity like that!"

Kaminari, again, sought Jirou's reaction as the excitement continued around them. He felt his chest tighten painfully when he saw her eyes were locked onto a certain individual across the room. Frowning, he looked away again. He must really be getting anxious about the whole situation.

It would be sorted soon enough, he reminded himself. And hopefully, everything would go to plan, leaving their friendship intact and everyone satisfied.

Chapter Text

They'd been practising for a few weeks now.

Aizawa had made it perfectly clear from the get-go that he was not going to be giving them any time in class to rehearse, so progress was slow but steady. They'd all been perfectly happy to find time for it. Even Bakugou had been strangely cooperative about it all. He hadn't even argued that much when they'd asked him to be involved.

Kaminari had decided not to question his weirdly compliant behaviour, preferring to count his blessings instead. The less stress involved, the better. Especially for Jirou, who was odd and stiff during rehearsals. Not that he could blame her, everything considered, but they couldn't afford for the others to grow suspicious.

"So, you're not gonna sing then?" Bakugou eyed her sceptically from behind the drum kit. Jirou rolled her eyes, aggravated by the question, one she'd been asked many a time in the past few weeks.

"No. I told you. I don't think music necessarily needs vocals to be impactful. You shouldn't have to rely on words to communicate your message." She turned back to her tuning with a sour expression. 

There was no doubt she felt uncomfortable under the questioning, considering, despite her passionate response, she really did plan to include vocals in the end product. Neither of them had anticipated just how shocked their classmates would be at the idea of her not singing.

Plenty of people had come to watch them practice, in spite of their relatively undeveloped material. And every single time they'd had an audience, someone had mentioned it.

"Jirou should be singing!" 

"It would be a waste of her voice not to make use of it!" 

Kaminari certainly appreciated her talents himself, but he hadn't expected how strongly their other classmates would feel about the matter. And it certainly didn't help the situation as a whole when they had to constantly justify themselves. Not that anyone else realised that he was involved in the decision.

He strummed across his guitar strings, constructing a basic riff as he tried to assess her mood. During this process, he'd been acutely aware of her increasing stress. Ever-present was the lingering feeling that he was just making things worse for her, regardless of his intentions.

"Oh, here we are, the stars of the show! Please excuse us, we weren't aware the famous class 2-A would be here. Shall we bow in your presence?"

Ah, the overblown sarcasm of Monoma. Just the thing we need to de-stress.

Kaminari wearily looked towards the entrance of the concert hall. The student in question had swept into a cartoonishly grand bow, his classmates shuffling to get around him. For someone who liked to complain about their perceived vanity, he sure liked to be the centre of attention.

Kaminari raised his hand from his instrument to wave at Tetsutetsu, who'd barged ahead of the rest, only to awkwardly idle around in the middle of the room. He grinned in return. Happy for something to occupy himself with, he jogged towards the stage. 

Unfortunately, he brought Monoma with him.

"I see, back with this schtick again, hmm? How predictable." He swaggered up to them like someone of importance who had been preceded by a personal bodyguard.

"Hey, wassup!" Testutestu greeted them as if Monoma had never spoken.

"Hey, man," Kaminari said, also ignoring Monoma as he lowered his guitar and approached the newcomers.

He liked Tetsutetsu. Sure, he was a bit intense, and a tad aggressive at times. But it wasn't like that was unusual at this school. And Kaminari had been lucky that Tetsutetsu’s brotherhood with Kirishima had been somewhat extended towards him, freeing him from the worst of his attempts to prove himself equal to the students of their class.

Kaminari had never really understood the weird, unspoken competition between their classes. It was a strange phenomenon he'd expected to have faded away by now. He’d been proven very wrong, unfortunately.

“Bo-ring,” Monoma said, raising his voice to command attention. “That’s what this class is. Dull, one-note hacks—”

He was cut off by a swift blow to the back of the head from Kendou, who smiled apologetically. “Sorry about that. He’s in a particularly obnoxious mood today.”

“What are you guys doing for the concert?” Tetsutetsu asked, before quickly adding, “‘Cause we’re doing something awesome, but I won’t tell you what in case you steal our ideas!”

“Can’t you see what they’re doing? The same thing they did last year.” Monoma said. “Be careful, if you get too used to resting on your laurels, you’ll soon find more worthy people taking your place.”

“Can we practise in here with you?” Kendou continued, ignoring both comments. Kaminari shrugged to show his lack of contention with the suggestion.

"Of course," Yaoyorozu said, getting a grateful smile in return.

"What?!" Tetsutetsu frowned. "But if they're in here while we practice, they might copy our secret techniques!"

"They'd do anything to steal our rightful spotlight from us," Monoma said darkly. At this point, he was speaking more to himself, like a monologuing villain, than anybody else.

Kendou stared at them both for a second before responding. "What secret techniques?! We haven't even settled on a concept yet!"

Monoma's eyes went wide, and he waved his hands in a pitiful attempt to dismiss her comment. "No, no, no! What are you talking about, Kendou? Of course, we have a concept - we have more than a concept! We have art. Art in its purest form. True creation! Far better than a measly rock band!"

He stepped forward then, grabbing Tetsutetsu by the arm and attempting to drag him towards the door. "Now, we should let them have their precious rehearsal time. They're going to need it far more than us."

Tetsutetsu looked at him strangely. "No way, we gotta actually practice sometime."

Kendou sighed. 

Kaminari could hardly blame her for feeling frustrated — if he was in her position, he'd have just excluded Monoma from the performance entirely. But maybe that would've caused even more trouble than this.

He watched her for a moment. She separated herself from the other two, apparently not having the energy to diffuse Monoma in his excited state. An idea came to his mind. 

The girl was obviously distressed — and hey, she was pretty cute, really — so he figured why not go and try to lift her mood? What was the harm in it? It had been a while since he'd chatted up a girl, as selfless as he'd been of late. Maybe this was his chance. 

For a moment, his eyes subconsciously sought Jirou's hunched form, and a strange feeling welled in his gut. 

No. He didn't have to feel guilty. It would only be a minute, a brief break before they got into rehearsal, nothing unreasonable or counterproductive. This entire thing had been organised for Jirou's sake. It wasn't like taking a minute to talk to Kendou would jeopardise that. 

So he wasn't sure why he felt so weird about it.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he jumped down from the stage. Kendou seemed surprised, but not displeased, to see him approach and attempted a smile.

"They're pretty excited about fundraising, huh?"

She let out a startled laugh. "If only that's what this was all about."

Kendou brushed her hair behind her ear as she spared her loud classmates another glance. She had it half up, red tendrils framing her face as the rest spilled over her shoulders. Very pretty, now that he thought about it.

"You know, I can think of some pretty cool things you guys can do."

She turned back to him, blinking in surprise.

"I mean, if those guys aren't gonna help," he said, jerking his head towards the others. "We can always talk it over at lunch somewhere?"

"Well, we could talk about it here." Again her gaze drifted to the squabbling pair, who were now suspiciously quieter. A second later, she looked back at him with a shrug. "But you know what? Why not?"

Holy shit.

Holy.

Shit.

Had he done it?

"Yeah?" He hastily sought clarification, too used to his quirk shutting him down.

"Yeah, sure." She smiled at him, before rolling her eyes fondly. "We'll probably make more progress than I do with these guys. I'm happy for any help at this point."

"Kendou, are you kidding?" Monoma's outraged voice interrupted them. "You know this guy, he's just trying to get you on a date with him."

Kaminari narrowed his eyes. He really didn't appreciate the way he'd been referred to, but what else could he expect from Monoma?

"Huh?" Tetsutetsu's brow furrowed. "A date?"

Kendou shrugged again. "Yeah, well…"

"What?!" Monoma exploded, pointing an accusing finger in her direction. "How could you even think about fraternising with the enemy?"

Oh great, here we go again.

His quirk had interfered once more and now Monoma was going to declare his love. In the most aggressive manner possible, apparently. Which was weird. He hadn't thought Monoma was capable of loving anyone but himself.

Kendou rolled her eyes. "Just grow up. They're not the enemy, and it's about time you learnt what that word meant, considering the profession you're planning on entering."

"A date?" Tetsutetsu repeated once more, as if unfamiliar with the concept entirely.

"Why would you date anyone from 2-A when you've got a perfectly good 2-B date right here?" Monoma said. "No need to settle for second-rate men."

Kaminari's expression shifted into a scowl at that. What a dick.

By now, his band had drifted towards them, and Bakugou also seemed to take offence. Although there wasn't much he wasn't willing to take offence to.

"What did you say? Second-rate, huh?" He smirked, jumping off the stage to approach Monoma. "Why don't you try winning a sports festival first and then we'll talk?"

Monoma laughed, high and frantic, but was cut off before he could respond.

"Why do you have to make everything into a scene, huh?" Kendou raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips. "Besides, what are you even talking about?"

"You don't need to be that desperate for a boyfriend—"

A spark of anger shot across her face. "You—"

"—Because you have your ideal man in the superior class, right Tetsutetsu?’

"Right!" Tetsutetsu nodded, but he didn't look like he knew what he was agreeing with, his eyes darting between the two of them.

"See?" Monoma smiled smugly. "Sorry, 2-A. Looks like you lose. Again."

Kaminari squinted at him. He wasn't sure how one person could get so delusional — there hadn't been many times his class had actually been bested by 2-B. But he supposed unhealthy obsession and delusion probably went hand-in-hand.

"What?" Kendou looked just as confused as he was.

"Come now, Kendou, let's leave. Don't worry about this guy."

"Stop calling me 'this guy'," Kaminari protested.

"You're going too far with this rivalry thing, Monoma. I can go out with whoever I want!"

"But you don't want to go out with him, so let's go."

"Who said I don't!" Kendou said, clearly getting frustrated. Kaminari was starting to get uncomfortable — not even because of the interference with his plans anymore. His quirk was supposed to be a benefit, something cute and romantic, and Monoma was getting a bit forceful for his liking.

"Your knight-in-shining-armour does," Monoma said, his sing-songy tone almost sounding as if he was making fun of her. But that wouldn't any make sense. "Your one true love, ready to sweep you off your feet, a member of the most brilliant class U.A. has ever seen! Right, Tetsutetsu?"

"Right." His accomplice sounded a lot less certain now, likely not wanting to contribute to Kendou's torment.

To Kaminari's surprise, a hot flush bloomed on the girl's face as she glared at Monoma. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" He asked, fluttering his eyes innocently.

"You know what," she said.

Maybe she is into Monoma. The thought was a strange one. He couldn't really fathom why a seemingly reasonable girl like her would want to put up with that guy. Even more than she had to already, that is.

"I couldn't possibly know what you mean. But I do know that you shouldn't bother with that guy when you have a better guy in a better class vying for your affection. Right, Tetsutetsu?"

