Chapter Text
You don't know exactly when it all started. One day, he just began flirting with you out of nowhere — and since you weren’t exactly the shy type (and let’s be honest, he is cute as fuck), you played along. At first, it was just a joke.
You thought it was bold and honestly kind of cute for him to approach you like that. Kind of charming, even.
Thought, past tense.
Because soon after, you saw him being just as flirty with, well... pretty much every girl that walked by.
That was back in your first year at UA. Now, as a second-year student, you’d learned better. You’d decided not to be part of his game anymore. Why would you be? You knew you were pretty, smart, kind, had a lovable personality. You knew it. So why would you give your time to a guy who didn’t even know what (or who) he wanted? Even if it was just a game, it wasn't worth it.
...Right?
Your brain could say something, but then your heart could also say something completely different. You didn't want to admit it, but he kind of grew on you. At first, you only saw him as a friend. You were an easy laugh, but he was definitely hilarious to be around, something you came to appreciate on bad days. He was kind too. Not the flirt kind of kind — the real kind. He saw the good in people. He helped everyone in any way he could.
He was a good friend.
But that was it.
Or so you kept telling yourself.
You had given him a year of this playful flirting, and it was kind of fun at first. Unfortunately for you, somewhere along the way you started feeling... things. Feelings friends don't have for each other. Maybe it was that one time he stayed behind to help you carry your training gear, or when he noticed you looked upset even when you hadn’t said a word. He remembered the little things. The kind of things someone only notices when they actually care . And knowing Denki, you would've thought he was just being that way with you to get your attention. But then again, you were wrong. Those actions actually came from the kindness of his heart. And that's when you really saw him.
Even so… you knew better. You refused to be another name on his list.
It was the night before your first day as a second year student. Everyone was already back from their summer vacations, and were catching up in the common area at the dorms.
“Y/N!” you hear someone shouting your name. You turn your head to where the sound came from, only to see Mina and Jirou walking towards you.
Mina had become a huge support for you during your first year. It wasn't that you weren't friendly, but you surely were not as outgoing as she was. She basically forced you to become her best friend after finding out you liked dancing as much as she did. You didn’t complain, though, it was nice to have a friend to rely on and also to just spend time with, you always had fun with her. Now, Jirou wasn’t much of an extrovert, so it was one of those situations where the extrovert basically adopted an introvert. Since Mina was childhood friends with Kirishima, you used to hang out with both of them, Kaminari, Kirishima, Sero, sometimes Jirou, and well, Kirishima forced Bakugou to hang out with the group. It was definitely a fun group to be around.
“Guys!” You reply.
“Soooo, how was summer for you? Did you decide on what you’re gonna do with Mr. Player over there?” She side eyed at Kaminari’s direction. It was the first time you saw him since the first year was over. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to see him, quite the opposite, you wanted to see him, talk to him, just spend time with him, but you knew you needed time to think things through, before you found yourself falling even deeper for him.
“Dude, lower your voice!” Jirou spoke. “But I’m curious too. Are you still crushing on him?”
You sighed. “You already know the answer to that” Jirou looked at you with a defeated smile.
There was a second of silence, you turned your head towards the yellow haired boy sitting on the couch, only to meet his gaze. He smiled softly at you, and you returned the gesture. But he didn’t stop looking at you. Your eyes stayed connected for what felt like hours, even when you felt your cheeks starting to burn, you couldn’t take your eyes away from his.
“Alright! What about a first night back sleepover?” Mina asked, taking you out of your trance.
“Sounds good! Let’s stop at the kitchen first to get some snacks” You replied.
“Perfect. I have a few lyrics I want to show you, but I need a brutally honest opinion” Jirou said. After your performance back in the first year festival everyone loved the band. So, Bakugou, Jirou, Kaminari, and you decided to keep making music occasionally, and cover songs together every week to practice.
“Oh, I just found some new band I absolutely love! I want to cover a song of theirs…”
Jirou and you continued talking about music, hearing different songs you played for her while Mina chose the snacks and beverages you were gonna have tonight.
“Ok, I think this is enough” Mina turned to you, with about five different bags of chips, three bags of candy, and about six cans of soda.
“Yeah, enough for like three days” you laughed.
“Let’s just go, we can stay at my dorm tonight. I will take these” Jirou said, taking the bags of snacks Mina had picked, “and you two can go get changed while I get everything ready”.
Mina had put on some background music, and Jirou was sketching a few lyrics in her notebook while you scrolled mindlessly on your phone. It was already 11pm, you had gone over everyone’s summer vacations, and you were all caught up in your girlfriends' lives.
You didn’t know how long you'd been like that, until Mina spoke again.
“So… earlier,” she started, looking at you with a mischievous smile, “you and Denki were totally eye flirting in front of the whole dorm”
You groaned, already reaching for some chips to hide the nervousness in your voice. “We literally were not”
Jirou snorted. “You literally were”.
“Ugh, I don’t know guys,” you mumbled, chewing slower now. “It just… happened. I looked at him, but I wasn’t expecting him to already be looking at me like that.”
There was a short pause. Mina leaned on her elbow, facing you. “Do you still like him?”
You looked down at the can of soda in your hands, watching a drop of condensation run down the side. “…I don’t know,” you admitted quietly. “I don’t want to. But then I see him and it’s like… it all comes back.”
Jirou sat up a bit. “You don’t have to decide anything right now, you know.”
“Exactly,” Mina added. “Maybe he’s grown up a little over the summer. Maybe he finally got the hint.”
You let out a quiet laugh. “I doubt that.”
But even as you said it, a part of you hoped they were right.
“What’s so bad about liking him anyway? I mean, he might not be the smartest but he’s cute and funny!” Mina tried to cheer up the mood.
“Really?” Jirou asked sarcastically. “Uh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that he basically hits on every single girl he sees? I don’t know though, just a random thought” She rolled her eyes as she said that last bit.
“Ughhhh why does he have to be like that!” You said as you slid from the bed to the floor, “It would all be so easy if he wasn’t such a player!” You sighed, “I even feel stupid for falling for his games…”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself now,” Jirou stopped you. “You didn’t fall for his games , you actually like him . And that is totally ok.”
“Yeah!” Mina continued, “There is no shame in liking someone, it is not like you can control your feelings” she shrugged.
“I wish I could, though” You said almost in a whisper. “I mean, I almost did this to myself. I purposely played along for, like, a year. And my stupid ass heart couldn’t tell a joke from reality…”
You stopped talking, thinking about how he flirted with you like you were one of the girls he chased.
“You do realize no one is forcing you to keep playing along with that, right?” Jirou said, with a more serious tone.
“You’re right, but…”
“But what? It’s been a year, Y/n, and all it did was make you fall in love with him” She sighed, “Look, I’m not trying to be rude, I’m just saying–”
“I’m the one doing this to myself” You continued. She nodded.
After about half a minute of silence, Mina spoke again “But hey! You haven’t talked to him all summer, right?” You turned to her curiously as you nodded, “See, maybe he finally realised those stupid games aren’t it!”
“I don’t know, girl…”
“A girl can only hope” Jirou turned to you with a soft smile. “Besides, maybe if you stop playing along, the truth of whether it was real or not will come out, right?”
“Right…” You returned the smile, and closed your eyes. “So what, am I supposed to wait around for him to show me he’s changed?” You opened your eyes and furrowed your brows as you turned to Mina.
“I mean, you don’t have to, but… Let’s say he did change, wouldn’t it be a great surprise?!”
You didn’t answer.
You just laid back on the floor, staring at the ceiling, and whispered “ I guess we’ll see.”