Written for the March Challenge at Prompt Bingo, LJ.
Prompt: #19 - "I wish I could read your mind. I'm scared to find out what you think of me now."
Regret
Lightning flashed, thunder cracked, and Mayuri lay as still as he possibly could, not wanting to interrupt the already shattered silence. It was just as well for the storm to begin – he hadn't the mind to entertain his muse in such uncomfortable silence, one that nagged at him at the back of his mentality. It had been a rather… interesting night, to say the least.
Mayuri had never expected it to come this far, and despite his being a rather reclusive individual, an introvert of a scientist, he somehow managed to twist the sheets with the woman he had been eyeing for quite some time now.
But, much in contrast to his expectations that the afterglow would be one where she would curl up against his side, she lay as still as a rock, silent as the grave. The gap between them irritated Mayuri, and though he wasn't one for such superfluous gestures, he was unable to mask his desire for the feel of her skin against his once more.
Mayuri had always wondered why she even chose to be with him, given their apparent animosity towards each other, but a thought struck him right at that moment as lightning struck the earth.
"Submitting to regret isn't worth it at a time like this." Thunder rumbled as he turned his face towards the window, speaking even though it pained him. "Not anymore."
Retsu said nothing. Her bosom rose and fell steadily with each breath she took as she lay with her long, loose hair splayed across the pillow. Darkness befell them once again as the last jagged line of light faded away into night.
Mayuri squeezed his eyes shut, rested a forearm over his eyes. He wouldn't blame Retsu if she were to feel disgusted by him, what with the scars littering his body, results of his past experiments that had failed. They weren't a very pretty sight to behold, and with Retsu being the rather… particular type, she would no doubt find him, at the very least, distasteful.
Mayuri had never known that he would fret over such a trivial matter, but there he was, mulling over the probabilities of Retsu's being so quiet till his brain ached.
The mattress sank a little as his partner shifted, and in spite of how much he wanted to look her way, to see make sure that she was indeed leaving him, he couldn't find it in himself to even move – he was numb.
He felt the gentle caress of soft lips on his shoulder, sending a tingle up his spine, and when he turned his head slightly he found Retsu there, eyes kind and forgiving.
"Who would regret after such a night?" Retsu let a smile grace her features, a smile that drove Mayuri mad but at the same time softening the jagged edges of his heart. She slipped an arm around his waist, kissed the back of his neck in reassurance that did Mayuri good, easily lifting the burden that had been weighing upon his shoulders.
A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, one of his triumphant smirks, as he let his eyes drift to a close.
Indeed, who would regret such a night?