Chapter Text
Apartment hunting was not, in fact, going great. It was going pretty not-great, actually, and Hizashi was starting to get irritated.
They’d been going to see places for the better part of a week now, and it had been disappointment after disappointment. He’d been a little worried that Shouta not being eighteen yet would cause some complications; but that seemed to be the least of their problems.
The real issue was every time they mentioned that they were on their way to becoming pro heroes, suddenly the apartments weren’t available anymore.
“Why the hell doesn’t anyone want heroes moving in?” Hizashi growled, tearing up a napkin as they sat at a wobbly table in a dingy little cafe. They were taking a lunch break before they went to see the last place on his list for the day, though part of him was tempted to just give up and go home and scream as loud as he could without leveling the neighborhood.
“Maybe they’re worried that heroes might accidentally bring trouble home with them?” Shouta said around a mouthful of lunch – he’d apparently been spending too much time around Oboro and had picked up some of his table manners, but at least he had the good grace to cover his mouth with his hand as he spoke.
“We are looking on the edge of rougher neighborhoods. Having heroes in the building might chase other tenants out,” Oboro pointed out; though ‘the edge’ was giving this neighborhood more credit than it was due. It was firmly in the ‘rough.’ “Heroes aren’t cops, but we work with cops.”
“What, so they’d rather have villains living there?” Hizashi grumbled.
“If they pay the rent,” Oboro laughed. “But I doubt it’s actually villains. Besides, weren’t you the one who did a whole webcast episode about the ways some heroes abuse their position and harass people?”
“We can’t be surprised that some people in these kinds of areas might be hesitant to trust us. Heroes get paid to help people in rich neighborhoods and to hassle people in poor neighborhoods,” Shouta pointed out. After a beat, he glanced away and added, “The kind of work I want to do would barely let me scrape by if I wasn’t going to be partnered up with you two.”
“What, so now I’m a sellout?” Hizashi snapped, his frustration bubbling over.
“That’s not what Shouta said,” Oboro said, bumping Hizashi with his shoulder.
“Yeah, sure, fine,” Hizashi grumbled, standing up. “Come on, let’s go and get this over with.”
He didn’t wait for his friends before he pushed the door open, glowering at the gentle tinkle of the bell that chimed as he stomped out onto the street. He heard the bell again as Shouta and Oboro followed behind him, but he didn’t pause to wait for them.
Moments later, Shouta had hurried up to fall into step beside him. Gentle fingers reached out and took hold of his hand, and despite all the irritation brewing inside him, Hizashi felt his heart flutter at the touch.
“You’re going to be a damn good hero,” Shouta said quietly. “I couldn’t do the kinds of things you can do. Not just with your Quirk, but because of who you are.”
Hizashi swallowed, but didn’t say anything. Shouta squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back. “We’ll find a place,” Shouta reassured him. “A few setbacks are bound to happen. You’ve thought this through, I trust you’ll figure it out.” Shouta tugged on his hand, and Hizashi glanced over at him. “I’m excited to live with you,” he murmured, a tiny, soft smile spreading across his face.
Hizashi’s phone pinged in his pocket, then Shouta’s buzzed, but before either of them could check their messages, Oboro popped his head over their shoulders, grinning broadly. “That’s just me, you can thank me later!” he said before darting around them and jogging ahead. Hizashi shared a puzzled look with Shouta, and they both took out their phones.
It was a photo.
A pair of photos, actually. Oboro had obviously just taken them while he was walking behind them.
The first one was the two of them walking side by side, holding hands. In the second, they were still holding hands, looking at each other, and you could just barely make out their expressions from the profile of their faces.
Gods, Shouta was beautiful.
And Hizashi…
“Do I really look like that?” he asked.
“Like what?” Shouta said, tearing his eyes away from the pictures.
Hizashi felt himself blushing. “Like I’m smitten with you.”
“I don’t know about smitten… But I always like it when you look at me like this,” Shouta said, holding up his phone. “Even if I do look ridiculous.”
“You look gorgeous,” Hizashi corrected.
“Shaddup,” Shouta said, ducking his head to try and hide his blush behind the dark curtain of his hair. He started walking briskly, tugging Hizashi along with him.
“Sorry I snapped at you,” Hizashi said as he fell into step. “I’m just frustrated.”
“I know,” Shouta said. “Don’t worry, I’ll still love you, even when you’re a sellout.”
