A/N: Taking a slight detour before continuing with retelling of the canon events for bit. This chapter is part one of a two-part addition of mine. I hope you enjoy it, and if you feel inclined to leave a review it will be greatly appreciated.
Surprise
It had been three weeks since Rui went back to New York, it was now the morning of February 7th and Natsuo found himself triple checking his bank statement. As he scanned the numbers on the screen with intense focus he let out a sigh as he slumped into his chair and said, "I actually did it... thank goodness."
Natsuo had thrown himself into working with Tougen-sensei and picking up as many shifts at the campus cafe as he could between working with Forester. He'd been asked by his father and by Hina why they hadn't seen much of him since Rui left, to which he had simply told them he had a gift planned for her and he was working a lot in order to cover the expenses.
"I feel bad for not being entirely honest with them..." Natsuo trailed off to recheck a fourth time, "But I couldn't risk the surprise leaking before I knew if I could do it or not." He smiled to himself as it sunk in that he could put the next phase of his plan into action today. He was disturbed from his thoughts by his phone alerting him to a new message.
Rui: Good morning, sorry if you're still asleep. I know today's your day off... was hoping we could do a quick video call before I head to bed.
Natsuo frowned in concern at Rui's wording, she normally asked for a call in a more cheerful way. With this concern in mind he quickly sent his reply.
Natsuo: I'm awake, was going over my budget for the month. I'm already at my computer, I can call as soon as you want.
Instead of receiving another message he was alerted by the sound of an incoming call on his laptop. He quickly moved to accept the call and was greeted by the sight a very tired Rui who wore a sheepish smile and mumbled, "Hey..."
"Hey yourself," Natsuo replied, "Are you okay?"
Rui slouched forward as she rested her head on her hand as she explained, "I'm okay, just tired. It's not even Valentine's Day yet but it's been crazy the last few days, and some of the higher ups that we trainees work under have been stressed out and that rolls down to us."
"Nobody's given you any trouble specifically though right? It's pre-holiday rush stress?" Natsuo asked in order to make sure Rui herself wasn't being harassed.
Rui nodded tiredly as she replied, "Yeah it's just normal holiday kitchen stress. No need to worry, it'll blow over. Today was just the busiest day yet... so I wanted to hear your voice." Though she tried to hide it, Natsuo noticed the slight blush on her face.
"Well I'm happy to oblige, it's been a few days since we were able to talk other than messages. I miss hearing your voice too you know," Natsuo teased with a smile.
Rui smiled happily at this as she asked, "So you were going over your budget? You've been working a lot lately... is everything okay?"
"Nothing to worry about, I've actually been working more lately because I have a gift planned for you. I told you before I'd be getting you something for Valentine's," Natsuo said reassuringly.
"Natsuo! I appreciate you wanting to get me something... but I don't want you to have to adjust your budget or work yourself too hard," Rui exclaimed in a worried tone.
Natsuo chuckled slightly before saying, "It's okay, I don't mind it if it means I can do something special for you."
Rui fidgeted for a silent moment before she mumbled a question, "So... what is it?"
"You know I can't tell you that, it's s surprise Rui," Natsuo taunted in a kind tone.
Rui pouted as she sighed and replied, "I know... it was worth a try though. Can I at least get a hint?"
Natsuo took a moment to think with an exaggerated pose before he answered, "Well... I guess I can give you one hint," he paused as he saw Rui take on a look of focus as her eyes lit up, "I can tell you that you're definitely going to like it."
Rui slumped again as she let out a groan and grumbled, "That's not a hint Natsuo... I'd love any gift you got for me. So... not going to give me an actual hint?"
"Sorry, but I can't. I promise it will be worth it though, I'm actually going to be getting it today," Natsuo said with a smile.
Rui smiled as well as she replied, "Alright fine... I won't ask anymore but it's going to be on my mind until I finally see it," she yawned a bit before continuing, "I should get ready for bed and let you get on with getting this apparently expensive gift."
"Once again, I promise it won't set me back. You don't need to worry," Natsuo reassured again.
"If you say so," Rui replied as she yawned before adding cheerfully, "I'll let you go. Have a good day, I love you!"
