Author's Note: Greetings gentle reader, and welcome! Several months ago, I requested prompt ideas and you delivered! I decided to write 10 prompts in advance before I started posting so that I could give you consistent weekly updates. Today I'm starting us out with ShinKami, requested by Wannabebelle22. I hope you enjoy!

I See Your Monsters

The sniffle shot through Denki's heart like a gunshot. His heart pulled and twisted inside his chest, tugging him a few steps closer to the sofa. "Toshi?"

Gloom almost too thick to see through choked the air of their living room, but Histoshi's face was cast into sharp, angular relief by the light of the laptop perched on the coffee table. A small spark of light, a tear, tracked its way down Toshi's cheek, wrenching the pain in Denki's chest one notch tighter. "Toshi," Denki coughed and swallowed, trying to make his voice stop trembling, "Maybe you should take a break. I—" he swallowed again. When had his saliva become so thick? "I don't think this is healthy."

"It's important to examine the results of every mission. That's the only way Pro Heroes can improve. Even if a mission went perfectly, it's important to understand why." Toshi's voice sounded rusted out and hollow; his bruised purple eyes never wavered from the screen in front of him.

"This isn't an honest review of your work, Toshi." Denki's feet carried him a few steps closer to the sofa. He knelt, flush with the coffee table, as close as he dared after Toshi's previous request for space and silence. Denki glanced at the screen. The letters jumbled and slipped away from comprehension, like they always did, but Denki still recognized the angry or horrified emoji's that tracked across the screen like backwards rain. "This is hateful bias and mob mentality."

Toshi shook his head in sharp, jerky movements. His Adam's Apple bobbed under rough stubble. "I still need to learn from my mistakes."

Something squeezed tight in Denki's chest, making it hard to breathe. Hitoshi had never been a very popular hero because of his quirk and the awful things people said about it. Lately that distrust had swelled into a frenzy Denki could never understand. "Everyone makes mistakes, Toshi. Even All Might. Even Deku."

"Mistakes can cost people their lives in our line of work, Denks." Toshi's lips drew into a thin, bloodless line. "I can't let that happen."

"You can't control everything!" Denki leaned forward. "Toshi, please—"

"Maybe it's too late."

Denki's breath caught in his throat. Toshi still wouldn't look at him. Pale, haunted features etched themselves into a visage of despair. "W-what?"

"Maybe this is the end of my hero career, such as it was. Maybe…" Another tight jerk spasmed across the muscles of Toshi's neck. "I can't let this keep tainting you, Denki. People know we're together and—"

"I'm glad they know!"

The emptiness in Toshi's eyes when they turned to him sent a ripple of cold dread across Denki's nerves. He had to fix this. He could fix this, couldn't he… Was it even his place to fix this?

Stop it. Stop. This isn't about you.

Denki forced a ragged breath into his lungs and pressed on. He couldn't leave Toshi alone in this darkness.

"I'm glad they know I'm with you Toshi! You're my partner, my best friend. I love you and I'm never going to abandon you."

"Denks—"

"Never, Toshi, do you hear me?" Denki gestured so forcefully he smacked the side of the laptop, knocking it sideways a few inches. "I am always going to choose you and damn the consequences!"

"Denki…"

Toshi's wrecked expression blurred and disintegrated in a wash of tears. Denki wiped furiously at his eyes. "I deserve the man I love in my life and if that means we have to hide away in a cabin in the countryside and, I don't know, raise chickens to survive, then I'm going to be there with you. I'm happier with you alone than I could ever be with a crowd of useless, ingenuine fucking fans!"

Denki was almost panting now, his chest heaved, and he could feel the heat radiating off his face. His hands, still balled into fists, flailed in the air for a moment, desperate to find an outlet for his anger. People were so fucking arrogant and thoughtless behind the anonymity of a screen. They weren't a person then, they were a datapoint, and no one holds datapoints accountable for anything.

Denki's eyes slid over his shoulder, back towards the laptop in question. If he gave it to Jiro for the weekend, could she put some names and addresses to those stupid fucking comments? Getting the IP address at least, would be easy, right?

