Sparks - ShinKami

Sparkly Words

POV DENKI

"Behave," Mr. Aizawa growls from the front seat. "I swear, if you call me because Kaminari got hurt in the mosh pit, I'm not coming to pick you up. You hear me? Call a damn Uber or something."

"Got it, Dad," Shinso says.

"Jeez, I didn't know you cuss, sensei," I chuckle, scooting out of the car.

"I'm not on the job," Mr. Aizawa replies. "I'm allowed to hate kids off the job. Don't die because I hate funerals more than I hate kids. No drugs. Don't go home with anyone besides Hizashi when he comes to pick you up in a few hours."

"Okay," Shinso says. "Love you, dad. See you later."

"Love you, shitface, see you later."

"So who's the concert for?" I ask, trying to ignore the fact that we're holding hands. You're never nervous, Denki! You're outgoing and loud and a social butterfly! C'mon, toughen up!

"Sum 41, Green Day, A Day To Remember, Pierce The Veil, and Sleeping with Sirens are the ones I'm here for," Shinso says as we get in line to go inside, "but I think you'll like Avril Lavigne. Just remember to have fun, alright? And if you don't like it, I'll take you right home. No worries." 

I smile and nod, feeling Shinso squeeze my hand gently.

The arena is packed with people dressed like us and more dramatically. It already smells like sweaty hot dogs and cigarettes, and I look up at Shinso to see his reaction. His eyes are sparkling. He smiles down at me, big and wide, and drags me through the crowd, as much as possible. There's no roof to this area, but the walls are built up with bleachers; people were basically spilling out of every crevice.

When the music starts playing, I feel like the walls are shaking. I can handle it at first since I play electric guitar, but with all the people... I feel sick to my stomach. I cling to Shinso desperately, paranoid that people are looking at me. I let half an hour pass, waiting for the artist Shinso said I would like. When she walks on stage, I fall in love.

"Woah!" I say, my eyes locked on her. "She's so cool!"

Shinso chuckles, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "You like her now? Just listen to her voice. It's badass." So we do, and just like he said, I grow physically, mentally, and emotionally attached to this woman.

"I want to marry her. I've never seen anyone so perfect," I say, not expecting anyone to hear me. But Shinso does, and he leans down to me to respond, his lips brushing my ear. 

"I have," he says. "He's loud and blonde and funny and absolutely beautiful. I think if I got to know him a little more, I'd want to marry him, too."

"Ich bin sehr schwul," I blurt out. Immediately afterward, I slap my hands over my mouth.

"See?" Shinso chuckles, tucking my hair behind my ear and cupping the side of my face. "You're a smart moron. Just my type." He places a kiss on my forehead and then falls back into the music.

After the concert, we drop by a fast food restaurant nearby and grab a 1:30 a.m. dinner. I order chicken nuggets, fries, and a milkshake while Shinso gets a burger, a soda, and some tater tots. "So, how was it?" he asks, smiling at me from across the table. "Did you like it?"

"Yes!" I squeal. "Ah, Avril was all sexy and shizz, and the guitar for that one band! Damn! Like, ka-chow! I wanna learn to play like that! He was all like, biddity-buzz-buzz blip bloop ka-ZING! And the crowd was like woooooooyeeeeahhhhwo! Za, za, za! Kurrzunkie!" I don't think I'm speaking real words, but I don't care. It brings out that perfect smile on Shinso's face, with an additional laugh, and I'm content with my life.

"I'm happy you had fun," he says, stealing one of my fries. I glare at him and take a tater tot, popping it into my mouth. "I'll be right back," he says. "I've gotta pee."

"Okay," I say, watching him leave. The restaurant is pretty empty, considering the time, and I don't like being alone. My mind creates shadow people that I know aren't real, but they still paralyze me. I feel like a test subject, being assessed like bacteria under a microscope. 

Powerful quirk, they say, but his body is weak. He needs drill training. Beat him until he's near death, then we'll start the workouts. Resilience training.

"Excuse me, Kaminari?" says a low voice. I jump, feeling the hairs on my arms stand. The man looks maybe twenty, but his face is blurry and I can't look at him without getting dizzy. "Hey. I saw you at the concert, and I thought you were super cute. May I sit down?"

"I'm actually here with someone," I say, smiling as best as I can. But I'm startled, I'm weak, and the shadows are still hunting me. 

Beat him until his ribs are fractured. Beat him, beat him, beat him. I don't want him to be able to breathe until I say so.

"So you're rejecting me?" the guy says, sitting down in Shinso's spot. "Already? But you haven't let me see what's under that pretty skirt of yours. Silly femboy. Stupid fucking weakling. You think you deserve boundaries?"

"Stop it," I say, feeling an icy grip on the back of my neck. It's not real, and I know it, but I can't stop my mind. I'm dragged back into the darkness of the Hero Program's basement, reserved for special people like me with rare quirks. They're throwing me into walls, stomping on me, spitting on me. I'm nothing but a product of the hero commission's choosing. I press my hands to my ears as the white noise starts. "No, no, no. Not now, please, please..."

"Sparky," Shinso calls, but he sounds echoey. I look up, my eyes teary. Shinso pulls me to his chest, telling me I'll be okay and that this will pass. But it doesn't. I don't think it ever will. "I'm right here," Shinso says, "and I won't let anything happen to you. I'm here and I'm not leaving. Try to breathe alright?"

I nod weakly, but my eyes flutter closed. I trust Shinso, and I barely know him. Maybe that's the problem with me. Maybe I trust too quickly. All it takes is a couple of sparkly words and my mind, body, and spirit belong to somebody else.