Author's Note: I don't know how this chapter got this long. I seriously don't. It. just. wouldn't. stop! It was so long, I even had to break it up into two parts. Also, Gin and Sherry did not play nice and decided to hijack the last 800 or so words without my consent. As a result, there's some unexpected smut at the very end of this chapter (which is shocking to me because I have to be in a certain mood to write smut at all, and I did NOT realize I was in that mood until I was writing it). It's not all that graphic, but it's definitely not 'T' rating-worthy.
I left a very visible warning just before the scene starts getting more graphic so that those who do not wish to read it can just ignore it. It is literally the very last thing that happens in this chapter and you don't miss out on anything by NOT reading it.
Despite the name, the next two chapters actually take place before the "Desperate Revival" episodes (188-193).
Desperate Revival: Part 1
'This is it…' Haibara thought as she held the white capsule up to eye level.
She had been working on it for weeks, and finally, she would see if her hard work had paid off. It had technically been finished yesterday evening, but as it had been a school night, she hadn't been able to do anything with it. Now however, tomorrow was Sunday and there were currently no plans in place with the rest of the kids. If something happened, and they came by if she wasn't around, then Dr. Agasa would just claim she was too sick to play. It wasn't too far-fetched, she already had a mild head cold. She prayed this would work.
Her face set, Haibara clenched the capsule in her fist and set about gathering the clothes that she'd worn when she first arrived at Dr. Agasa's house. They were the only adult-sized clothes that she had at the moment. She carried them with her into the bathroom and undressed, exchanging her child clothes for the adult ones. She was skeptical that anything would even happen, much less the effect she wanted, but just in case, she didn't want to ruin her child clothes because she was a pessimist.
'Well, here goes nothing," she thought and dry-swallowed the capsule just like she had done with APTX-4869.
Just as before, she counted five seconds of no effects, and then the unforgettable pain exploded through her. Her mouth flew open in a silent scream, but she fought to prevent any sound from escaping. Another body-wracking spasm had her writhing on the floor, and still she kept her silence. The rhythmic violent spasms pulsated fast and furious and she was hardly aware of anything beyond the blinding pain! It was not the same bone-melting feeling when she shrunk, but instead it was the tight, suffocating feeling of being trapped in far-too-small a space and the awful stretching sensation all over akin to that of torn muscles in sports injuries.
At last… at long last, the final shuddering tremors ceased and Shiho Miyano lay panting heavily on the cool tile of the bathroom floor. Her nerves still tingled uncomfortably, but when she was finally able to gather her thoughts, Shiho lifted her hand in front of her face and it was not a child's hand that she saw. Her scarlet red dress didn't feel so uncomfortably large on her either. Still, she wasn't quite ready to believe it. She had spent the better part of a year developing that shrinking drug and it was difficult to accept that she had successfully created an antidote on her first try. She sat up shakily and grabbed a hold of the bathroom sink. Bracing herself against it, she pulled herself up to her feet and looked in the mirror. Sure enough, it was the eighteen-year-old genius scientist of the Organization, Shiho Miyano codenamed Sherry that gazed back at her.
The excitement she'd been fighting down suddenly flooded through her and a truly brilliant smile lit up her face. With only one thought in her mind, she flung the bathroom door open, ignored Dr. Agasa's shocked exclamation at seeing her full-grown, and snatched up the phone. She quickly punched in a set of numbers and held the phone to her ear, tense with anticipation.
The voice she was hoping to hear answered almost immediately. "Sherry, it's been a while. I suppose you had some time to spare?" Gin said, sounding just as pleased as she felt.
"Never mind that right now," Sherry said brusquely. "Please tell me you don't have anything going on tonight or tomorrow? Or at least anything that can't be rescheduled for later?"
She could easily imagine the bewilderment playing out on his face before he spoke again. "Why tomorrow? And your voice- Wait…! Sherry, did you…?!"
Sherry smirked widely. "I did. I don't know how long this will last, but I intend to spend all of the time I have with you, just as I promised."
"I can be there in an hour. Do you need me to bring anything?"
"Just a coat of some kind, and I don't care if it's a spare one of yours either. I only have my lab coat from when I first arrived and I'd rather not advertise that I'm a scientist while I'm out," she said.
"I'll be bringing Vodka along with me; he's missed you too. Is that a problem?"
Sherry shook her head automatically before realizing Gin couldn't see her. "No, it's fine. It'll be nice to see him too. Since it will still be daylight when you arrive, you can park at the end of road where you first dropped me off and I'll meet you there."
"At least it's not raining this time," Gin muttered darkly.
"No, but it's a pity there's no snow to celebrate our reunion either," she said warmly.
"True. I'll see you soon, Sherry."
"Yup. Drive safe," she said and hung up, a giddy smile on her face.
"Ai…?"
Oh, right. Sherry turned to face the awestruck professor and cocked her head at him. "Yes, Professor?"
"You're… you're back to normal… How…?" Dr. Agasa stammered.
"I've been working on an antidote to the shrinking effect of the drug that Kudo and I took ever since the incident at Haido City Hotel," Sherry explained. Her new smile seemed to be permanently stuck on her face.
"W-wait a moment; does that mean you're leaving?" he asked, a note of panic in his voice.
"Not permanently, if that's what you're asking. The antidote I just took is only a prototype, so this effect will probably only be temporary. Besides, it's still too dangerous to leave you without protection. However, when I originally shared this plan of mine with my lover, I promised that when I was successful, I would spend the entire time with him, seeing as he's been patiently waiting for me for so long," Sherry said.
"Your lover? I didn't know you had one," Dr. Agasa said.
"And that's as much as you're allowed to know," Sherry said with a warning edge. "Of course, it goes without saying that Kudo can't be told even that much. With that mind of his, he might even be able to guess who he is, and if he found out I was still seeing him, it could put the Organization's true secret at risk."
Yes, Kudo finding out that she was still seeing the man who'd supposedly attempted to kill him in the first place might put a bit of a damper on their relationship.
She started making her way back to the bathroom to gather the rest of her clothes. "My lover will be here in an hour, so for your own safety, don't see me out when I leave the house. I'll be bringing some of my child clothes with me for whenever I shrink back, but I don't know when that will happen. Unless you've secretly invited the Junior Detective League without my knowledge, I don't expect them or Kudo to show up tomorrow, but if they do, you are to tell them that my cold worsened and I am in no state to do anything more than sleep. Since I have a bit of a head cold right now, this is a reasonable excuse. If I'm not back by tomorrow night, then call the school on Monday morning and tell them I'm staying home sick, though I don't expect the effects to last that long."
