Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kaminari Denki thinks of himself as a guy with a lot of love to give.

Maybe it had something to do with his upbringing. Growing up as the middle child among three (three!) sisters gave him a lot of experience maneuvering emotions and dealing with the fallout after saying things without thinking. Growing up with parents who loved their children dearly, parents who were pretty damn good role models as far as healthy, loving couples went, was another thing that Kaminari thought made him more open about affection.

He coasted through elementary and middle school, making friends and laughing, speaking his mind and often flirting with most anybody that would look his way. It wasn’t something that he gave much thought to.

So of course, when he got into U.A. and subsequently became surrounded by some of the most amazing upcoming hero hopefuls of his generation, Kaminari was quick to charm. He’d crack jokes, speak without a filter, and again, not really think much of it. After all, he did make friends (see: bakusquad, although he did consider himself an honorary dekusquad member).

So Kaminari Denki, student of the freshman class of U.A. High, never really gave the whole introspection and finding yourself thing a shot. He knew he was a chill guy with a cool quirk who liked a lot of people, and that was enough for him.

That is, until today.

Kaminari walked into class as usual— pumped and in good spirits. He’s never really considered himself a morning person, really, but he’s not a night owl either. Having to help his two younger siblings get ready and shovel them out the door before he himself does is a pretty good incentive for waking up relatively early.

He’s not the first to reach homeroom but he’s not the last either. Spotting Sero, he sits on top of the desk in front of the tape-quirk user, and flashes him a big grin.

Sero stretches out, yawning.

“I never understand how you’re this awake in the mornings, dude,” he says, rubbing his eyes in a way that kind of reminds Kaminari of a cat. It’s cute.

“Maybe I’m just excited to see your pretty face,” Kaminari shoots him finger guns and Sero laughs, though there’s a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Not impressed,” Mina said, taking a seat next to Sero and pouting, “you said that to me yesterday. You’re a flirt and a cheat, Denks!” She puts a dramatic hand to her forehead, pretending to swoon in her seat.

“Can’t say I’m not a little hurt,” Sero said, but his wide grin belied his emotions.

“Guys! Guys! I have a big enough heart to recognize that both of you have pretty faces,” Kaminari held his hands out in both their directions, managing to keep a straight face. He turns his eyes to note Shoji making his way into homeroom.

“But,” he says, waving at Shoji, “I gotta say, Shoji’s got you both beat for prettiest body. I mean, look at that gun show!” He makes sound effects with his fingers, before blowing the imaginary guns. Shoji rolls his eyes, but Kaminari likes to think that his rippling biceps flexed just a little bit.

“I wouldn’t say pretty, but I understand where you’re coming from,” Mina nods sagely. “Besides, the prettiest human ever is obviously Yaomomo!”

Mina grabs Yaoyorozu’s unsuspecting arm from where she was standing and unpacking.

“M-me? Oh my,” the girl says in that polite way of hers, her pale skin flushing a healthy pink down her throat.

Kaminari grins. “Yeah, that’s true! You’re, like, a certifiable goddess or something,” the girl goes redder at every word that the blonde says, “plus, I’d love to get the inside scoop on whatever skincare routine you’re using. I mean, do you routinely sacrifice newborns to the League of Villains to get that kind of clear skin? ‘Cause seriously, Yaoyorozu, you’re—”

A fist knocks the top of his head, stuttering his words to a stop. Jirou is glaring at him. Kaminari puts his hands up, like a criminal cornered by the cops.

“Leave Yaomomo alone, idiot,” she grumbles.

“Nice earrings,” Kaminari counters, noticing the shiny new bone-white skulls on her ears, paired with silver cartilage piercings. Kaminari himself has studs, but has never really thought of cartilage piercings until now. “That’s hot,” he muses, more to himself than anything.

Jirou hears it anyways, and smacks him up the backside of his head. He lets himself bobble a little from the impact, grinning as Jirou turns his face away from him. The back of her neck is a fun shade of red.

“KAMINARI DENKI! PLEASE REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THE DESK AND SIT ON A CHAIR!” Iida’s unmistakable voice interrupts Kaminari, and he complies, rubbing his ears at the volume.

Kaminari slinks into his chair, ignoring Mina and Sero’s snickers.

But when Kaminari looks up, Aizawa hasn’t yet slinked into class (not in a garish yellow sleeping bag that matches Present Mic’s hair or otherwise). Jirou takes the window-side seat opposite to Kaminari’s, poking his shoulder.

Kaminari looks at her. The flush hasn’t quite faded away from her face, but her eyes are narrowed. It’s the same look of concentration Deku has whenever he’s mumbling and writing away in his notebooks during class, but it’s a little unnerving when it’s trained on himself, coming from Jirou no less.

“Do you like guys?”

Huh.

Kaminari doesn’t know what he expected her to ask, but he knows it wasn’t that. Although, he guesses that’s not the weirdest question she could have asked. After all, even though Mina one hundred percent thinks he had an auditory hallucination, Kaminari strongly believes he heard Todoroki muttering something about All Might and Secret Love Children over his soba when he didn’t think anyone was listening last week.

“Well,” Kaminari says, leaning forward and resting his chin on his palm, elbow on the desk, “I’m a fan of the general male population, yeah.”

A lot of his friends are guys, after all.

Jirou’s face scrunches up like it usually does when Kaminari says something stupid. “No, you idiot, I mean are you into guys.”

Oh.

Oh.

Kaminari puts his hands down, palms flat on the desk.

Does he like guys? Like, like like guys? He’s never really thought about it before, never really thought about dating in general past the frequent celebrity and/or pro-hero crushes, but those are just that: crushes.

“I don’t know,” Kaminari finally says, “I mean, I know I like girls. Like, Yaomomo’s really pretty but she's like definitely related to Aphrodite or something, and I guess you’re cute. Uraraka is like the definition of the girlfriend you wanna bring back home to introduce to your parents. And Mina could wreck me and I’d thank her. So I see the appeal.”

He pauses thoughtfully as Mina nods in sincere agreement, while Jirou’s blush makes its return.

“But, Midoriya’s really cute too. Like, really cute. Huge eyes and freckles and bed hair for days, I feel like that’s just a fact! And Todoroki is fucking gorgeous, we all been knew this, it’s kind of another fact of life. And I guess I’m a fan of muscles. Muscles are nice, muscles are cool. Iida’s thunder thighs? Sign me up. All Might’s abs? Nice. Kirishima’s entire-ass body? Swipe right. Like, who wouldn’t want to lick someone’s abs or like, I don’t know, hang off their biceps, right? Ha ha?”

He ends his word vomit with a small chuckle, which dies off as he realizes that the majority of his classmates are staring at him. Deku in particular is going a brilliant shade of red, hands covering his face, while Iida is stuck jaw-dropped with his hand out, as if he was going to yell at Kaminari with his typical strict hand-waving, but then got frozen mid-way. Uraraka’s blush matches Deku’s, while Todoroki looks unaffected.

Save for the steam slowly rising off his left side.

Kirishima is nodding along like he gets it, and Bakugo, looking much like an angry pomeranian, kicks his shin. “Why the fuck are you agreeing? Whose fucking abs do you wanna lick, shitty hair?” He seethes.

“That’s on a need-to-know basis,” Kirishima says, shooting Kaminari a thumbs up. Kaminari returns it faithfully. Bakugo growls at the exchange.

There’s a cough from in front of him. “You realize that since you walked in the room, you just complimented and pseudo-flirted with, like, the entirety of 1-A, right?” Jirou says, her voice a little strained.

As Kaminari surveys the room once more, he realizes that everyone is either carefully not meeting his gaze, blushing, grinning widely, or a combination of the three (unless, of course, you were Bakugo and you were scowling and giving off murder vibes, but that’s not news).

“What about me,” Mineta says. “After all, as far as the boys in this room go, I’m definitely more man than—”

The purple gremlin’s words are choked off as Tsuyu slaps him with a well-placed strike with her tongue. Nice.

Before Kaminari can respond to Jirou, Aizawa emerges from a sleeping bag that had rolled itself seemingly autonomously into the classroom.

He doesn’t think much of it for the rest of the day.

---

In fact, he doesn’t really think about it for the next few following weeks.

The USJ incident happened, which was a huge shitshow to put it nicely.

Kaminari was pretty sure Deku broke half the bones in his body, Aizawa broke maybe all of them, and even All Might had looked slightly banged up. Kaminari himself had been out of it for a good amount of time, having let go of an indiscriminate discharge while fighting alongside Jirou and Yaoyorozu.

So yeah, school’s out for a bit while the students recover and they up the security at U.A., while no doubt dealing with the massive public outcry. On one hand, Kaminari understood— U.A. was supposed to be training their students to fight villains, not actually fighting villains. On the other hand, Kaminari always learned better by doing and frankly, the fact that villains were targeting high schoolers was alarming and some part of him registered that if they wanted to be strong enough to graduate, they had to first be strong enough to survive.

He sighs, rolling over on his bed, absentmindedly scrolling through social media on his phone. U.A. was still trending, and most of the commentary about it was not helping Kaminari’s bleak mood at all. It’s almost noon, but his parents are out to work and his siblings are attending their schools, so he’s got the house to himself.

Kaminari drops his phone, sitting up in a cross-legged position and deciding that almost-noon is a good time to have an almost-breakfast, maybe-lunch.

He stretches and walks to the bathroom to wash his face, before he gets a good glimpse of himself.

He’s wearing a baggy grey sweatshirt, one that mostly covers his body, but one of the sleeves had rolled up in his sleep. Faint red marks branch out, running overtop his skin like rivers, like the very lightning that he produces. Wincing, he pulls the sleeve down over his arm, knowing that underneath, the marks ran over his abdomen, up his chest, and even spread its tendrils over parts of his throat.

His stomach lurches a little bit, but he tries to quell down the queasiness. He thinks that he’d be used to it by now, after all.

Recovery Girl had taken the time to help heal all the students and the staff, and he too had been examined after the incident. She helped him heal from the self-damage that over-electrifying often inflicted, and his brain had felt clearer than ever while his body stopped jittering violently from aftershocks after the smacking kiss from the old lady, but it had taken a lot of energy out of him.

And it still left the residual marks, the marks that he hated looking at.

He knew that scars weren’t exactly a taboo, especially not in the hero community, but that didn’t mean he had to like them. It didn’t mean he didn’t have to stifle cringing or flinching whenever he caught a glimpse of the red marks, running like visible veins on top of his skin, mapping his body without his approval.

Recovery Girl was a little worried about that, shaking her head and saying something about how 1-A students will run her ragged with their self-damaging quirks.

Kaminari thinks that he doesn’t mean for himself to get hurt on purpose, that he would maybe like a little more control over his quirk too, and then he thinks to Midoriya.

Midoriya, with his limbs red and aggravated and almost shriveled, broken beyond broken. He thinks that even though Kaminari’s quirk hurts when he pushes it too far, at least it’s not as bad as that.

He thinks about how he hates when he uses his electricity too much, because his brain feels like he’s not himself anymore.

Hates how people see him when he’s short-circuiting, how he thinks he can remember flashes of laughter and jeers.

He thinks back to Midoriya again, thinks of all his sacrifice and heroics and his determination to crawl to the top. Thinks back to Aizawa’s broken body and desperate glowing red eyes. Thinks that he shouldn’t complain when he’s got this much power while others nearly cripple themselves just to survive, just to win.

Kaminari tells himself everything is fine.

He closes his eyes and washes his face, not looking at the mirror again.

Chapter Text

U.A. opens up again, the marks on his body fade away, and Kaminari feels alive again.

As much as he likes spending time with his family, there are only so many ways he can entertain his siblings and mindlessly scroll through his phone before he got bored.

So, the week U.A. opens back up again, he’s super excited with an extra skip in his step as he’s walking into campus. He’s a little more spazzy than usual, but that’s because he hasn’t really had a good outlet for all his excess energy— but, he knew that Aizawa would beat that out of him in no time, so it’s fine.

His phone vibrates in his pocket. He opens past his Detective Pikachu lock screen, and thumbs through the messages.

Alien Queen: That feel when you’re so excited to see you friends again that you accidentally release low grade acid and burn through your skirt uniform

Pika Power (Me): don’t worry I do that all the time

Alien Queen: shut up

Gravity Girl: ohhhh so thats why youre wearing your tracksuit today!

Sonic 4 Class President: MINA ASHIDO WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF YOUR INJURIES

Gravity Girl: Iida I think you have caps lock on

Alien Queen: why do I feel like nurse Iida is yelling at me???

Sonic 4 Class President: ACCIDENTAL QUIRK USAGE IS NO LAUGHING MATTER

Green All Might: Hahah I missed you guys

Red Hair Don’t Care: Me too. I even missed Bakugo >_<

Alien Queen: Even bakugo?

Gravity Girl: Even bakugo?

Spider Man with Tape: Even bakugo?

Pika Power (Me): even bakugo?

Freezer Burn: Even Bakugo?

King Explodo-Murder: the FUCK does that mean???

King Explodo-Murder: I didnt miss any of you fuckers

Green All Might: …even Kacchan?

King Explodo-Murder: DEKU YOU FUCKER

Kaminari smiles at his phone, warm affection filling his chest. For the first time in a while, since the USJ incident, his heart feels a little lighter. Being at U.A. was like not knowing there was a hole in his chest until it was filled by the presence of the students of Class 1-A. Everyone embodied the spirit of Plus Ultra, pushing themselves to make the most of the hand they’d been dealt, and that kind of mindset was contagious. Until he had passed the U.A. entrance exam, it had felt like Kaminari was just floating through life, not really applying himself. His feet bring him closer to the classroom, leading him through the winding halls on autopilot, the layout almost muscle memory by now.

Kaminari is typing out a response on his phone when he walks headlong into a firm surface.

Ricocheting off rather clumsily, the electricity-user stumbles back and almost falls flat on his ass. His phone does clatter to the ground, however, and Kaminari bends down quickly to scoop it up, internally thanking the lord for his cheap but sturdy Detective Pikachu phone case, and simultaneously chirping out an apology to whoever he had just ran into.

“Oh shit, sorry dude, I wasn’t watching where I was goin—”

He trails off as he lifts his head up, getting a good look at the guy.

It’s another student (not a teacher, thankfully), and he has a shock of purple hair sprouting out of his head, even more wild than Midoriya’s curls. It spreads out in every which direction, as if someone had stuck his finger in an electric socket, and yet it looked soft to the touch. Like anybody could just run their fingers through it and meet fields of cottontails and dandelions instead of coarseness. His violet eyes were half-lidded, striking, with deep eye bags underneath that looked like they had been there for a while. The standard U.A. uniform didn’t cling to him like a second skin, but Kaminari could tell that he had serious biceps in the making. He had an unimpressed expression, his lips in a thin, bored line, but his eyes never left Kaminari’s: calculating, intelligent, ruthless.

And now Kaminari, known motormouth and resident chronic foot-in-mouth patient, was speechless.

He was utterly speechless because he thinks that maybe, just maybe, this is his type. Hair that he could run his hands through, eyes that he could lose himself in, and a firm, no doubt fit body that he could cling to like the tactical person he was.

And then the guy smirks. It’s a cruel expression, condescending (Kaminari would know, he’s seen it enough times after he short circuits), and it’s directed at him. It was also kind of hot. Kaminari thinks he feels his heart stutter.

“What? Scared to talk to me?”

The voice is low, almost throaty, deep and lilted with the promise of a challenge. Kaminari manages to close his mouth, which had been hanging slightly open the entire time he was giving the guy a very blatant once over. Those weren’t really the words that he had expected the stranger to say; he had expected something more along the lines of, “watch where you’re going,” and then he’d be on his way, but—

Dude. Dude! He wants you to talk to him. He’s practically goading you on to talk to him. What— what do I say? Whhhh— no, just play it cool. Play it cool! He’ll wanna be your friend if you just play it cool. Smooth. Smooth like jazz. I don’t even listen to jazz. Why do I feel like I’m short circuiting right now?

As his internal monologue spewed frantic directives at him, it was like the barrier that had been holding Kaminari back had suddenly burst, like a poorly built dam in the face of a monsoon.

The purple-haired guy scoffs, and is about to step past Kaminari, but Kaminari takes a breath and finally finds it in him to respond.

“UM,” he says really loudly with more volume than necessary for a private conversation between the only two students in the hall, and then he slaps a hand to his chest. “I’M KAMINARI DENKI, 15 YEARS OLD, I’M A GEMINI, AND I HAVE THREE SIBLINGS, MY QUIRK IS ELECTRIFICATION, AND MY FAVORITE COLOR IS PURP— YELLOW.”

Smooth.

He inhales a breath as he finishes his sentence, nearly fumbling at the end, and looks at the other student. The guy is staring at him, eyebrows in a slight frown, previously half-lidded eyes widened slightly. Which, of course, Kaminari understands because he just got spewed at with information at a speed that one would only expect if speed dating was made into an Olympic Sport. He probably thought that the blond was crazy.

Kaminari is sure that he’s just instantaneously developed a fire quirk because his face was absolutely burning.

He babbles, “shit, sorry, I swear I’m not this weird. I just— you caught me off guard, or well I guess I must have caught you off guard seeing how I was the one who ran into you, haha, and I just, like, tend to ramble a lot especially when I’m nervous. I mean, not that I’m nervous or anything. I’m like, totally a normal human being who knows how to act properly in social settings. Obviously.”

The guy’s still staring at him, and Kaminari feels like the idiot in the beginning of those Super Strength Gorilla Tape commercials who tries to fix a water pipe leak with a dinky piece of regular duct tape.

“Do you know who I am?” The guy finally says, and yes, Kaminari can work with a response. It’s the silence that compels him to run his mouth like a complete moron.

He reminds himself to breathe before responding. “No. But, y’know, I’d love to. I mean, wouldn’t be opposed to getting to know you.”

The guy looks at him again, and Kaminari feels caught in that purple gaze. The other student squints like he’s trying to classify what species of bug he’s just found. Kaminari is sure that his heart is beating loud enough for him to hear, but in the end, the guy just mutters, “whatever”.

And then he leaves. He walks past Kaminari without another word. He doesn’t even look back. Kaminari would know, because he turned around to stare at the purple-haired enigma until he finally turned the corner.

He lets out a loud breath again, trying to settle his heart rate.

After another minute, he ambles in the direction of class, but his mind is filled with one thought.

Just who the hell was that guy?

He pulls out his phone again, this time making sure to keep the hall in his peripheral, lest he run headfirst into someone else. It would be bad if he ran into someone like Cementoss, a literal slab of sentient cement, because that would definitely lead to an unwanted trip to Recovery Girl. He pulls up the Class 1-A group chat, and deletes what he had been typing before he had run into the mystery student, and begins a new message.

Pika Power (Me): guys. Guys. does anyone know a dude with purple hair its important for REASONS

Headphone Jacked Up: what kind of reasons?

Alien Queen: :O Gay reasons???

Pika Power (Me): REASONS

Sonic 4 Class President: I DO NOT KNOW OF ANYONE IN THE HERO COURSE WITH PURPLE HAIR

Headphone Jacked Up: Um hello this is bi erasure

Sonic 4 Class President: APOLOGIES, I HAD MEANT OUTSIDE OF OUR CLASS

Gravity Girl: ahahah Iida don’t you kind of have purple hair, like just a little bit

Sonic 4 Class President: MINE IS MORE OF A BLUISH BLACK, URARAKA

Gravity Girl: hm why do I feel like I’m getting yelled at

Spider Man with Tape: Wait, hold up, are we just going to ignore the whole gay crisis that Kaminari’s having

Alien Queen: I think it’s a bi-crisis actually

Spider Man with Tape: okay fair but

Spider Man with Tape: um

Spider Man with Tape: why did Jirou just cackle before leaving the room

Spider Man with Tape: Mina why are you following her

Alien Queen: REASONS

Chapter Text

As soon as Kaminari walked into the classroom, he nearly ran face first into Jirou. Just as he thinks that he needs to break this bad habit of literally crashing into people, Jirou places a firm hand on his chest, and pushes him out the door, before grabbing his collar and dragging him along with her.

He stumbles along, following her, as Mina flounces out of the classroom and follows them with a big grin on her face.

When they’re at the end of the hall, Kaminari manages just barely to regain his balance as Jirou spins him around. His back is pressed up against a snack vending machine in an alcove, and Mina and Jirou are both staring at him, expectantly. Mina’s grin hasn’t left her face.

Kaminari bites.

“Okay, what the hell, guys?” He takes a quick glance at his phone. “It’s, like, five minutes into class. Shouldn’t we be, like, I don’t know, in class?”

Jirou rolls her eyes, and some part of Kaminari, the emotional part, warms up— it’s been a long while since he’s been subjected to the goth girl’s signature sardonicism. He could shed a tear, maybe.

“Chill, Denks. Aizawa-sensei is recovering for another week, we think he’s still majorly fucked from the whole USJ thing.”

He doesn’t miss the way the girl stifles a shudder. Even though both of them had been together, fighting off villains with Yaoyorozu, it didn’t mean that they were blind to the damage that the battle between that the Nomu (or whatever the fuck that abomination was called) had inflicted on their teacher. The aftermath had been horrible.

“So we have a study hall for the first period,” Jirou ends.

“Okay? So you brought me out here to what, study the vending machine?”

“So,” Mina chimes in, “as your fellow bi teenagers, we realized that you’re going through a ‘bi crisis’. We’re, like, legally required to intervene. You can thank us later.”

Kaminari stares at the pinkette. A bi crisis?

“What… is that?” Kaminari finally says.

Jirou crosses her arms. “It’s when you’re bi and you’re having a crisis. Duh.”

Mina nods sagely. “And we’re going to help you through your crisis, because for one, we’re heroes so it’s kind of our thing, but also because we went through our own crises ourselves! We adapted and overcame, so we can help you too.”

She loops one arm around Jirou’s shoulder, and forms the other hand into an encouraging thumbs up.

And, now isn’t that something to consider. Is he having a crisis? Kaminari thinks back to when Jirou had asked him if he’s into guys, and he vaguely recalls the spiel he had given her, highlighting the various attractive features of the boys of Class 1-A. Still, that didn’t necessarily mean he was into any of them. Kaminari’s just a man with a lot of love to give! He could name objectively all the attractive traits of the girls in Class 1-A too, and that didn’t make him strictly heterosexual. But that also didn’t make him not heterosexual… right?

So, yeah, sexuality is a difficult subject, and Kaminari is not going to pretend that he has his head entirely wrapped around it.

But then, there was the fact that not ten minutes ago, he had literally ran into the most attractive student at U.A. that he’s ever seen. The fact that since then, ninety percent of his thought processes had been revolving around how he could find the kid again and maybe possibly become friends with him. Wanting to friend someone up wasn’t a crisis, was it?

“Am I really having a crisis though?” He finally muses aloud, “Like, I don’t even know if I like guys in that way. Or if I know what my type is.”

Well, he was starting to get an idea of his type. Memories of shades of violet and a sharp gaze are at the forefront of his mind.

“Well, what about your mystery man, the ‘dude with purple hair’?” Jirou prompts, as if she read her mind (more likely, she read his texts to the group chat).

Kaminari feels his cheeks heat up a little. He really needs to stop thinking about that messy, fluffy, adorable head of hair.

Mina and Jirou share a look.

“You’ve got it bad, huh, Denks,” Jirou says.

And then he remembers the disaster of a first conversation he had with the mystery student. The one that was not so much of a conversation as it was Kaminari blurting out barely coherent run-on sentences in hopes of getting a response out of the other.

Kaminari groans and smacks his palms against his cheeks, the loud sound of flesh on flesh reverberating through the alcove.

“I was such a dumbass in front of him! I told him I was a Gemini! And my age! And my quirk and also the number of siblings I have for some reason! Not once did I ask him for his name! Or stop to breathe, like a normal human being!” His voice is strained, as he tries to repress his stupid, stupid brain from replaying the conversation in an infinite loop from hell.

“Shit.” Mina whistles lowly. “You are a disaster bi. I love it. I vibe with this.”

“Normal human beings are overrated anyways,” Jirou dismisses with an air of coolness that Kaminari hopes to one day achieve, but knows that being the spazz he is, it’s probably a vain effort.

“I still don’t even know what my type is,” Kaminari says miserably.

“Maybe you don’t really have a defined type,” Jirou says, looking him in the eye with a small smile, “I mean, you seem like the type of guy who just likes people. And, I guess this purple haired dude must have been somewhat attractive to you, right?”

Kaminari nods. He conjures up an image of the mystery student, and then nods again, more dreamily this time. “He’s really hot in a kind of sleep-deprived way.” A thought hits him, and he voices it before he has time to process it. “Actually, he reminds me a little bit of Aizawa.”

Mina wrinkles her nose. “You think Aizawa-sensei’s hot?”

“NO,” he yells in a visceral gut-reaction. Even saying that just feels wrong. It would be like admitting that your dad was hot, Kaminari thinks.

Mina snorts.

“Anyways, Jirou’s right, Denks! You don’t need to figure out your exact type right now, but if you wanna meet up with this guy again and get to know him better, we totally support you one hundred percent! It might just help you learn something about yourself,” she says, and flashes him a big grin with all teeth.

Kaminari feels warmth bloom in his chest as Jirou nods her support. He really didn’t know what he had been missing before he had come to U.A. and met Class 1-A, hadn’t he? And he nods, because their words make sense. Besides, he knows that he’d love the idea of seeing his mystery student again, and the thought of making him smile that smirk again raises gooseflesh on his skin just thinking about it. And he had absolutely no clue why.

Maybe it would help him learn a little more about himself if he got to know the guy.

There was just one problem.

“But I don’t even know his name!”

Mina’s black eyes shine with what could only be determination. Her thumb and pointer finger extend in the shape of a checkmark as she rests her chin on her hand, nodding enthusiastically. “Well, you know what he looks like, and you know he goes here! I don’t think he’s in Class 1-B, so he’s probably either a support student or a general studies student since the business students are on the other side of campus.”

“Plus, I don’t think purple hair is a very common hair color. I mean, I’m the only student in the hero studies course with purple hair that we know,” Jirou says, “so that’s a somewhat defining trait too.”

Oh. And holy shit, because Kaminari realizes that he has more of a chance than he thinks at finding the guy again. U.A. is touted as an exclusive school after all, so there’s only so many students he could run into before he finds his guy again. And then maybe, just maybe, he’ll get to make a better impression on him.

That would be nice.

Feeling slightly like he had just gone through all the stages of grief throughout this intervention of sorts, Kaminari crosses his arms, and leans back against the vending machine, bending one knee to rest his foot against the glass encasing the snacks.

“So, what are your guys’ types then?”

“I kind of have fleeting crushes on just about everyone and anyone that I meet, if they catch my eye. Life is great,” Mina grins, a twinkle in her eye. Kaminari thinks that he’s not that surprised by her answer, and he guesses he can relate to it a little bit. After all, he has it on good authority that he flirts with anything with a pulse, so.

“Valid,” he says, before turning to Jirou. Curiously, the normally stoic girl has a deep red blush swimming across her pale cheeks.

Huh.

Kaminari puts his foot down and shifts, standing up straight. He’s suddenly very interested in her answer.

After another few seconds of silence, Jirou finally says in a quiet voice, so quiet that Kaminari could have almost missed it, “...Momo.”

Yaoyorozu Momo. Class 1-A’s vice-president, goddess incarnate, and student whom Jirou never fails to defend from Kaminari’s antics and harmless flirting. The pieces click into place, and Kaminari’s lips tug into a wide smile from ear to ear.

“Oho?” He hoots.

“Ohoho?” Mina responds in turn, grinning even wider than Kaminari.

Jirou’s flush deepens even further at their childish teasing.

“Shut up!” She hisses, slapping Kaminari on the shoulder, “You can’t tell her!”

Kaminari slaps a palm to his chest, the other one facing outwards in a ‘swear to God’ motion. “My lips are sealed. Thus is the pact of our new squad.” He says solemnly, despite the barely suppressed quirk to his lips, and Mina nods in agreement. “Hey, what are we called by the way?”

“Good question,” Jirou mutters, averting her eyes in what seemed to be a valiant attempt to get her face back to a normal color.

“Wait,” Mina pulls out her phone, tapping away on it.

Kaminari’s phone buzzes. He sees the notification on the home screen: Alien Queen has added Pika Power and Headphone Jacked Up to group.

His phone buzzes again.

Alien Queen has set the group name as The twenty bi-teenager squad.

Kaminari grins. He likes the sound of that.

Chapter Text

After forming the The twenty bi-teenager squad group chat, they had brain stormed some easy ways he could try to track down his mystery purple haired friend (acquaintance?). It makes sense that the first place that Kaminari hits is the caféteria during lunch rushes. After all, that’s when there was the most foot traffic and where the most concentrated area of students would be. However, after an entire week of walking down the aisles between tables and awkwardly trying to pick out faces during lunch, he doesn’t see the purple haired kid at all.

It seems his mystery haired dude is either really elusive, or prefers not to eat in the café. Was he some kind of loner, or was the universe conspiring against Kaminari to keep his mystery man a mystery?

He then takes to walking among the halls of U.A. during lunch and study periods, trying to find the guy while shoveling rice and tamagoyaki down his throat at the same time. He got a few weird looks as he prowled the hall and inhaled his lunch at the same time, but it was a sacrifice Kaminari had to make.

After around half a month, Kaminari realizes that maybe he has to try another tactic.

And he would have brainstormed with Mina and Jirou, but then it’s midterm exam season, and Kaminari gets distracted. Like, really distracted.

Here’s the thing about academics and Kaminari. They have a sort of on-and-off relationship, one that Kaminari has come to detest over the years. Sometimes, when he’s listening to Cementoss or whoever go on and on about Japanese Literature or Chemistry, he’s able to absorb it like a sponge. He doesn’t really know how or when it happens, but it’s like a switch in his brain has been turned on and the only thing he can focus on is the words coming out of his teachers’ mouths. The facts just get imprinted in his mind with a hot iron, and he can recall them on the test just fine.

On the other hand, when he’s distracted, all bets are off. It can be the littlest thing— a butterfly outside the window, a hair out of place on Midnight’s head, or even just listening to Deku tapping his pencil on the side of his notebook— and then suddenly he’s missed the entire lesson. It’s utterly frustrating, but the worst part of it is trying to actually then study for those courses. Kaminari has always had a horrible time studying.

It’s like reading the words on the page just isn’t enough of a stimulus to get his brain fired and ready to memorize. He’s tried to isolate himself, rewrite the notes, and even read them aloud, but it doesn’t penetrate through the invisible barrier surrounding his brain.

In fact, Sero and Mineta always joke and tease him about being a dumbass who can’t digest information, which despite being hilarious (Kaminari likes to ignore the voice in his head which protests), is not entirely his fault! It’s not like he wants to turn off his brain when he so desperately is trying to soak in information. And the thing is, this isn’t a problem when it comes to heroics. When he’s placed into that high-paced life-or-death situation, it’s like he gets a sense of sudden clarity. He’s taking in everything and anything that will help him survive, help him win, and his brain actually listens to him as the red hot adrenaline pumps through his body.

But academics is a different story. It’s like Kaminari has this low grade humming underneath his skin, running through his veins, like rivers of electricity. And, everytime he tries to sit still, tries to force himself to listen, the humming just gets louder and louder until he gets distracted by something, anything, and everything, and suddenly he’s not studying anymore. It’s difficult and he hates it. As much as he tries to ignore the voice inside his head when his friends tease him, he hates that he just amounts to being the dumb one. Even when he short circuits on the field and feels like he’s seeing his life flash before his eyes, he just becomes… dumb.

So, when exam season rolls around at U.A., Kaminari is keyed up and determined to get through this with minimal amount of grief. He’s not worried about the heroics portion of the exam, because he knows he has a good sense of intuition and he trusts his instincts; when it comes down to it, Kaminari believes he’d do the right thing in any of the villain battle simulations.

But, the problem was that even heroes have to take the general requirements. Meaning, the following week held a ton of coffee and sugar in store for Kaminari, because fuck, he’s still bad at math, and what the hell is a derivative? How is English grammar so damn difficult? He’d thought that learning different Kanji for his first language had been enough of a pain, but English seemed to take its own rules, throw them in a blender, and then created a barely functional language out of the remains. Why the fuck were the letters shaped like that? What the fuck is a silent letter? If it’s silent, why is there?

Desperately, he wished that math were all silent numbers too.

He’s really dreading the exam, and didn’t really get much sleep the day before. So, Kaminari kind of goes MIA during lunch, grabbing his surprisingly organized math notes outside of the building in lieu of a lunch box, and finds a spot in the courtyard that looks promising. A cherry blossom tree with smatterings of gorgeous pink flowers, providing a comforting shadow for students to sit under.

He rubs at his eyes, before sitting down cross legged, leaning against the tree trunk. He barely feels it against his back— his muscles are knotted with the stress of studying, and the inevitability of blanking during the exam next period. Opening his notes, he hunches over the notebook in his lap and stares at the symbols which were quite literally greek to him. Why did math even matter? It’s not like he was going to meet a villain who could only be defeated by reciting the Fibonacci sequence at him.

… Because that would actually be kind of cool, Kaminari thinks vaguely. He discards the thought vehemently, pulling out a highlighter. He’s seen Yaoyorozu use a ten-pack of highlighters before, and although he was only armed with a single dinky greenish yellow one, he also knows that Yaoyorozu is the smartest person he’ll ever meet: he’ll do whatever it takes to get closer to a passing grade.

It turns out to be more of a distraction, however, than a learning aid. He ends up highlighting an entire page before he puts away the marker, sighing harshly. He pulls out a pencil and decides to try his hand at practice problems.

He’s so engrossed in trying to pound the formulas and concepts in his mind, scribbling down answers to questions that he copied from the textbook, that it takes him a few seconds longer than usual to register the shadow over him not belonging to the cherry tree. Blinking, Kaminari looks up.

His eyes widened.

A violet explosion of hair, a bored face, and half-lidded eyes meet his gaze.

It’s his mystery guy.

“Oh, holy shit. You’re the guy I met!”

The guy just raises an eyebrow. As Kaminari’s staring at him like he’s just discovered a legendary Pokémon, he realizes something; this is probably where the guy eats his lunch. That’s why Kaminari hasn’t been able to track him down— this is the first time he’s stumbled upon this cherry blossom tree after all.

He scrambles to shove his notes into order again, and says, “Am I in your spot right now? Sorry about that, man, do you want me to get out of your way?”

A part of him, a very loud part of him, hopes that the guy says no.

Instead, he shrugs and says, “no one else really comes here.”

