Chapter Text
Today was, for the first time in a while, a normal day for class 1-A. After meeting the villains at USJ, then having the Sports Festival, and then going on internship, it was nice to have some normal days. However, Kaminari has been noticing some odd things about himself recently. He isn’t quite sure when it started, but recently, he’s been twitching. Normally, it’s just small twitches, like his hands and legs occasionally moving on their own while he’s sitting down and not doing anything in particular. He has also noticed some twitching and jerking in his neck. They aren’t too noticeable, but they have started to bother him. Especially when his head quickly jerks to the side for no particular reason, as, if he’s unlucky, they will sometimes hurt.
Each twitch and jerk felt like a small bolt of electricity shooting through the affected limb. He had felt similar things, like after he overuses his quirk, and his brain short-circuts for a small amount of time. But this was different. This wasn’t just right after he had used his quirk, this was random, all throughout the day. He had gotten used to mildly frying his brain after overusing his electricity, but this? He wasn’t sure he would be able to get used to this. Even more, he hoped he didn’t have to get used to it. He hoped that if maybe, just maybe, he ignored it enough, it would go away.
So, not everything is back to normal. Yet Kaminari pretends like it is. He doesn’t want to worry his friends, family or teachers. But most of all, he isn’t quite sure he even wants to know what’s happening to him. What if it’s serious? What if they won’t allow him to become a hero? Kaminari didn’t want to think about it. So, for now, he tries to ignore it, in hope that the twitches will go away on its own.
Fat chance. It seems the more he tries to ignore and suppress it, the harder they become to control, and the more noticeable they become over time. Kaminari can’t win.
If Kaminari had to guess, he’d suspect his quirk may play a part in these strange twitches. He doesn’t know exactly they started, but he’s pretty sure they started sometime after he overused his quirk over and over again.
“Denki, what are you doing, honey?” His mother’s voice broke the silence around the dinner table. It was just him and his mom. He never knew his father, his mom never spoke about him. Kaminari stopped asking about his father as he grew older, noticing how his mother always tried to avoid the topic of his dad, and he, despite his curiosity, didn't want to upset her.
Kaminari’s brows furrowed lightly as his mom pointed out his dreaded twitching. He had been so focused on trying to suppress them, that his mother’s voice almost startled him.
“Oh? Uh, nothing, don’t worry.” He tried to sound cheerful and give her his usual cheerful grin, but, of course, he could not fool his mother. She knew him too well. She is his mother after all.
“Honey, you know you can always talk to me, right?” His mother softened her voice, the same way she always had when he was a kid. “I love you, no matter what.” She smiled.
Kaminari was conflicted. He never kept secrets from his mother before, he knows she will always be there for him, no matter what. But this was different. This time, he didn’t even understand himself, and to be honest, it scared him. He wasn't even sure how to explain it, so, for now, he kept quiet.
“I know, mom, but it’s really nothing.” This time, his grin was more believable. He just hoped she wouldn’t see through him.
Whether she believed him or not, she dropped it. She knows she can’t force her son to talk to her. He’ll have to do it at his own pace. And he’ll tell her when he’s ready. Hopefully.
As Kaminari lay in bed that night, he could not stop thinking about his random movements. He tried searching the internet, but no result he found was satisfactory to him, so he dismissed them. Sure, he should’ve probably continued his search, but after many attempts, he was too frustrated to continue his search for answers. It didn’t take many minutes for him to fall asleep, his lights dim, and not yet any wiser.
Kaminari left home earlier than usual the next morning, wanting to clear his head before school started. The sun had yet to set, but the birds were wide awake, chirping and singing as Kaminari walked down the empty street. As he listened to the birds, he wished he had Koda’s quirk, so that maybe he could understand what they were talking about to each other. Do birds gossip? Kaminari couldn’t help but imagine a group of birds in a nest, quietly sharing tea, gossip, and drama with one another.
“Ugh, did you see how she just snatched that worm? Feather clearly had her eyes on it before she did. The audacity of that sparrow!”
Kaminari smiled as he imagined the birds. He should get up early every morning, and maybe he’ll eventually start understanding the birds. Maybe.
