Denial by Darkfire_blade
Title: Denial
Author: Darkfire_blade aka Hellsfirescythe
For: heroes_flashfic
Prompt: Secrets
Characters: Masahashi Ando and Hiro Nakamura
Rating: PG
Summary: Ando always knew, he just didn't know that he did.
Notes/Warnings: Speculations on the next episode
The first time he saw time stop, Ando was too skeptical about everything to actually understand:
Rain spattered as bright yellow galoshes violated their personal space and splashed dirty fluids everywhere. Ando grimaced ever so slightly and shook his own black boots, ridding them of the mud that Nakamura had unintendingly displaced by his impractical actions.
With one free hand, Ando roughly yanked Hiro back underneath the large umbrella that took up the other half of his grip. Typical, this was Hiro's own umbrella and he wasn't even using it. The smaller boy's dark eyes shone merrily before Hiro was galavanting off again, middle school uniform now nearly soaked in the late spring downpour.
"Stupid, you're going to get sick again."
"No I'm not," replied Hiro gaily, rubber squeaking as he turned back to smile at Ando. "Rain likes me, the rain spirits like me too, they won't let me get sick."
Ando rolled his eyes and trudged onward while doing his best to remain unaffected by Hiro's spatterings.
Some steps later, Hiro suddenly paused. From behind, it looked as if the other boy had suddenly tensed up, his shoulders squared and arms locked firmly at his sides. Ando rushed to Hiro's side and thrust the umbrella over both of their heads and grasped Hiro's wrist firmly.
"A-chia!"
For a moment, Ando was able to discern the multitude the raindrops suspended eerily in the air. A split second later, they were all splattered on the ground. Shaking his head to dislodge the strange sight. With a frustrated sigh, Ando pulled Hiro closer.
"Just shut up and listen to me for once."
The second time, he was in an alcohal induced haze. Of course, gods knew that he'd dismiss anything at the moment:
"Oi, Ando! Another round to celebrate our success!"
"To pride and all those crappy hours stuck in that hell-hole."
"Tokyo-U, here we come!"
Stumbling groggily, Ando cast bright eyes in the direction of a large lump sprawled across the rug of the sitting room.
"One second guys, let me get Hiro up here," he laughed, "He should at least be awake for this."
A roar of approving laughter filled the room and Ando imagined for a second, the couple next door and what they would be thinking about the ruckus going on the fifth floor apartment. Either they'd be entirely indignant the next morning, or such small celebrations were getting to be such a norm by now, that the couple knew to vacate their rooms on Friday nights. Lucky for them, tonight's celebration would definitely be Ando and Hiro's largest for a while.
The lump on the floor didn't budge when Ando prodded it listlessly. Sluggishly, Ando shoved the figure onto its back. Hiro's marker-smudged face rolled upwards from its previous position against the ground. He was just as they had left him, bedecked and absolutely sloshed. As the first to fall to the alcohal's effect, he was the first to fall victim to the sharpie vandalism...again.
"Hiro, Hiro, wake up. Just one more toast and it'll be your turn to sleep on the bed tonight."
There was no response, but Hiro's face scrunched into a sour frown and worry lines began forming across his broad forehead.
A childish frown spread over Ando's visage as he took a firmer hold of Hiro's head and lightly slapped at the other's cheeks, trying to jolt him awake.
It took Ando a moment to realize that everything had gone silent. Unnaturally silent. With bleary eyes, he stared at the frozen scene before him. Flecks of confetti hovered just above the kitchen floor, a slosh of alcohal was frozen over the someone's lap, a face was strangely contorted into a half-smile and half-laugh, and everything just seemed to be paused in the middle of a breath, a beat, a phrase.
Shaky laughter bubbled out of Ando's throat and he released his hold on Hiro to retrieve the splash of sake from its impending destination of smart dress pants. At that moment, everything seemed to fast-forward and then return to normal. In his surprise, Ando found himself tumbling into someone's lap, and the liquid splattered all over his own clothing.
"Hey, what'd you do that for, dork?"
With one last drunkenly amused look back in Hiro's direction, Ando just laughed and threw back another shot. It's just part of the party, right?
When Hiro first began rambling about his so-called powers, Ando ignored him, teased him, passed it all off. It wasn't until Hiro had been missing for two days from work that Ando started seriously thinking about the things the other had said. It wasn't until then that Ando finally admitted to himself that if this really was happening, then he knew it all along. He wouldn't ever admit this to Hiro though, maybe on his dying bed, but not before.
The third time that he experienced Hiro's powers was in saving the idiot Nakamura's own life. The idiot was too preoccupied in trying to make things work for the others that he wasn't watching his own back. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was sheer coincidence, but his fingers made contact with Hiro's back just as the other was starting up his powers. Everything froze, the mayhem that seemed to be going on around them just stopped, the Petrelli boy floated in mid-air in the process of being flung against a wall, the painter-druggie was hunched over something huddled in a corner, the politician's expression seemed to be voicing some doubts. No one was watching Hiro, no one was watching that idiot's back but him. That's how it always was. It was how it should be.
"Ando?"
Wait, that's right. He needed to do something. With a nod of acknowledgment towards Hiro and a swift quirk of a smile, he pushed Hiro aside. As soon as his fingertips broke away from the other's body, Ando barely had any time to think before a dense mass collided into his side and propelled him into the already collapsed pile of lockers.
His last sight before darkness claimed him was the vision of Hiro's horror-stricken face.
'The idiot had better save my ass...'
