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Chapter Ten

Kaminari Denki II

Kaminari was distracted during his checkup, answering Ectoplasm's questions as best he could while trying to organize his own thoughts.

Way too much happened too fast.

He was having a few difficulties processing everything.

The villains attacked. He watched All Might fight. Killua proved to be even stronger than expected. Two teachers almost died, one of which he could have helped if he had done more than just stand there like a coward, receding to a useless kid as he watched the Smoke Villain destroy Thirteen's body.

Ectoplasm classified him as stable after receiving another coherent answer, but he recommended to sit down and slowly drink a glass of water once he was on the bus.

Kaminari does not want to do this.

He is tired, confused. Sitting down to sip on some water would give him too much time to think.

He doesn't feel like thinking now... He'll mull over this attack later when he managed to picture Thirteen's broken body without feeling like shit.

Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.

Kaminari looked at the crowds spread about, trying to find good people to entertain him and help him forget this whole ordeal.

Heels clicked by his side, a shadow climbing up his left pant leg.

He looked sideways, getting a close up on Momo's beautiful body and her big black eyes. She seemed worried, no frown of disapproval to throw at him.

" Kaminari-san, may I ask you a question?"

Momo wants to talk with him?

Weird.

Either way, he's incapable of denying something so simple from the prettiest girl in class. She's so out of his league he didn't even try to use a pickup line, just glad someone offered the distraction he wanted.

"Shoot!" He said, smiling at the opportunity to actually carry a conversation with Momo, one less unilateral and without the disapproving glares, fills him with more of his usual cheer.

"Are you, perhaps, afraid of Killua-kun...?"

That was not where he thought this was going.

His energy turned into anxiety.

"W-what?" He froze, voice cracking a bit.

His shaky question seemed to throw her off. She stared at him intensely, observing the dumb boy's sweat. The longer the silence the more her brows furrowed closer to one another, displaying either more concern or confusion.

It was uncomfortable.

Kaminari does not deal with uncomfortable silence very well.

He begins laughing awkwardly, raising his hands in mock surrender and blurting out whatever he was thinking "Okay, okay, I'll admit. Zoldyck-san is, hum... Pretty terrifying." He shivered, remembering the boy's empty eyes " I..." Don't want to die " I don't really want his attention on me."

Kaminari sighed. He waited for the inevitable laughter and amused snorts, maybe even a short giggle.

He got no such reaction.

"You truly are scared..." Momo said, her voice weak, unsure how to deal with this new information "I was under the impression you harbored hard feeling from being defeated, I suppose my judgment was a bit hasty."

While that does sound far more reasonable than being traumatized by a small boy's glare, Kaminari felt offended. "Dude, that would be a massive dick move."

"It would," Momo agreed. She sighed, shaking her head "but it would also make things far less complicated."

"I guess" Kaminari shrugged resting his back on the wall. This is the first time they've talked without Yaoyorozu scowling him, is a pleasant change, but the subject matter isn't something he wants to discuss. Changing the topic to the newest video games would be ideal, hell, even the villain attack would be a better subject, but Momo seems pretty determined to understand him.

Is both very sweet and exasperating.

Mostly exasperating.

But he appreciates it.

"Why do you find him so scary?" She tried, patient.

Not that his appreciation makes talking about it any less uncomfortable.

Kaminari's shoulders dropped "I don't know man..."

How can he explain it to her? He doesn't want to offend her, or come off as a prick, but is hard to find a polite way to explain how the glare of a true villain made sparks fly all over his skin, but Momo's little friend drowned him in such an absolute sense of dread even his instincts to protect himself stopped working.

"That's... Kind of hard to explain...? He reminds me of death and demise." Kaminari tried, disliking the shadow that fell over the girl's eyes "It makes me feel like a prey of sorts. The fact he can probably break my neck with a halfhearted punch is also terrifying"

Momo's eyes widened, incredulous and upset "You think he'll attack you?"

"No! No, no, no! Of course not!" Kaminari was quick to shake his head. Maybe a bit too quick.

