I slept great last night! Akari smiled to herself, trailing her fingers through her thick crimson locks. Maybe if I wasn't such a chicken, I'd ask Shouta to move in with me. But it's probably too soon for that, right? He'd say "no". She paused in her steps, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back in the midday light.

Sleep had graced her with a good twelve hours of peaceful rest, seemingly coaxed into her grasp by her lover's warm embrace. She felt more energized than she had in quite a while and it made her yearn for a use for it. The thought of going to work, against the principal's advice, was tempting. However, she knew that Aizawa would be angry if she did. Yamada would most likely insist on her going home. It was best to just do as the principal had advised.

Before her boyfriend had left that morning, he mentioned coming to the apartment after work. The woman's smile grew at the thought of him being her boyfriend. A little over a week and she was still this excitable when it came to Aizawa. She shook her head, internally scolding herself for acting like a teenager with their first boyfriend.

Having so much free time, she was determined to impress him somehow. The easiest way would be to clean out her fridge, as he had demanded a few times now. The energy drinks were removed, but she hid them around the apartment in case of emergency. She planned to stock the fridge with actual food and attempt to make him dinner, but Akari's cooking experience was limited.

Shopping was uneventful. Unlike some of her coworkers, Akari was not a very popular hero. People rarely asked her for autographs or photos. She was glad that no one really talked to her. Working nights meant limited human interaction so talking to strangers made her feel quite awkward.

The last time people actively pursued her in public, as a hero, was around the time of the incident. Just thinking about it made her stomach twist in anxious knots. That terrible incident. It was part of why she refused to work during the day. Limited human interaction. Limited interaction with citizens and other heroes. At the time, all she really needed in terms of socializing was Yamada.

Carrying her groceries back to the apartment, she sighed to herself and bit her lower lip as she thought of what had happened. What people had said to her. What people had written about her online and in the media. It was truly a nightmare that she was afraid she would never escape. Thankfully, that was years ago. It seemed as though most people had forgotten.

She put everything away and turned to look at her couch, frowning. Okay. Now what? I still have some time to kill before he gets off work. Ugh. How do housewives do this? I'm so bored!

Akari made a cup of coffee, but then realized that she was out of milk. Glaring into her fridge, she absently toyed with a lock of her hair and cursed. I went to the store. Got all of these ingredients to make a romantic dinner. And I forgot to get milk?! How? Uuugh!

She slammed the fridge door and splashed the black coffee into the sink. Grabbing her jacket, she decided to just leave the apartment. If she stayed, she might doze off out of habit. Or worse, she might just be incredibly bored. Akari had gotten into the schedule of working nights and sleeping during the day so she legitimately had no idea what people were supposed to do with their daylight hours.

Coffee. Need coffee, she determined as she walked down the street. Let's see. Coffee shop. Where? She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it away from her face as she scanned the line of shops. Her stomach growled and she shook her head. Okay. Maybe food first. Coffee after.

The hero entered the first noodle shop that she spotted, just wanting to get something to eat so she could at least be distracted from her boredom. Akari was greeted by the shop workers and looked for an empty seat. Somewhere that she could sit by herself without looking too much like a lonely loser. That was when her eyes landed on a figure slouching on their seat at the counter. "Oh hey! It's you!"

Shift P.O.V

When she entered the shop, he tensed and tried to make himself inconspicuous. He was in her neighborhood, again, but out of necessity. He had business there. The man reminded himself of this as he took in the woman's curious expression upon entering the restaurant. Slouching in his seat, he tried to keep his gaze downcast, but his pulse was racing.

This is fate! This has to be fate! No way! It's a weird coincidence! Out of all of the places around here, what's she doing here? He heard her voice and his heart skipped a beat. That sweet, melodic voice was speaking to him.

"Oh hey! It's you! Remember me?" She approached his right side and offered a half-smile that was just a little sheepish.

"Yeah…hey," he greeted her. The man gritted his teeth, the hold on his chopsticks tightening until his knuckles were white. Anxiety was building. He wanted his mask. He wanted to pull out his mask and put it on. I'm splitting apart! I can't do this! I should talk to her! Sweat beaded at his hairline and the back of his neck as he turned his head in her direction. "Do you…want to sit with me?"

Her full smile was almost too much for him. The hero's cherry red lips curled in pleasure and she quietly thanked him for the offer. Seating herself beside him, the woman's knee accidentally bumped against his and she gave a soft apology. "I kind of got suspended from my day job so I don't know what to do during the day," she confessed. "I just kind of ended up here. Do you come here often?"

