Weekend air felt different. Looser. Like the world had taken off its uniform and decided not to care for a couple days. Denki hadn't planned on going out at least he'd told himself that. Sweats. Tank top. Hair still a little messy like he'd only half committed to being awake. Quick trip. In and out. That was the plan. It stopped working the second he turned down the next aisle. Because there you were.
Not in uniform. Not in the quiet rhythm of a classroom. Just you. Your outfit caught the light in a way that didn't try too hard but still worked effortless, put together, like you hadn't stood in front of a mirror debating it for twenty minutes. A couple grocery bags looped around your fingers. Denki blinked. "…Oh." You looked up and caught him immediately. "…Oh," you echoed, a small smile forming like this wasn't surprising at all.
"Hey," Denki said, straightening slightly without meaning to.
"Hey." Your eyes flicked over him quick, subtle but not subtle enough. Tank top. Close fit. No jacket. Denki suddenly became very aware of his life choices. "…You're out here grocery shopping?" he asked, like that wasn't exactly what you were doing. "Usually how that works."
"Right. Yeah. Makes sense."
A bag shifted in your hand slightly. Denki noticed immediately. "Here." he stepped forward without thinking, reaching out. "I got that."
"It's okay, I-"
"Yeah, but I'm already here," he said, gently taking one of the heavier bags before you could argue. "…Thanks," you said.
"Yeah, no problem."
"…You live around here?" he asked.
You nodded. "Not too far."
"Cool," he said, adjusting the bag slightly in his grip. "I'll walk with you." He didn't phrase it like a question and you didn't treat it like one. "Okay." And just like that you were walking together. The sidewalk stretched ahead, quiet in that weekend way cars passing now and then, distant voices, the hum of something easy. Denki walked beside you, not too close. "…So," he started, then stopped. You glanced at him. "…So?"
"…You always dress like that outside of school?" he asked.
You blinked then smiled slightly. "Like what?"
"I don't know," he gestured vaguely. "Put together."
"…You're in sweats."
"Hey, these are good sweats."
"And the tank top?"
Denki looked down at himself like he hadn't noticed. "…It's hot."
"It's not."
"Okay, well I committed to the outfit."
You laughed and it felt the same. A bubble flickered faintly near your hand for a second then disappeared before it fully formed.
Denki caught it. "…You do that when you're nervous," he said.
You glanced at him. "…No, I don't."
"You just did."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"…Maybe a little."
He grinned. "Called it."
You shook your head slightly, but there was a small smile there. The walk didn't feel long even if it should've. "Here," you said after a bit, slowing slightly as you reached a quieter part of the street. A small house. Simple. Clean. Denki glanced at it then back at you. "…Nice," he said.
"Thanks."
You stepped up, unlocking the door. Denki hesitated just for a second. "…You want to uh come in?" you asked, like the thought had only just crossed your mind.
He blinked. "…Yeah?"
"…Yeah," you nodded. "I mean you helped carry everything."
"Right. Yeah. Of course. Payment."
You opened the door. Stepped inside.Denki followed. It was quiet. Not empty. Not cold. Just… still. He glanced around as he set the bags down on the counter. "…You live here alone?" The question slipped out before he could stop it. You didn't seem bothered by it. "Yeah." Denki paused. "…Like always?" You nodded, already moving to unpack the groceries. "Pretty much." You moved easily through the space putting things away, setting items on the counter like this was second nature because it was.
Denki leaned lightly against the counter, watching for a second before catching himself. "…That's kinda cool," he said. You glanced at him. "Most people don't say that."
"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "you get your own space. No one telling you what to do."
"…And no one helping either." That landed quieter. Denki shifted slightly. "…Yeah," he said. "Still," he added, lighter now, "you seem like you've got it handled." You looked at him for a second then smiled. "…I try." You set a few things aside on the counter. "Are you staying?" you asked, glancing at him.
Denki blinked. "…Yeah," he said, a little too quickly. "If that's okay."
"It is…I'm making dinner," you added. "Nothing fancy."
"Hey, I'm not picky."
"Good." You turned back to what you were doing. Denki stayed where he was his hands resting against the counter trying very hard not to just watch you. "…So," he said after a second, "what do you usually make?"
"Whatever's easy."
"Wow. Inspiring."
You smiled slightly. "…You ask a lot of questions."
"Only when I'm interested." There it was again. Denki paused."…In the food," he added quickly.
