Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Eri wakes up to soft mews and the kneading of small paws against her stomach. She’s laying back like a starfish, one arm over the edge of the bed and the other clutching her stuffed cat, Mr. Pinku. Eri sits up and rubs her sleepy eyes. The cat, Mizu climbs on her lap and knocks his head to her chest. Even half asleep Eri doesn’t hesitate to start petting his head and scratching under his chin. It’s pretty odd for Mizu to be this affectionate unless he wants food. Eri takes a moment to look around. The door is closed. She looks to the floor. No sleeping bag. No Aizawa.
But Zawa always feeds him once he gets up in the morning she thinks… Eri knows that he'd rather feed the cat breakfast than himself. Where…where is he? Eri freezes up, clutching her hands on her bed sheets. No, she can't do this again. She can’t let him worry.
Breath in… Hold…Breath out…
Eri wraps her arms around her plushie and Mizu, petting their fur back and forth slowly in time with her breathing. The room feels so small, so alone. Like that cold room, that dark cold room where…
But here it’s not dark, she reminds herself looking to the window. ‘I’m not there’ she thinks. The patterned curtains let in light from the outside, it’s morning. She’s at UA. If she looked outside she would see the campus, the buildings, the trees, and students. She’s not alone. she’s not trapped. I’m..safe , she reassures herself, crinkling her eyes to prevent tears from forming.
Breath in… Hold…Breath out.
I’m home , she thinks, opening them again. Aizawa is here. He’s outside the door . In the quiet, she can hear light footsteps. He’s probably in the kitchen making coffee.
But the door, she thinks again nervously, he never closes it.
The cat escapes Eri’s arms and leaps from the bed to the floor. They get to the door and start pawing at it to leave. Mizu must be hungry she looks over to her and tries to call him back to her but the words don’t come.
She needs to get out of bed. If not it will only get worse. Eri needs to be brave. She needs to get up. Leave the room.
She twists to her side with her feet hanging from the bedside, not letting them touch the floor.
Eri isn’t afraid of monsters under her bed. She didn’t grow up with those common fears other kids seem to have. What she fears is much scarier. It’s what she can’t see. What she can’t expect. No matter how many times she looks around her room where she is. She can’t see under her bed. What would happen if she pulls off the covers? She doesn’t need to know that bad things will happen if they have. And always to her.
A yell from outside startled Eri who covers her ears in surprise. But she recognizes that voice. It’s Present Mic. Eri freezes. Her body telling her to stay still or else. But then she hears “Hizashi!” followed by the sound of running steps.
“It’s just a little cut sho. Nothing to worry about” responds Present Mic quickly.
Eri’s thoughts about getting up are now replaced with a new sense of relief and then worry. The darkness of under the bed is abandoned as she hurries to the door. She opens enough to peek her head out and Mizu shoots out of the room. She’s too far away to see them both but she can hear their conversation.
“I’ll go get the first aid kit.” Says Aizawa heaving an exasperated sign. He seems to do that a lot around Present Mic Eri thinks. “And don’t bleed out on the kitchen counter “ Which Mic just responds with a chuckle. Once Eri hears Aizawas footsteps get farther away she decides to finally leave the room.
In the kitchen she finds Present Mic leaning back against the counter while pressing a paper towel to his hand. “Oh Good morning little listener!” he says cheerfully while waving with his good hand.But Eri can’t take her eyes off the other. She can see it bleeding.
The cut.
The blood.
Eri looks down at the floor. Crossing her arms and turning away from Present Mic. It’s only a small cut she thinks. It will heal up quickly. Recovery girl could kiss it away in a second if she were here. If she only could use her quirk right she could help. I could heal him, say her thoughts as she begins to spiral. I could heal sickness… I could cure him. I could be the cur-
Aizawa is quickly back in the kitchen capturing all of Eri’s attention when he tousles her hair. Eri could see the sadness in the smile he gave her. He knows the kind of days that follow her nightmares.
She just wishes she could be the one to help just once.
“You should have woken me up,” he says to the mic while opening the first aid kit.
“You looked peaceful.” he says looking at Aizawa and then suddenly switching to Eri “You both did!” He removes the paper to reveal a long but not deep cut across his left thumb.
“It was just a nap.” Aizawa says grabbing his hand more forcefully getting an exaggerated ”Oww” from Mic. He shoots a look of betrayal to Aizawa’s face. “Don’t look at me like that when your yell woke her up.” He says pressing steadily a sheet of alcohol to the wound.
Mic turns to look at her again “Oh really Eri? He says looking at her, which Eri looks away “I’m sorry” He says, extending his arm to give a little fist bump at her which Eri moves to give until Mic says “ I really didn’t mean to wake you. I even closed the door just in case.” She flinches at that and steps away. Aizawa looks back at Present Mic with a death glare.
He didn’t know about the door. Shota hadn’t told him.
Hizashi looks back to Eri again. To her small figure rubbing her crossed arms and looking at the floor.
“We’ll talk later.’ Shota says, too low for Eri to hear while finishing putting bandages on Hizashis finger. Hizashi tugs at Shota shirt to hold him back, pressing his hand to his lower back. Shota freezes but doesn’t pull away. “I’ll finish making breakfast. Take care of Eri.” He whispers before they split apart.
He sees Shota walks a few steps and lowers himself down to Eris’s height.
“Let’s go pick out what you’re going to wear today.” He holds out his hand towards Eri’s.
She takes it without taking her eyes off the floor.
Too soon Hizashi is once again left alone in the kitchen.