Chapter Text
Miyo hums under his breath as he ties his shoes at the front door, his phone sitting on the floor beside him. The device had slipped out of his dark blue Present Mic hoody when he’d bent down to grab his shoes, straining the less than flexible fabric of his knee-ripped denim jeans.
Thus resulting in Miyo sitting on the floor with his laces in his hands. Ao hovers above the device, waiting impatiently. The teen picks his phone off the floor as he stands, calling out a ‘goodbye’ to Hitoshi, Ari, and Manami, who were finishing cleaning up from their own breakfasts.
Shutting the door behind himself, Miyo strides in the direction of the train station. He pays for his ticket, quietly thanking the booking clerk at their small window—the person sends back a tired smile at him as he goes, and Miyo needs to keep a firm grip on Ao to stop the ghost from glueing himself in a hug around the clerk—before stepping away and speed-walking to his platform to board his train.
Sending strained smiles at the people he not-so-gently shoved past, Miyo hops into the train once it pulls into the platform. He finds an empty seat near the door and pulls his headphones over his ears. Clicking play on his playlist, Miyo looks over his most recent conversation. It’s between him and Tomura, just before Miyo left home earlier.
T:
09:27 am
Tell me, once more, y u can’t come over 2day?
Miyo:
09:27 am
I’m busy with my classmates; We’re buying stuff for our camp in a few weeks.
Entertain yourself.
T:
09:28 am
Dabi is gone out, so r Magne, Jin, Compress, Toga, and Spinner.
I am lonely, Mi.
Miyo:
09:29 am
Ask ‘Giri what he’s doing today.
Maybe he’ll have a job for you.
T:
09:30 am
‘Giri is going 2 spend the day shopping, Miyo.
Shopping!
He sounded happy about it!
Do u think he’s sick?
Miyo:
09:31 am
‘Giri isn’t sick.
He just needs to be the responsible adult.
I doubt you, Jin, or Dabi are offering to go to the market to get groceries, toiletries, or any cleaning products.
Are you?
T:
09:32 am
…
Shut up.
09:35 am
Come give me company!
09:37 am
Hey.
09:38 am
Where’d u go?
09:39 am
Helloooo
09:41 am
Answer me, I can c that u’ve read my texts.
Miyo rolls his eyes at Tomura’s impatience. The train pulls into the next station, a larger amount of people boarding this time. Feeling uncomfortable, Miyo pulls his hood up and angles himself away from the more crowded end of the train. Leaning back in his seat, Miyo tilts his head to the side for Ao to sit against his neck, and goes to reply.
Miyo:
09:53 am
Stop being dramatic.
I’m spending time with my classmates at the mall.
09:54 am
Play some of your solo games.
T:
09:55 am
But I’ve played them alllllll
Help a guy out, Mi
I’ll die of boredom!
Miyo:
09:56 am
Sounds like a you problem, T.
Now quit blowing up my phone, I’m after arriving at the mall.
I’ll call you later or something.
Shoving his phone into his pocket, Miyo gets off the train once it pulls to a stop at the platform. He ambles his way out of the train station and makes his way to the mall, keeping his head ducked down to avoid being recognised.
The week after the sports festival was bad enough. That's not to mention what it was like after the internships and the video taken of Miyo and his friends fighting and winning against Stain . A feat that no hero was able to accomplish but a small group of first years were? To say that the media was interested would be a major understatement. There’s still black dots floating in Miyo’s vision from all of the cameras.
Peaceful walks were hard enough to come by before then; now they are practically impossible.
Miyo can't help but feel a sense of unease every time he steps out in public now. The fear of being recognised and approached by fans or anyone else has him constantly on edge. It was exhausting. He can't wait until the day he can use his quirk to escape the constant attention and scrutiny. It was a lot for a fifteen year old to deal with.
Shaking himself out of his head, Miyo scurries through the dense crowd inside the mall, sticking close to the walls to avoid being trampled. Sadly, in most cases, his toes don’t get the same fate and will most likely have bruises on them in the morning.
