Eri startled awake as she felt the familiar feeling of flesh tearing away from bone. She didn't move. Showing no outward sign that she way awake. She was used to this. Sometimes people would be in her room, watching her sleep. If she woke, they'd take it as a sign she was ready for work.
So she'd learnt to wake without opening her eyes. Without changing her breathing. Without moving.
She was aware of everything around her. Her room was quiet, almost silent. Distantly she could here people talking but they were far away. Fear spike through her. But she now knew her room to be clear.
Slowly she opened her eyes, ready to screw them shut again if she was wrong. However, as soon as she did so, she felt stupid.
She wasn't there anymore.
She was home, in her pink bed, in her pink room, lit with the yellowish glow of her cat shaped night light. She sighed in relief. That meant the distant voices were safe too. She tried to lie back down, cuddling her stuffed cat close as snuggled into her pillow.
But as soon as she closed her eyes, she was assaulted with flashes of memory; red blood covering everything, people fighting, screaming, giant creatures crushing civilisations, fire and dust filling the air.
Eri made a noise in the back of her throat, sitting up again. She brought her knees to her chest, resting her head on them. Tears prickled in her eyes. She didn't want to be alone right now. The voices she could hear beckoned to her, tempted her to them.
She pushed her covers away, slipping out of bed, bare feet on the soft carpeted floor. She left the cat toy in the bed and made her way to the door. It had been left open a crack, so Eri just had to pull on it to open it.
A lamp had been left on in the hall, allowing her to see where she was going. Eri walked down the corridor on silent feet. She approached her caretakers' door, not making a sound. Inside she could hear them more clearly.
"Do you want a pillow to rest in on or something? Maybe elevating it will make it feel better." Hizashi said.
"It's not a sprain." Shouta replied, his voice hoarse. Eri could see the two of them, lying in bed. They had their own lamp on; Hizashi's hair glowed like gold whilst Shouta lay back against his pillows.
"I know it's not, but I don't know what else to do to help." Hizashi replied.
"It's fine. There's nothing you can do."
"Surely there's something. Even if it just makes you feel the teeniest, tiniest bit better." Hizashi said. Silence hung between them for a moment, and Eri almost stepped forwards to make her presence known, but Shouta spoke again.
"I'm so tired, Hizashi." He said, his voice on the edge of tears. "I used to be fit, healthy, a hero. Now I can't even get up the stairs without having to take a break."
"We can move. To a bungalow or an apartment on the bottom floor."
"I love this house. It's my home. I don't want to have to leave." Shouta said.
"I know." Hizashi sighed. "Maybe it'll get easier with time? Tensei said that they're developing new prosthetics all the time. We can get one that fits better, that can do more. Yours was always meant to be a temporary one. We could look into getting one that would allow you to still be a hero, mechanical or something."
Eri's eyes were drawn to the prosthetic leg leant up against the armchair in Hizashi and Shouta's room. Her heart sank, she'd seen Shouta struggling to adapt to the limb. She'd seen him limping around the house, trying to get used to the uneven gate. She'd seen him fall.
"We don't have the money for something like that, 'Zashi. We have Hitoshi and Eri to think of, all our money should go on making them happy. Not me."
"You should all be happy. I can take more shifts at the Radio Station; I can find more work."
"You're working yourself to the bone as it is." Shouta replied. Eri felt guilt pool in her stomach, she didn't want her new family to suffer because of her. Shouta reached out a hand and took Hizashi's; squeezing it in his grip.
"I'll find the money somehow." Hizashi whispered.
"I'm tired of fighting 'Zashi. I'm constantly in pain, and the pills don't do anything to stop it. My eye hurts, my elbow hurts, my leg hurts and it's not even fucking there anymore." Eri flinched at the curse word, never having heard him swear before. "How can it do that? It hurts so much, like it's broken and on fire, but it's not even there."
"Phantom pain it's—"
"I know what it is." Shouta cut him off. "Which is why it doesn't make sense. I know it's not there; I know it shouldn't hurt."
