Sleep was what he craved most as his phone started ringing. He looked longingly at his bed. It was sitting there; just waiting for him to fall beneath the blanket and welcome sleep's warm, tender embrace. Blinking, he shook his head and looked at his phone as it continued to ring.

Yamada's name was on the screen, as well as the time. It was still relatively early for Yamada, but definitely past the time Aizawa would have wanted to go to sleep. He grudgingly answered the call, but returned most of his attention to the lesson plan that he was working on. "What?"

"Akari isn't texting me back. I thought you were busy tonight, Shouta." The suggestive words were said in a teasing way, not showing even an ounce of worry.

"She's not here. She's probably asleep." He frowned as he said this. Even more than going to his bed, he wanted to go to hers. He would have preferred to spend the night at her apartment, sleeping next to Akari and actually getting a good night's rest. Instead, he was alone in his own apartment and toiling away to finish a lesson plan.

"You really think she's asleep? You don't think she's pushing herself again, do you?" There it was. The drop of his voice, the crumble of his optimism. "Shouta, you think Akari's happy?"

"What?" His first feeling was irritation. It seemed like a dumb question. She seemed happy enough. She always seemed to be in a good mood when it was just the two of them. It sank in pretty fast though that Yamada meant her career. He was wondering if she was happy working at UA.

Truth be told, Aizawa had started to wonder about it as well. She went out to patrol at night whenever her hero agency asked her to. She never turned down a request to go out well past midnight to catch criminals. As sleepy as she was, she seemed like she was unable to quit. Like it was an addiction. Like a compulsion she simply could not fight.

She's always tired because she comes to work after patrolling, he thought with a deep frown. Running a hand through his hair, Aizawa released a sigh of frustration. She's going to end up dead if she keeps pushing herself like this. I have to say something to her.

Thoughts crossed his mind as Yamada started rambling about how worried he was about her, talking again about how she should move in with him. This sparked an idea. If Akari did quit working at UA, if they moved in together. It was only natural since they were dating. Even if they had yet to use the 'l' word.

Thinking about sleeping together every night caused a warm stirring in him as he stared down at the lesson plan. He could keep her close. They would see each other every day, sleep next to each other every chance they got. The more he thought about it, the warmer the feeling became. I want that, he realized. I need to tell her.

They had plans on Sunday. Nothing at all fancy or romantic; they were going to order takeout, sleep, and probably indulge in their usual mature activities. It would be the perfect day to tell her what he wanted. If she wanted it as well, then they could probably move on to the next big step in their relationship.

Shift P.O.V

Akari tensed when she was swept into a hug by Jin and she felt her pulse racing. The scratches around her lock had been caused by him, picking at the lock to let himself in. Now here he was, standing in front of her, his arms still wrapped around her, with dinner cooking on the stovetop. What…is he doing here…?

He finally let go and stepped back, staring down at her through the black and white mask. "Hey, now! Why do you look so surprised? You knew I'd be here; I can see how excited you are!"

She blinked in alarm, taking a step back and bumping against the apartment door behind her. "Jin. I…wasn't really expecting you to be here," she admitted. "Um. So what's going on?"

Jin tilted his head slightly and gently took her by the arm. "Come sit down! You just got home! What do you want first; dinner, a bath, or me? You don't look that tired!"

I'm…so confused right now. As his question set registered, Akari felt her stomach seem to do a flip and warmth bloomed in her cheeks. Wait! What?! What did he just ask? She glanced between him and the kitchen, trying to urge him to give her a second to take everything in.

"You're probably hungry, right? I made something good! I don't care if you like it or not." He eagerly went to start plating their meals.

He's contradicting himself and he's wearing his mask. Akari knew what this meant. When he told her about his past, he included what his mask did for him. How it helped him feel stable when he started to feel like he was coming apart. Something is making him stressed, she realized.

She ran a hand through her hair, glancing toward her door briefly before crossing to the kitchen. The hero came to stand beside him and put a hand on his arm, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips. "Jin. What's wrong?"

The second she touched him, the man tensed. He paused in what he was doing, seeming to consider his next words. Jin reached to his mask's edge, but hesitated to remove it. When he felt her reach over, letting her own fingers slip beneath the edge of the mask, he knew she was not angry. He drew the mask off and gritted his teeth as he shoved it into his back pocket. "I…had a dream…about you," he muttered, his voice strained.

