Author's note: Hey!
So, for once, I'm trying to get ahead on the chapters. I'll restart working soon, so I thought that I had to ride this inspiration wave as much as possible.
This one is a bit more "feely", with a lot of introspection. And I definitely wanted a common area night scene between these two. I picture them as potential night owls: one because of his Quirk and endless musing, the other because of the creative urges.
I've began to write the next moment, and planned what I wanted to do with the others. It seems that getting a bit more organized is helping me staying on tracks.
Anyway, see you soon for the next chapter. I'll try to keep up with a weekly update, but that will depend on how I fare with work!
Take care everyone :)
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia.
It was one of these nights again, where sleep evaded him. It was a regular occurrence for him, due to the electricity flow coursing through him, but lately, he couldn't blame his quirk for it, if he was honest with himself.
He tossed again in his bed, looking at the tiles of his ceiling, as if he could hypnotize himself to sleep by ogling them. Sighing, he got up and went to his window, pushing aside his curtain to let the soft moonlight in. He would have sit on his balcony if not for the chilly autumn air: he sat instead in front of the window, his back leaning on his night stand, his eyes drifting to the celestial body reigning on the night.
He was known for his Whey mode and being the legendary idiot of class 1-A, but his brain was the most of the time a hurling whirlwind that never ended.
Anything could pick up his attention, his thoughts drifting from the silliest to the most philosophical things: he wondered why people were saying "it's raining cats and dogs" in the beginning of the English class this morning, and that thought mysteriously lead him to reflect on what souls were made of.
Adding in this mix comments about what he was observing about his friends, future jokes and pranks to do, self-doubts and insecurities, ideas about what to draw or what to read in his free-time, things he forgot to do the day before, and you have a day in Chargebolt's head.
And for the past days, other ingredients were blending in the usual recipe: his guitar practice, and what Sero said last time about Jirou. It was these new additions that kept him awake the most tonight.
This chord he had struggle to get right, the adrenaline of creating something great together with his classmates, the sense of normalcy that came with preparing a school festival after all the shitty events they went through, and this bubbly feeling that sometimes rose in his chest...
A gentle smile graced his lips: he just felt great, in the right time, in the right place, like he has awakened from a long and cold slumber; like he belonged here.
Denki always liked being with people, making them laugh and helping them believe in themselves. He never questioned how he behaved towards them, because he just wanted to be a part of something greater, to be appreciated, to be loved. But somewhere down the road, he began to really think that he was just a useless idiot, with a useless quirk whose sole reason to exist was to make other laugh at him. And he had accepted that, because it was better than nothing, right?
This thought unconsciously weighed on him day by day, making smiling a little bit harder, his heart wincing a little bit more at every verbal jab, ending sometimes by him waking at night choking, his lungs screaming for air.
Show had to go on the next day, the ever ending cheerful mask always on, carefully covering his distress and fears with a thick blanket, hoping they would stay still, please, for another day, another hour, another minute.
Since he enrolled at UA, something has stirred inside him, wanting to break free of this anguish, to start anew far from his usual surrounding.
He was still the official clown of the class, but he had gain a little bit more confidence in himself. Of course, he would never be a top hero like Bakugou and Midoriya, and it was fine. There still was something he could do, with his own hands, with his own mind, even if he still struggled sometimes to not be overwhelmed by his fears. It was a long journey, but he wanted to cheer up all of his classmates, and share everything with them, because they mattered, and he mattered to them, he was sure of it this time.
He reached for his headphones, launching the album of a band she recommended him.
As the first notes began, the bubbly feeling surged in him, along with a flash of onyx eyes and purple hair. He sighed: Sero was right, he had a serious crush on her, but it wasn't something new. She has grown on him slowly since the USJ, even with all the daily sarcasm and mockery. She always made fun of him, but he knew she wasn't serious about it. He took pride in the fact that he was the one of the few who made her laugh, even if it was mostly because of the Whey-mode. He gradually had realised that there was no malice behind their banter, and that she had a vulnerable side too, that she cared in her own way. It is wasn't for her, he would have stayed still, never taking action to be a better version of himself and acting on his issues.
