Sometimes Denki wonders why he gets involved with his friends' love lives, then he remembers he does it to escape his own. He's discovering that doesn't work so well when the person's love life you're helping is that of the crush you're getting over because it turns out she's into another girl, not you. He crossed his legs in his chair. Jirou is lucky he's willing to make this sacrifice for her. Just because he's willing doesn't mean he's not allowed to complain his way through it. That's what his mother always told him. His elementary teachers hated that saying.

He sighed and pulled his notebook off his desk. He promised Jirou he'd help her and though he may be still a little wounded that they will never work out, he still has to do this. For her and for Yaoyorozu. He has to admit, they'd make a good pair. Besides, it's something to distract him. Usually he doesn't need a distraction, he is the distraction, but this time he needed to be the solution.

He just has to figure out what that solution is.

A knock sounded from the door to his room. He sighed, making sure he was decent before calling out, "Come in!"

The door cracked open revealing Jirou. She offered him a smile as she entered his room, sitting down on the floor in front of him. He ignored the slight tug at his chest as he remembered why she was there. He quickly erased the thought of telling her he doesn't think he could do this so soon after being rejected. That would be 'super unmanly' as his bro would say. He can do this! Who knows, it might help him get over his crush faster.

"Hey, so uh," Jirou started to say, twirling one of her earphones around her finger. "How exactly does this whole thing work?"

Denki grinned. "Well, I try and come up with ways to get you and Yaoyorozu together and you play along."

She rolled her eyes. "Wow, real helpful."

"I know. I'm just great, aren't I?" A pillow came flying at his face and he barely had time to dodge it. He looked at Jirou in betrayal. "How dare you? If you keep trying to kill me with pillows then I won't be able to help you!"

She shook her head and snickered. "Just explain your great plan to me. How'd you get Kirishima and Bakugou together?"

'I went in blind and somehow it worked in my favor,' is what he wanted to say, but he knew that wouldn't reassure her at all. He turned to his desk and pulled out his notebook in which he'd written the Homies Don'ts in. He held it out to her, letting her scan over the words. "I made a list of all the things they did that proved they were more than bros."

"And it worked?" she asked, seeming somewhat surprised. Ouch, she should have more faith in his amazing methods. He nodded his head but she still looked skeptical. "Are you going to do this for me?"

"Depends." He leaned forward and tapped the paper. "I made this to help Kirishima realize Blasty liked him back. Do you need confirmation she likes you or do you need help making the first move because the way we go about this is different depending on the answer."

"Uh, both?"

Mood. If he had someone ask him that question he'd probably say the same. Now thats not to say he's not a wicked flirt and would be amazing at first moves (lies) but it'd be nice to have a little reassurance and advice in the area of romance, considering that he's currently helping his crush get a girlfriend while simultaneously suppressing the idea that his other crush has a chance of liking him back. Not that Shinsou liking him would be bad or anything, of course.

Nope, nope, nope. He is not thinking of him right now. Especially not how their last conversation went down. He is helping Jirou right now. Focus on that.

He sighed and took the notebook from her. He snatched his pencil from his desk and started writing down a title. "Okay, so the plan is I come up with reasons why Yaoyorozu likes you while giving you ideas on what your first move should be based on how she seems to act around you."

She nodded. "Right and what do I do?"

"Just be you! Try talking to her more, see if you can figure out any of her likes or dislikes. That'll help with making a move." He looked up from what he'd written down. "Is replacing the word Homies with Besties as a feminine version sexist?"

She looked surprised at the question and leaned back a bit, ear turning red. "I... uh, I don't think so?"

"Sweet."

A proud smile worked his way onto his lips as he looked at the perfect sheet he'd crafted just waiting to be filled out. He couldn't help the bubble of excitement that rose in his chest. It may hurt a bit that he was doing this for the girl he's trying to get over but that's okay, it'll be fun. He's always been a bit of a sucker for romance and seeing his friends all happy and in love is one of his greatest joys. Gods, he just hopes Jirou's feelings are returned. He doesn't want to see her cry.

The bold pencil lettering on the page popped out as he showed it to her. "Kyouka Jirou, I present to you the Besties Do's and Don'ts!"

Seeing the smile that broke out on her face was worth it. Yeah, he'd be okay and he'd surely get over his crush. Maybe it is best that they're just friends. Besides, getting the chance to help her like this and see her happy is so much better than a silly crush anyways.

Now all he has to do is get her together with the girl of her dreams. Easy peasy!

-:-

He should have learned from the first time.

Kirishima warned him too! When he'd found out he was playing matchmaker for Jirou he'd shaken his head and told him that this wasn't going to end well. He really should have listened because yet again, he's wallowing in the common room about how he can't find anything to prove Yaoyorozu likes Jirou back! He knows it always seems impossible at first but this was truly hopeless. He's starting to get what Jirou was talking about when she said there was no way to decipher the difference between platonic and romantic when it comes to girls.

The whole 'being cutesy and loving' thing girls do isn't a lie. He hates to stereotype but now that he pays attention to it, it's hard to tell if any of the girls in his class are actually dating or just best friends. There was this level of confidence and affection they willingly expressed that Denki couldn't help but feel jealous of. The closest bond he's ever had to that was the one he has with Kirishima and Sero. They made a bro pact not to hide their feelings from each other and always show that they loved each other even if other guys thought it made them less of men (Kiri says tears and feelings are manly and he's the ultimate judge of manliness, so those jerks are really the unmanly ones). They would have roped Bakugou into it as well if they didn't think they'd get their heads cut off for it.

What he didn't feel jealous of though was the struggle women loving women had. He felt bad for Jirou. If she was overly sappy and touchy with Yaoyorozu it would be seen as normal, the only way to make her feelings obvious seemed to be if she just straight (not very straight though) up confessed. He thought getting his bro and Bakugou together was hard but he should have been thankful that any kind of affection from Bakugou could be seen as an act of love.

It had been nearly a week since Jirou and himself came up with the Besties do's and don'ts and still he had nothing. The only thing he'd really gathered was how well of a couple the two girls would be. They were compatible in every way, so much so it made his heart hurt. He himself longed for a relationship like that. His chances with Shinsou weren't looking so bright... or at least he'd decided they weren't, even though Shinsou had told him he wasn't interested in girls. Doesn't mean he's interested in guys though, he'd had to tell himself a thousand times last night.

He hadn't slept much that night.

Ashido shot him a concerned look from the other side of the couch. He waved his hand lazily so as not to worry her. She could help with this one, in fact she could help a lot, but he isn't sure how Jirou would feel about him telling another person that she likes Yaoyorozu, especially someone who's so close with her. Maybe he can convince her to let him tell one of the guys, but probably not Ashido.

Yellow and black eyes narrowed slightly in confusion and concern before she looked away, returning to her conversation with the group of girls. "Anyways, did you guys see what Sero did to that creep Mineta from general studies?"

"Yeah, that was totally awesome," Hagakure cheered. Judging from her gloves, her hands were clasped in front of her. "I can't believe Sero's tape held for that long! I almost wish it hadn't so that guy would have fallen on his face!"

Uraraka and Tsuyu nodded in agreement. Tsu held a finger to her mouth and side eyed Denki as she commented, "Some guys need to learn girls aren't theirs to look at all day."

Ouch. He has to admit that stung a little.

Mina jumped to her feet, hands raised in defense. "Why you looking at Kaminari, huh? Don't accuse my man of that!"

Before he could even protest that Mina calm down and say that he was perfectly okay and probably deserved it to some degree, Jirou spoke up from where she sat next to Yaoyorozu on the couch to his left. "Ashido-chan is right. Kaminari isn't like that. Sure, he's too much of a flirt for his own good-" He gave an offended gasp- "but he knows when to stop. He'd probably be a great wingman actually."

She winked subtly at him (how the fuck does she wink subtly? Every time he tries someone always catches it) and he couldn't help but grin. He tuned out the mutters around him of the other girls agreeing and watched something amazing unfold in front of his eyes.

After her little moment of defending him, Jirou's attention was immediately drawn to Yaoyorozu who was smiling softly at him. Now that he was searching for any hints the dark haired girl might like Jirou, it seemed there were more clues than he thought. That small smile, it seemed to hold so much in it. It wasn't one of her usual smiles that she gave everyone. This one was almost proud looking.

Yaomomo leaned over to whisper something to Jirou and he watched as his former crushes ears turned red. The most amazing part of it all, her hand slipped into hers. He had to surpass an excited gasp because fucking finally! Something he can work with! There is no way the blushes on their faces were indicating anything platonic.

Jirou's eyes widened before she seemed to relax into the touch, smiling softly. Denki wanted to squeal like how Mina does when she's watching chick flicks with their group (Blasty pretends to hate those nights but everyone knows he secretly loves them - the sap). He got to his feet and quickly dashed to the table where his bag was hanging on one of the chairs. Opening it up, he pulled out his glorious notebook. With a pen in hand, he flipped to the page he wanted. He smiled proudly as he wrote something down under the title of Besties do's and don'ts.

This was perfect! He knows girls are weird (trust him, he knows) but this had to be a sign! Yaomomo and Jirou are holding hands! And not just holding hands while skipping around and all that; they were holding hands in a perfectly calm setting where they weren't holding hands until Jirou stood up for him and- OH! That totally impressed Yaoyorozu. Look at his girl all grown up and impressing beautiful women, he's tearing up.

"Besties do's and don'ts...? Huh."

Denki nearly screamed in surprise at the voice right next to his ear. He whipped his head around to gawk at the taller boy standing next to him, leaning over his shoulder to read what was written on the notebook. In his shock, Denki slammed shut the book, plastering on an uneasy smile. He pointed a finger at his new guest. "You saw nothing."

Shinsou raised an eyebrow. He said, "Oh? That serious?"

"No- yes- uh." he stumbled over his words. "it's a secret!" he muttered, but his thought process was a little jammed right now because holy fuck, wow. It's illegal for Shinsou to scare him like that and look hot enough to make it hard for Denki to be mad at him. This is life threatening stuff he's working on! Uber confidential, secret, Fight Club level shit! He promised he wouldn't tell anyone who Jirou's crush is, not even Shinsou. He can't risk letting people know! He values Jirou's trust and not even Shinsou in a tank top can make him betray it. Even if the tank top is really, really nice.

Someone slap him. Please.

"You shouldn't have answered my question," Shinsou remarked, a smirk spreading across his features.

Denki tried covering up his mistake with a semi-confident smile. "I knew you wouldn't use your quirk like. You respect my privacy."

"I wouldn't be so sure. I'm more of an ass than you think," he said. Almost as if to prove his point he reached for the notebook and Denki had to yank it away and hide it behind his back. Shinsou frowned slightly and leaned against the table. "What is this Besties do's and don'ts anyways?"

"I'm pretty sure I just said it was a secret."

"I'm good at keeping secrets."

Denki believes him, one hundred percent. The best thing about having a crush (and simultaneously the worst thing) is that you think about them. A lot. This can lead to many discoveries and he tends to get to know people he has a crush on quite well. He knows Jirou's favorite band is actually an old group from before quirks. He knows his crush from middle school was the smartest person in their school but pretended to be dumb so she wasn't put in the gifted kids class, away from her friends. And, of course, he knows Shinsou is not an asshole like he says and can keep a secret like no one else can.

What is he doing? He can't tell Shinsou. Not going to happen! If he does then Jirou will get mad at him and then the plan will fail and then Yaomomo and her won't get together and nothing will be right with the world ever again. Even if Shinsou probably already knows from eavesdropping when Jirou had first approached him before Shinsou dropped the bomb that he-

Nope. Not thinking about that right now.

He crossed his arms and shook his head. "Shinsou, I can't tell you. It's not my secret."

"If you say so," Shinsou regarded, shrugging. He tapped his notebook. "By the way, you, uh, you've got really beautiful hand writing."

What the fu--

Feeling his face heat up, Denki had an urge to cover his face and hide. Praying that a blush wasn't covering his face (low chances, he feels like his face was shoved into an easy bake oven), he attempted a save from his flustered face. "What can I say?" He pointed his thumbs to himself. "Pretty writing for a pretty face!"

Shinsou looked up from his notebook and he could swear there was a small smile on his face. "Yeah."

Oh?

If he had been drinking water he would have spit it out. Or not. That would risk getting some on Shinsou and oh boy, he'd die if that happened. He'd actually die and then all his wonderful friends would try to bring him back to life in which they'd attempt at one point to commence CPR, the mouth to mouth kind, (Shinsou being the one doing it of course). He'd spring alive again and thank his prince charming who'd saved him and lived happily ever after. Or, that's what he hoped would happen.

Sadly, he did not have a drink with him and none of that happened. Instead he stared at the insomniac with wide eyes and his lips parted slightly in surprise. He'd agreed that he was pretty. His poor heart can't take this right noe, especially after Shinsou saying he wasn't into girls. Where's Jirou? She needs to get her ass over here and save him.

He glanced over his shoulder and didn't know whether to be happy or frightened that his best girl friend was too busy talking and holding hands with Yaomomo to help him. He gulped and looked to Shinsou again, meeting his purple eye's that were tracing over his features. Denki studied his relaxed expression and his eye's then flicked up to follow the stray purple lock of hair that fell into his eyes. Eye's that hadn't moved from Denki's face.

Denki internally cursed himself for always falling for the really cute ones.