Akari frowned and looked away. "A nightmare?" She was reminded of her dream about him, when he had stayed with her last time. The dream about trying to free him from the red ribbon that bound him. "What kind of dream?"

Jin ran a hand over his hair. The blond locks were slightly damp with sweat from being under his mask and the muscles in his jaw were clenched as if he was in pain. "Your capture weapon…was strangling you so I had to…save you…it was wrapped around you and I couldn't get it off…"

What? The hero felt her pulse grow faster. It felt like her heart was beating harder than before. Palpitating. My capture weapon? Wrapped around me?

"I know what it means. I didn't know at first, but I kept thinking about it and I…want to keep you safe. Akari…being a hero is going to kill you! If it's not a villain…something else…I can't let it happen! So I came here to support you. I'll…always support you."

Jin turned toward her and saw the look in her eyes. The bright, cerulean eyes of the woman he loved were wide with worry. "I won't let it happen!" he repeated, taking a step closer. "Takumi…told me why you became a hero. You don't have to do it! I'll support whatever you really want to do!"

She had to wonder now if she might be suffering from a heart attack. As harsh as her pulse had become, it made her wonder if she might die. Akari had been saved by a rookie hero when she was in her last year of middle school. The hero was inexperienced and was killed in his efforts to save her. After that, she made it her mission to replace him and try to make up for his death.

"Akari…" Jin gripped her shoulders, staring down into her vibrant blue eyes. As he leaned down, he saw a pink hue rise to her face. "I'll do anything for you! If you…want to stay home, I'll work. Or if you want me to stay home, I'll do that. Whatever you want…I want you to be happy! I don't want you to die! For you…I'd even copy myself."

That last offer made a tightness form in Akari's chest. She knew what a big deal that was for him. She remembered the story. The incident that had given him that scar on his forehead. Akari knew the pain of loving someone and not knowing how they really felt about her. Aizawa had still not used the 'l' word.

The intensity in Jin's stare, the pain reflected in his gray-blue eyes, made her feel despair. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to make the pain go away. However, her thoughts went to Aizawa. "Jin, I…have a boyfriend," she spoke, her voice quiet as she tried to not hurt his feelings.

There was a moment of silence as a wet sheen came to his eyes. Jin gritted his teeth, one hand releasing her shoulder and moving to hold the side of his head. "I know, but he…doesn't treat you right," he started. "He's a hero. I know who he is and he's…not good for you. Akari, I…love you more than he does. Why can't you see that? Please just…let me prove myself to you!"

Akari was ready to argue. She was ready to defend Aizawa and explain that just because they had yet to use the 'l' word, it didn't mean that he was treating her badly. Was he grumpy? Absolutely. All the time. It was rare to find him in a good mood. Was he stubborn? Also yes. Infuriatingly so.

Before she could try to defend her boyfriend, Akari saw the hand leave the side of Jin's head and dart forward. Fingers threaded into her hair and went to the back of her head, pulling her toward him. She felt his lips meet hers, probably harder than he had intended, and she lifted her hands to his shoulders to give him a push backwards. He did not budge.

The hand that had been holding her shoulder left, his arm wrapping around her and pressing at her lower back to hold her against him. Jin's mouth moved against hers in an attempt at deepening the kiss, the man stepping forward to pin her upper back against the wall. Her grip on his shoulders tightened as her stomach did a flip. The hero's pulse was pounding as her chest met his. A groan was muffled by her lips and she felt herself starting to blush crimson as her hair.

Akari's knees were feeling wobbly. Weak. Like she might collapse. Whether from lack of oxygen as he maintained lip contact with her or from the simple intensity of the kiss. Something was making her feel weak. Warm. When she felt his hips press forward into hers, she dug her nails into his shoulders as heat settled in her core. No…no!

She forcefully turned her head to the side, panting and keeping her head bowed to hide her expression behind her hair. "Jin…that's…that was…"

He seemed to realize that her knees were on the verge of buckling. Removing his hand from her hair, he quickly had his hands on the back of her legs and lifted her up. Akari's legs wrapped around him on reflex and he gave her a sheepish sort of smile as he brought her to the couch.

Her concentration was broken. Whatever she had planned to say had been completely derailed by his kiss. The sheer intensity, the passion, the love that it conveyed. It made it hard for her to think. Now, finding herself settled on the couch with him getting their dinner from the kitchen, she found her composure again. "Jin. I can't…just stop being a hero. And I can't just leave him."

"I…won't leave you. I already said that I'm going to keep you safe. No matter what it takes."