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When Shouta gets approval from Nezu to bring Eri to the cultural festival, he quickly realizes that there are a few logistical issues involved. For example, her clothing situation. She only has the one ragged dress to her name and no actual shoes. She’s been wearing hospital gowns and slippers since the rescue, and as trivial as he thinks appearances are, it’d probably be for the best if she had actual clothes of her own. On top of that, to his knowledge, she’s hardly been out in public around other people, so she’d definitely need at least some experience outside of the hospital. Care for the girl more or less having been passed along to him, Shouta figures that he should be the one to help resolve these issues. After all, it’s only logical that he be with her in case of any quirk-related incidents.
He considers buying clothes for her on his own, but that idea is shot down almost immediately when he remembers that he has no idea how to pick out clothing for a six-year-old girl. He honestly isn’t even sure of his own size at this point; he’d have better luck getting the information from Hizashi. It’d be stupid to waste money on something that either doesn’t fit Eri or isn’t something that she would wear, and far too much hassle to return it. So really, taking her with him to the mall is killing two birds with one stone—getting her some new clothes and some exposure to the outside world. Plus, it will probably be comforting for Eri to have things that are hers for what seems like the first time. She at least deserves that.
He tells Hizashi about his plan after he gets home from patrolling that night, lying sprawled out over the other’s lap while he watches TV.
“I think I’m gonna take Eri out to get clothes for the cultural festival tomorrow.”
“Oh? Aizawa Shouta, shopping? This is unprecedented! A momentous event!” Hizashi almost shouts, shocked expression exaggerated as he throws his head back and puts a hand over his heart. Shouta rolls his eyes.
“Shut up. Right now, the girl only has the dress we found her in, and we probably shouldn’t drag her around in rags. Having some things of her own will help her feel some sort of stability in the transition to a better life. I don’t think she really believes that she’s safe yet. She needs to see more of the outside world anyway; we don’t want her getting too overwhelmed at the festival,” he explains, trying to keep a blank expression and unaffected tone. Hizashi doesn’t seem to buy it, and he leans over Shouta with a huge grin, hair falling in his face.
“Shouta! You big softie! I can’t believe I’m married to such a dad! I gotta text Nemuri.”
Shouta places his palm directly over Hizashi’s face and shoves him away, dodging those stupid, knowing eyes. “It’s not like that. Eri’s been entrusted to me for now; I’m just taking the rational approach to improve her situation,” he grumbles, knowing that Hizashi sees right through him and will never let this go.
“Oh, sure. Just like how it was the rational thing to do when you let Yaoyorozu win in her practical exam. Admit it, babe: you care!”
“There’s nothing to admit. It’s just the right thing to do. Now quit bothering me about it; it’s annoying.” Shouta glares at him, but it does nothing to dim Hizashi’s smile.
“Aw, come on; it’s sweet!” Shouta keeps glaring, and Hizashi follows up with, “You love me, really,” as he bends down to plant a kiss on Shouta’s cheek.
“God knows why,” he mumbles back, failing to hold back a small smile. “Can we go to bed now? I have to wake up on time tomorrow for Eri.”
“Of course! Gotta be rested up for your daddy-daughter shopping trip!”
“Please never say that again.”
--
Before the trip, he washes and dries her old dress so that she won’t be wearing her hospital gown outside. Even cleaned, it still looks beaten up, and Shouta can tell that Eri isn’t happy to be putting it back on, though she, as always, seems reluctant to express herself. It bothers Shouta, watching her frown as she nervously tugs at the ragged hem of the dress. As he looks at her scarred arms, he finds himself tugging off his coat. The dark T-shirt underneath is enough anyway.
“Here,” is all he says as he holds it out to Eri. She hesitates, and he continues, “You can wear this. It’ll protect you when we’re out there.” Really, it’s just a plain black coat, but he thinks back to Togata’s cape, the tattered piece of cloth that she had clung onto since the rescue. It might help her to have another small symbol of safety. Besides, it’s probably a good idea to cover up the scarring on her arms. She slowly grasps the coat and holds it up to herself to put it on, though she’s still glancing up at Shouta as if she’s still unsure if it’s okay as she searches for the sleeves. Shouta feels something in himself soften as he looks at the girl practically drowning in the dark fabric, and he steps closer to help her wrap it around herself and zip it up.
