The next four months were some of the hardest working of Tadashi's life. Not only was he finishing his last semester of undergrad, every spare minute that he had was spent training Fred. Just because Hiro had decided to allow Fred onto the team that didn't mean that he was going to let him out on missions until he felt he was completely ready for it. The others all pitched in too, but Tadashi had volunteered to take on the bulk of Fred's training himself. Not only did they work extremely well as a team, Fred's suit had fire capabilities so he was the logical choice to teach him how to use those powers.

Tadashi was surprised by how much more comfortable he felt as Sunfire when he had Fred (or Zilla, as they'd decided on for his superhero name-Fred had wanted to go with Fredzilla but everyone had vetoed that as being too close to his real name) by his side. If anything, somehow their superhero personas had seemed to have built off of each other and almost started forming a relationship of their own. It was a bit strange, but mostly Tadashi just tried to go with it. And sometimes it could actually be kind of nice...

"Zilla, c'mon, you've got to move faster than that!" Sunfire calls to Zilla during an afternoon training session, tossing projectiles at him to blast apart.

"I'm moving as fast as I can, Sun!" Zilla shouts back, hitting a tile with a blast of fire from the mouth of his kaiju suit and causing it to shatter.

"Not fast enough-you never know what a villain is going to throw at you, you need to be prepared for anything!" Sunfire answers sternly.

"...Maybe I just need the right motivation," Zilla says, his voice playful.

"More motivation than saving the lives of innocent people?" Sunfire raises an eyebrow at him.

"Well, I mean, that's major motivation too! But you know what I mean, Sun." Even with the top of his suit down, Sunfire tell that Zilla was winking at him.

"Fine." Sunfire crosses his arms over his chest. "You get these next ten tiles rapidfire and you'll get your reward. But you'd better not miss a single one of it's another hour of training for you."

"Ooh, I like it when you're forceful like this." Zilla agrees cheekily. "Yeah, let's do this!"

"All right then." Sunfire picks up the first tile and tosses it into the air, quickly followed by the second and the third, all the way to the tenth. Zilla didn't miss a single one of them.

"Now why do I get the feeling I just got played and you were just holding back because you wanted something from me?" Sunfire asks sternly.

"What? No, I would never do that!" Zilla answers with false innocence.

Sunfire shakes his head and sighs. "Well, I guess that you did do what you promised so I can't withhold your reward…"

"Good!" Zilla cheers.

Sunfire smirks and makes his way over to Zilla, flipping up the top of his suit (they were practicing in the mansion's garden so they could safely do that here) before pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss.

"So how was I really?" Fred asks when Tadashi finally breaks away for air.

"You're doing so, so good babe," Tadashi reassures him with a smile, tenderly pecking his cheek. "You're making a lot of great progress, and Hiro thinks that if you keep up like this you'll be able to go out on your first mission with us soon!"

"Awesome!" Fred beams at him. "So do we want to do another practice session on Friday after classes?"

"Actually," Tadashi answers as they both go to sit on the back steps where they had cold water bottles waiting in a cooler for them, "I was thinking maybe we could take a Friday off?"

"Oh, sorry, do you have plans?" Fred asks as he climbs out of his suit and opens his water bottle. "It's totally fine if you do!"

"Well, they're not official yet," Tadashi answers slowly. "But I was hoping that maybe I'd have plans with you to do something other than training…"

"Okay, I like where this is heading." Fred grins at him. "Did you have anything in particular in mind?"

"I do, actually," Tadashi confirms a bit sheepishly. "SFIT is doing their big annual fundraiser ball on Friday. I've never actually gone because I never had anyone to go with, but it's this big formal thing where you get to dress up and eat a nice dinner and dance, and it's held under the cherry blossom trees on campus since this is the time of the year that they go in bloom, so I thought maybe if you'd want to go with me…"

"Oh my gosh, Dashi, that sounds awesome!" Fred beams at him.

"Yeah?" Tadashi grins hopefully at him.

"Absolutely! I'd love to go to that with you!"

"Well… Great!" Tadashi beams and kisses him on the cheek. "I've already got the tickets, so all you have to do is show up at my house at 5 on Friday."

"Sounds good!" Fred agrees before asking curiously, "Are any of the others going?"

