Kiri(Baku?)Kami I probably won't finish

Chapter Forty-Four

It was starting to get dark out. Denki and I somehow got separated from our other friends, so we were just drifting about together, holding hands so we didn't get lost.

"Do you think we'll be allowed to go back to our dorms?" Denki asked, and I thought for a moment.

"I'm not sure. I doubt the school's gonna be open at all for the time being because of all the shit that happened. So probably not," I admitted. "We should probably just ask the teachers if we can go home."

"I can't do that," he sighed.

"Is it like, too far from here, or..." I asked, and he seemed to deflate, shaking his head. "Then how come?"

"They uh... they don't really want me back," he muttered, not meeting my eye. "I got kicked out when I came out to them and they said not to bother trying to be a part of the family until I snapped out of it, or whatever."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I had no idea—"

"It's not your fault. Don't apologize," Denki grumbled. "Point is, I can't really go home because it's kinda here."

Unfortunately for him, that was when Mic decided to speak up. "OI! STUDENTS OF UA! WE'RE ALL GOING HOME, SO WATCH THE NEWS FOR CHANGES IN THE STATUS OF THE SCHOOL! FOR NOW, WE ARE CLOSED FOR BUSINESS!"

Denki seemed even more defeated than moments before, so I squeezed his hand and said, "Just come to my place. My parents will probably adopt you in a heartbeat, so..."

"But then I'd be dating a brother..."

"You know what I meant. Anyway, they'll be super cool about it," I assured him, squeezing his hand.

"You're sure? I didn't mean to impose when I said—"

"Denki Kaminari. Come home with me." I tilted his chin up to face me, although he still wouldn't make eye contact. He was blushing furiously.

"R-right. Yes," he mumbled awkwardly, and I giggled at how precious he was when he was flustered.

"C'mon, the train ride's not too long. Let's get there now." He nodded as I led him away from the school. I spared it a glance backwards, hoping I'd be returning soon.

For now, though, was the matter of introducing Denki to my parents.

I wasn't really nervous about it. He was an absolute sweetheart, and they were sure to adore him. He seemed to be holding back a mental breakdown, though.

On the train, his palms were sweaty and he was just sitting there biting his lip, honestly looking like he was about to cry.

"Denks, are you alright?" I asked when we finally got off the stop. We still had a little ways to walk before we got to my house, and the streets were calm and empty. The last golden light of sunset was sinking out of view and sending eerie shadows across the street.

"Yeah, it's just... what if they don't like me? And what if they don't want me to stay the night? What if I slip up and do something wrong?"

I could see the slight panic in the eyes, and something gave me the sudden feeling that this wasn't the first time he'd had these thoughts.

"Denks, you're not talking about my parents, are you?" I stopped, looking him over.

He froze for a moment before shaking his head no. "I don't know where I went wrong, Ei," he sniffled, wiping at his eye with his sleeve. "I always tried to do things right, but I couldn't with them. And they always seemed to be annoyed with me, y'know? When I was younger, they were just kinda passive-aggressive all the time, and if I messed something up, they used to just... ignore me for awhile. Of course, that didn't work, because I'm a hyperactive little psycho, so I just gave up one being perfect and tried to get their attention. So when I came out to them, because I figured it would be important for them to know I'm bi, they thought I was just pulling some shit at first."

"And when they realized you weren't kidding..."

"They essentially disowned me. Until I can just suck it up and "be a normal person" for once," he summed up. I pulled him into a hug.

"My parents would never do anything like that to you. They've known I was gay since before I even knew what that was, and they didn't really care when I told them I was pretty sure I was poly, too. Trust me, they're cool," I said, running my fingers through Denki's hair.

"I know they are. I just... I wish my own parents could be like that. I just wish they loved me. Even a little," he said, his voice breaking. He was crying into my shirt, but I didn't care about that. He hardly cried at all, I noticed. At least, in front of me.

I honestly didn't know how to respond to him, so we just stood there for a little while before I looked back up and realized that the light was pretty much gone. "We should get back, I don't want my parents to freak out about us being late."

"Do they know I'm coming?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"Nope. Let's go!"