synchronicity || one
words: 3.8k
warnings: death, anxiety, and aizawa’s a softie
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a/n: so here it is !! the first official chapter to my new series for todoroki !! i’m working on the next chapter asap and some other stuff so this isn’t the only thing on this account ! and i do have more works on my other blog if you’re interested lol but anyways tell me what you think, i’ve been working my butt off to get this fic out there (after almost three years of me planning and writing it asklfdjrw) and i’ve planned everything up to season four so far, so i just gotta write it all out now ! <3
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The look on her father’s face was etched into Aya’s mind. The way his eyes met hers sent a terrifying chill up her spine. Aya barely felt the weight of her bag as it dropped to the floor. Her feet felt cemented—stayed glued to the ground. She tried blinking to get the look of horror on her dad’s face out of her head but that hadn’t worked. His eyes begged for her to run. Told her that there was no hope. Assured her that the villain that invaded her home was there to kill.
She wanted to help her parents but she didn’t even know how. Anger and sadness coursed through her body as she tried to think about what to do. Aya began to panic, her breathing labored. Her lungs seemed to have stopped working—seemed to have stopped registering oxygen—it was like her body knew that something awful must have happened to her parents before her mind did. She vaguely remembered seeing her dad starting to fall apart in a man’s hands. Aya thought there may been more people with him there. The place she’s called home suddenly didn’t feel like hers anymore, it felt foreign and cold. Her hands were shaking as she slowly turned away. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she tried to move, barely shifting her leg before she heard something loud. She would never be able to take all of them on, let alone even one of them.
They were villains and she was just a fifteen year old girl.
Her quirk wouldn’t do her any good here. Aya didn’t know how to fight and she could barely control her quirk to begin with. She couldn’t hear anything, not with the blood pumping in her ears and heart hammering her chest. Aya needed help. Her parents needed help. Something was terribly wrong. What was happening? Her parents were right there! They were just in front her. They always waited for her to get home. She was home! Where were they? Where were they?
She thought she should scream to try and get someones attention but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. Aya heard the villain call out to her, her feet picking up finally. She remembered her dad’s face and she wondered where her mom was. She hadn’t seen her before she turned around. Aya slowly looked at her wrist and figured this was probably the only time she would be able to use her quirk against these people. She just needed to get away. Her feet stopped and she grabbed her left arm, looked to the metal mechanism staring back at her. The clock hands were small and she envisioned them stopping before she closed her eyes. She only had seconds to do something.
Only 10.33 seconds to run, to try to get away. It would just give her a head start.
Everything finally stopped and she turned back just to look, just to peek at the horror behind her. A man with ashen blue hair was inches away, hand nearly touching her shoulder. His face seemed adorned with a hand obstructing any real discernible features. Aya felt goosebumps rise under her school uniform. All the air left Aya’s lungs and her eyes watered as she looked behind him to see no sign of her parents.
eight seconds.
The reality of her situation sunk in and Aya felt her self wanting to throw up her breakfast from that morning.
six and a half seconds.
Aya stopped, felt her hands shaking again. She didn’t have time to sit around and wait for help. The clock in her head was slowly running out. Aya didn’t want to leave her parents but she had no other choice.
less than three seconds.
Her legs felt stuck and she punched her thigh to get it to budge. The pain grounded her and she felt her legs move.
two seconds.
Aya didn’t look back as she slowly but surely moved to reopen the front door. The world felt like it was put on pause when she used her quirk. Everything seemed to stop and she felt so alone. Her trembling hand grasped the cold handle and she pulled it open without a second thought. The outside world seemed to be in peace when she saw it. The few people on her street seemed to be content, their faces unmoving and she wished she could feel like them. She didn’t want to feel what she was feeling in this moment. Everything hurt and she just wanted to lay down.
one second.
Aya’s eyes scanned the streets once more when she reached the end of her driveway.
time’s up.
The wind pricked against her skin, it felt nice. Everything around her picked back up again and she heard the Earth and all its sounds come rushing back, nearly migraine inducing. The world seemed to be unaffected as she stood their shaking in the setting suns rays.
