Double Life

Chapter 15

As she had for the past week or so out of the hospital, Juvi woke up to Eraserhead looking just as greasy and worn out as the first time she'd seen him.

Unlike all those other days, though, instead of rushing out the door before she could so much as utter a word (busy, busy man), he closed his eyes and rubbed them hard.

"Have you taken a shower at all in the past week?"

"I don't think it's appropriate for a child to comment on an adults hygiene habits," he said, voice tinged with pain. He reached into his pocket and took out his eye drops, which he proceeded to administer.

"Maybe you should part-time something. Maybe get a wife who can nag you to take care of yourself. But, your greasy habits aside, I know where Oboro Shirakumo is--"

His hand jerked and eyedrop hit his cheek instead.

"--and he isn't entirely dead."

Eraserhead lowered his eyedrops, eyes closed, took a deep breath, then went back to painstakingly taking aim to drop them into the corners of his eyes.

"Pushing aside where the hell you got info like that, true or not, what the hell are you trying to get out of me, kid?"

"A few things," Juvi said honestly, wishing she was having this conversation in clothes and setting that gave her a bit more maturity than her paisley pink pajamas and bed head. "Your assistance in training because All Might is a terrible teacher--"

"All Might--what the hell---"

"--as well as taking down some villains before they do crap." She paused, reconsidering for the uptenth time whether she should say this and deciding, what the hell. "And I like you and want to help."

He blinked at here, both in surprise and to help get the eyedrops moved around. She could practically see the thoughts churning in his head: 'Welp, this girl's broken in the head in more ways than one. Can't fix that.' As well as, 'How can a thirteen-year-old girl help in anything outside of babysitting?'

"It's my quirk," she said quickly.

"Uh-huh."

"I can prove it! Go ask All Might--"

"I don't have time to hunt down All Might--no, I'm offended. What the hell are you doing in my business?"

"It's my QUIRK! I can't help it!"

"Forgive me if that sounds like an excuse."

"Juvi?" Her mother poked her head around the cracked door. The scent of applesauce muffins followed after her. "Everything okay in here?"

Both Juvi and Eraserhead looked at her mom for a moment, computing in their sleepy brains. Then they glanced at each other.

"Your daughter is just very invested in my personal hygiene," he said.

At the flush of embarrassment, Juvi snapped back, "You smell like BO and week-old coffee!"

"Juvi!" her mother cried. "That was rude!"

Juvi hung her head back with a puff of air. So much for honesty. It wasn't like she was afraid of hurting Eraserhead's tender feelings.

"I'm so sorry, sir, I know it sounds strange, but it just means she likes you. She tends to be a bit sassy when she's fond of someone."

"Mom! Stop talking about me like I'm a quirky cat!"

Eraserhead just shrugged. "Didn't bother me none. If you'll excuse me..."

"Of course. Thank you again, so much, for doing this."

He gave a nod, and left.

Which left Juvi to be faced by the wrath of her unamused mother. The lecture shook her very bones. She all but cheered when she was allowed loose cram school. She'd already tested out of middle school a few weeks earlier. Thus, she was in a last minute prep class for high school exams rather than in a normal eighth grade homeroom with Bakugou and Izuku. She was only in the prep class to refresh her memory on all the subjects that had nothing to do with math, because most of her advanced schooling came from the American education system, not the Japanese. That meant history was all weird and literature was weirder. And just because she could speak English didn't mean she knew all the ins and outs of the grammar. They called her a genius, but really it was just an extra thirteen years of schooling, and no one remembered all of their education. The game show " Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader ," existed for a reason.