His fingers trembled as he pulled off his mask, his back pressed against the door of his room. The man's nose was gushing blood and he knew he was probably a little bruised from the fight, but the rush of adrenaline and pleasure from fighting for her pushed away any hints of pain. I helped her. I was able to help her. I got in her way! She probably hates me now!

Inhaling a bit shakily, the man reached to lock the door and moved forward a few steps. She had almost been hurt. That criminal had almost injured her, but he was able to save her. His pride grew and he actually released a short laugh before he fell to his knees on the floor. A hand wiped beneath his nose, coming away sticky and red.

Jin ran his clean hand through his hair, remembering the way she had watched him defend her. Akari had seen everything. She knew that she was saved by someone in a black and white mask. Suddenly, his happiness dissipated and was replaced by fear and loathing.

Why did I do that?! She's going to hate me! I saved her life! She's going to love me! She's an independent woman! She's a hero! She can defend herself! That guy would've pulverized her face if I didn't step in! No! His jaw muscles clenched as he held his head, tears burning at the corners of his eyes. "…Akari…"

He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. The mask had his blood on the inside of it. If he put it on now, it would be disgusting. It needed to be washed. So he would need to hold himself together without it. Jin carried the mask to the bathroom and tossed it into the sink once he felt somewhat stable.

Trudging to the window, he lit a cigarette with shaking fingers. She had looked sort of surprised and confused when he appeared behind her. It was so hard to read her expression. Especially when she had her attention divided. He had just wanted to help her. He just wanted her to be safe.

Blowing some smoke out the window, he scowled to himself and ran a hand over his hair again. For now, he had to avoid her. He did not want her to see him with his face bruised like this. After all, he had helped her to protect her; not to make her feel indebted to him, not for recognition.

Shift P.O.V

"Why are your fingers bleeding? Did you use your quirk?"

Akari was in the process of entering her apartment when she heard this question and tensed. Looking to the kitchen, she saw Aizawa leaning against the counter. He was still wearing his hero costume; indicating that he had come to her apartment immediately after work. Glad to see that spare key is getting some use, she thought with a hint of mirth.

She was shaky from using her quirk. After the authorities took the criminals into custody, Akari had been taken aside and questioned about the masked man that had showed up at the scene. She had no idea who he was and let the police know that. His voice did not sound familiar and the way he spoke was kind of erratic. The only reason why they assumed she knew him was because of his declaration of love for her. That part still really confused the hero.

"I had to use my quirk. It was five against one. Er…five against two?" Seeing him raise an eyebrow, she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I had a weird afternoon, Shouta."

"What happened?" He saw her collapse onto the couch and knew that she must be exhausted from the blood loss. Falling onto that sofa was the equivalent of throwing oneself onto a cement block. Slipping his hands into his pockets, he walked over to stand beside the female hero's sprawled figure. "Does it involve those flowers in the kitchen?"

Akari saw him nod toward the beautiful red bundle of flowers and winced. "That's not…okay, it might involve that actually." She pushed herself to sit up, grimacing. "I got called to stop some thieves in the area. Right before I got the call, I heard a knock at the door and found those flowers in front of my door, but I didn't see anyone around."

"And?" Aizawa could tell that there was more to it. She lowered her head, appearing guilty. He frowned and reached a hand out, tipping her chin up with one finger as he leaned down close to her. "Tell me."

Blood rushed to her face and she bit her lip, averting her eyes for a moment as she tried to remain calm. With his face so close to hers, she could feel her pulse begin to race in anticipation. "While I was fighting, one of the criminals tried to sneak up on me. But…this guy…this weird guy in a black and white mask…appeared out of nowhere and took the hit instead of me. Then he attacked the criminal. When it was over, he just ran off."

"And you think he's connected to these flowers somehow."

She nervously picked at some loose skin around her thumb and half-shrugged. "I mean…he did say that he loved me when he showed up," Akari confessed. The man raised an eyebrow again and stepped back from her. "Shouta? What is it? Don't tell me you're jealous," the woman tried to joke.

A hand planted next to her shoulder as he drew close again. His knees nudged her legs apart and he knelt on the cushions there, the dark-haired hero leaning down to her ear. "What would you do if I was jealous?"

