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“Hey, do you want to get lunch together later?” Denki plants both his hands on Hitoshi's desk, leaning down. 

Hitoshi blinks up at him lazily - like a cat - and tilts his head. 

“Why?” 

“So we can spend time together, dummy!” Denki laughs awkwardly. Hitoshi still makes him nervous with the way he can’t read him. Sometimes he wonders how they ended up being boyfriends.

Hitoshi looks at him for a second longer. Then he nods. “Yeah, that's cool.” 

“Cool, I'm looking forward to it!” Denki smiles at him in relief and walks over to his own desk, falls into his chair and gets out his books. 

He sees Jirou smirk at him. Pressing his lips together he avoids her eyes. 

***

“So this is this week's crush?” Jirou nods to Hitoshi, who is currently training with Sero. He holds his own with the capture weapon, but Aizawa-sensei said that Sero might offer him some unique perspective. 

Denki sighs dreamily. “No, this is like… the crush. Also he is my boyfriend, not just a crush. He is endgame.” 

Jirou laughs. “Yeah, right. Let's talk again in a month.” 

***

Class is boring and Denki swirls a pencil between his fingers. He keeps looking at Hitoshi. His boyfriend. 

It's new, sure, only four weeks now. But he is already certain. This is it. Every moment he spends with Hitoshi convinces him more of the fact that they are made for each other. Hitoshi is funny and his hands are big and warm when holding him and his lips are soft but chapped when kissing and his body is hot and hard when they are pressed against each other. 

He is patient when Denki needs ten minutes extra to find his wallet, he listens attentively when Denki talks about his favorite books and he has that addicting smile when Denki makes one of his puns. 

He seems to like him back, even though he doesn't really say it out loud. Denki can live with that. He would like to hear it out loud, but if that's the price he has to pay, he’ll gladly do so. Anything to see that smile directed at him.

That reminds him, he needs to come up with more of those puns. To keep surprising him. He doesn't want to bore Hitoshi. That would be the worst.

***

“And this thing between you two works?” Sero looks doubtful. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You are just… really different, you know? He is all quiet and intellectual and you are… no offense but… you are you.” 

Denki frowns. “I don't see…” 

“You know, you like video games and Pokemon and you are always running around, talking a lot.” Sero sees Denki's look and starts to elaborate further. “Which is great, you always bring amazing energy to our hangouts. But he seems like someone who appreciates quietness and classic rock as opposed to lots of talking and EDM.” 

“We have a mixed playlist,” Denki says, his arms crossed. His throat is closing up and he doesn't know why.

Hitoshi also likes Pokemon, they just recently compared favorites. 

They do work together. 

He is sure of it. 

Right?

***

Between classes Hitoshi turns around to talk to Midoriya and when their eyes meet he smiles at him. Denki smiles back, his heart fluttering. 

Being with Hitoshi is just amazing. When they shared their first kiss everything just started to make sense. 

They were hanging out in Hitoshi's room, Denki helping him with English while Hitoshi helped him with math. They had been doing that for a few weeks now. Hitoshi had some catching up to do and Denki somehow started to understand math when Hitoshi explained it, at least in the moment. 

While Hitoshi was explaining the binomial formula, Denki followed his elegant and long fingers with his eyes, tongue pressed against the cable in his mouth connected to Hitoshi's phone. Hitoshi always forgot to charge it.

Hitoshi's nails were painted - a really dark purple. It made Denki smile. He really did pick a color and stuck with it. 

“So math is funny now.” Hitoshi's eyes crinkled, the corners of his mouth turned upward - his version of a smile. 

(He had this thing where he tried not to ask questions in normal conversations. Denki had noticed the third time they had hung out. It was one of the reasons Hitoshi always took a long time to speak. He was thinking of a way to phrase whatever he wanted to say without asking a question. 

They talked about it and Denki had kind of managed to convince him to just talk to him, without worrying. But sometimes Hitoshi still slipped into his old ways.)

Denki grinned at him. He took the cable out of his mouth.

“Remember, you can just ask. You don't have to say it like that. I will answer you every time.” 

Hitoshi stared at him. “Every time?” His voice was raspy. 

Denki nodded. “Well, maybe not while we are sparring or something, no offense. But yeah.” He shrugged then his face brightened. “That was a question! Hell yeah, I'm proud of you!”

Hitoshi kept staring while Denki put the cable back, concentrating on keeping up that steady current of electricity. Then he leaned closer and his hand grabbed for the cord, plucking it out of Denki's mouth again. 

