Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hitoshi Shinso had been shied away from his whole life.

He was shied away from when he talked to either of his biological parents, or any grandparent. He was shied away from when he spoke to any of their friends or their kids his age, and he most certainly was not allowed to speak or play with them. He was shied away from by the kids at his school.

The first time he encountered a caring gaze was the day his foster parents met him.

Shouta Aizawa and Hizashi Yamada, two pro heroes who looked at him with the happiest gleam in their eyes, and scooped him up effortlessly in their arms to tell him how excited they were to finally meet him. They hadn’t shied away. They had heard so much about the small boy, and Hitoshi felt odd about that.

The two pro heroes made little 5-year old Hitoshi pancakes every Saturday morning and would watch the morning cartoons with him. For the first time in all his 5 years of life, Hitoshi had felt wanted. But, he couldn’t just simply erase what he had been through in his previous home. The whole reason he was even in their loving arms at all.

So, when Hitoshi was tested for and accepted into the hero course, Aizawa kept a close eye on him.

*

“Alright, everyone, we’ve got a new classmate joining us today. As you know, he is my son. Please welcome and be nice to him or I will personally see to it that Present Mic fails you on all your upcoming literature tests.” Class 2-A’s homeroom teacher droned, but his eyes softened when Hitoshi shuffled into the view of the rest of the class with his hands shoved deep into his school uniform.

The purple-haired boy with tired eyes lifted a hand to wave half-heartedly at the class, who had broken into mumbles about the whole situation. Nobody waved back at him, though.

Aizawa motioned for Shinso to go ahead and sit down, and he gladly took the chance. Not really paying attention to where he sat, he pulled out a notebook and pencil and slumped back in his seat to assume a tired, laid-back pose. His head rested on the back of his chair ever-so-slightly.

The lights were too bright on his eyes. Shinso sighed and moved his arm over his face to block out the brightness, feeling satisfied when his eyes no longer felt like they were burning.

Aizawa began speaking, but Shinso wasn’t listening.

His mind began to wander as he wondered how he’d train and if anyone would even be willing to let him use his power on them.

These students had gone through crisis after crisis and won each time, they were considered the best of the best, and he hadn’t even given his power a second thought.

How was he supposed to compete with that? Would they treat him equally, or look down on him? Was it just going to be a repeat of general studies?

Was he going to have to claw his way up a second time?

He didn’t really have any intention of making friends in this class, but that's simply because he assumed they probably all didn’t like him anyway.

As if on cue, however, suddenly Shinso felt a soft, moisturized hand plant itself in his unruly locks, making him flinch slightly before turning around to gawk at whoever just randomly touched him. The smell of cocoa butter invaded his senses.

Bad idea. He was immediately met with the biggest, brightest, happiest smile he’d ever seen. He was in awe of how someone could even be that happy, and glad that he wasn’t blinded.
“Hey! I’m Denki Kaminari! You’re Shinso, right? What's your quirk?” The electric blonde beamed.

Ah. he had seen this kid from afar. His former classmates used to laugh when he’d short-circuit himself, but Shinso never understood why it was so funny.

He had also never realized how cute he was.

“Uh. Brainwashing.” was all that Shinso could come up with. Reluctantly, he sat up to be able to turn and see Denki a little better. “What about you?” he asked with an uncertain waver to his voice, even though he already knew. Social skills were not Shinso’s forte.

“Electrification!” Came the enthusiastic response.

Does this kid ever have an off switch?

Denki’s voice brought Shinso back to the present once more.

“So, brainwashing, huh? That's so cool! I bet you’re super powerful, right?”

“Uh. yeah.” Shinso was unsure of what to say, but he felt his face warm up a little.

Powerful? Nobody has ever referred to my quirk that way.

The same hand was on his arm again, drawing small little distracted circles on Shinso’s skin. He didn’t shy away this time, assuming that Denki was touchy and he’d just have to get used to it.

“Cool, cool. You fought Midoriya at the sports festival, right? Man, that was some match,” Denki seemed to be reminiscing, staring starry-eyed into space.

Suddenly, a wave of pink invaded Shinso’s line of sight and his gaze widened a fraction.

“Kami, stop harassing the new guy! He won’t wanna hang out if you interrogate him!” Shiny onyx eyes stared back at the two of them from where the girl was sitting, in the column of desks next to them. He recognized her from when he watched Class 2-A from afar, but couldn’t remember her name.

“I’m Mina Ashido. If Denki is bothering you, I can ask him to stop for you.” Her tone and expression was one of empathy, but Shinso found himself shaking his head as he settled back into his seat, inexplicably defensive of the other boy. “Uh, no, he’s ok for now…” came his quiet response. His arm was still slung over Denki’s desk.

Denki playfully stuck his tongue out at Mina. “See? I'm not bothering him.” he replied definitively, and continued making circles across his skin, occasionally dragging all five up his arm. Shinso found it uncomfortably comforting and had to fight off a shiver.

From Shinso’s left, another student leaned in to talk to them. His hair was red and he had sharp teeth like a shark’s.

“Hey, you guys, did you do the homework for Present Mic’s class? I was so lost and Bakugo refused to give me the answers,” Kirishima’s gravelly voice complained in a hushed tone.

Mina rolled her eyes. “I told you that if you just ask him nicely for help he’ll give it to you. He hates when you whine,” she scolded, eyebrows furrowing intensely.

“Yeah, I know, but I hate when he yells at me and beats me with his notebook so I get all nervous!” The redhead countered in defiance.

“That’s how he is! Just ask him during lunch. I'm sure he’ll help you if you just be polite. The homework isn't even due till tomorrow anyway,” Mina suggested sympathetically, causing Kirishima to nod and sulk back into his seat.

The room buzzed with conversation from the whole class, and since nothing big was happening today, Shinso guessed Aizawa didn’t care. He was asleep in the corner anyhow. The purple-haired boy let his head slump against the back of his chair again until class was over.

Eventually, The bell sounded and the class all began to pack their stuff up and head out into the halls. Shinso pulled his arm away from Denki, his face turned away from the blonde, as he shoved his unused notebook and pencil back into his bag.

Would he be upset that he did so? What if he thought it was an indication that Shinso didn’t like it?

Why do I even care what he thinks?

He chanced a glance at Denki as he was standing up. The electric blonde always seemed to have a ghost of a smile on his face, and this time was no exception. Relief washed over Shinso as he realized he wasn’t upset and made his way out.

*

Shinso stared out at the sea of white tables being quickly overtaken. He was holding a tray in his hands, and on the tray was his fairly small meal that he’d chosen for himself. The longer he looked, the less chances opened for him to be able to sit somewhere. He sighed.

Maybe I should just skip.

Pale hands appeared on his shoulders and his head whirled around to look at who was touching him. Bright yellow eyes shined back at him with that same smile from their previous class. “Hey, you wanna sit with us?” Denki asked, gesturing to a table that sat Bakugou, Kirishima, Mina, and some other guy with black hair that Shinso didn’t know.

Shinso found himself nodding despite himself and was instantly pulled closer to the table. He sat down and Denki sat next to him, putting his arm fully around Shinso’s shoulders.

“Hey, Guys, this is Shinso, y’know, from earlier? He didn’t have anywhere else to sit,” Denki explained. The other blonde in the group glared menacingly at Shinso as he sat down but he wasn’t intimidated. Choice words mumbled under the ash blonde’s breath did not go unheard before Katsuki shoveled his spicy noodles into his mouth and began to scroll on his phone.

“Hey, Sero, do you mind if I invite Shinso to our session later? We have plenty to go around, right?” Denki asked the black-haired boy Shinso noticed earlier.

The boy looked up from his phone with a neutral expression before smiling a toothy grin. “Sure, Denks, we’ve got plenty indeed. Does anyone know if Roki is coming? He hasn’t been responding to my messages today.”

“Hm, I'm not sure. You could go ask him! He’s right over there,” Mina pointed at Shoto, who, upon hearing his name, had begun to stare back at Mina with a startled expression from where he sat a few tables away.

Sero winked at her before heading over. Shinso observed the raven-haired male as he assumed a casual pose, shoving his hands in his pockets while he asked Todoroki if he’d want to join the party. Shoto had nodded and Sero had returned with a satisfied expression on his face.

“Uh, pardon me, what am I being invited to?” Shinso asked Denki, the first words he spoke since he sat down.

“A smoke sesh. You smoke, right?” Denki asked, a hopeful glint in his eye.

“Yeah, although it's been a while. My dealer ghosted me a few weeks ago after I let slip that Eraserhead is my dad.” Shinso said softly, fully aware that only Denki could hear him.

Denki let out a loud belly laugh and Shinso decided he was starving. He looked down at his pathetic lunch with a deep-set frown and began to pick at it as he waited for Denki’s laughing fit to be over. Mina turned and looked at the electric blonde incredulously, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she tried to ask him what was so funny.

Denki finally calmed down, “whew. Sorry about that, he has no sense of humor so everything is funny to him,” Mina helpfully provided, and Shinso was about to defend him but Denki spoke up for himself instead.

“Hey, that's not true! I’m funny as hell!”

From the end of the table, “Hell yeah, Bro! Humor is so manly!” Kirishima’s raspy voice was nothing but supportive. A growl bellowed from Katsuki and he sent a glare to Kiri, who smiled widely at Katsuki and blew a kiss in his direction.

Denki rolled his eyes and turned back to Shinso. “The point is, I want you to come because you seem super cool and I wanna see how you are at Mario Kart.”

Shinso blinked at the electric blonde.

“Okay,”

“WOO! Alright, everyone, Shinso’s joining tonight’s session!”

“We know, dumbass, we’re all in earshot of your conversation. Unfortunately.” the last part is mumbled.

Denki sticks his tongue out at the boy sitting across from him, who has finished his spicy noodles. His empty bowl reminds Shinso of his lunch, which was promptly forgotten when Denki complimented him and was now cold.

Shinso sighed and decided to give up on it, ignoring his rumbling stomach.

Kirishima spoke up again, “hey, Bakugo, could you help me with English?”

He sent a hopeful look to the ash blonde who grumbled, but eventually stood up and went to sit at the end of the table to help.

Mina sent the redhead a thumbs up before turning back to Denki.

Shinso rested his head on his hand as he stared at the electric blonde, who was arguing with Mina about whether Princess Rosalina or Waluigi was the best person to main in Mario Kart.

“Rosalina is, like, the epitome of hotness!”

“Ok, sure, but Waluigi is purple. That's so cool.”

Shinso allowed himself to zone out as he continued staring at Denki, fantasizing about taking a nap or drinking some coffee.

Maybe he should break into the teacher's lounge.

His eyelids began to droop and his head promptly *bonked* onto the table as he fell asleep, distantly hearing some surprised “Ah!”’s, but not caring enough to acknowledge them.

Somewhere in his sleeping state, he felt a hand in his hair once more. the same hand from before.

Denki was massaging Shinso’s head lightly with his soft and unsurprisingly slim hand, and it actually felt really nice. If Shinso could sink any farther into his chair, he did.

Suddenly, before he knew it, He was gently being woken up. A mouth was by his ear, a low voice mumbling, “Hey, lunch is over, c’mon,” the same smooth hand on his back. Denki’s breath smelled like peppermint. Shinso rubbed his face groggily and stood up.

He threw his food away and turned his tray in before turning back to the electric blonde, who was the only one left standing around the table. He sported an excited smile as he hiked his bag up onto his shoulder.

Figures, Gym was next and Bakugo was an overachiever so of course he would drag Kirishima with him as fast as possible so they could train, And the others just followed the ash blonde wherever he went.

Denki gave Shinso a warm smile as he led the taller boy out of the cafe and down the hall, all the way to the locker rooms. They both headed into the boy’s section and went their separate ways for now as they got ready.

Shinso put his gym uniform on in a haze, wishing he could just go home. There was a soft ringing in his ears as he tuned everyone out and walked out of the locker room and into the gym.

*

Sure enough, Bakugo and Kirishima were already at it, as well as the rest of the students in the class. Ochako was floating overhead, Tsuyu and Ojiro were sparring, Midoriya and Todoroki were tearing up ground beta’s floor, etc.

Denki ran up to the newest addition to their class just then, pulling him out of his trance so he could look down at the electric blonde. “Hey, Shinso, come over here!” though he had no chance to refuse since those soft fingers wrapped around Shinso’s wrist and pulled him over to where Mina, Sero, Jiro, and Tokoyami were chatting as they stretched.

Shinso gave an awkward wave at the rest of the party and everyone either said “Hello!” back or waved as well. Tokoyami simply nodded at Shinso.

Mina smiled at him and offered him a squirt of the lotion he smelled on Kaminari.

Oh, so that's where it came from.

Shinso politely put both of his hands out in a cupped fashion so the pinkette could squeeze some out of the bottle. He gave her a thankful nod before rubbing the lotion into his incredibly dry and calloused hands. Mina disappeared in the next second, running toward Aoyama.

“Hey, Yuga, lemme test this move out on you!”

“Oui!”

Shinso rolled his eyes, but soon his expression turned thoughtful and his purple gaze wandered back to Kaminari, who was arcing electricity across his fingers, testing his wattage and increasing the power as gradually as he could.

He looked incredibly cool.

Hitoshi felt a little out of place, so he opted to stretch with Tokoyami since putting in effort felt like too much in his still-half-asleep state.

His muscles groaned in protest but he ignored it and continued to unintentionally show off how weirdly flexible he was.

His mind kept floating back to Denki, wishing he had an excuse to talk to him. It's not like everyone had Mina’s social skills, able to scoot her way comfortably into any conversation or breathe life into a boring one.

