Wonderland 21

It was a good thing that the school supplied them with chauffeured vehicles for transportation. Aizawa showed no outside excitement, but he was openly smiling as they pulled up to the airport to pick her up. Yagi and Hizashi had come with him as their closest friends and the Voice Hero made up for any seeming lack of enthusiasm on his part anyway. He talked the whole way there, bouncing in his seat like a schoolboy and elbowing his friend at times, laughing and happy.

Aizawa got out and simply waited by customs at the gate, standing straight for once and not slumped over. His gray eyes were penetrating as he appeared to try to look through the crowds to find her. After half an hour a flash of purple rushed their tiny group.

"Oh my god, <i>Shota</i>!" Elly cried out, forgetting herself so much she pounced like the partial cat she was straight into his arms. He caught her and spun about to stabilize them both, hugging as tightly as he could. 

Yagi brought out a wisp of tissue again to blot his sunken eyes with. 

Hizashi was grinning like a loon. "We brought the real welcome wagon this time!" He hugged the couple, laughing like crazy.

"So good to have you back," Yagi beamed, also going in for a hug. 

The two other men let go first. Hizashi gave his friends an enthusiastic thumb's up. She was so happy she was nearly crying. There were a few people standing still, shocked at the open display the four heroes were creating. Aizawa did not mind for once. He refused to let go, standing in the middle of the now thinning crowd of departures with his head bent to hers. He was, for once, smiling freely and hugely.

The trip back to campus was noisier yet as Hizashi continued to fill the limousine with good-natured chatter and laughter. After he and Yagi had left, the two stood at Aizawa's apartment door, nearly overwhelmed by the sudden silence. 

"He was really excited you were coming back," he explained dryly as he pushed the door open. 

"Yeah, I could see that!" She giggled. "Oh! I didn't think to ask. I don't have a room booked anywhere, and I haven't been assigned one on campus yet. Where am I going to stay?" She dropped her bag by the door and removed her shoes.

His grin grew positively ferocious.

Elly blinked, then blushed bright red all over. "<i>Shota Aizawa!</i>"

"Heh."

"Wait." She squinted at him, poking him in the chest with one finger. "Nezu doesn't forget details like that. He even had me scheduled for a layover so UA could take me back."

"What are you saying?" Somehow he managed to grin even creepier, grabbing her hand to kiss her fingers.

"This isn't chance!" She burst out laughing. "He did this on purpose. There's no way he 'forgot' I would need a place to stay the first night."

"Oh? He should help me out for all the bullshit he put you through. I'm still pissed. Although," he added grudgingly, "I see the reasoning behind it."

"Um, Shota?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I have my hand back?"

He pondered for a minute, really dragging it out. Then he shook his head, pulled her hand all the way up and kissed the palm. "No. This is mine now."

"All of me is yours, you idiot."

"Oh?" His voice raised with interest. "Is it now?"

"Oh, um." She laughed a little. "Shota..."

"What do you say, Ches?" He pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her lower waist. "Want to share the futon tonight?"

Elly smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Carry me over there and you've got a deal."

"Hnnf." He hefted lightly, and she was lifted easily in his arms. "I wasn't expecting this," he admitted as he walked into the spartan bedroom. "I don't own much."

He was not kidding. She had seen his living room, but the bedroom had even less. There was a single futon, unfolded on the wall near the window where a tall lamp stood nearby. There was nothing else in the entire room. Aizawa laid her on the bedding and knelt on top, propping himself carefully on his elbows so he didn't crush her with his weight. 

"You don't need much," she murmured.

"Not right now," he agreed. "Now I've got everything I need."