Welcome back, Heroes. Rio here with the last instalment of Domestic Heroes for the week. Like the previous prompt, I took a few creative liberties with this one. The theme itself kinda hit a little close to home, but I decided to make it work. Hopefully what I have for you all is well written enough for you to read. As always, everyone, enjoy the story and I will see you in the author's notes.
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction in dedication to a much grander work. As such, the author does not own the rights to any characters within this story, and any correlation between any original characters that may appear and people in the real world are merely coincidental.
My Hero Academia: Domestic Heroes
Odd Arguments
People fight. There was no getting around it. Even those who get along well will argue with one another every so often. Eri knew this. She knew it all too well. With her past, it was hard not to learn that lesson. Even after being rescued and placed under the guardianship of Aizawa, and eventually Izuku and Ochako, the child would see instances of individuals fighting against one another; from younger kids full grown adults. As she got older, though, she was able to determine the different kinds of fights and arguments she would come across, from little spats to outright confrontations, and while she was still not a fan of such things, she was slowly but surely getting used to them. Everyone fights at one point or another…
…Even her loving, good-natured parents.
"I can't believe this! Are you actually serious right now, Deku!? This is not something that we need at this point!"
"You think I'm happy with this, Ochako! I've been trying to salvage what I can, but someone isn't cooperating at the moment!"
"I don't want to hear this again, darn it! For crying out loud this is going to set us back so much if it goes through!"
"Hey, I'm trying, ok! I'm just as frustrated as you are! Don't bite my head over all of this!"
Eri sighed from her spot on the couch as she heard Izuku and Ochako shouting at one another, gently running her hands through Mika's fur for some comfort. She hated it when this happened, but she willed herself not to be too bothered by it all. It wasn't often that the two bickered; they were always careful when it comes to their disagreements, but there were some occasions where it would become too much for them and everything would spill out. More often than not, the rare arguments occur whenever Izuku does something reckless that scared Ochako to the point where she wouldn't even talk to him until he apologizes, or when Ochako tries to deal with a massive problem on her own without consulting to Izuku until it's too late, resulting in him being frustrated over her keeping secrets again. Their respective faults and issues would always grind each other's gears every so often, but in the end, the two will always feel guilty towards each other and will do whatever it takes to make up. That was how they worked when it came to their fights, and the main reason why Eri tries not to get upset too much whenever they do argue.
Their current fight, however, was not going to end as amicably as usual. The couple were downright furious this time, and Eri couldn't help the shiver in her spine whenever the two shouted. It was scary, really, to hear them like that, because the two never argued with each other in such way before. The only time the two were ever like this…
"That freaking jerk! I can't believe we're getting our checks cut because that transfer in your agency went and screwed everything up!"
"How do you think I feel! I was there when the incident happened! Ashido and I were trying to get her to understand the severity of the situation we were in, but did she listen? No! And now all of us might get punished because of that!"
"I still can't believe she'd do something so stupid, though! I thought she was supposed to be smart! I would've bet on you or Bakugo or even Todoroki to pull off such a dumb stunt, but not her! No offence."
"None taken. I would've taken that bet, to be honest. At least we know what to do in those kinds of situations. She didn't and now we're the ones paying for it."
…Was when they were arguing against or about someone else instead of each other.
"Hmm… Those two are really mad. Whatever that new lady did must have really ticked them off." Eri mused quietly, feeling a little more relaxed now that the yelling stopped. The anger and annoyance was still there, she could feel it, but at least the pair had cooled off slightly. Despite everything, though, she was still curious about the state of the couple, wondering what they were going to do next. After a moment of contemplating, the child decided to check on them. Placing Mikan down on the floor, she made her way off the couch and toward the couple's room, where she could see the door open slightly. Taking a breath to calm herself, she tiptoed towards the room and peered through the crack, seeing the pair sitting on the bed with mirroring expressions of annoyance.
"I still can't believe she just rushed in like that during a hostage rescue. I don't know what kind of stuff she was allowed to do in her own agency, but that she did was not what we do here." Ochako griped, arms crossed as she leaned on Izuku's shoulder while he let off a tired sigh with a hand scratching the back of his head.
