lil bit of angst... we love Aizawa's backstory... *NOT*
*Would Meiya Amiyagi please report to the teachers’ lounge?* the announcement aired over the school intercom. It was in the middle of class, causing the half-full class to all look back at her curiously. It was the middle of fall semester of their second year, so it wasn’t unusual for half of the class to be out at any given moment, all depending on their work study schedules. But what was unusual was for Mei to be called to the teachers’ lounge. She was always at the top of her class and never got in trouble.
She stood up from her desk and decided to pack up her bag just in case she needed it and headed down the hallway to the teachers’ lounge. She could feel her heart beating faster, as if it were going to beat out of her chest. She was terrified at the prospect of being in trouble. Upon entering, the staff room was pretty much empty, except for Principal Nezu and one of the other teachers. “Amiyagi…. Please have a seat,” the principal said. Mei walked further into the room and stiffly sat down on one of the couches. “Did I do something wrong, sir?” she asked, timidly.
“Not at all,” Nezu said, reassuringly. “I’m afraid it’s under more grim circumstances that I’ve asked you to be here,” he added, sitting down in the seat in front of her while the other teacher remained standing. “I know you are close with the students interning with the Purple Revolution Agency and Buster Union. Well, both teams got caught up in a villain attack during their patrols today… a villain more powerful than they were expecting. There was a lot of wreckage and casualties because of the attack,” Nezu explained.
“Kayama and Yamada are both fine… Aizawa was taken to the hospital but is alright, just some scars and bruises… he was actually the one who ended up apprehending the villain,” Nezu said, pausing for a moment. “A building was about to fall on a group of children, so Shirakumo used a cloud to protect the children, but in doing so was unable to protect himself… He was crushed by the falling building and died instantly,” he concluded. “Obo…” Mei said, thinking about her best friend, unable to wrap her mind around his death. The teacher who was still standing sat down beside her and put an arm on her shoulder.
“We’re so sorry we have to be the bearer of such terrible news… You’re excused from the rest of your classes today,” she said as she tried to comfort Mei. Mei, still in shock, couldn’t even cry yet. Her mind was swimming with all kinds of thoughts… yet at the same time she couldn’t even think. This was apparent to Nezu, so he decided to speak up to try and advise her. “I know your mind is reeling right now. Do whatever you must to let the reality of the matter sink in. Take a walk, go home to your family, get some rest… or, might I suggest, maybe visit your classmates who are trying to do the same. I imagine it’s especially hard on Aizawa who was right there when it happened,” Nezu said.
Mei thought about the principal’s words for a moment, then thought about the POV that Shota must’ve experienced, and the horror it must’ve been to see their friend crushed by a building so suddenly. “What hospital is he at?” she then asked, voice shaking slightly. “He’s at Jaku hospital, I think it would be grounding to see a familiar face during this time,” Nezu advised. Mei took a deep breath and squeezed the bridge of her nose, as if trying to make sure the tears didn’t escape.
“If you’re decided on visiting him, Miyazano-sensei here can give you a ride to the hospital… She needs to head that way anyways to get all of the details from the battle for our records,” Nezu said. Mei nodded. “Thank you,” she replied, weakly. She stood up finally and followed sensei out to the car… completely silent apart from an occasional deep breath in attempt to ground herself. It was a relatively short trip to the hospital, and upon arriving and checking in, Mei noticed a familiar face over in the waiting area. “Hizashi,” she said. “MEI!” he said, getting up and running over to her.
“You heard about Oboro?” he asked, to which she nodded. He looked at her sadly, then wrapped her up in his arms tightly. She hugged him back, allowing her eyes to get teary as they held each other. “I’m sorry…” he said, causing her to cry even more. She finally composed herself after he let go and she took another deep breath. “You here to see Shota?” she asked. He nodded and said, “yeah… well, I was. He kicked me out… I guess I asked, ‘how are you?’ one too many times.” “I get it,” Mei said. She didn’t want to talk much about what happened herself. “Guess I’ll go see if I have any better luck,” she said. “You will… I think your calm, grounding presence is just what he needs right now,” Hizashi said. She tried to smile at him before turning to the nurse who was to lead her up to Shota’s room.
Shota, in hospital clothes, sat on his bed next to the window looking up at the rainy sky. He heard the door to his small room open, drawing his attention away from the window. “You have a visitor,” the nurse said as she entered, followed by Meiya. Upon seeing him, Mei thought he looked like he had aged years, based on the tiredness of his eyes alone. Though his eyes were often irritated due to his quirk, they looked even redder today. “I’ll give you some privacy,” the nurse said, knowing the sensitivity of the situation and exiting the room.
“What are you doing here?” Shota asked, almost coldly. “I wanted to check on you,” she said, feeling her throat tighten up. As her eyes met his, she could see the pain he was feeling, and the pain he was probably trying to keep at bay. “I’m fine. Just a couple bruises,” he said, rubbing his arm. Mei looked at him sadly, knowing that deep down he most likely was not fine… but he was never one to be open with emotions (and neither was she, really). “Is it ok if I sit?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you be in class?” he asked. “Principal Nezu gave me the rest of the day off,” she answered. Shota grunted, as if to say, “ok.”