She saw a man dressed in all black with some type of cloth wrapped around his neck. This man was the closest thing to her. Aya wanted to scream for help, wanted someone to come to her aid. She felt the urge to puke. The bile rising in her throat was beginning to burn. She ran to the man in black, praying that he would save her. A loud scream coming from her house nearly stopped her in her tracks but she pushed forward. The man she was hoping would help caught her eyes when the jarring sound dissipated in the quiet neighborhood. He seemed concerned.
Aya didn’t know but her cheeks were stained with tears and she was still gripping her arm so hard she was bleeding.
She turned around and caught the eyesight of the blue haired man. Aya heard more yelling and she flinched away. Her body moving backwards on its own accord. The villain was closer than she thought, trying to reach out for her once again. Aya backed into something while she tried to stay away from the terrifying man. Arms wrapped protectively around her body, their grip nearly bruising with its protectiveness. The villain that Aya could now get a good look at was covered in hands from head to toe. How had she not seen them all before? Aya felt her knees give out and and the man hugged her trembling body closer to his. He felt warm against her back and she felt the tears freely flow down her face. The villain in front of Aya stopped, gazed at the pair with a curious expression. Aya watched as he staggered back to her house. She felt the man behind her ask the villain something but couldn’t quite make it out. The villain seemed to hesitate now and Aya almost wanted to laugh as he was the one who seemed scared of the man in black. A dark colored smoke emerged from her front door and the man holding Aya was frozen as he watched the scene unfold. The villain laughed as he stepped into the smoke and waved a goodbye to her.
It felt like a silent and deadly promise that he would be back, that he would get what he wanted in he end.
Then he was gone. And it was suddenly quiet again.
Aya stood there with the man holding her, after moments of nothingness, she finally exhaled. Her lungs filling with air and she coughed at the feeling, a bitter taste was beginning to make way into her mouth. Her body felt weak and the man behind her let both of their bodies gravitate to the ground, her knees hitting the hard pavement first. Aya felt like she was underwater and she watched the man come into her eye sight. His mouth moving but no real sounds coming out. He stared back at her and Aya felt so small under his gaze. He hung his head and let his hold on her go. She watched him walk into her house and even though her quirk wasn’t active, she felt time slow around her as she waited for him to come back out. Her eyes wandered away from her home and she saw bags on the road. Basic groceries spilled out onto grey concrete, flung down in haste. She looked back at the front of her house, guilt consuming her along with too many other emotions she couldn’t even name. The man dressed in black popped out and closed her front door. Cellphone squished between his shoulder and ear as he walked over to girl collapsed on the ground. He crouched down to meet her eyes and she felt more tears beginning to form. The man grabbed his own sleeve to wipe Aya’s face. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing as he brushed the tears away. Her parents were not with him.
She knew what that meant.
“What’s your name?” The man seemed to ask her when she finally reopened her eyes. His dark gaze seemed softer now, and she noticed that this was first time she had felt safe since leaving school that day. His voice was crystal clear and Aya felt her self wanting to hold the man’s hand. Instead, she brought her hand to lay on her lap. “I’m the Pro Hero Eraserhead,” The man seemed to wait for Aya’s brain to catch up as he sat on the ground fully. “Want to tell me your name?” She played with her fingers before looking up at him, a nervous habit she had since she was little.
“Aya Nanase.” He nodded when she breathed her name before pointing towards her house with his thumb. The young girl followed his gaze and felt a lump form in her throat.
“Do you know what happened here, Aya?” She shook her head and the hero watched the way her hands made fists.
“I just came home from school, and I saw–“ she couldn’t even think. “I came back to that.” Aya wanted to curl up on the ground as she thought about her father’s face again. “Did they hurt you?” A small shake of the head came from the girl but the pro seemed to sense her discomfort.
“I called the cops and an ambulance just in case, but I’m going to stay with you until they all arrive, okay?” He reached for her hand and Aya let his bigger hand encase hers. She liked the warmth it provided and found her self not wanting to let go. A few moments had passed and Eraserhead squeezed her hand, “Hey, what’s your quirk?” Aya felt her body go cold as she finally thought about it. Were those villains after something specific? Were they after her family, or for her? Was this man trying to figure that out? Aya’s brain racked through possibilities and ideas as the man watched her carefully. Her brain seemed to place the last piece of the puzzle together and she realized what happened.
“They, the villains I mean, they must have been after my quirk. They must want it for something.” Her heart was pounding in her chest and Eraserhead regarded her strangely.
