Archive of Our Own

Kumo watches as Shouta wilts in his chair, yawning widely. 

“Can you believe how boring that movie was?” Kumo asks even though the teacher is literally a few feet in front of them. 

“I didn’t think it was so bad,” Hizashi says, eyeing the teacher warily, though it does seem like he’s ignoring them. 

“I thought it was the worst,” Shouta replies with a fake cheerful smile on his face. 

Kumo snickers. He grabs his bag. 

“Well, Nemuri texted me last night. She wants us to come see her extra-curricular class since we don’t have one right now,” Shouta says. 

“Ok, did she tell you where they’re meeting to work?” Hizashi asks, leaning forward onto his desk. 

“Yeah, she did. I was planning on going.” 

“Yeah, I’ll come too. What’s she actually doing?” Kumo asks. 

Hizashi just nods along. 

“I don’t know, but I think it’s some kind of girls only thing. I don’t know, but she said that she had to get special permission to invite her guy friends to come. Though she assured me that it wasn’t anything inappropriate. Even though this school doesn’t really do that kind of thing, I was a little worried,” Shouta says with a slightly apprehensive smile. 

“I’m still a little worried,” Kumo says, his face creasing. 

“Aren’t these going to be public anyway? How could rehearsals be bad?” Hizashi asks, even though he doesn’t sound entirely convinced. 

Kumo raises one eyebrow. “Yeah, let’s just get going. Lead the way, Shouta!” 

Shouta nods, grabs his bag, and walks out. They follow him across campus to one of the storage buildings. Shouta pulls the door open, holding it open for the other two to walk through. Kumo looks around as soon as he walks in. He spots Nemuri immediately. They’re a bunch of women in different outfits wandering around. However, she’s wearing a floor length skirt and a sleeveless crop top. She smiles brightly as soon as she spots him too. 

He feels his face heat up just a little, but waves back. Her eyes stay on him for longer than the other two. Then she waves them over. She pulls her heels off, jogging to meet them in the middle. She throws her arms around Kumo, then Hizashi. She just grins at Shouta as he leans back. 

“Fine, I’ll let you off this time, but don’t get used to it.” 

“I won’t. So, what is this?” 

“This is a fashion show that we’re putting on. We’re designing female hero costumes that aren’t like any other hero costume out there.”

“That’s probably because no one wants to fight crime in a floor length dress. Have you ever tried to do that before?” Kumo asks, looking around. 

Nemuri makes a face at him, giving him the stink eye. He holds his hands up in surrender. 

“No, but I’m sure I would be great at it, just like I’m great at everything else.” 

“Absolutely.” 

Hizashi raises one eyebrow at him, but Kumo just shrugs. 

“Anyway, it’s been a while since we talked properly. What have you guys been up to, and why don’t you have any extracurriculars?” 

“Well, we kind of got into some issues with our teacher, and she’s being investigated,” Shouta says. 

“What?” She pulls them to the side, and says, “Tell me everything!” 

They spend the next half hour explaining everything that’s happened since extracurriculars started. She just stares at them, listening intently. Once they’re done, she just blinks. 

“Ok, well I wasn’t expecting something so crazy. I was expecting maybe a little oh we decided to take a break. Not that the teacher was abusing you!” 

Nemuri wraps her arms around Kumo, keeping him in an extended hug since he’s the closest to her. He doesn’t fight her, just staying limp for the most part. Hizashi covers his mouth, forcing himself not to laugh. Shouta doesn’t even attempt to smother the smirk that covers his face. 

“You’re gonna smother him.” 

“No, I am not. He likes it when I hug him.” 

She turns her nose up at Shouta, pulling Kumo closer. 

“I would appreciate it if you put a full shirt on,” Kumo replies. 

Nemuri puts a hand over his mouth. “He doesn’t mean that. He loves it.” 

Kumo just rolls his eyes, trying to pull away slightly. She tightens her hold, and he goes limp again. 

“Nemuri, come on. Break’s over, work on your strut, you need it,” the teacher calls. 

Nemuri pokes out her bottom lip, releasing Kumo. Kumo sits up immediately. “We’ll be here.” 

“Yeah, to tell you what you’re doing wrong,” Shouta adds, the smirk still on his face. 

“Whatever.” She stands up, walking back over to her shoes. 

“You don’t know what looks good or not,” Hizashi says, making a face at Shouta. 

