Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The hole disappeared. And with it, the only way out Hikaru had, assuming this whole thing would work out.

Yoshiki wide-eyed stared at the cave wall, hands quickly tracing its surface. He needed to make sure what he was seeing was real.

“Hey…” He pressed harder. “Hey! Hikaru!!”

The stone didn't budge, as if the hole that had been there just a moment ago was really nothing more than a figment of his imagination.

His breathing quickened, as his hands began to hit the stone repeatedly, as if there were some invisible barrier that needed to be shattered.

“What should I… Huh?!” His gaze focused on his palm, or more precisely, on the bandage that secured a piece of his… friend against his skin.

‘I have to pull him out,’ he thought, remembering their conversation before they set out.

“First, we don’t close the holes all the way,” Hikaru began to explain their plan. “I’ll reduce ‘em to tiny holes that Mrs. Kurebayashi can close!”

Yoshiki dropped his gaze as if he was unsure about it all. It felt like the weight of this responsibility was overwhelming him, yet he replied, “That’s right… And then…”

Hikaru pulled him by the hand. “You’ll pull me out using the connection between you and me!”

Sighing, Yoshiki wondered what that was even supposed to mean. How was he supposed to know when he’d actually “grab” him? Like, was he supposed to imagine grabbing him and pulling with all his might? There had to be more to it than that. The hand he’s thinking about isn’t his whole, after all, he’s meant to get him out in one piece. Meaning he has to get hold of his real form.

Something colder than a human hand, yet it pulls you toward it without giving you an unpleasant feeling.

His hand began to tingle, followed by a light touch. The sensation slowly grew stronger until, finally, he was holding onto a familiar entity. “Ah, there it is. He’s right there!”

Now all he had to do was pull, or rather, make a connection. However, before he could call out the snow-white haired man’s name, he felt as if something was calling to him. The pulling sensation startled him; in a spot where there had been nothing just a moment ago, a void appeared and began to spread as it absorbed his hand.

Yoshiki grabbed onto some protruding rocks, however his lack of muscle strength limited his ability to hold on, as now half of his body was already trapped within the darkness.

“AGH!” The cold, musty cave seemed to shrink as his panic grew. ‘It can’t end like this… He still hasn’t revealed his true self to everyone… Would he even have the courage to do so?…’

Fear for his own life caused him to collapse to the ground as he felt no sensation in his entire lower body nor in half of his torso.

His earlier groans were replaced by desperate cries as he realized that only a few centimeters separated him from having his head swallowed up. Terrified, the boy could do nothing but shut his eyes and pray for mercy, aware that if God existed, he likely had nothing for him.

…

A moment passed, after which something spat the boy right out, sending him crashing to the ground. Tsujinaka immediately started taking deep breaths as if the air would run out at any moment.

Immediately followed dizziness and the ringing in his ears, preventing him from concentrating on any other sound. Full sensation instantly returned to his limbs, yet he still felt a numbness in them.

“Eeugh… Ha… Haa…” Another series of deep breaths failed to relieve his discomfort; he felt utterly miserable.

After a long and painful struggle, he eventually managed to steady himself just enough to stop struggling for air. Although the nausea persisted, he was finally able to gently open his eyes.

This attempt, however, proved to be a huge problem. Even a small amount of sunlight made him shut them instantly. Clumsily raising his hands, he placed them on his face, shielding his eyes with a small roof. Gradually, his vision adjusted to the light, which didn’t take as long as he’d thought it would.

Lowering his hands back to the ground, he attempted to push himself upright. The surrounding area appeared completely unfamiliar to his eyes. Deep within an alleyway in a city.

High walls lined what looked like a dark, back alley, the kind he’d seen in movies or similar things. Not a soul in sight, just the faint hum of street noise coming from a distance. That uneasy feeling came rushing back, along with another wave of nausea. The last time he’d felt this bad was probably during… No… He preferred not to remind himself.

The young man suddenly turned his head to the side as a acidic wave made its way up his throat.

Well, here we go.

The feeling overwhelmed him as if everything inside him was about to come spewing out. Tears streamed down his face, and between each wave, he gasped for air.

'What just happened?'

'Why am I suddenly in the city?'

‘Am I-’ He immediately clutched his chest. The pounding of his heart assured him that he was still very much alive. Pulling away from his stomach contents, his hand accidentally brushed against… something.

His face went pale, the sudden movement of turning his head gave him a dizzying headache.

There was a human body.

