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It began as a partnership.
They had worked together as partners in their classes, bandmates for the festival, and rivals during the sports tournament. Every time they were brought together there was an unseen spark that crackled between them. He didn’t know if she felt it like he did, but he wanted to talk to her about it before the villains had attacked them. Before he was indirectly confronted about his feelings for her by Midnight, who encouraged him to think about the person who matters the most to him in that moment of time. All he saw, all he cared about even though he wanted to be with his friends the most, was Jirou. Looking at him panicked but supportive as she encouraged him to get the job done.
We’re in the middle of a war. We don’t have the time for teen romance .
He thought this and about how far their relationship had grown up until this point on a particularly stormy night. Sitting up in his bed, he turned and looked at the flashes of lightning with a grimace. “As if being in the middle of a war didn’t make it hard enough to sleep.”
A soft knock broke his trance. He turned his head around and got on the defensive, charging his left hand for an attack as he called out, “Who is it?”
“Jirou.”
His heart did flips in his chest. He got up and walked over to his door as he took a deep breath before opening it. When he did, he was met by a sight he never thought he’d see.
She was crying.
“What’s wrong?” He asked softly. All the tension left his body as he reached out a hand to her, gently touching her hand.
She wiped her tears with her long sleeve nightshirt and shook her head. “I need to talk to you. In private if possible.”
“Well sure, but it’s the middle of the night. If we go to the commons we’re dead. So…” He gently tugged her forward. “I hope you don’t mind talking in my room.”
“That’s fine.”
With that, he brought her into his room and wrapped his arms around her in a tender hug. Rubbing his hand up and down her back softly. She wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her head in his chest. Her body was shaking slightly as she couldn’t help but sob in his arms for a few moments. They stayed like that for a while until finally she looked up and gazed into his eyes.
“We need to talk…about us .”
If his heart wasn’t racing in his chest before, now it was going mach five. But he kept his voice as steady and as normal as possible as he replied softly, “Ok we can do that. But what about us?”
“We’re not a couple of four year olds Kaminari.” She said in an annoyed tone, “I think you know what I mean when I say us .”
He was prone to short circuiting his brain but he couldn’t play dumb if his life depended on it. He sighed deeply as he unwrapped his hands from her and put a hand behind his head awkwardly. “I know.”
He walked over and plopped down onto his sheets. Gesturing to her to sit with him on his bed, patting the spot next to him with a small smile. “Let’s talk.”
She sat down with a plop and intertwined her fingers together on her lap. “I didn’t hear everything Midnight said to you before you went off on the battlefield with her and the other heroes but I heard enough to get the gist.”
She heard that?!
He looked at her with wide eyes as she continued, “I know you were nervous and I said to get the job done. But…I wanted to ask if the reason you were so determined after your talk with her was because of-”
“You?” He finished for her, his voice soft but nervous.
“Yeah.”
Another rumble of thunder echoed outside as they sat in silence for a few moments before he mustered up his courage. He reached over and gently cupped her right cheek, his thumb stroking her delicate skin up and down softly. They gazed into each others’ eyes as he leaned his forehead against hers. “I wanted to be with everyone. I wanted to be with everyone if I was going on the battlefield for the last time.”
She leaned into his touch and shyly covered his hand cupping her cheek with her own. Taking it as a sign to continue, “But…Midnight told me to think of the person who mattered the most to me at that moment and when I saw you I felt it..that spark.”
His eyes flickered down to her lips and gazed back into her eyes. “Seeing you gave me that push to move forward. To swallow my fear. Because you matter the most to me Jirou.”
Saying it out loud felt like he was struck by that electric attack all over. He couldn’t go back now. She teared up at his words and closed the gap between their lips. It was a soft kiss, it was filled with a warmth that felt passionate yet afraid. When they parted they stayed close together. She rubbed her nose against his and let out a small laugh.
“Kaminari…no… Denki . I know what you’re talking about when you mean the ‘spark’ between us. But if we might die tomorrow I want to say it clearly - I love you.”
He felt a single tear roll down his cheek as he kissed her again, this time tenderly and desperate. He wasn’t good with his words, but he was a man of action. And he wanted to convey how much he loved her through their lips. She was taken aback by the passion at first until she kissed back, conveying she understood what he was trying to tell her. He laid her down on her back underneath him and gently laid on top. He broke the kiss and interlocked their fingers as he gazed down into her eyes.
“Do you want me to stop…Kyoka?”
She unweaved one of their hands to reach up and caress his cheek. Smiling up at him with a single tear rolling down her face. She shook her head. “No.”
Smiling back at her he leaned down and they kissed once more. Filled with all the things they didn’t have the words to say aloud. But their sparks were enough for them.