The soft glow of pink fairy lights twinkled around Ren's childhood bed, casting a warm, dreamy atmosphere in the otherwise dim room. Moonlight filtered through the glass balcony doors, bringing with it a slight chill that contrasted with the cozy interior. Ren lay on the floor, her serious, professional demeanour was shed the moment she let her hair down, kicked off her shoes and found a cosy spot beside her bed. Her back was against the plush lavender rug, her legs propped up on her four-poster bed with its dark velvet curtains, her feet, clad in frilly white socks, rested up on her bed sheets comfortably. Her black pleated miniskirt had slipped, pooling around her on the floor, revealing a tantalising glimpse of thigh, though she paid it no mind as she focused on her phone.
The room around her was a time capsule of her pre-teen years. Posters of boy bands and movies she'd loved at nine years old still adorned the lilac walls. A shelf lined with stuffed animals and old storybooks stood in one corner, while a vanity table, its surface cluttered with long-untouched hair accessories, occupied another. It was as if time had stopped the day she left to study abroad, preserving this slice of her childhood in glass.
The screen illuminated her face, highlighting the shimmer of grey glitter on her eyelids and the soft waves of her dark hair splayed around her. Her fingers, adorned with delicate gold and silver rings, tapped rapidly as she texted Bubbles.
"Come on, Ren! The party's just getting started!" Bubbles' message popped up, accompanied by a flurry of party emojis.
Ren sighed, glancing at the clock on her bedside table. It was barely 9 PM, and already she felt exhausted. She typed back, "Not in the mood. You have fun though!"
"You're no fun! This hot and cold act could drive someone insane, you know," came Bubbles' swift reply.
A small laugh escaped Ren's lips as she replied with a quick apology and goodnight. If only Bubbles knew the real reason she couldn't attend. It wasn't just about mood; it was about the impossibility of a normal college life when you're one of the most famous teenagers in Japan and the daughter of a billionaire media mogul. She set her phone aside, then closed her eyes and let out a long breath. The weight of her dual life – the public figure and the private person – felt particularly heavy tonight. She longed for normalcy, for the ability to attend a college party without it becoming front-page news, for the freedom to openly date who she wanted without considering the implications for her family's empire or Shoto's hero career.
Just then, a cold breeze swept through the room, causing Ren to tense. Her eyes flew open, and she glanced up, her view inverted from her position on the floor, to see a familiar figure entering through the balcony doors.
The boy she was constantly daydreaming about, with his distinctive red and white hair tousled by the winter wind, stepped into the room. He wore a crisp white shirt and dark trousers, seemingly unfazed by the cold outside. His entrance was silent, graceful – perhaps muscle memory from years of sneaking into her room throughout their childhood. The sight of him, framed by the moonlight, standing with his hands in his pockets as he eyed her dangerously as she lay on the floor, took Ren's breath away. She felt a flutter in her stomach, a mixture of excitement and nervousness that never seemed to fade, no matter how many times she saw him.
"Hey, hero," Ren breathed quietly.
Shoto's turquoise and grey eyes traveled over her form, lingering on the the curve of her thighs, visible now her skirt revealed a little more of her. He could easily get on his knees and sink his teeth into the creamy, soft flesh that he had come to daydream about. Eventually, he met her gaze. A flash of something – desire, affection, or perhaps both – flickered in his mismatched eyes. "Hi," he replied, his voice low and warm, sending a shiver down Ren's spine that had nothing to do with the cold air from outside.
Ren smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes, they sparked with something familiar, mirroring the electric tension in the air. "How was the agency party?" She could imagine him there, standing stoically in a corner, enduring small talk and resisting the urge to create an ice wall between himself and the other attendees.
Shoto moved to sit against the bed, positioning himself so that Ren was lying on the floor next to him. The proximity sent her heart racing, and she had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him. "I barely made it an hour before-"
"You started thinking about me?" Ren teased, her smile immediately faltering under his icy gaze. The truth was, he was always thinking about her, but he could barely admit that to himself, let alone Ren.