Monoma was the most annoying human to ever exist, Kaminari decided. Jirou, who'd perched herself on the edge of the stage, seemed to agree, based on her expression.

Tetsutetsu looked like he really didn't know whether to agree or not, torn between his competitiveness and wanting to diffuse whatever weird situation was happening right now.

"...Right?"

Kaminari looked behind them, surprised to remember that those arguing weren't the only members of their class in the hall. Apparently, the others had decided to keep their distance. Smart.

Looking at Kendou, he saw that while she had averted her gaze, she was still heavily flushed. He walked away. His quirk was probably in action right now, he figured, so there was no point in holding out hope. Instead, he hoisted himself up onto the stage beside Jirou.

She smiled at him. The smile was caught between being amused and irritated, and he was right there with her. He bumped her shoulder with his. Can you believe this nonsense, Jirou? The ridiculous scenes this quirk brings about, I swear.

"And who would that be then?" Kendou challenged, turning to stare Monoma down.

He didn't seem too concerned about her gaze, however. Throwing his hands behind his head, he said, "Well, of course, that would be Tetsutetsu. Right, Tetsutetsu?"

"Ri…"

Tetsutetsu froze mid-agreement as he processed the words.

"Ignore Monoma," Kendou blurted out. Apparently, she hadn't been prepared for Monoma to take her up on her unspoken challenge.

Bakugou, seeing Monoma's distraction as an admission of defeat, backed away from the three. He turned to scowl at Kaminari. "Why'd you have to start this shit now, huh?"

"What?! I didn't even do anything!"

"I knew this stupid matchmaking stuff would only cause problems," he said, jumping back up onto the stage.

"Ignore me? Now, why would you tell him to do something like that?" Monoma continued without sparing Bakugou another glance,  pulling an exaggerated pout.

"Because you're being ridiculous." Kendou huffed, but her indignation was far less convincing than it had been. "No one but you had a problem with me dating someone from 2-A. And your reasoning isn't even worth listening to."

"But can you really be so sure about that?" Monoma sauntered over to Tetsutetsu, leaning heavily on his shoulder. "It would be a shame if you were mistaken, right Tetsutetsu?"

Tetsutetsu didn't respond.

Kaminari had to feel bad for the guy; the look on his face was that of an insect caught in a trap, frantic and caught unawares, only now to wait for its inevitable demise. He clearly hadn't expected the direction the conversation would go.

Yaoyorozu finally left her keyboard to intervene, leaving Bakugou and Tokoyami to continue their excessive warm-ups. "Monoma, instead of teasing your classmates, perhaps you should be rehearsing?"

Monoma scoffed. "We don't need to rehearse. Didn't you hear me? We've perfected our craft already."

Of all of Monoma's claims, this one seemed the least believable. Tokage and Kodai had made their way to the stage amidst the fuss and were both openly discussing possible ways to use the space. They were blatantly ignoring their classmates' shenanigans. If Kaminari wanted to engage further with Monoma, he'd point out that their focus showed that their performance wasn't as air-tight as he claimed. But he didn't.

"Well," Yaoyorozu said, smiling politely, "that's quite impressive. Unfortunately, we still need to rehearse."

"Of course you do." Monoma sneered.

"So, if you wouldn't mind, considering you have no need to be here, could you please leave this space to us for the time being?"

Kaminari heard Tokage sigh from behind them. "Sorry, you guys. Do you mind if we stay here for a bit? We really do need to rehearse."

Monoma seemed ready to contend this again, but Yaoyorozu responded before he could. "Of course, you can. But, in that case, could we please limit the…lively discussion? It can get a bit distracting."

The two girls shared a smile and Tokage nodded firmly. "No problem! I'll handle Monoma."

Monoma shot her an insulted look but, perhaps for the first time in his life, restrained himself from speaking. Instead, he straightened and haughtily joined them on the stage. It was strange, to see him comply. Kaminari couldn't help but wonder what his goal had been in creating such a scene.

Maybe he really just couldn't handle the thought of one of his classmates dating the enemy. And now that he was no longer worried about that, he was content to go on his way.

Leaving a traumatised classmate in his wake.

Kaminari didn't move right away, letting Jirou use his shoulder to push herself up. He was too busy watching Tetsutetsu, who looked to be in some sort of dazed state. As the others began to disperse, he leant forward.

"Hey, man," Kaminari said. Tetsutetsu's wide eyes turned towards him when he spoke. "You okay?"

Tetsutetsu blinked once. Twice. And then he seemed to snap back to the present. "Oh, yeah, dude! Just sort of spaced out for a second there."

Kaminari watched him wander over to his classmates before getting up himself. It was strange because Tetsutetsu's reaction to Monoma's interference told him that the boy probably was interested in Kendou.

And yet, Kaminari flirting with her hadn't ended up prompting his quirk after all. 

Was this another case like Jirou's? And if so, why?

He tried to focus as they settled into rehearsal, but his thoughts were distracting him. His eyes traced Jirou's focused face before wandering towards the other group, Tetsutetsu's dominant voice surprisingly subdued from within them.

It was difficult to admit, but there was a part of him that was hoping this was another failure on his quirk's behalf. It would be unfortunate for Tetsutetsu, of course. But it would give him another case study to compare against his current dilemma.

Maybe if he could decipher what the situations had in common, he could determine the cause.

His hands fumbled with the frets and he fell a beat behind. Bakugou scoffed from behind him.

So what exactly could be interfering with his abilities?

He stumbled over a chord progression. Jirou made her way over to him, her voice obscured from the others by the music. "Come on, Kaminari. This is basic stuff for you. Focus."

His heart sped up. Was that a disguised compliment of his improved musical ability from the musical expert herself? Denki. Like she said: Focus.

He stared at the sheet music in front of him, but he couldn't convince his mind to sit still. The main thought that preoccupied his mind was the same one that had been plaguing it for weeks beforehand.

Is it because it's not reciprocated?

His disobedient eyes left the page, lingering once more on the other occupants of the room as they bickered amongst themselves. 

The two of them were keeping a cautious distance from each other, Kendou seemingly preoccupied with Monoma's dramatics. They didn't look to be getting much done over there.

Kaminari's shoulders were hunched and a sickly feeling boiled in his gut. Maybe that was it. Maybe he'd made a promise he simply couldn't keep and all this work was for nothing.

Jirou would never forgive him.

His mouth grew dry. He could no longer feel the reverberation of his guitar strings as he strummed them. Chill out. Chill out, it's fine.

An image of Kendou from earlier popped into his head, her cheeks painted an angry crimson. That's right. That was a pretty strong reaction for someone unfazed by Monoma's teasing. So maybe it's not that. Maybe it's something else entirely that's getting in the way. 

His panic subsided, if only a little. This was a good thing. Now he had a way of studying his quirk's limitations without the pressure he felt when thinking about Jirou and Kirishima.

"Alright, well, we should head off, I guess."

Bakugou did not sound happy, and Kaminari was surprised to hear him calling it quits so early. He watched on as the rest of the group began to pack up.

"Shouldn't we stay for another hour or so?" He called to them, unplugging his guitar, regardless.

"What?" Bakugou scowled at him. "No way, I'm starved."

Kaminari frowned, glancing down at his phone. "What the hell?! It's dinnertime already?"

"Yeah, well," Bakugou said, "maybe we would've made more progress in the time we had if someone hadn't kept messing up."

Slinging his backpack onto his shoulder, Kaminari sighed imperceptibly. There wasn't really any way of arguing against that.

"Leave him alone, he did fine," Jirou said as she passed them both. "Besides, he was probably torn up over getting rejected earlier."

"I wasn't rejected." Kaminari hissed the words to avoid the others hearing, jogging to catch up with her.

"Yeah, you were." Jirou snorted. "By Monoma."

"Like I'd even want that guy's approval."

They fell into an easy step. Kaminari watched her carefully from the corner of his eye. She looked more relaxed than she had been before. Maybe the earlier spectacle had actually done some good, at the end of it all. A little distraction couldn't hurt.

"Hey, Kaminari!"

The pair looked behind them, holding the door open for Tetsutetsu as he jogged up to meet them. Kaminari was slightly surprised that he wanted to chat, given how quiet he'd been for the past few hours.

"Hey, dude! What's up?"

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Tetsutetsu grinned. "How was your rehearsal, you two?"

They answered with vaguely positive comments as they lingered near the doorway. Kaminari was far too embarrassed to give an accurate assessment of his performance that day, especially given how hard the others were working.

"How about yours?" He quickly jumped to add, eager to avoid any further questions.

Tetsutetsu looked down sheepishly. "You know, we didn't really get a lot done. Despite what Monoma said, we're actually a bit behind, you know?"

Kaminari wanted to say that he hadn't believed Monoma for a second, but he held himself back. "That sucks. Hopefully, you get some progress done soon, huh?"

"Right." Tetsutetsu nodded. "That's what I was gonna ask about. You said you had some ideas you thought would work for us, yeah?"

"Oh!" Kaminari had admittedly forgotten about that. It had originally been an excuse to set up a date, but hey. He was pretty sure he could throw together some cool ideas. "Yeah, dude! Did you wanna talk about them?"

"Well," Tetsutetsu paused, watching the door intently. Kaminari waited for a second, before exchanging a confused look with Jirou, who shrugged. About a minute later, the door opened and the boy began to talk again. "I think you should go grab dinner with Kendou and brainstorm with her. She can fill us in later."

He finished his suggestion with a sharp nod as if it had already been decided.

Kaminari turned to the door, where their classmates were slowly filing out. Neither Kendou nor Monoma moved from the doorway. Kendou looked shocked and confused, her eyes flickering between the two of them. Monoma, on the other hand, was acting as if he'd suffered a betrayal of the worst kind.

"Tetsutetsu, what the hell are you doing?" He said, low and sinister. While he didn't personally agree with the delivery of it, Kaminari had found himself wanting to ask a similar question.

Tetsutetsu shrugged with careful casualness. "Well, we're running out of time. It won't hurt to get an outsider's perspective, right?"

"She can't date that guy," Monoma said.

Not this shit again.

"She can if she wants to," Tetsutetsu said, frowning. "It doesn't matter what class he's in."

Kaminari looked around, bewildered. Was Tetsutetsu seriously trying to set him up with Kendou now? After he'd essentially been outed as having feelings for her?

"She doesn't want to." Monoma rolled his eyes dramatically.

Tetsutetsu's frown deepened at that. "She did, though. You just wouldn't shut up about how it was a terrible idea."

Monoma scoffed. "So this is the thanks I get. Typical. After I go out of my way to prevent Kendou from falling into the wrong hands."

Spoken as if Kendou was a precious artifact and Kaminari was a criminal mastermind. Kaminari rolled his eyes.

