Regression (Shota)

Aizawa swore loudly.

His day was rapidly descending into chaos.

It had started out so well, with school relatively normal and no serious problems or fights. He napped frequently and everything had gone smoothly. And, afterwards, he even got a rare chance to fight alongside the counselor on patrol.

That's when things started going downhill.

Their target had escaped by causing a confusion inside a store nearby. He reported their location to the police in a quick text but wanted to check on his partner. He had heard Elly cry out as she confronted the villain, and very little made the Insanity Hero scream. The bell over the door tinkled as he walked in, keeping his eyes peeled for danger though he'd seen the man leave.

"Ches?" He scanned the area with his quirk, thinking she might still be invisible, but found nothing.

Now he was really worried.

"Uh, I saw them both run in the back," the shaken employee hiding behind the counter told him.

Aizawa nodded his thanks and walked briskly towards the back of the store. It was a toy shop, and the back held a variety of wooden toys, puzzles, and games. Still, he couldn't find her anywhere. He activated his quirk again, sweeping low to the ground with a sick feeling in his stomach.

<i>That scream - what if she's really hurt?</i>

But then color exploded near one of the end aisles, and he froze at what he saw.

"Cheshire?!"

It looked like her, certainly - purple hair, ears, and the striped, double white-tipped tail. But she was standing in a puddle of her hero clothing, holding it up with wide, frightened eyes. It didn't fit her anymore because she appeared to be around five years old. Her ears folded backwards as she huddled in the corner with her head between her knees and her tail curled around her. She looked confused, scared, and embarrassed.

Aizawa remembered she was originally from America, and at this age she probably hadn't picked her Hero name yet. Americans used given names, so he knelt down on her level and tried to speak as softly as possible. "Elly? What's wrong?"

Her gasp of fear was very loud. The small cat child scrunched herself tighter into the wall of the shop, her purple eyes huge as she stared at the Erasure Hero. He saw her take a breath, her hands tightening into hard little fists.

"Nothing," she said in a shaky voice that was clearly anything but. "I'm fine."

"You're scared," he sighed. "It's okay. I can help, if you let me. Look - let's get you covered up first." He stood and motioned to the clerk. "She needs clothing. You carry stuff for kids, right?"

"Uh..." The man was staring, dumbfounded, at the little girl that had been thirtysomething a few minutes ago. "Yes! Some kigurumi. I'll grab one, just a sec."

"He's gonna get you something to wear." Aizawa jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the clerk. She nodded but didn't relax at all, her eyes never leaving him. "I'm ... you can call me Aizawa."

"Mr. Aizawa?"

"That'll do," he muttered under his breath, his ears burning. There were all sorts of things wrong about this.

The man rushed back and handed the scruffy hero several fuzzy pajamas. "I hope these're okay."

"They'll be fine." Aizawa's left eye twitched when he saw there were hero hoodies in the pile. He thrust them at her awkwardly. "You can dress yourself, right? Pick one. I promise I won't look."

Elly's eyes leaked tears but she shook her head. "I'll get in more trouble," she said weakly.

"Trouble? For what?" He sounded mildly surprised. "You've done nothing wrong."

"Doesn't matter," she sniffled. "I don't know how I got here an' I don't know where my parents are. They're gonna be mad... I mean, angry." She corrected herself so hastily he blinked, taken aback. Someone must have been in the habit of scolding her very harshly. For her to cringe so much at the incorrect use of a simple word was heartbreaking.

Aizawa rubbed roughly at his eyes with one large, calloused hand. "No, little one. Nothing that's happened is your fault."

"That doesn't matter, either," she said bitterly. "I don't want to bother anyone. And I should know better."

His hands balled into fists, furious at the people who had thought this was logical; that a young child learning about life <i>for the first time</i> should somehow "know better". That was for adults, not kids. She was <i>bothering</i> him? Who had told her not to seek help when she needed it?!

"It's my fault," she said again in a tiny voice.

"Well, it wasn't. And look, would I buy you something from here if you had been bad? Get dressed and you can pick out a, uh, toy. Anything. And I mean it -" He gestured around. "Even the most expensive thing here, if it's what you want."

