Chapter Two - Part Three: Just A Kiss
Misaki and Hawks sat shoulder to shoulder on his white leather couch, their wide eyes wet with fat tears as they watched the credits roll across the large television screen mounted on the wall across from them. Misaki's knees were pulled up into her chest, her slender arms, draped in a bright orange throw blanket, wrapped tightly around them. Hawks sat cross legged next to her in a pair of black sweatpants and a white t-shirt with spots of dark blue tie-dye scattered all over it, having changed out of his work uniform before they'd started the movie.
"That was so good!" She breathily exclaimed, blowing her nose into the tissue she'd plucked from the box sitting next to her on the couch.
"Gets me every time!" Hawks replied as he wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve.
She let out a short laugh. "Look at us, we're a mess."
He reached around her back for the box of tissues, shaking it when he noticed that it was almost empty. "You nearly cleaned me out of tissues."
She glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "You used just as much as I did."
He just grinned back at her before reaching for the remote. "Yeah, probably. Wanna pop in another one?"
She shook her head, dropping her feet onto the floor and leaning forward on the couch. "Nah, I think my tear ducts have taken about all they can at this point. I'm gonna call it a night."
He hit the button on the remote to turn off the TV, then another one to turn up the dimmed overhead lights. "Wanna bunk over? The couch is pretty comfy."
Her gaze shifted over to the back of the couch. She had to admit, for paten leather, the thing was pretty cushy. She smirked at him and hummed, "Hm, you shouldn't have any trouble sleeping here tonight then."
His head dropped and a small chuckle escaped him. He glanced back over and shot her a sideways grin as he replied, "Nice one, Misa-chan."
She dropped her gaze to her knees, considering to herself whether to voice the thought that had been floating around the back of her mind since the moment he'd brought her into his home. She wasn't sure she would really call their lunch meetings "dates", but she had gotten the impression, while she'd been getting to know him over the past couple of months, that he was interested in being more than friends. She couldn't say she was opposed to the idea. She felt more comfortable with him than she had with anyone she'd ever dated before; and it didn't hurt that he was pretty easy on the eyes either.
Turning her head to glance at him through her bangs, she carefully said, "I wouldn't mind, you know..."
"What's that?" He asked, turning toward her and blinking.
"Sharing the bed." She held his gaze as she put the suggestion out there, carefully reading his expression as he considered her offer.
His golden eyes widened momentarily before he gulped and swiftly averted his gaze. He leaned forward, raking a hand though his hair with a haggard sigh. Misaki felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach like a lead weight. She immediately wished that she could pluck those words out of the air and shove them right back down her throat.
Had she really read him so wrong?
"You know, I think it's pretty obvious that I'm into you, Misa-chan," Hawks said as he looked back up at her, a hint of regret in his pointed gaze. "And if you invite me like that, I'm not very confident that I'd be able to control myself, sleeping next to you."
He shook his head and looked back down. "After everything you've been through over the last few days, even if you didn't see it that way, I'd feel like I was taking advantage of you."
When he raised his head again, she gasped as she suddenly found herself trapped in his heated stare. Her heartbeat quickened in her chest as he leaned his upper body towards her.
"At least for tonight, I'll just take this." He closed the distance between them, tilting his head slightly and pressing his lips against hers. Her eyes slid closed and she leaned into the kiss as she lifted her hand up to cup his cheek. It was so incredibly soft, barely a whisper of the passion smoldering just beneath the surface for both of them. He gently pulled away a second later, not more than a couple of centimeters, and gazed fixedly into her eyes as he said in a hushed tone, "And say goodnight."
She smiled softly, holding his hooded gaze with her own and resting her forehead against his as she whispered back, "Goodnight, Keigo."
Hawks woke on the couch the next morning to a sweet aroma drifting into the living room from the open kitchen. Sniffing a couple of times, he slowly opened his eyes and sat up, stretching his arms up over his head with a wide yawn. It wasn't the first time he'd slept on the couch. That usually happened when he'd come home from a long assignment out of town and he didn't have the strength to change out of his work clothes and go to bed, collapsing on the couch and passing out instead. He'd never really slept a full night there though, and he was really feeling it in his shoulders.
