Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or its characters
A/N: I feel like a schmuck for leaving this story and you guys just sitting there. I really am sorry and I intend to do my best to keep up with this story, even if it means spending an hour a day just trying to write anything for it. Hopefully I will manage this time. I know where I am going with this story and don't plan to drag it on for too many more chapters.
Mai's POV
My eyes blinked heavily as the clicking of Lin's keyboard soothed me. Slowly I leaned and rested my arms onto his desk. The sun had set over two hours ago but I didn't really want to leave the comfort of the office. After the nightmare earlier that morning and the fainting spell not too long after getting in the office, I didn't feel inclined to be by myself.
"Mai, are you ready to go home?" Lin asked me but I shook my head and laid it down to rest on my arms. He gave a gentle chuckle my way but I didn't hear him resume typing. I didn't bother to look up to see why but then I felt his hand resting on my head and he started to stroke my hair. The feeling was so comforting and peaceful that I felt myself starting to drift.
"I'd say you're falling asleep." I gave a grumble in response to his words which only made him laugh at my stubbornness. "Do you not want to go home?"
"Considering all that has happened to me today…" I gave a yawn and lifted my head to meet his gaze, "I would feel rather unsafe being on my own." He gave a nod and turned back to his computer and began typing again before finally clicking his mouse and saving his documents. Then he shut the laptop down and turned to me.
"Alright, how can I make you feel better?" His words were serious and I blinked heavily in his direction. I thought about it for a moment and then blushed; giving away my thoughts so I hid my face back into my arms. "Would you feel better if more of my shiki were with you?"
"No." I mumbled from my arms. "I don't want to be alone tonight in my apartment." I heard him gasp and my cheeks only reddened. I hadn't meant it the way it had come out but I let it lay in the air between us.
"Mai….are you…" He gulped a little, losing his composure, "Are you asking me to spend the night with you?" I could only give a laugh.
"Not in that way but in short, yes, I suppose I am." I looked up at him, knowing that there would be dark circles under my eyes. I couldn't help but laugh at the expression he was making. It seemed so lost and unsure of what to do. I placed a hand on his arm while giggling. "I'd suggest you get your mind out of the gutter, Koujo. That's not going to be happening for a while." I got the deep satisfaction of seeing his face get a light red at my comment.
"I...I wasn't, well, assuming you meant…well…that…" He was flustered and stammering? That was a sight I knew I wouldn't see again for a long while. Taking my chance, I stood up and gave him a gentle kiss on his lips before pulling back.
"Well then, I'd recommend you hold your horses on that one, cowboy 'cause this girl ain't ready to release those reigns yet." I shot a wink his way, feeling very confident due to my sleepiness. Even if I had been able to see his feet, I didn't need to see them to know he had blushed from his head to his toes and I felt insanely proud of being able to do that to him. I turned and headed out of his office and to Naru's.
"I think I will be heading home soon." I stated sleepily but with a smile on my face. Naru looked up at me with a hint of concern.
"Do you feel safe being on your own tonight?" Naru asked and I let a giggle escape my throat.
"I think I've got that one covered, boss." I then got to watch as his eyes widened and stared at me. I burst out giggling, holding the side of his desk so as not to fall over from my fit of laughter. Once the giggling died down I looked at him again to see the same expression.
"Well…I certainly wasn't expecting that answer." Naru managed to say. He regained his composure but I could still see the shock in his face.
"You men have the dirtiest minds." I chastised and his eyebrow shot up at my words.
"Coming from the woman who is planning to bed with the man across the hall, those words don't mean much to me." I gasped at his statement. The smirk on his face gave away his teasing and I playfully swatted at his arm.
"You are certainly no gentleman!" I laughed and he shook his head.
"And you are no lady." He retorted and I could only laugh. I felt high from the lack of sleep and it was quite obvious to my boss. He reached up and patted my head. "Don't forget to get some sleep tonight."
"Who knew that such a pervert lay underneath that mysterious exterior of yours?" I said as I headed out of his door. I went back into Lin's office to find him packing his things together. I grabbed my items and put them all in my bag for the day. Then I turned back to my boyfriend and noticed he seemed unable to meet my gaze.
"Saddle up Cowboy, we're heading home." His blush that had died down deepened but his gaze met mine and I felt myself back up a step at its intensity. Soon Lin was standing beside me, staring down at me. He leaned down and gave me a lingering kiss on my lips and then his mouth went to my ear.
"Oh, I'm back in the saddle am I, Mai?" His breath tickled my cheek and I felt myself go red. While what he said was cliché, it didn't fail to make my heart race.
Lin's POV
I pulled back from Mai to see the beautiful hue of red dusting her cheeks like it had mine only moments ago. I couldn't help but let a smirk lie on my lips as she averted her gaze from mine. While I knew that nothing was going to happen later that evening, it didn't change the strange giddiness that was filling my chest.
Grabbing her soft hand, I headed toward the door. I let her out first, the warm night air hitting us. I was about to turn around and give Naru the keys to the car when I remembered that he had come to the office that morning without me. So letting go of the thought, I shut the door behind me and both Mai and I headed down the steps and too the car.
"Would you like to get something to eat before heading home?" I gently asked her. She yawned and shook her head.
"I can make something for us at the apartment but I'm afraid I will fall asleep waiting for my food if we go and eat." I nodded my head and opened the passenger side door for her. Slowly she climbed in, getting herself settled and then I shut it and headed toward my side. I wasn't extremely tired from the early morning. I was used to waking up earlier than most people due to Naru and his ability to never sleep. So I knew driving wouldn't be an issue.