His classmate had decided to meet up by the water fountain in the centre of the mall, but Miyo couldn't help but feel anxious about being in such a crowded and public place. He was open on all sides. As he made his way towards the meeting spot, he couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on him, making him wish even more for the ability to disappear with his quirk. He could technically disappear with his quirk, but he isn't legally allowed to do that yet.
Ao hums against his neck, hidden from view by Miyo's hoodie. "The woes of being someone under twenty. It sucks."
Miyo lets out a sigh, a smile tugging at his mouth. He catches sight of his classmates, feeling strange to see them out of their school uniforms. He does a small wave with his left hand, gaining the attention of a handful of his classmates. Smiles and grins return his action. However, it’s Kirishima that greets him first out of the students gathered.
“Hey, Takei-bro! You made it!” Kirishima cheered, a wide, toothy grin on his face, as Miyo weaved his way through the last of the crowd in the mall before stopping in front of the group.
Huffing at his red-haired friend, Miyo shakes his head in amusement. "Of course I did, and I've told you several times, Kirishima; call me Miyo."
Kirishima just chuckled in response, a flush building up on his face. "If you insist, Yo-bro. It’s just Eijiro for you then!"
A heavy sigh escapes Miyo before he can stop it. Denki laughs at his face as he nears the pair, Ashido hot on his heels with her own grin stretched across her face. The two greet him brightly before launching into a conversation about their plans for the day.
"Everyone needs to get different things, so we were planning on splitting off into smaller groups, you know, to cover more ground?" Mina rushedly explains, looking at Miyo with hopeful eyes.
Miyo nods in agreement, grateful for the distraction from his embarrassing nickname from Kirishima.
"Sounds like a plan," he replies with a smile, feeling more at ease with his friends by his side in the busy mall. "I need to grab some sun cream, plus sleepwear. I already got everything else when I was with Shoto."
The others exchange a glance around Miyo.
Feeling flustered, Miyo quickly suggests, "How about we split into pairs or trios? It'll be more efficient that way. And it’ll be easier to avoid the media jumping us."
The others nod in agreement, already moving in the direction of their other classmates around them.
Denki joins Ojiro and Sero; the small group heads off with a wave in the direction of the camping store on the second floor.
Ashido drags an unimpressed Jiro, a sheepish Yaomomo, and a delighted Hagakure towards the shoe store, excitedly chatting about the latest trends.
Eijiro strides away with Iida, Midoriya, and Uraraka in the vague direction of what Miyo guesses is a sports store, catching the word 'weights' in their conversation a concerning number of times.
Looking around himself, Miyo pauses. He's alone. He scans around once more, coming up with none of the familiar faces of his classmates. Of course, he ended up by himself.
Miyo sighs, resigned to exploring the mall solo. He shrugs and decides to make the most of it; since he's separated from his rowdy classmates, he'll be able to avoid any media and fans much easier. Taking a deep breath, Miyo strolls through the mall at his own pace, enjoying the freedom of being alone.
He browses through different stores, picking up sleepwear that catches his eye. Most end up being cat or hero themed, Present Mic being the hero chosen most. Obviously.
He picks out some things that catch his eye, like cane polish–for Compress–a cross-stitching set–for Jin, the man was complaining about being bored the last time Miyo was over at the bar–different coloured nail polish–for Himiko and Magne–heat bracelets–for Spinner, the lizard-quirked man had problems with regulating his temperature–a set of artist gloves, one red, one black, and one navy–for Tomura–quirk enhanced burn cream–for Dabi, seeing that Miyo obviously couldn’t buy the man his chosen, less than legal, medication–and, lastly, a black apron with the words ‘ Don’t make me poison you ’ printed on it–for Kurogiri. He couldn’t decide what to get Akira, but eventually picks a mug with the words ‘ My favourite child gave me this mug. ’
He does, in addition, buy himself a pair of rubber duck themed socks, the base colour of them being a bright turquoise. Ao, whom Miyo had stupidly taken his eyes off of for no more than a minute, had wandered off while Miyo was placing his clothing on the till, snatched the socks from whatever shelf they were on, and brought them back to the checkout and set them down with everything else. Miyo had left the shop by the time he noticed the extra item on his receipt and didn’t have the energy in him to deal with the lady who had helped him at the checkout for a second time.
