We arrive at the warehouse to the same scene as before. Purple runs through different obstacles and Aizawa-sensei watches with hands crossed.
"YOOOO!" shouts Present Mic as he enters the room, "ERASERHEAD!?"
"Present Mic," says the dark-haired man flatly with a waive. I can't but smile as I watch Yamada-sensei rush up to the other man throw himself on top of him. Aizawa-Sensei huffs and allows it turning to me with a scowl. "Hoki, stop sulking in the shadows."
My blonde teacher leans back to look at me before saying something quietly in Eraserhead's ear. I feel my cheeks burn as Aizawa-sensei looks at me, his scowl deepening and his eyebrows ticking.
I scuffle across the room as Purple pulls himself to stand.
"Sensei?" he asks, sweat dripping down his face. He looks at me and I avoid his gaze, biting my lip.
"Go get some water," Aizawa says.
Not really sure what to do, I stand a few feet away and pull at my fingers, nervously looking between my teachers and Purple. Purple scowls at me, and I blush and look away. After a moment he returns, hands in his pockets, and takes a place by the two teachers. I shuffle my feet and do the same when Yamada-sensei crooks his finger.
"Shinsou's not ready for roofs," Aizawa says looking at the map now outstretched in his arms.
"I could keep him on the ground," Yamada says, finger pressing on the bottom of the page as he tilts his head. "Or we could try some of the closer spaced areas. Rin will need her quirk to keep up if you go through the high rises. Your call."
"The second," Aizawa says folding his map. It folds into a nearly flat sheet the size of his palm, and he pushes it into one of the compartments on his belt. Then he looks towards Purple and I with a frown. "Neither of you is to use your quirks and I expect you both to keep up."
Purple smirks. I shrink.
Yamada-sensei pats my head and they lead the way out into the night.
Just like before, the patrol is hard.
And just like before, we spend a lot of time running. However, I'm grateful that Purple struggles just as much as I do. He huffs and wheezes as we sprint across rooftops and nearly stumbles when we take a particularly far jump.
Aizawa-sensei grabs him with his capture weapon and makes us rest then.
The frustrating part is that even though it's just like before, it isn't. The addition of two other people sets my teeth on edge and I nearly vibrate with nervousness every time my homeroom teacher or his pupil glance in my direction.
And as their scowls deepen, I know they've noticed.
.
.
.
The weekend ends, and a pattern settles itself into my day. Dawn is spent eating breakfast on the couch and watching the news with Sensei. The Hero Killer still dominates everything, though they mention a few new arrests, and Sensei's lips remain downturned. After food, we stretch and run to the park where we work on different attacks.
Sometimes we go out to eat, sometimes we return home. No matter which, he always makes me take a nap.
"Sleeping helps rebuild muscles," he tells me as he tucks me in of all things. I blush and try not to squirm. I'm 15, not 5. But it's nice…
"Sensei?"
"Hmm?" he tilts his head, sitting on the side of my bed.
"How come Aizawa-sensei lets you hug on him?"
The blonde man grins and pats my leg.
"Shouta and I have been friends for a very long time," he says. "We went to UA together when we were kids. He's actually the one that recommended I take you on."
I blink curiously back at him.
"He… he did?"
"Yes," he says with a soft laugh. A strange warmth builds in my chest along with confusion.
"But, why?"
Sensei raises an eyebrow and makes a silly face. I can't help but smile from beneath the cover, pulling the sheet over my nose.
"He was worried, duh!" he says dramatically flopping back against my legs. He lays sprawled on the side of the bed propped up on his elbow, long, silky strings of blonde hair cascading down his chest. He pushes some behind his ear. "That man worries about you kids constantly, especially you and Midoriya."
"Midoriya?" I ask.
"Green hair, mumbles nearly constantly?"
"Oh," Green. "He's always breaking his bones."
Sensei snorts and shakes his head.
"Yeah, that's him. Midoriya."
"Midoriya," I repeat softly. "I guess that makes sense. But why was he worried about me?"
Sensei's humor disappears and he sits up. He stares at me quietly and chews on his words.
"Well," he says at last. He sounds like I imagine he would if he were talking on the radio. Voice deep, tone clear and thoughtful. "Imagine for a moment this entire thing from our perspective. You're a teacher at a prestigious hero academy and a young girl joins your class. She's quiet, reclusive, and powerful. And, despite being in the hero's course, in a month's time, she's still made no close friends and barely talks."
I swallow.
"Oh."
"Yeah? Kinda odd, right? But we've seen odder. We shrug it off and wait, there's time yet to make friends. But then," he pauses dramatically, fingers tapping on the side of my leg. "There's a villain attack. I watched the tapes with the others, you know. It's incredibly unsettling to see someone explode that much darkness when you had no idea they could."
I cringe, but he ignores it, moving on.
"The girl is hospitalized, a concussion, broken ribs, and muscular damage after she nearly kills herself to save my best friend and her classmates. We look again, we wonder if maybe she's just shy. The school keeps her several days, and she goes back for one night."
I swallow as his eyes darken.
"One night, Rin-chan. This girl goes home one night, and when she comes back Nemuri finds her—that same, incredibly powerful girl traumatized in the bathroom crying. The girl we watched on camera go toe-to-toe with a villain is covered in graffiti and looking like a victim. That's an uncomfortable disconnect."
"I didn't… I mean… I-" I mumble through the sheet. Sensei pats my leg but doesn't look away, green eyes ringed with intensity.