"I love you."

Their eyes met, soft and sweet like a caress, and Denki unclenched his fists. "I love you too. Please…will you let me hold you?"

Hitoshi uncurled his arms from around his ribs and opened his arms for Denki, who crawled up into them and planted himself in Hitoshi's lap. They wound their limbs tightly around one another, burrowing together like they were trying to weather the fierce winds of a storm.

"I love you, Toshi." Denki murmured the words into Toshi's thick purple hair. His fingers curled protectively around the back of Toshi's neck. "I love you, and that's never going to change. You're amazing, and thoughtful, and so kind, despite the shit stupid assholes throw your way."

"I love you too."

Hitoshi was holding him back so tightly that Denki felt the vibrations of each word against his skin.

"Please let me put the laptop away, please. Don't use news feeds and message boards to torture yourself."

The pull of Toshi's fingers dragging down the fabric over Denki's spine created a wave goosebumps across Denki's skin. "I'm not sure I could concentrate on anything else." Boney shoulder blades poked against Denki's fingertips when Toshi shrugged. "I'm not even really concentrating on them."

"May-maybe…' Denki licked his lips and swallowed, trying to force the tremor out of his voice. Toshi was still hear, still talking. Some days the waves of guilt pulled Toshi so deep inside himself Denki was afraid Toshi would go somewhere in his mind that Denki wouldn't be able to follow.

Stop it. Don't panic.

"Maybe a little distraction will be good for the both of us." God his voice sounded so high and tight. Toshi much have heard it, because his arms tightened around Denki until it was a little hard to breathe.

"I wish this didn't affect you too," Toshi mumbled.

Denki peppered the crown of Toshi's head with kisses, relishing the small quirk of lips he could feel against the curve of his neck. "We're in this together, all of it." He leaned back, framing Toshi's face with his hands so that he could look him in the eyes. "You're my partner, Toshi. I'm not going to let you face anything alone."

Toshi leaned up and pressed an achingly soft kiss against Denki's lips. "I love you."

A tremulous smile stole across Denki's lips. "I love you too."

They breathed in silence for a few moments before Toshi said. "I don't really want to leave the sofa right now."

"I can work with that." Denki nodded. "Just let me close the laptop and we can sleep here tonight."

Ripples appeared in the skin between Hitoshi's eyebrows and Denki tried to smooth them away with his fingertips. Toshi seemed to be fighting between a small smile and a concerned frown. "The sofa is a little crowded for both of us all night. Are you sure you'll be comfortable?"

"Yes, oh! Hold on, wait, this is good. I haven't had the chance to show you this yet, have I?"

"Shown me what?" Hitoshi's frown deepened when Denki leaned back and reached over the side of the sofa.

Denki grunted softly, straining and pawing for the switch he'd only tested once since the sofa's delivery last week. "Midoriya told be about this brand of sofa about a month ago. That's why I wanted to get it; I thought it might help your insomnia."

"It's comfortable, but I don't see how—"

"Ah ha!" Denki pushed against the button hidden near the corner of the sofa and a satisfying click resonated through his fingers. The back of the sofa tilted and flopped back with a resounding thud, making one flat, soft surface.

Toshi's eyes widened for a moment, and he jerked himself upright as the support he'd been slouching against fell away. He still looked confused.

"I, uh," Denki rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought this might help if you're already comfortable and sleepy. I know you're not sleepy now, but I remember you saying it sucks when you could almost fall asleep, and the act of getting up and moving to bed wakes you up enough that you can't fall asleep anymore." Denki gestured at their sofa bed. "Now you don't have to choose."

"Denki…" Toshi's eyes swept over the sofa-bed and back up to Denki's face. Toshi had never been very expressive, but Denki could read his gratitude in the curve at the corner of his mouth and the crinkle at the edge of his eye.

"I probably should have showed you when it arrived, but you've been sleeping okay recently, and I wanted it to be a surprise."

Long, pale fingers cradled Denki's face and drew him in for a soft, slow kiss that made him dizzy. "Thank you."

