Elly's phone let out a quiet mew; she grabbed it immediately. That specific tone meant it was a rare text from a member of the faculty at U.A. She glanced at her phone and raised her eyebrows.
Eraserhead: I will need to talk with you at some point about Eri's development. Are you available?
Cheshire: I'm at the karaoke place down the street from campus. Will be home soon, I can text you then.
She set the phone aside and whistled lowly. Looks like she would be getting some one-on-one time with Aizawa!
The homeroom teacher slipped his phone into his pocket. She was at the karaoke place and he was close by. Logically it would make sense to meet her there. They could walk back to school together.
Upon arriving, he pushed the door open and dipped behind the fabric curtain to speak with the owner of the establishment. Unfortunately, his unshaven face and the dark circles under his eyes caused him to be perceived once again as a threat instead of the Hero he actually was.
"I can't disclose information like that," the man told him firmly.
"We're colleagues," Aizawa explained dryly. "You know who she is, right? I work at the school as well." He showed his campus I.D and the man's attitude changed quickly.
"Ah, yes. My apologies... she did tell us that if someone came for her from the school it would be all right. In that case, Ms. Sketchit is in the room on the left, farthest from the door. It's number five."
"Thanks." He shuffled off down the hall, peering at the numbers in the dim lighting.
There's room five.
He cracked the door and entered into a music-filled room with a small booth on one side. She had her back to him and was in the middle of a song, completely oblivious to the world around her.
Aizawa was about to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention but froze upon hearing her voice. It rang out, rich, deep and throbbing with emotion as she sang. It was a Japanese song, so he understood the words, and his brows drew together in a thoughtful frown. It was a piece about loving a man so much that it hurt, and not only that, it involved much reflection on the man's eyes: how gorgeous they were and full of light.
He paused, his frown growing deeper.
Just a coincidence.
It had to be. But this was not a popular song, and it was an older one from many years ago. He remembered it only because he had been teased relentlessly by Hizashi when it had come out when they were teenagers. It was a deliberate choice, then, but what of that?
Was there the possibility that she was singing about him because they had just been texting?
Occam's Razor, he reminded himself. She picked it because...
The song ended and to his mortification she bent over and began to weep softly.
... because of me! It might be me!
Elly sighed brokenly, her fingers rubbing the bridge of her nose and her purple eyes filled with pain. She had come here to let everything out, all the bottled up emotions she was forced to keep to herself on campus. As a trained therapist, she knew stifling your feelings was a bad idea and her preferred method for letting go was singing. But this song had struck a nerve; she didn't feel better but worse, heartbroken and sappy.
She turned around and blinked away her tears in confusion. There he was. Amazed, she reached out, convinced this was a hallucination brought on by her not eating enough and her strongest desires.
Aizawa's gray eyes widened. Her hand lightly touched the stubble on his cheek and she flinched wildly back, her ears and tail shooting straight up in her shock. She ended up falling half over the booth, her feet in the air.
"Aizawa! What the hell!"
He shook his head and offered her his hand. "Sorry. I was trying not to startle you." He pulled her easily up when she grasped his forearm.
"Ugh. Wait, so why are you here? Did something happen?"
He coughed, embarrassed. "I apologize again. I ... wanted to hear you sing."
"What?!"
"Did you not hear me?" He rubbed at the back of his neck.
Elly leaned against the booth, running a hand over her face. She breathed deeply and turned back to look him right in the eyes. "Aizawa," she asked softly, "are you interested in me?"
Here was a no-nonsense question he could answer, and part of the reason she intrigued him so much. "Yes."
She swayed on her feet for a moment, eyes wide. "H - how interested?"
He pondered this a moment, watching her with warm, gray eyes. "I want to be with you," he said simply, shrugging. Then he reached out and took her hand in his, carefully and slowly placing it over his heart. "Do you want to be with me?"
"Yes." The word had never slipped out of her so quickly. The cotton of his shirt was thin, and the beating of his heart very strong and fast.
He smiled a very soft smile at her, and she wondered what she had done to secure what she had wanted most in all the world. In the end, she supposed, it didn't really matter. The only thing that did was how he was looking at her, and that she could finally look back the same way.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Karaoke Night (Hizashi)
Hizashi was early.
Some of the teachers got together now and then, at a bar, sometimes elsewhere. It had been the counselor's turn to choose a meeting spot, and she had picked a popular karaoke place near the campus.
He was so excited he was really, <i>really</i> early.
Oh, well.
He showed up and asked for the party name, was given a room number and cheerfully bounded off down the hall. He cracked the door open carefully and slipped in, grinning, his mouth opening to greet the Insanity Hero who he saw standing with her back to him. She didn't notice him, however. Her purple striped tail was flicking back and forth as she sang.
"Whoa..." He stood, breathless, listening to her.
The song was in English, but that wasn't a problem for him. He listened, his head tilting quizzically as he recognized the lyrics. It was a story about an American girl who fell in love with a blond haired man. A very handsome, very <i>long haired</i> man.
He blinked as his red-framed glasses slowly slid down his nose. Touched the back of his head where his hair was wrapped in a messy bun, doubled up but still spilling down his neck from the sheer amount of golden tresses he sported.
<i>Oh shit. Oh my god holy shit.</i>
Hizashi didn't have a super large ego and he doubted he was that handsome. Yet he sure fit the most specific of that criteria of the man in the song. And he knew that personally, when he came to sing here he chose stuff that vibed with how he felt at the time. He bit his lip as she finished and set the microphone down, his nerves making his stomach feel like there were a million butterflies inside.
"Oh!" She jumped back when she saw him and he waved sheepishly at her.
"Sorry! Sorry ... I got here early an' I didn't wanna interrupt. You sounded way too gorgeous," he blurted out, then blushed really hard. "Uh! I mean, well. You've got a great voice."
Elly blindly thrust her hand out to find something - anything -- to stabilize her, since her knees had grown weak at his statement. "You - you think so? I mean, you're the Voice Hero, that's... that's huge. Are you serious?"
"Hell, yeah!" His greenish-gold eyes spun wildly behind his glasses. She couldn't look away from the mesmerizing, spiralled pupils as he stepped closer. "I love music. An' you're <i>beautiful</i>."
Her ears perked. "Uh... Yamada?"
