Smile for Me

Chapter 42: Conflict

Aizawa POV

The day was thankfully pretty quiet. Apparently the news crews got most of the information they wanted from other teachers, so he didn't have to talk to them too much.

1-A wanted to know why he would be gone on Wednesdays for a while, and he told them what he told everybody that asked; "Principles orders. So I don't overwork myself again."

The class of young Heroes were glad he was back; even Bakugou gave him a nod and a smirk at his return.

He drew names to see who would be partnered with who for the quirk project. Mina and Jiro, Kirishima and Midorya, Bakugou and Ururaka, Iida and Tsuyu etc. They all got to work, seeing how their quirks could work together in battle, such as team ultimate moves, offense vs defense person, things like that. While they were working, he crawled into the yellow cocoon/ sleeping-bag that he kept in a drawer under his desk. He gave them the rest of class and tomorrow to get it done, allowing them to meet outside of class to get it done as well.

During his lunch break, the other teachers sat with him and welcomed him back excitedly. He wasn't used to this amount of attention, and was waiting expectantly to go home.

I wonder how Joke is doing?

Emi POV

"He...He doesn't...or- didn't like me. He thought I was a nuisance..." she said sadly.

But them why did he help me? It doesn't make any sense. Why would he let me into his home? Was it because he drew a short straw? Did they force him to?

These thoughts ran through her head as she shakily put the book back on the shelf.

Sumairu cuddled her affectionately.

"Come on, Sumairu. Let's...let's go look at something else. We'll ask him when he gets home..."

For the rest of the day she felt a little slower. She tried to busy herself by exploring the rest of the house, but the things he wrote just kept filling her mind. By the afternoon, she found herself thoughtfully chewing on a sandwich she scraped together trying to think of anything she's done that may have annoyed him.

I don't remember very much. When he said we went on patrols that kinda seemed familiar, but not a lot. I'm really going to need a lot of help to remember all this crap...

She remembered...a school. With other Heroes, she assumed, that were eating with her. Young, odd looking students would walk past her and wave...but she never saw Shouta.

Why is that? Did he just avoid me? If he always avoided me, why did we go on patrols together?

...

Maybe that's why he wasn't smiling in that picture...

The door clicked, and she whirled around on the couch. What time did he say he would be back? Wait, he didn't...

To be safe, she ducked and peeked out from over the couch to see who it was.

She saw Shouta tiredly waking in and shutting out the freezing air behind him. He hung up his coat and sighed. He seems to do that a lot.

"Joke! I'm back!" he called, walking towards the couch.

She popped out from behind it. "Hey, Aizawa."

He looked a bit startled, but quickly resumed his composed nature. "What did you do today?" he asked.

"Just...getting used to the place." she replied hesitantly.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't break anything, did you?"

"What? No, of course not! I just..." she looked down. "I found one of your Hero books."

"Oh? Find anything interesting?" he asked, not noticing her odd demeanor.

Yeah...

"I found your notes on Heroes to work with." she said.

He had a small look of realization. "Did looking through the list help you remember anything? Or maybe anyone?" he asked, masking his hopefulness.

"Unfortunately, yes."

He looked puzzled. Without another word, she walked back over to the shelf and pulled out the book. She flipped through to her page and shoved it at him.

He caught the book and looked at the page.

"Yeah, it's your page. So what?"

"Look at the notes." she said.

He looked down and read it quickly. She saw his eyes slightly widen over the top of the book.

"I...I forgot I wrote that." he said.

"Did you?" she asked sarcastically. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure?" he said cautiously. He knew from experience that this side of women could be very dangerous. He messed up.

She unexpectedly turned solemn.

"Why did you...Why did you help me?"

He stood there for a moment, not knowing what she meant.

"Why did you bring me into your home? If you didn't like me, why are you helping me like this? And according to the doctors, you saved me from something that no one will tell me about. What exactly did you 'save me' from? Why won't anyone tell me anything?" she started to cry.

"I've been awake for about a week and all I know is my name, that I'm a Hero, and you don't like me!"

She caught her breath, waiting for Aizawa to say something. But he didn't say anything. He just stood there looking ashamed...and...scared?

Still breathing heavy, she blurted, "Why don't you SAY SOMETHING?"

Now he was on edge. She didn't know it, but she was starting to slip. And Aizawa could tell.

"Joke, I need you to take a deep breath-"

"No! Why should I?" she asked ferociously.

He slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket, turned on the camera, and held it up to her.

She looked into her reflection on the phone and gasped. She had the same look on her face that that woman in her nightmare had when she pushed her...It was crazed and angry.

She stepped back, hyperventilating.

"Eraser, is that woman from the nightmare me? Oh, God, what did I do? Is that why I don't remember anything? Did you eraser my memory so I'd become a good guy?"

He tried to step closer as she was rambling questions.

"Did you just make up the part about me being a Hero so I'd become a good guy? Why did you lie to me?!" she slowed down.

"That's why you're keeping me here, isn't it? So a Pro Hero could watch over the villain and turn her good. 'But don't let her outside, because she's still dangerous'..." she said darkly.

"Joke, that's not it. You were a Hero-"

"Then why did I hurt that man in my nightmare?"

"You saved people, Joke. You gave people hope. People cried at your funeral!"

She took a step back, now more confused than ever.

"Wait, I was dead?"

Aizawa realized what he said and stuttered, trying to recover. "No, I-...God I suck at this...Okay, it's clear we need to do some work right now. Come with me."

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Sorry for jumping right back into pain again, but there's a lot of pain in this story; "angst" is one of the tags on this after all.

-Sarah