Of all the places they could have chosen for a double date, it had to be a circus.
Shouta loved his boyfriends, he really did. But a circus, with Nemuri and Emi... Well, it was just a disaster waiting to happen.
The two women had taken off shortly after they passed through the front gates of Seiiki Circus, heading deeper into the crowded grounds. Shouta clings to Oboro's hand, shoulders tense at seeing just how many people were out and about today. He wishes he'd brought his capture weapon along, but they'd all left their hero gear at home for the day. Why was he putting himself through this?
Oboro bumps their shoulders together, flashing a reassuring grin. Holding onto Oboro's other hand was Hizashi, looking around in excitement and bouncing on the balls of his feet like a child, despite being twenty five years old. Shouta's heart warms at the sight.
Oh yeah, that's why.
Love.
Now that they were past the ticket booths and front entrance, Shouta can see that this was less of a traditional small circus, and more like a faire. A multitude of shops and attractions as far as the eye can see, dirt roads winding between them. It was almost too much to take in all at once. Lanterns hanging from ropes between the stands, the tantalizing smell of cooking food hanging heavy in the air, the cries of children playing.
Further in, he can just make out the red and white striped big top tent, which seemed to be placed near the center of the circus.
Oboro pulls both Shouta and Hizashi forward to a spot with less people, before letting go of their hands and looking around at the different stands. Shouta glanced to the side, seeing that Hizashi was staring longingly at the carnival games. "Don't," he says softly.
"But Shoooooo~" Hizashi whined, leaning heavily against Shouta's side with a pout.
"No, you know those things are rigged..." he lets his eyes wander, lingering on one in particular that had all cat themed prizes, before looking away with a sigh. "Besides, we would have to carry around whatever you won all day."
Shouta looks askance when Hizashi turns to face him, already knowing the blonde would be sporting his patented puppy dog eyes. He hears Oboro laugh at his misery, the man coming up to wrap a warm arm around Shouta's shoulder and gently shake him.
"Aww, let him have some fun, Sho!" Oboro cajoles jovially, taking a big bite of pink cotton candy that Shouta didn't remember him having just a minute ago. "I'll carry whatever we win with my clouds, and it's not like we don't have the money to spare!"
"We're off duty right now, you're not supposed to use your quirk," Shouta mutters back, snatching a bit of cotton candy and eating it before Oboro can stop him. Oboro just sticks his tongue out in response.
"Pleeeaaase?" Hizashi pouts, leaning into Shouta's field of vision.
Shouta sighs, glancing between his two boyfriend's hopeful expressions and feeling his resolve crumble. "...Fine, just don't say I didn't warn you."
Both Hizashi and Oboro cheer, squishing Shouta in a brief hug before running off in opposite directions.
Children, the lot of them. Really though, they didn't need his permission, Shouta just didn't see the point of wasting their hard earned paychecks on rigged games.
It was a smart way for the circus to make a profit though, most people being unable to tell which games were unbeatable, even more so when children were involved. If Shouta had to guess, the stalls with the highest quality prizes would be the most difficult to win at, those stalls also happened to be the most eye-catching. Flashy, colorful, loud- just like the heroes they were advertising.
Oh well, he might as well have a look around. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Shouta wanders down one of the trails at random, doing his best not to bump into anyone. Many of the games and prizes were hero themed, he ignores those booths and continues walking.
Eventually, one of the booths catches his attention.
It wasn't as colorful as the others, almost seeming to be intentionally unremarkable. He shuffles closer, eyeing the large tub filled with countless colorful gemstones, all polished and smooth.
There was no line.
Looking into the box, he can see now that they're all different from one another, sporting a multitude of interesting designs and patterns. He kind of wants to dip his hand in and run his fingers through the rocks.
"Interested?" the person behind the counter asks, voice rasping and entire body concealed by a baggy lavender cloak. Shouta shrugs noncommittally. "Hmm, you require more information before committing, smart."
