Loxley

The Classics Have Ruined My Love Life

"Shakespeare lied to me."

Denki lifted his head from his desk to where Y/N was lying, face-down, on his bed.

"There is a tale of more woe than Juliet and Romeo. The sorrowful tale of pain and suffering that is us and this presentation!" she lamented, sitting up with a groan. "I knew I shouldn't have skipped reading the book."

"Write a 4-5 page paper with your partner discussing how romance is portrayed in classic literature," Denki read. "What kind of project prompt is that?" he exclaimed, spinning in his chair to face her. "What does he want us to do, make 40 slides about how Mr. Darcy was the original simp?"

"I mean, he was," Y/N grumbled, their voice muffled by Kaminari's pillow.

"Yeah. I guess we could make a presentation on how Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is actually a masterpiece of cinema that did more for humanity than anything Shakespeare ever wrote," Denki suggested.

Y/N lazily threw a pencil at him, hitting him directly in the forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?" Denki cried, leaning down to pick the pencil up. "Did you use your Quirk for that or something?"

"I partnered up with you because you're smart! You're literally the only person in our class besides Momo who has a library card!" Y/N complained as she sat up, fixing Denki.

"Well I'm sorry, your majesty," he said with an overdramatic bow, sticking his tongue out at the girl. "But this is a really bad assignment!"

Y/N heaved a sigh, slumping their shoulders with clear annoyance. "I know!" she huffed. "It's somehow both the most open-ended and most restrictive topic I've ever seen in my life!"

"What even qualifies as classic literature?!" Denki whined. "Does he mean like, Romeo and Juliet or Strange Weather in Tokyo?"

"Do I look like I know?" Y/N suggested half-heartedly, sitting up. "But it's an English class, so I'd lean more towards like, The Princess Bride and Pride and Prejudice.

Both paused, staring at each other.

"Well..." Denki paused, thoughtful. "If we're talking about Romeo and Juliet, the whole play's about the futility of emotion."

"Right. Everything happens because of a pointless feud between the houses," Y/N said.

Denki nodded. "Yeah. And it's been going on for so long that neither party remembers why they hate the other, only that they do."

"So... Willy Shakes' trying to get across how letting hatred guide your hand and your heart will leave you blind and only bring about misery."

"I think so. I mean, Romeo and Juliet were driven by infatuation as opposed to love."

"Oh shoot, you're right! Look at Romeo. He was head over heels for Rosline, not a day before he saw Juliet."

"Exactly! He's not in love with her, he just thinks she's pretty and she didn't reject his advances like Rosline did.

"And I'd bet you anything a large part of the appeal is the thrill of forbidden romance!"

"That's what I'm saying! It's not a love story, it's an essay on the folly of being guided by one's heart as opposed to the head."

"But we can't talk about that!" Y/N exclaimed. "We're supposed to be writing about romance in literature. Romeo and Juliet's like, an anti-love story!" she cried, falling back onto the bed.

She threw her hands over her head and muffled a scream. "Because 'I love you' means there is no hell I will not walk through, no pain I will not take, and no storm I will not weather if it means I can see you smile," she threw her hands up, "not I'm gonna kill myself because we can't be together! If either of them really loved the other they would have let them go on to find someone they could be with!"

"Very insightful," Denki said, leaning back in his chair. "We are never gonna get this project done," he lamented.

"Ugh, why did it have to be a romance prompt?" she whined. "And why the classics? Why couldn't it have been literally anything else?"

"You got an issue with the classics or something?"

"The classics have ruined my concept of romance."

Denki lifted his head, staring at his friend. "How so?"

"I started reading them when I was like, seven, and now I refuse to accept anything short of a story-book romance," Y/N explained.

"Oooh~" Denki purred, leaning forward on his hand. "So you're waiting for your Mr. Darcy, then?"

"Oh place! Darcy's boring! My taste has always been more of the brave and noble romantic hero. A Westley type," Y/N explained. "Though I won't complain if Edmond Dantès were to sweep me off my feet."

"Simp." Denki chuckled.

"Bold words coming from someone who picked up bass to impress a girl," Y/N clapped back.

"Alright, touche," he said, holding his hands up in a surrendering move. "You got your eyes on anyone?"

Y/N half-heartedly threw his pillow at him, an attack Denki managed to catch.

"Not that I can think of. I mean, sure, we've got some awesome classmates but no one really embodies my ideal partner," she said.

"Not Bakugou?" he teased.

"Ew!" Y/N cried. "Disgusting! God, no. He's my best friend but he's just so... Bakugou. Horrible. Never," she gagged.
She paused, tilting her head. "Although, I guess I do like being around Midorya. He's fun to talk to. Have you seen that journal? It's insane. And he's such a good person in general... He's never been outright mean to any of us, and honestly he really embodies what a hero is. And he's so strong! Like, have you seen him? He could kill me without breaking a sweat. And when you get him talking about heroes? He gets so passionate it's adorable. And have you seen him talk to kids? He's so sweet around them! And he's just... so nice" she said.

Denki stared at her, his jaw hanging open. "Y/N?" he asked, his voice a little disbelieving.

She froze. Her eyes widening as realization dawned on her. "Oh my god."

Denki's look of shock morphed into a grin as Y/N processed.

"I am in love with Izuku Midorya."