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Aizawa was, in simple terms, a fair man.
He always made do with the cards he was dealt. Sometimes, it was a total win and everything turned out ok, sometimes he folded before he could lose, and the rest of the time he completely lost.
Those losses were the proof that, unlike himself, life wasn’t fair; and he made sure to carry that lesson to his students.
He was very rough with his students, no matter their age. He did treat them harshly, threw them into danger constantly, and gave expulsions out like candy on Halloween. That was only because he knew what the hero world was like. He knew that villains, regardless of the hero, will still try. He knew that no matter how much one tries, you cannot save everybody. And, above all, he knew the price of being a hero.
From the time he was his current class’ age, when he “lost” his best friend, he knew that life was NEVER guaranteed. Yes, he dropped buildings on his students, planned out casualties in rescue training, and failed plenty of students. However, as rough as it was, when those who passed Aizawa’s standards did make it into the hero world, they were grateful. No other debut heroes were more prepared for the real thing than Aizawa’s students.
There was one thing that Aizawa could never help them prepare for: the death of a comrade and friend.
He KNEW life wasn’t fair, he prided himself in knowing that. Some may even think he prided himself in teaching that fact to his many students. But, THIS was beyond unfair. As the aftermath of war finally smacks him in the face, he comes to the realization that what just happened never should have happened to begin with.
He looks to Vlad, who is busy trying to console Shishida and Yanagi. They had been separated from the others between Gigantomachia’s rampage and Dabi’s fire wall, and thus basically abandoned in the middle of the battlefield. Them, along with Denki, had to fend off possibly more villains before it had happened. He noted how red was dripping from some matted patches on Shishida’s chest, as well as from Yanagi’s skirt. The blood soaked through her skirt, staining her thighs. Shishida had clots of blood in his arm and chest fur. The red liquid seemed to stain the large male’s tuff, as the student kept trying to wipe it off with panicked hands.
Aizawa had no doubts the image would be burned into their minds, this experience would undoubtedly traumatize them. They had witnessed, first hand, the death of a comrade.
As far as any of the other students knew, only Bakugo, Todoroki, and Midoriya were extremely injured. They knew many heroes, including Midnight, had been killed as well. This, however, would DESTROY his class. No, not even just his class, the whole hero course will be in shambles. Aizawa couldn’t help but think of their faces when he would have to tell them.
He knew that the news of Shirakumo’s death shook his own class to the core back in the day, but this was NOT a death like Shirakumo’s. This was NOT a work study accident, this was NOT a case of ‘it was a slip-up’. This was war, they had lost their fellow hero-in-training in war. His students, who were mere CHILDREN, lost their friend in WAR.
Bakugo, who had already been injured badly, would now be hurt on an emotional scale. Kirishima, Sero, Mina, Jiro, would all be distraught. And Shinso, his personal pupil, who cared for the blonde so much it hurt, would be shattered. It would be a wake up call for everybody, and he HATED it.
Aizawa made his way to where his students were resting. Many of them were packing things up so they could visit Bakugou, Todoroki, and Midoriya in the hospital. Everyone seemed to be in higher spirits after they shed their tears.
“Sensei, glad you could join us,” Momo’s voice was raspy and her eyes bloodshot. Kendo was by her side, handing her a cup of water. Pony was busy sewing something in the corner, smiling. Tetsu came to her side and bent over.
“Pony, whatcha making?”
“A sash for Yanagi, I made one for all the students! Figured it might make everyone feel better, even after all of this. My mother always gave me homemade or unique gifts to make me happy as a kid, so I sort of picked up the habit. Hold on!” she smiled and proceeded to pull out different sashes from under a cot.
“When did you have time to make all of these?!” Hiryu exclaimed as Pony handed him his sash.
“Oh, I’ve been making everybody’s sashes since after the joint training, way back. I couldn’t finish them by Christmas, so what better occasion to give out sash smiles than now!” Pony handed everybody their sash, each customized for them. At the end, she only held six in her hands: Bakugo’s had tiny explosions, Todoroki’s had tiny fire and ice symbols, Midoriya’s had tiny broccolis, Yanagi’s had tiny ghosts, Shishida’s had tiny beasts, and Denki’s had lightning bolts.
“These are very well-made!” Hagakure shouted with glee as she brushed hers.