Soon enough, though, the class was over, and the rest of the day went by in a hazy blur.

Chapter Text

Shinso found himself standing next to Shouta in front of the UA dorms, already regretting his decisions leading up to this.

What if he hated dorm life? What if he couldn't handle it? What if they judged his style? Pushing his thoughts aside and heaving a sigh, he followed his dad inside.

“Alright, Hitoshi. You’re on the second floor, room 3-B next to Bakugo.”

Shinso nodded, absorbing the information before heading up with his suitcase in tow behind him.

He forced the door open by slamming his hip into it and threw his suitcase on the floor by his closet. He closed the door to his room.

Loud heavy metal could be heard through the wall on his left, shaking the floor ever-so-slightly. Is this how it always was? No wonder Bakugo needed hearing aids.

Shinso began unpacking, remembering in the back of his mind that Sero’s smoke session started in roughly an hour from what Denki had told him.

Once Shinso had unpacked all his clothes from home, organized them, and taken whatever else there was out as well and stashed it on the multiple shelves across his wall, he felt pretty accomplished.

He’d have to get some more decor for his room, but for his first day he felt this was pretty solid.

Since he was supposed to be somewhere soon, However, Shinso threw together a casual outfit of gray sweatpants and a black tank top and called it done, heading down to the first floor where Sero’s room was. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door.

It opened with lightning speed and Shinso was met with a bright smile, yellow bloodshot eyes and a warm hand outstretched to him.

“Shinso! You made it!” Denki’s cheerful voice had Shinso’s feet gravitating toward him as he took Denki’s hand, subconsciously letting the blonde pull him inside the room that already smelled like weed.

“Yep.” was the purple-haired boy’s response.

In the room, Mina and Kirishima shared a comfy-looking couch, Bakugo was sprawled out on the floor, Sero was sitting on his bed, and Denki looked as if he’d been sitting in the middle of the floor next to Bakugo. Kirishima took a pull from what looked like a dab pen while he talked to Mina.

A large TV was set up on the wall and everyone was positioned around it.

Denki motioned for Shinso to sit down in an unaccompanied hammock, so he did. Sero looked up from his phone at everyone, a small smile making its way to his face.

“Alright, we’re just waiting for Roki now.” he deduced, sending the boy with two-toned hair a message. He stood up with a plethora of things in his arms.

“Mina, gummies for you and Kiri. Bakugo, here’s the blunt. Don't hog it” - a snarl, his hearing aids went flying to the floor before he angrily pocketed them- “and Denks, here’s the bong,” Denki made grabby hands at the long, colorful piece of glass before smoothly producing a lighter with a lightning design on it from his pocket.

For some reason, the way Denki balanced the bong in between his thighs made Shinso stare for an unintentionally long time before snapping out of his trance when there was a soft knock on the door.

It prompted Sero to walk over and open it, revealing Shoto. “Sorry, had to finish my homework.” he gave Sero an apologetic look before stepping inside.

“That's ok! Just glad you’re here. Come in, sit wherever you’d like.” the raven-haired boy stated.

Shoto nodded and decided to sit on Sero’s bed.

Shinso scooted over as Sero sat next to him in the long hammock, not minding having to share the space.

Denki took a rip from the bong and handed it to Shinso, who repeated the steps the electric blonde just had, letting the haze of his high take over him for the first time in what seemed like ages.

He handed the bong to Sero before sitting back in the hammock and trying to relax his over worrying mind. The high washed over him pretty quickly and he soon felt that familiar floating feeling.

After a hushed silence, Denki stood up and turned the TV on so he could set up Mario Kart.

“Alright, whoever’s playing, come sit on the couch!” Denki announced as he gathered the controllers.

He turned and signed the announcement to Bakugo, who stood and sat on the far end of the couch. Shinso also stood from his seat, albeit a little wobbly, and took a new one at the opposite end.

Mina sat next to Bakugo since she could sign the fastest and without having to break her concentration, making sure Bakugou could still be a part of the conversation when he took hearing breaks.

Denki handed out controllers after having connected them all, clicked multiplayer, and they began.

*

“Guysss, stop passing me!!” Mina, currently stuck in 8th place, whined.

“Then stop falling off the track!” Kaminari yelled back. Shinso bit back a chortle, but his silent laughter didn’t go unnoticed by Denki since their arms were pressed against each other, the small couch crowded with four people on it.

Denki sent Shinso a wink and Shinso nearly died at the sight. His heart stuttered, mind still woozy from the weed, and it made him appreciate the look Denki gave him that much more.

Katsuki had put his hearing aids back in, but he might as well be deaf to the bakusquad anyway since he tuned them out on a daily basis. The fuckers just never left him alone.

“Bakugo stop throwing those goddamn blue shells at me you fucker!” It was Denki’s turn to complain now, and clearly the ash blonde was rubbing off on him a little.

Bakugo growled and rolled his eyes, but he exclaimed a “FUCK YEAH!” a few moments later when he got first place.

Denki groaned, looking over to Sero to see if he wanted to play. He was shotgunning Shoto, though, so the electric blonde waited till they were done to ask. He watched in interest as the smoke billowed from around their mouths, Shoto’s eyes half-closed in concentration.

“I’ll play, but I don't know how.” Shoto replied after inhaling all the smoke Sero had generously loaned him.

“Figures, your dad is no fun so I'm not surprised he never bought you Mario Kart.” chimed in Bakugou.

“it's ok though, I’ll teach you.” Denki added with a warm smile, and Shinso was a little shocked he’d just outwardly joked about Shoto’s unhinged father, but Shoto nodded in agreement while he walked over so he guessed it was normal to joke about.

Bakugo handed- well, actually more like shoved- his controller at Shoto and sat back down where he was before, extending his hand out to Sero for the bong with an impatient wiggle of his fingers.

Since he didn't use his words, though, Sero teasingly reached out and snaked his hand into Bakugo’s. He let out a laugh when Bakugo slapped his hand away, actually handing him the bong this time.

Denki hung his arms around Shoto’s shoulders as he took his spot on the couch. Shinso’s gaze wandered elsewhere, finding that he felt a pang of jealousy for some reason he couldn’t quite explain.

Denki began explaining what all the buttons on the controller did and Shinso stood up to get the bong from Bakugo, extending his hand similarly to the way the ash blonde had done to Sero, and earning a growl in response.

“Come on, ‘splosion boy, give it,” he mumbled, and surprisingly Bakugo gave it to him. He hadn’t even used his quirk. Shinso took a few hits before handing it back to the explosive teen sitting on the ground below him.

He waited for it to kick in, inhaling lungfuls of air when a new wave of bliss came over him.

He stole a glance at Denki and Shoto, hoping the electric blonde wouldn’t be hanging all over him any longer. His wishes came true, though, because Denki was talking to Kirishima in the corner of the room and Shoto was still on the couch.

The purple-haired boy walked over, feeling ambitious enough to join the conversation.

As he neared the pair, however, he recognized that they were talking about the gym Eijirou went to. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes for the umpteenth time that night as he came to a stop in front of them.

Denki looked over at him. “Oh, hey, Toshi, we were just talkin’ gym workouts.” he greeted. The nickname he used for Shinso didn't go unnoticed and had him blushing like crazy. Was he only calling him that ‘cause of the weed or was this going to become a regular thing?

“Hey,”

“Anyway, What pre workout do you use? I like the vanilla one the most, personally.” Denki continued, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Aw, manly dude! I like the Mango one.” Eijirou replied.

“That one’s really good too!” Denki commended.

Shinso felt a little out of place in this conversation. In fact, he felt a little out of place at this entire party. He knew in the back of his mind that the only reason he’d come was because Denki had invited him and he hadn’t wanted to disappoint the electric blonde. But why did he care so much what he thought?

He didnt care what anyone else thought about him being here, so what was so special about Denki?

He’d been battling a headache for a good half hour now and decided he’d just go back to his room. He turned back to Denki and said, “Hey, uh, i have a headache, so i'm gonna go back to my room.” Shinso mumbled, watching the shorter boy’s expression closely.

Denki’s face lit up into a sympathetic smile. “Oh, ok! Do you want me to come with you?”

Shinso’s eyebrows furrowed together a little. “Uh, for what?” he asked.

“I know how to make chamomile tea, I could make you some for your headache,” he clarified.

Oh. Shinso didn't expect that.
“Um. sure. I don't mind,” he found himself nodding to the offer.

“Great! Lemme just go say g’bye to everyone,”

Shinso nodded once more and stepped aside so the electric blonde could go talk to the rest of his friends, watching after him.

He skipped over to Shoto, giving him a hug, then over to Sero and Mina, and finally to Bakugo, who was still on the floor. He seemed to be playing on his phone or something, and his hearing aids were out again. He looked up at Denki expectantly.

“Leaving now, see ya tomorrow.” Denki mumbled as he signed.

Bakugo signed a “goodbye” back before going back to his phone game.

Then, Finally, Denki motioned for Shinso to follow him out the door.

Shinso’s feet listened before his mind did, following Denki out of Sero’s room and into the hall.

*

When they arrived at his room he opened the door and let the electric blonde inside.

“Sorry about the lack of decoration. ‘S kinda boring but I haven’t really figured out my style yet.”

Why was he apologizing? Maybe he didn’t want to seem lame?

Denki shrugged. “Hey, man, that's alright. Maybe you can come to the mall with us this weekend and get some stuff,” the blonde said casually while making himself comfortable on Shinso’s bed.

Shinso looked at Denki like he’d grown a second head.

“How do you… do that?” Shinso asked, startling himself at his boldness.

“Do what?” Denki’s head tilted curiously.

“...Invite me. To things.” Shinso unhelpfully clarified, but Denki understood what he meant. “Oh! I dunno, I guess cuz I like you and you don't seem to talk unless someone else does first, which is totally ok, because I love starting conversations!”

Oh.

Shinso blinked.

“You like me?” he asked.

Denki nodded. “Yeah, bro, you’re really cool!” he exclaimed. Shinso was unsure how to respond to that, so instead he opted to look for his tea maker. “Oh, uh, my TV remote is somewhere over here if you wanna watch somethin’.' ' he mumbled while looking through some of the boxes he had yet to unpack.

He heard the telltale sound of Netflix opening a few moments later and smiled secretly to himself. His expression was back to normal seconds later, though, because he found the tea maker. He lifted it carefully out of the box and set it on his bedside table, pulling out a packet of chamomile as well. He grabbed a cup of water from his attached bathroom and also set it on the table.

“Here you go.” Shinso said to get Denki’s attention on the tea maker before sitting on the bed as well.

“Cool! Ok, gimme a sec to read the directions.” Shinso nodded and looked at the tv screen to see what Denki had picked to watch.

It was an American movie called “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.” it looked like a kid’s movie, but if that's what Denki wanted to watch, Shinso wasn't going to discourage it.

Shinso checked his phone for the first time in an hour, noticing an encouraging text from both of his parents saying, “Have a good first night in the dorms! We love you!” his gaze softened a fraction and he put his phone down to look back at Denki.

He was messing with the tea brewer, setting up the water and tea packet. Once everything was set, the electric blonde put his hand on the thing and sent out a shock.

In no time, Shinso’s hands were wrapped around a warm mug of tea that he gently blew on. Denki’s eyes were glued to the screen as he explained why he loved the horse movie so much, and Shinso found himself listening and nodding along, even quietly agreeing on some of the points the other boy made.

The weed from earlier had worn off by now, but he still felt calm. Maybe even calm enough to sleep, but he’d cross that bridge when he got to it. The idea of sleep was always daunting to the purple-haired boy, but he had gotten better about controlling it. His headache was beginning to slowly melt away anyhow.

With his mug now emptied, Shinso set it back down on the nightstand and went to lay against the wall as he watched the movie and listened to Denki’s monologuing. The electric blonde turned to look at him and gave the taller boy a smile before saying softly, “you wanna lay in my lap?”

Shinso’s mind did a flip and he blinked in surprise at the offer, taking a moment to process it. “Uh. sure, would that be okay?” he asked naively.

“Of course, I’m offering, aren't I?” Denki chuckled and Shinso felt a blush creep across his cheeks.

Shinso nodded wordlessly and scooted over so Denki could sit against the wall. He pulled a blanket over Shinso as he got comfy in his lap, noticing how warm Denki was. The soft hands that Shinso had missed ever so much were back in his hair, raking gently through his unruly strands as he desperately tried to pay attention to anything except his racing heartbeat.

Shinso soon felt the all-too-unfamiliar feeling of his eyes drooping dangerously and tried to fight it as hard as he could, but eventually he surrendered to the feeling of sleep enveloping him like a blanket.

Chapter Text

Shinso awoke to slim arms wrapped around his waist. He was lying normally in his bed, his head on his pillow. He turned over to see who was in his bed with him, temporarily forgetting last night’s events before it all came rushing back as soon as he saw Denki’s sleeping form resting beside him.

Denki’s eyebrows furrowed as he, too, awoke, and he smiled when he saw Shinso on the other side of the bed. “G’morning, Toshi,” he mumbled, retracting his arms from Shinso’s waist to rub his eyes.

There’s that nickname again.

“Good morning…” Shinso responded, cringing lightly at the sunlight penetrating his eyelids. He let out a groan and got up, only remembering parts of last night.

*

Shinso groggily put his gym uniform on while tuning out everyone else in the locker room. He had gotten a decent amount of sleep last night and he did not want to think of the fact that it was probably because of Denki’s mere presence.

