Blissful Aftermath
The opera was longer than he had expected it to be. After Aya's kiss—that really did happen, right? It wasn't just wishful thinking. Afterwards, she had went back to watching the play as if nothing had happened. Glancing over in Daniel's direction was no help, as he was too engrossed in the play. Maeda himself had been unable to concentrate on anything for the next four hours besides every move that she had made. Five acts later, after the actors bowed to the audience, he was able to stand and stretch his legs. Hyper aware of Aya once more, all he could do was glance in her direction. Since she was in front of him, waiting for a space in the line of satisfied patrons to open so they could leave, he found it rather easy to use that excuse.
Outside of Carnegie Hall, Maeda exhaled and leaned down to put his hands on his knees. He was a scientist, not a socialite. Even though he had wanted to see the opera, he hadn't expected that so many people would be there. Maybe everyone else was thinking what they were: go back to where it all began, and there would be a new start. Of course, for him, this began more in Japan. He had read all of Toshiaki Nagashima's reports recounting his work with small tests of sentient mitochondria and his wife Kiyomi. It was partially what made him desire to be a scientist. As a younger man, the thought of sentient cells had given him inspiration and happiness. Seeing what it truly was, not just in work reports, he realized just how wrong he was and how important it had been to stop it.
Maeda stopped walking. Other patrons, couples and singles alike moved around him to go about their daily lives as the police began rebuilding New York. Once again, he found himself staring at Aya. He had wanted to stop Eve and stop the tragedy that befell Japan from repeating itself. Now that was done... he had to return to Japan. His whole life was there; his friends, his family, his work. Maeda would be lying if he said that he hadn't considered moving to America to continue his research. Then again, he would be lying if he said that wasn't an excuse to continue to be close to Aya. A slap came to his back, breaking him out of his reverie. He once more found himself scrambling for the lenses that assisted him seeing once more.
"That was a damn good play, wasn't it?" Daniel's booming voice surrounded him.
"Y-Yes." He had stammered, breathing a sigh of relief when his glasses had stopped bouncing and were once again being placed on his face.
Daniel looked at his friends and smiled brightly, exposing his bright white teeth and his happy-go-lucky nature, his laugh booming just as loud as his regular voice.
"Well, I'll see ya kids later. I promised Ben that I'd go see a movie with him later tonight." He said. True to his word, Daniel had been spending more time with Ben. After all, he did lose Lorraine and had almost lost Ben as well. Maeda believed that during those six days, Daniel had truly learned the frailty of life. Truth be told, he had as well. Death was a part of life that all humans knew of, but until you're faced with it, it's something you can just push to the back of your mind.
"Alright." Aya said and hugged Daniel tightly. "Tell Ben 'hello' and give him a hug for me, would you?" Her dainty hands went back to holding onto her bulging clutch. Whatever was in there seemed really important to her.
"O' course!" Daniel said and waved a hand. Maeda put his hands over his glasses, receiving an expected pat on the back from Daniel before he headed down the sidewalk back towards his car.
Great... Maeda thought. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He was all alone with Aya. The last time he remembered doing that was back in Soho, but... that was different. He cleared his throat and looked up, shocked when he saw that she was already staring at him. Heat rushed up to his cheeks and he scratched the back of his head, per usual in an awkward situation. God.. what do I do? What do I say? He was reeling and it was just him and Aya standing at the edge of Carnegie Hall. His palms were beginning to sweat and his collar felt increasingly tighter and tighter against his neck. He was sure that Aya could tell considering that Aya had a hand over her mouth to cover her laughter. Even more embarrassed, he found himself looking around for the nearest rock that he could crawl under.
"Maeda, would you mind taking me home?" Aya said, a gentle lilt in her voice that those lucky enough to be close to her could hear. For now, that was him. And she was asking him to take her home? What had he done to get this lucky? He wiped his sweaty hands against his pants, hoping that she didn't notice.
"O-Of course!" He exclaimed, his voice cracking earning another blush from him and a giggle from her. There weren't many rocks in downtown New York Maeda noticed. "I mean, y-yes Aya. I... I would like to."
"Good." She said simply and went over to him and wrapped her arm around his. If Maeda dropped to the ground dead at that moment, he would die a happy man. "Let's go." Without another word, Aya led him towards her home.
His nervousness only grew with every step they took and when he found himself looking at her apartment door with the number 1998 on it, he was sure that he was turning blue from lack of oxygen.
"W-Well, I'm glad that you got h-"
"Will you come in?"
"C-C-Come i-in?" Maeda's blush had reached the tips of his ears. He would have to check his pulse later to see if he was dead and went to Heaven.
