Work Text:
There were few things that were as soul-crushing as the colour white. To be precise, as seeing the entire neighbourhood blanketed in the colour white. Denki had expected snow; almost everyone had texted him complaining about the winter storm on its way and the shovelling they’d have to do. He had expected it and yet, somehow, the sight of it still surprised him.
It was just so much. The roads, the houses, and more importantly, his car was just buried in snow. Maybe on the weekend, it’d be fine, but today was Monday. He was already late enough as it was without having to stop and clean his car.
“Fuck,” he swore as he took a deep breath. The cold cut into his lungs and this was going to be one those days. He just knew it. Mondays were the worst. Donning his gloves and hat, he reluctantly pushed open the lobby door and stepped out into ankle-deep snow. A little bit spilled into his boot, sending an ice-cold chill up his spine.
That was okay. He could do it. He just had to make it to his car, which was like three lots further down that it should have been because Bakugou was a bastard who stole other people’s parking spots. Denki glared at his neighbour’s window. Tonight, he was totally going to sick Kirishima on him.
Buoying himself with that thought, he marched toward his car, ignoring the bone-chilling winds and ice water in his boots. Maybe Kirishima would cook, and that thought fueled at least twenty minutes of distracting images of food as he brushed the snow off his car.
Before he left, he tossed a pile of snow at Bakugou’s car. The bastard had it coming.
-x-
Denki squinted at the roads over his steering wheel. Traffic was at a crawl and he wasn’t sure if he was in a lane anymore. The cars in front of him were misaligned from one another, like two lines that were trying and failing to merge into one. As long as he didn’t slide off the road, he could manage. At least, considering how bad the weather was, his boss had to be late too. Hell, maybe he could get to work earlier than his boss and ask him What took you so long and—
He wasn’t moving. Cars trudged forward around him, merging back into the single lane ahead of him, and he wasn’t moving.
Fuck.
“Oh no no no,” he muttered, pressing the gas as hard as he could. The car still didn’t move. He was trapped. Stuck. Panicking, he watched as everyone ignored him, heading straight to work. No one was going to help him and he was going to die and—no, he could do this. Hatsume, his mechanic, had prepared him for a situation just like this. What was the first thing she’d said again? She said to check the engine. Denki stared at the dashboard. The lights were on. Good. He pressed his foot on the gas and the engine rumbled as the car strained to go forward. Also good; his engine was fine.
Actually, no, this was terrible. Denki grimaced as he realized just what that meant. His tires were stuck. His tires were stuck in snow that was piled higher than his ankles in subzero temperatures. Well, there went his dream of getting to work today. Or anywhere at all.
Opening the door a crack, Denki flinched as a stream of cold air entered the car. Quickly, he slammed the door shut. Shit, that was cold. Maybe he could just call a tow truck. Pulling out his cell, Denki impatiently tapped on the screen to no avail. The battery had died. Of course it’d died. Today was Monday.
Nothing ever went right on Mondays.
Steeling himself, Denki opened the door once more and forced himself out. Snow spilled into his boot again, causing a chill to run up his spine. Resisting the urge to jump back into the car, he trudged to the back and checked the back wheel. A pile of dirty, mushy snow had gathered, stopping the car from moving any further.
Maybe if he pushed it—Denki laughed at the idea. With his scrawny arms? Impossible. The car would just roll back and hit him. No, he’d just have to rely on strangers. Waving at the incoming traffic, he gestured at the wheels. “I’m stuck! Help!”
No one stopped.
Okay. Maybe they couldn’t hear him. Clearing his throat, he yelled louder. “HEY. I’M STUCK. I’M GOING TO DIE. HELP.”
Still no one stopped. Fine, that was fine. Denki knew just what to do in situations like this. It was time to pull a page from Bakugou’s book. As the next car passed by, he jumped in front of it. “STOP DAMNIT!”
Which might not have been the best thing to do, but traffic was slow as it was. The car struggled to stop, skidding through the snow as the driver tried to avoid hitting him. It stopped just centimeters from his legs. Through the windshield, he could see a driver staring at him with wide eyes, just as surprised as he was.
“Oh, god, it worked. It worked.” His shoulders relaxed and now that he was paying attention, his heart was going a mile a minute. That had been scary. Pressing his hands on the hood of the stranger’s car, he bent over and took a deep breath, releasing his tension.
He’d stopped a car. He was going to get help. It would be fine.
“What the hell was that?”
Well, it would probably be fine as long as this guy didn’t stab him out of anger. Standing up shakily, Denki smiled shakily. “Car troubles?”
The other man stared at him, speechless. In the pale light of the morning, Denki stared at the guy’s hair, a half-red, half-white combination. Did the guy grow too old on one side? Was it a fashion statement? He wasn’t sure only that it looked really good on him. Maybe it was to distract from the burn mark that covered half his face. There was a pun to be made, about how hot he looked, but that would probably be insensitive.
