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Kaminari Denki was an incredibly impulsive human. It was a fact; and his impulsiveness often showed in the craziest ways. As a child, he’d had multiple incidents involving electricity and heat happen – sticking his fingers into outlets, accidentally putting a fork into the microwave, touching the hot stove multiple times (once just wasn’t enough) and his parents’ worst nightmare: setting a lamp on fire – because of it. With the number of his age rising, Denki started to learn what to do to avoid such situations; though the intrusive thoughts still popped up every once in a while.
Now that he somewhat unlearned his habits of getting into trouble with things that could potentially kill him or burn his home down, his impulsiveness showed in other ways. A good example was when he first asked Kyouka out.
He’d barely known her for a week, when he decided he liked the girl. She was pretty, funny and could sing really well. But instead of doing it subtly, Denki stood up in the middle of their school band practice from where he’d been playing the piano and announced, “I want to go out with you, Jirou.”
Kyouka, of course, did not want to go out with him. She said no.
It stung a little, being rejected, that is; though Denki wasn’t Denki if he hadn’t been used to it. He’d asked out a lot of pretty girls in middle school and all of them turned him down. Said he was too loud, too annoying and too obnoxious. Rejection was something he quickly got used to, because everyone wanted a gentleman; someone with manners. That being said, Denki didn’t not have manners, but… Well, he was Kaminari Denki, which was basically a synonym for chaotic and clumsy. Not exactly a trait girls looked for in their ideal boyfriend.
So, when Kyouka rejected him, he wasn’t exactly surprised. Denki went on with his day as if it hadn’t happened, ignoring the way one of the band guys snickered every time he saw Denki for the following week. After being rejected, he moved on. As he always did, because otherwise he’d just be in pain the whole time. He subtly flirted with his classmates and tried to ask multiple of them out, never getting a yes. There were even a few girls from other classes, but no one was interested in this loud, annoying disaster called Kaminari Denki.
By the time he started his last year of highschool, Denki was sure he’d stay single for the rest of his school career. He’d made friends with the other band members, which had become a nice group of nine people. Kyouka, Mina, Ejii, Katsuki, Toshi, Shouto, Fumikage and Hanta were all really talented people and they’d bring it far in the show business – if they wanted to – Denki was sure of it.
It was the day before Valentine’s Day when Kyouka had finally admitted to liking Denki. A shock for him, after being so used to rejection. He’d never expected his best friend (or anyone, really) to develop feelings for him, even if it had almost been a year since he realised he really wanted her to be more than just his best friend.
Now, seven years later, owning a flat and a dog (a little pomeranian called Katsudon) with his girlfriend, Denki decided he wanted to take the next step in their relationship. Honestly, it was one of his impulse decisions again, but he was a hundred percent sure he wanted this. He had been the second he strolled past the jeweller, in search of the perfect Christmas present.
All he needed was a second opinion on this matter, which is why he called Toshi. Toshi surely be ecstatic to hear his idea–
“ You want to what?! ” Or maybe not.
“I’m going to propose to Kyouka on Christmas, isn’t that amazing?” Denki tried winning his friend over, but for some reason, Toshi was hesitant.
“ Okay, but does it have to be Christmas? Maybe you should wait until after the holidays to- ,” the other man started again, but Denki interrupted him.
“No way! Christmas is suuuper romantic, it being about love and all!”
For some reason, Toshi still appeared unhappy about this. “ I know it’s romantic, but what about Valentine’s? Your anniversary is coming up in February, too. ”
That was a good point. But it’d still leave Denki with no Christmas present for Kyouka, so he refused. Besides, now that he had the idea; he couldn’t wait to finally propose to her. “No, it has to be Christmas! Now come join me at the jeweller, I’m waiting for you. I need a second opinion to choose a ring.”
“ You’re where?! ”
“At the jeweller down the street from Kyouka and I’s home. You know, Ophelia’s Heaven?”
On the other end of the line, Toshi just sounded done. “ Of fucking course you are. Couldn’t this wait? ”
“No, I’m there right now and I am expecting your arrival.”
A sigh. Then, “ Alright, fine. I’m coming. You owe me one, though. ”
Quickly, Denki threw a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from squealing in this quiet store, unable to thank his friend for agreeing before he hung up. He’d just do that when Toshi gets here, he presumed. Meanwhile, he started browsing different rings, taking mental note of those he liked more than others to ask Toshi what he thought.
It took at least twenty minutes until his best friend showed up, a crease between his brows telling him he was very displeased with Denki at the moment. That didn’t stop him, though. He opened his mouth to happily greet Toshi just to be interrupted with a grumpy, “You cut my date short.”
