"You're... You're joking..." You gasped, staring at Toshinori with shock.
"Nope, one hundred percent serious."
"...Why?"
Toshinori sighed and leaned back in his cafe chair. It groaned under his weight. "I always take somebody and this year I want to take you!"
You leaned forward and buried your face in your hands. One the one hand, you were elated that he wanted to take you, but on the other hand: A Fundraiser Gala? That's the last place you'd wanna go, especially since according to Toshinori it was an important, and very public event.
"Is that why you took me out to the ocean? Bought the suit? Took me here for coffee? Are you trying to butter me up?" You couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it. You, at a fancy fundraiser. Yeah, right.
"No, but I figured it would help..." He smirked, "It will be fun! I promise! There'll be dancing, beautiful decorations, more fancy cakes than you've seen in your life..."
"Hm... I do love cake..." Damn it. He knew sweets were your weakness. "Do I have to wear a fancy dress?"
"You could wear a suit, if you wanted instead," He pointed out, taking a sip of his large drink. You'd laughed when he ordered it, making sure that the barista gave him extra whipped cream. It seemed like something a girl from America would do. You'd decided to order the same, in a much smaller size, plus a tarte for each of you.
You munched on the pastry as you thought of a response. "No, a dress is fine. When is the gala?"
"In two months. Actually, only a day before... you know..." He trailed off, shooting you a knowing glance.
"Doesn't it seem kind of dangerous to do something that big the night before something else super big?"
"It'll lower suspicious," He answered simply, popping the last bite of his food into his mouth.
"I guess that is true. But why don't you take Saffron? She's more suited to that public eye kind of thing."
"Because I want to spend time with you," He admitted, making you blush. "I think we'd have fun. Those types of parties are always boring. I want to take someone I can have fun with."
You chewed on the end of your green straw. "Do I have to talk to a bunch of people?"
"No, I'll do all the talking."
You sighed, thinking his offer over for a minute. "Alright, fine. I'll go. But you better not be lying about the cake."
He smiled and laughed with delight. "If there isn't any cake there, I will personally make you as many as I can fit into the kitchen."
"Alright, if you're ready to accept that commitment. I guess I should find something to wear."
"I'll have Saffron take you out in a couple days. You can have girl time... or whatever..."
You laughed at the term. "Sure. Sounds good. I'll shoot her a text. What about you, Mr. Guest of Honor? Should we coordinate colors?"
"Sure. Pick out a dress and I will get colors to match." He seemed excited at the idea, "Unless you don't want to match, of course." He backtracked.
"No! I do!" You said much too eagerly. You saw him smile at that, and you looked away and shoved another bite of food in your mouth to hide your embarrassment. He told you about the party, who was hosting it, what it was like, etc. but you were only half listening. At this point anxiety was starting to creep into your body at the thought of such a public event. This was a terrible idea.
You tried to distract yourself by fidgeting with the napkin dispenser on the table, sipping your too-sweet drink, looking around the cafe. It was cute, just as you'd hoped, with a comfortable and laid back atmosphere. The bar stood in the far right corner, where many different types of coffee and pastries and sandwiches were sold. There was an even mix of couches and tables strewn about the room, and some bookshelves with books people had donated that you could read while you were there. At this time of the day, there were only a few people hanging around, students studying with their friends and a few business people trying to finish up some work. It was quiet, cozy. A place you could spend a lot of time at.
"Hey, look at this!" He smiled suddenly, turning the napkin dispenser towards you. You looked at the advertisement he was pointing to. "Open mic night!"
"Oh, that's fun!" You said, pretending to be uninterested. You hoped he wouldn't suggest you go.
"You should go!" Shit.
"I'm not much for public singing. Or being in public." You mumbled with embarrassment.
"But don't you want to be a singer?" He asked, looking at the dates and times for the event.
"Well... yeah... but I'm not ready yet!" You stammered, trying to think of excuses. Yeah, you wanted to be a singer, but you'd also just spent the past few years of your life in complete solitude, hunting people on beaches. You weren't exactly ready for the limelight, having a social life that only included five people was already hard enough. You didn't need all that attention.
"I'd love to hear you sing more. Everyone would love you! You have a wonderful voice."
You loved the compliments, and would have loved nothing more than to sing for Toshi all day and have him adore you, but that didn't ease your anxieties much.
"I don't know... I just-"
"(Y/N), you're going to fight one of the worlds strongest villains and you don't seem nervous, but singing in public scares you?"
"I never said I wasn't nervous! And this is different..."
"I think it'd be a great opportunity. And I'd be there supporting you! Saffron could come too, if you want. She loves that kind of thing."
You pondered it a moment. You were seriously considering it, but the fear of public humiliation and being in front of all those people was stopping you from fully committing.
I'll be there supporting you! His voice rang in your head, making the decision that much harder to make.
