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Hearts Align
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Aizawa woke up thinking of her.
Staring at the blackened ceiling, he could recall her so vividly in the shadows of his mind that he wondered if he had even slept at all. Was it a dream, caught by the paw of the waving cat she'd painted sitting above his head? He might have only closed his eyes for scarcely a moment, the images of her swirling in his mind merely an uninterrupted continuation of events from the day before: kissing her, laughing with her, her hair brightened by the sun at the piano. It was startling in the quiet and the darkness of the early morning how affected he was by her.
He shrugged out of his sleeping bag and grounded his body with bare feet on cold flooring. The sharp brightness of the bathroom light and a frigid slap of water to his face took care of his brain. He dried his face and braced his hands on the counter for a moment, reflecting on the thoughts that had been scattered, then pulled away to get ready for the day.
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He was too restless to close his eyes at the train station.
Instead, he sat upright looking across the tracks with the hood of his sleeping bag down and arms crossed beneath the fabric. His eyes flicked repeatedly to the side, waiting to see her. When he caught sight of her on the platform heading his way, the impatience was relieved. His eyes didn't leave her as she came closer, and when Hayate met his gaze with hers and she smiled at him, an inexplicable swelling rose in his chest.
She slid over as she sat down, stopping when her leg touched his and resting her right arm over the back of the bench. Her eyes flicked to his hair and neck coiled by his Capturing Weapon, exposed by the lowered hood. She looked back at his eyes; her initial smile had leveled out, but there was intentness in her gaze as she stretched her arm out.
"Good morning."
He couldn't look away, heart rate stirring. "Morning…" He was hyper-aware of her fingers as they plucked up some of his hair and slowly started to twirl it. "Did… you sleep well?"
She smiled a little, then. "Eventually. My mind was a bit preoccupied."
He knew the feeling. "Right… last night, I was thinking."
She snorted good-humoredly. "Of course you were."
His lips twitched back. "Heh… well. I have a question."
"Getting right to it." She twisted his hair up and let it drop, watching him. "Alright."
He kept his eyes glued to hers, fighting the distraction. "It's about something in particular that you said. Or, rather, you never mentioned how it… tasted. Your Quirk is—well, it's not quite just scent." His words tumbled out and he waited expectantly.
She considered him with a playful eye, plucking up another strand. "Hmm… that's not quite a question."
"I—true, fine. But you get what I mean."
"I'm just teasing you," she gave his hair the gentlest of tugs. "Actually, it's a good topic of the morning." Her eyes shifted away from him thoughtfully. "Hm… do you mind a short biology lesson?"
"It was never my best subject."
"I'll keep it simple." She looked back at him. "You remember me saying that my Quirk is a mutant type? That it has glands throughout my body?"
"Yeah."
"There are two categories of glands in the human body. Endocrine glands synthesize substances that enter the bloodstream; hormones, for instance. Exocrine glands secrete their product onto a body surface through ducts; such as the skin. My Quirk is an exocrine gland; though, you're already aware of how it interacts with fluctuations in endocrine products, specifically sex hormones. However, my Quirk glands don't have their own duct systems. Instead, they feed into the ducts of other types of exocrine glands, mixing the two products together."
She paused a moment for him to think about that, making sure he understood.
"So... in essence, your Quirk is merged with those other body systems."
"Exactly."
"The smell has been from the sweat and oil glands of your skin and hair. And the taste was your saliva."
She nodded. "And the senses of smell and taste are intertwined, although the sensory experience can be widely divergent. Durian fruit smells atrocious, but actually tastes sweet. My Quirk, on the other hand, provides two complementary sensations, converging on a rather appealing... flavor."
He rolled his tongue in his mouth, reflecting on that flavor again. 'Appealing' seemed like an insufficient description. 'Alluring' even, seemed incomplete. Perhaps 'compelling' in a 'tantalizing' fashion. Or 'sensuous'... most certainly 'arousing'. Though, he supposed that was the point of her Quirk, given its nature; and that set him down another infrequent trail of thought, decidedly more 'sexual'. He took the dictionary his piqued mind had dusted off and stuffed it back onto its shelf then looked at her again.
"... So then, it's in your skin, hair, and saliva… anywhere else?"
She smiled slightly, lips swished to the side. "Well… I'm sure you can think of another place particularly relevant to my Quirk."
His eyes flicked away. "Right…" That confirmed his thought.
"But, other than that, it's negligible. Honestly, that's already plenty."
Plenty of places to taste and smell. He tried to brush aside the thought, but it was resistant, sticking like a bur to the memory of her kiss where he'd had the briefest taste of her. 'Enticing' seemed like a good word for it. He looked at her again.
"... Another question. Actual question."
"Sure."
"Technique-wise… 'awkward', right, but honestly, how was it?"
She laughed, lips pursing around her smile. Her fingers ruffled a bit of his hair, and he didn't dare move his head. "Welllll… pretty good towards the end. A bit sloppy, but we can improve your technique."
He snorted at his own expense, flicking his eyes away and rolling his tongue along the inside of his cheek. Not a glowing review, though she didn't seem bothered. His eyes slid back to her. "… Sloppy how?"
She giggled impishly watching his brain latching onto the mere mention of improvement. It was certainly appealing to his high standards. She leaned in and murmured in his ear. "That's more of a hands-on demonstration than a lecture."
The suggestion was music to his ears. He leaned in closer to hers. "I've got time for a lesson this Sunday."
"Hmm…" She settled back to her normal distance with a hum. "Well… I'll be on-call this weekend, so I can't go do anything too involved."
Like hell was he going to wait a second week. "It doesn't matter where we go," he said immediately. "Coffee, a walk. Just stay in the neighborhood."