“Awh, with the sweet woodcarving guy?” Denki asked, watching the purple haired man’s face grow more upset by the second. “I would say I’m sorry, but I really need your help with this, I need it to be perfect! I’ll make it up to you.”
“You better,” Toshi muttered, then ran a hand over his face as if he was wiping the bad emotions away, because the look on his face got replaced by his usual one. Smooth forehead, eyebrows up and mouth tipping down slightly because of its natural form. “Alright, have you already looked at some or were you waiting for me?”
“Both,” Denki replied right away. “Come on, I want to know what you think about some.” Without waiting for an answer, he placed his hand on his best friend’s wrist and dragged him towards the first display. They started looking through different rings, with Denki pointing out ones he liked and Toshi (though he did his best to be subtle about it) trying to stop him from buying a ring. His attempts got ignored deliberately as Denki instead talked to the woman advising him.
After a while, Ophelia pulled out a panel with pink coloured sapphires, which made Denki pause as he felt the excitement swirling in his chest.
“Toshi,” he whispered, “They look like rose quartz.”
The exasperated sigh coming from the man was promptly brushed off and Toshi said, “Not really.”
Shaking his head, Denki pointed to the light pink ones by the side; distracting from the almost magenta looking stones next to them. “I’m talking about these!” Too focused on examining the rings with the soft pink stones, he missed the tired look Toshi gave the store owner and the silent chuckle she replied with.
Denki leaned towards a ring whose band looked like it ended with two lightning bolts, one on either side. The lightning bolts just about didn’t touch – so the circle technically wasn’t closed, but the bolts overlapped in a way – and they were filled with the sapphires, which caused it to shimmer in a gentle pink tone.
“This one.”
— * —
Soon after, Denki and Toshi stood outside the jewellery store, the former holding a small bag with a ring case in it. He couldn’t help the grin on his face, knowing he would be screaming if they weren’t on the street. There was a giddy feeling in his stomach, making him bounce on the spot. When he turned to look at Toshi, he just looked exhausted. Nothing new; but somehow it seemed a different kind of exhausted than the one where he tried to hide his happiness for his friend.
Within a second, the grin was wiped off Denki’s face and his heels planted back on the ground. “Why can’t you just be happy for me? Why do you not want me to marry Kyouka?”
Apparently, the purple haired man did not expect the sudden confrontation, because he blinked. And then his expression shifted. Guilt. “I’m sorry, I’ve just got something on my mind. I do want you to marry Kyouka and be happy with her. I am happy for you.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you would try to keep me from buying a ring,” Denki said, though now he was starting to feel bad for being so harsh to him. Gods, Toshi kind of deserved to be asked about this, but the remorse still weighed him down immediately. Maybe he was too soft.
Silence. Then, “I just don’t want you to do this on an impulse. I know you mean it, but maybe you should’ve at least slept a night about it. To make sure it’s not too soon.”
Rolling his eyes, Denki commented, “It’s not too soon. Kyou and I have been dating for almost seven years. I think it’s time.”
With a sigh, Toshi closed his eyes, rolled his shoulders and opened his eyes again. “You’re right. I’m sorry for trying to sabotage you. You’re a great guy and Kyouka is lucky to have you.”
“Thank you.” Feeling his lips tug back up into a smile, Denki hugged Toshi. “I’m so excited.” It was a mere whisper, but he knew Toshi could hear him.
“Good for you.”
— * —
Denki was focused on the guitar in his hands, fingers moving from one chord to another. Along with the gentle vibration of the instrument, he hummed a melody; faltering every few seconds. It wasn’t perfect, and he didn’t have the details worked out, but after two or so minutes, he finished the unfinished song, raising his head to look at the members of their band. Kyouka had her eyes closed, lips pressed together in a way that told Denki she was silently humming to herself. She always did this during song-writing sessions. Next to her, Shouto had his arms crossed but his lips were formed into a tiny smile. The man nodded when Denki looked at him.
“I like it,” Fumikage added. His posture was similar to Shouto’s as he stared at the table from where he was sitting on a chair.
Katsuki, who was sitting right next to Denki was begrudgingly petting Katsudon from where the pomeranian had laid down on his lap. “It’s fucking fine.” (Which meant he liked it as well.)
“What do you think of this,” Kyouka suggested, then started singing a slightly better version of what Denki had been humming as Katsudon jumped off Katsuki’s lap, shortly before the doorbell rang.
