Reading for Pleasure
Minako very nearly broke down the door to the apartment in her haste to get inside. She was sure that Rei would be home from working at the Shrine by now, and Minako had gotten her something that she was absolutely going to love.
The idol had been doing some voice work recently for an anime series based on a popular manga that Rei had been a fan of for quite some time (although few people besides Minako knew this fact), and the creator had paid the studio a surprise visit that very afternoon when he learned that Aino Minako was playing the lead role. Before leaving, he had surreptitiously passed a small, paper-bound object into the idol's hands.
"Shh. Signed advance copy of the final volume for Japan's top star. Enjoy."
The idol grinned giddily, picturing Rei's reaction, as she stepped across the threshold and closed the door quietly. Her cheeks reddened at the thought of how her lover might choose to thank her for the gift as well—provided Rei could put it aside long enough. Minako's brow furrowed. That could be problematic. Getting Rei's full attention when she was immersed in a book often proved to be quite difficult.
"Mina?" Rei's voice echoed from down the hall. It sounded as though she was already in the bedroom. "Hold on a second, I'll be right there—I just need to—ow!"
"Are you okay, love? What's hap—um, happening—" Minako broke off, spluttering with amusement at the sight that greeted her when she reached the open doorway.
Rei was sitting cross-legged at the base of their bookshelf, surrounded by a veritable nest of manga. She was also sucking on one of her fingers and looking quite disgruntled.
"Stupid thing attacked me," she muttered as Minako knelt and took hold of her hand to investigate the injury. "It's just a paper cut. I'm fine."
Minako pressed her lips against the angry red line that adorned Rei's skin. "What on earth were you doing, Reiko?"
Rei's expression grew sheepish. "I—well, you told me Akamatsu-sama might be visiting the studio sometime and—and, well—" she gestured towards the pile of books, her cheeks reddening. "I was, um—I was trying to pick one to maybe get signed—"
Minako couldn't help giggling over how cute her usually serious lover was being. It was rare to see Rei acting like an obsessed fan over anything. The idol tried to keep her glee concealed as she pulled Rei to her feet and led her to sit on the edge of the bed. Rei was going to be thrilled.
"Actually, he—already visited today, Reiko. It was a surprise. I'm sorry."
Rei's face fell almost imperceptibly. "I see. W-well, at least you got to meet him. What was he like?"
"He was very friendly, actually." Minako could feel a smile spreading of its own accord as she sat next to Rei and placed the package into her lap. "He even gave me a present, which was very kind of him." She kissed Rei's cheek before whispering in her ear. "But I think you'll like it more."
Blinking in confusion, Rei carefully tore open the paper, her eyes growing enormous as she beheld its contents.
"M-Mina, this is—how—how did you—I—" She gasped softly at the signature that adorned the first page. "It's even autographed?"
Minako laughed as Rei hugged her delightedly, and reclined back onto the mattress, pulling Rei down on top of her. She hoped Rei would decide to thank her sooner rather than later.
"D'you want to read this with me?" Rei's voice was breathless with excitement.
"Um. Right this second?" Minako bit her lip and met her lover's eyes. She laughed at the sight of Rei biting her own lip and fidgeting.
"I—well, the sooner we read it, the sooner I can properly thank you for it, right?"
Rei knew her far too well.
Minako rolled over so they were curled up side by side on the mattress, and draped her arm across Rei's waist as they began to read.
After several minutes passed, it became quite apparent to Minako that the arrangement was not going to work.
Rei was a much faster reader than the idol was, and after awhile she was so engrossed by the story that she became oblivious to Minako's requests to turn back the page for just a moment so she could catch up.
As she was soon completely lost due to Rei's sudden ability to speed-read, Minako decided she needed to find another way to entertain herself.
Her mouth curled into a devious smirk. Part of her wanted to simply knock the manga out of Rei's hands and demand to be taken right then and there, but she knew that would not be nearly as fun as what she had in mind.
Slowly, deliberately, Minako moved her hand until it was resting at the waist of Rei's blue jeans—she thanked her lucky stars that her lover was not wearing a belt—and after a minute, when she was sure Rei had not noticed the change in position, the idol deftly flicked apart the catch at the top of the zipper. She held her breath, waiting for a reaction from Rei, but none was forthcoming. Unsurprising, really, given that Rei was reading. Were she doing anything else, half of Minako's clothing would already have been removed by her.
Minako licked her lips, contemplating how best to proceed. She wanted to be subtle, teasing, but without being too overt in her intent. She wanted to savour this chance to test her lover's focus. With that, she prepared her next move.
The idol's hand left Rei's waist, sliding upwards towards her chest, halting as her fingertips closed around a deliciously soft curve.
Subtlety never had been her strong suit.
"Um, Mina?"
"Yes, Reiko?" Minako knew her voice sounded entirely too innocent. She waited, curious as to what Rei was going to say. Wordlessly she began to stroke the softness with her thumb, grinning as it responded to her touch.
"Are—are you, um, d-done with this page?"
It took all of Minako's willpower to keep from laughing. She fought the urge to bite her tongue—it would not do to injure it as she was certain she would need it later.
"Finished it ages ago, Reiko." She smiled when she realized that Rei was wearing a button-down shirt, and wondered how long it would take for her lover to notice if it was being undone right under her nose. She chanced a look at Rei's face as she put her question to the test.
