High on Sparks || KAMIBAKU

spotlight

The school festival had finally arrived. The weeks of planning, discussions, and late-night project sessions were over. All the hours they spent in meetings and on their computers, sketching ideas for the event, had led to this: the culmination of their work on an open mic booth. It was simple, yet special—just a stage for students to showcase their talents, whether that be music, poetry, or comedy.

But what mattered most was that it was their booth, their project. They had worked hard to make it come together, and now it was time for the spotlight.

Denki stood backstage, looking out at the crowd of students milling around the festival grounds. It was a huge turnout—more than he had expected. There were a lot of people passing by, many stopping to check out the performances. There was laughter, music, and the general hum of excitement filling the air. It felt good, knowing this was their moment to shine.

"Hey, you're up next," Sero called out from behind, tapping Denki on the shoulder.

Denki turned to face him, a grin spreading across his face. "Alright, time to show 'em what I got."

"Knock 'em dead, man," Sero said with a thumbs-up, giving him an encouraging nod.

As Denki made his way to the front of the stage, he caught sight of Katsuki standing with a few of his friends, his usual scowl in place. Denki's heart fluttered a little at the sight. He had been waiting for this moment, the moment where he would finally be able to make his feelings known to Katsuki—if not directly, then through his music.

Denki adjusted his guitar strap, feeling the familiar weight of it. He took a deep breath, standing in front of the microphone. The audience, which had been buzzing with conversation, quieted down as they noticed him.

"Alright, everyone, I'm Denki Kaminari," he said into the mic, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm gonna play a song I've been working on for a while. Hope you like it."

He strummed the first chords, the familiar slow rhythm filling the air. The notes were deliberate and gentle, just like the song itself. As he played, his eyes scanned the crowd, but when he caught sight of Katsuki, he couldn't look away. Their eyes locked, and for the briefest moment, Denki felt like the entire world melted away. It was just him and Katsuki, under the dim lights of the stage, surrounded by the soft glow of festival lanterns.

The first lyrics of the song left his lips, raw and full of emotion:

"Burning bright like a flame but too scared to get close,
Caught in the glow, but it's too much to hold.
You say you're okay, but your eyes tell the truth,
You're hiding your heart, afraid of what you might lose."

He wasn't just singing to the audience. He was singing to Katsuki, hoping that the hidden meaning in the words would reach him. The way Denki had written this song—it wasn't just about anyone. It was about someone specific. It was about Katsuki. He had crafted every word with care, trying to get his feelings across without outright saying them.

Katsuki's face remained unreadable as he watched Denki perform, but Denki could see the way his eyes flickered, how his posture shifted slightly. It was like Katsuki was trying to make sense of it. Denki couldn't help but smile softly to himself as he sang, pouring his heart into every word. This was it—the moment he had been waiting for.

As Denki played through the song, he kept his gaze fixed on Katsuki, his hands moving over the strings of the guitar with ease. It was a bold move, putting his feelings out there like this, but he knew it was the only way to get through to Katsuki.

There were so many unspoken things between them. Denki had always been open about his sexuality—he never tried to hide it, and he was used to people accepting him for who he was. But with Katsuki, things had always been complicated. The way Katsuki acted, the way he was around him—it made Denki second-guess everything.

But now, this song was his way of saying it, even if he was too scared to say the words outright.

"Can you feel the burn?
Does it light your soul?
Or are you just too afraid to let it show?"

As Denki finished the last few notes, there was a quiet pause before the crowd erupted into applause. He stood there for a moment, catching his breath, his heart racing. The room felt like it was spinning, but he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. He had done it. He had sung his truth in front of everyone, and now, he hoped Katsuki would understand.

Denki looked at the audience, but he couldn't help but glance back at Katsuki. Katsuki's expression was a little harder to read than usual, but Denki saw the way his eyes flickered—something behind them, something deep. It wasn't a look Denki was used to seeing from him.

Backstage, Denki was met with congratulations from his friends.

"Dude, that was amazing!" Sero said, clapping him on the back. "Seriously, you killed it!"

Uraraka and Momo both chimed in, praising his performance. "You looked so confident up there!" Momo said with a smile.

Denki beamed at them, but his mind was elsewhere. He kept replaying the moment when he'd looked at Katsuki, trying to read his expression, but it had been too fleeting. He didn't know if he had made any impact. What was Katsuki thinking? Did he get it?

Denki's thoughts were interrupted when Sero nudged him with a grin. "You know, the way Bakugo was staring at you during the song, it was like... well, you might have just caught his attention for real."

Denki flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You think so?" he asked, trying to play it cool, but inside, his heart was racing.

"Oh, definitely," Sero teased, giving him a wink. "And you made it pretty obvious with that song. Pretty bold move, man."

"Shut up," Denki muttered, though he couldn't hide the grin that spread across his face. It wasn't often he got to play this sort of game with Sero, but the idea of Katsuki being affected by his song made him feel like he could float.

As the night wore on and more performances filled the open mic stage, Denki couldn't shake the feeling of anticipation that hung in the air. It was hard not to glance over at Katsuki, who was still standing with his friends, though now with a slightly more contemplative expression.

It was a lot to process—too much to even begin to unpack. Katsuki didn't show any outward signs of confrontation or reaction, but there was a shift. Denki could feel it in the air between them. Whether it was because of the song, or something else, Denki didn't know. All he could do was wait and see.

Meanwhile, Katsuki sat on the sidelines, the buzzing noise of the festival still all around him. His heart was pounding in his chest, though it wasn't just from the adrenaline of the event. No, it was something different, something that he couldn't quite place.

The song. That fucking song.

Katsuki wasn't sure what exactly it was that had stirred something in him. When Denki had sung the lyrics, it felt like someone had cracked open a part of him he hadn't known existed. The words, the melody—hell, the way Denki had looked at him while singing them—it all felt like it was meant for him. There was no way it wasn't.

He had always assumed he was straight. He had never questioned it—never had to. But now, as he replayed the song in his mind, as he remembered the way Denki had looked at him, a part of him felt... uncertain. He didn't know what to do with this feeling. He didn't even know what to call it.

Katsuki clenched his fists, trying to push the thoughts away. The way Denki's song had made him feel was confusing—too confusing. He didn't have time to deal with this. Not now, not in front of everyone.

But he couldn't get the image of Denki singing, pouring everything into that song, out of his mind.

"Shit," Katsuki muttered under his breath.

The night stretched on, and Denki continued to smile through the rest of the festival. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't stop wondering—did he really get through to Katsuki? Would the confusion finally be cleared up, or was he just another mystery that Katsuki wasn't ready to face?

The answer wasn't clear. Not yet. But one thing was certain: Denki had said his piece, and now, the ball was in Katsuki's court.