A/N: Yes, the famous trope! Also, I'm on a ROLL with writing Oddissi! Also also, Happy New Year!
The next chapter of "Never Like That" will be out on Saturday/Sunday. Enjoy this spicy fic to tide you over until then! ❤
"How long is this going to take?" Sissi said with her arms crossed, propping herself against the heavy closet door.
The blond boy in front of her waved his hand as he looked around at the messily stacked art supplies that littered the shelves of the small space.
"Oh quit complaining, you came to me, remember."
Looking away with a huff she shook her head, remembering quite well.
While having many boring classes over the years at Kadic Academy, the charcoal drawing class that Sissi Delmas was taking was far from boring. It, however, was also one of her more difficult subjects. Creativity, when it came to colors and fabric, was easy to visualize but the harsh lines and geometric composition of drawing were a little over Sissi's head.
She had enlisted the help of a classmate that she knew would not only help her but was probably her best choice when it came to artistic vision. There was no denying that Odd Della Robbia was one of the most talented artists at their school. He, however, was also the most annoying student who knew just how to crawl under Sissi's skin and pluck at her nerves.
"How hard is it to find the right charcoal?" She said loudly, putting a hand on her temple.
Odd turned around, putting his hands on his hips.
"Hey," he said, "I know it might be difficult for your tiny brain to understand but art is a delicate process. Always trust the process."
Rolling her eyes she looked at her fingernails and ignored him. Odd just turned back around to scan the cluttered closet.
While Odd had agreed to help her, she hadn't realized he would get so technical about what supplies to use and how to use them. He could be lazy at the best of times but he was passionate about his artwork and took pride in creating something worthwhile. While she could admire that about him it was incredibly annoying that he insisted on dragging Sissi to one of the art rooms where he knew the best pack of charcoal could be found.
"There!" He said finally, pointing to the top shelf.
Sissi moved to reach for it but Odd shoved her softly.
"I got it, just give me a sec." he said, trying to scale the corner of the shelf.
He was climbing the lower shelves like they were a ladder and the struggle jarred many of the smaller supplies that weren't in boxes. A few loose markers fell from the shelf and before he could knock down anything further, she grabbed a hold of his shirt and pulled him back. Odd tumbled and almost slipped on the stray markers that had fallen, before roughly stumbling against the open door.
"Oh honestly," Sissi said. "It's far easier for me to reach than you, short stack."
Odd huffed and crossed his arms. "You know, I'm not that much shorter than you anymore."
Sissi moved to stretch her arms above her head and stabled her hips against the shelving in front of her as she stood on the tips of her toes. The pack of charcoal was, of course, on the furthest corner of the top ledge. Even she was having a little difficulty reaching it.
"Sure, you've grown a few inches," she said, pawing her hands around against the surface of the highest shelf. "But that doesn't mean you're not still a shortie."
It was true that Odd had grown in height since his first days at Kadic and while Sissi reached her full height years ago, she still had a few inches on him. They were both wearing platforms but if she had chosen to wear flats that day, he would have probably been as tall as her, if not a little taller.
She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. Odd and Sissi could be considered friends, but it was much more complicated than that. While they had always gone out of their way to annoy each other and even enjoyed the chase of it all, none of it really reached any malice. It was petty and sometimes witty banter that could turn into the occasional flirting from time to time.
Sissi flushed and bit her lip as she stretched to reach for the art supplies. With the length of her body positioned against the shelf, she could practically feel Odd's eyes running along her back. It was almost a given, knowing how their usual back-and-forth teasing had become increasingly flirtatious as their senior year progressed.
After struggling a moment, Sissi finally felt her fingers wrap around the fabric pouch that Odd had been looking for. With a sigh, she wiggled the corner of it free from underneath a large box and turned to find Odd suddenly slamming into her.
"Oww! What the-" she cried out before there was a loud slam and her vision went black, leaving her in the dark with Odd's warm body against her side. Her other senses heightened from lack of sight and the feeling of her friend's skin against hers felt like fire.
Sissi roughly shoved Odd off of her, the packet in her hand smacking him in the head.
"What are you doing, dumb ass?" She said, only a little panicked that they had suddenly been thrown into darkness.
"It's not me." He said, pawing at the handle of the door that Sissi only now realized had closed and was most likely the loud sound she had heard. "The door just slammed shut."
Annoyed, Sissi rolled her eyes. "You weren't watching it?"
Odd raddled the handle with effort and real panic began to creep into Sissi's chest when she realized the school closet doors, especially supply closets, were set to automatically lock once opened.
Swallowing her fear, she grabbed Odd's shoulder and shoved him aside. He didn't move far in the small confined space.
"Oh get out of the way, weakling." She said with a frown before gripping the handle with all her might and twisting it to the side.
Having the same result as her companion, the door remained locked and the handle unmoved.
"Shit." She said quietly.
"Um," Odd said a little meekly, "is there a keyhole from the inside? I still have the keys."
She heard him fish the keys from his pocket and jingle them in his hand. Feeling the front of the handle with her free hand, all she could find was a smooth surface.