He had already signed nine photos of himself, one for every family member of the woman, that must’ve been taken during the Sports Festival, took multiple selfies, and had gotten the woman's eldest daughter's phone number the first time around. Who knows what would happen if Miyo went inside the shop again? He’d probably end up engaged to the woman's daughter by the time he’d escaped her!
No offense to her. The girl really did seem nice, even if her mother was a pain to deal with, but Miyo really didn’t swing that way.
He slows to a stop and leans against the barrier along the highest floor, checking the time. It's just gone eleven. Miyo decides to head into a store that has a display of skin creams, face masks, and other health products that he spots on the ground level of the mall. The only thing left for him to get is sunscreen.
He takes the stairs, his footsteps echoing around him. Pushing open the door to the ground floor and casting a brief glance around the area in front of him. The crowd has thinned out a little; most of those around are tired looking parents with energetic children tugging on their arms, groups of middle schoolers rushing about with mischievous smiles on their faces, and the odd elderly couple strolling leisurely from store to store.
The water fountain from earlier is visible from where Miyo stands, the benches occupied by young couples, an old man with a cane tossing coins into the fountain, Midoriya, and a person in a black hoodie with their hood up, and children messily eating ice cream—wait.
Focusing back on his classmate, who is alone and is sitting so stiffly that Miyo is getting back pains just from looking at him. Miyo wonders if he should offer to join him or if it's better to leave him be. He decides to approach cautiously, not wanting to intrude on whatever conversation his green eyed classmate is having, but the other boy doesn't look pleased about having the other person so close.
Is that an old friend of his? Why does he look so uncomfortable?
Getting closer to the pair, Miyo finally catches the face of the person beside Midoriya.
It's Tomura.
Tomura Shigaraki, one of Miyo's closest friends, and the person who attacked his class during their first school trip, the person that heroes and police are suspecting released nomu in Hosu, who they think was working alongside Stain, the person who Midoriya hasn't seen since the USJ and should not be near in any way, shape, or form.
It's Tomura . Miyo is going to strangle him.
"Hey, Midoriya. Fancy seeing you here. Unaccompanied by our classmates." Miyo bites out rushedly, a very forceful smile on his face as he comes to a stand still in front of the bench, where Midoriya and Tomura are both seated.
Red eyes widen at the sight of him, Tomura's face whitening at whatever look he sees on Miyo's face. Miyo narrows his eyes at the older man. Tomura slowly removes his hand from where it was wrapped around Midoriya's neck. Miyo bites on the inside of his cheek, shifting his gaze back to Midoriya's pale face.
"Who's your acquaintance? He looks really familiar." Miyo asks lowly, taking a step closer to his classmate, who seems one step away from having a panic attack.
Midoriya visibly relaxes at Miyo's question, or maybe just from being there with him, thankful for the distraction from the tense situation. He swallows nervously before managing to stammer out, "This is Shigaraki. He's...kind of a friend."
Miyo raises an eyebrow, tilting his head at his classmate.
Tomura scoffs, crossing his arms defensively as he mutters, " Friend is a strong word, little brat."
Miyo's lips curl into a smirk as he looks between the two, or mainly between himself and Tomura. The older man has been gradually scooting to the opposite side of the bench from Midoriya. He looks ready to bolt.
"Well, it was nice to meet you, Tomura. We should all not hang out sometime," he says, his tone dripping with anger.
He gets a stiff nod in return, so he goes to face Midoriya, cautiously picking up the green-eyed boy's hands.
"Hey, Midoriya? You okay? Injuries?" Miyo asks, peering at Tomura's figure disappearing in the crowd. He gets a shaky nod for ‘no.’
Miyo pauses. "Do you need to throw up?"
His answer is the sound of vomit landing on the floor to his left. It splashes on his shoes. Ao makes a disgusted noise through their link, burying himself in Miyo's hood.
"That's fair. Let it out, man. He's gone now." Miyo soothes, awkwardly rubbing Midoriya's back with his left hand and his shopping bag after being abandoned on the floor between his feet. He takes out his phone and scrolls through his contacts. "I'll call Aizawa. Alright?"