Denki grinned against Toshi's lips. "You're welcome." He leaned forward and nuzzled the warmth of Toshi's face, neck, and shoulder. "Can I sleep with you?"

Toshi's eyebrows brushed against Denki's forehead as they lifted. "Here?" The corner of his mouth slid into a wicked curve. "Now?"

Heat spiked up Denki's neck and across his face. "Uh, I mean… not like that. I mean, if you wanted to, but I was talking about sleeping. Just sleeping. Laying side by side, maybe, cuddled together? Or maybe me on top and you on bottom? Heh." The skin at the back of Denki's neck was so hot under his fingertips he was sure they'd come away burned. Could you burn yourself with your own embarassment?

Stop. Focus.

"Or you could be on top if you wanted? I—ugh. I swear I'm not trying to be a pervert right now. I just meant—"

The gentle press of Toshi's fingers against Denki's lips felt a lot like the kisses they shared earlier. Denki blinked and lifted his gaze to Toshi's amused purple eyes. "How do you do it?"

Denki felt his eyebrows push together as he frowned. "Do… what? The sofa? There's a button on the side over—"

The caress of fingers and a palm coaxed Denki to move his eyes away from the corner of the sofa and back towards Toshi's soft smile. He looked like he might be about to cry again, but not in the despondent way he had been when Denki arrived. "I didn't think I'd be able to feel anything other than guilty today." His arms tightened around Denki's ribs, and Denki nestled against his side. "Let's lay down."

Denki nodded and surrendered to the pull of gravity as Toshi eased them both onto the soft, flat surface of their futon sofa. They started off side by side, then Toshi shuffled forward and pressed his face into Denki's shoulder.

Toshi's shoulders trembled and shook under Denki's hands, but that didn't stop their winding caress. Denki held Toshi closer, letting his fingers drift up into the soft tufts of Toshi's hair.

"I'm sorry," Toshi sputtered into Denki's skin. "I know you hate seeing me this way… Your heart's racing."

"I hated seeing you suffer," Denki agreed, "and…" The pause was so long that Toshi lifted his head and met Denki's gaze through a haze of tears. "I hate the thought of you closing yourself off, trying to spare me." Denki cradled Toshi's face in his hands and smoothed away twin sets of tears with his thumbs.

Toshi blinked more tears into existence and Denki smoothed those away too. "I meant what I said, Toshi. I'd rather be here with you than any version of 'safe' without you." He leaned up and pressed a kiss into the damp skin of Toshi's forehead. "I know it's not easy for you to let anyone, even me, see you vulnerable." Denki tracked a line of kisses across Toshi's brow, cheeks, nose, and chin before landing a flutter of kisses against Toshi's lips. "Thank you for not trying to deal with this alone."

"I didn't exactly come to you." Toshi's lips quirked against Denki's, caught in what must have been a swirl of emotions.

"We'll get there," Denki murmured confidently. He pressed his forehead against Toshi's and closed his eyes. "You know I'm growing on you."

"Mhhmh."

"Like a bad fungus."

A short, choking laugh shot out of Toshi's throat and turned into a snort. "Excuse me?"

Denki grinned up at the tall, brooding man who had become his lover. "You heard me."

Toshi rolled his eyes and shook his head, but he was almost smiling. "You're impossible."

"I'm your impossible."

"…I'm not sure that actually made sense, Denks."

"Shhh." Denki squeezed Toshi a little tighter. "Just breathe with me for a moment, okay? We both need to calm down."

Toshi nodded, and Denki was pleased to feel a long, semi-even breath expand Toshi's ribs against him. He forced himself to try to pull a similar deep breath into his lungs. It wasn't particularly easy, but it wasn't impossible either.

Denki's hands shifted slowly across Toshi's back and shoulders as they settled against each other. It wasn't long before the fine hairs at the back of Toshi's neck temped Denki's fingers back into Toshi's lush hair. Toshi snuffled and pawed at the coffee table for fresh tissues.