“Wha-! You-! How dare-!” Hizashi sputtered, torn between being affronted by the implication that he’d ever be a sellout, and pride at Shouta for an excellent burn.
“We’re here,” Shouta said as they caught up to Oboro, standing outside a small, sad looking building.
Hizashi’s eyes traveled up the faded facade, past the vacant storefront and up to what must be the windows to the apartment on the floor above it. It was a narrow building, sandwiched between larger ones to either side of it. The sun-bleached outline of old signage was barely visible along the top of the storefront, but Hizashi couldn’t quite make out what it said. At the bottom corner by the big display window, someone had painted delicate flowering vines that looked like they were sprouting from the sidewalk and climbing up along the side of the building; but the design was chipped and peeling. The pale blue paint on the front door of the shop was peeling as well, revealing a deep red layer of paint beneath with what looked like TATTOO written in bold, black lettering.
“Was this a florist shop?” Oboro asked, peering through the darkened window into the empty storefront. “Or a tattoo parlor?”
“Both, actually,” said a nervous looking man as he stepped out of a doorway set into the wall next to the shop’s entrance. “Not at the same time, of course. The tattoo shop had moved out before the florist moved in. It’s also been a marketing firm, a barber shop, and a nail salon. But that’s only been the past three or four years, there were many others that came before.”
“Do you normally come out and tell people about the string of businesses that were in here?” Shouta asked the man.
“Oh! No,” the man said quickly, “I’m just waiting for someone! Several someones, actually. Are you them?”
“Are you Mr. Terayama?” Hizashi asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Yes! Yes, yes, yes, good good, you must be Mr. Yamada then?” Terayama asked, his eyes lighting up as he clasped his hands in front of his chest, bowing slightly.
“That’s me!” Hizashi kept his voice cheerful, but he wasn’t sure what to make of Terayama.
On the surface, the man seemed pretty well put together; dressed neatly, hair combed… but at the same time he seemed… scattered? Like he would put his keys in the refrigerator instead of the milk, or try and microwave a bowl of ice cream because he forgot he wasn’t making soup. And there was something… skittery about him, especially the way his hands fluttered around in the air every time he spoke.
“Oh, wonderful, wonderful!” Terayama grinned, bouncing slightly on his toes, his hands tracing those dancing paths in the air again. “And these young men would be the other two interested in the apartment with you?” Terayama asked; without bothering to wait for an answer, he turned back towards the door he’d come out of, beckoning for them to follow him. “Come in, come in, I’ll show you up.”
Hizashi shared a glance with his friends. Oboro shrugged while Shouta watched Terayama head inside. With a shrug of his own, Hizashi led the others forward as they followed Terayama. The jittery man was already halfway up a narrow staircase, still talking.
“It’s only a two bedroom, you gentlemen understand that, yes?” Terayama was saying. “You could maybe fit two futons into one of the rooms; but honestly, truly, it would be difficult to-”
“First things first,” Hizashi said with a smile, trying to get Terayama back on track, “Gotta see the digs before we can start sweating the details!”
“Oh, of course, of course! Here we are!” he said, leading them down a short hallway. After fumbling around in each of his pockets, he finally found the key and unlocked the door, ushering them inside. “Now I must warn you that it’s not overly spacious, especially for three strapping gentlemen like yourself,” Terayama said, eyeing them warily; Oboro in particular.
“You ain’t kiddin,” Oboro laughed as they got their first look at the space.
“It’s… not that bad,” Hizashi muttered while Terayama took his shoes off in the genkan. Hizashi hesitated. There was only one set of sad looking house slippers there, so in the end he kept his shoes on.
The place would need some serious cleaning either way.
“Has it been a while since anyone lived in this space?” Shouta asked, trying to peer around everyone blocking his view.
“Yes, yes, you can see how dusty it’s gotten,” Terayama tutted, leaving a clear trail of footprints as he walked deeper into the apartment, flicking on the lights as he went. “But much of that comes from the renovations downstairs in the shop. Every time a new business comes in, they do work to make the space fit their needs, and it always seems to kick up so much dust! I do try and clean in here sometimes when it’s empty, but it slips my mind so often. So sorry, so sorry! It’s been empty for over a year now, the last tenants moved out when they found out the tattoo parlor would be opening. They worried it would bring unsavory clientele around, though truly, truly, we’ve never had any serious problems, none at all!”
