Perhaps a Better Place [A Dadzawa Story]

Elegant: Chapter 14

     No one notices when I walk into the kitchen. At least, not at first. A woman with glasses and dark violet hair in a messy bun spots me, and she smiles. Casual Midnight is something I didn't think I'd ever see. 

     "Ah, you're awake! Did you sleep well?" She asks, with the familiarity of a person who has known me for years.

     I simply nod before looking between Aizawa and Present Mic nervously.

     "Dinner will be ready soon, kiddo, so take a seat and chat for a bit!" Present Mic grins. He and Aizawa are still in their hero get-up.

     "Did you wake up at all after you fell asleep?" Present Mic asks.

     "Only once or twice, but it was around six in the morning. I slept for the rest of the time. What time is it, anyway?"

     "Five thirty," Midnight says after looking at her watch.

     "I slept for over 12 hours," I say, looking at Aizawa and Present Mic worriedly.

     "You needed it," Aizawa says. "Besides, it's not like you missed much. Mic brought your homework back for you, but I'm sure you'll knock that out in no time."

     "Forget homework, for now, we need to talk about other things." Midnight smiles, leaning on her elbows. "What are your plans for today?"

     "Um, I have today's homework. I don't really have anything else in mind."

     "Fantastic! It's settled, today is a shopping day!"

     "Uh, wh-"

     "No rejecting, you need a bit of retail therapy. It'll help clear that mind of yours, I promise."

     "But, aren't there more important things that have to be taken care of?"

     "Nothing that needs to be done today." Aizawa stands and walks to the sink, taking the empty mugs of coffee from his companions. "Today is a day of rest. Have some fun without having to be scared of anything. Invite your friends, do whatever you need to do in order to be worry-free."

     "But, all my money is at my dad's house."

     "Also not a problem!" Present Mic says happily, "We got it covered."

     "What?" My eyes widen, and I shake my head frantically. "No! I can't let you do that. No." 

     "Too late," Midnight chuckles, "we've already decided. Now go, get dressed. I brought over a box of some of my old clothing, so feel free to look through for whatever you'd like."

     "It's in the guest bedroom," Aizawa cuts in. "And don't worry, they're all clothes from her emo phase, so you should have no problem finding something comfortable."

     "I feel like I should be insulted," I say as I reluctantly walk to the guest bedroom. The adults laugh in the kitchen as I shut the door. 

     As promised, there's a box of clothes sitting on the floor at the edge of the bed. I walk over and open it, and they smell freshly washed. She didn't have to do that, or any of this, but I am grateful she did. These clothes are about fifteen years old.

     Sifting through lazily, I will admit that Midnight has good taste in clothing. Ripped jeans, black t-shirts, the jewelry, all of it.

     I pull out a long-sleeve shirt with small black and white stripes, then black ripped jeans. Looking through again, I find a simple yellow t-shirt.

     Happy with my findings, I change quickly. Everything fits perfectly, though the t-shirt is a little big. I like it that way, though.

     Finding a pair of suspiciously new-looking socks, I pull them on, then pull on and tie my combat boots. 

     I leave the bedroom with my pajamas bundled up in my arms. 

     "Aizawa-Sensei, is there a laundry basket anywhere?" I call down the hallway.

     "Behind the bathroom door, kid." 

     "Thank you!" I say as I walk the opposite way of the kitchen. Pushing the bathroom door open with my foot, I look behind the door and drop the clothing in. 

     When I hear footsteps coming down the hallway, I turn my head and see Midnight with a plastic bag. She smiles and holds it out.

     "I got you some things I wasn't sure you had here. Deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, hairbrush, other girl things."

     "Miss Midnight, you didn't have to. Isn't this a bit much?"

     "Absolutely not! It's not a problem at all. In fact, it's fun for me."

     I look between her eyes and the bag in her hands, then nod with a small sigh. "Thank you, Miss Midnight."

     "Oh, please, just call me Nemuri."

     "Your... Your real name?"

     "Well, yeah. We're not at school and I'm not on hero duty, so it's fine. Now hurry along, dinner will be ready any minute."

     "Ah, um, okay. I'll be out in just a minute. Thank you, again."

     "No problem, Sweetie."

     She leaves me as I shut the door.

     Looking in the mirror, I realize my eye-bags aren't completely horrendous. They're still pretty bad, but 12 hours of sleep seems to have helped, even if it's just a little.

     I watch myself blink slowly a few times before untying the plastic bag.

     Quickly taking care of everything I need to, I look in the mirror again as I run a brush through my hair. It's knotted from moving so much in my sleep, but I'm not sure what I can do to fix that.

     I bare my teeth and inspect them, watching the light glint off the two foremost teeth. I can't bring my lips up into a natural smile, so I settle for my usual grimace. Tokoyami once told me that my Resting Bitch Face could rival Bakugou's, and at the time, I had doubted it. But I think I get what he means.

     There are small lines between my eyebrows from my constant look of dissatisfaction. There's no smile-wrinkles at the corners of my eyes, no dimples in my cheeks. There's a scar that corrupts my bottom lip.

     I don't think I'm pretty. I don't think I'm anything worthy of being praised or admired.

     I can't stand the sight of my own skin, covered in scars and burns and bruises that never seem to fade.

     I wonder how Todoroki got his scar. I bet it's from something far more admirable than mine were.