Author's note: I hope you're ready for the fluff train, because this chapter is packed with a grerat load of it !
Anyway, I followed the manga storyline, even if I tweaked some thing here and there. So, spoilers AND fluff alert !
Hope you'll enjoy, and see you next weekend !
He emerged from the forest path, followed by Juzo and Kinoko.
He had to resist the urge to run after Fumikage, but Fat Gum made it clear that they needed to get back to the rear guard. Besides, there was no way that he could match Tokoyami's speed with Dark Shadow. They also had to report to Momo about the situation on the battlefield in order to make her magic works in case of emergency.
They were welcomed by tired smiles, dyed with relief. Juzo and Kinoko were engulfed in a crushing hug from Itsuka, as Denki walked towards the team leader.
"Creati, we've managed to disrupt the enemy's organization, and our wide-area Quirks are no longer necessary. The pro-heroes are wiping out the split group of villains one by one. But Tsukuyomi escaped Fat Gum's fat to go and rescue Hawks, who seems to be on the top floor of the villa. There was an explosion, and fire surely is Hawk's weakness".
Momo nodded and patted his back. "Thank you, Chargebolt. What is your personal status?"
"I have absorbed a massive amount of electricity, since one of the villain had an electric Quirk. I did my best to keep them at bay but I'm not at my limit yet though. I'm worried about Tsukuyomi but I had my order to come back here, so I can help out as you see fit."
She smiled, the seriousness emanating from him making him look older: she was more accustomed to his boyish grin and constant jokes. She knew she had been right to trust that he'd be fine, and even if Tokoyami's situation wasn't ideal, she believed in her classmate. After all, it was her first duty as the team leader.
"Well, get a little rest and if you could warn the medical team to be prepared for incoming injured people, that would be great. I suppose that Hawks will be suffering from burns and maybe worse injuries."
"Roger that, Ma'am!", he playfully said as he made his way to the medics.
"I said you had to take a break too!"
He waved at her dismissively, and jogged at a lazy pace to reach his destination. A hand suddenly grabbed his jacket, pulling him in the shadows of the nearby trees. He stumbled forward, feeling something warm against him.
...
Kyoka was plugging her jacks in the ground, monitoring the area while hidden in the forest as she heard his voice. She had to stay focused, but she could feel her whole body relaxed with relief, her heartbeat getting a bit quicker. As he neared her location, she extended her arm without a second thought, grabbing and pulling.
He was here. In one piece. Warm and sunny as ever.
She let her head fell on his chest, taking in the fact that he came back, whispering his first name, for the first time.
"Denki."
He froze at the sound, still stunned by her behavior. Her voice saying his name made his heart soar, the closeness of their bodies quickening his heartbeat. It was not the time to melt and loose focus, but she made it hard not to want to hug her and never let go.
After a few seconds, he brought his hand behind her head, resting his cheek on the top of it, intoxicating himself with everything that made her her.
"I'm back… Kyoka."
Her name on his tongue felt so foreign and so right at the same time. He had never dared to saying it, afraid to scare her, to push her away. After everything he went through tonight, he felt bold enough to show her how precious she was to him.
She sighed softly. First name basis, right? Well, she didn't mind. They were close enough as friends for it to be normal, at least to other people. But she realized how much it made her feel good, cared of, and how much she craved for him to call her like that on a daily basis, but as his partner, the one who'll walk and stand besides him.
That's how she knew that she wasn't as selfless as she thought. She couldn't just wait for her feelings to disappear, she just couldn't put them away for the greater good forever.
They broke the embrace after a few more seconds, both saying at the same time "I have to go."
He chuckled and caressed a strand of her hair gently.
"Take care, ok?", he whispered. She nodded, unable to let another word out, as they both concentrated on their own task.
...
"Something's coming, a huge something!", Jirou shouted as she fell on the ground.
The pro-Heroes who were staying in the rear headed forward, Midnight-sensei screaming to the students to stand back and on high alert.
The group of students assembled, Kyoka and Mezo with every sense on edge, the rumbling of the earth louder with each minute.
The crackling of a radio echoed in the crowd between two quakes: Momo's answered quickly, focused on Midnight voice, doing her best to not let her surprise show.
"Midnight sensei? Midnight-sensei?"
She shook her head, pondering the options. She was left with a choice that wasn't even on from her point of view. She wasn't here to give up the fight, not until she had studied every option.
Her comrades gathered around her, eager to know what this conversation was about.
"A villain named Gigantomachia is trying to reach the city. Pro-Heroes are already on it, but as his name suggest, he his a literal giant. We need to put him asleep with some anesthetic according Midnight, or we can leave this task to the Pro if we choose to."
Murmurs traveled through the students, as Momo tried to regain their attention.
