Silence was not common in the Amajiki-Togata household, at least not when Mirio was home. But since they'd received the call from Aizawa explaining how Eri's second training attempt had gone, the blonde had hardly said a word.
Three days now, Tamaki had watched his husband go through the motions, even calling in for personal leave from his agency. After everything they'd been through with All For One and the League of Villains, the trials faced when Mirio lost his quirk and continued on the hero track… Tamaki couldn't recall a single time when he'd seen his husband so sullen, certainly not for such an extended period of time.
The timid pro peeked out from their kitchen for the umpteenth time only to find Mirio in the same place he'd been all day, staring at their flatscreen despite the machine not being turned on. There'd been so many times when Mirio had stepped up and said exactly what Tamaki had needed to hear, but Tamaki was hard-pressed to think of a time when the reverse was true. Mirio hadn't ever really needed a pep talk before…
"I'm making ramen for dinner…" Tamaki said, his voice alarmingly loud in the otherwise silent dwelling. "Is there anything special you want added to yours tonight?"
"No, thank you for doing so much recently, Tamaki," Mirio mumbled in return. "I'll do clean up tonight, okay?"
So hollow and disinterested. Tamaki could hardly stand the eerily downtrodden tone emitting from his perpetually excited husband. He shook his head and walked over, rubbing Mirio's hunched shoulders soothingly. "I'm not concerned about dirty dishes; I'm worried about you."
"Me?" Mirio chirped, clearly intending to calm Tamaki's anxiety as he smiled brightly. "I'm fine, babe!"
Unfortunately for Miriro, Tamaki was not at all convinced despite how sincere the declaration seemed. A quick cross of his arms and a light glare was all that was needed to let Mirio know that Tamaki had no intention of being passive this time.
The blonde sighed heavily and dropped the act, letting himself slump over once more, though he didn't offer up an explanation for his obvious depression. He pressed his forehead into Tamaki's stomach instead, taking comfort in the warmth emanating from the firm muscles there.
"You'd refused to allow Eri to attempt to return your quirk several times in the past, so I know her being banned from trying now couldn't be the problem… So, what's wrong, Mirio?" Tamaki hummed, petting and carting his fingers through the blonde locks as he attempted to coax a response.
"Heh, you know me so well, Tamaki. You've always been so good at seeing the heart of things, you know?" Mirio mumbled while maneuvering the smaller man into his lap to embrace him fully. "I'll admit I did get a little overly hopeful about Eri returning my permeation ability, but you're right; that's not bothering me as much as I thought it would."
"Actually," he continued, eyes still downcast and saddened. "I'm mostly upset that Eri wanted to try something so dangerous because of things I've said to her in the past… and then I encouraged her the moment a real opportunity arose despite the risk it posed to her wellbeing."
"Mirio—" Tamaki began, only to stop short when tears began silently falling from the blue eyes he often found himself staring into for support. He was quick to wrap his arms around the blonde's neck, kissing all across his head and face lovingly. "You and Deku have had such an amazing impact on Eri. You'd never put her in harm's way, never. You have to know that."
Despite the affection he was being shown, Mirio couldn't help but disagree, squeezing Tamaki more tightly in tandem with the thickness forming in his throat and chest. "Aizawa said she hasn't been able to stop crying since she woke up. Overhauls is in her head again, Tamaki. I still haven't truly saved her!"
"Well… Well then, the answer is obvious, isn't it?" Tamaki questioned, his voice gaining surety. "We get Deku and go see Eri together; save her from the dark thoughts Overhaul put in her head all those years ago."
Mirio shook his head, shame etched even more deeply into his face. "Deku and I are the two people Eri wanted to help most, remember? The moment she sees us, it will be like shoving our stupid problems in her sweet little face. That will just make everything worse!"
Tamaki was shocked into silence momentarily. He couldn't help but wonder how Mirio managed to stay so positive all the time, never ceasing to have an upbeat response to Tamaki's usually self-defeating thoughts. There was no comparison in their personalities, but that was no excuse; for Mirio, Tamaki would shine more brightly than the sun.
