Leave Your Mark | Various!BNHA x Reader

20: Meltdown

Out of all the things you were expecting today, running into Aizawa again definitely wasn't one of them.

"Hello," Aizawa greets. He's at the orphanage for some reason. One of the caregivers pulled you aside, and part of you feared you were about to get in trouble again (since that's kind of your thing), but lo and behold, here he is.

Everyone's favorite sleep-deprived hero.

"Hello," you greet back, waving cutely. You notice a small smile pulling at his lips, which is no surprise really, considering how adorable you are. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Eraserhead. What brings you by?"

"Just Eraserhead is fine," he chuckles softly. "You don't need to add the 'Mr.' in front of it. Also... it might be easier if you just refer to me by name. Aizawa. I'd rather not have any of the other kids recognize me, just on the off chance. I've never been the best at dealing with fans and the like."

Nonsense. He's clearly selling himself short. He also claims he's not good at interacting with the media either, but you remember seeing how professional he was during that press conference after Katsuki was kidnapped by the League of Villains. Of course, you'd be lying if you said you wouldn't like to see him smile a bit more-he's very handsome, after all-but you're already well familiar with all his exploits, and in your eyes, he's easily one of the very best heroes.

In any case, you're happy to be able to see him again. For the longest time, Chisaki was the most prevalent figure in your life. Maybe things are finally starting to change. Maybe the fact that Aizawa stopped by is the sign of a promising future.

Also, as always, your little fangirl heart is stupidly happy. Hehe.

"I wanted to check in on you and make sure you were doing alright after that villain attack," Aizawa says. "Even though you weren't actually injured, encounters like that can have serious, long-term consequences. Do you feel the need to speak to anyone? A counselor, perhaps?"

"Occasionally, child counselors stop by, yes," the caregiver nods. She pauses, looking a bit concerned. "Do you think... [Name] is in distress? Should we have already made arrangements for her?"

"Well, I can't be sure. That's why I wanted to have a word with her and get a sense for how she's feeling."

"Oh, is that why you're here? In that case, don't worry. I'm feeling great!" you beam, and you even proudly flex your bicep-not that there's much to show. Twelve-year-old body, and all.

The caregiver glances down at you. "It seemed like she was her usual self, even after the incident. I'm sorry. I might have been negligent. She's always been very strong for her age, and I suppose I took that for granted."

"But I really am fine," you insist. "I can prove it. Let me eat a whole tub of ice cream in one sitting. Can I? Pretty please?"

Aizawa and the caregiver exchange a few brief looks of bewilderment. Everyone reacts differently to traumatic incidents, after all. Different people have different coping mechanisms, not to mention different thresholds for what they can tolerate.

Besides, not to brag or anything, but death isn't a foreign concept to you.

It also makes you all the more grateful to be alive.

"Aizawa, I promise I'm okay, but while you're here, let me show you the Lego masterpiece I've been working on," you beam, grabbing him by the hand and guiding him along. "It's super cool! A lot of people helped me out, but I'm still going to take most of the credit because it was my idea."

Of course, Aizawa, being the kind, patient man that he is, goes along with your antics and listens attentively as you explain all the various components of your Lego structure. He also seems to be studying you rather intently, most likely to discern whether or not you're actually okay. You don't feel the need to pretend or anything. The truth is that you're already happy as can be, just from the simple act of being able to spend time with him.