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Time flies fast when you’re busy distracting yourself from pain.
One moment, you had been standing in your living room, feeling your heart shatter onto the floor as you watched the man you were beginning to fall for slowly become a stranger again… and when you blinked, two full months had already passed.
Of course, those two months had not passed easily. The following morning after your “break-up”, you decided to call in sick and stay in bed the whole day—and the “sick” part technically wasn’t a lie, as you had also been kidnapped, tied, and consequently injured by a group of villains who happened to be Touya’s comrades… all on the same night.
But the physical pain was nothing compared to the gaping hole in your chest that Touya had left when he walked out of your house.
Sometimes, the gaping hole wasn’t empty—sometimes, it had a voice. An angry voice. It raged on and on about how you were so stupid for letting a dangerous man into your life and letting your heart get trampled on just like that. The voice hampered your ability to sleep at night, and you would find yourself glaring and scowling at your ceiling, mentally conjuring up the memory of your conversation with Touya until sunlight began grazing your walls once again.
But most of the time, the voice in the gaping hole was sad. It was a dull, reverberating pain that refused to go away no matter how many hours you spent in the kitchen, how many dishes you made at work, and how many smiles you gave. Like a knife stuck in your chest, you carried the weight from morning to night, and even your coworkers and friends were beginning to notice how your face was starting to look gaunt, how your smile was starting to look strained, and how your eyes were starting to lose their shine.
Surprisingly, though, you found yourself not being able to cry since the night Touya left. Perhaps you just had not known him that long and that enough for you to shed tears over him… perhaps you just didn’t have the energy left to cry. Either way, it was still certain that you missed him very much.
No villain, especially those who were part of Touya’s villain group, had also made a move against you in the past months. There were times when you caught glimpses of men dressed in black trying to act as inconspicuous as possible on top of nearby buildings or across your house—Touya had mentioned having men regularly check up on you in case something went wrong.
Check up on me, yourself, you coward….
Oh, breakups were terrible. Almost every second of the day, you found yourself thinking about Touya… wondering what he was doing right now, worrying about whether or not he had eaten a decent meal, and imagining him doing all those dangerous villainy stuff that put his life (and others’ lives) in danger. The worst part of it all was that you couldn’t even contact him even if you wanted to, even under the influence of alcohol and the guise of “drunk-texting”. The asshole didn’t even leave you a cellphone number or an email address at all.
Maybe that’s why some people don’t bother getting into relationships….
Currently, it was a quarter to five on an overcast Saturday afternoon, and you found yourself scowling at the sky, cursing it for taking away the golden hour sunlight that you badly needed. You had just stepped inside a convenience store with goals to purchase a cup of instant noodles, an onigiri, a bag of potato chips, and a can of soda—tonight’s dinner menu. Well… the dinner menu for about five nights already. Unhealthy…you knew. But a 20-minute internal debate was enough to convince you that it was alright to indulge in things like this when you’re heartbroken and slightly depressed.
“Gosh, I need help,” you muttered under your breath.
After you procured the items, you walked to the counter and carefully placed them in front of the cashier without looking up. Wordlessly, you kept your head down as you shoved a hand inside your purse to look for your wallet but after a few seconds, you realized that your items remained untouched on the counter. Slowly lifting your head, your confused eyes met the cashier’s wide and apprehensive gaze. The cashier was a small, skinny bald man. This was a familiar face—he would be usually manning the cash register every time you visited this convenience store—but this was the first time that he was directing a personal and unusual gaze at you.
You blinked a few more times. Sent a quick downwards glance at your items.
The man made no move to pick them up and scan them. He continue staring you down with eyes that looked like they were a little terrified.
You offered a sheepish laugh. “Yeah, you’re probably wondering why I’ve been buying the same stuff these past days….”
Still nothing. You were getting a bit spooked now.
It was just then that you realized you were the only customer in the store at that moment. Instinctively, you took a step back and whipped your head from side to side. Empty. Faint music played from the store’s speakers, but other than that, it was unnervingly quiet.
Fight or flight mode on. You looked back at the cashier and cleared your throat. “Um….”
But suddenly, the man held his closed fist out in front of him, earning a reflexive jolt and surprised gasp from you. You let a few seconds pass as you waited for something bad to happen, but when you noticed the small slip of paper poking out of the man’s fist, you allowed yourself to exhale and drop your shoulders.
“What’s this?” you asked, reaching out with one cautious hand to take the paper.
“For you,” the cashier squeaked, and then cleared his throat. It was now obvious that he had been shaking from nervousness this whole time. Nervous about what? You didn’t know. But he looked a little relieved now, probably because he had gotten rid of this mysterious piece of paper.
It was just an ordinary paper, probably ripped off from a common notebook. It was folded in half, had a few wrinkles on the edges, and had a certain dusty texture on it. There was nothing written on the side of the paper you were seeing right now, and just as you were about to open the note, the cashier raised both hands and shook them furiously.
“Please open it outside the store!”
Your eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, why? Is this dangerous? Like a bomb? Did someone’s Quirk make this paper to be like a bomb? Should we call the heroes? Give this to the police?”
A furious shake of the head. “N-no… no police, no heroes.” The cashier laced his fingers together in an attempt to keep them from quivering. “Just please open it outside because I don’t trust whoever gave that to me… if something happened inside the store, I’d be screwed.” He shook his head once more. “The tall man with the coat just told me to give this to you directly. He said that no one else, especially heroes, should know about it….”
“THE WHO?” You couldn’t stop your voice from rising.
“The tall man,” the cashier squeaked. “He had a large coat… dark hair….”
“His skin,” you cut in, feeling your chest tighten and heat up. “What about his skin?”
The cashier furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at a seemingly random question, then looked up in thought. “It was last night, so it was dark… I wasn’t able to see him properly. All I know was that he was strong… very strong. Felt dangerous.”
“And where did he give this to you?”
“In that intersection right there,” he said, pointing through the window to the street across. “He suddenly came up behind me as I was going home from work. Handed me this paper and told me to ‘give this to the girl who has been coming to your store every day this past week to buy cup noodles, a can of soda, potato chips, and an onigiri’. He also said he’d kill me if I didn’t give this to you and if I got the cops or heroes involved.”
Your heart was racing. At that moment, you knew who it exactly was. You weren’t sure what to feel.
“Are you okay, though? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I’m fine, thankfully,” he said with a sigh. “Just a little scared. And exhausted. I wasn’t able to sleep the whole night after the ordeal.”
You gave a pitiful smile. “Alright. You should relax now.” You closed your hand over the paper and shoved it inside your jacket pocket. “I’ll open it outside.”
After he bagged your items and took your payment (you added extra cash out of pity for the poor man), you stepped outside, walked a few good feet away from the entrance, stopped at an area without people loitering or passing by, and took the paper, placing it between your thumb and index finger.
A long exhale. After two months, the ghost decided to show up once again.
“What the hell was that guy thinking,” you muttered under your breath. “If he wanted to give me something, why go through trouble by harassing other people? Why not give it to me directly instead?”
Harassing other people is part of his job, a voice inside your head replied.
The pounding in your heart was now too loud to ignore. Conflicting emotions of anxiety, happiness, apprehension, anger, and excitement spread throughout your body… and now your hands were starting to sweat.
What could this small paper contain? An apology letter? A single “I’m sorry”? A cryptic address where Touya wanted to meet you?
Or a final farewell message that would tell you he’s leaving the city and never coming back?
“Let’s get this over with,” you said to yourself, and with one final breath, you finally flipped the note open.
From all the possibilities that you had thought of, the actual content of the paper was none of them. It wasn’t an apology letter, nor was it a farewell message. The paper had no address, no words, and no indication that it was Touya who gave it.
Instead, the paper contained… a poorly-drawn sketch of a lamp post.
You gaped at the paper in confusion and disbelief.
“What the fuck….”
A lamp post… which looked like it was drawn by a middle schooler who used the first pencil they could find on the floor. The sketch looked like it was rushed, and you found it hard to imagine that it was truly Touya that made the terrible image you were seeing right now. You flipped the paper over and over again, but there were no other sketches or words.
