chargebolt! (denki) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2020-04-10 19:24:00 |
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It wasn’t the first time Denki had dragged Katsuki downstairs to watch a film into the late hours of the evening, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. They had fallen asleep halfway through a superhero film both of them had seen at least twice before, Denki’s arm draped loosely across the other as if to ensure Katsuki would stay in place during the night. It had been a comfortable position, squished a little too close. Denki had slept well like this before, and had banked on it happening again despite the strange dreams that had started to crop up like old memories. Tonight’s batch was different again. In this one, Denki had been watching the news. There were villains destroying cities, fires raging and bodies knocked about. One very VERY big man had appeared on the scene to help. In a matter of minutes the hostages were rescued and the villain’s leader had been taken down. But there were casualties -- many injured citizens and sidekicks, medical teams rushing from person to person. People were still screaming in pain, and another hero team was extinguishing the fires that seemed to build higher and higher. Denki grabbed tighter to Katsuki’s shirt, eyes squeezed shut, heartbeat racing— And then he opened his eyes, sitting up with a wild jerk. Indoors. No sounds. No sirens. No wailing, crying people. What kind of world had they come from where villains used their abilities to hurt people like that? Denki glanced around, looking for anything out of place. The television was still on, running credits on a different movie that had autoplayed. And Katsuki was still with him, blanket knocked away from his shoulder when Denki had been so quick to move. He looked peaceful, even if he was beginning to stir. Denki was pretty sure he wouldn’t have been able to sleep through his own thrashing if their roles were reversed. The sudden guilt clutched at his chest, and he pulled the blanket back up to cover the other. “Sorry,” Denki muttered, in sleep-heavy Japanese. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing away his bangs so the lightning bolt mark broke apart in a fan of jagged lines. “Kacchan— it happened again.” Weird. His voice sounded different, why was -- Oh. The dreams had been in Japanese. Now that choice made a little more sense. He switched back to English, scrunching his eyes shut again and shaking his head. “That world... it really did need heroes.” --- Since even before the dreams started, from time to time Denki would drag him out of his room despite his want for sleep... or more like quiet. Call him the old man of the house all you want, turning in early had its purpose. He got what he needed to done in the evenings and could get up early to go for a run, which he almost always did. He was surprisingly tolerant of his routine getting interrupted, probably in part because of Deku. Katsuki lacked in the patience department for sure, but Deku had these times where he was the smartest idiot out there and he had to smack him to get him focused. Denki? He just... couldn't stay frustrated at him. He could be this massive airhead in a whole different way from Deku and really those two idiots just *needed* him. At some point he moved his arm around Denki's shoulders for comfort's sake, other flung up over his head while he slept. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't mind even when he made a fuss like he did. Once he decided you were worth his time, Katsuki was the most abrasively caring friend that you could have. The *take care of yourself or else* kind of friend who called you a dumbass, but meant it in the most loving way possible. Katsuki's dreams tonight were quiet, but he had nearly this exact same dream. With some big disaster and people scrambling everywhere. People who had abilities that were extraordinary on the scene trying to calm the chaos. "Never fear, citizens! I AM HERE!" The words rang through his head in the day like a mantra, trying to place where he heard them before and why he felt that rushing sense of... what was it? Determination and admiration wrapped up into one. "When I grow up, I'm gonna be better than All Might!" None of it made sense or why they were all having dreams with each other in them like they lived some other life. Until his own started, he wasn't even sure it was a real thing. When Denki's fingers curled into his shirt, he stirred some, but it was when he sat up that he pulled himself up onto an elbow to yawn and rub at his eyes. "Denki, what the fuck..." He muttered sleepily, looking at him through bleary eyes still heavy with sleep. He was about to hook an arm around him and yank him back down to sleep, his brain just barely processing what Denki even said to him or that it was in Japanese. Denki did that sometimes, it wasn't all that out of the ordinary. "Shut up, will you..." He replied, this time back in Japanese, trying to get comfortable back where he was a minute ago. But all at once it seemed to catch up to him and his eyes snapped open. Sitting up Katsuki looked over at his friend with a frown tugging at his lips. Denki was a spazz, sure, but it was usually pretty clear when something was up with him. "Wanna talk about it?" He wasn't so cold that he didn't notice how bothered Denki seemed and wasn't going to do anything about it. They were friends, even if Katsuki was like trying to pet a porcupine most of the time. --- Katsuki grumbling at him was no surprise; it was late, and Denki was noisy. His head still felt like it was filled up with stories he didn’t understand. If he hadn’t woken up, he wondered how much longer the scene would