Chapter Seven
The morning after the attack at the convenience store saw Denki heading once more into the Heights Alliance Hero offices to meet up with Detective Nakamura. The bright early August sunshine had the sky overhead glowing a cheerful blue, but the sweat dripping down Denki's back was chill. He was not looking forward to this meeting.
In a twisted sort of way, he felt like he was being called to the principal's office. Maybe it was because of the innate air of authority that the detective gave off. Maybe it was because she had the ability to punish him and he could do nothing about it. Or maybe it was because he'd just gotten into a fight and felt like someone was going to scold him.
After pressing his keycard against the scanner and nodding to the security guard, the double-doors opened with an air-conditioned swoosh and Denki stepped into the atrium with a grateful sigh. He may not be looking forward to being here, but at least it was nice and cool inside. Summers in Japan could be down-right sweltering.
Aika and Rai stepped in with him, Aika playing on his phone as always and Rai vigorously picking his nose.
Sero stepped in behind them, flashing a familiar smile towards the receptionist behind her large, gilded mahogany desk (which made her look more like a queen than a receptionist, but that was just how things were done at Heights Alliance) and then grimaced comically when he caught sight of Rai wiping his golden nose treasure on his pants. He was fully decked out in his Hero gear despite the fact that he wasn't on patrol duty today. He'd wanted to make sure that he was recognized on the street.
"Want me to watch them for a bit?" he asked, nodding to the kids in a significant way, but Denki shook his head.
"Nah. Kyouka told Ken we were coming, and-"
"Gizmo's here?" Aika cut in, turning her attention away from the phone for the first time since leaving the apartment, her golden eyes suddenly alert.
"Well, yeah. He does work here."
His daughter returned her gaze to her phone without comment, but he noticed the small smile on her face and rolled his eyes.
"Gotcha," Sero continued as though they hadn't been interrupted. "In that case, I've got some reports to file that I've been putting off. See you later!"
With a friendly pat on the shoulder and duel affectionate hair-ruffles for the kids, Sero headed off towards the elevators, all grins and good vibes. That man never changed.
After the incident yesterday evening, Denki had been released by the police at the site and had hurried home, escorted by an officer for his own safety lest he be accosted again by more villainous ne'er-do-wells. He'd called Kyouka and left a message letting her know he was fine and then almost immediately received a call from Bakugou, who called him six different kinds of idiot before informing him that his presence was required the following morning at the office for another meeting with Nakamura.
He assumed this was just another interrogation and that it was being put off because she was too busy that evening, so he agreed. But the problem was, his in-laws would be gone the following morning and he had no one to leave his kids with.
Hence them tagging along with him this morning.
Sero accompanying them on the trip wasn't an accident either. After the attack, he was more nervous than ever to let his kids out in public, especially if they were with him, seeing as he was apparently a magnet for crazies nowadays. Sero agreed to tag along as both bodyguard and deterrent, appearing shortly after Denki and his kids left the building and acting like he'd just 'accidentally' bumped into them so his kids wouldn't question.
He still hadn't told Aika the truth yet. Rai, in his mind, was too young to understand. He could wait until he was a little bit older. But Aika… Every day he put this off, he knew it would be harder. But the thought of telling her last night, right after he'd been attacked on the street… he was worried it would frighten her too much.
He realized he'd been standing still for too long when Rai, who was holding his hand, let his legs give out so he could swing around like Tarzan.
"Alright, come on," he said, tugging Rai back up and setting him on his feet. "Your mom's office is on which floor?"
"The seventh!" Rai shouted, all energy just like always.
"Alright! Move out!"
The elevators in Heights Alliance were fancy, with dark wood paneling and lush purple carpet and overhead speakers that piped out only the smoothest of elevator-worthy jazz. Denki picked Rai up so he could press the button and winced when he missed and hit floor nine by mistake. Ah well. So an empty elevator was going up to floor nine after they got off. Not the end of the world.
On the third floor, the elevator stopped, the door opened, and in stepped an unexpected sight.