You dropped your hand to the side and looked up. The pounding in your heart had made its way to your head. You were slowly becoming furious. Was the cashier fooling you after all? Was he part of Touya’s villain group and thought that it would be cool to make fun of the girl who Touya dumped? Or was it Touya behind all of this? Was he just messing with you and wasting your time?
“I literally have no energy for this bullshit,” you mumbled and crumpled the paper angrily. You began looking around you, hoping to find a trash bin, although it was rare to see them in this part of the city. You definitely didn’t want to bring that piece of nonsense paper on your way home… you wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.
But as you turned your head to the left, a nearby object caught your eye.
A lamp post… just a few feet from where you were standing.
Though it didn’t look like the one drawn on the paper…
You mulled it over for a moment.
Still, it couldn’t have been a coincidence. You decided to walk towards the lamp post and check it out, although you had absolutely no idea what you were supposed to find. It was just an ordinary lamp post and there weren't any irregularities up close. Your eyes scanned the thing from top to bottom, and alas, your gaze settled on a small, white rectangular object that was inconspicuously peeking out from a gap on the bottom. You tenderly picked the object, which turned out to be another piece of paper… similar to the one you had crumpled earlier.
You opened it immediately. This time, it was a poorly-drawn sunflower.
“Sunflower?” you tilted your head in annoyance. Looking up once more, you craned your head in search of a possible place where sunflowers could grow. But what the hell? You were in a busy part of the city, where could you possibly find a sunflower here?
Just then, a powerful breeze brushed past you and made a few shop signs sway from where they were hanging. And across the street, a single sign drew your attention as it creaked softly… a sign that had the image of a sunflower.
A flower shop….
You shoved the second piece of paper into your pocket and crossed the street. When you reached the front of the store, you halted in uncertainty. Where were you supposed to look this time? The sign was too high above you… and you weren’t sure that entering the flower shop and asking if a dangerous-looking man had come by to harass the workers and leave behind a piece of paper was a good idea.
It was a relief that the store didn’t have glass windows, though. Whoever was inside would have freaked out and called the police if they saw you suspiciously peeking into each of the vases which were on display in front.
No piece of paper. Perhaps Touya wanted to find you something else here?
Just as you were about to lose your patience, the store’s door suddenly swung open, and you jolted in surprise as an elderly woman stepped out. You instinctively took a step back.
The woman sensed your presence and looked up at you curiously.
You gulped in embarrassment and offered a bow. “Hello, I was just looking at the pretty flowers on display. I apologize for loitering out here.”
The elderly woman didn’t seem to pick up on your lie and your embarrassment, though, and she slowly turned to fully face you, her eyes scanning you from head to toe as she did so.
You tensed.
Suddenly, she gave a sweet smile. “Ah, it’s you.”
You blinked. “Sorry?”
She raised a hand, gesturing you to wait, and went back inside the shop. After a minute, she came back out, a bouquet of red roses in her small hands. She handed the bouquet to you with the same sweet smile, and you took them hesitantly into your own hands.
“I… I didn’t order any flowers,” you started.
“It was a young man who did,” she replied in a warm, amused tone. “Ah, youthful love is so nice to see….”
Your eyes widened. “A young man?”
A nod. “Yes, dear. Yesterday, just as I was about to close the shop, a young man came by and paid for one bouquet of roses. He told me it was a surprise… and that a young lady of your description would come here today to collect it.” She chuckled as if recalling a fond memory. “I was surprised, of course… that was the first time a customer asked me to give their order to their lover. Usually, it’s the boyfriends who directly give it to their girlfriends….”
A wave of heat rushed to your face. “Ah, you got it wrong… I’m not his girlfriend….”
“Is that so?” the woman laughed. “Well, you are a very pretty girl… and although I would’ve liked to say that you look good together with the young man, I’m afraid I can’t. I wasn’t able to see what he looked like behind his mask and hooded coat.”
She paused to shrug in a grandmotherly manner. “But I know one thing for certain, my dear. The young man who ordered that bouquet seems to care about you a lot….”
You felt your jaw slowly go slack. The pounding in your heart had returned.
“W-what do you mean by that?” you began to call out, but the lady had already opened the door to the shop and disappeared inside.
You sighed and glanced at the bouquet in your hands. The roses were arranged into a neat bundle, enveloped by brown and white wrapping paper. A pink ribbon brought all the materials together—and in the middle of the bouquet laid a white envelope.
Bouquet in one hand, the plastic bag containing your convenience store goodies in the other…it was definitely a struggle to pick the envelope up and open it. If only you knew that bringing tons of shit was part of your plan today, you would’ve bought a large shopping bag. You were just glad that you ditched the heels earlier and opted for a pair of sneakers. Still, you were wearing a pretty pink blouse and high-waisted cream-colored pants, and the thought of sweating under these garments made you want to cry.
“That Touya… what an asshole,” you half-heartedly cursed under your breath.
Another folded piece of paper was inside the envelope. You braced yourself for the next crude drawing you were sure you would find.
A bicycle….
You immediately scanned the area around you. In the distance, you saw a small rack of bicycles in front of a commercial building.
It took you a minute to close the distance. Then in the basket of one of the bicycles, you saw another folded piece of paper.
You opened it. Inside, another sketch: an arrow pointing to the left.
Furrowing your eyebrows in confusion, you looked up and craned your neck. Realizing you were standing near a crossroad, you pursed your lips thoughtfully. “Maybe this means I should turn left….”
You took the road to the left.
And then what?
You checked the piece of paper again and flipped it over. Indeed, there was another image. A cake.
Cake shop a few feet away. Your aching legs wobbled from under you.
A rumbling groan escaped your mouth.
“I fucking swear… I’m really going to smack the shit out of Touya the moment I see him.”
You could feel the inquisitive and concerned looks of the people around you as you marched in the direction of the cake shop. Indeed, it was concerning to see a woman with a bouquet of roses, a plastic bag, and an annoyed look on her face walking furiously around the city as if she was on a life-and-death mission. You paid no heed to their looks and closed the remaining distance with a jog.
Not even a second after you halted in front of the shop, the double doors swung open and a rounded man shoved a white rectangular box in front of your face.
“Huh, well that’s interesting,” he said in amusement, oblivious to your exhausted pants and bewildered expression. “That man from last night told me that a girl bringing a bouquet of roses would come to the shop at this exact time. I thought he was just messing with me at first, but here you are!”
And without even waiting for your response, the man turned and disappeared back into his shop.
You blinked twice at the door. Then your gaze dropped to the items you were bringing.
A bouquet. A box of cake. A plastic bag. A handful of white pieces of paper.
And a bundle of irritation.
Your hands shook in silent rage. “Fucking jerk,” you growled under your breath, not caring who might hear the unpleasant words that left your mouth. “I don’t know if he’s just messing with me or what, but if this is his idea of an apology, then I’d rather live the rest of my life with a grudge.”
Another piece of paper was taped on the lid of the box. You were a second away from crying.
As you couldn’t really pick the paper up with your hands being literally full, you had to rely on a chair that was placed next to the door of the shop. You laid the box and the bouquet on top of it before plucking out the note.
You opened it. An arrow pointing to the right. Below it was a traffic cone.
Alright. That’s it. If this is going to go on for much longer, I am going home. Touya be damned.
Are you sure about that? A voice interrupted inside your head. Don’t you want to see him? You miss him, don’t you?
“Shut up,” you hissed and smacked your forehead, regretting the action a second later.
Well… I’ve already started this goddamn treasure hunt fucking activity, might as well finish it… and if Touya is waiting for me at the end of all of this….
You gulped.
After picking up the items you have procured on your adventure so far, you turned to the street on the next right.
Traffic cone. Another piece of paper.
A bottle of wine. Wine shop up ahead.
Wine shop. A middle-aged man hands you a paper bag containing a bottle of wine. Inside the paper bag, another note. In the note, a wooden signage between two bushes.
Hands full, legs aching. Angry walk in the direction of a wooden signage between two bushes.
Taped to the back of the signage. Another piece of paper. Arrow to the left and a vending machine.
Turn left, spot the vending machine. On top of the vending machine, another note.
Struggling to reach it. Dropping the bouquet on the ground in the process. Letting out a loud sigh of annoyance.
And then finally, in the final note, the words: “At the end of the street. Left house. Abandoned. Pass through the door at the back.”