He sighed inwardly. It would be too presumptuous for him to ask her to call him by his given name and not the family one; in Japan, that was reserved for close friends and lovers. But he wanted to hear her say it.
"Yeah?"
"You just said... nevermind." She shook her head. "I must be hearing things."
"Oh." He absently fiddled with the beaded bracelet on his wrist, pulling it up and letting it fall back down. "Sorry I'm so early. I <i>love</i> karaoke."
"Yeah, me too." She pointed at the microphone on the table. "Do you even need one of these, though?"
He snickered softly. "No-o-o, but I use 'em anyway. It's safer for me to sing or speak quietly into a mic or somethin'."
"I'm fascinated by your quirk," she admitted shyly. "I mean, uh, I know you can do all sorts of frequencies. That's amazing. Did it take long to learn how? Or did it come natural for you?"
He was notjing short of amazed at her genuine interest in his ability. Not a lot of people thought it was interesting; he was just "the loud guy". Truth was, there were a lot of subtleties to his quirk.
"Okay, so, how about this one?" He hummed a low pitch and watched in delight as her ears perked cutely.
"I can hear that!"
"Awesome."
"It makes my ears tickle a little," she giggled. "Yamada!" She burst out laughing when he amped it up.
<i>To hell with it!</i>
Hizashi reached out and placed his palms on her shoulders, staring intently into her eyes. She looked up at him, startled.
"Please," he begged softly, his voice thrumming in the air all around them. "I want you to call me by my given name."
"But -!"
"I know, it would mean we have a special relationship. But I <i>want</i> that so much, ya dig? I want everybody hearin' you say my name an' knowin' we're... um." He trailed off, suddenly shy. "Did I just run my mouth too much again? Was that bad?" He bit his lower lip, his brows drawn tightly up in his worry.
"No, it's okay." Elly reached out and placed a shaky hand on the back of his neck. He felt the cool touch through the spill of hair and shivered. "I'm in love with you, Hizashi," she whispered.
His eyes popped wide open and the biggest smile stretched his lips, though he was still biting them. A low squeal emanated from the back of his throat.
"Is <i>that</i> okay?"
He gave up trying to speak and kissed her.
Some of the teachers got together now and then, at a bar, sometimes elsewhere. It had been the counselor's turn to choose a meeting spot, and she had picked a popular karaoke place near the campus.
He was so excited he was really, <i>really</i> early.
Oh, well.
He showed up and asked for the party name, was given a room number and cheerfully bounded off down the hall. He cracked the door open carefully and slipped in, grinning, his mouth opening to greet the Insanity Hero who he saw standing with her back to him. She didn't notice him, however. Her purple striped tail was flicking back and forth as she sang.
"Whoa..." He stood, breathless, listening to her.
The song was in English, but that wasn't a problem for him. He listened, his head tilting quizzically as he recognized the lyrics. It was a story about an American girl who fell in love with a blond haired man. A very handsome, very <i>long haired</i> man.
He blinked as his red-framed glasses slowly slid down his nose. Touched the back of his head where his hair was wrapped in a messy bun, doubled up but still spilling down his neck from the sheer amount of golden tresses he sported.
<i>Oh shit. Oh my god holy shit.</i>
Hizashi didn't have a super large ego and he doubted he was that handsome. Yet he sure fit the most specific of that criteria of the man in the song. And he knew that personally, when he came to sing here he chose stuff that vibed with how he felt at the time. He bit his lip as she finished and set the microphone down, his nerves making his stomach feel like there were a million butterflies inside.
"Oh!" She jumped back when she saw him and he waved sheepishly at her.
"Sorry! Sorry ... I got here early an' I didn't wanna interrupt. You sounded way too gorgeous," he blurted out, then blushed really hard. "Uh! I mean, well. You've got a great voice."
Elly blindly thrust her hand out to find something - anything -- to stabilize her, since her knees had grown weak at his statement. "You - you think so? I mean, you're the Voice Hero, that's... that's huge. Are you serious?"
"Hell, yeah!" His greenish-gold eyes spun wildly behind his glasses. She couldn't look away from the mesmerizing, spiralled pupils as he stepped closer. "I love music. An' you're <i>beautiful</i>."
Her ears perked. "Uh... Yamada?"
He sighed inwardly. It would be too presumptuous for him to ask her to call him by his given name and not the family one; in Japan, that was reserved for close friends and lovers. But he wanted to hear her say it.
"Yeah?"
"You just said... nevermind." She shook her head. "I must be hearing things."
"Oh." He absently fiddled with the beaded bracelet on his wrist, pulling it up and letting it fall back down. "Sorry I'm so early. I <i>love</i> karaoke."
"Yeah, me too." She pointed at the microphone on the table. "Do you even need one of these, though?"
He snickered softly. "No-o-o, but I use 'em anyway. It's safer for me to sing or speak quietly into a mic or somethin'."
"I'm fascinated by your quirk," she admitted shyly. "I mean, uh, I know you can do all sorts of frequencies. That's amazing. Did it take long to learn how? Or did it come natural for you?"
He was notjing short of amazed at her genuine interest in his ability. Not a lot of people thought it was interesting; he was just "the loud guy". Truth was, there were a lot of subtleties to his quirk.
"Okay, so, how about this one?" He hummed a low pitch and watched in delight as her ears perked cutely.
"I can hear that!"
"Awesome."
"It makes my ears tickle a little," she giggled. "Yamada!" She burst out laughing when he amped it up.
<i>To hell with it!</i>
Hizashi reached out and placed his palms on her shoulders, staring intently into her eyes. She looked up at him, startled.
"Please," he begged softly, his voice thrumming in the air all around them. "I want you to call me by my given name."
"But -!"
"I know, it would mean we have a special relationship. But I <i>want</i> that so much, ya dig? I want everybody hearin' you say my name an' knowin' we're... um." He trailed off, suddenly shy. "Did I just run my mouth too much again? Was that bad?" He bit his lower lip, his brows drawn tightly up in his worry.
"No, it's okay." Elly reached out and placed a shaky hand on the back of his neck. He felt the cool touch through the spill of hair and shivered. "I'm in love with you, Hizashi," she whispered.
His eyes popped wide open and the biggest smile stretched his lips, though he was still biting them. A low squeal emanated from the back of his throat.
"Is <i>that</i> okay?"
