The warm comfort of the bed was like a drug. The idea of leaving it, even for a moment, brought a feeling comparable to dread. He would have liked to stay asleep. He would have liked to just stay wrapped up in the blankets that held the lingering sweet scent of Akari's shampoo, but it was not meant to be. His stomach was growling and he was thirsty. So much so that sleep was now evading him.

With difficulty, Aizawa dragged himself out from beneath the blankets and yawned. His eyes went to Akari's closet and saw that she had left it open after getting dressed earlier. His lips drew into a frown and he closed it, vaguely wondering how her outing with Yamada was going.

He ran a hand through his dark hair as he walked out of her room, pushing the tangled locks away from his face. The man downed a glass of water and then searched for food. When he opened he cupboards, he grimaced. She had had a lot of quick preparation foods before, but now she also had a large amount of junk food. With no other choice, he decided to make cup ramen.

As the water heated up, Aizawa leaned against the counter to wait for it. Once he had eaten, he would go back to sleep until she returned. His gaze momentarily went to the offensive cherry red couch in the other room and then shifted to the vase on the coffee table. The bouquet of bright red flowers that Akari had so meticulously arranged in it.

When his noodles were ready, he sat on the couch and ignored its almost painful level of hardness. His eyes were on those flowers, his thoughts on what she had told him. Aizawa had pretended to act jealous before because he wanted to see her reaction. Now, he found a strange sort of irritation setting in. He knew this feeling well. It surfaced every time he saw Yamada getting a little too touchy with his girlfriend.

Yamada was harmless enough. He was Akari's best friend, after all. Just friends. This stranger was different. There was no doubt that the flowers were from the same man that had assisted Akari during her fight on Friday. They had not spoken about it since then and it was now Sunday, but Aizawa found himself thinking about it as he ate.

He said that he loved her. Chewing on his food, his eyes subconsciously narrowed on the flowers. It wouldn't surprise me if it's a stalker. Hizashi said that she's had those before. An overwhelming urge to knock over the vase came, but he had enough self-control to not do it. Although he was sure that Akari would have laughed it off and joked about him being a "grumpy boy" again.

His food was finished and he set the cup aside. Aizawa reached out and prodded the petals of one of the flowers, feeling the soft texture of it. He and Akari had yet to say those three words to each other, but a stranger had said it to her. The stranger claimed to love her and it made Aizawa think about his feelings toward Akari. He had to wonder if it was love.

Shift P.O.V

"This is hideous, Hizashi!" She had to put a hand over her mouth to smother a laugh, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Are you serious about this?!"

"Whaaat?! Akari, baby, you need to change up your color scheme! Your place is all red and black; it's like a villain's lair or something! This is perfect! It's bright and cheerful! It should wake you up every morning when you see it!" He slapped a hand against the back part of the couch and grinned. "It's perfect!"

Staring down at the offensively bright orange couch, she began to laugh again. "This looks like it should be in a street to block traffic!"

"Come on; let's give it a try!" He grabbed her hand and flopped down onto the sofa, pulling her with him.

Akari decided to humor her friend. If nothing else, the bright color would probably make her feel a little more awake when she came out of her room. She shifted a bit, having landed halfway onto her friend's lap when he pulled her down. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her kind of close. The cushions beneath her were soft. Not in a comforting way, either. Sitting on the couch reminded her of sleeping on a quickly deflating air mattress.

"Nope." She stood and actually dusted herself off, wanting to rid herself of that horrible experience. "Next."

"What?! Well, I guess it is kind of soft." He held out a hand and let her pull him up. Adjusting his glasses, he sighed. Green eyes skimmed over the selection of couches in the furniture store. "What're you looking for anyway? You don't usually sit on your couch, babe."

The woman shrugged and pushed her hands into her pockets. "Yeah, well, I've been thinking lately. It wouldn't be the worst thing ever if I had a comfortable couch. In case I have people over or something, right?"

"Oh? Is your family-?" Yamada instantly quieted himself when she began walking away. Her family had always been a sore subject for her, but he had hoped that maybe things had changed. "Sorry, sorry! You okay, Akari?"

"…I'm fine…" Her voice was monotone as she answered, her eyes lowered to the floor as she walked. "Look, I don't need them. I'm not even upset. I have you, right? And Shouta. And Kayama. And Yagi, I guess. So if I want company, I'll call one of you. I don't need my family to have a family."

Behind her, his eyes widened. The man quickly came up behind her and threw his arms around the woman. "Awww! Akari, baby, you know you can call me anytime!"

