Kaminari Denki wasn't paying attention. He was sprawled back in his chair, one leg hooked lazily over the other, half-listening as Mineta rambled on beside him like a broken radio stuck on one very specific station. "-I'm telling you, man, Class 1-A is stacked," Mineta insisted, practically vibrating with energy. "Like, unfairly stacked. It's gotta be illegal. There's no way this many pretty girls ended up in one place naturally."
Denki snorted, dragging a hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah. You say that every week." "Because it's true every week," Mineta shot back, offended. He leaned in, lowering his voice like he was about to reveal classified information. "Okay, but seriously if you had to pick. Like, top tier. Who's it gonna be?"
Denki didn't even hesitate. "You're ranking people now?"
"I'm appreciating them," Mineta corrected quickly. "There's a difference."
"Uh huh."
Mineta started counting on his fingers anyway. "Okay, so obviously Yaoyorozu top of the list. No competition."
Denki nodded absently. "Yeah, she's-"
"And then there's oh! Oh! What about Y/n?"
That made him pause. Not dramatically. Not enough for Mineta to notice. Just… a slight hitch. "Y/n?" Denki echoed, like he needed a second to place the name. Mineta shrugged. "Yeah. I mean meh. She's okay, I guess. But Yaoyorozu? Way better." Denki let out a small, distracted hum but he wasn't really listening anymore.
Because across the room
There you were.
You stood near one of the desks, a soft cluster of translucent bubbles drifting lazily around your hands. They caught the light from the windows, bending it into faint, shifting colors that danced along the walls. Yaoyorozu was beside you, speaking something about strategy, maybe but you were the one demonstrating.
One of the bubbles expanded, stretching thin for a moment before stabilizing, hovering just above the surface of the desk. Iida leaned in, posture as rigid as ever, glasses catching the light as he observed closely. "Fascinating," he said, voice sharp with interest. "The structural integrity appears far stronger than its composition suggests." You smiled at that small, polite, a little shy and adjusted your hand.
The bubble responded instantly.
Denki didn't hear anything else after that. Didn't care about whatever Mineta was still going on about, didn't care about rankings or comparisons or anything like that.
Oh.
…Okay.
So that's Y/n.
He straightened slightly in his chair without realizing it, eyes narrowing just a bit like he was trying to focus on something far away. You laughed quiet, barely there but it carried just enough to reach him. And something in his chest… skipped. Not in a dramatic way. Not in a movie moment kind of way.
Just... Off beat.
Weird. Annoying.
"…Dude, are you even listening?" Mineta nudged him.
"Hm?" Denki blinked, dragging his gaze away for half a second. "Yeah. Totally."
"Then what did I just say?"
"…That Yaoyorozu's your number one. Again."
Mineta squinted at him. "Okay, fair, but still."
Denki barely heard him. His attention slipped right back across the room, like it had somewhere better to be. The way the light caught in your hair. The way those bubbles moved like they had a mind of their own. The way you leaned in when Iida spoke, actually listening like it mattered.
He didn't know anything about you. Didn't know your favorite food, or what kind of music you liked, or how strong your quirk actually was beyond what he could see from here. Didn't know if you were funny, or serious, or anything in between. All he knew was that you were really pretty.
That was enough to keep his eyes from drifting anywhere else. For a second longer, at least. "…Hello? Earth to Kaminari?" Mineta's voice cut in again, sharper this time. Denki blinked, the moment snapping clean in half. "What?"
"You're zoning out," Mineta accused, arms crossed. "Again."
"I'm not zoning out," Denki said, straightening slightly in his chair. "You're just boring."
"Wow. Rude." Before Mineta could spiral into complaints, the classroom door slid open with a sharp sound that cut through everything else. Instant silence. Aizawa stepped inside, looking as tired as ever, his scarf hanging loosely around his shoulders. "Take your seats."
Denki turned forward, dropping his arms onto his desk as the room settled. Whatever distraction had been there a second ago faded into the background, replaced by something else.
