December 31st
Yumi believed it was important to resolve conflicts and abandon grudges before the start of the new year. So she invited everyone to a game of Among Us to settle old grievances. Everyone played from their respective apartments, but they'd all joined a group channel in discord.
The players who got to the lobby first waited for their other friends to join.
MinaBobina: (pink with a unicorn horn) Who else r we waiting on?
Chargebolt: (banana yellow with green Link hat): Sero, you here?
Cellophane: (white with a black beanie, pierced visor, and dog pet) Yeah, man. Ready when u r
Dynamite: (orange with Viking hat and cracked visor) Why is your name cellphone?
Cellophane: Wow. Learn 2 read.
Dynamite: Wow. Learn to spell.
RedRiot: (red with bear ears) It's becuz he thinks he's got this magic power that lets him see through women's clothes.
Kamisbabe: (purple with red headphones) Ew.
Cellophane: It's a real thing.
Fortunato: (black with pink flamingo hat) Is there any evidence that supports this?
MinaBobina: He IS good at guessing bra sizes.
Cellophane: I swear it's a real thing.
Dynamite: Whatever. It's cuz your brain is held together with tape.
Kamisbabe: lol
Cellophane: Tape IS my weapon of choice ;) Right, gorgeous?
YumYumz: (rose pink with a heart hat, blush mark visor, and little pink crewmate pet) HANTA!
DaddyDabs: (blue with captain hat and an eye patch over visor) what's that tiny thing following you?
YumYumz: It's my child :D
DaddyDabs: Change it. Now.
Cellophane: Change your name, creep.
DaddyDabs: Lol. That's rich coming from you.
Cellophane: How so?
DaddyDabs: I'm not the one that stares at girls' boobs.
Cellophane: You don't even like girls
DaddyDabs: I don't see your point
DabisBaby: (yellow with egg hat) Dabs, can you please change my name back? I don't know how.
DaddyDabs: what's wrong with it?
DabisBaby: it was supposed to be Hawks.
DaddyDabs: I think my alterations are an improvement.
MinaBobina: Why is your name red riot? :C
RedRiot: Cuz…I'm red riot o.o
Chargebolt: RED RIOT!
Cellophane: RED RIOT!
Chargebolt: REEEED RIOOOOOT!
Cellophane: REEEED RIOOOOT!
RedRiot: See?
MinaBobina: :C But…I thought…you were gonna be Honeybear.
Red Riot has left the lobby
HoneyBear has entered the lobby
HoneyBear: There. Better?
MinaBobina: YAAAAAY! : 3
Cellophane: Ugh.
Kamisbabe: Yeah. I know. Two people in love. How disgusting.
Cellophane: Lol You let Kami pick your name for you?
Kamisbabe: No.
Cellophane: ….
Kamisbabe:...
Cellophane: Well, can you change it? If I see Kami's name I'm gonna think it's him.
Kamisbabe: Stay away from me and you won't have that problem.
Cellophane:...
Kamisbabe:...
Keigo: ?￢ﾘﾕ️
YumYumz: Brrrr. It's cold in here.
Cellophane: Whatever. Can we start?
Deku has entered the lobby
Chargebolt: Hey, man!
Deku: (dark green with an orange lollipop in his mouth and a cherry on his head) Hi, everyone!
DaddyDabs: LMAO
DabisBaby: o_o Dabs, you never use acronyms
DaddyDabs: LMFAO ROFL
Deku: What's so funny?
DaddyDabs: XD XD XD XD Deku, change your hat.
Deku: :C But I like my cherry!
DaddyDabs: BAHAHA xD You should've thought of that before you gave it to Katsuki
Dynamite: STFU!
Montresor has entered the lobby
Fortunato: Sorry for the delay. Kuroiro had to download an update
Montresor: (gray with chef's hat) Into the abyss :D
Fortunato: Hitoshi will be here shortly.
Chargebolt: Shinsou plays video games?
Fortunato: No.
Deku: Oh. Then how come he wants to play?
Fortunato: He said something about expelling negative energy
DaddyDabs: sounds sexy.
Dynamite: No. It doesn't.
Shinsou has entered the lobby
Cellophane: Wait, what? You're just using your real name?
Shinsou: (maroon with zipper hat) Shinsou isn't my real name.
Cellophane: O_O WHAT?
JudoSensei has entered the lobby
JudoSensei: (coral with leaf hat) His real name is Hitoshi Aizawa-Yamada. Or Hito-kun :3
Shinsou: There's only one person who calls me that.
YumYumz: Hito-kun.
Cellophane: Hito-kun
Dynamite: Hito-kun.
Shinsou: Fuck all of you.
JudoSensei: Hito-kun! 3
Shinsou:...
Shinsou: 3
Honeybear: I think everyone is here!
DaddyDabs: Um. No.
IcyThot has entered the lobby
IcyThot: (with snow crewmate hat) What is up, my home skillets?
Cellophane: Stop.
DaddyDabs: I think the real question is…Are you down, homeboy?
Cellophane: I'm. Gonna. Leave.
Kamisbabe: Oh no. Don't go. We'll miss you.
Cellophane: :D really?
Kamisbabe: Sorry. Sarcasm doesn't read well over text.
Cellophane: :C
DaddyDabs: You bitches are the reason I'm an alcoholic.
IcyThot: I thought it was because we have a shit dad.
DaddyDabs: That too.
IcyThot: Word.
Cellophane: T_T
Deku: Are we ready?
YumYumz: :D Let's KILL SOME NOOOOOOOOBS
JudoSensei: Respectfully.
Honeybear HELL YEAH
Dynamite: :D HELL YEAH!
Chargebolt: WOOOO!
Shinsou: Sure.
MinaBobia: o.o you good?
Shinsou: Yeah. Just focused on the task ahead.
MinaBobina: O_O Wut?
Deku: What?
Chargebolt: Huh?
GAME START IN 10
9
8
7
Cellophane: What did he mean by that?
6
5
4
Dynamite: :D
3
2
Dynamite: DIIIIIEEEEEEE!
1
SHHHHH!
~.~
Shinsou lay in Ojiro's lap as he played on his tablet. Ojiro sat in front of a laptop playing his character. Shinsou's screen flashed Imposter. At that moment, HIS phone rang. He picked it up and put it on speaker. "Managers first?"
"Managers first."
Both imposters were delighted to discover that the cooldown time for kills was ten seconds.
"Where's Bakugo?" Tokoyami asked.
Shinsou passed down a hallway. "Electrical," he mumbled.
Ojiro flushed. "I thought I wasn't supposed to know who the imposters are."
He snuggled closer, resting nuzzling his face into Ojiro's chest. "Doesn't matter either way. I'm not gonna kill you."
"Isn't that cheating?"
"Maybe."
Tokoyami passed Shinsou, coming from electrical. "The deed is done. Going after Deku next."