It makes sense. The tree was at the corner of the courtyard, kind of far away from the buildings on campus, especially if you wanted to run to class afterwards.

“It’s very relaxing,” Kaminari says, absently happy that he’s not spewing an embarrassing word vomit like he did when he first met the guy, “I usually eat lunch inside the caféteria with my friends but, uh, I’m a little stressed about exams. Maybe ‘a little’ is an understatement. I’m a lot stressed about exams, more like it.”

He lets out a little chuckle, despite the pit of anxiety in his stomach that’s currently torn between excitement at talking to the guy he’s been trying to find for the better part of the last few weeks and freaking out because he has an exam in a little less than an hour that he might honest-to-God just fail.

“Sorry dude, you probably don’t wanna hear about this,” he says when the guy doesn’t respond. Kaminari wonders if he should just cut his losses and pack up and leave. He’s not exactly a fun person to be around when he’s stressed, and he doesn’t particularly want to turn off his mystery guy from seeing him again— after all, he has plans to befriend him. Plans that might be better executed if he didn’t feel like his innards were being shoved through a rollercoaster ride from hell right now.

But, to his utter surprise, the purple-haired student just looks at him again, and then takes a seat next to him, leaning against the bark.

“What are you studying?”

The low voice reverberates out of his throat, and Kaminari squashes down the stupid urge to put his palm on the other’s chest just to feel the rumble as he speaks.

He rubs his eyes again instead, and responds, “Just general requirements. Like math, though I’d rather be doing anything else right now. I’m not really what you call ‘good at focusing’ and I haven’t been using the sleep lately. I mean, usually when that happens, it’s because I’m staying up watching YouTube videos or something, but now it’s because of math, which just makes it all the more depressing, y’know?”

Mystery Guy hmm’s, nodding once like he understands. Judging by the designer bags under his eyes, Kaminari thinks that he probably understands more than anybody.

They sit in silence for a few minutes as Mystery Guy pulls out his lunch. Kaminari turns back to his notes, but it’s doubly hard to focus with the warm presence at his side. They’re not touching, but if Kaminari stretched his arms out, there would definitely be contact. Half his brain is thinking about that, while the other is trying to work through a problem.

“You’re making a mistake there,” the guy says suddenly, and Kaminari’s pencil stutters to a halt.

He looks over the problem that he’s been working on.

“It’s on the third line.”

Kaminari stares harder and realizes that yeah, he did make a mistake. A pretty basic one, one of those mistakes that makes you fuck up the rest of the problem because it carries over.

“Shit. Yeah. You’re right,” He says, with a breathy laugh that sounds flat. He feels weary. “I think I just don’t get this.”

The Mystery Guy looks at him again, for a moment, as if deciding what to do. For a split second, Kaminari wishes that he had just kept his mouth shut and tried to charm him and be the regular Kaminari that everyone knew and loved. It was just bad luck that the other student had caught him during exam season, because then maybe Kaminari wouldn’t have seemed so pathetic. Maybe he can just open his mouth and deflect, change the topic and learn more about his Mystery Guy. Maybe—

“There’s a simple trick to problems like this.”

The guy holds his hand out.

Kaminari snaps his mouth closed, and hands over his notebook and pencil.

The Mystery Guy (who apparently is also a Smart Guy) walks him through the problem in a way that was decidedly different than the one he learned in class, but much easier to grasp his mind around. By the end of his brief explanation which had only lasted a handful of minutes, Kaminari is staring at him again, this time reverently.

“Holy shit. That’s genius. You’re a genius. I actually get it. That’s fucking awesome,” he says.

Mystery Guy’s eyes widen just a little, before he smirks.

“You’re easy to impress.”

Despite the way Kaminari’s heart fluttered a little at the familiar smirk that’s been plaguing his thoughts recently, he still can’t help but feel his chest tighten and his throat dry.

Instead, he laughs.

“Yeah, I guess I’m pretty dumb like that.”

It comes out like a joke and Kaminari grins like he does with Sero and Mineta. He expects Mystery Guy to do the same.

Mystery Guy is full of surprises.

He has a thoughtful expression. “No, not dumb. Easy going, maybe.”

Easy going.

Not dumb.

Huh.

Something warm, something new blossoms in his stomach. The anxiety of the exam has dulled, muted, making way for a calmness that he hasn’t felt before in a long time. Mystery Guy says it so matter-of-factly— not dumb— that Kaminari feels feels like he’s seeing the Mystery Guy for the first time again, because his hands are sweating a little bit and he’s staring at the purple-haired student with his awe written on his face.

Kaminari is mesmerized.

“Dude,” he says, “you’ve gotta tell me your name.”

There’s a pause, which Kaminari is getting used to. He figures Mystery Guy just likes to take his time and think, which is the total opposite of Kaminari (read: foot in mouth syndrome).

“Shinso Hitoshi,” Mystery Guy— no, Shinso, responds.

Kaminari grins. “Well, I’m Kaminari Denki— though I’m sure you remember me yelling that at you a few weeks ago.” Kaminari thinks that he sees the hint of a smirk tug at Shinso’s lips and counts it as a win.

“And, Shinso, because of you, I will hopefully not be failing my math exam. So, like, you’re basically my hero,” Kaminari smiles again, wide and full of mirth, glad that his previous bouts of awkwardness were practically gone.

Shinso’s eyes widen slightly at the word hero. Kaminari thinks that he may be imagining the barely-there pink flush on his face. It reminds him of the cherry blossoms that they’re sitting under.

“Wow, such high praise,” Shinso drawls.

Before Kaminari can respond, the bell rings for the next period.

He looks at his notebook.

Then he jumps up.

Kaminari frantically gathers his notes and shoves them in his bag haphazardly, before he glances at Shinso and shoots him a two-fingered salute. There’s so much that he wanted to say, that he could’ve said, but he settled for a quick goodbye.

“I gotta get to my exam, but I really hope I see you around Shinso!”

Shinso blinks and then waves a laconic goodbye. It suits his sleepy demeanor, Kaminari thinks.

And then he zooms off like a bolt, making his way to conquer or be conquered by midterms. There’s a skip in his step that lasts for the rest of the day.

---

Later, at the end of the school day, as they’re packing up their bags to walk home, Kaminari flags down Jirou and Mina. Excitement is thrumming through every pore in his body, and by the look on Jirou’s face, she can tell.

“Guys. Guys, I think I actually passed the math exam!” Kaminari gushes.

“Seriously? I thought we were going to be remedial class buddies,” Mina laments, and Kaminari laughs.

He thinks that he passed, not with flying marks, but just enough to get by. Which, honestly, was just fine with him. But, what really had him excited, was—

“And I met him, I met my Mystery Guy!”

“Oh my God, you should have said that first!” Mina squeals. “Who is it?”

“His name is Shinso, and I just— oh fuck, I forgot to get his phone number. And I’m not sure what department he’s in,” Kaminari realizes. The only thing he really got from him was his name.

Jirou rolls her eyes. “Classic.”

But Kaminari isn’t deterred. After all, he knows his name, when just a few hours ago he didn’t even have that!

“Whatever,” he says, “I’m just gonna have to Plus Ultra the shit out of this guy.”

“I don’t think that means what you think it does,” Jirou says, but Mina puts an arm around Kaminari in understanding.

Kaminari grins. He’s excited to see Shinso again.

Chapter Text

The next time Kaminari finds Shinso is by chance.

Class 1-A has another free period. All Might (Kaminari still thinks it’s absolutely batshit crazy that the All Might, the #1 Hero in all of Japan, is teaching them) heads the Foundational Hero Studies course. As such, they’re currently working on a small project which is easy, open-ended, and sure to be enjoyable: do a research report on a hero with an “unconventional” quirk, and analyze how they use it to their advantage on the field.

As a result, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sero head to the library during their free period to get a little research done.

They find a free table and sit at it, when Kaminari notices Shinso sitting at a table by himself across the room.

“Shinso!” He says a little too loudly, earning him a venomous look and a shush from the librarian. He winces in apology, but still walks over to Shinso, whose head had perked up slowly from the book he had been reading.

Kaminari pulls out a chair and sits next to the purple haired student (purplette?), before grinning at him.

“I gotta thank you, since you saved my ass. All those math tricks you taught me really worked out in the end! Ectoplasm was impressed,” he said, remembering the math teacher come around and hand him his exam back with a pleased nod. “Well, I think he was just impressed that I didn’t manage to fail, but y’know. Still counts.”

Shinso looks at him with that unnerving eye contact that Kaminari kind of appreciates for some reason.

“Huh,” is all he says.

“A man of few words,” Kaminari nods in understanding, though he wouldn’t begin to understand what it feels like not to blurt out almost everything you’re feeling at a given moment. “So— whatcha doin’?”

Shinso blinks at him, before seeming resigned to talking to Kaminari. He doesn’t seem frustrated or annoyed by it though, which the blond counts as a win. The taller boy gestures to the book he’s reading.

“Reading about quirks,” he says, and Kaminari takes a look at the book. He catches the title on the header of the chapter— Heroes and Villains and their quirks: 2018 edition. So it’s not the most up-to-date edition, but it seems to be an ongoing archive of prominent people of interest and their quirks. Kaminari makes a mental note to check it out later, as it sounds like it might help him with his own assignment.

“Are you interested in heroes? Makes sense,” Kaminari says with a wink.

“Makes sense?”

“I mean, you totally damsel-in-distressed me under the cherry blossom tree, so yeah, I’d say it makes sense.” Kaminari remembers something then. “By the way, what department are you in?”

“General studies.”

“Ah, gotcha. I hadn’t pegged you for a business studies kid, but the support department is always a toss up. I’m in the heroics department, by the way!”

“... I know,” Shinso says, without any further explanation.

He knows?

Kaminari fights down the blush that threatens to flood his cheeks. It’s not really a big deal that Shinso knows who he is— in fact, Class 1-A is kind of infamous around the school, especially after the USJ incident. Kaminari also knows that his classmates are more outspoken than previous classes (read: Bakugo) so it’s no wonder that people from other departments know them. Hell, he’s even heard that students from the business department keep statistic sheets on each upcoming hero in the heroics department, which is kind of creepy in Kaminari’s humble opinion.

The blond looks over at the page that Shinso’s on, trying to distract himself from his rapidly derailing train of thought.

Enthrall: this quirk is activated by touch, and was most notably used by the villain MindHack in the 2013 string of bank robberies in and around Tokyo. This quirk falls under the category of hypnosis quirks…

“Enthrall, huh? Sounds interesting,” Kaminari says. “Though MindHack is kind of a stupid name.”

Shinso hmm’s before saying, “It’s a villain’s quirk. With a single touch, he can get anyone to fall under his thrall. He then gives his commands verbally. The length of the hypnosis depends on how long the contact is.”

Kaminari whistles. The quirk honestly sounds kind of OP— being able to control people with just a touch. Even with the contact time stipulation in there, the amount of things you could do with a quirk like that and just a smidge of creativity are endless. And it also doesn’t seem like a quirk with any physical repercussions, which Kaminari envies.

He groans and stretches his arms, leaning back in his chair. Shinso’s gaze lazily follows his arms before settling back on Kaminari’s eyes.

“Ugh. It sucks when villains have all the good quirks, right?”

Shinso raises an eyebrow, looking at Kaminari with a little more intensity.

“What do you mean?”

Kaminari waves his hands as he explains himself. “Well, quirks aren’t inherently good or evil, right? It all depends on the person. Like, hypnosis-type quirks would be great for heroes since they could literally just tap the villains and begone, thot them into submission! But instead they’re out here using it for bad.”

Kaminari shakes his head. Some of the villains they had run into at the USJ had seriously cool quirks. It was honestly a shame that they were on the wrong side.

He looks at Shinso, who’s still staring at him in that appraising way of his.

“Does that make sense?” Kaminari probes.

Shinso nods once, slowly. “I understand. And I agree.”

Kaminari grins. “Good! It’s actually kind of cool how people with unconventional quirks use them on the field— maybe I’ll take a look at that book after you.”

Shinso shrugs, looking back at the page with the Enthrall quirk.

“So, are you trying to join the hero course then?”

Shino grunts in response. “Yeah. Just another general studies hero hopeful, I guess,” there’s an undercurrent of sarcasm there, but Kaminari is a professional Jirou-whisperer, so it’s nothing he’s not used to. Shinso side-eyes him. “Surprised?”

Kaminari snorts. “Hero hopeful? I like the sound of that, you’ll fit right in. That’s awesome though, I’m totally rootin’ for ya.” Kaminari flashes him a brilliant thumbs up that he hopes infuses Shinso with all the confidence and good luck he’ll need to get into the heroics course. It would be really cool if Shinso joined Class 1-A.

Getting to see Shinso on a daily basis, seeing him laugh up close and personal, introducing him to all of Kaminari’s friends— that reminds Kaminari of the last conversation with Mina and Jirou, how he’d lamented not even getting Shinso’s phone number. As per usual, Kaminari seemed to be getting ahead of himself.

Kaminari puts his elbows on the table, resting his chin at a slight angle on his hands in what he thinks is a cute gesture.

“By the way, what’s it gonna take for me to get your phone number?” He bats his lashes.

If Shinso is surprised, he doesn’t show it. But still, he asks, “why?”

“Well, like I said, you kind of saved me last week with your last minute tutoring, and I think you’re kinda cool, and I wanna be friends with you. Hope you enjoyed this TED talk,” Kaminari said with a grin.

And also you’re kind of gorgeous in a lowkey way, and I wanna run my hands through your purple hair, but I’m still somewhat sexually confused so I’ll settle for being friends.

His inner dialogue remains inner, thankfully.

Shinso’s eyebrows are furrowed, his lips quirked down in what looks like a frown but not quite. He’s staring at Kaminari, but he’s not saying anything and it’s been a minute of silence and—

And even Kaminari knows how to take a hint.

“Ah,” he laughs it off, waving his hands like it’s no big deal, even though he thinks he can hear the world’s tiniest violin playing a tragic song in his head, “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything.” He shoots Shinso a thumbs up, though it’s decidedly more lackluster than his previous one. He gets up, and rubs the back of his head sheepishly. “I’ll leave you alone, don’t worry about it!”

Right as he’s about to turn around, he feels a tug at the back of his collar.

“Wait,” a strained voice says. Kaminari turns around to the purple haired boy leaning awkwardly over the chair Kaminari just got up from, hand outstretched. He’s holding his phone out for Kaminari. From the outside, it looks kind of funny, Shinso reaching desperately over the chair to hand Kaminari a phone, and Kaminari…

Kaminari feels his heart in his throat.

“Shinso…” he says, the name leaving his lips without his own knowing.

Then he walks forward and grabs Shinso’s shoulders, staring at him.

Shinso stares back, wide eyed. Kaminari doesn’t think he’s ever seen Shinso look so awake in the few interactions they’ve had.

“You do like me!” Kaminari all but screeches, earning him another violent shush from the librarian lady.

Shinso jolts. At first, Kaminari thinks that it’s because of his own loud voice, but then—

“You shocked me!” Shinso says, sounding more incredulous than hurt.

Kaminari grins, feeling his cheeks heat with chagrin, but doesn’t let go of Shinso. Not when his smile is so wide that it hurts.

“Sorry, it happens when I’m excited,” he says, not sounding sorry at all.

Shinso is avoiding his gaze now, a scowl on his face, but it’s lessened by the way his cheeks are sporting a pink flush matching Kaminari’s.

He all but shoves his phone into Kaminari’s chest.

“Whatever, just put your number in,” Shinso mutters, and Kaminari does so with gusto. He also makes sure to take a cute selfie with his tongue out and winking flirtily, setting it as his profile picture on Shinso’s phone. He’s sure Shinso rolls his eyes when he does it, but he’s not deterred in the least.

He’s practically buzzing with electric excitement, and Kaminari finally gets kicked out of the library as a result of being too loud in his elation. He waves bye and blows a kiss to Shinso as he’s getting dragged out of the library by Sero and Kirishima on the orders of the crabby librarian. He thinks Shinso looks exasperated, but the corners of his lips told a different story.

As they’re outside the library, Sero and Kirishima let go of his arms.

Sero slaps him on the back. Kaminari thinks he hears Kirishima say, “so manly,” as Sero whistlers, “you smooth motherfucker.”

Kaminari laughs as they walk back to class.

---

In the end, he can’t get Enthrall out of his mind, ironically enough, so he ends up doing his report on the villain. He writes about how the villain made use of his quirk on the field in clever ways— walking in public places such as a crowded train to ensure contact with people for extended periods of time to maximize the usability of his quirk, etc. He writes about how he thinks that if the villain were a hero, anonymity would be key— that they would make a perfect underground hero. Sure, it’s not about a hero like the assignment asked for, but he’s got the “unconventional quirk” part down pat.

As such, All Might comments in that booming voice of his that it’s an “unconventional report befitting an unconventional prompt,” and that Kaminari raised some valid points, though he would definitely prefer if Kaminari followed the guidelines a little more strictly next time. Kaminari actually felt good about the damn thing— even Midoriya had wanted to take a look at it after class, gushing over it in that weird yet endearing mumbling way of his.

---

Unknown Number: It’s Shinso.

Pika Power (Me): Shinso!!! How’s your shoulder?

Pika Power (Me): Must have been… a shocking experience

Kaminari smiled to himself at the joke, as he set a custom name for him.

Purple Ultra: …

Purple Ultra: don’t worry about it. im fine

Purple Ultra: … see you later

Pika Power (Me): attached: pikachu_waving_goodbye.gif

Kaminari drops his phone on his bed and flops down face first into his pillow, smothering his dopey grin.

Chapter Text

It becomes a thing between them now.

Kaminari is just constantly texting Shinso.

It starts at 2 A.M. on a school night.

Kaminari doesn’t know why he does this to himself. At 10 P.M., after herding his little sisters to their rooms for bed, he tells himself that he’ll sleep within the hour after just one YouTube video. He’ll definitely conk out by 11 P.M., since that’s what a responsible hero-in-the-making with self-restraint would do.

Somehow, one video turns into one more video, and then Kaminari blinks, looking at the digital clock on his bed stand with glaring red LED digits, realizing that it’s 2 A.M. already.

It just goes to support his theory that time is an illusion, which makes time-bending quirk users actually a subset of illusory quirk users, but that’s a debate for later. Normally, Kaminari would throw his phone on his pillow and try to fall asleep, but he can’t. The last video he watched was a BuzzFeed Unsolved video. He loved watching the two hosts go around and try to find urban legends and ghosts. Their quirks were just perfect for the job; one of them had an EMF scanning quirk, while the other had night vision. The episode he had just watched was about the Goatman’s Bridge, and now Kaminari can’t stop wondering if U.A. has any paranormal activity going on.

Like, what if someone had the ability to see ghosts? Would there even be any ghosts tethered to Earth, or would they all have passed on to another realm? Do ghosts even exist?

Kaminari’s leg is shaking under his sheets, practically vibrating, just like trying desperately to calm down and pay attention in class. He caves after approximately two seconds, grabbing his phone and unlocking it, wincing at the sharp light of his screen in the darkness of his room.

Pika Power (Me): do you believe in ghosts

Kaminari doesn’t expect to get a response, not really, because he knows that it’s pretty late and it is a school night. But, to his satisfaction, his phone vibrates less than a minute later.

Purple Ultra: … why are you asking me this now?

Pika Power (Me): YOURE AWAKE

Pika Power (Me): a kindred soul !!!!

Purple Ultra: im always awake

Purple Ultra: also explain

Pika Power (Me): well

Pika Power (Me): i fell down the YouTube rabbit hole and ended up binge watching a few buzzfeed unsolved videos

Pika Power (Me): and like now im wondering if there are any ghosts at UA

Pika Power (Me): just lurkin yknow

Purple Ultra: ive seen it before

Pika Power (Me): a ghost???

Purple Ultra: no, ive seen buzzfeed unsolved before

Pika Power (Me): wow what a tease

Pika Power (Me): i thought i saw a ghost once

Pika Power (Me): it ended up being aizawa sensei pre-morning caffeine tho

Pika Power (Me): literally as white as a sheet

Purple Ultra: huh. relatable tbh

Pika Power (Me): ah i shouldve known

Purple Ultra: ?

Pika Power (Me): youre one of those people who cant wake up unless you have an IV drip of caffeine first thing in the morning right

Purple Ultra: you really have me nailed down dont you

Purple Ultra: youre a regular detective pikachu

Kaminari snorts at that one.

Pika Power (Me): you know what? thats unironically my lock screen right now

Purple Ultra: why am i not surprised

Purple Ultra: i bet you also watched the live action sonic movie

Well, of course he did. And he dragged the majority of class 1-A to go see it! A movie about a mutant quirk user in a world full of quirkless people? Genius. Besides, it inspired his contact name for Iida, which he’s sure the class president just loves.

Pika Power (Me): listen

Pika Power (Me): call me out why dont you

Pika Power (Me): as long as we’re exposing cringy live action movies

Pika Power (Me): i bet youve seen the cats movie

It was a shot in the dark, and honestly Kaminari was just teasing, but then…

Purple Ultra: …

Pika Power (Me): oh my god

Pika Power (Me): i was just joking

Pika Power (Me): but you actually DID

Purple Ultra: theres a very good reason for this

Pika Power (Me): sure sure

Purple Ultra: i didnt see the trailer before going

Purple Ultra: i went in woefully blind

Purple Ultra: i thought it was actually about cats

Pika Power (Me): the first step to accepting yourself is admitting youre a furry

Purple Ultra: shut up

Purple Ultra: i like cats sue me

There’s a rustle, and a warm weight on Kaminari’s bed. He grins at the timing.

Pika Power (Me): well

Pika Power (Me): youre in luck

He turns the flash on his phone on, and takes a picture of the little fluffy gremlin that had just padded into his room.

Pika Power (Me): attached: fluff_monster.jpeg

Purple Ultra: you have a cat????

Purple Ultra: didnt take you as a cat person

Purple Ultra: shes so… fluffy

Pika Power (Me): haha its my younger siblings cat technically

Purple Ultra: send me more pictures

Purple Ultra: asap

Purple Ultra: its important

Kaminari grins stupidly at his phone. So Shinso was a cat lover, huh?

Pika Power (Me): roger that

Pika Power (Me): attached: fluff_monster_in_pennywise_costume.jpeg

Pika Power (Me): my sisters really liked the It movie

Purple Ultra: cute

Purple Ultra: i like horror movies too

Vaguely, Kaminari wonders if he’ll ever fulfill his fantasy of watching a horror movie with a significant other. He’s not the best at dealing with them, but it would give him a great excuse to cuddle and hold hands. He thinks that Shinso would be a great cuddler.

Pika Power (Me): makes sense, you sat through the cats movie

Pika Power (Me): thats pretty horrifying idk

Purple Ultra: youre never going to let that go are you

Pika Power (Me): plus ultra ;)

They text for a bit longer, and when Kaminari looks up, the clock reads 3:40 A.M. Before he knew it, he’d been so engrossed in their banter that he didn’t even feel weariness creep up on him like a gentle weight on his eyelids.

He grins at his phone as Shinso sends him another text. Just ten more minutes, he tells himself, thumbs tapping out a witty response.

---

The texting becomes and stays a thing between them. Kaminari doesn’t really recall being a huge texter— he usually drops memes in group chats and occasionally writes snarky responses, but he’s never actively used his data plan until recently.

Because this thing he has with Shinso is fun. Sometimes Kaminari will just take a picture of a plant or something and send it to him with the caption ‘this is you’, and Shinso responds with another picture. Or, they’ll just banter over stupid shit like the OP-ness of quirks in Marvel movies, or send each other dumb screenshots of Tumblr posts, or even just say ‘hey’ back and forth. It’s refreshing, and he doesn’t feel obligated to come up with conversation just for the sake of conversation.

He’s not trying to actively be discreet about it, but he didn’t know it was noticeable either, until one Friday night. Kirishima, Sero, and an unwilling Bakugo are hanging out at Kirishima’s house, playing video games in his very Crimson Riot themed room, which Kaminari had loved. Although he’s not the biggest Crimson Riot stan, he kinda just really liked the whole mono-colored theme thing Kirishima had going on. After all, if Kaminari had the time and patience to decorate his own room with more than just the occasional taped up poster and displayed figurine, he would so cover everything he owned with yellow.

Though recently, he finds that he’s liking the color purple more and more.

“Dude!” Kirishima laughs as Bakugo’s character (Bowser, but Bakugo calls it “that fuckin’ big ass turtle") falls off the side of Rainbow Road again. As it turns out, Bakugo is kind of shit at video games, and therefore increasingly volatile. Somehow, Kirishima is immune to the explosive boy’s rough nature. Sero, on the other hand, leans away from the spiky-haired blond who is currently gritting his teeth and growling violently at the same time.

Kaminari is trying to play Yellow Toad to the best of his ability, but he’s more of a Super Smash Bros aficionado anyways. His little sisters could destroy him in Mario Kart with their eyes closed.

His phone buzzed.

With one hand on the controller, he was trying (and failing) to keep Yellow Toad on the track, not falling into the endless abyss of space below, while also grabbing his phone with his other hand.

Purple Ultra: i didnt know your cat was THAT old

Purple Ultra: is he like one of those ageless cryptids?

Purple Ultra: you have the biggest eyes ive ever seen on a toddler

Kaminari laughs. Shinso’s text is in response to a picture of Kaminari as a five year old, carrying his sisters’ cat in his arms. He’s beaming at the camera, with bright golden eyes and short, messy hair, his skinny arms wrapped around the midsection of a cat which seems to be grumpily staring at the camera.

And Shinso was right— his eyes were kind of huge. They looked like they had sparkles in them. Though, Kaminari thinks that’s a trait that most kids have at that age.

Pika Power (Me): awww Shinso you think im cute? :’)

Pika Power (Me): and yes he is a cryptid

Pika Power (Me): so now youre like legally required to send me a picture of bby shinso

Purple Ultra: your logic is flawless. knowledge of the legal system impeccable

Purple Ultra: have you considered becoming a pro lawyer instead of a pro hero

Kaminari let out a laugh under his breath. What a smartass.

Pika Power (Me): attached: ace_attorney.gif

Pika Power (Me): thats me in court

Pika Power (Me): also youre totally deflecting!! baby shinso pics, NOW

He smiles, wondering what a younger Shinso would look like. He’d probably have that same fluff of hair on his head. Maybe it would still be purple too— of course, he could have dyed it like Kirishima, but something tells Kaminari that it’s all natural. It matches his royal violet eyes too well to be just a coincidence.

“Denks, dude, you just fell off the edge for like the fifth time,” Sero says, waving a hand in front of Kaminari.

“Yeah, you’ve even fallen behind Bakugo,” Kirishima whistles, like that’s some kind of great accomplishment.

“Shut up, Shitty Hair! Of course he’s in dead last, Sparky’s been smirking at his damn phone the entire time!”

Oh. Was he that obvious?

He looks at the TV screen, where Yellow Toad is getting rescued by a turtle in a cloud after having fallen off the edge again. Yellow Toad looks like he’s seen better days.

“The sad part is that you’re still not even that far ahead of me, Bakugo,” Kaminari quips, elbowing the explosive-quirk user in the (very solid) ribs. Bakugo scowls at him in a way that would make lesser men cry.

As the last NPC crosses the finish line, Sero says, “so, who’s been blowing up your phone all night?”

“Is it your ‘Purple Haired Mystery Guy’?” Kirishima asks, and Kaminari is surprised. At his surprised-Pikachu expression, Kirishima clarifies, “I overheard Mina saying something about it to Jirou. Also, I remember your message in the group chat all those weeks ago.”

Well, it’s not like it’s really a secret that he’s been trying to find Shinso ever since he ran into him. In fact, a part of him kind of likes that his friends know, though he can’t exactly say why.

Instead, he just nods and grins.

“Wait, this is the guy you saw at the library! You like him!” Sero says, talking across Bakugo who looks like he’d rather eat nails than participate in this conversation.

“Yeah, I like him a lot,” Kaminari says, and damn because saying that aloud makes his own heart feel like it’s fluttering, “I guess I’m bi. Still figuring stuff out though.” It sounds vague but it’s honestly how he feels. For a moment Kaminari has a brief flash of panic at having just essentially come out to people who weren’t a part of his emergency bi squad, but then Kirishima and Sero nod without a trace of judgement.

“Finding yourself is totally manly, dude,” Kirishima says, and Kaminari is not surprised in the least, though he does find himself loving his red haired friend just a little bit more.

“You like who you like,” Sero says with a shrug and his trademark toothy smile, “doesn’t change the fact that you’re still our Denks.”

“Sero!” Kaminari launches his body across Bakugo and Kirishima, landing on Sero and crushing his body in a full-force hug.

Bakugo screeches and kicks out as Kaminari knees him in the process, while Kirishima just laughs. Sero wraps his arms around Kaminari with a grin. Being the first friend that Kaminari made at U.A., he’s well equipped to handle the inherently tactile nature of the electric-quirk user. In fact, he quite literally embraces it.

“See? Still clingy as shit,” Sero teases, but his arms are still around Kaminari in a bro-hug, and Kaminari leans back into his chest.

He’s practically sitting on Sero’s lap now, and Bakugo is staring at him with disdain, though no more than usual. Good to know Bakugo is still Bakugo even after Kaminari’s abrupt coming out.

“Besides, figuring things out is all a part of the process. It took me most of middle school, a bunch of hair dye jobs gone wrong, and tons of crushes to figure out that I’m pan.” Kirishima says, his eyes looking up to the ceiling as if he were recalling his middle school days.

And isn’t that just a little tidbit of information. Kaminari’s not surprised, since Kirishima seems like a guy that loves love just as much as Kaminari does.

Bakugo, however, stares at Kirishima.

“You’re what?”

Kirishima smiles at him. “I’m pan, bro!”

At Bakugo’s blank look, Kirishima says, “gender isn’t really a huge factor for me.”

“I know what pan means, idiot!” Bakugo finally says, rapping his fist against Kirishima’s head. Kirishima laughs, and doesn’t notice the slight blush across Bakugo’s face.

Sero and Kaminari share a look. Sero shakes his head, and Kaminari agrees; they’ll unpack whatever that was later.

“So, what are you going to do about your new friend?” Sero asks Kaminari, tactfully letting Bakugo stew in his own no doubt turbulent thoughts.

Now that’s a question. He hadn’t really thought much farther ahead than finding him periodically at U.A. and texting him. Kaminari knew he wanted more than that, but it’s not like he had a lot of experience with relationships, or even just impressing people he liked.

“I’m not sure,” Kaminari says, “I like talking to him, but it’d be cool if we did something else together outside of school. Other than just messaging.” He taps his hands on his chin, thinking.

“You could ask him out,” Sero muses.

There was an idea.

“Where do people usually go out together?” Kaminari asks.

“I think it depends. What does he like?” Kirishima chimes in.

Kaminari grins, remembering their text conversations. “He really likes cats. I send him pictures of my little sisters’ cat all the time and he’s always interested. What can I do with that?”

Unexpectedly, Bakugo responds this time. He grunts, “cat café.”

Three pairs of eyes turn to meet him. Like a feral wolf being made eye contact with, he growls and all but shouts, “the fuck are you extras lookin’ at? I have ideas too, bastards!”

“That’s a great idea, Bakubro!” Kirishima says, and Kaminari has to squint from the utter sunshine radiating off of him. No wonder Bakugo deflates a little at that smile being trained right onto him. Direct exposure can do that to a guy.

“Whatever,” Bakugo seethes.

A cat café.

The more Kaminari thinks about it, it just might be the perfect date idea.

His phone buzzes.

Purple Ultra: dont laugh

Purple Ultra: attached: bby_shinso_onesie.jpeg

Kaminari’s eyes widened. It’s a picture of Shinso as a toddler. He’s wearing a lavender colored kitten onesie, with pastel purple stripes running down the back and wrapping around the front, forming rings on the tail. The hoodie with perky cat ears is pulled over his head, tufts of fluffy purple hair escaping from underneath. He’s sitting down with his hands in front of him on the ground, looking up at the camera with big, sleepy eyes that Kaminari recognizes.

It’s so goddamn cute that Kaminari nearly screams.

Instead, he saves the picture to his camera roll.

Pika Power (Me): IM NOT LAUGHING IM CRYING

Pika Power (Me): YOUVE BLINDED ME WITH YOUR CUTENESS

Pika Power (Me): attached: pikachu_fainting.gif

Purple Ultra: ah you caught me. that was my master plan all along

“So? Do you think he’ll like going to a cat café?” Kirishima says while popping Super Smash Bros. into his Nintendo Switch.

Kaminari grins, looking at the photo again.

“Definitely.”

Chapter Text

After what Kaminari likes to call the bro-tervention (his bro squad intervention), he decides to set Operation: take him out (but like, not in a murder way, in a date way) in motion.

Kaminari knows that Shinso likes to eat lunch under their cherry blossom tree, and they’ve eaten lunch together a few more times after the electricity-user’s midterm exam crisis. It was nice hanging out with the other boy without the stress of a math test hanging over Kaminari’s head, and it turned out that being less stressed made Kaminari a better conversationalist.

Although their conversations mostly consisted of Kaminari talking in almost run-on sentences about his day, what’s on his mind, or whatever’s trending on tumblr, while Shinso listens and smirks occasionally. Sometimes Shinso shows him a meme or a cat video, while Kaminari watches with him. If he leans in a little closer than necessary to look over Shinso’s shoulder at his phone, then that’s just between him, Shinso, and the cherry blossom tree.

At first, he worried that he was talking too much, since Shinso was probably only talking around a quarter of the amount that Kaminari did, but as the semester went on, Kaminari realized that Shinso was just a quiet guy. Not to say that he didn’t talk, but he didn’t always feel the need to say what was on his mind at every given moment. He just listened.

Kaminari found that he liked that.

And so, the next time Kaminari catches Shinso for lunch underneath the cherry blossom tree, he sits down next to him and tries to exude an atmosphere of utmost casualness. He’s as cool as a cucumber, he’s not jittery at all, his fingers aren’t drumming the sides of his bento erratically, and he’s not staring intensely at Shinso at all.

Shinso takes one look at him.

“You look constipated,” says Shinso, before he pops a sushi roll into his mouth.

“You look constipated,” Kaminari immediately responds on reflex, squishing down the urge to smack his forehead.

So much for casual, Kaminari laments. Shinso just raises an eyebrow, before chewing another piece of sushi. He then shifts his hand to point at Kaminari’s fingertips.

“You look like you’re about to shock me,” he says. Kaminari looks at his hands only to find his fingers flexing without his notice. He flattens his palms to the ground, laughing nervously. Shinso’s eyebrow stays raised, but his usual neutral expression softens a little. Kaminari likes to think that one day he’ll be an expert Shinso-whisperer just like he is with Jirou.