“Wha-?” But before Denki could finish, Hitoshi is on him, pressing his mouth against his. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

So that was why he had always felt so fluttery around him. 

With a giggle he buried his hands in Hitoshi's hair and kissed him back. 

It had been perfect and not long after they officially became boyfriends.

With a jolt Denki comes back to reality. Hitoshi is still looking at him, eyebrow raised in question. Denki blushes and shrugs. 

“Daydream,” he mouths. Hitoshi is just pushing up from his chair when Present Mic walks in. With an apologetic smile he drops back down. 

“Later,” Hitoshi mouths to him and Denki nods. He gets his book and decides to focus on his favorite subject. 

***

“And you think he will have fun, hanging out with you and us?” Mina fluffs up her hair, looking at herself in the mirror. “Do you even have anything to talk about besides school?” 

Denki stares at her. He swallows down his immediate thought. They care about him, he knows that. They don't mean to offend him. They are just curious. It still stings. He takes a deep breath. 

“Why wouldn't he?” 

“I don't know, I just think he might get annoyed. We are all over the place when watching a movie.” 

Denki nods. It's true. They joke around, loudly eat popcorn and scream at exciting moments. He told Hitoshi all that, to which he just replied that he wants to spend time with Denki.

“He will be fine,” Denki says. 

“So what do you talk about? Aside from school,” Kiri asks while looking at him. 

Denki feels like he needs a good answer, feels like he needs to prove that they have a good relationship. 

“Uhm, I don't know.” He thinks about the way they cuddle and talk about the books they read in English class. The stuff that Hitoshi told him about living with Aizawa and Present Mic and Eri - something Denki is sworn to secrecy about. The kisses and touches they share in between. He doesn't want to use their intimacy to prove anything to anyone. He cherishes those private moments. 

“You don't know?” 

Denki shrugs. “We listen to music. Talk about Pokemon-”

“You mean you talk about Pokemon. You never shut up about it, I bet eyebags already learned way too much against his will about it,” Katsuki scoffs.

Denki presses his lips together. He doesn't want to keep talking about this. 

“I'm gonna get him and grab some popcorn,” he mutters while leaving the room. 

*** 

Present Mic keeps Hitoshi back after the lesson for a quick talk, so Denki rushes ahead to get them lunch and a nice place to sit outside. He knows Hitoshi prefers to take his lunch outside, with a bit more space between them and the rest of the pupils.

After placing down the two lunch trays, he sits down and waits. It only takes a few minutes and then Hitoshi steps outside, talking with Tokoyami. 

Denki waves at him, swinging both his arms wildly to be seen and Hitoshi waves back, much more muted, only lifting one arm half way. He says something to Tokoyami when Denki hears a voice behind him.

“Oh my god, that's pathetic. Look at him begging for his attention. Can you imagine? I bet he is just taking pity on him.” 

Denki looks over his shoulder and sees Monoma and his posse making their way to one of the lunch tables, smirking at him. 

He flushes red, up to his ears. He is not begging for Hitoshi's attention. He just wanted to make sure he saw him, that's all.

And Hitoshi is not taking pity on him. Right?

He kissed him first. That’s got to mean something, even if Denki suggested they be boyfriends. 

Hitoshi seemed fine with the idea. 

But is being fine the same as really wanting it?

Lost in his thoughts he quiets down and waits for Hitoshi to arrive at his table. He is painfully aware of Monoma and his clique sitting down only two tables away. 

Hitoshi sits down next to him with a small smile. 

“You got me steamed bok choy.” 

Denki nods. “With rice and fried tofu.” 

“Thank you.” 

Denki keeps looking at him and Hitoshi eyes turn questioning. He wants to kiss him. Wants it here especially, for his sake, but also for the sake of all those people watching them. 

Hitoshi wants to be with him. Right?

“Can we-” He leans closer, eyes on Hitoshi's lips. He lifts his hand and Denki thinks he will bury it in his hair to pull him closer, but Hitoshi just brushes a strand of hair from his face and leans back. 

“Not here, okay? My dads…”

“Yeah, of course. Later.” Denki bites his lip and turns to his food. He tries to focus on the fact that this is not because of him, but he can still hear loud snickering from two tables over. 

His cheeks flush red. 

“Everything okay?” Hitoshi asks. 

Denki nods without saying anything. 

He knows Hitoshi cares about him. It is enough. It should be enough. 

This is fine.

***

They have a joint training exercise with class 2B in the afternoon. Denki frowns when he sees Monoma. They fight in pairs of two and Denki gets paired up with Ojiro. It's a good match, Ojiro is great with close combat, while Denki can attack over distance, especially with his new support gear. 

