The Fear Quirk

Hizashi/Els

_

The PA system chimed. "Present Mic, please come to the nurse's office immediately."

Mic's head jerked left to stare in confusion at the speaker. His class murmured softly to each other, confused looks on their faces. He placed the book he had been reading from on the desk and glanced at the clock. It was close to the bell anyway, so he shrugged and got up.

"All righty, I guess, uh... read the next chapter. We'll start prepositions Wednesday." He left the classroom wondering what could possibly be important enough to call him in. Maybe a student with a voice quirk needed some questions answered or something. Whistling tunelessly, he turned the corner and almost ran into Eraserhead, who looked agitated. Mic blinked. "Ah, Eraser? Anything wrong?" He started to panic. His girl had been with him during a routine field exercise. Nothing should have gone wrong.

"She got hit by a fear quirk," Aizawa stated wearily, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I tried to cover her, Mic. I really did."

His green eyes went impossibly wide. Not that. Not his girl.

There were, of course, different types of fear quirks. Most, however, relied on your own brain. The toxins chemically changed your own thoughts, isolating what you were most afraid of and showing it to you mercilessly. Powerful quirks of this type had landed people in mental institutions for extensive rehabilitation. He pushed past his friend and into the nurse's office. Elly was laying on the first cot in a fetal position, her skin chalky white. She was rocking herself a little but wasn't crying out. Healing Girl stood at her side, talking soothingly. She sighed when Mic flung himself down by his lover.

"Can't you help her?"

"We have to know what she's seeing before we can put her under to get past it." She motioned to a needle nearby. "If we don't find out her fear, she's going to face the remembrance of it when she wakes. You know what that can do."

He cringed. "Hey, princess," he whispered. "I'm here, Hizashi's right here. What's happening? Are you okay?" Foolish question, of course she wasn't, but he had to start somewhere.

She whimpered.

"That's the most come out of her yet. Keep talking."

"I won't let whatever it is hurt you. It's not real. You got hit with a fear quirk, and it's showing you your, uh, fears." He stroked her hand. "Can you hear me? It's Mikey."

"Zashi!" She suddenly stiffened and flung her hands up to cover her face. "God, Zashi, noooo, please god no." Her voice broke as she sobbed wildly.

"It's you," the nurse sighed.

"Wh - whaaa?"

"She didn't react until you came in. Now she's yelling your name. Put two and two together, kid." Healing Girl placed a cool hand on Elly's brow.

"I'd never hurt her!"

"She knows that rationally. But ... " She waved to the writhing cat woman on the cot.

"No," he choked sadly. She kept repeating something over and over again. He leaned closer to listen and clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes filling with tears.

"Don't leave me, please don't leave me, please..."

"Give her the shot!" He sobbed out, grabbing the older woman's arm. "I know what it is - now help her!"

She nodded and squirted a drop out, then plunged the needle into Elly's arm. She acted like she didn't even feel it, but her pleas slowly faded into whispers and then she was blissfully, mercifully, asleep. Hizashi covered her with a blanket and then crumpled into a heap on the floor, his arms resting over her cot. "My poor baby." He wasn't crying anymore but his face was tear-streaked and worn.

"What was it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"She's afraid I'll leave her."

"Oh, my." She paused in the act of cleaning up. "Good thing, I suppose, in a way."

"Why?"

"It means she really loves you, idiot," came a new voice from the doorway. Aizawa stood there with his arms crossed. "I came back to see if you needed your classes covered."

Mic glanced at the nurse, who nodded. "You should be by her side when she wakes. We can have one of the staff cars drive you home for the rest of the day."

"I'll arrange for us to cover your class in shifts." The pale man leaned back, squeezing a small bottle over his eye. "We can manage."

"Thank you." He clasped his friend's arm roughly in gratitude.


_



Elly woke in a cold sweat.

Her stomach was twisted in knots and her head was pounding. Her eyes were sore and felt puffy. She panicked. It was dark and she didn't recognize where she was. No, it smelled familiar. Her home? She had been on the school grounds last, but if she was home, why was she alone?

The last thought triggered her memory. She was suddenly, crushingly depressed. She didn't want to live without Hizashi. Tears filled her eyes again and she fell onto her side, gasping quietly.

A toilet flushed nearby, and light from the hall illuminated the room she was in briefly.

"Ches!" The tall blond man rushed forward, wringing his hands in consternation. "Ah, shit... I left for one minute."

Hizashi?

He flung himself on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm here."

"I thought you were gone," she wailed into his chest.

"Never," he told her firmly. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, babe." He held her tight for awhile as her tears died down.

"Why did I think you l - left me?"

"You got hit by a fear quirk." He stroked her hair as they sat together in the close and comforting dark.

"I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't just, you know, leave like that. I really do."

"You don't need to apologize. This has been a real shitty day for you." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I know what you're scared of the most, and I get it. Guys haven't exactly treated you so good in the past."

She sniffed and nodded. "You're a better man, Hizashi."

"Aw... I don't know about that," he hedged. "I drink too much, I'm loud, and I get overly emotional sometimes.

"But I love you, and I try. That said, uh. Can I ask you something?" He looked at her nervously, catching his lower lip in his teeth.

"Yeah, Zashi." She leaned against him, smiling weakly.

"You're gonna want to face me for this, I think."

Elly pulled herself together, folding her legs in front of her. "Okay." She felt the bed moving as he got up. He walked over to the door and flicked the light switch. She sighed when she saw how haggard he looked. He had taken his neck speaker and jacket off when they got home and that was it - he hadn't wanted to leave her side long enough to fix his hair or dress down. His long plume of hair was still mostly upright, but there were strands falling down about his ears. "We must look a pair," she giggled softly.

"Funny you should mention that." He grinned crookedly at her and knelt before her on the bed. "So, ah, here goes. I don't have anything to give you yet, but I don't wanna wait."

"Give me what?"

"A ring." His cheeks blossomed with color. "I want to make sure you know I'm yours, forever. Please say you want that, too."

"Ring..." Her purple eyes were dazed. She knew what he meant, but was so shocked she couldn't get past the idea. That this was really happening; right here and now.

"Marry me."

"Aww, damn it, I didn't want to cry anymore! My eyes hurt!" She threw herself in his arms, sobbing again but this time in joy, not sorrow.

"Ah, Els?" His voice shook.

"Yes! No way I'm saying anything but yes!"

"Yeeeee!" He grabbed her and lifted her up, rolling back with her held in the air.

"Did you just yeet, you dork?!"

"You're the one that's engaged to a dork. What's that make you?" He squealed with glee and she started to laugh.