The early Winter moon was high in the sky by the time the doctor emerged into the surface, almost crawling, as if the place was completely equal to its namesake. Finally, things had quieted down at the free clinic he ran on his childhood quarter, and he could not help but think that, while he took that job to work less, it seems like he is working more.
Kuroba was almost constantly working, picking up examination results, pills from Yosuga or attending to consultations, stopping to speak to a few of his more assiduous patients to catch up about their families and mutual friends. It was now over twelve hours of labour later and he could finally see the white door to the tiny yellow cottage where they lived together.
As soon as the plaque on the front door turned from "Closed" to "Open" at nine o'clock earlier that morning, men, women and children passed through his clinic for treatment, shots or prescription filling. Kuroba had not had a single minute of rest, being unable to even have lunch, lest of all exchange more than five words with Byakuya when she stopped by on her delivery routes.
It could not be helped. It is hard to fill that position, since it pays much less than the hospital and it has the downside of having to work in an undesirable neighbourhood, and they have been short-handed for months, now. The man of the Black took the job also because there was no-one else willing and he did not want to have the clinic they fought so hard to establish close for staffing issues, but since the night doctor left, he is alone treating all of Yomi.
Yet, while it might be self-absorbed of him, but he is disappointed about the fact that it was starting to eat up on his private time with his girlfriend, and it just cannot stand.
After the whole unpleasantness with Nagusa of the Jade, after he entered in a committed relationship with the Maiden of the White, he made sure the Kotowari, and later his patients in Yomi, that he would not be available after nine in the evening, unless it was truly a life-or-death situation. He told them it was for privacy reasons and to set boundaries, and while that was it partially, it was also so her and him could have some uninterrupted alone time, which, they understood, was providential to the sort of business they were compelled to finish.
In all actuality, though, the man feels a fresh wave of pure dread whenever he hints on remembering what had happened a few months prior. While it happened no penetration, his soulmate was essentially raped, and he did not trust his fellow man not to try it again. So, he preferred to have her where he can see her at all times. Barring that, at least overnight.
Kuroba gingerly opens the front door, appreciating the savoury smell of food in the air, before finally running his eyes over the one-room cottage looking for his girlfriend, finding her sitting on the ground by the firepit.
"Hey, Byakuya." He murmurs, smirking and leaning to press a kiss to her lips.
The woman happily reciprocates it for a few moments until he pulls away, taking her hands in his.
She smiled brightly at him. "Hello, Kuroba. How was work today?"
He looks surprised when he feels how cold her hands are, and looks down at them with a small frown, ignoring her question.
"Your hands are cold." He stated, sternly.
The black-haired man wraps her hands in his, allowing the natural body heat from them to warm up her much colder hands.
"A very astute observation from you, Mr. Scientist." The woman mocks, smiling at his faux offended expression.
He rests a hand over his heart. "I feel like you are teasing me."
Olympia gasps, shaking her head and mocking him by placing her hand over her own heart. "No! I would never!"
"See? There you go again!" He accused, pulling her closer to his chest.
She shakes her head adamantly but she is unable to stop herself from smiling, giving herself away.
"Why you little…" Kuroba growls, face turning from amused to mischievous.
The Maiden of the White squeals, taking off towards the bed and around the small cottage. He chases after her, gaining on her quickly and catching her when he cornered her by the kitchen armoires. He scoops her up, surprised when he feels the lack of heat coming off her arms and midsection.
"Goodness gracious, Byakuya! You are freezing to death." Kuroba turns her around, fixing her in place with his signature disappointed frown. "Why have you not got in bed and wrap yourself on some blankets?"
She avoids eye contact, shrugging. Suddenly the chipped and peeling wallpaper is very fascinating.
"Well, I knew you would arrive late, you were very busy and probably did not eat lunch, so I wanted to wait for fix you some dinner. I am very tired, and if I laid on the bed, then I…"
He scoffs, suddenly lifting his girlfriend up and startling her as he just as quickly drops her on the couch. He pulls the blanket off the back, tossing it at her so it hits her face.
"Hey!" Byakuya exclaims, ripping it off her head.
Kurboa ignores her protest, walking over in five large steps towards the chest on the foot of their bed. He returns just as she has situated the blanket on her lap, and dumps the pile of blankets he had collected next to her.
"Can't take care of your own damn self…" He mutters, more than a little bit angry.
One by one, the doctor lays the blankets over her lap, then climbs onto the couch next to her and slides under them next to her, in half a mind to strip off his shirt and accelerate the heat exchange.
"I should just move you down to Yomi." The man continues to mutter as he pulls her into his lap and snuggles her up under his chin. "That way I can keep an eye on you, and I will know that you are safe."
She chuckles, shaking her head the best she can with the limited space. "I am perfectly safe on the surface, Kuroba. If I need you, I know where I can find you, and if I cannot, I can always reach out to Douma."
He smiles to himself at her confidence in him but continues to chastise her anyways. "You are not safe if you get pneumonia or your fingers fall off… Why are you laughing? This is a serious possibility!"
The woman of the White reaches up, cupping his face with her now much warmer hands and make him look at her.
"Pneumonia would not dare to infect me." Byakuya drops her voice, making the environment much more intimate. "Not when I got you around to take care of me."
Kuroba lets out a sound not unlike a purr and crosses the distance between them to kiss her hard on the mouth, fully enveloping her in his warmth.
"Damn right." He mutters back, tone determined.