Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

    Mirio had seen the blow just before it hit him. It was a dirty tactic, but in an illegal magic fight that was hardly unexpected. The last thing he remembered was being thrown against the barrier that surrounded the ring and a blaze of agony all along his back. A pain that was still present actually. 

     “Get up. Get up or I’m gonna assume you’re dead, throw your ass out and take what you earned today.” A grating voice told him as a foot nudged his burning side and back. Slowly, Mirio managed to pry open one eye. He found himself looking up at the blurry face of one of his kinder fellow fighters. He was only slightly embarrassed to say he couldn’t recall their name. “Good. Not dead then. Place is closing up for the night so you better move it if you wanna get your money. Later.” Mirio listened silently to the sound of the door opening and closing. 

    Now completely alone the blonde groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. He eventually managed to get up off the ground, using a nearby bench for support. He looked around and noted dimly that he was in the locker room of the club. He must have been dumped here after passing out, losing him the match. A bit faster than would have been wise, he changed out of his loose black clothes. As he was shoving the blood stained clothes away into his bag he made the mistake of looking at himself in the mirror that he had on the door of his locker.

     It wasn’t a very pretty sight in his opinion. He had been told he was handsome before. He had long since lost his baby face and he had managed to really fill out in the muscle department, but it was hard not to feel self conscious of just how many scars covered his body after the years of fights. Today’s fight hopefully wouldn’t be adding any more. The lightning burns on his arms hurt enough that might be a worry and while he couldn't see it he knew his back probably looked like a mass of purple and black. What would his dad have thought of him n-

     Mirio cut that train of thought right off, shutting his locker a bit harder then was really necessary. He couldn’t deal with that right now. So he did what he always did and stuffed it back down. And then he walked briskly out of the room, pulling on his coat and scarf as he went. It was almost spring now but it was still unbelievably cold out. 

   As he walked down the underground halls toward the exit he did his best to pretend that he wasn’t hurting. Weakness was something people here had no problem taking advantage of and Mirio didn’t want to have to deal with another fight before he even left. 

    So he strode confidently right up to the club’s second in command, a man known only as Chronos, who was seated near the exit to get his winnings for the night. The scowling silver haired man had just finished marking the last payment down in a book. It was a pretty old fashioned way to do it but it was a smart thing if one wanted to be discreet. 

     Chronos looked up at Mirio with a sour look and dropped a stack of Yules on the table in front of the blonde fighter. Now it was Mirio’s turn to make a sour expression. That stack was much thinner than usual. 

     “That’s less than usual.” He declared openly. Mirio wasn’t trying to be greedy but rent was nearly due and that was most definitely less than he had been counting on. 

      Chronos had already turned away to jot down the amount. It was upside down from his angle but he could read it still. Definitely less. “Why is it so much less?” 

      “You lost, and your debt deduction is still in effect. You know that’s how it goes. Next time don’t lose so spectacularly.” Mirio couldn’t stop himself from slamming his hands down on the table furiously. 

       “I lost one fight! And I know how much comes out for my debts! It’s not right!” That got a response. Chronos stared down Mirio, his eyes like merciless chips of ice. 

       “Tough. Take that” He pointed to the stack of Yules between them. “and get out or you get nothing and I have you thrown out.” 

        “Fine.” Mirio said through gritted teeth as he grabbed the money and shoved it into his bag. There wasn’t much more he could have done and he hated it.

-x-

      It was a cold as he had expected outside. The icy wind was cutting him to the bone and making his already sore body ache and sting all over. It certainly wasn’t helping his already awful mood. He was feeling pretty miserable, honestly even if he was sure not to show it. It was looking to be one of those nights. A night where he buried himself under all his blankets and tried desperately to find some way to forget the reality he lived. 

        When he reached the bus stop, he was so relieved to finally sit down that he didn’t realize he wasn’t the only one sitting on the bench. He usually waited alone since the stop was a remote one and it was always ridiculously late. But apparently not today. 

     “Hello! Didn’t see you there!” He greeted the dark haired stranger who’s bench he had unknowingly invaded with an embarrassed laugh. But the other young man didn’t answer. He had his legs pulled up to his chest and was staring down at the ground with an expression that made Mirio’s heart ache. It felt so sad and listless.

       The blonde moved to pat his shoulder and ask him if he was okay when he paused. Despite the fact that the stranger was wearing a thick jacket and pants Mirio could see that he was shivering. Shivering violently. Mirio was no doctor but he was still sure that couldn’t be a good thing. Without a second thought he unwrapped his own ratty scarf and offered it with a smile to the stranger. 

      “Here! You look really cold. It’s not the nicest thing but it’s still better than not having one, right?” The dark haired man’s head jerked suddenly upright at that. Blue eyes met ones of piercing indigo and Mirio felt as if all the air had rushed out of his body at once. The stranger was stunningly beautiful. Their hair was as long as it was wild, only slightly tamed in a low ponytail that draped over his shoulder. A single earring dangling from an adorably pointed ear. But what really grabbed Mirio and made his whole being shiver was the look in his eyes. 

     It was so deep, bright, thoughtful, and so many other things that Mirio couldn’t even find the words for. So many emotions he couldn’t place. Then they looked away, back at the ground, and the moment ended. 

      “A-Are you sure? Aren’t you cold too?” The beautiful stranger said it with so much trepidation that Mirio has the sudden urge to hug him. They were complete strangers though, that would be weird the blonde had to remind himself. So instead he just beamed and again offered the scarf.

       “I’ll be fine! Don’t you worry about me! Something tells me you need this more than me.” The stranger seemed almost embarrassed at that but still gingerly accepted the scarf with long, pale fingers. Inwardly Mirio cringed at the sudden realization of just how ratty and stained the scarf really was. It stood out hideously against the nice, clean, well-crafted clothes that the dark haired stranger was already wearing. And yet, he wrapped it round his exposed neck with such a soft smile. Mirio felt ridiculously pleased by the small action. 

         The stranger’s lips parted slightly as if to say something more. But just then a sharp hissing sound cut through the air. They both looked over just in time to see the silver, snake-like bus slid to a stop over the circular marker just a few feet from the bench. The glowing number on the side of the slightly hovering vehicle declared it Mirio’s bus. 

         “Ah, that’s my ride.” Silence. “I should probably get on before it leaves without me...” He trailed off genuinely regretful while the stranger fidgeted nervously. He seemed to be struggling for words so Mirio filled the silence for him. “You can keep the scarf. Or get rid of it later, or whatever you want. It’s yours now.” He rambled with a smile. “It was really nice to meet you! I hope I can see you again. I mean, if you want to.” 

    The stranger looked stunned at the offer. Mirio wanted to get their answer but he didn’t really have the time to wait. So he just waved and ran towards the bus. The silvery material melted away in the shape of a door when Mirio held up his Pass, a small, card-shaped device that was proof of his city residency, to its side. 

     Because everything ran on and was intertwined with magic, there was no need for something as basic as bus drivers. The Serpentine, which was the type of bus that Mirio rode and were publicly available, were pre ordered to locations and were wickedly fast. The second Mirio was in his seat it was off again, zipping through the streets with perfect precision and care. There was no chance to glance out for one more look at the beautiful, dark haired stranger. They were already gone. 

-x- 

     After what seemed like forever, the blonde reached his dingy apartment that resided in the shadier part of the city. A long walk from the nearest stop and three flights of stairs later Mirio collapsed onto the well-worn couch. The old thing groaned in protest under him but he paid it no mind. He didn’t have the energy to try and make it to his bed just yet. 

     So for a while he just lay there, letting his hurting body rest. He knew he couldn’t sleep there, he would hurt even more tomorrow if he did. Eventually, he got back to his feet and wandered into the kitchen to find something to munch on before crashing for good. 

    He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the note that was stuck to the front of the small box-shaped device in the kitchen that was used for heating food. Mirio didn’t think of himself as someone lucky but he had definitely lucked out when he had found Yuyu Haya to be his roommate. 

     “Left you some dinner, can’t have you going and starving to death on me. Hope you had a good night. -Yuyu”  He read aloud with a laugh as he opened up the microwave-like device and peeked inside. He found a bowl of spaghetti there, it didn’t even look that cold yet. Mirio added the note lovingly to a small pile of similar notes before starting up the device with a simple command and pressing his hand to it’s top to feed it the small amount of magic it needed to run. “Heat for 1 minute”  And just like that, it came to life with a soft whirring sound and glow. With that done Mirio pulled out the one clean fork from the cutlery drawer and got some water to drink while it worked. 

       The food tasted heavenly despite the fact that it was only boxed spaghetti and sauce from a can. He scrapped the bowl clean enough that he didn’t even feel the need to rise it out before leaving it in the sink. His stomach sated for the time being Mirio headed at last towards his room. On the way though he noticed that the light was still on in Yuyu’s room and the door was slightly ajar. 

       On the off chance that Yuyu was still awake Mirio peeked his head in. He chuckled softly at what he saw. The young woman whom he might even call his best friend was asleep on the floor in front of a huge canvas that leaned against the wall of the room. A canvas that was still rather empty, only one corner was painted on. So she finally started her big project then Mirio thought with a smile. He walked further in to pat her short currently red hair and made her as comfortable as possible without waking her. 

       With that done, Mirio turned off the light and stumbled with the last of his energy to his own room. The minute his head hit the pillow he was out. His last conscious thoughts were of a dark haired stranger and a hope that he would see them again.

Chapter Text

       Tamaki awoke to the deafening sound of multiple things hitting the floor all at once. He tried to sit up and find the cause of the noise for a moment but soon realized moving at all was a very bad idea. His whole body screamed in protest so he just accepted his end, laying there on his thankfully very comfy couch under what seemed like a metric ton of blankets waiting for the pain to lessen. 

           He could only groan in self loathing. He had been a complete idiot last night and he was suffering for it now. It had been a miracle in itself that he had made it to the warmth of his apartment before he fell into a coma. And yet...

      Unconsciously his hands went up to find the ratty, and honestly hideous, yellow scarf still safely around his neck. The movement hurt but the comfort of finding the scarf still there made it worth it. Tamaki wasn’t usually one to suffer nosy strangers, no matter how handsome they were, but there had been something special in that blonde stranger’s smile. Somehow, just for a moment, it had managed to make him feel truly warm. He only wished he had been braver… less of a pathetic coward and at least thanked them for the ratty piece of fabric that might have saved his life. 

            “Oh good, you’re awake.” Tamaki winced as he reactively moved his head towards the familiar voice. Out of the kitchen trotted a young woman with thick, bluish hair and an unfairly beautiful face, using her Stave to levitate a tray with a clay pot of porridge and a glass of water on it in front of her. She probably shouldn’t have been using such powerful magic tech so casually when off duty as a Wizard but he already knew that arguing with her would be pointless. Nejire Hadou did what Nejire Hadou wanted no matter what others said. 

      “I’m mad at you.” She told him matter-a-factly once he had finished off the porridge and he could at least sit up without crying out from the pain. He cautiously glanced up at her from under his long bangs. She was just sitting there, stone still and her usual cheery energy visibly absent. She was livid. He didn’t even have to ask what she was mad about though. The fact that Nejire had been his friend for almost his whole life only slightly lessened the shame and anxiety.

    “I’m sorry… I just…” His words failed him, mostly because there were none that could ease her anger, as he fidgeted anxiously with the blankets he was still buried under. It had been plain stupid of him to try and take The Serpentine home from his work at the University. He had known it that night it was going to be unusually cold out and with his illness that could have ended very badly for him. 

    “Why did you lie to me and say you had a ride home? I would have taken the time to get you if I had known!” Tamaki scowled and was ready to shout back that that is exactly why, but a single glare put an end to that. “You’re lucky that when you didn’t text me like you promised I decided to come and check in on you! You were almost frosted over laying on that couch! You’re also lucky I didn’t tattle on you to Shinsou! Or your dad! What got into your head?! Why were you so reckless?! I really want to know!” She was fuming and Tamaki tried not to bite his lip. 

    “I just… didn’t want to be more of a burden on anyone else…” And just like that the frustrated anger changed to wide eyed realization and then back to anger. Only this time it wasn’t directed at him.

    “It was that Asshole again wasn’t it?! What did he say this time?! The Chilling isn’t a curse! He can’t keep treating you like you're plagued or something because of it!” Tamaki could only sigh tiredly, sinking further under his blankets. This wasn’t anything new… The Chilling was such a rare affliction, and with how little was known about it it made sense that a lot of people would call it a curse. His long list of ex’s and being what his therapist called touch starved attested to that. People generally found a person whose whole body was perpetually lingering towards frozen unnerving or at the least unpleasant to touch. This one coworker was just one of the many. It was just that… most days Tamaki couldn’t help but agree that what he had was indeed a curse. 

    “I don’t think he meant me to hear it… He just muttered it under his breath…” He trailed off when Nejire stood and pulled out her Pass, pulling up the call function on the thin metallic device. “Nejire...?” 

    “I’m going to report him.” She growled. 

    “NO!” Tamaki tried to jump up and stop her, if she reported him he doubted anything would be done and it would only make things worse. But he didn’t even make it up off the couch. He instead ended up letting out a scream of pain and cursing back tears as he slumped back down. “Shit shit shiiiiit.” Nejire immediately put away the device and ran to his side. Her hands hovered worriedly in the space between them, unsure if touch would help or hurt him. 

      “Okay, fine you win. I won’t report him but please… please don’t let it get this bad again okay? You really had me scared there for a bit. I know it won’t kill you right away but I prefer you not in a coma.” 

    “I prefer it too you know…” He grumbled but couldn’t hide a small smile. He could visibly see the tension leave her.

    “Ha ha, very funny Tamaki. Promise me.” 

    “I promise.” She smiled and kissed his freezing cold forehead at that.

      “Good. Sooooo, while I still have you awake, what is the story for that awful scarf you’re wearing?” 

      Oh gods help me, she noticed Tamaki groaned inwardly in despair. There was no escape now.

      “I know it’s not yours so whose is it? I want to know everything!” She demanded with that merciless grin of hers as she scooched him over on the couch. He scowled at her to make his displeasure known, even if it was going to be ignored anyway. 

           “It was a gift…” And so just like that he began to tell her all that had transpired at that late night bus stop. “He looked a bit rough, like he and his cloth had seen better days…. A scar on his face and everything, but Nejire he had to be cold too and gave me his own scarf. I just… and that smile….” 

          “So very sweet and hot then?” She was smirking. 

           “.... maybe. Shut up and let me finish, damn it.” He grumbled and by some luck Nejire didn’t interrupted him again. 

          By the time he was done Nejire simply looked thoughtful. Tamaki felt completely spent though and he was sure he looked it too because she didn’t ask him any more questions even though he was sure she had them. She simply stood up and levitated the dirty plates into the kitchen before pulling on her loose Wizard robes, the insignia of the city of Regalia displayed prominently on its back. Wizards were the only ones legally allowed to carry Staves and were invaluable to the city in which they lived but those robes and insignia were tacky as hell. Tamaki couldn’t help but silently scoff at them. 