"Maybe we should just go to sleep? You might feel better in the morning? We can head to the doctors and see if there is anything they can do?"
"Yeah." Shouta nodded. "We can try."
"I love you, Shouta."
"Love you too." The raven said, settling down to sleep.
Hizashi stayed sitting up, messing with his phone for a few minutes. Eri stood, watching, a little too scared to step forwards. She had no idea how long she was stood there, but when Hizashi reached up to take his glasses off she knocked on the door.
Shouta sat up immediately and Hizashi froze, his fingers on the frame of his glasses.
"Eri?" Shouta asked. Eri pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Are you okay?"
"I had a nightmare. Can I sleep with you?"
"Of course, Sweetheart." Hizashi said. "My side or Shouta's?"
It was a question he'd ask every time she slept in their bed and her answer varied all the time, depending on whether or not she wanted to talk about her dream. After hearing the conversation she just had, Eri knew her answer before Hizashi had even finished the question.
"Shouta-san." Eri said.
"Come on then." Shouta said, he pulled the duvet back and moved slightly to make space for Eri. She scrambled around the bed to Shouta's side. She winced when she saw the stump of his leg. It was strange. She'd never expected him to lose a limb, it wasn't something she'd ever thought possible. Not when she'd seen him standing tall and proud, fighting against villains. Fighting for her. Shouta saw her hesitate.
"Does it scare you?" Shouta asked softly. Eri shook her head.
"Does it hurt?" Eri asked.
"A little." Shouta lied. "So just be careful, okay?"
"Okay." Eri nodded. She clambered into the bed, lying down in Shouta's offered embrace. "Night Shouta-san, Hizashi-san."
"Goodnight Eri." Shouta said, Eri felt his voice vibrate through his chest.
"Night Little One." Mic said, turning off the lamp after a couple of seconds.
Eri nestled her head against Shouta's chest, listening to the rhythmic thud of his heartbeat. His hair tickled against her skin as Shouta's breath slowed indicating him falling into a deep sleep. Eri played with the hem off Shouta's pyjama shirt, as she listened.
She wanted to help him. She wanted to take away his pain. He'd done so much for her; he'd been one of the ones to rescue her. He'd given her a home, a family with his husband and adopted son. He had saved her. He'd been patient with her, and he'd let her be the child she was supposed to be.
But now he was hurting, suffering even. She hadn't seen him smile in weeks, ever since he'd… Ever since he'd come back from that fight.
She didn't understand everything that had gone on. She'd watched it with All Might, Shouta had been furious when he realised, she'd seen everything. People had died, people had been drastically injured, people's lives would never be the same again.
Shouta grunted in his sleep, wincing slightly as he shifted. Eri frowned. Hizashi, as if he sensed his husband's pain, rolled toward him. He placed his hand lightly on Shouta's hip.
Eri wished she could go back and stop Shouta leaving that day. She knew that he'd been pivotal in the battle, that Erasure had been the reason for many people living. Even though it was selfish, Eri couldn't help but wish he'd stayed behind.
Eri sighed. Clutching the fabric of Shouta's t-shirt in her clenched fist. She didn't have to go back and stop him going. Shouta had been teaching her how to use her Quirk. It'd been a slow process and she'd never purposely used it on a person before. But she had to try. She had to help him, so he could help others.
She screwed her eyes shut and tensed her body. She tried to will her power forwards. It usually took several minutes of intense concentration when she and Shouta practiced, here she had no way of telling the time, but eventually her entire body began to glow yellow.
She drove her power forward, flooding her energy through Shouta, focusing on his leg. Shouta made a grunt of pain as the yellow glow covered him. She gripped his shirt tighter and whimpered as she tried to maintain her Quirk.
Her horn ached with the effort, but she forced herself on. Shouta gasped again as his body went rigid. His black eyes flew open and he yelled out in pain. He tried to move away from Eri, but she only tightened her grasp. Yellow light burst from her body, engulfing Shouta's form.
He was forced to shut his eyes against the light. Shouta choked as he blindly reached out towards Hizashi. The blonde woke with a start, shooting forwards.
