Authors's note: Hello everyone!
Here the third snippet, the longest so far, retracing some event of the cultural festival. This will be the only chapter this week I think, since I hardly began the next one and that I'll resume working.
Hope you'll enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia
Tension filled the air on the morning of the cultural festival, the common area bubbling with an unruly energy while everyone was having breakfast.
Mina was literally jumping in her seat, while reviewing the move's sequence with Hagakure and Iida, who was stiffer than ever.
Todoroki and Kirishima were checking again the supplies inventory, while bidding goodbye to Midoriya who was heading to buy the missing rope.
The A-Band sat at the same table, Bakugou barking relentlessly that they'll be killing UA with their sound and that them extras better not ruin it all, while Jirou was trying to cheer everyone up, chanting that they were going to do great and that they worked hard.
Denki was focused on his toast, blocking Bakugou rants from his mind. He knew that their explosive classmate meant well and wanted them to show what the class 1-A was made off, but it wasn't the kind of motivational speech he needed right now. He glanced at Jirou, who met his gaze and smiled.
Since the "fated encounter" in the common area (as he labeled it, to his classmate's dismay), the banter dynamic had evolved into something… different: they still were teasing each other every time it was possible, but Denki felt that they shared a deeper connection. He always thought that they were a little bit more than classmate, but not really friends: they hadn't really share their insecurities or troubles before, and he wasn't sure that she was comfortable enough with him to be called his friend.
He knew that she was someone special for him, and that he wouldn't mind being more. He also reached the conclusion that he wasn't ready to act on his feelings, the fear of loosing her friendship growing further the more they interacted together. It was ironic, really, wanting to be closer to her, to discover more about her and dreading it at the same time. But for now, he was a man with a mission: making this performance a success and enjoying the most of this day.
The whole class except Midoriya began its journey to the gym where their concert would be taking place, carrying last minute items and accessories. They had stored the heavy equipment the day before, along with the costumes. Kyoka was glad that the band outfit were simple tee-shirts, she couldn't imagine being comfortable on stage in the dancing crew costumes. She checked the instruments, guiding Tokoyami and Kaminari while they tuned their guitar, and preparing for the sound check.
Adrenaline was her fuel, her veins brimming with excitement. She couldn't wait to be on stage, the mix of fear and joy pulsing through her with each second. She looked at her band mates, reading the same expression on their face… almost on all of their face, since Bakugou had his usual scowl plastered on his, screaming "Forget it Dunce face, I won't wear this goddamn shirt!" as they all were putting on their orange tee.
Jirou sighed, scratching her head: he was really good at the drums, but there was still room for improvement on the teamwork…
Kaminari tried to convince Bakugou that they'd look weird if they didn't match, that they could be criticized for it since some UA students seemed to disapprove their idea already. But everything fell on deaf ears, so after a glance at the others, noticing their worried glances and hearing Jirou's sigh, he couldn't give up on their band spirit they forged. He grabbed the shirt and forcefully shoved it on the blond upper body, trapping his arms in the process.
Jirou's jaw dropped as Denki put his thumbs up, smiling. Chuckles erupted through the room as Katsuki screamed louder, threatening to burn the fucking shirt. The laughter went on as Denki was mockingly doing a tutorial on how to wear properly a tee-shirt using his own. Kyoka had a hard time breathing, bent in two as she couldn't stop laughing, feeling all the fear and stress evaporating from her body.
As he witnessed her fit of laughter, Momo's soft chuckles and Tokoyami's smile, Denki took comfort on the fact that his imminent death would not be in vain: he carefully looked at Bakugou, who had been silent for a minute.
But the awaited burst didn't come: Katsuki instead was passing his arms through the sleeves, then smoothing the fabric. Kaminari was stunned and didn't know what to expect, as the drummer passed next to him, whispering,"I'll let it slide only because you have lightened the mood, Pikachu".