He looked away from her and at the rain hitting against the window. She decided to sit down on the chair in the room, and looked at the window also. As she did so, she noticed the clouds and the shape of them as they blew in the wind, immediately thinking about their deceased friend. She felt the lump in her throat come back and tears began to fall silently. She wiped her eyes on her sleeves discreetly, trying not to bring any attention to herself. She was here to check on him, not the other way around.
Shota finally turned back to her upon hearing a sniffle, and his harsh eyes softened slightly. He reached for a nearby tissue box and handed it to her. *I’ve hurt her too…* he thought to himself. *It should’ve been me that died, not Shirakumo… I wasn’t strong enough to save him… Now he’s dead, and everyone else is hurting… all because of me…* the negative thoughts growing louder in his head. His thoughts were interrupted by a touch on his arm. He looked over to see Mei, now standing next to him, with a hand on his arm. She looked at him sadly, not knowing what to say, but hoping her touch conveyed that she cared for him and that he wasn’t alone. After a little squeeze of his arm, she turned and left his hospital room.
Just random texts exchanged while Mei is in Tokyo.
Mei: Train just pulled into Tokyo station!
Shota: Let me know once you’ve made it to your apartment safely.
Mei: I will 😊 (hopefully I don’t get lost lol)
--
Mei: So, my apartment is actually IN the support agency… that’s how big it is, it’s like 10x bigger than the one at home >.<
Shota: Less time that you have to be outside on the streets of the big city.
Mei: And more time to sleep in!! lol time for me to start unpacking!
Shota: Don’t get too comfortable, it’s only temporary.
--
Shota: I received an alert that criminal activity in Tokyo has reached a record high this past week. Stay vigilant and be careful.
Mei: Things are quiet on our block, so don’t worry!
--
Mei: Have you eaten today?
Shota: Yes
Mei: Have you eaten a full meal?
Shota: I’ve had enough to keep my energy up.
Mei: I’m taking that as a no… Don’t make me send Hisazhi or Nemuri out to feed you real food.
Shota: Not necessary… I’ll be sure to eat when I’m done with patrol.
--
Shota: Tore my last spare capture weapon during patrols today… and you’re not here to fix it.
Mei: Shonori at the agency should have the specs to make you a new one! I can get one delivered to you from her.
Shota: Fine.
--
Hizashi: MEI YOU HAVE TO COME BACK!! I’ve never seen Shota in such a state of disarray.
Mei: What do you mean??? What happened??
Hizashi: I hadn’t heard from him in a week, so I went by his apartment… There was no answer when I knocked, so I let myself in and found him asleep in the middle of his kitchen floor. IT WAS 3 IN THE AFTERNOON!!!
Mei: That’s… scarily normal… except the fact he was in the kitchen… he must be exhausted ☹ Make sure he’s not working too hard!!
Hizashi: You know he won’t listen to me… Just make sure you come home soon!!
--
Nemuri: I think Shota misses you 😉
Mei: What makes you say that?
Nemuri: Hizashi and I were able to drag him out of his sleeping bag long enough to get a couple of drinks, and all he did the whole time was check his phone from a message from you! And whenever a Tokyo news report comes on, it’s all eyes on the TV.
Mei: Maybe he was on standby for an emergency mission or something and was waiting for a call.
Nemuri: No, he’s definitely waiting for a text from you… the boy is DOWN BAD!!!
--
Mei: My coworkers and I visited a cat café today, and look! They had a cat that reminded me of Kohi, and one that looked like Sushi!! Idk why cats like me so much…
*Picture of Mei surrounded by cats attached*
--
Shota: I saw the weather report for Tokyo this morning and it’s calling for rain… hope you packed your umbrella.
Mei: Thankfully I’m stuck inside all day today!
--
Shota: Outside your favorite ramen shop today.
*Picture of a stray cat looking into the window of the shop attached*
Shota and Hizashi take Mei to catch her train to Tokyo
“I don’t know why you need all these bags,” Shota grumbled under his breath as he helped Hizashi get Mei’s suitcases out of the car. “Shota, I’ll be gone for two MONTHS, not just two weeks!” Mei said with a chuckle. “To be fair, this is the amount of luggage I would bring along for a two-week trip,” Hizashi retorted with a laugh. The three friends navigated through the busy train station, with Mei in the lead, looking back and forth between her phone and the signage in the station. Once they found her train platform, she looked at the time.
“Ah, will 10 minutes to spare,” Mei observed. “Fashionably early as always,” Hizashi commented with a smile. As he looked at Mei, he realized that now might be a good time to give his two friends a moment of privacy before she left. “Oh, you know what… I don’t think I paid for the parking meter! I better go check on that,” he said, coming up with an excuse on the top of his head. “Bye-bye, Mei!! I’LL MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!” he said, in his usual loud and extra voice, pulling her into a tight. Mei chuckled. “See ya, Zashi… it’s not a goodbye but a see you later,” she said, breaking the hug and patting his shoulder affectionately.
