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Throwing Stones
Chapter Nineteen: Earnest Desire
Touya peered over at Kagome still sleeping peacefully upon his bed.
He'd tried asking her for her ID card so he could take her to her own room. However the woman had been far too exhausted and he hadn't wanted to make her sleep on the couch downstairs. So this was the best solution he could come up with. He'd brought her to his room and allowed her to sleep in his bed while he'd taken the small couch settled in the far corner of his room.
The young woman groaned as she started to stir.
Touya shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
He'd be lying if he said that he didn't find the sight of her sleeping in his bed attractive. A slight flush had stained her cheeks for the majority of the night and her hair had fanned itself across his pillows. It'd given him thoughts of what it'd be like to spend the night next to her, however he knew that, that was a line he couldn't cross. Especially not when she was too exhausted to even respond to him.
Touya took to his feet and stiffly made his way towards his shower. He flipped the water to cold and began preparing himself for the day.
It was Sunday again, which meant that everyone would be crawling out of their rooms and rushing to get all the cleaning done before noon. They liked to consider it their second day of relaxation so long as they finished their chores early enough.
Touya shut off the water as he stepped out of the shower. He quickly dried himself and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before he finished preparing for the day.
By the time he'd emerged from the bathroom, Kagome had already begun to stir. She'd sat up on his bed. She blinked blearily as confusion overtook her features.
"So the sleeping beauty finally awakens." He smirked down at her.
Honestly she was incredibly cute like this. Kagome hardly ever looked out of sorts or confused. Despite her health issues, she always appeared prepared to take on anything in her way. Seeing her so disoriented was a rather adorable change of pace.
"What…?" She blinked a few more times as her mind processed everything she was seeing.
Suddenly her face turned several shades darker as she clapped her hands to her face.
"Wait, why am I here? Why are you half naked?! Did we…?!" Her voice pitched several notches higher and Touya fought the urge to laugh.
Clearly, she misunderstood what'd happened last night.
"You can relax," He assured her as he reached into his closet and pulled a shirt on. "I didn't know where your ID card was to take you back to your room. So I let you crash in my bed last night." He jutted his thumb at the crumbled blanket on the floor, "I took the couch so it's no big deal. Unfortunately, nothing happened."
His lips curled into a confident smirk when he caught her peeking at him through the gaps of her fingers. He'd half expected her to recoil in disgust at seeing all the burns that marred his body. He'd seen more nurses gasp in horror than he could count in his numerous visits to the hospital. His body was broken beyond repair and the scars often served as the physical reminder of all his failures.
Yet when Kagome looked at him, it wasn't disgust that she displayed. Rather a sharp flush warmed her cheeks as she tried to keep herself from staring at his toned physique. It was evident that she was seeing him as a man and not some poor soul that'd been damaged.
"Do you want to have a little fun before we head downstairs?" Touya smirked at her.
If she was going to check him out, then there was nothing stopping him from returning the favor.
Kagome shook her head vehemently, "No thank you! Thanks for letting me stay here but I have to draw the line." She crossed her arms in front of herself to form an 'x' shape.
He knew that would be her answer but at least he had a bit of fun with this situation while it'd lasted.
Touya offered her his hand and helped her to her feet.
"It was worth a shot." He curled his fingers around hers gently.
How was it that her hands felt that soft? His had grown rough and calluses from all the labor he'd been putting into this restoration work. Yet hers was even softer than he could've ever imagined.
"Tenko and Shuichi are late risers, so if you don't want to be seen walking out of my room I'd suggest waiting at least an hour." He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a playful kiss to the back of it, "I wouldn't mind if they saw though."
Her brows furrowed as he felt her shop him towards the door.
"Remind me to put you back in horny jail later." Kagome scowled at him.
Touya bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from making another remark.
Having a pair of handcuffs put on him didn't sound so bad if she were the one doing it. Although flipping their positions sounded even more entertaining.
He quickly shook the thought from his mind.
Clearly, having her check him out this morning had affected him more than he'd realized. He'd have to keep his mouth from shooting off before he could stop it.
"Fine, fine." Touya raised his hands in defeat, "But my door is always open if you feel like crashing here again."
He swiftly scurried out of his room before Kagome could react.
He laughed beneath his breath when he heard her growling at him through the door.
At least he could say that he was enjoying himself here.
Regardless of what happened in the future, he just wanted to savor the freedom he did have for the moment.
Touya curled his fingers in towards his palm as the warmth of Kagome's touch still lingered upon his skin.
He wanted to stay in this program. He wanted to finish out this year and return. This place had been the closest thing to a true home he'd ever had. Plus if Kagome were still here and their sentences commuted, then maybe they could try forging a new sort of bond with one another. This time with them as equals rather than coordinator and prisoner.
Touya glanced back at his door.
Maybe settling down here wouldn't be so far fetched after all.
