Work Text:
“You’re not leaving so quickly detective? And just as the conversation was getting interesting. You can’t tease a girl like that,” Kayama said, her voice lilting pleasantly.
Taishiro had left Precinct 6 and went out to lunch with his work colleagues Aizawa, Detective Tsukauchi, and Kayama. The four of them had been working on a case involving a quickly growing drug ring with yakuza ties in Naruhata. The case had the four of them very busy so it was nice to relax, if only briefly before they dove back into the mess. Naruhata police were too busy handling other cases so Detective Tsukauchi had reached out to the three of them, all young Pro-heroes, for help along with a few others from Tsukauchi’s precinct he was able to wrangle away when they would push a raid.
“No rest for the wicked, Ms. Kayama,” Tsukauchi said with a small smile as he rose from the table and dropped enough yen on the table to cover everyone’s lunch.
“I know a thing or two about that,” Kayama said coyly and then winked as she sipped from her coffee.
Tsukauchi nodded at Taishiro and the detective promptly left. The conversation had gotten personal with Kayama asking Taishiro and Tsukauchi what they liked to do in their free time after the three of them spent most of lunch complaining about the lack of resources they were getting for their overwhelming caseloads. Aizawa seemed content people-watching, nursing his third coffee, being left to his own thoughts as he sat with them not engaging in conversation.
Kayama turned to Taishiro and smiled, her perfectly manicured hand raising a steaming mug of coffee to her bright red lips. “What about you, Toyomitsu? What do you do for fun?” She sipped at her coffee and watched him with interested eyes.
Taishiro shifted ever so slightly, leaning back a bit. He had to be careful since he was at full absorption power so was very tall and very heavy at the moment. “Well, during those odd moments where I get some free time, I cook.”
“That’s fortuitous because I like to eat,” Kayama said with a grin, her eyes twinkling.
“Don’t let her figure fool you, Toyomitsu. She can put away a lot of food. I never offer to pick up the tab when the two of us go out because of it. You saw how she ate half of my meal,” Aizawa mumbled as he glanced at Taishiro briefly and then looked back out the window. Kayama had indeed eaten half of his meal earlier.
“Shouta! What a rude thing to say about one of your closest friends!” Kayama said, her voice husky and filled with good humor as she playfully swatted at Aizawa’s shoulder and when he didn’t react, she draped an arm around him and squeezed him against her briefly. He ignored her.
“Well good thing when I cook for myself I’m practically feeding a small army, I think there’d be plenty for you, too,” Taishiro said casually. This would be the part where he would invite the other person over for dinner. Taishiro was extroverted, very social, and loved having people over for meals and just to hang out. He normally wouldn’t hesitate offering an enthusiastic invitation. But there was a problem. Taishiro was absolutely smitten with Nemuri Kayama. So instead, they both smiled at each other, and the moment passed him by.
He had met Kayama for the first time two weeks before. Due to her brazen personality, daring hero costume, and admittedly being one of the most beautiful women Taishiro had ever seen, he knew of her before he met her in person. He had seen some of the press releases she had done for the agency she worked for and he had seen her on the news.
But the day he met her, he had to keep telling himself to get a grip. Kayama carried herself with grace and confidence. She was easy to talk to and had a pleasant sense of humor. She did flirt wildly with everyone, but it was playful banter. Kayama was also a capable hero and a leader who didn’t hesitate to make important decisions. And her smile made Taishiro’s chest ache, a sensation that seemed so strange for him to be experiencing. He was known as a practical, down-to-earth guy. Mooning after someone so completely out of his league was a ridiculous prospect. Normally he would have pushed away those feelings and gotten along with his life. But he had a huge crush on Kayama with no end in sight and it had started the very moment he had met her and she had given him a warm ‘hello.’ It was love at first sight.
They left the deli a few minutes later, the three of them heading back to Precinct 6, Kayama spinning quite the tale about a wild night out on the town. She and Hizashi Yamada, another of her close friends, had drug Aizawa along for fun, practically against his will. Aizawa seemed unaffected by Kayama's storytelling. Once they were back at the precinct it was all work again, but Taishiro couldn’t help but enjoy every moment he spent with Kayama, whether it was going through the mountains of data they had collected trying to find pertinent evidence, fielding phone calls about suspicious activity, or running through hours of surveillance footage hoping to find something useful.
