A Lost Creation

Meanwhile... Goodnight, Star

You nod and sit back up, going through the pencil case Himiko bought back for you one day and passing him an eraser from it. He takes it, and carefully begins to rub at the dark lines you'd scribbled all over the artwork as you watch silently, nervous about whether he really could fix it or not.

"Why are you sad, Star?" Zero asks after gently erasing a decent chunk of the scribble out.

"I miss my dads." You reply honestly, finding a surprising amount of calmness in watching Zero correct the marks you'd left on the page in frustration.

He nods. "You all care a lot about each other. I'm sure they miss you too."

"If they missed me, they'd be here." You argue sadly.

Zero pauses to look up at you, that ever-present soft upward curl of his lips still there. He always seemed so calm and friendly, you wonder how he did it when everyone else in your family was so excitable and expressive.

"Sometimes as an adult, you have to do things that you don't want to do, but you have to do." Zero explains. "I'm sure Dabi would rather be here watching you draw, and that Shigaraki would like to be with you playing your games, too."

Zero looks back down at the page, continuing to work gently on rubbing out the pencil marks.

"But why do they have to?" You ask.

"Responsibility." Zero replies, keeping his eyes on the paper. "To make sure that everyone is looked after and to ensure they're providing and doing the best that they can for everyone else, even if it means they can't be selfish for a while."

"Being an adult sounds like it sucks." You reply sourly.

"It does. That's why it's important you don't grow up too quickly." Zero smiles a little more genuinely as he glances at you. "Everyone is trying to make sure you have the childhood you deserve. Enjoy it."

"Do you like being an adult, Zero?" You ask, leaning your face on your fist.

His face goes blank like it does sometimes, but the soft smile is back in a second anyway. "It's nice now I have you all."

You hum. You could understand that. Even with how mad you were at the moment, you were your happiest in your new home with the family you'd dreamed of having when you were little.
Zero erases the remainder of the hard pencil marks and smiles up at you.

"Now you can continue." He says, his odd eyes almost sparkling.

"Thank you Zero." You say, looking in amazement at the job he'd managed to do on getting rid of the evidence of your frustration.

"Please may I stay here and watch?" He asks, searching your eyes with his.

You nod, more than willing to have Zero's calming influence near you while you attempt to finish the drawing for Tomura a second time.
He grins at you, the act pulling at the stitches running down his cheek.
You return back to your drawing quietly, the only sound in your bedroom that of the scratching of your pencil against the paper as you continue where you had been with your shading as Zero watches the pencil move intently.

"Zero, how come you have all those stitches?" You ask after a while.

"My body was put back together from lots of pieces. Like a puzzle." Zero explains, touching the stitches under his eye thoughtfully. "These won't be forever. Once they're gone, I'll simply have scars instead."

You furrow your brows. Dabi had said something about his jaw not being his jaw once, but you'd assumed it was a lie because he was saying lots of weird things that day. But Zero hadn't lied before that you knew of, and he says it so calmly and genuinely you almost believe him.