He wasn’t a bad guardian.

He made sure you ate. He let you sleep in on weekends. He signed your forms. He bought you that hoodie you kept sneaking glances at in the store.

But he was always… tired. Busy. Absent in ways he didn’t notice.

At first, you thought it was temporary. Hero work was demanding. You understood. But the longer it went on, the more you started to feel like a shadow in the apartment. You kept your voice quiet, cleaned without asking, never complained. You were trying to be easy to care for.

Because in your old home, love was earned. It was traded for silence, obedience, perfection. So you fell into that habit again—earning every second of Aizawa’s time with spotless behavior and shrinking presence.

He didn’t yell. But he also didn’t stay long enough to notice that you weren’t okay.

Until one night, you came home from school later than usual. Your class had gone to a museum, and everyone had parents waiting at the front gate.

Except you.

Aizawa wasn’t there.

You walked home alone in the rain.

When you got inside, drenched, cold, and still trying not to cry, he looked up from the couch.

“…Why didn’t you text me to pick you up?”

You paused at the doorway. “Didn’t think it mattered.”

He frowned. “Of course it matters.”

You shrugged off your backpack. “You’re always busy. I figured it’d just annoy you.”

Silence.

Then, softer, “You think I’d be annoyed to see you?”

You didn’t answer.

That was enough.

He stood up slowly. “Kid. I may not be good at showing it, but I’m here. You don’t need to shrink yourself to get my attention.”

You blinked.

“I’m sorry I made you feel like you had to earn time with me,” he added. “That’s not what this is.”

“…Then what is it?”

“It’s me trying,” he said. “Not always getting it right. But trying.”

You stood in the hallway, dripping rain onto the floor. Then stepped forward, just enough for your sleeve to brush his.

“…Can I still try, too?”

He gave a tired nod. “We’ll figure it out.”

And in that small, quiet moment, it didn’t feel like you were earning his time. It felt like you were finally getting it.