He gave up trying to speak and kissed her.
The Workout (Shota)
Elly walked confidently into the gym preparing for a short but satisfying round of exercise. Midnight was by her side, since she had insisted to tag along when she spotted the counselor grabbing her sports bag. She wasn't quite sure why, but she was picking up a lot of cues that the 18-Only Hero had an ulterior motive for coming with her. When she glanced around the open room, however, she saw why.
Her ears skewed crazily on either sides of her head, she pressed her hands to her flaming cheeks and gasped. Midnight giggled wickedly.
Aizawa was the only one in the teachers' gym at the moment. He was stripped to the waist and wearing only a pair of black shorts and sneakers, propped up on his fingertips with one hand on his back doing pushups. His dark hair was tied back in a ponytail and it was apparent from the way his skin was shining in the overhead lights that he'd been at this for awhile.
Elly couldn't help it - she mewed faintly. His head shot up and his gray eyes zeroed in on hers at once. He blinked and then they slid to the side to take in the woman with her. They grew much flatter when he saw who it was.
Midnight didn't care in the slightest. She grabbed her colleague's arm and all but dragged her until they were standing right in front of him.
"What do you want, Kayama?" The laconic man went back to his workout as he spoke.
"Nothing," she insisted. "I came here for the sauna. Cheshire, here, on the other hand..." She nudged the cat woman and she glared at her, her tail starting to twitch. "And I'm off! Toodle-ooo!" She flounced away towards the women's showers.
Elly swore at her under her breath.
Aizawa just sighed. He watched Midnight stop before she disappeared into the back and, out of sight of Elly, started trying to tell him something. She winked at him and made some rather lewd hand gestures that he assumed meant he should try to hit on the Insanity Hero.
He sighed, deeper this time. Why was everyone trying to push him into something he could handle himself? He already had what felt like the weight of the world on his shoulders, and...
Wait.
Weight?
He stopped and looked up at the terribly embarrassed cat woman. Her striped tail was now swishing rapidly about her legs and she looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
"I'm sorry, Aizawa," she apologized quickly when she saw his attention had focused on her. "Kayama... well, she insisted, and before I knew it here we were."
"That's fine." He waved her apology off with a brief gesture. "But you can help, if you want to."
Her ears unfurled, slowly perking up as she raised her eyebrows. "I can? You're usually unnaproachable while exercising."
He grunted. "How much do you weigh?" Her eyebrows raised even higher but she told him and he nodded in approval. "I thought so. You're fully proportioned and well built." His gray eyes appeared to be sizing her up, slowly looking over her curves in her sport top and tight shorts.
Elly's heart hammered crazily in her chest. This was damn near love poetry from the laconic homeroom teacher. "Th - thanks," she said nervously.
"If you want to spend time with me right now, I suggest you sit on my upper back."
"Wait, what?"
He pointed behind him to the surging muscles of his back as he continued to do one-handed push ups. "I'm busy, we both want to talk. You can help make my workout more efficient at the same time."
"You really..?" She tentatively placed a hand on the scarred skin of his back. He was very warm and somewhat slick from exercising. "Here?"
"Yes." He paused, then laid completely flat on his chest, reached around with one arm and scooped her up, encouraging her to sit down. She did so, struggling to control her wildly beating heart.
"Oh!" He had immediately begun his reps again, still one-handed. His only concession to the rise in difficulty was instead of balancing on his fingertips his palm was flat on the floor.
"This is better," he told her. Elly thought that maybe - just maybe -- she detected a faint smugness in his voice. He sounded as if he were slightly pleased with himself.
They talked while he finished his workout, mostly about the students in both their care and, of course, cats. He seemed very interested in her feline attributes but hesitant to ask more questions. She could feel his interest, and her heart, which had begun to slow a little as she grew used to the close contact, started to speed up again.
At last, it was over. He requested her to slide off and she did, swallowing hard when she saw how his face was dripping with sweat.
Aizawa wiped absently at his neck with a towel he picked up nearby. "You helped me achieve an excellent workout. Yet you were behind me the whole time." He looked around the mostly empty gym, then grinned. The scruffy man stepped closer, grasping her wrists lightly in his hands and bringing them up to his lips. "Would you be interested in a bit of a different perspective? Perhaps laying on your back with me on top?"
She gaped at him incredulously, her eyes gigantic in her shock. "Wh - what? Did you just proposition me, Shota Aizawa?!" Her voice was low, like his, to avoid attracting more attention than they already were.
He placed a gentle kiss in each of her palms, staring into her eyes the whole time. "Depends. Isn't the connotation of 'proposition' bad?"
"Well, I - okay, yes. I simply meant I was startled you actually hit on me."
He flashed her a crooked grin. "Did it work?"
Elly sighed weakly. "Shit," she muttered, half to herself. Then, out loud, "Yes. But, in all honesty, you could have said 'sex, now' and I'd have agreed, too."
He covered his mouth with one hand and she moved forward, alarmed before she realized he was laughing! His laugh sounded like a dry cough.
"How remarkable," he chuckled, obviously finding it very much so. "And do you want a relationship as well?"
"I ... well, yes."
"Even more amazing. So do I." He glanced over his shoulder at the men's showers. "I have to clean up. Please wait for me by the coffee shop in the front, and then we can ... continue at either my place or yours."
She blushed harder and his grin became a much softer smile before he threw the towel over his shoulder and walked off.
Her ears skewed crazily on either sides of her head, she pressed her hands to her flaming cheeks and gasped. Midnight giggled wickedly.
Aizawa was the only one in the teachers' gym at the moment. He was stripped to the waist and wearing only a pair of black shorts and sneakers, propped up on his fingertips with one hand on his back doing pushups. His dark hair was tied back in a ponytail and it was apparent from the way his skin was shining in the overhead lights that he'd been at this for awhile.
Elly couldn't help it - she mewed faintly. His head shot up and his gray eyes zeroed in on hers at once. He blinked and then they slid to the side to take in the woman with her. They grew much flatter when he saw who it was.
Midnight didn't care in the slightest. She grabbed her colleague's arm and all but dragged her until they were standing right in front of him.
"What do you want, Kayama?" The laconic man went back to his workout as he spoke.