"It's not up to you to decide that, though. If she wants to go out with someone from 2-A, that's her choice." Tetsutetsu's eyes darted towards where Kendou was standing but immediately looked away. "Besides, I bet they'll figure out the perfect idea for us. Then we can crush them in the concert!"

Kaminari wasn't sure if the final sentiment was just for Monoma's sake or not, but he was glad to see Tetsutetsu more like his usual self.

"You realise the concert isn't a competition, right?" Jirou asked from beside him.

Monoma seemed to ignore her contribution entirely as he hummed, considering his classmate's logic. Apparently, he decided winning a concert was more important than not dating the enemy, considering his next words.

"Fine." He sniffed in distaste. "If gathering intel from him is what we need to do, then fine."

"It's hardly 'gathering intel' if you're talking about it right in front of me!" Kaminari jumped in. "Besides, I offered to help you guys out."

"It's not like this guy would get a second date, anyway." Monoma continued without missing a beat. "So, I suppose I will give my permission."

There was silence for a second before Kendou spoke. "I don't want to date him, though."

Kaminari flinched. He should've just gone straight to dinner instead of humouring Tetsutetsu. Jirou snickered from beside him as he slumped. Sure, he'd been able to tell that she wasn't that interested in him. But that didn't mean he wanted a semi-public rejection either.

Tetsutetsu was frozen as if he'd never considered such a response was even possible. "But you…"

"Well, now you have to," Monoma said, staring her down. "You want us to win, right?

"Wait, no." Tetsutetsu looked alarmed by the statement. "That's not what I—"

"Hmm? What's that? You've got a problem with Kendou going on a date with this guy, even if it's for the greater good of our class?"

"What is even happening anymore?" Jirou mumbled, leaning into Kaminari's shoulder. He shrugged helplessly.

"Just leave them alone already." Tokage sighed. She was the only other student who'd bothered to stick around for the dramatics, but it looked like her interest was beginning to wane.

"Why don't you take me to dinner instead?" Kendou spoke up with sudden confidence. "We don't need to rely on another class - we can brainstorm together."

Tetsutetsu seemed to take a second to realise she was referring to him, despite the direct eye contact she was making. "Uhh, I mean…I probably won't… have many good ideas, though…"

"Sure, you will." Kendou smiled. "Besides, we won't really be beating their class if we just use their ideas. We're perfectly capable of coming up with a great performance ourselves."

"Well, I…" Tetsutetsu looked down, strangely hesitant. "I guess, if that's what you really want, then yeah."

"Is that…" Kendou watched him. "...what you want, though?"

Tetsutetsu snapped out of his shyness just as quickly as he'd been enveloped in it. "Yeah! You're totally right, too. We should win using our own ideas!"

"I disagree," Monoma said. "Taking others' ideas for your own proves wit, cunning, and strategy, so it's perfectly valid as proof of our superiority."

"Why are they still talking about winning a concert?" Jirou asked, her hands now folded on Kaminari's shoulder.

He smirked. "You tell me."

"Don't worry, Monoma," Tokage said. "I can gather intelligence for you if you're really that worried about it! Come on then, Kaminari, come and spill your secrets for me."

She grabbed him by the arm, and he found himself vaguely following as his brain struggled to process the recent events. 

But as it did, his feet began to lag. Tokage looked at him curiously, but he spun around without acknowledging her.

"Wait!" He pointed, gesturing between Tetsutetsu and Kendou frantically. "Are you two going on a date tonight?!"

"Uhh…" Tetsutetsu looked uncertain, but Kendou filled in the silence.

"Yep!"

Ah shit. His body collapsed under the sheer weight of disappointment, just barely managing to remain standing. He'd gotten his hopes up. Really, he should've waited it out before jumping to conclusions. But he'd been so willing for any chance to figure out what was happening that he hadn't considered that it might've just been a delayed response.

"It's alright, buddy." Tokage let go of his sleeve to pat his shoulder sympathetically. "There are always more fish in the sea."

"Sorry, Kaminari."

He shook his head at Kendou's apology, waving his hands with a forced laugh. "No, no, it's cool. Have a good time, alright?"

Kaminari cursed his emotional transparency. He didn't care if people thought he was upset over the rejection, but Jirou was there. And he didn't want to risk her catching into his uncertainty. That was a recipe for disaster.

He made a conscious effort to straighten himself as Tokage resumed pulling him away. It was fine. He'd have to just continue with the plan the way it was. And just hope for the best.

Chapter Text

"Where are we going?"

The question was answered with a shrug as Tokage turned to grin at him. At least she'd let go of his sleeve. "Dunno. Just figured we'd wing it."

Kaminari was a little confused as to why they were going anywhere in the first place. Tokage had seemed to step in as Kendou's replacement, to placate Monoma. Did that make this a date?

Even if it was, he couldn't bring himself to be that excited about it.

For just a second, he'd let himself get caught up in possibilities. After all, if his quirk had failed for Tetsutetsu despite Kendou's feelings, that would've been the first positive sign he'd gotten for Jirou's situation.

But of course, that wasn't the case.

"Hey, Kami. You've been taking your sweet time."

Kaminari turned to see Sero approaching them, confused. He took a moment to be guiltily relieved that it hadn't been Kirishima who'd been sent to find him. It was horrible, having to think that way about one of his best friends. But he really couldn't help it.

The last thing he needed was another reminder of how screwed he was.

"Where are you guys going?"

"I've been sent to discuss the concert with someone from your class 'cause Monoma thinks it'll give us a strategic advantage," Tokage said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sero screwed up his nose. "A strategic advantage for what?"

Tokage shrugged. She didn't seem too phased by the reasoning behind it. "Anyway, I was thinking we'd go get burgers or something."

Kaminari's face lit up. If there was anything that could make him feel a little better right now, feasting on burgers was it. "Awesome! Sounds like a plan."

Sero looked like he wanted to ask to join, but before he got a chance to, he was interrupted.

"Uhh…Sorry…"

The three of them turned simultaneously.

Jirou stood a few metres away, fidgeting with her sleeve as if she was hesitant to approach. Kaminari raised a curious eyebrow.

"What's up, Jirou?" He tried to keep his voice light and casual. She seemed to be anxious again, and he didn't want his own stress to affect her.

"Well, I just…" She paused, gnawing on her lip as she glanced at Tokage. When her eyes focused back on him, she straightened up. "I was hoping you could help me with something, actually. I'm sorry if you're busy, but…I need your help."

Kaminari's eyes widened and his heart sank. So much for the burgers. He didn't have it in him to leave Jirou looking like that. Even if it meant he had to give up hamburgers with a cute girl.

"Yeah, of course." He smiled at her reassuringly before turning to Tokage. "Sorry, looks like you're not gonna get any info from me. Hope Monoma isn't too disappointed."

"Ah, well." Tokage pressed her lips thoughtfully before looking over at Sero. "Hey, how 'bout you come with me then?"

Sero raised his eyebrows, looking towards Kaminari, who sighed internally.

"Yeah, there you go," he said, trying to stay upbeat. "Perfect solution."

Despite the sudden change in his plans, Sero took it in stride, as he did most things. "Alright, catch you guys later then."

And with that, they left. 

Kaminari wasn't as disappointed as he'd expected himself to be as he watched the pair walk off. Maybe it was because his mind was preoccupied, too worried about Jirou to be upset at his own misfortune.

"I'm sorry."

Immediately upon hearing the apology, Kaminari felt guilty. Here he was, worrying about getting burgers when Jirou was clearly upset about something.

She'd gotten more unsure sounding of late. He knew she doubted him, doubted his plan, and he didn't blame her for it. How could he, when he felt the exact same way?

But it still got to him to see her like that.

"What for? You didn't do anything." He grinned at her. "What do you need my help with?"

Jirou looked away. "It's these stupid lyrics. I know you said I should write them so that they're from the heart or whatever, but everything I write just sounds dumb or doesn't come across the way it's supposed to."

She sighed, running her hands through her hair in frustration. Apparently, this had been weighing on her mind. He held out his hands, placatingly. "It's alright. You want me to help you with the lyrics? That's no problem, okay?"

"Yeah?" She winced. "I know I told you I'd handle it but—"

"It's cool," he said, his voice gentle. "Let's go then."

They wandered back to the dorms in mostly silence, a brief quip about that afternoon's rehearsal thrown in here and there. He liked moments like this. He just wished he could appreciate the time he'd gotten to spend with her lately without the lingering dread that ate away at him.

As they entered her room and settled themselves on the floor, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever get the opportunity to enjoy her company normally again. If this fails — if she humiliates herself — she might never talk to me again.

"—so that's fine, but the melody's nothing without the lyrics, and that's where I'm stuck."

Kaminari nodded, grateful to have caught enough of what she was saying to understand. "Then let's work on those now!"

He shifted to look over at the sheet music she was holding. A neatly drawn melody sat on the stave - clear and precise, as he was accustomed to her music being. But below that was a different story. Several dashed lines, most completely illegible, littered the bottom of the page. He could feel her frustration just looking at them.

But he couldn't write the lyrics for her.

If it was a heartfelt gesture that his quirk needed, they needed to avoid any possible chance of rendering it ineffective.

"Look," he said, after a moment of thought, "I still think you should write it yourself, but I can help prompt ideas, you know? I'll be your soundboard."

Jirou looked slightly irritated by his unwillingness to contribute, but she didn't mention it. "Alright, fine. So, what should I do then?"

"Well…" Geez, how do people write love songs? "I guess you should just…well, how does Kirishima make you feel?"

"What?!" Jirou yelped, her face colouring. "Why would you ask me something like that?"

Kaminari rolled his eyes. "Why do you think? That's what you're gonna be writing about, right?"

"Yeah…but it's so embarrassing to have to say that stuff out loud."

"Well, you're gonna have to." He shrugged. "I don't make the rules."

She sighed. "Fine. I guess…I like being around him…"

"Pretty basic, doubt we'll be able to do much with that."

"Shut up, I'm getting there, okay?" she said, shoving his leg with her foot. "He makes me feel… at ease, you know?"

Kaminari watched her carefully as she began to try and describe her feelings. She ducked her head, her eyes becoming distant as she continued.

"I always feel so light when he's happy, like everything's right with the world—"

His eyes travelled towards the ceiling as he listened to her. He felt weird. 

"—But when he's upset, I get this horrible feeling in my stomach, and I just want to do anything to see him smile again."

It hit him. It hit him so hard that he was surprised he didn't pass out on the spot.

He knew those feelings. He knew exactly what she was trying to describe right now because he'd felt it - he'd been feeling it — for a while now.

"He makes my heart race with even the most basic acknowledgement, the smallest compliment. And when I'm around him, I just wanna make him proud, you know?"

Kaminari swallowed thickly. "Yeah. That's a good start. Why don't you start by writing this stuff down as it comes into your head? We can see what we can work with later."

He could see Jirou nodding from his peripheral vision, but he didn't move his gaze from the ceiling. He couldn't look at her right now.

