She's avoiding me. He watched her from the corner of his eye, seeing her slouch a little more at her desk until she finally slumped forward onto her paperwork. Over the past few days, Akari spoke to him less and less. She only really talked to him about work and the students. Never about what had transpired between them. Never about how she felt toward him.

"Akari, baby, did you sleep at all last night?" Yamada prodded her shoulder with a fingertip and jolted when she turned to snap at his hand with her teeth.

The woman's fiery blue eyes narrowed upon the blond through her hair and she leaned in close. "You wanna fight?"

"What?!"

"Nn?" She blinked and rubbed at her eyes with a fist. "Did I say something?"

"You're scary when you're sleep-deprived," Yamada remarked. "I almost lost a finger just now!"

Aizawa gritted his teeth, wanting to say something, but stopped himself. He was tired. About as tired as Akari looked. The dark circles under her eyes were visible again and she yawned more than usual. It was such a contagious act that he had actually taken to averting his gaze when she started to lift her hand as if to cover a yawn.

He had wanted to tell her that her like for him was mutual. Over the past days, Akari seemed to make it her mission to not be alone with him. She always made sure that Yamada or another teacher was around if they were away from the classroom. Aizawa had even gone to her apartment at one point to try to get her alone, but she refused to answer the door. It had been pretty late at night so he knew that she was home.

"Let's go grab some coffee, babe! We've got some time before class!" Yamada grabbed her hand, a grin spreading across his face.

When the two were gone, he looked over at Akari's desk and felt disgust. She had at least a half dozen empty energy drink cans scattered around. Without a word to the other teachers, he stood and started to gather the empty cans to put in her trash. For whatever reason, when it came to Akari, he felt logic and rational thinking start to falter. It was frustrating.

It would be so easy to just tell her, but this was not something to say in front of their coworkers or in front of students. If he could just tell her, she would probably understand and stop avoiding him. They could both sleep again. He could stop feeling that guilt in the pit of his stomach.

Looking back, that night did not look good. She told him she liked him, he said "great", and they slept together. He had left early the next morning so he could stop at his place and then make it to work on time, but he left without telling her. So, when he looked back on it, it really did seem like he had used her for a one-night stand. It made sense that she would be angry with him.

"Akahana-san should really see a doctor."

"Don't worry! After tonight, she'll be able to sleep." Kayama saw the perplexed look that Yagi gave her and grinned sheepishly. "You know. I'm trying to help her meet a guy. If she has someone, she'll have somebody to help tire her out and-"

"Too much information," the blond protested.

"Well anyway~" The woman pushed her chair back and closed her eyes. "Let's just say that the sooner she meets someone, the sooner she'll get a good night's sleep."

Shift P.O.V

"You've been taking on jobs at night?! Babe, insomnia and crime-fighting are a dangerous mix!" Yamada scolded.

"Nn." She sipped her coffee and gave him a shrug. "Since I'm awake, I might as well be doing something. It's not like it's something I do a lot."

The blond hero shook his head, his arms crossed. "If you're having trouble sleeping, just give me a call! I'll take care of you~"

Akari half-grinned at this. "Hey, you've got more than one job and you're scolding me?"

"I don't have insomnia! When I need sleep, I'm out like a light!" he protested. Yamada released a loud, exaggerated sigh and slid an arm around her shoulders. "Akari, baby, you know how much I care-"

She interrupted as she yawned, barely able to lift a hand quickly enough to cover it. "Sorry."

"Babe." He slid his sunglasses down a little and turned to look at her directly. "Just promise me you won't do anything dangerous, okay?" His tone was soft, the volume of his voice just barely above a normal speaking volume for most people. It was clear from the way she frowned that she knew he was serious.

"F-fine. Just stop giving me that look."

"Awww! You know you love it!" Leaning over, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then pulled away before she could react. "You're still on for tonight?"

Her free hand lifted, pushing her thick red hair away from her eyes, and she smirked. "Oh, yeah. A chance for Kayama to set me up with a random guy in a bar? Wouldn't miss it for the world, Hizashi!"

"You could always go with me as a date~"

She snickered and finished her coffee in one gulp. "Your bright, sunny disposition is a bit more than I can handle. I think I'll take my chances with a stranger."