      “You are taking a week off.” She declared suddenly.

      “What?!” 

      “Yup! Already called up your boss to let them know. Did you know you have waaaay too many vacation time and sick days saved up, Tamaki? Cuz you do. You work too much! Relax, stay warm, and get better okay!” Tamaki wanted to argue but in the end he just sighed in defeat and smiled faintly at his oldest friend. 

             “... okay.” At that Nejire bent and hugged him fondly. 

             “Great! See you in a week! And you better text me every day or I will rat you out to your family and I will regret nothing.” Tamaki cringed at the thought. His adopted dad and younger brother were terrifying but it was the idea of Eri’s sad, worried little face that really hit him where it hurt.

              “I get it, I get it. I will.” And he meant it. Pleased with his answer, Nejire pranced herself out his front door and left him to his own devices. 

              Tamaki was then suddenly hit with the realization that he had no clue how to spend his week without work…. for what seemed like an eternity he pondered his options. Then his eyes wandered onto the small basket that sat under his coffee table and he had an idea. In the basket were two wooden knitting needles sticking out of several yards of soft red and yellow yarn. Perfect. It was a hobby he hadn’t picked up in years but he was sure he could still recall the basics. A scarf wouldn’t be too hard if he had a whole week to devote to it. 

              Once he was free from his confinement he could give it to the stranger and tell him thank you properly. Yes, this was doable. He had to at least thank him for his kindness, and he didn’t want to come empty handed. The hard part would be not chickening out at the last second. But remembering their warm, if somewhat sad, blue eyes looking into his as they handed over their own scarf made a smile spread across his face and a momentary warmth bloom his chest. He found himself picking up the needles before he knew it and beginning to count stitches out.

-x-

         “HNNNNNGGGG” Mirio groaned as he face planted again onto the hard tabletop in frustration. No matter how many times he counted it, the amount of Yules in front of him never changed. He was officially 500 Yules short for rent. That is unless he gave up on groceries for the month, and he reeeeeally didn’t want to do that. 

        A concerned Yuyu peeked her head out of her room. She was midway through tying the tie that went with her Hostess uniform. A coworker had apparently gotten sick and Yuyu had of course swooped in to take the extra shift and extra income. 

         “That bad huh? Don’t worry, I can share  food this week. And if it’s really that tight we can always crash one of those posh parties and stuff our faces on the buffets there.” She added, trying to lighten the mood. Mirio couldn’t help but laugh. Very rarely did that woman ever let the world get to her. 

          “A very good point!” He finger-gunned in her direction somehow without lifting his head off the table where it was still laying. He heard her chuckle as she got closer. She stopped to stand over him. He could practically feel her frowning. 

          “You got more burns on your arms.” She stated. 

          “Yup! And a bruise the size of, well, of my whole back.” He laughed but Yuyu didn’t. So he tried to appease her somewhat by saying, “But I slapped some cream on it and the burns and wrapped them up this morning so they should be fine.” 

            “I hate to break it to you Mirio but you did a really shitty job of it.” She told him in a flat monotone. The blonde turned his head to look up at her. Her look of disappointment stung. Yuyu didn’t judge his current profession and he didn’t judge hers but she never failed to make him sorry if he neglected himself. Which was a lot more often then he would have liked to admit. 

          “Don’t move, I’ll redo them.”

          “Don’t you have to be going though?” 

          “Eh, I can be a bit late. It’s not a big deal as long as I show up.” She didn’t wait for any further argument and began rewrapping the bandages over the wounds properly. “Why the sloppy job?” She eventually asked, filling the awkward silence. “You usually do them before you go to bed even when you're super tired. So what gives?” Mirio’s brain immediately supplied images of beautiful, long dark hair, pointed ears and thin shaking hands practically the color of snow. 

          “I met someone last night…. and I kinda forget to patch myself up before I crashed.” He admitted sheepishly, already feeling his face growing warm with a deep blush. 

         “Oh. That’s unlike you. Usually you don’t let good looking boys get to you like that. He must be someone special.” She said it like she was simply teasing but Mirio couldn’t help but sigh happily in agreement. He really was. Something special, that is. Mirio had only just met him but already Mirio felt a burning need to see him again. To see that beautiful smile and those sharp cheekbones and adorable pointed ears and those eyes- he was suddenly jerked back to reality with Yuyu’s loud laughter. His expression had been too telling. 

          “Damn you have it bad ! No wonder you have been in such a mood all day. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll see him again.” 

           “It’s not like that! I just want to make sure he is okay! He looked really cold even though he was wearing several layers….” Yuyu made no comment and just hmmm’d thoughtfully as she finished her rewrapping job. 

            “Just keep an eye out for him then. If he shows up, great. But don’t get your hopes too high in case he doesn’t.” 

           “I know I know.” Mirio pouted and examined his now properly cared for arms. “But thanks for fixing them up.” He told her with a bright smile. 

          “I really should be going, but you take it easy Mirio and I’ll see you… at some point. Later.” The minute the door closed with a click behind her Mirio slapped his cheeks encouragingly, forcing himself to get up. He looked around the cluttered apartment and shrugged, figuring a bit of tidying up wouldn’t hurt him since he wasn’t that busy. And if his thoughts happened to wander to the mysterious, pointed-eared stranger and to what they were doing right now as he cleaned, then no one but him would ever know.

Chapter Text

Mirio Toogata liked to think of himself as a pretty positive guy. But with every trip to the bus stop, hoping to catch that same stranger with indigo eyes and ears pointed like an elf’s, he felt his hope fading. It had been a week since then and every time he was disappointed. He wanted to keep waiting for them but he was finally beginning to accept the fact that they weren’t going to come back. 

      So with a mournful expression he marched against the biting wind towards the bus stop, dead leaves crunching under his well worn leather boots, and expected it to be empty like the six days previous. But it wasn’t. Mirio’s blue eyes went wide with excitement as he spotted another familiar figure standing under the chromatic covering. He immediately picked up the pace and practically sprinted the rest of the way down the sidewalk. 

       “Hey! You're here!” He couldn’t help but blurt out as he skidded to a stop in front of the stranger. Mirio’s rapid appearance seemed to startle him and he jumped back. But quickly he collected himself and looked up at Mirio with red cheeks and a weak smile. The blonde couldn't help but feel silently pleased at the realization that the dark haired young man was currently wearing that same old ratty scarf snugly around his neck even though it still clashed horribly with his otherwise very nice clothes. 

       There was a momentary pause between them but eventually the beautiful stranger stilled his fidgeting body. Then he took a deep breath and held out for Mirio a small, neatly wrapped package. “Oh is that for me?” He nodded vigorously and then looked away as if embarrassed. 

       “It’s… I just…. Thank you. For last time.” The gift was wrapped only in plain brown paper and a simple yellow ribbon. But it was all done with such meticulous care that Mirio was hesitant to ruin it. “Y-You can open it if you want…” 

        “Right!” Mirio chuckled nervously and with as much care as his thick calloused fingers could he unwrapped it. His jaw dropped as a blue scarf, blue as the sky on a clear day and so soft it felt like water running over his fingers, spilled out. 

       “I-I umm… so do you… like it?”  I wasn’t sure exactly what color you would have liked best so I just picked one that looked like your eyes…” Mirio blushed heavily at that. He laughed nervously as he hung the scarf around his neck. For all its softness it was actually quite thick and warm, he noted. 

       “I love it! Wait…you made this?!” The deep redness in their cheeks and the tips of their pointed ears said it all even as they whispered a soft,

        “...Yes” 

        “Woah! That’s amazing! You’re really good!” The soft expression of relief and happiness they made were all Mirio could see. He swore he was on cloud nine. 

         “Not really… but thank you.” But if they had been expecting Mirio to leave it at that they were going to be sorely mistaken. 

       “No! Definitely! It’s not easy to make something this nice!” He countered with a bright smile and eyes that practically sparkled with the pure honesty in them. “Now that we’ve exchanged gifts I should at least tell you my name! I’m Mirio!” An empty silence followed and for a minute there Mirio feared he had pushed too much. But eventually,

      “It is very nice to meet you, Mirio. I’m Tamaki.” Mirio had to fight back the urge to hug him. He, Tamaki, just looked so nervous and Mirio was always best at comforting with physical touches. But he refrained and instead gave them his best smile and a thumbs up. 

      “Very cool! Soooo… I don’t want to seem like a gossip, but do you want to talk while we wait for the bus?”

      “Oh… I… don’t… take the bus… usually.” 

     “So you came all the way out here just to… bring me this scarf?” 

      “Yes” 

     “I’m honored! I’ll be sure to treasure it forever then!” 

      “If you want to.” Was all Tamaki said. But those words didn’t sound sharp or bitter like one might assume, they were instead soft and bright to Mirio’s ears. 

      “I do!” He beamed as he tossed one end of the scarf over his opposite shoulder so that it was properly secured in place. He then sat down on the creaking metal bench and patted for Tamaki to join him. He hesitated for only a moment before doing so. “Say, is that really an Avalon Staff Pass?”  Mirio asked when the lights on the overhang sprang to life. The fluorescent lighting reflected sharply off the singular crystal pendant earring Tamaki was wearing and drew Mirio’s eyes to it. Self-consciously, the elf-eared man reached up to touch the said earring before quickly dropping back down into his lap. 

       “It is. But I’m not a teacher or anything there. I’m nothing special… I just… work on spell deconstruction and enchanting research there…” With each word he seemed to curl in on himself more, drawing his knees up onto the bench and hugging them close to his chest. 

       “That’s… wow! I don’t know why you think that’s not special! Avalon is the best Wizard University around! And that other stuff sounds impressive to me! I wouldn’t even know where to start!” He tells Tamaki with an honest laugh. 

       “Maybe…” is all Tamaki responds with but he has uncurled himself just a bit and Mirio feels happy at the small success. “What work do you do?” Immediately Mirio’s heart sank. He shouldn’t have been surprised at the question but he was only just now realizing how unprepared for it he was. It wasn’t like he could just tell Tamaki ‘oh hey yeah, I work at an illegal magic fight club so I don’t starve or go even further into debt with my asshole of a boss.’  Cuz that would just go over soooo well. Nope definitely not. 

       “I take… odd jobs here and there, is all. Just boring stuff really!” He tried to sound as casual as possible but he was a terrible liar and he could already see Tamaki’s brow furrowing skeptically. It was a small mercy that Tamaki asked nothing more on the matter but the awkward silence between them was back now. Mirio couldn’t stand it. “So what do you do for fun? Do you have things that you really like?”

      “I enjoy… making things…” Words were small and fragile so Mirio picked them up with care. 

     “What kinds of things, if you don’t mind me asking. Anything in particular? If it’s anything like your knitting I’m sure it’s amazing.” The flush of red that blossomed on the tips of Tamaki's pointed ears and on his pale cheeks was more than a little satisfying to Mirio’s eyes. 

     “Just… I enjoy making things like food or clothes the old fashioned way…” He fidgeted with some loose strands from his low ponytail nervously. “No magtech. Me and magtech… don’t always get along very well.” Mirio couldn’t help but laugh warmly at that and with a playful smirk declared,

     “Well I can help you there! I’m not one to brag but I’ve been told I can make even the most uncooperative magtech work for me! You just let me know and I'll whack any into submission for you!” And then, as if to emphasize his seriousness, rolled up his sleeves a bit, careful to not pull them up too far and show the bandages and some of his worst scars, and flexed his right arm muscles. For a brief moment the dark haired man just stared from him to his arm and then he slapped his hand over his mouth and looked away, his whole body seemed to suddenly shake violently. Mirio immediately panicked, leaning over towards them and was about to ask what was wrong when they finally cracked, letting out an outrageous braying laugh. He couldn’t seem to stop laughing for several seconds and Mirio couldn’t help but join in. It was hard to breathe through all the laughter but eventually they both calmed down enough to form words again. 

    “Oh my god this is so embarrassing…” Tamaki wheezed as he wiped away some of the tears that had formed in his eyes from all the laughing. 

     “Maybe a little bit, but I like to think that good laughter is meant to be embarrassing.” He told him with his own wheezing chuckle and what he hoped was a playful, disarming wink and smile. It seemed to do the trick because that beautiful blush was back immediately but Tamaki wasn’t looking away this time. And, with a little bit of a rush, noted that he had even moved just slightly closer to him on the bench. 

      They just sat there in silence as they caught their breath for a time, but it was a comfortable kind of silence so Mirio let it be. Then Tamaki rolled the sleeve of his own jacket a bit to look at what appeared to be a wristwatch. An antique if the lack of a magic glow as Tamaki touched it was anything to go by. Mirio hadn’t thought he was lying but the small thing was enough to really solidify the information that he had shared in Mirio’s mind. 

     “I think you missed your bus…” Tamaki commented with an apologetic expression as he looked back up at him. Mirio waved off the worry with a smile. Somehow they had both missed the bus’s arrival and departure but Mirio couldn’t find it in himself to mind at all. 

     “It’s okay! I’ll just catch the one that comes next. I’ve been waiting to see you for days so a missed bus is a cheap loss.” He didn’t quite realize what he had just said until the words were already falling out of his mouth. Let it never be said that Tamaki wasn’t a very perceptive person. 

     “You have been waiting… for me?” Now it was Mirio’s turn to blush. The sun had since set but the lights had come on at the bus stop as they were supposed to. So he knew his red cheeks were probably very noticeable even under the poor lighting. No sense in hiding his slightly stalkerish tactics now. 

      “Yeah, sorry if that sounds weird. I was kind of curious I guess. You were just so-“ 

     “I-It’s not weird! I was just… surprised that someone.. would wait that long… for a.. stranger.” 

      “Well then why don’t we not be strangers then?” 

       “Huh?” Tamaki looked at him with a truly puzzled expression. 

      “Maybe I’m jumping ahead of myself a bit, Yuyu says I do that a lot, sometimes, but maybe we could… be friends?” Mirio was a bit surprised with how fast Tamaki replied. He always seemed to choose his words with the utmost care. 

      “Yes!” Then, as if he realized how odd his reaction was, he amended with, “I mean, yes, I-I would love to be friends with you Mirio…” All the nervousness back in his voice. 

      “Awesome! You want to exchange numbers? I mean if you want to we don’t have to-“ Tamaki cut him off with a shake of his head and a gentle, if not shy smile. He reached up to tap the crystal earring shaped Pass and a spark of magic flashed between it and Tamaki’s finger signaling it’s activation. The crystal glowed a pale blue and so did the pupils of his eyes. 

