Chapter Eleven: Giving In
Aizawa is ready to go home and rest. There's still a child at his place, but she'll be laying on the couch, likely eating a snack, staying out of trouble. That's all he needs to have a peaceful night.
He puts his key in the lock and opens the door to his unit. As expected, Tome is laying on the couch, reading, with a bag of potato chips within reach.
However, there is one problem.
Aizawa's eye twitches. "Where did you get all this?" It already doesn't help that she takes some of his limited space, but now there is an assortment of shopping bags littered around. There's also clearly a new folded futon. There's no way Tome could afford this, but he also couldn't imagine her doing it on her own. Not unless she made a dozen trips. He recalls Serizawa saying he's becoming a better person. Hopefully, he has nothing to do with this.
"The logos on the bags make it pretty clear." She reaches her hand into the bag to grab a chip and eat it. "The mall if you want a more general answer. Don't ask which one. I don't remember."
This is part of the reason he doesn't want kids. Besides not having the capability to give one the attention kids need, they nitpick technicalities instead of answering the question they both know he's asking. "How did you buy it?" The weekend is almost over. Cant't he have a few hours to himself before the cycle repeats for another week?
"Oh." Don't 'oh' him. "Your friend stopped by. Kayama. She was weird about you hosting me." She places a hand over her heart. "But what kind of poor, vulnerable girl wouldn't accept help from someone so insistent." The overexaggerated tone made him call bullshit. "Then she had to share the news with your announcer friend who rushed to join us and bought some of the other things. About time someone took fascination in our time travel."
Aizawa feels an oncoming headache.
Wait.
"Did you tell them you're a time traveler?" It isn't exactly a secret but the less it blows up the better.
Tome sat up and leans over the back of the couch, dropping the book in the process. "I didn't have to. After all the lectures of how I should try and fit in, you went ahead and spilled the beans first! If you're worried that your friends spent all their money on me, you don't have to. Kayama said she'll bill you. Oh, and if they already know about me take me to work with you. Asking about quirks at a hero school wouldn't be bothering them. I can even observe without asking!"
Aizawa doesn't know what to address first. "Kayama said what?"
"Yeah, she dissed what you normally eat, mentioned something about sleeping on the couch and then went on some girls' united rant. She also said something about my spunk, but I'll have you know it's only my youthfulness."
"And you didn't think to contact me when a stranger came? Or to not make agreements about other people's money?"
Tome lays back down on the couch leaning into a pillow. "Eh, she was talkative but harmless." She waves his concern off. "Plus she's good with fashion." Tome doesn't consider herself a fashionista, but that doesn't mean she has zero cares about her wardrobe. Her style is certainly better than most of her old club members. "Though…" she jumps back up with a mischievous grin. "I can pretend Kayama never said anything of the sort. That she kindly purchased me gifts from the good in her heart. Woman to woman." She winks.
Woman? Tome was very much still a child. "People call that Blackmail." He stares deadpan, an expression she mirrors back when she realizes he isn't about to play along. He doesn't need Tome to lie. He'll be having a long chat with Nemuri, potentially Hizashi too. They'll settle it like adults.
However, there is still one big flag.
"But you didn't tell them you're from the past?"
"Yes– actually no. It was established up front so there was no need to go into detail." Tome places her finger under her lip. "Which thinking about it now, she didn't ask me any questions about it! Talking about home might be boring for me, but it should be exciting for her!"
"So she never said the words time traveler or anything close to it?" Aizawa feels his stomach drop as he curses Tokoyami for starting this, and Nemuri for spinning it out of control.
Tome takes too long thinking about her conversations which is enough of an answer for him.
"She doesn't know you're a time traveler."
"Huh?" She turns bug eyed. "What do you mean she doesn't know?"
"Just a poor informed rumour. It's better if you don't know." He can already imagine her disgusted face if she learns Nemuri thinks she's his estranged daughter. Really Nemuri? He would have been in his young teens. He agrees with the sentiment of the situation but he doesn't want that disgust pointed at him. He may have walls and will, but it would undoubtedly come across more personally than professionally since she isn't the most tactful person. He isn't immune to hurt.
"But you'll still take me to work with you, right?" He never promised that in the first place. Her mouth snaps shut as she reevaluates her words. "Purely observational. I'm on summer holidays." She forms an x with her arms. "Meaning no school work. I was given enough homework already." And since she was back to being a first year it means Tome wouldn't be doing it until near the last week or two.
"If you can't behave alone here, what makes you think I'm going to trust you in a highly secured school?"
He blinks and Tome is suddenly in front of him on her knees, rubbing her hands flatly together. "Please, please, please!" He tries to step back but she reaches out to grab his pan leg. "I'll be on my best behaviour!"
Aizawa doesn't believe that for a second. He can't trust her to wander the school and he's not sure he can keep an eye on her while also keeping an eye on the rest of his energetic class. "What about Serizawa?"
Giant tears spill from her eyes. "You don't want me to spend time with people my own age? I'm so lonely."
How dramatic. He can tell they're fake. She really knows what buttons to push. Especially questioning why she spends so much time with two adult men nearly twice her age. The answer is work, but the work sounds shady as hell. Serizawa has a quirk, power, whatever they want to call it, but the existence of spirits has yet to be confirmed so it can be just that. A shady business. That being said, Tome herself isn't the best representation of someone helpless. She does what she wants and is pushy if needed. Serizawa is protective of her, but Aizawa doesn't doubt for a second that Serizawa wouldn't try to do what Tome asks of him.
Maybe taking her to the school would be for the best. A bunch of eyes to help keep her in line. Nezu likes a good challenge too. Maybe he can figure out what to do to speed up the process of returning them home. "Fine." His voice is a breathy tiredness.
"Yesss!"
He feels an oncoming headache that has nothing to do with overworking himself.