"Shouta?" Hizashi said, he turned the lamp back on and turned to face his husband. It took him a second to realise what was going on. "Eri. Eri. You need to stop."
"No." Eri gasped, she couldn't convey more.
"Eri, please. You're hurting him." The words made Eri freeze.
No! That's not what she wanted. It was never what she wanted.
"I don't want—"
"Eri I can't hear you, Baby Girl." Hizashi said, panic filled his voice and Eri winced as his Quirk slipped through. "Eri, it's going to be okay, just take deep breaths and try to stop."
"I can't. I can't." Eri whimpered. Shouta yelled out in pain again, his entire body tense and unmoving. Hizashi made a panicked noise in the back of his throat.
"Hitoshi!" Hizashi shouted, his Quirk sending his voice across their house.
It took seconds for Hitoshi to appear. He'd obviously still been up. He burst into the room, scanning it, his wide, purple eyes taking in the chaos.
"Fuck." He said quietly.
"Stop her Hitoshi. I… I don't know how." Hizashi said. "Please."
"Eri." Hitoshi said, taking a step towards the bed. "Eri you need to stop."
"I can't. I can't remember how." She shook her head as Shouta's mouth hung open in a silent scream.
"Eri, why'd you do this?" Hitoshi asked.
"I just wanted to help." Eri said. As soon as the words left her mouth she felt a sense of calm flood over her.
"Release your Quirk." Hitoshi said softly, and she did.
Hitoshi relaxed his control over her the second the yellow glow disappeared. For a moment, the room was filled by Eri's hysterical sobbing and Shouta's heavy panting.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She repeated as she cried.
Shouta rolled towards her, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tight.
"It's okay. It was an accident." He said, trying to regain his breath. He sat up and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her. "It's okay. You're not in trouble." Hizashi turned to put on his glasses and hearing aids before shuffling closer. Hitoshi came to sit on the edge of the bed.
"It wasn't an accident." Eri said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What?" Shouta asked. "What do you mean?"
"I wanted to make it so you didn't hurt anymore." Eri said, tears continued to run down her face. "Daddy I'm sorry." Shouta stiffened slightly before tightening his grip around her waist.
"Eri, you don't have to worry about me." He said quietly. "You don't have to try and make me better."
"But you helped me." Eri said. "I wanted to help you."
"You help me feel better every time you smile, every time you laugh." Shouta said.
"But you don't smile anymore, you don't laugh." Eri pointed out. "I want you to do that again."
"I'm sorry, Baby. I've been grumpy, haven't I?"
"You've been hurting." Eri said.
"You mean he's always grumpy, right Eri-chan?" Hitoshi asked with a smile. Eri gave a small nod. "I'm sorry for using my Quirk on you. I didn't know how else…"
"It's okay. Thank you." Eri said. "I didn't know either."
"You did well, Hitoshi." Shouta said. Hizashi moved closer to his husband, resting his chin on Shouta's shoulder.
"Eri, if you want to try and use your Quirk again you have to tell us, okay?" Hizashi asked.
"Okay Papa." Eri said with a more confident nod. Hizashi's face broke into a large smile. He leant over to kiss Shouta's face, making a confused noise as he pulled away. He frowned, bringing his fingers up to brush over Shouta's cheek.
"What?" Shouta asked.
"You scar…it's gone."
"It can't be gone, it's just the low light." Shouta shrugged.
"No, Shou' Babe, it's gone. Feel it." Hizashi said, taking one of his husband's hands, guiding it up to touch his cheek.
"What the…" Shouta breathed out as he felt his smooth cheek. "How?" Hitoshi cleared his throat.
"I hate to state the obvious but…" he gestured to Eri.
Shouta frowned, moving his arms around the girl in his lap to roll up his pyjama sleeve. He gasped as he revealed his scar free elbow. Hizashi made a noise of surprise.
"How far did you go?" Shouta asked quietly. He looked down at Eri. Red eyes met black, blinking softly.
