MHA Fanfiction: Inbound

Tamaki Aizawa

Iylla's POV

I opened the front door, revealing a darkened living room. When I flipped on the light switch, the room exploded in commotion.

"Welcome home!" My entire family shouted, throwing streamers across the room. Everybody cheered, even grandma and grandpa, who sat beside each other on the couch.

I swayed on my feet, reaching out for Tenya, who had driven me home from the hospital. He steadied me, letting me hold his arm as we walked into the house.

"Oh my," I muttered. I smiled gratefully, even though it was awkward for me to be at the center of all that attention. "Something smells delicious."

"I should hope so," My Uncle Shawn came to me, giving me a gentle hug. "I worked all morning to make sure it was perfect."

"Aw, don't be so humble; he worked all night long too." Amelia, Shawn's wife, said. "Welcome home, Iylla."

"Thanks, and thanks to you too, Uncle Shawn. I'm sure it's the best you've ever made."

"LALA!" Abby shrieked, tackling me from behind.

Despite what I wanted to be the truth, I was still relatively weak. So the force of her body definitely would have been enough to knock me to the ground if Tenya hadn't been holding me. Her parents scolded her for being so rough, but I didn't mind.

I pulled her from my back, kneeling in front of her. Abby's arms wrapped around my neck, squeezing tightly.

"Where were you?" She asked with wide eyes but moved on from the question rather quickly. "I took care of your cat. I gave him three treats every day! And I played with him all day long! Why's he so fat?"

"Probably because you and me are the same exact person," When she finally stopped to breathe, I jumped in before she could ramble on with a whole new conversation. "The freaking cat gets too many treats."

I stood, ignoring the dizziness the action brought as best I could. Grandma and Grandpa struggled off the couch, standing and shuffling to me. They each patted my face, sadly tracing the burn marks Dabi left on my cheeks.

Even though I'd spent the last three days in the hospital, I still had several physical reminders of my experience. Recovery Girl rightly suggested she focus on healing my internal injuries since they were much more threatening than my external ones. But the doctors told me my burn marks should heal smoothly and without leaving scars.

Thank goodness. The one I have is enough for me.

"So, you've got a choice, Lala." Grandma crooned.

"Ugh, enough with the Lala." I groaned, frustrated that Tenya had to hear the old childhood nickname.

If grandma heard me, she didn't let on. "Would you like dinner first or a haircut?"

"Dinner," I answered without hesitation, but it was probably better for me to do my hair first so that I could eat uninterrupted. "But let's do my hair first."

"Awesome; how do you want it?" Amelia, a hairdresser, offered to even out my lopsided cut and rid me of all the burned parts of my hair.

"I don't really care; just leave it as long as you can."

"Of course." She pulled up a chair for me, patting the seat like I was a child. "Anything you want, Iylla."

Amelia wrapped me in a plastic cloth. Pinching my hair between her fingers, she showed me where she would cut. I scowled at how short it would be.

"Does it have to be that short?" I asked.

"Pretty much," Amelia offered a sad and understanding response. "This is how high up the dead hair goes."