Where Golden Flowers Bloom
Chapter 2: The Rays
SevenRenny
He'd found her half-asleep on the sofa in front of the TV with a blanket over her lap. He chuckled lightly as Eri struggled to keep her head up. She blinked up at him tiredly and yawned.
"You must be tired." He quietly moved her blanket aside and knelt to her level. Recognizing the gesture, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he gladly picked her up. It seemed like she was ready to sleep with her head on his shoulder.
His mother, Inko, smiled gently as her son took the girl back to her bedroom. The chubby woman turned off the television and grabbed the blanket to fold it. The small apartment had two bedrooms, and because they weren't sure for how long they'd be staying, they decided to settle here, for now.
Eri and Izuku shared a bedroom, because the child was too scared to be without him. She'd slept in Inko's bed a few times, but she seemed more at ease with her big brother. Inko wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because he was younger and Eri felt uncomfortable around adults, or maybe it was because Izuku had been the one to hold on to her when they'd met.
He let her have the bed while he slept on a futon on the floor. Tucking her in and giving her a kiss on the head, she sighed and sank her cheek into the pillow. Izuku went over to the cat-shaped LED night light and gave it a press between the ears. It lit up, slowly changing color from blue to purple to red. It took Izuku and Inko a few nights to realize Eri didn't like the dark, or being alone, or having the doors closed. That was why Izuku kept the bedroom door half-open.
Thanks to the nightlight, even after he'd turned off the bedroom lights, everything was still visible. He grabbed his phone and set the timer to wake him up tomorrow morning. The phone dinged in his hand.
(8) Unread Messages:
Uraraka: Hi Midoriya
Uraraka: sorry im texting you this late
Uraraka: youre probably asleep right now
Uarakara: you can read this in the morning
Uraraka: just wanted to say
Uraraka: I had fun today
Uraraka: see you and Eri again soon
Uraraka: Goodnight!
The light from the phone reflected off his face as he read the first few texts he'd ever received from a friend. Friend… what a weird, vague word it was. It was supposed to be simple to understand, so how had he gotten it so wrong? Friend: a person one would enjoy spending time with. Was that all it was?
As a child, he used to enjoy spending time with Kacchan and his buddies. That's my friend, he had thought back then. But he learned friends came with a package full of bruises, burn marks, scraped knees and a curse that marked him as 'lonely' for the rest of his life.
He had tried to look for better people, but to everyone, he was simply a pest; either run away from it, or hit it. So, he had tried to stay out of everyone's way, but no matter how quiet he was, he just couldn't turn invisible. In the end, he did the only thing he could do. He gave up. Yes, he longed for affection and loving human contact, but he had accepted it wasn't possible for people like him.
He reread the girl's texts. She had made the decision to talk to him, and had offered to be his friend. She had smiled, and laughed with him, and not at him. No stranger had been this friendly to him in a long time. He wanted her. He truly wanted to talk to her again, because that fuzzy feeling in his belly was something new to him. Was that what it felt like to have friend?
She was friendly and easy to talk with, and Eri had opened up to her faster than Izuku thought was possible. She'd usually hide behind him, but at some point, she held Uraraka's hand. Was it because that girl was closer to his age? Eri had never interacted with other teenagers, and most people who had tried to get close to her were adults and elders.
While it was nice to know that Eri trusted him, he didn't want her to cling to him forever. At some point, they would have to separate. If he wanted her to grow up like most children, than he had to teach her how, and who, to trust, and how to make friends – something he never got to learn. He couldn't do it alone. If Eri could open up to more people, than she could figure out how to make friends. He had failed, but she still had a chance.
Open up – to one person at a time, starting here.
He typed and sent Uraraka his reply before putting his phone down.
To Uraraka:
You: I had fun too
You: Goodnight
He plopped down over his futon and messed with the straps of his foot brace. He heard Eri yawn as he slid the brace off and grabbed his blanket. Eri's eyes were half-closed, slowly blinking shut.
"Wake me up if you need to use the bathroom, kay?" he whispered, not wanting to disturb her.
"Hmm," was all she could manage before her eyes closed completely.
Satisfied, he finally relaxed his body, sighing. She depended on him a lot, and needed him nearby, but he knew she was a strong girl. She'd eventually get strong enough to not need him anymore. But right now, he didn't mind having her stuck to him like glue.
