Work Text:
Kaminari Denki could sense a storm coming miles away. He could tell from the dampness in the air, the random, small shocks he got, and the light drizzle that started to fall.
Kaminari Denki used to love storms. He used to go outside, into his family’s driveway and practically bathe in the rain, letting the electricity dance around him, uncontrollably. But he didn't see his younger sister follow him out. He didn't see her until it was too late. Until he had already shocked her, leaving her unconscious. The scars Denki left her were still there, and his parents have not looked at him the same since.
So when Denki realized that a storm was coming their way, he immediately raised his hand, trying to ignore how it shook.
“Yes, Kaminari?” Aizawa said with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, I- Uhm. May I be excused for the rest of the day?”
Aizawa gave him a pointed stare, filled with concerned suspicion.
“Can I ask why?”
Kaminari blanked. Despite his teachers’ insisting full information on each student’s quirk, he had not told any of his classmates or teachers about his quirk’s reaction towards storms.
“Well, I just- ”
“Don't worry, sensei,” Jiro interrupts, laughing, “Kaminari probably just wants to skip, especially with grades like his.”
Denki looks at his friend with an almost offended look on his face, before erasing it with putting on a fake smile. He knows Jiro didn't mean it like a bad thing; his whole shtick was bad grades and dumb jokes. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt . Kaminari could only hope no one saw his expression prior to the big smile on his face.
“Nah, Sensei, I just have a headache. Probably the storm.” He wasn't really lying, it was the storm.
His homeroom teacher stated at him with an unreadable expression. Shit, does he know? Aizawa then sighs deeply, “Make sure to stop by Recovery Girl.”
“Thanks, Mr. Aizawa,” Denki says, giving his teacher a thumbs up and a closed eye smile that makes his cheeks hurt.
Once he gathers his stuff and closes the door, Kaminari’s shoulders sag in relief. He was thankful his teacher let him go, otherwise Kamniari probably would have shocked his classmates with how jumpy his nerves were acting.
Denki makes his way to his dorm and closes the door behind him. He doesn’t bother to lock it, body dragging itself to his bed. It was exhausting to keep all the energy stored in his body, especially when Kaminari did not want to risk shocking someone.
His eyes closed shut as he let his body fall into darkness.
Kaminari woke up to loud banging at his door.
“Oi, Sparky, open the fucking door!”
“Bakugo, don't be so loud, Kami said he had a headache, he might be taking a nap.”
“Yeah, Bakubro, he could be sleeping.”
“Sleeping my ass,” Denki heard Bakugo growl, as he lifted his body up, “Dunce Face, your grades arent going to lift themselves if you skip and don’t fucking study!”
Kaminari got up, sluggishly, wondering how long he slept for his friends to be out of class already.
Denki twisted the doorknob and the door was pushed open before he could pull it all the way.
“Morning, sunshine,” Sero grinned brightly from behind Bakugo’s muscular frame, and laughed when he saw Denki’s tousled hair, clearly just awoken. “Sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep, but we’re having a class study night!”
“Bakubro’s been screaming our ears off to wake you up to study, so,” Mina sings with a pair of jazz-hands, “here we are!”
Before Kaminari could reject the offer and stay inside the safety his room, Denki found himself being dragged along to the common room by Sero and Kirishima, warm grips around his wrists.
“Wait, guys- ”
“Come on, bro!”
“But- ”
“No buts!”
“What about the storm?”
“The storm’s not that bad!”
It didn't matter if the storm was not that bad , as long as there’s lightning inside him, he is a threat to everyone around him.
He was sat down at a table, by the hands of the people who were pushing him downstairs, with nearly all of his classmates in the room, conversing with each other. Did the class all just collectively agree tonight would be a study night?
He could hear the rain from outside, softly hitting the window, but Kaminari could tell it was going to get worse. There was no lightning, but he knew it was coming.
Denki needed to get out of there. He needed to get away.
He could hurt everyone around him if his quirk started getting out of control.
But before he could run out of the chair, Jiro stood before him, with their arms crossed.
“You’ll fail all your classes if you don't study, Jamming-yay , and I don't wanna see you expelled. Got it? ”
Before he knew what he was doing, Kaminari found himself nodding to Jiro’s words. So, instead of running out of the building to discharge his stored up energy like he should have—or gone to Aizawa like he should have, or told someone like he fucking should have—Denki stayed. Because even if his quirk didn't let him properly learn like he wanted, he would sure as hell try, because he’s disappointed enough people in his life, and he won't be adding his classmates to the list.
Kaminari Denki is not smart. That’s already a known fact. He’s close to last in class rankings and always falling behind. Not that he doesn’t try: he attends Yaoyarozu’s group study sessions and manages to convince Bakugo to help him out on occasion. But he just can’t focus. Maybe it’s his quirk, the electricity he was born with begging to let out. But Kaminari doesn’t like to make excuses. Although zapping himself can help with making him focus, it just doesn't work . Guess he’s fucked up in all different ways.
Aside from academically, it seems Kaminari just doesn't (or can’t, because he must be naturally fucking stupid) use his brain.
Because by sitting there with his classmates, just by attempting to study, he’s letting electricity build, and build, and build .
So when Denki notices that the rain outside is falling hard , harder than an hour ago, this was also when he realized just how much electricity was stored up inside of him.
So Kaminari Denki panics.
He runs.
He jumps out from his seat, pushes through his crowd of his friends and runs out through the door, ignoring the confused cries of his classmates. No longer did he try to hide what his quirk did to him; the only thing on his mind repeating like a broken record player, getawayfromthemgetawayjustgo.
Just in time, Kaminari thought, because lightning finally struck.
Kaminari lost control, he collapsed to his knees, hands falling to the ground to support himself. He screamed and screamed, and screamed .
The pain that was surging through his body was unbearable. Electricity thrashed around him as lightning and thunder cracked. Once Denki’s arms couldn’t bear his own weight, Kaminari’s head dropped to the ground, hands now gripping his hair, as an attempt to suppress his cries.
Suddenly, a singular lightning bolt struck him, and Kaminari sobbed, Class 1A’s hearts broke at the sight of the usually glowing boy in so much pain. Denki could hear faint panicked chatter as his hearing became more and more distorted.
“Fuck! Someone call Aiza-”
“-ensei! Help h-”
“-inari! Can you hear me? Kaminari!”
Yes, Denki wanted to say, yes, but the pain overpowered his body, and darkness welcomed him, once again.
fin.