“I know, that’s why I’m going to just be yelling random things at her. She’ll get more frustrated than if I did know what I was talking about.” 

“You’re cruel,” Kumo says with a small laugh. 

Shouta shrugs. They spend the next couple hours watching everything going on around them, mostly staying quiet. Then everyone starts to go home, and Nemuri walks back over. She looks tired, so Kumo immediately grabs her bag from her. He slings his over one shoulder and hers over the other. 

“Aw, you don’t have to do that.” 

“I know. You live near Hizashi, right? I’ll just walk you all the way home.”

“Yeah, I’d appreciate that. I only live a few streets over from Hizashi. Do you have time though? It’s already five thirty, so I figured you’d need to get home.” 

“Yeah, I don’t have a strict curfew, so it’s fine.”

“Awesome, let’s get going then.” 

She strides out, and all three of the boys follow her. Once they get out of the gate, Shouta repositions his backpack. 

“Alright, I’m gonna head that way. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” 

“See ya,” Hizashi says with a cheerful wave. 

The rest of the walk is quiet, save for the cars passing by. When they get to their neighborhood, Hizashi splits off. Then it’s just Kumo and Nemuri. Once Hizashi is out of sight, Nemuri stops walking all together. It only takes Kumo a second to notice, so he pulls up short too. 

“What’s up?” 

“How have things been for you, Kumo?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I know you’re not honest with us. I know that you have a lot going on at home, and your foster parents are at least a little neglectful. That’s still a form of abuse, you know? I just want to know if you’re ok.” 

Kumo gives her a small smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. This is one of the better families that I’ve been in. Sometimes it’s better when they don’t pay attention to you. Not all attention is good attention.” 

“Ok, but just promise you’ll tell me if anything gets too hard. Just because it’s not as bad as it could be doesn’t mean it isn’t still hard. We’re here for you if you ever need us.” 

“Yeah, thanks. I should probably tell you about what happened with Shouta.” 

He pauses, trying to articulate his thoughts. Nemuri’s brow pulls together in obvious concern. 

“He came to school with bruises again. He wouldn’t tell us what actually happened, so you know what that means. He didn’t lie to us though he did tell Nezu that he fell down the stairs.” 

“Yeah, I do. I wish there was something we could do. Did he give any context clues as to whether it was his sister being a bitch, or if it was his parents again?” 

“Nope, none this time. I gave him my jacket to cover up with because someone took his, and we haven’t talked about it again since then.” 

They keep walking, and Nemuri reaches for Kumo’s hand. He doesn’t look at her, keeping his eyes on the ground. 

“How are your parents?” he asks after a minute. 

“They’re good. I was worried for a while. They kept fighting about everything, but they’re good now. I think they figured out whatever underlying issue that they had.” 

“That’s good.” 

They stop in front of her house, and Kumo just twists his finger together. He keeps his eyes on the ground, obviously not sure what to say. Nemuri immediately notices the odd tension, and frowns at the sudden change. 

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?” 

Kumo nods, and she walks up the steps to her porch. Kumo speed walks away, running a hand through his hair. His phone rings as he’s leaving the neighborhood. He pulls it out, frowning at his foster mom’s number that’s displayed across the screen. 

“Hey, what’s up?” 

“Get home, right now! We need to talk.” 

“Ok, I’m not far. I’ll be there in like twenty minutes.” 

She hangs up as soon as he’s done speaking. He sighs, dropping his phone back into his bag. He jogs home, barely getting there on time. His mother is standing outside, her hands on her hips. 

“Come inside.” 

He follows her, anxiety creeping into his chest. She leads him into the dining room where his foster father is sitting at the table. They both look displeased. His mother motions for him to sit down. So, he does, and she sits down next to his dad. 

“What’s going on?” 

“We got a call from the school. Is there anything you want to tell us?” 

“Not that I can think of.” 

“You’re having issues with your drama teacher?” 

“Oh, that.” 

“Yes, why didn’t you tell us when we asked you just now?” 

“I figured you knew already. The school said they were going to call you last week.”

“Don’t talk back to me. You are in big trouble for causing issues in school. You’re grounded until further notice. Give us your phone, and go do your homework while we decide what the rest of your punishment is going to look like.” 

Kumo nods, standing. He pulls his phone out of his bag and offers it to his mom. She takes it, and he heads up the stairs with his bag. He leaves the door open since his parents don’t like him having his door shut in the best of conditions. He sits down at his desk, carefully placing his homework and study books on the desk. He blinks back tears, surprised at his own vulnerability. He’s alone for a couple of hours before his father screams his name. 

