The second Shinsou got home- after gleefully explaining his parent's ship name to a very amused Hizashi and a much less amused Aizawa- he pulled up Ch4rgeb0lt's stream. Yes, he was early but he couldn't resist seeing if he was mentioned tonight.
Upon logging in he saw MeatMeOutBack29 was already, unsurprisingly, present. Along with a few others who Shinsou hadn't bothered memorizing the names of.
Meat immediately sent a message directed at Hitoshi, "Don't you think you're getting too close to him? If this is a bid for admin privileges I'm not sharing."
If Shinsou's online persona was a bit meaner he might have answered with a loving, "bitch please," but today was not that day.
"I'm not after your admin spot. Trust me."
"But you are after Ch4rgeb0lt?"
Shinsou snorted, "That's literally all of us, but okay." If he had to get into a fight with this man he gladly would. He got to be a lot braver online and it was incredibly therapeutic. He decided to enjoy himself further, "Feeling threatened?"
MeatMeOutBack29 responded in a heartbeat, "I already know I'm his favorite. Enjoy your delusions of grandeur."
Oh now it's fucking on.
"So frequently paying extra money for his vocal affection makes you his favorite? Cute. You must think really little of him. As expected of someone who thinks he's the most loved. He routinely mentions he doesn't have a favorite, and I trust him. Unlike some people, apparently."
Another member of the chat added, "OH SHIT. WANT SOME ICE FOR THAT BURN?!" and Shinsou couldn't have felt any prouder. Plus, he actually did want to defend Denki. The man frequently says that everybody here was family/friend/bae and precious to him. It was one of the things that Hitoshi enjoyed about the boy- he never left anyone out of his affection and kindness. Even the weirder ones.
MeatMeOutBack29 took a fair amount of time to answer, "Defend him all you want, but I was here long before you even joined. He and I have an intimate history. I think I know him better."
Shinsou fired back, "Did you just pull the hipster 'I liked them before they were cool' card? Wow. That's just embarrassing."
It also took every ounce of restraint in his body to not mention that he'd been kissing their beloved Ch4rgeb0lt just an hour ago. Not that anyone in the chat would believe him.
They were distracted from trading further insults by the flicker of the stream going live. Ch4rgeb0lt was all smiles as he adjusted his webcam, "Hey, loves! Bright and early tonight, I see?"
Almost all at once usernames flooded the chat telling Denki to look at the history and read about the battle between viewers. The most interesting person who was ratting them out decided to deliver the news by saying, "Ch4rgeb0lt! Mommy and Daddy are fighting!"
Like Shinsou would ever choose to associate himself with that meat asshole.
Kaminari scrunched his eyebrows together as he read over the fight that occurred. There was a moment where his mouth turned up on one side in subtle amusement, which Shinsou felt was probably because of something he said, but for the most part, the man looked fairly distressed.
Ch4rgeb0lt sighed, typed some things into his computer, gave a few clicks of his mouse, and leaned back with his arms crossed. His pout was pretty cute, but Hitoshi still felt bad.
MeatMeOutBack29 has had their admin privileges revoked.
The chat burst into a series of: "Oh shit!", "The end of an era!", "Oooooh you're in trouble!" and Shinsou's personal favorite, "Down with meat! This stream is Vegetarian!"
Denki looked sad. More disappointed perhaps, than anything else. It hurt to see and know he'd taken part in that. "Sorry, Meat. At least for now, Okay? I won't allow anyone to be mean to each other. That goes for you too, Mindwash. I'm glad you recognize that I love everyone here, but hurting feelings doesn't solve anything in the long run."
Shinsou couldn't stop himself from adding, "Even if it feels really good?"
Kaminari laughed, though he recognized he shouldn't and soon composed himself, before saying, "Yeah, even if it feels really good. I think bathing in ramen sounds like it'd feel pretty good, but the inevitable burns? I ain't Todoroki- I couldn't rock the 3rd degree like he does."
The chat dissolved into laughter and appreciation, one person even typing "I'd love you even if you were just a giant scab!" which even Denki responded to with an affectionate but thoroughly grossed out, "Ewwww! Dude, I love you too but that's mega nasty."
It didn't take long for the conversation to slip into its usual funny and lighthearted tone. Denki spent approximately three minutes trying to balance a chopstick, his new glittery yellow ones, on the tip of his nose. He was failing extravagantly, but having the time of his life. Whenever he would giggle the chopstick would fall, dangerously close to his eyes- and Shinsou expressed this concern only for it to be laughed off in a teasing manner ("I only have eyes for you all, anyway!").
