apathy

broken hearts sound like shattered plates

Hitoshi doesn't really think when he takes off—he faintly hears Tsuyu and Uraraka call after him, but he's too busy pushing past the crowd to listen. The alley that Izuku disappeared into is frighteningly empty. Even as he runs deeper, there's no sign of Izuku or the man who looks jarringly like the wanted posters of Shigaraki Tomura anywhere.

He calls Izuku's name a few times, loud and frantic, but stops when he notices people starting to look at him. Izuku clearly isn't here. Hitoshi considers going to the detectives - he knows they'll take him seriously if he tells them about this. If Izuku has been kidnapped, every second could count. Still, he hesitates.

It didn't look like Izuku was being dragged away. He'd gone willingly, backing away even before the Shigaraki look-alike had shown up behind him. There had been no sign of coercion involved. Hitoshi wasn't even totally sure that the man had been Shigaraki - he's never seen the villain in person. He has a bad feeling, but that's it. If he's wrong and he sends out the alarm for no reason, what will happen the next time? When something really is wrong?

Hitoshi doesn't know what to do. He pulls his phone out and tries to message Izuku; first asking if he's by the mall, then if he's okay. With each passing second that Izuku doesn't answer Hitoshi's anxiety only rises. He shoots off a couple more, practically begging Izuku to answer him and let him know that he hasn't gone missing. That this is some misunderstanding, that he's actually at home with his mom like he said he was going to be.

He pauses. Right, Izuku said he'd be at home. So, maybe he'd seen wrong. Maybe there was another depressed teen with green hair wandering around and Izuku was safe at home.

He knows this isn't the case. He knows his best friend when he sees him. Hitoshi knows, but he still turns on his heel, clinging to the false hope, and sprints towards Izuku's apartment building. If Izuku isn't there, he'll tell Tsukauchi and Sansa. He'll raise the alarm so quickly that Izuku won't be gone for more than a day, probably. He just has to make sure there's an alarm to raise, first.

It takes about fifteen minutes to get to the building, and maybe five more before someone answers the door. Inko Midoriya is kind enough to let Hitoshi in instead of turning him away at , so Hitoshi finds himself seated at the Midoriya dining room table, watching as Izuku's mom putters around the kitchen making tea. She looks tired.

"Sorry for waking you up," Hitoshi says. "I just need to - Izuku, is he home?"

"It's alright, Hitoshi-kun," Midoriya-san dismisses, sending him a polite smile. He does his best to return it but it feels odd on his face. Luckily she turns back to the kettle, missing it. "Izuku said he was going with you to the mall today. I didn't know you would be coming to pick him up, though. That's very sweet of you."

Hitoshi can't bring himself to answer. Panic is slowly rising in his throat the longer he sits in this chair. He knows he needs to call Tsukauchi right now, before it's too late. Does he tell Izuku's mom, too? She'll hear either way once they start looking. She deserves to know.

Before he can do anything, a door down a hallway opens. Hitoshi feels like he's watching himself in a film when he turns his head to look at the movement. He suddenly feels like a puppet with all of its strings cut, relief rushing through him. Izuku is standing in the doorway to his room. Unharmed. Not kidnapped.

"Izuku," he breaths, lurching up from his seat. Midoriya-san turns at that, smiling at her son from the stove.

"I guess there isn't time for tea," she chuckles as she sets aside the kettle. "If you boys don't mind, I'm going back to bed. Have fun today, okay?"

Neither of them answer, too busy staring at each other, and she doesn't wait for them to. Hitoshi hears her door shut somewhere behind him and finally takes a step towards Izuku. He looks bad; like he had during the exam. Blank. He doesn't say anything as Hitoshi approaches him, just steps aside so Hitoshi can enter the room. Hitoshi waits until Izuku has shut the door behind them before he talks.