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Shinsou browsed the lavender candles with barely concealed resentment.
Hizashi had told him to buy one for his room. Apparently it would help his insomnia. He hadn't wanted to, but Hizashi had brought out his puppy dog eyes and...well now he's here.
He's not alone though.
He glanced over to where Momo had wandered, watching her smell through different summertime themed candles.
When she had said she was going here she seemed a bit surprised when he had offered to go with her. At first he was worried it meant she didn't want him to go but that worry was quickly squashed when she beamed at him, seemingly excited for his company.
He hadn't been in Class 1-A long, only enough to figure out the basic order and secure a small lifetime's worth of trauma. He's only gotten three battle scars so far so he knew he had a long way to go.
But the class was...nice. A lot nicer than he thought they'd be. He didn't think they were stuck up like everyone else did, just really close knit and more traumatized than anyone could comprehend. He knew that a situation like that might not openly welcome outsiders and while they wouldn't be hostile (well, most of them), they might not be waiting with open arms either.
He still hasn't hung out with a lot of them, though Hizashi and Shota keep telling him too. He's still a little too scared.
But Momo is nice.
So he snatched the cheapest lavender candle he could find and made his way over to her, tapping her on the shoulder to gain her attention.
"Oh! Hello Shinsou. What're you getting today?" She asks, glancing at the candle in his hand.
He tosses it between both hands, a nervous habit.
"Ah, just a lavender candle. H-...my guardian recommended I get one."
"Oh, why?" She asks, innocently enough. Shinsou pauses, not knowing how to explain his chronic insomnia, or if he even wanted to explain it.
"Uh...just...sleeping stuff." He settles on, eyes darting around at all the different candles so he wouldn't have to look at her. Momo nods, thoughtfully.
"Insomnia, I presume?"
He pauses, choking on his spit with a nasty cough. He begins to pat his chest, eyes wide and throat sore. Momo flushes, looking more than a little panicked as she settles a hand on his back.
"Oh, Shinsou, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you I-"
"It's o-okay," he shoved out in between coughs, straightening up when the worst of the pain had subsided. "It's all good, I was just...surprised. My fault."
"Are you sure you're okay?" She asks, checking his face over. Shinsou waves her off.
"Yeah, don't worry about it. I just wasn't expecting you to guess it is all," he punctuates his sentence with an awkward chuckle. Momo nods, looking away in embarrassment.
"My apologies. I just...assumed it was a common knowledge thing. Many of us in the class suffer with it so...yeah. I'm sorry."
"All good. Not important. Yeah, it's for insomnia. Uhm, what are you getting?" He asks her, hoping she'll catch on to his topic change. She does, gratefully, and with one more once over she begins to explain her reasoning for visiting the shop today.
"Yes I...well Jirou and I are celebrating our one month anniversary soon," she sighs, looking back at the wall of candles. "And I'm looking for a candle to get them. They've been meaning to get one but I can't decide what scent they'd want."
Shinsou takes note of the genuine frustration in Momo's voice. Getting this candle must mean a lot to her.
"One month...first anniversary?" He asks. She nods, confirming his suspicions that this was their first anniversary, therefore their first anniversary gift.
"Well, what does she smell like?"
Momo gives him a rather strange look at the question and he realizes how weird he must sound.
"It's they/them today." She says, eyes wandering back over to the candles.
Shinsou wants to slap himself in the face and fall into the welcoming hands of his awaiting grave.
"I'm so sorry! I-I mean-"
"Berries." Momo says, cutting him off with a look of embarrassment. She doesn't seem to mind his slip up, instead moving to answer his question. "They smell like mixed berries and their guitar wax so...vanilla? Mixed berries and vanilla. Like a berry cake."
Momo smiles, a light and intimate smile while she thinks of her partner's smell. Shinsou feels himself relax at such a smile.
"Okay, mixed berries....let's search."
They wander around the store together, searching far and wide for the perfect candle for Jirou. All the while they sample and smell other candles, vetoing any that they hate and putting candles to classmates and teachers.
A banana candle for Present Mic. A caramel one for Bakugou. A chocolate cake for Sato and so on and so forth.
("Hey look, black licorice." Hitoshi notices, picking the candle up and taking a sniff. His nose scrunches in distaste and he holds it out for Momo to take a whiff. Her face scrunches up much the same.
"I bet Sensei would love that," she hums, going back to sampling the other candles. Hitoshi nods, looking back down at the object.
He shrugs and places it in the basket they had gotten right next to his lavender.)
After a time they start to make up their own candle scents. They try to come up with the most outrageous or insanely specific scent that they can.
"Okay okay okay.. how much would you pay for a candle...that smells like the sock you lost four years ago and ultimately believe was stolen by a ghost?" Momo offers, struggling to hold in her laughter as she finishes her prompt. Shinsou snorts, laughing into his hand.
"80,000 yen."
"80,000?" Momo gawks, staring at him in bemusement.
"Easily. How about...a candle that smells like Bakugou's sweat?"
"Oh, I'd give all the money in the world for that. Do you know how heavenly his sweat smells? Can't light it of course...so maybe half the money in the world?"
Shinsou nods, sagely. As if she had bestowed the greatest wisdom known to man.
"Absolutely...how about," he looks around the store, attempting to come up with another smell when he spots a singular dark purple candle, high up in the shelves. His vision zeroes in on it. Momo, noticing his pause, looks up as well.
They sneak a glance at each other, coming to a wordless decision. Shinsou walks over, grabbing the candle on his tippy toes.
He hands it over to Momo to read.
"Berry crumble crisp. A berry and vanilla mix...it's perfect."
Shinsou wants to burst into cheers right there in the middle of the store, high off the happiness of finding the candle and getting to spend time with Momo, outside of class or training.
"Thank you, Shinsou." She says, placing the candle in the basket. She looks up at him with a soft smile on her face. "I really appreciate having you here."
"Always happy to help," he says. She shakes her head, eyes shining with something close to amusement.
"No.. I mean just having you here. You're fun to hang out with. Why don't you hang out with us more?" She asks, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. "Most of the class is of the belief that you...don't like us."
His eyes widen and he waves his hands in front of him as if waving away the accusation completely.
"No! That's not it at all! You all are really great people. You're all super smart and kind and funny it's just…" he passes, thinking over his words, carefully. "I've never really had friends before. A-and I'm worried that you guys are so close knit that you...won't want me to be a part of your little group. You guys are like family and I'm...just not there yet, y'know?"
He feels embarrassed as he explains this, realizing how silly it sounds for the first time.
Momo hums, grabbing his hand in hers. She flips it over to show a noticeable scar on the back, from the base of his pinky to the top of his wrist.
"You got this at our last villain fight, right?" She asks and it's such a random question that he takes a second to respond.
"Uh...yeah. Why?"
"That was your third villain attack with us, correct?"
He nods this time.
She giggles, placing his hand down.
"Did it traumatize you?"
"Still getting nightmares."
A sad look passes over her face, filled to the brim with different emotions. Understanding, despair, anger, pity and more. It leaves as quickly as it came.
"You're one of us now. Whether you like it or not. Sorry if we haven't tried our best at reaching out and making you feel like you're one of us. I'll make sure we try harder if you do?"
He nods, offering his fist. She bumps his, breaking her hand away into a tiny explosion.
"Great. Now we're bonded for life," he jokes, making his way over to the counter. She follows, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"You'll regret that..but sure. Bonded for life."
-
"Okay so we need protein powder, protein bars, three kettlebells and some weights. Anything else?" Iida asks, checking over his list once more.
Midoriya and Kirishima nodded, bobbing around the aisles and gushing over the different things. Iida looked around as well, taking note of an orange flavored pre-workout.
