Hero Worship (Zashi)

The box was huge.

It arrived care of U.A., addressed to the school counselor, but she wasn't there at the time. Since she didn't take possession of it right away, it sat in the teacher's lounge while the staff ogled it.

"It's friggin' giant," Present Mic exclaimed in awe.

"It's also not yours, Hizashi." Aizawa sat in the chair next to his friend, digging one hand into his capture weapon to search for his eyedrops.

"I know!"

"Doesn't diminish the curiosity, though." Midnight tapped on one side. "It's heavy. To ship this all the way from America must've cost a fortune."

"Cheshire said she paid for it," Toshinori murmured quietly. Everyone turned to face the skeletal blond man as he coughed apologetically. "She told me she had to threaten her mother not to throw the stuff out. It's quite important to her."

"Oh my goddd, now I have to know what's in it. She told All Might about it, it's got to be something juicy!"

"Kayama!"

"Don't -!"

"It slipped," she said innocently, her dark eyes wide as one of her pointed fingernails slit the tape. "Look, just a peek and we'll seal it back up... oh. Oh, my."

"Well?" Hizashi tried not to look too interested. "No, no, we shouldn't. You need to fix it back up. She's our colleague, and it's her privacy."

"Yamada," Kayama said thoughtfully, "remember that charity auction we did years ago?"

He pulled a face. "There's been a lot -"

"The one where your jacket - your used jacket -- sold for that obscene amount of money?"

He pushed his shades up, rubbing at the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Oh that. Uh huh. Some chick in America fought really hard... for ... it ..." He trailed off, his greenish-gold eyes bulging.

Toshinori's jaw dropped, and he sat back down into his chair slowly. Aizawa appeared to be wholly absorbed in his work, his expression enigmatic as always, though he did glance over at his friend once.

Kayama pursed her lips. "I think you'd better have a private chat with Ms. Sketchit after school hours," she told him with a smug little smirk.

That was how Hizashi found himself at her apartment several hours later. He had waited until they had time to shower and change into civilian clothing, hoping it would be easier to talk as friends than colleagues.

And besides, if his hero persona got her that flustered, he wanted to save it for a special occasion.

He was barely inside before he spilled everything. "Kayama looked," he blurted out all at once. "I swear, Ches, I told her not to - we all did -- but then she said that I should talk to ya afterwards, an' I got to thinkin' maybe she knew what she was talking about, and -"

Elly sighed. "Breathe, Zashi," she told him wearily.

He gulped in a huge breath of air. "She asked me about this one time, when I donated a jacket..."

She sighed an even deeper sigh and reached into the box, pulling out a very familiar jacket that was definitely his. Even the better fakes couldn't duplicate the exact size, for one, and he had a special lining sewn inside that could be unzipped in warmer weather. His mouth gaped open, lips slightly pursed as he stared, wide-eyed at this proof.

"I have the certificate of authenticity that came with it and your hand-written note." Her voice cracked and he noticed she was facing away from him, unable to look him in the eye.

"Whoa, babe, th - this went for a lot of money. Like, thousands." He placed a shaky hand on her shoulder and she flinched.

"I'm sorry," she choked. "This is really embarrassing, and I've put you in a terrible position. I never meant to do that to a colleague."

"No! It's, uh, I mean, why?" He stared incredulously at her, his glasses slipping down his nose. "Ches, that was so much money!"

Her knees trembled and she collapsed all at once on the floor in front of the package, sobbing. "I had to have something! My home life, my - my relationships... they were shit. You were the only person that gave me hope, even if you didn't really. I used fantasies of you to stay sane."

"Huh. No way." Hizashi fiddled with the bracelet he wore on one wrist, spinning the red beads absently. "Well, is the real thing better?"

"I don't know," she hissed acidly, "since now I've probably lost you as a friend. All because of my stupid crush from way back."

"Of course we're still friends," he said in exasperation. "This whole thing is actually kinda incredible. No one's ever had, uh - I'm not regarded as a sexy hero or anything. Not really. Uh... d'ya still have a crush on me?"

"You're not helping," Elly groaned. "And no. I've gone farther now that I know you."

