Work Text:
"Need some help with that." The low voice startled Denki, his pencil slipping from his fingers momentarily before catching it between his fingers again as he looked up from his English book.
Shinsou stood below a dimly lit lamppost, hands in his black skinny jeans pockets with his usual tired look on his face; his hair a deeper shade of purple in contrast with the faint light and the darkness surrounding them.
The night had long consumed the sky hours ago, the time hitting close to 10pm, yet Kaminari still chose to sit out in the grass outside the dorms - his own room having too many distractions and the common area too loud even for his own good. He had hoped the fresh air and the cool autumn breeze would help refresh his mind enough to study, but, unfortunately, to no avail as of yet.
He smiled up at the sleep deprived boy in front of him, not expecting his own voice to be so low when he spoke.
"Depends, you good with Mic-sensei's English Grammar yet?" The purplette let out a soft chuckle and shrug of his shoulders.
"Fairly." With that, he walked over and sat himself to the left of the electric boy, his hair tickling the blonde's ear as he gently looked over Kami's shoulder to see what exactly he was working on.
"He wants us to find all of the errors in this essay - from easy stuff like misspellings to more difficult stuff like incorrect clauses and superlatives and shit like that, and then rewrite it once we think we have everything 'word perfect'. I can't even remember what a superlative is let alone try and figure out how one is inaccurate. Plus, it's hard for me to focus on reading through the whole thing in general without my mind going on some excursion." Hitoshi nodded gently, taking in every word of the blonde's rambling with ease. "Sorry, dude, I went off on a tangent again."
"Don't be, you're fine. I understand completely." Hopeful golden eyes met lavender, and the purplette couldn't stop the small smile that lifted his lips. "When it comes to fixing larger projects like this, I tend to start at the end and work towards the beginning; that way my mind won't get caught up trying to recreate the story. Start with the easier things as well, such as capitalization and punctuation. You get more done that way." The smile that lifted Kaminari's face was almost blinding, causing Shinsou's own smile to grow ever so slightly as well. "Go ahead, try, see if it works for you."
With that, the blonde turned his face back down towards his workbook as he turned a couple pages to the end of the essay. Lavender eyes watched gold as they glided over each sentence with ease, Denki capitalizing every word that needed it with his pencil. Not only five minutes passed when Kami finished the capitalization and punctuation portions of the essay, a wide smile plastered on his lips as he was able to do so without his eccentric mind taking him off track.
"Yo, that actually worked! Thank you so much, dude. I appreciate it a ton."
"No problem, man."
"Do you think you could read it over for me, though - make sure I got everything?"
"Yeah, sure." Kami passed his book over to the purplette, his fingers gentle as they accidentally brushed against Shinsou's arm. Soft electric pulses shot through his veins, but he couldn't tell whether that was the electric boys doing or just his mind playing games.
Going back to the subject at hand like flipping a switch, Hitoshi flipped through the couple pages before reading back. He took his time as he read through, his mind already pointing out the larger sections of correction.
He felt English had always been his strong-suit, whether it be grammatical or literary. He had more of a way with words than he did really anything else, but even that was limited. He could write out every emotion in explicit detail, but being able to express them aloud was a completely different story. He's tried writing out a speech per-se, practicing for hours on how to speak it into existence only to fumble and give up when the time actually came.
He read through the essay with ease, only having Denki change one comma to a semicolon.
"You did really well. Even I get mixed up with punctuation sometimes." Handing the book back to the blonde, he still held a sincere smile on his lips.
"Thank you so much, dude."
"Not a problem at all. I've gotta go since I have to be up early for training, but hey, if you need help with the bigger phrases and stuff tomorrow, I'll be out here." The purplette placed both hands on his knees before standing and stretching his arms softly, but not before looking back down at the electric boy. "You get some rest as well, alright?"
"Sounds good, man. Sleep well." Shinsou let three of his fingers give a soft wave before shoving his hands back in his pockets as he walked down the sidewalk towards his dorm; and Kami couldn't help but softly watch him leave before standing himself and heading back inside.
---
And the purplette did just that; he found himself sitting at a bench a couple yards away from the 1-A dorms a little earlier than the previous night, his own notebook and pencil in hand as he waited for the electric blonde to come outside.
Hitoshi helped him with the different clauses this time around, using his own notebook to write down easier definitions and examples for Denki to memorize.
They ended up staying out for a tad longer as well, their phone clocks ticking a few minutes past 11pm before they decided it was time to wrap it up for the night.
"You make this seem so easy, dude. This subject your forte or something?" Kaminari shoved everything under his left arm as he stood, a small smile stretched across his lips, and Shinsou let out a quiet chuckle, shoving his free hand in his pocket once he stood as well.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. It's the only subject that ever really interested me, so I was lucky enough to have my mind attach to it." The blonde gave a soft nod, his hair bouncing softly to the side of his face, and that alone caused Hitoshi to lift a smile of his own.
"I wish my mind would do that." With a gentle hand on his shoulder, Kami looked up to lavender eyes and a sincere smile.