"Good night Rui, I love you too," Natsuo said in return before Rui ended the call. Natsuo continued smiling as he closed the laptop, feeling that checking his finances for a fifth time would be a bit much. Checking the time he realized he still had a few hours before he had to meet with Rui's dad to ask him to help with his idea.
"I'm pretty sure Mikimoto-san will be happy to help, it's on such short notice though..." Natsuo thought out loud as he got ready to head out, he could take care of a few other errands before meeting up with him.
As he finished getting his coat on he shook his head as he chuckled, "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."
Lunchtime at Tempo Felice...
"So Natsuo-kun, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Jou asked he placed two plates of pasta on the table at sat across from Natsuo. As he noticed Natsuo glance at the food hesitantly he added, "Don't worry, it's on the house."
"Are you sure? I don't mind paying Mikimoto-san," Natsuo asked.
Jou waved his hand dismissively as he replied before taking a bite of his lunch, "Nonsense! You're practically family at this point, as long you don't come by every day for food I don't mind treating you. Now then, how can I help you today?"
Natsuo also took a bite his lunch as he relented to Jou's insistence and took a moment to appreciate the flavor before he responded, "Well... the thing is I've been planning a surprise for Rui, for Valentine's Day, and was wondering if you could help out."
Jou beamed as he replied with a chuckle, "Oho! A romantic surprise for Rui? It might not be too long before we're actually family huh Natsuo-kun?"
Natsuo shuffled nervously as he recalled that he had declared in front of everyone, including Jou, that he intended to marry Rui someday. After a moment he replied, "Someday Mikimoto-san, if Rui says yes that is."
"I have no doubts that she will Natsuo-kun, but I'm sure that's not the surprise you have in mind?" Jou asked with a smile. When Natsuo nodded he added, "So you want my advice on a gift, or help getting it to her?"
"Well... yes and no," he paused as he saw Jou's perplexed expression before continuing, "I'm actually planning on surprising her by visiting for a few days for Valentine's. I've gotten the money saved up and time off cleared but I was hoping you could help with making certain arrangements?"
"A surprise visit huh? She'll love that, and it'll help relieve some of the stress from the holiday rush. I'd be glad to help in any way I can," Jou said happily.
"Thanks Mikimoto-san, it means a lot," Natsuo sighed in relief.
Jou waved his hand again as he asked, "Think nothing of it, what did you have in mind?"
"Well, the first thing is that I don't have Daniella's contact info, Rui gave me the address in case she needed anything shipped over to her but to properly set this up I'll need to contact Daniella so she knows what's going on... and it's not like I could ask Rui for that without raising suspicion," Natsuo said before taking a few more bites.
Jou finished the bite he'd taken while Natsuo explained before replying, "I see, that is important to making the surprise work out. I can get that for you, but how's your English?"
"It's not the best... but I'll get by. There's ways of getting around a language barrier," Natsuo stated confidently.
"Fair enough, but let me know if you need any help with that. Have you considered Rui's schedule?" Jou asked.
"I have, I know she's going to be busy. That's the next thing I was going to ask: if you could find out when she'll be working, that way I can figure out the best time to surprise her," Natsuo replied .
Jou thought for a moment before he answered, "I think I can do you one better. I'm actually going to be helping the manager over there come up with a schedule, mixing the regular employees and the trainees that I sent over. It wouldn't be too hard to arrange that Rui be on the earlier shift on that particular day."
Natsuo smiled widely as he said, "That would be great. If you can do that I can arrange things with Daniella and surprise her when she gets home from her shift. Thanks Mikimoto-san."
Jou nodded as they both continued eating for a few more minutes before he spoke up, "You know... I just thought of something. I'm actually heading over there myself in a few days, my assistant manager for the new restaurant was supposed to be coming with me, but some family stuff came up. How about you come along with me? That'll save you the cost of the plane ticket."
Natsuo sputtered on his drink before he managed to respond, "I can't ask that of you Mikimoto-san, I can pay for my plane ticket."
