I was thinking...if you aren't patrolling tonight, would you want to go to dinner? My treat this time.
Pressing the 'send' button on her phone, Hina went back to stuffing her dryer with the damp, just-washed clothing. She was running out of clean casual wear for after work purposes, having put off laundry well past what was probably socially acceptable. The only things left unworn were her pairs of shorts and sweatpants, which were fine for at-home use, but not for a date, like the one she was hoping to have that night. Assuming Aizawa was free, of course.
Neither of them had remembered to plan their promised second date as of yet since the final exams had gotten in the way. Hina had had every intention of asking him out that night of the exams, but Nemuri had insisted Hina visit her in the hospital to tell her how the match had gone. Not wanting to neglect her friend for her budding relationship with the hero course teacher, she'd agreed.
Now, it was Saturday and she had nothing to do but tackle overdue chores. Hina hoped that Aizawa wasn't caught up with hero duties or grading during the weekend, since he'd be leaving soon for the Summer training camp with his class. That man needed some time for himself, certainly. If the ever-present bags under his eyes and exhaustion were anything to go by, he was in desperate need of a day off to relax.
Shutting the dryer door and toting the now-full basket of warm clothing into the living room, she sat on the floor to start folding. The redhead spared a glance at the playing daytime program that truthfully didn't look terribly interesting. A reality show about the lives of small-time heroes, combined with the drama that they all lived together and more than one of them had dated the same person before. Blasé. It only served to create white noise anyway.
Her phone buzzed, and she snatched it up far quicker than was likely necessary, eager to see Aizawa's reply. She deflated, reading Nemuri's name on the contact.
'The doctors said I'd be discharged tonight. Wanna get trashed with me and regret our decisions in the morning? ;)'
She supposed if Aizawa was busy, she had something else she could do. But still...she'd been looking forward to spending more time with him. And another hangover tomorrow morning didn't sound too appealing. Disappointment colored her reply.
'Not particularly...'
'Come on, get out of the house. Have a drink. What else would you even be doing tonight, staring at the tv?'
'Didn't they prescribe you pain medication? And you want to go drinking?'
'I just won't take my next dose after I leave the hospital. Plus, you're avoiding the question!'
Hina didn't really feel like going out to a bar with Nemuri, knowing that it would either involve a lot of fan pictures and fielding potential one night stands from getting to her friend while she was drunk off her ass, or a painful hangover for herself the next morning. Neither of which sounded appealing.
'I actually already have plans tonight, you know. Ones that don't involve staying at home by myself.'
'Such as?'
Hina stared at her phone, chewing her bottom lip. She tried to think of something on the spot, not really wanting to admit to a date that hadn't even been set in stone yet. She'd never been great with thinking up stuff like that. Before she could start on a reply, the little dots indicating Nemuri was typing showed up again.
'You can't deny me a night of fun without telling me what you'll be doing instead.'
Well, there didn't seem much point in lying. Nemuri was going to find out eventually, and the redhead couldn't think of anything else that would be gossip-worthy enough to sate her curiosity. She'd pester her until the truth came out.
'I'm going on a date tonight. I think. Still waiting on a reply.'
She expected an immediate response. Nemuri had obviously read it, thanks to the indicator below her message, but there was no dots this time around. No frantic reply with a zillion exclamation points as anticipated. Nothing at all. Had she gone into shock from the unexpectedness of it? Hina stared at the screen, anticipating a reply, but after about a minute, she just shook her head and went back to folding.
The phone buzzed again. Well, several times, to be precise.
'!'
'a date?'
'when did this become a thing?'
'i don't know if i should be proud or pissed because you didn't ask me for advice!'
'where are you going? what are you doing?'
'If you tell me it's with anyone other than Shouta I swear I'll strangle you'
Rolling her eyes, Hina tried replying before she was sent another ten messages with no semblance of grammar or punctuation because of the speed at which she was firing them off. She should have known this would happen. Stupid Hina.
'Yes, it's him, calm down. I haven't even gotten a reply if he wants to or not. It's not that big a deal. I didn't want to tell you about it until I knew this would work out. It's a second date, and we're taking things slow.'
After exactly 12 seconds, her phone's ringtone immediately started ringing, with Nemuri's contact picture on the front. Hina gingerly tapped the 'Answer' button and held up the phone to her ear. She had to pull the phone away quickly because she was instantly assaulted by Nemuri's outrage.
