Late Nights and Quiet Moments

                                    

                                          
Chapter 10: 
The clock on the wall ticked steadily, its rhythmic sound the only thing breaking the silence in Aizawa's office. The fluorescent lights hummed softly above, but neither of us paid much attention to them anymore. After what felt like hours and hours of grading papers, the end was finally in sight. The pile of assignments was nearly gone, and all that remained was one last stack, a few dozen papers separating us from the end of what had turned into an unexpectedly long night.
I leaned forward on the desk, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my palm as if that would somehow erase the fatigue pooling in my mind. It was well past midnight now, and the only sign that I was still functioning was the faint twitch of my hand as I marked off another question on the last paper. My eyes burned, and my head throbbed. But Aizawa had been clear from the start— we needed to get this done. 
It was a sentiment I appreciated, really. Aizawa was one of the most diligent, if not the most hardworking, teachers I had ever known. But I had already spent hours sitting at his desk, my back stiff and my eyes slowly losing the battle to fatigue. The only thing keeping me going was the thought of being able to help him—doing my part to lighten his load, even if it was just for a day. 
"Y/n," Aizawa's voice cut through the air, breaking the silence. I looked up slowly from my work, blinking as I tried to focus on him. His face was soft with concern, though there was still a trace of exhaustion in his features. "We should really be getting home."
I stared at him for a moment, trying to make sense of the words. It felt like just a minute ago that I had been joking about how quickly the time had passed. But now that I looked at the clock, I realized it was far later than I had thought. The glowing digits on the wall read 2:51 AM. We had been grading papers together since 4:23 PM—almost eleven hours of non-stop work. No wonder my eyes were sore.
I looked down at my hands, seeing the redness around my eyes, the telltale sign of how tired I was. My body ached from sitting too long, and my head felt heavy. I knew I needed rest, but there was still one more paper left. I could make it through the last one, just a few more minutes, and then I could rest—Aizawa wouldn't have to do it.
I blinked and rubbed my temples again. "Okay," I said slowly, not fully convinced. "But I'm almost done. This is the last paper."
Aizawa glanced at the stack of papers to my left. He took in the sight of the completed assignments, all graded and stacked neatly. He must have been surprised at how quickly I had worked through them, despite my exhaustion.
"No, Y/n," he said, his voice firm yet gentle. "Your eyes are screaming for rest. I can finish it later today." 
I straightened up slightly, the words barely registering in my tired brain. "No, really, it's no problem," I replied, my voice coming out a little sharper than I intended. "You've already done so much, and I'm almost done."
Aizawa let out a small, resigned sigh. His expression softened for a moment, and then, without another word, he stood up from his chair, walking around the desk towards me. I didn't have the energy to argue any longer. My resolve was slipping, my body betraying me as it begged for sleep.
Aizawa tapped me lightly on the shoulder, a silent gesture that made me freeze for a moment. He didn't have to say anything more for me to understand what he was going to do. His protective instincts were kicking in, and I knew there was no way I was going to win this argument.
"You've done enough for tonight," he said quietly, his voice leaving no room for debate. "I'm taking you home."
I blinked, startled by his directness. "Aizawa, I can drive myself home. I'm fine."
But he was already shaking his head. "No, Y/n. You're not fine."
I felt the weight of his words more than I wanted to admit. But I couldn't argue anymore. My body was shutting down, my eyelids growing heavier with every passing second. I nodded reluctantly as Aizawa turned toward the door, leading the way out of the office.
We walked through the dimly lit halls of UA, the silence between us only broken by the soft click of our footsteps echoing off the walls. The cold air of the parking lot hit me when we stepped outside, and I shivered slightly. Aizawa didn't seem to notice. He moved ahead with his usual purposeful stride, but there was an underlying protectiveness in the way he walked that I wasn't used to. 
He stopped near his car, a few feet away from me, and I saw him hesitate for a moment. He clearly wanted to ask something, but he didn't want to push me. Still, the quiet tension in the air was palpable. I was too tired to fight it anymore.
"Do you want to just crash at mine?" he asked, his voice lower than usual. He didn't look at me when he said it, and I could tell that he was already bracing himself for my refusal. 
I shook my head, half-laughing at the suggestion. "Aizawa, I don't want to be a bother. It's fine. I'll be okay."
But Aizawa wasn't buying it. His eyes sharpened as he turned to face me. "Yeah, but if you get into a car crash on your way home, I'm gonna feel bad. And I'm sure you don't want that on your conscience."
His words made my stomach drop. He was right, of course. I had no business driving in my current state, but I had been too proud to admit it. I hadn't wanted to seem weak or incapable, but the truth was, I was exhausted. And despite my best efforts to brush off his concern, I couldn't ignore the growing fear that maybe he was right. Maybe I wasn't okay.
Before I could respond, Aizawa stepped toward me, and his scarf—always wrapped around his neck—seemed to come alive. With a swift motion, it unraveled from him and wrapped itself around me. I yelped in surprise as the fabric tightened, pulling me closer to him.
"Aizawa!" I protested weakly, though my voice lacked the strength to truly fight him.
He didn't say anything in response; he just opened the passenger door for me. His usual stoic expression was softened by the concern in his eyes, and I realized with a jolt that I wasn't going to win this one. He wasn't going to leave me to drive myself home.
Sighing in defeat, I stepped forward and climbed into the car without another word. Aizawa closed the door behind me and moved around to the driver's side. I sank back into the seat, feeling the exhaustion flood my body like a wave. The car's interior was quiet, but the air between us was thick with unspoken understanding.
Aizawa started the car, the engine humming to life. He didn't turn the radio on or say anything at first. Instead, he reached over and gave my shoulder a gentle rub, as if grounding me in the moment. 
"You're very tired right now," he said softly. "So you can sleep over at my place, just for tonight. I won't take no for an answer."
I turned my head slowly to meet his eyes, my breath catching in my throat at the unexpected kindness in his gaze. Aizawa was a man of few words, but when he did speak, it was always with an underlying sincerity that I found impossible to ignore. 
"Fine," I said, my voice almost a whisper. "Okay, just for tonight."
Aizawa didn't respond immediately. He simply nodded, his grip on the steering wheel steady as he guided the car down the quiet, dark streets of the city. I let my eyes drift shut, finally allowing my tired body to relax against the seat. The gentle hum of the engine and the rhythm of the tires on the road soon became the only sounds I could focus on.
As we drove, I felt a sense of warmth spread through me. It wasn't the warmth of the car's heater or the cozy blankets I could already imagine at his place. No, this was different. It was the warmth of knowing I wasn't alone, of knowing that Aizawa was looking out for me, even in small, unspoken ways.
For the first time that night, I let myself drift off, the exhaustion finally pulling me under.
---
By the time we reached his apartment, I was nearly asleep in the passenger seat. Aizawa parked in front of the building and turned off the engine. 
"Come on," he said softly, looking over at me as I groggily opened my eyes. "Let's get you inside."