<b>Turdburglr27</b>: <i>Is Present Mic gay</i>?
<b>GroundGremlin</b>: <i>NO</i>
<b>Turdburglr27</b>: <i>He could be, geez</i>
<b>GroundGremlin</b>: <i>He shows no signs of being gay</i>
<b>Turdburglr27</b>: <i>He also hasn't shown signs of being straight</i>
<b>GroundGremlin</b>: <i>He literally was just seen with Midnight at a school festival, you moron</i>
<b>Turdburglr27</b>: <i>So</i>? <i>They work together</i>
<b>GroundGremlin</b>: <i>He also works with a TON OF guys and how come he wasn't with one of them</i>?
Hizashi grimaced and set his phone down. "For fuck's sake, now they're arguing on Twitter about whether I'm gay while others say we're dating."
Kayama tittered faintly. "Does that bother you?"
"Of course it does! We're not dating, ugh!"
"Yes, but we <i>were</i> seen together at the festival." She sighed, covering her mouth as it turned into a yawn. "Honestly, you think my fan base would know I've got better taste than that."
"Hey!"
"What? Gonna argue? Your girlfriend is already pissed."
Hizashi frowned, confused. "You know I'm single, yo."
"<i>Really</i>? What about Cheshire?"
He staggered backwards, arms shooting up. "<i>Whaaaaat</i>? Are you nuts?!"
Aizawa snorted from where he sat beside his friend. He shot him a look but he said nothing.
"You two are pretty inseperable," Toshinori added unhelpfully.
"But - we're not - "
Kayama scoffed, waving her hand airily about as she walked over to the vending machine to get a drink. "You may as well be. You two don't get press but you're always together."
Stunned, Hizashi looked out at a row of teachers all nodding in agreement. "What!"
"Maybe that's why she's upset."
"What, because the press doesn't care about them?"
"Hnf." Aizawa snorted louder and finally glanced over his laptop at the others. "They would, if they were seen as their hero personas."
"Yeah," Kayama agreed. "He's always primping all casual with <i>her</i>. And she hides her features with her quirk."
"But -" The Voice Hero spluttered wildly, hands outstretched on the desk and his sunglasses slipping down his nose. "That's bogus, yo! I don't -"
"Not to mention the flirting." Hizashi spun around, amazed at the newcomer's take. Nezu walked around the desk area with his paws behind his back and a knowing grin. "Those two are always making eyes at each other, are they not?"
"We are?" Now he was more than confused; his tone betrayed complete and utter bafflement. "But - but we're not - wait. <i>Wait, Kayama, did you say she's pissed</i>?!"
"She left for the gym a long time ago. Go see for yourself!"
Elly gripped the climbing wall with her claws and pulled herself up, snarling under her breath. She'd been at the gym for hours, swimming, lifting weights and tearing into practice dummies so hard one had to be retired.
There were so many photos. So, so many.
<i>But what about</i>us? <i>Don't we go out a lot, too</i>? <i>Am I not good enough</i>?
In one, he had his arm slung casually around the dark-haired woman and they were laughing.
<i>Of</i> course <i>they're laughing, they're friends, you idiot</i>!
Still, what if..?
<i>I</i> know <i>I'm not good enough for him</i>.
"I don't need to see that kind of shit and I don't want to think about it!" She ran up so quickly she ripped some chunks out of the plaster, snarling with fury.
As a therapist, she knew jealousy was an instinctual response when one was feeling threatened. She also knew it wasn't a failing if handled properly, and her gym session was an effort to get the fury out before it could fester and hurt anyone.
It wasn't rational - she didn't <i>own</i> him, nor did she want to. But the sick, angry alarm bell going off in her mind as she thought of him with another woman refused to be erased.
It didn't have to be a real circumstance like this last one, either. She often caught glimpses of fanart or obviously doctored photos online that enraged her as well.
Those that originally tried to talk to her spread the word that she was <i>not</i> to be disturbed. A lesser-known hero stayed at the door to advise others as they came in, and he was the one to speak to Hizashi as he entered.
