Perhaps a Better Place [A Dadzawa Story]

Lovely: Chapter 19

     I think, at some point before I began high school, Aizawa became more a trusted friend than a teacher or a pro hero. Of course, I still saw him as my favorite hero and someone I aspired to be like, but he was so ready to listen to everything that I had to say.

     I had never had anyone like that.

     He was ready to understand and help me, giving me advice and everything. I always took his advice to heart, but no matter what I did, nothing ever changed.

     My life still sucked.

***

     I wake up to the sound of my phone's alarm blaring on the nightstand. I reach over and unplug it, dismissing the alarm.

     I kick my blankets off and slide out of bed, then realize I'm still in Aizawa and Present Mic's house. I let out a content sigh.

     I notice a folded pile of clothes on the dresser and step closer, recognizing my school uniform.

     I take my time changing and brushing my hair, and I'm grateful that I don't hear fighting in the background.

     I leave the bedroom after grabbing my backpack and the bag of hygiene things that Midnight bought for me.

     I enter the bathroom and shut the door behind me, taking care of everything I need to.

     After a small amount of time, I leave the bathroom and walk down the hall.

     Present Mic is making breakfast when I walk into the kitchen. He looks up from making eggs.

     "Oh! Good morning! I wasn't going to wake you up for another half hour."

     "Ah, I usually wake up earlier. Sorry."

     "No, no, it's okay! I like the company. Take a seat, I'll get you something to drink. Water? Juice? Tea?"

     "Um, water is fine," I say, sitting at the breakfast bar.

     "You got it," he says, reaching into the fridge and grabbing two water bottles. He hands them both to me. "Put one in your backpack for later. Hydration is key!"

     I smile softly and do as he says.

     A few minutes pass of Present Mic practically dancing around the kitchen as he makes breakfast while I watch him with silent envy.

     The front door opens and closes and we watch the entrance as Aizawa walks in.

     "Welcome back, Shō!" Present Mic greets, pouring coffee into two large thermoses. He gives one to Aizawa.

     "Morning. Did you get any sleep?"

     "A bit," Present Mic says. "I'm gonna sleep more after school before I patrol tonight. You have off, don't you?"

     "Yeah, just some paperwork." Aizawa glances at me and takes a seat. "What about you? Did you sleep okay?"

     "I slept through the night, yeah. Did you sleep at all?"

     "I took a power nap as soon as we got home. I'll sleep a little at school and sleep more afterward. It's what I usually do."

     I nod and uncap my water bottle, though I don't drink out of it.

     I take a deep breath.

     "I'm gonna go home after school today."

     "What?" Present Mic nearly drops the spatula he was using to make eggs. "I mean, are you sure that's a good idea? I," he places the spatula down on the counter and crosses his arms, "I'm not really at liberty to stop you, but I don't think you should go."

      "I won't be there long. I just have a few things I need to take care of before I come back. Promise."

     Present Mic seems to think about it for a bit before nodding. "Okay, okay. Just, be careful, yeah?"

     "I will. Don't worry."

***

     After driving to school, Present Mic breaks off to the teachers' lounge with enthusiastic farewells.

     "I envy how he still has energy when he's supposed to have none," I mumble bitterly. Aizawa nods.

     "That about sums up the entire sixteen years I've known him."

     He turns and starts ascending the stairs. I follow after him quickly.

     "What are we doing in class today?" I ask.

     "Basic things. I'm sure it'll be easy for you."

     "And what about heroics?"

     "I'm teaching that today. We're going over apprehension protocol."

     "Is this my fault?"

     "This does happen to be your fault."

     "Will it at least be fun?"

     "You get to tackle most of your classmates to the ground. I'm sure you'll find enjoyment in that."

     "Damn straight."

***

     The day is easy, just as Aizawa said it would be. Present Mic almost fell asleep during his own class. It got to the point where Yaoyorozu practically begged him to go sleep in the teachers' lounge.

     Yaoyorozu ended up teaching the English class. She'd make a great teacher.

     Now, we're getting ready for our last class of the day, Foundational Hero Studies.

     The rest of the girls change out in the locker area while I change in the bathroom stall.

     My hero outfit is not nearly as revealing as the others. Except for Jirou, of course. I'm not shaming them, I'm incredibly happy that they have the self-confidence that they do.

     I love my hero outfit. I've been obsessed with it since day one. I wear a pair of baggy, black joggers that are made out of something similar to denim. They have many, many pockets down the legs. At the bottom, they're tucked into badass combat boots.

     I feel like I own endless pairs of combat boots. They making kicking ass easy, what can I say?

     As a shirt, I wear a simple white hoodie. Over that, I wear a holster with two straps crossing over my chest to make an 'x'. It clips in the back, securing it around my torso. It has a pouch on the side that holds emergency first aid equipment. On the other side, there are four viles held by elastic bands. Each vile contains five shots of espresso to fuel my quirk.

     It's bitter and gross drinking espresso straight, but it works best.

     Over my face, I wear a black gasmask with tinted lenses. Purely because it looks fucking badass. There's also a button that opens the mask over my mouth so I can drink the espresso viles.

     On my hands, I wear black gloves that have steel fingertips.

     I leave the stall and fix my hair in the mirror. Without another word, I leave the changing room and enter the training area.