Working from home (shota) 1

 Elly yawned as she opened up her laptop. She rubbed sleepily at her furry ears, blinking as she tapped some commands in and set up her camera.

It was time to check in with the teenagers at U.A and see how they were coping with staying indoors during a villian-induced pandemic. No one could leave their living areas and she'd been busy as the enforced isolation had begun stressing people out.

The teenagers logged in one after another, chatting while they did and waving at her onscreen. She stifled another yawn before giving in to the need for caffeine.

"Okay, guys, I'm a little sleepy so hang on while I get a cup of coffee."

When she wandered off the camera was pointed at the dark hallway between the kitchen and living room. The students watched in horror as a figure lurched out of a side room and began a lumbering approach.

<b>Midoriya</b>: <i>What is that?</i>

<b>Jirou</b>: <i>It looks creepy, whatever it is.</i>

<b>Koji</b>: <i>Does Ms. Elly have any pets?</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>That's too big to be a pet, dumbass!</i>

A low sound made them all hump. It was a cross between a groan and a growl, darkly threatening or perhaps in pain.

<b>Iida</b>: <i>Do you think she's in danger? Should we intervene?</i>

<b>Momo</b>: <i>We're not supposed to leave our dorm.</i>

<b>Kaminari</b>: <i>It's moving!</i>

The shadow began to shuffle towards them until a person came into sight. It was their scruffy homeroom teacher, which in itself was a surprise. When he appeared his gait was understandable, since he'd lost his leg some time ago and wasn't wearing the prosthetic at the moment. No one really concentrated on that, however, as he wore a tattered black robe, open at the front and completely naked underneath. 

<b>Midoriya</b>: <i>MR. AIZAWA?!</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>Holy shit.</i>

<b>Jirou</b>: <i>WHAT.</i>

<b>Ochaco</b>: <i>!!!</i>

<b>Midoriya</b>: <i>Is he - is he -</i>

<b>Iida</b>: <i>Our teacher indisposed...</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>Just say it. He's buck ass naked under that ratty thing.</i>

Not knowing he had an audience of more than one Aizawa scratched at an unruly clump of chest hair and yawned, frowning. He cleared his throat before speaking but his voice was still slurred with sleep.

"My queen? You in here?"

"Yeah, I'm making coffee, but -"

"I thought we were going to have sex. Make up your mind so I know how long I can nap."

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>OKAY.</i>

<b>Mina</b>: <i>AAAAAHH! </i> ♡

<b>Kirishima</b>: <i>You're too excited!</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>I'm gonna fucking throw up.</i>

<b>Kaminari</b>: <i>Mr. Aizawa and - and the counselor?!</i>

<b>Mineta</b>: <i>Oh.</i>

<b>Mineta</b>: <i>He</i> does <i>do it without the leg.</i>

<b>Mina, Ochaco, Iida</b>: <i>MINETA!</i>

"I thought you knew I had the online session with 1-A today!"

Aizawa turned slowly to look where she was pointing and saw the laptop open with the class engaged. He reached down and tied the flapping sides of his robe closed with the fabric belt. "I very clearly did <i>not</i> remember," he sighed. 

"The camera's on," Elly informed him with a flick of her ears.

The dark-haired man's entire countenance changed. His eye widened as his body grew stiff with shock and he wobbled unsteadily for a moment before he grabbed at the wall.

"<i>Fuck.</i>"

<b>Mineta</b>: <i>Not now.</i>

<b>Mina</b>: <i>MINETA!</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>Gross.</i>

Elly leaned over and firmly turned him to face the hall once more. "Go to bed, Sho. I'll handle this."

He waved a hand vaguely around in the computer's direction. "Make sure they know I'll string anyone up that even <i>thinks</i> about this again."

"I think they know your feelings on the matter, dear."

<b>Midoriya</b>: <i>He's not even embarrassed..!</i>

<b>Ochaco</b>: <i>I bet he is.</i>

<b>Tsuyu</b>: <i>His face was red.</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>SHUT UP! I don't wanna think about this more than I have to!</i>

Elly sat down and faced the class with a wry expression. "No one wants to talk about it, right?"

<b>Mineta</b>: <i> But -</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>NO! Or I swear I'll break out and strangle your scrawny ass!</i>

Everyone agreed.

"Right. It never happened."

Working from home 2

 The first thing Hizashi did after he threw on a t-shirt and sweats was call for an emergency staff meeting. His girlfriend wandered into their bedroom in a daze, her cheeks red and tail waving around behind her like a warning flag. She didn't pay much attention to him while he rushed around in a frenzy, but then again his energy levels were always erratic to begin with. Elly decided it was better to let him calm down for a bit by himself.

He grabbed her laptop and contaced everyone. Most of their colleagues joined the chat right away; he sighed with relief that this would all hopefully be over in a few minutes. His best friend, however, was not one to make such a thing easy.

<b>Eraserhead</b>: <i>Mic, please tell me why half of my class is frantically texting me.</i>

<b>Cementoss</b>: <i>Do we all need to do this? Sounds like this was Class 1-A business.</i>

<b>Thirteen</b>: <i>Mic wanted us all here.</i>

Hizashi sighed. "I, uh. Yeah. So, I <i>kinda</i> walked out half naked while Cheshire was having an online session with 1-A -"

Yagi started coughing frantically in the background and didn't type for quite awhile.

<b>Eraserhead</b>: <i>I told you something like this was bound to happen if you two weren't careful.</i>

<b>Ectoplasm</b>: <i>They're... together?</i>

"We've been seeing each other for almost a year. She moved in last weekend."

<b>Ectoplasm</b>: <i>Aizawa? You knew?</i>

<b>Eraserhead</b>: <i>We live in the same building. Of course I knew.</i>

<b>Hound Dog</b>: <i>About time you came out about it.</i>

<b>Thirteen</b>: <i>Yeah, congratulations! But I understand the reasoning behind keeping things like this private, too.</i>

<b>All Might</b>: <i>Congratulations, Mic!</i>

<b>Aizawa</b>: <i>Why are we congratulating him again?</i>

<b>Ectoplasm</b>: <i>Because they're happy?.</i>

"Yeah." Hizashi rubbed the back of his neck with a wry grin. "And it was gonna happen sooner or later, right?"

<b>Snipe</b>: <i>You walkin' out in your drawers in front of the students?</i>

"I didn't mean <i>that</i>!" 

<b>Aizawa</b>: <i>Obviously.</i>

"I meant the, uh, that we're together."

There was an awkward pause, then something happened to make it far worse.

"Zashi, honey," a sweet voice called out from the hall. 

<b>Aizawa</b>: <i>!!!</i>

"I thought we could use some downtime after what happened, relax a little..." Elly trailed off, her ears flicking when she noticed the hasty setup on the table.

Hizashi glanced up and froze, his ears immediately flushing red as he took in the sight before him.

His girlfriend was wearing one of his leather jackets - probably the older one they had one set aside for this purpose -- and not much else. Elly had carefully dressed in a matching leather bikini set that complimented his look.

<b>All Might</b>: <i>Holy</i> shit, <i>Yamada!</i>

(<b>All Might has left the chat</b>)

<b>Eraserhead</b>: <i>...</i>

<b>Hound Dog</b>: <i>...</i>

(<b>Hound Dog has left the chat</b>)

(<b>Ectoplasm has left the chat</b>)

<b>Thirteen</b>: <i>You still there, Aizawa?</i>

<b>Eraserhead</b>: <i>Yes.</i>

<b>Thirteen</b>: <i>We probably should, ah, log out too.</i>

<b>Eraserhead</b>: <i>Yes.</i>

<b>Thirteen</b>: <i>AIZAWA.</i>

Aizawa sniffed once, then shook his head, breaking the trance he was in. 

<b>Eraserhead</b>: <i>Yes!</i>

Hizashi reached up with a trembling hand and snapped the laptop closed.

"Okay, we're even," he groaned. 

"You could have told me you were on call, you know," she remarked sourly. 

"I dunno. I think you made Aizawa's year."

Elly wrinkled her nose and sat on his lap, snuggling close while he curled his arms around her. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Um... yeah, nah. Guess not. I got somethin' that might, though."

"<i>I</i> was trying to do that for you!"

"Best two out of three?"

Working from Home

 Elly yawned as she opened up her laptop. She rubbed sleepily at her furry ears, blinking as she tapped some commands in and set up her camera.

It was time to check in with the teenagers at U.A and see how they were coping with staying indoors during a villian-induced pandemic. No one could leave their living areas and she'd been busy seeing as it had begun stressing people out.

The teenagers logged in one after another, chatting while they did and waving at her onscreen. She stifled another yawn before giving in to the need for caffeine. 

"Okay, guys, I'm a little sleepy so hang on while I get a cup of coffee."