"I don't know..." You muttered, taking your coffee in both hands and tapping your fingers against it anxiously. The more you thought about it the more you wanted to do it, but at the same time the more terrified you were.
Toshinori reached over and put a reassuring hand on your arm. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I just thought it would be an exciting opportunity for you."
You relaxed a little, feeling the heat in your cheeks burn under his touch. "I'll think about it... That's a couple days from now. I'd have to practice and all that... I don't have an instrument or anything to play..."
He seemed pleased with your willingness to consider it. "Do you play any instruments?"
"I used to be really good at ukulele," You admitted. "I know that's really cliche. Every girl tries to learn at least once, you know? But I really liked it. My friend Brienne and I used to play together. She'd sing and I'd play, or I'd sing and she'd play. It was always fun..." You trailed off, remembering the fun the two of you would have after school.
"Well, I'm sure we could find you one," He smiled. He still hadn't moved the hand on your arm, to your delight.
"No! No, that's okay," You blushed. The last thing you wanted was for him to buy you more stuff. "I'll figure something out. Don't worry about it."
"Alright, if you say so." He removed his hand from you and grabbed his drink again, taking a deep drink of it. "Are you about ready to go? I have one more thing I want to do tonight."
"Oh? What's that?" You asked, finishing the last sip of your drink.
"It's a surprise!" He smiled, looking outside to the setting sun.
"You're just full of surprises today, Toshinori." You smiled, standing up to toss your cup into the trash can nearby.
"I like to keep you on your toes," He smiled, taking the opportunity finish up his drink and to toss it into the trash.
The two of you walked out of the cafe and back in to the street. Toshi's energy had changed pretty rapidly, going from his normal confident self, to slightly nervous. It was an incredibly subtle change, the slightest hint of nervousness in his eyes, but you noticed it nonetheless.
"So, where are we going?" You smiled up at him.
"You'll see! You're so impatient!" He joked, "We have to head back home really quick, then I'll take you there."
"Alright, alright!" You smiled, practically bouncing with excitement. Today had been a great day and it was going to be topped off with some surprise he had for you. It had to be wonderful, right?
You didn't have time to think over the possibilities of what it could be as you walked back to Might Towers, as a hoard of commuters bustled in to the street suddenly from a nearby office building, crowding you and Toshi and unintentionally splitting you apart. You could hear him behind you, his large steps were unmistakable. You knew your way back to Might towers, but that didn't make you feel any less anxiously as you were bumped and jostled along the sidewalk. You still weren't the best at human contact, and this made your gut twist in that sickening way you used to feel before you'd give a speech in school. It was awful.
Just as you thought you were going to get swept away in the sea of people you felt a large, warm hand thread its fingers in to yours. You felt that familiar jolt of electricity surge through your arm as your skin met his and he walked around you to make his way through the crowd, preventing anyone from bumping in to your further. You blushed violently as he held your hand, unsure if there was any motives behind it other than just trying to keep you from getting jostled around.
You waited with bated breath as you exited the crowd, wondering if he was going to let go of your hand or not. To your delight, he didn't! His hand kept yours firmly trapped in his, unconsciously swinging it slightly as the two of you walked. You felt the heat in your cheeks spread, equal parts excited that you were holding hands with him, and also slightly embarrassed that people could see you holding hands with the world's top hero. No one really acknowledged that it was him until you walked through the door, his grey hoodie covering up his signature blonde spikes.
He didn't let go of your hand until you were in to the elevator, and even then it was just so he could pull his hoodie down and press the button to his floor.
"So, when do we get to do the surprise?" You asked, trying to play it cool. Inside, you were dying to know.
"After it gets dark!" He smiled, exiting the elevator and stepping in to the kitchen. "Get in to something comfy and meet me on the roof in an hour." He handed you the silver briefcase he'd been carrying for you. "And keep this safe. I'll give David a call and tell him how well it worked.
"Tell him I said thank you!" You smiled, clutching the case to your chest as he disappeared into his office.
You shuffled your way into your room, excitement flooding your body. You quickly bathed and got rid of the salt water in your hair. You threw on a comfy pair of sweat pant shorts, and a tank top, then waited impatiently for an hour to pass. As soon as you saw exactly an hour had passed, you anxiously took the elevator to the roof and eagerly jumped out as soon as the door opened.
You weren't sure what you were expecting, but this definitely wasn't it. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, and the stars were beginning to make their appearance. Toshinori was standing there, draping a string of Christmas lights around the rooftop. There was an inflatable couch, lots of blankets, and a large screen with the netflix menu on it.
"What's all this?" You asked, walking over to look at how hilariously large the inflatable couch was.
"Movie night! Under the stars," He smiles, plugging in the lights.
"This looks awesome! Whats the special occasion? And whats with the couch?"