He had to be wrong. That was all there was to it. He had to be mistaking his feelings for what they weren't. Maybe he was just tired. A long day of stressing out would do that to a guy. There was nothing to worry about. Aside from the things he'd already been worrying about. He'd get a good night's sleep tonight and wake up refreshed, unbothered by strange, imaginary feelings.

The last thing he needed was for this situation to get more difficult.

Chapter Text

Kaminari ran his fingers through his hair absently. It was getting a bit long for his tastes. Usually, he would've trimmed it by now, but he'd been far too distracted as of late. If he was one of those guys who could rock a ponytail, like Bench Guy, he wouldn't mind so much. But he wasn't so sure he could.

Maybe he should go get it cut at the mall sometime soon.

He suppressed a sigh as he watched Aizawa loitering around the front of the classroom ranting about something or other. Usually, he was great at letting his mind wander during class. In fact, he'd consider it one of his best skills. But there was only one topic his mind strayed to recently, and it wasn't one he was willing to think about.

The class had been getting more and more enthusiastic the closer they came to the fundraising concert. It seemed everything they talked about was somehow related to it. Which only made him feel worse.

Suck it up. You're the reason this concert is even happening in the first place.

And, as usual, any thought of the concert immediately made him think of Jirou. Jirou, who would probably never speak to him again if this plan didn't work. And if it did work…

Stop it. Don't think about it.

He was just overthinking things. Jirou was cool, they got along well, and they'd been spending a lot of time together as of late. That's all it was. Maybe his fear of losing her friendship had tricked him into thinking his feelings were more potent than they really were.

All he needed was for this concert to be successful - Jirou would confess, she and Kirishima would get together and then everything would be as it should be.

…

His fingers tapped sporadic patterns against his desk. He needed to stop thinking. Clearly, this wasn't doing him any good.

As he got up to leave, a gentle tug on his sleeve stopped him in his tracks. He turned to see the very face he'd been desperately trying not to avoid, both in person and in his head. She smiled at him. It was weak, apologetic, and it stung his heart.

"Hey, could we hang out today?"

Hang out. Which was code for: ‘Spend a few hours agonising over lyrics with me as I try to articulate how I feel about another guy.’

Jesus, Denki, get over yourself.

It wasn't like he didn't want to help her — that was still his main priority. But it was just becoming so draining to sit there and listen to her wax poetic over Kirishima. Who'd, frustratingly, continued to barely even interact with her.

He'd been under enough pressure as it was. But, of course, now he'd had to go and get all confused and conflicted about his feelings. That was just what he needed. Another wrench in the plan.

The writing process had only become more difficult as they progressed, too. Every time she'd decide on a line she'd second-guess it, rewrite it a good ten times, and then get frustrated. Sometimes they'd end a writing session with fewer lines written than they'd had beforehand. 

He just needed a break.

"Sorry, Jirou. But, uhh…" He floundered, looking around desperately before his eyes landed on a certain classmate. "Mina made me promise to go to the mall with her this afternoon."

Ashido looked up, her eyes wide as she peered between the two of them. "Oh…Oh! Right! I totally forgot about that, yeah. You ready to go then, Kami?"

Jirou's face fell briefly, but she wrangled it back into a smile. "Ah. Yeah, okay, have a good time then."

"Maybe you'll make better progress without me there?" Kaminari suggested under his breath, hoping to lift her spirits. "Less awkward, right?"

"I prefer having you there. I feel more… inspired, I guess?"

Kaminari raised his eyebrow but didn't respond. Considering their progress as of late, he highly doubted that.

“Sorry, Jirou!” Mina said, interlocking her arm in his. “I super need Kami’s expert advice.”

He felt a rush of appreciation towards the girl for her willingness to cover for him, despite being given no prior warning that she would have to. She was a real friend. He'd have to buy her something while they were out as thanks for her backup. 

Arm in arm, they left the building. He tried not to stew in his guilt. It wasn't like he was abandoning her — the concert was going ahead soon, and he'd be right there next to her to make sure his quirk did its job.

"So!" Mina cocked her head. "Are you gonna tell me what that was about?"

He winced. "Am I allowed to say no?"

It wasn't that he didn't trust Ashido. If he told her about the technical difficulties he was having with his quirk, he knew she wouldn't intentionally tell anyone. But she could get excited. And when she got excited, she tended to get talkative. And when she got talkative, sometimes she let things slip that she didn't mean to.

He couldn't afford to let that happen.

Luckily, Ashido just grinned. "Man of mystery, huh? Fine, keep your secrets. But now you have to go shopping with me."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

As far as distractions go, Ashido was a pretty good one. She was loud and bubbly, and her train of thought travelled faster than any bullet train could ever hope to, so she never ran out of things to talk about.

She was also a total hottie.

We'd probably be good together. We're similar, we get along well, and she's got a rocking body.

Against his will, the image of Jirou filled his head, lying on the grass by that bench. The sunlight had been speckled across her skin, golden and illuminating. She had glowed in the serenity of that warm afternoon. And that smile she'd graced him with, the one that made her eyes crinkle as she expressed her appreciation.

Had she always been that beautiful? How hadn't he noticed?

He physically flinched, drawing Ashido's concerned attention.

What the hell is wrong with me? Why does she keep popping into my head?!

He needed to figure out a way to stop it because he wasn't going to let his stupid emotions get in the way. He'd made a promise. And he was going to keep it no matter what.

No matter how oblivious Kirishima was.

No matter the consequences when everyone realised that his quirk had essentially failed for several weeks.

No matter how often he thought about her.

"You okay?" Ashido eyed him strangely.

"Yeah! Totally!" He snapped out of his thoughts with a grin. "I was just thinking about all the cool stuff we're gonna buy."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Like…nunchucks."

"Nunchucks?!" Ashido snorted.

"Obviously."

"What use would nunchucks be? You've got your quirk, don't you? You know, the one you're actually supposed to be training? Did you forget you had that?"

"The nunchucks aren't for fighting, Mina." He rolled his eyes. "They're purely for aesthetic purposes."

"Ah, of course!" Ashido nodded sagely. "Well, in that case, I better get a pair too."  

"You tryna steal my look, eh?" Kaminari shook his head in mock disappointment as they entered the mall. "I always knew you couldn't be trusted."

Ashido snickered as she let go of his arm, skipping ahead of him. "So, where to?"

"Anywhere you want! The first thing you want is my treat, alright?"

Ashido's expression morphed into a mischievous grin.

"Wait!" Kaminari quickly backpedalled. "Nothing too crazy, alright? I'm no pro-hero yet, so don't bankrupt me."

"Sorry, can't hear you!" Ashido called behind her as she ran off. "Too busy thinking about how to spend your money!"

Ah, jeez. He sped up in pursuit of his frivolous classmate. She was a hard person to keep up with, ducking and swerving through milling shoppers. When he finally caught up, she'd made herself at home among the shelves of an upscale clothing store.

"No way, Mina," he said as he followed her through the aisles. "I can't afford anything here! I just meant like ice cream or a bracelet or something."

"Or nunchucks?" Ashido smirked at him.

"As long as they don't sell them here ."

"Quit your whining. You're the one who made the promise, so you've only got yourself to blame," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Mina, please. Be reasonable," he pleaded, watching her admiring a display of sunglasses. They were probably a designer brand, he figured.

I bet one pair of those is worth, like, five whole video games.

He looked on in horror as she picked out a large, bedazzled pair to try on. She admired herself in the mirror before turning for his approval.

"So? How do I look?"

"Expensive," He said instantly.

"Aww, Kami!" She waved her hand with false modesty. "Oh, stop it you!"

" Too expensive."

She laughed as she took them off, twisting them to check the price tag.

"Please. Have some mercy!"

Ashido hummed for a few tense moments, before punching him playfully in the shoulder. 

"Nah, I won't make you buy this." She snickered, pulling out her wallet. As she slid a few notes out of it, he spotted a small photograph displayed within.

"Hey, is that…Hagakure?" He leaned over to get a better view of the photo. In hindsight, he probably hadn't needed to confirm the figure's identity. Not many people were invisible, as far as he knew.

"Oh! Yeah!" Ashido laughed. "She gave me this to discourage me from going on shopping sprees."

"Huh?"

"You know, I'm a bit of an addict." Ashido grinned, pulling the photo from its place to show him. "She said I should keep this picture in my wallet so that every time I open it to buy something unnecessary, I'll see her disapproving face and think again about my purchase. But I just can't be intimidated by her! She's so cute when she's mad!" 

Kaminari squinted at the picture in her hand, trying to distinguish any obvious emotion. He honestly couldn't say for certain if the girl was mad or cute, but he decided not to counter Ashido's declaration.

He watched as she pulled the photo back towards her, gently smoothing it with her thumb before she carefully tucked it away.

"Hey, Mina…" He wasn't sure what prompted him to speak, or why he had suddenly been hit with a possible realisation. "Are…you into Hagakure?"

Her eyes widened as she snapped her wallet shut and turned to him. "Oh my god, is it that obvious?"

He waved his hands in front of his face. "No, no! Not at all. I totally hadn't noticed until now."

And he wasn't really sure why he'd caught on. Maybe this whole matchmaking stuff was heightening his romantic instincts somehow. And speaking of which…

"Why haven't you asked for my help?"

"I just…I guess I just…I didn't want her to like me just because of a quirk, you know?" Ashido looked down thoughtfully but met his eyes again with a hurried reassurance. "Like, not that I think you're doing anything wrong and your quirk is totally awesome and all, it's just…not how I want to find my soulmate."

Kaminari blinked. He'd never expected a response like that from her. In fact, he'd never even considered that anyone wouldn't want guaranteed help with their love life.

Not so guaranteed though, is it?

"Besides," Ashido said after a while, sliding the sunglasses back onto her face, "she's totally into Ojiro. Which is fine. Like, it is what it is, right?"

She turned to him, her smile tinted with gentle sadness. His chest clenched.

"Right."

"I just want her to be happy. With the person she's supposed to love. Whoever that happens to be."

"That's surprisingly selfless of you, Mina."

"What?! It's not a surprise, I'm selfless, like, all the time!"

"But I get what you mean."

"Do you?" Ashido watched him with searching eyes, but her uncomfortable analysis stopped once she seemed to realise she still hadn't paid for her sunglasses. She headed towards the counter, leaving him to consider her words.

He understood exactly where she was coming from.

Chapter Text

He renewed his efforts.

His confidence in his work was diminished, so rather than relying on it, he decided that he was going to make sure this performance was so incredible that no one could possibly reject such a display of affection. 

And he didn't worry about that little voice in his head, the one that constantly asked if he was doing the right thing. He knew now that it was only his selfishness talking.

And it didn't matter that every time he saw her he felt a little more longing, a little more attachment than he had before.