Edits please!
Author: Darkfire_blade aka Hellsfirescythe
For: heroes_flashfic
Prompt: Secrets
Characters: Masahashi Ando and Hiro Nakamura
Rating: PG
Summary: Ando always knew, he just didn't know that he did.
Notes/Warnings: Speculations on the next episode
The first time he saw time stop, Ando was too skeptical about everything to actually understand:
Rain spattered as bright yellow galoshes violated their personal space and splashed dirty fluids everywhere. Ando grimaced ever so slightly and shook his own black boots, ridding them of the mud that Nakamura had unintendingly displaced by his impractical actions.
With one free hand, Ando roughly yanked Hiro back underneath the large umbrella that took up the other half of his grip. Typical, this was Hiro's own umbrella and he wasn't even using it. The smaller boy's dark eyes shone merrily before Hiro was galavanting off again, middle school uniform now nearly soaked in the late spring downpour.
"Stupid, you're going to get sick again."
"No I'm not," replied Hiro gaily, rubber squeaking as he turned back to smile at Ando. "Rain likes me, the rain spirits like me too, they won't let me get sick."
Ando rolled his eyes and trudged onward while doing his best to remain unaffected by Hiro's spatterings.
Some steps later, Hiro suddenly paused. From behind, it looked as if the other boy had suddenly tensed up, his shoulders squared and arms locked firmly at his sides. Ando rushed to Hiro's side and thrust the umbrella over both of their heads and grasped Hiro's wrist firmly.
"A-chia!"
For a moment, Ando was able to discern the multitude the raindrops suspended eerily in the air. A split second later, they were all splattered on the ground. Shaking his head to dislodge the strange sight. With a frustrated sigh, Ando pulled Hiro closer.
"Just shut up and listen to me for once."
The second time, he was in an alcohal induced haze. Of course, gods knew that he'd dismiss anything at the moment:
"Oi, Ando! Another round to celebrate our success!"
"To pride and all those crappy hours stuck in that hell-hole."
"Tokyo-U, here we come!"
Stumbling groggily, Ando cast bright eyes in the direction of a large lump sprawled across the rug of the sitting room.
"One second guys, let me get Hiro up here," he laughed, "He should at least be awake for this."
A roar of approving laughter filled the room and Ando imagined for a second, the couple next door and what they would be thinking about the ruckus going on the fifth floor apartment. Either they'd be entirely indignant the next morning, or such small celebrations were getting to be such a norm by now, that the couple knew to vacate their rooms on Friday nights. Lucky for them, tonight's celebration would definitely be Ando and Hiro's largest for a while.
The lump on the floor didn't budge when Ando prodded it listlessly. Sluggishly, Ando shoved the figure onto its back. Hiro's marker-smudged face rolled upwards from its previous position against the ground. He was just as they had left him, bedecked and absolutely sloshed. As the first to fall to the alcohal's effect, he was the first to fall victim to the sharpie vandalism...again.
"Hiro, Hiro, wake up. Just one more toast and it'll be your turn to sleep on the bed tonight."
There was no response, but Hiro's face scrunched into a sour frown and worry lines began forming across his broad forehead.
A childish frown spread over Ando's visage as he took a firmer hold of Hiro's head and lightly slapped at the other's cheeks, trying to jolt him awake.
It took Ando a moment to realize that everything had gone silent. Unnaturally silent. With bleary eyes, he stared at the frozen scene before him. Flecks of confetti hovered just above the kitchen floor, a slosh of alcohal was frozen over the someone's lap, a face was strangely contorted into a half-smile and half-laugh, and everything just seemed to be paused in the middle of a breath, a beat, a phrase.
Shaky laughter bubbled out of Ando's throat and he released his hold on Hiro to retrieve the splash of sake from its impending destination of smart dress pants. At that moment, everything seemed to fast-forward and then return to normal. In his surprise, Ando found himself tumbling into someone's lap, and the liquid splattered all over his own clothing.
"Hey, what'd you do that for, dork?"
With one last drunkenly amused look back in Hiro's direction, Ando just laughed and threw back another shot. It's just part of the party, right?
When Hiro first began rambling about his so-called powers, Ando ignored him, teased him, passed it all off. It wasn't until Hiro had been missing for two days from work that Ando started seriously thinking about the things the other had said. It wasn't until then that Ando finally admitted to himself that if this really was happening, then he knew it all along. He wouldn't ever admit this to Hiro though, maybe on his dying bed, but not before.
The third time that he experienced Hiro's powers was in saving the idiot Nakamura's own life. The idiot was too preoccupied in trying to make things work for the others that he wasn't watching his own back. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was sheer coincidence, but his fingers made contact with Hiro's back just as the other was starting up his powers. Everything froze, the mayhem that seemed to be going on around them just stopped, the Petrelli boy floated in mid-air in the process of being flung against a wall, the painter-druggie was hunched over something huddled in a corner, the politician's expression seemed to be voicing some doubts. No one was watching Hiro, no one was watching that idiot's back but him. That's how it always was. It was how it should be.
"Ando?"
Wait, that's right. He needed to do something. With a nod of acknowledgment towards Hiro and a swift quirk of a smile, he pushed Hiro aside. As soon as his fingertips broke away from the other's body, Ando barely had any time to think before a dense mass collided into his side and propelled him into the already collapsed pile of lockers.
His last sight before darkness claimed him was the vision of Hiro's horror-stricken face.
'The idiot had better save my ass...'
Edits please!