He clapped his hands onto Mirio's cheeks, forcing their gazes to connect. "I'm going to finish dinner, and you are going to go to the store to get everything we need for candy apples. And I don't just mean the regular ones, either. I want nuts, chocolate shavings, sprinkles, edible glitter, the works, okay?"
Springing from his comfortable spot in the blonde's lap, he stretched with a big smile, putting on a strong face for the person who'd always done the same for him. "You know what? A puppy. That'll be even better than a stuffed animal this time; I bet we have some connections at the agency to find us a perfect PTSD service dog for Eri!"
"Uh… Tamaki?" Mirio hummed nervously. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
His lover merely flashed another, more coercive smile and shooed him off with his hands, leaving Mirio to somewhat stumble to his own feet and towards the door to do as he'd been instructed.
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"He's perfect!" Midoriya exclaimed, practically vibrating in excitement.
When Tamaki called him early that morning, requesting he and Bakugo go pick out a heap of Pro-Hero and UA memorabilia and then meet at the hospital to 'save Eri,' he honestly hadn't known what to expect. Now, though, the half-dozen bags he and Bakugo had been carrying were dropped haphazardly on the ground in favor of the adorable dog sitting patiently in the lobby.
"And what a perfect name, too! Squish! Because his face is so squishy!" Midoriya squeaked even more excitedly, "Aizawa is definitely going to kill us, but it's going to be worth it now!"
Tamaki proudly nodded in agreement, noting that even Mirio had a faint smile etched into his still crestfallen lips. As he'd expected, their agency worked through the night to get the young pup to them, and once they'd picked Squish up, he'd glued himself to Mirio's side, easily able to sense the psychological torment he was experiencing.
"Yeah, yeah, the dog's cute, but can we get going? This shit Deku picked out is heavy." Bakugo grunted, refusing to be pulled into the big eyes and lightly drooling jowls that he secretly also wanted to be cuddling up to.
Tamaki and Midoriya both looked to Mirio, the former having already told the young pro of his husband's uncharacteristically solemn mood and hesitation to visit Eri. "What do you say, Lemillion? Are you ready to make Eri the happiest girl in the whole world?"
Resistance still tugged at his heart, but Mirio put on the most positive expression he could, knowing that despite his doubts, Tamaki was doing everything in his power to resolve the spiraling situation they'd found themselves in.
"Well, we went to the trouble of summoning the super-hero 'Squish' here to help us, so it's not like we have much of a choice, am I right?" he joked while reaching down to adjust the rather poorly made cape and mask Tamaki had insisted they make for the service dog that morning. "Let's go make Aizawa furious and save Eri!"
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'Knock, knock'
"Eri, mind if we come in?" Tamaki called from the doorway.
Heart-wrenching didn't quite describe the scene he found waiting for him, though. Eri had often cried after she'd been rescued, but it was fleeting and could be redirected due to her young age and relative lack of understanding of what had been done to her.
Counseling and unconditional support had certainly helped the poor girl face the trauma she'd experienced, but it also meant that they'd had to break some of her unhealthy coping habits, like bottling up and internalizing negative emotions.
They were certainly on full display now, Eri's face a mess of puffy redness and a dry rash around her nose from constant wiping. It was a minor miracle the girl could even open her eyes enough to see with the swelling weighing down her eyelids.
Aizawa wasn't faring much better in appearance. Tamaki had seen the pro after brutal battles, but if it was possible, he looked even more strung out and distraught than Eri.
"...Big brother Tamaki…" Eri sniffled, her head immediately hanging low when she realized who else was with him. "I-I…" she tried, a whimpering cry quickly cutting off any further chance of speaking.
Already holding her, Aizawa retightened his grip and cooed quietly before turning his attention to the doorway. "Now might not be the best time…"
Steeling his nerves, Tamaki refused to shy away. Now was exactly the time, and he was prepared. "Actually, Aizawa, Eri… I called in a specialist to help."
