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Hitoshi groaned and let his head fall into the large open textbook on the kitchen table.
“That bad? Huh,” Denki said as he tuned his bass guitar. From Denki’s seat on the couch, it was difficult to see his roommate through the piles of books that had taken over their kitchen table. While exams had ended for most students and both men had done well, Hitoshi was trying to get into law school. While he had taken the LSAT several times already, this exam was his last chance to pass or he would have to wait a whole semester to start law school.
“It’s just this one stupid question. I can never get it right!” Hitoshi grumbled. Denki put his bass down and walked over to his friend.
“Listen, you got this, I promise.” Denki patted Hitoshi’s shoulder and leaned down so the two were level with each other. “You’ve been studying every single day since the last time you took it. When you take that test you’re going to ace it and get into the best law school in the country.”
Hitoshi turned his head towards Denki to see the blond smiling back at him. Despite how tired Hitoshi was, he had to fight a smile when he saw how Denki was trying his best to be supportive. Reluctantly, the sleep-deprived 22-year-old sighed and sat up.
“I just wish I knew my score from the last test. I have no idea why I haven’t received them yet. It’s weird. This wouldn’t be happening if I hadn’t slept through the first two tests.”
“That only happened because you stress yourself out too much. Just relax.” Denki grabbed one of the books and pulled one of the chairs next to Hitoshi. “Here, why don’t I help you study a little tonight? Afterward, we can grab dinner and have you in bed by 9.”
“Oh no!” Hitoshi grabbed the book and put it back on the pile it was taken from. “Don’t think I forgot that you have plans to do that promotional party for the Battle of the Bands tonight. Go.”
“Everyone else will be there. I don’t need to go.” Denki dismissed with a roll of his eyes.
“Don’t even act that way when yesterday you were talking constantly about being so happy to meet with your idol.”
“Hizashi is not my idol! I just highly respect his career and personality.”
“Yeah, okay.” Hitoshi looked at the clock and when he saw the time, he pulled out his backpack and started filling it with the books on the table. “Anyway, I am supposed to meet up with some friends from class to do some last-minute studying for tomorrow.”
“By some friends do you mean Izuku~ ?” The way Denki emphasized Izuku Midoriya’s name made Hitoshi frown. Izuku had been one of Hitoshi’s closest friends since he started his pre-law degree. Most of the students at UA University were from a nearby private school. Not only was Hitoshi not from the rich kid private school he also started his degree a semester after everyone else and was doing work study just to pay for what his scholarship didn’t cover.
He didn’t have a lot of friends, especially amongst those in his major but those he did have, like Izuku. He cared about.
“No, I don’t mean Izuku~. I mean my friends from class and Izuku happens to be one of those friends.” Hitoshi said while trying to shove the rest of the books into his bag. He had managed to get most of them in there but there were still a few that wouldn’t fit.
“Are you two still just friends?” Denki leaned back and rocked in his chair as he watched Hitoshi struggle. “Wow, with how often you two hang out I would think you were dating by now.”
“Denki, for the last time.” The purple-haired man huffed and walked over and grabbed Denki’s bass guitar and shoved it into his roommate’s hands. He pulled him up and started pushing him out the door. “Our relationship is not like that! He already has people he likes and I…” Hitoshi paused and Denki’s eyebrow raised as the two stared at each other.
After a few moments, Hitoshi realized that they had been staring at each other for too long and pushed Denki out the door.
“I just need to pass the LSAT,” Hitoshi said as he closed the door behind Denki.
Denki opened his mouth and then closed it. He gripped his bass tightly and was about to walk away when the door opened again. Hitoshi was standing there with his backpack, a pile of books in one arm, and Denki’s messenger bag and guitar case in the other.
“I-I figured you would also need these,” Hitoshi mumbled. Denki smiled and took them gratefully.
As they walked out of their apartment building Denki made Hitoshi promise that he wouldn’t be out too late. Which he agreed to only if Denki promised the same thing.
