Chapter 13 - Perfect storm

Obanai Iguro had been waiting long enough. He was done fooling around. He was done dreaming about the things he wanted without ever taking them. He was starting to feel consumed by the same things that he craved but never took.

When he said things… Well. Things were actually "all things Mitsuri Kanroji related". Yes. He wanted everything and anything that had to do with her. He wanted to know her dreams, her hopes and her desires. He wanted to feel the things that she felt when she looked at him just so. He wanted to take her hand, to feel her burning body against his, to taste the skin of her neck on his tongue.
Obanai wanted a lot of things lately. He wanted freedom, independence from his chains, a healthier life and healthier relationships with the people he cared about as well. But he wanted none of those things like he wanted Mitsuri.

The fact was that he had ridden himself of so much of the weight that had been bearing down on his shoulders and now he couldn't even imagine what had kept him away from her two weeks before. He was done being weak, fearful, restrained, and everything else in between. He knew as well, that Mitsuri wouldn't be waiting forever. She was the most beautiful woman he knew, inside and out, and people tended to notice this kind of things pretty quickly. Some day, some guy - probably taller, bigger, prettier than Obanai could ever be - would sweep her off her feet and take her away from him. He'd lose her if he didn't let her know how he felt - sooner rather than later.

All of these thoughts were going through his head as the people around him were getting up from the floor and couches, ready to leave Sanemi's place. Each of them was saying their goodbyes to the others as they collectively headed for the door. Suddenly, Mitsuri was beside him and he didn't try to resist looking up and down her body. She was wearing another skirt, and he knew that even her thigh-high socks wouldn't keep her warm enough now that night had truly fallen and temperatures kept lowering.

She shivered in anticipation with the cold air hitting her and he caught her arm before she could cross the threshold to Sanemi's house.

"Wait." he told her and she immediately gave him her full attention. "Take this." He said as he put his beanie on her head, not leaving her any opportunity to refuse. It wasn't enough, but it was something.

Her eyes sparkled as she gazed up at him and she smiled as she quietly thanked him.

"That's cute and all," Sanemi burst out from behind them and they both startled out of their shared reverie upon hearing his voice. "But you lovebirds really gotta go before you make the temperature drop to freezing inside of my house!"

Obanai and Mitsuri walked out with a shared chuckle and heard the door banging shut just as soon as they were out of the way. They looked at each other. Her eyes searched his face and she blushed. She was the same girl she had ever been but he still marveled at the sheer aura of beauty she exuded. Her eyes were luminous even in the darkest night, her hair was silky soft even in the harshest weather and her skin burned as hot as the fire that lived inside of his heart - always.

"Can I take you home?" Obanai had to ask, because he wasn't yet ready to say goodbye, because he was greedy and he wanted more of her - all of her, all the damn time. His heart was pumping more blood around her than at any other time of the day and that sure as fuck couldn't be healthy in the long term but Obanai couldn't care any less as long as Mitsuri kept looking at him with her cheeks bright pink and a smile on her face.

"I would love that." She told him and he felt a smile grow on his face as well. She took his hand in hers, "To keep us warm." She justified - not that he'd ever complain or push her away.

With his beanie on her head and their hands interlaced, they walked together into the night.

She talked a little about what she had been doing the past two weeks and asked him about his time as well. The conversation flowed between them as easily as it usually did.. Until Obanai became overwhelmed with the feel of her so close to him.

Everything that had ever transpired between them suddenly rushed to the forefront of his mind. Every small touch, every sigh, every sweet word and intimate moment they had already shared. He would give everything he had just to experience with her more moments like these.

And he'd forever berate himself for chickening out the last time they had the opportunity to kiss.

Now, silence hung over their heads as heavy as the words he had left unsaid. Mitsuri shivered as cold air hit them from all sides and he drew her body deeper into his. It wasn't enough to get her actually warm but they could both share some body heat until they finally reached her place.

Mitsuri didn't shy away from him, in fact she burrowed herself into his side, seeking even more warmth. Obanai would give her all his body heat if only he could. In the meantime, he kept her as close as he physically could and savored their shared proximity.

After that, they kept walking in a silence that was not quite comfortable, but not unbearable either. Obanai had so many things on his mind that he wished he had the guts to say. He feared whatever link they shared would soon be buried under by all the words he'd never dared speak out loud.

And the thought of not feeling Mitsuri's body against his in the near future was nothing but excruciating. He needed her so badly it was painful. That in itself should have made him stand back, if only to protect himself from further harm. But he was done being a coward. He was done fighting against himself and even against her.

Because Mitsuri had opened her arms and her heart to him so many times now. She had cared enough to share with him the deepest hurt from her past. And he had only kept himself at a distance in return.

