ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ • [ᴅᴇɴᴋɪ ᴋᴀᴍɪɴᴀʀɪ]

Ch. 15

            Hanae looked around at the others with a shocked expression as they watched Kaminari up and leave the small arcade. As far as everyone else was concerned, it was just some harmless teasing. For them, it was nothing to leave the group about. Hanae, however, was concerned. She had never seen Denki so worked up. She was used to the bright, happy, flirty side of him, not this. She quickly jumped out of her chair and followed after him despite the protests from Mina and the rest of the gang.

          When she finally found him, he was walking toward the nearby park. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets and he had headphones in, successfully ignoring Hanae when she called his name. She jogged lightly and caught up to him, lightly tapping his shoulder. He stopped abruptly and turned to look at her, a dull look in his usually sparkling eyes.

          "What is it, Akiyama?" She was taken aback, not only by the cold and sad tone in his voice, but by his use of her last name.

          "Denki, what's wrong? I-Is it something we said?" Kaminari gave her a dry chuckle, shaking his head lightly as he removed the earbuds and turned fully to face her. The way he looked at her was enough to send her heart racing but for all the wrong reasons.

          "Something you guys said? Seriously? It's always something you guys say! look, i know i'm not the smartest or most attractive, but that doesn't mean i don't have fucking feelings, Akiyama! It hurts being called an idiot. It hurts being made fun of when i get rejected. It always fucking hurts! but i can't show that to you guys, or god knows what would happen. Then i'd be a single idiot that doesn't have friends." Denki felt the tears brim up and he got that all too familiar lump in his throat but he quickly choked both back, simply clenching his jaw and continuing his walk to the park.

          "Kaminari, I didn't know you felt that way! I-"

          "No," Kaminari yelled, freezing hanae into place. She had never heard him yell, much less at her. "i'm sure you didn't! Don't bother, hanae. I'll be fine by the time i see the group again." Hanae wished she hadn't heard the crack in his voice when he said her name, but she had, and she heard all of the pain that was behind it. She clenched her fists, taking a firm stance and grabbing Kaminari's shoulder before he could get any further.

          "Stop it! Will you listen to me? I didn't wanna say this now but i'll be damned if I let you walk away now without knowing that we all fucking adore you in this group Kaminari! Bakugo, he loves your shitty jokes because as much as he refuses to show it, they're amusing to him. Sero looks at you like a brother! Mina loves your flirty ass personality because she feels so much more confident knowing that if you can be like that, so can she! Kirishima is constantly blown away by how amazing you can be in school, even if he never shows it. I- We all fucking love you Denki, even if you don't realize it!"

          hanae hadn't realized she was yelling until she stopped speaking and was surrounded by a suffocating silence. Denki hadn't realized he was crying until a soft breeze made him feel the cold tears that streaked his face. At that very moment, both teenagers were so incredibly vulnerable; however, neither had felt nearly as safe in someone else's presence until that very moment.

          "What about you," Denki whispered with a hoarse voice. Hanae looked up at him with wide eyes.

          "I-I... what about me?"

          "You said something about everyone but yourself. What do you think of me, Hanae?" Hanae gasped and took in a deep breath, her heart rate quickening and her stomach doing somersaults. She quickly pulled her hand away from his shoulder and started fiddling with her hoodie strings, missing the warmth of Denki's skin on hers but not wanting to admit it.

          "I-I... Denki. I love your smile. It fucking lights up a room almost as brightly as if we had our own sun in it. And you hair, because as spiky and styled as it is, it's softer than silk. Your laugh makes me want to smile so much that i'm scared my face will get stuck that way, but i wouldn't mind because then you would know that i loved your laugh that much. Your eyes are absolutely gorgeous, because they can be so playful but they have a level of depth behind them that make me want to know what you're thinking. You're shitty jokes always seem to bring a smile to my face, and every time you say one, i try to one up it, but in my opinion, it's never as good as yours. Your whole being is what i love, Denki. You're wonderfully irresistible in every god damned aspect, Denki Kaminari."

          In that one moment, the silence was no longer unbearable. There was no longer a tension between the two. The words lingered, and for the first time in a while, they felt at peace. The darkness that engulfed them made it seem like they were the only two in the world. The stars that littered the sky shone brighter as every second passed by. The crisp smell of autumn filled their noses as the trees swayed lightly. Despite the beautiful scenery, their eyes were only on each other. Before long, the two had their arms wrapped around each other, small smiles playing on their lips.