history | a boboiboy fanfiction

5 | Tiring

Sometimes, I think about what it's like to be hurt.

Why?

Because it makes me feel human again.

* * *

Thunderstorm exhaled from his nose, holding a can of soda by his fingers. He held one knee up as usual, whilst the other dangled from the roof, his holding arm resting on his raised knee.

The condensed vapor on the can dripped onto his jeans, drop by drop, but he didn't care. He only felt a numb sensation of cold, but it was as if he was emphasizing with another's story, feeling phantom pains that did not exist.

"One day you're going to drop a hole into the ceiling."

Thunderstorm turned his head, his red eyes falling onto Quake's figure.

"If it comes to that, I'll just fix it." He turned back to the front, facing a moonless night sky.

Quake shrugged, his shirt billowing in the night winds. He sat himself down next to Thunderstorm without an invitation, and he held out his palm. "Mind if I try a bit?"

Thunderstorm handed him the drink, which was open, but not consumed. Quake took a swig of the beverage, but it was no longer cold. It's been open for some time, he realized.

"Don't you love this stuff?" Quake squinted at the blue coating of the can, recalling that Thunderstorm was addicted to this drink in particular. "You wouldn't share it no matter what."

"I lost my sense of taste." Thunderstorm didn't bother to look at him. "Or any sense in general."

Quake placed the can next to him, steadying it on the tiles. "Is that why you didn't show up to any meals today?" He turned to his friend. "You don't need to eat or drink or sleep anymore?"

"Not that I know of."

"Are you considering telling everyone else?" The geokinetic looked down to his yellow slippers, avoiding eye contact. "They deserve to know."

"They don't," Thunderstorm replied instantly. "They've been through enough. Talking about another word about Elemental Drain is going to send them back to square 1, much less tell them I used the same move on both you and Cyclone. It's not worth the emotional turmoil. Nothing is."

"But you can control it. You're on our side," Quake reasoned, his fingernails jabbing into his skin. "They'll understand. You're nothing like Retakka."

"Earthquake," Thunderstorm said firmly, which caught Quake off-guard, considering he was used to his emotionless tone of voice by now. "They can't know. I took yours and Cyclone's powers because you two didn't know how to control it. Retakka strengthened your elemental powers by a hundred-fold and Cyclone caused an entire building to collapse without breaking a sweat. You summoned your golem without even thinking of it."

He looked at Quake, hand holding Quake's shoulder firmly, luring the other to meet his firm gaze.

"So before I restore Retakka's damage, you and Cyclone will have to do without your powers," he said. "After I'm done, I'll do the same with Thorn and Solar."

Quake frowned, a glare forming. "You just said that—"

"They won't know," Thunderstorm cut him off, retracting his hand. "I figured out a way to do this painlessly. They won't even realize a thing. But it has to be before they start using their powers, or Solar will notice that his powers are exactly like Retakka's and everything's going to hell."

"But how are you doing this?" Quake demanded. "How are you restoring his damage? How are you supposed to undo that—"

Thunderstorm stood abruptly, his foot knocking over the can and sent it toppling over the roof. He looked down numbly, and turned straight back to the window of his room.

"That's for me to know, and for you to never find out." He pushed the window open, slid inside his room and curled up in his bed after locking it.

Quake sighed, hopping off the roof to retrieve the soda can, but careful not to trample on any of Thorn's precious plants. Upon impact, his feet and calves ached lightly, but nothing was broken and the pain would reside fairly quickly.

He found the can in one of Thorn's ferns, nestled between the leaves. Hope he doesn't notice Pepsi seeping out of the soil, he thought. Grabbing the can, he returned to the house and unlocked the door with the house key under the doormat.

It's getting tiring.