"Worrying isn't going to change anything, you know…"

"I know," Tamaki acknowledged as he sat unmoving upon Nejire's bed, a bubblegum pink blanket pulled up around his shoulders and held tightly in front of himself. His shoulders trembled lightly as he kept his eyes on the carpet and away from Nejire, who was rubbing slow circles across his back. "But it's not as if I can just stop. We could be doing something to help him, but I don't know what. We can't text him, in case that gets him into a bad situation. We can't check up on him. Mirko and Hawks are the only ones that even know where he is, and he's not wearing a wire, for safety's sake. If Togata says or does one wrong thing, they could… t-they…"

"Tama," Nejire said sweetly as she added her other hand to the backrub and gave the back of the boy's head a sullen frown, "I know. I know, and I don't feel any better about this than you do. I don't think he should have accepted the job, and… I'm nervous that in typical Mirio fashion, he's just forcing a smile and diving headfirst into something without thinking about the details. That's what he does… but that's also why we love him. That's why we trust him- because he'll do things we won't, and he always comes out ahead. Right?"

Tamaki swallowed hard and closed his eyes. His ears twitched nervously as Nejire traced a finger along the curve of his spine, and he arched his back involuntarily.

"Hey… you're the one who talked me down earlier, remember?" Nejire asked. "You're logical, calculating, and you keep the three of us grounded when we try to fly too high, too fast. If you really believed that Mirio was in danger right now, you never would have let him go alone and untethered. Right?"

For a moment, Tamaki focused on the heavenly feeling of Nejire's hands upon his back. Behind his eyelids, colorful lines of powder blue moved through his vision in sync with her fingers, chasing away all of his worries. Although she was sitting behind him and well out of sight, he felt as though he could see her face in his mind's eye. Her curious, innocent eyes gave him a reassuring glance, while her lips pulled into a pleading pout. She put one finger up to her lips, bringing a blue trail with it, until the fingertip touched the center of her mouth. The color began to spread rapidly, freezing Nejire over in a block of rigid, unfeeling ice as he pulled himself forward and away from her touch. Within seconds, everything was black, and any semblance of comfort had disappeared entirely.

"…name one good thing that has happened to the three of us since accepting our work studies."

Nejire pulled her hands back at Tamaki's sudden movements and frowned deeply.

"Tama… lots of good things have happened. Even if they're little things, they do add up. Yes, we've had a lot of setbacks, from the whole… One for All situation, to Mirio being let go by Sir Nighteye, but we've grown closer, haven't we? The three of us, I mean. We got upgraded to this penthouse, we have promising young heroes to help train…"

"But none of that compares to all of this," Tamaki insisted as he finally looked back over his shoulder at Nejire. "I don't like this path that we're walking. I don't like how much things are changing. We're supposed to be fighting the changes happening all over Japan, not contributing to them…"

Nejire heaved a sigh and brushed a hand through her hair, before scooting forward upon the bed.

"…then how about we make a change that you do like? Something so positive that it helps ease your mind?"

Before he could react, Nejire had moved herself close enough to gently loop her arms around Tamaki in a loose hug. That singular act was enough to make Tamaki tense horribly, even before he felt the gentle, warm sensation of her chest pressing into his back.

"H-hado…?" he questioned, his voice incredibly small.

"…I worry about you a lot, Tama," Nejire said softly, her face mere inches from his own. "You're so different from everyone else here, but I love that about you. You're one of the few honest people I know, and you mean the world to me."

Tamaki's breathing quickened as he stole feverish glances at Nejire's eyes, all the while flicking his own back toward the door as he began to try to lean away.

"Hado, I… I-I…"

"Tama, please calm down?" Nejire insisted as she tilted her head and gave him very much the same look that he had visualized in his mind's eye mere minutes earlier. "Do you trust me? Can you lean into me?"

Tamaki made a low noise, sounding almost like a whine as he gradually leaned backward. His trembling intensified, and Nejire loosened her hold upon him until they were barely touching. With one final look back at her face, Tamaki suddenly stood up, casting his fuzzy pink blanket off behind him as he walked forward and put his forehead against the wall, his eyes down on the carpet.

"Tama? I'm sorry!" Nejire insisted as she slipped off the mattress and moved to approach her friend. "I shouldn't h-"

"I-I-I'm not ready for something like that," Tamaki interrupted. "I'm sorry. I'm… you were right. I'm different. I don't know if I'll ever be ready."

Nejire blinked curiously and paused a few feet from Tamaki before clasping her hands behind her back.

"I'm… not sure what you're talking about. Be more specific?"

Tamaki took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against the wall with more force. He glanced backward as best he could, barely able to see Nejire's outline in his peripheral vision before he shut his eyes tightly.

"…you were trying to kiss me, weren't you?" Tamaki asked, his ears angling downward.

For once, it was Nejire's turn to tense up, and she wound her fingers around each other more tightly.

"I… I was thinking about it," the girl admitted as she, too, closed her eyes.

"I know," Tamaki replied as he pulled his head back a few inches and then mashed it into the wall once again. "I'm different, but I'm not oblivious, Hado. I know how you feel, but I don't know why. Please don't try to explain it."

Nejire paused, her mouth already open and ready to launch into a litany of praises for him. Instead, she slowly clenched her jaw and shook her head before closing her eyes once again.

"Tama… how do you feel? About… you and I?"

"The same way you do," Tamaki answered immediately, much to Nejire's surprise. "But… I'm not ready for that. I don't know what I need to be ready. I think you would be happier with Togata. You flirt with him, too."