“Thanks! I’ll just pack these three,” she put Bakugo, Todoroki, and Midoriya’s in a tiny satchel, “now we just need to wait for Yanagi, Shishida, and Kaminari!”
Aizawa couldn’t even say anything before the two Class 1B students walked in. The crowd of students immediately got quiet, they all seemed relieved and yet confused. He noted how both Mina and Kirishima looked around them, and Sero and Jiro tilted their heads.
“Hey, you two, are you both ok?” Nirengeki asked as he approached. That’s when he noticed all the blood, “whose…whose blood is that?” he whispered, pointing to Yanagi’s skirt and Shishida’s fur. Just like that, a dam broke in Shishida’s eyes.
“We couldn’t do anything, I’m sorry!” he fell to his knees, “I tried to get him here quickly! I truly did! But villains kept coming at us! We were stuck hiding for too long! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“Shishida!” Monoma ran to his classmate and knelt before him, “Shishida, what on Earth are you sorry for?!” Monoma would never admit he cared, not aloud, but seeing any of his friends cry scared him to bits. He turned his head to Yanagi, “Yanagi, what is he talking about?” other students quickly approached, huddled closely together but giving Yanagi and Shishida room to breathe.
“When we were cornered by the league, Dabi’s fire separated us from the rest of you. That Compress villain threw debris at us, striking Denki in the head. We were alone once the fire cleared, which is when we began to get attacked by front soldiers. Denki, despite being injured, protected us best he could until that Gigantomachia thing came crashing through. That’s about when Shishida found us. We were still being attacked by front soldiers, and Denki got wounded through the chest,”
“Yanagi tore a piece of her costume off and put pressure on the wounds, while I gave cover. We tried to retreat, but the soldiers kept following us. We had to hide, and we did for a while. We kept checking on him, we knew we needed to move soon because his breaths kept getting weaker and weaker! When the coast was finally clear, we got up, but Denki didn’t move! He self-defibrillated three times before he just stopped moving! We tried everything, we’re sorry!”
“N-no,” Kirishima’s voice seemed so strained, “I-I don’t believe you! Sensei, they’re lying, right?! They have to be!” everybody looked to Aizawa, whose own eyes began to fog. He looked to the ground and shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Kirishima. But, they aren’t,” Mina began to pant.
“No! No, it can’t be! Where?! I want proof!”
They didn’t need to wait, Vlad came in with Kaminari in his arms.
“Aizawa, they’re out of cots, body bags, and blankets in the morgue. He doesn’t deserve to be disgraced by being uncovered in the dirt. I will go find a spare face covering,”
Most of the hero course looked on in shock as Vlad placed Kaminari on a cot, covering his body with a blanket. His head and shoulders, as well as his feet, were uncovered. The moment Vlad stepped away, Mina was at the cot’s side, as was Sero, Jiro, and Kirishima. The four collapsed to their knees and cried. Vlad quickly left to get a face covering, finding it incredibly hard to watch the children mourn one of their own.
“Denks, come on dude, you can’t leave us like this!” Sero screamed.
“Kamibro, you promised you’d come back. Please,” Kirishima pleaded. Mina simply clasped his hand as she cried into the cot. Jiro put her ear to his chest, her eyes wide and rimmed red as more tears cascaded down her cheek.
“Kaminari, you stupid idiot,” Jiro couldn’t even insult him as she mimicked Mina on his opposite side, “you stupid, stupid idiot,”
Iida and Momo approached, crying as well as they gazed at their fallen friend. The remaining girls from both classes sat next to either Jiro or Mina, even Yanagi sucking up some courage to approach. Shishida knelt right by Denki’s head, Tokoyami on the other side, attempting to fix his hair. Dark Shadow loomed over Denki, crying softly. Shihai put a hand on Tokoyami’s shoulder, knowing that his dark rival needed the support.
Aizawa began to cry as he gazed at the children before him. Denki’s body was surrounded by his fellow hero course students, they all mourned him and cried. And this wasn’t even everyone. Just the idea of telling Todoroki, Midoriya, Bakugo, and Shinso are making him feel ill. Present Mic walked in on the scene, as many of the surviving heroes had been told a student was among the fatalities.
Fat Gum immediately saw how distraught Kirishima was, feeling his heart ache for the poor student he cared for so much. Tamaki was there as well, running to Kirishima’s side and hugging him. Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and Edgeshot seemed hurt at the sight of the electric boy.