“See? You’re all safe wrapped up like that,” he says after stepping back again. It doesn’t earn him a smile or any words from Eri, but her frown fades into something more neutral. That, at least, feels like a victory. When she slides down off the bed to put her shoes on, the coat hangs past her knees, and the sleeves look massive on her. She lifts up her arms and shakes them until her tiny hands peek out from the sleeves and slip her shoes on. Shouta finds himself holding back a small smile at the motion, and he wonders when he got so damn soft. She still has to wear the hospital slippers, which won’t handle concrete well, but he figures that can be mitigated easily by carrying her on the short walk from the hospital to the mall.
With Eri dressed, he checks in one last time before they head out, kneeling down to be eye-level with her when he says, “We don’t have to go out if you don’t want to. You sure you’re up for this?” She seems to hesitate for a few moments before giving a small nod, and Shouta puts a (hopefully) reassuring hand on her shoulder and nods back before standing up again and holding out his hand for her. The sleeve of his coat slides back down as she grabs it. They walk out of the hospital room together, stopping only so Shouta can let the nurses know they’re leaving. When they reach the lobby of the hospital, he turns and kneels again. “Your shoes might not hold up well on the concrete. Is it okay if I carry you?”
A flicker of confusion passes over Eri’s face, as it always does when he asks for her permission. She nods again and holds out her arms as he picks her up in one smooth motion, balancing her on his hip. She clutches his shirt and leans against him as they walk outside, but Shouta notes that she doesn’t take her eyes off the world around her, off all the large buildings and various passersby. Although he chose a quieter time of day, 10:00 on a Tuesday morning, specifically to encounter fewer people on their outing, it’s still a fairly busy part of the city. It has to be a lot to absorb for a little girl who’s spent most of her life in a dark room.
He keeps an eye on her face as they walk toward the store, but she seems to be handling it pretty well, eyes wide but not overwhelmed as they dart around. Though she doesn’t show any signs of actual panic, he can feel her grip on his shirt tighten when other pedestrians get close. Shouta feels his face start to twist into a scowl as he thinks about the villains that conditioned her to be so scared of others, but he suppresses it to try to be a comforting presence for Eri. He shakes this train of thought to focus on her, and it’s only a few more minutes before they’re standing outside the entrance to the mall.
“Alright, we’re here. Are you ready?” Eri seems to visibly brace herself before she nods. “Let’s do this then.” He’d already found a directory of the building and planned out the trip for the most part, wanting this to be as quick and painless as possible, so he knows exactly where to go as they walk in. Luckily, as he predicted, there are few people in the mall right now; it’s fairly quiet as he tells Eri his plan.
“I was thinking we’d get you some shoes first. That way we won’t have to worry about the slippers for the rest of the day. After that, we can go find clothes for you. Probably a few outfits, so you’ll have things to wear when we get you out of that hospital.” They don’t speak for the rest of the walk to the shoe store. Shouta finds that he enjoys her company.
As they weave through the aisles of the store, he notes with amusement that both expertly avoid eye contact with pushy staff members. When they get to the kids’ section, he gently sets Eri down on a bench and squats beside her. She’s looking at him expectantly for what to do next, and Shouta struggles to think of the last time he actually went shopping for shoes. He’s only purchased the same two pairs of boots online for years now.
“So… do you know what kind of shoes you want?”
Eri looks away. “I… no,” she says quietly and curls in on herself slightly, fists clenched in the loose fabric of her coat sleeves.
He probably should have seen that coming. “That’s alright,” he says slowly, wanting to take some of the pressure off her. “I’ll grab a few pairs for you then, and we can see how you like those. First, we’re going to need to get your shoe size, so you can kick off the slippers for now.” Eri seems to take that literally, and as Shouta grabs a discarded shoe sizer lying on the ground, he’s hit directly in the face with a slipper. When he looks up, he’s met with an almost cartoonish horrified expression on her face, and he can’t help but grin. She looks confused and somewhat alarmed by his reaction, seemingly about to apologize before he waves her off. “Don’t worry about it; it was an accident. Now, let’s put some socks on and get your size, okay?”
