Passing Euphoria (Aizawa Shouta x Reader) (Commissioned Series)

Ch.8

Ch.8

'Hold it together'

'Hold it together'

'You have to hold it together!'

The chant in your head, no matter how many times you repeated it, didn't seem to be doing its job. But you kept asking for it to, kept begging for it to somehow work and allow you to spare the child before you of what could possibly come.

"A-ah." You pulled a smile on your face. "I'm fine, Eri-chan."

The little white haired girl didn't seem to believe you, rather she stepped forward, looking at you with her big red eyes. She was frowning now too, her own eyes looking ready to start watering at any moment. Eri gently slipped her hand into yours and then looked down at her feet.

You blinked, a few tears escaping. Eri stood still, her hand slowly tightening around yours. She sucked in a breath and then gently looked back up at you. Her expression was shy, and she looked unsure if she should be saying anything, but it seemed she still was going to.

"C-Can I help make you feel happy again?" She asked you, a frown on her features. "I don't know if I can, but I'd like to try."

Had you not been in a crisis mentally and emotionally right now, you would have scooped the girl up and told her how she constantly made others happy. But alas, all you could do was lower your own head. How would you even respond?

Eri might have already been through some of the worst experiences that any person, let alone a child, would ever have to go through. But she was still a child. She didn't deserve to have the reality that the world was always going to make you sad, crashed upon her yet. She deserved to at least believe that happiness was a constant for as long as possible.

You couldn't ruin that for her. You couldn't find a way to politely tell her to leave either.

So instead, you simply stood with your head down, feeling Eri's eyes on you. The time she patiently waited for you to reply was only increasing and as each second passed, your brain visualized the sad and disappointed features that would be on her face.

You refused to confirm them though. You'd much rather imagine them, not wanting your rampant thoughts to become a reality.

"(Last Name)-sensei?" Eri spoke, a tiny crack in her voice. "Please tell me why you're crying?"

'Eri... please leave.'

"Eri... please forget about me.'

"Eri... please put your efforts on someone who you can really help. Someone who isn't a lost cause like-'

"Eri."

You stiffened as another voice entered the room. Footsteps came near you both and then you heard a set of knees gently crack as someone must have bent down to Eri's height. You felt Eri's hand tighten around yours as the voice started to speak again.

"(Last-Name)-sensei got some bad news today." Aizawa's voice reached your ears. "She'll be ready to talk and teach you piano on another day. But for right now, do you think you can let her express her feelings without worrying that she might make you sad too?"

Eri's hand slipped from yours and you could hear the little girl gasp a little bit.

"I didn't know, Aizawa." She spoke sadly. "I thought I was helping..."

"You were. But sometimes, we need to cry before we're ready to talk." Aizawa gently explained to her. "Do you understand that?"

Eri hummed. "I think so. But... Can I come and make (Last Name)-sensei happy tomorrow if she's feeling better?"