"Nothing," she insisted. "I came here for the sauna. Cheshire, here, on the other hand..." She nudged the cat woman and she glared at her, her tail starting to twitch. "And I'm off! Toodle-ooo!" She flounced away towards the women's showers.
Elly swore at her under her breath.
Aizawa just sighed. He watched Midnight stop before she disappeared into the back and, out of sight of Elly, started trying to tell him something. She winked at him and made some rather lewd hand gestures that he assumed meant he should try to hit on the Insanity Hero.
He sighed, deeper this time. Why was everyone trying to push him into something he could handle himself? He already had what felt like the weight of the world on his shoulders, and...
Wait.
Weight?
He stopped and looked up at the terribly embarrassed cat woman. Her striped tail was now swishing rapidly about her legs and she looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
"I'm sorry, Aizawa," she apologized quickly when she saw his attention had focused on her. "Kayama... well, she insisted, and before I knew it here we were."
"That's fine." He waved her apology off with a brief gesture. "But you can help, if you want to."
Her ears unfurled, slowly perking up as she raised her eyebrows. "I can? You're usually unnaproachable while exercising."
He grunted. "How much do you weigh?" Her eyebrows raised even higher but she told him and he nodded in approval. "I thought so. You're fully proportioned and well built." His gray eyes appeared to be sizing her up, slowly looking over her curves in her sport top and tight shorts.
Elly's heart hammered crazily in her chest. This was damn near love poetry from the laconic homeroom teacher. "Th - thanks," she said nervously.
"If you want to spend time with me right now, I suggest you sit on my upper back."
"Wait, what?"
He pointed behind him to the surging muscles of his back as he continued to do one-handed push ups. "I'm busy, we both want to talk. You can help make my workout more efficient at the same time."
"You really..?" She tentatively placed a hand on the scarred skin of his back. He was very warm and somewhat slick from exercising. "Here?"
"Yes." He paused, then laid completely flat on his chest, reached around with one arm and scooped her up, encouraging her to sit down. She did so, struggling to control her wildly beating heart.
"Oh!" He had immediately begun his reps again, still one-handed. His only concession to the rise in difficulty was instead of balancing on his fingertips his palm was flat on the floor.
"This is better," he told her. Elly thought that maybe - just maybe -- she detected a faint smugness in his voice. He sounded as if he were slightly pleased with himself.
They talked while he finished his workout, mostly about the students in both their care and, of course, cats. He seemed very interested in her feline attributes but hesitant to ask more questions. She could feel his interest, and her heart, which had begun to slow a little as she grew used to the close contact, started to speed up again.
At last, it was over. He requested her to slide off and she did, swallowing hard when she saw how his face was dripping with sweat.
Aizawa wiped absently at his neck with a towel he picked up nearby. "You helped me achieve an excellent workout. Yet you were behind me the whole time." He looked around the mostly empty gym, then grinned. The scruffy man stepped closer, grasping her wrists lightly in his hands and bringing them up to his lips. "Would you be interested in a bit of a different perspective? Perhaps laying on your back with me on top?"
She gaped at him incredulously, her eyes gigantic in her shock. "Wh - what? Did you just proposition me, Shota Aizawa?!" Her voice was low, like his, to avoid attracting more attention than they already were.
He placed a gentle kiss in each of her palms, staring into her eyes the whole time. "Depends. Isn't the connotation of 'proposition' bad?"
"Well, I - okay, yes. I simply meant I was startled you actually hit on me."
He flashed her a crooked grin. "Did it work?"
Elly sighed weakly. "Shit," she muttered, half to herself. Then, out loud, "Yes. But, in all honesty, you could have said 'sex, now' and I'd have agreed, too."
He covered his mouth with one hand and she moved forward, alarmed before she realized he was laughing! His laugh sounded like a dry cough.
"How remarkable," he chuckled, obviously finding it very much so. "And do you want a relationship as well?"
"I ... well, yes."
"Even more amazing. So do I." He glanced over his shoulder at the men's showers. "I have to clean up. Please wait for me by the coffee shop in the front, and then we can ... continue at either my place or yours."
She blushed harder and his grin became a much softer smile before he threw the towel over his shoulder and walked off.
The Workout (Hizashi)
"Ohhhh." Elly's purple eyes grew very, very wide and her ears snapped upright. "Oh my gooooddd."
"Hey, you okay, Chesh -" Midnight stopped in mid-sentence, her eyes automatically following where the counselor was staring. She hid a naughty smile under one perfectly manicured hand.
Elly was aware that a lot of the staff came to this gym, as pro heroes, to work out. That's why they were there, after all. But she had not realized the sights she might see. Her cheeks were stained pink before she even started stretching, her breathing elevated and her tail lashing quickly behind her.
Hizashi was here.
He was stripped to the waist with a pair of neon pink shorts on, doing arm reps on an evil-looking machine in the center of the large room. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail and he wore a monitoring device strapped to one wrist as well as a pair of earbuds in his ears. His arms flexed powerfully as he moved, sweating, and quite obviously singing along to whatever he was listening to under his breath.
"Go ahead," Midnight chuckled wickedly. "You came to work on your arm strength, right? There's one open right in front of him. You two could cheer each other on."
Elly choked, her throat tightening at the prospect of being even closer to the man she was ogling. "Kayama," she protested in a strangled voice, "I'll bleed out! Plus, oh my god, why did I let you convince me to wear the bikini today, of all days..!"
There was a sudden, gruff snort from behind that caused her to jump with embarrassment.
"What's the hold up." Aizawa moved around the two women, staring at them with a frown. "You're wasting time. This isn't the bar."
"R - right." She shouldered her bag and purposefully strode over to Hizashi, setting her things down beside the machine facing his.
Midnight placed a hand on Aizawa's shoulder. "Wait," she cautioned with barely-contained glee. "This is gonna be priceless!"
Hizashi glanced up when he saw a bag fall in front of him, curious as to which hero was deliberately choosing to work out so close to him. The bag didn't have a cat on it, so he knew it wasn't Aizawa's. While Elly was busy stretching her arms a few more times, he saw her and did a comical double take, his red rimmed glasses falling down his nose. He looked because he couldn't avoid looking, and instantly both regretted and rejoiced, his heart beating wildly from far more than the exercise.
