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Today was ruined.
Everything was going perfectly fine and then his stupid, stupid friends had to get involved because they cared and now, his perfectly good Monday was wasted on ‘being an adult’ or whatever.
“Stop fucking whining, you damn drama queen,” Bakugou rolled his eyes as he turned sharply into the parking lot. “I don’t want to be either, Dunce-Face.”
“Then, why’d you drive me here, man,” Kaminari whined, peering out the window at the large, imposing building ahead. “You could’ve just stayed home, but instead you tricked me into coming here against my will.”
Bakugou backed the car up into an empty space, parked roughly, and then turned to the rear seat, pointing a finger in Kaminari’s face. “Trust me, I’d love to just fucking leave you here, but Kirishima cares about you so unfortunately , I am here to make you get your shit together, or so help me—”
Kaminari lifted his hands defensively, smiling sheepishly. “Well, it’s obvious you care about me too—you wouldn’t drive me all the way here otherwise.”
At that, Bakugou’s scowl deepened.
“Get. The fuck. Out.”
“Got it, chief.”
The two of them got out of the car, Bakugou making an extra show of slamming the door. They made their way to the building, up a flight of stairs, and then to a door labeled with the number 71.
The dentist’s office.
Kaminari shuddered at the thought of a stranger prying his mouth open, stabbing sharp weapons into his mouth, and yanking his teeth out. After the deed was done, he’d lay there on the floor bleeding and he couldn’t even tell Bakugou he told him so—and why, oh why, did his friends have to make him come here?
He was an adult. He could make his own decisions. If he never saw another dentist for the rest of his life, that’s on him and no one else.
Kaminari wondered if maybe it might have been better to just wimp out. He could turn around right now, probably get chased down by an angry Bakugou, and then make it as far as the next block over before meeting a tragic end on the road back home.
Getting run over by Bakugou’s car sounded like a way better alternative to entering that room.
And honestly, Bakugou would totally do it too, if he didn’t think it’d make Kirishima sad.
The two of them were so in love, it was gross.
But maybe, that safety net would keep Kaminari alive if he made a run for it.
“Well?” Bakugou barked out, hands in his pockets from where he stood behind Kaminari.
“I’m going, I’m going,” Kaminari said hastily, ignoring the panicked thoughts before taking a deep breath and grabbing the doorknob. He stayed there for a good few seconds before yanking it open like a Band-Aid, preparing himself for the worst.
The room was just as he’d remembered it three years ago—dimly lit, quiet, and suffocating. A few potted plants were placed at the corners, surrounded by cushioned chairs, a water cooler, and a small wooden bookcase with a collection of magazines on the shelves. There was a single guy in the waiting room and a receptionist at the counter who was looking at them with apprehension.
“Let’s go home.”
“Fuck that, get in there,” Bakugou shoved him inside, closing the door behind them.
“Please Bakugou,” Kaminari wailed, eyeing his escape route. “I’ll do anything—I don’t have much money, but I will do anything, man, anything —”
“Shut up,” Bakugou growled as they approached the counter.
Kaminari whimpered before coming face to face with the lady at the desk. She blinked up at him, then smiled kindly. Kaminari felt it was a bad omen.
“Hi, do you have an appointment?”
“No?” Kaminari ventured.
“Yes, he fucking does—Kaminari Denki, idiot extraordinaire, for 2 o’ clock. If you need me, his not-guardian , I will be outside. I promise, you won’t need me.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Kaminari whispered fiercely as Bakugou turned to go. “Don’t leave me, please , Bakugou-san, Bakugou-kun, Bakugou- sama— ”
Bakugou flipped him the bird and left the room without a trace.
Yup, Kaminari was dead.
“So, you can take a seat until Dr. Aizawa is ready to call you,” the receptionist was saying as Kaminari’s brain jumped into overdrive. “Is there a reason why you haven’t been to our office in so long?”
Kaminari forced a smile. “F-family emergency?”
