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“And here I thought you were enjoying yourself.” The sudden voice is what startles All Might out of his thoughts, turning to see Hellflame standing there with his usual smile. So perfectly pristine and practiced that it comes to him effortlessly at all times. “Everyone will be so disappointed if you don’t come back soon.”
All Might laughs nervously, straightening out his back and placing his hands on his hips. “Is that so?” He doesn’t sound nearly as confident as he’d like to portray, failing himself when his eyes stray away from the other. “...I hadn’t noticed I was gone that long.” It’s hard to. He’d been doing events like these for so long, but when it was alongside Hellflame it was…different somehow. In a way he couldn’t quite put his finger on. It’s not as if he has any reason to feel that way, Hellflame has always been an undoubtedly good hero. Amazing statistics in terms of cases resolved, beloved by fans and always presenting a delightful attitude. By all means, All Might should get along with him wonderfully. But something made him uneasy.
Perhaps it’s the way he seems so calm all the time, or how his movements don’t fit his physical frame. Hellflame can rival him in muscle mass yet moves with all the grace and flare of a dancer on a runway. It can’t be that trivial though. All Might would like to think of himself as someone not quite that judgemental, yet he can’t bear the way he stares at him from across the room. There was something in those eyes he couldn’t quite name…and he didn’t like it.
“That’s why I thought I’d check on you,” Hellflame said, arms crossed rather leisurely across his stomach, holding his elbows, “in case there’d been an emergency.”
“Not at all! I’ve just been getting some air.” Though that effort seems to have become void having the reason he stepped out in the first place standing right in front of him. He gets a hum in response, that same unashamed staring like he’s being pulled apart in the man’s mind returning. “...Well!” All Might clasps his hands together after a moment. “I should be heading back now.”
“We haven’t gotten the chance for a photo together all evening.” He says, suddenly as if to stop him in his tracks. “Not to say that you’re avoiding me,” Hellflame steps closer, “because you wouldn’t do that. But I think we should offer the opportunity.” His tone is honeyed, leaning slightly to make himself appear shorter than he actually is while still closing distance.
“Ah…that is true.” All Might can feel his own expression falter, unable to maintain eye contact. It’s not a bad idea and he wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the only reason Hellflame came out here to talk to him, but he’d still rather their time together tonight be kept to a minimum. Perhaps then with the distance he can figure out what the nagging feeling inside him is. “You are always thinking about those things.”
“It’s good to give fans and the media something to talk about.” Hellflame takes another step forward. “Shall we go out together then?”
His knee-jerk reaction is to step back, but he uses every resource he can to keep it to just a minor flinch. He has no reason to turn him down. Maybe he’s just being paranoid, but his gut reaction hasn’t been wrong before.
When All Might doesn’t answer, Hellflame’s head tilts to the side. Their eyes meet again. His back straightens and he’s suddenly standing uncomfortably close. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yes!” All Might responds a little too quickly. “I’m just fine!”
“You seem nervous.” But there’s not even a hint of concern, just his usual tone slowly dipping down in volume. “...am I making you nervous?”
He stares down at him. He can clearly feel his heartbeat in his chest. “I just think I should be heading back out now.”
“Then go.” Hellflame pushes up until their noses are level with each other. “I’m not keeping you here.”
He knows that. He knows how easy it would be to just walk away but he can’t seem to take that first step. They’re closer than they ever have been before and he can feel his heart boring a hole into his stomach. He’s certain that if it were anyone else there wouldn’t be a problem, yet here he is unable to act. It doesn’t make sense.
Bright blue eyes trap him in a gaze that lasts only a few seconds but it feels like an eternity. The uncertainty and discomfort clearly mark All Might’s face now, and for a moment he’s sure the eyes before him darken before–
Warmth. So distinct and soft that it derails his thoughts. Hellflame’s lips pressed to his in a moment that overrides his brain and seems to throw it all into confusion.
All Might has half a mind to push him back, to pull away, to do something, yet he just stands there with wide eyes at the blurry shape of his head. He can’t tell if there’s just heat radiating off of the other or if his body is reacting, but either way his lips still tingle slightly as he feels a tongue slip past. It doesn’t do much or go too far in, just enough to get a proper taste of him before the kiss breaks. Hellflame stares at him with lidded eyes, a short string of saliva keeping them connected until it eventually breaks and falls back to All Might’s mouth. He can’t make out the expression being afforded to him this close, but even if he could properly decipher it, he feels so scrambled after all of that that he’s not sure he’d even be able to take it into account. At the very least he can tell he’s smiling. He’s sure there’s something else he’s missing.
Hellflame finally pulls back entirely, putting a step of distance between. He looks as if he might laugh, just barely covering his mouth with his hand and straight back to his chipper sweet self. “I’ll talk to you later, then.” He gives him the kind of smile you’d expect from a hero, waving as he steps around him and makes his way out.
All Might doesn’t even follow his movements, his brain still trying to make sense of that whole interaction. He presses one hand to his chest and another to his mouth. His face is still burning and it gets worse the more the moment replays in his mind, the ghost of the touch still very much there. He has to be missing something. Why would Hellflame do that? Why couldn’t he just make his body do anything? Something has to be wrong, if not with Hellflame, then with himself.