13: Mom's Greatest Fear
--------------------
------
The microwave ticked and buzzed as the tray of food inside rotated slowly. The room was dark, only the reddish glow from the household device illuminating anything. The only inhabiter of the room was a pregnant woman with long, exceptionally red hair under the tinted light. She sat in a simple chair, the side of her head leaned against the refrigerator, staring dead-like at the floor.
...
"You're up so late. Need me to get you something?" A large man with silver hair turned from around the corner behind the woman, peering tiredly into the kitchen, squinting at the little light.
"...No." Chloe responded softly. "I'm just hungry." Tired too.
"Mh..." The man hummed, unsatisfied. However, it appeared that his wife had everything under control here. He wasn't needed.
The man crossed the room, passing Chloe, and sat down on the floor with his back leaned against the cabinet, facing the woman. He made himself comfortable in that spot, his lazy eyes staring up at the still turning microwave, which had about four minutes remaining.
There was nothing he had planned to say. Nothing he wanted to do. Whenever the ginger was around, it was always peaceful. He didn't need plots and plans to keep himself company.
After some silence, the man loosely pointed at the mother's growing belly. "Do you have a name in mind for this one?"
The woman blinked, head lifting as her mind was restored to the present. She rubbed her eyes and groaned a little bit. "Mhh... (Y/n) maybe, if it's a girl... If a boy.. I dunno. Probably name him after my brother."
While leaning his head against the cabinet next to him, "Sentimental.. this year?" he smiled tiredly.
"It's... Yeah.. maybe a little bit." Chloe admitted, her eyes never landing on the other. Her husband just chuckled softly, not adding any thoughts of his own. They again stared at the microwave and the little timer on it steadily ticking down. "...You know if your plan ever does work.. it'll undoubtedly backfire." More awake than before, the woman growled something that took the other a moment to register. "Even if you successfully turn our child into the perfect monster, all it takes is one wrong move and you'll just kill them like they were a stranger."
"I wouldn't."
"I know you better than anyone else in the world.. far more than I'd like." The woman added sternly, but then forced herself to relax from there. "..The only reason I'm still alive is because I'm more useful to you this way... You've said so yourself; you can't feel real love or loss... Once you have your 'masterpiece,' you'll take my quirk, killing me. Then, you'll continue to manipulate our child until they inevitably turn on you... Either for justice or their own selfish reasons. And then...you'll have nothing. No one. Nothing waiting for you but the loneliest, deepest depths of Hell."
"..."
"..."
The man crossed his arms on his knees and straightened his neck, not appearing all that shaken by her words. Just the faintest look of disappointment. "So.... I take it you've given up on me, then?"
"-I literally killed-"
"-but you came back after that. And all the other times." His half stern, half inquisitive eyes fixed on her for a moment, then a brow of his rose slightly. "You keep acting like we're supposed to be enemies.. but all I have to do is give you a couple years to yourself and you come crawling right back to my doorstep, open to continue this 'cycle of misery,' as you so flatteringly call our marriage."
Chloe rest her chin on her fist, glaring firstly at the fridge door. But, in time, her expression softened. A distant, strangely longing sadness took over her features.
"...I couldn't count on both hands the times I've tried to starve myself to death... It's the only loophole I can find, since my body adapts to everything else... But, predictably, I give-into the hunger pains every time... Around you.. at least I know a fast, painless death isn't too far away." She tucked some of her hair behind her ear, staring again at the ground.
After a quiet moment, the man cracked a slight grin. "That was your plan, wasn't it? You wanted me to kill you in my rage, didn't you?"
Chuckling dryly, "That was.. part of the plan..." Both chuckled in a dull, soulless way. Pain filled their heads as nothing but bad memories flowed.
"Why would you of all people want to kill yourself? 'Loving Mother,' the one whose heart was so pure, she saved a whole generation from despair... Now how could someone like that lose the light in her eyes so easily?"
Chloe sat there thinking about it. Sadly. Pondering long about how this was so. When she opened her mouth to answer, though-
Beeeep!
Pushing himself up, "I'll get that for you."
