True to his word, Azriel did end up inviting me over to his apartment more often for "meditation" to help my supposed "anxiety" that he believed I had.

I called bullshit, of course, but I still went over just to entertain whatever thought process he had on.

There was one good thing about always going over though, and it was that I could make sure that Azriel wasn't a grimy bastard who let take out boxes pile up on his surfaces. He ended up making effort to actually clean up before I arrived, and good thing too because I would have beat his ass again like the first time I saw the state of his place.

"Breath in...hold...breathe out."

His voice was a welcomed one, weirdly enough, in my head.

"If you have a thought, acknowledge it, then let it go, focus on it, and that's it, you've focused on it, you've given it attention, let it drift away now."

I have to be real, meditation was fucking hard.

How was I supposed to just let go of some of my racing thoughts when they were stuck in my photographic memory? Images and events and evidence all stacked up within the maze of files that I'd turned my brain into.

My frustration seemed to be visible, because every so often, I would feel Azriel's hand, large and warm and slightly calloused, rest over my forehead to try and smoothe out the crease on my brow.

Relax

He would tell me.

As if I wasn't already fucking trying.

However, it wasn't just for meditation that we would meet up. Azriel was also my sparring partner, and we'd also meet up within an empty gym some mornings to get sparring in before we started our days considering we were each other's only worthy opponents. The routine itself was...weird, going from suspecting this weird ass guy to suddenly realising we had a lot in common, even physically.

I'd never known anyone who could keep up with me in a fight, or workout, but Azriel seemed to be able to.

And afterwards he'd get me boba. Another odd thing, having him pay despite me being fully capable. I was never quite sure how to thank him other than with a mumble as he'd pass my ny boba each time, watching him sip at his own with a casual expression and his hand in his pocket as he looked around the place we'd sit at.

He'd talk to me about work, about Krei, about everything. And I'd...talk about work...SFIT...Hiro...

But once he started cracking sex jokes, all conversations leading towards me "gushing" about Hiro (his words, not mine) stopped and I'd respond to him with a "he's fine" each time I was asked how my boyfriend was doing.

I realised then that I owed Azriel a lot. He had been there for me when I was going through that rough patch with Hiro, before I'd known he was Cyber. Azriel was the one who was encouraging me to try and talk things through with him, to actually convey my frustration to him.

Sure, he was an ass sometimes, annoying as hell, a little stupid and sometimes very frustrating to be around. Especially when he got comfortable enough around me to start picking his nose and flicking whatever he'd dug out to some corner of the room.

(I sprayed him with disinfectant each time)

But, somehow, he was still...nice to be around. Comforting almost. Not the same comfort that Hiro provided but more of a...brotherly comfort. Which was fucking weird, mind you, considering I don't have an older sibling and never experienced it in my entire life.

Azriel was cool, to say the least. Isla loves him too, especially his hair, claiming that the red was cool; he plays just dance with her too, each time he comes over since he can't cook to save his life.

Among everything relaxing, and meditative with Azriel, we both still held something on our minds. Everything to do with Illuminois, the IBI, to do with the lack of attacks on the city that we should be happy with but instead we were met with this mutual feeling of dread in our guts each time the days passed without issue.

I'd come to a standstill on my illuminous investigation, the only standstill, the only wall I've hit, ever since the Midnight Murderer.

Surely that, had to be a coincidence.

I was musing over things to myself as I walked to SFIT, the summer sun had shown its face and it had become blazingly hot now considering it was June. The end of the semester approaching and in three months it would be an official year since I'd moved to San-Fransokyo.

Since I'd met Hiro.

I stopped walking at the relevation, Rem bumping into the back of my head with a startled yelp as I pulled out my phone to look at the picture of him on my lockscreen.

"Y/n!"
I heard him yell, annoyed by my sudden pause.
"We're going to be late!"
He insisted, and started pulling my along by the back of my clothes as I continued to gaze at the image on my phone, lost in thoughts of Hiro, of time passed, of everything we've been through together so far.

