Chapter 1: Together
Staring at a computer screen with bleary eyes, unable to focus and hating every moment she had to try, the knock on her office door was like an answer to prayer.
"Come in." She eagerly called.
The door opened to reveal her assistant Sora, extra bright eyed and struggling to maintain her professional composure.
"Miss, you have a visitor."
Her slightly breathy and giggly tone could only mean one thing.
"Eijirou Kirishima, you'd better not have come traipsing through my office in full hero regalia, distracting my team from the very important project we're working on."
Eijirou peaked around the doorway, pretending to be wary, but the silly grin on his face let her know he was fully aware of how her words weren't entirely serious.
"I took off my face mask." He offered with a wink.
Letting her shoulders relax and throwing up her hands she smiled at her fiance.
"In that case I guess I can let you off with a warning, Mr. Red Riot, but next time I'm going to have to insist you put away those abs too. My team is 80% female after all." She teased, getting up to greet him with a kiss to his cheek.
"Yes, boss." He teased back, "I brought a peace offering though."
The take out bag he held up from her favorite sandwich place had her entire face lighting up before she turned back to her assistant.
"Sora, any reason I can take lunch right now?"
"No ma'am, your meeting with the department head isn't until 2:00pm."
"Perfect, I'm going to lunch then. Be back in an hour."
"Yes ma'am!"
With a quick squeeze of Eijirou's hand she hurried back to her desk to collect her purse and lock her computer.
"We'll just be across the at the park if you need her back, Sora." She heard Eijirou say as she made her way out of her office.
"Oh trust me, Red Riot, I'll make sure I don't." Her assistant rebutted with a smirk, making him laugh.
"Alright you two, behave."
Sora bid them goodbye with a wave and a grin as they made their way back to the elevator.
The journey there was quick, Eijirou enthusiastically greeting her team members along the way. Much to her relief, the doors opened to reveal an empty lift, allowing her the opportunity to lean into Eijirou's bare chest as the elevator descended to the ground floor.
As the distance between her and her desk increased she felt a weight falling from her shoulders until her focus was completely on the man before her.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure of being rescued by the sexiest hero alive?"
"A little birdie told me you were having a rough morning. Thought I'd see what I could do to help."
She watched his lips as he spoke, listening, but also just enjoying the soothing sound of his voice. When the elevator began to slow she went on her tiptoes to claim a quick kiss before moving back to his side, holding his hand.
"I really need to get Sora another raise." She joked as they walked across the lobby.
Eijirou chuckled, entwining their fingers and squeezing her hand as they left the building.
"Let's get settled and you can tell me what's going on."
The park across the street from her building had always been a favorite of hers for lunch. When the weather was favorable it was the perfect place for a quick walk or somewhere to eat in the fresh air without having to worry about coworkers bothering her.
There was a pond near a stand of trees where she normally ate, where Eijirou was leading her now.
When they reached the almost secluded area, she was delighted to find a picnic blanket covered in big fluffy pillows to lounge on.
"Oh my gosh, Eiji! This is so wonderful."
"I may have had a little birdie of my own help me out." He admitted as he settled onto the blanket, using a nearby tree to prop up one of the pillows.
She knelt down next to him, reaching for a pillow of her own but he pulled her to sit between his legs.
"Ei –"
"You're wearing my ring, Pebble, the world knows we're together. If they insist on taking pictures of us, I'm going to make sure they know how much I love you."
It wasn't difficult to capitulate when she hadn't really wanted to move away from him in the first place. With an 'I love you' of her own she relaxed into the embrace of her doting fiance; immediately making her day exponentially better.
Eijirou dug out their food then produced bottles of water and her favorite juice from a backpack that had been stowed behind some of the pillows.
"Ah, so your little birdie has a name too. Tell Katsuki I said thank you."
Eijirou froze in surprise for a moment before leaning to look down at her.
"How'd you know?"
"He brought the drinks in a Dynamight backpack." She pointed out the big orange X on the black backpack with a laugh.
Rolling his eyes and smirking the redhead put the bag away before unwrapping his sandwich. Holding his lunch with one hand he wrapped the other around her waist.
"Ya know, in his own, weird way, that's him telling us he's here for us. He didn't even complain when I asked for his help."
"That's because, even though he tries to hide it, Katsuki is a sucker for romance. Tell him his secret is safe with me. I won't tell anyone he's really as soft as Izuku."