"Oi, if you're not back at school on Monday, that might turn the kids away, but what about Shinichi? He might assume something more is going on and if he finds you not here, he'll be concerned," Dr. Agasa pointed out.
"Hmph. He'll be more suspicious than concerned," Sherry scoffed. "If he pops over without calling you, then make sure my bedroom door is closed and that everything is set up as if a sick person is really inside… Actually, I should just do that myself before I leave, so you don't have to worry about it. My point is, you will have to do your best to convince him I'm just very sick and contagious and that there really is nothing going on."
"Will that be enough to convince him?" Dr. Agasa asked.
Sherry sighed heavily as she stood up, her clothes in her arms. "Hopefully it won't come to such drastic measures and I'll be back for school on Monday with no one the wiser to my activities. But if all my prep work doesn't convince him to leave me alone, then he'll discover I'm missing, get suspicious, and I'll neuralyze him to make him forget those suspicions."
"Just be careful, Ai," Dr. Agasa said in a worried voice.
Sherry turned to the professor and smiled reassuringly at him. "You don't need to worry about me. Where I'm going, I couldn't possibly be in safer hands."
()()()()()
When you're waiting for something good to happen, time seems to drag its heels and crawl out of spite. That was exactly how Sherry felt as she waited impatiently for the hour to pass by. At five 'til, she gave in to her bottled-up frustration and left the house with a bag of clothes over her shoulder to stand and wait outside the gate. A blast of cool air shot through her as soon as she opened the front door and she shivered violently. Her dress had sleeves yes, but that was hardly enough to keep the wind away. Determined not to go back inside, she crossed her arms tight over her chest in a vain attempt to retain warmth and walked out to the front gate. As soon as she saw Gin's car, she would be gone. She stepped past the metal gates and peered down both ends of the sidewalk. She had not expected anyone and this wasn't usually a busy street anyway, but it never hurt to be cautious. Sherry closed Dr. Agasa's front gate behind her and leaned against the concrete wall that made up part of his fenced-in yard.
While she continued to wait, Sherry let her thoughts wander back to the man who was coming for her. She had been thinking about him so much as of late, it was a wonder that Kudo hadn't noticed how preoccupied she was, but she didn't care about that right now. Her lover was coming and she was both excited and anxious. The last time they had met had been during a brief late-night interlude shortly after the reunion on the Haido City Hotel rooftop, an event which seemed so long ago now. Over the phone, he seemed just as excited to see her as she was, but still she worried. She could not pinpoint what, but she knew her new life as Ai Haibara was changing her. Would he notice? Would he be okay with the changes? And how had he changed during her absence? Had he changed? And would she be okay with those changes if he had? These useless thoughts plagued her and she wished Gin would hurry up. His mere presence would be far more effective at banishing such doubts than sheer willpower.
A blast from a car horn off to her left made her jump and she snapped her head around. Her eyes landed on the car and her jaw dropped. It was a black Porsche parked at the far end of the street. Both driver and passenger doors opened and two men dressed in black stepped out, staring at her. Her smile returned, wide and bright, and she took off at a run down the concrete sidewalk. The cold was forgotten. Her doubts were forgotten. They had come, they were here, and they were just within reach!
Vodka had been sitting in the passenger seat, so she reached him first. "Vodka, I missed you!" she said as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
Vodka returned the hug and then pulled back to give her a bemused look. "Is this same smiling, happy young lady really our Sherry?"
Not deterred in the slightest, Sherry gave him a sinister smirk, "Oh, don't worry. I still have plenty of dry wit and sarcasm left to cut you down while I'm in your company."
Vodka laughed and lifted her into the air, spinning her once in a tight circle. "There we go! That's the Sherry we know and love!"
Once he set her down on her feet again, he released her. Sherry only had a brief moment to reorient herself before she felt a hand on her wrist and was spun right around into Gin's waiting arms. She found herself gazing intently up into those forest green eyes of his that were not obscured by his bangs for once. His strong arms held her safe and secure from the world, the weather, and her own pessimistic mind. Sherry could feel her heart still beating frantically in her chest from her excitement, yet she was certain she had never felt calmer in all her life.
"Welcome back, Sherry," he murmured. He didn't need to say more; the wide, warm smile on his face said it all.
Sherry was oddly frustrated. She had so much she wanted to say to him. 'Thank you for coming so quickly'. 'Sorry for taking so long to make an antidote'. 'Please forgive me for making you wait'. 'I still love you'. Yet all of them felt woefully inadequate to express all that he meant to her. There was… one way though… Sherry slid her hands up Gin's chest to his broad shoulders and pulled on them, closing her eyes and leaning up… leaning in… She never reached her destination though. Gin's hands fell heavily upon her shoulders and kept her feet firmly planted on the ground, unable to either move up or bring him down to her level.
Confused and hurt, she opened her eyes and saw him staring down at her with a pained expression. He shook his head slowly. "Love, if I kiss you right now, I don't know that I'd be able to stop myself from going too far."
Even as she blushed at what she knew Gin was implying, her irritation at his denial surged and she snapped without thinking, "And what if I don't care? Maybe I want you to go that far!"
He raised one skeptical eyebrow at her. "You want me to fuck you in the back of my car while we're on the road and Vodka's driving?"
Her blush deepened with mortification, especially when Vodka gulped and muttered 'I didn't agree to that' under his breath. "Well, when you put it like that, no," she said stiffly.
Gin smirked, looking highly amused. "Therefore, I cannot kiss you until I take you back home for the night."
Sherry ducked her head and whispered low enough so that Vodka couldn't hear her, "Do we have to wait that long?"
Gin chuckled, "Patience, Sherry. There'll be plenty of that later, I promise. Vodka has to work tomorrow, so it will just be the two of us the whole day, but let's all enjoy our time together for the rest of the afternoon and catch up on what's been happening in our lives."
"Well, unless one of you is already planning on making dinner, I don't want to eat out at some cheap restaurant nor eat anywhere in Beika," Sherry said promptly. "I don't want to take any chances of Kudo running into us and especially not while I look like this."