"Hey Izzy!" Kirishima calls from somewhere in the store. Iida watches Midoriya's head pop up from behind a display.
"They got a fifty pounder over here! I bet I could lift one on both arms easily! Could you?"
Midoriya smiles, eyes lighting up at the idea of a challenge.
"I bet I could lift one on each arm and a leg!"
"Oh you're on!"
They rushed over to the weights, pulling out individuals(still in their packages, Iida might add) and began to balance them on their arms and such. Kirishima succeeded in balancing the weights on both arms while Midoriya managed to get both and a leg.
Iida allowed himself a small smile before getting into 'president mode'.
"You guys," he starts walking over, hand chopping. "I don't believe it is wise to lift these weights around like this! We don't have the proper equipment nor permission-"
"Hey Ten," Midoriya cuts him off, a sly smirk on his face. Kirishima only needs to glance at him before his face starts to make the same sinister expression.
"I bet I can lift more than you."
The challenge begins.
Iida places his phone in his pocket with a stern look on his face. The light glares against his glasses. This is a very serious matter.
Iida points to a hundred pound weight on the other side of the store. "Bet I could lift that."
Him and Midoriya race over to the weight. Kirishima follows, closely, behind.
Iida lifts it off the wall with ease, lowering it down to his abdomen to give to the, much shorter, Izuku. His smug smirk makes a fire burn within the other boy and he snatched the weight from Iida, lifting it above his head with as much ease as Iida had, if not more.
Kirishima gives them a toothy grin, taking the weight from Izuku with one hand and lifting it high above his head. He even has the audacity to fake a yawn, showing off his sharp teeth in a wide grin.
They put the weight back, moving on to bigger and better things.
Midoriya managed to lift a cardboard cut out with his pinky.
Iida manages to lift a whole foot bench, the kid that was trying on shoes still on it and very, very confused.
Kirishima manages to lift a whole shelf of pre-workout.
Midoriya managed to lift an entire display of protein jugs, barely breaking a single sweat.
That's when things start to get…extreme.
Of course things had been getting more and more intense beforehand. Even though nothing had dropped yet the customers and employees were not all too thrilled by a gaggle of insanely strong teenage boys running around lifting things, though it was, at the very least, a little entertaining.
Now though...now they'd moved onto people.
Kirishima was the first to lift someone, lifting a little girl who had been staring at him, wide-eyed, the entire time. He smiled down at the girl, who seemed to be no older than seven, and asked if he could pick her up. She agreed, happily allowing him to pick her up and place her on his back. The father of the girl, who had been not even a foot away from her, smiled when Kirishima bounced her around and commented on how heavy she had been, so she must have super strong muscles.
The little girl giggled, flexing her arms and Kirishima cheered.
Iida smiles at the interaction, already scanning the store for someone to grab.
His target looks to be not much older than Kirishimas. A young boy, probably around twelve. What made him a good target were the large antlers that hung out of his head, adding more weight to his average frame.
The boy locked eyes with him, already anticipating what was going to happen.
Iida strides over, picking him up with ease and plopping him down on his shoulders, wandering around the store as the little boy cheered.
He shoots a smirk at Kirishima who looks back at him with a glare. It's not all that strong seeing as he's also forcing himself to not break out into laughs right there but it's the thought that counts.
Midoriya panics when he sees his friends picking people up. He doesn't want to lose the competition but who is gonna let him pick them up on such short notice. He can't do a child, he needs to go bigger.
Taking a quick look around the store, he locks eyes with a guy that seems to be around his age. Deep purple skin with light blue spots and a decent muscled build.
The guy nods. Midoriya scrambles over to him.
"On three?" Midoriya asks him, glancing back at his friends. The guy nods and without thinking Midoriya grabs him by his waist and bicep, hauling him up in the air above his head.
The store cheers, effectively ending the competition. All the victims are put back down, not without gushing over the teens that had lifted them up, asking a million questions about them. They'd answered, even talking about their school and being heroes in training.
With that knowledge, both kids had asked for Iida and Kirishimas autographs and a picture. The boys obliged, rather happily.
However, Midoriya's interaction went a smidge differently.
After putting the guy down and thanking him once more the guy had asked Midoriya for his name and the conversation had flowed from there.
Then he started getting...strange.
"It was super impressive how you managed to pick me up. You're really strong," he had praised, lightly squeezing Midoriya's bicep. Midoriya blushed at the guy, muttering out thank you's over and over.
"Yeah...I love strong guys. Lots of 'em over at my gym. You should come sometime. There's a nice coffee shop right next to it."
Midoriya nodded along, smiling. "Ah, that sounds great but I'm not really allowed out much. UA keeps a tight reign on us. Though I'd love to try!"
The guy's eyes widened.
"That's where I've seen you! You're in the hero class, right?"
"Yep. Class 1-A. We're..a little infamous."
"Especially that blonde one..though I've never been into blondes. But greens always been my favorite color." He smirks down at Izuku, tracing along his bicep and down his arm, taking his hand in his. He brings Izuku's hand up to his mouth and places a gentle kiss on his knuckles. Izuku squirms, finally understanding what the guy was trying to tell him.
He opens his mouth to do...something, he doesn't know but then Iida and Kirishimas wander over, excitedly chatting about their new little fans.
"Hey Izzy! Hey guy Izzy picked up!" Kirishima greets. The guy sends him a quick glance in acknowledgement before his eyes are right back on Midoriya. He hasn't moved yet.
"Izzy?" Iida asks, poking Midoriya in the arm and shooting a glance at the guy.
"He's fine," the guy says for him. "He was just about to give me his number, actually."
The guy was bold, Izuku had to hand it to him.
"Oh! Sorry dude! UA policy, no dating outside of the school! Kirishima informs, swinging an arm around Midoriya in the process.
"Yes!" Iida chops, immediately reverting back into his serious form. "Besides he is already in a committed relationship with our friend Todoroki-"
"What? No I'm not?"Midoriya blinks up at Iida in confusion.
"Yeah, Todo is with Sero now." Kirishima explains. "Him and Midoriya broke up ages ago, dude."
Iida blinks.
"Huh-"
"I'll just leave you with this then," the guy says, snapping back quicker than everyone else from the derailed conversation. He snatches a sharpie off of the cash register, writing down his number and name on Izuku's hand. "If you're school ever changes that policy, call me!"
With a final blow of a kiss and a wink he walks out, not looking back.
Izuku is stunned..and a little flustered but mostly stunned.
"I am so telling 'chako about that.." he mutters, knowing just how jealous she'll be when he tells her that a hot guy had hit on him. They've made it a competition anytime they go out to see who gets hit on the most and he's hoping that no one has tried to hit on her today.
If he wins, she buys him a treat from the food court.
"Okay," Iida says, finally rejoining reality after his reset. "Let's get the things we came for and go. I want a fruit smoothie!"
Kirishima and Midoriya give a mock salute, already racing to get the items on the list first.
-
So...how does this look?" Sero asks, stepping out of the dressing room to present himself to Bakugou and Satou. Both boys looked him up and down, one with a more scrunched look than the other.
He doesn't look bad, if a little unusual. A light gray button up, folded to right above his elbows, sleeves a little loose to show the shirt was a size or two up but that wasn't made apparent with the way it was tucked into some straight burgundy slacks. Matching socks and loafers Bakugou could only describe as 'church shoes'. He even tied his hair back in a quick half up, half down.
"It's…fine but why the hell are you getting fancy clothes? You usually dress like a hippy." Bakugou asks, trying his hardest to be as nice as he can. It's not the best but he's been working on it.
When Sero had approached Bakugou and Satou, asking if they'd help him pick some clothes for an event, he never actually told them what it was. He just said that it was important, soon and he needed Bakugou's fashion knowledge and Satou's kind yet blunt critique.
