Mirio stood alone in the kitchen of Rizumu's apartment, wearing some of Dabi's borrowed clothing- namely, a sleeveless tee and pair of black pants. The sounds of sizzling bacon within the frying pan before him and the wall clock were the only things making noise around him in the otherwise silent apartment. The constant pattering coming through the wall from the shower had stopped abruptly, just as he began flipping over the strips of meat. After a quick search of the cabinets over the sink, he found a stack of plates with which to serve. Mirio set them out on the countertop next to the stove, only to notice an item nestled in the miniscule gap between the appliance and the surface.

An empty hypodermic needle was wedged into the small space, seemingly having rolled or fallen from someone's hand and then subsequently forgotten. Though Mirio had never seen one up close outside of a doctor's office, the sight gave him a full-body shiver as he went about plating the bacon, his eyes on the needle the entire time. Mirio wasn't entirely sure what to do with the item, and so, he elected to do nothing at all.

Mirio momentarily panicked at the sound of bare feet coming toward him across the wooden floor, only to turn his head and find Rizumu looking furious and damp as she approached. The woman was wrapped in a short black silk bathrobe, her hair wet and the gap in the front of her robe showing off the inked creatures upon her chest. Regardless of the amount of skin around her cleavage and thighs that was in his field of view, Mirio fixated upon her face and prepared himself to try to calm her down.

"Seriously?" Rizumu spat under her breath as she continued toward Mirio, only for him to scramble out of the way. His actions caused her to raise a brow and then shake her head a moment later. "Oh, I'm not pissed at you. I'm annoyed with this."

Mirio watched as she lifted the needle from its resting place and held it in front of herself. Her expression was an unmistakable one, though Mirio had only seen it a few times in his life. Rizumu was furious and frustrated with the fact that she had no one to direct her fury toward. No one but him, Mirio quickly realized.

"…Dabi's?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah," Rizumu answered as she ripped a length of paper towel from a holster on the side of the kitchen island and carefully wrapped the needle. She set it down atop the rolling furniture and folded her arms across her chest. "He was doing… not great, but better with his drug problem recently, and that needle's fresh. Where'd he go?"

"He didn't say," Mirio said truthfully. "Just that… he'd be back in a few hours, and that I should take care of you. Should I go after him?"

The corner of Rizumu's mouth twitched as she shifted her weight to the other leg and considered the question. She heaved a labored sigh and ran a hand through her hair, sweeping it back into a slicked style.

"…no. I know where he's going, and if you go after him while he's high out of his mind, it might be your ass. I don't want to see you get hurt, Mirio. You're already walking a thin line."

"Yeah, well, I can see you are hurt," Mirio emphasized as he turned back to the frying pan and began cracking eggs on the edge of the cookware.

"Can you stop being such a fucking boy scout for a minute?" Rizumu asked, her tone carrying far more venom than she had intended. She threw her hands up and then dug her nails into the sides of her scalp in frustration before letting out another forceful sigh. "…I'm sorry. That wasn't fair."

Mirio remained calm as he focused on tending to the omelet in progress. Though the words hurt, he was determined not to let it show.

"It's alright," Mirio reassured. "And… honestly, you're not wrong. Well… you are wrong, but not in general."

"…what the hell are you even talking about?" Rizumu asked as she slipped onto one of the stools underneath the kitchen island.

"I can't keep living this life while being so… soft," Mirio said, deflating as he slid the scrambled omelet onto one of the plates next to the waiting pile of bacon. "But right now? You don't need someone to be a hard ass, and I don't think Dabi does, either. I'd argue that actually caring about the two of you and making it known is the better approach than being indifferent while you're dealing with a situation like this."

Rizumu watched as Mirio slid her the plate along with a fork.

"…thanks. For the food, and… yeah," Rizumu replied as she picked up a strip of bacon and rotated it between her fingers. "You not being an asshole or telling me I'm overthinking things is actually a nice change from the usual company. I'll try to be more appreciative and less judgmental."

"You can be as judgmental as you want," Mirio offered as he went back to cracking eggs. "I'll just keep coming back anyway."

"Why's that?" Rizumu asked before biting into her bacon. "Because that's what heroes do?"

"Because us villains have to stick together," Mirio answered.

Rizumu paused, merely watching Mirio work for a moment.

"Honey, you are not a villain… and you can actually cook bacon. This is pretty good. Dabi burns it, which is probably pretty expected, all things considered."

"Who even knows?" Mirio asked rhetorically. "I've been thinking about what you said… how no one really listens to villains, and I might not even know what they really are. I feel like I'm losing track of who I am, too."

"Do you really need a label?" Rizumu asked. "I don't think 'villain' fits you, Mirio. Sure, I might've said the word's a little up in the air, but its still got some connotations that come with it. I can't see you killing somebody, for example."

