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Bakugou Katsuki paced around the kitchen, dragging clawed fingers through his aready messy bedhead. It was the Twilight Hours, and nobody else was awake, so he had the floor to himself. They were only just barely through the third week of classes on their First Semester of UA, and Katsuki was thriving. Mostly. He was almost top-of-class in Academics; the only two ahead of him were Yaoyorozu and Iida. And he was, naturally, the Best in Class, when it came to Quirk Usage and PhysEd, as expected. But, he was lonely. He no longer had his elementary or middle school lackies following him around everywhere, and Katsuki was slowly beginning to realize he was inept at making new friends. Not that he Needed friends or anything! But shitty Deku already seemed to have a little gang of loyal groupies, as undeserving of that as he was.
Katsuki's issue was that his... explosive personality with a temperament and quirk to match, kept his other classmates at arms' length. He knew he struggled with his temper, even before his Quirk had manifested, but this was the first time he's ever Truly struggled with anything; even as basic as making friends. It was driving him crazy. Katsuki didn't like Failure. And this Failure cut especially deep. So, he was in the kitchen trying to brainstorm ideas to make his other classmates like him more. It was not going well, at all. He had even started stress-baking again; something he hadn't done since middle school. Just a simple batch of chocolate chip cookies, which he could make on auto-pilot. He was just waiting for the first sheet to finish baking.
Katsuki nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard someone shuffling down the hallway, and whirled around to face the doorway just in time to watch one of his classmates, Kaminari Denki, sleepily stumble into the kitchen. Kaminari froze when he spotted the explosive blond, then he sighed heavily. "Sorry, Bakugou, didn't mean to intrude on your solitude. My brain is buzzing too loudly to let me sleep, I didn't realize anyone else was awake." The poor boy yawned, scrubbing at his eyes. "You don't mind if I use the stovetop, do you?" He added. Katsuki shook his head, sliding out of the way; his cookies had only just gone into the oven, they weren't anywhere near ready to be pulled out yet.
As Katsuki watched, Kaminari preheated the stove, grabbed a small saucepan, some milk from the fridge, and a glass jar of Cinnamon Honey from the pantry. He mixed the milk and honey into the saucepan, setting the pan on the burner. He set the unused milk and honey aside to put away later, and Katsuki had to applaud him for knowing you Never leave milk on the stove unattended. Once the milk was brought to a low simmmer Kaminari removed it from the heat and grabbed two mugs from the cabinet over the counter. One was an offensively bright shade of yellow with a smiley face, and "A Fucking Ray of Sunshine" enscribed on the front with the curve of the smile taking the place of the "u" in "fucking," and the other was black with shimmery streaks of gold zig-zagging across it. It almost looked like Lightning.
Kaminari filled both mugs with cinnamon-honey milk, and handed the black mug to Katsuki, then put away the milk and honey before picking up his own mug. Kaminari took a slow sip from his mug, eyes sliding closed, and sighed pleasantly. "My mom always made this for me, when I had a hard time falling asleep. Took me a few tries to learn how to make it the Right way, though." The electric blond joked. Katsuki took a testing sip from his own mug, unable to hide his surprise at the taste. The two classmates stood there in the kitchen, silently drinking their cinnamon-honey milk.
"Why did you give me Your mug?" Katsuki finally asked, trying to fill the silence. The black mug was one of Kaminari's personal mugs from home, along with an unused Pikachu mug still in the cabinet. The Ray of Sunshine mug was one Katsuki's own parents had gifted to him before they moved into the dorms.
"Mmm. Did you know, before I bought that mug, I broke it? Way back in sixth grade, I was gift hunting for my mom in this little bodega just a few blocks away from my home. I wasn't paying attention and knocked this hand-made mug off its presentation stand, and it shattered all across the floor." Kaminari started, leaning back against the counter. "I was mortified. I wouldn't be able to afford to pay for something hand-crafted like that. But the shop owner, and potter who made the crafted pieces, didn't let me panic for long. He told me if I came back everyday that summer to clean his shop, he would consider it a debt paid."
Kaminari snorted at himself, putting the mug he drank from on the counter. "I was so relieved that I could pay him back, and I returned every single day to sweep, or mop, or whatever was needed. On the first day of the last week, he pulled me aside and told me I had made enough to pay for the mug, but first he wanted to show me how to fix it." Katsuki couldn't stop himself from listening raptiously, setting his own empty mug aside as well. When he wasn't goofing off for attention, Kaminari had an almost calming presence. "He lead me back to the pottery workshop, where he had all these black shards spread out on a towel next to a paintbrush and a little jar of golden paste-like paint."
