| CHAPTER NINETEEN |

🎵 i want to be with you by chloe moriondo
***

RIGHT AT 6:30, YOU HEARD A FEW SOFT KNOCKS ON YOUR DOOR. you opened it to find denki with a big smile, handing you a bouquet of flowers. "hey beautiful! damn, you look gorgeous." he said with a wink, a tint of pink covering his cheeks.

you chuckled a bit as you took the flowers and put them in water "thanks denki. you don't look half bad either."

"let's go if you ready!" he said as he grabbed your arm and dragged you down the hall, barely giving you a chance to close the door behind you.

after a bit of walking, he guided you to the arcade section of the mall and bought enough playing chips for both of you.

all the colorful machines were shining and blinking in the dim lit area, each competing for your attention. 80s arcade music was booming out of the speakers, mixing with the games' soundtracks.

"ladies first. what game do you want to lose at first, beautiful?" kaminari asked with a cocky smile.

you chuckled "oh. you're so cute kami. you think you can beat me?" you flashed him a smug smile of your own.

he raised a brow, his smile never leaving his lips "how about we start with a classic. pacman?"

"oh, bring it."

***

after two hours of playing everything from mario kart to tekken and even dance dance revolution, kaminari suggested you cash out your tickets for a prize.

you weren't one to be too picky about these things so you let him do it and meet you by the entrance. and sure enough, after about 15 minutes, he was walking up to you with his hands behind his back.

" so... what did you get?" you asked as you moved your head around, trying to take a peek, but he kept blocking your view with his body playfully.

finally he handed you a pikachu plushie. "i want you to have it. like a memento of our time together today." he scratched the back of his neck, his eyes only able to stare at his shoes, suddenly embarrassed.

"oh kami..." your voice cracked a bit, overwhelmed with emotions. not because you were the romantic type per se. no. but because it seemed as though he actually liked you. like a lot. and frankly, you weren't going to accept going out with him if you knew it was a date.

you looked down, trying to avoid his bright yellow eyes as that familiar tight feeling tugged at your chest again. your fingers fidgeted with the plushie as you looked for the right words.

"you okay there, y/n?" denki tilted his head, trying to look at your face. he was getting a bit nervous by your reactions, or lack there of.

"i'm... i'm just..."

"hey, what is it? you know you can talk to me." he reassured.

you finally looked up with glassy eyes "today was so fun. and you're so fun. and amazing. but i don't want to mislead you."

"what do you m-mean?" he stuttered anxiously.

you took a deep breath in "i'm not looking to date anyone... and my feelings are just all over the place with everything that happened with shindo and bak-" you stopped yourself just in time, deciding mentioning bakugou would only hurt him more. "i had a lot of fun with you today denki, but i don't wanna lead you on. it's not fair. i'm really sorry."

you looked down once again, biting your quivering lip as you held out the pikachu plushie for him to take back.

come on, say something denki, be upset, or mad, or something, anything, you pleaded in your head.

after what felt like forever, you looked up just when he threw himself at you, hugging you tightly.

"y/n you don't need to apologize. it's okay." he patted your head before pulling away.

"and stop holding that out for me. i still want you to have it. even if you don't like me yet or at all. it doesn't matter. you can still remember today as a fun day with your most amazing and funniest friend!" his lips were smiling but you could easily see the hint of disappointment and sadness in his eyes.

"you're too sweet, denki. i don't deserve you." this time it was your turn to throw your arms around him in a hug.

"i know, i know, i'm great. now let's get back before it gets too late. i don't wanna get in trouble with aizawa."

and just like that, he was back to his old antics. making jokes and cheesy pick up lines every chance he got as you walked back.

"that was a lot of fun, denki. thanks. for everything" you gave him your biggest and brightest smile as you walked in the common area, holding the plushie to your chest tightly as if it was the dearest thing you owned.

"anytime, beautiful." denki said as he hugged and picked you up playfully before letting you go.

you couldn't help but feel someone's eyes burning a hole into the back of your head. your assumption was soon proved correct when you heard that familiar raspy voice.

"we were supposed to meet 30 minutes ago to work on the song." bakugou spat out bitterly.

"right." you replied dryly. "i'll see you later, denki." with a quick wave to him, you grabbed bakugou's arm and headed to the elevator.

he growled and mumbled some angry nonsense under his rbeath, but followed you nonetheless.

***
here's how i think third year denki would look like. a little more mature but still a goofball.

by poseidon on twitter

by なるせ on twitter

***

Where words fail, music speaks
-Hans Christian Andersen