Jou chuckled as he said, "It's no trouble at all Natsuo-kun. The ticket has already been paid for after all... and having the extra money will let you spoil Rui even more! Surely you can think of a good use for the money you'd save not having to pay for the ticket."
Natsuo thought about a few things he could do for Rui before replying, "You're right... I could make the day even better for her... if you insist Mikimoto-san..."
"I do insist! I told you two a few weeks ago that I support you wholeheartedly. So hearing my future son-in-law say he wants to do something special for my daughter like surprise her on the other side of the world... Well how could I not do what I can to help?" Jou said while laughing happily.
Waiting for Jou's laughs to die down Natsuo asked, "Thanks again... I don't know how I can thank you."
Jou smiled as he replied in a serious tone, "All you need to do in order to repay me is keep making Rui happy. That's all I ask... she deserves it."
"I will sir, I promise," Natsuo said with an equally serious but happy tone. After a moment he asked, "So when do we leave?"
"Ah, right. The flight is at six in the morning on the 12th, because of the time difference we'd also be arriving the morning of the 12th there. That'll give you two days to get your sleep cycle reset and get over the jet lag, not to mention get any prepwork out of the way for whatever you have planned. You can hide out in the hotel room I have booked while doing so. Sound good?" Jou explained as he finished his meal.
"That sounds perfect, I'd originally planned to arrive on Valentine's Day, but being able to rest before hand will be better. When would the return flight be?" Natsuo asked as he too finished his meal and took a long sip from his drink.
"The return flight is at eight in the evening New York time on the 18th . So you two will have a good few days together before we have to come back to Japan. I'll pick you up from your apartment the morning of the flight if you'd like," Jou answered and then offered as he drained his drink.
"That'll work, certainly better than having to deal with the trains first thing in the morning, or paying for a cab," Natsuo replied with a grateful smile.
Jou chucked as he added, "My thoughts exactly."
Natsuo chuckled in return and then his expression shifted to one of realization as he spoke, "Ah, now that I think about it. There's one last favor I'd like to ask."
"Oh? Well if it's something I can help with I'm glad to do so. What is it Natsuo-kun?" Jou asked in interest.
Natsuo smiled confidently as he replied, "I'm nowhere near as skilled as Rui or you... But I like to think I'm pretty capable in a kitchen. I was wondering if you could give me a crash course on something?"
"A crash course in regards in making something? You have my attention, what did you have in mind?" Jou asked in return with a knowing grin.
Evening of the 11th...
"Glad you could make it for dinner today Natsuo, it's been a while," Akihito with a smile as the family was finishing up dinner.
Hina laughed as she finished her beer and added, "I'll say! We've barely seen you at all for almost a full month. You've been super busy working!"
Tsukiko sighed at Hina's exclamation before she asked, "Whatever gift you have planned for Rui must be something big to keep you working like you have been, you're not going to have any issues with your finances are you?"
Natsuo shook his head as he replied, "Nothing to worry about Tsukiko-san. The extra work I've been doing more than covered the costs. I do appreciate the concern though."
"So are we still not allowed to know what the gift is?" Hina half whined as she realized her beer was empty.
Akihito laughed as he agreed, "I have to admit I've been very curious. Even more so since you said you didn't want anyone to know, to make sure it was a surprise."
"Sorry about that... That's half of the reason. The more important part is that I didn't want anyone to know until I was sure I'd actually be able to pull it off," Natsuo replied, pausing for a brief moment seeing everyone's curious and expectant faces before he continued with a sigh, "Well I suppose I can tell you now. But you all need to promise not to spoil the surprise for Rui."
"That goes without saying Natsuo, we wouldn't want to ruin the occasion," Akihito replied.
Tsukiko nodded in a agreement as she said, "Of course. I'd never spoil a Valentine's Day surprise, especially not for my daughter."
Everyone looked meaningfully in Hina's directions direction when she didn't immediately speak up, causing her to to fidget before exclaiming, "Of course I won't spoil Natsuo-kun's surprise for Rui! I think it's romantic that he wants to surprise her! I swear, big sister's honor!"