"Is that pancakes I smell?" He asked aloud, turning his head in the direction of the kitchen. Misaki was standing in front of the stove, wearing an apron he couldn't rightfully remember that he owned, and pouring batter onto a large, nonstick pan.
"There's sausage and egg roll, and some fresh fruit too. I hope you don't mind that I used your kitchen?" She tentatively asked, turning to glance at him over her shoulder with a grimace.
He gingerly lifted himself up off of the couch, rolling his stiff left shoulder as he made his way through the living area toward the kitchen. Walking up behind her, he bent to wrap his arms around her waist and rested his chin atop her shoulder as he said, "You kidding? No way I'd turn down a beautiful woman making me breakfast. Thanks, Misa-chan."
She smiled softly, her gaze downturned, and leaned back into his embrace. "Would you set the table? I'm almost finished with the pancakes."
He turned his face inward and planted a soft kiss on the side of her neck, releasing her a moment later before turning and calling out, "You got it!"
He walked over to one of the cabinets and fished out a couple of plates and some silverware, seeing as they were having pancakes for breakfast. The rest of what she'd made, along with the appropriate condiments, were already displayed on the tall bar table just outside the kitchen. Just as he'd finished setting up the place settings, Misaki walked over with a heaping plate of large, round pancakes, and set them in the middle of the table, before climbing up onto one of the bar stools.
"Dig in," she said, as he took his seat opposite her, "they're best when they're hot."
He didn't need to be told twice, stabbing his fork into the stack and pulling away three of them at a time. He piled on the syrup and cut off a large three-tiered triangle, shoving the whole thing into his mouth in one bite. He moaned deeply in satisfaction as he chewed. "This is delicious!"
She watched him with an amused expression. Resting her cheek in her palm, she mentioned offhandedly, "It's my mother's recipe."
His eyes grew wide and he heavily gulped down his mouthful of pancakes. He wasn't sure where she was planning to go with that train of thought. The last time they'd spoken about her parents, it hadn't exactly been a pleasant conversation.
She dropped a softly reminiscent gaze to the table setting as she mused aloud, "She used to make them for me on Sunday mornings. We'd all get up early and sit around the table, eating pancakes and talking about the week we had. It was really the only time we were all able to be in the same place at the same time, with my dad's job. Once I was old enough, she would let me help make the pancakes."
She turned her head to stare out the window. "When I woke up this morning, I don't know... I guess I just felt nostalgic."
He reached out to stab his fork back into the stack, lifting one of the pancakes and depositing it onto her plate. "You're welcome to make pancakes for me anytime you want, Misa-chan."
She looked down at her plate and then up at him, a small smile lighting up her features as she said, "Only on Sunday mornings."
He smiled back at her, taking another large bite of pancake and replying as he chewed, "It's a deal!"
She watched him happily dig into the breakfast she'd made for a moment before dropping her gaze and cutting into her own pancake, commenting offhandedly, "You like to eat, huh?"
He considered for a moment while he chewed, before replying thoughtfully after he swallowed, "Yakitori's probably my favorite, but I'll eat anything that tastes good."
She smiled to herself and muttered, "There's one more thing I know about you."
"What are you up to now? Five?" He asked around a mouthful of pancakes. "You're way behind, Misa-chan."
She softly shook her head, her small smile never leaving her lips as she replied a bit wryly, "Well, I've got plenty of time to make it up."
His phone suddenly began vibrating from its place on the charger in the living room. Quickly finishing off his last bite of pancake, Hawks hopped down off his stool and walked over the check the message.
"Work?" She turned to ask.
He grimaced down at the phone in his hand. "No rest for the wicked, or so they say."
Pulling the phone from the charger, he headed in the direction of the bedroom. Misaki sighed and turned back around to finish her breakfast while he got ready to go to work.
