Archive of Our Own

There was a limit to Touya’s patience. That short and narrow path had grown into less of a fuse and more of a meander over the years, but it could certainly still be reached.

Trying to dodge the inevitable explosion was why she was spending her evening dodging Tenko and Rumi’s “friend” instead of getting messy on shitty martinis.

“Hey hey, sweet cheeks! What’s the hurry?”

Touya visibly cringed, and Rumi cackled. The ex-hero turned MMA coach wrapped a heavy prosthetic around Touya’s shoulders and yanked her in close.

“Where’s Sana? You ditch her already?”

Touya tried to wiggle free—unsuccessfully, as per usual.

“Look, Rumi…”

“Nuh uh,” she interrupted. “I don’t wanna hear it. You’ve been whining for literal years about being all pathetic and single—”

“Hey!”

“—and I’m tired of it!”

Touya rolled her eyes. Genuinely, why was she friends with these two?? Stupid PTSD. Stupid trauma bonding. Stupid war that ended in their stupid capture and stupid rehabilitation into a post-hero society full of stupid ex-heroes who did stupid things like show up to inpatient mental facilities and demand a rematch against the woman who used to be possessed by “the greatest evil Japan had ever seen,” resulting (somehow) in them falling in love and moving in together and causing general chaos and mayhem, particularly aimed at said possessee’s former top lieutenant, who may or may not have too much pride (therapy can’t magically fix everything!) to move back into (one of) her family’s house(s), and instead shacked up in the fairly odd-couple’s spare room.

Touya wasn’t sure how even a sane person was meant to survive all this.

She leveraged an elbow against Rumi’s ribs, and did a much more successful wiggle to get out from under her arm.

“Well I’m tired of picking up your nasty socks,” Touya shouted over the music. Rumi didn’t even bother looking offended.

“Listen,” she said, “you don’t have to date Sana. Hell, you don’t even have to like her! But…” and she leveled Touya with a glare that used to cow villains on the regular, “you do have to give her a chance.”

Touya heaved a sigh. Rumi, as per usual, was unmoved.

“Whatever,” Touya finally muttered, and Rumi grinned. “But only if you’re buying the drinks!”

*

Sana was… fine. She was plenty nice, and had gone through a few of the same villain rehab programs as Touya. She had cool green hair, and some kind of rock quirk she used to both topple statues of heroes and get a reputation for vandalism. Nowadays, she used it in the construction/demolition business, and was more than happy to show off the biceps such experience had given her.

So, yeah. She was fine. They exchanged numbers at the bar that first night, and Touya had dutifully texted 48 hours later. They’d found a spot in the city allowed by both of their supervised release conditions, and met up for expensive coffee at a place apparently frequented by every gay woman in Japan. They’d even gone for a walk afterward, just long enough for Touya to show Rumi she’d tried.

And it wasn’t like Touya didn’t want to try, it was just… she was tired. Dating was already hard enough after everything she’d been through and done, and even with someone like Sana, it just never felt like it had with…

Touya pulled the signal for her stop. It was a short walk the rest of the way to the apartment, and she didn’t hurry. Tenko and Rumi were both home today, and as much as Touya didn’t want to admit she was (gag) thinking about their feelings, she did want to give them alone time sometimes. They’d been good to her over the years. Twenty four year old Touya would have never predicted that, but thirty-six year old Touya could admit it.

Surprisingly, the happy couple were nowhere to be found when Touya finally meandered in. There was a box of takeout in the fridge with a sharpie fish drawn on the top, though—Rumi’s favorite little joke. Touya rolled her eyes, but it was nearly lunchtime, so the gesture was appreciated.

Chicken karaage in hand, Touya got ready to eat. Fuyumi would be proud; she always swore Touya was too thin when she visited. Natsu was at least subtler about it, though he did always pack her rice bowls extra full. Shouto had still never learned to cook anything that wasn’t a noodle, so he had no room to talk. Besides, it’s not as if Touya could un-burn her arms to the bone.