"Ah…" The young, familiar woman hesitated when her gaze met Denki's. "Hey! It's you!"
"Oh, yeah," he answered awkwardly, trying his best to sound polite. "You're, um…"
"Tomahawk!" she finished, with a smile so wide it rivaled his own in cheesiness.
"Yeah, that's right! Tomahawk, from last night."
"That's me! I'm so happy you remembered!" And with noticeable bounce, she entered the elevator, along with an older woman who might have been a secretary.
Tomahawk was out of uniform today, which was probably why Denki had such a hard time placing her face. With her hair down and wearing a trendy top and jeans, she kind of looked like every college kid ever and not at all like a Pro Hero.
The second woman, whom Denki didn't recognize and who seemed to be on the elevator with Tomahawk by chance and not because they were together, flashed a kind, grandmotherly smile at Denki's kids before murmuring in what he was sure she thought was a congenial tone, "How cute. Is Daddy playing babysitter today?"
Denki had to actually fight to keep his (admittedly awkward) smile on his face. He knew she meant nothing by it, but in the many years since Denki had become a father, he'd gathered up a list of personal 'Dad Pet Peeves'; y'know, annoying societal 'norms' or sexist double-standards that negatively affect single or stay-at-home fathers. And her comment was pretty high on the list.
Why is it that when people saw a dad with his kids in public they assumed he was 'babysitting'? You don't call a mom a babysitter when she's with her kids. He's their father, he's not being paid to do this. What's up with that?
Also, why do so many men's restrooms not have baby-changing stations? The best part about Rai finally being potty-trained was that Denki no longer had to worry about what he'd do if he had to change his diaper in public.
And don't even get him started on how uncomfortable it could be to take his kids to the park or the pool and be on the receiving end of two dozen sketchy looks from scandalized middle-aged women who were convinced he was a sexual predator. He'd actually had the police called on him more than once. Though, according to Mineta, he did have a downright villainous face.
"Uh," Tomahawk cut in, looking bewildered. "Are you… feeling ok?"
Denki blinked, then shook his head.
Whoa. He just got lost down a rabbit hole again.
"Sorry," he laughed, scratching the back of his head and producing a much more natural smile. "Was kinda… lost in thought there."
"So what brings you here today?" she asked as the elevator paused on the fifth floor to let the unnamed older woman out. Ojiro's office was somewhere on this floor, he knew, but he didn't have time to go and say hello. "Something to do with the incident last night?"
"What happened last night?" Aika piped up from his side.
"Uh, n-nothing!" he said quickly, flashing Tomahawk a significant look. "There was just another villain attack on the street and I happened to see it, that's all."
"Oh, uh… yeah!" Tomahawk chimed in, sounding just as unconvincing as Denki did, but to her credit, she was at least trying her hardest. "That's where we met! He got to see me on the job for the first time since I was transferred here, being all super heroic and…!"
It was here that she seemed to remember that she'd actually attacked him by mistake and let the villain escape, and her rambling cut off into shame-faced silence.
"Do you work with mom?" Aika continued, thankfully moving on with the conversation, and Tomahawk blinked.
"Your mom? Does your mom work here? Ooh, do I know her?"
"Our mom's the best!" Rai chimed in as though that were supposed to be an answer. "She's a Hero! She bets… She beats bad guys' butts!"
He then proceeded to snicker uncontrollably as though saying the word 'butts' in public was comedy gold.
The elevator finally arrived at the seventh floor, and his kids filed out, apparently forgetting all about the conversation they'd sort-of been having a moment earlier, leaving their dad to bid the rookie Hero farewell. He flashed an apologetic smile to the still-confused Tomahawk and said, as he walked out, "Sorry 'bout them. Their mom is Earphone Jack. See you around, Tomahawk!"
From the look on her face, you would have thought he'd chucked a rotten tomato at her.
"Their mom is… so then you are… but you… last night…"
As he watched the elevator doors close, bemused, he saw her clap her hands to her cheeks in cartoonish horror.
