A Cat & Glasses (An EraserMic One Shot)
((Aizawa isn't a UA teacher yet. Mic is a teacher and on his own. but the two have some unspoken thing going on. IDK I was doing dishes and had a scene pop into my head and then I had work to do that I didn't want to do so instead of doing it I wrote this! ENJOY!!))
Shota wakes up to the sound of meowing that's growing increasingly urgent. It had been a long night and he had no intention of waking up at 8 o clock on the dot. However, that's exactly what the red numbers on the clock read in his still-dark room. Luckily he kept his room- or rather the whole apartment in a minimalistic style. Meaning, aside from the meowing cat's toys strung about here and there sometimes, he knew precisely where everything of his was because he had very little to own in the first place.
He got up from his futon keeping the blankets turned down letting the bed await his return. Walking across the floor with his eyes closed he made it to the cat's food cabinet and took up a can of her food. But something wasn't right. He dragged his heavy eyelids open to look down by his feet and then around the rest of the floor. Sushi, his little orange cat hadn't been begging at his ankles like she usually did when she woke him up for breakfast. Instead, she was waiting at the front door. He called her name while tapping on the can. She kept her spot at the door and just looked back at him.
Shota decided to be as persistent as her silent request to go outside. He found her treats, in her favorite chicken and liver flavor with the crunchy outside and soft insides. He looked at her waiting for her reaction as he gave the box a shake. Sushi's tail flicked side to side and her eyes widened while one of her ears twitched to acknowledge the sound of her treats letting out a loud 'meow!' but she insisted there was business at the door. He let out a sigh placing the treats back. Nothing was out there, he was sure of it. She's just being weird and he'd rather be back asleep. But as he walked away her urgent meows wouldn't stop. Fine, he'll check it out! He spun on his heels stomping up to the door and gently moved the cat away as he cracked it open just enough to squint in the morning's sunrise. Aside from the stinging sunlight, there was nothing outside that should have the cat so upset.
"There's nothing out here." He assured her. But before he could close the door she hopped over his foot he used to attempt to keep her from escaping and darted down the two flights of stairs of the apartment. "Sushi!? Hey! HEY SUSHI! Nooo!!" Shota tried not to yell at the cat running down the sidewalk now and away from him, not wanting to attract any attention from his neighbors. He smacked the door closed behind him as he ran out after his cat. Just what had gotten into her this morning!? The only outside she seemed to enjoy was the small outside balcony to the apartment. The fact he was barefoot and in his light pink boxers and black tanktop as he ran down the sidewalk hadn't crossed his mind while his crazy orange cat flew across the street and made a getaway while climbing up a tree.
The shower knobs made a squeak as the water turned off a voice reverberating through the acoustics of the bathroom. Hizashai had been awake since midnight. His late-night radio hosting kept him awake from the crack of dawn till just after his lessons at UA. Luckily he could get to his teaching job a little after 10 in the morning. In the meantime, he made sure he'd look fresh and his best for the day! He twisted a purple towel over his long golden wet hair and another towel to dry the rest of himself off. He'd just wiggled on his underwear when he heard a meow coming from a window in his bedroom. Hizashi's large green eyes drifted up to see a familiar orange cat peeking at the glass. A smile slid across his face as he walked across the floor and popped open the window to let the cat in.
"Hey Sushi, long time no see." He pet down her back as she arched to his touch. "How's Sho? Taking care of him for me?" She purred licking the water he missed from his ankles before rubbing herself against him. "Wait, how in the world did you get your funky little but over here?" He asked as she began to leap onto his dresser. "You'll get cat hair on my stuff you orange furball. Where's your daddy?" Hizashi followed her to make sure she wouldn't knock over his expensive decorations. She looked back at him, her pale daisy-colored eyes had a mischievous glint and it seemed her whiskers indicated a smile. He squinted his eyes at her watching closely, "What do you think you're doing?" Her answer came as a trill from her throat before she found his red-framed glasses; the ones he wore when out of uniform, and darted back for the window escaping outside.
"Huh!?" He tried grabbing for her as she escaped but she'd just lept out of his reach. "Sushi! Give those back! You don't even need glasses!" He called to her from the window. "Sushi, drop it!" But she carefully made her way out of the tree and back to the ground. Hizashi let out a frustrated groan while pulling on a fancy black and red robe and his house slippers as he jogged down the stairs and to his front door where he caught the cat almost waiting for him to show. "I don't have time for this!" He told her sternly, "I have work in two hours!" She just twitched her tail and waited. He pouted letting the mustache not yet tamed in place tickle his nose to his protruding lips. He took one step out of the door and her tail began to flick more. One more step and she bound down the sidewalk one more. "Unbelievable." He grumbled tying his robe tightly as he marched down the street, "Robbed! By a cat! Sushi!!! Get back here!! Oh, you just wait till Shota finds out about this!"