"You already went on a date and you didn't tell me!?" Nemuri cried out in anguish. She wondered if the hospital staff would be visiting her for keeping her voice down, as she wasn't slated to discharge until later that evening. "Hina, are we even still friends!?"
"Date? What date? What's going on?" Another voice that sounded suspiciously like Hizashi asked in confusion. Dread sinking into her stomach, Hina lifted the phone from her face and saw that Nemuri had, indeed, connected the three of them into a conference call. In the span between her last text message and when she dialed her, she'd apparently roped Hizashi into a call too. God damn her...
"You brought Hizashi into this!? Nemuri, I cannot believe-"
"Hina has a thing for Aizawa. And apparently they are now going on a SECOND date tonight. Did you know anything about this!?" She asked the voice hero, bowling over the redhead when she went to chastise her for bringing Hizashi into this in the first place. This conversation had gone downhill so fast...
"No! But, really? I totally dig it!" He said, sounding pleasantly surprised rather than scandalized like Nemuri did. "Shouta needs someone like you, I think. Have you hooked up yet?"
"No!"
"There's no way Hina could hide something like that from me. No way!" Nemuri said.
Hizashi laughed. "You didn't have a clue about them dating, so apparently she can!"
"Obviously Shouta hid all of this from you too, so you're one to talk."
"Have you met the guy? He has the facial range of a puppet sometimes! You can't exactly blame me. He's not gonna gush about a girl he has a crush on to me, Nemuri."
"Oh my god..." Hina muttered, listening to the two of them begin talking about her new and growing relationship with the hero course teacher as if she weren't even there, and she debated whether hanging up on them would even do anything for her at this point. Left unsupervised, these two would spread the info all around the school by morning though, so perhaps it was best to at least hear what they were discussing.
At least now it sounded like Nemuri's outrage had passed and she was actually happy for Hina. Hizashi and her mentioned Aizawa and how he had never dated anyone before and it was about damn time. Hina could do nothing but sit there and wait for them to finish.
Her phone buzzed against her ear, and she checked the notification while they continued on with their own little conversation. It was a text alert, and she smiled, seeing Aizawa's reply. The poor man was oblivious to his two closest friends talking about him as she read it.
'I can pick you up at 7? Or whenever works for you.'
Tuning out Hizashi's and Nemuri's excited droning, she typed out a quick reply.
'It's a date.'
'Also...any idea why Hizashi and Nemuri are currently bombarding my phone with eggplant emojis?'
Hina sweatdropped, still ignoring the lively discussion happening in her they were multitasking.
'I'll tell you later.'
For the next several hours, long after she'd hung up from the conference call with her two coworkers, Hina's phone was similarly spammed with various messages from both Nemuri and Hizashi about her date for the night. They ranged from encouraging to downright lewd; Hizashi was trying to at least show that he thought the two of them would be a good couple, though the way he insistently sent long blocks of nothing but ring emojis, eggplants, water drops, and some sort of kissy face really skewed the intent behind it.
Nemuri was a bit more direct about her meaning, asking if they'd done the down and dirty for real or if Hina wanted any tips on how to set the mood for the 'post-date exercise.' Hina resorted to turning her phone on silent mode for the remainder of the afternoon, sick of feeling it vibrate in her pocket over and over again.
Right at 7 o'clock-Aizawa was prompt if nothing else-Hina heard a knock at her apartment door. She opened it with a smile, and tried not to stare at the sight of Aizawa in casual clothing. An easy feat, it was not.
Half of his long hair pulled back in a messy bun, the rest left down to it's normal length. Somehow he always managed to make the locks look so soft. She'd be lying by saying she hadn't thought about reaching out and dragging her fingers through it at times. Especially now that it wouldn't be too weird since they were technically dating.
Very different from his daily outfit, he had on a dark red, long-sleeved shirt paired with comfortable jeans. It was a little more form fitting than his hero costume, accentuating his toned arms a bit. Hina was definitely appreciating that little point.
"Wow, you clean up nicely..." She said, stepping out from her doorway and shutting the door behind her. She didn't miss the way his gaze flitted across her best pair of jeans and a green dressy blouse, sleeveless blouse to add a bit of color.
"Hmm..." He said, the skin of his neck growing a faint shade of pink and wearing an expression of content. "Green looks nice on you."
Hina's head tilted a bit as she smiled, reveling in his compliment. He already looked relaxed and they hadn't even started the date yet. Things were going well. She couldn't recall the last time he'd been in such a good mood before. Certainly never at school. He was always far too stressed.