They are up against Monoma and Tsuburaba. 

The fight is tough, mainly because of Tsuburaba. Monoma seems to only have copied his quirk, which makes him a little more predictable. 

Jumping and running Denki and Ojiro manage to evade both of the others attacks. 

“Kaminari!” Ojiro shouts and whacks Tsuburaba with his tail. He goes down and Ojiro leaps up a tree, wrapping his tail around it. It's the perfect chance - only Denki and the enemies are touching the ground now. 

Denki gets ready to unload a big charge, when Monoma’s voice cuts through his concentration. 

“Don't use too much, Kaminari, you wouldn't want to be even more stupid in front of your boyfriend - he's gonna leave you even faster!” The word boyfriend is drenched in a mocking tone. His laugh at the end makes Denki shiver and he hesitates. 

Hitoshi wouldn't leave him because of a quirk accident, right? 

Even more stupid - but they talked about that, right? His dyslexia and ADHD don't make it easy for him, but Hitoshi said he understands and doesn't judge him for it. 

But in the beginning even all of Denki's friends had wondered - 

“Kaminari!” 

A cage made from air closes around him. 

Shit. As Denki was lost in thought, Tsuburaba got back up and came closer. He starts pounding against the solid air around him, watching as Ojiro tries to make his way over to smash it. But against two attackers trying to catch him he simply isn't fast enough. 

It doesn't take long for them to both get captured and lose. 

Monoma laughs as Denki trudges back to the rest of his class. His gaze searches for Hitoshi, looking for some validation or just even a shoulder to lean on, but when he finds him his eyes sparkle with anger. Shocked by his cold look Denki changes direction immediately. He is hot all over his body, shame and embarrassment burning him inside out. 

He feels like crying, but he doesn't want to in front of his classmates and even less in front of class 2B. Pressing his lips together, he plops down next to Tsu, hugging his knees and resting his chin on them. Hitoshi is looking at him, he can feel it, but he doesn't look back. He can’t handle his disappointment right now. 

He is ridiculous, not fit to be a hero, not fit to be his boyfriend, just not fit for anything. He hugs his legs more tightly, if only to direct the intense emotions he feels somewhere. 

Maybe they are right. Monoma, Denki's friends… maybe he shouldn't be with Hitoshi. Maybe it’s pity. Maybe he just wanted to make out, not be in a relationship. 

That's one thing he does have going for him. Denki knows he is pretty. But what does that mean, when he is dumb and annoying and a loser?

He startles when Ojiro moves next to his other side. 

“What he said was low,” he says, after nudging Denki with his tail. “Anyone would have hesitated.” 

Denki shrugs, but grabs the fluff nonetheless, running his hand through it. It's as calming as always. 

“A pro wouldn't react to some taunting,” he mumbles, swiping across his face discreetly.

Ojiro frowns. “But we aren't pro's, right? We are here to learn. Take it as a lesson. Next time you know to not even let him speak.” 

Denki looks over to him. 

Ojiro smiles. “He's only spouting bullshit anyways.” 

Denki smiles back, trying not to think of the look Hitoshi had thrown at him. 

***

In the evening he gets himself some snacks and excuses himself from dinner. He doesn't want to see anyone right now. 

Not his friends, who don't even take his relationship seriously. 

Not Hitoshi, who he made angry by losing. 

He sits in his room, trying to summon the hyperfixation he needs to get his reading done. It's easier with an audiobook and the actual book at the same time, but for this particular book he doesn't have the audio version and it proves increasingly hard. 

He wants to tear at his own hair. Why can't he just be normal? Why must his quirk make him stupid? Why must his mind flit from one topic to the next, why does he talk in circles and all over the place and can’t focus and is annoying and a loser?

He just wants to be normal. Someone who can be someone's boyfriend without everyone questioning how they even fit together. 

A knock interrupts his spiraling thoughts. With hope blooming inside of him he gets up. Maybe Hitoshi wants to see him. He won't be mad anymore, right? 

“Denki?” It's Mina's voice. Denki deflates a little but opens the door anyway. 

The whole squad is standing in front of it. Jirou, Katsuki, Kiri, Mina and Sero all look at him, sheepish looks on their faces. Well, not on Katsuki’s. He has his arms crossed and is tapping his foot. 

Denki frowns. 

“What's up?” 

“We, uh…” Mina starts, but stops, when Katsuki clears his throat. 

“We, as in everyone except Bakugou,” Mina starts again, “we wanted to apologize. And confess something.” 