The next day, Taishiro found himself and Aizawa going over surveillance footage of a popular club in Naruhata that just opened. They were squeezed into one of the cramped offices they had to work out of. After about an hour Aizawa left to make some phone calls and returned with coffee for them both.
“Thanks, Aizawa! You’re a lifesaver,” Taishiro said brightly, glad he would hopefully be able to stay awake another hour to run through more footage. It was such a boring task but necessary.
“You should ask Nemuri out, Toyomitsu,” Aizawa said as if he was commenting on the weather and not a hidden and embarrassing detail about Taishiro’s personal life.
Taishiro could only gape at Aizawa like a landed fish.
Aizawa returned his attention back to the monitor. “Just ask her. That way you’ll know, and you can stop torturing yourself.”
Taishiro finally found his voice. “I don’t like Kayama like that, I just-“
Aizawa turned to him and raised an unimpressed eyebrow, his usually placid face painted in an unbelieving scowl.
Taishiro furrowed his brows, irritated. “You know, for someone who seems inept at human interaction, you have a knack for reading people.”
Aizawa grinned one of those grins that sent a shiver up Taishiro’s spine; it was a bit creepy and the rest of his face didn’t seem to join what should have been a cheerful expression. “Why do you think Tsukauchi always asks for my help when he has trouble with a case?”
Taishiro hummed, the sound a rumble of agitation. “Kayama isn’t interested. I’m sure you’ve noticed since I have, that she flirts with everyone but me.” For a second Taishiro thought that maybe Kayama had noticed he had a crush on her and that was why she didn’t flirt with him. Or give him casual touches like she did everyone else. And that made him feel sick. Apparently, he wasn’t hiding those puppy dog eyes as well as he thought he had been. He would start avoiding her and keep their interactions super professional so he didn’t make her uncomfortable.
Aizawa tapped the screen. “This guy isn’t being brought up through facial recognition software. We need to dig deeper and find out who he is.”
Taishiro shifted his attention to the screen. “I have a former colleague I can talk to and see if they know who he is.” After high school Taishiro fell into the underground scene of illegal fights and brawling. Almost messed up his chances of becoming a Pro-Hero. But because of it, he had a lot of knowledge about the seedy underworld in Tokyo.
“Just be careful. We could still use you undercover.”
Taishiro grinned. “Don’t know how I'd ever blend in.”
“We deflate you. Then we adjust your appearance and you’ll be unrecognizable.”
“I’m still over seven feet ‘deflated,’ I’d stick out…”
“You’ll be fine,” Aizawa said as he wrote some notes on a legal pad. “I’ll head to central and talk to some guys who we’ve used in the past as yakuza plants and see if they know this guy.”
“I’ll continue with the surveillance stuff, then.”
“Ask her. Ask her and I’ll bring back some takoyaki from your favorite place.”
Taishiro sighed, thinking they had dropped the subject of Taishiro’s pathetic love life. “I don’t want to make her any more uncomfortable than she already is around me.” Taishiro folded his hands and rested them on his stomach. “But…” Taishiro grinned. “You should still bring back some takoyaki. I’m feeling a bit peckish.”
Aizawa stared at him, face placid looking like his normal self. “I respect you a ton Toyomitsu, but you aren’t the sharpest tool in the shed. You and Nemuri are always around each other here at the precinct and that isn’t just you making that happen. Nemuri flirts with everyone. Touches everyone when she talks to them. Except you. It’s telling.”
“Yeah, it’s telling.” Taishiro could see what Aizawa was hinting at. That Kayama’s hesitancy was because she had feelings for him, too. But he felt his spin on her lack of flirtatiousness made a lot more sense. “And we’re dropping the subject.”
Aizawa narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. “Fair enough,” he said as he left.
***
The next day a big break happened in the case. Some intel was uncovered that the club they had been watching was believed to be one of the drug ring’s locations for major transactions and meetings. The unidentified man from the day before was discovered to be Hideo Nakamura. He was thought to be dead, but his death had obviously been faked, and he had been trying to lie low. He had past ties with the yakuza and seemed to still be involved with being a middleman between manufacturers of the drugs and the distributors of the product.