"Nope." She said with a sigh. "What were you even doing, you were supposed to be holding the door open."
"I was," he hesitated and she could practically hear the smile in his tone. "I was thinking about something else."
Odd moved to paw a hand against the wall near the door, looking for a light switch.
The idea that she had the power to distract him enough to forget the heavy door he had been standing by was more than flattering but the idiocy of their situation ruled over her flustered feelings.
"Like my ass in these jeans?" She said with a huff, leaning her back against the door and crossing her arms.
The light in the small space flickered on and she was suddenly aware just how little space they had to themselves. Odd's face was flush, his arm against the wall beside her shoulder, as he looked up at Sissi.
Pulling away sharply, Odd frowned.
"Who's the one who needed help on a drawing assignment?" he said, trying to distance himself but finding his back hitting the shelf behind him. "The easiest classwork ever."
Sissi flushed in embarrassment.
"It's not as easy as you make it out to be. And you're changing the subject." Sissi pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You're the one who got us stuck in here, idiot."
"It wasn't me that stepped away from the door."
Sissi growled.
"As if you would have been able to get this stupid drawing kit down by yourself." She said, throwing the canvas packet against his chest. "Plus, it was your job to make sure the door didn't shut once I moved."
Odd caught the drawing kit in his hands, annoyingly, and tossed it to the ground. "I was doing fine! You shouldn't have moved in the first place!"
"Augh!" Sissi shouted in frustration. "You are impossible."
"The feeling is mutual." Odd said, pulling out his phone from his pocket.
She assumed he was contacting one of his friends and as he put the phone up to his ear she thanked the universe that at least he had the common sense to call someone for help.
Odd talked to them for a moment, letting them know the situation he was in. Sissi noted that he neglected to mention how they had gotten stuck or who he was stuck in the closet with, in the first place.
Looking over at Sissi, Odd faltered a bit. "I'm in uh-" he put a hand over the phone and leaned toward her. "What room are we in?"
Sissi rolled her eyes but answered. "In room 25B, dork."
"25B!" He said more confidently. "Yeah, it's the one near the south vending machines."
The person on the other line asked him another question and his face scrunched up in concentration. Sissi had to look away from the adorable expression.
"Uhhh" he faltered. "I'm not sure, it's-" Odd leaned over toward Sissi again. "Who's the teacher that uses this room?"
"Oh honestly, Odd!" Sissi said with a groan, snatching the phone from his fingers. "Can you do anything right?!"
"Hey, it's my friends that are gonna get us out of here." He said frowning.
Sissi ignored him and put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"Sissi?" Aelita, one of Odd's close friends, said on the other end.
"Yes. Sissi. Who else does the universe hate enough to lock them in a room with Odd?"
Aelita laughed at her expense. "Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something."
Sissi flushed. "Yeah, well I'm telling it and you to go to hell."
"No need to get cranky." Aelita said but she could tell there was still a smile in her voice after hearing the harsh denial. "Where are you guys?"
"We're in Mrs. Schulz's classroom, 25B in the south building. Second floor. End of the hall on the right."
"Great, thanks Sissi." Aelita said. "We'll try to find Mrs. Schulz and get the keys from her. We'll be there as soon as possible." And, in an afterthought, Aelita added, still with a smile in her voice, "Don't kill each other."
Sighing with a little relief, Sissi rolled her eyes. "Don't hold your breath."
Ending the phone call, she handed the device back to Odd and leaned more heavily against the door.
Odd's friends were tried and true when it came to loyalty and she secretly thanked the closeness they shared with one another. While not really as close as they seemed to be with each other, Sissi could comfortably say they were her friends as well.
Years ago, Sissi had been obsessed with her childhood crush, Ulrich, and his close-knit group of friends. This included Odd, who always gave her the attention she craved from them but only seemed to funnel it all into snide remarks and caddy comments. It was better than being ignored and Sissi put all of her energy into obsessing over their group, to the point where she went out of her way to include herself anytime and any way she could.
They were an incredibly intimate unit and she felt a little jealous that she had never been able to achieve that with anyone before.
Sissi had viewed them and Ulrich in a sort of idealistic but negative light for so long that when they suddenly began to include her in their conversations, she had sort of shut down. She dropped the snide comments and tentatively accepted their strange friendship.
After really becoming friends with Ulrich, she found the romantic obsession she had fixated on had been nothing but an idealistic fantasy. She never stopped admiring him but her deep-rooted love for him began to fade as quickly as her friendship with the others grew.
Plus, around the time Sissi had started to bond with her new friends, Ulrich began dating Yumi, her former rival. That had been a hard pill to swallow.
Once her fantasy for her childhood crush started to fade, she began to notice the vast amount of attention she received from his best friend.
Looking over at Odd, she flushed.
Sissi moved to sit down on the dirty floor, unable to really do much else in the small space. Odd soon followed, their legs knocking against each other.
"Get your scrawny little legs out of my space!" Sissi said, kicking at his shins.
Odd flushed at the comment and wriggled his legs, straightening them so that they kicked her thighs.
