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Todoroki groaned quietly before turning once again in his sleep.
He felt oddly small. Weak and helpless. It was a sickly familiar feeling.
Images flashed through his mind.
He remembered the seemingly endless hours of brutal training.
"Don't stop practicing until you've got it down pact."
"You don't need friends. They'll only distract you."
"You must become the number one hero!"
The phone call.
"He's beginning to look more like him everyday.."
The frightening and out of character stare.
"M-mommy?"
The seething water.
How it directly hit his eye and boiled his skin until it was raw.
The pain.
His own deafening screams.
The confusion, fear, and betrayal he felt after recieving such agony from the person he trusted most.
The distant laughter of his siblings.
The horrid loneliness.
The anger.
Todoroki couldn't breath. He could not breathe. He was trapped. He was being consumed by the fear and rage.
The rage that resembled his father so.
Todoroki jumped off his bed and ran to the nearest mirror. His scar was ozzing blood. It dripped into the floor rapidly.
Todoroki searched for a towel or napkin or anything. He needed to cover the wound. He needed to stop the blood. Gosh, there was so much blood. Why was there so much blood? Why was he bleeding?!
He was hyperventilating. Breathe in and out slowly! He tried to remind himself. It wasnt working.
"SHOUTO!" A powerful yelled.
"Shut up! Leave!" The normally quiet boy practically screamed.
"SHOUTO!" The voice continued.
"Leave me alone! This is all your fault!" Todoroki cried as he sunk to the floor hopelessly.
"SHOUTO!" His father persisted.
"I said SHUT UP!" He yelled. "You have no right to act like you care when all you've ever done is hurt me!"
Todoroki gasped as he sat up straight on his bed. He inhaled and exhaled rapidly as he scanned his room.
A dream. It was just a dream.
He thought he had gotten over the nightmares by now.
Todoroki looked at the alarm currently going off on his nightstand. He pressed a finger against his phone and the noise came to a stop.
He sighed. Well, at least he was awake now.
Just to be sure, he brought a finger to his scar. It was calloused and dry, thankfully.
Still shaken by the nightmare, Todoroki stayed in bed around the time he would have usually gotten up.
He brought a hand through his hair. He had thought about his relationship with his father before going to sleep. So, that explain a few things.
His father was suddenly trying to make a change. It was weird. For all his life he didn't care. Now he did? And Todoroki was supposed to just accept it?
But at the same time Todoroki didn't want to hold a grudge. He'd done it for so long. Midoriya showed him that he didn't need to anymore.
Man, why did life have to be so hard?
Todoroki looked back at the clock.
Shoot! He was gonna be late for school!
Todoroki sccuried to his feet and got ready for class. When he was all dressed and had his stuff, he dashed through the threshold of the door and made his way to school.
"Uno!" Midoriya hollered as he slammed his final card onto the table. He threw a fist into the air victoriously.
Uraraka laughed. "Good job, Deku! It's hard to beat Todoroki-kun in a round of Uno." Iida nodded sharply.
Todoroki maintained his usual bland expression but squinted his eyes. "Green..." he uttered as he eyed the card.
Midoriya smiled. To others, Todoroki might have appeared as a sore loser, but he knew that the heterochromatic boy in front of him was just noting the irony of the uno card being green.
That was the thing about him and Todoroki. Midoriya could almost always read his expressions despite his usual poker face. To him, it wasn't really a pocket face at all. Todoroki just... he just didn't express his feelings like other people did. Not often. And the green haired boy didn't want that, he wanted Todoroki to be comfortable enough around others to share how he was feeling.
Of course, Midoriya understood why Todoroki acted the way he did. His past- Endeavor. Man, Midoriya did not like that guy. Todoroki deserved better. But he was glad that Todoroki chose the right path: to use his quirk and become his own person, his own hero. In fact, he told Midoriya that Endeavor appeared to be trying to become better himself. Who would've thought?
Anyways, there was more to Todoroki than first glance would have you believe. All you had to do was get to know him a bit. Midoriya was proud to be his friend.
The two put the deck of cards back into the box and threw out their trash with Iida and Uraraka after hearing the ringing of the bell.
The squad chattered on their way to class casually but stopped on their tracks when they saw who was in their classroom.
"Eri-chan!" Midoriya exclaimed with a happy gasp.