“I’ll wait by the car, take your time,” Hizashi whispered to Shota as he passed by him. Shota furrowed his brows ever so slightly, wondering what his friend was implying, but nonetheless wanted to stay by Mei’s side until she was safely on the train to Tokyo. “Do you have all the emergency contacts I gave you?” he asked. “Yes, all saved on my phone,” she said. “You better make sure you keep it charged… The moment I call and you don’t answer, I’ll be sending a search party out for you,” he reminded her. “Yeah, yeah,” she said, smiling to herself. It was so endearing how protective he could get.
“Oh, here comes the train!” Mei said, looking down the tracks as the train came in. Shota turned the direction she was looking and watched the train as it pulled into the station. While his gaze was directed at the train, a sudden boldness overcame Mei, and she grabbed Shota’s shoulder and pulled him down, closer to her level. Even then, she still had to get on her toes to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for everything,” she said, simply, trying to ignore the blush she felt in her cheeks.
Shota froze in his tracks and rubbed his cheek slightly. “That was unnecessary,” he said, voice slightly agitated. “I’m sorry… I just-” she began, but before she could get further into her explanation, he interrupted her. “I didn’t say it was unwelcome… just… unnecessary… there are too many watchful eyes around. The next time you try something like that better be somewhere more… private,” he explained, rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassedly. The announcement of her train boarding aired over the loudspeaker. Shota helped carry her bags closer to the station, where the staff then helped load it onto the train.
Mei looked up at Shota one final time. “Bye, Sho,” she said, smiling sadly at him. “Not see you later?” he asked. She chuckled. “You’re right… I’ll see you later,” she said. She wanted more than anything to reach out to him and wrap herself in his arms but didn’t want to break any more boundaries after her little stunt earlier. She hopped in the queue boarding the train, and once she found her seat, looked out the window. Shota was still on the platform, now with his hands in his pocket, back leaning against the wall. Their eyes met through the window, and Mei gave him a final wave as he silently watched the train pull out of the station.
Now that he knew she was safely on the way, he felt at peace about leaving the platform and navigating back through the station to the parking lot. He found Mic, leaning against the hood of his mustang (and not parking meter to be seen). “Did Mei make it on the train safely?” Mic asked, getting up and unlocking his car as Aizawa waited to open the passenger side door. “I wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t the case,” Aizawa said plainly, opening the door and getting in. Mic expertly pulled out of the parking lot and made his way down the road home.
“Soooo, how was the goodbye sugar?” Mic asked, grinning ear-to-ear. “You saw that?” Aizawa asked, horrified. “SOOOOO, SHE DID KISS YOU?” Mic replied with a laugh. Aizawa looked at him with his eyebrows furrowed. “I didn’t lie! I said was going to wait by the car… and wait by the car I did,” he said, still smirking at his clueless friend. “What made you think that she… well…” Aizawa began. “KISSED YOU?” Mic said, knowing Aizawa wasn’t going to say it.
“Bro, I’ve known Mei as long as you’ve known her… I knew that this would’ve been the perfect chance for her to do something bold like that… that way if it was a big flop, at least she wouldn’t have to see you for two months,” Mic explained. “IT WASN’T A FLOP, WAS IT?” he then asked, worriedly. “Shut it,” Aizawa said, not feeling any obligation to give his friend the details. “Suit yourself… I’ll just get the details from Mei later,” he said with a (scarily evil) chuckle. *This is going to be a long two months…* Aizawa thought to himself as he hid the lower part of his face in his scarf.
Mei tells Shota about a freelance job opportunity she has in Tokyo.
“Hello, police? …Pro hero Eraser Head here… I have a villain detained near Shinjuku station; can I get someone out to pick him up? …yeah, I’ll send the coordinates,” Shota said, hanging up his phone before looking up the coordinates on his phone to send to the police hotline. After hitting send and sticking his phone back in his pocket, he was shocked to immediately feel his phone vibrate. *That was fast,* he thought to himself, pulling his phone back out to check the confirmation of pick-up.
Instead of receiving a text back from the police hotline, he was surprised to see a text from Mei. *Can we meet up later? I have something that I need to tell you.* the text read. *My patrol ends in an hour. I can come by your lab.* he replied, wondering what it was that she would have to tell him. *It must be something important… something that needs to be said instead of texted,* he thought to himself. Even after the apprehended villain was picked up by the police, Shota’s thoughts lingered on the meaning of Mei’s text, all up until he was finally standing outside her support agency.
“Oh, hello, Eraser Head… Are you here to see CC?” the girl at the front desk asked upon seeing him enter the lobby. “Yeah… and she’s expecting me,” Shota said. The receptionist typed in a few things onto her computer and nodded. “Go ahead,” she said as the elevator door behind her opened. “Thanks,” he said, walking past the desk and entering the elevator. He pressed the button to Mei’s floor, as he had so many times, and crossed his arms, leaning back on the elevator wall as it scaled up the building to her floor.
He stepped off the elevator as it reached her floor and walked down the familiar hallway to her lab. He knocked and heard a “come in!” call out from inside. He opened the door and walked in. Mei had on her goggles and was gingerly painting what looked like a model for a new tech support item. “Hey Shota… hold on one second, let me finish this,” she said, looking at him for just a moment before going back to her work. He walked around the lab, looking around and studying all the works-in-progress sitting around the lab, as well as her desk.