“Kinstsugi?” Katsuki asked, leaning closer.
“Yeah!” Kaminari grinned in delight. “Mr. Suguroi showed me how to use the golden paste to glue all the pieces back together. It was a lot of fun, it felt like doing a 3-D Puzzle. And after I had all the larger shards in place he showed me how to put the smaller ones in, and fill in the empty spaces with the gold paste. Then we had to bury it in this enormous tub filled with rice, to let the paste completely dry. Then we could glaze it and stick it in the Kiln.” Kaminari traced a finger along one of the bolts of gold on the black mug as he talked. “It’s my favorite mug, because it reminds me that no matter how broken the situation may seem you can always fix it with time and patience. It reminds me that being “Broken” doesn’t mean being useless.”
"But what if... it's broken beyond repair?" Katsuki stared at his own fingers nervously. "What if I broke something so badly that I can't fix it?" His mind can't think of anything but Izuku's shattered face everytime Katsuki lost his temper. Everytime he called Izuku worthless for his lack of Quirk.
"Then you start over." Kaminari stated simply. "You start at the beginning and make something stronger."
"Something stronger, huh?" Katsuki watched Kaminari put all his supplies away, and stretch with a small yawn.
"Well, I'm off to bed, dude. I'll see you in the morning yeah?" Kaminari said over his shoulder as he left the kitchen.
"Kaminari," Katsuki called after him, "what's your favorite breakfast food?" Kaminari twirled around with a soft grin.
"Full-on American," He laughed. "Pancakes, Scrambled eggs, and Bacon; the works." Katsuki nodded and turned back to grab what he needed, missing Kaminari's surprised and touched smile. If he wanted to forge some new friendships, and earn back the one he thought he had destroyed beyond fixing, he figured making breakfast would be a good place to start.
Before too long, Katsuki was plating up the last of the pancakes, the others sat waiting, wrapped in foil to retain heat. The first of his classmates to come down exclaimed excitedly over the breakfast spread, eagerly grabbing a plate and serving up their own portions. Kaminari grinned at him, over his own stack of pancakes smothered in syrup, then tipped his head in Izuku's direction knowingly. Katsuki took a steadying breath and nodded back firmly. Not broken, not useless. Start fresh.
After breakfast was done, and the dishes had been cleared away and cleaned, Katsuki awkwardly pulled Izuku off to the side. "Hey, can we talk?" The grin Izuku shot him made him feel relieved.
"Of course, Kacchan," the green-haired boy agreed. It was a hard talk, both of them cried, but in the end they agreed to start over, get to know each other again. Katsuki hoped they could be as close as brothers, like they used to be, with time and effort.
Tokoyami Fumikage groaned as he woke up, having unintentionally fallen asleep on the couch. His neck had been wrenched at an awkward angle, and his whole back was sore. Which meant that keeping Dark Shadow under control was going to be harder than usual the rest of the day. He stretched, trying to get that one problem spot in his back to loosen up, and grunted in relief when he finally got it to pop. Grumbling, he stood up and scrubbed at his head, still trying to wake up. It was late enough in the evening that most of his other classmates were off doing their own things, and he was alone in the common room. He had watched from the sidelines how the class had almost seemed to divide itself over the weeks; those who were friends with Midoriya, and those who were friends with Bakugou. And those like himself, who didn't really fit in with any one group and sort of floated listlessly at the fringes.
Fumikage had always had trouble with making friends, even from a young age. Most little kids growing up had been terrified of his Quirk Manifestation; it wasn't everyday you came across a sentient Quirk. And those that weren't afraid of Dark Shadow often found his personality to be unsettling. Unfortunately, most people just assumed he liked his alone time, which was true, on occaison. But even he, with his macabre intrests and dark humor, liked company more often than not. Rolling his neck, he sighed as stood up to return to his own room.
"Oh dude, I recognise That posture." A classmate of his laughed as he entered the common room. Kaminari gave him a sympathetic grimace. "Fell asleep on the couch, huh?"
"Indeed. And I fear I shall have a headache before too long, trying to keep Dark Shadow under control." He lamented dramatically. Kaminari snickered, his eyes glinting mischieviously.