~*~
Every summer the Battle of the Bands takes place. While it started as a small event for locals, after some of the winners went on to get famous afterward it slowly became a well-known event and the chance for record producers to discover new rising talent.
It was at one of these concerts that Denki realized his dream of starting a band. So he and some of his best friends got together to make Shockwave. Kyoka Jiro was on Lead vocals and guitar, Katsuki Bakugo on drums, Hanta Sero on the keyboard while Denki was on bass guitar and, occasionally, backup vocals.
While the group had increased with the help of friends like Kyoka’s girlfriend Momo Yaoyorozu as the manager and Mina Ashido as a guest vocalist and choreographer. Those four were the band and over time they had grown into a family.
“Aw, you didn’t bring your boyfriend, Jamming-yay?”
“Kyoka, stop messing with me!”
As soon as his friends spotted him they started teasing him.
“I thought for sure you were late because you were going to bring him with you. How’s your boyfriend doing?” Hanta said as he took a bite of a tiny finger sandwich.
“If by boyfriend you mean Hitoshi, then he’s doing fine. He’s very busy studying for LSATs and just being my roommate.”
“Oh yeah, we’ve all heard that one before.” Kyoka laughed. “How long until you finally tell him how you feel?”
“I don’t know Kyoka. How long did it take for you to tell Momo and Tenya how you felt?” Denki shot back. She glared at him with her cheeks red with embarrassment. Denki however felt satisfied.
The party was being held in the VIP area of one of the clubs downtown. The room was complete with an open bar, DJ, sitting areas, and photo-opts. Only four other musical acts were playing at the concert. While some of the people there were either competitors or friends of the competition, most people were from the press there to cover the event. While some members of the press were going around and talking with the bands, most were swarming around the judges. This time the judges were the talented artist known as Present Mic and the model turned businesswoman, Nemuri Kayama.
As nice as it was to be at an event so close to his idol, he wished this was more about the bands than the celebrities. Sure this could be a chance to gain interest in their band but so was winning.
Denki went to the bar to grab himself a drink. As he waited for his order he took out his phone and went over their setlist. First with a remixed cover of a popular song that would gain the interest of people who never heard of them. Then they would play a fun upbeat original song that was popular with fans. The next song would also be an original. It was a song written by Denki and it was softer, touching, and personal, and would slow things down a bit but it would show off their range. It was a love song performed with Denki doing lead vocals. The last song would bring the energy back with something more triumphant and exciting.
They had all been working hard to get here and now that they were here the pressure was on.
“Nervous?” Said Katsuki as he took the beer that had been sitting in front of Denki for a while and ordered Denki a new one.
Denki looked up at Katsuki, surprised, and then down at his phone again.
“You think I’m stupid then don’t you?” Katsuki glared fiercely.
“What?! No way, man! You’re like one of the smartest people I know!”
“Then what about Kyoka or Hanta? Do you think they are incompetent or something?” Katsuki moved closer to him, staring down at the very confused Denki.
“No!”
“Then why are you worried? We all have this fucking setlist burned into our memories. You made sure of that.”
Denki stuttered. He wasn’t sure what to say. You would think by now Denki would have learned to not be so intimidated by one of his best friends but he was. Still, the motivational speech left Denki with a strong feeling of relief for multiple reasons.
“Thanks, Katsuki. You’re right we’re going to win this thing.”
“Why are you thanking me? You already know this. Besides the easy part is competing against these dumbasses. The hard part comes when you have to explain your little love song to your ‘roommate’.”
“How did you know that was about him?!” Denki’s face was flushed as he shouted.
“Do you seriously think I’m an idiot?” Katsuki barked back at him.
~*~
While studying in the library, Hitoshi chuckled as he looked at his phone. When he looked up he saw that Izuku, who was sitting across from him, looked curious.
“It was my roommate. He sent me a picture from the event he’s at.” Hitoshi explained. “I think he’s having a good time.”
“Your roommate is in a band, right? Is he doing that Battle of the Band thing?” Hitoshi nodded. “Oh, nice! I hope he does well. Tell him I wish him luck.”
