The match ended in noise. Loud, overlapping, impossible to follow all at once. Voices bounced across the training field complaints, laughter, someone arguing about strategy like it actually mattered after the fact. The tension from earlier had burned off into something lighter, looser. "Okay but we totally had that," Mina Ashido insisted, hands flying as she talked. "Like if I didn't get distracted for two seconds, we would've won."
"You got distracted for more than two seconds," someone shot back.
"That's not the point!"
A few people laughed.
Nearby, Eijiro Kirishima was already recounting his version of events to anyone who would listen, energy still running high. "Did you see that break? That was insane!"
"It wasn't that insane," came another voice.
"It was a little insane," someone else admitted.
Kaminari stood just off to the side of it all, hands resting loosely behind his head, listening without really listening. "Yo, Kaminari," Kirishima called, turning toward him. "You broke out of that trap pretty fast. That was sick." Denki shrugged, easy grin slipping into place. "Yeah, well can't keep me locked up forever."
"Barely," Kyoka Jiro added from nearby, arms crossed. "You almost short circuited yourself."
"Almost doesn't count," he shot back. Jiro rolled her eyes, but there wasn't much bite behind it. The conversation moved on without him. It always did and Denki let it. His gaze drifted casual, unhurried. He wasn't searching but It landed on you. You stood a little ways off with Mina, the two of you still talking. Mina was animated as ever, clearly reliving every second of the match, while you nodded along, adding something quieter here and there. At some point, a small bubble formed at your fingertips. Absentminded. It floated between you for a second before popping softly.
Denki watched it happen... Just for a moment.
"You're staring again."
Denki blinked, snapping back. "What? No I'm not."
Kirishima raised a brow, clearly unconvinced. "Dude."
"I'm not," Denki repeated, a little too quick. "I was just looking around."
"Uh huh." Sero snorted from somewhere nearby. "Yeah, at one specific direction."
Denki clicked his tongue. "You guys are so annoying."
"Sure, man." Kirishima leaned in slightly, grin turning just a little sharper. "So… you and Y/n had a moment, huh?"
Denki froze for half a second. Barely noticeable. Then he scoffed. "What? No we didn't."
"You were literally trapped in her quirk."
"Yeah, and I got out," Denki said, shrugging. "That's it."
"That's not what I meant."
"Well, that's what happened."
Sero hummed. "She had you in a bubble, bro. That sounds like a moment."
"It was a fight," Denki shot back. "That's how fights work."
Kirishima didn't drop it. "Still," he said, tilting his head. "You looked kinda into it."
Denki snorted. "Into what? Being stuck?"
"Into her."
That was enough. Denki rolled his eyes, pushing off the ground slightly as he shifted his weight. "You're reaching."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
"Okay, but-!"
"Drop it," Denki said, not harsh, just firm enough. Kirishima held up his hands in surrender, still grinning. "Alright, alright. Just saying." The conversation drifted again after that, pulled into something else, something easier. Denki let it happen. He told himself it didn't matter. It was just a match just a random pairing.
Across the field, you laughed at something Mina said. It wasn't loud. Wasn't meant to carry... But it did anyway. Denki's eyes flicked up before he could stop them. Just long enough to catch the way your expression softened when you smiled less guarded now than during the match, easier somehow.
He looked away almost immediately. Ran a hand through his hair, exhaling quietly through his nose. It doesn't mean anything. You were just nice. That's all. Nice to everyone.
"…Hey." Your voice cut through the noise. Not loud. Not sharp. There. Closer than it should've been. Denki turned. And there you were. Not across the field this time. Not framed by distance or distraction. Right there. For a split second, his brain stalled just enough to throw him off beat. "Uh hey," he said, straightening slightly without meaning to.
Smooth.
Real smooth.
You smiled. Small. Easy. Like this wasn't a big deal. Like walking up to him was the most natural thing in the world. "I was gonna say," you started, glancing at him briefly before meeting his eyes again, "you got out of that faster than I expected." Denki blinked once. Then huffed a short laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah? I thought I was stuck for a second there."
"It almost held," you said.
"Almost," he echoed, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
A small pause settled between you.
"You didn't short circuit," you added after a second. Denki stilled just a little. "…Yeah," he said, a bit quieter this time. "Guess I got lucky."
"You're better than you think," you said simply.
There it was again. That same line. Same tone. Same certainty.
Denki didn't answer right away. Didn't joke. Didn't deflect. He looked at you for a second longer. Almost like he was trying to figure out why you sounded like you meant it. Then he shook it off, grin slipping back into place like it belonged there. "Well, don't tell anyone," he said lightly. "I've got a reputation to maintain." Your smile tilted just slightly at that. "Of what?"
"Being effortlessly cool, obviously."
"…Obviously."
Behind you, Mina called your name. Loud and urgent. Probably unnecessary. You glanced back over your shoulder, then returned your attention to him. "I should go," you said.
"Yeah," Denki nodded quickly. "Yeah, sure."