No one had been there to help him when he was younger. She was a child, but he was there for her. He'd make sure she got the help she needed. He didn't care if he ran himself down; as long as she came out of it alright, then so be it. He'd help.
One step at a time.
…
"Are. You. Serious?" Mina hissed. She wanted to face palm, but she needed to keep Ochaco's feet pinned to the floor as the brown-haired girl continued to do sit-ups.
Mina waited for Ochaco to pull up so she could whisper to her without getting in trouble for messing around during gym class. "Did you seriously friend-zone him on a date?"
"It's… It's not…" Ochaco fell back, huffed, then sat up. "It wasn't a… a date…" She fell back again.
"Suuure. You and him, at the park, and you want me to believe it wasn't a date."
"With his…" She sat up. "With his little sister!" She hissed, sweat collecting over her head. "It wasn't a – a date."
"So when are you gonna go on a date?"
Aizawa blew the whistle and the working students huffed, falling back to catch their breaths. Ochaco's cheeks were flushed more than usual, and Mina hoped it was because of the question she'd asked, and not because of the work they were doing.
"It's… It's not like that…"
"Why not?" Mina pouted. "Just cause he's stuck babysitting doesn't mean he can't find the time for a quick date."
"I…" Ochaco sighed. "I really appreciate what you're doing, but… he's just a friend…"
Another whistle ringed and the partnered students switched places. Because of the odd number of the class, some managed to do it alone, or waited for another student to finish so they could help them out.
Ochaco breathed heavily as she relaxed on the floor. Midoriya was just a friend. She'd known him for one day. He was a good big brother, from what she'd seen, and while she didn't know much about their lives, Midoriya had dropped hints here and there indicating that the situation was a lot more complicated. He'd said things such as 'She's been through a lot' and 'We're not sure how long we can keep her' and 'I want Eri to get used to people'. The child – Eri – seemed to be scared of new things, and the way she scanned her surroundings was… slightly unnatural. It was as if she'd never seen other human beings before.
She jolted when Mina slapped her thigh playfully. "Switch," the pink girl reminded.
"Eh?"
"Switcheroo." Mina drew circles in the air.
"…Oh." With some difficulty, Ochaco rolled off the mat and Mina plopped down. She pinned Mina's feet and the other girl began doing sit-ups.
'We're not sure how long we can keep her, so I want to show her a good time while she's still with us' he had told her. Something about that unsettled her. Something within her told her Eri and Izuku needed help, urgently. Izuku was a kind person, but yesterday, while sitting beside him, it looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was in trouble somehow.
'I want to show her a good time…'
…Okay. She could do that.
Right after classes ended, she immediately went to visit one of her teachers. All Might always vanished, and she had a feeling she wouldn't find him today. Before she could knock on the door, she heard someone choke on a wet cough.
"You seem to be getting worse." Was that the principle?
"Yeah…" All Might sounded… tired. Down.
"Have you made a decision yet?"
"I'm…" All Might sighed. "There's a candidate… however…"
"You're not so certain." The principle finished for him.
Ochaco didn't know if it was okay to keep listening just outside All Might's office.
"I'd… like to keep looking, is what I'm trying to say. The candidate has potential, but I would like to see what the students here have."
"I see. Take as long as you deem necessary. I'm sure you'll find what you are looking for. Just be sure to watch out for your health."
"Thank you."
Ochaco swallowed thickly. Getting worse? Health? Was… was All Might sick? And candidate? For what?
Ochaco yelped when the door slid open on its own.
"Oh, hello," the short animal greeted.
Ochaco looked down, spotting the white-furred principle. "Here to see All Might, I presume?" he asked.
"O – Oh… I… I – I could come back later, I mean…" Ochaco pointed to the hallway nervously.
A booming voice thundered from inside the office. "Come in, come in, young student!"
The principle took a quick peek inside the room, then turned to her, stepping aside to leave with his paws behind his back. "Well, I best be off."
Ochaco fearfully peeked in and saw her teacher, All Might, all buff and smiling widely.
"Umm… All Might, sir?"
"Don't be shy! Please, have a seat, young lady!" He gestured to a chair with his thick arm.
"I… It's not a bad time, is it?" She fiddled with her hair.
"Nonsense! I will always have time for my students."