Shouta raises an eyebrow, turning away from the tub to fully face them.
"You may call me Shinpi, here is the game," they say, reaching below to retrieve a bundle of deep purple fabric, placing it on the counter between them. "Pick a knife, hear it's song, aim for the target that calls to it."
"...Knife?" Shouta can't help but ask, confused by the utter nonsense he'd just heard.
In lieu of a verbal response, they unroll the fabric, revealing several intricate looking knives and daggers. Ah, knives.
Keeping his hands in his pockets, Shouta glances up, "how much to play?" he asks. It's best to ask now, instead of finding out after and being stuck with the price.
Despite not being able to see their face, Shouta gets the oddest feeling that Shinpi was smiling at him. "Smart man, smart," they rasp, "it is alright, you have already paid the price."
Well, that wasn't at all ominous.
"Have I?" Shouta asks casually, eyes narrowed. He may not be on hero duty right now, but he wouldn't hesitate to fight back if this guy turned dangerous.
Shinpi nods, shifting back and forth on their feet, "you heard the call, that is the price," they sound pleased. "Please, pick a knife."
...Screw it, today was already weird enough, he might as well play along.
Shouta takes a moment to inspect the knives laid before him. They were obviously well taken care of, polished to a shine and edges ground sharp.
One in particular piques his interest; a curved blade that was nearly all black, though he could see flecks of iridescent color glinting brightly. Mesmerized, Shouta carefully picks the blade up for a closer look. It was lighter than he'd expected, cold and smooth in his hands. He grips the handle tight, tilting it to watch the rainbow of colors dance in the light. It feels right in his hand, good.
"You've heard it's song, but can you understand?"
Shouta startles, suddenly remembering where he was. He clears his throat, embarrassed at having gotten so distracted.
"Worry not," Shinpi says, stepping to the side to reveal a wooden wall, covered by countless targets. They gesture widely towards it, "we will know soon. Throw when you are ready, smart man."
There was no obvious indication what target was the 'correct' one, as far as Shouta could tell. He really hoped he wasn't about to get scammed. The handle felt warm now against his skin, and Shouta takes his time testing the weight of it by tossing it in the air.
He had a good amount of experience with handling knives, it was a very versatile tool, and useful in the field of underground heroics. Though he didn't normally throw said knives, and for good reason. Any thrown weapon can become a liability, especially if it finds it's way into the hands of the enemy. No, it was best to keep his weapons within reach in most cases.
But he could do this, had trained himself how to properly throw a knife.
Shouta's eyes slip shut without thought. He takes a slow breath in, and throws the knife.
His hand feels colder now that it was empty, a momentary feeling of loss inexplicably washing over him. He hears the blade meet it's mark, thunking audibly as it sinks into the wooden wall. When he opens his eyes, Shinpi has already moved forward to retrieve the blade.
Shinpi grabs the handle, bringing down with it the target the blade was buried in. Turning it over, they reveal a single playing card affixed to the other side.
A three of hearts.
The knife had split the card unevenly, one heart separated from the other two. Shouta didn't feel like thinking about the implications of that.
"Excellent!" Shinpi congratulates, grabbing one of Shouta's hands and gently pressing the punctured card into his palm. "Keep the three reunited, you may choose just as many gems to keep." They back away, gesturing towards the tub before beginning to clean the knife Shouta had thrown.
Tucking the card away in his pocket without look at it, Shouta shuffles back over to the tub and looks it over. He could pick three, huh?
Finding the first two is easy enough.
After digging through the tub to uncover the stone buried underneath, he manages to find a stone for Oboro. Light blue, clouded with wisps of white, soft pink, and just a hint of yellow, it almost seemed to be glowing in the light.
Then, a bright yellow stone catches his attention. Dark brown and black veins break up the vivid color, a stark contrast to the gentle dusting of greens and reds that were nearly unnoticeable compared to the yellow.
