Chapter Text
Shinso isn’t nervous. He doesn’t get nervous – not ever. Years of expecting the unexpected, only to have even that pulled out from under him, has made him steady and strong in the face of just about anything. Except for, apparently, Kaminari Denki.
(10:01) Kenki: Good morning! ヽ(‘ ∇‘ )ノ
(10:01) Kenki: R u still down for today?!
Shinso feels the unfamiliar anxiety bubble to the surface when he responds with a confirmation, like there was any other option. Barely a minute passes before his crappy phone is lighting up again with Kenki’s icon.
(10:02) Kenki: Great! I’m about to head out! Send me ur address!
Shinso does, looking down at his outfit once more before sighing and just giving up. What he was wearing was fine, probably. Present Mic clearly approved, and after that humiliating encounter, he’d been sure to send it to the proper person – Izuku – who’d also given him his approval.
Monoma had offered to meet him somewhere and bring him an outfit, which was suspiciously nice, but the hag downstairs had refused to take his muzzle off this early. She always made him wait until he was just about to leave, and since he’d already told her when he’d be going out, she was refusing to take out her key any earlier.
Shinso still wasn’t sure how this had even happened. He’d been minding his own damned business the evening before, cooped up in his closet like he was fucking Harry Potter, and his phone had dinged with a message from Eraserhead. He’d opened it, curious, and had melted at the sight before him. Until he read the caption, of course.
It’s u
Shinso had snorted, asking his teacher where he was. Some new cat café, apparently, that Hizashi had taken him to. Shinso had been texting with Kaminari off and on that evening, so he sent him the picture, too. He rolled his eyes at the response he’d gotten.
(19:15) Kenki: Shinso!!! Ur a cat!
(19:15) Kenki: How did u manage that?
(19:15) Kenki: Did u get hit by a cat quirk?
Shinso laughed, despite himself, at the messages that came in one after the other.
(19:16) Shinso: I wish
(19:16) Kenki: Is it yours?
(19:16) Shinso: No, I think it’s at a cat café
(19:16) Kenki: Oh!! I went to one, once! They’re so cute!
(19:17) Shinso: Lucky. I’ve never been.
(19:17) Kenki: REALLY?
(19:17) Kenki: But u love cats!!!
(19:17) Shinso: I’m aware
(19:17) Kenki: My mom is allergic, so we don’t have any L
(19:17) Shinso: That sucks
(19:18) Kenki: It does! I really like them too!
(19:18) Shinso: Maybe u should go to the café, then
(19:20) Kenki: Maybe! I wouldn’t want to go by myself, tho
That’s when Shinso had started sweating, just a bit. He could see the opening clear as day, but he wasn’t sure if he was brave enough to take it.
(19:22) Shinso: U have lots of friends u could go with
Stupid, stupid. Was he trying to push Kaminari away??
(19:23) Kenki: True, but could u imagine Bakugo in a cat café?
Shinso actually laughs, or would, if it wasn’t muted by the material around the lower half off his face. He itches at it, aggravated, but tries his best to ignore it.
(19:26) Shinso: We could go. If u want.
(19:26) Shinso: I promise not to explode any cats.
Shinso throws his phone down, covering his face in embarrassment. It’s probably bright red underneath the muzzle, not that he would know. And it’s taking Kaminari much longer to respond than it has, so far. Shit. Did he totally misread the situation? Did Kaminari not actually like him like that? Maybe he really did want to go with his friends. Maybe…
(19:30) Kenki: It’s a date! <3
A date… With Kaminari. Shinso had never been on any date, let alone with someone as attractive and friendly and all together perfect as Kaminari. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
(19:31) Kenki: Are u free tomorrow?
Shit. Is he free tomorrow? What day is tomorrow? Who is he kidding, all he has is free time.
(19:33) Shinso: Tomorrow is good
(19:33) Kenki: Yay! I’m excited :)
Shinso feels something in his chest crack open, at the earnestness with which Kaminari speaks. It isn’t a painful break, and it doesn’t happen all at once. But looking back, Shinso will remember this moment as the first step to falling into something bigger.
(19:34) Shinso: I am too.
And now, a day later, his free time was slowly ticking away. Christ, his fucking palms were sweating. His palms had never sweat before this, and what if Kaminari wanted to hold hands? Or worse, what if he didn’t?