Kayama was chosen to go undercover with field agent Riku Tanaka stepping in if needed. Aizawa and Taishiro would also be on standby if things got ugly and Pro-Hero force was needed. Kayama’s cover would be a socialite named Mika Hayashi who had ties to the entertainment industry. She was given a VIP pass for Club Elysium, fitted with an earpiece and a concealed microphone, and donned a disguise that completely changed her appearance.
“Well, they say blondes have more fun. I guess I’ll find out tonight,” Kayama said as she adjusted her very tight, very short sequin dress. The blonde wig and the clothes, makeup, and jewelry Kayama wore sold her cover very well.
“Behave, please,” Aizawa said as Tanaka clipped the microphone as discreetly as possible at Kayama’s neckline.
“Don’t be too careful there Tanaka. At this rate, you’ll owe me dinner at least with how familiar you’re getting with my assets,” Kayama cooed as she subtly shimmied her shoulders and her breasts bounced slightly.
“Stop,” Aizawa said in a flat tone as he handed Kayama her earpiece.
Taishiro was going through the tech checklist and the equipment they would need on their worktable trying his best to ignore Kayama.
“Toyomitsu, what d’ya think?” he heard her ask, her voice sounding normal, devoid of its flirty tone.
Taishiro looked over at her. “You’re a very convincing Mika Hayashi.”
She smiled at him. Not a sultry smile, just genuine and simple. He thought his heart would burst.
“An improvement on the original?” she asked before he looked away from her and back to his checklist.
Here was an opportunity he thought. He wanted to say ‘how could perfection be improved upon’ because he really felt that. However, it sounded like the cheesiest pickup line, bordering on creepy. But Taishiro didn’t mean just her appearance. He meant everything about her.
As he gazed at her brown eyes, temporarily changed by color contacts from their striking sky blue for her undercover persona, he decided to be honest. “I think Mika Hayashi is pretty impressive, but Nemuri Kayama is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, inside and out.” As he finished speaking, his heart pounded in his chest. He shouldn’t have said it, but he couldn’t help it.
Kayama dropped her grin, her face becoming serious, and her cheeks flushed a dark pink. Taishiro held his breath worried he said something that upset her.
“Taishiro,” she said, her voice a mixture of surprise and warmth. “That’s one of the sweetest things anyone’s ever said to me.” All the bustling of the undercover prep around them seemed to fade away until it felt like it was just the two of them in the room.
His heart rate increased, he thought his heart was about to gallop out of his chest. Before he could think of something to reply with and answer her, Tsukauchi’s voice came over a two-way radio on the worktable. “Team Alpha, time to mobilize. Let’s get started. Kayama, you ready? Over.”
Tanaka, who had just finished fastening her microphone, nodded at her.
“I am ready, over,” Kayama said.
“Be careful, Kayama,” Taishiro said as she and Tanaka briskly walked out of the room to start the mission.
“I’ll see you on the other side, Taishiro,” she said as she left.
As he finished the checklist, Taishiro and Aizawa gathered all the tech and supplies and headed to their unmarked van they would park near the club. Then it hit Taishiro. She had called him by his first name. Even if she didn’t see him as a love interest, she at least saw him as a good friend. And that meant the world to him.
The mission started without a hitch. Kayama had made it into the club, began to banter with other guests, and after dancing quite enthusiastically on the dance floor, she was asked by club staff if she wanted to go to a more exclusive part of the club. Apparently, she had caught Nakamura’s eye.
Kayama was then escorted to a back room that was almost as big as the main club. She was brought to a loft area and she sat next to two other girls who were sitting with Nakamura. Everything was going perfectly. All she needed to do now was stay long enough to catch an incriminating conversation involving Nakamura that would reveal other players involved in the drug ring.
Aizawa, Taishiro, and Tanaka waited in the van that was parked a couple of blocks from the club. Taishiro was nervous for Kamaya but he knew she was smart and resourceful so would be able to deal with almost anything thrown her way. They also had a plant in the club that was wired and was tailing one of Nakamura’s right-hand men.
They struck gold when Kayama overheard communication between Nakamura and one of their main suppliers, along with some distributors.