Cheeks now a burning crimson like her hair, the female hero fixed her cerulean gaze on the wall behind him. She could feel the warm, gentle caress of his breath over the side of her neck and it sent a wave of pleasure through her. Both hands lifted and pressed against his back in a strange sort of hug. "You're jealous, Shouta~?" she teased. Akari felt a sharp nip of teeth at her earlobe and released a quiet yelp in response.

"You don't want to make me jealous," he growled in reply. A hand slipped beneath her left leg as he moved his lips down to the side of her neck again. As his mouth pressed against her sensitive skin, he drew her leg up and around his waist so he could get closer to her.

She closed her eyes, feeling warmth rush through her body and settle where he was now grinding his hips into hers. Akari's arms wrapped around his neck, fingers threading into his dark hair. Her back arched as his lips latched onto her neck and a muffled sort of whimper escaped from Akari. His hips moved in a rough pace, rubbing against her and making him groan into the side of her neck.

"Nn. We…should go to my room," she pointed out. "Hizashi still has a spare key. What if he decided to-?"

"Are you still trying to make me jealous?" There was a slight growl to his voice as he leaned back from her neck. Spotting the faint mark that he had left on her fair skin, he smirked and pushed his hips tight against hers. Akari tipped her head back onto the couch cushion, biting her lip to silence a sound of pleasure. "You want to go to your room?"

Akari nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth to speak, she would make an embarrassing sound. Her other leg was lifted around his waist as well and she thought, for a moment, that he might be planning to just carry her to her room. Aizawa stood, his dark hair falling forward and tickling at her neck as he smirked down at her.

The redhead's back hit the apartment door and her fingers tangled more into his hair as his hips moved roughly against hers once more. His lips found her collar bone and graced it with delicate kisses at first, but they soon grew as rough as the grinding of his hips. He paused every so often, latching onto her skin and leaving a mark before moving on.

When his mouth left her skin, she nearly breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she enjoyed the feeling, the woman was still afraid of making a sound and drawing the attention of her neighbors. As his lips skimmed over the curve of her ear, Akari felt her pulse skip a beat. "Sh-Shouta?"

"What would you do if he knocked right now?"

"If…Hizashi-?"

"What would you do if he knocked and asked if he could come in?"

Teeth gently brushed over her skin and she pushed her hips forward against his, feeling something rub particularly tightly against the fabric of her pants. It made her almost whimper. "I'd…tell him to go home," she answered with honesty. What kind of question was that?

By the time they were done with their pre-sleep ritual, Akari was feeling absolutely exhausted. Not just from their activity together, but also from the blood loss she suffered when she used her quirk. Lying beneath the blanket beside Aizawa, she lifted her hand and stared at her fingertips. The blood had started to dry, but now fresh crimson drops were bubbling up.

He took her wrist gently and frowned. "You didn't have to do it."

"No, but I was bored. I didn't have anything better to do," she argued. Akari tried to pull her hand back, but his grip tightened. "Shouta?"

"Come on. You need to cover these until they seal up." Aizawa got up from her bed, albeit with reluctance, and led her into the bathroom. He seated her on the edge of the bath and located her medical kit beneath the sink.

Though it was kind of embarrassing, she also felt oddly happy about letting him take care of her. His touch was gentle as he cleaned the wounds. Every so often, he would ask if she was alright and she would always say "yes". When he got the roll of gauze, he finally noticed the rapid beating of her pulse beneath his touch and the blush on her face.

"This wasn't our first time," he muttered, averting his gaze. The hero was unsure if she was embarrassed because they were both still basically undressed or if she just got this way when other people took care of her.

"I know that. I just…really like you, okay? It's embarrassing." Her voice was just above a whisper, but she knew that he had heard her. His smirk had returned as he began to wrap the cuts on the woman's fingertips. He makes me feel giddy. Like a teenager with a crush. I'm too old to feel this way. The thought of love crossed her mind and it inevitably made her think of what the stranger had said to her that afternoon. He…said that he loved me. That was so weird!

"Hm." He finished his task and pushed his hair back from his face, frowning a little. Walking back to her room, he lazily settled on the edge of the bed and reached down to pick up his shirt from the floor. "Get dressed. We need to get dinner."

"What? Wait a second; I still have some food in the fridge. I can make us something." Akari watched him put his shirt on, biting her lip when she saw that toned physique disappear beneath the dark fabric.

Aizawa saw her hesitating and got some clean clothes for her. "You're injured; I'm not letting you cook anything with your fingers that way."