"According to my supervisor, apparently her agency is more lenient when it comes to collateral damage and such so long as the mission is completed. It would explain her attitude a lot, at least. I just wish she was willing to at least listen to what we said before jumping the gun. Sort of literally in this case." The young man muttered with a grimace.
"Well she didn't, and that resulted in the hostages getting severely injured, one of them most likely going to die at the operating table, a completely totaled government building, a half dead criminal who'll be lucky to survive the attack, and possibly a whole lot of money out of our pockets in order to compensate for everything she's done! She was way out of line, and control, out there!" She groaned, falling back on her bed as she grabbed her hair in frustration while Izuku began rubbing her arm gently to comfort her. "The only good thing that came from all of this was when she got taken out by those weird villains that you're on good terms with for some ungodly reason before they made their escape. Who would've thought that a couple bad guys would end up saving the day by subduing a rampaging hero…"
"Gentle and La Brava aren't all that bad once you get to know them. But yeah, that was pretty ironic right there." Izuku agreed with a shrug, a light smile slowly forming on his face before turning to the direction of the door, noticing the flash of white from the other side. "Eri, I know you're there. You can come in if you want. We're not mad. Not anymore at least."
"Speak for yourself, Deku. I'm still pretty steamed about that crazy woman. I'm just gonna try and not think about her anymore…" Ochako sighed as the door slowly opened, revealing a nervous Eri as the child slowly made her way inside the room "Hi, sweetie. Sorry if Deku and I scared you with our yelling. We're not angry with each other. I promise."
"I know. You two only yell like that when you're mad at someone else. I understand." Eri said as she hopped onto the bed with the others, situating herself in between them while Mikan joined in on the child's lap. "…Is everything going to be ok, though? I know you guys are trying to make enough money for that thing you always talk about. Is this accident really going to set you back even with all the extra money you made?"
"…It's possible, Eri, but it's nothing you should worry about. The pay-cut will be big if our agencies get the blame for the incident. If it does happen, though, we'll get by. Things are just going to be a little tight for a while." Izuku assured, giving the girl a tight hug to reassure her before looking down at the lying Ochako with a small smirk. "That's not going to be a problem, though, considering how frugal your mother is. She's the expert when it comes to savings."
"You're darn right I am. If the pay cut happens and we end up having to live on the cheap side for a while, then we're going to do it right! I'll take care of everything!" Ochako exclaimed excitedly, sitting up now and pumping her fist to the amusement of her boyfriend and daughter, before adopting a more serious expression and began muttering not unlike the man beside her. "Still, even if we do have to tighten the budget, we're still going to be a bit behind on our plans. I'm going to have to ask Master Gunhead if I can get more shifts at the dojo and help teach the intermediate students. Might even do a few side jobs like you do, Deku, to make more cash if that doesn't work out."
"You got a point, Ochako, but you don't have to overwork yourself. I can take some extra missions as well to help. In fact, one of our benefactors has been looking for someone to watch over him and his family while they go to Nikko for a vacation. I could talk to my boss and-"
"No!" Ochako exclaimed, practically launching herself out of the bed and stood right in front of the now startled young man while Eri and Mikan looked at her with wide eyes. "No, Deku, you are not going on missions for benefactors anymore! You remember the last time you went on one of those!"
"I do, but it'll be different this time! I swear! I'll convince Kacchan and Hitoshi to come with me for extra help just in case anything happens! Plus, we would be in public, so there will be little chance that the benefactor's daughter will-"
"Hold it, you're talking about the same benefactor as the last mission? Are you insane?!" The brunette practically screeched, gripping Izuku's shoulder tightly as she stared at him in wide-eyed disbelief. "Deku that woman's a psycho floozy! She almost had her way with you in your last mission if it wasn't for the others! Don't tell me you are actually considering working for her again, are you!?"
"Well if we end up losing money from the botched rescue, we won't really have much of a choice. I'm not a fan of the idea either, but it's one of the only things I can think of that can help get our money back quick." Izuku stated with a hard stare of his own. "There is no way I'm going to have you work yourself to death to make ends meet. Don't think I forgot that time last year when you worked on that kidnapping case while doing extra training for your martial arts students and taking extra patrols at the same time without letting me know about it. Do you know how scared I was when I found out how overworked you were?"