Admittedly. The possibility of Killua attacking him was a legit concern when he got out of the Hero x Villain exercise. He knows that boy is dangerous, probably even more dangerous than Bakugou! And everyone knows how disastrous his fight with Midoriya went.

But this true villain invasion was enough to see how silly and irrational he was being. He may be dumb, but even he can tell Killua is not evil.

Time and time again the pale boy proved to be helpful. Giving him some useful tips that only reinforced how much Kaminari could have helped if he wasn't a twat. Not hesitating when Momo begged him to jump in the middle of the chaos to help Midoriya and acting quick enough to probably save Thirteen's life.

Fuck, instead of boosting his power like most people the blond know would do, the scary boy only uses it for protection, suggesting for the class to leave him behind and save themselves.

He was willing to be discarded in favor of helping the class.

It went against every detail of the picture his first impressions had painted.

Part of Kaminari felt bad about judging Killua based solely on first impressions but his mind could not let that nightmare go. It was horrible. He felt ashamed to be unable to look Killua in the eye despite having so much proof that he truly is a good person.

"I may be afraid of him, but is not like that!" Kaminari keeps talking, letting out some of what he was thinking "I am sure he would never attack me out of nowhere. It just... He is so cold and I.."

Dead eyes. The feeling of demise crawling up his skin.

"...I don't like it."

"His cautious demeanor can be a bit off-putting, I understand" Yaoyozoru agreed calmly, but he knows, he knows with a simple look that she does not understand, no matter how much she believes otherwise "But that does not mean he's cold. Think about it Kaminari. Has he ever done something to hurt you? Hurt anyone?"

"Of course! He had. He-Hum..."Kaminari trailed off, thinking about the first day of school without the fresh fear clouding his opinion. He felt a stab of shock after realizing that despite Killua's incredible strength he did not hurt anyone.

The scary boy could have gone all out like Bakugou but instead of destroying Kaminari's body, Killua decided to not even touch him. Knowing how socially confused the boy acted, he probably thought that scaring his opponent into surrender was kinder than actually breaking their bones.

Kaminari passed his hand through his hair, pushing his roots and trying to find anything else that was unusual about the boy.

The bus ride was the first thing that comes to mind.

Killua had faced all their gossips so calmly, so unnaturally unaffected Kaminari thought it was apathy, a complete lack of care regarding his classmates. But now that he stopped to think about it, it sounds wrong. Killua wouldn't have helped so much if he didn't care, he wouldn't be following Momo, always listening to her and paying attention to his classmates' reactions if they meant nothing to him.

'I am just...Not the best at making friends.' Killua's voice murmured in Kaminari's memories.

That. That was the closest thing to discomfort Killua had ever displayed. Denki had ignored this at the time but now… now his stupid mind finally caught up to the implications behind such words.

Maybe Killua wasn't unaffected, maybe he was just used to negative reactions. Used to being rejected.

The realization was enough to pour a bucket of guilt over his head. The discomfort he felt whenever Killua acted nice or the shame of his own fears was better than feeling like a complete dick.

"Kaminari-san...?"Momo asked, confused by his long silence.

"I am an asshole."

Momo blinked in surprise, taken at back. "Excuse me?"

Kaminari looked at her with wide eyes "I acted like an asshole and I am so sorry!"

Momo eyebrows shot up, her black eyes glistening with something akin to surprise. Kaminari could only sweat when she shook her head "Is not me you have to apologize too."

Kaminari's golden eyes unconsciously shifted to Killua, taking in the casual way he talked to Midoriya, Tokoyami, and Kirishima.

Momo was right. Of courses she is, but Kaminari doesn't want to accidentally flinch while apologizing or something.

His silence made Momo's eyes sadder.

"Fears are often irrational," Momo said quietly, not judging him "I am sure if you talk to him and try to keep eye contact you'll see there is nothing to fear."

"I don't know, last time..." Last time he saw those eyes he got flashes of that emptiness of yesterday, he felt uneasy and paranoid.

He instinctively shivered.

It was terrible. Makes him want to run-

"He didn't make any move"

Kaminari froze "Hum?"

"Last time, on the bus," Momo explained, "You talked to him, talked about him" A small, barely noticeable flash of anger crossed her face "but nothing happened."