Natsuo chuckled at Hina's reaction before he said, "Well then, since you've all assured me you won't tell her; I'm actually going to visit her in New York, I leave tomorrow morning. Mikimoto-san helped arrange things with Rui's roommate so she's in on it. He also helped me with something specific I'm going to surprise her with once I'm there."
Hina was the first to respond with an enthusiastic shout, "That's so romantic! She's going to be so happy Natsuo-kun!"
"I agree, that's a fantastic idea. I see now why you were working so hard the last month. I assume you've made all the arrangements for your time off?" Tsukiko asked with a warm smile.
"I have. Once I confirmed I had enough money to pay for this and cover my monthly expenses I made all the arrangements," Natsuo replied with a matching smile. He then thought to himself, "Tsukiko-san seems like she's mostly gotten over the initial shock. The few times I've seen her since we told her and ad she still seemed a little uncomfortable when our relationship was brought up."
"How long are you going to be there Natsuo?" Akihito asked.
Natsuo thought for a moment, doing the time conversion before responding, "The return flight leaves in the evening on the 18th, New York time, so I'd be back here evening of the 19th because of the time zone difference."
"I see, do you need anyone to keep an eye on your apartment while you're gone?" Akihito asked as he took note that Natsuo would be gone for a week.
Natsuo shook his head before responding, "That's okay. One of my neighbors, Kuwaba, is going to keep on eye on it for me. He lives right next door, and I trust him to watch the place, so that's all covered."
"That's good to hear, is he the one who shares extra vegetables?" Tsukiko asked.
Hina chimed in before Natsuo could respond, "Oh I think I met him that one time! He's seemed a bit odd, but super friendly!"
Natsuo chucked at Hina's brief, but accurate description of his neighbor before replying to both, "Yes that's him. Odd is a good way to describe him, but he's the perfect choice to watch the place. He volunteered the moment I mentioned I'd be away for a while." He omitted the detail that Kuwaba frequently "broke in" via the balcony, he never did any harm.
"Do you need a ride to the airport tomorrow? Dealing with the trains can be a hassle that early," Akihito offered.
Natsuo shook his head as he replied, "Thanks, but I've already got that covered. As luck would have it Mikimoto-san is actually on the same flight, so he offered to pick me up on his way to the airport."
"That certainly is a stroke of luck," Tsukiko laughed with a knowing smile.
Akihito smiled with a nod as he added, "That's good to hear. I'll have to thank Jou for helping out when I get the chance. You'll be needing to leave soon if your flight is so early tomorrow I take it?"
Natsuo checked the time with a sigh as he replied, "That's right. I should get going now actually. Sorry for dropping this on you all at the last minute, like I said, I couldn't risk the surprise getting out."
"It's okay, we understand completely. I'm sure Rui will be ecstatic," Tsukiko said in response with a warm smile, to which Akihito nodded in agreement.
Natsuo stood to leave while stating to say, "Thank you for dinner, it was –" but he was interrupted by sound of snoring. Everyone turned to see that Hina had fallen asleep at the table. Natsuo chuckled as he said, "I guess Hina-nee had one too many."
Akihito gave a boisterous laugh as he replied, "It would seem that's the case. You get going Natsuo, you've got a very long day ahead of you tomorrow. We'll take care of Hina-chan."
Natsuo and Akihito talked a bit more as they walked towards the front door, while Tsukiko watched Hina with a worried expression and thought, "Hina seems to drink more whenever Natsuo and Rui come up in conversation... I hope that's just a coincidence..."
7:34am February 12th – NYC...
"No matter how many times I make the trip... ugh my back is killing me," Jou groaned as he and Natsuo made their way towards the exit of the airport.
Natsuo yawned as he rotated his neck, working out a kink as he replied, "Nothing hurts... but my neck is a bit stiff."
Jou chuckled as he said, "You did fall asleep with your head a weird angle. I tried to move you but you kept slipping back, so eventually I gave up. No worries though: you've got all of today and tomorrow to rest up. You figure out things with Daniella?"
