Chapter Text
Denki had this plan for a while now. He’s had it since his first year Middle school. Which was honestly sad. But it also gave him three years to plan so there wasn’t any failure. He knew he had raised his friends’ suspicions all week but it didn’t really matter to him. Not anymore.
In the end it wasn’t a comment, or person, or even a hit from his father. No, it was a test grade. He had studied, he studied so hard. Denki did everything in his power to get a good grade on this test. His mother had believed in him before she died and he wanted to make sure she was right about one thing. But he couldn’t even do that. He had studied. He had studied until his eyes burned and it was long past midnight. He went over everything, he went to all the extra help sessions and asked questions and he still didn’t pass.
The paper holding tens of red marks was handed back to him and he couldn’t even find it in himself to cry. He just sort of blinked at it, not understanding.
“Psh, actually try next time Kaminari.” Jiro jested from his side.
“Come on Dunce face, could you at least try to study for once?” Bakugo growled from the other side.
“Just try harder next time, I know you got that new game babe, more studying and less games.” Mina giggled, sitting on his desk.
“Try doing your school work, instead of trying to beat the next level.” Sero snickered. Denki nodded at them as he stood up.
“Kaminari, Mina passed this time and she slacked off at our study sessions, are you actually trying?” Kirishima asked.
“Sure.” He said, oddly calm if not emotionless. “I’ve already started it, so it couldn’t hurt to at least try.” They frowned as he left, Denki always made jokes after getting a bad grade but he wasn’t this time.
“Is he okay?” Sero questioned.
“He’s fine.” Bakugo said. “He’s finally agreed to studying. Good for him, he'll get his grades up.” The rest of the group shrugged, hoping he was going to study.
----
Ectoplasm sighed as he walked into the teacher’s lounge. Aizawa raised an eyebrow at the other teacher.
“Everything okay?” He asked, staring at his computer.
“I’m starting to suspect that Kaminari has some sort of learning disability.” He replied. Aizawa looked at him.
“I’ve noticed something similar but assumed his other teachers would have caught on.” Aizawa replied.
“I originally thought that as well… but I just can’t ignore the signs this time.” Ectoplasm told him shaking his head.
“What’s different this time?” Aizawa asked.
“Every time I held an extra help session he came to it. He studied and asked questions, I saw it myself, he was in the library, he even asked me to explain a problem to him. I know he was trying his hardest and he failed the test.” Aizawa frowned then nodded.
“I’ll talk to him tomorrow about being tested. Mic also mentioned something about him being able to speak English very well but writing was something else.” Ectoplasm nodded.
“Thank you Aizawa.” Aizawa simply turned back to his computer, but instead of going back to his previous job he started looking how to help kids with learning disabilities.
----
The class in front of him but there was an obvious air around them. Something, or rather someone was missing. Kaminari’s seat was open, Jiro glanced at it and then the clock from time to time but didn’t seem partially concerned.
“Does anybody know where Kaminari is?” Aizawa sighed.
“He didn’t go on his normal route to school.” Tokoyami spoke up.
“How do you know that?” Sero asked, turning around to face him.
“We usually meet on the train ride over. We live nearby. He’s never missed the train before.” Tokoyami answered. Now that Aizawa thought about, Kaminari was never late before. He hadn’t even missed a class. Normally, Aizawa wouldn’t have cared too much, just another absent kid, but he needed to talk to him about the learning disability. He felt bad enough about not catching on sooner, about just assuming Kaminari’s old teachers would’ve caught on.
“Stay seated.” Aizawa said and walked to the door, pulling out his phone. Aizawa happened to have the emergency numbers of all his students in his phone contacts. The group started to talk amongst themselves, he was happy they didn’t seem too interested in his call.
The line rang a few times before someone answered.
“Hello?” A gruff voice answered.
“Hello? Is this the Kaminari residence?” Aizawa asked.
“Depends, who’s asking.” Aizawa couldn’t help the look he gave, it was almost worse than dealing with students.
“This is Shouta Aizawa, from U.A. I’m your son’s homeroom teacher.” Aizawa answered.
“Oh! Is the little fucker there I have something I want to say to him.” The man growled. Aizawa frowned.
“Uh- no. He’s not. That’s what I was calling about. I wanted to know if he was home.” He told Mr. Kaminari.
“Nah if he was here he’d be wishing he wouldn’t.”
“Why is that?” Aizawa asked, his hand on the door handle.
“I’d be beating his ass!” The man exclaimed. Aizawa held the phone away from his ear.
“Sir are you implying-” Aizawa looked around at his class who had stopped chatting and were looking at him. He glared at them and stepped outside the classroom. “Sir are you implying you beat Denki?”
“Damn right! This time the boy fucked up. He left two hours earlier than he usually does and he took my brand new pill bottle. I hadn’t even opened the damn thing before he grabbed it.” Aizawa didn’t waste any more time on the phone. He instantly hung and flung open the door. The kids had gathered around the wall where Jiro sat her earphones in the wall, her hand over her mouth, the rest of the kids crowding her. He glared at them and they scrambled into their seats.
“Stay. Here.” He growled out before rushing out the door again.
----
Denki sat in the dark alleyway, the light from the sun didn’t reach here in the shadow of the buildings on either side of him. He had found this place the first time his father threw him out. It’s also when he first started his plan. This plan actually. From the outside of the alley you couldn’t see anyone inside, it was practically fool proof. Garbage littered the alley, though he was able to find a spot where there was nothing. His only regret was that the people who worked in the buildings around him probably would have to endure the awful smell before they found him. He couldn’t help but shutter at the thought.