She didn't believe him, but Ochaco still sat down, slipping off her pink backpack and dropping it near her feet. On his desk, she saw a tiny, hand-sized book with 'Teaching 101' as the title. All Might shoved the book into a drawer and Ochaco swore she saw him sweat drop.
He coughed into his hand awkwardly. "So, err… what can I help you with? I will gladly answer your questions as best as I can!"
"Actually…" smiling sheepishly, Ochaco unzipped her bag and brought out one of her notebooks. "My… friend wants your autograph, if that's okay?" She asked as sweetly as she could manage under pressure.
All Might seemed to perk up at that. "Of course, of course!" He didn't seem to mind at all. Then again, he'd probably been signing for fans for years. He took the notebook and signed the inside.
"Thank you so much, All Might!" She accepted it gratefully.
"No worries. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?" His huge grin never faded.
She slipped the notebook into her bag and lifted it up to her shoulders. "Well…" she hesitated, messing with the straps of her backpack. "Just a question..." She thought back to that boy from yesterday. He had smiled and seemed so happy, but there had been a strange aura surrounding him. "It's… not about class though…" That little girl clung to her big brother. It was as if he were the only kind person in this world to her. She didn't need a Hero as long as she had her own Hero right there.
"Ask away!"
"Umm…" To Eri, her big brother was her Hero. "All Might, can…" However– "Can Heroes ask for help?" –Heroes were human as well.
All Might was quiet, clearly not expecting such a question. "Yes," his voice wavered slightly. "Even Heroes need Heroes."
…
In an attempt to keep Eri's attention, Izuku continued to read to her 'On the Seesaw Bridge', because now, her focus was on the pictures in the book, and Izuku didn't want her to hear Inko talking worriedly on the phone just outside their bedroom.
Since they had found Eri, the authorities had yet to find any identification or any sort of information. Aside from Izuku and his mother, Eri hadn't spoken to anyone else. During interviews to gain more information from her, Izuku had to be in the same room as her, and he had to figure out ways to keep her attentions on him and forget about the adult taking tones. However, he couldn't get much out of her. Some topics scared her into panic attacks, and it was as if her mind was blocking away bad memories by shutting down on her like that.
Every few days, the police would inform Inko of any progress. Because Eri was in their care, they deemed it was best to let them know. Would Eri stay with them? They didn't know. Where her parents alive? Why hadn't they informed the police? Eri had been in poor condition and in great distress when Izuku had found her, so if her parents had been responsible, then things would get even more complicated.
After a few calls, Eri had heard Inko whisper her name over the phone, and from then, the child knew these calls had something to do with her. That scared her, so Izuku would try to keep her entertained while his mother handled the call like always.
So, he read to her.
They sat on the bed with the blanket covering their legs. She pressed against his side to have a look at the pages. It was about a fox and a hare stuck on a seesaw bridge, and they had to work together to figure out how to get off and not fall into the river below. He had read this to her before, but she had a habit of picking the same books so he could read to her again. He'd occasionally teach her words she didn't understand and taught her how to pronounce things correctly.
There was a knock on the door before Inko peeked in, seeing the two huddled on the bed. "Oh, are you two reading that again?" Inko already knew the answer, but it felt nice to talk to them.
Eri gave a shy nod. Izuku just smiled at his mother.
"Eri, honey, do you want a snack? Wait on the couch, okay, sweetie?" Inko coxed sweetly.
Eri carefully climbed over Izuku's legs and he helped her slide off the bed. Inko lovingly brushed Eri's head as the little girl passed her. Izuku knelt to wrap his foot support back in place. He knew how to walk without the brace, but he often found it annoying when he couldn't actually use his ankle, and his foot would drop down and his toes would brush the floor with every step.
Inko walked in and left the door only slightly open so that Eri wouldn't think she'd been locked out.
"What did they say?" Izuku asked in a low voice, still focusing on his foot.
Inko sat down on the bed. "Nothing yet." She held her hands together. "They're… They said they're going to widen the search." The authorities had gathered missing case files but had failed to find one that matched Eri, then they decided to look into the closest matches to see if Eri had somehow – due to a Quirk or other reasons – had changed in appearance; still, no luck. They were still searching through files to find more info, but Eri wasn't their only missing person case, and they had more files and people to find, which slowed things down. Izuku and Inko had no idea how to feel about it. Where did Eri come from? Were her parents good or abusive? Were they even alive to begin with? Who had scarred her arms and legs? Who had scarred her mind and heart so she couldn't be a normal, healthy child?