Attempting to find a gemstone for himself proves to be more challenging.
It was easy to find an object that reminded him of his boyfriends, but what sort of thing reminded him of himself? None of the shiny black stones feel right, despite that being the color he most often wore. Shouta almost feels frustrated with himself for taking so long, and his own indecisiveness in what should have been a simple decision.
Fed up, Shouta plunges his hand into the tub and grabs a stone at random, ready to be done with this and go find his boyfriends. Then, he sees what he's grabbed.
Oh.
The gemstone was a deep, dark red, completely opaque. When Shouta brings it closer to his face to inspect, it seems to catch the light just right and flashes gold.
It was perfect.
"These ones, please," Shouta murmurs, holding the three rocks up in the palm of his hand. Shinpi nods at his selection.
"You can take them as they are, or-" Shinpi reaches into their hood, producing an intricate pendant containing a purple gemstone, "I can wrap them in metal and attach a string~"
That would be more convenient, the gemstones were liable to be misplaced as they were now, so adding a string was logical. Shouta hums in assent, gently placing the stones on the counter. Luckily, picking out what color wiring he wanted for each pendant was much easier than the rocks themselves. Silver wiring for Oboro, gold for Hizashi, and black for Shouta.
He watches patiently as Shinpi manipulates the thin metal with a pair of pliers, intricate loops and spirals curling around the respective stones like a gilded cage. They work methodically, every movement intentional and precise in a way that shows their experience with the craft.
In no time at all, Shouta was handed the three completed necklaces.
"Keep your eyes open, Aizawa Shouta, but don't forget to listen," Shinpi rasps, patting the back of Shouta's hand. "All is as it's meant to be."
"...Thanks," Shouta finds himself replying, slightly dazed by the disorienting experience. He slips his new necklace on for safe keeping, placing the other two in his pocket with the card. Something clicks in his mind. "Wait- how did you-"
Shinpi had disappeared, along with the booth.
What the fuck.
Squinting in confusion, Shouta can almost feel his eyes skipping past the spot where the booth should be.
Well, that was less than reassuring. It was as if Shinpi and their booth never existed. But he can still feel the weight of his new possessions in his pocket and around his neck, and knows that what just happened at least wasn't some random hallucination. He's half tempted to activate Erasure in the general direction of when he knows Shinpi should still be, or maybe even throw something over there. He wonders if sound is also blocked by whatever quirk is keeping that area hidden.
"Shoutaaa~!"
Oh no.
Reluctantly, Shouta turns towards the call of his name and sees Nemuri. Her face was shiny with paint, adorned by blue and purple butterflies. "There you are! Was wondering where you'd gone," she throws an arm around his shoulders, forcing Shouta to lean away to avoid any paint getting on him. "Getting up to something naughty~?"
"Why'd you get your face painted?" Shouta asks bluntly, wanting to change the topic away from Nemuri's tendency to make things inappropriate. She pouts.
"Can't a girl have a little fun?" Nemuri sighs as dramatically as possible, Shouta just continues to stare, raising one eyebrow. She gently smacks his arm, "okay fine, they had a clown option and I like seeing Em' happy." Then, Nemuri grins mischievously, "they have a cat option~" she practically purrs.
"Oh?" Shouta hums, doing his best to appear disinterested. Judging by the smug look in her eyes, it's not working. Shit.
"Mhm~ with little whiskers and everything," Nemuri goes on, knowing she had him beat. Sauntering closer, she loops their arms together and starts dragging him in the direction of the face paint booth.
"Don't I get a say in this?" Shouta grumbles, not bothering to struggle and instead keeping pace with his friend.
"Of course you do!" Nemuri chirps, not letting up her grip on his arm at all.
He spots Emi sitting by the booth as they approach, hands drumming on her knees as her face was painted.
"Really, Emi? Clown makeup?" Shouta can't help but ask, fond exasperation swirling in his chest. "You couldn't be at least a little original?" Emi pouts at him as much as she can, face absolutely covered in bright paint.