“Aya, let me ask you again. What is your quirk?” The tone of his voice made Aya grip his hand tighter and she inhaled before looking him in the eye. Aya knew she didn’t have a choice in telling the man her quirk, the secret had to be told in order to understand what happened at the Nanase household.
“It’s time related. I can manipulate time within a certain limit.” Aya watched his eyes go wide and he breathed sharply before looking at the ground. She didn’t know how to react to this, her family never told anyone besides their closest family members about her quirk. The power that was behind it was too much for the world, and her family decided a long time a go to keep it to themselves. No one knew about it, not friends and certainly not strangers. She had no choice and her heart broke a little at the secret coming out to someone she didn’t even know. Eraserhead seemed to be in deep thought as Aya firmly held his hand, squeezing it with her small trembling fingers. “No one knows about it. My family, they kept it from the world afraid of the consequences. No one in the entire world knows, no one is supposed to know. My parents are going to be so mad that I told you,” she froze, biting her lip as the words escaped her. Aya took a shaky breath, “Please, you have to keep it a secret,” she nearly whimpered.
“Aya, I’m sorry, but your parents they-“
“I know,” she closed her eyes, knowing that if she looked at him she would cry. Eraserhead stayed quiet, if he wanted to say more he refrained. It was as if he knew that nothing he could ever come up with would comfort the young girl in mourning. So instead, he just held her hand.
The sound of sirens made Aya’s ears feel like they’d rupture, more and more of them kept coming. Her grip on the hero’s hand grew tighter as more people started surrounding them. She felt small compared to all the adults looming over her. The young girl kept her head down. She could see her long brown hair fall into her lap. Aya wanted to go inside her home and nap. This day had felt terribly long and all she wanted was to put her head on her own pillow. Aya felt Eraser’s hand dance around her own, but it never fully left hers as he explained the situation to the people around.
Two small squeezes drew Aya’s attention back to the man sitting next to her. Her eyes widening as she finally looked at her surroundings. A lump began to form in her throat again. Cop cars and officers littered her front lawn and the neighboring areas, a few smaller pro’s could be seen throughout the chaos as well. They seemed to all be in shock as they left her house and talked amongst themselves quietly. It just made her want to scream.
Someone cleared their throat and she turned. Aya finally found the hero already looking at her, his eyes seemed full of something that Aya couldn’t quite place. Eraser watched her face as he slowly let his hand fall from hers as the EMT’s reached to touch the young girl’s shoulders.
That image—and just that feeling alone—brought the terror and horror back.
Aya felt her blood run cold the moment the warmth of the hero’s hand left her. The lingering image of the villain almost grabbing her flashed through her head as the person behind her clamped their hands down. Her shoulders felt heavy and suddenly that fear from earlier came rushing back and she felt her hands reach for her arm. The man with blue hair seemed to be invading her thoughts as she was lifted from the sitting position. Eraser watched her carefully and was already on his feet when he saw Aya’s reaction. Her knees buckled and she started falling. Her mouth opened and her lungs seemed to be working on their own. Aya could vaguely hear the screams coming from her own body but barely recognized the sound. Her arms flew out to cushion the small fall. The need to look behind her was overwhelming and her brain was screaming at her to do it, she came face to face with what she assumed was paramedic’s. The screams seemed to go on and Aya knew people were looking but she couldn’t find her self to care. She frantically tried to get away from the two adults in front of her even though she knew they were harmless, her mind conjuring up the images of the villains instead. Warm hands seemed to lightly touch her upper arms. The feeling of relief flooded through her as she felt the tension leave her slowly. She remembered that warmth from earlier. His fingers seemed to slowly tighten around the surface of her arm.
It was Eraserhead reminding her that he was there.
“Aya, I need you to breathe. You’re okay, no one’s here to hurt you. These people just want to help you. Let us help you. You’re safe.” Aya felt his breath hit her ear and she closed her eyes trying to get the image of the villain out of her head. She nodded to show she was okay and he seemed to relax at that, shoulders slightly sagging in relief. Aya watched as the EMT’s agreed with whatever the man in black was saying. The pro helped her to her feet again and they began moving towards the ambulance. Eraser lifted his right arm to fit over her entire back, careful to not touch her shoulders. His right arm seemed to have a tight hold on her as they stepped past people. He only let his arm fall from her to reach for her left hand so she could get into the back of the ambulance. The stretcher sheets were cold under her legs, and she felt her self clutching the man’s hand at the temperature of the car. The doors slammed shut and Aya flinched at the sound of two loud bangs. The other medic ran to the front and the car moved a minute later.
