I Am Looking

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Mirio’s smile widened even more if that was possible. “It’s nice to meet you, Hiroshi!” he repeated, saying the other’s name enthusiastically. He gestured for Hiroshi to follow him as he began walking. 

“Like I said earlier, we’ll start with showing you around the store just to give you an idea of where everything is. I know it can be confusing at first but if you ever need help, you can ask me about anything.” He flashed Hiroshi with another brilliant smile and lead him towards the back of the store. 

“We’ll start back here so you know where we keep everything.” 

That smile pierced right throw him and Hiroshi thought he might just die right there. Eyes staring dumbly, he coughed out an ‘okay’. A shaky thumbs up went paired with it. He could memorize where everything went. Yeah, especially if he wrote everything down! 

@icansea

He barges into the room like he owns it. And in a sense, he does. His father owned it so by extension it was his as well. No one would argue his logic, if they even thought to question his presence there at all. Natsuo wasn’t the first son, nor was he the favored son, but he still commanded some level of respect from his father’s men. His larger frame didn’t hurt either. 

Upon entering the room, he notices it’s empty except for one lone figure. Pink haired, hunched over his work space, entirely focused on his sketchpad set in front of him. Natsuo’s lip curls slightly with disdain for the other man. Ever since he’d arrived, Natsuo had been fixated on him for some reason. Something about his timid demeanor aggravated Natsuo. He was always so jumpy, eyes always wide and nervous, like he was two seconds away from an anxiety attack if someone breathed in his direction wrong.

It was pathetic and Natsuo couldn’t stand it. 

He walks over to the other man’s work area and leans his hip against the counter, arms crossed as he leered down at him. “When’s your next open appointment,” he says in a brusque tone. 

Hiroshi had been smiling. A satisfied customer gave high compliments and the tattoo artist couldn’t help but blush. He’d improved so much since beginning his career. If he kept this up and word about him spread then maybe he’d hear about it and come by. Just for a simply visit...they wouldn’t even need to speak or even exchange a glance. As long as Hiroshi could see him up close. He bunched up his fists, covering his mouth in an effort to muffle his squeals of imagined delight. 

Excitement when intro sketches, daydreaming running wild. Soon, though, it went interrupted. He shrieks, the sound disrupting a silence he enjoyed. Upon seeing who it was, Hiroshi sunk in on himself. 

Not this guy again...He always looked so viciously at the tattoo artist and Hiroshi couldn’t understand why. Spiteful eyes made him want to run away and hide under one of the tables but Hiroshi forced a smile that wavered with terror. “H-Hello...!” 

He bowed out of respect and it helped not being able to see that man’s face. “My next opening...l-l-let me check for you!” Whipped around and rapidly flipped through the appointment book. “Y-Yes, here.” There an opening on the day he wasn’t working. Thank god. His coworker could handle it. 

Natsuo fidgeted as the other stared at him in what seemed bewilderment, ears starting to burn the longer the other took to say anything. Shit. Why did he even sit here? Why did he open his mouth? He just wanted to eat and leave. He didn’t want to get into an argument with some weird guy that was obsessed with his dad. 

The tension leaked out of his shoulders when the other finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence that had built up. Or was that just in Natsuo’s mind? Maybe the silence hadn’t been that long. Maybe it was just his imagination making things so awkward. 

“Oh, that’s, uh, pretty cool,” he said with a nod, a somewhat forced polite smile on his face. “It’s admirable when people put in the time and effort to perfect their craft.” Unless it came at the cost of neglecting and abusing their family. 

He should leave it there, go back to eating, but that damn politeness forces him to continue. “Um, I’m Natsuo, by the way…”

Oh fuck he told him his name? What a manly name too...What the fuck kind of thought was that!? So close he was to hitting himself in the face with the notebook Natsuo hated so much. “I’m Hiroshi...”

Now he told him his own name!? Not even his last name? Well, no one called him that anyway. It’d be even weirder if this one person suddenly started calling him that. Guess it worked out. Hopefully. Maybe...

The new guy didn’t seem to enthusiastic to be there, but Mirio figured it was probably first day jitters. He couldn’t say he could relate but he knew starting new things could be daunting!