"Yeah, the entire rest of the team is going, but they've all got their own rides," Tadashi answers. "Probably for the best, not knowing what they'll get up to after the dance…"

"True," Fred laughs before resting a hand on Tadashi's knee. "Who knows? Maybe, if you're up for it, after the dance you and I could… Well, see where things go?"

"S-Sure!" Tadashi agrees, heart racing in his chest. Was Fred really thinking about finally taking the next step with him? He knew that Fred had said that he wanted to wait until he felt that Tadashi was fully confident in himself. Did this mean that Fred felt he was confident in himself now? Tadashi supposed that he had gotten a lot more open and outgoing recently, at least when he was with Fred. He'd finally allowed himself to relax about his powers, which somehow actually had helped him before even more in control of them. He wasn't covering his face up every time he went in public anymore. And he didn't feel himself getting angry every time someone brought up Sunfire. Maybe, without realizing it, he'd made more progress than he'd realized.

That Friday night, he was feeling fairly confident as he waited in the living room for Fred. Aunt Cass had pressed his suit for him, and Hiro had made sure that the jacket was wired up to keep him from having any fire related accidents-not that he thought he'd have any, but it was still good to be prepared. He was absently playing with the ring on his finger, smiling as he imagines the night ahead, when he hears the doorbell ring.

"I'll get it!" Aunt Cass shouts, almost running over poor Mochi as she charges for the door. After missing Fred and Tadashi's first date, she was determined to get pictures of them tonight in their suits for her photo album.

"Oh, Fred, you look so handsome!" she cries as soon as the door's open. Tadashi couldn't see Fred from where she'd told him to wait on the living room couch, but he could imagine how good he looked.

"Thanks, Aunt Cass!" he hears Fred answering. "Is Tadashi ready to go?"

"He is!" Aunt Cass answers, looking every bit like a proud mother hen as she ushers him into the living room.

"Hi Fred! I'm so glad you're… here..." Tadashi starts to say, only to find himself trailing off as he gets his first good look at Fred. He'd seen Fred in a suit the first night that they'd met, so that wasn't new, but tonight it looked like he'd made a special effort to make sure that everything was spotless and shining. And, more than that-he wasn't wearing his hat. This was quite possibly the first time that Tadashi had ever seen him without it, and beyond just not wearing it, his hair was neatly combed and pulled back into a ponytail, and Tadashi was having serious flashbacks to all the fairy tale princes that he'd had a crush on as a kid.

"Tadashi, you look great!" Fred was beaming at him, his eyes appreciatively roaming over Tadashi. "N-Not that you don't usually look really good! I just… Wow. You look really, really, good in a suit."

"You're looking amazingly handsome yourself," Tadashi answers, stepping forward and playfully tugging on Fred's ponytail. "I like this new addition-I could definitely get used to it."

"Thanks!" Fred beams at him, playfully pecking him on the cheek before asking, "You ready to go?"

"I think so!"

"Wait, don't go yet!" Aunt Cass cries. "I need to get a picture of the two of you together!"

Tadashi was a bit embarrassed by this, but Fred was good natured about the whole picture thing so he tries to patiently go along with all the different poses that Aunt Cass put them through before finally declaring that she had the perfect picture and shushing them out the door.

The drive from the Cafe to SFIT wasn't long at all, and once they arrived they followed the trail of other students and faculty members making their way into the dance. After their tickets were scanned and they were allowed in, they step out into the courtyard where the dance was being held.

"Wow…" Tadashi whispers as he leans against Fred's side as they walk in together. Fairy lights had been strung from all the trees, giving the cherry blossoms an almost magical glow, and everything from the table settings to the decorations were a shimmering rose gold color.

"This place looks sick," Fred agrees with a grin.

"Sick? You've been spending too much time with Hiro!" Tadashi teases.

"What? It's a good word!" Fred laughs, playfully elbowing him. "C'mon, let's go find our friends."

It didn't take them long at all to find the rest of the team. Everyone looked elegant in their formal wear, and Tadashi admittedly got a bit choked up at the sight of Hiro looking all grown up in a suit.

In addition to their close friends, Tadashi spotted a lot of classmates and, more importantly (to him, anyways), professors that he recognized, and he was proud to be able to introduce Fred to all of them as his boyfriend after all of this time bragging about how amazing Fred was.

His introductions were just finishing when dinner was announced, and shortly after that the dancing began. Fred was quick to pull him out onto the dance floor, and Tadashi felt like he was right in the middle of his own fairy tale as he and Fred dance through song after song together, completely losing track of the time until finally last dance was called.

