Cross His Heart -Day 8 | Candlelit Dinner- (Aizawa x Reader)
Summary: When you first started seeing each other, Aizawa had more time. It was summer and he didn’t have students to teach, aside from during training camp. But once classes were back in session, he got busier, and circumstances kept coming up and changing so he’d have to cancel and reschedule. Over a month went by without seeing each other. Just as you were beginning to lose hope, the hero rose to the occasion, keeping your heart as he held you in his arms.
Note: To the anon that requested this, I will actually respond to your ask with the response for your second request- which will be nowhere near as kind or fluffy as this one. ;)
Theme Song: Save Tonight - Eagle-Eye Cherry
Go on and close the curtains, ‘cause all we need is candlelight…
“Oh.” You tried to disguise the lack of surprise and mild disappointment you felt, but he could hear the soft drop in the tone of your voice when you said it. Oh. Was this something you were beginning to expect from him?
“That’s okay, Aizawa-san,” you quickly followed up. Your tone was chipper again. “Do you want to try for next week?” The sound of optimism was long gone, but you were still trying, which was more than he would have expected from anyone who was cancelled on so often- especially five times, now.
But still, he didn’t want to let what you two shared go. After all, you had opened his eyes to how unhealthy his lifestyle was. Sure, he was tired all the time, but that was manageable. It wasn’t until he was struggling to find time to spare for you between teaching, training, patrolling, and parenting that he realized something had to give. He couldn’t always be on duty like he was before, and that was incredibly hard for him to accept. In fact, he still hadn’t fully accepted it. However, after cancelling for the fifth time in a row, Aizawa was beginning to stretch himself thin. Flowers he bought to surprise you, and then to apologize, and then to apologize again, and again, wilted away in his room before inevitably ending up in the trash, and he could sense you were beginning to drift from him. You weren’t even surprised when he had to reschedule anymore, and despite how you always seemed enthused to, he noticed the excitement gradually fading from your voice the more you spoke.
What pained him most about these unfortunate circumstances was that he wanted to see you. He wanted to take you out again and to build on the relationship you two were starting to create. And he couldn’t. There was little that Aizawa actually pined for and wanted, and in truth, the feeling was very much foreign to him, but he still knew exactly how to label it.
“Unfortunately, I can’t next week.” He paused, his lips pursed tighter than usual as he realized it seemed like he wasn’t even trying anymore. “1-A is taking a training trip,” Aizawa added, attempting to redeem his efforts.
You didn’t respond immediately, and there was a silence that lingered until you broke it.
“I hope that their training goes well; you’re a really devoted teacher and they are very lucky to have you,” you began in a soft voice- one with intonations he hadn’t heard before. It was sweet and he could tell your well wishes were sincere, but there was something else to it that he wasn’t sure of. “It sounds like things are especially busy for you right now. If things settle down at some point, let me know?”
The phone beeped twice, and the connection ended. It was the first time you hung up without another date in mind, and for the first time in a long, long while, the pro hero, teacher, and parent felt an emptiness in place of the equally new feeling of hope. He held onto the cellphone for a moment, just staring at the image he had assigned to your contact information. It was from your first date, when he had more free time and before classes began. The sun kissed your hair and shoulders in just the right way to add a glow to your outline, and he asked you to pause and smile his way when he took the picture because you looked heavenly to him. It was rare for him to bother with taking pictures, but that was one he could not pass on.
At the end of the day, your phone vibrated in your hand as you took the train through Tokyo to your home district. A small icon of Aizawa looking away from the camera, his chin in his palm and his expression vacant, as he leaned over a patio table blipped onto the screen, and then was followed by a small text bubble. Even if some people thought he looked bored or uninterested all the time, you saw handsomeness in his features, and catching him looking off somewhere never bothered you. You were never shy about admiring him, and always felt like he unintentionally gave you plenty of chances to. Adoring him so much made it easier to hope that you’d see him again soon, and all the harder to give up on him.
Reading the text bubble, your brows furrowed. It was unlike him to plan something so last minute. Normally, you two were scheduling at least a week in advance. You stared at his icon and question, wondering what you should do. If you said you were free tonight, would it seem like you were desperate or lame? If you didn’t, when would you finally get to see him again? The question remained unanswered until you got home, and was met with an equally simple response: “When?”
