Cold outside (Aizawa)

 It was fairly late on a winter night in Aizawa's suite above the agency he worked at. Snow fell lightly on the city outside, blanketing the streets and buildings with a thin, fluffy coat of cold.

A party had grudgingly been held here in honor of the holidays, though most of his guests had left by now.

Elly was staying behind, ostensibly to help clean up after the group made a mess, but really to spend more time with the cranky man she'd grown so fond of. As she collected cups and plates a song began to play softly on her phone. She'd set it for background music but forgot when the playlist paused before repeating.

"Sorry. I'll turn it off."

"Wait." Aizawa frowned, listening. "I wanted to ask, before... is this considered appropriate?"

"How so?"

"Well, it sounds like the man is trying to coerce the woman into staying." He paused, rubbing at the back of his neck while the song continued in the background. "My English isn't very good," he confessed. "Maybe I don't understand the phrasing?"

"Nope." Elly stifled a grin, hiding the twitching of her lips by quickly turning and placing the glass she held in the dishwasher. "No, you're right."

"I am?" He sounded mildly surprised.

"Yep. There are some people that think this song is really, uh... creepy. Like, she's trying to get away and he's trying to keep her there." She paused, then continued, "to be fair, it's not <i>supposed</i> to be quite like that. They're flirting; she wants to stay but wants to be persuaded. Maybe chased after a little."

"I don't understand why some people do that," he sighed. "Why can't everyone just say what they mean."

She fidgeted a little, flicking her ears and starting to blush. "Sometimes it's hard to be blunt."

"Have you ever done that? Hinted and not said what you meant?"

"Yes."

"Why?" There was no maliciousness in his tone; he simply sounded curious.

Elly rubbed at one furry ear while she thought about her answer. When she spoke she cast her eyes down shyly, so she didn't notice when he walked closer. "Well... I do it when I'm scared. The answer I get might hurt. I think most people are the same in that regard."

"I wouldn't hurt you."

She made a rocking gesture with one hand. "Ehhhh... you never know, Aizawa. What if I wanted to initiate a - a romance between us. A relationship. And what if I wanted to start, uh, this, by staying over tonight? Rejection would hurt less if we both pretended we're talking hypothetically."

"Like if we were talking about the song?" He raised an eyebrow as she started to blush harder. "<i>Do</i> you want to stay?"

Elly realized how close he was and gasped a little. "See, this is why -"

Aizawa slipped his arm around her. When she jumped, startled, he stroked her shoulder gently. "Enough cleaning." He led her to the couch, encouraging her to sit.

"But there's still -"

"I understand it's easier to hide behind a premise." He curled his arm tighter, encouraging her to cuddle against him, "But I will <i>never</i> intentionally hurt you."

"Aizawa..." Elly shook her head, confused. "Shit," she laughed in resignation. "What happened? What's going on? I mean, one minute I'm putting away dishes and the next I'm - I'm ..."

"In my arms? Yes?" He pulled her even closer, his other arm reaching out so he could lay his hand lightly on hers.

"Yes!"

"Is it okay?"

"Yes again." Elly nodded, then sighed. "Very much yes."

"Well, it's cold outside. And snowing." He let out a rarely-heard dry laugh. "Our situation is rather like the song. I'd feel better if you stayed, but it's your choice."

"Who would drive in this storm?"

"There's likely to be <i>some</i> service that could take you back to U.A."

She thought seriously about it for a couple minutes, toying with his fingers and then tracing his palm. "Hmm."

Aizawa watched her quietly, his breathing slow and even. He simply waited, knowing she would eventually make a decision. Elly, on her part, was convinced by his steady manner. He wasn't going to argue or beg like she'd had to suffer through in previous scenarios with other men. He wasn't guilting or pressuring her though he stated his preference for her safety.

Eventually she spoke and when she did she looked deeply into his single eye. "If I stay, where would I sleep?"

"Yamada forced me to buy a bed last year." He pointed vaguely off toward the dark hall where she had only been in the bathroom. There were two other doors in the dimly lit area. Aizawa saw what she was thinking and added, "you can have the bed. I'll take my sleeping bag into the other room."








He brushed his mouth on hers, watching carefully for any sign of rejection. His heart beat fast when her hands lightly clutched the front of his sweatshirt, her lips parting willingly. A weary sigh of relief escaped him and he pressed forward.

"Aizawa," she gasped, startled at just how good a kisser he was.

"If you're willing to kiss me," he told her seriously, "you probably should call me by my given name."

"Shota," she agreed quietly.

"Perfect." He kissed her more firmly, his hand cupping the back of her neck.

