Rin sat in her dorm room that night, laid on her bed with her eyes stuck to the ceiling. The events of that day replayed in her head like an old movie, and she went over the ways they could have saved Eri right then; to save her the extra weeks that it would take for them to track down Chisaki. She was at a loss on what to do with herself, and rolled over in bed to face the wall.
She held Deku's old All Might figurine in her fist and let out a loose, steadying breath. She knew that overthinking the situation and doing something rash would only make matters worse, and willed the weighing sensation in the back of her head away. She had to tell herself that Eri was going to be alright, and she had to believe it.
The sound of her phone buzzing on her nightstand prompted her to roll in its direction. She plucked the device up from its spot, and rose a curious brow at the sight of Togata calling.
"Hey, Rin! You answered," Togata spoke as soon as she held the phone to her ear, and smiled at the sound of his voice. "I just wanted to check up on you after what happened today. You seemed pretty spooked. How're you feeling?"
"I've had better days," Rin sighed as she sat up. She still cradled Deku's figurine in her lap. "But... I guess I'm okay now. Are you?"
"Huh? Me? I'm fine!" He said, however something about his tone made Rin doubt him. "I just wanted to remind you that we'll catch Chisaki, and save Eri too! We'll all do it together, so there's nothing to worry about!"
"Thanks, Togata..." she thanked him genuinely.
"Call me Mirio," she could tell he was smiling. "How's Deku doing?"
"He hasn't come out of his room since we got back," Rin replied, and felt herself deflate all over again whilst falling back onto her pillow. "He hasn't really said anything to me."
"Yeah... I tried calling him, too," Togata blew air out of his mouth. "Didn't answer, obviously. I feel like he took it a lot harder than both of us, given the circumstances."
"That's just... how he is," Rin glanced toward her door. "He was the same when I came to U.A. for the first time."
"He's just a natural born hero, isn't he?" Togata's tone was playful, but it made Rin feel worse.
"Yeah..."
"Hey, what's wrong? You're sounding all bummed out for some reason." He asked. He caught onto her quickly.
"I don't know," Rin said honestly. "I'm wondering... if it would be the same between me and him if my dad didn't assign him to look after me."
"Oh, I gotcha," Togata sympathized. She heard him sigh and a door opening in the background. "Classic doubt, right? Just see how it goes, you'll know if it's real. Like a gut feeling, y'know?"
"I guess," Rin shrugged loosely. "I hope you're right."
"Just try getting some rest, got it?" He said, and just like that his happy-go-lucky aura was back. "I'm here for you. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks... Mirio." She smiled to herself at his generosity.
"Sleep well, Rin," he said. "Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight."
__________
"Good morning Rinny!" The sound of Mina's voice prompted Rin to stop in her slow stroll through the halls of U.A., and she smiled as her pink friend looped her arm with hers. "I didn't see much of you last night! Where've you been?"
"Oh, sorry..." Rin tried to smile. "I had my first day of work study, and I was pretty tired..."
"Oh yeah! Midoriya and that guy from the Big Three were with you, too, right?" Mina asked giddily.
"Mhm," Rin nodded as they neared the 1-A classroom. "Mirio is very nice."
"And a total hunk too!" Mina cheered, and a light blush dusted her cheeks. "Jeez, you're so lucky! What I'd give to work with a guy like that! Have you seen his bod? So hot!"
"I heard about the initial meeting," Rin couldn't suppress her giggle. "His clothes fell off."
"Eeee! I remember it like it was yesterday!" Mina nearly danced her way into the classroom. "Trust me, I'm sorry you missed it! I — hey, wait a minute, what's wrong with Bakugou? Was he fighting again?"
"Oh, the girls didn't see him yet?" Kaminari turned as they walked in. "Take a look at Todoroki, too."
Mina and Rin simultaneously turned in his direction, and Mina nearly fainted at the sight of all the bandages on his face.
"Ah, it messed up his pretty face!" She cried dramatically.
"That looks like it hurts," Rin sympathized. "What happened?"
"Apparently, the provisional license classes are harsh." Kaminari explained.
"Must be good for jocks!" Mina grinned.