A moment later, after the elevator began to rise, he thought he heard her wail, "Why is this going to the ninth floor?!"
Well. That was weird. He turned back to the office with a shrug.
The fun thing about the office of a Pro Hero is how there's really nothing at all fun about the office of a Pro Hero. You'd imagine they'd be super cool, decked out with only the craziest and most futuristic of gadgets and whatnot, but… Honestly, they looked like every other office in existence. A smattering of cubicles, a dozen or so Pros or sidekicks lethargically typing away behind their standard-issue monitors, their eyes glazed with uninhibited boredom. They had meeting rooms, copier machines, and even a coffee pot in the break room that no one ever seemed to bother refilling. Bartleby would feel right at home here.
Sure, there were a few standout features. Most offices probably didn't have large boards on the walls with pictures of suspects or victims or maps of entire subdivisions tacked up, connected by strings as the people who worked on them struggled to piece together patterns. And most offices probably followed a dress code that was less… colorful. But at least within the offices themselves, where little was done aside from typing up reports, holding meetings with other Heroes within and without of your agency, or doing the research that couldn't be done in the field, everything was pretty dull.
That was just within the floors that held the various Hero offices, of course. Other floors in Heights Alliance were dedicated gyms or training facilities, labs, workshops, a cafeteria, and even a sauna with a staffed masseuse (strictly for medicinal purposes, of course). Denki came down to workout with his friends every once in a while and even sparred with them occasionally. It was pretty great.
The offices themselves were still mind-numbingly dull, however.
"Uncle Gizmo!"
"Hey hey! If it isn't my two favorite students!"
Both of Denki's kids broke away from him, racing forward into one of the nearby cubicles where a scrawny man in a lab coat with thick, round glasses and unkempt dark hair sat sprawled at his desk, looking exhausted.
'Uncle Gizmo' was obviously not really Aika and Rai's uncle. Gizmo, aka Tetsuo Inaba, was a family friend and actually one of Kyouka's oldest sidekicks. He was a younger man in his early twenties, with a thin, lanky body and large ears (not, like, Quirk mutation large; just normal large). On more than one occasion, Denki had remarked that Gizmo kind of looked like the host of a kids show about science… which made sense, since that was the vibe he was going for with his outfit.
His Quirk was called 'Welding'; he could fuse any two pieces of metal together seamlessly, or separate a piece of metal into smaller pieces without needing to use any kind of cutting tool. Probably because of what his Quirk was, he'd developed a fascination with mechanical engineering, and assisted Kyouka and the other Pros in the office by constructing tools for them either in the office or on the fly in the field. He could also perform maintenance on their gear.
He wasn't much of a fighter, but that was why him partnering with Kyouka made the most sense. She specialized in recon and support, after all. Different Heroes specialized in different things. If a big brute was smashing up downtown, you called in Deku or Bakugou. If debris needed clearing after a natural disaster, Uraraka or Sato were your go-to. And if someone's Quirk was letting them sneak around the city unseen, you'd need someone like Kyouka.
He'd asked Gizmo once why, with his Quirk, he hadn't gone into another field, like developing Support Gear, or even just… normal mechanical engineering. But, as he'd sheepishly explained, his heart was set on being a Hero, and that was that. Denki hadn't ever asked again. He knew the feeling.
He followed his kids into Gizmo's cubicle, basically looking for any excuse to delay his meeting with Nakamura for even another second, and smirked in amusement as the younger man energetically high-fived his daughter like he was an overly-enthusiastic tour guide at a museum, before holding his hand up to Rai and then, after a brief moment of panic, jerked the hand back, laughed awkwardly, and offered the boy a fist-bump instead.
Denki rolled his eyes.
"He's getting better at controlling it, you know."
"I-I know!" Gizmo said quickly, clearly thinking he'd accidentally offended Rai, who wasn't actually paying attention as he busied himself with touching anything and everything on Gizmo's desk. "It's just… well, I mean, we wouldn't want an accident, and… we are in the office."