"Thanks.." As he was getting the food out of the microwave, Chloe spoke fast and quiet. "It may have looked like I was doing a lot of good, but... so many of the kids I raised later went on to steal, kill, and take advantage of others... Many more never cared to reach out to me after leaving, and.. the few who stayed in touch all died eventually... Shouldn't be a surprise what else would have done it." Glaring at the guy. "Even now, Zeya still refuses to talk to me. ... Hhhh, point is I've long passed my expiration date... I was never supposed to live this long. Neither of us were."
"Tch.. I say live however-long you can." The man bent down to hand the woman her food, which he'd scraped onto a cooler plate while she was talking. As she grabbed it, his other hand cupped around her face. He kissed the top of her head. "You're right about a lot of things. I tend to see even my most useful allies as mere, replacible pawns... Where you're wrong is seeing yourself as one of them. As you are... I would place you more as the 'king' on my board."
"Hmhm.. does that make you the 'queen'?"
"I suppose, in this instance." He smiled, gently combing his hand through her hair. (evil man rizz)
Chloe looked down at her pregnant belly. "...What about our baby?"
"Probably another queen."
"You didn't treat the others like it."
"Because those were just pawns who never reached the end of the board. You should know this. I'm not looking to pour all my resources into someone who will never succeed me. Besides, they would live a horrible life otherwise with my blood in their veins but no power to prove it." Chloe glared up into the man's darkened eyes. She knew she was looking at a monster. She always knew.
But...
Chloe allowed his warmth to remain at her side. His presence to burn through her skin. And his poor excuse of a heart to beat so near her own. She leaned into it even, for need of comfort.
They both had their own selfish reasons for staying together. She, wanting to die. And he, wanting to live.
Together, the two would have a child fit for changing fate itself.
------
--------------------
Last Year:
You had an idea... An awful idea... You had a wonderful, awful idea~
You:
Hey
Kaiyak:
Not now. I'm having a meeting with everyone.
You:
In the living room???
Kaiyak:
Casual meeting.
About the bathroom situation.
You:
Oh ok
[You then sent him the meme where a poorly drawn guy shouts "VIBE CHECK" before aggressively French kissing the closest person to him]
Us core.
Kaiyak:
I'm not even responding to that.
Not a full minute later, Kai heard "VIBE CHECK" from your room, followed by stomping down the hall as you ran to join them. By the time you entered the living room, Kai had climbed over two people, fallen off the couch, and hid behind a third. "PHA!" You laughed so hard, you clung to your knees for support. Half the guys there joined you, the other half needing further context to follow.
"That's not funny." Kai growled while straightening his mask. His face was sooooo red.
"Ohh, lighten up once in a while!" You waved off his aggression, struggling still to contain your laughter. "I didn't mean any harm by it!"
"Uhuhh.." Sighing, the man rubbed his forehead while staring at the ground. At least you didn't actually kiss him.
----------
Last Month:
The internet reeeeeally wasn't the best influence in your life. There was this 'trend' floating around where basically highschool/middleschool girls pin their boyfriends to the locker walls, followed by them saying something obviously cringe but flirty at the same time. People were doing this around the world! Even without recording it, though not as common. Joining this trend, surprisingly, were some of the girls in your class, even!
You dove a little too deep into the trend, for the first time wishing you had a boyfriend just so you could try it on them!
You couldn't do it to Hawks. News of that would undoubtedly spread like wildfire. Nor could you do it to anyone else in your school for the exact same reason...
A fiancé is close enough to a boyfriend, riiiiiiight?
Slam!
Pretending to just be passing him down the hall on the way to your room, you instead pushed him against the wall and slapped the wall beside his head like the cool guys do in k-dramas/how they do it in the trend. You had the most devilish smirk on display as you peered directly into the older man's eyes. "Sup, babygirl~"
He blinked once, then twice, then he glared at you, his face reddening with both rash and fluster. "What do you want?" He rasped while looking down.
"Nothing~" You giggled. He glared at you.
"Do you want me to kill you or not?"
"I'm just having some fun!" Already breaking down into a hissy fit of laughter.
"You're delusional if you think this is fun. Listen, I'm not here to play into your childish fantasies."
Cough! "下 behavior." Cough!
"What?" The joke was so stupid he couldn't even understand it.
