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Nejire sighed with an exhausted smile as Eri excitedly hopped in circles around her, the sheer endlessness of childish energy wearing her down slowly. Eri would run ahead a few metres before running back quickly, still too nervous to be far from someone she trusted. Hado hummed questioningly when Eri tapped her leg, chuckling to herself when the girl stuck out a small hand. She grabbed her fingers softly, letting the child drag her down the path to the 1-A dorms without complaint. Anything to keep her smiling.
As soon as the dorms pulled into view, Eri slowed down to the point Nejire nearly tripped over her, expression back to being nervous and shy once more. She grabbed the older girl’s hand in both of hers, holding it close to her face as they walked closer to the dorms. Despite being around Class 1-A for a while, she couldn’t help her nerves whenever she got closer to their dorms, the anxiety of being around too many people always coming back to greet her at the door.
Hado stopped in front of the stairs to the dorms, waiting for Eri to make the choice to walk in herself, knowing she would be able to find the courage to do so. The girl fidgeted on the spot, glancing up at Nejire before taking in a deep breath and stomping up the stairs. She raised her little fist and knocked on the door, eyes squeezed shut and other hand gripping Nejire’s tightly.
“Oh, Eri-san, Nejire-senpai,” Iida bowed in greeting. “I was just about to head out for a run, feel free to go inside, Midoriya-kun is on the floor so mind your step.”
With those odd parting words, he sped off into the distance, leaving the two standing in the doorway with confused expressions.
Eri peered her head into the room, creeping in quietly when she didn’t notice anyone around. Hado patted her on the head before beelining for the kitchen, wanting to make the child a snack while she went to find Izuku. The girl walked around the living room, eyes flitting around quicker the more time it took to find Izuku, until eventually she walked to one of the seating areas, not a soul in sight.
She made a quiet noise to herself, sad that Izuku wasn’t downstairs and she’d have to wait for Nejire to help her ride the elevator, when she heard a thump on the other side of one of the couches. She walked around the coffee table, slowly making her way towards the noise when she noticed someone was lying on the floor behind it. She hurried around the couch, making her way to the unused space behind it and she squeaked in surprise when she saw Izuku’s green hair.
“Hm?”
Izuku slowly tilted his head upwards, eyes locking onto the frozen girl as he did. She stared back at him, confusion written all over her face while patting the space on the ground next to him. She stepped over to him carefully before slowly lowering herself to the floor by his side. His eyes were focused on the ceiling and he moved his arm out of the way so she could lie down with him, not saying a word. After watching his chest rise and fall with quiet breaths, Eri turned on her side and slowly lowered her head onto his stomach, her fingers clutching at the side of his shirt.
One of Izuku’s hands came to cradle her own while the other moved to rest lightly on her head, fingers carding through her hair. Eri let out a small giggle when the boy sighed softly, his stomach pushing against her cheek. Distantly, she could hear the soft clatter of a ceramic bowl on the counter, the fridge door easing open and shut, and she tucked her knees to her chest, curling up against Izuku. He shut his eyes, not sleeping but simply resting on the floor.
After a few minutes of quiet, with nothing but the soft sounds of a knife on a cutting board, Midoriya blinked his eyes open to the sound of footsteps approaching and Nejire humming. He looked up, and the third year stopped by his head, waving at him as she crouched down, placing a bowl of fruit on the floor. Eri perked up at the appearance of the older girl, and she flipped onto her stomach, reaching over Izuku to grab one of the apple slices, quietly enjoying herself.
Without checking where the bowl is, Izuku reached a hand over, patting the floor aimlessly until he finally bumped the side of the bowl, grabbing a strawberry and bringing it to his mouth. Nejire giggles at him with Eri, reaching her own hand in to grab a fruit. The three of them remained on the floor for a while, Hado shuffling over so she could lean against the couch while Eri settled back down against Izuku’s stomach, slowly beginning to drift off to sleep.
When her breathing slowed to a quiet, barely there snoring, Nejire smiled softly and stood up, doing so slowly to avoid making noise. Izuku lifted the empty fruit bowl up, thanking her quietly as she took it and headed for the kitchen. As he shut his eyes, he could hear the sounds of a few of his classmates, likely Bakugou and his friends coming back from the shopping trip that Ashido had forced them all into going to. Nejire greeted them at the door, gesturing for them to keep their voices down.
Katsuki rounded the corner to see Izuku lying on the floor, eyes shut with his hands cradling Eri’s body against his, protected in his hold. He huffed, grabbing his phone and, after checking to see if his ‘extras’ were watching, snapped a quick picture of the pair, making a mental note to send it to Aizawa later. He shoved his phone back in his pocket not a second too late as Ashido came bounding after him, eyes lighting up at the sight of the two on the floor, and Bakugou quickly slapped a hand over her mouth as she let out a short squeal. He sighed and dragged her away back to the rest of the group, Nejire waving at them as they left for Kaminari’s room to compete with each other in a video game.
By the time Hado came back to the room, Izuku had fallen asleep fully, Eri snoring softly in her sleep. She took a seat on the couch nearby, sending pictures of the two of them to Mirio and Amajiki before settling on the couch, scrolling idly through her phone. Around an hour later, with various 1-A members having drifted in and out of the dorms, Eri’s snores cut off, and Nejire looked up to see her face scrunching up lightly, body curling into a tighter ball. Midoriya’s hands immediately wrapped around her tighter even in his sleep, but Eri still let out a soft whimper as her mind drove her deeper into her nightmare.
Before Nejire could move, Izuku’s eyes flew open and he sat up, gently pulling Eri into his lap to hug her to his chest. He managed to stand up while cradling her in his arms, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead as he walked over to the kitchen. Eri’s terrified whimpers began to die out as Izuku rocked her slowly, trying to wake her up. When her eye’s eventually eased open, she was seated in one of the stools by the kitchen counter and slid a fresh cup of hot chocolate towards her, Hado having made one while Midoriya worked on waking her up.
Eri bowed her head quickly in thanks before grabbing the cup, tiny hands quickly warming from the hot drink. Midoriya stood behind her, hands brushing through her hair and weaving the long white strands into small braids while she drank, and 5 braids later, Eri had finished her drink, ready to go back to Aizawa with Nejire. Before they left, Izuku took a photo of her hair, sending the picture to his teacher before letting Eri look, and with a happy smile on her face, Nejire picked up the younger girl and they left the dorms, somehow more sleepy than when they walked in.