He sent a concerned look towards his computer and Denki shook his head, amused.
Raiden's Quirk had manifested for the first time during last year's office Christmas party, and he'd managed to do quite a bit of damage.
Unlike Aika, whose Quirk seemed to be a straight-forward and generally harmless fusion of both Denki and Kyouka's, Rai's Quirk was, in many ways, unique. He could, by clapping his hands or even just slapping his palms against something, generate powerful concussive sound waves. And as one could imagine, giving that kind of power to an overly-energetic four-year-old was a recipe for complete and utter chaos.
On the night of the Christmas party, he'd started applauding along with everyone else at the end of a speech (clearly just because everyone else was clapping and he wanted to join in), and had managed to not only blow out all of the windows in the room but also the eardrums of everyone sitting around him. Denki included.
Sometimes, he still thought he could hear his ears ringing.
His Quirk wasn't a mutation like Eri's, though. At least, Denki didn't think so. It was obviously sound-based, like his mothers, and he could generate the sound himself and do so uncontrollably, much like Denki and his electricity. So in a way, Rai's Quirk was a fusion of his parents' abilities, too. Just… in a much louder way than his sister.
They'd had to get Rai to wear special gloves until they'd taught him to be careful with his hands. Denki had felt gross about it at the time, like he was conditioning a dog, but what other choice was there when an accident meant loads of property damage and injuries? Especially when his wife's hearing was already so sensitive. But that's just what it meant to raise a kid with a Quirk.
"So anyway," Gizmo pressed on, changing the subject, "I heard about yesterday. You alright?"
"Yeah." He sent a cautious look at his kids, who were fiddling with some action figures that Gizmo kept on his desk, not listening. Giz was smart enough to know what not to say around his children. "It was a little surprising, but… at least they managed to catch one of them. Too bad the other one got away."
To Denki's surprise, Gizmo laughed.
"Yeah, Hayase's got to be mortified - especially since it was you of all people. I heard she attacked you by mistake. Jirou was livid…"
"Hayase?"
"Ah, sorry. Tomahawk. The Pro who was first on the scene. She and I actually go back a long way - I've known her since we were kids. She's a bit flighty, but she's got the heart of a Hero. She just needs to think more before she leaps."
"What do you mean by 'since it was me'? You mean, because of…?"
He made an obtuse gesture with his fingers, trying to articulate without verbalizing his connection to the PLF, but Gizmo quickly shook his head.
"No, no. Nothing like that. It's just, uh…"
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, then leaned forward and lowered his voice a bit.
"Don't tell anyone I told you this, but Hayase has been a big fan of Earphone Jack for years now. She considers herself to be her biggest fan. She actually applied to be her sidekick and got turned down - not because she wasn't good enough, Jirou just wasn't in the market for any more sidekicks at the time. Lucky for her that Creati decided to give her a chance so she could at least be in the same office as her idol, but then… well, after yesterday…"
Denki winced. Honestly, he'd been kind of dismissive of the rookie Hero, especially after she'd goofed up so badly before. And to be fair, she did hit him with an axe. He had the right to judge. But, y'know, she'd seemed like a good kid, and hearing that she thought so highly of his wife gave her major bonus points in his book. He actually felt kind of bad for her.
Well, hopefully she'd be able to use yesterday as a learning moment.
Funny that he was calling her a 'good kid' in his head when he wasn't even a decade older than her. Man, he was getting old…
"Hey, Sparky! The hell are you doing?!"
Ignoring the unpleasant way his stomach seemed to clench, Denki exchanged brief eye-rolls with Gizmo before turning around to face the newcomer.
"Well well, if it isn't Kacchan! I'd know that dulcet tone of yours anywhere!"
Bakugou scowled as he stomped his way across the room towards him. Though, to be fair, Bakugou was always scowling, so that didn't actually say anything about his actual temperament.
"We've been waiting for you in the breakroom, you bastard. Why are you standing around like an idiot and wasting my time?"
Denki forced an apologetic smile, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I just had to drop my kids off real quick."
