Chapter Text
Jirou didn’t know it, but this was the last time things would feel normal for a while.
She was standing in the hallway, rifling through her bag for her cell phone when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She looked up to see her classmate, Katsuki Bakugou standing across the hall, staring directly at her. She looked at him like a deer in the headlights, unsure of why he could possibly be staring at her so intently.
Everyone knew Bakugou was an intimidating guy, and Jirou didn’t think his intent gaze could mean anything good.
Just as Bakugou started walking in her direction, another person came up to Jirou, throwing his arm around her shoulder casually. She turned to see Denki Kaminari’s face only inches away from hers, a frantic smile on his face.
“Hey babe,” he said swiftly.
Jirou froze.
“Did you just call me-“
“Jirou, please just go with it,” Kaminari whispered quickly, under his breath.
“Go with what?”
“Shh!” Kaminari begged again.
“Kaminari, what’s going on?”
The boy had a panicked look on his face as he continued to shush her. He looked behind him and once he saw that Bakugou was still approaching them, he paused.
Before she could say another word, she was interrupted by Kaminari leaning in and locking his lips on hers. He moved quickly, placing his hand under her jaw and tilting it up before placing his lips on hers.
At first, Jirou was shocked. She froze, her back pushed up against the wall of the hallway. Instinctively, she felt herself lean into him slightly, her arm lightly grabbing his elbow. However, as her brain caught up with her body and she realized what was happening, Jirou squirmed and pushed him off of her.
Kaminari pulled away, turning to look behind him. “He’s gone,” he said under his breath.
Jirou scoffed, with a look of disbelief on her face. “Kaminari, what the hell was that?”
He turned back to her. “I’m sorry! I had to!”
“You have 10 seconds to explain yourself.”
“Okay, okay! Well, you see…” he looked back and forth around the hallway as if someone walking nearby could somehow help him find his words.
Jirou looked at him expectantly, her arms crossed.
“My friends, uh, think we’re dating,” he admitted.
“What? Why on Earth would they think that?”
Kaminari grimaced. “Because I accidentally told them we were.”
“Kaminari!”
“I’m sorry! Something just came over me!” He held his hands up in defense. “They’ve been making fun of me a lot lately for not being able to get into a relationship and I was just sick of them assuming I’m some loser who can’t get a girl.”
“You are some loser who can’t get a girl!” she hissed.
“Jirou, you gotta help me!”
“Why’d you have to say my name?” she complained, crossing her arms.
“I don't know! You were the first person I could think of,” he explained frantically. “Plus most of the girls in 1-A are taken, you know.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Kaminari, I’m not gonna help you lie to your friends just so you can seem like less of a loser.”
“Bakugou did also say he’d beat me up if he found out I was lying to him,” Kaminari tried.
“Now that I actually want to see.”
“Come on,” he pleaded. “There’s gotta be something in this for you!”
Jirou was about to respond when she paused to think.
Jirou’s friends had always been pestering her to be in a relationship. Though she had tried numerous times to convince them that she simply wasn’t interested, they always insisted she would change her mind if she were to actually experience one herself. Could dating the loud, eccentric Kaminari help her friends believe she’s stepped out of her comfort zone enough to make her own relationship decisions?
Kaminari looked at her with an eager expression while she bounced some thoughts around in her head.
After a few seconds, she turned her attention back to him. “So we would just have to keep this up until your friends fully buy it?”
“We date for a couple weeks and then we break up,” he assured her.
She paused again, not saying anything.
“Come on, Jirou,” he coaxed. “What do you say?”
After a long silence Jirou finally replied. “Do I get to break up with you?”
Kaminari smiled, “Whatever you want.”
“Fine, deal.”
His face lit up. “Yes! Jirou, thank you, thank you!” He jumped around, hugging her.
She scoffed. “Yeah, whatever. I’m just doing this to finally get my friends off my back.”
“You’re the best!”
“Oh, and Kaminari?”
“Yeah?” He pulled away slightly, still standing close to her.
Jirou punched him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. “If you ever kiss me again without my consent, I swear to god I will beat you up right in the middle of the hallway.”
“Understood,” he nodded, clutching his stomach.