Odoroki
eight.
“Yuu, I had a really good time today.” She bit her lip as she looked up at him, and she felt a small chill course through her as he smiled and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Never thought I’d be able to see Tokyo like this.” Another smile, and Natasha couldn’t remember the last time someone had been patient with her like this. “So…thank you.” She stretched upward, placing a soft kiss on his lips, and then pulled back with a smile. “A lot.”
He smiled, and he leaned down for a kiss of his own- the contact lasted longer, and he smirked just a little when her lips separated against his, and he decided that was the perfect time for him to pull back. “I should be thanking you,” he said, and his voice was soft, quiet. “Haven’t gotten to talk about Tokyo like that in a long time.”
“You really love the city, huh?” He nodded, and she smiled- the smile was wider, in awe of him and the way he looked at life. She was jealous of him, too- she knew that if she could be as happy in New York as he was here in Tokyo, then her job would be so much easier and quite a bit more enjoyable. “I really love it here, too.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded. “Yeah.” A few moments passed during which they were quiet- Yuu brushing at her hair, her gazing up at him and memorizing his smile, and then after those few moments, she stretched up to kiss his cheek and whispered, “Can I ask you something, Yuu?” She almost drew back to look at him for the question, but instead settled for waiting until he murmured affirmation. Then, she shut her eyes, searched out the courage she’d used to kiss him during ‘dinner’ at the canal, and then asked, “Do you…do you want to come up?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
Instantly, she felt her cheeks reddening. “Not…not like that. I just meant…I only meant that I’m not ready to say goodnight to you yet.” It was then she pulled back to see his softened, but still confused, expression, and she laughed softly. “If you think it’s too much too fast, that’s fine, but…I’d really like to spend more time with you.” Her cheeks reddened even more, and she felt like an idiot for asking a man she barely knew to spend the night with her, and yet she knew that if she said goodnight to him now, it would be days until she saw him again.
“Are you all right, Natasha-chan?”
She smiled, almost too brightly, and she was sure it was unconvincing. “Yeah, I’m just…”
She sighed, and his eyebrow was raised further, and her optimistic resolve faltered. “Truthfully? I don’t think I want to be alone.”
“Okay,” he said, and she was sure her heart skipped a beat. “You shouldn’t have to spend the night alone, anyway.” He chuckled softly, and he let her thank him with a kiss, and then he let her lead the way. He stayed close to her side, because he could understand perfectly that she needed to be reassured that there was someone beside her, and as they neared her hotel room, he began to realize that she wasn’t as bright and bubbly as she’d let him think.
Here, the basic knowledge that he had about her broke down some- even though she seemed to take comfort in him being with her, she seemed tired, and he guessed that it was partly in thanks to her job. He rubbed what he hoped were soothing circles on her hand with his thumb as she unlocked the room door, and he let her lead him in once the door had been opened.
And the Natasha that he saw then- cell phone being placed on the dresser, hair being freed from its ponytail, soft curls dropping to her shoulders- was more relaxed than he’d seen her yet, and in this dim lighting, he was sure that he could see slight exhaustion past the thin layer of makeup. And, when she turned back around to face him, she looked nothing like the businesswoman that she was. She looked like she could have been a tourist rather than a journalist on assignment, and she looked like she could actually use company- and he didn’t regret coming up with her at all.
She gave him a small smile, and then he pulled her close- arms around her waist, letting her arms wrap around his neck- and without either of them really thinking about it, their lips pressed together for the most soothing kiss Yuu had ever had. He felt her fingers brushing against the hair at his nape, and he let his fingertips drift down her spine, making her shiver, drawing her closer.
With the door closed behind them, in a private place, Natasha was showing him the lonely half of her personality, and Yuu wondered how long it had been since she’d opened up to someone like this. He lifted a hand from her back to stroke her cheek, and he smiled softly at her as she drew back- their long day together had tired her out, and she was only letting it show now because it was the end of the day and she had the weekend to recuperate.
