After Neito finishes homework, he ends up in Juzo's room. Every classmate has been in Juzo's room at least once. Juzo's that hospitable and friendly and easygoing kind of person. Overall open-door anyone-come-at-anytime-policy. He regularly hosts sleepovers for anyone with nightmares or otherwise wanting company. (Neito secretly wishes to take him up on once but will die from shame before doing.) Itsuka is the same as Juzo—welcoming and open and always offering. Except that she doesn't allow animals sneaked in her dorm room like Juzo does.
Neito is flopped on one of Juzo's comfy chairs, chatting about general stuff, like what Neito's found out about Class A's quirks today and Juzo's new video game records he's setting. After a bit, Juzo looks uneasy. Neito instantly goes on alert.
Juzo rarely ever gets visibly uncomfortable. He's the type of guy who can wave at a stranger who was waving at someone else, or get asked an intrusive question like when that upperclassman Hado rudely asked how he can eat with his teeth how they are, and simply move along with a shrug and chuckle.
"What's wrong, Juzo?" Neito doesn't think he did something—he was sincerely praising Juzo for his amazing game skills—but with his recent track record he can't be certain.
"Ah, nothin's wrong with me. Was just thinkin," Juzo says. And he pauses. That's not something he does frequently either. Usually he keeps the conversation rolling if he needs to stall for time to form his words. It's a skill, he tells the others. "Ya know the evening of the joint trainin combat with Class A?"
Ah. When Neito snapped at Juzo and Yosetsu and was overall a jerk to the classmates he was supposed to be encouraging. "I'm very sorry for that."
"That ain't it, I knew you were sorry. Apology accepted though," Juzo says. "I was just thinkin. Yer mom. Was she real upset about the whole not winning?"
"Pardon?" What made Juzo ask that? Neito likes to whine and complain as much as anybody and perhaps more than the average, but he's too ashamed to talk about Mom's disappointment that much. He sifts through his memories and grimaces as he remembers, in fact, as part of his snapping that day he said he'd hear enough from Mom and didn't want anybody else to rub it in. Why did Juzo have to remember that? "Ah. Well. Yes. I, utterly failed."
Juzo's brows wrinkle. "Is she still upset?"
Neito lets out a quick laugh. "Of course she is. Maybe she'd have been talking to me again by the end of this week, if only to lecture me for my shortcomings, but now that I've been terrible enough to get sentenced to Class A, I doubt she'll even text me until it's over." Neito clicks his mouth shut. Crap. He hadn't meant to divulge those specifics, but Mom's words from last night are still raw in his mind.
Juzo's brows wrinkle further. Neito fights the hot blush that rises to his cheeks. "She doesn't talk to you, at all?"
"Well, no, not usually. Really, I'm used to it so I don't mind it all that much!" Big lie, as if the way his voice pitches higher doesn't belie how bothered Neito is by it. "Anyway, I'll just ensure I don't upset Teacher Vlad too and mess up again and—and—"
Juzo's pale eyes sweep over him, narrowed in candid concern. Another thing about Juzo. His normal expression is sharp even though he's so chill, but when Juzo's actually focused into searching? Neito feels x-rayed to his bone-marrow cells by those eyes right now.
He needs to get away quick. "Well, would you look at the time, I should get back to Class A's dorm! I must, hurry my attempts to get along with them."
"Hold ona minute Neito," Juzo says quietly. Neito freezes midway in getting up and stiffly sinks back down. The comfy chair is suddenly uncomfortable stifling. "Do ya think—" and Juzo pauses again, "Do ya ever think it's a bit much she won't talk to ya for that long?"
It takes Neito an entire three seconds to properly process that. "Of—Of course not. It's what I get for messing up. Like I said, I'm fine with it."
"I dunno," Juzo says. "I mean, I don't see how anybody would be fine with it. Seems like the worst somebody could do to you."
Neito's heart jolts at that. "I—I—well, I don't like it." Crap, don't whine. "But that's the whole point! I deserve—" The look on Juzo's face stops him.
"Neito," Juzo begins.
Neito springs up. His heart pounds in his ears and his face heats up. "I really should be heading back before curfew!"
"Sorry," Juzo says quickly, and Neito halts. "I didn't mean ta make ya uncomfortable."
Neito swallows. "It's…not you. I just, really don't want to talk about it."
"Okay." Juzo's expression turns into sad resignation, but he smiles. "But you ever feel like talkin about anything, ya can talk ta me. Or Itsuka, or Tetsu. We're all here for ya."