"Rude," Nemuri scolds, tapping Shouta lightly on the nose and causing his expression to pinch in displeasure. He swats her hand away from his face. "C'mon, grumpy pants," she starts pulling on his trapped arm again, towards a large sign displaying all the face paint options, "live a little!"
"Make him get the kitty cat one!" Emi calls from her seat.
Nemuri laughs, "I will~!" she calls back. As soon as they're standing right in front of the sign, Nemuri points at one in particular, advertising a pink heart nose and three black whiskers per cheek. Shouta sighs, at least it was cheap.
As Nemuri flags down one of the workers, Shouta lets his eyes room over the other options available. There was quite a few, and though none of them appealed to him, he could picture Hizashi and Oboro enjoying them. All too soon, Emi's face paint is done and he's being shooed into the seat by his over enthusiastic friends.
The paint was shockingly cold against his skin, and Shouta resists the urge to grimace.
He can hear Emi giggling at his plight, a blur of green in his peripheral vision. He aims a glare at Nemuri, since she was still in his field of vision without having to turn his head. She joins her girlfriend in laughing at him.
Luckily, since he'd chosen such a simple design, they're done with him relatively quickly. Within five minutes, the paint was completely dry.
"Sooo, what'dya think?" Emi asks, pulling him to stand in front of the nearby mirror.
"It's alright," Shouta mumbles, fighting a blush at the sight of himself with a pink heart on his nose and whiskers.
Nemuri drapes herself over his shoulder, "he loves it!" she crows, phone already pulled out to take pictures of the three of them in the mirror. Emi claps her hands, leaning in to pose dramatically and squish Shouta between them. He feels his eye twitch.
"If those photos ever see the light of day, Somnambulist won't be able to save you," Shouta grits out. Nemuri smiles innocently at him. "Nemuri."
"Why, Shouchan," Nemuri's eyes sparkle with barely contained glee, "are you threatening me?"
Emi perks up, excited at the prospect of a 'threat'.
"No," Shouta grunts, baring his teeth in a mockery of a grin, "just a friendly warning."
"Oooh, nice one," Nemuri whistles, still smiling widely, "I'm so scared, look, I'm shaking!" she holds up her hands, which weren't shaking at all.
"Yeah, yeah..." Shouta rolls his eyes, shuffling away from the mirror when someone shoots them a filthy glare for blocking it. "We're done here, let's go."
Shouta spends the next half hour exploring the circus with Nemuri and Emi, well, he mostly spends that time watching them try every game the circus has to offer. It's certainly entertaining, and Emi is surprisingly good at winning every game she tries.
He doesn't bother playing any himself, but he does buy himself a canned coffee from one of the concession stands.
Nemuri keeps trying to get Shouta to carry their prizes, which he absolutely refuses to do... for all of ten minutes. Begrudgingly, Shouta finds himself with an armful of various plush toys, struggling to take even a sip of his drink. Emi had managed to win a giant inflatable hammer, which made a squeaking noise ever time she hit something with it. She hadn't hit him with it... yet.
Reaching the end of his patience, Shouta makes them buy a bag that's big enough to carry all their prizes, happily stuffing them all in without care.
He still has to carry the bag, but at least his arms are free now.
"Shooo~" Hizashi's voice catches his attention, floating over the drone of noise from the other circus goers. Shouta has only just turned to answer when something large and gray was shoved in his face, "look, look what I got you!"
Shouta holds it out at arm's length, taking a moment to see what he'd been handed. It was a gray and white cat plushie, nearly three feet long and incredibly soft. It was adorable.
Hizashi suddenly squeals, placing both hands on the sides of Shouta's face, "ohh, so cute!" he coos. "Look'it your lil nose~" Hizashi pulls him forward, planting a quick kiss right on the tip of Shouta's nose.
