"It's obvious you know who I am, so let's try something simple. Do you know who you are?"
I nod. Forcing myself to respond, but it's harder than it looks. Speech is one of those silly things we take for granted. You only realize how much you rely on it when the words refuse to come. When your head is lost in the riptide of your mind even the simple things start to become a constant struggle.
"I-I.. c-...c-can't.. sp-speak.. it's:.. I.."
"Hey, hey, it's ok. Take your time. You're still coming back to me kid. It's ok if you struggle with it as long as you're trying."
I nod, taking a deep breath, my head spinning but my thoughts focused on one thing and one thing only in the midst of the storm. I answer.
"I..I'm I-Izuku...I-Izuku Midoriya..I'm.. a student... at..UA.. You're my.. my teacher..."
"Good, You're doing good kid. Can you keep telling me things you know? Just random things. I need you to come back to us, kid. You can do it."
He leans me up against a wall and sits down in front of me, holding my hand with a comforting gaze. The storm calms, not enough to free me, but enough to let me breathe, which is a relief.
"K-Kacchan was with me earlier today.. he... he was scared... Kacchan is never scared... Is he ok?"
"Yes, Bakugou is fine. He was a bit shaken, but he's calmed down. You're doing good kid. Can you tell me more?"
He gave me a calming smile, the type I've only ever seen come from my mother. Something about it is warm and inviting, which is odd for Aizawa, but it helps. I guess this must be part of being a pro hero, comforting people. Eraserhead is one of the best so it's only logical that he would be good at this too.
"Oh..ok. Todoroki was t-there too. Some..thing... hap-happened with my quirk."
"Good. Can you remember anything after that?"
". I-Iida and Todoroki were fighting..over me... something about... about a secret? Iida wanted to know.. he wanted to know what happened and I... I didn't want to tell him yet... they started yelling and.. and the bad thoughts got louder... they were mean, but... but there was another voice there...it started to defend me"
At that Aizawa raised an eyebrow in intrigue... I'm too out of it to think about the significance of what I just said, but he's here and he's kind and I feel like I can trust him, like he's going to help me, like he can help me.
"Can you tell me more about these voices?" He asks, his tone calm and steady, gaze warm and inviting.
I nod.
"There's one that's always there. It's the mean one. It's the one that tells me I'm not good enough or that no one cares about me... it's normal. It's always been there... the new voice is different. It's wrong. It's not mine. The other voice is me, but this one sounds nothing like me. It's kinda like a ghost, a bunch of different voices merged into one. I don't like it. It's scary.."
"Sounds like it. Do you remember what it told you?"
"Ye-yeah, it was arguing with the other voice. It told me it was here to help, but when it spoke the pain came back. I think I was sparking again? I didn't notice at first until todoroki pointed it out. then it got worse."
"I was arguing with the strange voice, and it was mad at me. I can't remember why. Something about not letting people help? Then I figured out it was related to the sparking and I started to fight it. I asked if it was causing my sparks. It didn't deny it. I tried so hard to fight back, to hold it all in and make the lightning go away, but it just made things worse and then I...I think I blacked out..."
We sit there in a bit of an awkward silence.
"Thank you for trusting me, problem child. I promise we'll work through this. I'll help you control it.. there's no need to be afraid. I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you."
I let out an audible sigh of relief allowing my self to relax for the first time in years. I'm safe now. I don't have to fight on my own anymore. I'm not alone anymore. He's here and he's going to help me and everything is going to be ok.
"Are you ok with a hug kid?"
I nod and he wraps his arms around me. It's warm and safe and I don't know how to react because it's been years since I've felt like this.
I hadn't realized it, but I hadn't felt safe in a long, long time. I'd normally hesitate, but I couldn't help but believe him. So I cried. I cried and cried and cried, soaking his shirt with my tears as he held me against his chest and leaning my head on his shoulder, giving me a safe haven with his warm embrace.
It reminds me of my Mom, of how she would hold me when I was little and got hurt. How she would make me feel safe and chase all the demons away. It was nice. It felt like home, something I haven't had in a long time.
It was then that I realized the fog had lifted. The waters of my head were calm, the waves steady, the pressure in my throat disappeared. I was free.
"Thank you."
"No problem. Welcome back, kid."
