Chapter Text
“You WHAT?!”
And here we are.
Kaminari is sobbing over his now-broken elephant, and both Mina and K irishima are yelling at two guilt-ridden idiots. Sero and Bakugo are shrinking into the floor with each passing minute.
“You could have been upfront with your mistake, honestly Katsuki, what has your therapist been teaching you?!” Eijirou screams. Bakugo, meanwhile, thinks that the floor looks very interesting.
“ Hanta, this is the lowest I have ever seen anyone stoop, and trust me Mineta exists.” It was a hard jab to the boy’s poor heart, but Mina has a point.
They both betrayed their friend’s trust, and they have no idea how to get it back. They feel twin pangs of guilt looking at the disheveled state Kaminari is currently in, clutching the two pieces of the broken toy.
Katsuki glances up at his boyfriend, who looks more furious than he’d ever seen him.
“I’m sorry.” his voice is wobbly.
“ I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” Kirishima snaps back.
Ashido has a resolute look on her face. “Kiri, Kami, let's go.” she says. “I don't want to talk to these two right now.”
She drags both boys by the wrists, leaving Bakugo and Sero alone in the room.
“Honestly!” Kirishima yells.
They are now in Kaminari’s room, with the redhead pacing back and forth in frustration , hand running through his hair every twenty seconds. Ashido is lying on the electric blond’s bed hugging a pillow, while said blond is still clutching onto the two pieces of the elephant– although he doesn't look as distraught as before.
“I can’t believe they would do something like this,” Eijirou continues, “I genuinely couldn’t imagine–”
And Denki had enough.
“What if it was an accident, huh? Obviously they wouldn't break it for funsies.”
Sure, it was the first and only thing his little sister made for him, but that was years ago! He had time to heal and get over her loss.
“But Den–”
Kaminari put a hand up to silence them.
“Listen, I get that you guys want to make me feel better by defending me, which I appreciate, but this elephant? My sister? They were in the past! I've had my time to grieve for her, and this toy being broken doesn’t mean that I will forget her or love her less. Sure, it has a lot of sentimental value to me, but what’s done is done. I won’t beat up Bakugo or Sero over this any longer, I know they feel super guilty right now and want to make things right, okay?”
Kirishima and Ashido look hesitant to accept, but they nod in agreement.
“I’m still mad at them,” Mina starts, “but obviously they wouldn’t do this by purpose.”
“You’re right, man.” Kirishima snickered. “I remember Katsuki having a breakdown ‘cause he hurt Koda’s rabbit by accident last year. It wasn't even that bad, like a stubbed toe!”
“Okay,” Kaminari sighed, “Now I'm, like, really tired and wanna sleep. You guys wanna hug?” he hold his arms out in a silent offering.
Both friends break out into smiles.
“Hell yeah!” They leaped into the boy’s arms, ruffling his hair and pinching his cheek.
“You're such a dipshit.”
“I know, you've called me that three times in the past hour. Expand on your vocab, dude.”
“Okay well, how the fuck do you not know how to read a room? You shoulda’ seen them from the window!”
“Okay well I’m sorry I was swinging mid-air with my hands full and I didn't happen to see from a tiny-ass window–”
“Why do you need a whole-ass grocery bag for some wood glue anyway, dipshit?”
“ NOW YOU’RE JUST SAYING THAT TO MESS WITH ME–”
“ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!”
“I bought some air-dry clay with me too, in case we accidentally make cracks when we repair it.”
…
“Holy shit, how are you smart but so fucking stupid.”
“Hey–!”
“Listen up, dipshit.”
“I told you to not call me tha–”
“I have a fucking idea. You got paint?”
When kaminari woke up that morning, it was to a hesitant knock at the door. He checked his phone for the time.
4:07 AM.
Huh. someone must be dying, ‘cause who the fuck ruins someone’s perfectly amazing night of rest for unnecessary favors and information?
He was having a good dream, sue him for being salty.
He stumbled towards the door, opening it slowly. As he blinked the bleariness away, his sleep-addled mind seemed to realize that there was nobody there.
Hm. suspicious.
He glanced left and right, thinking there would be someone in the hallways.
Barren. As always at 4:07 AM on a Tuesday night.
“Wha’ the fuck?”
He was about to return to bed, when his peripheral vision noticed something on the floor.
An elephant.
Not just any elephant; this one was painted neon green, with bright little swirls decorating the body. Its eyes were blue, and the insides of its ears were a pastel pink. Denki was going to cry.
He picked up the sculpture, careful to hold it, when he noticed something else on the floor beside it.
A note, neatly folded and addressed to him.
He recognized the handwriting as Bakugou’s– the long study sessions with the grouchy blonde paid off somehow, he thinks.
He picked up the paper and retreated to his room. He placed the elephant on his desk– exactly where the previous one had been, and started unfolding the note. Upon opening the letter, he noticed Hanta’s handwriting mixed in as well.
Hey Sparky,
It's me bakugou if you haven't guessed already. It's sero too!!!
So we made this shitty thing for you, took us all night or whatever, so you better like it. What bakugo is TRYING to say is that we were really upset and guilty when we saw you all sad, so we made this for you!
It's DEFINITELY not a replacement. You can't replace sentimental shit like that ‘cause it was too important to you. We can't measure up to that.
We can never fix what we broke (even with wood glue), and we get that we’ve lost some of your trust. We made this for you just so you know that we really do care about you AND what’s important to you.
You don't have to forgive us or accept this, but just know that this is an apology.
We’re sorry.
By the end, the electric blond was smiling from ear to ear. Of course his friends cared about him. He reread the letter over and over again, his mood becoming better by the second.
He checked the time once more; it was 5:00 AM. Well, there was no point in sleeping now.
As he got ready for school, his eye caught the broken sculpture his sister made years before. It was cracked, wonky, dusty, and most prominently, broken.
Maybe it was okay for something to be broken.
And maybe it was okay to let the past go, and make new memories.
When Kaminari entered class that day, he wasn’t surprised to see Bakugou and Sero, looking like zombies straight out of a horror movie, with eyebags rivaling Shinsou’s. Green paint smeared the bridge of Hanta’s nose, while a blob of blue sat under Katsuki’s left eye.
And Denki laughed.