Chapter Text
The warm scent of spices filled the air, and the dormitory common room was loud and inviting. It was a Saturday night, which meant it was Bakugou's turn to cook dinner for the class, and that never failed to bring some excitement to Denki and his peers.
He tilted his head back from where he was on the couch, sprawled out and taking up as much room as possible, and took a big whiff of whatever Blasty's got cooking up out there.
"That smells so fucking good dude," he grinned, stretching his arms out and turning to Sero on the floor beside him.
"I'm sure anything smells good when you decide to skip lunch so you can play video games," Sero sneered playfully, laughing as he dodged a swat from the electric blond.
"Ooooh, are you saying Blasty's food isn't to die for? I'm gonna tell on you!" He laughed, Sero rolling his eyes and messing up his hair. He could hear Bakugou yelling from the kitchen, probably threatening Sero. It could also be at both of them, he liked to threaten people. It was a hobby or something at this point.
He watched as Sero turned the page of his manga, catching a peek from behind. He hadn't been able to read everything, but from what he could understand it was about some kid with a vacuum quirk learning to be a pro. How would that even work? Unless it was a super strong vacuum, he couldn't see how that would help in a battle. A super vacuum, if you will.
The familiar yell for dinner resonated from the kitchen, causing people to eagerly head to it for their portion. Like moths to a flame. Denki sat up, his back popping from lack of use. He had been lounging around all day, but what teenager didn't on a Saturday? Well, now that he thought about it, he could name a few, but they weren't normal teenagers. They were super teens, Denki decided with a nod.
He made his way to the kitchen where Bakugou begrudgingly served him up. He got an extra scoop and a lecture to never miss a meal again or Bakugou would beat his ass, which made him grin and brag about how he got extras because Bakugou loves him the most. Bakugou's hands popped with heat as he yelled, to which Denki just laughed and shoveled food into his mouth.
Light-hearted conversation filled his ears as he ate, watching Kirishima and Mina bicker over whether or not his roots needed to be redone. He confessed that his bright red hair was dyed ages ago, and now Mina was determined to help him touch it up. She'd apparently known already, but was eager regardless. Everyone knew she just wanted to try and convince him to dye it pink. So far, she'd been unsuccessful.
A shiver ran up his spine, combating the comfortable warmth of the dorms. Hopefully he wasn't catching a cold, he could not afford to miss classes. He already had enough of Bakugou's tutoring as it is. Although, it classified as more of a beating than anything else.
"Kaminari, how are those new supports doing? I meant to ask you before," Midoriya turned to him, snagging his attention.
Denki grinned. "They're working great, dude! Thanks for helping me plan them out, I can finally taze specific people and not everyone around me," He chuckled, and Midoriya beamed.
He'd gone to the other teen months ago for help, hoping his books full of analysis might help give him some perspective. Boy, was he right. After many hours of ramblings and late nights, they'd figured out that the best way for Denki to fight someone was to literally become a tazer. The sleeves of his jacket now had wires that would spring out and latch onto a target, and the electricity would follow it.
He listened as Midoriya rambled on about them and other potential supports he wanted to review with him. An uncomfortable twinge ate at his shoulders, and he rubbed the back of his neck. The hairs there were on edge, and slowly, he was becoming on edge too. What was wrong with him? He glanced around at the familiar faces, and couldn't find anything wrong with them.
Nobody looked uncomfortable, in fact everyone looked thrilled. Maybe he was just tired. He had stayed up late last night watching movies with the class. He chewed his lip, turning his attention back to Midoriya.
"I think it would at least be a good avenue to test out! You could probably last so much longer on the battlefield that way!" The other teen spouted excitedly. Denki hadn't caught the rest of it, but nodded anyway. He could always feign ignorance and ask later. Midoriya whipped out his notebook and started jotting it down, being met by a screaming Bakugou to put it away.
Another shiver ran down his spine and Denki tensed. He glanced behind him to the common room, and nothing seemed off there either. It was a little messy from housing teenagers, but nothing that would give him the chills. He shoved another mouthful of food into his mouth. Sero was probably right, skipping a meal probably wasn't his smartest move. A full belly and some games with his friends tonight would fix him just right.
Slowly, the class filtered back into the common room as they finished up. Denki rinsed his dishes and followed, plopping down on Sero's legs after he'd stolen his spot on the couch. Sero stuck his tongue out defiantly, and he did it back. He leaned back, watching Hagakure and Mina bicker about what to play. Iida cut in, chastising them for arguing and instead proposing a vote. That was immediately declined as Bakugou got fed up and slapped a game into the console, a racing game.
Mina groaned but grabbed the controllers anyway, passing one to Todoroki and one to Tsuyu. They always played two at a time, with the winner from the last game night starting off. Todoroki was surprisingly good at board games, they'd discovered last week. Unfortunately, he wasn't very good at racing, and he passed his controller to Ojiro shortly after.
