Aizawa was receiving the aftercare pamphlet from the tattoo artist when Elly wandered back in, loaded down with several large bags. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing, only lifting his left hand to show the reddened skin and dark outline of the ring drawn on his finger.
"Ohhh, Shota," she breathed softly when she saw the cheshire cat's grin on the band.
"I thought it was appropriate."
"I would get one, too... but despite being a hero I'm a complete chicken about deliberately inflicted pain." She scrunched up her nose at the thought. "I don't even have pierced ears."
"Understandable. It would hurt yours far more than an average person." Aizawa nodded at the tattoo artist.
The man agreed, carefully cleaning his pen-tipped hands with a cloth designed for that purpose. "Anthro types don't usually pierce," he added helpfully. "I get some come in here thinking they're badass and want to show everyone they can handle it, but they usually pass out from the pain." He shrugged. "So don't feel bad."
"That does make me feel better," she murmured. "Oh. And thank you." She reached out and shook one of his hands. "This means a lot to us and you did an amazing job."
"Just make sure he takes care of it like he ought," he chuckled.
"He's good with things like that." She smiled as they left.
They strolled back out into the now-busy mall, weaving their way between all the people milling about. Aizawa hooked an arm around hers and nodded at her bags.
"What did you get?"
"Well, there were a lot of sales." Elly blushed a brick like color and stared at the floor a few seconds too long.
"Ches," Aizawa murmured. "Look at me, please."
"Ack."
"I'm not scolding you," he said firmly. "I was just curious." Then he grinned. "I'm going to carry those, so I should know if they're going to be heavy."
"Well... some candy, but not much. And the international store did have salmiakki, so I bought you some."
His gray eyes lit up. "Thank you."
"I also got a couple pillows, a throw blanket and some, um." Her ears flicked and she coughed in embarrassment. "The one place had bath stuff I'd always wanted. I can hardly ever use anything scented, but I bought a few things for when I have time off."
"Sounds reasonable." He gently urged the bags off her, shouldering them on one side so he could hold her hand with his free one. "Where to next?"
"Um... oh! The registries. First one is for household stuff." She pointed, and he squinted at the huge shop front they were approaching.
"Uh oh," he murmured under his breath.
"I know you hate shopping. Especially this, right?"
He frowned as they walked into the store. "Isn't it odd to put up a list of what we want people to buy us?"
"Well, think of it like this - do you really want twenty blenders?"
Aizawa grimaced. "No. No, that does make sense, love."
She purred in delight at his casual use of such a romantic name and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm glad you think so."
He rubbed the back of his neck as they paused to get their bearings. "If we're getting new furniture, then we're going to need a bigger bed. Yours is too small to fit us both comfortably."
At that point a sales associate spotted them and bore down on them with a tentative smile. "Hello there! Is there anything I can help you with?"
"We're just looking for now," Elly smiled. "Oh, but can you tell us where your registry kiosk is? Or is it all through an app now?"
The woman blinked, appraising them for a moment. When she spotted her striped tail she recognized Elly and her smile grew broader. Pro Heroes made a decent amount of money, and weddings, showers and such events would mean a lot of sales. It was also simply exciting to meet one in public.
"Oh! We have a kiosk, but it's also on an app. You can download it right from there or at our website." She led them down an aisle towards the boxy structure.
"Awesome."
"Can I ask?" The woman smiled beautifully at the couple, and they could see unusually large teeth - perhaps part of the woman's quirk. "Is this a wedding, or..?" Her eyes darted over to the scruffy man with tired eyes carrying all their bags. No recognition there - Aizawa was still flying under the radar as an underground hero.
"Wedding," he answered, putting some bags down by the side of the kiosk. The sales representative keenly spotted his tattoo bandage when he scratched his chin. It was the obvious shape, size and on the appropriate finger. Her eyes widened.
"Uh huh," Elly purred. "This is my fiance."
Aizawa's lip twitched, amused at the other woman's confusion. No one ever assumed he was with her in that way. He knew he was unshaven and unkempt, slouched over with messy hair and bloodshot eyes. Most folks cringed or leaned away from him in public.
But Elly was always so proud to announce he was her man. She didn't see him the way they did, and that was all that mattered. His heart swelled with love as she showed off her ring, oblivious to the startled look the clerk was giving him.
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