"Oh, you know what always helps with my headaches?" Kaminari questioned, aready happily leading Fumikage in the direction of the boys' restrooms. "Hop on up." He said, patting the counter next to the sinks. "Trust me," he added at Fumikage's glance. He shrugged and hopped up onto the counter, watching as Kaminari grabbed a washcloth, soaking it in cool water, and filling one of the sink basins with warm water. "Alright, feet in the water, lean your head forward, and place the washcloth on the back of your neck." Fumikage did as requested, and was surprised when the throbbing in his frontal lobe seemed to slowly ebb away.
"Oh, that feels so much better," Fumikage sighed, slumping forward.
"Right? Apparently, all the tension is pulled away from your head by the combo of cool and warm temperatures." Kaminari said with a smile. "I use this method a Lot, especially after I overdo it with my quirk. It makes my head all tense and buzzy, but this helps ease all that tension pretty quickly." Kaminari explained. "And if you need more stuff for headackes, I've got some pretty great teas, too." He offered as well.
"You have my deepest gratitude, Kaminari." Fumikage stated with a small bow.
"Think nothing of it, Dude! I'm always happy to help." Kaminari laughed as he exited the bathroom, Fumikage following behind.
Satou Rikido groaned as the "villian" forced him back with a supersized attack, he could feel a sugarcrash coming, but he didn't want to leave Kaminari high and dry. He and Kaminari were paired together for this terms final, to see how they combatted having an obvious weakness upon using their Quirk too often. Rikido was lucky, his was null the second he got another serving of sugar for his SugarRush Quirk. Kaminari would only get further backlash the more he used his Quirk after Overloading. He was working on building up his endurance, and he was getting better, but Rikido still knew that Overloading was no fun.
Rikido's issue was that he'd lost his belt at some point. His belt with his sugar rations in it, to be specific. He wouldn't be able to nullify the effects of his SugarCrash without it, and Kaminari would be stuck trying to both defeat their teacher matchup and defend Rikido in his weakened state. He blinked when Kaminari suddenly waved a jumbo Pixistix in his face. "You need Sugar to recharge, right?" Kaminari asked.
"Uh, yeah. Did you just...have that on you?" Rikido could feel his eyes getting wider.
"Yeah!" Kaminari nodded, quickly ducking back. "I've got like Six of these bad boys in the pockets of my pants! Backup rations, in case something happened to yours, ya know?"
Rikido quickly snatched the Pixistix and tore it open, upending it over his mouth. He could feel the strength rushing through him and nodded to Kaminari, he was ready. "Once more unto the breach." Kaminari joked. "If I hit Snipe with everything I've got, can I trust you to get me through the gate too?" Rikido nodded, preparing himself to bolt for the gate. Kaminari released his biggest bolt of power, knocking Snipe off his feet and blowing him back several yards. Kaminari was still sparking when Rikido scooped him up, using his prodigious strength to burst through the walls of the maze in the direction of the gate. As he threw his body past the gate, Rikido could hear the victory buzzer going off.
"Satou and Kaminari; PASS"
Ojirou Mashirao knew exactly how to use his tail, he'd been using it all his life afterall. And he'd been certain he knew Every way he could use his tail. Apparently, he was wrong. "Oji, Oji, Oji!" Kaminari chanted as he raced over, face lit up in one of the most excitable grins Mashirao had ever seen.
"Kami! What has you so giddy?" Mashirao asked, gently placing his hands on his classmate's shoulders to settle him. Kaminari was nearly vibrating in place, he was so eager to share his thoughts.
"So, Kacchan and I have been watching this docu-series about Animals, right? To help him pick up on conversational English. And last night's episode was all about Kangaroos! Did you know, when the males are fighting over females to mate with they kickbox? It's the coolest thing; they balance all of their weight on their tails and kick at each other with Both feet. I guess they keep boxing until one of them either gives up or dies. Australia is Wild, dude!" Kaminari giggled. "Anyway, that's not the important part. Can you do that too?"
Mashirao paused in contemplation. He knew his tail could support his body weight, he frequently threw his own tail about as a counterweight to help him pick up speed. And he also knew he could use his tail to physically throw himself forward. But, he couldn't think of a time where he simply balanced on his tail for the sake of leaving the rest of his four limbs open for combat. "You know what, I've never actually tried that." He admitted.
"Let's go try it out!" Kaminari pleaded, already breaking out the puppy dog eyes. It didn't take long to get Mashirao to agree with the spontaneous training idea, and soon enough Kaminari was scampering across the classroom to beg Aizawa to let them use Gym Gama to test the new move. It seemed as though even Aizawa, as much as he would deny it if directly questioned, was weak to the power of Kaminari's pleading. Mashirao was only just barely able to hide his amusement. Now that they were well into the school year, it was easy to spot Aizawa's not-so-secret-anymore soft spot for the excitable blond.
