p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.34px;"I'm surprised I'm getting this out as soon as I am tbh. I have had a rocky past in consistent updates, so hopefully I can change things up with this one! Thank you for those of you who have left Kudos and comments, and I really hope this chapter doesn't disappoint! A few new characters are introduced, though they'll be flushed out as the story progresses, I promise!/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio woke up the next morning to the soft light of the grey morning streaming into his bedroom. He checked his alarm clock. 7 am. With a yawn, he rolled out of bed and went to get ready. He got dressed and ran a hand through his hair with some gel, causing his blonde locks to stand up. After he was satisfied with the way he looked, he went to grab a jacket, and after a quick thought, he also grabbed his umbrella. Making sure he had his keys, he left his apartment./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Oh Mirio? Are you off to the flower shop?" A soft voice spoke up behind him. Mirio spun around and smiled brightly at the source of the voice. It was his neighbor, Inko. The dark green haired woman stood by her door, struggling to lock it as she held her son, Izuku. Mirio was quick to go help her./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I was, ah, actually going to meet my dad to visit my cousin, Eri, before we went to work. Where are you off to?" He replied as he stepped away from locking her door. Inko chuckled tiredly, raising a hand tiredly to her forehead./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Thank you, dear… I was actually on my way to take Izuku to the clinic. He developed a fever the other day, and it hasn't gone away yet. Poor boy has been feeling awful, so I wanted to get to the clinic before it got too busy." She sighed and rubbed Izuku's back. The boy adjusted a bit in her arms. Mirio frowned and rubbed his head gently./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Hang in there, buddy." The blonde stepped away. "I should let you get going, then. Wouldn't want the clinic to fill up so soon. Plus, it looks like it could start raining soon."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Inko sighed in annoyance. "Don't get me started. I looked and looked for our umbrella, but I couldn't find it anywhere!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Oh? Take mine then!" Mirio immediately offered his own, but she shook her head./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I couldn't do that! You need that."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I insist, please. I wouldn't want you to get sick, or for Izuku to get worse. I won't let you leave without this umbrella." He held it out and Inko reluctantly reached out to take it./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose if you won't let me leave without it...I really do appreciate it, Mirio. I'll bake you some cookies to thank you!" The young mother grinned brightly. Mirio laughed softly as they both started walking to the elevator./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""You really don't have to do that."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I inist," Inko smirked and winked at him. The college student rubbed the back of his neck bashfully./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose I won't stop you then...actually, if you're not too busy, would you mind making some cookies for our grand opening? We also want the cafe next door to cater some drinks. It would be a good way to start off our business, don't you think?" Mirio explained. Inko lit up at the idea./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I think that's a great idea, Mirio! Cookies bring people together. I'll be sure to bake a lot!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"He smiled. "Thank you so much, Inko."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The green haired women smiled sweetly and they enjoyed a quiet ride to the bottom floor. From there, the neighbors took their separate paths. Mirio immediately started walking towards the train station. He kept a keen eye on the darkening sky, but it didn't even sprinkle as he fast walked to catch a train. He made it in less time than he thought he would so he bought his ticket and went to sit down. He and his dad were going to meet at the station, but he was the first one there./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"He and his dad were going to visit his cousin in the hospital just outside of the town. That was actually why they had moved. His aunt was struggling on her own and needed his father's help both financially and for mental support. Mirio came along since his father was all he had. For their living situations, Mirio chose to live closer to the campus and his father was staying with his sister. The blonde leaned back into the bend and checked his phone. Nothing./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"He couldn't help but think back to the day previously. The entire coffee shop staff seemed really nice, but there was something about that Tamaki Amajiki. He was shy, but it was endearing. Not to mention that Tamaki was cute as hell. Mirio blushed at his own thought. Did he really think that someone he just met was cute? How could he not think that, though? The way his black hair fell over his eyes and the faint blush to his cheeks. His voice was so soft too. He quickly realized that he did have a crush on the other man. Mirio had known he was into both boys and girls ever since he was in junior high, but this was his first actual crush on someone of the same gender. The blonde groaned and rubbed his face as he sat back up. It wouldn't go anywhere though if Tamaki was too shy to open up. Mirio knew that if he pushed the other, he wouldn't get anywhere either./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Mirio!" The blonde heard his name being called out and he stood up, smiling as his father approached him. The darker haired man panted a bit and placed a hand on his son's shoulder as he caught his breath. "Sorry I'm so late."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Nah, I'm just early is all. The train is just getting here." Mirio smiled and stuffed his hands into his pocket to grab his ticket. "Ready to go?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"His father grinned and held up his own ticket. "You know it!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The two of them started heading towards their train, which had just pulled into the station. The two of them got onto the train and Mirio forced himself to not think about the coffee shop at all while he was with his father. Not that he would have an issue with his crush, but it wasn't something he was particularly ready to share quite yet. The blonde stared out of the train window as they began moving out of the station and to the edge of town, where his cousin stayed./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"_/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki rubbed his eyes as he sat up that next morning. His head was killing him, which was a sure sign it was going to rain that day. Sure enough, when he looked out the windows, dark grey clouds covered the sky. It's not as if he didn't like the rain; in fact he loved it. He just didn't enjoy the thunder and lightning that tended to accompany these summer storms. He reached over to turn off his alarm and got up to get ready for work. The college student actually looked forward to it, seeing as he didn't have to work the whole day. He just hoped he wouldn't have to walk home in the storm. He got dressed and ran a comb through his usually unruly black hair. Tamaki quickly checked on Kirishima, who was no longer in his bedroom. He didn't hear the shower running, so it only meant that his cousin was in the kitchen making breakfast. Tamaki groaned softly and tried to sneak past the kitchen as he made his way to the front door, but Kirishima was quick to notice him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Aren't you going to eat anything, Tamaki?" He asked and Tamaki froze as he reached for the front door./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I, uh, don't really have time to eat...I'll just pick up something before the shop opens…" the raven haired man lied. He typically didn't eat breakfast, and didn't want to spend the money on buying it elsewhere. The teen clicked his tongue./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""That's no good. My mom wanted me to make sure you were eating while I visited so that's what I'm doing. At least take some toast with you at least."