A/N: A bit of a transitional chapter.
Disclaimer: All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.
In preparation for their trip to England, Lin and Mai had changed their schedule to align with London time. As such, their flight was in the late afternoon. If all went well, they'd be in London by midnight local time and they'd be able to go straight to bed.
But that fact didn't stop Mai from dozing on the plane. She had initially been excited, but after the first few hours, she was bored out of her mind. At this point, she was struggling to keep her eyes open. After trying for several minutes, she lost the fight and suddenly slumped in her seat, her head lolling forward.
Lin quickly looked in her direction. She hadn't caught herself or moved from that awkward position, so he assumed she was still asleep. It was slightly concerning to him and he lightly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Mai," he said quietly as he gently shook her, "you'll regret it if you sleep like that."
She quickly opened her eyes and sat up straight. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but when she did, she lightly sighed.
"If you would talk to me," she whispered back, "I wouldn't have to sleep."
He shook his head and leaned a little closer.
"There are other people sleeping," he responded in a low voice. "And I don't feel comfortable having a personal conversation around strangers. Just read."
"How can I read what I brought when you're reading that sciencey-junk," she whispered heatedly.
"I don't care if you read manga or romance novels," he assured her. "But if you're that embarrassed, I can give you a sciencey book."
Mai crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back in her seat.
"I'm not interested," she responded, turning her nose up at him.
What she really wanted was for him to talk to her. She didn't think it would bother anyone if they spoke quietly, but he was being stubborn about it.
When she glanced back at him, he was still staring at her with his usual expressionless stare. It was a little frustrating. She didn't like not being able to tell what was on his mind.
"Do you want your book?" he asked.
"Yes," she grumbled.
He leaned down and immediately plucked a book from their carry-on bag. Sitting upright again, he handed it to her.
"Thanks," she mumbled.
~oOo~
Mai managed to read for a few hours, but eventually had to take a break. At that time, Lin finally relented and decided to appease her by letting her excitedly tell him about her book. The way she talked about it made it seem interesting, but he doubted he'd ever read it. He merely enjoyed listening to her talk.
"Sorry," she apologized upon noticing his blank stare, "am I chattering again?"
Lin frowned and quickly shook his head.
"I was just thinking that I like listening to you talk," he answered.
Mai tilted her head to the side.
"Really?" she asked. "I didn't think you liked my idle chatter."
Lin stared at her silently for a few moments before lightly sighing.
"I used that word once and you're still holding it against me," he remarked. "Why can't you let it go?"
"Because it hurt me," she answered.
"I apologized, didn't I?" he responded.
Initially, he hadn't meant that as a question, but now he wasn't exactly sure if he had apologized.
"Nope," Mai replied, confirming his sudden doubt. "And it's a little late to apologize now. This might be difficult for you, but just try to imagine how you might feel if I told you I didn't care what you had to say."
Lin wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he didn't reply. He decided to let the matter drop and turned his attention back to his book. Even so, it kept nagging at his mind. Of course he could understand why she was upset about that, but now he was upset, too. She was acting like he was cold-blooded. Undoubtedly, he would be hurt by the careless words of the person he loved.
He turned his head to look at Mai. She was staring at the seat in front of her, obviously sulking.
"For the record, I just said I like listening to you," he reminded her. "Therefore, please don't arbitrarily imagine me to be some kind of unfeeling automation."
Mai quickly turned to look at him, her mouth falling open in shock. She immediately pulled herself together and shut her mouth, but didn't respond right away. After a moment, she cast her eyes downward.
"...I'm sorry," she mumbled.
Frowning, Lin immediately took ahold of her hand, causing her to look up at him. He knew he was acting overly defensive again.
"Don't apologize when I act like a jerk," he told her. "I shouldn't have said that so harshly."
"That may be so…" she answered, "but I was acting childish."
He gently patted her hand.
"I was, too," he pointed out. "Now, let's just get through this flight without anymore bickering."
"Okay," she agreed.
~oOo~
By the time they made it to London, Mai was exhausted. She felt like she could hardly stand, but she refused to be carried by Lin like a child. At least while they were in public.
"I don't know if I can meet your parents tonight," Mai fretted as they waited for their baggage. She was very tired.
"You don't have to," Lin reassured her. "I made a reservation at a hotel for a few days."
"Really?" she asked as she looked up at him.
He nodded.
"I thought it would give us time to prepare," he admitted. "So they're not expecting us anyway."
"I see," she responded.
Lin nodded once again and, spotting their luggage, went to grab it.
"Let's go," he told her when he came back.
After that, they made their way outside to catch a taxi. Again, Mai lightly dozed on the way to the hotel and, being caught off guard, was carried up to their room by Lin. He had stated that she was, "falling all over the place." She protested somewhat, but was too tired to fight it.
She changed into her nightclothes the moment they got into their hotel room and immediately collapsed onto the bed. She fell asleep at almost the same instant her head hit the pillow.
~oOo~
Early the next morning, Mai slowly awoke to a soft caress along her upper arm. When she sleepily opened her eyes, she was lying on her side next to Lin. He looked slightly lost in thought.
"Is it time to get up?" she mumbled.
Lin's eyes slowly focused on her face and he gently shook his head.
"No, I'm sorry," he quietly apologized. "You can go back to sleep."
Mai breathed in deeply and slowly released the air from her lungs.
"I like waking up to you," she said softly.
Without replying, Lin moved his hand to gently stroke her hair. She wiggled closer to him, pressing her forehead against his chest, and sighed in contentment.
"Please don't let this be a dream," she murmured.
