Chapter Text
Cigarettes are bad for you. Everyone knows that.
But, many things are bad. Bullying is bad, crime is bad.
Even some personal habits are bad. Plenty of them, actually: tanning, gambling, drinking...
And at the height of the summer heat, the roof of Shinso's school was the best place to be to enjoy one such cigarette. The cool breeze, the low hum of traffic and the thousands of pitter patter steps on the streets below. All of it complimented the soft burn in his lungs.
Even if he knew it was slowly, but surely killing him. Him, and his damned quirk.
It was the last Friday of June in his senior year of middle school. Everyone was busy studying for the coveted UA hero course entrance exam.
Whereas he, couldn't think of anything worse.
Coming up here was the escape from thinking about all that, the pressure of it, and yet, even here, his mind drifted back into hell as he stared at his highschool application form.
The form everyone else in his class had readily submitted the day they could, desperate to claw their way into Japans top hero school.
That's what he dreamed of too when he was younger.
Getting into UA like all the pro-heroes seemed to do and train to become a hero like he used to watch on TV.
But he got older, learned that some quirks were better than others, and that dream rotted and died. Festering somewhere in his chest.
The real problem lies here: he realised that somewhere along the process of letting his dreams die, he forgot to dream of something else. And, is now facing the unforgiving consequences of becoming lazy with his future. The corner of his mouth twitching awkwardly as he bore down at the blank application.
He leaned up against the cool metal railing with a cigarette caught between his lips as the form gently ripples in the wind.
He could've asked his friends for advice, but they were already long gone for the weekend. He breathed in another long huff as he nestled his chin into his arms. "We're going to karaoke today, sorry we pre-booked the room! They wouldn't fit any more of us!" they put on an excellent act, really, rubbing their hands and necks in an awkward fashion. Great stuff for some dumb middle-schooler's "Maybe next time?". They didn't mean it.
They're only apologising at all because he overheard their plans to go by accident.
What they didn't know is, that it was also the Friday before Shinso's birthday that same weekend.
He breathed out the smoke through his nose onto the form. Maybe the smoke would go "poof" and magic up some good answers for his teacher.
He was sure they weren't hurting him this bad on purpose- he wasn't that far gone. But, they never asked him when it was either.
And to say something like "I want to spend my birthday with you guys" would only lead to pitiful excuses and fluttering about him, guilty stares that screamed they didn't want to go.
So, he never told them.
And now he's left alone on a roof. Unsure of his future, himself, his friends. Unsure of the point of it all and with half a mind to throw his cig and himself off the damn building.
...
Not really, right?
If he hypothetically hopped over the metal guard railing, there was still a chain link fence.
A very tall chain link fence.
Even if he could; theoretically of course, get his fingers through the holes, his shoes would make him slip.
So, there's no way he could really climb this thing.
But. maybe if he took his shoes off his feet would have a better grip.... Only a thought, though.
He inhaled another drag of his cigarette, stuffing the form in his pocket as his mind wandered carelessly.
He couldn't actually climb the fence, could he? So, there was no real point in questioning if he really wanted to fall.
Just a spur of the moment thought. He wasn't that far gone at all.
Lazily, Shinso raised a hand toward the chain link fence, fingertips gracing the metal, feeling a static shock bolt through his fingers-
And a boy with golden hair burst through the door?
Shinso spun his head around to face the abrasive noise. The boy was his age. But, wasn't wearing their school uniform, and stared at Shinso, as if he expected Shinso to stay something.
Shinso stared back blankly. Frozen, fingers stretched out to the chain link. Who was this strange guy?
Hesitantly, trying to be casual, resting his hand back down onto the guard rail as wind brushed past both of them, not caring if his hair obstructed his vision so long as he had his cig and the rail to hold him steady in the face of a stranger.
"I-I'm waiting for a girl!" The blond blurted out.
"Right." Shinso hums a bit hoarsely, taken aback by the volume. Blinking. Then returning to lean onto the railing.
It was none of his concern what his classmates decided to get up to in their free time. It wasn't gonna interrupt him from cig as long as this guy didn't rat him out.
He expects the stranger to hang awkwardly by the door, awaiting little miss mystery and then fuck off elsewhere with her.
But, "I'm Kaminari Denki, You?" was not what he expected to hear right next to his ear.
He was also unnecessarily loud even at this distance.
Shinso does not look at him. "Shinso Hitoshi." He huffs out another cloud of smoke in punctuation.
"So uh, you go to school here?" Kaminari starts out hesitantly.
Shinso fought to not cringe as hard externally as he was internally, "mmhm." resting his head against his hand to block his face from Kaminari's view.
Please take the hint and leave, wait for your girlfriend somewhere else but here.
"Cool." Kaminari starts out. nervous "Coooooool..." he lets the silence hang in the air for a beat. "So, do you have a quirk?" He perks up, shoulders rising to his ears, leaning over eagerly.
Another reason he hates small-talk. It always led to this.
