Yellow was never my favorite color before

Denki

Anybody want to hang? I’m super bored.

I sent the text and sat back, checking my phone every few seconds hopefully. It was a lie- I totally wasn’t bored, I had a zillion things to do- but I really couldn’t focus on school right now and all I wanted was to talk to someone.

My phone pinged with a text and I snatched it up excitedly.

Sorry, Denks, I’m busy today.

Deku texted. My heart sank.

Nope.

Busy.

Some of us actually try to get our stuff done, Kaminari.

The others filled the chat with denials.

Aw, c’mon, guys, it’ll only be for a few hours!

I promised. I knew they had school to focus on, but that’s what friends were for, right? More answers. All of them no.

Sorry, Denks… sometimes you’re a little.. much.

Momo wrote. My phone dinged as the others agreed in the nicest way possible. I stared at my phone in silence. I didn’t even realize how hard I was holding it until it fizzled and went black, sparking. Crap. I threw my phone into the wall and brought my knees to my chest. I was too much? I mean… I knew I was excited all the time and sometimes I overreacted… but they all thought that? They didn’t even want to hang out with me? I bit my lip to stop from crying.

Stupid. I shouldn’t have pushed so hard. I’m sure they were all just tired. I forced a smile, though I don’t even know why because I was alone in my room, and turned my gaze to my homework.

Class next morning was awful. I didn’t finish my homework- I’d just found myself spacing off again and again until I gave up and went to bed.

“Hey guys!” I said cheerfully as I sat next to Jiro and Kiri.

“Hey.” Kiri muttered absentmindedly. He seemed mostly focused on the paper in front of him. “Hey, could you charge my phone?” He pushed it at me and I took it.

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” I put the cord in my mouth and sighed as class started.

“Kaminari, you’re the only one who didn’t finish last nights assignment.” Aizawa snapped.

“Oh, uh-“ I spat the cord out of my mouth and looked up at him guiltily. “Sorry, I lost my ADHD pills.” That was a lie. Bakugou thought it’d be funny to blow them up in my face, but he was my friend, I wasn’t about to rat out on him.

“I need work done, not excuses.” Aizawa said, handing it back to me with a frown. “That’s an D.”

“What?! Come on!”

Jiro rolled her eyes. “Sit down, Kaminari, it’s no surprise. Ugh, I swear you’re such an idiot sometimes.”

Ouch. I sat down and stayed quiet. Everyone chuckled and Kiri bumped my shoulder. I forced a grin. I knew Jiro was just being funny, but I wished it didn’t have to be at my expense.

I struggled to focus through the rest of my classes. Finally, we reached the end of the day, hero training. I smiled for real as I walked out into the courtyard. This was my favorite class. I could actually focus, and interact with my friends.

“We’re doing one on one combat today.” Aizawa said tiredly as we all got in line. “Denki and Sota, you’re up first.”

Great. I punched my hand and grinned determinedly. This was a fight I could win. Sota was stuffing his mouth with sweets as he stepped in front of me. I took a moment to charge up as he rushed at me. I powered a trained bolt of electricity, knocking him over and out of the line. Then I swayed in place dizzily, my head spinning.

“W-woah…” I placed my hand on a tree to steady myself.

Jiro giggled. “Overextended yourself a little?”

I nodded, forcing a weak smile as the edges of my vision faded to black.

“Little help?” I mumbled as I almost fell over. Jiro rolled her eyes again.

“Every single time, Denki! How do you expect to win a real fight?”

But I didn’t hear the rest of her lecture, because everything went black as I fell unconscious.

I woke up in an empty courtyard.

“Guys…?” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. Had they all left? Without me? Nah, they probably just forgot. I stumbled to stand up. Ugh, my head was splitting.

“Hey, kiddo, why are you still here?” I heard a loud voice and looked up to see present mic.

“Oh, hey! I just…” I glanced around and rubbed my head, forcing a light laugh. “Fell unconscious, I guess?”

“Huh. Well, you should probably get home.. it’s pretty late, and tomorrow’s a big day for you kids!”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Your friends didn’t tell you about the new student?”

“They… don’t tell me a lot of stuff.” I mumbled before hearing the second part. “A new student?!” This would be awesome! It could be my second chance to make a friend.

“Yeah, Aizawa is making an exception for him! You guys are lucky, huh?”

I nodded excitedly, but it quickly faded as I remembered how everyone had left me. Sure, I was a part of the bakusquad and everything… but they sure didn’t act like it. Why would I have a chance with the new student?

I picked up my books and gave mic a quick smile. “Yeah, pretty lucky. See you later, thanks for letting me know.”

I quickly dashed off with my head down, trying to hold back tears.

I had made a firm decision by the time I got to class the next day. I would put on a front. I could pretend to be happy, pretend I had forgotten how much everything hurt and just do what I always did. Completely ignore the new student. Don’t give yourself a chance to get your hopes up.

I looked at myself in the mirror and practiced my fake smile.

“Do this, and you can treat yourself to roller skating afterwards, okay?” I told myself in the mirror before my expression dropped again. “Alone. But we can buy popcorn?” I tried another smile, and it worked this time. “Good.” I liked talking to myself, especially when no one else was around to talk to me. Which they never were- so I talked to myself a lot.

My house was actually really close to UA, so I caught up with Deku and a few other kids who lived closer and walked there. I didn’t talk to anyone unless they talked to me, then I just laughed and brushed it off.

Not a single person asked me if I was okay. I was kinda glad they didn’t… but I still wish they would show they cared.

We reached Mr. Aizawa’s class and I made sure I had that smile plastered on my face before stepping inside.

“Everyone, meet Hitoshi Shinso.” Mr. Aizawa waved at the violet haired boy and he gaze us all a tired and annoyed glare from where he was sitting. In my seat. Crap. I scooted over to him and waved awkwardly as everyone else sat down.

“Uh, hi!”

He stared at me. “Hi?”

“That’s… normally where I sit.”

He blinked. “Oh… okay.” He gave an annoyed shrug and turned back to the papers in front of him without moving. I stood there for a few minutes before sighing and sitting next to him.

“Please tell me you did the homework, Kaminari.” Aizawa asked as he collected our papers.

I nodded and handed it to him. “Yup.”

“For once.” Jiro said, drawing a laugh from the class. I forced a laugh of my own.

“Yup, for once!” I noticed the new kid giving me a strange laugh and I gulped, wondering if he’d been able to tell my laugh was fake.