<b>Midoriya</b>: <i>Of course, Ms. Cheshire.</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>Kiss ass.</i>

<b>Mina</b>, <b>Ochaco</b>: <i>Bakugo!</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>Deal with it.</i>

<b>Iida</b>: <i>You shouldn't speak to the school counselor like that. Not only is it unbecoming of a hero, she -</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>WHO THE HELL IS THAT</i>

A tall, blond man with his hair tied up in a messy bun and red glasses strolled casually out of the hallway scratching his chest. As he came closer the class noticed he was almost completely naked.

<b>Mina</b>: <i>Oh my GOD!</i>

<b>Midoriya</b>: <i>Is - is that Present Mic?!</i>

<b>Jirou</b>: <i>Oh no</i> 

<b>Jirou</b>: <i>Oh no no no no NO</i> 

<b>Ochaco</b>: <i>We saw him during that hostage exercise, remember? That's him.</i>

<b>Midoriya</b>: <i>We didn't see</i> that <i>much of him.</i>

<b>Jirou</b>: <i>...</i> 

<b>Jirou</b>: <i>Nope</i> 

(<b>Jirou has left the session</b>)

Hizashi yawned, stretching his arms over his head and blinking sleepily. He turned and, rather unfortunately for him, faced the camera head on.

He was wearing a leopard print thong slung low on his hips and nothing else. 

<b>Iida</b>: <i>EVERYONE LOOK AWAY!</i>

<b>Kirishima</b>: <i>It's not like we can unsee it, bro.</i> 

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>I wish.</i> 

<b>Tsuyu</b>: <i>I guess it's true what they say about tall guys.</i>

<b>Mineta</b>: <i>Is not! Short guys have just as much...</i>

<b>Mineta</b>: <i>...</i>

<b>Mineta</b>: <i>...wait</i>

<b>Mineta</b>: <i>Is he even human?!</i>

<b>Iida</b>: <i>No one should be commenting on our teacher's physical appearance! That is highly inapropriate!</i>

<b>Mineta</b>: <i>THAT'S highly inapropriate!!!</i>

<b>Mina</b>: <i>You owe me, Kiri!!!</i>

<b>Kirishima</b>: <i>You're crazy good at spotting people hooking up. But I gotta ask - how has he not noticed us yet?</i>

<b>Sero</b>: <i>I don't</i> think <i>he's awake yet..?</i>

<b>Mina</b>: <i>How has he not noticed?!</i>

<b>Midoriya</b>: <i>I - I can't do this I can't -</i>

Hizashi turned again and grinned slyly, obviously spotting Elly in the kitchen.

"Hey, babygirl," he crooned in a voice thick with innuendo. "I'm gettin' cold back there by myself. Why'd ya <i>leeeeeave</i>?"

<b>Mina</b>: <i>Awwww ♡♡♡</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>Ewwww</i>

"Zashi!" Elly rushed into the room, coffee cup sloshing brown liquid everywhere and panic clearly written all over her blushing features. "The session with 1-A!"

He blinked and finally noticed the coffee table where her laptop was sitting open. He looked slowly down at himself. Once his mind finally caught up with what she'd said his golden eyes grew giant and he threw himself noisily to the floor.

<b>Bakugou</b>: <i>Gross. Didn't need to know our teachers were fucking.</i>

<b>Mineta</b>: <i>How long ago do you think they were -</i>

<b>Mina</b>: <i>You'd better be talking about them dating and NOTHING else.</i>

<b>Iida</b>: <i>Yes... well, excuse me for being so forward, but are you two a formal couple?</i>

<b>Bakugo</b>: <i>Again, gross. Didn't need to think about our teachers having random hookups, either.</i>

Elly sighed as she sat down, setting her half-empty mug beside the laptop. "We're in a serious relationship."

"We'll announce it properly now." Hizashi's voice floated up from where he was hiding.

"We kept it mostly under wraps since Mic is a celebrity hero," she explained. "There's less fuss this way."

"I just wanted to <i>cuddle</i>," he whined unhappily, his face popping up to peer at her computer screen. "Not that lettin' everyone know is a bad thing! But <i>this</i> freakin' sucks."

Everyone agreed.

Elly rubbed the side of her face with one hand. "Look, we all know what happened. We'll try much harder on our part to make sure it doesn't, ever again. Does anyone have any other questions or concerns?"

Hizashi's eyes narrowed when Mineta started typing. "Anyone <i>else</i>?"

<b>Mineta</b>: <i>Aw, c'mon!</i>

Beyond the sea 10

 Elly had no idea that something was watching her while she had gotten ready for her date that day. A dark, ominous shadow hovered in the deep as she readied herself, getting larger as it grew closer... but at the last moment before it revealed itself it darted behind the reef.

Once she was gone the shadow emerged, whipping several tentacles out to grab the coral and climb into her nest. It was Aizawa, and he looked more tired than ever. His eyes were fully bloodshot and he carried a woven kelp bag similar to the one she owned. He silently reached into hers and removed the few supplies that were almost empty. As he did so several tentacles brought newer ones around to replace them. 

His little companion flashed around him in excitement, carrying bits and baubles of pretty colors and shining stones that he pocketed in another bag he carried with him. When the unicorn fish nudged Elly's nest, however, eyes pleading, he shook his head.

"She'll guess it was us." An incredulous look met his flat statement and he shrugged. "The replacements aren't full, little one. I've carefully measured it all to be more, but not new. Trust me," he added, patting her fondly as she blew out an exasperated string of bubbles. "It's for the best. Why don't you take one - <i>one, mind you</i> -- of your treasures and place it on the sand below? She's sure to find it."

As she wiggled away happily to put a pebble down he noticed her bedding was flat. It was difficult to learn how to weave the surroundings plants and she was just learning. It wasn't a bad effort, but it could be far more comfortable if it were padded differently. He plucked more strands of sea grass and added a layer, his weathered features bleak. When he was satisfied her small area was the best it could be without drawing too much attention he motioned to his companion that it was time to go. Unfortunately as they were starting their descent a sudden sound alerted Aizawa. He snapped his head down, his hair a mass of floating dark like the foliage around them while his body flickered into a riot of colors to match the reef. 

Another mer swam by, snapping her tail as she whipped past. This one had green hair and a bright orange body with white markings - a clown fish. 

"<i>Aizawa</i>! I'm gonna find you, you know! You can't just disappear on me like that!"

He grit his teeth and stayed hidden, praying she didn't notice Elly's poorly hidden nest. He made a mental note to remind her she needed to make sure everything appeared as natural as possible while he waited. After a long time the unicorn fish scouted ahead for him and he nodded, relieved, when she indicated it was all clear. She touched his arm in worry, her little face somehow expressing concern.

"I know," he sighed as they drifted back to their home. "I can't leave like the last few times, though. Not now. If we have to we'll move where we sleep. Maybe that will be enough."

When Elly got back several hours later she was exhausted with hope strongly coursing through her with every beat of her heart. She was in love, and, more importantly, he appeared to be accepting the life-altering change she'd made to her body. Sighing, she reached out to grab some items from her hidden bag and surfaced for a moment to use them.

The toothpaste she used first splorted freely out and she blinked, startled. 

<i>I guess I had more of this than I thought</i>. She put the tube away after brushing, submerged, and patted her bedding. No matter; tommorow was going to be a great day! She would be swimming with Hizashi and could show him so many gorgeous parts of the reef and its creatures. The thrill of being in the water with him was no joke, either. Her heart pounded harder in her chest as she imagined hugging him, being held close for the first time without any barrier between them. 

It was a long time before she slept, but she drifted off eventually.

Beyond the sea 9

 Depressed, Elly slept all day until it was around the time she usually met Hizashi at the beach. In fact, she would have overslept if her stomach didn't start to ache. Trapped in the water without the means of cooking food or going to the grocery store, she had to learn to eat food raw. She liked sushi, but was having trouble adapting to the fact that she had to catch and eat it immediately. Thus the hunger pangs that woke her as she lay curled up in her tiny, carved out reef section.

She shook herself awake and cleaned up, using her fingers to comb out her hair and what few health supplies she'd brought with her. The supply was dwindling and she fussed about that for a few minutes, gathering everything to stare forlornly at the small pile. Eventually she realized she couldn't think about that right now; she had to make her way to the beach. As she sped off through the water her mind was filled with thoughts of Hizashi.

It didn't take long to get to their usual meeting place. She was pleased to see he'd had a small area dug out and shored off on one section to act as a man-made tidal pool. This was admittedly bigger and could fit her standing on her tail as well as resting laying down.

"Did you have this done this morning?" Elly touched the side of the rocky wall. It was very sturdy and not yet covered in algae.

Hizashi's smile was huge. "D'ya like it? I want to maybe get the guys to extend a tunnel out towards the house. The bottom floors have a huge pool, and I could drain it and set it up with saltwater an' stuff!"

Her jaw dropped. "Really? You'd go through all that trouble for me?!"