"Well, I actually found the couch online and it gave me the idea," He smiled at you.
You stifled a laugh, "Toshi... that's kind of weird!"
"Well... yeah. But I know you like being outside so I thought this would be nice."
"I appreciate the thought. It's sweet of you," You smiled, plopping down on the couch. It bounced a little with your weight. It was nearly twice as large as the couch in the living room. "It's pretty big!"
"Is it comfy?" He smiled, grabbing the remote for the projector and moving to stand in front of you.
"Hmm..." You bounced up and down a little, "It's pretty good."
"Good," He plopped down next to you and nearly sent you flying. You laughed and readjusted yourself on the couch.
"These were super popular when I was back in elementary school. They had them in all sorts of neon colors. I used to want one so bad, I thought it would make me cool. Well... that and beaded curtains... and an obscene amount of boy band posters."
He chuckles heartily, "Sounds like an interesting room."
"Yeah, nothing as gorgeous as what I have while I'm living here. It's amazing, Tosh."
"I can't really take credit. I let Saffron decorate it for any guests who would stay here. It never got used much until you arrived."
"So your plan wasn't to design a gorgeous room and kidnap me this whole time?" You joked.
"Oh, it definitely was. But when I pictured kidnapping someone I always imagined that they wouldn't want to stay willingly" he teased back.
"Well, I don't have anywhere else to go, so until these three months are up you're stuck with me."
"I can't say I mind," He smiled, tucking a stray lock of your hair behind your ear. The contact made you blush.
You swallowed loudly and looked away, trying to hide the warmth flooding your face. "So... what movie are we watching tonight?"
He turned his attention back to the projector, shielding his own blush from your view. "A classic; Jurassic park!"
"Is this that American film with the dinosaurs?"
"Yeah! It's great!"
You internally groaned at the thought of reading more subtitles, but smiled anyway. "Is this the one where they say, "Life finds a way!"
"It is! Have you seen it?"
"No, but I've heard the quote."
"Well, it's great. Your going to love it." He quickly flipped through the menu and turned it on. It wasn't really the kind of movie you were expecting from this romantic set up. You had been hoping for something more... intimate... but you scolded yourself for getting your hopes up. You two were friends, that was it. You shouldn't have had any expectations. Toshi had done something nice for you, that was it.
As the beginning credits rolled across the screen, he draped his arm around the back of the couch. You couldn't tear your attention from it for a good thirty minutes, sneaking peeks from the corner of your eyes. It was so inviting there, the crook of his arm the perfect size for you to slip in to. You could easily just lean over, place your body up against his. The two of you had done it before, so why couldn't you do it again?
The major difference was that this time you weren't doing it accidentally after falling asleep... By doing it purposefully you were obviously showing that you were interested. What if it freaked him out? What if he pushed you off? What if when he pushed you off, he accidentally pushed too hard and you flew off the building? His career as a hero would be ruined and you would be dead. It's a lose-lose situation.
On the other hand, what if he didn't reject you? What if he pulled you against him and confessed his love for you right then and there? Unrealistic, of course, but you could dream. You sat there for a while, watching dinosaurs eat people, debating whether or not to lean up against his arm, when he seemingly made the first move. Without moving the arm he had draped on the couch, he shifted his body weight towards you a little, causing the couch to sink in his direction, making you slide down against him. You giggled and blushed, looking up to him and apologizing.
"Whoops... I think I should've bought a sturdier couch," He said, not backing away from you whatsoever. He didn't seem to mind you being pressed up against him, and you didn't mind either. Had he done it on purpose? You really hoped he had...
Taking a deep breath for courage and returning your attention back to the movie, you settled in to the space against his chest you'd been admiring minutes earlier. He sighed contently and moved his arm to your shoulder and pulling you close to him. He sighed contentedly, trying his best to focus on the movie. The two of you had never done anything like this when you were both awake... but it was amazing, if he was being honest. He could feel the constant pulse of electricity where your skin was touching, it was distracting.
Even when the movie was over, the two of you didn't part. You chatted quietly, joking about the movie and discussing what parts you did and didn't like. He put on another movie, then another, then another, until you were watching movies into the late hours of the night, the two of you tucked beneath the fuzzy blanket you liked so much. It was comfortable, the heat of his body soaking your cold one. You couldn't help but doze off together, barely able to resist the tug of sleep at your eyelids.
You could feel Toshi fall asleep under you, his breathing slowing and his head slumping down. For a moment, you contemplated waking him up, or carrying him down in to his room, but neither seemed plausible. You sighed for a minute. A gentle breeze blew across your face, the quiet hum of the city below making this a comfortable place to be with him. It was almost like the world was telling you to stay there with him, to let your mind wander until you fell asleep. So, fighting your previous reservations, you placed a gentle kiss to his chin, then laid your head against his chest, quickly following him into sleep.