Play Nice (Tomura Shigaraki x Reader)

Chapter 12: Return to Previous Save Point?

The calm she'd achieved through her revelation at the diner was very short-lived. As soon as she saw her house on the walk home, her anxiety and dread came back in full force. She didn't want to go inside. She knew what was waiting for her there — the same thing that had been waiting for her the last time she'd called Shigaraki's bluff, if not worse. Honestly, the brutal scolding she'd received from her Dad that day would be the best case scenario.

The worst was that he was already out of a job.

Mirio squeezed her hand, "Hey? Are you sure you're okay now?"

She looked up at him. He wasn't nearly as concerned as he had been earlier — didn't have the reason to be— but he could obviously tell that everything wasn't quite back to normal yet.

Should she tell him? She should, right? She didn't even need to give the full details, just something like "I'm worried my Dad's going to lose his job". If she was really going to try to invest herself in this relationship again, she should be confiding that stuff in him.

She squeezed his hand back and smiled, "Yeah. Just kind of emotionally drained, you know?"

Baby steps. There was no need to worry him unnecessarily. She'd confide in him about this when there was actually something to confide about. She wasn't lying at least, she really was overwhelmed.

"Of course," he brushed her hair back over her ear, hand lingering to hold her cheek. She stared up at him, captured for a moment by the way he looked at her. The love in his eyes. She knew that whoever could reciprocate that one day would be one lucky person.

He leaned down and pressed his lips sweetly to her own. They were full and gentle, warm and still subtly sweet from the slice of cheesecake they'd shared at the diner. Free of roughness and scarring, undemanding, and not a hint of energy drink on them.

Mirio pulled away just a little bit, the tip of his nose still brushing her own, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"More than that?" she grinned, "I don't think so."

He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her again, this one just as sweet as the last.

They didn't linger much longer than that. Mirio Togata was a gentleman that would never think of copping a feel or even slipping her a little tongue in her parents' driveway. Instead, he stood fast on the sidewalk and waved her off, not turning to leave until she was closing the front door behind her. She had no reason to complain, he was just being a good boyfriend and making sure she got home safe. But it did make it impossible to let her guard down and brace herself before she was actually in the lion's den.

So, she didn't announce when she was home — easing the door open and closed and slipping off her shoes as quietly as possible. She glued herself to the wall of the engawa, listening for any hint to her family's fate. Crying, yelling, hopeless silence. She was not expecting:

"Three sixes."

"Bluff!"

"...you sure about that?"

"YOU'RE KIDDING ME!!"

She walked into the living room to see the scene for herself, moved forward by confusion alone. Confusion that only skyrocketed when she saw her family at the dining table, her little brother grumpily pulling a center pile of cards into his hand.

"You know, it's wrong to lie to your kids!" her brother whined.

"But it's so fun though," her Dad laughed, bopping him on the nose with his own two-carded hand.

"Hey sweetie," her Mom greeted her, "Have a nice date?"

"Y-Yeah..." she answered cautiously, scanning for any sign of distress from the trio, "Lots of fun."