Shinsou sighs as he feels sharp eyes cut through him. "What is it?"

"Are you going to see Miu?"

"No, I'm not."

Toga leans back to survey Shinsou as he leafs through a book missing the front cover. The shelf is filled with enough books to burst and it was hard just getting one out from the line up. Toga glanced over the spines to see if there was a title that would catch her interest, but she never was huge on reading more than comics.

"Are you sure?"

"Toga, drop it. I'm not doing anything."
"Hmph. Says the homewrecker."

"She's kinda got a point." Tenko drawls from the front desk; he's barely acknowledged their presence the entire time they've been browsing, but Shinsou knows he and Toga have been keeping in contact. Or more accurately, Toga bombards Tenko with greetings and stupid stuff until he gives in to either say hi back or answer one of her seemingly endless supply of inquiries. It was Tenko who mentioned Miu had come down with a flu the other day and warned Toga not to go poking around when she needs to be resting.

Shinsou doesn't comment on the fact Tenko has just as much reason not to drop by Miu's residence to visit. He knows of Dabi's jealous streak and how it extends to pretty much anyone close to Miu aside from him.

"One, they're not married. Two, I apologized." Shinsou says wearily to Toga but really it's to their eavesdropper as well despite how Tenko pretends to ignore their presence. "And third, I wasn't planning on going over there for anything."
After Toga learned the details of what exactly went down between Miu and Shinsou on their mall hang out, she barely spoke to her friend for a week. Surprisingly, Toga really had just meant for Shinsou to have a chance to spend time with Miu so they could become friends if nothing else. True, deep down she had been rooting for Shinsou, but Toga hadn't actually thought he would make a bold enough mood on someone who was clearly taken; once Dabi started behaving even more aloof and withdrawn around the shop, Toga had been sincerely regretful of what she had unknowingly played a part in, intentional or otherwise. She had since forgiven Shinsou's scandalous conduct, but she hadn't forgotten.

To be perfectly fair, it's not like Shinsou could forget that day so easily himself, albeit for entirely different reasons.

"Hey, weren't you looking for a used closed sign?" Tenko suddenly grumbled.

Shinsou raised an eyebrow. "Is browsing against store policy?"

"Loitering is. Buy something or get out."

"We're not loitering. We're making sure we know our options." Toga carefully slide out a rusty sign from the pile stacked not too far from the book shelf. "It says beware of dog."

Shinsou narrowed his eyes as Toga sent him a half teasing, half meaningful look of disapproval.

"Seriously?"
Any further comments were cut off by Tenko's dry cackle. Shinsou bristled slightly; he didn't like being poked at or made the butt of a joke by someone he barely knew.

"What're you laughing at? Last time I checked, you were the one planning some road trip with her, right?"

Tenko's smirk faded. "What's it to you?"
Shinsou sneered. "Not much, except you ought to be mindful yourself of boundaries."

It was Tenko's turn to send Shinsou a nasty look, but some of the tension was drained as Toga let out a squeal.

"Oh Miu is lucky! I've never had boys fight over me."
"We're not fighting over anyone."
"You're get into enough fights yourself." Shinsou added pointedly.

"Not fights. I just like to make my intentions known."

Shinsou snorts. "What, with bringing a jack knife on the third date?"

Still, Shinsou reminded himself as he tried to tune out half of Toga's ramble and Tenko's ensuing remarks, at least his friend could procure dates. For all of Toga's flaws, she was really cute and it's not like she didn't have her good points; Shinsou wondered if things were different whether he'd be hung up on her instead.

And yeah, Toga had a point; Shinsou had crossed a line, professionally and personally, and Aizawa had given him an earful once he found out the reason Dabi quit. The fact his uncle was his former employee's parole officer has honestly completely slipped Shinsou's mind. He didn't know what happened and he knew there was no excuse for what he did, or more accurately, what he tried to do. Shinsou wouldn't try to justify his actions; he knew it would likely blow up in his face.

Miu was wrapped up in the spell Dabi seemed to cast, whatever his hold on her was, Shinsou wasn't expecting to break it anytime soon, no matter how wrong he thought Dabi was for her. It was Miu's decision and she was smart enough and able to lay out the facts and make her own choices. That night, she had chosen to pull back and remind Shinsou her heart belonged to someone else. In the end Shinsou was the one left out and rejected in favor of someone else and he would just have to accept it.

It had been a nice night though. The way Miu's hair smelled, the street light reflected in her eye, the cool shadow covering the bench they sat on, the warmth of her thigh so close to his, his arm over her stiff shoulders, her gaze holding onto his in silent inquiry. Her lips, parted as if to speak but still as he bent his head and nearly closed his own moonstruck gaze shut.