No more distance. No more waiting around for someone else to free me from my demons. I am my own person, with my own power and ambitions. And I want Mitsuri Kanroji's heart to belong to me.

Well, guess he wasn't done being a selfish bastard after all. With Mitsuri, he wanted it all, always had, always would.

Before long, they found themselves in front of Mitsuri's apartment building. Obanai had only ever been here once before, some months ago on a very different night. And yet he felt like a completely different person now. She had forced him to face his weaknesses and fears with only the power of her eyes and her hands and he couldn't be more grateful if he tried.

They stood in front of another entryway this time and the silence felt heavier than before. Obanai watched her every expression, hoping to see the same desire he had so blatantly disregarded a few weeks before.

Mitsuri gazed up at him too and seemed torn for a few seconds as she obviously tried to come up with something to say. Before long, she squared her shoulders - as if bracing for impact, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Do you want to come inside with me?" She asked but it looked like she was absolutely sure he'd refuse.

Maybe Obanai would have refused in the past. Maybe even yesterday. But this night… It was theirs and he didn't want to ever go home. He wanted to spend it with her, doing just about anything as long as they stayed together.

"Yes," he answered truthfully, "more than anything." He concluded. Even if it meant baring his soul and becoming vulnerable. He wanted her to see that he wasn't going to back away from her ever again.

Mitsuri's eyes seemed to glow from the inside out and he heard her breathing quicken. She was surprised for sure, but she quickly recovered as she took his hand back in hers and fumbled with the keys to the door.

Obanai let her take charge and was too much in a daze to do anything but follow her anyway. His blood rushed to his extremities and back at an unprecedented speed and he felt his insides twisting in nervous excitement.

The door finally opened and they both barreled inside, all thoughts were pushed aside as they let the dry and heated air of the lobby warm them both for a few quiet moments.

Then Mitsuri dragged him to the elevator and pressed the button to call it down, tapping her foot impatiently in the meantime. Their bodies drifted closer again, pulled by an unknown force, their arms were now touching from the top of their shoulders to the tips of their fingers.

The elevator doors slid open and they walked inside in tense silence. Mitsuri pressed the button to her floor and as the doors closed, Obanai watched her take a step in his direction to stand in front of him. Her back hit his chest and heat that had turned into molten lava was now burning up his whole body.

Mitsuri sighed. He watched in wonder as she rested her head back against his collarbone and she closed her eyes.

Obanai didn't remain frozen this time, even as his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest and land on the floor, he felt braver than ever before. He let his hand glide along her body and slide to her front, passing over her covered belly and settling firmly on her hip.

He used the leverage it gave him to pull her even deeper against him. The hand that wasn't holding his lifted and came up to settle at his neck, gripping him tightly to keep her body steady.

They swayed a little, simply letting the other take in the heat and bathing in each other's feel and scent and skin.

Mitsuri hummed in contentment and she started playing with some loose strands of hair at the back of his neck.

Obanai was happy just let her do whatever she wanted with him as long as he could still feel her pressed flush against him like he had imagined so many times before. His hand at her hip felt more natural than anything he had ever touched, like this was where it belonged. Maybe it was. He wanted to believe it so badly it hurt.

All too soon, the elevator doors slid open again and they had to let go of one another. Their hands stayed interlaced the whole time, even as Obanai felt like screaming at the loss of contact between their bodies.

The silence was tenser than before, if that was even possible. It carried the weight of the decision Obanai had to make. But the decision was already taken, in his mind, he knew what he wanted, what he needed to do. He just had to do it.

The light was dim in the hallway leading up to Mitsuri's apartment and no words were exchanged between them as they walked up to her door. Mitsuri didn't tremble as she opened the door to her place, she just guided him in like this was the most natural thing in the world.

Once they were both in, Obanai only waited for Mitsuri to lock her door again before swiftly pushing her against the frame. His decision was taken and now he wanted to act. So he did.

She gasped out his name but never even tried to resist his touch. He was glad for the darkness that covered the entrance to her apartment as it only allowed for the contours of their faces to remain visible..as well as the glow of her eyes, for some mysterious reason.

This was what Obanai had been craving for so long. Mitsuri was pressed up against the flat surface of her door, breathing raggedly, clutching his sweater like a lifeline, eyes wide open and lips deliciously parted. All for him. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, she wanted this, him. She wanted him with the same fervor that he felt.

It was powerful and it was all consuming and it was true.

"Can I kiss you, Mitsuri?" He asked but it came out more like a plea - like he'd die if he didn't have her. Maybe he would, it certainly felt like it right then.