“You’ll be working on these papers right now.” Aizawa handed them out to us, and I knew immediately I was in trouble. My focus had already spun wildly out of control with the new kid next to me, plus keeping up the happy demeanor, and on top of all that I knew that this focused on some of my worst subjects. I kept quiet, however, trying not to draw attention.

I tried at it for a while before sitting back and throwing my pen in the air.

“I don’t get it!” I was ignored, like usual. It wasn’t like I was expecting anything, I was just frustrated.

“What don’t you get?” Shinso’s voice came next to me, making me jump.

“I-I u-uh, everything, I guess?”

He leaned over my desk and looked at the paper with a slight sigh.

“Keep your voice down, I’ll show you.”

My eyes widened. I wasn’t supposed to be getting my hopes up! I thought angrily to myself. But I scooted closer anyway and watched as Shinso walked me through the steps. To my surprise, it actually started to make sense.

“Do you get it now?” He asked gruffly.

I nodded. “I.. yeah, I actually do. Thanks.”

He shrugged and turned back to his paper without saying anything else. I finished my own a few seconds before the bell rang.

Aizawa glanced down my paper with his eyebrows raised. “You finished the whole thing, huh? That’s a new one.”

A few others laughed, and I laughed with them, partly out of relief.

“Yeah, can you believe it?”

“Because of some things I need to attend to, most of class is off for today. You guys can spend the next hour or so in here, practice your quirks, discuss homework. Whatever.” Aizawa picked up our papers and left.

“Yes! Free time!” I cheered. “Finally!”

“Yeah, if only we had pizza now.” Kiri said.

“Aw, don’t make me hungry.” I grinned. “What do you guys want to do?”

“Do exactly what the teacher said! Practice with our quirks and get work done!” Ida said confidently.

“Shut up.” Bakugou grumped loudly.

“Aw, c’mon, it’s not all that bad.” Kiri said. “Hey, why don’t we all go skating after this?”

“Yes!” I cheered excitedly. “I’m in!”

The others quickly agreed, and my heart soared. Finally, I could spend some time with my friends and have fun.

“Shoot, my phone is dying. Denks, could you charge it?” Kiri asked suddenly.

“Uh, sure!”

“Mine too!”

“Mine too!”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Charge mine!”

I was handed six or seven phones. Yikes.. I’d never tried to charge this many at once, but I didn’t want to disappoint them and I felt like I owed them for skating, so I put them all in my mouth. I wanted to go actually work on stuff, so I decided to do something stupid and try to charge them all with one big shock.

Stupid me, of course I short circuited myself. They caught most of the phones as they fell to the floor, not seeming to even notice how dizzy I was.

“Thanks, Kaminari!”

“Yeah, thanks!”

“Thanks!”

“Ugh, mines only half charged.” Jiro groaned, but she didn’t push it. I swayed and leaned against the wall.

“Uh… is he okay?” Shinso asked the rest of the class.

“He does this every time.” Jiro said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t bother.”

Shinso folded his arms.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” I said, forcing a laugh before I fell over. I felt strong arms catch me, however, I looked up at Shinso’s frowning face.

“You don’t look fine.”

“It’s just Denki, he’ll get over it.”

“He’s half conscious, idiot.” Shinso snapped. Jiro glared at him.

“Fine, do what you want. Hey, our time is up.”

“Yay! Does anyone want to come over to my house for fun?” Mina asked. The class agreed.

“Wait!” I stumbled to my feet, trying to stay conscious and forcing a confused grin. “I thought we were going skating?”

“Yeah, till you decided to short circuit yourself!” Jiro reminded me with another roll of her eyes. No. No, we were going to have a fun day together! I couldn’t let them go!

“But wait-“

But they had already filed out the door, leaving me and Shinso in the empty classroom. My face fell and I sunk to the floor, my sunshine quickly fading behind the clouds. I felt Shinso next to me, but I was tired of trying to hold back the tears and I slumped, sniffling.

“Hey.” He sat next to me. “You alright?” He sounded gruff, but it was also the nicest comment I had all day and I hooked into it.

“Not really…” I mumbled.

“Huh. It was kinda weird for them to leave like that. Do you short circuit a lot?”

I sniffled and nodded a little.

“Yeah… I’ve been doing it a lot lately, I think it’s cause I’m stressed.” It felt great to let my feelings out, but I didn’t really want to do it to someone I barely knew. “I don’t know…” I continued anyway. “I mean, they wanted me to charge all their phones, and I just wanted to impress them! I guess I went overboard… but they keep spending less and less time with me… I’m just scared of losing all my friends…”

He sighed slightly before putting an awkward arm around my shoulder.

“Well, maybe try talking to them.”

“About this? What do I say? Hey, be nicer to me! Pay attention to me? You want me to say that?! They already think I’m too much…”

“No… just try talking to them. Tell them how you’ve been feeling. It’s not cool to treat you that way.” He snorted slightly. “I don’t know what I’m saying, don’t listen to me. I don’t even have friends.”

I blinked and glanced up at him. “Well… I could be your friend, if you like?”

“Hm?” He looked at me in surprise. “I- I mean, yeah, I guess.” He smiled reluctantly. “Yeah, I might like that.”

“Great!” I hugged him tightly.

“Woah, woah, careful with the… physical interaction.”

“Sorry.” I pulled away, blushing and grinning.

“It’s fine… and uh, were you saying something about skating?”

The skating rink wasn’t too far, so we both walked. I was so happy- Shinso didn’t talk much, but he listened to every word I said and his replies were completely fulfilling to what I had said, albeit short.

“So… you have ADHD?” He asked after I had run out of things to say (which surprised me, because that hardly ever happened).

“Yeah.” I stuck my hands behind my back and shifted awkwardly. “Kinda weird, I know.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” He said with a slight sigh. “I was just asking. I’m… not great at coming up with conversation tactics like you are.”

I blushed. “You think I’m good at coming up with conversation tactics?” I had no idea what the last word meant, but it sounded like a good thing.

“Yeah… I mean… you talk… all the time.”

Oh. Maybe not a good thing.

“Too much?”

He nodded and I felt my face drop. He bumped my shoulder gently and I looked up to see him smirking.

“But I’m not enough, so we kind even each other out.”

I smiled a little and laughed. Man, it had been too long since I’d laughed for real. We walked into the skating rink, which was mostly empty, and paid for an hour. Shinso watched me put my skates on in silence.

