COntRol

31

⚡COntRol⚡
Chapter 31

[No one's POV]

After a few more minutes of talking and catching up with one another, including the ongoing gossip among the class and the surprising reduction in pop quizzes, Sero stifles a yawn, Kirishima sharply picking up on it. He brings up the idea of Sero going to bed early, after mentioning that he'd stayed up until 1am for the past three consecutive nights. Sero agrees reluctantly, dragging his large body to the elevator. Kirishima chuckles in spite of himself.

For the first time that night, Sero had seen Kaminari walk out of the elevator. Overjoyed by the sight of him, seemingly brighter and more colourful than how monochrome and pained he was before, he waves energetically at him, beaming one of his trademark smiles.

"Nice to see you out, Denki!" he says, unable to see the flinch Kaminari makes. But he tries to return the smile anyway - Sero didn't seem to mind him struggling.

Kaminari wanted a change. His first steps, he thought, were at least by leaving the comfort of his dorm room, and going about the dorms that he'd hardly remembered seeing over the months of suffering he had to endure. It might have been the time where less people were up, but he was there, walking around with nothing but a mere limp in his foot. His chest still ached when he breathed but, besides that, he was healing well, both physically and mentally.

Kirishima doesn't seem to notice, deciding to take the stairs instead, which were a few hallways from the glass one he was currently at. He gives another longing look to the courtyard, remembering the ghosts of himself and Bakugo lying down on the short-cut grass and staring at the starry sky, singing songs of everlasting love with their hands entwined and lovesick giggles spurting from their lips. And, without daring to look back in fear of crying out of a broken heart, he begins his walk, humming a minor tune to the skeleton of a song he'd listened to back in middle school.

The next person Kaminari meets is Ojiro. Much like Sero, Ojiro was gleeful that the blonde was finally making more of a social appearance, and not just out of the need to go to school. Their talk is short, filled with small talk and a few fond smiles. It was nice, not having to worry about Kaminari's plummeting grades or failing quirk or self-degradation and loathing - when was the last time he'd looked in the mirror and seen his true reflection?

Kirishima strides past a corridor, one that everyone had rarely used, but pauses when he sees the lights illuminating it turned on. From what he knew, no one did like going down there, and his suspicions arose. His eyes sharpen, ears picking up on the faintest of sounds, and could make out the outline of a man. His mouth opens, ready to scream the name 'VILLAIN!' But nothing came out. He was a hero, and determination set across his face: he's a hero with a professional license exam and he had to have the strength to see what was past that door.

Ojiro brings his tail up to rub it at Kaminari's face, a gesture that often makes Kaminari laugh. Although his chest ached a little when he saw Kaminari flinch away from it, before eventually retracting his spikes. "It's been a whilst since you've touched it!" he says, and Kaminari found a small emotion from his childhood flow through his veins, hands then reaching up to touch the fluffy end. It was less knotted than he remembered, and a little drier, but still have the general softness it always did. That kept him occupied for a good few minutes before Ojiro almost nods off, and he wishes Kaminari a good night.

Kirishima's footsteps are silent, the soles of his feet sometimes sticking with sweat to the oak floor. He's picking up on movements, inching so slowly to the door, which he'd recognised was the cleaning closet. 'Thieves', he thought, though what would they want from such a small closet with nothing but brooms and mops and buckets and hoovers inside.