The little girl flinched and hid behind Aizawa's leg. She then peeked back for a moment until she realized that the one who had called her was Deku. She beamed. "Deku..!"
"I brought her here today so she could interact more with people. Maybe even learn a few things. I expect you all to be polite and gentle; she is easily frightened,” Aizawa informed.
"Yes, Sensei!" The class easily complied. The small child was just too cute.
Midoriya waved at Eri as he walked to his seat. Every girl in the class was fawning over her every time Aizawa turned his back.
Eri colored with crayons until class was over. After the bell rang once again, most student jump to their feet to either get out of the class or walk up to Eri. Clearly, Eri wasn't comfortable with the newfound attention. She walked up to Aizawa, who was sitting at his desk now, and clasped a hand onto his seat.
Mina frowned. "Aw, guys, she's scared. Maybe we should give her some space."
"That sounds like a good idea," Aizawa retorted. "I'm sure you all have something better to do?"
The girls grumbled at the comment and kindly said their goodbyes to the innocent looking child. They walked out of class shortly after.
Aizawa sighed. He turned to Eri. "Are you alright?"
She nodded timidly. She perked up a bit when Midoriya (and his friends) walked up to her.
Uraraka currently had her hands on her cheeks and her shoulders were tense. "She's so cute, I could just squeeze her!" She whispered. She was using all her self control not to do so.
"That would be inappropriate considering she does really not know you, Uraraka-Kun," Iida added.
"How have you been lately, Eri-chan?" Midoriya questioned with a smile.
Eri let go of Aizawa's chair. "Good,” she said quietly.
"That's good,” Midoriya said. He noticed she glanced behind him. "Oh, you haven't met Todoroki-Kun, have you?"
She shook her head.
"Say hi, Todoroki!" Midoriya insisted. Todoroki did as asked and walked up to the girl. "Hi."
He gazed at her. There was so must initial fear and distrust in her red yet innocent eyes. Midoriya had explained everything about Eri's past and quirk to him. It saddened him to hear about something so horrible happen to someone so young.
Eri stared back at him. At first Todoroki didn't know why, but he quickly realized that it must have been the scar. Or perhaps his unusual appearance in general.
Aizawa was carefully watching the scene before him until he was interrupted with a phone call. He picked up the phone. "Hello?"
Seconds upon listening to the other end, his eyes widened. "I'm on my way."
He got up adruptly, startling Eri. "Eri, something just came up and I need to leave to handle it." He shifted his direction to the teenagers. "Can I count on you guys to take care of her? I'm not sure how long this'll take."
"Yes!" Uraraka shouted.
"Of course, Sensei,” Iida responded formally.
Midoriya didn't bat an eye. "You didn't even need to ask!"
"Yes,” said Todoroki simply.
Aizawa gave a nod and ran out of the room swiftly, leaving the four students and child on their own.
"Umm.. so... that just happened,” Uraraka awkwardly announced.
"Yep! And that means we have more time to spend with Eri-chan!" Midoriya cheerfully reminded.
Iida looked through the classroom door window. "I wonder what happened. It must have been important if he had to leave in such a hurry."
Eri knitted her eyebrows. "Deku, is Aizawa-sensei in danger?" She worriedly asked.
"No, no!" Midoriya assured while waving his hands wildly. "He'll be fine! He's a pro hero, remember? That means he's really good at fighting and can get the bad guys!"
That answer seemed to calm Eri down a little.
"So, what are we gonna do? We can't just stay in a classroom all day until he comes back,” Uraraka asked.
"She's right,” Todoroki stated.
Midoriya leaned against the wall behind him. "Yeah... school's over now and it's a Friday. We should do something fun!"
"What do you propose?" Iida questioned. "It'd have to be something Eri-chan is okay with."
"Nothing that could go wrong,” Todoroki added.
Midoriya thought for a moment. "We could watch a movie. Like a Disney movie."
"Movie?" Eri asked curiously.
"Yeah! Would you like that?" Midoriya asked hopefully.
Eri gave a small smile. "Yes."
- - - - - - - - -
First, they went to a fast food restaurant and ate. Then, they headed towards the Midoriya household.
"Hi, mom!" Midoriya called out as he opened the front door to his house.
Inko, who had been in the kitchen cooking a meal, ran to the direction of her son's voice. "Izuku!" She tackled him in a bear hug.
"Oh, and you brought company?" She noticed.
