The red-haired hero was walking ahead of him, chatting with Kayama and seeming to be in a much better mood than usual. It was apparent to everyone she came in contact with. The grumpy, sleep-talking backup teacher was now actually making an effort to be friendly and she was eager to help with classes. As much as he liked her before, he found that he liked her this way as well. She was still quieter than the man currently walking next to him.
"Akari's on fire today! You think she found a good sleep aid or what?"
"Who knows?" His eyes lowered and he fought the grin that threatened to form on his face. Aizawa was actually in a better mood, too. He just showed it in a subtler way than she did.
"Shouta, are you smiling?"
He bristled. "No."
"Reeeealllly? Because you look like you want to smile!" Yamada grinned and leaned forward a little to try to see past the hair over the other man's face.
"I'm not smiling."
"Okay, okay!" The blond shifted his attention back to the woman in red. "That Akari though! I love seeing her so energetic, you know? Really makes me want to say "Yeah"!"
Everything makes you want to say that. Aizawa lifted his gaze to Akari again and he found himself seeing her a little differently. Before, he had been purely focused on her demeanor and endearing habits. Now he found his eyes roaming over her figure in her hero costume.
The top consisted of a skintight crimson material that zipped up the front, with a black tank top worn beneath it for modesty. She usually had the zipper stopped just under her bust, unless she felt cold and then it was zipped all the way up. Black fingerless gloves were on her hands, keeping her fingertips uncovered to allow her to use her quirk whenever she needed to.
The bottom of her costume was the same material as the top, clinging tightly to her hips and legs. She wore a black belt that carried a can of pepper spray, her neatly coiled capture weapon, and a knife for quick access. The woman's shoes for the costume were a pair of dark red boots decorated with black buckles.
Shifting his eyes to the side, Aizawa caught his blond coworker seemingly staring at one particular area and grinning. "Hey."
Not even slightly embarrassed, he turned to the other man. "What's up, Shouta?"
"What's going on between you and Akahana?"
"Are you feeling jealous~?"
"Not even remotely. I just want to know."
"Weeellllll…we're just close friends." Yamada's grin fell to a frown for once and he rubbed the back of his head. "I've got some hope for the future though!"
"You don't say."
"She's in a way better mood lately. I just might have to ask her out to dinner tonight!" A sheepish smile formed and he looked over at his friend. "So what was that about this morning? You threw out her energy drink!"
Shift P.O.V
Akari's good mood gradually began to fade as the day progressed. She still felt well-rested, but disappointment was starting to set in again. After his comment about the energy drinks, Aizawa was aloof for the rest of the workday. He spoke to her, but it was only about lesson plans or which classes she was helping with. It made her feel rather crestfallen.
Walking back to the teachers' room with Yagi after the last class of the day, she released a quiet sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. So it didn't mean to him what it meant to me. I should've realized. He did say that the last time we slept next to each other, it was the best sleep he'd had in a while. So that's it. It was all about getting some sleep. Her shoulders slouched and she bit her lip.
"Great work today," he coworker awkwardly complimented her. "You must've found a pretty good sleep aid, right? You seemed a lot more awake. What'd you use?"
She frowned and stretched her arms over her head, back arching and eyes closing. "It's kind of a female-specific sleep aid," she answered. There's no way I can tell him that I had a one-night stand with Aizawa.
"Hey, All Might. Are you in for going out Friday after work?" Kayama greeted the man as they entered the teachers' room.
"Oh. You're doing that again? Sure."
"And you're still in, right, Akari?" The dark-haired woman gave her an expectant grin. "Maybe you'll meet someone cute. We're going to a different bar this time."
"Meet someone cute?" She trailed her fingers through her thick, crimson locks and pushed them back from her face. Chewing her lip as she considered this, she gave a half-shrug. "Yeah. That sounds good," the woman finally answered.
"Great! You know, you should try pulling your hair back more often. That pale face and those red lips look pretty sexy~"
Heat rose to her face and she turned her head to the side. "Nn." She covered a yawn and went to her desk to wrap up a few things before planning to leave for her apartment. When she heard Yamada and Aizawa return to the room, she did her best to avoid any sort of eye contact. It didn't mean the same thing to him, she reminded herself. I did sleep really well, but it's not worth getting my heart broken. I like him. A lot. But he doesn't feel the same way. Maybe if I meet someone at the bar on Friday, I can move on.