“What about the flower shop?” Shouta asked, “They moved in after the tattoo parlor closed, right?”
“Yes, indeed, correct young sir, they did,” Terayama nodded, an awkward bobbing motion of his head. “But alas, it seemed as though anyone who expressed interest in the apartment in that time frame also had terrible allergies, so understandably they were hesitant to live above a florist. Such a shame, such a shame, it really was such a sweet shop,” he lamented.
“What happened to them? It seems like the businesses here have bad luck,” Hizashi said, quirking an eyebrow.
“Oh, I know, I know!” Terayama wailed, “The landlord swears this building is cursed, but he doesn’t live here, he doesn’t understand that it has charm and character that not everyone can appreciate! Too small, too small, they always complain that the space is too small, that they need something bigger, and they leave one after the other, just like the tenants.”
“Do you live in this building?” Oboro asked, peering around the space.
“Yes, indeed, right on the other side of the hall,” Terayama did his strange nodding head bob again, “Though my apartment only has one bedroom. This is the larger one.”
The larger one. Right.
It’s not that the space was tiny, but it was much smaller than what Hizashi was used to. Even the apartment that Shouta lived in with his parents was notably bigger than this.
And Hizashi couldn’t help but notice something else too. “Lots of cobwebs.”
Terayama moved his head again in that strange way that was neither a nod nor a bow, but somehow tried to be both. “Yes, there are indeed. Spiders are helpful, we almost never have roaches or other insects around.”
Shouta had slid open the door of a closet in the entryway and was looking up towards the ceiling when he turned his head to stare at Terayama in disbelief. “No roaches?”
“No, Sir, young man. Spiders are excellent hunters,” Terayama said solemnly.
Hizashi carefully opened the door to the shower room and flicked on the light. No sign of scurrying creatures retreating into dark corners. Lots of cobwebs, though.
“Not much of a kitchen,” Oboro commented, peering into the cabinets over by the small sink and single burner range.
“Ahh, but look, see, here?” Terayama said, scurrying over to point excitedly, “This little cubby is for a microwave, and over here you can plug in a rice cooker easily! And under the counter here is the refrigerator and a freezer, which I know don’t store much, but there’s a konbini two doors down from here, and a proper grocery shop just across the way, so getting fresh ingredients to make a meal doesn’t take long.”
Shouta opened the door and turned on the light as he stepped in to investigate the toilet. “No mold,” he called out.
“No, definitely not! Our pipes are good, no leaks, no mold,” Terayama said proudly.
Hizashi stood in the middle of the living space, which was a little smaller than his own bedroom at home… but the three of them fit well enough into his room, so maybe it would be fine? After all, they wouldn’t have the bed in here. He walked over to what must be one of the bedroom doors and opened it.
“That room is a little smaller,” Terayama said, materializing by Hizashi’s side. “Can’t fit two in here.” Hizashi felt Oboro’s presence at his back, so he stepped into the tiny bedroom. It had a closet and enough room for a futon, but that was about it. Barely even space for a small desk… well, maybe if it didn’t have a chair. Oboro could make his own cloud cushions to sit on, after all…
“Good outlets, plenty of places to plug in your phone or laptop,” Terayama was rambling, “And the closet is roomier than it looks!” Oboro explored the room, not that it took very long.
Hizashi backed out, looking for Shouta. He spotted him leaning inside the second bedroom, one hand braced on the doorframe. Hizashi took a nervous breath as he rested his hand on Shouta’s back, sharing a quick glance with him before they both stepped into the room together.
It was small. Like Terayama had said, you could probably fit two single futons in there, but it wouldn’t leave much space for anything else.
“Could your stuff fit here?” Shouta asked quietly.
“Maybe? Not the furniture, but my clothes and books and recording equipment… but that wouldn't leave any space for your things,” Hizashi said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
“What things?” Shouta asked. “My clothes don’t take that much space.”
Hizashi frowned at him. Sure, Shouta didn’t have tons of stuff, but Hizashi felt something uncomfortable twist inside him at the idea that almost nothing in their shared room would really belong to Shouta. “Shou-”
“See, in here it’s a bit bigger,” Terayama interrupted, entering the room, “Two can fit, but it would be, uhm, cozy, very cozy. Although, I suppose one of you could sleep in the common area, if that’s how you gentlemen preferred to arrange it. It’s only two bedrooms, with three of you, so I suppose you must have already thought of different arrangements. Otherwise you would be looking only for three bedroom places, though I know it can be hard sometimes to find a place when you’re on a budget. I was fortunate that the job of property manager came with the accommodation in the other apartment.”