Shinsou cleared his throat, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck as he said, "Well, uh, I have to go. Y'know, homework and all that. I'm just gonna- yeah."

He quickly spun on his heel and walked away towards the dorm rooms. Denki's gaze followed him making sure he did not look at his ass (not that there's much to see with his sweatpants but still, mans got a nice ass). As soon as he was gone, Denki let his head fall into his hands, a groan escaping his lips. He's so utterly whipped.

-:-

Besties do's and don'ts

1. Holding Hands

-:-

A day or two later Denki was still cursing his very existence when Recovery Girl had banished both him and Jirou to the dark pits of the nurse room. Why? Because somebody (cough, Ashido, cough) caught the flu and passed it along.

Over the past week a nasty fever had been going around Yuuei. Class 2-A had been lucky enough to not catch it yet until that fateful day when Denki wanted to die his head hurt so bad. He felt like someone was repeatedly hitting him in the head with a hammer and not one of those plastic ones they give kids. He knows the difference.

He wasn't the only one who showed up to class looking like they'd awoken from their graves (save for Shinsou and Aizawa who always look like that). Jirou, Kirishima and Mina had caught it too. Correction, Denki, Kirishima and Jirou caught it from Raccoon Eyes (she doesn't deserve her name right now) who decided it would be fun to hang out with class 2-B which'd been one of the classes that'd fallen victim to the virus. Now the four of them were cooped up in the nurse offices with nothing but curtains separating them. The school should have thought through putting three angry teenagers in a room with the person responsible for their aggression. Let's just say Raccoon Eye's has received several shouting and resorted to hiding herself under the covers of her cot.

The only good thing about the situation is he was positioned between Jirou and Kirishima's beds, his two best friends (sorry Sero). Kirishima attempted to keep him company, cracking jokes and playing cats cradle with him to distract each other from their raging headaches and shivering bodies. Both boys had tried to get Jirou to sing but her responding glare scared them from asking again. Eventually Kirishima had fallen asleep and Denki was left alone to his silence.

He sat there for what felt like hours until the school day ended and Denki knew Aizawa would be coming to check up on them and likely give them homework. He really never gave them any breaks even though he'd been the one to force them to skip class and visit Recovery Girl. What surprised him was when the door opened it wasn't Aizawa who stepped through but instead it was none other than Bakugou.

"Hey Kacchan!" He excitedly waved to the blonde who looked at him in disgust, lips curling back. "You couldn't resist paying a visit to your old pal, huh? I knew you loved me deep down!"

"Dunce Face, shut up. I'm not here for you," he grunted. He walked over to Kirishima's bed, sitting in the chair next to it and opening up his bag to pull out a few school books.

Denki watched with curiosity. "Okay...? So why are you here?"

"Tch. Isn't it obvious fuckhead," he scoffed. Obviousness is not Denki's forte. Bakugou rolled his eyes and gestured to Kirishima. "I'm here for Shitty Hair. Despite common belief I'm a good fucking boyfriend and have the decency to visit this dumbass when he's sick."

And because he has no control whatsoever over what comes out of his mouth, he said, "Mhm. Because that makes you a good boyfriend and it's totally not just because you're worried."

He... didn't die. That's a first. Normally, he'd have been blown up by now. His explosive bro simply glared at him before rolling his eyes. "Right. Forgot some idiots are fucking single losers and don't get that part of being a boyfriend is looking after your fucking partner."

"You would still be a 'fucking single loser' if it weren't for me!" he retorted, pointing at him to which Bakugou rolled his eyes again and muttered something about him 'not getting the point'. He turned to Jirou on his other side. "Speaking of getting together single people-"

"She likes Ponytail, Dunce Face," Bakugou barked. "Don't bother fucking asking her out."

"I know," he said at the same time Jirou grumbled, "Glad to know it's that obvious."

"Anyways..." He side eyed Blasty before continuing. "I didn't get the chance yesterday to tell you about the new Besties don't. It was-"

"Not this bullshit again."

"-when we were in the common rooms the other day and you were defending me and Yaomomo took your hands because she was clearly proud. I think that counts as a Besties don't," he said, ignoring Bakugou's interjection. Bakubro can mind his own business and do his own hand holding with Kirishima. The conversation does not include him.

Jirou glanced at her lap, fiddling with her hands. "I don't know. I want to believe you but it's just a thing girls do. We hold hands."

His groan got cut off midway by a sneeze. He scrunched up his nose. Ugh, he hates being sick. The only good thing that comes from it is missing school. Quickly shaking his head, he snapped out of his mopping. "I hate this girls being girls thing! I really pity your love life if this is how it always is." He ran a hand through his hair. "Listen Jirou, this wasn't just any hand holding, you have to trust me. I'm the romance expert! I got Bakugou to like Kirishima!"

"You didn't get me to like shit!"

"This isn't about you sweetie," he commented. He tapped his chin, pausing. "Wait, actually that's not hard. Kirishima's adorable and manly, it's hard for anyone not to love him. The challenge was getting Kiri to like Blasty- er wait. Not hard either. His heart is so big he loves everyone, even a Pomeranian with anger issues."

"The fuck did you just call me!" Bakugou raged, standing up from his chair with his hands raised.

"Proving my statement there buckeroo." He waved his bro aside and went back to Jirou. "Point is, I helped them. I can help you and Yaomomo."

"Help Jirou and I with what?"

Denki suddenly squeaked in surprise, soon echoed by everyone else, maybe even Ash-- Raccoon Eyes too (was she eavesdropping?). On his right Jirou's face flushed a bright pink and she seemed to suddenly be stiff as a board. Bakugou had his signature cocky smirk on his face after he got over his initial surprise. Denki had a weird urge to stick his tongue out at him but he's a good kid and decided to not.

"Uh." He struggled to come up with a response for Yaomomo who was standing at the door to the infirmary, hands clutching a book bag like she'd came straight from class. "Well, Jirou is very shy and she's been meaning to ask you-"

"Denki Kaminari I swear to all the gods out there if you-"

"-if you would help her study to catch up on classes since she's sick," he said, delighted when Jirou immediately stopped threatening him. "You're the smartest person in class and Jirou could really use your help. You know what a hard worker she is."

"Oh." The class vice president flushed, a light pink dusting her cheeks. "If she wants I'm willing. I brought study material and medicine. I know Recovery Girl already gave you guys some but this stuff works really well and-"

"Perfect!" Denki cheered, holding back a coughing fit as his voice strained from the sudden volume. He waved frantically at the seat next to Jirou. "Sit! Sit!"

Yaomomo looked skeptical of him but sat anyway before leaning over to whisper with Jirou. He smiled proudly and did his best not to give himself a pat on the back. To his left Bakugou snorted. "You know you can't use this as proof now that you intervened, you fucking idiot?"

"Shhh, you have no rights," he silenced him. He pressed finger to Bakugou's lips, having to lean across the gap between Kirishima and his beds, nearly toppling over. "I can and will do what I want."

His fever brain didn't think through the consequences clearly 'cause next thing he knew the room was lighting up with explosions.

"YOU WANT TO FUCKING GO SPARK PLUG, HUH?"

-:-

He'd fallen asleep not long after Bakugou had been restrained by his boyfriend and calmed down. When he woke up the room was dark and he could hear the soft snores of his friends. Yaoyorozu and Blasty had left and Denki really wished they hadn't. He was shivering, a cold sweat soaking him from head to toe. He felt simultaneously too hot and too cold. Is this how Todoroki feels all the time? Denki should get him flowers or something to make him feel better.

Groggily, he flailed his hand around for a light switch, closing his eyes again. His vision was blurry and it was giving him a headache making it hard to think. He felt like he'd gone overboard with his quirk. Man, he forgot how much he hates fever brain.

He tried sitting up right, a groan leaving him as he did so only to find warm hands on his shoulder pushing him back down. "Woah," a steady voice came from beside him, "just stay laying down. Don't sit up, Kaminari, you'll just feel worse."

That voice, he should know it. Fuck his delusional mind right now. He couldn't think straight. His ears picked up on the sound of a tap running and some clutter moving around on the back counter where the sink and medicine are. Idly he wondered if the medicine had come to life and was moving around to help him.

The same warm hands were placed on his back as someone helped him sit up right. Blearily, he opened his eyes, blinking at the dark figure in front of him. One of the hands left his back before shoving water into his hands and helping him guide it to his lips. Stubbornly, he refused to drink. He wanted to, his throat felt dry. Even with his foggy mind he was still weary of what he'd be drinking especially with all the LOV incidents.

"Hey, Kaminari, It's just me, Shinsou," the person- Shinsou- said, not taking the glass away from his lips. "Come on. Just drink some. You need to stay hydrated. You're sweating up a storm."

He shakily nodded. Shinsou's good. Shinsou's safe.

He let the water pour into his mouth, cooling his throat. It took only a few sips before the bland taste made him want to puke. Shinsou seemed to understand and pulled the glass away, setting it down on the counter. He flopped his hands around, reaching out and holding the first thing he could find, Shinsou's wrist. "It's dark. . ." he mumbled, sinking back down in his bed so he was laying down again. "Light."

"Shit, right," Shinsou hissed. Denki heard more rustling around before the lamp at his bedside turned on, blinding him. He winced and ducked his head under the covers, shielding his eyes. The same warm hands reach for him, pulling back the covers and he became aware of soft chuckling that rang quietly through the air. "Kami, come on. Work with me here. I need to change your cloth. God, this is why I didn't apply to be a nurse."

Denki couldn't help the snicker that left his lips at the last comment. This guy's funny. If he didn't apply to be a nurse then how is he one and helping Denki? Oh fuck, head ache.

Something warm was lifted from his forehead. He frowned. He hadn't even realized something was there. Vaguely, he heard the tap run again, paired with the sound of something being wrung out. Did the guy say something about a cloth?

"Here you go," the voice softly said as Shinsou came back into view, a wet cloth in hand. He placed it gently on his forehead. Denki stared up at him as the back of his hand pressed against his cheek. His hand was warm, making his cheeks warmer than the rest of him. He stirred, gazing at the boy before him. He had nice eyes. They're violet coloured, like... like violets. The soft light of the lamp sort of made him look like he was blocking out the sun, even though it's night time. Wait, how'd he get the sun out at night? Is he a god? That'd explain a lot.

"You're pretty," he mumbled and watched as a dark red seeped across his features. He sputtered and pulled his hand from his cheek- no no, come back!

"Uh, looks like your temperature isn't going down much," Shinsou quickly said, stepping a bit back from him. He reached out and grabbed a little small cup from the counter filled with a pinkish liquid. Mina's blood? Did Shinsou avenge them for getting them all sick? The cup was raised to his lips. "Drink this and then go to sleep. You need rest if this flu is going to get any better."

"Mm, okie." He barely registered drinking the liquid before he felt his eye's fall shut, hands shaking every now and then from the shivers that wouldn't go away.

Shinsou's hand rested on his arm, rubbing slow circles and it wasn't long before Denki found his consciousness slipping away to the low hum of his voice and the feeling of lips brushing against his forehead. "Good night Kaminari."

In the morning Shinsou was gone and he chalked it up to a dream, his fever already feeling better. He knows that flu's make people think and see crazy things. It was just a dream.

-:-

Besties Do's and Don'ts

1. Holding Hands
2. Caring for each other

-:-

Within two days everyone was right as rain thanks to Recovery Girls healing abilities (bless the goddess). Kaminari is seriously considering risking Aizawa's wrath and sneaking out to get her a gift and a card because if he had to sit in that bed for any longer he would have imploded. It surprises him when Jirou texts him later asking to hang out. She should be sick of him after spending so long cooped up with only him for company (Mina getting the silent treatment and Kirishima too busy being smothered by his boyfriend). He's well aware one can only take so many puns and pick up lines before they resort to stabbing him in the ear with earphone jacks.

He's debating bailing on her this afternoon. He hates that he's even thinking of it but he's so tired. At training Aizawa-sensei overworked the four of them who'd been sick claiming they needed to 'catch up or be left behind'. Honestly, he can't blame his brain for short circuiting from his quirk. Now, not only are his muscles aching but he's coming down from his 'whey' mode.

It's always sucked going all weird like that. It feels like when you go cross eyed for too long and your mind starts to blur and your vision feels all funky except he can't just snap out of it. It's kind of hard to focus on anything but the dull pain in the back of his mind and how everything seems out of focus and distant. Like after going cross eyed, that little numb ache in the back of his head stays for a few hours and it hurts to think too much. He feels like collapsing on his bed and just passing out.

Mentally, he slaps himself. No, he has to hang out with Jirou. He told her he would. Plus, there's that pile of homework on his desk to do. Actually . . . on second thought he should avoid all of his responsibilities. He groaned, letting his head fall back against the wall.

"On the floor is a weird place to be."

He looked up to see Shinsou standing there, gazing down at him with a raised eyebrow. His head was cocked to the side, his purple hair in it's perfect messiness that was still so oddly attractive. The tie around his neck hung loose showing the clear exhaustion after a long day of school. Denki would pity Shinsou for never sleeping and still having to go to school if his own brain didn't feel like it might explode any minute. He can at least be grateful for the angel that has swooped in to give him company.

Grumbling tiredly, he answered, "The floor is cold and I'm hot. And I'm a little scared if I stand up right now I'll fall over. Unless you're willing to catch me, I'm goin' to stay down here."

Shinsou shrugged and sat down next to him, leaning his back head against the wall. "Fair enough but just so you know," he said, bumping his shoulder lightly, "I'd catch you any day."

