Chapter Text
Something was wrong with Miharu. It wasn’t something Shouta was quick to notice— nothing had seemed out of place— but then Miharu began pushing herself harder and harder. Shouta was sure his sister had stopped eating or sleeping regularly a long while ago but it suddenly started to worry him. He tried to speak to Miharu about it, but like always his concern was waved off with a faltering smile as she tried to hold herself stronger. Shouta didn’t know what had set his older sister off but he hated it. Hated how helpless it made him feel and how there was nothing he could do.
Miharu always shouldered everything. She never let him help, take some of the weight off. Why?! It wasn’t like Shouta was still a child, nor had he had different experiences as her. Even if he didn’t remember a time where things were better, or how things took a turn for the worse but he wasn’t a child anymore. He could help her. Sure he wasn’t confident that he could do everything Miharu had to help them get by. Shouta wasn’t sure he had it in him to steal money from those men, or their mother, but he was sure there was something even he could do.
What had even set this off? Everything had been somewhat normal one day and then the next what little sleep and food Miharu consumed had suddenly stopped. She started to help him with his homework more—English mainly— took more shifts at the café despite being scolded by Takabayashi-san and the Harada’s just to treat Shouta to places he liked to go. All the while she kept up with her work at school and dealt with their mother. Their interactions had stopped—she merely ignored them now— but life was by no means any easier with her and her companion’s around. Especially given that Miharu was ‘growing up into a beautiful young lady’. Shouta hated the way those men stared at his sister, the leers she received from male customers at times… It was enough to chill him to the bone and enrage him at the same time.
Useless. There was nothing Shouta could do about any of this, Miharu wouldn’t let him. Miharu wouldn’t listen to his worries. She still saw him as a child.
I am not a child! He had wanted to scream at her so many times. There were days he almost did, but then he would see just how hard she worked herself just to keep him safe. All this was for his sake, and then the guilt ate him alive. This was all for him—because of him.
He- Shouta didn’t know what to do. He wanted to prove to Miharu that he could well look after himself now. That she didn’t have to work so hard alone anymore, but it seemed every time he tried everything just got worse.
Like that time at the café. Shouta paused blinking suddenly as a realization struck him. That night at the café.
“We just wanted to say hi, to Lil’ Aizawa. Ask him about that crush he has too.”
Unmei-san’s comment. Is that when it all began? Shouta wondered the question making him pause in his stride, dark eyes turning on the back of his sister’s form as they walked towards school. Just because of that?! How did that even-
“Shouta?” Miharu’s voice brought the younger sibling from his inner thoughts. The older girl was tilting her head in confusion. “Are you okay?”
Shouta remained silent even as Miharu walked towards him, her hands fixing the scarf around his next. He ignored it, noticing just how pale Miharu looked, how thin.
“Honestly why don’t you ever tie this thing right?” He wasn’t listening.
“Look, now your cheeks are flushed. You’ll get a cold that way you know.” She paused her golden eyes, blinking at him, confused. “Shouta?”
Shouta did look at his sister then, taking her concerned expressing anger boiling at the pit of his stomach.
“You’re an idiot.” He hissed angrily taking a step away from her, eye blazing red and long dark and scruffy hair lifting.
“Wha-”
Not letting her finish her question Shouta walked past Miharu, his steps almost seeming like stomps. Later he would feel the guilt of what he had just done, there was no doubt on that. For now, though, Shouta let his anger fester was he made his way towards his school, not caring to look if Miharu had followed him or not.
Why on earth would Miharu worry herself over something so stupid?! So what if he had a crush? So what if he hadn’t told her?! That didn’t mean anything. She didn’t need to worry over something so small, so why? Why would she let that bother her so much?
There was a sudden need to lash out at something, anything. Shouta ended up kicking a nearby tree that was just a turn away from his middle school viciously and causing the colorful leaves to fall to the ground with the rest that laid there. He was completely unaware of the students openly gaping at him, as he hair and quirk completely flared. It was all so stupid and irrational. Why the hell would she worry over that?! It was just a stupid crush! Not even a crush it was just his body chemicals acting up because of puberty! It would all go away soon enough.
“Wow,” A light and amused baritone voice chuckled, causing Shouta to stop from pure shock alone, his wide eyes staring with very open shock at the taller—all too well-built form— of Yukimora Nagisa.
“That tree must have done something seriously bad for you to kick it that way.”
Shouta simply stared at the violet eyes of his classmate in silence.
“Not necessarily.” He grumbled lowering his face hating how his cheeks heated up involuntarily. It was the chill in the air.
“Oh?” Yukimora prompted curiously, tilting his head to the side. Shouta was suddenly reminded of a puppy. It was ridiculous how his stomach flipped and turned. He hated it.
