Chapter 06
"Will that be okay with you?" The leader of this operation, a short petite blonde woman in orange military garb, asks him. He doesn't answer immediately, instead focusing on the plan that had been laid out on the table between them. He reruns it through his head once more just to confirm.
Finally, he nods his head in affirmation.
"It's solid enough," he says. "I can do it on my own."
"Unfortunately you need to be in pairs, Eraser," the woman tells him while shaking her head. "We don't doubt your abilities but we are not risking any casualties."
He doesn't feel disappointed that he has to be partnered up with. It's to be expected as the mission is not an easy one. Even though he prefers to be alone, he can't deny that a team can do things he can't. So he welcomes them.
Then, he hears a commotion outside the conference room he, the woman and few of her men are in. He turns towards the door, where the source of the noise slowly is getting louder and louder, signaling it's drawing near.
"We… would like to apologize to you beforehand, Eraser," the woman starts while giving him an apologetic look. "Your partner for this operation is a stubborn one. We tried to find another Hero but… she was the only one left."
The door suddenly slams open so hard he is willing to bet the hinges are busted, making his partner a grand, destructive entrance. And his partner is none other than-
"You fuckers ain't gonna make me go with some fuckin' stinky ass! I will not be goin' with some fuckin'- "
Miruko immediately shuts up the moment her eyes land on him. He can see them widen in surprise, then they glitter in recognition.
That smile is back.
"Miruko." The smile quickly disappears and is replaced by a displeased scowl as Miruko glares at the blonde woman, who is approaching her with her hands up in a calming manner. "We apologize that you are forced into working with a partner but there is no way around it. We beg you to at least cast your stubbornness aside just this once ," the woman is very much begging by this point.
Miruko glances at him while the scowl stays on her face.
The corners of her eyes crease.
"I'll cooperate with you this time ."
He can see everyone in the room save from him and Miruko sag and sighs in relief.
"Thank you, Miruko." The blonde woman bows her head in gratitude and pure relief. He can see the hidden humor in Miruko's eyes.
So she's aware of the hell she raises.
"You're lucky you chose Eraserhead. If it were anyone else you can kiss my ass goodbye."
"You two are acquainted?" one of the woman's workers asks, looking at him and Miruko back and forth with a surprised look on his face.
"Yeah," Miruko answers while he merely nods his head. The men frown, somewhat looking confused. He thinks they're trying to form a connection with how a top ranking Hero is acquainted with the most notorious Underground Hero there is.
Wait until they found out how he and All Might are coworkers.
"Now, Miruko, we need to fill you in on-"
"Shut it." Miruko cuts off the woman before she can talk any further. "Eraserhead can fill me in on the way out. Let's go."
Well, he guesses that's his cue. He gives everyone a nod, especially to the stunned woman, before he follows Miruko out the conference room.
They walk down the quiet hallway, side by side.
"It seems we're on this together," Miruko suddenly starts, the harsh tone from the conference room earlier now all gone. It's replaced with a tone he is all too familiar with. "This is the first time we're workin' together, yeah?"
"Hm," he can only reply.
"I don't regret takin' this mission."
"I'm surprised you had actually agreed to it." He glances down at his current partner. She looks back up at him, making eye contact.
"I'm fine if it's you."
That smile is back.
.
"I've never taken down Villains this fast before," Miruko comments, pulling her elbows over her head, stretching her arms. He doesn't reply, merely keeps tying up the Villains they both took down together. "Maybe we should start workin' together from now on."
Her tone suggests she is joking but he believes she means it seriously.
"Thank you for the suggestions but I'll have to turn it down," he replies. Once he feels the bind secure, he gets up and stands back, right next to Miruko. "And besides, a top Hero who is known to be stubbornly independent suddenly working with an unknown Hero will raise some suspicion-"
"And give you unwanted attention," Miruko finishes his words, exactly within his line of thoughts. "Yeah, you might be right," she adds with a defeated tone.
He glances over to her. She is not looking over to him but he notices she has a somewhat sad smile on her face.
By now he is no longer surprised by her reaction.
"Welp, there ain't no way around it then." Her mood quickly recovers. She flashes him a wide smile. "Let's continue on then."
When he nods, she turns and struts down the road they are tasked to handle. He follows by her side, hands deep in his pockets, as usual.
They are surprisingly fit for each other, harmonized quite well. When they fight, they're quite synchronous. They adapted to each other really quickly and managed to not get in each other's ways while also being successful at what they're doing.
And Miruko was exceptionally thrilled at this finding.
They had taken down a lot of thugs, a lot of Villains together. They were so quick with it that when they got the news that they alone had advanced the plan a lot sooner than intended, Miruko was proud .
She hasn't stopped smiling since.
"Where do you think the others are at?" Miruko suddenly asks out of nowhere.
"Probably lagging behind compared to us."
"You're goddamn right they're laggin' behind!" She suddenly shouts while punching the air. "They ain't a match for the both of us!"
Well, the sooner they can finish this, the sooner he can go home.
Let's just hope they don't encounter a physically enhanced Villain.
.
Of fucking course they encounter a physically enhanced Villain. Of course said Villain is twenty meters tall and can crush him in a single hand. His Quirk is completely useless against him. And he is unsure if he can hold the Villain down with his capture weapon.