As both students started to focus back on their studies, Hitoshi remembered the conversation the roommates had before and an idea popped into his head.
“Why don’t you tell him yourself.” Izuku and Denki had never really met. They had seen pictures and glances of each other but neither had sat down and gotten to know one another. Hitoshi was sure if Denki knew Izuku, he would stop thinking that anything was going on between them.
“You mean, you want me to go with you?” Izuku asked.
“Yeah, I have an extra ticket and it’ll be fun. His band is great and I don’t say that lightly.”
“I don’t know…” Izuku said, still unconvinced. “Can my partners come?”
“Yeah, definitely. I’ll have to pull some strings but I think I can get it done.”
“Then, I’ll go. This will be my first time going. Hopefully, it’s as fun as you say.”
“I’m sure it will be,” Hitoshi said as he sent a text to Mina. She was hosting the show this year and with any luck, she could get him extra tickets.
Just as she was telling him how much he owed her for this favor he received another text from Denki.
Hitoshi must have had a funny look on his face because Izuku immediately leaned over to look at his phone.
“What’s it say? Could you get tickets for Shoto and Ochaco?”
He immediately locked his phone so Izuku couldn’t see his messages.
“Uh, yeah but I gotta go home. It’s getting late.”
“Really? It’s only 7:30.”
“Yeah but I still have to eat dinner because my roommate wants me in bed by 9.” Hitoshi tried as hard as he could to hide his face but he knew he was blushing. He just hoped Izuku didn’t see.
~*~
In the morning, Hitoshi heard his digital alarm clock going off, and mindlessly he reached over to turn it off. As soon as the ringing stopped he relaxed and slowly fell back to sleep again when the sound of another alarm went off. Annoyed he slammed the snooze button on his clock again but this did nothing. He groaned and sat up with eyes barely cracked open. The sound was coming from outside his door.
Dammit Denki, I told you to turn off your own damn alarm clock…
Dragging his feet he inched across the room and opened the door. Sitting outside his room was an analog alarm clock ringing its little bells furiously. Hitoshi bent down to pick it up and turn it off but as he did so he inadvertently set off a Rube Goldberg-like machine that went about making Hitoshi breakfast.
The alarm clock was attached to a string that set loose a ball that fell down and started the toaster. When the toast pooped up it knocked over a pitcher of orange juice that poured into a cup. As the cup was filled and its weight increased, it triggered a switch that turned on the stove to heat up some boiled eggs. Just as it looked like everything was complete, the ball from the beginning rolled over a button that caused a cutout of the popular celebrity, All Might to pop up. The cut-out was of the muscular man flexing with his shirt off and in the place where All Might’s face should have been a picture of Denki’s face was taped over it.
“You, too, can go beyond! Plus Ultra!” The famous words came from a speaker on the cutouts back and it caused Hitoshi to laugh.
This really is too much. How the hell did he have time to make all this?
When Denki finally got home from the party it was already 11 pm and Hitoshi was just headed to bed. This meant that Denki had to have set all this up as Hitoshi was sleeping.
Hitoshi’s first thought was to thank his roommate but when he looked at his room, the door was open enough to tell that Denki had already left.
That idiot. He didn’t have to do all this just for me. Hitoshi thought as he collected his breakfast. Once he was done eating, he got ready for the day and headed to his exam.
The exam took a little over an hour to complete and went over multiple choice and short essay questions. The whole time Hitoshi took the test he felt like he was stumbling. Some of the questions felt easy or the solution came to him without much difficulty but others he struggled with. He had no confidence in most of his answers. Despite all this, when the time came he finished the exam.
As soon as he was allowed to leave he started texting Denki about the exam. He waited for a response but nothing came. Denki was busy getting ready for the battle of the bands. Hitoshi knew that but he still felt an ache in his heart as he longed to tell Denki about his experience.
As he made his way upstairs to his apartment he passed by one of his neighbors in the hallway. She was a short woman with long green hair and big dark eyes. He had seen her a few times before and when he first met her, her appearance reminded him vaguely of an adorable little frog.