The woman stared at him in confusion, but didn’t push it. She asked him to write his name down, which he did, stiffly. She then said something about the doctor, a survey, and a shift change which Kaminari barely heard. As soon as he put the pen down, he turned robotically to one of the chairs and sat, screaming internally the entire time.
He eyed the doorway again, contemplating making a run for it.
Or maybe, just maybe, he could walk out a few minutes from now, pretend he already saw Dr. Aizawa, tell Bakugou everything went peachy, and then be on his merry way home.
Making his way to the entrance, he pushed the door open slightly and peered outside to see if Bakugou was there.
“Yeah, he’s here,” Bakugou murmured into his phone, one hand on his hip and his back turned to Kaminari. “Fucker wouldn’t go in at first, but he should be seeing the doctor soon enough.”
There was a laugh that Kaminari identified as Kirishima’s on the other line, followed by muted words Kaminari couldn’t hear.
“No, I’m not leaving until he’s seen him,” Bakugou rolled his eyes, huffing. “I could totally make him take a cab home though—I have so much other shit I could be doing right now.”
There was another pause after which Bakugou softly exhaled.
“Go to class, you idiot,” he said, quieter than he’d been. “I’d better see you later. You said that you—”
Kaminari stepped back into the room, sighing heavily.
Well, any plan of leaving was probably unrealistic at this point with Bakugou standing outside like a guard dog instead of just waiting in his car like a normal person would. He supposed that he could still try , but was it worth the struggle?
Instead, Kaminari trudged back to his seat, slumping back onto it like a defeated slinky. He eyed the posters on the wall announcing shady car insurance companies, an energy drink of some sort, and an image of a happy family camping in the middle of nowhere.
He wasn’t even sure what that last one was supposed to be advertising.
Eventually, as he looked out across the room gloomily, his eyes landed on the only other person in the waiting room, a man with purple hair slicked back. He was lounging casually in his chair, flipping through his phone, an apathetic expression on his face. In all honesty, from the bags under his eyes and ‘tired’ that screamed from the way he was sitting, he looked kind of like an insomniac.
Kaminari sat up a little straighter, swallowing thickly.
Uh oh, he was kind of cute.
The room was small enough to make casual conversation and although Kaminari was not too thrilled about meeting the dentist soon, he figured maybe making a friend would make this entire trip worthwhile.
He cleared his throat a few times to get this man’s attention and finally, those hooded eyes rose to meet his.
“Dentist’s offices, am I right?”
“…what?”
“Uh, I mean, haha,” Kaminari laughed awkwardly, shrugging. He leaned back in his chair, trying to go for a casual, cool look. The man stared at him blankly. “Honestly, it’s such a pain, isn’t it? You drive 40 minutes in traffic just to pay someone to hurt you.”
The guy gave him an incredulous look before huffing out what seemed to be a laugh. “Sounds rough.”
“Y-yeah,” Kaminari felt butterflies collide inside of his stomach. He stumbled over his next few words, trying to jumpstart his brain again. “How’s your day been?”
“Not bad,” the man responded loosely, furrowing his brows at something on his screen. “Trying to get my phone on blue light filter, but it keeps shutting off.”
“Oh, I can help you with that?” Kaminari offered brightly. “I’m kind of the tech guy in my friend group so…”
The guy hesitated momentarily, then slowly handed Kaminari his phone. Kaminari quickly messed with a few settings, checked to make sure the functions were working, and then handed the device back to the dude.
“There you go! It should be working now!”
Raising an eyebrow, the man pulled up his applications window and sure enough, the screen was displaying a softer glow.
“Wow.”
Kaminari beamed, brushing metaphorical dust off his hands as if he’d just completed the most tasking job of his life. “All in a day’s work.”
“Thanks,” the guy said in that same monotone voice. “Helping out even though you don’t want to be here.”
“Yeah, it sucks, but hey,” In the process of trying to use his head and his arms, Kaminari ended up shooting the dude a finger gun paired with a wink. “I’m still glad I came today because I got to meet a cute guy!”
Shit. Too disaster bi. Too forward. Abort. Abort .