"Understood. Then I suppose it's a good thing I made restaurant reservations for dinner tonight on the way here," he said. "Come, let's get in the car. We've been dawdling in the open here for too long."
"Right," Sherry said and turned to move towards the passenger's side door, but Gin slipped his arm around her waist and pinned her against his side.
Vodka took one look at his partner's arm around her waist and walked around to the driver's door on the opposite side of the car without a word. The message received, Gin strode forward, bringing her with him and opened the door. He had to let go of her to pop the seat forward and let her crawl into the backseat, but Sherry was surprised when he climbed into the back with her. His legs were really too long to be comfortable in the back. Sherry wasn't the only one watching him either; Vodka was half-turned in the driver's seat staring at Gin in consternation.
"Oi, Aniki, you meant what you said just now, right?"
Gin gave him a slight frown that looked mildly annoyed. "Am I the kind of man that would break my word to my woman? If we do anything in the car, it will not be when you're around."
"Right. Sorry," Vodka apologized, looking embarrassed for having even asked. Sherry on the other hand felt incredibly aroused by the idea of making love in the backseat of Gin's car once they were alone. It would hardly be the first time, but anything like that would have to wait until much later.
"Sherry, buckle up," Gin said, startling her out of her thoughts.
"Ah, yes," she said distractedly and did so. Glancing over, she saw that Gin was already wearing his. Damn, he was fast. At least he wasn't being a hypocrite this time. The Porsche revved to life and Vodka pulled away from the curb onto the side street. Silence reigned for the next few minutes until Sherry broke it. "So Gin, at this restaurant we're going to, please tell me you're not going dressed like that? At least Vodka's work clothes are acceptable; he wears a suit."
Gin snorted. "Of course I'm not. That's why we're heading back to my place first."
"And am I suitably dressed for wherever we'll be going?" she pressed. "I don't have anything else, so if I'm underdressed, we need to go shopping before dinner."
To her surprise, Gin smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. It's been a long time, so you might have forgotten, but you had complained about that very thing on another occasion. So, to prevent that from happening again and knowing your size and style preferences, I went out and bought something sufficiently fancy with the hope that I'd be able to give it to you as a gift that would remain at my place. Obviously, I never got to enact this plan because then you shrunk and were sent away on an undercover assignment."
"And did you get matching shoes too?" Sherry asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Yes, I remembered to get matching shoes," he chuckled and smiled down at her. "I hope you'll like it."
"The shoes?" she said with a teasing smirk.
Gin rolled his eyes.
Still smirking, Sherry shifted sideways in her seat until she was pressed right up against Gin's left side. "Well, if it will make you feel better, I promise I won't hold back on my opinion of the gift."
"Coming from you, that sounds more like a threat than a reassurance," Vodka commented with a laugh from up front.
"Indeed…" Gin agreed and she felt his arm snake around her waist once more. "And yet, that in and of itself is still reassuring."
Sherry hummed, enjoying the compliment for what it was, and nuzzled herself into Gin's shoulder. Apparently, he wasn't satisfied with that level of physical contact as he turned towards her even more and placed his chin on top of her head. It usually annoyed her when he did that, but she didn't complain about it this time because it had brought his neck close to her face. She put her free left arm over his far shoulder to hold him close and nuzzled the crook of his neck right beneath his ear, the spot where his scent was the strongest and most protected by his turtleneck, high-collared coat, and long hair. He was generally surrounded by so many other strong smells, such as those from his coat, his weapons, his smoking habit, his aftershave, and his shampoo and hair conditioner, that it was difficult to actually smell him underneath it all. When she did though, she wouldn't have known how to describe it anyway except as heady and masculine. It was his and she recognized it; that was all she could say. Sherry inhaled deeply and let that familiar, comforting scent flood through her. She could almost pretend everything was normal: that her sister was still alive, that she hadn't shrunk into a kid, that she hadn't ever left Gin's side, that she was home.
She heard Gin chuckle softly from somewhere above her head. "Are you going to stay hiding in my neck the whole way to my apartment?"
"I'm thinking about it," Sherry replied evenly. "Just don't let go."
"You will have difficulty convincing me to do otherwise."
"You two are being sickeningly cute; you know that, right?" Vodka asked.
"When you get a girlfriend, Vodka, then we can talk," Sherry snipped.
"Ouch, I've been hit by a Sherry barb. Quick, call an ambulance," Vodka groaned in imaginary pain.
Gin chuckled again. "And the total so far is Sherry: 2, Vodka: 0."
"Very funny, you two," Sherry said dryly, but made no attempt to extricate herself from Gin. She laid her cheek on his shoulder, still keeping close to his neck, though she ended up flattening part of his coat collar in the process.
They remained closely entwined in relative silence all the way until they finally reached Gin's apartment. Only when the car stopped did Gin release her in order to get out of the car. Sherry climbed out after him and followed him to his apartment, neither of them waiting for Vodka to finish locking up. He led her up to the second floor where he lived and unlocked the front door for her. If Sherry hadn't already visited his place several times previously, she would have been surprised that not everything was black. On the contrary, it looked just like any other normal bachelor pad except for the obvious Western influence in his style choices. She supposed it came from his German-born mother from whom he'd no doubt inherited his fair hair and skin complexion, and green eyes. It wasn't the tidiest place she'd ever been to, but it wasn't a mess either. It just had the look of being lived in, and well-kept without being clinically sterile.
"It hasn't changed at all since I was last here," Sherry commented as she followed Gin into his bedroom.
"Were you expecting it to?" he asked. He had flattened himself to the ground on his stomach and was rummaging around for something under the bed.
Sherry shrugged. "Not really, but you might have decided to rearrange the furniture in my absence just to give the place a new look."
"Ah, here it is!" Gin exclaimed and pulled out a large, colorfully-wrapped box. He set it off to the side and pushed up onto his knees, then climbed to his feet. Looking mighty pleased with himself, he offered the present to her. "I wrapped it up in here. I'd figured that if I screwed up and forgot your birthday or Christmas, I'd at least have something to give you so you wouldn't bite my head off."
Sherry smirked up at him. "Yes, you and your brilliant mind, but horrible memory. That's why you keep Vodka around, yes? To remember the important dates that I would shun you for if you forgot?"
A sneeze echoed from the front door and both of them simultaneously peered out from Gin's bedroom doorway to see Vodka standing at the entrance. "Sherry, are you talking about me again?" he asked.
