Fairytale
"In any language,” he said softly, “I will always feel the same.”
Even at night, he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. His face bore no makeup and his hair fell flat at his shoulders, and he wore a tank top and pajama pants instead of his usual, glamorous attire, and still he kept her in awe. He was writing, and he was gently humming, and lying beside him, she’d never felt more at peace.
Her arm was outstretched over his middle, her fingers lightly caressing his side and toying with the fabric of his top, and her head was propped up by her free arm, though at the same time resting gently against his. And he was so incredibly warm beside her, and the way he would occasionally turn his head and kiss her lips told her that there was no place that he’d rather be.
She glanced at the notebook propped up by his bent leg, for once not watching his hand as he wrote or the other as his thumb gently brushed over the paper, or even the peaceful expression on his face as he wrote without second thought, his pen leaving behind bright blue characters, somehow forming words in a foreign language that she’d never seemed to understand.
And she watched as he gracefully created lines and curves and hash marks and all of the beautiful things that accompanied his native tongue, and she smiled and kissed his cheek, her smile remaining as he hummed in recognition and turned his head once more to press a kiss to the bridge of her nose, chuckling softly as she rolled her eyes, grinning all the same.
“What are you writing?” she asked, and her hand gently slipped beneath his top, her fingers curling, tips dancing against his warm skin, and she laughed softly as he shivered, though his pen did not stop moving against the paper. “Is it a song?”
He shook his head, chuckling softly, adding a small circle to the end of a line, punctuating the end of the thought. “Iie.” Another smile, and then he bit his lip, seeming to pause and take in this quiet moment. “It’s something for you.”
“Something for me?” He turned his head once more, smiling at her, and he made a quiet sound of appreciation as she pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Should I assume it’s a surprise, then?” He only released another chuckle, and the hand holding the notepad brushed along her cheek as she stole another kiss. “So you’re writing something for me, I’m not meant to know what it means, and it’s something I can’t figure out anyway because it’s something I can’t read?”
He chuckled again, tucking back her hair. “Now you’re catching on.” Her brow furrowed, her lips turning downward, frowning, and he returned his hand to his notepad, his pen skimming down the page and then pressing down once more, forming a new thought.
“You’ll tell me eventually, right?”
He nodded, the bright blue ink the only proof that he knew exactly how he felt about the young woman beside him, rubbing his skin in the most soothing way, bringing chills through his spine that he’d gotten used to long ago. “Of course I will,” he said gently. “I always do.” Another small circle formed, and he lifted the pad, turning the page, his pen pressing down once more, this time leaving behind a precise cursive script.
She released a half-snort, smiling just as widely as ever, turning her head into her hand, and covered her eyes. “I’ll wait like this until you tell me, then.” Her hand slipped from beneath his top, and it slid gently across his abdomen until her arm no longer felt as though it was being pulled with unreasonable force. He shivered beneath her touch, fabric separating her hand from his skin or not, and smiled as his pen pressed the final, small dot at the end of the second sentence.
He chuckled as he touched her cheek, and she lifted her head to look at him, and they shared another soft kiss. He whispered, “You know I can never make you wait,” and he tilted the pad so that she could see, and the warmest, most indescribable smile spread across his countenance. “You can read it now, yes?”
She bit her lip for a moment, nodding, and then she smiled as a tear dripped from her cheek. “Yeah, I can read it now.”
He leaned forward, letting the pad rest on his torso, and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. His lips touched her forehead, and she shut her eyes just for a moment as he smiled against her skin. “Read it for me, then,” he murmured, and his voice went straight to her heart, making it pang and twist as it always had.
She opened her eyes, her gaze meeting his, and then she looked away from him to look at what he had written. “I believe in you,” she read, and her voice shook a little as a few more tears slipped, and she bit her lip as he brushed them away. “I will always believe in what you are.” The bright blue words were like a beacon to her, and she felt her heart swell in her chest, and when he caught her gaze again, all she could see in Takanori’s eyes was absolute love.
“In any language,” he said softly, “I will always feel the same.”
“Even if you had to go to the States to be with me?”
