Lightning Serenade

Chapter 55: Second Year at UA IV

A/N: Have this chapter a day early. I have in-service training before my full-day lifeguard shift, and I probably won't have the energy to post to all of my platforms tomorrow, so I figured I'd do it today! (Plus, people have been begging to know what happened! HandsToTheSkye on A03 was closest to figuring it out! So very close.) Enjoy!

Denki had just gone to the restroom and wasn't gone for two minutes, and of course he wasn't there to greet his boyfriends with a hug and kiss like he had planned. They had beat him to his own dorm room, and just let themselves in. The familiarity that they treated each other with sent warm butterflies through Denki's stomach. He'd never get used to it.

When he turned the handle and pushed on the door that he knew for sure that he didn't lock before just going down the hallway to the restroom, he figured out instantly that his boyfriends must be inside.

What he didn't expect to see, though, was a pale-faced Hitoshi opening the door and abruptly yanking him in before slamming it shut again and locking it behind them. What he didn't expect to see was himself, scrambling to get out of Neito's hold just to barrel into Denki himself.

The two Denkis collided, one easily and opening accepting the other, coming together and embracing as one sobbed against the other's chest. Real-Denki didn't have any hesitations this time; if the soulmates were interacting with her, then she wasn't just a hallucination trying to ruin Denki's life.

Denki's serious eyes met the eyes of his boyfriends who matched his intensity. Great. They were all on the same page.

It was strange and a little disorienting to see two Denkis, one still sobbing and the other consoling. The soulmates were already on board; of course, they were. Ever since that day at the waterpark, they formed their own, individual friendships with her, too. For a villain, she was surprisingly likeable, but the soulmates figured that having an in with Denki worked heavily in their favor on that front.

"Toga," Denki whispered as he slid down the wall next to the locked door, pulling her down with him. "Tell me what's wrong when you're ready, okay? I'm ready to listen. We're ready to listen."

"It's Magne!" Toga wailed against Denki's shoulder, pressing her face even harder against his shirt, trying to relieve the emotional pain that was anything but simple. "She's dead!"

Between bouts of wails and sobs, Toga explained how during a meetup with one of Twice's picks for recruitment, they had a run in with the Yakuza. It went south when their leader, Overhaul, had suggested that they should join forces with Overhaul being the leader of both groups instead of Shigaraki. Shigaraki actually tried to diffuse the situation, but everyone else was so wound up and it all got out of hand so quickly. One second, she was there. The next second, her molecules had burst apart and there was nothing left behind. It was instant, much faster than even Shigaraki's decay.

As Denki helped Toga work through her emotions while struggling with his own at finding out the news of Magne's early demise, Hitoshi ran downstairs to get some snack and drinks; it was looking like it was going to be a long night. While rummaging through Class 2-A's cupboards and refrigerator, Hitoshi was so focused on his task and getting back as soon as possible that he didn't notice Midoriya wander in.

"Hey, Shinsou!" Midoriya greeted in his normal, upbeat tone. "Party in Kaminari's room, huh?"

"Not exactly a party," Hitoshi mumbled, reaching into the back of the fridge to grab some sodas. When Hitoshi turned to catch the concerned look flashing across Midoriya's face, he added, "we need something to hold us over for the night to study for that damn history test. I thought it was next week, so they're helping me catch up on my studying so I might pass by the skin of my teeth."