A friendly smile adorns his face and he pulls his shoulders back, chest puffing out slightly to proudly show off his name badge. “That’s right! My name is Togata Mirio! You can call me Mirio if you’d like. And you’re…Tameda, right? It’s nice to meet you!”

First name? Oh, then should Hiroshi do the same? Or would that be weird? Might be since, he’s so new around here. Would people think they knew each other previously? No way. People wouldn’t go around thinking they’d mix well together. The blond a little too...bright, beaming. How did he not blind people by being so positively illuminating? 

starter for @icansea​

He’d only been at the job a few months, but already he was the star employee in the grocery store. His customer skills were impeccable and he always showed up to work with a bright smile, seeming genuinely enthusiastic to be there.

So, despite Mirio still being fairly new himself, their newest employee was placed under his care.

“Heya!” he greets the pink haired boy with a bright smile. “I got your apron for you,” he says, handing the other man a red apron that matched his own. “Once you’re ready I’ll take you around so you know the layout of the store then we can get down to work.”

Why? Why couldn’t commissions just be enough? They had been for awhile but it an inconsistent paycheck. His friends suggested getting a job part time to have something to do while earning some extra cash. Cash never hurt but people? Yeah, those were painful. 

Especially this one. Spiked blond hair, sparking blue eyes and a wide smile. Was he trying to resemble All Might as much as possible? Possibly. Hiroshi internally groaned as he recalled his siblings dressing a very young Hiroshi up as a very unhappy All Might. This guy, though, seemed all too happy. Nonetheless, frowning young man took the apron and sluggishly tied it on. It’s length only accentuated his petite stature. 

Hiroshi finally seemed to get what irritated him so much causing him to roll his eyes a bit. Sometimes he thought about telling Hiroshi the truth of why he disliked Endeavor so much, but he could never bring himself to do it. Hiroshi loved Endeavor so much that taking that way from him just seemed cruel. 

So he just made snide comments and poked fun at Hiroshi’s fanboy tendencies at times and let it go. 

He sighed and flopped into the space next to Hiroshi, something a guy of his size probably shouldn’t be doing so carelessly. “Nope, summer sucks too. Fall is the best season. Maybe spring if we can ban allergies from existing.

Thank whatever god was watching that Hiroshi managed not to squeak when Natsuo flopped next him. The small jolt crawled up his spine and made nimble fingers shake. “...Summer don’t suck too much but I get you about spring. That’s when I see all those...squirrels running around.”

He didn’t know how to respond at first. Hiroshi seemed to completely miss the fact that he was judging his choice of outfit.  It kind of took the wind out of his annoyance. 

“You know what, I can’t even be mad at you. It’s freakin’ cold and I hate it,” he relents, huffing a little in irritation.

“What are you wearing….” 

If it was anything other than an Endeavor onesie, Natsuo might have thought Hiroshi looked cute. (He still thought it, but refused to acknowledge the thought, instead burying it under his disdain for anything Endeavor related.)

An Endeavor onesie he had purchased sometime ago worked perfectly. All snug in a bug, Hiroshi sat with the hood covering the mess of his pink hair. Hands, nearly swallowed by the long sleeves, held onto a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

He regrets ever opening his mouth. He didn’t know why he even said anything in the first place. He wanted to be friendly, he guessed. By insulting him? No, that didn’t make sense. He wanted to comment on his art. He did genuinely think it was good, but of course he couldn’t let the fact that the subject was Endeavor slide. He impulsively made that sly comment about his dad without thinking about how the other boy would feel about it. He shouldn’t be surprised that he wasn’t happy with someone insulting the person they looked up to. He definitely wouldn’t like it.

He lets out a heavy sigh and leans his elbow against the table, turning his gaze back to the boy across from him, an apologetic look on his face. “Yeah, I know, you’re right.. I shouldn’t have said anything at all, so…uh, I’m sorry, okay? Your art is really cool. I meant when I said your art was good…”

Wait. What? He was backing down? Saying...sorry? Hiroshi stared at him, eyes blinking wide and dazed. He couldn’t see his own face but he imagined he looked rather bug-eyed. The other had changed his tune with, what Hiroshi believed to be, genuine apologies and regret. Wide eyes shifted from side to side but they continued to find a place on the young man across from him.