“Hey,” he said, giving her a small wave as he moved to get into his apartment without having to interact with her too much.
“Oh hey! Wait!” She walked over and handed him a small handful of mail. “Sorry, I just got back from a trip and while looking through all my mail, I think some of your mail was mixed in with mine.”
“Oh, uh thanks. I… hope you had a good trip.”
“I did. I went with my girlfriend to our home town, we had a blast. Speaking of partners, how is your boyfriend doing?”
“Oh, I don’t have a boyfriend.” When she looked at him with confusion, Hitoshi sighed. “That guy I live with is my roommate and he’s doing fine.”
“Oh! Okay. Sorry, I just thought….” She trailed off and Hitoshi waited for her to continue but she just changed the topic completely. “I heard from my boyfriend that your roommate was going to be in the battle of the bands. That’s pretty cool. We're all going early so we can see some of the open acts. Fumikage is really into one of the bands that’s playing.”
“Oh, that’s nice. I’m proud of Denki and his friends for getting this far. They’ve worked hard for this.” Hitoshi felt the edges of his lips curl up to a slight smile. When he looked over at his neighbor. She looked at him as if she could see right through him.
“Then, we’ll be sure to cheer him on.” She said, then disappeared into her apartment and Hitoshi went into his.
As he flipped through the mixed-up mail he accidentally tripped on one of the strings involved in the breakfast machine from this morning. This inadvertently caused the machine to restart even though it was not set up properly and started to cause a big mess. Hitoshi hurried to stop it as the toaster was knocked over and the fires of the stove were turned up higher than they should be.
Once everything was turned off and cleaned up Hitoshi took the time to carefully dismantle the elaborate machine. It was an incredibly thoughtful thing to make so Hitoshi originally didn’t want to mess with it but he also didn’t want to worry about burning their apartment building every time he came home.
It took him a while to untangle everything and put it away but when he finished he relaxed on the couch. He checked his phone but there were no new notifications and it was still a few hours before the show would start. Mindlessly he turned on the tv as he scrolled through a few social media accounts looking at cat pictures and memes.
At some point, he grew interested in a documentary about people who dressed up like superheroes from comic books and tried to help the community. As he watched it struck him that he hadn’t put away the mixed-up mail. He moved over to where he had placed it on the counter.
Most of it was junk mail but two things stuck out. One was an envelope addressed to him and a thin package for Denki. Inside the envelope was information about the last LSAT he had taken.
“I…I passed?” The words didn’t sound right. Neither did the score written on the paper: 178.
Once the reality hit him he looked up but quickly remembered that Denki wasn’t there. Still, there wasn’t anyone else he could think of to tell first. He could tell his parents and sister but Denki was the one who had stayed up late helping him study. He had to tell him.
He started to text him when Denki sent him a text asking if any guitar strings had arrived in the mail. Hitoshi immediately looked at the package that had Denki’s name on it. Sure enough, were new strings. He quickly texted Denki back to let him know that he was on his way to deliver them.
Hitoshi looked at the clock and while there was still time before the doors opened, he still needed to pick up Izuku and his partners and get the extra tickets from Mina. He was slightly panicked as he threw on a nice shirt and jacket and raced out the door.
He couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
He couldn’t wait to see Denki.
~*~
Denki drummed his fingers nervously as he sat in one of the chairs in Shockwave’s dressing room.
“Calm down. He’ll be here,” Sero said as he went over to sit next to his friend.
“I know. I-I am just a little nervous…” his eyes darted to Katsuki who was twirling his drumsticks as he looked over the music sheets. Katsuki raised an eyebrow when he realized that Denki was looking at him and Denki coughed awkwardly. “I mean, I know it’s going to be fine but…I just hope everyone, you know, enjoys the show.”
“You just worried that you're certain someone isn’t going to be impressed.” Kyoka teased as she tuned her guitar. “That’s why you sent him that text right? You know I have extra strings just in case.”
