Affinity

Chapter 27 - Origins of Nothing - Part 1

*A/N: Happy Saturday, everyone! Hemza here with this week's update! This is the first part of a little segment of the story that Darian worked very hard on called Origins of Nothing, so be sure to show some love for her awesome work :) At the time of writing, we're at 3,949 on FanFiction, so most likely part 2 of this will show up at some point this weekend once we hit 4,000!!! As ever, thank you all so much for being wonderful and for continuing to read and (hopefully) enjoy this little story of ours!*

Long days fed into long nights, and Emiko found herself dozing off into a daydream in the middle of Present Mic's lecture. The sun was filtering through the windows softly, splattering her desk with sunshine. The sight left a warmth in her stomach, a longing for constant, unfettered access to the soft light that streamed through the windows. It was warm on her shoulders as it caressed her through the soft fabric of her uniform shirt. The warmth eased just a hint of the ache in her muscles, and felt herself smile softly. It had been weeks since she and Shoto had begun an intensive training regime - one he'd designed with her in mind. He'd worked alongside his father and had tailor made a program for her, one designed to optimize her quirk and weaponize it.

"Please, Emi?" Shoto begged, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side. His lopsided hair fell into his eyes, hiding the barely concealed glint that lay there. "I really think this could be good for you!"

Emiko rolled her eyes, pulling herself out of his iron grip. They lay curled on the floor of her bedroom, blankets gathered haphazardly around them.

"I don't want to add training to our relationship, Sho. I like things the way they are, and I don't-"

Her boyfriend silenced her with a quick press of his lips to hers, butterflies erupting in her stomach as his ever fresh breath washed over her.

"Nothing will change, Emi. I promise." Shoto laughed, brushing a stray curl away from her eyes. "Just train with me. I won't hold you to any great expectations, and I won't force you to do anything you aren't comfortable with."

He looked at her with such love, his mismatched eyes all but filling with tears as he looked at her. Her heart swelled - seeing him like that, looking up at her through thick lashes with love in his eyes made all of her uncertainty wash away. With him looking at her like that, anything was possible.

She sighed, raking her fingers through his hair. "How do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

He looked at her innocently, as if he had no idea the effect he had on her. As if he couldn't see her pulse hammering in the hollow of her throat, the way her pupils nearly filled the watery expanse of her iris.

"Make all my worries disappear, 'roki." She pressed her lips to his forehead, breathing in his subtle smokey scent.

"Is that your way of saying yes?"

She only hummed in response, tightening her grip on him slightly.

He'd helped her with a new costume, too. That was help she'd been almost unwilling to accept, given the first iterations of his hero costume. She'd teased him incessantly about the ice that had climbed half of his body, mimicking the way he moved through the training areas in a clunky, awkward manner. Ultimately though, she'd given in. He'd taken to sketching almost immediately, a sight that Emiko had never expected to see. Long hours were spent together in his room, legs curled around one another as they talked about their grand plans for the future. He was convinced that with this new regime and enough training, the two of them could open their own agency one day.

"Think about it, Emi!" he grinned, falling into step beside his girlfriend. "We could have our own agency and an apartment overlooking the city. We could fill it with books and tiny little ceramic figures-"