"Trouble?" He scrunched his nose up, wiggling his mustache at her. "This isn't trouble at all. In fact I kinda thought you wouldn't like it... it's, uh, not really done yet. I want it to look as natural as possible -"

"It's <i>wonderful</i>, Hizashi."

He blushed and sat down in a chair beside her. "I'm glad, then. I wanted to make it easier for you to visit."

"I'd visit you even if I had to drag myself onto the beach dry, but thank you. Really." She held his hand and his blush grew darker.

Their visit that day was as simple as their others. They talked and shared a meal together until it grew dark.

"By the way, I'm off on the weekend," Hizashi told her shyly, digging a finger in the sand and pushing it around. "D'ya wanna, I dunno, do something different? We could swim together."

Elly smiled at him. "I'd like that," she said, forgetting for the moment the magic that bound her. A couple seconds later when she remembered her eyes grew wide and she panicked, not knowing how to stop him without giving herself away. "I - but is it safe? I know you swim a lot, but -"

"Oh? You know I swim a lot?" Hizashi's smile grew. "How long've you been watching me?" His tone dropped rich and low, and it caused a shiver to run up her spine.

"Um..!"

Hizashi chuckled, stroking a thumb over the top of her hand. "Just joking. I swim great! Plus if you're there I shouldn't worry, right?"

"Oh, yeah." She brightened at once. "I'll <i>never</i> let anything happen to you."

"Aww." He squeezed her hand gently. "Thanks, baby." He paused. "Can you get here like, around lunchtime then? There's less chance of random people trying to sneak onto the beach 'cause they're eating or just ate. We should be okay, but just to be safe."

"I can do that," she agreed.

"I guess you gotta go." Hizashi sighed deeply. "I <i>hate</i> this part. I feel like an idiot missin' you when we're going to see each other so soon."

"Me, too. How about a kiss good night?"

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and got up off the chair to sit next to the pool. Elly, in turn, hoisted herself partially out of the water onto a ledge apparently built for this purpose. "I thought you'd never ask."

Their kisses grew longer, lingering until he hummed softly in such unbridled pleasure that she forgot herself. Her fingers wove through the ponytail he fixed his hair in, finding the tie and unfastening it. He pulled back, a knowing smirk on his lips to go along with the mischevious glint in his eyes. As she watched he casually shook the golden tresses down so they fell over his shoulders and back, framing the dear, sweet face she'd fallen so hard for.

Elly's defenses fell as he reached for her. She shivered as his warm palms caressed her back, expecting a play for her breasts, but his fingers moved lower out of curiousity.

He kissed her again. At this rate he never wanted to stop, his mind clouded with desire but lucid just enough as his hands began to wander. All he could focus on was the kisses ...and the shiny tail close to his fingertips. Hizashi's hands slipped smoothly over the scales, gripping gently.

<i>This really is real</i>, he thought even as his arousal grew. <i>There's no extra layer here, no seam. This is skin</i>.

"H - Hizashi..."

"So beautiful." His fingers stroked, coming around towards the front of the massive fish tail. There was one spot where the scales didn't line up exactly, but his gentle fingers getting too close caused her to stiffen and jerk backwards.

"We should stop," she gasped.

Hizashi swallowed his disappointment, forcing himself to roll away. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"I don't know, um. I don't really understand my body yet."

"Ya don't hafta justify your decision, babe." He paused in thought, frowning for a minute. "Wait, you don't know? It's <i>your</i> body."

Elly took a deep breath. "I wasn't born like this, Zashi. It's not natural." Her heavy tail beat in the shallow pool once in agitation, sending a spray of salt water over them. "S - sorry. I'm nervous."

"Not natural? What?"

"I did this to myself." She dug her hands in the sand and blurted out, "it's magic."

Once upon a time the music professor would have laughed this off as a joke, but he was far less dubious now that his girlfriend was half fish. Still, he frowned harder. "Magic?"

"Well... yeah."

Hizashi sighed, leaning back on his elbows to stare up at the starry sky. As she waited nervously for his reply he absently sought out familiar star clusters and constellations that had been with him since he was small. "Magic," he repeated.

"I know it's a lot -"

"You're living proof, yeah?" He looked over at where she lay, his gaze lingering on her shining tail. He'd <i>touched</i> her there, and he knew what fish felt like. It was identical; a living, blood-coursing part of her. "I accepted that already. Shouldn't be a lot more to believe in magic."

"But it is?"

"Eeeehhh..." Hizashi rocked a hand back and forth. "I love music, yo. All kinds! Have since I was a kid, an' I remember listening to stuff like <i>In the Hall of the Mountain King</i>. Like, really seeing the troll king in my head." He grinned at her. "I had nightmares for a week."

She giggled a little. "I know what you mean. There was some classical piece this kid's show paired with a mummy skit and it scared the shit out of me! The music still kind of does, too."

He nodded. "But like, what I'm gettin' at is that it's kept me open-minded, I guess..? I dunno."

"I'm glad. But still nervous."

"Don't be." He took her hands in his, looking earnestly into her eyes. "You can tell me whatever you want. We can go slower, whatever. All I really want is to be with you."

Elly smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks, Zashi."

"Still on for that swim, right?"

She waved at him from the dark sea. "I can't wait!"

It wasn't until he was rinsing off in his shower before bed that he realized he had more questions.

"Wait, she said she did this to <i>herself</i>, didn't she?"

Sls final

 "Wait, so what you're telling me is, <i>you</i> made that hurricane on your wedding and yet you blamed your brother?!"

Pepa looked uncomfortable, and a fogbank obscured her face as she answered. "Yessss... I took his joke too seriously."

"You're both okay now, right?" 

There were a few conversations like that during their meal as Elly was told by various family members the stories of what happened after Bruno left and then came back. Most were a little awkward, at best, and her man tossed some salt backwards at the table at the end of breakfast for good luck. He wasn't quite sure everything was going to go as smoothly as they wished, and they could use all the extra luck they could get.

They retired to his tower to discuss plans, and she was silent the entire trip up. 

"Is everything all right, love?"

"Yes!" She hugged him before flinging herself onto a comfortable chair. A rat scurried onto the back with a brush in its paws, wriggling its whiskers and staring at her hair with longing.

Bruno raised an eyebrow at it. "<i>Not now</i>," he mouthed silently, shooing it away with a panicked look. The furry creature pouted but ran off.

"Everything's better now than it's been for years," Elly continued with a smile. 

He stared at her for a moment, coughed, and sat on the bed beside her. "I don't think my mother -"

"She doesn't approve of me for some reason. I know. She didn't when we were kids, and she doesn't now."

He shrugged. "I don't care. The present is more important than the past."

"And the future?" She paused, hesitating and unsure. "Bruno, <i>our</i> future?"

He sighed, rubbing his arms and withdrawing into himself. "Please don't ask about such things."

Elly apologized at once. "I'm sorry, I just - you know I'm scared. If I lost you again I don't know what I'd do."

He stared at the floor for several long minutes before sighing. "If you want, I'll share one with you, but! It might not be what you expect, and it may show you what you do not wish to know." 

"I - I don't want to cause you pain."

"The visions themselves don't hurt," he informed her, rubbing his temples. "It's what I See, when and how much, along with the stress of trying to decipher it all. And, and, well... it's worse when it's unexpected or I wake up with the remnants of one like this morning."

"People interpret your visions badly, right?"

He nodded. "<i>Si</i>."

"But there's different sides and ways of seeing things... like Mirabel realized. Right? I'll chance it. I want to share this at least once, since it's a big part of you." She took his hands in hers and held them to her lips. 

He watched her silently for a few long seconds and then sighed dramatically loud. "All right." 

"Thank you."

"But we have to go outside here. The room before this has the area I do this in."

"The one with the candles." He nodded and helped her up with a hand gone suddenly cold. Elly frowned in concern but as soon as she was up he was out, preparing the sandy floor beyond.

The room was circular, as it was the top of the tower, and flanked with sconces that held candles. Green glass depictions of his previous sessions were set into the wall in intervals, peppered liberally throughout with the trials of human life. They weren't all depressing, she noticed - the few she could see showed happy marriages and similar scenes. She watched as he readied his viewing space.

"Okay." At last Bruno sat inside the circle and crossed his legs, taking a deep breath as he lit the leaves around them. "I - I need to do this, to help me..."

Elly curled her tail neatly around herself and sat across from him. "You don't have to explain if you don't want to. It's stressful enough and I appreciate your efforts."

He nodded gratefully and closed his eyes. When he opened them a moment later the green was lit from within, though curiously blank as he looked at what she couldn't see right away. The fire between them roared up and sand spiraled into a cone around the couple, whirling rapidly. She laid her ears back but sat quietly watching the sand as it began to coalesce into images. The dark-haired man suddenly stood, his poncho whipping about himself and his hands balled into fists.