"Hey, man - you <i>don't</i> want to bother Cheshire right now. She'll claw your face off."
"Nah, man. Thanks, but she won't hurt me."
"Suit yourself." The man shrugged. "I warned you."
Hizashi raised his eyebrows, whistling lowly. He could hear the snarls before he even opened the door and it was terrifying. She sounded like some sort of wild cat in a nature documentary, and he briefly wondered if he <i>would</i> be okay. He gulped a little and turned the handle.
"What're you doing, Ches?"
She thought she was hearing things at first.
<i>He's busy, there's no reason for him to break his routine and come here. You're imagining shit</i>!
"I know ya heard me."
Elly hissed with shock and slid down the wall, leaving long, deep grooves as she descended. "Mic?!"
Yes, it was definitely him. He stood with one hand on his hip, eyebrows raised as he watched her carefully. "Yeah. C'mere."
Once her feet were on the ground, she tore her gloves off so she wouldn't have access to the clawed tips. "Uh, what's wrong? Why are you here?"
"Heard you were losin' yer shit," he drawled comically. "I should be asking <i>you</i> what's up."
"Oh. It's nothing. I need to work something out, that's all." She flicked her ears, trying to sound calmer than she felt.
Hizashi gave her a squinty-eyed look. "Nuh uh, kitty," he snorted. "It's not nothing. Tell me."
This time she backed away a step. "Mic, it's nothing. Really."
He crossed his arms, his lips thinning into a line. "Don't'cha trust me?"
"No! No, I mean I do, shit! I just... <i>can't</i>!" The rage returned, breaking free from her calm facade. "I don't wanna talk to you, okay!"
"Fine," he snapped. "If you don't wanna talk, let's fight. Practice ground alpha -"
"I don't want to fight you, either!" Her expression was so stunned by his suggestion that his own frustration melted away.
"You're scaring everybody," he said in a gentler tone. "We can go somewhere we can really let loose on campus. Call it sparring, you know, instead of... whatever this is."
"I don't <i>wanna</i> call it <i>anything</i>!" She screamed. It was too difficult to listen to him being so kind and caring.
<i>You're</i> not special <i>to him. You're causing too much trouble. He doesn't care about you, just stopping your anger because it frightens others. Maybe it frightens</i> him.
"I <i>want</i> to stop feeling so gross!" Elly slammed a fist into the wall hard enough to break skin and he moved swiftly, grasping her wrist and pulling her firmly but gently away.
"Stop that!" Hizashi checked the hand and saw it was only a thin scrape. "Thank fuck you didn't do more damage. Still, that's it, you're comin' with me." He lifted her off her feet in one scoop of his arms.
Elly squeaked in shock, but after a pause started flailing around again. "What the hell are you doing?! Put me down!"
"Nuh uh." He snorted and shifted his grip, pulling her closer against him as he grabbed her gloves and strode purposefully out of the gym. The others watched with relieved sighs as he stormed off.
Although she could have fought harder, she did not. Like she said, her rage wasn't directed at him and he was holding her tight, his arms warm and strong. That caused her to stutter helplessly, her actions belying her words as her tail lashed wildly about in confusion.
"You can't just grab me like this!"
"I can if you're hurting yourself."
"You're abducting me, for fuck's sake!"
He snorted and swerved to avoid a concrete pillar in the garage as she reached out to grab it. His voice dropped low while he marched resolutely to his car. "Don't go there, babe. I'm <i>not</i> gonna let you tear yourself up because yer jealous."
"I never said I was jealous!"
"Oh?" He paused to lift her around, staring deeply in her eyes while he held her at arm's length like the very angry cat she was. "Aren't you?"
"Why would you think that?!"
"Kayama suggested it." He watched her closely as he spoke the name and sure enough, Elly's body went rigid and she bared her fangs in a snarl. "That sounds about right to me. Still gonna argue?"
She glared at him but didn't say anything.
"We're goin' to my place above the agency and work on getting you chilled the fuck <i>out</i>." He opened the passenger door of his mustang and bundled her inside. "Stay there," he told her firmly before he walked around to join her.