"Farther..?" He gave her what she always thought of as The Look, one of his glorious, green-gold eyes wide and the other squinted, with a sly smirk to match. "You tryin' to tell me somethin'?"

"Just when I thought this day couldn't get more embarrassing." Elly's ears flattened backwards and she started to shake again. "I'm not trying to tell you, since I want to stay friends. You can guess, you're smart enough." She pushed the box angrily with her foot and it fell over, spilling far more Present Mic merchandise than he knew was available onto the table and floor.

"No hugging pillow?" Hizashi poked curiously through the pile. "M'actually kinda sad. Never saw one with me on it before."

Her purple eyes stared at him with a flat, dead inside kind of look. "You've seen all this, I guess it's not going to hurt." She waved him down the hall into her bedroom. He followed, head bobbing as he peered around her eagerly.

He was a bit disappointed to see it wasn't lewd at all. It was a standard photo of him, the pose they used for almost everything. He was standing tall with one arm up. It was, however, a very worn-looking pillowcase. Like it had been used - and washed -- a lot.

"I can't sleep without it," she confessed in a very small voice. "I'll have to now, honestly, but -"

"Well, sure." Hizashi stepped forward and eyed his image with a peculiar squint. "But only 'cause there isn't room for us both and a pillow." He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back to whisper in her ear. "I'm'a sleep cuddler. Really bad. Tend to cling, yanno?"

Her face flamed bright red. "Uh..."

"Yeahhh?"

"Are you suggesting we're going to sleep together from now on?"

He blinked. "Why not, babe?"

"Because I'm not that easy, Yamada Hizashi!" Elly bared her fangs at him as she yelled. It wasn't as loud as he could get, of course, but she had excellent diaphragm control and he was oddly proud. "Get out!"

Hizashi was devastated. He darted out of her home at breakneck speed while she shrieked like a cat at him. His heart pounding heavily in his chest and his breath coming in harsh pants, he called his two best friends for help.

"How on earth did you ruin such a sure thing?" Kayama wrinkled her nose at him, toying with the rim of her glass with one finger. They had gone to their usual haunt, a bar close by campus. It was within walking distance but Hizashi had taken his car for comfort. He didn't plan on drinking anyway. "She's totally into you," she continued.

"You know him," Aizawa grunted cryptically.

"I - I just -!" The blond man groaned and banged his forehead on the table. He spoke from that flattened position, his voice slightly muffled. "Aughhh... I kinda, maybe acted like it was already decided we'd, uh, ..."

They stared at him across the beer-stained table.

"You know." He looked up and coughed, blushing suddenly, then stared wretchedly into his glass of soda. "Do the deed."

"So..."

"You pressured her?"

"Nuh uh!" He shook his head wildly about. "I said something like how I cling when I sleep."

Aizawa snorted laughter. "Idiot."

"I was tryna' be cute!"

"And you probably were, to her," Kayama said firmly. "It pissed her off. You were being too flippant about things. It's obvious that she wants more than just sex from you."

"So do I!"

"It's fixable." She rolled her eyes in exasperation at him. "Go apologize, stupid. With flowers. And maybe some wine or something. Woo her like she matters to you, no joking."

"But - but of course she does, I even told her we were still friends!"

"Then she thinks that's all you are, idiot. You said she's got more than a crush on you, well - fucking confess. She's not going to do it until you do."

"She's right, you know," Aizawa added calmly.

Hizashi sprinted outside as fast as he could.

It took him more than an hour before he could gather everything he needed and he made sure to text several apologies along the way. She ignored every one, but he did notice she read them. He found the reason she may have not answered back when he arrived at her apartment again. Elly's voice could be heard from where he stood as she talked on the phone.

"He's so ughhh," she groaned loudly. "How can someone be so adorable yet gorgeous at the same time?"

A pause, then,

"And why did I give up my only chance?!"

He held his breath and knocked on the door.

Inside, Elly's ears jerked upright and her eyes grew wild as she stared at the entrance. He knocked again, gently, and called out her name in a low tone.

She couldn't refuse him.

