Love and Sacrifice (Eraserdust/An Eye for An Eye Part 2)

Chapter 2: A New Opportunity

   Tomura Shigaraki glanced up at the clock hanging above the window across from his register at the gas station he was working at.
   7:30 PM.
   'Just a half hour longer to go before I finally get to go home', he thought to himself. There was a shelter just down the road that had been connected to the Villain Redemption Program Shota had him join about a few months ago that he had called his new home. Not too long after, he decided it'd be best to get his earnings in a more legal manner.
   'This is all for Shota', he often thought. Tomura barely even paid attention to the customer in front of him, nor did he pay any mind to the items he was scanning.
   "That'll be ¥940", Tomura said in the nicest voice he could muster. He was exhausted from how much he had worked lately and he especially wasn't used to working in customer service, so having to be nice to others was draining for him. He knew it was worth it, though, if he wanted to continue a life with Shota. Even thinking so, he was still unsure of whether or not he had made the right decision. Did he make it on impulse? Did he really just abandon his friends and his life goals over some hero he found incredibly sexy? Yes, but was he proud of it? Was this something he could continue doing? Is this something he truly believes in? How could he have made such a drastic life decision so quickly, unless he truly didn't care about his boyfriend or allies?
   He snapped himself out of his thoughts to bring his hand up to his nose. He wore a long sleeved gray sweatshirt and its sleeves were longer than his arms. While the customer was paying, he took a subtle sniff at the fabric. It was Shota's, the one he was given just before they had stopped seeing each other. It smelled just like his cologne and his favorite brand of cigarettes. God, he missed taking in his scent while he was in Shota's arms. To have that kiss he had back at home before he greeted Shota goodbye. He was absolutely addicted to Shota's smell and couldn't seem to get enough of it.
   'I'm weird', he said to himself in his mind. He brought his arm back down at the sound of the card reader dinging, signifying the end of the customer's transaction. He once again shook himself away from his thoughts and greeted the customer a good day. He waited until he left to look around the store. The gas station may have been open 24 hours, but his shift had ended at 8 that night. His hours tended to change every week. One day he'd work an eight hour, another a five. He had no problem with it, though. At least he wasn't working as diligently or as hard as he used to, with all of the illegal business and all. A part of him did in fact miss that, however.
   He had realized the lights had been dimmed so as to not cause much of a headache, which his boss liked to do at night. He had also noticed he was the only one up front. No customers wandering the small store, no coworkers restocking the shelves. Just him standing behind the register counter, watching the minutes slowly tick by. He looked over his shoulder to the window that led to the office behind him and saw his manager clicking away at her computer, possibly recording some data for the night before they had to leave. It was just him and her, and he liked having these kinds of quiet evening shifts. His boss was usually strict on his phone usage during his shifts, but she wasn't looking and she was lenient as the hours passed anyways. Tomura decided to check his phone, which he hadn't been able to do since his shift started around 2. A lot of his notifications had been worried messages from the League, urging their leader to come back, others were seemingly careless texts from the Meta Liberation Army and the Shie Hassaikai wondering what he was doing and where he was, and that there was unfinished business to attend to. There were also some from All For One and Dr. Garaki lecturing him on how he made the wrong decision, that this was unlike him and that he was stupid for what he had done. Multiple threats had been made and all that. Tomura usually would've been worried about displeasing his master, but recalling back to previous conversations he had with Shota about his life, he realized both All For One and the doctor were incredibly toxic and obviously didn't treat him right. So instead of trying to make things right with his so-called adoptive father he ignored every single message, even from his boyfriend, Spinner. He wasn't sure what it was, but he had felt more distant after finding Shota and his new job. Whether it was falling out of love or he was just more focused on his new life he wasn't sure, but he didn't want to spend too much time thinking about it, so instead of troubling himself with a never ending cycle of overthinking about what he could've done different, he also ignored messages he had received from Spinner. There were many notifications he scrolled through and he was about to clear them away from his phone screen, but before he did, one in particular caught his eye. He had Shota saved on his phone as '😽Eraser-kun💞', though he refused to share that with Shota. He debated whether to save his contact as that or "Daddyzawa", but he decided to embarrass himself less by saving it as the other, just so he wouldn't have to deal with his coworkers or even Shota catching it.
   The text had read, "Hey, precious. It's been a while since we saw each other. I miss you so much. I've been dying to see you. Can I visit you when you're free? I'd like to hear all the updates you have for me".
   Tomura blushed profusely for multiple reasons; at the name Shota used for him and the way he talked to him as well as the fact he wanted to see him. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see if his manager was still on her computer. To his relief, she was and he read the message over at least a few times before even thinking of a response. Yes, they had texted earlier but this message was different. It was an opportunity to see him for the first time in a couple months, to finally take in his scent again. He just had to seize that chance.
   He replied back with, "Hi, my love 💕!! It has been a while and I really miss you tbh. I'm off this weekend if you're free. Can't wait to hear your voice and see your handsome face 😺"
   He usually wasn't gushing over people or using so many emojis in text the way he was, but for some reason Shota brought out that feminine side of him, and he wasn't sure whether to hate that side or to embrace it.
   The store was pretty much dead right up until Tomura's shift ended at 8. Before clocking out, he had made sure with his manager that he was all free to go and that there was nothing else he had to do. He walked out of the gas station with only his phone and charger. He didn't really need to bring much anyways, not like he had anything else to bring. The slight cool air and beautiful evening sky greeted him as he left the store. The breeze was comfortable enough without a coat, but of course Tomura clung to his sweatshirt and never wanted to take it off. The sun was just starting to set, lighting the sky a pretty orange and the clouds a bright pink. It was a quiet, peaceful walk home aside from Tomura blasting music in his earbuds with his hands shoved in his pockets.
   Finally, he had something to look forward to this weekend.
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