He could get a pretty good gauge of her health and stress level by the state of her desk (which was messier than usual now). “Have you eaten?” he asked. “I’ve been snacking on stuff here and there,” she replied. Shota noticed the granola bar wrappers on her desk. “Have you eaten any real food?” he followed-up. “Oh please! Says the guy who sometimes lives off protein jelly packs,” she replied with a chuckle. He reached in one of his utility belt pockets and pulled out a wrapped up onigiri, placing it on her work bench in front of her.
She pushed her goggles up to her head and smiled at the onigiri, picking it up, unwrapping it, and taking a bite. “Mmmm, my favorite kind,” she said as she reached the center filling of the onigiri. He sat down at her desk chair and contentedly watched her eat before he asked, “so what did you need to tell me?” not wanting to waste time (though, deep down he thought that time with her wasn’t actually a waste). “Right…” she began, as if suddenly remembering why she got him to come and see her. “Well, I was requested to go to Tokyo for a freelance job… at one of the big support agencies there,” she said.
“Tokyo? And you were asked for, specifically? I guess they must recognize your abilities… not just anyone is asked to come to Tokyo for a job,” he said, matter-of-factly. She smiled smally, acknowledging his comment was high praise from him. “Yeah… the thing is, it’s a pretty big job… so I’ll be gone for two months,” she added, twiddling her thumbs nervously. “Two months?” Shota repeated, as if letting that information sink in. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he asked, “when do you leave?”
“The day after tomorrow,” she said. “Hm,” he said, thoughts clearly swimming through his mind. “Two months is a long time for a temporary assignment… so make sure you don’t get too accustomed to the city life, and make sure you return in one piece,” he said. “Don’t worry about me! I can handle myself,” she said. “I know… but I’ll send you some of my contacts from Tokyo in case of an emergency,” he said, pulling out his phone to send them to her. “And if a day passes when I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume something wrong happened and will have no choice but to file a missing persons report,” he added.
She smiled at him and nodded. “Thanks, Sho,” she said with the nickname she used only when she was feeling especially affectionate towards her friend. “I’m sure you’re tired from your patrols today, right? You should go home and get some rest,” Mei said. “And you?” he asked. “I won’t be here too much longer; there’s one more project that I want to finish up… what are you doing?” she said as she watched him pull her desk chair closer to the desk and pulled out his phone.
“There are a few reports I can file while you finish up your work… it’s getting dark out,” he said, implying that she shouldn’t walk home alone. He also knew that the pressure of him being present would cause her to work more diligently, and thus, be able to go home at an earlier hour and get the much-needed rest she needed before her trip to Tokyo. *You big softie* she thought to herself, watching him for a moment before diving back into her works-in-progress.
Shota and Yamada go to Tartarus to help with the Kurogiri investigation.
“Today’s class we’ll be giving status reports. We will share what we learned, accomplished and experienced over winter break… so, everyone, please suit up and report to Ground Alpha!” class rep Iida said to class 1-A after winter break was over. “All right, wrap it up-” Aizawa-sensei said, upon entering the classroom to check on their status. He received various new year’s greetings as his students passed him. “I have informed the class of today’s agenda! Just as you informed me this morning,” Iida told Aizawa.
“Aizawa-sensei, please report to the staff room,” Aizawa heard over the loudspeaker amid the 1-A chaos. *I wonder what that’s all about* Aizawa thought to himself as he went down the hall towards the staff room… the opposite direction from where he was supposed to be going for class. Upon arriving at the staff room, he found Yamada sitting in one of the chairs opposite of Principal Nezu. “Have a seat,” Nezu said, motioning to one of the open chairs. “Why do I feel like we are students in trouble?” Yamada commented as Aizawa followed orders and took a seat.
“What is this about, principal? I have a class starting in a few minutes,” Aizawa said. “Don’t worry, I have both of your classes covered for the remainder of the day,” Nezu said. “This is all in regard to the villain known as Kurogiri,” he continued. “Kurogiri? That’s one of the ones that showed up at the USJ, right?” Yamada asked. “I thought he was locked up?” Aizawa then asked. “You’re both correct. He’s one of the members in the league of villains… the one with the warp quirk. He’s spent the last several weeks in Tartarus, where they have been doing some research and interrogating him. Detective Tsukauchi and the others have reason to believe that there is some kind of connection between him and one of your old schoolmates, Oboro Shirakumo,” Nezu explained.
“Shirakumo?” Aizawa said, almost as if thinking out loud. “We know that All for One has the ability to transfer quirks, and there’s evidence to show that Shirakumo’s quirk is a core factor to Kurogiri’s warp quirk…” Nezu said, pausing for a moment as if deciding how to word the next part. “And… there’s also evidence that his body was used as well,” he said. “WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN? HIS BODY WAS CREMATED!” Yamada said, wide-eyed. “Again, this is all speculation right now, but that’s why Detective Tsukauchi reached out to me to get in touch with people who knew him and get them down to Tartarus,” Nezu continued.
