Their first night living with Touya was spent around the dining table. Russ had made them all risotto, joking that it was an appropriate meal for his brother's missing tooth.

"Yeah yeah. Joke as much as you want and make the most of it..." Sam smirked, waving his fork accusingly, "because my appointment to get a new one is tomorrow."

And he was damn thankful too. Though Callie and Russ were sympathetic towards him, his other friends, notably Mina and Bakugo, had teased him regularly about it for the past fortnight. Then again, Sam felt more comfortable with the relentless taunting than he did the tears that were shed; Ochako had blubbered like a baby when she heard the news about Sam's attack. Her arms had gone around him in a tight hug that squeezed his already sore ribs, and her rosy cheeks had buried into his jacket. "I'm so glad you're okay!" She'd sobbed lightly.

"Aw, just as I was getting used to it," Touya mocked as he helped himself to a second serving of risotto. He was clearly glad to not be eating hospital food any longer.

After dinner, the four took their drinks to the couch and settled down to watch a movie. Then again, it was mainly only put on for background sounds as the group spent most of the time catching up on work.

Despite going though a troubling ordeal, they still had assignments to finish, books to read and essays to write. While Touya was in hospital, Sam and Alphys had taken notes for him and kept him as informed as he cared to be. Although he'd been in hospital for two weeks, he hadn't missed any important dates, such as hand-in deadlines or exams, much to his annoyance.

So as the film played in the background, the housemates set about their own projects. When the credits began to roll, Russ had been the first to rise and bid them all a good night- he had practise tomorrow and would most likely be the first one to start his day.

After another attempt at explaining to Touya what he'd missed in class, Sam eventually realised that he was beating a dead horse. Touya was far too preoccupied with debating with Callie about whether or not he could take a bath.

"But your bandages!" She pointed out in frustration.

In the end, after she helped him apply the right creams and ointments, she redressed his injuries and headed to get ready for bed herself. Before heading into her room, she cast him one last warning about not taking a hot bath.

Touya could only smirk at the her motherly tone.

"So this is how it's gonna be for the next few weeks huh?" He chuckled, casually examining the careful way she'd wrapped his hands.

Sam smiled as he put away the last of the dishes. "Yup. Looks like you're going to have to do as you're told for a while."

This had been the first time since the who ordeal took place that Sam and Touya were alone together. It was evident that both friends felt they had a lot to say to each other. The sentiment hung in the air like wood smoke. But rather than spout an awkward heart to heart, they merely shared the amicable silence and cast each other quietly laughing smiles. They really did look like they'd gone through hell and back.

"I'm glad you're okay, bro." Sam spoke up eventually as they lingered in the hallway between their two rooms.

Touya grinned, and Sam noticed the way his skin wrinkled more than it used to around the corners of his mouth. The skin was still very tight there. Creams and ointments would reduce the appearance over time.

"You too, Gaster." He replied, and he reached out a hand to grasp his shoulder. After giving it a hard squeeze, he pulled him in for a hug.

"You too..."

Callie was combing her hair when Sam entered the room. She was dressed in her satin nightdress, the one the color of white wine. Her long, bronzed legs were curled beneath her. And when her bright eyes caught his, he realised just how lucky he had been to come out of this whole ordeal alive.

After pulling off his t-shirt and kicking out of his slippers, he stepped over to the bed and sat down beside her. Placing his lips to her bare shoulder, he felt her shift beneath him. When she turned to kiss him on the cheek, he cast her an idle grin. She laughed lightly at the sight.

"Your tooth, Sam..." she uttered, pouting slightly as her fingers traced his smiling lips.

A cross between a low chuckle and a moan of contentment rumbled in his throat. Her sensual touch made him almost shiver.

"Want me to turn the light off?" He jokingly suggested, lowering his eyelids. As the tip of his tongue swiped his top row of teeth, it dipped into the gap.

Callie huffed a laugh. "Very funny."

Her fingers continued to travel across his features. She lightly glided across the cuts and the bruises of his cheeks, then the lashes of his injured eye. All the while, her expression remained one of pure affection, mingled with something else- something less innocent.

"Just close your eyes." Sam smirked, his hands pulling her into him and the shift of his body pushing her into the mattress.

But as he positioned himself over her, her eyes remained open. She seemed to drink him in, every imperfection, every intimate detail. Her thumb stroked the freckle by his top lip.