When she opened it, Hizashi stood there, head drooping like a wounded puppy. His spiralled eyes were wide and filled with sorrowful hope. In his left hand he held the most magnificent flowers she had ever seen. He trembled as he offered it to her; a black box with gold calligraphy on the side, filled with far more than twelve red roses. She'd never seen so many in person before.

Did they do bouquets of more than a dozen?

Apparently they did.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, his voice deep and serious. He swallowed hard, then bit his lip and held out his other offering. His hand was gripping a bottle of expensive looking sake so tightly the knuckles were white. A plastic bag dangled from that wrist. She sniffed and caught a scent of her favorite food.

"Oh."

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me," he sniffled. "Don't let my stupid mouth ruin us."

"Your mouth isn't stupid," she said automatically, and he smiled.

"Does this mean I can come back in?"

Elly sighed in defeat, though the corners of her mouth twitched up in a shy smile.

"These are really beautiful," she commented as she set the flowers aside for now.

He set the bag of food and the sake down on the counter so he could take his boots off at the door. "They're, uh, 'forever roses'. There's a florist in town that has them in stock so I got lucky..."

"Forever?"

"Yeah." He startled her by coming up from one side and peering down over her shoulder. "The place has a lifetime guarantee on 'em. I kinda, uh, see..." He made a face she couldn't see and then laughed out loud. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's out on social media real soon that Present Mic bought a bouquet of these. I had to show serious I.D. to get 'em."

"Why would you -" Elly had been searching the name online, and her heart nearly stopped when she saw the cost of a single rose. "Yamada Hizashi! These are too expensive!" Her phone clattered onto the countertop out of her nerveless fingers.

He shook his head rapidly, golden hair flicking back and forth as he did. Some came loose from the bun and he tucked it behind his ear. "Nuh uh," he protested. "You're worth as much to me as you spent on my jacket!"

"H - hih - iz ..." She hiccupped, tears running down flushed cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a sweet embrace.

"No buts," he said firmly. "In fact, you're worth more to me 'cause I'm in love with you." And then he kissed her, since her face was turned up to him anyway.

Elly absolutely melted against him, a phrase he had read before and thought silly. Now he knew it could happen; her body was warm and pliant and wholly desirable. He held her with one arm around the waist while his other hand twined in her short, purple hair, threading through while he mouthed her lips repeatedly. When she gripped his outer shirt in both hands and started to kiss back harder, he moaned and slid both hands down her lower back.

"Zashi."

"Mnn." He opened his eyes to find himself staring into her deep, dark purple ones.

"After all that fuss I made earlier, I'm embarrassed to give in like this," she groaned. "But if you kiss me any more I swear I'll just faint!"

He shrugged and grinned sheepishly at her. "Is that such a bad thing, babe? I'm not goin' anywhere... yer stuck with me. Hope you like super clingy, affectionate boyfriends!"

She gave up all at once, and so unexpectedly that he stumbled back a step. "Show me," she pleaded, her tone low and rich and urgent. "Take me into the bedroom and show me how much you love me."

"For real, yo?" His eyes seemed to spin, the spirals thickening in intensity.

"I can't wait. Yes."

"Lemme put the food in the fridge, at least."

She giggled at his fretful tone and nodded. "I have a feeling we're going to want it later."

"Arrgh," he grumbled as he stood up. "Don't wanna let go - hafta put food away." Hizashi bent and kissed her neck, rubbing his mustache on her and making her laugh louder.

"The faster we put the stuff up, the faster we can get back to snuggling."

His eyes brightened. He bounced over to the counter and slid the takeout into the fridge in one smooth, swift movement. "Okay! Where's the bedroom, baby?"

She clutched her sides, howling with laughter.

"Yer not gonna be laughing for long," he predicted with a wicked smirk.

They lay tangled together on her western style bed, sheets twisted under them and clothing piled everywhere the eye could see. A pair of briefs hung from one of the bedposts and her bra lay draped across the lampshade on the nightstand.

Hizashi had looked once, briefly, and dubbed the mess a "sexplosion". True to his prediction, however, she didn't laugh because his warm, nude body lay atop hers when he said it.