“So you just beat up poor innocent trees on your free time?”
“No!”
Yukimora laughed and Shouta was certain he was going to have a heart attack or heart failure. Whichever came first, and either was fine so long as it kept him away from having to have this interaction.
“As you say Aizawa.” The silver-haired young man clapped him on the shoulder. Shouta tried to pretend that not every nerve, including hair and eyes, flared at the touch.
“Better finish your business with the tree soon though. You’re going to be late otherwise.” Another laugh and suddenly Shouta was left there. Not quite frozen in his spot but not wanting to move either.
I hate puberty, He swore and sprinted towards the school just as the first bell sounded. The flutters on his stomach making him just a tad nauseous while his traitorous mind recalled Yukimora’s laugh, and the bemused way he had looked at Shouta. Nothing about the reaction was logical. After all, Shouta had heard Yukimora laugh often enough there was nothing different in the sounds either. It was just a laugh for God’s sake! A stupid—though admitting nice—laugh, but stupid none the less.
But it was for you, his subconscious supplied for Shouta, said subconscious sounding all too much like the Takabayashi twins. He could even picture them with their stupidly smug grin in their faces. For the sake of his sanity, however, Shouta blocked out the entire thought process which his subconscious was heading towards. This was just puberty. Stupid. Damn. Puberty!
The rest of the day followed in a similarly sucky fashion as Shouta, evaded his usual bullies, fought his guilt over snapping at Miharu as he had, and very much all but failed the English test from yesterday. Not that it happened necessarily in that order but still the day just generally sucked with what happened that morning with Yukimora being the icing on the cake of Shouta’s mortification.
He still couldn’t figure out why Miharu was so upset about the ‘crush’ thing—not that he even had one. It was simple admiration. That's it.
Admiration.
Maybe.
Probably.
On the other hand, the best way to avoid the entire situation would have been to simply explain things to Miharu, yet Shouta hadn’t. Not at the café when it was brought to her attention, nor the days that followed. Granted Shouta had pushed everything to the back of his head, especially when Miharu stopped properly taking care of herself even more.
If the solution to the problem was to tell her, then Shouta should just do it. Clear everything up. It was the reasonable thing to do for everything to go back to how it was. However, the very idea of even telling Miharu anything made his stomach clench painfully, his heart speeding up in panic. She would see. Even if Shouta told her, and it was a lie Miharu would see right through him. She always knew. It was her witchy power thing because even when Shouta tried to cancel her quirk, or she wasn’t making direct eye contact, Miharu still knew everything.
Shouta didn’t know how she knew but she did, his only explanation—though childish—was that his sister was a witch, or supper perceptive. Harada and the Takabayashi’s agreed too. One look from Miharu and she read you like an open book in a glance. It was unnerving as it was amazing. That though, only made this all the more difficult. How did he explain things to his sister without her scenting something off from a mile away?
Groaning out loud Shouta closed his eyes for a moment while his Maths teacher’s voice droned into the background. He had not meant to fall asleep, but he had.
“Aizawa. Oi, Aizawa!”
Letting out what was definitely a pitiful whine, Shouta tried to swat away whoever was trying to shake him awake with his hand, not quite conscious enough to realize where he was nor to whom did the voice belong too. He was tired, and as a universal law Miharu had set, Shouta hated being woken up without some serious coaxing from his older sibling, or anyone.
“My, my,” The voice chuckled. “Well, that wasn’t something I thought I’d hear from you of all people.”
The chuckle was enough to bring Shouta somewhat back to reality enough for one of his eyes to open. What happened next though was something Shouta was going to deny from now and until oblivion. Because the instant Yukimora’s face came into view Shouta pushed himself away from the desk with every loud yelp and as a result, fell on his back with his chair. And though Yukimora remained facially impassive to the reaction, Shouta saw the laughter dancing in his violet eyes.
“Well, I definitely wasn’t expecting that reaction.” The silver-haired boy smirked lightly earning an even redder flush from the dark-haired boy on the ground as he slowly got himself up.
It was like the universe decided to dish out karma all around for Shouta today. “Maybe you should think before you waking someone so rudely.”
Yukimora raised an eyebrow at that.
“You mean I should have left you to sleep at the school?” He questioned in challenge watching as Shouta took in the time of day and cursed under his breath. “I would have but just imagine the poor janitor’s reaction.”
Shouta who had busied himself picking his books, notebook, and bag while the red in his cheeks disappeared paused at that. For a second he spared a glance at Yukimora that instantly caused his expression to sober up. Neither Shouta nor Miharu had to imagine that particular scenario. They knew exactly how that would go down, and what could have happened had the janitor not bought their story of ‘camping out in the school for fireflies’. Shouta still wasn’t sure the man had bought the silly excuse but he hadn’t said or done anything about it so everything was left at that.