Is it possible to swoon so hard he nearly forgets about his headache? He felt heat rise to his cheeks and suddenly his ears felt like they were on fire. He tried pushing down his blush and talking himself out of his thoughts. Shinsou didn't mean it like that. He's making a joke about being heroes. Heroes catch people, right? That's all. He's not going to twist his words because he's hopelessly pinning.

He ducked his head, letting some of his hair hide his face. He feels bad that the idea of Shinsou flirting with him even crossed his mind. Ever since he found out his crush doesn't like girls, he's been on edge. He can't help but over analyze everything Shinsou does. He doesn't know if he likes boys, or nobody, or something entirely different. Even if he did like boys, would he be interested in Denki?

"Hey, you good?" Shinsou asked, resting a hand on his shoulder. Oh great. Physical contact. He's starting to debate whether Shinsou is really a devil rather than an angel at this point because it seems like he's trying to kill him.

Denki had no trouble working a smile onto his face. "Yeah, yeah. I'm good. Still just a little dazed from over working my quirk."

Shinsou picked at a string on his uniform. "It must feel pretty weird."

"A bit," he answered. He'd gotten used to finding Shinsou's hidden questions. "It's sort of like when you're half between sleep and being awake. Everything's fuzzy and it's hard to separate daydreams and thoughts from reality. It's even harder to think, especially with a headache. But whatever. Good old distraction helps, or quiet."

Next to him Shinsou hummed. He pulled out his phone from his pocket, a cord plugged into it attached to his earbuds. He nudged Denki's foot with his own and tilted the screen toward him, showing the music app he had opened. "What do you listen to?"

"Um, anything," he said, a little surprised by the question. Shinsou doesn't ask a lot of questions but when he does it's always nice to hear, Denki thinks it means he trusts the person he's asking. It's endearing as much as it is sad he has to even struggle to trust people like that. Denki's chest warmed. He bit back the small smile threatening to burst onto his features.

Shinsou shot him a look that clearly said he didn't believe him. He rolled his eyes. "Just tell me what you like."

"Saw right through me." He winked and immediately regretted it. Mini Denki in his head was beating his brains with a bat ranting about how the purple angel would never marry them now. "I really do like anything but country though. When my head hurts like this I avoid rap and electronic too. It's too loud, y'know?"

"Fair. Listen to this." He pulled out one of his earbuds and Denki froze when his spare hand reached over to brush aside his hair. Knuckles brushed across his temple as he brought the earbud up and put it in his ear, the soft sound of music soothing into his hearing. He felt like his face was on fire and was half tempted to find a mirror to double check it wasn't.

The music was soft, the perfect kind to null the strange buzz in his head from his quirk. It was quiet but just loud enough to block out any unnecessary noise. He couldn't recognize the song or the tune but he liked it, the steady rise and falls of the singer's voice, faint compared to the continuous strum of an acoustic guitar in the background.

Shinsou smirked at the content expression he was no doubt wearing. He leaned his head back against the wall and mouthed a 'thanks' at his crush. He'd be relaxed if it weren't for the pounding of his heart that was still fretting over the way Shinsou had gently tucked his hair behind his ear when putting in the earbud. Even now, it was beating faster just looking at Shinsou's face as he too leaned back against the wall, eyes fluttering closed peacefully.

It felt like he was intruding on something, seeing Shinsou's face so calm and restful. It's not like he hasn't seen it before. Everyone's seen him like this when he falls asleep in class after too many nights without rest but this, his features relaxed, even though he's awake. It feels like a secret Denki should guard with his life.

Denki smiled to himself and closed his own eyes, letting the music take over him and slow down his heart. He took a deep breath, letting the air fill him before releasing. This is what he needed without even realizing it. A way to relax and distract himself from his post quirk effects.

Something warm pressed against the back of his hand. The brush of knuckles against his own. A finger against his wrist. His heart sped up again and he peeled open one eye to glance at Shinsou but the boy was still leaning peacefully against the wall, the wire of one of the earbuds hanging from him. His eyes flicked to their hands just barely touching at their sides. He closed his eyes again, letting himself fall back into the calm he'd found. It's cool. They're just chillin like bros.

And then a slightly bigger hand folded over his own.

He tried to pay no mind to it but the warmth of it shot up his entire arm. Hesitantly, his own hand curled around Shinsou's. His hands were surprisingly calloused and rough. It was nice, comforting. He found himself going even deeper into the calm state rather than out of it like he'd expected. There was something grounding about that warmth Shinsou's hand provided against his own. He leaned into the contact, the music distant in his ears but still very much there.

It was the nicest he's felt all week, which he supposes isn't saying a lot, considering he was sick. He wasn't worried about school, or the stack of assignments sitting on his desk, nor the call he was supposed to give his sister yesterday but forgot. He couldn't even bring himself to think about the Besties Don'ts he needs to find. His mind was only focused on the hum of the music and the warm pressure of Shinsou's hand in his.

Truthfully, if someone asked, Denki wouldn't have been able to say how long they sat like that. A dozen songs start and finish, the buzz in his brain slowly fading as time went on. He could probably have stayed there forever. He didn't feel restless like he normally did when sitting down for so long but he blamed the music. He would have stayed there forever if footsteps, loud compared to the quiet the two of them had created, came down the hallway they were in.

He'd wanted to ignore the footsteps but then they'd stopped in front of him. He yelped as a foot kicked at his shin. His eyes snapped open and he was met with the sight of a glaring Jirou, her earphone jacks pointed at him aggressively (can one aggressively point earphone jacks?). Her hands were on her hips and he winced. Shit. That's her you-forgot-something-important-Denki face.

Next to him, Shinsou stirred. Purple eyes opened and immediately flicked up to stare at Jirou, or more specifically her hair. Denki frowned as he took notice too. Her hair was pulled back into a twisting bun, a black flower of some kind tucked into it. It's a pretty look on her.

He winced when Jirou took a step forward, glare deepening. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Uh... nice hair?" He panicked, okay? He's not good with Jirou and her confrontations. She's scary when she wants to be. Reminds Denki of his grandmother. A lovely lady till you make her mad and then you're hiding in the broom closet and getting a concussion 'cause the mop fell on your head. His ex-crush stepped forward and grabbed his ear. He yelped again and held his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry for whatever I did! Please don't kill me! I still have so much to live for!"

He could almost physically feel the eye roll Jirou gave at his dramatics. Personally he doesn't think he's being dramatic. Women are scarier than spiders and the thorny hedges out front the dorms that Bakugou likes to drag him into.

"Get up," she demanded. "You were supposed to be in my room half an hour ago. I told you this was important."

Right. That.

He shot an apologetic look Shinsou's way and pulled out the earbud he had, handing it back. "Thanks for the music," he said as he stood up and let himself be dragged down the hall by Jirou. "You're the best! I'll see you later!"

It was disappointing when he no longer got to see Shinsou's face as Jirou dragged him into her dorm. He turned to her with a pout. He'd been having a really good time. His headache had numbed a little, enough that he could put more effort into thinking without feeling that strange pinch behind his eyes.

Jirou put her hands on her hips like some goddess warrior threatening a mortal who'd disrespected her. Her eyes narrowed. "Half an hour, Kaminari. I get ten minutes. I'd even tolerate half an hour if you let me know but c'mon, don't blow me off like that. That's not what friends do."

"We're friends?" His eyes widened as he said it.

"Uh, yeah?" She punched his shoulder. "Do you have a better word for it?"

He snickered. "Duh. Super-awesome-bros. Electric guitar squad. Platonic soulmates. Bestest buds. The homosexual supporting cast. I could go on."

Shaking her head, Jirou said, "Please, don't."

Grinning, he gladly shut up and took pride in Jirou's growing smile. That's right, he's funny. In your face Bakugou.

He sat down on the floor, pulling his bag off his back and resting it between his legs. Jirou promptly collapsed on her bed. She groaned into her pillow. Denki sighed and pulled out his notebook of Besties do's and don'ts. "That bad, huh?"

She nodded her head weakly into the pillow before turning it so only her cheek was squashed against it. "You don't even understand, Kaminari! She was so-- so, gah!"

A sympathetic hum rumbled from him. "Take your time. Start from the beginning and let good old Denki fix the problem."

Despite what Jirou said, he did understand. The bright red tint to her face and the dive bombing onto her bed wasn't something she exclusively did. Denki feels like doing those would really help him right now. Who can blame him for forgetting to hang out with Jirou when he was having a crisis of his own earlier? Shinsou was holding his hand! Does that boy even know what he's doing to his poor bi heart? Jirou says he doesn't understand but boy does he ever.

There's a fluttering feeling in his stomach and he can feel his face heating up already at just the thought of Shinsou's slightly calloused hand grasping his own. Oh god, his hands were probably sweating. Shinsou must have been so grossed out! Forget helping Jirou, there's a cellar of isolation waiting for him so he never has to face his crush again.

"I can't even-- there has to be some rule against her being so pretty and sweet and-- fuck," Jirou said, cutting off Denki's thoughts. She sat up in her bed, hiding her face in her hands.

Denki opened up his notebook. "Yes, pretty people should be illegal but then we'd never get to see them."

"I don't know which is worse," Jirou groaned. "Seeing her and feeling so embarrassed that I can't make it through one sentence without being a stuttering mess or never seeing her and hopelessly pining from afar."

A grimace flashed across his face. "Oof. You're at that stage? Damn, you've got it bad."

Like every time he's in Jirou's room, a pillow comes and whacks him in the face. He was wondering how long he'd make it today without being assaulted by the bag of feathers. He glanced at the clock on the wall. Two minutes, that's a new record.

"Don't make fun of me right now!" She glared at him.

"Okay! Okay! I pledge to take this completely serious!"

"Liar! You won't make it five minutes without cracking a joke!"

"I pledge to take this mostly serious! Cross my heart and hope to die! Scouts honour!"

"Were you even a scout?"

"That's for me to know and for you to not try and find out."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously but put down the second pillow she'd raised in warning. A sigh escaped her lips and Denki watched her tuck her face in her hands. She grumbled into her palms, "Look at my hair."

His eyes flicked to her bun and then back to her face. A frown pulled at his lips and confusion filled him. "Uh, I already complimented it if that's what you're hoping for. I'll say it again if you need."

"No. Not that dummy," Jirou whined. She lifted her face from her hands and he could make out a dark pink spreading across her cheeks. "Yaomomo did it."

Oh. Oh. So it's like that, huh? Denki's truly impressed Jirou's still alive. He'd have dropped dead the moment his crush touched a single hair on his head, never mind take the time to style it. A smile slipped onto his face when he saw the utter adoration in Jirou's eyes as she gently touched her fingers to her hair as if scared to wreck it.

"You're so hopelessly gay," he said.

"I know!" she groaned, throwing her hands in the air. "I completely froze when she just started playing with my hair. I don't get it! We were just hanging out and then suddenly she was-- she did this-" she gestured to her hair- "and then she made the flower and oh my god Kaminari. I died. She said the flower reminded her of me."

He stared at the black flower in her hair. "Hmm, yes. I too would be insanely ecstatic that my crush said I reminded them of a bunch of death petals."

This time, luckily, he was able to dodge the pillow thrown at his head.

"Black flowers don't always mean death!" she yelled at him. Her gaze slid away from Denki and instead she was looking down at her feet swinging off the edge of the bed. "Yaomomo said that they can mean strength and power and uniqueness. That's. . . that's why the flower reminded her of me. Or at least that's what she said."

Denki couldn't help the tightening he felt in his chest. It was so incredibly sweet. Jirou has to know that she means something to Yaoyorozu now. People don't just say stuff like that and not care for the person deeply. He's never been more sure her feelings are requited.

Looking at Jirou's new hairstyle, he's never found her more pretty. He could see the love put into every twist of the bun, every lace that the stem of the flower was intertwined with. It was beautiful. Perhaps his crush on Jirou wasn't really there anymore but he knows he'll always hold some sort of adoration for her. He's fond of her like how he's fond of the sun. Warm, beautiful and sometimes annoying but not for him. She rises and falls for the moon, and the point where they meet on the horizon, the sunrise and set, is the most beautiful part. He's determined to get that sunrise. He'll bring Yaoyorozu and Jirou together.

He clasped his hands together in front of him. "All right, let's get started."

"Get started?" Jirou frowned. "Start what?"

"Planning how I'm going to get the two of you together, of course!" He beamed and grabbed a pen and paper from her desk before sitting himself down on the floor. He uncapped the pen and wrote How to Flirt With Yaomomo at the top. "The besties do's and don'ts only helps give you confidence for when you ask her out. The actual asking out and showing you're interested needs to be done by you."

She nodded, her cheeks still red. "Okay. Um, how do I do that?"

A smirk worked its way onto his lips. "You flirt."

-:-

Besties Do's and Don'ts

1. Holding Hands
2. Caring for each other
3. Doing Hair
4. Flowers

-:-

Some days Denki is convinced the world hates him. More often than not, those days are coincidentally the days when Aizawa decides extra homework on top of training is a good idea. It's one of those days.

All of 2-A is sitting in the common room studying (with the exception of Bakugou and Kirishima because Kacchan is weird about studying with anyone other than his boyfriend) till their brains bleed. It doesn't take much to see they are all tired to the bone and ready to drop out of school. Tokoyami has been spewing cryptic sayings for the past half hour nonstop, going on about mortal punishment and such. Ashido has given up completely and is now trying to roll three sixes with her dice. Even Iida has resorted to simply doodling in the corner of his worksheet while several of their classmates crowd him for answers.

