Inspiration: i5 .photo bucket albums / y151 / el_ saz/ Tandem %20 felix /16 .jpg
MXM, AU after Seed
"Murrue!"
Halfway through brushing her hair she sighed, peeking up to catch a glimpse of her own rueful expression in the mirror. "What is it?"
"How do I put this on again?"
"I thought Kira-kun showed you?"
Silence.
"Were you even paying attention?"
"Well.."
"That would be a 'no', wouldn't it?" Shaking her head she set down her brush and made her way back to the bedroom. He was there, sitting on the end of the bed with a bundle of dark purple fabric on his lap, and had the grace to look sheepish at her frown.
"I never wore one of these before.."
"Neither have I, and I've managed to put it on alright."
He pouted just a little bit. "You don't have to be so mean."
She sighed again but did smile, leaning over to kiss the top of his head. "Am I really that mean to you?"
"Sometimes. But I can live with it."
"Glad to hear it. Now;" she took the fabric from him and shook it out to look at it better, "let's see what we can do with this."
"Do I really have to wear it?"
"Everyone else will be. You don't want to be the odd one out, do you?"
He crinkled his nose in an endearing sort of way. "I'd rather be the odd one out with pants on."
Murrue tried to hide her smile but wasn't quite able to. "I'm sure no-one will notice if you want to wear shorts underneath. In fact, I bet some of the others will be."
"It still won't suit me. Not like yours does." He rubbed the red material between his fingers. "You look amazing."
She glanced away, feeling her face get hot. "Thank you."
A chuckle, and he wound arms around her to bring her close. "Will you always blush, do you think?"
"I'm sure you'd like it if I did."
"It is cute," he admitted, "but I still hope that one day you'll be used to me saying things like that. It isn't as if you don't know I mean them."
"I know you mean them. That's why I don't want to be used to it."
Mwu blinked, evidently confused. "Does that make sense?"
"To me, it does. Now come on;" Motioning to him to stand up she handed him the first item of clothing. "Put it on as though you were putting on a regular robe, is what Erica told me. Nothing more complicated than that."
With a rather heavy sigh he did as he was told, grumbling under his breath until a sharp look from her made him quiet. Though he'd deny any suggestion of vanity, like most pilots she'd known he was pretty image-conscious. He's never worn anything like this before, and he's worried it'll make him look silly. He hadn't said as much, of course, but he hadn't needed to. Making sure the robe was put on the right way she took the sash and tied it around his waist, fastening it at the back the way Erica had shown her. "Is that too tight?"
"No, that's fine." He poked at the outfit. "I was right, though."
"Stop it," she scolded gently, moving around to look at him properly. The robe - Kira-kun had called them yukata - had been borrowed from Erica's husband but fitted him quite well, and far from looking ridiculous.. "You look very handsome."
To her amusement he actually pinked ever so slightly, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand the way he always did when he felt awkward. "You really think so?"
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't."
"Not even to make me feel better?"
Moving closer Murrue kissed his cheek. "Have I ever lied to you?"
He smiled at that.
I guess this isn't so bad.
The kid and his friends had met them at the gate of the temple place up on the hill, and they'd all gone in together but over time the kids had drifted away to do their own thing, leaving him alone with Murrue. Which suited him (and, he thought, her) just fine. After wandering hand-in-hand through the crowded festival looking at each stall in turn they'd ended up beside a small pond lit by fairy lights. It was quiet, peaceful, and kind of romantic.
"No-one was looking at me."
Soft laughter, and she squeezed his hand. "Of course they weren't. Did you think we'd be the only one wearing these?"
"I guess not.." It hadn't been just the robe thing, though. Back home he'd been used to being stared at and talked about, the fame he'd gotten as a pilot preceding him. But here...nothing. Just a regular guy. And to his surprise, he'd enjoyed it. Tipping his head back he looked up at the sky, smiling a little at the faint twinkle of stars visible between the tree branches. Beside him Murrue followed his gaze, then leaned into him.
"You miss it?"
"A bit. But it's okay."
"I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to go back, you know."
"No, I know." The little miss had invited him to join Orb's military, and Murrue had encouraged him to think about it. But the more he had thought, the less he'd been interested in the idea. Spent half my life being a soldier. I don't know what it's like to be a civilian. But I bet she could teach me. Still holding her hand he tugged on it to bring her close, winding his other arm around her waist. "But I've got something better right here."
As he'd expected she blushed again, then narrowed her eyes when he laughed. "What? I was being serious."
"You spoiled the moment." she grumbled, poking him in the chest.
"I did, didn't I? But you went all red again." Leaning closer Mwu nuzzled kisses to her cheek. "Do I have to say things like that more often to get you used to it?"
"I told you, I don't want to be used to it." Winding arms around his neck she regarded him with a smile. "Tell me, when I said before we came here that you looked handsome, how did it make you feel?"
He thought about that. "Happy. Sort of fuzzy inside."
"You've been told it before?"
"Once or twice."
"Did it make you feel the same way then?"
That caused a bit more thought, and a frown. "No, it didn't. I guess I felt happy this time 'cause you were the one that said it."
"That's what I mean." Murrue kissed the tip of his nose. "Whenever you tell me something like that, it makes me feel the same way. I like how it feels, so I hope I never get so used to the things you say that I stop feeling it. Does it make sense now?"
And thinking about it, it did. Compliments are nice, but they mean more when someone you love gives you them. "Still have a lot to learn, don't I?"
Another kiss. "There's plenty of time."
"I hope I can always make you blush."
She laughed. "I'm sure that you will."
( I has a rusty. But it's not too bad.
please read and review! )