"I hope you don't mind-“ Midoriya began.
"Of course I don't!" Inko cried. "I love to see you have fun with your friends!"
His friends bowed their heads respectfully and said their hellos. Eri looked up in astonishment. "Deku's... mom?"
Inko's mouth made an 'o' shape. She leaned down to get closer to the child. "Well aren't you the most precious thing? And who might you, dear?"
Eri nervously fiddled with the hem of her black and white dress. "Eri..."
Inko smiled warmly at her. "That's a lovely name, Eri. I'm inko. And yes, I am Deku's mother."
She looked at the girl for a few more seconds until standing up straight again. "Now, let me make you guys something to eat!"
Uraraka panicked. "Oh no, don't! Please, you don't need to go out of your way for us. We are just going to watch a movie," she explained.
"Then let me make popcorn at least. Sit down, sit down, all of you! Get comfy!" The mother insisted.
In no time, the group of friends were lying on the couch, covered with blankets, and munching on popcorn. The movie they had decided to watch was Zootopia. Eri had gotten a little scared at a few parts but Midoriya assured her that it was okay. By the end of the movie, Eri was cuddling with him.
"Wow,” Eri said, her expression unreadable.
"'Wow' what, Eri-chan?" Uraraka asked.
"Wow, that was really cool. I've never seen a movie before,” she eleborated.
The UA students simultaneously felt a pang in their hearts upon hearing that. If she had never even done something as simple and sweet as watching a movie, what else had she never done?
Eri looked at them and grinned. "Thank you for letting me stay with you guys and do fun stuff. You guys are really nice." She then yawned.
Iida got to his feet. "I just realized the the time! It is getting late. We should return to the school and see if Aizawa-sensei has returned. He'd want to see that Eri-chan is safe."
Todoroki blinked lazily. "It is late. That's why we shouldn't go looking for Aizawa. He could still be on whatever mission he was called for, or it could be complete but he's just tired. Either way, if he really wanted to know where Eri was, he'd get the school to call one of us. He hasn't, so clearly he trusts us."
"I agree with Todoroki-Kun,” Midoriya said as he scratch his head. "Besides, I'm sleepy. I'm sure you guys are, too. Do you wanna sleep over at my place or do you wanna go back to the dorms?"
"If you don't mind, I wanna stay here,” Uraraka answered.
"Oh, I don't mind at all! How about you guys?" Midoriya questioned the others.
Iida gestured at Eri. "I'd love to stay over, however, I do think that it'd be wise for one of us to head back to the dorms so that if Aizawa were to check on Eri, she'd be close by."
Todoroki slowly got up. "I'll go back. I needed to go back anyways because I have to do something tomorrow morning."
"I see,” Iida said. "Thank you."
"Aw, we'll miss you, you two," Uraraka informed glumly.
"I will ask Aizawa-sensei to let me see you guys more often then!" Eri declared with determination despite her obvious sleepiness.
Midoriya smiled. He looked back at Todoroki. "You'll be fine, right?"
Todoroki nodded. "Of course."
After all, why wouldn't he? Eri was a sweet girl, so she wouldn't cause any trouble. And if he had to fight for any reason, he could easily defend her.
So, yeah, of course he'll be fine.
Well, he wasn't exactly thinking that when he woke up at 4 am to heart wrenching sobs.
Todoroki would have fallen off the bed if he weren't already on the floor. He had slept on a blanket with a couple of pillows while Eri slept on the bed. Yes, Todoroki could be nice.
He didn't really mind. He could easily fall asleep anywhere, really.
But that was the least of his issues. His problem was that he did not know how to handle little children. More specifically, crying children.
Todoroki turned on a lamp to his side and observed the situation.
Eri was curled up in a ball with the blanket over her shoulders. She was shaking at an attempt to muffle her cries.
Todoroki slowly got up. "Eri, what's the matter?" He asked in the gentlest voice he could muster. He walked towards her but stop about four feet away from her, predicting that she'd be uncomfortable if he got any closer.
The horned girl used the blanket to cover her face. She successful made a cocoon.
Todoroki understood the feeling of wanting to hide. He knew it all too well. That's why he knew it wasn't what Eri needed. "Did you have a nightmare?"
Eri froze. She slowly uncovered her face and worriedly stared into Todoroki's heterochromatic eyes. "...Yes," She whimpered.
Todoroki pursed his lips. "I thought so."