Bakugou rolled his eyes with a dismissive 'tch', but when he reached Denki's side, he glanced into the cubicle and flashed the kids his least hostile smirk.
"Hey, brats."
"Says the brat," Aika shot back immediately, scowling up at Bakugou, but from the tugging at the corner of her lips, there was no actual hostility in her words. Rai just shouted - no words, just a long 'aaahhhh!' - as he ran to give his parents' friend a hug.
One would probably expect most kids to be afraid of Bakugou - and, well, yes, most were - but Denki and Kyouka's kids had spent enough time around the gruff, callous Hero that they'd become accustomed to his anti-social tendencies and it didn't bother them anymore.
Rai in particular was especially fond of Bakugou, largely because Bakugou was fond of him. After Rai's Quirk had manifested, the ensuing commotion had scared him so badly that he was afraid to touch things with his hands because he didn't understand how his Quirk worked. It was Bakugou who had managed to help him out the most since he too had a Quirk that made his hands dangerous. He'd been a tremendous help coaxing Rai out of his fear and helping him learn how to acclimate to his new powers.
"Alright, hurry up," Bakugou continued after managing to extract his leg from Rai. "We don't have all day, unlike some people."
Denki ignored the dig - or tried to - and turned back to Gizmo one last time to make sure he was good.
"Don't worry, I got it," the younger man said with a dismissive wave. "Actually, I built something that I've been meaning to show Aika for a while anyway. Take as long as you need."
Aika had perked up at the mention of her name, and realizing neither of his kids were paying him any attention anymore, he took a deep breath and started off after Bakugou across the office towards one of the meeting rooms in the corner.
He was glad Kyouka's sidekick was in the office today. If Rai had a soft-spot for Bakugou, Aika had a soft spot for Gizmo. Ever since discovering what her Quirk could do, he'd been building her little toys and trinkets in his spare time that she could manipulate or play with by plugging her ears into them, which seemed to entertain her to no end.
Powered by the low-level electricity that she generated (which wasn't nearly as strong as Denki's; she couldn't shoot it out or weaponize it directly, but she could use it to power small devices that she plugged her ears into), she'd amassed a collection of Uncle Gizmo's toys over the past few years, ranging from moving figures to things that lit up or even a few music boxes that had her mom's songs on them. He made toys for Rai too, so he didn't feel left out, but there was clearly a difference.
Crossing the office had taken all of thirty seconds, if that, which was not nearly enough time for Denki to mentally prepare himself. His anxiety over this meeting was reaching its crescendo.
He knew in his heart that he was being a bit paranoid, but… well, considering his past, he felt justified. The attack yesterday had not been his fault, and according to the law, he was perfectly allowed to defend himself, even with his Quirk, if his life was in danger. And Denki wasn't an idiot; he'd taken extra care to make sure his Quirk usage wasn't life-threatening and hadn't damaged the property… but when you're an ex-con, a lot of people don't seem to care about things like that. Some people, law enforcement in particular, had a tendency to see what they wanted or expected to see.
And when an ex-member of a terrorist cult who had previously been to jail regarding his actions in said cult had been involved in a violent altercation involving Quirks, well…
Nakamura was seated at the table typing away at her laptop with robotic precision, her posture so perfect it looked painful. She glanced up only after Bakugou had shut the door behind her, but once again, she seemed completely unaffected by Denki's thousand-watt smile. This woman was so stone-faced, she could give Kirishima a run for his money.
"Mr. Kaminari, finally." There was no annoyance or animosity in her tone. Just pitch-perfect professionalism. "Please, take a seat. I take it you know why I have asked you here today."
"Uh," he began, shooting Bakugou a look as his friend plopped himself down in a chair midway between Denki and the detective, kicking his feet up and lounging back, earning an annoyed look from the cop. "Well, if I had to guess, I'm assuming it has something to do with last night."
"How astute," Nakamura replied. Again, no sarcasm at all. "Before we begin, is there anything regarding last night's altercation that you want to tell me?"
