Odoroki
ten.
“Oh, Natasha, you really are terrible. What is he, anyway? Is he your sex slave? Do you have him tied up?”
Natasha sighed, resting her head in the palm of her free hand. “No, it’s nothing like that. He’s sweet, and it’s…it’s really nice, being around him. I’m actually more relaxed right now than I have been in years.” She smiled a little, biting her lip, attempting to hide whatever it was that Kiera was hearing in her voice.
“So you met him in a bar. And you kiss him a lot. And yet, you haven’t slept with him? Jesus, if he’s nearly as attractive as he sounds, then Natasha, you need to-“
Natasha shut her eyes, almost sighing, laughing softly. “I’m telling you, he’s not like that. When he spent the night, he-“
“He spent the night with you? Jesus. You’re in Japan for a day and meet Mr. Right, and I’ve been in New York for ten years, and I still haven’t gotten past the third date.”
“Maybe it’s your impeccable sex drive that scares them off.” She laughed a little, and short flashes of the want that she’d felt for Yuu the morning after meeting him returned to her, and she almost felt bad for scolding her friend. “Maybe you should’ve come with me, hm? I’m sure the boss would have been more than amenable to it. Besides, we need all the international PR we can get.”
Kiera laughed quietly, and if Natasha knew anything about the woman, then she knew that she was shaking her head. “Japan’s always been your thing, y’know? They love you over there. With your open personality and such. Wouldn’t dream of taking that away from you. Besides. How the hell would you meet Mr. Shiroyama and have a moment’s privacy with him if I were tagging along?”
She smiled wryly. “I’d lock you out.”
“See? There’s the girl I know.”
Natasha laughed quietly once more, and she bit her lip as she heard a gentle knocking on the hotel room door. “Look, Kiera, I will let you know the second anything happens, but right now, I have to go, okay?”
“He’s there, isn’t he?” Kiera paused, and Natasha could picture her expression perfectly- raised eyebrow, smirking incredulously, waiting for an answer. And when Natasha was quiet for too long- having risen to open the door for a grinning Yuu- Kiera could only laugh. “Okay, well, you have your fun. Call me later, mkay?”
Natasha smiled, and she laughed quietly as Yuu winked, stepping into the room and giving her box of bento a little shake before handing it over. “Of course. Goodbye, Kiera.”
“Goodbye, and- oh! Say hi to Yuu for me, hm? And ask him if he has a brother.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Kiera.” She was chuckling as she pressed the red ‘end call’ button, and she sighed and nearly melted as Yuu greeted her with a kiss. She could feel his smirk against her mouth, and as she drew back, she raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”
He only chuckled, letting his free hand settle onto her hip, squeezing gently. “Missed me, hm?”
“And if I did?” She half-smirked, leaning in, and he chuckled and met her halfway for a second kiss. “You wouldn’t stay away longer on purpose next time, would you?”
He scoffed. “Never. Not if it made you unhappy.” She couldn’t help but smile at him, and she bit her lip as he beamed down at her- his eyes were brighter than ever, and the light was different from what she’d seen in them over the last few days. “And I hope you like the bento. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I made an educated guess.” He grinned and kissed her forehead, and he sighed. “Either way, I hope it makes up for me having to leave early yesterday.”
She laughed softly. “Who said you had to make up for it?”
He smiled shyly, and she raised an eyebrow at him, expecting a blush and a nervous giggle- which is something she would have done. “I felt bad. I mean, I know you had a meeting, but-“
“Yuu, you are the most ridiculous man I have ever met.” She smiled, laughing softly, and touched his cheek with the hand that wasn’t holding bento. And then she kissed him, and when she drew back, she saw a more Yuu-like smile lifting his lips. “You being here makes up for it just fine.” She chuckled softly as his expression softened, and then she let her hand drop and gently took hold of his. “We should probably eat, though, hm? Wouldn’t want your expertly-chosen food to get cold.”
This earned her another smile and another kiss, and she winked at him before turning and leading him over to the bed- the bed that they’d cuddled and kissed in as though they’d been boyfriend and girlfriend for years. And although she wasn’t positive that spending days with him like this automatically made her his girlfriend, she wouldn’t exactly dispute it if he brought it up- it was obvious that they were attracted to each other, that they liked each other, and that they wanted to spend more time together. But there really was no reason for her to bring it up first- she would be leaving in four days, and the most unfair thing she could think of would be to restrict him to a relationship with someone thousands of miles away.
“Yuu?”
“Hm?”
“Thank you.” He raised an eyebrow, and she smiled, and she was toying absently with the wrap on the lunch he’d bought her. “These last few days have really been amazing, and I wanted to thank you. No one’s taken the time to make me feel the way you have in a very long time.”
She hadn’t realized that her gaze had dropped from his until his fingertips were nudging at her chin, and when she gave in to his request and looked up at him, he was giving her the warmest smile she’d ever seen. “Hey,” he said, and his voice was a low murmur, a breath as he leaned forward to kiss the bridge of her nose. “You don’t have to thank me, hm? I…” he sighed, and she shut her eyes as his forehead nudged against hers. “I really like spending time with you. So. Don’t worry about it. Okay?”
She smiled, and her voice was barely audible when she replied with a breathy, “Okay.” He kissed her skin once again, and then he pulled away, and they settled more comfortably against each other- cuddling again- on the bed.
