Nemuri's eyes narrowed. She tilted her glass, swirled what was left.
"Cute. So what, you a romantic?"
"Lately they call it demisexual," he said. "I think that just means I don't get hard unless the connection's real."
She snorted. "God, what a buzzkill."
"You brought me to a whiskey bar, not a love hotel."
"I figured you were a mystery," she said, eyeing him over the rim. "Didn't expect that mystery to be missionary."
Khan smiled. "Missionary with feeling."
"Fucking tragic."
"I still finish," he said, sipping. "Just don't fake it with someone who wouldn't bleed for me."
Her head cocked. The smirk came back but different.
"You don't do casuals?"
"I don't enjoy them."
"Not even when the mood hits?"
"I can jerk off for free."
Nemuri laughed, but it didn't hit the same spot as before. She studied him.
He gave her nothing else.
She tapped her nail against the glass again. "So what's a guy like you do for stress, then?"
"Same thing I always do," Khan said, setting his glass down. "Get over it."
Eventually, she reached for her purse, pulled out a cigarette, lit it without asking.
"Want one?"
"Nope."
"Didn't think so." She took a long drag, leaned back. "You got the vibe of a man who collects secrets but never smokes 'em."
Another drink slid their way. She didn't look at the bartender this time. Just picked it up and sipped. He did the same.
"You know what's funny," she said. "Everyone thinks I'm this wild, unchained nympho. The dominatrix slut of the teacher's lounge. Truth is, I've said no more than yes."
Khan didn't react.
"You think I'm gonna judge you for keeping your standards?"
She smiled. "No. I think you already did your math."
"I do it all the time. Can't stop."
She narrowed her eyes, playful. "So what do your numbers say?"
He sipped. "You're lonely. Tired. Horny, sometimes, but never stupid. You fuck when you're bored or when you're hurting. And even then, you only give people pieces. Never the whole thing."
Nemuri stared. Her throat moved, but she didn't speak.
"You play the seductress because it's safer than being soft," he said. "You dress loud so they don't notice how quiet your apartment is. And if they ever got too close, you'd claw them back to the door with your nails and a laugh."
Her smile slipped.
Khan turned back to his glass.
"I don't want pieces," he said.
She looked away, sipping again, not saying anything. Her boot slid off the bar rail.
Then she muttered, "Fucking counselor brain."
Khan chuckled. "Occupational hazard."
Nemuri stared at the back of the bar again. This time she wasn't smiling.
"I fucking start to hate you."
"I know."
Another drink. Another minute of nothing.
Then Khan leaned in. "I know I'm breaking my own rule," he said casually. "But did anything come up from that press incident?"
Nemuri didn't look at him right away. She sipped before answering.
"You mean that one who bulldozed her way through the front gate?"
"Yeah. That one. I heard the door got smoked."
"It did." She glanced at him now. "Someone forgot to tell the woman we don't do 'walk-ins.'"
"Wasn't she supposed to be vetted?"
"She was. She wasn't new. That's what made it weird."
Khan raised a brow.
"She's covered UA before," Nemuri added. "Press ID legit. Paperwork matched."
Khan hummed. "I see. Well, if nothing came out of it, then all is good."
She leaned her body toward him a touch. "You ever get that itch when something's wrong but you can't point to the bruise?"
"All the time," he said. "It's usually right before someone says 'relax' and everything goes sideways."
She snorted. "That."
Khan tipped his glass, then set it down without finishing. "UA's a magnet. You shake it, junk falls out. Press shakes it daily. So do parents. So do villains who think magnets are suggestions."
Her brow creased. "You're not wrong."
Khan frowned. He'd pushed far enough already. Nemuri had that look now. The one where the fun drained out and the sharp part stayed. She was chewing on something that didn't taste right, and if he nudged even a hair more, she'd either pry or pull away. Neither worked for what he needed.
He stared into his glass, watching the ice sweat.
He couldn't warn her. Couldn't hint. Couldn't do the cute "be careful tomorrow" bullshit without lighting himself up on every internal alarm UA had.
So he had to shut up.
Which annoyed the hell out of him.
"Hey," Nemuri said, breaking the silence. "You just went somewhere."
He looked up. "Did I?"
"Yeah. You get this face when you're annoyed at yourself."
