Chapter Text
Tenko didn’t leave first thing in the morning.
When you both woke up (the both of you unreasonably embarrassed for waking up with your butts squashed against each other), he decided that it would be in your best interest to go to the nearest clinic for a check-up and to see if there were any after-effects from the night prior. You didn’t want to admit that there was a tingling sensation in your arm so you made your agreement seem a bit reluctant.
You did make him a quick breakfast, however, and as he used your bathroom, shoved his hoodie under your pillow.
He didn’t ask for it back so you assumed that you both were just following the tradition of a boyfriend surrendering his hoodie to his significant other. You quickly got ready as well, trying to dress comfortably considering the soreness in your body and the tingling in your arm, but you also wanted to look…cute? Maybe appealing? Enough so that maybe Tenko wouldn’t worry too much about you because the last thing you wanted to do was make yourself a burden.
“Do you need to call into work or anything?” You asked him carefully as you tried not to wince when pulling on your jacket.
“Hmmm?” He seemed confused by the question for a moment before the realization hit him, “Ah. Probably.” He pulled out his phone, “I’ll just message one of my people so they know to cover for me.”
You frowned at that, “Tenko, if you need to get to work-”
“It’ll be fine,” He replied absently. “They can wait.”
While you knew he meant that as a comment regarding his priorities, something that gave you butterflies in the pit of your stomach but at the same time - he made the statement with such authority that you had to wonder if people were waiting on him. If he were such an important cog in the machine that it simply would not function without him.
Just how important was this guy ?
“Okay,” You allowed, “But, if at any moment you get a text or something - you can dip.”
He shrugged, “Sure.”
With that his pinky was hooked with yours and he was tugging you out of your apartment, a map to the nearest clinic pulled up on his phone in his other hand and he left you to fumble, single handedly, with the door and locking it.
As the two of you walked down the stairs and away from your apartment building, you couldn’t help but glance back to stare at the roof. Nothing looked particularly wrong with it from this distance and angle, but that didn’t mean anything. You made a mental note to climb up and see if you had made any actual damage to the building later or if the lightning rod was able to do its job.
It was a chilly morning and you found yourself stepping closer to Tenko’s side as you both shuffled your way to the clinic. It was thankfully only about two or three blocks away so you weren’t in the cold long. The streets were busy with people commuting to their jobs and school children hustling past you to get to class while office workers with their briefcases marched toward the train station to get the next train.
It felt weird to be out so early and not having to hustle to class or work - usually you tried to avoid peak travel times so that if you had to be somewhere, you could do so in a more timely manner and without risk of an overcrowded train or getting held up by a long line at the corner store.
Tenko pulled the door open for you and gestured for you to sit on one of the only three vacant seats left in the crowded waiting room. People with varying degrees of injuries and illness patiently waited and there was a small line to the reception desk.
You couldn’t help but cringe as Tenko got into line and you realized you were likely going to take up most of his day if he didn’t decide to leave for work after a while. It was quite the line and you weren’t exactly the most urgent case in the lobby at the moment. You awkwardly twiddled your fingers as you waited for him, peeling up your sleeve just enough to see the ‘roots’ of the trees that made up your electrocution scars.
Ah, you really screwed up this whole thing.
Unsure of what else to do as the line slowly moved, you pulled out your phone and opened your notes app, opting to focus on the next meal you’d make for you and Tenko. You scrolled through recipes on one of your many web tabs before alternating to the notes app to make a shopping list.
“Feta cheese?”
You jump in your seat and look at Tenko as he lounged next to you, his arm sprawling across the back of your chair as he crossed one leg over the other. His blatantly relaxed form and its inclusion of you next to him brought a heat to your face that you hoped wasn’t visible as you thanked your lucky stars that you wore a knit beanie over your head.
“I’m trying to expand my skillset,” You replied, “I’m thinking of cooking greek food.” He hummed in response and you nudged him lightly with your elbow, “It’s going to be a long wait if you want to-” You stopped as your name was called and frowned, looking at him as his expression remained completely nonchalant and you awkwardly stood up. “Be right back?”
“Mmhmm.”
