Lightning in a Bottle

Chapter 1: Hey, Mr. Alley-Man

(Shinsou's POV)

I don't get much sleep in general; it's the sort of life that comes with being an insomniac. Some nights I struggle to fall asleep, other nights I struggle to stay asleep. So, being suddenly knocked over in the city alleyway and blacking out for what feels like a second doesn't seem much different from when I'm actually sleeping.

But I suppose it must have been more than a second since the guy who ran into me is panicking so much. My eyes scan over him slowly, since he hasn't noticed I opened them yet. His yellow-blonde hair is in disarray and his neck has drops of sweat rolling down it, like he's been frantically running for a long time. He keeps looking behind his shoulder every few seconds as he tries to figure out what to do with me. He looks over my body quickly for any cuts or bruises, but still has yet to look at my face to see that I'm staring right at him. He has an odd lightning bolt shaped black streak in his hair, it's sort of cute in a gaudy way.

Then he finally meets my eyes with his, deep amber orbs like golden honey gazing at me. They're so unintentionally intense that it feels like he can see right through my every movement and action. So, I continue to lay on the cold pavement, still as I can be. But pulling my focus away from his eyes is too difficult. I examine them further and notice a bit of royal blue eyeliner lines along the rim of his bottom lid, and black liner along his top lid. I'm not really a makeup guy myself, but it compliments him well.

"Hey, Mr. Alley-man, are you okay?!" he asks in a panicked tone. It takes me a second to realize he's been trying to ask me if I'm hurt the whole time I've been lost in his golden orbs.

My back hurts a bit from the collision and my head is uncomfortable on the bumpy ground, but it's not too bad, surprisingly. Thinking back to the moment of impact, I think the blonde might have tried to cushion my fall by wrapping his arms around my head, which would explain why I don't have a headache. One glace at the back of his hands, slightly scraped with a little dirt staining them, confirms this. I guess I must have blacked out from the shock of having someone suddenly crash into me.

I look back up at the yellow blonde guy and attempt to sit up. "I'm fine, Blondie," I say.

He reaches his arms out to me and helps me ease into a sitting position. "Oh, dude, I am so so so sorry. We should get you checked out; I'll pay your medical bills—"

"Woah there, easy," I cut him off and force myself to rise to my feet. He does the same. "It's not that serious, I'm fine. But just what the hell were you running from?"

Now getting the chance to look him over more, I have no doubt this guy could pay for me to see a doctor if I really wanted him to. He looks like he just got back from a rave for rich people with his black silk button shirt that's open enough for his chest to be exposed but closed enough to look somehow modestly sexy. He's wearing perfectly fitted black jeans and shiny dress shoes. He has some sort of black leather belt corset around the middle of his torso with straps over his shoulders and more straps around his thighs, like a really excessive garter belt. A silver chain with a gold lightning bolt hangs from his neck, close enough to his throat to almost be a choker, but low enough that it's loose.

He chuckles nervously at my question and darts his eyes away. "Well, I was sort of—" He cuts himself off when he feels a presence behind him. The both of us turning our attention to the dark figure at the end of the alleyway. I look back at the blonde to see his eyes go wide and his jaw clench in fear. He then grabs my wrist and starts running, pulling me along with him. "We have to run!"

"H-hey! Wait! Blondie!" I try to call out to him but to no avail. His grip on my wrist is firm and he's running like his life depends on it. I'm somewhat struggling to keep up with his pace.

We're booking it down the streets, turning on any random corner, and I can tell he's too panicked to worry about where he's going. He's just hoping that wherever it is, it'll lead him away from whoever that figure was. He has no real destination in mind.

I try my best to look around our surroundings, seeing if I can figure out where we are. Luckily, I recognize the surroundings almost instantly. I muster up what little energy I have and pick up speed, grabbing the blonde's wrist and leading him away. I look back at him and he's staring at me, confused and a bit anxious. So, I stare right into his eyes, trying to communicate a sense of trust. He nods, receiving the message and follows me.

It takes a little while since we took quite a few random turns before, but I finally manage to bring the yellow blonde to my apartment. I honestly feel like I must be some kind of insane to invite this complete stranger into my home, much less lead him here. However, he looked really terrified of whoever it was he was running from and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a soft spot for cute blondes.

I lock the door up tight and turn my attention to the guy I brought here. "You want something to drink? I've got coffee, water, cola."

He looks to me, thinking for a minute. "Cola," he replies. "Is it okay for me to be here?"

I reach into the fridge and grab a cold can of soda. "Why wouldn't it be?" I ask, closing the fridge door and handing him the drink.

He takes it and presses the cold tin to his neck. "I wouldn't want to intrude on your life or anything."

"My life is just a cycle of going to work and coming home to nothing," I respond flatly, "You aren't intruding on anything."

He doesn't say much, just nods. He's clearly still exhausted from running so much. "Thank you, Mr. Alley-man."

I breathe out a quick laugh and my lips curve into a small smile. "Hitoshi Shinsou."

He beams a bright smile at me. "Denki Kaminari."

I almost repeat his name out loud but settle for saying it in my head, liking the way it sounds. It's a cute and fitting name for him. 'Denki' meaning 'electrical spirit'; that's honestly exactly how I would describe him, even after only knowing him for a couple of hours.

I gaze at his eyes again and remember the blue and black eyeliner he's wearing, and the sweat dripping from his neck. "You can use the shower if you want, I can find you something uh..." I trail off, scanning over his strange outfit once more, "comfortable to wear."

"Oh, yeah," he laughs awkwardly and rubs the back of his head before finally opening the can of cola. "I guess I must look pretty strange to you," he says and proceeds to chug the carbonated drink until it's empty. "Thanks, I'll take that offer."

'To me'? What does he mean by that? I'd think anyone would find his appearance pretty strange right now. Maybe he means his friends and family? Maybe they're used to seeing him like this and that's why he said it like that?

I decide to shake away my questions, not really wanting to pry into his private life anymore than I feel like I have. I point out where the bathroom is to him and take his empty can, throwing it into recycling. After Denki heads off to take a shower, I walk over to my bedroom and rummage through my drawers. I pull out a faded purple T-shirt and PJ bottoms. The blonde is quite a bit skinnier and smaller than me, so the clothes will probably be a little baggy on him, but they should fit well enough.

I walk over to the bathroom and hear the water running. I crack the door open just a bit, setting the clothes on the counter of the sink. I close the door and flop myself down on the couch, finally letting my body rest from all the running. The events of today exhausting me both mentally and physically.

Sitting back and sinking into the cushions of my couch, a strange feeling rises inside me; a feeling that my life is about to get very interesting.