Midoriya nods against Miyo's waist, his hands gripping Miyo's hoody in a white-knuckled grip. Miyo keeps rubbing his back, even while on call to their teacher.
So much for a calm day of shopping. He didn’t even get to buy his sun cream.
oOo
Hours later, Miyo stands right beside Midoriya, the rest of their classmates standing behind them and whispering together. Midoriya still has a death grip on Miyo’s hoody. Miyo gave up on trying to get away from his shorter classmate ages ago. Ao had moved to hug Midoriya’s neck once they had been sure that the other boy wasn’t going to throw up again, the ghost has been there since then.
Uraraka and Iida have been hovering around Midoriya ever since the group was rounded up by the entrance to the mall. Their hands reaching out to comfort their friend but pulling back when they notice Midoriya holding his breath at the closeness of their hands. It’s a sad sight, Miyo can admit.
He’s definitely going to throttle Tomura when he sees him next.
After he had called Aizawa, Miyo flagged down a patrolling hero and told them what happened. Which then resulted in the mall being shut down while heroes and the police did a thorough search of the building. Sending out teams of heroes alongside police to each individual floor, including the roof and the car parks.
They found nothing, obviously.
Miyo knew this because he had gotten a phone call from Dabi not even thirty minutes after Tomura had left. The fire user described the scolding that Tomura had gotten from both Kurogiri and Akira, chuckling all the while. Miyo had ended the call shortly after, having spotted Midoriya's dazed but curious glances from the corner of his eye.
Miyo felt a mixture of relief and frustration. Relief that Tomura had been reprimanded and that no harm had come to anyone in the mall, but frustration that Tomura had come to the mall in the first place and then approached his classmate. His classmate, who hasn’t spoken since Miyo found him. Not to the police, or to any of the heroes, or his friends.
It’s just gone five in the evening. The heroes that were called in to help search gradually shuffled their way out of the mall, sending soft smiles at Miyo and his classmates, their eyes apologetic as they went. Aizawa, having been standing diligently with his students since he arrived after Miyo had called him, sends the heroes off with a stiff nod in their directions. The man sighs under his breath, his dark eyes scanning over his students, landing on Miyo last.
As he speaks, his voice is low and gruff. "You did well, especially in a situation that none of you should have been in." His gaze drifted down to Midoriya, who was trying to fuse himself into Miyo's side. "Everyone's parents or guardians were called; they should be here soon enough. Are you alright if I step away to speak with the police? I'll be within eye range."
Pursing his lips together, Miyo nods at his teacher, his eyes tracking his teacher as he trudged over to a man in a trench coat and a police officer with a cat's head. Flicking his eyes down at the boy tucked into his side, Miyo resists the urge to sigh.
"Midoriya?" Miyo says softly, bringing his head down closer to his classmate's head. Ao tries to detach himself from Midoriya's neck; the action causes a muffled cry from the boy's throat. Ao stops his attempts and nuzzles against the dip of Midoriya's neck.
Miyo notices how his eyes dart back and forth between their teacher, the man in the trench coat, and the police officer across from the duo. He gently rubs Midoriya's back as he reassures him. "Aizawa will take care of things, Midoriya. To— Shigaraki is gone, okay? We're safe. I promise."
Those words are what seem to break the camels back; tears force their way out of Midoriya's eyes as he finally lets out a sob, clinging tightly to Miyo for comfort. Miyo feels a pang of guilt for not being able to protect his friend from the traumatic experience.
Forget throttling Tomura; Miyo was going to kill him with his own quirk.
It's just that Tomura got too close to one of the few nice people in Miyo's class. Why did he need to go for Midoriya? Why not Iida? Or Ojiro? If he was so dead set on 'bumping into' someone in the class, why didn't he just look around for Miyo, the only one in the class that had gone off on his own? Miyo was almost considering scratching one or two of Tomura's game CDs for what he did today.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Miyo zones back on Midoriya and their surroundings. The majority of their classmates have been collected by family. Leaving only Midoriya, Miyo, Iida, and Yaomomo standing close together. Iida and Yaomomo are having a hushed conversation, peaking over at Midoriya and Miyo every so often.
It was going to be a long evening….