"That obvious?"
She smirked. "I read people too, counselor. Just not for a paycheck."
He snorted and finished his drink. "Guess I'm rusty."
She tipped her glass back, then set it down and stared at the bar top. Her nail traced a ring in the condensation.
"You ever feel," she started, then stopped. Clicked her tongue. "Nah. Forget it."
He didn't jump on it. Let the space sit.
Nemuri huffed through her nose. "You know what I hate?"
"Lists that start that way," Khan said. "But go on."
She shot him a look, then smiled despite herself. "I hate when things feel off and everyone keeps pretending they're fine."
He raised an eyebrow. Didn't answer.
She leaned back on her stool, boot swinging again. "UA's been weird lately. Not bad. Just... twitchy. You feel it?"
He shrugged. "Big institution. Lot of moving parts."
"That's the dodge answer."
"It's the honest one."
She rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."
"Occupational requirement."
Nemuri glanced sideways at him. "You hear about the schedule shuffle next week?"
He kept his face neutral. "Only the boring version."
"Figures." She took a sip. "They're moving some training blocks around. Swapping locations. I got reassigned for a day."
"That so?"
"Yeah. Something about facility access conflicts." She frowned. "Which is weird, because those things are booked months out."
Khan nodded. Didn't comment.
She kept going, mostly to herself now. "Nezu brushed it off. Said it was a maintenance overlap. Utilities, safety checks, that crap."
Khan's fingers tightened around his glass.
"Utility Services Junction?" he said, casual. "Sounds boring enough to be real."
She blinked, then laughed. "Yeah."
She stared ahead again, smile fading as fast as it came.
Another drink showed up. She didn't touch it right away.
"You worried about something?" Khan asked, careful.
Nemuri shook her head. "No. Not worried."
That was a lie. Not a big one. Just the kind people told themselves to keep moving.
"I just don't like surprises," she added. "Especially not with kids involved."
Khan nodded. "Fair."
She glanced at him again. "You ever think about how much faith those students put in us?"
"All the time," he said. That part was true enough.
"They think we've got it handled," she said. "Every drill. Every lesson. Every locked door."
He didn't answer.
Nemuri sighed and finally took a drink. "Anyway. Probably nothing."
Khan forced a small smile. "UA runs on 'probably nothing.'"
She laughed, but it didn't reach her eyes this time.
They sat in that quiet pocket for a bit.
Nemuri broke it first. "You heading out after this?"
"Soon," Khan said. "Early morning."
She groaned. "Don't remind me."
"Training?"
"Always." She rolled her shoulders. "Kids don't stop trying to kill themselves just because it's weekend."
"Tragic," he said. "You'd think they'd respect the calendar."
She snorted. "If only."
She slid off the stool and grabbed her jacket. Hesitated, then looked at him again.
"Hey," she said. "If anything weird comes across your desk, you let me know, yeah?"
He met her gaze. "Of course."
She nodded, satisfied enough, and tossed some bills on the bar.
"Don't be a stranger, counselor."
"I'm very good at that," he said.
She smiled as she stepped in and brushed a kiss against his cheek. Khan caught her by the waist before she could pull back.
"Don't worry, Nemuri," he said. "Who in their right mind would target All Might, right?"
He laughed and she rolled her eyes even as the corner of her mouth lifted.
"God, don't say his name out loud," she said. "That's how curses start."
"Relax," Khan replied. "If anything goes sideways, I'll just copy his program and stick close to him. Safest man in Japan. I'll be fine."
She snorted. "You really think proximity equals protection?"
"Works for villains, probably," he said. "And bad smiles."
Nemuri shook her head, but she didn't step away. Her hand lingered on his chest.
"You're awful," she said.
"Yeah," Khan replied. "But I'm safe."
She sighed, finally pulling back.
Nemuri tugged her jacket on and glanced over her shoulder. "You walking?"
"Couple blocks," Khan said. "I'll survive."
She nodded, then paused. "Hey."
"Yeah?"
"If anything weird happens," she said, careful with the words, "don't play the hero."
Khan smiled. "You saying that to me, or to yourself?"
She scoffed. "Ass."
"Night, Nemuri."
She stepped out into the street, already dialing someone on her phone. Khan watched her go.