"Do you wanna stay here or should I drop you by your house on my way in?" He asked as he emerged from the bedroom a moment later. He was fully dressed in his work gear except for his boots, which were sitting by the sliding door leading out to the balcony.
She did a quick double take, clearly not expecting him to have dressed so quickly. She shook her head in mild shock. "Don't be ridiculous, my house is the complete opposite direction of your agency."
Climbing down from her stool, she walked over to meet him at the door. "Don't worry about me. Go to work, I'll be fine."
"You sure?" He asked with mild concern as he slid the door open.
She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself as the cold air whipped in through the open door. "I'll see you later."
He turned to block the wind with his wings, reaching out to tilt her chin up as he leaned in to steal a quick kiss.
"Keigo—!" She gasped when he pulled back a second later, staring back at him with wide, shocked eyes as he took off backward out the open balcony door.
"Let's get lunch later! I'm off!" He called out to her before turning to fly off in the direction of his office.
Hawks collapsed on the couch that evening with a long-suffering sigh.
"Busy day?" Misaki's voice asked from the kitchen.
He didn't know what she was making in there but whatever it was it smelled heavenly. He'd barely had any opportunity to stop for lunch and it had already gotten dark out by the time things had finally calmed down enough for him to even think about heading home from the office. Normally when he had days like that, he would just crash in one of the lofts at the agency, but knowing that Misaki was at his apartment waiting for him, he'd elected to head home instead.
He closed his eyes and threw his head back against the cushions. "It was one thing after another today. I'm beat!"
He heard her chuckle before she called out to him, "The bath is ready, if you wanna get in. I should have dinner on the table by the time you're finished."
He opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling as he considered what she'd just said to him. Turning over on the couch, he draped himself over the back and watched her move around the kitchen in awe. "Is this what it's like to have a housewife? This is the best!"
She tossed him an exasperated look over her shoulder and made a shooing motion at him with the wooden spoon she was holding. "Get going already or I'll eat without you."
"I'm going, I'm going!" He grinned, hopping up off of the couch with renewed energy and heading for the bath.
About twenty minutes later, he walked back into the living area, rubbing his wild hair with the towel slung over his shoulders. Taking note of the assortment of dishes laid out on the table, his eyes zeroed in on one dish in particular. "Yakitori?"
Misaki walked over from the kitchen, carrying a bowel of salad. "Since we weren't able to make our lunch date, I thought I'd make your favorite for dinner."
He slid her a sidelong glance. "You're really setting the bar impossibly high there, ya know?"
"For what?" She blinked, cocking her head to the side.
He grinned softly and dropped his head before replying, "Never mind."
He hadn't been exaggerating when he'd commented on her likeness to a housewife. He'd been wondering if she was doing it unintentionally or if she had some ulterior motive. Not that he suspected anything nefarious from her, but it seemed like overkill if she was trying to impress him with her domesticity. The more he interacted with her, though, the more he leaned toward the former.
She seemed to just naturally settle into the caretaker role, and if he thought back on all of his interactions with her over the last two and a half months, it really did fit her character. The teller whose face had been melted, taking her parents to the orphanage after she'd Restored them, the sympathy she'd felt so strongly for her coworkers who had lost their lives during the last bank robbery. She had an inherent inclination toward caring for others needs over her own. He seriously doubted the woman had a single selfish bone in her body.
Reaching out as she walked around him to set the salad bowl down, he stole a loose bite of the yakitori and his eyes widened in delight as he chewed. "Misa-chan... I think this is the best yakitori I've ever tasted."
Misaki rolled her eyes as she sat. "You're exaggerating. Would you sit down and eat like a normal person, please?"
Grinning broadly, he took the seat opposite her and chuckled, "Yes ma'am."
It hadn't taken him very long to clear off most of the food she'd made, while still managing to fill her in on the busy day he'd had. She'd mostly just listened to him prattle on while eating her own meal, smiling, and offering a comment here or there as necessary before getting up to clear the dishes. They stood side by side at the sink, Misaki washing the dishes and handing them over to Hawks to dry and put away.
