Work Text:
“You know you can just talk to her.”
Kaminari didn’t react to the voice coming from his side, his eyes still focused at the front, mouth absently chewing on the tissue of his cheek. Conversations like this happened too often for his liking.
Sero sighed, leaning back on the chair he was sitting on, arms thrown behind his head as his gaze flickered over to see whatever his friend was looking at. “Just saying- I’m sure talking to her would be ten times better than this 'creepy staring at her from afar you have going on'.”
That got Sero a reaction, a simple frown etched on the blond’s face, head turning towards Sero. “Creepy?”
It was perplexing enough that of everything said in the last few seconds, that was the thing to get Kaminari’s attention. Sero snickered.
“Yeah, man. Creepy.”
“I’m not-” And then he stopped, his frown now set down towards the table they were both sitting at. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“You’re not doing anything.” Sero replied, leaning forward to sit properly, arms coming to rest in front of him on the table. “Jiro is about the nicest person on the planet. Please just go talk to her.”
But he couldn’t.
He knew it must be extremely frustrating for his friends watching him pine for so long, but there was something holding him back. At moments he couldn’t make out what it was, if a wall or just simple fear. Maybe it was how she shone in front of everyone at the Sports Festival, how easy she moved, how elegance wrapped around her like a blanket. Kaminari couldn’t compete.
Sero seemed to be fixated on him, his eyes watching for something, anything that gave the blond was listening and maybe making up his mind. Kaminari noticed the slight disappointment when he glanced over at the other side of the room where Jiro was before turning away once more. His chest contracted, heart beating just a few times faster and his lungs fought to gather more air. The electricity inside his veins crackled, fizzling and alive, looking for a way to be free.
Every single time he was put on the spot like he was right now, Kaminari wanted to scream, but he knew he couldn't.
Yes, it may be frustrating for his friends, but no one considered how frustrating it was for him.
Clearing his throat, Kaminari stood up, grabbing his backpack that sat on the back of his chair. He turned towards Sero, lips forming an easy smile that felt too heavy, too fake. Too fragile.
“Thanks, bro. I’ll let you know when I do something.”
If I do something, he didn’t say. He used a lot of ‘if’s in his life.
But it was easier for him to watch from afar, to notice things and keep quiet. This way there was no chance of getting hurt or rejected and he could live happily with just a simple fantasy inside of his head.
Walking away, Kaminari dared to glance over at where Jiro was one last time, heart skipping a beat at her laugh, how happy she looked between the other girls. Briefly, her eyes moved and met with his, the laugh dying to give way for a gentle smile. Her face brightened, one hand raising to give him a small wave.
All of the air left from his lungs, almost as if punched out of his body. Kaminari felt his face heat up, most likely filling up with color. He ducked his head, breaking the connection in an instant before she could notice the reaction he was having.
This time when he walked away it was just a little bit faster than before.