"Of course." You didn't look at him when you said it. Which somehow made it worse or maybe even better he couldn't tell. The kitchen filled with quiet movement soft sounds, shifting things, the start of something normal. And underneath it that same nervous energy. Like both of you were standing at the edge of something and pretending not to notice.
Denki leaned back slightly, exhaling through a small smile. "…This is kinda nice," he admitted. You paused for a moment. "…Yeah, yeah it is.." You said. For a second, neither of you moved. The kitchen settled into something quiet again the low hum of the fridge, the soft clink of dishes, the kind of calm that didn't feel empty. Just… shared.
Denki shifted slightly against the counter, watching you as you moved. "You do this a lot?" he asked.
"Cook?"
"Yeah. Like actual meals. Not just instant noodles and regret."
You glanced at him. "…You live off instant noodles, don't you?"
"Hey-" he pointed at you. "Don't attack me in my own home."
"This isn't your home."
"…Emotionally, it is now."
You laughed. "Give it a week," you said. "You'll be asking me to grocery shop for you too." Denki gasped lightly. "Wow. So this is your plan? Lure me in with food and then assign me chores?"
"You walked in willingly."
"That's because you offered dinner."
"That's on you."
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Oh, it's on me?" he repeated.
"…Yeah."
"Alright," he pushed off the counter slowly, rolling his shoulders a little. "Good to know." You blinked. "…Why do you sound like you're plotting something?"
"I'm not," he said immediately too immediately. You stared at him for a second. "…You are."
"Nope."
"You are."
"I'm literally standing still."
"You're about to do something."
"I would never."
A beat then you turned back to the counter. Mistake. Denki moved. Fast. "HEY-" you started, laughing immediately as he reached for you. It was too late. His fingers brushed against your side light, quick. You jolted, laughter breaking out before you could stop it. "Denki!"
"Oh, so you are ticklish," he grinned, already stepping closer. "Don't!" you tried to dodge, stepping back. He followed. "Too late," he said. You turned, slipping out of reach and then you were moving. Out of the kitchen. "Get back here!" Denki laughed, chasing after you without hesitation. "You started it!"
"You provoked me!"
"I did not!"
You darted around the couch but he cut you off. You nearly made it past him. well almost until He caught your wrist. Not tight just enough momentum did the rest. You stumbled and the next thing you knew you were both falling. The couch caught you first. Soft. Then him. A quiet thud and suddenly everything stopped. Denki braced himself just barely above you, one hand pressed into the cushion beside your shoulder, the other still loosely around your wrist. "…Got you," he said, a little breathless. You were still laughing. "…That was cheating," you managed to say.
"Absolutely not."
"You literally tackled me."
"Strategic capture."
You smiled, trying to catch your breath. "…You're ridiculous."
"Yeah," he said easily.
Neither of you moved because you were close. Closer than before. Closer than either of you had really planned for. Denki blinked like he was realizing it a second too late. "…You're uh-" he started then stopped. You looked up at him. "…I'm what?"
"…Hard to catch," he finished.
You smiled anyway. "…You got lucky."
"Yeah," he said but he didn't move he didn't let go right away. Neither did you. For a second it felt like everything had slowed down again. Not like the bubble. But close. You shifted slightly and that broke it. Denki pulled back just enough, letting go of your wrist, dropping back against the couch beside you. "…Okay," he said, running a hand through his hair. "That counts as my win." You sat up slightly, still smiling. "In your dreams."
"I literally caught you."
"You cheated."
"It was tactical."
"You tackled me."
"Details."
You laughed again, softer this time and it lingered. Not loud. Not chaotic anymore. Denki glanced at you from the side. "…You laugh a lot," he said.
You looked at him. "…Is that a bad thing?"
"…No," he said.
There was a slight pause.
"…I think it's my fault."
You smiled slightly. "…Maybe."
Another quiet moment settled between you. Different now. Still light. Still easy. But there was something else underneath it. Something neither of you said. From the kitchen something sizzled. You both froze. "…Oh-" you shot up immediately. "The stove!" Denki sat up just as fast. "Oh no, that's definitely burned!" You rushed back toward the kitchen Denki right behind you. Just like that the moment slipped. But not completely. Because even as you both scrambled to fix dinner, still laughing, still talking over each other. Something about it stayed. Quiet. Warm. And just a little harder to ignore.
"Okay no, we're fine," you said quickly, leaning over the stove, adjusting the heat like nothing had almost gone very wrong. Denki hovered in the doorway, watching. "…You say that like it didn't almost die."