"You know I'm not scrawny I-"
"I'm svelte~" she mocked in the closest tone she could come to Odd's voice.
Sissi smiled when she saw Odd roll his eyes.
After becoming somewhat friends, Sissi found it easier to embarrass her old sparring partner and not have it thrown back in her face. It was a comfortable normal that she was going to miss after graduation.
They were seniors and had been friends for nearly 4 years but Sissi practically knew nothing about what Odd had planned after school and the idea that she would never find out, that she might never see him when they all went off to college felt more than a little terrifying.
Aelita and her einstein boyfriend were planning on attending the same school together, somewhere in the United States, which meant Sissi wasn't likely to see her close pink-haired friend often. She knew that Ulrich and his girlfriend were planning to move to Japan to live with some of Yumi's family while going to separate universities there.
However, she hadn't figured out what Odd's schooling plans were. His grades hadn't always been the best but his skill in art should have at least had him thinking about school choices. Yet, he hadn't told her anything.
Sissi cleared her throat awkwardly.
"So," she said, trying to make idle conversation but truly wanting to know more about what he would be doing once they left Kadic. "Have you picked any schools for after graduation?"
Odd looked a little surprised but shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, there are a couple of art schools my parents want me to go to," he said, picking at the dirt on the floor. "But I don't really like any of them."
Sissi nodded, taking in the information.
"So, are you going to stay in France?"
Odd looked up at her for a moment and shrugged again.
"Maybe." he said, "I might go back home."
The thought of Odd living in a completely different country left a sour taste in Sissi's mouth.
"Oh?" She said, a little more than uncomfortable. "Your family lives in Italy, right?"
"Most of them, yeah, but not my parents." Odd shook his head and smiled at her. "Anyway, what are you planning to do? I don't think you've told me."
Sissi flushed. "Oh, well, I don't really know either. My dad has a few schools picked out for me, one of them is in Paris, which I would love to go to since it's not far from my dad but," she clasped her fingers in front of her awkwardly. "I'd like to travel too."
Odd's eyes seemed to light up at this.
"Yeah?" He said, leaning an elbow on his knee, which he had propped up against the wall.
Sissi blushed at the attention. "All I've known is Kadic, really. It would just be nice to see more of the world."
Odd hummed in agreement. "Having to do more school sounds a little boring. I think traveling would be fun."
Sissi smiled at that. "School never really was your thing, huh?"
"No, guess not." He said. Then he laughed, a lighthearted flutter that made heat pool in Sissi's cheeks. "The only thing school was good for was making friends."
Sissi nodded. "Yeah, I mean, everyone is moving away but we all practically grew up together. It's a different kind of atmosphere, you know?"
Talk about leaving Kadic had become increasingly upsetting and the bittersweetness of it all had Sissi choking on her words. Sissi treasured her found friendship with her relatively new friends. And it wasn't only them that she was going to miss after leaving.
Looking across from her, Sissi wondered what would happen if she told him how much he meant to her. How much she wanted to just stay at Kadic forever with him and his friends. They may have liked to bicker with one another but it was exactly that, that she was going to miss.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely the best anyone could find," he said with a smirk, "But I don't think I'll be able to find any better friends than the ones I found here."
Wanting to deflect from the cold idea of missing everyone she had grown to know, including the boy in front of her, Sissi ached to change the subject to something much lighter.
"Besides friends," Sissi said with a smile, trying to think of something better than their current topic. "I think I'm going to miss having a room to myself the most!"
Odd still had a crooked smile as he looked at her and tilted his head against his fist as he spoke. "You know, I think I'm going to miss you the most after graduation."
Sissi felt her heart stutter in her chest with his soft words.
"I mean," he said with a little breathless laugh. "College is going to be so boring without you."
Confined in such a small space, Sissi couldn't miss the lovely flush that crossed Odd's face. Her heart was slamming in her chest as he looked at her.
"You must be a masochist." She muttered, knowing full well their relationship hadn't been hostile in years.
While Sissi continued to bicker with Odd over the years and he could be incredibly annoying and knew exactly how to get on her last nerve, he was sweet when he wanted to be and she could see that he cared deeply about his friends, including his dog. Which she found not only admirable but adorable.
Odd could be caddy and rude to her at times but, in general, he was incredibly flirty. It flustered Sissi that she hadn't realized earlier how flirtatious he had always been.
Behind his crass words, he would flatter her. When they would wait for class to begin, he would go out of his way to talk to her. He had even called her beautiful a time or two and Sissi had never forgotten the flush of heat whenever he would turn and wink at her.
However, Odd also had a reputation at their school as a ladies' man. Sissi was almost certain he had charmed many guys on top of that. The idea that the flattering words he aimed toward her were nothing more than empty compliments left a hollow feeling in her chest.
"Like what you see?" Odd said, shaking her from her thoughts.
It was then that she realized she had been staring at him. Sissi blushed furiously.
"I'd like to see the underside of my eyelids." She said, rolling her eyes dramatically and turning her head away. "I bet you tell all the girls that college will be boring without them."