"H-how did you know?" Eri questioned. She was still bundled on the bed.
"Well..." Todoroki started as he decided to plop onto the bed besides her, still giving her some space, though. "I get nightmares, too. Sometimes they're really bad."
Eri looked at Todoroki like she had never seen a person clearly before. Her worries vanished momentarily as she threw the blanket off herself and leaned towards the teenager. "You too?"
Todoroki simply nodded.
Eri opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. She leaned back to normal and fiddled with her bluish white hair. "I...I thought I was the only one,” she said sadly. Her eyes began to water again. "I thought I was crazy."
Todoroki's normally cold demeanor softened. "You're not crazy,” he assured gently. "You shouldn't think negatively of yourself for having a completely normal reaction to trauma."
Eri just stared at him, not completely understanding what he was trying to say.
"Having nightmares doesn't make you an outcast of any sort that I assume you believe it to be. I admit, you're different- you know that's true- but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's normal, Eri, don't worry."
It took a moment for Eri to let what Todoroki said soak in. Her shocked expression shifted into one of relief. She started crying and buried her face into her hands.
Todoroki watched her, unsure of what to say. He couldn't tell if he was helping or hurting her. An idea popped into his head. "Eri, how about we make a deal?"
He wanted a few seconds before Eri calmed down and looked back at him with tears eyes. "What kind of deal?" She questioned suspiciously.
Todoroki crossed his legs. "If I tell you what my nightmares are about, you have to tell me about yours."
Eri cursed her curiosity. "Okay...fine."
"Great. Now, to understand my nightmares you have to know about my childhood,” he explained. He told her about his special quirk, his father's obsession, how it affected his mother's mental health, and eventually, how he got the scar.
Todoroki wasn't sure why he was telling her all of this. He usually wouldn't have revealed this information to just anyone. But the sad way Eri looked at him made him want to let her know she wasn't alone.
Eri had been listening wordlessly but intently. When Todoroki told her about how his mother poured boiling water over his face, she looked crestfallen. She glanced at the red blotch on his face with sudden interest.
She scooted closer to him and did something he would have ever expected: she touch it. Her small finger rubbed the area softly. Todoroki looked at her, shocked. He did not protest, though.
Eri removed her finger from his face and moved it to her white sleeve. She pulled it up and revealed her arm, littered with her own scars. Todoroki was taken aback. Who could do this to such a sweet girl?
"I have scars, too,” she whispered. And without realizing it, she told him of her own tragic past. She spoke to him about how she ended up with Overhaul and when he began using her as an experiment, killed her for the power within her blood only to be brought back and used for the same reason over and over again.
"It was horrible,” she uttered painfully as the memories flashed in her mind. "I don't like remembering it."
They sat in silence afterwards.
"I guess we have more in common than we thought,” Todoroki noted.
Eri nodded weakly.
Todoroki gripped onto the bed. "The best trait that we have in common, however, is that we survived and proved that we were strong."
The young girl besides him tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean? I'm not strong, the heroes saved me. I didn't do anything..."
Todoroki looked at her in disbelief. "Eri, you have endured horrendous things and yet you were still able to smile. You were able to push through the past and enjoy the present,” he explained. "I think that makes you the strongest person I've ever met."
Eri gaped at him. Her? The strongest person this hero in training has met? She looked at her hands and felt a tug at her lips. "You're right." She laughed after a few seconds of silence. "You're right, you're right! I am strong!"
Todoroki gave a slight chuckle, something that was a rare sight, unfortunately.
Eri gasped as she got an idea. She gazed at Todoroki with wide eyes. "Todoroki, do you think that.. I could be a hero, too!?"
The boy was shocked by the question, but he soon smiled wholesomely. "Of course. You'd make an amazing hero."
Despite her disbelief that she had heard him correctly, her mouth stretched into an excited smile. Eri looked at Todoroki with hope. "Wow... I'm gonna be a hero!" She cheered as she put her hands in the air.
Todoroki got up from the bed to Eri's distaste and pointed a finger at her. "I might even show you a few moves. But that's for another day, and it's currently past four a.m., so I suggest getting some rest."
"Aww...” Eri moaned. Her enthusiasm disappeared and was replaced with poor posture.
"Heroes need sleep to get enough energy to train,” Todoroki added.
Eri sheepishly smiled. "Well, okay.."