"I did. Once Rui leaves for work on Valentine's, Daniella is going to pick me up from the hotel and help with the bit of shopping I need to take care of. I'm going to be checking online today and tomorrow for places nearby for the stuff I need. She's going to have Will do some last minute cleaning at the apartment," Natsuo replied as they got outside and they looked for their ride.
After a few moments they spotted a car with a driver holding a sign up with the name "Mikimoto" on it and they got in before continuing their conversation. "That's good to hear Natsuo-kun, I'll be pretty busy so I won't be able to do much else. I did get verification that Rui is on the early shift that day, from what I can tell she'll probably get home around seven in the evening," Jou said as he relaxed in the cushioned seat and the cad began moving.
Natsuo reclined his head back, stretching it out as he replied, "That's what Daniella said; the apartment is about a half hour walk from the restaurant. That should give me plenty of time to get everything ready."
"Glad to hear it. This goes without saying: she's going to love whatever you have planned," Joe said with a happy smile.
Natsuo didn't reply right away, his face formed an almost giddy smile before he spoke, "I think she will too."
They were both silent for a few moments Jou tilted his head towards Natsuo and asked, "So what are you planning?"
"There's no way I'm telling you Mikimoto-san..." Natsuo deadpanned.
Jou laughed as he replied, "I know Natsuo-kun. Now I know I made that comment about maybe being a grandfather soon, but not too soon you know!" Jou continued his laughing as Natsuo failed to string a coherent sentence together the rest of the drive.
7:09pm February 14th - NYC...
Rui sighed as she made her way down the hall towards the apartment she shared with Daniella, having just got off the elevator. As she walked she thought to herself, "I lucked out getting the early shift today... I hope dad didn't play favorites, they said the schedule was done at random. There are plenty of other people who should have gotten tonight off though... And Daniella seemed oddly happy when she showed up."
Thinking back on how her roommate had acted when she showed up for the evening shift Rui remembered how she'd been smiling brightly at her and repeatedly told Rui to have a "lovely night." As she neared the door she thought out loud, "I'm probably thinking too much on it, she was just being her usual cheerful self. I'm just tired from all the busy days leading up to today."
Unlocking the door and entering the apartment, Rui immediately noticed a few things that were off. The first was a pair of men's shoes left on the doormat, they didn't look like any pair she'd seen Will wear. The second thing she noticed was that she could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen, which her stomach let out a small growl out as she realized she hadn't eaten since lunch. And finally, she also noticed that music was playing on the radio that was also kept in the kitchen, though she couldn't tell what song exactly.
"Hello? Will are you here? Daniella got stuck with the evening shift, I thought you knew. Sorry if you were trying to surprise her," Rui called out as she took her shoes off and slowly made her way towards the kitchen. This slowness turned to caution when she did not get a response and thought to herself, "Did Daniella make dinner and leave me some before heading to work? But the shoes and the music... what's going on here?"
As she entered the kitchen she found that the food hadn't been set aside, it was still cooking, and she now recognized the scent. "It can't be what I think that is," she mumbled as she made her way up to the covered stir fry pan, and gasped as she lifted the lid and quietly asked, "Yaki...udon?"
"It's not quite done yet, so be a little patient okay Rui?" a familiar voice said from behind her.
Rui felt her heart skip a beat at that voice and she carefully placed the lid back down and thought, "Am I dreaming? Did he really...". Her thoughts paused as she turned around, a smile forming and tears starting as she saw Natsuo standing in the doorway that led to the bedroom and bathroom.
"Surprise, Happy Val –" Natsuo's words were cut off as Rui slammed into him with enough force to knock him to the floor as she embraced him.
Natsuo returned the embrace as he regained his breath and Rui asked, "I'm not dreaming right? You're really here?"
"I'm really here Rui. I told you it would be a surprise that you'd like," Natsuo replied as he kissed the top of her head.
Rui playfully smacked his chest as she leaned up to give him a quick peck on the lips before saying, "Don't sass me. But you're right, this is better than anything I was thinking of. I take it you coordinated with Daniella?"
Natsuo laughed as he replied, "I did. You're dad actually helped a lot too."