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki knew he could just ignore his cousin and leave, but he wasn't going to do that. Instead he just went and picked up a couple of pieces of toast that Kirishima had already made./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Happy now?" He mumbled as he walked to the door. The redhead grinned, despite the older man not looking at him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I am. I'll make lunch for us since you don't have to work all day!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Thanks…" Tamaki smiled lightly and left. He knew his cousin meant well, but he wasn't used to the disruption in his schedule./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"It didn't take him very long to walk to the coffee shop and he already had the two pieces of toast gone. It had made him feel slightly better and his headache was mostly gone. He held his breath as he past the flower shop, ready to fast walk past it, but noticed all the lights were still off and there was no movement coming from within. He released his breath, almost in disappointment that Mirio wasn't there. In the realization of his feelings, Tamaki rushed quickly to unlock his own shop, hoping to get any of those thoughts out of his head. He opened the door quickly, only to realize that Tooru had already done most of the early morning preparations already. He just sighed and went to clock in and grab an apron, no longer in any sort of rush./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The events from the day before still confused him. Meeting Mirio felt different than meeting any other stranger and he couldn't discern whether it was just because they were now shop neighbors, or if it was something more. Regardless, the blonde intrigued Tamaki. And he was scared of these feelings. The dark haired man started freezing up at all of the possible outcomes of if he pursued getting to know Mirio better, most of them ending in rejection. He didn't even realize he was shaking until Tooru called his name from behind him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Tamaki? Are you doing alright?" She asked quietly, knowing better than to startle him too badly. Tamaki slowly relaxed and turned to her./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm okay...heh, I guess I really haven't been doing well recently since I did this yesterday too...I'll try my best to stay alert today." He replied bashfully. Tooru just grinned softly./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Don't push yourself, okay?" She asked and went to start a pot of coffee. He just nodded absently and went back to preparing the register for the day. He enjoyed opening the store with her. They were both able to work silently with the radio playing softly in the background and the smell of brewing coffee putting him at ease. He occasionally watched the window to see if it had started raining, but he had no such luck yet./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"With the threat of rain and the humidity of the outside, they stayed relatively slow that day. They only had about three regulars in the shop by the time the other two showed up to take over. It still hadn't started raining at this point, and Tamaki was beginning to wonder if it really was just his luck that it would be raining when he started home. He sighed a bit and started cleaning some of the counters while they waited for someone else to show up. Luckily, a familiar face entered the shop to distract him from his own thoughts./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio grinned as he stepped up to the counter and up to a now slightly blushy Tamaki. Tamaki was glad for the distraction, but didn't even think about what he'd do if Mirio ended up entering the building. Luckily, the blonde didn't seem nearly as flustered and got right down to business./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Two coffees, just like yesterday please!" He asked and Tamaki didn't even have to relay the message before Tooru was working on it. He stared up at the taller man and his blush darkened a bit./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Are you going to become a new regular of ours?" Ma asked as she came out of the back room, very easily startling Tamaki. Mirio chuckled and leant on the counter again, like he did before, but this time Tamaki was suddenly very aware of how close they were./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I hope so! The coffee here is really good!" Mirio grinned and glanced down at Tamaki momentarily before looking back at Ma. "My dad and I were actually wondering if you catered at all?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Well, not normally, but it all depends on the situation." Ma hummed and came up to stand next to the raven haired man./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Well, we're opening the store next week and we were just wondering if you could provide some coffee and lemonade for us? We would pay you of course!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""We can absolutely do that for you two! Plus it might bring in some new business." Ma chuckled and winked playfully at Mirio. Mirio suddenly stood up straight, much to Tamaki's slight disappointment, and clapped his hands together./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Thank you! I'll come in later to talk about the details!" He grinned and stepped over to grab the two coffees. The blonde smiled over at Tamaki before he left. "It was great seeing you all again. I'll be back tomorrow for sure."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"And with that, he was gone. Tamaki looked towards the counter to try to get his heart rate and blush under control before anybody noticed how bad it was, but it was too late. He felt a playful push and noticed Ma smirking from the corner of his eye./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Did Mirio really fluster you that much?" She asked, and Tamaki froze up again./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""N-No- h-he was just r-really close is all-!" He barely managed to stutter out and his boss laughed./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""He really has his eyes on you, Tamaki~" Mina chirped and leaned up against the counter next to him. Tooru giggled a bit from where she was cleaning machinery./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""It's hard to miss, really." She added and Tamaki continued to try to return his face to its normal color, but it was nearly impossible with their comments. Was it really that obvious? Tamaki had noticed the extra attention himself, but wasn't sure if he enjoyed how obvious to the others the attention was./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Ma just chuckled and pat his back. "I'm sure he just wants to be friends. Why don't you give him a chance?