But Ren seemed to be able to read him easily, noticing that hard icy stare was hiding something sincere and vulnerable underneath. Reaching up, she extended her hand, and was surprised when Shoto took it in his own, jumping a little as their quirks almost greeted one another with a sharp sensation like a cold burn. Their eyes locked, and the air seemed to crackle with electricity. The simple touch of their hands sent sparks through both of them, a reminder of the unique, undeniable, uncontrollable connection they shared. The realisation that they had the entire place to themselves, that they could do anything they wanted, hung heavy in the air between them. Their meeting at the Todoroki house had made them adults, or worse, colleagues, but here, in Ren's childhood bedroom, they were ready to feel nineteen again.
Suddenly, Ren swung her legs down from the bed and stood up, a look of excitement crossing her face. "I have Christmas presents for you!" she exclaimed, her earlier melancholy completely forgotten in the joy of the moment.
Shoto stood as well, a faint blush colouring his cheeks as Ren retrieved a wrapped box and a pretty, festive, gift bag. She noticed the surprise in his eyes, the slight hesitation in his movements, and her heart ached. She knew he wasn't used to receiving gifts, that the simple act of being thought of and cared for was still new to him. Her grey shimmering eyeshadow glittered in the fairy light as she approached him cautiously.
"Here," she said softly, handing him the box first. "Open this one."
With a little hesitation, Shoto took the box with careful hands, as if it might disappear if he moved too quickly. He unwrapped it slowly, methodically, in a way that was so quintessentially Shoto that it made Ren smile. When he opened the box to reveal a set of high-quality sketching pencils, his eyes widened in surprise.
"They're from your mom," Ren explained, her voice soft, watching his reaction carefully.
"What?" Shoto's voice was barely above a whisper, confusion and an an unknown emotion in his eyes; why did Ren have this habit of making him feel things he'd never felt before? As a child he found it frustrating, so annoying…but now, well things felt different. The pencils trembled slightly in his hands, and Ren resisted the urge to reach out and steady them.
She smiled gently, her heart aching for the boy who had been deprived of a mother's love for so long. "I went to see her without you," she admitted. "She said you might still like to draw."
A strange look passed over Shoto's face – a mixture of surprise, gratitude, and something deeper that Ren couldn't quite name. She could see him struggling to process this act of kindness, this evidence that he was thought of and cared for. Ren could see his voice caught in his throat, unable to articulate what was happening inside of him.
"And..." Ren held up the bag in front of him, which was surprisingly heavy. Her expression faltered for a moment, a flash of regret crossing her features. "I had some other stuff for you, but... they were broken in the villain attack, so I sort of had to improvise."
Shoto reached into the bag, his brow furrowed in curiosity, before his eyes widened as he pulled out the next instalments of the manga series he had been reading. They were bound in basic covers, sketches of yet-to-be-approved cover art were pencilled delicately on the binding.
Ren watched with a small smile as confusion, then understanding, then something like awe passed over his face.
"They won't be released for another few months to the public," Ren explained, a hint of bashfulness in her voice. "We own the publishing house. It was barely any trouble." After a moment the smallest, almost inaudible sound issued from Shoto's lips:
"Thank you," he said. It was clear he felt the words seemed inadequate to express the depth of what he was feeling, but Ren understood. She could see it in his eyes, in the way he held the gifts as if they were pieces of a dream, ready to fade out of existence when he woke up. Shoto was undeniably adorable; it was funny to think he was so adept to life-or-death situations but hand him a Christmas present and he completely shuts down.
It was strange to Ren, that someone who was easy to care about, had gone so long uncared for. Moved by this realisation, she leaned in to kiss him, but Shoto gently stopped her, setting the gifts aside.
"I have a gift for you too," he said, an unusual note of excitement in his voice that made Ren's heart skip a beat. She smiled in confusion; people usually found it so difficult to get gifts for her, what do you get a girl who has everything she could ask for?
She watched, curiosity and anticipation building, as Shoto took a step back. Ren's smile was wiped from her face as Shoto's hands moved to the buttons of his shirt. Slowly, almost deliberately, he undid each button, revealing his toned physique to an increasingly warm Ren. He shrugged off his shirt, letting it fall to the floor, leaving Ren utterly helpless to the butterflies in he stomach. He stood in the moonlight, watching as Ren's eyes skimmed over his body dreamily. She shook her head to bring her back to her senses.