"Now what?" She grumbled after he sat in the driver's seat and turned to face her.
"Now you need to take a deep breath and try not to claw my seat to bits."
"I won't fuck up your car, Mic," she snapped. Then, softer, "I know how much you love it."
"Do you?" Hizashi frowned, then reached out to lay one leather-gloved hand on her arm. "I guess you do. We know a lot about each other."
"I guess so."
"Uh huh." He dug his key out of a jacket pocket and slipped it into the ignition. "But I still don't get why you were so angry today. I mean, it doesn't make sense."
Elly groaned loudly. "I can't stand thinking about you with other women, okay?!" She squirmed as far away from him as she could, pressing against the window as the truth burst out. "It's stupid, but it <i>hurts too bad</i>! I'm broken and shitty and I just needed some <i>time</i> to work things out like all the other times but no-o-o-o ," she drawled this sarcastically, "you needed to help."
"Ches."
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm a terrible friend. I know that. I try so hard, but you - you fill something in me that I need so badly and I never thought I'd find."
"Babe," Hizashi stressed a little harder.
"And now that's it, I guess. I fucked up everything."
"<i>Babe</i>! Look at me, yo. Geez."
She took a deep breath and steeled herself.
"You didn't screw anything up. Really." His eyes were kind as he stroked a wayward lock of purple hair back from where it was stuck on the wetness on her cheek.
"Jealousy is a negative emotion," she said flatly. "Giving in to it is seen as, ugh, as much as I hate to say it, a 'red flag'."
"Now you know that's not always true. Besides, ya never brought this up, <i>I</i> chased you down. What happened all the other times?"
"Got it out of my system," she admitted grudgingly. "I don't want to hold you back. I want you to be happy."
He let out a gusty sigh. "I will be happy, if you freakin' listen." He shrugged. "I know you're a shrink, yeah -"
"Mic," she chided gently.
"Sorry." He grinned a little. "I was teasing. But some of us can't be fixed, it's <i>really</i> hard, life is busy..." The Voice Hero dropped his tone another notch, speaking softer than she'd ever heard him. "It's not wrong to want. It's not wrong to feel shitty when you think your want is unachievable."
Elly's ears folded back into her hair. "Yeah. I find him at last, and then - then, well, you can't force things. It's okay. I knew from the start, anyway."
He raised his eyebrows. "You knew what?"
"I knew you'd never see me that way."
"Hmm. What way?"
"Oh my god, you know what I mean! I'm not going to humiliate myself further today. Nope. Not happening." She crossed her arms and glared straight ahead out the window.
"You're right," he told her solemnly. Elly heard the creak of leather as he shifted in the driver's seat but didn't look; she couldn't bear to.
<i>He said I was right. He'll never see me the way I do him</i>. She choked a little despite her tough act. That was really rough to hear although she'd expected it.
"I <i>meant</i> you're not gonna humiliate yourself any more today," he clarified, his soft voice close to her ear. She jumped and turned slowly, gasping when they bumped noses. Hizashi's golden eyes were half-lidded and a small, slow smile curved his lips. They stared into each others' eyes for a long moment, his half-lidded and hers wider than wide.
"Hey, Cheshire! You left your gym bag - oh." A small woman with goat horns and three eyes paused when she saw the two so close together. "Sorry! Here you go." She dropped the bag and dashed back to the safety of the entrance.
Elly stared numbly after her, her mind racing as fast as her heart as she tried to make sense of everything. She popped the door and drew her bag inside to set at her feet.
Hizashi chuckled. "Good, now you have your stuff." He turned the key and slowly backed out of the space. "Anyways, like I was saying. We might be broken, but our parts fit together. See, you want to <i>be</i> wanted and I want someone <i>to</i> want me. We can heal each other, yeah? Yeah? Make each other better."
"What you're describing is a dependant relationship."
"So what," he replied, unruffled. "So I depend on you and you, me. The bad kind is where it's one-sided, right?"