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki didn't answer her and continued to calm himself down. He wasn't sure if he was really ready for a friendship with the person he just met, but at the same time, he was conflicted over the feelings he had towards the idea of it. He ended up just shutting down to keep the comments from the others from bothering him anymore. Ma frowned in concern of his silence, but didn't try to bother him anymore when she noticed him shut himself off. He only had to work two more hours, but it seemed to drag on for a long time. He would occasionally glance outside, and while it grew darker, it didn't seem to have started raining quite yet. Though he was looking forward to the end of his shift, he didn't even notice when it ended and Ma gently reminded him that it was over. She walked up to him as he was clocking out./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Maybe you should take tomorrow off. Take some time to get your thoughts sorted before coming back to work?" She suggested, leaning against the wall as Tamaki pulled his jacket on. He glanced at her before shaking his head./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'll be alright...I promise." He managed a weak smile as he replied to her. She could see right through it though and she shook her head./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Nope, I'm actually going to insist that you take tomorrow off! You work so hard here that you deserve an extra day to yourself." The older woman smiled warmly at him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I need to make sure you're mentally well before coming back into work."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki smiled a bit more genuinely as he hugged her carefully. "Thank you...I'll uh...take tomorrow off then."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Good! I'll see you back here on Friday!" She grinned and turned to let him leave, though she turned back to watch him leave the building. She really did think of him almost like a son, just like she thought of the other two girls like her own daughters. If anything happened to them, she would be devastated. Ma just sighed softly and returned back to work with the other two after the door shut behind the raven haired man./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Of course it was raining when he walked out of the shop. It really was just his luck. Tamaki grumbled in frustration over the fact that he didn't grab his umbrella before he left as he threw his hood over his head and made a run for the nearest shelter, which happened to be a sheltered bus stop near by. Since he wasn't looking up to avoid getting water in his eyes, he hadn't noticed there was anybody else under the stop and he ran right into a firm chest. Shaking off his daze he back up quickly to apologize./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm so sorry…" Tamaki ended up trailing off as he looked up into familiar blue eyes./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Heh, hey Amajiki-Kun!" Mirio smiled and Tamaki could feel his heart leap nearly out of his chest both out of embarrassment and bashfulness and he immediately wanted to hide./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""M-Mirio…?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"_/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio smiled as he stepped back into the unopened flower shop with the two coffees in hand. He handed one to his father before returning to the box he had previously been unpacking. The blonde was facing the window, so he was able to see how dark it had become, but it hadn't dampened his spirit at all. Now that all the boxes had made it to the store, they were able to start setting up the store proper. He could hear his father humming in the background as he sipped his drink./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""So? Are they willing to provide drinks for 0 us?" Mirio heard his father ask from behind him and he turned with a smile./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Yup! I'm going to go back in tomorrow to discuss details with her, but the owner said she would be happy to help. I think we're set for refreshments now since Inko said she would help as well. Now we just have to get this store setup before the flowers get here next week!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"His father held his thumb up and grinned as well. "Perfect! Things seems to be going well for us so far!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio nodded and turned back to his box. It still had't started raining yet, but he knew it would start soon. He finished off his now lukewarm coffee and finished unpacking the box. It was a nice kind of quiet in the store. They normally would have music playing in the background, but neither of them needed it as they were both lost in their own thoughts. Mirio especially as he was still thinking about Tamaki. Every time the man passed through his mind, he could swear he felt his cheeks heat up a bit and it's been a miracle that his father has either never noticed or hasn't said a word about it. The blonde sighed lightly as he remembered how flustered Tamaki seemed while he was in their store. Mirio really hoped he could get him to open up a bit more. Maybe he could take him somewhere? To get to know him of course./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"emLike a date…?/em/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio shook the thought of it out of his head. There was no way Tamaki would agree to it so soon, even if Mirio accepted the concept of going on a date with him. The best thing to do would be to just keep talking to him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"emMaybe get his phone number?/em/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The blonde smiled to himself at his own thought. The raven haired man might be a bit more open to talking through text rather than in person. That might be the best way to get Tamaki to talk with him. He would ask for his number the next day, when he went in to discuss the catering details with Ma. With that thought in mind, Mirio happily continued opening boxes for the next couple hours with a new sense of vigor in him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The college student hadn't even noticed the time go by so quickly, nor had he notice his father stretching behind him, ready to call it a day. He only stopped when he heard the sigh coming from behind him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""We've gotten a lot done for the afternoon. Maybe we should head back before it starts to rain?" Mirio turned to look at his dad, who was arching back to stretch. He stood from his crouching position on his current box./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I wouldn't mind heading out before the storm hits, if that's what you wanted to do." Mirio replied as he started towards his jacket and keys. His father nodded./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I think we should. Why don't you go ahead and head out. I'll get the store locked up and we can meet for dinner somewhere?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Sounds like a plan!" Mirio nodded and pushed outside, the muggy air hitting him instantly. He took a couple of steps before he felt the first rain drop. It didn't particularly bother him until he felt it start to come down harder. He was almost regretful that he gave away his umbrella earlier that morning as he quickly shed his jacket and held it over his head for some sort of protection. Mirio quickly noticed the bus stop in front of him and made a break for it. He would just wait out the rain storm and hoped that it would move out quickly enough. The blonde was grateful that the shelter was empty as he was nearly soaking wet./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio began shaking off the built up water on his jacket as he stood waiting for the rain to pass. It was difficult to see much of anything with how heavy the rain was, so he didn't even see Tamaki running towards the bus stop until the smaller man had run right smack into his chest. Mirio blinked dazedly as he watched Tamaki back up quickly, probably not even having realized who he ran into./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm so sorry…" Tamaki began as he finally looked up to realize who he ran into. The blonde smiled sheepishly./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Heh, hey Amajiki-Kun!" he held a hand up in greeting./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""M-Mirio…"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio laughed softly and looked out at the rain, trying to keep the atmosphere from getting too awkard. "So you got caught in the rain too?