He had made a promise to a friend, and he wasn't going to let her down.

So, he accepted every time she asked for his assistance with her lyrics. Despite the symphony of competing emotions he was subjected to whenever he did.

"I dunno, does it feel like him? Electrifying? I just — I like the wording, but I'm not sure."

Kaminari raised his eyebrow at her. She'd curled up on her bed to hover over her sheet music while he lounged on the floor.  "Why are you asking me? Do you think it feels like him?"

"It just feels so…energetic, I guess?"

"Kiri's pretty energetic."

"Right, yeah." Jirou nodded to herself as she jotted something down on the paper below her.

Kaminari stretched languidly as he let his gaze drift around her room. Electrifying. Had she gotten the idea from him being there? Helping to inspire a musician as talented as Jirou was a pretty cool thought.

"This line doesn't work, it's just…not right."

"Which one?" He folded his arms on the edge of her bed, peering over at the lyrics.

"This one." 

She pointed at a line on the sheet, but it looked no different to him than any of the other sentimental lyrics that covered the page.

"What about it?"

She sighed, rubbing her hands along her thighs anxiously. "It just doesn't feel right."

He frowned. "But that's one you wrote ages ago though, right? You were happy with it then, I remember! What changed?"

"I dunno." 

Kaminari watched her gnaw on her bottom lip, concerned. He hated seeing her this stressed out - even more so knowing that he was the one who had put her in this position.

"You know, the performance is in a few weeks and nerves are building up. Maybe you're just overthinking it, Jirou."

"Yeah." She stared at the page for a few seconds more before repeating. "Yeah. You're right. I'm just overthinking everything."

He smiled at her softly. "You'll be happy when this is all over and done with, huh?"

She looked up and when their eyes met, she froze. His smile slipped as she stayed silent, her eyes locked onto his — a vulnerable, wide-eyed look.

"...Jirou? Are you okay?"

She snapped out of her daze, ducking her head with an embarrassed blush and a scowl. "Yeah. Yeah, well, I'll be happy not to see your dumb face so often."

"Cold, Jirou!" He clutched his chest dramatically, ignoring the sting the comment caused. Of course, she was sick of hanging out with him all the time. That was time she could've spent with Kirishima but had instead been forced to waste on him.

Jirou snorted, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "I guess that's it then."

"We're done?" He asked, pushing against the bed to stand. It was relieving to see Jirou a little more upbeat, finally. There was no way he could blame her for it — they'd spent so long trying to perfect the lyrics for their performance. And while he could tell she wasn't entirely satisfied, apparently it was good enough.

That was one less weight on his shoulders, at least.

"We're done," she confirmed. "And before lunch, too. Wanna go check out what everyone's up to?"

"Yeah, sure." He stretched, his muscles weary. Sometimes he had to wonder if mental exhaustion could translate into physical once it got overwhelming enough. "Why not?"

The common room was teeming with life when they got there, which was unusual for a Saturday. There were also some faces he wasn't used to seeing. He was thrilled to see Bench Guy among them, lounging on one of the couches next to Koda as they attempted to participate in charades. Which was funny since Koda simply being there was basically already a game of charades.

"A train conductor! A balloon artist participating in his craft! A referee!"

Iida was calling out potential answers without pause, as dedicated to the task as he was to any. He likely wasn't aware of how overbearing his participation was. If anything, he was lucky to be surrounded by people who knew he wasn't being intentionally inconsiderate. Maybe the reason he was so enthusiastic was that it was Hatsume standing up there. She was seemingly miming someone aggressively blowing a whistle.

Actually, now that he was thinking about it, he realised that he was surrounded by the couples he was responsible for creating. It was sort of surreal. And it amplified his guilt, seeing them all with Jirou right next to him. A blatant demonstration of how he'd failed her , specifically.

He watched her warily, but she didn't seem to pay much mind to the ensemble. Instead, she threw herself onto the floor by their feet, resting her head against the armrest as she eyed Hatsume's performance. After a hesitant moment, Kaminari followed.

Waving to Sero as he sat beside her, he was forced to double-take when he realised that he had a pair of legs casually flung across his lap. Tokage grinned at him and waved in Sero's stead, the latter far too entrenched in a comic to even be aware of Kaminari's presence.

When did that happen?

He thought of that afternoon after rehearsal, those burgers he'd missed out on. Was he really at the point he was struggling to keep track of all the couples he unintentionally got together?

"Someone calling their dog?" Jirou suggested. He noticed her shoulder pressing into his, the gentle pressure drawing his attention as she leant her weight into him. His heart wedged into his throat, but he ignored it.

“Blowing bubbles through a straw?” Bench Guy called from behind him. From the frustrated expression on Hatsume’s face, Kaminari could only assume no one had even come close to guessing it right. Though he couldn’t really imagine what else it could be.

“Are you guys kidding?!” Hatsume flung her arms down. “It’s obviously someone using Breath-Amplifying, Sharp-Shooting equipment specifically calibrated for breath-quirk users to direct their attacks with deadly accuracy.”

Iida frowned. “That wasn’t a prompt.”

“Yeah.” Hatsume shrugged. “I improvised. I thought pro-heroes in training would have gotten that one easily, but I guess not.”

Kaminari didn’t think she really had the right to be disappointed in them, considering the absurd specificity of what she’d wanted them to guess.

“Yes!” Tokage cheered. She tapped Sero’s knee with her foot to get his attention before jumping up. “Our turn.”

On the other couch, Ashido squealed and leant forward, her arm intertwined with Hagakure’s. “Go Setsuna! We’ve got a chance to pull ahead.”

“No making up your own one, though,” Hagakure said, before addressing the final occupant of their couch. “Bakugou, you have to participate this time.”

“I don’t even want to play this shitty game.”

“Too bad.”

Kaminari zoned out as the two began a hearty back-and-forth, his eyes absently trailing above them to scan the room. His gaze didn’t have to travel far, however. Standing there, unengaged from the rest of the room, Yaoyorozu was watching him.

He wasn’t sure why he knew. She didn’t gesture towards him, didn’t say anything or even move her lips. But somehow he automatically understood that she wanted to talk to him. Maybe he was psychic.

Or maybe he was just delusional.

He stood up, anyway. Anything was better than being this close to Jirou right now, as conflicting as his feelings were towards her. Besides, if Yaoyorozu didn’t have something to talk to him about, he’d just make up something to talk to her about instead.

Slipping away from the squabbling group, he tried not to notice Jirou's questioning glance.  By the time he'd gotten up, Yaoyorozu had already left the room. He winced. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too weird for him to follow her out. Maybe no one would notice.

Before he could think on it any further, he hastily made his way after her.

"Hey, Yaomomo!" He called as he caught up with the girl. She'd stopped just outside the building, seemingly waiting for him. Apparently, his psychic assumption had been correct.

"Hi Kaminari," she said, her countenance pleasant but slightly guarded, "I wanted to talk to you about something if that's okay."

He hummed as he waited for her to continue, trying to gauge from her expression what she wanted to discuss.

"See," she began after a moment, "I know Jirou's asked for your help. And it hasn't been going well, exactly."

The sigh that bubbled up in his throat was hard to suppress. This was it. The truth was starting to spread — his reputation as U.A.'s resident cupid was going to be in shambles before long. And now he was going to be lectured about how unreliable he'd been. She'd be right, too.

What sort of self-respecting matchmaker fell for a client?

That was just asking for trouble. Maybe it wasn't Jirou who was inhibiting his quirk's effectiveness.

Maybe it was him.

Maybe his own reluctance to see her with Kirishima had forcibly prevented him from helping her.

But it wasn't like he'd always felt this way. Unless he had. And he'd just never realised until it was far too late.

"So, I thought I'd wait until after you'd helped her to ask for your help, but that might take a while. And honestly, I don't think she still… But anyway, I was just wondering if you'd consider helping me simultaneously."

Kaminari blinked slowly as he pushed back his thoughts long enough to process her words. "Wait, you still want my help?"

"Of course. As long as you'd be happy to do so," she said.

"Even though you know my quirk has completely failed in Jirou's case?"

"Well," Yaoyorozu said with a smile, "you still have a significant success rate. And I'm sure things will work out with Jirou, too."

That makes one of us.

"...How can I help then?"

"It's…" She blushed faintly. "Todoroki."

Ah, of course. Number one eligible bachelor in the school. He was surprised he hadn't gotten a request regarding him until now.

"It's not that I want to go out with him. I just want to be able to start a conversation with him."

"Wait… You don't want to date him? You just want to talk to him? I don't know if I have that much specific control over my quirk, you know, Yaomomo. It just kinda…does what it wants."

"Well, it's not like I'd be against going out with him. All I meant was that… just getting to be able to talk to him would be enough, you know?"

"...Yeah, I know."

If you really knew that, you wouldn't be letting your selfish desires get in the way of her happiness.

"So?" She looked at him, a timid hope in her eyes. "Will you help me?"

"Yeah, of course."

With an exchange of smiles, Yaoyorozu let out a deep breath as if releasing the tension from her body. “Thank you.”

With a courteous nod, she turned, heading in the direction they came from. As he went to follow her back inside, an arm was flung around his shoulder. He looked up to see Kirishima’s cheeky grin. “Hey, man.”

“Hey!” He tried to mimic his grin, despite his weariness.

“So,” Kirishima said, “the boys and I have noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time with Jirou lately.”

Oh, come on. Give me a break.

“Oh, yeah.” Kaminari laughed uncomfortably. “You know, concert stuff. I’m trying to help out as much as I can.”

“You sure that’s it? You two seem pretty close.”

“We’re pretty good friends, yeah.”

“Dude, you know what I mean!” Kirishima laughed. “You’re super into her, right?”

Maybe he’s asking because he’s worried about hurting me by going out with her. He wasn’t sure if he wanted that to be the truth or not.

“Nah, man. We’re just friends.”

“Hey, Kami.” Kirishima turned to him, his face suddenly serious. “You know, you can be honest with me, right? I would never tell anyone. I actually think I could help, like maybe bring you up in conversation and see how she reacts? I mean, you’ve been helping everyone else out, and I really think you should have a chance to experience some romance for yourself.”

Kaminari was touched by his sincerity, but he really didn’t like where this conversation was going. It was touching on emotions he really didn’t want to think about. Not to mention, his suggestion to help him romantically was not a good sign for Jirou.

"No, no, no! Trust me. I don't like her like that."

It almost hurt to say those words. But he knew that it was for the best. The last thing he needed now was Kirishima trying to set him up with Jirou. That would be incredibly counterproductive.

Kirishima didn't look convinced, and Kaminari couldn't really blame him. To his credit, he didn't push the subject.

"Well, if you ever need to talk about anything, you know I'm here. I noticed you've been pretty quiet recently. I know you've been working really hard to help everyone out recently, but remember to do things for yourself sometimes too!"

