All The Power

36: Talk with Nezu

The next morning, Izuku woke up and headed to the hospital where Eri was staying to visit her as he had promised. He went alone with a bag filled with empty notebooks and a few crayons for her to pass the time with. He wasn't sure what else he could bring her while she stayed at the hospital but he hoped that would bring a smile to her face.

He arrived and signed in as a visitor, the receptionist recognized him from the day before and waved him in with a warm smile. The hospital was one of the many locations with heightened security due to its patients. He noticed there were two small-time heroes at each end of the floor when he got off the elevator on Eri's floor. He was pleased to see Aizawa had taken his words to heart.

He knocked on the door to her room and slid it open to see her seated in the bed. He smiled brilliantly at her in greeting and her eyes shone at seeing him again. "Izuku! You came back."

"Of course, I did. I promised, didn't I?" He sat down next to her bed and pulled his bag off his shoulder. "Here, I got these for you. I guessed it might be boring to stay in here all the time."

Eri took the notebooks and crayons in hand. "For me?" She looked up.

"Yep! You can keep that and draw or write whatever you want." He said with a smile.

She ran her hand over her new notebooks and opened one. "Thank you." She said softly.

Izuku just smiled and nodded. He went on to ask her about her day so far and how she has been doing. She told him it was alright for the most part with the nice nurses but scary in a new place with strangers. He nodded along and chatted with her for the rest of the time together. He drew with her in the notebooks and told her about his plans to be a hero. She listened to every word and when Izuku saw she didn't understand something he explained it. He could see she wasn't used to asking questions or maybe allowed to ask them so he explained when he could for her. He stopped when he got a call and he checked to see who it was. He furrowed his brows at the unknown number and answered without saying anything. The voice on the other end was recognizable.

"Hello! This is Principal Nezu calling!" A higher-pitched voice came out of the speaker.

Izuku curled his lip slightly and answered. "Yes?" He said curtly.

"I want to have a meeting with you as soon as possible to talk about your request to Fat Gum." His jovial tone didn't drop.

"Be there in two hours."

"Wonderful! See you then."

Izuku scowled at the phone in his hands and how the chimera had his phone number but he wiped the look off his face and turned to Eri. "I've got to go very soon but I will be back another day, alright?"

Eri looked apprehensive for a moment but then nodded. She looked down at the notebook she was drawing in. It pained Izuku to see her like that. "How would you like it if I brought some of my friends with me next time?"

She looked up at him. "Friends?"

He smiled warmly at her and pulled out his phone to show her some pictures. He told them their names in the group photo taken in the woods months back. "They are my closest friends." He said smiling.

"Are they nice? Like you?"

"I think they're even nicer than me. How about it?"

"Okay." She said softly.

He patted her head with a smile and headed out to meet with the Principal of UA. He thought about the chimera and what he might have planned. The trip back to UA was uneventful. It was nearing midday as he walked through the barrier of the school and into the main building.