Despite getting up earlier than usual, Kaminari was, again, just barely on time to class. He got a bit carried away in the peacefulness of mother nature and the sounds of the animals around him, that he almost forgot to get to class. But, luckily, he made it. He could, however, not escape Iida’s scolding.
“Kaminari, class starts in 1 minute! You should be here at least 5 minutes before class starts!” Iida let him know, his hand chopping the air, like usual.
Kaminari wasn’t sure why he needed to be there 5 whole minutes before class started, but he knew better than to question Iida. Instead he quietly took his seat, waiting for Aizawa to arrive.
However, instead of Aizawa entering the classroom, Yamada entered instead.
“Hello, Shota is sick today, so I’ll be the substitute teacher for today,” Yamada explained, putting down some papers on the teacher podium in the front of the classroom. “So, today you will learn..”
Kaminari was not paying attention. At all. Yamada’s words went through one ear, and out the next. Kaminari always had a hard time concentrating, but this was different. He just had too much on his mind, and he was also trying to not twitch for once, which seemed impossible. His attempts at not twitching were futile, and he would be surprised if Yamada didn’t notice his odd behavior. He is a pro hero and a teacher, after all.
So, when Yamada pulled him aside after class had ended, he was, sadly, not surprised. He kind of expected it, actually.
“Kaminari, are you.. okay?” Yamada asked, careful with his words, unsure if this was a sensitive topic for the boy. “You seem kind of.. twitchy?” He silently winced at his own choice of words.
While Kaminari was mortified that he was, once again, called out on his weird movements, he did appreciate Yamada’s careful approach.
“I.. I’m not sure, actually,” Kaminari admitted. He felt ashamed that he wouldn’t tell his mother, but almost immediately confessed to Yamada. “I can’t control it.. I don’t know why I do it..” As Kaminari said that, he threw his head back, involuntarily, before frowning.
Yamada’s eyebrows furrowed, both from sympathy and from concern. “Have you told your mom? Anyone, so you could find out?” Yamada carefully pried, but Kaminari just shook his head, making the teacher sigh. “Do you want to tell your mom?” He asked. If Kaminari said yes, he would gladly, if given permission, help him with telling them, and finding out why he was twitching.
Kaminari thought for a few seconds, his twitching getting somewhat more frequent, probably from the pure anxiety he felt at that moment, before he once again nodded silently, and Yamada gave him a reassuring nod back, giving the boy a small smile.
After talking about Kaminari’s odd movements for a few minutes, they decided to call his mom and ask her to come over to UA. His mom was there in mere minutes, most likely having been speeding on her way up there, possibly believing something may have happened with her child. Maybe Yamada should’ve given her a bit more information, to not worry her, but oh well. At least she’s there now.
The relief on her face was clear as she stepped into a small meeting room, spotting her son, and immediately walking over to embrace him.
“Oh, Denki, you scared me, I thought something happened to you..!” She exclaimed as she cupped her son’s face in her hands, smiling at him while looking him over. Kaminari smiled back, putting a hand on top of his mother’s, leaning into her touch.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to worry you.” Yamada apologized, seeing how much he scared the poor woman.
“Oh, it’s fine, I’m just glad he didn’t hurt himself in some way,” she stroke Kaminari’s cheek as she spoke, “So, why did you call me up here?” She finally asked after the adrenaline left her.
Yamada looked at Kaminari, silently asking for permission to explain everything to his mother, in which Kaminari nodded. “Well.. as I was teaching the class today, I saw Kaminari.. twitching,” Yamada began, earning a concerned look from Kaminari’s mother, “and so, I asked him about it, but he actually wasn’t sure why he did it, and explained that he couldn’t control it. Kaminari didn’t seem ready to tell you on his own, so I offered to call you over here to try and explain, which is why we are here now.”
Kaminari’s mother looked back at her son, continuing to stroke his cheek. “Oh, baby,” she said softly, kissing his forehead. Despite Kaminari being a teenager, he will always be her sweet little boy. “I love you, no matter what, and I will get you looked at by a doctor, to rule out any dangers, and get an explanation,” she promised.
Kaminari wasn’t a big cryer, but in that moment, his tear ducts betrayed him. His mother was, as always, quick to embrace her baby.