Neito froze in the doorway of the training gym and forced himself to make eye contact with Denki. He looked sincere. Neito decided that even if Denki was pissed and wanted to zap the fuck out of him because of the stunt he had pulled the day before, then who was he to stand in Denki's way? Even if it came down to it, Neito knew he was safe. Denki wouldn't save his ass just to harm him the next day.
Neito kind of wished that Denki would knock him on his ass. Or at least yell at him a little. Call him a few names, maybe. And if Denki did, Neito knew he would deserve it. The fact that Neito knew he wouldn't made him feel terrible. If Denki was angry, Neito could beg for forgiveness. The way Denki is, he would think there is nothing to forgive, even though Neito is so, so sorry.
So, Neito sighed, crossed the threshold, and closed the door behind him, closing him in with the electric boy that his soulmate and himself loved dearly.
"You don't have to stay if you don't want… just because I asked," Denki reassured as Neito stepped closer, noticing his dejected mood.
"It's not that," Neito said, shaking his head and hoping that Denki might drop it.
But Denki always knows what Neito needs most, doesn't he?
Neito made his way to the center of the roomy gym, toward Denki. Denki offered his hands, and Neito took them, feeling Denki's familiar quirk envelope his own body, begging to be used once again.
"Raise the charge on your inhales, and stabilize it on your exhales," Denki instructed. "Repeat until you start to feel disoriented, then back off a little. If you can stabilize it, then you can try to go higher again."
Denki showed Neito the meter strapped to his wrist that determines voltage levels and explained that it goes the whole way up to 3 million volts, but Denki had never made it past 1.3 million, yet.
Neito nodded in understanding, and they both allowed the electricity to come bursting forth and surround them.
After a few breaths of steadily rising the charge with each inhale, Neito asked, "how did you learn how to do this?" on an exhale.
On the next exhale, Denki answered, "I taught myself. It took a long time."
"You did a good job," Neito complimented, his voice wavering.
Denki was amazing enough not only to improve that much since he had last copied his quirk but did it all on his own. Neito was in amazement at the lengths his friend would go to. He unwittingly squeezed Denki's hands, and Denki knew that yesterday's events were weighing down on Neito but was mistaken about the exact feelings Neito had.
"I'm really sorry about yesterday," Denki blurted after building the courage along with the electric charge a few exhales later.
"Don't," Neito commanded, biting his lip and looking away, but not pulling his hands out of Denki's and storming away.
It was probably wrong of Denki, but he was going to use this to his advantage. Neito was obviously curious and eager to advance, and Denki was offering a great training opportunity, so he would hold him hostage and make him hear him out.
"I didn't mean—" Denki started but stopped himself abruptly, not wanting to be dishonest in anyway with Neito. "I did mean it. And I would do it again. But I'm sorry how it turned out for you."
"Seriously, don't be," Neito attempted to dismiss, but Denki would just not let it go.
"If there's anything I can do to make it up to you—" he started.
"Tensai," Neito interrupted, immediately grabbing Denki's attention at the use of his code name from the QQQ. "You didn't do anything wrong. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me."
"No—" Denki tried, but Neito interrupted.
"And I knew this is how you would be if I tried to apologize. Dammit, Denks! Why do you want anything to do with me after what I did? After what I said?" Neito asked, genuinely distressed about his friend's lack of anger.
"It was just a training exercise," Denki defended.
"But I made it personal!" Neito argued, the electricity swelling around them as they argued.
"I can handle it!" Denki argued back. "I handled it just fine!"
"You handled it perfectly," Neito spat angrily. "But you shouldn't have to, is the thing! Not from a friend, at the very least!"
When Denki opened his mouth to retort, Neito tensed, ready to be called out on his behavior that wasn't nearly friend-like in over a year. Neito should have known better.
"It's fine because you're my friend!" Denki retorted, brow furrowing, wanting Neito to understand. "Your friendship means more to me than some harsh truths thrown around during a training exercise!"
"They weren't true, though, is the thing, Denki!" Neito screamed, the lightning cracking around them, their conversation becoming as charged as the air. "They were all lies, thought up so easily because the only truth in them is that they're all true about me."
Denki didn't respond right away, just kept shaking his head back and forth, tears starting to fall down his cheeks. Neither boy made a move to wipe them away, gripping onto each other's hands like a lifeline; and unbeknownst to them, it was.
