Shape of a Miracle EP 2 - FreezeFrame

they're mine

"Woah."

The words sort of spill out of him, like he doesn't even realise he said it. Peering over the corner of the little white house, he hadn't been able to look away from the fight. It was thrilling. Terrifying. And pretty dang insane. And Mew? She was awesome! Completely reckless, sure, but dang if she didn't try to make the best out of a bad situation. Without a second to breathe, she easily dodged every single one it's attacked, jumped out a window, saved a few nobodies along the way and seemed to even lead the villian right where she wanted it to be. All roughly within a span of a few minutes. She's got more than guts, she's made of damn steel! Man, this really gets his blood pumping. Is that ok? Is it ok to feel like this? It's kinda like how he felt when he was The Pied Player.

It's kind of like how he felt when he was a little kid...

"I found it!"

He jumps at the high-pitched voice to his left. It's Tikki, trying to drag out the little red box out of a big pile of snow down the alleyway. That's right! before the fight distracted him, he was looking for the box he threw of the ladybug miraculous.

Well, whatever, at least he found it now. He walks over to Tikki and pulls the now open box out of the snow.

"Oh thank goodness!" Tikki sighs "Y'know for a minute there I thought- Ishida, there's only one earring!"

He looks inside the box more thoroughly. She's right, there's only one.

"We have to find the other one." She squeaks "Otherwise they won't work."

"Okay, Okay..." he sighs and kneels down on the snow to continue rummaging through it.

"You alright?"

For the third time, Ishida freezes. He knows that voice . He sneaks down the alleyway, and there, at the back of the little white house, Shimada and the other girl now reside. Shimada leans against the house's brick wall, his school bag lying in reach, while the girl with long black hair sits in the snow, curled up in a ball.

"What do you think?" The girl snaps.

Shimada smiles "I think you should be chipper that you got to see Mew. She saved you no less."

Why did she do that? Why did she save them? Yeah, she's a superhero and all that, but it's not like they were in any real danger. If anything, trying to help them only hurt her in the end. If she knew what they were really like, who they really are, he bet she wouldn't be that willing to help them. But that's probably the selfish option, huh? That's probably something he would do. But he can't help but feel that she should be focusing on her own fight rather than whether or not these chumps make it out.

"I'm just saying..." Shimada continues "You should consider this a net positive. Tomorrow you can brag to all your friends that you saw her. You can keep the possible near death experience to yourself."

The girl sulks, shrinking in her thick purple sleeves. "Yeah..." she whines "Like any of them would believe me."

"I'd believe you."

She looks back up at Shimada. He's now crouching down to her level, holding up his see-through umbrella over the both of them. She pouts and carefully pulls herself back to her feet.

"You were there ." She hisses, patting the snow off of her skirt "Of course you would believe me."

"Right. Then let's get you home." He says "By the way, is this yours?"

He pulls out an earring out of his pocket. But not just any earring. It's the missing earring. The Ladybug miraculous!

"Ishida-!" Tikki urgently whispers in Ishida's ear.

" I know." Ishida cuts her off "but..."

He sighs, continuing to cowardly hide in the alleyway as his grip on its corner begins to tighten. He knows he has to get it back, they're already getting ready to leave. But he can't seem to find the courage to step into view.

"Y'know... You don't have to get it back..." Tikki admits "You could... just give him the other earring."

Ishida turns to her. She nudges her head round the corner, where Shimada's bag lies, it's just within reach. Ishida could drop the miraculous box into it without either of them noticing. He can finally be rid of this responsibility. Finally, he has an out.

" What?" The catty girl says to Shimada, looking down at the earring he's holding up to her "where'd you get it?"

"So I take that as a no..." he says holding it up to his eye "I found it on the ground. It looks antique, but I can't tell the origin. Either way, it might cost a pretty penny, so it's definitely a find..."

"You're gonna sell trash?" She whines.

He turns around to pick up his bag "laugh now, but don't come crying to me when..."

Shimada trails off, and looks up at the sudden appearance of a very familiar face. It's Ishida.

Ishida stands there, now out of the alleyway, unable to know if his legs are shaking from the cold or from something else. The two popular teens stare at him in silence, although Shimada seems to look right through him.

"Th-" his voice cracks, throat completely dry "that's... " he points to the earring in Shimada's hand "Mine... Actually..."

Someone please kill him.

shimada's brow rises slightly.

"A-ah, well...!" He holds the little red box with the other earring in it "see?"

Shimada seems to ignore him, looking down at the other earring in his hand. It quickly dawns on Ishida the very real fact that although Shimada isn't the type to get his hands dirty, he always gets what he wants. And if he wants the earrings...

But his thoughts are cut off with a burst of laughter.

"Ah, Ishida!" The girl awkwardly sniggers "you're such a lameass! Don't you know earrings are for girls and edgy wannabes?"

She snatches the earring from Shimada's hands and throws it at Ishida, belting out a forced laugh.

"Let's go , Shimada." The girl sneers, grabbing onto his umbrella " Please."

Shimada blankly stares at her for a moment, then his confident yet relaxed smile grows back on his face.

"Sure thing, Nao."

And without looking back, they both walk into the snowy streets, disappearing round the corner.

He looks down at the other earring, putting it back with the other in the box. Tikki zips out of the alleyway with a big grin on her face.

"D-don't give me that look... " He squeaks "It's not what you think, I just can't stand the thought of Shimada being a superhero..."

He sighs in anguish, walking back through the alleyway to the railing to the river. It's dark as hell but he can vaguely see something running along its surface. They're still there, the monster and Mew. There's no turning back now. He needs to help. He needs to give her the ladybug miraculous.