"Before taking any action, I'll need Earphone Jack and Tentacole to be on the lookout: I want you to estimate when he will be on us and which path he'll use. A visual confirmation would be great. Mudman, don't hesitate to lend a hand."
"Ok!"
"Thank you. I'll be on the anesthetic production if you need me. You'll have one vial each, I'll do some extras in case for the Pros.", she stated firmly, taking a seat and beginning using her Quirk.
Denki fetched some energy bar from the makeshift storage they did, along with some water.
"Here ya go Yaomomo, I'll dispatch the vials to everyone. Make sure to eat some, right?"
She took the time to smile, a fierce glint in her eyes.
"Thank you. Whatever the choice you all made, I don't plan on backing down without a fight."
"Count me in. We are Heroes, students or not, and I'm not wearing this costume for show."
She remembered the time where they were holed up in this dark room, body and mind brimming with exhaustion, as they created everything they could to help the civilians. He had to be scared on the front line, freaked out as he was already dealing with anxiety on a daily basis. And yet, here he was, standing proud and always having a kind word or something fun to tell to ease the atmosphere.
She was Class 1-A vice-representative, but he was one of the person that glued everyone together.
"Hey, Kami! Let's kick some ass, like you always say!", she cheerfully told, putting one of her thumb up.
He froze, shocked to hear such words coming from the always soft spoken and polite young lady. He let out a frank laugh, raising his index finger toward the sky.
"You bet! Right, everyone?"
A loud cheer erupted from the students, Kyoka and Mezo reporting in soon after, as Momo began explaining her plan.
...
His eyes fluttered behind his closed eyelids, limbs heavy and mind glued in a cotton-like sensation.
I just want to stay here...
The darkness just felt good.
Nothing to worry about, nothing to expect, nobody expecting anything from you.
He didn't know how he even ended up in this state, but truly, he couldn't care less.
Is it how peace feel?
Basking in the quietness, he tried to return to this dreamlike state, only to fail, again and again. Something was stirring inside him, and that irritated him.
Stillness, void, silence.
He had ached for them for so long, and they were in his reach, so why was it bugging him?
Why was he refusing them? Fighting them?
The constant stream of clashing thoughts disturbed the quietness, increasing the chaotic mental state he already was in.
So much for peace and quiet…
A foreign noise caught his attention, a dull ache awakening in his chest. This wasn't on of his inner voices, but a voice he knew nonetheless. A warm tone, a volume so faint he had to focus to grasp the sound, a kinda low pitch with acute variations.
He liked it. He didn't knew why, but he did. It was soothing, freeing something in him. He knew that he knew the person who spoke too, but the fuzziness of his brain made it difficult to remember.
He let the voice cradle him, a sweet lullaby keeping the chaos away, chasing the dizziness and letting him rest.
...
She entered the hospital room silently, cautious to not wake Tokoyami.
They had successfully escaped thanks to Majestic, but some of the heroes in training sustained injuries, Fumikage and Denki being the worst hurt inside the rearguard team.
Deku and Bakugou had yet to wake up, the whole UA students dealing as they could with the aftermath of the battle.
In the end, they couldn't hold Gigantomachia back, the members of the League hindering every of attempt. The bitterness left by the event took a toll on everyone, as they mourned the pro who lost their lives protecting them and the cities, as they dealt with worry concerning their friends, as they wondered what they could have done to make this whole mess ends better.
The report mentioned that the anesthetic finally kicked in, and the pro Heroes told them that they did right in taking this decision. But even so, the despair that coursed through them at the sight of the giant's rampage was imprinted in their hearts forever.
Being a Hero was more about learning how to deal with helplessness, she often pondered. She had spent most of her time tending to the wounded in the Central Hospital where everyone had been transferred, waiting for Denki to wake up. And every minute she spent by his hospital bed led her to reflect on the path they all had chosen.
She had been lucky to have been just slightly burned by Dabi's flame, as she remembered the scar on Tokoyami's body or Hawk's state.
Kaminari had been blown away and crushed by debris Mr Compress shot as he tried to hit the villains with his stun gun. He had been unconscious since then, several ribs broken and his head suffering from a concussion.
It wasn't life-threatening, but he was taking his sweet time waking up, she told herself as she settled down on her usual chair, fishing her phone and plugging a jack to listen to music while talking to him.
She had asked the doctor about her friend's condition, and what she could do. He told her to be patient, and that the brain could be stimulated by familiar voices or sounds. In Denki's case, he should already have been awake, his other vitals being stable, his ribs healing more slowly.
So she took the habit to see everyone of them every day, singing some songs or reminiscing some good memories or jokes they shared. But she didn't feel like she was the one who could help waking up Bakugou or Deku, Eijirou and Ochaco being far more qualified to the task due to the close friendship they shared with the two.