Relief washed through him, as he basked in the refreshed atmosphere. Jirou went to him, her face still gleeful, her onyx eyes sparkling.
"Well, guess you earned a new nickname, Explosive Boy Tamer", she jested, mirth in her voice.
"I seriously put my life on the line here, ya know…", he exhaled, refraining a full grin to surface on his lips as Bakugou looked back at him after hearing their conversation, "but at least, everyone seems more at ease now, mission complete!"
"Don't tell me you did that on purpose…."
He scratched his cheek, looking away, "Well, the tutorial was a little extra I came up with, I hoped to defuse the bomb and rallying you three to my cause. Guess it worked out in the end!"
She rolled her eyes, but why was she so surprised anyway? He always did that, taking upon himself to make everyone comfortable, even at his own expenses. She didn't know if it was endearing or infuriating, but in this case, she couldn't deny that it helps the 4 of them to feel more relaxed.
"Anyway, thanks for tanking the Bakuboss for us", she smiled at him while poking his shoulder with her left jack.
"Anytime!", he enthusiastically replied. He was glad that it helped, and even more so that she thanked him. He wanted to add something as she turned away, not sure about how he should proceed.
His hand reached for her sleeve before he could think, her confused gaze looming on his equally confused eyes.
"Hmm? Something's wrong?" she asked, slight worry lacing her tone.
"Uhh… I was wondering if…", he stuttered a bit, cursing himself for this sudden surge of shyness and for acting before thinking it through.
Kyoka waited patiently, a bit startled by this side of her friend. She had a glimpse during their nightly meeting last time, and the sight of a baffled Kaminari shying away made her a bit warm all of a sudden.
Denki straightened his back, exhaling softly, "I wanted to treat you to something later, to thank you for all the lessons and the patience you had with me. Are you okay with strolling some food stand with me after the performance?", he said in one breath, his gaze fixed on her face to catch signs of a potential refusal.
A faint blush erupted on her cheeks, her dark eyes slightly widening in surprise at his thoughtfulness. He had been so supportive that she was the one supposed to treat him to something! The warmth expanded in her chest: she had another reason to blast this concert and to enjoy this festival at the fullest. She quickly repressed her thoughts, her face converting back to her usual snarky grin.
"Free food is at stake, you bet I'm okay with that!" she told him with a thumb up, "but only if I treat you to something too. Equivalent exchange, since we wouldn't be doing this without you."
The lopsided grin on his face was too much for her, so when Momo called her to check something on the keyboard, she thanked her inwardly for saving her from another blush fit.
As he watched her going away, he felt like he could eat the world with all the energy he had in him: they will definitely rock UA to its very core! He resumed his tuning and headed to Tokoyami for a last rehearse session.
Momo eyed Kyoka as she was nearing her location, a lifted eyebrow the telltale of her curiosity. She had witnessed their exchange, taking in both of their reactions without hearing what they were talking about. The awkwardness of the electric quirk user and the rosy hints on her best friend cheeks confirmed her thoughts about these two: something had slowly changed in their relationship, as they seemed closer than before.
She knew Kyoka's secluded tendencies, as she had a hard time opening up even to her. She hid herself behind sarcasm, and since the beginning of the year, Kaminari was one of her favorite target, even if she didn't meant harm. But lately, she had talked more about his effort, and her gratitude for his insistence, and their weekly girl's night had been canceled once because of guitar practice.
Momo wasn't resentful, they all had a lot of work with their performance, but she couldn't help but feel that she missed a piece of this puzzle to have the full picture.
Kaminari was easier to read, she felt like he hold Kyoka in high esteem for quite a time, and she secretly rooted for him when he encouraged her to act on her music hobby. However, the purple haired girl was a though nut to crack: their playful banter indicated that she considered him as a comrade, maybe a friend, especially after the USJ attack where the three of them had to fight together.