He wishes he could text Eraserhead, for real. He’s always so calm and collected, even in the face of his husband’s antics. Shinso has never had an adult he could go to for advice, and while he’s sure that Eraserhead wouldn’t turn him away, this probably isn’t what he meant when he told Shinso to call if he needed him this weekend.
(10:25) Kenki: I think I’m pretty close! Just got off the stop!
Shinso’s heart picks up, double time. How the hell is he supposed to ever be a hero if he can’t even go on a date?
(10:26) Shinso: See you soon
Shinso all but sprints down the stairs, nearly pulling his door off its hinges in the process. He’s out of breath just from that small amount of movement, and he’s going to be pissed if he sweats through his nicest shirt.
Kitamura starts at the sudden appearance of her least favorite foster kid, and her attitude sours briefly. Shinso motions towards the muzzle, and she nods.
“Yeah, Yeah. I got it. Be good, yeah? Get home at a decent time. I don’t like waiting up for you.” She tells him, unlocking the device so he can breathe freely. He rubs at his face. He knows there won’t be any marks, he was carefully not to lie on the muzzle last night, but he can’t help it.
Shinso nods, not allowed to speak in the home, and Kitamura seems appeased enough to shoo him out the front door.
And right into Kaminari.
“Shinso!” The blonde grins, surprised.
Shinso is just as surprised as he is, and is glad he stopped himself before running Kaminari over in his haste to get out the door.
“Kenki.” Shinso greets, a familiar smirk settling into place. Kaminari frowns and sticks out his tongue, and Shinso huffs out a laugh.
“Will you ever let me live that down?” Kaminari pouts, causing Shinso to laugh a little harder.
“We’ll see.”
“Hmph.” Kaminari rolls his eyes, but there’s a light behind them that lets Shinso know he isn’t actually upset.
“Ready to go?” Kaminari asks, looking over Shinso for the first time since his sudden appearance.
And Shinso may feel self-conscious at the blatantly obvious way that Kaminari is checking him out, if only he wasn’t doing the exact same thing.
Kaminari is dressed down, but it’s the first time Shinso has seen him outside of a school uniform. And while the clothes are casual, given where they’re going, it’s clear he put a good amount of effort into his appearance. His typically wild hair has been tamed and styled, and he’s changed out his piercings. Lightening bolts dangle down from his lobes, and Shinso doesn’t stop himself from reaching out and touching them, smirking.
“Cute.”
Kaminari blushes, but looks pleased.
“Th-Thanks. My mom got them, when I got accepted to UA.” He explains.
“That’s sweet.” Shinso says, sincere. Kaminari nods.
“She’s the best!”
“She’s a hero, right?” Shinso asks, as they start walking back towards the bus stop.
Kaminari nods again, and that’s all the prompting he needs before he starts rambling. Shinso doesn’t mind the constant chattering, he’s grown used to it this past week, and it’s soothing in a way he didn’t think another person ever could be.
He realizes, later that the moment he set eyes on Kaminari, his nerves settled; comfort and familiarity taking their place.
Currently, though, he’s trying not to get too distracted by the way Kaminari talks and acts when he’s given free rein to do so. He’s more animated than even Mic, all smiles and bouncing laughter and hand gestures to get his point across, as if his changing tones and voices didn’t do their job well enough. Shinso has never seen him this energetic at UA, and he wonders if that’s because he tones it down around his classmates, or if maybe Shinso just doesn’t know him well enough. Yet.
“This is our stop.” Shinso interrupts an admittedly amusing Bakugo story to catch Kaminari’s attention, going so far as to hold onto a hand that’s flailing aimlessly, mimicking explosions.
“Oh, sorry! I kinda got carried away.” Kaminari apologizes, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
“Don’t be sorry. I like hearing you talk.” Shinso says, seriously.
Kaminari flushes, but bites down another pleased smile. Something in Shinso settles, knowing he can make Kaminari feel good, even just a little.
“I think you’re the only one.” Kaminari says, honestly, as they step off the bus. They’re still holding hands, and neither of them are pulling away.
“That just means I get to hear more of you, then.”
“Ha, yeah. You’ll get annoyed, eventually.”
“Hm… Maybe. I doubt it, though.” Shinso says, thinking back to what Eraserhead had told him just a few nights before.