When Shinsou found Dabi, he was simply following Keigo's character around as Keigo completed tasks.
Gotta take him out first. But he can't know it was me. How am I gonna pull this off?
Finally, Keigo finished his tasks and sat next to the emergency buzzer in the cafeteria. Dabi had no choice but to complete his tasks. Shinsou watched the surveillance cameras until he saw him heading his way. Thankfully, their host YumYumz made the imposter's views a lot broader than the crewmates'. This meant when Dabi was completing a body scan in the medbay, he didn't see Shinsou coming. He quickly finished the job and escaped down a vent.
"Got Himura. But Takami's in Caf."
"Not anymore. He's heading your way. Probably towards the surveillance room to check on Himura."
Shinsou popped up from the vent in the surveillance room and made quick work of Keigo.
"The chicken is fried."
"Good. Bakugo yelled very loudly, so I imagine Midoriya has picked up on what's happened. The trap is set."
Shinsou flushed with irritation. Shit. "If they live together, then Bakugo's gonna tell Midoriya who killed him."
"Midoriya might know, but in order to avenge him, he has to do one of two things. Call an emergency meeting, or find Bakugo's body. Considering the former would be the intelligent decision, I elect that Midoriya will do the opposite. Which means he'll be dead before he can tell the others."
Shinsou watched from the hallway, shocked when he saw Tokoyami mercilessly murder Izuku and disappear down a vent.
"Our superiors are no more. Who are our next targets?"
They both decided at the same time.
"Mizuno."
But it was the move that spelled their downfall. Just as they were closing in on her, she reported Izuku's body.
"Shit!" Shinsou exclaimed.
"Damn. We should've killed her first."
When the emergency meeting commenced, the discord channel erupted with voices.
"THOSE FUCKERS TRIED TO KILL ME!"
"Isn't that the point of the game?" Ojiro asked.
"Who?"
"Where?"
"The Yumi girl lies."
"THE YUMI GIRL IS ABOUT TO COME DOWNSTAIRS!"
"I vote Mizuno as the imposter," Shinsou said in a monotone. He voted. "She's a liar."
"TWEEDLE DEE AND TWEEDLE DICKHEAD ARE BOTH LYING SACKS OF SHIT!"
"Come down, gorgeous, it's just a game. We're playing it for fun, remember?"
"DO YOU THINK BEING KILLED IS FUN, HANTA?!"
"Guys, we've got twenty seconds left to discuss," Mina said.
Kirishima provided the answer. "These murders were made very quickly. I doubt they were random. This was a coordinated attack."
"Who would want Toya and Bakugo dead?" Shoto asked.
"A lot of people," Sero answered.
"Bakugo and Dabi were killed first," Kiri pointed out. "They're both managers. Then the shift leads were next."
"But then…how come they didn't go after us, Honeybear?"
"My subordinate is Miyu. You don't have any subordinates playing with us. It looked like whoever was doing the killing went down the line of leadership."
"They must've skipped over you both because the imposters are people who don't have you as managers," Shoto said.
"But that's literally everyone else in the game," Mina said.
"If you go down the line, the managers are after the shift leads. Not all of them were killed," Kaminari pointed out.
"Exactly. Shinsou and Tokoyami are the only shift leads still alive," Shoto said.
MinaBobina voted for Fortunato.
Fortunato voted for MinaBobina
IcyThot voted for Fortunato.
Kamisbabe voted for Fortunato.
Chargebolt voted for Fortunato
Honeybear voted for Fortunato
Cellophane voted for Fortunato.
YumYumz voted for Fortunato.
Montresor skipped.
JudoSensei skipped.
Fortunato was one of the Imposters
~.~
Shinsou wasn't surprised when everyone voted him the Imposter next.
"How does it feel to lose?!" Mina gloated.
Shinsou shrugged. "I got to kill my supervisors. I'm good."
Dabi entered back into the conversation since the round was over. "I don't blame you, Shinny. I've wanted to kill me for years."
"Dabs," Keigo snapped.
To everyone's surprise, Dabi backpedaled. "I'm sorry, baby."
Yumi sighed. "Before we start the next round, I'm slowing down the speed and upping the cooldown time for kills. This game ended way too fast."
They all waited in the lobby as she changed the settings. Then they began the next round.
~.~
Bakugo and Izuku both played Among Us on their phones. Izuku laid his head in Bakugo's lap, comfy and cozy. Bakugo leaned his back against the headboard and a formidable mountain of pillows. His screen flashed Imposter. A few moments later, he got a discord call from Yumi.
"Guess who's your team maaaaate, She said excitedly.
Bakugo sighed. "Whatever. Don't kill Izuku."
She cleared her throat. "Well…uh - "
" - Don't," Bakugo snapped.
"We have to kill our boyfriends."
"What?" Bakugo asked.
"What?!" Sero asked in the background.
"If we don't, everyone will know it's us. But if we kill them first, it'll dispel any doubt they might have and suspect someone else."
Izuku tilted his head up and assaulted Bakugo with his big, emerald green eyes. "I don't mind. If it's for you, Kacchan."
Bakugo paled. Suddenly all he could remember was Izuku looking up at him, fading before his eyes. His blood staining the floor and both their clothes. How weak and cold he felt in his arms. His eyes teared up. "No."
Yumi scoffed. "Do you want to win or not?"
Bakugo tried to talk around the lump in his throat. "Go to hell."
Izuku sat upright in his lap and dragged his finger along the screen of Bakugo's phone. Then he killed his avatar with Bakugo's. "There." He disappeared down a vent and hid.
Bakugo froze. He stared at the screen in horror. He almost didn't breathe as he looked at Izuku's lifeless avatar, cut in half with a bone sticking out of him.
"It's not real, Kacchan," Izuku assured. "It's just a - "
" - I don't want to play anymore."
"It's just a game."
"Whatever! I don't wanna play it! It's stupid!"
Izuku turned so he was facing him and began kissing his neck. Gradually, the muscles in his shoulders began to relax. But he still hadn't said a word.
"You still there?"
Izuku muted the discord call, and gently pushed Bakugo completely onto his back. "How about we take a little break?" He lifted his sweater over his shoulders and let it fall on the floor.
Bakugo's hands went to the zipper on his jeans, desperate to get them off.
Izuku placed his hands on top of Bakugo's helping him. "I'll take care of everything, okay?"
His boyfriend's gaze went right to Izuku's left hip, where the stitches were starting to dissolve. He gently reached out and circled the area with his finger.
Izuku sighed. "I'm okay."
"When did you get it in your head that it's okay to die for me?"
Izuku tried to laugh it off. "It's not real, Kacchan."
Bakugo scowled. "Those stitches look pretty fucking real," he snapped.
"That was different. I was acting on instinct. I didn't think."
