Leave Your Mark | Various!BNHA x Reader

17: Symbol of Hope

More than ten years have passed since you awoke in this world, and today, it finally happened.

Eri has just been born.

You stare down at the letter in your hands, fingers trembling as you grip the paper. Of course, you always knew this day would come, but now that it's actually here, you find yourself overwhelmed with emotion.

Dear [Name],

We finally welcomed the newest member of our family. The doctor said that Eri is a healthy baby girl, and even though I'm feeling a bit worn-out from the labor, this is probably the happiest I've ever been. I know that you left the Shie Hassaikai because you wanted a different life, and I understand where you're coming from. I think you made the right choice. It's a harsh environment for a child, but you've always been smart, so I'm glad that you put your happiness and safety first. It seems like our lives have both changed a lot recently, but undeniably for the better.

When Eri is just a bit older, I promise to come visit you so you can meet her. She's adorable, and I'm excited to show her off.

Wishing you the best,

Big Sis.

You can hardly suppress the grin that keeps pulling at your lips. It sounds like she's excited to be a new mom, and for that, you are immeasurably thankful. It's such a relief to see how much she cares about her daughter. You can only hope that in this life, she won't abandon Eri, no matter what happens. Of course, it's still too early to tell what the future has in store, but you're going to try believing in her. You're choosing to believe that she'll always stay by Eri's side.

Needless to say, you're rather restless during class. It's hard to pay attention to the lessons-not that you really need to-given the big news you've just been privy to. All throughout the day, you keep pulling out the letter you received and reading through it, over and over again. By now, you've memorized the whole thing, but you hang onto each word nevertheless, giddy at the thought of Eri thriving in a happy, loving family.

Since your excitement isn't exactly subtle, Shouto takes note of it.

"Did something happen?" he asks during lunch. Despite his initial protests and how hard he tried to push you away, the two of you each lunch together every single day now. "I feel like you're even more restless than usual," he remarks. "Which is... saying something."

You suppose there's no reason to hide it, so you flash him a huge grin, then proudly declare:

"I'm an aunt now!"

"An... aunt?"

Shouto blinks repeatedly. Time and time again, you find new ways to surprise him. Aren't you a little young to be an aunt? Not to mention that as far as he knows, you live at the orphanage. It doesn't exactly make sense.

"But how?" he blinks, and rather bluntly, he adds, "I thought you didn't have a family."

It obviously wasn't his intention to be inconsiderate, and since you know Shouto so well, you don't take any offense at his comment. Most kids are rude without meaning to be, after all.

"My adoptive sister," you explain. "I lived with a family for a while. They weren't my biological family, but they took me in for a few years. And now I'm living at an orphanage again. My sister just recently had a baby, so that technically makes me the baby's aunt!"

"Oh."

Shouto nods in understanding. It all sounds rather complicated, and since you're back to living in an orphanage, that means that your former family must have sent you back, right? Although you don't look too upset about it, and you speak about your adoptive sister rather fondly. To some extent, it confuses him, but then again, he's hardly in a position to judge.