Denki glances between them, confused. 

“Just get it over with,” Katsuki says.

“You see,” Jirou says, looking at the floor, “we did a shitty thing.” 

Denki doesn't have the patience. He sighs. “Just say it. I'm sure it's not that bad.” 

“We bet,” Sero mumbles. 

“What?” 

“We made a bet,” Jirou says, looking extremely uncomfortable. 

“On what?” Denki cocks his head. 

Nobody says anything. Denki looks at Katsuki. 

“The extras bet on how long you and eyebags would stay together.” 

Denki's eyes widen. They did what? His heart starts hammering and his throat closes up.

Is this a game to them? Do they have so little faith in his relationship?

Katsuki continues, “1500 Yen each. 7500 in total from all five of us.”

“I thought you didn't-” Denki is glad his voice is so flat. He doesn't even know what he is feeling right now.

His friends think he is a joke. His chest is tight.

“I said that you would stay together longer than each of them wagered and said the money should go to you in that case.” Katsuki shrugs. 

So he was part of it. He just thought Denki could keep Hitoshi longer than the rest. 

Denki looks from Mina, to Sero, to Jirou, to Kiri and finally to Katsuki. They don't look at him, even Katsuki is avoiding his eyes.

“Well, after today you managed to surpass all their estimates. So you get the money now.” 

“Also, we are sorry. It was a dumb thing to do,” Mina rushes to say. 

Jirou nods and Sero adds, “Yeah, no amount of stupid things you say could scare that guy away.” 

“Anyway, here,” Kirishima extends an envelope to him. “It’s all the money. We’re sorry.” 

With shaking hands Denki takes it. He feels his eyes water. Before the first tear can fall he chokes out a thank you and closes the door with a loud bang. 

He can hear them whisper on the other side, but he can't make out what they are saying. After a few seconds he hears them shuffle away.

For a few minutes he just stands there, hands crumpling the envelope and the money within. 

Blood is rushing in his ears. His cheeks are hot and he feels itchy. 

Anxiety spreads through all of his body, making him shake.

They took out a bet. 

On his relationship with Hitoshi. 

And they didn't think they would last longer than four weeks. 

He remembers gushing to them about Hitoshi, never one to hide his feelings, telling them about their first kiss and how right it felt. 

Did they already decide by then? 

From all the people at UA, they know him best. So after being friends with them, spending time, joking around, after everything that happened with Midoriya, after the fighting… his best friends don't think he can hold a relationship longer than four weeks. 

He sinks to the floor. 

He knows he has a lot of crushes. But with Hitoshi… he told them it was different. He told them how it had made click when they first kissed, how comfortable he felt with him. 

And they still thought a month was the maximum he could achieve in that relationship? A month?

He remembers how they asked about Hitoshi. How they doubted they would have topics to talk about. Anything to bond over. 

He had been hurt and annoyed then as well but that was nothing compared to now. 

Now - 

Now Hitoshi hasn't come to see him after today, after he had lost to Monoma. 

Now Monoma has called him pathetic and just an object of pity. Stupid as well. 

Just like his friends. Even they think he is stupid and that the relationship is doomed. 

Yeah, no amount of stupid things you say could scare that guy away.

Sero has been wrong. Apparently there was a limit and that limit was losing to Monoma. 

Hitoshi's eyes had burned. 

A hysterical laugh bubbles out of Denki. 

If Hitoshi breaks up with him now for being a stupid and pathetic loser, he might have to return the money. One of them, either Jirou or Mina or Sero or Kiri, apparently gave them four weeks. And Hitoshi and him didn't even celebrate the anniversary. Hitoshi didn't want to. Dread fills Denki when he thinks about that.

Denki falls on his back. The ceiling of his room is painted a dark blue and littered with tiny, glow-in-the-dark stars. 

At night, Hitoshi and he would sometimes just look up at them. 

No more apparently. And Denki didn't even get any money out of this. 

It's a pathetic thought that makes him keep giggling, probably just to keep himself from crying.

It only works for a short while. 

***

“You were distracted today.” Aizawa wraps up his capture cloth, looking at Hitoshi with a raised eyebrow. 

Hitoshi grits his teeth. That was an understatement. His mind has been far away the entire training. He feels bad about it, he knows his Dad spends the extra hours on him, helping him to fully catch up. 

But he couldn't seem to focus today. His thoughts kept wandering back to Denki. 

Something is up. 

The day started out fine. Denki came by his room early in the morning, surprising him with an extra 20 minutes of kissing and cuddling, a mini date having been together for four weeks. 