She nodded somewhat reluctantly. "Yes, but -"
"You're not gonna talk me out of this, yanno." He looked out through the windshield, his eyes lost in thought for a moment. "That's what you're tryn'a do, isn't it. Push me away, 'cause you think I'm going to leave."
"I -" Elly sighed, dropping her head to stare at her hands in her lap. "Maybe. But what if - what if you don't, if they were all right and I'm..." She drifted off, not knowing how to put her past trauma into exact words.
"What if I'm too clingy?"
"Wha..?" She blinked, turning to see him gripping the wheel with both hands, so tightly his exposed knuckles were white.
"What if you think I'm obnoxious after we start spendin' more time together?"
He opened his mouth to say more but she cut him off with a quick, "I get it, Mic. I don't see you like that at all."
"Yeah. But I do."
"Uh huh."
They drove in silence for awhile after that.
Hizashi's agency was deeper in the city but a fairly fast drive. As he was parking she began to get more nervous, shaking and unable to stop worrying she might screw things up. Hizashi noticed after he got out and popped her door open. She made no move and stared at the dashboard, her eyes a million miles away, until he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, Ches. It's gonna be okay."
She jumped guiltily, ears pinning back. "Wh - oh! Am I that transparent?"
"Not usually, no. But you had a tough day, baby." He pocketed his keys and helped her out. "You're off a bit. No worries, though! We can party all weekend now!"
"You've always got work -"
He shook his head. "I called and got some time off just for you, babygirl."
"<i>You</i> took time?" Elly's ears laid on either sides of her head, giving her a comical look as she stared up at him. "The busiest man I've ever known took time off?" They stepped into the elevator and he pushed the button for the hero suites above the agency.
"For you, yes." He gestured grandly for her as the doors opened, and walked beside her to his door. "Although I gotta admit, it'll be nice to do whatever and not have a schedule for once."
"And what does 'whatever' mean right now?"
"A shower," Hizashi stated very firmly as he opened the door. "I need to be <i>clean</i> and let my hair down." He gestured at the huge plume atop his head with one hand as he hung up his jacket with the other. "Literally!"
<i>A shower. He'll be in there, naked... oh my god. Naked and wet, rubbing soap all over his body -</i>
He squinted earnestly at her, one of his eyes wide and the other a barely-open slit. Hizashi normally utilized this stare when he was intimidating someone, but it sometimes slipped out when he was feeling cocky. When she wobbled a little, a blush spreading quickly across her cheeks, he added a grin that grew more wicked as he spoke. He knew what she was thinking. "Wouldn't a shower feel good after all that workin' out?"
Elly couldn't stop staring at his chest. She'd seen him wearing a t-shirt before, but he usually layered with a long-sleeved one that partially covered it. Hizashi's white shirt was thicker but tight, clinging to his body enough that without the jacket she could clearly see that his pectoral muscles were very defined with the hint of nipples tugging at the cloth...
"<i>Hey</i>, now. My eyes are up here, baby."
She jumped, embarrassed. With a mighty effort she managed to tilt her head but then found herself staring directly into those beautiful golden spirals. "That's not any better," she choked, reaching out a shaky hand to steady herself against the door. "Your eyes are too much."
Hizashi blinked once, surprised. "Wha?"
She steeled herself, knowing she'd already said too much so might as well go all in. "Your eyes are gorgeous," she said weakly. "You keep looking at me like that and I'm going to faint."
"Oh?" This time they widened as he got the gist of what she was saying. "<i>Ohhh</i>?"
Elly swooned; she couldn't help it. He caught her almost automatically, his arms closing around her in an instant.
"Hey," he murmured, concerned. "You okay? You didn't just like, pass out 'cause of <i>me</i>, right?" He pulled her closer to him. "R - right? That's like, only in cheesy romance books 'n stuff?"
"I guess it happens," she sighed dreamily.
"Not to me!"
"Mic?"
"How much of this gotta come off before ya call me <i>Hizashi</i>, huh?" He wrinkled his nose at his outfit. "I only got the pants, gloves, shades..." He ran his hand up to touch the white frames, then further, until he patted his hair. "Err... yeah. It's the hair, right?"