Elly was just the <i>tiniest</i> bit distracted. She couldn't think, breathe, see or smell anything but Hizashi. He dominated her entire being at the moment and appeared completely flabbergasted by this.

"Hey hey there," he murmured into one if her furry ears. "You feelin' good? Everything okay? M'experiencing some severe radio silence here."

She was at a loss for words.

How could she explain the soft prickle of his mustache rubbing on her upper lip as he kissed her took her breath away? The warmth of his pale skin on her own, his sweet, delicious scent of leather, bubblegum-like hair products and just... him. Underneath it all her sensitive cat's nose could smell the unique blend of sweat and musk that was his alone. Combined, it was all proof this was actually happening, and Elly was speechless with sheer exhilaration. Her dreams had never been enough; she could finally get drunk on the real thing.

She kissed him.

Hizashi's eyes widened as she pressed forward, her passion speaking for her. He groaned and then closed them, surrendering to the moment.

"Oh, <i>baby</i>," he wheezed. "Ches honey, I was supposed to show you, not th'other way around."

"Can't help it," came her purred reply. She chased after his lips, brushing more kisses wherever she could. "I love you, Zashi. I love you so much. I've had a crush on you for years and when I met you - it wasn't instant, but I fell so deep in love."

He kissed her cheeks, her eyes, her mouth. "Dammit," he whispered, "Yer killin' me here. Y - you..." He shook his head. "Hold onto me," he told her, his voice rough and low. "Hold on to your Zashi." Her thighs gripped him and she clutched his shoulders as he thrust.

An electric thrill ran up her belly from her loins as he entered her. Hizashi was perhaps marginally talented at best in the bedroom, having only had a couple partners in the last few years. However, his willingness to please the woman he had fallen for more than made up the difference. He found himself digging deeper, holding back and prolonging their lovemaking in ways he never knew he could. The weight in his lower belly was maddening; he was going to orgasm hard but that didn't surprise him. She was so delightful, so eager and full of passion. Her body held him hot and tight, and he whimpered as he bucked repeatedly forward, desperate for more even as he pulled back to plunge back again. His hair was almost free of the bun now, long, blond strands clinging to his sweaty neck and back.

Her eyes were tightly shut and mouth parted as she strained, moving with him to deepen his thrusts. Her furry, purple ears lay cutely askew on her pillow and he smirked when she let out a pure, catlike miaow. If sound was an indicator - and he liked to think it was, as a Voice Hero -- he was doing very, very well.

"Oh god, oh <i>Hizashi</i>, yes!"

"This?" He tried his best to duplicate his previous movement, with excellent results. Elly's cries grew frantic, her nails scratching at his back and digging little bites of pain to mix with his pleasure. He gasped loudly and his pace grew faster, harder, as he neared orgasm.

"Don't stop, please, ohhhh, so <i>good</i> please, little more -!"

He grasped a double fistful of sheets and clamped his lips tightly shut. There was no way he was going to ruin their first time by knocking her out with his Voice, but he didn't have much of a chance to hold back when she came.

His shout mingled with hers, each calling out the others' name in ecstacy.

Neither one of them knew how they disentangled or when the condom got tossed. When they started to come around they were snuggling close despite their sweaty bodies and his massive, unruly mess of hair.

"Now that was excellent." He sighed and wrapped an arm around her. "Was it - was I -- worth the wait, Ches?"

"Cut it out." She nipped his neck in reproach for the tease. "But, um... yes. Oh, god yes." 

BONUS

"Hizashi? Is it okay to look yet?" Elly sat on the edge of the bed with her eyes closed. She was wearing a t-shirt and soft shorts, and though simple sleeping attire, he had told her she looked especially pretty tonight. Her new boyfriend loved to surprise her, she found out, and the more shocked she was the more he enjoyed it. Hizashi had only told her she could have this latest gift from him if she closed her eyes and waited patiently.

"M'kay... almost." He sounded very close now, and then the bed dipped as he sat beside her. "Okay! You can look!"

She opened her eyes and immediately turned to see what he had been plotting. Her breath caught in her throat, and she jumped when she saw him looming over her with a wicked smile on his face.