"Yes. You know, like enter my house?"
"O-Oh, I would be honored."
Her apartment was just like her; simplistic, but had an elegant air to it. He swallowed a large lump growing in his throat, he could smell her perfume in the air.
Oh God... I have to get out here... His mind reeled, trying to think of a way to get out of the apartment before he embarrassed himself further, but at the same time without hurting her feelings. The not so distant sound of Aya setting her keys down in the dish setting atop a dark wood table seemed to echo throughout the empty home, startling him slightly.
"Go ahead and take off your coat. Stay awhile." Aya smiled, setting her clutch bag on the table by the dish with the keys.
"I-I think it would be better if I left... after all, it's late." Maeda tried to reason, looking at the clock on the wall.
"9:45 isn't late, Maeda. There isn't any reason to be nervous." Aya said with a small giggle. Was it that obvious that he was terrified?
There's every reason in the world to be nervous!
"A-Alright... I guess I could stay... a little while..."
"I'm glad." Aya took off her shoes by the door and he followed suit, walking inside the home more with her.
Terrified and nervous weren't even adequate enough words to describe his feelings right now. They were on a whole new scale that words hadn't even found a way into yet. Part of him felt like he was in Heaven, yet a small part of him felt like he had just entered a lioness' den. Then again, maybe that wasn't too far from the truth. He had seen her fight, and she was terrifying. He knew that he wouldn't want to get in a fight with her, that was for sure.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"U-Uh, no thank you Aya... I-I'm fine." The words had barely left his lips before he got a whiff of her perfume from her turning around to face him so quick.
"Maeda, you don't have to be so formal. We're friends aren't we?"
"Of course we are!" Was she really worried about that? "Okay.. I'll take some water, if you have any."
"If I have any?"
"I-I mean... I didn't mean..." He stumbled over his words and Aya laughed again, placing a small hand on his shoulder.
"I'm just joking. Go ahead and sit on the couch, I'll be in there soon." Her instructions were gentle, but firm at the same time. Maeda nodded and did as she requested and took a seat on the couch. He wondered if it would be too presumptuous to turn the television on without her permission. Clearing his throat, he took the leap and turned the television on. It sounded so simple when he thought about what he actually did, but when he thought about who he was with and where he was at... it did seem like the biggest deal in the world.
What felt like hours later, but was most likely only a few minutes later, Aya returned to the living room and handed him a glass of water over the back of the couch. His eyes had been fixated on the TV hoping that he could regulate his breathing before he faced her.
"Ooh, what's on?" Aya asked. Just as Maeda had taken a sip of his water his eyes were faced with something he couldn't have even conjured in his mind without feeling wrong. The water that he had just drank was now expelled and he found himself choking. In an instant, he felt Aya's hand on his back, patting him. "Are you okay?" She worried, patting and rubbing his back until his coughing spell had calmed itself enough to where he could speak.
"Y-Yes, t-t-thank you." Maeda bowed his head slightly in apology.
Of course... anyone with eyes would've been shocked too. She had left him in a dress, although suggestive was still elegant at the same time. Now... he was unsure of what... this was. All he could see was skin and one tone of fabric. He blinked, making sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. Sure enough, the image in front of him didn't disappear. She was sitting beside him in a large, baggy white shirt and he had good reason to believe that was all. Maeda was curious to why she had such a big shirt since she was a rather petite woman, but found that curiosity ruled out by how much of her shoulder and collarbone was visible as it slid down. Silently, he was thanking the shirt for sliding, but at the same time he felt wrong for letting his body feel this way around his friend. Kiss or no, he didn't think Aya meant it this way. This was her home... she could dress any way that she wanted to.
Maeda's fingers tapped against the glass that she had handed him. How was he going to get out of this? His body was reacting in ways that any man would, but he didn't want Aya to notice. Of course, she probably wouldn't think different of him, but he didn't want to test that theory either.
"Be careful." Aya warned.
"W-What?" Had he let something slip of what he was thinking? Was she getting mad? Maeda was ready to apologize profusely and run out of the apartment, but Aya spoke again.
"Don't drink too fast."
"O-Oh. Of course... thank you Aya." With a brilliant smile, her gaze turned to the television. "This is one of my favorite shows." It was nice that she was giving him an insight to what she liked and disliked.
"I-I'm sorry... I don't know it."
"I would be surprised if you did. It wasn't aired in Japan." Aya explained. She didn't seem at all offended by the fact that he didn't know. In fact, she seemed happy that he hadn't so she could have an excuse to tell him about it.
