Crimson Vigilante

Loved At Last

~Deku's POV~

"IZUKU!!!!!" The shriek coming from Eri woke me up quickly. I sat up quickly, taking in my surroundings in one glance. At first, I was wondering why she'd been so petrified but when I looked over toward where she was I could understand. Shinsou was curled up on the floor, eyes squinted shut, tears streaming down his face. The beginnings of a panic attack easily identifiable.

"Shinsou, Shinsou, look here, I'm right here, nothing can get to you," I said in a quiet, calm voice getting on the floor next to him and gently putting my arms around him for comfort.

"C-Crimson?" The sad, small voice that Shinsou used almost broke my heart, he obviously hadn't felt loved in an interminable long time.

"Yes, it's me, you're safe, I'm here and no one can harm you while I am here," I said gently, pulling back from the hug to lift his tear-streaked face so that he was looking at me. "I will always protect you, I promise."

~Shinsou POV~

Crimson pulled back from the hug and I instinctively pulled back and lowered my head, waiting to be hit or kicked. Instead, he lifted my face, I probably looked extremely ugly from all the crying that my weak, pitiful self had been doing. Then he said something that I would always remember.

"I will always protect you, I promise."

Those words meant a lot to me. No one really had known or cared what I had gone through in bullying and abuse. Probably no one would ever know what actually had happened, but knowing that nothing like that could ever happen to me again, that made me realize that I mattered to someone.

As though Crimson had read my mind he said something else that I would carry around in my mind for the rest of my life, he said,

"You matter, your life matters. Never, I repeat, NEVER harm yourself or attempt." Here Crimson took a moment to take a deep shuddering breath. "I know what it is like to be bullied, hated by the people who are supposed to love you the most. I also know love, however, and Eri and I will always love and be there for you. No matter what you are facing, we will all face it together."

With those words, he let go of my chin and enveloped me in another warm, loving hug. I melted into the hug and soon I felt smaller arms wrap around Crimson and me.

~Eri's POV~

I didn't know what to do, big brother was comforting bigger brother and I didn't want to be in the way but I also wanted to be of help. When they hugged I knew what I could do to help. Izuku had always told me that when I hugged him he felt better and I wanted to make Hitoshi feel better. I ran over and wrapped my arms around both of my older brothers, feeling their arms wrap around me in return. I soaked in the love and affection that I could feel in the hug.

~Shinsou's POV~

The love that was covering me was so thick I was almost suffocating in all of the caring that I had never experienced before being adopted. Finally Crimson stopped the hug, gently pulling back and looking me and Eri in the eyes. Then giving Eri a small peck on the cheek he told her to go and get dressed while he talked to me. Eri agreed cheerfully, skipping out of the room and down the adjoining hallway. I couldn't help the nervousness that bubbled up inside of me when he turned and looked at me sternly.

~Deku's POV~

I told Eri to go and get dressed for the day and watched her skip away cheerfully down the hallway. Then I turned my attention to Shinsou, I want- no needed to know what had triggered this panic attack if I was going to be able to protect him from it ever happening again. I looked at him seriously, not missing how he slightly flinched at the gaze.

"What happened this morning?" I asked quietly, not wanting to upset him again but still needing to know what had happened.

"N-nothing much, j-just a disturbing flashback. . ." Shinsou stuttered out while shaking nervously. I could tell that he wanted me to let it go at that and to take his word for it. I decided that for now I would and would ask him again later when he was calmer.

"Alright," I said doubtfully "I won't press right now but I do expect a straight answer later, however."

"O-ok. I can agree with that." I said hoping that he would forget about it in a few days or better yet a few hours.

Looking at the time I realized that I had 15 minutes to get to work before my shift started.

"So, Shinsou?" I asked looking at him questioningly

"Yes?" He asked hesitantly, probably expecting the worst.

"It's nothing bad, I just have to go to work. Eri will show you to your room and probably drag you out to the store to shop for decor and clothes. I will warn you, she will drag you straight to the girl's princess section. I hope you don't mind that she will pester you about dressing up in dresses and playing dress-up with her." I said wryly remembering vividly when she had first made me dress up as Sleeping Beauty and play with her, she was Cinderella.

Shinsou laughed, it was a beautiful sound, like a gurgling river rushing over rapids. "I don't mind, in fact, I used to be a princess quite often with my younger sister." As he reached the end of his sentence his voice took on an old sad tone that no one should be able to create at his age.

~Eraserhead's POV~

"Those kids will be the absolute death of me one of these days." I sighed in defeat. I had just been told that Crimson had successfully escaped with the other child. I sighed and decided to stop by a new cafe that I had noticed while out on patrol a few days ago.