He’d been watching Mic and Izuku interact at the restaurant, all smiles and laughter and nonstop talking back and forth. It had seemed almost nauseating, the sheer exuberance they seemed to radiate endlessly. He’d commented to Eraser that it seemed like it would be annoying, after a while. To have to be around people that could be so draining.
“It’s that, too. But I wouldn’t change it.”
Shinso kind of got that, now.
“We’re here!” Kaminari announces, pulling Shinso towards the building on the corner of a quiet street.
It’s much more colorful than he imagined. It’s tiny, a house that’s been converted into a small business. There’s a mural on the side of it, signed by a local street artist, and there’s a line out the door.
“Oh, shit. We should’ve made a reservation.” Shinso realizes, nervously.
“I made one last night! Don’t worry!” Kaminari smiles.
“You did?”
“Yep! After you said yes, I went ahead and booked it just in case. I had a feeling they’d be pretty busy on the weekends!”
Shinso smiles, glad that at least one of them thought ahead. He wraps an arm around Kaminari’s waist, pulling him a little bit closer as they get in the line specified for reservation only.
“Good thinking, babe.” The pet name slips out without permission, and Shinso briefly contemplates simply dying on the spot.
But the reaction it gets out of Kaminari is worth it, if the way he turns bright red and pushes himself even closer into Shinso is any indication.
“Sorry.” Shinso apologizes anyways, not sure how he feels about nicknames or public displays of affection. Hell, this is their first date, and Shinso is already fucking it up.
“It’s okay. Um. I liked it.” Kaminari admits in a small voice, not looking at Shinso.
“Oh.” Shinso blinks, once, then smiles.
“Good to know.” He says, ruffling the top of Kaminari’s head, playfully. The blonde rears back and glares, and Shinso freezes.
“Do you know how long it took me to get this to stay in one spot?!” Kaminari asks, pointing at his hair that is now sticking up in more than a few directions, stuck in place by an overwhelming amount of static that Shinso has created.
“Whoops.” Hitoshi winces, apologetic, and Kaminari huffs.
“Whoops.” He says, mocking in a low tone that’s supposed to imitate Shinso.
Shinso snorts once, barely stopping himself from cracking up completely. He receives a half-hearted glare from Kaminari in response, and breaks into a smirk.
“Here.” Shinso lowers his head so it’s easier for Kaminari to reach.
“You can mess mine up, too. So we’re even.”
Kaminari gives him a blank look.
“It already looks messed up.” He points out, and Shinso rolls his eyes.
“Fine, then. Jeez. I take it back.” He says, standing up. Kaminari jumps up, though, forcing his head down.
“No way! Come here!” He bounces up and runs a static filled hand through purple locks, and Shinso can feel his hair sticking up much more wildly than Kaminari’s is.
“Oi, that’s much worse than yours.” Shinso bats his hand away, trying not to react to the feeling of Kaminari running a hand through his hair, even if it’s just in jest.
Kaminari giggles as they move up in line, trying to contain his laughter. He isn’t successful, and soon he’s doubled over and red in the face.
“I’m sorry, Hitoshi. It – It is bad, I’m so sorry. Can I take a picture?” He asks, already pulling out his phone and wiping a tear from his eye.
“Hitoshi?”
Kaminari blinks once, confused, before realization dawns. He stutters out an apology, looking nervous and probably just as panicked as Hitoshi did a few moments before, when babe had slipped out without his permission.
“S-Sorry, Shinso! Uh, I didn’t mean to – It just-”
Hitoshi covers his mouth with a large hand, smirking. His eyes crinkle, fondly, as he settles Kaminari’s nerves.
“Hitoshi is fine.”
Kaminari grins underneath his palm, and Hitoshi pulls it away to hold back onto the other boy’s hand.
“Hi-to-shi.” Kaminari says, trying out the name.
“Yes?”
Kaminari grins, holds on to his hand a little tighter. He doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t need to. Especially when they’re next in line, which means they’re close enough that Hitoshi can actually see some of the cats in the café, now.
He sees Kaminari out of the corner of his eye, and turns in time to see him taking a picture. Hitoshi frowns, but Kaminari grins. He shows him the picture, Hitoshi’s hair sticking up in a hundred different places, but a look of contentment on his face in the presence of so many cats. Or, more likely, in the presence of Kaminari.
