Rating: T

Words: 1277

Iku had put off visiting Instructor Dojo in the hospital for as long as possible following the Touma mission, but after confessing and finding her feelings for him were returned, she visited him as much as possible. She would spend whole days off in his room, bringing books or flowers or Tezuka with her to keep him company during his recovery. When it was only the two of them, his room seemed like a solitary space, shut off from the prying eyes of the world around them (or, more specifically, teasing coworkers). With the privacy that afforded them, Iku was starting to get used to the feeling of his lips against hers, thus far always gentle and hesitant. He was worried about pushing too hard too fast, and Iku, with her lack of experience, was grateful for the pace. As it was now, her heart could barely stay in her chest; it would thump hard against her ribs with every brush of his lips against hers, strong hands landing softly against her upper arms or her cheek, feeling his warm breath exhale through his nose against her face. It certainly didn't help that he was still required to wear the standard hospital gown, which left not much to cover him but the thin fabric and a sheet on his bed. Her face got hot just thinking about it; she was coming up with a lot of excuses to hide her ruddy cheeks from Shibasaki each time her thoughts got away from her.

Today, Iku came to his room alone, sans cake- instructor Dojo had grumbled about his diet, what with all the "get well soon!" desserts crowding his room since he'd been allowed visitors. Iku gladly did her best to help him polish them off, but she too had her soldier's physique to worry about. She knocked and entered, and he greeted her with a smile.

"Tezuka was in the middle of a phone call when I left, so I didn't even ask him if he wanted to come along," she informed him almost apologetically after they exchanged pleasantries. She took a seat by his bed, and he took her hand as he had every time she visited alone for the past week.

"Well, I'm sure he has nothing to report that you or the news can't tell me. How was work today?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, sir," she announced, slipping into a formal tone automatically. "Sending up requests from the archives is a little harder to get done in time without you, so sometimes we have to enlist help from the other squads. It helps me get more practice, though, so I'm getting much better at it!" She clenched her other hand into a fist triumphantly as she said this, looking pleased with herself. Dojo grinned and ruffled her hair.

"That's good! And here I was thinking you'd never improve."

"Hey!"

Pouting in defiance, Iku struggled halfheartedly to dodge his teasing. She peeked up at him from under the hand he had on her head and was suddenly struck by the reality of the situation. She watched his face, smiling and laughing at her affectionately, thinking about how not long ago she was crying herself to sleep thinking he hated her. It felt so impossible, but the love brimming in her heart and the hand clasped in hers felt so real. For a moment, Iku forgot she was in his hospital room, forgot that she missed seeing him at work, as everything in her world narrowed down to the brilliant man sitting in front of her who she was in love with, and who liked her back. She had to take a deep breath to steady herself, feeling happily overwhelmed. He noticed her pause and took his hand off her head, smile still in place but a question in his eyes.

"...What?" Iku realized she was staring, and looked away quickly, a wave of embarrassment washing through her.

"Nothing, I just-!" She floundered for a heartbeat. "...I was thinking, this is just so unbelievable. When I didn't visit you here after the business with Touma-sensei was completed-" she stopped abruptly, thinking hard about how to continue. "Well, I never would have dreamed that… admitting my feelings would turn out this way." She stumbled over the words a little, thinking he might be embarrassed, but she knew she had to say them anyway. She pointedly looked down at her lap, fidgeting with the hand that wasn't held in his.

"And are you still nervous?" Iku stiffened, raising her head from where she had bowed it. The smile wasn't on his face anymore, but his sharp eyes were still warm and understanding. She cleared her throat, which was suddenly feeling very dry.

"U-um… a little, sometimes," she admitted, smiling lopsidedly and rubbing the back of her neck abashedly. "Only because it's you, instructor Dojo…" The corners of his mouth turned up the barest amount, and he tugged her towards him. She complied easily, leaning forward and meeting his lips.

This, at least, didn't make her quite as nervous anymore. He brought his hand to cup her cheek and she sighed softly. He was gentle as usual, so she pushed forward a little to firmly press their lips together, feeling a little more insistent. His fingers twitched against her cheek once in surprise, but he waited a moment to pull back. With a breath of space between them, he met her eyes, silently asking a question, permission. In answer, Iku closed the space again.

Dojo responded immediately, tilting his head a little to slot their lips together more comfortably. He opened his mouth just a little against hers, encouraging her to do the same. Iku hesitated, her heart rate picking up, then copied him. She felt his tongue against her bottom lip and couldn't help the shudder that ran through her body. He laced their fingers together to offer a comforting gesture, then his tongue met hers. Iku moaned inadvertently in quiet approval, too distracted by sensation to even notice the noise that had left her throat. Her head felt like cotton candy; the slick, warm feeling against her lips and in her mouth felt so good she automatically fisted her free hand into the sheets at the edge of his bed to hold herself up.

He swirled his tongue languidly around hers, and Iku let out a shuddering exhale, hot breath mingling with his. She felt his thumb rub over her burning cheek, then he withdrew. As he pulled back, slowly closing his mouth against hers, he caught her lower lip between his and sucked on it lightly. Iku gasped, pleasure coursing through her body, and he pulled back completely. Breathing heavily, Iku took a moment before opening her eyes, meeting his again. His gaze was heat mingled with concern, watching her face carefully.

"Was that too much?" he murmured, lowering his hand from her face to her shoulder. Iku shook her head, still dazed. His gentle smile returned. "Good." He let her catch her breath. "Why don't we have cake, while you're here? I still need help finishing it all." She bit her tingling lip to confine a grin and nodded, getting up (on wobbly legs) to retrieve the confection. Truthfully, she wanted to kiss him some more. It was the first time he had been so forward, and after waiting more than 6 years for this moment, she wasn't quite ready for it to end. Still, she decided she should show some restraint- after all, they had the rest of their lives to kiss, and Iku wanted to savor that as much as she could.