The Burden of Time [Aizawa x OC]

- nineteen -

Stand Still's POV:

I threw another fist at the punching bag and twisted my body to follow up with a backwards kick. The punching bag swayed in response, the chains clanging together. I regained my stance and began punching it in quick succession.

My headphones were blasting a metal playlist that July had made me. I wasn't used to training with music, mostly because I didn't have access to any technology back in the United States, but I liked it. July had been right - the angry music added to my motivation.

I was about to throw another punch when a hand grabbed my elbow. My head whipped to the side, surprised by the sudden contact. I lifted my free arm to break free of the assailant, but my eyes met the warm brown ones I had grown somewhat fond of.

Aizawa stood before me, one hand gently still holding my elbow as the other reached up to tug my headphones off. "I'm sorry for interrupting your training." He began. "I've been trying to find you for the last half hour."

"What do you need?" I asked him, brushing the sweat off of my forehead with the back of my sleeve. I attempted to slow my breathing from the workout, but with Aizawa so close now, it was basically impossible.

His eyes flashed with worry. This was enough for me to throw any hope of slowing my breathing out the window. Aizawa's hand left my elbow to run a hand through his long hair. "Aizawa?" I stepped toward him. At this distance, I had to tilt my head slightly to look up at him.

He licked his lips and let out a breath. I was close enough to feel it brush against my face. "Um, why don't we sit down?"

"Absolutely not." I crossed my arms defensively. I didn't like this. Something was wrong. Yet, he continued to prolong the delivery.

This caused Aizawa to groan and run a hand down his face. He shifted his weight uncomfortably, his tired eyes searching mine. It was almost as if he was trying desperately to shove the thought into my head without having to actually say it. A few more seconds passed before he placed his hands on either of my shoulders.

"Before you freak out, he's alive-" He started. Alive? Freak out? What the hell happened?

"ALIVE? WHO?"

"Fuck woman, let me speak." He gave my shoulders a light squeeze. His voice was calm and steady. He was trying to keep me grounded, but my heart was dropping to my stomach with every minute that passed without any information. "Uncle Sam. He was shot tonight on patrol."

"SHOT?" I felt like throwing up. I tried to step away from Aizawa, suddenly needing all the space in the world, but he held me firmly in front of him by my shoulders. My head was swimming with too many words. I couldn't string any of them together to form a coherent question.

Aizawa seemed to pick up on this. "Stand Still, he's fine. The person who did it is in custody. Though, I'm not sure for how long because Uncle Sam is the one who started it."

"STARTED IT?" I yelled, again attempting to put distance between Aizawa and I. This caused him to drop his hands from my shoulders to my upper arms. He still held me firmly in place. It felt like his hands were the only steady thing left in this world, but as much as I wanted to cling to it - it felt too restrictive, too close, too intimate.

I needed space. I needed to remember how to breathe. I needed quiet to collect my thoughts. I needed no one around so that I could handle this any way I wanted to without repercussions. I needed to be alone. Alone. Alone. Alone. I needed to figure this out. I needed to respond. I needed to act. I needed to go be with July. I needed to think this through.

I did not need a watchful eye. Calm understanding. A firm grip keeping me tethered to the present. A concerned face causing me to feel more guilt than necessary. It was not his problem. I was not his problem. I did not need a babysitter. I did not need help. I could fix this. I would do what I needed to do, as I always did. I would figure it out.

"It's a long story that I can tell you on the way to the hospital. But for right now," He paused to rub his hands up and down my arms. "I need you to calm down."

"I AM CALM. I AM FINE. I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP, I JUST NEED TO KNOW WHICH HOSPITAL THEY TOOK JULY. I NEED TO SEE THAT HE IS OKAY. I NEED TO CALL OUR OFFICIALS AND THEN I NEED TO FILE A FORM PROBABLY. AND THEN I WILL DEAL WITH THE REPERCUSSIONS AND I WILL HANDLE IT. I WILL HANDLE IT. JUST TELL ME WHERE JULY -" I stopped mid sentence. I knew where this was going to go. I had only gone there once before, 20 years ago.

My breathing was labored. I couldn't suck in enough air. Time was freezing and unfreezing and freezing again. Suddenly, all I could see was the video of my parents murder being played over and over again. I was hooked up to this machines, those fucking awful machines. I tried to rip cords off that didn't exist. The people in white were cheering, immune to my suffering. I was helpless, so helpless, so tired, so tired. The world around me was an awful combination of swaying and stopping.

"AIZAWA, PLEASE, USE YOUR QUIRK ON ME." I pleaded, desperate for him to stop what was happening. Desperate for the push and pull to stop. Desperate to not go through this again. "PLEASE."

"I can't - It's not working." His voice was panicked, laced with pain. His hair continued to rise and fall unsuccessfully. "I think it's because it's an artificial quirk. I'm sorry." His voice continued to break up in my ears. I wasn't sure if it was due to the panic attack or the time freezing. "Stand Still - it's not working. Stand Still -"

It was sometime between the swaying and stopping that Aizawa had managed to pull me to him. His one arm was tight around my shoulders, the other firmly on the back of my head. He slowly brought us down to the floor together. We were both on our knees, but I was still held closely to his chest.

After a few minutes, the breaths I took in were sharp, but continuous. I wasn't sure how long it took for him to get us in that position with all the starting and stopping of time. I could feel the ends of his long hair brushing against my cheek. I shook against his solid frame. His heart rate was steady and loud in my ear. I began to count the beats.

......Twenty four, twenty five, twenty six....

I only became aware that time was not starting and stopping anymore when I felt his hand running up and down my back in a smooth motion. His other hand was still laced in my hair, his nails scratching lightly against my scalp.

An unknown amount of time passed before he pulled away. I immediately felt cold. Desperate for his touch - the only thing that was keeping me from spiraling out of control again - I grasped at his jumpsuit. He immediately tangled his free hand in my hair again, but his other hand was searching for something in his pocket.

My face was buried in his jumpsuit, but I could hear a faint crinkling noise. The hand that was laced in my hair left to pull my face away from his chest. His thumbs brushed against my cheek, then moved to my lips. He used his thumb to part them before placing something in my mouth.

"You're okay." Peppermint flooded my senses. A mint. He was using a mint to ground me. "It's Aizawa. You're in Japan. The year is 2XXX. You're not in America anymore. You're safe. I have you."

He pulled me back to his chest as I clung to the front of his jumpsuit with trembling hands. The mint dissolved in my mouth as I repeated the information he said to me as if it were scripture. As if were a bible created just for me.

I am in Japan. I am 28 years old. I am not in America. I am safe. I am with Aizawa.
I am in Japan. I am 28 years old. I am not in America. I am safe. I am with Aizawa.
I am in Japan. I am 28 years old. I am not in America. I am safe. I am with Aizawa.

Once the mint dissolved completely in my mouth, I pulled away. A wave of embarrassment hit me, my cheeks heating in response. But I chose to ignore it. My own embarrassment did not matter right then. I could deal with the embarrassment later. I had things to focus on. Things that needed to be handled.

"I need you to take me to July." I said, my voice horse from the previous events. I couldn't dare look him in the eye after that episode. My eyes stayed glued to the patch of gym floor in front of me.

Aizawa reached forward and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "Whatever you need, I'll do it."