âwait, you were flirting with me?â
the first time aizawa realizes something is wrong is when present mic wonât stop laughing at him.
âyou look confused,â hizashi yamada says between cackles, nearly falling out of his chair in the faculty lounge.
âi am confused,â shota aizawa mutters flatly.
heâs running on three hours of sleep, two coffees, and the lingering headache of grading essays from class 1-a. he does not have the patience for whatever this is.
mic points dramatically at him. âyou seriously donât know?â
thereâs another wheeze of laughter.
finally, mic leans across the table like heâs about to reveal state secrets.
âtheyâre flirting with you.â
mic looks like he might actually pass out.
he doesnât, apparently.
you started working at ua three months ago.
recovery girl had retired from most daily responsibilities, and nezu needed someone to help with student support and administrative work. technically, your job involved coordinating schedules, helping students with paperwork, and managing emergency communication.
unofficially, you spent most of your time making sure exhausted pro heroes remembered basic human needs.
which was how this problem started.
aizawa looks up from his sleeping bag with one eye open. âi did sleep.â
you glance at the stack of papers beside him.
âgrading while unconscious doesnât count.â
you sigh and place a coffee beside him anyway.
black, no sugar, exactly how he likes it.
aizawa stares at the cup for a second before taking it.
âdonât sound so shocked,â you tease. âiâm starting to think you expect everyone to poison you.â
âi teach teenagers with superpowers.â
you grin before walking away.
aizawa watches you go with narrowed eyes.
not because of anything suspicious.
âthey are not flirting with me,â he says later.
mic wipes tears from his eyes. âshota. buddy. pal. they memorize your coffee order.â
âlots of people know my coffee order.â
âthey also bring you homemade lunches.â
âbecause i forget to eat.â
âthey call your cat ugly in an affectionate voice.â
âeveryone does that.â
âthey told you your hair looked nice.â
ââŚpeople say things.â
mic stares at him in genuine disbelief.
the thing is, aizawa genuinely doesnât notice it.
he notices you, obviously.
he notices the way you always keep extra bandages in your bag during training exercises.
he notices how students calm down around you.
he notices that you always sit near him during meetings, sliding snacks toward him without comment because you know he wonât get up otherwise.
that never crosses his mind.
someone like you wouldnât-
he doesnât finish that thought.
it gets worse when class 1-a notices.
âyouâre getting married,â denki announces confidently one afternoon.
aizawa doesnât even look up from his paperwork.
âyou totally are,â mina agrees. âthey made you heart-shaped tamagoyaki yesterday.â
âthat means nothing.â
âthey literally touched your shoulder and you stopped glaring.â
ââŚi can stop glaring whenever i want.â
the entire class goes silent.
âthatâs terrifying,â sero says softly.
youâre completely unaware of all of this.
mostly because, in your defense, you thought your flirting was subtle.
âyou look tired,â you tell aizawa one evening.
âi always look tired.â
âyeah, but today you look pretty tired.â
you continue walking beside him casually.
âwant me to help with grading tonight?â
thereâs a strange look on his face.
like his brain just hit a loading screen.
ânothing,â he says immediately.
then he walks directly into a doorframe.
mic has to physically sit down when he hears about it.
âYOU WALKED INTO A DOOR?â
aizawa glares at him from inside his sleeping bag.
âstop being dramatic.â
âyou walked into architecture.â
the realization finally hits during a storm.
rain pounds against the ua windows while most students stay inside the dorms for the evening. teachers are scattered around campus, and aizawa is finishing patrol reports in the faculty office when the lights flicker.
a second later, the power cuts out completely.
âwow,â your voice says from nearby, âyou manifested that instantly.â
emergency lights glow dim red across the hallway. youâre standing in the doorway holding two vending machine coffees.
âone survived the apocalypse,â you announce, holding one out to him.
ââŚyou got this for me?â
the kind of smile that always makes something in his chest feel strangely tight.
âyou looked exhausted.â
aizawa takes the coffee slowly.
âyou do a lot for me.â
âsomeone has to make sure you donât collapse.â
âyou worry about me.â
you say it like itâs the simplest thing in the world.
rain taps against the windows.
you lean against the doorway beside him, shoulders brushing lightly.
and suddenly every conversation replays in his head all at once.
the way you always sought him out first in crowded rooms.
the way you looked at him.
you glance over. âyou okay?â
aizawa stares at you for a long moment.
then, completely serious, he asks:
âyou were flirting with me?â
then your eyes widen so fast itâs almost comical.
ââŚyou didnât know?â
âshota, i literally asked you to dinner three times.â
ââŚi thought you were being polite.â
you make a strangled noise somewhere between a laugh and a groan.
âi called you pretty.â
âi assumed you had poor judgment.â
you actually have to put your coffee down because youâre laughing too hard now.
aizawa watches you quietly, feeling oddly warm despite himself.