Laughter rumbled through his chest and she luxuriated in the feeling of it against her back.
"I like living, and I like you living, so neither of us are telling him that."
"Spoilsport."
"You'll thank me when we're both still around to actually get married." He replied, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.
Humming in response, she tilted her head in invitation, all the stress she'd been feeling before evaporating at the feeling of Eijirou's lips on her skin.
"You're going to get me distracted and then neither of us will get to eat." He murmured before leaning his head back against the tree, taking a deep breath to calm down.
"You foiled my plans this time, hero, but I'll get you next time!" She exclaimed, adopting the silliest 'villain' voice she could.
Squeezing her around the middle with another laugh, Eijirou gestured to her sandwich with his.
"Eat up, Pebble, before I do something very unmanly for a public area."
With a grin she took a bite of her food, taking a moment to appreciate their idyllic surroundings.
The early Spring day was beautiful, just warm enough to be comfortable without a jacket. A light breeze blew through the new leaves and left ripples in the pond. Though traffic behind them kept them from hearing anyone, they could see a group of young adults enjoying the day on the other side of the park, tossing frisbees for their dogs as one of them cooked lunch.
In the arms of the man she loved, stress-free for the moment, with perfect weather, she couldn't ask for much more.
"So, tell me why your day has been rough." Eijirou prompted.
Or perhaps she could.
Halfway to taking another bite, she paused and sighed.
"It's not anything new, Eiji." She hedged.
"Pebble." He replied in a warning tone
"It really isn't! My boss changed a deadline out of nowhere, on top of giving me another team and their project to manage while their lead is on maternity leave. Their project is due right after ours is. It's just the never ending drudge that is my job. I promise, I would tell you if it was anything more."
Her tone was flat even in her own ears. She didn't want to let any emotions creep in because if she did she knew she wouldn't be able to rein it in. Not with her kind and supportive fiance encouraging her.
Setting aside his sandwich, Eijirou slipped his now free hand to join the other around her stomach. His chin came to rest on her shoulder, his nose brushing against her neck.
"What are you not telling me, Pebble?"
She took a bite to buy herself time.
"Come on Baby, you know that you can talk to me."
Sighing heavily, she dropped her head back onto his shoulder, then rolled it to the side so her forehead met his cheek.
"It really is nothing you haven't heard before."
"Well maybe I want to hear it again."
"Eiji."
"If it's bothering you, it will help to talk about it. I may not be the smartest guy out there –"
"Eijirou Kirishima do not put yourself down like that! You are smart! It takes so much to be a hero, and you're one of the top 50! At only 24! The only people ranked higher than you are pros with decades of experience, Katsuki, Izuku, and Shoto! UA's Big Three for your year! That's huge, Eiji!"
He'd caught her around the waist when she'd tried to turn around but that didn't stop her from reaching back to tangle her fingers in his hair.
With a smile Eijirou pressed a wet kiss to her throat.
"You're so sexy when you say stuff like that." He whispered against her ear.
Her breath hitched but before they could go any further down that rabbit trail Eijirou pulled away slightly.
She appreciated when he ignored her red cheeks and how flustered he'd made her, but now she was having trouble changing gears back to what they'd been talking about before.
"And as many times as you've told me that, I will encourage you when you're doubting yourself or having problems at work."
"That's different." She muttered.
"You let me vent and complain and you always lift me back up. Let me do the same for you. Please."
Her shoulders slumped, helpless against Eijirou's determination and adorable pout.
"But –"
"No. No buts."
His words came out soft but firm, leaving her without any option but to admit to him what she was truly feeling.
"This is a two way street. I don't expect you to be okay all the time just like you don't expect me to be. You have listened to me gripe about my quirk not being good enough probably a billion times since we met. Not once have you done anything but listened and supported me. So why would I do anything different?"
"I know you're right, Eijirou, I just don't want to sound selfish or whiny."
"Perks of being the love of my life: you get to be selfish and whiny and I'm going to love you anyway."
"You're impossible, you know that?"
"Impossible not to love, impossible not to give in to when I ask for something."
"Eiji." She giggled when he bit carefully at her ear.
"Come on, Pebble, talk to me."
Now nibbling nervously at her lip, she set aside her lunch and turned into him, snuggling into his chest. There was no safer place than in Eijirou's arms, so she prepared herself to spill what she saw as a very ugly truth about herself.
