Worth the Trip

Elly's ears twitched.

The counselor wasn't one to take on much hero work anymore, but the regular on a nearby patrol had come down with a nasty virus and she offered. Perhaps because she hadn't worked the streets in a couple of months or perhaps just from bad luck, she had gotten herself in trouble.

She sighed as she shook herself free of the pile of fur and striped clothing she was laying in. Her costume was far too large for her now. Elly raised a paw and flexed it, staring at the pads that resembled her gloves laying beside her in the abandoned building.

The villain had a genetic quirk.

These were rare and not quite understood yet; but the results were simple enough. As far as she could tell her cat side had taken over for now. She had gone in fighting as a human female with cat ears, tail, fangs and underside of her nose. She was now a full cat, diminutive and furry.

Thankfully she retained her original striping - purple and lavender -- and the split to her white-tipped tail. Anyone that wasn't an idiot should be able to tell who she was, and she wasn't about to contact anyone stupid. She kicked out with her back feet, dislodging the last of her clothing, and started to head back home.

It took her much longer than she would have liked. The sun disappeared and the sky grew dark, streetlights turning on one after the other as she struggled on. She was determined to reach campus before morning. However firm her resolve, however, after several hours without anything to eat or drink she was desperately tired. Her paws hurt, her body was trembling with exhaustion, and there wasn't anywhere safe for her to relax. The fight she had been in had worn her out and walking on these tiny new legs was simply too much. She let out a loud mew of distress as they gave out and she collapsed to the pavement.

A soft thump! nearby caused her open her eyes. It could be danger.

Instead, she smelled a delicious meaty smell. The warm steam in a foam container of noodles in front of her rose into the chill night air. She sniffed warily, then spotted a pair of black boots close by.

"You should eat."

Elly craned her neck up past a black body suit and gray utility belt. She knew it would be Eraserhead before she saw his stubbled face. She also knew she shouldn't be surprised that he found her. She sighed and tried to say something but it only came out as a weak mew.

Aizawa bent, holding his hand out to her with an enigmatic expression on his scruffy face. "You can eat if you need to. But, if you are who I think you are, we should go to the hospital."

She stared out in the direction of the bright lights and nodded.

"All right. I'll carry you." He held out his arms and she hesitantly walked into his embrace, embarrassed for reasons she couldn't quite tell. Aizawa gently lifted her but before he could begin walking he dug a battered phone out of his pocket.

He held it up to his ear. "I found her. Yes. Yes ... she's in full cat form, like we suspected. I'm bringing her to the hospital that specializes in reverting quirks." He tapped his fingers on her back restlessly as he listened to the person on the other end. Elly miaowed questioningly.

"No. No, don't send anyone there yet. What? No!" A dark red blush blossomed across Aizawa's nose and cheeks. "Look, it's simply illogical for you to question her while she's incapable of speech." He tapped off on the call, then crammed the phone away and grimaced. "Let's go," he told her.

The hospital took her away from Aizawa's comforting warmth and set her on a cold cot with a thin blanket on it. They poked and prodded her, asking "yes" or "no" questions until they were convinced it was really her. All she wanted to know was if Aizawa was still near. Although she could smell him, the scent wasn't close and she figured he was waiting outside the door. He was the only thing she recognized in this sterile setting, and to be honest she wasn't that fond of hospitals, or doctors, for that matter.

The doctor who had been looking her over told her he had some veterinary training for this purpose. This relaxed her somewhat but what he said next set her fur on end.

"We've found it's easier for people to sleep through the change," he told her almost absently. "We'll give you something and when you wake, you'll be yourself again."

Elly blanched, cringing back on the bed and hissing. Her ears flattened back against her skull and her tail lashed wildly in the air.

Aizawa, who was indeed slumped over just outside, looked back over his shoulder and saw this. He had no idea how the staff could ignore her obvious terror but they pressed around her anyway, trying to hold her still for the injection they had prepared. He stopped in the doorway and winced, knowing he couldn't leave her like this. Instead Aizawa sighed and walked boldly back in.