He headed to the gym, once again observing everyone practicing their quirks. Final exams were in a few weeks, so it would make sense to improve everyone’s abilities.

Shinso walked over to the people that had accidentally become his friend group, this time seeing Kirishima, Bakugo, Mina, Tokoyami, Sero, and Shoto standing around as they did their warm-up stretches. He looked around for Kaminari, noticing him standing off to the side with a conflicted look on his face.

Shinso abandoned his original plan and steered himself over to the electric blonde. “Hey,” he greeted.

Denki looked up. “Oh, hey Toshi! What's up?” the blonde quirked his head to one side.

“Well, you weren't over by your friends, so I wanted to come see what you’re doing,” he resisted twitching his eye at the nickname.

“Oh, I don't know. Just trying to figure out an ultimate move.”

“Oh, I can go if you need room?”

“No, no don't go, it's ok! I’m trying to get to a point where I can shoot my lightning at a specific place, sorta like Bakugo’s AP shot.” Denki explained, although he didn’t look very confident in himself.

Shinso simply nodded and backed up a bit, hoping his presence would be a bit of a confidence booster for Denki.

Denki took a deep breath and shot some lightning at the wall. it , like usual, scattered across the air. Denki rolled his shoulders and took another deep breath, focusing for a moment before trying again with the same result.

He did this a few more times, but eventually the electric blonde started to look tired. Shinso was keeping a close eye on him, ready to intervene if needed, but he knew Denki was stubbornly determined when it came to his quirk.

However, when Denki began to lose his footing and fall back, Shinso feared he was correct. He rushed forward and caught the shorter boy, ignoring the surprised exclamations of everyone else, even when he heard footsteps rushing closer.

Denki stared up into Shinso’s dark eyes and smiled. It was a slow smile, like Denki was high.

Oh god, why me?

“Everyone back up! He short-circuited. Just give him space.” Shinso announced, surprising himself with how loud he was being.

He maneuvered Denki so he was leaning against the wall, and glanced over his shoulder when Aizawa came up behind him to check on his student. He looked at Shinso as if expecting a report, but the older man realized he had it under control and decided to get everyone else on track.

“Ok, everyone, Kaminari just needs some space. Go back to what you were doing,” there was a certain threatening aura to his words that made everyone reluctantly resume their training, save for Shinso, who stood up and picked Denki up so he could take him to Recovery Girl, or maybe just lay him down in there. He knew that usually Denki’s short-circuit episodes weren’t that long, but from what he'd observed before, he knew this time was different.

He arrived at the nurse’s office, walking over to Recovery Girl.

“Alright… who have we got here? Oh, Kaminari… just put him on one of the empty beds.” the short woman instructed and Shinso dutifully followed. He pulled a chair up, looking the electric blonde over with a worried expression on his face.

“This kid…he comes in here all the time. I’m worried for his well being.” Recovery Girl mumbled as she filled out a piece of paper- oh, a pass. “You can stay in here until he wakes up,”

Shinso nodded and sat silently while he waited for the electric blonde to snap out of his episode. He began to zone out, thinking about the night previous and how out of place he’d felt. He had barely even talked to Denki, and he wanted to make up for it somehow.

It wasn’t like he had purposefully meant to distance himself, he had just felt intimidated by how comfortable everyone was with each other. It wasn’t really something he observed often.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he had realized Denki hadn’t spoken once since he had collapsed. He was awake, his eyes open as he looked around slowly, but he wasn't mumbling the usual nonsense that he’d heard so much about.

He looked back over the blonde, not seeing anything odd. He told himself he just needed to be patient and ask Denki about it when he was ok again.

*

After what seemed like eternity (it was only about twenty minutes) Denki finally cleared his throat and began to rub his head, losing the starry look in his eyes.

Shinso sat up in his chair. “Hey, uh, you alright? You were out of it for a good while.”

Denki squinted his eyes and rubbed his head as if he had a migraine. “Um, I’m alright…” he replied, but Shinso knew that was his automatic response in this situation.

“Here,” Shinso said softly, gently batting Denki’s hands away and intertwining his fingers in the blonde’s hair, putting his palms against his head and alternating between lightly rubbing/scratching in circles. Denki’s eyes fall closed and he smiles, “mmm, that feels good, Toshi,”

Shinso almost had a heart attack at the whispered words, but forced himself to recover quickly and simply hum in response, continuing to soothe Denki's headache. He often did this to himself when he got particularly bad migraines and it usually worked for a while.

“You’re gonna need to talk to Recovery Girl before we leave. There’s still half an hour left of class, but if you don’t feel good enough to go back to the gym I’ll stay here with you.” Shinso expertly avoided answering the comment about his hand movements feeling good. “And I have migraine medicine in my room if you need it,” he added.

Denki only nodded to his statements, and Shinso found it odd. Usually, it would take a miracle to get Denki to stop talking.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” Shinso asked once more, after a moment.

“Yes, I’m fine. It just hurts after I short-circuit.” The other boy sulked.

“And they laugh at you?” Shinso asked, quietly, but he hadn’t meant to say it aloud. His eyes widened. “Shit, Denki, Im sorry-”

“No, it's alright. Yes, they laugh at me. It's not like I’ve exactly told them, though. Bakugo is the only one who really notices. He gives me migraine meds too.” Denki explained, and Shinso nodded. He earned a tad bit of respect for the explosive blonde, but he wasn’t focused on that right now.

“It seemed like you went a little bit more intense than usual. Is that going to have a side-effect I need to be aware of?” he asked, hoping he wasn't overwhelming the shorter boy with questions.

Denki shrugged. “Might be a little more stupid than usual, but I don't know anything else. If I notice anything I’ll come back here.”

Shinso would just have to accept that.

*

Shinso woke up to a knock on his door. His eyebrows furrowed in a confused manner, for he had no recollection of how he’d gotten here. The last thing he remembered was heading back to the dorms after class had ended. He picked his phone up, checking the time. It was midnight.

Who the hell is bothering me this late?

Shinso forced himself to get up, trudging over to the door and opening it with more force than he intended. He looked down and was nearly blinded from the hall fluorescents, cringing from the sudden light.

“Hey Toshi! Oh, sorry, did I wake you up? I figured you’d be awake… I just needed some more headache meds, Bakugo is asleep.” Denki’s tired and nervous form was fiddling with his fingers while he looked up at Shinso.

Shinso grunted and motioned for Denki to come inside his room, closing the door behind him and escaping the harsh light. He crossed his room in two quick strides to grab the white-and-orange colored pill bottle, popping two into his hands before screwing the cap back on and handing them to Denki.

“You need any water?” he asked. The blonde nodded. Shinso handed him a half-empty metal water bottle before going back to sitting on his bed.

Denki swallowed the pills and smiled at Shinso. “Thanks!” he beamed, and the taller boy found himself smiling softly back.

“Could I hang out in here for a little bit? Unless you wanna go back to sleep. I'm just bored.” Denki was already making himself comfortable among the blankets. Shinso shrugged. “You can stay here. I won't be able to go back to sleep anyway. It's not your fault, though. I'm surprised I was even able to sleep at all, although I don't remember when I did.”

“Hm, well, you disappeared into your room around 6… so probably then.” Denki nodded at his own words as if they were absolute fact.

Shinso gave the other boy a confused look, wondering why he knew that so fast. He decided not to dwell on it any longer and instead make himself comfortable on the bed again. He sank down until he was laying across the bed, his feet and lower body behind Denki while the upper half of his torso and his head were right next to the blonde’s legs. He propped his elbow up on the bed, resting his head on his hand.

Denki grabbed the TV remote and began scrolling through Netflix to find something he wanted to watch, eventually landing on another Disney movie, which Shinso didn’t mind.

Denki laid back against Shinso’s legs, and Shinso tensed up a little but got used to it eventually. The movie began and it seemed to be about Rapunzel, again one that he hadn’t seen yet. He contentedly watched, but couldn't stop thinking about how fast his heart was beating because of one simple action. He took a deep breath to steady himself, but it came out shaky.

Denki looked over at Shinso. “Toshi?” he asked.

Shinso looked down at him.

Damn, he looks good in dim lighting.

“Yes?”

“Are you good? Like, is this ok?” Denki asked, gesturing with his eyes at the fact that he was leaning against the taller boy.

Shinso nodded almost immediately. “Yeah, it's fine, I’ve just never really been this close to anyone before,” he admitted sheepishly.

Denki nodded too. “Okay. Can we cuddle?” he asked again.

Shinso froze for a moment, but eventually nodded. He hoped Denki wouldn’t notice how red his face had gotten as the electric blonde laid down against his chest, facing Shinso.

Shinso held his arm up until the other was situated and he brought it back down uncertainly, blushing even harder when Denki took Shinso’s arm for him and moved it so that it was draped around his waist.

Denki buried his face in Shinso’s shirt, inhaling deeply. “Mmm, Toshi, you smell like pine.”

“oh yeah… that's my cologne,” he mumbled, smiling like an idiot because of how flustered he was. His fingers started to rub circles into Denki’s back, over his shirt, because he figured the electric blonde might like it.

“I love it! Could I borrow it from you?” Denki moved his head so his words weren’t mumbled when he spoke, but still kept his head close to Shinso.

“Sure, ‘s over there.” Shinso pointed to the small bottle on his dresser.

“Rad!! Thanks,” Denki buried his face back in Shinso’s shirt, and his hand snaked around Shinso’s neck, making the taller boy jump a little from Denki’s cold fingers but he got used to it. They laid there for a while, in comfortable silence, and Shinsou couldn’t help but reminisce about when they first met, only yesterday. How happy Kaminari seemed to be when he first laid eyes on him. A smile crept across his face as the blonde seemed to be getting sleepy, His soft breathing soothing him.

And then Suddenly, for some reason, in this moment, Shinso felt sadness wash over him. He tried to shake it off, but as the electric blonde laid against him, seeming so relaxed, he thought of all the times people shied away from him or didn’t want to be near him. The mean things they would often say to him just because his quirk wasn’t “ideal”.

“You’ll never be a hero with that quirk!” Kids were ruthless to him, and as he got older, their insults only got worse. They would say things like “I bet Shinso will be the first of our class to kill someone with that quirk of his!” And they’d laugh about it. He would never hurt anyone though, couldn't they see that? He stopped telling new people that met him what his quirk was in hopes that the teasing would stop. It was pointless though, they always found out and they always made fun of him.

Every.

Single.

Time.

As his mind ran rampant with these memories, he could feel himself getting choked up. He held back his tears, trying not to disturb Kaminari while he slept, but his sniffles didn’t fall on deaf ears. Denki lifted his head and looked at Shinso, a sleepy haze over his eyes.

“Are you alright, Toshi?” he mumbled.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Shinso tried to reassure him but his sniffles and visibly damp cheeks told him otherwise.

“You scared me, Denki,” Shinso whispered.

“Hm?” Denki hummed in response, shifting his head to look Shinso in the eyes.

“I didn’t know you were awake,” he mumbled, furiously wiping his face with the back of his hand while ignoring the fact that his voice was thick with tears.

“Kinda,” Kaminari was now more awake and concerned for his newfound friend. He shifted his body to sit up straight next to him. “Are you sure you’re okay, Toshi?” Him and this nickname, no matter how many times he said it, Shinso always managed to get flustered by it.

Shinso let out a curt sigh. “Yeah, I guess,” he said, finding it difficult to keep eye contact with Denki. He doesn’t talk to people about his feelings much besides his parents. It’s so easy to talk to them, but it’s different when it’s someone his age.

What he’d been thinking about earlier just piled up in his brain as he tried to push it down and tears came flooding out of his eyes again. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand, mumbling a “sorry,” through the tears.

Shinso felt pathetic.

He’d taught himself to push his feelings down so that people wouldn’t find another excuse to bully him, but all those years of pushing and pushing only made it that much worse.

Kaminari bit his bottom lip as he tried to think of how to console Shinso, noticing that he wasn’t calming down on his own. He’s never been good at this kind of thing so he couldn’t muster a single thing in his mind. Instead of speaking, he just pulled Shinso into him for a hug, letting him cry into his shoulder and rubbing little circles on his back like he had in class the other day. The fresh smell of pine invaded Denki’s senses as the taller boy buried his face in his neck.

They stayed like that for a while, Denki just rubbing circles and Shinso crying harder than he ever had.

“’s gonna be okay,” he whispered, eventually Shinso’s sobs turned into tiny cries and sniffles. He reached up to put his fingers into the purple haired boy’s hair, massaging his scalp the way he knew Shinso liked.

Shinso sat up and wiped the remaining tears from his face, still too embarrassed to make eye contact with Kaminari. “I’m glad you’re here,” he spoke lowly, almost not wanting to say it.

“I’m here for you, Toshi,” Kaminari smiled. “I know we just met, but you’re a really cool person.” Shinso finally got the courage to look him in the eyes and felt his heart warm up when Kaminari stared back at him with the same soft eyes as the day they met.

“You know, ever since we first met, I’ve always felt drawn to you,” Shinso admitted, and his cheeks burned, turning a shade of pink he never thought possible. He fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist that had a cat theme on it and waited for the blonde to respond.

Denki’s eyes lit up, just like when Shinso showed up at Sero’s door. “Really?” he whispered, a breathless exhale.

Shinso nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting ever-so-slightly. They sat there in silence for a while until it was broken by Kaminari, “so how come you always seem kinda off?”

Shinsou raised a brow at the sudden question, “off? what do you mean?” He asked in response.

“You’re so quiet all the time?” The blonde said as he combed his fingers through Shinso’s hair.

