"Have a hot date tonight?" Niwa Yoshio asked smirking behind the mask. Ren glanced at the third year PhD student who fiddled with his samples. His long brown hair was tied in a low messy ponytail, allowing occasional stands to fall on his face. Niwa was one of her supervisor's favourites and it showed in the privileges he received from their curator. They didn't always get along. When she was assigned to the lab, he went out of his way to put a spoke in her wheel. All it took was one long tirade and a letter to the supervisor for him to leap into the breach and welcome Ren with his arms wide open.

"What make you say that?"

The goggles slipped down her nose and pushed them with her index finger.

"You've been staring at the clock all day."

Ren pursed her lips a little annoyed with herself. Niwa was right. "Kind of," she responded and proceeded labelling the samples.

"I can finish this for you if you want," he offered leaning over her shoulder to watch. Ren hated when he did that. Although they were finally on good terms, the proximity of his body always made her feel uncomfortable.

She shrugged trying to put some distance between them. "It's fine, I don't have a lot left." It was a lie and both knew it. Niwa grinned and returned to his working space.

"Then you'll be here all night, or you'll have to start over tomorrow."

Ren clenched the marker hating to admit that once again Niwa was right. "Fine," she groaned. "If you finish this for me, I can take care of your samples tomorrow. Deal?"

"Deal," he extended his hand for a handshake and she hesitantly accepted. The way he held her hand in his made her shiver unpleasantly. "Well, thanks." She pulled back and hurried out of the lab. Niwa watched her disappear behind the door with a smirk playing on his thin lips. He pulled down his mask and inhaled the scent that lingered on the latex glove. His eyes rolled back as he bit his bottom lip feeling ecstatic. His back twitched as the bat wings started to unfold. Niwa shuddered. At last, he sensed the mate with perfect genetic diversity.


Ren stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed. The after-shower routine took longer than usual. The girl creamed herself and allowed the cream to absorb while she brushed her wet hair. She looked at the time and hurried into the bedroom. She slipped into a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt, grabbed her bag, and made her way out of the flat. She had just enough time to pop into the store and get some snacks. A movie without snacks seemed just like a waste of time. She packed the snacks into a tote bag and made her way to the Central Park. It was more crowded than she expected. A small smile played on her lips as she walked down the path, making her way to the viewing area.

She heard a whistling sound behind her, but she continued walking completely ignoring it. "Hey, babe." Ren rolled her eyes at the voices behind her and continued walking. "What you are so busy, you don't you have time for no one?" Another wave of laughter shook the air. "Hey, hold on," a hand grabbed her elbow and yanked her back. Ren shrieked not expecting such a bold move in a public space.

"Get your hands off me," she hissed slapping the hand away. Three guys quickly circled around her. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see if anyone was close enough, but suddenly all the people seemed to be scattered around in a distance. Just great.

"Come on, don't be like that." the tall delinquent said leaning closer to her face. Despite his threatening appearance, he couldn't be older than seventeen or eighteen. She took a step back clenching onto her bag. Her back collided with the chest of the guy's friend. His hands landed on her shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze. She felt his body press to hers.

"Mmmm…nice jeans." His sly voice was sickening. "Mind if we test the zipper?" the three of them laughed loudly, showing their teeth.

Seriously? Frustration burned her chest. "Back off," she hissed turning around abruptly and pushing the guy in the chest. Her dark eyes bore into his. She took a step froward when a hand landed on her shoulder. yanking her back. "Don't fucking touch me."

"Why don't you do what the lady says," she would recognize that deep voice anywhere. The feeling of relief washed over her.

The trio cussed and turned around ready to fight, until they saw the person standing behind. She watched curiously as all colours left their faces.

"All…All Might," one of them mumbled. Toshinori stood in his usual Hero stance, with legs parted and hands resting on his waist. The wide grin on his face seemed forced. Huge powerful muscles tensed under the material of his t-shirt, somehow making him look bigger. Subconsciously she bit her lip as her eyes traced his figure. This is not right. The thought throbbed in her head, but the body begged to differ.