Kumo knocks his head against his desk lightly before standing and making his way down the stairs. His father is alone downstairs, and he’s holding four ceramic plates. Kumo cocks his head, instantly confused about what's happening. Then his father throws the first plate onto the floor, shards flying everywhere. Kumo shields his eyes, startled. 

“What are you doing?” 

His father doesn’t answer, just finishes throwing the other three plates onto the floor. Once they’re all in shards on the floor, he steps on the shards a few times, breaking them up more. 

“You’re going to pick this up. Ever single shard, and you’re going to do it by hand. You’re not allowed to eat or sleep until it’s done. Then you’re going to do housework for the next few days to pay for these plates since it’s your fault that we had to punish you like this.” 

Kumo stares at him without speaking until he starts to get mad, then forces himself to nod. 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Good, and I don’t ever want to hear from your school again. If we have to get involved, you’re doing something wrong. Do you understand that?” 

“Yes, sir. Absolutely, sir.” 

“If we have any more incidents, we'll take your friends' numbers off of your phone.” 

Kumo nods again, breathing deeply through his nose to stop himself from screaming at the man in front of him. His dad nods, seemingly satisfied. 

“Now, your mother and I are going to go get food somewhere. Then we’re going to get a hotel, and we won’t be back until tomorrow.” 

Another slight nod, and his dad walks out. He grabs a bag from the kitchen to gather the pieces in. Then he gently kneels on the far edge of the pile. There are still small shards, though those are almost everywhere. He’s careful enough with the first few shards that they don’t cut his hand, but then one slices open his finger. 

“Damn it.” 

Kumo stands, emotions bubbling his throat. He walks to the kitchen, cleans his finger, and puts a bandaid on it so he doesn’t bleed on the floor. Then he keeps picking up the shards. By the time he’s done, his hands are torn up, and he just ends up taking the bandaids off. Then he bandages his entire hands. Despite how long it took him, his parents still haven’t come back. He doesn’t want to risk still being down stairs when they come back, so he rushes back to his room. 

Aizawa leans back against the headboard of his bed. He doesn’t attempt to text Kumo or Hizashi since Kumo is walking Nemuri home, and Hizashi tends to spend a while with his family once he gets home. His house is quiet since his parents are out, and his sister is in the basement with her boyfriend. So, he heads down the stairs to the living room to watch TV. 

He has the house to himself for the rest of the night, and ends up falling asleep on the couch. He has to rush through getting ready the next morning, because he didn’t have any alarms. Aizawa texts the group chat to let them know that he’s running late, and will meet them at school. Hizashi is already in his seat when Aizawa comes in right before the bell rings, but Kumo is nowhere in sight. 

“Where’s Kumo?” Aizawa whispers, leaning towards Hizashi. 

“I really don’t know. He never showed up, and I had to go without him when you texted. I was going to be late, but I hadn’t heard from either of you, so I waited. Then you texted, and I decided to get going.” 

Aizawa nods. “I’ll text him after class. Maybe he just wasn’t feeling well this morning.” 

Aizawa texts Kumo between each class, but doesn’t get a response all day. Nezu stops by right as they’re heading out of their last class. 

“Boys, I wanted to let you know that the situation with your teacher has been handled. We did an investigation, and everything you said was true. So, we fired her, and someone else will be handling it now. I was told that Shirakumo will not be coming in today, but you can let him know when he does come back.” 

“Do you know why he isn’t here? He hasn’t answered any of my texts today,” Aizawa says. 

“His parents called him in sick. You should get going though. You don’t want to be late to theater class, because we want to get off on the right foot.” 

Aizawa rolls his eyes, but nods. He pulls Hizashi along, actively calling Kumo. It goes straight to voicemail, and Aizawa tucks his phone back into his pocket. 

“I’m going to his house after school. Especially since it’s Friday, and if his phone is off, or dead, I want to make sure he’s ok before this weekend. My family has a lot of events,” Aizawa says as they walk out of the school. 

They head to the gym as Hizashi says, “Well, I can’t go today. My mom is picking  me up. However, I can check on him tomorrow if he is actually sick, or if you don’t get to see him. I’m not busy at all this weekend.” 

