Christmas Gift

Aizawa Shota/ Els

_

Aizawa leaned against a far wall in the darkest part of the room, sighing inwardly.

He hated parties.

All parties.

Especially Christmas parties.

They were noisy, people inevitably got drunk and decided he needed to "join them in the fun", whatever the hell that meant. Fun for him would have been going home and taking a nap on Christmas Eve, not spending it at work with a bunch of teachers that turned into rowdy degenerates at the drop of a party hat. Well, most of them. He stood with one eye cracked open, watching the short little cat woman nearby that had joined their team a year ago or so. He had gotten to know her from after-work parties such as this one. Surprisingly, she had joined the closer knit group of himself, Midnight, Mic and All Might on their weekly relaxing sessions at a bar close by. He wondered sometimes who had invited her but gave up on trying to figure things out. The result should have been obvious, but he was stubborn and fought every step of the way. She was versed in psychology and had become the counselor at UA. He found that interesting as she could be very logical when she desired it, a whirlwind of fury when facing a villain that knew how to use their own fears against them. The fact that she was half human and half cat - in all the right places -- combined with him slowly warming to her as a friend had resulted in an alarming fact he couldn't ignore anymore. He scowled to himself and kept an eye on her as she moved about.

At some point she passed under the mistletoe and then paused without noticing. No, it wasn't coincidence - Midnight had stopped her to chat, holding her in place. That conniving wench! He stared incredulously, his bloodshot eyes burning as he once again held them open for too long. This was something to look at, though. Had anyone noticed? No ... yes. There was movement nearby, and Aizawa started to panic. Cheshire was from America, and he knew many idiot men that thought women from the States were scandalous. They would see this as an opportunity and come at her from all angles.

He was called an underground hero for a reason - he hated publicity. Unfortunately, everywhere she went she seemed to be followed. The papers spun stories of where she might be relaxing after work, who she might be dating and other inappropriate topics. He knew that after a while another headline would push her out of the spotlight, but for now anyone near her shared it. If he put himself out there, he would be setting himself up not only for the sting of rejection but the ridicule of the media. Yet another man started to close the distance between them and he didn't think anymore; he just acted.

He would feel worse if he didn't try. And there was always a slim possibility that things might work out.

Elly was talking with Midnight about how she used to spend Christmas when she sensed a presence behind her. The dark haired woman covered her mouth with one hand and slipped off to the side as Aizawa placed his hand on Elly's shoulder.

"Yes?" He was taller than her and she glanced up in surprise since he didn't normally initiate conversations.

He did not speak; just cleared his throat and pointed. She followed his finger with a little frown on her face until she saw the sprig of waxy white berries and leaves. Her ears twitched. They stood there for a moment, with one of his hands resting lightly on her shoulder, and then he moved the other in mid-air around the middle of her waist. He was not holding her captive or demanding in the slightest. It was the right way to ask by letting her choose the next move. His heart began to pound furiously in his chest when she willingly stepped into his offered embrace. Several of their colleagues had noticed by now, and more than a few had taken their cell phones out. The two of them did not care that they were being photographed and, in some cases, recorded as they came together in a soft, warm kiss. It was brief but left them short for air, both panting slightly when they parted.

"That was very good." His voice when he spoke was as quiet as always. Elly saw more expression in him in that moment, however, than she ever had. His features remained deadpan but those gray eyes were alive, burning with intensity and promising more. She moved with him into the party, his arm slipping into a more proprietary position about her shoulders.

They spent the rest of the Christmas Eve celebration together, and when it was time to leave he walked with her towards the complex they lived in. Aizawa's apartment was closer, and he sighed when they reached his door. He had made an important decision, and it was time to see what would become of it.

"It's late," he remarked, "but if you'd like to come in I can make us some coffee."

"You don't live alone anymore, though, do you?" She had heard what had happened with the child a few months back. Further proof that he was a good man, she thought.