"We…we are sorry," the delinquent's voice was incoherent as he took a few steps away from the girl. "We didn't mean any trouble. Let's go guys," the three quickly retreated.

"Thanks," her wide smile made his chest tighten.

"Any time. Are you okay?" Ren didn't realize when Toshinori stepped closer, but suddenly the closeness of his body was all she could think about. Her gaze shifted from his arms to his chest, up to his neck and then his face, lingering at his lips. Ren's lips parted involuntary as her heart skipped a beat. What the hell is happening? She forced herself to look away.

"Yeah. They didn't do anything." She shook her head lightly, allowing her damp hair to fall on her face, trying to conceal her embarrassment.

Toshinori gently took her tote bag from her shoulder. "Let's go."


He could not concentrate on the movie. The closeness of her body was distracting. His mind painted sinful pictures and Toshinori couldn't seem to brush them away. When Ren brought her fingers to her mouth and licked them, trying to get all the crumbs, Toshinori Yagi almost burst. He looked away.

Clicking sounds caught his attention. A couple of meters away a group of young women were quickly snapping shots of him and Ren. Toshinori panicked. Although he was used to being the centre of attention, he had no idea how Ren would react to it. What if the photos were leaked on the internet, the press, the TV… He had to make a decision and do something. His uneasiness must have showed, because Ren gently tapped his arm trying to get his attention.

"Don't worry about it. They won't be able to see me in those photos." She said loud enough for him to hear. Toshinori sent her a confused look. "One of the perks of my…quirk," she explained. Her face twisted into a sour expression as she spoke the word quirk. Toshinori wanted to ask her about it, but Ren already moved her hand and returned her gaze to the movie.


The movie finished and everyone started slowly gathering their belongings and retreating from the park. Ren stretched, feeling satisfied. "I love this movie," she said. Toshinori nodded with a happy look on his face. He opened his mouth to respond when suddenly a wave of chatter burst into their space.

"Oh my God, is that All Might?"

"All Might…"

"The Symbol of Peace,"

"Number One Hero,"

"All Might can I get an autograph?"

"Can I get a picture?"

"Can you shake my hand?"

"Can you strike a pose?"

"Is she your friend?"

"Girlfriend?"

"Maybe sister?"

"She must be the wife!"

Ren watched in amusement as women of all ages, moved her away from Toshi and circled him like harpies. The big man looked lost. He sent her an apologetic look trying to keep the situation under control. Ren covered her mouth trying to hide a smile.

The line of people suddenly started growing and she found herself further and further away from the blonde.

She watched from afar as he hurriedly tried to finish with all the requests. Another young woman stepped in front of him. She was absolutely gorgeous, and Ren felt an unusual pang in her chest. The woman handed him a black marker and pulled up her top. The look pure of shock on Toshinori's face was priceless. Forgetting her moment of jealously, Ren burst out laughing.

"Looks like your knight in shining armour is too busy," a familiar voice spoke behind her. The trio circled her once again. "We can keep you company." Ren rolled her eyes. She really did not want to deal with them again.

"I'm sorry, but I can't downgrade to a loser in aluminium foil."

"The fuck you say?" he sneered angrily, grabbing her by the collar of her t-shirt. Dammit, I didn't want to do this. She took a quick breath and … disappeared.

The three looked around packed and confused. Suddenly a knee connected with each other their groins. They fell on the ground groaning in pain and cussing loudly. "Little boys should honour their curfew," her voice echoed around them, but they still couldn't see her.

"What…what the heck are you?" one of them squealed, still holding onto his precious area, but Ren was already walking away from the scene. She looked back at All Might, who was completely swamped by the crowd of fans. His bunny hair stood out and Ren could swear she saw it twitch. A small sigh escaped her lips. Later she would need to apologize for leaving.


All Might looked above the crowd searching for Ren, but she was nowhere to be seen. The large man furrowed his eyebrows but maintained the smile. Of course, she left. He thought, as a sudden feeling of emptiness invaded his chest.