"How about when I fought Shindo, and you tried to step in and talk him out of it?" Bakugo's jaw tightened.
"I didn't know he was going to - "
" - And the blackout?"
Izuku gasped. "What do you mean?"
"When I got trapped in Target. The shit you were saying to Himura - "
" - There's no way you heard me," Izuku murmured. "Over all the yelling and - "
" - I saw your lips moving," he snapped. "Get the others to safety. Leave Katsuki to me."
Izuku paled.
"You shouldn't be trying to protect me, Izuku. You're not strong enough. You have to stop."
"I can't. Not if it means losing you."
"Stop trying to be a hero, Izuku!" Bakugo snapped. "If you keep putting yourself in harm's way, you're gonna get yourself killed!"
Izuku took a deep breath. I am a hero, whether you like it or not. But it doesn't matter. You wanted to break up with me, and I didn't let you. You wanted to stop me from going to New York, and I didn't let you. Now you're trying to put limitations on what I can and can't do. But I'll make you see that you're wrong. Like I always do.
His first impulse was to be mad, but he knew Bakugo's words came from a place of love and fear. It's barely been a week since the shooting. It's still fresh for him. After I give him some time, he'll get over it.
~.~
Yumi stared blankly at her screen. Several minutes went by, and Bakugo's avatar hadn't moved since it discovered Izuku's body. Everyone had crowded around him, watching and waiting.
"Seriously?! They couldn't wait until - "
Sero pouted. "Everyone's so focused on Bakugo, they haven't even noticed I've been brutally murdered in the surveillance room."
Yumi grinned, handing her phone to Sero. "Play as me. If Bakugo's gonna have a little fun, then I want to too."
Sero raised an eyebrow as he began to play as her. "What are you talking abou - Aaah."
She kissed the inside of his thigh, running her tongue closer and closer to -
"G-Gorgeous, I c-can't p-play like - MMNNGGHHH!"
Sero's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he recalled exactly why he was grateful for a pocky-obsessed girlfriend. Her level of experience sucking things off of sticks was unparalleled. He clung to the phone so he wouldn't move his hands to her head and guide her movements. But he couldn't stop himself from subtly thrusting forward.
As she swirled her tongue around the head of his erection, he ached to fling her phone across the room and grab a roll of bondage tape. "I'm - I'm g-gonna - Yumi - "
She stopped, pulling away.
Jesus Christ, I was close. Fuck! It took every ounce of his willpower not to reach with his hand and finish the job himself. "P-please?"
"Well…you did die for me. I suppose I should reward you in some way." Yumi placed her mouth back on his cock and sucked harder.
"Oooh god," he groaned, clenching his eyes shut. "Aaah….please d-don't stop - "
At that moment, Dabi called an emergency meeting.
But it was too late. Sero was too far gone. When everyone else started talking, he groaned with pleasure as his climax overwhelmed him.
Everyone in the chat fell silent.
"You…okay?" Kiri asked.
Dabi was quietly laughing in the background.
Yumi still had her mouth around him as he began climbing down. "Oh my god," Sero gasped. "Fuck. I…I….I'm dead! Someone killed me!"
Dabi snickered. "You got that right."
Keigo gasped. "Tea."
Mina laughed. "You're supposed to turn your mic off when that happens, silly!"
Sero quickly muted himself, breathing hard. "Holy shit."
When Yumi finally released him, his limbs felt numb. He couldn't feel his fingers, let alone navigate them across a screen. Yumi poked his chest with her finger, making him fall over on their bed. Then she took back her phone and resumed playing.
~.~
"Did he freeze up or something?" Kirishima asked.
"Maybe he's glitching," Kaminari suggested.
Mina sighed. "Let's just vote him out to keep the game moving."
Everyone voted out Bakugo.
Dynamite was An Imposter.
Yumi managed to Sweeny Todd every single guy player before someone called an emergency meeting.
"The killer is one of the girls," Kaminari whined.
"You're dead!" Yumi reminded him. "You're not supposed to be talking!"
"It's not me," Mina said. "I was in Navigation."
"Mina Bobina, my lifeless corpse was right next to you! Why didn't you report it?!"
"Because I was busy doing my task, Honey Bear!"
"Everyone who's dead, shut up," Yumi snapped.
"It's Yumi," Jiro answered.
"YES! IT IS!" Keigo exclaimed.
"STAY DEAD!"
"How do you know?" Shoto asked.
"When Mina's the imposter, she just jumps in and out of the vents."
"It's so fun!" Mina exclaimed. "It's like Peek-A-Boo!"
"Dabs, you're really quiet."
"Well, yeah. I wanted the game to last."
Kaminari gasped. "Wait…you mean you've known who the imposters were the whole time?!"
"I knew it the second Izuku and Sero were pronounced dead."
"But…doesn't that imply that she's not an imposter?" Ojiro asked.
"Yes. It does," Dabi answered. "Which is why she did it."
"You mean they?" Kuroiro asked.
"No," Dabi answered.
Yumi huffed. "YOU. ARE. ALL. DEAD. BE. QUIET!"
"You're saying she killed Izuku too?"
"No. If she'd done that, Bakugo would've outed her right away. But it was definitely her plan."
"How do you know?"
"I know Katsuki," he answered. "He'd never hurt Izuku, even if it's virtual."
"The jig is up, gorgeous," Sero said weakly as he lay on the bed.
She booped his foot. "Shush."
"Okay," he murmured.
~.~
In the next round, Sero was one of the imposters. Yumi had to "plug her phone in to charge", so she took the chance to sneak a little "catnap" in her egg chair. Sero tried to recall his name as he sat up and played Imposter. Dabi opened a channel with him on discord.
"How ya doin', tiger?" he asked in a suggestive tone.
Sero rolled his eyes. "Just play the damn game, Himura."
"I've heard that sound before. I know exactly what - "
" - Whatever, at least I don't sound like a dying cow."
"Who does?"
"Bakugo."
Dabi was silent for a solid half minute. "I need you…to explain to me…why you know what Bakugo sounds like…when he - "
" - Midoriya must've had him turned up to eleven," he suggested.
"Bet you got all hot and bothered when you heard it."
Sero scoffed. "Maybe. If by hot and bothered you mean third-degree burned."
"So it turned you on."
"No, it was agonizingly painful."
"Does he actually sound like a dying cow?" Dabi asked, unable to stop laughing.
Sero smirked. "A dying cow with a sore throat."
Dabi laughed harder.
Out of nowhere, Jiro's words came back to him from the Christmas Party.
I don't care what you say about me. But if you're gonna talk smack about Bakugo, man up and say it to his face. Bakugo wouldn't be talking about you behind your back. That's why he's my friend and you're not. Dipshit.
Sero switched gears. "Hey…why did you make Jiro stay behind last night?"
"Hmm…you know…if you'd stayed behind, you'd probably know that."
"Well yeah, but you didn't ask me to."