Mashirao let himself get dragged along to Gym Gama immediately after classes, listening to Kaminari's happy chatter the whole way. He would also deny if anyone asked, but he could feel his tail wagging in excitement the whole way there. He loved learning new methods of hand-to-hand combat, or in this case; kicking.
Shoji Mezou was well aware of how unnerving his unmasked face could be. With stretchmark-scars, double-to-triple the amount of teeth than most people had (afterall, the teeth in his Dupliarms had to come from Somewhere. It was just unfortunate that the "somewhere" in question just happened to be the mouth in his face), and lips that pulled back further than usual, his face had made many a small child hide their faces away. Mezou had stopped getting brokenhearted about it years ago. Mostly. There would always be a momentary pang in his chest when people looked at his mouth before they would look into his eyes. Therein lied the reason he had started wearing his mask; it was easier for other folk to make eye contact without his Monster Mouth (middle schoolers were just. So. Creative. With their little nicknames, weren't they?) constantly on display.
So, now here he stood, staring at his ripped facemask. On the days he washed it, he would hide away in his dormroom. Normally, he would have a spare to switch out, but this one was his spare, as his regular-wear mask had Also gotten ripped beyond repair during the Mele-for-Funsies battle that had broken out during gym class the other day.
Mezou wasn't always so self-concious about his mouth, but he had accidentally startled one of the Gen-Ed students earlier in the week, and the look on her face was one he would rather forget entirely. She hadn't screamed, blessed be, but he was just having a hard time looking at his face in the mirror, lest he be reminded of all the teasing he had suffered in middle school (middle school bullies were a fiercer breed all their own).
"Awh, no, your mask got ripped," a soft voice commented from the doorway. Mezou glanced over his shoulder to spy Kaminari standing there, approaching on silent feet. Keeping his mouth meticulously sealed shut, Mezou nodded. "Do you know how to fix it yourself?" Kaminari asked, examining the rip that ran from the top clear to the bottom. Mezou shrugged, half-heartedly, still stubbornly refusing to flash even the barest hint of a smile. Kaminari was the last person he wanted to scare. "If you want I can fix it, big guy. But it'll cost you." He teased. The multi-armed student turned to face him head-on, tipping his head to the side, considering. Then, he carefully nodded. "Awesome! I've got a sewing kit in my room, follow me!"
Kaminari cheerfully lead the taller student up to him own room, chattering on and on about nothing in particular. It took a moment or two to dig the sewing kit from the depths of his closet, then he threw himself down onto his own bed. Kaminari happily drummed his hands on the spot next to him, invitingly, imploring Mezou to also take a seat. Mezou cautiously sat down, watching Kaminari sew up the facemask as he calmly hummed to himself. In a matter of maybe five minutes, Kaminari had completely mended Mezou's mask and handed it back over to him. "Now, for your payment, you have to tell me your best joke!"
Mezou blinked. A joke? That was really all? After a moment of consideration, he spoke; "What's the difference between a dirty bus stop and a lady-lobster?"
"I don't know. What?" Kaminari asked, leaning in, eager for the answer.
"One's a Crusty Bus Station, and the other is a Busty Crustacean." Mezou replied. It took a moment for the joke to sink in, but once it did Kaminari started howling with laughter, nearly falling off the bed in his hysterics. Mezou couldn't hep but begin to laugh along with the infectious laugh. He didn't even notice how wide he had started smiling.
"I've never heard that one before!" Kaminari wheezed, delighted. He finally got his giggles under control, looking up at Mezou with the brightest grin, squarely meeting his eyes without hesitation. "You have a nice smile, dude. You should show it off more often." The electric blond told him, as genuine as he always was. Mezou found himself smiling back even wider, all teeth proudly on full display. Maybe he could go more often without his mask, around the dormrooms, at least.
Koda Koji sat frozen on his bed, eyes locked on the spider dangling from the ceiling, barely half a foot away from his face. Despite his Quirk, Koji had always been afraid of insects. Most of it went back to the manifestation of said Quirk; he had accidentally stepped on a colony of ants while playing outside and the screaming had sent him into a panic. He also wasn't fond of hearing their voices but being unable to find the source of the whispers; he had felt he was going crazy, before discovering it was always simply a bug. He was militant about making sure there were No Bugs in the dormatories because he couldn't deal with hearing the constant whispering, or screams if his classmates ever stepped on an insect themselves. For the most part Koji has kept his emetophobia under wraps. Kyoka knew, but she was the only classmate.