Then he sighed, shooting her a curious look. "I'm going to assume that Nemuri and Hizashi know about us, if the dozens of texts are anything to go by." Aizawa suddenly guessed with a raised brow. Hina winced, tugging at the bottom of her blouse.
"I'm afraid so...I couldn't come up with a good enough excuse for why I wasn't drinking with her tonight, so I just told the truth. She dragged Hizashi into it from there." The redhead finished with a shrug. "I told them we were taking things slow and didn't want to make a big deal out of everything, but you know how they are. I'll probably have to bribe them into keeping their mouths shut. Even that might not work."
His eyes closed for a moment, taking a slow breath, but after releasing it he seemed back to being content as before. "I guess I shouldn't have expected for this to stay out of their radar forever. But it's fine."
"You're sure?" She asked in concern. He'd been the one to ask if they could keep their budding romance quiet for now, until they were both more comfortable with what was between them. That had been fine with her, as there was still a note of confusion as to how quickly she wanted things to progress, or what exactly they both wanted from this relationship."I could ask them to seriously keep it to themselves. I'm sure they wouldn't go against your wishes as your best friends."
"Don't worry about it." He finally said with a shake of his head. "What's done is done."
Hina nodded, unable to explain her feelings. There was this tiny spark of happiness that he didn't mind his friends knowing about them. The whole school might be a different story, though... "Ok."
"What are you in the mood for tonight?" He asked, changing the subject.
She went to answer, but her ringtone went off before she could get a word out. Letting loose a small sigh, Hina shot Aizawa an apologetic glance before checking the caller ID. A frown replaced her wry smile.
"It's the Commissioner." She muttered worriedly, wasting no time in answering the call. Aizawa stopped walking when she held the phone up to her ear. "Scarlet Seer speaking."
"This is Commissioner Jino." His deep, gruff voice greeted. She could tell this wasn't a conversation for catching up and exchanging pleasantries. "Another hero has been found unresponsive within the past few hours. Same situation as the previous victims, no physical injuries to their bodies. We were granted medical custody due to our ongoing investigation and had him transported to the closest hospital. I'd like you to use your quirk to see if there's any further information you can glean from his mind."
Eyes closing sadly, she let out a disappointed breath. It wasn't just that her date with Aizawa was being interrupted. Oh no. In the grand scheme of things, that was the least of her concerns right now. Her brother had struck again. Another hero, psyche no doubt broken and as of yet irreparable. Four in total now. Four victims to her bloodline.
"Where was he found?" She inquired, hand rubbing at her neck nervously. Aizawa caught her eye, hands in his pockets and waiting patiently for her call to end. He knew what was going on, and thankfully didn't seem too upset that things had been halted for the night. He flashed an understanding quirk of his mouth, nonverbally reassuring her that he wasn't in any rush.
"The victim was found in his own apartment in Hosu City. We're lucky we caught this so quickly. The Commissioner reached out for any similar cases the other districts may have encountered. The MO stood out to us, but there's something different about it this time."
"He's moved to Hosu now..." She wondered aloud, feeling a surprising spark of relief at the news. Following up the relief was confusion. Why was he there? Perhaps he still didn't know where she was...
"From what we understand, yes." Jino replied. "We're still looking into what could have caused the change in location."
"I see." Hina said. Figuring she wouldn't learn anything more until she got to the hospital, she kept the few questions she still had to herself until then. "I will be there as soon as I can."
"Thank you. I will see you shortly."
The line disconnected after that, and she turned to Aizawa, suddenly feeling tired. Why couldn't things go off without a hitch? Just once? Not for the first time, Daichi was making her life more difficult than it needed to be. Wrecking her life from afar. "There's been another victim."
He nodded, no doubt having inferred that from her call. The news surprisingly didn't seem to upset him as much as she thought it would. He had walked a good fifteen minutes to get here, after all, and now it was sounding more and more like their date wasn't going to happen. "I understand. Duty calls. Raincheck on dinner?"
Hina almost apologized. Almost. But her mouth shut into a fine line. Dissatisfied with the possibility of having to wait another week before spending more time with him like this, Hina shook her head resolutely. She couldn't care less if Daichi suddenly showed up out of the blue right that second, or if fire rained down from the sky. She was having this damn date with Aizawa.