**********
An hour later and Kaminari is sneezing while Hitoshi pats his head, affectionately. Apparently, Kaminari’s mom wasn’t the only one in the family that was allergic. Kaminari had just never spent enough time around cats to figure that out.
“You poor, poor thing.” Hitoshi patronizes, while Kaminari looks up through puffy eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. I just need some medicine and I’ll be fine.” He says, sneezing into the crook of his elbow.
“Come on, I saw a corner store near here.” Hitoshi says, taking his hand.
“It’s okay, I have some at home.”
“Oh. Uh, yeah…” Hitoshi trails off, running a hand through his hair.
“I thought, maybe, um… You’d wanna get lunch? I can get you some medicine, first. But if you aren’t feeling well, that’s okay too.” Hitoshi stumbles, awkward, but giving Kaminari an out if he needs it.
“Really?” Kaminari surprises him with an eager smile, eyes glittering.
“If you want.”
“I do! Achoo!” Kaminari sneezes again, earning a snort from Hitoshi.
“Come on, Kenki. Let’s get you some medicine.” He grabs a hold of the hand that isn’t covered in snot, and guides them to the store.
Kaminari complains the whole time, of course, that Hitoshi has no reason to be calling him Kenki when he’s perfectly happy being called babe, instead. Hitoshi argues that he could never have too many nicknames. And besides, Kenki was how he’d introduced himself the first time. Hitoshi would be rude to ignore that.
“I think you just like teasing me.” Kaminari huffs, feeling a bit better by the time they’ve slid into the booth of a restaurant he picked.
“I do.” Hitoshi agrees, shamelessly, and Kaminari chuckles.
They chat about classes, about the kind of heroes they want to be, and – of course – cats.
“I didn’t realize how seriously you liked them! Look! You look like you’re in love!” Kaminari laughs, showing Hitoshi one of the dozen pictures he’d taken while they were at the café.
“I was.” Hitoshi nods, confirming, causing Kaminari to chuckle.
“How many pictures did you take of me, anyways?” Hitoshi wonders, teasing. Kaminari doesn’t rise to it, though. He smirks, instead.
“I dunno. I saw you taking one of me, too.” He says, causing Hitoshi to blush.
“It was cute.” Hitoshi mumbles, half-heartedly, thinking on the picture he’d taken on a whim of Kaminari playing with one of the kittens.
“Me or the kitten?”
“Both.”
Kaminari grins, that flush reappearing, and Hitoshi finds himself grinning back.
It isn’t long before they both have to get home, despite how easily they could stay in each other’s presence for hours. Hitoshi has officially run out of the little money that he brought with him by the time he pays for lunch, and Kaminari’s phone keeps going off with messages from his mom.
“Sorry, she has an early patrol this evening, so I have to watch the little ones.” He explains.
“It’s okay.”
They’re halfway down Hitoshi’s street when he realizes that he’s going to have to tell Kaminari goodbye, when he’s dropped off at his doorstep. Kaminari is still talking about his siblings, but Hitoshi has completely zoned out, focused on what the hell he’s supposed to do, now.
Is he supposed to kiss him? Does he want to kiss him? Of course he wants to kiss him; he’s wanted to kiss him since he showed up on his doorstep this morning. But it’s too early for that, isn’t it? Is it? Fuck, he should have texted Eraserhead for advice, earlier. But the thought of asking his teacher if it was acceptable to kiss on the first date… Yeah, no. Hitoshi nearly gags at the thought.
Maybe he could text Present Mic real quick? He’d probably be better to ask. But then he’d have to deal with the knowing looks and the inevitable, “How’d it go, little listener?” on Monday.
Maybe he could text Monoma? Izuku said he’s probably been on lots of dates, and Hitoshi could see that. But the thought makes him even more nauseous than the idea of texting Eraser.
“Hitoshi?” Kaminari breaks him out of his escalating panic, grabs a hold of his arm to stop him from walking right into the street.
He pulls him a step too close, so Hitoshi is staring down into golden irises that are nearly glowing in the sunlight. Kaminari’s lips are still moving, and Hitoshi wants to close the gap between him, but a surge of panic weakens his resolve.
“Hitoshi? You okay?” Kaminari asks, waves his hand in front of his face. He sounds worried, and Hitoshi realizes belatedly that Kaminari was talking because he was checking in on him.