They both settled in their designated sleeping spots and shifted around until they were comfortable.
"Good night, Todoroki,” Eri said through a yawn.
"Good night, Eri,” replied. He turned off the lamp and the room was submerged in darkness yet again.
They never got to share what their nightmares were about, but it wasn't necessary anymore. They now knew more about each other's pasts, and that was enough of an explanation.
It was almost as if they found comfort in the thought that they could relate with one another, because neither of them had any more nightmares that night.
Todoroki and Eri were enjoying their cereal as they spoke about a common interest: Midoriya.
"Is Deku your best friend?" Eri questioned right before she took another bite of her cheerios.
Todoroki answered immediately. "Yes."
"How did you become friends?" Eri continued to ask.
"Midoriya helped me realized that my quirk was my own to use," Todoroki replied, "After that, I hung around him more and we became close."
"Ohhh... He helped me by giving me hope and helping me smile for the first time. He is such a good friend,” Eri stated.
"I agree," said Todoroki. It saddened him to hear that she had never smiled prior to meeting the green haired boy- of course, leave it to Midoriya to get someone to smile.
He then grabbed his bowl and drank the remaining milk.
Eri giggled.
Todoroki paused. "What's so funny?"
"The sound you're making,” Eri explained. "It sounds like SLURP!"'
Instead of getting offended, Todoroki felt amused. "Yes, I tend do that." He proceeded to slurp.
Eri happily joined him. They slurped in harmony. It was beautiful.
After breakfast, Todoroki and Eri got ready to leave.
"Where are you going after I'm back with Aizawa-sensei?" Eri interrogated curiously.
The two of them walked out of the dorm. "I'll be visiting my brother and sister,” he said as he locked the door.
Eri looked at him with wide, bright eyes. "Bring me with you. Please!"
Todoroki glanced at her strangely as they walked down the hallway. "Why would you want to come along?"
Eri noticeable deflated. "I..I.. never mind. Sorry, I don't want to bother you."
"N-no, Eri. I'm not denying your request, I'm just curious,” Todoroki stammered uncharacteristically. He wanted her to know that her thoughts were allowed and welcomed.
Eri nervously scratched at her long, straight hair. "I wanted to see the people who are important to you.. The people you talked about."
Todoroki was wary. He didn't know if his father would be home today, and if he was, there was a large possibility that he'd frighten Eri. At the same time, Eri didn't seem like the type of person to normally want to meet new people, and that meant this was an opportunity to help her open up a bit.
He took the chance.
"Alright then, let's go. We'll have to be quick, though. I don't want to start worrying Aizawa,” he stated.
He grabbed Eri's hand and they headed to the Todoroki abode.
- - - - - - - -
Todoroki discreetly inhaled before knocking on the front door of his family's house.
Please don't be home, please don't be home.. Todoroki hoped.
He let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding when Natsuo opened the door. The young white haired man gave a surprised grin when he realized who he was looking at. "Shouto! Hey, how are you?"
"I'm fine,” he answered. He gestured towards Eri, who was nervously clutching Todoroki's hand. "This is Eri. I hope you don't mind her tagging along."
Natsuo glanced at her, only now noticing her. "Well hello there.." he muttered, slightly confused. What was his brother doing with a little girl? No way, he thought, Todoroki is getting soft. Hohohoho..!
"Hey, Fuyumi! You might wanna see this,” he hollered to someone inside the house. Natsuo opened the door wider and stepped out of the way to let his little brother and the guest inside.
Just like his dorm, the house was Japanese styled. Not to mention, it was huge. Eri was amazed.
A female who wore glasses and also had white hair with hints of red walked up to them. She had a smile on her face and her eyes lingered on the horned girl curiously. "It's great to see you, Shouto. Everything okay at school?"
Todoroki nodded. "Yes, I just came to visit."
"Aww, I missed you, too!" Fuyumi cried as she threw herself at the heterochromatic student in a hug. "It's stressful having two family members as heroes! You never know when something could happen!"
Todoroki particularly didn't enjoy the inescapable hug but he didn't push away. She was right, you never did know when something could happen. He supposed she was still shaken from the event that gave their father an enormous scar.
"Ahem," Natsuo interrupted, "I hate to ruin the moment, but tell us more about your friend here, little bro."
