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Movie night in the Class 1-A lounge. Popcorn, arguments over whether or not chocolate candies could go in the popcorn, more All-Might pajama pants then was reasonable, fights over blankets, fights over which movie to watch, pictures of sleeping classmates. General chaos.
Katsuki would have liked to avoid it as much as he could, but inevitably, Kirishima or Mina or Kaminari or Sero or even Deku would drag him out of his room.
Today, it had been Kirishima, Sero, and Deku, teaming up to guilt him into joining the group for some stupid American movie.
The movie wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
As the credits rolled and the class debated another movie, the elevator opened.
The class barely took notice, but Katsuki did. He turned his head, looking over Kirishima’s shitty hair, which rested annoyingly close to Katsuki’s shoulder, to find Kaminari standing in the elevator, framed by the dim light.
Odd. When asked, Sero had shrugged and said that when he left Kaminari’s room, the other boy had been busy with English homework.
So why was Kaminari coming from downstairs?
“Hey, Kami, you decided to join us!” Mina called, taking notice of the light flooding the area.
Kaminari didn’t say anything, stepping out of the elevator. Something was wrong with the way he moved, jerky and loose. Katsuki frowned. Kirishima sat up, shoulders tense. He had noticed too.
“Kami?” Kirishima asked.
Silence. Someone turned on a lamp, illuminating the room.
The air in the room tensed. Immediately, everyone knew: Kaminari had overused his quirk.
Sometimes, it was fine. Kaminari would laugh and say dumb things, but he recovered fast and never minded too much.
Others though.
Kirishima turned to Katsuki, but Katsuki was a step ahead of him, already on his feet. Together, they caught the boy the minute he collapsed.
“Whoa, whoa, alright,” Kirishima said, helping Katsuki prop the boy up.
More lamps came on, soft light bathing the room.
“Denki?” Mina said, coming closer.
The boy groaned, head lolling onto Katsuki’s shoulder. He didn’t have the heart to shove him off.
“Should I go get Aizawa?” someone asked. Katsuki didn’t care to take his eyes off Kaminari long enough to see who it was.
“No,” Katsuki said roughly. “No, we’ve got him.”
Katsuki nodded his head towards the elevator, indicating to Kirishima the plan. Together, the pair guided Kaminari towards the elevator, Mina and Sero trailing after them. As they boarded the elevator, Katsuki saw the concerned eyes of the whole class watching them, movie forgotten and popcorn left to grow cold.
Kaminari whined as the elevator doors closed, and the rest of the group shared concerned looks.
“Kami? What happened?” Mina asked gently, laying a hand on his shoulder.
Kaminari didn’t answer, probably couldn’t. He nestled his head against Katsuki’s shoulder, trying to get comfortable.
The elevator doors opened, spilling them out onto Kaminari’s floor. Mina opened the door for them, and Katsuki and Kirishima guided the boy inside.
They set him carefully on the bed, backing away once he was safely laying down.
“No!” Kaminari’s hands shot out clumsily, eyes following their every move.
Kirishima went back immediately, settling on the bed next to Kaminari, pulling his head into his lap.
Mina took a seat on the floor, Sero in the desk chair. Katsuki stood against the wall, arms crossed. Silently, they watched Kaminari adjust restlessly.
“Hey, relax, come on,” Kirishima said, resting a hand on Kaminari’s head, trying to soothe him.
Kaminari shook his head, sitting up weakly. “Where-where ‘m I?”
Kirishima looked up to Katsuki, eyes wide and nervous.
Katsuki glanced around, hoping that Sero or Mina might know what to do. But they looked as helpless as he felt.
“You’re in your room,” Katsuki said.
“I… I feel weird,” Kaminari mumbled.
“We know,” Kirishima said gently, wrapping an arm around his friend and trying to pull him closer.
Kaminari resisted, palming at his eyes like a sleepy child. “I don’t understand.”