You raised your head, and after you spotted the house in question, you began to walk in its direction.
It was then that you noted how quiet the street you were on was. This was a smaller and less populated part of the city, and you guessed that the residents of the houses you were passing by were either old or working late hours. It was starting to get dark, but most of the lights had not been turned on. In the distance, a dog barked. You gulped in sudden fear.
Holy shit, what if it wasn’t Touya doing this, after all? What if it wasn’t him waiting for me in that house?
This was the reason you were going to die early. You trusted easily. This was the kind of person that you were….even before that rainy night when you brought a bleeding stranger into your house and took care of them.
“If he’s a serial killer,” you began singing under your breath in an attempt to break the silence around you. “Then what’s the worst that can happen to a girl who’s already hurt….”
Finally, you found yourself standing in front of a two-story house that looked like it had been vacated just recently. There was still a small “welcome” sign by the door, but there were no lights that were turned on. You peered around the side of the house and followed the small path leading to the back of it.
A single door. You budged it open using one foot, and it swung open with a small creak.
And in that instant, the faint smell of smoke and fire made its way to your nose.
Touya….
You slowly took a step inside and tried to adjust your eyes to the darkness inside the house. It was dead quiet here, too, and you let your instinct take over your senses as you navigated the space. It seemed like you were in a kitchen, and you subconsciously looked over to check whether there were knives you could use in case it wasn’t Touya waiting for you.
There was one. It was merely a small kitchen knife, but it gave you a sense of relief nonetheless.
More steps forward. Floorboards creaking. The smell of smoke getting stronger.
A single rat scurrying in a corner.
Your heart pounding faster. Your hands turning sweaty around the items you were holding. Anxiety, fear, excitement.
Anticipation.
Turn left to another room.
And then… the first glow of light finally hit your eyes.
Candles. One… two… three of them.
They were arranged in a bundle on a circular table in the middle of the living room. Surrounding the candles was an assortment of crockery: two large plates, a couple of smaller ones… two wine glasses, and several cloches—the dome-shaped cover typically used in fancy restaurants to cover food. A white satin tablecloth elegantly draped over the table, its edges shyly touching the floor. Two wooden chairs, both empty, framed the table on either side.
The next thing that hit you was the fragrance. It was a sweet, delicate scent. A mixture of lemons and lavender that, instead of clashing with the smell of fire and smoke from the candles, complimented it instead. You couldn’t help but take one long breath in. At that moment, you felt your muscles relax.
You looked around the room you were standing in. No sign of anyone. No sign of Touya.
You inched towards the table and placed the bouquet on an empty space beside the plates, while you set down the box of cake on one of the chairs. The plastic bag didn’t fit with the vibe, so you decided to put it on top of a broken dresser a few feet away from the setup.
It was only when you were walking back to the table that you heard the mellow tune of a piano. It seemed like the sound was coming from above the room, but the darkness of the house made it difficult to pinpoint the source. It didn't sound like someone was actually playing it, though. You guessed that it was a recorded audio track being blasted from speakers.
If you disregarded the fact that you were in an abandoned house in a part of the city you've never been to before, the entire setup was pretty romantic. Despite the tension you were feeling, you couldn’t help but smile.
“Took you long enough.”
You felt your body tense again.
A voice. A soft yet gravelly voice. A voice that sounded like rain, muffled television noises, the raging wind against your ears, the croak of crickets on a mountain, and the echoing slam of a door.
A voice. Touya’s voice.
Tears threatened to form at the corners of your eyes.
A sharp inhale. And then, you turned around slowly.
Turquoise irises locked into yours… and at that moment, you felt everything around you fall to a standstill.
The music faded into the background.
The pounding in your chest made slow reverberating waves throughout your entire body.
Your legs became paralyzed.
And in your shocked state, you couldn’t find the will to look away.
The annoyance and anger you felt earlier also dissipated into the air, and the plan you made to smack the shit out of him vanished.
The gaping hole in your heart ached once more. This time, it ached with the urge to throw your hands around him and bury your face into his chest.
Touya stepped out from a dark corner, taking a few steps forward until the candlelight illuminated his figure. You took the time to study him—the man you haven’t seen and heard from for two whole months—and you took in how much he had changed, and how much he hadn't.
For starters, Touya wasn’t wearing his usual coat, white shirt, and jeans attire. Instead, he was dressed in a black two-piece suit, and he paired it with a white button-down shirt and a navy blue necktie. His suit jacket was unbuttoned and it moved slightly as he took slow steps towards you. His hair was noticeably longer, and although it still had that unruly nature, it was obvious that he made an effort to tame it down with gel. The outfit covered much of his skin, but there was nothing he could do with the patches on his face and neck, and the surgical staples made occasional glints as the light bounced off of them.
You were painfully aware of how underdressed you were for the apparent occasion, but that was the least of your concerns as of the moment.
Hands in his pocket, a small smirk on his lips, and his signature teasing eyebrow raise. Everything felt familiar but new at the same time. After a few more seconds, Touya had stopped at an arm’s length in front of you.
You held your breath and gazed at him as emotionlessly as possible. Your jaw locked itself into place as you took in the image of the man who had walked out of your life two months ago and had now returned without warning.
"Wow. You look as beautiful as ever."
The words ricocheted off the walls without receiving a response.
Touya tilted his head. “What’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost.”
You had a good response in your head. You just couldn’t find the will to say it out loud.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he gasped in faint embarrassment and chuckled, looking away. “Perhaps I am a ghost indeed. You know, considering I was gone and then now I’m back….”
Silence. The fire from a candle crackled.
So confused… you were so confused about what to feel. A part of you said that you should be happy that Touya was alive and well and right in front of you. Another part said that you should rage and spit out all of the anger and frustrations you had kept inside all this time. You suddenly became dizzy from the anxiety that you were feeling. Suddenly, you wished that this was all just a cruel dream.
Touya frowned. “Y/n? Hello?”
Your fists shook. Your nails dug into your skin.
“Hey, say somethi—"
“Why….” You blurted out.
Your voice came out harder than you expected it to be, and Touya flinched in surprise. Even you were scared of the strength behind your voice, and you lowered your eyes to the ground.
You let out a few more seconds pass by, making sure that your voice was strong enough to utter the next words. Inhaling shakily, you slowly raised your eyes. “Why… why did you leave me that night, Touya?”
For the past months, you had only been able to direct the question at the walls in your house or at empty space. And now that you were finally able to say it to his face, you imagined that you should have felt more relieved.
But the uneasiness didn’t go away. You took deep, shaky inhales.
The rigid frown didn’t leave Touya’s face, but it seemed that he was already expecting that question—as if he had anticipated this conversation and rehearsed what he would say. He replied without hesitation. “Because I wanted to protect you.”
“So why are you back?” You spat out without a second thought and stared at him with the angriest gaze you could muster. Touya’s irises flared in surprise and his chest rose and fell on a faster tempo.
That wasn’t something he expected. He fell silent.
For a few seconds, no one spoke. Two months had passed, and despite all the times where you relived the night he left and imagined what you could have said or done to make him stay, despite all the days where you thought you saw a glimpse of dark hair and wished that it was him, and despite all the words you had prepared and repeated over and over again in case you get to finally talk to him again… you found your throat constricting itself in front of Touya.
You wanted to cry. You wanted to run far away from here. And most of all, you wanted to smack yourself for wanting to come here in the first place.
The silence was unbearable. You began to open your mouth, but Touya beat you to it. He cleared his throat. When he spoke, he spoke slowly, testing and reconsidering all of the words he uttered.
“I… I know it’s unfair to you… with me showing up again after all this time.” A pause. “And I know it was a jackass move of me to leave abruptly and not contact you for two months—”
“I’m so glad that you know all of that,” you couldn’t help yourself from butting in.
Touya nodded, shrugged, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Right. Right, I’m a jerk.” He sighed. “I shouldn’t have done all that. I… I thought I was protecting you when I left. If I didn’t associate myself with you anymore, then I wouldn’t be putting you in danger. A few of those other guys, the guys that hurt you, I told them to leave you alone now that I was fighting with them in the front lines. For two months, I was doing everything they asked me to do… just so that they would turn their attention away from you and leave you alone. I told you I was going to leave, and I know that I should have simply kept my word until the end. But I came back. I came back….”