"You know what? No. Like hell I'm gonna make you walk all the way to my place for nothing. Come with me to the hospital and we'll get takeout on the way home. I'm not waiting another week just to spend more time with you." She declared, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the direction of the hospital. He stumbled for a moment, caught off guard, but recovered and allowed himself to be pulled along.
She seemed to realize how aggressive her request had come out to be, daring a glance at the man behind her but still maintaining her walk. "...If that's alright with you."
"Of course." He replied in amusement, a little rare smile gracing his lips. That small gesture alone made him even more adorable to her. Adorable was never a word she would have thought to use to describe him up until now, but suddenly it fit how she felt perfectly.
It dawned on her that she was seeing a side to him that most others probably didn't know existed, and that was the cherry on the cake. Returning his smile, she stopped dragging him and slowed her pace, walking side by side with him down the sidewalk towards their destination, fingers still intertwined.
They were ushered to the same 4th floor hospital room as the first time she'd been summoned by the police Commissioner. But this time, a fourth hospital bed was set across from the other three. A bulky, sharp-haired man lay atop it. Medical personnel tended to his body, monitors and needles placed in essential parts of his body to keep him alive.
Jino stood at the foot of the bed, shaking his head sadly, then turned when he heard them enter.
"Scarlet Seer. Eraserhead." He greeted, then looked at Aizawa with a little surprise, probably not expecting to see him too. "As I stated on the phone, the victim was found in his apartment in Hosu. This is the first we've seen him deviate from his alleyway attacks or his MO thus far. He is the first victim to have physical injuries."
Both heroes faced the new victim, but she felt Aizawa tense beside her. Frowning, she noted the surprised expression as he stared at his face. Recognition flashed through his eyes. Was the man famous? She didn't know him...
"Who is he?" She asked. Jino opened his mouth, but Aizawa was the one who answered.
"Mister Blaster. He's based out of Hosu City." He informed her, eyes still riveted on the stitches and scratches lining his forehead. The mixture of emotions in his eyes was too much for her to interpret.
"Do you know him?"
"Yes."
Jino spoke up then, looking thoughtful. "Ah, now that you mention it...you both came from the same graduating class didn't you, Eraserhead?"
A classmate, maybe a good friend. Hina connected the dots, then turned back to the man on the bed.
"Give me just a moment." She said, eyes glowing a bright cyan as she activated her quirk. If she could help his friend in any way, she would definitely try.
Her vision of the hospital room gave way to that familiar inky darkness she'd experienced in the other three heroes minds. The space was speckled with the vibrant yellow shards of his psyche. Immediately, Hina noticed something different in Mister Blaster's mind. This time the pieces were much larger. Whereas the other victims' had been fragments and in some cases fine dust, these were as large as her palm, floating above and around her in a sparkling night sky of his mind.
"Raaargh!" She heard to her left, body tensing from the unexpectedness of the sound. She backed up out of the way to avoid the right hook aimed at her face. A wild and scowling face showed the intent behind it. The 'whoosh' of air at her cheek made her flinch, and she scrambled to get out of the way as he continued his pursuit, swinging wildly at her.
"Please stop! I'm not here to hurt you!" She shouted.
"Liar!" The man roared, pain and distrust evident in his expression and posture. Unlike the others, Mister Blaster was clothed, though they were worn and ragged. He was tense, breathing heavily with eyes wide completely focused on her and nothing else. He shook himself off, preparing to barrel forward again.
The wave of self-loathing and vulnerability that surrounded him and his mind was palpable, and her moment of distraction cost her. One of the shards cut at her arm, and the moment of shock gave him the opportunity he needed to make a connection. His elbow caught her temple harshly, and she was sent off to the side, sliding against the black floor with a grunt of pain.
Her skull felt bruised, but nothing serious at the very least. This was all in his mind, so there wouldn't be any physical wounds to her body, but it would certainly hurt nonetheless.
"Wait! Just listen-urgh!" She cried, trying to fight him as crashed on top of her, keeping her in place. His strength was evident as the punches began, and Hina was dazed and disoriented, but she held onto her mental connection with an iron grip, intent not to be forced out now. She wanted to help this man, even if he didn't know why she was there.
It was apparent he intended to crush her into a bloody pulp at this rate, his instinct for self-preservation outweighing any logic at the moment. Face bruised and a bust lip, she tried blocking his attacks with everything she had. "Mister Blaster-uurgh!-please! Let me just talk to you!"
Miraculously, he stopped, but the unease and distrust was still present. "Who the hell are you? What do you want?"