Elly screamed loudly, a piercing cry that made the nurse flinch and drop his hold on her. She leaped towards the Erasure Hero, her paws extended as far as they could reach, claws flexing out as she snared the fabric of his body suit. Several people rushed the door at the commotion but didn't enter when they saw she was being held quietly.

"Looks like I'm staying," Aizawa announced abruptly. He pushed past the startled nurse and sat on the cot.

"Ah ... Eraserhead, we don't have you on the consent form for -"

He waved impatiently, cutting the doctor off. "This is my consent," he grunted, pointing down at Elly's claws tightly dug into his hip. They would likely not come away without the cloth tearing.

One of the nurses from out in the hallway spoke. "Doctor, her file says she has a phobia of medicine that may cloud her perception." He handed him the form on his tablet he had pulled up explaining her condition. "If it calms her when he's here, it might help."

The man sighed wearily. "Fine. Hold her up," he instructed the grizzled hero.

Aizawa gently lifted her. "They need to do this," he told her. "I'll stay until you wake. Okay?"

She sniffed and buried her face in his chest, her body shaking in terror. He swallowed hard, his throat closing up with sympathy. Everyone had things they were frightened of. A legitimate phobia, however, spoke of a serious trauma that had caused it.

He wondered if he could ask her about it later.

The doctor gave her the injection and he felt her tense immediately. Aizawa reacted without thinking, rubbing her ears and distracting her until he was done. That was all the doctor was needed for and he quietly excused himself to see other patients. The nurse stayed behind to check a few things on the tablet, then cleared his throat to get the scruffy hero's attention.

"She's going to be nude when she wakes," he pointed out. "When her claws relax enough, set her on the bed and cover her with the blanket."

"Yes." He tried hard not to blush, but the thought of holding her in his arms when she reverted, naked and clinging to him, was difficult to ignore.

The nurse sighed, nodded, and then left them, closing the door for privacy and to shut out the ambient sounds of the hero wing. Elly's eyelids began to droop as the drug kicked in, but instead of relaxing this drew her into a panic. She mewed frantically, weakly burying her head in his chest.

Don't leave me don't leave me!

"Shhh." Aizawa yelped as her claws punched through his ragged sleeve and scratched his arm. "Damn it, Ches, be still. I'm here." He did the only thing he could think of, tightening his grip so she was completely bundled in his smell and heat. She felt his heartbeat, pounding steadily against her side. "It's okay," he told her quietly.

She fell asleep thinking that although she was afraid of the drug, she had never felt so safe.

Everything was a blur.

The world seeped back into her consciousness as she opened her eyes. She saw the white ceiling and heard shuffling feet in the distance, outside in a hallway.

I'm in the hospital.

Her next thought was how cold and oddly lonely she felt. She missed the feeling of strong arms holding her secure, keeping her safe. When she rolled over, however, she was stunned to see a lumpy, black form seated beside her.

"You stayed." Her words were slurred, groggy-sounding from the drug.

Aizawa snapped awake instantly. "You're back."

"Yeah." Elly nervously crossed her legs, aware she was nude with only the thin hospital blanket covering her. When she tried to move, her vision greyed out momentarily and she caught herself on her elbow.

"Ugh... damn drugs. Don't let them do that again."

He snorted. "I'll let them do whatever it takes for you to heal properly."

"I could have waited this out."

"Oh? Eight hours later?" He regretted this in an instant as he watched her purple eyes widen.

"Eight...?! Wait, did you stay the whole time?" Elly frowned, sitting up while making sure she was covered.

Aizawa didn't answer right away. He rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand, looking off into the distance. She noticed that his back was slumped more than usual and there were several foam cups stacked up on the nightstand. From the brown rings around the inside she guessed they had held coffee.

He shrugged and turned back to her. "I promised, didn't I."

She thought hard. The fog in her mind was clearing, and she remembered asking him to stay with her. "Oh. You did. But eight hours! Weren't you busy?"