“Hikaru…” he managed to rasp out. His throat burned slightly, yet it didn’t matter to him at that moment. The boy lying before him, however, meant everything to him, and it was a huge relief. Yoshiki had been afraid that he’d forever lost him, again..

“He’s back…” His happiness quickly turned to terror, however, when the snow-white-haired boy wouldn’t wake up.

His already pale face turned even lighter, if it wasn’t already as white as a sheet. His mind was quickly flooded with thousands of terrifying thoughts. Memories of the Hikaru’s cold body blurred with present reality. Jumping back roughly, he crashed into a metal trash can and instinctively curled up and hugged himself. He was utterly terrified.

“This has to be a dream… This can’t be real… I never signed up for anything like this…! The plan was supposed to go just fine… right? Was it? I knew right away that this would never work!” His mumbling drowned out everything around him, and the tears pouring down his face distorted his vision.

“Yoshiki… Hello…? Yoshiki! Yoooshiiiikiii!”

Never in his life had he lifted his head so fast. They locked eyes, but it lasted only a single moment before Yoshiki suddenly threw himself at the other boy, pressing him tightly against his body. Even the mere touch of the other boy’s skin assured him that he was truly there in front of him.

Hikaru, startled by the dark-haired boy’s sudden closeness, wasn’t sure for a moment what to do, but feeling Yoshiki’s hands gripping his shirt, he reciprocated the hug.

The last thing he remembered was shrinking the hole on the other side of it. You could say he’s… happy about that. He’d managed to come back.

“Hey… Listen, Yoshiki. Now that I’m here, why don’t we go get some ice cream?” Older, or younger…? Boy blurted out. He didn’t get a response for a moment; instead, all he could hear was a soft sobbing.

It brought back memories of how Yoshiki had comforted him, assuring him that everything would be okay after their conflict. He awkwardly placed his hand on Yoshiki’s back, then began rubbing it gently. Soon, the light-haired boy snuggled up against him on his own. “There, there. It’ll be okay… Were you that worried about me?”

Yoshiki suddenly pulled away from him; his long bangs parted, revealing his surprised eyes. “Listen, Hikaru… Where are we?”

“Huh…?” The shorter boy’s gaze darted around the walls of the buildings, which were taller than anything in their hometown. Until now, he’d thought they were in a cave given the shadows they cast. How on earth had they ended up in a place like this?

Tsujinaka was the first to stand up, though his legs were still trembling slightly. Hikaru was a little disappointed that their shared touch had ended so quickly.  Apparently, his face showed it too, because the other boy looked away, hiding his face behind his hair.

Leaning against the wall, Yoshiki stared at the walls of the alley. Old, torn posters suggested that no one was particularly interested in this place. 

Only the slightly overflowing trash cans hinted that someone lived nearby, though judging by their condition, they weren’t emptied very often.

“Yoooshiki! Maybe your dream has come true and we’re in Tokyo now!” The white-haired boy grinned at the other, turning towards the corner that most likely led to the way out of this place. 

The dark-haired boy furrowed his brow slightly; it seemed impossible to him that anything like that could happen at such a random moment. Not wanting to be left alone and not separate from his friend, quickly regained his composure, took a few steps, and quickly caught up to him. 

However, he immediately bumped into the back of the shorter boy. Curious as to why the other had stopped, he looked over his shoulder.

The brighter rays of sunlight illuminated the tall glass buildings lining the street. There was a huge rush of traffic on the main pavement in front of them, but what left them speechless were the creatures… No… People? People with characteristics straight out of a comic book or some other work of fiction.

“Yoshiki… Are these spirits or… What are they, even?” Hikaru glanced at Yoshiki, but quickly turned back; his gray eyes blinking a few times, but the scene before him remained unchanged. 

He couldn’t figure out what was going on. Although Hikaru couldn’t sense any particular forms of energy coming from them, he lacked any logical explanation.

It overwhelmed him, evident in the way his inner self began to seep out. Emotions he still didn’t fully understand threatened to rob him of control over the body.

Taking a few steps back, his gaze fell to the concrete, and his hand grabbed the back of the taller boy’s shirt. Yoshiki, on the other hand, felt as if his world had stopped. Thousands of new thoughts and theories flooded his mind. Memories of how, before he ended up here, he’d been sucked into a void gave him only a clue as to how he’d ended up here. 

His earlier belief that they were simply in a city instead of their village had shattered into pieces. Were they even in their own world at all?