"Mmn." Her fingers brushed the back of his neck where it was feathered and he shivered.
"Yeah. It's the hair. Okay, that's gotta <i>go</i>. You, however, still need to chillax. You get first dibs, if you want."
Elly thought about it. "Your hair takes a long time to take care of, right?"
"Kinda."
"Then you go first." She gave him a little push in the direction of the hallway. "I'll be fine waiting."
"You sure, babe?"
"Yep."
She sat and listened to him cleaning up, eyes closed to better focus on the sounds and smells. He grunted and swore as he got rid of his hero clothing, and she heard what might have been a spray bottle before he let out a relieved sigh. After that the taps squeaked as he ran the shower and Elly leaned back on the couch.
The gentle patter of water falling soothed her and, exhausted from the mental and physical strain she'd been through, she soon dozed off.
Elly woke up a quarter of an hour later to a soft chuckle and tap on her shoulder. She opened her eyes with a faint mew of protest - she hated waking up too quickly -- but her protests died off when she saw him.
Hizashi was dressed casually, his red glasses on instead of the shades and a plain black t-shirt. This was offset by the most outrageously flashy gold sweatpants with a black stripe down the sides. His blond hair looked darker wet, and it flowed down his back freely. In one hand he held a white hand towel and a hair dryer, in the other an odd-looking comb with wavy teeth.
"It's so long," she marveled, gently touching the golden strands. Hizashi didn't really know what to say to that, so he just nodded, smiling as she grew bolder and ran her fingers through it. "And shiny."
"Also damp," he added. "And it doesn't smell so great when wet. You get cleaned up, babe. I'll finish drying an' you can play with it all you want when you come out." He winked slyly at her.
Her heart now racing, she grabbed her bag to take a shower. His bathroom was luxurious and although she wanted to get back to him, she stayed longer, enjoying the huge shower and tub combo.
When she came out she was much calmer and dressed in a soft shirt and sweatpants much like his, though not as flashy.
"I feel so much better," she sighed.
"Great! So, c'mere." He patted the couch, wiggling his eyebrows.
Elly came and sat beside him but he pointed farther back. Confused, she scooted off and he motioned for her to raise her arms. She let out a small gasp when he stretched himself out along the length, laying his head in her lap.
He smiled wistfully up at her. "I know this might be a little selfish, but it's okay, right?"
"Selfish?" She gently ran her hand through his hair, amazed at how alive it felt. "I've wanted to do this for a long time."
"You've no idea how awesome this feels," he murmured. "My hair's always drawn so tight on my scalp. It gets painful after all day like that."
Her fingers rubbed lightly in circular motions, pausing now and then to stroke the thick locks away from his cheeks when they fell a little to one side or another. Hizashi hummed quietly, tilting his head into her touches.
"Is this helping?"
"Yeah," he moaned softly. "Oh, baby, thank you."
Her cheeks burned hotly as she considered their positions. Hizashi's body was limp all over, one arm dangling off the couch and one arm laid across his chest. His t-shirt was pulled up and his pants loose, culminating in a reveal of pale skin and light dusting of hair trailing down his lower belly. His legs splayed over the far end, feet dangling since he was tall.
"My pleasure," she mumbled, suddenly shy.
He opened his eyes to gaze fondly up at her. "What d'ya think? Your turn now?"
Elly froze, her hand in mid-air. "Wh - what?"
"It feels good. You wanna try it?" He flexed his fingers, grinning at her.
Her eyes narrowed a little. "You weren't being selfish at all, were you."
Hizashi's grin grew sheepish and he sat up with a low laugh. "Aw, you saw right through me. But how can you say no?"
They switched positions, Elly sitting farther up than on his lap. He rubbed her furry ears and she sighed, closing her eyes. "Zashi?"
"Mm hmm?"
"It's been a very, very long time since I trusted someone enough to relax like this." She paused but didn't elaborate further, choosing a different route than delving into her past. He knew a little about that, anyway. What he didn't know, however, was the certainty she could give him.