"It's called NYPD Blue. Fitting, isn't it?"
"O-Oh yes, it is."
"It's just a show about the day-to-day lives of cops. I can relate you know? So I enjoy it. This is a rerun, but I don't mind. I usually watch them whenever they come on; reruns or no." Maeda was grateful that he learned this about Aya. He felt closer to her, even if it was a little bit.
"One of my favorites is Konna Koi no Hanashi." Maeda said. He felt like he should share something of himself as well.
"Ah, The Story of Love. I've heard about it, although it isn't aired here."
"Yes, unfortunately. It's a great show, it should be aired here."
"Maybe some day." Aya smiled.
Things fell silent and it seemed that NYPD Blue was running a marathon. He didn't mind, he got to see Aya interested in something and relaxed. Though, he found his eyes wandering to the many places that her skin was visible. He was disappointed in himself, she had trusted him to come into her apartment and here he was "checking her out", he believed the American term was. He forced himself to look at the TV, but rustling next to him caused him to glance in her direction out of the corner of his eyes, she was still sitting there, but... had she moved closer? No, he must just be imagining things. Turning his attention back once more to NYPD Blue, he heard the rustling again. Yet again, when he looked, it seemed that Aya had moved closer. The scent of her perfume seemed to be getting stronger as well.
I have to get out of here... now.
"Aya, I am gr-" He felt something warm against his hand and looked down. She had put her hand against his own. Her eyes were still turned to the TV screen. "A-Aya?"
"Kunihiko..." Aya began, her voice so soft Maeda almost had to lean in to hear her.
"Y-Yes?"
"Don't go."
"Wha-" His voice was stopped mid sentence by a strangely new, yet familiar sensation. Soft. Gentle. Perfect. Her lips.
His eyes widened, everything happened so fast and Maeda couldn't think. The woman of his dreams was kissing him again. It was just a small kiss and yet it left him out of breath. Then another. Another. He was ready to pinch himself at this point. Aya had straddled him, her hands holding onto his face. Making him look at her, she leaned down and pressed their lips again. It wasn't innocent like the previous ones. It was desperate and passionate. Aya's eyes had closed and he read that eyes did that to avoid distractions or feel more relaxed because you can feel self-conscious or vulnerable. However, he couldn't think of any of them pertaining to her, but soon after his eyes closed as well. The wetness of her tongue surprised him, but he allowed her entrance—like he'd deny her. He'd have to be crazy. This seemed to please her, as she had deepened the kiss. His pants were all too tight for him now and with just a couple thin layers of fabric separating him, he was sure she could feel him growing, pressing against her; his body desperate for the warmth between her legs. A shuddering breath came from Aya's parted lips, now swollen and red from the intensity of their kiss. Maeda's mirrored her's save the red lipstick that was smeared on his. No words passed between them, whether it was to save the moment or because neither of them could speak he didn't know. The only thing his body was conscious of was the warmth pooling between her legs, how desperate he was for it, and the look in her eyes saying she wanted to sate his desperation.
Aya's lips met his in a passionate frenzy, taking ragged breaths as needed in between. Her hands trailed down his chest, leaving shivers in their wake even through his clothes. She took his hands and placed them on her hips, making sure to trail them up the softness of her skin and under her shirt as she did so. Maeda made a mental note: he had been right. Despite the over sized T-shirt, the only other piece of fabric that she had on was the lacy fabric he was touching with his shaking hands. He was unsure of what to do, he'd never been in this sort of position before; literally and figuratively. He'd always spent so much time in the lab that he hadn't had the time to meet women, and the ones that he did meet weren't interested in an awkward scientist. She didn't seem to mind in guiding him though, and for that he was thankful.
"Touch me." She demanded, but her voice was begging. Maeda swallowed the lump in his throat, he didn't know how far he was allowed to touch, his hands trailed up her toned stomach, along her sides. All the while, his hands continued to shake. Thankfully, he seemed to be doing it right as she let out a soft moan, her hands stopped and he realized that she was in the process of removing the tie he had been wearing. He continued to trail his hands along her body, back, sides, and up her ribs leading to the spot just below her breasts. Her hips bucked against him, a strangled moan escaping his parted lips.
Maeda decided that he would be bold, just this one time. It could work with him or against him. He gripped Aya on the back of her thighs, the soft flesh beneath his calloused hands a wonderful contrast that almost made him moan, and stood up. Despite his lean physique and the fact that he spent most of his time in the lab, he was rather strong. You'd have to be to move heavy equipment back and forth in various spots. His strength seemed to surprise Aya as well, but not an unhappy surprise. Without missing a beat, Aya wrapped her arms around his neck and tightened her legs around his waist to make sure that she didn't fall. She tilted her head towards the back,
"That way." Her voice was breathless and becoming more desperate by the second. Who was he to deny her?