"Only the cute ones." Odd said and when she turned to look at him he winked.
Sissi couldn't stop her cheeks from heating up and she wished the dim light of the closet hadn't been turned on.
"What girl ISN'T cute to you, Della Robbia." Sissi said, a little defensively.
Odd shrugged. "Fair point, but I think you're to blame for my high standards when it comes to beauty."
"Oh?" Sissi said cautiously and a little bit curious.
"Yeah, I mean," Odd said, straightening up and leaning against the shelf behind him. "I remember my first day of school. I saw you in class and ever since then no one has even come CLOSE in-" Odd choked on his words as they made eye contact and Sissi saw the moment he realized just what he was admitting to. "In comparison." he finished.
With her face as red as it possibly could be, she couldn't help but smile softly. Odd flushed slightly and turned his head to look down at his shoes.
"Well," Sissi said after a moment. "I guess in this case, I've got to agree that you've got refined taste."
Still blushing, Odd smirked and leaned forward with an eyebrow raised.
"Although," he said. "I haven't had a taste yet."
Sissi kicked him in his shins out of reflex and swallowed the lump in her throat.
"And I'm afraid you never will." She said, crossing her arms.
Odd just laughed. "You walked right into that one, Sissi dear."
"I'd like to walk right out of this closet, where are your stupid friends anyway?"
Odd pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked for any messages.
"They haven't said they're on the way yet. How long did they say they'd be?"
Sissi shook her head. "They didn't. They have to find the teacher first."
Sighing she laid her head back against the door.
It was quiet for a moment but she knew Odd had never been the type to sit in silence. He couldn't help but speak whatever was on his mind.
"You know," he said slowly, "I've gone all these years and kissed all of the girls in our grade… except for one."
Sissi knew quite well what he was talking about. It was something that clawed at the back of her mind every time she saw him with his girlfriend of the month or even when he was chatting up some unsuspecting new girl. She couldn't help but notice when his attention was on anyone other than herself or the fact that he had made a point to put his lips on anyone but her.
"Your cousin doesn't count." She choked out with a frown.
Odd let out a small laugh, it was light and way too adorable for the situation they were in.
"No, I mean you."
Flushing all the way down her chest and across her shoulders, Sissi clutched a hand over her beating heart. Abruptly she stood up, feeling like the room was getting smaller by the second, and knew if she didn't move somehow, her heart would slam right out of her chest.
"Well, I don't want to be a statistic."
She had stood so quickly and practically panicked, definitely not swooned, at the idea of Odd pressing his lips against hers that she hadn't really paid attention to the confined space they were in. In her haste to stand her elbow just barely missed his head and hit one of the shelves instead.
"Wha-Damn!" Odd said loudly, moving to stand as well. "Watch out, ginormica, you almost knocked me out!"
"I'm not a giant, you're just a puny little shrimp." She said, frowning down at him. "I bet everything seems big to you."
Odd couldn't help but smile and leaned his shoulder against hers slightly, lifting an eyebrow.
"I've never had any complaints."
Apparently not finished turning red, Sissi felt her entire body flush.
"Ugh, you're disgusting Odd. I'm gonna barf." She crossed her arms and shoved him away with her shoulder. "If you think slotting me into some statistic in your conquest is romantic then I truly don't know how you were able to schmooze your way through every girl in our grade level."
It wasn't like she didn't want to kiss him. Sissi had wanted to know what kissing Odd was like since the beginning of her fascination with him after her crush on Ulrich had faded.
But changing the flirtatious teasing and insults to something real was terrifying. Banter was comfortable and it didn't involve heartbreak. If they moved their relationship a step further she wasn't sure if she would come out unscathed.
Sissi had dated several boys over the years, most of which had been bland and uninteresting but a couple in particular had been a little short of heartbreaking. Plus, she had pinned over a boy who constantly ignored her advances and actively went out of his way to avoid her.
Her choice of guys hadn't really played out in her favor over the years so she was rightfully tepid about furthering an already complex relationship.
There was also the nagging feeling that Odd might simply be flirtatious for flirtatious sake and not be as serious about dating as she was.
Sissi's grip on her chest tightened.
"I'm not- Sissi." Odd looked down at his feet, trying to find the right words. He sighed. "I'm not gonna do anything. I wouldn't- I'm not that kind of guy to try and force a kiss from someone."
Sissi blinked, a little confused. She hadn't suggested she was worried about being taken advantage of, not in that way. She just didn't want it to be a one-time kiss and have him become bored with her like he did with all of his other relationships.
"I may have a reputation around campus," he said, "but they've all consented to every kiss I gave."
While Odd had gotten the wrong idea about why she had become so defensive, she could see that he was genuinely worried that he had offended her or made her upset in some way. He looked as if Sissi's opinion of him actually mattered.
Odd had always been incredibly kind to his friends and cared about them so deeply, that she was surprised to see how flippant he could be in other relationships. And while she was considered his friend, she didn't know if turning that into something more would completely ruin the small friendship they shared.