âso,â you say after a minute, still grinning, ânow that you finally caught upâŚâ
âcan i officially take you on a date?â
and for once, the answer comes easily.
ââŚyeah,â he says softly.
then, after the smallest pause:
âbut iâm choosing the restaurant.â
you grin immediately. âwow. flirting already.â
hawks had been flirting with you for three months.
you just didnât know that.
which, in your defense, was because hawks flirted with everyone.
the barista downstairs? flirted with her.
random reporters? flirted with them too.
the old lady who sold flowers outside the agency? he called her âsweetheartâ so often she started saving the prettiest bouquets for him.
so when he leaned against your office doorway one friday evening and said, âyou know, youâd look really good in my hoodie,â you barely looked up from your paperwork.
âprobably because itâs expensive.â
hawks stood there holding his chest dramatically, red wings twitching behind him. âthat one actually hurt my feelings.â
âyouâre very resilient.â
he stared at you for another second before snorting out a laugh.
âyou really donât get it.â
ânothing.â he waved it off easily, grin slipping back into place. âforget it.â
mostly because your life was busy enough already without trying to decode whatever strange language hawks operated in.
unfortunately for him, this misunderstanding continued.
âi cleared my schedule tonight,â hawks said one afternoon, dropping into the chair beside your desk. âthought maybe i could take you to dinner.â
you hummed absentmindedly. âyou finally learned how calendars work?â
âbaby, i know how calendars work.â
âthen why were you forty minutes late yesterday?â
âyou know,â he said carefully, âmost people would hear âtake you to dinnerâ and think i was asking them out.â
âyou ask everyone out.â
âi absolutely do not.â
âyou told endeavor youâd wine and dine him if he signed your paperwork.â
âthat was business flirting. completely different category.â
you pointed your pen at him. âsee? impossible to tell.â
hawks stared at you for a long moment before laughing under his breath, shaking his head like heâd just lost an argument with fate itself.
âyouâre killing me.â
the thing was, you genuinely thought hawks was just Like That.
touchy, affectionate, playful.
you didnât think anything of the way he always sat too close to you on the agency couch. or how his feathers automatically drifted toward you whenever you were nearby, brushing lightly against your shoulders or wrists.
you definitely didnât think anything of him bringing you coffee every morning.
or remembering your order.
or texting you at 2 a.m. after patrols asking if you got home safe.
âyouâre staring again,â you said without looking up from your phone.
hawks was sprawled across the opposite end of your couch, wings half-open behind him.
you looked up automatically. âwho?â
then very slowly lowered the soda can in his hand.
you blinked at each other.
then you frowned slightly. âwait.â
hawks visibly braced himself.
âwere you flirting with me?â
the feather hovering near your shoulder dropped directly onto your lap.
hawks stared at you like heâd just witnessed a natural disaster firsthand.
ââŚwere?â he repeated weakly.
âoh my god?â he echoed. âthatâs your response?â
âi thought you were joking!â
âi bought you flowers!â
âyou buy everyone flowers!â
ânot custom bouquets based on favorite colors!â
ââŚthe yellow ones?â
âyou said yellow reminds you of sunlight,â hawks said, sounding genuinely offended now. âi had the florist make them softer because bright flowers give you headaches.â
your brain stopped functioning for a second.
suddenly everything replayed in horrifying clarity.
the stupid soft looks he gave you when he thought you werenât paying attention.
ââŚoh my god,â you whispered again, this time in realization.
hawks fell backward against the couch dramatically, covering his face with one hand.
âi canât believe this is happening to me.â
âwhy didnât you just say something directly?!â
âi called you gorgeous six times!â
âi thought that was your personality!â
âit IS my personality,â he argued, peeking through his fingers, âbut it was targeted.â
hawks looked betrayed immediately.
âdonât laugh at my suffering.â
âi canât help it,â you wheezed. âyouâve been trying to flirt with me for months?â
âand you thought it was working?â
âi thought you were flirting back!â
you stopped laughing abruptly.
âyou absolutely were.â
âyou remember my coffee orders. you save me food. you text me goodnight. you patch up my wings without complaining.â he pointed accusingly. âyou made me soup once.â
âbecause you were sick!â
âthatâs basic human decency!â
then both of you spoke at once.
âoh my god, weâre both idiots.â
then hawks started laughing first.
bright, helpless laughter that filled the apartment.
you joined in a second later until both of you were nearly falling over yourselves on the couch.
âokay,â hawks said eventually, wiping under one eye. ânew strategy.â
he leaned closer this time, golden eyes sharp with amusement.
âhi,â he said. âiâm flirting with you right now.â
heat rushed into your face immediately.
hawksâ grin widened triumphantly.
âaw, you finally noticed me.â he bumped his shoulder against yours gently. âso. now that weâre on the same pageâŚâ
his wings curled slightly around the couch, softer now.
ââŚcan i actually take you to dinner?â
you tried to ignore the way your heart suddenly started pounding.
