Sometimes it happened.
All heroes knew it.
There had been such an incident with Hizashi and Aizawa's friend when they were younger. And, unfortunately, it happened again in their later years.
Elly sat in her living room, her eyes wide and so pale they were almost all white. In her hands she held Present Mic's leather jacket, ripped down one side and burned on the other. Her ears lay so far back they were hidden in her short hair, and she was shaking.
Aizawa pulled out his phone and mirrored it on the television, bringing up a specific video that had been recorded years ago.
Hizashi popped onto the screen. He sat in a chair in what looked to be the faculty lounge, but that wasn't what she was focusing on. Her mind numb, she watched, knowing that he was gone. He was dressed casually in his favorite outfit, his blond hair pulled up into a messy bun.
"Ches," he began softly. "My sweet baby princess." His voice faltered, but then he sighed deeply and smiled. "I recorded this video - hopefully by now it's a long time ago -- just in case. I know this is gonna be hard for you. Please, please listen to me - I don't want you to hurt yourself."
"Don't wanna be here," she whispered brokenly. "Wanna be with you, Zashi."
"I know you want to be with me," Hizashi's image said at nearly the same time. Aizawa flinched; never had he seen two people's souls so tightly entwined that they could speak with each other beyond the grave. It hurt him to see her so completely broken, clinging to his friend's torn jacket as she watched this video.
"But you can't, baby. It's not your time. I want you safe." He paused, then reached up and pushed his red glasses up, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "To that end, Aizawa Shota is going to move in with you. We already discussed this and he's agreed to do it. Everything is taken care of. He doesn't need much space and he sleeps in that stupid yellow bag of his..." He grinned, thinking at the time that the scruffy man would be by her side and hear all of this. "Listen to him. He's gonna be your lifeline to keep you going."
Aizawa nodded. There was no way he would break his promise to his best friend. And neither would he fail the woman he had fallen in love with.
He had thought it was secret, that no one knew. But a few years ago - before Hizashi asked her to move in with him -- he had asked him if he would do him a favor.
Aizawa looked up, alerted by the other man's low tone. His friend's voice got deep when he was serious, so he knew something was up. "What is it?"
"Look, Shota, I - I might be wrong about this. But we've been friends a long time, and I bet my hunch is on the mark. You like Ches, don't you?"
"What." He stared at him with eyes suddenly more bloodshot than usual. "Hizashi, that's your girlfr -"
"I know, an' I know you're not gonna try nothin'. I just need to know how you feel about her. Honestly. It's very important."
Aizawa sighed deeply, placing a weary hand over his eyes. He stayed like that for a few minutes, but Hizashi waited patiently. After a time he slowly dragged his hand down his face and looked his best friend directly in the eyes.
"I'm in love with her, yes."
"Good," he blurted out.
"Excuse me?"
"Good," he repeated. "Sho, I need to ask a favor. If anything happens to me..."
Aizawa's eyes widened, realizing what he was about to ask. "Hizashi."
"Promise me you'll stay by her side," he pressed on, unperturbed. "I need to know that someone who loves her is there. She's - she's got no one else. She might hurt herself." He flapped a hand at him when he opened his mouth to retort. "Shush up, an' listen. Ches needs a lot of love. You've got that. Even if you don't like her that way anymore, I trust you to make sure she's safe an' she comes back from ...well, that. If I'm gone."
He agreed.
He couldn't lose another friend, especially one he cared for this deeply.
Aizawa shook those old memories away to return to the sad present. The Voice Hero was addressing his girlfriend one final time on the recording.
"The universe ain't gonna let us be apart forever, honey. I promise." Hizashi held a hand up, and Elly placed her palm on his when he did it. Aizawa ducked down into his capture weapon and bit his tongue, hard, to stay his tears. Her eyes... he looked away when she moved to kiss the screen.
"'Cause I love you more than anything in this world ...or the next."