"Oh did he now? In what way?" Rui asked as he eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Well," Natsuo paused as he sat up, moving Rui so she ended up sitting on his lap before he continued, "He got me Daniella's contact info so I could plan this out with her help, he might have pulled some strings and gotten you on the early shift today... and he technically covered the flight expense."
Rui looked dumbfounded for a moment before sputtering, "H-he covered the flight cost?!"
"He wouldn't take no for an answer once I told him what I was planning. Apparently his assistant manager for the new restaurant was supposed to come, but had to cancel last minute, so the ticket was already purchased," Natsuo replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Rui stared at him with narrowed eyes for several seconds, making him squirm under her gaze. Natsuo started to fidget nervously before Rui pulled him in for a loving, almost hungry kiss that lasted until she needed air. As Natsuo recovered from the initial surprise she said with a beaming smile, "I can't even be upset that he did that. I'm too happy!" With this said she wrapped her arms around Natsuo tightly and buried her face against his chest.
Natsuo smiled warmly as he returned the embrace and ran his fingers through her hair and replied, "I thought you would be. I'm glad I was right."
"Of course I'd be happy!" Rui laughed she looked at him, happy tears in her eyes. A sudden realization caused her ask, "So this is why you couldn't video call the last couple days?"
"That's right, I've been staying at the hotel since I got here on the 12th, couldn't have you seeing that," Natsuo answered, pausing for a moment before saying, "Now... as much as I'd love to keep sitting here like this, I can't leave the food unattended for too long."
"Oh! Right!" Rui exclaimed in realization as she remembered there was food cooking on the stove and hastily got up so Natsuo could attend to it. As she watched Natsuo check on the food she asked, "How long are you here for?"
"I'm here until the 18th, the return flight isn't until the evening. So I'm all yours until then, when you're not at work that is," Natsuo replied with a smile.
Rui smiled widely as she stated, "I have tomorrow and the 18th off... and you better not be planning on staying at the hotel anymore."
"Oh? And why's that?" Natsuo asked in a teasing tone.
Rui's answer came as she embraced him from behind and mumbled into his back, "Because I'm going to get to fall asleep and wake up next to you. We're making up for lost time."
Natsuo chuckled as he placed one hand over hers while tending to the food. After a moment he spoke up, "It's just about done now, if you want to change out of your work clothes I'll get the table set." He felt Rui nod enthusiastically before she dashed off towards the bedroom to change.
Feeling warmth spread throughout him as he smiled at how cute Rui was, Natsuo set up two places at the table. He then quickly went to the refrigerator to get both a salad he had prepared earlier and the bottle of wine Jou had given him despite Natsuo's protests, saying "an exception can be made for Valentine's Day I suppose". He knew that wine wasn't exactly a great match for yaki udon, but it was the same kind they had at the dinner at Tempo Felice, and Jou said since it was a light-bodied red wine, it had a low boldness and should pair decently with most meals.
As he finished pouring two glasses of the wine Rui returned to kitchen/dining area saying, "That smells so good, I can't wait." She watched Natsuo with excitement in her eyes as she took her seat at the table
"Coming from you, that's a real compliment. I couldn't get the exact ingredients I would have used at home, but the taste tests I did while cooking it were promising," Natsuo replied as he moved to the stove to remove the pan. He moved in silence as he plated the servings of udon, brought them to the table and set them down besides the salad bowls he'd already placed. He then took his seat and waited for Rui to take the first bite, he didn't want to miss her reaction.
Rui looked at the udon happily before closing her eyes and taking a long breath through her nose, taking in the aroma. After a moment she took her chopsticks and lifted a portion of the udon up and placed it in her mouth, she moaned slightly at the taste and chewed slowly before swallowing. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes, smiled and said, "It's delicious. Just like how you made it back home."
Natsuo returned the smile as he replied, "I'm glad to hear that. I know it's not exactly a normal romantic dinner, but..."
"It's perfect for us," Rui finished his thought.
"Yes it is," Natsuo paused as he lifted his wine glass towards her before finishing, "Happy Valentine's Day Rui."
Rui raised her glass and clinked it with Natsuo's as she replied, "Happy Valentine's Day Natsuo, I love you."