"Specialist?" the old pro questioned, suspicion rapidly growing in his previously emotionally drained face. "What kind of specialist?"
Midoriya squeezed past his friends, slipping into the room without revealing the horde of gifts, treats, and the 'specialist' they'd brought along. He bypassed Aizawa's question to a degree, going to kneel before the bundled teen in his teacher's lap. "Eri," he hummed in barely restrained excitement. "Tamaki, Mirio, Kacchan, and I have brought the greatest up-and-coming hero there is! He just finished training in the world's best academy and is ready for his debut!"
Eri barely lifted her head, though her confusion and disbelief were completely obvious. It was the middle of the school year, and UA was the best school for hero training in the world. Aizawa would have told her if there was some crazy-powerful kid there. Still, this was her big brother Deku—even if he didn't look at all like himself at the moment—and he'd never lie to her.
Not knowing what to say or think, Eri decided to look to her dad for help. His expression only confused her further, however. He looked just as uncertain as she was, but fleeting hints of thought were also etched in. It was almost like Aizawa had an idea of what his previous students were up to and was simultaneously dreading and hoping he was correct.
"B-But…" Eri finally murmured, her curiosity starting to usurp the heaviness in her heart.
"Oi, Deku. Can you please stop forgetting you're in my body?" Bakugo grunted. "You're ruining my fucking image, bouncing on your toes like that. Now, are we going to do this or not?"
Midoriya twisted around dramatically with his tongue stuck out, somewhat loving the idea of making Bakugo look ridiculous. If they had to be trapped in each other's bodies, why not have a little fun at the same time? Besides, it wasn't like Bakugo could do the same in Midoriya's body—he was already a spaz on the best of days, and the world knew that well.
"AH?" Bakugo snorted, vein pulsing in his temple. "You're lucky I wouldn't do anything to mess up my perfect face, or you'd be in for it, Deku! Damnit. Pointy ears, you and your dorky husband better be ready because I'm opening this door now."
With a rather loud thump, Bakugo thrust the thick wood against the wall and stomped forward, dragging Midoriya out of the way with whispered threats despite their apparent lack of intent.
"Uhh…" Eri drawled. Chaos was fairly common when Mirio and Midoriya were involved, but this visit was shaping up to be extra strange. She slowly got up from Aizawa's lap, tilting her head at the large sheet being held up between Mirio and Tamaki.
"Okay, my little peach, are you ready to meet the hero we brought?" Mirio jabbered quickly, overcoming the sadness inside him with the growing excitement in the room. "All right, three, two, one… Ta-Da!"
Fluttering down with a crinkling patter, the sheet fell from Eri's big brothers' hands, revealing a rather massive dog wearing a cape and a paper cut-out 'mask' on his large, droopy face.
"Eri, this is Squish!" Tamaki explained to the silent, frozen girl. "As Izuku alluded to earlier, he just graduated top of his class and is officially ready for work as a Service Dog—basically the dog version of heroes."
Squish yawned as though he was bored with the situation but immediately smelled the unsettling body chemistry of a particularly distraught individual. With one last stretch before setting to work, he sauntered over to where Eri was still paralyzed, each step slow and steady.
Silence engulfed the room during the approach. Eri's physical growth was starting to pick up now that she'd had consistent nutrition, but she was still rather small and frail-looking, especially when compared to Squish.
The dog was a two-year-old Great Dane, standing tall at a staggering 32 inches (81cm) at the shoulder and nearly 44 inches (112cm) at his head, nearly as tall as Eri herself. Despite being healthy and having lean muscle, the young pup weighed nearly 175 pounds (79kg), which was much heavier than his new charge.
Eri squeaked in fear when Squish finally got close, stumbling back onto her father's knees to escape. As nearly all children, she loved puppies and begged Aizawa for a dog after seeing one for the first time… But this animal, though cute in a strange way, was so large and intimidating!
"N-No! G-get away!"