Sound of Silence (Aizawa X OC)

Ch. 22: Reconnecting

-----Hizashi's POV-----

As soon as Shouta told me that he was walking Nobu-chan back over to my apartment, I was ecstatic, and decided to begin Operation: Cousin Fun Night! Over the past several years, Nobu and I had really grown apart, and it had become more obvious to me over the last couple of months that she had actually been back. It became obvious that I barely knew Nobu-chan as an adult.

I mean sure, some of her mannerisms and likes, dislikes and that sort of thing remained pretty similar to our time in school. But what made her tick, how she handled different issues and what made her happiest, what she was interested in, what her goals for the future were. I no longer knew any of that. So I decided to do my best from here on out to reconnect with my sweet younger cousin. She meant the world to me. She always had, and I had always tried to protect her. But now, it was time for me to treat her as an equal, and be there to help encourage her and guide her when she needed it, just like a big brother should!

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts as I yelled "COMING!" accidentally activating my quirk in my excitement. I ran to the door and opened it to see an annoyed Shouta hand in hand with a silently giggling Shinobu. It took all of my willpower not to make a weird face or comment at the sight.

Seeing those two together was definitely something I was going to have to get used to if I wanted to become closer to Shinobu again. It was just weird to see her romantically interested in someone, and it was even weirder to see Shouta like this. He was crazy about Shinobu, even if it wasn't obvious to other people. He had a huge amount of respect for her, and seemed to really be confident in her ability as a hero, even if she wasn't that confident in herself.

"Hi, Nii-san," Nobu-chan's quiet, lyrical voice snapped me out of my internal roller coaster of thoughts, and I smiled widely at her.

"Hey, Nobu-chan!" I greeted before moving out of the doorway to let her in.

"I've got to head out on patrol. Make sure she doesn't try and overexert herself. Her wound is still healing," Shouta stated plainly to me which I acknowledged with a nod before he turned to Nobu, his expression softening a bit, "I won't be done until late. Do you want to stay here, or do you want me to come get you when my patrol is over?" Nobu blushed a bit, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and glancing back and forth between me and Shouta.

"If you want to stay with Shouta, you don't have to be afraid of what I think. I want you to do whatever makes you happiest," I offered her an assuring smile which caused her eyes to light up as she turned to Shouta.

"I think I'll stay here with Nii-san tonight, but please, let me know when you make it safely back to your apartment," Shinobu requested quietly earning a small nod and almost invisible smirk to spread across Shouta's face. He place a quick, affectionate kiss on her forehead before turning to head on his way. Nobu's face was a tinted pink when she walked back into the apartment.

"Sorry, Nii-san," she apologized sheepishly, "I know it must be uncomfortable for you to see me dating your best friend." I gave her a nod and a smile as I pulled her into a big hug.

"It's fine, Nobu-chan! Yes, it's going to take me a bit to get used to, but as long as you two are both happy and healthy in your relationship, I can't really complain. You have my support, Nobu!" I comforted earning a small smile from the heroine, "Now! Since you have the night off, and I am under strict orders not to let you overexert yourself, let us commence: Cousin Fun Night!" Nobu giggled and nodded.

"What does cousin fun night involve exactly?" she asked with a small giggle earning a huge grin from yours truly.

"Well, that is for me to know and you to find out as we go!" I responded with a mischievous glint in my green eyes. Nobu looked a bit nervous at this but nodded nonetheless.