"My name is Scarlet Seer! I'm a hero!" She panted, relieved that the punches had stopped. Her voice came out high-pitched and quick, trying to get her message across.
"Get out of my head! I hate it!" He bellowed, and she nodded frantically.
"I know!" She held up her hands in a placating gesture. They were both breathing heavy, the aura of self-loathing pressing down on them both. "I know, and I'm sorry...but this is the only way I can communicate with you. Your psyche has been broken."
"I'm not broken..." He growled threateningly, and she let out a breath, afraid he'd start punching again. "No one can break me."
"No, no, that's not...I'm..." She swallowed thickly, tasting blood. "-please...just let me sit up and I'll tell you what's going on..."
He stared down at her with suspicion. Wearing her heart on her sleeve, she waited anxiously, hoping he'd determine that she wasn't there to cause further harm to him. Slowly, like a wounded animal, he eased up from her torso and sat back. Now free of his weight, she straightened and touched her lip, feeling the split and seeing red on her fingertips.
"You throw a hard right hook, I'll tell you that..." She panted with a little laugh, breathing beginning to even out now that he was in a calmer state. She rubbed at her jaw, the soreness blossoming now that things were settled down. She'd definitely be feeling that once she pulled out of his mind.
"Scarlet...something? I've never heard of you." Mister Blaster surmised suspiciously.
"Scarlet Seer." She repeated evenly. "I'm based out of Musutafu, and a teacher at UA. Do you know where you are right now?"
She noticed the recognition from his eyes at the mention of her workplace. Mister Blaster shrugged, looking around at the yellow glass-like pieces floating in the space around him. "Of course I know where I am! This is...this is just..."
Hina sighed quietly, knowing this was going to be a difficult conversation. If her hunch was correct, Daichi had been preying upon each hero's inner demons and exploiting them. With that in mind, obviously Mister Blaster had some issues with his sense of self, the depressive aura of self-loathing and vulnerability still sinking deeper. She tried her best to ignore it.
"We are currently in your head. In your psyche. Do you know who attacked your mind?"
"Some punk kid with...red hair." He muttered, staring at Hina intensely. His shoulders grew tense again, hands forming fists.
She sighed, nodding. "Yes, I am related to him. He's my brother. But I am not affiliated with him whatsoever. I'm trying to stop him from doing this. That's why I'm here."
"What did he do to me?" He asked, deciding to tentatively trust her for now. He still looked about ready to start swinging again, but at least she had his attention.
"See all these yellow shards?" She pointed up around them, and he followed the direction of her finger. "That is your psyche, your mental state. Normally, this place would represent itself as some sort of happy place. Something you familiarize with."
"You're saying I've gone crazy?" He spat.
"No. I'm saying my brother shattered your consciousness. You're stuck here, in your mind. Like a coma." She summarized with a shrug. It was difficult to be tactful about it, and figured that he was the type that would benefit from her being blunt. "In reality, you're unresponsive on a hospital bed in Musutafu."
Mister Blaster's brows furrowed as he took in all this information. His arms crossed and he looked at his lap. Hina waited, giving him time. "I'm dying?"
"No, they're keeping you in a stable condition. To keep things simple, you just won't wake up. Until we find a way to help you-"
"I don't need help. I'll figure it out myself and get back at that bastard." He interrupted, turning his glare towards her.
The redhead shook her head but said nothing, deciding not to retort her disbelief. "Maybe so, but we need your help. We need to know what happened, to see if there's anything you saw that could help us catch him."
"How am I supposed to believe you? You're blood. For all I know, you could be wanting to help him."
"I especially want him stopped. He's my brother, yes, but he's a villain. He's sick and twisted. Everything he does brings down my family name. So please..." She caught his eye and maintained her stare. "Is there anything you can tell me about the attack that might lead me to him?"
It took a long time, but Hina was patient. Whatever was making him hesitate, she couldn't tell. Maybe pride, maybe embarrassment. The emotions swirling around them, Hina had trouble keeping her own in check. Enveloping herself in someone's mind made her susceptible to the emotions they felt.
His teeth gnawed at his lower lip, thinking hard. "I finished patrolling and went into my apartment. I didn't hear or see anyone behind me, but I felt a presence...couldn't explain it better than that. Next thing I know, this muscular villain is attacking me and the brat is getting in my head."
"There was someone else with him?" She reiterated, frowning. "He wasn't alone?"