"The sooner you get there the sooner you see Hir- woah! Y/n! Wait for me!"

__________ 🩵 __________

"Hey Princess."

Despite the audience of their friends, the two teens met each other with a brief kiss, before Hiro pulled Y/n onto his lap as the group sat within her lab. It had been two months since they'd started dating but each kiss and affectionate glance still made their friends squeal (except Gogo) with awe at the sight of them. Followed by Honey Lemon needing to buy more phone storage after she filled the damn thing with as many pictures of their "cute moments" as she could. This was the same, a kiss, followed by the sound of a squeal and the flash of a camera.

The sun was hot and the air conditioning didn't seem to be enough, with Fred and Gogo resting against Baymax who provided himself as a cooling pad, Honey Lemon holding a fan, and Wasabi holding up the best along with Hiro and Y/n. Though the girl did hold an iced coffee in her hands, taking frequent sips whilst her boyfriend stole some when she wasn't looking.

"I can't believe graduation is around the corner."

Honey Lemon squealed as she looked around at the group.

"Oh man, yeah."
Hiro raised his brows as he looked at his older friends.
"I almost forgot you're all gonna be graduating, when? Next month?"

"Next week, Hiro."
Y/n reminded him, smirking at the stunned expression on his face.
"It's June."

"Are you kidding me?!"

There was a chorus of tired laughter, a result of the heatwave that was colliding with the city during the week.

"Damn."
Hiro groaned, keeping an arm over Y/n's thighs and tracing light shapes absentmindedly over her skin that had began to tan amidst the scorcher.
"That leaves just me and Y/n then whilst you all go away and, damn, find jobs. Real 9 to 5's or something."
He joked, looking around at everyone, who didn't seem to be holding as much of a joking expression on their face.

Then Hiro's face fell.

"No fucking way. You didn't tell me?!"

He yelped, and Nyx chuckled as she looked at him.

Honey Lemon was the first to answer with a nod and a bright grin.
"There a laboratory by the edge of the city that's hiring me and they say that the spot will be available to me whenever I'm ready to start."

Gogo coughed into her hand, nodding her head as she looked around the group.
"I've actually been speaking to some dudes who work at an engineering site developing race cars, we're still discussing stuff but I'll get to try out the vehicles too."

There were murmurs of congratulations aimed at the two, and Hiro continued to look around at what else everyone had to say. With Fred standing up and waving his arm.

"Oh oh me next !"
He cleared his throat.
"I've been working on some comic book ideas and my Dad's given me the emails of some sick publishers that I can talk to."
He grinned.

"Wow."
Y/n piped up first as she looked around.
"I honestly didn't see that one coming."
She admitted, laughing with everyone else before she rest her head against her boyfriends shoulder, Hiro resting his cheek against her forehead as they looked to Wasabi.

Wasabi suddenly seemed very nervous.

"Well."
He wrung his fingers slightly as he looked at each of his friends.
"Before I get into details."
He coughed into his hand.

"Imightbeseeingsomeone."

The room went silent before everyone suddenly screamed out in surprise. Hiro jumping up and Y/n crashing to the ground with a yelp, Fred spitting out his water, Gogo slipping off Baymax and faceplanting whilst Honey Lemon accidentally slapped herself with the fan.

"Is it the guy from the cafe?"
Y/n asked with a serious expression from the ground, ignoring Hiro's yelp as he lifted her up.
"I swear to god is it-"
She gave him a look, seeing him nod his head.
"It is-yes? Fucking knew it!"

She grinned and congratulated him, everyone crowding around the taller man who was blushing, despite it being a little difficult to see. The heat was radiating from him heavily though and everyone could feel his face heat from around a mile off.

"Nothing official yet, we're not putting a label on it but, we're going a date maybe, uh , in two days?"

Wasabi was immediately engulfed in a group which quickly dispersed due to the stickiness that formed between the skin to skin contact thanks to humidity existing. Then after marinating himself in deodorant, he finished up.