Hitoshi insisted they didn't need to celebrate their four week anniversary, afraid he wouldn't find an appropriate gift. He regretted it when he managed to snap up matching Gengar and Pikachu plushies. They are currently hidden in his room awaiting the next milestone in their relationship. He doesn't know how he will give them to Denki, but he vowed to find a way and get over his awkwardness. 

That proved to be the biggest hurdle in this relationship. The only moment he managed to be cool was when he kissed him the first time, utterly defeated by the way Denki just accepted and embraced him while looking unfairly cute and being unfairly funny and adorable. 

Denki was the one who brought up being boyfriends while Hitoshi’s mind was still swirling from having his kiss reciprocated and the way Denki’s giggle felt against his lips. Of course he had agreed. And since then, he has tried to catch up. Most of the time though he’d been a frozen, uncool and awkward mess, trying to find the right words or the right action. By the time he’d finished gearing up to say or do something, Denki would've already kissed him or suggested a date or came by his room. He sweeps Hitoshi away every time. 

He wants to do some sweeping of himself, but he doesn't know how. How is he supposed to hold a candle to Denki’s blinding smile, the excited way he talks about their English assignments, the pout he sports when they had to do math or the adorable way he looks with his hair pinned back, wearing only boxers and an oversized Pikachu shirt as pajamas? 

He feels helpless and like a bad boyfriend for it and today it had been even worse. It may have started out well, but then it went downhill pretty fast. He wanted to spend lunch away from the others, more private but - as always - Denki was faster than him and suggested they eat together. Hitoshi didn't even know how to word his proposal, so he just accepted Denki’s. 

He had been so distracted during the following lesson, trying to come up with something nice for Denki, that his Pa noticed and held him back after. Hizashi told him that he is happy he found someone he wants to be with, but that Hitoshi shouldnt let this influence his school work - especially since he is still trying to catch up with the rest. 

The talk still fresh in his mind, he had rejected Denki’s advances during lunch and regretted it immediately when Denki had smiled that wrong smile - the unhappy one, the one he put up to put others at ease.

He hated it and hated himself for putting it there. 

He has seen it a few times now - when people tease Denki about being loud or distracted or bad at school. Denki always laughs with them, seemingly not minding being the butt of the joke. Hitoshi sees the hollow in his eyes and the tightness of his jaw every time, though. Sees how he sometimes excused himself after, not wanting to talk to him about it. 

Other times they did talk and Denki confided in a soft voice about his ADHD and dyslexia, explaining how hard he worked while still struggling at times. How much it hurt when his friends called him stupid although he was working just as hard - if not harder - then they were. 

Hitoshi hates how sad and small Denki gets in these moments. He was supposed to be happy and carefree, proud of himself and his accomplishments, but instead he even told Hitoshi he would make a better hero than him. 

A ridiculous thought. Denki is powerful and outgoing and helpful and everything a hero should be. 

Hitoshi had offered to talk to the class at one point, or at least the main perpetrators, but Denki had begged him not to. He didn't want to stir any drama, didn't want to be “the one that couldn't take a joke” and he didn't want Hitoshi to get into any trouble on his behalf. 

With a churning feeling in his stomach Hitoshi had obliged. 

Until this afternoon. 

Something had happened during that training exercise. One moment Denki and Ojiro were winning and suddenly Denki froze, giving Tsuburaba plenty of time to catch him and thus winning the battle together with Monoma. He saw Monoma talking but they were too far away for him to make out any words. Whatever he said - it made Denki freeze up enough it lost him and Ojiro the match. 

Hitoshi stood close enough to Bakugou to hear him mutter, “Come on, dunceface, move your ass.” It was quickly followed by an annoyed sigh when Denki got caught. “Well, that was that battle.”

Mina snickered. “That's so Kaminari, getting distracted in the middle of a whole battle.”

Jirou laughed along with her. “Classic static brain. Do you think he shocked himself by accident or on purpose?”

On purpose?! Hitoshi balled his hands into fists. It had only been a few days since Denki had confessed to him what it was like, feeling trapped and helpless in his own body after doing everything he could to win them a battle, about the spasms in his legs and hands he had for hours after and the devastating headaches that followed sometimes. Why would he do that on purpose?!

“Shut the fuck up,” he hissed through his teeth. He instantly had the attention of the five people closest to Denki - apart from himself. 

“Got something to say, eyebags?” Bakugou raised an eyebrow at him. 

Hitoshi’s hands were sweaty but for once he didn't freeze. 