"You know," Denki trailed the pad of his forefinger slowly across one of Toshi's eyebrows, watching the lines of tension start to bleed from his face. "Before we started dating, I used to daydream about playing with your hair." Denki's fingers swept over the curve of Toshi's cheek, back along peach fuzz at his temple, and up into thicker hair over the crown of his head. "Even after we started dating it took me a long time to ask you if you'd let me play with your hair. I didn't want you to think I was weird."

"Being tactile isn't weird," Toshi sniffled into his tissues. The sniffles were getting slower and a little less jarring each time.

Denki smiled and pressed a kiss against Toshi's temple. "I tried so hard not to spaz out in front of you, but you never treated me like I was stupid."

Toshi straightened in Denki's arms, almost glaring. "That's because you're not."

"And you're not evil." Denki smoothed the ripples in Toshi's brow with the tip of his fingers.

Eyebrows pushed up archly under Denki's fingers. A flash of light brought their eyes back to the laptop screen, which had never been fully shut. Now the lock screen was showing one of Denki's favorite pictures. Toshi was laying on the floor letting a littler of five kittens crawl all over him. Toshi's voice rumbled low and exhausted by Denki's ear. "Don't all evil masterminds have white fluffy cats?"

Denki looked pointedly at Toshi as he finally closed the laptop. "Evil masterminds don't get up every two hours on a work night to bottle-feed foster kittens."

Toshi's eyes slid away from Denki's, but he didn't protest. Instead, he cuddled back into Denki's arms and grumbled into the sensitive skin of Denki's neck.

Denki smiled, undeterred. "It's been a while since the last litter of kittens… Do you want to think about adopting one of our own?"

The grumbling stopped and Denki didn't even try to fight the grin that spread across his face. "There's a new cat café that also does adoptions in town. We could go there tomorrow as a breakfast or lunch date, depending on how long we sleep, and see if any of the cats there might be a good fit. How does that sound?"

"…Maybe." It was a sleepy maybe couched in a yawn. Toshi was grumpy-tired now, and that was infinitely better than distressed-tired.

Denki turned his head and pressed another kiss against Toshi's temple. "Sleep on it, and I'll ask you again in the morning."

Toshi grunted once in response and Denki nuzzled against the side of his head. Denki locked one arm securely around Toshi's waist and let his other hand wander aimlessly through Toshi's soft, thick hair. The vibrating tension Toshi had locked inside him was bleeding away in earnest now. Denki smiled and hummed softly—on key, despite what Jiro-san might say—as he felt his lover melt into him.

Denki hadn't turned off the desk lamp in their shared home-office when he'd come to check on Toshi. Now that they were settled and free from the cold, sharp glare of the laptop, Denki could see the comforting glow seeping in from the other room. It wasn't quite the same as napping with Toshi in a stretch of warm sunlight, but it was still a soothing atmosphere.

Toshi's breath wooshed out in a long, slow sigh, and Denki knew he was almost asleep. Good he needed the rest.

Denki muffled a yawn into the edge of Toshi's hair. They'd both be asleep soon. Tomorrow he'd make good on his promise of a cat-café date, if Toshi was willing. Denki would never force anything on Toshi, but cats were usually an easy sell.

Denki's eyes began to flutter, and he nestled against Toshi. The rhythm of their even breathing, the weight of Toshu's body against his, and the protective curl of Toshi's arms around him were all the blanket Denki needed.

Closing Author's Note: Thank you for spending some of your precious time here today; I hope you enjoyed the story. If you have time to leave a comment, I'd love to know what you think! If you're eager for more prompt inspired stories, you won't have to wait long! I have 9 more prompts coming, and will post them consistently every Friday afternoon/evening PST.

Prompts are still open, and if there's something you'd like to see, feel free to leave a note in the comments! No illegal (underage) prompts will be accepted. I will do my best to get to as many prompts as possible, however I must warn you there will be a wait. Three of the prompt requests I already received inspired longer stories, Untouchable (BakuTodo Enemies to Lovers requested by rhapsodyjade) , All of You (Dekubowl requested by ThreeDeadHearts), and Scintillation (Shinkami by Wannabebelle22. I turned this one into a murder mystery), which are also in the works.