"Did Eri do something wrong?" She looked out the door where Emi had bolted, that tender smile that they had spent so much time trying to cultivate on her was gone. Tears pooled in her eyes when she looked at him for the answers that he didn't have.
He leaned down, pooling Eri into a hug, patting her back and trying to calm her down. "No Eri, you didn't do anything wrong. Emi's just scared is all, she still loves you."
She grabbed onto him clenching at his shirt. "But she's crying."
"I know Eri, but it's not because of you." He pushes her away, just enough to look her in the eyes and pat her on the head. "You stay here okay? The next time you see Emi she'll make you laugh and smile lots okay?"
"But will she?" Eri flailed her arms, still sniffling. "Emi isn't Emi if she's not happy!"
Aizawa-sensei ran past them, stopping at the door, a scowl on his face, and his containment wraps clenched in a fist. "Emi! This is serious! You need to-"
"Aizawa-sensei" The calmness in his voice surprised even him, he felt angry. So angry that he didn't want Eri to see it, instead he pushed it onto Aizawa-sensei. He forced a smile, standing to meet his Sensei's gaze. "I'll go get Emi, you make sure Eri understands that why she ran away isn't her fault."
Eraserhead stared at him for what felt like minutes, that withering gaze that locked quirks down like they were a light switch was focused solely on him. He was certain that later he would be freaking out about this, about standing up to his teacher. But right now. He really wanted to punch him.
"Fine," It was closer to a growl than a word, he gripped the door frame so hard that his knuckles were white. "Bring her back and make sure she understands."
"Make sure you do too." He didn't wait for a response, taking off with a speed that surprised him. How long had he been in Full Cowl? It felt different as well. He'd look into that later, but it felt like at least a 50% increase from what he had before.
Hopefully, it would be enough to help him find Emi, she was quick on her feet, agile enough to climb up a building with just her hands, and flexible enough to get into places that he couldn't. But he had to find her. She was his friend, and she needed his help.
The chase lasted but a short fifteen minutes that felt like hours to him. But he found her, she was sitting against a power relay, legs to her chest. He didn't think it was possible to see her cry, she was just so good at being happy. The sun was still in the sky, but her lack of smile made it seem darker still.
The tears were the worse part.
She wiped the tears from her eyes but new ones took their place immediately. "Are you here to take me back?" Her voice cracked, and she let out a hiccup that might have been a laugh. "Bet you can't wait to tell everyone you dated an older woman."
"I'm not," He extended his hand out to her, putting on the best smile he could. It wasn't a forced one, it was fueled by the happiness of finding her safe, from the fun they had earlier, and the usual joy he felt whenever he saw her. "And I'd rather tell everyone I'm dating you. So trust me?"
"Dork," she shook her head smiling into her knees before taking his hand and looking up at him with her tear-filled green eyes. "Just don't take me back okay?"
He pulled her up into hug easily, where she pressed herself against him, holding on tight and letting out a few sobs that remained. There was no way he was going to take her back until she was smiling and laughing again. He would bare all of her sadness to see her smile again.
"Hop on." He turned, showing her his back.
She didn't hesitate, leaping onto him with all the agility she had, legs wrapped around his waist and arms holding onto his chest, while her face was buried into his shoulder. The shudder in her breath only made him all the more desperate to get her happy again. "Where are you taking me?" She gave a short laugh that turned into a sob again. "If it's a love motel then you really need to take a hint."
"Save the jokes for later." He brought his arms under her legs, adjusting her weight. There was no doubt about it. He could now use 12% with Full Cowl.
"Why's that?"
"Because you're not funny when you're sad." He leaped into the air, reaching the top of one of the dorms with ease, and then took off running, before letting out another long leap. "And I'm taking you someplace safe. I promise."
"I trust you." He could barely hear her whisper as the wind blasted against his ears.
There was only one place in the city he could take her. It was obvious, and they would be found soon enough, but it would hopefully give Emi enough time to recover.
XXXX
The house still felt rather empty, even after months of it just being her. Sure her husband called nightly, well morning for him, and Izuku was a very good boy that visited often. But it wasn't the same as having him live here with her. But he was off pursuing his incredibly dangerous dream and living life to the fullest.
It was her duty as his mother to support him in any way she could. She already failed to do so once and regretted it every day since, but now nothing would stop her and if that meant lonely dinners then so be it.
"Maybe I should get a cat." She hummed poking at her dinner, one with fluffy hair and would enjoy cuddling on her lap while she read her book. Or maybe she should go out more and try to reconnect with her friends, oh but they all had their husbands as well. Maybe she should start taking care of herself again?
She thought all that but no doubt she was just going to put on her pajamas say she's going to read a book and then just end up watching her shows until she went to bed. It was a simple, yet oh so boring life. No, that was it! She was going to go out and get a cat! A cute little black one with green eyes!
