Every dreadful day began the exact same way. The sun, glowing vibrant arrangements of yellow and orange, casting sepia shadows and golden washes across the humble earth laying beneath it, crested the horizon, ascending steadily, up and up, until finally reaching its peak in the cerulean sky like a mountain mounted in the atmosphere, where its intense illumination painted the world in warm hues and cool shadows, reminding those who witnessed it that another day was coming to pass, another day that would never be regained, could never be regained, lost to society forever and ever. Denki had grown rather sick of the predictable cyclical formation of days and nights.

Sure, it had been summer. But it had been a summer without fun. Each day, he had shot [y/n] a text, asking if she was free, or wanted to hang out, or could even just FaceTime for a short period of time to shave off the boredom (a clever phrase he had created to mask the excuse that he really just wanted to see her face, whether it was day or night, whether her features were highlighted in auriferous luster or shaded in azure desaturation, because she was equally beautiful under each and all colors). And each and every day, [y/n] had never responded.

Well, that wasn't entirely true, more like Denki's imagination elevating the situation to something it never had been sheerly because of his tripped emotions. She did respond, on occasion, but then, it was never more than a 'Sorry, I'm busy,' or an 'I can't come, but I hope you have an awesome time!' To Denki, these were easily equivalent to not saying anything at all. The outcome was not changed: he could not see [y/n].

Initially, it had started out innocent enough. She had a life of her own, and Denki knew his limits; knew that her life did not revolve around him even if his life did indeed revolve around her. He respected this. Even during the schoolyear, she had, every now and then, been too busy to spend time with him, either due to family or homework or needing a rest, or some mismatched combination of all aforementioned necessities. But then - he'd seen her every day at school. In his case, his quota had been reached, even if he did desire more, from the very bottom of his fluttering heart.

Yet it was summer. An entire summer, and not a single day spent with his dearest friend.

As the warm days progressed, he began to lose hope. Had she simply forgotten about him? Or had something more likely happened - had she realized who he truly was? An idiotic, bumbling buffoon who couldn't handle himself, much less anyone else? Had she left him, just like everyone else? Of course she had. She was far greater than he.

He was bad, and she was good. He was a villain, and she was a hero. Their blood simply could not mix.

For the first time in many years, Denki found himself crying.

The last day of summer had come and gone, and still, no sign of contact from [y/n].

And now, he would have to confront her. The first day of their last year of middle school...perhaps the last time he'd ever get to see her, if they wound up at different high schools (which of course they would, he was dumb for even attempting to believe otherwise). She would head for U.A. like the hero that she was, and he would be left scrambling to pick up the shattered pieces of his villainous life, barred from following her because he was not ever good enough, smart enough, tough enough, heroic enough.

So as he entered the classroom and took a seat at the back, he put his head in his hands, and let out a sigh much too great for someone his age. Every now and then he would cast a glance at the clock - he'd made it just a few minutes before the bell - and then gaze back at the ever-filling seats around him, searching for some sign of the girl he so desperately desired to see. Yet, even with one minute left on the clock, she still had not arrived.

On the plus side, there was only one seat left - one directly to Denki's right. So when she did come, he would at least be able to take in all the beauty he had missed during the somber summer.  [Y/n] would come.  Yes, of course.  She had to.  It was the first day of school - even Denki wasn't allowing himself to miss the first day of school (of course, he had some rather numerous ulterior motives for being there, but nonetheless the concept still stood).  Yet as the hands upon the gently-ticking clock continued to shift and click ever-closer to the start of class, the soft noises seemed to morph into sharp knives, cutting Denki deeper and deeper with every passing second, drawing blood and shaking salt into his burning wounds.  

She doesn't love you.  You know she doesn't.

The clock seemed to agree.  With a sudden start, Denki realized there were only five seconds left before the classes were scheduled to begin, and suddenly he began to feel very sick, as though his wounds had become infected in those miniscule moments moving by.  

Why would she love you?  You're not good.  You're bad.  You're not a h--

A sudden jerking noise blasted off from next to Denki, ripping him from his pessimistic thoughts only to see the empty desk beside him rattling in a flash of force, and then the bell rang, and then suddenly he noticed the desk was no longer empty but rather filled with the person he had been so deeply desiring to see every minute of his life, and she hadn't left him quite yet, and not solely that, but oh how her face caught the harsh classroom lighting and refracted it as something soft and gentle, oh how her eyes sparkled with ceiling lights like stars swimming in a pool of [e/c] irises, and oh how on earth had he made it through an entire summer without seeing her, simultaneously filling him with joy and fear, and yet that joy so jubilantly flowed through his veins like the golden ichor that must've run through hers, and oh how he was glad to see her.

