Shouta Aizawa gently held Eri's hand as they made their way across campus to the class 1-A dorm. He hated leaving her all the time, but he was still a pro hero, and he could not turn his back on his duties. He originally asked Mirio, since Eri was most comfortable around him, but he needed to catch up on his studies, even if he was still Quirkless. Aizawa understood that Mirio needed his space to catch up on his studies to make sure he remained on track for graduation.
"Are you excited to hang out with Midoriya tonight?" Aizawa asked. He realized too late that he forgot to check in with Midoriya to see if he would be available, but shrugged it off and assumed everything would work out. He smiled to himself as he helped Eri up the stairs to the dorm's front doors. She gradually hopped up the stairs, stomping on each with both feet, squeezing Aizawa's hand above her head.
"Yes. I. Am!" she yelled in time with her stomps. Aizawa had just gotten her a new pair of lavender rain boots, and it conveniently rained earlier that day, so Eri enjoyed jumping into puddles for the first time on their walk to the dorm.
Aizawa helped Eri push the front door open so they could enter the brightly lit common area, a small fire gently illuminating the fireplace.
Surprisingly enough, no one was in the common area.
For the first time, as far as Aizawa could remember, this was the most quiet he had ever experienced in the dorm, not that he was complaining.
This seems a little strange, Aizawa thought to himself. But it was midterm season, so he figured everyone was studying in their rooms. At least, he hoped that's what he hoped...He kept walking towards the elevator, Eri trailing close behind him. She still wasn't used to riding in elevators, but she knew she wouldn't have to be in that metal box for long.
A few seconds later, the elevator chimed with a Ding! as the doors silently slid open. At this point, Eri knew exactly where Midoriya's room was, so after she gleefully hopped off the elevator, she ran ahead of Aizawa until she stood directly in front of Midoriya's door. Even though she couldn't read or write much as of yet, Eri had been to Midoriya's room enough that she could recognize his name from staring at the nameplate outside his door. She felt so proud of herself. Hopefully one day, she could write his name out all by herself and be able to show it to him. She beamed at the thought of the wide grin that would grow across his face. She didn't seem to realize, however, that Aizawa began to knock on the door for her, therefore pulling her back into reality.
A few moments passed until both Aizawa and Eri heard a slow shuffling noise approaching the door. The handle slowly turned, allowing the door to creep open, but only slightly. A dark figure stood on the other side, attempting to speak, but it sounded more like a ghost moaning in its haunted house.
"Oh, Aizawa-sensei, I didn't expect you to come. And with Eri, too! What a wonderful surprise! Would you like to come in?" said the figure, his voice hoarse, but seasoned with a welcoming tone. Eri fell back at this sight of unspeakable horror. Is this really Deku? she thought to herself. Did he turn himself into a ghost? Perhaps he died and someone else used their Quirk to possess his body to scare her? All these terrifying thoughts raced through her mind, until Aizawa stepped forward and slammed the door open, his face decorated with a look of frustration.
"Midoriya, snap out of it! Can't you see you're scaring Eri? What's gotten into you, anyway?" He flipped the lights on, stopped, and suddenly realized that Midoriya's room was a complete pigsty. Clothes laid strewn about on the bed and floor, the remains of several instant ramen cups littered the desk and nightstand, and the desk could hardly be seen underneath the stacks of textbooks and disorganized papers. Midoriya had fallen backwards from the impact of the door, but stood up and gave Aizawa an unconsciously blank stare. Like his room, Midoriya hadn't taken great care of himself either. His hair looked so greasy, it began to lose its spiky texture; the gym shorts and blank T-shirt he wore both bore past and present sweat stains, which was unsightly in itself; and underneath his eyes clung two dark circles, a clear-cut sign that he hadn't slept for days. He tried to offer Aizawa and Eri a reassuring smile, but neither of them were convinced.
"Deku, are you okay? You don't look so good," Eri said quietly, but clearly concerned.
