[Jirou's room, 2:00 am] 

Her last memory before falling asleep was her on her phone showing memes and reels to Kaminari. But nothing else, she was in a deep sleep but something was wrong, she started sweating and moving in her sleep. She was having another nightmare, but this one was strong.

Jirou: Mmmm...no- The nightmare was so strong she started talking in her sleep.

Jirou: No...leave...leave him alone...

What was she dreaming about?

Jirou: No...please...no....- She continued, she was already in a pool of sweat, the sheets all over the place, and one of her pillows was on the ground...

Suddenly, her brain turned on rapidly. She opened her eyes aggressively, but something was wrong. She could tell the layout of the room in the darkness, but she was a little disoriented. She didn't know if she was still sleeping or awake, the only thing she knew was that she was having a nightmare, a horrible one.

But the worst was yet to come. Her mind was already awake, her heart racing like crazy, but her body was numb and didn't respond, she tried moving her arms and legs but nothing happened.

-W-what...I can't move...- She thought, realizing her body was still asleep, not synchronized with her mind. But things just escalated from worst to hell. Her room was dark but there was something in there, something she could see. A big, tall silhouette was in the corner of the room in front of her. She couldn't tell if that thing had eyes but she knew it was looking at her. It was a villain? a monster? a demon from hell? Whatever the fuck it was, it started getting closer to her slowly. 

She started to freak out, like freaking the fuck out. The closer the creature was, the scarier it got. Suddenly a stranger figure started to reach for her, they were like tentacles with mouths and teeth, was it him? All for One? But he is dead, right? It was no doubt, those tentacles with teeth were the ones All for One had, the ones that mutilated her.

She could feel the gross skin of the tentacles looming over her body, getting closer and closer to her face. It was a sight of nightmares, a living hell. She wanted to scream but she couldn't, no matter how hard she tried, her body was like she was already dead, devoid of all life. Finally one of the tentacles launched straight to her left ear, and in that moment, her body finally responded. Maybe it was like a natural response, the primal survival instinct answering.

Jirou: N-No...GET AWAY FROM ME.- She screamed, waking up.

She stood up on her bed, hyperventilating, touching her left ear with her left hand. There was nothing in her room. Was it an illusion? A villain's quirk? Was he really here? She decided it was just hallucinations product of her intense nightmare. But she never experienced something like this before. Still, she had a panic attack and could feel her heart was about to explode. Without thinking she grabbed something from her bed, opened the door, and started running uncontrollably towards a specific door.

*Knock *Knock *Knock*

Kaminari: Hmmm...

*Knock *Knock *Knock*

Kaminari: Hmmm...who the fuck is knocking at this hour?- He said muttering still half asleep while he checked the time on his phone.

*Knock *Knock *Knock*

Kaminari: Coming... Jesus Christ...- He said standing up and walking slowly to the door. He opened it at saw a little purple girl standing in silence in front of his door. 

Kaminari: Ji...Jirou? He said, confused by the presence of his best friend in the middle of the night.

Then he notices the tears coming from her little purple eyes. All the sleep he had vanished immediately. Something was wrong, very wrong, she was pale, shaking, and didn't even say a word.

She was holding a plush toy in her arms, so tight like the plushie was a life vest. It was a Pokemon plush toy of Noivern Kaminari gave her last Christmas. He knew she was going to give him a Pikachu plushie, nobody told him but he knew it perfectly. So he decided to return the favor by giving her the same thing. Kaminari loved Pokemon even more than Kyoka, so he knew exactly what Pokemon he was going to give as a present. Noivern is a bat-like, fucking badass dragon Pokemon that uses sound base attacks and was black, purple, and red in color. Everything the Pokemon had reminded him of Jirou. And she loved it so much.

Jirou wasn't the kind of girl who had plush toys laying around in her room. It was something more characteristic of girls like Ochako, who have a big Kirby plush toy; or Hagakure who have like an entire army of them. Jirou only had two, a little stuffed polar bear with a ukulele that her father gave her when she was little, and this one. And she was holding onto it like it was a shield barrier against demons and villains. It gave her so much security, that she felt safe while holding it.

Kaminari: Jirou???...What happened??? What's wrong???- He asked, looking very concerned, she never looked so scared and freaked out, and that scared the living shit out of him.

She couldn't even communicate, he grabbed her by the shoulders.

Kaminari: Come in Jirou.

She nodded in response, still with tears flowing down uncontrollably. She walked into his room and stood in the middle of it. He closed the door behind him and looked at her worried. She crumbled right there, launching straight into his arms, hugging tight while crying pretty badly.