Fuyumi reluctantly released Shouto from the hug so he could talk. Shouto regained a bit of his breath before explaining. "There's not much to say. My friends and I were out in charge of watching her yesterday because Aizawa had something to attend to. I was going to return her today but she wanted to come along and meet you guys."
Fuyumi tried not to squeal. "It's so nice to meet you! And I'm flattered. I mean, Natsuo and I aren't as interesting as Shouto here, but we sure have our own special traits!"
Eri looked up at her shyly. They were different from Todoroki; they were more expressive. She could see how Endeavor's treatment had made him different from others, even his own siblings. She didn't mind it, though. In fact, she preferred Todoroki's more calm personality; it made her feel less overwhelmed. Still, she was grateful that these people were very nice and welcoming.
"It's nice to meet you, too. Thank you for allowing me to-" she was cut off by the sound of the front door being unlocked.
Todoroki mentally cursed as he heard the familiar loud steps approach them.
Eri craned her neck all the way up to see who the man was. By the red hair and large abundant of muscles, she presumed it was Todoroki's father: Endeavor. The large scar that covered almost all of the left side of his face unsettled her. Todoroki had never told her about this.
"Shouto, you're home,” the man stated with surprise. It sounded almost like a question. His deep and powerful voice echoed the building's halls unintentionally.
"Yes, and I was just on my way out,” Shouto spat. "Come on, Eri."
Eri didn't move. Despite the fear slowly consuming her, she felt a hint of courage to speak for Todoroki, her new friend.
"You've hurt Todoroki and the rest of your family a lot. But he still is trying to become a hero, a real hero,” informed with a combination of anger, sadness, and worry.
Todoroki grabbed her hand hastily but gently and guided her towards the exit. "Bye, Fuyumi and Natsuo. See you another time," he said without turning back.
"Shouto, wait,” Endeavor called out. Hesitantly, Todoroki stopped. He wanted to hear what the man had to say. He still faced his back at him. Meanwhile, Eri turned her head to look in the fire user's direction. It was almost impossible to see, but a hint of remorse could be seen, settled on his facial features.
"The girl's right- I know that- but I really am working to be a hero you can look up to. I know you're angry at me, and I don't blame you, but just know that I'm- I'm sorry,” the man confessed with a sorrowful frown.
Natsuo's eyebrows furrowed as he observed his father.
Todoroki tensed up. Eri could tell by the way his grip on her hand tightened, his stance straightened, and his breath hitched. He stormed off with Eri struggling to keep up.
He was mad, and it frightened the girl. "Todoroki, y-you're going so fast-" she apprehensively gasped through pants once they were far from the household.
The teen stopped speed walking and glimpsed at Eri. He let go of her hand and ran a hand through his hair. He mentally cursed at himself. "I'm so sorry, Eri. I was upset, I- he always does this. He gets me so frustrated that all I want to do is get away from him as soon as possible."
Eri watched him scold himself as she caught her breath. He didn't mean to scare me, she thought. She felt guilty. It was actually her fault Todoroki was mad. She was the one who spoke to Endeavor, which lead to the man continuing the conversation which him.
"I'm sorry,” she whimpered. Her lips quivered as she squeezed her eyes shut.
Todoroki was surprised at what a horrible job he was doing to help Eri feel safe. He kneeled down onto the sidewalk to get on Eri's level. "No, don't apologize. It's not your fault. Nothing's your fault. I'm not even angry anymore. Don't cry. Please?"
The child slowly opened her eyes and looked at Todoroki, who was now only slightly taller than her. His dark look was gone and now replaced with concern that only someone who has gotten to know him would be able to notice.
"Okay," she responded quietly. She wouldn't cry. She didn't need to. Besides, she was strong now, remember? She wanted to become a hero, and she couldn't do that if she cried over everything. Also, hearing Todoroki say please was probably a rare occurrence, so she knew she should listen.
"He said sorry... so why did you leave?" Eri asked, her voice louder now.
Todoroki glanced at the floor. "My dad... I know he's trying to become better, but it's hard to accept it. After all these years of torment he suddenly wants to change. I can't help but feel like he doesn't deserve our support."
Eri understood, but she wasn't sure what to say except, "Oh. Maybe you should talk to him about it. Or ask Deku for advice. He's really good at giving advice, right?"
Todoroki nodded and stood back up. "He is. Maybe I'll ask him. Thank you."