That bikini showed more of her than he had ever seen. He saw freckles and a mole he didn't know she had on her inner arm. Fascinated and greedy for more, his eyes wandered until he realized what he was doing and had to jerk his eyes back to her level. His face was flaming with arousal and embarrassment and he was mortified to discover he had an erection.
Had she seen him creepily checking her out?
She had not noticed a thing, because while he sat there, frozen, reps forgotten and music thumping heavily in his ears she was taking care to get ready without looking at him. It wasn't difficult, knowing that if she looked him in the eyes before she would start to sweat and flush for apparently no reason. There was already a modest burn across the bridge of her nose. Elly sat, slipped her arms into the cushioned pads and took a deep breath before raising her head.
"H - Hizashi? You okay?" He looked decidedly uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"M'fine! Good morning!" He squeaked nervously in such a high pitched tone she winced. "Sorry," he added in a more normal voice as he popped his earbuds out. "Uh, I wasn't expecting company. You ... can I, we, I mean, talk while we..?"
"Yeah!" She grinned at him, thrilled at his suggestion. She loved being with him and they had some common interests. They chatted about some new music that had come out, and Hizashi happily told her more about his DJ work on the side. She knew a lot of it anyway, sure, because she went to any and all gigs she could that he worked. But he didn't know that, and she loved hearing him get excited about his passion.
"Auugh. I'm hot as hell," he groaned after he finished his workout.
Without thinking, she replied, "I noticed that the minute I walked in."
Both of them froze.
Breathing hard, Hizashi raised his eyebrows and squinted at her as if to determine the real intent if her words. Elly was at a complete loss, her face redder than ever and her mouth working but with no sound coming out. Eventually he decided she had been flirting with him and smiled a slow, rich smile that reached all the way to his hypnotic green eyes.
"Hey, then. After we shower, you wanna head back to my place and listen to some music?" He bent forward conspiratorially, winking at her in an outrageous fashion that caused her to nearly lose her mind. "Maybe some sweet, slow rock with a steady beat to it?"
This time she had a response ready. "Hizashi Yamada, are you suggesting what I think you are?"
"If you're thinking I want you as my girl, then yes. If yer also thinkin'," his voice dropped low and grew thick with slang, "I wanna see your clothing on my bedroom floor, that's a yeaaahh, baby. Whaddaya say?"
Her ears flicked and she reached out to gently wipe a trickle of sweat off the side of his neck. "Let's not take too long in the showers," she murmured. "We're only going to get sweaty all over again."
"Oh shit," he breathed. "I hope so."
"Hey, you okay, Chesh -" Midnight stopped in mid-sentence, her eyes automatically following where the counselor was staring. She hid a naughty smile under one perfectly manicured hand.
Elly was aware that a lot of the staff came to this gym, as pro heroes, to work out. That's why they were there, after all. But she had not realized the sights she might see. Her cheeks were stained pink before she even started stretching, her breathing elevated and her tail lashing quickly behind her.
Hizashi was here.
He was stripped to the waist with a pair of neon pink shorts on, doing arm reps on an evil-looking machine in the center of the large room. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail and he wore a monitoring device strapped to one wrist as well as a pair of earbuds in his ears. His arms flexed powerfully as he moved, sweating, and quite obviously singing along to whatever he was listening to under his breath.
"Go ahead," Midnight chuckled wickedly. "You came to work on your arm strength, right? There's one open right in front of him. You two could cheer each other on."
Elly choked, her throat tightening at the prospect of being even closer to the man she was ogling. "Kayama," she protested in a strangled voice, "I'll bleed out! Plus, oh my god, why did I let you convince me to wear the bikini today, of all days..!"
There was a sudden, gruff snort from behind that caused her to jump with embarrassment.
"What's the hold up." Aizawa moved around the two women, staring at them with a frown. "You're wasting time. This isn't the bar."
"R - right." She shouldered her bag and purposefully strode over to Hizashi, setting her things down beside the machine facing his.
Midnight placed a hand on Aizawa's shoulder. "Wait," she cautioned with barely-contained glee. "This is gonna be priceless!"
Hizashi glanced up when he saw a bag fall in front of him, curious as to which hero was deliberately choosing to work out so close to him. The bag didn't have a cat on it, so he knew it wasn't Aizawa's. While Elly was busy stretching her arms a few more times, he saw her and did a comical double take, his red rimmed glasses falling down his nose. He looked because he couldn't avoid looking, and instantly both regretted and rejoiced, his heart beating wildly from far more than the exercise.
That bikini showed more of her than he had ever seen. He saw freckles and a mole he didn't know she had on her inner arm. Fascinated and greedy for more, his eyes wandered until he realized what he was doing and had to jerk his eyes back to her level. His face was flaming with arousal and embarrassment and he was mortified to discover he had an erection.
Had she seen him creepily checking her out?
She had not noticed a thing, because while he sat there, frozen, reps forgotten and music thumping heavily in his ears she was taking care to get ready without looking at him. It wasn't difficult, knowing that if she looked him in the eyes before she would start to sweat and flush for apparently no reason. There was already a modest burn across the bridge of her nose. Elly sat, slipped her arms into the cushioned pads and took a deep breath before raising her head.
"H - Hizashi? You okay?" He looked decidedly uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"M'fine! Good morning!" He squeaked nervously in such a high pitched tone she winced. "Sorry," he added in a more normal voice as he popped his earbuds out. "Uh, I wasn't expecting company. You ... can I, we, I mean, talk while we..?"
"Yeah!" She grinned at him, thrilled at his suggestion. She loved being with him and they had some common interests. They chatted about some new music that had come out, and Hizashi happily told her more about his DJ work on the side. She knew a lot of it anyway, sure, because she went to any and all gigs she could that he worked. But he didn't know that, and she loved hearing him get excited about his passion.
"Auugh. I'm hot as hell," he groaned after he finished his workout.
Without thinking, she replied, "I noticed that the minute I walked in."
Both of them froze.
Breathing hard, Hizashi raised his eyebrows and squinted at her as if to determine the real intent if her words. Elly was at a complete loss, her face redder than ever and her mouth working but with no sound coming out. Eventually he decided she had been flirting with him and smiled a slow, rich smile that reached all the way to his hypnotic green eyes.
"Hey, then. After we shower, you wanna head back to my place and listen to some music?" He bent forward conspiratorially, winking at her in an outrageous fashion that caused her to nearly lose her mind. "Maybe some sweet, slow rock with a steady beat to it?"