They agreed, of course and here they are. Still confused, but trying their best.
Seros smile dims, becoming more genuine but far more nervous. Satou coos when a light blush covers his cheeks. Bakugou rolls his eyes, fearing for the worst.
"Uhm..it's actually for me to... meet Todorokis family."
Both boys' eyes immediately went wide, tensing the second the words left Seros mouth. Sero notices this, eyes widening just as much.
"Just his mom and siblings!" He rushed, volume a little too loud. A worker, some women with purple skin and too many eyes, shoots them a warning glance. Sero smiles in apology.
"Really! That's awesome dude!" Satou grins, clapping his hands together not unlike Ashido.
Seros smile grew in a more familiar way, showing the dimple on his right cheek.
Yeah, this was Bakugou's worst. Not only talking about half-n-half but watching his friend gush over the guy.
His own personal hell.
"Yeah! I was really excited when he asked about meeting them. He's already met my family and they love him but his family was always like...a sore spot, obviously -"
"Obviously." Both Satou and Bakugou parrot, one in an understanding way and the other with an eye roll.
"So for him to let me meet them? God I almost proposed on the spot! Is that gay? It feels gay."
"It's very gay." Satou hums, nodding along. Bakugou scoffs.
"If you're meeting his family why not have him help with this?" Bakugou asks, only a little unkindly, gesturing at Seros whole outfit.
"I didn't wanna do that to him," Sero explains. "He's already stressed, what with his mom actually being allowed to leave the hospital for this. Besides, he's pretty as all hell but his sister and Momo still buys most of his clothes."
Bakugou tch's. Satou coos.
"Where are y'all going?"
"This restaurant that they used to go to when they were younger, with their mom. It's not really all that fancy but it means a lot to them and I just...want to make a good impression."
"Well what did IcyHot wear when he met your folks?" Bakugou asks, crossing his arms as he begins to assess the situation. Pros of being the child of a fashion designer, he's equipped to dress for any and all situations.
"Oh, just what he usually wears but that was a lot more casual than this."
Bakugou wants to argue that they both seem equally casual but a look from Satou stops him from doing so. Instead he takes another look at Seros outfit.
"Change the shirt. The slacks look fine but doesn't match the burgundy at all. Socks too and for god's sake, find some shoes that my dad doesn't already have in his closet."
He glanced around, finding a crisp, poofy sleeved, white button up. He walks over, snatches it out of some women's hands and brings it over to Sero to try on. Satou rolls his eyes, immediately walking over to apologize to the woman and help her look for another shirt.
While Sero changes Bakugou leans back in his seat outside the dressing rooms, crossing his arms and closing his eyes while he waits. Satou walks back over and saddles up next to Bakugou.
"It's still so fun watching you go all fashionista mode," Satou laughs, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
"Call me a fashionista again and I switch your salt and sugar labels while you sleep."
Bakugou blinks an eye open, long enough to see Satou roll his eyes and smile at his phone.
"Who ya texting that's got you smiling like that?" Bakugou asks, deciding he's in the mood to converse with Satou. He's one of the few people Bakugou would consider a friend, so he gets the privilege of talking to him casually.
"None of your business." Satou shoots back, tapping away with a dopey smile.
"Ohhh... so you're texting your little friend." Bakugou hums, unable to hide the smugness from his tone. Satou groans, giving Bakugou a light shove.
"Shut up, you sound like my mom."
"Tell Aoyama I said hi."
"I'll tell him you're a little bitch."
"And I'll tell him about the book of French recipes hiding under your bed."
"...DUDE!"
The woman from before shoots them another look, far more stern than before. Only Satou sees it, mumbling an apology she can't hear under his breath. Bakugou is too busy cackling, actually sitting up in the chair.
Before either boy can continue, Sero walks out of the dressing room, white sleeves folded similarly to the first shirt.
"Okay, we're getting somewhere." Bakugou decides, motioning for Sero to spin. " You should have some basic white socks, I know you do. Shoes are still a problem...what size do you wear in women's?"
"Eight, why?"
"You know those black boots Mina has?"
"You tryna make me look like a pirate?"
"Slay Todorokis heart." Satou smiles, only widening when Sero and Bakugou both groan at his attempt at a joke.
"It's not a fucking pirate, it's called looking nice. Those with that outfit should be perfect."
"You know..." Satous head tilts, eyes turning to slits as he examines Seros outfits. "He kind of looks like Todorokis hair."
All three boys pause, Sero and Bakugou shooting each other a look.
"Change?"
"Change." Bakugou agrees, grabbing Satou as they search around the store for a completely new outfit.
"Okay, how about this one?" Sero asks, stepping out of the dressing room once more.
It'd been all of an hour and a half since that first outfit and they'd hadn't found anything yet. The outifts were always either too fancy or not fancy enough. The color palette was always wrong or the clothes weren't his style or too much his style.
Suffice to say, all three were very close to committing low-level crimes by the time Sero stepped out of the dressing room.
Satou and Bakugou sighed, glancing up to actually look at the outfit.
Satou gasped when he got a good look. Bakugou let out a stunned laugh that didn't sound sarcastic at all.
"You...actually look great."
And he did. Gray slacks with a similar build as the first ones, straight down and loose in all the right ways. Combined with a white button up(probably rolled to his elbows) with a burnt orange sweater on top. Black socks hidden by the brown ankle boots he sported.
"This is it!" Satou cheered, getting to his feet and walking over to Sero, taking the other boy's hand as they spun around. He nodded in approval, eyes going a little misty. "This is the perfect look!"
Bakugou nodded, happy to agree for once.
"You guys sure?" Sero asked, the smallest bits of doubt making its way to his face. "It's not too casual? And the sweater isn't, like, washing me out. Oh, maybe the shoes don't go with this I knew they'd be causing problems I should-"
"Soy Sauce." Bakugou drawls, walking over to place his hands on Seros shoulders. "You look fine. Great, even. Don't get too worked up about it."
He bites his lip anyway, eyebrows furrowing as he glances over at a mirror.
"A-are you sure?"
"Why're you so worked up about this?" Satou asks, voice softening as he takes Bakugous spot with a hand on Sero's shoulder. "I think this runs deeper than the outfit."
Sero deflates, sadly looking up at Satou.
"I-...I'm just worried about not looking good enough for him. That I won't act good enough for him. That-"
"They'll decide you're not good enough for him?" Satou finishes. Sero sighs with a nod.
"Bullshit. You love him right?" Bakugou asks, crossing his arms. Sero blinks, a little stunned at the question.
"Yeah. With everything I have."
"Gross," he rolls his eyes. "And you want to be with him forever?
"I don't know if we'll last forever...but he sure does make me wanna try."
"Even grosser. It's perfect."
"Bakugou's right," Satou smiles. "As long as you love him and don't hurt him I'm sure they'll approve of you. No need to get gray hairs over it. Just be yourself and show them how much you care about him. That's all they really want."
Sero looks between both boys, biting his lip in thought. His eyes shine, just a little and he gulps before he says anything.
"You're right. You're both right…" he breathes. "I still want the cool clothes though."
He grins, turning around to saunter back into the dressing rooms. Satou rolled his eyes.
"Anything in here you want before we leave?" Satou asked. Bakugou shook his head, an evil grin spreading across his face.
"Nah..but I think Aoyama would love that shirt over there, whatcha think?"
"Oh fuck off!" Satou groans, pushing Bakugou away.
Bakugou let's out a full belly laugh, making his way to the check-out.
-
Tokoyami held the door open for Koda, following him into the pet shop.