"It didn't," you replied, focused. "I caught it."
"Yeah," he nodded slowly. "At the last possible second."
You glanced at him. "…It still counts."
He huffed a quiet laugh. A few minutes later, the kitchen settled again this time filled with something warmer. The soft clink of dishes, the quiet rhythm of you plating everything with practiced ease. "Go sit," you said, nodding toward the living room. Denki blinked. "…You're kicking me out?"
"I'm telling you to sit."
"Wow. Bossy."
"…Sit."
"…Yes, ma'am." He wandered over, dropping down in front of the low table legs folding awkwardly at first before he adjusted, glancing around like he wasn't entirely sure how formal he was supposed to be about this. "…This is nice," he muttered. You joined him a moment later, setting the plates down carefully. A traditional meal, neatly arranged, balanced, warm. Denki stared at it for a second."…You made all this?"
"Yeah."
"…For real?"
You raised a brow. "…Do you think I ordered it?"
"No, I just..." he shook his head slightly, picking up his chopsticks. "This looks way better than anything I've ever made."
"That's not hard to beat."
"Hey!"
You smiled a little. "Just eat it," you said. Denki didn't need to be told twice. He took a bite and immediately froze. "…Wait."
You blinked. "…What?"
He looked at you. Then back at the food then back at you. "…Are you serious right now?"
"…What?"
"This is..." he pointed at the plate like he couldn't even find the word. "This is actually so good." You blinked again. "…It's just food."
"No, it's not," he said quickly. "No, this is- this is like- this is real food."
You stared at him. "…What does that mean?"
"It means I've been living wrong," he said, already taking another bite. "Like, completely wrong. This is insane."
"…You're exaggerating."
"I'm not!" he insisted, looking up at you again. "This is actually really good. Like really, really good." You felt your face warm slightly. "…It's not that special."
"It is," he said easily. "You made it."
That hit differently. You looked away slightly, focusing on your own plate now. "…It's just something I do," you said, quieter. Denki didn't miss that. "…Still," he added, softer now, "it's really good."
You nodded a little. "…Thanks." Your voice was smaller just a little. Denki watched you for a second. The way you brushed it off. The way you didn't really take the compliment. "…Do you always cook like this?" he asked. You shrugged lightly. "…Most nights."
"Most nights?" he repeated. "Like just for you?"
"…Yeah."
He paused for a moment. "…Doesn't that get kinda." he started, then hesitated. You glanced at him. "…What?"
He rubbed the back of his neck slightly. "…I don't know. Quiet?"
You looked down at your plate. "…It's fine," you said. Denki tilted his head slightly. "…Fine?" he echoed. "Yeah," you said, nodding once. "I mean it's just normal."
Another pause.
"…You get used to it."
There it was. Small. Easy to miss. But not to him. Denki leaned back slightly, chopsticks resting loosely in his hand. "…You don't like it," he said.
You blinked. "…I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
A small silence settled between you. Not uncomfortable. It was just honest. You let out a quiet breath, shoulders relaxing just a little. "…It's not my favorite," you admitted. Denki nodded slightly. "…Yeah," he said. "I get that."
You glanced at him. "…You do?"
He shrugged. "My mom doesn't really cook," he said. "And my dad's always working." He said it lightly. Like it didn't bother him. "…So it's usually just me," he added. That softened something in your expression. "…Oh."
"Yeah," he smiled a little. "So I've had my fair share of… questionable meals." You huffed a quiet laugh. "…That explains a lot."
"Hey." Denki tapped his chopsticks lightly against the edge of his plate. "…We could fix that," he said.
You blinked. "…What?"
He shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal. "I could just come over," he said. "You know help you eat all this so it's not just you."
"…Denki—"
"I mean, it's a win win," he continued quickly. "You don't have to eat alone, I don't have to eat instant noodles it's a solid system." You stared at him. "…You're serious?" He met your eyes. "…Yeah," he said no joke this time.
"I don't mind," he added, a little quieter. "Really." Something in your chest tightened.
"…You don't have to do that," you said.
"I know," he replied easily. "…I want to."
You looked down at your plate again, blinking once like you needed a second. "…Okay," you said softly. Denki smiled. "Cool," he said. And just like that it wasn't just dinner anymore it was something else. Something warmer. Something shared. And for the first time in a while being alone didn't feel quite so permanent.