“How awful, such a bright star shrouded into darkness far too young,” Edgeshot spoke with a defeated tone.
“He was such a fun person, too. The first student who actually liked me,” Kamui, shed a tear. Mt. Lady just held her arms close together, crossed over her chest. Tears did fall from her eyes, but she remained quiet.
Rock Lock hated having to see this, making him turn away and shake his head. He held his head and proceeded to quietly cry.
“I don’t get why the hero commission keeps pulling this shit,” he grumbled as he felt tears roll down his cheeks, “these are kids, damn it,”
Other UA teachers, such as Cementos and Ectoplasm, simply bowed their heads.
“Wasn’t he the one who took that huge attack when Cementos broke open the base?” Mirko asked quietly. Endeavor nodded, feeling his heart hurt a bit. It had been a long day for him, after finding out Toya was alive and a villain and watching his two sons battle, he came back to the base to hear a child had been killed. If he were being honest, he felt pretty useless right now. His son had fought HIS battle and was greatly injured, and now he witnesses a group of kids mourn their friend.
“Shoto talked about him a few times. He always said how his smile seemed to rival All Might’s. Much like Midoriya, he said that people called him a ray of sunshine,” he snorted but smiled, “honestly, I believe it. Shoto hardly ever talked a lot about anyone else aside from his small friend group. It shows that this one was indeed quite a happy hero,”
At that, the whole tent went silent. The Bakusquad, minus their leader and clearly deceased member, all looked at him. The rest of the heroes and students did as well.
“Endeavor,” Present Mic began, but was cut off.
“Kaminari died a hero's death, and everybody should be proud of the work he was able to accomplish in his short time. Unfortunately, this is what being a hero means. We may go on to live into our hundreds, or die before we even begin. That is the tragic truth of being a hero. As hard as it is for me to say this, you young heroes should be thankful to experience your first loss like this,”
“Endeavor!” Fat Gum screeched. Rock Lock looked ready to punch the man, as did Aizawa and Mt. Lady.
“Not all heroes have the pleasure of privacy when losing their comrade, or the luxury of time for mourning. You may not see it now, blinded by the grief, but this is a good lesson to learn young. I learned this lesson when I was around Hawks’ age, many said I was blessed to have not seen the death of a friend for that long. But, it was awful, I didn’t have time to mourn my comrade nor the privacy to do so. The first major loss is always the hardest, because it will always be the time when you realize that being a hero is often a two-faced coin. We each have some sort of status or power in society civilians may never know, but it comes at the cost of our privacy, health, and perhaps ultimately our lives,”
The heroes seemingly shut up after that, knowing it all to be true. Vlad clutched the face rag gently, taking a deep breath. Endeavor noticed this and walked over, taking the rag from his hands.
“Huh, wait,” Vlad tried to speak, but Endeavor walked to Denki’s body. He gently brushed the boy’s face, clearing away any stray hairs. Small bouts of static warped up his fingers, making him smile softly. He gently covered Denki’s face and bowed his head. He glanced at Mina, who was looking at Denki’s now concealed face.
“What was his hero name?” he asked. Mina looked at him and gulped, taking a few breaths.
“Chargebolt, The Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt,” she replied softly. He nodded and brushed his hair again.
“Well, rest well Chargebolt, you did great,” the heroes all bowed their heads, as did all the students.
When Bakugo and Shoto arrived back at the dorms a little over a week later, they were stunned to see Momo and Kendo setting up a small shrine in the old broom closet. Nobody noticed the presence of the two students until Sero coughed.
“Welcome back, guys!” he mustered so much cheer, but Bakugo knew it was fake.
“Soy sauce, what’s going on?” Bakugo seemed a little panicked, but only his friends could tell. Shoto walked over to Momo and looked at the shrine, his eyes widening. Shock overcame him as he fell to his knees.
“No, he didn’t,” he whispered, “he can’t be,” his voice was so raspy from his battle with his brother, “no, no, no!” Shoto could only try to scream. Momo knelt by his side and hugged him.
“Icy-hot, what the fuck is wrong…with…you,” Bakugo’s words died slowly as he approached the shrine. The glittering frame was gold, and inside was a picture of Denki.
