Author's note: this was originally published separately under the story, "Wanting." Unlike AO3, FFN doesn't allow users to group stories as a series, so I'm adding this chapter here for completeness' sake.
.
She comes home late from work, and when she unlocks the door the apartment is dark except for the light of the television flickering softly in the livingroom.
"I'm home," Chiyuki says. She slips out of her shoes and sets down her purse. "Decim?"
She finds him sitting on the couch, a blanket around his shoulders and his knees tucked up against his chin. His eyes are red and swollen, and tissues are scattered all over the couch on the floor.
"Oh," Decim says, and there are tears in his voice. "Welcome back."
Oh no, she thinks and she rushes toward the couch. She wraps her arms around his shoulders, hugging him. "What's going on?"
He doesn't answer right away, just sniffs miserably against her shirt. She kisses his forehead and rubs his back, soothingly. "Is everything okay?"
"I am sad," Decim says, and she notices the movie playing on the TV. "There was a little girl that died. Her brother could not save her."
"What is this?" Chiyuki says, and she picks up the DVD case: Grave of the Fireflies. She frowns.
"You really shouldn't be watching this stuff by yourself," Chiyuki says.
"I'm terribly sorry."
"No, it's okay, I should have warned you." She gives him a little squeeze, then fluffs his hair, fondly. "You know, you look worse than you did that time in the void," Chiyuki says, and Decim lifts his eyes.
She kisses him gently, open-mouthed and tender, as she brushes away his tears with her thumbs. His eyes close, and she feels his hands rest against her waist. Carefully she climbs up on his lap and takes his face in her hands.
The kiss deepens. She feels him sigh into her mouth, and when she kisses him again she feels the tip of his tongue gently probe her mouth.
The blanket falls. She pulls off her shirt with one smooth motion before leaning forward, lets him unhook the clasp of her bra and slide his hands up against her ribs and around her breasts. They kiss harder and she feels his thumbs rolling her nipples.
She leans forward and grinds against him, the cupped friction of his hardness against her clit making her muscles clench. Quickly she wraps her arms around his shoulders and pulls him on top of her, wrapping her legs around his back and grinding up against his body. Her pants are still on and he's still wearing clothes.
They're at an awkward angle on the couch. Her head bumps against the armrest and she hears Decim murmur a quiet, "I'm sorry," before he pulls her down against the cushion. Balls of damp tissues fall on the floor.
"Decim." She's wet and needy and she arches her pelvis up against him. "Let's go to bed."
"Okay."
He's mouthing the side of her neck. She groans.
"C'mon, let's go. The couch is uncomfortable."
"I'm terribly sorry."
"It's okay."
They kiss again. He presses into her and her hand knocks into the box of tissues.
"Decim," she says, but he's licking her nipple now, and twiddling the other one with his index finger and thumb. "Mm. C'mon, let's move."
"Can we not just do it here?"
"On the couch?" Chiyuki cranes her neck up to look at him.
"On the floor," he says, and she groans a little as he slips a hand between her legs, the pads of his fingers stroking her.
She makes a snap decision: "Pants," she says. She lifts her hips and he tugs her pants down, one pant leg catching around her ankle. She moves and helps him pull at his shirt, then his pants. Her eyes widen a little at the sight of him, because he's not just erect. He's standing straight up, stiff and leaking, and without a beat he reaches a hand to position himself at her entrance.
"...I thought we were going to do this on the floor?" she says, but he slides up inside her with one smooth stroke, their bodies half off the couch.
"I'm terribly sorry." He's already moving, panting softly. "I wanted to feel you."
"That's okay," she smiles at him, "Just help me up, I'm sliding down.
Oh," she says, because the new position has the full weight of his body against her clit. "Is this okay for you?" she asks, breathless. Her body jerks, a sudden jolt of pleasure. He hoists her tighter.
"...Yes."
"Okay," she says.
She wraps her arms around his back, one leg pushing up against the floor, trying to keep their bodies from sliding down.
And then they hear it: a long, slow, agonized wail.
"The movie is still playing," she says, and they both look up at the TV and the little boy crying over his sister's dead body. "Where's the remote?"
But Decim is staring. Chiyuki wriggles out from under him - he's lying between her legs and she's pinned down against the couch by his pelvis - and she tries not to laugh at him when she sees his eyes fill with more tears.
"Decim!" she says, and she swats at his shoulder.
"I'm terribly sorry," Decim says. A tear rolls down his cheek.
"Oh no, oh no, don't do this." Chiyuki groans and bangs her head against his shoulder.
"We can still keep going," Decim says, but there are tears in his voice and he's openly crying now. He looks so lost and so sad, Chiyuki feels a little bit bad for yelling at him.
"I'm not going make you have sex with me when you're crying like that," Chiyuki says. She pulls the blanket over the both of them before giving him a hug and then a chaste little kiss. "You owe me later, though. I'd say you owe me big time."
"I'm terribly sorry," he says.
"That's okay," she says, and she hoists him up against her chest and kisses the top of his head.