Nothing happened...?

"Just now too." Momo continued, voice softening "Did you feel attacked when he gave you advice?"

"No" Kaminari admitted quietly, remembering the shame of listening to the small boy but not mustering the courage to keep eye contact for more than a fleeting second.

He was not attacked.

Nothing happened.

He caught Killua's eyes time and time again, yet he did not feel any twisted killing intent again.

Kaminari shook his head, scowling at himself for being so stupid. Of course, he didn't! Killua is not a villain, he's a hero student!

Kaminari clenched his fist.

What the hell is wrong with him?

He may not be as strong as Midoriya or cool like Todoroki but he's a hero too! He needs to face his fears and stop excluding a classmate because of a terrible first impression.

"I guess I can talk to him... I am good at talking," He said, using this small flux of determination before he could second-guess himself. "Can you, like, please call him?"

His class representative send him a genuine, albeit weak, smile "Of course!"

Kaminari watched her go, waiting only a few seconds before Killua turned his way. Kaminari gulped, looking at him in the eye and waving awkwardly. Those big eyes seemed to stare into his soul but, despite his survival instincts urging him to run away and avoid the heavy threat, he manages to keep his head high, only his hands trembling in fear.

Is alright, nothing would happen.

He keeps the eye contact for long, long seconds, watching the boy head his way like a confident cat, lazy and slow, the cold intelligence in his eyes getting increasingly sharper as he got closer. Kaminari shifted his gaze to the boy's ridiculous purple shoes. Stocking up reminders that he's not that scary. He is not!

That strategy backfired almost instantly.

'Quiet' A memory of Tsuyu whispered in his ear. 'His footsteps are very quiet'

He froze, paying a ridiculous amount of attention to the boy steps.

One step, two steps, three steps...

No sound, no footprint.

Alright, good person or not, that's definitively creepy.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Killua asks, sounding bored.

Kaminari startles at the voice, snapping his head up to meet deep dark eyes and letting out a pathetic yelp.

The ever-present spark of intelligence is far too close, dissecting his every reaction.

"Hum..." He said eloquently, unconsciously straining his gaze to the boy's fluffy hair. They're completely harmless, focus on the fluffy cotton candy hair, the hair is nice, it won't judge him "Yeah, I do actually."

Killua tilted his head a bit, forcing eye contact and looking reluctantly curious.

Kaminari shook his head, feeling both terrified by the attention and glad this painful conversation attempt was not being ignored "I, er, wanted to a-apologize."

Killua eyebrows went up, incredulous. He got that calculative spark in his eyes again, taking a fraction of a second for realization to dawn on him.

"Ah.." He says annoyed "Did Momo force you into apologizing?"

Kaminari gapes.

"What?" He blurts out, completely caught off guard " No, no, no! I am being sincere here!" He shook his hands like a madman, trying to convey his emotions with his body language and shake the goosebumps away "You're a bit weird" creepy as fuck "but a good person Zoldyck! Excluding you wasn't cool on my part! "

Killua looked at him, expression unreadable. His body started to shake, increasing his adrenaline levels and putting all his instincts even more on edge.

Kaminari gulped, trying to push the ghostly brush of killing intent away from his memory and stand his ground.

Nothing is happening.

Stop being paranoid.

Killua isn't doing anything!

Kaminari could feel sweat running down his neck. Wanting to break the silence but too afraid to even breath.

Killua frowned, his blank expression getting confused "You're serious."

Kaminari lets a shaky breath out, thanking the gods Killua eyes lighted up instead of being consumed by darkness "Well, of course!"

"You do know I used killing intent on you right?"

Kaminari winced "Kind of hard to forget."

Killua snorted at that, breaking eye contact. He gave a side look to where Momo was keeping a curious Kirishima and Ashido distracted while Midoriya cowered in the face of a worried Iida. The pale boy's shoulders dropped at the mundane scene, looking back at Kaminari with calm eyes "Have you ever been a target of killing intent before?"

Kaminari blinked.

"No." He admitted. No matter how angry his mom acted at times he never once feared for his life.

Not for real anyway.

Killua did not seem surprised by his answer.