Cars honked, angry that now half the road was blocked, and Denki remembered why they were here. Right. Clearing his throat, he gestured at his car, “I’m stuck.”
“I can see that,” the other guy replied dryly, and damn, his voice.
No, this wasn’t the time to get distracted. “Help?” Denki pleaded, clasping his hands together.
The man stared at him for a long moment. He then glanced at the road ahead and at the snow at his feet. With a resigned sigh, he ran a gloved hand through his hair and nodded. “Alright, I guess. It’s not like I was going to get there on time anyways.”
“Oh, thank you thank you thank you!” Denki resisted the urge to just hug the guy. He was saved! He was rescued!
“So, it’s just that your car’s stuck?” the guy asked, stepping closer to inspect the car.
“Yeah, the engine’s fine and everything. The back wheels are…buried.” Standing by right back wheel, he crouched and pointed pitifully at the pile of snow around the wheels. It looked even worse than it had before.
The man crouched beside him and now that he was closer, Denki could pick out a musky cologne. “Well…we could try pushing it out.”
“Pushing it out?” Distracted, he watched as the stranger went to the trunk, resting both hands on the car. His thick jacket didn’t indicate much of his physique. Maybe the guy was jacked. He certainly acted like he was.
“Yeah.” He stared at Denki expectantly. When he didn’t move, the guy sighed. “The steering wheel?”
“Right!” Denki flushed a dark red as he hurried to the driver’s seat. Turning the car back on, he slowly pressed down on the gas. There was a small jolt as the stranger pushed and for a brief second, he though the car would move.
Then a snowman knocked on his door. Before Denki could scream, the snowman wiped his face revealing a now really grumpy hot guy. Gingerly, he rolled down the window. “It didn’t work?”
The glare the guy gave him could have melted ice.
-x-
Half an hour of struggling to move the car didn’t do much for traffic. It was still slow as hell, but now Denki was finally moving with it.
Though, not in the way he’d expected. He glanced over to the driver, the stranger he’d more or less forced into this situation. Now that they were sitting in a cozy car, the guy had unzipped his jacket a little, revealing the top of a suit. A businessman, then. Resisting the urge to ogle, Denki smiled nervously. “It’s, uh, so nice and warm here.”
“We’re in a car,” was the deadpan response.
He wanted to bash his head against a wall for the stupidity of his comment. For once, he couldn’t even blame his job for this. “Yeah. Uh…Oh! I’m Denki Kaminari.” He almost held out his hand to shake before remembering they were in a car.
The other man stared at the road, his brow furrowing, before he finally replied, “Shouto Todoroki.”
A name. That was a good start. “Thanks for helping out and giving me a ride and, well, everything.” Denki sighed, remembering the call to the tow-truck. “I can’t believe it’s going to take an hour for them to get here.”
“Considering the weather, that’s pretty fast,” Shouto disagreed shortly.
“Oh. Right.” Was he going to say anything right? “Still, thanks.”
“Couldn’t let you freeze out there.” Shouto shrugged. Taking a hand off the wheel, he pulled out his phone and handed it to Denki. “Do you need to call anyone else? Your office?”
“I didn’t want them to know I’m late, but this is a great excuse, right? Man, though, they’re going to give me so much shit for not charging my phone.” He was rambling. Denki was aware of it and yet his mouth refused to stop. It was the curse of the passenger seat: he had to say something, anything to keep the silence at bay. “I’m an electrician, so the jokes kinda write themselves.”
“An electrician?” Shouto’s brow furrowed even more and for a moment, Denki wondered if he’d said something wrong. Did this guy have a vendetta against electricians?
What if he was an axe-murderer or something? He’d seen movies about hitchhikers getting murdered in the woods. With all this snow, his body wouldn’t be found till spring. “You’re not going to kill me, are you?”
“What?” Shouto stared at him, perplexed.
“Nevermind.”
Giving him one last confused look, Shouto shook his head and chuckled. “No, it’s just…you’re an electrician.” He laughed a little louder, his shoulders shaking and a smile growing on his face. “And your name is Denki Kaminari.”
Well, damn. If he looked hot stoic, Shouto looked even better when he smiled. “I get that a lot,” Denki managed to reply.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh.” Shouto swallowed back his laughter, but he looked a lot more relaxed now. Denki couldn’t tear his eyes away, it was like watching the beast transform into a prince. “It’s just…”
“My friends said the same thing.” Denki grinned, rubbing his neck as he remembered his best friend’s face. “And my parents were just—well, they didn’t really get to talk since they named me.”
“It’s really on the nose,” Shouto agreed. “Not that my name is much better.” He gestured at his hair. “This is actually natural.”
“Really?” Leaning to his side, Denki stared at Shouto’s strange half-and-half hair. “How?”
“A strange mutation.” Shouto shrugged. “Half my mom and…half my dad.” The last word he almost spit out, his expression darkening.