Suddenly they received a communication from their plant, Ohara. “Kayama’s cover is about to be blown. I don’t know how, but she needs to get out of there. Over.”
Taishiro began to break out in a sweat. Aizawa took the two-way radio receiver and responded. “We’ll communicate with her and tell her to use her quirk and get out of there. Over.”
“You don’t understand. No one can use their quirks in the club. I just found out that one of Nakamura’s underlings has a quirk that can cancel out other quirks. He’s at the loft right now with Kayama and Nakamura. This guy doesn’t even have to activate it! As long as he is in the room, no one else can use their quirks. How to proceed? Over,” Ohara's voice rang out through the van.
“Damn it! Ohara needs to get her out of there,” Taishiro said.
“No. He’s too important of a plant,” Aizawa muttered. “And if his cover’s blown, Tsukauchi will never forgive us.”
“Then let’s send Tanaka. And I’ll go, too. I can fight quirkless if I need to,” Taishiro said, glad his rough and rowdy past came in handy at times like this. Aizawa nodded at him.
“Although you still didn’t tell me how you plan on ‘deflating’ me,” Taishiro said, eyeing Aizawa suspiciously.
“Oh! You’ll love this. I came up with it a few days ago,” Tanaka said with a grin.
Taishiro followed Tanaka out into the nearby alley. He was holding what looked like a small c-4 device. He hit a button and tossed it at Taishiro.
“What?!?” Taishiro said as he held the small bomb.
“Hoover it.”
Taishiro immediately used his Fat Absorption quirk and the bomb sunk into his large, round belly.
“It’s the perfect amount of blast that will take you down to your skinny form. I even left a little bit of your absorption though so you could still take a bullet or two,” Tanaka said with a grin.
“Thanks?” Taishiro grumbled wondering if this was a good idea.
Seconds later the bomb went off, Taishiro’s ears rang and he felt disoriented, but Tanaka roused him by slapping his cheek. “Hurry! We need to be quick!” Tanaka said to him as he handed Taishiro some clothing. “Change into these! Hurry!”
***
Aizawa had communicated with Nemuri to excuse herself to the restroom and try to find a hiding place as soon as possible. It was too risky for her to leave out the exit because she most likely would run into people who knew she was an undercover agent. Soon they would make it to Nakamura and her cover would be blown.
She hid in a small utility closet she almost missed due to how the striped paint along the wall made the door blend into the wall.
Nemuri had tossed her earpiece and microphone because if she was caught, that would seal her fate for sure. She could possibly still talk her way out of things now if she was caught. Aizawa told her he was sending help and for her to hide. She hid behind the shelf in the closet but she was still quite visible, she crouched down hoping that if someone just glanced in they would miss her.
A minute later the door opened and Nemuri peeked at a tall, blond, broad-shouldered man with inquisitive yellow eyes. He closed the door behind him and as soon as he made eye contact with her, she rose to full height and brought the heel of her palm up to strike him in the nose. She released her quirk, but it didn’t activate; it was still being suppressed by Nakamura’s henchman. He must have had quite a large range.
The blond man grabbed her wrist gently, but firmly enough to stop her from making contact with his face and said, “Rainbow Rhinoceros.” That was their team’s code word to communicate on the field.
She didn’t recognize him but there were members of the tech squad and reconnaissance team she had not met yet. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, but she tried to settle her apprehension. This guy was safe. He was the help sent to get her out of there.
“Well, they sure sent the right person for the job. You’re seven feet of pure muscle. Perfect for a quirkless fight.” She couldn’t help but run her fingertips over the collar of his colorful button-down short-sleeve shirt. Nemuri couldn’t help but flirt, especially in this situation. It calmed her nerves.
“I…well…” the blond stammered. His voice sounded oddly familiar but she couldn’t place it. But that cemented she must have met him before, or at least heard him over communications so he could be trusted. His cheeks became dusted with a deep crimson blush and she couldn’t help but grin, the expression a bit predatory, but she couldn’t help it. Her adrenaline was running high. It was cute to see such a huge, muscly guy blush. The closet was tiny and he took up most of it, so they were almost touching.
“I’m with Kayama. Over,” he said letting the team know their status. He must have been wearing a hidden mic and earpiece for communication. He eyed her suspiciously.