She pulled up a random video on her phone before that thought could take hold.

Distract when necessary, but don’t run from it.

The crunch of good karaage drowned a few more unsavory thoughts. That plus the video kept her sated until a new distraction layered in: a text from Fuyumi.

Touya opened it with a swipe, and was greeted with: dinner on fri? Natsu’s finally not on call!!

Touya sighed, but without heat. Of course she wanted to be invited; of course she wanted to go.

Dinner on Friday it was.

“There’s my little big sis!!”

Touya had lost her edge; she wasn’t quick enough to dodge being scooped up in one of Natsuo’s bear hugs.

“I’m lighting your hair on fire,” she protested, and he laughed.

“Only if you wanna go to jaaail~”

“Natsuo!” Fuyumi’s indignance made them both snort, and Shouto appeared round the corner at the noise.

“Oh, hey Touya-nee. So you’re finally going to jail?”

“Shouto!!”

It didn’t take long for Fuyumi to forgive them. It took even less time for her to ask about Touya’s dating life.

“Usagiyama’s fucking dead, the snitch. Or was it Shimura?” Touya held her chopsticks up like weapons, but her sister looked entirely unintimidated, the brat.

“It was Tenko-san,” Shouto said around a mouthful. Touya nodded, and stabbed at the closest vegetables.

“Send your goodbyes before I get home tonight,” she said.

“Answer my question,” Fuyumi insisted.

Touya sighed.

“I’m debating it.”

A round of groans went up around the table.

“What’s wrong with this one?” Natsuo asked. “Too perfect?”

Touya considered lobbing a bowl at his head.

“She’s not texting me either!” she defended instead. “Phone works both ways.”

“Hey,” he said, and raised both hands. “It’s no skin off my nose if you wanna be single forever. But you’re the one who said, and I quote: ‘This is my fucking year, bro.’”

Touya narrowed her eyes. She might have said that, yeah, but she was also exaggerating… Kind of. She really should have just lied.

Of course I have a girlfriend! she could have said. She’s funny, and sweet, and no, you’ve never met her. No, I won’t tell you her name. Yes, she definitely exists!

“Listen here,” Touya said. “You’ve all got two options. Drop it, and I stay to enjoy the rest of this lovely little dinner.” Her siblings sighed, and Touya glared at each of them in turn. “Test me,” she said, “and I’m drowning Shouto in the soup.”

Time progressed, and Touya kept on going to work, looking at apartments, coming home, dodging blows from two of the most annoying white-haired people she knew, and, because neither of them knew how to buy anything other than carrots or Doritos, going grocery shopping.

That’s how it all happened while Touya was doing her best to get them some actual decent snacks for the house. She was carrying her basket around the market, perusing, doing everything she would do on what was a normal Tuesday—what was a normal Tuesday. Everything was going fine, absolutely peachy, until Touya turned down the spice aisle.

To say she was shocked was an understatement. There wasn’t much that could prepare someone to run into the woman they’d burned the wings off a decade prior.

“Dabi?”

Fuck.

Touya jerked back, then forward, then felt her legs moving a step closer to her old enemy.

“...Hawks?”

Touya felt instantly hot under the collar—literally, and did a speedrun of every coping technique she’d ever learned to prevent flames from pouring out her clenched hands.

It wasn’t that Touya thought she’d never see Hawks again. It was just that she thought she’d never see Hawks again.

Did that make sense? No. But was it the feeble hope she’d clung to for the last decade? Yes. Could she be normal about seeing Hawks again now?

Absolutely fucking not.

“How have you been?”

How have I been???!!?? Touya’s inner monologue screeched. I’ve been terrible!! I’ve been great!! I’ve been every state of being you could possibly think of, and at least fifty of them were your fault!!! No, not fifty, five hundred!! Five thousand!! Five hundred thousand!!!

“Fine,” Touya’s mouth lied on autopilot. “How about you?”