"Tsstsstsstsss." This was all for your own entertainment anyway.
Kai rolled his eyes so drastically it was like his pupils vanished for a second. As he finally found the energy to shove one of your shoulders away, allowing his escape, you stepped back laughing.
"Ahhahahaha! Relax, man, it's just a stupid trend! Couldn't help it!"
"'Couldn't help it,' huh..?" The man glared back over his shoulder at you. You were too busy wiping away blissful tears to notice his mood had only been worsened by the encounter.
Not like you cared.
----------
Last Night:
You were bored standing outside the bathroom, waiting for the next person to be out, your pajamas and everything in hand. You got so bored in fact that you started jiggling other people's door handles down the hall to see if any of them were unlocked. Kai's just so happened to be unlocked.
You stared through the thin crack of the open door, peering with a mischievous glint in your eye at the bed inside. The man laying in it eventually stirred, rolled over, and squinted toward the light. You giggled, devilish smirk growing all the more. Quickly, you thought of the most disturbing thing you could muster that would scare the socks off this guy.
"Mind if I join you~?" You had no interest in actually doing so, of course, but the look on his face was well worth the betrayal of character. For the first time, you noticed he actually looked a little scared.
Kai flinched and pulled more blanket over his lap as he sat up a little more. "No!" He barked. For some reason he didn't appear to even consider that you were joking, taking your request 100% seriously.
"Pfff..." You deflated a little bit, stumbling back behind the door. "Calm down, man! It was a joke!"
"I don't care! Go away and shut the door!" He ordered. Yeah, he definitely wasn't playing around. He was done. Realizing you may have overstepped with this one, you slid the door shut and stepped away from it. A few seconds later, it locked.
You stared stupidly at the door now, wondering why exactly his response was so unsatisfying. He was usually fun to mess with! But, this time...
Something was off.
----------
Present:
"(Y/n), I'm going to need you for a-" His gaze froze on you at once after opening the door to your room. It wasn't locked, so he knew you weren't changing or anything. But... This was weirder.
You were an old lady again. Specifically, an old lady standing in front of a mirror, giggling at the ugliest assortment of clothes on that your mind could fathom. Polka dots + plaid + paisley. Not to mention all the colors were needlessly bright and clashing.
"Uhhhhhhh." The man couldn't even process what he'd just stumbled into.
You turned from your childish grinning at once to smile at the man. "Oh! Like the new quirk?! Gentle and Labrava finally caught a key player in the child trafficking chain! Some man who used his age shifting quirk to lure kids and teens into traps! Welp, his quirk's mine now!"
"That doesn't explain why you're... like that."
Looking down at yourself, "I just thought I would have some fun this weekend."
"Right.... Hey, so my therapist asked to meet with you today. You cool to tag along?"
You nodded, though disappointedly. "Hhhh, I guess so..."
----------
"I'm still p###ed about last night, by the way.." Kai grumbled at the wheel. You sat beside him, a foot shorter and with your hair dyed a more natural color.
You had a pouty lip. "The prank?"
He side-eyed you. "I thought I've made this clear. I don't like being made the fool... And I don't like those kinds of jokes."
"Awwhh.." leaning over your lap with droopy arms, "but then how am I supposed to have any fun with you??"
"I'm not sure I want to be in on your 'fun' anyways." You frowned. He was such a party pooper. "Don't you already have friends to mess with? No need to drag me into any of it."
"Yhh-bht...kkhhkh, gdrrmphblr..." You folded over your lap, pathetically.
"A brilliant argument."
You wheezed. Sitting up after actually giving it some thought, you realized something. It wasn't all that complicated, really. You just liked seeing his reactions to things. Even in situations where he was easy to predict, there was still something endlessly amusing about the way his eyes twitched in response to your antics. Even when you weren't the one he was reacting to, there was some sense of amusement that came from watching him, intrigue that wasn't quite as strong with your friends.
----------
Awwwe, the therapist is actually really cute! In a wholesome, old man sort of way.
