It Takes Time

13

Aizawa didn't like his days off. Not because he enjoyed his work so much, but because it meant that he would have a lot of free time and free time was the one thing that he couldn't deal with when it was excessive. It gave him too much time to think, it gave him too much time to worry about things he couldn't change.

And it was especially bad in the evenings, when he was sitting at home and it was dark outside and he was getting tired, but not tired enough to go to sleep. It was during those times that Aizawa often found himself staring into the void while his brain was reliving all the awful things he had ever said or done or experienced. It was as if he was torturing himself. And then there was Y/N. Aizawa was starting to get sick of thinking of her and of going over the same things again and again until he was too exhausted to care.

At least, tonight was a rainy evening. The background noise of the rain against his window was helping a little to occupy at least some part of his brain, which meant he wouldn't have to think too much. Still, the rain also meant that everything looked much greyer and more depressing than usual, which pulled down his mood. It was odd how these things worked sometimes. Aizawa had been trying to read a book all evening, but he had given up. He just wasn't able to get into the right headspace for it.

After he had given up reading, he didn't really know what else to do with his day. He wondered whether it might be an idea to watch some dumb TV show, but he couldn't figure out what he was in the mood for, so he was just lying on his couch, scrolling through his phone, and trying to figure out what the hell he wanted. He wondered whether he was maybe hungry and that was why he felt so restless, but when he took a look at what was in his fridge, he didn't see anything that didn't make him feel nauseous.

That was when he heard his doorbell ringing. He raised his eyebrow and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 10 at night. Who the hell would ring his doorbell in the middle of the night? That better not be some dumb kids that had no idea what it was like to work all day... Aizawa wouldn't take any responsibility if there were a bunch of kids out there bothering him when they should really be in bed.

And then there it was again. Another ringing of the doorbell, this time a little longer than the first time. Aizawa groaned and closed the door of the fridge, putting on a pair of shoes and making his way downstairs. Who the hell could that be? It was unlikely to be Hizashi or Nemuri – the two of them had not gone out tonight, they were working, so they wouldn't come crashing at his place because they were too drunk to find their way back home again. Was this going to be Y/N's husband again?

If it was him, then Aizawa was going to kill him. He didn't care about the consequences anymore – the world was better off without this man, and it would have been his own fault if he came calling him in the middle of the night. What the hell would he expect him to do? Just be okay with it. Hell no.

It took Aizawa a good while to make his way down the stairs to the front door. He could see the outline of the person standing there through the tinted glass and it definitely wasn't Y/N's husband. His silhouette would have been much bigger. Aizawa opened the door a little bit and was surprised at who was standing right there, soaked to the bone and shivering out in the cold. He hadn't expected her here at all – Y/N.

"Hi. Uhm... I know, it's late and all, I hope I didn't wake you, but... you said I could stay with you?" she asked.

It was only then that Aizawa noticed the state she was in. She wasn't just choked and shivering, her face was bruised, and she seemed to be leaning against the wall. And was that crusted blood around her nose? What the hell had that scumbag done to her? Aizawa could feel himself getting angry, but he had time for that later. He quickly opened the door and stepped aside to let her in. Y/N took a few steps and Aizawa could see that she was limping. He'd likely have to help her up the stairs to his place.