    “Just hold up your Pass and I can add you to my contacts and me to yours.” Tamaki told him almost casually like he wasn’t currently using one of the most expensive pieces of magtech in Mirio’s known existence. In stunned awe, Mirio did as he was told. He pulled out his Pass and held it up in front of Tamaki’s glowing eyes and the Pass flashed bright for a second. Then Tamaki blinked and the light immediately died. “Done.” Tamaki said simply and tapped the glowing earring again. Another spark and the glow left Tamaki’s eyes and the earring-shaped Pass. 

     Sure enough when Mirio activated his own Pass he found Tamaki easily in his contacts. Man, there really was a reason why people paid literally an arm and a leg for Avalon Staff Passes, they were something else he couldn’t help but think to himself.

     “That was really cool!” Mirio exclaimed with a wide smile. “You’re gonna have to show me all the other stuff that thing can do next time!”

     “Next time?” Whoops. Had he assumed too much? He could feel his heart sinking already. 

     “I mean, only if you want to, or if you can, I’m sure you’re busy and stuff…” Mirio trailed off weakly. But Tamaki picked that thread of thought up effortlessly and smiled that small smile of his that left Mirio’s knees feeling weak. 

      “It’s no trouble. But maybe we could meet at an earlier time?” 

       “Sure sure! Totally! Just let me know! I can't wait!” 

       “... Me too.” And just like that Mirio felt his heart soared.

Chapter Text

        Tamaki wasn’t sure what had become of his life these last two months. It didn’t feel real Tamaki thought dizzily as he watched Mirio gesture animatedly with his hands. The blonde was telling him yet another story, this one was about himself and his roommate crashing a big gala together, only to shove food into their bags and flee the scene like some reckless teenagers. 

         Sure, Tamaki had friends, people he hung out with before Mirio. Okay, so maybe it was just Nejire... But still, this friendship with Mirio felt too easy. It was as easy as breathing, speaking with the blonde, spending time with him even easier. 

      They never did anything big when they hung out together. Just stuff like museums, parks, or picnics. Yes, that picnic was definitely now one of Tamaki’s happiest memories. When he had heard that double fudge cookies were one of Mirio’s favorite foods he had become suddenly determined to make them for the blonde. But unfortunately baking was also his one cooking weakness. 

      And yet the blonde had still eaten his barely edible attempts and declared them, as well as the entire meal that Tamaki had made for them, the best things he had ever had. It had both horrified him and warmed him to his much too cold toes. Despite the scolding he had gotten from Nejire and the need to literally thaw himself out for a good three hours after he got home from being in the cold for too long it was still totally worth it. So worth it he declared silently with a smile so wide it made his pale cheeks burn at the memory. 

       Suddenly Tamaki was brought back to the present when Mirio had stopped talking, his eyes locking with Tamaki’s as his hands fell to his sides. The deep pools of sapphire blue seemed to bore right into his soul, searching, glittering with something Tamaki couldn't quite place. He would have shivered but his whole body was burning from the inside out. Mirio had to be some kind of miracle. He really was doing the impossible to Tamaki. Minutes past and the gaze was now bordering on odd. What was Mirio’s looking for there? Could he see all the things he was keeping neatly tucked away? Did he see what a fake Tamaki was?

       “M-Mirio?” The name scalded his tongue, almost burning. 

       “Tamaki, can I- can I buy you lunch? I know a place…” Tamaki tried not to look so startled by the question. He had been expecting a lot of things but that hadn't been one. 

       “Sure, I don’t mind. You ate my food disasters, so it’s understandable.” He meant it to be teasing, a certain boldness coming over him through the panic and fear. 

       “No no! I just- I mean-“ That red blush of embarrassment was just too cute. Usually it was Tamaki who was turning crimson and he had to admit it was a very intoxicating sight to see on the blonde. And just like that the fear was gone and Tamaki couldn’t stop the laughter that escaped him. It wasn’t a flattering laugh but Tamaki was too happy to care. Mirio always made him laugh, made him smile, made him happy. 

      “I’m teasing Mirio. I would love to get some food with you.” He admitted between his laughs that had faded into soft chuckles. All the awkwardness and suddenly turned into pleased excitement between them.

     “Awesome! Great! I’ll text you the address! This place is amazing! You’re gonna love it!” 

     It was the softest of touches that fluttered across his cheek and made him freeze mid chuckle. Calloused fingers were shockingly gentle against what had to be icy skin. By all intents and purposes, he should have pulled away at the unexpected touch but instead it took all Tamaki had to fight down the desperate urge to lean into the touch like a cat. 

       It was both a blessing and a curse when the fingers didn’t linger and instead brushed back some of the stray locks that had escaped his hair tie away from his face and back behind his ear. And maybe it was wishful thinking but he swore he felt them trace the pointed tip of his ear as they pulled away from him. 

       And just like that Mirio seemed to become shy, jerking his gaze away and rubbing the back of his head like he did when he was feeling self conscious. But that damn smile of his was back in full force.

       Tamaki felt like his brain had shorted out on him as a new realization hit him. Was Mirio- Had he actually meant- a date , date?! Suddenly Tamaki was spiralling as he realized that maybe he had read this all wrong. 

      He wanted to scream or maybe collapse into the dirt below even as he found himself nodding his head numbly, barely registering what he was doing. Mirio was fidgeting from one foot to another and not looking at Tamaki anymore. But when he glanced down at his Pass and saw the time on it’s holo panel the blonde leaped to his feet.

      “Crap! When did it get that late?! I promised Yuyu I would help her move some stuff tonight! I’m so sorry Tamaki! I will definitely text you tomorrow! Promise! But I should probably start running before Yuyu kills me.” Mirio seemed too genuinely panicked and sorry for it to be an excuse but still his traitorous brain whispered that maybe it was just a very well hidden one. The breath he let out sounded almost like a wheeze to his ears and his nodding was almost robotic. 

     “I get it. It’s okay.” Somehow he managed a smile to sell words he didn’t believe. Just so Mirio could leave him there with a relieved smile that made Tamaki’s whole body ache. 

      Thankfully it was only when the blonde was out of sight that Tamaki’s knees gave out on him and his knees hit the frozen ground sharply. For what felt like forver he just sat there, letting the whole interaction flow back through his mind’s eye.

      Tamaki Amajiki had known he was in love with Mirio within a matter of days of meeting the blonde. He wasn’t that dense. There had been no other explanation for how helplessly safe, happy and warm he felt every second he was in Mirio Toogata’s presence. It happened so fast. He dazzled Tamaki’s world with every word he spoke, every smile he made, with every moment they shared. 

And yet… 

          This man definitely deserved better then Tamaki. Every morning was a disaster waiting to happen for him. He could barely form words some days when his anxiety got bad, he was hardly a handsome person with his disaster of hair and oddly shaped ear and that wasn’t even counting the fact that It was forever a toss up whether he would have a day without any kind of pains and or aches. Someone as wonderful as Mirio was worth more than the mess that Tamaki. 

         Tamaki had been under no illusions that the blonde would even find him attractive, let alone someone to fall for. He could already see the rejection. Better to just avoid it all together he had decided the day he had put together how his heart really felt about Mirio Toogata. But that touch… those words… They were too close to being real for Tamaki to ignore completely. 

        It was horrifying. The bittersweet longing was too deeply tied to the soul ripping fear that was to be very very wrong and thereby losing the best thing he had ever had since Nejire and his adopted family. 

         His lungs were trying to cave in on him he swore as his mind pitched down a dark path. It was thankfully Nejire’s voice that came through in the end though. Count the things you can smell, the things you can hear, the things you can see and the things you can feel. One at a time. And breathe Tamaki.

       It took too long but eventually Tamaki didn’t feel as if he might pass out and his pains had lessened to levels that he was more accustomed to. On shaky feet he stood up again. He wanted to already be home so he could just pass out with some meds under five blankets. But home was a good twenty minute walk and already the sun was dipping below the horizon. So with a resigned sigh he tapped his Pass to life to contact the one person who could come and get him at this hour without giving him an interrogation.

     “Call Hitoshi” 

      He knew it would pay off to keep those incriminating photos of him burning their dad’s favorite and also eye-wateringly ugly Nyan Nyan sweater one day. He would deal with his screaming mind and heart later. Some time that was not today. 

      Tomorrow. Yes. Tomorrow. He would deal with this all tomorrow. Somehow. Maybe.

Chapter Text

      No one even dared to get close to Mirio as he ran through his drills in the training area. Just like the last three days he was a whirl of magic, stave and steel. Like him in every fight and sparring match he participated in. But despite the streak of victories he was building his mood only became more sour and miserable, so much so that it permeated his every move. The same question just kept repeating over and over again in Mirio’s head with no real answer. 

      How had he managed to fuck up the best thing he had had in so long so badly? He had been so sure that Tamaki had known what he had meant when he had invited him to get lunch. And yet Tamaki had panicked so badly that he stopped breathing over it. Mirio should have known better than to hope so recklessly. He had been too sure that Tamaki was the one. 

       He probably had just been seeing what he had wanted to see this whole time. How else could he explain Tamaki’s rapid departure and apology that day? The only real question was how could he fix this? If Tamaki was willing to speak to him at all… Even if Tamaki never felt the same Mirio didn’t think he wanted to live a life without the sweet, witty, dark haired, elf-eared man in it. If nothing else he wanted to- 

       Instinctively Mirio swung his Stave at the figure who had abruptly entered his personal space. The sparking metal collided with a loud clang against Chonos’s enchanted gauntlet. The unnervingly unreadable right hand man of Overhaul didn’t even flinch at the contact. If it had been anyone else they might have gotten electricity burns and a concussion. Mirio wanted to stare down those cold grey eyes of theirs but he knew that would only get him an addition to his debts and a one sided beating. So he looked over at them submissively as they spoke. 

        “I’m glad you're staying sharp. But there are new orders from the Boss. You are going to throw your next match and you are going to make it believable.” It wasn’t a question. Mirio had seen this before. He didn’t even need to ask to know why they had given that order. “It’s time you do your part.” 

         Bile rose in his throat as he recalled his own fall into this pit. It was only much too late that he learned just how much he had been manipulated. He had to watch them rinse and repeat over and over again the nearly exactly same sequence of words and steps with other kids til they had no way out. 

     He had somehow managed to avoid becoming a piece in that abusive pipeline till now but it looked like it had finally caught up with him.

       “You don’t have to do it.” Mirio wanted to laugh. What a boldfaced lie that was. “But if you do it, you can consider your debts halved.” That made Mirio mentally take a step back. This kid must be important for them to try and give him an actual incentive to go along. 

         Mirio was rapidly running through his options in his brain. There was no way he was doing what they wanted. There were some lines he refused to cross, no matter what it would cost him, but he knew that he also needed to tread carefully. So after what he hoped was not too long of a pause he nodded. They at the very least wouldn’t get the words from him. Chronos seemed suspicious of that but then again Chronos always seemed suspicious, of everyone. Excluding Overhaul, of course. He eventually accepted the nod and took his leave after giving him the details. 

          It was only when the silver-haired man had left the room that Mirio was able to breathe easy and let his hand crumple the sheet of paper he had been handed. The info on the fighter he was supposed to lose to was printed in bold letters on it, Izuku Midoriya, a boy who was barely 15. God, he was practically a baby to Mirio’s 21 years. The frustration and disgust boiled under the blonde’s skin. He didn’t let it show any further though, if he showed his hand here it would only make protecting this kid even harder. And besides, it was getting late and he had been planning to make Yuyu dinner since she had been doing it so much lately, probably noticing his melancholy, and he wanted to surprise her. 

          Mirio just rolled back his shoulders tiredly as he grabbed his towel to wipe away his sweat and headed towards the showers. As he walked he casually look through his Pass only to freeze midstep when he saw three unread messages from Tamaki on it’s holoscreen. With shaking fingers Mirio opened them. 

I am so sorry Mirio. There is no excuse for me running away from you like that day at Sanctuary. Simply put I am a disaster and panicked. If it’s not too late I would like to meet with you and explain everything 

Properly this time.

Would in a half an hour at the place we first met be too soon?

      It had been sent 15 minutes ago. Mirio found he couldn’t respond fast enough. 

No! Not at all! I’ll be there! :)

       Mirio felt himself smiling so hard his face hurt. He had a chance after all. He didn’t like that Tamaki felt he had to apologize but he would get to that later. For now he just needed to get out of here and see Tamaki. These last few days had felt like an eternity to him. 

       Never had he run out of anywhere so fast, not even when he and Yuyu had been found out while crashing a rich person’s fancy banquet for the food. In fact he ran out so fast that he entirely missed three figures sharing looks and getting up to follow him out of the club and towards the old bus stop. 

-x-

      Tamaki was regretting letting Eri paint his nails as he paced under the metallic covering and around the matching bench. Sure, it made biting them and ruining her hard work unthinkable but the urge was still there as his anxiety peaked. He had been trying to prepare him for Mirio turning him down or not responding at all as he waited here but then the blonde had and Tamaki suddenly felt even more anxious than before. 

       He had managed to piece himself back together enough to really look back at the whole interaction by now. The conclusion he kept coming back to was that he needed to fess up. He needed to clear it all up and let Mirio leave with a clean slate. There was no way Mirio would stay when it all came out and after him making him wait so long for any kind of real answer to his declaration. 

        So naturally when he saw Mirio run up in his worn jacket and the scaf he had made him Tamaki felt his heart sink and soar at the same time. Tamaki let his nearly translucent pink nails dig into his palms to keep himself from bolting l or crumbling to pieces all over again. He had to do this. 

       The silence between them was so fragile, like a thin, cracked piece of glass, as they stood a mere three feet from one another. Mirio seemed so unsure, more so than ever. Tamaki meanwhile couldn’t even bring himself to look the blonde in the eye as his breath turned into pale clouds in the cold of fading daylight. 

          It was almost laughable how they both tumbled over the same words of apology at the exact same time. Then,

         “Do you-“

         “Should I-“ They continued to stumble until they both chuckled and sat down, the tension lessened somehow. Tamaki knew it was now or never so he took a deep breath and took the plunge. 

         “I… you don’t need to apologize for anything Mirio… I… misunderstood so much. And you deserve the truth.” Mirio only seemed puzzled and asked so gently,

        “What did you misunderstand?” No judgment, just an honest question. Tamaki didn’t feel like he deserved such understanding. 

        “I thought you just ment to take me there as a friend.” The blonde’s blue eyes widened slightly but nodded like he had suspected something similar and so Tamaki felt the need to press on to the real point of all this. “When you kissed me and when you said you loved me I-I couldn’t understand it. I had convinced myself that it was impossible that you would even think about me in that way. And then you did and I panicked. It’s not an excuse just… an explanation.”

         “Wait wait… does this mean that you-?!” Mirio’s whole body was leaning towards Tamaki as he spoke. 

        “I love you Mirio-“ 

        “REALLY?!” Mirio cut in, the blonde’s eyes sparkling again with that hopeful light. And Tamaki hated that he would have to shatter it. 