But anything was better than this. Anything .
He uncapped the bottle of pills, silently thanking his dad for having a drug addiction for the first time in his life. The side effects of these said it was dizziness, confusion and basically he’d go out in a loopy bliss. Pretty much all he needed.
His only regret? He wished he brought water. Choking on the pills seemed like a less fun way to die.
Damn, this was it. He was going to die today. It hadn’t really hit him and he doubted it ever would. It wasn’t that Denki wanted to die . He just wanted all of it to stop. This was the only solution, nothing else had worked. It was too late now. He poured a couple into his hand, trying not to choke, the more he thought about the more he didn’t want that to happen. He closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his mouth.
It never got there however. Something rough and yet gentle grabbed his wrist and stopped him. Denki opened his eyes and came face-to-face with turquoise blue eyes. He gasped and moved backwards, only succeeding in hitting the wall. He clenched his fist around the pills and the bottle.
“Relax kid.” The man said. The distance Denki put between them, however small, helped him recognize the face.
“Y-you’re Dabi.” Denki stuttered out, recognizing him from the news reports.
“And you’re a U.A. student.” Dabi replied. Denki looked down at his uniform, he wanted to be buried in his nicest clothes and these were them.
“I- I might be.” Denki muttered, before putting the pills back into the bottle. Dabi shifted so he was sitting with his legs crossed, leaning on the opposite side of the alleyway. It was very narrow, they couldn’t stand side by side without being squished.
“What are you doing kid?” Dabi asked.
“Getting out of the sun?” Denki tried, not bothering to look at him.
“I’ve been in your place kid, don’t lie to me.” Dabi said. “I know what it’s like. So I’m going to ask you again, what are you doing?” Denki couldn’t help but burst into tears.
“Why?” He hiccupped in between his sobs. Dabi frowned.
“Why what?” He asked.
“Why do you care when none of the heroes do?” Denki cried. Dabi sighed and put a hand on Denki’s shoulder.
“Kid.” He said, gently. “The hero world is fucked. For heroes and normal people alike. But don’t do this…” Dabi muttered. Denki cried a little harder, not understanding. There was a tense moment of silence between them.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Dabi asked him. Denki was quiet for a moment, having caught his breath, though tears continued to stream down his face.
“No one believes in me…” He whispered. “I’m stupid and I don’t deserve to be in the hero course, Shinsou will get my place and-and he’ll be a real hero.” Dabi raised an eyebrow.
“You’re stupid?” He asked. Denki nodded violently, still crying.
“I can’t do anything. I’ve failed almost all my tests even though I have studied so hard. Everyone tells me I’m stupid and to try harder and I do and they just keep telling me to try harder. I can’t I physically can’t . I’m trying so hard and no one cares, not the teachers, not my friends, not my dad. Shit, my dad all he’ll be thinking about is how I stole his pills! Not even thinking about the fact that I’m rotting in an alley! All he cares about is his stupid pills and never even realized mom died until I locked the pills up and told him. Then he beat me senseless for interrupting him with something so unimportant!” Denki had started hyperventilating and gripping his head.
“Kid.” Dabi started but soon realized that he wasn’t responding. Dabi grabbed his wrists gently and pulled them away from his head. He lightly heated up his hands, trying to keep him grounded and calming him down.
“I’m sorry.” Denki muttered, whipping his face with his sleeve. Dabi frowned.
“Why are you sorry?” He asked.
“You’re probably here to kill me or something you don’t need to hear this shit and don’t worry about the killing you won’t go to jail or anything, I’ll just use these.” Denki shook the pill bottle in his hand and shrugged. But before he could react, Dabi grabbed it from him and stood up, stretching his legs and cracking his neck. Denki blinked, not quite sure what just happened.
“Get up kid.” Denki, left with no other choices, stood up and followed the villain into the daylight.
----
Jiro looked terrified. Her face was pale and she was clutching her ears like it would change what she heard. Momo put a comforting hand on her shoulder as Mina was crouched down in front of her.
“Jiro what happened? What did he say?” Mina asked. Jiro opened her mouth before closing it for a minute. There was a tense silence, Iida didn’t yell at anyone to sit down.
“Kaminari’s dad hits him…” She muttered finally. There was a collective gasp from most of them.
“What?” Kirishima asked her.
“He- I, Aizawa said, ‘Are you implying that you beat Denki’ and there was yelling on the other side of the line. I’m pretty sure I heard a yes or something.” Jiro said. The class stopped, they didn’t speak, they barely breathed.
“Those bruises weren’t from training.” Sero whispered and then there was one less desk in the room. Reduced to a smoldering pile of rubble and splinters.
----
Waiting was the hard part. The uncertainty and fear of what actually happened. The fact that Aizawa had just ran out of the room didn’t help the feeling. Jiro had calmed down, or least she had stopped shaking. They all knew something was very wrong but there was nothing they could do but wait.
“Do you think…” Kirishima paused. “Do you think he’s okay?” He asked.
“Of course he’s okay!” Bakugo grumbled almost immediately, almost too fast. “He’s too dumb to die.” Jiro whimpered slightly at the mention of Denki dying. They had been close, best friends some would say. She promised any deity listening that she would never make fun of him again, as long as he was okay.
“Kacchan is… half right.” Midoriya said. “I’m sure Kaminari is going to be fine!”
“Yeah! Maybe- maybe you misheard him! Maybe… Maybe Kaminari-kun beat a villain! That’s why Aizawa ran out to help him with the aftermath!” Uraraka exclaimed. The class nodded and though no one truly believed it.