It was a quaint, family owned shop. It mostly sold pet supplies but had a few rabbits, fish and even kittens from time to time. It smelt like food pellets and had a broken light in the back, making it look dark and creepy.
It was Kodas favorite place. Ever.
When he had announced his intentions of going to the store he had a strong feeling he'd be going alone. He was the only one allowed to even keep a pet in the dorms so, of course, he'd be the only one going to get stuff to take care of it.
However, when Tokoyami had announced that he too would be going to the store, Koda was nothing short of baffled.
Why did Tokoyami need to go to a pet shop, of all places? He knew that Dark Shadow wasn't anything like a pet, more like a sibling, so they weren't getting food or storage or anything like that.
Koda had wanted to ask but he didn't know whether it would be considered rude or not. Tokoyami hadn't gone out of his way to explain so Koda wouldn't force him.
Though, while he was browsing the rabbit supplies, Tokoyami having wandered off to some other part of the store, a possible explanation passed through his brain.
Did Tokoyami eat bird seed?
Koda immediately sighed at the thought, grumbling in his mind about how he sounded a little too much like Todoroki.
(The two had been hanging out a lot more. Turns out he was really cool, if not a little...frosty.)
'He can't eat bird seed,' Koda thought to himself, hands barely moving along with his thoughts. 'He's mostly human. At least, his main body is...but he does have some bird-like traits.'
It had taken some time but once Tokoyami had started, rather forcibly, getting comfortable around the class he had begun to show just how bird-like he really was.
He would constantly be found perched on places, back hunched and arms tucked not unlike a bird. He also made a lot of bird noises, often cawing and squawking when surprised and chittering and chirping when he was happy or comfortable. He was able to mimic many bird noises, sometimes even communicating with other birds. He didn't understand everything they were saying, like Koda, but he did know a few words here and there. He was always found collecting shiny things, going as far as to try and steal Aoyama a few too many times.
So, all this to say, he was a lot more bird than originally perceived. Which means...
Does he eat bird food?
Koda has seen him eat normal people food before, they sit with each other all the time at lunch, but that doesn't mean he couldn't eat bird food.
(Really anyone could eat it but it comes down to actually benefiting from eating the bird food. Does he get anything from it? Does it fuel him better than people food does? Can he only eat certain people foods? Are some foods poisonous to him, like how Tsu can't eat some fruits? He's thinking too much.)
Well, if Tokoyami is here for bird food Koda can see why he might not want to tell anyone in the class, including him. It's not that they'd persecute him for it but he knows Kaminari would probably have a few jokes ready. Sero would have to force himself not to laugh and Bakugou would openly laugh, though change his cooking to work in the food for Tokoyami.
'Wait! Does that mean the food that he really needs, he has to eat alone. And how much does he get a day, if it's his main source of energy?' Koda ponders, his hand movements getting more firm and solid.
Just then, as he's nearly fully succumbed to his mind, the shop owner, a kind man named Tenshu-san, walks up to him.
"Hello, Koda! How are you, my boy?" His hands move, clumsily in front of him. Koda jerks, wildly turning to the side in surprise. Tenshu-san apologizes for startling him, which Koda waves off.
"It's okay!" Koda signs, frantically. "I was lost in thought anyway."
"Oh, to be lost in a head as big as yours," he jokes, nudging Koda in the arm. "Must be like the labyrinth in there!"
Koda rolls his eyes, his hands moving before he can stop them.
"I refuse to sit here and be bullied by a man who's hair is as patchy as a girl scouts sash."
Tenshu-san grabs at his heart, putting on an exaggerated hurt expression.
"You wound me, my boy! You do.. tell me what was on your mind!"
Koda grows embarrassed at this, not wanting to admit what exactly he had been thinking about.
"You're gonna call me ridiculous.."
"I've called you worse."
Koda rolled his eyes once more.
"I...you know that friend I walked in here with?" He begins, hands shaking just a little. Tenshus eyebrows furrow, a slight frown tugging at his lips.
"Yes, is he hurting you?"
Always to the point, Tenshu-san. It's not like he doesn't have a reason to be worried, what with Kodas track record.
"No, nothing like that! He's one of my good friends! It's just...I think he might eat birdseed."
Whatever Tenshu-san had been expecting, it obviously wasn't that. However he didn't let the surprise linger for long and instead began to ask questions, gathering up Kodas evidence into a cohesive list of proof within his brain.
The evidence seems solid enough.
"So..I really only have one question for you." Kodas hands move a little more wildly now, far more comfortable in Tenshu-san's presence.
"Of course, my boy. What is it?"
"What's the best brand of birdseed you got?"
Tokoyami moved quietly as he made his way back over to where he assumed Koda to be, Dark Shadow happily humming next to him.
"Would you seize with your litany of nonsensical tunes?" Tokoyami grumbles, peaking around each aisle, eyes constantly wandering to the shiny pet toys.
"It's not nonsense! I'm humming that one little tune from Finding Nemo! You know, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swi-"
"I get it, Dark Shadow."
"Good song."
"Amazing."
"Thank you for bringing me to see the fish, Fumi! Are you sure we can't get one?"
Tokoyami huffs, even steps tapping against the tiled ground. "I've already told you this Dark Shadow, we don't have adequate space or time for a fish. Besides, only Koda is allowed to keep such creatures."
"Maybe we can convince him to get a fish!"
Tokoyami rolled his eyes, zoning out while his quirk babbles beside him, fully aware that he's no longer listening.
He hadn't wanted to come here originally. He had wanted to spend his time divided between the local alternative fashion outlet and the bookstores poetry section. However, when Koda had told Tokoyami and Dark Shadow about the large wall of fish in the back of this particular store, Dark Shadow had begged to go then and there. Of course they couldn't but Tokoyami did promise them that they could go the next time they were allowed to go to the mall.
Dark Shadow was happy, so he was happy.
Tokoyami pulls out his phone, unlocking it so that he can text Koda about his whereabouts when he runs, beak first, into a solid wall of human.
"I'm so sorry!" Koda signs, offering Tokoyami a hand up. He takes it, nodding his thanks. He notices that he'd already seemed to have gotten his stuff, bag settled in the crook of his elbow.
"Did you get everything you came here for?" Tokoyami asked, switching to sign instantly. Koda lights up, just a little bit, watching his hands and facial expressions.
"Yep! Got more rabbit food and a few toys...where's your stuff?" Koda asks, seemingly searching Tokoyami for something.
"I'm not in need of anything this humble store could supply me, I'm afraid."
"Oh, did they not have a certain brand you liked? Cus I asked Tenshu-san and-"
Tokoyami shook his head, cutting Koda off. "No, nothing like that, my friend. There is simply nothing I'd require here."
"Oh, are you sure you're not running low? I asked Tenshu-san and he recommended this new brand. I actually got you some!"
Tokoyamis' metaphorical brows furrowed at this. There hadn't been anything he would need from here nor Dark Shadow. What exactly was Koda referring to?
"Got me some...what, exactly?" He asks, speaking this time, far too confused to consider his normal vocabulary.
Koda looked at him, apprehensive and embarrassed but equally confused.
"Some birdseed."
Tokoyami resets. Dark Shadow makes a verbal sound of confusion.
"Why...why would I need birdseed, Koda?" Tokoyami asks, dumbfounded.
"For you to...eat?"
Tokoyami glances towards Dark Shadow, making sure that they were, in fact, hearing everything correctly.
"Fumi doesn't...eat birdseed." Dark Shadow said, utterly baffled.
"You...don't?" Kodas cheeks began to darken, eyes widening as he frantically began to look back and forth between Tokoyami and the counter where Tenshu-san is pretending not to listen in.
"No!" Tokoyami exclaims, his voice hiccuping up a notch as he forces himself not to burst into a fit of stunned giggles.
