"Holy shit, man! It's colder than a snowman's tiddy in here!" I complained as I entered the house, feeling my way along the wall. "Your electric bill must be crazy expensive!" It was as though I had stepped through a portal straight into the arctic tundra. The wild humming of the air conditioner blocked the sound of traffic from outside, and my skin began to prickle with goosebumps.
"I prefer it this way. If it bothers you, then sleep outside by the trash." Aizawa mumbled as he walked past me, snatching my small bag from my hand and leaving me by the entryway.
"Hey, I'm not too thrilled about this arrangement either, Shota, but at least I'm not being a prick about it..."
At least you don't have to keep your eyes covered twenty four seven...
The man didn't respond to me, and from the sound of his footsteps, he disappeared up a flight of stairs, leaving me alone and kind of frustrated. Continuing on my path, I moved along until I nearly fell through an open archway, breaking away from the wall and using my toes as a guide. Once they hit against something solid, I reached out, feeling the plush cushioning of what I assumed was a couch. Leaning against it, I waited for the man to return.
"You know, you can take that thing off. I trust you not to look me in the eye." Aizawa announced, walking past the room. Shaking my head, I remained where I was, rubbing my arms to warm them up.
"Don't trust myself. Besides, why would you? I could just use my quirk and loot this joint." I scoffed, even though the offer was incredibly tempting. Backtracking, his steps surprisingly quiet for a grown man, he returned to where I was.
"I'm organising something to help with it, but in the meantime I don't want you stumbling all over the place. I'll chance it. Just take it off. Looks like it could use a wash, anyway." Feigning offence, my hand flew to my chest, a dramatic gasp nearly causing me to choke.
"I washed it two days ago, thank you very much!" Pausing, I registered the first thing he had said. "Wait, what? There's nothing you can do about it though?"
My body began to feel a tad jittery as he approached me, his aniseed scent accompanied by the faintest smell of black pepper. With my eyes out of commission, I could actually detect an array of different scents coming from the man alone, but those two were the strongest. I instinctively flinched when I felt his hands take hold of my blindfold, and I squeezed my eyes shut immediately as he pulled it down to hang around my neck.
"I sought the help from the head of the support department. Maijima has worked with a staggering variety of quirks, and we think we may be onto something." Aizawa's breath was fanning onto my face, and it reeked of bitter coffee. "My eyes are closed, by the way. You can do whatever you want, just stay out of my room and don't look my cats in the eyes. Or me, preferably."
Cautiously, I lifted my lids, the first thing my vision adjusting to being Aizawa's scruffy, sleep deprived face. He wasn't too close, and as promised, his eyes were shut.
"Your kitties are fine. My quirk only seems to work on humans...Not sure about the Sanrio reject, though..." I murmured, giving his chest a light punch before stepping around him, wandering off into the house.
The colour scheme was a dull monotone, and everything seemed incredibly bare. The only vibrant colour I could spy was a huge yellow sleeping bag, strewn over one of the kitchen barstools.
"Eat whatever. I don't cook much, but there are bits and pieces around in the kitchen." Aizawa called out, and I hummed in vague acknowledgement, too busy memorizing the layout of the house in my head, so I could move about with my eyes closed if needed.
"No offence, but I really pictured you living in a pissy little apartment, Shota." Reaching the dining area, I tapped my nails against the wooden table, enjoying the loud clicking noise.
"Cut it out. That's mahogany." I yipped in surprise as something whacked me up the side of the head, and I turned to glare at the man's kneecaps.
"It's painted pine, dummy. I can smell it. My nose knows all." I huffed, choosing to step away from the table and advance towards the staircase.
"I know. I just wanted you to stop tapping it. I have enough of idiots tapping their pens on their desks in class, so I don't need that racket in my own home, too." It was easy to tell from the get-go that the new living arrangement was going to be beyond challenging. Aizawa was such a quiet, reserved man, and I was just an annoying little shit. As much as I liked him as a person, and a dear friend, I would inevitably make his life a living hell, intentionally or not.
"Which one's your room?" I questioned, counting each step in my mind. He was quick to follow me, shoulders hunched as he stayed at me heel the whole way up.
"I told you, stay o-"
"Stay out of my room." I thought I impersonated him rather well, but he obviously didn't feel the same way, nudging me in the back of the knee and almost making me fall back down the stairs. I would have if he hadn't pushed a hand against the small of my back to keep me from doing so.
"You are exceptionally annoying, and painfully immature. I have no clue how you've survived this long."
