One of these things is Not Like the Other

Their date had gone well.

This wasn't a one-time thing, either - Elly and Hizashi almost always had fun together. They had been officially a couple for almost a year now, no longer the headlines and top subject of online gossip. Which was a good thing, because tonight they wound up in his room at the dorm, tumbling onto his bed in a tangle of arms, legs and one striped tail.

It was going well until she got too close to an insecurity of his.

Her hands caressed his chest, lingering, petting gently. His breathing quickened for more than one reason, and when she tugged on the bottom to loosen it from his slacks, he jerked back.

Elly stared at him, purple eyes wide with hurt at the apparent rejection. "Zashi?"

"Uh. S'okay." His brow creased in a light frown and he tugged on the shirt he was wearing in apprehension. "Uh, I just ...we don't need to undress?"

Her face clouded further. "Oh. We don't have to do this if you don't want to. I thought that by now it would be okay. I didn't mean to, um. I'm sorry." Hizashi felt her body grow tense in his arms and she pulled away. She took a deep breath and lifted her chin, her expression firming. "Well, hey!" She said with forced cheerfulness as she stood. "We've got school tommorow, so I'd better go get some sleep. See you!"

He tried to say something - anything -- but his throat was squeezed tight with nerves and regret. He waved meekly instead, then swore at himself the moment the door clicked shut behind her.

He really wanted her.

But how could he let her know the reason behind his reluctance for her to touch or see him? Once she knew, she would say it wouldn't matter and of course it would. He didn't want to lose her, but his body, well... it would disappoint if not disgust her. He'd turned her down countless times already, afraid of letting her see the real him. But he saw now he risked losing her from his constant rejections anyway. Hizashi closed his eyes and groaned loudly. The least he could do was text her goodnight.

Mic: Hey beautiful, sorry about that. I know I keep backing away but it's this body issue I have

Mic: It's not you

Hizashi waited anxiously, resisting the urge to send a third text.

Ches: Zashi, I'm a therapist. I understand, it's okay. Thanks for letting me know! We'll talk later. G'night ♡

He blew air out in semi-relief. At least she didn't think he hated her or something. The bit about "talking later" made him nervous, but he ignored that for now and tapped a message back.

Mic: Night ♡♡♡

"Later" came sooner than he preferred, after school the very next day. It was pretty quiet at the teacher's dormitory, so they retired to his room to talk. Hizashi sat on his bed while she nervously walked around in small circles.

"I'll get right to it," she murmured.

"Okay." He gulped.

Elly forced herself to stop pacing and took a deep breath, looking him in the eyes. "If you're asexual or anything else, I want you to know it doesn't matter to me. I love you." Her voice wavered a little and a tear slipped down her cheek as she continued, "but if you don't at least have romantic feelings towards me, we should end this."

Hizashi felt like an ass for causing her so much pain. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down to him in a fierce embrace. "God, baby, no! I'm so sorry, don't cry. I love you, I really, really do." His quirk caused the air around them to throb with a low pulse they both felt. It was rather soothing, and he kissed her forehead and did it again when he repeated himself. "I love you."

She whimpered, and he realized how much she had been holding back. "Thank god. I - I don't want to even think of my life without you in it."

"Oh," he choked. "Me too. S'why I didn't talk to you before. I don't wanna lose you!"

"So ...so what's wrong? If you want to tell me, that is. I'd like to know, but if it's difficult you can have as much time as you like. I don't want to force you."

Hizashi sighed. "I keep pushing you away 'cause I'm - well, I'm not gonna look like you expect."

"What?"

"My body," he clarified. "I, uh." He lifted the hem of his shirt with a grimace, bracing himself for her gasp of dismay.

Elly sounded confused. "Um, sweetie, I'm not sure what you're telling me to look at. It's just your chest."

He blinked, his red glasses slipping on his nose. "The scars? I mean, see? Here... and here, and -"

"This?" She reached out and gently traced the ridged flesh above his navel. "This is what's been bothering you?" Now she was clearly baffled.

"But they're so ugly."

She trembled as she took in the expanse of pale skin he had gone through so much trouble to hide from her for so long. "You're a Pro Hero. It'd be weird if you didn't have scars. I've got some, too, and Hizashi, it doesn't matter. You're still handsome as hell." Her fingers lightly grazed another, older scar.

"Wha-a-a?" He scoffed, mustache wriggling as he frowned harder. He shook his head then, as she gave him a reproachful look. "Okay, okay. You said it. I believe you think that, but it's hard to really-really convince myself. Other people haven't been kind," he added lamely.

