Era

7

Better to suffer this disappointment now than to get too invested in such a dangerous fantasy. Era winced, stumbling into an ungraceful landing. Okay. Maybe it still stung.

Because even so, a lot of doors had been slammed shut on her already crooked fingers, and now she was trapped in a worse situation than before: Suzuki Era existed, on paper, and applied to a high school. The address was just a P.O. box and her quirk was a bunch of forged documents and her name was just an alias; but nonetheless she existed. She was still and vulnerable, lingering for far too long. And now she didn't have the protection of UA and its halls full of pro heroes eager to guide and defend their students.

In short, she was fucked.

Maybe, maybe she could stay close to Shinsou. He was a smart boy, and she was positive he'd get into at least General Education. Some of that safety might rub off; if she disappeared then he would know she was gone, and he would have connections. It was just one more degree of separation, after all.

But something about dragging him into this made her sternum throb with a bone-deep ache that had nothing to do with the lingering bruises from another nasty tumble onto a fire escape. I destroy everything I touch, I burn it down I burn it all down—

It was the dependence, she decided. Relying too much on the kindness of what was effectively a stranger.

Her thoughts were beginning to cloud again, and Era grit her teeth against the encroaching gloom that seemed to always be thick in her ears and pressed against the inside of her ribcage. Slowing the frantic patter of her feet, Era drew out her phone once more and begin to scroll through the notifications. That initial report was definitely already dealt with, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything new; this was a dangerous neighborhood.

Only long years of brutally honed instinct had her sliding to her knees, barely ducking beneath a swath of snapping grey fabric before it pulled back once more.

"Give it a fucking rest already," she heard herself snarl before she was able to rein in her already scattered emotions and scramble to her feet, pivoting to face her attacker.

Eraserhead. Obviously. Era sank back on one foot, eyeing her escape routes even as she watched him draw his scarf back to the writhing mass around his neck, eyes giving away nothing beneath those god forsaken goggles. Fuck, did she really think this man was cool? He was becoming more of a nuisance than anything else.

"I could say the same to you." He took one step forward, and Era gritted her teeth around the urge to rush forward and meet him, taking one step back instead. "Been busy, lately?"

Was he... was he talking about her lack of activity? Sure, Era hadn't been donning the cape and mask quite so often, especially with the entrance exam coming up, but she hadn't thought it anything particularly novel. Everyone takes a vacation once and a while, heroes and villains alike. Although, in her case, "vacation" didn't seem like the most apt word.

"You been stalking me, Eraserhead?" She put on confidence, fastened someone aloof and carefree tight around her face, make them underestimate, make them think they know better, let them think you weak and then destroy them for it. She shook off those last thoughts, mask slipping before she tightened it once more. "I'm flattered, but you must have better things to do."

"You're a child. I think it's natural to be concerned."

Era rolled her eyes behind her mask, making sure to accentuate the motion with a tilt of her head so she could be sure that he knew exactly what she was doing. "I can take care of myself. I don't need a fucking sitter. Either do your job and arrest me or leave me the fuck alone."

"Oh, I'm going to arrest you."

"Big talk. All I'm seeing right now is an old man standing there and running his mouth."