Across from his seat, the man blinked as if trying to process the blonde’s words. Then, he chuckled lowly at an octave that did things to Kaminari’s breath. “Is that so?”
Kaminari was sure that his face was as red as his best friend’s hair.
“Uh,” he replied, intelligently. He watched as the guy pocketed his phone, sitting up marginally straighter to match Kaminari. “Wh-what’s your name?”
The man hummed, folding his arms. “Shinsou Hitoshi.”
“Cool,” Kaminari breathed, then immediately wanted to smack himself for such a mediocre response. “Uh, I—what are you here for?”
As if there were many reasons to be in a dentist’s office, fuck, he was spiraling fast. He hadn’t expected his first conversation attempt to go so well and now he was going to screw it up by being dumb.
By being himself, Bakugou would say.
Shinsou smirked, an expression that looked almost devious. “Just waiting for my shift. Apparently, my dad and I are getting paid to hurt people.”
As the realization sunk in, Kaminari blanched, gaping like a fish at Shinsou. He opened his mouth, then closed it, and opened it again, trying to use the useless organ inside his skull.
Abort.
At that moment, a frazzled, disheveled-looking raven-haired man popped his head out of the adjacent room. “Kaminari Denki?”
“Yes!” Kaminari near-yelled, getting up from his seat immediately and wincing at the crack in his voice.
“Oh, Hitoshi,” Dr. Aizawa continued, not giving Kaminari a chance to slip into the other room without facing him. “Midnight’s packing up so you can come in.”
“Okay,” Shinsou said, and Kaminari immediately heard the resemblance in their voices. Kaminari watched as Shinsou made his way past Dr. Aizawa, staring at him for a moment too long to be accidental before disappearing out of sight.
Ah, crap.
This really was the worst day ever.
Kaminari barely even registered the next ten minutes. He sat in the reclined chair as Dr. Aizawa worked into his mouth, checking his gums, running tools over his teeth, and grumbling low mutterings that sounded vaguely like threats. Eventually, the raven-haired man pulled back, his lips tight.
“You have fifteen cavities.”
Smiling sheepishly, Kaminari shifted in his seat. “Is that… normal?”
“No,” Dr. Aizawa said darkly, grimacing as he removed his gloves. “What in blazes are you eating day to day? Just candy?”
Kaminari swallowed, remembering the four pop tarts he had for breakfast. “Pretty sure I… had a vegetable this week…”
Dr. Aizawa sighed, jotting something down on his clipboard before returning Kaminari’s chair into its original position. “You’re going to need to come in some other time to fill in those cavities.”
Kaminari laughed, but he felt like he was crying. “You can’t just magically do them all right now?”
There was a pause as Dr. Aizawa leveled him with the most deadpan stare. Kaminari gulped, really seeing the similarities between this man and his son now.
“Just… kidding…”
“Set up an appointment with Shinsou at the front,” Dr. Aizawa said, unclipping the napkin off of Kaminari’s neck. “Brush often—especially after you’ve eaten sweets.”
“Yes, sir…”
How the doctor knew he ate sweets often was beyond him, but Kaminari didn’t question it. He had more important things to worry about like how cute and attractive Shinsou was and how he’d messed up his chance to befriend the guy just because he said he doesn’t like the dentist while he was sitting in a dentist’s office .
Not his smartest conversation starter, clearly. But how was he supposed to know Shinsou was a dentist who was the son of a dentist? Talk about coincidence.
Regardless, Kaminari needed to talk to him. Not because 15 cavities were apparently a big deal and Bakugou would murder him if he left without taking care of that, but because he hadn’t finished getting to know the guy.
Yup, that was the only reason.
Bracing himself for a cold shoulder, Kaminari made his way through the hall and reentered the waiting room. He walked up to the front desk, putting on his most charming smile.
“Uh, Shinsou-san…?”
Shinsou looked up from his computer, then leaned forward onto his elbows to face him. He was grinning mischievously. “Done meeting with my dad?”
Kaminari nodded and swallowed thickly, biting his lower lip. If Shinsou was smiling then it was probably a good sign that he hadn’t messed everything up?
