Work Text:
Every night, around 9pm, Tamaki sneaks into Mirio’s bedroom. The 3rd-years dormitory is slowly shutting down, lights out in 30 minutes. “Why do I have to do this? I’m not the one who can walk through walls…”, Tamaki wonders once again.
Mirio is still working on some homework with one hand, flexing a hand grip with the other.
- Good evening, Duck
- Shush !
- What are you more afraid of? A teacher catching us, or students hearing this nickname?
- I don’t even know anymore. But keep it down… I heard someone coming right after I got in…
Tamaki slowly walks to the bed and let his upper body lay on it. Staring at the ceiling, he contemplates the bright star stickers Mirio put on it, to make it look like the Pisces formation.
- Wait… I just realized…
- Hum?
- No nothing it’s silly
- I wonder how many times you’ll make me say: I actually want to know what you are thinking about!
- But if I’m wrong, you’ll hate me!
- Can you name one time I hated you for something you said?
- …
- Only evidence-based anxiety will be tolerated in this room.
- All right, fine… I was thinking… did you make the Pisces because it’s my sign?
- Of course! Why else?
- …
Mirio doesn’t need to look at him to know he’s blushing. Hoping he didn’t eat any crawdad recently, or he’ll change into it.
- Here… I’m done with math, English and History…
- The paper on the 2012 Heroic Activities law was the worst…
- Those rules are almost as complicated as our job.
- Oh no… I go back at FatGum agency for work study in 10 days…
- I thought he was happy with you?
- Yes… but this time he also recruited a 1st year kid, Red Riot, and he wants me to tutor him!
- This is amazing!
- This is awful!
- He’ll learn a lot from you!
- What am I supposed to say to him?
- Everything!
- I don’t know anything!
- You… last time at this agency, you single-handedly stopped 4 villains from barging into open traffic on a rush hour!
- Exactly, when I’m in an emergency, I just DO it! My body moves like… by itself. Anytime I need to reach, the tentacle mutation pops up before I even think about it! It’s pure luck!
- It’s experience, not luck. You trained your body and your mind for years, and now it responds that way.
- Call it whatever you like, still, there is nothing I can explain to him. I have good reflexes in battle because I already thought about everything that could end up badly! What could I tell him? “Hey Kirishima, did you consider getting Anxiety?”
- HAHAHAHAHA
- Shhhhhhhh!
Tamaki anxiously stares at the door. Not a noise in the hallway… Teachers will do a round in 20 more minutes, then another one at 11pm. Mirio clasped his hands on his mouth to cover his radiant laugh. Seeing him turning red and shaking, Tamaki cannot help but smile, and let go a quiet laugh. Almost a sigh.
- I… I can picture that…
Mirio stands up, hands on his hips and starts talking like a TV ad: “Subscribe right now, and get more anxiety for half the price! With anxiety, you’ll never let anything surprise you! Be prepared!” Then he lowers his voice and talks as fast as he can: “Medication not included, can lead to terrible decisions and struggling in social situations, in case of side effects get lost”.
This time Tamaki cannot suppress a real laugh. Someone knocks on the wall and they can hear a mumbled “hey keep it down you two”.
- Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod
- Tamaki calm down… it’s only Sato-kun !
- He said “you two”, does he know it’s me ?
- Probably…
- Ohmygodohmygodohmy
- Tamaki… everybody see us together all the time…
- Yes but… do they know we…
- Wait… you don’t realize?
- WHAT.
- Everybody knows we date each other! They are just polite about it, because we don’t want the teachers to know, so they don’t catch us when you come to my room!
- It’s… How come I am the only one not knowing that everybody knows?
- I… would guess… maybe because you don’t talk that much to the others, beside Nejire-chan and I?
- Oh my god I’m going to be sick…
- You do realize they’ve known for months, and panicking now makes no sense?
- I never pretended to be logical about social situations! I just avoid them altogether!
- You don’t avoid me…
- It’s different! You are my Sun!
- Yes, I’m the sun, and you are the Sun Eater
Mirio grins so proudly that Tamaki cannot even gather enough energy to feel weird about this terrible joke… Wait… is that why Mirio suggested this hero name to him? Oh my god… what if their relationship ever goes public and people JUDGE them and…
- Tamaki… you are spiraling again.
- Just… hug me now, TIGHT!
Mirio embraces Tamaki, then makes him lay back on the bed. He first got the idea seeing a service dog putting pressure on an autistic child to help him regulate his feelings. Nejire kept saying he has a yellow lab energy, so…
Slowly calming down, Tamaki pass a hand in Mirio’s hair.
- I could fall asleep just like that… you are my blanket from now on.
- I… need to pee.
They pass the rest of the evening talking about their work study, and how to convey Tamaki’s knowledge to Kirishima. They get into their PJ, brush their teeth together, staring at each other in the mirror. Then it’s time for more cuddles in the tiny bed. Those rituals have been going on since UA opened the dormitories. Is it bad to be happy about it? After all, it was the doing of the League of Villains…
Tamaki’s waken up by a ray of sunshine passing on his face… It feels good…
- The sun… OH GOD THE SUN! What time is it?
Tamaki reaches for his phone: 9h20. The first period started 20 minutes ago! He shakes Mirio who struggle to grasp the emergency of the situation. Usually, Tamaki slowly goes back to his own bed around 6 in the morning, so nobody catches them. Then, they separately reach the common kitchen for breakfast.
- Mirio I’m dressed already! I’m going! Try to follow me in… 5 minutes! Oh no what am I going to say… huh… I’ll say I didn’t hear my alarm! No that’s terrible… I’ll say…
- Just go… it happens to everybody occasionally!
- Ah, yes! People are fallible! I always forget!
-
Mirio shows up in class 5 minutes after Tamaki. Fortunately, their first period that day is English, and Present Mic is more of a lay back teacher. When you show up late, he’ll likely make a joke about it. But this time, he stares at Mirio for a good 5 seconds, seems about to say something… then don’t say anything and goes back to the blackboard, mumbling “hem… Mirio, nice to join us… please have a seat”.
Tamaki sighs in relief. But the rest of the class keeps whispering.
- If you want to gossip, do it in English! shout Present Mic as he keeps writing on the board.
- Hey… what is all that about? asks Mirio to Nejire, in English of course…
- Dude… your… clothes! How did you manage to put that shirt on? It’s going to… hem… Explode !
Mirio slowly looks down and realizes he’s wearing Tamaki’s shirt and blazer. The shoulders of the smaller blazer look weird on his broad shoulders, and the buttons of the shirt are about to jump right to the other side of the room. He then has a look at his feet and… the trouser is 3cm too short, showing his fantasy socks.
Tamaki stares at him, then himself, and hides his face in his hand, mumbling “I want to go home, I want to go home”. The rest of the class cannot help it anymore and lets out a roar of laughter.
Astonishingly quiet, Present Mic promises to himself not to let any other teacher know, just like Nezu kept his mouth shut after catching Eraser and himself on the roof.