And although the sight of her hungry eyes on him made his heart beat hard and fast beneath his scarred chest, if he were to have her now, like this, he'd rather her not have to see him. She deserved him at his best, not damaged. Hell, even at his best he felt undeserving of her. She was just too beautiful.

"Close your eyes, Callie," he repeated, his voice low, no longer jesting, but seductively serious.

The small smile on her face wavered at the sudden shift in his tone. The electricity between them surged. They both felt it. She obliged his demand with a shy bite of her lips, then he covered them with his own.

For the past few weeks, intimacy between them had been limited. During the week they'd stayed at Grillby's, they'd had to share a room with Russ. And during the week they'd moved back to their apartment, Sam's lips had bled every time Callie kissed him too eagerly. Not that he ever cared, as love and lust fuelled his need to ignore the pain and continue his exploration of her body. But Callie had always withdrawn from his greedy hands and resorted to patching him back up again before any of their clothes ever left their bodies.

But today, his lips worked hungrily against hers, devoid of the metallic twinge that had previously alerted Sam to the inevitable halt of their intimacies. Still, she pulled away just long enough to check his cuts remained closed, her fingers drawing across them only to find them slick with their saliva and not his blood.

Once she was satisfied he could withstand the force of her desire, the grope of her hands let Sam know she was ready to finally experience the extent of his.

Up went wine-coloured satin, over heaving breasts and a head of matcha-coloured hair. Down went red lace and blue cotton, over grinding hips and tangled legs.

Carnal whispers greeted eager ears. A breathless question; He needed to be sure. A ragged reply; She was ready and wanting.

He didn't hesitate to fulfil the need her voice betrayed.

He felt her fingers curl into the flesh at his back as his body melted further into hers. He bit back the almost desperate groan that built in his throat as he reached her completely. For a moment, he simply remained pressed against her until they were both accustom to their new level of intimacy. Then, once he felt her relax around him, he found a rhythm that made her moan so sweetly against him.

He couldn't take his eyes off her; from the way her soft lips parted when his body elicited a breathless gasp from her, to the roll of her eyes when the rock of their bodies quickened.

As the intensity of their love-making grew, the hand that gripped the headboard, so as to support the steadily increasing rhythm of his movements, traveled down to cover her mouth so as to quieten the gradually increasing volume of her moans.

Though he fared no better. Blood once again trickled from his lips as his teeth bit down against the violent groan that rose in his throat. But they were beyond stopping to tend to such things now. The sight of one shade of red was drowned out by another. A small trail of blood washed away by crashing waves of passion.

He managed to grunt out her name in warning. She responded with a nod of her head against the hand that continued to seal in the verbal evidence of her ecstasy.

He watched through eyes dazed by pleasure as Callie's eyes rolled back into her head. He felt the hot breath of her muffled cry fill his palm and the delicious clench of her body around him.

The feeling of her release brought on his own. His hand left her breathless mouth to seize her hips, vaguely aware that his nails dug into the soft skin there.

When he groaned her name into the crook of her neck as he suddenly came undone, she cooed his own into his hair as she gradually came back down from her high.

It was only 5 minutes after they'd caught their breath that he managed a weak apology, his fingers tracing small circles in the crescent-moon shaped dips his nails had left in her flesh. She merely shook her head dismissively, her own fingers running gently though his hair.

It had been Sam who had said the words first, drowsily, almost subconsciously.

"I love you, beautiful."

A blissful smile.

"I love you too, Sam."

*

"Honestly, I think you looked better with a tooth missing," Touya smirked as he eyed the idle grin Sam cast him over his rum and coke.

"Well, you took enough damn photos to serve as a reminder, so..." Sam sipped his beverage after running his tongue across his newly repaired smile.

Touya sniggered and drained the last of his beer. The last two rounds of drinks had been on the house. Ever since their ordeal with Dimitri's gang, Kuro and Grillby had shown extra care and attention towards their two regulars. The latter had even stuck to his word and wiped Sam's bar tab, which the elder Gaster brother was immensely thankful for, especially since he had lost his job at the food truck. It turned out, his uncaring boss hadn't taken the fact that Sam had been beaten black and blue as a good enough excuse to miss two days work in a row. Callie had been a sweetheart as usual and taking it upon herself to make up the loss of revenue in the household by working extra hours for the twins during the week.

The young woman in question glided gracefully over to their table and whisked away their glasses to be refilled. Her fingers slid playfully under Sam's chin as she left. Touya smirked as he watched Sam's eyes follow her retreating form all the way back to the bar where she immediately set to replenishing their drinks.

