He inhaled sharply, observing as she buried her head in her hands, her sobs wracking her body. Guilt tore through him as he scrambled to figure out what to do or say to ease the situation. Was she that upset that he didn't want kids? God, what had he been thinking, allowing this to happen? How utterly selfish of him to assume she'd be okay with him not wanting them, that she would just go along with his plan without any issue. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, when she whispered something that nearly broke his heart.
"How am I supposed to get her back without that money? I have just enough for a first meeting with a lawyer, but everything after that..." she trailed off, another round of tears dripping down her cheeks, and he wanted nothing more than to reach over and comfort her.
"I'm the number two hero. If Haruki tells a lawyer I need help with something, I bet they'd be willing to do me a favor, some pro bono work. If not, I'm sure Haruki or my accountant can find a way to move money around the agency without raising suspicions. You're not in this alone anymore," he said gently, watching as she desperately wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, sucking in deep breaths to calm herself.
"So I don't have to have another baby?" She asked so softly he was sure he would've missed it without the help of his feathers. "I don't have to do it again?"
"Of course not," he whispered gently, and she let out another small sob.
"Oh thank god," she whispered, sucking in a deep breath before blinking up at him, her eyes red from her tears. "I thought this was the only way. It was the only reason I signed up. I just was so desperate to get her back, I'm so sorry I put you through all this. I'm so sorry."
His stomach twisted at her words, frowning at her apology. Did this mean she didn't actually like him? Had she been pretending just to get her daughter back? It seemed like she cared; she'd certainly kissed him back like she'd been interested. Was dating always this complicated? And what was the best way to even ask at this point, and did he honestly even want to know the answer?
"It's not too late to quit if you don't want to be with me," he said with a frown, his chest aching in a way he wasn't sure he'd quite experienced before. Just the thought of her walking back out through that door was enough to bring him to his knees. "I'll still help you get your daughter back, but if you don't–"
"Keigo," she said softly, interrupting him, and his heart stopped in his chest. He couldn't remember the last time someone else had said his real name, and dear God, it sounded so good falling from her lips like that. He wanted to hear her say it again; he'd do just about anything.
"Yes," he replied, his voice strained as he looked at her, fidgeting with his hands nervously.
"I...don't want to quit. I've really enjoyed getting to know you on these last few dates. I want to keep doing so, but I guess I'm just a little confused. If they want us to have kids, what's your plan here? They told me once we got to this point, they'd be having me come in every month for bloodwork and testing."
"Condoms," he squeaked out, embarrassment flooding through him. He clenched his jaw, drawing in a breath to try and settle his nerves. He was fucking twenty-two years old; sex shouldn't be an embarrassing subject to talk about, yet here he was squirming like a fourteen-year-old in sex ed. class. "The hope is that, should our relationship ever reach that point – and there is no rush or pressure – we prevent it long enough that the Commission just...gives up."
"And you really think that'll work?" She asked, tilting her head, and he shrugged in return.
"It's the best plan I've got. The Commission will get bored of me eventually. I'll get older, slower, newer heroes will start out ranking me. Eventually, with no successor, they'll hopefully just...let me go. I'll retire, and we can move away from here. Until then, we just pretend we don't know why it's happening. They can't force it; infertility happens for all sorts of reasons."
She rubbed her eyes, blinking at him before nodding. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I'm okay with that."
"Good. I'll talk to Haruki tomorrow about the lawyer. We will see what we can do. I promise I'll do everything in my power to get her back to you," he said, and she smiled up at him gratefully.
"Thank you," she said softly, and he smiled at her in return before glancing over at the clock. It was close to 5:30 now, their entire day almost gone.
"So..." he said, looking back at her nervously as he tapped his fingers on the table. "Now what do we do?"
"Fuck?" She responded nonchalantly with a small shrug, and his heart stopped as he blinked at her. Was she actually serious? Did she really want to move that fast? Was he even ready for that? How did these things normally go in porn? There was a certain order things progressed in, right? Was she going to be able to tell he had no clue what he was doing? What if she didn't like it? What if–
"Keigo?" Her voice finally broke through his thoughts, and he blinked at her, frowning as she started laughing. "I was kidding. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable. I could, uh, make us some dinner? Maybe we could watch some TV together. Ease into this whole roommate situation we've got going on."
He let out a sigh of relief, the tension in his body melting away, and he let out a small laugh. "I can help you cook if you want. I've never actually done it before, but I'm more than happy to try. No promises it's any good though." He offered, and she smiled brightly in return.
He watched as she got up, gathering their cups and depositing them into the sink before opening his fridge. She frowned, turning to look at him, her confusion evident from her expression.
"You have literally nothing in your fridge!" She exclaimed, and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Ah yeah, that might make things difficult. Come sit down, and we can place a grocery delivery?"
She sighed and rejoined him at the table. He pulled out his phone, and together they put together a list of things they would need to cook. It was a novel experience for him; he'd never actually had to do grocery shopping before. He smiled as they talked through different foods together, eventually allowing her to take his phone completely and order whatever she wanted. The Commission wouldn't dare argue with her over his diet, at least not yet, and he watched her in wonder as she scrolled through different ingredients.
It only took a few more minutes before she handed it back to him, and he checked out without even looking over the list once. If that bento box was anything to go off, he'd eat anything she made. Since they had time to wait before they arrived, he made sure to show her around the apartment, ensuring she knew where everything was and how to turn on the various odds and ends.