        “ But … But Mirio I know you don’t realize what you are getting into when you say you love me, that you want to be more than friends. You see I-“ 

        The words were stolen from Tamaki when out of nowhere a massive cluster of dark crystals was hurled at them and Tamaki’s body moved on it’s own. Without wasting a second he threw himself into Words of protection at the same time that he shoved Mirio over the bench in case they failed. 

        By what felt like a miracle a barrier of purple appeared in front of them in time to take the onslaught of crystals. Tamaki couldn’t resist a small wave of pride when he noted not a single crack of damage on the barrier before it shimmered out of existence and Tamaki had to throw himself over the bench to join Mirio there. He couldn’t hold such a thing for very long but at least it had been in time and held solid. 

        The blonde was staring at him with an expression that Tamaki couldn’t read and for a moment he feared he had somehow made a mistake. But then Mirio grabbed his shoulders and beamed, his eyes wide and excited. 

        “That was AMAZING! That was Old Magic right?!” The darker haired man could only nod his head in stunned confusion. This was not at all the conversation he ever thought he would be having. But they didn’t really have much time to spare for talk anyway. He could feel three figures closing in on them. No doubt at least one of them was responsible for the surprise attack. 

        “Come out, come out mister Favorite!” One shouted tauntingly, probably the leader. 

        “And if you don’t we’ll just make you.” Another one added and Tamaki found himself looking at Mirio this time. 

         “Mirio? Are they talking….to you?” Mirio had suddenly paled three shades in rapid succession. 

         “Yeah…” He responded shakily as he almost unconsciously let his hand fall to the rod shaped Stave tucked in his jacket to pull it free and extend it to full length. It was definitely an illegal Stave Tamaki realized, judging by how heavily modified it was and the name that wasn’t Mirio’s carved on it. Takashiro Toogata it read, maybe a relative? “I don’t know them personally but… you’re not the only one with a secret or two.” He looked so ashamed as he gripped the Stave with both hands and let it surge to life. 

         “You’re an underground fighter right?” 

         “Huh?”

         “I kind’ve guessed that after all the injuries you kept showing up with and…” Tamaki without thinking brought his hand up to gently brush it against the scar that traveled down his cheek and slightly under his chin. 

        “Oh.” The blush that colored his face was frighteningly satisfying to Tamaki even as he quickly withdrew his hand and felt his own cheeks burn and sting with heat. 

        “This and that Stave really just confirmed it.” And he might also think it a very hot thing for Mirio to be but he would sooner die then voice that out loud right now. 

        “And you’re not mad? Don’t you want to know why I would be a part of that stuff?” Maybe a bit Tamaki silently admitted but,

       “That part is up to you to tell, it’s not my life. How could I be mad though? I mean, we have definitely established that I’ve not told you everything that I should have too…” And for the second time in the last few minutes Tamaki was interrupted by things being hurled at them. Honestly, it was getting very very frustrating.

        This time though the attack hit the bench corroding the left side of it, closer to Tamaki, while another barrage of crystals smashed against the side closer to Mirio. It sent the blonde flying back with the force of the impact. Some of the chunks cut painful wounds across his arms and legs but one particular large piece gave him a glancing blow to the head. It didn’t draw blood but the way it made Mirio stagger and struggle to get up made Tamaki see red. 

       “That is IT!”

      He was done with these assholes. Attacking them for no goddamn reason, interrupting important moments twice after how hard he had worked up to even get to that point, and worst of all, hurting Mirio. Tamaki let energy surge through him as he summoned the Words he wanted. His hands grew harder than diamonds as he surged on lightened feet forward. The first blow landed perfectly on the face of the one Tamaki had singled out at the one with a Corrosion magic Stave. Thankfully they went down easy. 

      The second one was much more hearty though and Tamaki found himself ducking to avoid blows that would surely put him out. Gauntlet-shapes Staves which had been melded with crystal type enchantments with those muscles would have been a K.O for him. 

      Altering his chant for the new opponent he struck them over and over again until the brawler heaved for air and staggered under his barrage and the damage began to compound. One of the best aspects of Old Magic? The sheer variety and flexibility even if it was slower for people didn’t know the right Words or lacked focus. He didn’t have stamina but his dad had hammered into him how to handle himself in a fight, make use of his speed, flexibility and very different type of magic. Tamaki didn’t even hesitate to kick them right in the face hard enough to send them flying backwards with an audible crunch. They didn’t get back up. 

        Tamaki hadn’t forgotten the leader of the group but he had been a bit preoccupied at the time. So the leader coming at him from behind would have ended very badly if Tamaki actually wasn’t alone. Mirio had since gotten over his injuries, which were thankfully fairly superficial, and been watching proudly as Tamaki had kicked the collective asses of Overhaul’s lap dogs. He would have joined but Tamaki like a force of nature, a gorgeous, very vicious force and Mirio was totally not enjoying the show… nope. Not at all. (He definitely was). 

        Until he realized that Tamaki was unaware of the slowly advancing third attacker. Mirio leapt forward round on them which his Stave in full form. His Stave hit the arm holding the Knife Stave at the ready with a crack, breaking the bone from the force alone. Mirio hadn’t meant to hit that hard but he hadn’t been taking chances either. And just to be extra sure they wouldn’t try anything else he switched his grip on his Stave as they swore in pain and gripped their broken arm to give them a one two combo to the ribs and shoulder. Enough to bruise badly but no more broken bones. The subtle lightning magic applied to his Stave’s strikes plus all those injuries guaranteed the fight was really over. 

       Tamaki spun only just in time to see Mirio deliver the finishing blows. Mirio patiently waited as Tamaki pieced together what had just happened between faint pants of exertion. 

       “Thanks for that.” He rasped with a small, rye smile. 

       “No problem.” Mirio told him with a tired smile of his own. “You did all the hard stuff. You were amazing Tamaki.” 

       “Not really… but thanks.” 

       “So what do we do with them now?” 

       “Like hell I know.” Tamaki said with a salty glare. That seemed to do the trick because the next thing they knew they were both laughing so hard they were both almost falling over. 

        Eventually when Mirio caught his breath again he began using the three men’s scarves and jackets as makeshift ropes to tie them up. 

       “I think they were going after me because Overhaul was starting to show more interest in me even though I wasn’t really in the inner circle..” Mirio rambled causally until, 

       “M-Mirio?” 

      Mirio felt his heart plunge to his feet at the pained tinge to his name. The panic and fear were quick to settle in when he looked to Tamaki. His lips were moving but no more sound seemed to come out of them. Nearly blue lips and breathes that rasped and wheezed through the air. The dark-haired young man was practically twitching in place. 

           “Tamaki!” Mirio knew he would fall before he actually did and thankfully made it to his side in time to catch him. “What’s wrong?! What’s happening? How can I help?” He begged as Tamaki’s thin fingers dug into the arms that held him. The agony that flew across his face at every twitch was more than Mirio thought his heart could take. 

            “I-It’s f-f-ine. I-It’ll p-pass. God I’m s-so s-s-stupid.”

           “No you’re not! You're hurting!” He reached up to caress Tamaki's face in a soothing gesture. But when he found it burningly cold to the touch Mirio couldn’t help but flinch, Tamaki always seemed a bit on the cold side but it was like touching a glacier or something. The already heavy panic and worry in his chest was growing leaps and bounds. 

      “S-sorry” That made Mirio’s eyes go soft and shake his head vehemently. 

      “What are you apologizing for? You're the one that’s miserable right now. I was just surprised. How can I help?” Mirio repeated once more as he very intentionally placed his hand back around Tamaki’s icy cheek lovingly. “Do you need a hospital?” 

      “HNNNG.” Mirio could literally hear Tamaki’s teeth grinding and feel him abruptly tense all over  in his attempt to hold in the new wave of pain. Mirio leaned in around him and oh so gently shhh’d him and tried helplessly, desperately to sooth the pain. “M-maybe? Actually, j-just call d-dad. H-he c-can h-help.” Somehow Mirio couldn’t help but think that that groan followed that wasn’t from the pain. 

 “Okay, okay, do you have his number? Can you send it to me?”

      “Y-yeah just g-give me a s-sec…” Tamaki closed his eyes again and the Pass flared to life. Immediately following that Mirio heard the ping of a new message on his own Pass. The dark-haired man sagged in his arms briefly like the action had taken all the wind out of his sails for only a moment before he was again clenching in pain. Mirio knew there was no time to waste and being as careful not to jostle Tamaki more than was unavoidable he opened the message and hit call on the number contained in it. 

       “Who is this?” Demanded a gruff voice from the other end. 

       “I- um hi, is this Tamaki’s dad?” 

       “What is wrong with my son?” The voice sounded so much like Tamaki’s and yet so different. The fear and icy determination were not obvious but still somehow unmissable. But what really had Mirio worried was how easily and accurately they predicted something to be amiss with Tamaki. 

        “He’s so cold, colder than he usually is? I know he gets cold easy but this is crazy and he’s hurting so much. What do I do? Do you know what’s happening to him?” Mirio felt like he was gasping for air as he spoke, the words tumbling out of him in an uncontrollable rush. 

         “Breathe first, kid. Then pick him up, carefully, and keep trying to warm him up but don’t do it all at once. It sounds like he made his body too warm too fast.”

          “What?” Mirio was suddenly feeling very out of his depth. But he also knew that there was no time to ask questions. He just needed to do what needed to be done to help Tamaki right now. He could do that. “Okay, okay…” He said as he stood with Tamaki pressed as close as he could be. “What now?”

      “Get moving to his apartment and keep his temperature as steady as you can. I will meet you there as soon as I possibly can. If you're not there when I do then I will come find you myself.” There was only a loud click of the call being hung up to tell Mirio the conversation had ended. Mirio took two steps forward before he realized he actually had no idea where Tamaki lived. All the time hanging out together had been outdoors or public places like museums or galleries. Mirio had not offered his own place out of shame and Tamaki hadn’t offered his either. Mirio had assumed that maybe he had a similar reason, but now was not a time for shame to matter. 

      “Hey Tamaki-?” He looked down at them and was more than a bit frightened to see their eyes slipping closed and their breath coming out in even shakier inhales. “No! No! None of that! No sleeping!” He shouted and shook them sharply in a panic. He didn’t know much about what was happening but he did know that he didn’t want to find out if Tamaki sleeping meant him never waking up again. The cry that Tamaki let out at the action still made Mirio want to punch himself though. “I’m so so so sorry Tamaki, you can sleep later okay? Promise. You can sleep as much as you want later but you have to stay awake right now.” Tamaki blinked up at Mirio, barely seeming to register his words but managed to get out a very rough,

      “Okay.”

      “Great! Awesome. Just one last thing, I need to know where your apartment is. Your dad is gonna meet us there.” Tamaki told him the address and Mirio was relieved to realize they weren’t too far. Most people probably would have balked at the distance but to Mirio it was about the same length as his usually running route. Very doable. And besides Tamaki was pretty light even if it was like holding an ice cube. Mirio didn’t like what either of those things implied but there was little he could do about them right now so he just nudged Tamaki further under his jacket, even closer to his chest and began to move as fast as he dared with his precious cargo.

Chapter Text

            Tamaki awoke shivering and aching but better than he last remembered feeling. He must have had one of his worse… fits. Just opening his eyes felt like a Herculean task. It was well worth the effort though when he was rewarded with the sight of a very well toned, scar-covered chest pressed temptingly close. This was also when his body registered that the arms attached to that chest were also currently wrapped very snugly around him. Several blankets were also wrapped around them both like a burrito of warmth but Tamaki’s brain was very much stuck on the very fit body that was holding him like a teddy bear instead. He, strangely, didn’t feel afraid. Not even a little. He ached at every joint, he was still cold, well colder than usual. And yet, somehow, he felt unbelievably calm and content right now. The urge to snuggle deeper into the warmth was a strong one. So he did.

            “Oh thank goodness… I was getting scared there for a bit.” Oh. Oh no . Mirio. Mirio was the one holding him. Now it all made sense. Tamaki’s last few memories after the fight were little more than a blur but he at least knew that Mirio had been a witness to his disastrous mistake. Tamaki could only think he was so glad that turning his head towards the blonde’s face would have made him scream because it meant he had an actual reason not to. He almost wished he had fallen into a coma like all those years ago. How was he going to explain what had happened? This was the thing of his nightmares. “I’m really glad you're awake.” Tamaki’s first thought on that was ‘well I’m not’ even as he felt himself preen ever so slightly under the words. 

           The blonde then pulled away, as to not jostle Tamaki even a little, as he adjusted himself to be face to face with him. It was a small shimmying action that Tamaki realized was because they were on his couch and there was little room to spare with the both of them on it. There was so much Tamaki had wanted to say but the only words that came out were.

          “I’m sorry Mirio.” 

         “Again with the apologies? You don’t have anything you need to apologize for Tamaki. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you…”

       “No! No you shouldn’t!” The dark haired man found himself snapping, a sudden burst of indigent energy letting him ignore the pain of moving to grip Mirio’s shoulder and look him dead in the eye. “I… I wanted to tell you before anything like this happened.” 

       “‘This’ being…?” Mirio gestures loosely to all of Tamaki. 

       “Yeah. It’s called The Chilling,” 

      “Really?” 

      “I don’t know why they thought that was a good name for it either. Just let me finish explaining this properly already.” Tamaki told him with a tired frown. Mirio laughed but didn’t interrupt again. “ Anyway , simply put, it's  a magic-category illness that causes me to have an abnormally low body temperature, constantly. Very cold temperatures make me hurt and possibly go into a coma even if it won’t kill me while I do very well in warm temperatures unless I warm up too fast. Then what you saw happens and I also might fall into a coma from the shock. Fighting very hard when it’s too cold out tends to result in too abrupt of a temp change for me. Body panics, everything hurts and my whole day is shot.” 

       Tamaki was more than a bit worried by the silence that followed after he finished speaking. He wanted to scratch his arms so badly, they itched something awful and his anxiety wasn’t helping. Thankfully, Mirio did respond before he could cave into the urge. 

      “How… how long have you had it?” 

      “Since the start of high school. It’s a rare illness and they don’t know how people get it.” 

      “So there is nothing a doctor could give you that would help?” 

       “Well yes and no…. There is some magtech that can help me regulate myself when I’m bad off. But they’re expensive, they need to be replaced with every use and they are only really useful when it gets really bad. And besides, like I said, it’s rare. Too rare of an illness for them to put much effort in to make anything better. It’s not like it will kill me…”

         “Well that’s bullshit!” 

         “What?” Tamaki didn’t know why Mirio was so upset. It sucked, sure. But it still made sense. 

          “That’s. Bullshit.” Mirio repeated, making sure to punctuate each word for maximum emphasis this time. “Just cuz it’s rare doesn’t mean people aren’t suffering! Just one person suffering from it should be enough for them to care! And you can’t tell me they couldn’t make that thing a bit cheaper anyhow!” Mirio’s usually soft blue eyes were seething with rage, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Tamaki had to admit he made a good point. 