Rei's cheeks were growing quite pink. She turned another page, but Minako wasn't sure Rei was really seeing what she was reading anymore. Every button that Minako casually flicked apart seemed to draw even more colour across her lover's face.
With a grin, Minako parted the light blouse and trailed her fingertips across Rei's bare stomach, relishing the sensation of the quivering skin beneath them. Her hand returned to Rei's waist, her eyes never leaving her lover's face. Watching for her reaction, Minako took hold of Rei's zipper and pulled it open.
Rei swallowed audibly, but still, still did not look away from her book.
"Y'know, Reiko," Minako whispered, raising herself up enough to ensure her breath tickled Rei's neck. "That's not a library book—you can read it anytime you want." She smiled when she felt Rei shiver, and punctuated the end of her sentence by caressing Rei's ear with her tongue. Meanwhile, her hand crept into Rei's opened jeans, and rested momentarily atop the thin material beneath them. Minako couldn't keep the satisfaction out of her smile when she realized how hot Rei was.
Rei's grip on the manga faltered slightly. "I—I know that—but—but I—I'm almost d-done."
"That's great, Reiko, but here's the thing—" Minako's fingers pushed under the elastic waistband and found their mark. "—I'm not."
Rei made an unintelligible sound as the manga finally slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor.
Success.
In seconds, Rei was on top of Minako, hurriedly undoing the idol's blouse. She had already cast aside her own shirt, and there was a wild look in her eyes as she spoke.
"You are pure evil, Mina, d'you know that?" Rei gasped as Minako reminded her lover where her hand still was.
"How can it be evil to do something that you enjoy so immensely, Reiko?" She took advantage of Rei's momentary distraction and flipped her onto her back. Her hand did not cease as she leaned down and teased Rei's lips with her own. "I think I'm being very nice to you right now," she breathed, and pushed up Rei's bra with her other hand, freeing the skin underneath. "And after I gave you that gift, too."
Minako lowered her mouth to Rei's chest—she had been right about needing to use her tongue—and was faintly surprised to feel Rei unclasping her jeans and pushing them down past her knees. Her underwear was quick to follow.
"I'm—supposed to—thank you for—for the gift—" she rasped. "Not the—other—way—around."
Minako cried out softly as Rei's hands found her. She was so turned on that the lightest caress was ecstasy inducing. She kicked away her jeans, wondering how best to remove Rei's when one of her hands was still occupied. "Are you saying—you want me to stop?"
Rei let out a fierce moan that Minako took as an invitation to continue, but her lover's deepening touch was making it increasingly difficult for the idol to concentrate. Once again, she found herself on her back. Anything resembling coherent thought evaporated from her mind as Rei pressed against her, grinning and breathing hard.
"You couldn't—even wait—ten more pages?"
Minako wrapped her free arm around Rei's back as an idea came to her through the wonderful fog that was clouding her brain. Using a trick she had seen in an anime once, she hooked her toes into the waistband of Rei's jeans and began tugging them downwards. Rei's eyes widened in pleased surprise.
"Patience—has never been—my strong suit—Reiko." She leaned in and claimed her lover's lips, letting her pleasure consume her, and was thoroughly delighted to hear a sound that told her Rei was doing the same.
O~O~O
Darkness had fallen outside of the bedroom window when the two women were eventually forced to stop because of a growing need to catch their breath.
"I suppose we should—see about dinner, hm, Reiko?" Minako sprawled lazily across Rei, their legs entangled as she lightly kissed her lover's cheek.
"Didn't you eat already, Mina?"
"What? No, not since—oh." Minako buried her face in Rei's neck, shaking with laughter. "Pervert."
"Yes, well. I did learn from the best." Rei chuckled softly.
Minako made a face and sat up. "I'm just too good of a teacher, if you ask me."
"Has the student surpassed you?"
"Pfft. Hardly." She crawled to the edge of the bed and peered down towards the floor, searching for something.
"What're you doing?"
"Nothing." She found her quarry and snatched it up, trying to keep it hidden from Rei.
"Is that the manga, Minako? Can I finish it now?"
Minako shook her head, unable to conceal an impish grin as Rei made a grab for the object. "I have to catch up to you first, Reiko, my love. Otherwise I won't properly appreciate the ending."
Rei made another grab, and when that failed, she seized hold of Minako's waist, smirking as the idol began giggling helplessly.
"Let's read it together then, hm? I thought you and I were at the same part." She leaned back against the pillows, and pulled Minako into her lap.
The idol was ready for Rei when she made yet another attempt to take the manga. She scoffed at Rei's last remark. "I think it was fairly obvious that I wasn't paying much attention to the book, Reiko. You read much too fast. Now, if you'll kindly let me concentrate, we'll reach the best part soon enough." She leaned back against her lover and flipped open the manga to a random page, and began reading with deliberate slowness.
It wasn't long before Minako felt Rei's fingers beginning to trail up her thigh. She grinned to herself, idly turning another page, and looked forward to reaching the climax.
O~O~O~O
Author notes:
Someone said Pause It needed a sequel. Then someone else reminded me that Rei is a manga fan. Problem solved.
Also, I was totally referring to Ken Akamatsu—not to give this story a timeline or anything, but because I am well and truly hooked on Negima! and so should you be.