<i>Might as well get it all out in the open</i>, she thought before taking a deep breath.
"Ches?" He sounded worried. "Is something wrong? Want me to stop? Did I upset yo-"
"I love you."
There was a long silence and she stiffened, afraid she'd made the wrong decision. When she grew brave enough to look up, however, she saw his lips twitching with mirth and his golden eyes swimming with unshed tears.
"I was s'posed to say that first," Hizashi chided in a low, deep voice. He sniffled and wiped at his eyes with the back of one hand. "I love you too, baby."
"Oh!"
"And ya <i>still</i> sound surprised." He let his fingers wander briefly over her cheeks to her lips, where they lingered. "Remember the New Years party last week? I was trying to get up the nerve to kiss you all night. Even if it was just a peck on the cheek, I was still too scared shitless in the end."
"Huh." She looked thoughtful enough that he started to shift uncomfortably around, moving his legs but keeping her steady.
"Uh. Babe?"
"I was sad that night," she confessed.
"What?"
"I was sad." She sat up and turned to face him while sitting on his lap. He wriggled a bit, frowning as she kneed him in the groin a little but was quiet until she spoke again. "Sorry," she murmured. "But yeah, that was the party you stayed far away from me and it made me feel terrible."
Hizashi reached out and carefully placed his arms around her with his hands on her back. "If I'd stuck close to ya I was gonna fuck things up." He shook his head, wrinkling his nose and mustache as he did so. "I fucked it up anyway, yeah?"
"I could've kissed <i>you</i> but I was just as chicken."
He squinted at her again and was pleased to see she still melted, her eyes glazing over as she stared weakly back at him. "You want..?"
She almost quipped back <i>do you have to ask?</i>, but didn't because it was so sweet that he <i>did</i>. Elly settled on smiling tearfully and whispering "Yes."
Since she was on his lap he lifted his head, and she felt his lips turn in a smile when they met. Then his hand cupped the back of her neck while his other pressed lightly on her back, caressing and encouraging her to come closer. She laid on him as he turned, miraculously managing to flip them so she was underneath. They stared at each other for a few seconds and then he whimpered softly as one of her legs brushed his thigh.
Their next kiss was longer and far more passionate. Hizashi held them together while he mouthed her lips, humming with pleasure. The hums held faint undertones of his quirk that vibrated through her body, causing chills to run up and down her spine. They lost themselves, tongues touching and his mustache tickling her upper lip.
His mouth moved from her own to her neck, placing little kisses as he went and gauging her reaction to the new area. When she clutched his back, rolling her head to the side to give him better access he gasped with delight. He'd wanted to do this for ages, and without further thought he nibbled, kissing inbetween bites and swipes of his tongue. Hizashi was a complicated man, for certain, but as far as kinks went he was quite simple.
He liked using his mouth.
He treated both sides of her neck and throat the same way, careful not to leave marks that wouldn't vanish in a few minutes. With Elly's vigorous squirming proof she was liking his attentions, he sighed happily.
He drew back and traced her cheek with his fingertips, his golden eyes staring deeply into her own. She saw her own emotions mirrored back at her and her heart skipped a beat. His smile was soft with his lips parted lightly, those glorious eyes filled with love. She could barely believe it.
She bit her lip, not wanting to cry any more. But the tears wouldn't be held back and she was soon pressing her face to his chest to muffle them.
He was so gentle, nearly reverent, in his approach. This was not an act he took lightly and his serious tone of voice only confirmed this when he spoke, low and with no trace of his usual joking self.
"You okay? Did I scare ya? 'Cause we did move, uh, really fast." Hizashi pushed a little further when she only shook her head, kissing her hair. "So, hey, don't feel pressured into anything, yeah? You wanna stop, that's it - end of the show. Period."
"It's not that."
"What's wrong, then?" His grip tightened protectively and she started crying harder.
"<i>That</i>," she managed to wheeze. "Oh, Hizashi, that. Your arms around me and they way that you touch me, hold me, I never thought anyone would."