“Have you… told Mei?” Aizawa asked, still trying to process what they were being told. “No, I thought it might be better for her to hear it from you,” he answered. “Good, I don’t want to upset her with just speculations,” Aizawa replied, standing up. “Let’s get this over with, then,” he added, walking towards the staff room exit. “I’ll drive,” Yamada said, getting up also and following his friend.
During their meeting with the principal, Aizawa could feel his phone buzzing, but didn’t pull his phone out in respect for the meeting… He pulled his phone out now as they began their drive to Tartarus. As he guessed, it was from his wife. *I heard you being summoned over the intercom… is everything ok?* she had asked. He thought for a moment, then typed back, *Principal Nezu needed me to go to Tartarus with Mic for something, I’ll see you tonight.* He put his phone on his lap and crossed his arms, until he felt a buzz and checked her reply. *Be safe* was all it said.
~LATER THAT EVENING~
Mei sat in their dorm apartment reading a winter break report written by one of her students. She knew Shota said that he’d be back this evening, but she wasn’t sure what time, so she decided to go ahead and eat her supper without him. Besides, food always made grading a little bit more bearable. Just as she was lifting another bite of rice to her mouth, the door to their quarters opened, and in walked Shota. Mei put down her chopsticks and looked up at him. “Hey Shota-” she began, then seeing the look on his face.
She could immediately tell something was amiss… something about the way his eyes looked even more red and baggier than normal (even after extended use of his quirk), and the way his shoulders were slumped down. “What happened?” she asked as he slipped off his boots and took off his goggles and capture weapon from around his neck. He didn’t give an answer yet but went straight to their couch and sprawled out on it, with his head resting on one of the couch arms. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then rested his forearm over his closed eyes.
Mei watched him from her seat at the kitchen table for a moment, then stood up and walked over towards him. This isn’t the first time her husband came home like this… it was often after days that were especially stressful or physically taxing on him. She didn’t say anything else about it, but sat down on the floor, parallel to the couch. She looked up at him. “Tea? Or coffee?” she offered. “Tea…” he said, still not lifting his forearm off his face, as if still resting his eyes. Mei got up and walked back over to the kitchen and fixed him one of his favorite sleepytime tea blends.
“Here,” she said as she came back with his favorite mug full of hot tea. He finally sat up, swinging his legs around so that she could sit down next to him. She handed him his tea and sat down right beside him as she watched him take a sip of tea. He set the cup down on the end table next to him and slouched forward (he didn’t exactly have the best posture). Mei looked sadly at him, wanting to help carry whatever burden he was carrying, but not wanting to force it out of him before he was ready…
The two of them were the same in that regard… sometimes it was just too hard to put feelings into words- it often helped to let it sit for a while before trying to. Mei reached over and put her hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently with her thumb as she rested it there. Shota sighed deeply and switched positions so that he could put his arm around her waist. Neither of them said anything for a while… Shota thinking about their old friend and how to tell his wife about what happened to him.
Mei just sat in silence with him, comforting him the best she could with an occasional kiss on his head and the stroking of his hair, trying to untangle it as she did so. They sat like this for, who knows how long, and when Shota gave a long, heavy sigh, he sat up and turned to face her better. “Detective Tsukauchi called Principal Nezu for us to come to Tartarus to help with an investigation on the villain known as Kurogiri,” Shota began. “The warp villain? What kind of investigation?” Mei asked, curiously, all the uncertainty being lifted slowly.
“We have reason to believe that Kurogiri is actually a high-functioning nomu… and at his core… is…” Shota explained, careful with his wording, but also just not wanting to tell Mei. “Is…the body of Shirakumo,” he said, looking her in the eye, sadly. Mei watched him as he spoke, then broke eye contact, looking down. “…Obo?” she asked, trying to swallow the information she was told. “His cloud is a core factor to the warp quirk… it was somehow bioengineered to create a whole new quirk. And… when we spoke to him… it was almost like he recognized Yamada and I,” Shota continued, thinking back to earlier that evening.
“He said our names… and I felt like, for just a brief moment, I could see his face through the fog,” he said, studying Mei’s face as he spoke. He knew her better than anyone and could read the initial sadness that she felt and how it turned into anger, which she tried to bury down. “They used his body and turned him into a villain? He was supposed to save lives, not take them,” she said, still trying to keep a cool exterior. “Mei,” he said, reaching over and putting his hand on her shoulder. “Shirakumo isn’t the one responsible for the deaths caused by the League… he was a victim,” he explained.
She took a deep breath, as if trying to ground herself, causing Shota to move his hand to her hand, taking it and holding it tight. “I didn’t want to tell you…” he said, sadly, knowing the pain it’s caused her. “But I’m glad you did,” she said, looking over at him, showing that there was a tear that was rolling down her cheek. He wiped it off her face with his thumb and leaned in. She closed the gap and kissed him… a grounding kiss that reminded them of all the grief that they had faced together before.
