Disclaimer: I’m just borrowing these characters, they belong to Pixelberry
Author’s Note: This is in response to the prompt of “I can’t sleep, can I stay here tonight?”. This is my take on what might have happened after the diamond scene date at The Grand the night before the battle with Silas. An important HC tid-bit to know: one of Kenji’s nicknames for Thea is Little Bird, based off of her Hero name, Steel Falcon.
Summary: Kenji walks Thea to her door and tries to convince her not to let the night end there.
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We sway as we meander up the stairs of my apartment building, drunk mostly on each other’s presence. Kenji’s impressively muscular arm is wrapped around my waist, pressing me so close our knees bump together with every step. I lean my head into his chest, the rhythmic thumping of his heart and the spicy yet sweet citrusy scent of his cologne lulling me into a relaxed state of pure bliss. I feel his pectoral muscles flexing, jostling my head slightly, a mere second before a hearty chuckle escapes his throat, the sound filling the otherwise silent stairwell.
“Worn out already, Little Bird? I guess your stamina didn’t improve when you gained those fancy new Prism Powers, huh?”
“Mmm, not tired, just relaxed,” I half mumble, my jaw muscles as well as my eye-lids growing heavier with every passing minute. In truth, I was fairly exhausted. Tonight had been beyond incredible, but combined with the physical and mental stress of the past few days it had nearly tapped out my energy reserves.
“Besides, I didn’t exactly hear you complaining about my stamina earlier,” I quip, turning my head to press teasing kisses along his collar bone, his cotton shirt soft against my lips. His heartbeat quickens and I feel him shudder slightly at my touch. He stops suddenly and I realize we’ve reached the door to my apartment.
I break apart from Kenji and pull out my keys. Strong hands grasp my hips as I turn the key in the lock and hear the telltale click. Hot kisses as soft as a whisper burn a trail down the back of my neck and I stiffen, heat pooling in my belly. Kenji pulls me back into his firm body and leans down further to place insistent kisses on my collar bone, his hair tickling my jaw line. A shiver of desire wracks me from head to toe and I relax into him for a minute.
“As much as I love this, babe, I should probably go inside. Alone,” I say finally, pulling away from him slightly, only to be spun around quickly. Two graphite colored eyes bore down into mine, the dark eyebrows above them raised slightly.
“Not going to invite me in for a nightcap then?” He replies, the corners of his mouth turning upwards into a sly grin, his hands firmly grasping my waist.
“Kenji, we have a big day tomorrow. We should both try to get some actual sleep,” I state frankly, but I can’t help but crack a smile. Damn him and his infectious grin. We stand there for a moment, gazes locked, both of us trying to telepathically argue our point.
“Who says we won’t sleep?” Kenji questions, his smirk growing bolder.
“Experience,” I retort with a small giggle and gently nudge him backwards, widening the space between us. He lets go of my waist, his arms dropping to his side in resignation.
“Come on, Thea. I won’t be able to sleep without you. I’ll just be lying alone in my bed, in nothing but my boxers… if I’m cold… worrying about tomorrow. You don’t want that, do you?” His lips curl into a pout, but his eyes hold a teasing gleam.
I snort loudly and roll my eyes hard at his attempt to entice and guilt me into letting him stay. Yet a tiny voice in the back of my mind reminds me how true his words are.
Sure, he’d been the one to assuage my fears over the upcoming battle with Silas earlier. But I’d seen the flicker of worry in the very corner of his eyes; I had felt the uneasiness that hung heavy in the air between us before he broke through it with a joke.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” I state, the disquieting thought withering away as I plot my next move. “You are, Talos, Man of Bronze after all,” I whisper teasingly in his ear before stepping back and widening my stance, hands resting on my hips, chest puffed out, chin pointed upwards.
“The Hero Northbridge deserves,” My voice, now lowered about an octave and filled with an overwhelming confidence, booms through the empty hallway.
“Oh, Talos, is that really you?” Kenji gasps, his eyes wide in surprise, as his hand moves to cover is gaping mouth. “Can I have an autograph for my girlfriend? She’s your biggest fan!” His face lights up with an ear to ear grin, eyes sparkling brightly.
A laugh shakes me as I step towards Kenji again and kiss him tenderly, the faint taste of lime from the cocktail earlier dancing on my lips. He lets out a groan as I break off the kiss just as he moves to deepen it.
“Goodnight,” I say, reaching behind me and opening the door. “I’ll see you in the morning, Tin Man.” In one swift motion, I walk inside and close the door before he can respond.
I attempt to busy myself with preparing for bed, but only a few minutes pass before a flood of doubts breaks through the dam of contentment I’d built up earlier in the night.
Silas is undeniably strong, more so than all the other foes we’d previously faced combined. Would we be strong enough to defeat him, or would we fail, would I fail? My new powers from the Prism Gate should give us an advantage, but will I know how to use them when the time comes? Will I be able to control them or will I make an even bigger mess of things?
Could I unintentionally hurt Kenji or Eva?
I shudder at the thought, nearly gagging myself with my toothbrush. Pulling on an extra long t-shirt of Kenji’s I ‘borrowed’ from his apartment, I grab my phone.
Maybe Kenji was right.
My thumb hovers over the call button as a familiar knock sounds on the door.
Kenji’s pupils widen as he takes in my appearance when I open the door, but the sad puppy-dog look painting his gorgeous face doesn’t falter for a second.
“I can’t sleep, can I stay here tonight.”
I want to be firm, to put my foot down and tell him no. It’s probably what I should do, the smart and responsible thing to do before a major battle. But, the instantaneous comfort that washes over me at the sight of my adorably dorky boyfriend pushes all thoughts of being alone tonight from my mind.
“It’s barely been 10 minutes! Did you even go home yet or just drive around the block a few times?” I tease, determined to keep him waiting just a little longer.
His pouty-face façade fades quickly, replaced by his usual smirk and a proudly guilty gleam in his gaze; my joke apparently hit on the mark.
After a minute, I let out an overly exaggerated sigh and step aside, allowing him to enter. The door is barely closed before my now grinning mouth is captured by two rough lips in a deep, bruising kiss.
Desire courses through every nerve in my body as Kenji pulls me close, his arms wrapping snuggly around my lower back. I drape my arms around his neck, my fingers raking through the short strands of hair at the back of his head. We moan almost simultaneously when Kenji nibbles at my lower lip and my mouth parts, allowing our tongues to entangle. Smooth fingers ghost up my back, underneath my shirt, and I pull away from the embrace with a breathy laugh.
“Kenji!” I gasp incredulously once the air has returned to my lungs.
“Ok, fine, we’ll do it your way. Sleep only,” He relents, but a mischievous look flashes across his features and soon I find myself being swept off the ground into Kenji’s arms.
I giggle like a small child and snuggle into his well chiseled chest as he struts to the bedroom. It’s clear to me his words were a lie. Much more than sleep will occur tonight, however I find I simply no longer care.
Tomorrow’s outcome is unpredictable. For all I know, one or both of us may not return from the fight, and if that’s what the future holds, there’s no one I’d rather spend tonight with than man I’ve swiftly fallen head over heels for.
-The End
