"I'm home!"

She winced at the silence-shattering call from Hawks and lifted her gaze from the sketchbook. Pushing up her glasses, she looked him up and down. He was carrying a plastic bag with takeout boxes in it; indicating that he had no plans to go out again for the rest of the day.

Three days had passed since her reunion with Aizawa and every time she thought about it, she felt a spark of something she had not felt in a long time. She was reminded of when she took care of him, after the USJ attack. She remembered living with him afterwards and waking up next to him every morning. Working together, eating together. She had felt happy and like she really had a place in the world.

"I thought you were going to talk to Aizawa," she commented. Her eyes narrowed when she saw him tilt his head curiously. "You said…you had plans to explain to him. So? It's been a few days. Or are you chickening out?"

Hawks frowned and rubbed at the back of his head, his wings pushing back a bit almost in a shrugging motion. "I'll get around to it," he muttered. "Look, I got something special for dinner." He set the bag down on the table in front of the couch and cocked his head to the other side as he caught sight of her sketches. "Are you already planning volume two?"

"…they haven't even said "yes" to volume one…" The previous day, Hawks had set off for his hero work with her manuscript in hand and a promise to deliver it for her. Nozomi grimaced, tapping her pencil against the paper as she looked down again. "I'm just working on some character concept art."

He leaned down, staring intently at the page. Particularly at a figure wearing a hooded sweatshirt. The figure had a mole beneath one side of their lower lip and their lips were horribly scarred and dry-looking. "I talked to Dabi today. He said they're still looking for you. Pretty lucky none of them saw what happened the other day, huh? Maybe it's better if you don't go out again for a while."

Her tails lifted and smacked against the couch in irritation. "You shouldn't have started flying."

"It would've been fine if you had control over those tails," he argued.

"I have a fear of heights! You knew that!"

His eyes narrowed and the hero gripped the armrest beside her. His other hand planted against the cushion she was leaning against and he leaned down, face stopping just a few inches from hers. "The more people that know, the more dangerous this is. If anyone else finds out that you're here, they might not be as cool about it as Eraserhead was. You want to go to prison?"

She hated it, but having him get this close to her and speaking to her in such a threatening way, brought back bad memories. Nozomi started to tremble and her teeth sank into the inside of her cheek. The girl's glasses slid down a little, eyes locked onto his.

No…no, no, no! She blinked rapidly and jolted back, fear coursing through her and making her wrap her arms around herself. Nails dug into her arms through her sleeves as she shook her head, trying desperately to shake away the memory of Overhaul standing over her.

"…Chi…sa…ki…" she mumbled, a hand reaching toward her neck. Frantic scratching began as her tails smacked against the couch anxiously again and again. "Chisaki, Chisaki, Chisaki…no…no…! Keep back…" She closed her eyes, trying to keep tears at bay as she recalled one of the most traumatic moments of her life so far.

"Nozomi-chan? Hey, you're okay. You're fine. It's Overhaul, right? He's not here." Hawks moved closer, gently taking her wrists to try to get her to stop scratching herself. Her fingertips were already bloody. "Nozomi-chan, stop!"

"I can't…dead birds…just die! Just die! I just want to…die! I need…something…I'm so angry…I don't even…know what to say…!"

"NOZOMI!"

She was yanked forward sharply, off of the couch cushion and turning forcefully. Bright red wings pressed tight against her back, pushing her against the hero that was now sitting with his back against the armrest. She blinked and stared down into the narrowed eyes of Hawks. His mouth was twisted into a grimace as he looked back at her.

"What…? What happened? Why are we-?" Nozomi felt hands press against the back of her shoulders, pushing her tighter against him. What is he doing? He never gets this close. What happened? My neck feels wet. Why does it hurt so much? She felt a gooey sensation on her fingertips and it made her stomach turn.

"Tomorrow, okay? Just…stop doing that."

Nozomi was held in place for a while longer, until Hawks was satisfied that she was finished clawing at her own flesh. She let him take care of her neck wounds, but she was confused. There was a blank in her memory. She remembered him leaning in really close and then she was suddenly being held, with his wings wrapped around her.

Shift P.O.V

He's going to ruin it. Hawks stared up at his ceiling as he contemplated how he would explain the situation to Eraserhead. The hero did not want to lose his roommate. She was interesting and entertaining. He had gotten used to coming home to her after work. No matter what kind of day he had had, she always had a way of making him feel better. Comforted on bad days, entertained on boring days. He was starting to understand why those villains had latched onto her.

However, he knew that it could end soon. Eraserhead was a straight-laced, no-nonsense kind of hero. Someone that would be more likely to take her to prison than to let this continue.

The thought of just blowing it off for longer was appealing. He really had no desire to lose his roommate and even less desire to have to explain himself to someone. However, seeing Nozomi tear open her own skin in a frantic, distressed state, made him feel almost sick.

There was no romantic feelings towards her, but he hated to see her that upset. Worse yet was when he heard what she was saying to herself. Talking about wanting to die. It left him unsettled.

He left his room, walking quietly into the other room and peering over the edge of the couch. She was curled up on her side beneath a blanket, her stingers poking out from beneath the cover and her face relaxed into a calm expression. However, he noted the dried tears on her cheeks and the dark blood spots on the bandages he had put on her neck. He had to do something for her.