Shouta wrinkles his nose, pouting at Hizashi.
"So! What do you think of your gift?" Hizashi lets go of Shouta's face, backing up a step and looking at him expectantly.
Shouta blinks, looking down again at the plush in his arms. He loved it, "I'm gonna have to carry this around until we get home, aren't I?" he asks, readjusting his grip on the illogically large plush cat.
Hizashi grins, eyes crinkling in mirth, "I can take it back if you-"
"No," Shouta glared, hugging the toy closer to his chest and turning slightly away, "it's mine now." Hizashi chuckles softly, holding his hands up in surrender and backing a step away.
"What're you gonna name yours?" Oboro asks, holding up his own prize- a long cream colored plush snake, "I'm naming mine Noodles!"
Head tilting to the side, Shouta hums in thought over the question. He wasn't exactly 'good' at naming things, Oboro already knew this. "Cat," Shouta decides, giving a crooked grin when all four of his friends groan in unison.
"You can't just name it 'Cat', Shouta!" Hizashi chides in exasperation.
"Why not?" Shouta asks with a purposefully innocent expression, "it's a cat, the name makes sense."
Hizashi takes a deep breath in, both hands held up to his mouth in a 'praying' gesture, "babe..." Shouta fights to keep the grin off his face.
Oboro reaches past Hizashi, taking one of the cat's paws in his hand and shaking it solemnly, "it's nice to meet you, Cat." Then he wraps the snake- Noodles, around his shoulders like a scarf, smiling as bright as the sun, "hey, now we match!"
Shouta doesn't stop the fond smile that finds it's way onto his face, chin tucked to his chest and partially hidden behind his own scarf, "we do."
"Oh! I gotcha something too," Oboro perks up, reaching into his pockets to pull out three large t-shirts. He throws one at Shouta, and another at Hizashi, who yelps in surprise, "matching t-shirts!"
Shouta adjusts his grip on Cat again, glancing down at the shirt and rubbing the soft fabric between his fingers. It had a pocket sewn onto the front, with a cartoon cat peeking out the top at him. Curious, he pulls the pocket down to see more, and lets out a startled laugh. The cat was flipping him off.
"Mine has a taco," Oboro laughed giddily, showing Shouta a similar shirt with, yes, a cat in a pocket holding a taco, "did'ja find anything cool?"
"Mhm," Shouta hums, reaching into his pocket to pull out the two necklaces, "this one's for you," he hands the blue pendant to Oboro, "and for you," he hands the other to Hizashi. They both take a moment to admire their respective pendants.
"I didn't even know you could get something like this at a circus," Oboro remarks, holding the gemstone up to see the light shine through it.
"Yeah, they rock!" Emi jumps in with a laugh, "show me where you got them?" she asks, looking up at Shouta with pleading eyes.
"I would if I could," he shrugs, realizing he doesn't actually remember exactly where the stall had been, "but the stall... disappeared?"
Had it really 'disappeared' though? Or would a more accurate word be that it had been hidden, simply unable to be looked at. Whatever it had been, Shouta had to admit it was an incredibly useful and versatile quirk.
Emi blinked at his words, "disappeared...?"
Shouta nodded slowly, looking askance, "along with the attendant, some sort of invisibility quirk." No, that wasn't the right word either, "...perception quirk?" he mumbles, bringing a hand up to scratch at the stubble on his cheek.
"That's a shame," Emi pouts, crossing her arms with a huff, "I want a pretty rock too..."
"Quirk or no quirk, these are awesome! Thanks babe~" Hizashi puts his new necklace on, darting forward again to land a quick kiss on Shouta's cheek. Then, he breaks into rap, interspaced with random English words, "Yeeaah, we found some rad stuff, so cool so cool, that ain't no guff, alright~!" As Hizashi raps, he does an odd little dance, feet shuffling on the dusty ground.
