Author's note: Massive fluff incoming !

I didn't update more, but the chapters got longer. Well anyway, it was great to be able to write a bit more freely.

Next up, the field trip. I'll be honest, I have rough ideas, but I'm not planning as seriously as before, I'm more following their flow than anything.

Have a next week, see you at the next update !


The warm air of June entered his room by his opened window and played gently with his hair, the sun slowly setting down in the sky. His fingers absentmindedly picked at the strings, playing an undefined soft melody that was birthed along his wandering thoughts. He was humming to himself in a low voice, his rhythm not always matching his fingers, creating a strange and soothing sound at the same time.

Kyoka entered silently, taking in the sight of her boyfriend in the warm glow that matched his eyes.

The first thing that crossed her mind was this evening months ago, where she had fetched him to set the table and saw how dedicated he had been to improve his guitar skills for her sake. She recalled the warm feeling that erupted at this moment, the comfortable banter during the homework session, their late-night discussion…

She had asked him once when he had realized his feelings for her, but she never thought about it herself. The only thing she had noticed was how she wanted to know more about him after that night, like she was drawn to him irresistibly: she also knew that she wanted to keep some of her discoveries about him to herself, like they were sharing a special bond.

It was strange and natural, how their relationship had evolved, from the classmate she couldn't help but laugh at to the most important person in her life.

At first, his playboy side irked her greatly, his dynamic with Mineta not shading a great light on his character. Then, his idiotic side and the Whey mode amused her, until the USJ when she realized how he was lacking confidence in his Quirk, fully aware of its weaknesses. She was still making fun of him, but she knew he wasn't only the clown of the class, surprised to hear him talking about literature with such passion and knowledge.

And then, there had been the cultural festival… and it was definitely when the tables turned.

His song came to an end, the silence stirring her from her thoughts. She smiled, a surge of fondness coursing through her mind as she watched him caress the wood of the instrument fondly, his fingers tapping a slow rhythm on it.

"Hey…"

He looked up, a small smile on his face as he put down the guitar on his bed to get up and reach for her.

He hugged her softly, and made her twirl as he resumed his humming, leading them to a music less dance. She soon joined his humming with her own, trying as best as she could to match his pace and rhythm, as his hand rest on her waist.

Time seemed to stop as they swayed and twirled occasionally, the hums evolving in some improvised whispered lyrics somehow.

Kaminari eventually released her, holding her hand while bowing respectfully: she couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

"My, thank you Mr Knight for this lovely dance..."

He chuckled too as she did a fake curtsy, and they laughed at their own antics wholeheartedly.

"How long have you been there? I didn't even hear the door opening."

"A few minutes, I took a little trip down to memory lane..."

He raised a curious eyebrow, and she got the message.

"The atmosphere made me think of that time when you were training for the concert, and you forgot your math homework..."

His mouth formed a thoughtful "o" as he remembered this autumn evening, the ghost of a cheeky grin appearing slowly on his lips as a question burnt his throat.

"Was it when you realized you liked me, maybe?"

She rolled her eyes, her cheeks suddenly rosier. She flicked his forehead, wondering how he was able to point out the elephant in the room and ruin the mood every time.

She decided to answer him nonetheless, since he had been upfront with her when she asked him the the same question.

"Not quite... But I guess it really began there, as I genuinely wanted to know more about you. And you'd have to thank Yaomomo for making me realize I had feelings for you."

"Oh? I'll think of something then, even if I guess that the best I can do is cheering her on her own crush for Todoroki."

"Well... I'm sure she'll appreciate it, but I guess she would rather keep quiet about it."

Denki paused and nodded.

"Right, I'll find something else then!"

It was Kyoka's turn to raise an eyebrow at how quickly he dropped the subject.

"I thought you would be more questioning about this."

"Not my right or place to do so. I'm sure she has her reasons, and I am not close enough to meddle, even if she's someone I consider a friend."

Kaminari's phone buzzed, and he excused himself to go to his bed where both the guitar and the phone were resting. He took the guitar in one hand and his phone in the other, heading to the stand to store the instrument while reading the text.