“Yeah, same. I’m… fine.”

Tinny pop music played in the background. Touya prayed the floor would swallow her whole.

Because Hawks looked good. Of course she fucking did. She’d grown out her hair a little, and it was pulled half back in a claw clip. She’d traded in the ugly khaki costume for a soft beige peacoat, and a tight black turtleneck topped loose cream pants. Of course, Touya had somewhat kept up on the news of her old nemesis. Hawks was mostly out of the heroics game now, but she still worked in the field, doing philanthropy or something similar.

“So you’re… shopping?”

The sheer stupidity of that question shocked something loose.

“Obviously,” Touya said, and gave Hawks a good once over. “You look like a lawyer,” she sneered.

Hawks blinked in surprise, but a slow grin lifted the corners of her mouth.

“You’re reaching,” she replied after a moment, and cocked her head. “I remember your insults being a lot better than this, what happened?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Touya scoffed. “I’m reformed. I’m nice now.”

“Wow, you sure you’re still Dabi—”

Hawks bit off the end of That Name, but it was too late. Touya kept her face impassive while Hawks squirmed.

That’s right, motherfucker, she thought. Look how mature and unaffected I am by you saying my old name TWO TIMES! Cope and fucking seethe, loser!

“Not for the last decade, Hawks,” Touya said with a smile.

Hawks grimaced.

“It’s Keigo,” she said.

“I know,” Touya mocked.

Silence pulled between them.

“So,” Hawks tried again, “you looking for something specific over here, or…?”

Touya spun on her heel.

“Nope!”

She didn’t realize how far across the store she’d walked until she hit the wall. Stacks of rice bags loomed all around her, and she gripped the edge of a box to steady herself.

She’d really just turned and left. Not even a goodbye to her old… enemy? Traitor? Person she’d been wildly attracted to but also deeply wanted to roast alive? There had never been a clear cut answer with what she and Hawks could have been, but that’s because they couldn’t have been anything back then. She remembered what she used to tell herself when the longing began treading into dangerous territory: it could only work in an entirely different life. How odd to think that, in a way, she had one now.

“Oh… shit. Sorry, I’ll…”

Touya looked up into gold. Of course Hawks had followed her over here, purposeful or not. But Touya looked up, and Hawks looked back. Something passed between them in that moment, and Touya released her grip on the cardboard.

“I still wish things had gone differently,” Keigo said. Those gold eyes watched her carefully. “But I’m not sorry.”

“Cool,” Touya said. “Me neither.” Hawks grinned at that, the weirdo. It felt kind of nice to be immediately cards on the table, though. They’d never had that, before.

“Well,” Hawks said, “now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’m glad you’re doing ok.”

Touya crossed her arms.

“Wish I could say the same.”

Hawks barked a laugh; Touya laughed back. It felt good. Maybe that’s how twenty more minutes of shockingly easy chatting passed before Touya even realized it. She was vaguely aware of the time passing, of course, but Hawks still had that easy magnetism to her; Touya thrived under the easy back and forth, not to mention the way Hawks’ eyes drank her in.

“Alright, sunshine,” Hawks said eventually. “Great running into you, glad we could catch up, yadda yadda. If you ever need anything, hit me up. I live nearby.” She paused. “Actually, I’m serious about that last part. I’ve been working on the whole atonement thing, so, yeah. If there’s anything I can do to make up for some of the shit we did back then…”

Suddenly, Touya had a thought. A horrible, terrible, wonderful thought. That one sentence sparked something vindictive in Touya’s brain—a fun little prank she could pull on her loving family and friends. A way she could see Hawks again (...to mess with her, of course. It had been years since Touya had a nemesis, after all!).

“Tell you what,” Touya said, and Hawks’ face blanched at her cheshire grin. “I do have something you could help with…”

“I’m gonna be honest, I fully don’t understand what we’re doing here.”

Touya popped another piece of popcorn chicken in her mouth.

