"Mic! Mic, <i>help</i>!" Elly's voice screamed out in the night, panicky and <i>loud</i> - Hizashi had been proud, as a Voice Hero, on some level as he leaped over fallen signs and crackling electric poles littering the street. Despite his speed, however, the villains were already gone by the time he got to her side.
They both would have chased after them, but his partner on patrol was not in any shape to perform further Hero work.
His eyes widened and his mouth went dry when he saw her, clinging to a street lamp and shivering in terror. She was so very frightened, her purple eyes giant and shining with unscheduled tears.
She was also approximately five years old.
Hizashi woke with a start, wincing at a pain in his neck from sleeping upright on the dormitory couch without a pillow. He glanced over at his side, where a trembly little bundle huddled tight against him.
"You're awake," Kayama murmured from the other couch. "I was just about to get you up. Ches - err, Elly, here, is having a little problem."
Hizashi curled a protective arm around the girl beside him. "You okay, princess?"
"N - no," she squeaked faintly. "I'm scared, Mr. Mic."
"Just Mic," he reminded her with a smile.
"M - Mic."
"Hmm. Well, you're gonna be, ah, with us for a little while longer." <i>Until the quirk wears off</i>. "Maybe we should go out. Have some fun!"
Her cat's ears slowly perked up. "Fun?"
Hizashi drove them all to the mall in his vintage sports car. Kayama was less than thrilled with sitting in the back, but she managed when she saw that Elly wouldn't be parted from Hizashi. She had latched onto the man like some sort of duckling, trusting only him and following him close everywhere he went.
Kayama supposed there was some sort of psychological reason behind her behavior that adult Elly would know, but she had her own ideas. The counselor and English teacher had been pining for each other for nearly a year. It was clear to everyone but them, of course, but she had a feeling that after this it might come spilling out.
"You're way too okay with this, Yamada," Kayama said in disgust. She watched as Elly hesitantly picked out a purple glitter dress and gasped at how it sparkled prettily in the light of the shop. His first idea was to take her shopping for a pretty dress fit for a princess. Kayama had invited herself along to keep up appearances, and she had helpfully pointed out one of the better children's shops to him. "Her being this young, I mean."
"No! Hey, it's not like that! It's just - okay, look, she wasn't treated well as a kid. I want to give her the absolute love she didn't get from her dad..."
"Ew!"
"That's not what I meant!" He snapped, his ears burning. He adjusted his red-rimmed glasses nervously. "You were 'daddy's little princess', right? Every girl should be. <i>Her</i> father figures tortured her instead."
Midnight showed a rush of sudden understanding, her eyes widening. "That's why you call her that."
"Yeah." He watched her looking at the price tag and sighed, knowing he'd have to convince her to get what she really wanted. "An' she's that age now. I can do that for her. We're going to get all dressed an' I'm'a take her out to the best cake cafe and everything."
"Wait, you're getting dressed too?"
"Yep." He pulled a suit out of the bag that nearly blinded her with its beauty. It was a regal purple and blue combo, the same as all the dresses Elly had been looking at. "I bought it across the way when you gals were in the dressing room."
"Crushed velvet and ...shit, this must've cost a fortune!"
"I'll buy much more than this," he murmured. "It's worth it. She's worth it."
Elly had been listening to this last as she approached them timidly. "I think this one is okay?"
Hizashi smiled gently down at her. "Is it the one you <i>really</i> want, princess?"
She fidgeted, frowning and confused. "It's pretty," she hedged in a small voice. "And it fit."
He knelt and kissed her forehead. "You deserve exactly the one you want. If this is it, I'll get it for you. But did you maybe see one you liked better..?"
She blushed and refused to answer.
"Hey," Midnight chimed in. "What about this?" She lifted the gorgeous dress she had noticed the cat girl eyeing quite a lot. She seemed frightened to look at it, and Kayama saw why. The one Elly held in her hand was from the clearance rack in the back. This one was far more expensive. "This was the one that looked the best on you, too."
"But -"
"D'ya like it?" Hizashi grinned at her.
"Y - yeah."