Akari went through the rest of the day as she normally did. She avoided being alone with Aizawa and kept any interaction between them strictly professional. The female hero was not about to get her hopes up and her heart broken all over again.

Working at night was a good distraction from the heart break. If she was fighting villains and catching criminals, it would take all of her concentration. It left no time for her to think about what had happened. Hizashi's right though, she thought as she walked home that afternoon. It's not safe to do that stuff when I'm running on three hours of sleep. One wrong move and I could actually die.

Yawning, she approached her apartment and spotted something odd. A handful of bright red flowers were lying on the ground in front of her door, tied together with a red piece of yarn. The stems were still wet and a bit ragged from where they had been snapped. She lifted the flowers and tilted her head.

As she let herself into the apartment, she shook her head and smiled. Hizashi. Of course. Why is he so worried? Akari got out a vase and put some water in it before arranging the flowers. She set them on the counter, her smile growing as she noticed that there were at least three different types of flower in the bunch. These really are beautiful though. I'll have to say something to him tonight. Maybe…one date wouldn't hurt, right? What better way to get over heartbreak?

Akari shed her hero costume once she was in her room and rummaged for some clean clothes. She settled on a black tank top and a jeans, planning to put on a jacket to stay warm when she left. It was as she finished getting dressed that she heard a knock at her apartment door.

Stepping out of her room, she frowned and ran a hand through her hair. "Hizashi, I don't need an escort!" she called, walking to the door. "Kayama promised to buy me a drink if I go so why would I-?" Akari opened the apartment door and it was immediately pushed wider.

Her dark-haired coworker entered the apartment and immediately kicked her door closed behind him. The man's eyes were narrowed as he looked down at her and when she started to back up, a hand darted out to catch her wrist. Turning, he pressed her back against her door and glared down at her. "Akari."

Her heart skipped a beat, face turning as red as her hair when she realized how close Aizawa was to her. "Did you…need something, Aizawa-san?" The woman tried to sound more confident than she felt, but struggled to hide the weakness that she felt in that moment.

Instead of answering, he gripped her jaw and leaned down closer. The man's dark eyes met her sharp blue ones, a lock of hair falling forward and tickling her shoulder. "Why are you so dense?"

"Aizawa-san, what are you-?" Akari's eyes widened as his mouth pressed hard against hers. She frowned into the kiss and squirmed, but went still when his free hand slammed against the door beside her. The woman's heart was beating at a hummingbird's pace as she closed her eyes. Her arms slid around his neck, tangling in his dark, messy hair.

When he finally leaned back, the man licked his lips and stared down at her. "Do you get it now?" he demanded. "Tonight. The only person that you're leaving the bar with is me."

Akari stared back at him for a long moment, taken aback by what had just happened. "I…need to get my jacket."

She slipped away to her room and took a few minutes to try to steady her breathing. He wants to come back with me after the bar? Grabbing a black leather jacket, she quickly put it on and attempted to calm herself. Why am I nervous? Is it the sleep deprivation?

Neither of them spoke on the way to the bar. Despite this, it did not feel awkward. Akari felt hope starting to bubble up, but at the same time she knew better than to let it actually take form. We're both too old for one-night stands, she thought with a frown. I don't want a relationship like that. I'm too tired for those kinds of games.

"Akari, I didn't think you'd show up with Shouta. Did something happen?" Kayama joked, smiling.

The red-haired hero sat with her female coworker, gladly accepting a drink when it was offered. Sipping the alcohol, she kept thinking back to what had happened between her and Aizawa. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Eventually, she slouched in her seat and gulped down the remains of her drink.

I have to talk to him, Akari realized. That's my only real option. We'll just have to talk. I don't want a one-night stand. I like him. A lot. That scruffy jerk. A fresh mug of beer was set in front of her, the server saying that it was a gift from someone across the bar. The place was so crowded that it was hard to tell who exactly it was from, but she was silently grateful.

"Hey, what do you look deep in thought about, babe?" Yamada plopped down in the seat beside hers, frowning when he saw her wince. "What is it?!"

"Volume," she muttered. At the same time, a male voice said the same word across the table from her. Her gaze briefly met Aizawa's and she flushed pink.