Yuta felt hopeless. No matter what he said, his friends refused to stop flirting with Katie even after he had proposed to her. They didn't even faze her anymore. She just brushed them off and continued what she was doing. He knew he shouldn't feel so irritated with his teammates since they were only teasing them, but the year that the two had spent apart had allowed for insecurity to worm it's way into his heart. No matter how he looked at it, anyone would be a better match for her then him.
Yamato, while arrogant and rude, was very good looking, caring once you got to know him, and defiantly knew how to make a woman happy. Saeki had a stable career, something Yuta could only dream of, and won more woman then he could count with the sweet nothings he had written. While he was quite and sometimes hard to read, Ren wold be a faithful and passionate lover. Plus, the girl he married would become a princess. Wasn't that something all girls dreamed about? And Takao was caring, kind, and good with kids. Any girl would fall for him. Katie even looked better next to Kuni, even though they were like brother and sister to each other.
Yuta was just the funny guy. The one who somehow got the girl even though he wasn't suppose to.
"Yuta?" He snapped out of his thoughts at the voice and returned to Long Island. Katie peered into his face worriedly with a beer in one hand. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing!" He quickly smiled to cover the thoughts that she would be able to read from his expression.
"What are you daydreaming about, Yuta?" Saeki took a sip of his wine. "Or do you want me to take a guess?" There was a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Yamato grinned and joined in. "He's about to get married, it's bound to be about the bedroom."
"Yeah! Wait... Hey! What are you saying?" Yuta's cheeks burned. Those guys...
Katie handed him the beer before turning to the giggling men. "Please stop it, you guys. This is exactly why I fell in love with Yuta instead if you. You never know when to stop." She looked at the dangerously and a somber mood fell over the men. Yuta looked over at her. Her cheek had reddened with her anger and her brows were low. It was like she had read his mind and knew what he need to her to say.
But guilt found it's way in his heart.
She was always protecting him. And he couldn't even protect her from his friends.
The couple left the bar not long after that and boarded a train hand in hand. They stood next to each other in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The carriage gentle rocked and lights flashed as they pasted. People with came and went with every stop and idle chatter stared and stopped with them. When the train stopped at the station by their apartment, Yuta took a step to get off but Katie's hand tightened around his. He glanced back at her and saw a small smile play across her lips for a moment before it vanished.
"What are you doing, Yuta? This isn't our stop." He had seen that smile only a few times before and it was always when she had something up her sleeves. What could she possible be up to?
Katie pulled out her phone and began to type something into a search engine before she caught Yuta looking and tilted the screen so he couldn't see. Even though her face was hidden in a shadow, he could still see that sly smile creep back as she put her phone back in her pocket.
A few stations later, Katie pulled on his hand and led him away. No matter how many times he asked she said nothing and continued to pull him along. The street they walked was brightly lit and every shop was open, but they where the only ones there.
Katie hummed an unfamiliar song as she dug around in her pocket for her phone with her free hand. She pulled up directions on it and glanced around, looking for street signs.
"We're almost there..." She mumbled before pulling him down a street with quickened steps.
"Katie?" She glanced bad at him before she grinned and shushed him.
As they approached the mystery location, nostalgic scents and sounds drifted to the pair, growing louder and stringer with each step. Laughter danced in the breeze and fried foods tantalizing smell beckoned them. Katie bite her lip as they rounded one last corner.
She had brought him to a carnival.
The grounds had a carousel, spinning teacups, a rocking banana boat, and carnival games.
Katie watched him look around, trying to gauge his reaction. The silence between them stretched until she couldn't stand it anymore.
"You looked a bit down earlier, so I thought maybe this would cheer you up. We rarely both have the same day off, so we never get to do things like this." The words she didn't say sparkled in her eyes. She knew Yuta had been feeling insecure and wanted to reassure him that she was going no where. "What should we do first?" She grinned and took both of his hands.
Knowing that she had taken him there just to cheer him up made his heart feel warm and happy. "The ferris wheel!" Knowing that she had noticed him something he had tried so hard to suppress, began to sew up the hole that the doubt had torn in his heart.
The couple spent the rest of the evening going between rides and games until there was only time for one last thing before closing time.
"Hey, can we go on the carousel?" Yuta mumbled, ears turning slightly red.
"Of course. Oh!" She bit her lip. "I'm wearing a skirt though."
"You could ride side-saddle." He suggested and her whole face lit up. Together, they ran over to the last ride and spent their last tickets.