Elly winced at his mention of others and obvious mental pain. "Those idiots didn't deserve you," she hissed angrily. "You're gorgeous."

"Wh - what're you doin'?!" He blinked his eyes open wide, scrambling backwards on the bed until he was flat against the wall. She climbed over his long legs, her tail swishing slowly back and forth.

"I want to see you."

He sighed and removed his glasses. "Here, babe. Put 'em on the nightstand. I ain't gonna fight ya, but the scars - there's a lot. They touch me up whenever I get in magazines and shit like that for a reason."

"Magazines make everyone look fake. I like the real you." Gentle hands not only lifted his red shirt but removed it entirely, tugging carefully over his head. Hizashi ducked out of instinct, and it pulled easily off. Once his chest was bare, he laid back and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. There were no exclamations of disgust, however, and she didn't ask him to put his shirt back on. Instead he felt a warm kiss as she pressed her lips to his throat. He was amazed she even knew there was one there, faint as it was and covered with concealer. When he was younger, his neck gear had exploded and burnt a ring around his throat that was mostly gone except that small part. The speakers had gotten a serious upgrade after that - the support staff misjudged his power -- and it never happened again, though the one mark remained.

"Wh - what're you doing?"

Elly looked up at him through half-lidded eyes but didn't say a word. She moved down and softly kissed the ragged strip across his left pectoral, gotten while rescuing children out of an over turned bus. Moved over and traced the thin line over his right nipple, and further, further down, always slow and sweetly loving. His body stayed tense for a few minutes, but it simply felt too good. Instead of bucking away, he found himself arching into her caresses, yearning for her fingers and hot tongue.

"O - okay," he panted roughly, squirming madly and dislodging the leopard print sheets underneath him. "I get it. I get it... ahh, shit, what, ya gonna do them all? I've got too many!"

"Yes," she said firmly. "I'm going to do them all. Every single one."

He blinked, then gasped loudly as she unzipped his pants. They had never gone this far before, and his heart felt like it was going to hammer straight out of his chest. "Sh - shit, wait -!"

"Just be quiet, sweetie."

He laughed at the irony in that statement, his eyes rolling back in his head as she licked a rough strip of flesh on his inner thigh. "At least lemme take my boots off."

"Be my guest." Elly nodded, and he unbuckled them with lightning speed, shoving his pants down as well. For the first time he lay completely exposed save for a pair of red boxer-briefs that were stretched tightly across the front. It was the most vulnerable he had been in a long time, and, though he trusted her, the past was hard to let go of.

"Well, uh, now you can see the worst." He bit his lower lip, blushing, but she only smiled and kissed the burn mark on his lower belly. His skin twitched, but he remained calm.

She was still not turned off.

She kissed and caressed, her hands and lips loving him as he truly was. Hizashi felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from him. Freed from his mental block, his body surrendered completely to her touch and he was forced to cram a hand against his mouth to try and stifle the cries bubbling up from within. She paused, and with the most impish grin he'd seen requested he flip over.

"What?"

"Turn around, please," she repeated. "I haven't done your back."

"But baby," he started to protest, but she shook her head.

"No, Hizashi. I said all of them."

He whined and flopped around to lay on his stomach. "M'not gonna last," he complained. "Ahhh, god, your mouth!"

"Nmm. There's not so many here," she murmured. "It won't take long."

"I'm not gonna take long!" His tortured erection was trapped between his briefs and the mattress, the friction incredible.

"Mm hmm." She mouthed a spot between his shoulder blades and he whimpered, trying not to rub himself on the bed. "Let go, Zashi," she whispered in his ear. "Don't hold back."

"But - but you haven't..."

"You dear, sweet man," she breathed with a catch in her voice. "It's okay to put yourself first sometimes." Elly leaned lower, her breasts pushing softly on his bare back as she nibbled his earlobe. "I want to give you this."

Faced with so many pleasurable touches and listening to her turned on voice husking directly into his ear, he gave up. He stuffed his face into the pillow, muffling his moans as he bucked his hips, rubbing off against the soft bed. It didn't take long; he had told the truth about being pushed to his limit.

"Mfft!"

She smiled and kissed the nape of his neck as he slowed down. "I love all of you."

Hizashi turned his head to reveal he was red-faced and sweaty, his eyes whirling with emotion. "I totally believe that."