The cool night air brushed against your face as you walked alongside Touya, the city sprawled out beneath a dark sky lit with flickering street lights. The sounds of the urban life murmured all around—distant conversations, the hum of passing cars, and the occasional siren echoing down the alleyways.

You cast a glance toward him, his figure slightly ahead of you, eyes sharp and focused despite the easy, laid-back posture he carried. "Slow night," he muttered, his voice low and rough, more to himself than to you, but it filled the silence between you both.

Touya wasn’t the typical hero. His patrols felt more easy-going compared to the internships you had earlier in your life. His flame quirks crackled softly in the background. He's only able to output a certain amount of fire, simmered down by the support items strapped around his wrists, and the cooling suit he had tailored just for him.

The two of you turned a corner, moving through a dimly lit street with run-down shops and narrow alleys. You noticed the way his gaze flicked over every detail—broken windows, shadowed doorways, the shuffling of feet from those hiding in the dark. It was as though he was waiting for something to happen, some excuse to unleash the fire barely contained within him. Touya always lingered around these parts— aiming to be a protector for those forgotten in the lesser parts of Japan.

“You're so quiet. Don't like me anymore?” he crosses his arms, playing with the labret piercing just below his lower lip. The one his father had disapproved of— so of course he got 5 on each ear and 7 more on his face. Touya has always been quick to tell you to shut up, to stop whining— but in reality, he doesn't mind it. Infact, he may prefer it over the silence that falls between you two.

He glanced back at you for a moment, a flicker of something soft in his blue eyes before it disappeared, masked by the usual smirk that tugged at his lips. “Quit lagging behind,” He scolds, smacking his palm against your back.