"I'd be down for that." She studied him curiously. "You must have some favorite places around here."
He hesitated. "Uh… like my favorite places to sleep?"
"Are those the only places you like?"
"Mm… mostly."
"Well… surely at least one of them would be a nice, quiet spot…" Her eyes flicked down to his lips. "... To practice." Her eyes flicked back up to his.
Why wait? They could practice right here. He didn't move, but that look she gave him was sorely tempting. He nodded mutely, eyes drifting away in thought. "... I'll think of something."
Hayate watched him with satisfaction. "Now then, I believe it's my turn for a question."
His eyes flicked back to her quickly. "Of course."
"So, now that we're on the same page about this…" She gestured her hand vaguely at their closeness. "...Right?"
He thought of his catnip blunder and looked slightly sheepish. "Right."
"How often do you want to meet? Beyond sitting here in the mornings, of course."
Every day. He shoved the thought aside."Mm… how often is comfortable with you?"
"Once a week is a good place to start. Although, sometimes my schedule might not allow that frequently."
"We can adjust around that as necessary. That's reasonable."
"And Sundays are easiest for you?"
"Yeah, or Saturday nights."
"That's the same for me."
Every weekend, then. His mind started counting down. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Great…" She twirled his hair up again. "Another question."
"Only fair."
She paused, then let the strands drop.
"How are you feeling?"
He gave her a blank look. "Uh… fine? Thanks?"
"You were rather eager to ask about yesterday," she pointed out levelly. "How about in that context?"
He paused, waking thoughts ghosting through his recollection. "Well... I'd be lying if I said it wasn't on my mind…"
She didn't look surprised. "Do you remember when I said it will take some time to adjust to my Quirk?"
"Yeah…?"
"You're familiar with its effects at low levels, and a bit of how strong it gets cyclically. But now that we're starting to get closer, you're definitely going to notice it. And I've found that for someone without any experience, it's more impactful."
"Oh. Okay." That made sense. He'd figured it would be a factor in this at some point. "So then, what do I do about it?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Mmmm, as far as short-term solutions go—I'm going to leave that in your hands. Hand. As for long-term, not much you can do. It's just a matter of time and exposure."
He stared at her for a moment then his eyes slid away. Certainly, he could read between the lines on that one. Not used to her being so… implicit. "Gotcha…"
"If you'd like to think of it from a scientific perspective: there are many neurochemical similarities in the dopamine system between drug addiction and that first rush of romantic feelings, even without my Quirk influencing the experience. But gradually, you'll get used to my Quirk."
He considered that with a vague sense of trepidation. Certainly he was interested in her, far more so than any other woman before, but it didn't seem that extreme. "Thanks for the warning."
She looked satisfied with his understanding. "It's important that we communicate especially on that point. So, what I've said before still stands… if it feels like it's overwhelming you, tell me and we'll take it slower."
He nodded, though still wondered. Her cautionary tone didn't put him off, exactly; rather, his first impression was one of being fairly confident in addressing her Quirk. There was no denying it was potent; recalling it from the adoption event, at the bench, and during each kiss—especially that last one—left no question of that. Certainly his senses were constantly aware of it, but he was logical like usual and reasonably focused. Even if it worsened, it seemed manageable considering how he normally fared.
Still, as the topic of conversation at their bench changed, it was a nagging line of thought. When they parted ways in the morning, the loss of her body heat at his side left him feeling not just cooler but a little bit hollowed. She never did stop playing with his hair that morning. As the day progressed, he couldn't deny there was a novel and persistent itch to think about her regularly.
A student's purple cape fluttered in the sun, and he immediately pictured Hayate's hair. He'd put his hand on the back of her head when they'd kissed, but he hadn't paid close attention to how it had felt. Soft, he imagined. Would she have it down this weekend? Delivering a lecture on the legality of emergency response brushed her hair away.
Midnight leaned on his desk and chatted about their upcoming joint lesson on public reputation. He found himself unusually fixed on her eyes. She probably would have appreciated his rapt attention less had she known he was silently comparing her blue irises to Hayate's without a thought given to the words she said. Midnight's blue rings were darker in the middle and lighter around the outside; the inverse of hers. Hayate's were prettier. Midnight sauntered away taking his distraction with her.
Lunch time found him texting her while working and eating at his desk. It was a stroke of good fortune that they took lunch at around the same time. The device was silenced so the vibrations wouldn't draw attention but parked beside his mouse so he could watch constantly for the notification light when she messaged him. Her daily pictures of various animals continued accompanied by little stories and commentary between the two of them. While on the move around campus, he found himself imagining the vibration of the phone in his pocket while walking. And after school when he turned the sound on, every running water faucet, construction noise, and miscellaneous street sound left him wondering: did my phone just go off?
Out on patrol, he spent less time snoozing and more time strolling about, evaluating every street with a keen eye. A nice, quiet place to practice. Most of his favorites were tucked away in dingy corners where he wouldn't be pestered, or situated in rather unglamorous but convenient locations close to public transportation and frequent crime spots. He was no natural romantic, but even he could tell that they weren't exactly date material. Shifting his eyes up, he picked a new direction. Perching atop buildings, he scoped out the views below with the sun dipping low in the sky before disappearing altogether beneath the horizon. The end of the night brought another morning, and the cycle of fluttery romantic anticipation repeated.
A part of him knew that this feeling and the behaviors it spurred were irrational. No amount of thinking about her would bring him any closer to Sunday. But he'd observed often enough the early stages of attraction in other people to recognize it for what it was in himself. It was like an invisible threshold had been crossed between them, promising the excitement of something wonderful and unknown. And for the very first time, he felt a powerful tug to explore this new territory. As for his own unusual impulses, he was comfortable enough to simply assign them a name tag as a natural and short-lived phenomenon.