"My foster daughter is inside, hopefully asleep at this hour." He gestured at the door. "If you want to come in, I think she would be glad to spend Christmas with you."

"And you, Shota?"

"I thought that was implied as well." He actually smiled, and she felt a warm rush in her cheeks. "Or, if you prefer a more formal invitation..." He cupped the back of her neck and drew her closer for another kiss. This time it was longer, and he flicked his tongue out to trace her lips, breathing into her mouth when she opened it. "... would you like to spend the night with me?"

-



Spend the night with him?

Ordinarily she would have said things were moving too fast, and she would not have trusted another man. But Aizawa was a true hero where it counted, she knew, the type who wasn't into one night stands. She took a leap of faith on the sincerity in his kisses and the way he looked at her. There was something more than sex being offered. "Yes," she whispered, melting in his arms. It felt safe to do so, warm, and honest, the way things should be.

"Good." He deepened the kiss and she trembled, wondering what he would be like in bed. If his kisses were anything to go by, he was quite the perfectionist.

He held the door for her and she stepped inside a spartan area, neat and orderly with a place for everything and everything in its place. Just as she had imagined it. There were, however, little touches here and there that showed there was more to him than most realized. A tiny tree on a corner table had a few clumsily wrapped gifts underneath and one rather gaudy stuffed animal with a bow wrapped around the neck. She smiled because it was, of course, a cat.

"How do you like your coffee?" He carefully locked the door behind him as they took their shoes off. "Or do you want to skip right to your gift?"

"Gift?" She

"Me," he said simply. He reached out and held her hand in his, pulling it up over his heart. She could feel it rapidly beating in his warm chest. "I was ... not comfortable with what I was feeling for a long time." Aizawa led her to a couch and they sat, her hand still gently held in his. "Emotions get in the way of logical decisions. What I failed to see, however, was that denying my love for you was the more unreasonable action..." Elly found she was holding her breath. Her mind was racing and all she could think was that he had just declared himself to her. In a strange, somewhat detached manner, sure, but he had used that word. Her expression must have been priceless, because Aizawa paused in his speech to frown at her.

"Are you ill?" He quickly felt her forehead. "You're very warm, but this could also indicate arousal or embarrassment. "

"Shota," she interrupted quietly. He blinked and a tiny blush crept across the bridge of his nose.

"Yes?"

"I understand why you waited." She spoke her next sentence carefully so the logical man would as well. "Now I want you to tell me how you feel and then kiss me, please."

He swallowed audibly, his blush spreading to his cheeks. She was as amazing as he had imagined. Many other women, he had noted, didn't like to say what they meant or wanted. How could one give them something if they hinted in a roundabout fashion, never getting to the point? In fact many people did this, too, not just females. In the case of romance, though, he knew only of women. They frustrated him. But Elly had simply and concisely told him what to do and he found he was growing nervous. Saying it so plainly was different than coating it with unemotional logic. He rubbed the back of his neck, staring at her for a moment. Her eyes were so dark and beautiful, and the pinkish underside of her nose had a faint speckling of sensory pits. It looked perfectly human until you got close and only then you could see the feline likeness. Her furry ears were a different color purple than her hair, and they twitched and flicked randomly. They folded and perked with her moods, and as he watched they started to slowly lay backwards. Aizawa quickly moved to still her unease, grasping her other hand in his and staring into her eyes.

"I'm in love with you," he told her with complete sincerity.

Her eyes teared. "Thank you," she whispered. "I love you too."

"I thought it was too quick," he murmured, almost to himself.

"Well, we've gotten to know each other at school, after work. Hell, we've even patrolled together a few times. Honestly, I thought it couldn't be this, either, but I have to admit it isn't just a crush. I've felt this way for a long while."

"Huh."

"I do have a question for you, though."

"Eh?" 

"Why do you call me 'Ches'? Is it because..." She gestured to the closed door at the end of the hall.

He shrugged. "It would be strange to call you a name that sounds similar to hers."

"I thought so."