Kyoka was not the type to shun someone, the worst she could treat someone was by being distant. But she never openly expressed friendly feelings either, even if she trusted every single one of her classmates… Even Mineta, but only in life threatening situations.
"So, what's bothering you Yaomomo?"
"I was afraid that I messed up the connection with the amplifier, can you check it for me?"
Jirou immersed herself in the check-up, which took less than 5 minutes.
"You're such a worrywart, you did it perfectly", she replied while dusting herself off.
"So, what got you so flushed my friend?" asked Momo.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Your cheeks were reddened while you were joining me here, so I wondered if you were alright. It is not a good time to get a fever, right?"
Kyoka stumbled on her words, the red hue coming back full force on her face.
She was warm and a bit fuzzy inside because of the incoming concert, that was all!
Well, maybe the closeness with the resident Pikachu was startling her a bit, but it will all go back to usual after the adrenaline fade, she was certain of it…
"I'm not sick, just awfully giddy about the festival, the performance… Everything is just bright, brimming with good tension and….", she rambled, her jacks moving all over the place.
Momo smiled: maybe she saw more than necessary in what happened, or maybe Kyoka wasn't aware of anything yet. She put her hand on her friend's shoulders, laughing.
"I get it, I get it…Let's have some fun, then!"
The girls joined the others, achieving to prepare what would surely be a memorable performance.
…...
Class 1-A just finished the cleaning of the gym after their performance, storing carefully the instruments before moving them later that night. They were all restless and energized by the concert and its reception by the audience, ready to have their share of the festivities.
Denki was chatting with the Bakusquad, clearly pumped up by their success. They were studying the campus map, discussing which stand they wanted to visit.
His phone buzzed, and he reached for it, seeing a text from Jirou.
You okay for grabbing something to eat now? Kinda starving. Waiting at the entrance.
A smile lit up his eyes, as Kirishima was asking him what he wanted to do.
"Heh, gotta do something for now, so I'll text you later to meet up!", he replied, already moving to the entrance.
"Hey, Kami, what so important for you to ditch us?", Mina inquired, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Since Bakubro made some things difficult this morning with his social skills, I had to do something to lighten up the mood, and Jirou wanted to treat me to something as a thanks," he casually replied, ignoring the fake insults and dark glare from the culprit.
Eijirou and Sero looked at each other, a silent understanding between them.
"Love is in the aiiiiir", singsonged Mina, "it's a date then? I've got to grill Kyoka later!"
"Hold your horses Mina", he exclaimed, feeling guilty for letting his mouth run without thinking, "it is just a way to thank each other for the work we did for the concert, nothing more. It is not what you, or all of you, imagined", he said, pointing his fingers to his friends with a false accusatory look.
Bakugou let out an indifferent grunt, when Kiri and Sero shrugged, grinning.
"See you soon, and don't do something I wouldn't do!", Denki shouted, jogging away.
Mina jumped and clapped her hand, "We're totally following him right?"
A chorus of 2 "Nope!" and a "Like hell I'd waste my time on Dunce Face!" answered her question, as she was dragged to the haunted house.
Kyoka saw his blond hair before anything else, as he slowly jugged toward her, smiling and waving.
She flushed from embarrassment, as he stopped in front of her and bowed.
"I apologize in advance for your suffering, Jirou!" he said dramatically, as she raised an eyebrow.
"I might have told Mina and the others about our deal, and she might interrogate you later…. Told her it wasn't like that but you know her, so sorry!", he exclaimed, his head clasped in a prayer in front of her.
She sighed, amused by his antics and a tad worried too: Mina was pushy as hell but she could handle it. Kaminari being an airhead, she should have seen it coming.
"Well, double treat for me then!", she playfully smirked, pointing at a yakisoba stand.
"If you'll follow me, my lady", he mocked, extending his arm for her to take.
"Like hell I would do that, dork!"
They each took a share of yakisoba, and headed to a bench to eat more comfortably., Kyoka gently poking him with a jack at each silly comment he made.