"Yes," he said calmly, adjusting himself in the small chair. She winced, thinking how uncomfortable it must have been to wait that long. "But my promise was more important than any previous engagements. I took care of things."

She wanted to ask if she was more important, but was afraid of the answer she might get. Aizawa was, after all, horribly blunt. Her mouth opened, then closed and she shook her head ruefully.

She forgot that he was also insightful, though this didn't normally come into play in social settings. Aizawa placed a hand on her bare shoulder, jolting her into shock. His palm was rough and calloused yet warm, and so gentle she almost couldn't feel it when he stroked lightly to her neck.

"You were more important," he said simply, moving further up to cup her cheek. She gasped and his gray eyes widened as if he realized what he was doing. He dropped his hand, jerking it back to his side, and stood hastily. "I'll get the nurse," he said in clipped tones.

Elly wondered what had gone wrong. One moment he seemed to be softening, the next he was striding stiffly for the door.

"Wait," she called out.

He stopped but answered without turning around. "Yes?"

"I'm - I'm sorry, whatever I did," she said, her voice hitching slightly as her throat closed up. "Please don't be angry."

Aizawa's fingers tightened on the door until the knuckles grew white. When he spoke again, he was almost inaudible. "I'm not angry at you."

Elly panicked as she sensed he was starting to shift forward to leave and she reacted before her brain could interfere with her heart. "Shota!"

As soon as his given name crossed her lips she clapped her hands to her mouth, aghast. She had committed what was a most terrible breach of manners in this country. The stern homeroom teacher would be appalled at her rash behavior. Horrified at her audacity, she curled up in a ball under the blanket, shaking with emotion.

Way to fuck up, she chided herself. If you wanted to alienate him the minute you realized you had a crush you couldn't have done better.

Elly would have preferred to stay hidden but he had other plans. His fist twisted in a section of cloth and yanked it back, exposing her, teary-eyed and shaking. He looked absolutely furious and she tried to scramble backwards, hands held in front of her to hide her shameful sobbing. But there was really nowhere to go; the cot was tiny and she would have fallen had he not grabbed her and pulled her up. The blanket pooled around her midsection and she crossed her arms over her breasts. She was still covered, albeit barely.

"I'm so sorry, I -"

"Shut up," he huffed.

Elly bit her lip. Her ears drooped and her tail lay listlessly over the edge of the bed. She didn't want him to think she was rude, though, and she forced herself to keep talking.

"Maybe it was the drug, I don't know. I didn't mean to get so informal. I apologize."

His bloodshot gray eyes watched her closely. "You realize no one calls me that." He paused, then, frowning, "Only one person besides my family did."

"I know it's bad manners. It's for family and - and you know, partners."

He snorted. "Lovers. Say what you mean."

Elly choked on her own spit. "Hwha..! Um, yes. I don't know what came over me."

Aizawa cocked an eyebrow at her. "Don't you?"

"Sure," she sniffed sarcastically. It had been a hell of a day and she was tired of playing games. If anyone could handle a situation like this without blowing it out of proportion, he could.

So let him.

"Sure, I'll just tell the guy I figured out I'm in love with and everything will be great. Except my drug-addled mind decides to blurt out his given name instead, because I'm scared he's leaving angry as hell at me, and I end up making it worse beca-"

He covered her mouth with his palm.

"I'm going to ask the desk if you can be let out if released into my custody." Her puzzled expression made his lips twitch in an almost-smile. "You'll have to have at least twenty-four hour supervision, I assume."

Her ears snapped upright and this time he did grin. It wasn't the creepy one that startled students and staff at school but a soft, genuine smile just mischievous enough to cause her heart to pound.

"That okay with you, Elly?" His accent was terrible, the l's sounding like r's, but heat flooded into her cheeks at what he was slyly insinuating.

She nodded rapidly, a huge grin on her face.

I've never been so happy to get stuck in a hospital, she thought in a daze.