"Yeah, the big guy is the one who knocked me around. Your brother's eyes were glowing, but he didn't try to approach me or anything. Figured he was the conniving one with the mind powers..."
None of what he'd just said made a whole lot of sense. Daichi, to her knowledge, had never worked with anyone. He'd always been the lone wolf type. This was a very confusing development.
"What did he look like?"
Mister Blaster shrugged with a shake of his head. His scowl was intimidating. "I don't know...big? Bald? I wasn't too focused on painting a picture of him in my head at the time."
"Did they say anything? Do anything strange?" She pressed, but he scowled.
"No, lady. They just fucking attacked me! Caught me off guard, otherwise I would've crushed 'em! Two on one? Cowardly!" He growled angrily. "A real villain would've faced me like a man."
"Nothing else comes to mind? Any small detail might help."
"I already told you! Nothing else."
"Ok." She said, backing off her questions. He was growing angrier by the minute. His vulnerability issues weren't doing her any favors. There wasn't anything else to be learned now. Hina stood from her spot in the darkness, careful not to touch any of the shards above her.
"Where are you going?" Mister Blaster asked, standing too when she moved.
"I'm leaving. I've learned all I can from you. Now we just have to hope it's enough to find him." She stated, watching him carefully. He was tense again, as if ready to resume his beating again. "In the meantime, hopefully I can find a way to fix the damage he's done to you."
Frown in place, he reached up to the closest shard, then hissed and pulled away as his fingers made contact with the sharp surface. The shard's yellow surface was now tainted with his red blood.
"Hey lady..." He called just before Hina ended her quirk. She paused, waiting expectantly. His eyes searched hers for a long time, the facade of arrogance eventually shedding away layer by layer as he debated whether to speak his mind or not.
"Yes?" She prompted, hoping he'd say something soon if he was going to, because her head was beginning to hurt. Both from quirk overuse and the punches he'd thrown her earlier.
He swallowed, glancing around uneasily, then shook his head. His voice was quiet, defeated. "Just...hurry up and fix me...I don't want to be stuck in here forever..."
Heart clenching, because the redhead had no idea if she could even help these people that Daichi traumatized and hurt, she managed a small smile. If only for his sake.
"I promise I'll find a way to bring you back."
With the cessation of her quirk, Hina was brought back to reality with a jerk, where she was sitting in a hospital chair, and a hand steadying both of her shoulders. She hadn't recalled sitting down before delving into his mind. She blinked, getting her bearings, before looking at Aizawa who was crouched in front of her. A frown marked his face.
"What's wrong?" She asked, then winced, feeling the pain of Mister Blaster's assault in full force. Her hand pressed at her jaw, hissing in pain.
"I should be asking you that." He said, looking her over for signs of injury but found none. His hands released her shoulders. "You started flinching with pain and almost collapsed. I was going to use my quirk to bring you out, but then it stopped."
"Oh, right..." She realized that her tussle with the patient had probably come across in her physical body. They'd probably panicked, unsure of what was happening. "It's nothing to worry about. Mister Blaster just wasn't sure who I was, but we talked it out."
"You were able to make contact with him?" The Commissioner asked eagerly. Contact meant information. And that was what he was in desperate need of right now.
Hina nodded, holding her head gingerly in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing. "Yes. He was more coherent than the others. He said he was followed into his apartment by two men, my brother and another muscular villain."
"Did he recognize the other one?" Jino began writing this down on his notepad, not missing a single detail.
"No, it didn't seem like it." She said. "Other than that, there wasn't much he could give me. The assault was quick."
"Did he give a description?"
"Just that he was large and bald. He grew irate after that, so I decided to stop asking questions." She explained, standing from the chair once most of the initial mental pain had passed. She unconsciously swiped her thumb across her lip, but found no blood. Her busted lip was just psychosomatic. Aizawa was watching her closely, noticing her actions.
She perked up, remembering something. "Oh, there was one other thing. The fragments of his mind were much larger than the other heroes'. I think that's why he was coherent enough to talk to me. Daichi probably didn't have time to destroy his mind to the extent of the others, so he simply attacked what he could and didn't finish the job."
She shrugged. "That's what my first thought was. I don't know for sure what happened after he was attacked though."
"Well, this is certainly more than we had 20 minutes ago. And it gives us a clue as to a second perpetrator." Jino remarked, putting his notepad away and addressing the two heroes. "I appreciate your hard work. I'll call you if we have any further need for your quirk."