She seems to calm down a little bit as she nods her understanding. He grabs a pair of try-on socks from a nearby box and shifts so that he’s right in front of her when he slips them on. He lifts the shoe sizer again and taps her foot lightly, motioning for her to set it in the sizer’s curved base. He commits the number to memory before setting the sizer down and standing up.
“I’m going to go get a few different pairs; you can wait here. Or walk around with me. Either way.”
Eri hesitates, and he’s about to start looking around when she slides off the bench to stand beside him, coat falling to her ankles. He’s surprised by her choice, but he figures it’s probably the better option anyway.
“Let me know if you see anything that you like; we’ll grab those too.”
The section they’re standing in is mostly sandals, and Shouta writes them off almost immediately. Close-toed shoes are a much more reasonable choice in almost any situation. He walks further down the aisle, Eri sticking close to his side, until they reach a section with boots on one side and flats on the other. He looks over the flats quickly, not expecting to find anything worth grabbing, but a pair catches his eye: a white shoe with a strap and a cat face design on the front. Kids like cute stuff, right? Shouta doesn’t hesitate before finding her size and tucking the box under his arm. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard after all.
Satisfied with his choice, he turns to the boots. Personally, he thinks they’re the most sensible choice, which is why he only owns two pairs of black boots, one for hero work and one for casual wear. A lot of the boots he sees are overly flashy, covered with bright colors and unnecessary adornments, and none of their designs have the charm of the cat shoes. He rejects most of them right away before his eyes land on a pair of plain, lace-up black boots, much like his own. They seem comfortable and sturdy, perfect for any situation. He grabs a box in her size and turns to check on Eri. She’d been glancing around curiously until now, but he finds her staring up at a boot this time, a large, purple sequin-covered monstrosity. He points to the one on display.
“Do you like this one?”
Eri looks unsure for a moment, but she seems to gather herself and nod, though she avoids eye contact.
“Good, I’ll grab it then.” He finds the correct box and stacks it on the other two before adding, “Thank you for telling me. I think this is enough for now, so let’s head back to our bench to try them on.”
Once Eri is situated on the bench again, he opens the first box, which holds his personal favorite, the cat shoes.
“Do you like cats?” he asks as he pulls them out and removes the paper stuffed inside.
When Eri nods, he finds himself smiling slightly.
“Me too. There’s a cat cafe in the city that I really like; maybe I could take you there sometime,” he tells her as he starts to put the shoes on her feet. They slide on easily, and Shouta feels pleased with himself as he buckles the little strap over her feet. When both are secured, he looks back up at Eri, who appears to be eyeing them with interest.
“If those feel okay, go ahead and walk around for a bit and tell me if they’re comfortable.”
She slides off the bench and starts walking, her gait a little stiff but not pained from wearing new shoes.
“Do they feel okay?”
She takes a couple more steps before turning to him and nodding, and Shouta can’t help but feel a little proud of his choice. Still, he wants to look at the other shoes so that she has some options available.
“Good. Let’s see if one of these fit too.”
He looks between the remaining two boxes and opts to grab the pair that Eri chose. While his boots are the reasonable choice, it’s more important that she like them, and it’s best for her to have things that really feel like they’re hers. He unpacks the boots quickly, surprised by how soft the fake fur lining them feels as he reaches his hand inside. He wouldn’t have picked them, but they seem comfortable. He can respect that. They also seem to fit well, and Eri seems more confident in her walk, her typical gentle shuffle turning into sure steps.
“Are these good?” he asks, and Eri nods surely this time.
“They make me feel…big,” she says quietly, and Shouta gives her a small smile. This is the first time she’s spoken a full sentence in the past hour or so. Clearly the purple boots deserve more credit than he originally gave them.
“Good. We’ll definitely get them then.”