“You’re helping me with a problem,” Touya said. She gripped Keigo’s hand a little tighter. “They’ll be coming by any second, then you’re free.”

“Listen, I want you to pretend to be my girlfriend as a prank. They’re always up my ass about my dating life. It’ll be funny!”

It was a great plan. A wonderful plan! Touya couldn’t wait to see the look on Tenko’s face. Rumi’s too—apparently she and Hawks hadn’t talked much in recent years, despite being pretty tight in their twenties. Both of them got too busy, and without heroics to keep them in contact, it was harder and harder to find the time.

Keigo’s wings perked up.

“They’re coming,” she said.

Touya tipped the last morsel into her mouth, then tossed the container at a nearby trash can. She missed, and Keigo sent a red feather to throw it away properly.

“Littering is a crime,” she sniffed.

Touya’s retort died behind her teeth, because Japan’s most irritating couple was rounding the corner.

Rumi and Tenko came into view.

Touya wished she’d brought a camera.

*

“You bastard, I wouldn’t have kept setting you up if I’d known!” Rumi patted (smacked) Touya on the back in congratulations. “Ya secretive little bonfire.”

Touya grimaced.

“Annoying rabbit,” she shot back.

“Idiot matchstick.”

“Fluffy loser—ow!”

Rumi walked back to Tenko with a grin, and Touya rubbed at her head.

Ex-heroes, still resorting to violence. How typical.

Touya followed Rumi over to where Keigo and Tenko had some sort of staring thing going on. Tenko looked a little tight around the jaw, but otherwise unfazed. They’d all had to make peace with a lot of things, and Keigo’s remorse (and lack thereof) was certainly one of those. The guilt would eat them all alive if they let it.

Touya slid an arm around Keigo’s shoulders to shake off the morbid thoughts. Keigo played into it perfectly, and wrapped an arm around Touya’s waist in return. It was almost a little uncomfortable how comfortable it was to be this close again.

“I’d consider judging your taste,” Tenko said, “but…” and she glanced at Rumi. “Ex-heroes aren’t all bad.”

Rumi's grin turned savage moments before she was scooping her girlfriend up with a lunge, and Tenko squealed out a protest. Keigo and Touya fake-gagged right on cue as Rumi twirled her girlfriend in a breathless circle.

“Alright, lovebirds,” Rumi said as she finished her spinning, Tenko red-faced but clearly pleased in her arms. “Some of us have places to be.” She leaned closer, and narrowed her eyes at them both. “Don’t screw this up” (to Touya). “I’ve missed seeing you” (to Keigo). “Clench up, sweet cheeks!” (to Tenko).

And with that, she took off jumping across the city—presumably, to make up for time lost talking to the fake couple, but in reality, probably to show off for Tenko some more.

“Well,” Keigo said when they were alone again. “That was… fun? Was that fun?”

Touya gave Keigo’s shoulders a squeeze before releasing her.

“Yeah,” she started to say, but froze. They’d forgotten to reveal it was just a joke before Rumi and Tenko took off.

Keigo seemed to realize their error at the same time.

“I’ll tell ‘em when I get home tonight,” Touya said.

And she intended to. She really did.

But when she arrived home to find two starry-eyed lesbians drunk off fancy soju celebrating their anniversary that Touya definitely forgot was this week, she quietly packed a bag and shot Natsuo a text to get out a futon.

“Texted your sister,” Rumi slurred on Touya’s way out the door. “So stop bein’ so sneaky ‘n’ tell your family you’re bangin’ Hawks again.”

“Again?!” Touya snarled, but Rumi was already snuggling back into Tenko’s neck. The ex-supervillain melted into it, and Touya was pretty sure they wouldn’t remember her being here, let alone a confession that today was just a weird prank that didn’t even make sense now that she thought about it.

“Hey,” Tenko said, her hand skimming along Rumi’s bicep. “You’re good, right? With—” she gestured vaguely, and Touya raised an eyebrow at the drunken eloquence. “With the lore,” she finally said.