"I just feel like I'm suffocating, Eiji. Every moment I spend at work, I'm unable to take a single, unhindered breath. I love Sora, and the team, but everything else, it's slowly killing me. Like my soul is breaking apart piece by piece. My boss says he thinks I'm capable of so much and keeps giving me more and more to do, but then he micromanages and doesn't actually let me do my job. He expects perfection every single time, and when I make a mistake he acts like they happen all the time when they're actually a rarity. He never tells me 'good job' when things go well, and he takes the credit when the higher ups really like something any team in the department does. And dealing with some of the teams from the other departments is like pulling teeth. They drag their feet but always need everything ASAP when it comes from my team."
Without realizing it, one of her hands clenched into the front of her shirt, over her heart.
"And as much of a relief it is to leave, to come home to you, there's also a pit in my stomach knowing I have to go back the next day, or on Mondays. My heart is so heavy in my chest, sometimes I think you're all that keeps it beating."
When her eyes filled up she was quick to wipe the tears away, blinking rapidly and taking deep breaths so her face wouldn't turn blotchy or her eyes puffy.
"And I feel even worse because I know how great this job is. It's not easy to get, and I was promoted into it so fast, and so young. What if I settle in and grow out of these feelings? Can I push myself long enough to get to that point? Or what if I never get there, but I keep trying to? Will I just end up as one more bitter office worker stuck in a job they hate?"
"Baby, if you want to do something else, do something else. I will support you every step of the way."
"When it comes to work I don't know what I want." She admitted reluctantly. "I thought this was what I wanted. Now I'm miserable."
Eijirou was quiet as he nuzzled into her hair, letting both of them process her words.
"This is what I've been trained to do, Eiji. It kind of feels like… well, what would you have thought if one of your classmates graduated with you, earned their hero license, and then decided to do something completely different that had nothing to do with hero work?"
The redhead opened his mouth to answer, then paused, his brow furrowing as he considered the question.
"I'd probably be super confused, and think it was kinda weird. I mean, why go through all the trouble of training to become a hero if you weren't going to use the training and become a hero?"
"Exactly! And what about all the money I've spent on my education? It would all be a waste."
Hesitantly nodding for a moment, Eijirou scrunched his face up after a second then shook his head vehemently.
"Pebble, you can't put a monetary value on your happiness. So much of your life rides on it. If you're not happy, your health will decline; mentally and physically. And it will affect all your relationships too. It is going to exhaust you to the point where you're not able to do the things you actually like or spend time with the people you love. Imagine how much better you'd feel if you loved your work?"
The thought rendered her dumb for several moments as she truly tried to imagine the possibility.
Waking up everyday without having to force herself? Looking forward to the day instead of just trying to survive until she was able to go home? Not having to carry this weight that dragged her down with every step? Feeling like she actually had a purpose that meant something?
It seemed like a fantasy, and she nearly said so, until she met Eijirou's ruby red gaze.
"I guess, I'd probably be a lot like you, Eiji. Coming home tired from working hard, but completely satisfied. Pleased with how my day went, what I spent my time on."
"Smiling and bubbly as you tell me all about it." He added with a grin she couldn't help but return.
At least until she remembered what was keeping her from making that dream a reality.
"That sounds wonderful, but how am I supposed to get there if I don't have any clue what I want to do with my life?"
His hand that had been resting at her hip drifted to her cheek, lifting her face up to his.
"We'll figure it out together. I know you want to work and not just be at home for now, but if you need to quit while we figure things out, you know I make enough to support us."
In her mind, it was an unnecessary strain. They could both work, so they both should. Especially since they hadn't gotten married just yet, and it seemed logical to her that they should save up as much money as possible for the future.
At the same time though, the possibility of that freedom, to find something she adored doing the way Eijirou adored hero work? It was tempting.
"I'll think about it, thank you, Eiji." She said, leaning further into his space.
"I love you." He murmured when there was barely a breath between them.
"I love you too."
The kiss was light, filled with affection and hope as Eijirou tightened his arm around her. When he leaned back, it was barely a second before he was pressing his forehead to hers.
"Wherever this takes us, we'll do it together." He promised again
She didn't even try to resist the dopey grin that took over her face as she echoed the sentiment.
"Together."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Luna_Dragneel0928
Luna_Dragneel0928 I wrote this when I was in job that was slowly killing me. So I wrote this short, fluffy fic with Kiri because I'd been craving some Eijirou style comfort lately.
Oh so totally self indulgent.
Enjoy lovelies!
~Luna~
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