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You’re lying in bed, you have been for a while. You know you should probably get up and change your outfit from work but the thought of moving after what happened has you tearing up.
It really shouldn’t matter, you know that. People disappoint you all the time. It’s nothing new, but how could you have missed the signs? How could you have missed just how bad of a person they really were.
Judging them still feels harsh despite how they treated you. You thought you were friends, not just family, after all but you can’t even say that for certain, the doubt is so strong.
Part of you knows it’s happened before, that you rationalized it away and now are paying the consequences. You gave them a million chances to prove themselves but it never mattered in the end. They won’t change and it’s about time you recognized it.
It just hurts so much.
A knock on the door jolts you out of your spiral and begrudgingly, you make your way to the door. A familiar face stands beyond the door frame with a tired look. “The problem children are worried about you, you haven’t been answering your phone.”
Aizawa Shouta, your best friends’ teacher and the husband to your homeroom teacher, not that you let anyone catch on that you knew. “Aizawa Sensei? What are you doing here?”
He huffs, “The brats were going up the walls because you rushed out of class. They wanted to come here in person since you weren’t answering your phone but I managed to convince them to stay if I did a house call before patrol.”
Looking down at your phone you see at least 47 text messages from the group chat and 9 missed calls from the ‘Bakusquad’. Despite not being in the hero course, somehow you had managed to befriend all of them. Even Bakugou, no matter how much he denies it. You liked to tell them that you were going to be their first civilian fan, no matter what. A small hurt part of you wonders if that was just you being “naive” and “stupid” of you again.
Aizawa for all his self-proclaimed insensitivity seems to notice your red rimmed eyes and he pushes off the door frame where he had been leaning. “Kid, are you okay? Where are your parents?”
The mention of family has you wincing and raises an eyebrow. “They’re… not here. I live alone. Means a lot of takeout,” you try to joke but he isn’t buying it.
‘UA students are supposed to have a guardian if they’re not living in the dorms, problem child.”
“Listen, it’s just not an option, okay? Not everyone has that type of family.”
He groans, rubbing a hand down his face, “Ugn, why am I cursed with such stubborn kids?”
“I didn’t ask you to come here. As you can see, I’m fine. Go worry about your own family. I’m sure Mic Sensei is waiting for you,” you say.
Shit.
You wait for him to get angry, for him to demand why you know so much of his personal life. Possibly send you to Nedzu for getting too close with the hero program when you’re just a general student.
It doesn’t happen though and after a quick shocked look on his face, he chuckles a bit into his capture weapon. “Should’ve know one day we’d be found out. I just thought it would be Midoriya first, but by the way Zashi raves about you, maybe I should’ve seen this coming.”
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to pry! Kami, I’m so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid-”
You go to wring your hands, a nervous habit that somewhat calms you down but Aizawa Sensei stops you. “Easy kid, none of that. Come on, pack your bags, I’m taking you to the dorm.”
You start to tear up a bit, not even knowing why, “What?”
“I can’t in good conscience leave you here to stew in whatever is going on alone. If you’re not comfortable talking to me, you can talk to Mic or even Hound Dog. First though, I’m going to take you to the dorms so you can talk to the problem children and calm down.”
“I-I thought you had patrol, I don’t want to be a burden. I’m really just being too sensitive.”
He puts a hand on your shoulder, “Patrol can be canceled, there are other heroes out there. For now, you’re my priority. You deserve to be taken care of kid. Besides, something tells me you’ve been taking care of yourself too much, let someone else help.”
Without warning, you wrap your arms around his waist, like a little kid you never really got to be. Aizawa hesitates for a moment before returning the hug. “Hizashi is gonna go crazy if I bring home another kid, but I know he’d love to have you.”
You don’t really hear him, or if you do, you don’t put the words together.
Aizawa and you take the short train back to the UA buildings. He keeps his arm around your shoulder the entire time, like he’s afraid you’ll bolt if given the chance. You don’t mind in the slightest and realize you might be a little touch starved.