If Miu had waited just a second longer, Shinsou would know what her lips felt like on his. But she didn't. But she had wanted to, if only for a moment; Shinsou could see that, though he never brought it up to another soul, partially because he didn't want to stir up more drama and because he simply didn't want to share. Shinsou wanted the memory to be as it was, untainted and uncomplicated by the comments and speculations of a third party.

He wanted to remember it exactly for what almost was.

"Toga, didn't you say you were looking for gifts to send Camie and Nejire?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if they'd want anything from here." Toga sighs and scratches her chin. "Tenko, what do you recommend?"

"Leaving me in peace. I want to eat my lunch."

"You're eating?" Toga smiled. "I thought regularly scheduled meals were for regularly adjusted? Or do you miss having a personal chef enough to start making your own meals?"

"I was hungry." Tenko shoots back. "And I don't have a personal chef."
"Yeah, you're just spoiled and got used to someone making sure you ate." Toga grinned slyly as she scanned the old signs for the one she needed. "But Camie told me that Ume told Ibara that since it's getting warmer outside, so she wants to hire Miu back on full time hours. She's got a lot of preparing to do for this season. Guess you'll be glad to get fresh food again."

Tenko rolled his eyes once more and chewed unenthusiastically on a piece of jerky. "I don't need Miu to bring me food. I bet she's glad though. Working two jobs must be hard on her."

Shinsou kept his attention to the book he was studying and ignored Toga's brief glance. It wasn't like he was all that guilty about Dabi quitting, at least he felt more concerned with his own lapse in judgement and ethics in lieu of hitting on an admittedly decent employees girlfriend. Shinsou knows he's not the Mr. Right whose meant to sweep Miu off her feet and into his arms. He's just a man like any other who got caught up in feelings he thought he had let go of. Seeing Miu so lively and with someone else stoked the fire to life and he found it was too much. It ended with him making a mistake, one he felt guilty for not feeling more guilty over making.

From what it sounded like, Shinsou could infer that Dabi had either not been able to find work or refused to and Miu was stuck picking up the slack and running herself down to the point her health was at risk. It wasn't just speculation. Miu told him in passing about Dabi's initial job hunting spree and yet not once had he gotten any calls asking for a supervisor's reference.

Toga grabs a sign strung through with a metal chain, one that says closed on one side and open on the other. "How about this one Shinsou? I like the classic look of it. We should get more stuff here to liven up the shop."

"How about you buy some plants from the hag across the street?" Tenko said casually. "But maybe Toga should be the one to go over."

Shinsou ignored the jab and carried over the sign and the book he picked out. "We'll take these."

Tenko rang up the purchase without further comment and even managed a almost smile when Toga waved goodbye. It was funny. A year ago he had never even spoken to his neighbors and he certainly didn't realize so much was going on around him. Toga had even talked about him coming over to watch horror movies when she had Ume's granddaughters over for spring break. Tenko had an easier time socializing, at least casually, with girls as his hostile front tended to be met with more aggressive responses from other men; he could handle a small group watching movies. It was better on his anxiety and he could even probably snack without feeling too self conscious in front of just a few other people.

Little by little, Tenko was becoming part of a circle of what might even become friends. Or were they already friends? Was it enough to just hang out and like each other well enough? In his mind, Tenko kept thinking of Miu as his only true friend because she knew things about him others didn't; but maybe that just meant she happened to be his closest friend?

"Not that I've seen her that much lately. She's always going to work or sleeping until her next shift."

Tenko was nearly sure Dabi wasn't actively manipulating Miu into spending less time around others, at least in this instance, but he couldn't help be irritated at the fact Dabi's actions were making it so Miu was having limited free time in the first place.

It seemed like everyone else was making changes lately. Tenko was expanding his social circle, if he ever really had one, and in the process of planning his road trip. Toga was still keeping an eye out for 'the one' while keeping in touch with the girls, who were steadily closer to graduating with honors from what he heard. Shinsou seemed to be moving on and accepting what he wanted just wasn't in the cards for him, something Tenko figured he'd be better off doing at any rate.

So many new and exciting and a bit scary things were happening but the only people who seemed stagnated were Miu and Dabi. It was like they were caught or just stuck in a place neither wanted to be but neither wanted to let go. It made Tenko bitter to see someone with so many opportunities throw them away or waste a good thing. If anyone asked him, he thought Miu was being taken for granted and being yanked around by her own emotions, but what's worse, she was partially responsible for staying. If she really wanted to, she could kick Dabi out of the house that was legally her property and tell him to handle his own troubles while she got her life in order. Dabi's problems were about as much Miu's responsibility as Tenko's, who thought it was just plain stupid for someone to feel loyalty to the point they would let another person take them down with them.

"Whose a bigger idiot? Miu for sticking around or Dabi for not telling her to go?"

Tenko couldn't help smile grimly at himself as he picked at his food, mildly bemoaning his own situation; because after all, who was the one willingly waiting on the sides for the day Miu woke up and needed a shoulder to cry on?