The spider swayed closer, causing Koji to squeak in panic, right as he heard someone walking past him own dorm. There was a soft knock, then the door creaked open, allowing Kaminari to poke his head through. "Koda? What's up?" He carefully slipped inside. "Oh, you've got a little friend." He noticed, walking over. He paused when Koji frantically shook his head, eyes darting between his classmate and the interloper. "Ah, not a friend?" Kaminari amended, raising his hands up.
"Don't squish her!" Koji managed to squeak out. Koji hardly ever talked, preferring to use sign instead, so his voice made Kaminari freeze up for a moment.
"A long-distance friend, then." Kaminari corrected himself. "Hang tight, and I'll be right back." Kaminari vanished, leaving Koji to his staring contest with the spider, listening to her miniscule whispers. His electric classmate returned a minute later, with a notecard and a small paper cup. Calmly, he trapped the spider between the card and cup, transporting her easily over to the window. Then he gently encouraged her to crawl unto the outside of the windowsill, quickly sliding the window closed after her. "Bye-bye, Little Charlotte," Kaminari cooed.
"Thank you," Koji signed with still trembling fingers. "I'm sorry I'm such a cry baby," he added.
"No, never, dude!" Kaminari assured him. "Sometimes the things we fear make no sense."
"But my Quirk?" He pointed out, as if Kaminari had forgotten. "I can talk to them, so why should I have anything to fear?"
"You're not the only one scared of an aspect of your own Quirk." Kaminari admitted softly. "I hate thunderstorms, especially storms with lightning." He sat next to Koji on the bed, leaning back against the headboard.
"You? Scared of thunderstorms?" Koji repeated, face scrunched up in disbelief.
"Mm-Hmm. My Quirk manifested a little bit earlier than most others', when I was only three. There had been a pretty big storm forcasted for that day, but I really wanted to play outside. My mom agreed to let me keep playing, as long as I stayed in our yard, and came in before it started pouring. I was having the time of my little toddler life, running around in the yard. I hadn't been paying attention, and didn't see the clouds Or feel the static until it was far too late." Kaminari sat up, hugging his knees close. "My Quirk both generates And draws upon outside electricity, and unfortunately for me, it manifested the Draw first. The storm was still a few miles out yet, but I still drew an Enormous lighting bolt right out of the sky." He stood from the bed, shucking off his loose tee-shirt and rolling up his right pant leg. Starting at his left shoulder, just shy of his neck, was a puckered pink scar that webbed down over his torso, both his chest and back. It continued to branch out over his body, running down the right side of his hips, and disappearing beneath the hem of his pants. Although he couldn't see the whole scope of the scarring, Koji noticed it trailed all the way down Kaminari's right leg, ending just at his Achille's tendon. There was another puckered starburst spanning the back of his ankle where the lightning had exited his body.
"It stopped my heart." Kaminari whispered. "I was without a heartbeat for...a Full minute? I think. My mom's an empath, and she said she felt my fear spike the highest it's ever been and then drop off completely. Mom and Dad rushed me to the closest hospital, and the Only reason I didn't die that day is because my body is Built to handle high doses of electricity. But my brain had been deprived of oxygen for three minutes, and I suffered from a Major case of hypoxia. I had to relearn how to walk, I had delayed speech, muscle spasms, all of the teeth I had grown fell out prematurely. I still panic a bit whenever I hear thunder, no matter how distant it is." Kaminari rolled his pants back down and pulled his shirt back on. "Being scared of something involving your Quirk doesn't make you a cry baby at all. It makes you Brave, cuz you're still gonna be a hero anyway." He finishes.
"Thank you, for sharing" Koji quietly hummed. Kaminari leaned over, resting his head on Koji's shoulder, and they sat together in silence for a little while.
Todoroki Shouto quietly slipped away from where the rest of his classmates are gathered, in the common room. He had only just recently let himself consider them his friends as well as classmates. Midoryia could be incredibly stubborn when he was trying to forge new friendships (or repair old ones). But today, the scar tissue around Shouto's eye was bothering him. The scar tended to dry out faster than the rest of his skin, and it felt tight enough to start cracking if he didn't treat it right away. Shouto didn't notice Kaminari slipping out to silently follow him until he was almost back to his room.