"And I've also been talking back and forth with some physics researchers abroad. And I'm still contemplating taking up the job offer to work in a smaller lab within the city rather than moving out cause, you know."
He gestured around.
"We're kinda like, superheroes?"

"Well..."
Y/n trailed off, looking at the floor as she frowned slightly.
"I'm not saying it's, certain but, what if theres just, no more villains. No more trouble..nothing that requires us."

She said, looking up at everyone.
"Illuminous is gone, there's been absolutely 0 villain activity and with no new leads, what now?"

Is what she wanted to say, but without wanting to dampen the happy mood, she just smiled and nodded her head as she looked up at him.
"Not just that, but you still get to be close to all of us as well."

The mood remained that same bubbly cheerfulness, with a promise for drinks or smoothies later as they left the lab one by one, leaving Hiro and Y/n, and their two bots together...until Rem decided he wanted to catch butterflies and Baymax waddled off after him to stay with his best friend.

Y/n kept an eye on the two as they walked out, the door closing and she let out a small surprised noise as Hiro's arms suddenly pulled her in for a tight hug, gently swaying her from side to side as she laughed, her hands over his.

"So, Miss Suni, any plans for summer?"

He asked, his nose buried into the crook of her neck as he planted small kisses against her skin.

Y/n hummed, contemplating over what her summer might consist off, entertaining him by tilting her head to the side to give him better access to the skin on her neck.

"Not too sure yet, you?"

She asked quietly, hearing him detach from her with a slick mwah, before he rest his head on her shoulder.

"I was thinking...mmh...maybe a few dates ourselves?"

He grinned, looking at how her cheeks had turned rosy from his words.

"Maybe a midnight flight...or two, or three, or everyday, I dunno."
He hummed, feigning nonchalance as he went back to kissing the side of her neck with a relaxed sigh.

"Or we could just...mhh I dunno, anything is good as long as it's with you."

"You cheese."
Y/n snorted, pulling away to turn around, her hands looped around his neck as she looked into his eyes.
"I never took you to be such a romantic, Hamada."

She teased, earning a shrug from the raven-haired teen, followed by a resigned sigh.
"I never thought I would be a romantic either, but I'm afraid you've swayed me with your charms, Miss Suni."
His thumbs rubbed circles under her cropped shirt, the gesture sending more heat to channel through her body, unrelated to heat and humidity. He leaned down slightly, hair tickling her cheek as he spoke into her ear.
"Did I tell you, you look especially good today in those shorts."
He muttered, pressing another kiss just under her ear.
"Keep wearing these outfits and summer might become my favourite month. "

"Hiro I think I'll actually pass out if you don't give me any breathing room at this point."

Y/n muttered in return, not sure if she meant it after leaning against the desk slightly as he pulled away and lifted her hand, to press a kiss to her knuckles, right where the ring he'd gifted her resided. The glistening band of jewellery that had made a home for itself on her ring finger, similarly to how the matching band found a permanent home on his own ring finger.

Miss Suni was never one to be obsessed with anything, nothing other than boba at least. Then Hiro muttered something about needing to go to class and she let out an annoyed noise when he pulled away from the kiss, and she yanked him back down to press their lips firmly together. She was hooked onto his affections, his touch, his kisses, his everything that he did to her. Nothing seemed to be enough anymore. Every single book she read, every romance novel that had its hands around her throat was suddenly collecting dust because she was living the stories she didn't realise she yearned to live for herself, and good forbid anyone who took that away from her. His kisses had the power to clear her head up better than any medication or meditation could. A simple touch of their lips together and suddenly she was hurtled to a completely different world where all her problems felt so insignificant that they could hardly be registered as problems in her hazy little head.

"What was that about needing space mmh?"
He remarked against her lips, chuckling as she muttered a quiet shut up.