"Mom…" Izuku noticed how sad his mother looked.
"Whatever they find, I just hope she'll be happy," she said quietly. When Izuku dropped his foot to the floor, Inko drew him into a gentle hug, which he melted into. "You're being a good big brother to her, Izuku. I'm so proud of you, honey."
While she was supposed to be Eri's mother for now, it felt like Izuku was the one doing most of the work. He would read hero stories, teach her how to read and write, take her to see nice places, introduce her to new things, hold her hand and calm her down from a panic attack, hold her whenever she woke up from nightmares, stay with her until she slept, look for activities she might like, and Eri pretty much clung to him.
Izuku leaned into his mother's hug, but perked up when he saw the little girl peeking by the door, waiting for him.
"Oh – I'll be right there, Eri."
Inko gave him a kiss on the head before getting up and heading for the kitchen. Izuku pushed himself up, but froze when his phone dinged.
(3) Unread Messages:
Uraraka: Hi Midoriya
Uraraka: just got back from school
Uraraka: how's Eri?
He hadn't expected her to talk to him so soon. He'd figured she'd contact him on rare occasions, not a day right after they'd met. He felt happy, though, knowing there were people like her out there. The years hadn't been too kind to him, and he'd ended up with too many mean people being chucked at him from every side.
This was a nice person.
He wasn't sure why she'd decided to talk to him, but he was still happy.
To Uraraka:
You: she's ok
You: moms getting her food
You: im planning to take her some place nice later
Should he ask if she wanted to join? Would that be appropriate? What if she thought he was annoying?
(2) Unread Messages:
Uraraka: awww that's so sweeeet X3
Uraraka: where are you going?
To Uraraka:
You: not sure yet
(4) Unread Messages:
Uraraka: oh
Uraraka: wait how about this
Uraraka: has she been here before?
She sent him a link, which led him to a website. Oh… he hadn't thought of that.
To Uraraka:
You: no
You: but I think it's a great idea
You: ill ask my mom and let her know
You: Thanks!
(2) Unread Messages:
Uraraka: yes!
Uraraka: can I join you two
Izuku paused. He hadn't expected her to want to be near him again. Usually, his friends never liked him around. He had to keep reminding himself Uraraka was different. It was hard to get Eri to come out of her protective shell when a stranger was nearby, but she'd managed to not be too afraid of Uraraka.
To Uraraka:
You: sure
(1) Unread Messages:
Uraraka: yay!
She was a nice person. She was a student at UA, and probably had other friends to hang out with, but she decided to spend her time with him and Eri for some reason.
He got out of his room and walked Eri to the couch, because she wouldn't go without him.
"Eri, remember that nice girl from yesterday?" he asked her, lowering his head so he was eye level with her.
She tilted her head, thinking, and then pointed to her cheeks questioningly.
Izuku chuckled and placed his hand over her head affectionately. "Yeah – the girl with pink cheeks. Remember her?"
She gave one node, gazing at him curiously.
"She told me about this pretty place. Do you want to see it with me?"
Eri's eyes widened. Whenever he took her to places, they were almost always wonderful.
"She wants to see you like before; is that okay with you, Eri?"
She trusted Izuku, and if Izuku trusted the girl with pink cheeks, then Eri can trust her, too!
She nodded again, which caused him to smile sweetly at her.
…
They had kept in contact throughout the day. Ochaco was already tired from today's lesson at UA, but she couldn't waste time sitting round doing nothing. That boy – Midoriya – was doing his best to make that little girl happy. If she could just help him with this, then she could relax knowing she's spent the day making someone happy.
She got off the bus and made her way to the blue building. Her pink jacket almost completely covered the black shirt underneath. There weren't many people around, or maybe it only looked like that because the area was spacious. It didn't take long to find Izuku and Eri waiting just outside the building. He had his hands pressed to his knees, leaning down so Eri could see his gentle smile as he spoke to her. Eri was holding on to his sleeve, but she didn't seem on guard. It could be because there weren't many people around her.