And that was it. You hoped that these plans wouldn’t fall through as you set your phone down and changed. From the last message, you had about an hour and a half before he was supposed to arrive, so you wasted no time in looking through your kitchen for a quick meal to cook. From what you had and were in the mood for, it was going to be stir fry, which seemed fun dish for a Friday night.
As you finished cooking, you left everything on a low simmer and began to tidy up. There wasn’t much that needed to be fixed and cleaned, but you did have to close some windows since it was starting to rain. Looking outside, dark and heavy clouds obscured the sun, hiding it beneath their gray and greenish hues. A frown pressed onto your lips as you worried slightly. Would he be alright in the rain? Would he cancel? The forecast mentioned it would storm tonight, but you completely forgot about it when you were texting him.
Just as the concern was getting to you, a rapping against your door stole your attention. You pulled off your apron and hung it in the kitchen before checking to see who it was. To your surprise, Aizawa arrived early. Immediately your cheeks were warm with a blush, and you shook your head as if that could dispel it. Without further hesitance, you opened the door and greeted him with a bright smile.
“Aizawa-san! I’m glad you could make it despite the r-”
Before you could say more, he brought his hand out from behind his back, making your words trail off. The hero looked to the side while offering you a bouquet of half a dozen roses arranged to give the appearance of a spiral that went from white in the center to deep red at the tail end, roses of varying pinks and creams creating the gradient in between. Long blades of grass and baby’s breath accented the flowers, and you were speechless, the blush you tried to shake away returning. When you lifted your eyes from the roses in front of your face, you saw that Aizawa had his other hand on the back of his neck.
“Thanks for being able to meet me with such short notice.” His words sounded like a low grumble, despite the sweet intention behind them. “...and I’m sorry for all the times I’ve had to reschedule.” He hoped the six roses- one for each time he canceled, and one for tonight- could ask for your forgiveness where his voice didn’t. You weren’t sure, but for a second it looked like he was pouting, and you couldn’t help but smile at the thought of such a serious man making an expression like that. Your hands came up and took the bouquet, gently touching his in the process. He looked to you when he felt your caress, met with that sweet and kind grin he was surely smitten with.
“It’s alright,” you accepted his apology, guiding him into your home with a soft pull. “Come in. Let’s enjoy the time we have tonight.” Your voice was incredibly reassuring to him- as sure and calming as the sound of beach waves- and he gave you a smile. A clap of thunder echoed behind your words, startling you as it boomed. You both chuckled a bit as you came down from the minor fright and brought the flowers into the kitchen, placing them down on the counter for the time being.
This was his first time inside, despite walking you home on a handful of occasions when you two were seeing each other more regularly. The dates ended at the door with a soft kiss, and the chastity of it was endearing and even exciting in its own ways. It was part of that something new that made him want to spend his free time with you over taking a nap. Instead of looking around, the hero stepped into the kitchen and hugged you from behind, placing a familiar kiss on the nape of your neck after brushing your hair away to reveal it. You closed your eyes at his touch, all movement coming to a pause as you focused on that one point of contact.
“Even after more than a month, this feels natural to me,” he whispered softly, kissing the ridge of your ear afterwards. Keenly, you noticed that the time apart made him act bolder than before. It had been rare for him to initiate intimacy or romance, but now he was holding you from behind and placing soft kisses and sweet nothings against your skin
“What’s this?” you asked coyly as you turned around, leaning back against the counter and placing your hands on his chest. Dark eyes gazed down into yours as you smirked up at him, playful and impish as he tried earnestly to pick up his courtship where it was left off. “Did a bit of absence make you grow bolder, Aizawa-san?”
“Fonder,” he corrected you with a soft smile, his hand coming up to cup your cheek and tilt your head face towards his. “May I..?” His gentleness made you blush lightly, and you nodded, keeping your eyes on his until they slowly shut.