Looks like you were brought in only so the guy could ask for your opinion on a few things and get a clearer picture on what the heck was going on with your old fashioned arranged marriage thing. You tried to act like your normal self as much as possible, but it was awkward. You clammed up at some of the worst places and had to resort to cracking jokes left and right -- even if just to yourself -- in order to calm yourself down. After all, his questions did get rather personal pretty fast. 'Ahhahahaha! Yeah yeah funny question there, man! Do I have attachment issues?! 😅 Cnskcbsjduf'
At least watching Kai fumbling around with the same questions -- as much as he tried to appear calm and collected -- was a good distraction and even a little reassuring.
"Well, I am proud to say I have seen a lot of improvement in Chisaki this past year and a half." The old man took a moment to straighten his papers, allowing you guys to relax. "His progress has leveled as of lately, so I would recommend you, Chisaki, go a step further and try incorporating physical touch occasionally into your day."
As the two of you -- sitting side-by-side on the couch -- turned to look at each other, you smirked and grabbed his face. Like, the whole thing.
"Aa-!"
"N-!"
That unfortunately turned into a whole lecture. 😔 Why they gotta ruin your fun like that?
-----
As Kai was in the bathroom, probably washing his face off like mad, you sat alone with the therapist like a poor scolded little pup.
The old man sighed, changing topics in his mind. "On the bright side, this gives us a moment to speak alone, at least."
"Hm?"
"I will admit, I haven't been completely honest with Chisaki about his diagnosis, since I don't want him to take it as an excuse to give up on improving himself." You tilted your head curiously. "I'm not saying his condition is completely incurable either... Hhhh, but it will be hard. And I'm not talking about his OCD."
"What? What is it??"
"He's been diagnosed with Sociopathy."
"Oh.." Makes sense.
"-Wait a second before you make any assumptions.. Hh, it is important that I make the distinction between Sociopaths and Psychopaths. Sociopaths, like your fiance, were crafted by their environment. It is actually a fairly common coping mechanism to suppress empathy and make a habit of it... Psychopaths, however, are born with a chemical imbalance in their brain that makes emotions such as empathy exceedingly rare, nay impossible to come by. Technically speaking, they can 'love,' but those feelings only extend to whoever they see as functionally necessary to them, which can include companionship, as it is a basic human need. Similarly, Sociopaths also have a tight circle, however that is moreso because it takes a lot out of them to trust and care for another. This being said, though it is more likely for Sociopaths and Psychopaths to develope into criminals, it isn't a guaranteed thing. There are plenty of such people living completely normal lives. It's just that their lack of care for others' feelings can lead them down rather dark paths if they so choose. The best thing for you to do as someone living with one is to help him feel safe in his home environment. If we can get him to drop or change his go-to coping mechanisms, that will pretty much guarantee his healing and improvement."
"Huh..." You rubbed at your chin a little bit. Never really thought about it, but guess you guys were in quite the predicament on a rather deep, psychological level as well. And you feeling more free to mess with him might not be helping?.. Ydk.
"That being said, don't pressure yourself to fix him. That's my job, after all. But it would be a lot of help for you to watch how you treat him. From the stories he tells me about you, though not intentionally, you may be frightening him a bit too much... Oh and how's Buddy doing?"
"Pff. Buddy's quite alright." Returned to Kai's room not long after the debacle. "But, uhhh..." Nervously, you scratched at the back of your head. "How am I supposed to make somebody feel safe?.. Especially someone like him?" If anything, you were more naturally inclined to make him as unstable as physically possible.
"Great question!" ☝️🤓 "I don't know yet."
"That's.. great..."
"Yeahhh, from what I've heard, you haven't been acting maliciously toward him, but it is important to remember that even innocent acts can lead to harming the other person if interpreted differently. So, I would recommend steering clear of these 'pranks' you keep pulling. Fun as it may be for you, it's important to consider how the recipricant feels too. That being said, don't start letting him push you around either or feeling like you have to walk on eggshells around him. Honest communication should do the trick just fine."
But your face paled a bit as you considered his words for a moment. 'Crap. Was that prank last night REALLY that big of a deal??? What does make him feel safe?? And should I even care?!'
(M' sorry to geek out on ya for a bit there, lads! I had a psychology-nerd phase in my teens! ☝️🤓 Also yes in case ya didn't pick up on the hints, AFO is a clinical Psychopath as well. I would recommend looking at more graphs than the one above, because there really is a lot of information I couldn't cover without going into a full-blown Autistic rant!)
