King of my Heart - 10

Hizashi/Els

_

"Hey, Mic? I've been meaning to ask why Midnight said you've been on your best behavior in public around me." The two of them were walking back to his apartment after getting a bite to eat.

"Erk." He bit the straw in the soda he carried and slowly moved just his eyes to stare at her.

"Well... yesterday and everything got me thinking. I want to know more about you, too. This seemed kinda like a start."

He pulled a sour face. "I was wondering when it would come up."

"Well?" She hooked her arm through his and smiled up at him.

"I uh, kind of like to drink," he admitted. He paused, chewed on the straw in his cup nervously for a bit and then sighed. "Okay! A lot. It's - it's hard not bein' appreciated like the other heroes."

"Who doesn't appreciate you?" He heard the anger in her voice and was oddly touched.

"Lotta folks. 'The guy who yells, big deal'. I don't go on patrols often, and they think it's because I'm useless."

Elly scoffed. "It's because you're badass," she said firmly. "Your quirk is devastating. You can't just go around using it like the common guys can." She pulled up short, the arm that was entwined with his a ways behind her. He had stopped completely in the middle of the sidewalk, mouth open. "Um... Mic?"

"You get it," he said. "You - of course you do." A big, slow smile lit up his features and he looked ten years younger. "Anyway, like when I met you. What you didn't see after you left karaoke was me getting shitfaced drunk and Shota having to drag my ass home."

"Aww." She leaned consolingly into him.

"I was stupid," he shrugged and wrapped his arm around her. "Midnight told me I was gonna scare you off, and I thought I did." They reached a garbage can and he tossed the remainder of the fizzy drink away. He suddenly didn't want any more. "You know, babe, all the people I've met think I'm turned up to eleven, all the time, everywhere."

"They hear you on the radio, see you like that in your work clothes. It's the same for other people in the public eye. They think television and radio personalities, movie stars, heroes and everyone like that are always the same as what they portray. And sometimes we are, a bit - just not all the time."

"Exactly," he sighed. "I don't feel like being perky every single day. In fact, I kinda feel lazy. Have been all day."

"You held up well in school," she complimented him.

"Yeah. If I don't act insane the kids think I'm dying or something."

She giggled. "I'll bet. What do you want to do today?"

"Be lazy," he told her happily, burping into his hand. "Urk. Uh, you wanna just relax and listen to some music? I wanted to show you my collection."

"Ooh. Sounds snuggly."

"Oh, yes." He grinned.

He really did have an excellent sound system. They sat close together on the couch while they chatted, listening to pieces and discussing their favorite artists. Hizashi noticed she seemed a little down after a while and took her hand.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Oh." She grinned weakly at him. "I had some bad thoughts and they're starting to overwhelm me. Then I uh, panicked about laying too much on you again."

He kissed her on the nose. "It's okay. You can tell me anything. But this sounds like you could use some coffee. I'll make us some." He got up and moved to the kitchen. "Still listening!"

She sighed. "Well, all this talk about our favorite songs... I had a song I really loved as a kid. It was classical sounding, nice big band, you know - a duet. It had something to do with a prince and him loving this woman so much. I forget exactly. I haven't thought about it in a long time for several reasons."

There was a buzzing sound as the coffee maker brewed a cup. "Aw... that's sad. Especially since it was a childhood favorite. What happened? It's not a good memory, is it?"

"You're right," she groaned. "It's not. Remember I told you I had a shitty childhood?"

He nodded, then saw she wasn't looking at him. She was staring morosely at her hands in her lap. "Yes."

"The song became a lie for me. I started to hate it because it promised unconditional love, but I didn't get that from any man. My real dad, nope. Stepdad? Ha! Even my grandfather once told me I was a stupid, ugly bitch.

But it's always about the fathers for little girls, right? In my heart my stepfather was my real dad, the one I grew up with."

"Yeah."

She swallowed back her tears as best she could as she grew more emotional. "I wanted him to be my father. I wanted him to be proud of me."

