#which i've kinda been avoiding iibh

[bee-writes-whorrors]

Can't wait to write Emiko interacting with Eri. Like I mention in the fic preface, I came up w/ Emi before I found out about Eri, so I'm taking full advantage of the accidental similarity of their quirks.

Eri: Ms. Matcha? [Emiko hums in response] I wish my power was like yours... then I wouldn't hurt people.

Emiko: [stops writing, her brow creases] Eri, any one of us can hurt people with our quirks. [she snaps her pencil in half, touches it and puts it back together] It's true that you've seen my power fix things, but it's not always like that.

(She won't tell Eri about the many times she hit people with flying objects, crotch-shotting Hizashi more than once, or the one time she saw her life flash before her eyes when she almost crushed herself with a pile of rubble, but they cross her mind regardless)

[Emiko touches some blocks they stacked, Eri jumps slightly at the sound of the blocks hitting the table, Emi pulls back, letting out a soft, apologetic laugh]

Emiko: Sorry... when I first got my power, I caused a lot of trouble, broke a lot of things, hurt some people on accident-- I felt like I was a burden on my family, that I'd never be of any use to them. [she stacks the blocks back up] But as I learned to control my quirk, I learned that I was capable of doing good, that I wasn't cursed or a failure. I just needed help learning how to use it.

[Eri sits for a moment, thinking]

Eri: But your quirk works on things. Mine only works on people and animals...

[Emi slowly moves her hand toward Eri's knee, looking at her]

Emiko: Can I look at your knee for a minute?

[Eri nods, confused]

Emiko touches her fingertips to a band aid, covering a patch of skin she'd scraped and cut the day prior, the skin reversing itself back to its uninjured integrity. She knows Shouta will spot the missing band aid later, sliding up Emi's pant leg to check for the correlating bruise as soon as Eri's out of sight-- but she's prepared to take some heat for using her bioreversal in exchange for the look of wonder reflecting so brightly in Eri's eyes as she looks at her, almost jumping in place.

Eri: You can do that?! How did you do that?? Do you have two powers? Can I have two powers??

[Emi laughs, petting Eri's head]

Emiko: Easy there jumping bean! I've only got the one power. [her face softens as Eri settles down, curious and attentive] My mom has a healing quirk that works backwards like mine does, so I got it from her. The moving things comes from my dad. [she pokes her cheeks with her fingers] I'm just the lucky bingo ball that got a bit of both from my parents.

Eri: Bean-go ball? What's that?

Emiko, dropping her hands: Oh! You've never played bingo?

[Eri shakes her head]

Emiko: Well, we've gotta change that! I'll put in a word for the next game night, how about that? We can play together! We get little cards with numbers and yell out 'Bingo!' when we get enough numbers. I'll teach you everything you need to know-- and I'm sure Mr. Mic would love to call the numbers out for you.

Eri, almost giggling at the thought: Yeah, okay!

Emiko: Great! It's a date! Until then, what I mean is that there was a veeery small chance that I got the quirk I did. My older sister got my mom's healing quirk with the ability to float people and animals, and my oldest sister only got my dad's telekinesis, meaning she can move things without touching them.

Eri: So-- my quirk came from my parents?

Emiko: No, you're an even more special case. You were born with something completely unique. Kind of like the first people born with quirks! A miracle.

Eri, processing: My quirk is a miracle?

Emiko: I know I'm not the only one that thinks so. I know I've heard Lemillion say it a few times. Mr. Aizawa as well.

Eri, eyes widening: Mr. Aizawa too?

Emiko: And Ms. Midnight and Mr. Cementoss--. [she lightly ruffles Eri's hair] We believe in you, Eri, so try to believe in yourself too, okay?

Eri nods, eyes watering with touched and overwhelmed tears: Okay. I'll try.