Present Mic was very close, one arm behind her on the bed while he snickered at her stunned gaze. He'd slicked his hair up and dressed completely in his hero persona, right down to the neck speaker and everything.

"I heard my girlfriend gets turned on by a certain hero," he mused, pursing his lips and wiggling his eyebrows comically. His mustache twitched as his grin spread. "What d'ya say to a bit of cosplay, baby?"

"S'not cosplay if you really are Mic," she managed to choke out.

"Touche." His grin grew smarmier somehow, his eyes swirling as they focused deeply on hers. "But then it makes this all the better, hmm?"

She stammered out a series of garbled noises meant to be words, but could form no coherent sound. The leather jacket rubbed her bare arm and she shivered as he leaned ever closer.

"Well, then." His hand slipped low around her waist and he squeezed. "How about I give my awesomest, super number-one listener a smooch?"

Elly nodded, hoping to convey her approval. He took her hands and placed them around his neck on the catch of his speaker. "Let me take this off first. Then we can have some fun."

Hizashi removed his neck gear but left everything else on. He loved the way she was staring, her hot eyes tracking him as he bent and laid the speaker on the nightstand. He sat back on the bed, crooked a finger at her and spread his legs in an inviting manner.

"Zashi," she gasped, "you're incredible." She hopped into his arms, purring loudly with her tail twitching with interest.

"Uh uh, sweet thing." He beeped her gently on the nose and pulled his shades down slightly so she could see his green-gold eyes whirling with lust. "Outfit's on. I'm Mic now."

She bit her lip, her cheeks blossoming into twin roses of shyness and excitement. "Present Mic," she whispered.

"Yeah." He covered her mouth with his own, cupping the side of her burning face in one soft, leather-gloved hand. "Mikey likes." Her tongue eagerly met his and her hands toyed with his massive hair spike, testing the weight and feel. They kissed for a long time, wet sounds the only noise in the otherwise silent room. Hizashi usually played music when they made love, but he'd been too swept up in the moment this time. Elly's hands were everywhere - groping him hungrily, kneading his thighs and growing closer to his tightly tented crotch. He moved his under her t-shirt, petting her breasts and enjoying the view as he made her squirm.

"God, Mic, I'm gonna explode if we don't get down to it."

"How 'bout a ride, baby? Yer already sittin' on my lap." His hand stole to the waistband of her shorts and slid them down. She kicked them off and he hummed with appreciation when he saw she was nude underneath.

Elly immediately unbuckled and unzipped his pants, careful not to snag him in the process. Hizashi hummed and let his head roll back on his shoulders while she pulled him free. The air felt cool on his flushed skin as his erection sprang out, curving up with droplets of fluid dripping down its length. Her enthusiasm had passed itself on to him as well, and he was ready for whatever she wanted.

Or so he thought.

"I didn't think you'd actually do it, baby!" He groaned, his trademark sunglasses sliding down the bridge of his nose as she slipped him quickly inside her. "Shhhi - i - i - it! But hey, Plus Ultra an' all that. Wow!"

Elly laughed loudly in pure joy. The position was difficult, sure, but she had energy to spare thanks to his little surprise. She held on tight, her fingers digging into soft leather, and concentrated on an in and out motion rather than up and down. They shared their test results every month - all heroes were required to have regular blood work done -- and she was on birth control. Tonight was one of the nights they decided to skip wearing protection.

Since they didn't always do it, the heat and the added sensation threw him quickly close to the edge. They panted and kissed and grasped each other tight while she rode him as best she could for a few long minutes.

Finally, Hizashi grasped her rear and let out a bestial groan that sounded almost like a growl. "Yer beat's perfect, babe," he panted harshly, tugging on the base of her tail in a way he knew she liked. "But lemme add a little into the mix." He set himself and bucked into her, meeting her down thrust with his upward one. She had been getting tired, after all, and her movements were growing more shallow.

"Mic!"

"Oh, yeah," he wheezed. "There we go."

"Take me, Voice Hero!"

"M'not greedy," he gasped as they both neared completion. "But yer mine, ain't ya, Ches?"

"Yes!"

"So good," he choked.