Shinso tensed up a little at the question, sitting up. “I dunno. I-I just… um. Not many people really ever want to talk to me, so I don't really try.'' The excuse was weak, anyone could see that, but Shinso had panicked.

Denki gave him a sympathetic look. Shinso let out a frustrated sigh.

“Please dont look at me like that.” he mumbled. Denki’s face fell back into a neutral expression, and Shinso wondered how he was able to do that so fast.

After an awfully long period of silence, Shinso groaned and sat up a little. “Fine. I'm so antisocial because any time I tried to be social as a child, I was either ignored, shut down, or made fun of.” he admitted.

Kaminari’s expression turned to one of surprise, prompting Shinso to continue.

“Since my quirk is what it is, I have been made fun of pretty much every day since I started middle school. I guess people thought it was only suited for villainy. Sometimes, they were terrified of me. That's what my dads said, anyway. My own parents were so afraid of me they put me in the foster care system just so they wouldn’t have to raise someone as horrible as me.” Shinso’s voice was barely above a whisper since he was afraid if he went any higher, he’d start crying.

“I was bullied all through middle school and the first semester of high school until I just completely stopped talking, reacting, or acknowledging anyone. I spent months shut off from anyone, even my parents. They thought I was gonna kill myself.” he paused, trying to keep calm so he wouldnt start sobbing again.

Once he was sure he could get through the rest, he began again. “And then my dad made me take the hero course test, and I got in, and you started talking to me. And I think I've spoken more words in these few days of knowing you than I have ever in my whole life.” he finished.

Kaminari stayed silent for a moment.

“Jesus christ, Shinso, That's awful.”

Shinso shrugged. “Can we just go to sleep? I’m exhausted.”

Denki nodded and laid back down, this time his head resting on Shinso’s stomach as he positioned himself so he could sleep comfortably. Shinso readjusted his pillow and as soon as his head hit the fluffy material, he was out like a light.

Chapter Text

A sharp noise cut through the early morning air, and Shinso groaned as he realized it was his alarm for school. He shut it off and rubbed Denki’s back to wake him up, “hey, ‘s time to get up.”

Denki yawned and sat up so Shinso could escape from underneath him, then sat up himself. He rubbed his eyes gingerly but cringed when Shinso turned the bathroom light on.

“Sorry,” Shinso mumbled, realizing he didn't warn Denki. The electric blonde shrugged and grabbed Shinso’s cologne to spritz on himself before heading back to his own dorm to get dressed. “I’ll catch you later,” Denki waved as he left Shinso’s room.

Did I tell him too much? Shinso thought to himself as he snatched a shirt and tie from his closet.

*

Shinso rubbed his face slowly as he desperately tried to get his eyes used to the lights above him. He never understood why they couldn't just turn them off, it would do wonders for his headaches. He draped his arm over his eyes like he’d done on the first day, not even reacting when he felt Kaminari practically leap into his seat behind Shinso’s desk.

The strong scent of Pine wafted into Shinso’s senses.

Huh, so I guess he really did use my cologne.

“Kaminari, did you get a new cologne?” Shinso heard Mina ask from where she sat beside them, as if she’d read his mind.

Shinso could practically feel the beaming smile Kaminari was sporting as he replied, “Nope! I borrowed it from Shinso.”

Shinso’s ears burned, turning an ungraceful shade of red.

“Shinso’s Cologne!?? How’d you manage that!?” Mina practically screeched, and it made everyone’s heads swivel toward her.

Shinso wanted nothing more but to melt into the floorboards. Why couldnt have Denki just say it was his? He let his arm drop from over his eyes and he sat up, ignoring the stares he was getting now.

Just like before…

Shinso flinched at the memory and shook it off, sighing in frustration.

“Guess he just likes me,” Denki said with a casual shrug.

“Ooh what are we talking about over here?” Kirishima inquired, walking up beside Shinso’s desk.

“I think our purple haired friend has a little crush!” Mina spoke teasingly.

“No way! From what class?” He asked, suddenly interested. Shinso groaned, wanting to be anywhere but here. “Tell us the deets man! Is she from class 1-A?”

If only he would be quiet. Shinso scratched his head and looked down, avoiding eye contact with everyone. “The person is not a girl, Kiri, he’s a boy!” Mina whispered, leaning towards Eijiro.

“Cool!” He looked down at Shinso who had been silent the whole time, not knowing how to change the subject or make them stop talking about his crush. “So, who is it?”

“I hate you all.”

*

Minimal light illuminated Shinso’s room. The sun was going down and he was sitting on his bed finishing his homework, his pencil tapping against the paper. He was stuck on a particularly difficult math problem.

A loud, overly-aggressive knock snapped Shinso out of his focus and he set his papers down to go answer it, already having an idea of who was on the other side.

He opened the door and wasn’t surprised to see a grumpy-looking Bakugou with his hearing aids out on the other side. Shinso tilted his head. He didn’t know any sign language, so he feared that he wouldn't exactly be able to properly communicate with the ash blond.

However, Bakugo simply pointed over his shoulder and walked off. Shinso looked to where he was pointing and his eyes met with the elevator. Closing his door, he headed down to the lobby to see if something was wrong that he’d have to go deal with.

Instead, he was met with all of class 1-A(save for Bakugou) sitting around the living room TV with all the couches also positioned around it. There was a banquet of snack food laid out on the coffee table.

Shinso checked his phone. Ah, that's why Bakugou’s hearing aids were out. It was 7:57, He was probably going to bed soon.

Mina and Tsu were bringing cookies out from the kitchen when Mina happened to look up and see Shinso standing in front of the elevators. His eyes widened, as if to tell her not to say anything, but cringed when he heard her squeal.

“Look, Denki, Shinso’s here!” She exclaimed, setting down the plate she was holding to take over whatever Denki had been busy with so he could come say hi to the taller boy.

Denki stood up from where he had been crouching by the TV, his eyes searching the room until they landed on Shinso. He smiled and the purple-haired boy nearly melted.

“Hey, Toshi! Sorry about having to send Bakugo to come get you, I was helping with the TV set-up otherwise I would've come instead.” The electric blonde said apologetically.

“It's… uh, fine, what are you guys doing?” Shinso asked, still confused as he looked around the room at all the people.

Midoriya and Ururaka were sitting on one of the couches, laughing about something, Mina and Tsu were going back and forth between the kitchen and the living room bringing sweet after sweet out to the table, which was almost full, and Shinso deduced that Sato was probably the one baking.

Tokoyami, Shoji, and Kirishima were talking in a corner, Kiri sporting a love bite that Shinso assumed was from Bakugo, Shoto and Sero were sitting next to Midoriya and Uraraka on the couch they shared, Shoto’s head in Sero’s lap while the ravenette played with his boyfriend’s hair.

Denki looked at him quizzically. “Bakugo didn’t tell you?”

“No, he didn't say much at all. He knocked on my door and pointed to the elevators. His hearing aids were out so I think he was gonna go to sleep.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Well, anyway, we’re having a movie night! Do you wanna join us?”

Shinso made a visibly disgusted face, forgetting who he was speaking to for a moment. Denki’s expression didn't change, though, so Shinso decided he hadn’t hurt the blonde’s feelings. “Uh, I don't know….” he began.

Denki sighed, playfully rolling his eyes. He took Shinso’s hand and pulled him closer to the couches, “Come on, Toshi! You gotta get outta that room of yours sometimes, right?”

Shinso sat down on the edge of an unaccompanied couch, watching with wide eyes as Denki walked back over to the TV, away from him.

His social anxiety spiked through the roof and he jumped when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Midoriya smiling at him. “Hey, what's up? I don't see you around much.”

Shinso let out an exhale. “Nothing, really. Just more of the same.” he replied tiredly, remembering all the homework he’d gotten through that afternoon. Midoriya nodded, his smile widening slightly. He turned back to Uraraka, so Shinso turned back to look at Denki, who was not in the place he'd been before. Shinso looked around the living area and spotted the electric blonde coming out of the kitchen.

Denki trotted over to the couch Shinso had claimed. “We're almost ready to start. ‘Shima and Tokoyami are gonna come sit on this couch with us,”

Shinso nodded. “What movies are we watching?” he asked.

“Uhhh, Christmas ones I think.” Denki replied. Shinso was unsure how he felt about them, but he figured it was fitting for the time of year. He sat up on the couch, making sure the other 3 had room.

Mina bounced into the room one final time with a big smile stretched across her face. “Alright, guys! We’re gonna be watching 4 movies tonight. First one is Nightmare Before Christmas!” Small cheers were heard around the room.

Mina sat on the floor fort that she and Tsu had made together and everyone’s attention landed on the TV as the movie began. Denki sat criss-cross on the couch, pressed up dangerously close to Shinso. He glanced around the room for the second time that evening, a nervous habit he had. Everyone was focused on the TV.

They all seemed so comfortable with each other, and he barely knew anyone in the room. Would he eventually warm up to them, or would he be looking through a window for the rest of high school?

He began fidgeting with his hands to soothe his nerves, not noticing that they were shaking slightly.

He felt miles behind everyone else, miles behind where he was supposed to be. How was he supposed to pass the final exam if he didn’t even know what he was doing?

How could he prove himself? Even with a partner, it was going to be difficult if they knew nothing about his quirk and haven’t seen it in action.

Suddenly Shinso felt cold, slim fingers sliding through his own and intertwining with them. He glanced down at them and then over to Denki, who’s eyes hadn't left the TV. Denki looked over at Shinso when he felt his eyes on him and sent him a small comforting smile, squeezing the taller boy’s hands.

Shinso’s heart skipped a beat and he continued to watch the movie, distracting himself from the stresses of life for at least a little longer.

*

As the night progressed, the massive amount of food on the table dwindled quickly. Shinso had even gotten himself a plate, not wanting to seem rude to everyone else if he didn’t.

At some point, someone had tossed a blanket to Denki and he and Shinso were sharing it now. The electric blonde’s usually cold skin felt warm to the touch, and he and Shinso’s legs were pressed gently against each other. He had begun to feel sleepy halfway through the second movie, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself by dozing off, so he held out.

Denki was still holding his hand, and Shinso would be lying if he said it didn’t make him feel fuzzy inside.

By the third movie, everyone seemed to be getting sleepy, not Shinso though, Since he told himself he would stay awake through all of the movies. Shinso felt Denki’s head fall gently onto his shoulder and he looked down at the electric blonde, seeing that he was fast asleep. He sighed and watched as everyone said goodnight and cleaned up, then fell asleep himself.

*
The following morning, Shinso could hear mumbling in his sleepy haze. He was too tired from trying to stay awake through the movies last night to open his eyes and see what was going on.

“Aweee look at how peaceful they look!” He could hear Ashido’s cheerful voice. “Well we have to wake them up at some point or they’ll be late for school.” Tsuyu stated.

“Kaminari is snoring like crazy!” Sero laughed.

Was that what that noise was?

Shinso finally decided to open his eyes and sit up. He rubbed the rest of the sleep out of his eyes and stretched, feeling the ache in his neck from the way he fell asleep. “Oh, he’s awake! Good morning sleepyhead, it’s time for school!” Mina was too close for comfort, Shinso could smell her strawberry-scented shampoo. Denki shifted next to him, he’d almost forgotten he was there.

“What time is it?” Denki was suddenly wide awake, sitting up and looking at everyone in bewilderment.

“It’s 7:20 man,” Sero answered.

Denki pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the time to be sure, it was 7:20. “Oh crap!” He exclaimed before leaping off of the couch and rushing to the elevators to go get ready.

Shinso sighed, dreading the day already. Everyone else left for school, and Shinso was left sitting on the couch, alone, with his thoughts.

‘Today’s the day,’ he thought to himself, ‘am I going to pass? What if I mess up?’ He tried to push these thoughts down and focus on the present, getting up to go get dressed for school.

*

As the bell rang for homeroom and everyone flooded into the classroom, Shinso’s mind drifted back to his thoughts from earlier. Worrying that he would make a mistake and fail. His mind was stuck on that one thought.

Failing.

Aizawa dragged himself into the classroom right as everyone got into their seats.

“Alright, everyone, today is the beginning of final exams. Head to the locker rooms to get dressed then meet in Gym gamma, there we’ll assign your teams.”

He continued to doubt himself even as he was putting his gym uniform on. And as he walked down the hall. And as he approached the rest of his class.

Aizawa cleared his throat and began to read off names.

“Bakugou and Kirishima, Asui and Ashido, Sato and Tokoyami…. “ Shinso began to tune his teacher out, his mind whirling with thoughts that made his head dizzy.

“...Shinso and Midoriya. Any questions?”

The class all collectively shook their heads.

“Alright!” Ashido cheered and turned to face Asui. Bakugo adjusted his gauntlets and led Kirishima to their assigned testing area.

Shinso hadn’t heard the last directions so he just stood there lost in thought. Midoriya finished any questions he had for Aizawa and made his way over to Shinso.

“So let’s go over how our quirks work and come up with a strategy to start with,” Midoriya spoke as he fixed something loose in his costume.

Shinso simply nodded, head too cloudy to really think straight. He could feel his blood pumping in his ears and was hyper-aware of any moving thing, and anything that made noise, which also included Midorya, who was now staring at Shinso with those big doe eyes of his and asking if he was ok.

He sounded…. Far away.

Oh, crap.

Shinso nodded numbly at the question, but the two boys both knew he was lying. He’d been distant all day, in his own world, but nobody had been confident enough to ask what had been wrong.

