Things went back to normal after a while between the three of them, mainly due to Aizawa's firm stoicism. Everyday life was normal, or as much as it could be training the newest batch of heroes. Hizashi and Elly settled into a kind of blissful domesticity, having breakfast in the morning and snuggling in bed before they slept.
One evening, however, he woke in the middle of the night to find the spot beside him cold and empty. The bedding was not only cool, it wasn't dented in the way the memory foam mattress would react if his girl just got up to pee. It had inflated all the way back up.
Hizashi jerked upright, reaching out to fumble on the nightstand for his glasses. Once he had them on he quickly scanned the room and doorway. There was no light coming in from anywhere and the apartment seemed silent except for the ticking of the Alice in Wonderland themed wall clock in the bedroom. Now he was <i>really</i> worried, and he cleared his throat nervously.
"Babe? You here?"
Silence ... or maybe, just maybe, a soft noise in the corner near the closet. He could just make out a heavy sort of breathing and he snapped on the light, tensing in readiness for anything.
Purple eyes flashed up at him, wide and blank and absolutely filled with tears. Elly sat curled up, pressed into the wall as tightly as possible with her knees drawn up into her chest and her arms and tail wrapped around them. She flinched at the light and moaned softly, hiding her face.
Hizashi leaped up and almost fell when his legs tangled in the bedsheets. He grabbed the bed for stability and pushed himself back up, stumbling forward to fall on his knees in front of her in concern. His long blond hair fell over his shoulders but he ignored it as he took hold of hers, gently squeezing.
"Baby? Princess? What's wrong?"
She could only shake her head, still hiding, her body trembling all over.
"Okay," he said in a soothing tone. "All right. Whatever it is, I'm here." He stroked her hair and furry ears. "Zashi's here. I'll protect you."
She squeaked faintly and clutched him tight, burying her head in his bare chest and wetting it with her tears.
"Ah, shit, now'm sad, too." Nevertheless, he directed all his energy at the sobbing woman in his arms. A soft, special hum was what finally caused her to relax, her wracking sobs tapering off to a gentle weeping. "There," he murmured. "That's better, though remember it's okay to let it all out. You're okay."
"Z - Zashi," she sniffled tearfully. "I gotta teh - teh - ext..."
He held her close. <i>In the middle of the night? Shit, that's never good...</i>
"M - my best, my friend is <i>really hurt</i>," she wailed. "Villain fight. He might not make it."
Hizashi's heart fell. Not only did he know, firsthand, what losing a friend this way was like, he understood she had a hard time as a child and very few people she could rely on. "Shit," he said quietly. "Hatter?"
She nodded. "Uh huh!"
"I'm sorry, baby." He sighed morosely, his expressive brows drawing up in sympathy. "Is he that bad? You gonna try an' see him?"
"I have to!" She started crying really hard then, the kind where it's not pretty. He absently wished he had grabbed the box of tissues before coming over.
"Oh, baby," he hummed softly in her ear. "Oh, baby, he's not gone yet, though. It's... maybe he'll pull through."
"He was so huh - happy I found you! He kept saying he was going to show up the day of our wedding - he said he knew you were the one for me -- and give you a huge hug."
"Heh." He smiled.
"And I'd tell him his boyfriend would kill him if he did 'cause he was jealous, and he'd just laugh. Poor Wesley, he's probably out of his mind right now."
He kissed her cheek, cuddling his face against hers. "Then you gotta go. You can take off a few days, Nezu'll let you."
"He's in America," she whined. "It's so far, and, and ughhh. My <i>eyes</i> hurt."
"Oh no," he said sadly. "Look, we're both up now. Let's go into the living room an' I'll make some tea. You want a cool washcloth for your face?"
She sighed as he supported her when she trembled as she stood. "Yes. Thank you, honey."
"Not a problem. You let it out, 'cause yer gonna hafta be strong to make it out there and help your friends."
No comments:
Post a Comment