ficlet; 017: touch
pairing: aizawa kosaku/shiraishi megumi
word count: 800 words
note: something random, kind of fluffy and totally plotless :D

Shiraishi definitely didn't know what to expect when they stumbled into this whole situation of being together. After all, it kind of came out of nowhere, even if things had been a little different between them as of late. What happened was, there had been some – okay, a lot – of alcohol involved, some sort of drunken confession where he had kissed her, and the rest, as they say, was history.

She woke up the next day to find herself encased tightly within the circle of his arms, his bare chest warm against her back. It was surprisingly a lot less awkward than she thought it would be, because Aizawa was never one to beat around the bush, mincing words. He simply said that it had been a long time coming, and it was immediately clear, even to someone as dense (or so Hiyama said) as she was. He told her that he wanted to be with her, and she knew she felt the same way, had felt the same way for a while now.

Shiraishi would be lying if she said she had never, ever thought about them being together, although she never imagined it would eventuate under these circumstances, in her bedroom, in her bed, with their clothes scattered haphazardly on the floor (they definitely didn't linger in undressing each other the night before). She pulled the covers up to her chin, wondering about what to do, what to say, where to go from here, her mind racing at the suddenness of this new development between them. She was a worrier after all, and she was worrying now.

Aizawa looked at her, one eyebrow raised, seemingly able to read her mind, and as he leaned closer to her and kissed her, she stopped thinking. His kiss was tender and reassuring, and she could almost hear his words, as if he had breathed it into her mouth – it's going to be fine.

He held her hand for the first time that morning, as they walked out of the main entrance of her apartment complex. There was no preamble, no ceremony; he merely reached out, and curled his fingers around her hand as she fell in step beside him. Her own fingers tightened around his, and they had looked at each other for a moment, small smiles on their faces, and continued walking, hand-in-hand. They didn't let go, not until they were standing at the hospital's entrance. Shiraishi had been the one to let her hand slip from his, almost reluctantly.

There were positives in being together with someone she had known for years. Shiraishi knew that Aizawa was never going to be the romantic sort of boyfriend. There was never going to be flowers, little gifts, surprise dinners and getaways, it wasn't him, and she never expected that of him. But what surprised her was the way he demonstrated his affection towards her.

Shiraishi never thought that Aizawa would be someone who would outwardly display physical affection. It didn't seem like him at all; his personality had always been cold, his manner brusque even as he executed everything he did with perfect efficiency. But now that they were together, she was beginning to see it, this other side of him. Of course, there would be nothing more than a shoulder squeeze, or a brief hand at the small of her back in the presence of other people.

It was different when they were alone. Shiraishi found that Aizawa liked the physical proximity between them. He would pull her to his side when they were having their private breaks at the Heli launchpad, arm around her shoulders, his thumb tracing circles on her upper arm. He would often reach out to tuck her hair behind her ear when stray bangs fell across her eyes. In their quiet nights in together, he would draw her close to him, fitting her against his side, and she would rest her head against his shoulder, feeling like she belonged there.

It was almost natural in its intimacy, Shiraishi thought, how her body fit perfectly against Aizawa's, like two puzzle pieces in the same jigsaw, two pieces of the same mold. As their heartbeats steadied, she settled her head against his chest, his arm automatically slid beneath her shoulders, accommodating her. She shifted closer, slipping her leg between his, as she rested her palm on his abdomen. He dropped a kiss atop her head, as his breathing evened, and she knew he was drifting off to sleep. She pressed a kiss to his chest, listening to the beating of his heart, as her own eyes fluttered shut.

Yes, she didn't know what to expect, but if this was going to be the rest of their lives together, it would be everything that she wanted, and more.

A/N: can you tell I just want to write something about Aizawa and Shiraishi being all touchy-feely with each other? Cos I really need them to be touchy-feely in the movie (gimme that pleasseeeee), and beyond (cough, Season 4 with them being married, cough).

Anyhow, hope y'all enjoyed this, and as usual, reviews/comments are love! *hearts*