“Tell Taishiro and Shouta, I said ‘Hi,’” she said.
“Good work on getting the information we needed.” He looked at her, a guarded expression on his face.
She raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a seductive half-smile. “Why thank you. I feel like celebrating actually. When we get out of here, we should all go to this karaoke place I know not far from here.”
He shook his head at her as if he was amazed at her coyness at that moment. “Let’s not celebrate just yet. We still have to get out of here.” The blond’s attention went to the door as if he was listening carefully. “I still hear worried voices and shouting. We need to wait a bit longer. Aizawa thinks Nakamura’s men may leave the club to continue to look for you and that will be the right time to leave.”
Nemuri nodded at him and exhaled. Even though she was putting on a show to seem carefree to lessen both of their anxieties, she still had some worry at the back of her mind.
“So who do I owe my life to?” she asked sweetly. “I hope I can repay you in some way,” she said as her gaze raked down her knight-in-shining-armor’s body. He did have an impressive physique.
He smiled at her and for some reason, she felt a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. Only one person had made her feel that way recently so she found it quite odd. “You really don’t know who I am do you?” There was a twinkle in his eye, a boyish mischievousness that reminded her of herself.
“I meet so many people, handsome.” She couldn’t help but brush imaginary dust off his shoulder. “I’m shocked I can’t remember meeting you, though. You’re quite impressive.” She breathed in deeply and took in his scent. It was familiar, too. The only word that came to her mind was it smelled like, “home.” Like safety, and warmth, and maybe a little like freshly baked cookies.
“Well, if we make it out of here safely, maybe you and I could go out, just the two of us. I know this great place that’s open late. Then maybe you can remember who I am.”
Her smile faltered and she furrowed her brow.
“Sorry, that was a bit bold of me,” he said as he took in her expression. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“No… I should apologize. I’m a terrible flirt. I really should stop, but old habits die hard.”
“Why would you ever stop? People love that you're so free and brash.”
“Because I shouldn’t give people the wrong idea. Like I just gave you. Normally I would be up for dating any man or woman gracious enough to ask me out.” Nemuri didn’t know why she was being so honest and open with this guy she didn’t even know. There was something about him that made it easy for her to talk to him. “But…I’ve fallen in love with someone. Hard,” she said with a chuckle. “And I’m waiting and hoping he’ll ask me out. But thank you for the invitation even though I can’t accept it. Always makes a girl feel good to know she’s desirable.”
He smiled at her, a look in his eyes she couldn’t quite understand. “Do you think the guy you’re in love with feels the same?”
Nemuri smiled, it felt strange on her face, all nervous and hesitant. “I don’t know. It’s hard for me to tell with him. When people like me, they usually stare at me like I’m something to eat. He looks at me in a different way. I don’t know if it’s just friendliness or…” she sighed and she couldn’t believe how wistful it sounded. She gazed at the blond and felt her face blush. Why was she revealing her deepest darkest secrets to a practical stranger? “I’ve only known him for two weeks, but I’m completely smitten. I've never felt this way before. I don't know how to act around him. I'm scared to touch him or flirt with him. It's strange. Maybe because I'm worried that'd make him bolt.”
The blond man brought his hand up to his ear. “I hear you, Aizawa. We’re on the move. We'll exit out of the kitchen. Over.”
“Okay, Kayama, follow me,” he said and like that, they exited the closet and Nemuri’s heart was in her throat as they walked down the hall and into the kitchen. As they walked through they got strange looks. They ran through the back door and as they went down the alley, three men approached them and immediately swung at the blond. He yelled at her to run but she wasn’t about to leave him.
She stood beside him hoping to find an opening, but the blond didn’t need her assistance and took care of the three men, even the one with a crowbar. He had managed to get two blows on the blond’s back but the blond shrugged it off like it was nothing. Once the three men were all on their backs, the blond and Kayama continued down the alley.
“Um… you’re steaming…” she called out to the blond as they ran. Wispy plumes of steam rose from his back and chest but he kept running and so did she.
“Don’t worry about that, I’m fine.”
Nemuri assumed it had something to do with his quirk and tried not to worry.