"Yes, Eri, I'm doing fine. I've just been working hard studying for midterms. But enough about me. What brings you guys here?" Midoriya turned his back to them to clear some of his clothes off the bed, but didn't make much progress before he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned to face Aizawa, his facial expression softened.
"I appreciate you're working hard on your studies, but this is definitely taking things a little too far. I was going to ask you to look after Eri for a few hours while I go on patrol, but it's clear you need to get some sleep." He quickly cleared most of the bed of clothes and gently helped Midoriya under the covers. Midoriya wanted to stay awake and spend more time with Eri, but he did not fight against Aizawa as he slipped one leg, then the other, under the sheets. He was a little shocked, to say the least - he had never seen Aizawa act this way, like a nurturing parent, except with Eri,. On top of that, he thought he was the last person Aizawa would care for like that. But soon his thoughts began to dissipate as his eyelids fell heavy like velvet curtains as they caress the varnish of a theater stage.
As his breathing began to even out, Eri inched closer to the bed and lightly placed her hand on his chest. She felt a comforted smile slowly pull at the edges of her mouth as her small hand rose and fell in time with his breathing. She was happy that she could help him relax and feel better, just like he did back when he saved her...
A hand much larger than hers rested on her head. She immediately recognized that it was Aizawa's hand and, turning around, noticed he was motioning towards the light from the doorway, letting her know it was time to leave and let Midoriya sleep. She followed his lead, tiptoeing across the room until she reached the door, safe from detection. Aizawa turned off the light and gingerly closed the door behind her, making an effort to ensure the door latched silently. Once that was complete, he looked back at Eri, then glanced at his watch, then let out one of his famous heavy sighs. At this rate, I'm going to be late for my shift, he thought to himself.
"Huh? Aizawa-sensei and Eri? What are you doing here?"
Aizawa felt his body turn towards the sound of the familiar voice behind him. It was Asui, standing next to the elevator in frog-themed pajamas. Eri beamed at the sight of her and exclaimed, "Froppy!" Then, imitating a frog, jumped towards Asui and leaped into her arms once she was close.
"I missed you! I was going to stay with Deku tonight, but it's his bedtime," Eri explained.
"And I really need someone to look after Eri for a few hours while I go on patrol," Aizawa added, glancing again at his watch.
"Well, you're in luck!" Asui said, lowering Eri towards the ground. "The other girls and I were just getting ready to watch a movie with popcorn and other snacks," she explained and, speaking directly to Eri, asked, "Would you like to join us?"
Eri's eyes widened at the opportunity to have a girl's night. She didn't quite know what to expect, but she knew all the other girls in Deku's class were nice and fun to be around. She flailed her arms around excitedly as she ran back towards Aizawa, looking up at him as she ran into his legs.
"Shouta, can I stay with them tonight? Pretty please with a cherry? Or...was it an apple?" Eri's pleading unexpectedly turned into a puzzlement, but Aizawa simply smiled and bent down so he was at her eye level.
"Of course you can," he replied, "just be sure to behave yourself and have some fun, okay?"
Eri grinned and violently nodded in response, barely able to control her excitement at this point. Aizawa stood back up, pulled a pen and small notepad out of his pocket, and began to scribble something on one of the pages.
"I shouldn't be out too late, but if anything happens, give me a call. My number is on there," he explained as he ripped the sheet from the rest of the notepad and handed it to Asui. "She already ate dinner, so she's good for now. Snacks are okay, but not too much sugar, and she shouldn't be up later than 9. Hopefully I'll be back before then. Asui, thank you so much for doing this on such short notice. I really do appreciate it," he said as he bowed towards her out of polite gratitude. He turned back to Eri and patted her head. "Have fun tonight, okay?" he asked as he moved towards the elevator.
"I will!" Eri exclaimed in response as the elevator doors dinged open and Aizawa stepped inside. Asui and Eri looked at each other, as if fate brought them together for this play date. They smiled and also headed towards the elevator, going up this time. Girl's night had officially begun, and there was no time to waste!