He felt his heart squeeze painfully. There was something in him that desperately wanted to take him up on his offer, confide in him about all his anxieties and self-doubts. That he didn’t know what he was doing or what was the right thing to do. That he did have feelings for Jirou and was struggling to help her, and the longer the situation dragged out, the more difficult it got.

But he couldn’t.

Not to Kirishima. Not to anyone.

"Don't worry about me, man," Kaminari reassured him. "I'm okay."

I'm okay.

Chapter Text

He’d never felt so emotionally drained before.

The pressure of everyone else’s feelings weighing down on his shoulders was overwhelming. He’d seen so many people get together of late, so many people connecting around him, yet he didn’t think he had ever felt so lonely before. The problem with hooking up his friends was that they automatically had less time to spare on hopeless matchmakers like him. And he was starting to wonder if the only reason people approached him now was that they were after his help.

How was he meant to feel about spending most of his time with someone who was only trying to take advantage of his quirk? There was no way Jirou would be wasting so much of her free time on him otherwise. And, of course, he’d just had to develop feelings for her during that time. Time she didn’t even want to be spending with him, because if everything had just gone right in the first place, none of it would’ve been necessary.

It was all so frustrating.

The image of Ashido’s soft, sad smile was plaguing his head lately, infecting his dreams so that even sleep couldn’t serve as an escape.

“I didn’t want her to like me just because of a quirk, you know?”

Just how much did his quirk play into it? Uncertainty had swum around his head for days, fogging his thoughts. What was happening when it triggered?

How much influence did it truly have over people?

Were their emotions genuine, or was every action a performance, prompted by simulated feelings? This whole time he’d been trying to help everyone, had he really been doing irreparable damage?

He didn’t know. He couldn’t know.

Everyone around him seemed so happy. They thanked him like his involvement had been some kind of blessing, but they couldn’t know, either.

It made him feel sick. 

"Kaminari!"

He hadn't expected anyone to look for him out there. It wasn't like anyone really used this bench that much anymore.

"So, let me get this right," she said as she approached him. Her lips were pressed together tightly, and he could immediately tell that she was upset. "Yaomomo came to you two days ago, to ask if you'd help her talk to Todoroki, right?"

Oh god.

"And today she comes to tell me that she's asked him out."

Kaminari's eyes widened as he straightened up. He couldn't help but feel proud of Yaoyorozu, who'd seemed so uncertain when she'd approached him as if even hoping to talk to Todoroki was too much to ask. It was surprising to him that Jirou seemed perturbed by it.

"You… don't think that's a good thing?" He asked.

 She scowled at him. "Two days. When did I ask for your help, exactly? Months ago? Months of nothing — no progress, zilch! And you get everything resolved with her in…Two. Freaking. Days."

He flinched at the anger in her voice. This was it; he'd known it was going to happen. But he'd thought she'd at least wait until after the concert to get fed up with him.

"I'm trying…" 

He attempted to stand up for himself, but his heart wasn't in it. What if he wasn't trying? What if every effort he'd given towards helping her had really been a cop-out? What if the entire time his subconscious mind had been battling the conscious, unwilling to help despite his best efforts?

"Are you?" Jirou asked, her frame towing over his as he shrunk down on the bench. "Is that you trying?! Why is it that you're fine helping everyone except me, huh? Why do I have to be surrounded by so these stupid happy couples when I can't even talk to the guy I-I'm interested in without making a total fool out of myself?!"

So she had noticed. She'd been just as aware as he'd been whenever they'd passed by another person he'd helped. But it wasn't like he'd wanted it to be that way. "Jirou… you're not…" 

"Not what?! Looking like a complete idiot when we talk? Because I am! And it's your fault!"

"My…"

"All you do is get in the way! The only times I've been able to talk to Kirishima, it's been about you. He's only ever asking me about you, not me! You and your stupid quirk that doesn't even work."

"Fine!" he said, jumping from the bench, away from her, a sickening spiral of horrible emotions swirling inside him. He just wanted to get away. "Then I won't get in your way anymore. You can do the performance yourself."

For a moment, Jirou didn't respond, her face set. He didn't bother waiting for a response. Why should he? He'd just spent the last few months completely focused on trying to preserve their friendship, only for none of it to matter. It wasn't his fault his quirk wouldn't work. Even if his feelings were affecting it, those weren't his fault either.

It wasn't like he would've chosen to grow attached to her, given the circumstances.

"...What about your part?"

Jirou's voice was quiet when she finally spoke. Maybe she'd realised that she wouldn't have the backup of his quirk if he wasn't at the performance. But that wasn't his problem. Besides, she was probably right. She'd be better off without him there to get in the way.

He didn't turn back. "Just give Tokoyami the main part. He'll do better than I would've anyway."

With that, he left. He couldn’t handle sticking around any longer to witness the extent of her anger towards him.

It was better this way, anyway. For the both of them.

Chapter Text

They weren’t talking.

Outside of class, he hadn’t spent longer than five minutes around her since their falling out. He could barely tolerate the stress of being around her for even that long, not to mention the stinging guilt he’d started to suffer from over his decision to quit the performance.

She’s the one who wanted me out. As far as she’s concerned, I was only getting in the way.

But what if she needs me there? I’m almost certain Kiri isn’t into her. What if my quirk’s the only chance she has?

Kiri’s my friend, though. If he really isn’t into her, why would I want my quirk to force him to be with her anyway? Maybe Mina was right. Maybe I’ve just been messing with people’s heads this whole time and none of this was supposed to happen.

She didn’t say that.

Maybe she should’ve. Who's to say any of those couples I got together are good for each other? Or even wanted to be together in the first place?

“Kaminari, could you—”

He instinctively stood up, interrupting his teacher’s request. “Sorry, I gotta go!”

If Aizawa had cared more, he would’ve made an effort to stop him as he hurriedly left the classroom. Lucky for him, he didn’t.

He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he knew he needed to escape the scrutiny of his classmates, regardless. It didn’t make any sense to him when his feet stopped. Why here? Why again to this stupid bench, when he knew it was just going to remind him of everything? Remind him of her. Of ridiculous promises he never should have made.

He’d thought he was doing the right thing.

Using his quirk to help people, as any hero would. He’d seen so many people smiling because of him, so happy and fulfilled. But were they real smiles? Or was it just a masquerade he’d forced them into? He’d already let one person down - would the rest follow, the quirk fading away and leaving a hollow, emotionless relationship in its wake?

He sat down on the bench, the familiar wood rough beneath his fingertips.

A rustling came from nearby and he looked towards it with tired eyes. A small, dappled head emerged from a bush nearby, large, beady eyes staring at him. They were unnerving, but he was glad for the distraction. He had to wonder, as the animal came closer if that pattern of blotchy white and brown was the same one he remembered from the first time he’d ever sat on this bench.

He held his hand out as the rabbit, who was a lot more friendly than he remembered, approached. It sniffed his knuckle gently.

“Will you be my friend now?” He said lowly as he watched the animal hesitantly nudge forward. It peered at him but didn’t make any motion to leave. Thinking of Bench Guy sweeping the rabbit into his arms without a second thought, Kaminari bent further down. His companion eyed him warily, but hardly squirmed as he lifted it into his lap.

“Hey, bud.” He scratched behind the rabbit’s ears. “You might end up the only friend I have soon enough.”

His new friend seemed to disagree, wriggling its nose in distaste. As he slid his hand along the soft fur along its back, the rabbit slipped from his grasp and leapt from the bench, scattering off within moments.

“...Guess I spoke too soon.”

Letting his head fall backwards, he tried to focus his eyes on the whimsical tree limbs stretching above him. The leaves reminded him of the way the filtered sunlight had splayed across Jirou’s face, of soft smiles and comfortable silences. That moment felt so long ago now, like a sepia-toned photograph from early childhood. But it was a nicer memory to focus on than the one that threatened to take over.

From his peripheral vision, he saw a figure sit beside him, but he didn’t bother turning to check their identity. Even if he wanted to, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to move at all. His body felt so tired, so heavy. Leaves fluttered in his vision; maybe he wouldn’t move ever again. Perhaps he’d just stay on the bench and never have to confront his inadequacies and terrible decision-making. Never have to see all the people he’ll have no doubt disappointed.

The figure beside him shifted but didn’t get up to leave. They seemed content to sit there with him, silent and thoughtful. The breeze picked up and a strand of haze joined the leaves, briefly twisting towards them before dropping.

Kaminari closed his eyes as his hair obscured his gaze. 

“Arata, am I a bad person?”

“No.”

He didn’t know if his company had expected the question, or how that could even be possible, but it was answered without a single hint of hesitation, without allowing for a moment to digest the weight of the words.

“...How do you know?”

He turned his head to search Bench Guy’s expression, but he wasn’t looking at him. Instead, he was gazing off across the campus thoughtfully.

“You know,” he said, his words relaxed and considered, “I think you think way too many things are your fault.”

That wasn’t an answer to his question.

Kaminari furrowed his brow as he mulled the words over in his head. “What’s that got to do with me being a good person?”

“You’re putting too much pressure on yourself.” Bench Guy murmured this statement before turning to him. “What have you actually done to deserve anyone to question your character? Whether you or me? Unless there’s something I don’t know about?”

It appeared to be a set of rhetorical questions — like Bench Guy already knew the answers and just wanted to make him consider them.

“What if I’ve done something really bad, though?”

Bench Guy wrinkled his nose. “I doubt it.”

Kaminari choked on nothing, floundering for a way to express himself. “...Arata, do you ever…feel like you’re…obligated to talk to Koda?”

His voice reduced with every word until he was barely speaking at all.

Bench Guy twisted to face him more fully. “I always wanted to speak to Koda. Since before we ever talked.”

Kaminari frowned again. Maybe he needed to talk to someone else about this. Someone who may not have ever wanted to be in the relationship they were now in.

“And what’s this Arata business? Are you mad at me?” Bench Guy smirked at him.

“I dunno. More respectful, I guess?” Kaminari said, looking away. “Can’t really have a serious conversation calling you Bench Guy, can I?”

“Why not?” Bench Guy turned to him with a brief smile before his face became serious again. “I don’t think you need to worry. Everyone seems pretty happy, and I don’t think your gift is as damaging as you’re assuming.”

Kaminari stared at him. How had this guy known the specifics of his insecurities? They hadn’t even been spending that much time together since they had started rehearsing for the concert. Was he just that socially aware?

When Kaminari didn’t respond, Bench Guy continued, “You know, I’ve got faith in you. I bet you’re doing the right thing. Everything will work out.”

“You’re awfully optimistic.”

“Gotta be. Life would be no fun otherwise.”

“I’m gonna blame you when nothing works out, you know that, right?”

Bench Guy nodded with faux solemnity, a hand to his chest. “I will bear the burden of that responsibility.”