He was halfway to Sunday and halfway through lunch when yet another blipping light on his phone had him pausing in his typing to check it. The name that came up had him frowning and sending a disgruntled glance at the man sitting beside him. Yamada was already watching him with a wry smile from the corner of his eye.
Hey man! How's "it" going?
Aizawa's frown remained as he looked back down at his phone and typed.
Seriously? We're close enough that I could kick you out of your chair.
He waited with his screen on and watched Yamada get his phone from the corner from his eye. He heard him suppress a snicker. His reply came quickly.
Expecting someone else?
Aizawa's did, too.
It's none of your business if I am.
Yamada hummed, and Aizawa watched him swivel slightly side-to-side in his chair as he typed a one-handed reply with lightning fast dexterity.
That's not what you were saying the last time we had drinks. Would you rather I had broadcasted your relationship status to the whole room by asking out loud?
That earned him a stink-eyed, sidelong look, but Yamada just returned it with his own smug, sidelong satisfaction. Aizawa looked away first.
Fine. What do you want?
I already said! How's "it" going?!
Going well. Thanks.
Come on, man, details! You're so obvious over there I'm dying.
The furrow in Aizawa's brow deepened.
How am I obvious? I haven't said a word about it.
Seriously? You can't keep your phone out of your sight all this week. Especially at lunch. Does she have lunch at the same time?
Why are you watching me?
Because I'm invested in this now.
Why?
You can't be serious, seriously? You got me in on it, can't just kick me out of it now.
Watch me.
Why are you being so tight-lipped? You wanted advice before.
That was then. This is now.
Wow. Now THAT'S obvious!
Is it really so unbelievable to you that I'd like to keep my private life private?
Fair, but I'm confident you'll want someone around to talk with about it eventually. And I'M all ears!
I think you're forgetting about your big mouth.
I'm not gonna blab to anybody! Come on, man, I've always had your back. Definitely on this. I'm happy for you. Ecstatic, really! So how about you let me, help you, not screw this up. Yeah?
Aizawa glanced back over at him. Yamada was smiling earnestly at him and raised his eyebrows. For a long moment, he studied that smile before his own frown softened. He looked back at the phone and slowly typed.
What exactly do you want to know?
Just how's it going! Been on a date? You two vibing well? Got plans?
Yes. Yes. And yes.
Yamada rolled his eyes before typing back.
I hope she knows you can be a smartass.
The corners of Aizawa's lips gave a twitch.
She's rather sarcastic herself.
She can dish it right back out, huh? Such as? Example...?
Aizawa contemplated the strategic switch to an open-ended question for a long moment. How to sum her humor up in just a few sparse words of text…? He tried typing a few things, erased them, then finally settled on something.
She can pull off a logical ruse. On me.
Yamada's shoulders shook silently beside him.
She's obviously got you figured out. How'd you catch her eye anyway? And don't tell me it was that obnoxious yellow of your sleeping bag.
The sleeping bag wasn't a bad line, Aizawa mused, though went with a different line of sarcasm.
My natural charm and good looks.
Yamada stifled a snort.
Yeah right! Quit pulling my leg.
It wasn't that dishonest of a reply, Aizawa reasoned, reflecting on her words while painting cats.
She's more or less said that herself.
Yamada raised an eyebrow at that, looking over at him slyly. Now that was certainly rare.
Dang, alright. So one date down and you've got more plans for more? Like what?
Still figuring it out.
What have you got so far?
Aizawa looked at the screen for a long time without responding, thumbs hovering with some indistinct source of hesitation.
I'd rather figure it out alone.
Just when I thought we were actually getting somewhere together.
I just want to, alright.
Got something to prove, huh?
Aizawa considered that for a while. Maybe that was it, kind of. She'd certainly made a strong impression with their first date; his first date, period. Following it up seemed to carry some kind of unspoken expectation. Inexperienced, sure, but he wasn't an idiot. He could come up with something on his own.
A new message popped up on his screen before he could formulate a reply.
Hayate: I'm back! Had to answer a question. So, to answer yours. No, I'm not afraid of heights. Why?
His eyes flicked back over to Yamada, still waiting for a reply. They returned to the phone and he clicked away from her message.
I suppose. Anyway, that's enough questions for now. I'm talking with her.
Yamada read that with an eyebrow lifting Aizawa's way and humor in his eyes. Getting sidelined by his new girl was a new experience in its own right, not to mention hilarious. He accepted it without complaint, setting his phone aside and focusing on his food while Aizawa texted beside him for the rest of the lunch period. He could wait. Observing Aizawa intent's focus on the device was enough to assure him that it was certainly a start to something interesting.
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"Either 5:32 a.m. or 5:30 p.m. Take your pick."
Hayate raised an eyebrow at that. "5:32? Why so specific?"
"I promise it will be self-explanatory. But first you have to choose one."
"Hm…" She pondered her options for a moment. So, we're either getting up early on a Sunday or having our coffee in the evening to mess with our sleeping. "... I suppose I'm more intrigued to know what you could possibly have planned for so early in the morning, yet is also possible in the evening? And if I did have to go in for a call, it'd be more likely to run into the evening. I'm a morning person, anyway."
"Eh, more of a night owl myself. Alright. You don't need to bring anything or dress particularly, though I suppose it will be a bit chilly."
"And we have to be at this place by 5:32 a.m.?"
"Yes."
"Why so early?"
"Again, it'll make sense when we get there."
