Nyctophilia (KamiDeku)

Chapter 4

When they made it back to the school, Izuku set down the bags on the kitchen counter and made his way back to his dorm room.

He was currently studying for a test he'd have in a few days.

There was a knock at his door. 

He opened his mouth to answer when the door swung open.

In walked Kaminari with a wide grin on his face and his arms full of snacks.

He closed the door with his foot and plopped down next to Izuku on the floor, moving some of his books out of the way.

"I didn't know what you liked so I got a bit of everything. Also, you really need to start locking your door. It's like an open invitation, not that I'm complaining." He spoke quickly while he tore open a bag of chips with his teeth, grabbing a few and offering the rest to Izuku.

He took the bag and offered a smiling 'thanks' in return.

"Whatcha doing?" Kaminari peered over Izuku's shoulder to look at his book and notes he was working on.

"Reading? You're such a nerd."

Izuku shook off the memory and moved his torso so Kaminari could get a better view of what he was working on.

"Ohhh studying? Dang. I forgot we had a test coming up soon."

Izuku nodded.

"Oh! Also I almost forgot." 

Izuku looked over to see Kaminari fishing around in his pockets. He pulled out a wad of money and some coins and placed them on Izuku's lap.

"I pinky promised, remember?"

Izuku stared at Kaminari's smiling, earnest face.

Denki Kaminari kept his word.

"Thank you." Izuku placed the money on his desk.

For the next few minutes they devoured the snacks in silence, Kaminari watching as Izuku studied.

Izuku didn't mind the company but he was curious on why Kaminari was there.

"So." Izuku broke the silence and set his pencil down to look at the blonde. "Did you need something?"

"Nope. Just thought you could use some of my awesome company." He pointed at himself and straightened his back. 

Izuku smiled at this and resumed writing.

"Your handwriting is so neat." He heard Kaminari say between munches of chocolate.

It was getting dark outside and Izuku's hand was starting to cramp. He placed his books and pencil to the side and stretched out with a sigh.

They had managed to eat all the snacks and they both had the full bellies to prove it.

"Well I'm going to be-"

"Oh it's time!" Kaminari interrupted, swiping a few crumbs off his shirt and licking his lips while he got to his feet.

Izuku tilted his head up at him. "Hm?"

"The full moon! Our project! Get with the program Izuku."

Izuku didn't have time to respond before he was dragged outside by a very hyper Kaminari.

On the way outside the school, Izuku caught the stares of a few of their classmates but their faces were a blur as he was forced to run behind Kaminari.

The cool summer air was welcomed by the two boys. They walked side by side now as Kaminari followed the grass path to his favorite spot for stargazing.

He stopped at an apple tree that was on a hill and sat down on the ground in front of the tree, bringing Izuku down with him.

While Izuku got comfortable, Kaminari jabbed a finger at his shoulder and pointed at the sky.

Izuku looked up at the sky above him. The stars were an infinite expanse into the horizon, stretching for countless miles, each a diamond embedded into the sky. His eyes widened. He hadn't expected stargazing to warm his heart in the way it did, to fill him with such a sense of belonging.

They didn't exchange any words.

He looked over at his companion. He was looking up too, eyes reflecting the stars, illuminating the warm browns until they appeared golden. 

"Every star is bigger and brighter than the sun. They're just hot balls of glowing plasma. Each is held in place by their own gravity." Kaminari started listing off facts while staring at the sky.

Izuku gaped at him and listened intently to Kaminari's voice.

Izuku didn't know how long the boy was talking, eventually his words started to mold together and Izuku couldn't hear him anymore. He was too transfixed on the look of his face. Pure joy and fascination.

Kaminari leaned back against the tree and Izuku followed his actions.

"This is my favorite place. It has the best view and there's not a lot of lights so all the stars are out."

Izuku blinked. "This is what we're doing for our project."

Kaminari whipped his head to look at him. "Really?!"

Izuku nodded with a smile.

Kaminari whooped in excitement and fell back against the tree. The motion caused an apple to drop onto Izuku's head.

Izuku winced and Kaminari laughed a little.

"I'm so sorry." He said between giggles, rubbing at Izuku's soft hair.

"Oh did you know that-" He trailed on but Izuku was more focused on Kaminari himself.

Izuku didn't notice Kaminari's hand was still tangled in his hair until he felt light fingers twirling around one of his curls. He looked up at his hand and saw the faded markings of numbers on his wrist.

120.45

He had misjudged him. He regretted that.

Izuku continued to gaze between Kaminari's bright eyes and the sky above them.

The cool, autumn night air blew around him, though he felt no sense of cold.

A complex constellation of bright light and blue hues painted the skies above them like a work of Picasso.

The stars were especially bright this evening, especially as they were reflected in Kaminari's eyes. 

He felt light as a feather.