Hizashi sighed sadly, his brows drawing together as he watched her work through her pain. He set the coffee down on the table with trembling hands. In his mind there were a million things that could have happened to her that were horribly scarring.

"He would tell people I wasn't his, you know? Like, they'd say, 'oh, your daughter this' or 'your daughter that' and he would - he'd instantly..." She hid her face in her hands, knowing she was babbling, sensing the tears wouldn't stay away. The couch dipped down and she knew he had joined her so she scrunched her legs up to make room. "He was ashamed of me!"

"You're okay, baby," he told her in a low, soothing voice. Elly hiccupped, shaking her head and struggling to pull herself together. "Yes, you are." She was suddenly overwhelmed by his sweet bubblegum scent. He nudged her legs and then he was kneeling carefully on top of her, his long fingers wrapping around hers to pull her hands away.

She sniffled and gasped at the cool air on her sweaty, tear-streaked skin. "I'm sorry," she gulped. "I'm -"

"Don't be." Hizashi wiped at the corners of her eyes with his thumbs. "The men in your life..." He paused. "I don't wanna make you angry, but I'm pissed." He wrapped his arms around her, sinking down so his warm body lay just against her like a comforting blanket. "Every little girl deserves to be told they're special. To be someone's little princess." His voice broke, and with utter and absolute shock, she felt hot tears fall upon her neck.

Hizashi was crying.

For her.

With her.

"I'll fix it. They robbed you, baby. Fucking robbed you. That's not right. So from now on, you're my princess," he finished vehemently. She shivered, her ears flicking as he spoke lowly, his voice seeming to throb throughout her body. "Listen." He raised one hand and his phone was in it; his finger tapped and music filled the room. He had found her song. It played from the music app he had bought it on through the ornate speaker system, filling the apartment with fairy tale music.

"Oh, Zashi," she wept. "You... you..."

"Shhh." He sat up on his knees and she thought he was about to get up, but his hand moved behind his neck. She watched, immersed in the music and completely confused until she saw him sweep his hand around, pulling the massive bun free. Her dark eyes huge, she clapped a hand to her mouth as Hizashi Yamada transformed himself into her dream from long ago and her savior now with one simple move. His hair was long; she knew that. But it was far, far longer when it was loose than she had believed and it tumbled down his shoulders and softly down his back like a cloud of gold. His green, spiraling pupils held her captive, her sadness forgotten as he once again lowered himself and took her in his arms.

His kisses started with her lips, soft and brushing gently, then fluttered over her eyelids when she closed her eyes. Her hands gripped him tightly, clutching the red cloth of his shirt and scrunching it when he started talking again.

"I'll do anything for you," he husked in that special humming voice that left her completely bereft of her senses. "I'm proud to be with you. I will spend every minute, every second, that I can fixing how much you hurt inside!" He pressed his lips on her throat, feeling the erratic pulse, and cried out, "I want the whole world to know how much I love my beautiful princess!"

Oh shit. His face drained of color. He hadn't meant to declare his feelings so strongly, or so fast. Midnight kept telling him he was going to scare her away, and for a few minutes he was completely terrified. He sat back up and covered his face with his hands. Shaking, he dared a quick peek after a minute and saw she was staring at him with what could only be utter adoration in those glorious purple eyes. Relieved, his lips curled up just a bit in a twitchy grin. "I uh, I mean it," he said, taking her hand in his. "I love you."

Elly reached out and brushed the fall of hair on his right side away, caressing his cheek. "I think you really do," she breathed in amazement.

"Yep." The grin widened.

"It scares me," she said truthfully. "It scares me that I love you so much." He opened his mouth and she placed a finger on his lips. "Every time I've loved a man I wasn't loved back, or I was thrown away."

"You're killin' me," he sighed, reaching out for a hug. "I want you to feel safe, not scared. No, don't feel bad," he went on when she tensed in his arms. "You can't help that, you were treated badly by those that should've protected you. I'm just going to have to show you that I'm not like those other guys."