An exchange of question and answer that he'd endured maybe a thousand times throughout his life. Each time never getting any more comfortable.
But, he didn't like this kid. So, maybe it was a good thing that he gets to scare him into leaving without even needing to put any effort in.
And yet... He couldn't bring himself to watch.
"Brain-wash." He mumbles.
People tended to have two reactions to his quirk. The first, less common. Some people recoil at the title alone. Thinking they've made a mistake just by stepping into his presence.
When he was younger he sometimes lied about his quirk to people, or even better: saying that he's quirkless. But, people would always find out eventually. And apparently, people think you're even less trustworthy when you lie to them about your villainous quirk.
But no, Kaminari fit snugly into the dreaded second reaction.
"Oh yeah? And, what does that do?" he asks curiously.
The second reaction, where they believed Shinso would turn this around. That there was some secret "Gotcha!" moment. One where he would reveal it was a very normal, nice quirk, that nice boys have.
In this scenario, fate allows him to watch in real time as fear consumes the light in their eyes.
He sucked up more smoke than he should. Holding it in to scorch his insides. Giving him precious seconds that would hold off the inevitable as he prayed to any deity that he may get so lucky that Kaminari's girlfriend would come running in to save them both before he got a chance to open his mouth.
God did not grant his request.
He shut his eyes and began slow, dry and clear "If... I can get someone to reply to me, I can control their movements with verbal commands". No dragging this out. No "I don't think I heard that right?", no "You're pulling my leg".
And, Shinso waits for it.
He feels like a child under the covers.
The "Woah man, that's scary stuff.", the "and what have you done with that?" He holds his breath, and waits for the tsunami to hit.
"Dude, that's awesome!"
...
Shinso finally lifted his head up to face Kaminari.
Kaminari was staring off into the city, lost in his own fantasy as he rambled on- "Imagine going up against a villain with a cool quirk like that!"
Cool.
Kaminari grinned "You fool them into answering you, and boom!" He punches the air, like he was actually excited "Under arrest! Job done."
A cool quirk, his quirk was cool. The quirk that belonged to Shinso was cool.
This situation was entirely off-script. For once, he didn't have anything smart to say back. No witty reply. His mind gone completely blank.
Words certainly could go in that order. But, never to him. Never to his quirk.
A quirk which would naturally pose a danger to anyone just from speaking with him. It's understandable that so many people have been wary of him, right? He'd do the same in their shoes. Plenty of kids to hang out with in the city, why bother with a guy with a freakishly scary advantage over you?
But no. This stranger, with no obligation to even be here, let alone speak with him, was the one to say the words that a younger, less guarded Shinso wished to hear all this time.
He held a fingertip to the butt of the cigarette, the pain confirming he was not dreaming.
He searched Kaminari's face for anything to remind him that he was on planet earth again: where the sky is largely blue and Shinso's quirk was bad.
His head span as silence fell between them, fingers grasping for the railing and control of the situation. "What can you do then?" He mumbles quickly.
Maybe that's it. Maybe he has a scary quirk too?
"Lightning!" Kaminari grinned before he gasped- "Hey wait, I just answered your question! Am I under your control now! Tell me to move my arm!" He waves his arm around excitedly.
Well, that was a little more familiar, "No, I haven't... I haven't done anything." His tired eyes watching Kaminari more closely now.
It's not necessarily a scary quirk. Sure, a powerful one. But, not like Shinso's was.
Kaminari just nods sagely, "Right, right. Great power comes with great responsibility and all that." He hums lifting a finger to his chin.
Shinso was about to explain more about having to willfully activate it when Kaminari beats him to the punch.
"Hey, can I borrow one?" Kaminari gestures to his cigarette.
Shinso pushes the cigarette back between his lips and pulls out his box from his inside-pocket.
"I don'ff want ih bach." Shinso smirks a little. He wouldn't normally share but, what the hell. Sure, he's feeling generous today. He offers out the box for Kaminari to pick from.
"Thanks! Ah, Um..." He carefully plucks one out and turns slowly to Shinso again. His eyes pinching together and smiling awkwardly, lips mumbling over soundless words "...-What was your name again?".
"Shinso." He replies bluntly, more intrigued by the curious way Kaminari is trying, and failing to light the cigarette "Shinso Hitoshi."
"Riiight... my bad." He hums, smiling a bit sheepishly up at Shinso "Sometimes I think the electricity is frying my brain." He chuckles a bit before sticking his tongue out in concentration.
"Oh yeah?" Shinso goads him on, giving him an excuse to watch Kaminari's hands.
"Yeah!" He grins up at Shinso, momentarily pausing his attempts to light the cigarette, of which, still remains cold. "So, gotta keep that in check if I wanna get into UA."
That's awesome! The younger, brighter Shinso voices in the back of his mind. But right now, Shinso presses the cigarette between his teeth at that and sighs rolling his eyes as if Kaminari is just another kid aiming for that 0.2% acceptance rate.