Eri smiled softly. "You're welcome." She didn't do much, but it felt good to help others. She felt an odd but nice glow in her chest.
"Let's get you back to UA,” the hero in training declared and offered his hand to Eri. He hoped Aizawa wouldn't question were they had been all this time.
Eri accepted his hand and walked with him happily down the block. She enjoyed the nice breeze and warm sun that she missed out on for years. She enjoyed the comfort she felt in holding someone's hand. And lastly, she enjoyed the freedom that Overhaul never let her have.
Aizawa thanked Todoroki for watching over Eri for the night and asked him to tell the rest of the Deku squad that he said, "thank you" to them, too. Todoroki assured him that he'd be sure to do so.
"Bye, Todoroki. It was very nice meeting you,” Eri said genuinely with a smile as she held Aizawa's hand. "You'll come to see me again, right? You said you'll teach me some moves, remember?"
Aizawa eyed Todoroki strangely. "Care to explain?"
"Ah.." The student began, “Eri wants to become a hero."
Aizawa looked back at Eri, eyes widened slightly. "Is that so?"
Eri simply nodded.
Aizawa smirked. "Well, then, it seems I missed a lot. Hero, huh? That'll take a lot of effort and time. Also, bravery. Think you got what it takes? I know you have the kindness part down pact."
Eri gulped but nodded again, much more confident this time.
"Alright then. I'll work out the details with you," the teacher stated, "but before that, I'd like to talk to Todoroki in private. We're going to step out into the hallway, okay?"
"Okay." Eri replied. She sat on a chair to prove her point.
When Aizawa and Todoroki were outside in the hallway, they closed the door to the room Eri was in. Little did they know that Eri had jumped from her seat and pressed an ear against the door to hear was being discussed.
"Eri appears to be shy and even guarded, but she's really just a sweet child who wants to experience happiness for once. Due to her past, she's hesitant to put herself in any situation that could put her in harm. So what happened that made her want to make a move as bold as becoming a hero?" Aizawa questioned. He didn't sound upset, but instead, perplexed.
Todoroki glanced at the floor as he wondered what the answer to the pro hero's question was. He, himself, couldn't be sure. All he did was indirectly, and certainly unintentionally, inspire her. "I spoke to her about her strength, and while doing so, I must have given her the idea. We talked for a short while, it was... personal." He explained concisely.
That was all the explanation Aizawa needed. He didn't know much about Shouto, but he knew he had a rough past. It was hard not to tell when he acted so cold at first and clearly had a bad relationship with his father, Endeavor, the now number one hero. But Shouto changed. It was small- hardly noticeable- but impactful. He was less detached and more friendly- in his own little way. He must have clicked with Eri somehow.
"Did she ask you for validation?" Aizawa asked.
"Yes, she asked me if she could do it. If she could become a hero. I said yes." Todoroki answered.
Aizawa's gaze pierced into Todoroki's. "Did you truly mean it? Or did you say it to make her feel hopeful?"
Eri, who was listening from the other side of the door, bit her lip. Her breath hitched in anticipation and anxiety.
The heterochromatic boy blinked. "She has a powerful quirk. I don't see why she couldn't become a hero if she has the passion to become one. I meant what I said."
Aizawa's small scowl disappeared and gave a small exhale through his nose. Todoroki could see the ghost of a smile on his face. "You can come out now Eri," the teacher said.
The door slowly opened. Eri's head peeked out of the crack, her face expressing her embarrassment at being caught. "Uh-!"
"You're not in trouble. Come here," the teacher insisted. Eri complied and stood by his side.
"I think you'll be seeing Todoroki more often than you initially thought," he stated.
What did he mean by that?
- - - - - - - - - -
"DIEEEEE!" Bakugou yelled as he threw an explosion at his target.
"Ignore him, young Eri," Toshinori said before hacking his lugs. Eri watched, slightly disturbed, but relatively calm. When the Ex-number one hero recomposed himself, he continued speaking, "he just tend to be a little.. over enthusiastic. He doesn't actually intend to, erm, kill or hurt anyone."
"AH, BAKUGOU! STAY IN YOUR LANE, MAN!" A student cried.
Toshinori laughed nervously. He didn't want to child to run off on her first day of watching the students train. He noticed that she wasn't focusing on the angry blonde, but instead Midoriya and Todoroki.
Ah, of course.
"Mr. Toshinori?" Eri uttered quietly.