"Is the gift you shirtless?" Ren quipped, trying disguise how affected she was by the sight of him. He responded to her with a flat look, causing Ren to laugh. "Trust me, it's not a complaint," she assured him.
"No, look," he insisted, holding out his hands, palms upward.
A subtle, ethereal glow began to emanate from Shoto's body – a soft blue on his right side, a warm red on his left. His hair lifted slightly, curling a little in some unknown breeze, as he activated his quirk. Suddenly his eyes locked on to Ren's and she found herself completely immobilised by the sight of him. The power that vibrated outwards from him made Ren shiver, suddenly aware of how fragile she must be to him. But it was the way his eyes sparkled with an otherworldly light that made Ren wonder if Shoto would ever stop being the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
"Here," Shoto said, noticing her staring, inching his hands towards her.
Ren took his outstretched hands, curiosity written across her features. Suddenly, she gasped in delighted surprise. "Oh my god! Equilibrium!" She marvelled at the perfect balance of temperature in Shoto's hands. Where there had always been a noticeable difference before, now they were exactly the same. It was bizarre to her, she was so accustomed to his different temperatures that it felt like holding a warm ice cube, or putting your hand in a cool flame. The realisation of how much dedication and training this must have taken left her in awe; he was so incredibly talented. Licking her lips, Ren's hands traveled up his muscular arms to his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her palms. But still the temperature did not change. Even when she felt him tense at her touch, a signal of what she did to him and the effort it took to maintain this perfect balance.
"Wait," Ren said, a note of wonder in her voice, her eyes finding his in the moonlight, "this is a gift for me?"
Shoto nodded, looking down at her steadily. "Yes. If I have better control, I can touch you without hurting you."
Two things happened to Ren at once; a warmth spread across her chest at the realisation of the depth of his care for her, the lengths he would go to ensure her comfort and safety. But more than that, stood with her hands against his bare chest as he fought to control his quirk, ignited something mischievous and dangerous in her bloodstream. He watched a faint blush trail along her collarbone as she looked at him, her eyes changing into that come-hither stare she could control him with.
"Do you think," Ren cleared her throat, her breathing turning heavy, "you can maintain it, even with me touching you?" She saw his jaw tense a little as he knew exactly what she was up to.
"Yes," he said confidently but Ren saw through him. She pushed him gently, guiding him to sit on the bed, he followed her non-verbal instruction with very little resistance. The air was growing warmer, the fairy lights seemed to hum and shimmer above them as Ren removed her top, standing in front of him in just her bra, miniskirt and frilly white socks. The burn on her neck was healing remarkably quickly, in this light it looked like another shadow. She tilted her head at him, her dark hair falling over her shoulder, the white lace strap of her bra threatening to fall. She took pleasure in the way his eyes changed as they skimmed over her curves in the moonlight; a moment ago there was a confidence in his gaze and Ren watched in satisfaction as it was replaced with a hunger.
"Even if we fuck all night?" She asked him, moving onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Yes," he said, causing Ren to smile as he spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes sweeping over the pretty white daisies on her bra, his mouth already watering for her.
"Really?" Ren teased him, grinding against him gently. "Do you feel like you're in control right now, Sho?" She whispered, licking her lips in anticipation; she could feel what she was stirring inside of him. Challenge him, tease him, annoy him, and happily suffer the consequences.
Shoto stared up at her, a fire, not on his left side, erupted inside of him; did she have no idea how easy it would be for him to easily turn the tables on her? How easy it would be for him to pin her to the bed and make it so all she could do was beg him for a little relief? Ren's lips met his, not giving in yet and kissing him, as his hands glided up her back.
"I'm bigger than you, Ren," he reminded her but Ren just smiled as though this meant nothing.
"Oh yeah?" She whispered, the arches of her lips brushing against his as she spoke, "prove it."
Like some invisible force commanded him, Shoto stood, picking Ren up, before throwing her roughly onto the bed, pinning her hands by her head. Staring down at her, his red and white hair falling away from his forehead, his two-coloured eyes glittering in the darkness, he watched as Ren's breathing deepened, her chest heaving in anticipation of what he had in store for her. She could feel his thumbs pushing into her wrists, her perfume lifted up in the air between them, warmed by his touch. She let out an involuntary hiss of pain.
