Chapter Text
The day starts out as normal. And it continues as normal. Really, there shouldn’t be anything notable about the day.
Shigeo wakes up, brushes his teeth, gets dressed and leaves for school. Ritsu left early for student council today, so Shigeo walks to school alone. Well, mostly alone.
Dimple floats behind him, going on about the many ways he could use his powers to make everyone pay attention to and worship him. Shigeo doesn’t really understand the appeal of it all. That many people paying attention to him sounds overwhelming.
He’d probably just disappoint them eventually. He’d rather not.
He probably should just exorcize Dimple... But it’s nice to have someone to talk to, who understands him. So he lets Dimple stay.
School is normal. He mostly pays attention to his classes, taking notes and tries to wrap his head around geometry. Honestly, whose idea was it to have so many theorems and definitions to memorize anyway? It seems unnecessary.
He eats lunch by himself, which is fine by him. Not interacting with anyone makes it easier to take a few moments to shove everything away. Dimple floats by his shoulder, still going on and commenting about random things going on in the cafeteria. Shigeo only finishes about half of his meal, but that is normal for him. He tends not to have a large appetite. He’ll just have a snack when he gets home. If he gets hungry.
Lunch gets out, and classes continue. He does the work expected of him, writes down his homework for the day, then goes to his next class. Rinse and repeat, until instead of showing up for class, he shows up in the club room. He greets everyone, setting down his stuff and getting ready to go running. He hasn’t been in the club for very long yet, so he hasn't really noticed a change. That's alright with him. It’s not like he has anything else to do. This club is all he really has going for him, which is preferable to before, when he had nothing but Ritsu.
He gives it his all, collapsing somewhere along the way, but a little farther than the day before. Gouda carries him back to the room to cool. He only knows this because Tome explains everything. He listens to her talk, putting his forehead against the cool table. It feels nice against his warmed skin, chilling him. He's tempted to leave it there, even once he has cooled down, but he decides not to. Lifting up his head, Shigeo looks over at Tome, still rambling.
“Why are you so sure aliens exist?”
Tome looks slightly surprised at his question. Is that.. Should he not have asked that? It’s just been something he’s been wondering. Maybe he should apologize.
“Because, Mob-kun, the universe is too big for us to be the only living creatures! Really, do I have to explain everything?”
Shigeo supposes that makes sense, nodding along. Tome continues to talk, and Shigeo listens. He enjoys listening to her ramble. He doesn't have to say much that way, which he likes. She talks until it's time to go.
Shigeo goes home, and everything is normal - until a piece of paper smacks him right in the face. That is decidedly not normal. He peels the paper off his face, studying it. It's a missing person poster. Shigeo stares into the black and white face of a kid the same age as him. He'd feel bad if he just threw it away, so he finds somewhere to hang it.
Shigeo takes in the poster one last time. The name wasn't a familiar one, but as he walks away he can't help but hope that Teruki Hanazawa is alright, wherever he is.
He goes home. He eats dinner with his family, does his homework, and goes to bed. Everything is normal. Everything should have stayed normal.
70%
Shigeo bolts awake, gasping for air. A nightmare. He closes his eyes, gripping his pajamas and taking deep breaths. Just a nightmare, nothing to worry about. Slowly, as he recovers this breath, he opens his eyes.
.
…
……
This isn't his room.
Shigeo looks down.
Those are not his pajamas.
80%
(Okay, okay,) He thinks to himself, (don't freak out.) Maybe he's still in a nightmare. He pinches his arm. It hurts.
He's not dreaming.
What are you supposed to do in a situation like this?
Shigeo settles on looking around and trying not to freak out.
He seems to be in some sort of metallic room. The floor is cool to the touch. There is a thin blanket near him, like it was thrown in as an afterthought.
In the corner lies a creature. Shigeo can't tell what it is, and he doesn't want to get any closer right now. It could be aggressive.
Shigeo looks the other direction.
90%
No.
No.
This can't be happening.
Shigeo being here is bad enough.
Ritsu lies on the metalic ground, unconscious. In the same gray outfit Shigeo has.
He rushes over to Ritsu. His little brother. Passed out on the ground in a heap. In a metallic room, in who knows where, with an unknown creature in the room with him. A room with bars, like they are caged animals.
Shigeo shakes Ritsu, whispering his name.
It takes Ritsu a few moments to wake up. He blinks up at Shigeo, confusion in his eyes.
"Nii-san? What, why are you…"
He trails off, no doubt having the same realizations Shigeo had earlier.
Ritsu brings a hand up to Shigeo's neck, which is how he finally notices the… collar? around his neck.
"What is that… What… Where are we - Shige?"
Despite being the older one, Ritsu rarely ever asks Shigeo for help or guidance. Shigeo wishes he could provide that, but he feels just as helpless and confused.
95%
"I don't - I don't know. I just woke up here, then I woke you up. And now we are both awake."
Ritsu doesn't have a collar, Shigeo notices. He's glad. Ritsu doesn't deserve something like that. The collar isn't very heavy at least. He grabs it and pulls. It doesn't work of course.
"Try using your powers. Maybe that will work."
Oh, yeah. His powers. The thing he's always fighting against and yet always seems to slip his mind.
He gathers up some aura and-
ZAP
Shigeo flinches as pain radiates from the collar, heart beating fast as he tries to process what happened.
98%
What… Was that because of his powers? No. No. No no no no. The one time he really needs them, his powers, he can't use them?
99%
Shigeo backs away from Ritsu. He needs to get away before - Ritsu needs to be safe, even if he seems to be freaked out, worried for Shigeo. He can't. He has to stay back before his heart starts beating faster and his breath becomes ragged and his hair starts to float up-
100% Freaked Out
Shigeo's powers leak out in waves, unable to contain them or his emotions any further. At the same time, the collar reacts. All Shigeo can feel is pain coming from his neck. Shocking. Burning. He screams.
And then there is nothing.