“Aren’t you going to put on your skates?” I asked. He shook his head.

“Nah, you go ahead.” I sat up and crossed my arms.

“You don’t know how to skate, do you?”

Shinso’s face turned crimson and he straightened up.

“Yeah right, I do too.”

I smirked. “No you don’t.”

“Fine, so I don’t know how to skate! So what?”

“So I’m going to teach you. Come on.”

I grabbed his arm and pulled him next to me, lacing up his skates quickly and pulling him into the rink.

“Hey-!” Shinso tripped, almost falling face first before I caught him.

“Man, you have no idea!” I laughed. “Come on, take my arm. Just don’t knock me over.” He seemed slightly hesitant, but he took it, gripping it tightly. I winced slightly. “Ow…”

“Sorry.” He loosened his hold, but only barely. I started skating a little.

“See? You just push your feet out- like you’re propelling yourself forward- or kicking someone.”

“Works for me.” Shinso grunted, trying to move his feet like mine.

“You’ve got to look ahead though.” I told him, tilting his chin so it faced in front of us. His cheeks dusted with a light blush, why I wasn’t sure, but I kept guiding him.

“Hey, you’re not half bad!” I cheered as he started to get the hang of it.

“Thanks.” He muttered, slowly letting go of my arm and going off on his own. I grinned and caught up to him quickly.

“Now you want to try some tricks?”

He snorted. “Yeah, no way. I’m perfectly happy with just watching you.”

“You want to watch me skate?”

He blushed again. “No- I meant I wanted to see some of your tricks. Idiot.”

“Oh… you do?!”

“Yes, sheesh. Go ahead, I want to see now.”

I grinned and took off. Skating was one of the few things I was actually good at, and I was super excited that someone wanted to see my tricks. I checked back every few minutes to make sure Shinso was watching, and he never failed to shoot me a grin and a thumbs up. Eventually we both got tired and hungry, and I stopped showing off.

“You’re really good.” Shinso said as he unbuckled his skates and pulled them off. “Where’d you learn to skate like that?”

“Oh, I taught myself.” I said, grinning. “I used to come here a lot when I wanted to chill… and then Kiri also liked skating, so we went together sometimes. Jiro likes it too- but she can be kinda mean without thinking about it. I love it when we all go together- sometimes we spend the day together, I just feel like I’ve been getting faker and faker and they can tell. They just don’t seem to enjoy hanging out with me much.”

He nodded. “Have your tried being yourself around them? Maybe they just want you to be honest.”

“I doubt it. People like me for emotional support, or cheering them on, or making them laugh. They don’t like me for… me.”

He crossed his arms. “I doubt that. Have you ever tried to be you? How do you know if you’ve never tried?”

I blinked. “Wow… so much for being friendless and cold hearted.”

He laughed, and I blinked again. It was the first time I’d heard him laugh.

“You have a nice laugh.” I said. “You should do it more often.”

Shinso turned his face away from me and I tilted my head in confusion.

“You do too.” He said, his voice quiet.

“Is… something wrong?”

He sighed and sat next to me. “Look… I really actually enjoyed hanging out today, but I can’t let this go…”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t know my quirk, do you?”

“Uh…. No, I guess not.”

“Well…. I can brainwash people.”

“Oh. Oh, yeah, I remember Aizawa saying something like that- plus I remember you from the tournament.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“You remember me from the tournament?!”

“Well…. Yeah… I think that was you?”

“I- well, yeah, it was. You aren’t… mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

“I don’t know… I was kinda an asshole. And then I lost anyway.”

I laughed a little, bumping his shoulder, and he jumped.

“Relax! That was forever ago… besides, I kinda forgot most of it, to be honest. And I figured you deserved a second chance- I mean, you were being nice to me, after all.”

He hesitated, then gave me a small smile.

“You hungry?”

I nodded eagerly.

We got fries and pizza slices, and had what turned out to be a pretty interesting conversation. Shinso wasn’t too talkative, but he was… “concise” with his words. I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded cool so I went with it.

We had lots to talk about. Shinso asked me about school and how I’d gotten into UA.

“Well, like I said… I tend to explode all over the place rather than focusing a hit on a single person. So… I probably knocked some people out of the runnings when we did the first one. I completely failed the second part- I panicked and short circuited myself. I hate taking tests… I can’t focus long enough.”

“Huh.” Shinso studied me carefully until I shifted uncomfortably. “It looks like you need… motivation.”

“You’re probably right…. Hey, you, uh, wouldn’t want to do homework with me when you get a chance…?”

I was terrified he would say no. I already felt I had gone overboard with everything else- but I was having such a good time… I didn’t want it to end.

Shinso shrugged. “Sure, if that’s the motivation you need.”

“Really?!”

“Calm down, it’s just homework.”

I shut my mouth, still grinning. “Sounds good to me.” I looked up at him. He was quite a bit taller than me, and he kinda looked down his nose when he looked at me, but not in a demeaning way.

He gave a small nod and took a sip of his coffee.

“So…” I said, wanting to make conversation. “I’ve talked a lot about myself.”

“You have.” Shinso said simply.

“Oh.” I blushed, feeling the heat spread up to my nose. “Sorry.”

He gave a one shouldered shrug. “I don’t mind.”

“Well… can I ask you stuff?”

He blinked and glanced at me. “Sure, I guess.”

“Okay! Wanna play a game?”

He looked suspicious. “What kind of game?”

“Like a… truth or dare kind of game!”

He stared at me for a few more seconds, then shrugged again. “Fine.”

“Okay! I’ll go first, truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

Shinso took a sip of his coffee and rolled his eyes. “That’s seriously the question you’re going to ask?”

“Come on! You’ve got to answer it!” I leaned forward excitedly. He gave a slight sigh and studied me for a moment.

“Yellow.” He said finally.

“Hey! My hair’s yellow!”

“Your hair is blond, idiot. There’s a difference.”

“Oh…. So you don’t like my hair?”

He groaned. “I never said that!”

“So you do like it?!”

He gave a heavy, dramatic sigh. “It’s my turn to ask a question, dumbass.”

“Hmph.” I say back and stared up at him, wondering what he’d ask.

“Truth or dare?”

I hesitated. I did want to know what kind of question Shinso would ask me, but I was also tempted to say dare….. because that might be even more interesting.