(That being said, these characters aren't, like, actually correctly written Sociopaths/Psychopaths btw. They're still characters at the end of the day and ya just can't have good story flow with gripping emotional moments if half ya main cast can't even feel anything.)
----------
"Sorry about earlier... I won't.. mess with you like that..." You rubbed your arm while staring down. Again, the two of you were on the highway, him driving.
You bit your lip, annoyed now. How were you supposed to treat him, then? It was really hard to look past his roles as: 'villain who once tried to kill you' and 'funny big bro figure.' Not to mention all the years of the back and forth, all this confusion, your own problems, and this arranged marriage to top it all off... There were simply no blueprints for how to treat someone in this specific of a situation. Someone so close yet so far.
"Onnnn- Sunday!.. We're having the Sports Festival. It'll be my last one before I graduate. So... If you're interested.. you could probably find it pretty easily on the TV-"
"-Not interested in your hero stuff." He responded coldly. You grew cold to him as well, turning your torso away and leaning against the window. "...Can I have my quirk back?"
With a pouty bottom lip, "not yet... You only just gave it to me yesterday."
"How long is it going to take?"
"I haven't even started yet!" You turned to the man with a steely sort of glare, which was rare for you. At least now. It reminded Kai a lot more of how you were when the two of you met. "...For quirks as complicated as yours and a duplicate of Sight.. it could take up to a week even if I prioritized it."
He wasn't in the mood to push it, or ask why, or even understand the details. Instead, Kai dragged a hand down his face while sighing loudly. "...Just get it to me as soon as possible... I need it for work."
"Why can't I just duplicate your quirk? That would lighten your load a lot-"
"-Nobody would have any reason to keep me around otherwise....." You didn't even notice you were staring until he side-eyed you non-happily. "Stop looking at me like that." You quickly switched to staring out the window, cheek resting on your fist. The vibrations of the car window against your forehead turned your mind numb over time. It was kind of nice, actually.
...
Why was it so gray? So gray and so cold? Cars along the highway shot out from and disappeared into the fog, which made the world seem a whole lot smaller than it actually was.
"...-We're not actually getting married.. right?" Still staring out the window. Your view of the dark city shapes was cutoff when you entered a tunnel, leaving nothing but graffiti to entertain your eyes.
Kai sighed beside you, gripping the wheel a little tighter. "...I suppose we are... Eventually."
"I was just-" Glancing at him was too much for your nerves, so you stared at the window again while chuckling dryly. "...I was just kinda hoping we'd come up with some kind of plan. Like, maybe one of us could fake our deaths... Probably you, since not as many people would care."
"Ouch.."
"Sorry about that. Heh, didn't realize it sounded rude until it was on my tongue already."
"I don't care... And it makes sense... You're universally a lot more popular... I'm actually a bit surprised... Almost like you were a natural-born leader..." The way he delivered it. It just didn't...sound right. Though you couldn't explain why.
Then, you understood. It wasn't as much a compliment to you as it was an insult to himself.
It was...uncomfortable. Sitting in that car. You had the strong desire to teleport home, but, this was a public area under a lot of surveillance. Not to mention your tracker was on.
But you had nothing to say either. You couldn't bring yourself to lie. You couldn't even consider stroking the ego of a Sociopath. And you also didn't want your words, even if somehow said perfectly, to be taken the wrong way.
The car was hauntingly quiet for a good, long while.
"....Kai. Do I.. scare you?"
"What?"
"I mean... Thinking about it now," while staring down at your hands, "I'm physically larger, stronger, more powerful, and tend to throw my weight around without care... I just kind of assumed that stuff didn't matter to you, but now, I'm starting to wonder how I actually make you feel..." You then waited patiently for a response.