"Ohhhh." He thought about that for a moment, nodded to himself and pushed back.
"What are you doing?"
"Gimme a minute," he muttered, shifting around so he was facing front on the couch with his feet on the floor again. "Here." He stood and picked her up.
"Where..?"
"We're gonna lay in bed an' you're gonna cry it out while I hold ya." He spoke matter-of-factly, but most of all calmly, in a soothing tone. "Then we'll decide what's going down."
"Oh." Elly sighed disconsolately and took in the decor as he bumped the door open with his hip. It was much like the rest of the suite, black and gold with small accents of red here and there. The bedroom had a glittery bean bag chair in one corner, lots of music posters and a large, western-style bed with black and yellow silk sheets. The bed was messy and not made up; he absently pushed the sheets down and picked up a pillow that was on a side table.
"Yeah, s'okay. You had a super emotional day and then I kinda wrecked you with kisses." He puffed his chest out with a smirk even as he laid her down.
"<i>Hizashi.</i>."
He chuckled and slid in next to her, reaching out to pull her to his chest. "Sorry. Couldn't resist. We're all settled - cry away!"
She sniffed once, then shrugged. "I don't feel like it anymore."
"That's good!"
"You know... can we go out sometime this weekend? Like you did with Midnight, dressed in our gear?"
He settled his chin on top her head. "Yep."
"Awesome."
"Jealous baby," he chided softly, making it clear he was joking but knew it was important to her. "We'll fix it. This time when the bad news brigade snaps their pics they'll see some <i>real</i> gossip!" He kissed her, hard and deep and very, very serious.
"Zashi!"
"Mmmn. Nobody's gonna question we're together." He rolled over on top of her, propping himself up on his hands and knees. "Everybody's going to know you're my baby."
"And you're mine."
"<i>Fuck yeah</i>."
Elly giggled and deliberately slid her hand under his shirt to pet his twitching abdomen. "Hey, have you been working out more? You're ripped! I mean, you always had a nice body, but these are, wow."
He gulped, his face burning hot. "Ahhh, yeah, been hittin' the gym a lot. I, uh, had some things to work out, too. You know."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Hizashi bit his lip and started to pant. "Yeah, babe, I... well, shit, you know. Ffffuck."
"I think I get it." She lifted the hem and he tore it off in one smooth motion.
Now that he was bare chested she could see the defined muscles and fuzzy patch of gold in the middle. His scent filled her nostrils, the bubblegum of hair product without the leather but instead a spicy, masculine deoderant. She smiled when she saw the hair under his arms and laughed to herself at how giddy she felt.
"Babe?"
"Oops!" Elly kissed his neck in apology. "I was being silly. Seeing you like this makes me happy. I actually got turned on by your underarms." She laughed again.
"Wh - honestly?" He stared at one in astonishment, wrinkling his nose. "Well, at least I showered!" She laughed more, and he started tugging on her shirt. "C'mon, let me see them sexy pits, lady."
"No more, I swear I'm gonna die!" She started to wheeze and had to gasp for air. "Okay, okay! There." Her shirt dropped to land on top of his on the floor.
His laughter died at once, replaced by a sexy growl. "You're not gonna die, babe... but you're gonna go to heaven." He ghosted his hand across one of the cups of her bra, smirking when she shivered.
"Ugh, so cheesy!" She narrowed her eyes and ran her hands down his back, gripping his shoulderblades. "But sexy. Still sexy."
"Good. It's nice to be finally appreciated." He snickered, but the blush on his ears was steadily creeping downward and his chest was rising and falling rapidly. He was definitely going to break the light-hearted mood if pushed a tiny bit further.
So Elly nudged him a little.
"I want you," she told him quietly.
Hizashi's eyes met hers and she saw the rings around his pupils fuzz and blow wide. The expression on his face was part incredulous, part something she wasn't certain... love? But it seemed far more intense than that.
Adoration?
An unusually large amount of pent-up lust?
<i>Uh-oh</i>.
His throat contracted as he swallowed, but no sound came out.
<i>I think it's all of the above.</i>