Kaminari swallows. “Well, you see, I—”

He stumbles through his sentence a little, flustering and feeling his face heat up, but Shinso doesn’t interrupt; he patiently listens.

“ — I, uh, have vouchers for a cat café! It’s a new one that just opened, it’s called Catmosphere! It looks really cool— there are a bunch of cats and I heard the employees even have animal-related quirks to help them handle the little fellas. And, it’s just a fifteen minute train ride away from campus! So, uh, since I’ve got these two vouchers lyin’ around, I was thinking— well, do you wanna go? With me, I mean.”

What Kaminari doesn’t say in his rambling explanation is that he didn’t simply buy the vouchers. No, no, the café was having an online promotional event with a waitlist for buying the first vouchers/reservations online for the first day of opening. It promised extended time slots with the cats, and being able to be some of the first customers of the Catmosphere Café. So, like any normal person, Kaminari had stayed up all night trying to claim the spot for the first vouchers for the cat café in the hopes of getting Shinso to go with him.

Totally worth it, though.

He looks at Shinso. Shinso’s brow is furrowed again, the same expression he had when Kaminari had first asked for his number. Like he couldn’t possibly imagine why Kaminari was asking him this. To be fair, Kaminari concedes, his idea was kind of out of the blue; still, it was not out of character for himself.

So, it doesn’t surprise Kaminari when Shinso asks, “ … Why?”

Intelligently, he responds, “uhhh… you like cats?”

It comes out as more of a question than a statement, but the sentiment still stands. If there’s one thing that Kaminari had gleaned from his frequent stream of texts with Shinso, it’s that Shinso responds the quickest when photos of Fluffy (Kaminari’s younger sisters’ cat) were involved. Kaminari finds it incredibly adorable.

Shinso nods with a shrug, “that’s true,” then he narrows his eyes. “You’re targeting my weakness. Perceptive, hero,” he says. There’s a tad much of overt cynicism in his voice, which is how Kaminari knows he’s being teased.

Kaminari bumps shoulders with Shinso, eliciting a smirk out of the other.

“Smartass,” Kaminari grins. “Maybe I just wanna see you drown in a puddle of cats, have you ever thought of that?”

“Your plans are dastardly,” Shinso drawls, and Kaminari laughs.

“You sound like you’re in charge of the dialogue of a seventies’ old school Scooby Doo episode,” Kaminari snickers.

“I’ve been told I do a good villain impression,” Shinso says, though his eyes flash with an emotion Kaminari can’t quite place.

“I think you’re better off as a hero,” Kaminari muses, “the Mystery Gang wouldn’t even need to unmask you to tell who you are. That mop of purple hair would give it away instantly.”

“Says the guy with the Pikachu-yellow hair,” Shinso smirks.

“Touché,” Kaminari concedes. His shoulder is still touching Shinso’s, and the other boy doesn't move away. “So is that a yes then? You wanna join me on this super exclusive once-in-a-lifetime adventure?” Kaminari wiggles his eyebrows and grins. He hopes he looks irresistible.

Shinso looks at him again, eyes trailing down to his mouth which is tugged in a rakish smile before shifting back up to meet Kaminari’s expectant golden gaze. His half-lidded violet orbs blink before he answers.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

It’s a simple affirmation, and Shinso’s acting as Shinso as usual, but Kaminari can’t help but get lost in the tide of triumph that washes through his belly. He got Shinso to say yes! His plan is going stellar.

Kaminari giggles under his breath near maniacally, eliciting another long stare from Shinso. Instead of giving the other boy an explanation, Kaminari instead inhales the rest of his tamagoyaki, swallows, and clasps Shinso on the shoulder.

“I’ll see you this Friday after school then!” He says it like a challenge, before adding, “no take backs! You already said yes!”

He gets up to his feet and grins triumphantly down at Shinso.

Shinso just snorts. “No take backs? Are we five now?”

“Your mom’s five,” Kaminari declares, shooting Shinso a peace sign. Shinso flips him the bird, and it’s Kaminari’s turn to snort.

“Already determined to make me regret this, huh?” Shinso mutters, before getting up as well. His hands are in his pockets, as his lips quirk into a slight smile, one that makes Kaminari’s heart quicken unfairly. “Though, even I know better than to break the oh-so-sacred rule of no take backs. So I guess I’ll see you on Friday.”

Shinso brushes past Kaminari’s shoulder as he walks off.

Kaminari watches him go for a good five seconds, before shaking himself out of it and heading to class.

---

He’s nervous.

Standing outside the closest train station to U.A.’s campus, Kaminari is quite literally amped up. It’s Friday, (he’s been calling it ‘The Promised Day’ in his head and aloud, which Jirou had been telling him to stop) and his leg won’t stop bouncing up and down no matter how many times he tells it to cease and desist.

He’s changed his outfit at least three times in front of his older sister’s full-sized mirror, before she finally took over her room again and tossed him out along with a quick “good luck” and throwing an extra train pass at his chest. Clearly, Kaminari was not the master of stealth and keeping cool as he had once hoped to be, but who was he kidding— Covert Ops were clearly out for him as an option in the hero track. Though, now that he’s thinking about it, Shinso would make a great Covert Ops hero! Or maybe an underground hero like Aizawa—

His phone buzzes, distracting him from his hurricane of spiraling thoughts.

Message from: The twenty bi-teenager squad

Alien Queen: DENKS!! good luck with your date today ;)

Alien Queen: go get em tiger

Headphone Jacked Up: you sound like a soccer mom mina

Alien Queen: that is quite literally the vibe i was going for

Pika Power (Me): guys

Pika Power (Me): high key panicking rn

Pika Power (Me): what if i like forget japanese

Pika Power (Me): what if i accidentally electrocute him and he forgets me

Pika Power (Me): what if this goes so bad that he becomes a dog person afterwards

Pika Power (Me): oh my god

Headphone Jacked Up: becoming a dog person isnt the worst thing that can happen to someone

Alien Queen: omg denks

Alien Queen: listen here denki kaminari! you are one hot piece of ass and if your purple haired boi doesn’t appreciate that then he doesnt deserve you in all your tiny adorable twink glory

Pika Power (Me): wow thanks mina

Pika Power (Me): can i at least be a twunk tho

Alien Queen: sorry boo youre fully a twink xoxo i dont make the rules

Pika Power (Me): fair enough

Headphone Jacked Up: rt on what mina said

Headphone Jacked Up: if hes stuck around this long he kind of has an idea of who you are

Headphone Jacked Up: and clearly likes you if he said yes to this date

Headphone Jacked Up: worse comes to worse, you have the cats at the cafe to distract you if things get awkward for whatever reason

Headphone Jacked Up: also i cant believe youre going on a date with your dream guy before me

Alien Queen: hmm now i kind of want to date :/ should i get bumble again

Pika Power (Me): lmao yes

Pika Power (Me): also its not officially a date date haha

Pika Power (Me): hanging out would be more accurate

Pika Power (Me): also jirou! tis just a matter of time before you seduce yaomomo ;)

Headphone Jacked Up: shut up

Alien Queen: O/////O

Pika Power (Me): ;)

Headphone Jacked Up: jesus

Headphone Jacked Up: anyways

Headphone Jacked Up: did you finally decide on what youre wearing for the not-date

While Kaminari had commandeered his elder sibling’s mirror, he had also sent a series of pictures and outfit ideas to the the twenty bi-teenager squad. He finally ended up choosing something by himself, thankfully. He holds his phone out with the camera app activated, and holds it at an angle from above his head so that his entire outfit is visible. He flashes a peace sign and smiles, clicking the side button to take the snap.

He looks at the picture and then sends it.

Kaminari has always loved pastel colors and loose clothing that covers most of his body. Part of it was because of the Lichtenberg figure-like red marks that would travel throughout his body, painting it with raised crimson rivulets like it were an unnerving canvas — these figures tended to crawl across the skin of his body after excessive use of his lightning quirk. Which, when he was a child, happened a lot. After all, no child has real control of their quirk when they’re young, so accidents are bound to happen. As he grew up, he eventually became interested in being a hero, and with training came the frequent reappearance of the scars. Wearing long sleeves and thick sweatshirts became a reflex, even when the scars had faded.

Beyond being just a cover for his… temporary blemishes, he also just likes big sweaters. He likes how they feel airy and light on his skin, how they keep him warm in the cool Japan autumns, and he likes how they look on him. He’s currently wearing a pastel yellow sweater with a white Ohms symbol for electrical resistance on the middle of it. He liked the irony. Kaminari paired it with comfortable washed out denim jeans.

The photo delivers, and Mina and Jirou are quick to respond with their thoughts.

Headphone Jacked Up: nice! lookin good denks

Headphone Jacked Up: embracing the pikachu color scheme i see

Headphone Jacked Up: fr tho yellow is your color

Alien Queen: damnnnn if things dont work with mystery man you should just collectively go out with the both of us

Pika Power (Me): lmao thx guys ;_;

“Yellow. It fits,” a low voice with a humming sarcastic lilt to it has Kaminari whipping around.

He just somehow manages to prevent his jaw from dropping.

This was the first time Kaminari had seen Shinso in clothes other than the preppy greys of the U.A. uniform, and it was decidedly a good look. In contrast to Kaminari’s penchant for pastel, Shinso had opted for a darker color palette. He’s wearing an open forest green flannel over a tightly fit stormy grey shirt with faded violet stripes that complemented his eyes. His legs were hugged by dark black skinny jeans with some rips in them. His hair was still in every which direction, but it worked for him. Even his sleepy yet sharp, half-lidded eyes were incredibly attractive to the electricity-user. Kaminari thinks he’s about to have a conniption.

He seriously needs to get a grip. Everytime he sees a new side to Shinso, it’s like a handful of his brain cells get allocated to hyper fixating on the purple-haired boy. At this point, Kaminari’s not sure if exposure therapy would be a benefit or if he’d just be even more gone for him.

Kaminari finally manages to choke out, “you—”

He’s gesturing his arms at all of Shinso. The other boy’s lips quirk in the beginnings of what could be a teasing smile.

“Me?”

Don’t say it, don’t say it—

“ — look fucking good,” Kaminari blurts out. He then tries to recover, adding, “purple. It fits,” mirroring Shinso’s words.

Shinso’s expression blossomed into a wide lazy smirk with teeth. Kaminari swallows as Shinso walks closer to him, until they’re really close. Shinso puts a broad hand on the Ohms greek symbol on Kaminari’s bright sweater, and Kaminari can’t help but revel in how his hand nearly spans his chest easily. He wonders if Shinso can feel his heart fluttering under his chest like a butterfly trying to escape a cage.

Kaminari has to crane his neck up a little to meet eyes with the taller boy, which he finds just makes his heart beat faster, and he tries not to get lost in violet depths.

With that low timbre of his, Shinso murmurs, “thanks, but this definitely fits you better.” His hands press against Kaminari’s chest with a little more pressure, and as Kaminari stifles a gasp, he thinks he sees Shinso’s eyes flash with something, but his brain is whirring in overdrive so he can’t really grasp onto a single thought properly with Shinso this close to him—

There’s a quick, sharp stinging pain in his hands which breaks their eye contact.

Shinso looks down at Kaminari’s hands, fingers twitching and crackling with tiny, golden sparks erratically popping.

He takes a step back, and Kaminari catches his breath.

“Excited?” Shinso drawls.

Managing to control his quirk (but not the raging blush on his face), Kaminari shoves his hands into his jeans pocket, and responds, “yeah. For the cats, obviously.”

“For the cats,” Shinso deadpans. Kaminari is torn between punching the other boy on the shoulder or grabbing his hand firmly and dragging him into their train’s terminal.

Instead, he grabs a plastic card from his pocket, and throws it at Shinso. Shinso catches it in between his index and middle finger smoothly, which is just unfairly cool.

“It’s a train pass,” Kaminari states the obvious, “an extra one, courtesy of Ame Kaminari.”

“First the cat café voucher and now a train pass? You sure know how to treat a guy,” Shinso muses, sarcasm rampant.

Shinso does punch him on the shoulder this time, lightly. “Shut up, you ass. It’s my older sister’s,” he says as they start walking inside the station.

“Tell her thanks,” Shinso says, before pausing in thought. “Older sister? You mentioned having younger sisters before. Just how many sisters do you have?”

Kaminari grins.

---

As they walk into the cat café, Shinso is looking at Kaminari with an expression akin to slightly fearful awe, as much as Shinso could muster with a naturally deadpan face.

“You grew up with two younger twin sisters and an older sister,” Shinso says, “and you and all your siblings have thunder related names.”

“Yup, that about sums it up,” Kaminari hums. Over the train ride, he had given Shinso basically the entire rundown on the Kaminari family, how his parents were pretty chill parents but also were out most of the time so growing up involved a lot of Denki and Ame fending for themselves and the twins. He had also told Shinso that he had been surrounded by girls for literally his entire life growing up, so not only did he get to experience the joys of male puberty, but also second handedly got to experience the teenage years and life and times of being a girl growing up. Shinso had actually shuddered, which made Kaminari laugh.

“Why am I not surprised,” Shinso mutters more to himself than Kaminari as they walk to the receptionist counter, “your name is literally Denki.”

Kaminari snickers, but his fingers twitch as he hears his given name fall from Shinso’s lips.

“Welcome to Catmosphere Cat Café! It’s our grand opening, so we hope you enjoy and have a wonderfully fun time with all our furry feline friends,” says the cheery attendant, wearing a kitty-themed outfit complete with cat ears and overalls with pawprints over them. It’s really cute. Kaminari takes in the café around them. It’s rather small but cozy, and the café was painted with all pastel colors; Kaminari fit in pretty well. There was a hallway that had a big chalk sign with an arrow, reading “this way to cat-tastic fun!” in cursive handwritten font.

He pulls out the vouchers from his pocket, which he had printed out the night before, and puts them on the counter.

The attendant’s eyes light up. “Great!” She takes the vouchers and stamps them, “thank you for taking the time to wait in our premier online waitlist for entrance to the first day of Catmosphere’s business.” She leans in and winks, “the site traffic was pretty heavy, so you’re a lucky couple!”

Kaminari blushes. The cat café had amassed a small following before their opening, so it had taken Kaminari an embarrassing amount of time online refreshing the waitlist page, trying to score entrance to the first day of its opening, knowing that it would be popular and crowded for the first few months of its opening.

Maybe he had gone a little overboard, but still.

“Online waitlist?” Shinso says, an eyebrow quirked. Kaminari pointedly does not meet his gaze, and just shrugs innocently.

The employee behind the counter bows, and says, “these vouchers allow you an extra half hour with our cats! Allow me to lead you,” she walks down the hallway with Kaminari and Shinso following. They pass aisles of rooms that are visible through the glass windows, and see groups of people playing with cats. Towards the end of the hallway, the employee pulls out a key and unlocks a door.

Kaminari and Shinso walk in.

The room’s walls are painted a baby blue, pink, and yellow, causing a starburst of color on the eyes. The floor is littered with cat toys, and there are soft lime green sofas to the side of the rooms where more than one person can sit. At the opposite edges of the room, there are structures for the cats to sit and sleep in, where most of the cats seem to be at the moment.

As Kaminari is looking at another chalkboard with cutesy descriptions of the cats and their names, he’s distracted by a brush of fur against his ankle. He looks down to see a black and white cat with what could only be described as a smirk on its face, its ears twitching as it weaved in between Kaminari’s legs, begging for him to stumble and give it attention.

Cute, Kaminari thinks, and then he looks at Shinso.

Shinso is frozen, eyes darting from side to side as he takes in the army of lazy cats that are surrounding them right now. Kaminari thinks he sees Shinso’s fingers twitch, as if in anticipation to run his fingers through the cats’ furs. His face is a little flushed in anticipation.

Cuter, Kaminari thinks.

“There’s a button on the side of this door that you can press if you want anything,” the employee says, “you can pet the cats, but refrain from carrying them please. We also are a café supporting an adoption program, and if that’s something that would interest you, be sure to let us know! Any questions?”

Kaminari looks at Shinso, who seems to have perked up even more at the word ‘adoption’. He grins.

“I think we’re good, but thank you!” Kaminari says. The employee nods, before bowing once more and closing the door behind her.

There’s a tabby stepping happily on Shinso’s feet, and he looks like a deer caught in headlights. Kaminari feels his chest fill with warmth, seeing the normally cool and stoic boy caught off-guard. He can’t help the giggle that falls from his lips, and Shinso looks at him with a what do I do expression.

Kaminari squats down and gently coos at the cat, drawing it away from Shinso’s feet. The cat rubs against Kaminari’s knees instead.

He then gets up, grabs Shinso’s hand, and sits him down on the floor, in front of one of the sofas.

“For a guy who loves cats so much, you look kind of terrified,” Kaminari teases, letting go of his hand as they sit next to each other.

It seems Shinso has found his voice again, because he says, “I’ve always wanted a cat, but never had one. This is the first time I’ve been near so many at once.” The awe is clear in his voice.

Kaminari nods, sitting cross-legged on the floor with Shinso. A kitten with orange stripes totters over to Shinso, curiously sniffing at the boy’s feet. Shinso stiffens.

Kaminari reaches his hand out, leaning over Shinso’s lap a little, and scratches behind the kitten’s ears. He looks up at the chalkboard and finds a description of the kitten, with the name Tiny, short for Clementine. Fitting. She was as orange as a clementine, and hardly bigger than one.

Shinso’s hand twitches where it rests on his lap.

“Want me to show you how to pet them?” Kaminari asks.

Shinso nods.

Gently, Kaminari takes Shinso’s hands. He’d noticed it before, but the purple-haired boy’s hands were big enough to encapsulate Kaminari’s own. They were warm. He holds Shinso’s hand, guiding it with his own, and pets Tiny down her spine.

Tiny purrs under the warmth and arches her back into Shinso’s palm.

“Fuck,” Shinso mumbles. Kaminari’s grin widens.

“Cats who want to be pet will usually lean into your hands. They like scratches too, especially behind the ears!” He tugs Shinso’s hand to cradle the kitten’s head tenderly, as Shinso tentatively scratches behind her ears. Tiny’s pushes her head into Shinso’s fingers, and her paw comes to rest on Shinso’s knee.

“My sisters’ cat likes to be pet under his chin,” Kaminari says, as the black and white cat from before pads up to him. According to the chalkboard, this cat fits the description of Sasha, a tuxedo cat whose pelt reflects formal wear quite nicely. He makes low kissing noises with his lips and holds out his hand to the cat, scratching it under his chin to show Shinso. “If you pet their back, make sure not to rub their fur the wrong way.”

Kaminari grabs a cat toy off the ground. It’s a little fishing rod with a tiny soft fish doll at the end of the string. He waves it around, getting Sasha’s attention as she watches the fish with rapt eyes, white tipped paws batting at it.

Watching Sasha, he says conversationally, “my sisters’ cat is really old. He kind of just lays there and waits to get petted. He’s lazy and spoiled now, but he kind of deserves a break if I’m being honest. He grew up with me as a kid and then also my twin sisters when they came along, so he’s really good at handling children. He’s basically a retired cat.”

“Your cat is perfect. I’ve seen the photographic evidence to prove it. He’s very fluffy,” Shinso says distantly. Kaminari takes his eyes off Sasha and looks at his friend.

Two other cats have joined Tiny, and begun vying for Shinso’s attention. Both his hands were now petting the creatures, and Shinso looked like he was in kitty heaven.

“You’re basically a professional cat scratcher now, Shinso!” Kaminari laughs.

Shinso quirks his lips into a grin, eyes bright. “Well, now I know what my backup job is if this whole hero thing doesn’t work out,” he jokes, and then looks almost surprised at himself at the words leaving his mouth.

Kaminari is reminded then that the general studies student is vying to become a hero course transfer, and realizes that there’s still a lot about Shinso that he doesn’t know. He doesn’t really talk to anyone else in the general studies course either, so he wouldn’t even know the people that Shinso hangs out with on the regular.

(Though, it seems that most days at lunch, Shinso eats lunch by himself.

And Kaminari has never seen him walking the halls with anyone else by his side.

But still. The sentiment stands.)

Kaminari only knows a little bit about general studies. Despite being known for creating brilliant heros, U.A.’s general studies course is also great for students aiming to go to college for any subject. Most people who go to U.A. are interested in something criminology-related or hero-adjacent subjects, so Kaminari wondered what subject Shinso focused on.

“So, how’s general studies?” Kaminari finally asks, now playing with a mouse-on-a-string toy with Sasha.

“I’ve been focusing on psychology,” Shinso says, “trying to understand how people think and make decisions mainly. I find it interesting.”

Kaminari nods. He’s not surprised. Shinso seems like a very observant person.

“I don’t plan on staying in general studies for long if I can help it,” Shinso continues, an edge to his voice that is softened by Tiny purring into his hand and pawing away the other cats, “But for now, psych is cool. Besides. I like knowing what riles people up.”

He’s grinning now, and Kaminari laughs.

“You sound like a sadist,” Kaminari snickers. Shinso hmm’s, neither denying nor confirming, which makes Kaminari smile wider.

“Why did you join the hero course?” Shinso asks.

Kaminari considers the question for a moment, cooing at Sasha as she licked his fingers, before answering.

“I’m not that good at academics, to be honest. It’s not that I don’t want to learn— well, there are some things that I don’t care about, like math— but I love English even though it’s a weird language, and I like the books Cementoss talks about during Japanese Literature even if I haven’t finished reading them. I just have trouble focusing unless I’m actively doing something with myself.”

He says the words that had taken him some time to realize about himself aloud to another person, but Shinso wasn’t saying anything. Wasn’t suggesting how to focus better in class, wasn’t giving him advice— he was just listening. So, Kaminari continued.

“I’m pretty lucky to have a quirk like mine. It’s powerful and if used properly, can seriously help out a lot of people. But, I’m not the best at controlling it.” Memories of red scars and disgust well up in Kaminari, and he smooths Sasha’s fur, digging his fingers in softly to scratch her back. “So I guess my main goal is to be able to get a handle on myself.”

Shinso’s regarding him with his usual half-lidded eyes and deadpan expression.

“Have you tried meditating?” He says in a completely serious voice, taking Kaminari off guard.

Kaminari snorts. “Should I try turning it off and on again too?”

Shinso smirks at the quip, before he says, “I understand wanting to be in control. No matter how powerful your quirk is, the instant people don’t think you can control it, they begin to fear it.”

Kaminari stifles a shudder. Shinso says it so matter-of-factly, probably not realizing that the exact scenario had played out in Kaminari’s head many a time. If he couldn’t get a handle of his electricity, the next time he gets brain-fried, that could mean more civilian casualties. If he lets loose his electricity because he’s too emotional in a situation in the field, he might electrocute and hurt an innocent by accident. The amount of creative worst-case scenarios Kaminari’s sleep-deprived brain has come up with at 4 A.M. is ridiculous.

And somehow, it seems, Shinso understands.

“Yeah,” Kaminari says, and Shinso looks at him before reaching over and flicking his forehead.

Kaminari blinks in surprise, holding his forehead. It hadn’t hurt, but it had gotten his attention.

“You look like you’re thinking too hard,” Shinso says.

Before Kaminari can decipher that little gem, Tiny crawls into Shinso’s lap and curls up, her little belly raising up and down as her breaths slow. She’s fallen asleep in his lap.

Kaminari gasps.

“You’ve been trapped! She’s taking a cat nap on you! Legally, you aren’t allowed to move,” Kaminari gushes. He whips out his phone to take a picture of Shinso staring at the cat who’s taken residence in his lap. Kaminari distantly feels jealous of a cat, before reminding himself that that’s lame.

“That’s my new profile picture for you,” Kaminari says, before a lightbulb goes off in his head. He scoots closer to Shinso while he (legally) cannot move, and turns around so that his back is leaning on Shinso’s shoulders. Raising his hands, he takes a selfie of both of them. Kaminari is flashing a peace sign as Shinso looks into the camera with a weary expression, as Tiny snores away.

He taps a few buttons on his phone, sending the photo to Shinso.

“And that can be my profile picture on your phone,” he declares with a thumbs up.

“You did that on purpose,” Shinso says, but there’s no heat behind his words.

Kaminari relaxes against Shinso, his head practically on the other boy’s shoulder.

“You got me. I conspired with Tiny beforehand, and we hatched a plot to take a cute cat-selfie.” He snickers and holds up both his hands limply in a mock show of submission. “You can arrest me, officer.”

Instead of a response, Kaminari feels a soft touch at the base of his neck, where soft wisps of golden hair curl up. The fingers gently scratch there, and Kaminari finds himself leaning into it, shoulders drooping as he relaxed, head lolling on Shinso’s shoulder now.

“You’re just like a cat.”

He hears a breathy laugh from Shinso and a scarlet red flush takes over his face. He’s glad he’s not facing Shinso right now, but he’s even more glad that Shinso’s hand stays on him, hooking around Kaminari’s shoulder after moving from his neck.

Shinso doesn’t ask him to move from the position as more cats curl up with them, so Kaminari stays.

---

When their time slot is up and they go home, Kaminari waves bye with a smile and Shinso responds in kind with a lazy grin.

When Kaminari gets back home, he stares at the photo he set as Shinso’s new profile picture for way longer than what’s probably socially acceptable.

He buries his head into his pillow, the back of his neck feeling especially warm.

Chapter Text

After their not-date at Catmosphere, Kaminari had felt like he had checked in on Cloud Nine and was feeling every moment of his stay there. Mina and Jirou had noticed, needling him for details until he showed them the pictures of their not-date.

Mina had all but shrieked, while Jirou grinned approvingly. Even Sero had come over to take a look at the pictures and whistled. He had said something about his best friend being a catch, and that anyone would be lucky to date him, to which Kaminari’s eyes had widened and he had dragged Sero in for a bro hug that Kirishima had deemed “pretty manly”.

Kaminari was lucky to have his friends.

The next time he had run into Shinso, however, was by coincidence.

It’s no surprise that Kaminari often helps babysit his younger sisters. His parents have both been working ever since Kaminari could remember. When he and Ame were younger, they’d get babysat by sitters until Ame was old enough to effectively babysit Kaminari. That was around when Ame had reached middle school, and Kaminari had made it halfway through Elementary.

And then the twins, Raika and Raisei Kaminari, made their unexpected debut.

Kaminari and Ame joke about how they probably deserve five full years worth of babysitting money (reparations, Ame says) after that. But, Kaminari loves his sisters more than life, and he doesn’t resent his parents at all for leaving Ame and him with the twins on the daily. He still loved his parents too— they just weren’t there as often. The nature of their jobs required traveling for business trips, which wasn’t all bad. Sometimes they brought back souvenirs and fun tschotskes that the twins usually adored. Once they brought back an English edition of Harry Potter, which somehow actually helped Kaminari learn English ten times better than his middle school teacher ever did.

Plus, they sent enough money back home for Kaminari and his siblings to live comfortably, so really it’s all fine.

Now, Kaminari’s in his first year of high school and Ame is in her last, busy preparing for college entrance exams and simultaneously enjoying a burgeoning social life with her friends. She’s over at a friend’s place this weekend, which leaves Kaminari taking care of his little siblings.

Raika’s watching something on her iPad with Raisei, when evidently an advertisement for an Italian restaurant plays. Not two minutes later, Raika and Raisei stare at Kaminari with twin golden eyes and pleading expressions.

That’s how he ends up at the local grocery store on a quiet Saturday evening, holding Raika’s hand with a grocery carton in the other while both Raisei’s hands are wrapped around their cat, who is being carried around like an unamused stuffed toy.

That’s how he ends up in the dairy aisle, looking at different brands of mozzarella and parmesan while keeping the twins in his peripheral, when he notices a presence on his other side.

He turns around with a block of promising-looking parmesan in his hand, and then immediately brightens when he comes face to face with familiar violet eyes.

“Shinso! We have gotta stop meeting like this,” Kaminari all but shouts, catching the other boy’s attention.

Shinso’s dressed more casually than he was at their cat café not-date. Black joggers with white stripes along with a plain dull grey hoodie and slides. Typical late-day grocery shopping wear, Kaminari thinks— after all, he himself is wearing a simple light blue jumper with a picture of a smiley-faced cartoon thunder cloud, paired with similar black sweatpants. Yet somehow, Shinso pulls it off differently. He looks like he just showered, from the slight flush on his cheeks. He also looks surprised to see Kaminari.

Before Shinso can respond, however, Raika and Raisei materialize from behind Kaminari, both staring at the newcomer with intense golden eyes.

“Who are you?” Raika asks bluntly.

“You have purple hair! So cool,” Raisei gushes, squeezing her cat excitedly. The cat is still unamused.

Shinso’s expression reminds Kaminari of a deer caught in headlights, the same expression he had when he was surrounded by all the cats at the café and didn’t know what to do at first. Kaminari smiles, feeling his mood become lighter already.

“This is my friend from school,” Kaminari says proudly.

“Eh? You have friends?” Raika responds snidely, while grinning at Shinso. It startles a smirk out of Shinso, and the purplette laughs quietly.

“Rude!” Kaminari says, mock-offended, as he tries to ruffle Raika’s hair. The little girl screeches and runs to her sister’s side, glaring at Kaminari while stroking the cat’s head.

“And you! You laughed,” Kaminari says, pointing at Shinso, “Whose side are you on!”

“Obviously her side,” Shinso gestures to Raika, who’s giggling now, “she clearly knows what she’s talking about.”

Kaminari dramatically puts a hand on his forehead, as if he’s about to swoon. Raisei’s eyes are sparkling too now at her older brother’s antics. “Ah! Traitors! All of you!”

Shinso rolls his eyes, and stage-whispers to the twins, “is he always this dramatic?”

Raika nods seriously. “He is!”

Raisei adds conspiratorially, “he’s our older brother, but sometimes he’s even more silly than us.”

Shinso shakes his head in understanding, and Kaminari watches the interaction with a poorly hidden wide smile.

“What’s your name?” Raika asks, showing a hint of bashfulness as she loops her arms around her back.

“I’m Shinso Hitoshi,” Shinso says with the slightest of smiles, “What’s yours?”

“Raika.”

“Raisei!”

The twins say at the same time, and then look at each other with awe filled expressions. Kaminari rolls his eyes— they had watched a documentary last week about twins born with telepathy quirks, able to send messages to each other mentally and even predict the others’ move. Even though Raika and Raisei had already manifested quirks that were slight variations of Kaminari’s quirk (though much less powerful), a part of them was still definitely holding out for super cool twin powers.

“It’s nice to meet you Raika and Raisei,” Shinso says, causing the girls to smile. He then gestures to the unhappy cat in Raisei’s arms. “And who’s this?”

“Oh! This is The Fluff Monster 3000, but we just call him Fluffy.”

Shinso blinks lazily. It’s barely noticeable, but as he nods, he bites his lips. Kaminari notices his shoulders are slightly shaking, and realizes that the other boy is trying not to laugh right now. Which is fair— The Fluff Monster 3000 is a ridiculous name by itself, but paired with the visual of the old, grumpy cat in Raisei’s tiny arms was admittedly very hilarious. With the way the cat barely grumbles at whatever the twins put him through, Kaminari wonders if it's actually 3000 years old sometimes.

Finally, Shinso says, “It’s a good name. I think he’s really fluffy.”

Raika nods in agreement. “Right!”

“So Shinso,” Kaminari says, shooting the other boy with finger guns, “What’s a place like you doing in a guy like this?”

Shinso stares at him. “I can’t believe you just said that out loud.”

Kaminari laughs. “Really?”

“Actually, it’s you. Of course you speak in typos in verbatim conversation.”

“Maybe your standards for me are just unrealistically high,” Kaminari banters. “Anyways, spill! What brings you here to our local, lovely little grocery store on a Saturday evening? Were you expecting this fateful encounter, meeting the younglings of the Kaminari Clan?”

Shinso snorts. “Same as you, I guess. Just getting groceries.”

Kaminari feels a thump in the basket in his hand, as Raika drops in a box of lasagna sheets. He shoots her a thumbs up and she returns it, scurrying off to get more ingredients. Raisei is currently preoccupied with the free cheese samples at the end of the dairy aisle.

Their night would probably consist of a typical Denki-Raika-Raisei night: making food together while Kaminari handled anything involving sharp objects or stoves, eating together at the dining table while talking about anything and everything, Raika and Raisei getting all the good fluffy throw blankets from the closet while Kaminari did the dishes, and then finally choosing a movie together and watching it while cuddled up on the sofa with the blankets. Usually by this point, they would near Raika and Raisei’s bedtime. Sometimes they would fall asleep and Kaminari would carefully carry them one by one to their bedrooms and tuck them in, and other times, Kaminari would pass out on the couch with them.

Just a typical weekend night with the siblings.

And then Kaminari looks at Shinso, whose meagerly filled basket betrays that he seems to be shopping for one, whose smile seemed soft when he talked to Kaminari’s sisters, whose eyes seemed brighter the moment he had recognized Kaminari calling his name.

Before Kaminari can think about what he’s about to say, he blurts out, “Huh. Wanna come over?”

It’s impulsive and rash, but the fleeting thought of Denki-Raika-Raisei night becoming Denki-Hitoshi-Raika-Raisei night makes him say the words aloud before he can take them back.

Shinso stiffens, and Kaminari feels himself blush in response. He scratches the back of his neck and waves his free hand in an attempt to explain himself.

“I mean, our parents aren’t over and I usually make a fuck— shit, I mean a frick ton of lasagna,” he turns around quickly to take stock of where his sisters are and make sure they’re out of hearing range, before turning back to Shinso. His brows are furrowed slightly, but he hasn’t said no yet, so Kaminari knows that he has a foot in the door so to speak. And then he has an idea.

“Plus,” Kaminari says, “Fluffy likes cuddles after dinner.”

He knows it’s a dirty trick, and he knows Shinso knows it’s a dirty trick by the way Shinso raises an eyebrow at him, but somehow—

Somehow Shinso says, “sure. Only if it’s really not a bother.”

Kaminari exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and the feeling of airiness in his chest expands.

“You always bother me, so that’s gonna be a little hard,” Kaminari quips, and Shinso twitches.

“Oh? Then maybe I should go home,” Shinso deadpans with no heat, and Kaminari laughs.

“No take backs! You already said yes,” Kaminari says.

“Now, why does that sound familiar,” Shinso murmurs, but the corner of his lip is tugged into a slight smile.

---

Raika and Raisei are excited that “their new friend Shinso” is coming over for dinner.