A response that eventually came. "Remember when I threatened to kill you or at least destroy your quirk because I was worried you might kill me or steal my quirk..? Well, those feelings never left as much as they simply... evolved. ... I hate to admit it, but... I'm afraid of you.. though not for the same reasons as before. ... Seems like no matter what I do now, I always need you for some reason. Not only is your physical prowess frankly a bit too unfair, but you've got cunning and charm to boot. People naturally follow you in droves, whereas it has taken me years to gather the few dedicated followers I have... You're naturally perfect at everything, and I hate you for that. The only way I can get through to your father's contacts is by proving we're engaged and therefore worthy of their attention... Even when it's just Pops and I talking, the amount of times your name is mentioned disgusts me. It's like I'm slowly be-ing repl-aced..." He loosely covered his mouth with his hand, staring dead ahead as the whites of his eyes became a little more red. His calculating, stern broke a little at the end there.
You couldn't bring yourself to care all that much, and that's probably what bothered you most. Yeah, you could look at him a little sadly and such, but there really wasn't any empathy to be found for the man. Sure, his situation was sad and all... but that's just what he gets for trying so hard to be something he shouldn't be. He would do so much better in a different field, living a different life, you just knew it.
Guess it was a slow-burn realization for him. That living in your father's shadow probably wasn't the best idea. Problem was, he didn't even know what the real issue was, or he was in denial about it, instead putting all the blame onto you. And for that, you couldn't bring yourself to empathize, or even sympathize.
Calmly, you stared out the window and sighed. "Sounds more like you're trying too hard to be something you're not. Maybe you aren't meant to be the next boogyman.. or whatever the heck my dad was... And that's okay, honestly. I'd prefer it even."
"It's always about what YOU want. It's always about what YOU think is funny. What YOU like. The world doesn't REVOLVE around you. Other people have desires and opinions TOO, you know? I get it! You're powerful! But that doesn't mean you can treat everyone like your toys-!"
"LOOK OUT!"
Kai swerved suddenly to avoid hitting a car merging onto the bridge. He was quiet but still fuming. His head was so clearly full of things he wanted to say. Following that shock -- from what could have been death for him -- the man pulled over on the side of the road after getting off the bridge. He got out of the car, leaving it running, and dragged his hands through his hair as he stepped closer to the steep slope of the grassy hillside. You jumped out and charged after.
"Hey! Where are you going!?"
"Nowhere.." He grumbled. His stomping stopped about where the steep part of the slope started.
"Okay but what do you mean I 'treat everyone like toys'?! No I don't!"
"Then what do you call your treatment of ME, huh!?" Kai's arms flew off of his head out beside him as he turned to glare at you, followed by him harshly pointing your way. "For years now you've been talking to me like- like you see me as just a prop! Not an actual person!" He then, while flinging his hands around a lot more than usual, changed up his voice to sound as mockingly similar to yours as possible. "'Oh, it's just a prank bro!' 'Teehee, silly Kai doesn't know how to take a joke!' 'Stop taking it so seriously!' Do you realize how dehumanizing that can feel on my end, especially coming from someone who can do whatever they want to me?! I mean- what if you took the 'joke' too far?! What if you actually kissed me, or worse?! Why do you think I went out of my way to consider other ways we could have kids and tell you before things got too out of hand!? I don't want to be.. used like that... I don't want to have so little worth that entertaining yourself is the only thing you can think to do with me. I.. Hhh..." His butt dropped on the grass, where he sat legs crossed staring at the intersecting highways and city below. Suddenly the sounds of cars roaring past were very, very loud. "...The other night when you comforted me.. I questioned if I was freaking out for nothing... I don't know anymore..." His elbows rest on his knees as he stared at nothing in particular. You could see only so far into the city before fog cut off your view from the rest, which on a way forced your minds from wandering too far.
You started pacing behind him on the thin trail of dirt, trying to figure out your own emotions now. It was really bothering you. Should you care or not?! What did his words even imply!? Nononono! Why was he being like this?! He's supposed to be the funny haha evil punching bag forced fiance villain guy! It was easier to mess with someone you didn't know so closely! Easier to view him as more of an opponent than a fellow victim and someone you personally hurt.. It was easier to look at his villain status and dismiss his opinions because of it! You liked having someone you didn't have to care about emotionally, especially someone so close to you!... It was a hell of a lot easier that way.
But, clearly, the easy route was helping nobody but yourself... Not even that... This whole mess was based upon layers and layers of denial. Issues you couldn't keep ignoring anymore.