You stared at him - wondering if he lied about why you were here before tucking away your phone and getting up to join the waiting nurse.
Once in the back, she took your weight and asked the usual questions before leading you to an exam room where she then took your temperature, blood pressure, and did a quick preliminary examination of your arm after asking you to remove your outer layers. Not once did she seem upset or annoyed or made any indication that there was possibly something worse going on. You choked on panic as you realized that Tenko had likely told them the truth but you were worse off than you originally thought.
Afterall, you’d heard that in these walk-in situations, those with the most life-threatening conditions were seen first.
Would he be so nonchalant if you weren’t okay? Were they going to have to amputate and he was just staying cool about it for your sake?
“The doctor will be with you shortly,” The nurse told you and you nodded, trying not to let your Quirk manifest as a result of your nerves.
The second she left, your phone was out and you were quickly typing a message to Tenko.
You:
I’m really freaking out
Gamer Boy:
Why? Did they say something?
You:
No. I’m waiting for the doctor now. But the speed of it. Urgent cases get seen first.
Gamer Boy:
Oh. Don’t worry about that.
You:
What?
Before you could press further, there was a soft knock at the door. You shoved your phone into your pocket as the doctor poked her head in. Her already large, black eyes were magnified by thick glasses and two pointed antennae poked out from her brown bob. You realized that while she had mostly human detail, her body shape and how she stood was very much like that of an anthropomorphic beetle.
The speed in which she came in surprised you as usually doctors took at least fifteen or twenty minutes to make their way to a patient and usually longer at a clinic with an unscheduled appointment.
She gave you a sweet smile and you nervously smiled back.
“Looking at my notes it looks like you experienced a bit of an overactive Quirk,” She started, not bothering to introduce herself and instead getting right to her business.
“Uh, yeah,” You replied awkwardly, “The storm last night had me a little overwhelmed.”
She gave you a look, her antennae twitching and she grabbed her stool to scoot close to your arm and examine it properly. She gently touched your arm and flinched a bit, a small jolt of pain along with a raised intensity in the tingling sensation making you almost yank your arm from her grip but you managed to keep it together.
“You’ve got an obvious Lichtenburg Figure,” She commented, not at all reacting to your reflexive jolt. “That’s not going away.” She looked up at you with those big, magnified eyes, “On average, how much can your Quirk handle?” She asked.
“I used to only do so much as your average electrostatic discharge,” You replied warily, watching her examine the scarring on your arm closely, “But I’ve been working on making it stronger.”
She jerked her head up to look at you upon that statement, “Well stop .” She told you.
“What?” You asked in surprise, “Why? Would this happen again?” You finally pulled your arm away and she rolled to the exam room computer to take notes, “I don’t think I was clear in explaining to the nurse - my Quirk didn’t do this on its own, I was on a roof in a lightning storm and had to discharge the electricity and-”
“Your body is built for a certain amount of electricity.” The doctor cut you off, “You built yourself up to a point where you would be vulnerable in an electrical storm. While you may be able to handle the output for now, you can’t handle the input. Let me guess - you’ve had a tingling sensation in your arm ever since?”
You nodded slowly, biting your tongue as what she was saying sunk in.
“That’s the nerve damage. It might go away but it’ll get worse if you keep pushing your body.”
“So I’ve already made my Quirk stronger,” You started, trying to reason with her, “Can’t I up my…I don’t know, electrical tolerance?”
She shook her head, “That’s not how it works. At best, you’ll be covered in scars and dealing with nerve damage and at worst you’ll end up killing yourself.”
That statement sent an upsetting roll through your gut. You always thought you’d be better off without your Quirk and now that it was starting to grow on you it was threatening to kill you if you pushed it too far. You were back to square one, but this time it was worse because you thought you were improving.
“I understand,” You told her quietly, your disappointment evident.
Ugh, you needed a cigarette .
The doctor gave you a sympathetic look, “I understand,” She assured you, “We live in a society that highly values Quirks and Quirk strength but I assure you, it’s not worth it. ”
You weren’t convinced. Your slow and steady improvement of your Quirk felt good . You felt better about yourself - more confident because it was at least one aspect in your life that you seemed to actually have a handle on. You didn’t fit in well with people in this city. You were doing…okay…in school. You were still super awkward with this whole experimental relationship thing.