"So, are we getting coffee first, or after?"
"Up to you, I suppose. We'll have to meet earlier if it's before."
She thought about it, one hand absentmindedly rubbing his binding cloth between her fingers. "I could bring coffee. The one you liked the best."
"Huh. Sure, that's another idea." He thought for another moment. "Make sure the lids are the kind that close securely. If you could bring them in a bag, that would be best."
She shot him a look. "Why do the lids matter? What are these coffees going to be doing?"
"Just—please, do as I ask. It makes it less complicated."
"Your favorite place to sleep is complicated?"
His brief sigh betrayed a flicker of exasperation. "I don't recall you telling me where we'd be going last week."
She held up her hands and looked away, her smile guilty-as-charged. "Hey—I'm just curious."
For a moment, he studied her, and then a smile tugged at his lips. Impatient, more like it; rather relatable. He leaned closer to her, stretching his arm out behind her shoulders. Her eyes darted quickly back to his when his hand settled behind her neck, finding a wry smile on his lips. His fingers smoothed out her scarf and started to rub the back of her neck while his eyes stayed intently on hers.
"Let me be a little surprising, maybe?"
Her eyes darted between his, then she suddenly turned a bit shy, glancing away with a little smile. She straightened her neck and relaxed back against his hand.
"...Fair enough."
He stayed where he was watching her face with satisfied eyes at the content look she gained.
She didn't have any more questions that morning.
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Early Sunday morning…
Aizawa's nerves were too wired for him to even consider yawning as he scanned the dim, twilight-lit street outside the train station for her. He'd made sure it was a familiar place they met at, especially so early, and arrived ahead of his own schedule. His hands shifted from his pockets and crossed over his chest, then when the air made them cold he stuffed them back in his pockets again. A figure came into sight with his eyes locking onto the only movement to be found on the barren street. He could tell it was her from the way she walked even before she passed under a street light, and his eyes didn't leave her.
Hayate knew it was him from his slouch and the Capturing Weapon coiled around his neck. His clothes were black as always, but it didn't escape her notice that they were more form-fitting than usual as she came closer. When she got close enough to see his eyes clearly meeting hers, she smiled. She didn't say hello just yet, though, not even when he pulled away from the wall he was leaning on to meet her.
"Morning," he said, but she still didn't answer him. When she stepped right up to him with her eyes on his lips he figured out why, quickly pulling his hands out of his pockets. He set them on her waist as she kissed him without hesitation on the empty street. His lips met hers eagerly feeling their morning-chilled softness, but she pulled them back before he could do anything more.
"Good early morning," she finally said, gaze drifting over his clean-shaven face and hair pulled back tidily. He didn't answer her, and she read the discontent and desire in his eyes for something longer than a quick peck like that. Her lips taunted him with a smile as she pulled away.
"Where to next?"
He didn't say a word, taking her by the hand. Her smile didn't waver as they started walking at his lead, enjoying the warmth of his touch. It wasn't just the heat passing between them, though. They swapped turns sending silent glances at each other from the corners of their eyes. Each time they caught the other's looks, a particle of excitement traveled along their nerves and passed through their fingers. His focus was so entirely on her that he nearly led them right past his intended destination, coming to a rather abrupt stop with a sharp turn of his eyes to the environment.
"Ah—here."
She pulled her eyes away from him to examine the rather unremarkable street and alleyway beside them with a furrow coming to her brow.
"Here? This is kind of a random place."
"Well, where we're going doesn't have a precise address."
"What—oh, you're not going to tell me anyway, are you?"
"Correct." He looked down the sidewalk. "We could walk the rest of the way there, or, if you're up for it, we can take a different route."
"Uh, such as?"
He lifted his eyes. "Up."
Her eyes followed his to the rooftop of the building beside them, noticing the winding stairwell up the side of the building. Then they lowered, flicking between him and his Capturing Weapon with a smile slowly forming on her lips. "...That way sounds more interesting."
He was smiling, too. "I thought you'd say that."
His focus shifted to the stairwell, reluctantly removing his hand from hers to unloop a coil from around his neck. "To get to where we're going, it's easiest to pull you up after me. I won't be rough, but it will happen fast. You'll probably tense up, but it's best to be relaxed. Got it?" He glanced over at her.
She didn't look put off by his warning, her smile increasingly curious about this unexpected detour. "Alright…" A mixture of excited and nervous energy started stirring in her stomach as she watched his every move.
He set his sights on the third floor railing, and with a sharp blink, his eyes flashed red. She watched the Capturing Weapon animate, then with a twist of his body and arm, he sent one end of the binding cloth to secure to the third floor's railing. He quickly followed, landing on the railing of the second floor below; he didn't want this first pull to be too far for her sake. He balanced on the railing, looking down at her with his left hand gripping the line of cloth secured to the third floor above his head. The other end raced down to her with a tug of his right arm.
Despite her mind acknowledging his warning, she tensed just like he had said she might when the loops wrapped around her torso and hips trapping the leather bag with coffees to her side, though he kept her arms free. And then she was airborne, an alarming experience to her senses that caused her to breathe in sharply as she defied gravity so suddenly. She was rushing up to him and then there with him without time to think about it.
He wrapped his right arm around her pulling her into his chest while easing his own body back, absorbing her momentum and being mindful of moving her feet over the railing as he smoothly stepped them down onto the landing with the coil in his left hand stabilizing them. Her toes touched down with her arms holding tight around his torso, having reflexively grabbed him as soon as he was in reach. The coils unwound from around her and the railing, returning to his neck. Then he blinked away the red of his eyes, flicking his gaze across her stunned face and gauging her reaction.
