{COMPLETE} Should Have Realized Sooner [Miritama]

1. An Old Keychain

"What?" Mirio asked, horrified. He was standing on the Amajiki family's doorstep and had come over to see Tamaki since he hadn't seen him since Mirio's first day at U.A, which, speaking of U.A, Tamaki didn't get in and that honestly blew Mirio's mind. It's been a week since he started his new life at U.A and not starting it without Tamaki almost hurt him. Sure, Tamaki was physically present, the two of them walked to the campus together, but Tamaki wasn't going to be with him all the time like he use to be.

The whole week had been so crazy that he couldn't find the time to ever even reach out to Tamaki and Mirio had tried to call him a few times just the day before, but no answers. So here Mirio was, standing on his best friend's porch, being informed that he hadn't been seen since Monday morning, that morning he had started U.A. Mirio's mind was running a mile a minute trying to wrestle the image of Tamaki's sudden disappearance into a frame. Did Tamaki run away? Was he taken? What was he doing now? Was he hurt? Was he even still alive? It was all painful to think about.

Tamaki's mother, Tsukareta Amajiki, seemed to see the nervous cogs turning in Mirio's head and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder to give him a pained reassuring sort of smile. "Togata, Tamaki is strong, if he were in danger, he could get out of it," she says this somberly, stating facts, but not really believing in them herself.

Mirio grabs the hand on his shoulder and squeezes is gently. "Of course, Tamaki is great, I should probably get out of your hair," he says, stepping back a bit before continuing more softly and sad. "Could you... tell me if you hear anything though?"

Tsukareta nodded, not trying to force a smile this time, and she turned back inside, closing the door behind her. Mirio was now walking down a surprisingly quiet street, it was about 4 PM and the once sunny and busy day was suddenly cloudy and silent, but he wasn't mad since it definitely complimented the mood he was now in.

He soon came back to his own home, entering the house without his usual, cheerful, announcement of his arrival. His dad poked his head out of his study to see who was there, confused that it was his son wasn't his usual happy and bright self and seemed to be thinking gravely over something.

"Mirio?" He questioned, not getting any better reaction out of him. No reaction at all really since Mirio just kept his head down and made his way to by his bedroom, too deep in thought to register his father calling out to him. Once he made it to his door, his father called out again.

"Mirio? Is everything alright?" This time, Mirio was snapped out of his thoughts and he looked over to his dad, or what he could see of him poking out of his office.

"Um, dad, I don't think I can eat dinner tonight, I'll be staying in here," Mirio said, entering his room and closing the door behind him without waiting for a response.

Mirio mindlessly changes out of his school uniform and into his sleepwear. He flopped onto his bed stared at the ceiling, holding a pillow and thinking, worrying, even more about his dear friend. Glancing over to see what time it was, he saw a keychain hanging from the lamp on his bedside table. Mirio remembers the day he got that keychain and smiles softly to himself as he recalls the memory.

It was a warm day in April around 7 years prior and Mirio was teetering along the curb stops, Tamaki not too far away and walking normally on the sidewalk.

"Aren't you worried about falling?" Tamaki asked at a volume best described as just above a whisper.

"Huh?" Mirio questioned, quickly spinning to face Tamaki, too quickly, as he stumbled and nearly toppled over. "Oh, well, I guess it's just that..." he thought for a moment, stepping over the stop and closer to Tamaki. "If I were to fall, you'd be there to help, right?"