“Have you considered not talking like a thirteen year old boy?” Touya sighed. Tenko was often shockingly thoughtful, and this conversation would have been a welcome check in by Touya’s best friend, if only Tenko had enough soju-free braincells to hold it.

“Just…” Touya said, and Tenko blinked up at her. “Enjoy your night. And drink some goddamn water!”

>>i have a weird request

Touya paused her documentary to check her phone.

>>is it weirder than meeting in a market after 10 yrs & askin u to be my fake gf like 20 min later

>>...
>>i have a. request

Touya stretched her back before replying.

>>well hurry up

Keigo took a moment to type, and Touya got up to get some water. She’d been on the couch for a good hour, and mentally ticked off 'stretching' and 'hydrating' from her Take Care Of Yourself checklist.

>>will you fake marry me for a cooking class
>>?
>>it's for spouses
>>but I wanna go

Touya stopped with a water glass halfway to her mouth.

>>that is NOT less weird

*

Touya grabbed her fake wife an apron. It was the kitchen of a cute little cafe they were in today, and the place was decorated with chintz hearts and a collection of other queer couples.

She thought she recognized a few, but couldn't place the faces. Maybe a few were ex-villain wannabes, how ironic would that be.

"Got you an apron, sweetie," Touya snarked.

Keigo spun at her approach, a variety of cooking utensils in hand, and grinned.

"Aww, why thank you much, baby."

"No problem, sugar."

Keigo sidled closer, clearly having fun.

"Why don't you put it on for me, darlin'?"

Maybe she meant it as a joke. Touya didn't take it as one quick enough.

She stepped into Keigo's space with a grumble, and Keigo's breath hitched. She wrapped the apron around Keigo's well-muscled waist, and suddenly, neither of them were breathing.

Touya double wrapped the extra long strings securely—Keigo probably wanted it tight and secure on her hips, it was definitely not Touya's brain zoned in on the feel of her tshirt beneath her fingers—and pulled. But pulling the strings tight also pulled Keigo.

She gasped as their noses almost brushed. She steadied herself with a hand on Touya's arm.

"Sorry," Touya whispered, and finished clumsily tying the bow.

"Yeah," Keigo whispered back, and her hand was still on Touya's arm. "Me too."

After whatever happened between them at the cooking class happened, Keigo texted a lot. A LOT. She sent Touya stupid KPop memes, updates on her plants, and what seemed to be every inane thought that popped in her head.

Today's sampling was especially stupid:

>>What a day! I dropped my Red Velvet cake on the ground not once but TWICE! My boss offered a raise 2NE1 except me! Then some Brown Eyed Girls punched me & I got a Blackpink eye!! I'm Mamamoo-ving to a new Momoland to get away from everything that negatively f(x) my mental state!

Touya had to put down her phone for a second.

>>stop texting me

>>but i've GOT7 more lined up! <>>/p>

"Come onnnnn," Keigo whined, "just one selfie!"

Touya threw a piece of popcorn at her head, but Keigo just caught it in her mouth.

Show off.

"I'd rather you punch me in the face."

"That can be arranged," Keigo muttered, and Touya launched another popcorn missile.

She caught that one too.

"Look, I need proof you exist. The aunties are breathing down my neck again."

Touya rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure at this point who believed they were dating and who knew the truth. Fuyumi had recruited Rumi and Tenko as spies, and Touya had withheld any further Keigo information in protest.

It was a system that worked, at least until Rumi and Keigo started hanging out again; who knew what info the birdbrain spilled.

But all in all, it was pretty convenient to have a fake significant other.

"Sorry, I can't tonight, got plans with my girlfriend!"

"Yes, your daughter is very pretty, but I've got a long term partner already!"

"I have to leave early today, we're visiting my girlfriend's family way down in Fukuoka and I have to catch the train!"

Touya considered it as she chomped some more popcorn.

"Fine," she relented, and Hawks crowed a cheer. "But only if you send it to me too."