As they reached the safehouse nearby, Tsukauchi was able to send out additional officers to look for Nakamura and his men. Nemuri rode with Tsukauchi back to Precinct 6 and then he debriefed her. They got the news soon after that Nakamura and several of his men were caught and arrested. Nemuri’s information she gathered would ensure he’d go to jail for some time and they had invaluable intel on some big players within the drug ring. It had been a successful raid. Nemuri showered and changed into casual clothes and was about to head home when she saw the blond who saved her in the lobby of the precinct. He looked pretty shaken up, his face much thinner than she remembered. She approached him and he nodded at her.
“You okay there, blondie?” She realized she still didn’t know his name and she was embarrassed.
“It’s T-“ he said and he started to sway.
“Woah there, big guy!” she exclaimed as she quickly went to his side and helped support him. He leaned on her a bit and he was definitely heavy, he didn’t have an ounce of fat on him from what she could tell, but he was pure muscle and incredibly tall. But luckily he wasn’t too out of it and could still mainly keep himself on his feet.
“Jus’ de-briefed… headed home…” he mumbled.
“What’s wrong? Did you get hit in the head earlier?”
He shook his head vigorously and that seemed to bring him around some. “Oh, I’m sorry Kayama…no, I’m not hurt… I’m just hungry… I need food…” he said as he began to walk toward the precinct front doors.
He seemed to be more on his feet, but she was still worried so she walked next to him, his arm wrapped around her shoulders for a little support. “I’ll be fine…”
“No way! I’ll take you to get some food.”
She saw Shouta walk into the precinct. He looked over at Nemuri, glanced at the blond beside her, and then he smiled.
“Shouta, have you seen Taishiro?”
His smile widened to a grin, an expression seldom seen on his face. “Yeah.”
“Is he okay?” she asked, with concern in her voice. If he had been part of the raid that had gone after Nakamura, she worried he could have been injured because she hadn’t seen him or heard from him.
“He’s in good hands. Don’t worry.” He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes at his cryptic statement. Well, at least Taishiro seemed safe.
“Okay, let’s get some food in you, Blondie.”
***
“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone put away so much food in one sitting,” Kayama said.
“That’s... 4 dozen?” Taishiro said as he bit into another takoyaki.
“Something like that,” Kayama said with a grin. “Of course, I ate a dozen of them. Undercover work makes a girl hungry.” She looked at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read. She was wearing tight dark denim jeans, a leather jacket with lots of straps and studs, and a simple black t-shirt with a plunging neckline. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, her tapered bangs framing her face in soft waves.
The all-night diner was empty except for the two of them. Taishiro often went to this diner after he depleted his quirk. The owner knew him and was glad to help out a young Pro-Hero; he knew he would be making many batches of takoyaki when Taishiro walked in. After another dozen, he’d have enough of his reserve to not be absolutely miserable and starving. Then he’d sleep and have a ginormous breakfast. Although he didn’t want this late-night/early-morning rendezvous with Kayama to end. The moment they had shared before the raid when she had called him by his first name had been constantly on his mind since it happened. And then finding out she had feelings for him in that cramped closet had changed everything.
Taishiro felt bad he hadn’t told her his identity. At first, he thought she was messing with him. But then when he had asked her if she knew who he was, he could tell she didn’t have a clue. Kayama had never seen him completely deplete his Fat Absorption Quirk. Taishiro realized he had not done it in the last two weeks due to all the grunt work they had been doing. He had tried to tell her, but when she began to confess her feelings, he couldn’t believe his dreams were really coming true so he had been awestruck.
Of course, the longer he went not telling her, the more awkward it was becoming for him to try and broach the subject.
Kayama stretched languidly and gazed at him with sleepy eyes. The cook delivered the last dozen for the night to their table and patted Taishiro on the back as he walked away.
As he ate, he decided it was probably best to get it over with, to tell her who he was. She would probably be a bit mad at him and he couldn’t really blame her. He felt his skin tingle all over and he knew he was putting his fat layers on surely if slowly.
“So. I hope you’ll be able to walk back to your place after this feast,” Kayama said.
“I should be right as rain.”
“It’s funny, I swear I am seeing you plump up before my eyes,” she said, her sky-blue eyes glistening.
He couldn’t help but smile at her mischievously. “Yeah, I’m normally not this thin.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “I prefer a man with a little meat on his bones.”