"Exactly."
Sero scowled. "Did she talk shit about me?"
"If she'd been held at gunpoint, she wouldn't have talked about you. Every time Keigo tried, she shut him down.
Ugh. Sounds like she's still…upset. "Why was he trying to talk about me?'
"You were the headline when you carried Jiro in the falling snow," Dabi muttered. Judging by his tone, however, he definitely believed the opposite. "Made quite an impression."
That's uplifting. "On her?"
"Don't know," he snapped.
"Yes, you do."
"Maybe I do. But it's not for me to say. If you wanna know so much, ask her."
"You want me to ask the human porcupine to talk about her feelings?"
"No. I don't."
"Then why did you suggest - "
" - Because I know you're too much of a pussy to actually do it."
Sero's jaw tightened. "You're not even friends with her. Why are you getting so defensive?"
"She's Denki's girlfriend. I give a shit about him, so by extension, I give a shit about her."
Sero rolled his eyes. "You just like her cuz she buttered you up with that damn guitar for Christmas - "
" - Leave Angelo out of this."
He scoffed. "You're bought and paid for like an L.A. Hooker."
"You bet your ass I am, and I'm happy with my transaction. Her parents gave me an amp, Sero. AN AMP. You don't snitch on the daughter of your Amp-giver. It just isn't done."
"HA! That means you do know something!"
"Bitch, I know everything."
"I'm sure you think you do."
"I know shit she doesn't even know about herself. But that's because my asshole father trained me to be a human security scanner."
"Wait, does that mean you've scanned me?"
"Thoroughly."
Sero frowned. "I don't remember consenting to that."
"I don't remember consenting to give a shit."
Sero sighed. I'm getting nowhere with this idiot. "Whatever, let's just…play the game."
"Good idea. How do you want this to go?"
Sero raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"How do you want to win?"
"I mean…it's not a guarantee that we'll - "
" - I have a tab pulled up listing every possible task in each designated area of the Skeld. We can kill indiscriminately and have an answer ready for what we were doing and where."
Sero got a ping on his discord chat.
"I sent you the list and detailed maps of the ventilation systems. Most crewmen have tasks in electrical, navigation, and the engine rooms. If you suggest a room you weren't in, don't pick one of those. There's a sixty-three percent chance someone will have actually been there. If they were doing a task and notice you weren't in the room, they can deny your claim."
Sero raised an eyebrow. "You…uh…you play this a lot?"
"This is my first time. Take out the smart players first. Jiro. Bakugo. Ojiro - "
" - You consider Bakugo one of the smart players?"
" - Izuku, Tokoyami, Shoto, and Yumi."
Sero furrowed his brow. "Yumi's napping."
"No, she's not. It's a ploy."
"How do you know?"
"Did she bring her phone with her?"
"No, it's charging."
"Damn, she's good. We gotta take her out first."
"But she's not - "
" - Oh look. YumYumz is doing tasks in Caf. How interesting."
"How is she - "
" - You didn't take into account her other devices. Laptop, Switch, tablet…you have to cover all the bases, Sero."
Sero cleared his throat. "Um…You know, this is like…just…for fun - "
" - That's why I asked you how you want this to go. Are we playing casually, letting the chips fall where they may, or do you want a solid victory?"
He's talking like he's already got this shit figured out! "I dunno, um…I mean - "
" - I'm fine with either. It's up to you. How hard do you want to win?"
~.~
Keigo used his death as an opportunity to tap into his second container of pad thai noodles. He talked with his mouth full as he watched Dabi play. "He asked about Jiro," Keigo whispered.
"Mmmmhm," Dabi mumbled, continuing to stare at the screen. He sent a message to Sero. Got Ashido. Proceed with phase 2.
"Are we uh…concerned about it?"
Dabi killed Kami. Keigo could tell Toya was in the driver's seat because he didn't even flinch. "I'm trying not to be."
Keigo chewed. "Dabs…I don't think this is gonna go away."
"It better."
He swallowed. "I thought…maybe this was like when Shinny had that crush on Denki, but…"
Dabi shook his head. "That was just a spark that ignited during a moment of weakness. But those two have history."
Keigo gasped. "Like…they used to date?"
"I'm…not sure," Dabi admitted, sounding surprised himself. "I thought maybe unrequited love, but that usually results in hate. Jiro doesn't hate him, she's just…indifferent."
"I'm surprised you care. You aren't usually the one digging up dirt."
"This isn't about information. If Sero doesn't leave this alone, he could end up hurting someone. Lots of someones. When Shinsou got stuck on Kami, the only person he hurt was himself."
Keigo suddenly didn't feel very hungry. He leaned his head on Dabi's arm. "What are we gonna do?"
Dabi placed his laptop to the side when he and Sero won their round. "Don't worry. I've got a plan."
~.~
Sero winced when the next imposters flashed on the screen.
Cellophane & Kamisbabe
"Fuck."
Yumi came into the room to check her "charging phone" which Sero discovered had been at ninety percent when she plugged it in. It buzzed in her hand. Her eyes widened and began to sparkle. "Tea," she whispered to herself.
"What was that?" Sero asked.
Yumi cleared her throat. "Nothing. Um…so…it looks like you're one of the imposters."
He sighed. "Yeah."
"And…Jiro is…the other one."
"Yeah."
Her phone buzzed three more times in succession. "Oh. Um…Hmm." She stepped into her slippers. "You know, I think I'm gonna…take a stroll."
"What? No! Don't leave me alone with Jiro!"
She blinked multiple times, as if trying to confirm Sero's audacity wasn't just an eye-fuzzy. "You know what? That's exactly what I'm going to do."
"But - "
" - Maybe after talking to her, you'll finally work your shit out."
"I don't have shit to work out!"
Yumi rubbed her temples. "Hanta…every time her name comes up, you have this abhorrent, frankly juvenile abhorrence to her, and I'm fed up."
Oh. Crap.
"She's my friend. I don't like how you talk about her."
"You don't know what she was like when we were kids," he insisted.
"You're not a kid anymore!" Yumi exclaimed. "You're a twenty-two-year-old man! I'm sure five-year-old-you didn't use bondage tape. She's grown up too!"
Sero flushed. "It's dangerous to forget things that happened in the past. If we forgot about the civil war or the trail of tears - "
" - Please do not tell me you just compared your rivalry with Jiro to the genocide of a culture and the bloodiest war of our country's history," she snapped.
The struggle played out on his face as he searched for the words. "You just don't understand - "
" - No, Hanta. I don't. You know why? Because it makes no sense."
"You weren't there!"
She took a deep breath and grabbed her bathrobe to put on. "Fine. Refuse to grow up. But you don't get to do adult things to me if you can't act like an adult in the other contexts of our life."
He paled. She doesn't mean no sex, right? She can't mean that. There's no way. Is there? She can't. Shit, is she serious?!
