Chapter 16: Baring Their Hearts

Eri

The day started like any other day in Eri's life, wake up, exercise, train with Kasai-kun to improve her martial arts, then breakfast and school. However, what was different was Joey. He was acting more…shy around her. Ordinarily him, her, Rukia, and Jougo were like peas in a pod, together always practically, but not today for some reason. Joey was…avoiding her for some reason. His answers to her were very short, and he seemed deeply pre-occupied. She could put the pre-occupation down to what was happening in America; everyone was worried about it, and Joey would be especially since it was his birthplace. Not to mention that his sister was right in the thick of things there. He had to be worried about her.

But something told her that wasn't it. She had seen Joey talking with Jougo as usual, only for Joey to leave or excuse himself when she came close and Jougo would say that he was going to go study after class was over. Eri and Rukia looked at the purple-haired boy and Rukia said, "Then why aren't you with him, Jougo? We all know that you would never have gotten this far if you didn't study with Joey every chance you got." Jougo looked offended at that, "Hey! I'm not THAT dumb, and I study by myself sometimes." The two girls continued, and Eri said, "Jougo, what's going on with Joey? He's been avoiding me since yesterday, and I want to know why."

Jougo looked nervously at the two girls, two of his best friends, and he swallowed, "Look, it's not for me to say. This is something…Joey must tell you himself, Eri. It has to be just the two of you." In the back of her mind, Eri started to think about what Joey wanted to tell her, and her heart started racing. Rukia looked at Eri and said, "What do you want to do, Eri?" Eri pursed her lips and shut her eyes, then thought to herself, It can't be that, can it? He's not…in love with me, is he? "I'm going to talk to Joey then," she said, and pulled out her phone. She texted Joey, "I need to talk to you alone. Where do you want to meet?"

Eri waited for his answer, and her heart was racing as she thought of Joey. Her mind filled with images of the two of them growing up together, when they were little kids in Elementary School, and Joey was a nervous little boy who needed someone to reach out to him. She remembered playing and studying with him, Jougo, and Rukia. She remembered when they were kidnapped by the League of Villains and Joey had tried to save her, and nearly died before she had used her Quirk to heal him. That had made a bond between them, and she saw it now.

They had always been together, and she had watched him grow up. He wasn't that little boy now, he was almost a Man, a big, strong, handsome, smart, kind… WHAT AM I THINKING!? Eri blushed and started to walk away from Jougo and Rukia. He's not, he can't be, not really, I mean, Mine-san likes him, and he looks at her… She just kept walking, trying to figure out if this was really happening, and then she slipped and stopped herself from falling. Her sleeve of her uniform rolled up enough to show some of the scars on her arm. Eri quickly fixed it, and swallowed, "He couldn't like a girl with so many scars…"

They had never healed, her life with Chisaki Kai and the Shie Hassaikai would never be forgotten, she was marked, damaged…disfigured. Everyone who saw her scars knew that she wasn't, couldn't, be normal. Normal girls weren't covered in scars or had been kidnapped. Normal girls had never…killed their Fathers…

Her phone's text message went off, it was Joey. "Meet me at the back of the Dorms, outside". Eri swallowed and headed in that direction, and she started thinking again. Normal girls didn't know Heroes personally. Normal girls weren't friends with the Number One and Number Two Heroes. Normal girls didn't make it into U.A. Her head was swimming with so many positive and negative thoughts and emotions, she didn't know how to feel. She felt like her head was spinning, and yet she kept on moving, and made it outside the Dorms in the back. There Joey was, pacing around and looking nervous.