He paused again. This time, he raised his head and looked back at you, his eyes filled with a kind of sadness you've never seen before.
“Y/n. I came back because I just missed you so much.”
Your breath hitched in your throat. Dammit, you spent so much time and energy hardening your heart and quelling down your sadness by replacing it with anger and grudges… but one line from Touya was now threatening to dismantle all of your walls once more.
The man knew exactly what to say to tug at your weaknesses. You shut your eyes in frustration.
“You can’t… you can’t do this to me,” you said. “I was slowly accepting the fact that you were really gone. And now you're suddenly taking all of it back by reappearing. And then what, Touya? You’re going to make me fall for you more before deciding to leave again?”
The man had no words for that. He lowered his eyes in shame.
Warm tears began prickling at the corner of your eyes and you had to grit your teeth to stop yourself from crying.
“I… I knew you for just a really short amount of time. But that was enough to make me fall for the Touya that you allowed me to see. Look. I understand that you were scared of showing me your dark side… the Touya that everyone fears. But did you ever stop to consider what I thought about that?”
You took a step closer to him. “I saw you use your flames to save me that night. I know that you use the same power to hurt others. I saw how dangerous the people around you are… and I know how much my life would be at risk if those types of people did something to me. But did you consider the thought that I am a person of my own, with my own free will, and that I can make my own decisions? I saw all of that, Touya, and still, I wanted to be with you. By leaving, it was as if you had discarded my resolve and my feelings.”
Touya’s eyes flickered back to you. The guilt was apparent in them. Your eyebrows furrowed in pain as you waited for him to respond.
“I…” he began. “I’ve never allowed anyone else to be this close to me—physically and emotionally. To the old Touya—no… to Dabi, it was out of the question to create deep and long-term bonds with someone else. But with you… it was natural. It was unexpected. And I found myself wishing that I had met you before I became this shitty mess of a person.”
Touya rubbed a hand over his face.
“But I have already chosen this path of vengeance and blood, and I intend to walk the path until the end of the line. I know it sounds selfish of me… but I also chose to stay with you because I could forget all about that even just for a while.”
“Y/n. I’m new to all of this shit. When I saw you get hurt that night, I blamed myself entirely for it. During that time, I thought that the best way to protect you was to leave and stay away from your life. And I only realized it too late that I was hurting you more than I was protecting you. I took matters into my own hands without considering how you felt. So now… I’m here. I’m back to make amends and to apologize.”
He stepped closer, leaving only just a hairbreadth between your bodies. You looked up into Touya’s eyes, aware that you were seconds away from bursting into tears.
“I’m here to ask for another chance,” he said, voice low, tender, and genuine.
And that was all that it took. Unable to bear it any longer, you finally threw your arms around Touya and buried your face in his chest. The man wrapped his own arms around you without missing a beat.
It felt good to be hugging him again. You felt his lips resting on the top of your head, his thumbs caressing your back in slow, steady circles, and his body slightly swaying from side to side as if you were dancing while you were locked in the embrace. When you tightened your hold around him, Touya squeezed you into his body even more.
“I missed you too,” you mumbled into his chest.
“Hm? What was that?”
You removed one arm from around him so you can smack his arm. “I said that you really are an asshole,” you replied loudly.
Touya chuckled. His chest vibrated with the action. “I see. You’re still not honest with your feelings.”
You made no response and simply pouted as you continued hugging him. It’s been two months since you last held him this close, and to you, nothing else in the world mattered more than the feeling of Touya’s body meshing into yours.
“You look like you haven't been sleeping properly,” he whispered. Even without seeing his face, you knew that there was that specific frown he usually made when he felt guilty about something.
“It’s that noticeable?”
He landed a small kiss on your head. “Yeah.”
There was nothing you could reply to that except, "I'm sorry."
"Why are you the one apologizing?" he replied while shaking his head. "I'm the one who's sorry."
After a while, Touya loosened his hold around you and, taking the cue, you also let go. Touya cupped your cheek with one hand and as you leaned into his touch, a contented sigh fell from your lips.
“I just have one question, Touya,” you asked.
“What is it?”
“This whole thing that you’ve prepared right now… is this meant to be an apology?”
Touya nodded. “Well, yeah. I figured that a simple ‘sorry’ wouldn’t be enough considering what I’ve done and put you through.”
You narrowed your eyes. “So why did you make me walk all over the city to get the flowers and the wine? Even intimidating people and adding clues and all that shit.”
A nasty smirk crept across his face and you knew that he had been definitely expecting you to pop that question.
“Well,” he began. “I’ve received word from my men—”
“The men that you’ve asked to stalk my house?” you interrupted snarkily.
“Yes, those men… wait, ‘stalk’? They weren’t stalking you. They were just on the lookout.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You sound unconvinced.”
“I am.”
Touya pouted. “Okay, fine. ‘Stalk’ might be too strong of a word. But okay, you could use that I guess.”
You rolled your eyes.
“Yeah, so, anyway. I had been informed by my men that you have been…” he paused, tilting his head as if trying to look for the right word to say. “…living a pretty inactive and unhealthy lifestyle for quite some time.”
You raised an eyebrow. “The fuck does that mean?”
“Like, you know… you rarely get out of your house outside of work and the food that you’ve been eating lately is, for the lack of word, disgustingly bad for your health.” He shook his head. “Don’t even try to deny it. I know you’ve been eating junk for dinner this past week.”
You recalled what the convenience store clerk told you earlier.
…he handed me this paper and told me to ‘give this to the girl who has been coming to your store every day this past week to buy cup noodles, a can of soda, potato chips, and an onigiri’.
“Touya!” you gasped. “You really have been stalking me.”
“I said it’s not stalking,” he protested with a laugh. “I was really just worried about you. Think of it as being part of my job."
“If you were that worried about me, then you should’ve checked on me yourself,” you rolled your eyes. The tone you used was light and half-hearted—the words you said only meant to be a joke—but Touya’s eyes lowered to the floor in what looked like to be sadness and shame.
“If only you knew how much I wanted to,” his voice suddenly softened. “But I was always too caught up in dangerous shit, so I figured it would be better to stay away from you at least until everything was over….”
“Hey,” you replied. “It’s okay. I understand now.”
Touya searched your eyes for assurance and when he was confident that the issue had been cleared, he allowed himself to smile.
“So given all of that,” he continued. “I thought that it would be a good idea to let you get a little bit of exercise.”
“Exercise,” you repeated in disbelief. “You made me walk around and bring loads of stuff so I could get exercise?”
A proud nod.
You made a face-palm gesture. “Touya, you really are fucking unbelievable.”
He replied with a toothy grin.
“But for the record, the reason why I had been living ‘a pretty inactive and unhealthy lifestyle’ is because I found it hard to find the energy and motivation for lots of stuff,” you explained.
“And that’s because I left without giving you a proper explanation and ghosted you for two months,” Touya added before pursing his lips. “And that’s why I’m taking responsibility for it.”
“By making me walk around and carry heavy stuff in the name of exercise?”
“By making you walk around and carry heavy stuff in the name of exercise.”
“It’s kind of a weird way to make up to someone, don’t you think?”
Touya smiled, shrugged, then pulled you closer to him. “But did it work?” he asked teasingly.
“Ha,” you laughed sarcastically before hugging him back. “I’ll let you know once the evening is done.”
Dinner came next.
Touya bowed as if he was a waiter as he led you to the table. You couldn't help but laugh as he dramatically pulled back a chair for you.
“What’s with the fancy setup? Candles, acoustic background music… and all these expensive-looking stuff on this table! How the hell did you manage to get these?”
“You would be surprised if you knew how many connections I have.”
Or rather, how many poor people he harrassed….
Touya then began lifting the cloches one by one, revealing an assortment of dishes. The food was obviously not what you would call luxurious based on culinary standards, but each of them was plated as if they were served in a fancy diner, and the aroma coming from them made your stomach churn in anticipation.
“Our course for tonight, mademoiselle,” he said cheerfully. He waved a poised hand over one dish. “We have tori katsu topped with our special creamy mayonnaise, Tonkatsu sauce, and black and white sesame seeds.”