It was two older people; both, however, easily identified. His older self lay on a bed and a a grandmotherly Elly sat beside him, holding his hand. She kissed it, then laid it on his chest before setting her forehead on his motionless arm to weep.

"Oh," Elly whispered as the scene unfolded, sobbing. "Oh my god."

His knees gave way and he crumpled to the ground, still-glowing eyes pouring tears down ravaged cheeks. He instinctively caught the glass piece the vision produced from the sand and held it up, tilting it this way and that. "Now you know," he husked. The fire in his eyes went out all at once.

"Why are you sad?" Elly grasped his face in her hands and covered him in kisses, still crying a little. "Everyone is going to die someday, but your vision shows we'll be together right until the very end. It's bittersweet, yeah, but look how much we're in love."

"There was death but <i>you saw love</i>?" His large eyes focused on her, wet with tears and filled with wonder. "You - you really still want to be with me?" 

"There are no bad visions," she insisted. "It's life. There's no way to escape it. You don't make these things happen, Bruno. I won't leave. I love you."

"I showed you <i>death</i> -" his voice broke and he took hold of her by the shoulders, tilting his head as his eyes still poured tears. "Or something close to it, my <i>gata</i>, my precious one... and you? You still..?"

She looked deeply into his eyes and nodded. "There is no life for me unless I can be with you until the end."

"I - I can't..!" He sniffed loudly, then grasped her around the waist with a determined grunt. "The - the <i>official</i> marriage can wait. I can't anymore." He lifted her in his arms and purposefully carried her into the living quarters.

He laid her on the bed - <i>our bed,</i> she mused dreamily as she held her arms out towards him. <i>This is our bed now</i> -- and joined her, kneeling above. 

Clothing was shed as they kissed and caressed, writhing on the sheets and tangling them in places until he muttered and tossed them aside. He turned back as they fluttered to the floor and their eyes met and held.

"I've never done this before."

"Me, either." She held out her arms. "But I think we can figure it out, no?"

Bruno smiled then, a genuinely happy smile. "I think you're right. Here, maybe if..."

They shifted and moved together slowly until their bodies became one.

"<i>My god</i>," he gasped, shuddering. "You're so <i>hot</i> inside, <i>mi alma</i> - my soul -- I never thought..!" He fell over her, his forehead pressed to hers and his eyes dark with passion. His hair tented over them, giving them more intimacy as they came together in a devastating kiss.

"You feel so good," she moaned. "Please don't stop. Keep loving me."

He arched his back, sweat dripping from his brow and beading on his skin everywhere else. "I'll try my best," he wheezed, "but <i>this</i>, this is different. It's so much <i>more</i>."

She raised her legs along his sides and kissed him seriously. "Don't worry, give me what you can and I'll do the same."

"Oh god." He moved slowly for fear of losing control, his hips bucking now and then as a shudder of pleasure wracked his body. As predicted, however, the pleasure was simply too much; he couldn't hold back and lost himself in an explosive release of pleasure.

He needn't have worried, however.

His love was with him in body and in soul, as she would always be.

7/7/2022

 Hizashi took a long, deep breath and held it for three full seconds before letting it out. He arched his back, stretching, making the flow and pull of muscles smooth as possible and tossing his long ponytail over one shoulder.

All with his eyes closed.

His body was hot, naked and covered in a light sheen of sweat from previous exertions. He wasn't tired but there was that warm glow that comes from testing your limits just enough.

Making love to his girlfriend was one of his favorite pastimes. Unfortunately, due to a large amount of work he had recently they hadn't been able to be physical for a long time. This was his gift not only to himself but to her, as well - a long, leisurely weekend in a nice hotel. No one knew who they were and only important people knew <i>where</i> they were so they wouldn't be disturbed unless it was an all-out emergency.

They'd tumbled into bed as soon as they arrived, and this was the result. Hizashi was eager but seriously determined to take his time.

"Hey," Elly called softly, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Hey, you okay sweetie? You got real quiet all of a sudden."

His eyelids fluttered open, pupils blown wide with the concentric circles around them thick with passion. "Yeah. Just thinkin' how good you feel... hold me, babygirl," he panted hoarsely. "It's all <i>kinds</i> of awesome when you grab me tight."

"Harder than this?" Elly squeezed, then dug her nails lightly into his upper back.

He reacted as if electrified, jolting as far upright as he could in his position. "Shhhhhhit, yeah!"

"I don't want to hurt you."

"S'okay, mmhmm. It's better'n okay. Every little scratch from my kitty goes right to my dick."

"Hi<i>zashi</i>."

"Ain't gonna lie," he grinned slyly as he resumed thrusting. "So. I makin' ya feel good too, babe?"

"Yes." Her breathing picked up, chest heaving as he dropped his head to her neck and bit gently. "Zashi, <i>yes</i>..!"

"I wanna <i>hear</i> it," he sang out softly. "Tell me, sweet thing. Consider it part of my gift." He paused, groaned and kissed the blushing mark he'd just made. "You know I love it when you get loud."

"I know."

"Here, lover -" She snorted, amused, and he winked at her before gesturing. "Sit up a little, yeah? I'm gonna kneel."

"H - how are you going to..?"

Hizashi grinned at her and maneuvered her legs into the position he wanted. "All right?"

"Uh huh, but -"

"Hang on!"

"Oh my god."

"Yeah?"

"Oh my <i>god</i>!"

"<i>Yeah, baby</i>!" He doubled his efforts and was rewarded by a steady stream of 'love you' and various stutterings of his name. He shuddered all over when she grew louder, losing her inhibition as she neared orgasm. Though his own pleasure was nearly crushing him with its weight he carefully gauged her closeness and nipped her ear her right as she flew over the edge.

"<i>Oh Zashi! You're amazing</i>!"

He choked, faltering for a moment as he processed her scream, then let one out himself as the pressure in his loins exploded in an intense release. It was almost too much to be pleasurable ...almost.

They lay breathing heavily for a few long minutes before she gasped out, "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, baby." Hizashi pulled her in for a quick hug. "Gotta pee though, right?"

"Yeah..." She grimaced. "I think I'm gonna make a mess anyway. You kind of came a <i>lot</i>."

He chuckled sheepishly. "Uh huh. Next time, let's not wait 'til we're ready to pop, huh?"

"Absolutely."

Beyond the sea 8

 Hizashi couldn't sleep.

It was early, after all, he would normally have been in bed hours ago. But he had spent a wonderful night talking with Elly all the way into the morning. It had been so long since he felt such a connection to anyone that he not only desired them, but wanted to learn about their past, future and their dreams.

Wait -

He couldn't remember <i>ever</i> being this eager to know what someone else's dreams were.

<i>And that kiss</i>!

He tossed and turned for a half an hour until he felt trapped, not able to move his legs seperately. Hizashi jerked upright, panicked.

"Shiiiiit." The sheets were ripped out from where they'd been carefully tucked in on his large bed and tossing and turning enough had bound his legs up. After carefully untangling himself, he rolled out and cracked open the curtains nearby to let enough light in to see. "Ugh." Groaning, he flicked a few random strands of hair back where they'd fallen out of the loose top knot piled at the crown of his head. Stumbling around, he shoved handfuls of golden silk under his mattress until he was satisfied it wouldn't slide free again so easily. Of course all that exhertion caused more long, blond hair to fall out and tickle his cheeks.

"S'everything fucking coming apart?" He fumbled the drapes closed, plunging the room into darkness once more. After settling under the covers he took down his hair and redid it all, securing the mass of blond back on top with the black silk scrunchie that held it. "Nmmm. Sleep."

Hizashi flopped onto his pillow and closed his eyes, already replaying the kiss over in his mind. His lips curved into a sensual smile as he slipped into sleep at last.

Elly was also having problems sleeping, but she had some very different reasons.

Her mind raced, refusing to let her tired body rest. The foremost thought was that she needed to make sure Hizashi was protected in the water. She was okay with never walking again if it meant he was safe.

If she were honest with herself, this probably killed her chances with him. Elly bit her lip, staving off tears as she remembered the awesome connection they had, and the power of that kiss!

How could she have been so stupid?

She'd imagined her new body would enchant him and then she would get her legs back. She liked being a mermaid - it was exhilirating in certain ways -- but this wasn't how she wanted to live <i>forever</i>. Topside, the lease where she'd been renting had run out and that was fine, but her worldly possesions were in a storage locker. She couldn't work while she was like this so she was using her savings to pay for that. It wouldn't last forever.

She groaned. <i>Not that I have any place to keep them! Nothing is waterproof!</i>

Also, though she loved the ocean, it was pretty frightening being underwater all the time. There were four dimensions danger could strike from and you had to be alert all the time.

Thankfully she'd found a cave like Aizawa's awhile back, and while smaller, she fit if she curled herself up tightly. A fresh-picked bed of kelp made everything a little more comfortable, but while she eventually closed her eyes, sleep didn't come for hours.