"Is your scar bothering you?" Kaminari asked casually, making Shouto startle.
"No," Shouto scowled, trying to ignore his curious classmate. He glared at the electric Quirk user, hoping to scare him off, so Shouto could tend to his face in privacy.
"I get it, scars Suck Ass." Kaminari huffed, tipping his head to the side, allowing the Lichtenburg Figures creeping out from under his shirt collar to be more easily observed. Shouto blinked away his shock, he hadn't realized any of his other classmates also had obvious and extensive scarring like his own. He was usually more obervant than that. The Duo-Quirk wielder turned away, ready to go back to ignoring his classmate. "If you need it, I have some scar cream you can borrow. Works wonders in stopping the cracking effect." Kaminari offered kindly. Shouto paused. He was used to taking care of himself. He had since he was a child and his father expected him to clean his own wounds and injuries from intensive training. But. It might be nice to be taken care of, just this once.
"Fine." He answered shortly. Kaminari's smile lit up like a beacon, and he happily tugged Shouto along with him, hand holding Shouto's wrist loosely. "Thank you," Shouto added awkwardly. Kaminari grinned over his shoulder kindly. He lead Shouto to the communal boys' bathroom and straight over to the mirrored cabinets lining the wall. He swung open the one with little lightningbolt stickers stuck around the frame and pulled out a little jar of cream. Before Shouto could take it from him, Kaminari was already unscrewing it and scooping out a small amount himself.
"It's gonna be a little cold," he warned, before gently spreading it along the skin under and around Shouto's eye. Shouto swallowed thickly at the amount of concentrated care on his classmate's face. "If you ever need more, feel free to use it," Kaminari told him seriously. "Scar aftercare is no joke."
"Thank you," Shouto whispered, more genuinely.
"You're welcome," Kaminari replied, just as softly. He finished applying the scar cream to Shouto's eye and put the cream back in his designated mirror cabinet. "Now, c'mon, Mido-dude's gonna get jealous if you keep making coweyes at me like that." He joked. "I'm pretty sure he'll cry if he can't befriend you."
Shinsou Hitoshi loved his life. So much had changed in the last few years, his head still spun around if he thought too hard about it. He went from being a foster kid slowly aging out of the system, with an incredibly lofty, and at times seemingly impossible, Dream of becoming a Hero. He had a mentor that believed whole-heartedly he could achieve that Dream, who had also become the greatest father figure he'd ever known. A second father, his Papa, that showered him in the affection he'd been starved for since a very young age. A new little sister to pester and be pestered by in turn. Cats! His new family had a small army of cats to love on as well.
And now he had Kaminari Denki. Bright, sunshiney, playful, adoring, supprotive Denki. Hitoshi let his eyes fall closed as Denki played with his hair. He had the Very coveted spot of resting his head in Denki's lap while the blond watched Katsuki play his Switch. Denki had been whining about an "unbeatable boss" and so now Katsuki was fighting the boss for him. Katsuki was probably aware that he was being played for a sucker, but he had a hard time saying no to Denki. Denki had his chin hooked over his bestfriend's shoulder, tucked slightly behind him to get the best possible view. He momentarily stopped petting Hitoshi's hair, distracted by whatever he was observing, and Hitoshi whined loudly, making his displeasure known.
"Sorry, Hito," Denki giggled, plunging his fingers back through his boyfriend's hair. Katsuki snickered, knocking his knee against Denki's own and jostling Hitoshi's head.
"You're so fucking whipped." He commented.
"Oh, and like you're Not?" Denki snorted. "Eiji calls you Darling once and you fold like a cardhouse." The two continued their bickering even as Katsuki beat the boss, handing Danki his Switch back. Hitoshi had very nearly fallen asleep when he was startled by the sound the dormitory doors being flung open. Mina and Ochako walked in, clearly in the middle of a playful argument. Mina, walking backwards, tripped over one of the pillows on the floor, and once she righted herself she spotted Hitoshi where he was lounging across Denki's lap and her face lit up.
"Shinbabe!" She cheered, vaulting over the couch. "Settle the argument for me and 'Chako," she pleaded, leaning over to get in his face. Denki swatted her away with a snort, and Hitoshi smirked up at his boyfriend. When Denki stood up with a stretch, wandering away to steal some snacks from the kitchen, Hitoshi whined after him, making grabby 'come back hands' at his back. Mina happily plopped down into the vacant spot, taking over Denki's hair petting duties. Hitoshi happily settled for Friend Pets (not Nearly as amazing as Boyfriend Pets, but still a new thing in his life he loved).