For a minute, Bakugo refused to breathe. It was almost like his entire world shattered when seeing the face of one of his best friends. The shrine was littered with his favorite things: a black and yellow fidget cube, some bracelets, a guitar pick, a homemade sash he'd never seen before, and Denki’s best choker were organized on the shrine. A few sticks of essence were lit and Bakugo noticed how everybody seemed to be silent. They were waiting to see his reactions, holding their tongues until they felt safe to speak. Bakugo’s jaw clenched and he began to chuckle.
“This…is a cruel prank to pull on people who just got out of the hospital,”
There it was, the first stage of grief: denial.
They didn’t blame him, even when they saw Denki’s body, none of them could believe it. It's hard to believe a person, especially someone you had just saw not long before, could die. That their lives were, in fact, that fragile that a single second could end them.
“Bakugo, we’re sorry, but it’s not-” Kirishima tried to speak, but Bakugo was not having it.
“Shut up, Shitty Hair! This prank is actually really fucking low! Where is he?!” Bakugo shouted. It was what everybody was expecting, so they kept quiet, “you fucking assholes! Even I wouldn’t be this awful to do a prank like this! Now answer me, damn it! Where’s Denki?!”
Bakugo felt his anger swell at their silence, so he stormed off. He made his way to Denki’s door, kicking it open, only to find Shinso reading a book on Denki’s bed. Bakugo noticed how Denki’s hat collection, skateboard, posters, bedding, and records were gone. Everything in Denki’s room that was Denki’s was gone, only Shinso’s belongings were there now.
“Bakugo, I didn’t realize you were back-”
“Why are you in here? Why is your stuff here?! This isn’t your room!” he stormed over near the closet, “where are his stupid baseball caps?! Where’s his record stand?! Where’s his skateboard covered in American band stickers?!” and threw open the closet, “where are Denki’s clothes?! Where are his hoodies?!” he went over to the desk, “his stationary is gone! Where’s his stationary?! Where’s his laptop?!” he opened the drawers, “Where are his stupid fidgets?!”
Shinso didn’t want to speak as he saw Bakugo begin to gasp for breaths. He allowed Bakugo to tear his room to shreds until Iida came in with Shishida to restrain him.
“Bakugo, this isn’t Denki’s room anymore! You have to stop!” Iida tried to hold him, his grip tightening as Bakugo began to flare his limbs wildly. His palms began to warm as he tried to light up some small explosions.
“This is cruel! Stop it! Stop with this stupid joke!” Shishida grabbed both Iida and Bakugo, beginning to tear.
“I was with him, Bakugo, I was with him when he died. We’re sorry, but this is real. Denki is gone,” Shishida began to cry as he felt Bakugo’s struggling limbs cease. Iida was panting as the three fell to their knees. Bakugo’s tears cascaded down his cheeks and landed onto Iida’s arms. The class president hugged him tightly, cradling his head in a brotherly fashion. He gently rocked the blonde as they cried.
“We’re so sorry, Bakugo. It’s ok to cry, please don’t restrain your grief. It’s not healthy,” Bakugo listened to Iida’s broken voice, and nothing was stopping him now from just completely sobbing.
To say grieving is linear would be so incredibly wrong.
Some days Bakugo forgets that Denki died and expects Denki to be in the common area with the rest of their class, only to have the crushing realization he died and it’s denial and anger all over again. Aizawa advises Bakugo to see Hound Dog until a grieving counselor is finally brought to the school, and he does. The sessions with Hound Dog help more than he would care to admit, and the grieving counselor named Mrs. Niyoto was even more so. He even continued seeing her after the whole war, up until their time as third years.
Bakugo, after realizing that graduating meant leaving the dorms thus leaving Denki’s shrine, was greatly upset. But, that’s when Niyoto suggested for him to make a personal shrine in a pouch or box. He gathered things that reminded him of Denki: his favorite cherry chap stick, a fidget toy, a pikachu pokemon card, a hamburger sticker, a few photos of them together or squad photos, a few of his Polaroid selfies, and one of his favorite chokers that Bakugo had accidentally stolen before the war. He placed everything in a tiny tin box, and put a warning on the lid that read DO NOT TOUCH UNLESS YOU WANT TO DIE.
Bakugo kept that box in the corner of his desk when he was a sidekick for Best Jeanist. He would rub it when feeling upset or anxious, and kiss his hand and rub it to give himself luck before patrols. Sometimes, if he was alone, he would talk to it as if it was Denki. The other three sidekicks found it scary, but Best Jeanist, of course, knew about this and let it be.