Beyond the sea 7

 They stared at each other for a moment until he spoke again.

"Didn't need the tail, did you." It wasn't a question, but she shrugged and nodded anyway.

"Yeah... it's amazing. He likes me!"

"Congratulations," he muttered dryly.

Elly completely missed his sarcasm and nodded, clasping her hands between her breasts. "I just need to know how to change back and everything will be awesome!"

"Let's see what your conditions are, then." Aizawa took a few scallop shells out of a chest on the sea floor and tossed them towards her. They slowly sank, some ending with the curved inside visible. These had markings on them that glowed red like his single eye for a moment.

He spoke without looking at her, his tone as enigmatic as his hidden face. "You'll change back if he drowns."

"Wh - what? I get legs again if he <i>dies</i>?!" The words sounded as hollow as her heart suddenly felt.

"It specifically says <i>drowns</i>."

"<i>NO</i>!"

"I can't change the conditions, nor did I make them. This isn't like a stupid fairy tale, you know. It's out to get you."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Elly reached out to touch his arm but he flinched backwards, his lower half flashing orange with surprise for a second. "Please?"

"No." The merman scowled darkly at her and crossed his arms. "You knew what you were getting into. Besides, if I could reverse this I'd have changed <i>myself</i> back a long time ago."

"What's your condition?"

He frowned. "I have to have... relations with a certain someone." A bitter sweep of his hand encompassing his rather frightening lower body spoke more than any words could say. "I chose not to burden her with my presence at all."

"So you're going to be like this forever."

"I'm certain of it."

"Why wouldn't you try? It's not like she has to <i>die</i> or anything." Elly angrily snapped her tail, stirring up the shells on the sea floor. She balled her hands into fists as she struggled to calm herself.

"It's more complicated than that now," he murmured.

She spun around so fast she created a line of bubbles that floated up towards the surface. "What was that?"

"I'll lose her for certain if I try," he said quickly, looking away and rubbing at the back of his neck. "You know, maybe this is a curse to pay us back for our impertinence."

"Impertinence?! Is love rude, or wrong?!"

Aizawa sighed deeply. "We were, in essence, looking for a way to enhance ourselves. Isn't that tricking them?" He gathered the shells in one pass of his tentacles, bringing them up to the box he opened with his hands. "I thought that as - as something that may have been her fantasy I'd have a chance."

"Don't you still have one? Damn it, Aizawa, Hizashi has to <i>die</i> but you only need to sleep with someone!"

"Oh? Would you like to be touched by these?" A rubbery row of suckers extended towards her but Elly stood her ground.

"Octopuses aren't bad," she said stubbornly. "And you're still a merman. It counts as a fantasy guy even if you don't have a fish tail."

"Does it?"

"Why not?!"

"Hnf." His lower half undulated in tandem as he thought. "Then would <i>you</i> care to see what I have to offer in regards to sex? It frightened <i>me</i> the first time I saw myself."

The outstretched tentacle curled towards her cheek as if to caress and this time she jerked back, her eyes wide. The dark-haired merman covered his face with a shaky hand, turning so she couldn't see his expression. His shoulders drooped in defeat. The unicorn fish darted around his head, sticking her face in the long hair floating around him until he straightened a little.

"It's useless," he muttered. "I knew it a long time ago."

"If you knew..." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You should've stopped me!"

He drew himself up, his hair rising in the current he created as if alive and his eyes burning bright. He even bared his teeth at her, the longer canines displayed in a sudden fit of rage. His companion fish swam off, startled, to hide behind a clump of coral.

"You pestered me for a month straight after you read about that stupid local legend! I begged you, if I remember correctly -" He faltered, his inner voice breaking, "and I do <i>not</i> grovel easily. But you didn't care. All you wanted was <i>him</i> any way you could get him." He deflated, sinking to the sandy floor as his fury wore off.

Elly screamed with rage and sadness and swam quickly away, causing small schools of fish nearby to scatter in fright.

He was right, but she was still furious. It was so much easier for her to feel anger at him than herself, even when she was fully responsible for her own decisions.

It was even worse because he was right; she would <i>never</i> hurt Hizashi. She was going to be stuck like this with only the octopus merman as a potential partner, and they both loved someone else.

Aizawa watched her go, his tentacles blushing a deep, distressed red and writhing restlessly. He slipped slowly backwards into the dark recesses of the cave without another word.

Beyond the sea 6

 He was so <i>wonderful</i>.

Hizashi Yamada was much kinder, and more handsome, and interesting than she thought possible for a human to be. His kiss, though pure of intent, a simple fleeting touch, had sent shivers up her spine. That fabled sense of electricity when touched by the right partner was actually real!

Elly spun around in a circle, high on emotion and playfully passing her hand through the little scattered schools of fish throughout the reef. She exclaimed in surprise when a tiny octopus came out of a crevasse with a shell in her tight grip and helped her find a few others.

That done, her mood sobered quickly. She knew where she needed to go next so she gathered her courage and angled down into the safer, deeper depths. She didn't need to go too far, and technically this level was still the sunlight zone because it was light, rife with with sea plants and creatures. But only a few meters farther the depths lurked, a rich, dark blue that quickly bottomed out to black. She shivered and rubbed her arms as if to ward off a sudden chill.

The reef was larger around here, and she swam nervously forward until she saw the hidden entrance she was searching for. If you had an eye for sea life, you might notice that it was an octopus's garden. The small opening was decorated with shells and debris that shone prettily when rays of light from above struck them, although she knew the real reason was to reinforce their homes.

The tiny hole in the reef was dark. She knew who lived here but it didn't lessen her anxiety.

As she hesitated, a bleak voice called out.

"Back so soon?" A long pause, then a world-weary sigh. "You'd better come in, then."

Being under water, mers couldn't physically communicate except with sounds like clicks and whistles. They spoke mostly by some form of telepathy that was supplemented by the other sounds. Her brain translated the voice in her head as "hearing" above ground speech, however.

Her gills stopped fluttering for a moment as she held her breath, then she furled her fins and pushed into the cave. "Aizawa?"

"Yes." A shining red light flashed in the deeper areas of the cave and then he was there, crawling up to greet her.

Elly shuddered. The merman was rippling with muscle, not only above but below as well. His lightly tanned body morphed into a great, black swarming mass of tentacles below his navel. She knew an octopus had only eight, but there was an illusion of so many more. These legs pulled him up to her level and he settled on the lighted portion of the sandy floor to speak with her. Not only was his octopus half a thing of nightmares but he was unlucky enough to have lost an eye at some point, and one elbow had a huge, sea star shaped scar covering it.

It was clear he thought he wasn't attractive and he didn't bother much with shaving, leaving dark stubble on his cheeks, lip and chin. His black hair was long as he only cut it if it got in his way, and it floated about his gloomy features looking very much like his tentacles. In contrast, a pretty, gleaming white unicornfish swam around him, dashing to hide behind his back from the visitor.

"It's okay," he murmured, and the fish butted his hand fondly.

"I - I need to ask how to end this."

"I know," he said simply. "There's no other reason you would come back to me."

Beyond the sea 5

 He used his hands to dig the pit she asked for, scooping the wet sand out until she said it was probably enough. She floated into it with the next wave, shaking her wet hair back and placing her hands in front of her.

Hizashi's mouth dropped open.

<i>If I'm going crazy I'm in good company</i>, he thought wildly.

Laying in a shallow pool of water beside him was what appeared to be the ultimate creature of fantasy for water-loving men like himself.

She looked just like a mermaid. Her top was pale and human, breasts covered by a snug purple bikini. Below her waist, however, she was something out of a dream.

Her tail started out a beautiful shade of aqua and blended into the deep, rich purple of her eyes and hair. The gossamer fins rippling along the sides were a vibrant, lime green and he swore it appeared they were glowing.

Hizashi's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He absently took his glasses off, cleaned them on his shirt and placed them back on and... yep. Still a mermaid.

The tail was far too intricate to be anything but real or such an expensive prosthetic and makeup effect he couldn't imagine someone paying that amount to trick anyone. Yet his mind refused to believe what he was seeing and he faltered, stammering awkwardly.

"I - is that, uh, wow, dope colors. Kinda like glow sticks. Did you, um, is that ...shit." He rubbed his cheek roughly with one hand. "Where did you get that?"

Elly grimaced weakly. "I was expecting that question, but there's no way to say this without sounding like a lunatic." She ran a hand along the shining scales. "This is real. All of it. I've got gill flaps along my neck and more scales on my shoulders, plus my hands." She held one up and spread the fingers.

"Can I..?"

"Yeah, but please don't try and hurt me?"

"I wouldn't do that," he said fervently. "Look, I promise I won't try to prove anything, if that's what yer scared of." She nodded thankfully but did start to tremble when their fingers touched.