"I love you too," Natsuo said with a loving smile before they both took a sip of their wine.
As the meal progressed Rui told Natsuo about how things had been going at the restaurant, as well as some of the antics Daniella had gotten up to. Natsuo then filled her in on how the planning for the Spring production was coming along, and how some of the members of Forester were suggesting that he give acting a try, but he was still on the fence about it.
"It might not be a bad idea I think, giving it a try might end up helping with your writer's block. I've read that trying new things can be one of the things that can break it," Rui said she finished the last of her food and refilled her glass.
Natsuo nodded before replying, "I was thinking that too, every time I've tried reading lines I always sounded robotic though. I'll give it a little more thought, I won't rule it out." Noticing that Rui looked almost disappointed that she finished her dinner Natsuo asked, "Ready for dessert?"
Rui smiled at this as she replied in a playful tone, "Dessert too, you're really going all out."
"Well of course, I wanted tonight to be special. Though I will have to thank your dad again for the crash course if this came out right..." Natsuo trailed off as he got up to retrieve dessert plates and forks that he placed on the table.
Rui cocked her head and asked, "Thank my dad for the crash course?" Instead of replying Natsuo made his way to the refrigerator and removed a large pan and made his way back to the table. Rui's eyes widened as she saw what was on it and started to ask, "Is... is that...?"
"Tiramisu," Natsuo paused as he placed the pan down in the center of the table before he added, "I asked your dad to teach me how to make it. He's quite the taskmaster when he gets serious."
Rui didn't respond right away, she stared wide eyed at the dessert for a moment before moving her gaze to Natsuo, happy tears forming again, and finally spoke, "You had my dad teach you his recipe? So you could make this for me?"
"I know how much this tiramisu means to you, and I know it probably won't be quite as good yet... but I wanted to be able to make it for you," Natsuo replied as he cut two pieces and plated them, passing one to Rui as he took his seat again.
Rui quickly took a bite, she hadn't taken her time like with the udon. Before the fork left her mouth she was already smiling as the flavor hit her tongue. She quickly chewed and swallowed before she exclaimed, "It's great! It's a little different than dad's... but it's great! Thank you so much Natsuo."
"You don't have to thank me, I'm just glad it came out well and that you like it," Natsuo replied happily as he also took a bite of the dessert.
Rui nodded her head energetically as she exclaimed again, "I love it!". She took her time with the rest of her slice, savoring the flavor for as long as she could and finishing her wine in between bites.
Once they had both finished Rui moved to take care of the dishes before Natsuo stopped her, "I don't think so, I'll take care of that. You just relax."
Rui huffed as she replied, "Okay I get it, you really want to pamper me tonight huh? Well let me at least put the tiramisu away."
"That's right. Tonight is your night to be pampered, and it's not over yet," Natsuo taunted as he finished moving the dishes to the dishwasher.
Rui spun around to question him while poking him in the side, "What else are you up to Natsuo?"
"Well, you've had a very busy few days. I think you could use a relaxing bath, what do you think?" Natsuo asked with a smile.
This surprised Rui, which she voiced in response, "Well, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to that. Not what I expected you to say though."
"I'll go draw you a bath. You'll like this, trust me," Natsuo replied as he gave her a quick peck on the lips before making his way towards the bathroom.
Rui smiled giddily as she called out to him, "I'm noticing a theme tonight!" This earned her a laugh in response as Natsuo shut the door to the bathroom behind him. As she waited Rui sat back down at the table and thought to herself, "One more glass won't hurt... there's only a little left in the bottle." With this thought she retrieved her glass, gave it a quick rinse and finished off the wine.
After about ten minutes, Rui was starting to get suspicious when Natsuo called from down the hallway, "It's all ready for you!"
"Be right there!" Rui responded as she started down the hall. When she entered the bathroom her breath left her at what she saw and smelled: the lights were off but the room was illuminated but several candles, the bath was steaming with rose petals scattered across the water's surface, and she could tell by the lavender scent that Natsuo had used her favorite bath salts to prepare the bath.
"It looks like you like this surprise too. Your bath awaits my love," Natsuo said with a bow before starting towards the door.