Taishiro chuckled. “Well if things don’t work out with the guy you were telling me about back at the club, maybe you’d consider going out with me.”
Kayama hummed and looked out the window. “Maybe…”
“What’cha thinking about?” Taishiro asked then he popped a whole ball of takoyaki in his mouth.
“Worried about the ‘guy’ you mentioned. I texted him and he hasn’t answered.” Her face suddenly looked serious as her gaze still lingered outside into the busy street.
“Well maybe he’s having a very late night dinner with the most amazing person he’s ever met, inside and out,” Taishiro said watching her intently.
Her gaze flicked back at him and she looked confused for a second. And then her jaw dropped.
“No,” Kayama whispered, her brows arching high above her eyes with shock.
Taishiro nodded at her, feeling another wave wash over his body, another layer of fat added, finally starting to feel more like himself.
Kayama shook her head in disbelief, her gaze darting all over his face as if the answer was etched there. It was and it wasn’t.
He grinned now and Kayama stood where she sat, then stepped up on the table. Taishiro looked at her like she was crazy. Her boots clicked on the tabletop as she took a step toward him and then plopped right down in his lap. She placed both her hands on his face and stared at him with electric intensity.
His face flushed hot with all the sudden contact. “Of course it’s you,” she said and then grinned. “Your eyes… and that smile.” Her thumbs caressed his cheeks and he thought he was going to burst into flames the way his whole body heated up with the way she was looking at him.
Then she dropped the grin and her hands slid away from his face to his shoulders. “The closet!” Kayama said, her voice ringing with exasperation. “Oh, the closet!” She buried her face in her hands.
Taishiro couldn’t help but shake with laughter.
“I said… ALL the things,” she mumbled behind her hands. “How embarrassing… spilling my guts out in front of you…” She groaned, her pride seeming to take a hit.
“You just leapt over a table and fell in my lap. I think that’s telling behavior as much as the stuff you said in the closet.” His hands itched, he wanted to wrap his arms around her, but everything was happening so fast suddenly and his heart and mind were trying to play catch up with his body.
Her hands slipped from her face and fell in her lap. Her face was crimson with embarrassment. “My standing on tabletops is not out of place behavior. Neither is my falling into other people’s laps.” The corner of her mouth twitched up into a coy half-smile, yet her eyes still seemed a bit in awe of the whole scenario. “But waxing on about love and my feelings is…not typical for me.”
And then he could no longer stand it. He wrapped his arms around her. “Well falling in love with someone practically the first moment I met them isn’t typical for me either.”
Kayama’s lips slightly parted at his words. She then laughed out a scoff. “Why didn’t you ask me out sooner?”
“Uh, you’re just a tiny bit intimidating, Kayama,” he said with a good-natured chuckle.
“Oh, just a tiny bit?” she asked and fluttered her eyelashes at him. “And maybe if you called me by my first name you wouldn’t feel that way.” She smiled at him, but instead of being coquettish, this smile was warm and soft.
“Okay. Nemuri,” he said, trying his best to not break out in another huge blush. She had called him by his first name earlier that day he remembered. Things were moving so fast but he didn’t mind it one bit. Taishiro somehow managed to extricate Nemuri from his lap, and she definitely pouted afterward. He paid the tab at the counter, and they made their way out to the street.
Nemuri wrapped her arm around his as they walked. She brought her free hand up to his side and lightly pinched at his skin through his shirt, right at his ribs.
He loudly chuckled. “What’re you doing? That tickles.”
“It’s just amazing. You’re already putting on layers, I can’t feel your ribs.”
“Well, I still have a ways to go. I’ll have to eat a ton in the morning. I’ll cook up a big breakfast”
“Oh? Is that an invitation Mr. Toyomitsu?”
He could feel her eyes on him. He had a feeling if anything did happen between him and Nemuri, things would probably move pretty fast.
“I mean, it only seems right. You had such a perilous night that you completely depleted your quirk to the point of exhaustion, barely able to walk! It makes sense you would need to have someone stay with you to make sure you are okay until you’re back to your optimum energy level.”
He couldn’t help but glance down at her, narrowing his eyes and smirking at her. She did like to deliberate to get her way.
“So, to your place then,” Nemuri said, her voice ringing with smug satisfaction.
