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Denki fell in love how rain falls. He fell in waves and drizzles, but most importantly he fell in love frequently. Love wasn’t new or foreign to him, he was great at rejection and moving on. He understood that most people didn’t fall in love how he did, didn’t fall in love with those moments that everyone saw as common. Be that the way someone grinned or the lilt of their voice when excited. He fell in love with the shake of hands and the tap of toes. For Denki, love was constant, the only thing that changed was who received his love.
The first person Denki fell in love with was a girl in his preschool class. She had pretty orange hair and bright pink eyes. Denki had fallen in love with the way she held the crayons out to anyone who wanted to colour. He fell in love with her generosity and her bright happy smile. This love didn’t last more than a week, but that didn’t change the fact that Denki had loved her. He would always remember her and whenever he saw blue crayons he would think of her favorite picture he had drawn. It was of the lake by their school. He thought it was pretty good for a five year old.
The next time Denki fell in love he was eight. The boy had just moved in next door and he had the coolest car collection. Denki fell in love with the way he could speak for hours. He fell in love with the light that light up those golden-grey eyes and the careful way he carried those plastic toys. This love lasted over a month and he was the first person who held Denki’s hand. The two went everywhere together and Denki always felt so incredibly special when the boy let him hold those toy cars. Every time Denki sees plastic cars with red stripes he thinks of the boy.
When Denki was twelve he fell in love with someone whose fingers were red and whose nose was grey. They could make smoke fly out their ears and warm everyone on the playground when it was cold. He fell in love with the way they swore to help anyone who needed it. He fell in love with the way they would step up and step forward if anyone ever said anything mean about anyone else. Denki loved them for close to a year. They were the first person Denki kissed and he would never forget how was they always were. Every time he holds a cup of tea in the evenings after it rained he remembered them. Every time someone said that they just wanted to help people he thought of red tipped fingers holding his hand tight.
Denki fell in love like the rain falls from the sky. He fell in love with the moments that most people never thought twice about. He fell in love with the calluses on thumbs and the scars on lips. Denki knew that he fell in love maybe a bit too much, but he didn’t care. Loving was just part of who he was and if people took an issue with that then he didn’t need them in his life. He would love with his whole heart no matter if the person or people loved him the same.
When Denki was sixteen he fell in love with determination. He fell in love with nights where sleep evaded and days where coffee meant everything. Denki fell in love with purple hair and fear that looked like anger. He loved him for two years, sometimes Denki wondered if he ever stopped. Whenever someone texted him at two in the morning Denki would think of him. He would think of him when the smell of coffee was just a bit too strong or the lights just a bit too bright in the morning. Denki fell in love with the moments where he knew he would be better if he didn’t.
He fell in love with the fire and the anger. He fell in love with the pain that followed people around corners and into alleys. He fell in love with those hidden traits that should have made him run away. The yelling and fighting that proved the heat racing in his heart was more than just a thought. Denki fell in love with things that hurt him, because even if they hurt, at least they were real. It wasn’t healthy when he fell in love like this, but he didn’t care. He tried not to care.
Most of the time when Denki fell in love, the other person didn’t fall in love with him. The times he tried to remember and thought back on fondly were the ones where even for a moment the love he shoved into the world was sent right back to him. Not always with equal force, but that was okay. He loved the feeling of being loved just as much as he loved loving. He didn’t mind that they never felt the all consuming, burning need to treasure him that he felt for them. He really didn’t mind.
Until someone felt the same for him.
Until he looked at Denki as if Denki was the sun, moon and stars all in one.
Until Denki fell in love with Midoriya Izuku.
Izuku held Denki and poured the love that Denki gave the world back into him. When Denki fell in love with Izuku it was with his heart. It was with his soul. It was with the shake of his hands and the stutter in his voice. He fell in love with the spark in his eyes when he spoke of quirks. He loved the careful way Izuku held the children he saved and the strength he showed when he lifted buildings off of civilians. Denki fell in love with the way Izuku’s hair fell over his eyes and the way he was still scared of bees. Denki fell in love with Izuku less like rain and more like a waterfall.
The best part was that Izuku fell in love much the same way. Izuku said he fell in love with Denki’s jokes. Said he fell in love with the way his fingers sparked when he was angry. That he fell in love with the way Denki spun off into his head when something interesting happened. Izuku said he fell in love with Denki just as Denki fell in love with him.
Nothing had ever compared to the warmth from when he was twelve or the joy from when he was eight. Colours had never looked more amazing than when Denki was five and late night texts had never meant as much as when Denki was sixteen. Nothing had ever touched the things Denki had fallen in love with of the past, had never seemed to try. Until Izuku. Because when Izuku was around and when he loved Denki as Denki loved him then everything that he had fallen in love with before, he fell in love with again.
Denki fell in love like rain, easy and often. Denki fell in love without fear.
When Denki fell in love for the last time he fell in love with the way someone loved him how he loved them.