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“Are you really sure this is a good idea?” Sero scratched at the back of his head, obviously not completely on-board with what was about to happen.
“Nope. But It’ll be fine.” Brushing off your hands, you stand. This would work, you knew it would. “This is just your standard capacitor, so it doesn’t even store a huge charge.”
Usually, support course projects were simple enough– buffing dents out of power suits and designing impact-resistant attachments were practically second nature to you by this point. This time, the task was a bit more complex: circuits. You hadn’t freaked out when the assignment was first announced– you’d aced all of your wiring quizzes in the past, and this was nothing compared to those. The paranoia started in the middle of lunch when you realized that you’d forgotten to charge your battery, the single source of voltage for your unit. You could easily get a new one from the support room, but Power Loader would be in there during the lunch period, and the last thing you wanted to do was explain your forgetfulness to the very teacher that would be grading you. You could get it later, right before class. Right now, you just needed to make sure everything still worked. You needed a spare battery, and thankfully, the hero course had one by the name of Denki Kaminari.
You shoot a double thumbs up at your “battery”, grinning when he returns the gesture with twice the enthusiasm. “Besides, Kaminari is really only one at risk, and I didn’t even have to convince him.”
“Yeah, because he always makes such great decisions.” Sero sighs in defeat, “Just don’t go overboard Denki. We still have class over this.”
“Come on, man. You know I’d do anything for my fans.” The blonde beams proudly, obviously loving all the attention. He pulls off his uniform jacket, throwing it at Sero. His friend obviously isn’t amused, but Kaminari doesn’t seem to care. He’s too busy winking at you. “Just remember that you owe me after this sweetheart.”
You roll your eyes and look over your handiwork where it sits on the concrete walkway. “Only if it actually works.” You’d purposely chosen an area away from other students, afraid that they might get caught up in your little experiment. One last time, you flip the wired switch in your hand, imagining the way it’ll look once you finally have your power source hooked up. This would work– it had to.
Perhaps a little too quickly, you grab Kaminari’s arm, dragging him over to your circuitry. You push down on his shoulders, and he gets the idea, plopping down beside the colorful wires.
“Okay, this,” You pick up a black unit from one end, “Is the flash. When I flip my switch, the capacitor discharges. So it should get really bright, really quick.” You put it back in place and pick up a small cylindrical piece. “This is the capacitor. It has a working voltage of–” His face is completely blank, like what you’re saying is going in one ear and out the other. You sigh. “Fine, we’ll skip to your part.”
You pick up two loose wire ends, one red and one black, handing them to Kaminari. He looks them over. “Sweet. Just tell me when to turn on the power.” You cringe a little.
“Okay, here’s the thing– it’s a little more complicated than that. This is a mid-range equipment and–” You’ve lost him again. He’s staring at a squirrel picking through the trash to his left.
“Kaminari.” You bark through gritted teeth. You grip the sides of his face, forcing him to look at you. “This is important. You put in anything over 330 volts and this thing will explode.” His eyes go wide. You’ve got his attention, at least for the moment. “So keep the charge consistent and under that. Clear?”
“Crystal.” He responds, and the corners of his lips twist upward. He leans into your palm. Cute, but you can’t help wondering if he was actually paying attention.
“So when I say ‘go,’ what are you gonna do?”
“Activate my quirk.”
“Activate your quirk at what voltage?”
“Under 330?” You release him, stepping back to what you suspect is a safe distance away. Sero pulls you back another couple meters, shooting you a nervous look. He’s worried. You fiddle with the wire on your switch, making sure that it’s not tangled and that it is, in fact, hooked up. Once you’re sure it’s good, you know you can’t wait any longer.
“Just stop when you see a flash.” You pause, inhaling. “Ready Kaminari?”
“Ready!” He pulls his arms in close to his chest, although you’re not too sure why. Maybe it was to try and look cool. Still, his grin is gone and now he’s all focused. You’re relieved, but much to your surprise, you’re also a little upset– he has a nice smile. You shake off the thought. Now’s not the time.
“Go!”
Not even a second after you shout the word, there’s a snap, then a buzzing noise. You instinctively lurch backward, disoriented by the suddenness of it all. You’re nowhere near your equipment but can feel the crackle of electricity. It doesn’t hurt though– the only thing that you can think to compare it to is pop rocks against your skin. You peer up at Kaminari, and his face is pretty priceless. He’s totally concentrated on his task, staring down at the ground and chewing on his lip as the sparks fly out from his body. Then, there’s a brief moment when he looks up, his eyes latching onto yours. There’s something incredibly awkward about the exchange– it feels too intimate for the few hours you’ve actually known the boy. Still, you can’t bring yourself to look away. It isn’t until hum of electricity intensifies that you even remember what you’re supposed to be doing. You flip the switch.
There’s a blinding flash so bright that you have to cover your eyes. Even after it’s over, you have to blink a couple of times before the black shapes stop clouding your vision. That’s it– your circuit works.
“Hell yeah!” You cheer, nearly blowing out your vocal chords in the process. Kaminari drops the wires and stands, obviously pleased with himself. “I guess I owe you a favor now, huh Sparky?”
He carefully steps over all of the wires and makes his way towards you. The smile is back, and you’re surprised at how that observation alone is enough to make your skin tingle. It’s just leftover bits of electricity, you tell yourself. When he drapes his arm across your shoulder though, your stomach leaps, and you begin to doubt the validity of your own argument.
“Yup, and you can bet I’ll be collecting on it very soon.” You can hear Sero groan as he turns and heads back to the classroom, hurling his friend’s jacket onto the ground. “Dude!” Kaminari releases you, scooping up his uniform and rushing after him. Before he’s completely disappeared behind the massive double doors, he glances back at you over his shoulder, waving. Distracted, he crashes into the side of the building.
“Moron.” You mutter, and your heart flutters.