Shift P.O.V

She gripped the hero's hand, actually being really glad that he was there. As frustrating as he was sometimes, she truly valued the support he offered. Nozomi was terrified throughout the flight to the school dorms and now, as they walked along a corridor to meet with Aizawa, she could feel her heart racing. Her stomach twisted in fearful knots.

It had been a long while since she was anywhere near UA. She remembered her last encounter with a student and winced. Her free hand subconsciously pressed at the deep scars on the left side of her abdomen. Deep breaths. Everything will be okay.

Hawks reached over and grabbed her wrist, stopping her hand from reaching her neck. He frowned down at the girl and shook his head. "Do I need to get you a cone or something?"

"You…don't like to see me hurt myself? So would you prefer it if I just pluck out your feathers?" she muttered. Wait. That…sounds familiar. Why?

He grinned, wings stretching out at his sides. "Awww. You want to preen me? I've got some loose ones you can pull."

A door opened down the corridor and a cat came sprinting toward them at full speed. Nozomi's eyes widened at the sight of the black and white blob and released the hero's hand. She ran to meet the cat and held open her arms to let him jump up. "Panda!"

"Panda, wait!" The small voice came from the open doorway and the little girl appeared just in time to see Panda land in Nozomi's arms and nuzzle against her face. Eri stared for a moment, appearing a little frightened until she saw the two pale tails that swayed behind the young woman.

Nozomi paused in her reunion with the cat and felt her breath catch in her throat. Eri-chan?! She's here in the dorms? Taking a few steps forward, she tilted her head and tried to determine what to do or say. She was relieved to see that the child was alright. When she last saw her, it was in the Shie Hassaikai base and the little girl was confined to her room most of the time. She had been living in near-constant despair and fear.

Now Eri ventured forward a few steps, staring intently at the swaying tails and then looking to see how Panda was enthusiastically cuddling against the young woman's face. When their eyes finally met, the girl's red gaze turned watery and she ran forward. Her thin arms wrapped around Nozomi in a tight hug and she buried her face in her magenta hooded sweatshirt.

Nozomi's heart was beating at an insane pace, her chest feeling tight. She pressed a hand against Eri's back in a half-hug, being careful not to drop the cat. Her throat felt tight, her vision blurring with tears as she looked down at the child. What do I do? What can I say? I'm just…so glad she's alright.

"Y-Yo-!"

"Yo to you, too, kid!" Hawks interrupted. He gave Panda a wary glance before putting a hand on Nozomi's shoulder.

She felt the girl cling tighter to her, shaking a little. He's scaring her. Nozomi's caretaker instincts kicked in and she crouched down to be at eye level with Eri. She used the hem of her sleeve to wipe away the child's tears and smiled. "It's okay. Eri-chan, he's a hero."

"Hero…?" She glanced from her old caretaker to Hawks and back. "Did he…save you, Yor-?"

"Yeah, I saved Nozomi-chan from some bad guys," he agreed, grinning.

"Nozomi?"

"She's a manga artist, aren't you, Nozomi-chan?" Hawks looked down at the blonde ex-villain with a bit of expectance.

"That's right. Do you like manga, Eri-chan?" Not waiting for any kind of further interference from Hawks, she let Panda down onto the floor and lifted Eri to carry her.

The little girl was startled at first, but quickly recovered and hugged her. "Manga…?" she repeated, having clearly never read manga.

"She'll have to give you a copy of hers," Hawks commented. "Nozomi-chan can even autograph it for you."

"Autograph?"

"It makes it extra special."

Nozomi was still trying to recover from that burst of happiness at seeing the child again. She held onto her gently, but still securely so there was no risk of dropping her by accident. When she saw Aizawa appear in the doorway, along with at least three cats, she felt her heart skip a beat.

He came forward to take Eri from her and led the way into his living area. It was a Sunday so there were no classes. A few students had approached them in the halls on their way to this area, but they seemed to not recognize Nozomi as their former assistant homeroom teacher.

He's been taking care of Eri-chan? This idea made her heart seem to swell with joy. The thought of him taking care of the child somehow made her pulse skip a beat and it sent a warmth rushing through her. Not only was he taking care of the child, but the little girl seemed content. She was in much better shape than when she was with Overhaul and she was even wearing an adorable new outfit.

The door was closed and now the two heroes, small child, and ex-villain were alone in the room. Aizawa set Eri down and turned his tired gaze to the other two. "So explain yourself," he stated bluntly.

Before she could speak, an arm went around her shoulders and pulled her close. Hawks beamed up at the taller hero and announced, "This my Nozomi-chan. She's a manga artist."

"A manga artist?" Aizawa's voice held heavy skepticism.

She actually felt a little embarrassed until she saw Eri tug at his sleeve and ask if she could read Nozomi's manga. "It hasn't been published, but I can tell you the story, Eri-chan."

"Oh? You want to do that while I explain to Eraserhead?" Hawks flashed her a grin. "Go ahead. I'll let you know when we have to go."

"I can…hear the story?" Eri approached her, wearing a curious expression.

"Eri-chan, it's…really not that good. Let me tell you a different story, okay? I'll tell you about a bird that tried to eat a scorpion." She saw Eri's eyes go wide before the child nodded.

The young woman sat with Eri and the cats, basically telling her about the she had stung Hawks while he was flying. The moral of the story was that the bird should have left the scorpion alone. It was as the story came to an end that she realized Hawks was gone.

Aizawa approached, frowning. "You're staying here until tomorrow."