[ He can still feel the pain in his bandaged hand from two sources. One, an ache in his wrist from when he punched Ai's would-be killer in the jaw as hard as he could... and then another from when he got into a proper fight with the guy. He won, of course. He may not be a Servant, but he still knows how to fight better than some loser with a knife.
Unfortunately, though, he got unlucky and ended up having to catch the knife with his bare hand... which let him wrench the thing out of the killer's grasp, but in exchange for a nasty slash on his palm. His hand is still thoroughly wrapped up in a bandage after some doctors took a look at him... and it still hurts like hell, honestly.
Needless to say, Ai's dome concert was cancelled... probably not forever, but still, it's hardly the most important thing on Oberon's mind.
He did it. Twenty-four years... all for the sake of that one moment. What happens from here is a mystery... honestly it's entirely possible that she could just get into another mess and end up dead anyway. It's not like it'd surprise him if the world decided to spit in his face like that.
But he did it. He... saved her.
The question of what he does from here... remains unfortunately unanswered, though. Ever since then, he's been... listless, for the lack of a better word. Just laying around in his apartment, trying to ignore the pulsing pain in his hand.
Then, unexpectedly, he hears the buzzer... and her voice.
His reaction is... embarrassingly delayed, but the fact remains that he nearly falls off his couch in scrambling towards the answering machine. ]
Y-You...
[ There she is... right there on camera... and looking absolutely freezing what the hell? ]
W-What the hell are you doing out in the...!
[ Ugh... what the hell, how did she even get his address? Sure he was nearby, but it can't have been that easy... and why is she here? What, to thank him...?
He briefly considers the possibility... the possibility that she'd remember him, but surely if she had, she wouldn't have just let him walk away... right? ]
U-Ugh... come in, then...
[ What kind of idol shows up at a guy's home with no warning asking to be let inside...? Is she asking for a scandal?? In any case, the buzzer beeps, signaling that she's being let inside. ]
[ What sort of fool does it make her that it's so lovely to be scolded like that? It's nostalgic in exactly the way that's plagued her for all her life, the ache of missing something that hasn't even happened yet for her to miss it. But now her head is swimming with memories and the timber and tone of his voice feels almost as familiar as her own. Even hearing him irritated with her feels like a gift.
So she makes her way up. She tries not to think too much about what she might or might not say when she's in there or how much trouble she might or might not get into because of it. All that really matters is that she wants to be there full stop.
She doesn't bother knocking when she reaches his door - he's buzzed her in and he's expecting her, so she just gives a quick courtesy rap of her knuckles before pushing the door open and stepping inside, her smile sheepish. ]
Heehee. Can you believe my luck that I didn't bring an umbrella? I'll probably drip everywhere, sorry...
[ With a clock, she shuts the door behind her. ]
Um... is it okay to ask how you're doing after all that?
[ The instant she's inside, she'll find a towel tossed unceremoniously at her face so she can start drying up and not catch a deathly cold just a few days after narrowly avoiding being stabbed. ]
I'd say it's more surprising that I have Ai herself arriving at my door soaked from the rain... you know there are less suggestive ways to thank someone, right?
[ Huh, he's acting a whole lot differently compared to that talk show way back when... or in general whenever he's on a screen. Though to Ai, it's much more familiar, isn't it?
To answer her question, he raises his bandaged hand so she can see it. ]
About as well as I can be. Better than being stabbed, at least.
[ With a great deal of false cheer she doesn't quite feel: ] Probably! I just couldn't come up with any of them on the spot.
[ She gets to towelling her hair dry as she makes her way further inside, trying not to make her inspection of the place too obvious. It's tidier than she expected... so even he can keep things from turning into a garbage heap when he has to, huh.
With her hair as dry as it's going to get, she lets the towel drape around her neck - her clothes are beyond help at his point - and tries to put her clueless smile back on but the instant she sees his still bandaged hand, her face falls. ]
Ah...
[ It'd all been such a blur that she'd hardly taken it in but that was right. He'd gotten hurt trying to save her, hadn't he? She just... hadn't realised it was quite this bad.
She doesn't even bother trying to control her expression. She just steps forward and tentatively, hesitantly, lifts her hands to take his. Just so she can get a closer look. ]
Mm. I guess it's definitely the preferable option. [ Her voice is flat. ] ...I still don't like it.
[ Even after all this time, the idea of him getting hurt for her is just... ]
...Well, I suppose that's understandable, at least.
[ You know, since being almost murdered tends to leave a person fairly shaken.
...Honestly, he's not sure what to do in this situation. With Ai, who doesn't remember him, coming to him for the sake of thanking him for saving her life. Despite the fact that there are certainly better way sto go about that with a man who is, by all means, a stranger to her.
Still, being lost in thought means being caught off-guard Ai steps forward... and allowing her to take his bandaged hand in hers.
He wishes he wasn't immediately blushing. ]
...You don't have to like it, but... I don't regret it, if that makes you feel any better.