        “You’re right. It’s messed up. If my income was a bit lower or Dad didn’t have the money he does I would probably still be in a coma right now….” 

         “What?!” Crap. So much for trying to calm Mirio down.

           “Remember how I said I had it since high school? Yeah, well, the first time I had a ‘fit’ they didn’t know what was wrong and so it got to that point. I wouldn’t recommend the experience. Haven’t had that happen since though so that’s a plus.” Poor Mirio looked downright horrified. Tamaki shouldn’t have let him but when Mirio pulled him close again he couldn’t bring himself to object to the gentle gesture of affection. 

            “I hate that that happened to you. So much. But thank you for telling me.” The smile he graced Tamaki with was unbearably soft and bright. “And you should know… this doesn’t change how I feel about you. It just means I’m gonna have to hug you even more! And definitely no more outdoor dates till summer.” Tamaki wasn’t usually one to cry but Mirio was making it very hard not to. 

            “You’re… not disgusted? I’m like a block of ice, even on my best days.”

               “All I’m hearing is reasons why I should hug and cuddle you more.” That did it. The tears poured from Tamaki as Mirio just held him.  It was probably so he wouldn’t move around too much and hurt more but just this once he let himself think that maybe it was because Mirio actually wanted to hold him. 

            “You still… love me?.” Tamaki whispered into his shoulder, trying hard not to blush. 

             “Yup! Definitely!” He said it so easily but Tamaki could feel the heat of a blush spread across the blonde’s skin. Which made him blush even more than he already was. How had he ever deserved this man? 

              “Thank you Mirio. For everything.” 

              “Thanks? I don’t think I did very much though. I mean, I was the whole reason we had to fight those guys to begin with….” 

             “But you didn’t make them fight us, they did that on their own.” Tamaki countered sharply, being sure to look Mirio right in the eye as he did so. “I don’t know why you started doing the whole underground magic fighting stuff. But I trust you Mirio, and that’s all I will ever need to know.” He had meant his words to put Mirio at ease but the blonde seemed to have only become more tense upon hearing them.

             “You don’t know how much it means to me to hear that but, I don’t feel like I deserve that trust. It really was my own foolishness that dragged me into that profession...”

             “Why do you say that?” Tamaki asked as gently as possible. He wanted Mirio to be aware that this wasn’t a judgment, just an honest question. Mirio took a deep breath and answered with a heavy voice. 

             “I… When my mother died, I was so mad at the world. I was young and desperate to feel anything .” 

             “Mirio…”. 

             “It’s not an excuse, just an explanation. I fought everyone, older, younger, more experienced, less, that would. Everyone. Eventually I caught the eye of some… unpleasant people. I didn’t know they were at the time though to be fair. And they offered me a chance to prove myself in a real fight. I agreed and won. It was rigged I learned later to hook me. And they really did hook me alright….” He chucked mirthlessly before continuing. “I started making some money too from the fights I took. My dad was barely getting by so it seemed like a perfect option. I said it was from a part-time job and he believed me until he didn’t. We argued so much and he made me stop eventually. But then he got sick…” Mirio paused, his face twisting into some unreadable expression of pain. 

           Tamaki didn’t touch him but let his hand reach up and hover hesitantly over his cheek. Mirio didn’t even pause to lean into the offered palm. “It’s okay… it still hurts sometimes to remember but I have good memories of him too so don’t feel too sorry for me, okay?”

            “I’ll try.” Was all Tamaki knew he could say that wouldn’t be a lie. 

            “Thanks.” His smile was as beautiful as always but it didn’t reach his eyes like it usually did this time. “Anyway… Dad got sick. Really sick. Expensively sick. And so I ran right back to them to pay for his treatment. Before I knew it I was miles in debt to them. And that would have been fine by me if it meant my Dad lived. But he didn’t. I just have him a few more years at best and I’m now trapped by debt and barely making ends meet. To be honest I don’t know how I stuck around this long without giving in. If you think you're a mess then I’m a disaster Tamaki.” 

             “Well at least we match then huh?” Tamaki didn’t know where those words came from but they seemed to be the right ones because Mirio threw back his head and laughed uproariously. 

              “You make a very good point. Maybe… maybe we help each other. Help each other be better. God Tamaki… I love you so much .” The darker haired man was suddenly aware that Mirio’s arms had at some point crept back around him to cradle him close again. One large hand on his low back and the other running through the back of hair, their noses only a breath away from each other. “If I kissed you right now, will you promise not to run away this time?” 

               Tamaki chose not to use words to answer that question. If their first kiss that day in front of Sanctuary had been bliss then this one was sheer ecstasy. Tamaki had never felt so alive. It was like Mirio was trying to seep into every crevice of him, to settle into his heart and never leave. And Tamaki was gladly, happily, eagerly letting him. 

               But like all things it had to have an end. Only how this situation ended was hardly… pleasant. 

               It was just as they were about a few very happy minutes into the kiss that Shouta Aizawa burst into the apartment. He didn’t look panicked but he was most definitely on edge so when he saw his son pressed up against, almost under, another man with no shirt to speak of on the couch his first thoughts were hardly understanding ones. His eyes flashed dangerously as his rope-type Stave snapped out before him to grab the Blonde by his arms and neck. With a single yank he was hauled off of Tamaki and the couch.

                “Dad?!” Tamaki exclaimed in a confusion when he saw his scruffy, currently very protective, father practically choking his very new boyfriend with his Stave. He definitely hadn’t pictured them ever meeting like that was for sure. “Dad! Dad, stop! He wasn’t hurting me! You’re going to make him pass out!” Indeed, Mirio was starting to look a bit blue in the face from where he was laying on the living room floor with the magic-laced weapon. The man looked at Tamaki who was wincing as he sat himself upright to the blonde gasping on the floor then back to his son before letting the Stave go slack. 

            He made no apologies for his actions but he did help Mirio to his feet and threw his shirt at him before going to Tamaki’s side. 

             “I know you’re an adult but right now you have a lot of explaining to do. And it better be good.” He told him in a voice that left no room for argument. His face was barely better than a scowl as he slapped on some kind of bracelet that glowed to life when it touched Tamaki’s skin and wrapped the blankets better around his body that was shivering now. 

             “You might want to sit down Dad, it’s probably going to be a while.” Shouta looked supremely irritated as he took up the space beside Tamaki. When he gestured for a now fully clothed Mirio to grab a chair from the dining room it seemed almost like a threat. Just daring him to argue the seating arrangement. The blonde wisely didn’t.

              Tamaki though openly glared at his father before they began to catch him up on everything that had happened so far. Well, at least as much as he needed to know anyway. 

                “So. In summary, you both met at some bus stop in the middle of nowhere, fell in love but were idiots about it. You never mentioned the illness that could hospitalize you Tamaki, and Buff child-“

                “‘My name is Mirio actually, Sir.”

                 “Sure. So buff Mirio here conveniently forgot to mention he was an illegal magic fighter being held by coerced debt to shady people and you both get attacked by said shady people. Tamaki does it on his own stupidly, has a Fit and I get a call. And then, somewhere between the call and me showing up you have both cleared everything up and got to dating along with making out. Did I miss anything?”

              Mirio then raised his hand very bravely to add, “Well, really the guys who we fought were just goons of the shady people who have a hold on me with debts.” 

               “Noted. Anything else?”

              “Nope, you about covered it.” 

               “Good. You’re both idiots and I’m exhausted just hearing all this. But thank you for telling me. No matter how headache-inducing it was. Congrats on the dating, but” The scraggly, dark-haired man turned his eyes onto Mirio with what the blonde swore was the latent wrath of a god in them and said, “You hurt him and I will more then prove that I know people who won’t mind burying a body for me.” And just like that his eyes lost that terrifying look and were back to just looking exhausted and annoyed. “You two get some food delivered tonight and I’ll look into that debt. I have a hard time believing that’s legal. Gotta use my War Hero prestige somehow I guess.” The sigh that followed was so heavy it could have sunk a ship. 

             “War Hero?!” Mirio looked like a gasping fish with his jaw threatening to drop to the floor in shock as he realized just who this man was. But it didn’t matter because he was gone before the words had even left the blonde’s mouth. 

            “He says he doesn’t like the title. But he does still work with the Wizards from time to time as a consultant and can’t seem to find a reason not to keep his old Stave so I’m not sure how much of that to believe. Just… don’t think about it too hard.”

            “But he-“ Tamaki just shook his head with a wry smile. Mirio sighed and put his hands up in defeat. “Okay, Okay. I’ll just let go of the fact that your adopted dad is Eraserhead, one of the five great Wizard Heroes of the last Catastrophe. No big deal. Easy peasy.” 

            “Great. Glad we could agree on that. So do you want Thai food or Italian?”

            “Tamakiiiiii!”

Chapter Text

            In the end they had decided on Thai and fell asleep on the couch intertwined, shoulder to shoulder with a promise to talk more the next day. And they did. 

            “So what did you want to be if you had had the choice?” Mirio had an easy answer for that but telling Tamaki it was a lot harder than he had thought as they sat together atop Tamaki's bed the next day. 

             “You have to promise not to laugh….” 

              “I’m not going to laugh at you Mirio, I’m the one who asked.” Tamaki told him without a hint of hesitation as he turned himself to look Mirio right in the eye. Mirio was sure he would never get over just how close Tamaki was now, how fearless he could be. It always made his head turn to fluff and his face arranging itself in the most goofily adoring expression. And, best of all, he was going to get to experience it every day. It made him feel brave too. 

          “Thank you Tama.” 

          “What for?”

          “For being you.” He told him with a gentle kiss to his blush red nose. Mirio took pity on him though as he buried his very red face in his chest and answered his question. “If I had the choice I would have liked to become a Wizard.” 

         “Why would that be funny? You would be amazing at it I’m sure. My friend, Nejire, is one and she hasn’t had half the experience you've had with fighting.” 

         “You know how I said I got dragged into magic fighting young? Well… I never graduated highschool.”

         “Oh.”

        “Yup.” It was common knowledge that in order to enter the Wizard exam you needed only two things, an aptitude for magic, which everyone but a rare few have, and a highschool degree or at least the equivalent of one. If they met those requirements anyone could possibly become a Wizard. The hardest part was usually the Exam itself which had been known to be deadly is underestimated. But in Mirio’s case the degree was going to be the biggest hurdle. 

         He had long given up on that dream but Tamaki didn’t look content with that outcome. His eyes were hardened like indigo colored steel as they stared into Mirio’s. 

         “If you could take the exam? Would you Mirio?” Mirio wasn’t sure where Tamaki was going with this but he trusted his pointy-eared Boyfriend. Tamaki was his Boyfriend . Mirio swore he was never going to get over that particular change. “Mirio?” Right! Tamaki had asked him a question. 

        “Yeah, I mean totally but I’m too old for high school now…” 

         “What about night school?” 

         “That… could work. But Tamaki I can’t afford that. I’m barely able to make rent as is. And I’m probably about to lose my biggest income...” A silence fell as the words sunk in. 

          “Is that because we beat up those prices of shit yesterday?” Was it a good or bad thing that Mirio totally loved hearing Tamaki swear so openly in front of him? He wasn’t sure so he just tried to stay focused on the conversation at hand. 

           “Naaaah. Overhaul wouldn’t care about that. But he wants me to throw a fight with some kid soon… help them hook him, rope him into the same way they did with me. I won’t do it of course but they are going to come for my skin when the fight goes down and I don’t lose. And Overhaul’s reach is a long one. I would know.”

           “...... Do you have the kid’s name?”

           “It was Izuku Midoriya I think? Yeah that was it.” 

           “Dad is not an official Wizard but he does do occasional…. patrols around the city. I’m sure he can find the kid and at least warn him. If not actually help him get out of whatever has him resorting to that stuff.” 

          “That would… be a really big help.” It almost sounded too good to be true but Tamaki wasn’t one to exaggerate or offer something like this if he wasn’t at least fairly certain it could actually happen. “But even if I didn’t lose my job and ditched my debt I would still be too broke for night school Tamaki.”

        Tamaki as it turned out had an answer for that already locked and loaded. 

        “I’ll pay for them-” 

        “NO!” Mirio immediately snapped, jerking out of the cuddling position the two of them had been reclining in. “No way! I refuse to take your money Tamaki! I won’t do it!” Mirio just couldn’t see how Tamaki had thought he would be okay with that! He hated losing his cool like that but the bitter sting of hurt pride was hardly pleasant.

       “Let me finish Mirio!” That thankfully helped to calm the blonde down a few notches and he felt his hackles lowering slowly as Tamaki continued. “As I was saying, I’ll pay for them and you can pay me back when you’re a Wizard. It pays well to kill massive toxic monsters that are always trying to destroy the city after all.” 

        “So just a loan then? You’ll let me pay you back?” 

        “Yes. No interest or time limit for it, but yeah a loan.” Tamaki assured him with that small soft smile that never failed to make Mirio’s heart melt. 

        “Okay, you win.” He conceded with a laugh as he pulled Tamaki in close again. He didn’t complain. “I can’t believe I’m doing this… Gosh, it’s been so long since I’ve been in school.” And then a very real fear hit him. “What if I’ve forgotten everything?! What if I can’t pass the classes?! It’s been so long !” Immediately two lean arms wrapped around him and pulled him close, one icy hand gently turning Mirio’s panicked eyes to face the other man who was pressed against him. 

         “You’re smart Mirio. So smart. Smarter than I think you realize. You can do it. I know you can. And this time you’re not alone. I’m here to help you every step of the way.” Mirio could feel his eyes watering and he pressed his face into Tamaki’s chilly shoulder instinctively to hide his tears. He couldn’t stop them once they started and yet Tamaki took them all tenderly, effortlessly. He probably had known that sooner than now on some level but it was here with Tamaki at last that it truly hit him. He really wasn’t alone anymore. And neither was Tamaki, Mirio realized as well as he felt Tamaki’s head rest on his shoulder and tears stained his shirt too.

       They had both been so lonely that night they first met. They hadn’t even known that they had been missing something till they filled that space for one another. 

       It was only mid day but they both fell asleep like that, red swollen eyes and stained shirt and so close they were almost a single being on Tamaki’s very comfortable, queen sized bed.

-x-

        The days seemed to fly by as Mirio started his night classes and began coming over to Tamaki’s apartment almost daily. They were spending every morning they could spare together at Tamaki’s place. That was mostly because Mirio still couldn’t bring himself to let Tamaki see the slum of a place that he lived in when the other man lived in the shiny, classy university district. And the option of outdoors was still not available till spring had faded further into summer. Tamaki said it would be fine as long as he wore the right attire but Mirio was not of the same thought now that he knew and insisted they keep the outdoor time to a limit of once a week.