“Your funeral.” Kaminari snorted. But he felt a bit lighter now, regardless of his words. Just being able to discuss his feelings briefly with someone was a relief. "...We had a bit of a fight."

"You and Jirou?" Again, phrased as a question that he knew the answer to.

"Yeah." Kaminari shrugged as if the action could somehow convince himself. "So, I'm not performing tonight."

"Yeah? That's a shame. I didn't get to see you perform last year."

"You're not missing out on much."

"I'm sure you'd be great up there."

"Nah. Besides…Jirou's the one you'll wanna see." Kaminari watched a stray leaf spin to the ground. "When she's on stage you can't keep your eyes off her."

"...Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

"Yeah, well." Kaminari coughed. "They recorded the performance for us. So, I got to watch it afterwards."

"You gonna watch this one?" Bench Guy looked at him curiously.

Kaminari paused. This was a question he'd been grappling with for the last few days - since he'd last spoken to Jirou. There was a part of him that still wanted to attend, just to support everyone. He had been the one to suggest the whole thing after all.

But Jirou had been adamant that he'd been getting in the way. She wouldn't want him there.

And he couldn't blame her for it, because he probably would end up doing something stupid if he turned up.

"Nah. I'll head back to the dorm for the night, I reckon." He grinned at his companion. "Good luck, though! I hope someone records your set so I can watch it later."

"Well, if they don't I'll just have to do a live reenactment for you. Might sound a little different with just the bass, but I think I could make it work."

From behind the pair, a voice called out to Bench Guy. Classes were meant to be let out early in order to prepare for the concert, which meant a lot more time had passed than Kaminari realised. Aizawa was not going to be happy with him.

"Look forward to it!" Kaminari quickly responded as Bench Guy began to stand, grabbing his attention

The boy smiled, reaching out to clasp his hand comfortingly. "Don't wear yourself out with all this worrying, okay?"

Patting the back of his hand, Bench Guy left after his classmate, leaving Kaminari alone with his thoughts once again.

Which was not really a place he wanted to be. But it wasn't like he had much better to do right now, anyway. The rest of his classmates were likely already over at the concert hall getting ready. He could imagine them now. Swarming around, trying to make sure everything's perfect. There was a sense of disconnect between them and himself, nowadays. Especially now that he wasn't talking to Jirou.

Everyone would look at him like they wanted to say something, but couldn't.

They probably all thought he'd asked her out and gotten brutally rejected. So, they were treading on eggshells around him, careful never to bring her up. Which, honestly, he was grateful for.

Because once someone mentioned her…he wouldn't be able to stop himself from thinking about her. More than usual, that is.

"...Hey."

He didn't need to turn around. So he didn't.

The person who spoke didn't seem to pay much mind to his lack of response. He heard their footsteps as they rounded the bench, not as cautious as he would have expected. They sat beside him. The leaves above him seemed to still with their arrival, their tender rustling no longer cushioning him from the stifling silence. But he wasn't going to be the first to cut through it.

"I came to ask you something." The voice that spoke was soft and low. It wasn't hesitant, but it was searching, reaching out to him, and any resistance within him crumbled embarrassingly quickly. He had never been upset with her, really. It wasn't her fault he'd managed to make such a mess of everything.

He shifted backwards, pulling his legs to rest on the bench, tucked into his chest. "...What's up?"

He heard her inhale sharply as if she hadn't expected him to respond at all. Maybe she hadn't. 

Instead of speaking straight away, he sensed her move, and before he'd realised what she was doing, she had moved into a crouch in front of him. He wasn't sure why. She seemed determined to meet his eyes, and maybe that was the only way she thought she could. 

He dropped his legs so they weren't obscuring his face. It was a small gesture, but he hoped it would help her understand that he was open to discussion. But still, she didn't talk.

Jirou's eyes were intense, analysing his face with a focus he wasn't used to from her. He swallowed. It was loud in his ears and he winced internally, knowing she'd heard.

"...Shouldn't you be preparing for the concert?" He tried, his dry throat catching his words as they left his mouth.

Her eyes widened as if she'd been caught off-guard by him speaking. For a brief second, she glanced away, her emotions indistinguishable.

"Do you think I should do it?"

He was startled by the question. "Wha…do what?"

"The performance? Should I go through with it?"

Her expression was serious and conflicted as she asked, but he couldn't help the surge of happiness he felt. She'd come to him. Of all the people she could've come to, she still chose him to confide in, despite everything.

"Nerves, huh?" He smiled at her. "Don't worry, you'll be great. You always are."

As he watched her expression shift slightly at his words, he began to regret them. That was probably a little too affectionate after their argument. He diverted from the comment.

"I mean, you've worked so hard for this. You can't give up now!" He tried his best to channel his usual enthusiastic energy into the declaration, clenching his fists.

She stared at him firmly, and he was forced to second-guess himself. Had she not come to him for reassurance? Why was she looking at him like that?

"...But do you want me to do it?"

Leaning forward, her eyes bore further into his; it took all he had not to just let himself drown in them. The distracting stare made it hard for him to fully digest the words.

Why does she look so invested in this question? Is her opinion of me as a matchmaker still this strong, despite everything that had happened? Even though I got in the way?

But none of that really mattered. She was there, uncertain and looking for guidance, and she deserved to believe in herself.

"Of course." The lie was made easier by thinking about how much better she would feel once the whole situation was dealt with. "I think you have to take this chance while you can. Who knows if you'll ever be able to tell him otherwise, right?" 

Jirou's mouth parted, but she didn't speak. There was something about her right then, something vulnerable, just like she had been that day on the training grounds. He hated that look.

Instinctively, he leant forward and wrapped his hands around hers, holding her gaze. "Everything will be okay. I promise.

She drew in a breath, like a shuddering gasp. Her eyes wavered but remained locked on him, almost as if she was emotional. Which she may be, he recognised. She was finally at that point where all her hard work would hopefully pay off. And she'd have to open herself up, be unguarded, to do it. He knew she was deathly afraid of rejection.

But even if Kirishima was hesitant, Kaminari would encourage him to give her a chance. He owed her that much, at least.

"And it's about time you got your special someone, huh?" He said, with a soft grin, reluctantly retracting his hands. "You won't even need my help."

"Jirou!" 

A voice called out from behind them, just as it had when he'd been talking to Bench Guy. But, unlike then, Jirou didn't look to have heard them. Her eyes were now trained on his hands, her own absently hanging over her knees where he'd left them.

"Jirou! Do you want to come to do a soundcheck?"

It was Tokage, Kaminari realised now. She'd likely been asked to find Jirou for their classmates. He turned to see her approaching and waved cheerfully.

"Hey, Tokage! Sorry if I held her up for too long!"

Tokage grinned at him, but it faded into a confused frown when she eyed Jirou's crouched form. "Are you looking for something?"

Jirou, suddenly overly aware of her presence, jumped to her feet. "I just…I thought I dropped my pick, but I'd left it in my pocket, so it's all good."

She waved the item in question, and Kaminari had to admire her improvisational skills. Tokage seemed content with this explanation. "Well, did you want to come to the hall with me? Your band wants to run a soundcheck."

Jirou froze again, her eyes darting over to Kaminari.

"You should probably go." He laughed. "Bakugou's especially insufferable when he's been forced to wait for something."

She looked hesitant to leave, but if she had something to say to him, she clearly wasn't willing to say it in front of Tokage.

"...Yeah, you're right."

"See you later, Kaminari!" Tokage called to him, as she sped off. Jirou left slower, her uncertain eyes lingering on Kaminari as she followed.

He leant over the back of the bench as he shouted to the retreating figures.

"Good luck!"

Chapter Text

He didn't attend the concert.

There was no doubt he'd get some raised eyebrows — the person who came up with the idea not even attending. But he couldn't bring himself to care. The thought of having to watch Jirou pour her heart out in an elaborate romantic gesture for someone else was painful. And he knew he didn't have it in him.

It was a decision he'd struggled with after Jirou had sought him out for reassurance beforehand. He'd wanted to support her. Everything in him wished that he was strong enough that he could power through his own pain so that he could be there to cheer her on. But he wasn't. He was too selfish to put aside his own feelings. So all he could do now was hope that the gesture had been successful, and that the two had gotten together. For her sake.

Or, if they hadn't, that his quirk would finally decide to jump into action.

That next morning, he'd woken up late. Pesky thoughts had kept his mind running long into the night and early hours of the morning. The few hours of sleep he had gotten had been restless and on the brink of consciousness. He may as well have gotten none at all. As he sheepishly walked into class, he noticed the room was buzzing, the students looking bright and wide-eyed. It seemed the concert had gone well for most.

Apologising to Aizawa and trying not to let the scowl he got in response worry him, he let his eyes casually scan his classmates. There was Kirishima, cheerful and vibrant as ever. He didn't look uncomfortable or worried about anything, as one might've had they been confessed to the previous night by someone they didn't have feelings for.

But then, Kirishima would definitely try to hide any discomfort if that had happened.

Jirou was there, idly doodling in her notebook. As he watched her, she looked up, meeting his eyes, and he quickly averted his gaze.

She's going to be mad at me for not showing up.

But she doesn't look upset. Maybe things really did go well with Kirishima.

He hated how upset the thought made him — his ugly selfishness rearing its head once more. The least he could do was be happy for them. This was the exact result everyone wanted.

And he'd kept his promise. Sort of. He'd arranged the method of confession, so he figured he deserved some brownie points for that. Maybe he could even go as far as to hope that meant their friendship was still somewhat intact.

That didn't mean he was going to try and approach her, though. Not yet, at least. He needed to figure out through others how the confession went. Kirishima could always be trying to act like nothing happened because it had gone wrong. Which he needed to know before he did anything stupid like trying to talk to Jirou.

The presence to his left was like a lighthouse as he sat down. It desperately tempted him to gravitate towards it, but he resisted turning.

The class was long and arduous as he attempted to actually make legible, helpful notes. It had been a while since he'd focused on his studying — neglect that would no doubt haunt him later.  He could feel her gaze on him throughout, despite his attempt to remain distracted. Or maybe that was more his wishful thinking than anything else. She probably hadn't even noticed he wasn't at the concert.

As Aizawa's voice droned to a halt, Kaminari buried his head in his arms. The lack of sleep had caught up to him. Through his drowsiness, he could hear his class clatter around him, the scraping of chairs and vacant chatter filling his head.

She left, too. He immediately tuned in to her movement, even with the noise from the rest of the class. Disappointment flooded him as he heard her leave.

What, did you think she'd want to talk to you?

He scrubbed his eyes and skimmed his hands roughly through his hair. It was tempting to let himself fall asleep. But before he could drop his head back onto his desk, Sero jumped up to sit on the desk next to his.

"Hey, Kaminari." He leaned over, squinting at him. "You alright?"