With a grunt, Katsuki rose from his seat as well. “I’ll get it.” So he left the table to go to the front door. Instead of waiting for him, Kyouka continued talking about her ideas to improve Denki’s song. A shout from outside interrupted them again, but they barely paid any attention to it since it wasn’t unusual for the human version of their dog – just that the dog wasn’t hiding his soft side behind anger issues. Moments after, Denki thought he heard Toshi’s voice but he let it slide since the purple haired man would likely be standing in their kitchen soon anyways.
He was wrong.
Katsuki returned on his own, looking upset and lost in thought and there was a paper bag in his hand. “It’s for you, Earlobes.” Reflexively, Denki turned to look at Kyouka, who, judging by her wide eyes, seemed to know what it was.
“Oh yeah, that’s fine! I’ll put it away real quick. Be right back.” She jumped from her seat, taking the bag from Katsuki and jogged into the hallway, presumably to their bedroom to hide whatever thing Toshi brought over.
When she returned, Denki asked, “What’s in there?”
“Nothing!” Kyouka’s voice was unusually high and panicky and she sat down in her earlier spot, wringing her hands. Denki didn’t believe a word.
“Okaay?”
— * —
Christmas Day rolled around the corner too soon. Or too late. Denki couldn’t decide.
His mood kept swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other. One second he was all giddy and excited and couldn’t wait to finally give the ring to Kyouka. The next second he wanted to hide underneath his blanket and not resurface until the day had ended, worrying that maybe Kyouka thought it was too early and would say no. Or worse, she’d break up with him completely as soon as the idea of marrying plopped into her head because how in the world was he, Kaminari Denki, supposed to believe that someone would ever want to marry him. He was a mess. He should’ve gone to therapy.
Maybe there were emergency sessions for people on Christmas, or self-aid groups that met up today. He should look it up, and do that instead of– No.
Denki was not going to chicken out of this. Denki loved Kyouka. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted to marry her. And if she didn’t think the same way, then–
That was a possibility he didn’t even want to think about. Only if Kyouka did actually say no, he would indulge in those thoughts and wonder what to do next. It just wasn’t a situation he wanted to be prepared for, a trait he’d picked up while trying to live in denial of any possible worst outcomes in literally any situation, any second of his life.
So, since it was Christmas Day and they were going to be an engaged couple by the end of the day, Denki allowed himself to stay in bed a little longer, snuggling into his girlfriend’s bare back. “Good Morning, my love,” he murmured, placing a few open-mouthed kisses on her shoulder.
Tension he didn’t even know was there seeped from Kyouka’s body and she sighed. “Morning, babe.” Her head turned towards him and they shared a kiss, leaning into the other’s gentle touch.
“Merry Christmas,” Denki murmured, leaning his forehead against Kyouka’s as he closed his eyes. “Did you sleep well?”
“Mmm,” the woman hummed, nodding hesitantly. “You?”
Instead of replying right away, Denki slid his arms around her, pulling Kyouka closer and burying his face in her dark hair that smelled soothingly like her jasmine shampoo. She had showered last night before they went to bed, after all. “As good as a frog in winter.”
Kyouka’s body shook for a second, warm air puffing against Denki’s naked chest and he grinned at the realisation that she was laughing. “You’re an idiot,” she mumbled, sounding so incredibly smitten. It gave him the exact boost of confidence of the proposal going well that he needed.
“ Your idiot,” Denki returned, pressing a kiss on top of her head. “Now let’s get up. It’s Christmas and I’ve got a present for you.”
Grumbling, Kyouka dug herself further underneath the blankets, moving closer to Denki. “Can’t we stay a little bit longer? It’s barely eight.”
“Doing what exactly?” Denki asked, but he already knew the answer.
— * —
About half an hour later, they finally stumbled out of bed, making coffee to drink on the couch in the early morning calm. Their tree was lit, golden lights sparkling in between the tree’s red and golden baubles. There were also a few sweets left, simple chocolate umbrellas. Denki’s favourite. Most of their friend group (mainly Denki) had already eaten a big part of what they’d originally hung up almost two weeks ago.
Lifting his arm, Denki let Kyouka snuggle into his side and placed his head on top of hers. “So what do you think about having breakfast after we do the presents?”
For a moment, Kyouka stayed silent. Then she compromised, “Only if I get to give the present to you first.” That was okay with Denki.
He nodded, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Alright, then.”
Without letting another beat pass, the woman rose from her seat on the sofa and emptied her mug, stepping away before hesitating. And then continuing on her way. Meanwhile, Denki moved to the top shelf in the living room where he kept their broken electrical devices until he’d finally wind up bringing them to the collecting point. And since recently, he’s also been keeping something else up there since Kyouka was too short to reach the cabinet without a chair and she didn’t care enough for it since (to her knowledge) there was only junk inside. The perfect hiding place.