You raised an impressed eyebrow but didn’t offer a response as he gestured to the next dish.
“We will also be having an assortment of sushi, and of course, to be eaten with soy sauce and wasabi.”
Sneaking a glance at Touya, you noticed the small smile on his lips. He was definitely enjoying this. You went along with the man’s enthusiastic and genuine role-playing–giving him polite customer-like responses.
The remaining dishes that Touya had prepared were yakizakana, tamagoyaki, simmered fried tofu and greens, and of course, a heaping bowl of white rice.
“And finally,” he grinned. “For our dessert, we have our delicious chocolate cake and red wine… brought to us by our very lovely guest herself.”
“Regrettably so,” you laughed and watched Touya pop open the wine before pouring an appropriate amount into each of your glasses. Before you could stop it, the thought of blood crossed your mind as you watched the red liquid swirl and settle into your wine glass, and instinctively, you glanced at Touya’s patched-up skin. It didn’t look as different as you remembered it to be, but it was also apparent that Touya had received several new injuries here and there.
You made a mental note to ask him about it later.
“Touya, perhaps the wine is a bad idea,” you said. “I’ve got work tomorrow and you know how much of a lightweight I am. Remember that time we drank in my house which ended with me drunk and bawling my eyes out to the movie?”
“I do remember that,” he replied. “But don’t worry, I promise to stop you before you could get wasted. Besides, it’s our reunion. The wine adds to the vibe, you know.”
Touya gave one final dramatic bow before sitting down across from you. “Now, shall we begin enjoying this feast? Especially you,” he said sternly. “You have to eat a lot.”
To your surprise, the dishes that you were currently feasting your eyes on were actually products of Touya’s experimentation and hard work. Just a few moments ago, he had been telling you about the amount of time he spent on the internet trying to figure out how to cook this and that and how many failed attempts occurred before he finally made a ‘decent enough’ dish.
“Touya…” you said as you inspected the food in front of you. “Are you sure this was the first time you’ve cooked something in your life?”
“Yes,” he said in slight embarrassment.
“And you made these by yourself?”
A sheepish blush grazed his cheeks. He looked away. “Well… I did ask a little help from one of my friends….”
“You guys cook?” you asked incredulously.
“Not me. But someone has to. Even people like us need to eat, you know.”
Okay. You realized how stupid your question was.
“But really, these look and smell amazing,” you clasped your hands together. “I’m having quite high expectations about the taste. It doesn’t seem to be the work of an amateur or a beginner.”
Touya waved a hand in mock humility. “Ah, please. Spare me your praises after you’ve actually tasted it.”
“Fine,” you laughed. “But before that, it should only be appropriate to make a toast, right?”
Both of you lifted your glasses from the table and raised them towards each other in the air.
“Uhh…” you began, unsure. “To us, I guess?”
“That’s how you make a toast? I don’t recall you being this lame.”
You scoffed. “Well, how about you make the toast?”
“Okay,” he cleared his throat. “To good food… uh… fateful reunions… and… a hopeful future?”
Cricket sounds for a few seconds before both of you burst out laughing.
“Okay, let’s not. We both suck at this.”
“Agreed,” Touya replied before both of you clinked glasses and took respective sips. The wine tasted way too good, and in an instant, you felt the tension in your body leave. Now that you were relaxed, you allowed yourself to sigh in contentment.
“Good, isn’t it?” Touya asked, referring to the wine.
“Yeah, but I can’t wait to try out the food. Itadakimasu!”
You picked up the chopsticks and reached for a piece of tori katsu before ungracefully shoving it into your mouth. Touya gripped his hands together, shoulders squared and rigid as he waited for your reaction. If you looked closely, you could even probably see a droplet of sweat running down his forehead.
You missed teasing the man, and so you feigned a grave and serious expression as you slowly chewed the food.
After a few more seconds, you swallowed and dabbed your mouth with a napkin.
“Well… how was it?”
“Hmm,” you replied curtly without looking at Touya. “Well, I must say… after several years working with various kinds of food as a professional chef in one of the known restaurants in our beloved city—”
A half-groan, half-whine. “Y/n….”
You cackled. “It’s good, Touya. Really good. The best thing I’ve actually eaten… not just tasted… in quite a while.”
Touya beamed. “You’re not being sarcastic?”
“I’m not being sarcastic.”
“Yes,” he whispered triumphantly and visibly relaxed. The smile on your lips grew even more at the sight. The thought of Touya hard at work in the kitchen, a mobile device by his side guiding him through the cooking process, and him taste-testing and swallowing his pride to ask for help from his friend made your heart soar. It was obvious that he put quite a lot of time and effort into it.
A pleasant twinge in your chest. The gaping hole was closing itself slowly.
“Touya, I have an important question.”
The man froze. “Yes?”
“Were you wearing an apron?”
He narrowed his eyes and looked as if he was considering the implication of your question. “If I tell you 'yes', what would you do?”
You giggled. “Nothing much. I’ll just save that piece of information for later purposes.”
“Well, aren’t you being suspicious?”
The conversation eventually shifted to a different topic, and several more. As you ate, you went from talking about anything and everything while also taking occasional sips from the wine. You talked about your work, the TV show you recently watched, pointers you would give to Touya about cooking, what you had been up to in the last months (which wasn’t a lot, actually), and how hard it was to deal with your emotions since that night. You even confessed to Touya how truly angry you had been at him, and the latter apologized profusely.
Touya, on the other hand, played the role of an active listener for most of the conversation. He smiled, nodded, gasped, reacted, and provided feedback to everything that you had said. It felt so good to finally talk to someone about what you had been going through lately and it felt even better because it was Touya who you were talking to. It was as if he never really left.
But despite that, there was something else that you wanted.
“How about you? What have you been up to lately?” you asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
Touya froze mid-bite and stared warily at you. His gaze wasn’t cold and stoic—instead, his eyes reflected an array of conflicting emotions clashing in an internal debate. He was figuring out how good of an idea it was to share his recent personal experiences with you. You held his gaze without wavering. Finally, he lowered his hand and cleared his throat.
“How much of it do you want to know?”
You paused for only a second. “As much as you would allow me to know, Touya.”
He sighed and leaned back into his chair. “Well… I’ve been helping out in several operations which, um, involved… uh….”
The man was struggling.
You leaned forward and smiled softly. “Don’t be scared to tell me.”
Touya glanced at you questioningly but nodded. “Okay. We… no… I led an attack on one of the Heroes’ operations bases. Our goal was to, first of all, shake their morale and leave a statement of what we were planning to do to the Hero Society.”
A pause.
“That was what my boss wanted to do, but really… my primary goal was to slowly leave my mark on my father’s new life. Like… I’ve been trying to drop hints that his failure son isn’t actually dead.”
“And how did you do that?”
Touya replied with a bitter smirk. “Well. If he didn’t recognize the power and intensity of his own son’s flames, then he must really be a shitty father, right?”
“Right,” you agreed. “Do you think you were successful, then? In letting your father know that you're still alive?”
“We won’t know yet until the heroes make their move,” he shrugged. “But we have an informant working with us right now, so we’ve been receiving information about their plans. It’s the one that I had been spying on back then in the restaurant you’re working at. I’ve also been busy keeping a close eye on him. Something about that man makes it hard for me to fully trust him.”
“You’ve never been the type to trust anyone, Touya.”
“Correct. And somehow, I trust you with my life.”
A totally unexpected answer. Your jaw went slack and your face reddened. Touya raised his eyebrow in that annoying way that he always does and laughed. “Oh no, did I catch you off guard there, y/n?”
“Y-you can’t blame me,” you argued weakly. “It’s your fault for saying shit like that out of nowhere.”
“Hmm, well it’s your fault for looking cute when you get flustered.”
“Okay, you can shut up now,” you said with a laugh. “I get it. You like me.”
This time, it was Touya’s face that reddened. You simply winked and cackled. But it was only then that you realized that the wine was slowly getting to you. Your sober self would have hesitated for even longer before spitting out those kinds of words.
Without looking at your glass, you reached out to pick it up and frowned when you realized that it was almost empty. You glanced at Touya and waved the wine-depleted item.
“What? You want more?”