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The shorter man bit the inside of his cheek, trying to figure out how to reply to him. "I'm sorry for running into you…"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm not bothered by it!" Mirio quickly brushed off the apology and watched Tamaki relax a bit. They stood in silence for a couple moments while they tried to think of something to say to the other. IMirio looked over at the other man, watching him quietly. Tamaki was nervously hugging himself, his cheeks slightly red, though Mirio couldn't tell if it was from running through the rain or from their interaction. The blonde let out a sigh, needing to break the silence. "So...I didn't realize you got off early today!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki startled a bit at the sudden comment, but quickly recovered. He looked downwards as he thought of how to reply. "Well, I don't have to work all day everyday."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose that's a good thing! Dad and I wanted to get out before the storm, but I suppose that didn't work out in our favor," Mirio chuckled and smiled down towards Tamaki. The black haired man looked up shyly and managed a small, but genuine smile. Mirio felt his cheeks grow warm at the sight of the smile and quickly looked away before Tamaki could notice. He suddenly remembered his idea from earlier and as it was still raining, he figured there was no better time than now. "Oh, um, I had a question for you, if you don't mind./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki felt himself start to panic, though he wasn't sure why. "G-Go ahead…"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Do you think we could exchange phone numbers? I would really like the chance to get to know you, if that's okay with you…"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Oh, um…" Tamaki bit the inside of his cheek again and tried not to freeze up. The question was different, and better than what he thought it was going to be, but he was still nervous. He was a private person in life, but then he thought back to what Ma had told him before he left work. Maybe a friend wouldn't be so bad, especially if that friend was Mirio. It would just take him some time to get used to. Taking a deep breath he nodded. "O-Okay."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio grinned, not expecting him to have said yes, but now that he has he was overjoyed. He quickly took his phone out of his pocket. "G-Great! Here, you can put your number in my phone and I'll text you later so you have my number!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The raven haired man smiled lightly at the enthusiasm of the other man. He took his phone carefully and put his phone number in it before handing it back to him. Mirio glanced at it before slipping it back into his pocket. "Thank you, Amajiki-kun!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""You can just call me Tamaki, actually…" Tamaki mumbled softly, not used to his last name being used so often. The blonde looked surprised for a moment at the idea of being on a first name basis with him, but warmed up to it quickly./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Alright! You can call me Mirio then!" He replied and looked back outside of the shelter. The rain had let up considerably while they had been talking, and some bits of sun were able to shine through. "Well, would you look at that, the sun's coming back out!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""It is…" Tamaki nodded and took off his jacket. He let out a sigh and looked over towards Mirio, who was once again smiling at him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose I should head out. I'm meeting my dad for dinner tonight, so I should get home to change."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I should go too...my cousin is probably dying of hunger back at my apartment…" Tamaki replied and felt his lips tug up into a small smile at the thought. Mirio held a hand up as he walked away./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'll see you later then?/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm sure you will." Tamaki waved back and left the shelter for his own apartment. It then hit him that he managed to get through a conversation with the other person without shutting down. He counted it as a personal victory and continued home. Mirio, on the other hand, was in a sunny mood. He managed to get more than a couple sentences out of Tamaki and he had managed to get his phone number. He would have to remember to text him after he got back from dinner. Despite the rain, it turned out to be a good day for the both of them./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"_/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki pushed open the door to his apartment and groaned softly to himself as he realized that Kirishima wasn't the only guest he had over. He frowned over at the couple lounging over on his couch. It wasn't so much as lounging as it was Kirishima trying to get his boyfriend to cuddle with him, but to no avail. Though when he heard the door open, the redhead turned his attention to Tamaki./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""T-Tamaki! I-I'm sorry I didn't ask before inviting him over-" he quickly tried to apologize, but the raven haired man held up a hand to stop him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""It's alright, really."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I-It is? Oh thank you! Though, I didn't end up making lunch for us since he came over…" Kirishima smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll order us takeout."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki nodded and went to hang his jacket up as the teen went for the phone. Kirishima smiled over at him. "Did you have a good day otherwise?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki smiled lightly to himself and sat down in the loveseat next to the couch, as far away from Bakugo as he could. He thought back to the encounter in the rain and shrugged. "I think I made a new friend today."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""That's good news! A sign you're doing better, yeah?" Kirishima smiled and without waiting for an answer, went to grab a takeout menu that Tamaki had saved away./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki relaxed into his seat and ran a hand through his hair. He had indeed made a new friend, a friend who was actually interested in getting to know him and had a sunny personality to make up for Tamaki's more downcast demeanor./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"emA friend...who almost shines like the sun…!/em/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;" /p
p style="border: 0px; font-size: 11.34px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px auto 1.286em; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"strongAhhh, I don't do very well with endings I feel like. I hope it wasn't too awkward of a chapter for you to get through! I'm rather proud of myself word count wise, since it was a whole page and a half longer than last chapter. I'm not sure when I'll have chapter 3 up, since I have a slew of exams coming up in the next couple of weeks, but I'll get started on it as soon as I possibly can!/strong/p
p style="border: 0px; font-size: 11.34px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"strongOther than that, I don't have any other notes, so I'll leave it there. Thanks again for reading, and again, leave some love if you enjoyed it!/strong/p