Sherry's smirk widened. "I might be, but it's okay this time. I'm insulting Gin's abysmal memory by complimenting your exceptional one."
Gin looked distinctly miffed. "My memory's not that bad," he muttered.
"It is with dates, dear. Well, I might as well open up this present of mine, shouldn't I?" she said rhetorically and began to rip off the paper without waiting for his consent.
Underneath the wrapping paper was a nondescript brown cardboard box. Fortunately, it wasn't taped up, so she didn't need scissors. She opened up the flaps and moved the tissue paper aside. Her eyes widened in interest after doing so and from within, she pulled out Gin's gift. It was a short dress that looked like it should be two pieces as a white silk shirt and a red skirt, but it instead flowed seamlessly together as one item. Her first thought was to wonder if Gin had included her bust size when he'd mentioned knowing her size to get this dress, because it cut low. Real low and at a sharp angle. There was no way she wouldn't be showing cleavage wearing this. In fact, if it wasn't for the band of fabric attached to the shoulders that would go around her neck like a choker, she would be worried about the dress falling off her shoulders. The white sleeves were long and semi-transparent, and ballooned like the classic pirate shirts. Gold and red threads decorated the collar and the wide wrist cuffs. The colored threads also danced around the cleavage lining and trailed down the center around the superfluous buttons that were only there for show.
The skirt part was her favorite shade of scarlet red, the same as the dress she was wearing now, and it looked like it would cut off at her knees. She noticed there was also a slit on the left side of the skirt that would stop halfway up her thighs at the very least, if not higher. Sherry wasn't sure how to feel about that. It would give her freedom to move properly if the need arose and she didn't mind showing her legs off for Gin (undoubtedly why he'd chosen it), but she was a little uncomfortable at the thought of anyone else seeing that much of her legs. Well, Gin would surely notice if someone was eying her and would see to it that they knew she was his, providing her the pleasure of watching Gin become jealously protective of her. She actually enjoyed seeing him jealous, just not when it was unwarranted. This dress though… it was fancy, it was sexy, and despite her misgivings, it was her style. Gin had actually done very well in picking it out for her and she only hoped it really did fit. She wanted to see that stunned, hungry look on his face when she walked out of the bathroom wearing this knockout dress he'd chosen specifically with her in mind. She looked back into the box and found a set of black heels had been hiding beneath the dress. There were a plain set able to be worn with most formal wear, they weren't too high, and she could very quickly see from the size that they would fit her fine. Oh, she was going to look damn sexy tonight!
Slowly, Sherry lifted her eyes from the box's contents to Gin's patient gaze and she gave a playful little smirk. "This is quite the outfit you've put together for me, Gin. Are you sure you're going to be able to handle me wearing it? I'm quite certain your imagination will pale in comparison to the real thing."
"I'm looking forward to it," Gin said, and smirked right back, smug as hell and his chest swelling with pride. So he'd realized how happy she was with his gift, huh?
"Good, then I'm stealing your bathroom," she declared and strode off.
She closed the bathroom door behind her, but not before she heard Vodka say fondly "It's like she never even left" and Gin's pleased confirmation.
She smirked to herself and hugged the box to her chest briefly before setting it down. Sherry also removed her clothes bag from her shoulder, setting it next to the box. She wondered if she should bring it with her when they went to the restaurant for dinner. She didn't want to, but it would be a very awkward situation if she shrunk at the restaurant and didn't have clothes to wear. She pulled the dress she was wearing up over her head and tossed it aside to replace it with the new one. It slid over her figure with ease and Sherry couldn't remember the last time she had worn anything so fine and comfortable. Once she hooked the clasp of the neck collar, she turned to look at herself in the mirror and stared in stunned amazement at her reflection. She looked incredible and so much older! Nothing at all like an eighteen-year-old girl! Even the cut of the dress across her breasts wasn't as bad as she had imagined. She reached for Gin's hairbrush next to the sink and quickly ran it through her own short hair, taming the stray wisps floating around her face and fluffing her thick bangs. Satisfied with her hair's appearance, she reached back down into the gift box and pulled out the black heels, dropping them on the floor. She slid her feet into them and wiggled her toes, testing how the shoes felt around her feet.
She took one last look at herself in the mirror, turning this way and that, feeling empowered by her new mature, sexy appearance. Satisfied and smiling at her own self-indulgence, she finally opened the bathroom door. "Alright, I'm all finished, what do you... oh...!" she breathed as she stumbled to a halt at the unexpected sight that greeted her.
Gin had apparently decided to change while she was in the bathroom, but had not yet finished. He had shed his work clothes in favor of a light blue dress shirt that only had one arm through a sleeve and left the entirety of his chest visible to her appreciative gaze. Her eyes roved hungrily across the taut pale skin, taking in every detail and admiring the muscle definition of his arms, his shoulders, his pectorals, his intercostals, his abdominals, literally everything. Sherry felt herself heating up in a very familiar way and her face flushed in embarrassment. She knew Gin was fit, and very well-toned even, but how could she have already forgotten how... how damn beautiful his naked body was? In a monumental effort to distract herself, she tried to focus on something else and belatedly realized Gin had stopped moving the moment she'd opened the bathroom door and he was now staring at her completely dumbfounded. He appeared to have forgotten he was half-naked in his bedroom, as if there was nothing in his world apart from her.
A thrill of delight shot through her at this observation, but Sherry only smiled slightly and cocked her hip to the side, inhaling deeply to let her chest rise. She did not miss the way his eyes flickered with her movements. "Enjoying the view? It looks mighty fine from where I'm standing too," she said haughtily.
Her words seemed to bring him back to himself, but he did not hasten to finish dressing, much to Sherry's enjoyment. That was one of the up sides to dating an older man. Gin was very confident in his sensuality.
"You were right," he said, his hungry eyes continuing to peruse her figure at his leisure as he slipped his other arm into the shirt, but left it unbuttoned. "Reality is incredibly more satisfying. You look beautiful, Sherry."
"You look rather dashing yourself. The half-dressed look really suits you," Sherry said teasingly, but felt herself flush with pleasure at the intensity of his gaze.
He smirked back. "I aim to please. Unfortunately, the restaurant would not take kindly to my walking in with half my chest showing."
"Oh, I'm sure the female staff wouldn't mind too much," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Gin chuckled and started on the buttons. "You want other women drooling over me? I thought you were far too possessive for that."
