Elly held her phone in one hand as she shuffled out of her shoes at the entrance to her apartment.
"Mm hnm. Happy birthday to me, right?" She laughed merrily and tossed her purse on the kitchen counter, walking down the hallway to her bedroom.
"Oh, well. It <i>was</i> fun, Milly. Really. I just... I dunno. Yeah. It's just a stupid fantasy that he might end up confessing or something as my gift." She reached out, feeling along the wall for the light switch. "Uh huh. The, ah, what did you call him? Hobo guy with the dark hair." She chuckled, and took a step, her intent to flop down on her mattress and try to relax after a night of partying with her work friends.
Elly froze.
Aizawa Shota was tied up on her bed.
She blinked incredulously, her eyes wide and face draining of all color as she found her scruffy colleague dangling precariously off one side of the western style bed. He was stripped to the waist, barefoot, and tied up in a rather pretty red ribbon of some sort. Intricate knots trailed down his chest, between his pectorals and further, drawing her eyes to the patch of dark hair that dipped low into his pants. His squirming had dragged the black trousers lower than normal, and she could see his pelvic bones jutting out on either end.
Correction: Aizawa Shota was tied up <i>half naked</i> on her bed.
He was wrenching his powerful arms in an attempt to wear the ribbon down and break free even as she stared, stunned, with the tiniest trickle of blood running down one nostril. Elly's cheeks blushed deeply, impressive since the rest of her remained chalk white. The startling contrast made her look especially pretty, he thought, realizing dismally that only compounded his problems.
"Ai - Aizawa? What the hell?!"
He pressed his lips together in a thin line of disapproval. "Kayama," he grunted in a voice that spoke volumes.
"Mills, I'll call you back, 'kay?" She held the phone out towards a dresser and dropped it without looking to see if she was close enough. It clattered on the top near the edge, but she didn't notice. All her attention was focused on the bound Erasure Hero on her bed.
"Don't just stare, for fuck's sake," he snapped, his hair stirring as his emotions got the better of him. His voice was so choked with rage and embarrassment he sounded like a wild animal. "Help me!"
"I can help!" She dashed out of the room and returned with a pair of sturdy scissors. "Stay still."
Aizawa waited impatiently while she sawed through his bonds. It was difficult to concentrate this close to his hot, sweaty skin, the muscles firm under her hands and twitching lightly. He watched her while she worked, saw her eyes widen when she accidentally touched one of his flat, male nipples and jerked back.
"I don't know what she tied me up with, but it's effective."
"No shit," Elly murmured. "I thought it was ribbon, but it's tougher. I ruined these. But it might be frayed enough for you to - oh!"
He snapped the cord binding his wrists with an impressive display of effort. "Thanks."
"Uh, no problem." Elly watched as he leaned over and started to pick at the knots around his ankles. "Here."
Aizawa took the proferred scissors with a surly grunt and started to use them. She sat down at the foot of the bed, her knees suddenly weak. They sat there until he cut himself free, and he sighed and began massaging his ankles.
"Who was that on the phone earlier?" He asked, an odd catch in his voice. She sensed a difference in him but couldn't put her finger on what it was, exactly. Perhaps embarassment, but it didn't sound quite right. Still, he had asked a question and she felt after what he'd been through he deserved anything he wanted. "An old friend. Goes by the Hero name of The Mad Hatter."
"Hatter? Really?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah." She bit at a hangnail, wincing when too much skin came off. "I was hoping you didn't remember that. Or hadn't heard."
"Apparently hobos have good hearing." One corner of his mouth twitched up so slightly it almost wasn't detectable.
She winced. "I'm sorry. His words, not mine. Anyway, I'll have a little chat with <i>Midnight</i>." The way she spoke the other woman's name caused him to raise both eyebrows. "I'm not sure she'll listen, but I can tell her to stop trying to help."
He admired the way she got right to the point and said as much. "...and we should talk with her. But not right now. It's your birthday, and you didn't get what you wanted."
"I never do," she muttered under her breath. No, even as a child she had gotten material goods only, when what she truly desired was love. She jumped, startled out of her melancholy thoughts when he gently seperated her fidgeting hands. His palm was rougher than her own and very warm.
"Listen," he said, his baritone voice dropping lower, a little rougher. "I'm not very good at showing how I feel..."
She shook herself in disbelief. "Are you kidding? You bought Eri that garish outfit because you cared. You go out with your friends, you listen, you - okay, maybe you're not overly affectionate but you're kind. It shows to those that know you."
Aizawa swallowed hard past the lump in his throat. "Then it has to be that I can't do the right things to show <i>you</i>. I've, ah, tried."
"What?" Her ears perked toward him as she turned, incredulous. "What did you say?"
"I brought you some of my jelly packs that time when you were injured in the hospital..." He continued, checking the rest off his fingers in a list. "Mentioned that it would be cheaper if we all carpooled so we would be together, changed my seating arrangement in the teacher's lounge so we sit closer -" The rest of it was pretty much the same; taken singly, or from anyone else, they were token bits of friendship.
To Aizawa Shota, it must have seemed he was screaming his devotion from the rooftops.
And she <i>hadn't noticed</i>.
She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could realize she was speechless he shook his head.
"Please don't get upset."
"But - but all you had to do is say something. Anything."
"Did you?"
Elly shifted uncomfortably, her tail very still as it lay on the bed beside her. "No-o-o-o, but you're <i>Eraserhead</i>, for god's sake. I was one-hundred percent certain I'd be shot down."
"Shot..?"
"Shot down. Rejected. Look, Aizawa, you're the epitome of simple living. You don't even like complicated food - and by that I mean actual <i>ingredients</i>! You'd rather just consume protein gel. If you think <i>eating</i> is a waste of time, why would - why would I be any different?"
He sighed and rubbed at his eyes, pulling the scarred skin underneath the one so it stretched. "All right, look. It may not be what I wanted - things were easier, before. Since you arrived, I have had trouble eating, sleeping and concentrating."
She squeaked faintly, her throat tightening as her heart began to pound in her chest. He didn't notice, however, as he had his head turned to the side as he spoke. A faint blush burned across the bridge of his nose as his hand tightened on hers.
"However irrational, this means I need you as much as nutrients and sleep. I have, ah." He cleared his throat and turned to face her. "I've... fallen in love with you."
"Oh my god," she choked, her ears laying crazily on either side of her head. "Oh my g - Aizawa... <i>Shota</i>. Shota, you're serious."
"When am I not?"
Elly stared into his bloodshot gray eyes, filled with a warmth she had never seen directed at her. She shook her head, stunned.
"So, if you could have anything you wanted for your birthday <i>besides</i> my confession, what would you wish for?"
"In other words, I can't say I already got what I wanted?"
Aizawa nodded, grinning at her with one hand rubbing at the back of his neck. Elly spoke under her breath, her face blushing bright pink.
"What was that?" He cupped a hand to his ear. "I couldn't hear you, Ches."
"I said, a kiss." She went from pink to scarlet, her cheeks so hot she felt faint with all the blood rushing to her head. Her striped tail swished behind her, creating a faint breeze.
"Just a kiss?" His tone was light and teasing as he cupped her chin in one hand. "Nothing more?" One thumb traced her lower lip, dragging it down. "Not even with me sitting here half dressed on your bed..?"
"Start with a kiss," she suggested shakily. "Then, we'll see."
"I can do that." His scruff rubbed lightly on her face and she closed her eyes to better feel. Right before he pressed forward he whispered between her parted lips. "<i>Happy birthday</i>."
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