She half-smiled and gave a quiet laugh. "Yeah, I know."

The two looked at a few more couches, trying each one to see if they were comfortable. None of them seemed like a good fit. They were either too hard or too soft. Finally, Yamada gave an exaggerated sigh and checked his phone. "I wish Shouta would've come with us! He's better at this kind of thing!"

Pushing her crimson locks away from her face, she raised an eyebrow. "Shouta's good at picking out furniture? Wait, you've done this with him?"

"No, no! I mean he's good at practical stuff like this! He'd be able to tell right away which one we should get!" he explained.

Which one "we" should get, she thought with a slight head tilt. "He's a practical kind of guy. That's probably why we hang out with him; he's a good balance for us."

"What?! I can be practical!"

"You wanted me to get a fluorescent orange couch!"

"Hmm." Yamada rubbed his chin, looking from her to the couches around them. "Maybe you should just get a hammock!" he finally announced.

She snorted and shook her head. "Hizashi…no."

"Hizashi, yes! Think about it, Akari, baby! A hammock would be fun! And they're super comfortable! You could even store stuff under it if you have to!" Putting a hand on her shoulder, he grinned. "Just imagine cuddling in a hammock~"

Akari grinned back. "Sounds nice, but imagine falling out of a hammock and smashing your head on your coffee table and no one finds your dead body for a few days because you're a reclusive gremlin."

His eyebrows raised and the man laughed. "That's a pretty horrible image, babe! You know I'd find you right away; I've got special Akari senses!"

"Never use that phrase again." She was about to say more, but then her eyes fell upon something truly magnificent. In the distance, behind Yamada, was a simple black couch with three seats. Moving past her friend, she kept her eyes locked onto the piece of furniture as if it might be a mirage. As if it might blip out of existence if she looked away for even a moment.

Akari approached it with a fluttery sensation in her stomach, hope in her wide, blue eyes. Setting a hand down on a back cushion, a smile bloomed on her pale face. She ran her fingertips over the velvety texture and it sent a wave of pleasure through her.

Yamada came to stand in front of the couch, arms crossed and a skeptical sort of frown on his lips. "Don't you think it's kind of boring?"

"Touch it."

He leaned down, running a hand over the armrest, and his frown became a grin. "Oooh! So soft!"

"Right? I don't think any of the others had this upholstery."

"Now for the real test!" Yamada grabbed her hand and pulled her down with him. The cushions sank only a little. Just enough to comfortably cradle them both.

Akari's heart raced as she felt the soft fabric against her bare arms, the incredibly cozy way that the sofa held her relaxing form. Leaning her head back, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the back cushions were almost as comfortable as the custom-made pillows she had on her bed. "This is the one."

Her blond friend pretended to gasp. "Is this true love?!" he joked.

"This is true love~" She snickered and ran her fingertips over the fabric again, smiling to herself.

Plans were made to have the couch delivered to her apartment in a few days and Akari hired a truck and movers to take her old couch later that day. She hated to part with the cherry red piece of furniture, but it was for the best. The thing was hardly functional as a couch; more suited as a dining room table or a butcher's block. On the way home, she and Yamada picked up enough food for three.

"So? You get to come back tomorrow, right?" he inquired.

"Ah. Yeah. Nezu-san said I can come back to work tomorrow. I still feel bad about scaring that kid though. I'm sure that if I went to apologize, he'd just be freaked out. I mean, I threatened to eat him." She rubbed the back of her neck and frowned. Talking about it reminded her of Jin's reaction. How he had laughed and nearly choked on his water. Yamada did not laugh. Jin. I haven't seen him in a while. I hope he's alright.

"Are you going with Shouta to the USJ training?"

"Hm? Uh…well he hasn't said anything to me about it yet," she confessed.

"What?! Akari, baby, you've got to go with! It's going to be so fun! I wish I could go with you guys, but I'm teaching a class during that period." He saw her frowning and raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I mean, it does sound fun. I just…wonder why Shouta didn't say anything. Does he not want me to go with him?"

The blond shook his head, smiling. "No way! He probably just forgot! You know how Shouta is; he's always so tired that it probably just slipped his mind! Either way, you should totally go with the class! It's going to be a lot of fun!"

"Yeah. It sounds fun." She forced a smile and nodded. "I'll go whether he wants me to or not. I'm sure Nezu-san won't mind. Besides, I'm a backup teacher. That's the kind of scenario where I'll be most useful, right?"

"There's the determined Akari that I love!"