They headed next to the stands that sold sweets, Kaminari wanting to make amend for his previous mishap.
µWhile they strolled, two girls around their age interrupted them, asking him personally for directions. He helped them out, waving them goodbye with a smile as he returned to Kyoka.
She watched the scene with a strange feeling, the two girls visibly enjoying their time with him, squealing "How cute!", "So cool!" when he waved at them.
She couldn't describe it, a mix between light anger and loneliness with a hint of sadness. She exhaled, doing her best to not let it show, as he went back to the stand they were browsing just before.
"So Lover boy, are you done?" she asked with her usual sarcastic tone.
His face blanked, a single "Huh?" escaping his mouth.
She shook her head, signing loudly at his idiotic expression.
"What am I going to do with you ? You've been flirting with anyone since the beginning of the year, and you don't even see when you're hit on…", she replied desperately, flicking his forehead.
"Hey! They were not hitting on me, they just asked me directions!"
"Yeah, and their giggles at how cute you were mean they're not interested…", she smirked.
"Even so, I'm kinda done with that flirting thing, so it's not that important", he shrugged, looking at the mochi stand.
That piqued her curiosity, but she let it slide for now, as they chose their favorite flavor.
She about pondered what could have happen for him to drop his flirty side, a little voice in her head asking why she cared so much about it.
They sat down on the grass near a tree, enjoying the sunny day and the autumn air, when Kyoka broke the subject.
"What did you mean earlier, by dropping the flirting thing?", she asked softly, her eyes fixed on her mochi.
He looked at her, inwardly sighing. He was way too comfortable with her and tend to run his mouth too much. He couldn't tell her the whole truth now, that he was falling for her. But this wasn't the sole reason for changing his ways, so he could at least explain her that side of him. Friends were honest to each other, and he had this desperate need to be understood engraved in him still.
He inhaled loudly, and began his story.
"I've always wanted to get acknowledged, wanted by the others, and I did some dumb things in middle school. I didn't want to make the same mistakes here, so I tried another strategy to be accepted: try to look cool, to be popular. Hence the flirting thing… but I guess I wanted to have a boost of confidence..", he told her in a low voice, his eyes glued to his half-eaten sweet. He ran a hand in his hair, visibly embarrassed and searching for his words.
She had torn her gaze from her treat as soon as he began to talk, listening closely and observing his expression. She always thought he was a mystery, but the more she learned about him, the more she realized that she was quite wrong: he was someone who was just plainly honest if in a good environment. And she envied him for being able to be upfront with his faults like that.
He finally finished to eat his mochi, throwing away his excuse to not look at her. It was the only solution to go forward with this conversation.
His embarrassment morphed into a tingling and warm sensation when he saw the seriousness of her eyes as she listened to his story. It fueled him to pursue, hoping she would one day confide in him too.
"I'm not very proud of that playboy image, ya know. It doesn't fit what I look for in any relationship with someone. But since I enrolled here, with all that happened, I kinda… grew? Matured? I don't know how to explain it, but I saw that I was wrong to think that I had to do all that crap to have friends, or to feel good with myself. And it thanks to people calling me out and putting me in my place", he grinned, gunning her jacks with his right finger.
She rolled her eyes at his gesture, but felt a surge of pride as being someone who helped him change.
"I'm not done with you Pikachu", she mocked, her jacks fake poking him.
They laughed together, and spent a little more time under the tree, chatting about nothing and everything
"I have plans with Momo and the girls, so I'll get going," she said while getting up and dusting herself off.
She turned her face toward him, fidgeting with both her fingers and jacks.
"And…. thank you for talking about this kind of stuff with me… I guess that I'm opening up a bit thanks to you", she added in a rushed voice, running off without letting him the time to respond.
He let himself fall to the ground, bathing in the afternoon sunlight, a bubbly laughter rising in his chest. This was definitely worth annoying Bakugou this morning.