p style="border: 0px; font-size: 11.34px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"strongI should really finish these during times I don't have to sleep or rush right off to a class ^^'/strong/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio woke up the next morning to the soft light of the grey morning streaming into his bedroom. He checked his alarm clock. 7 am. With a yawn, he rolled out of bed and went to get ready. He got dressed and ran a hand through his hair with some gel, causing his blonde locks to stand up. After he was satisfied with the way he looked, he went to grab a jacket, and after a quick thought, he also grabbed his umbrella. Making sure he had his keys, he left his apartment./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Oh Mirio? Are you off to the flower shop?" A soft voice spoke up behind him. Mirio spun around and smiled brightly at the source of the voice. It was his neighbor, Inko. The dark green haired woman stood by her door, struggling to lock it as she held her son, Izuku. Mirio was quick to go help her./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I was, ah, actually going to meet my dad to visit my cousin, Eri, before we went to work. Where are you off to?" He replied as he stepped away from locking her door. Inko chuckled tiredly, raising a hand tiredly to her forehead./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Thank you, dear… I was actually on my way to take Izuku to the clinic. He developed a fever the other day, and it hasn't gone away yet. Poor boy has been feeling awful, so I wanted to get to the clinic before it got too busy." She sighed and rubbed Izuku's back. The boy adjusted a bit in her arms. Mirio frowned and rubbed his head gently./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Hang in there, buddy." The blonde stepped away. "I should let you get going, then. Wouldn't want the clinic to fill up so soon. Plus, it looks like it could start raining soon."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Inko sighed in annoyance. "Don't get me started. I looked and looked for our umbrella, but I couldn't find it anywhere!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Oh? Take mine then!" Mirio immediately offered his own, but she shook her head./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I couldn't do that! You need that."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I insist, please. I wouldn't want you to get sick, or for Izuku to get worse. I won't let you leave without this umbrella." He held it out and Inko reluctantly reached out to take it./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose if you won't let me leave without it...I really do appreciate it, Mirio. I'll bake you some cookies to thank you!" The young mother grinned brightly. Mirio laughed softly as they both started walking to the elevator./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""You really don't have to do that."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I inist," Inko smirked and winked at him. The college student rubbed the back of his neck bashfully./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose I won't stop you then...actually, if you're not too busy, would you mind making some cookies for our grand opening? We also want the cafe next door to cater some drinks. It would be a good way to start off our business, don't you think?" Mirio explained. Inko lit up at the idea./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I think that's a great idea, Mirio! Cookies bring people together. I'll be sure to bake a lot!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"He smiled. "Thank you so much, Inko."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The green haired women smiled sweetly and they enjoyed a quiet ride to the bottom floor. From there, the neighbors took their separate paths. Mirio immediately started walking towards the train station. He kept a keen eye on the darkening sky, but it didn't even sprinkle as he fast walked to catch a train. He made it in less time than he thought he would so he bought his ticket and went to sit down. He and his dad were going to meet at the station, but he was the first one there./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"He and his dad were going to visit his cousin in the hospital just outside of the town. That was actually why they had moved. His aunt was struggling on her own and needed his father's help both financially and for mental support. Mirio came along since his father was all he had. For their living situations, Mirio chose to live closer to the campus and his father was staying with his sister. The blonde leaned back into the bend and checked his phone. Nothing./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"He couldn't help but think back to the day previously. The entire coffee shop staff seemed really nice, but there was something about that Tamaki Amajiki. He was shy, but it was endearing. Not to mention that Tamaki was cute as hell. Mirio blushed at his own thought. Did he really think that someone he just met was cute? How could he not think that, though? The way his black hair fell over his eyes and the faint blush to his cheeks. His voice was so soft too. He quickly realized that he did have a crush on the other man. Mirio had known he was into both boys and girls ever since he was in junior high, but this was his first actual crush on someone of the same gender. The blonde groaned and rubbed his face as he sat back up. It wouldn't go anywhere though if Tamaki was too shy to open up. Mirio knew that if he pushed the other, he wouldn't get anywhere either./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Mirio!" The blonde heard his name being called out and he stood up, smiling as his father approached him. The darker haired man panted a bit and placed a hand on his son's shoulder as he caught his breath. "Sorry I'm so late."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Nah, I'm just early is all. The train is just getting here." Mirio smiled and stuffed his hands into his pocket to grab his ticket. "Ready to go?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"His father grinned and held up his own ticket. "You know it!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The two of them started heading towards their train, which had just pulled into the station. The two of them got onto the train and Mirio forced himself to not think about the coffee shop at all while he was with his father. Not that he would have an issue with his crush, but it wasn't something he was particularly ready to share quite yet. The blonde stared out of the train window as they began moving out of the station and to the edge of town, where his cousin stayed./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"_/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki rubbed his eyes as he sat up that next morning. His head was killing him, which was a sure sign it was going to rain that day. Sure enough, when he looked out the windows, dark grey clouds covered the sky. It's not as if he didn't like the rain; in fact he loved it. He just didn't enjoy the thunder and lightning that tended to accompany these summer storms. He reached over to turn off his alarm and got up to get ready for work. The college student actually looked forward to it, seeing as he didn't have to work the whole day. He just hoped he wouldn't have to walk home in the storm. He got dressed and ran a comb through his usually unruly black hair. Tamaki quickly checked on Kirishima, who was no longer in his bedroom. He didn't hear the shower running, so it only meant that his cousin was in the kitchen making breakfast. Tamaki groaned softly and tried to sneak past the kitchen as he made his way to the front door, but Kirishima was quick to notice him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Aren't you going to eat anything, Tamaki?" He asked and Tamaki froze as he reached for the front door./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I, uh, don't really have time to eat...I'll just pick up something before the shop opens…" the raven haired man lied. He typically didn't eat breakfast, and didn't want to spend the money on buying it elsewhere. The teen clicked his tongue./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""That's no good. My mom wanted me to make sure you were eating while I visited so that's what I'm doing. At least take some toast with you at least."