"Bakugou's getting impatient to begin the movie, it seems. Man, I didn't know it was this late already…"

"Oh, that was why I came in the first place, to bring Pikachu's sorry ass right now or he'll be on charger duty for a month", she said while adding air quotes marks with a grin.

Denki groaned and sighed. "It's not like I refuse to charge anything in the first place…"

"Sorry, I got kinda sidetracked", she said with a wink.

He stored his phone in his pocket and extended his hand for her to take.

"Don't worry, it was worth it," he replied with a wink of his own, "let's go, or I'll end up as the personal electric slave of his Highness Kacchan."

"I won't allow it… It's just common sense that you end up as my electric slave after all…"

Denki laughed, a sly glint in his eyes.

"Heee… I didn't know that you were into these kind of things, Kyo…"

"Dummy!"

He ran toward the elevator, a pouting Kyoka on his toes.

...

Short breaths echoed through the gymnasium, the ambient air saturated with a suffocating warmth.

Most of the boys had discarded their shirts after the first two hours of practical training, and the girls had rolled up the legs of their jerseys in hope of reducing the sweat fest that was currently going on.

"Man, that a new kind of torture…," whined Sero as he and Kaminari were finishing their series of push-ups, "How are you dealing with this heat, you're crazy Denks!"

Denki forced a smile and wiped his brow, shrugging. "Don't know, it's kinda hot, but maybe I'm used to it with the electricity coursing through me…"

"I seee, I see... Kinda handy, keeps you warm in winter and help you deal with the summer heat."

The blonde haired nodded, inwardly groaning. Really, he deeply wanted to discard his goddamn shirt, but he just couldn't.

His eyes landed on the culprit, who was sparring with Uraraka in the designated area. Their gaze met, as if she had felt him looking in her direction, and an apologetic expression swiftly crossed her face reddened by exhaustion.

He tried his best to convey in his honeyed gaze that she was long forgiven, and returned his attention to Sero who asked him if he was up for some cardio next with Mina, Hagakure and Iida.

It didn't felt like they risked their lives two months ago, fought to the bitter end with what some media had labeled as the greatest threat to peace that history had never seen.

As he watched Deku and Bakugou exchanging tips on their upcoming new moves while sparring, it was hard to imagine that both of them barely survived the fight against All for One, thanks to Uravity's and Iida's intervention, who didn't got out of it unscathed either.

When he witnessed Todoroki follow the strict training regimen Momo had created for him, while she was herself exercising to the brink of exhaustion, he remembered her almost comatose state induced by her overuse of her Quirk and a nasty hit on her head that could have caused brain damage if it had been more forceful.

Eijirou had several bones crushed, despite in Hardening.

Mina nearly lost an eye to an air pressure handler that launched a sniper attack against her, transforming the air on dozens of micro-bullets.

Tsu got several parts of her body burnt to the fourth degree.

The list went on and on in his head: every single one of them had to deal with injuries or heavy trauma, like himself, the guilt eating the one that didn't suffer a lot of damage alive.

All in all, it was a good thing that they had dealt quickly with Spirit Breaker, for he could have definitely broken what little hope and sanity they had left.

Their dynamic as a class saved them too, along with Recovery Girl who had taken a quite deserved break. Their injuries healed rather quickly, and their group talk had helped to overcome the morose morale that spread among them. He hadn't been the only one to ask for a temporary leave too, and learning that had eased his mind.

He often used to think that the mental issues were less important than the physical ones, earning him a scold both from Kyoka and Eijirou: to see that these issues were taken in account gave him hope for the future, for heroes and villains alike.

Izuku and him had a long talk about it, on one of the numerous sleepless night the bearer of One for All seemed to have. He had reached for Denki, and they had settled in the middle of the common room, surrounded by cushions and various snacks. They never had the occasion to have the conversation they wanted to have before shit hit the fan, but both of them never forgot their promise.

So a few days after Denki's return, they were comfortably lounging on the floor, sipping on their drinks, telling their stories openly, sharing their past and present insecurities, reaching a deeper understanding of this other they hadn't thought about that much before.

Eventually they came to share their views of this future they'll have to build on these shaky foundations, the society as they knew it undermined by the recent crisis.