“Dare.”

For a moment he looked disappointed, which confused me.

“Fine.” He said, covering it quickly. “Ask your “friends” why the fuck they’ve been ignoring you.”

I blinked and stared at him in surprise.

“But… I can’t do that!”

“Well, that’s your dare. So it’s either that or you pick truth.”

I hesitated. I really didn’t want to make my friends anymore upset with me then they already were.

“Fine…. Truth.”

“Are you straight?”

Call me stupid. But I was. So I figured it was a pretty normal question… yeah, okay, that sounds stupid even to me.

“Nope. Pan.” I laughed a little. “I’ll take anything I get. How ‘bout you?”

“Uh, gay. I mean… I don’t really know, I’ve never dated anyone before.”

I nodded. “Oops, that doesn’t count as my question, does it?”

“Nah, you go ahead.”

“Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Aw, come on! That’s boring.”

He sighed. “That’s the rules of the game. Besides, you said you wanted to get to know me.”

“Fine.” I grumbled. “Hm…. What’s your favorite kind of flowers?”

“These are weird questions.”

“You said you’d play!”

“Sunflowers.”

“Really?” I blinked and sat back.

“Yeah. I told you I liked yellow.”

I giggled. “Like my hair.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re blond.”

“Yellow blond.”

“Truth or dare?”

“Hm… truth.”

He thought for a minute. “What’s your favorite color?”

“That’s cheating!”

“Come on.”

“Fine.” I crossed my arms, feeling a strange, out of place blush run up my cheeks. “Purple.”

“Oh.” Shinso looked away, and I swallowed and kicked the table.

“It’s cause of lilacs. They’re my favorite flower.”

He blinked and looked up at me. “How come?”

I kicked my legs more and blushed. “Well… there was this girl in sixth grade I really liked. And she left a lilac on my desk… I was super happy cause I thought nobody loved me.” I blushed harder, feeling dumb. “But it was for someone else, I sat at the wrong desk. It still made me really happy, at least for a little while.”

Shinso stared at me for a minute, frowning. “Why did you think that?”

“Oh… I just didn’t have a lot of friends.. and my mom and dad were getting a divorce that year…” I swallowed. “And they were fighting over who was going to take me… but not in a good way. Neither of them wanted me.”

Shinso’s frown deepened into a glare. “That’s stupid, Kaminari.”

“Oh.” My face turned red. I wasn’t expecting him to answer so bluntly. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“It’s stupid of them not to want you. They don’t know what they were missing out on.”

I blinked in surprise and glanced up at him again. “Y-you really think so?”

He sighed. “Look… your friends might be jerks, but they obviously care about you. You make people happy.”

I was shocked. Shinso didn’t seem like the kind of person to hand out compliments. So… did that mean he was being serious.

I really hoped so. I looked up at him and looked him in the eye. He stared back at me solidly. I finally looked away, a small blossom of hope in my chest beginning to bloom.

“T-thanks.”

“You don’t have anything to thank me for.” He stood up. I scrambled to my feet as well, still feeling that happy feeling inside me. He was right: my friends did care. I needed to talk with them and work things out.

Shinso payed for the meal, which was kinda embarrassing seeming as I had eaten everything, but also nice because I didn’t have any money.

“You got a ride home?” He asked gruffly.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I’m actually just up the road.” I promised. “Thanks for everything.”

Shinso nodded. “Yeah. Of course.”

I frowned as a thought struck me. “You’ve got a ride home?”

His face turned red and he looked at the ground. “I’m, uh, actually living with mr. Aizawa.”

My eyes widened. “What? No way! How come?”

He blushed more and kicked a rock. “He… kinda adopted me?”

“Wow! That’s awesome…” I trailed off as I realized. “Where were you before…?”

Shinso shrugged and shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.”

I figured that meant he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Right… okay! Well, thank you so much for hanging out!” I waved and he gave me a quick smile before walking away.

Shinso

I didn’t like him. Stupid, loud, annoying blond. That’s what he was. I just felt bad for him and wanted to be a decent human being. That’s all. Stupid kid. I kicked several rocks as I made my way back to the school. I’d told him more than I should’ve… I just didn’t want someone to go through that lonely time that made you think about ending it. No one deserved that. Not even me. Even though it had taken me a good long time to realize it. I still had the thin scars all along my wrists and rubbed the area without thinking. He’d seemed so happy…. I couldn’t hear the thought of that disappearing. He’d somehow even managed to make me happy for a short amount of time- it was contagious. I muttered a curse as I walked back into the school. Yellow had never been my favorite color before.

“What’s wrong with you?” Aizawa asked as we walked home.

“N-nothing.” I answered quickly, too quickly. Aizawa raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah right. Where were you all day?”

“I… made a friend.”

Aizawa’s eyebrows shot to his hairline and he looked back at me. I swallowed.

“What?! Why is that so surprising?!” I kicked a tree in frustration. I had other things to deal with right now, not stupid loud blond idiots who were so damn cheerful all the time.

“Calm down.” Aizawa told me, slightly irritated. “I didn’t mean that. Honestly, what has gotten into you?”

“I don’t know.” I grumbled, letting up on the tree and coming to walk beside him.

“I’m just…”

“In love.”

“What?!”

“What, you think I don’t recognize it?”

“I’m not! That’s a stupid idea. I don’t just fall in love with people.”

“Shinso, you’re sixteen. That’s old enough to finally get a date, come on.”

“I don’t want a date!”

“I only have one rule.”

“What?”

“No loud blondes.”

“Shit.”

“Watch your mouth.”

I rolled my eyes. “You aren’t one to talk-“

“Enough, Hitoshi.”

I knew I was in trouble when he used my first name. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m not in love anyway.”

Aizawa gave a heavy sigh and stopped outside of our usual coffee place where he graded papers sometimes.

“If i buy you coffee will you tell me?”

“Nope. You’ll buy me coffee anyway.”

Aizawa mumbled something about manipulation and walked inside, ordering our usuals.

We sat down and I sipped my coffee, staring at the wall behind Aizawa’s head to avoid his sharp stare.

“Are we just going to do this all day?” He asked finally with an irritated sigh.

“Only if you want to.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. I won’t push.”

“Thank you.” I have a relieved sigh and drank my coffee.

Denki

Hey… I kinda need to talk to you all. I wrote in the chat group. It took a few minutes before someone replied.