"I suppose you already know this, but isn't it a bit odd that your favorite food is a bird?" She mentioned offhandedly as she rinsed out the salad bowel.
He laughed as he put away a serving plate he'd just dried. "You'd be surprised how often I hear that!"
Misaki shook her head with a small grin. "At this point, I really don't think I would."
He returned to her side, taking the bowel from her and drying it off with the towel slung over his shoulder. "Seriously though, I think was in food heaven!"
"Well if you like it that much, I'll give you the recipe. It's pretty simple—"
"Nah, don't need it," he cut her off, not looking up from the bowl he was drying.
She blinked as she looked over at him in mild confusion. "Huh?"
He grinned back at her shrewdly from the side. "Wouldn't be the same if you didn't make it."
He noticed her try but fail to stop the smile from tugging at the sides of her mouth and she looked down to hide it from him, mumbling, "Sweet talker."
"Is it workin'?" He asked jokingly as he put the last dish away.
Misaki rolled her eyes as she pulled the plug to drain the water from the sink.
"It's unnecessary. You don't need to butter me up, you know? I'm already on the line," she said a bit sheepishly while looking down and blushing.
He leaned forward on the counter and craned his head to stare at her face as he crooned at her, "So cute..."
She turned away from him, covering her cheeks with her hands. "Shut up! So embarrassing...!"
He grinned. "Nah, it's hella adorable. Lemme see."
He tried to get around her, but she held out a hand to push him away. "No, go away."
She turned around sharply in an attempt to escape into the living room but Hawks was faster, anticipating her actions and cutting off her escape as he suddenly appeared in front of her when she turned, complaining lightheartedly, "Misa-chan, no fair, I wanna see!"
Her eyes widened and she gasped, startled at the suddenness of the action, and dropped her hands to his chest as she walked right into his open arms. She turned her face to the side with a consternated frown and grumbled, "The unfair one here is you...!"
He grinned down at her warmly, appreciating the soft flush on her cheeks and the sparkle in her cherry blossom colored eyes before she'd averted them.
"Yep, worth it," he said, lifting a finger to her lower right jawbone and gently turned her face towards his before leaning down to press a gentle kiss on her lips.
Her eyes widened again when he pulled back a second later and she gasped indignantly. "You—!"
When she pulled away from him, he let her go. She stepped back a pace and glared back at him suspiciously. "You keep doing that. That light pecking."
He raised an eyebrow at her, crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side as he mockingly asked, "Is that a bird joke?"
She cringed. "Unintentionally... A frustrating observation."
Leaning back against the kitchen counter, he reached up to rub the back of his neck and sighed. "I guess you could call it "testing the waters". I don't wanna rush you. But, like I said, I'm bad at controlling myself when it comes to things I want... Call it a weakness."
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Misaki stalked across the room toward him and clutched the front of his shirt in both hands.
"I keep trying to tell you—!" She exclaimed as she pulled him down, rising onto the balls of her feet and firmly pressing her lips to his. He responded in kind, tilting his head for a better angle and opening his lips to fit them against hers more comfortably. His left hand delved into her hair to cradle her head at the base of her skull as his right hand slid around to the small of her back to pull her closer into his embrace. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, and matching the movement of her lips to the way he was pressing his against hers. The kiss was open, but not deep, gently stoking the fire in both of them but still leaving it at a dull simmer.
After a long moment, Misaki pulled back, staring longingly up into Hawks's hooded eyes as she told him, "I'm not that fragile, Keigo. I want you, too."
Loosely wrapping both arms around her, he leaned down to rest his forehead on top of her shoulder and let out a long-suffering sigh. "You're killin' me, Misa-chan. I'm trying to treasure you, ya know?"
It was like torture for him to reign in his rampant desire for her, especially when she was literally throwing herself at him. Every instinct in him was screaming for him to give her what she wanted, but he knew that if he did, it would fracture something precious he'd been painstakingly building within their relationship over the last two and a half months.
