STFU

Elly excitedly listed off the places the teachers might go on their group gathering. She was talking mainly to Aizawa, as Toshinori was sitting near but wasn't going. The others were either at a meeting or out of earshot so they weren't her sole focus right now. The counselor took a breath to continue, rolling the trackball on her mouse, when Aizawa startled her.

"Stop." He held a hand up to indicate he wanted her to be silent. "I'm busy and not listening."

Elly bit back what she had been about to say. Her face started to burn, and she felt the sting of tears at the back of her eyes. Her ears folded back so tightly they disappeared into her short purple hair and she closed her laptop, slinking out of the joint workspace without another word.

Toshinori blinked at her back, noticing her striped tail dragging on the ground rather than waving proudly behind her as she left. He turned his sunken gaze on the scruffy man hunched over and tapping on his keyboard. "Aizawa," he called to get his attention.

He didn't look up, the glow from the screen flickering on his pale features. "I just said I was busy," he grunted, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice.

"Aizawa," he repeated firmly, "I think you hurt Cheshire's feelings."

"Huh?" This time his gray eyes peered over the top of the screen. "What are you talking about?"

It was true; she was devastated.

Elly had always been told she was needy and annoying. It started with her family when she was old enough to feel hurt by their constant bullying and grew worse when she started dating. In college, she learned many women that didn't have strong bonds with their fathers turned to abusive partners, as well. Once she recognized the cycle within herself, she had simply stopped dating. In her mind, it wasn't worth it for the pain it caused her in the end. Turning a blind eye to her would-be suitors was easy when she didn't have many, anyway.

She suspected she may have been fooling herself that she had ever truly been in love.

And then her career bloomed, a transfer to U.A. and her Pro Hero status taking off. Everything was finally going well ...if she ignored how lonely she was at night. Worse yet, she couldn't deny she had developed feelings for a certain unkempt colleague. Aizawa knew nothing, of course, as she kept her emotions fully bottled up. Therefore she was ashamed to have almost broken down, and darted into her private office, closing and locking the door.

I shouldn't be in this much pain from one comment.

Yet the way he had cut her off stung more than she wanted to admit. If she was pissing him off, he wouldn't want to be around her. Elly wasn't sure she could handle that. They had gone on multiple group outings to local eateries and bars and she was - accustomed, for want of a better word -- to being around him. They had worked together as heroes, put their lives on the line and more. In horror, she realized she had begun to think of him as hers, in a way. She had fallen in love with a good, strong man this time but he didn't want a romantic relationship with anyone, let alone her.

Her feline features had perhaps helped him become comfortable around her faster but this afternoon had proven he wasn't interested. She placed her head on her desk and spiraled into a rabbit hole of negative thoughts and despair.

-

Elly changed how she interacted with the gruff homeroom teacher from that point on. From a tactical standpoint, she wanted some distance to heal. She also would give him a much-needed break from her annoying antics, and hopefully things would at least go back to normal. It wasn't too difficult to stay in her office, so she busied herself with extra work.

It was hard not seeing him, though. She already missed his familiar scent, his low, pleasing baritone and even those bloodshot eyes.

"Hello, Cheshire. You going to get a late lunch?"

She jumped a little, startled out of her thoughts as she wandered along the hallway. Thirteen was there, her eyes showing she was smiling in a friendly way. "Oh, hey. Yeah, I got caught up with a student and we went over schedule. Is Lunch Rush still making those turkey club sandwiches?"

Thirteen laughed. "He told me he wouldn't dream of taking those off the menu now that he knows you love them so much."

Elly broke out into a huge grin that showed both her sharp canines. "Yay."

The space-suited hero waved cheerfully at her as they parted ways. The counselor walked quickly on, carefully checking the halls and testing the air with her nose. She didn't want to end up face to face with the homeroom teacher after pointedly avoiding him all day.

Back at the teacher's work area, Shota Aizawa frowned.

The counselor normally said good morning to him every day at the staff lockers. She had been absent from not just that area, but all they interacted in, which was very unusual. The timesheets mocked him as he stared blearily down at them, rubbing the back of his neck.

Yamada flopped into the chair beside him and pointed at his neck. "Oh, hey, y'see Ches got that new neck gear? Looks pretty sweet. I was thinkin' maybe Mei could take a look at mine later. Couldn't hurt - girl's got talent!"

"Cat," Ryo growled under his breath as he passed by. "We had to get a cat for a counselor."

"You always complain, but she's one of the only ones that can understand you when you start barking," Kayama snorted.

