Short Circuit

Red Flags

It's the first week after moving into the dorms. The class is growing accustomed to living together, and it's going alright. They don't have to worry about being late or waking up early, since the school is five minutes away. They also get to spend plenty of quality time with their classmates. Not to mention the wonderful meals and personalized rooms.

It's nerve-wracking for Denki, though. There's limited privacy, and he's constantly with his classmates. He loves them to death, but he forgot to mention something important. He has epilepsy.

Now, it's not that he doesn't trust his classmates with that information. He just hasn't gotten around to telling them. There's never a reason to tell them. They hadn't asked. He decided it was better not to bring it up. They also thought his absence seizures were entertaining. He didn't want to ruin it for them.

Today Denki feels like shit. He'd pulled an all-nighter to finish some homework, so it isn't surprising that he seems drained. It's strange, though. He feels like his head is in a toilet bowl. His entire body is heavy, and he's nauseous. It's a little concerning. He isn't sure what to do. He thinks it's better to get on with his day like normal.

Denki considers staying in bed and skipping class. It would be for the best, and he's sure his teachers would understand. Although he decides against it. He doesn't want to alarm his classmates or his teachers. He decides that going down for breakfast is his best option. Once in the common room, he puts on his headphones to block out the noise while he makes himself a bowl of cereal. He zones out while he's pouring milk and nearly overflows his bowls.

"Woah," Sero says, snatching the mild from Denki's hands before he can make a mess. "Denki, you good?"

Denki stares at his bowl for a second, not comprehending Sero's words. "Huh?"

Denki blinks a few times, coming to his senses again. He sits up, running his fingers through his hair as he shrugs Sero off. "Oh, yeah. I'm all good. Don't worry about it."

Sero raises an eyebrow, not buying the act. "You sure? You were pretty zoned. More zoned than usual, anyhow."

"Yeah, I'm all good. I guess I was just thinking too hard or something." Denki chuckles and gives Sero a thumbs up.

Sero nods and moves to put the milk back into the fridge. That was the first red flag. The first sign that something was wrong. Still, Denki doesn't want to make a huge deal about it. He doesn't want anyone to worry about him, so he avoids the problem.

Denki goes about his day, going to all his regular curriculum classes first. In English, he turns his essay to Present Mic. He still doesn't feel like himself, and his classmates are noticing something's off. They realize that he isn't acting like his usual rambunctious self. He sits with his cheek resting on the palm of his hand with his elbow propped up on the desk. Present Mic is teaching, but Denki is busy staring into space and nibbling on his pencil eraser. His head feels like it's full of static, and before he realizes it, the bell that signals the end of class rings. He glances down at his blank notebook and sighs.

Denki gets up, packing his books into his bag. His friends pack up and wait for him at the door as per usual. Before he can walk over, Present Mic stops him and waves the other students off. Iida closes the door, allowing them some privacy.

When the door shuts, Present Mic says nothing. He just looks at Denki, concern written on his face. After a few minutes, Denki looks up at him, smiling.

"Can I help you?" he asks

"Oh, don't play that game with me. You look like hell," he replies while he observes him. "Are you feeling okay?"

Denki nods. "Yeah, of course." He gives Present Mic a thumbs up and a wink.

Present Mic just sighs. "Alright, take it easy, okay? I'm sure All Might and Mr. Aizawa would rather not have their students dying from exhaustion on their watch."