Aizawa's face was clean of stubble as he had recently shaved, and Elly found herself vaguely disappointed. She'd always wanted to know what it would feel like. He smelled <i>sleepy</i>, with his long, dark hair clean but reminiscent of someone that just woke up. It was a soothing smell and coupled with his strong arms wrapped around her she felt comfortable to let go and see what happened.

He was so gentle, and she marveled at this, such an unexpected delight as she ran her fingers through his hair. He uttered low groans when her hands touched a new spot, now the nape of his neck, after that his shoulders as he surged above her.

His mouth moved lower, nibbling on her neck while one hand slipped underneath her sweater. Elly gasped, startled by the intense surge of lust this action stirred within her.

"Shota."

"Nmm."

"We should stop."

"Yes." All movement ceased; he froze in place for several seconds while he took a couple long, deep breaths. When he spoke again, however, his voice cracked on the first few words. "Sorry, I un - understand."

"I don't want to rush things -"

"Ches."

"Huh?"

"You don't need to justify anything. You say stop, I stop. I don't want to do anythung you're not... <i>very</i> positively consenting to."

"Oh." She blushed, then thought for a moment. "Good."

"We should get ready for bed." He cleared his throat and went on to ask, "would you like to use the bathroom first?"

"Um. No, you go ahead. I bet you'll be faster anyway."

He nodded and walked off to grab a duffel bag from his bedroom, the only thing in there besides the bed and a single nightstand with a lamp. She was right and he was quick, the longest time devoted to brushing his teeth before he cracked open the door. "I set everything you might need on the counter," he told her quietly. "There's a shirt on the bed ypu can wear, too."

"Thanks."

"Good night." He scratched absently at his chest, yawning.

"Good night."

Aizawa stumbled into the guest room and unzipped the duffel, pulling out his yellow sleeping bag and tossing it on the floor. He sat down on it and took off his eye patch, setting it aside while he unfastened his prosthetic leg. This took awhile, peeling the soft rubber sleeve off and massaging the rough skin at the base of the stump after the heavy metal leg was put away. He was glad to curl up inside the puffy bag and rest, sighing as he thought of the woman one door away.

It might have been minutes or hours later, he wasn't sure, when he woke to a soft sound. Alert immediately, he threw one side of the sleeping bag off him and struggled to get up. That's when Aizawa realized what the sound was and relaxed slightly.

"Are you awake?" Elly was standing outside his door tapping gently.

He rubbed his eyes and remembered the patch. "Ches?" His fingers dug into the side pocket of the duffel bag searching for it. "Are you okay?"

"I... no. Can I come in?"

"Ahhhh..." It was foolish, but he didn't want her to see him without the patch. When he didn't answer right away he heard her feet scuffle on the floor.

"Sorry if I woke you. It's nothing important." The way her voice broke suggested otherwise and his search grew frantic.

"No, I just have to get - wait --" Aizawa fumbled the patch on and headed to the main bedroom. "Ches?" She jumped upon hearing him and pulled the sheets up to her neck.

"Uh. Yeah. Come in."

"Is there something wrong?"

"I, well. I thought I could handle things." She sniffled and he was mortified to hear she was near tears. "I thought, I really did -"

Aizawa strode quickly over and stood over her at the side of the bed. "You're crying," he said nervously. "Did I do something wrong? What do you need?"

Her tail thumped heavily under the covers and her ears lay back. Aizawa didn't know how to comfort a person, but he understood cats.

He whipped his hand in his sweatpants pocket and pulled out his phone. A couple taps and soft, classical music filled the room. The pieces were soothing and curated specifically to calm cats down when he found strays that needed help. He placed the phone on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I need you to look at me, please," he husked in a low tone.

Her ears flicked and she bit her lip, but she did as he suggested. "Sorry," she gasped.

"No need. Do you trust me, Ches?"

"What?"

He placed a steady hand under her chin and stared into her eyes. "<i>Do you trust me</i>?"

The slightest flicker of alarm crossed her features before she blinked it away. "Yes."

"All right. Are you dressed?"

"I'm wearing one of those shirts you gave me."

He pulled back the sheets and climbed in without another word. Elly froze, startled, then remembered this was <i>Aizawa</i>, and he probably had a plan in mind. He was diligent in asking consent at every turn which he did again after getting in bed with her.

"May I hold you?"

She nodded and scooted close, allowing him to curl an arm around her.  "I'm so tired," she sighed, hesitantly cuddling into his embrace. "And you're so warm."

"You can sleep now," he murmured. "It's okay."

"Mnn..." She relaxed little by little until her yawns grew giant and nearly continious. "Sleep." There was a long pause, then she added, "and you smell good."

Aizawa raised his eyebrows but said nothing, letting her mumble until she drifted off. He lay there for a few minutes to make sure she was really asleep, then let out a slow, deep sigh. He'd normally fall asleep right away but tonight he lay there planning what the morning could bring while he held her close.