Clenching his hands around the straps of his backpack, the dark-haired boy focused back on his classmate giving him a small nod before avoiding all and any contact. He hated reliving those memories.
“Thanks then.”
“Hey, Aizawa,” Yukimora’s voice called out even before Shouta was out of arms reach. The silver-haired boy placing himself in front of Shouta, blocking the exit.
“What?” Shouta asked taking a step away from Yukimora wanting to keep a safe distance between them this time raising his gaze to Yukimora’s.
“Are you okay? You were ah, distracted?” Now that was odd, Shouta blinked for a moment thinking about how nervous Yukimora looked then.
“You didn’t seem yourself is all. Not that you don’t fall asleep in class often just-I mean-” Is he stuttering? Why? “About this morning, I’m sorry if I took it too far.”
“Huh?”
Shouta couldn’t be more confused. Why the hell was Yukimora even apologizing?
“When I teased you about kicking the tree—” Oh, that. “I’m sorry for it. I didn’t mean anything bad by it.”
Once more Shouta was confused. Was there anything bad about the teasing? He was a bit preoccupied dying of embarrassment.
“I know.” Shouta settled on raising a hand to mess with his hair feeling somewhat awkward about the entire thing. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“Oh.” Yukimora blinked shocked now taking a step back. “Well, this is embarrassing.”
He laughed lightly before frowning. “Then, was it something else that bothered you?”
“Why do you care?” Shouta asked his defences raising instantly. His comment, it seemed took Yukimora by surprise. It also made him grow nervous again.
“I know it’s not any of my business,” the silver-haired boy was quick to say before sighing his eyes shining with a small sense of determination. “But you seemed really off it today and I was worried. I thought it was with what happened this morning—”
“It wasn’t.” Shouta supplied wincing somewhat to what had started to set him off. He needed to apologize to Miharu. To explain— I don’t want to though. What would she say? What would she do? How would she react? What if—what if Shouta said something and she rejected him? Miharu wouldn’t do that though. She wouldn’t, would she?
“Hey Aizawa,” Yukimora broke through Shouta’s head as panic, uncertainty, began to set inside him.
There was a hand on his shoulder, steady, comforting in a way. It made the dark-haired boy looking back into Yukimora’s violet gaze. Were there always those silver flecks in them?
“Sorry,” Shouta breathed, before shaking his head. “I’m fine.” I’m okay.
A beat of silence passed on the hand on his shoulder fell off.
“You know,” Yukimora started with a small smile. “It’s always better to talk to people when you have problems. Take the weight off.” Shouta stared.
“And as a fellow, concerned classmate I’m offering a more than willing ear. If you ever need it.
Another beat. Yukimora was walking towards the door. Shouta didn’t know what possessed him to ask, but he had.
“Yukimora.” The silver-haired boy paused, turned his face back. “If you’d made someone you care about worry over a secret, a silly one, and then snapped at them. What would you do?”
Yukimora grinned, “Well that’s easy I’d apologize, of course.”
“I know that!” Shouta claimed perhaps a bit too loudly and the ducked his head. “It’s more complicated than that. She’d still worry, and worry because of me.”
“Then tell her your silly secret.” Yukimora shrugged. “If it’s really silly then why keep it secret. I mean your worrying this person by keeping it.”
“But why?! Why would she worry over something so stupid?!” Shouta snapped before his hands clenched around the straps of his backpack once more. “It’s not logical.”
Yukimora paused thinking for a moment before he answered.
“Because maybe to her it’s not stupid.” He smiled. “You can’t tell people what they should think is stupid or not just because you think so Aizawa. They have no way of knowing that. Maybe this person thinks this is something important and is worrying. It’s only normal to worry about people you care about after all.”
“I know that,” Shouta mumbled somewhat placated. “She really shouldn’t worry though.”
“But she won’t unless you tell her.”
Sighing, resigned, Shouta nodded.
“Okay.” He paused before a small smile filtered through his lips. “Thanks, Yukimora.”
The silver-haired boy grinned.
“I’m here to help.”
That night, once Shouta made it into the cat café, he made a beeline towards his sister. He kept his head bowed and apologized for this morning. As expected Miharu accepted the apology without a second of hesitation.
“You don’t need to worry so much,” He’d said under his breath knowing full well Miharu heard him. “Crushes are stupid. And I don’t have one. It’s admiration. That’s it.”
For a moment Miharu had stayed silent. Completely and utterly silent before a puff of a laugh escaped her. Shouta looked up as surprised as someone who had a bucket of cold ice dumped on them, everyone was witnessing Aizawa Miharu laugh so openly and genuinely. The shock did not leave him either even when his older sister ruffled his hair affectionately, with a bright smile.
“Okay, Shouta.”