The sense of pure dread invaded Shinso’s body and he began shaking. His mind went foggy and he felt disoriented, his vision blurred, not even realizing his knees had given out and he was laying on his back, against a rock, with Midoriya by his side, ever-the-overworryer.

A loud-ass voice who’s words Shinso couldn’t decipher boomed into the arena, and Midoriya was standing up, walking away, abandoning the test? Was Shinso that bad? He hadn't even done anything.

He groaned and covered his face with his shaky arms, feeling like an idiot.

Everyone is watching you.

The sudden realization jolted through him and Shinso felt like he wanted to cry. No- he was crying.

Suddenly, he felt two strong hands on his shoulders, prying his arms away from his face. Oh, it was his dad. The man looked worried out of his mind and Shinso wanted to tell him to stop but he was unable to talk.

Eraserhead hoisted Shinso up and helped him walk off into the monitoring room.

Shinso heard his father shout something, but it wasn't at him. Whoever out of 1-A wasn’t being assessed at the moment was in the room, and as Eraser handed Shinso off to a lot of arms.

Shoji.

Shoji helped Shinso to recovery girl, where he was able to lie down as his panic attack subsided. He felt himself fall asleep.

Chapter Text

Shinso woke up on Saturday morning with a killer headache. It didn’t help that Bakugo was blasting music a wall away. How can you listen to music that loud on a Saturday morning anyway?

He groaned, dragging himself out of bed and shuffling into the bathroom to splash water on his face and wake himself up.

As he was brushing his teeth, he heard a knock at the door. Twisting the faucet off, Hitoshi made his way to the door, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, to see who it was.

Bright yellow eyes met his as he looked down, squinting from the brightness of the hall.

“Are you alright, man?” Denki asked.

All Hitoshi could do was nod, motioning for Denki to come inside his room so he wouldn't have to be blinded any longer.

He took a seat on his bed as he went back to the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth.

“So, are you coming to the mall with us today?” The blonde asked, kicking his legs back and forth as he looked in Shinso’s direction.

Shinso spit into the sink and washed his mouth out before wiping it with a towel and padding back into his room.

He hummed, mulling it over. “Yeah, I could go. I do need to buy a few things from there anyway.”

Denki smiled. “Great! Bakugo is driving, since he’s the only one with a car and a license,” he explained and Shinso nodded along as he searched for an adequate outfit to wear.

Kaminari left the room so that Shinso could change and decided to go see who else was tagging along so he could relay it to Bakugo.

Head still pounding, Shinso decided to pay his neighbor a visit to ask for pain meds, and for him to turn his music down a bit. He banged on the door and a moment later the explosive blonde pulled it open a little too hard.

“What.” Bakugo asked, glaring up at Shinso. “Do you have any headache meds?”

Bakugo huffed and reached across his very neat desk to pop a few into his hand and shove them at the purple-haired boy. Shinso gave him a sarcastic smile and swallowed them without any water. “Can you turn your music down?”

Bakugo’s glare intensified. Shinso put his hands up in a surrendering sort of way and walked off.

So much for that.

He made his way downstairs and was greeted by Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida and Todoroki who seemed to be planning on doing their own thing today.

“Good morning Shinso, we hope that you are feeling better than yesterday,” Iida spoke loudly.

Why does this guy always speak so properly? he thought to himself. “Yeah, I’m feeling better,” he wasn’t really. As he rubbed the back of his neck, faking a smile. Uraraka smiled, happy to hear that he was feeling okay.

“We’re about to go visit a friend of Todoroki’s, he goes to Shiketsu! Have you heard of that school?” Midoriya asked. Shinso had no idea what he was talking about and wanted to get away from this conversation.

“I don’t think I have heard of that school,” he admitted.

“Well, allow me to enlighten you on the reputation that particular school holds!” Iida butted in.

“Or maybe not,” Jirou appeared out of nowhere.

Thank god.

“Hey Shinso, we’re almost ready to go, just waiting on Mina,” She pointed back to Bakugo and the rest of the people who were going.

“You guys have fun,” Shinso waved to Midoriya as he turned away to follow Jiro outside.

Jiro had a smile on her face as they were walking out, “I sure saved your ass back there, huh?” She joked. “If I hadn’t stepped in, Iida would’ve stood there talking your head off for the next hour.” Shinso laughed at her joke.

“I call shotgun!” Kirishima exclaimed, smiling at a disgruntled Bakugo as he climbed into the car and started it up. Shinso motioned for Denki to climb into the middle and got in after him, closing the door and buckling himself in. Denki had used Shinso’s cologne again, he noticed, and marred a smirk from emerging on his face, staring out the window so the electric blonde wouldn’t see.

“FUCK YOU, BASTARD!” Bakugo snarled at a particularly cocky driver in front of them, sending them a middle finger out the window.

Kirishima snorted and bopped his head to the music that Jiro had picked out. Denki’s fingers were tapping relentlessly against his thigh, his head resting on his hand. He seemed to be deep in thought. Mina and Sero, in the very back, were talking about some TV show or something. Shinso realized it was a little too over stimulating and sighed tiredly.

This would be a long day.

When they arrived, the parking lot was packed full of cars and Bakugo couldn’t even find a spot to park. He grumbled incoherently as Kirishima tried to keep him calm, and finally a spot opened up so they took it.

Shinso got out of that car faster than he had ever moved in his life and shook himself out a little to get the cramped feeling out of his joints.

The group made their way to the large building. Shinso was taller than most of them so it wasn’t hard to keep up with the others’ strides.

“It’s been ages since we came to the mall together!” Mina announced excitedly, walking way faster than everyone else. “You can say that again,” Jirou said.

“I wonder if they have any new Crimson Riot merch in the hero store!” Kirishima, his mouth turning into a very toothy smile. “Come on Bakugo!” He tugged at the blonde’s arm and he yanked it away.

“You’re not dragging me into another nerd store, shitty hair,” he huffed. Kirishima smiled wider, “I bet they’ve got new volumes of your favorite manga in there!” He teased in a lower voice.

Bakugo grumbled and let Kirishima drag him away.

“Hey guys, I’m gonna go buy a new pair of headphones, mine broke last night while I was cleaning my room.” Sero said, “I’ll be back, if we get separated, you guys have my number!” There went Sero.

Now there was Shinso, Mina, Jiro, and Kaminari left in the group.

They walked around some more, looking through the glass of some stores for something to buy. Stopping by other stores to actually buy something, somewhere along the way, Mina and Jirou disappeared into the huge crowd of people.

Shinso hated crowds, they made him extremely anxious. Denki was with him but now, it was just the two of them.

“Aw man, we came as a group but now we’re the only ones left of the group, this sucks!” Denki whined.

Hitoshi had to admit, he did prefer this over the larger group they’d come in.

He shrugged. “It's alright, we can hang out together. What store do you wanna go in?”

Denki sighed, looking around. He spotted a Hot Topic and pointed to it, dragging Shinso over. Shinso looked the store over with mild interest, never having seen it before. He let Denki drag him all over the store, even pointing things out to the electric blonde as they went.

Denki left the store with two bags of stuff and Shinso remembered none of them had had breakfast yet. “Do you wanna get food?” he asked.

Denki nodded. He had wanted to show Shinso the new Chinese place that opened in the food court, so they got that and sat in a less crowded corner of the food court.

Denki had quieted down. Maybe he wasn't having fun?

“So, that hot topic place was pretty cool. I've never been there before.” Shinso said conversationally.

Denki nodded again as he picked at his food thoughtfully. He was like this in the car too.

“Is everything alright?” Shinso asked gently, and obviously his tone had thrown Denki off because he looked up at him with a mildly surprised expression.

“Um. yeah, I guess.” Denki said unconvincingly and Shinso gave him a scolding look, to which Denki sighed at.

“It's just that… sometimes, I don't think my friends like me very much.” Denki began. “I see the way they laugh at me, and when I say anything remotely smart they always make fun of me for it. I can't win. And nobody ever takes me seriously. “They probably think I'm annoying, or too dumb to pick up on their ques, but I’m… I’m not. I see them do it all the time. And when I short circuit it's just worse because I have to deal with my head hurting on top of them telling me I'm basically useless or weak.”

Shinso places his hand on top of Denki’s. The electric blonde looks up at him, eyes wide.

“You know, like, literally none of that is true, right?” Shinso said gently. Denki gave him a confused look.

“You aren't too dumb, and you aren't too weak. You aren't dumb or weak at all, from what I’ve seen. I take you seriously. You are not even remotely close to being annoying. You’re the only person I can actually more than tolerate. You're cool as hell, and If your friends can't see that, either make them or get new ones. You don't deserve to be treated the way they treat you.”

Denki’s eyes softened and he smiled a little, wiping a small tear from his face with the back of hand. “Thanks, Toshi, that's really nice of you.” he mumbled.

Shinso waved him off. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, smirking.

After they’d finished eating, Shinso let Denki drag him around the mall a little more before he noticed their group trying to flag them down. He grabbed the Electric blonde’s wrist to make sure he didn't run off anywhere, waving back to the group.

Bakugo was signing at them both angrily, and Shinso assumed he was upset that they were so difficult to find since they had practically been all over the damn place.

Still, he waved neutrally at the explosive blonde, who promptly ignored him. Denki was chuckling and attempting to sign back through his laughter, obviously in a better mood than before.

Still, Shinso stayed close to the electric blonde all through their walk back to the car and tried not to be so stiff when sitting in the crowded middle seat. Bakugo’s car was a big jeep with two rows for backseats, so it wasn't that bad.

*

“Denks, I swear to god, throw one more blue shell at me and see what happens.”

“Sorry, Han, The game just keeps giving them to me!”

Sero rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh.

Shinso was watching them from the hammock that he’d taken quite a liking to, flipping a lighter in between his fingers subconsciously. He was quite sleepy and had almost drifted off a few times, but he just couldn’t sleep comfortably with the bright overhead lights.

“Hey Shinso, do you wanna join us?” Sero asked, looking away from the game for a second. Shinso stopped messing with the lighter and looked up. His tired gaze swept over the two playing, and he wanted to participate, but his head was killing him.

Sero’s eyebrows furrowed when Shinso looked at him but didn't respond, and he nudged Denki, who looked over to see what he wanted. Sero whispered something to the electric blonde and he stood up, shuffling over to the purple haired boy and leaning down a little.

“Hey, Toshi, you feelin’ ok, man?” he asked gently. Shinso grunted a little. “The lights are too bright. My head hurts.”

Denki nodded, looking back to Sero. “I'm gonna walk him back to his room.”

A moment later, Shinso felt Denki’s fingers intertwine with his own and he was being pulled down the hallway. He was distantly aware that he was walking, but he was so overwhelmed that he had closed his eyes.

Soon, Denki stopped. Shinso opened his eyes a little and saw that they were back at his door. He opened it and made a beeline for his bed, collapsing on it with a sigh of content.

The door closed, and Shinso assumed Denki had left the room, but instead, seconds later he felt a soft hand card through his hair lightly before disappearing. He heard the bathroom sink turn on and then off, and a cup of water appeared on his bedside table.

Fleeting footsteps echoed through the room before the door opened and closed once more, and Shinso was truly alone. He felt himself slip into a comfortable state of unconsciousness.

*

A loud noise jolted Shinso out of his sleep. As he recovered from his surprise, he noticed that it was still dark outside from what he could tell. It was also storming like crazy and Shinso could hear the wind howling angrily, the rain beating against the window.

He looked around for the source of the sound and found Denki staring at him, wide-eyed and terrified. He was standing in front of the door, so Shinso assumed that's what the loud slam he’d heard was. The electric blonde looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“Denki? What are you doing here?” Shinso mumbled sleepily as he pulled himself into a sitting position.

Denki was panting, trying to catch his breath, as if he’d just run a marathon.

“Shinso! The power went out and I nearly pissed myself. It's pitch black throughout the entire building.” he calmed down a smidge, then with a resigned tone added, “We didn't get to finish our Mario Kart run.”

Shinso rolled his eyes. “I’m sure the power will be back on soon. Why’d you come in here?”

“I didn't want to go back to my room alone. And they were making fun of me for being afraid. Could I stay in here until they fix the lights?”

Shinso sighed. “Okay.” he scooted back in his bed so his back was against the wall and felt Denki’s weight in the spot he’d been in a second later before the other laid down as well.

Shinso reached over and grabbed his phone, unplugging it from the charger since it had no use being there anyhow. He glanced at how much it was charged. 65% blinked back at him and he set it back down on the table.

Denki had seemingly made himself comfortable and was playing a game on his phone. Shinso was about to ask him why he wasn’t saving the battery, but then remembered that Denki was the battery. His finger traced along the electric blonde’s pale skin thoughtfully, unsure what to talk about.

Denki broke the silence, however. “I’m sorry your head hurt earlier.” his attention was still on his phone.

Shinso shrugged. “It's not your fault. And it went away once I fell asleep.”

“That's good! I'm glad. You seemed really out of it. I was a little worried, but I didnt wanna annoy you by hovering.”

Shinso was silent for a moment before saying, “you never annoy me,” his voice was low, barely audible.

More comfortable silence passed.

Suddenly, the soft patter of rain against the window turned more intense and a loud CLAP! Of thunder made the walls shake. Denki flinched and turned his head into Shinso’s chest, dropping his phone in the process. Denki’s hands were balled up in the taller boy’s shirt.

Shinso shifted the way his head was laying so he could look down at the top of Denki’s.

“Denki.”

The blonde looked up at Shinso to meet his gaze.

“You don't have to be scared. I’m right here.”

