Morning slipped into the classroom the same way it always did loud, scattered, half awake. Denki paused in the doorway for half a second. You were already there in your seat. Sitting like you always did, a small bubble drifting lazily above your desk, catching the light like it had nowhere better to be. Denki didn't think about it this time. He just walked over. The chair beside you scraped lightly as he pulled it out, dropping into it like it had always been his.
"Morning," he said. You glanced over and smiled.
"Morning."
The bubble above your desk drifted slightly closer this time not hovering over you just… between you both. Denki noticed. Of course he did. "…You're doing that on purpose now," he said, nodding toward it.
"Doing what?"
"That," he gestured vaguely. "Making it float closer." You looked at the bubble then back at him. "…Maybe." He huffed a quiet laugh. "Wow. So it is intentional."
"Maybe you just keep sitting in its space."
"Or," he leaned slightly on his desk, glancing at you, "it keeps moving toward me."
You raised a brow. "…That sounds like you're giving yourself a lot of credit."
"I deserve it."
You smiled small, but real and just like that the conversation slipped into place. No hesitation. No awkward pause. It just… flowed. "So," Denki said after a second, tapping his pencil lightly against the desk, "what do you actually do when you're not trapping people in bubbles?" You tilted your head slightly, considering. "…I listen to music."
He blinked. "That's it?"
"…I do other things," you added, a hint of amusement in your voice. "But that's the main one."
"Wow. Thrilling."
"You asked."
"Yeah, I expected something cooler."
You glanced at him."…Like what?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. "Secret training. Mysterious hobbies. Something dramatic."
"…I like quiet things."
That landed softer. Denki paused slightly. "…What kind of music?" he asked. You shifted a little in your seat, resting your chin lightly against your hand. "Depends."
"That's not an answer."
"It is."
"No, that's dodging."
You smiled slightly. "…Stuff that makes me think," you said after a second. "Or… slows things down."
Denki blinked again. "…Huh." That wasn't what he expected. "What about you?" you asked. He leaned back in his chair, arms stretching slightly. "Anything loud," he said easily. "Fast. Something you don't have to think about too much."
"That fits."
"Hey!"
You laughed softly. "…Do you ever listen to anything slower?" you asked.
Denki hesitated. "…Not really," he admitted.
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "Feels kinda… boring, I guess."
You hummed softly, like you were thinking about that. Not judging just… considering. "…It's not," you said. Denki glanced at you. "…You'd probably like it," you added. That made him pause again. "Yeah?" he said, a little quieter now. You nodded once. "Yeah." No teasing. No joke. Certain. Denki looked at you for a second longer than he meant to. "…You're gonna have to prove that," he said, a grin slipping back in.
"I could."
"Big talk."
"Maybe."
The bubble between you drifted slightly again. Closer. Denki reached out, tapping it lightly. Still didn't pop. "Still unfair," he muttered. "Still working," you replied. He smiled a little at that and didn't even realize he was doing it.
Across the room, Kyoka Jiro leaned back in her seat, watching. Denki wasn't talking louder he wasn't trying to be the center of anything. He was just talking. Listening. Jiro's gaze flicked between the two of you for a second. Then dropped back to her notebook. "…Huh," she murmured under her breath.
From the front of the room, Shota Aizawa started speaking again, voice low and steady as the lesson began. Denki picked up his pencil. Actually wrote something this time but his attention drifted sideways. "…What kind would you show me?" he asked quietly, not looking at you.
"The kind you wouldn't expect to like," you said. Denki huffed a quiet laugh. "…Yeah," he said not arguing back.
"Kaminari."
Denki froze with the kind of stillness that said maybe if I don't move, I won't be perceived. Slowly he lifted his head. Aizawa was already looking at him. "…Yeah?" Denki said, like he hadn't just been having a full conversation two seconds ago. "Since you're so engaged," Aizawa drawled, "why don't you explain what I just said." Denki blinked. His brain, usually running on sparks and instinct, suddenly felt like someone had unplugged it. "…Right," he said with confidence.
He sat up a little straighter, clearing his throat like that would magically summon the answer. "Uh… you said…" he started but then paused. Across the room, someone snorted. Denki pressed on anyway. "Something about… strategy," he finished, nodding once like that covered it. Aizawa stared at him. Unimpressed. Unmoved. "That was fifteen minutes ago." A couple quiet laughs slipped through the class. Denki winced. "Right. Yeah. I was uh building on it."
"Clearly."
A pause. "Stand up."
"…You're kidding."
"I'm not."
Denki let out a quiet sigh, dragging himself to his feet like gravity had suddenly doubled. "This is discrimination," he muttered under his breath. "Keep talking and you can take the rest of the lesson outside."
"Okay, wow, silence is a great option actually." More laughter this time. Denki rubbed the back of his neck, staring straight ahead like if he committed hard enough, this would all go away. "…Repeat the last point," Aizawa said. Denki opened his mouth then closed it. Very slowly his eyes shifted sideways just a little. You were already looking at him. You tapped your pencil once against your notebook then again. Soft. Rhythmic.
Denki's eyes flicked down just enough to catch a few words. "…Right," he said quickly, straightening a little. "You said that uh control matters more than output, especially in team settings where overuse can backfire."
