This time I will protect them I won't be a coward

65

The end of term exam day came and Denki was in hermit mode. 

He went to school and gave the first two days papers and went back home with exhaustion lingering in his body with the constant recurring nightmares getting too intense like an omen.

For two days straight, Denki was avoiding his friends whenever he would see them approaching him. He would run off and hide in the library for comfort among the books.

He felt pressurized by the recurring nightmares that were becoming too vivid day by day  and felt that he would break down if any of his friends asked him how he was feeling.

Then soon as school ends, he would run back home and do his independent studies for the last third day of his exam

He was starting to feel guilty about avoiding his friends.

....

Today was the last day of the written exam and this afternoon he had to give the exercise test too.

Denki was feeling dead tired from giving back to back exams.

All his papers had gone well.

Now Denki was slumped on his desk while his classmates chatted around him about their own papers.

Denki felt Kirishima lightly tapping his shoulder.

Denki slightly raised his head from his hands to look at him.

Kirishima Erijiou gives him a toothy grin and says, "Dude thank you for helping me studying for the exam".

Denki smiles at Kirishima's honesty and then Kirishima Erijiou does something unexpected and brings his face a little close to Denki's liking.

Denki stills and does not make a move from his original position.

"Are you getting proper sleep Kaminari kun? You look too pale. Are you sick?" asks Kirishima Erijiou with concern  laced in his voice.

Denki blinks his golden honey coloured eyes at Kirishima Erijiou and gets up at the same time when the bell rings for lunch.

Denki looks at Kirishima Erijiou and quietly says, "I am fine it's just the room's lighting that's making me look like I am sick".

Kirishima frowns at Denki's words and tries to stop him as he quickly moves away from him.  Kirishima was about to go behind him just when Sero Hanta and Ashido Mina call his name making him turn to look at them.

At the cafeteria

Denki chewed on the protein bar while his stomach did somersaults. He tried swallowing the food down his dry throat even when his stomach protested against it. He was feeling nauseated but he needed the strength for the afternoon exercise test.

The only good thing was that he had his headphones on. He was listening to Bang Bang Bang by BigBang.

The cafeteria was mostly empty today due to the exam week.

Denki sighs and places the half eaten protein bar on the table and puts his head on his hands. He could feel his classmates gazes burning holes in his back.

The Dekusquad was worried about Denki as they had their own lunch.

Tsuyu was the first one to raise this concern, "Denki chan looks much worse than yesterday".

Everyone stops eating and stares at Denki more intently.

Uraraka Ochako says, "It must be the exam pressure?".

Iida Tenya shakes his head at Uraraka Ochako and says, "No no it must not be that it must be something else".

Next was Torodoki Shoto who spoke up, "I will just go and ask him".

Shoto was about to get up and go ask the sunshine boy what was wrong with him, only to be stopped by Iida who shakes his head and mutters, "He will just run away and start avoiding us. Then it will be like that all over again".

Torodoki sits down in his seat and sulks like a baby at the thought of Denki avoiding him. He did not like it.

Kaminari Denki was his first friend besides Izuku Midoriya who accepted him for who he was . He did not treat him like others would treat him when they would find out that he was the son of the no two Pro Hero Endeavor but Denki did not behave like those fake people he was different from them. Shoto liked being around Denki. It felt like being surrounded by feelings of warmth and love which he never experienced during his childhood days.

Iida Tenya pats Torodoki Shoto on the shoulder and tells him that, they can ask Kaminari kun about the avoiding thing once the exercise test is over.

Uraraka Ochako smiles at her two friends and turns to look at Izuku Midoriya who with no expression stared at his untouched food and asks worriedly, "Are you ok Deku kun?".

Midoriya is broken away from his thoughts and he laughs nervously and says, "I am ok Uraraka san, just thinking about the exercise test".

Soon the group topic shifts to the exercise test.

But Izuku's thoughts were somewhere else. Izuku lets his viridian eyes linger on Denki's tired form slumped on table for a while and thinks to himself, 'Why do you avoid your friends Kaminari Denki? You really are a mysterious puzzle that is becoming hard to solve day by day'.

...

After the lunch break, their exercise test starts  and Whole class 1-A students were dressed in their hero costumes and stood outside the battle grounds building.

Denki was all decked in his hero costume and he also had on his signature red hooded cape as well.

He tugged on his fingersless gloves nervously ignoring what was on going around him as his teachers explained to them the rules of the test.