As they pulled apart, she wrapped her arms around his waist, and he wrapped his around her shoulders, pulling her in tightly. The feeling of his strong arms around her caused her feelings to overwhelm her. She cried in his arms… wishing Obo was here with them, sad that his corpse was turned into a villain, sad that Shota had to feel like he needed to be strong for her sake, and most of all, happy that he was here to empathize with her and ground her in a way that no one else could.
Mei starts bringing Shota a bento for his lunch. This was after season 2 ep 5 of Vigilantes and Aizawa's lichrally just eating wafer cookies. (TWICE!!)
“You know, this is the third day in a row you’ve brought just wafers for lunch,” Mei commented as Shota brought out his normal box of wafers. “And?” he asked, opening the box and taking out a cookie. “And last week the only thing you ate for lunches was cheese,” she replied. “What’s your point?” Shota asked. He munched on a wafer, looking at his friend with a furrowed brow while Oboro and Hizashi listened in. “Just making an observation,” she said, taking a bite from her bento box.
“I think it’s her way of hinting that you need a more balanced diet, bro,” Hizashi commented with a laugh. Oboro nodded. “And she’s right, I fear… if you’re planning on getting stronger, you gotta up your protein intake at the very least,” Oboro said, flexing his bicep. “Whatever… food is food,” Shota said, sticking another wafer in his mouth. “FOOD IS LIFE!” Oboro said, picking his bento box back up and taking another huge bite of his sushi.
The following day, the four friends met on the rooftop for lunch again. Shota sat down and pulled out… you guessed it… a box of wafers again. Mei sat down next to him and handed him a bento box. “What’s this?” he asked as she pulled out her own bento box. “Lunch,” she said. Shota opened the lid to reveal a well-balanced meal of rice, Japanese curry, and veggies. “You didn’t have to do that,” he said, trying to hand it back to her. “You better eat it, or else it’ll go to waste,” she retorted.
“But it’s too much trouble,” Shota replied. “Psh, it’s literally the same thing I’m eating, so it’s no trouble! We always have a ton of leftovers,” she said, showing him her own box. “Fine,” he said with a sigh, pulling the chopsticks out of the lid and studying the meal she packed him. He took a bite of the curry and sighed quietly. Though he truly wasn’t picky with his food, he hated to admit deep down that the food was delicious.
“Ah, looks like you’re taking our advice and eating a decent meal,” Oboro said as he (and Hizashi) joined his friends. “Wait, did you pack him that meal? That’s total girlfriend behavior,” Oboro said to Mei, upon recognizing the bento box that Shota was eating out of. “It’s not like that… I knew he wouldn’t just start packing his own real food out of nowhere,” Mei replied, feeling her face heat up slightly. “Besides, I sometimes bring you lunch, Obo,” she added.
Oboro chuckled as he sat down. “Yeah, and you wonder why we can never beat the dating allegations!” he said, putting his arm around Mei. “The reason we can’t beat the allegations, is because you always egg people on,” Mei said, shaking her head. “For the longest time, I really thought the two of you were dating too… until I realized there’s no way such a dummy like Oboro could end up with a strait-laced class vice rep like you, Mei!” Hizashi commented. “I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not,” Mei said with an eyebrow raised, taking a bite of her food.
“Hey, I’ll be the first to admit that Mei is way out of my league,” Oboro replied, with that big grin still on his face. “You’re ridiculous,” Mei said, affectionately shaking her head. “Oh,” Mei said, suddenly realizing that Shota was handing her the (now empty) bento box she gave him. “You’re done already? That was fast!” she said, taking the box and setting it down in between them. *Hmm, either he was really hungry, or he really liked it… or maybe it was both,* she thought to herself, now even more determined to bring him more bento boxes.
The following day on the rooftop during lunchtime, Shota sat down next to Oboro and pulled out his standard box of wafers (actually, the box he didn’t get around to eating the day before). Just as he was about to crack it open, Mei joined them, sitting down across from the pair, legs crisscrossed. Shota immediately recognized that she was holding two bento boxes, and before he could say anything, one of them was being handed to him.
He looked at her for a moment, as if deciding whether to accept it and sighed deeply before taking it from her. It was a lot easier to accept it than to cause any additional fuss, even though Mei wasn’t the fussy type (their friends definitely were, though). Although that day (and every day after that Mei brought him a bento box) he begrudgingly took the bento lunch, he became more used to it and even looked forward to it (he would never admit that). This fact became apparent one day that Mei was sick and didn’t make it to school.
“That’s weird… Mei’s usually here by now… WHERE IS SHE???” Hizashi observed as they sat in the classroom, waiting for first period to begin. “Well, she texted me last night and was pretty under the weather, so my best guess is that she’s at home getting some rest!” Oboro answered. “AWE SHE BETTER RECOVER SOON!!!” Hizashi replied. Shota acted indifferent to Mei being gone, but her absence truly hit him when lunchtime rolled around. *Good thing I still have a box of wafers in my locker* he thought to himself, taking the box up to the rooftop to meet his friends.
Though the wafers were probably better than nothing, he did notice a significant difference in his energy levels in the afternoon in comparison to the days that he had one of Mei’s lunches… not to mention how much louder their two other friends were without her around to keep them in check. Her lunches and her presence made a bigger difference to him than he cared to admit. He was hoping deep down that Mei would feel better soon.