You nodded. A small wave of dizziness washed over, but it wasn’t enough to knock you down yet.
Touya inspected you for a few more seconds. “Okay, but this is the last one. I think you’re about to hit your limit.”
You giggled as he poured more wine into your glass. “How many did I have?”
“That’s still your second glass.”
“Holy shit, I’m so weak,” you grimaced. “How many did you have?”
Touya emptied the bottle by pouring the remaining wine into his own glass. “Third. And now we’ve finished all of it.”
“We consumed all the food too,” you said, staring at your empty plate. “It’s been so long since I last pigged out like this.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed the dinner,” Touya chuckled and leaned back into his seat, raising his glass to his lips.
You trained your gaze on him and watched his every move. Touya stared right back at you over his wine glass and for a few seconds, only the mellow sounds of an acoustic guitar danced across the room as you and Touya silently battled each other in an unspoken gazing contest. Amidst your woozy point of view, you continued to peer at him through half-lidded eyes.
You didn’t mean to look seductive, but the brief yet intense flare in a pair of turquoise irises told you that Touya thought otherwise.
Brain buzzing, body heating up. You decided it might be a good idea to tease Touya now that you had alcohol-induced confidence.
Touya took a sip of his wine. You took a sip of yours.
Touya set the glass down on the table. You followed and set yours in front of him.
Touya tilted his head to the left. You mirrored the action and smirked.
Raising an intrigued eyebrow, Touya shifted in his seat. You slowly crossed your legs under the table, purposefully brushing his left leg in the process.
Touya’s eyes flickered downward. He cleared his throat. You feigned an innocent expression on your face.
“Y/n…” he said, voice low and taut. “What are you doing?”
“Hm? What am I doing? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Touya.”
“You’ve been copying what I’ve been doing since a while ago. Are you trying to mess—”
He trailed off as he watched you undo the top button of your blouse. “Ah, that feels better. The wine was making me start to make me feel hot,” you said in mock absent-mindedness.
The muscles on his jaw twitched. “—with me. You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
You pursed your lips innocently. “Now why would I do that? I’m simply looking at you.”
“Well. Stop doing that.”
“What? Stop looking at you?” you asked, and before Touya could respond, you shrugged and turned sideways in your chair, allowing Touya to see only your side profile.
You moved your hair away from one side of your neck and moved it to the other, exposing a vulnerable portion of your skin to Touya.
Without looking at him, you called out. “Happy?”
No response. Using the hand closest to the table, you picked up your glass and took a long sip.
“Oi, slow down, y/n,” Touya said, concern in his voice.
“I will if you’d let me look at you again.”
A sigh. “I never told you to stop looking at me in the first place. Come on, face me.”
You obeyed, but you had to grip your chair as you did so to keep you from falling over. You were sure that you were starting to get drunk now, but you tried your best not to show it to Touya.
You gave him a small smile.
“Why are you smiling?” Touya queried.
“Because you look so good.” The words left your mouth before you could think twice.
The man couldn’t help but bark out a laugh. “And this is how I know that you’re drunk already. You would never outrightly say that to me if you were sober.”
And he was right.
You didn’t even have the energy to provide an argument and you watched as Touya downed the remaining wine in his glass in one go. “All right,” he stood up and started walking towards you. “That’s enough for you tonight. There’s a bed upstairs. Don’t worry, the sheets are clean and new. I’ve been using this house as a hideout for two weeks now. You can sleep here and I’ll just bring you home tomorrow.”
You braced yourself for the feeling of Touya’s arms pulling you or lifting you up from the chair. You braced yourself for the wave of dizziness that would inevitably hit the moment you moved away from your seat.
But what you didn’t expect was the sudden burst of confidence that surged through you like a wildfire. A switch turned on from somewhere inside your body and without a second thought, you swiftly stood up from the chair and grabbed Touya by his tie.
His eyes widened. “Wha—”
Touya couldn’t finish his sentence as you suddenly yanked his tie, pulled him around, and pushed him down to the chair. He was able to keep his balance, thankfully, but the grunt he let out indicated that you had used too much force.
A confused expression painted his face, but Touya didn’t utter a word.
He watched you consume your wine in one go and slam the glass down on the table. He watched you lick your lips and let out a contented sigh. Still, in silence, he watched you twirl his necktie around one finger as you took slow, wobbly steps closer to him. But he could no longer watch quietly when you lifted your leg and straddled his lap.
Touya stiffened. “Y/n… what are you doing?”
Perhaps your ears didn’t pick up the question, or maybe your mind wasn’t able to process it correctly, but you ignored Touya and leaned closer to his neck.
“Are you wearing perrrfume?” you slurred. “You smell good, Touya….”
The man below you jolted and shifted. You were aware of the increase in his breathing as he spoke. “Yeah, I-I…. I’m wearing perfume….”
“Hmmm,” you mumbled. “It’s so unfair….”
“What’s unfair?”
“It’s unfair that you look and smell this good,” you replied. You leaned back and put some distance between your faces. Touya’s face was bright red, his jaw tight, and his irises shone a turquoise fire that seared into yours.
You glanced at his lips. You felt your own slightly part.
But alas, the wine was now in full effect, and you couldn’t stop yourself from swaying and losing balance. You let your head fall over Touya’s shoulder with a dull thud. You were facing sideways, and your lips made accidental contact with an exposed portion of his neck.
Instinctively, Touya raised his hands and held you by your waist. “Y/n? You okay?”
You hummed without lifting your head.
“Jeez,” he laughed. “You really overexerted yourself. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
Nodding in silent agreement, you tenderly wrapped your arms around Touya’s neck and drew yourself closer to him.
And as a result of the action, your body brushed against Touya’s clothed groin.
The grip on your waist suddenly tightened.
“Fuck,” came the whisper by your ear. Heavy breathing accompanied the sound and it took you a second to realize that you were also beginning to heat up even more.
“What’s wrong?” you asked, your body tingling from a sudden pleasure.
No verbal response. Both of you stayed seated as your fingers found the tips of Touya’s hair and began twirling them around and around your finger, and both of you stayed silent as Touya’s hands tottered around the hem of your blouse.
It was as if he was asking permission. You puckered your lips and laid a soft kiss on his neck. Touya took this gesture as a yes, and he let his fingers slip under your blouse.
Bare skin met bare skin. You couldn’t help the satisfied exhale that fell from your lips.
“Y/n….” Touya groaned. “This is dangerous.”
You planted another soft kiss on his neck. “Hm? What’s dangerous?”
Labored breathing. Small circles on the small of your back. Touya’s neck leaning sideways. More of his neck exposed.
Taking the opportunity, you began trailing more slow kisses on Touya’s uninjured skin. Meanwhile, his own fingers were lightly brushing your back, sending a tingling shiver up your spine.
His hands moved from around your lower back, slowly inching down towards your waist, briefly running down your thighs, and coming back up to grip you firmly on either side of the space just below your chest.
Without a warning, Touya harshly pulled your body closer to him, and your vulnerable area brushed past his again. You gasped and held onto his neck for support. Beneath you, Touya uttered an inaudible groan.
The tingling sensation coursed throughout your stomach. You found yourself aching for more.
After a few seconds, Touya relaxed his hands, allowing your weight to shift from his groin and back to his thighs. The tension between you briefly wavered, and it was also at this exact moment that you suddenly realized what you had been doing. It was like a bucket of cold water was splashed across your face.
You were sober in an instant.
“Oh no,” you breathed out, untangling your arms from Touya’s neck. The man was quiet and motionless aside from his heavy breathing.
Shit, is he mad?
You quickly moved to stand up and push yourself away from him. “Touya, I’m so sorry… it must have been the wine. I didn’t notice I was being too direct. I-I didn’t know what I was thinki—”
You were cut off by a sudden yank. A yelp escaped your mouth as Touya pulled you back into his lap and secured a firm grip on your waist. You could feel his fingers digging into your skin through the thin fabric of your blouse. You could feel his warm pants rubbing against you. Touya looked up at you—and there was a kind of ferocity in his eyes that made you feel scared, intrigued, captivated, and aroused all at once… it was a ferocity that you’ve never seen before.
It was a ferocity that turned you the fuck on.
A moment later, you felt Touya’s hand cup the back of your head.