“How long have you worked here?” Oboro asked, peeking into the ‘bigger’ bedroom at them.
“Oh, hmm… since I was twenty, so about twelve years now,” Terayama replied as he darted over to the windows to lift the blinds, letting in more of the afternoon sunlight. He glanced furtively over towards them, a look of shame briefly passing over his features. “I admit, I only got the position because the landlord is my stepfather. He always said this building was cursed, ever since he inherited it. Still, he’d rather have me here than sell it. Keep all the curses in one place, he says. He loses some money since businesses and tenants never ever stay, break their leases; but for him the cost is worth it to keep me out of his house.” Terayama frowned and scurried past them back out into the common area to open the blinds on those windows as well. “It’s not my fault, though! I keep the property in tip-top shape! It’s not cursed! It had problems before, but I’m an excellent property manager! I got it all in order and have kept it that way! It is dusty, yes, but no roaches and no mold! Good wires, and strong structure!”
Hizashi, Shouta, and Oboro all glanced at each other with varying looks of concern and confusion on their faces.
“Who says you’re cursed?” Hizashi asked.
“Ahh, sorry, sorry,” Terayama said, a wide-eyed, half-panicked look passing over his face as he bowed to them, “My mouth runs away from me sometimes. I don’t have to talk to people very often, so I get out of practice. There is no curse here, it’s a good building and a good apartment! It’s just small, and so many people don’t like small spaces. I know I’m a bit of an oddball, but I quite like it; not much to clean or opportunity to bring in clutter, just the things I need.”
“It is a little small, especially for three of us,” Shouta said, tipping his head as he looked at Terayama. “But is that the only reason why people don’t want to live here?”
Terayama bit his lip, eyes darting nervously around. Hizashi could see that Shouta’s question had hit on something, and now it was just a question of how Terayama was going to handle it. Was the shifty guy gonna try and lie to them, or was he gonna-
Burst into tears, wailing and kneeling on the dusty floor before them, bowing low?
Ok, not the response Hizashi had been expecting.
“No,” Terayama sobbed, “No, no it isn’t the only reason. It’s me!”
The three of them shared a look of shock before Hizashi stepped forward and reached a hand down towards the prostrate man. Whatever the problem was, there was no way this was a necessary level of apology. “Yo, come on, what’re you talkin’ about?”
Terayama knelt back up, but didn’t take Hizashi’s hand. “My Quirk,” he said sadly, holding out his hand with his palm facing up. A trio of small spiders crawled out of his sleeve onto his hand, and Hizashi recoiled, leaping back with a yelp. “They won’t harm you,” he said, looking up at Hizashi, eyes pleading for understanding. “They’re good, good friends, helpful tenants!”
Oboro placed his hand on Hizashi’s shoulder to steady him, then stepped forward and crouched down, considering the spiders. “You talk to them? Control them?” he asked.
Terayama drew a shaky breath. “Yes and no. They… like me. They are always drawn to me. We understand each other. I can’t control them, but I can ask them for things. I ask them to watch for water that drips from the pipes, and they tell me so I can fix it. If rats have chewed on the electrical wires, they let me know. They eat all the roaches, all the bugs, catch the mosquitoes; and when they run low on food here, they go searching up and down the street. They’re good neighbors! They control the pests! And they stay in the walls most of the time except when they’re hunting! I tell them, explain things, and they understand to stay away from people! But still, nobody wants to live in a building full of spiders, even when they can’t see them.”
Terayama looked down at the spiders in his hand, and they crawled back into his sleeve. “And… it’s me,” he added slowly. “I think I could understand spiders before I could understand other humans, and I think I must have learned how to do things incorrectly. I try my best, but spiders are simple and honest, and humans are so complex, and I always end up getting it wrong in ways that make people uncomfortable.”
Slowly, Terayama rocked back on his heels and stood up, though he still kept his head bowed. “I apologize,” he said to Hizashi. “
“Nah, man, don’t sweat it,” Hizashi said, even as he felt the sweat gathering beneath his own arms and at the small of his back. He forced himself to breathe, even knowing that the walls and floors were currently crawling with more spiders than he ever wanted to be around. He felt the urge to bolt, but he was gonna be chill about this. He could handle this like an adult.