Before he could get there however Rui shut the door and asked, "Where do you think you're going?"
"To let you relax in the bath?" Natsuo asked in return.
"No. Get in," Rui ordered. Natsuo opened his mouth to say something, but Rui cut him off by pulling him down to kiss him before repeating softly, "Get in."
Natsuo smiled as he replied, "As you wish."
A few moments later both had entered the bath: Natsuo sitting against the end of the tub, Rui sitting in his lap and leaning back against his chest with his arms around her waist. Rui took a deep breath, taking in the relaxing scent before saying, "See? This is much better. You deserve to relax too after all."
"Well I'm certainly not going to complain about taking a bath with my beautiful girlfriend," he paused to chuckle as Rui squirmed slightly at the compliment before adding, "But I'm still going to pamper you. Scoot forward a bit."
As Rui complied she was about to ask why, but received her answer when Natsuo started to massage her shoulders and she let out a moan as he worked the tension that had built up over the last few days. After a few moments she managed to form words and said, "I think I could get used to this."
"I'm more than happy to do this for you whenever I can you know," Natsuo replied as he moved from her shoulders to her lower back, earning another relaxed moan from Rui as he did.
Rui leaned forward further, giving him more access to her lower back as she said, "Well now that I know you're this good at it I'm going to take advantage of it. Tonight has been amazing. Thank you so much."
"You don't have to thank me, but you're welcome," Natsuo chuckled as he leaned forward and kiss her neck softly, causing her to squirm again. The couple returned to a comfortable silence as Natsuo continued the massage, noticing the longer it went on the more she reacted to his touch; a wiggle here, a gasp there. After he finished the massage Rui returned to her original position of leaning back against his chest as he held her. "How do you feel?" he asked as she settled into place.
Instead of answering verbally, Rui turned her head to look him in the face before bringing one hand up to pull him down into another kiss. Unlike most of the kisses they had shared this night, this kiss had a distinct hunger to it and Rui moved her body against his with a clear purpose, and Natsuo could feel his blood rushing in response as he returned the kiss with the same hunger.
When they had to separate for air, Rui panted, "Does that answer your question?"
Natsuo pressed his forehead against hers, nudging her nose with his and answered, "Loud and clear."
"Good," Rui said simply as she turned back and relaxed into the embrace again, wiggling suggestively and enjoying the small gasp she caused Natsuo to make. After a moment she added, "I assume Daniella's staying with Will?"
"Yeah, she said she'd make good on her offer and let us have the place to ourselves while I'm here," Natsuo replied as he unconsciously tightened the embrace for a moment.
Rui instinctively leaned into the embrace in response and gave another simple response of, "Good. Very good."
No more words were shared as the couple enjoyed the heat of the bath, and the relaxing scent of the bath salts. Instead of words they shared loving touches, and more and more frequent kisses with increasing length, to the point of refusing to separate until they needed to breath. They simply enjoyed each other's presence until the water began to cool to room temperature, at which point they exited the bath, stealing glances at one another as they dried off.
Natsuo looked at the bath and mumbled, "I should probably get those petals out before –" He was cut off as Rui grabbed his hand and began dragging him towards the door. As his brain caught up to what was happening and he began to move with her he asked, "Rui?"
Rui's face was flushed slightly as she mumbled, "That can wait.." she trailed off as she lead him to the bedroom and all but shoved him onto the bed. Before he could react she climbed atop him and captured his lips in another hungry, longing kiss before she whispered, "But I can't."
"Well then, I guess I'll just have to oblige," Natsuo said in a teasing tone.
Rui kissed him again before saying, "I hope you're rested up from the jet lag."
"Planning on keeping me awake?" Natsuo playfully asked.
"Hmmm..." Rui took on a thoughtful expression before answering in an equally playful tone, "I think I'll keep you awake for a while. Need to make up for lost time after all."
"I love you," Natsuo said simply he he kissed her again, starting to let his hands wander.
Rui moaned into this kiss before replying, "I love you too."
Rui was true to her word: it was multiple hours later that she and Natsuo fell asleep in each others arms, smiles plastered on their faces.