"Sure, Mina. Which argument this time?"
"Whether you're in the BakuSquad or the DekuSquad!" Mina whined. "Cuz, you're totally in the BakuSquad, you come to all our movie nights and study groups. You hang out with us all the time!"
"Nuh-uh! He eats lunch with the DekuSquad! And he always tags along on DekuSquad shopping trips! He comes to our study groups too," Ochako pointed out with an eyeroll. "You can't just say he's in your Squad cuz he hangs out with you guys sometimes. He's in the DekuSquad because Deku was his first real friend here at UA."
Hitoshi hummed, not really sure how to answer. See, he didn't really consider himself a part of either of the "Main 'Squads" their class had formed. He mostly hung out with Denki, wherever Denki happened to be. The reason he ate lunch with the so called DekuSquad was because Denki (and Mina, and sometimes Eijirou) used the lunch period to complete tests. It was something Aizawa had started allowing Denki (and Mina, and sometimes Ejirou) to do when he realized Denki genuinely struggled to complete some tests on time. Having that little bit extra time to come back and finish it meant he didn't try to rush himself. Denki's grades had been on a steady incline ever since then, and Hitoshi couldn't be prouder.
By now, Katsuki was watching with an intrigued smirk. He knew which "'Squad" Hitoshi would consider himself to be in, if he knew of its existence. But the KamiSquad was more of a Best Kept Secret among the members, mostly because they knew Denki didn't need a Squad named after himself to be happy. Maybe it was time to introduce a new member. As Mina and Ochako kept up the debate, Katsuki gently smacked Hitoshi's shoulder to grab his attention, pressing a slip of paper into his hands. Hitoshi read it silently, then a wide smile slowly spread across his face, and he nodded discreetly at Katsuki. Mina and Ochako, entirely forgetting about having Hitoshi mediate their debate, never noticed their two friends slipping away.
"Is there really...?" Hitoshi trailed off, still smirking.
"Oh, yeah," Katsuki snorted. "Not that He knows, of course. We're meeting up tonight after everyone else goes to bed."
"But isn't that past your bedtime?" The insomniac teased. Katsuki growled and poked Hitoshi's chest.
"Just be there, Eyebags. You'll meet the rest of the Squad then."
Kaminari Denki groaned as he rolled over, he didn't know what it was but he could not sleep tonight. Knowing of Hitoshi's insomniac tendencies, and assuming he would still be awake, Denki decided he should pay his precious boyfriend a visit. Denki glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand and groaned quietly; it was half-past midnight. He wanted to sleeeeeeppp. With a soft grunt Denki heaved himself up out of bed, slipping on a massive hoodie (stolen from Hitoshi), a pair of red flannel lounge pants (stolen from Ejirou), and his most favorite pair of fluffy socks (Whaaaat, leave him Alone, he had bad circulation to his extremities, and they were covered in little Pokeballs!) then slipped out the door, silent as a shadow.
Denki figured he might find Hitoshi sitting up in bed, reading, or possibly sitting at his desk, working ahead in the syllabus, but when he gently creaked the door open, the room was empty. "What?" Denki poked his head in, scanning slowly. No Hitoshi in sight. "Hito, where are you?" he sing-songed with a delicate pout. Maybe he went to the bathroom. Or possibly he snuck down to the kitchen for a late night snack. Denki shrugged, might as well go keep his insomniac company if neither one of them could sleep. Back pressed to the wall, Denki slinked-slank-slunk (he loved word play) his way down the hallway. He almost missed the lights on in one of the older spare rooms on the ground floor. Almost. But those old rooms were used mostly for storage, so why would the lights be on?
Slowly, he tip-toed over to the door. It was closed, but he could still hear the voices inside; and he recognized every single one of them. More confused than worried, he cautiously twisted the knob and pushed the door open on thankfully silent hinges. He peeked through the miniscule crack, taking note of which of his friends were gathered inside. He could see Hitoshi, Mashirao, Fumikage, Kastuki, and Koji. And though he couldn't see them, he also heard and recognized Mezou, Rikido, and Shouto's voices. An eclectic mix, to be sure. Denki easily considered everyone in that room to be a close friend of his, but he'd had no idea they even hung out together at all. He was so distracted with puzzling the situation over, he totally missed the shadow that slipped under the door, until it was too late.