"If it is, I never want to wake up," Lin replied.
Mai was slightly surprised by his response, but she could hardly keep her eyes open and ended up drifting back to sleep.
~oOo~
When Mai next woke up, Lin was sitting up in bed reading. She silently watched him for several minutes before he turned his gaze to her.
"Are you ready to get up now?" he asked.
She nodded once.
"Yes, but I wanted to watch you for a moment longer," she confessed.
Lin tilted his head to one side.
"Why?" he wondered.
Mai quietly laughed. It was a brief affectionate laugh.
"Why were you watching me this morning?" she countered.
"Because…" he began before pausing.
He stopped to contemplate her question. Why did he feel compelled to do that? He couldn't really think of any specific reason. He simply wanted to. Seeing her made him feel content inside.
"Well?" Mai asked.
"Because it makes me happy," he admitted.
"Exactly," she agreed.
Lin stared at her for a moment longer before returning to his book. After another minute, Mai decided it was time to get up and went to the bathroom to wash up.
When she came back, Lin was still reading. She wondered if he had other plans for them or if he was going to read all day. He had done it before, so it wouldn't be a surprise to her. Even so, she didn't want to compete with a book for his attention again.
Having made a decision, she walked over to him and plucked the book from his grasp. She gently set it on the nightstand, then climbed on the bed and straddled his lap. He immediately gave her his full attention. She took note of the way his breathing increased ever so slightly. She could also feel him grow just a little bit aroused. This, in turn, caused her to become slightly aroused herself.
They hadn't had sex yet, but it had been on her mind ever since she started staying with him. Despite this, he hadn't attempted to make a move on her, though she had been waiting for him to, and they hadn't moved much past kissing. Deciding she didn't want to wait any longer, Mai slowly leaned forward until her lips were just beside his ear.
"I want you, Koujo," she whispered.
His breathed hitched at her quiet words and he had to take a deep, steadying breath to calm himself. After a brief pause, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back to put some distance between them. He looked at her intently.
"Mai," he said with a serious tone, "as much as I want to, we can't have sex until after the wedding."
Mai frowned at him.
"Why not?" she questioned, not understanding why it would matter. "We're getting married, so it shouldn't make a difference."
"In our case, it does," he admitted. "You remember how I told you about the purification, right?"
Mai shrugged.
"Sort of," she answered. "—Wait, do you mean we have to be pure in that sense, too!? What if I'm not a virgin?"
"Aren't you?" Lin quickly asked. He didn't think she had been with anyone else, but he didn't really know for sure.
Mai crossed her arms and gave him a challenging look.
"Are you?" she questioned.
"Well… that's not really important," he evaded. "What matters is that it hasn't been recent."
Mai wasn't sure how to interpret that. To her, it seemed like he didn't want to admit he wasn't.
"You had sex with someone else?" she pouted. "I thought I was the only one you wanted."
"You are the only one," he insisted. "But…"
"But?" she pressed for further information.
"I tried once," he confessed, "but I couldn't go through with it. It didn't feel right. I couldn't even…"
He sighed. It was just too embarrassing to remember. He was ashamed that he had even tried with someone that wasn't his bonded.
"If it didn't feel right, why'd you try?" she wondered.
She was genuinely curious about his reason for it and wasn't holding it against him in the least.
"I wanted to have some kind of practical experience in that department," he admitted. "All I had was theoretical knowledge."
Mai looked at him questioningly.
"Theoretical knowledge?" she asked.
Lin nodded absently as he pondered the topic for a moment.
"There are a number of texts on Taoist sexual practices, which are essentially sexual manuals," he explained. "I studied these when I was younger. Basically, they're guidelines for when, where, and how a Taoist may practice sexual activity. By following these, it's believed that one can stay in good health and attain longevity."
"That sounds complicated," Mai responded, to which Lin nodded.
"There are a lot of different rules and beliefs," he agreed, "but I think the main point is to regulate one's energies. You know about ch'i, but there's also jing, a type of sexual energy. For a man, joining with a woman helps to create jing, which can then be converted into ch'i. Although… there's also the belief that it's better for men to conserve semen altogether since it contains the most jing…"
"So… is it better to have sex or not?" she asked in confusion.
"I'd say it's better," he responded honestly. "That's not just my opinion, though. Even outside of Taoism, it's a strong held belief that sex has many health benefits."
"I never considered that," she admitted.
Lin nodded.
"Also," he added, "the texts emphasize that both the man and woman should receive equal amounts of pleasure from a joining. However, the importance of pleasing the woman was diminished in later texts. Regardless, I still think it's very important."
Mai smiled. Of course he would think that.
"I guess that's a win for me," she replied happily.
Lin frowned slightly.
"Except…" he began to say.
Mai tilted her head to one side when he didn't continue.
"Except?" she prompted.
Lin sighed heavily.
"Except, I don't have any practical experience," he said with frustration. "How can I ensure your pleasure is equal?"
Mai smiled fondly at him and gently placed a hand against the side of his face. Now she understood. He was frustrated for her sake.
"Experience doesn't matter," she reassured him. "I don't have experience, either. We'll practice if we have to. Plus, I know how meticulous you are, so I'm not worried."
Lin lightly chuckled.
"Now that you mention it, I am determined to become the best lover," he informed her.
"Is that a promise?" she asked.
Lin wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.
"It is," he agreed before kissing her softly.
Mai sighed happily. She couldn't get enough of him.
"You sure we have to wait?" she murmured against his lips.
Lin gently nodded.
"Positive," he answered and kissed her again.