"Hey, don't doubt yourself. You'll find the subject, sometimes it just takes longer than others. Never know, you might be lucky and get more than one." Just those small words of encouragement caused the electric boys smile to grow. With that, the purplette removed his hand to shove it back into his pocket, his fingers softly gliding down the back of the blonde's upper arm for a second before he could do so.
Turning to leave, Hitoshi only makes it one step before there's a soft hand on his arm.
"Wait, uh.." Lavender eyes met gold, and Shinsou couldn't deny the slight stutter his heart did in that moment. "..same time tomorrow?" The cute smile the purplette gave caught Denki off guard for a few seconds, his own heart going quite a few beats above normal.
"I'll be here." The blonde let his smile grow as he watched Hitoshi turn and leave, his stomach giving a couple soft flutters.
"Goodnight, Shinsou."
"Night, Blondie."
---
They continued their routine the following week and a half, the essays due date already past and graded - Denki ecstatic to come out and show his 82% to Hitoshi when he got it.
The following days after that, the purplette still came and helped him with his homework, bringing his own to do with the blonde once he understood something and didn't need his immediate help.
Kaminari couldn't deny the fact he used his lack of understanding English Grammar as an excuse to see Shinsou, but he also couldn't deny that his interest in the purplette was helping him understand the subject more and more - hoping to show him the extent of his helpfulness.
Every once and a while, he'd catch himself watching Hitoshi, a soft look on his face as he concentrated on a certain section. He's caught Kami red-handed a few times, well, red-faced per se once the blush hit the blonde's cheeks. He never said anything though, just let his lips lift into a small smile before continuing his work.
Just that simple smile caused the electric boys heart to skip a beat or two, almost as if he shocked himself with his own quirk even if it was technically impossible. It still made his heart stutter as he thought about it, even onto the next night when he sat waiting for the purplette.
It was only fifteen minutes past 8pm. Denki was laying back on the grass with his hands intertwined behind his head, and his workbook and notebook resting on his chest. The stars above him seemed to sparkle a bit more than past days, their shine causing the blonde to smile sweetly as he watched them.
"Blondie." Just the sound of his voice caused Kami to sit up quickly, his books landing on his lap as Shinsou let out a light chuckle. He stood at the beginning of the path into the 1-A dorm, wearing a lavender long sleeve shirt to match his hair accompanied with a pair of black sweatpants that were a tad too long; the lamppost above him making his eyes seemingly shine like the stars the blonde was just admiring. "C'mon, put your books inside. I'm taking you somewhere." The electric boy couldn't stop the wide smile that lifted his lips, and he stood up quickly and practically ran his books inside the common area, setting them on the coffee table for the time being until he got back.
He was quick to meet Hitoshi's side, and the soft laugh that slipped past the purplette's lips caused golden eyes to meet lavender.
"What?" Kami let out his own giggle before biting his lower lip on instinct, and Shinsou shook his head softly.
"You could've matched Midoriya's speed." Denki felt the heat slowly cover his cheeks, but his nerves almost instantaneously relaxed once Hitoshi gently bumped his shoulder with his own. "You excited to get out or something?" The blonde found himself nodding easily before pushing his fingers through his hair softly.
"Honestly, yeah. I haven't actually gone outside U.A. in at least month. Everything and everyone's here; and plus, with homework and training, it's kinda hard to anymore. I mean, there's been times where I could've by myself while everyone else is occupied, but I don't like travelling out on my own, you know?" Looking up from the cement he didn't realize his eyes made contact with, he shoves his hands in his pockets and lets out an irritated sigh. "Sorry dude, I went off again."
"Stop being sorry for that. I enjoy your company."
"You don't find it annoying?"
"Of course I don't. I'm still here, ain't I?" They stop walking for a moment, and the blonde couldn't stop his golden eyes from meeting soft lavender - soft.
And the purplette couldn't stop the gentle smile the lifted his lips with ease, taking note how Kami's eyes seemed to glow under the moon's reflected light.
"C'mon, this way." Tilting his head to the left for a short moment, they make it through their school's gates and head to the left down the sidewalk. "I know exactly how you feel, Blondie. Since I'm always out at night, I never go without at least one person with me if I don't know where I'm going. If I know the place, though, you'll probably see me alone; especially since everyone's usually in or heading to bed when I like to leave." The blonde gives a soft nod before thinking back to their conversation earlier.
"I'm guessing you've been to where we're going, though?"
"Hmm?"
"Oh, well you said you wanted to take me somewhere, so I just assumed by the wording of it that you knew where you were going." Shinsou let a small smile lift his lips as they turned to walk across the empty street.
"Yeah, I've actually known this place for years. It wasn't always my night trip though like it is now. I used to go in the early mornings until the beginning of high school. It's my de-stressing location, you know?"
"Yeah, for sure, dude. Mine's usually the gardens by the dorms, but only at night when no ones there. Being with nature and everything definitely helps relax. I've seen a couple fireflies over there as well, and they always seem to attract to me for some reason."
"Well, they probably like the similarities. A lot of people also call them lightning bugs, so, with that being said, they can probably sense your quirk and are most likely drawn to it."