Shota franticly looked around for the cat. After following her in the trees he'd lost track of the little orange ninja. But he wasn't in unfamiliar territory. His high school friend lived around here. Maybe Hizashi had become more than just a friend after his graduation. He didn't know what exactly they'd become, they never said anything. Things just happened. They were always together, they leaned on each other. Then one of them leaned too close and Shota forgot which of them exactly made the first move but they had lived together for a while. They woke up together and had breakfast and coffee. They went to work and would come home to each other. They slept together and did it all over again the next day. Then as slowly and as carefully but just as suddenly as it happened they were just friends again. Distant support. Idol texting here and there. Hizashi left him in his empty apartment and started his own life. Or that's what Shota assumed. And he was okay with that. Whatever they had didn't turn sour or ugly. And it was a cherished time he looked back on fondly.
Speaking of Hizashi, he thought he heard his voice calling Sushi's name. He looked down from the branch he'd stopped on to survey his surroundings. Sure enough, the orange cat was running in his direction, and Hizashi in a fancy black and red robe with a purple towel still twirled around his head chasing after her. Shota dropped to his feet crunching on some acorns that littered the floor below. His nerves screamed at him something equivalent to stepping on legos. But even off balance and holding back from swearing his pain away he snatched Sushi up. He must have scared her because she answered with a quick "Reeerr!" But he started Hizashi even more. His hair was blown back by his scream. His ears were ringing but it had been nothing detrimental to his actual hearing.
"You scared me!" Hizashi dropped his defensive fists and clutched his chest. "What're you doing dropping out of trees like that?!"
"Following my cat," Shota answered holding Sushi up in his arms that had seemed to accept her capture. "What are you doing out here dressed like-" His eyes looked the tall blonde up and down, "that?" Hizashi looked down at himself and back at Shota in his boxers, barefoot, and in a black tank top.
"Chasing your cat who stole my glasses." He answered. Shota looked down seeing the red frames still clutched in the small jaws of the cat as she purred in his arms.
"Oh." He coaxed her to let go of them and handed them over. "Sorry about that. I don't know what came over her this morning." He watched as Sushi's eyes dilated into big sparkling pools of black when she saw Hizashi get closer to take back his glasses. "I... think she misses you."
"Aw" Hizashi cooed scrubbing the lenses to his glasses before slipping them on his face, "Just the cat misses me huh?"
Shota looked up seeing the chartreuse eyes behind a clear window framed by red wire forgetting just how pretty and rare of a sight that was for anyone. It was once something he saw every day. "What do you mean 'just the cat'?" He narrowed his eyes only to get a smile and shrug from Hizashi brushing it off like he hadn't said a word. He motioned for him to follow him.
"Come on man, you're in your boxers. Let me lend you some clothes and feed you." He began walking back to his house while Shota hesitantly followed after him holding the mischievous cat in his arms. Hizashi's house was spacious. And it had so much... stuff. Mostly music and nostalgic memorabilia, with expensive-looking abstract art on the walls framed by different color LED light strips. Every room looked like a furniture showroom and he noticed soundproofing on the walls. It was so 'him'. Full of color, life, ideas, and personality. He wasn't afraid to have things, and get attached to excess items that had no logical reason to have aside from taking up space. And with the extra soundproofing on the walls, he didn't have to worry about being too loud when he sang random songs while cleaning, cooking, showering, and getting ready for work. Shota began to believe Hizashi left because he was being held back from being his full person while he stayed in a mostly empty, small, apartment with him. They were just too different to be together. At least like they were before.
Sushi chowed down on some canned shredded chicken while Hizashi made a quick breakfast of eggs, toast, and bacon for himself and Shota. They talked about their work; Hizashi tried to convince him to be a teacher at UA with Kayama. Shota's late-night hero patrolling was enough to make the rent, sustain his jelly pack diet, and keep Sushi fed. Any extra money he made went into savings and some charity associations. Hizashi sounded like a mother, the way he doted on the kids he taught English to. Shota couldn't imagine himself as a teacher. Or going back to UA. Even though he heard the repeated words 'You're great with kids!' from everyone. One of the last things Shirakumo told him. Returning to UA would just open a barely closed wound, if not poke at a still tender bruise.
"Well, I gotta go!" Hizashi traded the red frames for his yellow shades. His hair was swooped back in one tall spike like a cockatoo bird and his leather jacket zipped up to his chunky directional speaker. "Stay as long as ya want. Food is in the fridge if you get hungry, no scary movies by yourself, and don't answer the door to strangers!" He teased taking up some jingling keys. Shota rolled his eyes as he watched the front door close. Only after Hizashi left did he weight in his chest with all the questions he wanted to ask him. But who knows how that could turn out. Maybe they'd end up fighting, or he'd say something that hurt him. Hizashi seemed happy enough and if he was happy with the way things were there was no reason to change things. He decided it was the least he could do for his friend that stayed with him after everything that happened. He ended up falling asleep on the plush couch in the living room with Sushi curled up and purring on his chest.