They chitchatted the next several blocks, Taishiro no longer putting on his layers to build himself back up since he was walking so briskly, but luckily he was not losing anything. As they made it inside his apartment, he closed the door behind them and took Nemuri’s jacket.
“Such a gentleman,” she said as he hung her jacket on the coat rack on the wall.
As he turned back to Nemuri, she lunged at him and he couldn’t help but flinch for a second. She immediately had her arms wrapped around his neck and before he could gather his scrambled thoughts, she kissed him. Her lips were soft and she tasted so sweet, like he knew she would. He felt a burning in his chest of longing that he knew soon would be quashed. As she slipped her tongue between his lips it sent shivers of desire racing all through his body.
She pulled away briefly and looked up into his face. His apartment was dark since he had not had a chance to flick on the lights, but the moonlight spilled in from the window bathing her in a cool glow. Nemuri was breathtakingly beautiful, although her face was suddenly serious.
“Is this okay, Taishiro? I know I move too fast sometimes. I can take things slow if you like.” She smiled at him as she reached up and brushed a bit of his hair behind his ear.
“The last two weeks pining after you have felt like a lifetime. I don’t want to wait any longer either.”
Nemuri grinned widely at him. He scooped her up in his arms and walked her to his bedroom. He felt her fingers run through his hair and he hummed with pleasure. “I was gonna give you a tour of the apartment, but I guess it'll have to wait for in the morning.”
She gave him a devilish grin as he laid her on his bed.
***
They both collapsed on the bed, heavily panting, their skin dewy with sweat. Taishiro melted on the spot, his whole body feeling boneless and completely spent. He felt Nemuri’s hand run up his chest and even with the simple gesture he felt a thrill of a surge run up his spine.
“You’re steaming again,” she said with a giggle, her voice husky. She gave a satisfied sigh and she snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer against him.
“I think you’ve completely depleted me,” he said grinning, even that simple facial expression feeling like a chore now.
She moved her hand down his chest, tracing her fingernails against his ribs and he did his best not to laugh because it tickled. “I bet you have one more romp left in you, your ribs aren’t too prominent,” she teased.
“One more? I’ve counted five times-“
“Six, you forgot in the kitchen.”
“Okay then, six times, tonight. I knew you were gonna be a handful, but you just might be the death of me.” He pressed a kiss on the top of her head, taking in her scent that reminded him of lavender. He wondered if her regular scent had a calming effect because of her quirk, because he couldn’t imagine feeling more relaxed and content than he did at that moment. Or it was just the fact he was hopelessly in love with her and ridiculously happy.
Nemuri reached up and pulled his face towards her and kissed him gently on the lips. “I think you may be the death of me,” she whispered.
“How so?”
“Well, when I first met you, later that night when I went home, I read about your quirk in the registry and how it worked. And I thought to myself, when you’re at your heaviest, when you’ve stored up all of your Fat Absorption potential, well… you could probably fuck all night.”
Taishiro couldn’t help but break out in a full-body blush at her words, even though they had been intimate several times that night.
“I was kind of excited with the prospect of getting you in the sack,” she said, her voice like velvet. "And tonight, just with a fraction of your stores, look at your stamina. I can't wait until I have you at your total stored-up power. I bet I won't be able to keep up with you then."
Taishiro shifted to his side and propped himself on his elbow so he could fully take her in. She was lying next to him, the look on her face so serene, her body positioned to where her curves appeared so soft, yet her long lean muscles spoke of her strength and power. “So you’re saying that for you it was ‘lust at first sight?’” he asked her with a grin.
She couldn’t help but giggle. “I suppose,” she said as she rolled on her side and scootched closer to him. He could feel the heat of her body, smell her captivating scent so clearly. “But I didn’t think I’d fall in love with you right after. And then I didn’t know how to act around you. I’m glad you were the brave one, and said what you did before the raid.”
“Me, too,” he said. He leaned in to kiss her and then they were a tangle of limbs, a perfect embrace. As they both whispered sweet words to each other, in that intimate space between them that was truly theirs, he watched her fall asleep.
Before he dozed off, he couldn’t help but think as empty as his stomach was, how depleted his body was at that moment, his heart had never felt so full.