No! No, no, no! What is he doing here?! Akari felt her blood run cold as she rounded a corner, capture weapon in hand. She had been called out late at night to take down some criminals that were attempting a string of muggings. This was supposed to be easy. She should have been able to take them down quickly and then return home to go to bed.

Now she was forced to face her worst fear. Dread made Akari's stomach do a flip as she saw the other red-haired hero taking down the largest of the criminals. She had been struggling to get close enough to use her quirk on the man; he was bigger than her and heavily muscled. The hair on the man's arms formed tendrils that constantly swatted at her to keep her away from him and threatened to grab her wrist when she did get close.

As she watched the flame-wielding hero incapacitate the man with minimal effort, her pace faltered. The last time she was this close to him was years ago. Just the sight of him was filling her with despair and she wanted to leave, but a couple more criminals were trying to escape.

Akari sprinted after the one who had yet to use his quirk and let her capture weapon surge forward. It wound tightly around the man's wrist and he was swung backwards, slamming into a lamp post and effectively knocking him unconscious. She released him from the ribbon and began winding it up, watching from the corner of her eye as the other hero caught the remaining criminal.

Upstaging him by catching more than him would only make things worse. She wanted to leave now, before anyone could notice what was going on. Before he could actually notice her presence. Before any fanatics could show up and ruin her life again.

"Holy shit! It's Endeavor!" someone screamed.

No, no, no! I have to get out of here! Akari started to walk away at a brisk pace, but stayed near the shadows along the buildings. Running would only draw attention to her. The crimson and black costume already drew enough people's eyes without her becoming a fast-moving target.

A commotion was beginning to take place behind her as people rushed to see the fiery male hero. Unfortunately, it was not so late that most people would be asleep. The sun had set, but plenty of people were still out. Soon enough, someone glanced up and noticed the female hero trying to flee.

"Whoa! Is that Heartstrings?!"

"It's EndStrings! My OTP!" someone else cheered.

No, no, no! Fuck no! I'm not doing this! I can't deal with this shit right now! She made the horrible mistake of glancing over her shoulder and in that instant, her cerulean eyes met a pair of light blue ones that were narrowed in hatred. Fuck! Akari sprinted off into the nearest alley, heart pounding and stomach beginning to feel sick. The bitter taste of bile rose to her mouth as she held completely still and kept her back pressed against the wall.

Akari's interaction with Endeavor was extremely limited. Before the incident, they had never even spoken. Though, when they did exchange words, it was made perfectly clear that he hated her with a passion. It was obvious that the phrase "EndStrings" had triggered him as well. That phrase. That ship that fans had started using to describe a relationship that had never been and would never in a million years be real.

The phrase angered him, but it sent her spiraling into a panic attack as she remembered how horrific the whole ordeal had been. Some people loved the fictional pairing and others despised it. She had received death threats, people had told her to kill herself, several called her horrible names that sent her into a depression Yamada had to help her work through. Not again. Not again, please.

The crackling sound of fire made her wince. Akari reached to her capture weapon; not about to let him take out his anger on her. Pushing down the panic, struggling to keep her breathing even, she turned to glare back at the man as he entered the alley.

The flames that covered portions of his body lit the alleyway and the heat made her back up a few steps. She was going to face him. She was going to be brave. However, fatigue was making her tremble. Before he could actually speak, Akari bolted.

Shift P.O.V

When the persistent ringing of his phone woke him up, Aizawa wanted to throw his phone. Sleep was precious and whoever was calling him was stealing away that treasure from him. He struggled out from beneath the heavy covers of his bed and grabbed the phone, ready to lecture Yamada.

"I…I need help…" Akari's voice was quiet, weak.

He sat upright in bed, a frown drawing at his lips. "Where are you?" As much as he wanted to just stay in bed, he was not going to ignore her.

"I'm…I'm behind a convenience store. I just…I ran into him."

Aizawa was in the process of getting dressed and grimaced, knowing exactly who she meant. He remembered the expression she wore when she heard that Endeavor would be at the sports festival. After getting her exact location, he set off and called Yamada as he walked.

"She ran into Endeavor?! Where is she?"