A ripple of crackling thunder tore through the romantic atmosphere, interrupting the kiss before it began and making you jump into his arms. Instinctively, he held you close, a hand on the back of your head as he kissed your hair. Your hidden cheeks were warm with a deep blush as you silently chided yourself for your skittishness. It wasn’t like you to be so on edge, but during unusually bad storms, an exception was made. Typhoons terrified you- they always had. As the thunder faded out, the lights began to flicker and you pulled back from the safety of a secure and warm hug. Winds howled as they drove raindrops into windows and walls, the stormy concerto hardly muted despite being inside.
“Ah- excuse me,” you gently pushed him away, turning to the stove and turning off everything that was on a simmer in the flickering light. He watched you for a second before stepping to your side.
“Do you have any candles? I’ll light them just in case.”
You paused from your task, looking at him with a hint of surprise. His calmness and rationality were always so attractive to you, and especially so right now. Your lips closed into a smile and you nodded. “Thank you. There’s a lighter in the drawer next to the fridge, and there are some candles already out in the living room. I think I have some tea lights in one of the hallway closets, too.” He nodded at your words, placing his hand on your lower back and giving your cheek a soft kiss before retrieving the lighter and leaving to light the candles as the electricity fed in and out.
Left alone, you got two bowls ready for dinner, finishing just in time as the electricity buzzed low before it cut out altogether. As you stepped into the dining area, you could see the soft glow of the candles Aizawa already lit, his silhouette moving around as the last of the smaller, circular ones came to life. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself, admiring the hero as warm yellow light illuminated his handsomely rugged face. Once the fire caught onto the wick, he put out the lighter and looked up from the candle, catching you staring, presumably, at him.
Just as he opened his mouth to say something, the sky behind your shutters went white with lightning, another deafening cut of thunder following. Whatever he said was lost to that moment and didn’t return as he noticed you trembling. It only took a second, and he was at your side, taking the bowls from you and placing them on the dining table so he could pull you into his arms.
“It’s alright…” His voice was so gentle and soft, you wondered how you even heard it with the storm. You closed your eyes and wrapped your arms around his waist, focusing on the way his fingertips brushed through your hair and how his heart beat just a bit harder than you were used to. In his steadiness, he grounded you and made you feel safe. As he felt your shakiness calm, he leaned back so he could glance at your face in the candlelight and smiled. It was everything you needed right then and there, and you smiled back at him, relieved he was so caring and didn’t shame you for how the storm terrified you. Leaning into him as you rose onto your tiptoes, you pecked his lips.
You stepped out of his arms and disappeared back into the kitchen, returning with a bottle of wine and two appropriate glasses. He picked up the bowls with a smile, and instead of sitting at the table, Aizawa suggested cuddling up together on the couch because it’d be more relaxing (but you knew it was so you were close together for the coming claps of thunder). Even with the power out, you two managed to enjoy yourselves. It wasn’t much of a surprise since neither one of you relied on electronics and media to hold a conversation or pass the time. In the candlelight with the soft scent of berries blending into the air, you told him about why storms like the one today were so jarring, and he promised that he’d keep you safe. Dreams were exchanged, some smaller secrets uncovered and confessed, and your relationship deepened to a first-name basis.
With the bowls stacked on the coffee table, you laid with your back against his chest, comfortably between his legs as he reclined with his head using the arm of the couch as a pillow. Your forehead pressed against the crook of his neck while you idly played with his fingers, hands coming together only to part, continuing in a sweet back and forth. He rested his free hand on your stomach, holding you in his embrace as if he could shield you from the bright bursts of lightning and the roaring thunders that followed. You pressed your fingers between his and held his hand on your stomach, locking yourself away in his safety.
Slowly, you stopped playing with his hand and brought yours back to touch his cheek, turning your face to gaze up at him. The smaller candles had died, letting the room grow darker and darker as hours passed together. His hand joined yours on his cheek, and he softly kissed your palm before looking down at you.
“Stay the night. Please,” you whispered to him. Aizawa brought his hand to your chin and tilted it just a bit more, placing a soft kiss on your lips in response.
“Of course, (Y/N).” His lips befell yours once again. “Anytime you need me, I’ll hold you through the night.” The words were sincere, but he could still see the hesitance in your expression, so he hooked his pinky with yours and kissed the knuckle of his index finger as he stared into your eyes. “I promise.”
...You and me, and a bottle of wine- gonna hold you tonight.