"Hrrarf!"

Aizawa's brow creased, deeper lines wrinkling his forehead. "Is Cheshire on the grounds, then?"

"She's here," Kayama called out. "Saw her duck into her office earlier. I don't think she's been out yet, though. Must be busy."

He grunted in a noncommittal fashion and stomped out into the hall.

-

Elly decided it would be safer to eat in her office than risk the teacher's lounge.

She was wrong.

Aizawa had been on a mission to find her once he knew she was on campus. It didn't take long, either, since she was in the one place she was supposed to be.

Her ears shot up as she went to lock her door upon cleaning up the remnants of her lunch. There was someone on the other side - someone that was very insistent on getting in. He put his shoulder to the door, and, knowing his strength, she sighed and gave up.

"Fine. Come in before you break anything."

"You've been avoiding me," was all he said as she flopped down on her chair.

Elly shuffled a batch of papers on her desk. "Yes, well ...that recent villian attack has me rather busy. The students were quite shaken by it." Bending down, she busied herself in her file cabinet, hoping he would give up and go away.

Aizawa's expression firmed, and he placed his palms flat on the desk in front of her. "Have I offended you in some way?"

She bit her lower lip, still not looking at him though he was leaning close. "You have been nothing but professional."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Elly started to tremble the tiniest bit. She spoke in a much lower, softer voice with her furry ears sinking down. "Aizawa. You've done nothing wrong. It's me, and I am dealing with that in the only manner I possibly can right now."

He frowned harder, his forehead wrinkling as he watched her feline body language display sadness and fear. "Is it - it isn't because I said I wasn't listening the other day, is it?" She flinched and Aizawa swore, cursing All Might vaguely under his breath. "Look," he sighed, "I was busy. All I wanted to convey was that you weren't getting my full attention. I didn't want you to think I wasn't listening because I didn't care."

"I told you, this is my problem. You weren't -" She jerked upright, her eyes darting up to meet his in shock as her hands were covered by his warm, rough ones.

"If you hurt, it is my problem," he told her quietly. "I don't want to see you upset." He grimaced as he struggled to say the right thing that was also the truth. "Especially if I'm the one that made you upset."

"You didn't mean I was being annoying?"

He blinked at her in surprise. "No. Why would you think that?"

"Emotional baggage." It was her turn to make a face. "Okay. I'm sorry, too, then. Didn't mean to make such a fuss about it - I just didn't want you to get tired of me."

Aizawa let out the most exasperated sigh she had ever heard. "Ms. Sketchit," he snorted, "I'm friends with Present Mic, for fuck's sake. You couldn't be more annoying than that if you tried." He paused, thinking. "Also, I'm pretty sure everyone is more lively than me. You don't have to worry."

She actually laughed at him addressing her that way. It was strange to hear him call her anything but her hero name. "I get it, I get it. It's hard for me to think I'm anything but a pain in the ass, but I believe you."

"Good." He glanced up at the clock on the wall. "What would you say to going out with me later?"

Elly was amazed at how fast the man moved when he was sure of himself. Once Aizawa knew what he wanted and deemed the results satisfactory, he was relentless.

That was how she ended up in his arms that evening after they went for dinner, held so tightly he nearly stole her breath away. And not just from his grip, because he was unfailingly gentle every time he touched her. No - he was warm and firm and smelled so good she simply gave in to her desires. They kissed again and again, their desire to remain in contact with each other warring with their need for air.

Nothing had ever felt so right.

"Purring?" He chuckled under his breath as they parted briefly.

"Mmn. Is that a problem?"

"No," he murmured into her hair, inhaling deeply. "Not at all. I wasn't sure how much feline you had in you."

She nuzzled his cheek. "The underside of my nose, two fangs, ears and a tail. I've also got neck and tail sensitivity, so unless you want to make a pretty firm statement about how you feel about me I'd reccomend staying away from those areas."

His gray eyes narrowed in thought. "...like this?"

"Shota!" She yelped, shocked at first and then falling backwards onto the couch they were laying on. His teeth pressed playfully on her throat, right where the thumping pulse beat madly under the skin.

"Has any man marked you before?"

"No," she choked, squirming under him. "I ... no, never, I didn't let anyone."

"Oh?" Now he sounded curious. "Took it seriously, did you? What if I decided I want you so completely?" His lips moved, tongue flicking out to trace the area.

"Sh - Shota..."

"Shhhh," he whispered softly against her skin with a hint of laughter in his voice. "I'm busy. "