“Ok, class… today we will be working on rescue training… This is something that’s rarely done solo, so you’ll be partnered up with one of your classmates. For simplicity’s sake, I paired you up based on alphabetical order,” sensei explained to his class. “So, listen up and remember your partner. Aizawa and Amiyagi… Arashi and Bokuto…” sensei went through the whole list of students and then instructed, “get your hero costumes on and meet me at the school entrance, we’ll be heading over to the USJ.”
Mei found herself in the locker room getting dressed into her hero costume with the rest of the girls. “Amiyagi, you’re so lucky that you get to be with someone you’re friends with!! I’m stuck with that loser Ikari,” Iwasaki complained. “I mean, Aizawa’s kinda a loser too… I don’t know how you became friends with such an emo,” Kawara commented. Mei shrugged. “A lot of people look down on him and think that he’s weak… but I think his quirk is super interesting… and besides, Obo’s the one who befriended him, I was just kinda grafted into their friendship I guess,” Mei replied.
“Right, but Shirakumo is friends with everyone,” Nakamura commented. Mei shrugged. “I guess…” she said, thinking about Aizawa and her relationship with him… was she really as close to him as they were saying? She continued to wonder as they finished suiting up and walked out to the school entrance, where the boys of the class were waiting. Mei spotted Obo, Yamada, and Aizawa and went over to join them. “I guess we’re partners today, huh?” she commented to Aizawa, who gave a nod. “Guess so,” he replied, before being overpowered by something ridiculous (and loud) that Yamada had to say.
The class rode the shuttle bus to the USJ (unforeseen simulation joint), and had their rescue training as planned. Mei and Aizawa worked together to “save” as many dummies as they could, though it took a lot of effort thanks to the nature of their quirks and skillset. The exhaustion from their training set in on the bus ride back to the main school building, but thankfully the period after that was lunch. The students changed back into their school uniforms and made their ways to the cafeteria… well… except for the rooftop gang.
“Great job with the rescue training, you guys!! You saved what? Like… 10 people?” Oboro said, smiling brightly at his friends. “Yeah, like half of what you did!” Mei retorted. “In your defense, the mountain rescue area is a lot more gnarly than the city streets,” Oboro replied. “And I got stuck in the water hazard area,” Hizashi added, looking at himself in a compact mirror, trying to fix his still-sagging wet hair. “To be honest, I wouldn’t have made it very far in the mountain rescue area if I wasn’t paired up with Shota… his binding cloth came in handy multiple times,” Mei said.
Though she didn’t really realize it, this was the first time she called Aizawa by his given name, at least to his face. Ever since they met, Oboro consistently called him “Shota,” to the point that it rubbed off on Mei. Shota stopped mid-bite of his lunch upon hearing his name, processing the familiarity that was implied by her calling him that. He looked over at Mei and noticed her face was a bit pink… but the other two idiots didn’t have much of a reaction, as they’ve probably heard her call him “Shota” before.
“I could’ve done more,” Shota commented, taking his bite of food. Mei shrugged. “Maybe… but you want to focus more on actual fighting villains anyways, right? We can leave the rescuing to Obo,” she reasoned. “I guess…” Shota replied. “OH BRO, we’ve got 5 minutes til class starts! We better get goin!!!” Hizashi said, realizing the time. The four friends headed down to their classroom, just minutes before the bell rang. As they sat down in their respective seats, their classmate, sitting in front of Shota said, “hey, nice job out there, Shota,” she said. “Aizawa,” he corrected her. Mei, sitting next to Shota, heard it of course, and thought to herself how he didn’t try to correct her when she called him by his given name… which she figured was his way of giving permission to do so. She smiled to herself as she got out her books, wondering if he would ever feel close enough to her to call her “Mei” instead of Amiyagi.
there so freaking adorable I love them so much. esp the cutie with the black hair I’ll really take him out to eat and gift him flowers and chocolates and kiss his little face
Shota heard a familiar knock on the door and got up from his seat on the couch to answer it. He already knew who it was, as she had texted him earlier that morning to see if she could swing by. “Good morning,” she said, smiling at him. “Morning,” he said, stepping aside so she could come in. “Here’s the book I borrowed,” she said, taking the book out of her bag and setting it on his kitchen counter. He poured a cup of already boiling water into a mug… her mug… already on the counter… the one she used nearly every time she came over. “Oh, thanks,” she said, taking the mug and going over to the cabinet that she knew had the tea in it.
As she put her teabag in the mug, she felt a rubbing against her leg. “Kohi! There you are,” she said, squatting down so she could fully pet the cat. Shota watched subtly as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Mei didn’t come over all the time or anything, but when she did, it was terribly comfortable. A big factor in that was probably the fact that Shota’s cat was obsessed with her. “Usual schedule today?” Shota asked, casually. She nodded as she stood back up and picked up her cup of tea. “Yeah, the usual… I’m actually working on some new gear for Hizashi today,” she said, taking a sip of her tea.