Right now, Kaminari? We’re busy.

Yeah, what momo said.

Seriously, this is the third time today.

I felt guilty, but I wanted to push through. I remembered what Shinso had said and texted.

I really need you.

There was a few second of silence that racked me with nervousness. What if this broke our friendship completely? What if they got so annoyed I got kicked out of class one a? I knew that was stupid, but I was panicking a little. But only a few seconds after I had sent the text, the chat rang as the bakusquad called me.

“Guys!” I answered, grinning as they picked up.

“What’s wrong?! Are you okay?” Mina gushed.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s nothing like that-“

“You want us to come over?! What do you need help with?” Kiri asked quickly.

“Sheesh, man, you need help? We’re here for you.” Sero told me, giving me a once over for bruises and cuts.

“You’d better be fucking bleeding!” Bakugou yelled. I grinned, knowing that was his way of making sure I was alright.

“I’m okay, I’m okay. You can calm down.”

“Why’d you call us? Are you sure everything’s alright?”

I felt meh expression drop and I sniffed. “Not really…. I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while now.”

“Oh no!” Mina bit her nails and stared at me worriedly.

“What is it?” Kiri asked, also looking worried.

“I… I just have been super lonely lately…. I’ve been having a tough time in school… and all I really wanted is to hang out with you guys…” i sniffled again. “But it seems like all you want is me to charge your phones and cheer you on…. But I need to be cheered on sometimes too.”

“Oh no…” Mina looked at me, her bright eyes full of tears. “I’m so sorry… we haven’t been ignoring you… we just-“ she cut herself off and glanced at Kiri. Kiri gave a short nod and took over.

“It’s just… we’ve been planning something big for you, Denks.”

I blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Well… your birthday is coming up… and we know your parents don’t normally remember it…”

I was still confused. “Yeah… so?”

“We’re throwing you a surprise birthday party, you fucking idiot!” Bakugou yelled.

Mina winced at his loud voice.

“Not anymore…” she muttered irritably. But my eyes were sparkly with tears of joy as I grinned and looked around at them.

“Are you serious…?”

“Of course we’re serious! We know your b-day is important to you! Why not do something special that only friends can do?”

I sniffled and rubbed at my tears quickly, knowing Kiri would think it wasn’t very manly.

“Y-you guys are the best.”

“We know.” Bakugou snapped. “Now seriously, my mom is calling me.”

“Aw, better go to mommy.” Sero teased.

“I’d fucking kill you if this was in person.” Bakugou growled before hanging up.

The others smiled at me.

“Well… it’s not a surprise now, but you want to come over Saturday afternoon and we can have it together?” Mina offered.

I nodded eagerly. “Yeah! That’s sounds great…. Thank you so much.”

“Of course!” Kiri gave me a cheerful grin. “I should go! See ya guys.” He hung up, and after a few minutes of chatting, the rest hung up as well.

I lay back on the bed and grinned at my ceiling. So they did care. I should’ve known, Shinso was 100% right. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before calling him excitedly.

Shinso

I glanced down in surprise as my phone lit up with a call.

“Who’s… pikachu?” Aizawa asked suspiciously. I snatched up the phone and answered it, shooting him a glare.

“Hey, whats up?” I asked him, making sure not to say his name lest Aizawa would catch on.

“You were totally right! My friends were just purposely trying to avoid me.”

“Why… why do you sound so happy about that?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot. It’s cause they’re throwing a surprise birthday party for me! Can you believe it?!”

“Yeah, I actually can. Why’d you call me?”

“To let you know you were right, is all. And… I was wondering if you’d like to come with me..? I mean, you totally don’t have to, it’s just a stupid idea.”

“Uh, no. I can do that. Yeah, I can definitely do that.” God, it was hot in here. I shifted uncomfortably, feeling Aizawa’s gaze on me.

“Yes! Thank you so much…. For everything.”

I smiled a little. “Of course. Anytime. See you Saturday?”

“Yup! See ya then!”

I ignored Aizawa’s raised eyebrows and sat down again.

“Three questions.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m your father.”

“You’re not my real father.”

“How original.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. But I can back out.”

“Only on one of them.”

“Fine.”

“One, who is Pikachu? Two, what on earth on that phone call couldve made you smile? I have only seen you smile once, and that’s when I bought you a cat. Three, what is going on Saturday?”

I hesitated, trying to pick what question I should avoid.

“Someone invited me to a party.” I said in answer to his second question. “And the party is going on Saturday.”

“That doesn’t explain why your face was as red as Kirishima’s hair.”

“That wasn’t a question.”

He sighed and stood up. “Are you seriously not going to admit to it?”

I shrugged. “I just met him, I don’t know.”

“Fine.” Aizawa finally dropped it and paid the bill, walking out of the shop. “But if something does happen…”

“I will let you know.”

Denki

Saturday seemed to take forever to arrive. I sat on my phone Friday night, bored. All my friends were getting the party ready, and didn’t have much time to talk.

Hey sleepy head

I texted Shinso. To my surprise, he replied almost immediately.

Hey Pikachu.

Pikachu?! I texted back. That’s a new one.

Well, it’s gonna stick.

Whatcha doing?

Nothing, really. You?

Same. Wanna play truth or dare?

Again?

Come on, you had fun last time

I did not have fun.

😭

Fine.

Truth or dare?

Truth.

😑

Rules of the game.

I know, I know! Okay, I’ve got one! How many hours did you sleep this week?

Hey!

Rules of the game 😆

🙄

…..

Nine.

You got nine hours of sleep this entire week?! It’s Friday!

Hey, I’m proud of myself. I normally get four.

FOUR?!

Don’t shout, you’re hurting my ears.

We’re literally texting.

I know. You manage to be loud through text. I’m impressed.

You’re impressed with me?!

That’s not what I meant.

🥺

Fine, I’m impressed.

😁

Truth or dare?

Truth.

So much for me being boring.

I’m just doing what you do.

🙄 what’s your favorite snack?

Hamburgers!

That’s a food.

Snacks are food.

I could practically feel him roll his eyes and grinned to myself.

Fine.

Yay! Also, look what I found: ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Look what I found: 🤦‍♂️

Perfect! Two emojis that perfectly sum up our personalities!

What’s that supposed to mean?

Truth or dare?

Truth.

Do you have a crush?