Many people had made assumptions based on his bird like appearance and behaviors but this? This had to be the best one yet!
"Oh my god! Fumi!" Dark Shadow cackles, not even attempting to hide their delighted cackles. They're shaking so hard, flying around Fumi as they struggle to contain themselves. Tenshu-san watches them as if they'd grown another demon.
"I'm so sorry! Oh my gosh I am so sorry! I shouldn't have assumed I shouldn't have-"
"Koda!" Tokoyami laughs, grabbing the other boys hands in his own, face twisted into a rare smile. "It's okay! I hold no anger towards your kind assumptions. You said you bought me some, yes? It's obvious your actions were not out of malice."
"I just thought-" they tried to sign again but Tokoyami just shook his head, closing his eyes.
"No. I'm not watching anymore apologies. I said it was okay, so it's really okay."
Dark Shadow had calmed down by now, shrinking until they were just a little shorter than their holder.
"Yeah. Fumi's heard way worse! This is the cutest thing yet!"
Kodas already got pink cheeks darkened to a dull red.
"I just...I'm so sorry for assuming. I hate when people assume things about me because of my appearance or quirk and I just...went and did the same thing to you."
Tokoyami feels himself softening, taking hold of one of Kodas hands once more.
"We all have instances where we become the person we don't want to see in the world, if only for a little. Find solace in the fact that you did it out of nothing but love. That was the most non-judgemental way I've been offered bird seed...ever."
Koda laughs, looking down at his bag.
"I guess...you're right. Thank you, for not being mad." Koda whispers, forgoing the sign language. Tokoyami feels himself smile wider while Dark Shadow coos, both understanding just how much trust Koda must have in them if he's willing to speak around them.
"Let's go return it, hopefully you'll get your money back." Tokoyami signs. Dark Shadow retreats into their human. Koda sighs.
"That is if Tenshu-san will stop laughing long enough to give it to me.."
-
"Yo! Okay, not a lot of time to explain but start running and hide! Now!" Kaminari hissed, stopping in front of a confused Ojiro and Hagakure, his breathing picking up, bouncing between both legs as if getting ready for a chase.
"Kaminari what-" Ojiro tries but is immediately cut off with a deadpan look that could rival Aizawa.
"I said no time to explain!" He glanced behind him, doing a double take when he saw an employee rushing towards them. He looked not only incredibly mad but incredulous and a little stunned.
God what did Kaminari do?
"Okay! That's our chaser?" Hagakure asks, already speed walking to the entrance of the lotion store they had been browsing.
"Yep! And he's calling security!" Kaminari cheers, breaking out into a light jog once they actually leave the store.
"What the hell did you-" Ojiro tries, once more.
"Don't ask dude, just run!" Kaminari interrupts once again, booking it once he sees a security guard start chasing them.
They run straight for the first few seconds, the guard yelling at them to stop as they dodge startled mall-goers and jump over kiosks no one should physically be able to jump over.
Once they make it to the end of the bottom floor, the entrance of a large retail store glaring down at them, Kaminari turns to his classmates, eyes wide and frantic as he signs a single word.
"Scatter!"
They split, each going in opposite directions all over the place. Hagakure goes for the easiest route, just heading back right where she came from. She may have clothes on but she's still fully invisible and rather short, making her still rather hard to find. Ojiro heads straight into the large retail store, hoping that the mall cop will just go for Denki, the only actual culprit and the only one heading up the escalator.
Of course, because the universe hates him and any happiness he tries to seek in life, the one mall cop becomes two and begins to chase both him and Denki.
Ojiro huffs, slipping in and out of aisles within the large store, slowing his pace so as not to look too suspicious when the cop is firmly out of sight. He begins to let his guard down when the cop suddenly pops up from behind a rack of bathing suits, screaming at Ojiro for running.
Ojiro squeaks and high-tails it over to the escalator, heading to the second, much larger, floor of the store.
He ducks behind an empty checkout counter, huffing and puffing as he attempts to regain his breathing.
"Dude-"
"aH-"
Kaminari slaps a hand over his mouth, rather painfully might he add, shoving a finger over his own mouth in the universal 'shut the hell up' sign.
"Dude, don't fucking scream or we're toast!" He hisses, voice barely above a mumble. "You wanna get caught and thrown in a mall jail?"
Ojiro grips Kaminaris hand in his own, shoving it off his face and glaring at the boy with all the anger and frustration he can muster at the moment.
"Kaminari." He signs and he sees the boy's eyes go wide, not having considered signing so as not to be heard. "What the fuck dude?"
"I'll explain later," he signs back, glancing over the counter. He obviously sees something bad because he's signing at Ojiro with that same type of frantic wide-eyed look he had before. "But we need a new hiding spot, they're coming over here."
They crouch down, crawling over to another display. Ojiro watches them check the counter, sighing in relief at their disappointed faces.
They wander over to another side of the floor, probably looking for a worker to help them.
Kaminari begins to frantically tap on his shoulder, so harsh it almost starts to hurt. Ojiro huffs but looks over at him.
"Mannequins." He signs, face stern and set. Ojiro blinks.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
"What."
"Mannequins! Blend in! Wait it out!"
"Is your brain fried? Is that it? You're fried right now?"
"I'm actually not but thank you for asking, it's so nice knowing someone cares-"
"Kaminari!" Ojiro hisses, out loud this time. "I was being sarcastic. That's not gonna work."
"Yes it will!" He argues, leg bouncing up and down in a rapid succession. This whole chase has gotten him worked up and Ojiro doesn't even have a fidget toy to give him. They're all in Hagakure's purse.
He misses Hagakure.
"This store is the one that always has, like, real people mannequins cus like quirk stuff y'know!"
Ojiro blinks again.
Once.
Twice.
"Wait...that actually makes sense."
"Yeah!" Kaminari cheers, hands moving along with him in sign. He doesn't even seem to know he's doing it, much like Koda.
He also misses Koda.
He misses all his sane classmates.
"Okay but they only do it for people with mutation quirks cus solidarity or some shit. You're not gonna work!"
"Yes it will, I've seen them have non-mutation quirks." Kaminari argues, glancing back over at the cops that were slowly making their way over with a worker in tow.
He grabs a few hoodies, glasses and a random pair of sweats, shoving a few articles of clothing in Ojiros hands.
"Throw some of this shit on and find a place and stand like your life depends on it!"
And while Ojiro was throwing on a hoodie, some sweats and a really ugly hat, he actually had a bit of hope that this plan would work. Kaminari wasn't always the brightest bulb in the box but he wasn't hopeless either. As silly as this was, he had faith that everything would turn out fine.
...Of course he was wrong.
Because he's always wrong in situations like these.
Because the universe continues to punish him for that one time he lied about eating the last slice of his younger sister's birthday cake but he's already apologized so can't the universe give him a break?
They get caught rather quickly. While they have real life mannequins quite a lot they also have a schedule for the days they come and a catalogue of the models that are actually hired by the store.
So Kaminari and Ojiro were detained with cheap handcuffs that felt like they were from the toy store downstairs and about to be taken to mall jail when Hagakure rushed in, Aizawa-sensei at her heels.
"Sensei!" Kaminari squeaked, his voice filled with a range of emotions. Relief, joy, fear. His eyes only told the same.
"Kids. Officers." Aizawa greets, bowing at them. He gestures for Ojiro and Kaminari to come with him, the officers letting them go over to where Hagakure stood next to him.
"Stay there with Hagakure while I talk to the officers. Move a muscle and you're expelled."
He sighs, walking over to the mall cops. Ojiro watches him go with a sense of dread.