With a quick farewell to the other teachers, Akari left the room to begin the commute home. As she walked down the hallway, she could still hear Kayama's voice from within the room, echoing through the empty corridor. The other female hero was asking the others if they were going to go out on Friday night. It was when she mentioned finding Akari a boyfriend that the redhead tripped over her own feet and tumbled onto the floor.
Damn it. She pushed herself up and bit her lip, holding back tears. It's stupid. Why did I have to like someone like him? He's grouchy and cold and of course he doesn't care! Damn it. Damn it…Her hands curled into fists, hitting one against the floor. "What's wrong with me?"
"Akaaaariiii! Hey, what's going on, babe? Did you trip?" Yamada approached and tilted his head. When he saw her bow her head to try to hide tears, his grin fell. A hand was offered, but ignored, so he slipped an arm around her to help her stand. "Babe, what's wrong? You know I hate seeing you like this!"
"Hizashi…" She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, burying her face in the man's chest. "Just tired. Don't worry about it, okay?"
His hand rubbed up and down her back through her costume, his frown deepening. "Akari, baby, let me take you home, okay? We'll grab some dinner on the way there. My treat! And I won't take "no" for an answer!"
Shift P.O.V
Hearing that Kayama wanted to help Akari meet someone made him irritated. He had avoided showing any sort of change of feelings toward her that day. It would just be bothersome if anyone asked about their relationship. Of course, it was hard to miss the way that Akari had started the day by stealing glances at him.
"She seemed kind of down, didn't she?"
"Akahana-san seemed like she was in a better mood today," Yagi argued.
"Well at the beginning, but before she left, she seemed kind of upset. I wonder what happened."
Aizawa stepped out into the hallway and saw Akari walking beside Yamada. The blond's arm was around her and his voice was echoing back to the teachers' room, asking Akari what she wanted to get for dinner. She's fine, he thought as he went back into the room.
"Something wrong?"
"No." He sat at his desk and gathered some papers, frowning to himself. Aizawa had intended to go to her apartment with her after work. He wanted this to be more than a one-night occurrence. She was with Yamada now, though. That was enough to make him decide against going to her apartment.
It was as he was walking home that he remembered something particular from the previous night. When she said that she liked him, it had made up his mind for him that it was meant to be. He had been caught up in trying to show how he felt and in his haste, his response to her confession had simply been "great".
Running a hand over his hair, he released a frustrated sigh and knew what he would have to do. It almost seemed like a waste of effort at this point since they had slept together, but if he needed to tell her then so be it. The circumstances needed to be just right though. Telling her at work was out of the question. He almost wanted to go to her apartment and tell her to her face, but he knew that Yamada was probably still there.
Shift P.O.V
"Careful!" Akari's ribbon coiled tightly around the man's wrist and yanked him backwards, out of the road and onto his rear on the sidewalk. Just as he hit the pavement, a truck sped past and he seemed to realize the danger he had almost stepped into. She leapt down from her perch on a windowsill above, giving the man a worried look. "Are you okay, sir?"
"Uh…yeah. I'm fine." His expression was one of puzzlement as he stared up at the crimson-costumed hero. The man's gaze slid from her pale face and red lips down to the ribbon wound tightly around his wrist.
"Ah. Sorry, let me just…" She gave a quick tug and he was standing, the ribbon swiftly releasing his arm. "You're okay?"
"I'm…fine." The man took a step back, a hand on the side of his head as he continued to stare at her.
Is he in shock? Akari heard a loud crash from down the street and remembered why she was there. The only reason why she would be out so early in the morning. She had received a call about a potential break in within this shopping district and, having insomnia, she agreed to try to catch the criminals.
The woman attempted to visually determine if he was injured since he seemed kind of dazed. Her eyes flitted over a few little details; a scar on his forehead, the puzzled expression on his face, the subtle narrowing of his eyes as he took a step back from her. "Please be more careful of the road, alright? That could have been really bad."
"Yeah…okay…"
"And try to hurry home. It's dangerous to be out at three in the morning!"
