SIXTY-EIGHT - Of Bad Wine and Approaching Commerce
5 Days Until The Wedding
Shirayuki was very uneasy that night.
As Obi had been fixing his wet towel to dry after a warm bath, Shirayuki had been sat on the bed quietly. Her hair was dripping due to also partaking in a bath to relieve the stress from earlier that day. Her body was swallowed up by a pink nightgown, but it was a bit shorter than the other nightgowns she owned. It stopped just right below her knees, exposing her firm and smooth calves and feet. She sniffled a bit due to the warmth of the bath clearing up her nostrils.
"Hey." Obi's voice sounded in the quiet room. Shirayuki looked up to meet eyes with the black-haired man. "Are you okay?"
"Mm," Shirayuki hummed with a nod. I was sure to be poisoned just a few hours ago, but I'm fine. "I'm just thinking a bit is all."
"Oh really?" Obi entertained, watching as his lover quickly went distant. He frowned, understanding why she had been acting the way she was. She could have been poisoned and killed if Kiki hadn't been so worried about her whereabouts. He wondered why Kiki had expressed such worry, but like most things; they shouldn't be overthinked. "Okay."
Shirayuki's attention quickly focused on her lover once more as Obi began to remove his shirt. Her cheeks were already visibly pink but it deepend when she watched the shirt peel away from his body. Her eyes dragged along his built torso, looking at each scar he has accumulated over the years. Was it wrong that she found them incredibly attractive? She hoped not.
It was shameful to start thinking such explicit things, considering that they weren't even engaged yet. And she knew fully well that she wasn't really prepared for such a thing to happen just as much as he wasn't. But when she saw Obi's body and felt his heat against hers, her mind couldn't help but drift towards such perverse thoughts.
"Mistress?" Obi glances back at Shirayuki, exposing his entire bare back to her. She snaps her neck and looks away, her cheeks burning hot. She waves her hand in front of her face, both to gesture him away as well as cool herself off. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Y-yeah!" She exclaimed in a stutter, peeking over to look at Obi's front. His abs were so defined and protruding that she had to look away again. "It's just… you're shirtless in front of me and we're both alone here… in my bedroom…"
"I've been shirtless in front of you before though," Obi recalls, slowly walking over to her. "Alone, in your bedroom. Why is it so different now?" His shadow swallowed her whole, his abs just inches from her face. Shirayuki was ready to explode.
"Th-those times were different!" She insisted. "I would be healing your wounds or something along good intentions!"
"So," Obi lowered his voice, bending down to meet eyes with his lover. He brought his hand up to her cheek and moved her head so she would be facing him. His amber orbs took control of hers, causing her to flush up completely. "Why is this so wrong? I'm not in need of curing nor am I stressed in any way."
Shirayuki's fingers played with one another, weaving between each other with her thumbs twiddling. His determined gaze and curious eyes was enough to set Shirayuki's mind off. Obi had been busy scanning her face, trying tediously to understand why she was behaving the way she was. But as he got closer little by little, his chest against her knees, she began biting her lip. That's when Obi figured it out.
"Mistress," Obi began quietly, his cheeks also tinting pink. He brought both of his hands down to her thighs, having Shirayuki look down at his motions. "Are you reacting this way because I removed my shirt?"
He's so blunt! "Just a bit, y-yes…" Shirayuki had been acting a bit diffident, considering how brawly Obi was compared to how simply thin Shirayuki was. She never thought much of it, but she knew she was never a very curvy or figured woman.
"Should I put it back on?" Obi asked kindly, causing Shirayuki's heart to beat faster from his consideration. She shook her head no, her eyes still narrowed down at his hands. Obi smirked right then, entertained by a rare, shy Shirayuki. She had always been the confident one of the two, but tonight she seemed very timid. "Then let's get into bed, yes?"
Shirayuki nods, enjoying his suggestion very much. She gets herself comfortable in the bed while Obi goes to blow out all the candles and ensure their door was locked. Now in the dark, Shirayuki watches as Obi's figure returns towards her and joins her in the bed. Obi rests his head on the pillow while Shirayuki moves herself properly to rest her head on his chest. But as soon as she did, she felt herself get hot from the contact of his skin. She places her arm on his torso the way she usually did, but the tips of her fingers were different altitudes due to his defined abs.
What the both of them didn't expect was Shirayuki mindlessly rubbing along Obi's abs. Obi slightly tensed up at her touch, feeling the way her soft fingers gently rubbed between his abs. She felt how strong they were, making her realize how strong Obi truly was. His skin was warm and soft, which is peculiar compared to how his hands feel. Obi shut his eyes and strained his neck, attempting to control his hormones from his lovers touch.
But it was impossible when Shirayuki was slowly working her way lower. Her fingers danced along the last two abs of the eight on his lower torso, feeling how similar they were to the rest. Though comparatively, they were the smaller ones of the set but she still enjoyed the way they felt below her hand. The tips of her fingers then barely hovered lower, having Obi bite his bottom lip harshly when she began to feel the begins of his v line.
