Third person pov

Mihoko hadn't realized they were awake until she heard it.

It was faint at first. It started off as something that itched at her ears, as though it weren't quite there. But then it got louder. It hit her why. Hitoshi and Lillian were.... well, she wouldn't call it singing. They were basically screaming it. She had been shocked still by it. Hitoshi was usually so quiet, and sometimes she didn't even know he was home. And then there was Lillian, who was quite reserved and shy from what she gathered. Hitoshi's voice overpowered hers, but she could still hear the girl's voice 

She crept up the stairs. 

Truth be told, Lillian had been shaken by her nightmare. She liked the world Hitoshi had introduced herself. It was almost like she could drown it all out. Plus, Hitoshi had opened up so much more due to it, and so had she. It was common ground for the pair now, and it made Lillian want to laugh until her lungs popped, so that was something. So when Hitoshi began to educate her on why the Youtuber Pewdiepie happened to be god, she couldn't help but get sucked in. She'd secretly always liked things like this, but she'd never really gotten into it...

But now, her nerves had melted away. She'd never felt like this before. Not with the few friends she'd had in the past, and not at home with her parents. It was like something had awoken to counter the fear she still felt from the USJ. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, but it was something. Better to channel her anger into this than something else.

"No p-papa, no papa. Yes papa, Johnny." It was Lillian, and though her voice was soft and a little hesitant, it was still there. The door was cracked open ever so slightly. She was standing on the bed wearing some of Mihoko's sunglasses, and Shinso was standing in front of her on the ground, holding his phone in the air as it blasted music. He gave her an encouraging thumbs up and a grin. "N-Now down all of this sugar and let's throw a fucking party with some-" 

Mihoko barely had time to freak out over the fact that sweet little Lillian had just cursed before her and Hitoshi were screaming again. 

"BITCH LASAGNA, BITCH LASAGNA!" Mihoko jumped slightly, almost choking on air. What had Hitoshi done to her?! How did she know the words? I mean, she was glad the girl was doing better, and had found a way to cope, but... why hadn't Hitoshi just shown her how to knit or something? Sure, Lillian's screaming wasn't nearly as loud as Hitoshi's, and her cheeks were definitely redder than most apples, but what the hell? Lillian continued on her own quietly, stumbling a little with scarlet cheeks, "L-Look at T-series, they just cryin' for their momma." 

Hitoshi threw down his own sunglasses, and Lillian did the same, though softer. They began raising their fists into the air. "BITCH LASAGNA, BITCH LASAGNA. T-SERIES AIN'T NOTHING BUT A BITCH LASAGNA!" 

Mihoko backed up a little, but not completely. Okay, so Lillian had showed up on their front doorstep looking undeniably dead. Hitoshi had somehow gotten him into those... 'memes' of his, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Lillian looked like she was having a good time, and it was the most open she'd ever Lillian. She still seemed pretty unsure, but she also wasn't crying. A plus in Mihoko's book.

Honestly, Lillian didn't know how to feel. The cursing had been a little new, and she'd sputtered, but as Hitoshi got louder, she couldn't help but join in. And now they were screaming, and Hitoshi had found sunglasses, and now she didn't feel like traumatized Lillian. She felt like... she didn't know. She couldn't bring herself to scream with the same confidence Hitoshi did, but she also couldn't stop herself from joining in with a smile. Hitoshi was extremely encouraging for some reason.

Hitoshi gave a little hop, and Lillian hesitated before copying him, her face red and smile so wide it hurt. "BITCH LASAGNA, BITCH LASAGNA, LOOK AT T-SERIES, THEY JUST WETTING THEIR PAJAMAS!" 

Mihoko let out a little coo at the pair before she could stop stop herself, and Hitoshi froze, as did Lillian. The girl's reaction was immediate. The unsure scarlet on her cheeks spread across her face like a wildfire, and her hands flew up to her face as Mihoko opened the door, grinning at the two teens. Hitoshi's face also got a little hot, and he awkwardly dropped his arms, clearing his throat and averting his gaze.

"Hi, mom." He sounded flustered, scratching the back of his neck. Lillian was steaming. She'd somehow forgotten Mrs. Shinso was home! How did she forget about Hitoshi's mom?! This was incredibly embarrassing. God, end her now. That villain should have turned her to dust when he had the chance. Pulling a Peter Parker was ten times better than the pain she was facing at this moment. Her chest had never felt so tight. She'd just screamed Bitch Lasagna at the top of her lungs, which was amazing she would admit, but- 

"S-S-S-Sorry." The girl sputtered, her eyes wide. She flapped her hands in a panic, tears stinging at her eyes. "W-We were- ah, I-I-"

"I started it." Hitoshi winced a little. "Lillian had a nightmare so I wanted to take her mind off it..."