She gasped once more and even in the relative darkness he could see pink tint her cheekbones.

"Yes." She whispered in a rush, like she couldn't believe it, like he'd disappear if she blinked her eyes twice.

"Look only at my eyes, please, Mitsuri." This time he begged, because he still feared deep down that she could push him away once she saw the range of the damage that had been done to his mouth. He had to keep this a secret for just a little while longer.

She nodded with a small sound and pulled him forward, they were almost as close as they had been in the elevator, but this felt more intimate. Because their eyes were locked and their hearts beat in unison and their bodies kept drifting closer and closer.

Obanai's eyes never left hers as he slowly took his mask off, leaving Mitsuri plenty of time to stop him if she changed her mind. She didn't. She kept looking at his eyes and nothing else.

When the mask was finally off and Obanai found half the mind to keep it in his back pocket. Their foreheads touched - Mitsuri's eyes were now closed - they breathed in the other's unguarded presence. Their noses bumped a little and Obanai felt Mitsuri's smile more than he could see it.

They were mere inches from each other now, and even though Obanai felt like standing on the edge of a precipice, there was nowhere left for him to go but take a leap of faith and see what was on the other side.

He jumped.

When Obanai's lips pressed softly against hers, Mitsuri sighed. She was in heaven, for sure. The extent of her thought capacity stopped there however, because his presence so close became all she could breathe, see, feel and touch.

His lips moved ever so gently against hers, sending shivers all over her skin. She kept her eyes closed and just savored him. He tasted as good as he smelled, something dark, potent, something wicked… Something she needed more of.

Mitsuri let her hands travel up his chest and buried them in his hair, pressing him even closer, even when that meant she would be absolutely caged against the door. That didn't matter, she only wanted Obanai, and she wanted him with a ferocious intensity.

A small sound escaped out of him when her fingers caressed his neck before sliding in his soft dark strands. One of his hands kept her in place at her hip and the other cradled her jaw ever so sweetly.

This was the most delicious kiss Mitsuri had ever experienced, and it was more than she could ever have imagined coming from him. Only it wasn't enough. She hungered for Obanai and it went way beyond the feel of his lips on hers. She wanted to feast on him, to bathe in his presence and she wanted him imprinted on her very cells.

Mitsuri mustered the strength to pull back a little and detach her lips from his. He breathed in deeply after that, like he hadn't been taking in enough air. Mitsuri kept her eyes closed, their breaths mingling and her hands secured at the back of his head.

"More." she pleaded before she could chicken out. "Give me more, please Obanai."

"Shit" was his only answer before he took her lips with renewed intensity.

Only this time wasn't like before. This time he ate at her mouth like a starving man, he took and he bit and he licked as if he could never get enough of her.

Yes. Mitsuri couldn't keep the small moan that came out of her. Obanai only interpreted it as a sign to keep doing whatever it was that was driving her mad and desperate for him.

Her lips parted and he swept his tongue inside, brushing softly against hers and fuck! She was so gone - like out of her damn mind kind of gone.

They kissed in reckless abandon, their bodies pressed flush against each other. Obanai's fingers went to the buttons of her coat and slid them open to free her from the weight of it. She let go of his hair just long enough to let the coat slide along her arms and drop unceremoniously to the floor. He removed the beanie from her head to free her hair and let it fall alongside her coat. She couldn't care less about the state of her clothes at that exact moment.

Her fingers immediately went to tangle in his hair again and his hand went to her hip again, this time her skin was one less barrier away.

Obanai kept holding her hip in place until Mitsuri went to hell with it and raised her knee to bring him even deeper into her body. Obanai couldn't resist taking advantage of everything she gave. She felt his hand go from her hip to her bent leg and his fingers travel up and down her thigh, sometimes over her thick sock, other times over her bare skin.

The feel of him was so good that her head started spinning, her heart was hammering, her stomach kept fluttering with each of his strokes and as heat began pooling low in her body.

His lips left hers and traveled over her face, pressing on every visible patch of skin before biting her jaw ever so gently. Mitsuri was fully at Obanai's mercy, there was nothing he couldn't do to her right then - she'd take anything he had to give and she'd try and give back as much as she could in the process.

Nothing had ever felt like this. Like they were standing in a raging inferno, like she'd never breathe again if his lips left her body, like the world was quiet and no one could ever interrupt them as long as they kissed.

Soon they were devouring each other again and Obanai's hand was sliding up and down the back of her thigh. She moaned again at the feel of him and he groaned against her lips. Her hands were practically pulling at his hair, Mitsuri felt all her control slip through her fingers and she couldn't have cared less about anything as long as his hands owned her in this manner.