When Sam's blue stare returned to Touya's, his lips twitched a somewhat bashful smirk.

"What?" He grunted, folding his arms across his chest defensively.

Touya sniggered as he leant back in his chair, ringed fingers drumming against the table top. "Nothing." He mused, shaking his head coyly.

But Sam's averting eyes clearly proved he knew what Touya was thinking.

"So..." he grinned devilishly, as Sam's eyes flitted back to him. "You and Callie were both in a good mood this morning."

Sam shook his dipped head, the ghost of a smirk gracing his lips. "We both slept well."

"So I heard..." Touya muttered, teeth flashing. And Sam shut his eyes in embarrassment.

Just then, Callie reappeared at the table holding another beer and a rum and coke.

"There you go, boys," she chimed happily.

Once again, Sam avoided Touya's impish expression.

"Thanks, Callie." He drawled, picking up his beer and blowing the froth away. A fleck of it landed on Sam's nose, making him reopen his eyes in surprise.

Those same eyes then widened even more so as they stared over Touya's shoulder.

"Oh boy..." he breathed. And both Callie and Touya turned to follow his gaze.

"Ah shit." Muttered lips over a glass of beer.

"Is that..?" Hissed a voice from behind a notepad.

"This ain't gonna end well," grumbled a mouth above the bubbles of rum infused Coca Cola.

How Toga found him was a mystery. Perhaps it was merely coincidence. Whatever the reason, there was no hiding from her here. No sooner had she entered the bar, did her slanting eyes find their table. Her girlishly shrill voice called out his name, her heavy footfalls skipping towards him excitedly.

Touya noticed Callie's shoulders tense and her spine straighten.

"Touya!" She squealed, throwing herself at him with such force that his chair legs scraped loudly against the wood floor. Her eyes ogled him dreamily; she always had a thing for rough looking guys and Sam and Touya had never looked more her type.

"Ooo! What happened to you boys? You look so gorgeous!" She had settled herself onto Touya's lap while Sam and Callie looked on in silence, apprehension and distaste. Other heads in the bar had turned to observe the loud scene too.

"What do you want, Toga?" Touya snarled, hands avoiding her at all cost. There was no point in trying to push her off, the action would only excite her more.

"To see you, silly!" She purred, her head nuzzling against his tilting face. "I've been looking all over for you!" She abruptly ceased her snuggling to shoot Sam a dark glare. "Didn't Sam tell you?"

Sam inhaled slowly, fixing her stare with a bold one of his own. Callie's eyes were squinting challengingly in a way that made her usually warm regard look almost identical to Toga's dangerous gaze.

"Yeah, well you're not wanted here. So take your crazy ass back outside." Touya growled.

But Toga merely pouted childishly. "You don't mean that!" She whined.

Okay. This was just getting embarrassing now. Pushing to his feet, he managed to slip her from his lap. But her greedy hands held on to his neck, and remained dangling from him, the tips of her toes just about touching the floor.

"Get off me, Toga." He sneered. But his building anger only seemed to tantalise her more. She ran her tongue over her lips, wetting them with a metallic-smelling layer of saliva.

"Make me," she hissed.

And Touya couldn't think of what to do next. His eyes darted towards Sam who shrugged. Callie swallowed hard at his side.

"Miss." Came a sharp voice from behind him. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Kuro had appeared from behind the bar and now stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

Toga's acid-coloured irises locked onto him. "I don't think so!" She spat, narrowing her eyes.

Touya took his chance and slipped out of her grasp.

"I'll only ask one more time." Kuro warned.

And then all hell broke lose.

The flash of a silver blade, a shrill cry, the scrape of furniture and the smashing of glass. If it wasn't for Sam and Kuro's quick reflexes, blood would surely have been spilt. In the split second that Toga had reached for her switchblade and swiped it through the air, Sam had pulled Touya away while Kuro had flung his arms around Toga to restrain her. Rabid squeals caused every head in the bar to turn towards the kicking of legs and the scuffling of bodies. As Kuro and Grillby managed to disarm and remove Toga from the premises, everyone eventually managed to settle back down as hushed whispers floated throughout the room.

Touya exhaled through loose lips, "She's a real peach, that one."

Sam grunted a fatigued laugh. "No kidding."

Author's Note: There is artwork available from this chapter, drawn by myself. For more work visit my instagram at Kimberly.s.l

And please let us know what you're all making of the story and the characters so far!