“Just shut the fuck up and come here,” he said in a low voice, before pushing your head down and clashing his lips against yours.
It only took you a second to let the surprise take over and once it sunk in that Touya was locking lips with you, you returned the kiss with the same fervor. The prominent taste of wine on Touya’s tongue, the scent of his cologne and the waft of the candles, and the prickling heat cascading down the bottom of your abdomen all came together to create a dizzy, dream-like state inside your head. It was as if you didn’t even need to think anymore—your body knew exactly what to do and how to do it.
Touya exhaled through his nose as he lifted you up slightly, allowing you to readjust yourself in a more accessible position on his lap. Your hand snaked up to his nape—your fingers finding the tips of his hair and your mouth parting and gasping and silently begging for more.
Your hips also seemed to develop a mind of their own, suddenly moving forward and backward in slow, steady strokes against Touya’s clothed groin, which felt warm and hard under you. Back and forth, back and forth. Gasps and pants and heavy breathing. Tongues intertwining and hastily exploring each other’s taste. Your fingers left his nape and blindly reached out for his polo. After hastily loosening his tie, you undid the first two buttons and trailed a finger up and down his chest, making sure to hit only the uninjured portions of his skin.
“That’s good,” Touya whispered. “Grind on me like that.”
Touya’s nails dug into your skin and the sudden surge of pain that you felt prompted you to playfully bite his lower lip. He groaned into your mouth before breaking away. Your eyes locked into each other.
“Touya,” you breathed out. “Whose house did you say this was?”
“No one,” he replied. “But this has been my most recent hideout.”
“So there’s a bed?”
“So there’s a bed.”
An unspoken agreement.
And without another word, Touya leaned up to kiss you again as he grabbed both of your thighs before hoisting you up. He accidentally bumped into the table, but both of you paid no mind to the loud clatter of the dinnerware. Touya kept you wrapped around him as he continued to kiss you, not even needing to look where he was walking as he headed for the stairs.
“Touya,” you groaned in between kisses.
“Hang on, babe. We’re almost there.”
After a few more moments, Touya removed one hand from around you as he reached out to open a door. Cold wind immediately slapped against your skin, and you blinked your eyes furiously as they adjusted to the darkness of the room. The illumination here no longer came from candles. Instead, it was the bright radiance of the full moon that filtered through an open window, casting shadows of Touya and your body on the wall.
Touya quickly but gingerly laid you down on the thick, white sheets of his bed. He smoothly took off his suit jacket, dropped it on the floor, and removed his shoes. His sleeves had already been rolled up to his biceps, and his muscles flexed hypnotizingly as he moved around.
Occasional silver glints from the surgical staples around his arms. You took note of the areas where it was safe to touch him.
Then Touya hovered above you, both hands on either side of your head, as both of you caught your breaths.
You were well aware of how disheveled you must have looked right now. The strands of your hair were flying everywhere, some of them unattractively sticking to your forehead because of accumulated sweat. Your cheeks were flushed red, your eyes blown wide open, and your clothes were now wrinkled and open a few buttons here and there. Touya, on the other hand, looked even more appealing now that his tie had come loose around his neck and his already unruly hair became even more unkept. A few strands fell over his eyes, but they weren’t able to hide the turquoise gleam devouring your vulnerable and exposed appearance.
“Fuck,” Touya breathed out as he cupped a hand around your cheek. “How the fuck do you manage to look this good?”
You let out a breathy laugh. “You’re talking about yourself, Touya. Now shut up and kiss me.”
A nasty smirk. “As you wish, my princess.”
And he was kissing you again, but this time, it was no longer rushed and intense. Touya parted your lips with his tongue slowly, tenderly, confidently, and passionately. You responded with the same certainty and matched his gentle pace. It was as if you had all the time on your hands to explore each other and take in each other’s vulnerability. It was as if you were certain that neither of you would ever leave again.
But Touya suddenly did something that drove your body and mind back into a frenzy. He placed a hand on the space just below your breast, his thumb lightly hovering on top of your nipple. You deepened the kiss, hinting that you wanted him to really touch you there, but Touya made no move. You arched your torso towards him, but his hand still stayed there teasingly.
“Goddamit,” you hissed. “You’re so fucking annoying.”
A hearty chuckle. “Oh? Why is my princess angry? What is it that you want?”
Teasing time is over. I have no patience to wait for even one more second.
You grabbed Touya’s hand and shoved it against your clothed breast. “Touch me,” you demanded.
Smirking, the man nodded. “Okay. But this is in the way….”
Touya grabbed the fabric of your blouse and ripped it open, making buttons pop and exposing your skin to the cold air. You shuddered, not from the cold, but from the rippling pleasure.
Touya was about to move his hand towards your chest when you stopped him. He raised an eyebrow.
“This,” you said, pointing to your bra. “This is also in the way….”
The evil grin was back on his face. “Atta girl,” he said and adeptly unclasped your bra before throwing it to the floor.
Touya’s hands finally found your exposed breasts, occasionally running and pinching and pressing your nipples in a way that made you lose all sanity and control. You unabashedly moaned over and over and you found yourself tugging at Touya’s collar. Touya broke away to unbutton the rest of his polo and you watched, mesmerized, as he took it off and dropped it to the floor. Touya’s bare chest was, in all honesty, painful to look at. You inspected the bruises, cuts, botched skin grafts, and burn wounds that adorned the skin over lean muscles. At that moment, an overwhelming sadness threatened to envelop you and destroy the moment.
But Touya was quick to notice the shift in your mood, and he bent down once more to take in your breast with his mouth. You yelped out as his teeth lightly grazed your nipple.
“I don’t like what you’re thinking about, princess.”
“But—”
Touya cut you off by placing his knee against your crotch.
Another yelp. A needy gasp.
“No buts,” he murmured loud enough for you to hear. He grabbed the button of your jeans and unbuttoned it. “If I find you thinking about irrelevant things, I’m going to stop.”
Your mind was now in a frenzy, but you were able to at least understand Touya’s words. You nodded furiously.
Touya fully removed your jeans before slipping his fingers inside your underwear, his mouth not leaving your breast.
The moan that left your mouth was sinful.
“Mhm,” Touya groaned. “Wet. So fucking wet.”
“Touya,” you moaned, desperate. You couldn’t think of anything else aside from his fingers rubbing and fondling your most vulnerable and sensitive area. Touya then slipped a finger inside your vagina and began moving it in and out. You arched your body towards him and gasped out his name once again.
Touya grabbed your hand and directed it to the growing bulge in his pants.
“Touya, wait….”
A pause. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… like… is this… is your, um, area down there alright?”
A chuckle. “Don’t worry. You’re not going to hurt me here. No scars, no burns. My dick is fine, y/n.”
You almost choked from the directness of Touya’s answer. “O-okay. But I… I don’t know how….” you whispered urgently, suddenly conscious and embarrassed about your lack of experience.
“Relax, babe. I’m going to guide you.”
“Huh,” you breathed out. “Does that mean that you’ve tried this with someone else before, then?”
Touya stopped the movement of his fingers and mouth. He looked up at you with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
“Not with someone else, no. I’m going to teach you how to touch me the way that I touch myself whenever I think of you.”
Holy fuck, what an answer. You didn’t bother hiding the impressed grin on your face.
You sat up and pushed Touya lightly towards the bed, so now you were on top of him. You rested your legs on either side of him and the man’s encouraging smirk gave you the confidence that you needed. Touya guided your hand to the button of his jeans, and without hesitation, you undid it and tugged down the zipper. In a rush, you yanked the clothing down to his ankles and Touya kicked them off to the side of the bed.
You stared at Touya, trying to catch your breath. Your mouth suddenly went dry.
Touya’s dick was, for the lack of words, massive. Suddenly, you thought that you couldn’t do it after all.
“Don’t hesitate,” he breathed out. “Come. I’m sick of waiting.”
You bit your lower lip, nodded, and came closer to him. Touya gently pushed several rebellious strands of your hair to one side of your neck.
“Use your hand and mouth,” he instructed patiently.
You obeyed, wrapping one hand around the shaft and wrapping your lips around the tip.
A long exhale. “Good. Now move slowly. Up and down.”
