Title: Holding Hands
Pairing: Takumi x Akira
Disclaimer: Mai Hime's not mine
Akira suddenly jerked awake.
It had been months since the Hime incident. She still had nightmares about the days where she listlessly lay on a cold stone floor in a dark room with nothing to occupy her thoughts but images of Takumi and how he disappeared.
Still breathing heavily from the intensity of the dream, Akira quietly went to the bathroom. The refreshing splash of water on her face brought her mind back to reality. The reality where the Hime's won against the battle to destroy the Hime star and the reality where Takumi had been restored to her.
She slowly walked back to her side of the room, but like many a time before, her feet had other ideas. They guided her to the curtain separating their rooms
Since Akira was already there, it wouldn't hurt to check to make sure Takumi was OK. A quick peek through the curtains showed Takumi sleeping peacefully. She remembered once asking Takumi what it was like when he disappeared. He had replied that although he was aware, he hadn't known exactly what was happening. It was like a step up from sleeping; his consciousness telling him momentous events were occurring around him.
Akira, looking at Takumi's sleeping face from the curtains, once again thankful he was never burdened with the heavy reel of nightmares she'd experience every once in a while.
She walked forward, careful to keep her steps light and noiseless. Stopping at the side of the bed, Akira knelt down and contemplated Takumi's sleeping face. Deep and even breaths were the only sound disturbing the otherwise silent room.
From past experience, she knew Takumi to be a heavy sleeper. Oftentimes after a bad bout of dreams Akira would come over to Takumi's side of the room and stare at the young boy's face, noting all the little changes and nuances and further memorising his already memorised features. Sometimes she'd stay there for over an hour only getting up when she noticed the cold.
Summer was rapidly approaching and this happened to be a warm spring night. Akira knelt there, not afraid to lean against the side of the bed and rest her head on her arms. She knew she had excellent self discipline. She could race to her bed and be gone before he even realised she was there. She felt herself being lulled to sleep by the gentle, even sounds of his breathing and as her eyes drooped, told her body firmly to wake up at dawn. Akira had no misgivings that she'd be caught by Takumi in this embarrassing situation. Takumi never woke up before seven anyway. With that settled Akira relaxed even further and fell into a pleasant sleep.
Not too long after, Takumi awoke thirsty. It was a rather warm night and a cool glass of water is what he needed to quench his thirst before settling down to some more restful slumber.
Just about to get up, he noticed a shadow at his side and turned his head to notice it was Akira's form leaning against his bed and sleeping peacefully.
Unknown to Akira, Takumi had several times awoken from hearing Akira's fitful pleas. They had died down in recent months and since this was the first time Takumi found Akira near him whilst sleeping, assumed her nightmares were worse than usual.
Takumi thoughtfully restrained his thirst and instead decided to gently cover Akira's body with a light blanket. That done he carefully clasped one of Akira's hands and held it tenderly before drifting once more into sleep.
The noise of loud chirpy birds roused the figure sprawled half on and half off the bed. The figure quietly cursed for having overslept and cursed even more when she realised her legs felt numb from kneeling on the floor for half the night.
She blushed; not at the realisation that Takumi found her asleep and covered her with a blanket, but because her fingers were entwined warmly with his. Although she didn't want to, it'd be more embarrassing if Takumi woke to find her hovering over him so she tried to extricate her hand from Takumi's grip. Unfortunately for her Takumi's hold tightened. It all happened so quickly that Akira didn't know how she ended up on the bed. One moment she was trying to remove her hand from Takumi's grip, the next she found not only her hand nestled against his chest, but her whole body next to his on the bed.
Takumi felt the hand unclasping itself from his, so to prevent escape, still holding the hand he turned towards the wall forcing Akira to get up and follow his movements.
Akira now of two minds to stay or go decided she'd try to move in half an hour or so when Takumi's grip wasn't so firm. It was a Sunday anyway. No need to wake up early, maybe she could rest for a little longer, it was very warm and comfortable on the mattress. She sternly told her mind to wake herself up in half an hour's time and settled to go to sleep with her most important person sleeping next to her side.
If you were the bird that landed on the edge of the open window you'd have seen Takumi gradually open one eye with a contented smile. Takumi was never this devious but he knew Akira was extremely shy, what better excuse to hold her hand than during her sleep? With that thought he held her hand even closer to his chest and vowed he'd never let her go.