They walk home together, Raika and Raisei chattering to each other and occasionally asking Shinso questions, whether it be “do you dye your hair” to “how many cats would you have if you could have infinity cats”. When they had gone back to talking to each other, Shinso had leaned slightly into Kaminari and said, “it’s like you cloned yourself twice.” Kaminari had elbowed him, though he wasn’t that far off— if Kaminari was considered talkative now, it was nothing compared to when he was the twins’ age. He didn’t really understand the concept of stranger danger, since everyone was a potential friend for Kaminari, and as such, he talked a lot to anyone who would listen.

When he had told Shinso, he had smiled and rolled his eyes in mock-exasperation, saying he expected no less from Kaminari.

And then they’re in Kaminari’s kitchen, making lasagna together.

A part of Kaminari can’t help but think how much this feels kind of like a date.

“You’re good at that,” Kaminari says as he’s stirring the pot of red sauce that they’re making for the lasagna. Shinso’s cutting up fresh tomatoes on the counter next to Kaminari, before sliding them into the pot. The girls are at the kitchen table with their iPad, reading off instructions from an online lasagna recipe for Kaminari and Shinso to follow. The whole process includes a lot of reading off measurements, and then saying “wait, tablespoons or teaspoons?” before Shinso reads over their shoulder to confirm the correct amount.

“Thanks,” Shinso says, holding up the knife with a grin.

“I take that back. You’re still a sadist,” Kaminari says, side-eyeing him warily. Shinso laughs, and Kaminari knows that he’ll never get enough of the sound of it: quiet, breathy, barely there yet still worming its way to Kaminari’s heart.

“My parents aren’t home much either, so I guess I’m pretty used to cooking,” Shinso explains.

“Same here,” Kaminari says, though he thinks it must be lonely for Shinso. At least Kaminari has always had a sister or three to spend time with when his parents were out. He and Ame were as thick as thieves despite having fought a lot when they were younger— (or maybe because of it? They had already seen the worst parts of each other, so everything else was inconsequential—) and Kaminari has always loved spending time with Raika and Raisei. For the most part, they either entertained themselves with each other or talked to Kaminari about anything and everything, which suited him just fine. But Shinso didn’t have an Ame, or a Raika and Raisei.

Well, now he has a Denki, Kaminari muses absently as Shinso slides finely chopped garlic cloves into the sauce.

“You’d make a good house-husband,” Kaminari jokes. Shinso gives him a flat look, and then eyes his apron pointedly. It’s a hot pink frilly thing that says “Kiss the Chef”, a gag gift he had gotten from Ame two years ago. The twins had shrieked with laughter when he had opened it.

“Does that make you a trophy wife?” Shinso says.

“Hmm? Do you really think I’d sit still and look pretty?” Kaminari laughs at the thought.

Shinso shakes his head. “I don’t think you’ve sat still a second of your life.”

“How’d you know?” sarcasm drips from Kaminari’s words.

But then, does that mean he thinks I’m pretty? The woefully romantic voice at the back of Kaminari’s head whispers, and Kaminari shakes it off.

“What’s a trophy wife?” Raisei pipes up from where she’s now trying to layer the lasagna sheets into a baking pan. Raika is at the ready with a bowl of fluffy ricotta cheese, before she perks up at Raisei’s question.

“Um,” Kaminari says intelligently, looking at Shinso, trying to convey that this is his fault. Shinso shrugs with an amused smile in response, as if to say, you made your bed, now lie in it. Which really, Kaminari thinks he should be saying to Shinso instead.

“It’s not that interesting,” Shinso says, “but I have a question for you two.”

His tone is serious, which catches the attention of the twins. Raika and Raisei look at him with their golden, wide-eyed gazes.

“Do you have secret twin super power telepathy quirks?” Shinso asks in a hushed voice.

There’s a moment of silence, before Raika immediately squeals and goes off on a tangent on their twin power quirk theories. She and Raisei talk in tandem, switching off between their own theories and the cool things they had learned through the documentary they’d seen with Kaminari the other day.

Shinso is nodding seriously at everything they say, interjecting now and then with a small comment that leads the twin into another tangent. Kaminari watches the exchange with no small amount of affection welling up in his chest. He brings a hand to his face, cupping his cheek and leaning into it as he smiles.

As Shinso’s nodding along and talking to the twins, he catches Kaminari’s eyes. He smirks and winks, as if they’re partners in crime or something, and then turns back to Raisei, who’s talking about her and Raika’s theory that their electricity powers are connected in some way somehow.

He’s funny, good at cooking, and he’s great with the twins. Shinso’s literally meeting each and every one of Kaminari’s (admittedly meager) standards.

Within the next ten minutes, after building the layers and a lot of cheese later, they manage to pop the lasagna into the oven.

As they wait for the lasagna to finish baking, they sit at the dining table. Shinso’s sitting next to Kaminari and across from the twins, holding Fluffy in his lap and stroking the cat lazily. The old cat apparently likes Shinso, because he all but buries his head into Shinso’s stomach, and lies across his lap leisurely as if he were royalty and Shinso was the servant that he deigned to allow to tend to him.

Kaminari boops Fluffy on the nose while saying “boop”, eliciting an unimpressed glare from the cat.

Shinso gives him the same look and Kaminari laughs.

“Why must you be the way that you are?” Shinso grouses.

“You like it,” Kaminari says, before poking Shinso gently on the nose. “Boop.”

Shinso rolls his eyes, but Kaminari is becoming a good enough Shinso-whisperer to know that he’s fond of it.

---

By the time the lasagna finishes baking, the twins are starving. Kaminari cuts into the steaming food, serving Raika first, who stabs her fork and knife into the portion with what could only be described as a raptor screech. He stifles a laugh before reminding Raika of her manners, though Raisei doesn’t fare much better.

He gives Shinso a plate next, and serves himself last. Dinner is good, and Raika and Raisei are arguing over what movie to watch next.

“Saturday nights are movie nights,” Kaminari explains to Shinso, “you should totally stay. The twins have a pretty good taste in movies.”

“Stay, stay!” Raisei chimes in from her conversation with Raika.

Shinso faces the full brunt of the Kaminari children, before sighing and relenting. “This is all a part of your plan to induct me into the Kaminari Clan, isn’t it?”

Kaminari grins, elated that Shinso had agreed to stay. “Yes, yes, of course.”

Raika whispers, “one of us! One of us!” and Shinso laughs, ruffling her hair gently like Kaminari had done at the grocery store. She pouts at the gesture, but lets him. Kaminari’s heart feels almost as full as his stomach.

He ends up packing away some lasagna for leftovers, and slyly packs away a separate container that he plans to foist onto Shinso before he leaves.

As Kaminari washes the dishes with Shinso’s help, Raika and Raisei run to the hall closet to grab blankets.

“It’s a tradition,” Kaminari says, “you’ll have to know it once you’re officially inducted into our family.”

“Oh?” Shinso says, handing Kaminari a freshly scrubbed plate.

“Yup. Saturday nights are movie nights. Raika and Raisei grab the fluffiest blankets they can find. Then, we all get together on the couch and watch a movie.” He scrubs at the silverware, before pausing thoughtfully. “Usually Ame’s here too. She’s at a friend’s house tonight though. Maybe you’ll get to meet her later.”

For some reason, Kaminari likes the idea of Shinso getting to know his sisters. Clearly, Raika and Raisei approve of him.

“She let me use her train pass, right?”

Kaminari mmhm’s.

“Then, I’ll definitely thank her in person for it.” Shinso says sincerely.

“We’re done!” Raisei pops her head into the kitchen. “Bring Fluffy,” she says pointedly at Shinso.

Kaminari narrows his eyes at her and crosses his arms. Raisei flickers her eyes to him and then back to Shinso, correcting herself. “Bring Fluffy please!” She then pops out of view again, the quick pitter patter of her feet indicating her disappearing towards the living room.

Shinso stares at Kaminari, an eyebrow raised.

“What?” Kaminari says.

“I was wrong about calling you a Trophy wife,” Shinso muses, “I think you’re more of a mother hen.”

Kaminari splutters, and then flicks a few suds at Shinso in retaliation, which the boy fluidly dodges. He’s wearing a rakish grin, one that he wears whenever he teases Kaminari.

“Say what you will, but Ame and I practically raised the little gremlins,” Kaminari waved around a ladle as he spoke, before shoving it into the water in the sink, “and I raised them with manners.”

Kaminari huffs, though he’s not irritated in the slightest. Although he cracks jokes and acts carefree at school, and despite the fact that he has genuine airhead moments, when it comes to his family, he tries to take a little responsibility. He’s known the twins since they were in diapers to the accidental quirk usage stages to now. He’s proud of how they turned out, and he’s not ashamed of mothering them at times (though he prefers to think of it as brother-ing).

“I know,” Shinso says softly, looking at Kaminari with a smile that leaves Kaminari feeling naked, “you’re good with them. And they’re really good kids.”

Kaminari swallows and turns to water in the sink. He sees his wavering reflection in the sudsy depths, and he knows that his face has gone as red as Kirishima’s spiky hair. How the hell does Shinso go from teasing Kaminari to genuinely complimenting him like that? Shit’s not good for my heart, Kaminari thinks weakly, even though a part of him says that it’s exactly what his heart needs.

“Thanks,” Kaminari finally says, before putting the last of the dishes in the drying rack. He strips the rubber gloves off his hands, and then puts both his hands on Shinso’s broad back, pushing him forward gently. “Now, let’s not keep the princesses waiting, shall we?”

Shinso picks up Fluffy, and Kaminari steers Shinso into the living room, glad that he can’t see Kaminari’s flushed face from this angle. Raika and Raisei are already situated in what could only be described as a burrito of blankets wrapped around them, with the remote in their hands.

Kaminari sits next to the twins, while Shinso sits down next to Kaminari at the edge of the leather sofa, Fluffy curled up in his lap. He strokes the cat, and Fluffy honest to god purrs. Kaminari doesn’t think he’s heard the old cat purr in approximately a millenia. Shinso’s won over not only the Kaminari twins, but also The Fluff Monster 3000.

Surprises never cease with this one.

“So, what are we watching?” Kaminari asks the twins.

“A Disney movie,” Raisei says.

“A princess movie, but we don’t know which one yet.” Raika adds, “what’s your favorite princess?”

Kaminari doesn’t have to think about that one. “Definitely Rapunzel. Magic yellow hair? Sign me up!”

Plus Kaminari thinks that the love interest in Tangled is kind of hot.

Raisei runs her hands through her own similarly golden hair, before her eyes lock onto Shinso. “What about you?”

“I guess…” Shinso pauses, “Maybe Elsa? She’s cool.”

“Pun intended?” Kaminari quips.

“Let’s watch Frozen then! I like Elsa too,” Raika declares, with Raisei nodding in agreement.

The girls know how to use the remote, so they maneuver through Disney Plus, until they find Frozen. They’ve watched it before, but Kaminari knows that when he was their age, he had a tendency to rewatch movies as well. Ame still teases him about how Kaminari made her watch Spirited Away with him at least twenty different times. Apparently, Kaminari had really liked the dragon character.

As the movie starts up, Kaminari whispers to Shinso, “it makes sense. I get it.”

At Shinso’s questioning expression, Kaminari elaborates. “You liking Elsa, I mean. She’s like you.”

“Oh?”

“On the outside, she’s cool and composed, but on the inside, she’s super gooey. Conceal, don't feel, and all that.”

“Gooey?”

Kaminari looks pointedly at the cat in Shinso’s hands, which Shinso had been stroking and doting on steadily.

“I call it like I see it,” Kaminari says, before the twins shush him.

Shinso snorts.

Kaminari pulls one of the blankets and puts it over him and Shinso, tucking his legs underneath him and leaning back to watch Anna and Elsa’s entrance in the movie. They’re starting movie night later than usual because of how long the lasagna took to bake, but Raika and Raisei seem pretty awake. They sing along when Let it Go comes on, and wow, Kaminari still remembers all of the lyrics to the song.

He yawns around the point that Anna and the reindeer guy are starting to realize they like each other.

When Anna gets frozen (he ignores the voice in his head saying, ‘hey, that’s the title!’), his eyelids are drooping shut. It’s really warm, with the throw blankets wrapped around him and Shinso. He tells himself he’ll close his eyes for only a minute.

As he does, he feels a shifting to his side, but can’t be bothered to check.

---

He’s warm.

He feels heat blossom from every side, wrapping him in a cocoon that he doesn’t want to leave. It’s the best he’s slept in a while.

It’s a very pleasant feeling, so much so that it almost lulls him back to sleep. He blinks blearily, his head lying on its side. The first thing he registers is the dull red glow of the digital clock below the TV— the TV which has been turned off. The clock reads 3:14 A.M. He slides his eyes downwards, noting two bundles rising and falling steadily. Raika and Raisei, his brain supplies helpfully.

Feeling better now that he’s confirmed his younger siblings are asleep, Kaminari feels the tire seep into his bones again. He mumbles quietly as he shifts his head, nuzzling into the firm sofa below him, and he stretches his arms out—

His eyes blink open as he realizes his head isn’t resting on the sofa. The surface he’s on is rising and falling as well. Kaminari lifts his head up, still slow with grogginess. He sees Shinso’s purple eyes flash sleepily in the darkness. He’s looking at Kaminari.

Kaminari feels warm again all of a sudden. He doesn’t want to move.

He lays the arm that he had stretched out on Shinso’s shoulder, fingers curling into the muscle there softly.

“Are you okay to stay?” Kaminari whispers, finding that he can’t tear his gaze away from Shinso’s hypnotic purple gaze. One of his hands lifts and rests in Kaminari’s hair, stroking it in a way that makes Kaminari shudder, but lean into the touch. Shinso’s gentle smile and the fact that Kaminari’s chest is fully flush with Shinso’s makes him wonder absently if this is a dream. He wonders when his fantasies became so domestic.

“Parents aren’t here this weekend,” Shinso whispers back.

Kaminari registers the relief that he feels at that, and he nods. He’s so close to Shinso that his nod is more of a nudge into Shinso’s collarbone. He feels more than hears the breathy laugh that Shinso lets out, his ear pressed to Shinso’s chest. His steady heartbeat is reassuring, constant, and slowly dragging Kaminari back into the embrace of sleep. The hand that’s on Shinso’s shoulder absently strokes the juncture between his neck and shoulder, rubbing soothing circles there with his thumb.

Shinso shifts a little, and Kaminari wonders if Shinso is going to tell him to move.

Instead, Shinso pulls the blanket further above them, so it’s nearly engulfing Kaminari. He then moves his arms so that they hook together at the small of Kaminari’s back. The weight is rather soothing, and Kaminari thinks that this is what he’s been missing out on for so long. With Shinso embracing him and with the steady sounds of Shinso’s breathing, Kaminari smiles before closing his eyes again. He feels more calm than he has in ages.

As he’s drifting off again, Kaminari feels a soft, reassuring pressure against his forehead, and then nothing at all.

---

Pika Power (Me): fellas is it gay

Headphone Jacked Up: yes

Alien Queen: yes

Pika Power (Me): nice

Headphone Jacked Up: so

Alien Queen: so

Pika Power (Me): he stayed for dinner and movie night

Pika Power (Me): and i totally fell asleep on him

Pika Power (Me): and then when he left he said movie night was

Pika Power (Me): and i quote

Pika Power (Me): “fun”

Headphone Jacked Up: omg

Alien Queen: god speed this ship has SAILED

Pika Power (Me): plus ultra :’)

Chapter Text

He doesn’t know when he fell asleep, but when he wakes up, there’s something soft smushed against his face.

Kaminari’s eyes are still shut, and his mouth is slightly parted. He closes his lips and swallows reflexively, wrinkling his nose at the aches in his back that slowly make themselves known as consciousness trickles back into him. Why does his spine feel so stiff? His shoulders aren’t doing much better either, but at least his neck was saved by whatever he was sleeping on.

The soft surface felt so good. It smelled familiar. Futilely, he rubs his nose into the cloth, trying to chase the last vestiges of sleep and burrow into the slight comfort it provided. His eyes blink blearily as consciousness takes its full grasp on him, and he realizes a few things.

One— he’s sitting on a chair at U.A.’s library, having fallen asleep at the tables they reserve for students doing research. That’s why his back is so out of sorts.

Two— the soft surface he’s currently using as a personal pillow is a folded up black hoodie, one that he’s seen before many times.

Three— it’s Shinso’s jacket.

Kaminari’s resulting flush is lazy, slowly spreading over his cheeks as he lifts his head. He turned around to see Shinso next to him with a stack of textbooks, one cracked open. Though, Shinso’s looking at him and not the textbook. His stare is unbearably soft.

Kaminari tries to say, “you gave me your jacket?”, but in his post-nap grogginess, it comes more out as an unintelligible mumble. Evidently, Shinso has become a more adequate Kaminari-whisperer than the blond had realized, because the other boy nodded.

His response is quiet, low, under his breath. “I’ve fallen asleep like that before, dumbass. It’s not good for your neck.”

Kaminari slowly brings his hands up to rub the back of his neck, at the junction that probably would have been aching like hell unless Shinso had slipped his jacket as support for his head. A small smile forms on his face at the thought of his friend looking out for him.

“You fell asleep while studying,” Shinso adds, still looking at Kaminari, as if he’s trying to gauge a reaction.

Kaminari yawns and stretches his arms. “Studying’s a drag.” He rubs his eyes. “It’s seriously hard. But it’s better with you,” he wraps his arms around the jacket and leans into it again, nuzzling it. It smells like Shinso, like a slight hint of the lavender-scented shampoo that he uses for his mesmerizing fluffy hair, and Kaminari loves it.

He opens his eyes to Shinso staring at him again, and feels his blush return at full force.

More awake now, he lifts his head up and clears his throat, holding the jacket in his hands now instead of lying down on it.

“My neck would be killing me right now if it weren’t for you. You’re my hero again,” Kaminari says with a lopsided grin.

Shinso has a slight scowl on his face, but it’s softened by the way his cheeks are blushing a bright pink against his pale skin. Cute.

“Ugh, you’re sappy. Don’t mention it,” Shinso finally says, and Kaminari just smiles wider.

They sit like that together for a few more minutes, Kaminari rubbing his eyes to flush the last bits of grogginess from him, while Shinso stares at the same page in his book. Kaminari wonders if he’s really reading anymore, but doesn’t question it.

When it’s time for Shinso to get to his next class, he doesn’t move to take his jacket back.

“Just give it to me later,” Shinso says, before leaving.

When Shinso’s out of sight, Kaminari clutches the jacket to his chest and all but melts in his chair. He feels sappy, like he’s the protagonist of his own Shojo anime.

As he’s thinking thoughts of purple hair and lavender flowery scents and pink blushes, Sero and Kirishima take the seats to either side of him.

“Bro,” says Kirishima.

“Bro,” adds Sero.

Kaminari sighs happily.

Chapter Text

The weather’s been getting better lately, which is awesome because there’s a festival being held over the weekend at their local shrine. It’s one of the bigger annual festivals, and it’s one that Kaminari’s especially excited for this year.

Usually, he ends up going with Ame and the twins, him and Ame babysitting Raisei and Raika as their parents are halfway across the globe. However, as luck would have it, it turns out the entire Kaminari family was home for the matsuri that weekend, so Ame and Kaminari were relinquished of babysitting duties. As much as he loves Raika and Raisei, Kaminari was relieved to hear that his parents were taking the twins to the festival this year. Ame was equally as ecstatic, since she could finally wear that new yukata she’s been meaning to try out since the beginning of the summer and go out with her girlfriends.

Kaminari was also excited, because this meant he was free to go to the festival with any one of his friends too.

A few students in Class 1-A had mentioned wanting to go to the festival, with Yaomomo and Kirishima being especially excited about it. Yaomomo had also mentioned something about having new outfits that she wanted to try, while Kirishima had gone on about how “festivals were so manly” Bakugo had stood behind him, glaring at anyone in a silent challenge to refute Kirishima. As if any one of them were that stupid.

So, that night, as Kaminari’s about to text the Class 1-A Group Chat and ask if anyone wants to go to the festival, his phone vibrates.

Purple Ultra: hey pikachu

Kaminari blinks.

Pika Power (Me): attached: pikachu_eyes_sparkling.gif

Pika Power (Me): i love the pet names you give me <3

Purple Ultra: attached: electrocuted_ash_ketchum.gif

Purple Ultra: are you going to the festival tomorrow night

Kaminari sits up straighter, staring at the text and rereading it over for a good couple of seconds. His stomach felt like it was trying to regain equilibrium from just having executed a sick somersault. Was this going where he thought this was going?

Pika Power (Me): :O :O :O

Pika Power (Me): that depends

Pika Power (Me): are you asking me to go with you

Purple Ultra: …

Pika Power (Me): oh MY

Pika Power (Me): the ellipses of reluctant affirmation????

Pika Power (Me): i think all of my dreams are coming true

Purple Ultra: wow

Purple Ultra: how do you say things like that with a straight face

Kaminari is so keyed up with exhilaration at the fact that Shinso was asking him to go somewhere with him, the first time that Shinso had ever suggested going somewhere together, that he types out his gut response without thinking about it twice.

Pika Power (Me): well i say them with a gay face

Pika Power (Me): or more specifically a bi face

There’s a pause between Shinso’s response bubble indicating typing, before the three dots disappear. It takes a second in this lull in conversation for Kaminari to realize that he essentially just came out abruptly to Shinso, over text of all ways. He doesn’t have time to panic or regret it, though, because Shinso responds after a minute.

Purple Ultra: youre a dork

Pika Power (Me): ok this is coming from the secret Elsa stan!!!

Purple Ultra: shut up

Purple Ultra: so…

Purple Ultra: tomorrow? Me and you?

Kaminari feels himself nearly shiver at the words me and you. He likes that a lot.

Pika Power (Me): pick me up at 6?

He knows he’s pushing it, but Shinso doesn’t disappoint.

Purple Ultra: high maintenance

Pika Power (Me): yeah but you still like me

Purple Ultra: lets call it momentary lapses in judgement

Pika Power (Me): <3

Kaminari buries his face in his hands, and just barely resists screaming into them. There are butterflies in his stomach, and he thinks he even feels the start of electricity forming at his fingertips. It’s like every voice of consciousness in his mind is focused on the thought of the purple haired boy.

Shinso just asked him out!

Sure, it’s not an official date (because they’re not dating, yet) but still— Shinso asked him out! There’s no question about it, he has the literal messages to prove it.

He’s practically vibrating with excitement, and he pulls up the The twenty bi-teenager squad group chat.

Pika Power (Me): guys.

Pika Power (Me): shinso just asked me to go to the festival with him

Pika Power (Me): and i just lowkey came out to him

Pika Power (Me): i think hes chill with it

Headphone Jacked Up: oh my god denks!!! thats amazing

Headphone Jacked Up: srsly a big step forward

Headphone Jacked Up: is it like a date date

Alien Queen: HOLY SHITTT fuckin get that bread denks

Alien Queen: that sweet sweet purple bread

Pika Power (Me): weird analogy but i like the energy

Pika Power (Me): also its kind of not an official date

Pika Power (Me): so its like another not-date i guess

Pika Power (Me): BUT STILL

Pika Power (Me): he asked me instead of the other way around!!

Alien Queen: yes bitch! thats what i like to call PROGRESS

Headphone Jacked Up: fuck im feeling fomo

Headphone Jacked Up: should i... ask momo

Alien Queen: YES!!!

Pika Power (Me): YES

Headphone Jacked Up: fuck

Headphone Jacked Up: im doing it im texting her. Im asking her if she wants to together

Alien Queen: we stan one (1) goth bi queen!!!

Headphone Jacked Up: she… said yes

Headphone Jacked Up: she thinks its a great idea

Headphone Jacked Up: but she said she’s planning on inviting the other girls too to get ready at her house… so i think its not a date… more like a girls night out

Headphone Jacked Up: ill...take what i can get

Alien Queen: thats the spirit!! no worries jirou, that means im coming along too

Alien Queen: which means ill definitely figure out how to get the both of you together alone

Alien Queen: muahahahaha

Alien Queen: attached: yzma_emperors_new_groove_evil_laughter.gif

Alien Queen: maybe youll mysteriously drown in a fish scooping event

Alien Queen: and momo will have to give you mouth to mouth resuscitation

Pika Power (Me): thats terrifying mina

Headphone Jacked Up: god i wish

Pika Power (Me): i support it tho

Pika Power (Me): lol plus ultra

Headphone Jacked Up: ugh

Headphone Jacked Up: good luck to both of us on our not-dates

Kaminari falls asleep that night with dreams of yellow fireworks under the purple evening sky.

---

The next day promises a very full house in the Kaminari residence.

At around 5:00 P.M., Raika and Raisei decide that they want to get ready for the matsuri, and Kaminari along with his now-present parents help the twins into a set of matching golden kimono with orange koi fish pattern sprawling over the cloth. It’s really cute and Kaminari can’t help but coo over them as Ame takes pictures on her phone.

Half an hour later, he and Ame start getting ready as well. Kaminari had a light, sunflower yellow yukata for the occasion, whereas Ame had been waiting to use her baby blue one since the school year had started.

“Wow. That’s definitely your color, Denki,” Ame says with a whistle, before raising her phone to take a snap of her younger brother.

Kaminari flashes a quick peace sign as his sister takes the picture.

“So,” Ame says conversationally, popping a piece of gum in her mouth and offering one to Kaminari, “you going with your new hero friends or something?”

Kaminari would have been, if it weren’t for the fateful invite from Shinso. He smiles at the thought, and his sister raises an eyebrow.

“I’m going with Shinso, actually.”

“The guy you stayed up to get those vouchers for the cat café? The same one who the twins told me apparently slept over for movie night?”

Kaminari nods, almost dreamily.

Ame breaks into a big grin, one that he knows is mirrored on his own face so much so that it’s unnerving. She pulls him in by the shoulder and wraps a firm arm around his shoulder, shaking him slightly.

“Damn, I’m so proud of my little brother! Making moves your first year of high school? Now that’s what’s up Denki,” she teases, a knowing look on her face.

“Oh my god, stop,” Kaminari all but whines, face flushing. He ducks from under her, straightening out his hair again, while Ame just laughs. Kaminari is saved from further embarrassment (for now) by the bell.

He gives Ame a glare that he hopes conveys be cool, please vibes, and opens the front door.

It’s Shinso.

He’s dressed in a yukata too, one that’s dark violet with royal indigo patternings that seemed almost obsidian in its darkness. His hair is its usual purple mop of disarray, but it works. His eyes are half-lidded as usual, but the way he’s standing, with his arms crossed and gaze slightly to the right, cheeks a pale pink, tells Kaminari that maybe he’s not the only one who’s excited for tonight.

Just as Kaminari is about to blurt out something embarrassing like, “goddamn, you look fine,” there’s a stampede of feet behind him, running and shoving him to get out the door.

“Shinso-nii!” Raika squeals, as Raisei all but barrels into Shinso.

Kaminari giggles, slipping on his sandals and walking outside as Shinso is backed out by the twins trying to climb him like a tree.

“Pretty,” Raisei marvels, pawing at his yukata, and Kaminari wonders if being mesmerized by the purple-haired boy runs in his family.

Shinso regains his balance, holding Raika in his arms now as she successfully clung onto him like a sloth, while his other hand is on Raisei’s head as she wraps her slim arms around his hips. They barely wrap around, and he chuckles.

“Hello Raika, Raisei,” Shinso says, “you look wonderful in your kimonos.”

Raika shyly buries her head into Shinso’s neck while Raisei says, “it has fish on it! Look!”

Shinso makes a show of looking at Raisei’s yukata as she points out one of the koi fish, and he gasps.

Kaminari’s heart is so full.

He feels a presence behind him, and hears the shutter of a camera. He looks over his shoulder to see Ame with her phone out, taking a picture of Shinso carrying the twins.

“Hello! You must be Shinso,” Ame says, peeling Raika off of Shinso as she whines, “I see you’ve already met the leeches.

“Not leeches!” Raisei glares at Ame, her grip on Shinso’s hip tightening. Ame gives her an unimpressed look that only elder sisters around the world are capable of producing.

“Kudos to you for being able to deal. I’m Ame, by the way,” she says with a grin. Shinso widens his eyes for a second at the grin.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Shinso says. “Thanks for lending me your train pass before.”

Ame laughs. “It’s no problem, anything for my little brother’s friend. Anyways, you look kind of surprised! Am I exceeding your expectations as the superior Kaminari sibling?”

Her jovial nature and easy jokes loosens some of the tension in Shinso’s shoulders, and not for the first time in his life, Kaminari is grateful to have an elder sister as cool as Ame.

Shinso hesitates before responding. “Your… smile. It’s exactly like Denki’s,” his eyes flicker to Kaminari’s as he says this.

Kaminari feels the exact moment his face goes fire truck red.

“Ah, we used to get that all the time when we were younger,” Ame muses, looking back at Kaminari and smirking deviously at his flush, “people used to think we were twins, before the actual twins came along.”

“God, no. Our family can only handle one set of twins— two would be too powerful,” Kaminari says, and Shinso snorts.

“I think the world can only handle one Denki,” Shinso says with a smirk.

“If you had to split your attention between another me, I think I’d get jealous,” Kaminari admits. Shinso rolls his eyes.

Raisei tugs on Shinso’s yukata, getting his attention again.

“Come sleep over again soon,” she says. “Raika misses you.”

“So does Raisei!” Raika shrieks, her small face flushing with chagrin at being thrown under the bus.

“Man, I heard about this legendary lasagna-filled movie night. Sucks I missed it last time, sign me up for the next one!” Ame says, and then winks at Shinso before stage-whispering, “It seems like you’ve got all the Kaminari siblings under your thumb, Shinso. I’ve been babysitting them for ages, and now you come and upstage me just like that! Now, how’d you go and do that?”

Shinso grins at her. “I think it’s the other way around. Clearly, they’ve got me under their thumbs.”

Ame blinks, before laughing loudly and thumping Shinso on the shoulder. “Jeez, I can see why Denki’s over the moon for you.”

Kaminari practically chokes and squeaks, “Ame!”

“Relax! I’m allowed to embarrass you, I’m your older sister,” Ame says matter-of-factly, while Shinso looks a little winded keeping up with the fast-paced Kaminaris as the twins are also trying to get his attention. “Now, go stand next to him. Your outfits really complement nicely, so I’m gonna take a picture.”

She hands Raika off to Kaminari, who takes her and resists the urge to bury his face in her hair in mortification. He stands next to Shinso and whispers, “I’m sorry about her. She’s just always like that.”

“I can hear you!” Ame hollers as she moves back to take a picture of him and Shinso with the twins. “Now smile!”

The twins perk up, smiling at the lens as Kaminari flashes his teeth too. He feels Shinso’s shoulders brush against his.

Ame looks at the photo she just took, and seems satisfied with it.

“Good,” she says, “now, Raika and Raisei, come here.”

The twins detach themselves from the two boys, and run to Ame’s side. Ame leans down and whispers something to them, and they share a look, before giggling and running back inside the house.

“Your sister is a force of nature,” Shinso murmurs. From this close, he has to tilt his neck a little to meet Kaminari’s eyes.

“And I’m not?” Kaminari says, eyelashes fluttering. Shinso’s lips quirk. They’re unbearably close like this, and if Kaminari just tilted his head up and stood on the tips of his toes, he could brush his lips against—

Click!

The noise of the phone’s camera swiftly shatters Kaminari’s next thoughts, and even Shinso jolts a little. The two turn to Ame. She just grins.

“Makes for a good candid,” is all she says in way of explanation. “Raika and Raisei are going to walk over with our parents, and I’m still waiting for some of my girlfriends to show up, so you two can go on ahead. Have fun! It was great meeting you, Shinso,” Ame says, winking and blowing them a kiss.

Shinso waves bye, while Kaminari barely suppresses a groan. He was so going to get Ame back for whatever all of that just was.

They start walking towards the direction of the local shrine together. Other matsuri goers have the same idea, as they pass other groups of people dressed to the nines in flowy yukatas and the occasional regal kimono.

Kaminari side-eyes Shinso, and tries to break the weird tension between them by saying, “purple. It fits,” mirroring Shinso’s words all the way from their cat café not-date.

It works. Shinso snorts and responds, “yellow. It fits.”

But then, because Kaminari is Kaminari, he can’t help but add, “you look so good.” He adds, “Bro,” at the end, as if it would lessen the blow. Bros can compliment bros, right?

Shinso looks heavenward, as if he’s summoning the strength to go on.

“Is it a Kaminari family trait?”

Kaminari looks at him questioningly, and Shinso elaborates.

“The one where you say things to my face that normal people wouldn’t.” Even with his face tilted away from Kaminari, he can see the flush that never really went away on the taller boy.

“Maybe,” Kaminari says thoughtfully, “it would explain a lot, actually. I think we just say what comes to mind, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

Kaminari smiles at that.

---

They enter the Torii gates to where the main festivities are happening. The shrine is near a park, so most of the stands and festival games are set up there.

Kaminari’s eyes widen in excitement.

People are all around them, kids running around and adults talking to each other while teenagers are holding hands and walking around. He can smell the freshly made street food being served at food stands. Being around so many people with so much happening around him has Kaminari almost bouncing with exhilaration; exciting situations like these have always been infectious to the electricity-user.

It seems Shinso can sense it too, because he asks, “where do you want to go first?”

Kaminari points to one of the food stands that has a sign with a big cartoon fish painted onto it. “That one! Let’s go!”

He tugs Shinso by the elbow of his yukata, and the two make their way to the food stand like that, Kaminari leading the way with his hand on Shinso’s arm, while Shinso follows.

It’s a taiyaki stand, and Kaminari is nearly salivating.

“Do you like taiyaki?” Kaminari asks Shinso as they stand in line.

“It’s good. I don’t like it when the filling is too sweet, though,” Shinso says, squinting at the text on the stand’s sign. “I think I’ll like the matcha-filled one. I have a feeling you’ll like the custard cream one.”

“How’d you know I have a sweet tooth?”

“You seem like the type,” Shinso says mysteriously, before adding, “plus, you always talk about Lunch Rush’s white chocolate cookies.”

That’s true. Kaminari had bought Shinso one once from the cafeteria just to show him what all the hype was about. Although the purple-haired boy wasn’t as fond of sweets as he was, Shinso had still begrudgingly admitted that it was good.

They pay for their taiyakis, which are shaped like cute cartoon fish, and stand to the side, as Kaminari takes a bite of his taiyaki. He closes his eyes in bliss as the creamy custard fills his mouth.

It’s so good.

He eyes Shinso, who takes a bite of his and raises his eyebrows in approval.

Huh. Shinso taking a bite out of a fish.

Kaminari tries to suppress an amused smile but fails.