"Did that feel alright?"
His concern touched her, and she consciously relaxed her tense muscles, loosening her arms from around his back and letting out the breath she'd sucked in so quickly. Her heart rate was quicker, but not from fear. The shock left her face, she pushed up her glasses, and the smile she'd had from before made a broader comeback.
"That was fast." Scarcely a few seconds. But despite the speed, it was controlled; gentle, even. For all she knew, he might have swept a thousand ladies off their feet for the ease in which he did it.
Satisfied with her expression, his eyes flicked over to the stairs; up, or down. "We'll have to do that a few more times if we're going up. Or, if we walk there, we'll only have to do it once more. Up to you."
Her eyes flicked to the stairs evaluating the choice he'd given her then locked back on his. Even in the dim light, the excitement brimming in them made him smile in turn. She pulled away from him wordlessly and headed for the upper stairs. He followed her lead, watching her hips with each step.
When she reached the top, she paused and looked around at the view above the street. He stepped up behind her and caught her hand as he picked their direction. She looked ahead to the edge of the roof they were on and to the next building over, noting the narrow gap was passable even without his aid. Stretching her eyes farther ahead, she realized a lot of the buildings around them were tucked tightly beside each other; a space-saving solution from an older time when their tired neighborhood had been more popular.
It was an easy route to get her accustomed to navigating the rooftops. She shadowed his every guiding step, climb and jump, hand always on hers or nearby as she moved slowly and carefully at first. She took her time looking around as well, unaccustomed to seeing and treading this level of the urban environment. She didn't say a word at first, just focused on watching him and the view of the buildings and their lights around them. She was starting to move with more confidence as they came to a gap.
His hand left hers with his eyes turning to the next building, taller and farther apart; he'd need to help her with this one. She watched him sail across the gap effortlessly, and then it was her turn with metallic cloth. She didn't suck in a breath this time or grab hold of him quite so tightly when she landed, her arms around his sides. He blinked and looked at her eyes.
"You good?"
Her eyes looked back into his, alight with the thrill of it and wearing a smile that hadn't left her lips since stepping up on the roof. "Yeah."
Enjoying that look for a moment, he kept his arm around her with a smile.
"I know you've been interested in what I do for a while now."
"Are you going to show me what Eraser Head's all about?"
"Not everything…" He paused, then leaned in slowly. She thought he would go for her lips, but he went for her ear instead with a murmur. "...But a taste."
He lingered by her ear and she held her breath, waiting. He eyed her hair that she'd worn down to his satisfaction of watching it wave back with each gap cleared, and breathed her in with his lips moving closer to her skin. The temptation was high. But, they had a deadline to meet, and he was never late. He pulled back with his lips brushing her cheek, and that was the end of that, for now.
The smile was absent from her face when he looked again, replaced with discontent. "...More like a tease."
He chuckled at that, stepping away from her and taking her hand again.
As they walked, her eyes performed a full-body scan on him. She already knew how deceptively average his leanness made him look, and her arms reflexively flinging themselves around his torso with each airborne experience had provided confirmation of how sturdy he really was.
"It can't be easy pulling people around like this. I'm not very big, but plenty of guys are heavier than you." She stepped closer as they walked to nudge his arm. "You're a lot stronger than you appear."
"Meh, better to look unassuming to lower criminals' expectations. I've never been inclined to putting on muscle, anyway," he stated with matter-of-fact blandness.
"Well… I'm sure they'd be disinclined to agree, but…" She slipped her hand out of his so that she could wrap it around his back instead, leaning into his side. "Personally, I think it makes for an attractive surprise."
Her other hand smoothed up his abdomen, slowing his walking pace down immediately. He looked down sharply to the mischievous glint in her eyes while she reconfirmed the solidness of his torso. He looked away at the sensation of heat flushing into his neck and face. Her teasing seemed more effective than his. He cleared his throat, words tumbling out a bit ahead of him thinking.
"Well, it's—sort of a multi-factor equation. Strength is necessary, but rather than hauling the biggest guy off his feet, if he's got a smaller buddy I can toss into him, that's a more logical course of action. Catching him by the foot so he falls on his own, using the environment, manipulating their momentum—guys like that tend to throw their weight around with a charge—there's a lot of potential courses of action to choose from is what I'm getting at, depending on the circumstances."
Her hand stopped moving on his chest with her eyes trading their glint for blank-faced surprise at that outpouring of technical explanation. When he finished, she was silent for a moment before she sputtered out a laugh.
He looked down at her feeling her humor against his side. "What?"
"Ahhh…" She sighed with a light pat on his chest. "You have a funny way of flirting."
A slight grimace shaped his lip, and he glanced away again rubbing his still-too-warm neck. "It… doesn't come very naturally."
She didn't move away from his side, keeping their pace slow. "That's part of your charm, too, though. You sound authentic."
He considered that in silence. Unlike his hero work, he didn't have a mental toolkit full of strategies for this. Maybe he could have looked something up ahead of time, or asked Yamada; certainly he would have been happy enough to supply him. But that really wasn't his style in either case. Advice like that seemed too generalized.
They reached the end of the roof, and he pulled away from her slowly. The gaps were going to be frequent and wide for the rest of the way. He pulled himself up and turned to look down at her some meters below him, pausing for a moment with one leg propped on the building's ledge and his arm over his knee. She could imagine him looking down on his target from up there, sizing up his prey like a leopard in a tree; in this case, his eyes were pinned on her.
He studied her specifically. Physical contact, authenticity, teasing, his profession, apparently his strength, perhaps a bit of thrill in these leaps. Others, too. There were plenty of things she liked, that got her smirking or laughing. It was just a matter of figuring out how to put them together.