It was surprisingly easy to breach difficult subjects with Midoriya, his polite and understanding demeanor making everyone feel safe to voice their thoughts, often leading to a compromise or a balanced debate, where you could build your own opinion freely.

"We can turn this around a million time, people are not born villains at heart. So as a society we have to think about what makes people so desperate that the only path they think they can take is to become evil."

Denki nodded thoughtfully, the words echoing with the conversation he had with Takuto several weeks ago. He could also hear Midnight's voice repeating the words that led him to try to change: in the end, people are the one who are choosing what they want to do with their life.

"But if the game is rigged from the start, how can you make the best choice?", Denki whispered to himself. "I mean, any one of us could have turn to the bad side. It can be because of a past trauma, an unfair event that leave you angry, frustrated, isolated… If it wasn't for UA, I could have drown too…"

"That is one thing that I've discovered about you, Kaminari-kun. How you're aware of your weaknesses and not afraid to talk about them. I really respect that. And I don't think you would have turned out to be villainous: you are too kind-hearted for that."

Denki suddenly scratched the nape of his neck, embarrassment plainly obvious on his face.

"I wasn't always like that you know... And I'm the one who respect you: I kept on teasing you about your success with the girls, but deep down, I was amazed about your iron will and the care you have for people. I felt betrayed when you left a few months ago but I can understand why you were doing it. I mean, I probably would have done the same if I knew I was putting all of you in danger."

Denki paused, his own words stirring unpleasant memories. After all, what he feared the most had came true and he had dealt with the whole situation poorly.

"But… it was a bit scary you know? When you told us about One for All, I was so scared that you'll end up breaking under the building pressure. You always seems to forget that you're only human, and you' re always pushing yourself beyond your limits."

Deku smiled: it was true that he had never felt this hollow during this month on the road, the burden threatening to crush him several times. He had ignored every warning, and he was now aware of how close he had been to snap.

He had been the cause of too much worries, both for his friends, for his teachers and even for the pro heroes that had to watch his slow downfall. He had tried to right his wrongs, and to properly apologize to everyone.

The reaction had always been the same: he had nothing to apologize for, the only thing everyone was asking for was for him to take a better care of himself and to rely on them. For a few weeks, each time his mind wandered to their words and their expressions, guilt used to be the first feeling that rose in him. But thanks to his friend's patience, it was a far warmer sensation that took place now, along with a spring of determination to move forward.

"I'm grateful for all of you. If you hadn't been there, who knows what I could have done..."

Kaminari grinned and patted the green-haired boy shoulder.

"You would have done the same for anyone of us. Just don't ever do it again, okay?"

"Trust me, after Iida-kun's rant, I've learned my lesson... And I don't want to see her cry that much on my behalf again..."

Denki's grin softened at the forlorn expression on his all nighter's partner, one of his eyebrow quirking in a mischievous way.

"Hoho, is it romance that I smell in the air? Who could this mysterious "her" be...?"

Midoriya instantly blushed, his eyes darting from side to side as he was realizing his mistake.

"Huu... Mmmh... It's not like that, Kaminari-kun... "

"Huhuhu, I'm pretty sure I heard that right, Deku-kun... Now, now, I'm sure I can lend you an ear to ease your mind on that kind of topic..."

It had been the first of a lot more of all nighters, the other guys soon tagging along with them for what they had called their weekly boy's night, bringing all of them a bit closer.

As he ran leisurely on the treadmill, he couldn't help but smile at how trivial his worries were now compared to a year ago: hiding the hickeys his girlfriend had made, sharing thoughts about their future with his friends or drilling information about their love life, striving to discover his potential and be a better version of himself.

Perhaps it was just how a teenager was supposed to live.

...

He stood in front of the simple wooden portal, mentally checking his appearance and what he had rehearsed in his head.

An ironed black shirt with short sleeves. A simple beige baggy short. His best pair of sneakers. His hair tamed the best he could. Brushed and flossed teeth… Yeah, he did that too.

The last time anxiety took him over like that, it was on the battlefield… And right now he wasn't even close to encounter the slightest villain for the next few hours. But even though, the nervousness made his palms sweat and his mind going round and round.

"The final boss… Denki, you can do it, you can do it…"

"You're not battling a dragon, y'a know?"