Her ears pricked forward. "Really? Mom doesn't have a lot of money, so I have to be really, really good, and then I look at all the bargains."

"I'm not your mom," Aizawa shrugged. I have enough money. Plus, you've been a real hero and you're going to have to keep being brave."

Elly bit her lip, staring extra hard at him when he turned his back so she could get changed. Curiosity won out in the end, however, and she chose the only pajamas that were anthro adaptable with a flap in the back that meant her tail could be free. She flipped the hood back and wiggled around until she was comfortable.

"Okay."

Aizawa looked - and fought an urge to facepalm himself with a resounding smack. They were, of course, All Might themed. "Good," was all he said, though.

"I only picked this 'cause of my tail." She wrinkled her nose. "I would've liked the stripey ones -" She indicated her own brand, he noticed with amusement. "But they have a tail like mine and no hole for <i>my</i> tail." As she finished telling him, bright red and blue lights flickered outside, staining the walls near them. Elly immediately tensed up, instinctively hiding behind Aizawa's leg. "Are they here for me?" She asked in a voice near to tears.

He shook his head. "No. A villain ran from me, and I'm going to have to talk to them so they can find him."

"You're a Hero?" Her ears perked.

He smiled crookedly down at her, knowing from her tone what she was thinking. "Yes. So you know you're safe, right?"

"Ohhh. Yeah." Yet she still cringed when one large man wearing blues with a pug head walked up to them.

"All right, Eraser, what's all this about you losing track of this guy. Where's..?" He trailed off as he caught sight of Elly.

"Cheshire had a run-in with the guy." He flicked his gaze down to indicate it was indeed her.

"Holy shit," the policeman whispered, his bulging pug eyes popping out even more.

"Can you, ah... go talk with the shopkeeper first? I promised Elly here -" He stressed her name, "that she could pick something out for herself. I think she's going to need it."

"Yes. Yeah, sure."

"Wait, you really meant it?" She tugged on his tracksuit.

"I always keep my promises," he said firmly.

Elly timidly cast her eyes around the store and he ushered her about so she could look. When she chose a simple, yet sturdy mouse plush in bright, garish colors his smile grew. He could tell it was what she had wanted by the way her eyes kept straying toward it. Yet she dutifully and carefully checked all the other toys and games, especially the prices.

"That one?"

She nodded silently.

He would have paid for her clothing and toy, but the clerk shook his head. "You guys put yourselves at such a risk for us. I'm sure the owner won't mind."

And that was how Aizawa found himself in charge of another little girl that afternoon. His first thought was to get her safely into her apartment. Perhaps they could wait this out, or, at the least, until the police or another hero brought the villain in. He could easily cancel the man's quirk at that point. It was a good idea, but he was woefully unprepared as they stepped inside her home.

Elly didn't want to leave the safety of his legs, but she had to use the bathroom eventually. As she cleaned up he started to wonder if she might be hungry - it was long after lunch time -- and got up to check her fridge. He poked around, clueless as to what his poor cooking skills could manage with the more exotic foods she had.

Fresh meats? Green, leafy vegetables of a type he had no idea what they were..?

All he knew how to make was an omelet, and only if he had his pan... which was back at his place. He sighed dismally and turned to find her standing in the hallway entrance.

"I'm <i>scared</i>," she admitted so quietly he could barely hear. Her body language was stiff and she clutched the stuffed mouse tightly to her chest. He noticed she still held her chin up and refused to cry, though he could see tears beading up in the corners of her dark purple eyes.

To learn at such an early age not to show fear - he felt a terrible wrenching in his heart as he knelt in front of her. He wasn't too good with young kids. He certainly hadn't done so well comforting Eri, though he'd tried. Awkward and unsure, he had made many mistakes and spoke too logically in her presence.

But he knew one thing.

Aizawa held his arms out mutely, and she ran to him.

Being afraid for long periods of time tires a person, and she had lesser stamina now that she was young again. It was one of those strokes of fate that she slept until the police texted to alert him they'd secured the villain. It did help, of course, that he let her lay close beside him on the couch. He sighed with relief and brought up Hizashi's profile on his phone.