Yumi tied her bathrobe belt roughly for emphasis and snatched her phone. "Until your brain's development has caught up with your dick's, I will be with our mature friends, Dabi and Keigo." She whipped her head forward and marched out the door.
~.~
"Are you sure we should tell her?" Keigo asked.
Dabi walked up to the front door to unlock it. "I need her seal of approval before I make my move."
The moment he unlocked the bolt, Yumi came rushing in, going straight for Keigo. "Okay, so what's going in? You said there was tea."
Keigo spoke plainly. "Sero's a jerk to Jiro and Dabs doesn't like it."
Yumi rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I don't either."
"Good. Then we're on the same page," Dabi said. He turned off all of his devices and paced while Keigo and Yumi sat at the kitchen table. "I've got a plan."
Yumi sighed. "Of course you do."
"This one is going to work, because I'm clueing you in," Dabi said. "Right?"
"Duh. So what's the plan?"
"Before I tell you, I need us to be in agreement about a few things."
"Shoot."
"Denki is happy with Jiro."
Yumi smiled. "Very."
"Jiro is happy with Denki."
She smiled wider. "Yes."
"And the current dynamic between Jiro and Sero is a potential threat to their happiness."
Yumi paled. "It…is?"
"Think about what happened where there was a rift between Kirishima and Sero," Dabi reminded her. "It put everything out of whack. Your friendship with Mina. Kiri's friendship with you. Both couples suffered, and every friendship took a hit. Another blow like that could be devastating."
Keigo shrunk in on himself. "Not to mention if Denki somehow gets hurt - "
" - I will personally skin the culprit and turn their epidermis into boots," Dabi promised.
She gave a small shrug and nod, as if to say understandable. "Fine. So what do you need from me?"
Dabi stiffened, as if bracing himself for some sort of impact. "Permission."
Yumi narrowed her eyes at him, curious and confused. "To do what?"
His expression became neutral and cold. "To hurt Hanta Sero."
~.~
Kami played Among Us from the comfort of his loft, snuggled under blankets, sweaters, and leaning against his Rinoa body pillow. He connected a compressed, mini projector to his phone so he could take up the entire wall with the game.
Jiro played on her phone under his loft, sitting on their bed. She borrowed one of Kami's wireless headsets for communicating with the other players. She ordinarily kept it turned off until someone called an emergency meeting. But in this case, she left the channel open, since she was one of the imposters.
It took a while for Sero to turn on his mic. Eventually, she heard the static. But he didn't say anything.
She shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. "Why did you turn on your mic if you aren't going to talk?"
"I am," he insisted. "I'm just…thinking about what to say."
Jiro shrugged. "Stick around in admin for a while. People will think you're struggling to swipe your card."
"I don't mean about the game, I meant - "
" - Got IcyThot in Communication. Meet me in Electrical so we can tag-team the others."
"Oh. Um…Sure."
Jiro killed Kami on her way down the hall and ducked into the electrical room.
"Aaaah maaaan," Kami said in his loft.
"Sorry, love," she whispered. She kissed her finger and poked the screen where Kami's dead body was.
Sero bumped into Kami's body on his way to follow Jiro. "Crap! The game made me report it!"
"That's fine. Blame me."
"What? Why?"
"Just do it."
Everyone else turned on their mics.
"Where was the body?" Kiri asked.
"The hallway…I saw it on my way to Electrical."
"Did you see anyone?" Tokoyami asked.
"Yeah. I saw Jiro go into Electrical."
"So? That doesn't mean she was the one who did it," Yumi pointed out.
"Gorgeous, can you please come back to - "
" - You're just blaming Jiro cuz you're being a butt," Yumi snapped.
"I don't think we should vote yet. It could be anyone at this point," Izuku said.
"What are you talking about?! Who else could've done it?" Sero exclaimed.
"He's right," Shinsou said. "It's too early to tell."
"I just told you - "
" - I agree. We should skip," Ojiro agreed.
"Tch. Report again when you actually know who did it, moron," Bakugo jeered.
Everyone skipped their votes and left the chat.
Sero scoffed. "Wow. None of them believed me."
"Of course not," she said nonchalantly.
"Why do you say that like it's a given?"
Jiro ignored the sadness welling up in her stomach. "Because it is."
"What? No, it's not."
"You said so yourself you don't like me."
"Well…I…I meant like…I'm not into you. That doesn't mean I don't…like you."
Wow. Just…wow. "Your exact words were, Just because I don't like you, that doesn't mean - "
" - That was before - um…" he trailed off.
Her heart skipped a beat. "Before what?"
Sero paused for a moment. "Well…last night, I…um…had a…"
Last night he had a salad and the Molto Meat Flatbread Pizza. What is he talking about? And why does he have to talk about it now? Doesn't he know we're in the middle of a game?
"Did I ever…burn you or something?"
Jiro thought back to when they were kids, trying to recall something like that. "No. Why?"
"Okay, um…don't take this the wrong way, but last night I had a dream about you."
"EW EW EW EW EW EW!" She flushed red and clenched her eyes shut.
"I just said not to take it the wrong way!"
"Can we just…not? Can you not, please?!"
"Listen to me!"
"No! Just shut up and play the game!"
"Stop pushing me away, I'm trying to talk to you!"
Jiro clammed up. I wish he'd never seen me in that outfit. Now he's being weird.
"Are you still there?"
"I'm listening," she murmured, but it came out more broken than she meant it.
He took a deep breath. "In the dream, you got burned when I touched you. I tried to think back…maybe remember a time when I did that, but all I can remember is you hitting me."
The program in Jiro's brain that shielded her emotions crashed. Against her will, tears had welled up in her eyes. He doesn't…remember?
"Hello?"
Jiro hung up the call before he could hear her sniffle. Then she got out her phone.
~.~
"Hello? Hello?" Sero stared at his laptop. "Did the call drop?" No. She hung up on me. But why? Sero's hand automatically went to his cellphone when he felt it buzz in his pocket. Text message from Jerkface.
Jerkface: You were my best friend
Sero paled. She's out of her mind. For as long as he could remember, Kami and Kiri had been his best friends. From day one.
Sero: Lol yeah okay
This caller has blocked you
Oh, shit. "Fuck!" Sero felt sick. She's kidding. She has to be. We hate each other. I'd remember something like that. He quickly logged onto Facebook before she could block him there too.
Hanta Sero: Why did you block me?
Kyoka Jiro: Leave me alone
Hanta Sero: I didn't mean to be a jerk. I just…don't remember.
Kyoka Jiro: Fuck off, dipshit
Hanta Sero: When were we friends? We didn't start going to school together until junior high!
Kyoka Jiro: The summer before kindergarten
Sero tried to think back. But all he remembered was playing in the sprinklers with Kami And Kiri.