Sero pushed the desk chair to the bed, taking Kaminari’s hands softly. “It’s okay, we’ve got you.”
Mina, unable to resist, climbed onto the bed, sitting behind Kaminari and putting a hand on his back. “You’re okay.”
Katsuki watched, uncomfortable. All of it was too much for him, too emotional and vulnerable.
“Bakugou, c’mere,” Kirishima whispered as Mina and Sero comforted Kaminari. Katsuki shook his head. Kirishima hissed. “Come on!”
Katsuki sighed. Before he could decide what to do, Kaminari let out a pathetic sob.
The sound moved Katsuki’s feet for him, propelling him forward until he sat on Kaminari’s other side.
“I don’t understand,” Kaminari whimpered, tears beginning to fall. It tugged at something strange in Katsuki’s stomach.
“You overused your quirk,” Katsuki said, without really meaning to. “That’s all. You’re okay.”
Kaminari wiped at his face clumsily, although it didn’t do much to deter the tears. “I feel… I don’t like it.”
“We know, Kami,” Mina said quietly, resting her chin on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Kaminari lapsed into quiet tears, drawing his knees up. The group traded looks occasionally, sharing their concern. But mostly, they watched Kaminari, wishing they could fix it.
Katsuki’s hand drifted up to Kaminari’s shoulder, squeezing gently and repetitively. It was intended to be soothing to Kaminari, but really, it was grounding Katsuki, keeping his mind off of how terribly uncomfortable he was. And worse, how concerned he was. He knew, logically, that this wasn’t unusual. But it was hard to feel that way when Kaminari was so scared.
After a while of Kaminari crying and the group murmuring soft platitudes, Kaminari said, “‘m sorry.”
The group froze.
Katsuki was the first to speak. “No.”
Kaminari blinked up at him, eyes sad and red. “What?”
“No,” Katsuki repeated. “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t do anything to apologize for.”
Kaminari’s eyes welled with tears again, and he stared down at his lap.
Katsuki couldn’t stand it, watching his friend beat himself up without even understanding what was going on. He reached out, resting his palm on Kaminari’s cheek, guiding his eyes to meet Katsuki’s. Kaminari’s eyes went wide, shock on his face.
“We aren’t mad,” Katsuki said firmly. “You’re okay.”
Kaminari stared at him for a moment, and Katsuki wondered if he had been wrong, if that hadn’t been the right way to go about this.
And then, Kaminari launched himself at Katsuki, throwing his arms around him. Kaminari shook with sobs, face pressed into Katsuki’s shoulder.
Katsuki looked up at the rest of the group in a panic. What the hell was he supposed to do now?
The others grinned at him smugly. Assholes.
Mina slid out from behind Kaminari, Kirishima edging to the far side of the bed.
Sero gestured towards the empty space. Katsuki frowned. Surely, they didn’t mean-
“It’s probably getting to be time for bed…” Kirishima said, raising an eyebrow at Katsuki.
Katsuki shook his head, glaring at all three of them. But Kaminari’s grip tightened, like he was afraid Katsuki might leave.
With a look threatening death, Katsuki guided Kaminari to the open space on the bed, laying down and allowing the other boy to rest on him. Kirishima curled up on Kaminari’s other side, a hand on his shoulder. Mina and Sero laid on the end of the bed, Mina resting her head on Kirishima’s stomach, and Sero using Kaminari’s thigh as a pillow. It was all sickeningly domestic, and Katsuki fought off the urge to run away as fast as he could. Instead, he focused on the clinging of Kaminari; on Kirishima’s hand rubbing at Kaminari’s back; on Mina and Sero grabbing Kaminari’s hands. Katsuki reached up, covering Kaminari’s neck protectively.
They fall asleep one by one. Kaminari goes first, resting limply on Katsuki’s shoulder. Mina is next, softly snoring. Sero and Kirishima’s breaths slow at the same time. Katsuki waits a moment, before reaching over and turning the lamp off as carefully as he can, and closing his own eyes.