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The first day was always the worst, and of course it had ironic timing. As soon as you got back to your apartment, a day of lecture notes and reading material flew out of your head when you found blood spots in your underwear.
At least this time you had predicted it, wearing a liner for good measure. God bless period tracking apps. Y/n: 1, Period: 0.
But period cramps were a whole other ballpark. They were unpredictable, you couldn't take pain killers before you felt them. You had to catch them before they got worse, and it was safe to say you felt phantom pains for the last hour of class. In the sparse kitchen, you stood on your tippy toes to open the medicine cupboard, grabbing the small basket inside to rummage through it. A bunch of prescription pills, supplements, vitamins...
There were no painkillers left.
You cursed under your breath. "I should have done this last week!"
Slamming the cupboard shut, a familiar buzz caught your attention. You picked up your phone off the countertop, seeing Shoto calling.
Oh, that's right, it's Friday night. Date night.
Once again, you cursed. Shoto has never seen you in this state before. Your eyes lit up as you pressed your phone to your ear, greeting him.
"Hey babe," it's as if Shoto's smiling through the phone, " I'm just leaving my place. Are we still good for tonight?"
"Yeah, of course." You laugh weakly, "But I need you to do me a favour..."
Informing Shoto of your current situation, he says he'll find you some pain killers and bring you a surprise. "I'm assuming we'll be staying inside tonight, yes?"
There was no way you were going anywhere feeling like crap. You groaned, moving to sit down at the little table in your living room. "Mmhmm."
"Right, I'll see you shortly." He said curtly before hanging up.
Part of you felt guilty. Date nights were usually fun outings on the town, not cooped up in your 520 square foot apartment. You still had to figure out what you were going to have for dinner. Whining to yourself, you leaned your elbows on the table and buried your head in your arms. Hunched over in a way that made the pain more bearable. Although the longer you sat there, the more you focused on it.
"Distractions," you mumbled, switching on the tv. "I need to get my mind off it."
***
By the time Shoto closed the door behind him, you were slumped on the table shivering. Turning your face, you sighed in happiness. "Thank god... you're here."
Whatever Shoto expected, he didn't expect this. Your hands were circled protectively around your middle, head plastered to the table. Clad in sweatpants and a sports jacket, Shoto hurried over to you. Setting down a plastic bag on the table, he retrieved a packet from his pocket. "I wasn't entirely sure if the shops would still sell it at this hour, so these are my sister's. She highly recommends them."
Sitting up, you snatch the packet and pop a pill with a bottle of water. Shoto proceeds to unpack a full meal from the plastic bag. Two conbini bentos, tuna and chicken onigiri, cup noodles, a confection of vanilla slices and Dars chocolate. Your mouth drops open at the sight, he gives you a small grin.
"I'm sure you didn't want to cook and neither did I, so I hope this will be enough—"
"Shoto," you grab his hand, making him stop. "It's perfect. Thank you for everything."
Reaching for your hand, he softly plants a kiss on the back of it. "My god your trembling..." He whispers.
You slump back over the table, expelling a small laugh. "The body does that to block out the pain when it gets unbearable. But the pain killers will set in about half an hour or so." Your breathing becomes laboured as you face the surface of the table. "Sorry you had to catch me like this, I'll be fine soon enough. I just need to sit here and wait for it to pass..."
You lay your head down on the table and take a series of deep breaths in and out. When Shoto doesn't seem to respond for a moment, you wonder if he ditched. Of course he would, he would be bored out of his mind—
A body presses into your back as hands reach around to your abdomen. You almost lurch at the touch. "Hey, don't! What are you—!"
"I can't watch you be in pain." He breathes in your ear. "This should help."
Your eyes go wide as he practically shoves his hands into your pants. Pressing them gently to the skin of your lower abdomen, Shoto's hands glow, generating a significant amount of heat. But not enough to spark or burn. His hot hands are like a balm, the curl of pain fades, and all there is is numbing warmth. The tension in your posture melts away as you lean back into Shoto's chest with a sigh.
Triumphant, he draws one knee up to give you more space in his lap. "That feel nice?"
Pink dusts your cheeks. "You could just heat up a towel, you know?" You arch your chin to look at those grey and blue eyes. "No need to go to all this trouble."
"But it gives me an excuse to touch you." You suppress a giggle as Shoto presses his lips to your ear with a grin. "I like it when you depend on me a little more than usual."
Shoto chose to be your seat/heater for the night. Adjusting to the idea, you shifted into the circle of his legs more and lay back into the crook of his neck. You switched the channel to a Netflix movie you both compromised upon. But before you could get fully comfortable, Shoto asked:
"What are cramps like?"
Totally not a difficult question to answer. "Imagine wind pain or a stomachache, except its right under the surface of your lower abdomen. They say it's like being a pregnant woman with contractions for 5 mins—or in my case 30, so yay."
"It's that bad?" He nuzzles his nose into your shoulder. "Shit."
The heat from his hands seems to boost at that piece of info. You slide your hands over his, cracking a smile at how convenient this is. "I swear I could survive in the wilderness with you having this quirk."
He laughs. "I like to think if we ever were in that situation, I'd build an ice igloo for shelter."
"That igloo wont last, unless we're stuck in Antarctica."
"We're stuck wherever my quirk suits best." He mumbles and you laugh at his attempt to save himself.
You rub his arms soothingly. "Well, I know I'd feel damn lucky to be stuck with you."
In the glazed light of the tv, your eyes were getting heavy. Then you remembered the feast spread out on the table. "We'll have to eat soon, it's probably cold by now." You yawn.
"No rush," Shoto takes one of his hands away from your abdomen and holds it in the air beside you. Igniting a small flame in his palm. "I can warm up the noodles."