One hell of a dreamer!

A Dream of Comfort

I woke up to the sound of Eri giggling like crazy. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw her bouncing around the ... my room, her little legs hopping up and down like she was on some kind of sugar rush. Hitoshi was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hair all messy, watching her with a grin.

Eri: Zuku! You're awake!

Eri shouted, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Her smell was not there... it was over... that was my first thought. She looked so different today, wearing this shiny new choker around her neck. It had a cool glowing gem that pulsed like it was alive or something.

Hitoshi noticed me staring at it and smirked. 

HItoshi: Chiyo-baachan made it for her. It's supposed to keep her from turning into... well, you know.... and her pheromones which are driving you crazy away....

Me: Whoa look at you, that's awesome!

 I felt so relieved about everything. Eri was grinning like she just won a million yen, completely forgetting about last night's scare. Honestly, that was probably for the best. Maybe she didn't even know what happened which would be for the better for sure.

Eri suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me off the bed, nearly making me faceplant on the floor. 

Eri: Come on, 'Zuku! Let's play!

I laughed, trying to keep up with her. 

Me: Okay, okay! I'm coming!

This defnitely felt new and it felt so right and welcoming after the nightmare.

We stumbled into the living room, where Eri immediately started bossing us around like some tiny queen. 

Eri: Hitoshi, you be the dragon! And 'Zuku, you're the fox knight! We have to save the kingdom!

Hitoshi rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the smile on his face. 

Hitoshi: A dragon? Again?

Eri: Yep!

 Eri nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Me: Well, alright then. 

He even made a half-hearted growling noise, which made Eri burst out laughing.

I decided to let my tail and my ears be a bit more obvious and started to play along.

Me: Look, Eri! It's me, the brave fox knight!

She giggled, her eyes twinkling. 

Eri: Yeah! You're the best, 'Zuku!

We spent what felt like forever playing her silly games, pretending to fight off imaginary monsters and saving the day. Eri was totally in charge, and Hitoshi and I were just her loyal sidekicks. But honestly? It was a blast and who cares. She deserved this... we deserved this peacefulness.

Just when I thought we'd finally get a break, there was a knock on the door. Aizawa's voice came from the hallway. 

Aiyzawa: You three up?

Hitoshi: Yeah, come in!

Funny how Hitoshi just switched persona. He called out, sounding way too chill for someone who just got dragged into being a dragon and roaring around.... hahahahaha

The door opened, and in walked Aizawa and Present Mic, both looking way less stressed than last night. 

Mic: Morning, troublemakers.

 Mic said with a grin, ruffling Hitoshi's hair as he passed. Hitoshi swatted at him, but it was pretty half-hearted. Even Aizawa's gaze softened when he saw Eri, who was still holding my hand.