Though the chat had started off on a negative note (no thanks to MeatMeOutBack29, who Shinsou decided should take all of the blame) the blonde seemed to be in a pretty good mood. A little giddy even. Hitoshi thought he'd take his chances and ask more, especially since he had learned that Denki always answers his messages.
"How was your day?"
Ch4rgeb0lt's smile was all teeth and his eyes crinkled with happiness.
"That good, huh? Did something go well with your job as the coolest barista ever?"
Denki blushed and averted his eyes for a moment, before answering, "I had a really great time with a friend today. But don't get jealous, my dears! It's a totally different thing. Team Bae can rest easy tonight," followed by a wink and a thumbs up.
The expected whining of "No fair!", "Will you leave us if you make new friends?", and the very uncomfortable addition, "Did this person pay you too? What would I have to pay to get that?"
Ch4rgeb0lt looked worried right away, "Never! I could never abandon you folks. You are all precious to me and I wouldn't leave you behind for allllll the world. So there!"
The chat then became a series of "3" s and the like. He always was good at comforting the particularly attached fans.
The thought brought up a topic that Shinsou hadn't really considered before. What would it be like to date someone who played pretend lover for sixty-something people every night? Would he be comfortable with sharing Denki like that? Shinsou knew he was a possessive guy. He grew up with very little to call his own so whatever was his was infinitely precious. He had to hold it close or it would go away, just like so many things did. Even being raised by the most loving parents ever hadn't managed to get rid of that emotional reflex. It scared him a little, but he also wouldn't want to take Kaminari away from what he loves to do… He felt like he was at a bit of an impasse.
When he shook himself out of his thoughts he saw Ch4rgeb0lt making a concerned expression. It wasn't quite fear but it was certainly discomfort. He was obviously trying to hide it, but even he couldn't cover up looking so unsettled.
Shinsou read through the chat to look for whatever might have caused it when he came across an eerie post by a user fittingly named 'Insan1ty'.
"I saw you the other day. I waited for you outside but you never came out again? I only stayed a couple of hours but I thought I'd walk you home since the streets can be dangerous at night. You're even more beautiful in person! I hope I can get the courage to talk to you next time. 3 3 3!"
Hitoshi realized this person didn't see Denki leave the cafe since the blonde lives upstairs. Which this stalker hopefully won't realize anytime soon.
Ch4rgeb0lt spoke up, "Hey, Insan1ty, I'm glad that it made you happy to see me, but it isn't okay to contact me outside of here. I certainly don't mix my stream life with my personal life, and definitely not my work life. Could you be super awesome and not come by my work anymore? I don't want to have to ban you from the stream, but if you keep up this behavior I'm not going to have a choice."
Extremely democratic, as expected of the blonde, but not nearly straight forward enough.
Shinsou put in his two cents, "That is absolutely not okay. Stalking Ch4rgeb0lt is an abuse of his trust in us, and if you love him as much as you say you do you will respect his boundaries. It is completely unacceptable to treat him this way, and in case you couldn't tell you freaked him out."
Surprisingly MeatMeOutBack29 added, "I despise agreeing with MindWash, but I wholeheartedly concur. This kind of behavior is against all policies listed on Ch4rgeb0lt's website, as well as an example of stalking. I will not hesitate to get the police involved, and I have a large number of connections to some notable heroes. It's best for everyone's sake if you stop immediately."
Hitoshi had to admit it was well-said.
Insan1ty wrote back, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you Ch4rgeb0lt. I was just so happy to see you in real life. I wanted to hold your hand and give you a hug. Maybe a kiss on the cheek? That's what people who date do, so it only seemed fair. You always say that we're dating so I don't understand why I can't date you in real life too. I apologize for upsetting you. I love you very much."
Kaminari flinched but did his best to put on a smile, "Well thank you for apologizing, but I repeat that I don't make any contact with viewers outside of the stream. That kind of dating is very different, but I understand this can be confusing. If you promise to leave me alone at work I'll forgive all of it, okay?"
The chat wisely, in Shinsou's opinion, spoke extensively against that idea. Kaminari had always been too nice for his own good, and Hitoshi hoped it didn't come back to bite him. Not that he'd let that happen to the blonde if it did.
Insan1ty wrote back, "I'll be good. I'll just watch. It's cool as long as I don't talk to you right? Lol You're so nice! Are photos okay? I'll share them with the stream :)"
Shinsou was about to express his extreme displeasure when MeatMeOutBack29 posted, "May I do the honors, Ch4rgeb0lt?"
Denki sighed heavily, "It's all yours, Meat."
MeatMeOutBack29 has been given admin privileges.