Aizawa nods, and they walk into the gym. The new woman standing in front of the gathered children looks a lot nicer. She smiles at them as they walk over. 

“Ok, and you two should be my last two students. I’ll introduce myself, and then you guys can tell me your names. You’ll have to be a little patient with me, because it will take me a bit to remember them. I might have to ask a few times, but just know that I am trying. Now, my name is Ms. Ali. I’ve been teaching theater for four years, and I’ve worked in three schools. Since we don’t have much time, you guys should go ahead, and tell me your names.” 

They go through the crowd, ending on Aizawa and Hizashi, who are still standing off to the side. 

“Aizawa, you’re playing the main character, right?” 

He nods, and she walks over. “Well, that is just wonderful. You look perfect for the role. Now, I want to work with you just to gauge how quickly you’re going to pick up scenes. I’ll tell everyone else how they’re going to work today, and you can just wait near the stage. Just don’t go on it. It doesn’t look safe, and I’m going to talk to someone about that before I have anyone use it.” 

She gives general directions to each group based on how many scenes they have. Then she turns to the stage crew. 

“I will be walking you through all of the different aspects that go into your jobs, but that will be on Monday. We’re not going to be working this weekend, but we will have to start working weekends a little bit later. For today, you can just get to know each other. You’re going to be working closely and in sync with each other.” 

She walks back over, and sits Aizawa down. They talk for a while, then she dismisses them. Hizashi runs over. 

“So, how did it go?” 

“She seems nice. I didn’t get any bad feelings about her while we were talking. She didn’t say anything weird, or make anything uncomfortable. I have a pretty good feeling about this. How long till your mom gets here?” 

“Probably ten minutes. I texted her when Ms. Ali started doing her dismissal speech, so it shouldn’t be much longer than that. This took a lot less time than I expected though, so that’s good. Are you still heading over to Kumo’s?” 

“Yeah, I was just going to wait with you until your mom got here.” 

Hizashi nods. 

“This turned out better than I thought it was going to. I thought Nezu was going to tell us that we’re crazy, but instead we got a good teacher. That’s wild.” 

Aizawa snorts. “Yeah, so wild that someone can do their job, and not be a bitch.” 

Hizashi rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean.” 

Aizawa shrugs. They don’t end up talking anymore before Hizashi’s mom gets there. 

“I’ll see you on Monday?” 

“Yeah, I don’t foresee us meeting any time this weekend. I’ll text you what happens with Kumo’s foster parents,” Aizawa says. 

Hizashi smiles and nods, but his smile looks forced. Aizawa walks to Kumo’s house after Hizashi leaves. It’s getting dark by the time he gets there, but the lights are on inside. Aizawa has to knock three times for someone to come to the door. It’s Kumo’s mom, and she looks frustrated. 

“What do you want? I don’t want to buy anything from you.” 

“No, ma’am. I’m Shouta Aizawa, Kumo’s friend. I was just coming by to check on him since he didn’t come to school.” 

The woman narrows her eyes at Aizawa, but eventually relents. “Fine, I’ll go get him. Just wait here.” 

She walks back into the house, slamming the door behind her. Kumo comes out a few minutes later. His eyes are sunken, his face is splotchy red, and he looks cold from the way he’s wrapping his jacket around himself. 

“Hey, are you ok? I was worried that you weren’t answering, so I decided to come see you. Someone said you’re sick?” 

Kumo nods. “Yeah, I am. I’m sorry that I couldn’t answer. My parents make me turn off my electronics when I’m sick. It’s an odd rule, but there’s no way around it.” 

“Nah, the nanny my parents hired when I was younger had the same rule. It’s fine. I just wanted to make sure that you were ok. I’m going to be busy this weekend, but I can ask Hizashi if he can bring some food over here for you tomorrow. I know that neither of your parents can cook very well.” 

“That’s ok. Thanks for thinking of me, but I have some stuff made in the freezer. So, we’ll be alright. Especially since my mom is going back out of town tomorrow afternoon, and she won’t be back until Monday. It’s just going to be me and my dad this weekend. Don’t you have plans with your family?” Kumo asks, leaning against the door. 

Aizawa nods, searching Kumo’s face. He does look sick, and sound sick. There’s also no indication that anything else would be keeping him at home. His face isn’t giving anything away, and he’s not holding himself like he’s hurt. Despite all of that, Aizawa can’t push down this growing anxiety, because something feels off. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just tired. I’m sorry if I’m not being very enthusiastic.” 