He squealed and jumped, his heart pounding like crazy due to the scare.

Kyoka stood there, failing to hold back her giggles as she covered her mouth with her hand.

He inhaled and exhaled deeply, taking back control of his heartbeat, a bit offended to have been baited so easily.

She was wearing a simple outfit, a black knee-length skirt with a her favorite band's shirt and a pair of flip-flop. But her smile, the way her eyes were lit by mirth and her hair shone in the midday sun made his heart skip another beat.

She caught him staring and felt herself blush a bit. Her prank was a success, but she was just seeing how warmly and softly he was gazing at her, his outfit bringing out the color of his eyes and hair, fitting him perfectly. And his obvious uneasiness didn't help either, his adorable dorkiness seeping from every pore of his body.

What was with this boy that made her fall in love again and again?

He shook his head briefly, his dazed expression morphing in a nervous one as he chuckled.

"I mean, who knows? Maybe a dragon will emerge from the fridge or the Demon Lord will barge in for dessert...Oh, I brought something by the way!"

He awkwardly handed her a box with sweets from the finest bakery in town… or at least, that's what he had found on Internet.

"Thank you, but I think I'm not the person who should receive them…"

She motioned him to follow her to the front door through a small paved alley. The house was small but well maintained, the walls painted in a warm beige.

The front yard had a little flower garden, and two young oaks were providing a welcome shade in this hot summer day. The hedge was a bit wilder, flowery shrubs growing among small pine trees. Simple but comfortable, Denki thought, as he tried his best to distract his mind and ease his anxious-self.

Kyoka opened the front door and squeezed his hand softly.

"Welcome to my house, Denki… It will be fine, we won't bite."

She playfully faked a bite and smirked, making him roll his eyes.

"Here goes nothing…", he whispered as he entered the house, setting the box on a nearby dresser to take his shoes off. He put on the pair of slippers Kyoka had prepared for him, and stood in the entrance as she shouted "Mom, Dad, we're here!".

He gulped silently, as the sound of several footsteps resonated in the hallway. Bracing himself, he repeated again the speech he had rehearsed for a few days.

Two silhouettes appeared in front of him, with Kyoka standing beside them.

"Mom, Dad, here is Kaminari Denki. Denki, please meet my parents!"

Kyoka was so much like her mother, he thought, and his father radiated a coolness he had never seen before. The couple in front of him looked at him, the woman smiling warmly, the man with a laidback demeanor: no wonder Kyoka was so cute and so cool…

His words long forgotten, he politely bowed and said with his usual energetic voice, "Nice to meet you, I'm Denki Kaminari, thank you for having me!", his million watt smile now adorning his lips.

"My, my, you're full of energy! I'm Kyotoku, Kyoka's father. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Mika, nice to meet you, Kaminari-kun", said Kyoka's mother with a smile.

Denki fetched the box and handed it to her slowly. "I hope it will suit your taste."

"Oh, I love their cookies! I hope you picked some, Kaminari!", exclaimed Kyotoku as he snatched the box from his wife's hand.

"I took various type of biscuits, but I asked them to put more cookies at the end, they seemed delicious."

"You're a man of taste, boy, after all you're Kyoka's boyfriend!"

"Dad!" Kyoka shouted at her dad and shoved him, blushing. Denki scratched the nape of his neck, not knowing what to say or do. Her dad wasn't wrong, after all, but making her more flustered didn't seem like a good idea…

Before he could utter a word, Mika's soft voice cut him off.

"Kyoka, mind giving me a hand in the kitchen? And dear, I'll take that back, okay? Why don't you take our guest in the living-room while we finish to prepare our lunch?"

Kyoka glanced at Denki and let a small encouraging smile show as she followed her mother. He exhaled, his own smile not leaving his face, as he directed his gaze to her father.

Kyotoku was looking at him, his eyes holding an expression Denki had a hard time to decipher.

"So it seems like you know a thing or two about guitar?"

Denki nodded shyly. "I'm far from Kyoka's level, but I know the basics, yes."

"Let's see where you stand then!"

This time, the gulp Denki took was far from silent, the stern look in Kyoka's father making him shiver.