Denki blinked, obviously unsure how to take that, but nodded after a moment. He went back to laying in the position he’d been in before.

Shinso rubbed Kaminari’s back to comfort him and he eventually fell asleep. The storm continued as Kaminari shivered in his sleep, probably still afraid.

Shinso moved Kaminari so that he was laying on top of a pillow and pulled the blanket over him.

As he got up to look for some headphones to put over Kaminari’s ears to block out the storm, Kaminari mumbled “no,” grabbing his hand.

He raised a brow, thinking that Kaminari was asleep, “hey, are you awake?” He received no response.

Shinso hummed, crawling underneath the blanket to lay beside Kaminari. He raked his fingers through his hair, getting comfortable.

The electric blonde hummed and cuddled closer to Shinso, his arms wrapping around his waist securely.

Chapter Text

“No, not like that, you idiot! You forgot to carry the 3.”

“Aw, man!”

Shinso looked up from his English essay to Bakugo and Kirishima, currently wrestling over the redhead’s pencil so Bakugo could beat the math into him. He rolled his eyes and glanced over at Denki who was struggling with the same math problem.

They were sitting on the UA dorms’ lawn. It was a beautiful sunny day like it had been for most of the week and Shinso had been unofficially fully integrated into Denki’s friend group.

Shinso didn’t understand it well enough himself to explain it and he felt bad.

“Hey, Denks, could you charge my phone?”

Shinso’s gaze snapped over to Sero as he waved his phone and charger at Denki, who happily accepted it. Mina, Bakugo, and Kirishima joined after them, and soon Denki had five chargers in his mouth at once. Shinso seemed to be the only one concerned for the blonde’s health.

He could tell Denki hadn’t wanted to once the third person asked, but he didn't want to seem controlling, so he stayed silent for the moment.

After about ten minutes, though, Shinso could tell Denki was getting one of his headaches again. His eyes glazed over and he fell silent, as none of the rest of the group was even talking to him since they knew he was gonna short-circuit soon.

Shinso began rubbing Denki’s back, and the electric blonde leaned into his arms tiredly. His eyes fluttered shut.

Shinso’s eye twitched, watching the rest of the friend group just chilling and chatting with each other, not worrying about Denki’s well-being. He tried to sit there with Denki, not saying anything but when he began rubbing his head the way Shinso had taught him, Shinso lost it. He ripped the cords from his mouth and threw them to the ground.

Five heads turned to him in shock.

“What the hell, you guys?!” Denki looked up at Shinso in confusion, feeling dazed from his pounding headache. They turned around to look at him.

“Do you really think he’s able to charge this many devices at once? Look at him, he’s tired!”

“The idiot looks fine to me.” Bakugo spoke back in a louder tone than Shinso, standing up from his spot in the grass.

“No! He’s not fine, do you know the headaches he gets when he uses his quirk too much? It’s like you don’t even care or bother to check on him. He sacrifices so much to even be friends with you, and this is how you treat him?” Shinso picked up all of their chargers and devices from the grass and stormed over to their spot.

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing, he’s fine. He only acts like a moron when he uses his quirk too much, he’s never told us of any damn headaches!” the two of them were up in each other’s faces.

“That’s because all you care about is when he turns ‘dumb’ and even then you don’t care. You're just laughing at him! Can you seriously call yourselves his friends? None of you take him seriously and it’s starting to piss me off!” He couldn’t control his volume, basically yelling in Bakugo’s face. The blond had become just as riled up as Shinso in a matter of seconds, glaring at him with angry ruby eyes.

“Hey you guys, lets just take it down a notch!” Kirishima tried to step in, putting a hand on Shinso’s shoulder.

Shinso looked at Kirishima and then glared at Bakugo.

“Charge your own shit, we’re leaving.” He shoved the devices into Kirishima’s arms before walking back over to Denki.

Shinso took Denki’s hand and pulled him away from the others, leading him up to the purple-haired boys room. He pointed to the bed silently and Denki sat down. Shinso popped two headache pills in his hand, grabbed his water bottle, then gently took Denki’s head between his palms and tilted it up slightly.

“Open.” he commanded quietly, and Denki obeyed. He stuck his tongue out and Shinso discovered a small silver ball nestled in the middle of it. He raised his eyebrows a little but didn't ask as he placed the pills in his mouth and handed him the water bottle.

The blonde closed his mouth and sipped through the water bottle’s straw before swallowing and laying back in Shinso’s bed. Shinso joined him, listening to the commotion of the group walking in from outside and having to calm Bakugo down.

Denki didn't seem to notice, instead he simply stared straight ahead.

Shinso wished he would talk during his short-circuits, because seeing him this way just enraged the purple-haired boy, but he knew it might be too overwhelming.

He grabbed his TV remote and turned on one of Denki’s favorite shows, earning a smile from him even in his dazed state.

Shinso rubbed his temples gingerly before letting his head fall back on his pillow and staring up at the ceiling.

Denki had fallen asleep at some point and Shinso muted the TV so that it wouldn't bother him.

*

During lunch the next day, Denki had been unsure about sitting with the usual group because they hadn't talked anything out yet, so Shinso sat with him outside.

Midoriya, Iida, Uraraka and Todoroki had come to sit with them as well and were talking amongst themselves. They’d heard about the fiasco that had happened yesterday and were all pretty upset with Bakugo and the others for the way they treated Denki.

The electric blonde was unusually quiet as he slowly ate. He’d been staring off into space, not listening to anyone all day, and Shinso wondered if he made a mistake by calling out his friends. He certainly didn't feel bad about it though.

He’d been sticking closer to Shinso throughout the day, avoiding his typical friends any time they were in the same room, and Shinso didn’t mind.

Looking up from his now empty bento box, however, Shinso noticed Mina staring at the group from the back entrance to the dining hall. She was gnawing on her lip and clasping her hands behind her back as if she were debating going over to talk to them.

Shinso watched her carefully, giving her a cautionary look and glancing subtly to Denki who hadn’t spoken a single word since the beginning of the period. Mina’s gaze followed and she took a deep breath before disappearing back inside.

Shinso turned his head back to Denki. “Hey, you wanna lay in my lap?” He murmured quietly. Denki lazily glanced in his direction, maneuvering so he could rest his head in Shinso’s lap.

He didn't pull his phone out to play a game, or continue eating his lunch, or anything, for that matter.

He simply just picked at a scab on his finger and remained quiet.

Anger had been surging through Shinso all day, but it really hit him at that moment. He was so confused and upset by the way the rest of them had treated the electric blonde. How could they? He was the nicest out of all of them, and while it may not be healthy, Denki always thought of them before he did himself.

He was selfless, and caring, and even Shinso had taken a liking to him. He wished Denki could see that and stop dwelling on every little thing that his so-called friends said.

The purple haired boy’s slim fingers buried themselves in Denki’s hair and stroked the soft strands comfortingly.

*

Toward the end of the hour, Shinso had become a little sleepy. The sun was beating down on him, filling his body with warmth. Not to mention Denki was still laying in his lap and he seemed to be fast asleep.

Four shadows suddenly loomed over the group and Shinso looked up to see Mina, Bakugo, Kirishima, and Sero standing over them.

Shinso’s expression hardened and the hand that had been in Denki’s hair moved to rub his back lightly in an attempt to wake him up. The electric blonde’s eyes fluttered open and he rubbed them as he sat up. His gaze followed the rest of the group’s and his eyes widened when he saw all his friends.

“Oh… uh, hi, guys, whats up?” he asked, clearly still unsure about talking to them.

Mina spoke up first. “Denki, we all feel awful about what happened yesterday and we want to apologize. We shouldn’t have treated you that way. I know I can speak on everyone’s behalf when I say that you are an amazing friend and we hope you can forgive us.”

Kirishima jumped in, “Yeah, bro, standing up for yourself is manly! We should’ve set boundaries before asking you to do that. Your quirk is cool as hell!”

Denki looked between the two of them, sighing lightly. “It's okay, guys.You’re right, I should've set boundaries.” he said quietly.

The whole group was now looking at him sympathetically, and even Shinso got upset at the stares.

“Um. It's all fine now, thanks for apologizing.” Denki said. The four of them nodded and headed back to the dining hall. Shinso smiled softly at the electric blonde before running a hand through his hair comfortingly. “Just because they apologized doesn't mean you’re obligated to hang out with them any time soon, okay?”

Denki paused for a moment, then nodded. “Thank you, Shinso,” he mumbled, and Shinso let himself smile.

Chapter Text

Shinso hit the button on the dorm elevator and stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets while he waited for it to get to him. It was a rare day that he did not have any homework, so he was going to spend it like he usually spent his off days- wallowing in his room. The elevator dinged and the doors began to slowly open. Shinso looked up and barely had any time to react as Denki squealed his name and gave him a bone-crushing hug, throwing his arms around his neck.

He’s obviously feeling better than he was yesterday, Shinso thought to himself as he hugged Denki back, wrapping his arms around the slender boy's waist to keep him from falling over.

“Hi, Toshi! Where have you been all day?” Denki asked, stepping back a little to look Shinso in the face.

“...re-taking my exam. I think I passed, but I don't know for sure yet.”

“Ahhh! I'm so happy for you!

“Thanks. What have you been doing?” Shinso inquired, noticing Denki looked a little tired.

“Oh, I’ve been trying to set up the karaoke machine for tonight! It was giving me a hard time so I’m a little burnt out,”

Shinso ignored the pun Denki made, instead asking, “Tonight? What's tonight?”

“Oh! I haven't been able to tell you yet! Mina suggested we do a karaoke night since it's one of my favorite things. I guess it’s their way of making up for yesterday,”

Pleased that Denki was finally able to talk about yesterday’s events comfortably, Shinso smiled. “That sounds fun,”

“Yeah! D’ya wanna join us?”

“Hmm… I don't really do karaoke.”

“But, I'm sure you have great taste in music! I think Jiro will be there too, and she’s the queen of all things song-related! Pleeeease?”

Shinso sighed, trying desperately to overlook the adorable expression on Denki’s face and failing miserably. “Okay, Okay, I’ll be there. Who’s room?”

“Mine! At eight o'clock!”

“Actually, if that's the case, I was thinking we could hang out until then. I don’t have any homework,” Shinso proposed, his eyebrow lifting a bit.

“Yeah! I've been missing you all day and you can keep me company if I short circuit again!”

Shinso nodded and followed Denki up to his room, feeling his face get warm at the fact that Denki had missed him.

He made himself comfy on Denki’s bed while the electric blonde grabbed the karaoke machine from off the floor, sitting criss-cross at the end of his mattress. They sat in comfortable silence for a little while, Denki periodically zapping the thing to get it to work and Shinso playing on his phone.

“So… I was too shaken up yesterday to really thank you for sticking by me, even if it seemed like I didn't want you there. I promise I did, I was just having a hard time processing everything.”

Shinso looked up to Denki looking guiltily toward him. “Denki, you don't have to apologize for anything. I know the past few days have been really stressful and me sticking by your side was my decision. You didn't ask me to, so you shouldn’t feel responsible for anything. If I hadn't wanted to do that, I wouldn't have.”

Denki let out a small sigh and nodded. “I really do appreciate it… you made me feel a lot better.”

Shinso couldn't help but smile for the second time that evening. “I'm glad, that was my intention after all,” he replied.

They fell silent for a few more moments before Denki hopped up with the machine and plugged it into his TV.

“Alright! I think this will work. Jiro gave this to me to borrow, it’s the newest model and has a bunch of songs of every genre on it apparently.” Denki stood up with his hands on his hips to admire his handiwork.

“Now we just wait for everyone else. What time is it?”

Shinso looked down at his phone, which he’d forgotten for a while to pay attention to Denki. “It’s 7 o'clock.” he informed the blonde.

Denki hummed. “Okay, wanna watch something till they get here?”

“Sure,”

Denki beamed and hopped into his bed, pulling the covers over himself and locating the remote. The TV screen blinked on and Denki spent a few minutes picking what he wanted to watch before settling on something and letting himself get fully immersed in it.

Shinso felt an unfamiliar wave of sleepiness crash over him, letting out a particularly large yawn as the day finally caught up to him. The purple-haired boy had gone to school for the entire time and done his exam retake all within the span of eight hours and he had done it with no caffeine whatsoever. Perhaps he should be proud of himself for this feat, but he was simply too tired to think about it.

He felt himself drift off, slowly.

*

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The two jolted awake at the same time. Denki had obviously taken a little nap too, as he looked groggily toward the door. He checked his phone and sure enough, it was 8 PM. The electric blonde let out a small hum and jumped up to answer the door.

Bakugo, Mina, Sero, Kirishima and Jiro filed into the room, everyone except Mina beginning to make themselves comfortable as if Shinso wasn’t half-awake in Denki’s bed. Mina was staring at him, open-mouthed, as if she had just received the best piece of gossip in her entire life. Which was not necessarily untrue, Shinso decided. He sat up and gave her a questioning look. She sat next to him.

“Shinso! Fancy seeing you here!” She exclaimed, looking around the room to spot Denki. He was sitting on the floor by the TV, rubbing his face sleepily as he tried to help Jiro fiddle with the on-screen directions for the karaoke machine.

“Hmm, yeah, yeah,” Shinso waved her off in annoyance and attempted to mentally prepare himself for the night he was in for.

Set up was done and everything was ready, so Jiro handed out microphones to whoever wanted to sing first. Denki went to sit on the bed next to Shinso while Mina and Kirishima sang the first song as a duet. Sero and Denki cheered them on and the bed shuddered with Denki’s laughter, something Shinso knew he’d never get tired of.