Shouta buries his face in the plush material of Cat in embarrassment over Hizashi's antics. Nemuri pats him on the back with a wry smile, "you're dating a real fun guy, huh?"
Turning his head just enough to squint at her, Shouta incredulously says, "you are literally dating a clown."
"What can I say? I'm down to clown," Nemuri rests one hand on her cheek, eyes half lidded, "she's fun in bed too~"
"Gross," Shouta mumbles, pushing Nemuri off of him and shoving the bag full of their won prizes into her arms.
"Hey guys, it sounds like the main event is starting soon," Oboro remarks, looking over at the big top which was now open, "wanna head over?"
"You guys go on ahead, I'll grab the snacks!" Hizashi calls, already headed towards the concession stands. Emi runs off after him, chanting the word 'snacks' over and over.
"Get extra butter!" Oboro calls back, getting a 'yeeeaaah' in response.
Looping arms with Shouta and Nemuri, Oboro excitedly heads for the big top. As they pass under the tarp, Shouta blinks as his eyes adjust to the dim lighting. There's already a good amount of people making their way to the seats, but luckily they're able to find a good spot near the front.
Shouta looks around, noting that the tent seemed more spacious on the inside than he had been expecting. At the moment, the ring was completely empty.
It's not long before Hizashi and Emi return with the snacks.
Hizashi plops himself between Shouta and Oboro, one arm grappling with his prizes and trying not to drop them, and the other holding a large bucket of popcorn. "Why'd you bring those with you?" Shouta tuts, but takes pity on him, grabbing the plushies and stuffing as many as he can into his pockets. He's flashed a thankful, if apologetic, grin.
Everyone's attention is grabbed by a drumroll, the dark tent suddenly lighting up.
The Ringleader walks out, arms spread wide as he address the crowd in a booming voice. "Welcome, and thank you for joining us for today's show!" To the delight of the crowd, several performers and animals run out and begin circling the stage. One of the animals, a small tiger, coils around the Ringleader's legs with a rumbling growl. "Keep a good grip on your socks, because we're about to blow them off!"
Hidden confetti cannons go off with a bang, startling cries out of several people as the colorful paper dances over their heads. The tiger lunges towards the crowd with a roar, jumping up onto the barrier and trotting along it, huffing at those in the front seats with glowing eyes. Some of the people clap in delight after being frightened by the exotic animal.
It's entertaining enough, Shouta admits, watching the tiger pass them before it leaps off the barrier and bounds away, crisscrossing between the legs of a stoic elephant.
One performer in particular catches Shouta's attention, a child dressed as a clown cartwheeling around the stage with a beaming smile.
Oboro leans over Nemuri to nudge Emi with his elbow, "look Em', it's you!" he chuckles, pointing towards the performer. Shouta internally agreed, it was obvious the kid had taken inspiration from Ms. Joke's hero costume.
Hell, the green and orange striped pants were nearly identical. Even their hair color was similar, though the kid's hair was split down the middle so only one side was that familiar vivid green, the other side being an equally vivid purple.
He's glad Emi's hero costume was a lot less... clown themed.
Nemuri wraps her arms around Oboro, who was still leaning past her, startling a yelp out of the man. "You callin' my girlfriend a clown, punk?!" she crows, pulling him into a chokehold with one arm and using the other to noogie him. Oboro's hair flickers erratically under her fist as he attempts to escape.
"Nem', babe, I am a clown," Emi laughs loudly at Oboro's struggle, before giving Nemuri a quick kiss on the cheek. "You don't have to torture Obo-kun~"
"She is a clown! I only speak the truth-" the snake plushie wrapped around Oboro's neck is knocked loose, nearly falling to the dirty floor below. "Nooo- Noodles!" Oboro cries, managing to grab the wayward toy and hold onto it.
"Hey hey! Chill out-" Hizashi hisses, gripping the bucket of popcorn protectively when it almost gets knocked over by Oboro's flailing.
This was getting out of hand.