Katie ran ahead and wove her way through the horses, trying to pick out the one she liked the most. She settled on a pure white one that had red plastic ribbons in it's mane and a saddle that was various shades of red and pink arranged in a diamond pattern. Yuta mounted the grey stallion next to her.
The music started and the horses continued their endless journey in a circle. The comedian looked out of the corner of his eye at her. She held onto the pole pole on her horse and rested her head against it. A smile came to her face and she closed her, enjoying the calming movement of the carousal, brown hair ruffling slightly in the breeze. Looking at her like this made it easy to imagine her as a princess.
If only he was fit to be her knight.
As if she felt him looking, his princess opened her eyes and gazed at him. He grinned and offered her his hand. Their fingers met and laced together, sharing their warmth. Palm pressed to palm, it was as if they were the only ones in the world. But like when Cinderella danced with her prince, time passed way too fast. The horses slowed, the music stopped, and the spell was broken.
They left the carnival in a content silence, still holding hands.
When they arrived back at the apartment, Katie broke the silence.
"What should we have for dinner?" She toed off her shoes and began to go to the kitchen. Yuta wrapped his arms around around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, effectively trapping her and holding her prisoner.
"You."
"Wha- I don't agree with cannibalism, Yuta." She slipped out of his arms and ran into the dinning room, quickly skirting around the table to put in between them.
"Are you sure?" he grinned mischievously. "I'm pretty sure you enjoy it when I eat you."
"Yuta!" Her eyes widened. "Have you been spending too much time with Saeki?"
"Ha ha ha! I'm sorry! I had too." He took advantage of her temporary shock to jump over the table and scoop her up in his arms. Her cheeks burned strawberry red. She burrowed her face in his chest, trying to hid her face.
"I suppose I did walk right into it." She said quietly in to his shirt.
Seriously, could this woman ever do anything without unintentionally seducing him? It had been a few years since they had first met and the answer had never changed. Everything she did made him fall for her even harder.
"Katie." he murmured, barely more then a rumble in his chest. He eyes met his. It could have been seconds. It could have been hours that they spent locked in each other's sight, never wanting to blink lest the spell be broken. Then slowly, oh so slowly, they leaned close and brushed lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck and tangled its self in his messy hair, pulling him impossibly closer.
"Yuta..." She whispered in her soft lilt, sending a shiver of desire down his spine. He pressed kisses all over her face as he carried her to the bedroom. He turned around and used his back to push open the ajar door, eyes never leaving hers. Her skirt fanned out underneath her as he gently laid her down. Yuta stayed over her, hands by her shoulders and knees brushing her hips. Seconds passed like that. After the year apart, they found themselves simple look at each other more then they had before. Time together had become something even more precious then it had before. Katie reached up and cupped his cheeks in her hands and pulled him down to her lips. The kisses they exchanged were sweet and chaste until her lips curled into a smile against his and she nipped his bottom lip. His eyelids fluttered in surprise then he grinned before deepening the kiss. Katie pulled away and pushed Yuta into a sitting position, beginning to unbutton his shirt. With each inch she revealed, she dragged her lips across his warm chest until she reached the last button.
The rest of their clothes had found their way to the floor and a thousand more kisses were exchanged. Yuta gazed at Katie with lustful eyes.
"Feeling better, Yuta?" She asked.
"Yes." He brought her hand to his face and kissed each of her fingers.
She was his and always would be. He could see it in her expressions and feel it in every touch and caress. Every whimper, sigh, shaky breath, and moan was his and his alone.
A summer colored breeze swept pasted Yuta, making the flowers of every color imaginable blanketing the meadow dance. Their sweet scent that was almost intoxicatingly familiar danced on the wind. Magic seemed to lace the meadow as if it was heir to it. Yuta crouched down and looked closely at a rose by his feet. The silky petals started out yellow before fading to a soft pink. It reminded him a of a certain special someone and he knew she would love it.
"Sir Yuta!" A cheerful voice called out to him. He grinned and picked the flower before standing and turning toward the voice.
"Milady." He turned around to see the brown haired princess. She wore an innocent white dress that stretched to the ground and a smile that could enchant a heartless dragon. Sir Yuta knelt at her feet and brushed a kisses on her outstretched hand before tucking the thornless rose behind her ear.
She smiled and pinned a lily to his shirt. "Thank you for always protecting me." She kissed him on the cheek.
The next morning, Yuta rolled over in bed and looked at Katie's sleeping face as he thought about his dream.
One day, one day soon, he would become a knight worthy of protecting her.