“What?” Shinso asks, narrowing his eyes at Kaminari.

“Nothing!” Kaminari says too quickly, a giggle punctuating his words. Shinso flicks him on the forehead, before taking another bite of his taiyaki. He looks faux-grumpy now, taking a bite of the fish shaped pastry, and Kaminari lets out a laugh. At Shinso’s poleaxed expression, Kaminari explains, “it’s just… you’re really like a cat now. You’re eating fish and you look as crabby as Fluffy,” Kaminari laughs.

Shinso sighs, before offering his taiyaki to Kaminari in a casual gesture. Kaminari takes a bite, mmm-ing at the more savory taste of matcha, trying not to think indirect kiss, indirect kiss desperately. He offers his cream-filled taiyaki, but Shinso shakes his head, smiling.

“You’re definitely more cat-like,” Shinso murmurs, “falls asleep anywhere and anytime, curls up and uses people like a personal pillow, likes attention.”

Kaminari snorts, not mentioning that there’s only one person he’s interested in using as a personal pillow. “Yeah, but you like me, so… ” He extends the so like a child.

“I’ve always liked cats,” Shinso responds blithely.

The blond eyes him suspiciously. “You know I’m a human person right? You still have to like me even though I’m human,” he says boldly, and Shinso laughs.

“High maintenance too,” Shinso quips, “definitely more cat than human.”

Kaminari finishes off the rest of his taiyaki, licking the cream from his lips. He thinks he imagines how Shinso’s eyes flicker down to his lips.

“Whatever. So, what do you wanna do next?”

They walk together through the festival, passing by more food stands and some stands selling shrine-related trinkets, until Shinso points out a stand which some kids and adults alike are standing in line for.

“That one,” Shinso says.

It’s a relatively big stand with a cork backboard, colorful water-filled balloons of different sizes taped to it. Around the stand are lengths of string holding up dolls from various media— Kaminari sees Hello Kitty, Spider-Man, and even an All Might doll.

He sees a kid hand the stand attendant some coins, and then get handed a paintball gun. The kid takes a shot and manages to break a single water balloon out of the three rounds given to him. He doesn’t win one of the bigger dolls, but the attendant gives him a small trinket of the Torii shrine as a secondary prize.

“Looks like fun,” Kaminari says. His eyes drift back to the Hello Kitty doll, and a lightbulb flickers in his head.

With a confident grin, he shoots Shinso a thumbs up and declares, “I’ll definitely win you something.”

“Oh? I’m looking forward to it,” Shinso says, but he’s smiling openly now.

Five minutes later, when the attendant is handing Kaminari the gun, he realizes that maybe his confidence was the tiniest bit misplaced. His thought process had gone a little something like this: Kaminari had been working on precision lightning attacks to enhance his quirk and make it more controllable, and his aim was getting pretty damn good if he did say so himself. Somewhere along the line, his brain made the connection that if his aim with his electricity is getting better, surely the paintball gun is no different.

But, as he’s holding the unfamiliar weight of the paintball gun, it doesn’t exactly feel like an extension of himself like he’d hoped it would.

Ah well. Might as well try anyways.

Kaminari lifts the gun and shoots one of the red balloons on the bottom row. The attendant jumps out of the way theatrically even though he was nowhere near the shot, causing kids watching to burst in peals of laughter. Water splashes out in a burst of red.

One down.

He grins at Shinso, knowing that he’s being real cocky for someone who’s never shot a gun before, but Shinso seems amused.

Aiming the gun again, he spots a balloon as blue as Ame’s yukata. He steps back and shoots.

The balloon bursts again.

“One more, one more!” A kid behind him chants.

Maybe it’s because he’s already gotten two down or maybe it’s because Shinso is looking at him in that subtly fond way of his, but he gets a little more smug than he should be. Maybe that’s why he aims for the purple balloon taped to the very corner of the corkboard, one that’s not exactly easy to hit.

He aims. He shoots.

He misses.

“Darn,” he whistles, but thanks the attendant as he gets the small Torii shrine consolation prize. He turns to Shinso and says, “I didn’t win something, but would you believe me if I said that’s the first time I held a gun?”

Shinso laughs his breathy laugh, and takes the gun from Kaminari. He leans in and says for Kaminari’s ears only, “Impressive. Maybe I can win you something this time.”

Kaminari shivers as Shinso’s breath tickles the shell of his ears, and then again as he takes in Shinso’s concentrated stance as he holds the gun in a much more practiced way than Kaminari. His eyes are intense, concentrated, and then—

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Golden eyes widen as Shinso takes out three balloons in a row. The kids watching go wild, cheering and pushing to the front as they pester the attendant for their turn to try the paintball gun. The attendant placates them with a wide smile and promises of their turn as long as they waited in line, before giving Shinso an obligatory “Congratulations!” and asking him which prize he wanted.

Shinso points at a doll right above the attendant’s head, and the man hands it to Shinso. Shinso turns to Kaminari, and realizes that it’s a small Pikachu plushie.

“For you,” Shinso says with a confident grin that does wonders to Kaminari’s heart, and puts the small Pikachu in Kaminari’s arms. Kaminari is still looking at him wide-eyed, before he breaks out into a big grin and covers his eyes with one hand, partially because he’s too embarrassed to look Shinso in the eyes.

“That was so cool! You’re so cool, oh my god, I can’t even look at you right now. You have all my uwu’s Shinso. You’ve gone and taken all of them and I can’t believe you.”

Kaminari knows he tends to ramble when he’s overwhelmed with emotion, and when thin fingers wrap around his wrist and gently take his hand away from his eyes, when Kaminari looks directly into into violet orbs, when Shinso’s looking at him so softly like he’s stripping Kaminari down to his core, Kaminari chokes on his next words.

Instinctively, he tears his gaze away from the eye contact and leans forward, burying his head into Shinso’s chest.

“...So cool,” Kaminari mumbles, hugging the Pikachu doll tighter, feeling like his entire face had caught fire.

Shinso doesn’t try to raise his head up again, but instead he sighs and puts a hand on Kaminari’s nape, stroking the hairs there soothingly. He hears the steady beat of the other boy’s heart like this, and it helps his face cool down.

“Thanks, kitten,” Shinso murmurs.

Kaminari’s grip on the doll tightens as his blush returns at full force.

He whips his head up and hooks his arm with Shinso’s, and stands side by side with the other boy, refusing to look him in the eye.

“L-let’s go to t-the omamori stand! I saw one earlier,” he stutters out. Shinso doesn’t say anything, but he squeezes their arms together briefly, reassuringly, where they’re linked, before Kaminari drags them over to the omamori stand.

The stand is pretty popular, as there are tables filled with wooden display stands, lined with omamori made with cloth of every color of the rainbow. Kaminari lets go of Shinso and silently hopes that the lack of contact will make his heart stop beating so fast that he feels nauseous, and he ooh’s at the pretty amulets. When he and Ame had come to the festival years ago when Ame was just starting highschool, Ame had mentioned a crush she had that she had hoped to ask out. Instead of getting Ame the kaiun charm for “good luck and a better fortune”, Kaminari had jokingly got her the en-musubi charm. It was usually given to people to “ensure love and a hopeful marriage”. Ame had laughed, but now Kaminari couldn’t help but wonder how Shinso would react if he gave him the en-musubi charm.

Shinso’s turned around, looking at some other charms. Before he can chicken out, Kaminari grabs an en-musubi charm covered in goldenrod colored shiny cloth, and then also a forest green kaiun charm. He quickly scans the selection, before finding an gakugyo-joju charm for Ame (“good luck in education and passing exams”— which she’ll definitely need as an incoming university prospective student), and two kanai-anzen charms for the twins (“safety and wellbeing of one’s family”).

“Shinso, I’m gonna buy a few omamori for the fam,” Kaminari announces, while the en-musubi charm feels like a hot coal in his hands, “I’ll be right back!”

Shinso nods, looking at a few charms himself.

Kaminari goes to the stand attendant and buys the charms, shoving them in his wallet. He holds the en-musubi charm and the kaiun charm in either palm, staring at the respectively gold and green charms. Finally, he puts the golden one in his wallet as well, holding the kaiun charm in a closed grip.

He makes his way over to Shinso, who he had seen talking to another one of the stand’s attendants.

They walk together out of the omamori stand in amiable silence. The sky was getting a little darker, streaks of magenta and orange painting across the sky in a beautiful splash of color, the air getting a little cooler. Kaminari loved the fireworks show that always happened at the end of this festival.

He turns to Shinso, fidgeting a bit before saying, “so, uh, this is for you.”

He holds out the green kaiun charm, wincing at how lame his words sound. Why did it come out as more of a question than a statement? Kaminari squashed down his mortification as Shinso blinked at the charm.

He takes it in his hand, inspecting the gold markings on the green cloth. “Kaiun for a better fortune?”

Kaminari looks at him, finding that he can look Shinso in the eye again (which is great, because he really liked Shinso’s eyes if he did say so himself).

“Yeah, it’s for luck. Y’know, cause you want to get in the hero course and all,” he smiles, a twinkle in his eye as he adds, “though knowing you, you probably don’t need luck. Besides, you’ve already been my hero more than once.” Kaminari laughs.

Shinso’s eyes widen a fraction as he considers Kaminari with what could only be described as raw emotion on his face for just a moment. He blinks again, before closing his eyes, lips tugging into an incredulous smile.

“...Shinso?” Kaminari said, a twinge of worry making its way into his voice.

The purple-haired boy doesn’t respond, not immediately, but when he opens his eyes, they’re a little glossy. Kaminari resists the urge to pull the boy into his arms immediately, instead letting him work through his thoughts. Until then, Kaminari would be right here.

Finally, Shinso opens his other hand, revealing a baby pink charm with golden patterning on it.

“Well, this really makes me look like an asshole,” Shinso deadpans, though his voice is strained.

Kaminari takes the charm and inspects it, realizing that it’s the anzan charm: “wishes for a healthy pregnancy”, usually given to women that are expecting.

And Shinso had gotten it for Kaminari, most likely as a gag gift.

Kaminari bursts out in heaving laughter.

Shinso’s blushing deeply, but Kaminari closes his fist around the pink charm. There’s no way in hell he’s not keeping it.

“I didn’t expect that,” Kaminari says, wiping a tear from the side of his eye, face flushed with laughter now instead of embarrassment, which feels good. He then holds up the Pikachu doll and teases, “does that mean this is our child?”

Kaminari thinks he’s mastered the art of getting Shinso to look at him with an expression of what could only be described as “fond exasperation”.

“That doesn’t even make any sense,” Shinso says, though he’s fighting a smile.

“You don’t even make any sense,” Kaminari parrots back, like a child. Shinso rolls his eyes, but he’s still holding onto the green kaiun charm like a lifeline, so Kaminari counts it as a win.

Then Shinso looks over his shoulder and frowns.

Kaminari turns around to see what he’s looking at and his jaw drops open.

It’s Jirou and Yaoyorozu about five feet away from them, Jirou nearly stumbling and catching herself on a tree while Yaomomo tries to steady her. Jirou’s other hand is holding a nearly drenched napkin to her nose, trying to stem the flow of blood. It looks like she got decked in the face.

“They’re from the hero course,” Shinso says, before his frown deepens, “I think.”

Kaminari closes his mouth, still blinking in disbelief at Jirou’s pitiful state, before saying, “Um. Yeah, they’re from my class. Do you mind if we go check in on them real quick?”

Shinso shrugs, which Kaminari takes as a yes, as he’s already closing the small distance between them. Up close, Jirou’s bloody nose somehow looks even gorier. He knows first-hand that these wounds tend to bleed more dramatically, but even knowing that didn’t stop the shudder that went up his spine.

“Dude,” Kaminari says, “What the hell?”

Jirou’s eyes flash up at the familiar voice, and she frantically tries to hold the dripping of her blood away from her indigo yukata.

“Denks?” Her voice is nasally, surprise evident at running into Kaminari, but she quickly adds, “It’s nothing! Momo’s taking care of me— I mean it.”

Kaminari thinks Jirou’s lucky she’s bleeding so hard, because her blush would be really obvious otherwise.

Yaoyorozu nods, though her brows are furrowed in worry. She’s currently rolled up the sleeves of her cherry blossom pink yukata, generating more tissues from her bare arms using her quirk. She then takes some of the strong-duty soft napkins, and gently tilts Jirou’s head forward, taking away the old napkins and replacing them with delicate touches and careful hands.

Kaminari’s initial worry ebbs away as he sees Jirou look as blissed out at Yaomomo’s attention as it’s possible for a girl to be when she’s bleeding from the nose.

“I think I’ve got it, but thank you, Kaminari,” Yaoyorozu smiles at Kaminari. She then looks at Shinso and has a thoughtful expression. “Ah, I see you’ve found your ‘Purple-haired Mystery Man.’”

Fuck. Of course she remembered that.

She smiles winningly, politely at Shinso. “You two make a very cute couple. I’m going to take Kyouka to get some real medical assistance, but have fun!” She helps Jirou stand up, who looks absolutely floored at hearing her first name come out of the rich girl’s mouth.

They wave bye, Jirou doing more so out of reflex than any conscious movement.

Jirou… you have your eyes on a goddess, Kaminari thinks, silently wishing his friend good luck. Then, as he turns back to Shinso, he thinks he’ll need some good luck himself.

“Purple… haired mystery man?” Shinso asks, bemused.

Kaminari laughs, though he feels his nerves working himself up as he finds the words to explain himself.

“So, like, I may have tried to figure out who you were when I first bumped into you.”

“Right, your ‘I’m a gemini’ speech.” Shinso nods, which gives Kaminari pause.

“Wait, you remember that?”

Shinso smirks. “How can I forget my first stalker?”

Kaminari gapes at the smug smartass, before shoving at him lightly with the Pikachu doll.

“Mean! That’s mean,” Kaminari grouses, though it’s really not that far off if he thinks about it.

Shinso laughs, before saying, “it’s okay. I didn’t know you were looking for me since way back then, but somehow, I’m not surprised.”

“I just wanted to be your friend!” Kaminari defends himself, but he’s smiling too now. For a second he thinks that Shinso is going to ask why, which Kaminari wouldn’t have been able to answer without embarrassing himself further, but he doesn’t.

Instead, he asks, “is that how you found out that I spend most of my lunch periods under the cherry blossom tree?”

Kaminari remembers back to their first meeting, when Shinso had helped him out with his pre-exam anxieties before even fully knowing who Kaminari was.

“Actually, that was just coincidental. I couldn’t find you in the caféteria for weeks, and then I just happened to find you under this unassuming cherry blossom tree in the middle of exams season. It was basically fate,” Kaminari says, only half joking. “Besides, I couldn’t really tell what you thought of me for the first few weeks I got to know you. I just knew I wanted to get to know more about you.”

Shinso’s half lidded eyes stare at him, and Kaminari gets the feeling he’s said something a little too much again, but then Shinso says, “I’m glad you stuck around.” He hesitates before saying, “it couldn’t have been easy. I’m not talkative and I’m not… open, like you are.”

Kaminari considers Shinso’s words, knowing that they were probably hard to admit to. But he thinks it’s a little ironic— the things that Shinso thinks made it hard to get along with him were part of what Kaminari liked about him, mainly because it was what made him Shinso.

“I talk too much. I don’t always have a brain-to-mouth filter, and I get worked up easily. But I like that you listen, y’know? You… kind of match me. Like a puzzle piece,” Kaminari says, willing his words to make sense. They’re like opposites, attracted like magnets. It just works. There’s no better way to say it.

Shinso nods. “It fits,” he echos the words they’ve said to each other before, though his voice is low and rough, full of some emotion that Kaminari can’t pinpoint but it makes him ache to wrap his arms around the other boy.

He hears movement, catching his attention. Kaminari looks around them as stands start closing and groups of people start moving to find patches of grass to sit in to watch the night sky. They were getting close to the fireworks show, Kaminari’s favorite part of the night.

Shinso notices this, his eyes lifting from where they were looking down at the blond. He hmm’s, purple irises following the groups of people laughing and talking, moving to the open field in the park.

“It’s about time for the fireworks show,” Shinso states, thoughtful.

“Yeah. We should go find a place with a view,” Kaminari responds. Maybe they can sprawl out on the park grounds together. He’s done that before with Ame and the twins— they’re probably there already anyways with his parents. He smiles at the memory of Raika and Raisei’s first matsuri. They had nearly jumped out of their skin at the sound of the first firework going off, but they hadn’t been afraid. There was only awe in their expressions as they watched the show.

He’s about to tug on Shinso’s sleeve and walk them over to the field of grass, but Shinso instead slips his hand into Kaminari’s. His palms are rough, like he’s newly started combat training and his body is getting accustomed to it, but they’re warm and big. Kaminari’s smaller hand fits into Shinso’s easily, and Kaminari’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Follow me,” Shinso says, before leading Kaminari in the opposite direction to most of the festival goers.

They walk over to a set of stairs embedded in a hilled slope in the park, Kaminari stumbling a little in his effort to keep up with Shinso’s longer leg strides as the purple-haired boy walks somewhat faster than usual. He realizes that Shinso’s probably been walking slower all this time to match Kaminari’s stride, and that offhand thought, coupled with the fact that their hands were still connected, makes Kaminari feel like his brain is slightly going into overdrive.

They walk up the stairs, towards the top of the small hill, and Kaminari’s brain is buzzing with the possibilities. He’s had enough trashy rom com nights with Jirou and Mina to fuel his rampant imagination. Is this the part of the night where Shinso whisks him away to a quieter part of the park to kiss him silly? Is he going to confess? Should Kaminari confess? It’s just wishful thinking, Kaminari knows, but with the atmosphere the way it is, with all the moments they definitely shared tonight, he feels like it might be the right time—

He hears the pop of the first firework, startling him out of his thoughts, causing him to nearly miss the next step. For all his lazy demeanor, Shinso is quick as a whip, and places his hand at the base of Kaminari’s back, steadying the smaller boy easily. His gaze softens. He slows his pace slightly for Kaminari.

“Almost there,” Shinso says, without moving his hand.

Kaminari nods, words caught in his throat at the possibilities of what was to come. They finish going up the stairs and find a grassy clearing at the top of the hill. There are a few festival goers scattered here and there, clearing having had the same idea. Shinso walks them over to a spot unhindered by the shadows of any surrounding trees, and then turns to Kaminari.

If he would just lean in, if he would just bend down… Kaminari thinks wistfully.

“This place has the best view for the fireworks,” Shinso says.

Kaminari cranes his head up to look at the sky, and then his voice is caught in his throat for a different reason. An array of firecrackers blossom in the sky, but up here, it’s closer, like Kaminari can reach out with his hands and somehow manipulate the colorful bursts of light. It’s more intimate too, like the show was meant just for them.

“Woah,” he breathes.

They both sit down on that grassy hill, Kaminari instinctively huddling closer to Shinso as the night sky gets cooler. The fireworks show is just as amazing as Kaminari remembers it. He’s sure that there’s some sort of pyrotechnics-quirk user working behind the scenes, because the fireworks bloom into different shapes. There are flowers, there are omamori and taiyaki and there’s even fireworks in the shape of All Might and Endeavor.

It’s beautiful.

When he looks to Shinso, he can see the array of colors popping across the sky being reflected in those brilliant purple eyes. It’s even more mesmerizing than the bursts of light in the air before them.

The show goes on for a little less than ten minutes, before ending in a spectacular explosion of rainbow, like the sky was a canvas and someone had thrown multiple buckets of paint onto it at the same time. Kaminari gasped in awe as the colors seemed to span the entire sky for one unbelievable moment, before it faded away into oblivion.

As the show ends, he looks to Shinso whose eyes were still following the last sparks of the fireworks, falling into nothingness.

Kaminari whispers, “wanna see something cool?”

Shinso tears his gaze away from the sky, and instead trains his stare on Kaminari. Kaminari grins. He’s been training more to control his electric quirk since he started at U.A. He knew that he had passed the entrance exam easily since his wide spanning electric attacks were perfect for taking down robots, but after that, his brain had felt burnt out and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to survive all battles with villains unless he was able to do precise attacks. His electricity was easiest manipulated at his extremities, most notably his fingertips. After all, he had accidentally shocked Shinso with his fingers whenever he got really excited, so it was just a matter of practice to make it into a voluntary reaction.

It had taken a lot of practice. But he’s really excited to show Shinso.

“I can make our own fireworks,” Kaminari says excitedly.

He holds out his hands, letting his fingers spread, before turning his hands such that the pads of his fingertips are facing upwards. Kaminari furrows his brows as he pushes a small, concentrated surge of electricity through his body, feeling it ripple through his arms in a searing path through his arms, until they burst at his fingertips. He lets loose a couple of sparks that result in tiny, golden explosions right above their heads. It reminds Kaminari of the sparklers that he’d light up at festivals with Ame, and he laughs as more mini-fireworks appear in the air.

He really liked the idea of them having their own little show, just for him and Shinso.

Kaminari turns to Shinso with a brilliant grin, and Shinso’s lips tug into a smile, one that he likes to think is reserved for Kaminari only.

“That’s really pretty,” Shinso admits.

“Impressive, right?” Kaminari boasts, and Shinso’s smile widens.

“Very,” he says.

Then his eyes trail down to Kaminari’s hands as they stop producing sparks. They widen with shock.

The blond tilts his head in confusion and follows the other boy’s stare until he realizes what Shinso was looking at. He quickly tugs his sleeves over his hands, shame welling up in his gut as he recognizes the tell-tale vein-like red marks clawing up his wrists and into his fingertips. It looks like his body still hadn’t gotten used to concentrated bursts of electricity in one area, not that Kaminari wanted Shinso to know that.

He moves to shove his hands under himself and out of sight, but Shinso catches them in his grip first. His grasp is gentle but firm, and he’s looking at Kaminari with an intense gaze, one that Kaminari has never been able to escape.

“Does it hurt to use your quirk?”

Shinso’s words are low, full of concern, and Kaminari stares back at him wide-eyed, like a deer caught in headlights. He’s had these issues, both mental and physical, with his quirk since the day his quirk manifested, and he’s never talked about it to anyone before. Not his friends in 1-A, not the disaster bi squad, not even Ame. He whispers his secrets to his baggy clothes, covering the disdainful red Lichtenberg figures that violate his body without his consent, and lets the marks fade despite him knowing that the issue runs more than just skin deep.

But, despite all of that, he still— he trusts Shinso.

He really trusts Shinso.

Maybe that’s what makes him not look away when Shinso’s asking him to bare his heart and soul.

“It doesn’t really hurt. Not really. But,” he hesitates, and Shinso squeezes his hands comfortingly, silently persuading him to continue, “when I overdo it, I get these… these marks and sometimes my brain short circuits. I literally stop being coherent, and it’s…” scary, he thinks, but he says, “ … not fun.”

He tries to laugh light-heartedly because their night was going so well, and he doesn’t want to bum Shinso out with the freaky side effects of his quirk. He’s mentally kicking himself for not pulling up his sleeves earlier, because no one wants to see his arms like that, right?

But instead of pulling away, instead of changing the topic, Shinso lets his fingers trace the outlines of the marks, running along the rivers of red that they form on his skin.

“That sounds difficult to deal with,” Shinso says, his eyes searching Kaminari’s, though for what Kaminari couldn’t say.

He swallows, and tries to grin, though he’s sure it comes out wobblier than intended. “It’s fine. I mean, I’ll be able to control it. That’s why I go to U.A., right? To learn how to control my quirk and help people.”

He’s silent for a moment, almost scared to voice his next thoughts, but Shinso’s watching him and waiting for him to go on. So he does.

“It’s… stupid. It’s stupid to be scared of your own quirk, right?”

His lips are pulled tight into a forced neutral expression, because he’s laid it all out. There it is. This is what he’s been afraid of ever since he was five years old and let out a brilliant burst of electricity when he got excited at school. This is what he’s been afraid of ever since his powers had the potential to kill people, to hurt himself and make him feel like he was burning off his own brain cells.

Shinso inhales a sharp breath, before he pulls Kaminari in closer, his hands sliding from holding the other boy’s wrists to firmly interlocking with his fingers.

“It’s not stupid,” Shinso says, and his voice is firm, resolute, leaving no room for any argument. “It’s perfectly normal to be scared. It’s normal to want to fix it, and it’s normal to— to dislike the side effects of your quirk. It’s brave of you to put your all into controlling it. You’re not stupid, Kaminari. You’re…”

He’s searching for the right words and Kaminari can practically feel his frustration. He sees Shinso furrow his brows as he tries so hard to comfort Kaminari, and the most wondrous part is that Kaminari can tell that he means it. He’s not judging him or flinching in disgust from his scars, he’s not telling Kaminari that it’s a necessary sacrifice to make for having such a powerful quirk. Instead, he’s validating Kaminari’s tortuous emotions. He’s trying to comfort Kaminari.

How does Shinso even exist?

Kaminari wonders if there are stars in his eyes everytime he looks at Shinso, because it sure feels like it.

As Shinso is floundering for a word, Kaminari leans in and rests his head against Shinso’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” Kaminari whispers.

“Don’t thank me,” Shinso says finally, his hands resting on Kaminari’s back. His tone is serious but his touch is devastatingly gentle. “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. You don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not, and you don’t have to pretend that you’re okay. Not ever. Not with me.”

There’s a lump in his throat and he’s incapable of making sound for a solid minute. He just lets his head rest against Shinso’s shoulder, as the purple-haired boy gently strokes his back.

In a lighter tone, with Shinso’s lips so close to Kaminari’s ear that his voice tickles, Shinso asks, “am I just your human pillow at this point?”

Kaminari snorts, but his voice is heavy when he quips, “that’s a good hero name. The Human Pillow.”

Shinso makes an ugh noise, but he gently shifts Kaminari so that he can wrap his arms around the smaller boy’s shoulder. Kaminari finds himself seated in between Shinso’s legs, which are outstretched, slightly bent at the knees. The blond is leaning against Shinso’s broad chest, with the other boy’s arms tightly wrapped around Kaminari’s torso. His chin is resting atop of Kaminari’s golden mess of hair.

Their hands are still linked together.

Kaminari closes his eyes as he lets his body relax, leaning more into that firm chest. He thinks that if he ever finds himself falling, fractured into such fine pieces that it would be near impossible to find him, that Shinso would be there to catch him. He would be there to lay Kaminari comfortingly on his chest, and he would be there to hold him before he could fall further.

“You too, Shinso,” Kaminari mumbles. Shinso strokes a thumb over Kaminari’s, and the blond shivers, before adding, “you don’t have to pretend with me. Not ever. Because you’re you. You’re Shinso.”

It’s painfully cheesy, but it’s exactly how Kaminari feels.

Shinso’s silent but he wraps his arms even tighter around Kaminari, pulling him closer until his back is practically flush with Shinso’s chest. Until they’re sharing body heat on this cool, autumn night. Until the world is reduced to just the two of them.

Kaminari closes his eyes again.

He barely just catches Shinso’s murmured, “I know.”

He smiles and relaxes.

---

When they’re walking home together, shoulders touching, Kaminari gets a text from Ame.

It’s the picture she had taken of him and Shinso when they both weren’t looking at the camera. It’s the one where they’re looking into each other’s eyes with incredibly soft, indulgent smiles on their faces. Kaminari didn’t know that was what he looked like when he was with Shinso. It was so, so painfully obvious, the raw happiness on his face.

Their open, teasing, affectionate expressions are so gooey that he can’t look at the candid without blushing.

He shows it to Shinso, who takes one look at it, and then promptly tilts his head heavenward for the second time that day. Kaminari notices that his blush runs up the back of his neck, and can’t help but grin at that revelation.

Nevertheless, he saves it to his camera roll.

Shinso mumbles out a request for him to send the picture to him as well. Kaminari smiles as he obliges, though his face is glowing the entire time.

---

At around midnight, after he and Shinso have parted ways, after he’s stripped his yukata off and showered away the sweat and excitement of the matsuri, his phone buzzes with notifications from The twenty bi-teenager squad.

Headphone Jacked Up: I kissed momo

Pika Power (Me): WHAT

Alien Queen: THATS MY GIRL

Pika Power (Me): HOW

Headphone Jacked Up: so

Headphone Jacked Up: mina created an opening for me

Headphone Jacked Up: kind of

Pika Power (Me): kind of???

Headphone Jacked Up: i think mina was panicking because it was almost time for the fireworks to start and she hadnt gotten me and momo alone yet

Headphone Jacked Up: so she accidentally tripped me down some stairs

Headphone Jacked Up: and i ate shit on the curb and got a bloody nose

Headphone Jacked Up: momo carried me off to the side and told the rest of the girls to go on

Headphone Jacked Up: and then she made bandages for me and helped clean up the mess (and boy it was messy)

Headphone Jacked Up: and I

Headphone Jacked Up: fellas

Headphone Jacked Up: is it gay

Alien Queen: yes

Pika Power (Me): yes

Headphone Jacked Up: good

Headphone Jacked Up: her face was right there and she kept looking at me with those fucking gorgeous eyes

Headphone Jacked Up: and i kissed her

Headphone Jacked Up: and now i think we’re girlfriends

Alien Queen: YES WE STAN THAT!!

Alien Queen: PLUS ULTRA BITCHES

Pika Power (Me): jesus bow down to our queen

Pika Power (Me): i seriously need that kind of energy

Pika Power (Me): shinso and i held hands and cuddled so take that

Headphone Jacked Up: wow vanilla but i love it

Pika Power (Me): i think im going to ask him out

Pika Power (Me): like for real

Pika Power (Me): no more not-dates

Pika Power (Me): i really want to

Alien Queen: i support this fully!!!!!

Alien Queen: should i create an opening for you

Pika Power (Me): WELL i do not want a bloody nose

Pika Power (Me): so no

Headphone Jacked Up: tbh a solid choice

Alien Queen: rude

Pika Power (Me): lol love you too

Alien Queen: r00d but fine!! go get your mans

Chapter Text

If Kaminari were on Cloud Nine after the not-date at the cat café, he’s practically floating, rocketing into the stratosphere, after the not-date at the matsuri. He knows that he sometimes has the tendency to jump to conclusions, and he knows that sometimes he can be a huge sappy romantic, but Kaminari really doesn’t think he’s misreading things this time— he really thinks that he has a chance with Shinso.

What had started out as a superficial crush at first sight had evolved into something more, something that Kaminari didn’t quite know how to describe. It was new, tender, young, and exciting. Electric, one might even say.

(Jirou would totally punch him if he actually said that.

Except it doesn’t matter, because she’s dating Yaomomo instead of going on not-dates like Kaminari has been doing.

So whatever.)

Now all Kaminari had left to do was actually ask Shinso out. The task seemed deceivingly simple. Should he give Shinso some sort of grand gesture? He’s seen crazy engagement or even just prom-posal videos before, and somehow, he thinks that Shinso probably would be completely and utterly mortified if Kaminari tried to subject him to any sort of public declaration. Maybe Kaminari could just ask him casually, when they were alone? Was it really that easy? Who’s to say that Kaminari won’t choke and forget every single language he’s ever spoken in the middle of his confession? A part of him wishes he could have just had a Jirou-Yaomomo moment like the one those two had had at the festival, although with less nosebleeding.

And then what if Shinso rejected him?

The thought made his stomach sink. He could already imagine himself taking the rejection with a plastered on smile and insisting that the two still stayed friends, because god, Kaminari really liked Shinso as a friend too. Like he said, this had evolved from just some normal crush— Shinso was no longer ‘Purple-haired Mystery Man’. He was Kaminari’s friend, someone who he’d actually brought home and introduced to everyone of his sisters, someone who he could hang out and speak his mind without the fear of being judged.

Kaminari would hate to lose him as a friend.

But then, what if Shinso reciprocated his feelings? What if he says yes?

The blond can’t help the dopey grin that comes to his face. He sighs as the warm fantasies that have been at the forefront of his mind come to life. Holding hands with Shinso, cuddling with him in the safety of their dorms, watching stupid videos with him and laughing over memes, looking into each others’ eyes like dumb saps and, and kissing—

“Denks! Dude, did you short circuit?”

Sero’s concerned voice snaps him out of his day dream. He blinks at his best friend, who’s standing over him at his desk. In fact, as he looks around, it seems like most of Class 1-A is standing up and around, ready to leave.

Curiously enough, no one was making for the exit.

“Um, yeah, I mean no, I didn’t short circuit! Was just caught in my thoughts,” Kaminari explained lamely, but at Sero’s knowing grin, he had been caught.

“Yeah, bro, I totally get it. But class is over, dude.”

Kaminari stands up with a stretch, feeling some pops in his spine as he reaches up. He then looks over to the 1-A door, which is open, except—

Except there’s a huge freaking crowd blocking their pathway.

He grabs onto Sero’s shoulder and points at the crowd. It almost seems like every other U.A. student other than Class 1-A have decided to set up shop right outside their classroom. Seriously, Kaminari hadn’t seen a sea of gray uniforms like this since the incident with the reporters trying to get into the school.

“Dude, what?” Kaminari says, incredulous. Sero just shrugs.

“What business do you have with our class?” Iida says at the forefront of the crowd, hand held out with all his fingers together as if glued. If you had given him a neon orange vest, Kaminari thinks he would have done perfect in traffic, but then they wouldn’t have their trusty Class 1-A president to sort out their issues. Because seriously, Kaminari had no clue how to deal with a crowd of not-so-happy looking students, dissecting them with their eyes as if they were some sort of animals in a zoo exhibit. It kind of felt weird.

“They’re scouting out the competition for the sports festival, idiots. We’re the fucking class that survived a villain attack. They want to see us with their own eyes,” Bakugo says, hands shoved in his pockets and stalking towards the crowd as if they were no more significant than a couple of ants trying to impede the gait of a human. For a moment, Kaminari is afraid that the ashy blond really plans on streamrolling through the crowd of students. For all that Bakugo growls and blusters, Kaminari isn’t ashamed to admit that he likes the explosive man; he’s kind of entertaining, and even if Bakugo wouldn’t admit it under the threat of death, Kaminari considers them both to be friends. A not so small part of him thinks that Bakugo secretly feels the same way. Again, not that he’d ever admit it without a significant amount of screaming and cursing involved.

Which is why Kaminari shares a look at Sero, their patented someone should stop this before he does something REALLY stupid look.

He’s also pretty sure that he hears Midoriya whisper to Uraraka and Iida, “let’s just hope he doesn’t explode anybody,” which, y’know, isn’t exactly the greatest sentiment of faith that Kaminari’s heard, so it doesn’t really help.

And then things really get going when Bakugo stops in front of the crowd, declaring in that perpetually pissed-off voice of his, “at least now you know what a future pro looks like. Now, move it extras.”

