Status: ~possibly in the process of being published~
Visual Kei
Friendly Flirting
My heart beat rapidly in my chest and I watched him with anticipation. Somehow, everything was happening too quickly. After closing the door, he locked it and returned to me. We stared at one another for a long moment before he closed the gap between us and kissed me gently on the lips. I surrendered to his kiss and tugged gently on the collar of his jacket. Our lips parted after a long moment and I immediately realized that he hadn’t moved onto the bed. We eyed each other again, trying to gauge one another’s expressions. After a long moment, both of us breathing unevenly, he stood away from me a bit, grasped my hand, and slid the glove from it.
“I wanted to be alone with you,” he said softly, his eyes lacking the intensity of arousal.
I said nothing.
“It’s ironic, isn’t it?” he said with a small smile that did not show his teeth, the kind that I was used to seeing. His eyes looked into mine, but something about his expression made it appear that his mind was elsewhere. “I stand on a stage and perform concerts for thousands of fans... and all that I seem to want is to be alone…”
“Not at all. It’s fun to be someone else, sometimes. Visual Kei lets you do that.”
“I suppose you’re right.” He slid the other glove off my hand after a long pause. “Sorry, it was bothering me a little.”
“OCD?” I asked with a grin. He smiled, too, and sat next to me on the bed. There was a long but comfortable silence between us. Together, we looked out at the approaching storm looming over the horizon. It had drained the twilight colors away from the sky and left only a smudgy gray-blue color. “Can I sleep with you tonight?” I asked suddenly.
“Are you afraid of storms?”
“Not exactly, I just want to sleep next to you,” I admitted, flushing bright red. “I mean no sex, just sleeping!”
He laughed and stroked my cheek with one of his fingers. “Of course you can stay with me, Alice.” I smiled and lay back on the bed, burrowing my face in his plush red pillows. As I looked up, I realized that he had already made it to the other side of the bed and was fondly watching me mess around. I smiled with embarrassment at my childlike behavior and took off my shoes, setting them underneath the bed.
Kiiro lay comfortably on top of the satin bedspread, as if he were going to sleep like that, fully clothed. “Could you help me?” I asked, turning away from him and pulling my hair away from the obi at my waist. His fingertips lingered for far longer than was necessary on my waist as he untied the ornate obi. Because of the nimble grace of his fingers, it was sliding away from its place in seconds. I stood, facing away from him, and slid it down past my hips.
“Don’t look,” I called over my shoulder. He laughed and I his bedspread rustle.
The obi slid down my thighs and to the floor noiselessly, and I slipped out of the kimono, folding it and placing it on his nightstand. As I moved to do so, I noticed that he had turned around while I was changing. My face grew warm with embarrassment. I slid quickly into the blankets and kept my eyes off him. Unfortunately, just moments after, he turned my face to look at him.
“There is nothing to be embarrassed about,” he assured me, with a mischievous smile. “You are beautiful with or without clothing.” He suddenly became serious, his beautiful silver eyes angling down toward my collarbone. “I should not have watched you so eagerly, though. Please forgive me.”
For a moment, I could say nothing, only laugh. When I could regain my composure, I said, “Kiiro, you’re male even if you aren’t human. I don’t know a guy who would look away from a girl changing. Besides, I’m only half naked.” He laughed, too, and traced my collarbone with a finger.
“Is that a woman’s way of forgiving someone?” he asked lightly.
“You could say that,” I answered with a chuckle. “Here, I’ll say it formally: I forgive you.”
“Even so, I did not mean to embarrass you.” His eyes lingered on the arcs of my collarbones before he looked into my eyes, all lightheartedness absent. “You are gorgeous,” he whispered, his eyes looking almost pained.
“Would you be mad if I said you were, too?” I asked, turning my entire body toward him, mirroring him by propping myself up on an elbow. He grinned.
“Gorgeous’? I suppose coming from you, it is satisfactory,” he said playfully, his pinky finger hooking my bra strap and pulling it away from my shoulder threateningly. He let it fall back into place, though, and looked at me with twinkling silver eyes. “By the way, the way you’re laying makes it easy for me to see your cleavage.”
“Quit looking!” I whispered harshly, my cheeks going red again as I pulled the red satin up uselessly. “Ugh! You know what? I’m just going to bed.” I turned away from him and nestled into the plush of the bed and pillows. Behind me, he laughed again.
