So Please Just Let Me Be Your Hero

Observing her after the exercise, it didn't take a genius to notice something was wrong. Her hands were trembling violently at her sides. Shoto could swear he could hear her rushing blood, her elevated heart rate, even from the few feet that separated them. Her gaze would focus on one spot shortly before erratically looking around her. He approached her, calling her name. He was taken aback by the violent startled jump of her shoulders. He could see the raw emotion in her eyes. Fear? Panic? Terror? The brows of his usual stoic features furrowed in confusion. It didn't make sense to him. She had done so well, or so he thought from what he could see while participating in his own mock mission. 

"Erity...why are you--"

"Why are you here?" she asked, her words hastily falling past her lips as if they were all one word. "T-that's what you're asking, right?"

Shoto fell silent, his features morphing from confused to concerned. Something had triggered her. He bit his lower lip, cursing himself for not recognizing the obvious signs. This was only his second time encountering her erratic behavior. Not being able to pinpoint if her new behavior was due to her quirk or not, Recovery Girl had expressed Erity developed panic attacks. Part of him felt uneasy, almost afraid. He hoped it wouldn't end as messy as the last one. 

"I don't know," she whispered. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!" She screamed, tears forming in her eyes. She stuck her hands in her hair as she began to pace back and forth. "There's so much noise." She stopped in front of him, gesturing out to the empty courtyard. "The fire talks? Cackling flame? Bzzt. Bzzt. Ah, live wires! That's the word! A-and the buildings! Like earthquakes!" Her voice lowered. "Or when Mt. Lady runs. Ah, no. Not like that. It was my fault. It was my fault? But he said it wasn't my fault. But it was. But it was." She locked gazes with Shoto. "But it was!"

Shoto could feel his entire body freeze for just a moment, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest. He closed the distance between them. One hand gently held her cheek while the other nestled in her hair. He could feel his own fingertips start to tremor. He took in a slow breath to calm his own nerves. "Slow down. I can't understand you when you're like this."

Her gaze began shifting again. 

"Erity, stop. I need you to focus on me."

"There's too many shapes, too many sounds, Shoto."

"I know, but I need you to hear me. I need you to focus on me. They can't hurt you because I'm here. Listen to me. Look at me."

Her gaze locked with his bi-colored eyes. The air around them felt still. She couldn't hear anything but his steady breathing.

"Good. Now, I want you to do exactly what I do. Don't focus on anything else but me. Not the birds. Not the cars. Nothing. Just me, okay?"

She slowly nodded. She mimicked his long inhales and his long exhales. After doing his breathing technique several times, she could feel her own heart rate start to decline to its normal pace. 

"How do you feel now?" 

Overwhelmed and unable to speak, she wrapped her arms around him. Her face buried in his chest, she sobbed.

His arms hung in the air for a moment, startled by the sudden physical contact. His lips curved into a small smile. Even he wasn't sure if what he felt was relief or continuous worry. The one thing he did know for sure is that he needed to express how much he cared for his classmate. "I told you I'd protect you, didn't I? That doesn't just mean physically, Erity. I don't know what you went through when you were with the league of Villains, but you're here now. You're safe now. I will not leave you to suffer alone." He whispered, mostly to himself, "Let me be your hero."