Movement from the window behind the screen caught his attention. The bushes rustled, the leaves smacking the window slightly. He worried his lip again, forcing himself to glance back at the screen. He really was on edge if that was freaking him out. Heroes should be on guard and all, but what were a couple of leaves going to do? Maybe Mina should have a spa day in her room with him tomorrow. That was always relaxing.
He glanced down as the controller was placed in his lap. He grinned and snatched it up, spotting his opponent Tokoyami on the floor across from him.
"You ready to lose?" Denki grinned, picking a map to race.
Tokoyami huffed, a small smile on his face. "Only if you are, Kaminari."
"No way, man! I'm so gonna beat you tonight." Denki crossed his legs, tongue poking out as they started. He leaned forward as his character made a turn around the track. This was always fun, gaming was always a good activity for him. It was engaging and gave him something to do with his hands.
They were nearing the finish now, both of them on their last lap. Denki leaned further forward in anticipation, just barely keeping from faceplanting. He was in the lead, with Tokoyami right on his tail. Dark Shadow pumped her claws as she egged the other on. She was surprisingly competitive if you got to know her.
Denki's cart turned the corner, a straight shot for the finish, when a flicker of light from the window to his left caught his eye. He snapped his head towards it, his heart jumping. His momentary distraction caused him to hit a banana peel and spiral off the track, giving Tokoyami a free win. Dark shadow roared her approval, and Jirou glanced back at him.
"What happened there dude? You could've had it!" She teased, nudging him with a jack. He stared at the window, scanning it. He couldn't see anything out there. Had nobody else seen the flicker of light?
Jirou raised a brow at his silence, and Ochako took the controller from him gently. "Is something wrong, Kaminari?" The brunette asked softly. Denki pursed his lips, turning back to his classmates. They were looking at him now, worried. It made his heart feel warm.
"Sorry guys! There was a flash outside and it startled me," He smoothed the hairs on his neck down as his classmates mumbled in understanding and glanced at the window curiously.
Sero nudged him gently with his foot. "All good, dude! It was probably one of the security people. Maybe their flashlight just hit the window?" He offered. The others nodded in agreement as they settled back into their places. Ochako sat down with the controller as she loaded up the map, smiling at her opponent Bakugou darkly. This was going to be a chaotic match.
Despite his eagerness to watch the chaos unfold, Denki couldn't keep his eyes away from the window. He glanced back at it, the familiar chill on his spine deepening. Sero was probably right, one of U.A.'s security guards was probably just roaming the grounds. There was no reason for him to feel so on edge. In fact, he should probably feel safer knowing they're around. The chill didn't fade with that thought, though, and Denki sighed. He'd probably be okay in a few hours, if not by morning.
A few more hours of fun ensued before they shut the TV off for the night. He stood and stretched, his classmates filtering out of the room and to their dorms for the night. They still had about an hour before curfew, so many of them left in pairs. He dropped his shoulders, grinning as Kirishima walked up to him.
He wrapped his arm around Denki's shoulders. "Hey dude! That book I borrowed from you is on my desk if you wanna snag it! It was really good, thanks for lending it to me."
The blonde beamed, shooting him a thumbs up. "No problem man! I figured you'd like it, the protagonist is super manly," He nudged the redhead playfully and got a laugh in response.
They made their way up the stairs, stopping by Kirishima's room for the book and a farewell. Normally he'd hang around for a while, but being on edge wore him out and he could really use a lie down. He waved and turned to head to his room, the hallway much more comforting than the lower floor had been.
He hummed as he shut his bedroom door behind him, glancing at his balcony window. It was a big window, but it was so high up that it felt safer somehow. At least if someone wanted to peek at them through those, it'd be a lot easier to see them. He changed into fresh pajamas and crawled into bed, relishing in how cool his sheets were.
He buried his face in his pillow, facing the wall. Tomorrow he'd have a spa day with Mina, they'd gossip about anything and everything, and he'd feel a whole lot better. He needed to shake off whatever this was by Monday; they had some kind of mission they were going on and he needed to bring his A game. Something to do with a power plant, so hopefully he'd be useful this time. Short circuiting all the time could probably only provide so much.
He let his eyes slip shut, a small smile on his face. He was gonna be so helpful tomorrow, just wait and see. He'd make his friends proud. He could show off his new tazer wires if they encountered any villains. They probably wouldn't, but a guy could dream couldn't he?
The moon filtered a silver glow into his room, bathing it in cool light as he slept. The shadows of the trees stretched across his wall, and his curtain shifted slightly from the wind. Quiet footsteps slipped across Denki's balcony and a shadow dimmed the room. A flicker of light appeared, only for a moment, and the shadow faded with it. The sound of a camera shutter remained unheard on the other side of the glass, the inhabitants of the dorms too asleep to hear it.