“Sorry, sorry. I’m okay. Didn’t mean to worry you.” Hitoshi says, embarrassed by his own actions. Kaminari doesn’t look completely satisfied, but he’s at ease enough to let go of Hitoshi’s arm.
“Are you tired? You said you were up pretty late last night.” Kaminari says, as they get closer to Hitoshi’s front door.
“Yeah, that’s probably it. Just tired.” Hitoshi forces a smile, and Kaminari frowns.
“Well… Make sure you get some rest, okay?”
“I will.” Hitoshi promises.
He stops just before he gets to the door. For the first time in a long time, Hitoshi really… Doesn’t want to go inside.
Would Eraserhead let him crash at his place, for the weekend? Probably, but he’d want to know why. And Hitoshi couldn’t tell him, no matter what his teacher said.
“So, um… I had a lot of fun.” Kaminari says, shyly. Hitoshi brings his attention back to the blonde, who has his hands in his pockets and is looking up at Hitoshi through long, golden lashes.
“I did, too.” Hitoshi tells him, smiling now. He won’t let Kitamura ruin any more his day than he allows.
“Um… Maybe we could do this again? If you wanted?”
Hitoshi smiles, a rarity in itself, but he feels bad for calling Monoma a simp, now. Because he knows if he looked at himself right now that he wouldn’t recognize the softness in his gaze, or the fondness and affection for the boy in front of him that’s written in lavender hues.
“I’d really like that.” Hitoshi says, a little breathless in the wake of Kaminari’s happiness that those words bring out of him.
“Great! Me too! Obviously, um…” Kaminari laughs, self conscious, before running a hand through his hair.
“I’ll text you. But, if you aren’t doing anything next weekend…” Hitoshi offers, and Kaminari takes it.
“It’s a date!”
Hitoshi smiles fully now, and its Kaminari’s turn to be caught breathless.
“I’ll see you at school, Denki.” Hitoshi says his name, heavy with meaning, and Kaminari blushes.
“See you, Hitoshi.”
Hitoshi smiles, one last time, before he fishes for his keys. He turns it in the doorknob and is just about to push open the door when there’s a tap on his shoulder.
“Hm?”
Hitoshi turns around in time to see Kaminari balancing on the balls of his feet before he reaches up, planting a chaste kiss on Hitoshi’s cheek.
“Um. B-Bye!”
Kaminari turns red and bolts before Hitoshi gets the chance to say anything. Kaminari is going in the opposite direction of the bus stop, but Hitoshi doesn’t correct him. His brain is having trouble coming back online, his entire being focused on one singular spot on his cheek.
The kiss had felt a bit like a shock, like maybe Kaminari had lost control of his quirk in that brief moment. But Hitoshi didn’t mind. That static that buzzed under his skin was exactly how he felt everywhere, right about now.
Hitoshi didn’t even mind walking through the door, or finding Kitamura in the kitchen without even a moment to catch his breath. He knew he must have had a spectacularly dopey smile on his face, if the funny look that Eri gave him was any indication. That smile didn’t falter, even when Kitamura put the muzzle back in place. Even knowing he’d be wearing it the rest of the weekend, with only a brief reprieve given to him so he could shower on Sunday evening, Hitoshi couldn’t keep the smile off his face. The cool metal didn’t dull the warmth he could still feel from where Kaminari had kissed him.
Hitoshi greets Eri with a wave and a pat on the head before trudging upstairs to his room. He pulls out his phone, still smiling, and sends a quick thumbs up to Izuku and Monoma. He collapses on the blankets laid out to imitate a mattress he can’t ever remember having, suddenly as exhausted as he’d pretended to be, earlier.
(14:33) Shinso: lmk when u make it home
Kaminari doesn’t respond right away, but that’s okay. Hitoshi knows he’s probably on the phone with his mom, or his siblings, or maybe his own friends that want to know how their date went. He changes the username, though, and imagines the face Kaminari would make upon seeing it.
(14:35) Shinso has changed Kenki username to Babe
Hitoshi falls asleep with a smile on his face for the second time that week. He’s unaware of the fact that Kaminari had realized too late he’d been walking in the wrong direction, having to turn around and walk back past the house. Unaware that Kaminari had walked right past an open window, and had glanced inside at just the right time to witness Kitamura locking the muzzle around Hitoshi. Unaware that Kaminari was never able to stay silent, when he knew something wasn’t right.