However, after one of the others caught him speaking to it, the next day proceeded to touch the box while Bakugo and Jeanist went on patrol. Many of his fellow sidekicks had noticed Bakugo’s love for the box and how he got defensive if anybody, even Jeanist, touched it. Seeing as he talked to the damn thing, now all of the sidekicks were interested. The one who had caught him removed the lid and gawked at everything inside.
“It’s so gaudy, no wonder Jeanist won’t touch it!” the man laughed as he took out the fidget toy, “I didn’t know the all powerful Dynamight needed stuff like this,” another took a look and grabbed the chap stick, opening it and applying it.
“He does have good taste in chap stick though,” the guys all smiled and jeered. The last sidekick pulled out the choker.
“Look at this ugly thing,” the trio all laughed.
That was the scene Bakugo entered upon, his eyes widened when he saw the other sidekicks holding Denki’s items. He sneered and tore off his gauntlets, charging forward.
“Can’t you dumb-fuck pretty boys read?! It said to not touch it!!!” he went to grab the box, only for the lead sidekick to back off, laughing.
“I wonder why you like this thing so much! It’s so extra, but I suppose that’s just how you are,” the second sidekick laughed, twirling the chap stick.
“Though, I must admit, your taste in chap stick is nice. My lips feel great!” The third sidekick swirled the choker around his finger.
“I didn’t think you were a choker guy, is it a kink or something?”
Then, the leader threw the fidget toy in the air and caught it, flicking the switch side a few times. He glanced at Bakugo's panting form and noticed how this item in particular caught Bakugo’s attention.
“Was this the reason you didn’t want us touching it? You didn’t want us to think you were retarded? How cute that you need such silly little toys!” using his quirk, the head sidekick crushed the fidget toy.
Bakugo saw red and snapped, and he was sure nothing on the damn planet would stop him until the head sidekick was hospitalized. He tackled him and began to punch the absolute crap out of him, yelling ferociously as he did so. The other two sidekicks dropped the other items, quick to try to help their friend. That’s when Jeanist walked in with Kamui Woods, who restrained Bakugo with his wood.
“You boys are NOT interns or work study students, anymore! Why are you acting like childr-” Jeanist's eyes widened when he noticed the other sidekicks and the items from the box on the floor. Jeanist may not have seen the box’s elements, but Bakugo did at least tell him what was inside. Kamui also saw the scattered items that had clamored to the floor in Bakugo’s rampage. He walked over and gently picked up the crushed cube.
“Where did you boys get these?” Kamui questioned. The trio of other sidekicks were silent as Kamui gently released Bakugo, placing the crushed cube in his palms. His hands were shaking and it was clear he was gulping down whines.
“Gentlemen, answer Kamui Woods!” His tone was sharp, there would be no lying tolerated.
“The tin on Dynamight’'s desk, sir,” the second sidekick picked up the chap stick and put it back on Bakugo’s desk with a shaky hand.
“Do any of you know the significance of that tin?” they all shook their heads. Jeanist looked to Bakugo, who he knew detested crying in front of others, as his lips wobbled and his ruby eyes glistened, “Bakugo, gather the items and take the rest of the day off,”
Bakugo nodded and quickly gathered everything, gently placing the items in the tin. Nobody in the agency knew he could be gentle, or silent, but right now Bakugo was being both. He quickly left the area and went to change out of his costume. Once gone, the entire office was waiting for Jeanist to explain.
“S-sir?” The head sidekick seemed genuinely scared.
“Bakugo was one of the students who fought in the Paranormal Liberation War, which already makes him stronger than any of you,” Kamui’s voice was thick with venom, “but the fact he fought is not why. In the war, he lost his best friend, another student by the name of Denki Kaminari. If you go into the former Endeavor Agency’s lobby, you may see him in the middle of the golden memorial statue, taking a huge burst of electricity,”
“That’s who that was, no wonder he looked so young,” the second sidekick thought aloud.
“Bakugo never fully got over the loss, that tin was made to help him grieve. All those items are either remembrances that belonged to or reminded Bakugo of Kaminari,” Jeanist walked over and pointed to the second sidekick, “that was Kaminari’s favorite chap stick, as he was prone to lip biting. It was a nervous habit,” he pointed to the third sidekick, “he was an avid choker wearer, he even had one on his hero costume,” lastly was the first sidekick, “and he also had ADHD, which is why he had had a fidget cube. I do not appreciate the r-slur being used, as I view it as implying any mental condition makes you so. As someone who has OCD himself, I do not think that it the case,”
“S-sir, we apologize-” the three began, but were quickly silenced.