They don't talk to each other. Not even in sign. They listen to Aizawa and don't move a muscle, even Hagakure.
When he returns, looking so much more tired than before, he doesn't even look at them when he tells them to follow him.
They do, wordlessly.
They get a decent ways away from the store, stopping at the fountain downstairs that they had originally begun at before dispersing amongst the stores.
He gestures for them to sit along the fountain. They do. Hagakure bites her nails in worry.
"Hagakure," he begins, staring down at them all with a blank face. "Good job for coming to find me and admitting what you did."
Hagakure noticeably perks up, preening at the praise she had gotten.
"Boys." He continues. "You're lucky I got your permanent ban minimized to a month long suspension from this mall. Though, Kaminari...you're banned from that particular lotion store and any of its chain stores for life. Three months detention for you, two for Ojiro and two weeks for Hagakure. I'm glad you came and got me but you ran first and asked questions...never. That's not what I taught you."
Kaminari sighs, nodding his head in understanding. Hagakure shrugs, perfectly okay with her punishment. Ojiro, though relieved that the worst part is over, still felt a sense of irritation boiling over.
He turns to Kaminari and slaps a hand on his shoulder.
"Kaminari...what the fuck did you do?"
"Oh!" Kaminari blinks, seemingly forgetting that he'd never told Ojiro of his supposed crime.
"They caught me taste-testing lotions."
"...what?"
"I was eating the lotions. They sounded tasty."
Ojiro blinks.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
"I fucking hate you."
-
"Thanks for coming to the music shop with me, Jirou!" Uraraka smiles, holding the door open for her fellow classmate. Jirou smiles, slipping inside.
"My pleasure. I was gonna go here anyway, now I can do it with a friend." They bump their hips to Uraraka, giggling when Uraraka bumps back.
"Okay, remind me what we needed exactly?" Jirou asks, leading Uraraka over to a wall of records. Uraraka glanced over them.
"You ever heard of Micheal Jackson?"
Jirou let out a startled laugh, aghast that Uraraka would ask such a thing.
"Micheal Jackson? King of pop? One of the greatest musical artists of the twentieth century? That Micheal Jackson?"
Uraraka rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. That one. Well, my dad is a huge fan of him and his records and I want to find the Thriller record for him."
Jirou nods, eyebrows rising just slightly.
The thriller album, while huge, did come out nearly a hundred years ago. Now it's not seen as extremely rare but you have to search long and wide to find it and it's not gonna be a guaranteed cheap find. Lucky for them, Uraraka chose a great store, known for having hard finds.
"Okay. Thriller. Let's search."
So they began, at first searching through the bargain bin. Uraraka said something about feeling innately wrong if she didn't check there first, so they did, spending nearly thirty minutes scavenging the deepest crevices of the bin.
They found nothing, of course. The album may be old but it was considered a time honored classic, worth a bit more than two-hundred yen.
So then they moved on to the boxes, filled from wall to wall with different records spanning a million different genres and time periods. Jirou, in a stroke of luck, had found an album they'd been looking for within these boxes.
"Oh! Hell yeah!" Jirou exclaimed, holding a record high above their head.
"You found Thriller?" Uraraka asked, abandoning her place in another box and bouncing over to Jirou. Jirous eyes widened, looking over, guiltily, at Uraraka.
"Ah, no. I found Itekoma hits, by Otoboke beaver. I've been looking for this album for a while so..." They trailed off, feeling worse when Uraraka visibly deflated.
"Oh...well that's cool anyway! Otoboke beaver, never heard of them."
"Yeah, they might not be exactly your style." They laughed, turning the album over to look at the songs. "Fumi was telling me about them a while ago. He's a huge fan and I wanted to surprise him with it."
"Aw," Uraraka coos. "That's so nice of you, Jirou!"
"Eh...not really," they admit, glancing off to the side in embarrassment. "It's also because I...kinda...sorta....broke his other one."
"Oh."
"It was an accident!" They rush to explain, drawing a few wary glances from other shop goers. It wasn't necessarily an enforced rule but more of a general idea that this store would be on the quieter side, so that people sampling the music could listen in peace.
"Sorry!" They called. Quietly.
"How'd you break his old record?" Uraraka asked, shuffling back towards her own box. Jirou slipped the record under their arm.
"Oh, I had borrowed it from him the same day I had planned to go on a date with Momo...." They trail off, face going red. "When I got back to my room I was jumping around so much from joy that I...slipped and fell and accidentally slapped it off the table it was on and stepped on it."
Jirou looked over to Uraraka, gouging the girl's reaction. When they found her, face red and cheeks puffed in an attempt to tamper down her laughter, they did nothing but sigh, giving her the green light to release her giggles. They weren't too loud, thank goodness, but that did nothing to stop Jirous overall embarrassment.
"Yeah, yeah I get it! I'm a gay disaster, who woulda thought...let's get back to browsing."
Uraraka let out a few more laughs, patting Jirou on the shoulder in some sort of false apology.
And the search was back on.
They went through every single bin, Urarakas mood diminishing more and more as time went on. When they finished the boxes they turned to the aisles and when they finished the aisles they turned to the walls.
Still, they turned up empty handed.
"I really don't think they have it, 'Raka." Jirou sighed, hopping from foot to foot as their own album lay, heavy, in their hands.
"It has to be!" She whined, exasperated. "I looked it up before we got here and this store was the only place with it left! It even said it had multiple in stock!"
Jirou shrugged, slowly making their way to the counter to buy their album. Uraraka followed.
"Is this all?" The worker asked, honeydew eyes and hazelnut skin shimmering under the stores fluorescent lights. Both nodded, rather glumly.
The worker nodded, biting her lip.
"Y'know, I heard you guys talking about the Thriller album? I can't say I'm familiar with it but if you describe it I could look for it in the back?" She suggests. Her nervous tone goes unnoticed by both students, moods instantly flipping when she'd offered.
"Really! That's great!" Uraraka cheers, already pulling up a picture of the album cover on her phone. "Black cover with a man in a white suit on it!"
The worker takes a solid look at the picture before giving a firm nod and marching into the back. She's not gone for long, maybe five or so minutes, before she comes walking back out. She's empty-handed, face looking more than a little dissapointed. Uraraka expects the worst.
"You don't have it." She says, not a question but a statement. To both students' surprise the girl actually shakes her head.
"No, we have it." She says. "But it's too far up. I'm not exactly the tallest, the ladder is broken and the tall coworker we usually have doing this stuff isn't working right now."
Jirou deflates. Uraraka glows.
"I think I can get it!" She offers, leaning towards the worker. "If you let me use my quirk, I can definitely get it down!"
The girl looks back and forth between Uraraka and the backroom door. Coming to a decision, she lets them both in, pointing to the shelf where the record was.
It was pretty high up. The shelf looked a little less than twelve feet high while the worker looked 5'1 at the tallest. Uraraka nodded, her usual determination settling into her features. Jirou recognized that she was treating this like she would any mission or exercise.
"You'll catch me when I fall, Jirou?"
"Yes ma'am!" They salute her and she smiles, pressing her fingers together as she begins the float.
She makes a slow ascent up the shelf, gripping the top shelf by hooking her foot under it. The ceiling wasn't too far above the shelf but it was enough that it wouldn't be pretty if Uraraka fell. She was making sure she didn't go farther than she needed to.
In one swift motion she snatched the record she needed, gripping it firmly in between her elbows and released her fingers, dropping to the ground.
Jirou tried their best to catch her but Uraraka was coming just a little too fast.
She falls on top of the other, accidentally cushioning her fall with their body.
"Yes! The record is still intact! Jirou! Oh, are you okay?" She asks, getting up off their chest. Jirou gives a shaky thumbs up, rubbing the middle of their chest with a hand.