"Nothing that I didn't tell the officers at the scene," he said slowly. Wait, did… they think he was hiding something? "Did White-Eyes say anything?"
"White-Eyes?"
"Yeah, the, uh… that man who was arrested. I don't know what his name is."
"The bastard ain't talking," Bakugou growled. "And the cops won't let me in to question him-"
"You don't have the legal authority to question criminals, Bakugou," Nakamura responded quickly, and to Denki's surprise, she sounded snippy. "When I am involved, we follow the law to the letter-"
"What, you sayin' I don't follow the law?!"
Denki shuffled his feet uncomfortably below the table. Being around these two made him feel like he was a kid again, over at a friend's house while their parents were fighting. Bakugou and Nakamura apparently got along like cats and dogs - well, no, because that implied that they had some sort of definable relationship. The two just didn't get along, and it was apparent in the way they rarely made eye contact and how curt their responses were to each other. He honestly couldn't fathom why Bakugou chose to work with her so often.
"So you truly didn't recognize him?" Nakamura said, choosing to ignore Bakugou's question and return to interrogating Denki.
"No. I would have said something if he had. Though from his comments, I got the feeling that he was probably an older member of the MLA."
"Yes, the report says as much." She shuffled through a few papers and picked up a pen, twirling it absently through her fingers. "And your sister, Emiko. She wasn't present? Have you seen or been contacted by her since your previous encounter?"
"No," he said quickly, hoping she believed him. If there was anything a cop was likely to doubt him on, it was his relationship with his sister.
"Which means we still don't know if they're actively recruiting for a resurgence or not. Shame." Nakamura set the pen down and rubbed at her temples with her index fingers, suddenly looking tired. "Though we managed to capture one of the members, we've gained very little knowledge into the situation. It's been over a week since the escape, and even with every Hero in the country on the lookout, we're no closer to catching the escaped prisoners or those responsible for the breakout. And we're starting to feel the heat from it."
Denki could sympathize. He wanted his dad back behind bars more than anyone. But it was starting to seem less and less likely that they were here to reprimand him about using his Quirk last night in the fight. And if that wasn't why he was here, then… why was he?
"We've given more thought to the idea that was proposed in our last meeting," Nakamura continued as though reading Denki's mind. "And considering the attack last night, it would seem that the PLF is determined to drag you into this conflict no matter what we do. That being the case, and taking into consideration the dangers of leaving these criminals at large for much longer as well as the endorsement you have received from several high-ranking Pros… we have decided to agree, provided you follow our guidelines to the letter."
It took Denki a moment to understand what she was getting at. When it clicked, he sat up straight, his heart thundering in his chest.
"...You're going to let me help?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes-"
"You're going to be bait, Kaminari," Bakugou cut in, sounding uncharacteristically serious. "These idiots are going to be coming after you anyway no matter what we do. At least this way, we have a plan. But that doesn't mean that you can go hunt them down. You're not a Hero. Don't forget that."
Don't forget that? How could he ever.
"Yeah, sure, of course," he said instead, trying to hide his excitement. And his anxiety. "So how do you see this going down?"
"We had someone in the office put this together for you," Nakamura replied, sliding a small box over to Bakugou, who in turn flung it down the table. Denki caught it and pulled the lid off.
"...A ring?" he asked, pulling the small silver circlet out and eying it dubiously. "I mean, I'm flattered, but you really shouldn't have."
"It's a communication device," Nakamura continued, either not getting his joke or, more likely, just ignoring him entirely. "Creati voiced a valid concern about other Quirk users being able to potentially sense the frequency of a normal tracking device, or your own electric Quirk damaging any bug we tried to give you. So instead, we've created a device without a battery.
"At the moment, it's just a dead piece of metal - but you can power it by activating your Quirk, which will cause it to immediately send out a distress signal and alert Pros and the police to your location. If you find yourself in another confrontation like last night, or better, if your sister makes contact again and leads you to your father, using your Quirk will cause the ring to send out the signal and we'll have someone at your location as quickly as possible."
