Zero - A Vigilante Deku Story

Chapter 13 - Filled with inner warmth, what do you call this unknown feeling?

Let's get ready for some sweet Dadzawa fluff. <3

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POV Aizawa

Aizawa hadn't realized how much he had hoped for a positive answer from Zero until the tension left him and he literally slumped down. With a smile, he turned to Chiyo: "Can Zero be released? Then I'd like to show him to his room."

The healer folded her arms behind her back and rocked on the balls of her feet. "There's nothing against it from my side."

Nezu climbed down from the sickbed. "I'll draw up the necessary papers and have a set of school uniforms sent to you. For the rest of the vacation, I'll leave Zero to you, Shota-kun, so he can settle in with us."

"Are you ready, Zero?" Aizawa asked.

A few seconds passed, then the boy nodded silently. It would be difficult to gain his trust, but that didn't deter the underground hero. Hitoshi had been difficult at first too, but together with Zashi he had eventually gotten through to his son.

They walked through the spacious corridors of UA. Zero kept half a step behind him. Aizawa felt those piercing green eyes boring into his back, but he left it uncommented. Just before they left the building, he stopped. Zero continued to keep his distance.

Aizawa cleared his throat and turned to the boy. "I know how quickly your flight instinct kicks in. So far, that's been a good thing, as it was vital for your survival to a certain extent. But nobody here means you any harm - quite the opposite. If you are overcome by fear or we do something that triggers you in any way, please communicate with us and we will adjust our behavior. We want you to feel ... comfortable with us. Can you please try it before you just run away?"

Zero hadn't taken his eyes off him and was visibly weighing up Aizawa's words. He took a loud breath and finally nodded.

"Also, I want you to know that it's okay if you switch to sign language during a conversation. It won't bring our conversations to a standstill. Even if, admittedly, I would like you to have the courage to say more of what you're thinking or have on your mind out loud. No one will feel disturbed by that. You have a beautiful voice. I'm sure it's not just me who thinks so."

Zero's freckles were almost lost in the deep redness of his skin. He broke eye contact and looked down at his shoes. "Thank you," he whispered.

Aizawa followed his gaze and frowned. Zero's shoes were old and looked like they were about to fall apart. His hoodie wasn't the newest either and was anything but adequate for the cold winter days. They should get him some clothes as soon as possible.

Before he could pursue the thought any further, his cell phone began to ring. Aizawa pulled it out and was willing to ignore the call if it wasn't important.

Okay, he should answer this number. "Tsuki, I don't have time to talk right now. Can I call you back?"

"Oh no, Eraser, not happening. If you hang up now, then ... How could you plan an ambush on Zero without telling me? Especially if you finally manage to catch him?" The detective sounded really angry.

"Can we discuss this later? It was the rat's plan. If the police had also been there, the whole thing would have been far too conspicuous." Aizawa saw the boy waving a hand to get his attention.

"Is it the detective?"

The underground hero nodded and listened to his friend with only half an ear. "It's not that simple, as you well know. Even if UA has a lot of influence and you're heroes, you can't just do what you want. According to the law, Zero is a wanted criminal. If you hide him from the law, you are also liable to prosecution. I also want the boy to be pardoned and get off with a slap on the wrist, but we have to have his testimony and move his case forward so that we can close it at some point."