Touya couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it spiraled. One second she was pranking her siblings, the next she was staring at a fresh pack of canned coffee in her cabinet. Keigo hadn't even been with her when she picked it up, she just thought she might want some if she ever came over.

If she came over.

Maybe Touya should invite her over.

No, she shouldn’t. She should download an app or text an old hookup or ask Rumi about a friend or do anything other than what she was about to do right now.

Because this was stupid. Touya knew it was stupid.

That had never stopped her before.

>>you up?

Three little dots were winking as Keigo typed.

>>yup

>>you bored? Wanna get food?

>>im starvin

Touya texted back before she could overthink it.

>>sure. where?

>>tell u in 5 min

>>...take a dramamine

Touya did take a dramamine, as suggested. She wished she'd taken another.

"I'm gonna barf right on your ugly jacket!!" Touya yelled over the wind.

Keigo laughed against her cheek.

"Imagine if I had more feathers!" she yelled back. "This coulda been a luxury ride!"

"Keep making jokes like that and you'll lose the rest of them!"

Whatever Keigo replied was lost to the wind as she dipped into a dive. The drop was torturous, but the landing was smooth, though Touya couldn't really appreciate it with the way her stomach lurched. She closed her eyes to try and counteract the spinning as well. At least the dramamine was putting up a fight.

Barely.

"There we go," somebody whispered in her ear. "Nice and easy."

Not just "somebody," of course. Hawks.

Keigo.

That soft drawl on her cheek had Touya's own cheeks heating. Keigo had landed on a staircase to put herself just high enough that Touya could keep gripping onto her neck, her face buried in Keigo's collar.

She pulled back. There were freckles on Keigo's nose.

Touya came back to herself all at once.

She dropped her death grip and practically jumped backwards. Keigo teetered on her step at the abrupt move, and Touya began brushing off her clothes for no good reason other than that standing here staring at Keigo's freckles was not a productive use of her time.

"So, uh," Keigo said, "food?" She cocked her head at the All Night Noodles sign across the street.

"Yeah," Touya said. "Food."

They were each half a ramen bowl down before Touya let herself admit: this felt a hell of a lot like a date.

Maybe she should take a selfie, send it to... somebody. Rumi, maybe. She was supposed to prove something to somebody, right? Her family? Her friends? Keigo?

Touya glanced up, and gold met her once again. Watching, waiting, always showing up when Touya asked. The relationship might be fake, but the attention felt real, and Touya was learning to savor. 

It was too easy to get too comfortable. Touya knew she was setting herself up for disaster, but didn't stop herself in time, and now, she kept thinking of Keigo as actually being her girlfriend.

Keigo would send a good morning! text, and Touya would start daydreaming about Keigo giggling those words from the same bed. Keigo helped Touya move boxes into her new solo apartment, and Touya still hadn't stopped feeling like Keigo should have stayed after.

Tenko didn't even give her shit for it anymore; she'd accepted that Keigo made Touya happy, and therefore allowed her into their lives. Plus Rumi had rekindled her old friendship, which was great! But there was no exit strategy here. Touya had bumped into Keigo at a grocery store, and suddenly it was a decade prior and everyone thought they were or should be dating. And Touya wanted to be mad about that, but Keigo didn't disappoint. She showed up and showered Touya in smiles, in attention, in the kind of banter Touya craved.

It was enough. It would have to be enough.

Touya hadn’t seen Keigo's bare back since… yeah. Since that. The scars really weren’t too bad, all things considered. Next to Touya's they barely existed.

She ran a hand down Keigo's spine where the worst of it was clustered. She stopped just short of Keigo's camisole.

"See anything interesting?" Keigo asked, nonchalant.

Touya jerked back. She hadn't meant to touch Keigo, much less on her scars. But Touya's heater had been on the fritz, and they'd only managed to staunch the pour of hot air a few minutes ago, and Keigo had come prepared to help in spaghetti straps too small for the weather outside.