Hina nodded tiredly, following after Aizawa as they left the bright hospital room behind.
Aizawa's apartment was closer to the hospital than Hina's. They grabbed takeout from the nearest sushi stall, both starving and tired and eager to kick back and relax. The trip to the hospital had taken longer than anticipated, and now their stomachs were growling their displeasure.
Twenty minutes later they found themselves seated on his living room floor, up against the leg rests of his couch, eating from their food boxes and watching a documentary on the history of quirks. Not because it had looked all that amazing, but because there was very little else on at this late hour. After awhile though, it sort of drew Hina in. She ate her food in peace, relaxing beside her date.
One lamp was turned on in the corner, but that was the only light in his apartment. Hina had wanted that 'romantic dim lighting' as she'd called it, and he didn't mind obliging. She'd somehow found his stash of blankets in his linen closet, and had proceeded to made the carpet more comfy with the additional padding.
Aizawa had found a bottle of wine in his cupboard that he'd never ended up opening-a gift from Nemuri some time ago for a holiday he couldn't remember. He preferred harder liquors to wine, but kept it around for the right occasion. Hina more than appreciated when he dug it out and opened the cork, and sipped slowly at the red drink as she ate. She hadn't had a good wine in ages, so it was a welcome change.
"I vote for more at-home dates." She suddenly said, glancing at him with content. "This beats a stuffy restaurant any day."
"Hmm." He nodded his agreement, glad she thought so. The comfy at-home atmosphere was just to his liking. "I'll enjoy it while I can. The beds at the training camp aren't even better than my couch. I'm not looking forward to being away from home either."
Hina looked at him, reminded that he'd be leaving soon. "A whole week, right? You'll be gone awhile. It'll be strange not seeing you every day."
"I'm sure you'll manage." He said, and she could see the corner of his lip lifting in amusement. "Hizashi and Nemuri will keep you company."
"No." She said, deadpan. "They'll interrogate me while you're away. I'll probably be institutionalized by the time you get back from them driving me crazy."
He chuckled under his breath. "Just avoid them, then."
"I work with them. How am I supposed to do that?" She bemoaned teasingly, shaking her head. That was an impossible task, avoiding the two biggest snoops at UA. They could probably hunt her down from the other side of the city and weasel out of her whatever gossip they were looking for. "If I didn't know now that I can at least hide myself with my quirk, I'd seriously consider calling in sick all next week. Even then, they both know where I live."
"Is that what you did during the exam?" He questioned, interest piqued. "I watched your match, but it was difficult to follow."
"Hmm, yeah I imagine it was." Hina smiled, thinking back on her fight. "I'd been toying with the idea of camouflage ever since I worked out how to project images. That was the first time I tried using it, though."
"You did well, by the way." He said, holding her gaze. "Sero isn't easily tricked, but he was struggling to keep up with you. And Mineta saw you as enough of a threat that he was forced to put aside his instinctive cowardice in order to pass."
Hina felt the red forming at her cheeks, pleased with his words of praise. Aizawa didn't give praise without reason, so she knew he meant every word. It was amazing, that feeling of validation and acknowledgement of her skills.
"Thanks..." Having finished her food, she closed the box up and set it down beside her, picking up her glass of wine to finish while they talked. "I think the biggest thing I learned from the match was that I am completely in control of my quirk. I'm not going to accidentally hurt someone unless I intend for it to. I'm not like Daichi."
"You never were." Aizawa said, curiosity marking his expression. "What ever made you think that to begin with?"
"My own...fears, I guess." She reasoned with a shrug. "But I don't think I'm afraid of it like I used to be. Which is some weight off of my shoulders I didn't realize I'd been holding on to."
He nodded, glad that she seemed much more at ease with her own power. He was relaxed and happy in her company. She turned to him then, smiling. "I went back and saw the replay of your match with Yaoyurozu and Todoroki. They're such capable students, no wonder they got in through recommendation. I was impressed."
"They struggled at first." He admitted with a shrug, finishing up his own food and setting it to the side. "But ultimately, they realized their weaknesses and adjusted their strategy. Todoroki learned to seek solutions from others, and Yaoyurozu regained the confidence she'd been lacking. It all worked out as I'd hoped."
"I saw you jump back at the last moment. Even I knew what they were going for with that tactic. You threw the match, didn't you?" She guessed, and he looked at her.
"Giving them a win every once in awhile is sometimes necessary. No use having them give up now while they still have the potential for more." He said resolutely, unabashed that he had intentionally lost for his students' sake.