It’d been over a week since I first met Shinso, but I couldn’t help myself. I knew I was crushing hard. I also knew I had absolutely no chance, and it was stupid… but god, you could die for those violet eyes….

I shook my head as my phone pinged with another text.

Yes.

REALLY?! Who?

That wasn’t the question.

😑

Truth or dare?

Truth.

Do you have a crush?

You can’t just keep reusing my questions!

Just answer the question, dumbass.

Fine. Yes. So many.

Of course, I should’ve known 🙄

Hey!

Come on, even you can’t deny it.

Fine. Truth or dare?

Truth.

Who is your crush?

I bit my lip, anxious for the reply.

Aizawa is calling me, sorry.

Blah. I gave an annoyed groan and flopped back onto the bed. So close. At least I could’ve convinced myself that I didn’t have a chance. I picked up my cord, absentmindedly sticking it in my mouth to charge. I tasted the familiar metal and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Denki!” I jumped as I heard my father’s voice, quickly yanking out the cord and dashing downstairs. He rarely talked to me, maybe he was going to wish me a happy birthday.

“Yes dad?”

“I’ve told you not to call me that.”

My face flushed. “R-right. Sorry.”

He sighed. “Did you finish the dishes?”

“Uh…. Yeah…?”

“You didn’t.”

“Sorry, I got distracted.”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course you did. Did you take your pills?”

“I… lost them?”

He glared at me. “You need to get your life together. I don’t want to have to get rid of you.”

I knew that foster care was always a threat he used against me, but I was pretty sure that he wouldn’t actually do it. It was just a way of getting me to behave. I gulped.

“Sorry! I’ll stop by the pharmacy and pick up another bottle, kay?”

He grunted. “Fine. Don’t talk to me until you have them.”

“Okay….”

He turned and slammed the door behind him. I felt my happiness fade again and I sat down heavily.

“Wow.”

I jumped at the voice and searched for the source, my eyes landing on my phone on the counter.

“Uh, hi?”

“Hey. So I called you to ask when we’re going tomorrow… that guy sounds like a jerk.” I picked up my phone and stared at it. How had I answered a call from Shinso and not realized it?

“Uh… did you listen to that whole thing?”

“Yep.”

“Crap.”

“Yep.”

“Look, we all have issues, okay?”

“Come on, Kaminari. Even you have to admit that’s fucked up.”

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. “Yeah… but I’d rather be here than foster care.”

“I’m coming over.”

“Huh?”

“Be right there.”

“But it’s eleven o’clock at night!“

He snorted. “I wasn’t planning on sleeping anyway.”

“But-“ the phone beeped and went silent as he hung up on me. I stared at it in shock. I wanted Shinso to come over…. But I still felt guilty and worried.

A loud knock came from the door and a sprang to open it up. Shinso crossed his arms and stared at me, his violet eyes sharp and cold, though his annoyance didn’t seem to be directed at me.

“Oh, hi?” I grinned and waved up at him awkwardly.

“Are you going to let me in?”

“Oh, yeah!” I opened the door and he stepped inside, glancing around. “He’s gone.”

“I know.”

“Uh…. Want to come up to my room and hang out?”

“Sure.” He shrugged. We made our way up to my room. He looked surprised when he walked in, raising his eyebrows. “Woah.. this is more….relaxed than I expected.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… I was expecting your room to be a lot more…. You.”

“Oh.” My room was pretty basic. Bed, desk, a few items of clothing scattered across the room and homework thrown all over my desk. “I guess I just haven’t had a lot of time to work on it. You know, I’ve been pretty much living in the dorms… this week they’re renovating, that’s why you haven’t moved in yet and rest of us have been going home.”

He nodded. “Yeah… I’m just surprised.” He lay down on my bed and made himself comfortable, pulling out his phone. I settled next to him, just happy to have someone around.

Shinso nodded at my desk. “Stuck on homework?”

“Kinda.” I grabbed a pile of papers and sat next to him again.

“Hm.” He turned off his phone and sat up, studying the papers in front of me. I hope he couldn’t hear my heart beating or see dark crimson blush spread up my cheeks. “This is easy. You just have to know how to do it.”

“Oh. Sorry.” I cringed at my own stupidness and gave him a guilty look.

He rolled his eyes. “It’s not your fault. You just need people to show you how to do stuff and walk you through it.”

“Yeah, cause I’m dumb.”

He sighed. “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you. My phone has been acting weird lately, you think you could try and fix it?”

I blinked, then grinned. “Yeah, sure, can I see it?”

I was handed the phone and looked through it. “You haven’t updated it. Plus the algorithm is kinda off cause it looks like you tried to turn it off when it was almost dead-gimme a sec.” I fiddled with it for a while before looking up, feeling his gaze on me. Those lavender eyes bore into me, and I felt a dusty rose color spread over my face.

“W-what?”

He smirked and sat up, taking his phone again. “See? I told you, you aren’t stupid.”

I blinked, then smiled a little. “Oh… thanks.”

He smirked again and put away his phone before turning to look at me again.

I tried to fight the scarlet from winning over my cheeks again and stared at my homework.

“W-well, we should work, r-right?”

“Yup.” He took the homework from my hands and leaned against the wall. I snuggled next to him.

“It’s so cold.”

He smiled slightly and let me. “You’re such a wimp.”

I giggled. “Yeah, I kinda am.”

Shinso

I officially hated myself. I watched him while he fixed my phone, his gold eyes narrowed in focus. It was interesting how distracted he could be when it came to other things. He seemed so focused on the phone you would think he would be like that all the time. I guess it was a a side affect of his ADHD. His entire body seemed angled towards the phone, like there was nothing else in the world. He finally looked up and caught me staring, light blush running up his face. I smirked when I saw it, taking my phone back and turning it off.

“See? You aren’t stupid.”

He blinked and smiled slightly. “Oh… thanks.”

“W-well, we should work, r-right?”

I smirked again and sat next to him, taking the homework. To my surprise, he curled next to me.

“It’s so cold.”

I let him. “You’re such a wimp.”

He giggled. “I kinda am.”

I thought for a second before sitting up and pulling off my hoodie and handing it to him. I was wearing a tank top underneath, so it wasn’t awkward, but Denki stared at me like I was an alien, mouth agape.

“What?”

“I-I uh, I- j-just-“ he stuttered.

I threw the hoodie in his face so he couldn’t see my face.

“You said you were cold, idiot. Put it on.”