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki knew he could just ignore his cousin and leave, but he wasn't going to do that. Instead he just went and picked up a couple of pieces of toast that Kirishima had already made./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Happy now?" He mumbled as he walked to the door. The redhead grinned, despite the older man not looking at him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I am. I'll make lunch for us since you don't have to work all day!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Thanks…" Tamaki smiled lightly and left. He knew his cousin meant well, but he wasn't used to the disruption in his schedule./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"It didn't take him very long to walk to the coffee shop and he already had the two pieces of toast gone. It had made him feel slightly better and his headache was mostly gone. He held his breath as he past the flower shop, ready to fast walk past it, but noticed all the lights were still off and there was no movement coming from within. He released his breath, almost in disappointment that Mirio wasn't there. In the realization of his feelings, Tamaki rushed quickly to unlock his own shop, hoping to get any of those thoughts out of his head. He opened the door quickly, only to realize that Tooru had already done most of the early morning preparations already. He just sighed and went to clock in and grab an apron, no longer in any sort of rush./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The events from the day before still confused him. Meeting Mirio felt different than meeting any other stranger and he couldn't discern whether it was just because they were now shop neighbors, or if it was something more. Regardless, the blonde intrigued Tamaki. And he was scared of these feelings. The dark haired man started freezing up at all of the possible outcomes of if he pursued getting to know Mirio better, most of them ending in rejection. He didn't even realize he was shaking until Tooru called his name from behind him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Tamaki? Are you doing alright?" She asked quietly, knowing better than to startle him too badly. Tamaki slowly relaxed and turned to her./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm okay...heh, I guess I really haven't been doing well recently since I did this yesterday too...I'll try my best to stay alert today." He replied bashfully. Tooru just grinned softly./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Don't push yourself, okay?" She asked and went to start a pot of coffee. He just nodded absently and went back to preparing the register for the day. He enjoyed opening the store with her. They were both able to work silently with the radio playing softly in the background and the smell of brewing coffee putting him at ease. He occasionally watched the window to see if it had started raining, but he had no such luck yet./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"With the threat of rain and the humidity of the outside, they stayed relatively slow that day. They only had about three regulars in the shop by the time the other two showed up to take over. It still hadn't started raining at this point, and Tamaki was beginning to wonder if it really was just his luck that it would be raining when he started home. He sighed a bit and started cleaning some of the counters while they waited for someone else to show up. Luckily, a familiar face entered the shop to distract him from his own thoughts./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio grinned as he stepped up to the counter and up to a now slightly blushy Tamaki. Tamaki was glad for the distraction, but didn't even think about what he'd do if Mirio ended up entering the building. Luckily, the blonde didn't seem nearly as flustered and got right down to business./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Two coffees, just like yesterday please!" He asked and Tamaki didn't even have to relay the message before Tooru was working on it. He stared up at the taller man and his blush darkened a bit./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Are you going to become a new regular of ours?" Ma asked as she came out of the back room, very easily startling Tamaki. Mirio chuckled and leant on the counter again, like he did before, but this time Tamaki was suddenly very aware of how close they were./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I hope so! The coffee here is really good!" Mirio grinned and glanced down at Tamaki momentarily before looking back at Ma. "My dad and I were actually wondering if you catered at all?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Well, not normally, but it all depends on the situation." Ma hummed and came up to stand next to the raven haired man./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Well, we're opening the store next week and we were just wondering if you could provide some coffee and lemonade for us? We would pay you of course!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""We can absolutely do that for you two! Plus it might bring in some new business." Ma chuckled and winked playfully at Mirio. Mirio suddenly stood up straight, much to Tamaki's slight disappointment, and clapped his hands together./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Thank you! I'll come in later to talk about the details!" He grinned and stepped over to grab the two coffees. The blonde smiled over at Tamaki before he left. "It was great seeing you all again. I'll be back tomorrow for sure."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"And with that, he was gone. Tamaki looked towards the counter to try to get his heart rate and blush under control before anybody noticed how bad it was, but it was too late. He felt a playful push and noticed Ma smirking from the corner of his eye./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Did Mirio really fluster you that much?" She asked, and Tamaki froze up again./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""N-No- h-he was just r-really close is all-!" He barely managed to stutter out and his boss laughed./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""He really has his eyes on you, Tamaki~" Mina chirped and leaned up against the counter next to him. Tooru giggled a bit from where she was cleaning machinery./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""It's hard to miss, really." She added and Tamaki continued to try to return his face to its normal color, but it was nearly impossible with their comments. Was it really that obvious? Tamaki had noticed the extra attention himself, but wasn't sure if he enjoyed how obvious to the others the attention was./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Ma just chuckled and pat his back. "I'm sure he just wants to be friends. Why don't you give him a chance?