He hummed softly at the music, bopping his head on the rapid rhythm: the lyrics seemed to match his thoughts, something about self-acceptance and growth.
He wanted for Jirou to be able to embrace herself, and to be happy. He craved to be at her side and to journey with her through life, a feeling that scared and rejoiced him at the same time. A quiet melancholy bloomed in his chest, as another song, softer, echoed in his headphones: why couldn't he free himself out of these shackles whispering to him that he wasn't enough?
...
Sleep made himself scarce slowly but surely as the fated day came closer: Jirou could felt the adrenaline rush, as she got up for the third time in the night. This time, she was awfully thirsty, so she rushed to the fridge where she stored her drinks, only to find it empty.
"Great", she groaned, "I'm up for a trip to the kitchen at 1 in the morning..."
She took her phone and headed for her door, after encasing her feet in her Metallica slippers. The silence in the usual hyped dorms was a breather for her: she knew how to tuned down the loud sound to protect her sensitive ears on a daily basis, but she appreciated nonetheless to hear the subtle sound of the night. She smiled, the ruffle of the wind through the trees soothing her. She began her journey downstairs, careful not to wake her classmates: she wasn't really breaking the curfew, since she was inside the dorm, but the idea of spending an hour in detention for disturbing the peace of the night send shivers down her spine. She had so much more fun things to do than being stuck with Aizawa-sensei...
She finally reached her goal, and took a bottle from the fridge: she made a mental note to herself to think about refilling her own, and headed toward the cabinet where the snacks were stored.
"Since I made the trip down there, I might as well restock on other things...", she muttered to herself, rummaging through the various packages.
She noticed some dark chocolate Kit-Kat and happily grabbed them, along with a small bag of chips. Pleased with her findings, she caught an apple before stepping out of the kitchen.
She felt a bit giddy, like a child sneaking out of his room to go treasure hunting. She smiled at herself again, taking in the eerie view of the common area flooded by the soft moonlight, the shadows of the tree caressed by the wind moving on the walls. She was smiling a lot lately, she mused, as she sat on one of the couch, one of her jack plugged in her phone.
She munched on her apple, her mind drifting, her head full of music and her eyes enjoying the calm night.
She knew why she felt that good: the feeling of being accepted wholly as she was by her classmates was incredible. She didn't know how long these thoughts had been on her mind, precisely how much it had weighted on her. She knew she had her parent's support whatever she chose to do, but since her arrival at UA, her world had been kind of upside down, even if she didn't let it show. The constant threats looming over them, meeting all this different people, with all this great Quirks and their different stories... It was overwhelming and she retreated in her shell, feeling a bit out of place.
She took another bite of her apple, humming silently while talking to herself in her head.
It wasn't that she lacked confidence: she knew what she wanted, and what she was able of, and she strived to reach her goal. But sometimes, a streak of self-doubt surged, making her loose her balance, stumbling on the tight rope of her feelings.
"Nice wording there, Kyo, gotta note that down", she whispered while opening the Note app on her phone.
"Gotta note what?"
She shrieked as low as she could and jumped on the couch, looking back ready to lash out at the one who made her so scared.
The fierce anger on her eyes dimmed down as she met the culprit, his warm sunshine gaze, his blonde bangs loosely framing his face and a sheepish smile adorning his lips.
"Sorry Jirou, didn't mean to startle you!"
"Geez Pikachu, you nearly killed me here!", she whispered harshly, a pout forming on her lips.
Denki scratched the back of his head, his expression clearly apologetic. He really didn't think he would scare her that much, but a part of him was glad he did, just to see that kind of expression on her face.
"As if the rock queen could be killed that easily," he replied with a wink, "but, seriously, I'm sorry. I didn't saw how much lost in thoughts you were."
She sighed, clearly not in the mood to pursue the scolding further as the sight of a really sorry Kaminari. She took a bit of the apple again, eyeing him quietly.
