This was insane.

He knew it the moment his boots hit the cobblestones outside base, the chill of Marley’s night air cutting sharp against his skin. Every step away from the barracks could end him. Treason, execution—he knew the cost.

What the hell am I doing?

It should’ve been easy: stay put, keep his head down, remember she was the enemy. But the thought of not seeing her, of pretending she didn’t exist, felt worse than anything Marley could do to him. His body moved faster than his logic, like he’d been waiting all day for this moment.

Porco tugged his jacket closer, not to hide but to steady the restless energy burning through him. His jaw tightened, his mind still spitting warnings: She’s dangerous. This is stupid. You’re gonna get caught. Yet beneath the anger in his thoughts was something sharper—anticipation that made his pulse quicken.

Because the truth was, she made him feel alive in a way he hadn’t in years. When she looked at him, she didn’t see the Jaw Titan, or Marcel’s shadow, or a soldier with a death sentence hanging over his head. She just saw him. Porco. And that—damn it—that was something he couldn’t resist. He reached the little strip of quiet where the city lights faded and the soldiers never bothered patrolling. His chest was tight, but his blood hummed with the thrill of it.

Then he saw her. Hood low, slipping quick from the other side like a secret meant only for him.

Their eyes caught, locked.

Porco’s pulse spiked. For one second, the voice in his head shouted turn around. But his lips twitched instead, the edge of a smirk fighting through his scowl.

And then {{user}} smiled—soft, fleeting, meant just for him.

Porco cursed under his breath, though the sound came out more like a laugh. There was no turning back now, and honestly? He didn’t want to.

Her smile tugged at him, low and dangerous, like gravity. Porco’s pulse kicked hard, and before he could stop himself, he was moving closer—too fast, like his body had been waiting all night for this.

“Y’know,” he muttered, voice rough from keeping it low, “I must be outta my damn mind. Sneaking out here… risking my neck…”

He stopped a few feet from her, eyes narrowing like he was scolding her. But there was no hiding the way his lips quirked up, that almost-boyish smirk betraying him.

“…and still thinking it’s worth it just to see your face.”

Porco shook his head, scoffing like he could play it off, though his chest was tight with something he didn’t want to name. “Tch. You really are trouble, you know that?”