"Ah!" Shoto gasped and released her, just standing above her, looking at her, waiting to fuck her, was enough to trigger his quirk into action.
"Wait!" Ren cried out and grabbed hold of his wrist to stop him. Shoto looked confused, not willing to be anywhere near her. She knew her quirk gave her some degree of control over his, maybe she could help, do something, not that she had any idea what she was doing. "Trust me. Come here," Ren whispered with more confidence than she should have. Shoto took in the determined, sincere, loving look in her eye and nodded slowly, allowing her to pull him close again.
She was holding onto his right hand, a glittering frost was already forming along his skin and hers, chaining them to one another, sparkling in the moonlight. But Ren took his hand and placed it on her throat so his fingers put a gentle pressure against her jugular vein; she could feel her quirk ready to jump towards him in her blood, maybe they could create that feedback loop between them. Sitting up, Ren then pressed her own hand against his chest, over his heart. He watched her with hope, wondering if she knew what she was doing.
"Ah!" Ren gasped as the feedback loop was initiated, controlling the hot and cold, dampening it, weakening him a little. Shoto's knees buckled slightly in the sensation of being under her control, he winced as that familiar, intoxicating feeling of whatever the fuck this was began to coarse through them both. "Right?" He looked up to see Ren smiling at him, nodding encouragingly with a little giggle as she realised she'd helped him. He nodded at her, a smile forming on his lips.
"Right," he whispered to her before cupping her face in his hands and moving to kiss her. At the last minute, Ren moved her face away from his so his lips caught the corner of her mouth.
"Cold," she whispered. Shoto moved away a little.
"No it's not." He said matter-of-factly, earning a mischievous smile from Ren. She shrugged at him.
"Try again?" She suggested. With a suspicious look, Shoto leant down to kiss her neck. He felt her tense up beneath him in anticipation.
"A little warmer," Ren said breathlessly. Leaning back from her again Shoto caught that bite of her lip, the sparkle of something in her eyes and understanding dawned; oh, this game.
Shoto trailed kisses along her collarbone, earning encouraging "warmer…warmer…" responses from Ren as his lips and tongue travelled down her body. Her little noises of surprise, delight and pleasure echoed throughout the room as Shoto ended up on his knees on the floor in front of her. Ren, sat on the edge of the bed, her legs parted, on her tiptoes, watching with barely contained excitement as the boy next door slipped his hands beneath her miniskirt and lifted it up over her hips. Ren had already removed her underwear in anticipation for his visit and the sight of her bare skin, soft and lick-able, elicited a sharp intake of breath in surprise from Shoto.
He knew what she wanted, what she was asking but where was the fun in giving into Ren Ishikawa so easily? He licked his lips and pressed them gently against her hip bone.
"Uh," Ren slipped down onto her elbows, her hips rolled to reveal more biteable, tongue-fuckable places. it was amazing to Shoto, the way her body responded involuntarily to him. As he licked along the crease of her leg, a mere inch away from where she was wet and aching for him, Ren tilted her head back, soft sultry moans escaped her lips, her left leg lifted off the floor, her frilly sock tickling his ear.
Her core tensed as Shoto's tongue found its way to the spot she felt begin to numb with pleasure. A smile spread across Ren's face as she tiled her head back, closed her eyes, bit her lip and wondered if that really was Shoto Todoroki between her legs? Even Ren, so self assured and confident having done this for months now, blushed at the realisation that her childhood best friend, the boy next door, was kissing her like this. Was he? Shoto? Really? Better check.
Ren reached out in the moonlight for a handful of his hair, brought her head back to face him and pulled his hair a little to check the face of the boy on his knees in front of her. Bunches of red and white hair poked out between her fingers, pushed away from his forehead revealing his scar. His pretty face winced a little, his left eye closing as she pulled too hard on his hair, his mouth was open, his tongue still pressed against her. The wet warmth of his mouth was so inviting, the look on his face, primal, hungry, loving, made Ren shudder. "Wow," Ren breathed, appreciating the view. He batted away her hand as though irritated she had interrupted him.