"Please don't get us kicked out," Shouta says, resisting the urge to put his head in his hands at their antics. He can practically feel the other circus goers turning to stare. Nemuri pauses in her assault of Oboro's hair, turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm serious, if you get us kicked out of a circus, I'll never forgive you."
"You're so boooring, Shouchan~" Nemuri whines, but still lets go of Oboro, who scrambles away with Noodles. Rubbing his head in pain, the man switches seats to put Shouta and Hizashi between him and Nemuri. Hizashi shuffles nervously now that he was the one closest to Nemuri. Shouta pats him on the back in sympathy.
Suddenly, Emi gasps in delight, redirecting Nemuri's attention away from Shouta's terrified boyfriends, "look!" she points above the stage. "There's a mini-Eraser to match the mini-me!" Emi says, quiet enough that only their group would hear her.
Intrigued, Shouta looked where she was pointing and squints.
Perched in a crouch on the rafters was a small figure, dressed in black and white. A split kitsune mask obscured their face completely, short black hair framing the mask, and bandages wrapped around their forearms. Most familiar of all was the gray scarf wrapped around their neck and shoulders, edges faded red. He can barely see them, hidden by the thick shadows near the top of the tent.
"Huh, they really do look like you, Sho," Oboro remarks.
"You have a little admirer, adorable~" Nemuri sighs dreamily, before resting her head on Emi's shoulder. "I could just eat them up."
"Mini-me is so talented!" Emi gasps, watching the performer balance on a large ball, slowly circling the ring while juggling several plastic balls.
Shouta splits his attention between the show and the mysterious 'mini-Eraser', glancing up every few minutes to see if they were still there. And every time, they were. He has to assume they're another performer, based on the costume, but what was the purpose of them being up there?
"Who's ready for a little excitement?!" the Ringleader crows, one arm gesturing out in a wide arc and prompting a loud cheer for the audience. "Everyone please give a warm welcome to- HARLEQUIN!" Some of the stage lights shift upwards as the Ringleader points, focusing on the small figure that the heroes had noticed earlier.
To the shock of Shouta and the rest of the crowd, the kid leaps off the rafters without warning and starts to freefall. Shouta feels himself jolt forward in his seat, years worth of instinct demanding he catch the kid, one hand shooting up to grip for the capture weapon he wasn't wearing-
A capture weapon is thrown, but it's not Shouta's.
Unable to believe his eyes, Shouta watches as the kid's scarf flies out and wraps around a beam, turning the freefall into a controlled swing.
For several minutes, Harlequin flies through the air, twisting and turning to perform complicated flips that has the crowd enraptured. It's obvious even from a distance that the kid knows what he's doing, every flip done without a hint of hesitation. At some points, Harlequin's movements slow, less flying through the air and more slow spinning in place, almost like a dance. Then, without warning, Harlequin would take off again, scarf whipping through the air with dangerous accuracy.
After what feels like an eternity, Harlequin pauses, hanging upside down from the scarf in a way that makes something in Shouta's mind itch. There's a moment where they lock eyes, though Harlequin's are still hidden by the kitsune mask, and Shouta almost feels as though something passes between them. Something important. Then Shouta blinks, and the moment passes.
He watches as Harlequin begins to climb back up to the rafters after catching their breath.
"You know, when I called him a mini-you, Shouta, it was supposed to be a joke," Emi mumbles, eyes darting between Shouta and Harlequin in disbelief. Shouta nods stiffly, throat dry.
Once more, Harlequin launches off the rafter and swings widely, feet outstretched and on a direct course to strike the clown, whose back was turned. The crowd screams in a mix of horror and warning.
Hizashi's free hand grips Shouta's arm, all five heroes perched on the edge of their seats with wide eyes. Oboro's hands were twitching.
At the last second, Jester leaps out of the way, narrowly avoiding the pair of boots aimed at her back. Harlequin keeps going, twisting midair to land on his feet in a spray of sand, scarf unraveling from the beam and seeming to disregard gravity as it floats around the performer.