"It's logical to attack from above whenever possible, especially for an ambush." He continued with the technical explanation he knew so well. "People are more focused on their environment at ground-level. If all goes well…"
His binding cloth rushed down to meet her again. It was going to be a harder tug to get over this tall gap, and he used both arms to wrap more loops around her to distribute the force. Unlike before, several loops pinned her upper arms to her sides. It brought her hands up in front of her when he pulled, but she wouldn't need them to grab hold of him. Both his arms wrapped around her securely with her hands landing on his chest. "...It's over with the first move."
She was motionless, eye-to-eye with him, feeling the heat of his body all along hers and his firm arms around her, his chest vibrating as he talked and heart beating beneath her palms from the activity. "...And if it doesn't?"
He studied her eyes intently and liked the look of them, matching the sudden faintness of her breath. He didn't need to ask if she was alright that time. "Mm, that's messier… once the elements of surprise and elevation are lost, the situation becomes more even. Then it usually means a fight."
"Do you like fighting?"
"Not like some people do… they chase that adrenaline high. I'd rather people just settle down and turn themselves in rationally. It's not like they're going to get away with it once we Pros arrive; might as well just make it easier for everyone involved and spare anyone getting hurt."
His eyes lifted to the side for a moment thoughtfully. "Still... I won't deny I've felt that rush sometimes, when the fight's got a certain rhythm, or poses a challenge… Some days just feel good like that."
His arms loosed from around her back, too soon for her, and they kept walking with her quickly seeking his hand. She kept watching him. "Back at the TNR, I remember you were having a good day then. I was rather impressed."
"I didn't let you come with me to catch cats, though. Perhaps now you can see how it would have been a bit troublesome to carry you and them around."
"I don't know. You make this look easy."
"Maybe. These days, anyway." After reflecting on it for a moment, he added. "It took me six years to master this."
"Seriously? That's how long it took me to get my degree."
"That's rather pathetic, isn't it? You became a doctor in the time it took me to master one thing."
She gave a chuckle and stepped closer, bumping his shoulder again. "It's okay. You're a real pro in fancy scarf wielding."
He smiled sharply at that, his voice light but slightly affronted. "Ahah, it's not a 'fancy scarf'. It's a specialized piece of equipment."
"I wasn't belittling it. I happen to be a big fan of scarves, in case you haven't noticed."
"I have." He didn't need to look at the one she was wearing again. He'd already noticed it was the gray one with the black cats she'd bought.
They came to the end of another building. He went on ahead and pulled her up. When she landed, her eyes looked up to the animated cloth rewinding around his neck. The fingers of her right hand were quick to snatch one end out of the air before it could settle.
He blinked and looked down at her in amusement as she flicked the end of it under his chin with a scheming look.
"You know, you never did answer me when I asked you if it was made with your hair."
"Hmmm…" He eyed her and raised his hand to hers, making her go still. "That's a factual statement." He was silent for a moment as he ran his hand over hers, but when his fingers touched the cloth, he whipped it out of her fingers and turned aside, tucking it around his neck.
She watched him with her mouth swished to the side. "It must be your hair," she insisted, ignoring his dodging the question and following after him. "Or some sort of synthetic derivative. At the very least, it has to contain your DNA in some way. That's the only explanation I can think of for why it responds by floating, just like your hair, when you activate your Quirk."
"Astute observations, Dr. Hayate."
"Huh. Never heard you call me that before."
"That is your title, isn't it?"
"It is."
"Well…"
He strode ahead of her and animated his cloth again, leaping up to the next building. He pulled her up to his chest.
"... We're here, doc."
She looked around curiously. Two yellow sleeping bags were already laid out in waiting. They were oriented to the east, and she smiled a little as she looked out at the sky. His chosen perch didn't particularly stand-out in height compared to the surrounding buildings, but it had a good angle on the color and light creeping up over the horizon. Relative to where the sleeping bags were, the left and right sides of the view had taller buildings with all their lights while the greenbelt of the park down below made a gap for the sky to be seen clearly.
"I see you've been up here ahead of time. Also, you have two sleeping bags?"
"I'd rather not haul everything and you up in one trip. And I always have a backup sleeping bag."
"I don't know why I was surprised."
"Though, one is primarily for indoor use and the other outdoors."
"Makes sense. Extends their longevity, keeps your floor clean, gives them a chance to air out."
"Precisely." He gestured towards them with his chin. "Also, more pleasant than sitting on cold concrete. Your pick. "
The one on the right looked more rough than the other; the outdoors one, obviously. She thought for a moment, then picked it. He looked mildly surprised at her picking the less nice one, but didn't question it. He was more surprised when she flipped open the top fold and scooted into it up to her waist. I know he doesn't mind wearing shoes in this one. "You're right. It is chilly."
It's going to smell like her later. He settled down slowly on top of the left sleeping bag with his knees bent and arms around them loosely, already feeling too warm to slip inside.
She got the coffees out of her bag, passing him a thermos.
"Thanks."
They both quietly took a sip, looking at the sky. She tucked her thermos in the sleeping bag fabric bunched between her raised knees, hands warmed by its surface. "I happen to know a thing or two about sleeping bags myself, you know."
"Yeah?"
"Well, you gotta know your gear when you go camping."
"Can't say camping is really my thing."
"Why not, when you get to end every night in a sleeping bag?"
"Hm…" He slowly eyed her up and down in his sleeping bag. "Maybe haven't done it with the right person."
She noticed his gaze, looking at him coyly from the corner of her eye. "Maybe." She looked forward again at the brightening horizon. Silently, she shuffled her sleeping bag over to be directly next to him.