"Speaking of possessiveness," she said slowly and shifted her weight to her other hip, stretching her left leg out straight along the seam and giving Gin ample view of her outer thigh. His hands briefly faltered in buttoning his shirt for a moment. "While I enjoy the maneuverability the slit in the skirt gives me if I need to run or fight for my life, I expect you to take responsibility should anyone that's not you be eying my legs."
"Trust me, that won't be an issue," he muttered and continued buttoning his shirt.
Sherry sighed in disappointment now that the lovely view of Gin's muscular frame was hidden behind clothes and glanced over at Vodka who was leaning against the bedroom door frame. His hands were in his pockets and he wasn't watching either her or Gin. In fact, he seemed to be specifically not looking at either of them, but was staring fixedly at the floor.
An evil smirk crossed her face and she addressed the heavyset man, "Trying to burn a hole through the floor, Vodka? Tell me, is it my breast or Gin's that turns you on so?"
Vodka's eyes snapped to hers and he gaped at her in slack-jawed horror. However, he was spared from trying to answer by Gin's admonition, "Play nice, Sherry. There's no need to be so harsh with him like you are with Kudo." He had tucked his dress shirt into his pants and was now putting on a red tie, looking distinctly irritable. "Vodka, I don't know how you can stand to wear these things every day for work. Ready-made noose is what it is."
"It's to give short women like me something to pull on to bring tall men like you down to our level to kiss them properly," Sherry said before Vodka could get a word in.
"Cute theory, but I somehow doubt it," Gin said, though his expression now somewhat amused.
Deciding she was done playing for the moment, Sherry turned back into the bathroom interior and put her other dress into the box the new fancy one had been presented to her in. She then picked it up, as well as the bag carrying her child clothes, and walked out of the bathroom. She set the box down on the floor along the wall and swung the bag over her shoulder. Gin was already slipping his arms into the dinner jacket when she turned back around to watch him, so she also had the pleasure of watching him pull his thigh-length ash-blond hair out from under the jacket and toss it back behind him. It was like watching a fine silvery waterfall and it was times like these when she envied his long, beautiful hair. Then she promptly reminded herself that she liked her short hair style, it would be way too much work to care for hair that long, and Gin's hair was long enough for the both of them anyway.
"To think you're a silver fox and you're not even thirty yet," Sherry said, unable to resist teasing Gin about his hair again, no matter how much she loved it.
"I'm surprised you haven't already used that one yet," Gin commented and turned away from the mirror to face her fully, his hair swinging around his backside in a gentle flowing arc. That smirk! He was doing it on purpose!
"I'm afraid I'll have to break up with you if you ever cut your hair," she said with all the seriousness she could muster. Of course, she was joking… mostly.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Gin reassured her in the long strides he took towards her and offered her his elbow. "Shall we?"
Sherry pretended to consider for a moment. "Yes, I suppose so," she said with a gracious nod and wrapped her arm around Gin's proffered arm.
"Are you two sure you want me around?" Vodka asked. He was staring at their linked arms with a concerned expression. "If you'd rather enjoy your date without me, I completely understand. I don't want you to think you have to keep me around for the night."
Sherry and Gin turned to each other and their eyes met at the same time. They smiled in understanding, both thinking the exact same thing, and turned back to Vodka simultaneously. "Of course we want you to come with us, Vodka. If for nothing else, we need you to be our chaperone to make sure we behave in public," Sherry said with a slight laugh.
"Especially since this vixen is itching to jump me and start ripping my clothes off any minute," Gin said, an amused glint in his green eyes.
Sherry's expression deadpanned and she turned back to Gin sharply. "Didn't we agree you're the fox?"
"I never agreed to any such thing. That was all you."
"Oi, you two, can your lover's spat wait until after we're in the car at least? We're never gonna get out of here at this rate," Vodka said, sounding half-amused, half-exasperated.
"Ah, true enough," Sherry sighed. "At least one of the men in my life is sensible."
Gin rolled his eyes, but led the way out of his bedroom regardless. Vodka stepped out of the way to let them pass through and as he did so, Sherry caught his hand hanging loosely by his side and squeezed it. She gave him a small encouraging smile which he returned and followed alongside them. Of course, three people walking side-by-side could not fit through the front door to leave, so Vodka let go of her hand when they reached it and stepped outside first. Gin also dropped his arm and grasped her hand instead, then pushed her ahead while he closed his apartment door behind him and locked it. With Gin's place securely locked, the trio walked back down to the car and Vodka once more found himself the chauffeur and sole rider in the front seats. Gin had taken himself into the back with her again.
"Gin, what are you going to do when you have to drop me off at my place for the night before heading back here with Sherry?" Vodka asked with a hint of a laugh in his voice.
"Obviously, I'll be driving, Sherry will be in the passenger seat and she's not allowed to have any alcohol because she turns into a giggly drunk who can't keep her hands to herself."
Sherry frowned at him. "What? I never did anything like that!"
"Yes, you did, but I'm not surprised you don't remember. You were completely wasted, but I was trying to teach you about the names of different alcohol cocktails, at your insistence I might add, which was made more difficult by you feeling me up. It was not a productive night in any sense of the word. You were already distracted and quite beside yourself over one of the rum cocktails being called a Fluffy Critter, but you completely lost it when I told you one of the gin cocktails was called Pink Gin."
Sherry's eyes widened and a very un-ladylike snort escaped her. "Pink Gin!" she exclaimed.
She suddenly had a very vivid image of Gin's fair hair a bright bubblegum pink instead and then another of Gin's classic black clothes dyed that same pink color, and she couldn't help the raucous laughter that burst forth. She thought she heard Gin sigh in resignation and Vodka say something like "I don't think I've ever seen her laugh so hard", but she couldn't be sure.
After a while, Sherry finally managed to calm down and wiped away the tears of mirth that had gathered at the corners of her eyes. "Haha, oh wow. Wow, I needed that, thank you. Ahh, that mental image is going to stay with me forever. Haha… pink gin."
"How fortunate for me," he said dryly.
Conversation between the three Organization members turned to other topics in the car ride on the way to dinner, even though it was occasionally punctuated by random snickers from Sherry every time her thoughts wandered back to the Pink Gin.