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki didn't answer her and continued to calm himself down. He wasn't sure if he was really ready for a friendship with the person he just met, but at the same time, he was conflicted over the feelings he had towards the idea of it. He ended up just shutting down to keep the comments from the others from bothering him anymore. Ma frowned in concern of his silence, but didn't try to bother him anymore when she noticed him shut himself off. He only had to work two more hours, but it seemed to drag on for a long time. He would occasionally glance outside, and while it grew darker, it didn't seem to have started raining quite yet. Though he was looking forward to the end of his shift, he didn't even notice when it ended and Ma gently reminded him that it was over. She walked up to him as he was clocking out./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Maybe you should take tomorrow off. Take some time to get your thoughts sorted before coming back to work?" She suggested, leaning against the wall as Tamaki pulled his jacket on. He glanced at her before shaking his head./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'll be alright...I promise." He managed a weak smile as he replied to her. She could see right through it though and she shook her head./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Nope, I'm actually going to insist that you take tomorrow off! You work so hard here that you deserve an extra day to yourself." The older woman smiled warmly at him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I need to make sure you're mentally well before coming back into work."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki smiled a bit more genuinely as he hugged her carefully. "Thank you...I'll uh...take tomorrow off then."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Good! I'll see you back here on Friday!" She grinned and turned to let him leave, though she turned back to watch him leave the building. She really did think of him almost like a son, just like she thought of the other two girls like her own daughters. If anything happened to them, she would be devastated. Ma just sighed softly and returned back to work with the other two after the door shut behind the raven haired man./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Of course it was raining when he walked out of the shop. It really was just his luck. Tamaki grumbled in frustration over the fact that he didn't grab his umbrella before he left as he threw his hood over his head and made a run for the nearest shelter, which happened to be a sheltered bus stop near by. Since he wasn't looking up to avoid getting water in his eyes, he hadn't noticed there was anybody else under the stop and he ran right into a firm chest. Shaking off his daze he back up quickly to apologize./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm so sorry…" Tamaki ended up trailing off as he looked up into familiar blue eyes./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Heh, hey Amajiki-Kun!" Mirio smiled and Tamaki could feel his heart leap nearly out of his chest both out of embarrassment and bashfulness and he immediately wanted to hide./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""M-Mirio…?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"_/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio smiled as he stepped back into the unopened flower shop with the two coffees in hand. He handed one to his father before returning to the box he had previously been unpacking. The blonde was facing the window, so he was able to see how dark it had become, but it hadn't dampened his spirit at all. Now that all the boxes had made it to the store, they were able to start setting up the store proper. He could hear his father humming in the background as he sipped his drink./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""So? Are they willing to provide drinks for 0 us?" Mirio heard his father ask from behind him and he turned with a smile./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Yup! I'm going to go back in tomorrow to discuss details with her, but the owner said she would be happy to help. I think we're set for refreshments now since Inko said she would help as well. Now we just have to get this store setup before the flowers get here next week!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"His father held his thumb up and grinned as well. "Perfect! Things seems to be going well for us so far!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio nodded and turned back to his box. It still had't started raining yet, but he knew it would start soon. He finished off his now lukewarm coffee and finished unpacking the box. It was a nice kind of quiet in the store. They normally would have music playing in the background, but neither of them needed it as they were both lost in their own thoughts. Mirio especially as he was still thinking about Tamaki. Every time the man passed through his mind, he could swear he felt his cheeks heat up a bit and it's been a miracle that his father has either never noticed or hasn't said a word about it. The blonde sighed lightly as he remembered how flustered Tamaki seemed while he was in their store. Mirio really hoped he could get him to open up a bit more. Maybe he could take him somewhere? To get to know him of course./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"emLike a date…?/em/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio shook the thought of it out of his head. There was no way Tamaki would agree to it so soon, even if Mirio accepted the concept of going on a date with him. The best thing to do would be to just keep talking to him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"emMaybe get his phone number?/em/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The blonde smiled to himself at his own thought. The raven haired man might be a bit more open to talking through text rather than in person. That might be the best way to get Tamaki to talk with him. He would ask for his number the next day, when he went in to discuss the catering details with Ma. With that thought in mind, Mirio happily continued opening boxes for the next couple hours with a new sense of vigor in him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The college student hadn't even noticed the time go by so quickly, nor had he notice his father stretching behind him, ready to call it a day. He only stopped when he heard the sigh coming from behind him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""We've gotten a lot done for the afternoon. Maybe we should head back before it starts to rain?" Mirio turned to look at his dad, who was arching back to stretch. He stood from his crouching position on his current box./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I wouldn't mind heading out before the storm hits, if that's what you wanted to do." Mirio replied as he started towards his jacket and keys. His father nodded./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I think we should. Why don't you go ahead and head out. I'll get the store locked up and we can meet for dinner somewhere?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Sounds like a plan!" Mirio nodded and pushed outside, the muggy air hitting him instantly. He took a couple of steps before he felt the first rain drop. It didn't particularly bother him until he felt it start to come down harder. He was almost regretful that he gave away his umbrella earlier that morning as he quickly shed his jacket and held it over his head for some sort of protection. Mirio quickly noticed the bus stop in front of him and made a break for it. He would just wait out the rain storm and hoped that it would move out quickly enough. The blonde was grateful that the shelter was empty as he was nearly soaking wet./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio began shaking off the built up water on his jacket as he stood waiting for the rain to pass. It was difficult to see much of anything with how heavy the rain was, so he didn't even see Tamaki running towards the bus stop until the smaller man had run right smack into his chest. Mirio blinked dazedly as he watched Tamaki back up quickly, probably not even having realized who he ran into./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm so sorry…" Tamaki began as he finally looked up to realize who he ran into. The blonde smiled sheepishly./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Heh, hey Amajiki-Kun!" he held a hand up in greeting./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""M-Mirio…"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio laughed softly and looked out at the rain, trying to keep the atmosphere from getting too awkard. "So you got caught in the rain too?