“It’s fine. I didn’t mean that. I just wanted to make sure that you didn’t need to get checked out, or anything. I should probably get going now. Maybe I’ll see you on Monday,” he says hopefully. 

Kumo nods. “Yeah, if I’m feeling better I will definitely be there. If not, I’ll ask my Dad if I can text you guys. Bye, Shouta. Thanks again for coming by.” 

“No, problem. Bye.” 

Aizawa walks home, trying to figure out what was setting off alarms in his head. He hasn’t come up with anything by the time he gets back to his house, so he brushes it off as paranoia. His mother perks up as soon as he walks in. 

“Shouta, dear, come over here. Make sure you shut the door properly. The bills have been outrageous due to leaving it partly open.” 

I’m not stupid, unlike the people in this house that are leaving the door open. 

“Yes, ma’am. What’s going on?” 

“I wanted to talk to you about what you’re wearing tomorrow for the party. We have to make sure that it’s appropriate. Also, we’re all color coordinating.” She keeps talking, but Aizawa isn’t listening anymore. 

He used to try to pick out something that she would like, but he stopped doing that a few years ago. It’s easier to just convince her to do it, then to find something that she would be completely satisfied with. 

“What do you have?” she asks after ranting for a few minutes. 

“I’m not sure. Can you just help me pick something out? I’m not sure if I’ll do it right.” 

“You are such a useless child,” she scolds. “But fine, I can do it for you. Just know that you are going to have to learn how to do this yourself one day. You won’t always be living with me.” 

Thank God for that. Also, I won’t be doing this dumbass shit once I don’t live with you anymore. 

“I know, Mother. Thank you for helping me. When do you want to do that?” 

“Tomorrow is fine. You can shower while I look through your closet for anything acceptable.” 

Aizawa nods. “Is there anything else?”

She shakes her head. “No, dear, just go upstairs. I don’t want to be bothered for the rest of the night.” 

“Are we having dinner tonight?” 

“No, I don’t want to be bloated tomorrow.” 

Aizawa nods, then grabs his bag again, and heads up the stairs. He sits alone for the rest of the night, listening to soft music and working on his projects. He doesn’t sleep much, but he doesn’t even really feel tired the next morning. He tells Hizashi about his conversation with Kumo, and gets a thumbs up. 

He ends up getting a shower pretty early that morning instead of waiting on his mom to come to his room. That doesn’t end up happening until ten thirty anyway, and she’s already dressed. Aizawa sits on his bed while she digs through his closet, grumbling about him not waiting to get a shower. He ignores her, scrolling on his phone instead. Hizashi texts him as he’s doing that. 

‘Hey, what’re you up to?’ 

‘Nothing right now. My mom is picking out my outfit for later right now. What about you?’ 

‘I’m not up to anything really either. I was planning on watching something, but I can’t decide what.’ 

“Shouta, come over here.” 

‘I gotta go. My mom is fussing already. I’ll text you later if I have time.’ 

He stands up, tossing his phone on the bed. 

“What’s going on?” 

“I just need you to come over here so I can see if this color is going to wash you out with your skin tone.” 

Aizawa forces a smile onto his face, and lets her hold each and every bow tie he owns up to his neck. It takes forever for each of them to get ready, but eventually they’re able to head out. Aizawa spends a lot of the next day and a half smiling and dancing with everyone his parents tell him too. The first day is just one really long party, but Sunday is full of three different events. By the time he drops into bed, he’s exhausted. His phone is full of texts from Hizashi and Nemuri, but he doesn’t bother to read any of them.

I’ll read them tomorrow on my way to Hizashi’s house. 

He ends up barely getting up on time, and has to rush through getting ready. He does read his texts as he walks. All of the ones from Hizashi are just pictures with captions of things he saw throughout his day. He opens his chat with Nemuri after that. 

She texted him at seven last night saying, ‘Shouta, do you have any idea what Kumo’s up to? I know that his parents are weird about us talking, but he hasn’t responded to any of my texts, or voicemails. I’m a little worried, especially since I didn’t see you guys on Friday. Just text me back when you get the chance.’ 

Aizawa types out a response immediately, feeling a little bad that he didn’t check it sooner. ‘There’s nothing to worry about. He’s sick, and his parents don’t want him on his phone. He didn’t come in for school on Friday, so I went to his house. He seemed fine, but he might be in school today.’ 