"Today's exercise will be conducted outside. Hero versus villain training. Teams of two." Aizawa said. A low buzz of interest spread through the room. Denki leaned back slightly, more awake now. "Finally," he muttered.
"Villain teams will secure civilians and defend their position. Hero teams will locate, rescue, and neutralize threats. You will be graded on coordination and quirk usage." Aizawa's gaze moved across the class. "Pairings are based on compatibility." That got a few reactions. Denki just rolled his shoulders, glancing around without thinking too much about it.
Across the room, you were already seated, posture relaxed, attention on Aizawa. Nothing flashy now. No floating bubbles. Just listening. He looked away easily this time.
The walk to the training grounds filled quickly with noise. Conversations overlapped, people guessing pairings, arguing strategy before anything had even started. "Yo, Kaminari!" Eijiro Kirishima fell into step beside him, grin already in place. "Think we're teaming up?" Denki shrugged. "If we do, try not to get shocked this time."
"No promises."
They laughed it off, easy and familiar.
Up ahead, Mina was already talking at full speed, hands moving as much as her words. "If I'm a villain, I'm going all in. Like full chaos mode."
"That's not different from usual," someone said.
"It is different!"
Denki let the noise wash over him, only half listening. The training field came into view soon after wide, open, dotted with mock buildings and obstacles. Plenty of room to mess up. Aizawa stopped at the front. Everyone followed.
"Villain team: Mina Ashido and Y/n."
Mina pumped her fist instantly. "Let's go! We're winning this." You blinked once, then smiled, small but steady. "I'll try to keep up."
"Keep up? Nah, we're gonna dominate."
Denki's attention flicked over for a moment just long enough to register the way you nodded, already thinking, already planning.
"Hero team: Kaminari and Kyoka Jiro."
"Oh, nice," Denki said, glancing at Jiro with a quick grin. "We're gonna be unstoppable." Jiro raised an eyebrow. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Just don't fry your own brain and we'll be fine."
"Hey rude. That only happens sometimes."
Aizawa continued like nothing happened. "Villains will have a head start. Heroes will follow on my signal." People started splitting off into their teams. Jiro adjusted her gloves, already focused. "Okay. My sound detection can help us locate them. You handle offense." Denki nodded. "Got it."
Simple enough.
Across the field, Mina was already pulling you along toward one of the mock buildings, talking through what was probably a very loud plan. You listened, adding something quieter, more measured. Denki only caught a glimpse of it before turning back. Focus. Right. He flexed his fingers, small sparks snapping between them. "Ready?" Jiro asked. Denki grinned, energy settling into something sharper now. "Yeah. Let's go be heroes." whatever had been lingering in his head earlier slipped into the background tucked somewhere quieter, like a song still playing in another room.
"Begin." Aizawa's voice cut clean across the field. Everything moved. Jiro didn't waste a second. "Stick close," she said, already crouching slightly as they slipped between the mock buildings. "If they're smart, they'll set up somewhere with limited entry points." Denki nodded, matching her pace. "Got it. Quiet mode."
"Your quiet mode?" Jiro shot him a look. "That's new."
"Hey, I can be stealthy." A loose wire snapped under his foot with a sharp crack. They both froze. Jiro stared at him. Denki winced. "…Okay, I can be less loud." She sighed, but there was a hint of a smile there. "Just follow my lead." They moved again, slower this time. Jiro pressed a fingertip one of her jacks lightly against the wall of a building, head tilting as she focused. The world seemed to shrink around her, listening stretching farther than sight.
Denki watched her for a second. Focused. Calm. Sharp. "Anything?" he asked, quieter now. "…Movement," she murmured. "Two sets. One heavier, one lighter. They split at some point." Denki leaned in slightly without thinking, lowering his voice. "So we take the lighter one first? Less risk." Jiro glanced at him, just for a second. Close. Closer than they usually stood. "…Yeah," she said, softer than before. Denki grinned a little. "Look at us. Strategy and everything."