Clearly there was some bad blood there too. Trying to lighten the mood, Denki forced a laugh. “I guess we have really literal parents! Don’t tell me you’re a fireman, that would be too much.”
Shouto blinked before breaking into a smile again. “No, that would be too much. I’m a lawyer. It’s my first day, actually.”
“A lawyer?” Denki rubbed his forehead, remembering just how he’d jumped in front of the car. That wasn’t legal. There was definitely some law he broke. “You, uh, won’t sue me for this?”
“No, don’t worry about it.” Shouto laughed again and Denki felt an irrational surge of pride. He was getting good at pulling laughter out of him. “I’m only after actual criminals.”
It’d be better not to mention the stockpile of speeding and parking tickets he had, then. He glanced at Shouto. They looked like they were about the same age. “Your first day, huh. That’s gotta be fun.”
Shouto’s expression darkened again and he bit his lip. “I suppose,” he answered, sounding almost as frigid as his name.
“Or not.” Denki backpedaled as fast as he could. Wow, today was a great day for putting his foot in his mouth. Mondays. “First days suck, they’re the absolute worst. You have so much paperwork and it’s boring.” Was that a hint of a smile he spotted? Motivated, he rattled on, “Jobs suck too but not as much as first days. Or Monday’s.”
Shouto glanced at him, quirking his brow. “Hate your job that much?”
“Well…” Denki shrugged. “It’s not bad, I like everyone there, but.” He paused, mulling it over. “I’d just rather be home, playing video games.” Realizing he’d said more than he’d meant to, he covered his mouth. “I mean I…” What was a sophisticated hobby? “I play pool.”
Judging by how Shouto’s cheeks puffed with barely suppressed laughter, pool wasn’t half as cool as he thought it’d be. Sighing, Denki slumped against the door, staring morosely through the window. “I’m sorry, I’ve been told I ramble.”
“Don’t be.” Shouto looked cheerful as he turned the steering wheel. “I’ve been told I don’t talk enough.”
“No, really?” Denki couldn’t stop the sarcasm and he covered his mouth with a hand before anymore escaped.
Somehow, Shouto didn’t look the least put out. As the car slid to a stop, he merely nodded. “Yeah.”
Maybe he didn’t get sarcasm. Denki didn’t know if he should correct Shouto or just let him continue down this tragic path.
“To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to work.” Shouto turned toward him now and Denki got the full brunt of his stare, the bright blue eyes boring into his. His expression looked tranquil now, nothing at all like the stoic man who stopped his car. “But…I don’t know. I feel better about it now. Thanks.”
Denki flushed a bright red. His skin only burned hotter as Shouto reached forward and shook his hand. “I-I didn’t do anything.”
Shouto shook his head. “No, you did. Thanks.”
For a long moment, they sat there in silence, staring at one another. Denki didn’t know what he wanted to do next but a not-so small part of him wanted to lean forward and kiss the man. Which was stupid, he’d known this stranger for like thirty minutes. Sure, he was hot, but come on. As much as his friends teased him for being a disaster, in more than just the bi way, he wasn’t so far gone that he’d get attracted to someone that quickly.
Dimly, he was aware that Shouto was looking at him expectantly. Did he feel something too? Want something too? Denki was about to say something when he realized where they were: a parking lot at Starbucks.
“OH!” No wonder the guy was staring at him. This was the part where he was supposed to get out. Scrambling to pull on his hat and gloves, Denki tried to keep his voice even as he thanked Shouto. “Didn’t realize we were here—thanks for the ride.”
“It’s nothing. You’re the one who stopped me.” Shouto’s eyes shone with withheld mirth and Denki wanted to pull the laughter out of him one last time. “Literally.”
“You did say you wouldn’t sue me for that,” Denki replied playfully. “Guess I got lucky you weren’t cop.”
Shouto pursed his lips and for a brief second, Denki wondered if he’d said something wrong again. Just as quickly, Shouto pulled out of whatever dark thought he had, his lips twitching as he tried not to smile. “My dad is one.”
“Seriously?” He paled. What sort of cursed luck was that? “You, uh, aren’t going to get me arrested, are you? I swear I’ll pay my tickets. All of them.”
“He’s not in traffic either.” Shouto laughed and Denki watched, mesmerized. “You’re safe, though you should probably pay those tickets.”
“Yeah.” Denki reached into his pocket, scrounging around for one of his business cards. His fingers hit a hard edge and impulsively, he pulled it out and pressed the card into Shouto’s hand. “A-anyways, if you need anything, just let me know. I owe you one.”
Without waiting for a response, he burst out the door and ran into the Starbucks. Okay, so maybe he was just that level of bi-disaster. Making a beeline to the closest power outlet, he pulled out his phone charger from his work bag.
Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d find a text when his phone turned on.
Maybe Mondays weren’t so bad after all.