What had caused them to suddenly find themselves in a weirdly different… universe? He’d thought ghosts would be the strangest thing he’d ever encounter… What were they supposed to do now? 

He felt like he might throw up a second time. His knees buckled slightly again, and he stumbled backward until Hikaru clasped his hand on his shoulder. It somehow grounded him.

The noise of the street and the passers-by did not distract them from gazing into each other’s eyes. A light breeze blew their way as Yoshiki took a few deep breaths.

“Come on, Yoshiki… I promised I’d protect you. No matter where we are.” A sly smile settled on Hikaru's face, but it was clear he himself didn't feel sure enough to maintain it.

They both retreated a little into the shadows. Hikaru kept watching the people passing by, while the dark-haired boy leaned against the wall.

“We don’t have any plan. I don’t even know what we can do… Who would even consider something like this? Is it even possible? What if our arrival here somehow destroys time and space…?” The dark-haired boy dropped his head, covering his eyes with his curtain of bangs, thus further disconnecting himself from the world for a moment.

This was their reality, not some dream from which he could wake up. Just finding himself here had already robbed him of the ability to think rationally several times. 

The constant panic didn’t help either, combined with his empty stomach and nausea.

“I’ve got some money. Before we left… Mom… gave me some. Come on, let’s grab something to eat first.” Hikaru said quietly, counting the money in his wallet. “You gotta rehydrate, right? You were throwing up like a sick cat back there, and that means you need to drink something, correct?

"  Yoshiki laughed a slightly awkward laugh but nodded in agreement. He wiped his nose with his hand and trailed behind the shorter boy. As they entered the crowd, they tried to stay as close to each other as possible, gripping each other’s hands. Neither of them knew exactly where they were going.

Having crossed the street, they found themselves in front of an electronics store. Modern TVs in the display window were showing the latest news. At first, they didn’t give it much thought, but suddenly one sentence made them stop in front of one of the TVs and react in various ways. 

“Heehh?!”

“Once again, our favorite heroes showed us how quickly you can get rid of trouble! Top three—the hero known as Hawks rescued…”

Yoshiki turned away, burying his face in his hands and letting out a groan of dissatisfaction. “This can’t be real…”

Hikaru, on the other hand, pressed his face against the window, staring at the screen in fascination. “It’s just like that comic you gave me once!”

They both glanced at each other, with Hikaru suddenly bursting into laughter when he saw Yoshiki’s annoyed expression. A few passers-by gave them a curious glance but quickly looked away. To them, these two just looked like ordinary high school students, presumably on their way home from school.

“How can you be happy that we’re stuck in some world with comic book heroes…” Yoshiki rubbed the bridge of his nose; a world where, judging by its residents, the majority likely had some kind of superpowers didn’t bode well for him. Hikaru, absorbed in what the woman on TV was saying, chuckled again as he half-glanced at the taller guy out of the corner of his eye.

The topic on TV switched to the weather, causing the light-haired boy to let out a sound of dissatisfaction. Memories were flooding, of them playing together. Random sticks served as weapons, and sheets doubled as capes. This gave him a fun idea to cheer up his close… friend.

“Heyyy, Yoshiki. Since I promised to protect you… Does that mean I’m your hero…? HaHaaHa!!” Hikaru started laughing, lightly patting Yoshiki on the shoulder.

“Ha. Ha. Very funny… Let’s go find that diner before it closes.” The dark-eyed boy tried to look serious, but the corners of his mouth curled up on their own, and with another sigh, he continued down the street.

“Hey… Hey! Yoshiki! I was just kidding! Wait for me!” Hikaru immediately shook himself out of his laughing fit and rushed after the dark-haired boy.

They kept walking forward without knowing where they were actually going. Along the way, they passed office buildings, a place signed as… an agency? 

And a few more shops. With so many options, Yoshiki thought they should pop into one of them. As luck would have it, they failed to find what they were searching for. The sun’s position indicated that it would set soon, and they hadn’t even regained their strength yet. The number of people had decreased, making it easier for them to move around without worrying that one of them might get lost.

Eventually, they left the more central part of the city and ended up in a residential area where most of the buildings were apartment complexes. The taller of the two boys was certain they’d find a grocery store here.

Their steps grew slower and slower; Hikaru didn’t feel tired, but he could tell his companion was exhausting himself. They walked on for a little while longer until they came across their destination located on the ground floor of an apartment building.

“Hahh… Hikaru. Let’s buy something at this store…” Yoshiki said, sighing with exhaustion. The shorter one just nodded and, slipping his hands into his pockets, feeling for his wallet.