But you were starting to be confident with your Quirk. You felt like you could control it better - that you weren’t a huge risk when handling components at work.
And that might go away.
“I understand,” You replied quietly.
She appraised you for a moment before sighing, “Go home and rest for the rest of the day. I want to see you in two weeks to see if you’re still dealing with tingling extremities. If you are, I can refer you to a specialist. Go ahead and make an appointment with the front desk.”
“I will,” You replied, “Thank you.”
She gave you a doubtful look but said nothing more, instead opening the door for you to leave the examination room. You followed the hall that you’d traveled down and you stopped in front of the desk just before the lobby door - making a quick appointment in two-week’s time and accepting the appointment card from the scheduler.
When you stepped into the lobby and Tenko’s gaze met yours, he must have seen your disappointment as he was on his feet and stepping toward you in an instant. You didn’t realize your eyes were welling with tears and starting to sting until you realized that there was some look in his eye that you couldn’t quite put your finger on and you wiped at your eyes quickly.
“What happened.”
It wasn’t a question, it was a demand and you felt the heat rise in your cheeks as you felt put on the spot. Instead of answering right away because people in the lobby were looking curious and you didn’t want an audience to your own stupidity, you grabbed his hand, wrapping your fingers around his palm and he closed his hand around yours just enough that the pads of his fingers weren’t touching but it he was still, technically, holding your hand.
You pulled him out of the clinic, shoving your appointment card in your pocket.
Tenko humored you until you both were walking on a fairly empty street and a few tears escaped you. He jerked you to a stop and gave you a steady, calm look. “Tell me.”
“She told me to stop working on improving my Quirk,” You told him, “That if I kept it up, I could end up really hurt or dead.”
He pursed his lips, mulling over your words, “Okay.” He allowed, “Do you want to stop?”
“No,” You sniffled, “I don’t . I thought I was doing so good but-”
“Don’t stop then.” He interrupted pointedly.
“But the doctor-”
“Is just one doctor,” Tenko replied, “And maybe not even a good doctor. She works at a community clinic. I know better doctors.”
You blinked at him, trying to understand what he was saying, “Are you…suggesting I get a second opinion?” You asked.
“If that would make you happy,” He shrugged, “Honestly I think you’re fine. People’s Quirks level up all the time. I bet your body is just…trying to catch up with it.”
You felt your shoulders relax as the suggestion. It didn’t make sense to you that you could dish out more than you could take - Quirks didn’t work like that, right? You could handle it, your body just had to catch up.
You were going to be fine .
“Maybe we were just moving too fast,” Tenko suggested, “Let yourself recover and we’ll slow down the pace in amping things up.”
You nodded, feeling more relieved by his words. He made sense. You don’t give up learning to ride a bike after falling off it and scraping your knee one time.
You offered him a still wavering smile, “You’re right. Thanks, Tenko.”
He squeezed your hand in his awkward grip. “We have a day ahead of us. Is there anything that you want to do?”
You frowned at that as he busied himself with pulling you along the street toward your apartment until you decided on what you wanted to do. “Are you sure you don’t have to go to work?” You asked.
He chuckled, “Are you trying to get rid of me?” He asked in clear amusement.
It still made you sputter, “No, of course not!” You felt your face heat up at how eager you sounded to refute his accusation and you desperately tried to recover, “The doctor told me to rest for the rest of the day.”
“Okay, let’s go home then,” He decided, rearranging your hands so that his pinky was hooked with yours and he pulled you along. The comfort level in which he referred to your apartment as ‘home’ surprised you once again.
The both of you made the couple of blocks walk in silence and Tenko led you easily to your front door - allowing you to unlock the door and let yourselves into the apartment. You wiggled out of your outer layers and shoes, ready to take a moment to evaluate the past twenty-four hours when you turned to look at your boyfriend who was still in his shoes and jacket.
“Tenko?”
“Can I see your arm?” He asked quietly, watching your good arm instinctively touch your sleeve.