-Which he is.
Just because this kid is weirdly nice about Shinso's quirk does not make him hero material.
Especially not hero material if he's sneaking into a school to meet a girl and nab cigarettes off some guy he's just met.
But, Kaminari does not seem to be paying attention to Shinso's weak attempts to keep him at arms length. Too busy trying to get his cigarette lit; pulling the cigarette and lighter comically close to his face, flicking the lighter over and over-
On the wrong end of the cigarette.
Shinso's brows raise and fights back a wheeze, cruelly deciding to let Kaminari continue and see where this goes.
Kaminari slowly gets more and more frustrated under the pressure of Shinso's stare.
He watches Kaminari's jaw clench, and his face seem to freeze as the orange end of the cigarette simply drops to the floor with a resounding tap and on cue; Kaminari chokes, spluttering out bits of soggy paper. He drops the lighter to cover his mouth and desperately claws his tongue clean of the tabacco leaves in wild desperate swipes amidst his coughing fit.
Shinso watches the whole display with rapt disbelief that anyone could fuck up smoking this bad, it was more than worth wasting the cig for a front row seat to Kaminari's display in the artistry of sucking. He holds his cigarette between his fingers in front of his face covering his cat like grin.
"You've never done this before, have you?" The pure joy barely contained from his voice.
Kaminari coughed out a leaf "How could you tell?" He rasps.
"You're holding it the wrong way." Shinso smirks. "Like this" He wiggles his own cigarette between his fingertips and hands him a new one.
Kaminari watches carefully turning it the correct way around and lights the new cigarette before turning to watch Shinso again.
Shinso takes in an exaggerated breath, pulls the cigarette out of his mouth and blows out, so Kaminari can copy.
It was strangely intimate, to be honest.
Or, maybe he's become just that lonely that he'll take pseudo smoking intimacy from dumb blond strangers now.
Kaminari picks it up fine, but coughs up smoke anyway.
"There you go" Shinso praises him, holding himself back from patting Kaminari on the back too. "Now, never do this again. It's a terrible habit." He hums, adding on "-A terrible and expensive habit." He breathes in slowly and thoroughly enjoys the burn for a moment.
Kaminari whines, "But you looked hot when doing it, so-"
Shinso chokes.
Swiping the cigarette from his mouth quickly while he turns away from Kaminari. Who the hell says that? Out loud!?
He manages to collect himself from a coughing fit, "Won't your girl be jealous of you saying something like that?" His voice cooler than his cheeks felt, and prayed that Kaminari did not notice, or at least did not point it out.
Kaminari glances around a little dopily "Oh yeah!" He shrugs a bit exaggerated "Wonder where she is."
Shinso suddenly had a strong suspicion that there was no girl after all.
Kaminari took another drag of the cigarette, keeping it shorter this time, the wuss, and putting it between his fingertips as he grips the metal rail guard infront of them. He uses it to lean back, head up to the sky as he speaks a little more timidly, quieter "...I'm having more fun with you now anyway?" Kaminari hums to himself as the wind and light trails through his hair, letting it flow like golden ribbon. Ensnaring Shinso to stare, his breath catching thick in his throat. Allowing himself to bask in a brief moment of awe while keeping in mind that surely, this is watching in the way a bug may admire a venus fly trap.
"What are you doing up here anyway?" Kaminari hums lightly, breaking Shinso out of his thoughts. He's smiling, but his voice is quieter now. As if he just somehow knows he's asking a question with a lot of weight.
There was a lot of reasons he was up on the roof.
But, this... peaceful little bubble Kaminari had created around them isn't something he's keen to pop.
It's like everything that he was worried about alone has left him with Kaminari. This strange boy who shouldn't even be allowed in this school -managed to sneak past students, teachers, and reach him on the roof. He's taken everything that is holding him down, everything that burns him from the inside that he can never be allowed; as a bad kid with an evil quirk to say out loud... and just make it go away. He knows it'll come back again, but for now? It's nice to exist here.
It was nothing, and yet it was everything.
The gap between the railing and the chain link fence seeming to widen so far he can't see where to put his fingers into, when he's being distracted by this... fucking idiot.
So Shinso does not pop that bubble.
"To smoke." He shrugs.
Choosing instead, to float.
Kaminari doesn't know him, he's probably one of those foolish dreamers who hasn't thought about anything else but UA. He wouldn't be able to help Shinso with why he really came to the roof in the first place.
He smiles a bit to himself, imagining how Kaminari would likely answer, leaning forward over the rail guard; put down UA like all the other middle school senior's in Japan and then figure out his real choice later on.
"Hey um. Since my girl isn't showing up. Do you mind walking with me out of school so it looks like I'm meant to be here?" He grins awkwardly.
Shinso sighs. "Fine." He rolls his eyes a bit- though it's more for show than how he felt. Dropping the cigarette to the floor and snubbing it out with his heel.
It's not like he had any other business up on the roof anyway.