The night went on slowly and pairs upon pairs of the group sang together. Shinso watched quietly, chuckling occasionally and cheering Denki on whenever he sang, which he could tell really upped the electric blonde’s mood.

The twentieth song of the night ended and Denki whirled around, pointing at Shinso and using a “come here” motion with his index finger.

“You. come sing with me,” he requested through a fit of giggles. He may or may not have gotten way higher than usual, and now Shinso would have to sing in front of everyone else while also holding back his own laughter.

Shinso couldn't help but smile at Denki as he stood up and let the electric blonde pull him closer to the TV, shoving a microphone in his hands and giving him the remote to choose a song. Shinso smirked evilly and immediately chose “Going Under” by Evanescence.

The song began to play and Jiro looked up, probably in surprise that it was playing. Shinso’s smirk grew and he began to sing the opening words as everyone stared at him in awe. Denki joined in for the man’s lines and also sang some of Amy’s words later on. The song ended and everyone sat there in silence for a few beats.

“Holy shit, Shinso! I didn't know you had such a good voice!” Jiro exclaimed, a wide smile on her face.

“Yeah, where did that come from?” Sero asked. Shinso shrugged. “I guess I’ve always been good at it? I've never taken any lessons.”

Denki giggled again, “that was so much fun! Thank you for singing with me,” Shinso nodded at him, glad that he was enjoying himself. The electric blonde’s eyes were very bloodshot and half-closed, but he could stand up straight just fine so Shinso wouldn’t push him to sit down yet.

Shinso, however, sat down again and continued to be a silent observer.

By midnight, everyone had enough fun and began to head back to their rooms. Shinso scooted over to the wall so Denki could lay down in his bed, not feeling like going back to his room just yet.

Denki was still very high. He snuggled into Shinso’s chest like they’d done previously and let out a long exhale of breath as if he, too, was tired from the party. Shinso began rubbing his back with only half effort, as he was more tired than he’d ever been in a while and felt like he could slip into unconsciousness at any moment.

“Mmm… I haven't smoked this much in a while. I’m sorry for being so quiet.” Denki mumbled, his words coming out slowly.

Shinso chuckled a little. “It's alright, Denks. I'm just glad that you had fun tonight,”

Denki smiled against Shinso’s shirt. “Yeah, it was fun… you have such a pretty voice, maybe you could sing something for me some time…”

Shinso couldn't help but smile, and he said, “how about I sing something for you now?”

Denki’s head lifted and rested right below Shinso’s collarbone. “Really?” he asked, his eyes shining.

“Yeah. is there anything in particular you want me to sing?”

“Hmm… maybe a slow song.” Denki decided, and Shinso nodded. He racked his brain with songs to sing, then began to sing one he knew from when he was little.

By the time he was finished singing, Denki was fast asleep.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Shinso woke up to an empty bed, which was odd since it wasn’t even his room to begin with. There were no signs that Denki had been in the room that morning at all. He sat up and checked his phone, his mind jarring when he saw the horrendous amount of messages he had. He scrolled through some of them, not understanding what was wrong.

It was a Saturday, luckily, so he wouldn’t have to worry about being late for school. Shinso sighed in annoyance and unlocked his phone so he could investigate further. He checked his social medias, and… bingo.

Shinso had been tagged in a post, so he clicked on the mention and his eyes widened. It was a post by someone he did not know, a picture of Denki and Shinso taken from afar, on the day that the electric blonde’s friend’s had apologized to him. Denki was lying in Shinso’s lap.

In hasty writing, the word “MANIPULATOR” was scribbled above Shinso’s head. His eyes darted down to the caption on the post, which was spouting some nonsense about how Shinso had attacked the poster for knowing Denki, and being his ex?

Shinso didn’t even know Denki had an ex.

He backtracked and looked at the messages he had from his classmates. Some of them were in support of him, but most were telling him how bad of a person he was for doing such a thing. All of Denki’s friends were on his side, though, which Shinso found interesting.

Mina messaged him again just then and he clicked on the message.

MINA: Shinso, please tell me you’re awake, we need to talk.

SHINSO: im awake, fix what? The rumors?

MINA: yes.

MINA: its too complicated to explain over text. Can you meet us in the common room?

Shinso hopped up and exited Denki’s room, not seeing him anywhere as he climbed down the stairs. He noticed all of Denki’s friends sitting in a circle on the couches and gave Mina a questioning look when he also sat down.

“Okay, what happened, who is this person and where in the hell is Denki?” he immediately asked before anyone could say anything.

Mina sighed. “Nobody knows where Denki is. All we know is that, last night, his very manipulative ex posted a statement that said you attacked him for being Denks’ ex, saying you used your quirk against him, all of that. Well im here to tell you that we don’t believe him for a second.”

Shinso became more confused. “Why not?”

“We know that you’ve been bullied a lot in the past for your quirk, and we also know that the reason Denki and his ex- whose name is Ichiro, by the way- is because Denki caught him spreading false rumors before. He was also incredibly mentally abusive and made Denki feel like shit all the time. They only dated for six months, but Denki told me it felt like years.”

Shinso nodded, understanding more.

Mina continued, “even still, Denki and Ichiro still talk occasionally. Denki, being himself, has forgiven Ichiro multiple times even though he doesnt deserve it. I think they’ve been talking more and more these past few weeks, and even planned to hang out today, which might be where Denki is.”

“Get to the point, acid,” Bakugo barked, causing Mina to send him a glare.

“My point is that you need to falsify these rumors before he comes up with more. Also, it’s very possible that Denki believes what Ichiro said which is why he isnt responding to any of us,” Mina finished.

Shinso heaved another sigh and rubbed his head. “Ok, what should we do then? Its not like i can prove anything.”

Mina smiled, putting a finger up. “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. Ichiro gave specific times for all of your alleged attacks, and almost all of them, you were with us or Denki. We figured Denki didnt realize this because he’s, well, Denki.” she explained. “We can help you gather evidence for each instance but its going to take some time. For now, you just need to keep your head down, and if you see Denki, don’t say anything that could be taken a different way.”

Shinso nodded, already forming the plan in his head. “Thanks, guys,” he mumbled before getting up to go hopefully get his mind off of all this.

*

Shinso found himself in Sero’s hammock again, sharing a blunt with the ravenette and watching Bakugo and Mina play detective while they sifted through text messages within their groupchats, pictures the group took together, anything they could use as evidence. Shinso felt guilty that they were doing it all themselves, but they had vehemently told him not to help.

He felt like a sitting duck and hated it. He wanted to do something but he was unsure what he could even do. He handed the blunt back to Sero and curled up farther in the hammock, pulling his phone out to check social media. Ichiro hadn’t posted anything else other than the original post that he’d seen that morning, which was good, but it also made Shinso wonder if he was even planning to post anything else at all.

It was all so random. Why now? Why him? Was it because Ichiro was jealous of his and Denki’s relationship? Sure, Shinso liked Denki a whole lot, but they were only friends at the moment. He was unsure if Denki even liked him like that.

He wanted to ask Ichiro all of these things but knew he couldn't or it may make things worse. Not having Denki to smile at him and talk to was agonizing and Shinso hoped the electric blonde would come to his senses soon.

*

The next day, it was more of the same… until noon.

Shinso exited his dorm to go and look at the food situation downstairs. He hadn't felt like eating at all until then, too stressed about the entire situation that it was all he could think about. He scoured the kitchen, looking for something that piqued his interest, when he heard shuffling behind him.

Shinso turned around and was met with Denki’s tired form, holding a plethora of bags from what looked like the mall. He set them down on the dining table and Shinso thought the electric blonde was ignoring him until he turned and looked a little surprised to see him there.

“Oh. it's you.”

Those words sent Shinso’s world crashing down around him and he had to fight the urge to cry in front of Denki, grabbing whatever snack he could find and rushing off to his room. The moment he was concealed in his room, he began to sob. He munched on the granola bar he’d apparently picked up before coming up as he cried, his face becoming soaked with tears.

He hadn't let the whole rumor mill thing get to him until now. How could Denki say that to him after all they’d been through together and done together? What did Shinso do to deserve it? His mind swirled and spiraled as he tried to make sense of it, but he also knew somewhere deep down that none of this was his fault.

Chapter Text

Shinso could feel his heart beating against his ribcage as he leaned against his bedroom door, gripping the doorknob like his life depended on it. His vision was spinning as he slid down the door to sit on the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees and hugging himself so tightly he thought he might explode. It was the only thing he could think of to calm himself down. Tears silently streamed down his face as he processed everything finally. Breathing became a chore and he had to manually do it or he’d forget.

‘Everything will be fine,’ Shinso had to reassure himself over and over, trying to tell himself they’d figure it all out. His body felt oddly cold and he stumbled across his room to his bed, covering himself with his comforter and trying to think about literally anything else. The snack he’d grabbed for himself was still clutched in his hand, the plastic making an indent in his palm. He shakily unwrapped it and began to eat, hoping it would distract him. He didn't even care that he was getting crumbs in his bed, but the fact that it crossed his mind made him laugh a little bit at himself.

Shinso hastily finished his food and threw the comforter off his head, searching for his TV remote. He clicked the TV on and put something on for background noise, hating the idea of being alone with his thoughts. When he was younger, TV was often an escape from when he’d come home after being ridiculed all day, and this was oddly… healing. One might assume it would bring back bad memories, but Shinso felt connected to his younger self in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time.

The last few days crept back into his mind eventually, and Shinso found himself thinking about how happy he felt around Denki. How the electric blonde was the only person to not make him feel alienated from everyone else. How could that dunce face forget all of that? Surely he knew how Shinso felt, how he acted? They’d only known each other for a few weeks but there was an undeniable bond they had created, and Denki was willing to throw it all away for his shitty ex?

Shinso felt angry, confused, betrayed, and every other possible emotion he could feel in that moment. What the fuck was he doing? What was any of this?

Shinso sat up in his bed and made a frustrated groan. He stood up, pulling some socks and shoes on before heading downstairs and outside. It was a cold night, but he couldn’t care less. Putting his earbuds in, he turned on some music that would stimulate his mind and went for a run around the dorms.

The cold air would be refreshing to him on any other night. Tonight, however, the air was stale. It hurt to inhale. The tall boy’s lungs burned with every labored breath as he took off on a run around the dorm buildings that all of his classmates slept in. This abrupt transformation in Shinso's life was challenging for him to comprehend. He was uncertain about how long it would be until Kaminari pulled his head out of his ass, yet regardless of any improvements, he hoped he wouldn't suffer for too long.

He rounded the corner where he began his now early morning run and continued, wanting to make his body forget everything that had happened in the past few days. He wanted to be so exhausted that his aching body could be the only thing his mind would focus on. Even with the burning muscles in his legs and the fact that his heart was beating so intensely that it felt like it’d break through his ribcage, he pushed on.

When Shinso’s legs became numb, he stopped in front of the dorm building. Maybe he was overreacting. Kaminari and he had barely known each other for a month, how could his mind react this violently? Had he just simply become too attached too fast? If they made up, would Kaminari do something like this again in the future?

He sighed and used the back of his hand to wipe off the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. He put his hands on his knees, panting heavily to catch his breath. He definitely felt better after getting all his pent-up energy out, but he knew if he didn't do something about this, those awful thoughts he had been fighting so hard these past few weeks and especially these past few days would come back.

Would Kaminari think he was weak for having such thoughts? Would he tell him to get over it? Or would he understand? Shinso had no idea what Kaminari’s past was like, and he found himself desperate to know. He found himself desperate to be looked at with those big eyes of his, to be close to him again, to smell him again. He let out a shaky breath and headed back inside so his fathers wouldn’t have his head in the morning, although he knew they probably already would.

The warm air of the common room welcomed Shinso like a blanket. He quietly closed the door, turning his back to the rest of the dorm as he did so. When he turned back around, he was met with Kaminari’s sleepy form holding a cup of what seemed like hot chocolate in between his slim fingers. The electric blonde was exiting the kitchen when he noticed Shinso as well, stopping dead in his tracks. His eyes were bloodshot.

For what felt like ages, They said nothing to each other. Shinso took in Kaminari’s tired form, looking as if he hadn't slept in days. He was wearing a shirt that was too big for him. It had some band that Shinso had never heard of on it and assumed it was Ichigo’s, seeing as Kaminari preferred tight-fitting clothing usually. Wait, when did Shinso make that observation?

Kaminari cleared his throat, snapping Shinso out of his trance. He copied the other boy, shifting uncomfortably. He wished to go up to his room and forget about all of this, but his body stayed glued to the floorboards.

“I’m-”

“If you’re going to apologize, don't bother. I've had enough of that this week. Maybe focus on not manipulating everyone to get what you want.”

Shinso felt himself die a little inside but kept his composure. He inhaled deeply and tried again. “Okay. I won't apologize, if that's what you want. I’m not too sure what I’d be apologizing for, though, since your friend has been spreading nothing but lies about me. Maybe you should ask him when everything happened again, Hm?” His voice was quiet, barely audible across the room.

Kaminari rolled his eyes but was silent, letting Shinso continue.

“I am not going to ask for forgiveness, or pity, or anything of the sort. I am simply going to tell you that my life was a miserable pile of shit before I met you and that I have been happier in the past three weeks than I have ever been in my entire life. Even if when all of this is over, you still hate me, I won’t regret telling you that.” he paused, choosing his words carefully. “I deeply care about you. I wish that you could see that. It physically pains me to see you sad, it makes my body ache when you don't get your way, and I wish I could give it all to you. I have not been this sure about anything else ever in my life. I don't want to tell you what to believe because you are your own person but I will tell you that believing everything that… he says… will not get you far. I know that you are loving, kind, and intelligent.”