"I can't believe it's almost over," Tadashi admits as Fred pulls him into a slow dance, resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "It was all so magical…"

"I'm so glad you invited me tonight," Fred says softly in his ear.

"I'm really glad that you agreed to come with me," Tadashi answers with a grin.

"You look absolutely radiant," Fred tells him, gently brushing the back of his hand against Tadashi's cheek and making him blush.

"F-Fred…"

"It's the truth." Fred kisses him on the cheek. "It makes me think of our first dance together. You were so shy and nervous back then. It's nice getting to see you look so much more confident in yourself."

"You're the reason for all of this," Tadashi breathes, getting lost in his eyes. "W-Without you, I probably wouldn't be here tonight…"

"No." Fred shakes his head with a loving smile. "I didn't do this. I'm honored if I was able to help in any way, but this is all you, Dashi. You put in the hard work, and you were so brave through all of this. You should be proud of yourself for all of the progress that you've made."

"I love you so much," Tadashi whispers, pressing his face into the side of Fred's neck and a few tears escaping in spite of himself.

"I love you just as much," Fred reassures him, gently rubbing his back.

"So, um… W-Where do you want to go from here?" Tadashi asks, pulling away as the dance finally comes to an end.

"I'm happy with whatever you want to do," Fred answers with a smile. "If you need to go home, that's fine. If you want to go somewhere else for a bit, I'm fine with that too!"

"Actually…" Tadashi says carefully, a bit too embarrassed to meet Fred's eyes, "I was thinking… M-Maybe we could give that other part of that first night another go?"

He was fully prepared for Fred to turn him down and tell him no, and he kept his eyes trained on the ground to avoid the disappointment of seeing the expression on Fred's face. But then he suddenly felt Fred's hands around his waist and hears him whispering in his ear, "I was actually hoping that you'd say that."

Afterwards, Tadashi wouldn't be able to recall much of how he and Fred got back to the mansion. He knew that Heathcliff picked them up, but most of the ride over was just a blur of heated anticipation, trying to hold back from going too far in the back seat of the limo but Fred's hands surreptitiously sliding over parts of him that Heathcliff wouldn't see in the rearview mirror certainly weren't helping matters.

Almost as soon as they reached the mansion and parked, Fred practically threw the limo door open and dragged Tadashi out after him, through the garage and the mansion's hallways until they were safely in his room with the door closed.

"God, I want you so badly right now," Fred breathes.

"Good, because I want you to have me," Tadashi answers before playfully adding, "What are you doing all the way over there? Aren't you going to help me get these clothes off?"

"Gladly," Fred answers, and within moments he was pulling of Tadashi jacket and unbuttoning his shirt, tossing the garments off to the side before trailing one hand slowly down Tadashi's chest.

A small line of fire followed the path of Fred's fingers, and it was the sight of the fire that suddenly reminded Tadashi of a very serious problem.

"Shit!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" Fred asks, quickly backing off.

"I-It's not you!" Tadashi hurries to reassure him. "I just realized that I don't think that there's a way for us to do this safely unless you don't mind your bed ending up just being a charred pile of wood…"

"Oh, Dashi." Fred grins at him, wrapping his arms around his waist. "You think I didn't get a fireproof bed as soon as I found out that you were Sunfire?"

"...Holy fuck that is somehow the hottest thing you've ever said to me," Tadashi breathes.

"Good!" Fred answers, before pulling Tadashi close and starting to attack his neck with tongue and teeth.

Tadashi was already a moaning, weak-kneed mess by the time that he and Fred made it to the bed. Somewhere in the midst of all the kissing Fred's shirt and jacket had disappeared and Tadashi was very grateful for that as Fred gently pushes him down onto the bed and climbs on top of him. Fred's cold (or, cold to him) bare skin felt amazing against his own, which had long since burst into flame.

"You have no idea how much you're turning me on right now," Fred gasps between pressing kisses to his mouth.

"T-The fire doesn't bother you?" Tadashi manages to get out, so lost in the moment that he was barely able to form a coherent sentence.

"Fuck no," Fred answers, starting to trail kisses down his chest.

Tadashi's head keens back at the amazing sensations those kisses were sending through him. He'd have to take Fred's word for it because there was no way he had it in him to keep arguing or doubt him at this point.