Denki grabbed it and pulled it over his head, wrapping his arms around himself and snuggling into it. It was way to big on him, and it only made his small form look smaller. Adorable was the first word that came to mind, and I shoved it out with the force of a truck before letting him snuggle next to me again. I knew my face was on fire, but there was no way I was going to risk it by asking him to move. I wanted him next to me, as much as I hated to admit it. He put his head on my shoulder and stared at the homework, seemingly oblivious to my red face.

We worked on the homework for over an hour. I was halfway through explaining a concept before he yawned widely, his eyes starting to close.

I went still and kept talking. I didn’t mind if he fell asleep. He probably needed it. A few minutes later, he’d fallen asleep completely against me, his chin resting on my arm. I blushed a little, slipping out from under him and letting him fall over onto the bed, fast asleep. I grabbed my phone and stuff and threw a blanket over him, making sure he was comfortable before walking out the door.

“Where have you been?” Aizawa snapped when I walked back in the door.

“Friends house. Doing homework.”

“It’s one o’clock in the morning!”

“It’s not like i sleep anyway.”

He rolled his eyes and sighed. “At least give me a warning next time?”

I shrugged. “Sure. I’m going to bed.”

Aizawa sighed heavily again. “Are you hungry?”

I hesitated, then shook my head. “Nope. I’m good.”

“Alright.”

I walked to my bedroom and lay on my bed, scrolling through the pictures I had taken or Denki sleeping.

“I’m a fucking creep.” I said aloud to myself. “Who does this?”

I turned off my phone and rolled over, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

I needed to sleep- especially if I was going to spend the whole day with Denki.

Denki

I was perched anxiously on my bed, waiting for Shinso to come pick me up and scrolling aimlessly through our past text conversation. Tonight’s the night. I thought. I’m gonna tell him.

Then a second later: Nah, I’m not going to tell him. I’d never have the courage to do that.

And then, before I knew it, there was a sharp knock on the door and I was flying down the stairs with my heart in my throat.

“Shinso!” I grinned up at him. “You ready to go.”

“I-uh, yeah, I guess…” he looked down at me. I felt scarlet spread up my cheeks and I quickly looked away.

“We should get going.”

“Yeah…”

I looked up at him in confusion. “Is… everything okay?”

“I brought you flowers.” He said, abruptly shoving a bundle of flowers into my face.

I pulled them away to get a good look and felt my eyes welling with tears.

“L-lilacs…?”

“You told me you liked them. I wanted you to know you weren’t alone, like you said. Hey, why are you crying?!”

I sniffled and rubbed my nose, shaking my head. “I-I’m sorry… it’s not like that. I-I just….I think that’s one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me.”

“Huh. Well, you must’ve had some shitty relationships then-“

I cut him off as I hugged him tightly, clutching the flowers in one hand. Shinso tensed in surprise but hugged me back and awkwardly patted my hair.

“I mean it.” He said, his voice slightly softer. “You make a lot of people happy without even knowing it.”

I blushed, keeping my face buried in his shirt for a few more seconds so he wouldn’t see it. He smelled like coffee and cats, a strange mixture that went surprisingly well together and flooded my anxious body with calm.

I let go after a few seconds and rubbed at my face again.

“I’ve got something for you too!” I’d been planning on giving it to him when I told him later tonight…. But I didn’t know if I ever had the courage to do that, so I rushed inside and grabbed the sunflower off my desk before dashing back and handing it to him.

“You got me flowers too…?”

I grinned. “Great minds look alike!”

“Think. Think alike.”

“Oops.”

He laughed a little. “We should go.”

“Yeah, we should.”

I rang Mina’s doorbell excitedly, but no one answered.

“Guess we just go inside then.” Shinso suggested with a shrug.

I nodded and opened the door. They didn’t forget, right? The entire house was dark.

“Mina? Kiri? You guys-“

“Surprise!” Mina squealed as the lights turned on, flooding the room and showing a pile of gifts on a table, a cake, and- the most important- all my friends grinning at me from around it.

I almost burst into tears again. Mina hugged me tightly.

“Happy birthday! Sorry if we scared you, the original surprise was kinda ruined so we wanted to do something special- ooh, where’d you get the flowers?”

“I-uh, I-“

But luckily mina didn’t seem to notice and snatched the bundle out of my handles and put them in a vase on my table.

“It’s perfect, cause we were missing some! Let get this party started!”

Honestly, I had one of the best nights of my life. We ate cake and opened presents and I was the center of attention. Okay, I know that sounds really selfish, but I was starved for attention. Everyone talked to me and asked me stuff and I just felt… loved. Shinso seemed to spend most of the time scrolling on his phone in the living room, but he also seemed not to mind it.

“Hey, guys, let’s play truth or dare!” Mina squealed, bouncing down onto the couch. I wormed my way to Shinso’s side and snuggled into the crook of his arm. He turned off his phone and put it away, looking down at me.

“Did you steal my hoodie?” He whispered in my ear. I shivered at how close he was and shook my head with a giggle.

“Idiot. I know that’s my hoodie. It’s way to big on you.”

I blushed, feeling the tip of my nose turn red and covering it with the violet hoodie sleeves.

He smirked. “It’s alright, I’m kidding. You can keep it.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, now focus on the game.”

I grinned and curled into the warmth of the lavender colored cloth, breathing in its warm scent.

“Okay, who goes first?!”

“Birthday boy!” Mina said excitedly.

I blushed against. “Okay. Who asks me?”

“We can go in a circle! Kiri, you go first

“Truth or dare?”

“Uh… dare!”

“Hm.” Kirishima thought for a second or two. “I know. Do that new Tiktok dance.”

I grinned and stood up. “I’m gonna rock this.”

And I did. At least until I saw Shinso watching me and biting his lip and my face flushed red.

“Okay! I’m done!” I said, quickly sitting down on the couch again. Shinso pretended he’d been looking at a plant behind me the whole time and ignored my flushed figure. He’d stopped biting his lip, though, so I knew he hadn’t. That only made me flush more.

It was hard to focus the rest of the game with a smirking Shinso next to me.

Shinso

I almost left. It was loud and energetic. Everything I wasn’t. But just as I was about to say something about leaving, Denki plopped next to me and curled into my arm. My heart pounded like a drum and I turned off my phone quickly, looking down at him. I noticed he hadn’t taken my hoodie off and smirked.

I leaned down to his ear so the others couldn’t hear us. “Is that my hoodie?”