“Yeah,” he nodded and looked at them with a determined glare. “You are behaving like assholes to him. Have you ever thought about what it must be like to electrocute yourself?” 

Sero opened his mouth, but Hitoshi didn’t let him speak. He was faintly aware of the rest of the class listening in. 

“His quirk is too powerful for his body to handle right now, but all I see is you being ungrateful shits when he gives it his all and making fun of him. Midoriya regularly broke his bones, but I see no one laughing about that. But Denki loses the ability to fucking speak and you think its all so funny. Everything he does or doesnt do is like a fucking joke to you and I’m honestly sick of it! How often does he save your ass, huh? Especially at his own expense. Have some fucking respect.”

Breathing heavily he stalked away from them, not bothering with their reaction. But when he turned to Denki he flinched and avoided Hitoshi in favor of sitting next to Tsuyu. 

Had he heard? Was he mad at Hitoshi for saying something? Hitoshi kept watching him but Denki didn't look at him the whole afternoon, right up until Hitoshi had to leave to train with Aizawa while the rest of the class walked back to the dorm.  

So yes , of course he had been distracted during training. 

“Hitoshi?” 

With a jolt Hitoshi snaps out of his thoughts, turning his head to his Dad. 

“Yeah, sorry. I’m not… Today was weird.”

Aizawa looks at him sharply for a few seconds, then, “Does that have anything to do with your outburst during joint training today?”

Hitoshi kicks the nonexistent dirt on the gym floor. 

“Are you and Kaminari-” Aizawa clears his throat. “Everything okay there?”

Hitoshi shakes his head - short and quick. 

“Anything you want to talk about?” Aizawa’s words are stilted. Just like Hitoshi he doesn't really talk about feelings. He is clearly trying to make an effort. 

Hitoshi takes a deep breath and keeps avoiding his eyes. “I feel like I’m not enough,” he manages to press out. 

“Has he been telling you that?” Aizawa’s answer comes quick and sharp. 

Hitoshi lifts his gaze and shakes his head insistently. “No, no! But he is… so much. So fast. I feel like I can't… I’m not giving enough. I- I freeze up. I think of what to do, try to make a plan and by the time I have one, he has already acted.”

“Oh.”

It's silent for a moment. 

“I know what you mean.”

Hitoshi nods to the floor. He figured. 

God, this is so awkward. 

“Sometimes you don't need a plan. If you trust him, sometimes just action without a plan is enough. Because you are not alone. He is also there, so it’s not your responsibility to make everything work out perfectly. I learned… it’s better to fail together than to let him do it all alone.”

Hitoshi huffs. He doesn't like failing. But maybe it wouldn't feel as bad with Denki there. 

“Thanks.”

***

When he gets back to the dorm he is still thinking about what his Dad said. Action. So he should just do what he wants without thinking? 

That seems risky. 

He thinks about the impulses he has regarding Denki. 

Kissing him. That seems fine. Denki would like that. 

Hugging him. Also good. Denki likes touch. 

Making Bakugou say something ridiculous when he calls Denki some insulting nickname. Less fine. Denki could take offense, he specifically asked Hitoshi not to intervene. 

Gift him something. Hard without preparation, but he could start just carrying gifts around. 

Ask him something that gets him talking. Hitoshi loves when Denki talks about one of his interests. He gets so lively and animated and his eyes sparkle and his hands move around in big gestures. He seems happy. Definitely fine. 

Tell him how much he loves him. Abort! Four weeks is way too early to feel this intensely. 

He wants to be a good boyfriend. He needs to be a good boyfriend. His hands grow clammy as he thinks about the ways in which he hasn't been - acting distant and taking no initiative. 

His eyes wander across the common room as he walks through it, looking for Denki - to start acting, maybe kiss him - but he doesn't see him. His friends are all here, which is weird. Maybe he isn't feeling well? 

He grabs a granola bar from the cupboard and walks over to Sero. “Where’s Kami?” 

Sero bites his lip and the look he gives Hitoshi is guilty as he mumbles, “In his room.”

Hitoshi squints at him. He can be intimidating if he wants; turn the corners of his mouth down, draw his eyebrows together slightly, think about something that makes him mad and look the other in the eye. Do not waver. 

Aizawa taught him well, Sero crumbles after less than 15 seconds. 

“We did something stupid a few weeks ago. We told him and apologized. But I think… he seemed like he wanted to be alone after that.” Sero winces as a thought hits him. “We should apologize to you as well, I think.”

He looks around to the rest of the group and Mina gives a nod, fiddling with her fingers. The rest seem to agree as well, but when no one says anything, Hitoshi raises an eyebrow. 