This time she had a response ready. "Hizashi Yamada, are you suggesting what I think you are?"
"If you're thinking I want you as my girl, then yes. If yer also thinkin'," his voice dropped low and grew thick with slang, "I wanna see your clothing on my bedroom floor, that's a yeaaahh, baby. Whaddaya say?"
Her ears flicked and she reached out to gently wipe a trickle of sweat off the side of his neck. "Let's not take too long in the showers," she murmured. "We're only going to get sweaty all over again."
"Oh shit," he breathed. "I hope so."
Aftermath: 30
After eating he relented and allowed her to go find her surprise.
Elly snapped the light on and walked into the bedroom, ears perky and tail twitching in a kittenish manner. Aizawa nearly melted, though he wouldn't ever have admitted that. Instead he propped himself up in the doorway and watched with the hint of a smile touching his lips.
"You said it was in the bed..." She grinned and tossed the sheets back to reveal his puffy yellow sleeping bag on his side. Yanking them further, she found a similar bag was laid carefully on her side. It was exactly the same but purple.
Elly burst out laughing.
"You're always grabbing mine and hugging it." He shrugged. "I thought if you had your own..."
"I do that because it smells like you!" She hugged him instead. "I love it. You always look so comfy in there."
"Try it out." He watched her intently.
She opened it up and started to crawl in when she stopped and wrinkled up her nose. "There's something in the bottom." Digging her hand inside, she was quite the spectacle with her lower half scrunched up and her rear in the air, tail swishing as she searched. When she came out her ears and hair were messy and sticking up all over.
He coughed a dry sort of laugh. "You find it?"
"Is this netsuke?" A small, ornate box carved to look like a book fit neatly in her palm. "Alice in Wonderland!" Her tail flipped about in glee. "It's beautiful, Sho."
"It opens."
Elly found the catch after searching for a bit and it popped open. Her purple eyes widened, then overflowed with tears. All she could do was sob, holding the box out towards him with one hand crammed over her mouth.
Aizawa crawled onto the bed in front of her and took the ring out. Unlike the one he gave her before, this was so exquisitely simple that there was no disguising its meaning. He held it out to her, eyebrows raised in a silent question with his gray eyes calm and sure of the response.
Elly nodded, tears pouring down her cheeks and still unable to speak. He slipped it on her finger and took her in his arms, kissing her softly. She responded enthusiastically, cupping the nape of his neck in one hand and deepening the kiss when he might have pulled back.
"Mmn... Shota. It's time."
"Hmm?" He took her left hand in his and held it over his heart. Her eyes shone up at him and he nodded. "You want to make love."
"Yes."
"We've discussed this before. There's no need for protection and you understand the safe words..?" He watched her very closely, his gray eyes enigmatic.
"Yes."
"I don't know how I held out this long," he confessed, his calm exterior crumbling as he started to tremble. He took her hand and draped her arm about his shoulder as he lay on top of her.
"Me neither," she murmured. "For all this talk of going slow, what works for us is plunging ahead, I think."
"Choice of words," he noted with a chuckle.
"Oops. Um."
"That's okay. You must be wondering what I'll feel like inside you, hmm?"
She groaned suddenly and lifted her legs to wrap around him. "You're wicked, baby."
He affected surprise as he felt around under her shirt, kissing her neck. "Oh? I'm a hero, not a villian. Can I still be wicked?"
"Yes!" She laughed and pulled his hair out of the soft tie he had fixed it up in. "Anyway. I want to see all of this shoot high up in the air when you come inside me."
He grinned. "It's going to tickle you the whole time until then." He demonstrated, dipping low and swishing it over her cheeks.
"Don't care. It's sexy." She inhaled deeply. "Mmn. And it smells like you." They kissed and slowly removed articles of clothing from each other until they were both
nude. Aizawa gently rubbed himself on her thigh, watching her carefully for any sign of nervousness. She looked only aroused, not afraid, and he smiled triumphantly and kissed her again, much deeper this time.
"Oh! You're getting a little rough." Elly growled softly.
"Is it okay? My stubble hurting? I could shave -"
"No, no way." She kissed him ravenously, rubbing on the scruffy hair and nibbling his chin. "I like it."
He blinked, surprised, but said nothing, just kissed her once more. Aizawa nibbled on her neck and stroked her breasts, smiling at her sighs and whispered cries of his name. She ran her hands along his back as he surged powerfully on top of her, cupping his buttocks and squeezing the firm flesh.
"Every time, my ass." He coughed dry laughter off to the side.
"I know," she giggled. "But it's so hard! Mine's kind of bouncy."
"I like bouncy." He shrugged. "And I have to admit, you're right. I am hard."
"Good. That's what I want."
"All right. Hold on to me," he said quietly, "and I'll give you everything I can."
"That sounds absolutely perfect."
His answering smile before he thrust was just shy of the brilliance of a sunrise after a long night. They loved each other fervently, with the knowledge of how important this act was and how special these moments were that they were sharing. Her pleasure peaked first and she willingly surrendered to it, knowing it was happening for the first time because it was with him.
And she returned that dazzling smile when he panted hard, crying out at the end with his dark hair flying straight up all at once.
The next morning at school Midnight's screech could be heard across the entire lounge.
"You proposed?!"
"Stop shouting."
"Wh - what! What were you thinking?"
"Planning a wedding will take her mind off her incident for quite awhile," he said calmly. "It's far more practical for our financial situation, as well."
"Oh. Of course," she said acidly, dropping into a chair with a huff. "Practical. Reasonable." She shook her head, frowning at him as he gathered his case and walked to the door. "Ugh. Your 'wedding' is probably going to be just as 'practical'. It won't take long for the documents to be filed."
"Love is not reasonable," he told her calmly. "I want her to have the most extravagant wedding she could ever dream of, where she's treated like she should always be and will never think to question that she is my queen."
Elly snapped the light on and walked into the bedroom, ears perky and tail twitching in a kittenish manner. Aizawa nearly melted, though he wouldn't ever have admitted that. Instead he propped himself up in the doorway and watched with the hint of a smile touching his lips.
"You said it was in the bed..." She grinned and tossed the sheets back to reveal his puffy yellow sleeping bag on his side. Yanking them further, she found a similar bag was laid carefully on her side. It was exactly the same but purple.