Silence. Aizawa watched him for a second longer. "…Sit down." Denki didn't hesitate. He dropped back into his seat like he'd just escaped something life threatening. "…That was intentional," Aizawa added.
Denki froze again. "…What was?"
"The talking."
"…No," Denki said immediately.
A pause.
"…Yes," Aizawa corrected.
A few more laughs. Denki sank slightly into his chair. "…Worth it," he muttered. There was a quiet pause. From beside him a soft sound. You were trying not to laugh. Trying. "…You're welcome," you murmured, just low enough for him to hear. Denki glanced at you. "…You totally saved me," he said.
"I did."
"…I had it handled."
"You didn't."
"…I was close."
You smiled. "…You weren't."
Denki huffed a quiet laugh, shaking his head slightly. "…Okay, maybe a little," he admitted. Another small pause."…You're good at that," he added, nodding lightly toward your notebook. You tilted your head slightly. "Paying attention?"
"…Yeah," he said. Then, quieter "…and helping."
You didn't answer right away. Just gave a small nod. And somehow that felt bigger than it should've. From the front "If you're done," Aizawa said flatly, "you can both explain the next section." Denki straightened immediately. "Not done."
"Thought so."
This time you didn't hold back the laugh.
"Alright,"Aizawa's voice cut through the room, low and final. "That's enough for today." The class quieted somewhat. "You'll be applying this in a partner exercise," he continued, already turning back to the board. "Groups of two. You'll plan and execute controlled quirk usage outside of class hours. I expect results. Choose your partners wisely." That was all it took. The room broke again.
Chairs scraping, voices rising, people already calling out names before Aizawa had even finished speaking. Denki leaned back slightly, stretching his arms behind his head. "Alright," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Partner work. Easy." He glanced sideways. You were already closing your notebook, calm as ever.
Denki hesitated just for a second. Not long enough to overthink it. "…Hey," he said. You looked over. "Do you uh-" he started, then stopped, scratching lightly at the back of his neck. "Do you wanna partner up?"
"Yeah," you said.
Denki blinked. "…Yeah?"
You nodded. "Yeah."
Something in his chest did that weird thing again. Quieter now but still there. "…Cool," he said quickly, like it didn't matter. "Yeah. Cool." You smiled slightly. Around you, people were still sorting themselves out Mina already dragging someone into her orbit, Sero negotiating loudly, Kirishima calling out across the room. Denki leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on his desk. "So," he said, "we should probably figure out where we're gonna do this."
"Probably," you agreed.
"Fields are an option are an option," he added. "Or training grounds, but those get crowded." You tilted your head slightly, thinking. "Somewhere quieter might be better."
"Yeah," he nodded. "Less distractions." He paused for a moment."…Not that I'm distracting," he added. You glanced at him. "…You literally got called out for talking."
"Wow. No loyalty."
"You said it yourself."
He huffed a quiet laugh. "…Okay, fair."
You tapped your pen lightly against your notebook again. Thinking. "There's a spot behind the training fields," you said. "Not a lot of people go there." Denki's brows lifted slightly. "…You just have secret locations?"
"Not secret," you said. "Just quiet."
"That's basically the same thing."
You smiled a little. "…We could try it," you added.
"Yeah," Denki nodded easily. "I'm good with that."
The plan started forming loose, unfinished, but still there. Something landed on his desk. A small thud. Denki blinked, looking down. A notebook. He glanced up. Jiro stood there. One hand resting on his desk now, the other tucked loosely at her side. "Partner?" she said straightforward. Denki blinked. "Oh uh..." He glanced at you then back at her. "…I actually already asked Y/n," he said, rubbing the back of his neck slightly. "We're gonna work together." A small pause.
Jiro's expression didn't change much. Not at first. "…Oh," she said. Denki shifted slightly, still half turned toward her. "Yeah, sorry," he added, a little softer. "I just asked her first." Another beat. Jiro nodded once. "Right," she said. Her hand lifted from the desk. "…That's fine."
It sounded fine. It wasn't. But neither of you noticed.
She picked her notebook back up a second later, turning away before anything else could be said. No slam. No sharp movement. She was just quiet and gone. Denki exhaled lightly, running a hand through his hair. "…That was awkward." You watched her go for a second longer something faint flickering across your expression but it passed. "…She'll find someone else," you said.
"Yeah," Denki nodded. "She always does." Just like that it moved on. He leaned forward again slightly, attention drifting back to you like it hadn't left. "So quiet spot behind the training fields?" he said. You nodded. "After classes?"
"Yeah," he said. "That works."
You both paused for a moment. "…You always pick quiet places?" he asked.
You glanced at him. "…You always ask a lot of questions?"
He grinned. "Only when I'm interested." The words slipped out easy he didn't even realize what he'd said. You blinked. "…In the assignment?" You asked. Denki paused. Then laughed lightly, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah," he said quickly. "Yeah, that's what I meant."
You smiled slightly and whether you believed that or not you didn't say. From the front of the room, Aizawa spoke again, calling for attention. But Denki barely heard it because for some reason the only thing stuck in his head was that one word. Interested. And the way it hadn't felt like a joke when he said it.