"I love you too," she choked. "Only you." The playback stopped and she wobbled unsteadily on her knees before crumpling to the floor. The jacket slid out of her arms as she reached up to yank at her hair.
"No." Aizawa grabbed her quickly, pulling her arms down and holding her in a tight embrace. "Don't hurt yourself."
"Please let me go!" She struggled but he set his jaw and tightened his arms, locking her in a gentle but firm grip. "Please Aizawa - I cuh - can't, I can't live without him!"
"No." He stayed as emotionless as possible, his voice flatly logical. "As difficult as it is, he wanted you to stay."
"I - I can't! No! My baby, nooo!"
He took a breath and stayed very still.
"He was the only good thing I had, 'Zawa," she shrieked so loudly that he winced. That had to have hurt her throat because her next sentence came out hoarse and strained. "He was my everything. I need my Hizashi!" She dissolved into a weeping, shaky mess, clutching at his tracksuit in desperation. She flickered in and out of sight but didn't have enough control over her quirk to completely activate it. It fluctuated randomly as she wept.
"And I need you to stay," he murmured, knowing she wouldn't hear in her state. He picked her up and carried her to bed, sitting down with her as she cried. There were no words anymore; she simply screamed until she quite literally passed out.
Aizawa glanced at the clock.
11:00 P.M.
It was going to be a very long night. He closed his tired eyes and prayed with all his might that she would heal some day.
He could wait.
Promises aside, he would not let her hurt forever.
-
The lava lamp on the nightstand cast a golden glow over Elly's form as she writhed in sorrow on her bed.
"No, no ...<i>my baby</i>!"
"Ches?!" Hizashi was torn out of sleep by his girlfriend's soft wailing beside him. He squeezed her side where his arm lay draped over her gently. "Ches. Yer havin' a bad dream."
She was crying in her sleep, her hands balled into fists and her body shaking. He brushed her forehead briefly and shivered at the touch of clammy skin.
Elly whined loudly and then moaned, a lost sound that tore at his heart.
He rolled over, planting his hand firmly on the bed so he could lean over her. "Hey, princess," he crooned, kissing her tear-stained cheek as his hand cupped the other side of her face. "Hey. Yer safe at home."
Her eyelids twitched, then cracked slowly open. She stared at him blankly for a moment and he frowned with concern when he saw her eyes had paled drastically. They were barely lavender, a striking contrast to her normal deep, dark purple.
"H - Hizashi?"
"Yeah baby," he murmured. "You were havin' a nightm -"
Tears gushed everywhere as she threw her arms around his bare shoulders. "Oh god, you're okay. <i>You're okay</i>!"
"Whoa!" His greenish-gold eyes popped wide open. "Yeah, I'm fine! Everything's okay!"
Elly curled her tail around him as she grabbed a double fistful of his long, blond hair. He winced but she didn't tug, just held it and started sobbing harder.
"Hey. It's okay." Hizashi rolled backwards, scooping her into his lap. She let go of his hair when he started rocking her tenderly in his arms, humming with his lips pressed onto her neck. The vibrations from his quirk always soothed her, so he kept it up between words as he spoke. "I'm here, it's okay, Zashi will make it better. Just relax, sweetheart."
It took a full ten minutes or more before she was calm enough to speak. "I dreamed I lost you," she whined. "Zashi, I can't ever. I don't wanna think about it!"
Hizashi sighed sadly. "Oh, Ches," he whispered. "I wanna tell you that'll never happen, but ya know I can't."
"I <i>know</i>!" She sniffled and rushed on, eager to get it the dream of her head so it might go away. "And you had Shota watching me and he wouldn't let me - he ..."
"Oh," he said in a small voice.
"What?"
"I, uh, actually..." Hizashi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, looking aside. "I kinda <i>did</i> ask Sho to look after you if anything happens to me."
"What the hell?!"
"'Course I did," he retorted hotly. "He's our friend an' he would do whatever it takes to kerp ya safe. I don't want you hurting yourself, ever."