He decided to run with it.
“I like you, dude!”
This time, Shinsou didn’t look as surprised. He leveled Kaminari with a blank stare. It lacked the full intimidation effect of his father’s. “I’m here to work.”
“I know, I see that,” Kaminari spluttered, laughing nervously. “And I’m here to tell you that I have 15 cavities so it looks like I’ll be seeing you often.”
At that, Shinsou’s eyes widened just a bit before he snorted, throwing a hand over his mouth. “15?!”
Kaminari shrugged weakly. “All in a day’s work…”
“How?”
“Your dad asked the same thing.”
“Wow,” Shinsou said for the second time that day. The way those words left his mouth left Kaminari reeling. How was it possible for someone’s voice to be that sexy? “That’s impressive.”
“Yeah,” Kaminari said blankly before coming back to reality. “Listen, I’d really like to get to know you more, like, as a friend.”
At Shinsou’s raised eyebrow, Kaminari twiddled his thumbs.
“Okay, maybe more than friends too because I’m not gonna lie, you’re kinda hot,” he muttered, feeling his face heat up. “And, I’m real sorry I insulted you and your dad’s job, but dentists are kinda scary to most people, though I’m sure you’re good at it and—”
Shinsou said something lowly and Kaminari halted to a stop.
“What?”
“I said I don’t want to be a dentist. That’s my dad’s thing. I’m just working here part-time,” Shinsou repeated, a smirk on his lips. “I was messing with you earlier. It was amusing. What you said.”
Kaminari felt his breath hitch and hope bubbled up in his chest. “Oh.”
“Dentists are a bit stiff, I get it,” Shinsou concluded, turning back to his computer screen. “When did you want to come in for your cavities?”
“Um,” Kaminari stammered. “When are you in?”
Shinsou’s eyes slid to his. They seemed to be disbelieving, asking ‘is this guy for real?’
Kaminari swallowed, trying again. “So, what do you want to be if not a dentist? And how come your dad has a different last name? And why did you want to put a blue light filter on your phone? I mean, you do look like you’re about to fall over, but—”
“How’s next Monday, same time?” Shinsou cut him off, typing in Kaminari’s contact information into the files. Kaminari deflated, stopping conversation immediately.
Well, Kaminari was forward, but he wasn’t going to force the guy to hang out with him if he didn’t want to. He knew when he was being shown the door and so he laughed awkwardly, nodding. “That works.”
“Great, I’ll see you then.”
Kaminari blinked, wondering if he misheard that. But when he saw Shinsou’s small, captivating smile, he knew he couldn’t be mistaken. The blonde grinned ear-to-ear and filed the date away into his mental calendar.
“Hopefully by then, I’d have gotten more sleep,” Shinsou added quietly, turning away from Kaminari almost bashfully. The blonde swore he saw a hint of red on the man’s cheeks. “Have a good day.”
“You too!” Kaminari chirped, making his way out to meet Bakugou who greeted him suspiciously. They drove back home as Kaminari talked his ear off about the cute guy he met in the dentist’s office. Bakugou swore he would never drive Kaminari around again if he kept blabbering so Kaminari kept his crush to himself, thinking excessively about long, purple hair and sultry eyes.
The next week when Kaminari came in, he found out that Shinsou’s last name came from his mom’s side and that he has always had problems sleeping at night. Shinsou seemed grateful because the filter really helped him deal with some of the insomnia.
The week after that, he found out that Shinsou wanted to quit working for his dad and instead become some kind of police interrogator. Kaminari said that the man’s cool and collected composure made him suited for that kind of job. Shinsou smiled and Kaminari spilled his water cup all over his important files.
With an extreme case like his, Kaminari came in for the fourth and last week in a row. He joked about how he needed to get another cavity so that he could keep coming to visit Shinsou. Shinsou rolled his eyes and chastised him for thinking that way, but after Kaminari’s appointment was over, he handed the blonde a slip of paper.
It had his number on it.
And since that day, Kaminari’s teeth had never been cleaner.