Insan1ty has been banned from the stream.
A number of people cheered, and it quickly lightened up the room. Kaminari seemed much more relaxed.
"Problem solved! I hope...but you guys will protect me! At least one of you has to be a secret government agent with mad hacking skills, right?"
The stream sent their "lol"s and Denki continued to play the joker to fix the mood. He slurped his noodles loudly and showed off a drawing he'd made of Eraserhead (which was surprisingly really good. Shinsou quickly screenshotted it. His dads will freak later).
After this whole debacle, Shinsou will definitely be coming around Amped Up more often. He'll bring this to his father if he has to. No one does better underground work than his dad.
In the end, what this whole night really proved was that Hitoshi had to tell Denki the truth as soon as possible. He can't be there to protect him if he has to pretend not to know. Yes, he didn't want this to be the way it happened but damned if he was going to sit back and watch his (hopefully) boyfriend be threatened like that.
Shinsou learned from his dad that you just don't fuck with the Aizawas, and Hitoshi was more than happy to prove he was one of them.
In honor of lightening the situation, Shinsou noticed that Ch4rgeb0lt had gone 15 minutes past his usual end time. The purple-haired man was sure it was because he didn't want to end on a weird note. What mattered most is that his 'friends and lovers' were happy.
Denki must have noticed it too, because his sentence was interrupted by an adorable yawn, "Guess it's that time again, everybody! Stay safe and," Kaminari kissed his fingertips with a loud smack before pressing them up to his camera, "until next time...Zap you later!"
Shinsou held his own kissed fingers up to the screen over Denki's face. He may have gotten a real kiss earlier, but he would take every bit of love he could get. Hitoshi closed his laptop and hugged it against his chest. He was still a bit worried about the strange viewer, but he knew Kaminari could take care of himself if the worst happened. He'd heard just how strong his electricity could get.
Hitoshi felt for the cell in his pocket and considered texting the blonde. That was proper date etiquette, right? It wouldn't seem weird to text him right after his stream ended?
Either way, the man couldn't help himself.
You: Did you get home safely?
He sat with bated breath until the phone buzzed.
Denki: yup! all good n safe. ur such a gentleman!
Shinsou released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
You: It's called basic manners. I tried to suggest them to Endeavor but... well, you saw how that went.
Denki: stil makes u the coolest dude evr! bummed that i missed it. u shud do it again!
You: Next time you see me I'll have to re-enact it with Todoroki. He loves doing impressions of his father. It involves a lot of fiery beards and 'harumph'-ing.
Denki: how do u kno every1?!
Denki: am i going to have to show every hero i meet that photo of ur cute dumb face?
You: Not sure if I should be offended or not. Damn you, and your complimentary insult.
Denki: (^.~)
You: What an incredibly eloquent comeback.
Denki: we cant all b shakespeer
Denki: but i did got u this cat (^◕ᴥ◕^)
You: In that case, all is forgiven. Now go to bed. You mentioned you have work early in the morning.
You: How can you draw cats in lattes if you're falling asleep in them?
Denki: tryin 2 get me into bed huh?
You: You know what I mean!
Denki: only if u go to bed 2! ur eyebags could doubl as a purse
You: How did you know that's what I use them for? It's exhausting being so fashionable.
Denki: lol ur the best. now im going to get u in2 bed (^_~)
Denki: for real tho if i gotta sleep im taking u with me
Denki: did that sound weird?
Denki: big oof.
Denki: boof?
You: Goodnight, Denki. Sweet dreams.
Denki: u 2!
Denki: (*¯ ³¯*)
Denki was so freaking cute. He took a moment to look at the photo for his contact. Hitoshi, in an embarrassing display of affection, booped his nose against the screen of his phone. Apparently, he was at cat levels of displaying affection. He blames his dad.
He was going to tell him tomorrow. Not just who he was, but how much Kaminari meant to him, Even if that means doing it in front of his equally terrifying, but well-intentioned, squad. If that doesn't prove how much he loves the guy then nothing will. No matter how weird the night started, Shinsou wasn't afraid. He knew that between Denki's own abilities, his crazy friends, and Hitoshi himself, that everything would be ok. Love finds a way in the end, and it was about damn time that Shinsou told Kaminari just how much he meant to him.
Moment of truth, here I come.
SKSKSKSKKSKSKSKKSKSKSKKSKSKSKKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKKSKSK
ASailorSoldier did an astoundingly perfect fanart for this fic. (Take out the spaces) You can see it here: twitter asailorsoldier/status/ 1092416338339913729
She does a lot of ShinKami stuff so go get your fix!