She returned his smile- its light somewhat restored by being close to him- and kissed him softly, quickly, and then whispered, “Want to watch a movie?”
His smile widened, and he nodded. “Sure,” he said softly. “A movie sounds great.”
He smiled, and he leaned down for a kiss of his own- the contact lasted longer, and he smirked just a little when her lips separated against his, and he decided that was the perfect time for him to pull back. “I should be thanking you,” he said, and his voice was soft, quiet. “Haven’t gotten to talk about Tokyo like that in a long time.”
“You really love the city, huh?” He nodded, and she smiled- the smile was wider, in awe of him and the way he looked at life. She was jealous of him, too- she knew that if she could be as happy in New York as he was here in Tokyo, then her job would be so much easier and quite a bit more enjoyable. “I really love it here, too.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded. “Yeah.” A few moments passed during which they were quiet- Yuu brushing at her hair, her gazing up at him and memorizing his smile, and then after those few moments, she stretched up to kiss his cheek and whispered, “Can I ask you something, Yuu?” She almost drew back to look at him for the question, but instead settled for waiting until he murmured affirmation. Then, she shut her eyes, searched out the courage she’d used to kiss him during ‘dinner’ at the canal, and then asked, “Do you…do you want to come up?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
Instantly, she felt her cheeks reddening. “Not…not like that. I just meant…I only meant that I’m not ready to say goodnight to you yet.” It was then she pulled back to see his softened, but still confused, expression, and she laughed softly. “If you think it’s too much too fast, that’s fine, but…I’d really like to spend more time with you.” Her cheeks reddened even more, and she felt like an idiot for asking a man she barely knew to spend the night with her, and yet she knew that if she said goodnight to him now, it would be days until she saw him again.
“Are you all right, Natasha-chan?”
She smiled, almost too brightly, and she was sure it was unconvincing. “Yeah, I’m just…”
She sighed, and his eyebrow was raised further, and her optimistic resolve faltered. “Truthfully? I don’t think I want to be alone.”
“Okay,” he said, and she was sure her heart skipped a beat. “You shouldn’t have to spend the night alone, anyway.” He chuckled softly, and he let her thank him with a kiss, and then he let her lead the way. He stayed close to her side, because he could understand perfectly that she needed to be reassured that there was someone beside her, and as they neared her hotel room, he began to realize that she wasn’t as bright and bubbly as she’d let him think.
Here, the basic knowledge that he had about her broke down some- even though she seemed to take comfort in him being with her, she seemed tired, and he guessed that it was partly in thanks to her job. He rubbed what he hoped were soothing circles on her hand with his thumb as she unlocked the room door, and he let her lead him in once the door had been opened.
And the Natasha that he saw then- cell phone being placed on the dresser, hair being freed from its ponytail, soft curls dropping to her shoulders- was more relaxed than he’d seen her yet, and in this dim lighting, he was sure that he could see slight exhaustion past the thin layer of makeup. And, when she turned back around to face him, she looked nothing like the businesswoman that she was. She looked like she could have been a tourist rather than a journalist on assignment, and she looked like she could actually use company- and he didn’t regret coming up with her at all.
She gave him a small smile, and then he pulled her close- arms around her waist, letting her arms wrap around his neck- and without either of them really thinking about it, their lips pressed together for the most soothing kiss Yuu had ever had. He felt her fingers brushing against the hair at his nape, and he let his fingertips drift down her spine, making her shiver, drawing her closer.
With the door closed behind them, in a private place, Natasha was showing him the lonely half of her personality, and Yuu wondered how long it had been since she’d opened up to someone like this. He lifted a hand from her back to stroke her cheek, and he smiled softly at her as she drew back- their long day together had tired her out, and she was only letting it show now because it was the end of the day and she had the weekend to recuperate.
She returned his smile- its light somewhat restored by being close to him- and kissed him softly, quickly, and then whispered, “Want to watch a movie?”
His smile widened, and he nodded. “Sure,” he said softly. “A movie sounds great.”