It is during this kind of fight where he is thankful to have a partner who can fight against such Villain, and Miruko is an expert in this area.
He tries his best to assist her in the situation without impeding her abilities. He wraps his scarf around an arm to stop it from swinging against Miruko. He wraps his scarf around a pole to stop the Villain from moving as Miruko lands a hit. He makes sure to be the thorn on the side so Miruko can be the pain in the ass.
When the Villain suddenly falls to his knees, he and Miruko stand back, expecting him to go down. But then, he slowly rises back up and his body turns red. He lets out a roar that shakes his bones. Then, the Villain starts pounding the ground, causing massive chunks of debris to fly up.
"He's in berserk mode!" he shouts over the noise. But, unsure if she heard him or not, Miruko suddenly rushes forward, towards the raging Villain. "Miruko! What are you-"
No, he needs to react fast. She is jumping into a lethal situation. The Villain is unpredictable right now but she is approaching him quickly. Without a second thought, he throws his capture weapon towards her. It weaves through the debris getting closer and closer to Miruko while she is getting closer and closer to the Villain.
He watches as she pulls a leg back and successfully lands a strong kick to the Villain's head. His roar stops as well as he stops pounding the ground. As the Villain's body begins to fall, he notices a giant chunk is falling towards Miruko from above.
'Shit!'
He urges his capture weapon to go faster until it wraps around her waist. With one giant tug, he quickly pulls her back, away from falling debris and towards him. She's not out of danger just yet; massive debris is falling still and he makes sure she avoids any of them.
Finally, she lands into his awaiting arm. She gasps upon impact and her ruby red eyes are extremely wide. He releases a sigh, seeing she is now out of harm's way.
"Why would you do something so foolish, Miruko?" He can't help but berate her. He pushes up his goggles to glare down at her. She doesn't look annoyed by his tone, instead she looks bewildered, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.
Her cheeks are also tinted pink against her dark skin.
Then, she smiles up at him.
"You're here. And I trust you would save me from danger."
He tries not to react, not when she can physically feel him.
The trust she has in him…
He closes his eyes and releases a tired sigh.
"Please make me aware of your plan. I am already stressed enough," he says as he gently pushes her away until she stands on her feet. She only lets out a hearty laugh.
"I'll keep that in mind!"
The blush is still present, it seems.
.
The operation is successful and finished ahead of schedule, much to everyone's delight. He and Miruko had done their job successfully, clearing a path for the main force to enter.
He watches from a safe distance as the targeted building slowly empties out, Villains of all shapes and sizes being led out by Heroes before they get handed over to the police. He already did his statement earlier so he can be away from the crowd.
His body sags.
The mission is over.
"Aizawa!" A familiar voice calls out to him. Miruko, or Usagiyama now, is running towards him while waving a hand. He pushes himself off the wall and stands upright just as she arrives. "We did good!" She says with a wide, proud smile.
"We did." He nods his head.
"Got any plans later?" she asks. She looks quite expectant for his answer, eyes wide and he thinks she's even holding her breath in anticipation.
"Home, gonna rest," he answers curtly. Usagiyama sags in disappointment that even her ears bend down. He partially feels sorry for her but he doesn't let it show. But the mood quickly disappears and the expectant look returns. Her ears rise back up erect.
"Then wanna exchange contacts?" She asks another. He raises an eyebrow at her. "It wouldn't hurt to have extra contact on my phone," she says with a wide smile, but it simmers down to one he is more familiar with. "…But it would be a lie if I say that's the main reason."
He blinks.
…That makes him realize that… not once had she lied to him. Not once had she hidden her feelings from him. She never outright told him but she never shied away from him. She showed him her emotions, her feelings.
She knows what she is doing. She knows what she has been doing.
It seems his silence takes a little longer than usual because the expectant look on Usagiyama's face is slowly slipping away. Her face starts to fall and her ears slowly flop.
For some reason, against his rationalism, he takes out his phone.
"Give me your phone number."
And he receives more than just her number. Her eyes have become the widest he has ever seen. Her body straightens from pure surprise as she sucks in her breath.
There is a goofy smile on her face, complete with a blush, as she tells him her phone number.
When her phone lets out a ping, her ears flap in either giddy or excitement, or both.
"Thanks, Aizawa!" She gives him a big, warm smile that is complemented by the blush that still stays on her cheeks. "I hope you don't mind me sendin' you a few texts from now on!"
"As long as it's not during working hours."
"Duly noted!"
She looks back down at her phone. The goofy smile returns and her ears are still flapping, though not as intense as before. She then bites her lips, as if to hold back something from coming out from her mouth. She takes a deep breath, as if to calm herself down. Her body visibly relaxes and her ears finally stop flapping.
Then, she finally pockets her phone away and turns towards him.
That smile is back.
But it's a lot warmer, a lot softer.
…And a lot more affectionate.
"I'll be goin' then," she says to him. He nods his head. "See ya, Aizawa!" She waves at him goodbye before turning around and walks away. There is an obvious skip in her step.
And her bobtail is wiggling excitedly.
But the turmoil in his chest only winds tighter.