Hanta Sero: I spent that summer with Denki & Eijirou
Kyoka Jiro: No. You spent it with me.
"Liar," he muttered. "I'd remember."
Hanta Sero: Then why aren't we friends anymore?
Ten minutes later, he finally got a message back.
Kyoka Jiro: You tell me.
This user has blocked all communication with you
"Shit." Sero lost his chance to make up. On top of that, he'd been idle on the game for so long the others voted him out.
Sero lost.
~.~
Without meaning to, Jiro cried loud enough for Kami to hear her in his loft.
All this time I thought he didn't want to be friends anymore. But now he's saying…he doesn't even remember me?
"BABE!"
Jiro wiped her face and walked up the stairs. Then she crawled around his wall of anime merch to the place where he'd set up a bunch of pillows and blankets. He wore fuzzy socks, had three blankets on his lap, and also wore a Kirito-print snuggie. When Kami saw her, he held out his arms straight in front of him. "Come 'ere, babe."
She shook her head. "I'm okay."
He frowned. "Come on." he opened and closed his hands like a crab. "It's marshmallow time."
Jiro's lip trembled as she gave in and cuddled into his lap. He wrapped his snuggy-covered arms around her and piled pillows on top of her back. "You can't be sad at Marshmallow time. The pillows absorb your despair."
She hugged him tight, already feeling better. "Sero's a jerk."
Kami frowned. "Wanna stay in tonight? We don't have to go over if you're not feelin' it."
"Sero broke my heart," she grumbled. "The least he can do is get me drunk."
Kami hugged her tighter. "I think we're back in the lobby."
Dynamite: I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO KILL ANYTHING!
DaddyDabs: Maybe you would've if you hadn't been so busy getting sucked off
Dynamite: STFU
Cellophane: Kami, do u know where Jiro is?
MinaBobina: Her Spotify says she's listening to Let The Bodies Hit The Floor.
Cellophane:...
Cellophane: I'll hit her up later
JudoSensei: It was fun playing with you guys, but Hito-kun and I must go now.
DabisBaby: :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D YAAAAAY I'm so happy for you!
Shinsou: Shut. Up.
HoneyBear: What's he talking about?
YumYumz: Shinsou and Judo sitting in a tree. F-U-C-K-I-N-G
Deku: Oh! Do you guys need anything? I have a lot of lube. There was a sale!
IcyThot: Wow. Get it, I guess.
Shinsou has left the lobby
JudoSensei: See you in the new year, everyone!
JudoSensei has left the lobby
DaddyDabs: ROFL
DabisBaby: He actually is ROFLing
DaddyDabs: ROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL
DabisBaby: Dabs, get off the floor.
Cellophane: Well, better get ready for tonight. I'll see you guys later.
HoneyBear: Yeah, man! See you later :D
Chargebolt: Definitely!
Fortunato: Not for long.
Deku: Yeah, sounds good!
Dynamite: Whatever.
MinaBobina: Baaaaiiiiii
Cellophane has left the lobby
IcyThot: Are you hoes ready to get crunk?
DaddyDabs: Damn I wish you said that when Ser-ho was here.
IcyThot: My bad.
Chargebolt: Lol U should hang with us, Shoto
IcyThot: Maybe next year
DaddyDabs: Yumi, go home before your man hurts himself.
YumYumz: *le sigh* yeeeeah. Probably. Ttyl! Happy New Year :3
DabisBaby: Happy New Year!
YumYumz: Keigo, I'm still in your apartment. You can just tell me that in person
DaddyDabs: I hope you have a happy new year in every part of your house ;)
YumYumz: Aaaaaand I'm leaving.
YumYumz has left the lobby
IcyThot: Yaoyamo and I need to start getting ready for dad's dumb charity thing. Happy New Year, everyone.
DaddyDabs: Happy New Year, bro
IcyThot: :) You too.
IcyThot has left the lobby
DabisBaby: When should we head over?
HoneyBear: Anytime past ten usually works for him.
Chargebolt: Hell, yeah! Just enough time to get some pregaming in.
Bakugo: :D
DaddyDabs: Lol I started this morning
Fortunato: *rolls eyes* of course, you did.
DaddyDabs: Tonight's gonna be legendary. I'd invite Koichi but there wouldn't be any booze left for the rest of us.
DabisBaby: loooool
Fortunato: That would indeed be an evening for the ages
DabisBaby: You gotta come with us, Dark Shadow! :D
Fortunato: Fine, but I'm only having one drink.
Montresor: I'm staying home. I'll be awaiting my Fortunato's return ;)
Fortunato: ;)
DaddyDabs: Spicy
Fortunato has left the lobby
Montresor has left the lobby:
DaddyDabs: lmao
MinaBobina: So we'll meet outside the penthouse 10?
Deku: Sounds good to me! :3
Dynamite: Whatever.
HoneyBear: You know it!
Chargebolt: PARTY SERO'S! PARTY SERO'S! OOOWWW
DaddyDabs: Put out your plates, motherfuckers. We're about to get in on some serious bread.
~.~
When Yumi returned to the penthouse she expected to be bombarded by Sero, wanting to initiate some intimacy. To her surprise, she found him at the bar with a glass of brandy in hand.
Hanta's a beer guy. Vodka's for partying, beer with the boys…but brandy? "Hanta? What's going on?" she asked, closing the door behind her.
Sero downed his drink before setting his glass down. He just stared at the bar.
Yumi stood there. "Hanta?"
"Just thinking," he said as his shoulders slumped.
He poured himself another glass of brandy.
Yumi set her phone down and walked over to the bar. "It's too early in the day to be drinking."
"It's the New Year somewhere," Sero muttered before downing this glass.
"Hanta, you're worrying me."
He stared down at the bar counter. "I talked with Jiro."
"Really?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
"Well…I tried."
She cocked her head to the side. "Tried?"
"It didn't go well."
"How not-well did it go?"
"She blocked me on everything."
Yumi blinked, dumbfounded. Jiro cut off contact and it's bumming him out? Am I in the right multiverse? "What did you say?"
"I asked her something, and she shut down," he said, setting his glass down.
Yumi reached for the bottle before he had the chance to grab it. "What did you ask her?"
Sero sighed. "Long story. But…um. I kind of…had a dream about her."
As much as she should've been jealous of Jiro, if anything she was annoyed with Sero. But one thought overruled all others. TEA?! Yumi tilted Sero's chin up and looked deep into his eyes as if she were looking at a germ through a microscope. "Say what now?"
He flushed. "It's not what you think."
"It isn't?"
"Um - "
" - What was she doing in the dream?"
He flushed redder. "Well, she was…um…pole dancing, but that's not - "
" - HANTA! How could you keep such a juicy secret from me?!"
"I - wait, you're not mad?"
"I'm mad you didn't tell me," she grumbled.