They ring the record up with no problem, thanking the employee profusely while they did so. She accepts all of their thanks with ease, wishing them well as they make their way out of the store, already talking about what kind of churros they wanted from the food court.
-
Mina would like it to be on record that this was not her fault.
It wasn't Aoyamas fault either.
It was that evil old bitch in Forever 11.
Really! They didn't even pounce first, getting the beret fair and square in their mad dash to the bargain bin. The old hag was the first to pounce, bitter that she lost the hat(that couldn't even fit her head) to two teenagers. So she did the only thing that made sense in her(very large and very scrambled) mind and tackled them to the ground!
Of course, when you have two teenagers and a "sweet" old lady describing the incident, the blubbering oaf with a badge is gonna believe the innocent old woman over them.
But that doesn't even matter because now Mina and Aoyama are sitting in a tiny ass mall cell with questionable stains and an even more questionable smell, playing rock-paper-scissors to see who'd have to call Sensei to come and get them.
Mina can feel the sweat dripping down her forehead as she throws out a fist, held tightly in front of her. Rock. She's banking on rock. They both had agreed on two out of three and had already won one each.
She just needs to win this one and she'll be home free! Well, not free free but she won't have to make the call and that's the best she can get out of this situation.
However, she doesn't even need to look up to know that she'd lost. The surprised yelp of victory is all she needs to know that Aoyama had drawn paper, effectively winning this game.
She sighs in defeat, pulling her phone from her bag and scrolling along her cracked screen through her contacts, glaring at Aoyama all the while. He smiles at her, a dazzling, mocking, smile.
A feeling of dread pools into her gut as she clicks on Aizawas contact. Aoyama gives her shoulder a shove, gesturing for her to hurry up and make the call. Mina rolls her eyes, clicking the call button a lot harsher than she needs to.
It's rings.
Once.
Twice.
By the third ring she's convinced that he won't pick up and they'll just have to call Iida or something. She's not complaining, far preferring the lecture than the possible expulsion.
But then the ringing stops and there's a gruff voice on the other side of the phone.
"What did you do?" He asks, right off the bat. Mina tenses, gulping.
"Okay so technically, not our fault."
"And you technically won't be expelled if you don't start explaining." He huffs, his tone as bored as always. Aoyama leans in, listening in on the call. Mina puts it on speaker, holding it so both can listen.
"Okay, just wanna preface this whole thing by saying we—"
"We?"
"Yes we didn't start any of it! It was that old hag in Forever 32 willing to jump a goddamn teenager over the cutest beret you have ever seen I am telling you Sensei—"
"The point," he grunts. "Now, Ashido."
"Oo, he said Ashido. He's mad." Aoyama whispers.
"Ah, Yuuga. Of course it was you two. I should've made Tsu join you both." He mutters. They both gasp in mock offense.
"Aucune confiance en nous..." Aoyama mutters under his breath, shaking his head in distaste.
"Vous êtes en prison.Vous vous êtes fait ça." Aizawa snips back, not missing a beat. Aoyama rolls his eyes.
"Not technically jail!" Mina reminds him. She hears him sigh but he doesn't scold her for it so he can't be too mad at them. He probably accounted for this.
"Okay so," Mina says, gearing up to explain. "Basically Aoyama and I were shopping at Forever 26 and we saw this adorable beret! We decided to split the cost and share it, teamwork and all that. But when we went to go and get it this nasty old lady jumped outta nowhere and tried to yank it out of Aoyama's hands! They had a tug-o-war but Aoyama managed to get it—"
"Oui! I got it fair and square!" He huffs, crossing his arms and pouting.
"Yeah! And so she tackled him to the ground."
There was a pregnant pause as Mina and Aoyama allowed their teacher to digest that information and digest he did. They swear they heard a muttered "what the fuck" which makes them smile.
"She...tackled Aoyama to the ground?" He clarifies, voice slow and riddled with disbelief.
"Yep! Right in the middle of the store! So I, of course, joined in and tried to yank her off of him—I'm not letting a bitch do that and get away with it, old or not—but she held on with her little demon claws-"
"Like the claws of a feral kitten!"
"And stuck into him! Poor 'yama has scratches!"
Aoyama pulled up his jean jacket and t-shirt, showing off three long scratches along the side of his abdomen. They aren't deep by any means, not even breaking any skin, but they're long and they look like they sting. They know Aizawa-sensei can't see them but he winces anyway.
"I see...and what happened after that?"
"Well," Aoyama continued, snatching the phone from Mina's hands. She's not phased, simply leaning into his side head, resting her hand on his shoulder.
"After Mimi managed to finally get that vieille sorcière off of me the security guard came. Apparently we had caused quite the scene, c'est vrai! He brought us to a small room and interviewed us. We assume she lied about who started it and got off scot free, landing us in la prison!"
"But," Mina continues, a smirk spreading across her face. "At least we got the beret!"
Now, most won't ever believe them and that's totally okay but Mina and Aoyama swear that they heard chuckles from over the phone. They were quiet and a little breathy but they were definitely there.
"Alright," he finally says, voice matching his usual sternness. "I'll be there in a few minutes to clear things up. I don't condone fighting in public but if you didn't start it I'm not gonna be too mad."
Mina and Aoyama both light up, overjoyed at this amazing outcome.
"Thank you, sensei!" They both say, smiles brighter than a full moon. Aizawa-sensei hums before the line goes dead, the phone flashing with a blurry picture of a terrified cat.
"You give people the weirdest contact photos..." Aoyama mutters, handing the phone back to her and leaning against her shoulder. Mina gasps, lightly slapping his chest.
"They're not weird! They're perfectly in tune with people's characters and overall general vibe. You just don't understand-"
"You're glorious and practical mind. Of course, mon a mi, how could I forget?" He rolls his eyes, an amused smile painting his lips.
Mina huffs, flicking Aoyama in the forehead. He hisses at the contact, shooting her a weak glare.
She sticks her tongue out at him and he rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath in french.
"You better be glad I don't understand French, you walking stereotype."
"You barely understand Japanese. I'm not worried."
Mina lets out a low whistle, slowly turning a shark-like grin on the boy. "Getting kinda bold there. I'm not even mad."
He winks back at her, pulling the beret out of his bag. They both begin to admire it, thinking up all the amazing outfits they could pair this glorious hat with while they wait for Aizawa to arrive.
He does, around ten minutes later, strolling into the office right in front of the cell with an aura of superiority and boredom.
"Hello," he greets the officer sitting at the desk. The man had been the one to take them in and had apparently been waiting for Aizawa to show up. He stands from his desk, offering a hand for him to shake. Aizawa doesn't, simply staring him down until he puts his hand away.
"Hello, sir. I'm officer Saito. Are you here for the kids?"
"No, I'm here for the all you can eat buffet." He drawls, rolling his eyes. Officer Saito obviously doesn't appreciate his sarcasm.
"Right...well, it's good that the woman didn't attempt to press charges. I'm aware they're hero students? This could seriously harm their career." He says, almost attempting to scold Aizawa.
Mina and Aoyama shoot each other a glance, eyes wide at this officer's boldness.
"Yes, well from what my students have told me they didn't appear to start the fight. Or did you just take the word of some old woman and not watch the tapes?" He asks, lazily. It's a competition of competency and Aizawa is gonna win.
The officer prickles at the comment, shooting a wary glance at the kids behind bars.
"Yes...I'm sure they told you they didn't start it."
Neither says anything more, Aizawa just watches as he grabs his keys and unlocks the door, swinging it open for the kids to leave.
Mina and Aoyama scurry out of the cell, following their teacher who has already begun to walk away. They make it all the way to the edge of the food court before he stops, turning to both of them with a hard stare.