However, Odd was genuinely a decent person and if they kissed, if they ended up in a relationship that didn't last, even if the thought of it made Sissi's chest tighten, she knew he wouldn't simply throw away their friendship afterward. They weren't the closest of friends but they were friends, and she knew how much friendship meant to him.
Sissi realized that she trusted him.
Taking a deep breath, Sissi straightened up to her full height, dropping her arms to her side.
"If you can promise it's not just a checkmark on your list," she said slowly, "then maybe we could find out together if you're as good as you say you are."
"Huh?" Odd said, turning his head so quickly that she heard it crack. His eyes were wide with confusion.
Biting her lip to stifle a smile from forming, Sissi looked down at her feet for a moment before looking back up at him under her lashes.
"I think it'd be a waste to leave it up to speculation as to what kind of kisser you are."
Odd was silent for a moment, a blush on his face, before he let out a breathless laugh.
"You're kidding."
With his words, all the heat drained from her face and pooled in her chest. Sissi's heart slammed into her throat and she felt like if the floor would suddenly open up and swallow her, never to be seen again, it would be the nicest thing the universe had ever done for her.
"I- I'm not, actually!" she said harshly, embarrassment choking her words. "I didn't know the reason you kissed everyone BUT me, was because you thought of me as some joke!"
Sissi folded into herself, turned away from him, and leaned against the cold door.
"No- Sissi," Odd said, grabbing for her hands. He missed and clutched her wrists instead as if she would have been able to run away. "Yeah, I want- But I just- I didn't-"
Odd floundered for a moment but she could barely hear him over the thundering pulse in her ears. His soft hands against her wrists were like fire on her skin.
"You're just- I didn't know that- if I had known, I would have-"
Swallowing over her embarrassment Sissi frowned.
"Spit it out!" she said impatiently, feeling a small bubble of hope rise in her chest with his hesitant words.
"I'm trying!" Odd choked, "It's not easy telling someone who probably hates your guts that you actually want to kiss them! That you've wanted to kiss them for-" he caught himself on his last words, "for a long time."
Sissi looked down at him with wide eyes. Odd looked back, just as shocked at his impromptu confession.
"Uhm," he faltered, his cheeks glowing despite the dim lighting of the closet.
"I don't hate you." Sissi said, finding her voice. "You've got to know that, I mean, we're friends, right?"
Odd nodded silently and Sissi continued.
"I kind of, well" she swallowed, her entire body feeling numb all the way down to their touching skin. "I opposite-of-hate you, really."
Slowly, Odd smiled so wide that his teeth showed. He began tugging on her wrists softly and pulled her impossibly close in the confines of the impossibly small room. Sissi let him and didn't stop him when her arms ended up linked around his shoulders while his hands landed on her waist. His eyes were half closed as he smiled up at her.
"I opposite-of-hate you, too."
There was a fluttering in her chest and she couldn't help but tumble over her words.
"I mean, it's not like I haven't thought about- about it." she said, her words sticking in her throat.
His body was like a hot fire against her skin and it was hard to concentrate on anything other than the sensation of Odd pressed against her.
"Yeah?" he said, a genuine smile on his face. "I'll admit, I've definitely thought about it."
Sissi's eyes widened and she cursed herself at how much of an effect he had on her. She felt like her breath had been stolen from her chest and he hadn't even kissed her yet.
"Interesting." was all she said as Odd moved his hands from her hips to her cheeks.
Sissi was sure he could feel her skin burning underneath his palms as he slid them along her face and down her neck.
It was annoying how stupidly talented he was at making her swoon. She felt like she was in one of the many romance novels she liked to read on the weekends. His talent surely came from experience and while that irritated her in the back of her mind, all she could focus on was the fact that he was leaning upward, pulling her toward him.
Sissi closed her eyes in anticipation but after a moment, when she didn't feel soft lips against her, her eyes fluttered open to see Odd's miss-matched ones staring back at her. Before her mind could tailspin into worry, he whispered.
"Are you sure?"
Practically melting at both his sincerity and the hesitant soft look in his eyes, a look that meant he truly respected her boundaries and was waiting on confirmation that she was willing to take that next step, Sissi sighed in exasperation.
Sissi could practically feel herself falling head over heels for his charm.
In annoyance, she said, "Would you just kiss me, already-"
Suddenly their lips met and it was like a flowering of heat spreading from their touching lips and across her entire body.
Even though Sissi had known it was coming, she felt like she had been struck in the chest by an unseen force. There was a sharp intake of breath and her eyes slipped shut as she clutched to his shoulders, pressing into him for balance, thankful that he held her securely, for her knees felt weak and she didn't know how long they would last.
Odd practically climbed his way up her body, clutching desperately at her neck and leaning so firmly against her that she felt her back hit the door of the closet behind her.
They broke away for a moment, both breathing heavily. Their eyes were wide as they stared at one another.
Sissi couldn't take separation from his mouth so she spoke as her chest heaved for air.
"I don't think you properly showed me," she said, breathing heavily, "what The Cassanova of Kadic is capable of."
She smiled at the flush on his face and the plumpness of his thoroughly kissed lips.