He stretched his right arm out behind her in response, setting his palm on the bottom flap of her sleeping bag as she settled against his side. The air temperature was a bit nippy, but to him it felt red-hot right where they were sitting. She didn't say a word as she gradually pulled the sleeping bag down somewhat with her feet.
Her eyes stayed straight ahead, though, just watching the sky with him. He had good timing. It only took a few minutes for the sun to break the horizon. The sky was partially cloudy this morning and free from smog, letting a nice golden color touch the clouds. She squinted at the brightness a little.
"Looks like it's 5:32 a.m."
"Yeah."
"Been a while since I've watched a sunrise. Last time was camping, actually."
"I usually see the sunset with my hours."
"I rarely ever get out of work early enough to see the sunset." She tilted her head to look up at him teasingly. "I'm honestly a bit surprised that you'd think of something rather romantic."
He smiled slightly. "Give me some credit. I may not be very experienced with this kind of thing, but I'm not a fool. There's something sort of appealing about natural aesthetics like this."
"All true."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while sipping their coffees and watching the sky.
He looked down at her periodically, eyes lingering longer with each time as the sun started to light up her eyes. The fingers on his right hand slowly curled and uncurled, bunching up the fabric of the sleeping bag. She moved and his hand froze, but it was just so that she could set her coffee aside, briefly disturbing her arrangement against him. He used the interruption to set aside his own drink, finding the taste rather uninteresting this morning.
She returned to his side nestling closer this time, and he tucked his right arm around her side more in turn. Everything was quiet for a bit, their gazes on the sky but their full attention on every single breath and faintest movement from the other. His eyes flicked down to her again. This mounting anticipation was dreadfully exhilarating. His right hand started to creep up from the sleeping bag towards her waist, his voice low.
"... I suppose this isn't particularly exciting, though. Not like the other day."
"Oh that's quite alright. Not every date has to be so eventful. The quiet ones can be really nice, especially after a busy week."
He stayed his right hand. "... Was your week alright?"
She snorted faintly, eyes shooting the side. "Well, it was frustrating... One part of the shelter is a low-cost hospital that works in association with veterinary schools for teaching purposes. Those days are always rougher than others, primarily because I'm seeing a lot more people. It just makes me shake my head sometimes at how irrational people can be."
She sighed, snuggling up against him and sliding her hand onto his knee. "After days like that, all I'd really like to do is come home to a hot bath, my cat, a nice book, maybe a logical guy... and perhaps some catnip."
Catnip. His ears locked onto that word. "… Actual catnip?"
Her hand tightened on his knee instantly. She pulled her head away from his chest to look up at him with a look of threatening disbelief. Not this again. "Do you see any actual cats around here?"
His lips twitched. Definitely catnip. "Well, no, but… you have an actual cat at home."
Her eyes squinted, evaluating his faint smirk for a few moments, then her lips spread slyly. She twisted her torso towards him with her left arm braced behind them and her right pressing on his knee, looking him straight in the eyes with a glint in hers. "Would it be clearer if I pounced like you were actual catnip?"
His smirk widened, eyes glued to hers with the thrill of the thought. "Well… that would certainly be convincing."
Their eyes flicked between each other's silently, electrically charging the air with anticipation for her next move. Her smirk widened wryly and she trapped the energy in her eyes, leaning forward and lifting her right hand to his chest. It pressed him back, and he didn't fight it or look away from her eyes all the down to the sleeping bag beneath him. She looked down on him with her arm straight, feeling his eager heart beat beneath her flattened palm.
"You're clearly not one for subtlety." Her voice was low, teasing.
"You don't seem like it either right now." His voice matched hers.
She just grinned at him for a moment, looking into his eyes like he did hers. Then she bent her elbow, lowering her chest to his while he slid his arms around her.
He thought she would go for his lips next as she leaned in, but she shifted her head to the side to murmur in his ear, instead. "As I recall, it was you who said I needed to be more direct."
His quiet chuckle tickled her cheek. "I don't regret saying it."
She pulled back just far enough for them to look into each other's eyes for a quiet moment, then she leaned in. This time she went for his lips, and he raised his face to meet hers halfway, impatient to be relieved of this burgeoning anticipation. She met the enthusiasm of his hasty lips for a few moments, then pulled back.
"Hold on..."
He exhaled, looking up at her with barely-contained frustration as he reigned himself back in at yet another tease. "What?"
"This is supposed to be a lesson, remember?" She reminded him in a soft, matter-of-fact voice. "It's better to start slowly."
I've been waiting all week. He lowered his head back against the sleeping bag and watched her with tense expectantance. She settled closer to him again with her nose nearly touching his.
"You'll appreciate it more when you take your time. That's how you learn things…" She brushed her cheek against his, her nose by his skin breathing in the faint scent of his shaving cream. "...Like how your face is so kissable after you've shaved."
She did just that softly on his cheek, started slowly down his jawline, continuing onto his neck. Each touch made him want to melt and grab her at once, and in their frustration, his hands settled for feeling every bit of her back. She tested his neck, paying attention to the spots that made his fingers slow and curl in her sweater. She tried a new bit of skin and his head tilted back. She lingered there for a moment then paused to lift her eyes to his face, finding his eyes closed. They opened slightly when she stopped kissing him, casting a heavily-lidded look at her smug satisfaction.
"Bet you didn't know you had that spot."
His lips twitched back. "I think I get the point." His left hand lifted away from her back and moved to her scarf, his fingers tucking into it as he pulled his head up to look at her directly. "Are you ever going to let me practice?"