Another small pause.
"I'll see you around, Kaminari."
Not "Denki." Not yet. But still... It stuck.
"Yeah," he said again, watching as you stepped back. "See you." You turned, heading back toward Mina, slipping easily back into the noise of the group like you'd never left it. That moment hadn't shifted anything. Denki stood there for a second longer than he needed to. He exhaled, dragging a hand down his face.
"…Huh." From somewhere behind him, Sero snorted. Kirishima didn't even try to hide his grin. Denki didn't look at them. Didn't say anything. But his gaze drifted again. Not by accident this time that same thought circled back. She's just being nice…Right?
"Alright, extras, debrief's over." Aizawa's voice cut through the chatter like a blade through paper. "If you're done reliving your failures, head back." A chorus of half hearted complaints followed, but no one argued.
Inside the classroom, things slipped back into place easily. Chairs. Desks. Familiar noise. Denki dropped into his seat with a quiet exhale, stretching his legs out slightly under the desk. The buzz from earlier had dulled into something softer, easier to ignore. Around him, conversations picked back up. Mina slid into her seat still mid sentence. Sero leaned back like he owned the place. Someone near the front was already arguing about strategy.
The chair behind him scraped lightly. Denki didn't think about it he didn't turn right away. He just leaned back a little, resting his arms on his desk as he let the noise settle into background static. "…Hey." He froze just slightly. You were there not close this time. A desk over. Half turned in your seat, looking at him like this wasn't unusual. Like this was just… a normal thing people did.
Denki blinked once. "Uh, hey," he said, a little slower this time. "I was gonna ask," you said, resting your chin lightly against your hand, "does your quirk always react like that when you're trapped? Or was that just a panic thing?" Denki stared at you for half a second then huffed a quiet laugh. "Wow. Going straight for my weaknesses, huh?" Your lips curved slightly. "I'm curious."
"Uh… bit of both, I guess," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "If I build up too much charge without grounding it, things get… messy."
"That makes sense." You nodded, like you were filing it away. You weren't judging or teasing. You were… listening. Denki shifted a little in his seat. "…Your quirk's kinda crazy, by the way," he added, glancing at you. "Those bubbles are stronger than they look."
"They have to be," you said simply. "Otherwise they'd be useless."
"Yeah, but they don't look like they'd hold someone."
"That's kind of the point."
He paused for a moment then grinned. "Sneaky."
"Strategic," you corrected lightly.
"Right. That."
Another small pause
"Next time," Denki said, leaning back slightly, "I won't get caught so easily." Your eyes flicked to his, something faintly amused there. "Next time?"
"Yeah." He shrugged. "There's always a next time."
"I'll be ready." You smiled. Not big. Not dramatic. Just enough.
"I'll make it harder, then." Something in his chest did that weird off beat thing again. "Looking forward to it," he said meaning it without thinking.
From the front of the room, Aizawa's voice cut in again. "Sit down properly or leave." Denki blinked, realizing he'd half turned in his seat. "Right. Yeah." He faced forward again, clearing his throat lightly. Behind him, he could hear you shift back in your chair. Just like that class started. Notes, lectures, the steady rhythm of something routine. Denki tried to focus he really, he did but every now and then his thoughts slipped. Back to the training field. The bubble. The way you'd said "You're better than you think."
He frowned slightly, tapping his pencil against his desk. Weird thing to say. Weirder that it stuck. She's just like that. Nice. Says things like that to everyone…Probably.
Later, when the final bell rang, the room shifted again. Chairs scraped. Bags zipped. Voices rose. Denki stretched, standing up with a quiet groan. "Man, I'm done for the day."
"You're always done," Sero said.
"Exactly. Consistency."
Kirishima laughed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "You heading out?"
"In a sec."
People started filtering toward the door. Denki took his time, not rushing, not thinking too much about anything in particular. Near the doorway, you paused like you were waiting for a gap in the crowd. Denki noticed. Of course he did. You glanced back and caught him looking but instead of looking away you smiled. You lifted your hand in a quick, casual wave. Nothing big. Then you were gone. Slipped into the hallway, into the noise, into everything outside the room. Denki stood there for a second. Then huffed a quiet breath, shaking his head like he could reset something. "…Yeah," he muttered to himself. He grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he headed for the door.
That night, lying flat on his bed, phone abandoned somewhere near his pillow, Denki stared at the ceiling. He wasn't tired he was awake. The day kept replaying in pieces. The match. The bubble. The conversation. The way you'd looked at him like like nothing about it was strange. He scrubbed a hand over his face. "…It's nothing," he said out loud. Just a classmate. Just a conversation. He turned onto his side, pulling his blanket up slightly.
Closed his eyes for some reason your voice was the last thing that stuck. "I'll make it harder, then." Denki exhaled quietly into his pillow. A small, crooked smile tugging at his mouth before he could stop it. "…Yeah," he murmured. Somewhere between denying it and thinking about it anyway something settled in.