"Two days detention. Both of you."
They open their mouths to protest but he raises a hand, silencing them.
"I'm aware you did nothing wrong but that officer was right. You're both heroes-in-training. Mina, you should've immediately alerted a worker and Aoyama should've given up the hat until the tapes could be seen. I'm not mad, but I need you both to be more careful in these situations."
They deflate like kids getting caught with their hands in the cookie jar and nod at their teacher, muttering a 'yes, sensei' as they did.
He smiles, ruffles their hair and tells them to hurry along and join the rest of their class in the food court before they leave.
-
Shoji, Todoroki and Tsu calmly walked around the food court, in search of seats for the class to rest.
All of them had no real reason to need to go to the mall. They had only gone because the whole class was going and what are they if not grossly codependent. They didn't enjoy the idea of being at the dorms while the rest of the class was out and about along with their teacher.
So they went, deciding to immediately go to the food court to eat, talk and be the designated place to meet up once everyone was done or the three hours had run out.
"Do you guys see a table, kero?" Tsu had asked, surveying the crowded place. "I can't really see from here. Too short, kero."
Shoji hummed, picking her up without a second thought and placing her on his shoulders. She thanked him with a pat on the head, going back to looking for a place that could seat all twenty of them.
"I can't see anything...do you think they sell soba here?" Todoroki asked, deciding to focus on a new task when the original one turned up fruitless.
Shoji shrugged. "I think so. I don't really go to the mall much," he admitted, wandering around. He didn't know much about mall etiquette but he assumed it was like the ocean. If you didn't keep moving, you'd die. Todoroki followed behind him, his left hand placed in one of Shoji's, to make sure he didn't wander off.
"I've never been to a mall before. My father didn't allow it." Todoroki explained, taking in all of the new restaurants and smells with vigor. "But Fuyumi and Natsuo would go. They'd get me manga and stuff."
Shoji smiled, allowing the immediate anger he felt at the mention of Todorokis father be crushed by the appreciation of his siblings. They did good, helping him.
They continue their search, wandering around and around in never ending circles. Tsu was growing more frustrated as time passed, though she didn't show it. Instead she began to tap, lightly, on Shoji's head. He paused but didn't stop her.
After what seemed like forever Shoji made a quick right, dragging Todoroki with him. He speed-walked over to a row of tables all shoved together rather clumsily. The tables were not too dirty, nothing a paper towel couldn't clean up. Tsu hopped down from her spot, using her tongue to secure a roll of paper towels a bit of ways away.
She passed a few to Todoroki and Shoji, watching them wipe off the tables and arrange them to be, more neatly, snugged together.
Shoji took a seat in the middle, Todoroki sitting next to him with Tsu across from Shoji. They chatted for all of five minutes before they spotted some of their friends heading over.
It was Shinso and Momo, walking with her hand in his arm, laughing and chatting as they walked up to the table. Tsu thinks this is the first time she'd seen Shinso smile.
"Hey guys," Shoji greeted, extending an arm and pulling out two chairs for them right next to him. They greeted him back, gracefully accepting the chairs.
"Did you have a nice time in the candle shop?" Todoroki asked, eyeing a restaurant that he figured out did, in fact, sell cold soba.
"Yeah," Shinso answers. "I got a black licorice candle for sensei. You guys think he'll appreciate it?"
His smirk is as evil as the one their sensei usually wears. It almost makes Tsu shiver.
"Careful," she says. "He might light it during homeroom and force us to take it, kero."
"He'll probably label it as endurance training or something," Shoji mutters.
They go back to their individual conversations, Todoroki leaving to go and get his soba. By the time he returns there are more people at the table.
He smiles, taking his seat next to Shoji. On his other side is Midoriya with Iida and Kirishima sitting across from them, next to Tsu.
"Did you have a good time at the exercise store?" Todoroki asked Iida, bumping fists with Kirishima. Iida nodded, looking over at Midoriya with a smirk.
"It was fine. Izzy might've had a better time than any of us, though," he jokes. Midoriya, for some reason unbeknownst to Todoroki, goes red at this.
"I-I guess you could say that. But now I need to find 'chako! I want my free food,"
"Why am I giving you free food?" Ochako asks, having magically appeared above Midoriya, Jirou already taking a seat next to Momo. Ochako leans down to give Midoriya a pat on the forehead, face still scrunched in confusion.
He smiles at her, a devilish smile.
"Guess who got hit on by a hot guy?" He sing songs. Urarakas face only gets more confused before she suddenly realizes what had happened.
"Dammit! A hot guy hit on you?"
"Yup! After I picked him up!"
"No fair, that's persuasion!" She argues, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and leaning her head on top of his. He shakes his head.
"Nope. I didn't do it with the intention of him hitting on me. That was all him. Now, that McDonalds over there is looking...mighty tasty."
Uraraka rolls her eyes, taking her friend's hand in hers as they make their way to the McDonald's line. Kirishima watches them go with an amused eye roll and Iida starts up a conversation with Todoroki.
A bit more time goes by before the seat next to Todoroki is filled. He turns, expecting to steal one of Midoriya's fries but is met with his boyfriend instead.
"Oh." He says, blinking. "You're not Izzy."
"I'm not," Hanta smiles at him, bemused but happy nonetheless. "Is that a problem?"
"No." Todoroki answers immediately, leaning his head into the other boy's shoulder. Bakugou stomps up to the seat next to Kirishima, bumping his fist in greeting. He scowls at Todoroki in acknowledgement and begins a conversation with Shoji and Sato, the latter taking the seat across from Shinso.
The conversations go on for a while longer, the group being joined by Koda and Tokoyami.
("You'll never guess what Koda bought Fumi!"
"DS, please." Koda begs so the whole table knows it has to be embarrassing.
"Sorry Koda, but this is just too good!")
Aizawa-sensei walks up with Hagakure, Kaminari and Ojiro on his tail. Tsu smiles at them in greeting.
"What happened, sensei?" She asks, already knowing the only reason he'd leave the cat cafe he'd obviously been in was to get them out of trouble.
Aizawa huffs, pointing at some chairs along the end of the tables for the three to sit at. They do and Shinso hands Aizawa the black licorice candle he'd gotten him.
"Am I a joke to you?" He asks Shinso, pocketing the candle anyway. Shinso shrugs.
"I thought you'd appreciate it." He says, a little more earnestly than Tsu had been expecting. She watches Aizawa blink, slowly, eyes not leaving Shinsos. He nods in acknowledgement and takes the seat at the head of the table, burying his face in his scarf and closing his eyes.
The peace lasts all of ten minutes when Aizawa gets a phone call. The buzzing of his phone silences the rest of the class and they watch him answer it, holding their bresthes.
"What did you do?" At his tone the rest of the class continues their conversations, not wanting to get in trouble for eavesdropping. Though Jirou does, openly.
After a few minutes he clicks the phone off, huffs and mumbles about having to go and get their idiot classmates.
"That's where Aoyama and Mina are," Sato hums. Bakugou shoots him a look which earns him the bird from Sato.
They move on with their conversations, at this point nearly everyone had gotten up and gotten food at some point and they were eating and chatting, happily, content at their relatively calm mall trip.
Once Sensei arrived with the two missing kids, Mina and Aoyama jumping into a tale of an evil hag and a beautiful hat while they took up the last two seats, the class began to pack up, getting ready to head back to the dorms and destress from the day they had.
As they laze around on the bus, leaning against each other in micable silence, someone suggests a sleepover. No one's sure who it was exactly, most a little too tired in the fading sun to be aware of their own actions, but the suggestions is met with a chorus of agreements.
Ay excuse to spend a little more time with each other, they'd take it.