He isn't even sure if he wants to know. Whatever they did… Denki has elected to stay alone in his room. He doesn't need to think about a hypothetical thing that makes him mad anymore - he has something real right here. But if he wants to be there for Denki and make him feel better, he would need them to talk and give him context.

“Come on, you had plenty to say about him during the training exercise.” He wants to leave them in the dust, but he needs to know before he goes to Denki. 

Bakugou is the one to speak up. “There was a bet on how long you two would make it.”

What?

“What?” Hitoshi seethes. His teeth grind against each other as he looks from Bakugou to the others. 

“It was stupid,” Mina says quickly, as if trying to lessen the blow. 

“Stupid?” Hitoshi is about to see red. He forgets all about quirks as he balls his hands into fists. He takes a step closer to them, shaking. 

“It is fucking disrespectful.” His muscles, still exhausted from all the training today, lock up with adrenaline and rage. 

“We really are sorry. We didn't really think, but we know it wasn't okay.” Jirou looks at him, red with embarrassment. 

“Is that what you told him? I dont need your fucking apology, I couldn’t care less, but he is your friend! Your friend gets into a relationship and this is what you do? Make a pastime of guessing when it breaks? To do what? Entertain yourself with his possible misery?!” 

The questions tumble out of him unchecked - he doesn't care about avoiding them right now. Let them be scared. 

He wants to push and shake them. The stunned and guilty looks on their faces are not enough for him. 

But Denki cares about them. Hitoshi shouldn’t burn all bridges, however much he wants to. He takes a shaky breath. 

“You should really start to think about how you treat him. And make it up to him. If you really want to be his friends.”

He turns without waiting for an answer. He has more important places to be right now. 

***

He is still in his sweaty training suit but he doesn't care as he knocks on Denki’s door. 

“Who is it?” He can't make out his tone through the wood, but Denki normally never asks who it is.

“It’s me,” he answers, leaning close to the door. 

“Oh.”

He hears steps and a second later the door is slowly opened. Denki wears a hoodie and shorts and his hair is unstyled in the way it gets when he lets it air dry - puffy and slightly curly in the length. It’s adorable. His eyes are red rimmed though and turned downward. 

“Come inside,” Denki mumbles, stepping aside to let Hitoshi in. Denki moves to his desk and sits down on his chair. Hitoshi stares. He never sits at his desk. He sprawls on the ground or throws himself on the bed or lounges in his beanbag. 

Denki smiles up at him from his chair but it's tight lipped and doesn't reach his eyes. It's the fake one. The one Hitoshi doesn't like. It makes him uneasy. He wants to wipe it away, replace it with a real one. 

His hands grow clammy. 

Hitoshi wants to say something. Your friends are shit. I love you. I’m sorry I haven't been a good boyfriend. 

But he is overwhelmed, by that fake smile that looks so wrong on Denki’s face, by his own feelings, by the fear of doing or saying the wrong thing. So he just stares, eyes moving panicked from left to right. It still seems to tell Denki something, because he nods, eyes going glassy. 

“You can say it,” he says, looking somewhere behind Hitoshi’s shoulder. 

But he doesn't know what. What is he supposed to say? What is the right thing right now? 

“I get it,” Denki continues to speak when Hitoshi stays silent. “You have like this whole thing ahead of you, this whole plan after getting into the hero course and I - I get that I don't fit into it. I’m just someone who gets more stupid the more I use my quirk and it doesn't… work. So, yeah.” He shrugs at the end, trying to look casual, despite the way his hands are shaking, while sirens blare in Hitoshi’s mind. He is smiling that fake smile again. 

That sounds like… Hitoshi scrambles. What does he say, what does he say?

Say something, say something, say something.

Action without a plan. 

Fail together. 

“Your friends are shit.” 

He picked the wrong thing, he sees it on Denki’s face immediately. 

“Yeah, I know. That must be another reason-”

“No! We can't break up!” 

Denki seems confused. “Aren't you here because…?”

Hitoshi shakes his head wildly and tears the capture cloth from his neck. “I’m here because I wanted to see how you are.”

Okay, that's alright. That's not bad. 

“I was… worried. Sero and the others told me about the bet.” Facts. He can do facts. “I told them they suck as friends and they should step up their game and then I came here.”

“You don’t want to break up?”

“No! Why would you think-” No, bad. Don't blame him. He rephrases. “What makes you think that?”

Denki looks down again, eyes focused on his own feet kicking at a shirt. His voice is small, so unlike him, when he starts speaking. 