Sero chokes, eyes wide at the word extras, while Kaminari violently quashes down the urge to laugh hysterically (because Bakugo is hilarious even when he’s really, really not trying to be) and stands up and immediately moves towards the explosive boy without thinking.

Iida is flailing, screeching, “you can’t go around calling people extras just because you don’t know who they are!”

His hands are whapping through the air so fast that Kaminari wonders for a second if the motors in his legs secretly extend to his arms. Midoriya and Uraraka look so mortified that their mouths are just hanging open, but the only noises coming out are vaguely indignant warbles. Probably trying to voice the sentiment that they’re not with Bakugo, Kaminari thinks, which is admittedly a smart move.

Instead, Kaminari does just the opposite, by putting his arm around Bakugo and squeezing the other’s shoulder like he’s done so many times before.

“Hey man! Let’s chill out, okay? Y’know, and not antagonize these beautiful people with probably amazing quirks,” Kaminari winks at the crowd, trying to lay on the cheese. It doesn’t exactly dissipate some of the tension in the air, but he still counts it as a win because a few students look more confused than angry now.

“Get off me Sparky,” Bakugo growls, shoving Kaminari’s arm off.

“Rude, Kacchan!” Kaminari whines, dramatically rubbing at his arm when in reality, it didn’t hurt at all. Midoriya made a noise like a wounded dog at the word Kacchan coming out of Kaminari’s mouth. His eyes are wider than usually (Midoriya has the world’s biggest eyes, Kaminari’s concluded— not even the twins’ puppy dog eyes could compare) and Kaminari is kind of afraid he might start crying. He looks a little fearful for Kaminari and a little in awe as well.

Bakugo, however, shows no sign of having heard him other than the violent twitch of his left eyelid and the slight flush to the tips of his ears, which Kaminari can only see because they’re standing so close together. For a second, Kaminari thinks that this is the calm before the storm, because Bakugo opens his mouth to surely scream at Kaminari—

“So this is Class 1-A.”

A smooth, baritone, low voice speaks from somewhere in the middle of the crowd. Kaminari’s heart stutters at the familiar voice, and his neck nearly creaks at how fast he turns towards the direction of the voice.

“I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass,” the voice continues, and Kaminari definitely recognizes a very distinct mop of purple hair making its way through the crowd, getting closer to the entrance of Class 1-A.

Shinso.

Immediately, Kaminari is flooded with his previous fantasies of what he would do if Shinso said yes to Kaminari asking him out. He tries his best to drag himself back to the present and listen.

He’s at the front of the classroom when he says, “is everyone in the hero course delusional, or just you?”

Bakugo snarls at that, while Iida, Midoriya, Uraraka, and even Mineta shake their heads vehemently in denial. Kaminari just sighs. Of course Shinso would be metal enough to not even bat an eye at coming head to head with Bakugo, who quite literally has the power to explode anyone in his way. Of course Shinso was just that cool.

Shinso’s eyes flicker to Kaminari, betraying a hint of surprise, before his typical stoic face is back, less than three feet away from Bakugo’s.

“I wanted to be in the hero course,” he starts, one arm lazily scratching the back of his neck (Kaminari inappropriately wants to scratch it for him, and then also maybe curl his fingers at the soft wisps of hair that lie there), “I wanted to be in the hero course, but like many others here, I was forced to choose a different track. Such is life.”

Bakugo looks absolutely murderous at this point, and Kaminari wonders if he should try to physically hold him back. Not that it would do much, but still, Kaminari would rather not see Shinso explode into bits and pieces if he could help it. He’d rather blow his mind than get him blown up, but—

“I didn’t cut it the first time around, but I have another chance.”

Shinso’s violet glare is piercing now, and Kaminari feels his breath hitch in his throat.

“If any of us do well in the Sports Festival, the teachers can decide to transfer us into the hero course. And they’ll have to transfer people out to make room.”

A few students gasp at this, including Midoriya and Uraraka. Even Iida tenses a little bit. Kaminari, however, just recalls the conversation he and Shinso had at the cat café. He remembers how Shinso had wanted to become a hero, had intended on coming to U.A. for the hero course. He remembers thinking that the entrance exam was kind of stupid for people with quirks that weren’t exactly physical.

And that gets Kaminari thinking— just what is Shinso’s quirk? It hits him like a sack of rocks, because he’s never really asked Shinso that before, which, when he thinks about it, is ridiculous. He’d thought that a quirk was such an integral part of someone’s very being that you couldn’t really know a person fully until you knew their quirk, so how did Kaminari get so attached to Shinso just like that?

If he thinks about it more, he furrows his brow as he realizes something— he accepted Midoriya as a friend before ever getting to know what his quirk was. In fact, he still wasn’t super sure what it was— it sounded like strength augmentation, but there was definitely something else to it. And yet, he still cared about Midoriya, would still defend the green-haired cinnamon roll to the best of his ability if it came to it. And that’s exactly how he felt about Shinso— he hadn’t needed to know his quirk to become friends with him.

So maybe it wasn’t so surprising that Kaminari hadn’t asked Shinso what his quirk was yet. Even so, he was still curious about it. Maybe he’d ask him later.

“So, ‘scouting the competition’? Maybe some of my peers are, but I’m here to let you know that if you don’t bring your very best, I’ll steal your spot right from under you. Consider this a declaration of war.” Shinso’s stance never wavers, his eyes sharp as steel, lazily looking over each and every student in Class 1-A.

The room is so quiet, Kaminari could hear a pin drop. Shinso had the attention of each and every Class 1-A student, whether they were glaring at him like Bakugo, looking at him incredulously like Midoriya and Iida, or even simply just considering him, like Yaomomo and Todoroki. And wasn’t that just something? Shinso had cut through the crowd like a hot knife to butter, commanded the attention of not only Bakugo, but the entire room with his low timbre and his bold words. Sure he had practically just threatened all of 1-A with taking their position in the class, and sure, he was exuding some kind of semi-feral energy while somehow maintaining a cool composure, but—

God, he’s so cool. How does he even exist? Kaminari thinks, sighing dreamily.

If he weren’t smitten with the man before, he certainly was now. How could he not be, after that blatant display of big dick energy? His little “declaration of war” was probably the hottest thing that Kaminari’s heard, so much so that—

He’s brought back out of his clearly devolving thoughts by a blunt thump on his head. He jolts as Bakugo grinds his knuckles down on his head, staring at him wide eyed, his lip curled like he’s stuck between some state of incredulous and disgust.

“Fuckin’ Sparky, keep those kind of thoughts to yourself, for th’ love of fuck,” Bakugo manages to grit out, taking his fist back, making a truly terrifying face.

Kaminari notices Shinso then, who had previously been steadfastly glaring at each 1-A student and silently challenging them. Now, however, there’s a much more world-weary look on his face, as an unmistakably pink flush runs across his nose. He looks like he’s torn between face-palming and maintaining his cool demeanor.

Kaminari is confused for all of five seconds before— oh. Maybe his internal thoughts hadn’t been so, well, internal.

“Um. How much of that did I say out loud?” Kaminari says, which only makes Bakugo’s growl intensify. Kaminari interprets the subhuman grunts as, seriously, how am I still dealing with your shit, which is fair if Kaminari’s being honest. This is as disaster bi as it gets, he hopes.

“Whatever,” Bakugo finally says, maintaining his grasp on actual human speech, before stalking forward and poking a finger in the middle of Shinso’s broad chest. Blood red eyes are trained on the General Studies student, as Bakugo twists his lips into a feral grin. “All this fuckin’ talk, but we’ll see who wins during the fuckin’ sports festival.”

It’s obvious that Bakugo means himself. Kaminari doesn’t like the way that Shinso’s eyes darken at Bakugo’s antagonizing words.

So, as any self-respecting self-proclaimed amateur intervention artist would do, Kaminari nearly wedges himself between Shinso and Bakugo as he wraps both of his arms around Bakugo’s neck in a pseudo-hug that’s way too close for comfort, given that Bakugo could probably blast his arms off.

But Kaminari knows that Bakugo secretly not-so-secretly considers him a friend. So he stands his ground.

“Aw, lay off Kacchan!” Kaminari then looks at Shinso and frees one of his arms to give him a thumbs up and a wide grin. “Besides, Shinso’s gonna be a great hero! Seriously, I’ll be cheering for ya, buddy.”

It doesn’t exactly have the desired effect. Though Shinso’s face seems to adopt a deeper shade of pink, his gaze follows where Kaminari’s hand is firmly perched on Bakugo’s shoulder. If anything, his eyes darken even more, as his brow ticks. His gaze seems to burn into Bakugo’s being even more violently, as if he wanted to set him ablaze through nonverbal vitriol alone.

“Hm,” is all he intones, as Bakugo snaps at Kaminari and shakes him off for the second time. He turns around and is about to make his way through the crowd, who at this point has been staring at Class 1-A with mixed expressions of awe, confusion, and disdain. It wasn’t exactly a good look. Shinso doesn’t have to cleave his way through the crowd this time, as students step back to give him a small berth.

Kaminari wistfully thinks, I hate to see you leave, but I love to see you go— before he’s blindsided as two sets of firm arms grip him by the underarms. He’s lifted into the air in one graceful arc, his legs flailing as he darts his eyes to see the perpetrators: Sero and Kirishima, wearing matching shit-eating grins, and lifting him easily with one arm each, as if that wouldn’t wound his pride anymore (he can’t help that he’s on the smaller side! Sue him, at least it makes him faster). He lets out a strangled yelp as their hold tightens.

Just as he’s about to yell at them some variation of “what the actual fuck,” Kirishima whistles loudly.

“Hey, Purple Hair!” He shouts. Shinso stiffens and turns around slowly. His eyes widen minutely as he notices Kaminari in the air.

Kirishima’s shark teeth grin widens. He and Sero each use their free arm to point to Kaminari theatrically, as if he were the grand prize at the end of a highly televised competition.

“This guy’s painfully single!” They both say in tandem.

Kaminari’s face erupts with red. His friends definitely rehearsed this, and maybe a part of him deserved it because God knows he’s been loudly pining after Shinso for a while to them, but that still doesn’t mean he’s not utterly embarrassed at that very moment. And also a little touched that his friends supported his romantic endeavors during this time of bi-crisis that Kaminari seems to have entered face first.

Even Bakugo can’t handle it, the second-hand embarrassment evidently getting to him as he screams, “fuck off, you sappy as fuck LOSERS,” and letting loose some minor explosions as he clears out of the room.

He hears a chuckle, and notices Shinso, smirking and stifling laughter. He makes eye contact with Kaminari for a moment, and Kaminari thinks he may imagine the way Shinso’s entire body seems just a little more relaxed in that second. He’s still smirking as he turns around and walks away for good.

Sero and Kirishima put him down finally, and Kaminari whirls on them.

“Oh my God, guys, why?” He whines, seriously debating electrocuting them or not. And then also electrocuting everyone in the nearby vicinity so he can burn the memories out of their brains (that’s not how his quirk works, though it would be super useful right about now).

Kirishima slaps Kaminari on the back, a bro-slap that has Kaminari’s teeth vibrating, sending the shockwaves right down to his spine. Sero, thankfully, just pats his head.

“We got you bro!” Kirishima says.

“Bro,” Sero adds sincerely.

Kaminari is torn between whining some more and gushing over how cool Shinso was, and how he’d just given Kaminari a secret soft smile meant just for him (in his own, professional opinion as someone who’s been not-dating Shinso for a while), so instead he just says, “Bro.”

Mina and Jirou end up slapping Kaminari’s back too, screaming out, “Plus Ultra!” which has even Yaomomo laughing, covering it up with one dainty palm.

The crowd, which had begun dispersing after Shinso and Bakugo’s exit, seemed like they didn’t know what to make of the Class 1-A students. Frankly, they were still looking at them like they were animals in a zoo exhibit, like some kind of freaks to behold.

But Kaminari doesn’t care. He really doesn’t, as he’s trying to give Sero a piece of his own medicine and attempting to lift him in the air, as Mina takes a video and Kirishima chants “manly! manly!” while Jirou takes bets on Kaminari’s upper body strength.

No, he doesn’t care because he’s with his friends.

---

After that, there were only a few days until the Sports Festival.

Kaminari’s not thinking about it too much, if he’s being honest. Maybe it makes him a bad student, but most of his thoughts recently have been centered around one purple-haired General Studies student rather than the nationally televised competition that he would be a part of in just a few days. He’s been really good about keeping up with his quirk-control training, and honestly, he just hopes that he doesn’t short-circuit in front of a crowd. It’s not like Kaminari thinks he’s going to win— not in a class with people like Bakugo and Todoroki, no, but he thinks that he has a good chance of rising up in the ranks as long as he doesn’t burn out.

Besides, most people who know his quirk seem to be under the impression that he’s useless after he lets loose a single attack. Kaminari thinks he can use that to his advantage.

He shifts on his back, getting more comfortable as Shinso holds his phone, angled so that the both of them could see the video. The two were hanging out under their cherry blossom tree at lunch, as they had started to do as an unspoken biweekly (sometimes even triweekly) tradition. Kaminari had gone from leaning against the tree bark as they spoke, to leaning against the taller boy’s shoulder, and finally to laying his head down on Shinso’s lap as the other boy sat with his legs straight out. His golden hair splayed out on the grass beyond Shinso’s thighs, and he had a pretty good view of his face. Kaminari had settled in quite nicely.

Shinso had grumbled something about “human pillows” and “being needier than a housecat”, but hadn’t moved. His hand had come to rest on Kaminari’s head, gently carding through the golden strands lazily. The blond all but preened at that.

Currently, Kaminari convinced Shinso to watch Vine compilations with him. The purple-haired boy seemed torn between sighing and reluctantly laughing at some of them, which pretty much summed up the essence of Vine.

“Look at this— YouTube is recommending me TikTok compilations now. I hope you’re happy,” Shinso says, deadpan.

Kaminari laughs, light as a windchime. “Oh no, we’re still in the Vine mourning period. Cleanse your brain of TikTok!”

“You were literally trying to teach me a TikTok dance last week.”

“Well, that’s because Raika and Raisei practically forced me to learn it! If I had to go through that, then you have to too!” He’s mock-indignant.

Shinso raises an eyebrow. “Such infallible logic. I know a bunch of Vine quotes because of you, you know. I just have Vine references in my brain now, living there rent-free.”

Kaminari giggles at this, poking Shinso in the cheek. The other gives him an exaggerated look of world-weariness that just makes Kaminari laugh even more.

“I get more respect from Fluffy than from you,” Shinso grouses.

“Well, to be fair, Fluffy respects you more than he respects any of the Kaminaris,” the blond admits. “Besides, I know your secret.”

There’s a flash of something in Shinso’s eyes, before he responds, “Oh?”

“Yeah,” Kaminari smirks, raising both his hands to lightly squish Shinso’s cheeks (they’re softer than they look, which absolutely makes Kaminari’s heart melt, he’s not ashamed to admit), “I know you’re a big sweetheart on the inside. Y’know, behind the whole bad-boy loner thing you’ve got going on. Which, for the record, definitely makes you the protagonist of this anime.”

Shinso sighs as he pries Kaminari’s hands away from his face, but the corner of his lips are tugged into a slight smile. “I’m not sure what to unpack there first— ‘bad boy loner’ or ‘protagonist of this anime’”.

“They’re not mutually exclusive,” Kaminari shrugs.

“If I’m the protagonist, then what are you?”

Obviously, the love interest.

“Obviously the irreplaceable, lovable best friend who also serves as comedic relief!”

(What? They’re not mutually exclusive.)

Shinso blinks, before laughing breathily. He reaches down to pinch Kaminari’s cheek, gently, in retribution for all of Kaminari’s handsy-ness. Kaminari brings up his palm to cover the flesh that Shinso’s fingers had touched, knowing it was surely rosy by now.

It’s not fair how a single touch from Shinso gets Kaminari’s heart fluttering like a butterfly’s wings, when Kaminari is practically all over Shinso and the boy barely bats an eye. Is it his quirk? An ability to make Kaminari swoon like the main character in a shojo anime every time he makes contact?

Kaminari chuckles at the thought.

“What?”

Kaminari waves his hand. “Nothing, nothing. Hey, I realize I never actually asked you this, but what’s your quirk?”

The hand that was still carding through Kaminari’s hair drops away. At this, Kaminari tilts his head up, and stills when he catches sight of those purple orbs. Shinso’s staring at him, but he looks… uncomfortable, almost. A swell of worry rises up in Kaminari. Did Kaminari offend him somehow? No, he didn’t seem offended, but—

Then Kaminari realizes.

“Oh duh,” he says, “You don’t have to tell me. You’re totally keeping it a secret for the Sports Festival. I get that, man.”

He gives Shinso his trademark reassuring smile. Shinso, for his part, is still frozen for a few more seconds, until he nods lacklusterly. A part of him is the tiniest bit hurt that Shinso is keeping it away from him, but the bigger, more rational part of Kaminari understands. From that confrontation he had in front of Class 1-A with Bakugo of all people, Kaminari knows that Shinso is really determined to get into the hero course. He’d definitely want all the advantages he could get at this point. And while Kaminari wouldn’t tell anyone in Class 1-A what Shinso’s quirk is, obviously, he guesses that it’s fair to want to keep it away from him.

Shinso’s face is carefully deadpan, and guilt rises in Kaminari. He didn’t want to pressure Shinso into telling him anything, and he didn’t want Shinso to feel bad for not telling either!

The bond lifts his finger and taps Shinso on the nose.

“Boop.”

He grins as Shinso startles out a laugh.

“You look like you’re thinking too hard. Don’t worry— I bet you’ll be aces at the Sports Festival,” Kaminari says, hoping that his words don’t sound just like empty encouragement.

Shinso blinks, before slowly smiling. It’s soft, open, and—

And as he looks up at Shinso, he feels floored for a moment. It’s not as if he has the best angle of Shinso at this vantage point— hell, he’s practically looking up the other boy’s nose— but still, his heart gets tight. It’s in the way that Shinso smiles when he’s not smirking, subtle and light and yet there all at once. It’s in the way he lets Kaminari in, the way he reaches out to the other boy through a veil of light sarcasm and lazy stares.

Kaminari remembers the way his heart fluttered when he had met the twins for the first time in the hospital years ago. It felt like the muscle in his chest was aching, forming fateful invisible strings tying him to his newborn little sisters in an irrevocable, irreplaceable way.

He feels similarly with Shinso. He never wanted to cut this string.

Kaminari really likes Shinso.

His mouth opens before his brain can catch up with what’s happening.

“Hey Shinso, I…” He swallows with a little difficulty as he’s suddenly aware of the acute dryness in his throat.

“Yeah?”

“Well, I…”

“Cat got your tongue?” the words are teasing, but his eyes are questioning.

Kaminari closes his mouth, looking into the purple depths for a moment.

I really like you, he means to say, but the words don’t come out.

So instead, he props up his arms behind him and lifts up slowly. He raises his head then, never tearing his eyes away from Shinso’s, and—

He kisses him.

It felt like time had stopped and started spinning around them all at once, like space had no more meaning anymore because the only thing that made sense, the only thing that meant anything at all was the softness against his lips. Kaminari pushes more, nibbling at the soft flesh of Shinso’s bottom lip, flushing at the thought of Shinso with red-bitten lips. He presses gentle pecks to the sides of the other boy’s mouth, hoping, willing him to reciprocate.

Shinso’s staring at him wide-eyed in shock as Kaminari moves his mouth against his, and for a single dreadful moment, Kaminari thinks he’s gone and fucked it all up. But then, Shinso’s hands slowly, tentatively wrap around Kaminari, one clasping his waist with dizzying firmness while the other splays over the small of his back. Warmth emanates from the broad palms that are suddenly on his body, and he feels heat start pooling in his stomach. Kaminari gasps at the sensation, an opening that Shinso immediately seizes advantage of.

The purple-haired boy leans into Kaminari’s now open mouth, his tongue boldly swiping over Kaminari’s own. He squirms on Shinso’s lap at the intimate sensation, dragging up his hands to curl them in the soft fluff of lavender hair, gently tugging and melding himself even closer to the other boy. His chest is nearly flush with Shinso’s, his knees on either side of Shinso’s hips as he is seated firmly on the other’s thighs. Lean arms coil around him like twin cobras, holding him in a strong grasp that Kaminari never wants to escape.

Shinso bites down lightly on Kaminari’s bottom lip in what could only be sweet, sweet retribution. Kaminari gasps again, and then moans breathily when the hand on his back travels up to his nape. It curls around the hairs there, gently tugging and arching his head backwards even more so that Shinso has more access. Kaminari whines in approval, heaving breathily before Shinso leans in to cover his lips with his.

He’s not sure how long they sit there, exploring each other generously, but they finally break apart all at once. Kaminari is gasping for breath, because while that wasn’t his first kiss by a long shot, it was probably one of the more intense ones. He knows by the way his face feels and by the way his heart is racing out of his chest, that he must look like a flushed mess right now.

He takes in Shinso, whose lips are delightfully reddened now, whose cheeks are stained a deep pink, whose eyes are half lidded and yet still burning as he drinks in Kaminari’s state of being.

Shinso, who hadn’t turned him away. Shinso, who had responded to the kiss.

An overwhelming feeling of giddiness and euphoria wells up in Kaminari’s gut, and a small, tentative smile forms on his face. He bites his lip, before he can’t contain it anymore.

“I— wow. Shinso, I just—”

Kaminari tries to string together a coherent sentence to voice his feelings, but whatever he’s about to say is cut off as Shinso all but shoves the blond off of himself.

“Shinso?” Kaminari says, his voice a little rough.

The other boy is suddenly wide-eyed, panic written all over his face. His lips are drawn in tight, and he’s getting up, standing over Kaminari and slowly backing away, as if he’s not even aware he’s doing it.

Kaminari pushes himself to his feet, one hand on the trunk of the cherry blossom tree for support. He still feels warm where Shinso’s hands had mapped out his body, especially at the junction of his hip.

“Shinso, what—” He’s about to reach out to the boy and ask him what’s wrong, what’s got him so spooked.

“You don’t really know me.” The words are quiet, vehement, and pained. They stop Kaminari right in his tracks.

Each word is like a thin needle, burrowing under the soft, veiny skin of his forearms, shooting electric pain through them right to his heart.

Shinso keeps backing away as Kaminari feels his own expression contort into one of increasing despair and confusion.

“You don’t know my quirk. You won’t— God, you won’t want to go out with me after you find out. You won’t even want to be my friend.”

The words are shaky, as if Shinso doesn’t quite believe them himself but he doesn’t trust them enough to not be true. Frustration, red hot, wells up at Kaminari’s core, replacing the previous gentle warmth. A million thoughts race through his head at once— did Shinso not trust Kaminari? Did he have some deep-rooted ingrained self-image issues with his quirk? Was he simply tired of Kaminari?

Kaminari tried to shake the last one off, knowing that his traitorous brain would come up with more and more painful scenarios if he let the silence win.

“What?” Kaminari manages to choke out, trying to say something over the screaming confusion in his head. Instead of responding, Shinso gives him one last glance with his pain written across his face clearly as he tries to regain control of his normal poker faced chill demeanor. He then turns around, and Kaminari’s blood goes cold at the sight of the other boy walking away from him.

“Wait! Shinso!” Kaminari pushes himself off the tree bark, and tries to stumble towards the other boy. He ended up tripping over his own backpack, and nearly brained himself on the ground.

Fuck.

He doesn’t even pull himself up, even though the side of his temple is throbbing. He tried his best to ignore the furious burning behind his eyes.

Chapter Text

Following that experience, Kaminari… didn’t really recall how the rest of his day had gone. After the initial adrenaline rush of having kissed his crush, and then the immediate shock of said crush practically running to get away from him, he was left feeling numb. He kind of floated through his remaining classes, not even raising his hand in Present Mic’s English class, the only class he felt confident in.

He doesn’t know how he made it back to his room in one piece, but a few hours later found him sitting on his bed. He hadn’t even taken off his school uniform yet.

If it weren’t for what Shinso had said, Kaminari would have jumped to the conclusion that the other boy simply realized that he didn’t like Kaminari in that way. Maybe in the middle of their searing kiss, he decided that this didn’t do it for him. Kaminari did kind of catch him off guard after all.

But Shinso had said, “you don’t even know my quirk.” He had said that once Kaminari knew, he wouldn’t even want to be friends with him. Which was frankly, in a word, ridiculous. Kaminari had sought after the man before he knew his quirk, and he’s sure he wouldn’t care no matter what it was. He’s friends with Mina, who literally spews acid! Bakugo freaking explodes things, and Shoji has eyes for arms! A part of him, a part that he’s been trying to squish down ever since talks of the Sports Festival started, is disappointed that Shinso didn’t tell him his quirk. Did he not trust Kaminari? Did he really think Kaminari was that shallow, to reject someone because of something they couldn’t help?

And then there was the fact that Shinso had reciprocated the kiss. Kaminari is many things, but he’s not delusional— he knows in that moment, when Kaminari had glued their lips together, that Shinso had wholeheartedly responded. He still has the bruise on his lip to show for it.

The vibration of his phone, which was still clutching in his hands, pulled him away from his spiraling thoughts.

Message from: The twenty bi-teenager squad

Alien Queen: earth to denks

Alien Queen: are you okay?? You seemed like you were really out of it today

Headphone Jacked Up: yeah more so than usual

Pika Power (Me): im in crisis again

Pika Power (Me): i kissed him

Alien Queen: :O

Headphone Jacked Up: !!!!!

Pika Power (Me): no no

Pika Power (Me): he ran away

Pika Power (Me): i didnt even get the chance to ask him out ;_;

Pika Power (Me): fuck

Pika Power (Me): i think i fucked it up

Pika Power (Me): fuck

His hands are trembling now, and mortifyingly enough, he’s looking through a watery filter, the burning at the back of his eyes worse than ever.

Headphone Jacked Up: we’re coming over

Alien Queen: and bringing ice cream

Kaminari doesn’t respond. He locks his phone and slumps against the wall, furiously rubbing at his eyes with the meat of his palms, trying to get himself together.

Twenty minutes later, his eyes are drier, and he feels exhausted. There’s a knock at his door, which he dully registers.

“Come in,” he calls, and winces when he hears the rasp in his own voice.

Mina and Jirou walk in, Jirou armed with a grocery bag. The pinkette takes one look at him, still dressed in his U.A. uniform and eyes tinged red, and she immediately walks the length of his room, plopping down on his bed with him and pulling him into a hug.

Kaminari smiles, though it seems tight, as he feels the bed depress as Jirou’s weight is added to it as well. She puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder instead, and pulls out a Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food flavored ice cream.

He lets out a startled laugh as she shoves it into his hands, along with a spoon. When they had gone out to get ice cream once, Jirou had suggested Ben and Jerry’s and Kaminari had never been. Mina had screamed and asked him how that was possible, and Kaminari shrugged— he was more of a Häagen-Dazs kind of guy. Sure, it was expensive, but it was really good. As they were standing in the Ben and Jerry’s, Kaminari had taken one look at the Phish Food flavor and said “Fish food? What the hell?” So of course, he had to order that. He then had taken one look at the little fish-shaped pieces of chocolate, and fell in love.

He’s touched that Jirou remembered that.

“Denkiiii,” Mina whines, wrapping her arms around Kaminari. “What happened, babe?”

Kaminari sighs, and opens the carton of Phish Food. Jirou hands another carton to Mina, before opening her own. He savagely stabs his spoon in the ice cream, and takes a huge bite, before speaking.

“I feel like I just got broken up with, which is beyond stupid. We weren’t even really dating! I just—” he stops and takes a breath as he realizes he should probably give more context before he continued, “ever since that day Shinso stopped by our class and practically confronted Bakugo head-on, I realized that I didn’t know what his quirk was. So, at lunch today, I asked him. Turns out he’s scared of me learning about his quirk or something.”

He waves around his spoon for emphasis, working himself up.

“Like what? Why would I give a shit about his quirk? I’m friends with Bakugo, and he could probably definitely kill me if he really wanted to.”

Mina nods thoughtfully.

“It was just so weird. And then I kissed him, and he,” Kaminari blushes as he remembers, “he definitely reacted positively. But five seconds later it was like I had electrocuted him, because he was on his feet and he just gave me the most devastating look.”

Jirou rubs his shoulder comfortingly, like how Ame used to do for him when he was younger and upset. It was oddly reassuring.

“Maybe he’s just scared,” Mina says carefully, “I mean, when I was younger, people thought I was a freak. They thought I had a scary quirk. I make acid and I look like an alien! I’m literally a pink alien!”

Kaminari looks at her. He can’t imagine anyone being scared of the bright, bubbly girl before her.

“Yeah, but anyone would be dumb not to like you, Mina! You’re just so… fluffy and pink and nice. You’re the one who made the Class 1-A group chat. You’re everybody’s friend.”

He doesn’t think the statement is an exaggeration; Mina really has a way of making instant friends with people.

The pinkette grins at him. “Aw, thanks babe. But I’m just saying, he doesn’t sound like he doesn’t like you. In fact, I’m pretty sure all of us saw the death-stare your man was giving Bakugo when you were practically hanging off of him during that weird confrontation.”

And now there’s a thought, though it could have just been due to Shinso’s apparent dislike of the explosive boy, but maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that—

“He just sounds scared, Denks.”

Some part of Kaminari knew that fear had to be at the root of it, but another part of him wanted to think that they were close enough to overcome that. He knew that wasn’t fair to expect, not really, not when Kaminari himself had some tightly wound issues with his own quirk, but it still stung.

“Does he think I’d leave him after learning what his quirk is? I’d never do that. Does he— does he just not trust me? Have I been misreading this entire thing since day one?” He’s getting a little hysterical now and he knows it.

Jirou turns to face him and puts her hands on both his shoulders, shaking him firmly but gently.

“Look at me. You’re freaking out right now, Denks. Think about how he makes you feel. Think about how he feels. Do you seriously think you’ve been misreading things?”

Kaminari takes a moment to steady his breathing before he can hyperventilate.

One. Two.

He exhales. He thinks.

He thinks about everything. He thinks about their not-date at the cat café, he thinks about the way Shinso lets him into his space and lean on his shoulder, lap, chest, he thinks about the way they text late night into the daylight, the way they have inside jokes, the way they watched the fireworks together at the matsuri like they were the only people in the world, with great bursts of ephemeral lightning in the sky just for them.

He thinks about the way Shinso leaned into the kiss wholeheartedly before he had pulled away.

The way Shinso almost seemed reluctant to leave. The way he forced himself to run away from Kaminari.

Fuck.

Something solidifies in his chest, something that slowly engulfs the numbness and despair that had resided there.

“No. Fuck no. No!” Kaminari says, slowly raising in volume as the realization hits him. “I’m not going to leave him! He’s—”

He’s afraid I’d leave him if I found out what his quirk was. But I wouldn’t leave him.

“I would never leave him like that. But he doesn’t know that.”

He looks up into Jirou’s eyes. They’re black and relaxed, but in the light of his room, he thinks that they have a slight violet shine to them.

“What are you gonna do, then?” She says, the quiet challenge in her voice clear.

If Shinso rejected Kaminari because he thought Kaminari would leave him eventually, well—

Well, Kaminari wasn’t going to just take that sitting down. Not when he thought he had a real chance at a meaningful relationship here. He wasn’t going to let Shinso’s self-doubt consume him. No. No, he wouldn’t let that happen. That simply wasn’t an option.

Electric determination snuffs out any lingering numbness in his chest.

“I’m not going to give up.”

Mina’s grinning now too, giving a little whoop at Kaminari’s declaration.

“Listen.” Jirou gets his attention once more, but she’s smiling now. “Class 1-A is nothing if not persistent. That’s what we’re known for. Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s why all the other classes hate us.”

“Like, Plus Ultra, or whatever,” Mina says in what seems to be an exaggerated valley girl accent. Jirou snorts.

And Kaminari thinks that this is exactly what his bi-crisis squad was formed for.

He smiles for the first time since the entire debacle hours ago.

“Plus Ultra,” he echoes firmly, taking another bite into his ice cream.

---

He doesn’t really get much sleep that night, which is why he wakes up earlier than usual to go to school. That’s just fine by Kaminari, since he knows that Shinso usually makes it to school early too because of his insomnia.

(He wonders what it means that he knows the other boy so well that he just knows that, but he decides not to dwell on it too hard.)

So when he finally manages to stumble through the halls of U.A. High, he stomps (rather loudly, for the early hour that it was) to Shinso’s homeroom. It’s a little excessive, he admits, seeing as the general studies class is not super close to the heroics department, so he does end up stomping past quite a few other early students, but that’s not his problem.

When he gets to Class 1-C, he stops at the entrance. Shinso is the only one there, sitting at a desk towards the window-side of the classroom like some kind of angsty anime protagonist. He’s towards the front, so he can’t see Kaminari from where the blond is standing at the back of the room.

Kaminari continues to stomp right up to Shinso, slamming a hand on the desk he’s sitting at.

Shinso, who had been leaning on one hand, elbow propped on the desk, jolts to attention as he whips his arm back to his side. At the reaction, Kaminari admits that maybe he was being a little too aggressive. Then the other boy looks up at Kaminari, and his eyes widen a little bit at the electricity-user’s presence.

Kaminari tries his best to ignore the sharp pricks to his heart, squeezing his chest uncomfortably.

Shinso doesn’t look like he’s been doing any better than Kaminari. The perpetual eye bags under his now dull violet irises are bruised darker than usual. His hair, usually unkempt in a way that could be defined as sort of stylish is now just borderline unkempt. His typical stoic expression is cracking at the edges, with his slightly widened eyes, and the firm furrow in his brow.

He’s not okay.

Kaminari suddenly feels bad for standing above him, like he’s some sort of bully towering over him at his desk. So, he quickly grabs a chair and whips it around, sitting on it backwards with the back of the chair flush to his chest. He faces Shinso head on.

He stares at Shinso for a few more seconds, before steeling himself.

“Look. You’re not giving me enough credit here,” he starts, “True, I have no idea what your quirk is. You could be a freaking time traveler for all I know, which would be supremely awesome, but that’s besides the point. It wouldn’t matter, because I know you. I know you want to use your quirk to become a hero, so I really don’t give a fuc— frick, sorry the twins have me on a swear jar now, I don’t give a frick about what your quirk is.”

He holds up a hand before Shinso could reply, and continues, “And I’ll prove it to you.”

Raising a firm finger, he points straight at Shinso’s chest. If he moved forward a few more inches, his fingertip could be touching the flesh covering his heart.

“After the Sports Festival, the entire school will know your quirk by then! Including me! Your resident Gemini and Pikachu-look-alike!”