"Oh," he said after a breath. "My bad, let me give you a real demonstration."
Sissi met him halfway and their lips were again pressed firmly against one another. She sighed at the feeling, never before having been kissed so deeply.
Kissing Odd was incomparable to anything she had imagined it would be. He was warm and soft and so compliant when she tilted her head slightly to get a better angle.
Odd made a mewling sound in response. The sound surprised her. It was just so unexpectedly cute. He sounded genuinely passionate, which made the moment that much more thrilling. She had never heard him make a sound like that before. It made her want to hear it again, curious as to any other sounds he could make.
While Sissi wasn't quite as experienced as Odd when it came to kissing, she knew a few tricks. Plus, her innate passion for romance had her very well-versed in the sappiest of romcoms. There was one thing she had always wanted to try but never had anyone kiss her long enough for her to actually do it.
Slowly she moved her lips against Odd's, which were closed at the moment, before opening them enough to suck the bottom lip of the unexpecting boy. Odd gasped so loudly, that he almost choked on air. His hands tightened around her neck as she dragged her teeth into the soft flesh.
The sound that came out of his throat was unimaginably thrilling, giving her goosebumps on her skin while simultaneously prickling with heat.
Sissi let his lip go as she gasped herself, almost overwhelmed by the sensation.
"Fucking hell, Sissi." He said loudly, his eyes unfocused. "Where in god's name did you learn to do that?"
Sissi smiled at him, the picture of pure innocence as she pushed her hair behind her ear.
"You think you're the only one who knows what they're doing?"
Odd smirked and bit his tender lip. "Maybe YOU should be the one to show me."
"Only if you promise me the same."
"Oh gladly, mia bella." he said, stroking her hair fondly.
Pleasantly surprised by the Italian words and the look on his face, Sissi couldn't help a soft and dreamy sigh from escaping her lips.
Odd wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her down as he stood on his tiptoes. He pulled them against the shelf behind him and the movement made Sissi's hair fall and hang like a curtain, covering their faces.
His other hand traveled down to her hip, grabbing at the flesh through her jeans.
Sissi let her leg slip up and around his waist, his hand sliding down to her thigh to support her against him. Her arm was around his shoulder and the other held the back of his head.
"Much more comfortable." He mumbled.
Pulling her close and pressing himself against her, Odd had effectively pinned himself against the shelf with her body. Sissi let out a small gasp at the sensation of his hips thrusting against hers.
Odd broke the kiss to smile at her.
"Maybe I'm not as small as you thought." he said, licking his lips.
Sissi flushed violently and gripped her fingers into Odd's gelled hair.
"Shut up, Odd" she mumbled into his lips.
It came out more like a whine and Odd thrusted against her again with a broken moan and a smile.
Despite the fear she had felt before, it felt incredibly freeing to finally push through all the sexual tension of flirting they had built up over the years. It was like a floodgate had opened and all they could focus on was the searing hot friction between their bodies.
Somehow Sissi's hand had traveled to his hip, slipping under his shirt. She felt the warm flushed skin of Odd's waist and heard him sigh at the feeling. She smiled against his lips and dragged her nails across the bare skin of his back. Odd made a strangled sound and hungrily bit her lip in return.
Odd's mouth then traveled down her jaw, pressing firmly into her neck.
"Mmm, I've always wondered what the skin of Sissi Delmas tasted like." He mumbled into her flush skin.
Sissi gasped as she felt a warm wet sensation run along her neck, dragging up to her ear. She shivered in his hands. Odd then held one hand on the other side of her neck and spoke softly in her ear.
"God Sissi," he said in awe. "I feel like I'm in a dream."
Sissi held back a whine, her senses so incredibly overwhelmed that she wondered why they had waited so long to do this in the first place. It was the most sensual thing she had ever heard and certainly unlike anything that had been said to her in the past.
"Have you been wanting this as long as I have?" He said softly.
Slowly, he kissed her ear and Sissi leaned her head back, giving him better access. She could hardly breathe.
"O-Odd," she tried to speak.
He continued to kiss her neck, pinching at the skin with his lips. He moved his lips down to her clavicle, hooking a finger in the collar of her shirt to move it aside and run his tongue along the bone.
"If this is a dream," he said, breathing in the sweet scent of her body lotion. "I'm gonna be so mad if I suddenly wake up from this."
"What-" She managed to say, the vibration of her voice reverberating on his lips. "This isn't a nightmare for you?"
Odd pulled back and ran his fingers through her hair with an unfocused smile, his other hand still on her raised thigh.
"Nothing this beautiful could be a nightmare." he said with the most sincerity she had ever heard in his voice.
Sissi had to hold back a whimper as she pulled him forward by the neck into a rough kiss.
"Jesus, Odd." She said through her kisses, pulling at his lip again. "Have you always been this charming?"
Odd pulled back and his flushed face darkened but he smiled.
"Took you forever to notice." he said.
Sissi placed her fingers on his thoroughly kissed lips and ran her nails across them. "Guess we were too busy competing to see who could upstage the other."