There was another side to that, too, he realized. If Denki used his Quirk at all, in self-defense or for any other reason, it would automatically trigger the distress signal. It was their way of monitoring him since he wasn't licensed. On the flip side, nothing was stopping him from not wearing the ring other than his own conscience. Someone, likely his friends, were placing a great deal of trust in him.
"Obviously, there is a significant amount of risk involved here-"
"I know," Denki cut in, slipping the ring onto his right ring finger and meeting Nakamura's gaze dead-on. "But like you said, I'm going to be dragged into this whether I like it or not, and the sooner I can help you arrest my father, the sooner I'll know my kids are safe again."
Nakamura did not seem comforted at all by his announcement.
"I want you to know, Mr. Kaminari, that I am against this. I agree that it is our best option, but I'm only going along with it because Bakugou and many others have voiced their support. They believe you can do this, and I'm choosing to place my trust in their judgment. But whatever you might have been once, a long time has passed since those days. And this isn't just a group of thugs. You have a deeply personal connection to these people, and it is your judgment that I am worried about.
"Remember, you are not a Hero. You are not licensed. And even with the Police and the Pros sanctioning this operation, you do not have permission to use your Quirk to cause harm. Like all civilians, you have the right to use your Quirk to defend yourself, which may become necessary, but that right only extends so far. If, in this operation, you take that too far, we will not hesitate to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. If a situation seems too risky, back out. The only thing we're looking for is for you to use your connection with your sister to locate your father. That is all. Everything else will be handled by us."
Denki did his best to swallow past the lump in his throat. So. Not only was he putting his life on the line, he could also end up in jail again. Wonderful.
But it didn't matter. He wasn't an idiot. He had a responsibility as a father to keep his kids safe, and he would do what he had to to ensure that was done.
After about a half an hour of more talking in which Nakamura outlined exactly what they expected of him, as well as all of the many, many ways he was likely to screw himself over, she finally dismissed herself, leaving Denki alone with Bakugou.
A few seconds after the door had closed behind her, Denki glanced up at Bakugou, who was studying him under his characteristic scowl, and said, "She said I had the support of 'Bakugou and many others'..."
Bakugou grunted.
"I'm guessing my wife isn't one of them?"
The fact that they were having this meeting in her office, yet she wasn't present, was fairly telling, but he waited for Bakugou's answer anyway.
To Denki's surprise, he looked away.
"I didn't tell her," he muttered gruffly. "Figured if you were so gung-ho about this, you could tell her yourself."
Denki stared, dumbfounded. He left the explanation to him?
That… filthy… coward…! This was the first time in over ten years that Denki had ever seen Bakugou avoid a conflict. And of course, it would have to be when he could push it off onto Denki.
True, it should definitely be Denki who brought this up with Kyouka. But that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.
"I have patrol, so I have to go," Bakugou said as he abruptly stood, ending the conversation almost as though he was running away. Which was impossible, because he was Bakugou, but still. "Just… be careful. Don't get too involved. You got kids now. This isn't like last time."
Denki smiled, or tried to. It wouldn't quite reach his eyes.
Last time had been literal hell. The whole point in volunteering for this was to prevent that from happening.
"Make sure you keep us updated," he continued as he walked towards the door. "Tell Jirou or Kirishima or me or whoever - just make sure you're keeping us in the loop, whatever happens. The police aren't too thrilled about this setup, but the governors are given' 'em hell about not catching the convicts yet. That's the only reason they're given this a chance."
Just before he walked out the door, he hesitated and sent Denki one last look over his shoulder.
"If you screw this up, it's my ass your wife will be coming after. So don't do anything stupid."
And then he was gone, leaving Denki alone in the meeting room, staring at the ring on his finger. There was fear and anxiety welling up inside of him at the thought of being caught up in another battle, that was true. But there was also anticipation and excitement. In a way, he felt like a teenager again, all jittery and ready to go out and show the world what he could do. No more standing on the sidelines.
This was his chance. Finally.
He wasn't going to screw this up.