"Are you comfortable with it?" He leaned back on the couch, pulling her with him. Elly nuzzled the scruff on his face with such a purr that he chuckled. 

"Mmn, it's fine."

"I could call you 'kitten'." His hands roamed down her back to her tail and she shivered.

"That's like saying 'baby', kind of. You call me whatever you want."

He stroked the striped fur and tensed all over when she pressed her face into his chest. "Hey!"

"You can't - um, do something like that out in the open," she choked. "My tail is sensitive."

"Are all cats like that?" 

"Yeah."

"I wonder..." He gave her a very penetrating look. "Up. It's time."

"Wh - what?"

"Bedroom." He rolled forwards, curling her in his arms and standing in one fluid movement. 

"Shota!"

"Shh. Eri's asleep, remember?"

"I know," she whimpered. "Don't surprise me like that, then!"

He chuckled evilly and headed down the hall.

-


His bedroom was as simple as the rest of his home. He had piled blankets and cushions together on top of his futon to make a more comfortable floor bed, and there was a single dresser on the far side near a window that had an array of eye drop bottles lined up. He considered the bed, which was a bit of a mess as he fell onto it whenever he had the chance, and then shrugged. Setting her down gently, he noticed his hands were shaking and he swore to himself. That wouldn't do.

"Strip." 

"Goodness." Elly raised an eyebrow. "Aren't we eager." Nonetheless she started to undress as she watched him do the same, pulling her shirt off and tossing it aside. 

He puffed a great gust of air out his nose in exasperation. "I don't want to tear your clothes off."

"That just means you're even more eager than I thought!"

"So what." He stepped out of his pants and she lay back on the sheets to better watch him. Aizawa's body was slashed with scars in what she considered too many areas - she hated the idea that he'd gotten hurt so often -- she wanted to touch every single one, to kiss them. He was lean and deceptively muscular. She gasped when she saw his abdomen ripple impressively as he moved. He bore no trace of shyness at all as he hooked his fingers into the hem of his boxer briefs and yanked downwards, exposing himself completely. Freed from its cloth confinement, his erect member fell heavily out and bobbed upwards towards his belly. There was a slight curve to it that she found intriguing and she hurriedly shed her bra and panties, causing him to chuckle lowly. "Now who's eager."

"So what?" She mimicked his previous tone almost exactly, grinning at him as she tossed her final scrap of clothes away. Holding out her arms, she beckoned mutely. 

He could not remember ever wanting to be inside a woman so fast. He barely held back enough to caress her curves, kissing the hollow between her breasts and relishing the feel of her willing body under his. He shivered and she ran a hand low along his back, staring into his eyes. 

"Ches, I can't..."

"It's okay. You have condoms?"

"Of course." He held one up, concealed in his palm. "I try to be ready for any situation, no matter how -" He bit off the last half of the sentence and busied himself with tearing the wrapper open carefully.

"I haven't done this in a long time, too."

He kissed her mouth softly, grateful he didn't have to explain. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had lain with a woman, and he still regularly bought protection to have in the home. Every month he'd check the dates with a weary sigh and toss the expired ones out. He had wondered if it would be better to save the money, but this was a necessary expense and he knew men often complained they didn't have them when they needed them. 

"Shit." Another problem was going to be getting it on. He took a breath and rolled then latex over himself, squeezing the tip to make sure all the air was out and it was covering him completely. 

"You okay?"

"Yeh - heh - ess." He dropped his head to her shoulder for a moment, panting. They were lubricated, and that had made it slightly easier, but it was also more stimulating. He had to catch his breath now, or he would last approximately five seconds inside the woman he loved. She raised her legs along his, stroking his waist and opening up for him beautifully. Aizawa made a strangled little choking sound and gathered her in his arms, using one hand to guide himself into her body. His heart flooded with pride when he heard her gasp with pleasure as he sank deep with his first long thrust. Maybe it would be all right after all - she seemed as excited as he was. He began slow, planting kisses on her face and arching back as the delicious thrill began building in his lower body.