Upon entering the store, they greeted the elderly man at the register and immediately headed toward the drinks section. The small shop didn’t seem to have a huge selection of products, but what they found there should be enough to help them survive at least another day.

Yoshiki immediately grabbed the cheapest bottle of water, hoping it would last him a while. Glancing at Hikaru, he saw him eyeing some expensive, sweet drinks he didn’t recognize.

“Hikaru. We’re supposed to be saving money,” he muttered as he passed by and headed toward the food section. He hoped to find something for them to eat together.

“Huh?? I know… I knew that… You don’t have to remind me!” The shorter one huffed, grabbing the same bottle of water that the other had picked up. 

The quick-heat food section had a sign indicating that the store could heat it up for you at the register, which caught the dark-eyed boy’s attention.

A warm meal was all he needed for that brief moment. That's why he chose something that looked tasty and filling, then headed straight for the register.

As he turned to tell his companion that they had gotten everything they needed, he failed to see him behind him. He rapidly scanned the area for him when suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning back to face forward, he found himself face to face with his missing friend. Hikaru immediately started waving a pack of watermelon gummies in his face, grinning foolishly.

“I can buy these with my own money… right?” He pushed the gummies toward himself and hid half his face behind them, staring expectantly at Yoshiki.

For a moment, the only noise was the whirring of the old air conditioner and the refrigerators, along with the occasional grunt from the cashier, whose eyes kept drifting to the clock as he waited for them to hurry up and finish their shopping. Their staring at each other was interrupted by the ringing of the bell signaling that someone had just walked in. They heard the door close gently, followed by footsteps.

A boy younger than them, most likely a middle schooler, greeted the old cashier, who merely replied gruffly before walking past them, trying to avoid glancing at them. Yoshiki’s gaze briefly followed him, but a grunt in front of him brought his attention back.

“You have to stop spacing out all the time, Yoshiki!” Hikaru rolled his eyes with a laugh, before heading toward the register.

The dark-haired boy’s hand clenched the bottle, as his gaze dropped to the ground once more. Yoshiki knew he shouldn’t get so lost in thought. This unknown and most likely dangerous world wasn’t the best place to daydream, but sometimes he didn’t even realize when his mind drifted away.

“Ah… Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude or anything… Of course you can stay here, it’s my issue… you don’t have to move…” He started slightly upon hearing a voice behind him. 'Great. I zoned out again.’

He turned around and saw the same boy who had walked into the store earlier. His green eyes darted between Yoshiki and the shelves he was standing next to, implying that he probably wanted to take something from them.

“Oh.. Umm… Sorry… Here you go.” He shifted awkwardly, nodding slightly.

“Th-thank you so much!” The shorter boy smiled and bowed slightly in appreciation. To avoid making the situation even more awkward, Yoshiki moved towards the register, where an impatient Hikaru was waiting for him.

His gaze drifted for a moment toward the store’s glass windows, where the sky was slowly turning orange. They’d spent too much time in this place, and they still hadn’t found a place to stay for the night.

“Who were you talking to?” the white-haired boy asked, placing his things on the counter, glancing at the boy Yoshiki had just been talking to.

“I don’t know… I was blocking the shelf he wanted to take something from, so he asked me to move…” he whispered back, so that the guy in question wouldn’t think they were gossiping about him. Hikaru didn’t say anything else, just waited for the old man watching them out of the corner of his eye to scan their items, and not long after that, they finally paid.

“…Excuse me. Is there a way to heat up this katsudon?” The cashier’s gaze swept over him, then he pointed with his thumb toward the microwave next to the counter.

As quickly as he could, Yoshiki put the box in the microwave and set it to heat. He was so damn hungry and tired, and his head was starting to ache at the temples. Having a moment to crouch down and rest against a corner of the counter, he finally noticed something in his pocket that he’d completely forgotten about.

His phone.

Quickly pulling it out, he turned it on and went straight to his contacts. His mom. But he heard neither a familiar voice nor even a call tone. Instead, the silence seemed even more deafening than any sound. No signal. His hand slowly slipped down to the floor, and his head buried itself in his knees. The microwave beeped twice to let them know the food was ready.

Hikaru hesitantly approached him, then took out the ready-to-eat meal. Without a word, Yoshiki stood up and took it from him. The other boy didn’t even protest, but let go of it the moment his hand touched Yoshiki’s.