“You barely know me!” Kaminari suddenly exclaimed, probably waking the entire dorm up. “We haven’t even known each other a full month! How can you say anything about who I am? How can you tell me how to think? How can you expect me to do any of this?” he was on the verge of tears, which told Shinso that he’d been thinking about this too.

“I don't know! I don't know what to think anymore! I just want you to believe me! I just want us to be friends again! I hate having to step on eggshells in my own home.” Shinso spat back, his eyes darting upwards and seeing a few students sleepily gathered by the railing upstairs to see why they were being so loud at nearly four in the morning.

Kaminari forcefully exhaled. “How am I supposed to know that you didn't do the things Ichigo said? I don't know who you are. I don't know how you act. I've known him for way longer!”

“Because Ichigo is a snake-faced liar who wants to get back at me for being close to you! Can't you see, Denki? He just wants you back!”

Denki blinked, taken aback before his expression twisted into one of anger. “Okay. We’re done here.” he snarled before storming upstairs, past the entirety of their classmates, and slamming his door when he entered his room.

Shinso stormed out the front door again, tears rolling down his face as he ran as far from the dorm buildings as he could. He knew the way to his parents by heart, and that's exactly where he’d go.

Chapter Text

Shota didn't know who he expected to be knocking at his door at four in the morning, but it certainly wasn't his son. Even further, he didn't expect Shinso’s eyes to be bloodshot and for him to have tears running down his face, staining his T-shirt.

“Hitoshi? What- what happened? Are you hurt?” He asked gently as he urged his son inside, closing the door behind him. Shinso inhaled a shaky breath and continued his sob session while Shota pulled him into a strong hug, rubbing his back without saying anything else for a few moments so Shinso could get it all out of his system.

Hizashi sleepily shuffled into the kitchen and flicked the hall light on. “Shota? Why- Oh. Hitoshi, what's wrong?” He asked, a flurry of emotions crossing his face all at once. He joined the other two in the group hug, wanting to comfort their son even without knowing why he was so upset.

Shinso was so confused, angry, and sad. He had no idea how things got so bad for him, or what he had done to deserve any of it. He thought everything was going so well. How could Denki just turn on him like that? As he struggled with it all internally, wrapped in the protective embrace of his parents, His sadness just turned to anger.

After a few more minutes, he took another, less shaky breath and slumped into one of the dining room chairs. Shota got him a glass of water, which Shinso gulped down gratefully. He was silent for a few more moments before heaving a sigh.

“Denki’s ex-boyfriend told him a few lies about me, and now Denki is acting like I killed his dog or something. He won't listen to anyone, and his friends told me that his ex is really toxic. It’s taking a big toll on me because I got really attached to him in the three weeks that we’ve known each other, and to have him treating me like this is really jarring and frustrating,” He explained. Hizashi’s eyebrows furrowed, and he sat down next to Hitoshi. Shota sat down at the table as well.

“I’m sorry that this is happening,” Hizashi’s voice was soft as he held his son’s hand. “I promise you that we are on your side and we’re rooting for you. Don't give up on Denki, if you really and truly feel so strongly about him. He seems like a cool kid, from what your father tells me. As for his ex… all lies must come to light at some point, right? Whether it be by your friends, or yourself, or even himself… he can’t keep them up. What’s important right now is that you stay calm, keep a level head, and don't give him the attention that he so clearly wants. It will only fuel the fire.”

Hitoshi stayed silent as he listened and nodded when he was finished talking.

“I know this situation makes you sad. I know it makes you feel hopeless. But I just… I *know* that he’ll come around if you keep trying. If you keep fighting.” Hizashi added. Hitoshi nodded again. “Thank you,” He murmured, voice barely audible. “I’m going to sleep.” He added, and his parents both nodded and watched Hitoshi shuffle into his room. He collapsed on his bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

*

Hitoshi’s exhaustion-fueled slumber was abruptly ended when his phone violently vibrated on his nightstand. He peered with bleary eyes into the dark room to grab his phone, peering at the screen. “MINA” flashed across his vision, and he groaned inwardly before hitting “accept.”

“Shinso? Where are you?”

“Hm? ‘M at my dad’s,”

“Oh, thank God! We were all so worried about you after you stormed out of the dorm last night. Hey, but good news! I’ve compiled a ton of evidence against Ichigo, and I’m dropping it all off in a folder at Kami’s door right now. That's why I’m whispering.” There was a pause, and then Mina was quietly giggling to herself. “Okay, it’s placed. Hopefully, he realizes that you haven't done anything wrong when he puts two and two together.”

Shinso hummed sleepily. He was only partially taking in what was happening, as his mind was still half-asleep. “Should I come back? Or… should I steer clear of the dorms?”

Mina seemed to be mulling it over in her head. “I’m not sure. Let's give it a little so he can at least see the folder and the evidence. It’s a Saturday, so it’s not like you have to see him in class for at least today and tomorrow. Hey, maybe you could come with us to the skate park? Bakugo can pick you up.”

Shinso heard an exasperated groan from somewhere far away on the other line and smiled. “Sure. It would prevent me from moping around all day,” He mumbled. Mina squealed in delight. “Yay! Okay, we’ll be there soon.” She informed him before hanging up.

Shinso sighed, rubbed his head, and sat up. He felt emotionally exhausted, but physically, he felt refreshed. He figured all the crying he’d done the night before had tired him out. He shuffled over to his closet and peered inside, trying to decide what to wear amongst the sparse amount of clothing he had hanging up. The rest of it was back at the dorm.

*

Shinso shifted a little, readjusting the bag that was slung over his shoulder. He was standing at the end of his dad’s driveway, waiting for his friends. After not much longer, he heard the telltale loud music and purring engine of Bakugo’s Jeep and glanced down the street, catching sight of the vehicle and Mina almost hanging out the window as she attempted to wave at Shinso. Two large, strong hands were placed on her waist, and Shinso assumed that it was Kirishima trying to keep her from falling out.

Bakugo rolled to a stop in front of him, giving a small wave of acknowledgement. Shinso returned it and climbed into the car. He was on the left side next to Kirishima. Everyone shouted their greetings at him at once, and Shinso couldn't help but smile as he greeted them back. Bakugo continued driving as Shinso buckled himself in.

Mina leaned forward so she could see Shinso around Kirishima and tilted her head, “I’m so glad you decided to come! This is gonna be so much fun. We haven't been to the skate park in a while. Do you have your own board?” She asked. Shinso nodded and unzipped his bag, giving her a sneak peek of the underside of it. Mina’s eyes sparkled, and she made a small “ooo” before allowing Bakugo to turn the music back up.

The ride to the skate park was rather noisy, but Shinso kept quiet the whole time as he stared out the window, his mind playing the last few days in his mind over and over. When they arrived, everyone hopped out, and Mina gave Shinso a supportive pat on the back before grabbing his wrist and pulling him so he wouldn't get left behind. The skate park was right next to the beach, which was crowded today since it was nice out.

Shinso began pulling his protective gear on as he watched Bakugo. He was kneeling on the ground, tying his shoe while Kirishima waited for him at one of the rails. As Shinso finished gearing up, he listened to his surroundings, boards landing on the pavement and people laughing at their buddies falling on their butts trying a new trick. He found himself zoning out a bit until Mina snapped him out of it, “Hey Shinso, wanna see a trick?” She shouted from one of the bowls, preparing to skate down it.

Mina waved at him once more, leaning forward to perform her trick. She skated through the bowl, and as she got to the other side of it, she crouched down and held onto the front of her board, turning into a flip while catching air. Shinso kept his eyes on her as she landed. She looked proud of the stunt, smiling from ear to ear. He gave her a nod of approval and clapped. “Did you see me?” She gets off her board and jogs to Shinso, “Whoa, that was awesome, Mina! You went so high!” Kirishima chimed in. “Yeah, that was cool,” Shinso said. She jumped up and down, holding her board under her arm, her face lit up with a smile.

Shinso didn’t really feel in the mood to skate, but he did it anyway, skating around Mina, who was doing little kick tricks with her board. He chuckled lightly to himself as he watched Kirishima fall on his ass. “You okay over there?” Mina called out, “Yup, couldn’t be better!” Kirishima shouted back, rubbing his backside where he had just fallen. Bakugo stood over him, snickering before losing his balance and following him to the ground, grumbling as Kirishima burst out laughing.

Mina looked to Shinso, “Hey, are you hungry?” He pondered for a second before nodding, “mhm.” He replied as he unclipped his helmet and put it on the ground beside his backpack. As he did so, his stomach grumbled and he remembered he didn’t have time to eat breakfast. “Shinso and I are going to grab something to eat at that food truck over there,” Kirishima jumped up, “boy, am I hungry!” Bakugo grabbed his arm and pointed to his untied shoe, earning a groan from Kirishima, who’d made breakfast but forgot to eat it. He begged Bakugo to let him bring his food with him this one time, but he had a strict ‘no food in my car’ rule made because once he spilled his drink all over the seats.

“I’ve never eaten from a food truck,” Shinso announced as he and Mina approached. “Really? They’re so good, I like to order their takoyaki or the onigiri!” Shinso liked onigiri; he used to make it at home with his dads.

Shinso hummed, glancing up at the menu hanging above the serving window. As Mina read through the food options, the worker inside finished preparing other meals, finally turning around to take their order. He was tall with dark blue hair pulled up into a bun inside a hair net. “Hello, my name is Amajiki. What can I help you with today?” He sounded like he’d rather be anywhere but in the truck taking orders. Mina ordered her food, and Amajiki wrote it down. He stood there waiting for Shinso to order, but he had gotten overwhelmed reading all the options. “I’ll just take the onigiri,” he finally ordered.

“Coming right up,” as he wrote down Shinso’s order, a taller man stepped into the truck behind him, putting a hair net onto his messy blonde hair. “Once you’re done with these orders, you can go home. Good job today, kid,” he patted the young man on the shoulder and turned to the pair of teens in front of him, “your orders will be done shortly, feel free to have a seat at the benches over there, and we’ll be happy to bring it out to ya!” He smiled at the two.

Shinso followed Mina to one of the picnic benches set out on the side of the parking lot and plopped down with a hefty sigh. He rubbed his head and watched the rest of the group having fun and laughing with each other, not far off. Kirishima was holding Bakugo’s hand as he tried a new trick, but he kept messing up and yelling at the redhead. Kiri just laughed each time, seemingly having the time of his life.

“So how are you feeling?” Mina asked, perching her chin on her hand.

“Honestly? I don’t know. I thought I’d come along to take my mind off everything and have a bit of fun, but I just feel like I’ll bum everyone out by being so moody. Kaminari… made me happy for the first time in a long time. And now I don't know if I’ll ever get him back.”

Mina listened, carefully thinking of what to say to not upset Shinso. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, we all had fun skating and hanging out with you today!” He exhaled deeply, wishing Kaminari were there with all of them. He smiled weakly at Mina, appreciative that she was doing all of this for him when all he was doing was complaining.

He continued to eat at a slow pace, watching his friends play together. Once he was done, he threw his trash away and rejoined them, taking turns on the half-pipe with Kirishima and Mina while Bakugo wandered off to find food for himself.

Half an hour later, Shinso had gotten so wrapped up in skating that he’d seemingly forgotten all of his problems. A big smile crossed his face as Kirishima landed a trick and skated off to the side so he could get out of Mina’s way.

She stood with her hands on her hips, confidently hyping herself up before also doing a cool trick. Shinso clapped, glancing to the side as Bakugo approached once more. He looked less grumpy, so Shinso assumed his meal had been good.

“I'm going to the bathroom!” Shinso announced, and the others shouted back acknowledgements. Shinso headed toward the square building, finding an empty stall. When he was done, he washed his hands. As he was heading back out, his phone buzzed. He glanced down at it, seeing a new text from his dads. He typed a response and then pocketed his phone again.

Just as he was about to head back and rejoin his friends, he heard a distant shout that was gradually getting louder. He looked around, trying to find the source of the sound, and finally, his eyes landed on electric-blonde hair and Kaminari frantically waving his hands in the air.

“HITOSHI!!” Kaminari exclaimed, running toward him at full speed. Shinso stiffened, unsure what to do. He closed his eyes for a split second, praying this wouldn’t go as poorly as their last interaction had.

Opening his eyes again, Kaminari was much closer, still running at full speed. Shinso put his arms out in front of him to protect himself from a supposed attack, but Kaminari finally reached him and jumped into his arms, wrapping his own around Shinso’s neck.

“I’m so sorry!” Kaminari blurted. His voice was thick with tears, and he was trembling rather intensely. His face was wet. Shinso slowly, uncertainly, hugged Kami back as his brain tried to understand the situation.

“I can’t believe I let him do that to us. I can’t believe the way I acted. I missed you so much,” Kaminari sobbed, heaving and shuddering as he held onto Shinso tightly.

Shinso felt tears pricking at his waterline. “It’s okay,” He weakly replied, “I missed you too.” He said, a bit more confidently this time. His arms tightened around Kaminari.

Kmai sniffled, then lifted his head so he could look at Shinso.

“I love you, Hitoshi.”

Shinso froze, wondering if that's what he really heard. But then, Kaminari repeated himself.

“I love you so much. I have the whole time. I’m so sorry,” He buried his face back in Shinso’s shoulder. Shinso’s hand came up to comfortingly stroke Kami’s hair.

“I love you too, Kaminari.” He whispered back.