"Hey, now that I'm thinking about it, why didn't Rin have to go through those classes?" Jiro spoke up from her place at her desk. "She got to pass straight through to a work study. That hardly seems fair."
"The principal said it'd be the best way for me to catch up," Rin murmured. "That, and the place I came from gave me the upper hand in most discussion on where I'd go as a student... so..."
"So! It totally does seem fair, Jiro!" Mina scowled and tightened her grip around Rin's arm.
"Stop talking about us like we're not here!" Bakugou barked from his seat, and just like that, Iida was standing with his arm held up in the air.
"Class is starting! Uraraka and Tsu haven't come yet?"
"They have excused absences, Class Rep." Yaoyorozu said.
"Out of the boys, Kirishima isn't here, either." Jiro added.
"Oh, you haven't heard? All three of them found places to do their work studies at!" Sero said, leaning forward in his chair.
"Seriously?"
"Hey, how was your work study?" Mineta asked whilst tapping on the surface of Deku's desk. "Were there super perverted female Pros there?"
"Uh —"
"Don't talk about things you're ahead of me on!" Bakugou yelled over Deku's voice with his hands covering his ears.
Rin turned her head at the commotion to see that same look on Deku's face; the one he wore when Eri gripped his shoulders. It made all of the feelings she had been holding onto the previous night to settle back into her system, and she slowly parted from Mina's side to sit down.
"Hey, Rinny, are you okay?" Mina whispered, and was only given a nod in return.
Her distraction followed her throughout that day, much like how she noticed it followed Deku. It was unlike anything she had ever seen take over him, and she knew it was the final straw when she had to save him from nearly drowning during their rescue training — as ironic as that sounds.
However, besides that one interaction during class, Deku had neglected to make an effort to even speak to her. She wondered what she could do to reach out to him, and was ultimately disappointed to learn that he had gone out by the time she returned to the dorms that afternoon.
She sat outside the building with her cheek in her hand, feeling completely defeated after that days events. She couldn't believe how wrong she'd been, thinking that everyday was going to be easy once she was away from Poseidon. The real world was unlike anything she had ever thought it'd be, and she couldn't help but be gruesomely disappointed by it.
"What're you doing out here all by yourself, Rinny?" Mina asked, startling her.
"Oh," Rin said lamely, and smiled when Mina handed her a mug of tea. "Just... thinking, is all."
"You've been a little weird since yesterday," Mina said as she sat down beside her. She bumped her shoulder with her's. "Everything okay?"
"I... don't know," Rin shrugged, staring at the brownish liquid circulating inside her cup. "I'm feeling a lot of things right now."
"Don't tell me Midoriya did something stupid." Her friend leaned forward to catch her eye.
"It's not that," Rin shook her head. "But... something happened at our work study yesterday, and he hasn't talked to me since then."
"Happened between you two?"
"No," Rin shook her head again. "On patrol, with other people."
"Oh, I get it," Mina perked up. "He's beating himself up over something, right? And he's being such a boy about it, huh?"
"I guess so."
"Don't read too much into it, Rinny," Mina smiled warmly, and hooked their arms together. "He'll come around, I promise."
Rin sighed as she rested her head on Mina's shoulder, and they sat there for a minute before Mina nearly spat out her tea.
"Babe alert!" She whisper shouted, and motioned toward the cobblestone walkway. "It's Togata!"
"Eh?" Rin sat up quickly and looked forward, and sure enough, there he was — walking toward them with that same neutral smile on his face.
"Evening, ladies!" He greeted cheekily, and rose a hand up in greeting once he was within earshot.
"Mirio," Rin looked up at him as he stopped before them. "What're you doing here?"
"I came to talk to you, of course!" He spoke as if it was obvious. "Hey, do you mind if I talk to her alone for a minute?"
His question was directed toward Mina, and she nearly melted out of her skin when he looked at her.
"N-no problem!" She nodded quickly before turning to whisper in Rin's ear. "I want details as soon as you're back!"
Rin only smiled at Mina's request, and turned to watch her scurry back into the dorm building. Once the door was shut behind her, Rin turned back to see Togata lending her a hand, and she gingerly took it.
"Did something happen?" Rin asked as he led her down the two steps it took to stand at base level. She had to crane her neck back to look at his face.