He's got a point.
Once we reached the top, I reached out and brushed my fingers against the curved end of the railing, popping my lips to back his statement.
"So, why can't I sneak a peek inside your room, Shota? Got some sexy secrets you don't want me in on?~" I purred in a purposely pathetic attempt at seduction, skipping out of his reach as he tried to smack me in the head again. "Aw, come on, I won't judge!" That man truly wanted to perish in that moment. Either that or he wanted me to perish. Perhaps even both.
"If I'm being forced to share my home with you, I am, at the very least, entitled to some kind of privacy. I won't enter your room either, so just give me this." Aizawa's voice was surprisingly mellow, but it didn't fool me. He hated how this whole thing had turned out.
"I don't care one bit if you go in my room. It's your house, so don't let my parasitic ass stop you." I chuckled, heading towards the room that didn't smell as strongly of the man.
When I opened the door, I was a little taken aback by the room. It was the same colour scheme as the rest of the house, for the most part, but there were a few striking differences. The most obvious being the bright, (F/C) bed spread that was neatly tucked upon the single bed.
"I remembered you mentioning that (F/C) was your favourite colour. Not sure if that has changed." Glancing to the floor before pivoting my head in Aizawa's direction, I saw his feet shuffle awkwardly against the dull carpet, and from the cast of his shadow, I could tell he was rubbing the back of his neck.
"Still is. I can't believe you actually remembered..." I murmured, a soft smile tugging on my lips. "I thought for sure an old geezer like you would have memory issues." Aizawa grabbed the scruff of my shirt as I erupted into a fit of giggles, not even bothering to try and squirm free.
"We're not that far apart, you moron..." He growled, only the faintest bite in his tone. "In your closet you'll find hideous (F/C) towels, a second set of bedding, and a variation of the Yuuei uniform. You will be expected to wear it when attending classes."
It had been a long time since I had felt so warm and fuzzy inside. Sure, I still wasn't sold on the whole predicament, but it was nice spending time with one of the few people in my life who I truly admired. Even as a teenager, Aizawa had been kind, even though he would fake indifference. During our little 'battles' I would pretend to be hurt, and he would always be the first to stop and make sure I wasn't injured. He seemed to only be gullible when it came to me, and I appreciated that.
"Thanks, Sho. This is why you've always been my favourite!" I turned my head and gave him a genuine, shut-eyed grin, and all was silent for a few long moments before he almost threw me away from himself, spinning on his heel and stalking towards the door.
"Get to bed. You need to be ready to go at five." He grumbled, his pockets bulging as he balled his fists within.
"Uh...it's like, three in the afternoon..." I pointed out, catching sight of his ebony wisps as he rounded the corner.
"Then keep quiet, because I'm going to sleep."
Sourpuss...
Pouting to myself, I started unpacking my things. I didn't have much. A few clothes, extra blindfolds, that was pretty much it. Once they were away, I reached into the small side pocket of the small bag and pulled out a few photographs, which had definitely seen better days, and a tiny roll of tape. Standing up, I moved over to the bed and climbed up onto the mattress, sinking to my knees and beginning to stick them up, one by one.
The first was a blurry, candid photograph I had taken of Yamada not long after we had met, after swiping his phone. He had always been such a bouncy guy, and it was the clearest shot I could get. After he had seen it on his camera roll, he had allowed me to use it to take another photo. A selfie with my now housemate. I snickered, always enjoying seeing the red flush of his cheeks as he tried to squirm out of my headlock. We hadn't always been fighting during out meetings. Sometimes we'd take a time out and just be normal teenagers.
When I glanced down to the final photograph in my hand, my entire soul seemed to droop. The particular photo was the reason I had begged Yamada to print all of them out for me to begin with. Scratched and faded, now I could barely make out the goofy grin of my dearest fluffball. I ran my fingers across the image gently, my chest squeezing so tight that the thought of taking another breath seemed impossible.
Oboro...I never even got to say goodbye to you...
"Ah, fuck..." Sniffling, I wiped away the incoming tears, hurrying myself to stick the picture up alongside the others before flopping face down on the mattress. My stomach began to gurgle, but I ignored it, deciding it would be much safer to avoid making a racket ransacking the kitchen.
I hope you're proud of me...I'm only doing this for you...
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***My friend and I did a little collab yee yee.
Have I mentioned I love Shirakumo? Because I freaking love Shirakumo.
Next time: Detention. Why? Because you're an idiot***