“Oh, and that reminds me… after I get off, Hizashi and I are going out for ramen for his birthday… if you’re interested in joining us. It’d be like old times… We wouldn’t be out late or anything, he has a radio program this evening,” Mei explained, rubbing the back of her neck. Though Mic would be there, she couldn’t help but shake the feeling that she was asking Shota out on a date or something. “I’ll consider it,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.
With that, he went over and sat at the table, looking over some of the notes from a villain investigation he’d been involved in and sipping his coffee as he did so. Mei sat on the kitchen floor, bringing her mug down with her and pet Kohi more as she finished her tea. Once she was done, she got up and walked over to the table. “You done?” she asked picking up his empty mug. “Mm,” he said with a nod. She washed the two mugs and the plate and silverware that was already in the sink.
She put on and laced up her shoes as Shota fastened his utility belt and straightened out his capture weapon. “Thanks again for letting me borrow that book, it was super interesting,” she said, standing up. “No problem, let me know if you’re interested in the next volume,” he said. “You have the next volume?? Can I borrow it?” she asked, excitedly. He nodded and disappeared into the living room, picking up the volume she returned to put it back on the shelf.
He returned with the next volume and handed it to her. “Thanks,” she said, sticking it in her bag. Shota reached for the doorknob to get the door for her, and as he did so Mei misread his position and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. Upon realizing he was just getting the door for her, she was absolutely mortified. “I- I’m sorry! I didn’t realize… you were just getting the door for me!” she said, feeling her face get hot. “It’s fine,” he said, his expression as unreadable as ever. She bowed politely and then backed up so he could open the door all the way.
“See ya,” she said, not meeting his eyes as she headed out the door. After he closed the door behind her, his hand remained on the door for a moment, as if reliving the awkward accidental hug in his mind. *She hugs Mic all the time… hugs are something that friends could do casually… but why was this one so different?* He couldn’t see his own face, but if he did, he’d be shocked to see a tint of pink on his cheeks.
Meanwhile, Mei was busy beating herself up in her mind. *I cannot BELIVE I did that!! Ugh I probably scared him off… no shot he’s coming to ramen tonight,* she thought to herself, knowing how particular her friend was about affection and vulnerability. But… he was… soft. Unreadable, usually flat, but… still soft. She replayed the moment over and over in her mind. “UGH” she said aloud, to herself, and got out her phone to text Mic while she walked to her support agency.
Mei: SOS
Mic: WHAT’S WRONG WHERE ARE U?
Mei: I’m fine… it’s fine… everything’s fine. I was at Shota’s and he reached to open the door for me as I was leaving, and WHAT DID I DO? I FLIPPIN HUGGED HIM. HE WAS JUST OPENING THE DOOR FOR ME!! I HATE MYSELF.
Mic: You liked it, didn’t you?
Mei: STOP LOL I’m afraid I made things awkward between us!!
Mic: What was his reaction? Did he tense up?
Mei: Maybe a little?
Mic: Did he push you away and say, “GET OFF”?
Mei: No… he actually said, “it’s fine”
Mic: HE LOVED IT, THEN!!!
Mei: What makes you think that?
Mic: You should know our buddy by now… with him it’s not so much him initiating things as it is him allowing you to do certain things
Mei: Sooo you’re saying he allowed me to hug him?
Mic: ABSOLUTELY. Just wait, I’ll prove it to you tonight!!!
Mei: If he even shows up…
As Mei approached her agency, she paused her music, took out her one AirPod, and stuck her phone in her purse, knowing that her conversation with Mic was pretty much wrapped up. As she went about her workday, she tried (and failed) to get the hug out of her mind… the awkwardness… the smell of coffee on his shirt… his well-defined waist… yeah, she was failing big time.
She was at a loss for words when she showed up to their favorite ramen spot after work and saw Shota outside, sitting with his elbows resting on the back of the bench, his normal nonchalant expression on his face. “You came!” she said, smiling as she approached him, blushing at the thought of her embarrassing moment earlier that day. “I was in the area,” he said, standing up. “I guess we can go ahead and get a table,” Mei said, quick to grab the door and open it before he could. Shota, of course, noticed.
The table in the back corner that they usually sat at was open, so they went ahead and claimed it. Mei pretended like she was looking over the menu (despite knowing what she was going to order already) just because she couldn’t quite meet Shota’s eyes… she wasn’t sure what to say to him just yet. It wasn’t a long wait until the birthday boy showed up and broke the resting silence between them. “WHAT’S UP MY BROS?” Yamada said excitedly, as he slid into the chair next to Shota and slung an arm around his shoulders.
“Get off,” Shota said immediately with a furrowed brow, shooing his friend’s arm off of him. “Whaaaa??? No hug for one of your oldest friends?? Even on his birthday??” Yamada whines, moving his chair around the corner of the table so he was sitting in between Mei and Shota. “No,” Shota replied curtly. “Don’t scare him off, Zashi,” Mei said, now realizing what he meant about Shota “allowing” her to hug him. “It’s not every day he agrees to come out with us,” she added, finally looking over at Shota. “Too true… I promise I’ll behave,” Yamada said, grinning over at Mei.