[Y/n] flashed a smile, and Denki could practically hear his heart fluttering out of his chest; not beating like a hungry beast but lightly treading through the treacherous territory of his own emotions, a butterfly in a field of newly-sprouting flowers.  And thus he couldn't help but say the first thing on his mind: "You look so happy, [y/n]."

The words he wanted to hear: I'm happy because you're here, Denki, of course never came, but something else perhaps equally interesting sprung from her lips in a soft whisper as the teacher began to speak.  "It's our last year here, before we go to high school.  We've been friends since the first year of elementary," she enthused, the sparkles in her eyes flashing with ever other word, worlds and galaxies and universes contained within them.  "Don't you think we should leave our mark here, somehow?  Make our final year special?"

Her passion only sparked Denki's love even more - ever since childhood, she'd had her heart invested on every idea she'd spouted, every word she'd said, every action she'd done.  Before he could even process the situation he was nodding vigorously. 

The eyelashes closed in a blink, then opened widely, excitedly, as though [y/n] had been given a brand new quirk, a new power to wield, a new happiness to chase, a new reason for existing, a new sparkle in her eyes.  She raised her finger to her chin in faux thoughtfulness.  "Now, as for what that could be...?" she trailed off purposefully, eyes fixed on Denki, who instantaneously felt the urge to complete her sentence.

"Dating.  First dates," he blurted, and then immediately regretted it, digging his nails into his palms beneath his desk and feeling a flush of color fly to his face.   

To both his surprise and luck, however, [y/n] grinned, offering him a playful wink.  "That's exactly what I was thinking.  Falling in love is sort of a right of passage, isn't it?"  She paused for a moment and spread her arms out wide in a single sweeping motion, determination flaring her nostrils and filling her voice with confidence.  "So let's make everyone know we're ready for it!"

Denki had never been so hopefully, helplessly breathless, overjoyed and overtaxed.  "We...both of us, together?"

She stuck out her tongue, swiping a few stray strands of hair behind her ears.  "Well, duh!  It won't be any fun if I'm the only one."

And with those words Denki nearly fainted - this was his moment.  Just seconds ago he had been thinking that she'd grown to despise him, and yet here he was, finally going to be with her, [y/n], the girl of his heart and soul and dreams and desires.  

That was, at least, until she pulled her phone from her pocket and searched through her photos, eventually stopping upon a picture of a boy their age with grey hair and furious eyes that he couldn't recognize.  

"Luckily, your job is already way easier than mine.  We'll just find you someone here at school, and I can help get in a good word on your part with the girls.  See, I met him - oh!  Right, sorry, you don't know him, his name's Tetsutetsu.  I met him over the summer - he's so cool!  He's kind and funny and ohmygoodness, he took me to this amazing amusement park a few weeks ago and made me get on all the rollercoasters, I was terrified, but he held my hand and said it would be okay and it was okay..." 

She continued talking, but Denki was no longer listening.  His face had grown more twisted and pained with every passing sentence, but he fought against the contortions and forced a smile throughout her words' entirety, refusing to allow her to see it.  

She was happy, after all.  He couldn't remember the last time she'd looked so purely blissful.  And shouldn't that have been a good thing?  He should've felt good for her, compassionate and excited, but the way his stomach churned and eyes burned made it incredulously difficult, to the point that all he was able to say was, "Oh!  But...he doesn't go to our school, does he?"

"That's the best part, Denki!  He transferred here this year!"

Oh.

Of every word, every feeling, ever motion or movement or action or possible next step, all he could hear was oh.  Bland.  Simple.  Disappointed - in himself.  He could barely stand the situation anymore, but eventually gathered up the courage to reluctantly ask, "What am I supposed to do, then?"

"You?  Find a girlfriend, of course!" She smiled, then paused, obviously lost in thought.  "But don't rush it.  Make sure it's someone who you know; who you really love with all of your heart - do you know the feeling I'm talking about?  You will soon, at least, when you find someone you love!  Like me and Tetsutetsu - see, it's only been three months, but Denki, I know there's something there."

He knew the feeling she was talking about.  He knew it all too well and his heart seemed to sink into the black depths of his saddened soul, forcing himself to tear his gaze away from hers.  "U-understood."   But the only girl Denki ever wanted was her.

That night, [y/n] went to sleep with dreams of Tetsutetsu.

And Denki, feeling more alone and alienated than ever, went to sleep with dreams of [y/n].