Nightmare

Elly bounded around a corner, checking behind her as she ran. Aizawa was nowhere to be seen, which was not unusual as he took to the sky more often than not, swinging from light fixtures and running across cables. They were chasing down a villian that had been terrorizing civilians with their own fears, a nasty business.

She skidded to a stop as she saw him suddenly appear in front of her. "Hey, Eraser. We didn't lose her, did we?"

Aizawa's lip curled in a sneer. "We did. You're useless."

She gave him an odd look. "Yeah, uh, no - I just caught her scent a minute ago..."

He snapped his goggles off angrily and kicked dust from the street at her. "You should have caught her easily."

"What's gotten into you?" She approached cautiously, but nothing could have prepared her for the stinging slap that struck her across the mouth. She fell backwards, stunned but catching herself by throwing an arm to the side on a nearby fence. "Shota!" Elly used his given name in shock.

"Don't call me that. You don't deserve to." He stepped menacingly forward, his hair rising and his eyes aglow.

Elly shook herself and leaped to her feet, her eyes narrowed with one hand on her bleeding lip. She spat, then bared her fangs at him in a chilling grin. "You're not Eraserhead."

The taciturn man's face swirled oddly, and then there was a tapir's face where his had been with long eyelashes. The nose wrinkled as it tested the air.

"How did you break through so quickly?" The anthro had a high-pitched, feminine voice.

"Please," Elly hissed. "You want to make someone go crazy, pick someone that's not already there." She swiped at her, but the villain leaped easily back.

"Ha! You won't be catching me that fast. Or at all. I'll be back." She spun about, but exclaimed sharply as she suddenly was caught up in a tight, unbreakable wrapping.

"Thanks, Eraserhead." Elly nodded tiredly to him and leaned on a nearby lamp post.

"You kept her in place." He shrugged.

The rest of their dual patrol ended without another incident.

The Insanity Hero avoided him the next day, however. In fact, she was so reclusive the entire staff noticed. Present Mic asked his friend if anything had happened during their patrol, and Aizawa shrugged and told him the story.

"Oh. Ohhhh, shit."

"What?"

"Look, Baku Akumu's vision was all about you hating and hurting her. What's the opposite of that?"

Aizawa shook his head curtly. "No. That's not possible. I'm certain I was an incidental part of the whole; it could have been anyone."

"Nuh uh, Eraser. Look, let's walk along the outside of the school to her window. Then you'll see."

Elly took a deep, cleansing breath to try and stop the shaking coursing through her body. She was determined that her colleagues would not see how much the nightmare villain's apparition had upset her, especially the dark-haired homeroom teacher.

Mic pointed through the window. "See? She needs help."

"Why insist on me at all? I'm not good at comforting anyone."

"Because," the Voice Hero murmured, pointing. Inside the office she was tracing a photo on screen that he remembered being taken a few months ago at the cherry blossom festival. It was a photograph of all of the teachers, but he had been standing beside her. Her fingers brushed his form and then she dropped her head on her desk in a defeated manner.

Aizawa had to admit that was a compelling argument. He sighed and dragged himself back inside, shuffling down the hall until he reached her office.

"Cheshire." He popped the door open and thrust his head inside.

Elly had given up moping and started work on some files a few minutes ago. She blinked up at him as he entered the room. "Is there something you need?"

"Are you upset about last night?"

Her face colored abruptly. "About what?"

He gave her a very serious, no-nonsense stare, one he normally reserved for his students.

"Okay, geez."

"I would never strike a colleague without good reason."

"I know, Eraser, I'm not stupid. I'm just upset!" Her ears folded back in distress.

"But why?" He looked genuinely baffled for once. The strange expression was so out of place on him that she stopped walking around in agitation and sat on the edge of her desk instead.

"You've forced my hand. I may as well tell you that I'm ... interested in you." She held up a hand quickly, rushing on, "I know you don't feel the same about me. But I'll live."

He stood there, slightly slumped over and just blinking at her with his bleary grey eyes.

Elly rubbed at her forehead, groaning. "This was as embarrassing as I thought it would be. That's it, though. My apologies; you know I won't bother you about it. I didn't before." She sighed deeply and shook herself, flicking her ears upright again through sheer determination. Focusing on her work should help, so she started reading the case files again on her laptop. After a few seconds she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, however, and glanced hesitantly up.

He was still there.

Elly frowned nervously and stood, closing her computer and walking forward with one hand outstretched. "Eraserhead? Aizawa?"

He shook his head. "Do I appear that uncaring to you?"

"Uh... what? You're notoriously soft-hearted when it comes to kids, even if you don't show it in ways they've come to expect. To adults, though? You have to admit you're brutal. And you hate anything to do with socializing."

"I'm not without emotions."

Confused, she touched his arm lightly, near the ragged end of his sleeve. She would have placed a hand directly on his but was afraid it would seem too forward. "No. I know that, too. You're honorable, and you have a dry sense of humor that people seldom understand. You worry about your kids and you've been so kind to Eri..." She broke down a little, taking her hand back so she could hide her face with both of them.

"I didn't mean to upset you. You should have been up front with me, Ches."

"Really? How would you have reacted had I told you how I felt?" Her chest was hitching in shallow, rapid breaths as she tried to control her tears. Her eyes were overflowing, however, and it was no use. They spilled down her flushed cheeks to add to her utter and complete humiliation.

He moved for the first time, his hands raising slowly to cup her face. He appeared dumbfounded at her reaction.

"You're not kidding, are you."

"I'm an idiot," she groaned.

"All I see is a lost little kitten."

"Wh - what?!"

"Can I take you home?"

Her mind spinning, she managed to answer, though her lips were numb. "Only if you promise not to throw me back out afterwards."

"Oh, no," he murmured, leaning in closer towards her. "Adoptions are for forever homes. Isn't that right?"