Shouta is honestly surprised by how smoothly this has gone, but he’s certainly not complaining as he puts the shoes back in their boxes and returns the boots he chose to their original place. Eri puts the slippers back on, and she holds onto the hem of his shirt as they walk to the checkout counter, pausing only briefly to grab a pack of cat-patterned socks for her.
The clerk looks like he wants to ask a question as he looks the two of them over, particularly Eri, in her oversized coat and cheap slippers, but he seems to reconsider after seeing Shouta’s glare. The rest of the checkout goes quickly, and Shouta holds the bag on one arm as he picks Eri up again and walks out of the store. They stop at a bench outside to put on her new boots, which he has to admit are kind of growing on him, when he sees her hop off the bench. The boots are a stark contrast to his coat, bright and cutesy beneath the dark and plain fabric. He snaps a quick picture to send to Hizashi later, knowing he’ll appreciate it. And probably give Shouta more shit for it.
“Now that you’ve got proper shoes, do you still want me to carry you, or would you rather walk now?”
Eri seems to hesitate before she answers, “Um… I-I’d rather walk,” the fabric of her sleeves twitching as she fidgets.
“Sounds good. I’ll need you to hold my hand while we walk though,” he tells her, already holding out his hand. She gently places her small hand in his, and Shouta heads in the direction of the next store he’d picked, slower now that he is matching pace with her.
This store is much larger than the last one, and there are more people around than when they first arrived. Eri’s eyes widen again as she surveys the scene, moving closer and gripping his hand tighter. He pulls her aside after a moment to check in.
“Are you still okay with this? We can still leave at any time if you’re uncomfortable,” he tells her.
“No, it’s-it’s okay.”
Shouta studies her expression to make sure she’s not saying it because she feels like she has to, but it seems genuine even as her voice wavers slightly.
“We’ll keep going then. Remember you still have my coat there to protect you,” he reminds her, giving her hand a light squeeze in what he hopes is a reassuring manner. Eri looks down at the coat, and the hand not holding his grips the fabric of the sleeve tightly.
They arrive at the girls’ section not long after, in a veritable forest of bright clothes of all shapes and sizes. Shouta is once again reminded of why he hates shopping and avoids it at all costs. For years now, any time he’s found clothing he likes, he’s bought multiple sets of it, not seeing a point in spending all the time needed to get many different outfits when a few for different contexts is perfectly serviceable. There are a ridiculous number of options surrounding them now, and he dreads having to put together outfits from different items of clothing. He’d dress Eri similar to himself if he thought it would suit her. Generally speaking, he doesn’t care about how “suitable” clothing is anyway, but he wants her to have things that she likes.
He’s not really sure where to start as he looks around until he spots a display on the other end of the girls’ section with brightly patterned outfits in matching sets, an easy solution to his problem. Just in case something catches her eye, he reminds Eri to let him know if she likes something, but she’s quiet as he leads them to the display. Up close, he can see more details, and he’s pleased with himself for noticing them because they’re perfect. Each of the outfits have cheery color schemes, and they each have different cartoon cats printed on the shirts and the leggings that are attached to frilly skirts. What he knows about Eri’s tastes so far is that she likes loud colors and cats. Really, he got lucky finding these.
He looks down at Eri, and she’s staring at the wall with a similar expression to the one on her face when she saw the boots. Perfect.
“Do you like these?” he asks, gesturing to the display. She nods again, and Shouta can’t stop his satisfied smile. This was almost too easy. He picks out a few of the color schemes that hurt his eyes the least and is able to quickly find them in her size, already knowing her height.
“Okay, I think we’re done here. Ready to go?” he asks Eri, a pile of clothing tucked under the arm that isn’t occupied by holding her hand. She gives a quick nod, and he nods back before leading them to the checkout area. The woman who rings them up raises her eyebrows as Shouta lays out the clothing but says nothing, and soon enough, they’re walking out of the store. Traffic is much heavier when they walk out, causing Eri to stick to his side again, but she seems more nervous this time, her grip on his hand even tighter. After a moment, he steps off to the side again, once again kneeling to be on her level.