Neither of them said anything as they left the store. The warm food warmed his hands, perhaps even too much, but he ignored it. Hikaru walked beside him, catching his sleeve after a moment. He was unusually quiet for him.

The loud sound of footsteps coming up behind them made them both turn their heads at the same time. Hikaru winced, and his hand tightened around his sleeve.

The same boy from the store stopped in front of them, resting his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily. His shopping bag bumped against his legs when he suddenly straightened up.

Their eyes met. For a moment, neither of them spoke; it was clear that the green-eyed boy wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start. Yoshiki could see Hikaru judging him, drilling his gaze into the boy.

“Umm… Did you have… trouble? With the line… So I figured maybe you didn’t have a way to make a call… From your reaction, I figured it was important to you… So if you need help, you can use my phone!” The way the boy blurted it all out in one breath put Yoshiki at ease a little, and maybe even cheered him up slightly.

“Seriously? That’d be great!” Hikaru’s hand loosened and finally dropped into his pocket. He took out his own cell phone and pointed it toward the black-haired boy. “This is useless., right? Can I finally throw this away?”

Tsujinaka was stunned. So was the green-haired boy, whose name he really needed to find out. Quickly regaining his composure, he took the cell phone from the other boy’s hand. “Give it to me…”

The boy standing in front of them cleared his throat to get their attention. Yoshiki realized that they were getting distracted again, even though they’d been given a chance to be helped.

“Um… My name is Midoriya Izuku… You guys aren’t from around here, are you? Well, I don’t want to jump to any conclusions! I’m sorry if I’m wrong… but your accents…” Midoriya bowed slightly, just as he had before, then finished speaking while gesturing with his hands, before looking away and nervously gripping the fabric of his pants.

He seemed friendly, so Yoshiki returned the greeting with a slight bow, suddenly feeling a bit tense himself. “Y-you’re right, Midoriya-kun… I’m Tsujinaka Yoshiki.. And the one next to me is… Indou Hikaru.”

Hikaru merely waved his hand with a slight smile, though it was clear he still wasn’t convinced of Midoriya’s lack of hostility. Maybe not as much as before, but his eyebrows were still slightly furrowed.

“Umm… We ended up here by accident, and we don’t really know the area.” Yoshiki tried to explain at least the gist of what he really wanted to say, if only there wasn’t the risk of being labeled a weirdo for the true.

Midoriya looked thoughtful for a moment, then hesitantly pointed at the box in his hands. “Maybe we should sit on the nearest bench so you can eat that…? Of course, if you want to…!”

Those words reminded Yoshiki of the food he had with him. The package wasn’t as warm as it had been earlier, but it still wasn’t too cold, aided by the fairly warm weather outside. “Let’s do that.”

The boy in the school uniform led them for a short while until they came upon a small neighborhood garden in front of an old apartment building.

Once everyone had sat down, Yoshiki caught his breath; he needed to sit somewhere with a backrest. It felt as if his legs were about to simply buckle beneath him.

The silence between them remained unbroken for quite a while, until Yoshiki began unpacking the food, causing a faint rustling that snapped the others out of their thoughts. Choosing to ignore it

“Listen, Midoriya-kun. Can I call you Izuku-kun? Are you okay with that?” Hikaru leaned his head on his hand, supported by his knee, and looked at the green-haired boy. The latter, embarrassed, blushed and waved his hands.

“I-Indou-kun! We just met… and this is the first time anyone’s asked me that in a very long time… Umm… I don’t see a problem…? I think so…?” Midoriya nodded a few times, as if he wanted to convince himself of what he’d just said. The strangers he had just meet continued to surprise him.

Meanwhile, Yoshiki, trying not to die of embarrassment at his friend’s forwardness, focused on his meal. His stomach ached a little, but he felt a slight improvement after a few bites.

On the other hand, he drank the water a little too quickly, as if it were about to run out. Also, he knew that eating too fast meant there was a chance he might throw up what he’d just eaten, but the feeling of fullness somehow calmed him down.

“Do you like heroes, Izuku-kun? I’ve heard they’re extraordinary at what they do.” Hikaru narrowed his eyes slightly as his smile widened.

Meanwhile, Izuku’s still slightly nervous expression suddenly lit up.

“Of course! Who wouldn’t like them…? They save people with their work! They’re incredible, and so are their quirks! My personal favorite is All Might!… I truly admire him… He always saves everyone with a smile, no matter how bad the situation is… that’s why he’s number one! …Of course, I don’t think he’s the only good hero!” Hikaru wasn’t expecting him to open up like that, only to get stressed out again over something silly. He didn’t even know why, but he burst out laughing.