Hizashi reached out and clasped her hand gently in his. It was slightly cold due to the wetness of the sea, but he felt her warmth coming through. Her hand was long-fingered, the nails rounded points of medium size - not claws, just a different way of filing than he'd seen. They were immaculately painted (<i>natural?</i>) in aqua like her tail top.

In between her fingers was where it got strange.

There was a fine but strong webbing, translucent with a beautiful sheen that matched her fins. He couldn't see how something so thin could be tough enough to last in the harsh swimming conditions she had gone through to get to him. Even the best prosthetics would tear off or the glue be eaten away in the salt of the sea.

Hizashi let go of her hand and sat on the sand, near the piles he'd dug out of the hole she lay in. "This can't be real," he groaned.

"I'm sorry," she whispered faintly. "I can go if you want..?"

"No!" The heartbreak in her voice brought him up sharply. He laid his hand on top of hers on the wet sand, frowning with concentration as he thought. "Please don't go. Look, I don't know what's goin' on, yeah? If this is some practical joke or fuck knows what else, even if you're really what you look like." His hazel eyes met hers and he smiled weakly. "I don't care. I just wanna get to know you."

Her smile came back and this time his breathing picked up with how fast his heart began to race.

<i>Shit, I'm done for</i>.

"Thanks, Zashi. I was afraid ...well, doesn't matter. Not now." Elly pointed shyly at the basket. "Do I smell crab? I love crab!"

"Oh. Yeah!" He ripped the stakes up off the blanket and dragged the basket over to set up in the new spot. "There," he said in satisfaction after placing the huge feast in front of them. He brushed off his wet pants to sit on the more comfortable folded-up cloth and offered her a plate.

The conversation turned to other things, first date questions and easy talk that flowed comfortably between them. Hours passed like minutes in discussions about their favorite topics because they shared quite a few passions, though not exactly the same tastes.

Hizashi glanced over at some point to see the fire dwindled down to embers, glowing faintly. The beach was faintly visible in the pre-dawn light, sea birds crying in the distance as they flew in.

"It's early," he murmured quietly. "How long were we sitting here?"

Elly stretched her tail, uncurling it to flop in the water. She'd moved with the tide all night to avoid drying out. "Ugh, too long. I'm stiff as hell."

He laughed, then winced as he tried to sit up. "Ouch. Yeah, I'm not a teen anymore. Layin' on my side on the sand for hours isn't as doable as it used to be."

She watched him with a little smile as he stood, exclaiming as his knees popped. "I know what you mean."

"Hmm. Well, uh." He coughed shyly, staring at his feet. His throat felt like it was closing up and his heart was pounding so hard he could barely breathe again.

<i>It's only the first date, idiot. Don't try anything stupid</i>!

But he wanted so <i>badly</i> to kiss her. Wasn't that a sign things had gone well? Or was it too fast? He'd never worried much, and it did feel right - a little one, maybe, or...

Elly caught his hand in hers, tugging to indicate she wanted him at her level. He bent, and she hesitantly touched his cheek with her fingertips.

"I like spending time with you," she told him seriously.

All of his anxiety slipped away and he brushed his lips on hers in a fleeting kiss that nonetheless left them both starry-eyed and breathless.

"Tommorow?"

"<i>Yes</i>."

Beyond the sea 4

 Hizashi made the mistake of sighing dreamily a few times during coffee break the next morning. His friend pounced almost immediately.

"You <i>did</i> meet someone!"

He blinked back to focus and waved his hands around to shush Nemuri, who was crowing loudly with delight. "Be quiet! Or everyone'll hear."

"You can't tell me you didn't see her. You're <i>blushing</i>."

He grimaced and placed his palms on his cheeks. "Maybe I'm just sweaty."

"Nah." Nemuri sat back and took a sip from her mug. "I told you, you can't fool me. Now spill - what's she like? Where did you meet, at the club? <i>Please</i> tell me it wasn't the club this time."

"It wasn't the club this time." He opened his laptop to start work again, using it as a shield to duck behind.

She didn't mind; she walked over by his side. "Then what's she like, huh? Besides having drop-dead gorgeous eyes you can't stop daydreaming about." She giggled wickedly. "Or have you moved on to other parts now?"

"<i>Nem</i>," he whined plaintively. "Quit it."

"You haven't shown interest in anybody in ages." She rolled her eyes. "I just want to know how she managed to get your attention. What's she like? C'mon."

"Look, I don't know that much about her yet, okay? I dunno. I'm nervous."


"Yeah, you should be. Your other choices weren't so hot." She nodded thoughtfully.

"Hey!"

"Just calling it like it is. You don't have that great a track record. You're <i>sure</i> you don't want some help?"

Hizashi eyed her warily over his computer screen. "Like what?"

"Oh! I could tail you guys on your date -"

"Nope."

"You didn't let me -"

"Nope."

"Hi<i>zashi -!</i>"

"N-o. Noooo. Nuh uh, no way, de nada, yer not followin' us around. Anyway, it's not a date. I just asked to see her again."

"Are you going to get to know each other?"

He shrugged, closed his laptop and stood up. "Yeah, of course."

"And ask to see her again?"

"Hopefully."

"Then it's a date!"

Another professor walking by the arts department stuck their head in his office door. "Hey, did I hear someone's got a date?"

"Toshi!"

"Oh dear fuck, no." The music teacher proceeded to bang his forehead on the wall nearest him.

Toshinori was the director of their department, a skeletal, tall man that had sunken eyes and dangling strips of blond hair swinging on the sides of his face. All in all an insanely nice guy, but if he knew, soon the entire campus would. He was a bit of a romantic and couldn't help himself whenever a colleague started dating.

"Are you going out for coffee first? Or dinner?"

"Uh." Hizashi scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Nnnneither..? I sorta just agreed to meeting her on the beach."

"Perhaps you could bring some food, then," the tall man suggested with a smile. "It wouldn't hurt now, would it?"

Hizashi thought that was a great idea.

He went out that evening and purchased a variety of meals from his favorite surf and turf restaurant along with a bottle of nice wine. This night he not only built a much neater fire with stones lining the pit, but staked down a blanket big enough for two.

And he waited.

It wasn't long before he saw a head bobbing in the water nearby.

He waved happily. "Hey!"

Elly swam closer, her eyes bright with a smile on her face that was pure happiness. Hizashi's heart beat rapidly at the thought that it was from seeing him.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"I was so nervous," he admitted with a laugh. "Thought you might decide not to show!"

"Aw," she said softly. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Uh. I dunno? You're really pretty, an' I haven't had much luck with, ummmm..." He hesitated to say <i>dates</i> since he wasn't sure if she saw this as one. So instead he gestured grandly at his setup. "I brought some food, if you haven't eaten yet. It's from a local place, all kinds of stuff. I didn't know what you liked so I think I may have bought too much."

Elly eyed the beach with longing. "I - I wish I could, but I can't get out of the water right now."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, turning in the act of pulling out the bottle of wine. "Can I ask why? Is it okay?"

"Yeah, it's..." She inhaled, letting air out in a long, shaky sigh. "If you scoop out an area like, maybe this big -" she showed him with her arms outstretched, "by the shore so it fills up I'll show you. That's as close as I can get."

Just what they needed

 A group of teachers were working quietly at their desks when U.A's counselor went down in a shockingly spectacular fashion, screaming a cat-like screech of fear. She collapsed in a heap of paperwork that scattered around her and striped fur.

"Holy shit!" Toshinori yelped. "Ms. Elly, what's wrong?"

"Ches?!"

"What do you need?"

"Mic," she whimpered.

"What, this guy? He's not what I'd call comforting," Aizawa snorted.

But Elly insisted. "<i>P - Present Mic</i>!"

Hizashi quickly unclasped his neck speaker and set it down on the joint desk nearby. He darted forward, scooting onto his knees at the last moment.

"M'here!" He pulled her into a comforting bundle, wrapping his arms around her and edging about so his back became a barrier between the others. Elly immediately shoved herself as tightly inside his leather jacket as she could, pressing her face into the white t-shirt he wore underneath.

"Mic."

"It's okay, babe," he hummed softly, stroking her back. "Mic's here, yeah? I'll help."

"The hell?" Snipe stared at the two in confusion from where he'd been getting coffee.

"What do you think happened? Is it a quirk?" Toshinori frowned.

"No idea," Aizawa muttered, squinting around the room. "There was no warning or any stimuli that could have caused a reaction like this."

The tall man nodded emphatically. "Yes. We were all here and we saw nothing at all."

"Maybe a delayed reaction..?"

"She was behaving normally until the collapse."

"Uh, guys?" Mic looked up from where he sat with her, his brow tightly drawn with worry. "She's got a - a freaky stinger thing on her neck." He paused, his face draining of color shockingly fast. "D'ya think there's a bug on her? Could it still be here?!" Though his body stiffened in fear he kept his arms around the weeping counselor.