With an excited squeak, Dark Shadow enveloped Denki, dragging him into the room. "Denki, Denki, Denki!" They looped around the electric user, who let small sparks flicker off the ends of his fingertips to tickle the shadow bird. Fumikage coughed, embarassed at having lost track of his own quirk.
"So..... does anyone want to explain what's going on here?" He asked calmly.
"It's our weekly KamiSquad meetup," Katsuki glowered, after an awkward silence.
"I see," Denki hummed, slowly sauntering further into the room. "And how long have these... KamiSquad meetups been happening?"
"At first it was just me and Shouto," Katsuki admitted. "We became friends after you befriended us both, cuz I figured if you were willing to give him a chance he probably wasn't an awful human being." Shouto nodded, briefly reaching up to touch his scar. "And then, as you befriended more people, we kept inviting them to hang out too."
"Mm-Hmm," Denki paced a slow circle around the room, poking around curiously, "I just have one more question; Why are there no snacks?"
"What?"
"Snacks! Having a Squad-meet without snacks is a very serious criminal offense."
"You aren't mad? That we never invited you?" Hitoshi asked, shame-faced, just a little bit.
"Nah, I think it's cute that all of you were too shy to admit you trust my judgement enough to make friends with my other friends. But I want a standing invite now," He decided. "And, as apparent leader of this Squad, I declare that it is Snack Time now. I'm hungry," With that, Denki spun around and merrily skipped out of the spare room, followed by his newly discovered entourage. He lead them into the kitchen, happily hopping up to sit on the counter, content to watch Katsuki and Rikido share the kitchen space while preparing cookies. It was something they'd done multiple times before, but now Denki could really take note of how they seemed to know how to work in and around each other's space. Hitoshi leaned on the counter next to him, kissing his cheek softly.
"You really aren't mad?" He asked, threading their fingers together.
"Hito, how could I possibly be mad? Look at this; Kats never would have shared the kitchen with Anybody just a few years ago and now he and Riki are old hat at sharing the space. Mezou has been walking around more confident than ever without hiding behind his mask. I know that Mashi and Fumi have been training together more often, but I never realized they were like Besties now. Koji has never looked so happy without one of his emotional support animals nearby, now look at him, so relaxed! And of course, you and Sho have an entire network of friends to trust and lean on. Multiple networks, in fact. All of my best friends are Happy, and that makes me so ridiculously proud of you all for making these friendships on your own." Denki kissed Hitoshi's shoulder, beaming up at him. "I love you all so much, of course seeing you all happy makes me happy." Hitoshi, overcome with happiness, swooped in to press a deep kiss to Denki's lips.
"Eugh, get a room," Katsuki snarled, wrinkling his upper lip in playful disgust.
"We're in a room," Hitoshi snarked back. Shouto snorted, quickly clasping both hands over his face in an effort to muffle his laughter. But his muffled snorting set of Denki, who hid his face in Hitoshi's neck, valiantly trying not to wake anybody else up. Each of Mezou's Dupliarms turned into hands, which he held over his own mouth in the classic 'quiet' gesture, and Mashirao sank to the floor, hiding his face agianst his knees, shoulders shaking from restrained laughter. Fumikage had to hide in the corner to get Dark Shadow to settle down. Koji let out a bark of laughter, the loudest any of them had heard, and Rikido rushed to hush him, almost tripping over Katsuki. Finally everyone was able to get their giggle-fits under control, just in time for the cookie timer to go off. The self-proclaimed KamiSquad then gathered in the common room, passing around the cookie plate, and trying to keep themselves quiet, lest they risk waking up the rest of their dorm building.
Aizawa Shouta, unnoticed by his students, stood hidden behind the doorway. He'd heard a commotion from the baby monitors he'd hidden in various sopts to keep a better eye on his charges and had come down to check up on things. But now, seeing his adoptive son smile like he hadn't in such a long time, he didn't want to interupt. Watching Hitoshi goof around with his friends like a regular teenager very nearly brought Shouta to tears, if not for his chronic dry-eye. So, as silently as he had appeared, he vanished, unacknowledged by anyone other than Denki, who just happened to glance up and catch his eye. 'Thank you,' Shouta mouthed, eyes flicking to Hitoshi, who had gotten into a shoving match with Shouto over the final cookie. Denki nodded, leaning into Hitoshi's side to beg for the last bite of cookie that he had victoriously stolen. Returning to his own attached apartment, and sliding into bed next to Hizashi, Shouta fell asleep with a smile on his face.