Chapter Text
Denki bit down a little harder on his lightning bolt-shaped chew pendant, watching tensely as Ash and his pokémon fought against Team Rocket. He smiled when Pikachu used Thunderbolt and sent Team Rocket “blasting off again!” because he could do that too! Well, maybe not at the moment. Currently, Denki was laid out on his floor in his Pikachu hoodie watching Pokémon and gnawing on his lightning bolt. These three things were his go-to’s when he was stressed out because they helped him regress.
Age regression was Denki’s favorite coping mechanism. It was the most effective, the most relaxing, and, honestly, the most fun of everything he had tried. Denki always felt super safe and comfortable in his dorm, especially compared to how he felt at home. So, whenever he could guarantee some uninterrupted alone time, he would let himself slip into his fuzzy headspace. He could pretend that he was just a little kid with no responsibilities outside of playing. Then, after an hour or two, he could ease himself out of his headspace and go about his day feeling energized and refreshed.
Unless, of course, something unexpected ripped him out of his regression. Denki hated that. He also hated being suddenly triggered into littlespace. It was his coping mechanism that was supposed to be safe and under his control. So, Denki tried his best to keep it super separate from his life outside of his room. But that was easier said than done considering he was a struggling hero student who had to cope with life-threatening situations and academic stress.
On the topic of academics and stress, some little time before bed was just what Denki needed after the exhausting day he’d had.
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A variety of reactions could be heard around the classroom. Ectoplasm had just handed back the latest quiz and class 1A was buzzing with anticipation about everyone’s scores. Some were much more pleased than others. Kaminari took a deep breath before looking to the top of his paper for his grade. He wasn’t expecting much, but damn . This unit was really kicking his butt, and considering his poor performance in every other unit, that was saying something.
“KAMI!! How did you do?!” Ashido asked after running up the aisle to his desk. Kaminari responded with a slow grimace, to which Ashido nodded in solidarity. “Bitch, me too.”
“It can’t be that bad, guys! There was a bunch of multiple choice!” Kirishima interjected.
“Yeah, but you still have to do the work. It’s not like we could just guess.” Ashido countered with a pout.
Kaminari caught a glimpse of the scores on both Ashido’s and Kirishima’s quizzes. They were both more than ten points ahead of him. They did homework together pretty often, so how was he still so behind? Kaminari zoned out for a minute while his friends continued to discuss the quiz. Sero and Bakugo joined in the discussion before it was time to pack up and go to their next class.
“Oi, dunce face! Lemme see that.” Bakugo snatched Kaminari’s quiz off his desk, jolting him back to the present. “Jesus Christ. Were you even fucking here for the past week and a half?” Kaminari opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out.
“Leave him alone, Bakugo! Not everyone can be in the top five of the class,” Ashido defended.
“Yeah! And this unit is rough ,” added Sero.
“Well, none of you idiots are gonna pass this unit if you don’t lock the fuck in and get over how ‘rough’ it is.” Bakugo shoved Kaminari’s paper back onto his desk.
Kaminari lowered his head to the desk with a ‘thud’. “You’re right. I’m screwed.”
“Hey, no,” Ashido said as she patted Kaminari on the shoulder. “Not on my watch! I promise we will get through this unit just like every other one that has come before!”
“Hey! Why don’t we all study together?” Kirishima suggested. Before anyone could comment, he continued. “I mean, study study. Like, every night until the end-of-unit exam. We can practice all of our weak areas and Bakugo can tutor us since he understands this stuff the best!”
“No way! I have plenty of my own school shit to do.” Bakugo turned to go pack up his things.
“What? Would it be too hard to work with us?” Sero teased.
“Don’t even start, tape face. I’m sick of studying with you losers since you never take it seriously and don’t pay attention to me. It’s a waste of my goddamn time.”
“Awww Bakubro, come on! I promise to be very seriously studious this time!” Kirishima begged with his best puppy dog eyes.
“Same! I’ll even put my phone on ‘do not disturb’!” Ashido added.
“Come on, man! Look at how sad Kami looks! He’s gonna cry all over you if you don’t study with us.” Sero nudged Kaminari, who got the hint and channeled all of his current feelings into a truly pitiful expression.
Bakugo finished gathering his things, turned around, and stared at the group of begging teens. He sighed. “Oh my fucking GOD , fine! I’ll study with you starting tonight until the exam. But I am NOT tutoring everyone. I’ll just be in the same room.” The squad proceeded to cheer and high-five while Bakugo rolled his eyes and stormed off to the next class.