Her thumb rubbed along the upper indent of the beginning of his v line, feeling how they protruded from his lower stomach. She could feel his pelvis and pushed down to feel how tough the resistance was. Shirayuki was oblivious to how much her touching was affecting Obi. The said man was beginning to sweat from all her mindless actions, feeling his hormones get worse and worse.
"You've worked so hard these many years, haven't you Obi?" Shirayuki whispered against his bare chest.
"Mm," Obi confirmed, attempting to level with his body. He really needed himself to calm down. "Still have much to work on now that I have someone I care about this much."
Shirayuki could feel her heart beat faster, but somehow managed to remain unaware of Obi's. His had been dashing faster than a race horse, unsure how Shirayuki hadn't already picked up on it. Her hand was still wandering like it had a mind of its own, and it was slowly destroying Obi's remaining bit of tranquility. She caught herself quickly though when her fingers began feeling the string of hair that followed from his belly button.
"Oh, Obi I-" she quickly removed her hand while finally listening to Obi's quickened heart. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"You're fine, Mistress," Obi calmed her, "don't worry about it." She wanted to believe his words, she did. But her eyes finally assimilated to the dark and she could see the small black tent in the direction her hand was going. "I apologize for not being able to… control myself."
"No no!" Shirayuki exclaimed, removing her weight from his chest to lift herself up with her hands down against the bed. "It's my fault for being so touchy. Naturally I should expect your body to react to me doing that. It's… appropriate."
"Surely but," Obi began, realizing how awkward the topic was, "I assume we'll be waiting until marriage." Shirayuki felt blood surge to her cheeks again. Obi's chin touched his chest as he tried meeting eyes with his lover in the dark.
"That is tradition…" Shirayuki noted quietly, though Obi noticed that she didn't sound full when she pointed out this fact. Her eyes wandered around, clearly in a bit of thought as Obi stared curiously at her. His thoughts, too, were gathering until he widened his eyes and realized. "Obi, do you have a sufficient amount of money to get an engagement ring?"
Obi's eyes dimmed with woe, "unfortunately not, Mistress. At least, not anytime soon." Obi looks away in embarrassment. "I will ask Zen to assign me more tasks in exchange for money so I can propose to you properly." Shirayuki was quick to regret her question when she noticed Obi's aura change. He was uncomfortable and clearly bothered by the fact that he wasn't as rich or wealthy as Zen or Mitsuhide was.
"That isn't what I meant, Obi," Shirayuki quickly tried to explain, placing her weight back on the man's body. Obi looked over at her again, taken aback by her wide emerald eyes. "It doesn't matter to me whether you properly propose to me or not. As long as you want me forever, I don't need a ring to know that we'll be joined eternally."
Obi remained quiet, paralyzed by his lovers warming words. "And…" Shirayuki's voice changed. It was softer and a little higher, not necessarily full but hadn't lacked an immense amount of certainty. "I am willing to wait, if that's what you'd like. But I don't care for tradition much."
"Mistress, don't you say that to me," Obi growled. Shirayuki watched his amber eyes light up in a burning passion as he looked up at her. "I can only hold myself back for so long." Shirayuki scanned his face, his expressing unfaltering from his words.
"What if I don't want you to hold back anymore?" Shirayuki's words were absolutely sensual at this point. The sultry tone in her voice was enough to get Obi's body going again. It didn't help that she began raising her other thigh so she could sit on his lower tummy. Where the hell did all this confidence come from all of a sudden? "What if I needed you to stop holding back?" Why the hell did the Gods make Shirayuki so… sexy?
"I…" Obi's mouth went dry as Shirayuki's hands snaked down to grab Obi's. Using his hands, she lifted up the skirt of her nightgown and allowed his hands to touch her bare thighs. Obi could feel his body get hotter as Shirayuki guided his hands in rubbing her smooth legs. "This is scandalous, you know…"
"Mm?" Shirayuki hummed quietly as she lowered her body to be just inches from Obi's face.
"Master's wedding is in just a few days now," Obi quietly reminded them, "he's waiting for his moment to come with the Princess. And here we are," Obi points out as he gave her thighs a light squeeze, "no rings to our names; completely ready to give everything to one another."
Shirayuki cups Obi's face in her small hands, smiling warmly at the man beneath her, "I've been ready to give you everything since the day you told me you loved me." She brought her lips down to his neck, smirking at the marks she left on it. "The days after," she smoke softly, her hot breath tickling Obi's neck, "I knew that it was you. It was supposed to be you all along."
Obi blinked, "what do you mean, Miss?"
Shirayuki snuggled her face into his neck, relishing in his scent. "You were always by my side through everything. You were always around, following me while I was doing my work. You escorted me to Tanbarun to keep me from going on my own and saved me when I got captured. You even jumped off a tower trying to catch up with me." She giggled at the thought. "Even if you were assigned to do such things… it always felt like you wanted to."