At the gates you barely have a second to realize he’s guiding you to the hero dorms when a flash of yellow and pink barrel into you. “You’re okay!” Mina cries.
Aizawa lets go with a grunt and Mina and Kaminari take this as a sign to bring you into their arms instead. “Yeah, sorry about that guys, I guess I got a little distracted…”
“A little distracted? You were radio silent for hours, you never do that! I swear I’ve never met someone who responds so fast,” Kaminari says.
“Yeah, guess I’m chronically lonely,” you go for a joke but to your utter embarrassment you get stuck on a sob, nearly crying your heart out on the main path. “No! Don’t cry! It’s gonna be okay! Bakubro’s making some sweets in the kitchen with Sato, the rest of the gang is waiting for us.”
“Totally,” Mina chimes in, “We’re gonna have a movie night with popcorn and cookies and literally everything! We got you babe.”
They start to guide you along to the dorm building, but you turn your head to spot Aizawa hanging back. As if sensing he was here, Mic Sensei is already there and they’re having a hushed conversation. They seem to sense your eyes though as the men look up and wave you off. Mic offers a smile and… well, Aizawa does his own version. “Go on,” Hizashi shouts, “We’ll talk later little listener!”
You don’t know what to say so you simply sign one of the few things you know, ‘Thank you’.
Mic Sensei practically grins ear to ear.
Mina and Kami get you through the door, the smell of chocolate cookies permeating the air. “Pebble, you’re here!” Kirishima calls out.
All eyes whip to you and your face flushes. You know you must look awful with your hair all matted down from laying on your bed and you can feel your eyes practically throbbing. Despite even the nickname Kiri gave you, one that never fails to make you smile, all you manage is a weak, “Hey…”
“Where’s Kachan? We need food stat!” Kaminari says.
“Oi don’t call me that! Only the nerd gets to call me that and believe me, I wish he wouldn’t.” Bakugou shouts from the kitchen.
“It’s okay, I’m not that hungry anyways,” you say.
With almost comedic timing, your stomach growls at that moment. “Oh yeah? When’s the last time you ate?” Sero saunters over with that stupid knowing grin.
“I don’t remember,” you mumble, “Maybe yesterday night?”
“Fucking idiot! Do I look like I have time to be your mother?” Bakugou says, coming out of the kitchen with food.
“Don’t be like that, I’d have maybe one decent parent that way.”
It seems bad jokes were the theme for the night because it gets dead quiet in the living room dorm. “Tch, get them. We’re going to my room.”
“Get me? What do you- Kiri!”
Kirishima hoists you over his shoulder and the 6 of you head towards Bakugou’s room. Kirishima then gently sets you down on one of the bean bag chairs reserved for movie nights, not that you had been to many. You’re usually at home by yourself at night.
Sero grabs a cookie from the tray Bakugou is holding and shoves it toward you. You grab it and take a bite with a little bit of a sniffle, “This is really good Kachan.”
“Of course it is,” he grumbles and you miss the blush on his face.
“So, tell us babes, what happened?” Mina asks.
“Oh its nothing really, just a family member did something shitty and then you know, Aizawa showed up and he got weird about me living alone-”
“Wait! You were living alone? What about your parents, Pebble?”
“It’s… a bit of a long story. I don’t really feel like talking about it right now.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense. As long as you’re okay, Sunshine Nugget.”
Everyone groans at Kami’s ridiculous nickname for you and Mina even throws a pillow at him, “What did I do?”
“It’s okay, mi cariño. We’ll be enough family to make up for it, I promise,” Sero says.
“You really mean it?”
“Tch, of course. No shitty extra of mine is going to live alone like that.”
“Aww, he called us his extras! That’s the sweetest thing you ever said to us,” Kaminari says.
“Technically I only called them one of mine, the rest of you are on your own.”
“Nope,” Kiri says, “We’re family now, you can’t get rid of us!”
“Oh shit, what have I done?”
You just laugh.