Passing Euphoria (Aizawa Shouta x Reader) (Commissioned Series)

Ch.9

Eri played the thirty seconds she knew by heart thrice and then like any little kid, finished her performance by slamming her hands as gently as she could over as many keys as she could reach. It was quite the final note and left its sound ringing in your head for a few moments.

"Are you sure that ending was in Little Bow Peep?" Aizawa asked, approaching Eri.

"Mirio said that I should take creative liberties! So, I thought a big finish would be like what he said, right?" Eri bubbled back, fingers still on her keys as if waiting for an encore.

"We need to tell Togata-kun to explain his big words a bit more..." You chuckled softly and then placed one of your hands onto the top of Eri's head. "But you played wonderfully. I could tell you've been practicing."

Eri nodded. "Yeah! Deku put a piano app on my tablet! I've been practicing a lot!"

"You did good, Eri." Aizawa complimented her as well. "You could become a very famous pianist if you keep working hard."

Eri nodded. "Maybe! I still don't know... a doctor or a hero or a librarian also all sound really cool!"

You chuckled and then paused as someone knocked on the door. The three of you turned to see a mop of blonde hair and a wide smile peeking in. Eri excitedly jumped down and dashed towards Mirio, as if her mentioning him had brought him to her.

"You missed it, Mirio!" Eri called out to him. "I just played the piano!"

"Was that the lovely song I heard from the hallway? The one that led me here to see who the musical genius was?!" Mirio feigned surprise.

"It was me! It was me!" Eri's own energy bounced off Mirio's.

"You have a very promising future as a piano player then. You should charge to play at weddings!" Mirio laughed and then turned to Aizawa. "Is it okay if I take Eri for a bit?"

Aizawa nodded. "Sure. What are you planning to do?"

Mirio could hear the hint of warning in Aizawa's tone and he chuckled as if to attempt to lighten the mood.

"Nejire suddenly decided that she wanted to make and decorate cupcakes... so I thought Eri might want to help us out, since Tamaki fears the oven as much as he does other people," Mirio explained, Eri's eyes widening at the words.

"Oh, Amajiki-kun..." You sighed. "Just when I get him to move past one irrational fear or anxiety, he suddenly has a new one that springs up."

"I'll tell him you're gonna want a list of all his irrational fears and worries then, sensei." Mirio laughed again. "That way you can try and tackle them all and not be surprised when a new one suddenly crops up."

"Thank you, Mirio. You're a lifesaver." You spoke as he and Eri started for the door.

"Thanks! I sure try to be one!!" Mirio hollered and then closed the door, leaving just you and Aizawa.

It was quiet for a moment and then you sighed gently. "Well, I should probably get back to looking over the notes from today's appointments."

You took a step towards the door, but of course, Aizawa was the type of person to end a conversation when he felt like ending it.

"Are you feeling any better today?" He asked you and you paused.

You swallowed a non-existent lump in your throat and then turned around to face the dark-haired man. You smiled and nodded to him. In truth, it wasn't a complete lie. You hadn't had a panic or anxiety attack in the last week and you'd even been motivated three out of five days this week to get out of bed!

"Yeah. I am." You spoke to him. "Thanks for looking out for me."

The lie in your statement was that despite how you avoided the worst your mental health could throw at you, you still were in some kind of funk. You were unmotivated a lot this week and had opted to pick up crappy convenience store takeout over actually making meals and letting the food in your kitchen go to waste. You just... couldn't find the need to care.

Aizawa hummed, and then looked around the music room. He had started to get to know you a lot better these last few weeks, especially your sneaky habits. So, seeing as the club you loved and worked so hard for had been dismissed early, he had a feeling something dark was still hanging above you.

He knew he shouldn't push you though, so instead, Aizawa changed the subject to something else, hoping that it would get you to talk and take your mind off things for a while. Even if it was for just five minutes.

"You've always been really good and patient with the students, and now Eri too. Did you have previous experience with kids?"

You shook your head. "Aside from my siblings, not much."

"You have siblings?" Aizawa muttered and then narrowed his brow in thought. "Now thinking about it, I don't think I've ever heard you mention your family much."

You shrugged. "There's not much to say, or have really any interest in. I'm the middle child between an older brother and a younger sister. My brother was always the prized kid growing up and my sister was the tiny princess. I was usually left on my own, especially when puberty hit and my quirk only got stronger."

You chuckled. "I'm not trying to say I was abused or neglected or anything of the sort... but, maybe someone who obviously suffered from 'middle-child syndrome."

Aizawa exhaled. "Do you get along with your family?"

You shrugged again. "Only when everyone's in a good mood, which isn't often. My parents and I but heads a lot. They aren't very happy that despite me being the first official 'hero' in the family, I'm helping students. They tell me and ask me time and time again why I'm not in the top 100."

"I'm sorry." Aizawa shook his head. "I shouldn't have asked so much."

You waved away his words. "It's fine. I just try to not think about them. I usually only hear or see from them when I'm either in the hospital or asking if I'm coming for the holidays. We don't... usually talk at any other point during the year."

Aizawa nodded towards you and then shrugged himself. "If it means or matters at all, I'm positive lots of students here see your work and your time as something they all appreciate. You may not be a top hero, but you certainly act like one when it comes to our student's mental health."

You flashed him a thumbs-up. "I try! I don't want any of them to end up as terribly off mentally as myself after all!"

You laughed at the comment as if trying to pass it off as nothing more than a poor-taste joke. Your laughter died out as soon as you said it and you ended the pitiful chuckle with a forcefully content hum.

Aizawa just looked at you before turning and heading to the door himself. He paused as he opened the door and turned back to look at you.

"UA doesn't let any student fall below the current, so don't let yourself drown when there are so many of us wanting to help pull you up." He spoke gently and then nodded to you.

He left a moment after that and you sighed. It wasn't like you wanted to drown... it was more like you had never been taught how to swim in the first place.