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It's a calm night, with a clear, dark blue sky over his head and minimal criminal activity since his patrol started. Still, Siren tenses up, practicing caution as he lands on the rooftop of his patrol building, spotting the figure standing near the edge. He coils his capture cloth and quietly steps towards them.
"Hey," he calls out, ready to drag this person back from the edge if needed, physically or mentally.
The figure turns around, and if Siren couldn't recognize him by the costume or the red shoes, he would know those bright eyes anywhere.
"Hey!" Deku waves at him, holding a bag in one hand. The wind picks up the scent, a delicious wafting warmth invading Siren's senses.
Siren drops his attempt at brainwashing and covers his surprise, as well. "Weird place to have lunch," he states flatly, letting go of the length of cloth in his hand. He walks past Deku, then drops to a seat on the edge of the building. The cool concrete underneath him is a delight.
Deku, at least, takes this informal reintroduction in stride. "Lunch?" he asks, from behind him. Siren swings his dangling feet, staring down at the lit streets. "It's close to dinnertime."
Siren looks over the city, watching people walk idly, waiting to get home to their families. On a Thursday night, it was uneventful. "I woke up, like, an hour ago. I didn't think you patrolled these areas."
Deku shrugs. "I'm covering for Deekstra. Apparently it's her and her girlfriend's anniversary."
"First year out of school and you're already covering for people?"
Deku scratches his head, looking away sheepishly. "Ah, I mean, she didn't really give me a choice. And, uh..."
Siren tilts his head, studying the conflicted emotions that dart across Deku's face. "Spit it out."
"Her girlfriend works in the hero merchandise industry and she said that they could slip me some early hero merchandise for a discount!" There's an underlying eagerness in Deku's voice, one that could be interpreted as sordid, if Siren didn't know any better.
"I'm shocked." He deadpans, then chuckles. Still a nerd when it comes to heroes. "I saw your last interview, you know."
It's amazing how Deku could switch from passionate to embarrassed in a second. "Ah, you did? The one with the puppet? That was so awful..."
Siren looks down, spotting a brunette woman walking out of the flower shop across the street. He's walked by her shop many times during the day, but never had a reason to go in. She takes her time locking the door, seemingly fiddling with her phone next to the window display. "I could never do something like that. I got second hand embarrassment just watching you on the big screen."
"They showed it on those public screens?" He groans, wrapping his arms around his face. "Literally awful. Iida and Uraraka were there to support me, but I still was so nervous."
Siren tenses up, spotting a man appearing out of the alley next to the flower shop, body posed towards the woman. He's dressed casually, but his walk suggests he's trying to sneak up on her. Siren leans forward, bracing his feet against the side of the building.
The woman turns around as the man is right behind her, and Siren is about to push off and leap when she shrieks, throwing her arms around the man. Even from here, the elation and joy in their voices reach them, the woman's shrill, giggly laughter spilling out loudly. The man twirls her around in his arms.
Siren leans back, watching until he has to avert his gaze. Happy couples...
He glances over, watching Deku stare at the couple too, a content yet thoughtful look on his face. He spots the plastic bag next to Deku.
"So..." he drawls out, snapping Deku out of his thoughts. "What's that you got there?"
Deku blinks and looks over at him, and that smile comes back. "Ah, yeah." He lifts up the bag. "I saved an old man's restaurant from a robber earlier. He was really insistent on giving me some food as thanks."
Siren scoffs. "Figures. The first night you patrol my area and you get the nice, generous people." He feigns annoyance, looking pointedly away.
It's like old times, the way Deku doesn't buy it for a second. "In that case, wanna share?"
"Ah—" Siren's stomach loudly growls, and he turns back. "You think we could eat some without a villain coming out?"
"Let's try."
Apparently, the dinner is katsudon, and it's as much a surprise to Siren as it is to Deku, judging by how delighted the green-clad hero is when they open the takeout boxes. Deku is practically drooling as he hands one of the boxes over, and Siren's mouth waters a little, admittingly.
It's still warm, well-insulated, and the pork cutlet is crispy and a little salty. It warms him from the inside, rice and eggs and all, and he tries not to eat too fast, still watching over the street. "This is the best thing I've eaten in 24 hours."
Deku looks at him from the corner of his eye, mouth full. "You've...eaten in the past 24 hours, right?"
"Didn't your mom teach you not to eat with your mouth full?" At Deku's unbreaking stare, he sighs. "I had a jelly pouch today."
Deku swallows, letting out a concerning sound. "You need someone to take care of you." At Siren's pointed look, Deku clarifies quickly. "N-not that I'm volunteering or anything! I mean, you need to take better care of yourself!"
"I'm eating now, thanks to you."
"Yeah, but…" Deku doesn't continue from there, and they eat in silence after that.
Siren places his empty takeout next to him and straightens his back, stretching his arms over his head. He raises his gaze up to the sky, how the stars are just barely visible when he squints, having to account for the light pollution. "Do you remember the end of the year picnic?"
Deku takes a couple of seconds to respond. "Oh, yeah. The one we had at night because we spent all day studying? Why do you ask?"
It was a fun night. They, as a class, managed to sneak out of the dorms and to one of the fields with the least amount of light bleed from streetlights. They had to sneak out in groups, at different intervals, and each group carried some food to share altogether.
Siren remembers walking with Todoroki and Tokoyami, carrying the soda bottles. They were ice cold in his arms because they didn't have a cooler and Todoroki couldn't carry them all. A nice, quiet walk, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of their school grounds.
When they arrived at the meeting place, he remembers just staring up at the sky dotted with stars, a soft dusting across the blue and purple of the night. A gentle brushing of brilliant lights, getting more and more detailed the longer he stared. It seemed to overflow, and yet never fill.
He remembers looking back down from space and seeing Midoriya smiling at him, waving over where the others were waiting. There was a softness in his eyes, one he could identify even in the dark. It was a look set apart from all the other times he's stared into Midoriya's eyes, maybe the night air or the timing or the realization that their school days were coming to an end to blame.
Siren looks away, reaching to fiddle with his capture cloth. "No reason." This just feels familiar, that's all. And nice.
"Isn't it weird that we both moved here after graduation but didn't keep in touch or anything?" Deku brings up, in the silence.
Siren looks back at him. Something that he's always appreciated about Deku since their school days is how he wears his heart on his sleeve. He takes in the small smile, the friendly hope in Deku's green eyes. "Yeah. Maybe we should change that."
Deku's smile grows, and it's not the smile that's emblazoned across new articles or interviews. It's something more personal, more special, softer, and it makes his chest warm. It makes Shinsou want to close the distance between them and count the freckles as stars brushed across his face.
It's Midoriya.