“Would a cat be a problem?” Shouta asked, and everyone in the room turned to stare at him. “Yamada said he picked places that were listed as allowing pets. But cats will eat spiders, so would it cause a problem?”
Terayama blinked. “N- No, I- No. The florist had a few cats who stayed in the shop, actually. It was fine.” He glanced down towards his arm, then back at Shouta. “Spiders live and die every day. I do have favorites,” he added very quietly, eyes darting towards the door, “But they stay with me in my apartment. A spider on the hunt accepts the risks.”
Shouta nodded. “Good.”
“Aizawa,” Hizashi muttered, “Maybe we should talk a bit? In private?”
“Of course,” Shouta said, though he didn’t move from where he stood, only turned his head to look out the windows. “We’ll certainly need to discuss things. And Mr. Terayama here will need the rest of our information too, so that he can appropriately consider if we would be good tenants, right?”
“That’s right,” Oboro said, slapping Hizashi heavily on the shoulder, causing him to stumble. “Come on, you’re the one with all the paperwork!” Hizashi scowled at Oboro for a moment, before sighing and taking the papers out of his bag. He made sure his smile was back in place before he handed the stack over to Terayama, trying very hard not to think about how many spiders might be literally up the man’s sleeves.
“Please don’t feel as though you need to go through the formalities,” Terayama said as he tentatively took the stack of papers. “If you’re no longer interested-”
“If we were no longer interested, we would say so,” Shouta said. “The space is small for what the rent is, so we will need to think about it, but that doesn’t mean we’re not interested.”
“If you insist- oh,” Terayama said, looking at their pay stubs. “Oh, I understand. Your options are limited, aren’t they?”
Hizashi’s head snapped up. “Why do you say that?”
Terayama held up the papers. “Pay stubs from hero agencies. You three are pro heroes?”
“Still students,” Hizashi said slowly.
“Oh, of course, of course; but you will be soon after you graduate, yes? Yes, that makes sense.”
“Why?” Shouta asked.
Perking up, Terayama launched into an explanation. “Oh, buildings that house pro heroes or their agencies are required to hold additional levels of Quirk insurance above and beyond the average. Quirk related damages can be both very costly and have unpredictable impacts on the surrounding area, and heroes statistically end up with more Quirk related incidents in their work and living spaces than average people do.”
Hizashi’s jaw dropped. “Wait, seriously?”
Terayama nodded. “Indeed. Most landlords would rather not pay the extra property insurance costs and just choose to not rent to heroes. It’s why there’s a tendency for heroes to have lodging for themselves and their sidekicks in the same buildings as their agencies. Often city centers will have a few large apartment buildings that are almost entirely occupied by heroes. Those who can afford it usually own their own homes, though. Of course, they need to pay the higher insurance premiums themselves, but at least they won’t evict themselves!” Terayama added with a chuckle.
Hizashi’s heart sank.
He’d been so sure they’d be able to find a place, and during his research he’d read a lot about those buildings that ‘cater to pros,’ but they were all really, really expensive. The three of them together would barely be able to afford a studio, and most of those places were much farther from UA and their work studies, so it would never work out-
“How do you know all that stuff?” Oboro asked Terayama, pulling Hizashi out of his spiraling thoughts.
“I’m a property manager! I take my job seriously!” Terayama said proudly, standing up taller.
“We appreciate you letting us know,” Hizashi said. “Nobody else ever bothered to explain why they were rejecting us. We’ll go now.”
It was strange. Hizashi had been ready to run screaming out of the place not five minutes ago and never look back; but now that it was stupid bureaucratic bullshit standing between him and being able to live here with Shouta and Oboro, he was angry and disappointed.
“Of course, of course, I understand if this place isn’t a good fit for you,” Terayama said, but there was an eager gleam in his eye now that wasn’t there before, “But I think you should know that this building already carries the requisite level of Quirk insurance to be allowed to rent to heroes.”
“Wait, seriously?” Hizashi said, “Why?”
“No matter how often I’ve explained to my stepfather that the spiders drawn to me won’t do any structural damage, he remains convinced that my Quirk poses a material risk and thus took out the extra insurance.”
Hizashi looked around the space again, glancing at Shouta and Oboro as he did.