"My dad was in an accident and he and Momma couldn't cover the bills! You were going through your own issues with All Might at the time so I didn't want to bother you with it! What was I supposed to do!?"
"You could've told me about it so that I could help. Yes, I was having a hard time with All Might's declining help until Eri stepped in, but I would've made time for you to figure something out! I would've sold some of my All Might merchandise to help pay for the cost. You know how much they go for!"
"Like I'd let you try and pawn off your hard-earned collection again to help me out. I'm still reeling over the fact that you sold part of it so we could make the first month's rent of this place!"
…So that's why there isn't as much of Grampa Toshi's stuff here than in Dad's old rooms. Eri thought dryly as she watched the couple bicker. This kind of argument was one that she was more used to, and she couldn't help but shake her head in exasperation at the two. Figuring to leave them be, she scooped Mikan in her arms and proceeded to leave the room, glancing back at them momentarily with an amused smile before departing. Everything will die down and the two will apologize to each other soon enough before determining what to do with their little money dilemma. They'll figure something out, though. She was confident that they will. Her parents were pretty smart, after all.
*riiing* *riiing*
"Oh… That's the house phone. That's weird. Almost no one calls us with that." Eri muttered, looking at the device mounted on the wall in confusion before trotting over to it, setting Mikan down behind her. Curious as to who it was, she proceeded to grab it, quirking an eyebrow at the unfamiliar number on the screen before answering tentatively. "Um...hi? This is the home of Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka. ...How can I help?"
{That voice… Eri, is that you?} A confused woman's voice came from the other line, and it took a little while for the child to recognize who was speaking.
"Oh! Miss Ryukui!" Eri exclaimed in surprise, recalling the woman from the few times she visited her mother at the agency.
{I'm off the clock now, Eri. Just call me Tatsuma.} The professional hero said in a gentle tone, causing Eri to relax slightly before the woman continued. {I'm sorry for bothering you like this, but are either of your caretakers available? I have been trying to get ahold of Uraraka, but she's not answering her cell, and Midoriya did not respond to any of his superior's messages as well.}
"Sorry, Miss Tatsuma. Mom and Dad are having an argument right now and might be a while. I see their phones on the table, but I didn't hear them make any noise. They might be on silent, right now." The child explained, looking over at the counter to see the two smartphones located side by side.
{Oh dear. I hope they're not arguing over the hostage rescue.}
"They're not. At least not anymore. It's just one of their older arguments that gets brought up from time to time. It's mostly about money now, so I think they might be a while." Eri explained while turning her head to her parents room, frowning at the sounds of light verbal barbs being thrown.
{Ah. I see. Worried about the potential pay cut we might get as a result of the mission.} The dragon woman stated in understanding, prompting Eri to hum and nod in confirmation out of habit. {Well, tell them to not to worry about that anymore. The transfer's original agency is going to take the fall for this and will be the one who will compensate for the damage their hero made. We're safe. Go let them know and if they have any questions, have them call us. We'll give them the details.}
"Really!? That's great! I'll tell them now! Thanks, Miss Tatsuma!" Eri chirped, now in a much better mood after being told such wonderful news, before quickly saying goodby and ending the call. She then made her way to the counter and grabbed her parents' phones, turning their volumes back up, before making her way to their room, with Mikan following along with a bemused expression.
"Well, Mikan. Time to end an argument! I'm sure they'll be happy they won't lose money. Mom especially! It's almost time to make her dream come true, after all, thanks to Dad and Grampa Hashi! Mom's parents will be happy, too, when everything is ready! I can't wait!"
"Mow!"
Prompt 20: Arguments
Author's Notes: And here is number 20, everyone. As I said, I took a few creative liberties with this one. I, personally, am no big fan of arguments and drama and stuff, brings up some bad memories that I would rather forget, but I am well aware that no couple can go on without spats every now and again. This one is no different, especially considering the personal issues the two have with each other. They love each other, but they're human, and humans aren't perfect. Also, as to what Eri was talking about in the end, that will be revealed in the next update on Monday. I'm looking forward to how you think of it. With that all said, thank you all so much for reading my work so far. I hope you heroes have a pleasant weekend, and I will see you in the author's notes!
Farewell, and remember: Go Beyond! Plus Ultra!