Denki would call it rock bottom if he didn't know that there is always a lower point when it comes to school and exhaustion.

"Kaminari." A sharp voice called his name and his head snapped to where Shoji was sitting. The boy was staring at him with tired eyes, all arms hanging limp at his sides aside from the one that had a mouth he was speaking through. "Could you please stop tapping."

"Huh?" He frowned, not sure what he was talking about for a second. A moment later he realized his foot was tapping the ground, causing his leg to bounce. He halted the movement. He hadn't even recognized he was doing it. He flashed Shoji a sheepish smile. "Oh. Sorry. I forgot your ears are sensitive."

"It's not just him, kero," Tsu spoke up. "It's so quiet in here and your tapping is the only noise. It's hard to concentrate."

Guilt swelled in him. He didn't mean to be a distraction to anyone. He didn't even mean to be tapping. It just happened.

Shinsou grunted on the other side of the room. "Let him do it."

"But it's distracting!"

"I don't think he means to," Yaoyorozu said from where she was sitting next to Jirou. "Everyone has different ways of concentrating." She paused before her eyes lit up. "How about we play some music? I read somewhere that it helps with focusing and that way Kaminari can still tap and we won't hear it. Does that sound good?"

There was a chorus of agreement and Denki breathed a sigh of relief. This is exactly why Yaoyorozu is the best vice president for their class. He can always count on her to fix any problems. And then there was Shinsou. He didn't fix the problem, but he defended him. Something about that sent butterflies to his stomach.

Yaoyorozu turned to Jirou. "Jirou, everyone likes your music. Do you think we could use one of your playlists."

Denki pities Jirou, he really does. She looks like she might combust any second now. It's a shame that Denki can understand what she's going through as her cheeks turn bright red and her eyes widen. There was this girl in middle school he'd been admiring from afar for all of eighth grade and one day she'd asked him about his Minecraft server (a middle school obsession he'd rather not go into for fear of succumbing to the addiction again). He would like to say that he handled it well but that would be a lie considering he froze up and then tried to fix it by actually answering the girl's question only to end up rambling nonsense.

Currently, Jirou had a light dust of pink on the high of her cheekbones as she shyly pulled out her phone and scrolled through her playlists, pointing out different ones to Yaoyorozu. "I, uh, really like this playlist but you guys wouldn't like it so this one is probably better."

"Why wouldn't we like it?" Yaoyorozu asked, tilting her head.

"Oh, um." Jirou looked up from her phone and smiled softly at her. It was so sickeningly sweet of a smile it made Denki's single heart clench. "It's just, you wouldn't be into rock or at least the rock bands I listen to. You seem more into indie or softer music. Classical even. Soft and warm, kind and gentle. Not to say you're gentle! You're an amazing hero! Strong-- and same with everyone else! Shit, uh, and rock isn't the best for studying. So, yeah. This one works."

Denki nearly face palmed but instead settled for a wince. He knows he's a disaster but, damn, Jirou was making him feel a little better about his failures. Great confidence you have in your friend there, wingman.

Yaoyorozu reached over and clicked play on Jirou's playlist. Soft music started playing throughout the room. It wasn't so much calm (in which he's sure most of his classmates would only end up falling asleep to) as it was tame. It still was lively but not distracting. Huh. He might have to use this playlist later when he's studying alone.

He watched Jirou lean closer to Yaoyorozu as the rest of their class settled back into their homework, her eyes twinkling as she showed Yaoyorozu more of her playlists upon request. The raven haired girl seemed entrapped as Jirou told her in a hushed voice so as not to disturb the others about her favorite bands and what kind of music she likes or thinks Yaomomo would like.

Her eyes were trained on Jirou's face, seeming to be trying to soak up every word she said. Her eyes flickered from Jirou's own to her lips and then back up again. Denki felt the pencil in his hand freeze but barely registered it as he watched the two girls interact. Jirou angled her phone to show Yaoyorozu a song and the taller girl only smiled and nodded, a new light in her eyes.

Gay.

Denki snorted at his own thoughts only to be immediately shushed by several of his classmates. He resisted the urge to groan. He's trying to be a good match maker over here. Give him a break.

A finger tap to his shoulder nearly sent him leaping in the air out of surprise. A small trickle of electricity left him out of shock and a tiny hiss came from behind him. He whipped around to see Shinsou standing there, his finger recoiling as the static shock hit him. Denki winced and muttered, "Sorry."

Cue more shushing.

Shinsou rolled his eyes and grabbed his wrist, jutting his head in the direction of the exit before dragging him there. He put no effort into resisting, glad to be pulled away from his studying. Following him outside, he wondered why Shinsou wanted to leave. The answer came as soon as the dorm doors shut behind them.

"I figured you needed a break," Shinsou supplied without prompting. He released Denki's wrist (oh how he mourns the loss of warmth that gave him his very life) and shoved his hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched like usual.

Denki groaned, head tilting back to the sky, before whining, "I'm just not good with that stuff! All the studying and notes and words and being quiet and studying-"

"You said that already."

"My point is," he continued, shooting a pointed look at his hopeless crush who looks unlawfully pretty out in the sun, light turning his violet eyes a lighter hue of amethyst. Why doesn't he go in the sun more? He should go in the sun more. It's a sin that he doesn't. "School is not my greatest strength when we're in class. Outside of class I can be compared to children's putty. But the bad brown kind of putty that's better left in the container. That container is my room with the plenty of video games that call for my attention."

A snort of amusement sounded from Shinsou. At least he finds his suffering funny.

Shinsou started to walk away from the dorms and Denki kept at his side, not caring to end their conversation yet and the other boy apparently feeling the same as he spoke. "Look, it's okay you suck at it. Everyone learns things differently. You maybe more so than others but you'll figure it out eventually. Besides, everyone needs breaks. Just take the break or I will make you do it."

"Make me how?" Denki teased.

"I think you're forgetting my quirk."

"Oh fuck. You're right."

He'd been expecting a more interesting answer but instead he feels a little dumb for not remembering that key detail. It made him feel better when Shinsou smiled his way. It was a small smile, the corners of his lips quirking upwards as he shook his head in a 'you're such an idiot' way. It was cute.

His heart did not skip a beat. It skipped several and he had to hold back from kissing the stupid little grin right off his lips then and there. Denki has decided people being cute and hot at the same time is illegal and torture for him.

It occurred to him that they'd walked outside the perimeter of the dorms and now were walking around the school campus' border. He looked to Shinsou, confused. "What are we doing exactly?"

"Taking a break."

He loves Shinsou's sarcasm, he really does. It's one of the things that drew him in at first and caused him to end up with this crush but it can be the most annoying thing when he's trying to get a straight answer. "I know that but why are we walking around the campus? Is there a purpose or. . .? Please tell me there's Pokemon Go spots we're looking for, dude."

"We're just walking," Shinsou admitted. He smirked, side eyeing Denki. "Unless you rather be doing something else?"

And fuck. Denki's going to die. He can see the headlines already. Crushing hero in training dies from heart failure because certain boys with violet eyes and sassy wits forget the effect they have on him. Seriously, does Shinsou not understand how that sounds to his pinning ears? The smirk too. Don't even get him started on the smirk.

His palms started to sweat at his sides and he felt all the blood in his body rush to his ears that probably looked redder than tomatoes at this point. Here he is, on a walk with Shinsou, his two year long crush, and he dares to say something that has so many implications and happens to be exactly up Denki's alley of flirting. Kill him now.

"Talking," he blurted before he could think of anything better to say. Shinsou raised an eyebrow in question. He scrambled for a proper sentence. "Uh, talking is good. That's what we should do. Talk."

And he dare call Jirou a disaster.

Shinsou didn't notice or didn't seem to care for his awkwardness and shrugged. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know."

"One of us has to have something to talk about."

"This isn't exactly how conversations start."

Shinsou sighed. He rubbed at his forehead before saying, "You're right. How is your day going?"

"Huh?" He frowned, not getting the abrupt question. It took a moment or two before the realization sunk in. "Oh! My day's going great! Wait- actually that's a lie. Aizawa's training killed me today."

"What? You couldn't handle the five pound weights he gave you?" he drawled out.

A mock gasp of offense left his lips. "They were not five pounds! And you're one to talk! I have just as much muscle as you!" He complained and grabbed Shinsou's arms, squeezing his biceps to prove his point. "Twigs! Spaghetti sticks! Toothpicks!"

"Hey now, you're comparing me to Satou. I've got guns. Look." He raised his arms and flexed, Denki's hand still on them. The muscles stiffened and appeared more defined but still weren't anything impressive by far. They're not twigs (Denki's hand is not feeling twigs) but nothing compared to Kirishima's arms. He barely contained his laughter-- and blush-- as Shinsou made a dramatic show of flexing. "See? These arms are tanks."

He pulled his hand away, regrettingly so, and imitated his position. "Oh no, not compared to mine. I could be a Calvin Klein model with my muscles."

Shinsou snorted and pushed his arms down. "Please, don't even try. It's so sad."

"Hey! Don't talk about Vanessa and Mark like that!"

"Who?"

Denki gestured to each of his arms. "Vanessa and Mark!"

"Why are they american?"

"How shouldI know!"

The next thing Denki knew, Shinsou was laughing hard. He doesn't know how he's gone his whole life not hearing that sound. The corners of his eyes scrunched up as a smile tugged at his lips, laughter spilling from him. If only Denki could pay as much attention in class as he was now to Shinsou then he'd pass with flying colours. He's never made him laugh before. Sure, he's gotten a few amused snorts and a couple of times where Shinsou had to press a hand to his face to contain the laughter that was obvious from the shaking of his shoulder but never a full blown laugh.

Shinsou calmed, his eyes sliding over to him. The other boy caught him staring, probably saw the awed look in his eyes, and Denki could hold back the warm feeling in his cheeks. He quickly looked away, struggling to find something else to focus on. A sliver of purple in his peripheral vision caught his eye and he straightened up, excitement filling him.

He dashed away from Shinsou's side to where Yuuei's borders were lined with many different plants (courtesy of Hound Dog). He bent down next to one flower in particular, noting Shinsou had followed him, standing close to his back.

Absent-mindedly, his hand reached out to touch the soft petals of the flower. He rubbed the purple between his thumb and forefinger, calm overtaking him. The flower was familiar, his mother had grown them in his yard when he was a kid before the pet cat he had at one point ruined their garden. Irises, his mom had called them. They were beautiful, like most purple things he's discovering.

Glancing back at Shinsou, he said, "It's you."

"Oh yes. I definitely am a flimsy flower that requires sun to survive."

Denki grinned. "But you are! The flower, that is. Not flimsy."

"Do explain," Shinsou said, crossing his arms.

"Well, for starters, the colour-"

"Easy observation but okay."

"If you let me finish," Denki said, looking back to the flower, "I would have said the colour is like your eyes. Your hair's a bit too light for this colour. It's also droopy, almost looks sleepy like you. And look at the way the stems twist, it's your capture weapon! Plus, it's skinny, like you."

The other boy sighed. "Drop the skinny thing."

He shook his head. "Never! I need someone to be skinny with! Ashido and Sero kept shoving their giant muscles in my face."

Shinsou scoffed and bent down next to him, gently tilting one of the flowers toward him to get a better look. He watched as he did so, taking note of the careful movement that seemed so cautious it was like he thought one wrong move would snap the stem. Soft. Cute.

Without thinking, Denki plucked one of the flowers and held it towards Shinsou. The purple haired boy stared at it, confusion flickering around his features. Denki didn't hesitate in grabbing his belt loop and slipping the stem through. He tied it, proudly looking down at the newly placed iris.

When he looked up again, Shinsou was staring at his hands still hovering by his waist. His own hands came up to touch the flower, knuckles brushing against his. If his eyes weren't tricking him, there was a light blush on his cheeks, spreading over the bridge of his nose and ears too. He felt his own face burn as a mantra of cute cute cute what the fuck played on loop in his head. Loop like the one he'd just intertwined the flower into. Belt loops.

God, he's never going to be able to look at belt loops the same ever again.

He cleared his throat, Shinsou's eyes snapping back up to him and oh boy. Big mistake. He glanced away, looking back at the flower. The boy tilted his head. "Why?"

Why'd you give me this? Why'd you put it there? Why this flower? Why the only one of the bunch that has yellow at its center? Why, why why?

There were a million questions Denki wondered if Shinsou was asking. He simply chose to push those thoughts away and smile. Jokes. He's good with jokes. "Because now you have two skinny friends with you!"

Shinsou's gaze didn't break away from his face for several moments and Denki could feel it like lasers burning holes into his skull. He stood up eventually, holding out a hand to help Denki up. He took it, but once he was on his feet neither of their hands moved. Shinsou wasn't looking at him, head turned to the side but Denki chalked it up to the fact he's probably standing in the way of the sun.

"We should start heading back," Shinsou mumbled, "We still have some studying to do."

He groaned, the awkward tension between them breaking. "Don't even remind me of studying! I'm going to die because of Ectoplasm's assignments!"

Rolling his eyes, he countered, "Don't be so dramatic. I'll help you if you really need it."

"Really!?" He squeezed Shinsou's hand excitedly. "You're the best!"