"The fuck," Hizashi mutters under his breath, eyebrows furrowed, "that's-"
"A sudden attack by Harlequin, expertly dodged by our resident Jester!" the Ringleader crows in his mic.
Without a moments hesitation, Harlequin launches towards Jester with incredible speed. The Ringleader begins to narrate a play-by-play of every move the two make.
They trade blows, almost seeming to dance around one another as they throw countless kicks and punches that never land. It's a flashy fight, unnecessary flips and jumps added in more so for the benefit of the audience, only serving to exhaust the two performers faster.
"That fighting technique..." he hears Emi mutter, watching the fight with an intense expression.
A feeling of dread sits heavy in Shouta's heart, growing only heavier as the fight went on. It was familiar, so familiar... where had he seen this before?
"Geez, hell're they feeding these kids?" Nemuri whistles, leaning back in her seat. "Seriously, they're fighting like seasoned pros!"
"Not just any pros, that Harlequin kid fights just like you, Shouta," Hizashi mutters, a hint of awe coloring his tone, "and Emi, Jester..."
"Dude..." Oboro suddenly whispers, leaning towards Shouta with an odd expression, "did you fuck a clown...?"
Shouta nearly chokes on his spit, "NO?! Why would you-" he sputters in disbelief, eyes wide and face flushed red. Oboro just gestures vaguely, looking absolutely lost. Attempting to regain his composure, Shouta clears his throat, "I have not, nor will I ever, fuck a clown."
"WHAT?!" Hizashi squeaks, spitting out a mouthful of popcorn and nearly activating his quirk. Several people wince at the abrupt noise, turning to see what was happening. Hizashi blushes in embarrassment, "y-you- what're you two talking about?!" he asks in a much quieter voice, one hand cupping around his mouth in a bid for secrecy.
Oboro perks up, "I asked-"
"No-" Shouta slaps a hand over Oboro's mouth, tamping down the urge to scream, "don't... don't repeat it..." he wheezes, feeling incredibly tired all of a sudden. The second they get home, Shouta is gonna sleep for a week straight. No, a month.
"But I insist," Nemuri purrs, leaning over a flustered Hizashi, "repeat it~"
Oboro shakes his head 'no', mouth still covered by Shouta's hand.
"A bold move by Jester!" the Ringleader's voice booms, drawing everyone's attention back to the fight, "how will Harlequin counter?"
Shouta watches Harlequin throw their scarf out in a move he's intimately familiar with, the end wrapping around Jester's ankle and throwing her into the air. Jester twists like a cat, landing on her feet only a short distance away.
"Jester's not clowning around!" the audience chuckles at the pun, watching as Jester stands straight, having landed near the center of the ring, "but what's a clown if they don't make you..."
"LAUGH!"
Unexpectedly, a laugh bubbles it's way out of Shouta's mouth against his will. He instinctively turns to look at Emi, only to see that she had not activated Outburst. In fact, Emi is laughing just an uncontrollably as he is, a downright incredulous look in her wide eyes as they trade glances. They turn as one towards the ring, seeing Jester- the kid that looks like Emi- standing with her arms outstretched, the only one not laughing.
Just as suddenly as the laughter had begun, it stops, an entire tent worth of people going deathly silent all at once.
Shouta looks for the source, and his heart nearly skips a beat.
He feels Oboro stiffen beside him, "yooo-"
The right eye socket of Harlequin's mask was glowing a familiar red, hair floating in the air as though he was underwater, partially held down by string.
"Sho, isn't that..." Hizashi asks in a hushed voice, popcorn forgotten.
"Yeah," Shouta breathes, eyes wide in disbelief. He remembered now, why that fighting style had been so familiar, and the fact the kid was dressed like him... It seemed impossible, but he couldn't deny what they had all seen.
Harlequin had just used Erasure.