Becoming Aizawa's Pet

Epilogue: 5 Months Later

                ⚠️Sensory Overload TW⚠️

   "DAMMIT!" I yelled, furiously scrubbing the pan Aizawa had used to cook dinner last night. There were two grease stains in the middle that would not come off. No matter how much yelling, cussing, scrubbing, or begging I did in it's direction.
  So twenty minutes later, after half a bottle of dish soap and my fingertips looking like prunes, I threw the pan back into the sink with a growl. I shut my eyes tightly as my senses began to overcome me. The TV in the living room was blaring some half important news story about an upcoming Hero no one had even heard of. The leather binding on my collar suddenly felt suffocating around my throat, and the sensation of the water dripping down my wrists made me want to claw my skin off. It was all too much.
Too much
Too much.
TOO MUCH!
I let out a choked cry as I frantically began to unbuckle my collar, panting as I threw it on the counter.
"Fox?" Shouta called from upstairs. "What's happening ?"
  My vocal cords suddenly felt like they had been repeatedly tied into knots. I sniffed as I took out my phone and typed a one word message with shaking hands.

Overload.

I heard a faint ping from upstairs, immediately followed by Aizawa's footsteps. I didn't turn around as he approached me.
  I barely heard him ask what happened
The sound of the television mixed in to his words, and I felt like I was drowning.
"The TV," I breathed out. "O-off, please."
I felt his presence leave to go to the living room. After a few moments, the TV was still on and I felt closer and closer to snapping.
I have to get out of here.
Without a glance at Shouta, who for some reason still hadn't turned that damned thing off, I called out behind me.
"I'm going to take a bit in my room to calm down. I'll be back soon."
He never answered, still apparently enamored with whatever was playing.
  I did my best not to slam my door as I slowly sank to the floor. I rubbed my eyes as I grabbed at my noise canceling headphones and let out a guttural sigh of relief as the world quieted down around me.
My own breathing.
The TV.
Shouta's voice.
Traffic outside.
It was all gone. For the moment, everything was alright again as I simply sagged against my bedroom door and let the quiet fill me up.

                          An hour later...