Denki just scoffed but when there was a knock at the door he jumped up to answer it. The door opened before he could get to it and a grinning Mina dressed in a shining golden cocktail dress poked her head in.
“Delivery!” She said and opened the door more so Hitoshi could step in. Denki felt his heartbeat quicken as he saw Hitoshi standing there looking a bit anxious. When the two locked eyes, Hitoshi's eyes seemed to dilate and there was a soft hint of redness on his cheeks as he smiled. Denki mirrored the action as his body moved on its own toward Hitoshi. Denki opened his mouth when his heart stopped.
Standing behind Hitoshi was a short, freckled, green-haired guy. He smiled at Denki and waved.
“I brought the strings.” Hitoshi held out the string, still coiled in their packaging. Denki looked down at them and suddenly he forgot why he had even asked for them. “I also brought some friends to help support you. You remember Izuku, right?”
“Good luck tonight!” Izuku said and walked over to shake Denki’s hand. “Hitoshi has told me a lot about you guys. You seem like very close friends.”
“Right..thanks,” Denki muttered. He looked over at Hitoshi who looked so happy it crushed Denki’s heart.
“Denki, hey. I have some good news to tell you.” Behind Hitoshi, Izuku seemed just as excited to hear what Hitoshi was going to say. He felt a knot in his stomach. Denki didn’t want to hear it.
Before Hitoshi could say another word some of the stage crew started calling for anyone who wasn’t a part of the show to move from backstage.
“Denki I—”
“You should head back now,” Denki didn’t want to hear it. He wasn’t sure what it was but with his stomach, in so many knots he was sure he would be physically ill if Hitoshi said another word. “Whatever it is can wait. I gotta stay focused. You know how hard that is for a dumbass like me.”
He forced a laugh and a smile.
“But—”
“Okay! Okay! You’ll all be in serious trouble if you guys stay. Let’s leave the artists to their last-minute preparations.” Mina said, pushing Hitoshi and Izuku out the door. As they left she gave her friends a big thumbs up. “Break a leg tonight!”
Hitoshi seemed hesitant to leave but Denki didn’t hesitate to turn his back on him.
“Denki?” Hitoshi called as the door closed.
~*~
After the last open act finished playing everyone clapped and the lights dimmed. As the curtain closed to allow time for the next group to set up Mina took center stage with a spotlight following her.
“Whoa! Let’s give another round of applause to Blue Night! That was great guys! If you want to buy any of the CDs or merch from these up-and-coming bands there will be booths outside selling autographed copies during intermission.” Mina explained.
“For those that came late, my name is Mina Ashido and I will be your host tonight for the 15th annual Battle of the Bands!” Mina cheered and the crowd clapped and cheered along with her. “To judge this event tonight we have the beautiful, the intelligent, the CEO of one of our biggest investors, Midnight INC’s Nemuri Kayama! Next to her is one of the BotB’s own alumni, radio personality, and artist, Present Mic!”
As each of the judges were introduced, a spotlight was shone on them and the crowd celebrated them.
“And for our last judge, our mystery judge, we have a well-known celebrity! The all amazing and the all-powerful, ALL MIGHT!” While such a passionate introduction might have fit Toshinori Yagi when he was younger but now he was an older, more sickly man. Everyone still treated him with the same amount of enthusiasm as he walked onto the stage dressed in a red, white, and blue suit.
“Wait, you didn’t tell me All Might was going to be here, Hitoshi!” Izuku said, shaking his friend.
“Izuku’s kind of a big All Might fan if you haven’t noticed,” Ochaco said as she laughed at her overly excited boyfriend.
“I don’t think there’s any way someone could not notice with all the merch he has,” Shoto said much to the dismay of his boyfriend.
“Shoto! You’re just as big of a fan of All Might as me!” Izuku whined as he and his partners began to banter.