And that scares Neito even as it comforts him. The length his classmates will go for each other, even for him. Neito loves them so much and that scares him too. He doesn't ever want to mess up so badly they don't care about him anymore. He's so narcissistic and troublesome it's a miracle he can call any of his classmates a friend. He has to do everything he can to pay for what they've given him.
"That's why you guys are the best," Neito says. "I'll make sure everyone sees it."
"I'm sure ya will." Juzo gets up and puts a hand on Neito's shoulder. "Just take care of yourself, mkay?"
Neito huffs and stares at the worn rug at their feet. "Yes."
"Well, g'night, then." Juzo gives his shoulder a squeeze and lets go. Neito hurries out and ignores Juzo's clinging concern.
At Class A's dorms, the bakusquad is playing a card game. Kaminari waves Neito over. Neito's not really in the mood, but actually, a distraction might be better. "Hey! I know you're not big into movies, but I found an underrated one with super great reviews. Intellectual people like it! Wanna watch it tonight?" Kaminari fans the DVD case tantalizingly.
Neito glimpses the title and cover and decides it may be worthy of watching. He's actually gotten inspiration for quirk uses from movies before. And movie-watching sounds better than straight-out talking to Class A. Perhaps he can osmosis an acceptable relationship with them. "All right. But after that I must finish the quirk analyses Mr. Aizawa so I can turn them in tomorrow." They're in final form, but he's going to polish them once more.
"But they're not due for…" Kaminari counts on his fingers, "two days."
Neito raises an eyebrow. "I am not the type who waits until the last five minutes of the deadline. If I had been in my optimal conditions, I would've had something so basic as a quirk analysis completed in less than two days after the assignment, not two days from the deadline." The low-grading bakusquad fidgets guiltily and Neito bites down an easy jab. Barely.
They head to Kaminari's room for the movie, since apparently Kirishima's and Ashido's rooms hurt the eyes and Sero refuses to let popcorn and drinks get spilled on his fancy rugs and decorations. Everyone sits on the floor very close to each other with their backs against bean bags. With Neito between Kaminari and Sero.
Neito vocalizes his displeasure. "Must I sit so close to you? Between you?"
"It's classic bonding!" Kaminari chirps, and Neito pulls a sour expression. He doesn't wish to bond with Class A. "And we dragged you to this movie, so you gotta have the best seat. So, without further ado, lady and gentlemen, let us commence our entertainment!"
The movie is clever, and Neito likes it. Unfortunately, as Neito suspected, the bakusquad cannot shut up during movies. More unfortunately, although it annoys him, the drone of their voices and laughter makes him drowsy. He holds out over forty minutes, filing away things in the movie. But a week of not sleeping well and training harder than usual won't be overcome by a little mental resolve. He falls asleep.
He wakes up in a panic at unfamiliar surroundings that immediately morphs into blistering embarrassment when he sees the bakusquad watching him, the movie having ended however long ago. Neito swats vigorously at them even though they've moved so they're sitting a distance away. "I don't—it wasn't—I'm not a lazy person who falls asleep after two minutes of inactivity," is what ends up coming out of Neito's mouth.
"Chill-o, nobody thinks you're lazy," Kaminari says. "But, so, have you not gotten good sleep lately or something?"
"Of course not. Haven't since the joint training." Neito shakes his prickling wrist (he slept on it wrong, ouch) and tries to look as dignified and menacing as he can while struggling upright from a squishy bean bag.
"Ah, guess all that stuff must've been tough for you," Kaminari says, something too close to sympathy in his voice.
Neito points a finger at them. "Yes, I spent long night hours analyzing your quirks, Class A! You must not get complacent, because your defeat is inevitable."
Kaminari laughs, not mocking, just good-natured humoring. Which frankly annoys Neito more. Ashido, Sero, and Kirishima shake their heads with almost-smiles. "Just sleep well and take care of yourself, okay?" Kaminari says.
Despite Kaminari's light tone, his words uncomfortably echo what Juzo said earlier. "I don't need to be told that," Neito says. "It's not that easy. My mind doesn't exactly give me rest, and I can't afford to rest anyway or I'll keep failing." Wait. He didn't mean to say that to these Class A people. First he falls asleep in their presence, and now this. He's getting slack. Next thing he knows, it'll be sleepovers and diary-swapping, if not something much worse.
Neito hops up. "Excuse me for tonight." He ignores Kaminari saying "Wait—" and heads to his room.
acosta perez jose ramiro: Thank you! Neito is a Phantom Thief through and through. Sometimes you can't help so straightforwardly.