And then she moaned his name. Not just his name, but his everything - all that he was, every day. Both of his names, together, showing that she was thinking of all of him.

"Sh - Shota... Eraser..!"

Aizawa quite fairly lost his mind. He quickened his pace, breathing harder yet somehow managing to keep his movements fluid, not jerky. It was difficult to stay silent but what would have been impossible was not showing her how much she meant to him. Holding back another minute was not an option. He knew now he had waited too long, repressed his needs so much that this was not going to be as good as he could make it. 

And that's when she learned an interesting fact about Aizawa. He was a man of very few words in public. During lovemaking, however, his tongue became loosened and all the emotions he stifled came pouring out. 

"I'm sorry," he husked, gathering her in his arms, his body shaking. He kissed her neck, groaned, then started to thrust harder and much, much faster. "So sorry. I - I can't stop. Shit, Ches, you made me lose control so fast!"

"Oh my god!" She stuffed her hand into her mouth in a last ditch effort to stifle her cries. Aizawa's face broke out in a huge grin as she began chanting his name as rapidly as he was thrusting. He had done it for her. "So good, Sho..!"

His grin sweetened into a smile and he kept on, gasping, holding her waist in both hands and bucking wildly. Their bellies slapped together in a quickening beat. The blankets of the hastily put-together floor bed bunched both ways as she dug her hands in them and he pushed her forwards again and again. He couldn't stop himself. He felt like he was melting, the pleasure rising to unbearable levels. He had never gotten so much of a thrill wearing a condom. It almost seemed like he wasn't wearing one at all. Aizawa placed his forehead to hers, eyes squeezed tightly shut, straining. That did it. The idea of loving her naked, coming inside as nature intended to mark her in the most intimate way was what pushed him over the edge. 

He opened his eyes a minute later, breathing roughly but feeling wholly satisfied. Now came the clean up and after that, a restful night's sleep with his lover, warm and soft, by his side. Aizawa was really looking forward to that. He grimaced, expecting the pull as he reared back, holding the sticky condom close for safety's sake. His fingers grasped nothing, just the slippery base of his own member.

"Uh oh." There was no latex to hold. He had, in his frantic lovemaking, popped their protection off. Elly watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose in one hand and sighed wearily. 

"You broke the condom, didn't you." She didn't sound surprised. 

"Yes." He winced, but she didn't comment further. "Cheshire? I thought this would upset you."

"It already happened." She fidgeted, and he reached over and fished his shirt out of their pile of discarded clothing. "Since you came inside me though, what I really need to do is pee."

He handed her the shirt. "Mine will offer more cover. It's the middle door." 

Elly gratefully pulled the black cotton over her head and darted off furtively for the bathroom. He lay back and breathed deeply, trying to relax. When she came back she went immediately to him and knelt by his side. 

"Shota, really. It's okay." She hugged him tight. "Things like this happen, and I'm on the pill. I'm clean, too, but I assume you already know that... and if you weren't, you would have mentioned it to me already, too."

"Not the point," he grunted, though he did nod to show he was free of any disease as well. "I lost control." He sounded mortified. 

"The outcome is what matters. You may have lost control, the condom may have broken, sure." She leaned closer and whispered into his ear. "But that was, hands down, the best sex I've ever had. And you showed me that I drive you - you, stubborn, silent Shota Aizawa -- wild."

"Huh!" He jerked a little, then snorted. "You'll ruin my reputation yet." His body slumped into a more natural position, and he pulled her down with him. 

"Ha! Everyone that knows you knows you're a big softie." She kissed his temple while he grumbled. 

"One new daughter is enough for now," he said firmly. "For you, too."

"Yes." Elly snuggled into a more comfortable position, smiling that he loved and trusted her enough to be Eri's mother figure. It meant a lot of work and made her more than a little nervous, but she was up for it.

"Merry Christmas," he yawned, rubbing his eyes. 

"Merry Christmas."