His face flushed and he shook his head anxiously, giggling.

“Idiot. I know that’s my hoodie, it’s way too big on you.”

He blushed more and held the hoodie sleeves up to his face.

I smirked more. “It’s alright. I’m kidding, you can keep it.”

“Really?!” He looked up at me excitedly, his copper eyes sparkling. I tried to slow my beating heart and nodded.

“Yes, now focus on the game.”

The first dare was a dance. I wasn’t on Tiktok much, but I knew I certainly would be after this. I couldn’t help staring as he danced. I didn’t even notice I was biting my lip until it started hurting. He noticed me staring and went scarlet.

“I’m done!” He announced, flopping back next to me on the couch and hiding his red face.

I ruffled the tiny blond’s hair, causing him to blush more and grin. I smirked and kept my hand on his fluffy yellow hair as the rest of the game finished.

“I’m so glad we’ll be moving back into the dorms!” Mina squealed. “Being at home and having to walk everyday sucks!”

Kiri rolled his eyes. “Come on! It’s a five minute walk, lazy.”

“I’m not lazy! It messes up my hair!”

Kirishima rolled his eyes.

Mina yawned and stretched. “We should all get to bed… it’s late.”

Denki nodded and glanced up at me.

“Yeah! Wanna walk me home, Hitoshi?”

Since when did he call me Hitoshi?

“I-uh, yeah, sure.” I stood up and dusted myself off. “Let’s go.”

Denki

I stepped outside with Shinso, fidgeting with my clothes. Just tell him…. Just say it. It’s just words, okay? You’ll be fine…. Just say it.

Shinso didn’t say anything, which only made me more nervous. We walked in complete silence to my house. I spent the whole time trying to hype myself up. Last chance. I thought as we arrived in front of it.

“S-Shinso!” I blurted. He blinked and glanced at me.

“Yes?”

“C-can I tell you something?”

“Sure.”

“Anything?”

“Yes…?”

“I…. I really enjoyed hanging out with you tonight.”

“Mhm. Me too.” He turned to leave.

“Wait!”

He turned around again and I flung myself at him, hugging him tightly with my arms around his neck. He looked shocked as he stared down at me, but he wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me from snapping his neck with my weight.

“What-“

“I like you, Hitoshi. I really really like you.” I buried my face in his shoulder and breathed hard. “Please say you like me too…”

I felt him hesitated as I clung to him, and my heart dropped. Then he took a deep breath and let it out, parting my hair with from the breath.

“I like you too, Denki.”

No way! My heart soared as I looked up at him, my eyes sparkling with tears.

“R-really?”

“Yeah.” He said with a small smile.

Shinso

I thought it was over. He hadn’t said anything by the time we reached the house, I just figured there wasn’t anything to say. Then he’d flung his small form at me and told me he liked me…. Everything changed. Those hopeful gold eyes melted my heart, as much as I hated it.

“So…. We’re dating?”

“Hm.” I still tried to be cynical and logical, though it was hard with my heart beating a million miles a minute in my chest. “What would I benefit from dating you?”

He frowned, thinking for a minute. Then his face lit up with the answer and he grinned at me, still hanging off my neck.

“If you date me, we will go on dates.”

I laughed, picking him up and bringing him close to my face. “Deal.”

“So, who is it?” Aizawa’s arms were folded as soon as I stepped into the house.

“Dad, it’s midnight, why are you still up?”

“For the same reason you are.”

“You went to your friends birthday party? I didn’t even know you had friends.” I tossed the sunflower Denki had given on the counter and searched through the fridge for something to eat.

He rolled his eyes. “Honestly, Shinso, you said you’d tell me if something happened.”

I sighed and leaned against the counter, closing my eyes.

“Someone asked me out.”

“Who?”

“No way.”

“Are they from my class?”

“… yes….”

“Alright. You’d better tell me or I’m torturing them all.”

“Dad!”

“Well?”

“It’s… a guy.”

He shrugged. “That’s fine. Let’s see, now I’m only torturing Izuku, Katsuki, Shoto, Denki-“ he froze as he realized and looked up at me. I swallowed.

“Denki?!”

“Yes, Denki! Why do you hate him so much?”

“I don’t hate him, I just thought you’d have better tastes. He’s not… the sharpest knife in the drawer.”

I hesitated, then looked up at him. “He makes me really happy, dad.”

“Denki? Honestly?”

“Yes. He’s…. There’s more to him then you think. He has it rough too, okay?”

He hesitated for a long time, then sighed. “If he makes you happy, Hitoshi.”

“Hey Denks.”

“Hey!” Denki’s cheerful voice flooded the phone, bringing a smile to my face. “So… how did your dad take it?”

“Well… he said you were stupid.”

“Of course he did.”

“But he also said it was okay if you made me happy.”

“Oh…. So that’s a no?”

“What do you mean?”

“He said no?”

“He said it was okay if you made me happy….”

“I make you happy?!”

“Of course, dumbass. Why do you think I want to date you?”

I could practically hear his blush over the phone. “O-okay.”

“Alright, well, I’ll see you Monday?”

“Yup! Get some sleep for once, kay?”

I snorted. “I’ll try.”

I was woken in the middle of the night with a phone call.

“Denks…?” I asked sleepily. I heard sniffling and sobbing on the other end and sat straight up. “Denki, what’s wrong?!”

“I-it’s thundering….” He sniffled again, his voice shaking. “I’m s-scared!”

“Youre… scared of thunder?”

“Yeah.”

“But you-“

“Have a lightning quirk, I-I know…. But I’m scared…”

“Well, what do you want me to do about it?”

“I-I dont know! Stay on the phone till it’s over?”

“No.” I said flatly- I’d was already halfway to his house. “See ya.”

“But-“ I hung up, smirking. So maybe that was a little mean. But I wanted to surprise him. I reached his house a few minutes later, knocking on the window of his bedroom. He was curled on the bed inside, sobbing, but jumped when he heard my knock and ran to open it.

“Y-you came!”

“Of course. The phone just doesn’t calm your fears like a real person can.”

His eyes welled with more tears and he hugged me tightly. “Y-youre the best.”

“I’m your boyfriend.” I reminded him, ruffling his hair. “Come on.”

We walked back to his bed and sat down. He snuggled into me.

“Thanks so much for being here.”

I wrapped my arms around him and closed my eyes. “Of course.”