"Mirio?" Nejire questioned, her brows raised. "But… Tama, I don't feel that way towards Mirio. It isn't like that at all with him!"

"It should be," Tamaki insisted. "The three of us are usually together, and everything about him is better than me. Please, focus your affections on Mirio, instead. I'm sure he would appreciate them, especially now. His future is so much brighter th-"

"Tamaki Amajiki."

Tamaki's eyes snapped open at both the usage of his full name and the unfamiliar, angry tone with which Nejire had spoken it. Slowly, he turned to face her, looking bewildered. His confusion only grew as he saw Nejire staring at him with eyes narrowed and fists clenched down at her sides.

"Feelings of affection are not about who is 'better'. They're about who is right for you, and who fits with your own imperfect pieces to make you a better whole in ways that no one else can. There is so much about you that I love. Yes, you have a lot of flaws, and so do I, but I will not stand here and listen to you compare yourself to Mirio or talk down about yourself just because you're different. How long have you known about the way I feel about you?"

Tamaki paused, considering the questioned as he watched Nejire's hands unclench and her glare soften.

"About… a year and a half. I think," Tamaki explained. "Your behavior around me started to change around that time. You… started to hold my hand… or try to. You say my name first when we're in groups. You look at me when no one else is talking… or any time you laugh."

Nejire looked somewhat embarrassed as she folded her arms beneath her chest and looked off to the side.

"That's… all true, and that's about when I started feeling… feelings for you. I'm willing to wait until you're ready, Tama, no matter what that means. We can take it as slowly as you need to, but if you do feel the same way… I'd gladly be yours. I love Mirio, but not like I love you. I want you to understand that," Nejire finished as she looked back over to Tamaki, who had his eyes on the floor.

"…okay."

"…okay?" Nejire questioned, beginning to feel frustrated once again.

"I…" Tamaki said as he looked up at Nejire. "…I don't like change. I don't want the way we act around each other, or our relationship as friends to change… even in a positive way. Not right now. I don't know when I would want that, even though I feel… different towards you than anyone else. I don't want kisses from you, Hado. I don't even want to be touched, most of the time. I know you want to, but… I don't. I can't even think about being a 'boyfriend' right now. Please don't put that on me."

"…okay," Nejire said with a sigh as she let her arms drop and shook her head in defeat. "Then we won't change anything, Tama. We'll stay close friends, and… that's okay."

"Is it?" Tamaki asked as Nejire approached him and offered a hand. "Is it really okay? You're not angry?"

"I'm not angry," Nejire reassured as Tamaki slipped his hand into hers. "Honestly, I'm glad my feelings are out there, if nothing else… and I'm glad to know you think of me the same way. Or at least, in a similar way. Thoughts and feelings can be nice. Thoughts and feelings can be… enough."

Tamaki gently rolled his fingers through Nejire's, his eyes transfixed upon her palm.

"…yes. They can be…"

"…and even this talk could count as a pretty big, good thing since our work studies. Wouldn't you say?" Nejire asked with a sweet smile.

Something about the expression caused Tamaki to raise a brow- there was another emotion within her eyes that he couldn't quite recognize. He nodded once, and then several more times rapidly as he pulled back his hand.

"Yes…"

"Maybe… small steps, though, if you really do have feelings for me?" Nejire asked as she tilted her head. "Could you try to let me know what you're feeling, more often? Maybe let everyone know? We'd all like to hear what's on your mind, you know. You're so quiet, but I know there's always a storm going on in that head of yours."

Tamaki blew out a breath through his nose and pulled a face.

"…okay. I'll try. For you."

The sound of the penthouse door opening and closing caused Tamaki's ears to twitch wildly as he and Nejire both turned toward her bedroom door. Nejire was the first to blow through the doorway and speed out into the living room, while Tamaki followed along behind her at a walking pace.

"Mirio!" she cried as her friend made it over to the couches. Nejire was quick to throw herself into a crushing hug, and Mirio returned it with an airy laugh. "You're safe!"

"Missed me?" Mirio joked as he gave Nejire a tight squeeze. "Tama," he added with a nod and enthusiastic grin over Nejire's shoulder.

Tamaki returned the nod and moved to stand behind one of the couches.

"Togata. I… I'm glad to see you safe," Tamaki said before making a frustrated noise and placing his hands upon the back of the couch. "Very glad."

"Glad to be back," Mirio agreed as he moved to the couch opposite of Tamaki's and sat down. Nejire moved to sit beside him, though she kept her hands folded within her lap. "I've got a lot to tell you guys, and… I'm not entirely sure how I feel about any of it."

"Start at the beginning?" Nejire suggested. "Who was your contact? Were they nice to you?"

"Overhaul," Mirio replied. "And yeah. Really nice guy. Troubled, but nice. That's… basically the summary of everyone I met in my time there. I got a few numbers, rubbed shoulders with a few Yaks… and I met their leader. Arowana."

"Arowana?" Tamaki questioned. "That is… a type of fish."

"…is it?" Mirio questioned as he raised a brow.

"Probably," Nejire said with a shrug. "I trust Tama."

"So do I," Mirio agreed. "But that's not the complicated part. Turns out… he wants information on All Might…"

Author's Note:

Fish? FISH SHACK FISH SHACK FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISH SHAAAAAAAAAAA

Oh, and have an early update this coming week. The update for the week of 12/28 may come early as well. I'm trying to get chapters out as quickly as possible for the end of 2020 so I can actually like… relax for a bit. Wee!

-RD