And she smiled to herself as she opened her bento, nearly blushing when he murmured, “Itadakimasu,” in her ear.
Natasha sighed, resting her head in the palm of her free hand. “No, it’s nothing like that. He’s sweet, and it’s…it’s really nice, being around him. I’m actually more relaxed right now than I have been in years.” She smiled a little, biting her lip, attempting to hide whatever it was that Kiera was hearing in her voice.
“So you met him in a bar. And you kiss him a lot. And yet, you haven’t slept with him? Jesus, if he’s nearly as attractive as he sounds, then Natasha, you need to-“
Natasha shut her eyes, almost sighing, laughing softly. “I’m telling you, he’s not like that. When he spent the night, he-“
“He spent the night with you? Jesus. You’re in Japan for a day and meet Mr. Right, and I’ve been in New York for ten years, and I still haven’t gotten past the third date.”
“Maybe it’s your impeccable sex drive that scares them off.” She laughed a little, and short flashes of the want that she’d felt for Yuu the morning after meeting him returned to her, and she almost felt bad for scolding her friend. “Maybe you should’ve come with me, hm? I’m sure the boss would have been more than amenable to it. Besides, we need all the international PR we can get.”
Kiera laughed quietly, and if Natasha knew anything about the woman, then she knew that she was shaking her head. “Japan’s always been your thing, y’know? They love you over there. With your open personality and such. Wouldn’t dream of taking that away from you. Besides. How the hell would you meet Mr. Shiroyama and have a moment’s privacy with him if I were tagging along?”
She smiled wryly. “I’d lock you out.”
“See? There’s the girl I know.”
Natasha laughed quietly once more, and she bit her lip as she heard a gentle knocking on the hotel room door. “Look, Kiera, I will let you know the second anything happens, but right now, I have to go, okay?”
“He’s there, isn’t he?” Kiera paused, and Natasha could picture her expression perfectly- raised eyebrow, smirking incredulously, waiting for an answer. And when Natasha was quiet for too long- having risen to open the door for a grinning Yuu- Kiera could only laugh. “Okay, well, you have your fun. Call me later, mkay?”
Natasha smiled, and she laughed quietly as Yuu winked, stepping into the room and giving her box of bento a little shake before handing it over. “Of course. Goodbye, Kiera.”
“Goodbye, and- oh! Say hi to Yuu for me, hm? And ask him if he has a brother.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Kiera.” She was chuckling as she pressed the red ‘end call’ button, and she sighed and nearly melted as Yuu greeted her with a kiss. She could feel his smirk against her mouth, and as she drew back, she raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”
He only chuckled, letting his free hand settle onto her hip, squeezing gently. “Missed me, hm?”
“And if I did?” She half-smirked, leaning in, and he chuckled and met her halfway for a second kiss. “You wouldn’t stay away longer on purpose next time, would you?”
He scoffed. “Never. Not if it made you unhappy.” She couldn’t help but smile at him, and she bit her lip as he beamed down at her- his eyes were brighter than ever, and the light was different from what she’d seen in them over the last few days. “And I hope you like the bento. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I made an educated guess.” He grinned and kissed her forehead, and he sighed. “Either way, I hope it makes up for me having to leave early yesterday.”
She laughed softly. “Who said you had to make up for it?”
He smiled shyly, and she raised an eyebrow at him, expecting a blush and a nervous giggle- which is something she would have done. “I felt bad. I mean, I know you had a meeting, but-“
“Yuu, you are the most ridiculous man I have ever met.” She smiled, laughing softly, and touched his cheek with the hand that wasn’t holding bento. And then she kissed him, and when she drew back, she saw a more Yuu-like smile lifting his lips. “You being here makes up for it just fine.” She chuckled softly as his expression softened, and then she let her hand drop and gently took hold of his. “We should probably eat, though, hm? Wouldn’t want your expertly-chosen food to get cold.”
This earned her another smile and another kiss, and she winked at him before turning and leading him over to the bed- the bed that they’d cuddled and kissed in as though they’d been boyfriend and girlfriend for years. And although she wasn’t positive that spending days with him like this automatically made her his girlfriend, she wouldn’t exactly dispute it if he brought it up- it was obvious that they were attracted to each other, that they liked each other, and that they wanted to spend more time together. But there really was no reason for her to bring it up first- she would be leaving in four days, and the most unfair thing she could think of would be to restrict him to a relationship with someone thousands of miles away.
“Yuu?”
“Hm?”
“Thank you.” He raised an eyebrow, and she smiled, and she was toying absently with the wrap on the lunch he’d bought her. “These last few days have really been amazing, and I wanted to thank you. No one’s taken the time to make me feel the way you have in a very long time.”
She hadn’t realized that her gaze had dropped from his until his fingertips were nudging at her chin, and when she gave in to his request and looked up at him, he was giving her the warmest smile she’d ever seen. “Hey,” he said, and his voice was a low murmur, a breath as he leaned forward to kiss the bridge of her nose. “You don’t have to thank me, hm? I…” he sighed, and she shut her eyes as his forehead nudged against hers. “I really like spending time with you. So. Don’t worry about it. Okay?”
She smiled, and her voice was barely audible when she replied with a breathy, “Okay.” He kissed her skin once again, and then he pulled away, and they settled more comfortably against each other- cuddling again- on the bed.
And she smiled to herself as she opened her bento, nearly blushing when he murmured, “Itadakimasu,” in her ear.