She couldn't even process how much time had passed ever since they started kissing, seconds turned into hours, her brain had slowed down, unable to register anything other than the sensory overload taking over her body.

All that Mitsuri knew was the taste of Obanai's mouth, the touch of his hands, the sounds they were both making, living in the moment like tomorrow would never come. She'd happily spend the rest of her life in this moment, when nothing existed besides them. It was like every time their eyes clashed and she was sucked into a parallel universe, only ten times more powerful and without any chance of ever escaping.

But her body betrayed her earlier than she thought it would and she found herself gasping for air - she had gone so mad that she couldn't even remember how to breathe. Because of it, she relaxed her hold on his hair and let herself slowly come back down to earth.

Obanai loosened his hold of her leg and she let it fall to the floor as well. But his hand stayed on her body - he slid it under the hem of her pink jumper to let it rest at her waist. It was as if he couldn't bear to lose the contact of her skin, which was all good with her considering she had no intention of losing his touch either.

Mitsuri breathed in deeply, letting oxygen flow freely through her body again, though she was still panting like she'd just ran the Boston marathon.

Before long, she opened her eyes and met Obanai's magnetic gaze. She didn't have to force herself to not look below his nose, his eyes anchored her to him like nothing and no one but him had the power to do so.

Even in the dark, Mitsuri could see that he was properly disheveled. His hair was as wild as ever - which she adored - and his eyes were burning with a fire she knew all too well. He was looking at her like she held his heart and soul in her hands. Maybe I do. She wondered. It would only be fitting considering he has owned me body and soul from the moment we met. And she wouldn't change a thing about that. Especially after the most earth shattering kiss she had ever experienced.

Obanai started to speak but his voice was hoarse, as if left unused for days. Or perhaps it was their kiss that had left him speechless. He cleared his throat a little and tried again.

"Well…" was all he said before shutting up once more.

Mitsuri couldn't control the fit of giggles that overtook her upon seeing him so visibly struggling with his words. She kept her eyes locked to his but wiped away a small tear as the fit started turning into a full blown laugh.

"Mitsuri!" he tried to sound admonishing, she realized, but was doing a poor job of it. She could hear the smile in his tone, could see the small lines at the corner of his eyes deepening.

She kept laughing and he lightly pinched the skin of her side. Mitsuri squealed before she could help it and begged him to stop - she wasn't made to handle tickles well.

"Stop laughing, then!" He accused even as he kept tickling her. She tried her best at resisting the urge to squirm and jump away from his maddening touch but Obanai was keeping her firmly in place with his other hand still cradling her jaw.

Mitsuri did her best to calm down but she knew, deep down, that all the previous tension had receded thanks to their shared laughter. Just as well, they were both more equipped to deal with whatever consequences would arise now that they had definitely crossed a line. And they had crossed it with such fervor, such hunger for the other that there was absolutely no way they could go back to what they were before.

And even when "what they were" had been "friends", there had always been something more. From the moment they met, something had sparked between them and the fire had only bided its time until it could consume them both in a heated frenzy.

Before she could think too much about it, Mitsuri stood on her tiptoes once again and kissed Obanai with all the care and understanding that she could muster, caressing his face all the while. Her fingers didn't discriminate, they caressed the skin of his face whether it was silky smooth or rugged from scars, she loved the feel of him anyway.

His arms encircled her body and he held her close as she hummed in satisfaction against his lips before pulling back and seizing his whole face in her hands.

"Whatever it is that you fear we can lose, it's worth it, Obanai." She declared with passion in her voice. His eyes were stunned as he listened raptly. "You're worth it. Everything about you is worth it to me. I don't want to lose you, and I don't want to lose this either. I hope you've known me long enough to see that this isn't just a kiss, it's more. I want more."

They were nose to nose now, the other's eyes were all they could see, their bodies flushed together, their breaths mixing, the heady aroma of their shared desire thickening the atmosphere. It was everything they had ever wanted and so much more at the same time.

That's the dream. Mitsuri told herself even as she realized that she was actually living the dream.

Obanai was stunned. For a number of reasons. A big number of reasons. They flashed inside of his mind and circled in a loop until he felt like his head was spinning.

Firstly, he had kissed Mitsuri. And it had been… Well. The most extraordinary experience of his life. Like.. The life-forever-altered kind of moment. Or even the ruined-for-everyone-else type of kiss. He had known it would be just so, if it ever happened - but nothing could have prepared him for the real deal.

The kiss had been so intensely filled with the desperation they both felt for the other to touch and possess them like no one else could. And Obanai felt owned alright. Nothing and no one could ever compare to Mitsuri's lips, her hands touching him or her body pliant against his. He would forever pray at the shrine of her lips, hoping she'd let him have a taste of love again.