"Huh?" He straightened self-consciously. "Yeah, why?"

Sero looked unconvinced but relaxed his scrutiny. "You weren't at the concert yesterday, and you look pretty bad today."

"Wow, man. Thanks," Kaminari said.

Sero smirked. "You're welcome. But really, though. Setsuna said you looked rough yesterday, too — she was worried you might be sick."

"Nah. I just…I haven't been sleeping well."

"It's because you've been spending so much energy helping everyone!" Kirishima chimed in from behind him. "You need to relax."

Shifting to look at him, Kaminari once again found himself wishing to hear his thoughts. That toothy grin was hard to decipher. It didn't seem any different than usual, no sign of what may have happened.

"I'm fine, Kiri. Honestly."

"You know," Sero said, "I'm surprised you didn't show up yesterday. After you spent so long helping with the performance, I figured you'd definitely pop in to watch."

"Sero," Kirishima said under his breath, "it's probably because of—"

"Speaking of," Kaminari said, "how did it go?"

The other two shared a look he couldn't quite interpret but didn't comment on his abrupt interjection.

"It was awesome, man!" Kirishima said. "There was such a huge crowd and they all loved it! When Bakugou did that final drum roll, everyone screamed so loud I thought I was going to go deaf!"

"It was pretty awesome," Sero said. "I think 2-B's set was the best, honestly. I mean, did you see that smokin' babe up there?"

"Don't go saying something like that!" Kaminari yelped. "What if Monoma's eavesdropping?!"

Sero snorted. "True, true."

"Did you guys like our class' set though?" Kaminari asked, watching Kirishima's expression.

"Totally! That last song was a surprise but a great one!" Kirishima nodded. "I couldn't get the beat out of my head all night!"

Kaminari had to stop himself from frowning. Despite Kirishima describing it as a surprise, he didn't seem too personally affected by the song. Why on Earth would he mention the drum beat, of all things?

"...What about the lyrics?"

"Hmm?" Kirishima cocked his head. "Yeah, I liked the lyrics, especially in Overload and Cohesion."

Sero nodded his agreement. "You wrote the songs, right? With Jirou."

"Yeah. I mean, the others helped with some of the instrumental and everything," Kaminari said, confused. "But did you guys like the lyrics of the last song, though? I gotta say, we definitely spent the most time on those."

Sero frowned. "Uhh, I don't remember them."

"There weren't any!" Kirishima said. "That's why I was surprised. Not that it was bad or anything!"

Kaminari waved off his worried clarification vaguely, his mind stuck on his words. "So, wait, there weren't any words? In that last song?"

"Nope." Kirishima cocked his head even further, making Kaminari wonder how that position could possibly be comfortable. "Shouldn't you know that?"

"Well, uh," he said, his brain struggling to process what he'd learnt, "Jirou had been planning to add some vocals to that song. I helped her write the lyrics, but I guess…she just…didn't…"

Kirishima looked at him sympathetically, apparently misinterpreting his confusion as disappointment. "That sucks. I'm sure she liked the lyrics — she probably just didn't feel comfortable adding them without rehearsing them with the others beforehand."

"Yeah, you're right…"

"And all the other lyrics were super good!" Kirishima said.

"Thanks." Kaminari flashed him a smile, happy to encourage his misunderstanding until he understood the situation. "I'm glad it all went well."

Sero smiled wryly. "The press enjoyed themselves, too. Principal Nezu made sure to emphasise just how idyllic and delightful our learning environment is."

Kaminari shrugged in the face of his sarcasm. "Win-win, as far as I'm concerned."

"It was a good idea," Sero said. "Jirou seemed really happy with how it all went."

Leaning back, Kaminari narrowed his eyes at him. Why had he felt the need to specifically mention Jirou? Was it really that obvious that he'd organised the whole thing just for her sake? To help her confess to a boy she apparently hadn't even ended up confessing to. Because if there hadn't been any lyrics, how could she have confessed? And if she hadn't confessed, that meant the pair hadn't gotten together which, in turn, meant that he hadn't kept his promise after all. He couldn't help the frustration that filled him at the thought. What had it all been for? After months of preparation and stress, second-guessing himself and every action he took, now they were in the exact same place they had been at the beginning. Except not quite.

Now, he was far worse off than he had been then.

Only someone as helpless as him could manage to fall for someone in the process of trying to set them up with someone else.

"Hey, I'm gonna just grab a soda from the vending machine outside, okay?" He pushed up from his desk, eager for some fresh air.

He left the room hastily, burdened by his conflicting emotions. Because underneath his frustration lay an inherently selfish sense of relief. It made him feel sick. What right did he have to feel relieved at his complete failure, at the misfortunes of a friend?

Sighing, he scanned the items in the vending machine before him. The nauseating guilt made it difficult to even consider them, let alone actually consume any. But he had to return with something. If he didn't, the other guys would wonder what he was even doing.

"You know, that melon soda's pretty good."

He started rather violently at the sudden interruption of his thoughts, momentarily losing his balance as he swung around to locate the voice.

"Huh? What?"

Jirou snickered. "Well, you've been staring at the drinks for so long, I figured you must've been silently asking for a recommendation."

"I'll have you know, I'm perfectly capable of choosing a drink for myself—"

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"—I was just busy considering an… ethical quandary."

Not technically a lie.

She raised her eyebrows. "Uh-huh."

"And, for your information, I was already going to choose the melon soda, so don't go thinking your unsolicited advice had any effect," he said with a facetious glare. At least he no longer had to think about the decision. When he turned back to her after retrieving the beverage, he caught her smile fade into a contemplative expression.

Which Kaminari took as his cue to leave. They'd talk, he was sure. About what went wrong with the confession and where they were going to go from there. She didn't seem upset with him, at least not outwardly, so that lifted a weight from his shoulders. So, they'd probably have to concoct some other plan to get his quirk working for her. But he didn't want to have that discussion now.

"You weren't at the concert yesterday."

Not fast enough, Denki.

He flashed her an apologetic smile. "Yeah…Sorry."

"Why didn't you come?"

"I was just…exhausted. I didn't think I could handle it."

Jirou hummed softly in acknowledgement. He was tempted to turn away and leave the conversation at that, but his curiosity was now peaked. She was watching him carefully.

"...Is that why you cut the vocals?" he asked. "Because I wasn't there?"

"Well…"

"I mean," he quickly amended, "because my quirk wouldn't have been able to help you if I wasn't there when you confessed."

Jirou pressed her lips together, her gaze fixed on him. "No. I'd already decided not to sing that one."

Kaminari nodded. He wanted to ask why. Ask if she had abandoned his plan because he had given up on it himself. A long time ago, if he was being honest with himself. But he didn't deserve an explanation. Not really.

She was kind enough to offer him one anyway.

"I realised partway through…that I wasn't really writing about him anymore. And he deserves better than a half-hearted song, you know?"

Kaminari frowned, twisting the bottle in his hands. He could somewhat understand her thought process. With a deadline and all the external stressors, it must have been difficult to keep the song genuine and intentional. She must've eventually fallen prey to the generic in an attempt to keep on schedule. He'd put too much pressure on her.

Her eyes were still on him, and with every moment they lingered, he only felt worse. 

"I'm sorry."

Jirou blinked, clearly surprised, though he didn't know why she wouldn't have expected an apology.

"For what?"

For what?! For everything! For silently sabotaging your chances, for not committing myself to your happiness, despite promising I would.

"For…my quirk not working for you. I…I don't know why it didn't."

You do know why. You didn't want it to work.

She was silent in the face of his explanation, almost unnervingly so. Did she know? Could she tell that it was all his fault? There's no way she would forgive him for that, for ruining her chances with Kirishima. Her eyes continued to remain on him, with an intensity that he didn't like. Had that been her intention? To get him to admit that he was the one at fault for everything? Then she could dismiss their friendship without any remorse.

He wanted to protest. Promise her that he'd do better, that he'd come up with something else to help her. But it was probably too late for flimsy, half-genuine declarations.

Jirou took a step towards him. He flinched backwards as her jacks floated towards him, his back hitting the forgotten vending machine. They hovered in front of his face with their typical menacing presence. But the girl herself was unusually quiet. He knew her reactions when she was upset, specifically with him, and these were not them. It was a strange position to find himself in, but he almost wished she was yelling at him. At least he'd be comforted by some sense of normalcy.

A cool jack pressed carefully against his cheek, but no attack followed. His heartbeat echoed in his head, fast and erratic. Or was that hers? He'd felt her heartbeat before, but only in a painful way. Shattered eardrums or excruciating jabs. Could she even send her heartbeat through her jacks gently?

And why would she?

The other jack rose to cradle his face, and he knew he must be crimson. How humiliating. The heartbeat in his head was definitely his, given how it had jumped at the contact. And he certainly wasn't the only one who could hear it.

What was she trying to do? Prove a point? Expose his feelings for her so that she could then blame him for his quirk's failure? That didn't seem fair. He had apologised. What else could she possibly want from him?

He struggled to avoid her eyes, embarrassment clawing at his throat. The jacks slid down his cheeks slowly, resting on his jawline. Jeez, what are you trying to do to me?

There was no escape. He didn't have it in him to physically tear himself away from her, especially not when she was holding him so tenderly. All he could do was wait, held in the uncertainty of her intentions. Their eyes met. He couldn't decipher her expression. Humour? Relief? Whatever it was, it lit up her eyes beautifully. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, she'd pulled him towards her.

She kissed him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

As she stepped back, her jacks dropped back down to rest by her shoulders. She watched him with anticipation.

"I'm so…confused…" Kaminari said weakly.

Probably not the ideal thing to say, but it was all he could think of. She was into Kirishima. That was the whole point of all of this.

Jirou bit her lip anxiously, before letting out a self-deprecating laugh. "Was that…weird?"

"No!" he said automatically, before backtracking. "Well, yeah…kind of…but not because…"

"I'm no good at this sort of stuff. I mean, obviously. You'd know that by now." Her jacks were now tapping together as he watched her nerves get the better of her.

"It's okay," he said, raising his hands. "I just...I didn't expect it because…I thought…"

Despite his pathetic attempts to construct a sentence, his words seemed to placate Jirou's anxiety regardless, her shoulders relaxing as she watched him struggle to express himself. With a teasing smile, she slid her arms around his neck. She raised a wry, expectant eyebrow.

This has gotta be some sort of dream, right? There's no way she really abandoned the plan because of me.

His eyes scanned her face. She was incredible — he could never have imagined she could actually be interested in him. Especially after everything that had happened. But there she was. Waiting for him.

Without a second thought, he recaptured her lips. He could feel her smile as she shifted closer to him, her fingers lacing through the hair at the nape of his neck. Pulling away ever so slightly, her breath still lingered on his lips.  

"You don't have anything to apologise for, by the way," she said, her voice soft. "I think your quirk worked just fine."