“It’s okay; we’re almost done here. Would it help if I started carrying you again?” he asks, studying her carefully. She’s been handling things really well so far, but it makes sense that she’d be nervous being exposed to this many people in an unfamiliar setting all at once. He makes a mental note to get her some exposure to UA before the cultural festival.
Her voice is small as she answers, “If it’s not too much trouble.”
It’s a bit awkward as he picks her up this time, two shopping bags in one arm as he holds onto her with the other. Still, they make it out of the mall unscathed, and the walk back to the hospital is fairly quick. Before long, they’re back in Eri’s room.
Once they’ve settled in, he asks her to try on one of her outfits just to make sure it fits properly, and he steps outside and checks his phone while she changes. He’s surprised by Hizashi’s restraint when he sees only one text from him, having expected at least five messages.
Hizashi (10:15)
tell me how it goes!!
Shouta (11:28)
Just got back. It went well.
Hizashi (11:30)
shoutaaaaaaa
i need more than that!!!!!
Shouta (11:31)
I’ll tell you everything when I get home.
Here’s a picture I took earlier.
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Hizashi (11:31)
YOU GAVE HER YOUR COAT??????
YOU’RE SO CUTE!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️
but i gotta ask: what’s with those shoes
Shouta (11:32)
She liked them. She’s putting on the clothes now.
Hizashi (11:32)
send a picture of what you got her!!!!
Eri sticks her head out the door with almost perfect timing, and as Shouta steps in he sees that she chose the one with the bright pink, blue, and purple color scheme. The outfit seems to fit perfectly, he notes with another small surge of pride. She’s even put the boots back on, and he’s pretty sure they match the outfit well, since they’re also purple. He smiles. They really did a great job on this shopping trip. Wearing these clothes, Eri looks more like a normal kid, and he feels his chest tighten at this glance into the life she should have, hopefully will have.
Really, it’s getting embarrassing how soft he’s becoming.
“Do they feel comfortable?”
She nods, somewhat distracted while she tugs on the frills of her skirt.
“Good.” He pauses for a moment before reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. You did a good job today. I know that was probably a lot for you, but you handled it all very well.”
He can’t quite parse the expression that passes over her face as he speaks, but she looks down at her feet as she murmurs a quiet thank you in response. Satisfied with the exchange, he stands back up and pulls out his phone.
“I want to take a picture of your new outfit if that’s alright.”
Eri agrees, and he quickly snaps a few pictures of her, completely still and looking unsure of how to stand in front of a camera. Honestly, Shouta understands the feeling. He quickly picks out the best ones and sends a couple to Hizashi, ignoring the repeated vibrations from his responses that arrive immediately..
“Okay, I’m going to let the nurses know that we’re back. Do you need anything right now?” he asks, knowing full well she’ll say no. When she does, he nods and steps outside with a quick, “I’ll be back soon.”
He checks his phone again once he’s in the hallway.
Shouta (11:36)
I was already planning to.
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Hizashi (11:36)
SHOUTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BABE!!!
HOLY SHIT
I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
PLEASE NEVER CHANGE
Shouta (11:38)
?
Hizashi (11:38)
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT
WHICH ONE OF YOU PICKED THAT OUTFIT???
Shouta (11:38)
I found it, but she liked it.
Hizashi (11:39)
I WOULD MARRY YOU AGAIN IF I COULD
BABE
BABE THAT OUTFIT IS SO TACKY I LOVE IT SO MUCH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH
Shouta (11:39)
It’s just normal kids’ clothes. Calm down.
Hizashi (11:40)
IT’S REALLY NOT
BUT IT’S PERFECT!!
YOU’RE PERFECT!!!!!!!!
is that all you got??
Shouta (11:40)
No. She got another pair of shoes with cats on them and a few more of that outfit in different colors.
Hizashi (11:41)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i could cry
this is all just so shouta
i’m going to need pictures of EVERYTHING!!!
Shouta (11:41)
Well, you’re going to have to wait. I have to go talk to the nurses now.
As he slips his phone back into his pocket, Shouta can already feel vibrations from Hizashi’s new wave of messages, but he chooses to ignore them as he walks down the hall. Maybe the nurses will better appreciate what he and Eri accomplished today.