have played out. Would he still have been little, eyes glued to the television as the scene unfolded? Or older and running into the fray himself, flanked by his classmates and ready to fry whoever got in his way? It was kind of scary when he thought about his ability too much. It was cool, but… it felt like a villain’s power. Like an electric chair, or a taser, or shock treatment. He focused on Katsuki for a moment, sleep-tousled and calm even if Denki had just woken him up from a dead sleep. Despite the dream, the moment was warm somehow. Denki knew he had an opportunity to share something if he just opened his mouth. “It was normal! For villains to just attack whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted.” Maybe it didn’t happen as frequently as the dream had implied. Maybe this was some freak occurrence, but that didn’t negate the fact it still happened. In a world where criminals were expected to have dangerous, crazy superhuman abilities… heroes had to be faster, stronger, smarter. Things Denki wanted to be, but never imagined other people’s lives could depend on it. He pulled one knee to his chest, quiet for a contemplative moment as the memory washed over him. “Did you dream about it, too? About the big hero guy who keeps saving people?” --- While he brushed the dreams off until now as something trivial and superficial that held no weight, now that he had his own... he had to wonder. How could you not? They did feel beyond real, he saw what Deku meant now. But if anyone knew what they really were, they were being conveniently quiet about it. That thought got on his nerves when he dwelled too much on it. What else could anyone do besides wait it out if no one else was talkin'? And if Denki thought his power sounded like one a villain would have... what could you say about Katsuki? Explosions. What could be done with that besides destruction if you thought about it from the most basic point of view you could? He might have some anger issues, but there was no way he was a villain. Still he had to wonder if... if he kept on the path to being like that guy who was saving everyone. If he made it to being a hero. Which at the same time seemed ridiculous. He was here, he didn't have powers like that. How was anyone supposed to know what to do with something like this? The only people he trusted with discussing something that made him feel slightly insane were the ones living it with him. He looked over at Denki, still not able to bring himself to be mad about getting woken up. He brought his legs up to lean his forearms on his knees, clasping one hand over his other wrist while he listened to the other boy. "Hmph," he hummed, shaking his head a little. It wasn't a response to the question. More it was a bitter acknowledgement of what else Denki said when he felt like the same was true for reasons he couldn't explain. "They're jerks and will get what's comin' to 'em," he offered after a pause, nudging Denki's shoulder with his own in a way that was rough, but also meant to be reassuring or something like it. "All Might," he said it like he for sure knew what that meant, even if he didn't, but without a doubt he knew that was who that hero they all saw was. "I wanted to be even better than him." He remembered that much too. A kid version of him holding an action figure, claiming he was going to be the best hero there was. Was that real? --- Denki blinked when Katsuki had brought up the hero’s name. All Might. That was familiar -- one of the details that had gotten lost when Denki woke up and tried to remember where he was now. All Might had been stronger than the rest. He was born to be a hero with the way he took charge and commanded the scene. It sort of made sense that Katsuki would choose him as a hero to surpass when he’d always wanted to be the best of the best. “Sounds like you.” He grinned at the other for a moment, though it faded quickly. “Explosions and electricity… pow.” He raised a hand, uncurling his fingers to mimic the energy released. He could imagine Katsuki being stubborn enough to want to go head to head with All Might just to prove his strength. Denki wasn’t so sure about where he would land in this other world. He’d never been a great student, and learning how to be a hero, especially in a classroom, was still learning. It’d never been an easy path for him. But if it meant he could protect people, there were definitely crazier things Denki was willing to do. “There was a lot going on this time,” he went on quietly. “So many people were in danger. All Might saved most of them, but I woke up before I saw what happened to the rest. It was like I was watching from far away. I wasn’t in the fight or anything.” He ended up crossing his legs, moved the blanket back over himself and keeping his hands hidden underneath. Katsuki wouldn’t have to see him get too fidgety this way, but he would have to put up with Denki pressing their shoulders together in the absence of their bodies aligned in sleep. “The dreams earlier were mostly about what I could do. This one kind of put it all in perspective.” --- That was one thing he remembered with clarity from his dreams. That name. It felt so important, like it had this great weight to it that couldn't be ignored even if he tried. As if it was some great significance in his life that he couldn't grasp at completely right now. What it was, what it even meant was just out of his reach and for someone who prided himself in being so together and just getting things naturally, it was annoying that he couldn't even make sense of his own dreams, if the were dreams, and if they weren't what that meant. Katsuki wasn't used to being taken out of his element and own sense of understanding when it came to himself. "Damn