“I am not the one who needs the apology! You blatantly disregarded the label on a fellow sidekick’s belonging and in doing so invaded something deeply personal! He speaks to the tin as a coping mechanism, and it will not be looked at as anything else! If you have a problem with a grieving coworker, then feel free to leave my agency,” Jeanist walked into his office and Kamui followed.
Not long after the incident, a lot of the former UA hero course heard about what had happened. Bakugo did end up remaking the tin, Sero gave Bakugo one of Denki’s old fidget cubes to replace the one that was crushed and Mina even added a fidget ring that once belonged to him. However, Bakugo’s anxiety flared anytime he had to go on patrol. He was paranoid to leave the box on his desk, regardless if the other sidekicks swore they wouldn’t ever touch it again.
So, he locked it in a special safe he kept in his lower right drawer. It was code activated, so he just needed to punch in the digits to see the box. If he knew he was alone, he would take it out and cradle it. Once again, he was caught by a sidekick, and that sidekick shared his findings. It made the other two feel worse, that Bakugo now felt forced to keep the box and his feelings under lock and key. Feeling guilt, they planned a perfect surprise.
A few weeks later, Bakugo got an offer to start his own agency with Deku, who had finally saved enough money from working and with help from sponsors and donors. He put in his two week notice to Jeanist, who wished him well, and later announced Bakugo’s decision. A party was put into the works, so that the crew could properly see off their strongest sidekick.
At the party, the sidekicks gathered around Bakugo with a golden wrapped box. Bakugo took it warily, opening it carefully. He seemed so apprehensive about looking inside the box, but he began to tear up once he did. It was a sleek black box, with an electronic lock in the shape of a golden lightning bolt. There was a white lightning stripe along the sides, a blue glasses design on the top, with a cool looking antenna on the side.
“We figured it would be best if you have a Chargebolt themed box for Kaminari’s shrine,” the head sidekick smiled as he saw Bakugo’s lips turn up right.
“It’s also voice activated! So this way no shitty sidekicks can get in,” the second sidekick playfully added, winking.
“We wish you well, Dynamight. We’re still really sorry, so we hope that this gives us a clean slate, at least,” the final sidekick hoped. Bakugo felt the tears slip down, but he still smiled and wiped them away.
“It’s more than I could have ever asked for, thank you,” he hugged the three, a rare gesture from the explosive man. Jeanist, of course, saw this and smiled under his costume. He knew Bakugo would be ok after this, and wished him the best.
And Bakugo did achieve the best.
Ten years later, he was the co-owner of the biggest hero agency in Japan. Midoriya and him founded their Wonder-Duo agency and employed all of their former classmates. They worked with international heroes, partnered with dozens of other agencies, and employed hundreds of sidekicks. Bakugo and Midoriya couldn’t be happier, especially when they decided to start a little passion project.
The Chargebolt Charity was founded by Bakugo, but was backed by Deku and all their other UA classmates. It was Bakugo’s way of keeping Denki alive, even if it was just his hero name. But, Chargebolt, so long as Bakugo lived, would continue to be a hero.
He founded the charity on the principle of helping others devastated by loss. They offered free healthcare, therapy, medications, and various treatments. They took in people who lost their homes, parents, or guardians. There was even a branch that acted as an orphanage, which expanded to a halfway house for runaways.
And as Bakugo sits in his office chair, looking at the skyline, he smiles. The news story of The Chargebolt Charity Ball was pulled up on his computer monitor, talking of its great success as more sponsors and donors signed checks for their cause. There was pride swelling in his heart as he remembered hearing the billionaires from around the world earlier that evening say ‘The Chargebolt Charity’ with such enthusiasm. He then turned back to his desk, gazing before taking a deep breath and turning off the monitor. The soft glow of the city illuminated him plenty as he took a lighter, sparking up a sparkler on a strawberry cupcake.
He placed the cupcake in front of Denki’s box, which would always remain on his desk corner. As the sparkler lit up the area, Bakugo couldn’t help but shed a tear. He kissed his palm and gently pet the box, a warm smile crossing his face. The smile was soft and sweet, and real as Bakugo finished wiping the last of his tears.
“Happy birthday, Denks,” he whispered as the sparkler finally went out.