         Every night that wasn’t dominated by classes or a fight that Mirio couldn’t get out of was spent on studying and learning more about one another in ways they hadn’t been able to before with all the secrets between them. In hindsight it was probably only natural that at some point learning about each other got a bit more… physical. There really was no rhyme or reason to it being that night. It started out simply enough with studying plant Biology terms and Mirio was struggling to get them memorized. 

        “Aaaaargh! I give up! It’s hopeless Tamaki! I’m never going to remember this stuff!” 

        “Well not with an attitude like that you’re not.” Tamaki snapped unsympathetically as Mirio rolled like a child across the bedroom floor, the flash cards with the terms he needed to learn for the exam now strewn around them both. “Come on, get up Mirio.” 

         “Not unless you kiss me!” 

         “Well you’re not getting THAT until you have memorized at least half of these terms.” 

         “My brain is dead! Have mercy!” Mirio moaned dramatically and Tamaki just rolled his eyes. But then an idea hit him. It was a slightly self indulgent type of idea but one that might actually solve their problem. 

         “Tell you what, how about I kiss you when you get a term right and no kiss when you get it wrong.” 

         “Tamaki, are you trying to bribe me with kisses?” Mirio’s eyebrow was raised in a question but his wide smile and just a twinge of too much excitement in his eyes that gave his true thoughts on the offer away. 

         “It’s not a bribe. Just… an incentive.” Mirio laughed and sat up to pull in close to Tamaki. 

         “Fair enough. You’ve got a deal.” 

          And sure enough, within the two hours Mirio had obtained 20 kisses in a row. Not a single wrong answer… and yet when the twentieth kiss was given Tamaki found he really didn’t want it to end. Each kiss had been warmer, deeper and more wonderful than the last. And now there would be no more excuses for another. His idea had been almost too effective... 

        That thought must have occured to Mirio too because he lingered far more than the last time. His warm hands slipped under the hem of Tamaki’s loose long sleeve shirt almost desperately, wandering across the perpetually cold skin of his back. 

      “Tamaki. Can I… I love you?” The words took Tamaki by surprise and he pulled himself back slightly to face Mirio properly. 

      “What do you-“ The rest of that question died a premature death on his lips when his eyes met Mirio’s. “Oh. You meant to have sex.” It was unbearably adorable how Mirio blushed all the way to his ears and round his neck. Tamaki was usually the embarrassed one so this was a nice change. Sex wasn’t really something he was embarrassed to talk about with people he knew well. But as for his past experiences with the act…Those had left him with a bitter taste indeed. 

       “Yeah. That.” Mirio finally said with a sheepish smile. “I’ve never… I mean…” The blonde suddenly seemed unbelievably fragile, as if Tamaki’s response was everything. “Tamaki.” He turned to face him and found his face being cradled in Mirio’s hands. “You mean more than I could ever put into words and I just… you’re my boyfriend and I’m still so happy about that. But you’re also so much more to me. And while I’ve never… done it before I want to. With you. Like I never have with anyone else.” 

       “Mirio….” Tamaki found the small distance between them offensive and closed it without a moment's haste. Mirio’s lips were unbearably delicious under his own now that he had managed to accept that Mirio didn’t find the chill that lingered on them any kind of deterrent. But the noise he let out when one Mirio’s hand snuck back under his shirt and the other under his thighs to hoist him into the air was… unexpected. 

        “Tamaki…” Tamaki had never heard his name whispered like that as he was lower onto the bed. Like it was something truly precious and fragile and yet burned through him like a raging wildfire. For the first time in his life Tamaki felt actually hot. “ Tamaki… will you let me-“

         “Yes Mirio. Yes .” Tamaki gasped as he stared up into those peculiarly shaped blue eyes. Eyes that were looking at him like he was the sun itself. Tamaki couldn’t help but feel suddenly unworthy though, more aware than ever of the cold that still permeated his body even now. Logically he knew Mirio wouldn’t have offered it if he hadn’t wanted to and yet… again the memories of old wounds tainted the moment. Of expressions of forced feelings and a barely tolerated coldness. 

        “Tamaki? What’s wrong?” Oh. When had he begun to cry? He was only faintly aware of the action due to Mirio tenderly wiping the wetness away. 

        “I-I don’t know Mirio… I’m sorry.” 

       “So many apologies.” Mirio said with a soft chuckle. “We don’t have to keep going if you're not ready Tamaki. I’m not in any hurry.” His words were so earnest and honest. They only made Tamaki’s guilt and frustration with himself grow. 

       “It’s not that Mirio. God. I want to do this but I think- I think I need to hear it from you. Do you honestly not find my body’s coldness uncomfortable? Unpleasant?” The blonde had been leaning away slightly to instinctively give Tamaki a bit of space but now he surged forward to pull Tamaki into a kiss that was so aggressive Tamaki felt their teeth click against one another as he began to pull the shirt off of him. 

       “Who made you feel like that? Who did that to you? Who made you feel less for something like that? I want to punch them so badly right now.” He demanded between furious kisses all across his now exposed skin. The seething rage in his words and kisses of equal fire were like brands on Tamaki’s skin and yet he found he didn’t mind the sensation. “You could never be anything less than a blessing to me Tamaki.”

       “And you to me Mirio…” Tamaki whispered with his whole being. This man was Tamaki’s forever. Mirio didn’t have just his heart, he had his very soul in his hands. And yet Tamaki felt no fear at all because he knew, he knew Mirio would treasure it without even being asked. 

       Every movement was gentle, thoughtful, if not slightly clumsy, between them. The last of the barriers between them crumbling as they fell into each other til the sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon of the next day. 

-x-

        Tamaki’s first thought when he awoke to the sound of clattering kitchenware was that Nejire must have invaded his home again. What had at one point been a mild, almost fond irritation was suddenly so much worse as he remembered what had occured just last night. Mirio was still pressed up against him as the big spoon with only boxers on him and Tamaki himself had only put on some loose underwear and his favorite butterfly sleep pants. They had been too tired to care about more than showering and cuddling together after they had finished. Clothes hadn’t seemed as important then but now Tamaki knew if Nejire walked in on them right she would never let him live this down. He had told her he had a boyfriend by now but still… it was Nejire. She had been surprisingly unobtrusive about it all up til now but Tamaki didn’t want to test where her patience ended. And definitely not like this. 

        “Mirio! Mirio, wake up!” Tamaki said in a panicked hiss as he shook the blonde awake. He was loath to do it, Mirio looked so peaceful with the sunlight that was cracking through the bedroom’s thick curtains throwing him into perfect relief. But he couldn’t begin to imagine what would ensue if Nejire found them. He had to get Mirio to hide. Which was easier said than done because while Mirio didn't have any problem waking up, he also just didn’t see a reason to hide. 

        “I don’t know why I shouldn’t meet her. She is your best friend, right? And I don’t think she is gonna give me a shovel talk like your Dad so it should be fine.” He reasoned cheerily as he put on his pants from yesterday and one of Tamaki’s biggest hoodies. It still managed to look a bit small on him. 

      “Oh no, you don’t know Nejire. A shovel talk would be preferable actually. She will just want to know every detail about everything we have been up to.”

       “All of it?” Mirio looked a bit sceptical but also a bit more concerned now. 

       “All of it.” He confirmed with a solemn nod. Mirio made an expression that Tamaki might have called mild disgusted but it also had undertones of utter confusion and bemusement to it. At any rate it was at least entertaining to see. “I love her but her all-encompassing curiosity can be deadly and occasionally bleach- worthy.” 

        “And she is your best friend?” 

        “Yes. Don’t ask me how, I don’t even understand it myself. But she knows me better than anyone else and has always had my back so…” Mirio smiled at him knowingly before leaning in to kiss his forehead sweetly. 

         “Then I’m sure I’ll survive. You stay here and get dressed while I distract her.” Tamaki could only sigh in defeat and kiss Mirio chastely on the lips before he left him for the kitchen.

-x- 

         Mirio realized a bit too late that Tamaki had made a mistake about who had been raiding his kitchen. Because the minute he walked in he was greeted with the sight of not one but two people and the female of the two was most definitely too young to be one Nejire Hadou. The teen with wild purple hair was directing the girl with long silver who couldn’t have been more than 5 five to pour in a cup of what looked to be flour into a large bowl as he stirred. She was standing on a stepladder in order to reach the countertop. 

         “Um hi?” Both heads turned in unison to face him. The little girl looked at him like a deer in the headlights but the teen’s expression was frighteningly familiar.

         “Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in Tamaki’s place?” It was phrased like a question but it sounded more like an accusation. The little girl gasped at the older boy though.

           “Toshi-Nii!!” 

          “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” 

          “I’m his brother, asshole.” The girl looked even more scandalized than the first time the boy had sworn at him and she scolded him accordingly. 

          “Toshi-Nii those are not nice words! Tama-Nii will be upset!” Mirio’s eyes went wide as it dawned on him who these two were. Tamaki had mentioned more than once that he had two younger, also adopted, siblings and that they might come by at some point. He had never been given a description or their ages though so it wasn’t entirely his fault. 

           “Eri, he is a stranger in Tamaki’s apartment. He could be a really bad guy for all we know, I’m not going to be nice to him.” She looked away and pouted slightly at that. Mirio fought the urge to awww at it as he saw the teen eyeing the knife block. 

          “I’m not a bad guy I swear! My name is Mirio, Mirio Toogata. And you two are Tamaki’s siblings?” If Mirio had thought giving them his name would have improved his current position then he was sorely mistaken because suddenly the purple haired teenager lunged for the knife block and in one fluid motion hurtled two of them at Mirio. Neither hit him thanks to his reflexes but at least one of them was now buried in the wall directly behind his head. 

           “Geez kid! What is with your family and attacking people?!” The said kid looked completely unrepentant as he shrugged his shoulders. 

           “Had to be sure you weren’t a faker. Dad told me you’re an Underground Magic Fighter so it wouldn’t have hit if you were for real. And because you’re Tamaki’s new boyfriend. Which means I’m watching you to be sure you don’t fuck him over like the others.” Okay, that last part he understood. He only knew a little bit about Tamaki’s ex or exes and he already hated them with a passion. It made sense his brother would worry after them, even if throwing knives at him seemed a bit excessive. 

           “Toshi-Nii, can I do the rest of stirring?” The white haired girl, Eri, was apparently unphased by her brother throwing knives at people even though she had been so put out by swearing. In fact she had already turned her attention back to whatever they had been making before he showed up.

         “Sure thing. It doesn’t need anything so just keep at it as long as you can. Let me know if you get tired okay?”

         “Okay.” 

         “Mirio are you-” They all turned to Tamaki as he entered. Tamaki took one look at them all and groaned, rubbing one hand tiredly across his face. “It’s Cat Pancakes Day isn’t it?”

        “Yup. You forgot, didn't you?” Tamaki didn’t even try to hide his guilty expression as Eri abandoned her stirring to run up and hug Tamaki’s legs. He picked her up and tried not to wince at the weight, making him aware of his still rather sore behind as the teen continued. “When you didn’t pick up or call us back by noon we decided to just get a head start on you and make you eat the cold failures.” 

        “No we didn’t! Toshi-Nii is just being mean!” Eri chimed in. 

         “Is he now? And just how mean has he been to Mirio?” 

         “Lots. He called him two mean words and threw knives at him.” 

         “Hitoshi!” Tamaki snarled at his younger brother. 

         “What?! I didn’t hit him or anything!” It was almost like watching a ping pong match as the two and sometimes three went back and forth. Was this what having siblings was like Mirio had to wonder as he watched them. He had never had a sibling and he couldn’t quite decide right now if that was a good thing or not. Eventually he realized if he wanted to talk to them he was going to have to interrupt them. 

        “Okay so, hi I’m new here. Could someone explain to me what Cat Pancakes Day is? Because it sounds great but I don’t want to make any assumptions.”

       “You don’t have a Cat Pancakes Day?” Eri looked so sorry for him. Like he had been deprived of something truly great. 

        “It’s the day all three of us get together at my place and make cat shaped pancakes and play games together. It started because of Dad having this annual meeting he can’t get out of and now it’s just a tradition we have.” Tamaki told him with a shrug and a fond smile. 

       “That sounds great! I know I’m just the boyfriend here but can I join in?” Suddenly little Eri leaned in close to Tamaki’s pointed ear and shyly whispered something that made Tamaki laugh and his eyes go soft. 

      “Of course! I’m sure Mirio would be very happy for you to show him how it’s done.” He told her as he put her back down on the ground. 

       She looked up at him a bit nervously for several moments and Mirio wondered if her courage was going to fail and she would run back to her brothers but then she grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the counter and her stepladder. 

       “Tama-Nii’s pancakes are always the best so don’t worry if they don’t look as good.” She told him very seriously so he nodded his head equally seriously and let her direct him how to pour the batter to get just the right kitty head shape to it. It was adorable. She was adorable.

       Maybe one day she would call her Mirio-Nii and he would impress them all with his perfect Cat pancakes. But it was not this day.  His pancakes were either burned black or almost raw. Thankfully Eri didn’t seem to mind how badly they turned out and said it was a good first try and that they looked really funny which he was choosing to take as a compliment. He could feel the judging smirk from Hitoshi as they ate though. Mirio decided to just ignore him. There was sense in raising to the bait of a teen who had no problem throwing knives at people after all. 

       Tamaki’s pancake creations were much more of a success. Mirio almost felt bad for eating them with how cute they turned out. Almost being the key word. He was still a growing young man who hadn’t eaten in several hours. They all sat on the living room floor and ate them as they played through a truly impressive number of old world games. By six though Eri was asleep on Hitoshi’s lap and it was clear that it was time for the younger ones to start heading back home. 

        Hitoshi hoisted Eri up in one arm as he stood, letting her little head rest on his shoulder still fast asleep. Tamaki and Mirio saw them both to the door but before he left Hitoshi turned to give them a wicked grin. One not so dissimilar to their adopted Father’s. 

       “Just so you know. I know you two fucked last night.” Tamaki audibly choked on air, Mirio was much better and they both were blushing my red tomatoes. 

        “Hitoshi!” 

        “Don’t worry, I don’t care what stuff you two get up to but if you think I won’t use this sometime in the future Tamaki then you're going to be in for a surprise.” And without another word he walked out, closing the front door behind him as he went.

Chapter Text

            In the end they had decided on Thai and fell asleep on the couch intertwined, shoulder to shoulder with a promise to talk more the next day. And they did. 

            “So what did you want to be if you had had the choice?” Mirio had an easy answer for that but telling Tamaki it was a lot harder than he had thought as they sat together atop Tamaki's bed the next day. 

             “You have to promise not to laugh….” 

              “I’m not going to laugh at you Mirio, I’m the one who asked.” Tamaki told him without a hint of hesitation as he turned himself to look Mirio right in the eye. Mirio was sure he would never get over just how close Tamaki was now, how fearless he could be. It always made his head turn to fluff and his face arranging itself in the most goofily adoring expression. And, best of all, he was going to get to experience it every day. It made him feel brave too. 

          “Thank you Tama.” 