"Then don't apologize." He said, eyes turning into such a calm blue you could barely see it's ever-present sharpness "Being afraid is natural, you shouldn't feel bad for listening to your survival instincts."

Kaminari furrowed his brow. "I guess...?" When he put it like this... It doesn't sound too bad, but still "I should have still reacted better, that shit happened yesterday, and I acte-"

The pale rolled his eyes "No you shouldn't."

Kaminari blinked cluelessly. "I-What?"

"Is not your fault," Killua said firmly, "You don't have to apologize for being traumatized. "

Traumatized.

Kaminari brain paused, processing.

"That's, hum... A heavy word."

Killua said nothing, letting the silence cover their little bubble before taking pity on him, saying a neutral "I guess." His brow furrowed the slightest bit "Honestly...I am just surprised you even tried to talk to me."

"Me too," Kaminari admitted sheepishly.

"I can see,"

Kaminari winced

Yeah... All things considered, he's not surprised the little dude noticed his fear.

Killua chuckled after another round of tense silence, the sound quiet. Odd. It had no real amusement to it, no mockery, just an inexplicable sense of tiredness.

"If that's all, I'll be on my way." Killua said, avoiding eye contact and calmly turning around "Try not to force yourself,"

Kaminari bit his lips, only managing a weak "Yeah... Till later, dude."

The boy lifted his arm in acknowledgment, already heading for Momo.

Kaminari let out a shaky breath, feeling the adrenaline leave his body, draining his energy. He slumped on the ground, watching Killua reach his destination, startling Momo and the surrounding students with his quiet appearance. The small group yelped at first but was quick to adapt, laughing or huffing, easily initiating a conversation with the boy.

It's not fair. They make it look so easy.

So ridiculously easy.

Would talking to Killua ever be that easy for him too...?

He furrowed his brows, seriously thinking about it.

Call him an optimistic, if you will... But he's willing to say yes.

It will take time, probably, but it shouldn't be too out of his game. He's a social creature, he never had trouble talking, if anything, he has a problem with talking too much!

But...

'You don't have to apologize for being traumatized'

Kaminari bit his lip. This small sentence sticking to him.

traumatized...

Was he really traumatized?

He doesn't know. He, well... He doesn't think so. He is scared, weirdly scared, but he actually wants to know Killua! They don't need to be pals or best bros, he just wants to be able to at least greet the boy without feeling tense.

This apology was supposed to do the job and clear his irrational fears but Kaminari still felt odd. His fear and confusion now sharing a place with something heavy he doesn't know how to name, much less how to deal with.

Was his apology as absurd as Killua made it sound? Was he supposed to just avoid his fears?

That would probably be the smart thing to do.

...

Kaminari still planned on keeping a small distance from Killua, but he was hopeful. Promising himself to get closer the pale boy in the future, when he has enough time to organize his thoughts about everything and stop being irrationally afraid.

He was about to sit beside the gossiping group when he noticed Midoriya and Ashido were on the seat right behind Killua, asking him about Gone...? Wait no, Gon.

Kaminari frowned. Is Gon like a girl's name or a boy's name? No, better question, is Gon even a name?

He was confused.

"Hey guys," He said, dropping on three sits away from Killua, partially hiding behind Midoriya, but promising himself to keep eye contact from now on. Baby steps "What's everyone talking about?"

"Gon!" Ashido said, excited. When she got no reaction she rolled her eyes playfully. Considering the shit show those villains put up a few minutes ago, she looked far too chirpy "Come on, Kaminari, don't you remember that name on top of the entrance exam results? His score was insanely high!"

His score.

So Gon is a dude. Probably a foreigner too, with such a weird name.

"High score...?" Midoriya asked, blinking like a lost puppy " You mean the breaking recor-Oh my god, oh my god! " Midoriya exclaimed, suddenly widening his eyes " That's why the name sounded familiar! I can't believe I forgot about his score!"

Momo seemed very surprised "Gon got first place? I thought Killua-kun got first place!"

"He got third" Ashido informed, "Right behind Bakugou!"