Aizawa, meanwhile, was inspecting the foreign object. "No. Relax, Yamada." He reached out and with a surprisingly gentle touch plucked the barb out. "It's someone's quirk. You'd better take her to the specialty clinic - I know this one, and it's nasty. The rest of us had better tighten security."

Hizashi drove them to the clinic, panicking but forcing himself to remain outwardly calm for her. Once inside, he carried her in and at one glance by the staff the sobbing cat woman was taken into a quiet room in the back.

Standard tests were run and a nurse took the sandwich bag he brought that held the stinger inside for identification. Hizashi shuddered as he handed it over, grateful to be rid of it. He sat by Elly's side, holding her hand and soothing her as best as he could.

Eventually a doctor knocked politely on the door before entering. She was quite imposing, with a wide frame and large hands that were possibly part of her quirk. When she spoke her voice was soft, however. "Present Mic?"

"Yes!" He straightened in the chair and went to give her his hand, but realized it was taken already.

She chuckled. "No need. It seems like Cheshire - Ms. Sketchit -- dropped and started exhibiting signs of extreme fear while at work?"

He nodded anxiously. "Yeah, she - well, look at her."

Elly was whipping her head back and forth on the pillow, husking "no, no, no" over and over again.

"Yes. We examined the stinger you brought. It's from a lesser known villian who has been experimenting with range lately. He may have shot randomly, from outside the gates."

"Shit," he groaned.

The doctor ignored this and continued. "The victim reacts to the venom in such a way that they relive moments of agony from their past."

"Oh, no."

"It lasts only a few seconds, mind you - but she's suffering from the effects of going through that mental state again. She's suffered abuse during her childhood, plus hero work trauma. It will likely take quite awhile for her to come back down." She held out a small slip of paper, which Hizashi took with his free hand.

"What's this?"

"A relaxant. Not a sleeping pill, just something to calm her. Her chart shows she's frightened of medications - especially this type -- so you may have to persuade her to take it."

He wrinkled his nose in confusion, mustache points twitching. "Um, question, doc. I mean, I know this. She told me. But why are <i>you</i> tellin' me all this private stuff? I thought that was illegal unless I'm family."

The woman raised her eyebrows. "You're not her boyfriend? She has you listed -" she checked the files again. "Yep. You're listed as her contact and have been granted access to her information. She signed off on it a long time ago."

"Oh. Huh." Hizashi blushed, looking down at the woman on the cot with a puzzled expression. "Well, we're close, an' she's all alone in Japan. That could explain it."

"Ahh." The woman nodded wisely but said nothing more other than he'd better take her home.

The drive to Hizashi's agency, where he had a large suite of rooms above the work floor, took longer than he liked. He tried various methods of calming her during the ride and found that she was much better if he held her - which, of course, he couldn't do while driving. Still, he talked nonstop and even sang along with some songs on the radio, which helped distract her.

Once inside he carried her through, ignoring the startled looks from the office workers and temps on the bottom floor. He had one thought and that was to get her comfortable at any cost. Hizashi rode the elevator up to his floor and sighed in relief as he opened the front door to his place.

"Here we are, Ches. Home sweet home." He helped take off her gear and shucked his own and heavy leather jacket onto shelving and pegs by the door. "Ahhh, much better already."

"Better," she echoed numbly.

"Now, now," he chirped in an upbeat tone, "things'll be lookin' up before you know it! Lets get ya situated an' stuff, yo." Hizashi placed her on a well-worn leather sofa and went to fill a cup with water for her to take her pill with. When he came back Elly was trembling, backed up into the farthest corner with her ears laid back.

"I don't like pills."

"Hey, it's me, it's okay. I'm not gonna force ya to do anything, but the doc said these will make you feel better." He shook the bottle, eyebrows raised hopefully.

"Don't want to."

"Yeah." He sighed and placed the bottle and cup on the coffee table in front of them, making sure she saw his hands were empty. "Yeah... but we're besties, right? I would never hurt you. <i>Never</i>!" Hizashi thumped his chest twice with this last statement, his face dead serious.

"I know..."

"How about if I take one, too? I checked, I've had these once or twice before an' they won't hurt me. Would that help?"

Elly immediately stiffened, her hand clutching the arm of the couch so hard her nails sank into it. "No, Mic!"

"Ohmigod, baby, I'm sorry." He scooted over and lifted her into his lap, bundling her in his arms since he knew it calmed her. "Holy shit. I won't do it, don't worry, I was just tryin' to think how to help."

"I'll t - take it."

"Wha?"

"Please, before I lose it. Or you suggest anything more foolish."

He glanced down at her in mild reproach as he was shaking a pill onto a leather-clad palm. "Wait 'til I get your drink... here ya go."

She made a face but swallowed quickly, chasing it with a half cup of water.

"Why d'ya hate taking these types of pills anyway?You never said."

"Well..."

Hizashi took the drink and leaned them both forward, placing it back on the table. When he settled back down he pulled her into a more comfortable cuddle with her head resting on his chest.

She listened to his steady heartbeat while the medicine slowly started to take effect. "They dosed me wrong when I was little."

"Wrong?"

"Adult dose on a child. I couldn't sleep. Couldn't feel sometimes, which it was supposed to do..? But I still felt scared and sad." She shook her head, agitated that she couldn't explain it better. "It was bad."

"Ohhhh." He stroked her hair, thinking. "That <i>sucks</i>. That's - that's really bad."

"Uh huh." Her tail slapped one of his legs, once. "And my family treated me <i>worse</i> when I was given them. Once they found out I wasn't 'really' sick."

His brows drew even tighter. "Wait, what?"

But Elly was now deep in her head, thinking of the past memories that hurt her the most.

"I'm not good enough." She sniffled and wiped her nose on a tissue he handed her. "If I was prettier, or smarter, wealthier... maybe he would have loved me. Maybe he'd've loved me." She hung her head, eyes half-lidded and ears drooping. The medicine was working and he felt her sagging in his arms, her speech slurring.

"Ex boyfriend?" Hizashi's stomach clenched with jealousy and anger, but what she said next was worse.

"Daddy," she said in such a heartbroken voice that he whimpered in sympathy.

"Oh, baby <i>no</i>...I'm sorry."

"Why wasn't I good enough?" Elly choked on her own air as she sobbed. "Why'd he scare me? Why'd he say I - I wasn't his daughter? All I ever wanted..." She paused, and he felt wetness and heat as tears started to soak through his shirt. "I'm so <i>scared</i>."

"You're better'n good enough," he told her firmly, a hint of his quirk slipping through to fill the air with soft vibrations of righteous anger and sadness. Hizashi took a deep breath to calm himself. "S'okay, you'll be okay. I'm here to make sure."

"Please," she begged, crying harder. "Please don't hurt me."

Hizashi could barely choke out words his throat was so constricted. He swallowed hard and managed a soft, "Ches?"

Elly clutched his shirt tighter, wringing it in a balled-up fist until her strength wavered and she was forced to drop it. Silence spun out until he realized what she had said...

...it was him.

<i>She was scared of him.</i>

"It's 'cause you like me, ain't it."

She shivered, hiding her face as much as possible.

"Yeahhhh." He dragged her up in his arms so they could look at each other, though her gaze was unfocused. "Scared of me for good reason, right? Don't wanna fall in love 'cause you never get it back?" His glorious hazel eyes shone golden in the soft light of his living room as he squinted at her.

"No fair," she whimpered, frowning. "I <i>fought</i>..."

"Ha! Against <i>my</i> winning charm an' wit?"

"Not again," she pleaded desperately. "Not you, they can all be like that, every single one, but <i>please</i> not you."

Hizashi cupped the side of her face gently in his palm. "Not me," he agreed softly. "Never me, and hopefully there aren't gonna <i>be</i> more, ya dig?"

He watched as she shook her head, her eyes swimming with tears. "I d - don't know..."

"I'll show ya what real love looks like, baby," he said in a low, deep voice while holding her gaze. "I was kinda hopin' to be there by your side anyway, but I thought it was gonna be as your friend. This is much better. If ya want me, ya <i>got</i> me - all of me. 'Cause all of me loves all of you." Hizashi took her hand in his and kissed it gently.

Elly allowed herself to relax a little more. Her fingers toyed with the plain white shirt he wore, smoothing the wrinkles gathered there when she'd grabbed him earlier. He watched, amused and more than a little touched as she stroked his chest.

"Strong," she murmured.

"Eeehhhh, a little." Hizashi grinned when she squeezed one of his pectorals, cupping it in her hand. "I'm not <i>that</i> built, babe. I gotta train though. We all do, yeah? Bet you got muscles, too."

She cuddled closer and her hand trailed lower, tugging the white cloth free of his pants. Hizashi's abdomen jerked wildly when she traced the defined muscles there, but he relaxed when she kept petting like before. Minutes stretched out, spun slowly into a quarter of an hour, before he felt a light brush on the studded belt he wore. Elly unbuckled it so quickly he wondered about the medicine's effects for a brief moment, but then she touched him.