Joey

Joey was pacing the ground anxiously, feeling like his guts were tying in knots. What am I gonna do if she says no? I mean, come on, there's just, I mean, things would be weird if she did… Oh man, this was a bad idea… Joey's thoughts were then filled with thoughts of Eri throughout their lives together. How they had met each other, how she had helped him adjust to life in Japan when they were little, their kidnapping, how she had saved his life when he fought Pyromaniac, learning together in U.A., training together, all these thoughts filled his mind. He was terrified of her saying no, but he also knew that he couldn't lie about how he felt about here, he loved Eri, not as a friend but as a girlfriend, maybe more. He had to tell her how he felt, he'd rather tell her and be rejected and deal with the awkward fallout among them and their friends than live wondering about what would happen if he had remained silent.

He smelled Eri approaching and stopped pacing and turned around to look at her. Eri was there looking at him, and she was slightly blushing, it made her ruby red eyes stick out more with her pale skin and white hair. Joey was glad his skin was dark enough to hide his own blushing as he went over to her. "Joey, what is going on with you?" she asked him. "Are you jealous that I'm training with Kasai instead of you? Or…" she blushed a little bit more and Joey walked closer to her. "Eri," he managed to say without stammering, "Things have been really crazy ever since we joined U.A. And things have been really crazy back in America, with Marie and Denki-nii-san. And all of these crazy things have been making me think about things, about life."

Joey stopped and saw that Eri was looking at him, her eyes were wide open and she looked nervous. Joey plunged ahead, "Aizawa Eri, I love you, and I want you to be my girlfriend." Eri started breathing heavily, and she grabbed her chest, and Joey got worried, "Eri, what's wrong?" Tears started to fill her eyes, and they fell down her face, "J-Joey…do you…really mean it? You really, want me? You could have almost any girl here if you wanted, why me?"

Joey went to her and used his Mother's Quirk; his body glowed blue, he reached out and took Eri's hand, and helped her calm down. "Eri, there's no one as fun, and kind, as you here. Ever since I came to Japan, you've helped me. You were the first friend I made here, of all the people here you are the most important one to me. That's why I want you to be my girlfriend."

"Joey," Eri said, looking down and ashamed, "I…I'm not like other girls. I'm…my body…I have scars from when I was a captive of the Shie Hassaikai. They're everywhere. My arms, my legs, my back, my body…is covered in scars. If…if we were, if you wanted, could you really…see me as…beautiful?" Eri looked pale from fear and nervousness as she finished talking. Joey swallowed and was glad his blush wasn't showing as he took Eri's hands in his. She seemed much smaller and cuter as his golden eyes looked into her ruby eyes. "You're the most beautiful girl I know, Eri," Joey told her. He leaned down and closed his eyes, and Eri closed her eyes and leaned up.

As their lips touched, Joey felt like millions of volts of electricity were shooting through his body. He wrapped his large, powerful arms around her, and Eri wrapped her thinner arms around his neck as they kept on kissing. When they finally separated, he felt lightheaded, and happier than he ever felt before. He had a wide smile on his face and Eri smiled back at him. "That was good," she told him.

"Eri."

Again, millions of volts of electricity passed through Joey's body, only this time instead of excitement he felt the cold grip of nervous fear as he and Eri looked over and saw her adopted Father, Aizawa Shouta. Joey had the biggest dear in the headlights look in the world as the older man looked at the two lovestruck teenagers. "I suggest in the future, you consider the time and place better," Aizawa-sensei said then said to Eri, "It's time for you to study, young lady." Eri and Joey awkwardly let each other go, and Eri wordlessly followed her Dad as they headed to her dorm room. Joey watched her go, and as soon as she was gone, he had the dumbest looking smile on his face as he remembered the feel of her lips on his.

He was smiling all the way to his dorm and was surprised to see HIS adopted Mother sitting on his bed. She had a smile on her face as she said, "I think it's time I taught you about the facts of life, young man." What followed after that were two of the most awkward hours of Joseph Jerome Freeman Jr's life.

?

The hooded man watched as his Target headed to her dorm room. He smirked beneath his mask as he said aloud, "Young love, such a splendid thing. It's only a matter of time now. One more ingredient, and the plans will be complete."