He followed her directions, gasping when she would occasionally move her hips sending a wave of pleasure through every nerve in his body. He slammed her against the wall on his way. He hadn't wanted to hurt her or anger her, but with the way her hips were moving, he was afraid that he was going to drop her. However, when her back hit the wall, it seemed to be something she... liked. A small smile came to her face and she bit her lip.
"Oh.. well, really?" She said in a teasing voice. Had he done something right? To answer his thought, she bucked her hips again, using the wall behind her to get a better grip so she could put more pressure on him.
"A-Aya..." He managed to mutter. His mouth was dry and his breathing was ragged.
"I've been bad... haven't I?" The question made his cheeks flush a bright red. "Cute." Another smile came to her face.
She brought their lips together once more in a heated fit and Maeda made his way to her bedroom, she moved her legs and he let her down. Before he could make another move or even have another thought, this time he was the one that was slammed against the wall. The shock must've shown in his eyes because all he got was a breathless laugh. Her small hands undid the buttons of his jacket and Kunihiko wasted no time in shrugging off the cumbersome piece of fabric. Layer by layer, she removed his clothes with predator precision. Once he was down to just his pants and button up shirt, she gripped onto the tie he was still wearing and yanked it to bring him down to her level. Without any direction or begging, his hands went under her shirt, running over her butt, that little piece of fabric that had no right to be called "underwear", and up to the small of her back. He pulled her closer and this time was the one to deepen their kiss. He had never felt this brave nor happy before in his life.
Her hand slid down his tie and let her hands rest against his chest, enjoying the kiss while undoing the buttons of his button up. He was the one to break the kiss this time, desperately needing air. He adjusted his glasses and it made her smile. The tie was gone. Soon the shirt was as well. Her hands slid down his body and he froze when her hands touched the buckle of his belt. Scared eyes met her determined ones. Biting her full lip, he watched as his belt went flying across the room. She reached down and he gasped, an inward hiss. Indirect contact from her hips had been one thing, but now her hand was resting on his zipper and his mind went blank, his head rested against the wall, and it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. Shocking, even to him, he took her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall. His lips met her jawline and he had never heard a sound so delightful as the moan that escaped from her delicious lips. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, he continued to lift it from her body, his lips on her neck by now, eliciting more delicious sounds from her. Her hands tangled in his dark hair, desperate to keep him in that spot, but he was desperate for something else. He practically ripped the shirt from over her head and took in the sight of what could only be described as a goddess. He couldn't have imagined anything like it—and shamefully—he had tried. Her skin was perfect in every sense of the word, everything about her was just breathtaking, and he needed every bit of breath that he could get. Gripping her tightly against his body by the small of her back and by the space between her shoulder blades, he brought their chests together. Soft and silky against slightly rough. Once again, her hands found his hair while his lips found that little bend between her neck and shoulder that seemed to drive her crazy, and before he knew what he was doing, he bit into the soft skin. Harder. Harder than he had meant to. She screamed. Loud. He hoped that none of her neighbors heard, or would call the police if they did... That would be really awkward... those were her co-workers after all. The scream, however, wasn't from pain. Her eyes were glazed over with something that he had never seen before, nor could he describe. She had pushed him forcefully on her bed, practically ripping the remaining layers of clothes from his body. The only piece of clothing that remained between them was that black lacy underwear. That wouldn't be there soon. He was sure of it. Aya dipped her fingers into the band of that no doubt constricting fabric and pushed it, letting it slide down, when it reached her ankles, she stepped out of it and kicked it behind her. He watched as it landed on the doorknob. Quickly he turned his gaze back to her. She sauntered her way to him, every step deliberate; one foot in front of the other until she came to a stop right in front of him.
Adjusting his glasses he watched as she knelt down in front of him, licking her lips. Kunihiko swallowed, his mouth becoming more dry than it already was. He never took his eyes off her's, her mouth encircling him. He gripped onto the sheets beneath his hands and gasped. He had almost lost it right there. His head tilted back and he let out a loud moan. A small smile formed on her lips, gripping onto him with one hand, Kunihiko could only watch with a blank mind as her head bobbed, her full lips suctioning against him, putting more pressure on him. The more she took in, the more he thought that he was going to lose it. He groaned, one hand gripping onto her blonde hair tightly when he felt the back of her throat hit the tip, her tongue running along the underside. One hand in her hair turned into two. She had complete control over him, and she knew it.