<b>Eraser</b>: <i>I need you to come over and watch Cheshire.</i>

<b>Mic</b>: <i>She still a kid?</i>

The campus faculty had been alerted to her change so he already knew. They had decided to stay away so as not to frighten her more unless absolutely necessary.

<b>Eraser</b>: <i>Hopefully not for long.</i> He slipped his phone back into one of his tracksuit's pockets and looked down into a pair of sleepy eyes.

"What's going on?"

Aizawa noticed grimly that through everything that happened, she never once <i>asked</i> for her parents. She said they would be angry, and that she needed to get back to them, but not that she wanted to. And yet, she seemed reluctant to leave his side. Even now she sensed he was going somewhere and she clutched at his tattered sleeve in desperation.

"I have to go out for awhile." A flurry of knocks at the door told him her new babysitter was here, and he raised his voice. "It's open, Zashi."

"You're leaving me?"

"Hey, hey there! I heard someone needed to have some fun!"

"Hizashi will watch you." Aizawa pointed at the loud man standing to one side of the doorway.

He flashed her a winning grin and gave her a thumbs-up. "Yep. I gotta lot of stuff planned, too."

"I want to go with you."

Hizashi squawked indignantly in the background. "Hey, what'm I, chopped liver over here?"

"If everything goes well, you won't be as scared." She followed him as he walked to the door.

She stared up at him dubiously. "I won't?"

He nodded as he was pulling his boots on. "I promise."

She held on tight to the stuffed mouse, looking first down at it and then him. "Well... okay, but you better come right back."

He smiled. "I will."

Aizawa left her to head to the police station as fast as he could. When he got there he was taken to a room where the villain sat angrily staring at the wall ahead of him. The cop that led him over glanced at him, a question in her eyes. Aizawa nodded, confirming this was the man. His eyes flashed red, his hair rising up as he used his quirk.

"Will that help Cheshire?" She sounded genuinely concerned; the cat woman had the good fortune to have made quite a few friends on the force. It might have helped that one cousin and her late grandfather had been in the same employ back in America.

"If it can be erased at the source, it's done. Otherwise, we'll have to wait for it to wear off." He took his phone out and saw he had a text from Yamada back on campus.

<b>Mic</b>: <i>It worked! She's her normal age again</i>

He smiled tiredly and was about to put it away when it buzzed in his hand. The next message was all in caps and he could almost hear the loud man screaming as he panicked.

<b>Mic</b>: <i>PLEASE COME BACK I DON'T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE A HYSTERICALLY CRYING CAT LADY</i>

A pause, then:

<b>Mic</b>: <i>She scratches!!!</i>

Aizawa chuckled under his breath as he left the police station.

Hizashi was waiting for him at the entrance to the teacher's apartment complex. He waved and fell in step with him as he walked up to her rooms.

"I left 'cause I was freakin' her out worse. But she's there. The whole complex came running when she started screaming - she only just stopped." They stopped at her apartment.

"I suppose it's disorienting," Aizawa ventured. "Imagine being young all over again, your brain as well as your body. She's probably embarrassed as well." He knocked and, after he announced himself, they heard faint scuffling sounds from behind the door.

"Be right there," she called out.

His friend snorted, unconvinced. "I dunno, she was <i>way</i> too upset. You better watch your back."

"She won't hurt me, Hizashi." The dark-haired man looked more tired than ever. "I'm one-hundred percent certain of that." He turned the knob when she unlocked it and walked in.

"That's not exactly what I meant," he murmured, raising his eyebrows before shrugging and heading back out. Aizawa would figure it out ...eventually.

The first thing Elly did was both thank him and apologize. As he was pulling his boots off once more, she bowed herself nearly in half to show how sorry she was.

"Aizawa, I know what a handful I was. I can't apologize enough."

He rubbed at his left eye, frowning at her as he straightened. "You were fine, Ches. It's not a problem."

She bit her lip as her gaze fell on the stuffed mouse sitting on her coffee table and sat before her trembling legs betrayed her. "You were so kind, I just..." She wrapped her arms around herself as she started to shake. "You <i>held</i> me. No one's done that in such a very, very long time."

Aizawa sat down beside her on the couch, glad that his long hair hid his blushing ears. "S'fine," he mumbled. "In fact, if you require more comfort -" He made a weak sort of gesture with one arm that was almost a shrug, barely an offering.

