"Akaaaaarrrriiiii! You didn't answer any of my messages last night! You had me pretty worried! So what was up? Don't tell me you were out patrolling again!"
Aizawa could hear Yamada's voice before he had even reached the teachers' room and he paused in his steps, frowning. Too loud, he thought as he slowly continued his walk to join the other faculty members. He was already in a bad mood. Yamada had called him around three more times before Aizawa was forced to turn off his phone.
"Nn. Too loud," came Akari mumbled remark.
He looked toward her desk as he entered the room. The red-haired hero looked alright, for all of Yamada's worrying. Sleepy, of course, but she always looked at least a little fatigued. Seeing her run a hand through her thick, crimson locks and yawn, Aizawa felt his grumpy mood start to slowly melt away.
"Come on, babe, you can tell me! Why didn't you answer any of my messages? Did you really go to bed that early?" Yamada persisted.
She gave him a tired frown and shifted her eyes to the computer screen in front of her. "I keep my phone on silent at work. Honestly, I forgot to turn the sound back on. I almost overslept."
Aizawa went to his desk and sat down, attempting to focus on work. However, he did spare her desk a quick glance again. His gaze settled on the pink and blue aluminum can sitting perched on the desk's surface. It was unopened and sparkled with condensation. It made his frown deepen and, with a sigh, he pushed himself to stand up again.
"So did you get to read the stuff I sent you?" Their blond coworker leaned forward in his seat, leaning in close to her and grinning excitedly.
"No. My phone was dead when I woke up. I had to plug it in and then I…" She rubbed at the back of her neck, frowning. "I kind of…forgot it at home."
Yamada beamed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That's okay, babe! Everyone you want to talk to is here anyway, right?"
Before she could respond, Aizawa reached between them and grabbed the energy drink can. Thankfully, their friend seemed to get the hint and moved his chair a little further from Akari's. The female hero stared at the hand gripping her beverage for a moment before looking along his arm and moving up to meet his gaze.
Her cherry red lips curled into a half-smile, a faint warmth rising to her face. "Good morning, Shouta."
"What did I say about these?" he asked, tapping a fingernail against the side of the can. Condensation ran along the chilled metal, pooling on the desk beneath it. I can't believe she's still drinking these. I told her they'll give her a heart attack.
"I…have an addiction," she murmured, fingers lacing between his as she also gripped the can. "Shouta…"
"I said "no"." Leaning down closer, his free hand went beneath her chin. "Or do I have to teach you a lesson?" He kept his voice low, taunting. It was more than satisfying to see the resulting blush that rose to her face. "Let go."
"Nn. I was in the mood for coffee anyway." Akari relinquished the can of energy drink and stood as well. She stretched her arms over her head, back arching and releasing a yawn.
The catlike way she yawned and stretched brought him a surge of bliss. Aizawa started to feel better about his plan for Sunday. He saw her run her fingers through her hair as she bit her lip, waiting for Yamada to stand so they could go on a coffee run. When Aizawa caught her looking him up and down, from the corner of his eye, he smirked subtly.
She was always so obvious when she was looking at Aizawa. She was a great hero, but she was so awkward sometimes and something about it was just endearing. She had those moments where she was kind of clumsy, too, which was vastly different from how she acted when she was out in the public eye.
He watched her go with Yamada and sat at his desk again. Sunday, he told himself. After all, he had liked her high school. For all three years. But Yamada had asked her out first so he respect that. They drifted apart after graduation, but he still thought about her sometimes. The moment she started working with him at the beginning of the school year, those feelings from so long ago had rekindled.
Aizawa had waited for so long so a little longer would be no big deal. Just a few more days. Looking over his lesson plan, he sighed and felt fatigue threatening to take over. It's going to be a long day. He saw a few spelling errors on his own lesson plan and scowled. Grabbing an eraser, he stared rubbing at the mistakes and trying not to tear the paper.
A quiet "tink" sounded off to his right and he saw a chilled can of black coffee sitting a few inches from his hand. Aizawa turned his head and found Akari half-smiling. "What's this?"
"It's a present." Her smile fell and she started running her fingers through her hair a bit nervously. "You don't want it?"
"I'm keeping it." He dragged it closer, but left it unopened. Her cheeks started to turn pink as they maintained eye contact and, finally, she looked away. "What?"