"Well, it looks like it worked." The woman grinned as her son shut off the music. Lillian looked near a panic attack, eyes darting left and right. "It's alright, Lillian. It was cute if nothing else. I was a little surprised, but if you're passionate about it, I don't see any reason why you can't scream it to the world."

Lillian whispered a quiet 'oh no' and Hitoshi snorted, trying not to laugh. He was lucky his mom was so understanding. Had she shut down Lillian, he'd never get the girl to meme-out with him again. But he was going to convert her completely if it was the last thing he did on this godforsaken Earth. It was clear Lillian was quickly gaining a passion for the same things as Hitoshi. Those 'things' being memes and dying vines. 

"Oh, Hajime called your parents, dear. He wants you to know that they aren't mad at you and are just worried, alright? You're free to stay here as long as you need to, but keep in mind that they love you and miss you dearly." Mihoko relayed with a soft smile. Lillian's blush faded a little, and something sadder overtook her expression. 

Hitoshi shot a withering stare at his mother, who raised her hands in surrender and backed up. Hitoshi sighed. The amount of coaxing and easing it had taken him to get her her into the happy state that was screaming Bitch Lasagna as loudly as you could was... well, it hadn't been easy. First he'd softened her with some normal vines. Got her relaxed and open. Shot some references at her. She shot some back.

He'd had to start by humming Bitch Lasagna as they started playing it, and then quietly mumbling it. And Lillian had whispered that they had to memorize it. Hitoshi was proud of her then, so they'd done it again. He told her it would probably help if she said it as they did, so she hesitantly did along with Hitoshi. And slowly the volume rose each time until Lillian was standing on his bed with her arms in the air triumphantly. Honestly, Shinso had never felt so accomplished.

But his mother interrupting had probably just shut her down from everyone doing that again. At least, for a while. Lillian was pretty new to this whole meme thing. But you know, when you're passionate about something, it's easy to come out of your shell. Hitoshi knew that, and it was made abundantly clear with Lillian. 

"You alright?" He asked her as she carefully sat back down. He plopped down by her side, popping his knuckles and rolling his wrists. Lillian offered a nervous smile, her face still tinged pink from being caught. "I had fun, you know."

"I-I... I did t-too." Her face got a little redder. She still couldn't believe- oh, man, she was never going to forget this. It was going to keep her up for months. She was glad Mrs. Shinso wasn't mad, but even so. That was so embarrassing. She guessed she'd just gotten into it, and then Hitoshi was into it, and...

She felt herself freeze (pun intended), and she snuck a glance at Hitoshi, who was in the middle of yawning. Eraserhead was under the bed somewhere. He'd ran away around the time they started to reach screaming level. She liked the singing. It was dumb, but it reminded her of Present Mic. She'd never admit that out loud, but... 

"Y-You were distracting m-me, weren't you." She laughed meekly. It had definitely worked. She wasn't thinking about the USJ at all, just about how much fun she'd been having. It was kind of... refreshing? She'd had some friends in school. Well, they were sort of friends, but not really. They hadn't tried to contact her since they graduated middle school, and in turn, she hadn't tried to message them.

"Like my mom said, it worked, didn't it?" Hitoshi's face suddenly went a little red. "Besides, I don't really know anyone who actually likes this sort of thing..."

Lillian smiled a little. "W-Well, I guess y-you've got me now." She said, not sure if that was a good or a bad thing. She was nervous, and shy, and it had taken Hitoshi forever to get her to sing a song for fun with him. Most people could just do it... like Kaminari, or Ochako. Mina especially, she was sure.

"Yeah, I do." He grinned at her briefly before his eyes shifted to Eraserhead, who was peeking his head out as though checking to see if the danger was really gone. The boy sighed. "Are you going to go home?"

Lillian looked at her hands. They were shaking. "I-I'm... I'm scared." She admitted, her voice a whisper. She blinked back tears. "I'm r-really scared." 

She felt a hand on her back, and soon she was being pulled into another hug. She took a few deep breaths. Hajime had called. Her parents weren't mad. They were just worried, and they wanted her to come home. Lillian clenched her fists, closing her eyes.

If she could keep her teacher suspended for a full twenty minutes, maybe more, she could face her parents.

Right?

~

AGH FILLER I'M SORRY

Was that okay? It seemed incredibly cringey and out of place and I sort of want to shoot myself in the head eight times and then throw myself into the sun. But I had to start Lillian's spiral into meme-god level somehow, and honestly Hitoshi distracting her with Bitch Lasagna seemed appropriate in my mind for some reason. I don't know. Kill me please.