          “What for?”

          “For being you.” He told him with a gentle kiss to his blush red nose. Mirio took pity on him though as he buried his very red face in his chest and answered his question. “If I had the choice I would have liked to become a Wizard.” 

         “Why would that be funny? You would be amazing at it I’m sure. My friend, Nejire, is one and she hasn’t had half the experience you've had with fighting.” 

         “You know how I said I got dragged into magic fighting young? Well… I never graduated highschool.”

         “Oh.”

        “Yup.” It was common knowledge that in order to enter the Wizard exam you needed only two things, an aptitude for magic, which everyone but a rare few have, and a highschool degree or at least the equivalent of one. If they met those requirements anyone could possibly become a Wizard. The hardest part was usually the Exam itself which had been known to be deadly is underestimated. But in Mirio’s case the degree was going to be the biggest hurdle. 

         He had long given up on that dream but Tamaki didn’t look content with that outcome. His eyes were hardened like indigo colored steel as they stared into Mirio’s. 

         “If you could take the exam? Would you Mirio?” Mirio wasn’t sure where Tamaki was going with this but he trusted his pointy-eared Boyfriend. Tamaki was his Boyfriend . Mirio swore he was never going to get over that particular change. “Mirio?” Right! Tamaki had asked him a question. 

        “Yeah, I mean totally but I’m too old for high school now…” 

         “What about night school?” 

         “That… could work. But Tamaki I can’t afford that. I’m barely able to make rent as is. And I’m probably about to lose my biggest income...” A silence fell as the words sunk in. 

          “Is that because we beat up those prices of shit yesterday?” Was it a good or bad thing that Mirio totally loved hearing Tamaki swear so openly in front of him? He wasn’t sure so he just tried to stay focused on the conversation at hand. 

           “Naaaah. Overhaul wouldn’t care about that. But he wants me to throw a fight with some kid soon… help them hook him, rope him into the same way they did with me. I won’t do it of course but they are going to come for my skin when the fight goes down and I don’t lose. And Overhaul’s reach is a long one. I would know.”

           “...... Do you have the kid’s name?”

           “It was Izuku Midoriya I think? Yeah that was it.” 

           “Dad is not an official Wizard but he does do occasional…. patrols around the city. I’m sure he can find the kid and at least warn him. If not actually help him get out of whatever has him resorting to that stuff.” 

          “That would… be a really big help.” It almost sounded too good to be true but Tamaki wasn’t one to exaggerate or offer something like this if he wasn’t at least fairly certain it could actually happen. “But even if I didn’t lose my job and ditched my debt I would still be too broke for night school Tamaki.”

        Tamaki as it turned out had an answer for that already locked and loaded. 

        “I’ll pay for them-” 

        “NO!” Mirio immediately snapped, jerking out of the cuddling position the two of them had been reclining in. “No way! I refuse to take your money Tamaki! I won’t do it!” Mirio just couldn’t see how Tamaki had thought he would be okay with that! He hated losing his cool like that but the bitter sting of hurt pride was hardly pleasant.

       “Let me finish Mirio!” That thankfully helped to calm the blonde down a few notches and he felt his hackles lowering slowly as Tamaki continued. “As I was saying, I’ll pay for them and you can pay me back when you’re a Wizard. It pays well to kill massive toxic monsters that are always trying to destroy the city after all.” 

        “So just a loan then? You’ll let me pay you back?” 

        “Yes. No interest or time limit for it, but yeah a loan.” Tamaki assured him with that small soft smile that never failed to make Mirio’s heart melt. 

        “Okay, you win.” He conceded with a laugh as he pulled Tamaki in close again. He didn’t complain. “I can’t believe I’m doing this… Gosh, it’s been so long since I’ve been in school.” And then a very real fear hit him. “What if I’ve forgotten everything?! What if I can’t pass the classes?! It’s been so long !” Immediately two lean arms wrapped around him and pulled him close, one icy hand gently turning Mirio’s panicked eyes to face the other man who was pressed against him. 

         “You’re smart Mirio. So smart. Smarter than I think you realize. You can do it. I know you can. And this time you’re not alone. I’m here to help you every step of the way.” Mirio could feel his eyes watering and he pressed his face into Tamaki’s chilly shoulder instinctively to hide his tears. He couldn’t stop them once they started and yet Tamaki took them all tenderly, effortlessly. He probably had known that sooner than now on some level but it was here with Tamaki at last that it truly hit him. He really wasn’t alone anymore. And neither was Tamaki, Mirio realized as well as he felt Tamaki’s head rest on his shoulder and tears stained his shirt too.

       They had both been so lonely that night they first met. They hadn’t even known that they had been missing something till they filled that space for one another. 

       It was only mid day but they both fell asleep like that, red swollen eyes and stained shirt and so close they were almost a single being on Tamaki’s very comfortable, queen sized bed.

-x-

        The days seemed to fly by as Mirio started his night classes and began coming over to Tamaki’s apartment almost daily. They were spending every morning they could spare together at Tamaki’s place. That was mostly because Mirio still couldn’t bring himself to let Tamaki see the slum of a place that he lived in when the other man lived in the shiny, classy university district. And the option of outdoors was still not available till spring had faded further into summer. Tamaki said it would be fine as long as he wore the right attire but Mirio was not of the same thought now that he knew and insisted they keep the outdoor time to a limit of once a week.

         Every night that wasn’t dominated by classes or a fight that Mirio couldn’t get out of was spent on studying and learning more about one another in ways they hadn’t been able to before with all the secrets between them. In hindsight it was probably only natural that at some point learning about each other got a bit more… physical. There really was no rhyme or reason to it being that night. It started out simply enough with studying plant Biology terms and Mirio was struggling to get them memorized. 

        “Aaaaargh! I give up! It’s hopeless Tamaki! I’m never going to remember this stuff!” 

        “Well not with an attitude like that you’re not.” Tamaki snapped unsympathetically as Mirio rolled like a child across the bedroom floor, the flash cards with the terms he needed to learn for the exam now strewn around them both. “Come on, get up Mirio.” 

         “Not unless you kiss me!” 

         “Well you’re not getting THAT until you have memorized at least half of these terms.” 

         “My brain is dead! Have mercy!” Mirio moaned dramatically and Tamaki just rolled his eyes. But then an idea hit him. It was a slightly self indulgent type of idea but one that might actually solve their problem. 

         “Tell you what, how about I kiss you when you get a term right and no kiss when you get it wrong.” 

         “Tamaki, are you trying to bribe me with kisses?” Mirio’s eyebrow was raised in a question but his wide smile and just a twinge of too much excitement in his eyes that gave his true thoughts on the offer away. 

         “It’s not a bribe. Just… an incentive.” Mirio laughed and sat up to pull in close to Tamaki. 

         “Fair enough. You’ve got a deal.” 

          And sure enough, within the two hours Mirio had obtained 20 kisses in a row. Not a single wrong answer… and yet when the twentieth kiss was given Tamaki found he really didn’t want it to end. Each kiss had been warmer, deeper and more wonderful than the last. And now there would be no more excuses for another. His idea had been almost too effective... 

        That thought must have occured to Mirio too because he lingered far more than the last time. His warm hands slipped under the hem of Tamaki’s loose long sleeve shirt almost desperately, wandering across the perpetually cold skin of his back. 

      “Tamaki. Can I… I love you?” The words took Tamaki by surprise and he pulled himself back slightly to face Mirio properly. 

      “What do you-“ The rest of that question died a premature death on his lips when his eyes met Mirio’s. “Oh. You meant to have sex.” It was unbearably adorable how Mirio blushed all the way to his ears and round his neck. Tamaki was usually the embarrassed one so this was a nice change. Sex wasn’t really something he was embarrassed to talk about with people he knew well. But as for his past experiences with the act…Those had left him with a bitter taste indeed. 

       “Yeah. That.” Mirio finally said with a sheepish smile. “I’ve never… I mean…” The blonde suddenly seemed unbelievably fragile, as if Tamaki’s response was everything. “Tamaki.” He turned to face him and found his face being cradled in Mirio’s hands. “You mean more than I could ever put into words and I just… you’re my boyfriend and I’m still so happy about that. But you’re also so much more to me. And while I’ve never… done it before I want to. With you. Like I never have with anyone else.” 

       “Mirio….” Tamaki found the small distance between them offensive and closed it without a moment's haste. Mirio’s lips were unbearably delicious under his own now that he had managed to accept that Mirio didn’t find the chill that lingered on them any kind of deterrent. But the noise he let out when one Mirio’s hand snuck back under his shirt and the other under his thighs to hoist him into the air was… unexpected. 

        “Tamaki…” Tamaki had never heard his name whispered like that as he was lower onto the bed. Like it was something truly precious and fragile and yet burned through him like a raging wildfire. For the first time in his life Tamaki felt actually hot. “ Tamaki… will you let me-“

         “Yes Mirio. Yes .” Tamaki gasped as he stared up into those peculiarly shaped blue eyes. Eyes that were looking at him like he was the sun itself. Tamaki couldn’t help but feel suddenly unworthy though, more aware than ever of the cold that still permeated his body even now. Logically he knew Mirio wouldn’t have offered it if he hadn’t wanted to and yet… again the memories of old wounds tainted the moment. Of expressions of forced feelings and a barely tolerated coldness. 

        “Tamaki? What’s wrong?” Oh. When had he begun to cry? He was only faintly aware of the action due to Mirio tenderly wiping the wetness away. 

        “I-I don’t know Mirio… I’m sorry.” 

       “So many apologies.” Mirio said with a soft chuckle. “We don’t have to keep going if you're not ready Tamaki. I’m not in any hurry.” His words were so earnest and honest. They only made Tamaki’s guilt and frustration with himself grow. 

       “It’s not that Mirio. God. I want to do this but I think- I think I need to hear it from you. Do you honestly not find my body’s coldness uncomfortable? Unpleasant?” The blonde had been leaning away slightly to instinctively give Tamaki a bit of space but now he surged forward to pull Tamaki into a kiss that was so aggressive Tamaki felt their teeth click against one another as he began to pull the shirt off of him. 

       “Who made you feel like that? Who did that to you? Who made you feel less for something like that? I want to punch them so badly right now.” He demanded between furious kisses all across his now exposed skin. The seething rage in his words and kisses of equal fire were like brands on Tamaki’s skin and yet he found he didn’t mind the sensation. “You could never be anything less than a blessing to me Tamaki.”

       “And you to me Mirio…” Tamaki whispered with his whole being. This man was Tamaki’s forever. Mirio didn’t have just his heart, he had his very soul in his hands. And yet Tamaki felt no fear at all because he knew, he knew Mirio would treasure it without even being asked. 

       Every movement was gentle, thoughtful, if not slightly clumsy, between them. The last of the barriers between them crumbling as they fell into each other til the sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon of the next day. 

-x-

        Tamaki’s first thought when he awoke to the sound of clattering kitchenware was that Nejire must have invaded his home again. What had at one point been a mild, almost fond irritation was suddenly so much worse as he remembered what had occured just last night. Mirio was still pressed up against him as the big spoon with only boxers on him and Tamaki himself had only put on some loose underwear and his favorite butterfly sleep pants. They had been too tired to care about more than showering and cuddling together after they had finished. Clothes hadn’t seemed as important then but now Tamaki knew if Nejire walked in on them right she would never let him live this down. He had told her he had a boyfriend by now but still… it was Nejire. She had been surprisingly unobtrusive about it all up til now but Tamaki didn’t want to test where her patience ended. And definitely not like this. 

        “Mirio! Mirio, wake up!” Tamaki said in a panicked hiss as he shook the blonde awake. He was loath to do it, Mirio looked so peaceful with the sunlight that was cracking through the bedroom’s thick curtains throwing him into perfect relief. But he couldn’t begin to imagine what would ensue if Nejire found them. He had to get Mirio to hide. Which was easier said than done because while Mirio didn't have any problem waking up, he also just didn’t see a reason to hide. 

        “I don’t know why I shouldn’t meet her. She is your best friend, right? And I don’t think she is gonna give me a shovel talk like your Dad so it should be fine.” He reasoned cheerily as he put on his pants from yesterday and one of Tamaki’s biggest hoodies. It still managed to look a bit small on him. 

      “Oh no, you don’t know Nejire. A shovel talk would be preferable actually. She will just want to know every detail about everything we have been up to.”

       “All of it?” Mirio looked a bit sceptical but also a bit more concerned now. 

       “All of it.” He confirmed with a solemn nod. Mirio made an expression that Tamaki might have called mild disgusted but it also had undertones of utter confusion and bemusement to it. At any rate it was at least entertaining to see. “I love her but her all-encompassing curiosity can be deadly and occasionally bleach- worthy.” 

        “And she is your best friend?” 

        “Yes. Don’t ask me how, I don’t even understand it myself. But she knows me better than anyone else and has always had my back so…” Mirio smiled at him knowingly before leaning in to kiss his forehead sweetly. 

         “Then I’m sure I’ll survive. You stay here and get dressed while I distract her.” Tamaki could only sigh in defeat and kiss Mirio chastely on the lips before he left him for the kitchen.

-x- 

         Mirio realized a bit too late that Tamaki had made a mistake about who had been raiding his kitchen. Because the minute he walked in he was greeted with the sight of not one but two people and the female of the two was most definitely too young to be one Nejire Hadou. The teen with wild purple hair was directing the girl with long silver who couldn’t have been more than 5 five to pour in a cup of what looked to be flour into a large bowl as he stirred. She was standing on a stepladder in order to reach the countertop. 

         “Um hi?” Both heads turned in unison to face him. The little girl looked at him like a deer in the headlights but the teen’s expression was frighteningly familiar.

         “Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in Tamaki’s place?” It was phrased like a question but it sounded more like an accusation. The little girl gasped at the older boy though.

           “Toshi-Nii!!” 

          “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” 

          “I’m his brother, asshole.” The girl looked even more scandalized than the first time the boy had sworn at him and she scolded him accordingly. 

          “Toshi-Nii those are not nice words! Tama-Nii will be upset!” Mirio’s eyes went wide as it dawned on him who these two were. Tamaki had mentioned more than once that he had two younger, also adopted, siblings and that they might come by at some point. He had never been given a description or their ages though so it wasn’t entirely his fault. 

           “Eri, he is a stranger in Tamaki’s apartment. He could be a really bad guy for all we know, I’m not going to be nice to him.” She looked away and pouted slightly at that. Mirio fought the urge to awww at it as he saw the teen eyeing the knife block. 

          “I’m not a bad guy I swear! My name is Mirio, Mirio Toogata. And you two are Tamaki’s siblings?” If Mirio had thought giving them his name would have improved his current position then he was sorely mistaken because suddenly the purple haired teenager lunged for the knife block and in one fluid motion hurtled two of them at Mirio. Neither hit him thanks to his reflexes but at least one of them was now buried in the wall directly behind his head. 