Sitting here together on Touya's couch, a little sweaty and a lot repressed, they were both showing a lot of skin. Touya blamed her inability to keep her hands to herself on the heat; she'd been sweating in this apartment for days while it drifted down snow outside.

"My bad," she said. Keigo laughed.

"Don't worry about it."

She turned as she spoke, and Touya felt lost all over again.

It wasn't a secret that Keigo was beautiful. Touya's brain supplied her that fact on a regular basis, and especially now.

"Hey," Touya said. They were sitting kind of close. Her knees were pushing into Keigo's thigh, but the ex-hero didn't move away.

Keigo's eyes watched Touya's lips form the word.

Touya must have done something. Certainly, she'd at least forgotten how not to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Keigo kissed her, and Touya kissed back.

They had to talk about it. Of course they had to talk about it!

Touya purposefully kicked over a pretty little snowdrift as she walked, because of course it was snowing. Of course it was beautiful. Of course it was like walking through a Hallmark card.

She'd liked kissing Keigo. A lot. Keigo had repeatedly stated how much she'd liked kissing Touya. But...

They weren't really dating. This could be just a hookup between friends. It could be, but Touya would never recover. She needed this to be real, and she needed it out loud.

"Touya!"

Keigo's smiling face and wild wave beckoned her across the park. Touya walked over on frozen feet.

Existing together these past several months had been nice. Keigo's presence in her life was soothing in a way Touya couldn't have predicted. The past was the past, and a lot of it was terrible, but familiarity was also comforting. After spending so long trying to rip her past apart, it felt kind of nice to bask in it. Tenko and Rumi had managed it; so could Touya.

"Hey, beautiful," Keigo greeted. She wrapped Touya up in a hug of both arms and wings. Touya didn't know what she'd do if she had to let go of this again.

Keigo pulled back.

"You ok?"

Touya took a deep breath.

"You wanna..." Time to rip the bandaid off. "You wanna date? For real?"

Keigo's face went totally blank.

"Todoroki Touya," she began. "Do you mean—no. Let me—are you... are you telling me you didn't think we were actually dating this whole time?!"

"Uh... yes?"

Keigo's face ran through a marathon of emotions.

"You," she sputtered, "are the most frustrating woman I have ever met!! Are you serious right now? You're joking. Tell me you're joking."

Touya's face was beet red.

"Of course I'm not joking!" She shouted back. "Why would I joke about this?"

"But," Keigo said, " you asked me out! You asked me!"

"What, no I didnt!"

"Yes, you did!"

"When?"

Keigo threw up her hands.

"At the stupid market! With the rice, and the whole 'let's pretend to date in front of my family and friends!'"

"That..." it was Touya's turn to splutter. "That wasn't asking you out! That was for a prank!"

Hawks eyes were wild.

"Touya," she said, voice icy. "That is the stupidest prank I've ever heard of. Literally no one thought that was true." She grabbed at her head. "Oh my god, except you. Touya, I... I helped you move!"

"Friends do that too!"

"I've been to your family dinners?!"

"That was part of the prank!"

"Oh my god," Keigo said. "Oh my god."

They stared at each other in disbelief. Touya's heart felt like it might pound right out of her chest. She felt... like an idiot. Like a happy, lucky, absolutely over the moon idiot. Life owed her this win, yes it did.

"Hey," she said, cajoling, and Keigo instantly cringed.

"No, do not—"

"Do you wanna be my girlfriend?"

Keigo stared at her incredulously.

"Not in a million years, no! You've apparently been friend zoning me for months, absolutely not!"

She moved to half seriously storm off, but Touya had always known her tells. She shot forward and grabbed Keigo round the waist. The ex-hero let her do it, and that was all the confirmation Touya needed.

"Fine," Keigo huffed a moment later. "I'll date you. But we're eating sushi for the next month."

Touya laughed, and squeezed her girlfriend tighter.

She'd have to do that a lot more from now on.