"I just wanted to make it so you didn't hurt anymore." Eri said. Shouta kissed her on the forehead before looking up at Hizashi. They shared a look for several long moments before they both turned to glance at the lumps under the covers.
"You don't think…?" Hitoshi trailed off. Shouta picked Eri up, moving her so she was sat in Hizashi's lap before throwing back the covers. He choked on his own spit as he saw that he once again had two legs.
"How the fuck didn't you notice your leg had come back?" Hizashi practically hissed, covering Eri's ears.
"My leg's felt weird for weeks. I told you I could still feel it. How was I supposed to know?" Shouta asked.
"Holy shit." Hitoshi said. "Your leg grew back?"
"Oi, language." Shouta snapped.
"Daddy, did I do good?" Eri asked, shifting in Hizashi's lap. She froze when she saw the tears. "Or was I bad?"
"No Baby You were so good." Shouta said, blinking away tears. "Come here." He held his arms open and Eri practically flung herself into his waiting embrace. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Shouta hugged her tight, pressing kisses on her cheeks as she giggled. Hizashi had pulled Hitoshi close, wrapping one arm around his shoulders.
"You're my hero, Eri. You know that right?" Shouta asked.
"I am?" Eri's eyes widened.
"Yeah. You've saved me." He kissed her cheek again. "You're such a good girl. Hero Eri."
"I just wanted you to feel better."
"I do. I feel so much better."
"But you're crying." Eri asked, touching his cheek.
"They're happy tears." Shouta said. "Thank you."
"Sometimes people cry when they're happy." Hizashi confirmed, much to Eri's surprise.
"Hitoshi, Shouta-san's not grumpy." Eri gasped.
"Hey, what happened to Daddy?" Shouta teased.
"I didn't know if I was allowed." Eri said, looking down on the bed.
"You can call me whatever you want, Eri. That goes for the both of us." Shouta said.
"Yeah." Hizashi agreed. "Just because Hitoshi calls us Papa and Dad, it doesn't mean you have to. But you can if you want to."
"I want to." Eri said, a little too quickly. "We're a family, right?"
"Right." Shouta said. "Always."
"We love you, Eri-chan." Hitoshi said. "Of course we're a family."
"I've never had a family before." Eri said.
"Well you've got one forever now." Hizashi said.
"Forever, really?" She asked, eyes wide.
"Forever." Shouta replied.
Eri cuddled into Shouta, squeezing his neck and tangling her hands in his hair.
"How are you feeling, Shou'?" Hizashi asked.
"Better than I have in a while." Shouta said, "I'd forgotten how much my face hurt. I'd gotten used to it."
"I'm so happy." Hizashi said quietly, kissing Shouta's lips, chastely. He kissed Eri's cheek before moving away.
"I'm expecting to wake up any moment." Shouta said.
"You're not asleep." Eri mumbled, exhaustion catching up to her.
"We should be." Shouta said, moving to put Eri down in between him and Hizashi.
"You wanna stay Hitoshi?" Hizashi asked.
"I'm a bit old to sleep in my parents' bed, don't you think?" Hitoshi asked.
"I'm not going to begrudge you a cuddle." Hizashi shrugged.
"Nah. I was gaming with Denki. I kinda just chucked my headset across the room to get here quicker. He's probably waiting for me to get back." Hitoshi said, getting up off the bed. "Goodnight Eri, Dad, Papa."
"Goodnight Hitoshi." Shouta said, moving to lie down next to Eri, who was already half asleep.
"Night 'Toshi." Hizashi said. "Thanks for your help. You're a real hero too, you know?"
Hitoshi smiled softly before leaving the room, closing the door behind him with a resounding click.
"I can't believe it." Shouta said softly, watching Eri sleep. "I mean, the thought had crossed my mind. I thought maybe, when she was a bit older I'd ask her to try. But…"
"She's amazing." Hizashi said. "We have two amazing children."
"They're going to save the world." Shouta said, brushing the hair out of Eri's face.
"Of course they will." Hizashi replied. "They're ours."