"Yeah whatever," he grumbled but Denki swore he spotted a smile on his face. "I can't guarantee anything. If Yaoyorozu can't force the material into your head you might be too far from saving."

"Hey!"

"Kidding."

"Meanie." He stuck his tongue out at him but didn't dare take his hand from his. They walked the whole way back like that and he didn't bother hiding his smile.

Hours later after they'd returned and Shinsou had somewhat managed to help him go over a few of their math worksheets, he was left alone in his room, still thinking about the flower that Shinsou didn't remove from his belt loop the rest of the evening. He even noticed him touching the petals every now and then, seeming to have zoned out. Denki didn't waste time in going on his laptop and putting 'meaning of Irises' into the search bar. He clicked the first link that popped up.

Purple iris: meaning wisdom and compliments, while a bouquet of blue iris blossoms speak of hope and faith. Iris flowers of any color, including purple, also have meanings of promise in loving relationships.

Denki slammed his head into his desk and groaned. Fuck.

-:-

Besties Do's and Don'ts

1. Holding Hands
2. Caring for each other
3. Doing Hair
4. Flowers
5. Sharing Music

-:-

It was Sunday three days later and the entirety of 2-A were gathered in the common room. Even Bakugou and Todoroki were there, both sitting at the couch farthest away from the others and scowling at each other. Aizawa had earlier that week permitted Uraraka and Midoriya to leave the campus under supervision to grab a stack of DVD's for the TV. Today had been one that was weeks in planning. Kirishima had found out from Tetsutetsu that 2-B often has movie days for when they're feeling stressed and had proposed the idea for their class as well.

Lately with the school year coming to an end in a month, everyone had felt the stress piling up. Between work studies, tests, and training, the class was tired out to say the least. It had been a while since they all hung out together in a way that wasn't studying. A day to all relax and laugh at comedies playing on the screen sounded more than refreshing and who was Denki to argue.

Midoriya, turns out unsurprisingly, is a movie expert. He picked out all of Denki's favorite comedies and even a few rom coms upon Ashido's request. Currently, Midoriya was helping Iida figure out how to work the DVD player while most of the class snagged spots on the couch or the floor. Jirou and Yaoyorozu had both been placed in charge of grabbing the popcorn and Denki couldn't resist the urge to follow them. He hid behind the wall but could see and hear everything that was going on with them in the kitchen if he wanted.

Before they came down into the common room, Denki had grilled Jirou on movie dates 101. He'd gone over the flirting tips he gave her a few days ago and pointed out even better ways to do it during a movie. She didn't like that.

("It's just a movie Kaminari."

"Exactly, it's your time to shine!"

"Don't make me stuff this sock in your face!")

So, here Denki was, watching Jirou grab bowls while Yaoyorozu put the popcorn in the microwave. His darling student leaned against the counter and shifted her feet awkwardly. She looked across the room and spotted him, eyes going wide. He grinned at her and mouthed 'go for it'.

She glared at him, mouthing, 'How?'

'Flirt!'

She didn't have time to mouth anything back before Yaoyorozu looked back to her. The taller girl frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No! Nothing's wrong! Nothing at all." She ducked her head and Denki resisted the urge to shout at her to just fucking go for it. She should really be more confident. There's no way Yaoyorozu doesn't like her back. He's certain of it. Jirou sighed, eyes flicking to his then back to the floor before mumbling, "You're so pretty we don't need the microwave to heat the popcorn." She hesitated before her face went red. "I meant hot! Shit. Cause, like, hot equals heating up the popcorn. Pretty doesn't make sense even though you are pretty, like really pretty -uh I mean. Crap. Sorry."

One word: Train wreck.

Fuck, that's two words.

Point is, Denki thinks he would rather die than experience this kind of second hand embarrassment. He made a mental note that pick up lines are not up Jirou's alley of flirting. Maybe that's why he never got her to like him back.

Yaoyorozu blinked at her for a second or two before giggling. Giggling. Like a lovesick fool. She raised a hand to her mouth, trying to cover her amusement but it was too late. Jirou already saw and was staring in shock, face red. Yaoyorozu waved apologetically at Jirou as she calmed down from giggling. "Sorry. I shouldn't laugh. It wasn't funny. It was really sweet of you actually."

Oh. Of course she found her attempt and failure endearing. Maybe it wasn't such a failure.

"Besides-" she smiled- "I like pretty more than hot."

Jirou flushed. "Good, 'cause you are. Pretty, I mean."

Now they were both blushing and Denki was half tempted to yell at them to just date already but held back for Jirou's sanity. Poor girl can't take anymore embarrassment today. He turned around and walked back to the common room. He'll let them sort it out on their own. He'll get the details from Jirou later.

After another fifteen minutes, the girls had returned with all the snacks and Iida finally set up the DVD player so they could start their first movie. By then, Shinsou had joined them and chosen to sit on the couch. Right behind Denki. So Denki's head was against Shinsou's knee. Internal panic had never been this intense. He managed to calm down after the first few minutes of the movie, instead relaxing against his crush's leg. He was sucked right into the movie, laughing at all the jokes and forgetting about the person behind him

He felt good. Everyone was having a good time from what he could tell. He could make out the quiet whispers of his friends talking about the plot or other mundane things. No one said anything about homework or hero work. It was nice to relax. He felt the good energy in the room double by the time they started their second movie. Bakugou even scoffed, clearly amused at one of the jokes on screen.

There was also the very obvious tension between Jirou and Yaoyorozu. The good kind of tension, but it still shouldn't be there. They should make out and date already. Especially with how they're sitting. Jirou was curled into Yaoyorozu's side and he swears their hands are intertwined under the blanket they're sharing. He smiled to himself when he saw Yaoyorozu whisper something to Jirou that made her laugh. They both practically glowed in the dark of the room.

It was half way through the second movie that he felt hands in his hair. He stiffened before tilting his ever so slightly back to see Shinsou's pale finger weaving different pieces of his hair together. The other boy seemed unaware of the action, eyes trained on the screen and not paying attention to his fingers. Denki, on the other hand, was very aware of it. The pads of his fingers would brush against his scalp every now and then as he seemed to braid his hair into two pigtails. Denki didn't even know his hair could do that.

The small tug on his head from the weaving hair was strangely relaxing. Denki leaned into it, closing his eyes and letting the background noise of the TV fill his ears. He heard a snicker and a flash of a camera but didn't have to look to know it was Ashido.

Shinsou finished the first braid and seemed to reach for an elastic when his hand froze. Denki couldn't see his face anymore from this angle but he could guess he finally looked at what he was doing. He heard the soft mutter of, "Shit."

Denki tilted his head back and looked up at Shinsou. He whispered, "What?"

"Sorry. I normally braid my sister's hair when we watch movies. Eri likes it. I didn't realize-- your hair," Shinsou whispered back, stumbling over his words.

"It's okay," Denki reassured. "I like it."

Shinsou eyed him for a moment before the corner of his lips quirked up into a smirk. "Not as much as that popcorn you're wolfing down."

Denki threw a piece of said popcorn at him. "What can I say, I appreciate my own kind."

"You're own kind, huh."

"Yup! Snacks."

Shinsou snorted and nudged him with his foot. Denki shot him a grin and then returned to watching the movie but not before handing him two elastics he keeps on his wrist for Ashido and Kirishima. It delighted him when he felt hands weaving the other half of his hair after.

When the movie ended, Shinsou had finished braiding his hair and he was happy to simply lean against his legs while their class argued over the next movie. He stayed like that for the entirety of the next movie. The warmth of Shinsou's shins against his back proved to be more relaxing than any whack 'soothing' candles his aunt used when he was younger. This was far better. He couldn't help but notice Shinsou's socks had little nyan cats on them. Cute.

Holy shit, what is breathing anymore? This was too much.

Slowly, the class trickled out, people leaving to go to bed. At one point, Ashido, Hagakure, Ojiro, Shinsou and Denki were the only ones left. He looked back up at Shinsou only to find him asleep. He smiled softly and stood up.

He really should be getting to bed but he doesn't want to leave Shinsou here or wake him. He sighed and grabbed one of the many blankets left on the floor and draped it over the insomniac who deserves some sleep. Clearly some relaxation was all he needed to get a bit of rest.

Denki trudged back to his room and when he saw himself in the mirror he couldn't help but be happy with the braids. They were so nice. He didn't want to take them out. He snapped a photo of it in the mirror. When he exited out of the camera app, he noticed a message from Jirou.

Bestieee of the Centurieee: [11:52 PM]
I FLIRTED
kinda
BUT I FLIRTED!
AND SHE LAUGHED

THEN SHE FLIRTED BACK DURING THE MOVIES

Me: [12:13 AM]
I know
:)

Bestieee of the Centurieee: [12:14 AM]
HOW???

Me: [12:14 AM]
;D

Bestieee of the Centurieee: [12:14 AM]
That's not an ANSWER!

Me: [12:15 AM]
Night~

He exited out of his chat with Jirou and looked at the contact below it for a second too long. Before he could think twice about it, he sent a message and closed off his phone, going to bed.

Me: [12:17 AM]
<Image Attached>
Love the braids~
Gnight

-:-

Aizawa's secret love child: [5:47]
Ur welcome
And good morning

-:-

Besties Do's and Don'ts

1. Holding Hands
2. Caring for each other
3. Doing Hair
4. Flowers
5. Sharing Music
6. Flirting

-:-

The next two days Denki woke up to good morning texts. Every single time he had to shove his face into his pillow and scream like a schoolgirl with a crush. Morning quickly went from being his least favorite part of the day to the best. Shinsou's text was the first thing he got to see in the morning, or at least it normally is.

Today, Jirou changed that. His door burst open to reveal the excited girl, a bright smile on her face. One of her earphone jacks stretched out to stab him in the shoulder. He groaned and threw the covers over his head when she turned on the lights. He wanted to bury himself so deep in the covers that he'd end up popping up in America on the other side of the world. Sleep is important, doesn't Jirou get that?

"Jeez Kami," she said and sat down on the bed, ripping the covers off his face. She frowned at him. "How are you not up? There's thirty minutes till you have to be in class."

"Good. I have another twenty to sleep," he complained and tried tugging the covers back but she pulled them out of his reach.

"Is this why you're always late? You can't wake up ten minutes before class," she scolded him. "You know what? I don't care. Right now I have something better to tell you. Something you can add to your stupid list."

He perked up. "That 'stupid list' is helping you!"

"Yeah yeah. Anyways--" Her eyes gleamed and she held up a piece of paper and shoved it towards him. "--I found this outside my door this morning."

He stared down at the paper. Eyes widening as he read over it. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the fluid cursive writing but he still found himself struggling to understand certain words. Cursive has never been his strong suit. That didn't stop his Nana from giving him cursive cards every year for his birthday and him having to pretend he understood it. At least this cursive was a little neater.

Jirou,

Thank you for helping me get to Recovery Girl yesterday after I hurt my leg in training. It was much appreciated. I realized this morning I forgot to thank you last night. So, thank you. You're always welcome to join me in my studying if you ever want help, or simply wish to hang out. I enjoy your company.

P.S. I really enjoyed that playlist you shared with me. It was beautiful. You have the most exquisite taste.

-Momo <3

Denki handed the note back to her excitedly. He grabbed her hands and shook them up and down. A laugh bubbled to her throat as he shook her. "Do you know what this means?!"

She nodded and the grin on her face spread even wider. "I told you this would be good for your list!"

"Screw the list! This is worthy of a plaque!" He pulled Jirou into a quick hug before jumping to his feet and heading straight for his desk. Shoving around papers, he found the notebook with the Besties do's and don'ts inside and wrote down this new discovery. He rounded back to Jirou. "This is amazing! She signed with a heart! She said she enjoys your company! You walked her to Recovery Girl's office! You actually followed my advice on that one!"

"I know! It went way better than last time!"

"Hey now, it's not my fault pick up lines are apparently not your forte."

She laughed and fell onto her back, arms spread almost as wide as he grinned. She picked up a pillow and screamed into it, very much reflecting how Denki normally feels every time he sees someone he likes (hint hint nudge nudge). He sat down next to her and patted her shoulder comfortingly.

After a moment or two, she peeked out from under the pillow. Her grin dropped by a fraction as she asked, "Do you think she likes me back? Am I reading too much into this?"

"No. Jirou, babe, no. Not at all."

"Never call me babe again or I'll shank you," she threatened but it couldn't erase her smile.

He pressed a hand to his chest and gasped. "B-b-but you let Ashido call you babe!"

She rolled her eyes. "That's different. Ashido's not a shameless flirt that's trying to get me together with a girl."

"You and I must be talking about a different Ashido."

This time it was his own pillow that whacked him in the face. He threw it back, shouting, "How dare you attack me on my own turf!"

She stuck her tongue out as a response. He's debating kicking her out but one look at the note in her hand again had him remembering why he was glad to have her here. She was smiling brighter than he'd seen in a while outside of training. He's glad he gets to witness it, even to contribute to putting it there by helping her.

Plucking the note out of her hand and ignoring her complaint, he read over the note again. His brow furrowed in confusion. "Playlist? What playlist?"

She duck her head, purple hair falling in her face as she fiddled with one of her earphone jacks. "I may have made her a special playlist after that time we studied. It's full of songs that remind me of her."

"What's it called?"

"Pretty tunes."

He chuckled and poked her ribs teasingly. "You're obsessed with how pretty she is."