           “Geez kid! What is with your family and attacking people?!” The said kid looked completely unrepentant as he shrugged his shoulders. 

           “Had to be sure you weren’t a faker. Dad told me you’re an Underground Magic Fighter so it wouldn’t have hit if you were for real. And because you’re Tamaki’s new boyfriend. Which means I’m watching you to be sure you don’t fuck him over like the others.” Okay, that last part he understood. He only knew a little bit about Tamaki’s ex or exes and he already hated them with a passion. It made sense his brother would worry after them, even if throwing knives at him seemed a bit excessive. 

           “Toshi-Nii, can I do the rest of stirring?” The white haired girl, Eri, was apparently unphased by her brother throwing knives at people even though she had been so put out by swearing. In fact she had already turned her attention back to whatever they had been making before he showed up.

         “Sure thing. It doesn’t need anything so just keep at it as long as you can. Let me know if you get tired okay?”

         “Okay.” 

         “Mirio are you-” They all turned to Tamaki as he entered. Tamaki took one look at them all and groaned, rubbing one hand tiredly across his face. “It’s Cat Pancakes Day isn’t it?”

        “Yup. You forgot, didn't you?” Tamaki didn’t even try to hide his guilty expression as Eri abandoned her stirring to run up and hug Tamaki’s legs. He picked her up and tried not to wince at the weight, making him aware of his still rather sore behind as the teen continued. “When you didn’t pick up or call us back by noon we decided to just get a head start on you and make you eat the cold failures.” 

        “No we didn’t! Toshi-Nii is just being mean!” Eri chimed in. 

         “Is he now? And just how mean has he been to Mirio?” 

         “Lots. He called him two mean words and threw knives at him.” 

         “Hitoshi!” Tamaki snarled at his younger brother. 

         “What?! I didn’t hit him or anything!” It was almost like watching a ping pong match as the two and sometimes three went back and forth. Was this what having siblings was like Mirio had to wonder as he watched them. He had never had a sibling and he couldn’t quite decide right now if that was a good thing or not. Eventually he realized if he wanted to talk to them he was going to have to interrupt them. 

        “Okay so, hi I’m new here. Could someone explain to me what Cat Pancakes Day is? Because it sounds great but I don’t want to make any assumptions.”

       “You don’t have a Cat Pancakes Day?” Eri looked so sorry for him. Like he had been deprived of something truly great. 

        “It’s the day all three of us get together at my place and make cat shaped pancakes and play games together. It started because of Dad having this annual meeting he can’t get out of and now it’s just a tradition we have.” Tamaki told him with a shrug and a fond smile. 

       “That sounds great! I know I’m just the boyfriend here but can I join in?” Suddenly little Eri leaned in close to Tamaki’s pointed ear and shyly whispered something that made Tamaki laugh and his eyes go soft. 

      “Of course! I’m sure Mirio would be very happy for you to show him how it’s done.” He told her as he put her back down on the ground. 

       She looked up at him a bit nervously for several moments and Mirio wondered if her courage was going to fail and she would run back to her brothers but then she grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the counter and her stepladder. 

       “Tama-Nii’s pancakes are always the best so don’t worry if they don’t look as good.” She told him very seriously so he nodded his head equally seriously and let her direct him how to pour the batter to get just the right kitty head shape to it. It was adorable. She was adorable.

       Maybe one day she would call her Mirio-Nii and he would impress them all with his perfect Cat pancakes. But it was not this day.  His pancakes were either burned black or almost raw. Thankfully Eri didn’t seem to mind how badly they turned out and said it was a good first try and that they looked really funny which he was choosing to take as a compliment. He could feel the judging smirk from Hitoshi as they ate though. Mirio decided to just ignore him. There was sense in raising to the bait of a teen who had no problem throwing knives at people after all. 

       Tamaki’s pancake creations were much more of a success. Mirio almost felt bad for eating them with how cute they turned out. Almost being the key word. He was still a growing young man who hadn’t eaten in several hours. They all sat on the living room floor and ate them as they played through a truly impressive number of old world games. By six though Eri was asleep on Hitoshi’s lap and it was clear that it was time for the younger ones to start heading back home. 

        Hitoshi hoisted Eri up in one arm as he stood, letting her little head rest on his shoulder still fast asleep. Tamaki and Mirio saw them both to the door but before he left Hitoshi turned to give them a wicked grin. One not so dissimilar to their adopted Father’s. 

       “Just so you know. I know you two fucked last night.” Tamaki audibly choked on air, Mirio was much better and they both were blushing my red tomatoes. 

        “Hitoshi!” 

        “Don’t worry, I don’t care what stuff you two get up to but if you think I won’t use this sometime in the future Tamaki then you're going to be in for a surprise.” And without another word he walked out, closing the front door behind him as he went. 

Chapter Text

         Mirio’s night classes had finally paid off and all that was left to prepare for the coming Exam. It was one of their rare free days while cleaning that Mirio stumbled across the form though. It had been just another crumpled up ball of paper that he had spotted behind the couch one day. It was pure chance that he decided to take a peek at it before throwing it into the trash. Imagine his shock to read in bright bold writing and half filled out an application for the Wizards Exam, for Tamaki. 

         “You wanted to be a Wizard too!” Mirio exclaimed in an almost betrayed tone to Tamaki who had just walked in. How could Tamaki have stood there and just encouraged him, supported him in his dream while never even mentioning that that dream was actually his too? 

        Tamaki had suddenly turned a sickly gray  color at the sight of the paper Mirio had clenched in his hands. It wasn’t hard to see that Tamaki had never expected anyone to see it. 

         “I… I did. A long time ago. Mirio, it was an impulse thing. I was never going to send it in.”

         “But why not?! You’re amazing in a fight! They should be begging to have you!”

         “Sure I can fight Mirio but you saw how well that ended. They would never take me…” 

          “No! You don’t get to let what you want slip away while you make sure I reach mine! Think about it Tamaki! Outside the Pillar Boundaries are the Wastes. If you go on assignments out there the weather won’t matter! You’ll have to wear fully body gear anyway!” 

         “Fine! Say you’re right and by some miracle they do overlook my illness. There is still the fact that I can’t fight for shit with a Stave. I’m too used to Old Magic, I would be useless in their eyes!”  

       “Challenge that! Prove them wrong! Make them see you Tamaki!” 

        “You make it sound so easy!” 

         “I know it’s not!” They were both practically shouting. “But damn it Tamaki let me help you!” Silence. When Tamaki finally spoke it was a little more than a whisper, fragile almost.  

          “I was scared… I still am. I’m not as brave as you Mirio. Not even close.” 

          “That's not true at all and you know it Tamaki. You are so unbelievably brave, you just can’t see it.” Mirio said with a soft smile and cradled Tamaki’s angular face in his wide calloused hands. “After all, it’s one of my absolute favorite things about you Tamaki.” Tamaki seemed to have a lot he wanted to say but in the end his eyes simply went soft and reached up to hold Mirio’s face in a mirroring gesture. 

           “You are a sap Mirio Toogata.” The words tasted sweet between them as their foreheads rested lightly against one another’s. 

           “Only for you Tamaki Aizawa.” 

          “Such a sap…”

         “Does that mean you're going to do it with me?”

          “I don’t- Mirio I-“ 

         “Please? Just at least give it a try? You can only fail if you never try right?”

         “When did you get so prophetic on me?”

        “It’s a talent of mine.” 

        “I can see that.” The words held a laugh in them as they were said and Mirio let himself hope that maybe just maybe…. “Okay.”

       “Okay?”

       “Okay, I’ll do it.” 

       “YES! We are going to blow them away! I just know it!”

       “Mirio put me down!” He didn’t. “You're going to knock something over!” He did but he didn’t care. They were going to become Wizards together and nothing could have been better. 

-x-

         The Wizard Exam date was now drawing close, only two weeks more. So the news from his Dad that yes indeed the debt had been greatly exaggerated, that Mirio had indeed paid it all off ages ago, couldn’t have come any sooner. 

       It was only when he was already on his way with the good news and two exam entrance letters in hand that he realized he probably should have called ahead to let Mirio know he was coming. 

          He himself hated when people appeared unannounced. But Mirio seemed to enjoy surprises and Tamaki figured he was never going to see Mirio’s place unless he did it without an invitation. When he finally got there though he had a little bit more of an idea as to why Mirio had been so hesitant to bring Tamaki here. The building looked like a strong wind might make it fall over and everywhere there was peeling paint and cautious glares from behind cracked doors as he walked further in. 

          He wasn’t judging Mirio for his lodgings, he knew Mirio didn’t have money to spare on much better. But it did make Tamaki worry for his health and safety here. Did he have anyone he could trust with him? He had mentioned an Artist roommate of his… Still Tamaki fretted more and more as he ascended the dangerously creaky stairs. By the time Tamaki was standing in front of Mirio’s apartment number he was tempted to start biting his nails. 

          “You gonna knock or what?” Tamaki nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning wildly around in a panic. He was greeted by the sight of a stout woman with short bright red hair and what looked to be too many piercings in her ears. She was also carrying a large bag of groceries in one hand and an old fashioned key held out in the other. “Don’t wanna be a jerk but you’re kinda blocking my way into my- Oh my god you’re Tamaki!” Now Tamaki was very confused. 

          “Do we… know each other?” 

          “Well not in person anyway.” She said with a laugh. “I’ve just heard a lot about you from… other people. Hey, why don’t we take this inside? My arm is getting heavy with these groceries and Mirio’s gonna be real happy to see you.” She didn’t even wait for a reply and shuffled him aside to unlock the apartment door they had been standing in front of. That let a few of the pieces of the confusing puzzle slide into place. This was clearly Mirio’s roommate. 

           The apartment was tidy for how run down it was Tamaki noted as he followed the redhead toward the kitchen. The furniture was definitely all second hand and not every much of it. A single small table with only two chairs to it squished to one side and a very ratty couch on the other. 

           “Should have probably started with it but my name is Yuyu Haya. I’m an Artist and also the girlfriend of the cutest woman in the galaxy, Nejire Hadou.” 

            “You're that Yuyu?!” Now it was Tamaki’s turn to be shocked. Suddenly Nejire’s lack of nosiness made a lot more sense. She had just been getting her info from another source after all! 

            “Yup. The one and only.” She declared with a laugh. 

            “Well, it’s nice to finally meet you then…” was all Tamaki could say to that. 

            “It’s nice to meet you in person too! Your practally infamous in this apartment. Mirio won’t shut up about you and Nejire at least mentions you once or three times every time she is over.” Well that was a bit embarrassing to hear but Tamaki tried to stay focused on why he had come here to begin with.

         “About Mirio though… where is he? I-I came to give him some good news.” He asked as began helping her put away the food items. She paused in her shelving to look at him in confusion. 

         “You didn’t come because he’s sick?” 

          “He is sick?!” 

          “Just a cold! Nothing serious, don’t worry!” She tried to sooth him but Tamaki was already bolting towards the room that he assumed with Mirio’s since it was the only closed one. 

           He was right and when he burst in he found Mirio indeed propped up on several pillows surrounded by used tissues and looking absolutely miserable. 

           “T’maki?!” His nose sounded so stuffed and his throat sounded uncomfortably scratchy. Tamaki’s heart aches for his obvious misery and discomfort. 

          “Mirio…  why didn’t you tell me you were sick?! I would have come sooner! Actually, don’t answer if it will hurt.” He quickly amended as he grabbed Mirio’s hand in his own. It was definitely warmer than usual and Mirio didn’t even hesitate to pull his hand up to his face and hold it there like an ice pack. For the first time in forever Tamaki actually felt grateful for his illness because it was bringing Mirio comfort. 

          “He’s just embarrassed is all Tamaki. You and Nejire are a lot better off then the two of us and while we know won’t judge it’s hard to let people you love see that you're struggling.” Yuyu said with a long sigh from the bedroom door frame where she had appeared. He watched her walk over with a bowl of pudding and some tea which she then placed on the rickety bedside table to be eaten later. Mirio simply nodded his head and wouldn’t meet Tamaki’s eyes. 

          Tamaki knew that feeling too, though for different reasons. So he knew that at the end of the day once the bandage had been ripped off there was no going back. But he also knew that sometimes ripping the bandages off actually helped the wound heal better. More so then if one had left it on.

          “Tough. I’m here now and I'm not leaving till you're better. I’m not taking that damn exam alone Mirio. I refuse.” 

          “Exam?” Mirio leaned forward expectantly and Tamaki didn’t keep him waiting. He pulled them out of his hand one to Mirio. 

          “Yeah, we got in. But I wanted to tell you in person. Because the even better news is, you're free. You paid off your debt ages ago. He can’t touch you now.” Mirio’s hung open in shock until he came back to himself and then he leaped at Tamaki joyously. All that was left now was to pass the Exam and then.. and then a lot of things were going to change.

-x- 

           Sooner than anyone would have liked the Wizard’s Exam came and went. It had been a month since it and for the first time Nejire, Yuyu, Tamaki and Mirio all back together. All of them were decked out in their finest to honor their friend’s success. Mirio, Tamaki and Yuyu in immaculately tailored suits while Nejire hung off of Yuyu’s arm in an almost scandalously gorgeous dress. 

          Nejire, currently three glasses of champagne in, was already singing praises to her magnificent girlfriend whose painting was now being proudly displayed in this newly opened Gallery. It was the first big success for her as an artist so naturally she wanted to share it with her girlfriend and best friends and invited them to the opening with her.  They had all agreed without hesitation even though now Tamaki was starting to have second thoughts as the crowd of guests grew bigger and bigger and the minutes passed. 

          “Cheers to Yuyu! To your continued success!” Mirio toasted with a wide smile as if to try and help distract Tamaki from the growing number of people. And for a bit it did. 

          “Thank you, you guys. It all feels so surreal…. I finally did it. But it wouldn’t have been possible without you all too. So cheers to the three Best Wizards this City or any other City has ever seen! Here’s to the Big Three!” 

         “Here here!” 

-x-

        Tamaki tried, he really did but by the time the sun had set he was starting to slip. Just when Tamaki felt sure he was going to lose it Mirio’s hand slipped into his and began to tug him away from the crowd, towards a small door on the left side of the gallery. A current unused wing Tamaki realized.  

         They probably weren’t supposed to be in here but Tamaki couldn’t help but gasp in awe when he saw under the light of floating diamond lanterns. Butterflies. There were real live butterflies filling the room. They fluttered around them and rested on an array of flowers that Tamaki was fairly certain had died off after the very first Catastrophe. 

           Tamaki turned to ask Mirio how on earth he had found such a place but he lost all words when he finally saw him properly. Mirio was simply smiling that beautiful smile of his, holding a single hand forward as soft music drifting from an ancient relic that Tamaki had never found a name for. 

           “Dance with me Tamaki?” Tamaki didn’t even have to pause before placing his hand in Mirio’s. 

          “For you? Anything.”