"Midoriya! Eri!" she called to them happily, waving her hand so they could spot her skipping her way over to them. Eri was in a bright blue dress. 'Little Hero' was written in sparkly pink words on her shirt, and an oversized black bow held her white hair together in a ponytail.
Izuku straightened and held up his hand, signaling to Ochaco that he'd seen her.
She stopped in front of them. "Sorry I kept you two waiting," she said sheepishly.
Izuku waved her off, smiling. "It's fine. We just got here early." Better be early than late, as his mother would tell him.
Ochaco noticed how Eri was watching her curiously. "Ready to go, Eri?" Ochaco asked sweetly, extending her hand – the same hand she'd offered back at the flower park. Eri hesitated, looking up at Izuku for guidance. He gave her an encouraging smile and grabbed her hand, assuring her that this person wouldn't just snatch her and run.
She delicately reached out to hold two of Ochaco's fingers. It wasn't an actually hold, really, but Ochaco beamed at her anyway.
"Let's go then!" Ochaco cheered excitedly, punching the sky in a playful manner.
Pushed through the rotating glass doors, they had to go and fetch tickets before they were allowed to go further in. The aquarium was spacious, but there weren't too many people, maybe due to another event taking place nearby, collecting the people over there instead.
They entered a dim tunnel, their footsteps echoing. Eri latch onto Izuku, and he gladly picked her up.
"It's fine, Eri. Look," he said, smiling and nodding to the glass wall they were approaching. Eri's eyes widened when she saw the school of black and yellow fish, swimming in a triangular pattern. The slight fear in Eri's eyes disappeared, being replaced by sheer amazement and awe.
Izuku chuckled lightly at how fast she'd switched. Ochaco couldn't help but smile. Soft music played in the background. There were plates with provided information about the fish included in the tanks.
The circular tanks held jellyfish. The lights in the tank kept changing, and the jellyfish kept reflecting red, green, and purple colors. Their thin tentacles drew lines behind them as they swam, their bodies thrumming, pushing them forward.
"So cool!" Ochaco said, and she missed how Eri did a tiny nod as Izuku held her up so she could see well.
Next was the seahorse tank. Eri took some searching to find what was in the tank, until one seahorse detached its curled tail from a plant. Those yellow plants were actually a bunch of seahorses hanging on to thinner plants by their tails.
When they got to a larger tank filled with a variety of blue, black and orange fish, Eri spotted a kind she recognized and pointed at it in amazement. "Nemo!"
Ochaco found that adorable and tried her best not to giggle. Sure enough, the clownfish squeezed into sea anemones, occasionally peeking out of the pink tentacles and slipping back in. there were also black and white clownfish, and tiny, rocket shaped fish with blue bodies with red lines.
Those didn't matter, because Eri was still fixated on the clownfish. "Nemo, Izuku!" She smiled brightly, pointing at the glass with a chubby finger. She seemed to forget Ochaco was there.
Izuku chuckled. "Yeah, you found him, Eri." He hiked her up, adjusting her so that she sat more comfortably on his arm. Each tank was decorated with corals and rocks and hiding spots for the fish.
The underwater aquarium tunnel was almost magical. The light from above them waved like liquid, obscured by water movement. They could see fish swimming left, right, and above them. Eri didn't know where to look, and kept craning her neck to look everywhere.
"Look, up there!" Ochaco waved excitedly, pointing at a large fish slowly swimming there way. "It's sooo big!" While the trip had been specifically for Eri, Ochaco felt like a small child again as the gentle giant swam over them with tiny fish clinging to its sides.
"Wow!" Eri's mouth hung wide open, too distracted to realize that.
"That's a whale shark, Eri. Pretty cool, huh?"
Most of the animals were ones Eri had never seen before, but as she saw the giant turtle flapping its flippers to come up for air, she knew what that was. "Big turtle!" At some point, Izuku had placed her down, and she actually went up to the glass to get a closer look at the giant stingrays resting over the sand.
Ochaco knelt next to her to have a look as well. One of the stingrays curled its sides and flapped them like wings. A cloud of sand puffed and the stingray swam up against the glass wall. The three of them looked up in wonder as it passed above them.
During the River Section, Ochaco noticed how Izuku's eyes seemed to shin with happiness. Eri kept looking back to check if they were still following, but the little girl was a few tiny steps ahead of them.