You hesitated, glancing at the sleeve covering the evidence of your weakness. He seemed to catch on to this and held out his hand with a more imploring expression that wore you down quickly and you offered your arm to him.
Tenko carefully gripped your wrist, always mindful of his pinkies, as he pushed up your sleeve. The tingling of your arm unhappily reacted to the push of the fabric as he wasn’t as gentle and controlled as you were at the doctor’s office. He stopped when he noticed your recoil at the sensation.
“Did that hurt?”
You shook your head. “Uncomfortable,” You admitted.
“How so?”
You avoided his gaze, “There’s some nerve damage,” You admitted quietly, “It might recover but it’s hard to tell. I have to go back in two weeks to see if I need to see a specialist.”
His hand twitched, a small squeeze to your wrist in response to your explanation and his voice seemed deeper and more serious, “Are you sure you want to keep training your Quirk?”
You stared at him, absolutely conflicted.
You were scared. What if you permanently damaged your nervous system trying to train your Quirk up? What if you fried your brain by accident or hurt yourself? What if you hurt someone else in the midst of a thunderstorm like you could have last night when you were all charged up with electricity that had nowhere to go? Did the risks outweigh the gains that may not even exist?
You looked at his hand and your wrist and the scarring that climbed your arm.
You felt how warm his hand was, how calloused his fingers felt against your skin and how his thumb was pressed right against your pulse. From the beginning, he wanted to build you up. He saw what you could be and not just what you were - an outsider with a shit job. To him, you were full of possibilities and he believed in you.
You met his gaze as he watched you, his warm red gaze so sharp it could cut. “Yeah, I want to keep going.”
He nodded, warmth reaching his eyes and replacing that analytical stare of his, “Okay.” He replied before leaning down, lifting your arm and moving his thumb - likely briefly feeling your pulse speed up as it brushed along your skin to make room for the gentle press of his lips against your wrist, right at the roots of the trees.
He pulled away, dropping your wrist and straightening up as though he did not just make you extremely flustered. “Send me that list you were writing, I’ll pick up the food and maybe a movie?”
You nodded dumbly, pulling yourself out of the mess of feelings you were in to grab your phone and screenshot the notes app list you were creating. You sent the screenshot to Tenko and he confirmed receipt before ordering you to get comfortable and rest while he ran to the store.
You saw him off and decided to do what you were told, changing out of your clothes and into sweatpants and a shirt before pulling on the hoodie you’d squirreled away earlier.
You stared at your bed, finding yourself reluctant to lay in the spot that Tenko had occupied last night and instead stepped over it to snuggle up on ‘your’ side of the bed - phone in hand. You carefully peeled back your sleeve to stare at where Tenko had kissed you and the roots peeking out under your sleeve.
Lichtenburg Figure. That was what the doctor had called it.
You thanked the tech gods you completely botched the spelling and Google guessed what you were looking for correctly. You started with studying images of others who experienced this kind of scarring, then hit up Wikipedia, then other articles before narrowing down your search to those with electrical based Quirks.
It seemed like the scarring would be there for life which was…unfortunate. She found it oddly beautiful but at the same time - it was like wearing a big sign that said ‘I can’t handle my own Quirk’ and that was a great impression to make.
Guess you’d just wear long sleeves for the rest of your life.
You let yourself nod off in the middle of your research, only waking to the knock on your door. You quickly lept to your feet, checked to make sure it was Tenko and opened the door for him.
It was strange how natural it felt to let him in, taking the grocery bags from him and into the kitchen while he closed the door and worked off his jacket and shoes. It was nice to see that, along with everything on your list, he also picked up some snacks that you wanted to assume were for the movie but wouldn’t invite yourself to eat just in case.
You turned to look at him and thank him but he was frowning at his cell in a way that expressed irritation and annoyance more than ‘uh oh, I’m in trouble with work’. “Tenko? Everything okay?”
He quickly looked to you and shoved his phone in his pocket, “Nothing that can’t wait,” He assured. “What do you think about trying to cook this together?”
You couldn’t help but want to know what was bothering him but knew you wouldn’t get anything if you tried to pry. So, instead, you smiled and welcomed his suggestion.
“Yeah, that sounds fun.”