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Nemuri was no stranger to absolute, unadulterated honesty. More so, she found it difficult to keep her lips shut once a thought had surfaced. Unless, of course, she felt it was absolutely necessary. It was any wonder, though, that she had managed to keep her attraction to Sekijirou inside her own fantasy filled mind for as long as she has. Uncharacteristic, it seemed, though young Nemuri hadn’t always been the 18+ Pro Hero she was today.
She had first met Sekijirou when she was just 18, fresh out of U.A. and ready to take on the world under the alias ‘Midnight’. Seki, Vlad King , did sidekick work in an agency that worked quite closely with the one she had been employed at. Upon appearance, she was absolutely smitten. And, it was easy to speak to him as Midnight. She could flirt, be suggestive, wink as she knocked out every villain around them with her aroma alone… but it proved harder to do when she was Nemuri. Though, she didn’t really speak to him at all when she was in her civilian clothes.
As an older woman (though, never remind her of that fact), she had gained a lot more confidence now than she had back then. Now, she didn’t care very much about how she appeared to others; in fact, she’d nearly actively cover up in an attempt to catch a break from the wandering male gaze. But, at 18, she valued her image more and she had accidentally let her attraction to him slip into a full blown crush. It was much easier for her when she fantasized about hot and heavy moments. It was a whole new ballpark thinking about holding hands on the beach as the sun sets. And, quite frankly, Nemuri didn’t have much of a right to be so damn surprised about the shift. Especially when the pair had started to open up more, take patrols together and speak about anything and everything. He knew so much about her and she about him.
Though, nothing ever came from it in the end. By the age of 21 both Seki and Nemuri had gone their separate ways, both growing and expanding on their respective careers. The crush had been long forgotten, Nemuri had been through a few relationships but none of them stuck around—which wasn’t very shocking, they liked her for her assets for the most part and never gave much of a damn about the rest of her. Though, her true love had always been hero work, which gained her a great deal of popularity. Which had ultimately caught U.A.’s eye—gaining her a wonderful ass kissing meeting about her own work Nemuri was all but willing to be a part of—and she found herself agreeing to be a teacher.
Maybe it was fate, maybe Japan really was a lot smaller than one thought, but it was a wonderful surprise seeing Sekijirou all over again. Much older and much more attractive. It didn’t take long for that crush to resurface, though their relationship hadn’t fallen back into place like she had hoped. Perhaps time had changed him, it had certainly changed her, but she was determined. Nemuri, after all, had amazing patience. Amazing patience that, after three years, had finally paid off in the form of this lovely, breezy winter night.
He was bundled up, the most covered he had ever looked, with his turtleneck and dark jeans… but, God , did they hug his body so damn well. His cheeks and nose were still rosey from the cool air, his hair going every which way from when he had pulled his hat off and Nemuri wanted nothing more than to run her fingers through those white locks. Her fingers were absolutely itching to grip that turtleneck, pull it off, let him feel the real warmth of body heat pressed so closely to his…
Shit, when did she get so damn thirsty?
You’ve always been thirsty.
Teeth dug into her bottom lip as she watched the way his lips pressed onto the rim of the mug. She’d never been so damn jealous of a thing in her life—
“...We haven’t been alone like this in a long time.” He speaks, as though he had just pulled himself out of his own thoughts as well.
She hums softly. “Yeah… Not since our sidekick days.”
A groan escapes him, causing her to laugh as a smile of sorts pull up at his own lips. “Ah, those days.” The words are all he really offers in regards to that. They perfectly encapsulate the entire experience of sidekick work, though. It’s only ever an exciting experience the first time, you soon realize how much grunt work it really was once one made it as their own Pro Hero.
Still, she humors him. “What’s with the tone? It wasn’t all that bad.”
He scoffs now, putting the now empty mug on the coaster on her coffee table. “It was a fine start, but we both know it’s nothing like being your own free man.” He leans back a bit, turning his head to look at her as his eyes expressed something Nemuri couldn’t quite place her finger on. “...Though, you’re right, it wasn’t all that bad. I uh, had a nice time when… we’d work together.”
Nemuri’s cheeks feel warmer and she curses herself for the blush she knows is showing through. She was a 31 year old woman, what was she doing blushing like she was in grade school? “Me too.” Hand rose to her glasses, pushing them better onto her face, as she continued to speak. “Believe it or not, but I used to have a little crush on you back then.”
Now it was Sekijirou who blushed. And it was, hands down, the most delectable thing she had ever witnessed. Though, it was followed by a short silence that was long enough to make her wonder if she probably shouldn’t have said that at all. Though, after a few more seconds, he relieved her of that worry. “You used to?”
The question was spoke softly enough where she wondered if she had probably imagined the words. Or, maybe, she had heard wrong. He looked over at her with expectant eyes.
“Are you asking me if I still do? Because…” She motioned vaguely around them, tilting her head slightly. “I think you know the answer to that, Sekijirou.”
He nods, wiping his hands on his jeans before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. She’s almost a bit disappointed at his anticlimactic reaction. She wasn’t expecting much but she also wasn’t expecting so little either. For the first time, she’s actually a bit nervous.
Brushing her bangs out of her eyes, she furrowed her brows. “Do you feel the same—”
“I think you know the answer to that, Nemuri.” He answers before she could finish her question, repeating her own words back at her.
There’s another moment of mutual silence. The white haired man doesn’t move from his position as his eyes trained on hers, her own body seemingly frozen as well as she searches his face. What is she looking for? Doubt? Sincerity? He never offered much in regards to emotional facial recognition. Unlike her own, his body language was more of a whisper at best.
She slowly rose to her feet, his eyes shifting to something more curious, as she moved to stand in front of him. Reaching a hand out, just barely touching his face with a playful smile, she motioned behind her with a tilt of her head. “...You came here to warm up, right?”
He blinked at the proximity of her hand, backing up just a bit before shifting his eyes back at her. “Uh… yeah.” Ah, there was that blush again. He took a hold of her hand and hoisted himself up, letting her guide him to the door of her bedroom. Before she could open it, though, she’s stopped by a hand over hers. “Listen, it’s been a while and I think we should hold off on having… uh… “
“Sex?” She asks with an amused smile on her face.
He rubbed the back of his neck, nodding a bit. “Yeah, that. ...I mean uh, I’d… I’d like to but I think we should wait until we do some more catching up.”
“Yeah, sure. I like that plan, actually. After all,” she opened up the door to her bedroom, using the hand still in his to pull him in closer, “there’s other ways we can warm up, Vlad.” Smirk pulling at her lips.
“Oh, uh, well. Yes, okay. Good.” Sekijirou fumbled, though a smile of sorts tugged at his lips as he willingly let her pull him in. She had never seen him struggle so hard at articulating his thoughts.
“God, you’re cute.” Nemuri all out purred now, no longer holding back. She was finally going to get what she wanted.