"I've never thought of it that way. That's super cool actually." Hitoshi couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle as he lead them into the group of trees on their right, lampposts lighting the path up a small hill - guiding their way. They shared a comfortable silence as they walked, enjoying the sound of the breeze slipping between the leaves.
It wasn't long before they reached the opening at the top where a playground was built - a small swing set resting at its peak.
A wide smile easily found Denki's lips as he ran towards the attraction, memories of his childhood flowing through his mind as he quickly climbed to the top.
The purplette stayed at the bottom with his own soft smile on his face, only a few memories filtering through his mind as he watches the blonde go down a slide, quiet static pops following him down.
Hitoshi then followed Denki to the swings, him on the right while Kami sat on the left. Another couple soft static pops sparked when the blonde wrapped his fingers around the chains; and Shinsou could only chuckle quietly to himself as he pulled his own sleeves over his hands before he wrapped them around the chains.
The faint squeal of old metal startled Denki for a moment before a cute smile found his lips, swinging gently and looking up at the crescent moon and stars surrounding it.
For a moment, the purplette couldn't pull his eyes away, catching himself admiring the blonde as if he was a piece of resilient art under the moonlight.
He turned away before Denki could catch him, looking up at the same sky and letting out a quiet sigh.
"The swings used to be my favorite thing when I was younger. I never really went on playgrounds or dug in sandboxes. I was just always attracted to these, never really knew why."
Kami gave a small smile and closed his eyes, letting the light breeze drift through his hair as he started going higher.
"Why didn't you ever tell me you liked swing sets?" The question slipped past his lips before the blonde could catch them, and his eyes shot back open and glanced over at the purplette who was swinging just a tad softer than him.
He held his own small smile on his lips, his eyes closed as he took in a deep breath; lavender hair swaying gently with his own breeze. He looked peaceful, probably the most peaceful Denki's ever seen him.
"I don't know, really. I guess I thought that maybe since this is more of a child's activity it would change your opinion or view of me." His voice was soft, almost as if he was afraid or he wasn't supposed to say those words out loud; but the blonde could only lift his smile wider as he looked back up at the star-filled sky.
"Nothing could change my view or opinion of you." He didn't expect his own voice to come out as soft as it did, but he chuckled quietly nonetheless, almost immediately feeling lavender eyes on him. "Plus, this is probably the most peaceful thing I've done in a while. I forgot how relaxing it really was."
With that, he swung a little higher, letting himself get caught up in the moment as the wind brushing over him seemed to calm his once tense nerves.
"Hey, uh, Denks?" The new nickname caused Kami's heart to stutter gently in his chest as he looked over to the purplette, his swing still and his eyes facing his lap.
"What's up, dude?" The electric boy barely caught sight of Hitoshi's lips lifting into a small smile for a short moment before he looked up at the sky.
"Like I told you earlier, this place has been in my life for years. When I was younger, I used to come up here in the early hours just before the sun rose as my father came back from being out all night - the smell of alcohol strong on his breath. He was never an abusive drunk, he just never cared about what was in front of him. I could be broken, sunk to the floor; and he would simply grab his jacket and bottle of whiskey, and just step over me as if I wasn't there. This place was my muse. I'd sit in that exact swing you're in and watch the sun rise, hoping each day it's beauty would be the start of a better future." Letting out a huff of air through his nose, Shinsou looked back down at his lap as he felt golden eyes locked on to him - his every movement. "About a month ago, I came back up here during the early morning hours instead of at night, and I sat in that same swing and watched the sky change to a bright red and orange as the sun began to show itself; and that day, after a good few years, I thought that day was the beginning to a better future. That was the day I got accepted into the hero course, and that was the day I officially met you."
"Hitoshi-" Denki's voice was only a few octaves above a whisper, the smile lifting the purplette's lips catching him off guard for longer than it should've; but it wasn't until shining lavender eyes met gold that he was left speechless.
"Look, I brought you up here because I wanted you to have a better look into my life; because I wanted to bring you more into my life. The more time I spent with you, the more I noticed that you were the sunrise that overwhelmed my darkness. I brought you up here because I didn't want any more superlatives, or capitalization, or punctuation, or phrases; no independent and dependent clauses, no past or present perfect bullshit. I just want you, me, and this new better and brighter future - if you'll have me."
Actions speak louder than words.
Unable to find the proper words to speak, Kami found himself standing from his previously seated position and standing in between Shinsou's legs - their eyes still locked as the blonde lifted his lips into a wide smile.
Before the purplette could react, lips were placed against his, and it was like time stopped for a moment. All the darkness surrounding him seemed to melt away as Denki's light enveloped him.
Shinsou pressed into it more, his mind in a seemingly euphoric haze as his own smile lifted his lips before the two pulled away to catch the oxygen each stole from the other.
Hitoshi couldn't stop his hands as they wrapped around the electric boy's waist and pulled him closer, and Kami easily obliged, placing his legs on the opposite side of the purplette's and gently sitting on his lap. The blonde held him close, a hand softly running through lavender hair while Shinsou could only rest his head against his neck. His grip tightened ever so slightly, almost to prove to himself that this was real and he wasn't dreaming.
"You're my new better and brighter future."