"But…she was in a skimpy nightgown pole dancing. You're not mad I had a dream like that about another woman?"
She shrugged. "It's not like you can control what you dream about. What happened in the dream?"
He suddenly looked sick. "I burned her. She kept pulling away from me, like she knew what would happen if I touched her. But I reached for her anyway. How could I do that?"
"Hanta, it was a dream. You can't burn someone by touching them. That's not the kind of world we live in."
"But maybe I hurt her once…and it's why we're not friends anymore."
Yumi laughed. "Um…I thought you two were never friends."
"So did I. But she seemed so convinced."
She pursed her lips in thought. "Jiro's a straightforward person. She speaks her mind and isn't afraid to call someone out on their bullshit. I don't think she'd make something up like that."
Sero swallowed. "I don't think so either. I just…I don't remember. It was too long ago."
"I hate to say it…but if anyone would know, it would be your parents."
His eyes narrowed. "I'm not talking to my parents. About Jiro, or anything else. Ever."
She smiled encouragingly. "How about Jiro's parents?"
Sero flushed awkwardly. "I've never…really…introduced myself."
"Well…it's a New Year! New Year means new friends. Why don't you go over and talk to them?"
He winced. "If they do know who I am, they're gonna hate me."
Yumi booped his nose. "New Year's are also for making amends."
He sighed, still uncertain. "What time does the bar-hopping start?" he asked, grabbing the brandy bottle from her.
"Probably ten," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But maybe we should stay in. Celebrate with just the two of us?"
Sero gave her the side-eye, recalling the threat she'd enacted before leaving.
"I mean it. Let's take a break from everyone tonight and bring in the new year by ourselves," she said, kissing his cheek.
Rolling his eyes a bit, he leaned over the bar to check inventory. There were several empty bottles among the nearly empty bottles of vodka and half a bottle of wine. "I don't think we have enough booze."
"We will if we drink sparingly," Yumi said, taking back the bottle of brandy and putting it behind the bar. "I'm sure we can make it last." She stared at all the empty glass bottles behind the bar counter. "Still…it's probably a good idea to pick up a little something." She picked up her phone and began poking the screen.
He rubbed his temples with a sigh. "I've had three drinks. I shouldn't be driving."
"I know. That's why I ordered you an Uber. It'll be here in three minutes."
"What?!"
"No need to thank me, just don't keep him waiting."
~.~
Sero was confused when the Uber bypassed all the local grocery stores, their seven eleven, and even a bubble tea stand. Where exactly does she think I'm going to get drinks? We're heading into the residential areas. The alcohol wasn't helping his cognitive abilities, but he could've sworn he'd seen some of the houses they were passing before. Why does everything look so familiar? Ugh. I had too much brandy. Now all the houses look the same to me.
Finally, the Uber stopped in front of a suburban home straight out of the Stepford Wives. Or it would've been, if not for the hippie van parked on the lawn and the couch sitting in the driveway.
I feel like I've been here before. "Um…sir, i think my girlfriend made a mistake. I was supposed to end up at a store."
The driver shrugged. "This is the address the GPS led me to."
"What address is it?"
"11342 Southeast Courteous Court."
Sero paled. SE Courteous? This is…the street I grew up on. That was when he realized where Yumi had taken him to. Shit. Sero stepped out of the car and called her.
"I answered because I know you're not gonna be mad at me."
"Yumi - "
" - Cuz I love you."
"How the hell did you get her parents' address?"
"Oh! I sent them a Christmas card."
Of course, she did. "Gorgeous, I don't want to do this when I've been drinking and I'm stressed out - "
" - You're gonna keep drinking and being stressed out until you resolve this. Just give it a try."
He stared up at the house. There were lights strung up around the gutters and windows, but they were purple and green. They're gonna hate me. I know it. "If I'm not back in an hour, everything I own goes to you."
"Kewl. Love you! Bai." Yumi hung up.
Sero looked nervously up at the house. At first, he didn't move. But when he finally started putting one foot in front of the other, images started flashing on top of what he already saw. He saw a smooth, round white stone in the grass, half-overgrown with moss. His first thought was dinosaur egg. He should've tripped over an elevated spot in the sidewalk, but he'd stepped over it without even realizing. Faded, broken snippets flickered when he stared into the yard. Two kids running in a circle. The echo of a toy wagon's wheels squeaking. A sword fight conducted with sticks. When he stood next to the garage, heard a tambourine and off-key notes coming from a guitar, as if children were playing them.
Finally, he found himself face to face with the front door. Sero took a deep breath, knocked, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Sero cleared his throat and knocked again. Harder than the first time. There still wasn't an answer. He knocked over and over until he finally heard the doorknob turning.
A tall man with blonde hair charged at him holding a guitar by its neck. "Listen, Uncle Sam! The IRS and I have an understanding!"
He screamed and backed away. "I'M NOT HERE ABOUT TAXES!"
A woman with dark purple hair and glasses came up from behind him. "Kyotoku, peace not war! PEACE NOT WAR!"
"What do you want if you're not here to take my money?!" Kyotoku snapped.
Sero clenched his eyes shut, holding his hands up in surrender. "I dunno if you remember me, but I used to live up the street. My name is - "
" - HANTAAAA!" Mrs. Jiro ran outside even though she was in pajamas and slippers and pulled him into a warm hug. She swayed back and forth, squishing him. "Oh my goodness, you've gotten so big!
"What?" Kyotoku lowered his guitar and set it against the wall. He stepped closer, his smile widening. "Far out, man! It's Hanta!"
"I know, honey."
He joined in on the hug, clapping Sero on the back. "I had a feeling you were gonna be tall. Your old man's tall like that piano player guy from the dalmatians movie - "
" - Honey, it's cold. Let's invite him inside."
Oh shit. They love me. This is so much worse. "I'm sorry, but I can't. My girlfriend needs me to hit the store for - "
" - Yumi? Oh, she's such a sweet girl," Mrs. Jiro said warmly. "Please tell her we say thank you for the Christmas Card."
They were already herding him inside. Before he knew it, the door closed and he was being seated in the living room. They presented him with a brownie and a mug of tea. Both were in his hands by the time he'd decided he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
"Rooibos," Mrs. Jiro assured. "It's important to prime your stomach."
Sero paled. "For what?"
Kyotoku grinned. "New Year's, brother! If you're anything like our drumstick, you know how to party."
"You know how Lent comes after Fat Tuesday?"
Kyotoku nodded. "It's like that, but in reverse."
Jeez. Compared to these people, Jiro's the normal one. "Thank you. But…I came here to ask you some questions. About Jir - Kyoka?"
Jiro's mother laughed. "She hasn't lived with us for years. You sure it wouldn't be easier to ask her?"
Sero winced. "Well…the thing is we…kind of had a fight."
Kyotoku waved his hand dismissively with a warm smile. "You'll work it out. Best friends can't stay mad forever. Especially not you two. You're two peas in a pod."