Ochaco leaned to the side, closer to him, as she walked with her hands behind her back. "You look happy," she commented with a smile.
He was started at first, but then looked back at Eri as she examined the river fish in one of the longer tanks. The water in the tanks here kept moving with the help of water pumps, simulating the current of a river so the fish could swim against the flow. "Yeah. It's just… I've never seen Eri so excited about something. She's always too nervous to go far." He was proud. Eri was getting braver, her childish curiosity overcoming her fear.
A female worker greeted them when they reached the ray touch pool area. With the worker nearby, Eri returned to Izuku's side, grabbing his hand. It turned out the friendly worker was there to instruct them how to touch the rays and introduce them to a few kinds. Izuku helped Eri to stand on a higher step close to the tank so she could reach in. The pool was filled with tiny baby stingrays, all ranging from dull brown colors, to brightly spotted ones.
"Just gently brush them using two fingers," the worker kindly instructed, reaching into the water and touching a ray with the tips of her fingers. "Try to avoid the eyes and tails."
"We can touch them?" Ochaco said in surprise. Those rays were still babies, just bigger than her hand. They were nothing like the huge grown ones they'd seen in the tunnels. Eri hesitated and looked up at Izuku. Knowing she wouldn't try unless he did, he rolled up his sleeve and dipped his hand in, slowly reaching for a leopard spotted ray. Used to human touch by now, the ray didn't seem bothered by the feather-like touch.
Seeing this, Ochaco felt like it was her duty to also have a try. You only live once, after all. Swallowing down her nervousness, Ochaco stuck her hand into the water and, with the tips of her fingers, brushed the back of a black stingray with white spots. The animal continued gliding slowly across the sand. It felt slimy; like touching wet rubber.
Eri looked between Ochaco and Izuku. They both touched the creatures, which meant it was safe for her to do so, too. She grabbed the side of the rock-edged pool with one hand and carefully dipped her other hand in. Izuku placed his free hand over her back, making sure she wouldn't fall in.
She petted the one Izuku had touched, and smiled in amazement. The ray was as calm as ever.
"Small," Eri whispered, her eyes focusing on the ray.
"yeah, it's a baby," Izuku informed her.
"Baby?" Eri repeated. "Will it get big?"
"Hmm." He nodded.
"So cute!" Ochaco cooed as some of the rays climbed over each other.
After washing and drying their hands, they went on to see a rounded tank housing a pink octopus. It was the size of a house cat. Two of its arms were touching the glass, showing off the many suctions it used to hold on to things. A TV screen in the room showed the octopus in action, grabbing fish, squeezing into empty glass bottles, and clouding the water in black smoke by farting ink.
When they got to the areas holding other animals, Eri was once again brave enough to let go of Izuku's hand to see the seals clowning around, batting at a colorful toy in the water.
As they went on, she got more vocal. "Penguins, big brother!" Eri said proudly, a bright smile and a tiny blush on her face as the penguins on the other side of the glass floated at the water's surface on their bellies like a boat. It didn't take long for her to skip a few steps ahead of them to see the otters. The two teens glanced at each other and giggled at how excited the little girl was.
The visit was almost over, but there was one last thing they had to do.
"Look," Ochaco said, pointing at the sign that read Underwater Dining.
"Oh, are you hungry, Eri?" Izuku asked her.
She thought about it, and then gave him a tiny nod.
"Guess we'll eat here, then." He turned to Ochaco. "Is that fine with you, Uraraka?"
"Oh, I… umm… I don't think I brought enough money to eat out…" she admitted embarrassingly.
"It's alright. I'll pay." Izuku offered kindly.
"Oh! You don't have to – it's okay!"
"It's fine." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm glad you told me about this place. Let me pay. I haven't had this much fun in a while, and I haven't seen Eri smile this much before," he said honestly. "So let me thank you." That bright smile made her heart skip.
…
After taking the escalator to go down, they found out the restaurant was located in the middle of a giant, curved fish tank. It reminded them of the tunnel they'd see earlier. The glass curved over them like a cave, giving them a 180° view of the underwater world. Sharks passed over them and schools of fish swirled like tornadoes.
They chose the family meal so all three could dig in.
While Eri dipped her cheese sticks in ketchup, Izuku took advantage of the peaceful atmosphere.
