Phoenix (mha x oc)

Chapter 40: Performance

Tanaka's POV

I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. '5 minutes til go time... where is he?!' I thought to myself, anxiously worrying about Midoriya's whereabouts. Just as I finished my thought, Midoriya came screaming around the corner and Mina instantly ran up to him and started scolding him for being late. We got into position as the band did, everyone giving small mental checks that everyone was ready. Moments later, the lights rose and the crowd started chanting 'Yaoyorozu! Yaoyorozu!' which made me chuckle. 

Katsu then shouted, counting us off, and the gym erupted in music. We started dancing and when I looked out into the crowd, I was able to faintly identify Eri on Mirio's shoulder, which made me smile. Midoriya then threw Aoyama up into the sky, so I flew up and grabbed the rope, fastening Aoyama to it. I then flew down, right above the audience, releasing feathers along the way. 

I then heard my cue, so I lit my feathers ablaze as confetti and Todoroki's ice shot into the gym. The crowd 'oo'd and I flew down, high-fiving several audience members until I saw Eri. I got an idea and flew slightly lower, picking her up out of Mirio's arms and into mine. She yelped in surprise, but looked around to see that it was me that was holding her. I flew her closer to the stage as the song was close to ending, and within moments, I saw the most beautiful thing to ever grace the earth. Eri's expression erupted into a massive smile as she flung her arms up into the air, actually happy for the first time in her life. Tears came to my eyes as I smiled too, deciding to do a quick air flip just for fun, causing Eri to erupt in a fit of giggles, the most precious sound I'd ever heard. 

The song came to and end, so I flew down and gave Eri back to Mirio, who was very pleasantly surprised to see Eri smiling and giggling. I listened as the crowd erupted in cheers, everyone happy with the performance. I landed on the stage and waved to the crowd before we started cleaning up the ice and decorations. Outside, as I was using my flames to melt the ice, I heard Eri's happy voice from behind me. 

"It was amazing! It was loud like an explosion and then that lady shouted and started singing, and then you went away which made me a little sad, but then I saw Fuka flying through the crowd and then it got really cold and then I saw her feathers floating down, and then she picked me up out of nowhere and flew me closer to the stage and then we did a flip!"

I turned around to see Eri talking to Midoriya with the cutest expression on her face, bringing tears to my eyes. "Eri..." I whispered with a smile. 

Mineta then came storming through, telling us to hurry up otherwise he'd miss the beauty pageant, which made me roll my eyes. We finished cleaning up and went to the beauty contest. I cheered as Neijire did her beautiful, graceful performance. She looked like a fairy, absolutely gorgeous!

Afterword, Eri reached up, grabbed my hand, and asked, "Can we go over there?"

I looked to where she was pointing and saw an obstacle course. I chuckled and said, "Of course."

We walked over and I noticed Katsu racing Kirishima. When they finished, Kirishima and Katsu noticed us, so they came over. "Hey Tanaka! Hey little Eri!" Kirishima greeted with a big smile.

"You remember Kirishima?" I asked, leaning down toward Eri.

She nodded and said, "His teeth are sharp."

Katsu laughed at Kirishima as Kirishima blushed. Katsu's laugh caused Eri to look at him and hide behind me shyly. "Who's he?" Eri asked.

I smiled and said, "He's a friend of mine. His name is Bakugo."

Hearing his name, Katsu turned around to see Eri staring at him, unsure of how to feel. "Are you just gonna stare at me?" Katsu asked.

Eri flinched and hid further behind my legs. I shot Katsu a glare, causing his expression to soften. He grumbled angrily before kneeling down and asking, "You wanna be a hero?"

Eri peaked out from behind my legs and nodded, "Like Fuka and Deku!"

A vein popped out in Katsu's forehead at her admiration of Midoriya. I gave him a deadly glare, warning him not to speak rudely about Midoriya in front of her. He sighed and said, "Then you can never back down and hide from a fight. Face your problems head-on, and you'll always be a winner."

Eri looked up at me for confirmation and I gave her a slight nod. She inched out into view and said, "O-ok."

Katsu smiled and said, "Atta kid. Wanna race?"

Eri looked up at me again and I gave her another nod. She turned back and nodded with a slight smile. They got in line and I walked up to Katsu and said, "Don't go too hard on her."

Katsu rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah whatever."

They started and Eri shot off faster than Bakugo expected. An evil grin came to his face as he chased after her, racing through the obstacles. "I'm gonna catch you!" he cried out.

Eri saw his expression and giggled, finding his over-the-top nature to be funny. As they neared the end of the race, Katsu reached out and grabbed her, causing my heart to drop. 'She's not ready for that yet!' I thought to myself, preparing to run over until I heard giggling. I then noticed that Katsu had tucked her under his arm like a football and was running around like a madman. I then heard a sigh of relief from beside me and turned around to see Midoriya and Mirio watching the exchange. "How is Kacchan so good with kids?" Midoriya asked.

"Probably the supplemental lessons. Plus, he knows I'll be mad if he makes her upset," I answered honestly.

"Well, it is a nice surprise," Mirio admitted with a nervous chuckle.

I turned back and smiled. 'Her smile is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I'll do anything to protect it.'