()()()()()
"No, I'm serious, you would look really good in pink," Sherry said as she followed him out of the car. She looked serious except for the twitching smile that betrayed her.
Gin rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I've told you before; I'm not making a fool out of myself just to amuse you. I'm not shrinking myself into a kid and I'm not dying my hair pink."
Sherry crossed her arms and pouted. "You're so mean."
"You kind of asked for this, Aniki," Vodka said and he too was smirking. "Considering she completely forgot it the first time, I don't know why you decided to bring it up again."
Sherry latched herself onto his arm, but was speaking around him to Vodka with a rather predatory grin on her face. "Well, I'm glad he did. Such a humiliating, reputation-mocking concept absolutely must not be forgotten by his significant other. Right, Gin?"
Gin stared resolutely ahead, scowling in annoyance and avoiding looking at the two people smirking up at him. "Sherry, I'm sure there's a reason I love you, but for the life of me, I can't think of what is at the moment."
His words had no effect on Sherry whatsoever. "Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something once we get home tonight," she said confidently just as they entered the restaurant.
They approached the hostess at the podium and as soon as her eyes met his, he watched them widen with wariness. It was a familiar reaction. Gin knew he was not as terrifying right now as he was when in uniform, but like his father, he was tall and had a scary face.
Her wariness of him did not prevent her from doing her job and asking, "Welcome, do you three have a reservation?"
"Yes, it should be under Edward Kuroda," he said.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sherry's head snap up to him with her mouth agape, then her focus shifted to Vodka, then back to him again. "You used your real name?" she hissed in a shocked whisper.
"Well, I couldn't very well make a reservation as Gin, now could I?" he muttered back, but he knew what she meant. There was no need for him to make a reservation with his real name, but he had wanted to just this once. Seeing the beaming smile on Sherry's face made any risk involved entirely worth it.
"Yes, here you are. Edward Kuroda for three," the hostess said, reminding him she was still there doing her job, so he gave her his attention once more. It was rather brief, but he did not miss the movement of her eyes flick from him and Sherry to Vodka, nor the slight furrowing of her brow. "Will there be anyone else coming to join you later or is it just you three?" she asked hesitantly.
Gin understood instantly what she was thinking. He and Sherry were obviously a couple, but Vodka's presence confused her, and unless there was a fourth person showing up as his date, she couldn't think of why a young woman such as Sherry would be having dinner at a fancy restaurant in the company of two older, sinister-looking men with no familial resemblance to either her or each other. It looked like something potentially shady was going on.
Gin opened his mouth to correct her assumptions when Sherry cut him off. "Oh, it's just the three of us," she said in such a remarkably pleasant and reassuring tone that it was setting off alarm bells in Gin's head. Sherry had made the same leaps in logic he had about the hostess's assumptions and she was not happy about it. "Actually, my husband-" Gin gave a start. "-and I with our business partner are celebrating our shop's fifth anniversary of successful business."
Even knowing she was lying through her teeth, Gin was more pleased than he should have been to hear Sherry call him her husband.
Regardless of Sherry's hidden anger being the source for the story's creation, the uncertainty cleared from the hostess's expression instantly and she broke out into a radiant smile. "Oh, that's wonderful news! Congratulations! I wish you continued success in the future. Shall I lead you to your seats now?"
Sherry looked too much like a smug cat who'd caught her prey to answer now that she'd put the hostess in her place, so Gin did so for her. "Yes, please do," he told her.
"Right this way then," she said brightly and they followed after her.
While she was ahead of them, Gin dipped his head down to Sherry's level and whispered, "Clever girl. Validating Vodka's presence, establishing your equal standing with the two 'scary-looking men' you're accompanying, and strengthening the overestimation of your true age while vaguely threatening her done all in just two sentences."
"You know what she was thinking you two were; I just couldn't let that stand," Sherry muttered off-hand, though she still looked pleased with herself.
"No, but I would have taken care of that assumption if you hadn't. So what's this about me being your husband now?"
Sherry scoffed quietly. "I don't look related to you and I had to say something, so I-"
"-So you said the first thing that came to mind and that just happened to be marriage?" he asked with a teasing smirk. "I agree, I think Mrs. Shiho Kuroda sounds lovely."
Now Sherry was blushing, but still smiling smugly. "And who's to say I will take your name? Maybe you will be Mr. Edward Miyano instead," she retorted.
Gin quirked an eyebrow at her. "Will?" he repeated.
Sherry frowned up at him in confusion all of a sudden. "Huh? Will what?" she asked.
Gin's smirk broadened. "Just now, you didn't say 'would take your name', but 'will take your name'. Are you that certain you will eventually become my wife in the future?"
He had not thought it was possible for her to blush more than she already was, but he was so very wrong. Her entire face reddened and her eyes became as wide as saucers at the same time she clapped her hands over her open mouth.
"I… no, that… I was just… it doesn't… I mean…" she stuttered in utter mortification at her tongue slip. God, he could not remember the last time she had looked so kissable.
He chuckled and pinned her to his side with an arm around her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as they continued to follow the hostess to their table. Sherry's normal color seemed to return by the time they were seated and had the menus in front of them.
"So how generous are you feeling tonight?" she asked.
"I'm paying for everything, as long as you don't order the most expensive thing on the menu just because you can," Gin warned.
Sherry rolled her eyes. "Fine, I won't try and empty my boyfriend's deep pockets on dinner."
"True, you'd rather spend Aniki's money on designer clothes," said Vodka.
"You know me too well, Vodka," she said proudly and propped open her menu. "Now, what shall I have to eat first?"
()()()()()
Dinner passed by with various conversations going back and forth about work and their personal lives, catching up on the time they'd spent apart from each other and including copious amounts of friendly, good-natured heckling for all three of them. It was wonderful, comforting familiarity and Sherry couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so relaxed. She was back with the people she belonged and she was happy.
They were on dessert though when Sherry finally voiced a question she'd had in her head for quite a while now. "Back at the Haido City Hotel, there was the Adraxxi terrorist that the Organization had to take care of and there was the other alien impersonating Pisco, but was there… someone or something else there?" she asked slowly.
Gin and Vodka glanced at each other briefly before turning back to her. "What do you mean? You think another alien was there?" Vodka asked.