"Huh? Oh! No," he laughed. "Just came to check in, is all. I did tell you I'd see you today, didn't I?"
"Oh, right." Rin nodded at the recollection of their previous phone call.
"So," he continued, and motioned that she walk with him. She complied. "How was it today? You feeling any better?"
"I was this morning," she replied. "But... when I saw Zuku's face... it all came rushing back. He hasn't talked to me at all today, either."
"Aw, seriously?" Togata frowned. "Sounds like you need a distraction!"
"A distraction?"
"Yup! Where do you like to go? We've still got some time to kill before curfew!" Togata said whilst quickly checking the time on his phone. They had at least an hour before nightfall.
"Oh, uh..." she took a moment to think. "I haven't been back to the beach since I was taken by the service people..."
"You wanna visit the beach?" Togata asked, and after a moment of debating, Rin finally nodded. "Then let's go!"
Rin, again, smiled at his enthusiasm and gladly followed him off campus. Their walk was taken mostly in silence, all for Togata pointing out a few corner shops he liked to visit, and before she knew it, they were walking along the crisp sand of Musutafu's beachside.
"C'mon!" Rin beamed, and grabbed Togata by the hand to drag him toward the water.
She heard him laugh from behind her, and he walked right into the water despite his shoes and peeked over her shoulder as she knelt down. Rin scooped the salty liquid into her hands and tossed it up over their heads, and Togata grinned widely as he caught a few droplets in his hands.
Rin snickered as she held her hands out to the shy waves, and lifted them up until a blob of water was coiling under her commands. Togata watched as she shrunk the clump of water, and ducked under his arms as she shot it playfully in his direction; splashing him.
"Hey!" He shouted in between his chortles, and swiped water back at her.
She shrieked with joy, and their splash fight ensued. They chased each other through the waves until they were both thoroughly out of breath, — and thoroughly soaked — before finally collapsing on the shore, breaths short through their constant laughing.
"That was a cheap shot." Togata said whilst wiping his face with his forearm.
"Nighteye would have seen that, easy!" She justified, and wrung out her damp ringlets.
"He's got Foresight! That totally doesn't count!" Togata gasped, and slapped water at her once again.
"Sure it does." Rin giggled, and crossed her arms with a shit eating grin on her face.
"You're evil." He teased, and Rin playfully rolled her eyes.
A comfortable silence settled between them, and as they sat together, something sitting snuggly in the sand caught her eye.
The movement of her body caught Togata's attention, and he watched as she dug out what was beside her to see a sand dollar sitting in her palm.
"When I first met Zuku," she said softly. "I used to give him seashells."
"That so?" Togata leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
Rin nodded and shifted on her knees to face him with the sand dollar held between them.
"I hope he's okay..."
"If not now, he will be," Togata said, placing his hand over hers reassuringly. "Hey, why don't we get him another seashell? Maybe that'll make him feel better."
"Good idea," Rin nodded in agreement and climbed to her feet. "Oh... uh, do you want to come?"
"I said we, didn't I?" Togata asked, and followed right along behind her. "Show me how it's done, fish girl!"
Rin scowled lightly at him, but took his hand nonetheless and led him into the depths. Once they were fully submerged. Rin allowed her legs to morph into her tail, and shifted in the water to form an air pact bubble around Togata's head.
"You are so cool." Togata beamed, and Rin grinned.
"C'mon." She said, and took him by the wrist to lead him down to the sand below them.
Togata proceeded to dig just as she had, and after several minutes of searching, he finally turned toward Rin with a juno's volute sitting in his palm.
Rin smiled brightly at the sight of it and took it out of his hand, but before leading him back up to the surface to head back to U.A., she took the sand dollar she still held onto and handed it over to him.
"For me?" He asked, and he didn't bother hiding his surprise as he took it.
"I give shells to people I like," she said sweetly, and offered him a closed eyed smile. "Because I like shells."
Togata chuckled at that, and situated the dollar in his shirt pocket.
"Safe and sound." He said, and the gesture made a warmth spread throughout her chest.
"Let's go back." She said, and Togata reluctantly followed.
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An: some of y'all aren't gonna be happy abt this chapter lol.
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