She swatted his hands away and pushed him off the bed. He rolled onto the floor. Jirou paid no care in the world and simply pointed at his legs and said, "Put some clothes on. Then you can sit on the bed."

Looking down, he realized he was still only in his underwear. He frowned. This wouldn't be happening if Jirou had let him sleep instead of waking him up. Now he's stuck with her catching him in his Magic School Bus boxers. He gave her the middle finger but ended up slipping on his uniform while Jirou stared intently at her letter.

That's when his phone lit up with his alarm. Jirou reached across his bed to turn it off. She paused, still staring at his phone by the time he returned. He sat down on the bed next to her and cocked his head to the side. "I know my phones fabulous but if I could have it back so I can turn off the second alarm that would be nice."

She handed it back and that's when he saw what she was staring at.

Aizawa's secret love child: [5:03 AM]
Morning
<Image Attached>

The image was of a flower he recognized. More than one flower actually, a whole bouquet of Irises. They were tucked into a vase filled with water and sitting on the windowsill of what looked to be his dorm room. Through the window, the sun was rising with the early hours of the morning, something Denki always missed due to having a decent sleep schedule and not waking up at five like the lunatic Shinsou is. The light reflected off the glass of the cup so that a part of the picture was blurred.

Denki smiled to himself and clicked save on the photo.

He only just remembered Jirou was there when she socked him in the arm. He yelped and clutched his shoulder. Damn, she hits hard. "What was that for?"

"For being an idiot and not telling me about this!" She argued.

"About what?"

"You're hopeless." She stood up and got off the bed. She picked her bag up from where she'd dropped it at the door, slinging it over her shoulder. "Come on, we have to get to class."

He hurriedly grabbed his bag from his desk chair and followed her out the door, barely managing to not trip over his own shoelaces when he quickly put on his shoes. He caught up to her halfway down the dorm hallway and he swears he could hear someone stumbling down the halls above him. Kirishima probably. Without his boyfriend he wouldn't make it to class half the time.

"Sooo," Denki drawled, resting an arm on Jirou's shoulder. "Today the day you get a girlfriend?"

She surprisingly didn't push him off. "No. I don't think I'm ready. I still think she's going to reject me."

"Jirou, bestie, queen of punk rock, my one day grave mate. You're killing me here. It took Kirishima till only the fourth Homies Don't to be convinced Kacchan liked him back and he has more self doubt than any hero I know," he complained. "Why is it taking so long to convince you?"

"Kirishima didn't have to deal with 'girls just being girls'. Actually, he had the opposite. He so much as holds Bakugou's gaze for too long and it's gay. I could bang Yaomomo and still be considered straight." She rolled her eyes.

"I hate that you're right. Fuck society."

"Fuck society."

He sighed and leaned more onto Jirou's shoulder as they exited the dorm building and made towards their class. "Don't worry, Ji. Denki's got you covered. We'll make Yaoyorozu fall head over heels for you."

She huffed. "Right right. Forgot I was in the presence of a 'love master'."

"I've never called myself that."

"Sorry. I meant 'romance expert'."

He released her shoulder to pump his fist in the air. "I am the romance expert! I'll get you together if it's the last thing you do!"

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean if it's the last thing you do, not me."

"Nope!" He supplied. "If all else fails, I'm pushing you both off the highest building I can find so you confess your love on your way down before dying. Y'know, like the Titanic."

"That never happened in the Titanic, dumbass. That was a boat. And they drowned." He was shoved into a wall. He feels he doesn't deserve it, but when he walks into class hugging his bruised shoulder, Sero just laughs at him and claims that he probably deserved it. Such betrayal.

That lunch he spends with Jirou, listening to her rant about Yaoyorozu for the first few minutes before they settle into easy conversation. He likes it. He's never been this close with her before. They hung out, sure, but this felt like a real friendship. He hopes they still have this when she and Yaoyorozu get together.

Later that night, he was lying in bed, thinking about Jirou and how good of a friend he'd like to be to her, when his phone vibrated. He opened up the messages app and smiled at the contact.

Aizawa's secret love child: [10:36 PM]
Night

Me: [10:37 PM]
don't let the bed bugs bite!

Aizawa's secret love child: [10:37]
Yeah yeah
See u in the morning

Me: [10:37]
Yup!
Niiiight

He did see him at eight the next day. . . after he texted him good morning.

-:-

Besties Do's and Don'ts

1. Holding Hands
2. Caring for each other
3. Doing Hair
4. Flowers
5. Sharing Music
6. Flirting
7. Notes

-:-

Ashido had been the one to come up with it. It had been in the middle of one of her girls nights. Denki had been the first person she told, naturally, and he remembers thinking she was a genius. They'd told the rest of their group, getting approval from everyone except Bakugou. He was eventually persuaded after witnessing Kirishima's puppy dog eyes and Denki threatening to never stop banging on his door until he agreed to come. He's pretty sure the only reason he put up such a fight in the first place was because he didn't want to have to spend more time around Shinsou, who was somewhat a member of their group (despite Uraraka's claims that he is apart of the "Dekusquad").

So thus came the weekly Bakusquad (the only way they could get Bakugou to call himself one of them was to name it after him) mental health night. It used to be call the best-friend squad's spectacular spa and snack soothing sesh but apparently that was too stupid of a name according to both Bakugou and Shinsou. Denki can't believe he has a crush on someone who doesn't like such an awesome name like that. It's even got an alliteration!

Anyways, the Bakusquad mental health night isn't a traditional mental health night. Hence why Aizawa doesn't know about it, he's already given enough leisure time with the movie night. They typically sit around in someone's room, usually Ashido or Jirou's, and relax. Sometimes they'll play board games, sometimes they'll listen to music and talk about things that's been bothering them and maybe the rest of the group could help with. There's been occasions where they wear face masks and have pillow fights. What they do always varies but it always has two things: something to make them all decompress and relax, and snacks.

The snacks-- all thanks to Kirishima who could probably have a PhD with how much he knows about diets and healthy eating-- are healthy and good for their training. Plus side, stress eating is a go. Downside, there is limited sugar and no sour gummies (that Kirishima knows of).

Tonight is one of those nights. They all (Bakugou, Kirishima, Sero, Ashido, Jirou, Ashido, Shinsou, himself and Yaoyorozu) crammed into Ashido's room and turned on a movie to play as white noise in the background. Sero is hanging upside down off the chin up bar hanging above Ashido's door, face slowly turning red, while Ashido tries to engage Shinsou in an arm wrestle. The only non-single pairing of their group was tucked in the corner of the room, Bakugou falling asleep on his boyfriend because he has the bedtime of a five year old.

As for him, he was watching Jirou and Yaoyorozu as they painted each other's nails on the floor. See, here's the thing. Earlier that day, he'd approached Jirou about inviting Yaomomo to their little hang out. The girl had protested at first, red in the face and claiming that it would be too much of a bother for both parties. Denki called her out, claiming she just didn't want to have to ask Yaoyorozu. Fun fact about hero students, they all are way too competitive for their own good and never back down from a challenge. Call one of them a chicken and they will prove you wrong.

So, that's how the other girl came to join them that night. Now all that's left to do is watch them completely fawn over each other. It's obvious they like each other. He might not have thought anything of it before, but now that he's looking for it he can't help but wonder how he was so blind to not see they were goners.

"Sero! You're going to pass out dude!" Kirishima whisper shouted from his side of the room. Bakugou jostled a little in his sleep at that but luckily didn't wake up otherwise one of them would definitely have died.

Finally, Sero hopped down from the chin up bar with a groan. He rubbed at his head and winced. "Fuuuuuck. Blood rush."

"Oh really?" Jirou said, not even looking away from where Yaoyorozu was gently applying coats of nail polish to her fingers. "Who would have thought?"

Sero wagged an accusing finger at her. "You can shush. Kaminari, defend me man."

"Sorry bro. You were upside down for way too long." He wasn't going to defend his friend because then said friend would do it again and he rather have a fully conscious Sero to hang out with.

Sighing, Sero sat down next to Ashido to watch her try and arm wrestle Shinsou. He wondered how she finally convinced him to compete with her. He heard the count of three and watched as both of their muscles strained when the wrestle began. Ashido yawned, feigning boredom even though Denki could see her knuckles turning a light pink rather than its usual deep fuschia.

Then there was Shinsou. He looked like he was barely holding up against Ashido's pure strength. Their hands leaned more to his side of the table and Denki almost felt bad for him getting caught up in a match against their group's reigning champion. Shinsou grit his teeth as Ashido continued to push his hand towards the table.

"You got this Shinsou!" He cheered but it was in vain for seconds later Ashido slammed his hand into the table. She cheered as Denki tacked on, "Or I guess not. Nice try man!"

Ashido whirled on him, hands on her hips. "Where's my congrats? I feel so betrayed Kami."

"You've won enough matches. If we keep encouraging you, you'll end up challenging Mr Aizawa." It was Jirou who saved him from answering the teasing. She didn't look up from where Yaoyorozu was painting the last of her nails. He quickly got distracted by the two girls, tuning out Sero and Ashido arguing in the background. He watched Yaoyorozu bring Jirou's hand close to her face, inspecting the new paint. Her eyes flicked up to look at Jirou and Denki held his breath.

Jirou's cheeks turned a deep red when Yaoyorozu brought her hand to her lips, kissing the top of it. Denki tried his best not to squeal.. Both girls were red in the face when Yaomomo dropped Jirou's hand. A shy smile crept across her face and she spoke just loud enough for Denki to be able to hear from his spot in the room, "Uh, I hope you like the colour I chose. I know it's not what you asked for but I thought it would look pretty on you."

Jirou stared down at her nails. She tucked her hair behind her ear, asking, "And does it?"

If he had the money to buy one, he'd have given her a trophy for that. Part of him bitterly thought that she could have told him she could flirt before he sent her into battle armed with pick up lines she couldn't use. It would have saved the two of them some embarrassment.

"It does."

Denki grinned to himself and turned away from the girls, feeling like he was invading something too private. He's so proud of those two. He thinks he's finally convincing Jirou that her crush isn't unrequited. Besides, the flirting must be working because he's been noticing Yaomomo getting braver with her approaches. Even in class he's noticed her offering to help Jirou with make up for her hero costume or giving her extra time to study together.

And the hand kissing is surely going to be added to the list. He can't help the bubble of excitement rising in him. He's been trying to get them together for . . . fuck, math. Whatever. It's taking a while is the point. When they finally get together, he'll be overjoyed. Finally, their class couple will have competition for cutest pairing.

When he looked back to the group he was surprised to find a set of violet eyes on him. He stiffened, and Shinsou's eyes didn't shift away. Actually, they seemed to stare more intently.

Warmth crept its way up his cheeks and he resisted the urge to duck his head, instead holding his crushes gaze. It's been a while since he'd gotten a good look at Shinsou's face (and yes, he's aware that sounds stalker-ish). He'd forgotten how many shades of purple he could pick out in his eyes, the way his eyelashes were short but accented by dark circles weighing down eyelids, physical proof of many nights without sleep. Cheekbones and jawlines, every bit of it he could probably engrave into his memory.

A stray hair from the boy's wild up-do hung in his face, brushing the high of his cheeks. He wanted to reach out and brush it aside, run his fingers through locks he hoped were as soft as they looked. So badly he wanted to simply feel the other boy that his chest ached.

How he'd ended up so completely wound around the very existence of 2-A's resident insomniac is a simple story, but not one without its share of little details that made him fall harder every day. His smirk that lifted up not only the corner of his lips but Denki's spirits. His sarcastic remarks which had him laughing for what felt like hours. He fell for texts in the morning and fingers nimble enough to weave hair into braids with the precision and love only an experienced older brother could have. There had been so many things he'd fallen for, from the smile he got at the sight of a cat to the way he teased their friends with witty and snarky banter. The list could go on.

Staring at Shinsou then, a thought seamlessly entered his mind like it had always been there, an emotion he hadn't yet come to realize.

He loves him.

In the rom coms he's seen with Ashido and Kirishima, there's always this big moment where a person figures out they're in love with someone yet here Denki was, sitting with his friends as they argued about who was stronger and staring at the boy he's been falling for since the first day he walked into their homeroom and realizing he loves him. Nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary; just Shinsou. And he loves him.

"Kaminari, hand me that pillow so I can't beat Mina with it," Sero demanded and Denki snapped out of his thoughts.

He blinked twice before coming to his senses and tossing the pillow to Sero. He watched Shinsou's gaze advert from his own and he ducked his head, oddly embarrassed. He mentally screamed at himself to act normal but that thought fell away when he glanced up again to see Shinsou adorning a small smile.

Fuck he's gay.

-:-

Besties Do's and Don'ts

1. Holding Hands
2. Caring for each other
3. Doing Hair
4. Flowers
5. Sharing Music
6. Flirting
7. Notes
8. Kissing

-:-

"It's not kissing!"

"Really? 'Cause I think that's exactly what putting your lips on something is?"

"It was on my hand!"

"So? She still kissed you!"

"But you don't have to write kissing!"

Denki groaned before changing it to Kissing (not on the lips). He gave her a pointed look. "There. That better?"

Jirou pulled the notebook back in her lap. Her eyes scanned the page and she nodded. "Much better. You're so vague with this list."

