{COMPLETE} Should Have Realized Sooner [Miritama]

6. Agreement & Objection

Mirio, Nejire, and the other two first years who received their hero licenses often got what most of the other first years would call "special treatment". Mirio would lightly describe it as "unnecessary attention", especially since it didn't help this already strained relationship with his classmates. One day, he was out walking around with Nejire and complaining about it.

"Ughhhh, I just don't get it," Mirio groaned. "I'm already not doing great in school, they're not helping,"

"It's your fault for getting your license," Nejire laughed. "We knew that most people don't get their licenses on the first try, you could have thrown it until we tried again next time,"

"You know I could never do that Nejire," Mirio said.

"Yeah, I do know that," Nejire nodded. "Oh look!" She said, pointing behind Mirio. "It's the old pier,"

Mirio turned around and, lo and behold, those two tall pillars he knew all too well were standing there sturdy as ever, and by that he means "barely standing".

"Oh..." Mirio breathed. "I didn't realize we walked this far out,"

"I know right?" Nejire giggled, skipping over to the first pillar, lightly tapping it with her fist, and jumping back when it groans dangerously in protest. "I never come down here," she explained, nervously shuffling away from the poll.

Mirio was amused by her cautiousness towards the structure. "I use to come down here all the time," he laughed.

"You did?" Nejire questioned. "Why?" She asked.

"Oh, um," Mirio hummed. "I use to hang out down here with Tamaki,"

"Really?" Nejire asked. "You always described Tamaki as smart and anxious, he doesn't exactly sound like the type to walk down to the most unsteady structure I've ever seen,"

"Haha, yeah," Mirio laughed again, walking over to a pillar and running his fingers down it, causing to creak from deep inside the decaying wood. "I never got a straight answer from him whenever I asked him about it,"

"Asked him about what?" Nejire asked.

"Why he ever agreed to go down the pier, he obviously was weary of it but he never refused to go except for that one time," Mirio explained.

"Really?" Nejire questioned. "He never gave you anything?"

Mirio looked out at the water and thought back, skimming through all his memories to see if Tamaki had ever given any good answer to Mirio's frequently asked question.

"Tamaki come on," Mirio whined. "There's gotta be some reason, just think," the two of them were sitting in Tamaki's bedroom doing homework and Mirio couldn't help but try and wrestle an answer out of him.

"There's nothing to say Mirio, we've already gone out to the pier a ton of times, let it go," Tamaki said, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"Come on," Mirio begged, rolling his eyes. "You complain that I don't hang out with others but you shouldn't just be going along with whatever I want to do,"

"That's not fair, I don't go down to the pier just because you do," Tamaki argued. "And I really just don't have any reason I could give you,"

"But you do!" Mirio exclaimed. "You do have a reason and I can see it on your dumb, cute, anxious face, you're just not telling me," Mirio accused.

"Fine, what do you want to hear?" Tamaki asked, adjusting himself and tucking his knees under himself. "That I have a death wish?"

Mirio suddenly looked at him, horrified. "Do you?"

"No!" Tamaki exasperated. "Of course not, but I seriously don't know what me to tell you.

"The truth Tamaki! I don't know why you don't want to let me know," Mirio argued.

"That must've been fun," Nejire commented, interrupting Mirio's thought process.

"Oh yeah," Mirio agreed, looking over at her. "It was honestly infuriating,"

"Wow, really?" Nejire asked, shocked. "Tamaki Amajiki, innocent, cute, anxious boy that you don't stop thinking about, can annoy the Mirio Togata? What a miracle,"

Mirio laughed. "It's not like you don't do your fair share of annoying me,"

Nejire slapped her hand over her heart and gasped, pretending to be offended. "How dare,"

"Oh please," Mirio laughed harder. "You calling Tamaki my boyfriend alone annoys me enough to make me question our friendship,"

"Okay okay, you look me in the eye right now and tell me there wasn't at least a little sexual tension between you two and I'll tell you you're a liar," Nejire said, taking a step closer to Mirio, poking him in the chest, and Mirio just looked down at her with an unimpressed look.

"You didn't object this time," Nejire sang, putting her hands behind her back and turning away from him. 'That means I'm winning, come on," she said, nodding forwards and walking on, Mirio gave one more sad glance at the pier before following after her.

The two of them walked around for another hour before they went their separate ways, Mirio was on his way home when he started thinking about Tamaki again. Tamaki had only ever refused to go down the pier with him and it still shocked Mirio to this day.

"No!" Tamaki yelled, digging his heels into the ground as he tried to pull Mirio in the opposite direction of the pier. The sudden outburst from him shocked Mirio and he stumbled slightly, causing Tamaki to stumble too.

"O-okay," Mirio agreed, a bit unsettled. "We don't have to go, but what's wrong?" He asked

"I-I just do-don't w-want to," Tamaki said, letting go of Mirio, anxiously hugging himself, and looking away.

"Uh, alright," Mirio says, still sort of weirded out by how Tamaki was being. "Is there anything wrong? I've never, uh..." Mirio didn't know how to finish his sentiment so he just let it petter out.

"It's fine," Tamaki assured. "Don't worry about it, let's go home," he said and started walking.

"Don't worry?" Mirio questioned indignantly, following behind him. "That only makes me more worried,"

"Well then that's your problem," Tamaki said, sounding rather annoyed and started walking faster.

"My problem?" Mirio echoed. "Tamaki, what's with you right now? You were fine earlier," Mirio ran ahead of Tamaki and stopped right in front of him, blocking his path.

Tamaki looked away from him and crossed his arms. "It doesn't matter,"

"Tamaki," Mirio pleaded, reaching out and grabbing Tamaki's forearms. "Of course it matters if it's bothering you so much."

"I-" Tamaki started but cut himself off with a sigh. "Do you remember that time I got beat up and you met me down there?"

"Of course I do! How could I forget," Mirio said.

"It's just that I don't want to go back there," Tamaki whimpered. "They could be down there and I can't go through that again, it was so embarrassing,"

"Oh Tamaki," Mirio muttered, stepping closer to him and wrapping his arms around him. "Look, If anyone even thinks about touching you, they'll have to go through me,"

Tamaki gave a watery chuckle and reciprocated the hug. "Literally," he mumbled into the cloth of Mirio's shirt.

"Yeah..." Mirio said, subconsciously squeezing Tamaki a little tighter, almost afraid of letting go. "Literally,"