G H O S T [Shota Aizawa x OC]

E I G H T E E N

After nearly being late to work again from being distracted by Shota, and he distracted by her, Sumire had to rush from his apartment to get ready to actually do her job, especially with the busyness she had to deal with in regard to the approaching school festival.

Despite her best efforts and intentions, the woman couldn't get the image of her neighbor in loose, low-hanging pants and nothing but a damp towel hanging around his neck out of her head. His muscular chest, abdomen, and shoulders glistening from the shower he took was ingrained in her mind with his wet hair releasing droplets of water that slid down the defined curves of his athletic body. She then remembered how he stroked the soft flesh of her thigh, and how he gripped onto her hips, and how she melted in his scent and clothes when she fell asleep sharing the same bed.

It took everything in her not to squeal as the memories flooded her mind throughout the work day. It certainly made her blush and distracted from all the work she had to do.

Nonetheless, the hours ticked on and one thing after another did get checked off her list of responsibilities. Towards the end of the day, Shota came by her office, Eri beside him clenching onto the fabric of his pants.

"Sumire." He said as he knocked on her open door.

She looked up from her work and her face brightened when she saw the wide-eyed little girl. "Eri! Hi!" The woman gasped and got up from her desk before kneeling down to her level and opening her arms invitingly.

Eri ran up to her and jumped into her arms, snuggling her face into Sumire's thick hair.

"I see how this is." Shota grumbled from the doorway.

"How what is, Mr. grumpy-pants?" She looked up to meet his tired eyes as the little girl slid from her shoulders and grabbed onto her hand

"As soon as we come see Ms. Sumi, it's like I'm not even here." He rolled his eyes, slightly more dramatic than his usual persona in front of the child.

"I bring her cookies. And she's cuter than you." The silver-haired woman responded nonchalantly as she led Eri to the cookie jar she kept in her office and restocked every couple of days since they rescued her. The innocent girl knew what coming to visit Ms. Sumi meant.

"Whatever." He mumbled. "She's been with my class all day, but the school day is done, and I need to go to a meeting. Can you keep an eye on her for an hour or so?"

"Of course." She hummed with a smile. "Eri and I will have so much fun." She swung the child's tiny arms playfully.

Although she didn't know exactly how to smile and truly enjoy her life, her wide red eyes sparkled with what could be considered excitement.

"Thanks. I'll be back soon." He scratched the back of his head as he left them.

Sumire got out some blank pieces of copy paper and variously colored pencils and placed them on one side of the desk before pulling a chair around for Eri to sit on. Surely enough, the little girl crawled onto the chair and began to doodle.

"Are you and Mr. Shota friends?" She asked, simply and harmlessly. "Like Deku and Lemillion and Mr. Shota's other students?"

"We are." The older woman agreed. "But it's a little bit of a different kind of friendship than Deku and his friends."

"What kind of friendship?" The naive child pressed.

"Like a special hero friendship."

"What's a special friendship?" Eri stopped coloring and looked up to meet the woman's gentle smile.

She hummed thoughtfully, then clarified. "I trust him more than anyone else and he is the person I turn to when I am in need the most. I've saved him in the past as a heroine, and I trust him to be my hero when I need him."

As she spoke, the girl's eyes widened with each word, seeming to be in awe of what she was explaining. Sumire thought she was being honest, yet easy to understand for the shy and sheltered little girl. "Mr. Shota is my hero, too. So are Deku and Lemillion and you. All of you are my heroes." She returned to coloring but with more determination than before.

"And we all really care about you, Eri." The silver-haired girl used the red pencil to doodle a heart on the paper the white-haired child was drawing on. "I know Shota's class, specifically Deku, is looking forward to seeing you at the festival."

"Are you going, too?"

"Mmhmm."

"Are you going with Mr. Shota?"

"Maybe."

"Then we can all go together?"

"If that's what you want, Eri."

"Yeah! I want to go with all of you!"

After a few more light-hearted conversations and Eri doodling pictures, an hour passed, and Shota was back to pick her up. "Eri, I'm back." He stated bluntly. "Are you ready to go?" He didn't seem particularly pleased but wasn't annoyed either.

"Boo." Sumire whined. "I had fun with you, Eri."

The little girl seemed saddened as well, collecting her pictures and gloomily sliding down from the chair.

"Hey, you and Eri should come over for dinner later." The woman suggested, wanting to brighten up the child.

Eri gasped and looked between she and the man hopefully. "I guess there's no reason not to." He said.

"I'll cook and we can watch a movie." Sumire grinned.

This put the white-haired girl in a better mood as she bit her lower lip and grabbed onto Shota's pants, her pictures folded in her hand. "Alright, we'll go see Ms. Sumi again later. Let's go now, Eri."

"Okay." She agreed, her high-pitched voice bright with anticipation.

The woman waved as they left and said, "see you later!" with a white smile.

Sumrie kept in touch with Shota for the rest of the day, keeping track of when he and Eri would come by to eat so she could make sure the food was almost ready. This was the first time she was making a full meal for the little girl, and it may be the first time she ever had a home-cooked meal at all.

She was probably more excited than the innocent child at this point.

There was a knock at the door, and she called, "It's unlocked!" from the kitchen where she was focused on finishing cooking. Shota and Eri walked in and closed the door behind them. The man released a heavy sigh upon seeing the woman, her hair tied back and almost done with what she was working on.

"How am I supposed to feel when you invite us over for dinner and won't let me help." He mumbled seemingly irritated.

"Oh, get over it." She rolled her eyes and started plating the food. "You can introduce Eri to Echo and play with her until I'm done."

"Will you ever let me help you?"

"You help me enough."

"'Cause you guys are special friends, right?" Eri chimed, remembering the things that Sumire had said about them earlier.

"Special friends..." Shota trailed and blinked, trying to understand. "She's been saying weird things since I left her with you. What did you do to her?" He narrowed his eyes at the woman quizzically.

"I just told her that we're special friends and you're a person that I trust." She shrugged.

"The most!" The little girl added brightly. "You're her hero." Her red eyes were wide and sparkling.

Sumire cursed herself in embarrassment; she should have known that anything she said to a child would get repeated, especially one so naive. "I may have told her that, too..." She averted her charcoal gaze shyly, a light pink dusting her cheeks.

A teeth-barring smirk stretched over his face and he confidently ran a hand through his messy bangs. It was a grin she'd never get used to, as it intimidated her and made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

He breathed out a chuckle and spotted Echo in the back of the living room. As he passed by Sumire, he traced her jawline gently with his finger and dusted a loose strand of hair from her shoulder. He whispered to her in a low, suggestive tone, "Careful filling my ego like that."

And although it wasn't clear on his face, he was certainly suppressing a blush.