Because yeah, this kiss had been but a prelude. Something to hold onto until he could find the courage to speak his mind and unravel his heart to let her know that he loved her. Perhaps it would be his biggest challenge yet.

But that had just been from one tiny little chaste kiss shared between two people still uncertain of what the other was ready to give and take.

Obanai was stunned too, at every big and tiny response he managed to elicit out of Mitsuri when he'd kissed her. That was until she had begged him for more. More of this kiss, more of him, more of everything. When he'd complied - all too happily… and hungrily - he hadn't expected the inferno of desire that would overcome them.

His fingers twitched at the memory of the skin of her thigh as she bent her leg at the knee and pulled him flush against her. He wanted more of that. Of her skin so soft and inviting, of her lips devouring and giving as good as she got, of her sighs and her moans that replayed over and over like a melody meant only for his ears.

This kiss had been more than anything he could have ever expected. It annihilated every preconceived thoughts he ever had on the kind of desire he could feel in himself and for others. Because this kiss had burned as hot as the sun, but he knew that it could also catch him on fire at any given moment. Which only made it all the more dangerous.

Lastly, there had been Mitsuri's laugh following his less than eloquent attempt at voicing everything he had been feeling once they'd finally parted.

She had laughed and she hadn't even tried to conceal her mirth, her happiness had bubbled to the surface, too big to keep under wraps. And Obanai loved her all the more for it.

Until she'd gone and rocked his world once again. Touching his mangled face like she didn't mind, pressing her chest to his and letting their hearts beat in a symphony only known to them and kissing his lips like she'd never get enough of his taste.

This was all too much, it was everything. All the things he'd never gotten, had forbidden himself from even dreaming about. All the things that had made him loathe and ridicule himself until he'd get the stupid ideas out of his head.

Only now all his dreams, desires, aspirations and wants were packed in this woman with pink hair, green eyes and soft lips… And she'd given all of her away to him.

Yes. Obanai was stunned at the present that Mitsuri had just presented him with. Herself.

And just as simply, he wanted to take it all. He found himself lost in her eyes again, staring at her as he had done a hundred times before, only there was something different now. Now he was honest. About the things he wanted, the things he needed and the things he craved with his whole being.

"Are you sure?" He couldn't help but ask. Seeking reassurance all while begging for her to never take it back.

"Yes." She whispered against his lips, eyes never straying.

"Yes." He echoed with all the love and all the conviction pouring into his words. "It's more." He confirmed and she let out a small breath, looking almost relieved even as her cheeks kept blushing. "I want more too. I want everything you want to give to me, Mitsuri, and probably even more after that."

Something switched between them and she launched herself at him, her lips crashing against his, her arms coming behind his head and trapping him in her embrace as her body arched against his own. Obanai downright lost his mind as his body went into overdrive, blood rushing at hyperspeed, heating his veins once again. He crushed her against him, forgetting about everything but the feel of the woman he loved giving in to him.

Their teeth bit at each other, their tongues brushed in a dance only known to them, noses bumping and hot puffs of air escaping when they couldn't hold it any longer. This was by far the most sinful experience of Obanai's life and he couldn't get enough. Could never stop, nothing could push him away from her right then.

Mitsuri let out a soft whimper when his hands slid under her jumper to spread over the soft skin of her waist and sides. When he heard it, Obanai deepened the touch and pushed his hands at her back, caressing the skin along the curve of her spine, devouring as much her skin as he did her mouth.

Mitsuri inched her head back only a few seconds to press whisper soft kisses across his face as she quietly begged. "Stay with me tonight."

Obanai's world spinned out of control under his feet once again and his head felt like it would explode at any time. He had never wanted anything as he wanted to stay with Mitsuri and go to bed with her. No matter if they did or didn't do anything in it, he simply wanted her against him.

"Mitsuri… I want to. But I don't know if this is the best idea right now.." he tried to reason and to sound like he meant it when in fact it sounded like the best idea ever - in the deepest crevices of his mind, where only desire and bravery ruled.

"Just to rest." She amended even as red colored her cheeks. "I don't want you to go." She confessed with the smallest voice.

"Alright." He capitulated much faster than he thought he would - but oh, who was he even kidding?

She sighed happily against his lips, clearly comforted by his answer, and burrowed her head in his neck.

"I'm not going anywhere." He spoke and it sounded like a promise.

As his hands kept caressing the skin of her back in gentle motions and her lips pressed softly against his neck, Obanai knew that he would never break that promise.

Author's notes :

Did I just do that? I think I did! Let me know what you think, I beg of you!