You did as you were told. Although you were pleasuring Touya, the stimulation that you felt was also intense. You could feel the bottom of your stomach knot itself in pleasure and you resisted the urge to bring your own finger to your soaked panties.
Bobbing your head up and down, stroking Touya’s dick slowly, and listening to the man’s huffs and moans and occasional instructions… you couldn’t think of anything else aside from the man in front of you.
“Grip it more firmly.”
“A little faster now….”
“Tongue, give me your tongue.”
“Ah, there. There feels fucking good.”
“Can you take all of it into your mouth, babe?”
You paused and looked at him. If you were honest with yourself, you couldn’t imagine yourself being able to handle the task without failing and embarrassing yourself. But the way Touya looked right now—pleased, flushed red, panting, and painfully desperate for more, made you want to do it despite the daunting endeavor.
You nodded. Touya smiled in approval.
And without giving yourself time to back out, you bent over and slowly took his entire dick into your mouth. It hit the back of your throat, and you tensed your entire body, focusing on not vomiting your guts out.
You made a muted choking sound. Touya groaned in pleasure.
The pain and uneasiness only lasted for a few seconds. When you felt that you were good to go, you continued deepthroating Touya. You started slow and steady, all the while focusing on not throwing up because holy shit, his dick is large, before eventually finding the confidence to increase the pace. Tears formed at the corner of your eyes and snot began collecting inside your nose, making it hard for you to breathe, think, and hear anything else except the pounding in your chest and Touya’s occasional sounds of satisfaction.
Then, Touya suddenly leaned up and stopped you with his hand on your cheek.
“You did so fucking good, babe,” he said, wiping the tears away from your face tenderly. You sniffed and gave him an embarrassed laugh.
“You think so? Did it feel better than when you did it by yourself?”
Touya flipped you over and pushed you down to the bed, hovering above you once again. You watched as he hooked a finger around the band of your underwear. The piece of clothing was already drenched by now, and your vagina was throbbing dully. Your heart raced in anticipation when you realized what he was going to do next.
A mischievous smile. “Without a doubt,” he said.
Then, Touya pushed the garment aside and finally shoved his dick into you.
You gasped out loudly, black spots appearing at the corners of your vision as you pushed your head deeper into the bed. Touya also remained still for a moment, his eyes closed and mouth pursed together as both of you waited for the initial wave of pain and suddenness to subside.
“You alright? Does it hurt?” he asked after a few seconds.
Relaxing, you nodded. “I… I’m fine now. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
He nodded too. “Okay. I’ll start moving.”
And moving he did. You didn’t know if this was Touya’s first time, nor did you want to break the moment by asking him, but Touya was a god in this stuff. He knew exactly how fast or slow to move, how hard or soft each thrust should be, and he knew how to read and interpret the pants and moans and gasps you made. Your hands flew to his nape, pulling him closer for a kiss, and when he broke away, Touya lifted one of your legs and rested it on his shoulder.
The position was crazy. You could feel the remaining sanity in your mind slip away.
“Touya… Touya,” you moaned again and again.
“Y/n,” he breathed out in response, eyes shut tight in concentration. “Fuck… those two months away from you felt too long… I shouldn’t have left you all alone.”
“I’m glad you also feel that way,” you managed to squeak out. “But now I’m here. And you’re here. So fuck me, Touya. Fuck me like you’re afraid you’re going to lose me again.”
Touya’s lips parted in surprise for a moment, but his usual smirk returned just as quickly. “Well, well. I believe it’s safe to assume that this is the first time for both of us, but somehow, it seems like you’re more experienced than I am.”
Without waiting for a response, Touya slammed into you harder than before. You gasped out and grabbed the sheets around you for support.
You could see stars in your eyes. Touya straight up sent you to the fucking solar system with one thrust.
Touya was now moving faster and harder, and it took all of you not to scream out his name and let the entire city know that you were getting the shit railed out of you in a villain’s hideout in the middle of the night. You snuck a glance at the staples holding Touya’s skin together, briefly fearing that they might pop open because of how furiously Touya was moving.
You bit your lip until it drew blood. Touya bent over and licked the droplet away.
The man didn’t move away, allowing your faces to be only a few inches apart from each other. You raised a hand and cupped his cheek softly.
“Touya… I think I’m close,” you whimpered.
“Got you, babe. I’m almost there too,” he replied in between grunts. “I’m going to give it all I’ve got, alright?”
“Okay.”
And then Touya let his head fall on your shoulder as he gripped your waist tighter, slamming in and out of you like there was no tomorrow. Grunts met moans, heavy breathing met heavy breathing. Skin rubbed against skin, borders and barriers now lowered to allow vulnerability and nakedness to collide.
Pleasure and pain complementing each other, climax meeting climax.
“Touya,” you gasped out in urgency. And at the same time, Touya gave one last thrust as he came undone inside of you with a shaky grunt.
You involuntarily shuddered and sighed.
Fuck. What an amazing first time.
When you got over the high, Touya allowed himself to collapse on top of you. Your head was swimming, but you were sober as hell now. Both of you stayed silent and motionless for several moments as you focused on catching your breaths. Your legs ached, your entire body was on fire, and your lips were sore. There was no way you could go to work tomorrow in your condition. That thought suddenly made you laugh out loud.
Touya craned his neck to look at you. “What’s funny?”
You giggled. “I just realized that ever since I met you, I’ve been skipping work more often.”
“Well,” Touya laughed. “You should’ve known already that I was a bad influence, y/n.”
“No,” you shook your head and raised a hand to stroke his hair. “I think you’re good for me.”
A pause. Then Touya sighed and took your hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss it. “You think so?”
“Yeah,” you sighed back. “I mean, you’ve made me lose all the body fat I’ve accumulated for two months in just one night.”
Touya let out a hearty laugh. The sound of it made your heart soar, and you found your mouth pulling itself upwards into a smile.
Touya made you happy. You were now a hundred percent sure of that—and you knew that the future with him was going to be dangerous and constantly teetering at the line between life and death. But the time you had spent with Touya made you realize that you were more terrified of the idea of not seeing him… of not being able to know what he was up to and not being able to be there for him.
To tend to his wounds. To see his face light up with a bowl of hot soup after a long day. To tell him about all the movies and songs you discovered. To listen to him laugh. To hold him in your arms as he lays down the burdens and secrets he’s been keeping for so long.
You had no idea what would exactly happen if you stayed with Touya. But you were more than fine with that. No matter what would come between you, you knew you could make it work. You just had to be sure that Touya was also on the same page.
“What are you thinking about?” Touya’s soft voice broke your reverie.
You paused for a second. “You’re not going to leave me again, right?”
Touya propped himself on one elbow and smiled down at you. He brushed your hair out of your face and shook his head. “I’m staying. I figured I could protect you better when you’re close to me.”
The assurance felt nice and true. You returned his smile. “You could teach me some badass fighting moves while you’re at it.”
“Ha, and you could teach me how to cook better.”
You grinned. “Alright, that’s a deal.”
Touya slowly leaned down to seal your agreement with a kiss, but a sudden loud beep beep sound coming from below the house interrupted the moment. Both of you tensed and looked at each other in confusion.
“Wha—”
“I think that’s the fire alarm,” you said, and Touya’s eyes widened in realization.
“We didn’t put out the candles?” he gasped. You shook your head furiously.
“FUCK.”
In an instant, you and Touya were out of the bed and rushing down the stairs, fully naked and wobbling on your feet. You arrived at the living room a few seconds after him and saw the candle knocked over on the table, causing the tablecloth to catch fire.
Your mind swirled. That must have happened when Touya bumped into the table earlier.
It was only a small fire, thankfully, and Touya was able to extinguish it quickly. You rushed to the fire alarm to disable it. The beeping sound ceased and it was silent once again.
You glanced at Touya. Touya glanced at you. And both of your eyes flickered down to your exposed and naked bodies before bursting out in laughter.
“We could have died, Touya,” you said in between wheezes.
“I know. I lost my jaw at Sekoto, I could’ve lost my dick here, too.”
The laughing didn’t stop until Touya had to physically cover your mouth with his hand to avoid alerting nearby people of your presence.
Yep. You really weren’t sure what the future with Touya would hold. But hell, you were so up for the crazy ride.