And while his brain was struggling to think of the right response, another, more insistent body part decided to make decisions for him.

In the few seconds it took him to wrest control of himself his belt was flopping free and the zipper on his pants pulled down. The only thing that saved him were the pants themselves. They were so tight they clung stubbornly to his body, making it difficult for her to grasp what she wanted. Still, she tried, rubbing the bulge in the maroon boxer briefs the open slice of leather revealed.

"Baby," he panted, his eyebrows pinching his brow into a tight point as he writhed under her. "Oh baby no, please... don't do that."

She whimpered and jerked her hand back with a hurt look.

"No, no... not rejectin' you! I want you. I really, <i>really</i> do. In fact, I can barely resist ya. But it's not the right time." He shook his head, tapping her on the nose with one long finger. "Yer drugged, Ches. Not thinking straight."

"Yeah, I am." She blinked owlishly at him.

"Nuh, yer not." He reached down to cup her face in his palm. "How 'bout some kisses instead? We really should start there anyway, sweetheart."

She gladly accepted this offer and they shared a tender first kiss. Hizashi sighed and leaned back with his eyes half-lidded, already brushing lightly on her lips for more. The next was more intimate, and the next, until they were very slowly and deliberately lost in the feel of lips and tongue and, in her case, two fuzzy mustache points.

It wasn't long, however, until her hands wandered once more and they were very, very skilled.

"Babe... oh god. Yes." He gave in, squirming on the couch until his pants peeled down around his ankles. She removed his boxer briefs as well with a little help, and he sat with a pile of cloth and leather puddled comically around his ankles.

Elly gasped softly at the sight of him, bobbing free above a patch of darker gold hair. "<i>Hizashi</i>."

He blushed harder, a sheepish smile twitching on his lips. "Heh, yeah, is it okay?" Then, in a much throatier voice, "Ohhh. Your hands are soft. Ah, shit, that feels good."

She ran her fingertips along his length, dipping lower to tickle the tightly drawn balls underneath and getting a sharp intake of breath for a reward. As she teased, his member firmed even harder and a drip of lubricant slid from the head. Her gentle touches immediately gathered this, using it to her advantage.

"Can I just say -" He huffed, tensed all over and then shuddered, relaxing again. "I've never been a fan of gettin' jerked off, but you - you're real gentle but firm and steady. An', fff - <i>fffuck</i>, that little twist at the end, <i>god</i>!"

The praise made her bolder and she added a second hand to cup and fondle him lower while she stroked.

His breathing picked up, faster and harsher in rough little pants as his hips jerked along with her touch. "You do me so good, baby, I - I'm gonna, <i>oh baby I'm</i> -!" Hizashi stiffened, his quirk tickling in the back of his throat but not quite activating. He gasped, slamming back into the couch as she suddenly stopped, effectively edging him.

<i>Edging him</i>!

"H - huh - holy <i>shit</i>."

"Ready?" Elly placed her forehead on his and kissed him sweetly, effectively taking the rest of his breath away.

"Uh..." Hizashi panicked; no two ways about it. If she kept doing this there was a very good chance the next time he wouldn't be able to hold back his quirk. Damned if he could think of a way to warn her, though, and soon she was stroking him again, lightly and with love.

"So handsome, Zashi," she breathed. "Your beautiful eyes look like they're spinning."

"Kiss me." He moaned when she brushed her lips on his with sensual licks and purrs. He forgot his fear and gave in, sliding his hands to her bottom and squeezing as his pleasure mounted steadily.

Elly moved one finger around to the underside of his shaft where the little thread-like frenulum was, grazing it while she rubbed.

"Ohhhh <i>baby</i>," he whined, growing louder and louder. "Wanna come, don't stop this time please, <i>please don't stop</i>!" His long legs kicked out and he lost a slipper as it flew off into the middle of the room. "<b>Oh Ches, baby please, I'm <i>so close</i>... </b>" Her fingers drew together and gently massaged the plump head while squeezing his balls, and he lost himself in a massive release of pressure. Hizashi threw his head back, throat working, and screamed as his orgasm released several thick, warm jets between them. "<b>YES! YES! Y -</b>" He choked, cut off so abruptly he almost fell over.

"Shut up!" Aizawa stood in the doorway with his hair up and single eye bright red. "<i>You asshole, you broke everything in the agency that wasn't already soundproofed</i>!"

Elly was still under the effects of the relaxant so she wasn't embarrassed like her lover. While he spluttered and grabbed at himself to hide his nudity, she simply waved. "Hi, 'Zawa."

Aizawa actually blushed and averted his gaze, giving his friend back his speech.

"Geez, sorry dude, I tried - "

"Yeah, yeah." He coughed loudly, waving one hand weakly in their direction. "You're paying for everything."

"Oh, sure! Sure! Yeah!"

Aizawa paused with his back to them, then called out sternly over one shoulder. "Yamada, she's clearly under the influence -"

He flinched. "Um. Yeah. I know. Not my proudest moment, but she <i>insisted</i>. An' we confessed to each other?"

This time his friend sighed deeply. "Don't fuck it up." He left, slamming the door loudly in irritation.

"Yeah," Hizashi muttered dejectedly. "I think I made an oops, didn't I, baby?"

"What? No." She nuzzled his mustache fondly. "I love you. No oops."

"Well... let's get ya cleaned up, at least." He wrinkled his nose at the mess and hurried into the bathroom where he rummaged around in the cabinet under the sink. Elly followed and sat on the edge of the tub when he motioned.

"This was my fault," he muttered, taking a washcloth and wiping off her suit. "If you want you can wear one of my shirts..?" She nodded and he pointed to another room down the hall. "This one's the bedroom - careful, babe!" He supported her when she wobbled slightly.

"Whoops," she murmured.

"Sit on the bed, yeah? Lemme find ya somethin'." It took longer to find a t-shirt that was on the smaller side but there was on old "Put Your Hands Up Radio" top far back in his dresser. "Ha!" He held it up proudly. "This should fit."

Elly took it and he turned around while she stripped. He felt terrible. He knew he shouldn't have let her touch him but she'd been so insistent and it had been so long...

"Zashi?" Elly touched him on the arm and he faced her. His heart swelled when he saw how absolutely adorable she was wearing his shirt, several sizes too big that reached to her knees but lifted slightly in the back because of her tail.

"Mnnn?"

"You okay?"

"Oh. Uh, sure." He bent and took her suit off the bed where it lay. "I'll put this in the wash with my stuff, and you can have a rest."

"I'm not tired -"

"Yer <i>tired</i>, baby." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "Look - you can hardly keep those pretty eyes open."

She was warm and comfortable in a large shirt that smelled like him and his bed - <i>his bed!</i> -- was there, the silk sheets invitingly pulled back. She did want to lay in it and be enveloped in his scent, but she didn't want to be seperated.

"You need a nap," he insisted. "We'll talk later if yer up to it, don't worry." He smiled at her and left the room, closing the door partway.

Elly curled up on her side, tucking her tail over the side that was upright. She felt tears pricking her eyes again and shut them hard to try and stop the flow.

<i>Stupid pills!</i>

They'd got her so emotional she couldn't hold herself back. Not only had she sobbed and made a fool of herself, she'd forced herself on him. Was she trying to please him because she truly wanted to, or had she tried to ingratiate herself so he would love her?

She couldn't tell. At first, she thought she knew but after the fact her mind went into overdrive, casting doubts and causing her to panic. Elly tried to fight off her sleepiness to think of a solution, but her eyes closed despite her desire.

She woke some time later, not quite understanding that she'd fallen asleep and confused. The bed dipped behind her suddenly and she jumped around, startled.

Hizashi blinked at her in the dim light of the room. His hair was down in a loose ponytail instead of the spike, and he was wearing a soft pair of black sweatpants. "Sorry," he apologized. "It takes me awhile to do my hair. I showered really quick, but drying's another matter."

"Oh."

"Did you think I was gonna leave you alone? Aw, <i>hell</i> no, babygirl." He carefully wriggled his body alongside hers, slipping an arm around her waist. "You're stuck with me. I'm clingy as fuck, too -" He hugged her tight, grinning apologetically. "Hope that's not gonna cause any probs!"

Elly stared deeply into his eyes for a long moment and then smiled. "I like clingy," was all she got out before a huge yawn interrupted her thoughts.

"S'okay, pretty kitty," he murmured. "You can go to sleep now." He nuzzled the top of her head, planting a gentle kiss in her hair. "<i>I love you</i>."

"Love... Zashi."

Hizashi held his breath until she dropped off to sleep. If what he considered small gestures were enough to comfort her, she was in for some really big surprises when they started officially dating. He pressed a hand to his mouth to stifle a happy laugh, imagining how he was going spoil her from the moment she woke up.