“Sorry, I didn’t know he was going to be here either but they usually have some important celebrities here. That’s why there are so many cameras and so much advertisement for this event” Hitoshi explained. Usually, he might have been at least a bit interested in the aging star but he was more concerned about Denki. He seemed off before. Was he that nervous about this? While Denki was very expressive and passionate with everything he did, sometimes Hitoshi found it difficult to tell what he was thinking.
Hitoshi found it odd that people saw him as some simple person who was an open book. Denki was loud, yes. But he was also a lot smarter and quieter than people gave him credit for.
“This show is going to be good!” Izuku said, his eyes shining with excitement as he watched his hero walk off stage and join the rest of the judges.
“I hope so…” Hitoshi mumbled to himself as he prayed Denki wasn’t too nervous.
From behind the curtain, Shockwave started to set up. Rather than excited anticipation, the mood amongst the group was foreboding.
“I don’t know about this…” Hanta said as he got into place. Katsuki simply grumbled, clearly frustrated. Kyoka looked at the two, then back at Denki who looked heartbroken.
“Are you sure about cutting out your song?” She asked. Denki smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“It makes more sense to just play Gonna Go Far. People love that one. It was selfish of me to add a song that I wrote into something so important. Wouldn’t it make more sense to add another crowd pleaser than something no one has even heard yet?” Denki said. They couldn’t deny that his reasoning made some sense but the setlist they had prepared was good. This sudden change would throw things off.
“If you’re sure, then okay.” The other members looked at her, but when she nodded to Katsuki and Hanta they said nothing more on the topic of the change and prepared themselves.
“Next up is the rocking electric sounds of one of my favorite bands. Give it up for Shockwave!” Mina announced as she made her way off stage. As the curtain rose Denki’s eyes found Hitoshi’s almost immediately. Next to Hitoshi was Izuku who had a hand on Hitoshi’s shoulder. He sighed and tried to smile at least for the crowd.
When Hitoshi saw how upset Denki looked he felt his heartache. While Denki was trying to smile, Hitoshi had lived with Denki long enough to know the difference between when he was happy and when he was upset.
I’m so terrible. I was so worried about the exam that I didn’t pay any attention to him. He must have been worried this whole time.
While the music had started and people were singing and dancing along, neither Denki nor Hitoshi were paying attention to it.
~*~
After the show, Izuku, Ochaco, and Shoto disappeared somewhere to either get All Might’s autograph or make out. Hitoshi wasn’t paying attention. He had decided to wait for Denki near the backstage exit. Shockwave had come in second place. For most this would be great news as they still got a cash prize to share amongst themselves. Yet, when first place meant a record deal it was easy to see why they would be a little disappointed. Hitoshi knew they deserved to win but something was just a bit off about their performance. They didn’t have the same energy they usually did.
When the door opened and Mina walked out, Hitoshi called out to her. While the men guarding the back door at first stopped him from getting close. She let them know he was fine and they backed off.
“What are you still doing here?” Mina asked.
“I was waiting for Denki,” Hitoshi explained. Both of them looked away awkwardly. They knew that Denki wasn’t in the best mood at the moment but Hitoshi believed it was because Shockwave didn’t win while Mina knew of a different reason.
“I don’t know if now is a good time. Maybe just talk to him when you guys get home.”
“I just wanted to apologize to him.” Hitoshi frowned. He felt so guilty for being so excited before. “I wish I had realized how he felt sooner. If I had known I would have supported him more.”
“Yeah, it’s okay he just needs time to—wait! What do you mean you would have supported him more? Why do you think he’s upset?”
“Because he didn’t get first? He’s been working so hard. Is there another reason he’s upset?” Hitoshi asked but the only response he received was laughter.
“Oh my god, you two are meant for each other.” She wiped the tears out of her eyes. “He’s upset about that but that’s not the main reason.”
“What’s the main reason?”
“That’s…” Mina stopped herself before she said too much. Then she got an idea. “Well, really he should tell you himself. Here follow me.”
Hitoshi followed Mina to her car where she fished out a CD from her glovebox and handed it to the purple-haired man. The CD chase was lavender with dark purple headphones and yellow lighting bolts surrounding them.