Jirou: Kaminari... I'm scared....*sobbing*

Kaminari: Don't worry Kyoka...I'm here...you are safe with me...-He said gently stroking her hair trying to calm her down.

He sat her on the bed and buried her in his shoulder so she could cry as much as she could until she calmed down a little. She wiped the tears off her cheeks, looking a little calmer and less stressed, the panic attack was over. So she could talk again more clearly this time.

Kaminari: Another nightmare?

She told him the horrible experience she just went through in her room, with exact details. She was pretty freaked out, never in her life had she experienced something like that before, it was something new...and horrible.

Kaminari: Sleep paralysis.

Jirou: What?- She looked at him, not knowing what was he talking about.

Kaminari: It looks like you suffered sleep paralysis.

Jirou: What is that?- She said still sobbing a little.

Kaminari: Sleep paralysis is when your brain suddenly wakes up rapidly in the middle of the deep sleep phase or REM sleep. But it happens so suddenly that your body doesn't have the time to sync up with your mind, so is like it's still sleeping. So basically your mind is awake but your body isn't. That's why you felt like you wanted to move or scream but couldn't. It also involves hallucinations or the feeling of suffocation.

The explanation Denki gave her didn't calm her down much, it sounded like something straight up from some biblical demonic legend of the past. Still, it was enough to let her know it was just a bad nightmare that evolved into something pretty unpleasant. But she was okay and wasn't in any real danger. She looked at him and asked.

Jirou: Can I...Can I stay here tonight?- She said holding her Noivern plushie tight.

Kaminari: Of course.- He answered with a gentle smile, she was truly vulnerable at that moment, it would be wrong to leave her by herself like that.

Denki hugged her and went into his closet to pull out a sleeping bag he had so she could sleep on his bed. Also got her some water to drink to calm her down. Finally, he settled everything and they both tried to get some sleep.

Around 20 minutes passed, they were still awake but none of them wanted to say anything. Until Jirou asked.

Jirou: K-Kaminari?

Kaminari: Huh?

Jirou: Are you still awake?

Kaminari: Yeah, I can't sleep either...

Jirou: Can you...can you come up here with me?- She asked, still feeling the uneasiness in her voice.

Kaminari's face turned wide red, but there was no chance he would say no. Not because it was a chance to flirt with her. But because she needed him, she was pretty vulnerable and didn't feel safe. He wanted to protect her at all costs, even if it was against an intangible cause, like a nightmare.

He jumped into his bed with Kyoka, trying to keep his cool. She was still holding her Noivern plush toy between her arms, but it wasn't enough. She wasn't feeling safe, that's why she asked him to come up with her, she needed comfort from someone she could trust her life with.

Kaminari wrapped his arms around her like he was going to protect her from anything that could harm her. They both got embarrassed, but neither could let go of each other. Kaminari felt the warmth of his heart, feeling the soft skin of the girl he loved around his arms and legs. And Jirou could feel the security and comfort she wanted, finally, she could relax, knowing nothing would ever happen to her now that she was around Kaminari's strong arms.

Jirou: D-Denki...- She said nervously.

Kaminari: Yes Kyoka?- He was pretty nervous too.

Jirou: If y-you ever tell someone about this, I'll fucking castrate you myself. You g-got that r-right?. She said trying to sound menacing, but just ended up sounding cute because of how flustered she was.

Kaminari: Don't worry...I won't tell anybody about this. I just want you to feel safe.

Jirou: T-Thank you.

Kyoka started to feel sleepy again. She finally fell asleep on Kaminari's chest. But he was still awake, trying to calm himself down, he didn't want to wake her up with the loud sound of his heartbeat on his chest. He couldn't believe what just happened, Jirou just fell asleep on top of him while cuddling, in the same bed. It was a dream come true... only if it wasn't for such circumstances. But he didn't complain, in the end; beggars can't be choosers, right?

He started to feel sleepy again, but held on tight to Kyoka, like he felt like he would lose her if he fell asleep. If it was a dream, he didn't want to wake up. To his luck, it wasn't a dream, she was right there, and he was with her...

Kaminari: I love you...And I promise I'll protect you.- He whispered, hoping deep inside she could hear him. She didn't of course, she was deeply asleep. But like it was some sort of magic spell, those words resonated deep in her brain and manifested in a little cute smile on her face. She was safe with him...

To be continued.

[Chapter's cover art by me]