Midoriya stared at him in surprise, but after a moment he laughed too, while Yoshiki sat between them, sighing. Having eaten his fill, he felt his fatigue growing and his eyelids getting heavier, but he couldn’t fall asleep on a random bench right now.

“Midoriya-kun… You said you could help us… Do you happen to know where the nearest library is…?” The question directed at the green-haired boy made them stop laughing, and Izuku’s expression turned serious.

“Library…? I don't know how it would help you, but it's a few blocks from here… I can—” The boy was suddenly cut off when his phone started ringing. Yoshiki didn't understand why, but the green-eyed boy clumsily took his phone out of his pocket and, looking embarrassed by the sound of his ringtone, quickly answered the phone.

“Hello…? Mom! Is it that late already?! I’m sorry, I’ll head home right away!” Midoriya turned slightly away from them, pressing the phone as close to his ear as possible, only to quickly pull it away when he heard the shouts.

The worried woman’s tone reminded Yoshiki of his family, who most likely had no idea what had happened to him, where he was, or even if he was still alive. He furrowed his brow, pressed his hands to his face, and sighed quietly.

A stronger gust of wind picked up, stirring the leaves that had been still until then, causing him to lean back even more further and glance upwards, his body shivering slightly from the chill.

“What am I doing…? Umm… I’m sitting with my friends from school… Yeah!… Mom!” Hikaru, still in the same position, leaning on his hand, finally sat up straight as he listened to his new friend’s conversation.

The guys waited patiently for Midoriya to finish his conversation, though Hikaru was the only one really paying attention, tapping his finger lightly on the bench’s armrest. Yoshiki took out his own phone to see if it might come in handy.

There was a chance this world wasn’t all that different, and the SIM card might fit his phone, which would at least give him internet access or a way to contact Midoriya. So far, he was the only person who had reached out to them, though Yoshiki didn’t want to take advantage of him too much, since for now he was their only option for getting to know this world better.

“I see… I’ll be heading back now! Yeah… Straight home! Bye! I love you!” The call ended, and with it, the green-haired boy sighed loudly. His hands reached for his backpack on the ground, from which he pulled out a piece of paper.

Hikaru tried to peek at what he was writing on it, but after a moment he lost interest and groaned in frustration. Finally, Izuku tore a sheet of paper from his notebook and handed it to Yoshiki.

Then he stood up and bowed even lower than before. “Unfortunately, I really have to get back right away! I’m sorry, guys! I drew directions to the nearest police station and library on this piece of paper… You should be able to ask for help there or get what you want… I’m sorry again that I couldn’t help you in any better way…!”

The piece of paper in the dark-eyed boy’s hands wrinkled slightly as a rush of nerves washed over him again. He simply nodded at Midoriya and mumbled a shy thank you.

“Thanks, Izuku-kun! It was nice meeting you.” A broad smile spread across Hikaru’s face, which made Midoriya smile back, before waving goodbye and running off wherever he needed to go.

As the boys remained seated on the bench, they simply watched as the other boy disappeared around the corner of the apartment building. Yoshiki’s gaze fell back on the piece of paper; his hastily drawn sketch wasn’t the best, but at least it had notes on the landmarks they were supposed to pass. This gave them a clearer picture of how and where to go.

“Aahhh… We’re screwed, aren’t we?” Hikaru sighed, fiddling with the drawstrings of his shorts.

Yoshiki was stunned by the fair-haired boy’s words. He never thought he’d end up homeless before he even turned eighteen. How were they supposed to go to the police when they didn’t even exist in this world?

He knew Midoriya meant well and that this was the best solution for him, but he was sure that it wasn't for them.

“Hikaru…” Their eyes met. “I-I… I’ve spent the whole day stressing out… But… we have to do something. We need to find a place where we can stay safe for the night.”

The other boy just smiled slightly, then stood up, stretching. The sun had already set completely, indicating that it was quite late. “Let’s go, then.”

Their footsteps weren’t heavy, but rather cautious, as if they expected something to happen at any moment. Neither of them took the lead; instead, they walked side by side, occasionally bumping into each other when something rustled in the bushes, causing Yoshiki to step closer to Hikaru.

The dark clouds obscured the stars and the moon, wrapping the city in a cloak of darkness that the light from the streetlamps barely managed to dispel. The sudden drop in temperature made them realize that it was most likely raining somewhere nearby, which might mean that rain clouds were heading their way.