“ Love Electric by Shockwave?” Hitoshi looked up at her but she just smiled.
“All the bands in the competition were able to record one album that featured their set list plus a few other songs. Track 6 was originally going to be played tonight but they cut it out. I don’t know why but I think that is your answer.”
Hitoshi looked at the CD suspiciously. Even if this told him why Denki was upset, he wasn’t sure if it would help him.
“I actually wanted to ask you if you knew a way to cheer Denki up. You’re one of his best friends and I wanted to do something for him. He’s always doing things for me. I want to return the favor.”
Mina considered what he was asking but the look on her face frightened him.
“I can think of a few things but you aren’t going to like them. Do you really want my help? You’ll have to do whatever it is I say.”
“Can you at least let me know what I’m getting myself into before I agree?” He felt himself start to sweat as she grinned deviously.
She leaned in and whispered her idea into his ear. His eyes went wide and his face flushed as she spoke.
“Ok, forget I asked you anything.” He turned his back to her as he tried to shake his embarrassment over her suggestion. “I should have known you wouldn’t take this seriously.”
“Oh, I’m very serious. What part of that would he not love?” She laughed. She was a bit serious but honestly, she would have been more surprised if he had agreed to her suggestion.
“Oh, I’m sure he would love laughing at me.”
“Come on, a couple shakes of that little tooshie of yours and he’ll be putty in your hands.” She shook her hips as if to demonstrate.
“I am not putting on a strip tease!” he hissed back at her. This only made her laugh more.
“Okay, fine! I’ll help you think of something else but first listen to that CD. ” She said as she got into her car to leave. “Oh and don’t forget you owe me!”
As she pulled away Hitoshi looked down at the CD and flipped it over. Most of the songs that were on the list he was familiar with from the shows he had been to and all the times he saw them practice. Track 6 though, was one he hadn’t heard before.
Rather than waiting for Denki, he figured he’d wait until he got home to talk to him again. He texted Izuku and the three of them met Hitoshi at his car. On the way home, Hitoshi was playing the CD.
“Aw. This one is so sad and sweet.” Ochaco said as track 6 played. “Can you turn it up?”
“Is that Denki singing?” Izuku asked as Hitoshi turned up the volume.
“Yeah, I guess….”
“Is this your first time hearing this song?” Hitoshi looked over at Izuku for a moment. Not knowing what to say. His face was flushed with embarrassment as he couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid but he also couldn’t stop smiling like an idiot. “Ah, do you like the song? If you like it you should tell him. I’m sure that will make him happy.”
“I…love it,” Hitoshi said trying to focus as much as he could on the road.
~*~
You would think it would be difficult to avoid someone you share a small two-bedroom apartment with. But you would be wrong. It wasn’t like it was 100% purposeful. The night after the Battle of the Bands Denki had come home late, greeted only by a cardboard cut-out with his face taped to it.
He dragged it into his room and stuffed it in his closet and went directly to bed. By the time he woke up the next day Hitoshi was already gone. This went on for the next few days. To the point that Denki was sure Hitoshi was also avoiding him.
While he never did get to hear Hitoshi’s big news he guessed it had something to do with Izuku. If he had remembered correctly, Izuku was already in a polyamorous relationship. Maybe Hitoshi was now a part of that relationship.
Denki spent almost a week avoiding him but he knew that could only last so long as he already had a missed call from Hitoshi. Thankfully, he could avoid him for a bit longer as Mina had texted him asking for help at the dance studio.
When he got there most of the lights seemed to be off and he couldn’t spot Mina’s car. He tried calling her but she didn’t answer. He sent her a text and after a minute she finally texted him back to let him know that she had stepped out for a bit. He had an extra key to the studio so he used it to get in through the backdoor.
The back led to the employee break room and restrooms. When he opened the door he put his stuff down on the table and draped his coat over a chair. He could see the light he saw from outside was coming from further inside the studio.
Did she leave a light on? He thought as he moved towards the front of the studio, turning on lights as he passed their switch.