"I think she's hiding. I don't know what exactly happened; she just said that she ran into him." Though he knew some of what had occurred in the past, concerning her and Endeavor, he had limited knowledge of how bad it had really been. Yamada would be able to tell him just how dire this situation was.

"Where is she?!" the blond man repeated. "I'm not leaving her alone tonight!"

"I'm taking care of this!"

"She's probably having a panic attack! Shouta, you have no idea what happened! This is really, really bad! Just tell me where she is and I'll go pick her up!" Yamada insisted.

"I'm on my way!" Ending the call, Aizawa quickened his pace. The urgency in his friend's voice made it clear; he had to reach Akari as soon as possible. If she was having a panic attack, he could only imagine what would happen if Endeavor confronted her.

Shift P.O.V

When her boyfriend found her, Akari was curled up in a ball on the ground with tears streaming down her face and trying to keep herself from hyperventilating. While she waited for him, she had made a grave mistake. She had gone online and saw that "EndStrings" was trending on social media.

I can't go through this again! I can't! She quickly stood and rushed to cling to Aizawa when he appeared. The man wrapped an arm around her, letting her hold onto him. It made her feel just a little better, but she was still worried.

He walked with her back to her apartment, holding her hand the whole way there, but it was clear that he was unsettled by how she was acting. Akari was usually kind of awkward, but this was different. She had her head down, she refused to look up from the sidewalk.

Her thoughts were panicked and flitted swiftly from one thing to the next. She thought of the incident from years ago, she thought of how long it had taken for her to show her face in public again after Endeavor's words to her, and she worried about her job. If the "EndStrings" rumors and outrage began again, she would understand if the principal decided to put her on leave.

This inevitably reminded her of the night before. Walking out of Akahana Sushi with Jin, reassuring him that they were still friends. What if someone saw that? What if someone starts more rumors?

Aizawa unlocked the apartment door and led the way inside. He settled on the couch, waiting for her to lock the door behind her so he could ask about what happened. Seeing her linger near the entrance, the lock in place yet not moving, he frowned and ran a hand over his dark hair. "Akari."

What if Jin's in danger now? He isn't a hero. He's just a civilian. If he gets targeted because he was with a pro hero, then I won't be able to live with myself. She began to frantically run her fingers through her hair, biting her lip. That's not fair to him. It's not fair to Shouta, either. If this blows up and it's all over the media, Shouta will get roped into it.

"Akari," he spoke again. There was a sternness in his voice, but it went unnoticed by the woman now pacing near the door.

Why?! Why was he there tonight? He's never in this part of the city and it's nighttime! I thought he only worked during the day! Akari's heart was racing as she remembered how he had approached her in the alley and she felt nauseous. Few things scared her as much as he did since the very image of him conjured up feelings of hopelessness, abandonment, coldness.

Arms abruptly lifted her off her feet. Akari's eyes widened, arms going around his neck on reflex, as Aizawa began carrying her bridal style to her room. She half-expected him to just put her down and leave. I wouldn't blame him. I probably look like I'm insane right now, she thought.

Instead, the man turned and flopped onto his back on the bed, bringing her with him. The female hero was lying on top of him, one leg resting between his. A lock of crimson hair fell forward, tickling at his cheek as she stared down at him. "Shouta…?"

He released a frustrated sigh and closed his eyes. "I'm not going to ask you about it, I'm just going to be here while you work through it," he informed her. "But don't think that I'm leaving tonight. You woke me up so you owe me a good night's sleep. Understand?"

Heat rose to Akari's face as she felt his knee rub between her thighs. Trailing her fingers through his hair, she saw her boyfriend's expression relax from its frown. His lips parted slightly as she brought her face to the side of his neck, wanting to just soak in the warmth that radiated from him and forget everything that had happened that night.

Aizawa turned them without warning, putting her on her back and staring down at her with fatigued, narrowed eyes. A hand moved up along her side, starting at her hip and stopping only when he reached the zipper of her costume's jacket. "I'm taking this off."

She gave a small nod, biting her lower lip and turning her face to the side. Her worries about the incident were starting to be pushed aside. Her brain was now focusing on the closeness of the male hero's body. The warmth, the reassuring embrace as he held her against his chest. It's…going to be okay. It has to be, right? There's no way it can be as bad as it was last time.