ââŚyeah,â you admitted quietly.
not the polished public one.
something smaller. warmer. real enough to make your chest ache a little.
âfor the record, the hoodie line shouldâve sealed it immediately.â
you shoved him off the couch.
dabi was terrible at flirting.
not because he didnât know how.
because apparently you were immune to it.
you looked up from your phone just in time to see dabi standing in the kitchen doorway holding two convenience store drinks.
âyouâre in my spot.â
you glanced around the empty hideout kitchen. âyou donât have a spot.â
despite the insult, he nudged one of the drinks toward you with his free hand before leaning against the counter beside you anyway instead of making you leave.
you took the drink automatically.
âdonât mention it.â
this happened constantly.
dabi would insult you, glare at you, invade your personal space, and then do strangely thoughtful things immediately afterward.
he remembered your favorite snacks.
he lit your cigarettes before you could.
he burned anyone who annoyed you into silence with one look.
once, after a mission, he silently handed you his coat because you were cold.
you thought that was just his weird version of friendship.
unfortunately, dabi was under the impression he was being extremely obvious.
you blinked as dabi grabbed your wrist roughly, turning your hand over to inspect the cut across your knuckles.
his fingers were warm against your skin despite the staples lining them.
you watched him dig through the medical kit with an irritated click of his tongue.
âyou know,â you said slowly, âyouâre surprisingly caring sometimes.â
âdonât spread that around. ruins my image.â
âaw. you worried people will think you like me?â
âthey already think that.â
you laughed immediately. âyeah, right.â
dabi was staring at you strangely.
âwait,â you said. âyouâre serious?â
âholy shit,â he muttered. âyou really donât know.â
dabi dropped the bandages onto the counter.
you narrowed your eyes. âwhy are you acting weird?â
âiâm always weird.â
âweirder than usual.â
he looked genuinely offended by that.
the problem was that dabi flirted like someone who had learned romance exclusively through unresolved issues and bad life choices.
âif anybody else touches you iâm setting them on fire.â
wordlessly appearing beside you every single night until it became routine.
i remembered your favorite coffee order.
threatening a cashier for getting your order wrong.
you genuinely thought he was just Like That.
mean. intense. weirdly protective.
the possibility that he actually liked you never crossed your mind.
mostly because dabi did not seem like the kind of person who enjoyed having feelings.
you glanced up from the couch.
dabi was sprawled across the opposite side, blue eyes half-lidded as he watched you openly.
âyou literally have a murder playlist.â
âand you listened to it.â
âbecause it was weirdly good!â
you rolled your eyes, fighting back a smile.
dabi noticed immediately.
his gaze lingered for a second longer before he spoke again, quieter this time.
âyou should smile more.â
you barked out a laugh. âwhat are you, eighty?â
âiâm trying to flirt with you.â
then he frowned slightly.
ââŚwhy do you look shocked?â
âbecause you just said that like it was obvious?â
dabi sat up slowly, looking personally offended.
âi literally threatened a guy for flirting with you last week.â
âi thought you hated him!â
âi DID hate him. because he was flirting with you.â
âyou called me pretty once and immediately followed it with âdonât let it get to your head.ââ
âyeah, to be smooth.â
âthatâs not smooth!â
you started laughing so hard you nearly fell sideways off the couch.
dabi looked increasingly irritated the harder you laughed.
âi canât breatheââ
âYOUâRE terrible at flirting!â
âand youâre terrible at noticing it!â
he pointed at you accusingly.
âi gave you my coat.â
âi let you steal my hoodies.â
âalso friend behavior!â
âi almost killed a guy because he made you cry.â
dabiâs expression shifted immediately.
that softer look he got sometimes when he forgot to hide it fast enough.
the room suddenly felt warmer than usual.
which was saying something, considering dabi.
âwait,â you said slowly. âyouâve seriously been flirting with me this whole time?â
âmonths?!â you nearly choked. âdabi!â
âyou couldâve SAID something!â
âby threatening people?!â
âworked for cavemen.â
you laughed again before you could stop yourself.
dabi groaned dramatically, dropping his head back against the couch.
âthis is humiliating.â
âi should burn this entire conversation.â
blue flames crackled briefly at his fingertips.
âkeep talking and iâm leaving.â
you grinned helplessly. âokay, wait. let me get this straight.â
âunfortunate but true.â
âand all the staring, threatening, weird possessivenessââ
âyou still like me though.â
because annoyingly enough, he was right.
his grin spread slow and smug across scarred skin.
âdonât look so pleased with yourself.â
âcanât help it. thought i was gonna have to set myself on fire to get your attention.â
âyou already do that.â
for a second, neither of you spoke.
then dabi leaned closer, resting an arm along the back of the couch behind you.
this time, when he looked at you, there was nothing casual about it.
âjust so weâre clear,â he said quietly, âiâm flirting with you right now too.â
your face immediately felt hot.
âfinally,â he murmured. âtook you long enough.â