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The shorter man bit the inside of his cheek, trying to figure out how to reply to him. "I'm sorry for running into you…"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm not bothered by it!" Mirio quickly brushed off the apology and watched Tamaki relax a bit. They stood in silence for a couple moments while they tried to think of something to say to the other. IMirio looked over at the other man, watching him quietly. Tamaki was nervously hugging himself, his cheeks slightly red, though Mirio couldn't tell if it was from running through the rain or from their interaction. The blonde let out a sigh, needing to break the silence. "So...I didn't realize you got off early today!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki startled a bit at the sudden comment, but quickly recovered. He looked downwards as he thought of how to reply. "Well, I don't have to work all day everyday."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose that's a good thing! Dad and I wanted to get out before the storm, but I suppose that didn't work out in our favor," Mirio chuckled and smiled down towards Tamaki. The black haired man looked up shyly and managed a small, but genuine smile. Mirio felt his cheeks grow warm at the sight of the smile and quickly looked away before Tamaki could notice. He suddenly remembered his idea from earlier and as it was still raining, he figured there was no better time than now. "Oh, um, I had a question for you, if you don't mind./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki felt himself start to panic, though he wasn't sure why. "G-Go ahead…"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Do you think we could exchange phone numbers? I would really like the chance to get to know you, if that's okay with you…"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Oh, um…" Tamaki bit the inside of his cheek again and tried not to freeze up. The question was different, and better than what he thought it was going to be, but he was still nervous. He was a private person in life, but then he thought back to what Ma had told him before he left work. Maybe a friend wouldn't be so bad, especially if that friend was Mirio. It would just take him some time to get used to. Taking a deep breath he nodded. "O-Okay."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Mirio grinned, not expecting him to have said yes, but now that he has he was overjoyed. He quickly took his phone out of his pocket. "G-Great! Here, you can put your number in my phone and I'll text you later so you have my number!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"The raven haired man smiled lightly at the enthusiasm of the other man. He took his phone carefully and put his phone number in it before handing it back to him. Mirio glanced at it before slipping it back into his pocket. "Thank you, Amajiki-kun!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""You can just call me Tamaki, actually…" Tamaki mumbled softly, not used to his last name being used so often. The blonde looked surprised for a moment at the idea of being on a first name basis with him, but warmed up to it quickly./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""Alright! You can call me Mirio then!" He replied and looked back outside of the shelter. The rain had let up considerably while they had been talking, and some bits of sun were able to shine through. "Well, would you look at that, the sun's coming back out!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""It is…" Tamaki nodded and took off his jacket. He let out a sigh and looked over towards Mirio, who was once again smiling at him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I suppose I should head out. I'm meeting my dad for dinner tonight, so I should get home to change."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I should go too...my cousin is probably dying of hunger back at my apartment…" Tamaki replied and felt his lips tug up into a small smile at the thought. Mirio held a hand up as he walked away./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'll see you later then?/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I'm sure you will." Tamaki waved back and left the shelter for his own apartment. It then hit him that he managed to get through a conversation with the other person without shutting down. He counted it as a personal victory and continued home. Mirio, on the other hand, was in a sunny mood. He managed to get more than a couple sentences out of Tamaki and he had managed to get his phone number. He would have to remember to text him after he got back from dinner. Despite the rain, it turned out to be a good day for the both of them./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"_/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki pushed open the door to his apartment and groaned softly to himself as he realized that Kirishima wasn't the only guest he had over. He frowned over at the couple lounging over on his couch. It wasn't so much as lounging as it was Kirishima trying to get his boyfriend to cuddle with him, but to no avail. Though when he heard the door open, the redhead turned his attention to Tamaki./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""T-Tamaki! I-I'm sorry I didn't ask before inviting him over-" he quickly tried to apologize, but the raven haired man held up a hand to stop him./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""It's alright, really."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""I-It is? Oh thank you! Though, I didn't end up making lunch for us since he came over…" Kirishima smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll order us takeout."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki nodded and went to hang his jacket up as the teen went for the phone. Kirishima smiled over at him. "Did you have a good day otherwise?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki smiled lightly to himself and sat down in the loveseat next to the couch, as far away from Bakugo as he could. He thought back to the encounter in the rain and shrugged. "I think I made a new friend today."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;""That's good news! A sign you're doing better, yeah?" Kirishima smiled and without waiting for an answer, went to grab a takeout menu that Tamaki had saved away./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"Tamaki relaxed into his seat and ran a hand through his hair. He had indeed made a new friend, a friend who was actually interested in getting to know him and had a sunny personality to make up for Tamaki's more downcast demeanor./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;"emA friend...who almost shines like the sun…!/em/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 115%;" /p
p style="border: 0px; font-size: 11.34px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px auto 1.286em; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"strongAhhh, I don't do very well with endings I feel like. I hope it wasn't too awkward of a chapter for you to get through! I'm rather proud of myself word count wise, since it was a whole page and a half longer than last chapter. I'm not sure when I'll have chapter 3 up, since I have a slew of exams coming up in the next couple of weeks, but I'll get started on it as soon as I possibly can!/strong/p
p style="border: 0px; font-size: 11.34px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"strongOther than that, I don't have any other notes, so I'll leave it there. Thanks again for reading, and again, leave some love if you enjoyed it!/strong/p
p style="border: 0px; font-size: 11.34px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"strongI should really finish these during times I don't have to sleep or rush right off to a class ^^'/strong/p