Lowering herself onto her back, Ren resigned herself to letting him be completely in control now. She writhed a little on the bed as his tongue pushed her closer to something darker, soft moans and gasps of his name sounded in the darkness as he kissed her. Soon, Shoto was letting little puffs of cold or hot air escape his lips in surprise and appreciation for the filthy things Ren began whisper to him. Asking him if he liked the way she tasted, if he was as desperate to fuck as she was, if he was going to let her come against his mouth.
He felt Ren's leg, her foot resting gently on his shoulder, begin to shudder. He grasped a hand full of her hips and buried his face a little deeper into her. Ren's moaning became louder, her words of encouragement began to stutter as the feeling between her legs began to build, catch fire, maker her coil up and tense when he put his fingers inside of her. He knew her so well, how to curve his fingers ever so slightly, how and when to stop moving his tongue so she could grind her hips against him and bring herself closer to the edge.
"Ah!" Ren writhed in front of him and called out his name as she came. He barely let her recover, Shoto stood again and kissed her but it surprised her how tender he was. Leaning over her, he opened his mouth and held it against hers, encouraging her to taste herself on his lips. His mouth was wet and soft, more than usual and Ren kissed him gratefully.
Why is it, Ren thought to herself, no matter how crazy the world outside gets, when it forces us to be enemies, puts so many obstacles between us…we still end up on our knees for each other? Why are you the only pain I want to feel and the only relief I could ever need?
"Please, Sho," Ren begged him as he moved to kiss her neck.
"Please, what?" He teased her, earning a weak smile from her.
I waited for you to touch me for so many days after what happened. All I need is you. Why is that? What's happening between us?
Shoto's hand skated up her side, the wetness of her on his fingers leaving a glittering trail along her body. "Don't be cruel," Ren whispered, feeling his body with her hands, kissing his shoulder hungrily, "not tonight."
"But I need to hear you say it, Ren," he whispered back, "tell me, what do you want me to do to you?" Ren felt butterflies flutter and drop in her stomach, she let out a deep desperate moan, as Shoto took complete control.
I need you to make me feel the way you've always made me feel. I need you to do that thing that makes us feel utterly human but nowhere near Earth. I need you to-
"Love me."
What the fuck?
The words escaped her mouth before she could even register what she was going to say. She felt Shoto tense a little with his tongue racing the outline of her white lace bra; neither of them had used that word in any context with one another. Panic began rise in Ren's throat as he did not move; had she overstepped, was he about to run away? Was that too much to say to a boy who knew nothing of love?
Ren swallowed hard as Shoto stood, removed his trousers and forced her to lay down. There was nothing on his face that would indicate that she had said anything alarming. He stood naked in front of her for a second before crawling on top of her, forcing her back onto the bed, pulling her legs apart gently and pushing up inside of her.
She was wetter than usual, more malleable, more reactive to him as his hard dick twitched inside of her. He waited there a moment, watching her beautiful face go through the usual motions of their sex. The look of disbelief, pleasure, pain, something dark, something beautiful, flashed across Ren's face as her hands travelled up his back. Her finger tips tracing out his muscles in the moonlight as she waited for him to move.
"Sho," she gasped his name as he rolled into her, pulling out and fucking her gently. Shoto watched in satisfaction as his affection seemed to torture her and be everything she ever wanted. Ren responded to him like water; any simple touch from him rippled throughout her entire body. Kiss her neck, she felt it down her spine, arching into him, begging silently for more. Pull her hair and she opened her legs a little more; her whole body was receptive to him, he affected every pore of her being. Why was that? "Harder," Ren interrupted his thoughts and Shoto gladly rewarded her, holding her hands beside her head, pushing his thumbs into her wrists and fucking her a little harder.
What is this? Ren thought. Why does it feel like this is what we were made for? Why is it starting to feel like I can't live without you?
"Ren," Shoto's voice strained as he felt her so tight and warm around his dick, sharp bolts of uncontrollable pleasure were shooting up through his body. His hips went a little faster, Ren began to moan a little louder.
Oh my God…are you? Are we? Am I…?
"Shoto!" Ren called out as she felt it building again, his entire body working her like she had never felt before. They came together, grasping at each other, whispering each others names, kissing any part of each other they could find.
…in love with you?