I started up the car and headed toward the apartment that Naru and I stayed at. Mai gave me a quizzical look and I just smiled back at her. I certainly didn't plan on sleeping in my work clothes and then wearing those same clothes to work the next day. After a moment Mai seemed to realize that without me needing to say anything. I could only smile and grasped her hand.
"I hope I don't have another nightmare tonight." Mai commented aloud. I gave her a reassuring squeeze and parked the car and turned off the engine. Turning to her, I found her eyes to be only half open, sleeping willing her to let it take over.
"I hope so too. Now I'm heading up to gather some things. Would you like to come up or stay in the car?" She gave a shrug and I kissed her cheek. "Alright, I'm going to let you stay in the car since you seem too tired to get out of it anyways. I'm leaving one of my shiki with you. Don't unlock the doors either."
"Koujo, I know how to handle myself." She let out a sleepy giggle. "Thank you for worrying though. I'll be safe. Don't take too long."
I nodded my head and squeezed her hand once more before getting out of the car and locking its doors. I quickly ran up the steps to the apartment and unlocked the door. Flicking the lights on, I headed toward the bathroom and grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste. I looked in the mirror, hesitating on if I should take a shower or not. Deciding against it, as it would take too much time, I headed into the bedroom and grabbed an outfit for tomorrow and my sleepwear for tonight. I packed the outfits into a large bag I had and then grabbed some socks for tomorrow as well. Remembering that my hair wasn't always that amazing in the morning, I put a comb inside the bag as well.
Then I flicked off the lights and locked the door behind me. I went down the steps two at a time and got to the car to find Mai asleep in it. I unlocked it quietly and got inside. I placed the bag in the back seat and started the car, not waking the woman beside me.
Mai's POV
I looked beside me to find a strange porcelain doll sitting there. She was oddly familiar but I couldn't place where I had seen her before. She was wearing a green Victorian styled dress and had two dark brunette braids hanging from her head and down her shoulders. While she was a beautiful doll I couldn't help but feel uneasy by her presence.
Looking around me, I found I was in the office. It was incredibly quiet, not even Lin's typing filling the air. I looked at my desk, surprised to not only find no paperwork but a small silver key. It hung on a simple chain. Feeling that I had no choice, I unclasped the necklace and placed it around my neck. Instantly I felt dreadful having the thing hanging there.
"There is too much honey." I heard a voice beside me say. Quickly I turned to find that the doll was now staring in my direction. Her eyes weren't dead like a normal porcelain doll's eyes but were very much alive and staring pointedly at me.
"There is too much honey in the tea." Her little mouth moved only slightly as she stated that. I gave her a confused look and glanced down to see a cup of tea with some honey in it. The smell was absolutely nauseating and I turned my head away from the cup, holding my hand over my nose and mouth in hopes to not smell it again.
"With the silver key there is too much honey in the tea." The doll started to chant the phrase. I could not only hear it from the doll but somehow could hear those words in my head as well. As I continued to stare at the strange doll beside me, her mouth suddenly opened wide and engulfed me whole.
I woke up panting and flailing about. I could feel a hand holding one of my arms down and I turned quickly while backing away. I sighed when I realized it was only Lin. He looked very concerned and continued to hold his hand out though it was no longer touching me. I looked about a little frantically to find we were still in his car and were parked outside of my apartment building.
"Mai, are you alright?" He asked me, his eyes filled with worry. I nodded my head and opened the car door and stepped out into the fresh air. I heard his car door open and shut and then quick footsteps headed over to me. Without thinking I hugged him tightly, just wanting the comfort of his arms around me, knowing I wasn't alone like I was in that dream with that god awful doll.
"Did you have another nightmare?" Lin quietly asked me and I just nodded in reply, snuggling my head into his chest. "Would you like to talk about it?" I nodded my head again and pulled back from him, feeling better. "Well, try to remember it and we'll discuss it once we get inside, okay?"
"Alright. Thank you, Koujo." I gave him a small smile and waited as he grabbed his things from the back of the car. Then, linking hands with him, we headed up the steps to my apartment. I replayed the dream over and over in my head, hoping to not forget one bit of it. I still couldn't remember the original dream but I felt this one gave me more information than the last. Information to what, I wasn't sure, but I knew that these dreams were important. That doll was trying to tell me something but I still couldn't understand what it was yet.
I pulled out my keys and unlocked the door to my apartment. Stepping in, I flicked on the light switch, squinting a little at the bright florescent light. I headed toward the kitchen to start the kettle on the stove and then I turned toward Lin to find him setting his things down beside the couch. I walked over to him and placed a hand on his arm. He gave me a smile and put his hand on top of mine.
"Would you like to get ready for bed or would you like to drink some tea first?" I asked and he glanced at his bag. Then, with a bit of a blushed, he rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed gesture.
"Well I was wondering if I could use your shower. I didn't want to keep you waiting in the car but I would like to be clean." Lin gave me a sheepish smile but I nodded my head.
"I don't have any manly smelling shampoos or soap, so you're going to have to live with smelling like me for a day, if you're okay with that." I teased him. A smirk came to his face and I felt heat in the pit of my stomach at the look he was giving me. Leaning down, Lin was close enough to my ear for his hair to tickle my face.
"I'd love to smell like you every single day." Then, with a quick kiss to my cheek, he grabbed his night bag and headed toward my bathroom, leaving me blushing and full of desire I didn't even know I really had.