Thankfully, their groceries arrived quickly, and he watched with interest as she sorted everything out, reorganizing the kitchen as she went. Suddenly she stopped, turning to face him, her eyes wide with horror. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. This is your apartment, and I just totally took over."
He laughed, shaking his head. "Obviously, I've never used it much. Just reorganize how you see fit, and then you can teach me how to cook. It's your home now too."
She gave him a shy smile, and it only took a few more minutes for her to let out a satisfied sigh. "Alright, let's get cooking."
Despite his excitement, he was a terrible help in the kitchen. He wasn't quite sure what utensil was needed when, grabbed the wrong thing from the fridge, and added way too much butter and salt into the pan. She seemed to take it in stride though, laughing, and before long, she was putting their dinner into the oven with a final laugh.
"Well, you weren't kidding," she said, leaning against the counter. "You're absolutely horrible at this."
"Hey!" He protested with a fake pout. "I'll have you know my knife skills are unmatched, thank you very much."
"Do feathers really count as knives? How sanitary is that anyway? Can't imagine those things are clean." She teased him, and he huffed in response, crossing his arms.
"I'll have you know that I take impeccable care of them. They're cleaned daily, and I preen at least once every two weeks."
She laughed in response, using the back of her hand to wipe her face, the trail of flour it left behind making him chuckle.
"Ya got something there," he said, reaching over and brushing it off gently. She giggled, and he wanted nothing more than to just lean forward, to capture her lips again like he had in the alleyway. However, just as he was about to move to do so, a timer went off. He quickly jumped backward, and she hastened to shut it off, the moment lingering like an unfinished sentence as they finished prepping the rest of dinner in a comfortable silence.
He tried arguing with her about serving him, insisting it wasn't necessary, and that he could make his own plate. However, a stern look in his direction quickly quieted his argument. He knew better than to argue after that look was given; his time with Haruki had taught him that much. So he conceded, settling down at the table as she brought him his food.
"Good lord, this is amazing," he groaned, quickly taking another bite, and she let out a laugh, shaking her head.
"I doubt it. I'm not that good of a cook."
"You're kidding me, right?" He asked in disbelief. "Between this and the bento a few weeks ago, I'm in heaven. The only time I get to eat like this is when I'm on missions and the Commission wants me to keep up appearances," he said, his eyes widening as the confession left his mouth before he could stop it.
"They even control what you eat?" She whispered, and he swallowed nervously before nodding.
"Gotta stay in shape, modeling gigs and all that. There's an image to maintain," he muttered, pushing around the food on his plate before sighing. He watched as she clenched her jaw, grabbing his plate from him and walking back over to the stove. He furrowed his brows as she scooped more onto it, walking over and depositing it back in front of him with a small huff before returning to her own chair.
"Eat. They've taken enough away from you, so enjoy it."
He did just that, easily finishing off his plate and another small helping after that. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so full, so relaxed, and so very content. She rose to start clearing the plates, and he quickly grabbed her, pulling her out of the kitchen despite her protests.
"But the dishes need to be done," she said as he dragged her toward the sofa.
"You cooked. I'll do them later," he replied with a smile. It would be an easy enough task to do after he got her settled into her room for the night. He'd already planned on sleeping on the sofa, unsure how she would feel about sharing a bed. If he was completely honest, he wasn't sure how he felt about it either, so it was best just to avoid the entire situation if he could. "Let's watch some TV for a bit and just relax."
And so they spent the rest of the night watching cheesy television shows, with small bits of conversation flowing between them as they laughed at the antics on the screen. He soaked in every minute, he was normally never allowed free time like this. Would the Commission allow him time away from work like this more often now? He certainly hoped so.
Time seemed to just slip away as the sky grew dark and before long he noticed she was starting to drift off, her eyes fluttering and her head sagging slightly. He sighed, disappointment filling him at the thought of the night being over, but nudged her gently anyway. It had been a long day for both of them and the dishes were still waiting to be done.
"Come on, looks like it's time for bed," he said to her gently, and she groaned.
"But I still haven't showered."
"Just take one in the morning," he said with a shrug, pulling her up and walking with her toward the bedroom. She grumbled, walking into the room as he paused in the doorway, leaning against it with a smile. For some reason, this just felt...right. She sat down on the bed, looking back at him before furrowing her brows in confusion.
"Aren't you coming?" she asked, and he hesitated for just a second before shaking his head.
"I'm going to just sleep on the sofa," he replied softly, and she frowned before shaking her own head.
"Absolutely not. This is your apartment, your bed. You're sleeping here, and I can sleep on the sofa if that's what you want," she retorted, and he quickly shook his head. There was no way he'd ever let her sleep on the sofa.
"No, that's not—"
"Or you could just join me," she said, and he shifted uncomfortably. He should've known he wasn't going to be able to avoid this, he just hadn't expected to have to confront it so quickly. She must've sensed his unease because she let out a small chuckle. "We don't have to do anything, but you don't have to give up your bed for me. Just come lay down, I promise no touchy stuff."
He hesitated, anxiety twisting his stomach as he looked at her. Was he seriously considering this? She gave him a small smile, and he nibbled his lip as he debated her offer. It wasn't like they were going to do anything; she just said so herself, so honestly, what would it hurt? Plus, it would be far more comfortable than sleeping on the sofa.
"Yeah, alright," he agreed softly, stepping into the room and gently shutting the door behind him.
The dishes would just have to wait until tomorrow.