But she leapt at the chance.

Elly sobbed and threw herself into his arms. His bloodshot eyes widened at the feel of her pressed tightly against him. This was very different from when she had been transformed. Her body was back to its natural state, soft in all the right places and warm.

Her voice cracked as she held him tight. "You did more for me... Shota, oh, Shota. You cared for me more than my family ever did. I felt <i>loved</i>. I'm sorry, I know it was because I was a child. I reverted and for a second I thought, 'I've lost him' - I just..."

He took a deep breath. "That's why you reacted the way Hizashi said you did."

Elly sighed. "I'm afraid I treated him badly," she admitted. "All I could think of was that you wouldn't see me the same after caring for me as a child. I had a panic attack."

"I still..." He paused, swallowed hard. Thought for a solid minute while he stared at her furry ears twitching nervously about. "You're an incredibly intelligent, strong woman. It would be foolish for me to change my opinion of you after the last few hours. If anything," he added, coughing lightly with embarrassment but forging on anyway, "I've learned so much that I, ah, feel more."

Elly looked shyly up at him. "You can separate the child image from the adult, and you're okay knowing I have mental problems?"

"You're not less because of anything that makes you who you are."

"You <i>understand</i>!" She thrust her hands deeply into his dark hair and pressed her mouth to his in a sudden, passionate kiss.

Aizawa gasped in shock. Her body was warm and pliant against him, her lips soft. He shuddered pleasantly, his weary eyes slipping shut, and wrapped his arms around her waist, caressing her curves with trembling hands.

Things progressed even more rapidly when he kissed her back. Once she was certain, she moved so quickly his head began spinning. Elly was all over him in a way he had thought only happened in fantasies. His tracksuit was unfastened and tugged off, her tongue tracing his skin and scars along the way down his body until she reached his underwear. Her hands pet his expanse of body hair, following the dark curls and sparser trail that led to his underwear. She peeled the boxer briefs off and exclaimed softly at his erection when it sprang free towards her.

Aizawa's breathing rasped in and out between parted, swollen lips. He struggled to maintain his sanity while her soft, slick tongue swirled over the exposed head of his member. He hadn't realized how long it had been or how desperate he was for a release he hadn't coaxed out of his body himself.

He hoped he could give back as good as he was getting.

And then all thought flew out of his mind except wild, irrational pleasure as she squeezed gently at the base and kissed a slow, tight line from her curled hand to the tip.

Honestly, it was the kisses that did him in.

Aizawa Shota was, at heart, a kind man with just as much of a need to feel loved and wanted as any human. He masked that side of himself in public to save his tough guy image, but those that knew him understood he was, as old Chiyo often mentioned, a "softie". It was a common misconception that he was as stoic in nature as he appeared on the outside, and due to this, his previous partners had never assumed he liked affectionate displays. Having never been the object of someone's absolute adoration, he didn't receive many kisses. The wholesome love behind the sensation overwhelmed him.

"Ches," he gasped, his fingers spasming in her short hair as he tried his best to warn her without pulling, "Ches, I'm <i>so close</i>..."

She hummed softly and slipped his twitching penis out from between her lips. "Do you want to finish like this, then?"

Aizawa struggled for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I want to make love to you." He paused, then asked hesitantly, "Would you like that? I'm not that, ah, experienced, but -"

Elly gazed up at him, her heart in her eyes. "I would like that very much," she whispered.

"I also want a serious relationship."

"Are you confessing to me, then?" Her ears swiveled forward to face him.

Aizawa's own ears were red, as well as a cute dusting of pink across his cheeks. "I thought I just... yes. I like you. Love you."

"Oh, <i>Shota</i>." She choked slightly, pressing her face against one of his thighs to hide.

"Here, don't hide," he murmured awkwardly. "Up."

He carried her into her bedroom and without turning on the lights set her down on the bed. Elly settled back, resting her head on the pillows and holding her arms out mutely for him to join her. She saw him pause, his eyes widen in the dark, before he crawled over carefully on top of her.

"I - is this okay?"

"Yes. Very okay."

"I never thought you could be mine." He sounded awed, perhaps a bit baffled as well. "I - well, I don't own you. I know. But that you would give yourself like this..." His voice cracked as he sank into her arms.