In the end, she spent most of her free time with Denki, helping with rescue missions from time to time. She spoke with Fumikage too, keeping him company when he wasn't resting. He told her how he had been determined to come back to the rear guard, unaware of what he really could do to help out.
"He truly is a good person, who deeply cares. It saddened me to hear him speak so lowly of himself", he told her one day, as they were sharing some fruits and remembering the cultural festival.
"He seems to have been doing that for a long time, and I often wonder what can be done to stop him from doing so", she sighed, munching slowly on an apple slice.
"I think that the only option we have is to accompany him on his journey of self-acceptance… In the end, he has to believe in himself, by himself, for himself."
"That was awfully deep and full of light, Tokoyami", she said, smiling.
"Light go with darkness, darkness go with light. Midnight told him something similar before the battle, and his attitude shifted: I've never seen him so determined before."
She nodded solemnly. Several classmates told her about how their teacher succeeded in easing his worries, about how fierce he had been on the front lines, never showing a sign of tiredness.
"I… I'm worried about his reaction when he'll learn that Midnight…"
Fumikage extended a reassuring hand to her arm. "It will be difficult, but he'll mourn like all of us, and he'll get up again. I don't think that he'll discard her legacy by wallowing in despair."
She lightly smiled, offering him another apple slice he gratefully took.
"Really, all I seem to do is worry about him", she mumbled, frustrated with herself.
"That is the proof that you care. It's not a real problem if you accept that you can't do certain things in his stead."
"Being a Hero is being able to deal with helplessness and moving forward, don't you think?"
He smiled and nodded. "Wise words indeed, Jirou."
...
That voice. Again.
The heavy clouds encasing his brain seemed lighter, the dull ache less painful since the last time. The restlessness resurfaced, the quiet becoming less comfortable as the time passed.
This time, a strange warmth spread in his body, starting from his right hand. His skin began to tingle, the gentle heat traveling up his arm, reaching his chest and face. That was nice, he thought, and familiar altogether. His body remembered this feeling, his mind beginning to put the pieces together. Slowly. Too slowly.
He wanted to know. To remember. To get out of here.
"Denki."
His name had been whispered by the voice, the sound mixing everything together, bringing his memories back. His throat suddenly felt dry, his body aching with pain, his lungs constricting.
God, he finally felt alive for the first time since… He didn't know how long, but shit, he felt so awful and so great. The first thing he tried to do was moving his right hand, to grasp the other one he knew was resting here.
Kyoka was lost in thought and in her music. It was the song he sang to her on the phone that night, and hearing it always made her feel emotional. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling his cold hand in hers. She hadn't dare to take his hand before, scared to do something wrong, to act on her feelings more than she already had, scared to… just scared, to be true.
She mindlessly whispered his name, remembering the first time she said it, and how she felt at that time. Remembering what it felt to hear him say her name too. A little voice in her head told her to not chicken out this time, to stop hiding herself behind some lame excuses. Another one to restrain herself a little bit more, to let him recover.
She exhaled again, tired of this constant inner turmoil, the loneliness getting a bit too much to handle at this moment. She'd try to sort this out with Momo tonight or tomorrow, she promised herself.
And she felt.
Her eyes shot open, as she witnessed the tremor in Kaminari's body, as her hand got slightly clenched by his, as his eyelids trembled with agitation. She immediately pushed the emergency button near his bed as she called for him, clenching a bit tighter.
"K...Kyo…"
His voice was raspy and dry, but she knew that this sound would be in her memories forever.
"Shh… I'm here, the doctor will be here soon," she whispered softly, as he pressed her forehead against his delicately," welcome back Denki."
His grasp was a little stronger, as a small smile drew his lips upward. His eyes slowly opened, and closed again, the afternoon light still too bright for him. But the glimpse he took of her face confirmed one thing: it was way better than the peace and quiet.
...
The doctor planned to discharge him in a few days, his ribs still needing attention. Since his awakening the room had been livelier, the Bakusquad dropping by more often. Eijirou had divided his time between Bakugou and Kaminari, but willfully let Kyoka spend the most of the time allowed to visit with his blond friend after a while.
It was a tacit agreement between them, to each take care of their most important friend, and to trust the other to do his part. He knew she'd be the one to wake him up, one way or the other.
Mina and Kirishima were here, chatting happily about how Bakugou was recovering fast, bossy as ever. They told him about their achievement in the battle, as a flash of sadness passed in their eyes. It didn't went unnoticed, as he asked in a low voice "Hey, what's up with the sad face?"
Mina shook her head, motioning to Eijirou to make all the talking.
"Well… you know that some Pro died, right? Midnight-sensei was one of the casualties."