Sherry bit her lip and half-shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess she could have been, but… you guys already know about my sensitivity to being hunted…"
At the very mention, Gin's green eyes flashed with dark anger and Vodka's expression went stony. Yes, both of them knew exactly what she was talking about. During the incident in question, she had been thirteen and newly-arrived in Japan after having spent the greater part of her childhood with the American branch of the Men in Black. She was skilled, but still young, and she had not noticed she was being stalked until it was too late. She'd been caught by a particularly nasty alien that had developed a taste for eating human reproductive organs. Gin and Vodka had been hunting the she-alien down and they were the ones who saved her from that horrible fate. Ever since then, she had developed a sixth sense of sorts for whenever intense feelings of blood lust were directed toward her, whether they were sexual or murderous.
"Do you know who it was coming from?" Gin said in low tones.
She nodded. "Yes, it was a famous American actress named Chris Vineyard."
The silence that followed was deafening and the shocked expressions on both men's faces were frightening in a whole different way.
"Chris… Vineyard…" Vodka said slowly. "You're sure it was her and not someone else?"
"Definitely," Sherry said, feeling even more anxious. Why were they freaking out so much? "In fact, the blood lust coming from her was so strong, I could barely sense it from the Pisco impersonator."
"Sherry, you've never met Vermouth in-person before, have you?" Gin said quietly.
"No, I haven't," she said warily, wondering at the sudden topic switch.
He nodded once in affirmation. "Then you should know; Chris Vineyard is Vermouth's true identity."
She felt like the bottom had dropped out of her stomach as Gin's words resonated in her head. Vermouth… Chris Vineyard… Vermouth… Chris Vineyard is Vermouth. The woman of a thousand faces and her rival for Gin's love. Vermouth was the source of the blood lust, the strength and intensity of which she had never felt before from anyone else.
"Vermouth…?" she said, her voice shaking with a fear she couldn't suppress. "But… but why? We're on the same side, aren't we? Trying to protect the Earth? She can't possibly hate me so much that she wants to kill me! Unless you think it wasn't really her? Like Pisco?"
Vodka looked away, uncomfortable, but Gin held her gaze and slowly shook his head. "No, it's a difficult challenge for other humans to try and be a convincing Vermouth, especially long-term. An alien pulling it off is impossible. As scary as it is for you, Sherry, I'd rather her want you dead and still be human, than for an alien to be masquerading as Vermouth and wanting to eat you. The consequences of the latter have far more dire implications. It would mean an alien has taken out one of the Organization's best, high-ranking operatives and imitated her so flawlessly that nobody has noticed anything unusual in her behavior and no warning technology has alerted us to the alien intrusion. And if the Organization has been infiltrated that high, that deep, that quietly, then Earth will no longer be an alien refuge. It will be a part of the warzone. In other words-"
"-total annihilation," Sherry finished with breathless horror.
While the Men in Black had made good use of the available alien technology and was high-grade state-of-the-art tech by human standards, it didn't change the fact that it was still only created from the leftovers brought by the refugees and existed in the hands of a very small percentage of the human population. Even then, MiB weapons were probably nothing compared to the top-rate military-grade tech being used to fight the alien wars out there in space. If Earth became one of their battlefield sites, it would not survive the destructive onslaught. Now she understood why Gin and Vodka were so worried about her having sensed Vermouth's murderous intensity towards her.
"Okay, so let's assume the safer and more likely possibility that Vermouth is still human and just wants to kill me. For some unknown reason. Doesn't she know I shrank? If she feels that strongly, why hasn't she come after me yet?"
Gin looked thoughtful and crossed his arms. "She's a high enough rank to have been told and she also has 'that person's' favor, and yet, I don't think she was told the true nature of your assignment."
Her eyes widened in astonishment. "Are you serious? How come?"
"Maybe 'that person' was also worried about her going after you once you'd shrunk and were less capable of defending yourself from her," Vodka suggested.
"I think you're right, Vodka," Gin said. "If 'that person' suspected Vermouth would try and get rid of Sherry at the first opportunity, he may not have told her. But Sherry, a word of warning, Vermouth has been incredibly cryptic and secretive lately, even by her standards. Vodka and I last saw her on the way back from Haido City Hotel and she mentioned she was going to be staying in Japan for a while instead of flying back to America. She said there was something she was looking for, but refused to divulge the nature of the object in question, so be careful. She might be looking for you."
Sherry sighed heavily. "Great. Well at least I can sense when she's around, so I know she's not here," she muttered.
Gin smiled slightly. "Don't worry. I may not have your unique sensing ability, but I can easily pick out Vermouth in a crowd, no matter how she disguises herself. She's definitely not here."
She propped her left elbow up on the table and rested her chin on her hand, smirking at her long-haired lover. "With such a dangerous person out to get me, are you sure you don't want to shrink yourself into a kid to stay by my side and protect me full-time?"
"I have never before been tempted by the possibility until now, but no. I'm afraid I'll have to rely on Shinichi Kudo and the other adults around you to do that in my place, should it be necessary," he said, looking distinctly unhappy at the prospect.
Taking pity on him, she stretched her right hand across the table and interlaced her fingers with those of his left hand. "Come on, let's go back home. I've been dying to kiss you all evening and I'm not sure how much longer I can wait."
Gin smirked and flagged down the waiter for the bill. The three Black Organization members left after the bill was paid and Gin got in the driver's seat of his Porsche this time.
However, when Sherry made to get in the backseat so that Vodka could get in, he stopped her and shook his head, smiling. "Nah, Sherry, you can sit in the front with Gin this time."
"But you've got longer legs than me and there's not as much room in the back," she protested. "And since we're dropping you off first, wouldn't it be easier to get out if you're already sitting in the passenger's seat?"
"It would if I was going with you guys," Vodka said, leaning against the car's frame and still smiling.
Now Gin was frowning up at him too. "Vodka…?"
"I'll be taking a taxi home; don't worry about it, Aniki. I got to see Sherry for a few hours and my ego is sufficiently battered from the reunion, but I know how much you've missed her and I don't want to keep you from her more than I have already."
"Vodka… you're really sweet sometimes, you know that?" Sherry said.
"Wow, a genuine compliment without a zinger to follow-up? Now I know I'm not welcome," Vodka teased, gave her a brief, one-armed hug, and started walking away with a backwards wave. "Have fun you two and try to save some of your energy for tomorrow!"
"Bye Vodka," Sherry said even as a light blush dusted her cheeks and then she got in the car. "I know I tease him a lot, but I really do like him. He's a good man," she commented as she watched his broad, black-suited form walk away.