Sero stared at them in shock, white as a sheet. Since when?! "We are?"
He grinned. "Yup. A-1 From day one. Oh, man. Mika's got the cutest pictures."
Mika pulled open a side drawer in their coffee table and pulled out a Walgreens sleeve. "I've been meaning to get these into an album, but I just haven't found the time." She walked across the room and gave it to him.
He put the brownie down and slowly reached for the envelope, at a loss for words. There's no fucking way. Sero flipped open the top and pulled out the stack of photos. The first photo was taken outside. There were cardboard boxes everywhere. It was sunny. Two little kids with black hair laid in the grass passed out. One in a spider-man shirt, while the other had headphones around their neck.
Sero's jaw dropped. You've gotta be kidding me.
The next one was of the sidewalk. Jiro and Hanta were written in very bad handwriting with chalk on concrete. The one after that, a kid-version of him was pulling the kid-Jiro around in a red wagon. Another one showed Sero banging on a drum set while Jiro sang into a toy mic and held a guitar that was way too big for her.
"Mika and I toured that summer. We were lucky she had you to keep her company."
"I wanted to keep Kyoka with us," Mika admitted. "But she'd never played with other kids her age. I enrolled her in Kindergarten because I thought it was the right thing to do."
"But come time for school, she begged us to take her back on the road."
Mika beamed. "It was so sweet how she made time to call you."
Sero's head was spinning. What the hell kind of Twilight Zone episode is this?! I feel like I'm in an alternate reality!
Kyotoku laughed. "Oh, yeah! No matter what city we were in, she managed to find a payphone. We're not sticklers for rules, but she stayed on the phone so long we had to tell her it was time for bed."
"I'm so happy you've managed to stay close as adults," Mika said. "True friends are hard to come by."
Sero wouldn't have believed them, if he hadn't seen a photo of an adolescent Jiro standing in a telephone booth. Her back faced the camera. It was clearly one of those nonconsensual photos parents took when they thought their kid was doing something cute.
The last photo showed an unsmiling Jiro with flushed cheeks staring at the camera like it was a dangerous animal. Her short black hair had been curled into little ringlets. She'd put on white shoes and a red dress that matched her headphones. When he looked closer, he realized she must've put on makeup.
Mika squealed, bending down next to him to look at the photo. "Kyoka's first day of middle school. She asked me to help her do her hair. Isn't she just precious?!"
Kyotoku smiled. "She was so excited to see you again. I think she was trying to look nice for you."
Sero's heart dropped into his stomach. Oh no.
That was when he remembered.
~.~
Ten years ago…
Hanta had been nervous for his first day of seventh grade. But so far, it was going great. He'd had a lot of classes with his friends Denki and Ejiro. They all had the same lunch period too. Middle School was way cooler than Elementary. It didn't have a playground, but they were allowed to eat outside if they stayed on the school grounds. They could ask for passes to the computer lab or the gym to play basketball. All the cute girls wanted to sit with him. All the guys wanted to be on his team whenever they played sports.
Only one thing was souring his mood. Whenever he looked over his shoulder, he saw a weird girl staring at him. She'd always look back down when he caught her. She'd been following him around all day. By the end of eighth period, he got fed up.
Hanta marched up to her as the girl placed books into her locker. "Why are you stalking me?" He snapped.
The girl smiled wide. "I wanted to say hi! But you always had people around you."
"Yeah. My friends."
"Oh," the girl said, sounding disheartened. "Well, um…I have something I want to give you." She dug in her dress pocket and pulled out a small pink envelope. "I wrote a song that - "
" - Look, just stop following me. Okay?"
The girl froze. "Hanta. It's me. Don't you remem - "
" - Leave me alone, weirdo." He brushed past her. "And grow your hair out. You look like a boy."
~.~
Sero wished he'd had a lot more than three brandies. His eyes misted as he stared down at the photograph. The version of Jiro that still wanted to be his friend. "In middle school," he said, his voice a little hoarse, "She tried to give me something, but I - "
" - Oh!" Mika disappeared around the corner for a moment. Then she came out holding a shoebox. "While we were on the road, Kyoka collected all sorts of things she wanted to give you once we came home."
Sero felt even worse when Mika placed the box gingerly in his lap. "Take it. I'm sure she meant to give it to you anyway."
Kyotoku walked into the kitchen and came out with a tin canister. "Take these too. We made too many."
Mika gave him one last big hug. "It's been so good to see you again. But we shouldn't keep you any longer. I'm sure you and Kyoka have big plans for New Year's."
Kyotoku gave his shoulder a friendly punch. "Don't be a stranger. Visit more often, kay? The enlightened have to stick together. It's how we keep The Man off our doorstep."
They ruffled his hair and showered him with hugs until he finally made it past their threshold. He felt dazed. Instead of walking, he scuffled forward, operating on autopilot.
"OH, HEY!"
Sero turned around to see Kyotoku placing a recyclable grocery bag being placed on the stoop. He could see they were liquor bottles from the way they pointed up over the top.
"FOR WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH LENT!"
~.~
Sero didn't go home right away. After ubering to High Rise, he grabbed one fo the empty study rooms and sat down a the conference table they provided. He placed the cookie tin and the bag down before finally lifting the lid off of the shoe box. It was filled with postcards from every state he could think of. All bound for his address. Every single one was stamped in red with three words.
Return to sender
On top of the postcards were keychains, guitar pics, tokens from arcades, expired coupons for ice cream parlors, takeout menus from all over the country, and the occasional polaroid of a beach or a highway. Laying on top, was the pink envelope he never opened. Sero pulled it out and broke the seal. Tears pricked his eyes when he read the letter inside.
I know I've been gone
It's been a long long time since I've seen your face
But I see your face all the time
I know that day I won
It's been a long long time since I hit your face
But I kiss your face all the time
I've come home
Home to you you you
I'm sorry it took so long
To get to you you you
But I hope
That ya-you you you
Missed meeee too
Missed meeee too
I promise you, I promise you
I remember everything
I promise you I swear i do
That I diiiiidn't forgeeet aaaa thing
Every mile in our way
Every minute of the day
I wished that I could stay
Wiiiiiith yoooouuu
Sero stood up and kicked his chair across the study space, yelling profanity at the top of his lungs. It's my fault. It was me. He grabbed the sides of his hair, pacing. I hurt her. My best friend. And now she hates me. He had too much emotion to contain all in one place. No matter how much he kicked the wall or screamed it did nothing to ease what he was feeling. He didn't have the words when he was a child, but now he had dozens. Despair. Regret. Guilt. Heartbreak. Remorse. Self-hatred. Agony. Loss. Longing. Only now did he have every other word under the sun but it was too late.
He stared back at the letter on his study table. No. It's not too late. I can still fix this. I have to.