“We could get a kotatsu for the common area, that would help us make the most of a small space,” Hizashi said before going back over to peek into the bedrooms again. “And with the bedding folded away, there’s enough space to use a desk.”
He took a breath to steady himself. Stay calm, stay cool.
There were, after all, still countless fucking spiders in the walls.
“I think my friends and I have a lot to discuss to see if this place works for us,” Hizashi said, turning to Terayama. “You’ve got my email if you need to get in touch, but I should be able to let you know before the end of the week what our decision is.”
“Of course, of course, I understand,” Terayama said, drawing himself up and schooling his face into what Hizashi would guess was the man’s ‘serious professional’ expression. “If anyone else expresses interest, I will be sure to reach out and make sure you’re no longer interested before I let them sign a lease.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Shouta said as they all filed out of the apartment, through the narrow hallway, and down the stairs. Hizashi told himself that he definitely did not hear the sounds of millions of little feet in the walls.
Back out on the sidewalk, Hizashi turned to Terayama and gave a small bow. “It was a pleasure to meet you, we’ll be in touch!” Shouta and Oboro also bowed, and Terayama returned the gesture before turning and scurrying back inside.
It took less than thirty seconds after they started walking away for Oboro to elbow him. “Not even offering a handshake to the guy, where are you manners, Hizashi!” he snickered.
“Shaddup, neither of you did either,” Hizashi snipped with a shudder.
“Since when is shaking hands better manners than bowing?” Shouta asked, shaking his head at his ‘irrational’ friends.
“Since Shirakumo decided to be an asshole,” Hizashi grumbled. “Anyway, what do you guys actually think of… all that?”
“I think you should check to see if that insurance thing is for real, and if it is, check the rest of the apartments you wanted us to look at and see if any of them have that coverage,” Shouta said.
It took less than ten minutes of internet searching to confirm what Terayama had told them.
The phone calls about the other apartments on the list took a little longer. But not much.
By the time they were on the train heading home, Hizashi found out he could refine his search to ‘hero friendly’ apartments; which were apparently harder to find than ‘pet friendly’ ones.
“There’s a few that we could maybe afford,” Hizashi sighed, “But they’re either the student lodging, which we won’t be able to stay in after graduation, or they’re pretty far from UA. The ones we could stay in would all mean a really tight budget, and they’re basically only studios or have one bedroom.” He chewed on his lip. The apartment above the shop was small, and deeper into the rough neighborhood than Hizashi had really planned on; but that was probably why the rent was in their budget, even with the higher insurance. And despite the rough area, the place was still close enough to the main commuter train that could get them to UA in an hour or so, and it was halfway to Tokyo, which Hizashi knew Oboro would really appreciate…
A shiver ran down his spine. It really came down to the spiders.
“It’s ok if we have to wait till after graduation,” Shouta said, “Then we won’t need to worry as much about location.” The gentle smile he aimed at Hizashi suddenly had rage flaring up inside of him.
“We shouldn’t have to wait!” Hizashi snapped. It wasn’t fucking fair! He just wanted to get started building his life, why was that so much to ask?
“Even I’m a little weirded out by the whole spider thing,” Oboro said, squeezing Hizashi’s arm in what his friend intended to be a comforting gesture. Hizashi yanked his arm away and glowered.
“Apartments are more prone to bug problems than houses are,” Shouta said quietly, not looking at either of them. “Terayama’s Quirk offers… an opportunity for a tradeoff. In a normal place, all different bugs come and go all the time, but you don’t really think about the fact that they’re there when you don’t see them. With Terayama, he’s a constant reminder that the spiders are there… but if he’s true to his word that they keep out of sight and they control the population of other pests who wouldn’t be so considerate… that might not be the worst thing.”
“You live in an apartment, are you seriously telling me the bugs are that big a problem?” Hizashi scoffed. It’s not like Shouta was scared of bugs.
“You’ve never had to use the bathroom at my place in the middle of the night,” Shouta told him. “I may not be bothered by bugs, but there are plenty of bug-related experiences I have no desire to ever deal with again.”
“Is this about that time that you stepped on-” Oboro started before Hizashi slapped his hand over his mouth.
“None of us need to relive that trauma,” he yelped, already trying to make himself forget the story Shouta had told them a few months ago. He could feel Oboro’s grin and managed to yank his hand away just as Oboro tried to lick it. “Heathen,” he huffed.
“You’d really be good living in spider-ville?” Oboro asked Shouta, though he was still smirking at Hizashi.