"Heroes kill, too," Mirio reminded. "Only when we have to, but… yeah. I don't know. I guess I don't really need a label at all. How about instead of villains needing to stick together I just say I'm in this for the long haul? You two are quickly becoming a family away from the one I've got at U.A., which… isn't something I saw coming."

"I don't think any of us did," Rizumu agreed as Mirio turned around and leaned back into the countertop with his finished plate. "Glad to have you around, though. You're sweet… even if you're a bit of a fuck-up."

"I try," Mirio replied. "But all this to say… if I can help you or Dabi out in some way, let me know. Even if you just need a sounding board. Does this kind of thing happen often?"

"What, Dabi shooting up and then leaving?" Rizumu asked as she began dividing up her eggs. "Not as much as it used to. I guess it's partially my fault…"

"It is not your fault," Mirio interjected. "He made the choice to do this and leave you here while you were in the shower."

"Mirio… he does it because he feels like he doesn't have a choice," Rizumu began. "Dabi's got issues, and I do the best I can to help him work through them. Sometimes, it's just not enough… and sometimes I make it worse without meaning to."

Mirio took a few thoughtful bites, weighing his options as to what to say.

"…what kind of issues?"

"Don't," Rizumu warned. "If he wants you to know… you'll find out. Given how few people know, though, that's gonna be an uphill battle. If you want to help, then just be a friend to him and listen if and when he opens up. That's about all you can do."

Mirio pulled a face, not entirely surprised by the advice.

"Then how can I help you deal with him?" Mirio asked. "If I can't help Dabi directly right now, I can help you out. That needle pretty clearly ruined your morning."

"I'll get over it," Rizumu said with a roll of her eyes. "Yeah, I'm not happy right now, but I'm also just… after long enough, you get a little numb to it. He'll come home, we'll have it out, probably fuck, and things will be fine tomorrow. It's the circle of life."

"Is that what you want?" Mirio asked. "Not that… sorry, that might have come off badly. I mean, are you happy? Or…"

"I know what you meant," Rizumu said as she waved a hand off to the side. "For all our problems, there's no one else I'd rather be with. It's not something I can explain, but we just… work for each other. As much as I'm pissed off about him going and doing this, it's part of the package. We're working through it, and he has more good days than bad. I'm hoping this was just a one-off fluke after a decent streak."

Mirio turned to deposit his empty plate in the sink, unsure if his host had realized the implication.

"Because of me."

Rizumu was quick to join Mirio's side, putting her own plate into the sink before turning to face him.

"Not quite. It's because of him. This doesn't fall on your shoulders. Dabi and I talked about you last night for a long, long time when we were in bed."

"You did?" Mirio asked, suddenly feeling nervous as he leaned back against the counter once again.

"Yeah. This stays between us," Rizumu clarified, moving her finger back and forth between them a times for emphasis. "I'm trying to impress upon him that he needs a friend. A reliable friend, and before you say it, what went down at the cannery doesn't mean you're unreliable. He can't write you off for fucking up once, especially after what he did this morning. I stand by what I told him- that the two of you are good for each other, and he needs to drop his guard and suspicion and just let you in. He didn't like that suggestion, but I'm chipping away at the ice in all the right places. Progress was made."

"Well, I'm sure it's no surprise, but I'm in," Mirio offered. "Whenever he comes back, I'll try to reset things with him. Maybe find something to do to unwind. I could definitely use it, too."

"I bet," Rizumu agreed. "I've gotta check in on the club, make sure all our stock came in, the usual. I'll be back up later in the day, though."

"I'll get some food ready when you come back up," Mirio offered. "Unless you want some help around the club?"

Rizumu pulled a face, having an internal debate before she answered.

"…probably best that you're not seen here until we get everything sorted out with the Shie Hassaikai. Just… hang out, and I'll see you in a bit. Maybe you and Dabi should hit up the nearby sauna later. Relieve some stress. It's good for your skin."

"The sauna…?" Mirio asked.

"Don't tell me you're shy," Rizumu teased. "Dabi sure isn't."

"No, I just…" Mirio began. "I mean, Dabi's already seen my ass once…"

"So I've heard. Bet it was hot," Rizumu lilted with a filthy grin.

"Not particularly," Mirio deadpanned. "It was kind of embarrassing and unexpected. But if you know that, you know I'm clean and not wearing a wire or anything."

Rizumu rolled her eyes as she headed over toward the wall dividing the kitchen and the hallway leading to the bedroom and bathroom.

"I don't think you're spying on us, dude. That being said, just hang out up here, and… stay out of the bedroom."

"Yeah, of course," Mirio agreed. "I'll… I don't know. Probably just text some people. Do the dishes, maybe straighten things up a bit."

"Knock yourself out. I'm gonna get changed and then make the rounds," Rizumu said with a backwards wave as she started down the hall. "See you soon."

"Have fun," Mirio offered as he started in on the dishes before lowering his voice. "I get the feeling I won't later…"

Author's Note:

Next time- Mirko and Hawks have a little fun.

-RD