Kaminari gasped slightly, averting his eyes. He had planned to thank her properly when they come back at UA, since she had to put up with his anxiety. He felt tears well up, and did his best to keep them at bay. With how fierce the battle had been, it was to be expected to lose heroes. It was included in their line of work after all.
Eijirou and Mina went closer to his bed, patting both his back lightly.
"She… helped so much, on the front lines. I guess I won't be able to thank you properly, sensei…", he whispered to himself.
Mina hugged him, as Eijirou ruffled his hair. "You can thank her, by doing the best you can to become the hero you want, right?"
Denki hugged Mina back, and smiled at Kirishima, "Roger that, bro!"
As they left his room at the end of the day, he texted Jirou immediately.
Can you bring some paper and a pencil next time you drop by the hospital, please?
Sure. Something on yer mind?
Kinda, I'll tty about it later, promise ^-^.
No prob', see ya tomorrow. Sweet dreams.
His smile felt bittersweet: he was glad she picked up things about him so easily, and that made his heart swelled with affection. But the news still weighed on his mind, and he knew he had to act on it, before it was too late.
He let his mind replay the last conversation he had with Midnight, as the Pikachu playlist flowed in his ears.
"I'll do my best to live according your teachings, Midnight…"
...
She dropped the bag with some sketching materials and his favorite snacks next to him as she sat on the chair.
His smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and she knew her gut feeling had been on spot. And the only thing in her mind that could explain his sadness was…
"I learned for Midnight-sensei…"
"I figured yesterday. I… didn't know how to breach the news to you, I'm sorry."
"No biggie, I kinda felt like something was off with Kiri and Mina yesterday, so I pushed the matter further.
She reached for his hand again, her eyes reflecting her compassion and grief.
"I was bound to learn the news anyway, so don't bash yourself over it, okay?," he chastised her gently, "and thank you for the snacks!"
He took the pad of white drawing sheets as she took her phone out to put some music on speaker. Tokoyami was on a walk with Tsu, so a relative silence fell between them for a while, the music the only sound in the background.
She wanted to sit next to him, watching him draw and express himself. His hair were messily pulled back by a pink clip, courtesy of Mina, making him look more boyish. Her eyes went to his blonde locks to his focused amber gaze, his tongue slightly sticking out in his concentration.
She was staring, and she shouldn't. She never felt so ill at ease and shy, so much it was hurting. She didn't know how to begin the conversation, how to ask him how he felt, what he wanted to do.
At loss for words, she got up, distracting herself with bringing some water, or rearranging the flower Uraraka brought in the morning. Denki lifted his gaze, her discomfort radiating from her. He wasn't worried, because he knew she was just flustered. It was the first time since he had woken up that they were alone, together. He could feel the gears in her mind grinding, the intensity of her dark gaze on him.
So when she finally stopped changing for the fourth time the flowers arrangement, he scooted a bit on the side, silently tapping the empty space near him.
She blushed as he grinned, his head slightly cocked on the side.
"I'd like to have your thoughts on how it goes!"
She sighed. Really, he didn't understood how much an impact he had on her poor love struck mind… She settled down on the bed next to him, and took a look at his drawing.
It was Midnight-sensei, of course, striking a pose with a thumb up. It was just a sketch for now, but her long dark hair and costume were already recognizable. In the corner of the sheet, he had wrote something in his messy handwriting.
In the end, strength and weakness are two different sides of the same coin: they will always co-exist. But you get to choose which one you grow.
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, asking silently for an explanation.
"It was the last words I heard from her, as I fretted on the battlefield. She shook me out of my panic attack and give me the best advice ever", he softly told, winking at her.
"Be sure to stay true to what she said, right? Or I'll jack you!", she playfully said, sticking her tongue out.
"You can count on me, since it is involving you."
She froze on the spot, as he blushed and averted his gaze to the other side. He blurted it all out, and a mixture of relief and fear took over him. It was too big of a hint for her not to connect the dot.
"Hey, Denki…"
She finally managed to recover her voice. Was he feeling what she was feeling? For real? How a life or death situation could involve her and a promise made to Midnight? Her mind was on overdrive, her chest constricting with doubt and hope.
He was still avoiding her face, so she reached for his cheek to cradle it gently and turned his face toward hers.
"I told myself that I'll display the drawing you made of me the day we'll share a deeper bond… Should I look for a frame?"
His golden eyes widened in surprise, a small smile creeping slowly on his lips along with the realization of what she had just said. He reached for her cheek, leaning his forehead against hers, taking in the smell of her shampoo, the soft and tender light in her onyx eyes.
"We could search for it together when I'm discharged."
She smiled bashfully, her heart at peace and mind at ease.
"It's a date, then."