Odd let her look at him for a moment before placing his hand above her chest, right above her beating heart.
"Glad we could come to an agreement." He said as his lips quirked into a smile.
Sissi smiled back, leaning in to kiss him again.
"Very glad." she breathed.
Odd wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her flush against him again. Sissi gasped and tangled her hands in his hair.
Slowly, gently, she opened her mouth to press her tongue against his lips. Odd readily accepted it, opening his mouth to her and pressing back with his own tongue. Sissi laid the flat surface of her tongue against his and opened her mouth wider, enjoying the flavor and sensation of having Odd French kiss her.
Odd must have enjoyed it just as much because he moaned into her mouth. It was like an epic battle, seeing who could make the other squirm more, and was something she had only ever dreamed about. Not once had any of her partners been this eager to kiss her.
They noisily fought for dominance, enjoying the game while they pulled at each other's clothes and hair. They were so caught up in their fantasy that they failed to hear the scratching of a key in the lock of the closed door behind them and it wasn't until there was a sudden bright light streaming in on them that they broke apart.
There was the sound of outraged shouting as Sissi turned to find their friends standing in the open door of the closet.
"Oh god, are you serious?" Jeremie said, almost sounding exasperated.
Ulrich held up a hand over his eyes. "Dude, what the hell?"
"What's going on?" she heard Aelita say before she saw both her and Yumi peek around the frame of the door, curious as to their outburst.
They were both panting heavily, Odd's arm still around her neck and Sissi's fingers in his hair.
Odd startled in her arms and it was then that the momentary shock dissolved into embarrassment. Sissi threw her tangled leg off of him and pressed herself against the side of the wall, trying and failing to distance herself from the guy she had been kissing.
It wasn't that she was embarrassed to be seen kissing Odd, it was more of the position and the clear lack of space between their bodies that had her flustered. It wasn't hard to figure out that the group of friends in front of them knew exactly what had been going on.
Odd spoke up first, his voice still a little rough from having Sissi's tongue down his throat.
"What the fuck guys?" He said, his hand moving to hold onto Sissi's wrist. "This isn't a dinner and a show."
"What the fuck us?" Ulrich said, removing his hand from his face to throw it towards the flushed pair. "What the fuck you! What are you even doing?"
"I thought it was clear I was doing Sissi." Odd said with an all too satisfied smile as he turned to look at her.
"Odd!" Sissi said, indignantly. She moved to slap him in the head with her free hand, the other still being held by the boy beside her. "Not anymore, you're not."
His response wasn't surprising, it was Odd they were talking about here, but it was still humiliating to be found in such a situation and he didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed.
"Thanks for finding us, guys." Odd said, moving to wrap his arm around her waist again. "But you know, you could just prop the door open and we can get back to what we were doing, right bella?"
He physically moved to slide the drawing kit, that had been long forgotten on the floor, with his foot between the frame of the door.
"We'll just put that there and-"
Sissi shoved herself away from him, flushing wildly.
"Get off me, you dork." She said harshly. She ignored the staring from the others and moved to step out of the small closet space.
Odd put his hands up in defense and moved to straighten his rumpled clothes before following Sissi.
"Took you guys long enough to find us." She said, crossing her arms.
They all began to head out of the classroom, moving in a small group down the hallway, and as the others walked beside her she heard Jeremie laugh.
"Yeah, apparently so long we entered an alternate dimension." The brain of the group said with a smile.
Yumi turned to Aelita, trying and failing to stifle a smile. "At least they didn't kill each other."
Aelita laughed, not bothering to hide the humor she found in the situation, and smiled at Sissi.
"We had a little trouble finding Mrs. Shultz." She said, "By the time we had found her, I had forgotten the exact room number you told me."
"Why didn't you call?" Odd said, moving to walk close to Sissi, closer than was really necessary but the heat that radiated from him was enough to make her feel too dizzy to object.
Aelita shrugged. "We did."
It was Ulrich's turn to laugh. "Someone was too busy playing '7 Minutes In Heaven' to answer their phone."
Odd shoved his friend in the shoulder with a crooked smile.
"Hey," he said, defensively. "It's not like I haven't walked in on you and Yumi doing essentially-"
The rest of Odd's sentence was stifled by a smack to the head. He stumbled against Sissi and held his hand up to cover the offending injury.
"Don't even go there, Odd." Ulrich warned.
Odd laughed. "Not my fault you don't know how to lock a door."
Ulrich just rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, see how well it worked out for you?"
Odd blushed but looked up at Sissi beside him.
"It sure did." he muttered to himself.
Blushing from the attention, Sissi looked away.
She had always been uncertain if their game of cat and mouse was really feelings they both masked to hide something a little deeper than shallow insults or if he truly just liked to get a rise out of her for a laugh, not because he wanted her attention. She certainly wanted his attention.
Sissi needed to know how he felt about her. Odd obviously was attracted to her and their personalities blended well, even through their bickering. But being attracted to one another and willing to form a meaningful relationship were two completely different things.