"Hush Rin. You asked I'm answering. That's the main reason he's worried. Shouta's been worried about you since the USJ. It's why he's asked you every day if you were fine, even though you always said yes, and you clearly weren't. It's why Nemuri sent you to him when you chose that codename. Nightmare isn't a bad name, hell I find it rather kickass, but when combined with what we already knew? It's why your friend, Iida trusted him with your breakdown. It's why you're here."
I stare up at my blonde teacher with wide, watery eyes. He reaches forward and pats my head.
"Rin-chan, you are kind, smart, and funny. But there is something incredibly wrong when one of our most powerful first year's flinches from a strike to the chest, thinks she's a villain, and cries at a simple kindness."
I sink into the bed and he sighs. He reaches forward and pulls down the sheets, uncovering my mouth and tucking them under my chin. His thumb sweeps away a tear before tucking back a stray strand of dark hair behind my ear.
"Shouta might seem uncaring at times, but he takes you and your classmates' safety very seriously. He wants to help. I want to help. But we can't, not if we don't know what's going on. So think about that for a while, and get some sleep. It's Tuesday so we're going to the radio station tonight. Plus, I have a surprise when you wake up."
I nod and he stands, stretching and leaves. Even with the sun outside my window, I clutch my flashlight to my chest. Sleep comes easily. Good dreams do not.
.
.
.
Sensei's idea of a surprise is shopping.
"But I don't have any money," I tell him quietly. I've been quieter since our conversation earlier. If he notices, of course he notices, he says nothing.
"I've got you kid!" he says laughing and pulling me into his side. I don't try to leave it, the smell of his cologne familiar and comforting. "What's the point of working three jobs if not to spend it every once in a while?"
I stare up with wide eyes and he leads me through the mall.
"Now, you need a dress and two sets of workout clothes, got it?"
"Why a dress?" I ask him curiously.
"For the station!" he says. "We don't wear costumes inside. Everyone's going to want to talk to you, and first impressions are important. Best to look cute and like you actually have clothes that match."
"My clothes match," I grump at him. He snorts.
"Do they?"
"Sometimes," I mutter, blushing.
"I think the only thing you own that matches is your school uniform," he says sniffing. I glower and cross my arms. He shakes his head and pulls me towards a store. The windows have tall, faceless mannequins dressed in a strange assortment of colorful jeans, dresses, and clothes.
Sensei immediately releases me to start perusing a rack, his fingers twitching through hangers at a ridiculous speed. Usually, when in his regular clothes he's more laid back and less… wiggly. In the mall, he can't seem to help himself. He hums brightly, shuffling his feet, and knocking his head to some tune. He makes it to the end of the section, looks back, and cocks his head.
"What are you doing?"
"Uhh…?"
He sighs and scratches his head, the other hand on his hip.
"I know you've been shopping before… yes?"
I flush.
"Yes!" I move away, face burning and turn to the nearest rack. Yui-san took us shopping every three months at the local thrift store. I'd been shopping plenty. It's just… I'd usually just grab the first thing I found that fit. It wasn't like it really mattered, I only wore it to train and half the time my shadows would rip it apart. I'd never been to a store this size.
I have no idea what I'm doing.
"Rin-chan," he says once he realizes this, his voice sounding long-suffering. "Just… Just go try these on. Decide which one you like best and either yell or text me."
He hands me six different dresses and motions me towards a room in the back. I frown at the rather large pile before doing as I'm told. I try on all six. By the time I get to the third, I recognize the reoccurring theme. They're all sundresses, they all flare out at the bottom, and they all have some hint of blue in them.
I can't help but smile at the thoughtfulness.
Then I look at the price tag and my stomach churns. I'm still wearing the light blue dress bedazzled with tiny silver glitter all across the bottom when I hear his voice in the waiting area.
"Sensei," I say, stepping out. My eye ticks when I find him talking outrageously with an attendant and holding another ridiculous pile. He pauses, looks over, and grins, throwing out a thumbs up.
"Rin-chan, that's adorable!"
The attendant makes a little noise and starts muttering about how cute. I blush.
"Sensei, these are too expensive!"
He leaves the attendant and motions me to turn. I do so slowly, annoyed and frustrated that he's ignoring me. He rubs his chin as I complete the circle.
"Do you like it?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, but-"
"Then that's enough," he says simply. He reaches over and sets his hand on my head. "Rin, it's okay, alright? If you can't accept it as a gift, then think of it as a uniform. You need something appropriate for the station. Now, go change, and I want you to try these on. I have every intention of trashing those 'workout' clothes of yours."
I grimace.
"They… They're not that bad."
He gives me a look. And, part of me warms while another part wilts. I struggle to understand why as I return to the room to change. I just hadn't realized—hadn't cared before. Why bother to make clothes match when you'd just end up tearing them apart anyway? Nobody in the Last One cared what I wore, except maybe Kagura. But Kagura left.
I return the clothes and trade him for his stack. He waits, still talking amicably with the saleswoman as I try on the new set.
I like the darker ones.
Shyly, I poke my head out the stall.
"Sensei?"
"Yes?" he asks, pausing his conversation to look my way. He throws a wink and I step out, blushing. "Oh, that is much better."
I look away as he uses English, feeling my face heat even more. He makes his way to me again and lays a hand against my shoulder.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did you pick out a second?"
"Yes, sir," I say pulling at my fingers. "Are… Are you sure?"
"Yes," he sighs, leaning forward and tipping his head against my own. His blonde hair runs in silky strings around him. "Trust me, will yah? I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to."
I smile, hesitantly.
"O-Okay."
He pats my head again.
"Alright, go change. We can grab dinner before the station.