He takes a deep breath. Shinso’s openly staring at him now, lips parted in un-Shinso like surprise, his eyes still wide as if he couldn’t believe the words that are coming out of Kaminari’s mouth. To be fair, Kaminari’s never been the most coherent guy on a full night of sleep, and he’s currently on less than half of what he usually gets, so some part of his brain is aware that he’s exuding absolutely feral energy.

But he’s not finished.

“So yeah! This is a declaration of war! Prepare yourself! Because after the Sports Festival, I’m going to romance the fu—frick out of you!”

He gets up abruptly, and turns around, not waiting for Shinso’s response. He doesn’t want to see it right now, not while Shinso’s vulnerable and leaking his emotions through his face. It would feel too much like an invasion of privacy.

No, he walks out of the room without looking back.

Because Kaminari is going to make Shinso smile after the Sports Festival. He just knows it.

Chapter Text

Of course, as most things go in Kaminari’s life, the annual U.A. Sports Festival is not at all smooth sailing.

First, Midnight calls Bakugo up to give the student pledge. Which, in hindsight, is not the best idea, even if the explosive boy did come in first place in the U.A. Entrance Exams. Hell, Kaminari thinks it would’ve gone better if literally anyone, even freaking Mineta, had been called up. Bakugo had somehow single handedly managed to antagonize every other student in the competition, while simultaneously alienating Class 1-A from the others too. Brilliant.

The Obstacle Course wasn’t too bad— Kaminari may not have been front and center like Todoroki and Bakugo, but he still knew how to maneuver and make his way through. The minefield had been a close call, but he ended up in 24th place, which was still in the top forty-two. He notices that Shinso scored 27th, and besides feeling a brief flare of pride, he wonders at how their rankings were pretty close together. He hadn’t seen the guy at all.

In the Cavalry Battle, he teams up with Todoroki, Yaomomo, and Iida, who frankly make a terrifying team. Apparently, Todoroki had come up with a plan involving Kaminari’s wicked electricity and Yaomomo’s creation powers to insulate them from the damage. That, on top of Iida’s ghastly speed and Todoroki’s ice makes them near unstoppable.

They take first place. Kaminari’s just glad he didn’t short circuit.

And then comes the final event: the One-on-One Fighting Tournament.

Kaminari is satisfied that he made it this far. And with the next fights being one-on-one, he’ll definitely get a chance to check out what Shinso’s quirk is, while also getting to show off his electricity a bit more too. He was nearly shivering with anticipation.

But then, as Midnight is about to announce the brackets, Ojiro raises his hand.

“Um, excuse me? Sorry. But I’m withdrawing.”

Kaminari hears the gasps of his classmates, and realizes that his own jaw was dropped too in surprise. The immediate response seemed to weigh on Ojiro’s shoulders even further, as the tailed boy refused to look any of them in the eye.

“Ojiro, no way!” exclaims Midoriya.

“But this is a rare chance for you to get scouted.” Iida’s rational thoughts resonate with many of them, as other members of Class 1-A nod in agreement.

“It just wouldn’t be right. I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until the end of it.”

What?

Kaminari was fully tuned in now, mystified.

“I think it was… that guy’s quirk.”

Ojiro’s eyes dart to a boy with a familiar mop of purple hair, standing rather far from the podium, not with any particular group of people either. Kaminari’s eyes widen as he realizes that Ojiro’s staring at Shinso. To his benefit, Shinso doesn’t react at all— he only briefly stares back, before looking away.

“I know this is a great opportunity. I wish I could take advantage of it, but my conscience won’t let me. Everyone gave their all in Round Two, but I was just someone’s puppet. I don’t wanna advance if I don’t even know how I got there.”

The others try to convince him to stay, but Ojiro is steadfast in his pride and resolute. Kaminari admires it, but he’s even more perplexed by his words. Puppet? Ojiro doesn’t remember anything that happened in the Cavalry Battle while he was on Shinso’s team?

After that, another kid from Class 1-B who was also a part of Ojiro and Shinso’s team decides to withdraw for the same reason.

Kaminari frowns as Midnight allows for the withdrawals. He thinks back to Shinso’s vehement words, his belief that Kaminari wouldn’t like him if he knew his quirk, and well—

It doesn’t bode well that two people from his own team are dropping out because of him. In fact, that doesn’t rub Kaminari right at all. His eyes drift towards where the purple-haired boy is standing, face perfectly neutral and bored.

No. He’s not going let his image of Shinso be tainted by what happens in the festival. Kaminari likes Shinso because of his personality, because of he way he makes him feel, and it would be stupid to let something as trivial as his quirk turn Kaminari away. He’s still miffed that Shinso thinks he’d be like that.

He bites his lip. That just makes Kaminari all the more determined to show Shinso what exactly Kaminari thinks of him.

Midnight announces that two people from the Cavalry Battle will advance to the final round to replace the two withdrawals from Shinso’s team.

“Take a look at the bracket my dears! These are your opponents!”

She points to the big screen with the R-rated whip in her hand.

The crowd cheers as the names show up, while Kaminari scans for his own. He notices Uraraka and Bakugo are scheduled to fight, which yeesh, is gonna be scary. Kirishima gets paired with his long-lost fraternal twin from Class 1-B, Tetsutetsu, which Kaminari honestly doesn’t know how that’s gonna end up seeing as they have essentially the same quirk. Midoriya is paired up with someone from Class 1-B as well, the girl with vines for hair who had gotten bumped up after Ojiro had withdrawn.

Kaminari’s eyes widen as he sees the name next to his.

First match of the first bracket.

Shinso Hitoshi vs. Kaminari Denki.

Kaminari rubs his eyes, blinking at the screen. The words don’t waver, but he still can’t believe what he’s seeing.

Well, he had wanted to see Shinso’s quirk in action. He guesses it’ll just be a little more up front and personal. He lets out a little hysterical laugh at the thought, legs feeling wobbly as he wonders how this is just his life now. Because yeah, his life is just one disaster after another.

First things first. I gotta figure out what exactly I’m up against.

That’s the rational part of him, which is increasingly getting closer to dying like a burning star out as the day goes on.

“Kaminari.”

The blond undergoes an uncomfortable full body shiver right down to the spine, letting out an embarrassing noise that’s somewhere between a shriek and a yelp. He jumps and turns around, matching the familiar timbre to a face with piercing violet eyes.

Shinso’s looking at him with a crooked grin, one that Kaminari knows means he’s up to something. It was the same devastatingly handsome grin he had when it was his turn to choose what to watch for movie night, right before he made Kaminari watch an obscure Korean horror film with him. Within the first ten minutes, Kaminari had all but shoved himself into Shinso’s lap, burying his face in the older boy’s neck everytime the fucking creepy woman had come on screen with another mind-shattering jump scare.

In hindsight, he wonders if that had been on purpose. After all, Shinso had only held Kaminari tight and steadily teased him while he himself had sat amused through every jump scare.

Kaminari swallows.

“I wanted to wish you good luck. Especially after that declaration of war, and all.” He’s smirking and Kaminari wants the world to swallow him up whole, because he just acknowledged what Kaminari had said to him the other day.

When he had all but confessed, and brashly told Shinso that he’d win him over.

And well. Doesn’t acknowledging that mean that some part of Shinso actually still wants to be with Kaminari?

The thought makes him feel a little warmer, helping snuff out the cold hysteria that was freezing his chest over at the sight of the brackets on the screen.

Then Kaminari grins, because if Shinso’s wishing him good luck, it’s only fair to reciprocate the sentiment.

“I—”

Suddenly, a thick column of flesh is covering his mouth, cutting off his words before they can even exit his mouth.

“Not so fast. You can’t say a word to him.” Ojiro is glaring daggers at Shinso, while the other boy just lets out a derisive laugh that sounds more like a scoff. He turns to walk away, which no, Kaminari does not want that to happen.

What poor Ojiro doesn’t know is that Kaminari was raised with an older sibling who would often try to fight with him when they were younger. And whenever she would try to cover his mouth to physically shut him up, he knew the best way to get that palm off his mouth.

He figures that the same principles apply here.

Kaminari darts his tongue out and licks a sloppy stripe up the skin plastered to his mouth, eliciting a startled noise from his classmate as he whips his tail back to himself. He then cups his hands around his mouth to make a DIY-megaphone, and yells, “Good luck, Shinso!”

Shinso doesn’t turn around, but Kaminari knows by the way his shoulders are shaking that he’s chuckling to himself. The warmth in his chest expands a bit more at that, and he smiles dopily.

Ojiro whaps him across the back of the head with his tail, which Kaminari frankly deserved.

“Are you even listening to what I’m saying?” Ojiro hisses, tail swishing back and forth like an angry cat. Huh. Kaminari wonders if he’s even aware he’s doing that.

Kaminari waves him off. “Yeah, yeah, so I just don’t say anything to him and then I win? Even I can follow instructions as simple as that.”

Ojiro sighs the sigh of a thousand weary men, and grabs him by the shoulder, dragging him back inside the school to one of the break rooms. Kaminari whines the entire time, because Present Mic had just announced a Recreational Period before the One-on-One Tournament which sounds really fun, but it seems Ojiro had other ideas.

In the waiting room, Ojiro sits Kaminari down sternly in a seat, and closes the door behind him with his tail. Kaminari vaguely feels like he’s just gotten sent to the principal's office and is about to get berated by the school principal.

“Ojiro, what’s the deal?” Kaminari whines.

“That guy can control people.”

Kaminari stills. Ojiro’s not one to mince words or tell white lies, and he looks dead serious right now.

“... Is that what he did to you?” Kaminari asks slowly.

“Yeah. It’s some sort of— some sort of mind control. You can’t let him do it to you.” Ojiro says, shuddering, clearly remembering his own Cavalry Battle experience. Kaminari’s starting to understand a little more why exactly he had withdrawn from the final round.

And wow, isn’t that something? A mind-control quirk. His first thought is that it sounds like some kind of cheesy villain’s quirk from a kid’s show. He slaps himself mentally at the thought, because that’s probably the kind of gut reaction that has Shinso so self-conscious about it in the first place. His second thought is that a quirk like that on a hero is incredibly OP and honestly just sounds kind of unstoppable. His third thought is, well, then I’m screwed for our match.

(The fourth thought, which he quashes down violently before he can do something stupid like blurt it aloud to Ojiro, is that a mind-control quirk sounds kind of hot, doesn’t it?)

“Damn.” Kaminari lounges back in his chair, wracking his mind. “Can I even beat something like that?”

Ojiro exhales as Kaminari finally asks him the question he’s been waiting for.

“Yes. By not giving him a chance to use it. He didn’t get into my head until I answered a question he asked me before the second round. I think that’s the secret behind his power.”

Kaminari whistles. With a little support tech and a voice modulator, Shinso would be virtually unstoppable. That’s so fucking metal.

“So, again, I just don’t say anything and I win? And if I do, then I’m screwed. That’s what you’re telling me?”

“Not exactly. Even if he gets you, there’s still a chance. For round two, I don’t remember anything at all except the very end of the battle. We were in the middle of taking Tetsutetsu’s headband, and I bumped into another person. I suddenly woke up— I could think clearly again.”

“So that bump broke his hold on you?”

“Maybe. It’s only a guess. Still, I don’t know how much of a shock it would take to break his spell.” Ojiro leans back in frustration, still smarting over his own inadvertent loss. “In a one-on-one match, you can’t expect anyone to help you or bump into you like that either.”

A shock, huh?

“Well, I’m the most shocking guy around,” Kaminari says with a grin and a thumbs up, “so I think I’ll be just fine. I know I’m a motormouth but even I can shut up for a couple of minutes.”

Ojiro bites out a laugh. “Couple of minutes? Man, you’re pretty confident.”

Kaminari shrugs. “Shinso’s got a great quirk, if I’m being honest. I’m interested in seeing how this goes, especially now that I know what it is.”

Ojiro stands up and nods. “Well, that’s all I know. I hope it helps.”

Kaminari stands up after him and nods back. “I think you just saved me from an embarrassingly lame fight, dude. So thanks, really.”

Ojiro grins, and holds his fist out. “I know this sounds selfish, but I’ll say it anyway. Beat this guy for me, all right?”

The electric boy grins and meets the fist with vigor.

“Yeah, you can bet on it.”

As Ojiro leaves the waiting room, he stops at the doorway and turns around.

“Oh, and Kaminari?”

Kaminari perks up. “Yeah?”

“Don’t even think about licking me again. On my tail or otherwise.”

Kaminari blinks, before bursting out into laughter. Ojiro flushes at this, but stands resolute in support of his statement.

“Yeah man, you got it,” he finally says, tears having formed at the corner of his eyes.

Ojiro rolls his eyes on his way out.

---

Kaminari swallows as he walks out of the tunnel and into full view of the crowd.

His heart skips as he sees Shinso approaching him from the opposite side, hands in his pocket in a show of nonchalance that Kaminari himself has never been able to pull off convincingly.

The crowd’s cheers are deafening, yet Present Mic’s voice booms out over it.

“Welcome to the first match of the finals tournament! It’s Kaminari Denki from the hero course, versus Shinso Hitoshi from general studies!”

Kaminari cracks his knuckles and shoots a grin at Shinso. He likes the guy, sure, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to go easy on him.

(Though a part of him knows it’s going to be harder for him to even think about using the full force of his electricity on Shinso.)

“The rules are simple: immobilize your opponent or force them outta the ring!”

Shinso returns the grin, eyes blazing.

“Ready? Begin!”

Shinso opens his mouth to talk, which doesn’t surprise Kaminari in the least.

“It’s a shame about your friend, throwing away his chance like that.”

He’s trying to bait Kaminari by insulting Ojiro.

Smart tactic, but Kaminari’s not so easily defeated by that. Instead he just shrugs and lifts his hand casually, letting a few sparks fly. They create little bursts of mini sparks, eliciting oohs from the audience. He raises an eyebrow at Shinso.

Shinso’s cocky grin falters a little. It’s obvious what Kaminari’s trying to say— pull the other one, ‘cause he’s not falling for that one.

The general studies student sighs minutely, looking reluctant for a moment. Kaminari strolls forward a few casual steps, because if Shinso wasn’t going to do anything, then he might as well just bear-hug him and zap the hell out of him.

And then Shinso speaks again.

“Kaminari. What do you call a broken can opener?”

His voice is deadpan, the question so out of left field that Kaminari actually stops five feet away from Shinso. He tilts his head, frowning.

“A… can’t opener.”

There’s dead silence in the arena. Even the crowd is quiet, while Present Mic is just staring, speechless for once.

It feels like an air balloon has started expanding in Kaminari’s stomach. His hands fly to his mouth, clasping over them, physically restraining himself from responding.

Despite the slight tinge of red to his cheeks, betraying his utter mortification at having to stoop so low as to spout cheesy jokes, the edge of his lips are quirked upwards.

Because he knows Kaminari. And he knows exactly what kind of things that Kaminari can’t help but respond to, in a rather vocal fashion.

“What? Not funny enough for you?” Shinso makes a show of crossing his arms, and visibly wracks his brain for another joke. “How about this? What’s an astronaut’s favorite key on the keyboard?”

Kaminari takes a step back. He’s about to whimper into his hands.

“The space bar.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck, that one’s good. Kaminari thought he had it all under control just because he knew what Shinso’s quirk was now, but he hadn’t accounted for the fact that Shinso had been subjected to Kaminari’s horrible sense of humor for the better part of the semester. Karma really was a bitch, because all of the dad jokes he’d ever texted the other boy at ungodly hours are just coming back to bite him in the ass now.

Present Mic is narrating Shinso’s odd strategy, which Kaminari tunes out, because he’s a little focused right now on not making a single damn noise.

(In the crowd, there’s a separate viewing box for Class 1-A.

Midoriya is staring at the match, mumbling furiously under his breath.

Kirishima is shaking his head. “Oh, he’s really good. He knows Kaminari’s weakness. Damn.”

Bakugo’s doesn’t show any verbal reaction to the proceedings of the fight, other than a single violent twitch of his left eyelid.

Sero is choking and laughing at the same time, while Mina is straight up howling, slapping Sero’s knees.

Ojiro is looking up to the sky as if praying to the heavens.

Jirou is watching the match unblinkingly, face frozen in an expression reminiscent of someone watching a flaming trainwreck live, but is unable to do anything, or even tear their gaze away from it.)

Shinso cocks his head, and Kaminari is kicking himself and his lizard brain for dedicating a few brain cells to the thought that wow, he’s really cute when he does that.

“C’mon Denki,” Shinso purrs, and oh, that’s just playing dirty, “won’t you laugh for me?”

Kaminari drops his hands to his sides slowly from where they’re covering his mouth. He knows that his face is red from trying to keep his traitorous mouth shut, but he tries his best to school his face into some semblance of a neutral expression.

If he lets Shinso keep this up, Kaminari knows that he’s gonna slip up and let out a laugh or a response or just something. It’s hard staying quiet on a normal day even when he’s not around people with brainwashing quirks, so this? This was already reaching his limit.

He rolls his shoulders and gives Shinso what he hopes looks like an apologetic smile, before spreading his hands out.

He aims a burst of electricity on the ground at Shinso’s feet.

With a violent crack (though he’s not putting enough voltage into it to really cause any damage), Shinso hops out of the way, his expression darkened. “So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?” He intones lowly.

“Looks like Kaminari has finally gone on the offensive! But wait, what’s this? Shinso Hitoshi from Class 1-C has turned on the offensive too!” Present Mic crows, the crowd’s cheers ramping up at the same time.

Kaminari sees the smoke from the impact of his electricity clear to reveal Shinso, lunging at him with his fist cocked back. He’s a bit surprised that Shinso’s going for short-range attacks, but supposes it makes sense— beyond his quirk, that’s all he’s got. But, if he’s been banking his success on the element of surprise, he’s got another thing coming. Although Kaminari’s always been on the smaller side, he’s fast. Shinso has a broad frame and a lot of power behind that punch, and Kaminari knows that’ll it’ll hurt if it lands.

So Kaminari side-steps, quick as a whip. The punch lunges past him and Shinso stumbles a little on the recovery. Kaminari grabs him by the shoulder and shoves him back roughly, allowing a few of his sparks to mildly shock the boy.

Shinso regains his footing and faces Kaminari head-on. The white line marking the boundary is a good couple of meters behind him, but if Kaminari keeps this up, he can push the boy out without having to leave too much of a mark with his electricity.

Shinso, on his part, is starting to crack further and further. It’s barely perceptible for someone who doesn’t know him, but Kaminari sees it written all over his face. He’s frustrated he can’t use his quirk, and he knows that Kaminari isn’t using the full extent of his, which must just be salt in the wound.

Kaminari holds his fists up and plants his feet, gathering another small burst of electricity in his hands. He’ll just have to end this soon, then.

Noting his stance, Shinso all but snarls, rushing at Kaminari again. The electricity user squashes down the immediate instinct to cower at a larger person running at him, and instead he rushes forward to meet Shinso.

The purple-haired boy manages to clip his shoulder this time, and tries to grab on roughly to Kaminari, presumably to immobilize and/or carry him out of bounds, but his hand slips just off as Kaminari ducks. Face to face with the other boy’s abdomen, Kaminari scrunches his face in silent apology at what he’s about to do.

He brings his electricity charged fist up, nailing Shinso right in the stomach.

Kaminari hadn’t hit him with that much force, but the electricity had made Shinso fly back, landing roughly at the white border on his back with a sickening thud, almost bouncing off the ground. Kaminari thinks that his leg rolls at a weird angle too, and that his hands had gotten scraped along the tough ground.

The blond winces. That had to have hurt.

“Kaminari delivers an excruciating thunder punch to Shinso’s stomach!” Present Mic booms.

(“Fucking Pikachu,” Bakugo mutters in the stands. Sero chokes on his laughter again.)

“But wait! Clearly, Shinso’s showing everyone that general studies students are not to be trifled with, because he’s… he’s getting back up!”

The crowd goes wild at this, while Kaminari’s heart just drops. Shinso looks worse for wear, bruises on his arms where they had been landed on harshly, blood trickling down his sleeves, but his expression is more determined than ever. He pushes himself up on scraped hands as the dust clears, legs wobbly in a way that concerns Kaminari.

And a part of Kaminari wonders why Shinso ever doubted his place in the hero course. Because right here, right now, with him bruised and battered, literally pushed to the ground, he’s still not giving up. He’s still trying to fight.

Well. Kaminari raises his hand again, letting his palm charge up to release what he’s hoping will be his final thunder-punch of the battle. Better give him a fight to remember, then.

Shinso stumbles towards him with his own arm raised in a punch, before Kaminari sees a flash of pain travel through the boy’s face. He lets out a choked scream and falls to his knee. Kaminari thinks he sees tears at the corners of Shinso’s eyes, and that sobers Kaminari.

Concern wells up in Kaminari at the blatant sight of pain written all over Shinso’s body. He can feel his pulse speed up as thoughts of the thunder-punch leave his mind, because what’s wrong with Shinso?

Shinso chokes out, “No. No, not my fucking ankle!”

He tries to get up again, and Kaminari—

Kaminari forgets everything for a brief second, he forgets the crowd and Ojiro’s advice and the competition, because Shinso is in pain, so—

So he steps forward, reaching out a non-charged up hand, and without even thinking, says, “Shinso, are you oka—”

Static.

All he feels is static. Everything is fuzzy. It’s not a bad fuzzy, not like the static he feels when he short circuits.

This is a good static, a painless static.

It feels like a purple haze has taken over his vision and his inner conscience, cradling his very brain at the cellular level into acquiescence. He feels… warm. He’s not in danger, not in pain, and he just… feels like everything’s going to be okay.

There’s an echo, somewhere. It feels like warbles from people speaking, but he can’t hear them because he’s underwater. Then the echo gets louder, and louder.

He hears a voice.

The voice permeates through the haze. It’s low and deep, shuddering down his spine and caressing him from the inside out. He shivers. It’s a good voice, he trusts the voice— it’s calm and nice, and makes everything feel right.

As if he’s submerged in some kind of liquid, he opens his eyes slowly and sees Shinso’s face.

He’s staring at Kaminari. His eyes are wide, and his expression is absolutely devastating. A part of Kaminari registers that he doesn’t like that. He wants Shinso to smile his soft smiles and his sharp smirks.

Maybe if Kaminari smiles then Shinso will too? He wills himself to smile, though it’s hard, because all his limbs feel like they’re encased in jelly. Shinso will understand.

He wonders if he did it. If anything, Shinso looks even sadder. Kaminari doesn’t want that.

But then Shinso opens his mouth, and the voice comes out.

“You… you trust me this much that you’d just— just respond to me like that.”

It’s strained, hurt, reverent. It wraps around Kaminari’s mind along with the engulfing haze, until the voice is the only thing Kaminari can focus on. Shinso’s face wavers for a moment as Kaminari thinks in response to the voice.

Because it’s obvious isn’t it? The way he feels about the voice, the way he feels about Shinso—

I can’t turn it off. I can’t stop how I feel.

The warbled image of Shinso flinches back, as if struck. Kaminari wants to reach out, wants to hold that face and tell him that everything’s going to be okay. But the haze doesn’t want him to, makes his legs feel like lead. He needs to wait for the voice. He hopes the voice comes back soon.

Shinso shakes his head. He mutters something to himself.

“I don’t understand just what it is you think of me,” the voice says.

It cuts through the warbled images and muted noises he hears vaguely around him.

How does he feel? What does he think of him— the voice, Shinso? Kaminari thinks…

I think you’re absolutely gorgeous. I think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I think I have a huge fucking crush on you. And I wish you’d just let me…

The more he thinks, the more uncomfortable prickles of static run down his skin. It pushes away the purple haze, bit by bit, the muted noises and images around him becoming a little more clearer. But he wants to answer the voice, wants to sooth it, so he keeps thinking.

I think you’re a hero. But to me, you’re more than that. Because…

The haze clears faster as static builds within him. The warmth of the static still compresses his entire being, but he’s more aware now. He’s more lucid, because electricity is building in him. Kaminari feels the pull to answer the voice, but he’s feeling less and less safe. Cold is starting to settle into his core along with virulent agitation. He feels like he’s not in his own body, because…

Because to me, you…

Because I…

Red hot lightning pools in his gut, starts to spread out through his veins, traveling and rushing harder than the blood he feels monsooning through his ear drums. He can see Shinso clearer now, the watery filter slowly fading away. The voice— Shinso— is fading until he just sees a wide-eyed boy, bruised and battered, barely up on his feet but unable to rip his eyes away from Kaminari.

He hears the crowd around him, the booming voice of a commentator, and he remembers where he is, the thoughts flowing into his mind like molasses.

He realizes, as his lips move, that he’s been speaking aloud to the voice the whole time.

Because I love—

It’s coming out all deadpan and wrong, and no, that’s not Kaminari’s voice, that can’t be—

The energy that has been pooling in his body in a fit of subconscious panic and self-preservation releases like a whip, shocking him sharply. He gives a full body jolt, gasping to a hundred percent consciousness in an instant.

He’s breathing heavily, as too many thoughts flood into his useless brain at the loss of the purple haze. Kaminari feels loose, wobbly, and he feels the stare of everyone in the crowd like red hot daggers piercing into his skin. He feels boiling embarrassment bubble up within his gut, he feels nauseous and in pain, he feels exposed—

Kaminari stumbles back, away from Shinso and looks around him wildly, like a cornered animal thrown into the ring at a coliseum. The crowd is screaming, as Present Mic yells out something that he can’t hear over the ringing in his ears.

Tears pool at the corner of his eyes, but he barely notices it, because an excruciating reserve of raw energy starts building in every cell of his body without his conscious doing.

Everyone’s looking at him. Everyone knows.

Because what he said—

He didn’t want to say it like that. Not in front of a crowd, not in a scarily deadpan voice devoid of any of his many emotions, not while Shinso looks at him like he’s tearing his heart out.

Kaminari turns around again, and catches Shinso’s purple gaze once more. The other boy hadn't moved an inch since Kaminari snapped out of his thrall. He looks like he’s taking the most non-threatening stance he can. His lips are moving, desperate, almost pleading, but it doesn’t matter, because Kaminari can’t hear anything over the violent static building in his own body.

Because he didn’t want to come out on national television like this.

His arms are raising not of his own accord, every single hair on his body standing up, electricity flowing through his body at an impossible rate. He’s never felt this energized, not even when he let loose an Indiscriminate Discharge: 1,300,000 Volts at the USJ. The stadium’s lights flicker like something out of a horror movie, but Kaminari barely notices. He feels numb, feels like he’s dissociating, feels like none of this is real—

Water droplets hit his skin, and he realizes absently that the stadium has darkened as rain clouds have appeared in the sky, on a perfectly sunny day in Japan. Did he do that?

He starts to hyperventilate. There’s not enough air making it into Kaminari’s lungs. He hears the murmur of the crowd, hears the boom of a voice yelled into a microphone, sees Shinso’s concerned face. The torrent of emotion within him clashes with the raw power building in his body, mingling with the electricity to create something truly horrifying. Kaminari thinks he’s being burned alive from the inside out, that everyone of his nerve endings are being frayed and rendered useless.

One last look into beautiful, gorgeous, devastating violet eyes.

“Fuck.”

He can’t hold on anymore.

So he lets go.

His body convulses as brilliant electric sparks explode from every pore of his skin. Lightning crashes down from the nearly pitch black rain clouds, creating a shockwave that shakes the stadium’s very foundation. Screams, screams from the crowd, a yell from Shinso’s direction, and then for a moment— oblivion, as the entire stadium is lit up with a bright, vibrant yellow, from the sheer volume of the discharged electricity.

The only thing anyone can see is a wash of stark whitish yellow.

After what feels like an eternity, the electricity fades.

The shockwave subsides seconds after, the damage to the stadium clear in the cracks not only on the battlefield, but also throughout some of the viewing boxes.

There’s a violent rumble, and then rain falls from the clouds above.

Kaminari doesn’t feel a single drop that lands on his skin.

He’s standing there in the middle of the rubble as the dust clears, his skin raw like an exposed wire, his eyes wide open and unseeing. There’s something wet dripping steadily down his cheek, something too hot to be rainwater. His body twitches and his heart stutters as excess electricity sparks off of him.

His brain is so beyond short-circuited. He feels like someone had taken his brain, put it in the blender, and poured the contents back into his empty skull. He doesn’t know if he’s real or not anymore.

Something like a choked, wounded noise wrenches out his throat.

His hands, which had been out stretched as if in anticipation for an embrace, flopped down finally, uselessly, to his sides.

As his vision blurs, he thinks that he sees Shinso, much farther than he was before, much too far to be within the confines of the white rectangle. Shinso’s staring at him in disbelief.

Black spots enter his sight.

He’s in so much pain. He doesn’t know how much of it is physical. He doesn’t know anything.

Distantly, he thinks he hears Midnight announce Kaminari as the winner.

Blessedly, before he can figure out what that means, the darkness engulfs him fully.

He closes his eyes. He lets himself fall.

Chapter Text

Consciousness seeps into him slowly, like a water bucket slowly being filled by the constant dripping of a leaking tap.

He blinks sluggishly, wincing at the bright lights that greet him.

It takes Kaminari a good five minutes from there to lift his head. He’s on a bed and he’s propped up already, which is convenient since his entire body feels like he’s been hit by a truck, and then some.

It takes him another two minutes to realize that he’s currently in Recovery Girl’s office. And that he’s not alone.

He sees two pairs of crimson eyes and black eyes.

He blinks.

He blinks again, getting a proper grip on his vision, which seems determined to slip away at a moment's notice. It could have something to do with the IV in his arm, which he doesn’t want to think about too hard.

“Bro,” Kirishima says. “You alive in there?”

“Denks?” Jirou says, hesitantly, as if just the sound of her voice would send Kaminari into a devastating coma.

Kaminari blinks sluggishly again, before responding with a rasp, “what happened?”

Without having to ask, Kirishima immediately reaches over Kaminari to grab him the cup of water that Recover Girl had evidently left for him. He helps Kaminari sip at it, until it’s been drained.

“Dude, you’re freaking legendary. It was the most manly— and scariest thing I’d ever seen.”

It was a very Kirishima-response, but it didn’t really tell him a thing. He slides his eyes to Jirou’s, imploringly. Thankfully, there seems to be some sort of ESP going on between them (maybe it comes with being a part of the disaster bi group chat), because she just nods, and starts explaining.

“Shinso got you with his quirk, though it was lucky, since I don’t think he was— uh, expecting you to respond. You were really good at keeping quiet in those first few minutes, Denks,” Jirou smiles encouragingly. Kaminari would return the smile, but he feels like the first minutes of the fight, with the stupid jokes and harmless sparring, was ages ago.

“And then?” Kaminari asks quietly.

“And then you kind of... confessed. It was honestly kind of sweet, Denks, I mean even Present Mic was going crazy over it. I have to agree with Kirishima. You’re kind of a legend, dude.”

Kirishima nods. “And then, you somehow snapped out of the mind washing. Everyone watching really lost it at that point. Things happened kind of fast after that— I mean I didn’t even know you could do that with your quirk, dude.”

Jirou clarifies, “What he means is that you, er, somehow summoned an entire freaking raincloud, and struck down lighting like some sort of God. And then you exploded in an unholy ball of electricity, nearly taking out the entire power grid.”

Kaminari is staring at her. He remembers most of it, vaguely. He doesn’t know how he had built up that much electricity. It had never happened before.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kirishima nodded, “I didn’t really see how it went down, but in the blast, Shinso got pushed out of bounds. So Midnight announced you as the winner.”

“Except, well, you’ve been passed out for a while now, so you weren’t moved on to the next round. Todoroki moved on by default after basically destroying Sero.”

That makes Kaminari smile, even though it aches. “I guess that’s a moot point, then. Not like I would’ve stood a chance against Todoroki.”

Kirishima and Jirou share a look.

“After that awesome electric attack, I’m not so sure about that bro,” Kirishima says, and Kaminari is a little taken aback at how serious he is.

“ ...Yeah,” Jirou agrees.

Kaminari blinks. He guesses he’ll have to look over the tapes of the festival after he got better, because what the hell did his desperate electric discharge look like?

And then he sobers as he realizes that rewatching the tapes means reliving his embarrassing almost-confession to Shinso. In front of a live freaking audience.

He lets out a groan and tries to pull his legs to his chest so he can curl up, but his legs aren’t cooperating.

“You okay, Denks?”

Kaminari shakes his head, because he doesn’t even have the energy to pretend to be okay.

“I just came out in front of an audience! I didn’t want to! I’m beyond embarrassed at this point, I just—” he trails off, words failing him.

Jirou winces, while Kirishima pats his shoulder in sympathy.

“If it helps, I don’t think anyone really cared. They were more interested in the fucking thunderstorm you created,” Jirou says, which relieves Kaminari a little. “But seriously, Denks, it sucks that you had that taken away from you. When you come out is supposed to be decided by you, and only you.”

Kirishima shifts a little, before adding, “Baku-bro told me to tell you that he’ll murder Shinso. If you ever wanted that. Not that you would ever, but like, I think the sentiment is that we’re here for you.”

Now that gets Kaminari’s attention, because 1. Bakugo is basically the over-protective father he never had, which is just wow, and 2. They think this is all Shinso’s fault?

“I— no! As much as I appreciate Bakugo’s burgeoning career as my personal hitman, I— just no, dude. It wasn’t even Shinso’s fault. I don’t think he meant for that to happen either.”

Jirou looks like she’s got something to say, but there’s a knock at the door. Kirishima gets up to open it, but Jirou tugs on his sleeve, stopping him.

“I have a feeling I know who it is,” Jirou mutters to him, before turning to Kaminari once more. “Denks. I believe you about this guy, not only because you’ve been raving about him for the better part of the semester, but also because I see the way he looks at you. The way he acts around you. It’s kind of the way I act around Momo, if I’m being honest. And down on the field, I saw the look on his face when you started saying all those… things.”

The it wasn’t pretty goes unspoken.

“So, what I’m trying to say is that you’re allowed to be torn up about what happened in the fight. You’re allowed to feel sad about it, and you’re allowed to be mad about it, even if it isn’t either of your faults. You’re… you’re allowed to still like him and you’re allowed to do just the opposite. Whatever you want, we’ll support you. We’re going to be here for you, whenever and however you need it. All of your friends in 1-A are here for you, Denks.”

Kaminari stares at her, because he doesn’t think he’s loved Jirou anymore than he ever has before in this very moment. And also because this is the longest he’s ever heard the normally taciturn girl speak in one go.

“I love you, y’know,” Kaminari says seriously, and Jirou laughs, reaching down to give him a fistbump.