One kiss was never enough anymore and then they stumbled to the door, lip locked as he reciprocated her enthusiasm and desperation.  Hands weaved into his hair, heads tilted to slot their mouths firmly together and he held her tightly around the hips. He kissed her back with equal intensity before giving a slight bite to her lower lip as he pulled away, grinning as they reached the door to the lab which opened once they triggered the sensors. Then he pulled her in by the back of the neck for a final three kisses before pulling away.

"Don't miss me too much pretty girl."

Hiro muttered, and Y/n wanted to punch a wall when she saw at how good he looked when he was flushed, before he smirked at her and left for class.

"I'm so down bad."

"You're so down bad."

"I am so down bad."

Sapphire echoed her mutter when she slumped in the chair within her own lab. Then she watched her programmer, her creator, a mastermind, slam her head repeatedly on the desk with a muffled scream.

"What the fuck is he doing to me Sapphire?"

Y/n groaned against her desk, lifting her head slightly to reveal her own flushed expression. Cheeks were red like tomatoes, not from the heat, and Sapphire's icon rolled around the screens with a cheeky grin as she watched her creator hide her giddy smile behind her hands.

"No idea but it's both mildly disgusting and wonderful to see."
She ignored the look that Y/n gave her at the first description.

"Who can believe that, you made Hiro your mortal enemy when you moved here, and now he's your boyfriend?"

"Not me."
Y/n held back a snort as she logged onto her computers and ran through everything she needed to do for classes, and to wrap up the end of her first year at SFIT. It was still bonkers to think that so much had happened within one year of moving away from home and the sudden change from point A to B made her head spin when she thought about it too hard. Then her expression slowly morphed into one of contemplation once she was bought back to the situation at hand.

"Sapphire, any update?"

She murmured, rubbing her forehead and punching the space between her brows as she bought up the security posts she'd laid out over the city.

"Nothing. It's been a good two months now Y/n, do you really think this isn't the end ?"

The teen sighed, rolling from one screen to the other, finger tapping absentmindedly against the keys on the keyboard like she was just expecting something to happen suddenly. It wasn't boredom, not a lot of it anyway,  that was what she told herself at least. She sighed again, everyone seemed to be moving past the events and handling them rather well, if they weren't then they were doing a damn good job of hiding it. There was just this feeling, this deep, clouded, gruesome feeling that felt like bugs were inside her skin and trying to eat their way out of her body. Something that was giving her the warning signs that something didn't feel right. To stay aware. To keep focused no matter how many times she meditated or tried to soothe the feeling of anxiety.

She pushed herself away from her desk, head tilted back and eyes fluttering shut. The heat didn't help her thought process for what it was worth, how was someone supposed to think when their face felt like it was going to melt off from the humidity.

"The fact Sapphire, is that we're being tested, by something or someone. I don't know who but, I know it."

She groaned as she sat up straight, pushing her hair back as she glared at the screen.

"The IBI know it, I know they do. That's why they're here. Otherwise...otherwise..."

"Then ask them, for crying out loud."
Sapphire almost yelled until Y/n turned her volume down.

"Stop having a bitch-fit. Stop crying. Stop whining. Stop wallowing in your self pity and push past your ego to ask them upfront what they know!"

There was a moment of tense silence between creator and creation, and neither side was backing down. Y/n had the capacity to make technology think for itself, robotic intelligence with the capacity to challenge her own intelligence until one side falls. In this case, Y/n felt herself wavering under the the hurtful, but incredibly true words coming from her robotic companion.

"You don't know-"

"And you're not planning on telling anyone soon. We know! I know! Hiro knows!"

Sapphire scolded her again, icon turning red as she automatically turned her own volume up again so that Y/n was being audibly assaulted in every corner of the room. The final word punctuated and echoing around the silent laboratory room until Sapphire calmed down, looking straight at the teenage girl.

"To think that this is my creator. Both the bravest, and the most cowardly."

"Sapphire..."

Y/n spoke up coldly, biting the inside of her cheek as she stood up from her desk. Picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Security mode. Mute"

Sapphire's icon slowly dissipated, a slow pulsing light filling the room and from