‘Oh, thanks. Let me know if he comes in,’ she responds after a few minutes. 

Aizawa sends a thumbs up, then tucks his phone back into his pocket. He turns into Hizashi’s street, and sees him on his porch. Hizashi starts waving, and runs over. 

“Hey, are you wanting to wait here to see if Kumo is going to show up?” 

“We probably shouldn’t. We’re going to be late if we do, and I think he’d be fine walking by himself.” 

Hizashi nods, and they walk to school together. They don’t really talk, and Aizawa doesn’t try to bridge the quiet. Kumo isn’t there by the time class starts, so Aizawa tells Nemuri that he isn’t there between classes. Hizashi still hasn’t said much by the time lunch rolls around, so Aizawa pulls him outside to eat. 

“What’s going on in your head?” he asks as he pulls at the blades of grass in front of him. 

Hizashi smiles softly, though it seems forced. 

“I’m that obvious, huh?” 

“We do know each other pretty well. You don’t have to tell me about it, but if you want to talk, I’m here.” 

“I just hate that I can’t help you guys. I don’t have any reason to think that Kumo isn’t sick, but I’m still so anxious. Mainly because he doesn’t have a good home life, so even if he is just sick, I have no way of knowing if he’s getting properly taken care of. I know you’re not being taken care of, and I feel bad enough about that. Any time that anything happens to either one of you, I can’t help but feel so anxious and maybe even scared. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you, but there isn’t anything I can do.” 

“This isn’t forever. We’re going to graduate, and be heroes together in a couple years. I know that nothing I can say is going to make you feel better about our current situation, but it’s just how things are right now. Though maybe there is something that we can do for Kumo. He’s already in foster care, so we’d just have to prove that things aren’t how they should be. We’d have to have a good home set up first and foremost. 

The reason he’s ok with this is because it’s much better than it could be. I’m not saying that’s good enough, but it’s good enough for him. I could do some research, and see what I can find out about possible families that he can stay with. Some of my support course friends either are being fostered, or know people who are. I can start there.” 

“Really?” Hizashi asks, his eyes lighting up. 

“Yeah, really. I don’t see why not. The hardest part is going to be finding someone to take him that we trust. The easy part should be proving that his current parents are neglectful, and possibly even physically abusive. Though he does claim that they aren’t.” 

“You also claim your parents aren’t,” Hizashi points out. 

Aizawa glares at him. “First of all, that’s different. Secondly, my parents aren’t usually. They lose their tempers sometimes, but normally they’re too lazy to pay any attention to me.” 

Hizashi raises one eyebrow. 

“Though I will admit that my sister is really mean, and should probably be thrown in jail.” 

Hizashi snorts his water, coughing. Aizawa leans back, smiling. Hizashi keeps laughing, which is not helping him catch his breath. Aizawa watches him until he manages to calm down. 

“Ok, now that you’re feeling better, we can talk about our plans for the rest of the day. I’ll text some of my friends from the support course tonight. We have work on the play later, and I want to talk to Nemuri once we’re done with that. Are you going straight home?” 

“No, I don’t have any plans,” Hizashi says, picking up his chopsticks again. 

“Ok, well do you want to go to the arcade?” 

“Yeah, of course. Are we inviting Nemuri?” 

“Yeah, but I doubt she’ll want to go. She’s probably going to be too busy pouting that Kumo isn’t going to be there. Speaking of which, we can stop by his house before heading back to your after the arcade.” 

“That works. Do you want to stay at my house for dinner?” 

“Please, my family has been eating lettuce for dinner for days.” 

“Thanks for making me feel better, Shouta, I really appreciate it.” 

Aizawa smiles. “It’s no problem. What else are friends for?” 

He turns back to his food, and they eat the rest of their food in comfortable silence. Classes are uneventful, as is their extra curricular class. Ms. Ali still shows no signs of being a psychopath, and lets them go home at a normal time. It’s almost five when they reach the gym that Nemuri’s working in. She’s changing out of her runway clothes, so they have to wait until she comes back out. She spots them immediately, and runs over. 

“Hey, what’s up?” 

“I just figured we’d come check in with you. Make sure that you’re good. Also, we’re heading to the arcade, and wanted to know if you wanted to come,” Aizawa says. 

“Oh, I’m good. A little worried about Kumo, but just because he doesn’t get sick often. However, I do have plans today, so can I take a rain check?” 