“I know dude. Me too, obviously.” He returns the fistbump.

“So manly,” Kirishima says reverently, and there are honest-to-God tears in his eyes.

There’s a knock at the door again.

Jirou sighs and gets up this time. “Text us if you need us, okay?”

Kaminari nods, feeling an indescribable wave of gratitude. He really does have the best friends.

“Good luck, dude,” Kirishima says. Kaminari doesn’t understand until Jirou opens the door.

It swings open to reveal Shinso standing behind it. He’s in a fresh U.A. track uniform, bandages over the scrapes on his arms. The bags under his eyes seem more pronounced and the furrow in his brow just deepens as he catches sight of Kaminari in the hospital bed.

Jirou puts a hand on Shinso’s shoulder, which startles the boy. She just nods at him in understanding.

Kirishima puts a hand on the other shoulder, and says, “treat him well, dude. We have a feral Baku-bro, and we’re not afraid to sic him on you.”

Shinso just tilts his head in confusion. Kirishima slaps him on the back, causing the other boy to stiffen. Kaminari can’t help but laugh at this— he knows exactly how spine-shaking a classic Kirishima bro-slap can be, and seeing Shinso’s typically stoic form take it is amusing.

At Kaminari’s laugh, Shinso’s head whips to meet golden eyes.

He comes in tentatively, closing the door quietly behind him.

There’s a sort of awkward, tentative silence between them as Shinso hesitates, before walking closer to Kaminari. He stands there, so close to Kaminari that the blond could reach out his hand and his fingers would brush the pristine, undamaged cloth of the U.A. track suit.

And Shinso looks—

He looks vulnerable. Sure, to any regular onlooker, he may seem detached and deadpan, but to Kaminari, who’s been slowly building up his skills as a Shinso-whisperer, he knows the other boy is nervous. Open. Like he’s an exposed live wire.

Kaminari gets it. He feels the same way.

But because the silence is deafening, because they both have so much to say and not enough words, Kaminari is the first to break it.

“Dude. You should sit.” He smiles, though it’s wobbly.

Shinso blinks, before sitting at the plastic chair right next to his bed, the one that Kirishima had previously been sitting in.

They both look at each other for another moment, and Kaminari can’t help but wonder what kind of picture they make. Kaminari, covered with a blanket and propped up on the bed, IV and other tubes sticking out from his body like he’s an actual electric generator, still sluggish from the painkillers and still aching from his own quirk. Shinso, sitting next to Kaminari’s bed, with bandages wrapping his arms from the bruises (and possible electricity burns? Oh God), and eyebags signifying that he could use a nice long ten year nap.

What a pair they make.

Kaminari swallows.

“Kaminari—”

“Shinso, I’m sorry—”

They both start at the same time, before breaking off.

Kaminari quashes down the frustration he feels at how awkward this is. He just wants to talk to Shinso again like always, like the Sports Festival never happened. He knows that if he tried to say that to Jirou, though, that the ever-logical girl would smack the thought right out of him, saying something along the lines of him needing to deal with his problems instead of just running away. Not that he could actually run away right now, but the sentiment still stands.

“You’re sorry?” Shinso echoes, incredulous.

Kaminari shrugs. “I mean, yeah,” he starts, “for… saying all of that in front of everyone. I kind of put you in an uncomfortable situation, didn’t I?”

He laughs, but there’s no mirth to it. Instead, a coil of guilt, black and heavy, forms at his core. His eyes shift down to his hands, which are laying limply, faced up on the blanket. Because if Shinso left him now, he doesn’t know if he would be able to rebound from that. He can’t look at him.

There’s another moment of silence, before Shinso breathes, “You’re really something, you know that? I should be the one apologizing.”

A warm hand slips into Kaminari’s, and the blond looks up. His breath catches at Shinso’s expression. His brows are furrowed in worry, his normally sleepy eyes more awake than ever. Shinso’s clasping his hand now with both of his, like he’s a sinner and Kaminari’s the one who’s going to absolve him. His voice is still low, but watery.

“I wasn’t actively trying to order you to tell me how you felt,” Shinso says, desperate now, as if willing Kaminari to understand, “I was just going to make you walk out of bounds and end the fight. I swear Kami, and I know that doesn’t make up for it, because it still happened. And I’m sorry, and I’ll—”

Kaminari squeezes his hand. How could anyone begrudge Shinso just for having the quirk he was born with? Here he was, apologizing to Kaminari wholeheartedly, worry written clearly on his face, holding on to the blond like he was afraid of Kaminari slipping away. How could anyone condemn Shinso and write him off? He wouldn’t let that happen to Shinso, not even if the person trying to condemn him was Shinso himself.

“I know.” He tries to smile reassuringly, holding his hands up to cup Shinso’s cheeks. Shinso’s hands are still on his, the boy looking at him wide-eyed. “I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me like that on purpose, Shinso, I’ve known that. And, you know, I did want to say that stuff to you.”

His brow tightens. He swallows as a lump forms in his throat without his consent. Kaminari tries to reign it in, but it feels like he’s coming down from an adrenaline high except with emotions, he just feels overwhelmed—

“I did,” he repeats, voice cracking this time, “Just. Not in front of everyone like that.”

The lump in his throat is impossible to ignore now, and to his horror, it’s like a dam breaks. He gasps as hot tears start flowing down his cheeks, hard-pressed to stop them once they’ve started. It feels cathartic in a sense, but as he takes his hand from Shinso’s cheeks to feel his own, he draws them back only to stare at the wetness in his hand. He stares, uncomprehendingly, like it was some foreign substance. He’s breathing a little fast now, feeling his vision start to tunnel.

There’s a scrape of a chair being pushed back and he feels the bed sink as an additional weight joins him. Strong arms wrap around him, mindful of the IV line, and draw him in. He finds his head guided to rest against a strong chest until he can hear the beat of another heart. Warm hands rub soothing circles into his back, and someone’s murmuring something to him.

He lets out sharp, heaving sobs as Shinso holds him, nearly choking on his anguish. He doesn’t know why he’s freaking out all of a sudden, but it just feels like the weight of everything had hit him again all at once.

As the panic clears slowly from his brain, he can make out what Shinso’s been saying as he holds Kaminari tight.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, you’re okay, you’re safe, kitten please come back to me, I’m sorry—”

The words are murmured steadily into his ears, and Kaminari can hear the tinge of desperation and guilt to them as Shinso tries to calm the blond down.

That’s what gives Kaminari the strength to push back from Shinso, to look him in the eye. Shinso lets him, but still has his strong arms around Kaminari, as if ready to pull him back in at a moment's notice.

“I’m sorry,” he gasps out, “I-I don’t know why—”

“It’s okay,” Shinso says, “You don’t need to apologize.”

Kaminari nods, and takes a few shuddery breaths.

“It’s not— It’s not your fault.” Kaminari finally manages to say.

Shinso looks like he wants to respond to that, but stops at Kaminari’s watery glare.

“It’s not! I’m just… overwhelmed right now. But whatever happened down there on the fighting grounds wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t my fault either. It just happened, okay?”

“You looked so… scared. After you broke free of my quirk,” Shinso says hesitantly. “You should blame me for this, Kami. It only makes sense. I made you that scared.”

Shinso’s all but convincing himself that he’s the bad guy here, and Kaminari feels his heart fracture a little at that.

“No,” Kaminari says vehemently, “That’s not it. I just was scared, because I hadn’t… meant to come out like that. To that many people in such a public setting.”

Another sob rips out of his throat, and he’s kicking himself because he’s trying to convince Shinso that it’s not his fault, and instead Kaminari has to go and cry about it.

At the sad noise, Shinso winces as if physically pained by Kaminari’s distress. He pulls Kaminari in again, laying their foreheads together, squeezing his eyes shut.

“I swear, I’ll never use my quirk on you ever again. I’m so, so, so sorry for taking that choice away from you, Kami.”

His words are strained.

“It’s not your fault,” Kaminari insists, sliding his hands up to Shinso’s jaw, tilting his head so their eyes can meet. “You didn’t even order me to talk about it. I just— I remember you said out there that you didn’t know what I thought of you. I guess when you said that, I just… took it as an order. To tell you.”

He remembers the voice. How safe he felt. The purple haze.

Shinso looks at him searchingly.

Kaminari shrugs, because he doesn’t have an answer to the unspoken why.

“I don’t know why. But I do know you’re a good person, Shinso.”

Shinso stares at him, disbelief written all over his face.

“You know, when you activated your quirk, it actually felt warm? When I heard your voice, it felt safe,” he laughs a little because it’s true. Shinso’s quirk wasn’t painful at all.

The purple-haired boy inhales sharply at that.

Shinso’s eyes are glassy with unshed tears, but he’s looking at Kaminari reverently, unbelievingly.

And then his eyes trail down to Kaminari’s arms.

At some point, the hospital-grade blanket had slipped down, because Kaminari sees violent red Lichtenberg figures crawling across his skin. His heart plummets. He’s so stupid— of course, following an electric discharge of that scale, his entire body would be covered in the marks. They were a deep, angry red color, and Kaminari—

Kaminari flinches. He doesn’t want Shinso to have to see this ugly part of him. On reflex, he tries to pull the blanket back up to cover them up, but gentle hands stop him.

So instead, he crosses his arms, trying desperately to hide away from Shinso. His nails dig into his skin.

He barks out a nervous laugh, not looking Shinso in the eye. “Fuck, right? I’m all damaged and ugly,” he says, going for light-hearted but it just comes out as miserable. He feels the back of his eyes start to sting again, and no, goddamnit, he just stopped crying!

“Does it hurt?” Shinso asks quietly.

Kaminari’s eyes trail back to Shinso at that.

“Huh?” He says dumbly.

“You said it didn’t hurt, right? Before, at the matsuri?”

Kaminari stares at him for a second, before stuttering, “N-no. It’s just residual, like scars. The real damage happens when I short-circuit. These are just… ugly reminders.”

“If they don’t cause you pain, then that’s all that matters.”

Shinso traces a finger along a rivulet of red on his arm. Kaminari barely breathes.

“You’re the furthest thing from ugly.”

His hand travels further.

“I think you’re absolutely gorgeous.” He says in a low voice. “I think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

His fingers continue their trip down his arms until he holds Kaminari’s hands once more. Kaminari recognizes his words— the very same words Kaminari had said when under Shinso’s thrall.

“And I think I have a huge fucking crush on you,” Shinso says.

He leans in closer to Kaminari. Kaminari finds himself getting lost in all the shades of lavender.

“You’re amazing. And if you’ll let me, I’ll remind you of that every day.”

There’s a lump in his throat again, but for a different reason now.

Because that sounded like a confession. Because Kaminari can’t believe that Shinso would confess to him, but he knows what he just heard and that—

That sounded like a confession.

“That’s pretty bi of you,” Kaminari chokes out.

Shinso smiles, and it’s like the sun coming out after a heavy thunderstorm. “That’s pretty gay of me, actually. But I think you confessing in front of an entire audience takes the cake.”

Kaminari bites back a snort. “Well, I do have the impeccable ability of being an absolute fucking disaster.”

Shinso grins, and says, “swear jar?” Kaminari rolls his eyes, and thinks that they’re back on the mend now.

They’re quiet after that, just looking at each other as if they haven’t seen the other in a decade. Drinking in the sight of the other.

“Shinso?” Kaminari says.

“Hm?”

He hesitates, before asking, “why do you want to be a hero?”

“You can’t help the things you long for,” Shinso responds. Kaminari feels like his eyes are burning right into his soul.

He inhales, and then exhales shakily. Then he nods.

“I know.”

Kaminari leans in, knowing that Shinso is following his each and every move. They’re only inches apart at this point, the taller boy’s arms moving to wrap around his back again in a supporting gesture. It only makes Kaminari want more.

“You deserve so much more,” Shinso murmurs. It’s more of a whisper.

“Do I?”

Shinso nods, eyes never leaving Kaminari’s. It’s like they’re magnetically attached. Shinso can’t look away, and neither can Kaminari.

“Do I deserve whatever I want?” Kaminari breaths. He knows this is Shinso’s last line of defense, and Jirou’s words echo through his head, because he knows that Class 1-A is nothing if not persistent.

Shinso swallows. Everything in his posture is reverent, devout, worshipful even, as he looks at Kaminari with so much adoration in his eyes that Kaminari thinks he might be blinded, because he knows that’s the way he looks at Shinso too.

“You deserve the world,” Shinso rasps finally.

Kaminari smiles.

He reaches up, as far as his aching body would allow him, and wraps his arms around Shinso’s neck. Violet eyes widen as Kaminari comes so close that their noses are nearly touching.

“Good. Because I want you.”

The words strike Shinso like a physical blow. He’s thunderstruck by the implication in Kaminari’s words, by the conviction. Kaminari can see the moment Shinso tightens his jaw and inhales. He can see the exact moment when Shinso relaxes, having made his decision.

Slowly, he leans down. Kaminari’s eyes flutter shut and he exhales in relief at what’s to come, before soft lips touch his own.

It’s gentle, sweet, venerating; overwhelming yet everything that Kaminari ever wanted. They stay like that, connected at the lips as Shinso presses one, two, three chaste kisses against the blond until he loses count. He shifts, putting more of his weight on the bed so that he’s practically encaging Kaminari with his broad body.

“Open up for me, kitten?” Shinso whispers against his mouth.

Kaminari obliges, letting out a breathy sigh as he parts his lips. Shinso dives back in, but there’s no rush, no feeling that they might slip out of each other’s grasp like there had been at their first kiss. This feels lazy somehow, cathartic in a slow way as the two take their time to explore the other.

Shinso nibbles the inside of Kaminari’s bottom lip, his tongue exploring the other’s in slow, hypnotizing undulations.

Kaminari’s flushing now, and breaks apart the kiss in a stuttered gasp for air. His lips are cherry-red now from Shinso’s attention, face flushed slightly and eyes glazed in bliss. Kaminari thinks he hears a rumble from Shinso’s chest, and wonders dazedly what kind of wildcat Shinso had become.

The other boy doesn’t give him much more time to think, as he lifts Kaminari’s arm. He’s pressing more pecks to Kaminari’s lips, before trailing down his jawline and his exposed throat. Kaminari lets out a whimper at the feeling of Shinso’s hot mouth on his sensitive neck. He feels a smirk pressed against there, and then a sharp suction which has him moaning breathily. Kaminari’s squirming now, toes curling under the blankets, but Shinso is relentless.

With the arm now in his gentle grip, Shinso continues kissing a trail down the juncture of Kaminari’s shoulder, and then trailing feather-light pecks down his arm, tracing the trail of jagged red lightning scars. Kaminari finds himself trembling at this as another wave of emotion threatens to overtake him. Shinso switches to the other arm, murmuring words between every kiss: “god,” “so beautiful,” “gorgeous,” “can’t believe you,” and “kitten”.

Eventually, he lifts his head up again, and violet orbs meet wide golden ones.

Kaminari tilts his head up in a silent plea, and Shinso chuckles at the sight. He leans back in and presses another kiss to Kaminari’s mouth. Kaminari leans into it.

After they break apart for the second time, the electric boy lifts the blanket and scoots over. It’s a tight fit in the twin-sized hospital bed, but Shinso eventually slips under the blankets with him. He extends an arm around Kaminari’s shoulder, and the other boy leans into him, head resting right above a pec. Kaminari can hear his heart beat like this.

The blond sighs dreamily and closes his eyes again. He feels a soft pressure on his forehead, and all but preens at that. Big hands card through his hair, and he snuggles even further into the warmth at his side.

“Shinso.”

Shinso hmm’s, eyes closed as he leans his head against Kaminari’s.

“Hitoshi.”

Shinso opens an eye at this.

“Wanna go out with me after I’m out of this hospital bed? Like, y’know, as boyfriends?” Kaminari’s voice is light.

“Yeah.” Then after a moment, “Denki.”

Kaminari flushes, opening his eyes to look at him, and the arm around him just tightens.

“Y’know,” Kaminari starts, “I was so gonna romance you so hard. But I think you pulled an Uno reverse card, dude.”

Shinso grins. “I never said I wasn’t going to romance you, kitten.”

“Smartass.”

“Yeah, but you like it,” Shinso says with a smirk.

And Kaminari can’t deny it.

Slipping further into Shinso’s warm cuddles, he lets his heavy eyelids droop down.

As he’s drifting off, Kaminari thinks that things are going to be just alright.

Chapter Text

Message from: The twenty bi-teenager squad

Pika Power (Me): crisis averted

Pika Power (Me): target acquired

Pika Power (Me): new crisis

Pika Power (Me): how do i stop myself from proposing too early

Alien Queen: oh god

Headphone Jacked Up: thats a whole new crisis im not sure im equipped to handle

Pika Power (Me): serious dilemma yall

Alien Queen: im happy for you, you absolute disaster

Headphone Jacked Up: yeah congrats denks

Headphone Jacked Up: anyways if u propose, im gonna propose to momo

Headphone Jacked Up: so have some self control bc God herself knows i hath none

Pika Power (Me): fair enough

Pika Power (Me): but seriously thanks for everything, bi’s

Pika Power (Me): **guys

Pika Power (Me): ;)

Headphone Jacked Up: im cancelling our joint wedding

Alien Queen: lmaoooooo wrecked

Pika Power (Me): GASP

Message from: Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu

King Explodo-Murder: the FUCK is this group chat name

King Explodo-Murder: who the fuck added me to this you assfuckers

Red Hair Don’t Care: Bakubro!! I made it

Red Hair Don’t Care: I just wanted to check on our child

King Explodo-Murder: our WHAT

Spider Man with Tape: lmao guys wait so kamis definitely pikachu

Spider Man with Tape: but whos ash, misty, and brock

Pika Power (Me): dude, kirishimas defo brock

Spider Man with Tape: right right cause hes the rock gym leader of course

Pika Power (Me): and youre ash bc the hair and im your partner in crime

Spider Man with Tape: obviously

Spider Man with Tape: so that means bakugo’s

Spider Man with Tape: uh

Red Hair Don’t Care: bakubro’s misty!! The hair kinda matches too

King Explodo-Murder: IM NOT FUCKING MISTY SHITTY HAIR

King Explodo-Murder: also dont change the fucking subject fucking shit

King Explodo-Murder: our CHILD???

Pika Power (Me): aw wait is it me

Pika Power (Me): so like are kiri and bakubro my dads??

Spider Man with Tape: what does that make me?

Pika Power (Me): the fun uncle duh

King Explodo-Murder: im not your fucking DAD sparky

Red Hair Don’t Care: aw bakubro :/

Pika Power (Me): cant believe my dads are going through a custody battle right in front of my salad

King Explodo-Murder: i want a fucking divorce

Red Hair Don’t Care: nooooo

Spider Man with Tape: thank god, dodge a bullet kiri

King Explodo-Murder: EXCUSE YOU

King Explodo-Murder: WE’RE IN A FUCKING COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP

Red Hair Don’t Care: :O :O :O

Red Hair Don’t Care: BAKUBRO YOU DO CARE!!

Spider Man with Tape: I just heard a scream from the kitchens

Pika Power (Me): I think you broke bakugo

Spider Man with Tape: lmao i can tape u back together?

Red Hair Don’t Care: ugh when will my husband come back from war

Red Hair Don’t Care: anyways

Red Hair Don’t Care: kami!! how are Things bro

Red Hair Don’t Care: are you good??

Pika Power (Me): things are fine!!!

Pika Power (Me): i have a bf now :D

Pika Power (Me): meaning unlimited cuddles whenever I want it

Pika Power (Me): and im almost fully recovered thanks to recovery girl haha

Red Hair Don’t Care: glad to hear that bro

Spider Man with Tape: get it denks!

Spider Man with Tape: does that mean therell be less best friend cuddles :/

Pika Power (Me): sero! my cuddles are always open for you!!

Spider Man with Tape: bro

Pika Power (Me): bro

Pika Power (Me): but yeah things with shinso are great

King Explodo-Murder: is eyebags not a total fucker

Spider Man with Tape: he returns!

Spider Man with Tape: and is that… concern i sense

King Explodo-Murder: shut the fuck up budget cut spiderman

Spider Man with Tape: ouch :/ im sorry misty

King Explodo-Murder: FUCK off

King Explodo-Murder: but seriously sparky ill blast a bitch

King Explodo-Murder: tell eyebags if he ever tries to pull shit with you ill blast him off

Spider Man with Tape: (like team rocket)

Red Hair Don’t Care: i think your dads just giving your bf some shovel talk, denks! Bakubro go easy on him!

Pika Power (Me): awwww bakugo thats seriously sweet

Pika Power (Me): in a kind of scary way

Pika Power (Me): but we’re good now! we talked it out

Pika Power (Me): shinsos a really good guy and i want yall to be friends with him too

King Explodo-Murder: i guess eyebags isnt a total waste of space then

Spider Man with Tape: dude i think you have dads approval

Pika Power (Me): bakubro i heard u worried about me during the sports festival

Red Hair Don’t Care: he did!

Spider Man with Tape: he seriously looked like he was about to jump into the ring

King Explodo-Murder: you fucking extras can’t prove anything

Pika Power (Me): ily bakugo <3 <3 <3

King Explodo-Murder: whatever pikachu

Kaminari smiles and puts down his phone. He leans back into the firm chest behind him, as his boyfriend (his boyfriend!) rests his chin on Kaminari’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around Kaminari’s waist. They’re sitting on the blond’s bed, snuggled up close.

“So Bakugo adopted me,” he says conversationally.

“Oh?”

“Yup. He and Kirishima are my dads now. You’ll have to ask for their blessing, y’know.”

“Mmhm.” Shinso tilts his head into the crook of Kaminari’s neck, lips pressed against his pulse point.

“I’m pretty sure Bakugo’s gonna give you shovel talk.”

“I’m so scared,” Shinso murmurs, each word leaving breathy vibrations on his sensitive skin.

“Sero’s sad he won’t—ah— get as many cuddles from me now,” Kaminari’s breath hitches as Shinso starts nibbling a hickey into his skin.

“Damn right,” the larger boy intones, pulling Kaminari backwards into the bed as they lie down. Kaminari goes down with a surprised yelp. He keeps his arms wrapped around Kaminari’s waist, flipping him over so that the blond’s nose is buried in Shinso’s clavicle.

It’s kind of hot how he can just flip me over like that, Kaminari thinks.

“Your cuddles are all mine now, kitten.” Shinso’s smirking down at him.

“Monopolizing a hot commodity, huh?” Kaminari pouts, which just makes Shinso’s smirk widen.

He leans in for a kiss and Kaminari obliges.

---

Later, after they’ve both long-recovered from the Sports Festival, after Kaminari realizes that his little thunderstorm attack had garnered him a lot of attention from hero agencies, and after Aizawa takes an interest in training Shinso, Shinso asks Kaminari what it felt like to be brainwashed by him.

They’re cuddling again, something that Kaminari thinks he’ll never get tired of, and they’re listening to one of Kaminari’s k-pop playlists with shared earbuds, when Shinso asks the question.

It’s a little hesitant, like Shinso’s been thinking about it for a while, but didn’t know if it was okay to ask Kaminari or not. As much as Kaminari appreciates the concern, he also wants Shinso to know that he can be open with Kaminari about anything. So, he pauses the song, and turns around to face Shinso and look him in the eye. Shinso’s arms tighten minutely around him as his brow furrows in concern, but that only makes Kaminari smile reassuringly.

“I felt… fuzzy. Kind of like when I short circuit, except it wasn’t a painful fuzzy. There was static all around me, but a good kind of static.” He purses his lips, trying to think back to that day at the Sports Festival. It had all happened rather quickly, that the experience felt sort of surreal now. “I remember wanting to listen to a voice, but I also knew that the voice was yours. And… everything was all purple! And warm! Safe. I don’t know,” he shrugs, “I guess I just felt like the voice was trustworthy. And that nothing bad would happen. It was kind of like this weird liminal space. It felt kinda nice, actually.”

He looks up at Shinso and bites his lip. “Is that weird?”

Kaminari nearly does a double take as he realizes how pink Shinso’s face is. His blush travels down his neck and under the thick dark sweater he’s wearing. His eyes are staring at him in amazement, purple orbs burning into his own golden irises. He seems pained, almost.

“Are you okay, ‘Toshi?” Kaminari asks, raising his hands to cup his boyfriend’s cheeks. They feel warm.

“You don’t even know what you do to me,” he all but growls.

“Huh?” Kaminari says dumbly, before strong hands push him down, laying him flat out on the bed.

Shinso leans over him, palms flat on either side of Kaminari’s head, as he asks hoarsely, “how are you so perfect, kitten?”

That practically lights Kaminari’s face on fire, but he has no time to stutter out a response, as Shinso cranes his head down and kisses the shit out of the blond. He’s nipping and licking, coaxing gasps and moans out of the smaller boy until Kaminari’s gasping, red faced, and painfully aroused.

Shinso pulls back to assess the damage he’s done. By the clench of his jaw and flush to his own cheeks, Kaminari thinks he approves of what he sees.

Chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath, Kaminari laughs quietly.

“Wow,” he breathes, “if that’s the reaction it gets, then I’ll let you brainwash me all the time, babe.”

Shinso just lets out a huff of what could be exasperation, before leaning down again to worry Kaminari’s neck with love bites that Bakugo would definitely give him the stink eye for tomorrow.

Kaminari grins, and tilts his neck up, giving Shinso more access to his throat. He lifts his hands to wrap his arms around Shinso’s broad back, pulling the boy in closer for more.

---

They’re healthily exhausted at any given moment. After all, the hero course is kicking Kaminari’s butt. Aizawa is kicking Shinso’s butt.

Still, Kaminari is happier than ever. Since he let his sensei know about his hard-to-control quirk, every training session he’s had since then has been focused on quirk control rather than power enhancement. After months of this, Kaminari thinks that maybe his electricity isn’t something to be feared anymore— by himself, at least. And he thinks that he kind of understands how he unleashed an entire thunderstorm at the Sports Festival.

(When Ame had seen the fight on live TV, she said that she couldn’t believe her eyes. The twins had apparently been screamed, and Ame had immediately gotten calls from both their parents, who had evidently been watching the match as well.

After getting over the shock of the events, Ame said to invite Shinso over again soon. Something about officially inducting him as a Kaminari family member to balance the gender ratio. Denki had to remind her that they weren’t getting married or anything, to which Ame had just said innocently, “yet”.)

Kaminari’s also happy about Shinso’s training. Despite still wearing his usual stoic expression, Shinso seems livelier these days. The hero training seems to be giving the older boy a sense of purpose, and he is blossoming under Aizawa’s tutelage. Even though Shinso doesn’t fully believe it, Kaminari tells him that he’s a shoe-in for joining Class 2-A or 2-B their next year. Kaminari crosses his fingers for 2-A, much to Shinso’s chagrin.

Not to mention the muscles that he’s building up from working out. Kaminari definitely appreciates those. The boy had always had a taller, broader frame than the blond— but now he had really bulked up.

It riles up Kaminari a lot.

He sighs as he walks next to his boyfriend, snaking a hand up to intertwine with Shinso’s. He squeezes Shinso’s bicep none-too-subtly.

Shinso looks at him, an eyebrow raised.

Kaminari just leans his head to rest on his bicep, and squeezes again.

“I love these bad boys,” he says dreamily. Shinso snorts.

“So you just love me for my body?”

“Well, your body is a big plus, don’t get me wrong. Besides, it’s not fair! How do you bulk up so easily? I’ve been trying for so long, but no dice.” Kaminari pouts as they walk through the park. They take turns dragging each other on dates when they’re not too busy getting beaten up by the intense training regiments at U.A. The park was Shinso’s idea.

Shinso leers at him. “I like your body, kitten.” He gives him an overt once-over and licks his lips.

Kaminari pinches his arm. “Perv,” he mutters, but there’s no heat to it; he kind of loves that they’re close enough to tease each other like this. He can still remember their initial awkward stages of getting to know each other.

“You used to be such a tsundere, you know?” Kaminari sighs wistfully. “Now, I feel like you’re the bad boy who’d kabedon me in an empty hallway and try to ravish me.”

Shinso snorts, though his cheeks slightly pinken at the word tsundere. “If I remember correctly, you’re the one who tried to corner me in an empty hallway at lunch last week. Though your kabedon was pretty cute, not gonna lie.”

Kaminari remembers that; he had seen a lot of TikToks involving the kabedon, so he had been super excited to try it on his boyfriend. Of course, that involved dragging Shinso down the hallways of U.A. by his hand, and slamming him against a wall while Shinso watched the blond with an aggravatingly bemused expression. Kaminari had then gotten on the very tips of his toes to slap his hand on the wall behind Shinso. Even then, they weren’t completely at eye-level, which had caused Kaminari to puff out his cheeks like an angered pufferfish.

(Stupid, tall, hot boyfriends.)

So he had instead settled for climbing Shinso like a tree and kissing him silly.

“Shut up,” Kaminari says, though there’s no heat to it.

He catches sight of an ice cream vendor, the line blessedly short. Perfect for this spring heat, Kaminari thinks.

Kaminari tugs on Shinso’s sleeve, pointing to it.

“Ooh, ‘Toshi, I’m gonna get us some ice cream! You grab us a bench, okay?”

Shinso nods amicably, knowing that when Kaminari wanted food, he got food.

Kaminari jogs up to the vendor, ordering a strawberry ice cream for Shinso (he thinks it’s really cute that Shinso has a secret sweet tooth for strawberries) and a cookie dough one for himself. Pulling out his wallet to grab a wad of cash, a familiar flash of goldenrod catches his eye. Using his thumb to push up the golden sliver up a little bit, he realizes that it’s the en-musubi charm from the matsuri.

The one he had meant to give to Shinso, but had chickened out at the last minute.

He had instead given Shinso a green kaiun charm for “good luck and a better fortune” in becoming a hero. He smiles as he remembers Shinso had given him a baby pink anzan charm in return as a joke— “wishes for a healthy pregnancy”.

Shaking his head at the warm memories, he puts the charm in his pocket and pays the vendor the money and grabs their ice creams.

He makes his way over to Shinso who’s lounging on a bench, his arms stretched out along the back of the bench. Kaminari sits down, handing Shinso the ice cream cone. They’re across from a local pond, kids playing along the edge of it and students setting up towels on the grass to lie on and bask in the pleasant spring day warmth.

“Thanks kitten,” Shinso says, offering the first bite to Kaminari. The blond licks a stripe up the strawberry cream, offering his cookie dough to Shinso as the other reciprocates.

Then, Kaminari reaches into his pocket and pulls out the golden en-musubi charm, holding it out to Shinso. Shinso looks down at the charm and stiffens.

Kaminari thinks it’s funny how he still gets nervous about things like this when he’s shamelessly flirted and cuddled with Shinso, but he can’t help the pink flush that travels up his neck as Shinso stares at the charm in his hand.

“It’s from the festival we went to. I meant to give you this one that day, because I— uh, really liked you from the start actually,” Kaminari blushes at the admission, “but I ended up giving you the kaiun one instead. This one’s—”

“En-musubi. ‘To ensure love and marriage’,” Shinso finishes for him.

Kaminari blinks, surprised. “I— uh, yeah. That.”

Shinso stares at him for a second with an indiscernible expression, before a wide smile cracks through his face. He’s laughing, low and breathy.

Confusion and slight embarrassment fills his gut, along with the usual exhilaration he gets when seeing Shinso laugh openly like this. Kaminari puffs up his cheeks, and opens his mouth to demand an explanation, before Shinso beats him to the punch.

“Me too.”

“What?” Kaminari asks, swatting Shinso’s hand away as he tries to poke at his comically inflated cheek.

Shinso pulls out his own wallet, and opens it. He plucks out an identical charm, before handing it to Kaminari.

The blond looks at it, uncomprehendingly. He reads the kanji on the cloth, and it clicks.

En-musubi. Shinso had gotten him the same charm, and backed out too.

And then he’s giggling, taking the charm in his hand and holding it up in the sunlight. Giddy warmth floods him as he wonders at the thought that Shinso liked him like that even back then.

Shinso pinches his ear lightly as he continues his quiet peals of laughter.

“At least you gave me kaiun that day. I panicked and gave you the anzan one.”

Kaminari remembers. “That was still hilarious, though. I have it hung up in my room. The twins were very confused.”

Shinso sighs, fond. “We make quite the pair, don’t we?”

Kaminari squeezes the charm in his fist. “I know.” He wouldn’t want it any other way.

The couple finish their ice creams, talking about anything and everything. Shinso talks about how Aizawa gave him his own capture gear, how the other day Bakugo growled at him almost approvingly, and how Mina secretly told him that she hopes Shinso takes Mineta’s place in Class 1-A. Kaminari tells him how he’s getting better at controlling his quirk so much so that the usual angry crimson marks afflicting his body are more of a light red, how Kirishima and Bakugo finally got together, how the girls miss him and that he’s due for another Kaminari movie night, and how he really, really hopes Shinso gets to join Class 1-A.

At some point, Kaminari leans closer into Shiso, practically flush with the other boy’s side. Shinso obligingly lifts his arm and wraps it around the blonde as he nuzzles further into Shinso’s warmth. The sun is starting to set, and the two are feeding bread crumbs to the ducks that wander close enough to them.

Shinso tosses a crust to one of them, which honks angrily at him before still devouring the piece of bread. Kaminari laughs at that, earning him a hair-ruffle from Shinso.

Sitting here with Shinso next to him, with their futures bright, with their hands warm and bodies close, with their hearts full, a sense of calm envelops Kaminari. He thinks that he wants to stay like this forever.

“Hitoshi?”

“Yeah, Denki?”

“I love you.”

His chest is light as he says it, heart fluttering like a butterfly's wings, but he’s proud of his steady voice. The words resonate through his small frame, almost as if it creates and sends shockwaves. He’s also a little anxious if he’s being honest, but the pervading sense of calm remains still. Shinso doesn’t have to reciprocate, no, that’s not why he said it, but it just feels right, and—

And then Shinso smiles and pulls him in. He kisses Kaminari’s forehead, and then both his eyelids and then finally his lips. His lips are still cold from the ice cream and he tastes like strawberries. Kaminari shivers.

“I love you too.”

Kaminari lets the words sink into his skin like a soothing balm. He smiles, settling and snuggling into the taller boy. Shinso wraps an arm around his shoulder, and they fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

They throw bread crumbs as the ducks squawk at them for more. A particularly bold one sits on Shinso’s foot, and Shinso says that it's needy, just like his boyfriend.

Kaminari laughs, pinching Shinso’s waist lightly at the teasing remark. Shinso retaliates by pecking him on the lips again.

He gladly reciprocates.