"And here I thought I was going easy on Mineta and Sero." She laughed, shaking her head. "Now I know for sure. You're just a big softy, Aizawa."
"Don't go spreading rumors around." He grumped, doing his best to glare at her menacingly, but she could see past his fake annoyance. "And you were going easy. There were plenty of times you could have ended the match in the first five minutes, but you waited to see what they would do."
"You're right, you're right. Guess I'll just have to be given some more training then." Hina's smile widening in a teasing gesture. Part of her was thinking that the wine was beginning to go to her head. She wasn't normally this forward about the flirting she did engage with.
"Is that so?"
"Mhmm. Should I book an appointment?"
"I'll be pretty busy for the next few weeks. Not sure if I could fit you in my schedule." He replied evenly, eyebrow raised at her grin. His tone was serious, but the way he looked at her with amusement made it obvious he was only playing along.
She shimmied herself closer, setting the wine glass down so it wouldn't accidentally spill anywhere. Half-lidded eyes met his amused ones, and she flashed him a cheeky grin. They faced each other side by side against the couch, only a handful of inches apart. "I thought I was worth making time for?"
"Hmm..." His eyes trailed down to her lips. "I did say that, didn't I?"
"You did. So I hope you're a man of your word." She muttered, leaning forward to slowly erase the distance between them.
Their lips met in a slow kiss, neither feeling the need to hurry anything along. The scruff of his beard prickled her chin as they moved slowly against each other, her hands bracing herself on the floor so she could lean into him.
The documentary was left forgotten, playing white noise that both heroes ignored in the dim living room. She felt his hand cradle her cheek, the gentle stroke of his thumb under her eye soothing and brought on a sense of comfort. Hearing the small exhale of content, Hina smiled through the kiss, happy that she in some way was the cause of his pleasant mood.
Chest tight with the pure desire to simply kiss him, she reached out and grabbed at his shirt when he pulled away to breathe. His other hand wrapped around her waist, shifting them both so she was straddling his hips. Their eyes locked in a lazy stare, warmth evident in their gazes. They closed again when she kissed him again, this one just as slow and lazy as the first.
The hand at her cheek slid backwards into her hair, tangling his fingers in it and pulling her closer. The tip of his tongue swiped at her bottom lip, asking permission which she gladly granted. Her mouth opened to allow him entrance, and he delved in, tasting the red wine from her mouth.
Hina couldn't quite hold back her little whimper of need, feeling his arm slide from her waist to trail his fingers up her side, barely ghosting themselves on her shirt. If they continued at this rate, their mutually agreed upon decision to take things slow would be put to the test. She wasn't confident it would hold water, now that she could feel his arousal directly beneath her. Wine wasn't helping the mix.
"Mmm." She hummed, hands running up his chest to his shoulder. Their kisses grew short and quick, and she smiled again. "We...should stop." She managed in between kisses, not really believing her own words but hoping Aizawa's logic would swoop in for her.
Thankfully, his own reasoning seemed to come back to him, and he lingered for one last kiss before pulling them apart. Their foreheads rested together, breathing in the space between them to calm them down.
"Taking it slow..." He reminded them both with a tiny nod. Then a small grin lit up his face. "I'm a man of my word, after all."
Hina laughed with closed eyes, her nose scrunching up as she flashed him a smile, and he couldn't seem to look away.
She settled herself, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "It's so late..." She muttered, not looking forward to the walk home at this hour. Plus, if Aizawa insisted on walking her home like he normally did, he'd be forced to walk back on his own. It didn't sit well with her. Maybe she could convince him to let her leave by herself-
"Stay the night, if you want." He offered as if reading her mind, surprising the redhead. "You can borrow some clothes to sleep in."
Hina grinned. "What just happened to taking it slow?"
"Staying over doesn't have to mean sleeping together. The couch is pretty soft." He said with a shrug, not seeing the big deal. He'd just rather she didn't walk home in the dark, and he was too tired to escort her anywhere this late at night.
The redhead gave a little pout. "No bed?"
"Are we going slow or not?" Aizawa frowned, shaking his head in confusion.
"Fine, fine..." Hina muttered, smile returning. She finally got up from his lap so he could move, grabbing her unfinished glass of wine so it wouldn't spill. "I'm realizing how fun it is to tease you, Aizawa."
"You and everyone else, apparently..." He grumbled, quickly standing and grabbing the leftovers from the floor.
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