Armed with her purse, a comfortable pair of shoes she was determined to go get a nice soft kitty to keep her company. She'd call it Zuzu. Or-
The door opened up before she could reach the handle and she saw her son looking like he just ran here all the way from U.A. but he wasn't alone, there was a body wrapped around his waist that had a head full of straight green hair.
"Izuku? Did something happen?" She asked, rushing forward to meet him, and to satisfy the curiosity over who his friend was. "Are you okay?"
He smiled at her and nodded once. "Everything is fine, but uhh can we stay here for tonight?"
"Oh, certainly, this is still your home after all." She laughed trying not to let the excitement show to much. Izuku didn't need to know that she was lonely without him. And her cat could wait a day or two.
"Thanks, mom," He shifted, letting his passenger's legs down. "Come on in Emi."
It was a girl! A pretty one with long green hair and a womanly figure. Her cheeks were stained with tears from recent crying. Her son had brought a girl home. And was leading her into their home by the hand. Her son had brought a girl home. For the first time, her son had brought a girl home.
"Hello, Ms. Izuku's-mom." The girl, Emi, offered her a smile, it was a wonderful smile. "Sorry for coming over unannounced, I'm Emi."
"Oh, it's no problem at all dear, I thought I was going to miss out on my little Izuku bringing home a girl, oh, and call me Inko." She waved it off, ignoring her son's tell-tale signs of embarrassment. "Would you like some tea?"
Where did she keep the good tea again?
"Sure, but do you think I could use your shower. And a spare set of pajamas?"
Just what on earth was going on?
XXXX
His mom placed a tray of hastily made treats and tea onto their small coffee table, a single green eyebrow was raised in his general direction. His home was still the same, but it felt different. Like it was to small and that he was a stranger in here. It also didn't help that he could still hear Emi's shower.
"Izuku, I try to be open-minded and respectful," His mom held the tray against her chest, looking down the hallways, her voice was just loud enough to be heard. "But, could you please explain what's going on? And who is that girl? Why was she crying? Is everything okay?"
"Well, that's Emi, she's umm, well we're dating." He expected her to overreact or something, to break down in clears and be both proud and terrified of him.
Instead, she stood there, eyebrows furrowed. "And why was she crying?"
"After our date, we went back to U.A., but she got in a disagreement with a teacher." He didn't know how much he should say. But this was his mom. He could trust her. "And she ended up crying. I didn't know where else to go, mom. But can she please stay here? Just for tonight?"
She sighed, shifting on her feet, and casting another long look down the hallway. "She seems like a nice girl, so she can stay here. But I'm going to contact the school, I don't want them to worry about you. Or at the very least All Might."
They probably already knew. He wasn't exactly very secretive about it. "Sure. Just ask that they don't do anything until tomorrow? Please?"
"Fine." She spun on her feet, heading towards the kitchen, hand resting on her cheek. "My goodness, you heroes do love your drama."
The shower came to a stop, and a minute later Emi emerged, dressed in one of his old T-shirts and a pair of his mother Pajamas.
"You really love All Might don't you?" She tugged on her shirt so that the faded image of All Might was visible once again. Her smile was back, the one that she seemed to give him every single time their eyes met. She popped one of the snacks into her mouth and sat down next to him. "Your mom's nice, makes me realize where you get it from."
He bit his lip, taking a sip of the tea. It was the good tea. "Are you okay?"
Her smile dropped, shattering to the ground in a thousand pieces. She grabbed her own cup of tea, staring at it for a while before placing it back onto the table. "I don't know." She slammed back onto the couch, eyes closed, breath steady. "I mean, they're basically asking me to die right?"
"I don't think they see it that way." He leaned forward, not looking her in the eyes. "I mean, none of them want you to die, they just saw you as a temporary thing, then once Eri learned her quirk more she would be able to return you back to normal."
"Then they're asking me to just disappear! That's worse! Like they're just pretending I never exist to bring back some lady I never met? The Emi that they knew, that hero Ms. Joke, I haven't become her yet. I might one day. But I'm not her."
"I know, but she was important to them. You can't blame them for wanting to try and bring her back."
"I can when the price they're trying to pay is my life. I deserve to exist, don't I? I'm not just some mistake to be thrown away."
He sat upright, turning to look at her once more. Their eyes met and he smiled, just for her. "I might be a little selfish, but I'm really happy you do exist Emi, and I really want you to stay."
She slid onto him, and pushing him down onto the couch, pulling him into a hug and burying her face into his neck. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
AN: I liked this chapter. Was fun to write. Leave a review then go check out my fic "Izuku's Time Traveling Girlfriend" Once I finish this fic it'll be a focus of mine! Have a great day!