Friendship.
He didn't want to move too far too fast and lose any chance they had at maintaining that bond by mucking up their feelings for each other with sex. He wanted more than that. More than her body, he wanted her heart. It actually shocked him, how much he was willing to wait for that.
She dropped her arms to wrap around his waist as her chin fell to rest atop his shoulder and she grumbled in an apologetic tone, "Sorry... I got impatient."
He raised his head, pulling back to gaze down at her as he lifted a hand to run his thumb over her bottom lip. "Nah, it's my fault for teasing you."
"You're right," she admitted, pinching the underside of his left bicep as she stepped back.
"Ow!" He flinched, rubbing at his arm and staring back at her in shocked indignation.
"You deserved it," she chided him, crossing her arms, and glaring at him playfully from the side.
He chuckled under his breath as he ducked his head. "Yeah, alright."
Misaki sighed and looked away, her expression a bit resigned as she admitted, "I guess that means it's time for me to go home."
"You're leaving?" Hawks asked, looking up at her in surprise.
She tilted her head toward him and cast him a rueful glance. "I'm not that much of a saint that I can sleep in the room next to the person I like, especially when I know they like me back, without doing something about it. If you really wanna do this right, take it slow... I should go."
He returned her piteous look with one of his own. Pushing himself away from the counter, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, staring down into her eyes and offering in a low tone, "I'll take you home."
She looked up at him with a playful smile as she coquettishly replied, "I was counting on it."
Twenty minutes later, Hawks landed with Misaki in her back yard. He gently released her to stand on the concrete slab of her back porch. She stepped toward the house and unlocked the back door before walking inside. Leaning against the doorjamb, Hawks crossed his arms and watched her move around the room.
"You gonna be alright here on your own?" He cautiously asked.
She looked around and shrugged. "If I'm not, I know how to reach you."
His eyes narrowed, his expression turning serious. "Don't hesitate to call me if you get uneasy, okay?"
Misaki smiled relentingly, walking over to him and sliding her arms around his waist beneath his coat. "I will. I promise."
Raising his own arms to wrap around her, he leaned in to capture her lips in a gentle, lingering kiss. Her eyes opened slowly when he pulled back and she stared up at him from behind hooded lids. "I thought you weren't gonna do that anymore?"
He smirked down at her. "I told you about my bad self-control, right?"
She shot him a toothy grin, pulling the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth and eyeing his lips as she leaned into him and said, "I'd tell you that you should work on that, but I kinda like it."
He groaned, half pining and half dejected, as he reached behind him to remove her arms from around his waist and took a big step away from her into the backyard. "I better go before I do something I will and will not regret."
Lifting off a bit into the sky, he stared down into her eyes as he said, "Goodnight, Misa-chan."
She leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms. She smiled softly, raising her hand to wave at him as he flew off and replying in an admiring tone, "Goodnight, Keigo."
Preview of Chapter Three: Part One -
"Back to work, huh?"
Misaki gasped, nearly jumping out of her skin at the sound of a voice suddenly addressing her from her right. Closing her eyes and lifting a hand to her chest, she slowly let out the breath she'd sharply inhaled before turning her head to glare at Hawks, who was leaning nonchalantly against the filing cabinets next to her.
"Where do you always sneak in from?" She asked him a bit caustically.
He tilted his head in her direction and shot her a sidelong grin. "Trade secret. If I told you I'd have to kill you. I'm kinda attached to you at this point, so I'd rather not."
Rolling her eyes at his playful response, Misaki turned back to the open drawer of the filing cabinet and resumed her task. "Why are you here? It's too early for lunch."
He turned his body toward her, crossing his arms, and leaning his shoulder against the cabinet. He tilted his head to the side and cocked an impish grin before replying in a slightly suggestive tone, "Just wanted to see your pretty face."
She immediately slid her eyes to the side to glare at him through her bangs as she snapped, "Get out."
I know! Pure smut! There will be some pretty big plot development in the next chapter though, I promise!
Check it out!
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!
:)
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