"A-Are you okay with this?" Fred asks once his kisses reach Tadashi's waist and he stops, one hand on the button of Tadashi's pants but clearly waiting for permission.

"Fred, fuck, yes, please, just take everything off," Tadashi begs.

"All right, Fred agrees, still seeming a bit hesitant but after a moment growing bolder and carefully undoing the button and then the zipper and pulling Tadashi's pants off the rest of the way.

"Fuck," Fred breathes, but he leaves Tadashi's shorts on for the moment, returning to his mouth to pepper it with more kisses.

"Fred, p-please," Tadashi whines. He wanted this so badly that it hurt.

"Not quite yet," Fred answers, kissing him again and using one hand to stroke Tadashi's cheek. "I want to make this as amazing for you as possible."

"A-At least make it fair," Tadashi gasps out. "Take your pants off too."

"I was thinking maybe you'd like to help me with that," Fred teases.

Tadashi eagerly does so, pulling Fred's pants off as far as he could, and as soon as Fred kicked them off the rest of the way he was pulling him back down against him, needing as much of his skin against him as possible.

"Feels like you're ready," Fred purrs after a few more minutes of eager kissing.

"I've been ready since we got here," Tadashi whines.

"Okay then." Fred kisses his cheek before pulling away to retrieve something out of his bedside table, which as it turned out was a condom and lube.

"You're sure that you're okay with this?" Fred asks once he'd finished prepping himself. "I-I know this is your first time, I want it to be as amazing as possible for you, and I don't want you to feel rushed into anything…"

"Fred, I'm not rushing into anything, I've been wanting this since I met you," Tadashi answers before asking, "D-Do you not want this?"

"Of course I want this!" Fred hurries to reassure him. "I-I just don't want you to throw this away on me if it's something that you're going to regret later."

"Now who's the one acting insecure?" Tadashi playfully teases before pulling Fred down onto his chest so that he was looking directly into his eyes. "Hey. I love you. You're the only one I want to do this with, and, as far as I can tell, you're the only one I'll ever want to do this with for the rest of my life."

"Dashi…" Fred whispers, and Tadashi could see his eyes filling up with tears as he leans down to kiss his lips. "Y-You're the only one I'll ever want to do this with again for the rest of my life…"

"Good." Tadashi kisses him passionately back. "Then let's stop holding back and do this.

Tadashi wasn't sure how much later it was when Fred finally collapses on top of him. They were both covered in sweat, and Tadashi's fire had gone out with his orgasm, but this had been the best night of Tadashi's life, and he was sure that this was only the first of many.

"C'mon," Fred says with a tired but tender smile as he pecks his lips before forcing himself up and off of the mattress. "Let's go get you cleaned up. I know you probably don't want to get up right now, but trust me, you'll thank me for it later."

"'Kay," Tadashi agrees, feeling spent but obediently following after him.

As it turned out, the shower that Fred had in mind felt great. The warm water helped relax his muscles, and Fred was incredibly gentle as he carefully scrubs him down with the soap and washes his hair. Still, Tadashi was more than ready to return to the bed to cuddle with Fred as soon as they were both washed and dried.

"Do you need to go home tonight?" Fred asks softly as Tadashi collapses down onto the mattress, feeling like he'd never lain on anything so soft and comfortable before.

"No," Tadashi mumbles, turning over so he could look up at Fred. "Aunt Cass told me it's okay if I wanted to stay over at your place tonight… And Hiro will probably be gloating that this finally happened…"

"...Okay, so your family's a lot more open minded than mine," Fred laughs. "Still, I'm going to text your aunt just so she knows where you are."

"Nooo…" Tadashi whines, stretching his arms out to Fred and pouting at him. "Come cuddle with me…"

"Just a second," Fred chuckles, picking his phone up off the bedside table and sending a text before finally joining Tadashi on the bed. "There, happy?"

"Very," Tadashi answers, wrapping his arms around his waist and nuzzling up against his chest.

"Good." Fred beams down at him and kisses the top of his head. "I love you, Tadashi Hamada."

"I love you too…" Tadashi mumbles, his eyes sliding shut and smiling contentedly as sleep starts to claim him. He had never imagined seven months ago when he'd gone to that cosplay ball that it would result in this. But he was happier than he'd been in his entire life, and completely in love with the man he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. Who could ask for more than that?