"So, time for the kitchen raid? Hope the last boss wasn't too much a bully", he asked, pointing his chin toward her "treasures" lying next to her.
She smirked before replying, "well, the loot speak for itself, I could have done it blindfolded."
He snickered, and pointed at the seat next to her, tilting his head to the side. She nodded, and he plopped lightly on the couch, his own juice bottle and pack of M&M's in hand.
"Guess we could have teamed up on this battle", she said with a light smile.
"Didn't think that someone was as crazy as me to be awake at this hour."
"I fail to see how your brain do the connection between struggling to sleep and being crazy, I must not be crazy enough...", she said with a teasing tone, making him roll his eyes.
"What keeps you up, then?" Denki asked, sipping slowly his juice.
"Nothing, really. I just feel so... excited by the performance, like there's that constant thrill, with the goosebumps and all that", she whispered softly, trying to not raise her voice as the excitement was coming back.
"Now you know how it feels to have electric current in your body all the time," he said, smirking, "but I kinda see what you mean, 'cause that's why I'm up too."
"Heh? Really?"
He popped a handful of M&M's in his mouth before replying, "Yep, I just find it great that we're doing this as a class, and it's just so cool to make music.. I mean, you did all the hard work, but I really enjoy the energy, and I guess we all needed to do something all other students do."
He held out the package to her, and she helped herself, mouthing a "thanks".
She let his words sink, kind of surprised about his answer. He was a lot more empathic that he let on, and she wasn't aware that he was this happy about the whole band thing.
She smiled slightly, glad that he was enjoying himself. It lifted a bit of the guilt she could feel sometimes with all the practice they did, and she knew he did a lot on his own too.
"Well, since you're kinda the one who started all this, let's have the greatest fun ever!", she said with a gentle smirk.
He laughed lowly, "Still holding this against me?"
She pondered before answering: he was laughing, but a gut feeling told her to be honest with him on this one. Not that she never said what she had in mind, but it was always under a thick layer of sarcasm.
Maybe it was the quietness of the room, the softness of the moonlight, the light radiance in his golden eyes... She just felt at ease, and a voice in her head told her that he wasn't here only because he was excited.
"Hey, Kaminari", she quietly began, her Earphone Jacks softly clattering against one another.
He looked at her, intrigued: she was embarrassed, he could tell, but he didn't grasp why. He let out a small smile, encouraging her to go ahead.
"I'm glad you were stubborn about the concert thing, really", she whispered with a light blush, "so, thank you…", she finished, not meeting his gaze.
In fact, he was glad that she wasn't really looking at him now, as he was struggling with a small scale explosion of warmth inside AND out. It was a bit too much to handle right now, with all his previous musings ant his recent thoughts about her. He inhaled softly, trying his best to compose himself.
"No sweat, as long as you don't resent me, it's cool", he shrugged, ruffling his hair in his nervousness. "I found it sad that you were holding back on your passion, but I was afraid to be too pushy about it".
She raised her head, taking in his faraway look and uncertain expression. So it was bothering him after all.
"Well, I was more embarrassed than angry, and I'm just happy to be doing this now, so no need to worry any more", she said, nudging his shoulder softly.
He smiled at her, a light blush on his cheeks. She picked another handful of M&M's, hiding her own reddened face. He was so... bright it hurt, but she couldn't help herself. The more time she spent with him, the more she learned about him, and she surprised herself to want to know more. She didn't know what to do with these feelings yet, so she had decided to let this slide and see how this'll go.
"Your apple will be jealous at this rate", she heard him tease, as he removed the package from her.
She stuck her tongue out playfully, munching loudly on her chocolate treats. He snickered, letting out a muffled "Jirou looks like a guinea pig!", who earned him a jab of her left jack on the forehead.
They laughed as silently as possible, and they decided to go back to their rooms after Jirou finished her apple, the clock already striking 2.
When they both hit their bed, it was way past 3 in the morning.