"Black Star? Do you have any dir-" She stopped in the doorway, the scene before her finally registering. "…-ty dishes…?"
Her meister was sprawled on the bed, surrounded by various books (which was a surprise in itself), with another over his face. In the silence, she could hear his steady breathing, amplified by the papery tent, and defined by the slight rustle of pages. Hovering, unsure how to respond, Tsubaki finally tiptoed her way to the edge of the bed. It was a rare treat to see him sleeping. When she woke in the morning, he was already up and exercising. When she went to bed, he was still… Doing whatever it was that he did at night. Still exercising, probably. She gently slid the book off his face, relieved that it elicited no response. She glanced at the cover, curious as to what her partner had been reading. Whatever she had been expecting, this was not it. Though it certainly explained why he had fallen asleep reading.
Family trees, history of weapons, weapon forms, famous families of weapons… She even spotted her own family name amongst all the characters. Always the dutiful housewife, she gathered the volumes, (some were quite heavy,) and when no obvious place for them was found among the mess, placed them by the foot of the bed. A quick scan of the evening-darkened room revealed no dishes, dirty or otherwise. At least, not that she could see. Doubtless, there were some hidden amongst the disaster that was Black Star's room.
She hesitated. Not quite angelic while sleeping, he was charming nonetheless. In her eyes, at any rate. Maybe it was simply the fact that she could see him sleeping, but she found his relaxed face strangely alluring. Somehow, she found herself beside him once again. She could see his chest rise and fall in rhythm with inhale and exhale. Not quite understanding why she was doing so, she leaned closer. Feeling his breath warm on her face. Even though he might never know, for this quiet moment, he was all hers.
Her stomach dipped. So close, so real, so impossible. She pulled back, face hot. What had she done? Not good. She mustn't let her feelings get the better of her. She covered her face with he hands, sure she was bright red, and turned to flee.
A hoarse voice and calloused hand stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?"
A small 'eep!' escaped her. Oh dear. She had been afraid of this. "I- I was just checking to see if… Um… You had any dirty dishes…" The truth, if somewhat stretched.
"You kissed me."
Well crap. So much for excuses.
Not quite looking up, she turned around to face her meister. What was she supposed to say? The accusation was solid, and she couldn't deny it. She also couldn't seem to keep her mind off the way Black Stars' hand was grasping her forearm. Firm, but not painful. Distracted, she didn't expect the rough motion that jerked her chin up and left her staring into blue-green eyes. Intense. Impossible to tell what thoughts they hid. Was his mind racing in the same way hers was? Yet she was numb, unable to move or look away, unable to speak. As if she had anything to say.
"At least finish what you start."
He stood. When had he gotten so tall? In the few years since the return of peace, he had surpassed her in height. She was now looking up at him. It wasn't a huge difference, barely an inch or two. But it was significant. She felt herself growing redder yet, not even remembering what he had said only moments before.
"As a man who's going to surpass God, I suppose I ought to show you how it's done."
Completely and utterly unexpected. Warm on her lips, soft, insistent, pulling her closer. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't make herself pull away, but too shy to let him know that she wanted it. She wanted it so much.
Too much.
God, why did it have to be him? She wanted to make him happy, keep him safe, love him, and maybe even… Be loved in return. Yet there was no way he could ever feel the same. He was Black Star, obsessed with power, moving up, becoming the best. He was so much stronger than she would ever be. Hell, she was nothing without him. She found herself leaning in, eyes burning and brimming with tears. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to let him see.
Too late.
His eyes were still open, gazing at her with unreadable emotions. He broke away, bumping his forehead to hers. "Why are you crying? You're the one who started it." Was he worried? She couldn't tell. Even after all this time, she had trouble figuring out what he was feeling.
"It's not your fault," she mumbled. "I just…" She couldn't say it. Couldn't get her thoughts into words. Couldn't stop herself from crying.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. He was kissing her again, her forehead, her eyelids, licking the tears from her cheeks. If it had been anyone else, it would have been creepy. But not him. Not Black Star. It only made her cry more. Then he was kissing her lips again, and her stomach was plummeting through the floor, pounding in her throat, erasing the thoughts from her mind. She didn't care. She loved him. And even if he never knew just how much, she could at least let her actions tell him some of the tale.
Maybe he understood, maybe he didn't. Either way, it didn't matter. He held her close, one hand on the small of her back, the other tilting her face up, moving to the back of her head, freeing her hair from its' ponytail. Running fingers through the black tresses, curling them, tangling them, pulling her closer, rougher. Tongue running along her lower lip, politely asking for entrance. So unlike him, to be civil. Hesitantly, unsure how it was supposed to work, she opened her mouth slightly.
Her eyes flew open, shocked at the sudden intrusion of a foreign object in her mouth. Moving, twisting, making her skin crawl. She couldn't tell if she liked it or not, but she allowed it. Because it was Black Star. Running along her teeth, the roof of her mouth, making her shiver, making her want more. Gently, tentatively, she poked her own tongue into the void, reaching for who knew what. She found it in the shifting mass of damp flesh, wet with saliva that was not her own. Unnatural, and yet totally right.
His free hand was on her chest now, resting, once again asking for permission. She was too entwined with his to say anything though, but she moved closer. Yes. It's okay. He smirked, an impressive feat with a busy tongue, as if to say I've always wanted to do this. The initial contact was uncomfortable, strange. He was gentle though, massaging, pinching, pulling, kissing her deeply at the same time. Oddly enough though, (to her anyway,) it began to feel good. She whined softly, unintentionally, and was instantly embarrassed. Her meister smiled against her lips, quite pleased with himself. That much she could tell.
He was moving, twisting, spinning her around, dumping her on the bed in one fluid motion. The bounce of springs within the mattress jostled them apart, if only slightly. Then his mouth was on her neck, collarbone, under her ear, and on her lips again, roughly. Tongue, teeth, lips, it was all the same. She couldn't tell where she ended and he began. They moved as one, meshed together inseparably. His hands on her breasts, fingers exploring, mouth roaming. Maybe this was too far… Maybe they should stop… Yet even as she thought it, her body craved more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the tufts of hair, stifling the sounds that unwittingly escaped from her. She wanted to feel his touch, revel in it, keep it as a part of her forever.
"I love you."
The words, mumbled softly into the blue strands of hair, meant more than she could ever describe. She flushed yet again, aware that he had, without a doubt, heard what she said. She squeezed her eyes shut, looking away, bracing herself for the worse. The heat on her chest cooled, lifted, rose to press against her mouth again, softly this time.
"I know you do."
He flopped beside her on the bed, pulling her to his chest, kissing the top of her head. "I know. And really, I can't blame you." She couldn't see his face, but she knew he would be grinning. Yeah, he was such a big shot. How could she not love him? She nestled against him, hiding her red cheeks in his toned chest. For someone muscled so rock-hard, it was surprisingly comfortable there, lying so close to him. She sighed quietly to herself, letting go, allowing the warm feeling of safety to envelop her. If only this could last forever…
She was not quite awake, drifting off to sleep, with no how long they had been lying there. The slight shift from the body she was pressed against barely woke her. His lips pressed against her forehead, lingering, showing more affection than she had even seen from him before. The words that followed were quiet, hesitant, almost as though he were shy, though the very thought was ridiculous. She smiled, too happy for words, too happy to express.
"I love you too, Tsubaki…"