Why does it sound like she's trying to pick me up? Is she hitting on me? A glance over showed that her cheeks held a faint pink tint after she said that. She laughed, apologizing again. "No, it's…fine. I come here sometimes."

"I haven't been out during the day much."

To his surprise, she ordered herself a bowl of ramen and then stated that she was paying for his meal as well. "I owe you one. You wouldn't believe what happened yesterday after you gave me that gift! I had to use my quirk and I got really shaky so the energy drink and chocolate really helped me out."

Shift P.O.V

"I…helped?" The man sounded surprised, but there was also a strange sort of strain in his voice when he spoke.

Akari nodded. "It was really helpful," she continued. "I probably would've collapsed if I didn't have that snack." Her bowl of food arrived and she began to eat, but she could see it from the corner of her eye. A slight smile pulled at his lips. He had dark circles beneath his eyes and the scar on his forehead made him look kind of intimidating, but she could tell he was a good guy.

"So…are you on lunch break?" she inquired.

"No, I just finished a job." He paused, sipping his water and looking down at the broth in his bowl. "You said you were suspended from your day job?"

"Yeah. Ah. It's kind of embarrassing." Running a hand through her hair, the woman's sharp cerulean gaze shifted and met his tired grey-blue eyes. "Well…I'm a hero, but I'm also a backup teacher. And my insomnia…well I'm kind of dangerous when I'm sleep-deprived. I talk in my sleep and say kind of scary stuff. I guess I threatened to eat one of the students."

The man tried to smother it, but a laugh escaped him. Keeping a hand over his mouth, he shook his head and his eyes teared up. He bowed his head, eyes closing as he tried to regain his composure. At his side, she was unable to hide her own smile. When he seemed to have it together again, he gripped his water glass and shook his head once more. "You…threatened to eat a student?"

"I didn't expect it to sound that funny, but I'm glad it didn't freak you out," she stated with a snicker. "Yeah, well. I also tried to bite off my friend's fingers, but somehow no one had a problem with that. So what about you? What do you do for work?"

His troubled frown returned and he absently stirred the broth with his chopsticks. "Just odd jobs."

"That's kind of cool though. You get to do something different all the time, right?" She saw him nod and then frowned to herself. "You know…I forgot to ask your name. I'm sitting here asking about your work without even introducing myself. I'm Akahana Akari. And you're…?"

His frown deepened. "Jin."

"Just Jin?" She lifted some noodles to her lips, pausing to blow to cool them down a bit before she brought them into her mouth. From the corner of her eye, she saw him glance over and then back to his own bowl. He looks kind of tense.

"It's…Bubaigawara Jin."

Akari chewed thoughtfully and nodded once. "Jin it is then. So…what are you doing today? I have some time to kill."

"I don't know." His voice was sounding a little more strained, almost as if he was in pain. He reached to his pocket and drew out a lighter, which he began to fidget with.

"Jin? Everything okay? You look kind of tense." Akari reached over, gently placing a hand on his forearm. She leaned forward a little, trying to see his expression since he was slouching more now. "Jin?"

"Akahana Akari. That was it, right? You're a hero. So you shouldn't hang around places like this. People might-"

"Talk? Because…I don't really care. I've been called names. I've been accused of some weird stuff." She smirked and pushed her leftover noodles toward him. "So, you know, I've got a thick skin. Probably a thick skull, too. I don't really like talking to people that much, you know. They're kind of a pain sometimes. Don't get me wrong; I like helping people. I know they need help. But when it comes to stuff like this, socializing and one on one situations, I'm really bad at it. So it doesn't matter what people think. If I don't talk to them, it doesn't matter."

His eyebrows raised when she gave him her food and when he felt her hand on his upper back, his mouth twitched into the slightest of smiles. "Thanks."

"I wasn't too hungry anyway," she assured him. "I'm saving my appetite. Plus I was going to get some coffee after this."

Jin turned his head to look at her directly, brow furrowing. "Let me treat you." He saw her quirk an eyebrow and frowned. "You bought my meal and…gave me your extra food. I can buy you a coffee at least."

She could feel it beneath his shirt. He was tensing more than before. Is he alright? Am I making him nervous? Not used to interacting with other people, Akari was terrible at reading them. To her, this was just a chance to hang out with someone cool and kill time until she needed to start dinner. A half-grin took form on her lips and she nodded once. "Alright. Sounds good."