right, I would be the best," and he cocked a smirk for a second, watching Denki beside him. It wasn't like the other boy to be lacking in an upbeat or even sort of dippy attitude, which did something to throw off his own. He looked down at his own hands, recalling a feeling of heat and... power he held there. He could keep up with the best no matter what you were talking, he had nothing but confidence in that. But there was still a certain doubt in himself. "So, you think it was real?" He looked back at the darkened fabric of the couch where they sat, frowning some when the other boy tucked his hands under the blanket they were sharing. It did feel real, he couldn't deny that. But what that meant in the whole grand scheme of things still wasn't exactly clear. He was literally just giving Deku shit about making too big of a deal about this. Seemed only fitting he would start having to question himself now. He didn't mind much that they were so close when Denki already invaded his personal space on a fairly regular basis. Stretching some, he tried to stay as casual about the subject as possible considering that Denki was worked up over it already. "Guess we have to decide what it means to us personally, if anything," he shrugged, trying not to make much of it despite feeling some of the same uncertainty about it. He still wasn't sure if they were real or what it meant if they were... or maybe that feeling that he did know was somewhat just as unsettling, he wasn't all that sure. "Want me to start another movie?" He offered, though the thought crossed his mind these nights might be more comfortable somewhere other than the living room couch. --- That was the question: real or not real. It was one of those dreams where Denki felt all his senses were activated. All he knew about the world was what happened in the dream-moment, and nothing was fishy until he was upright and a little panicky, jostling Katsuki awake to make sure they were actually the real ones. Denki furrowed his brow, staring down at the blanket. He had no idea what any of it meant either. Even if the dreams were memories, and they had lived their lives as heroes… how that past connected to their present now was a mystery. There weren’t villains here with superpowers to fight, were there? No, definitely not, no way. That felt crazy to think. Maybe they were coming next? He bit his lip, wishing he’d just gone back to sleep instead of thinking so much. But when he glanced at Katsuki, it did help to see that he wasn’t overreacting like Denki was. Kacchan was clever, and there may have been something he knew about these dreams that Denki hadn’t figured out yet. If nothing else, he did like the idea that the dreams only meant as much as Denki wanted them to mean. “Yeah!” He decided, a little brighter at the prospect of a distraction. “Can it be like, something for kids? Something really happy?” He flashed the other a grin, pulling the blanket up higher as he slouched down in his spot. He’d sneak back over to Kacchan in a little bit. After a song or a dance or when Denki forgot to play it cool for long enough. He really was lucky to have Katsuki with him. In any reality, but especially this one. After only a moment, he inclined his head towards the pillow where the two of them had been lying down. It still looked inviting, even if the prospect of sleep had become a bit nerve-wracking. “Can we lie down again?” Waiting was overrated. --- If there wasn't something in front of him that he could readily touch, see, or hear, Katsuki would be pressed to take it at the offered value. People here talking about magic and these abilities... that happened regularly and he didn't think anything of what was reality for them. What mattered to him in the moment was what was going on in his own life. Just because these things were real for these other people, didn't mean it was for him. These dreams stood in striking contradiction to that point, making him question and reconsider how he thought about it, but still they were only as much as you made of them. There was a choice and for the time being he was holding to that. Whatever these dreams meant, if it was some other life or whatever else, it only mattered if he made it matter. Besides, one of them had to keep their cool, or where would they be? A couple of frantic idiots who didn't know which way was up and they didn't need that. There was enough of that going on in this house as it was. More often than not Katsuki had to be some voice or force of reason when there was little to none. "Hmm... sure whatever," he said through a yawn, mostly looking to get comfortable again now that Denki was calming down. Pawing around the couch for the remote, he flipped around for something to put on which fit what Denki wanted. He wasn't about to pay attention to it anyway while he was watching the back of his eyelids. "This good?" He found some movie or another with bright colors and probably a bunch of shitty songs, but who cared? For a minute or two, Katsuki leaned over against the back of the couch, watching without really taking it in until Denki spoke up again. That was about all he was waiting for, for Denki to be ready to settle back in. It seemed pretty jerky of him to just... go back to sleep like nothing just happened. He was a jerk, don't get him wrong, but he did treat his friends to a higher standard than the spiky ball of anger usually everyone got. "Hell yes," he moved without any other hesitation, making himself comfortable again with a sigh. "Might as well get over here..." He moved so there was room for Denki how he seemed to keep curling up with him. They were just gonna end up back like that anyway and Katsuki was more conscious of the fact than Denki probably realized. |