When he got into the studio proper he stopped. In the middle of the room was a table set for two with a candle in the middle. Despite how fancy the setup looked the food was from Denki’s favorite burger joint.
“You’re earlier than expected,” Hitoshi said. He was dressed in a lavender dress shirt and black pants. There was clearly an attempt to smooth down his raging bedhead but his locks refused to be tamed.
Denki wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t even sure what was going on.
“Really? Not going to say anything? That’s a first.” Hitoshi rolled his eyes and walked over to the old piano Mina had in the corner of the room.
Hitoshi opened it and sat down.
He started playing slowly but then started to find the right tempo. Denki was still so shocked it took him a moment to realize what song Hitoshi was playing. It was his song.
“How…when did you listen to this song?”
“After the show. Mina gave her copy of the CD,” Hitoshi said as he started the second verse. “Hanta’s been helping me learn how to play it.”
Seriously guys? He didn’t understand why his friends always felt the need to meddle in his love life. He felt so exposed standing now. Worst of all, his heart kept beating so hard it felt like it was going to rupture.
“I took some piano lessons when I was in middle school. I know I’m not good enough to play with your band but I hope you still like it.”
Denki didn’t think Hitoshi sounded bad at all. How much had he practiced to play this well? How many times must he have listened to the song?
“This song you wrote….it’s really beautiful.”
Denki couldn’t listen to another note.
“Stop.” But Hitoshi continued, he was at the end of the song now. “I said stop, dammit!”
Denki snapped the lid to cover the keys down, narrowly missing Hitoshi’s fingers as they played the last note. The music reverberated around the dance studio until it too had been snuffed out.
“I don’t think I was that bad.” The purple-haired man said as Denki walked away from him. Denki was trying his best to calm down. He knew it was uncool to be this mad when he had put in so much effort but…
“What is all this? Why would you do any of this?” Denki shouted. “What are you trying to say?”
Hitoshi still sat at the piano, staring at the sheet music.
“I got my test results back from the LSAT. From the time before.” Denki wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything but he continued. “I passed. I was so happy and do you know who the first person I wanted to tell was? It wasn’t my family or my friends.”
Denki and Hitoshi looked at each other.
“It was you. You, who always supported me. Who worried about me so much even when you had your own worries. Who always finds a way to make me smile. Who surprises me just when I think I’ve got you all figured out. You, who wrote this beautiful song. It’s you Denki. No one else. It’s always been you.”
Denki couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It felt unreal like he would wake up any moment.
“Again? Aren’t you going to say anything?” Hitoshi smirked. Even in this low light Denki could see Hitoshi’s face was flushed.
“So you’re not dating Izuku?”
“I take it all back. I’m leaving.” Hitoshi glared at Denki and stood up from the piano. Denki laughed and threw his arms around Hitoshi’s shoulders.
“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” He felt so happy and despite acting like he was frustrated, Denki could see it in Hitoshi’s eyes that he wasn't as mad as he seemed. “Come on, don't go! You can’t let all this food go to waste.”
“I still have the to-go containers. I can just put the food away.”
“Don’t be like that, man. You know you love me!”
“Tch. Yeah, so what if I love you?” Hitoshi looked so cute as he pouted. “I’m not the one who wrote a whole song instead of just talking about how you feel. Seriously, did you really think it was a good idea to play that song live in a room full of people before showing it to me?”
“Wow, you don’t just like me. You full on love me! Who knew such a cool guy was a big softy? You even said it first.”
“Eh? What are you even saying? You said you like me first.”
“Nowhere in that song does it say I like you or love you.” Denki laughed. “I mean it’s implied but I never just say it. How lame would that be when I wasn’t even sure you liked me? Wait! Does this mean I’m going to be married to a lawyer? That’s awesome! My parents are going to be proud. I got to tell Mina too. She’s going to be so excited.”
“Ok no. I’m really leaving now.”
“No wait! Hitoshi! I'm only joking! We don’t have to get married right away! No wait, come back! I’m sorry! Hitoshi!!!”