“Of course. We’ll walk you to the parking lot,” Aizawa offers. 

She grabs his arm, and links hers through his. “Ok, lead the way.” 

Aizawa rolls his eyes, but starts walking towards the parking lot. “We’re also going to check on Kumo once we’re done with that. Do you want me to text you, or even call you while we’re there?” 

“Yeah, whatever works, but I would love to have an update.” 

Aizawa nods, and Nemuri puts her head on his shoulder for a second. They get to the parking lot, and Nemuri lets go of Aizawa’s arm. 

“That’s my mom’s car over there. I’ll be waiting to hear from you guys, love you,” she says as she’s walking away. 

Hizashi and Aizawa both say bye before they start walking to the arcade. 

“So, how was your weekend?” Hizashi asks. 

“Horrible, how about yours?” 

“It was good. I cooked with my mom this weekend. We were cooking lunch for the people at the women’s shelter that she volunteers at. It was a lot of fun. I wish you could have come.” 

“Nah, it was family time.” 

“My parents love you, and you’re always welcome at our house.” 

“Yeah, I know, I know.” 

It’s not hard to keep Hizashi’s mind off of everything that’s going on once they get to the arcade. He races between games, and pulls Aizawa along with him. He doesn’t sober until they reach Kumo’s neighborhood. He grabs Aizawa’s arm, pulling him up short. 

“Is this going to be ok?” 

“Yeah, it’s going to be fine. Come on.” 

Aizawa keeps pulling him forward until they reach Kumo’s house. He knocks, and Kumo is the one to open the door. He looks better. He looks like he hasn’t washed his hair in days, but his complexion is better. He still has a jacket on, but he looks happier to see them than he was to see Aizawa the other day.

“Hey, guys.” 

Kumo steps out, and shuts the door. He motions them to the patio furniture as he also sits down. 

“Hey, we just came by to check on you. I was worried,” Hizashi says, leaning forward. 

“I’m fine. I even think I’m going back to school tomorrow. I just had a cold, so there’s nothing to worry about,” Kumo says with a reassuring smile. 

Hizashi smiles back. Kumo settles his hands in his lap, pulling his sleeves further down to cover them. 

“Do you want to call Midnight?” Hizashi asks. 

“Yeah, we can. I’m sure she’s been worried too.” 

“Yeah, she kept trying to text you over the weekend. She didn’t reach out to me until last night,” Aizawa says as he pulls out his phone.

He calls Nemuri, who answers immediately. “Hey, Shouta. Are Kumo and Hizashi with you?” 

“Yeah, and you’re on speaker.” 

“Hey, how are you doing?” 

“I’m alright. Just had a cold over the weekend. I’ll be back in school tomorrow, so how are you? Your parents doing ok?” 

“Yeah, they’re great. Got over whatever was going on really fast. It’s a little odd. They’re normally the grudge types.” 

“Well, at least it’s a positive anomaly. Anyway, is there anything else that’s happened that I should know about?” 

“We got a new drama teacher,” Hizashi says. 

“Really? How did that go?” 

“The other one got fired, thank goodness. I’ll let Shouta tell you about the new one since he had more contact with her than I did.” 

“She was really nice. Patient, and we didn’t get in trouble for anything the two days that she’s been teaching.” 

“She showed up the first day I didn’t go to school?” 

“Yep, just bad luck I guess. She’s very similar to you in a lot of ways. I think you’re going to like her.” 

“I hope so, but at least it looks good right now. As much as I love our time together, I would prefer it if it isn’t in detention. Especially since I am not good at building stuff.” 

Aizawa snorts. “Yeah, you’re fine at it. Hizashi is not.” 

“I just don’t know how to figure out directions with no Japanese words,” Hizashi whines. 

“Alright, boys, as much as I enjoy listening to you guys argue, my parents are calling me down for dinner. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, bye,” Nemuri says. 

“Bye,” Hizashi and Kumo echo. 

Aizawa hangs up before turning back to the other two. “Ok, there’s something that we need to talk to you about, but I’m not sure if we should do it here. Are your parents home?” Aizawa asks. 

“Yeah, they’re inside. They’re probably going to come out here in a few minutes if I don’t go back inside.” 

“Ok, then we’ll wait and talk at school tomorrow. Come on, Hizashi, we should get going.” 

Kumo nods, and stands up. “Alright, well, I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Bye.” 

They both say bye, then head back to Hizashi’s house for dinner.