"Aya..." His moan was strained and she moaned as a response, only making him tighten his grip on her hair, the vibrations making it even harder to hold back. When Maeda was sure that he wouldn't be able to hold back anymore, the hot, warm cavern that was her mouth disappeared leaving him seeing spots. He blinked them away the best he could.
With a gentle touch on his chest, she moved him back further on her bed. Every movement that he made backwards, the more Aya would crawl on the bed between his legs. He wasn't sure how much more he could take, he was already sweating and his body was begging for a release. She straddled him and all at once, he realized what she was going to do. Leaning up on his elbows, he looked at her.
"A-Aya, are you... sure?" He asked.
"I am." Her words were decisive, absolute; there was no room for argument. He watched with a strange sense of arousal seeing her lowering herself onto him. It was rather sexy to watch her take him all in, all the way to the base. It was also rather sexy to hear her moans expelled with every inch she took in, sheathing him completely. Of course, then again, she was sexy.
Her inner walls tightened around him, and what was already tight became even tighter, squeezing him. Maeda's toes curled and he gripped onto the sheets so tightly, his knuckles were turning white. Aya wasted no time in moving, not giving him time to adjust to this new feeling. She put her hands on his shoulders, her hips moving faster. He watched as he was buried again and again inside of her. He never wanted this to end. He managed to lean up and wrapped an arm around her. Thrusting against her, they created a rhythm where every time he moved, he would hit that place deep inside her that made her scream out. Sweat intermingled and from her moans and his own, it seemed like neither of them would be able to hold out much longer.
"Oh god..." Aya moaned, tilting her head back when Maeda encircled one of her nipples in his mouth, sucking on it all the while thrusting as hard and deep into her as he physically could. Her grip in his hair turned more rough, their rhythm broken by frantic thrusting on both sides. He flipped them so he was over her and put a leg over his shoulder, holding onto her thigh for leverage, his thrusts turned even more desperate and he slammed into her, repeatedly. He thoroughly enjoyed—with every fiber of his aroused being—the sounds she made, how her plump breasts bounced, and the slamming of her headboard against the wall. "Don't stop!" He never thought he would've seen the day where Aya was begging him for something. She wrapped her other leg around his waist and a sweaty arm around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him again, but between the slams inside of her and her own shortage of breath, she couldn't keep their lips connected for long.
Aya screamed out loudly, he was sure the neighbors heard that time. Maeda couldn't hold back anymore, and came deep inside of her, her inner walls squeezing tighter begging for every drop that he could give. And he gave it all. He had to arch away from her hand, her nails digging into his back harshly. Either he was bleeding or he was sweating. From the ferocity of her nails, he assumed it could actually be both. Maeda looked down at her, her rapid breathing starting to become more normal. She blinked her eyes, trying to bring the world back into focus. He ached. His whole body did. His back was in pain, but none of that mattered. What mattered was the blissful state that Aya was in, a dreamy smile on her face. He had done that to her. Kunihiko wasn't proud of much, but this, he was. Slowly, he lowered her leg and even slower he pulled out of her, receiving a last moan from them both. It took a few minutes to get Aya's body working again, but when he did, he helped her get under the blankets. Her eyes had already become half-lidded. Maeda cleared his throat, he was unsure of whether he should stay or go. He moved to the edge of the bed and turned to look at her when Aya's hand gripped onto his bicep weakly.
"Stay."
Not really needing to be told twice, she moved her tired body to the side to let himself in the bed. Maeda couldn't help but chuckle when she took his glasses off his face and put them on the nightstand. He didn't really need to move much to get comfortable, but by the time he did, Aya was already asleep. He reached out and cupped her face in his hands, his thumb stroked against her lips. She looked peaceful. Kunihiko leaned in and kissed her forehead, smiling when she exhaled softly and snuggled deeper into the bed.
Sunlight peeked through the slightly parted curtains. Kunihiko opened his eyes and was about to get his glasses his brain becoming slowly aware of what was around him. He looked down and saw a sleeping Aya on his arm, as close as she could possibly get to be buried in his chest without suffocating herself. He reached carefully back to the blankets and pulled them up to her shoulders, wrapping his other arm around her body. He watched her gentle breathing with a smile on his face. He sunk back into the bed himself once more. With his decision of returning to Japan settled, Kunihiko closed his eyes and listened to Aya's breathing. He let it lull him deeper towards slumber. He was going to bask in this blissful aftermath for as long as he could.