Unclutching your head between hands, you stopped to stare down at the man's head for a moment. Your mind made up, you planted your hand on his hair.
"Wht-th-wht?!" He understandably so wiggled around, grabbing your arm. He stopped when he recognized the sensation that followed. That of you giving him back his quirk. Now at least, he didn't have to feel so powerless.
"You need it more right now than anything..." Explaining yourself softly. "Maybe later, I can make modifications... But not right now." Kai went quiet, glad to know his quirk was back and that he could actually trust you with it. When you were done, you pointed to the ground beside him. "Mind if I sit here?"
He nodded dully. "Sure..."
You dropped beside the man, your legs crossing as well, and sat there fidgeting for a while as you tried to come up with the right words to say.
"There's, um... This story. About a little girl that I know pretty well..." You inhaled slowly, then exhaled slowly. "Once upon a time... there was a ten year old girl who thought she had a new friend..." Scratching at one hand with another. "Nobody wanted to be his friend, because he kept being held back. Though they shared a class, think he was two, maybe three years older than her... But the little girl didn't care about that. She was kind of lonely herself, so she became his friend pretty easily... He was funny, apparently. She liked playing with him on the playground and hanging out with him whenever she could...
They were great friends for about a year, when, he suddenly pretended like he was being pushed away by a river current. Laughing, the little girl followed him, trying to free him from this invisible current's pull... until they were behind the school." You stared down at your lap the whole time. "And he cornered her. And he.. tried to touch her weirdly... The little girl once broke her leg, which never healed right; and she was small, perhaps even the smallest in the class... But, somehow, she managed to fight her way out of there. And though it hurt, she ran as fast as she possibly could.... Hmh..
From then on, the little girl had a hard time making friends with any other boys. And if she ever did, she would always freak out if-ever one of them said they liked her.. That they wanted more than just a friendship with her. She had an even harder time befriending other girls, though, thanks to clashing personalities, so, she just had to do her best trying not to get into any crush drama, which included adopting a very unflattering, boyish personality, and forcing herself to grow ignorant to any advances just so she wouldn't freak out and run away... But, it still happens sometimes. Sometimes, someone will get a little close. Closer than that little girl can bear...and because of it, she has to do a lot of silly, stupid things in order to make being near them bearable. She has to turn everything into jokes, jabs, and childish games... All because she's too scared to process the idea of being so close to someone. To be forced into positions of dating and marriage..."
You uncrossed your legs, instead hugging them closer so you could rest your lower face against them. "...The little girl had no idea that by doing this, she would one day make someone else feel the same way... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you...
....I have no idea how to treat you in a way that wouldn't hurt me too..."
Both of you sat there for a while watching cars driving in and out of the fog. Bits and pieces of buildings poked through the thick, misty air. It took a while for the two of you to calm down and finally reach a point where you guys weren't quite so on-edge.
Kai half turned his face your way. "I had no idea you were ever so weak."
"Heh. Yeah..." You itched the top of your head. "I couldn't steal quirks whenever back then, and my regeneration quirk was repressed for quite some time."
"Huh... Wonder why that is..."
"...I don't know..." Seems like the more you learn about your family, the less you really know.
"-We should probably get going again.. I left the car running."
"Good idea. I'll pay for the gas if you need more."
"Sounds like a plan." When the two of you got into the car and started driving again, "I know I said I wouldn't...but, I think I'll see if I can watch your Sporty Festival-ish thing when it's on."
"Really??"
"I'm realizing now that I haven't actually seen you fight before. I can imagine how that must go, but I'm not sure..."
"-Ooo! And maybe instead of messing with you, I can just find some good comedy movies we can watch together! Cheap dramas and stuff!"
"I've... never really been all that interested in comedies."
"Oh come onnn! I'm sure we can find at least ONE you might like!"
"Khhhh... You're not going to let me say no, are you?"
"Probably not!"
"Fine... But no more than one per week."
"Yesssss!" >:}
.
Sometimes it's important to remember the power you hold. Physical strength and abilities aside, what you say and do can drastically and irreversibly change the world...
for better or for worse.
That part is up to you.