The Flap of a Butterfly's Wings

Chasing Tomorrow

Aizawa was stupid to believe that getting Midoriya to talk to him would be easy.

It very much wasn't.

Oh, they've encountered each other plenty of times, and have even fought a few thugs together as well, but as soon as they're done fighting, Hato was gone like he was never there to begin with. He's tried to talk to the kid every chance he got, but he wouldn't listen. He alerted Tsukouchi of Midoriya being the infamous Hato, but even with that knowledge, he hasn't been able to find much of anything. They've looked at security cameras to see what patrol routes Hato takes (which Aizawa already had a pretty good idea on what they were) to see if it would lead to where he might be staying.

Problematically, the Problem Child knew how to avoid cameras quite well. Aizawa swears that Midoriya was trying to give him gray hairs.

He wants to help him more than anything. Midoriya has not had a pleasant life from the looks of it. He's been kidnapped and forced to fight for two years in the Arena, only to come home to the knowledge that his mother had passed away, and then there's the before. A time that only Midoriya truly knows. One with death and sadness, but also a classroom of rambunctious teenagers that have such potential.

Then there was Eri. 

Oh how he was pissed when Midoriya planned a rescue mission, gathering heroes who would never otherwise work together (let alone with a vigilante) to save her and then leave her in his care. What was the damn kid thinking? Sure, he's a teacher, but that doesn't mean he likes kids (he ignores his husband's whispers of "you seem quite fond of Midoriya, and he's a kid.").

However, Eri is a sweetheart, and he doesn't mind having her around. He begrudgingly admits that he's glad that she's under his and Hizashi's care.

Not that he would tell that to anyone. Ever.

The first few weeks were hard. Eri barely spoke and flinched at any sound or fast movements. The only times she did speak during the beginning weeks was to ask where Deku was. Aizawa, at first, had no idea who she was talking about.

"Deku? Who are you talking about?" Shota had asked. Eri had quickly shut down, saying sorry. Clearly curiosity was not a thing that was encouraged at the Shie Hassaikai estate. It took days of gentle questioning to get her to answer.

"The kind boy who saved me. He said I was special, which meant I could call him Deku. He wanted me to call him H... Hato? But you've been calling him Mid- Mid," Eri scrunches her face up, not being able to pronounce Izuku's last name, "And he said people who only knew him could call him that."

It suddenly came to Aizawa where he had heard that name before. Midoriya's best friend, Bakugou Katsuki, called him Deku.

Over the weeks, she had slowly become who she was supposed to be: a child. A young one at that, barely five. Her appetite grew, and the two men had to hastily learn how to cook proper meals. Luckily, Eri was patient with their developing cooking skills. That, or she just truly didn't care because she was being fed consistently. Aizawa tried not to think about that too much.

She had her own room with a bunny nightlight, and carried her bunny stuffed animal everywhere. There was a time where she forgot it in the car and had her first meltdown. It was horrible, and only because Yamada and Shota loathed to see her cry. What was worse was seeing her face morph into guilt and fear after finding her bunny (named Benji). She didn't speak for two days after that, even after the couple told her that it was okay to cry and be upset. That they expected it, and that it was healthy.

They didn't think she believed them.

Over the past two months, Eri's skin flushed with color. Her cheeks were no longer gaunt and she's developed a new-found energy. She still doesn't sleep well, often waking up in the middle of the night with hellish nightmares. She doesn't like to talk about them, or anything that has to do with Overhaul. They said that it was okay if she didn't want to talk right now, but that they were here if she ever wanted to.