"Same here," she sighed. "I thought I'd just love you until, I don't know... I fell out of it? I can't really imagine not loving you. That was the part that always threw me at night." Elly sniffled sadly, her eyes darting to the side.

"You -" He caught his breath. "Oh, little one. Did you <i>cry</i> over me?"

Her body shook and he wrapped his arms so tightly around her that she gasped. When she steeled herself enough to look his expression was stricken. "Sh - Shota?"

"You pined ...for <i>me</i>." His voice was gravely and rough. It was only when she felt his chest hitching that she knew why; he was crying. Hot, wet drops fell on her neck and she stared at them in amazement.

"Hey, hey, you're gonna make me start." She ducked under his canopy of dark hair and pressed her lips to his cheek - light, fluttery kisses brushing the tears from his flushed skin.

Aizawa returned them with a fervor that took her breath away. He took the lead now, plunging ahead, his hands grasping her curves while he kissed her senseless. "Take this off," he gasped, "take it all off. Take it off me... I can't wait. I've waited too damn long to love you properly."

"Oh god, yes. Your hands are so strong."

He squirmed at the praise, tossing clothing aside with abandon as they hurriedly removed everything between them. "Yours are as well. But they're soft, too." He lifted her hand and placed a kiss on the wrist that seemed to burn there. "So soft. And smaller."

"I want you so, so much."

"Me too," he murmured. "I'm so excited right now," he admitted with a rueful grin. "I may not, ah, last long."

"Then," she sighed, tugging his hand to set it between her legs. "Get me <i>close</i>, Sho."

"I can do that," he said confidently. "I want to do that. Make you <i>mine</i> - heart, soul and body." The breath whistled out of her and he grinned devilishly down. "What's with that surprised look? I've already got two out of three ..." Aizawa leaned close, parting her lips with his tongue so he could breathe into her mouth. "...don't I, <i>kitten</i>?"

"Oh, <i>Shota</i>, yes."

He stroked carefully, finding the places she liked the best and repeating everything that got him the best moans and sighs. It wasn't long before she was twitching, bucking into his touch and wanting more.

"You're so wet, sweetheart. Are you close now? Do you want me now?"

"Yes! Yes, please!"

He whipped his hand back, set himself and thrust all in one motion. Her sensitive folds were a jumble of plump nerves, excited and nearly there from all the teasing. When he entered her she cried out in sweet release, shaking and clinging to him.

"Sh - Shota!"

"Hang on," he panted. "I'm going to make you squirm on my cock."

She squeaked, writhing as he started to move. The extra lubricant from her orgasm helped speed things up and he was soon groaning, holding her hips and plunging inside her again and again.

"Wait, Sho baby, it's too much!" The overstimulation had her jerking and biting her lip. "Oh god!"

"Want me to stop?" His breath was hot on her neck as he growled lowly. He rubbed his stubbled cheek on hers and this catlike gesture inflamed her.

"Nnnn!" She took a deep breath and tried again. "No! Want you to come inside me!"

He howled like an animal, his hair afloat. "Yes! Who's <i>my</i> kitty?"

Her answering miaow threw him into a mind-numbing orgasm. He pressed himself to her tightly, head thrown back and throat working convulsively. After a few seconds he hiccupped and swore under his breath. "That's... that's a lot. Shit, that's so much. It's spilling out of you."

She winced, nodding, but with a smile. "I - I think I'm going to need a shower."

"Hnf. Me too." He grimaced at the feeling of the sheen of sweat slicked all over his body. "Then I can help you change the sheets before we nap." More fluid, mostly his, leaked out when he pulled back and he tried to minimize the mess by tugging at the sheets to form a dam.

Elly caressed his cheek fondly. "You say that like it's a given, the nap."

He raised an eyebrow. "We both require rest after such a day, let alone that strenuous activity."

"You're adorable."

He sighed, a tiny smile touching his lips. "I'll allow that, because it's just us. And, because it's leverage for that nap. I promise to give you lots of cuddles." Aizawa laughed when her ears perked eagerly. "See? I know you well enough already. The perfect boyfriend."

"And <i>I</i> won't argue that."