He chuckled softly, as though she’d asked the silliest question, and touched soft, tender kisses to her cheeks, her forehead, and the edges of her mouth, and she could feel his smile. “Koi-chan.” He kissed the bridge of her nose, letting his lips linger, and she shut her eyes when she thought he’d done the same, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “I would go anywhere for you.”
Her arm was outstretched over his middle, her fingers lightly caressing his side and toying with the fabric of his top, and her head was propped up by her free arm, though at the same time resting gently against his. And he was so incredibly warm beside her, and the way he would occasionally turn his head and kiss her lips told her that there was no place that he’d rather be.
She glanced at the notebook propped up by his bent leg, for once not watching his hand as he wrote or the other as his thumb gently brushed over the paper, or even the peaceful expression on his face as he wrote without second thought, his pen leaving behind bright blue characters, somehow forming words in a foreign language that she’d never seemed to understand.
And she watched as he gracefully created lines and curves and hash marks and all of the beautiful things that accompanied his native tongue, and she smiled and kissed his cheek, her smile remaining as he hummed in recognition and turned his head once more to press a kiss to the bridge of her nose, chuckling softly as she rolled her eyes, grinning all the same.
“What are you writing?” she asked, and her hand gently slipped beneath his top, her fingers curling, tips dancing against his warm skin, and she laughed softly as he shivered, though his pen did not stop moving against the paper. “Is it a song?”
He shook his head, chuckling softly, adding a small circle to the end of a line, punctuating the end of the thought. “Iie.” Another smile, and then he bit his lip, seeming to pause and take in this quiet moment. “It’s something for you.”
“Something for me?” He turned his head once more, smiling at her, and he made a quiet sound of appreciation as she pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Should I assume it’s a surprise, then?” He only released another chuckle, and the hand holding the notepad brushed along her cheek as she stole another kiss. “So you’re writing something for me, I’m not meant to know what it means, and it’s something I can’t figure out anyway because it’s something I can’t read?”
He chuckled again, tucking back her hair. “Now you’re catching on.” Her brow furrowed, her lips turning downward, frowning, and he returned his hand to his notepad, his pen skimming down the page and then pressing down once more, forming a new thought.
“You’ll tell me eventually, right?”
He nodded, the bright blue ink the only proof that he knew exactly how he felt about the young woman beside him, rubbing his skin in the most soothing way, bringing chills through his spine that he’d gotten used to long ago. “Of course I will,” he said gently. “I always do.” Another small circle formed, and he lifted the pad, turning the page, his pen pressing down once more, this time leaving behind a precise cursive script.
She released a half-snort, smiling just as widely as ever, turning her head into her hand, and covered her eyes. “I’ll wait like this until you tell me, then.” Her hand slipped from beneath his top, and it slid gently across his abdomen until her arm no longer felt as though it was being pulled with unreasonable force. He shivered beneath her touch, fabric separating her hand from his skin or not, and smiled as his pen pressed the final, small dot at the end of the second sentence.
He chuckled as he touched her cheek, and she lifted her head to look at him, and they shared another soft kiss. He whispered, “You know I can never make you wait,” and he tilted the pad so that she could see, and the warmest, most indescribable smile spread across his countenance. “You can read it now, yes?”
She bit her lip for a moment, nodding, and then she smiled as a tear dripped from her cheek. “Yeah, I can read it now.”
He leaned forward, letting the pad rest on his torso, and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. His lips touched her forehead, and she shut her eyes just for a moment as he smiled against her skin. “Read it for me, then,” he murmured, and his voice went straight to her heart, making it pang and twist as it always had.
She opened her eyes, her gaze meeting his, and then she looked away from him to look at what he had written. “I believe in you,” she read, and her voice shook a little as a few more tears slipped, and she bit her lip as he brushed them away. “I will always believe in what you are.” The bright blue words were like a beacon to her, and she felt her heart swell in her chest, and when he caught her gaze again, all she could see in Takanori’s eyes was absolute love.
“In any language,” he said softly, “I will always feel the same.”
“Even if you had to go to the States to be with me?”
He chuckled softly, as though she’d asked the silliest question, and touched soft, tender kisses to her cheeks, her forehead, and the edges of her mouth, and she could feel his smile. “Koi-chan.” He kissed the bridge of her nose, letting his lips linger, and she shut her eyes when she thought he’d done the same, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “I would go anywhere for you.”