Natsuo wasn’t an asshole. Or at least, he tried not to be, but there he was making someone feel bad for their interest. He regretted letting his temper get the better of him when the other boy flinched. He hated how much just the mention of his father could get him riled up. 

He exhaled heavily and leaned back in his seat, shoulders falling in defeat. He’d rather die than be the exact same person he hated. 

“Whatever. Do what you want. It’s none of my business. I just want to eat and then I’ll be out of your hair,” he said, half grumbling as he hunched over his lunch and stabbed at his rice aggressively with his chopsticks. 

Pretty chopsticks, the boy had said, right? God, he was weird. It was just Natsuo’s luck he’d find the only seat at a table with a guy like him. 

Hiroshi’s lips pursed into a frowned pout. Walls shrinking in on themselves and capturing in the very awkwardness he had known since his beginning. “You made it your business when you commented on it.” Did...did he say that aloud? 

Natsuo sits back, squaring his shoulders as a scowl makes its way to his face. He really hadn’t been trying to start anything. He knew well enough that Endeavor was popular and while he had his own personal feelings about his father, he understood why people liked him. He didn’t fault them for it, either. They didn’t know what he was really like, so it wasn’t their fault. 

But still, seeing people blindly worship him irritated him.

“I wasn’t trying to make fun of you. I was complimenting your art. It’s really good, but you’re wasting your talent on that egotistical asshole,” he says, using his chopsticks to point at the notebook the other was hugging to his chest aggressively. 

Okay. Okay, yeah, that hadn’t worked. At all. He only had the other student furious. Gesturing towards his favorited notebook like it some offensive idol, Hiroshi flinched. He wished he hadn’t, it made him look weak, didn’t it? 

He wasn’t expecting the kid to have such an overreaction to his comment. He had just been trying to take a low blow at his father. He didn’t think the other boy would take it to heart like that. He sat back a little and blinked at Hiroshi. 

“Uh, so I take it you’re a big fan, huh,” he comments dryly, sarcasm barely concealed. It wasn’t the first time he’d met a fan of his fathers, but this boy took it beyond what he was used to. 

“I’m sorry, uh, I didn’t mean anything was wrong with the pose or anything. I’m just, uh, not a real big fan of Endeavor.” The understatement almost makes him laugh but he manages to keep a straight face. “Sorry.”

“Ah-?” What was that tone? It jarringly dry, if not sardonic. Hardly seemed like a fan at all with that sort of jab. Would this be another one of those ‘haters’, as Hiroshi had come to call them nowadays. The notebook containing various sketches went snug against his chest, Hiroshi holding it tight. 

Endeavor is the coolest!

Uh-huh, Hiroshi. 

He’s the best! Best best best!

Yup, All Might sure is great, honey.

Wha-!?

Natsuo averts his gaze, the other’s response and gaping gaze making him feel self-conscious. Was it weird that he sat down here? Was he really that unwelcome? He supposed it would be natural to suspect someone that you didn’t know sitting down with you for lunch. 

He’s just contemplating packing up his lunch and leaving when the other speaks again. He blinks a little and glances down at his lunch. “Uh, it’s nothing special. Just leftovers from dinner last night…” he says, then clears his throat and nods at Hiroshi’s notebook. 

“You’re…you’re really good by the way. You almost make him look cool.”

“Huh?” Hiro jutted his head forward, jaw going slack. “Oh you mean the drawing? Oh, uhm, thanks. But wait, almost make him look cool? Awww maaan!” 

“ No problem dude.” He told the other rubbing the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward himself with how empty his side of the room was, he left most of his things in the boxes he brought them in because of his habit he had kept from high school of trying to spent more time out of his living space than in it. 

“ I’m studying health and welfare, sorry you got paired up with such a boring degree compared to animation. Probably would have been better for you to be put with one of the art students but I guess they were running out of dorm spaces.”

“Health and welfare? Soooo, doctor stuff?” Medical field? That was...interesting, Hiroshi supposed. Giving check-ups to kids or old people. Yup, that would certainly be a way to live one’s life.