Aizawa sighed and shifted in bed, slumped over with his phone held to his ear. It was early morning, and the glow from the screen was the only light in the bedroom he normally shared with his girlfriend.
Elly was in her home country, far away in another part of the world. She had been called upon for a family emergency.
"It's horrible," she groaned. "I - well, my folks aren't being that great, and I keep having traumatic flashbacks to my childhood. I'm in the same bed I slept in as a kid, for god's sake."
"My poor Ches." He frowned, checking the clock in the bedroom. "The time zone change must also be disorienting. You feel like you should be waking up, not going to sleep."
"Uh huh." She paused, and then added in a husky whisper, "I miss you terribly, Sho. I can't sleep without my baby."
He closed his gray eyes, a faint smile on his grizzled face. "I had problems as well. I packed you a surprise, though, in the second inside pocket of your bag. Go see."
He heard her rummaging around. "Oh honey," she said when she found the tiny black cat plush he had hidden in a voice near to tears. "It smells like you."
"I should hope so. I carried it around with me for a week before you left to scent it as strongly as I could."
"I never knew," she marveled.
"I took it out before we slept or anything." He laughed softly. "You almost caught me a few times, though."
"If I could only sleep, things might seem to move along faster. Then I could be back with you."
"Try," he suggested. "Don't engage in conversation anymore. Just close your eyes and listen to me." He picked up the student newspaper and began to read in his low, droning voice.
She was purring softly in a few minutes. He rambled on for awhile and then stopped.
"Good night," he murmured, staring wistfully at his phone. "Come home soon."
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