She smiled and trailed her fingers on his chest, her voice encouraging. "Go ahead."
It was all his eager ears needed to finally hear. His fingers pulled the scarf down and loosened it around her neck as he leaned in. As much as he liked the black cats on the fabric, they were going to have to get out of his way. He kissed her the way she kissed him, putting her lesson into practice all the way down her neck and paying attention to the places that made her fingers curl in his shirt.
He used more of his mouth than she did, exploring the weeklong thoughts of flavor that had been tantalizing him. Her Quirk tasted curiously different on her skin than in her mouth; sharper, perhaps from the different mixture of products, and nipping at his neurons.
His mouth reached her collarbone and he drew in a long breath through his nose, trailing along her skin back up to her ear. The scent met her taste and it washed over his mind, pouring down his spine with an electric tingling. His left hand went to the back of her head, fingers combing through hair that was soft just like he'd imagined and pulling it to the side as he exhaled. He pressed his nose into her strands breathing in deeply, and felt the immediate, slightly dizzying rush through his sinuses. Her scent was perfect. He needed more taste.
He pulled away from her hair to look at her, pleased by the flushed skin of her neck. She met his eyes and both were satisfied by the desire reflected back at them. His eyes dropped to her lips, and he leaned in. It was up in his head now, this urge to kiss her deeply right from the start. He held it back, determined not to be sloppy this time, attuning himself to the relaxed pace and gentle pressure she set with her lips. He steadied himself with awareness of her whole body; hot like his, the hand she was running up and down his chest, her knee sliding past his knee. He could kiss her for minutes, hours, days just like this, so wonderful. But that taste.
It was just on the other side of her lips, beyond the tip of his tongue. He caught it faintly in the wetness of her lips; not wet enough. More. His mouth asked hers for more with his tongue on her lip. When she brushed her tongue on his, he held himself back from rushing in with his tight grip around her back and the fingers he knotted into the hair behind her head.
He felt her hand on the back of his, untangling his fingers from her hair gently and holding them as she kissed him with the same gradual pace. He matched it, at first, but when the urgency of his breath and mouth started to fall out of tempo with hers, she slowly pulled her lips away from his. He followed them for a moment before stopping and opening his eyes.
She looked at him carefully with her face flushed. "You okay?"
He looked back at her with his pupils dilated and breathless. "I'm great."
She smiled. "...Great."
Still holding his hand, she slowly shifted her weight off of him. "That's a good spot for a break."
He frowned in protest as her heat left him, his hand tightening on hers as he sat up a little. "Already?"
She settled on her side next him, lacing her fingers through his and resting them on his chest with her eyes on his calmly. "It feels like that's right about where your edge is."
"Edge?"
"How do you feel?"
He pulled his attention from her, reflecting on himself for a moment. Euphorically, stupidly happy. Every nerve was a live wire, and the veins were pounding in his head. And his brain; that was, in a word…
"Soupy."
She chortled at his choice of adjective. "And… that, 'soup', is getting a bit too hot to drink right now."
He just stared at her blankly. His mind was really not in a place for following metaphors right now.
She sensed it, and gave his fingers a light squeeze. "We'll just relax. We can talk for a while," she assured him. "Let you cool off."
He studied her for a moment, then gave in to her hand and slowly leaned back to the sleeping bag. She watched his eyes intently, continuing in the same level, soothing tone.
"This is a good day to practice. My Quirk's near its weakest point, so it takes longer to reach that state."
He considered that for a bit as his heart and lungs gradually settled, swimming through his thoughts. "... Edge of what?"
"The point where it starts feeling more sexual."
"Oh." More, the thought enticed.
"And that's also why we take it slowly… to get right up to that edge without going over, then ease back… then up to it again… you'll get used to the feeling, and it'll take more to reach it."
He looked at the sky for a moment, shifting his mouth.
"So we have to do a lot more practicing, is what you're saying?"
"Yes." She read the look he gave her. "...In a bit."
He chuckled and looked straight up again as the blue of the sky started brightening. She settled her head on his shoulder and it was bliss just to lay beside her as she talked with her breath brushing his neck. It didn't matter to him what about; her camping trips, family stories, experiences in veterinary school—anything. He'd never been so eager to learn more about someone ever before, saying anything just to keep her talking about whatever.
All the while she spoke quietly with her body, too, building up the physical anticipation again with her fingers stroking farther up and down his torso, her knee inching up against his, and her lips shifting to brush his neck with every word. Hyper-aware of every sensation, he waited for her to lift her head and give him a look in the eyes that spoke more than her words before she swept his mind away with the relief of her lips on his again. Temptation urged his hands to explore, and she returned them to her back with her own fingers running softly through his. Slowly.
Too slow, every nerve screamed on fire, but he listened, keeping his hands there and following the pace of her gradual kisses. More. Wait. Faster. Slower. His body struggled against his mind. It was never enough to satisfy when she pulled away again leaving his blood boiling and pounding in his head and in his chest. But her eyes glimmered with a promise to return.
Patiently impatient, he waited for her to restart the tantalizing cycle watching the sky that matched her eyes in color; such a beautiful color. They could do this forever. In this moment, they had all the time in the world.
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A/N: Happy New Year everybody! Bringing in 2021 with a nice long meow!
This chapter was fun to write because they are both on the same page. Finally, we are definitely in full-blown romance territory sixteen chapters and two years into this project. I can't believe it's been that long and I feel like I haven't gotten very far, haha :')
His logical brain gets to take a backseat and just enjoy the ride of falling in love for the first time. I feel like Aizawa would be a bit of a dork and come up with something simple for a date even though he's trying his best, but Hayate doesn't care so long as it's with him.