I slowly crept out of my sanctuary, taking my time to go down the stairs and enter the living room. After an Overload, I typically felt exhausted. So I made it a point to go slowly down the stairs, taking in the feeling of my feet gently pressing into the floor.
No rush. Just go slow.
I finally hit the final stair and peeked into the living room. Shouta was sitting on the couch, looking down at the floor with his elbows on his knees, looking very deep in thought.
  "Sir?" I softly called out to him.
His eyes closed as he heard my voice. He crooked a finger at me, beckoning me to him.
  I took my seat on his right, and he immediately took my hands.
"I recorded what was on the television when you were having your episode," he began. "It's extremely important that you see it. Are you in an okay headspace for that?"
I cringed internally at the stupid thing being brought back to life, but I nodded. I was in a calmer spot than I was an hour ago, and I had never seen Aizawa look so serious.
  He nodded back at me and reached for the remote, rewinding back to the earlier program. I fought the childish urge to smack it out of his hand.
   His hand tightened around mine as he side eyed me. "Ready?"
  I fought the stone of worry that was in the pit of my stomach as I nodded once.
   His eyes closed again as he hit play. It was still on the local news channel. As soon as it started playing, a reporter began speaking.
   "It's been five months since we discovered the truth about number one Hero, Enji Todoroki, or as many of you know him as, Endeavor."
  My entire body jerked as I stared at the screen.
  "Almost a dozen witnesses came forward saying they had seen the Hero attacking a young woman at a local nightclub exclusive to the Hero's of Japan. Not only was it a senseless act of violence, many witnesses say they saw Enji Todoroki sexually attacking the woman."
   I pinched the bridge of my nose with two fingers, trying not to let the feeling of nausea overtake me.
   "After these allegations were made, Endeavor's family stepped forward and had a story of their own to tell."
  The screen filled with five pictures. The first was a man about my age, with snow white hair and a cocky smile. The second was a beautiful girl, with the same white hair, with small red streaks through it. The third photo was a teenager, with split hair colors. Striking red on one side, and stark white on the other.
  I cocked my head as the fourth picture came on the screen. It was an older woman, with long white hair. She looked soft. But there was a haunting in her eyes that made my heart ache.
  As I looked at her eyes, the realization began to hit me as I remembered me and Dabi's interaction all those months ago. This woman had the exact same eyes.
   This...This is Dabi's family. The one he told me about.
I felt the air leave my lungs in a rush as the final picture entered the mix. It was him. It was Dabi as a child, but the difference was unbelievable. His Quirk hadn't burned him half to death yet, and his hair was an orange-red. He even looked...happy. It made my heart nearly shatter seeing how he used to be.
     "We conducted an interview with three of the Todoroki siblings: Natsuo, Fuyumi, and Shoto. They spilled everything on their childhoods, and how their father had caused the death of their brother, Touya Todoroki."
  I snorted, causing Shouta to chuckle.
      "After his family told the world what a monster Enji Todoroki truly was, the Hero went into hiding. No one has seen or heard from him in almost half a year. Until now."
  I stiffened in fear, petrified of what the woman would say.
   "We received an anonymous call exposing the whereabouts of Endeavor, and the local authorities took action immediately. He was brought into custody within the hour, and has been in a high security holding cell for the last week. We're switching over to the head guard of the prison to tell us what he found in the early hours of this morning."
  The screen changed and it became a man standing outside a ridiculously tall chain link fence. He seemed to be doing his best to remain professional, but his body language said he would never forget what he was about to tell the world. What he had to witness with his own two eyes.
    "We're here in Tokyo to report the death of number one Hero, Enji Todoroki."
  My jaw dropped in silence as my eyes widened.
  "When...When I heard the commotion coming from my guards, I went into the wing to see what was happening. They were all clustered around Enji's holding cell." He took a slow breath, as if he was trying not to puke.
    "Enji Todoroki's heart has been reported missing from his body. Upon closer inspection, we have determined traces of ice around the wound. Our current theory is someone with an Ice Quirk clawed their way into his chest, froze his heart, and ripped it from his body as he was still alive."
   "Rei." I whispered. It wasn't a question. Shouta simply nodded as he squeezed my fingers.
   "It took us most of the morning to determine that, as..." He gulped before continuing.
  "The rest of his body was completely burned. His entire being was charcoal black. Most likely, our Ice killer had a Fire Quirk accomplice, or possibly more than one. We discovered embers on Enji of two colors. One was blue..."
  "Dabi." I choked out.
"...and the other was bright red."
   Shouta smiled with pride as he sat back. "That's my boy," he murmed. "Good job, Shoto."
    Before I could ask what he meant, the reporter continued.
  "We believe that most likely, our killers were a victim of Enji's, that decided to take revenge. How they got into the prison is currently unknown, but what we do know is this: The legacy of pain the supposed "Hero" has left behind...is finally over."