"I was just trying to think of the meanest thing I could say to distract you, just to win a damn game," Neito yelled admittedly. "I'm sorry, Denki! I'm so sorry," he yelled over the lightning, flashes of light dancing across his troubled face. "I don't deserve to be your friend!"
Whatever Denki was going to say was interrupted by the shattering of the electricity meter, having reached past its limit. Denki and Neito were startled by the shattering and looked around the gym, blinding electricity shooting off to every corner, bright, hot, fast, dangerous, powerful, and completely addictive.
Neito could see the confusion turning to understanding on Denki's face, loving that he got to see a new realization happening up close, with the shattering light effects of the lightning striking throughout the gym.
"Together, we make a circuit. We can go higher together than I ever could on my own," Denki explained as he made the connections. "We're over 3 million volts combined, and I don't feel disoriented at all. How are you feeling?"
That was just like Denki, to be worried about how Neito was faring after an intense argument that literally lit up the whole gymnasium.
Neito nodded, certain his hair was standing on end just like Denki's was. "I'm okay."
"You're my best friend, Neito!" Denki yelled over the lightning. He waited for Neito to meet his eyes to finish, "nothing will ever change that!"
When Neito finally smiled at him, Denki asked, "now how are you feeling?"
"Like I could kiss you," Neito admitted, leaning in as Denki processed what he had said.
Denki's eyes had widened, and he froze in place. Denki would admit to not pulling away from Neito, but if asked, he would deny leaning in to meet Neito halfway, even though that would be a big fat lie.
Before Neito could finally, finally kiss Denki, the door slammed open. Both boys whipped in the direction of the door to see Hitoshi standing there, wide-eyed at his soulmate and best friend in the center of the gym, the lightning surrounding the two reaching the whole way to the door, and inches away from kissing.
Denki's heart fell to the floor as he jumped back and tried pulling away.
"Stop," Neito commanded, holding on tightly to his hands, but not moving closer. "At this voltage, we'll be knocked out if we break the circuit! Talk me through coming back down!"
Denki nodded, shakily, and walked them through lowering the charge on exhales with a wavering voice. It was easier and faster to lower the charge than it was to build it, but Denki refused to look Neito in the eye throughout the whole process. Neito was dismayed to feel Denki shaking, and knew it wasn't because of the high voltage. He knew nothing he could say would make Denki feel secure. Time would just have to do the work for him.
Neito noticed with surprise that as the lightning started to decrease, all of the lights in the gym were shattered. Denki seemed too numb to even brag about how amazing they had been.
When it was finally safe for them to release each other, they both looked toward the door to find Hitoshi gone.
Denki held back tears as he quickly packed up his things.
"Denks," Neito whispered, wondering how much damage he had just done.
"I never meant to come between you two. I'm so sorry," Denki whispered back as he left, quickly exiting out of sight.
Neito groaned, falling back onto the gym floor that was still hot after the repeated lightning strikes.
"Cheating on me, huh, soulmate?" Hitoshi asked as he strolled into the gym, his smiling face and happy lilt in his voice contradicting the words.
"Almost," Neito groaned, rubbing at his eyes, and dragging his hands down his face in dismay. "If someone hadn't interrupted," he finished, darting a glace at his soulmate who stood towering over him.
Hitoshi wore a soft, but mischievous, smile as he stood over Neito, holding out a hand to help him up off of the floor. Neito took in the view of his soulmate, the light from the open doorway silhouetting him, a purple halo surrounding his head. Neito swore he fell more in love with Hitoshi every day. If only it were that simple. The problem was, he fell more in love with Denki every day, too.
Hitoshi hoisted Neito onto his feet, glass from the shattered lights crunching under their feet as Hitoshi steadied Neito. Hitoshi quickly noticed that Neito did not seem as pleased as he should have been about almost kissing the boy who they both love.
"What's wrong?" Hitoshi asked, all signs of humor dropping from his face as he gave his soulmate his full attention.
"You were right," Neito whispered, looking down at the floor. "Denki apologized to me," Neito informed, making Hitoshi smile smugly at knowing him so well, "and he thinks he's coming between us," Nieto finished, making Hitoshi's smile drop off of his face and rub his forehead in dismay.
Hitoshi let out a resigned sigh. "One step forward…"
"Two steps back," Neito finished with a dejected sigh.