Elly burst out laughing.
"You're always grabbing mine and hugging it." He shrugged. "I thought if you had your own..."
"I do that because it smells like you!" She hugged him instead. "I love it. You always look so comfy in there."
"Try it out." He watched her intently.
She opened it up and started to crawl in when she stopped and wrinkled up her nose. "There's something in the bottom." Digging her hand inside, she was quite the spectacle with her lower half scrunched up and her rear in the air, tail swishing as she searched. When she came out her ears and hair were messy and sticking up all over.
He coughed a dry sort of laugh. "You find it?"
"Is this netsuke?" A small, ornate box carved to look like a book fit neatly in her palm. "Alice in Wonderland!" Her tail flipped about in glee. "It's beautiful, Sho."
"It opens."
Elly found the catch after searching for a bit and it popped open. Her purple eyes widened, then overflowed with tears. All she could do was sob, holding the box out towards him with one hand crammed over her mouth.
Aizawa crawled onto the bed in front of her and took the ring out. Unlike the one he gave her before, this was so exquisitely simple that there was no disguising its meaning. He held it out to her, eyebrows raised in a silent question with his gray eyes calm and sure of the response.
Elly nodded, tears pouring down her cheeks and still unable to speak. He slipped it on her finger and took her in his arms, kissing her softly. She responded enthusiastically, cupping the nape of his neck in one hand and deepening the kiss when he might have pulled back.
"Mmn... Shota. It's time."
"Hmm?" He took her left hand in his and held it over his heart. Her eyes shone up at him and he nodded. "You want to make love."
"Yes."
"We've discussed this before. There's no need for protection and you understand the safe words..?" He watched her very closely, his gray eyes enigmatic.
"Yes."
"I don't know how I held out this long," he confessed, his calm exterior crumbling as he started to tremble. He took her hand and draped her arm about his shoulder as he lay on top of her.
"Me neither," she murmured. "For all this talk of going slow, what works for us is plunging ahead, I think."
"Choice of words," he noted with a chuckle.
"Oops. Um."
"That's okay. You must be wondering what I'll feel like inside you, hmm?"
She groaned suddenly and lifted her legs to wrap around him. "You're wicked, baby."
He affected surprise as he felt around under her shirt, kissing her neck. "Oh? I'm a hero, not a villian. Can I still be wicked?"
"Yes!" She laughed and pulled his hair out of the soft tie he had fixed it up in. "Anyway. I want to see all of this shoot high up in the air when you come inside me."
He grinned. "It's going to tickle you the whole time until then." He demonstrated, dipping low and swishing it over her cheeks.
"Don't care. It's sexy." She inhaled deeply. "Mmn. And it smells like you." They kissed and slowly removed articles of clothing from each other until they were both
nude. Aizawa gently rubbed himself on her thigh, watching her carefully for any sign of nervousness. She looked only aroused, not afraid, and he smiled triumphantly and kissed her again, much deeper this time.
"Oh! You're getting a little rough." Elly growled softly.
"Is it okay? My stubble hurting? I could shave -"
"No, no way." She kissed him ravenously, rubbing on the scruffy hair and nibbling his chin. "I like it."
He blinked, surprised, but said nothing, just kissed her once more. Aizawa nibbled on her neck and stroked her breasts, smiling at her sighs and whispered cries of his name. She ran her hands along his back as he surged powerfully on top of her, cupping his buttocks and squeezing the firm flesh.
"Every time, my ass." He coughed dry laughter off to the side.
"I know," she giggled. "But it's so hard! Mine's kind of bouncy."
"I like bouncy." He shrugged. "And I have to admit, you're right. I am hard."
"Good. That's what I want."
"All right. Hold on to me," he said quietly, "and I'll give you everything I can."
"That sounds absolutely perfect."
His answering smile before he thrust was just shy of the brilliance of a sunrise after a long night. They loved each other fervently, with the knowledge of how important this act was and how special these moments were that they were sharing. Her pleasure peaked first and she willingly surrendered to it, knowing it was happening for the first time because it was with him.
And she returned that dazzling smile when he panted hard, crying out at the end with his dark hair flying straight up all at once.
The next morning at school Midnight's screech could be heard across the entire lounge.
"You proposed?!"
"Stop shouting."
"Wh - what! What were you thinking?"
"Planning a wedding will take her mind off her incident for quite awhile," he said calmly. "It's far more practical for our financial situation, as well."
"Oh. Of course," she said acidly, dropping into a chair with a huff. "Practical. Reasonable." She shook her head, frowning at him as he gathered his case and walked to the door. "Ugh. Your 'wedding' is probably going to be just as 'practical'. It won't take long for the documents to be filed."
"Love is not reasonable," he told her calmly. "I want her to have the most extravagant wedding she could ever dream of, where she's treated like she should always be and will never think to question that she is my queen."
Counseling Sessions: Baby
"I'm not a monster," Elly said firmly to herself as she stared in the mirror. "I like good people. All good people."
"Hey, sweetness?" Hizashi peered in from the doorway. "Yer not lookin' so great. You need to come and sit." He walked in and gently took her trembling hand, steering her towards the couch in the living room.
Once she was settled and he was very firmly attached to her with his arms around her waist and his chin snuggled into her hair at the top of her head she sighed and relaxed a little. "Was trying to get over this one myself," she admitted with a shaky laugh. "I didn't want to bother you."
"You know I want you to come to me whenever you need."
"Yes." She leaned into his warmth. "It's my stepfather again. I saw something that reminded me of when I went to visit them once. My step cousin was there with her family, and they had a kid."
"Were you two close?"
"Well... kinda hard to say. It felt like it, sort of. Then she went off to college, got married, had a little girl. I'm awkward around my family and kids, since they treat them better than me. Always did."
Hizashi frowned, his eyebrows drawing up in a worried look. "Even when you were a kid, too."
"Yep. We all went out to eat and I sucked it up, hoping it wouldn't be too bad. But, of course it was. The little one is trying to get my attention specifically, while I was trying to settle down because of my emotions. Kid didn't need me; the whole table was acting like she was a ... well."
"Princess." Hizashi kissed her cheek softly.
"Yeah. The treatment I never got." She paused, then shyly added, "until you came along, sweetie."
