Chapter Text
Kaminari had been acting a bit odd recently. He was less enthusiastic, less happy, and generally just less like himself. He'd flat-out refused to participate in the last two Bakusquad hangouts, which was unheard of. He'd been late to class the last three days, looking tired and paying less attention than usual. He'd even made himself scarce in the common room, coming down almost exclusively for food. Nearly everyone had noticed, but most thought he'd just bounce back soon enough. The Bakusquad knew differently.
They had unanimously decided that Sero was closer to him than the rest of them, which led him to the situation he was in currently, stood outside Denki's door and debating how to go about this. If he were to directly confront Denki about his behavior, he'd likely deny acting any differently. If he were to just skirt around the issue completely, nothing would change. He'd probably have to figure out a way to gently coax it out of him. With a barely audible sigh, he lifted his hand and finally knocked on the door.
Inside, he heard some shuffling and a quiet, sullen "Come in". He opened the door and was shocked to see his friend wiping away tears with sleeves. Hanta rushed over and immediately wrapped him into a hug. Denki tensed for a second before relaxing and twining his arms around Hanta. They stood for a few minutes as Denki got his bearings and stopped crying. Once he had gotten a hold on his emotions, Denki pulled back from the embrace and sat down on his bed. Hanta sat next to him without hesitation.
"What's wrong?" Hanta asked.
"Whaddya mean, doesn't everyone cry like that occasionally for no reason?" Denki joked with a weak smile. At the pointed look from Hanta, he sighed and said, "It's really stupid. Sometimes I just feel kind of, uh, not good enough. I mean, everyone here's so great. You've all got something that sets you apart, whether it's your quirk, attitude, or just looks. All I've got is some electricity that I can't even completely control. Plus, my dysphoria's been worse than usual lately, so I'm not doing really well mentally at the moment. But you don't really need to worry about it; I'll be over it in a few days."
Denki was startled at the sudden hand on his chin, tilting his head to look into Hanta's eyes. There was no trace of insincerity in his face as he replied, "You're my friend and I don't want you to feel like that. Your electricity is amazing and useful, even if you haven't mastered it. Hell, Midoriya still breaks bones from time to time, and that's a lot worse than not being able to shoot lightning properly. You've got possibly the brightest, most optimistic personality of all of us, you're a wonderful friend, and you're really handsome. Honestly, you're beyond good enough."
Denki grinned, blinking back tears at his friend's heartfelt confession. He hugged Hanta tightly and whispered a quiet, "Thank you."
"No problem," Hanta responded just as quietly.
The hug lasted for a moment before they both pulled back and looked at one another. Then, Denki slowly leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to Hanta's lips. Hanta was shocked for a second, but quickly kissed back just as chastely. It wasn't long before they broke apart with matching grins, neither wanting to push the other too far.
"Does this mean I can finally call you my boyfriend?" Hanta wondered aloud.
"Only if I get to call you mine," Denki declared, grinning even more now.
"Absolutely."