"Don't make it weird."
"I'm not making it weird-"
"You're making it weird."
"I'm literally just standing here."
"You're standing too close."
Denki blinked, then leaned back half a step. "Oh. My bad." Jiro looked away quickly, adjusting her collar like it suddenly needed attention. "…Just focus," she muttered. But there was a faint flush creeping up her cheeks. Denki didn't notice. To him, it was normal. Friendly. Easy.
A sharp hiss cut through the air. Both of them snapped their heads toward the sound. A slick splash of acid hit the ground between them, spreading fast, forcing them apart. "Split up!" Jiro called instinctively, already moving. "Mina!" Denki shouted, recognizing the attack. From somewhere ahead, Mina laughed. "You guys are so predictable!"
Denki darted to the side, electricity sparking faintly along his arms. "Yeah? You're loud for someone trying to hide!" Another splash closer this time. He dodged, boots skidding slightly on the ground as he rounded the corner of a building then... He stopped. You were there. Alone. For a second, neither of you moved.
A bubble snapped into existence around him. Denki blinked. "…Oh." The world went quiet. Not completely but muffled, like everything outside had been dipped underwater. The air felt different too, lighter somehow, softer. He lifted a hand, pressing it lightly against the inside of the bubble. It didn't pop. Didn't even wobble. "…Huh," he said. Across from him, you smiled. Not shy this time. A little brighter. A little amused. "Got you."
Denki huffed a small laugh, glancing around. "Yeah, I noticed." The bubble shifted slightly, lifting just enough to keep him off balance without knocking him over. He steadied himself, looking back at you. "So… this is your plan? Trap and wait?"
"Something like that." Your fingers moved subtly, and the surface of the bubble shimmered in response, catching the light in soft colors. Denki watched it for a second. Up close like this, it was …different. Not in a big, dramatic way. Just clearer. "Oh, that's actually kinda cool," he said, tapping the side of the bubble again. "Way stronger than it looks."
"Most people think it'll pop right away."
"Yeah, I was kinda hoping it would," he admitted.
You laughed at that. Soft but real. The sound bounced strangely inside the bubble, quieter but closer somehow. Denki felt something in his chest shift again. Same weird, off beat thing from earlier. "…So what now?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "You just keep me here forever?"
"Depends," you said, pretending to think. "Are you going to escape?" He grinned. "Wow. You have a lot of faith in me."
"I don't know yet."
There was a small pause. Not awkward. Just… there.
Denki rubbed the back of his neck, a little sheepish now. "I mean I could try. But I'd probably mess it up and short circuit myself, so… maybe you've got this." Your smile softened a little at that. "You're stronger than you think."
He blinked. Like the words didn't quite land right. "…Yeah?" he said, half laughing it off. "You've seen me, right?"
"I have."
It threw him off more than the bubble did. And before he could figure out what to say to that a loud crash echoed somewhere nearby. The bubble wavered slightly. Your attention snapped away for a split second that was all it took. The surface flickered. Denki reacted on instinct, a small surge of electricity crackling outward. The bubble popped all sound rushed back all at once. Noise. Movement. Chaos.
Denki landed lightly, blinking as everything snapped back into place. "…Whoa," he muttered. Across from him, you looked just as surprised. You laughed again this time it was louder. "Okay," you admitted. "That one's on me." Denki grinned, something brighter sparking behind it now. "Yeah, I'll take that win."
Somewhere in the distance, Mina shouted something about "losing track of targets," and Jiro's voice followed not far behind. The match wasn't over. Not even close.
But for a second just a second. Denki didn't move. Didn't rush back into the chaos. He just looked at you. Not just seeing you this time. He was really looking. "…Hey," he said, a little more casual than he felt. "You're kinda fun to fight."
A beat.
Then your smile tilted, just a little. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Something small, easy, and brand new settled between you.