He rolled his eyes and gave her the middle finger. They were sitting in his room going over the list of Besties do's and don'ts. Jirou wasn't having it with his excellent naming. She claimed he was as bad with names as he was with flirting (which means he's awesome at it because he is the best flirt, Jirou just doesn't know it). It didn't help that she couldn't make it two lines down the list without having to hide her face in her hands. He could hardly blame her. He wasn't much better himself.

Over the past two days, every time he so much as saw Shinsou in his peripheral vision he felt like he'd been shocked and his ears would burn. Turns out being in love with someone is worse than having a crush on them. It became even harder to pull his thoughts away from the boy and not stare at him for the majority of the day. When they hung out, alone or with others, it was harder to not just blurt. Especially when he saw that small reserved smile on his lips.

Long story short, Denki is a disaster and so is Jirou, but at least he can help her. He's pretty sure he's got half the chance Jirou does at getting with his crush. Not that he needs to. He's perfectly fine being friends with Shinsou. It's enough. At least that's what he's been telling himself but hey, you know what they say? Believe it enough and it'll be true.

"Some of this," Jirou says, "doesn't really count as proof she likes me. Like, caring for each other? That's just being good friends."

That pulled a frown from Denki. He sighed. Jirou is so hard headed about this stuff. "I mean, sure, but you didn't see the way she took care of you!"

"I was the one being taken care of. Of course I saw it."

"That's not what I meant." He scooted closer to her on the floor and tapped the notebook. "Technically all of the things on this list could be seen as platonic. It is platonic in a lot of cases. I've held hands with Ashido, I flirt with everyone, Uraraka does Tsu's hair, Tokoyami and you share music, Sero jokingly kisses peoples hands all the time while bowing and saying 'M'lady' or 'Sir'. There's a lot of platonic stuff in here."

It's the truth. When he first made the list for Kirishima, there had been plenty of things he contemplated removing because they were things he had seen lots of others who are just friends do. It was easier when he did this with Kirishima and Bakugou because he could say Blasty doesn't treat anyone like how most people treat their friends so anything friendly with him was special. Now the roles are practically reversed with Jirou and Yaomomo.

As soon as he wrote down the two holding hands, he'd came up with a system. It's not what the person does, but how they do it. Yaomomo always is willing to care for others but when it came to Jirou, she did it with such diligence and softness that it was impossible to deny underlying feelings. When she held her hand, she did it in a moment that normally she wouldn't have.

The point of the list isn't to label things as signs of romance or not, because that would be inaccurate. Everyone expresses affection differently. The point is to find as many moments as he can that he was able to tell for certain that Yaoyorozu liked Jirou and then use it to make Jirou see it too.

He smiled at his friend and bumped her shoulder with his own. "But Yaoyorozu wasn't platonic about it. When she does these things she looks at you like you hung the stars. What makes it differ from platonic isn't the action itself but instead the people and feelings behind it. Trust me, she likes you."

Jirou blinked at him in silence for a moment before a smile broke out on her face and he realized she was laughing. Her eyes lit up as a few snorts of laughter left his lips and left him in confusion. She leaned into him and shook her head. "God, when did you get so wise? How long did you rehearse that in the mirror for?"

"Hey!" He exclaimed, offended, "I'm not an idiot! I've always been wise and for your information, I didn't rehearse that at all. So ha!"

"Sure, sure."

"I'm serious!"

She shot him a questioning look and he chose to ignore it. Instead, he pulled the notebook from her hands and into his lap. He stared at the words on the page. He wonders if there's more that he's missed. When he did this with Kirishima, there were things he didn't write down until Kirishima told him about them, like using first names. Maybe Jirou has things only she knows Yaoyorozu does with her.

"Hey, Ji?" he asked as he leaned back to lie with his back flat against the carpet of the floor. "Is there anything Yaoyorozu does that seems different with you?"

Jirou copied his movement and stared up at the ceiling. "Um, not really? I've. . . this is embarrassing, but I've started to look for things she does with me, y'know? This list is getting to my head and I was-- am starting to think she likes me back. I've been making more note of things she does around me I guess."

His eyebrows shot up. He'll admit he's a little surprised. He urged her on. "And. . .? What did you find?"

"Nothing important. I'm probably just looking into things too much."

It upset him to hear her say that. He's hoping for her to look too much into things. Maybe then she'd find something to convince her to ask her out. He lightly kicked her foot with his own and said, "So? This is a safe space. I'm not going to judge. Say whatever you like, start small if you need."

She took a deep breath. "Okay. . . uh, she stares, I guess? Like, sometimes I'll look her way and she'll already be looking at me and, I don't know. She blushes. Maybe. It's hard to tell. Sorry this isn't good information and probably not--"

"No, no!" He interrupted. "Go on, please."

Glancing at her, he noticed her cheeks tinted pink and eyes training on the ceiling. She was clearly biting the inside of her cheek before she spoke again. "Sometimes she looks away before I can really even tell if she was staring or not. When I do catch her for sure though, it's nice. She kind of half smiles. And-- gah! She's just really pretty."

"So you've said," he commented. He yelped at the kick to his shin he got in return for what he said. "Fine! Fine! I'll be serious."

He pulled a pen out from his pocket and wrote a single line down in his notebook. He tilted the notebook towards Jirou and let her read the sentence. She raised an eyebrow. "Unfiltered staring? Really? That's going on the list?"

He shrugs. "Why not? It makes sense to me. Besides, isn't that, like, the most common sign someone likes a person?"

"I guess," she said as she looked back to the ceiling. The corners of her lips quirked downwards. He doesn't know what he said. Before he could ask, she spoke up with a barely audible volume. "Do you. . . Do you really think she could like me?"

Oh. He does. He really does but Jirou knows that. He's told her a thousand times. He sighed. "I'm not a mind reader. I can't tell for sure but I'm pretty sure she likes you back."

A frustrated huff left Jirou's lips and she waved her hands around. "But how? How could she like me? She's all-- she's everything."

There was a tug at his chest as he found himself relating. He looks at Shinsou (and used to look at Jirou) and wonders if he could like him even half as much as he does. Sometimes he meets people and can't help but find them the coolest to exist, and Shinsou is one of those people.

It's like comparing himself to pro heroes. He wonders how he can ever be as cool and good as them? It feels impossible, or at least it did before Yuuei. Now it's in his reach. If he really wanted he could stretch his arm out and reach that dream. With Shinsou, it feels like he'd have to cross a whole city to get to him.

He pushed that thought away and grasped onto another. "I think. . ." he started to say, "that she seems that way to you but you don't know how you look to her. She could be the freaking sun to you but you're the- the- what's cooler than the sun?"

"Ice," Jirou simply said.

"Ice! You could be ice and- wait." He paused and nearly sat up at the realization of what he'd just said. He took one glance at Jirou who'd covered her mouth with her hand in a failed attempt to muffle her giggles. He gasped. "Traitor! Not that kind of cool!"

The hand left her mouth and giggles spilled from her lips freely. "You totally fell for it!" she exclaimed between laughter. "Oh lord. I didn't think you'd actually say it!"

"Shut up!" he retaliated. "I'm trying to help you!"

She smiled. "I know. Thank you. It helps. . . You're a good friend." He felt her pinky finger intertwine with his at their sides. "I'm really glad I asked you to help me."

There was a time when his heart would have skipped a beat at that. Now he simply let a grin spread across his face as a warm feeling filled his chest. He moved his hand so it was holding Jirou's fully rather than just her pinky and gave it a squeeze. "Me too."

Thinking about it, he's gotten the chance to help her reach something she deserves. She can be happy with Yaomomo sooner now. He'd make a dozen lists if it gets her there. He even got the bonus of getting to know her better now. Before, they were friends but it feels like they've gotten closer with this. He turned his head to the side to look at her. He crossed his eyes and she let out a snort of amusement and kicked his shin with her foot. His grin widened.

"You should ask her out," he blurted. Jirou's cheeks turned pink as he continued, "I think she's waiting for you to make a move."

"Maybe." One of her earphone jacks curled around itself. "I'd need some expert advice on how though."

He stroked his chin with his free hand. "Hmm, well. . . the expert says you should just go up to her and say 'date me because you're pretty and I'm in love with you!'"

She rolled her eyes. "I think this expert should test that advice out and see if it backfires on him before telling someone else to do it."

As if, he thought. If he did that to Shinsou he would be so embarrassed he'd probably pass out on the spot. He can't imagine it's much different for Jirou. "Fine," he said, "No abrupt confessions. How about you just ask her if she wants to go to a garden place or something. Girls like flowers, right?"

"Okay but what if she thinks it's just hanging out?"

"Then clarify! When she agrees, because she will, then say something suave like, 'So it's a date?' and see what happens."

She groaned and hid her face in her hands, bringing Denki's hand with hers. He took the opportunity to flick her forehead. She yelped and swatted him away, glaring. She sat up and grabbed a pillow from his bed before bringing it down on his head. She held it over his face, muffling his cries of protest.

"You are lucky you're helpful," she said and released him.

He made a dramatic show of breathing again and rubbing at his neck. He rasped, "Assaulter."

"Is that even a word?"

"Surprisingly, yes."

"Huh. Who'd of thunk."

She set the pillow back down on the bed and stood up. He watched her move across the room to wear her jean jacket draped across the back of his desk chair and slipped it on. Confused, he tilted his head and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Taking your advice, for once." She twirled one of her ear jacks around her finger, a light pink colour on her cheeks. "I'm going to ask Yaomomo out."

He sat upright. "Really?!" She nodded and he cheered. "Yes! My little girl is growing up so fast!"

"Never call me that ever again."

"I'm so proud! Go get some, girl!" He whooped and whistled only for the amusement of seeing her red face darken by several shades. His cheeks hurt from smiling. Finally his plotting is paying off and at least this time he'll get to see the couple get together rather than have them go behind his back for weeks (Yes, he's still mad at Kirishima for that one).

Jirou made for the door, only stopping when her hand was on the handle. Her eyes seemed to flick to the notebook sitting on the floor then Denki's face. Her eyes softened. "You, uh. You should go over that list again. You might find you and a certain someone do a lot of those things."

A frown tugged at his lips. "Certain someone. . .?" His eyes widened. "Wait. You know?"

Shrugging, she said, "I didn't figure it out until that day we were studying and you came back holding hands. You two would be cute together." She opened the door and took a step out, still looking back at him. "Just look over the list, Denki. Do it as a thank you gift, for you helping me out so much."

Denki. A grin pulled at his lips. "Okay, Kyouka. Good luck with Yaomomo."

She gave him one last small smile before shutting the door behind her as she left. He was left alone in his room to stare at the notebook on the ground before him. He really hopes things go well with asking Yaoyorozu out.

He picked up the notebook, flipping to the page with the Besties do's and don'ts. Why does Jirou want him to look at the list? And what does it have to do with Shinsou? Does Jirou truly expect him to find a bunch of things he does with Shinsou on that list? It's not like with her and Yaoyorozu. He doesn't have this perfect couple thing going on with Shinsou.

Ignoring his thoughts (as he tends to be best at), he looked over the list anyways.

Okay Jirou, he thought, what are you trying to tell me?

He read through the list three times before he felt the urge to throw it across the room. What is he supposed to do? This is so much easier when he's the one writing the list and knows what each piece means. Fuck. He brought the list to his face again and decided to read over it one more time before he phones Jirou (possibly interrupting her confession) and asks her what the ever loving frick frack she means.

Besties Do's and Don'ts

1. Holding Hands

He stared at the first one, gears slowly turning in his head. Jirou wanted him to see if he can find what he does with Shinsou in the list, right? He has held hands with Shinsou. He's also held hands with Sero and Ashido and every other person in their class (even Bakugou once on a dare). Like he said, it's not the action but the feelings behind them. When he held hands with Shinsou the feelings were. . . He doesn't know actually.

The memory of sitting in the hallway with Shinsou after a long day graced his mind. He remembers music and feeling calm. Grounded. Did Shinsou feel the same then? Why did he reach out for his hand that day? Was that what Jirou was talking about?

He pushed the thoughts away and moved onto the next Besties Don't.

2. Caring for each other

Nothing came to mind, besides Shinsou helping him study sometimes. Does that count?

3. Doing Hair

Oh. Yeah, that one's still fresh in his mind. Even thinking about it brings the phantom feeling of fingers going through his hair. The braids Shinsou had put in his hair the night of watching the movie had been so perfect. It brought a smile to his face.

4. Flowers

The flower in Shinsou's belt loop.

And Denki really feels like an idiot now for not seeing it the first three times he looked over the list. He's done all these things with Shinsou. That's what Jirou means. Each and every Besties Don't he's done with Shinsou (with the exception of the kissing not on the lips and caring for each other). But that doesn't men anything. It's the emotion not the action-- except he doesn't know what Shinsou was feeling. Fuck. Is Jirou implying that- no.

Shit. Shinsou might like him back.

(That or Denki's an obvious idiot and Shinsou already knows he likes him which he honestly doesn't want to think about.)

Holy fuck. If he likes him back then maybe he'd want to date and then maybe they could and they could hold hands and kiss and-- he's thinking too much into this. Who could blame him? He's panicking slightly.

He gripped the notebook in his hands, face paling. Okay. Okay. He needs to calm down for a second. His face feels like it's going to light on fire at this point and he's almost certain it's not healthy to have a heart rate as high as his seems.