As soon as Denki sat back on the couch, stomach squirming, hiding the small box behind himself, Kyouka re-entered the living room. She had brushed her hair. She was also holding a square box with Denki’s gift. It was about the height of two tissue boxes.
Anxiety was written all over her face when she lowered herself on the sofa; handing the present to Denki before immediately fiddling with the bottom of Denki’s shirt that she’d thrown on earlier when they got up. Surprised at the level of nervousness, Denki decided the present could wait. He scooted closer to his girlfriend and took her hands in his, placing gentle kisses on the knuckles. “Hey, it’s okay. I don’t know why you’re so anxious about this gift, but there is no reason to be. I love you and I’m not gonna judge you,” he said, holding eye contact.
Kyouka slowly let out a deep breath, nodding. “I love you, too. I’m sorry, this just means a lot to me and I–.” She faltered, not attempting to continue talking. Denki took it as his sign to finally open the gift, pressing a kiss to her cheek before he let go to take the gift back into his hands.
It wasn’t all that heavy, but the way Kyouka was glancing at him told him it definitely held a heavy meaning. This was important for her. What could it be?
Carefully, he pulled on the bow, causing it to come undone. Denki didn’t know what to expect when he lifted the top of the box, but tissue paper was not on the list of things his mind had come up with in order to try to guess what Kyouka had gotten him. With a swift movement, his hand got rid of the paper hiding the actual present, just to look at the top of some statue. It was hard to tell anything from his bird perspective but– oh.
Oh .
OH.
There was a ring. Face going blank as he tried to sort through all his emotions and prevent himself from screaming, he reached in for the figure – wooden, as he realised by touch – and held it up in front of himself. It was a wooden Pikachu figure with Kyouka’s trademark beanie. In his paws, the yellow Pokémon held a red heart with a carving that said “Marry me?”
Hardly aware of the tears leaking from his eyes, Denki turned the figure in his hands carefully, as if it was glass, looking at the ring that Pikachu’s tail was holding. It was the exact same one as the one Denki had bought. A wet chuckle escaped him at the realisation and he raised a hand to wipe a few tears before setting the figure down onto the coffee table to pull out his own present from its hiding place and hold it out to Kyouka, who was staring at him with her eyes blown wide.
“I’m going to answer your question if you answer mine,” he started, removing the bow from the small box that his girlfriend must’ve recognised the second she saw it. Then, with a quiet pop , he opened the box, revealing the ring to Kyouka. “Will you marry me?”
“I can’t believe this,” Kyouka muttered, looking severely shocked.
Denki blinked, hand still holding out the ring box. “So?” he asked, a little unsure now.
“I asked first,” the woman said, pointing to the Pikachu abandoned on their coffee table. And, well, she was right.
“Will you put the ring on my finger if I say yes?”
She looked from Denki to the table and back, before cracking a smile so bright it could compete against Eiji’s, which was not something someone just simply did. Especially Kyou. But Denki knew this smile, he’d seen it on rare occasions and his heart started racing at the sight of her happiness. Kyouka plucked the ring from Pikachu and held it in between her thumb and pointer finger, ready to place the ring where it belonged. “Yes.”
Now feeling himself smile just as wide as his girlfriend– or, no, fiancé now, Denki announced, “I would love to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Without hesitation, Kyouka slipped the ring on Denki’s finger, leaning with her hands on his to press a kiss to his lips. “Me too,” she said, cheeks a bright red colour as Denki took it upon himself to return the favour of putting a ring on her finger.
Buzzing with excitement and happiness, Denki started to bounce in his seat, ready to scream. Though he decided there was a better way to get rid of the excess energy and leaned forward, placing a fierce kiss to his fiancé’s lips, moving to press her back into the couch while he was on top of her. After that, things happened that if their friends knew, they’d never sit down on the sofa ever again.
When they had calmed back down from their high, snuggling into each other, Denki stared at the wooden statue. Wooden statue. Wait, did Toshi know about this? Is this how he actually met the sweet woodcarving guy?
A gasp escaped Denki as he exclaimed, “Did Hitoshi know about this?!”
Kyouka blinked up at him like she was still processing the question, then nodded. “Yeah, it’s how he found his boyfriend. Midoriya is the one who made the figure.”
“Oh my gods,” Denki groaned, leaning backwards.
— * —
Shortly after, a picture of their hands with the rings and the Pikachu in the background had been sent to Toshi, followed by a very loving text. (“YOU BITCH”)
The reply came just when Kyouka had gotten up to get some menu for ordering breakfast instead of making it themselves.
Monday, 10:12AM
Kitten;): congrats on getting engaged