...

"I must admit, kid, you're kinda good….", Kyotoku muttered as he put down the guitar as the screen displayed both of their score. "Apart from Kyoka and Mika, nobody manages to challenge me on this song at this difficulty. And you know the lyrics too!"

Denki flexed his fingers and rotated his wrist slowly, the followed-up challenges on Guitar Hero beginning to tire his joints.

He had been uneasy as soon he entered the room, the intention of Kyoka's father still unclear to him, but he did his best to relax and avoid unnecessary stress.

He took in his surroundings: the living-room was soberly furnished, the hint of colors coming from several colorful cushions on the couch, and from the various instruments stored in a corner of the room. Family pictures were displayed on the wall, the sight of the toothy grin of a younger Kyoka making him smile and easing his mind.

So when her father challenged him at Guitar Hero, he deadpanned, making the older man laugh out loud.

"What were you imagining kid?"

"Honestly? I don't really know myself, but I'll gladly play and do my best to be a worthy opponent!", Denki said with a dramatic tone at the end.

"That the spirit! It's showtime!"

They had been at it for half an hour, singing along, Kyotoku teasing the blonde teen occasionally, about his voice or his skills, Denki retaliating once or twice by winning one of their duels, bragging about the fire of youth.

Their game had ended, it seemed, for Kyoka's father was shutting the console down. Denki put down his own guitar and helped to clean up awkwardly, not knowing where to store the guitars.

Kyotoku took them from him and put them away, sitting on the couch. He motioned for Denki to sit, and the nervousness rose again slightly, his mind not distracted with something.

"Now, you can begin to feel nervous," the older man began with a sly grin…,"… or not."

He paused and took a deep breath before adding. "I wanted to thank you for being there for Kyoka when she… had this traumatizing event during her internship. She had told us about right away, but since we're not heroes ourselves, I guess that there are some topics we can't really help her with."

Denki's mouth went a bit agape, but he replied quickly, "It's nothing, really. She had helped a lot with my own struggles too. We all have each other back in UA, so it was the least I could do."

"She was not just anyone to you, though…"

Denki's gaze softened a bit, as he pondered about what to answer.

"She never was like anyone else ever since I met her. But I wasn't planning to ask her to be my girlfriend in the first place."

The look in Kyotoku's eyes and his raised eyebrow made it clear that he wanted to know more.

"I didn't feel worthy enough, and I didn't want to burden her with my own issues. I just really wanted to support her, more so in her passion for music, so that's how I kinda put her on the spot for the cultural festival."

"The performance was really good by the way. She had someone recording it to send it to us. That's how I knew you were playing the guitar."

"You enjoyed it? I'm so glad! Everyone loved her lyrics, and it had been a blast to work together for it to happen."

Kyoka's father smiled. "I'm glad that among all the hero stuff, you got to enjoy some things of the regular high school life. And that song was very Kyoka-like, indeed."

"Huh? How so?"

"Ever since she'd been young, she had the tendency to write her thoughts and turn them in songs. That's why she used one of our talks regarding her future for her song."

"Oh, I see… Indeed, that's something that I totally see her doing."

"So…", her father said as he got up, patting Denki's shoulder in the process, "I'm counting on you to never make her write sad songs…"

He headed to the hallway, probably to see what Kyoka and her mother were faring, thought Denki as he let the words sink in. But Kyotoku turned his head back a last time, smirking. "If it was to happen, it would probably the last song you'll ever listen to…."

Despite the heat of July, the chill grazing his spine left an icy trail on the poor teen's skin.

...

Kyoka had been silent since her mother and her had put a foot in the kitchen, taking out the needed tableware with care.

"Kaminari-kun seems to be a nice person", said casually Mika in a soft voice, trying to get her daughter to loosen up.

Kyoka paused and decided to took the bait, thinking that it could help Denki relax a bit for the remaining of the day.

After all, it was her who asked him to meet her parents before their class trip, both for reassuring them and to be transparent with them. She had always thought that her relationship with her parents was a good one, based on honesty and support, and she wanted them to support her relationship with Denki as well. She promised in exchange to meet Denki's parents at their return, and it made her stomach churn a little too… So even if she had teased him, she wanted to do her best to make him the most comfortable possible.

