Day 12: Together | Fireworks; SmokerTashigi
Rooftops just lend themselves to romance.
The air was so cold on the roof of G-5's main building. Frigid, like ice swirling deep into your lungs. Exhales turned to misty clouds that stayed and blurred the lights down below. Tashigi took a deep breath, letting the cold fill her up. It balanced the heat from the alcohol, the buzzing in her head.
"Party too much?"
She turned her head, the cold moonlight and the warm light from the lantern sitting on the floor made Smoker look ethereal, or perhaps a fallen angel. A giggle slipped out from her lips, Smoker raising an eyebrow.
"They started a game of strip poker so I thought that was a good time to slip away," she walked over to him, proud that her steps were steady and sure. A cigar smoked in the ashtray she'd given him for his birthday, perched precariously on the wall that encompassed the roof.
"Idiots," Smoker grunted, looking out over the base. She took in the view. Snowy rooftops, lights, a skeleton crew on patrol. And farther in the distance, tinged with greens and reds and blues was the family district. She wondered if she would ever live there instead of the regular barracks. If she'd have someone to come home to…
Smoker breathed out a cloud of mist, mingling with her own. She turned to look at him, taking in his strong jaw, his set brows. So very serious, so very grumpy. Except when she bested him in a spar, or brought him a hot coffee in the middle of the night. The tiny upturn of his lips when he watched her when he didn't think she was looking.
Like he was doing now. That never used to be a thing. She wondered when that had changed. When had it become so comfortable to look him in the eye? To gaze at him without feeling silly or stupid? She traced the scar across his forehead, longing to run her fingers over it, not just her eyes. Would he let her?
Tashigi's fingers twitched, drawing his eyes. Slowly they came back up to her face, bringing her hand with them. Blood pounded in her ears, mouth going dry as slowly, ever so carefully, hesitation with every millimeter, Tashigi pressed the palm of her hand against his cheek. Warm skin, rough from stubble against her dry and cold fingers.
Where did she go from here? Where did they go from here? Their eyes were locked, and it occurred to her that maybe he was waiting for her to lead, that he didn't know how to go forward, just like her. His gloved fingers wrapped around her wrist and removed her hand. Her heart clenched. She'd been a fool to push this far, still the same bumbling Tashigi that Tashigi had always been-
Smoker pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
"Oh," she whispered. Pink tinged his cheeks, the only color in the whole world. Together, they moved forward and pressed into one another. Slow, measured on his part, reckless on hers. Not even the commotion from the street below could pull her attention away from the moment.
Well until the first firework went off. "It's not midnight yet!" she exclaimed, staring up at the sky as more shrieked into the night air. Pops of green and blue and fiery red.
"Like I said, idiots," Smoker muttered, before tilting her chin and pressing his lips to hers.
Notes:
That's a wrap! I'm happy I got to end this collection with my favs. Thank you for sticking with me and let me know your thoughts!
As always, thank you for reading and you can find me on twitter at buggyisbest!