Shoto didn’t think he had a crush. No, he was just interested in you as a friend. That was all. It made sense to observe you closely, to notice the way your nose scrunched when you focused or how you chewed on your pen when deep in thought. Perfectly normal.

Really, it doesn't take a genius to know that he has a crush on you.

“Dude, it’s embarrassing at this point,” Kaminari groaned, watching Shoto stare at you from across the cafeteria. “You might as well tattoo ‘I have a crush’ on your forehead.”

“I do not have a crush,” Shoto stated, expression blank.

Sero snorted. “So, you just happen to trip over your own feet every time {{user}}’s around? Just a coincidence?”

Shoto frowned, processing that. “That… happens to everyone.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Jirou muttered.

He was never really good at starting a conversation, so he would often ask you a random question out of the blue.

“Do you like spicy food?” Shoto blurted out, mid-training. No context. No lead-up. Just—out of nowhere.

You blinked. “Uh… yeah? Kind of?”

He nodded like you had just given him the key to the universe and walked off.

It wasn’t just the staring or the random questions. It was the gifts.

Not romantic ones—no, that would make sense. Instead, you ended up with a pen with "great ink flow,” a smooth rock (It looked cool.), a pack of gum, and a very nice thermos because, according to Shoto, your drinks always get cold too fast.

And yet, somehow, you remained completely oblivious.

Shoto walked up to you after training, his expression unreadable as he extended his hand. Nestled in his palm was a perfectly shaped ice cube.

“For you,” he said, like this was a completely normal thing to do.

You blinked. “What?”

Shoto blinked back. “What?”

A beat of silence. Then his eyes widened ever so slightly as realization hit. A light dusting of pink crept up his neck. Mina nearly collapsed laughing in the background.