She squirmed uncomfortably. "I guess I understand that. I don't know wh - what I'd do if I lost you." The mere thought was enough to make her start to shake all over again.
"Hey, heyyy now. M'still here. An' even if that happens, ya know I'll love you forever. Nothing can <i>ever</i> change that."
She buried her face in his neck and listened to him sing softly to her. Her eyes grew heavy, and he lay down again with her, pulling the blankets up over them both.
Hizashi watched her for a long while after he was certain her breathing had slowed and she was really asleep. He rubbed his lightly stubbled face in thought.
"I may hafta step up my plans here, babe," he murmured. "I hope you don't think I'm rushing shit, but I think you'd be happier if we got married sooner than later."
"No, no ...<i>my baby</i>!"
"Ches?!" Hizashi was torn out of sleep by his girlfriend's soft wailing beside him. He squeezed her side where his arm lay draped over her gently. "Ches. Yer havin' a bad dream."
She was crying in her sleep, her hands balled into fists and her body shaking. He brushed her forehead briefly and shivered at the touch of clammy skin.
Elly whined loudly and then moaned, a lost sound that tore at his heart.
He rolled over, planting his hand firmly on the bed so he could lean over her. "Hey, princess," he crooned, kissing her tear-stained cheek as his hand cupped the other side of her face. "Hey. Yer safe at home."
Her eyelids twitched, then cracked slowly open. She stared at him blankly for a moment and he frowned with concern when he saw her eyes had paled drastically. They were barely lavender, a striking contrast to her normal deep, dark purple.
"H - Hizashi?"
"Yeah baby," he murmured. "You were havin' a nightm -"
Tears gushed everywhere as she threw her arms around his bare shoulders. "Oh god, you're okay. <i>You're okay</i>!"
"Whoa!" His greenish-gold eyes popped wide open. "Yeah, I'm fine! Everything's okay!"
Elly curled her tail around him as she grabbed a double fistful of his long, blond hair. He winced but she didn't tug, just held it and started sobbing harder.
"Hey. It's okay." Hizashi rolled backwards, scooping her into his lap. She let go of his hair when he started rocking her tenderly in his arms, humming with his lips pressed onto her neck. The vibrations from his quirk always soothed her, so he kept it up between words as he spoke. "I'm here, it's okay, Zashi will make it better. Just relax, sweetheart."
It took a full ten minutes or more before she was calm enough to speak. "I dreamed I lost you," she whined. "Zashi, I can't ever. I don't wanna think about it!"
Hizashi sighed sadly. "Oh, Ches," he whispered. "I wanna tell you that'll never happen, but ya know I can't."
"I <i>know</i>!" She sniffled and rushed on, eager to get it the dream of her head so it might go away. "And you had Shota watching me and he wouldn't let me - he ..."
"Oh," he said in a small voice.
"What?"
"I, uh, actually..." Hizashi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, looking aside. "I kinda <i>did</i> ask Sho to look after you if anything happens to me."
"What the hell?!"
"'Course I did," he retorted hotly. "He's our friend an' he would do whatever it takes to kerp ya safe. I don't want you hurting yourself, ever."
She squirmed uncomfortably. "I guess I understand that. I don't know wh - what I'd do if I lost you." The mere thought was enough to make her start to shake all over again.
"Hey, heyyy now. M'still here. An' even if that happens, ya know I'll love you forever. Nothing can <i>ever</i> change that."
She buried her face in his neck and listened to him sing softly to her. Her eyes grew heavy, and he lay down again with her, pulling the blankets up over them both.
Hizashi watched her for a long while after he was certain her breathing had slowed and she was really asleep. He rubbed his lightly stubbled face in thought.
"I may hafta step up my plans here, babe," he murmured. "I hope you don't think I'm rushing shit, but I think you'd be happier if we got married sooner than later."
No comments:
Post a Comment