Taking a deep breath, he let the revelation sink in. There's a chance Shinsou likes him back. It's only a chance, not confirmed, but it's more of a chance then he thought he had before. He's starting to see why this could be a thank you gift from Jirou.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair. What does he even do with this information? Just keep in his head never to see the light of day? Dread over it? Ask him out? Strangle Jirou for not telling him before?

That second last one doesn't seem so ba-- wait. Fuck. No. If he goes down that train of thought next thing he knows he'll be running out of this room on a mad hunt for Shinsou so he can make some stupid impulsive decision and confess.

. . .

That's exactly what he's going to do. Dammit. He's going to murder Jirou for making him do this later.

-:-

Besties Do's and Don'ts

1. Holding Hands
2. Caring for each other
3. Doing Hair
4. Flowers
5. Sharing Music
6. Flirting
7. Notes
8. Kissing (not on the mouth)
9. Unfiltered Staring

-:-

Turns out finding Shinsou was easier done than said (is that how that saying goes?). Denki had almost gone to the training grounds before he remembered the time of day and realized Shinsou never trains past one on Sundays. He'd instead headed straight for the boys dorm room and banged on his door.

Regret filled him the moment he stopped knocking. Is it too late to turn around and run back to his room? The sound of footsteps on the other side of the door told him there was no turning back.

The door was yanked open to reveal a very tired and disheveled looking Shinsou Hitoshi. Denki's eyes immediately shot to his hair that was as messy as always, if not more. Purple strands tangled with each other and stuck upright. It looks soft despite the atrocity that proved the boy likely just woke up from a mid-afternoon nap. His eyes slightly crusted and squinting didn't hide his clear sleepiness either. Even his clothes, a wrinkled grey shirt and black sweatpants with little white cats on the waistband, looked like something one would wear to bed.

In short, he was a disaster and Denki loved it.

He really should have thought this through, or not done it at all. He doesn't even have a plan? What is he supposed to do? Just blurt, I'm in love with you and let that be that?

"I'm in love with you."

Shit.

Apparently his tongue has a mind of it's own and decided that's the plan he's going with. Lovely.

Shinsou's eyes widened. He blinked at him for a second or two before simply saying, "What?"

"Shit- uh I didn't mean to say that. I mean I meant it but not, like, right now. Crap, um." He immediately back peddled and found himself digging a bigger hole than he was already in. "I like you is what I'm trying to say. I get this is sudden and you probably just woke up and really I don't know why I'm here. I was just looking at this stupid list and thinking of you-- but not like in a creepy way! I just really like you and your strangely attractive kitten sweatpants. Oh lord this is not going well."

He groaned and rubbed at the back of his neck. Real smooth Denki.

Not only has he made a blubbering fool of himself but Shinsou isn't saying anything. Like, he knows this is out of the blue and surprising and quite frankly, probably the thing Shinsou least expected to wake up from a nap to, but for Denki's sake, could he say something? Anything other than simply giving him that blank stare that tells him absolutely nothing.

Shinsou's face slowly (very very slowly) morphed from one of no emotion to slight surprise, mouth parting and eyes widening by a fraction. Finally, he said something.

"What?"

"Oh for the love of tacos and Costco's!" Denki cried and threw his hands in the air. "I like you! A lot! I like your gravity defying hair, and your twisted humor, and the good morning texts you send me all the time. You might not feel the same but Jirou thinks you do and the list says you might but you still might not, which is totally okay. But you keep giving me hope, especially with what you said about not going after girls two months back and--"

"Kaminari," Shinsou interrupted and he immediately shut up. "Chill."

Right right. Because he's always been so good at being chill.

Shinsou leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed. He smirked. "Are you lightning?"

Denki's brain short circuited for a split second. That came out of nowhere. He barely registered his words. "What?"

"Are you lightning?" he repeated.

"Uh. . .?"

He unfolded his arms and held up one finger. "Because you're shockingly beautiful--" he held up another finger, making it two-- "you light up my world and--" three fingers-- "I think there's a spark between us."

. . .

"I'm sorry, what?" he asked breathlessly. This was not happening.

Shinsou shrugged. "Now you know how I feel."

"How you feel?" What is going on? "You used a pick up line on me! An electricity pick up line!"

A chuckle was pulled from his lips and Denki really just wanted someone to tell him what was happening.

"You just told me you loved me and you're more worried that I confessed to you using a pick up line?" he questioned, shaking his head slightly.

The heat from Shinsou's palms on his shoulders didn't help with how red his face was growing. Looking at Shinsou, his cheeks weren't all that far from being a rosy colour either. Did he say confessed? As in like, he confessed that he likes him back? Holy shit.

"Okay, did Sero put you up to this or something? Are you messing with me?" At this point Denki was pacing back and forth in front of the doorway, Shinsou watching him wearily and hands no longer on his shoulders.

"Nobody put me up to this, Kaminari."

"Really?" He halted his pacing and gave him a skeptical look. "I find it hard to believe you came up with a pick up line like that without some sort of help."

"You caught me, I did spend the last week on google trying to find the perfect one."

"Are you for real?"

Shinsou laughed and Denki's mind was still racing to catch up. He gestured into the room. "Just get in here."

Shinsou's hand wrapped around his wrist and he was pulled into the room. The door was shut behind them but he didn't release his wrist. He glanced around the room awkwardly, asking, "Okay, so what now?"

"Now, we both explain ourselves," Shinsou said, "You first, seeing as I woke up for this."

He didn't know what he had to explain. He'd said all he needed. He's the one who confessed and laid everything out there. It's Shinsou who should explain why he's throwing pick up lines at him like they're barrels in Donkey Kong.

"The thing is I hadn't thought far enough ahead to come up with an explanation," he admitted. "My brain just said 'go to him' and I went and found you."

He snorted and shook his head. "You come here on a whim while I've been working up to this for months. Unbelievable."

"Working up to what, exactly?"

"Asking you out."

Oh.

The feeling of Shinsou's fingers curled around his wrist seemed to amplify by ten. So Jirou was right, not that she ever directly said anything. Shinsou has been planning to ask him out. . . with pick up lines. Is this what it feels like to ascend into the heavens? Is he hallucinating? Did Sero put weed in the brownies he ate earlier? They boy of his dreams is standing before him and saying he wanted to date him, or at least go on a date with him. 

"You were going to ask me out. . .?" he clarified.

He nodded. "Yes, but it appears you beat me to it."

"Except I didn't ask you out."

"Well maybe you should."

Nope. Back peddle. Back fucking peddle. He stared at Shinsou in absolute shock. He hasn't had a chance to fully understand what is happening.

"I- wait, you actually like me? Like for reals like me?" he had to ask again. If he's going to do this, he wants certainty. "You aren't fucking with me?"

Shinsou groaned and grabbed his other wrist. "I wouldn't fuck with you, at least not without your permission." A sly smirk stretched across his features and Denki wanted the ground to swallow him whole. The seriousness returned to his tone after a split second. "But yes, I for reals like you. I thought it was obvious after the infirmary."

All his thoughts skidded to a halt. He hesitated. "What about the infirmary?"

"Y'know, when I visited you while you had that fever? I gave you medicine and everything. Do you not remember?"

The infirmary, when he was sick. He thinks he remembered Shinsou being there but that was just a dream. He knows it was a dream because he kissed his forehead and Denki called him pretty and--

"Shit! That was real? I thought that was a dream!" he exclaimed, dread filling him. Shit. He called him pretty, in real life! But also Shinsou kissed his forehead. Holy fucking shit.

A laugh drew him away from his internal panic and his attention snapped to Shinsou's wide smile. Damn, he's beautiful, even if he looks like the humanoid equivalent of sleep. "Oh gods. You really thought that was a dream? You must have been more out of it then I thought."

"Hey!" he protested, "You try having a fever and coping with a crush!"

Shinsou leaned a little more towards him. Denki went cross eyed, his face was so close. He could see the faint light on his eyelashes and the way his lips parted, preparing to say something. And his eyes, several different shades of purple, like amethyst. His finger rubbed circles on the inside of his wrist as he spoke. "No thank you. However, I'd be willing to have a fever while coping with a boyfriend."

Shit he is smooth. Denki's brain might short circuit right then and there. This boy was going to be the death of him, especially if he keeps this charismatic persona. He thinks the cats on Shinsou's waistband are not so innocently making fun of his poor heart that's beating a little too quickly. 

He stared at Shinsou, watching the anticipation on his face. He's actually going to do this. He can do this. 

"Well then," he said, a beaming smile breaking across his face. "Shinsou Mcsnuggles Hitoshi, will you be my boyfriend?"

Shinsou's face scrunched up at the middle name. "Please, never call me that again."

"You didn't answer my question."

He removed his hands from his wrists and brought them to rest on his hips. His nose bumped Denki's as he leaned even closer. His breath fanned across his face as he whispered, "Kaminari Denki, I will gladly be your boyfriend." His eyes flicked to his lips and then back up. "Can I. . .?"

Denki barely registered the approving nod he gave before Shinsou closed what little gap was between them, and oh God. He will be so incredibly disappointed if he wakes up tomorrow to this all being a dream. 

Shinsou's lips felt chapped as they pressed against his own. Neither of them moved much for the first second but he still felt an electric buzz run across his finger tips. He raised his hands to Shinsou's face, cupping his jaw and breathing him in. It was intoxicating. His mind didn't know whether to focus on the hands gently holding his sides or the feel of their foreheads brushing together every now and then or the lips on his that might put him on the early train to the afterlife. All he knew was that he loved every bit of it and didn't want it to end. 

Sadly, it didn't end with a quite literal shock. Shinsou pulled his face away with a quiet squeak, eyes widened. Denki frowned, only then realizing the electrical hum he felt under his skin. "Shit," he muttered. "Sorry. Did I shock you?"

"Don't apologize," he dismissed even as he brought one of his hands that were on his hips up to rub at his lip that likely was shocked. His eyes softened. "It's all right. We can find a way to work around that, if you're willing to put in the practice of course."

The idea of kissing him not only again, but regularly caused his heart to stutter. He felt his lips curved upwards into a cheeky smile and he leaned towards Shinsou again. "Willing? That's like asking if I'd mind being paid to play video games."

"So, yes?"

"Heck yeah."

The both leaned in again, noses brushing against each other and--

The sound of his phone ringing made him jump away. He frowned for a second, disappointed to have been interrupted and looked at Shinsou apologetically. He raised his eyebrows in a 'Are you going to pick that up?' sort of way. Denki reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone, answering it. He didn't have time to greet the caller before his ear drums were bombarded with a scream.

"Guess who got a fucking girlfriend!?"

Jirou's voice blared into his ears and he had to yank the phone away so not as to go deaf. Shit. He completely forgot about Jirou. He put the phone back against his ear, happy to hear her ecstatic tone. He hummed to himself. "Hmm, do I get three guesses?"

"Me! I got a girlfriend!" she cheered and he could practically envision her joyous expression. "Momo said yes! We're going on a date next Friday, Denki! Can you believe it?"

"It's almost like I've been telling you this entire time that she likes you. How strange."

"Shut up and be happy for me or I will personally sew your lips shut."

Ouch. Someone's being aggressive. He grinned. "I am happy for you. This is amazing news, really."

"Thank you. That's all I wanted--"

"However," he interrupted. His eyes locked with Shinsou's. "I have even better news, for me at least."

There was a pause on the other end of the call before Jirou hesitantly asked, "Did you ask Shinsou out?"

"Possibly."

". . . and did he say yes?"

His boyfriend watched him with raised eyebrows, seeming to question what he was talking about on the phone. Denki felt a warmth pool in his chest. Boyfriend. He likes the sound of that, a lot. 

"I should get back to my boyfriend. Bye!" He hung up before he could hear Jirou's reaction. He pocketed his phone, taking a step towards Shinsou and grinning from ear to ear. The other boy awkwardly smiled at him and Denki knew he wouldn't be letting him go for a while now. 

He felt evermore grateful to Jirou at that moment. Without her, he wouldn't have made that list (and got her a girlfriend). He wouldn't have had someone point out that he did so many things on that list. He wouldn't have gotten a boyfriend. Now Jirou is happy with Yaomomo and he's here with Shinsou and things couldn't be better. 

Shinsou reached out and intertwined his fingers with his. 

He felt a wave a calm wash over him and he squeezed Shinsou's hand. Yeah. He might just be the luckiest guy out there. Maybe he needed a list to get him here, but he doesn't care all that much for that minor detail as long as Shinsou kept holding his hand and the swell feeling in his chest never went away. He could get used to this.

"I like you so much," Shinsou blurted. The cheesiness of it pulled a blush from him. Leaning his forehead against his, he smiled even more. His reply came clearly to his head, like it was the simplest thing he could do. Loving Shinsou is the simplest thing he could do.

"Ditto."

-:-

Besties Do's and Don'ts

1. Holding Hands
2. Caring for each other
3. Doing Hair
4. Flowers
5. Sharing Music
6. Flirting
7. Notes
8. Kissing (not on the mouth)
9. Unfiltered Staring
10. Date them, because nothing compares to that. 

-Kaminari Denki
(p.s. Do not try and help your friends with this list or
they will never leave you alone and always ask for
your love advice, and your s/o will not hesitate to
 tease you about it everyday for the rest of your life.)

-:- 

The end. 

[A/N: Conclusions are not my forte. 

Shout out to my pal, @skellytoons who gave this story so much support and was a HUGE help with editing and being my beta. They are probably the only reason this story sees the light of day. 

Thanks to those who read this! Hope some people enjoyed this!]