"Perfect!" He took the dress and laid it across his arm. "Now let's look at the toys!" His green-gold eyes sparkled with childish glee as he darted off. Elly watched him go, finding herself drawn to him as he wandered about the aisles. Kayama stood staring at the two with a pensive look on her face. She was clearly the third wheel and had been from the start, though she had helped her try on the outfits. She smiled quietly to herself and left the store.
<i>They've got an hour left</i>, she thought. <i>Let him make her as happy as he can.</i>
Elly's tail swished as she gently pulled a huge toy towards her for a hug. The goofy looking critter was soft and cuddly, and for a moment the worried tightness that rested perpetually on her little face eased.
"Who's the lucky guy?" Hizashi peered out from around a corner. "You sure know how to pick 'em, hey? Let's go put him and your dress here up on the counter..."
"It's okay," she said, gingerly replacing the toy.
"Wait, I thought you liked him?" Hizashi blinked down at the fluffy purple monstrosity.
"I do, but it's okay," Elly repeated. She was hesitant to touch or even look at the plush, though her eyes had lit up when she first spotted it sitting next to the display.
<i>She doesn't want to get attached,</i> was his first thought. His heart wrenched with pity and he tried to think of a way to broach the subject correctly.
He snapped his fingers, causing her to jump. "But if we don't ask him if he wants to go home with you, how will we know?"
"It doesn't matter," she told him in a small voice. "He's soft and cuddly and awesome. But he's big, and that means expensive. Plus, you're already spending way too much on me."
Hizashi choked on that. Instead of sobbing in the middle of the store, however, he held the toy up to his ear and pretended to listen for a minute. "Well... okay... uh huh. Oh, is that so?"
She squinted at him like he'd gone insane. "What are you doing?"
Hizashi held the plush out towards her. "He told me he wants to be with you," he said softly. He grinned and rolled his eyes comically. "<i>Personally</i>, I don't blame him. You're such a pretty princess that I want to hang out with you all the time, so I get it, yanno?"
Her hand reached out so slowly he feared she might reject the offering. But, though she was cringing in anticipation of a cruel jest, she placed her hands on the soft fur. Hizashi bit his tongue to hold back his tears when her eyes filled up, spilling down her flushed cheeks.
"Oh," she sniffled, gently hugging the huge stuffed animal in her tiny arms. "You mean it? I - I can really keep him? Even if it's not practical or, or..?"
He nodded, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. <i>I hope she remembers this when she turns back</i>, he thought as she smiled up at him through her tears. <i>Maybe she can hold onto these times as a buffer for the older, painful ones.</i>
They dressed in the mall restrooms and he took her out for cake at a nice cafe. Before long, however, they were hurrying back to the dorm since the hour was approaching where she would revert back to her age-appropriate self. The other teachers had left, giving them privacy for this moment that he was grateful for. Hizashi grabbed a blanket and covered her with it before the quirk wore off. He held her hand as she clutched the stuffed animal he'd bought her and waited.
When it happened he heard her gasp.
"O - oh. Oh, no. Oh my god..."
He jumped around and sure enough, there she was, stunned and naked under the blanket as the clothing had torn when her size exploded to normal.
She was crying.
Hizashi didn't think; he simply acted. He took her by the shoulders and stared into her shining purple eyes. "Ooookay, babe, sit back. Take a deep breath. No, not good enough!" He waggled a finger at her and demonstrated, breathing in slowly. "G'head. Humor me, 'kay?"
Elly nodded tearfully and took a breath.
"Good," he hummed pleasantly. "Another. You're back to normal, nothing to worry about."
"But - but I ... you, I can't-"
Hizashi carefully faced her so she could see his gorgeous, whirling eyes. "You've got <i>nothing</i> to worry about," he insisted. "I was given the awesome privilege of taking care of you during your change. I wanted to do that for a long time and nothing's gonna stop me from doing it now that I started." He paused. "Uh, unless you're creeped out or anything ..."
She tentatively reached out to him, steeling herself like she might if she were placing her hands into a fire.
In her eyes he saw the little one that had desperately wanted the stuffed animal but thought she wasn't worth it. He closed his eyes and spoke. "Remember," he said quietly. "I want to go home with you, too."
"Oh, Hizashi," she choked, suddenly sobbing. She threw her arms around him and he held her tight.
His heart beat fast at her use of his given name. "I promise to take such good care of you," he whispered. "Forever."
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