Shouta shrugged. “It’s not like we can see them,” he said slowly. “The rent is reasonable, especially with what we know now about the extra insurance. Just the fact that there’s no mold is almost enough to make it worth it.”
Hizashi gaped. “Hang on, do you actually like the place?”
Shouta ducked his head, but not before Hizashi saw the way his face was starting to turn pink. “I like the idea of living with you two. I’m not bothered by Terayama. I’m not bothered by the size of the space. The only drawback I see is that it makes you uncomfortable. I don’t want to live someplace where you don’t feel at home.”
Shouta glanced up, his eyes darker than usual as he leaned in close to rumble quietly in Hizashi’s ear, “I don’t want to live someplace where you would feel uncomfortable having sex with me.”
Hizashi felt his ears heat up, and he swallowed. “Yeah, ok, that, uh, makes sense. What about you, Oboro?”
“It’s a little cramped,” Oboro started.
“Because you’re a giant,” Shouta mumbled under his breath.
“And the spider thing is creepy when I think about it… But I’m pretty good at not thinking about things, so maybe after being in there for a little while, I’d forget about it.”
“It’s too bad we can’t just go and spend a day there,” Shouta said. “To see if we can be in the space and not think about the spiders.”
Hizashi pursed his lips. He took out his phone and glared at it.
He opened a new email.
*
“Are you gentlemen quite sure you want to do this? If you aren’t sure about the apartment, why come clean it?” Terayama hovered in the doorway nervously as Hizashi, Shouta, and Oboro trooped in carrying brooms, mops, paper towels, and assorted other supplies.
“Call it a good deed,” Oboro said, grinning broadly at Terayama.
It struck Hizashi that he barely ever noticed the way Oboro’s smile was twisted by his scar now. Maybe he could get used to anything.
“You go back to your apartment, we’ll come knock when we’re all done,” Hizashi said, shooing Terayama out into the hallway.
“If you insist,” Terayama said warily. Hizashi waited until Terayama had gone into his own apartment down the hall before he closed the door.
“Alright,” he muttered to himself as he marched back into the living area. “Time to not think about thousands of spiders.”
“I don’t think saying that will help,” Shouta told him.
“Come on, let’s clean this place up!” Oboro cheered, already starting to sweep the floor. The three of them set to work, and Hizashi focused on the task in front of him.
Throughout the process, every time he opened a cabinet or a drawer, or brushed down a dusty cobweb, Hizashi kept waiting to see skittering shadows. None appeared. As he scrubbed the shower room down, he paused to listen, as if the tiles might amplify the echo of things moving in the walls. There was nothing.
“It really is just plaster dust,” Shouta said as he finished wiping down the small counter in the kitchen. “No signs of rodent activity either.”
They took their time. They were thorough. Hizashi kept his mind on the task and let himself get lost in the steady push-pull of the mop across the floor, the satisfaction of watching the layer of dust disappear as they made their way through the space.
Hours passed, and the apartment transformed around them.
The windows hadn’t been too bad, but as he sprayed them down and wiped away the residue of time, the place got a little brighter and less dingy. The air smelled less stale, too.
The wooden floor had gone from a dull gray to a warm brown. The walls were whiter now. Though there was some staining on the gas range that spoke of pots that had boiled over, it was only the result of normal use over the years.
“Hey guys,” Oboro said as he came out of the smaller bedroom, a bandana tied around his forehead, “I don’t know if it’s just the fumes from the cleaning solution scrambling my brain, but I’m kinda starting to get attached to this place.”
Shouta didn’t say anything as he looked up from the corner of the common area where he was wiping down the baseboard, but Hizashi didn’t miss the hopeful look that flashed across his face.
Both his friends were on board. Hizashi knew it was going to come down to him. Could he be comfortable and happy living here?
“Either of you see any signs of anything crawley?” he asked, though he knew the answer even before both of them shook their heads no. “Me neither,” he admitted. “Come on, let’s finish up.”
It was barely another twenty minutes before they were done, and the three of them sat down together in the middle of the floor.
“So, whaddya think?” Oboro asked.
Hizashi tipped his head back and looked around. “I think,” he said slowly, remembering Shouta’s comment about a trade-off, “That polite spiders are better than rude roaches.” He looked at Shouta and Oboro. “I think that we should talk to Terayama about the paperwork.”