Behind the Laugh (EraserJoke fan-fiction)

Chapter 4

That night as Aizawa pit Eri to bed, Emi went to her room, the room with the secret door, and changed into her pajamas. A black loose t-shirt, with a faded smiley face and green pajama pants, asleep well worn.

As she drew the shirt over her body she winced as some of her movement disturbed her bruised areas on her sides. She lay down in the small twin bed, and began to check her phone. 

Fifty one missed messages and forty five missed calls flooded her cell phone. All of the from Kaito.

She deleted the calls, and began reading through the messages.

They were all the same, "The police came to our apartment, listen I know your getting these you little whore, when I see you again I swear you'll regret going to the cops."

Along with more insults, death threats and more cursing. Emi turned off the phone and began to cry silent tears, curled up against the pillows, tucked under the blanket.

She felt her heart grow heavy and she felt nauseous, everything in her life seemed to be going wrong, she was in an abusive relationship, no one ever takes her seriously because her quirk just forces people to laugh, she practically mediocrely mediocre, all any one cares about is if she's able to complete a stupid mission, and worst of all no one ever looks beyond the laugh.

The girl was falling into sleep when a knock came softly from her door. She thought about ignoring it but decided against the thought and slowly got up.

She stumbled in the dark as she reached for the door, opening it she saw Aizawa. He stood there still in his uniform, and when he saw her he gave a slight jerk before asking, "Where you able to set up a few devices? Our did you just play around?"

His voice was closed, and Emi felt that heart ache return. Right, because all that matters is if she accomplished her mission in the end.

Whipping her probably red eyes, she said, "Yeah, I set up the surveillance systems out side on the clothes line facing the wear house."

He nodded, but she interrupted whatever he was about to say, "If we are done chatting then I really should get to bed. I know it's casual clothes from here on out until the police have enough evidence to move in on the wear house."

She closed the door in his face. Turned and went to bed.
_______

That night she was plagued with nightmares, she felt every hit of that bat against her sides, every insult on her ears, she woke in a cold sweat, panting and crying.

Realizing that she couldn't sleep, she trapped the thin quilt-like blanket and headed down stairs and sat on the couch, wrapping herself in the blanket, and turned on the tv, placing it on the lowest volume.

Crazy Rich Asians came on and she found herself deeply engrossed in the movie, laughing and crying softly trying not to wake the rest of the house.

As she watched the man chase the woman on the plane and propose, the tears just fell down her face in a steady stream. Everything about her life flooded to her eyes, the abuse she went through by the hands of a man who said he loved her, and more importantly the one sided love she felt for the true man of her dreams.

Then she realized how stupid she was. Men never truly loved anyone. They just hurt. And hurt l. And hurt. She touched her sides and winced. She even thought about her early childhood where here gather beat then abandoned her and her mother, no, she had to seal her heart and hide behind that cracked mask.

"Joke."

She gasped as she was thrown out of her thoughts. There at the end of the couch was Aizawa. He looked terrible, his shaggy hair sticking up and knotted, his eyes slightly red from lack of sleep, and he was angry, angry that she had woken him up.

"Aizawa! I'm so sorry did I wake you up?" The look he gave her it was clear that she had. He looked at the movie that had just ended as another movie came on, The Pink Panther, and he sighed.

"What are you doing up? It's three in the morning." He asked gruffly, but his gaze was fixed on the hand she kept pressed to her side.

"Just couldn't sleep." She said shortly, turning her gaze on the tv. He growled.

"Don't give me that. Something's been up with you lately, what is it?"

She turned and snapped at him, "What do you care huh? You never cared before!" She whisper shouted.

He reeled like she had slapped him. His eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything. And she continued, "Honestly, it's none of your business. So why don't you just leave me alone."

With that she stood up, turned the tv off, and stormed out the front door into the chilled air and sat on the wooden swing. Tears welling in her eyes.

She felt the cooled air on her blazing skin as she swung on the seat, her thoughts spiraling out of control. She soared higher and higher, the air getting colder as she sweat.

She went so high she fell off the back of the swing. She laughed softly as she fell. She realized how much of a fool she was going that high.

She felt strong arms wrap around her and she fell into a solid figure. With a grunt her savior fell under her dead weight, and they collapsed into the dirt.

Emi groaned as she shifted and rolled over. Underneath her was the Erasure Hero Shota Aizawa.

He groaned and moved so he drew himself onto his elbows. Emi looked down at the man as she lay over him, straddling his hips.

He glanced up at the woman, "What is wrong with you!" He hissed, grabbing her wrists and wrapping her legs in his feet and flipped her.

Pinning her to the ground she glimpsed his face in the bright light of the porch light. He grabbed her shirt and pulled it up slightly, she startled.

"Who did this to you?" He growled, tentatively touching the bruises on her sides. She began to cry, "Leave me alone."

He tightened his grip on her wrists and flashed his eyes at her. She stopped thrashing, as he suddenly pulled her into a hug.

She relaxed into him, as his smell of pinewood and spice, he held her as she stopped her tears and began shaking.

"Who did this Emi." He said softly.

She looked into his dark eyes as she mumble her ex-boyfriend's name.