"I… umm…" He searched for the proper words. "Thanks for today, Uraraka." He blushed, looking down at his plate. "It was fun. Really."
She waved her hands in front of her, blushing as well. "You don't need to thank me. I didn't do anything!"
He shook his head no. "You… made us really happy today. Thanks…" he said sincerely. Seeing that Eri was still distracted by food, he kept going in a lower voice. "Eri… I found her a few months ago. She ran into me when mom and I were going to visit a doctor to get my leg checked…" he gazed down sadly. "She was really hurt and scared… She kept crying and wouldn't let me go. No one came to get her, and I couldn't just leave her. We didn't know if she was lost or if she'd runaway. The police said she might've been abused..."
Ochaco's eyes widened. She glanced at the little girl taking a sip from a straw. This child… Ochaco had seen her smile and pet cats and hug Izuku and do those simple things children loved to do. She couldn't imagine anyone hurting this sweetheart.
"She's too scared to talk about what happened to her, so the investigators don't have much to go on… Things… things are getting more complicated, and we're still not sure what's going to happen to her," Izuku continued, making sure to keep his voice low. "But… but I want her to be happy. She's staying with us now, but there's… there's a chance she might get taken away." He sighed sadly, gripping his hands together. "She's only with us because she refused to eat unless I was there with her. Mom and I had to go through interviews and history checks before we were allowed to keep her. And… and it's only temporary." He looked troubled, worry slowly shining through his green eyes. "So… thank you… for making her smile today."
Ochaco wanted to hug them both. She wanted to hug them and let them know just how much she cared. "Midoriya…" She extended a hand, but paused before she could touch his shoulder. Was this appropriate? Was this okay? What should she do? What could she do?
"Let's do this again sometime," she said loudly so Eri also heard her.
"Huh?" Izuku seemed surprised.
"Yeah! We could hang out more!" Ochaco said happily, her fists tightening in determination. "The three of us!" She turned to Eri and clapped her hands together. "Would you like that, Eri?"
Eri's eyes widened and she looked over at Izuku for confirmation. The look of surprise on his face melted away and he smiled gently at her. "What do you think, Eri?"
She nodded. Ochaco lifted her fist to the sky. "It's settled. I'll call you whenever I have free time, then!" She was already listing the things they could do, and Izuku just stared at her, admiring her positive energy.
She was a nice person.
At the end of the day, before they could part ways, they stopped to say their goodbyes.
"Oh, here–" Ochaco reach into her small bag and pulled out a notebook. Izuku tilted his head questioningly. She opened the notebook, showing All Might's signature.
Izuku's expression was hilarious. "That… th- that's – Al-All Might… I… He… I…" He kept speaking in gibberish, his words tumbling over each other. Eri looked at him in confusion.
Ochaco giggled, closing the notebook and handing it to him. He bowed in gratitude a couple of times, which only made Ochaco sweat drop at how exaggerated his movements were.
"Th – Thank you s-so much!" he stuttered.
"It's nothing." With a bright smile, Ochaco knelt to Eri's level and extended her hand. "Let's meet again soon, okay?"
Eri looked her in the eyes, then, just like before, she grabbed two of Ochaco's fingers and nodded.
Ochaco promised she'd make this girl smile over and over again. Izuku wasn't a UA student like Ochaco. He wasn't battling Villains or putting out fires. He was just looking after a child, and yet, he already seemed like a bigger Hero than those featured on the news. He didn't want money. He didn't want fame. He didn't want glory. He just wanted Eri to be happy.
And Ochaco admired that.
TBC
Notes:
-Kind of a slow start, but I don't want to rush things.
-"On the Seesaw Bridge" is an actual book by Yuichi Kimura, Kowshiro Hata (Illustrator).
-Where I live, there's only one tiny aquarium in the whole country, and it only holds a few fish and some wildlife. I lookedup photos and videos of aquariums from other countries (Georgia Aquarium, Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, uShaka Marine World, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Dubai Mall Aquarium) so I could get a feel of what other aquariums hold.
-As a kid, I used to call the clownfish 'Nemo' fish, because I only associated that fish with the one from the movie. Later, I went to see some fish with my niece, and she pointed at the clownfish and called it Nemo as well.
-The underwater dining scene was inspired by pictures of the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant.
-And just a reminder: updates will still be slow.