Aya’s muscles were yelling at her and she leaned back in the reclined stretcher, her head met the hard cushion and she let her eyes close. She needed to breathe and calm down. Eraser’s hand moved a bit as he fussed for his phone, Aya reopened her eyes to see the hero watching her already. She felt small under his gaze again as he brought the device to his ear. Aya chose to look down at their hands, his seemed to cover hers almost entirely. Goosebumps rose on her skin as it reminded her of her dad. Aya wasn’t paying enough attention to figure out who he was calling. The only thing she understood was the statement about needing to meet him at the hospital they were going to. He helped Aya out of the taller vehicle and she felt him reach for her hand again, Aya envied his warmth because she was just so cold. She sat through a small exam where they checked her over and asked questions until they deemed her healthy enough to sit and wait.
Eraser never let go of the small girl’s hand.
The pair then followed the two EMT’s through the hospital to a room where they were told to get comfortable and wait. Once she was comfortable enough on the hard bed, two small knocks came from the other side of the door. The door opened and Aya felt her nails dig into the side of his hand but the pro merely squeezed her hand in reassurance.
A small mouse-like-creature came through first, followed by a women Aya recognized as the Pro Hero Midnight. The two stopped and looked back at the door, Aya felt uneasiness start to sink in again but it disappeared as another hero stepped in. All Might seemed flustered as he closed the door quietly behind him. Aya made eye contact with the number one hero, and he smiled back at her.
“You know, Eraserhead, I didn’t think you’d be one for handholding.’’ All Might’s voice seemed to fill up the entire room and Aya saw Eraserhead roll his eyes as her hand was squeezed again. It was like he wanted to show her than the other hero’s teasing didn’t bother him. “Anyways, what was so important that we all needed to be here?” Eraserhead told them everything that happened and looked at Aya every once in a while to make sure the details were right. The information flowed out of him and once he finished the room grew cold and the air felt thick. The silence in the room was defeated by the smaller man walking to the chairs and taking a seat before speaking.
“So, you want to enroll her at U.A to keep her safe and keep an eye out for the villain that attacked her and her family?” The pro nodded and once again squeezed Aya’s hand as she looked up at him. She watched the other three look at one another with confused faces and Aya felt her fingers twitch with anxiety.
“Trust me with this one, please.” Eraser’s voice seemed to be almost begging the others. All Might’s smile even faltered before the corners raised again as if he didn’t want to falter in front of her. “We can officially say it was on recommendation and that we tested her on a different day then the others.”
“Now hold on a second Aizawa, what even is her quirk? And what about her other family members, we can’t just take her away from that.” Midnight questioned the man dressed in black with hands on her hips. Aya went numb at the question as she awaited Aizawa’s answer.
“Teleportation.” He said cooly with a hint of hesitation in his voice. Midnight let her hands fall as she accepted his statement. The other heroes seemed to let his answer go, despite sensing something off it. Aya felt her body relax against the cold bed. “I had the police look into it before we left the scene and the rest of her family lives back in South Korea... She has no one Midnight.” Aizawa lightly brushed his thumb against the back of Aya’s hand before he looked back at the trio, “I’ll explain when the time’s right, but for now, just trust me on this.”
“I trust you.” All Might’s usual booming voice was softer than normal and Aizawa nodded towards the hero as a thank you. Two sighs could be heard and the small mouse got up from his seat, walking over to the pair near the bed.
“I guess this means we should at least look into starting the new project I’ve been wanting to implement for a while.” The small mouse offered a smile towards Aya and she felt herself wanting to return the favor.
All Might seemed to smile even bigger once Aya made eye contact with him again. He gave her a thumbs up and seemed to yell, “I guess this means that we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, young Nanase. I am truly sorry about your parents. You have my deepest condolences.” All Might’s words didn’t make much sense to Aya at the time, but she locked them forever in her brain as Midnight told her similar words. The trio soon left and Aya was left with Aizawa still holding her hand.
“I guess I should welcome you to U.A, Aya Nanase.”
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masterlist | ko-fi