Hitoshi's chest tightens. 

“Everyone thinks I’m stupid. Too stupid for you anyway. My friends didn't think this would work out, because I’m such an idiot. Monoma thinks you're just taking pity on me. And you… I’m always the one to - I don't know, I feel like you only spend time with me because I ask, not because you necessarily want to. And today, after I lost, you looked so mad.”

Hitoshi grows more horrified with every hushed word. He doesn’t know where to start. Panic sets in when Denki opens his mouth again. He needs to answer, needs to tell him how wrong he is, but he needs to think. 

He also needs to say something. 

“Wait. Stop!” Denki stares at him. “I’m not… can you give me time? Please? I want to answer, I do. I have so much to say, but I need time.”

Denki nods and closes his mouth. He looks at Hitoshi curiously. 

With less pressure to keep up Hitoshi can focus. His words are still slow and he glances at Denki periodically to make sure it doesn't annoy him. 

“You’re not stupid. Your friends are and I am and Monoma definitely is. But not you. It’s me. I can’t keep up.” Hitoshi flushes red at admitting it. 

“I don't know what you mean.” Denki seems confused. Hitoshi nods. So he needs to explain. He tries to think of a way while eyeing Denki, who just looks at him, giving him time. It feels good to have these moments to think. 

“Your mind is so fast and I… I overthink everything. And don't get me wrong, I really… like how you are, but I’m not like that. And I want to do stuff. I want to talk to you and kiss you and ask you to lunch. But you are two steps ahead of me all the time, dragging me along, and I love that, but I don't want you to think that I don't want it. I want it just as much. I’m just always too slow. I’m sorry.”

“So you need more time when we are talking?” 

Hitoshi nods with relief. “I’m trying to be better, faster. But yeah… I don't know if I’ll ever be as fast as you.”

Denki looks at him, a small, watery smile tugging at his lips. “I don’t mind waiting every once in a while.”

That’s good. That’s great. Hitoshi lets go of a long breath. “Thank you.”

“Why were you so mad?” Denki asks and then makes a motion like zipping his mouth shut. 

Hitoshi laughs. He feels no pressure now. It feels so good. He sorts his thoughts before answering. 

“Some people were saying some mean things about you freezing up. I told them they should shut up. I was mad at them. Not at you.” There is something else. “Why did you freeze? Monoma said something, right?”

Denki nods, curling in on himself again. “Yeah… he… warned me. About overusing my quirk and what you would think of me.”

“Fucker,” Hitoshi grumbles. “Don’t listen to him. He doesn't know shit.”

He steps close and squats in front of Denki. He looks at him for a moment and then pulls him into a kiss. Denki slings his arms around him in a heartbeat. They stay like this for a few moments. After they part, Denki giggles. 

“I wanted to do that since you said you want to kiss me, but I gave you time.”

“Thank you.” And he really means it. 

***

Hitoshi sleeps in Denki’s room that night. They cuddle close and talk. Denki suggests word association games to turn Hitoshi into a quick thinker. He also suggests Hitoshi should just kiss him, or pull his pinky finger, if he needs him to stop and give him time. 

Hitoshi needs a lot of time that night and he doesn't pull his pinky once. 

***

The Bakusquad makes breakfast the next morning - chocolate chip pancakes. They continue to do so, everyday for a whole week. Until Denki laughs and tells them to stop. 

Bakugou switches from calling him ‘dunceface’ to ‘Pikachu’. After a talk about his quirk, started by Jirou, there are no more jokes about Denki short circuiting. Kiri calls him manly for enduring all of that and Mina and Sero try to think of ways to still spend time with him during his quiet phase. 

Denki does still get jabs for bad tests from time to time, but it’s on the same level as for everyone else. 

***

After some time Monoma seems to accept that Hitoshi is really in class A, in a relationship with Denki and happy about it. All the times Hitoshi made sure to kiss Denki in front of him might have helped. 

***

Hitoshi does make Bakugou say stupid stuff on occasion, normally egged on by Denki. It always results in Bakugou chasing him through the dorms while Denki throws pillows at him. 

***

Hitoshi gifts Denki the matching Pokemon plushies on a random Tuesday when he looked especially adorable while making an especially bad pun. Denki immediately hands him the Pikachu and keeps Gengar to himself. 

***

Hitoshi is the first to say ‘I love you’ - claiming the title of the ‘fast one’ - only three weeks later. The words have been on the tip of his tongue for too long and there was just no holding back anymore.

Denki is only a few seconds behind.