Bakugou gritted his teeth, pointedly looking away and pretending he didn't hear shit. Weird. This was a very good opportunity to boast about his higher position.

"Third?" Momo asked, surprised "But you're stronger than them!" She paused, unsure "Hum...You're stronger than Gon right...?"

"Probably," Killua said, distracted.

"I don't get it." Kaminari blurted out.

Killua looked at him, curious, and Kamininari instinctively tensed up, doing his best to smooth his nerves and focus on the complete lack of malice.

'Don't force yourself' be damned.

"If you're stronger than Bakugou..." The explosive boy glared at him but surprisingly, did not deny his words "...Why did you score lower?"

The train got considerably quieter. Even the most reserved students, such as Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Sero looked at him in mild interest.

"I wanted to lay low" Killua admitted.

"Lay low...?" Midoriya questioned.

Killua briefly dragged his eyes pass every student, shaking his head "It doesn't matter," He made a face, annoyed "That plan clearly was a bust."

Midoriya frowned, as did Momo. But Kaminari didn't see why, the boy was so odd, it's no wonder this plan never worked out.

"Is hard not to notice you Zoldyck-chan" Ashido nodded,

Killua face twisted into alarm "Chan...?"

"Well, yeah." She said, confused by his reaction "You're so soft and small, I can't be the only one that finds it more natural to use chan.." She paused at his embarrassed, vaguely insulted look "But I mean no disrespect!" She was quick to explain, not wanting to give the wrong impression "If it bothers you I can stop!"

"Please do, Zoldyck-chan is just... " He made a face, shuddering. "Wrong"

"Alright Zoldyck-san"

Killua just stared at her, definitively noticing her badly hidden disappointment and reactibg with bewilderment "Hum..." He looked at Momo and Midoriya, which was no help, they were just as bewildered by the situation.

After a few seconds thinking about it Killua decided to try something

"If you want to, er, try a cuter name," Yeah, the boy was definitively out of his comfort zone "You can just call me Killua...?"

Kaminari sends him a look. Sure, he doesn't know enough about Killua to have a formed opinion but still, what the fuck.

"Wow, wow, you're serious?" Mina said, almost falling out of her seat.

"Yeah."

She laughed, happy " Moving things fast, aren't we? If I let you call me Mina, we'll be like besties!"

Killua shakes his head getting influenciated by her playful mood "Sorry to dissapoint but Momo is the best." Momo lighted up at his words "No questions asked."

"I was under the impression Gon already held that position?" Momo asked amused and happy.

Oh, so Killua have other friends besides Momo? Alright, good for him!

"No," Killua says comically aggravated "He's the worst."

Mina snorted at his face, Midoriya looks less tense and even Kaminari could feel himself relax, soaking in the light atmosphere.

This crowd. This light and teasing energy. That's his jam, his comfort zone! He can merge into this, get more energized, more confident!

" Did something happen?" Momo asks, hiding a smile behind her delicate hand.

" He screwed up." This time his voice was more firm. Showing that the screw up was not that big but still, too big to be ignored.

" Did he got in trouble?" Momo asked, her smile falling, replaced by worry.

When Killua nodded tiredly Momo patted his shoulder, thinking about this Gon dude and suddenly widening her eyes, scandalized "Dear god, did he actually punch a teacher?!"

Kaminari couldn't help but send her a look. In fact, everyone sent Momo a look, even the dudes eavesdropping in the back.

Wow, wow, wow!

Is this Gon a delinquent or something?!

Killua snickered, like a little kid "Nah, he just broke someone's window. Cracked a table lamp too."

This does nothing to erase the mental picture of a delinquent from his mind.

"That's atrocious!" Iida yelled from the back of the bus, looking personally attacked "He needs to respect the school property!"

Killua blinked at the sudden addition to their group "Calm down, I never said he broke school property."

A/N: YES! THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT EVERYONE! You have no idea how happy all these comments make me!

Here, if you want you can pick the next chapter POV!

Option 1-Mina Ashido I
Option 2-Bakugou Katsuki I
Option 3-Yaoyozoru Momo IV

ps: if you have a question don't leave a comment on annon, I can't leave you a PM with the answer when you're on annonymous...