"He really is a great person, even if he doesn't see that himself…"

"It is hard to see someone you respect that much putting himself down."

Kyoka nodded and added, "He's better now, and we all had a hard time the last months so it is understandable to an extent. I guess that it was what drew me to him too."

"I never dared to ask, but who made the first step?"

Kyoka averted her eyes, feeling suddenly shy. She whispered "I did...", before focusing intently on the glasses she was getting out the cupboard.

Mika smiled as she discovered another side of her daughter. Kyoka wasn't one to express her feelings out loud, or to blush that easily. So for her to actually confess her feelings was new.

"It must have taken a lot of courage to do it…"

"I kinda blurted it out of the blue… I was feeling restless, even if I had decided to not act on my feelings."

"Why would you do that?"

"You know, hero stuff, our goals for the future, and all that. I didn't think that he would like me back at first too. But after the battle in the villa, I… I just couldn't help myself, I was too worried about him and I just thought Fuck it! "

"Language…"

"Sorry. Well, you get what I meant either way, and I got lucky that he was okay to give it a try."

Mika hummed in response and ruffled her daughter's hair.

"I'm glad that you changed your mind. Hero or not, you deserve to be happy too."

"He makes me happy, and I think I do too."

"You seem so... You always had been a level-headed girl with a tendancy to distance yourself from the others, and I was afraid that you would never really let anyone in your world, except for us."

"Maybe I just needed to be in the good environment, with the right persons. That's why even if we had a hell of a first year, I never regretted enrolling at UA."

"Anyway, never forget to enjoy your life and to treasure those who are important to you... And please be safe, in every things you do...'

Kyoka flushed crimson and let out an embarassed groan as her mother chuckled. Yes, she was definitely relieved to see that side of her daughter blooming.

...

"Thank you for having me today!"

He bowed again to the two adults: the sky was turning a deep orange already, and he still had to catch the train back home. Tomorrow would be the last day before their field trip and he had promised to spend it with his family.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Kaminari-kun. Please take care of Kyoka"; said Mika as Kyotoku gave him a thumb up.

Denki nodded. "I'll do my very best."

"I'll walk you back to the station", said Kyoka as she put on her shoes.

As Kaminari was about to object, Kyoka's dad exclaimed, "Shoo shoo the lovebirds, and don't do something I wouldn't do."

The blonde-haired boy smiled and bowed again, followed by Kyoka. He waited for her to close the portal and took her hand as soon as she was free.

They walked in a comfortable silence for awhile, until Kyoka broke it with an humourous tone.

"You survived the final boss, and I'm pretty sure you won him over."

"You think so? I was feeling a bit dumb, with all my rehearsal and stress oozing over. In the end, I ended blurting everything that crossed my mind as always."

"Like when you told my dad how you were playing the electric guitar with the alimentation cord of the amp in your mouth to see if you could try to be a nomad rockstar."

She giggled at the reminder, his dad having burst out of laughter and nearly choked on his drink.

"Anyway, I'm glad I could met your parents. They're really cool..."

"My dad didn't give you a hard time?"

He shook his head slowly.

"He did what he had to do as a dad I guess. He even thanked me for being there for you when you had the breakdown during your internship."

The station came in view, and he halted.

"I can go on my own from here, it's best if you go back while the sun is still up."

She pouted and frowned. "It is my neighborhood you know, I won't get lost or anything."

"I know you're perfectly capable of defending yourself, but I just promised to take care of you. I'm tempted to walk you back and come back here then."

She laughed and punched his arm lightly. "That's literally making no sense."

'What can I say, anything to spend more time with you!', he winked playfully while taking both of her hands in his.

She sighed in defeat. "I'll get going. Have a safe trip, okay?"

"I'll text you when I'm home."

She leaned up and he met her halfway in a gentle kiss, their thumbs brushing against their respective knuckles lightly.

He nuzzled her nose with his as they parted and whispered a soft "See you soon."

She smiled and nodded, waving as he headed to the station.

As she watched his walking silhouette in the orange glow of the sunset, she thought of how these warm and brightful colors were now his colors in her mind.