Gin hummed in acknowledgment and started the car. "Yeah, I'm lucky to have him as my partner. It looks like you didn't have to worry about bringing your child clothes to the restaurant after all."
"No, I didn't thank god, but it was better to be safe than sorry," she said with a relieved sigh.
"So if you were to guess, how much time do you think that antidote of yours should give you?"
Sherry hummed thoughtfully and gazed upward at the ceiling, idly tapping her chin as she did so. "My best guess is twelve hours total, though it could easily be less, maybe even half that."
"Twelve hours, huh?" Gin muttered.
A somewhat awkward silence fell between them after that, mostly because there was silence. They both knew what the other wanted, they couldn't have it yet, and talking wouldn't give it to them any faster, so why bother? Until…
"Wait, Gin, where are we going? This isn't the way to your apartment," Sherry said suddenly once she realized what street they were on.
"No, it's not," he agreed.
She stared hard at him. "We're not going to your apartment?"
"Not yet."
She arched an eyebrow. "Then where are we going?"
"Somewhere."
Her eyes narrowed. "And you're not going to tell me where?"
Gin smirked. "Nope."
"I have ways of making you talk."
"Not while I'm driving if you don't want me to crash, you don't," he retorted.
Sherry clicked her tongue and crossed her arms in frustration muttering 'Damn driver immunity', but she paid more attention to her surroundings from that point onward, wondering where Gin was taking her. She was surprised when he stopped the Porsche at the parking lot for some kind of park (it was dark, but she could make out the trees nearby).
"Okay, not that a moonlight stroll through the park isn't a nice, romantic gesture, but did you really bring me here for-mmph!" Her words were cut off by Gin's mouth covering hers in a demanding lip lock. Finally!
His kiss was fierce and insistent like he was trying to suck all the air out of her lungs. She moaned loudly into his mouth and cupped his face with her hands, drawing him forward until he was half in the seat on top of her. She hadn't been kissed like this since the day she'd shrunk into a kid and she could already feel the familiar fire coursing through her blood and beginning to coil in her gut. They finally broke apart with an explosive gasp, but remained close, panting heavily and already starting to sweat.
"Shiho…" Gin breathed.
Sherry felt a thrill of ecstasy overtake her. Her real name!
"The back… now…" he panted, his voice already husky with desire.
Even with Gin in her way, Sherry could not ever remember moving as fast as she did then and he was quick to follow right after.
(*Warning: Mature content ahead)
He covered her body with his and kissed her senseless while his hands slipped under her skirt to remove her panties. She helped by lifting her hips and gasped when he squeezed her buttocks.
He stopped kissing her momentarily to finish getting rid of the garment and she gave a small, rather giddy laugh. "Are you really that horny that you couldn't wait to get to your apartment for this?" she asked with a teasing smile.
Gin was completely unmoved by her taunt. "I finally have you back after several months with an unknown time limit hanging over my head. I am not about to risk losing the opportunity for this. Besides, you're hardly one to talk," he purred while his left hand trailed almost idly down her thigh and one finger probed into her hot, moist core, making her whimper with pleasure. "I've barely done anything and you're already wet. You want this right now just as badly as I do."
A second finger entered and she moaned, clawing the seats as waves of pleasure rocked through her. It felt soo good. Nothing else mattered except his fingers inside her and she never wanted it to end. Gin could very well bring her to her climax with his hand alone and he had done it before, but she didn't want that right now, and she was certain he didn't either.
"Gin!" she gasped. "Stop finger fucking me already and give me your cock!"
"I thought you'd never ask," he said, and she could hear the Cheshire grin in his tone.
The hand retreated back up her thigh to spread her legs wider and he plunged in. She cried out and automatically seized fistfuls of his long blond mane at the back of his neck. He set a grueling pace, hammering into her hard and fast. It was tight and so much rougher than she was used to, but it was a desperate, famished, animalistic violence that fueled her ardor and screamed for his conquest. Pain bled into pleasure and it was exactly what she needed. Everything was spiraling out of control, ever cinching, burning, coiling, winding her up with breathless anticipation on the precipice of an explosion.
"Gin...! Gin, I'm gonna-Ahhh!" she began and broke off with a cry of delight.
Her desire sprang free uninhibited and wave upon wave of ecstasy shot through her body and clenched around Gin's cock still inside her. That was the last straw to send him over the edge as well and he groaned, his body stiffening and his semen spilling into her. Oh no…
"Gin, we forgot to-!" she began in a panic, but he leaned down and stifled her protest with a languid kiss.
"It's fine, Sherry," he murmured against her lips. "You'll turn back into a child in probably less than twenty-four hours. Anything that might be conceived tonight won't survive your body's transformation back to prepubescence."
Sherry exhaled with relief and relaxed to bask in the waves of pleasure still rippling through her. "Wow, that was quick, huh?" she said with a warm smile for the green-eyed man still hovering over and inside her.
"It wasn't too rough, was it? I know we generally go slower."
"No, it was fine. I actually kinda enjoyed it," she admitted shyly.
He looked surprised and then gave her a devilish smirk. "Oh? I'll definitely have to remember that," he said and much to her consternation, he was pulling out and sitting back to fix himself up.
"What are you doing? I'm not done yet!" she exclaimed.
Gin saw the stricken look on her face and chuckled, "Oh, I know, Sherry. That was just the teaser for the rest of the night. I wanted to have at least one round with you in the car, but the rest will be back at my apartment. I know how much you love skin-on-skin contact and I will tell you now: I have no intention of stopping until I literally can't move anymore."
Gin climbed back over the seats into the front and Sherry took the opportunity to slap his ass in revenge for earlier. She found her discarded underwear on the floor and shoved them into her bag instead of putting them on. Gin would just take them off again later anyway. "I'm ten years your junior; are you sure you'll be able to keep up with me the whole night?" she taunted as she too moved back to the front.
"Sherry, love, you're going to be sore in places you didn't think were possible, I promise you that, and I'll know I've done my job if you can't walk straight tomorrow morning," he said with that same devilish smirk from earlier on his features.
She would probably end up regretting it in said morning, but right now, it sounded reckless and incredibly hot, and she was already getting aroused just thinking of all the dirty, naughty things they would do to each other once they finally got back to Gin's apartment. She could hardly wait.