All was quiet for a long moment and the lights in the apartment dimmed to a gentle glow. I listened to Kiiro remove his pants and slide into the bed next to me. He kissed the crown of my head and turned away from me respectfully. I lay looking at the closed closet door, thinking about how his arms would feel around me.
“I wanted to be alone with you,” he said softly, his eyes lacking the intensity of arousal.
I said nothing.
“It’s ironic, isn’t it?” he said with a small smile that did not show his teeth, the kind that I was used to seeing. His eyes looked into mine, but something about his expression made it appear that his mind was elsewhere. “I stand on a stage and perform concerts for thousands of fans... and all that I seem to want is to be alone…”
“Not at all. It’s fun to be someone else, sometimes. Visual Kei lets you do that.”
“I suppose you’re right.” He slid the other glove off my hand after a long pause. “Sorry, it was bothering me a little.”
“OCD?” I asked with a grin. He smiled, too, and sat next to me on the bed. There was a long but comfortable silence between us. Together, we looked out at the approaching storm looming over the horizon. It had drained the twilight colors away from the sky and left only a smudgy gray-blue color. “Can I sleep with you tonight?” I asked suddenly.
“Are you afraid of storms?”
“Not exactly, I just want to sleep next to you,” I admitted, flushing bright red. “I mean no sex, just sleeping!”
He laughed and stroked my cheek with one of his fingers. “Of course you can stay with me, Alice.” I smiled and lay back on the bed, burrowing my face in his plush red pillows. As I looked up, I realized that he had already made it to the other side of the bed and was fondly watching me mess around. I smiled with embarrassment at my childlike behavior and took off my shoes, setting them underneath the bed.
Kiiro lay comfortably on top of the satin bedspread, as if he were going to sleep like that, fully clothed. “Could you help me?” I asked, turning away from him and pulling my hair away from the obi at my waist. His fingertips lingered for far longer than was necessary on my waist as he untied the ornate obi. Because of the nimble grace of his fingers, it was sliding away from its place in seconds. I stood, facing away from him, and slid it down past my hips.
“Don’t look,” I called over my shoulder. He laughed and I his bedspread rustle.
The obi slid down my thighs and to the floor noiselessly, and I slipped out of the kimono, folding it and placing it on his nightstand. As I moved to do so, I noticed that he had turned around while I was changing. My face grew warm with embarrassment. I slid quickly into the blankets and kept my eyes off him. Unfortunately, just moments after, he turned my face to look at him.
“There is nothing to be embarrassed about,” he assured me, with a mischievous smile. “You are beautiful with or without clothing.” He suddenly became serious, his beautiful silver eyes angling down toward my collarbone. “I should not have watched you so eagerly, though. Please forgive me.”
For a moment, I could say nothing, only laugh. When I could regain my composure, I said, “Kiiro, you’re male even if you aren’t human. I don’t know a guy who would look away from a girl changing. Besides, I’m only half naked.” He laughed, too, and traced my collarbone with a finger.
“Is that a woman’s way of forgiving someone?” he asked lightly.
“You could say that,” I answered with a chuckle. “Here, I’ll say it formally: I forgive you.”
“Even so, I did not mean to embarrass you.” His eyes lingered on the arcs of my collarbones before he looked into my eyes, all lightheartedness absent. “You are gorgeous,” he whispered, his eyes looking almost pained.
“Would you be mad if I said you were, too?” I asked, turning my entire body toward him, mirroring him by propping myself up on an elbow. He grinned.
“Gorgeous’? I suppose coming from you, it is satisfactory,” he said playfully, his pinky finger hooking my bra strap and pulling it away from my shoulder threateningly. He let it fall back into place, though, and looked at me with twinkling silver eyes. “By the way, the way you’re laying makes it easy for me to see your cleavage.”
“Quit looking!” I whispered harshly, my cheeks going red again as I pulled the red satin up uselessly. “Ugh! You know what? I’m just going to bed.” I turned away from him and nestled into the plush of the bed and pillows. Behind me, he laughed again.
All was quiet for a long moment and the lights in the apartment dimmed to a gentle glow. I listened to Kiiro remove his pants and slide into the bed next to me. He kissed the crown of my head and turned away from me respectfully. I lay looking at the closed closet door, thinking about how his arms would feel around me.