The reporter went still as Aizawa paused the program. I didn't know what to do. I sat there on the couch, beginning to feel like I was going to faint.
  Before I did though, a new feeling took over.
It started as a chuckle of relief. Which built into a shakey laugh. Which eventually became full blown, maniacal, unhinged laughter. Why am I laughing...? I managed to think.
  I caught Shota's gaze as he stared at me sympathetically. The sight of him looking at me like I was fragile was enough to turn the carnal laughter into tears. Slowly, the laughter died as I began to cry hysterically, slowly sinking to the floor with my back against the couch.
   The cushions shifted and I felt Aizawa sit next to me, wrapping his arms around me as tight as he could. I raged against his chest, unsure of what I was even crying about.
     Was it a cry of relief that Enji was dead ? Or that no one else, myself included, would ever endure the pain he caused me again ? Or was I crying for Dabi, in happiness, that his tormenter was finally gone ? Perhaps it was even a cry of anguish, that even though Endeavor had died, he still had a part of me with him. The part of me he had taken at the club that night. And he was dead. I was never going to get it back.
   Aizawa held me on the carpet for over an hour. I leaned against him exhaustedly, my throat sore from all the screaming I had done, and with a raging headache. Wiping my eyes, I glanced up at him. He was already watching me, a soft smile on his face.
  "It's finally over, (Y/N/). For the Todoroki's, you, and everyone else he's ever hurt."
  I shuddered as I nodded. After I had released all the rage and pain, I realized that I felt lighter than I had in months. I felt...I felt free.
   Shouta gently tucked my hair behind my ear and playfully chucked the tip of my nose.
   "I'm going to take a quick shower," he murmured. "I thought maybe we could go see a movie tonight. Celebrate that for the first time in months, we won't be looking over our shoulders."
   The grin that fell on my lips was enough to split my cheeks. As always, Shouta was two steps ahead of me. He knew how much I had missed being outside, being carefree in the world. I needed this, and he knew it.
  "I'd...I'd really like that, Daddy."
He chuckled and rested his hands on my cheeks, leaning forward and kissing my forehead.
  As he walked away, I began thinking. Besides visiting Touya all those months ago, I hadn't gone outside anywhere without Shouta. If he wasn't home, I simply stayed inside. I had become confined to my own home, and I suddenly felt claustrophobic.
   I stood up, glancing at the front door as my feet took the smallest of steps towards it. My adrenaline was pumping as I got closer and closer to the door, and I had to fight off that excited, borderline unhinged laugh again.
   I stood in front of the door and laid my shaking fingertips on the handle. Just to the mailbox, I reminded myself. No shoes. No hoodie. Just in and out. I took a deep breath and stepped out to the front porch before I could think twice.
   The sunlight was absolutely blinding today. Shielding my eyes, I glanced up and saw the sky was the deepest, most gorgeous shade of blue, with gentle whisps of white clouds going through it. The ground was littered with leaves of oranges, yellows, reds, and faint brown grass underneath. I let the crisp Autumn air fill my lungs, as I looked around my yard.
   I'm not sure what possessed me. Maybe it was finally having my freedom back. Maybe it was that I finally didn't feel afraid of being outside my own house by myself. But something filled me up, something I thought I lost that night at the club. I took a running start down the porch stairs and into the yard, laughing as I fell into the leaves. I grabbed handfuls and threw them into the air, letting them rain down on me. I ran my fingers through the brittle grass, and curled my toes into the dirt. Everything was crackling, the sound of half dead leaves breaking and I giggled. Everything was so beautiful. Everything was so right.
   I slowly stood up, chuckling to myself as I picked out small sticks and broken leaves from my hair. The mail all but forgotten, I took one last spin with my arms out, as I prepared to return inside.
    Until I turned fully back to the street and my heart stopped beating.
   Standing across the street, in the middle of someones yard, was Touya.
   I gasped softly as I reached out towards him. I began to run to him, but I saw his hand raise as he motioned me to stop.
   I slowed, at the edge of my yard now, watching him closely. I knew it was him, but I had to be certain.
   I pointed to my heart, and made a motion as if I was ripping it out of my chest. He grinned, as I pointed to him in question.
  Did you do it?
Touya never answered me. He didn't have to. All he did was keep grinning as he winked at me.
  Then, just like the movies, a car pulled into a driveway down the street, going between us. I blinked as the car went by, and by the time the street was clear, Dabi was gone.
   I sighed sadly. I knew it would be a long time if I ever saw him again. If I ever did. But he had to take care of himself, and Keigo. He would be back when he could. And I couldn't wait to see him again.
   I turned back to my house and went up the stairs. Without a second look at where Touya had been, I stepped back inside, and shut the door. Finally letting the torture of the past 6 months for me, and for Touya, rest.

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That's it folks !! Wow, this story was a rollercoaster. I'm so glad you stayed with me as I wrote it !!!
  There is a new story that will be coming in September, about Kirishima finding out his partner is a gender fluid nonbinary. I hope to see you there!!!

I love you all!!!!
Aurora 🩵