"I'm just…"
"What is it? Just say whatever it is you want to say." He was starting to get impatient. As cute as it was when she got shy like this, he was still pretty tired and in no mood to play games.
"I feel like…I didn't thank you enough for what you did," she confessed. Akari anxiously toyed with a stray lock of her long, crimson hair. Her face heated up even more as she continued to talk. "The whole…Endeavor thing. You came out to find me and you tried to make me feel better. And the next day you even tried to keep me from getting stressed out about it. You did a lot for me and I just…don't know if I can match it."
"You don't have to. Look," he explained. Standing so he did not have to look up to make eye contact, he frowned. "I don't expect you to try to make it up to me. I did it because I was worried; not because I wanted something out of it." Glancing to the other desks, he saw the others seemed to have gone off on their own excursions for coffee or were making their way to the classrooms.
The dark-haired hero slid his fingers through her hair, watching her eyes half-close in pleasure. Leaning down to her ear, he smirked. "If you really want to return the favor, I won't stop you. We're still on for Sunday." He heard her breathing hitch and felt the warmth of her blush radiate from her skin. As he moved to lean back, he found her arms wrapping around his neck.
Her cherry-red lips met his in a warm, passionate kiss that sent a rush of pleasure through him. He let her pull him closer, hands instinctively moving to her hips as her lips parted. Her teeth gently nipped at his lower lip, drawing a muffled groan from him, and he could feel his heart speeding up. He had certain urges now that he wanted to indulge in, but they were at work. It would have to wait.
Aizawa heard the door slide open and the two heroes parted. He sat at his desk again, trying to maintain a calm and composed image. Akari went to her own desk, sitting with her head bowed to try to hide her flushed cheeks behind her hair.
"Did I interrupt something…?" Yagi gave her a confused look as he approached the desk across from hers.
"Ah…it's nothing, Yagi-san." She seemed to have calmed a little and moved to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. When she did, she flashed a half-smile in Aizawa's direction.
Shift P.O.V
It was absolutely unforgivable. He hated himself for what he had done. Taking advantage of her the way that he had. It made his stomach twist in knots and he started to feel like he was splitting apart.
I had to do it! There was no other way! That was fun! I should do it again! No! I can't! Not again! I'm so sorry! She'd be so impressed! She's going to love me for this! His fingers pressed at his scalp as he gritted his teeth, trying to calm down. It was nearly impossible though.
Pacing in front of the window, he felt jittery. So anxious that he might burst out of his own skin. His thoughts flitted from one thing to the next as he tried to figure out what he should do. What he could do to calm himself. What he could do to get her to forgive him.
He wanted to smoke, but he was afraid of leaving the apartment. Fidgeting with his lighter, he looked toward the bed and felt his heart rate increase. She looked so peaceful, so happy. It made him only love her more to see her this way.
Akari's crimson hair was spilling across the pillow like waves, her pale face turned toward him as she slept. One arm was tucked beneath the pillow and the other was outstretched toward him, her fingers curled slightly inward. Her lips were drawn up at the corners in the tiniest hint of a smile, indicating that she was pleased with whatever dream she was having.
Sweat beaded along his hairline and Jin ran a hand through his hair. He knew she would be mad. Furious. But this was something that she needed and it was something he could give her. A restful sleep. Her alarm had been turned off. He had taken her measurements while she slept. A double had been sent to work in her place, given the instructions to not mention his presence in the apartment to anyone.
Jin knew how much trouble she had with sleeping. She had told him about it before and he had witnessed her nearly collapse from fatigue. So when it got close to time for her alarm to go off, he knew he had to do something. This was killing two birds with one stone, too. She would be able to sleep for as long as she wanted and he would be at her side for the whole day.
When she went to bed, she was still wary of him. She seemed almost unsettled, but she never seemed angry with him. Even when he refused to leave the apartment. As glad as he was that she had not tried to forcefully kick him out, he still hated that she looked so uneasy about him being there.
I've got to do something, he thought as he turned away from her. She…can't be afraid of me. I wouldn't hurt her. Unless she made me! No! No, no, no! I wouldn't hurt her! He growled in frustration, holding his head with a hand. There was no way that he could ever hurt her. It would break his heart if he ever even made her cry.
"…nn…"
He tensed and looked over his shoulder. She was nuzzling her face into the pillow, both arms wrapping around it. What else can I do for you, Akari?