Odd noticed when Sissi began lingering back a bit from the group and he slowed his pace to let her catch up to him. He walked beside her, hands in his pockets.
All the passion and adrenaline from before had faded, leaving Sissi hollow and scared that what they shared inside the small space of the closet had only been a one-time thing.
"Odd," she said, proud that her voice didn't waiver when she looked over at him. "We need to talk about what just happened."
Odd smiled and bumped his shoulders with her. "I like the sound of that! Wanna continue where we left off, Sissi cara?"
Looking up at their friends who were now further down the hall than before, Sissi stopped and flushed, not really wanting anyone but Odd to hear her confessions.
"Maybe I do," she said with a small smile.
As soon as she had stopped, Odd had stopped as well, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He was always in a constant state of movement so the nervous twitch only made her flush further. Odd moved to wrap his arm around her waist.
"But-" Sissi said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps once we've established what the hell just happened?"
Odd blinked stupidly and it was all Sissi could do but clench her fists to not slap him.
"I thought it was clear what happened." he said, a little confused.
"Yes, but," Sissi said a little flustered at his lack of awareness. "What-what does it mean? For us?"
This made Odd smile and he lowered his eyelids, practically fluttering them toward her.
"Pretty sure you're mine now, bella. You don't kiss someone like that," he made a gesture toward the classroom they had just been trapped in. "without confidently wanting to be in a relationship with them."
Sissi's mouth almost dropped open. He had said it so matter-of-fact as if there were no other scenarios she could have come up with other than dating. His confident tone washed away most of the worry that had built up in her chest after they had peeled their bodies off one another moments before.
"Well," she said, a little off-kilter. "Can you blame me? Kissing someone with your reputation?"
Her words were a little harsh and didn't give him enough credit but when it came to dating and relationships, Sissi was incredibly tentative and couldn't help letting her fear control her actions.
Odd's eyes widened slightly and he paused, looking up at her.
"Oh," he said softly. "That's fair."
Odd looked down at his hands and then moved to hold Sissi's, locking their fingers together.
"I meant everything I said, Sissi. No one can compare to you, in any way."
Sissi flushed at the sincerity in his voice and the open expression as he looked at her. No one had ever said anything remotely similar to her before and she desperately wanted to believe him.
"You're mine." He said softly with a smile. "And I think… you might feel the same way?"
It was more of a question but his previous words were still swirling around in her head.
"Oh yeah," Sissi said, trying not to smile by biting her lip. "Is that what you think?"
Odd raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying you don't want to be my girlfriend?"
Sissi's heart fluttered with giddiness in her chest, making her trip over her words in haste to hear him speak again.
"I-I never said that." She choked out.
"So will you?" Odd asked with a smile.
"Will I, what?"
Squeezing her hands in his own, Odd pulled her close. "Be my girlfriend?"
Sissi's heart slammed into her throat and she felt like she was floating on air. While he may have had a reputation for flippant relationships, the one they shared was far from shallow. Odd's emotions were easy to read since he constantly wore them on his sleeves and she knew it was almost impossible for him to fake something so sincere.
"I think you know the answer to that." Sissi said, holding back a ridiculous giggle.
Odd shrugged. "Tell me, anyway."
Rolling her eyes, Sissi looked down at her new boyfriend. "Of course, dork."
At her soft admission, Odd's eyes lit up and he surged upward in a fierce kiss, making her stumble back and almost slamming her head into the wall. She pushed back with as much force, wrapping her arms around his skinny waist as he moved to cradle her head in his hands.
Sissi let out a small sound which only fueled Odd further. He moved his hands from her head to wrap around her shoulders, pulling her as close as he possibly could.
It was like fireworks all over again and a surge of heat that left her dizzy with desire. It was just as incredible as the first kiss and she knew if she didn't pull away soon, they were going to continue right where they left off in the middle of the hallway.
"Odd," she tried, pressing against his chest. "Odd, hang on."
Odd pulled away reluctantly, his eyes unfocused and breathing heavy.
"Huh?" he said, only slightly afraid that he had done something he shouldn't have.
Sissi laughed and put a hand on his cheek. "I think that time in the closet fried your brain a bit. You know, we both have class soon."
She was smiling brightly, biting her lip to stop herself from surging forward and connecting their lips again.
"Class? We don't need to go to class, come on~" Odd was practically begging and it was incredibly attractive to see him so passionate toward her.
"You're cute when you beg," Sissi said, giving him a long kiss on the cheek. "But no."
Pulling away, she gave him a small pat on the chest before walking toward the stairs where their friends had long disappeared.
Odd swallowed thickly and stumbled to catch up to her.
"Can I at least walk you to class?" He said, grabbing her hand and linking their fingers.
Sissi smiled at Odd and let the blush on her cheeks spread across her chest. There was a happy hum in her throat as she looked at the boy beside her.
"As long as you agree to actually help me with my drawing assignment later." She said.
Odd laughed, a bright fluttering sound that buzzed in Sissi's ears. As they walked, she squeezed his hand and when he squeezed back she felt a comfortable warmth radiate across her chest.