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“You’re sure it’s not scary?” Kaminari asked, hiding all but his face in a brightly colored blanket from his bedroom. It made my eyes hurt looking at it, “I swear, dude, you’ll get two fifty watts sent straight through you.”
“This is the movie I have seen that has made my blood run the warmest,” I stated, flicking on the TV in the commons.
It was brand new and much bigger than our old one. Kaminari and Kirishima had gotten into a physical fight late one night and while Kaminari was evading, Kirishima had swiped the TV with his arm. It teetered and nearly fell on the ground, but Kirishima managed to harden his arms and slip them below the TV before it fell to the ground. It did more damage than the floor would have.
On the neighboring couches sat most of Denki’s closest friends. Bakugou —who had already fallen asleep— and Jirou on one couch, leaving space between them for Kirishima to sit. The other one was all of our classes other girls and Sero. Previously, Sato was on my left, but he said he couldn’t do scary movies so late at night. I was alone with Kaminari on the right-most couch.
“I have food!” Kirishima shouted from the kitchen. Most everyone darted away, including Bakugou who woke up at the sound of Kirishima's voice. It was just me and Kaminari left on the couch.
“What movie is it?” He asked, “I know you’re all kinds of goth. What if it’s not scary, like, for you, but it is for me?”
“You are free to leave whenever you like, Kaminari,” I said, finding my profile on the TVs streaming service.
“My feet are cold,” He complained, sticking his bare toes out from under his putrid blanket, “I can’t leave without my socks, but I gave them to Mina…”
I gave him a not-so-easy to read look, as my feathers weren't pushed back. They hung in front of my eyes and made me look a mess. He still understood.
“I can’t ask for them back! She has big fancy nails on her toes and they gross me out, man,” Kaminari shivered, thinking about Mina’s toes.
I sighed, slipping off my socks and setting them beside Kaminari. He began to put them on before I even spoke.
“Please go get your own socks on and return mine,” I groaned. I scrolled through the app on the TV, finding the movie I suggested.
Kaminari ran off in my socks, blanket still wrapped around him tightly, still covering all but his face and toned legs.
I found my movie just as he returned, socks in hand. I expected him to put his on and return mine. Instead, he laid his socks next to me and hid his body under his blanket again.
“My socks-”
“They’re so toasty on my feet! You gotta show me where you got ‘em from ‘cuz they’re nice!” Kaminari rambled, sticking his toes out of his blanket, wiggling them in my socks. I almost laughed. My feet were a bit smaller than his, so my socks hugged his feet tighter than they did mine, “You can wear mine. I promise they’re comfy. I wouldn’t bring my bro lousy socks.”
He reached out from his blanket and grabbed his socks to put on my feet. My breath hitched and he clearly noticed, drawing back.
“Oh! Sorry dude, totally forgot. You can put ‘em on yourself,” He set them back down and looked at me with a grin. Reluctantly, I put on his brightly colored socks. They were much softer than mine. I liked them. He kept smiling at me, “Okay. Let’s watch this movie! I don’t have cold feet anymore! Haha! Get it?”
He snickered as our classmates returned and I began the movie.
I hate to lie, but when I told Kaminari this movie was not all that scary, it wasn’t the truth. This was one of my favorite scary movies and I did not have any means to watch it alone. I suggested a group watch party under the guise of a horror-comedy.
—----
Thirty minutes in, real scares started happening. Things lurked and bled and howled. Kaminari had pressed himself into the back of the couch as far as he could. Kirishima and Bakugou had fallen asleep, but Jirou seemed as into it as I was. The girls were in their own world on the center couch, giggling and laughing at the movie. Sero had left in favor of hanging out with Sato for some sweet snacks.
A particularly scary scene popped up and Kaminari jumped, leaning against me for support.
I didn’t know what to do. This movie did not scare me, but suddenly, my chest felt tight and my heart pounded.
“Tokoyami…” I heard his whisper, breathless. I looked down at his ghost-white face, “... When does the comedy happen?”
I laughed a bit too loud and awkwardly. At that moment, I wished it was a comedy. Then maybe this feeling in my chest wouldn’t be so strong.
Before I could reply, another beast jumped into frame and Kaminari flopped into my lap, sprawling his body across the couch. The feeling got more intense.
I could feel my blood flowing all over my body and my heartrate quickened. I set a hand on my chest to calm myself and very slowly set my other hand in Kaminari's hair. I thought maybe the stress came from Kaminari's distress. As a child, when my mother scratched my feathers, I felt calmer.
I felt Kaminari's body loosen as I scratched his scalp. His hair was soft and thick — nothing like my feathers. I ran my hand all throughout it, feeling every inch of his head. He seemed to get calmer and calmer as I did this, but I did not. I only felt more like I was being crushed by a smoldering anvil.
—----
As the movie drew to a close, I looked down into my lap. Kaminari had fallen asleep, his body slack. He drooled slightly onto his arm. I slipped out from under him, laying his blanket across him to keep him warm and laying his socks from my feet down beside him.
Leaving for my room, I looked back at him. He had a gentle face when he was asleep. I’d never seen anything like it from him. He was electric, but as he slept, he looked so docile and tender.
I don’t know what the feeling in my chest was, but it burned like an ember that won’t seem to go out. It was hot and everlasting and it only grew stronger as I imagined the pleasant conversation Kaminari and I would have when—if— he returned my socks.