the doofus that changed it all || kamijiro

18 : i could even learn how to love like you

read till the end for authors note

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jirou's face heated up. perhaps it was the heat of being in such a bustling crowd, or perhaps it was the blaring spotlight that now shone on her, glistening the sweat that trickled from her forehead down to her cheek. or- and this seemed more probable much to her embarassment, it was her face betraying the fluttering feeling that twirled around in her stomach.

she gave a dismissive smile to mina who was giving her a a wide-eyed look of shock. "he's probably talking about some other person," jirou reasoned.

"really now," mina began, nudging the girl in the direction of the stage, "i don't recall this school having another kyoka."

jirou glanced back up at the blonde standing on the stage, the distance between them feeling much closer now that she actually locked eyes with kaminari - though difficult under the blaring lights of the stage, she felt an anticipation piercing straight into her heart; as though the colors of the boys eyes were the amber of fossilized resin that incased a secret that was waiting to be seen.

feeling her palm sweat- and ignoring how sweat managed to accumulate there, jirou stood up. not without giving a final glance of hesitation to bakugo whom sat behind her and gave her a knowing look.

she took meek strides towards the stairs of the stage. and though she had performed on its very surface a meer hour ago, she felt as if she was trekking into a new world, the crowd below now seeming like a vastless void. taking the last step upwards, the world around her closed inward - now it was just kaminari and herself.

"here i am," jirou managed to muster.

"what happened to the confident girl i know and l-appreciate? really now, i feel like ive seen all the sides to you these past few months," kaminari teased.

"well, she's in here somewhere." jiro smiled back, crossing her arms to garner some form of strength - not that she was uncomfortable or scared of the boy, but she needed the strength to face where this grand display was headed. she prided herself in being non-conformative when it came to subject matter in music, but she was still a teenager. can't fault a girl for listening to the occasional mushy love song or musical every now and again.

"well, tell her that i wouldn't mind whichever front you decide to put up, as long as it isn't harming you internally."

jirou snorted to drive attention away from the blush that began to form, pushing him playfully. "jesus christ, get on with it. why do you want me here?"

kaminari looked away- though turning his head to look at the audience who were now gaping intently at the two's conversation wasn't a very good idea. a little part of himself kind of regretted doing all this in front of an audience, perhaps jirou would've appreciated it better if he decided to do this in a more secluded location. nevertheless, he made a choice, and he had to stick with it, no matter how long his friends would tease him for it. a shy pink tiny crept onto his face, his tongue deciding- now, of all times, to twist up.

"so," kaminari coughed out, "in case you haven't caught on, the person i was talking about in my performance earlier, was you."

jirou hummed quietly to herself in acknowledgement. she knew; it wasn't hard to piece together, but she continued to hold her breath as to how he'd play this out.

"and i know, that this won't the first time where i've tried to do what i'm about to do." kaminari felt a brick of memories plant straight into his brain where repression had been running from the truth of the matter like a deer from a leopard. he'd played off his failed confession from a year or two ago like a casual one-off thing, or at least he convinced himself to. but now with hindsight, his feelings for the girl were much stronger and genuine than he let himself on. what was once an admiration of the girl's wit bloomed into a sincere fondness for her talent, her beauty, her charm, and her company. and like a hydrangea in the rain, seeing the girl's highs and lows only seemed to cultivate the ever-growing love he held for jirou.