Aizawa wakes to the sound of light sniffling next to his bed. Opening his eyes, he sees his daughter staring back at him, tightly clutching her favorite stuffed cat.
"Daddy…"
Her voice is thick with tears. He knows immediately that she must have had another nightmare. Carefully slipping out of bed so that he doesn't disturb his still sleeping partner, he takes his daughter's hand and leads her out of the room. As they walk together to the kitchen, he can hear the gentle padding of her tiny socked feet on the floor and her cat dragging behind her.
Lifting her up into a chair, he gets a good look at her in the light. Her eyes, which match his partner's, are red and puffy, her face shiny from crying. She has a small pout on her lips as she looks up to her father, and his heart twists at the sight. In his line of work, Aizawa gets his fair share of nightmares, and not being able to protect her from them is frustrating. All he can do is try to hide his insecurity as he comforts her.
He turns away and begins to boil water.
"What was it this time?"
"Spiders in my bed…"
He brings two mugs of hot chocolate over to the table and sits down beside her. Picking her head up off of the table, she takes her mug in both hands and slowly starts drinking. They both sit in silence for a while, finishing their drinks. Looking over at his daughter, he notes for the hundredth time that she must get her quiet nature from him, the thought causing a fond feeling to bubble up inside him. He reaches out to pet her hair and she lets out a small sigh, leaning into his hand.
She looks up at him through wet lashes and gives him a weak but reassuring smile.
Ah. She saw right through me.
Aizawa lifts her into his arms and carries her back to her room. With her held closely to his chest, he folds himself so that they can both fit comfortably on her small bed. Softly burrowing into his shirt, she closes her eyes and tries to focus on her father's heartbeat, already feeling much safer.