"What is it, dear?" The man responded.
"When will I be able to train?" She questioned sadly, "I still don't understand my quirk very much, and I can't use it because I could hurt someone."
"A-ah, Young Eri! People typically begin training when they enter a hero school, and that's when they are teenagers. You have a long way to go before then," the hero explained. Eri wanted to input that Todoroki began training when he was much younger than that, but decided against it because she knew his situation was different, and the teen would probably want that to remain private.
"And yes, you're quirk could hurt someone, but almost everyone's quirk has to capability or doing that. The reason why you must wait to use and train your quirk is because we need to learn more about it, and find out how you can use it properly. Do you understand?" Toshinori asked with a small smile.
Eri liked this man; he was so kind. She could see why he used to be the number one hero.
"Yes..think I understand," the girl replied.
So she needed to wait until she was older to become a hero? It made sense. She was pretty small, after all. That meant that she had more time to understand and control her quirk. Midoriya of all people probably could relate..
"It's so good to see you again, Eri-chan!" Ochaco hollered.
Eri flinched a bit at the volume of her voice but smiled. She was trying hard not to allow normal things to scare her anymore. It was difficult but she always had a friend or adult nearby, so that made it easier.
"We heard about your new ambition," Iida mentioned as he moved his arms robotically, "and we will support you!"
"Thank you," Eri muttered while lowering her head bashfully. She turned to Midoriya. "Can I talk to you?"
"Of course, Eri-chan! Would you like us to talk privately?" The green haired boy offered.
Eri nodded and then glanced at Todoroki. "You too, please?"
Ochaco and Iida eyed each other silently. They knew when it was their cue to leave.
"Ah, well, I suddenly really need to use the bathroom!" Ochaco stated.
"I do as well! I'll join you. Erm- in the men's room, of course! I would never follow you into the women's room! That'd be inappropriate and disrespectful." Iida stammered. Eri let out a giggle as they ran out to their separate restrooms, desperate to leave the awkward situation they dug themselves into.
"What is it, Eri?" Todoroki spoke up.
Eri bit on her lip. "I just wanted to ask... how did you control your quirks?"
The heterochromatic hero glanced at Midoriya. "Eri, if this is about you attempting to control yours, you need to know that it takes practice and time. Even now, we still haven't mastered our quirks."
"Yeah," Midoriya added, "my quirk still goes haywire and I'm learning a lot of new things. I have to be really careful sometimes, or else I could hurt myself or others."
"I know.." The horned girl said, "I just don't get it.. Mr. Toshinori said that I can't train until I find a way to use my quirk safely, but then you guys are saying that I can't use my quirk safely if I don't train."
Midoriya face palmed. "Oh..!"
"You can train in other way to become a hero, if you'd like. Not everything has to be physical. For example, Midoriya kept notes of all his peers, which gave him the advantage of knowledge over the opponent whenever we dueled." Todoroki explained.
"Anyways, becoming a hero shouldn't be your main focus. It should be enjoying being a kid!" Midoriya exclaimed.
Eri stared at him. "Enjoy... being a kid?"
"Yes! You don't have to work or pay taxes. You can spend time with your friends and do normal things, too!" The boy continued. "Not everything is about being a hero. You don't wanna stress yourself out too much!"
The young girl let that soak in. After acquiring this new life style, she wanted to help people, so that they never had to go through what she went through. So that they could live life freely. She was allowed to do that now, too... She had almost forgotten.
"Will... will you guys help me? Help me..." Eri trailed off. What was she asking them to help her with? She was so lost, she needed people to guide her.
"Help me on my journey to becoming a hero, and... and having a happy future?" Eri asked at last.
A happy future.
Letting go of the past.
Moving forward.
She wanted all of that. But then again, she was only a child. She needed help.
"Yes," Todoroki answered simply. A glint of fondness could be seen in his eyes despite his blunt response.
"Of course, Eri-chan!" Midoriya replied with determination. "We're your friends, and friends help each other out!"
Eri's eyes pooled with tears. "Thank you..." Why were they so nice to her?
Midoriya brought her into a wonderfully warm hug.
They might say they weren't heroes yet, but Eri knew that wasn't true. They saved her. And even after that, they were helping her now.
Her heroes.
Eri dug her face in Deku's shoulder.
This... this was her new home. Her new friends- no, family. Her future.
And she couldn't be any happier.