Dear Denki (Kirikami)

love & butterflies

Kaminari POV

As the minutes tick by, Kiri and I play mini games to pass the time. We thumb wrestle, play I Spy, play a few rounds of chopsticks, and sing some of our favorite songs. I'm glad I have Kiri here with me, since sitting in this classroom for such a long time can easily get lonely.

The two of us are sitting against the wall, far enough from the door that my secret admirer won't notice us unless he actually steps inside. There's no need for us to rely on any stealth tricks anymore, seeing how much of an epic fail it was the first time. Plus, we just need to see one of the five suspects walk into the classroom and that'll be proof enough.

Kiri yawns and snuggles up to me. I don't blame him for being so tired. I still can't believe he actually woke up early to track my secret admirer down for me. How lucky am I to have such a selfless best friend?

He yawns again and I smile at how innocent he looks. Smacking his lips together, he twists his face into a sleepy smile.

"You don't have to stay here, you know," I tell him. "If you wanna go back to bed, I'll understand."

Kiri shakes his head. "I'm not tired."

"You yawned twice in the span of thirty seconds."

The tips of Kiri's ears turn pink. "Okay, so I'm a little tired. But it's no big deal, man. I want to be with you."

I smile at him, then scrunch my brows when his entire face flushes red. What's with the drastic change in attitude?

"I mean I want to be here with you," he says. "You know, so you don't have to be alone. That's what friends are for, right?"

Pretty soon I'm blushing too. Kiri is so sweet, almost too sweet. Sometimes I find myself flustered by how considerate and compassionate he is.

"Thank you," I reply.

He shifts his eyes to the ground. "So, let's say we catch this guy, what are you planning on doing? You're gonna ask him out or something?"

I open my mouth to respond, but pause so I can truly ponder it. "I don't know," I answer honestly. "I wanted to ask him to be my date for Valentine's Day, but didn't put much thought into things after that."

Kiri nods. "So what, you're just gonna wing it?"

I shrug. "I don't know. It's not like we have to do anything fancy. Just spending the day getting to know each other would be fine enough for me. Maybe watch some movies, but if we do that there better be cuddling." I flash a cheeky grin. "You know how much I love to cuddle."

He laughs. "Yeah, I know that."

I study Kiri's face and pout. I wish I could be more like him. Even though he has no date prospects for Valentine's Day, he doesn't let that bother him. He's still the same kind, uplifting, dependable Kiri that I've come to know.

"Are you sure you're okay with not having a date for Valentine's Day?" I ask. "We can double date, you know."

"It's fine, Denki," he says. "There's nothing wrong with being single on Valentine's Day."

"I know that," I tell him, "I just don't understand it. Do you really just not like anybody? A guy like you should never have a problem finding a date."

"A...guy like me?"

I shrug. "Yeah. I mean, you're you. Charming. Athletic. Fun to be around." My eyes scan his face, hovering over every small detail. The little scar over his eye, the sharp point of his teeth with his lips slightly parted, the trace of his black roots at the base of his crimson eyebrows. "Handsome," I blurt out.

Kiri blinks but doesn't respond, and suddenly I feel like an idiot. I don't know why, though. It's not like this is the first time I've ever complimented his appearance. Kiri and I have always been each other's hype men. But now I feel weirdly vulnerable for some reason from calling him handsome.

I wasn't even planning on using that word, it just slipped out. Maybe I'm sleep deprived from waking up so early. Though, to be fair, Kiri's eyes can be a distraction just from how vibrant they are. Maybe because I'm such a hopeless romantic, but I always end up fantasizing about the most beautiful bouquet of roses whenever I stare into his eyes for too long. They're my favorite features of his aside from his hair. I'm obsessed with his hair, whether he wears it up or down. It always looks perfect to me, making his already flawless face even more beautiful.

Man, why the hell am I swooning over my best friend right now? I need sleep.

Kiri clears his throat and grabs the back of his neck. "Thanks. That's, um, that's really nice of you."

A small blush encompasses his face, which makes me both elated and embarrassed. God, what the hell is wrong with me? It's just Kiri. We've been best friends since we started at UA together. We tell each other everything. There's never been any awkwardness between us, so what's with these butterflies in my stomach right now?

No, don't go there Denki. Kiri is just a friend. Plus, you already have a secret admirer who's been pining after you. He's the only person who should be making you feel this way right now.

Still, maybe in an alternate universe, Kiri could be the one who's writing-

Nope. That's enough.

Kiri and I engage in a bit of small talk after that, but we spend a great deal of time sitting in silence. I don't know what it is, but the dynamic between us has shifted to something...weird. He's not looking at me much, and all my doubts and insecurities jumble my brain at once as I wonder if I did something to upset him. It will crush me if I did. Outside of my family, Kiri is the person I love above anyone else. I don't know what I'd do without him.

When the morning drags too long without either of us speaking, I turn to him. "What time is it?"

Kiri yawns as he checks his watch. "Looks like class starts in thirty minutes."

My eyes widen. "Dude! You need to get back to the dorms to get ready!"

"Crap," he says. "You're right." He frowns at me. "I feel bad leaving you alone, though."

I offer a friendly shrug. "Hey, you're still a rockstar for even staying this long." I shift my gaze to my lap, my lips twisting into a pout. "Besides, I don't think my secret admirer is leaving me a letter today. He would've come by now."

Kiri puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I say, glancing up at him. "It's not your fault he didn't show up. I wonder if I made him upset yesterday for trying to get him to reveal himself in front of the whole class."

"I'm sure there's a better explanation."

I do my best to hide my disappointment. "Yeah. Maybe."

Kiri nods. "Okay, I'm gonna head back to my room and get dressed. Don't want to get to class late and be yelled at by Aizawa."

He stands up to throw his jacket back on. As he throws it over his shoulders, a small piece of paper falls from its pocket and lands at my side.

"Wait," I say, picking it up and handing it to him, "you dropped this."

Kiri chokes out a thank you before shoving the slip of paper back in his pocket and racing out of the room at lightning speed. And then I'm left by myself to wait for someone I know isn't going to show up.

And while I'm devastated at the idea of my secret admirer no longer being interested in me, I'm not as sad as I thought I'd be. How can I when I have someone like Kiri in my life to always cheer me up? Friends like him don't come around often. If I really think about it, I'm probably more blessed as a single person than a lot of people who are in relationships, just for the fact that I can call him my best friend. It's mind-blowing that the coolest person I've ever met happens to be the one person to love me for who I am, the good and the bad.

Damn, I'm lucky.