Infectious

ch. 50

Chapter Fifty;;- Set Me Straight

Pursing her lips, [name] flipped through the small calendar she kept on her desk. She had the date of Elmer's wedding scribbled down in messy English, purposely written in bright red ink so that she would be forced to acknowledge it.

Curse her past self. She really didn't want to acknowledge it.

She only had about a week before she would need to give Nedzu a notice of her absence, but she had really yet to book a flight or hotel or decide how long to stay. While [name] had never been particularly good about doing things when she needed to, she knew her reluctance to do it this time was a little ridiculous.

But she was so nervous.

It had been four years since she had been back to her hometown. She never said goodbye to anyone, she never kept in touch with anyone, and logically, she knew her family was still pissed at her. [name] had the possibility of running into people she knew in the past and she would have to explain herself, then the actual wedding itself, she would be forced to see and maybe even talk to her parents and older brother again.

Growing up, [name]'s feelings for her parents and Aaron were mostly anger, hate, and resentment. Understandable, given the circumstances. But after the incident at Elmer's graduation, their words affected [name] so deeply that another emotion could be added to the list: fear. [name] one hundred percent feared her parents.

Her entire life had been dominated by them. Every waking moment as a child was to impress them, to make them love her like they did Aaron. As she got slightly older, it was to make them notice her, just acknowledge her existence every once in a while. As a teenager, when she knew they would never look at her with the same loving eyes that they looked at Aaron with, she wanted to get under their skin and get back at them.

Hell, her entire career path ended up being a big 'fuck you' to them.

But their words still hurt. Sure, [name] spent her whole adolescence knowing that they weren't proud of her, but hearing them announce their disappointment so directly felt like being stabbed right where it hurt.

And now she was putting herself back in the position to take see them again. What would she say to them when she saw them? What could she say. That she was happier, maybe, but they never did care about her happiness. That she was successful, but they would write her success off on the same note that they dismissed the profession all together. And really, she wasn't sure she was brave enough to say anything to them anyway.

[name] sighed, struggling to draw herself out of her thoughts. Thoughts like this were self-destructive and would lead nowhere good. She placed the calendar back on her desk gently, picking her pen back up to continue back with her work. There was plenty to be done, moral dilemma or not.

The dull click of a mug being set down on her desk made [name] look back up, surprised to see Aizawa sitting back down at his own desk. He was holding a mug of coffee, and on her desk he had put [name]'s now full mug down.

She smiled gratefully, glad for the distraction and the gesture. "Thanks, Aizawa." [name] dropped her pen (even though she had only just picked it up) and replaced it with the handle of the cup.

He only nodded his response to the gratitude. "When are you going out of town for your brother's wedding?" He asked. "So that I can plan around it."

The beginning of [name]'s better mood was immediately dampened. She tried to hide her falling expression by taking a sip of the coffee. "I... don't know yet," She confessed, averting her eyes. Being honest about her emotions was never something she was particularly good at. But it would probably be better to be honest in this situation, right? "I'm feeling kinda nervous about it."

Aizawa nodded again. "Because your family will be there?"

"Yeah." Although she was reluctant to relive the moment, [name] couldn't help but remember the night they found out. "I mean, the last time I saw them they were pissed." Her eyebrows furrowed, eyes growing distant and chest tightening at the memory. "I don't think I'll ever forget what they said. I'm scared that it'll be the same thing all over again."

He leaned sideways onto his desk, setting his cheek on his knuckles. "It probably won't be the same as the last time they saw you. Tense, maybe, but why would they want to talk to you if they don't like you?" Aizawa paused for a moment, then frowned. "Unless they want to start shit."

[name] considered the idea. "They probably would," she murmured, pressing her lips to the rim of her mug.

"But you can't not go." He met her eyes and held the gaze for a moment. "Pathogen isn't a coward. She never runs from a sticky situation, not even when nothing can go right. So why is [name]?"

Heat shot through her cheeks, feeling like a scolded child. [name] put her cup back down on the desk, clasping her hands in her lap and looking down at them. "As I thought, you're able to set me straight again..." She sighed, thinking over her options. She felt hopeless, and she was sure she would have continued to if Aizawa wasn't there to-- ah, an idea. "I understand if this is crossing a line, but would you... come with me?"

Aizawa's expression immediately morphed into one of shock, though he was quick to mute it. "Go with you?" He repeated, unsure.

[name] looked at him through her eyelashes, a bit embarrassed to be asking something so big of him. "I totally get it if you don't want to or whatever, I just thought..." She looked away, the embarrassment multiplying as she was sure he was going to decline.

"What about the class? And I don't speak English," He pointed out.

Valid points. "A few teachers owe me for covering their classes, so they could take a ten minute homeroom. My assistant at my office has a language quirk, too." [name] didn't like feeling pushy, but if it meant he really would go with her, she would find a solution to any problem possible. "If money is a concern, I'll pay for stuff, 'cause I'm asking..."

He sighed, taking a long moment to think. "Money isn't a problem. I'll..." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'll come."

"Really?" She couldn't wipe the look of surprise that passed her face. He was really going to come? "I mean, uh, thank you. Really, it means a lot that you would do that for me."

Aizawa turned away, scooting his chair back into his desk. "Yeah..."

a/n: uuhgh this is short but i didn't have anything else to put in it sooo,,

question for you guys, how developed do you think aizawa's feelings are at the point of this chapter? it's been a few chapters since we've been in his point of view lol