"Aww." He snuggled her closer, drawing out the sound in a soothing hum. She sighed, closing her eyes and letting him pacify her as best he knew how.
"Thanks," she purred after a few minutes. "I - I almost started to bawl there, really, and I wanted to blurt the rest of this out before that happens!"
"Blurt away, then." He grinned and squeezed her gently in encouragement.
"My worst fear is true right away - my stepfather is <i>especially</i> catering to her, and this makes me so sick I can barely sit there. After awhile, he notices I'm not worshipping her like the entire table and tells me the most insulting thing he could."
She took a deep breath, her voice trembling. "He leans in, and, staring sideways at her, tells me in a little-kid confidential way, 'you're <i>meeean</i>'."
Hizashi's jaw dropped.
"Wait. So, the guy that tortured, scared you, said you weren't his daughter, an' everythin' when <i>you were just a kid</i> had the everloving <i>balls</i> to say you were being mean to this one?!"
"All I was doing was ignoring her because - well, you know. C-PTSD, really. I was freaking out. I hadn't signed up to be with him around a child, so I was pretty pissed anyway. I knew how it would play out. I went and hid in the bathroom of the restaurant and cried until I felt like I had to go back to the table. And then, they invited them to the house for coffee!"
"My step-cousin didn't even try and act like they wanted to catch up with me or anything. These people lived near my parents. They saw them <i>all the time</i>. I flew to see them once a year, for god's sake. They made zero attempts to act like they wanted to talk to me at all and just ignored me, so when we got home I holed up in the guest room for the remainder of their little visit, crying and feeling like I never had a father."
Hizashi waited until he was certain she was done before speaking. "I'm <i>definitely</i> gonna yell at that guy when I see him," he grated angrily. "Nobody hurts <i>my</i> baby. He might've thought it's fine to chop yer heart into little pieces all the time, but nuh uh! <i>No way!</i>" He started to shake.
"Hizashi."
"That little bastard, putting everyone else before you an' then rubbin' yer face in it..."
"Sweetie, breathe. It's - it's okay. I have you now."
"My princess," he cooed softly, changing tone so swiftly she did a double take. That was fast, even for him. "Y'the most precious person in my life. You know that, right?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"Mmm. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time, hug you and tell you it's gonna be okay."
She smiled. "I would have liked that. I mean, the support from an adult. I might've gotten creeped out by the hug from a stranger."
"Might?"
"Kinda starved for hugs," she admitted shyly. "I might not have minded anyway."
"Aw," he said again with a catch in his voice.
"Hey, sweetness?" Hizashi peered in from the doorway. "Yer not lookin' so great. You need to come and sit." He walked in and gently took her trembling hand, steering her towards the couch in the living room.
Once she was settled and he was very firmly attached to her with his arms around her waist and his chin snuggled into her hair at the top of her head she sighed and relaxed a little. "Was trying to get over this one myself," she admitted with a shaky laugh. "I didn't want to bother you."
"You know I want you to come to me whenever you need."
"Yes." She leaned into his warmth. "It's my stepfather again. I saw something that reminded me of when I went to visit them once. My step cousin was there with her family, and they had a kid."
"Were you two close?"
"Well... kinda hard to say. It felt like it, sort of. Then she went off to college, got married, had a little girl. I'm awkward around my family and kids, since they treat them better than me. Always did."
Hizashi frowned, his eyebrows drawing up in a worried look. "Even when you were a kid, too."
"Yep. We all went out to eat and I sucked it up, hoping it wouldn't be too bad. But, of course it was. The little one is trying to get my attention specifically, while I was trying to settle down because of my emotions. Kid didn't need me; the whole table was acting like she was a ... well."
"Princess." Hizashi kissed her cheek softly.
"Yeah. The treatment I never got." She paused, then shyly added, "until you came along, sweetie."
"Aww." He snuggled her closer, drawing out the sound in a soothing hum. She sighed, closing her eyes and letting him pacify her as best he knew how.
"Thanks," she purred after a few minutes. "I - I almost started to bawl there, really, and I wanted to blurt the rest of this out before that happens!"
"Blurt away, then." He grinned and squeezed her gently in encouragement.
"My worst fear is true right away - my stepfather is <i>especially</i> catering to her, and this makes me so sick I can barely sit there. After awhile, he notices I'm not worshipping her like the entire table and tells me the most insulting thing he could."
She took a deep breath, her voice trembling. "He leans in, and, staring sideways at her, tells me in a little-kid confidential way, 'you're <i>meeean</i>'."
Hizashi's jaw dropped.
"Wait. So, the guy that tortured, scared you, said you weren't his daughter, an' everythin' when <i>you were just a kid</i> had the everloving <i>balls</i> to say you were being mean to this one?!"
"All I was doing was ignoring her because - well, you know. C-PTSD, really. I was freaking out. I hadn't signed up to be with him around a child, so I was pretty pissed anyway. I knew how it would play out. I went and hid in the bathroom of the restaurant and cried until I felt like I had to go back to the table. And then, they invited them to the house for coffee!"
"My step-cousin didn't even try and act like they wanted to catch up with me or anything. These people lived near my parents. They saw them <i>all the time</i>. I flew to see them once a year, for god's sake. They made zero attempts to act like they wanted to talk to me at all and just ignored me, so when we got home I holed up in the guest room for the remainder of their little visit, crying and feeling like I never had a father."
Hizashi waited until he was certain she was done before speaking. "I'm <i>definitely</i> gonna yell at that guy when I see him," he grated angrily. "Nobody hurts <i>my</i> baby. He might've thought it's fine to chop yer heart into little pieces all the time, but nuh uh! <i>No way!</i>" He started to shake.
"Hizashi."
"That little bastard, putting everyone else before you an' then rubbin' yer face in it..."
"Sweetie, breathe. It's - it's okay. I have you now."
"My princess," he cooed softly, changing tone so swiftly she did a double take. That was fast, even for him. "Y'the most precious person in my life. You know that, right?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"Mmm. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time, hug you and tell you it's gonna be okay."
She smiled. "I would have liked that. I mean, the support from an adult. I might've gotten creeped out by the hug from a stranger."
"Might?"
"Kinda starved for hugs," she admitted shyly. "I might not have minded anyway."
"Aw," he said again with a catch in his voice.
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