"I always wanted to," Obi quietly began. He decided to sit up, so he guided his hands to Shirayuki's lower back to hold her while he moved. Now sitting up, he watched as Shirayuki wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a wistful stare. "You and Master have shown me a life I never dreamed I could have because it didn't seem possible. And now that I'm here, all I can dream about is you, Shirayuki."
She knew he was coming to learn to say her name more often, but when he did say it during these rare times, Shirayuki could help but melt. She toyed with the hair on the back of his neck, giving gentle tugs and twisting the strands between her fingers. The two locked eyes too intensely right then, with Shirayuki attempting to keep herself from crying. Obi ran his hands to her upper back and pulled her towards him, feeling their foreheads gently connect.
"You captivate me more than any woman I've ever met in my life," Obi starts, closing his eyes as he rubbed his lover's back. "There's no woman like you in this world, Shirayuki, I need you to understand that." Shirayuki guides her hands to hold her lover's face once more, tears collecting in her eyes. "If you speak honestly, then thank God it was me all along. Because now that we're here," Obi slightly dents the tips of his fingers into her back, "I'm not intending on giving you away."
Shirayuki's thumb end up below Obi's chin to push his head up. Without another word, Obi pushes forward and presses his lips against hers. The soft, supple lips of hers were the only ones that could have Obi completely addicted to kissing. He loved the way she focused on his bottom lip, and how she'd slither her sweet tongue into his mouth. She had him in a trance with the way she parted from him to take breaths before smashing her lips back on his.
Shirayuki loved this sort of possessiveness that Obi expressed. The way his hands tightened around her waist and his desperation to keep her lips against his. When they shared moments like this, Obi had treated them as if they were going to be his last. He cherishes every minute he gets with her, and for that, Shirayuki was forever grateful.
Zen had introduced her to her first love, but Obi is her true love.
There was nothing anybody could do to keep her from him. Everything they've been through, since the engagement announcement to Obi's arrest, she was never not with him. And how could Obi even consider another woman when Shirayuki was the best there was? His heart, his mind, his soul- they've all resigned to her. Everything he was and ever will be belongs to her completely, and Obi doesn't think Shirayuki completely understands that.
"Shirayuki," Obi begins upon pulling away from her. They were both breathing against each others' lips, desperate for air but also yearning to touch one another more. Shirayuki's hands grew clammy upon his face, but Obi didn't care. "If that wine is poisoned and you went ill, I wouldn't have thought twice to go up there and kill her."
"Obi!" Shirayuki exclaimed, pinching his cheeks. Obi groaned in pain. "No."
"I know you were uneasy earlier, and this had kept your mind off it but," Obi brought his hands up to toy with her uneven strands of hair. "I can't imagine losing you; not now, not ever."
"You weren't going to lose me," Shirayuki insisted, attempting to look into his eyes through the dark. But they were still shut.
"But what if I did?" Obi asked honestly, his body going stiff from the very thought of Shirayuki's lifeless body.
"Life is too short for 'what ifs,' Obi," Shirayuki countered, having Obi thunk his forehead against hers. "Oi, rude."
"I need you to understand that my life means nothing if you're not here with me," Obi's voice cracked a bit, clearly choked up from emotion. "I had no future in mind for me until you came along. If that damned woman took the world from me by a cup of wine, I swear to you, Shirayuki, she'll be meeting her end very shortly-"
"Hey," Shirayuki softly halted him, bringing her hand up to cover his mouth. He opened his eyes right then, looking into his favorite green eyes. But his tension quickly eased when he saw tears escape the woman's eyes and slide down her plump cheeks. "She will get what's coming to her. I don't want you to go back to who you were before, Obi. I don't want to be the reason why either- that would hurt me terribly."
"Shirayuki," Obi began quietly, his hands beginning to shake, "you are my weakness. If anything were to happen to you, I have no control of my actions moving forward. You're the only thing that matters, my love." Obi rested his head upon her shoulder. "I'm sorry that my words bring tears to your eyes, but they're honest words."
Shirayuki shakes her head in comprehension, allowing her tears to slide down her cheeks. Her hands rubbed all around his neck, cooing and whispering calming nothings upon his head. She realizes that Obi fears nothing else than losing her. He needn't care to revert back to his old ways if he hasn't got her. She's all he has, and she's finally understand that fully. In all reality, he's all she has, too.
"Then I'll be sure never to leave your side," Shirayuki promises, "okay?"
Obi nods, his eyes closing with his body soon resigning to his exhaustion. Shirayuki held the sleepy man, soothing his mind and thoughts with her touch. There will be no purity taking tonight, but Shirayuki's mind was now back on the very thing she was distracted from; the wine.
If the wine is spiked the way it is, that must mean all the bottles in the crates are contaminated as well. And with assumptions as her best bet for predictions, Shirayuki guesses that's all for the wedding. The Princess was willing to have a mass murder on her consciousness and Shirayuki deemed her inhumane. So if that's the case, the young herbalist thinks, I'll be paying a visit to the Prince.