[ ...Despite that, though, he can't exactly ignore that she's still completely soaked. Sure, she dried her hair, but wearing wet clothes is still plenty likely to get you sick. ]
...Gah, fine, whatever! Scandals be damned, you're too damn wet! How long were you out in the rain anyway!?
[ He raises his unhurt hand and places it roughly on the top of her head, frowning down at her. It's been raining for a while, so if she's been out like this for too long, just throwing a towel at her and bundling her up isn't gonna do much. ]
Warm shower, now. I didn't save your life just for you to catch a goddamn cold, so unless you're leaving, you better warm the hell up.
[ At his touch, she starts a little - not quite a flinch, but her surprise shows all over her face when she perks up at him. Really, her face in general is suddenly a little more open and honest than it usually is. Or rather, than it has been for the last twenty years or so. Her gaze, too, is a little searching but her eyes drop meekly from his face seemingly before she can settle on whether she's found what she's looking for or not. ]
It's probably a little irresponsible. But so was coming over here to begin with, huh?
[ The grin she flashes him is a little forced... and then it eases back into that tentative, uncertain little smile. ]
Um... maybe it's a little much to ask when I showed up out of nowhere like this but I don't... W-well, I'll have to borrow some clothes. If that's okay.
[ A flat refusal is as good an excuse as any to flee back home after all. ]
[ His eyebrow twitches, and his cheeks... flush further. Shit. ]
...Fine, no complaining about the size, though.
[ Did he seriously just say that? Actually, what the hell is she thinking asking that!? All of his clothes are bound to dwarf her in size, so her wearing his clothes...
The reasonable thing to do would be to say no, or provide an alternative... but instead he said sure!?
...God he must miss her way more than he thought, and that's saying something. ]
[ ... Oh, he actually agreed. Uh, she didn't really see this coming. She's pretty used to getting her way by being pretty and pushy enough but isn't he backing off a little fast...?!
Jeez. What kind of girl must she be coming off like right now? No wonder he's embarrassed. If she's lucky, he'll think of her as ditzy and a little eccentric and nothing more.
So she forces one of those blithe, clueless smiles back onto her face. ]
That's fine with me. I just didn't want to impose any more than I'm doing already.
[ She lingers, though, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She doesn't quite want him to leave her sight just yet. ]
[ Believe him, he's amazed as well. Seriously, Ai, what is going on in your head!? This goes beyond being ditzy and eccentric!! Especially with him! He knows what kind of vibes he has!!
Still, it is what it is. It's for the best anyway, right? He genuinely doesn't want her to catch a col— ]
Huh...?
[ He glances back at her. Show her where she's supposed to go...? It's not like it's a huge apartment. He's about to say exactly that... ]
...
[ ...except what the hell, she's just as cute as ever. How the hell is he supposed to say no to her again? ]
...Fine.
[ And, without thinking, he takes her hand with his own and starts to drag her towards the bathroom. ]
[ Oh. Once again, he's caught her by surprise. He does it so thoughtlessly, too - casually, comfortably. Like he's so used to doing it that it doesn't even occur to him not to touch her.
For a second, the question wells up in her throat, desperate to be asked. Does he remember her? He must, to act like this, right? But even as she parts her lips to speak, the words won't come to her mouth. What will she do if she's wrong? How is she supposed to ask without sounding completely insane?
So she doesn't. She just follows along in silence until they stop in front of the right door. ]
... Right, this one. Okay.
[ She gives his hand a tiny squeeze - it's all she dares to do - before sliding it out of his. ]
Thanks. Um - if you leave what I'm borrowing in the changing room, I'll use it when I'm done.
[ She flashes him another of those meek, uncertain smiles and makes her way inside. Maybe now, with a little time alone, she can control herself. ]
[ He thinks to himself as he pulls Ai along… does she remember him? Maybe she’s close, but not quite? If she doesn’t remember him, would it be for the best if it stayed that way?
With no way of knowing (besides, y’know, asking her), he just silently guides her to the bathroom. ]
…Yeah.
[ He averts his gaze, unable to stop the mess of feelings from welling up whenever their eyes meet. ]
[ It hurts to be this close and then step away like she's parting from a stranger. Looking at the face he's making as she does so is even worse - in some twisted up way, it's a relief to step into the changing room and shut the door behind her. Still shivering with cold, she peels off her sodden clothes and with nowhere else to put them, into the laundry they go. Then she steps into the bath itself and shuts the door firmly behind her.
The heat from the shower is a relief - she hadn't realised just how chilled to the core she'd been until it'd started to thaw but the steam and the gentle patter of water do nothing to soothe the thoughts whirling around in her head. As she rises her hair through, she catches a glance of the back of her hand, clear and unsullied.
If there was a Command Seal there still, just how much easier would this all be? ]
[ He hears the shower turn on... and he can't help but think of the ridiculousness of this situation. Ai Hoshino—not that he should have any way of knowing her surname—is currently using his shower. If anybody recognized and saw her come in here, the news would spread so quickly it'd be mind-boggling. Especially after a recent murder attempt of all things.
It's a thought that provokes... a twisted sense of satisfaction that he hasn't felt in a long time. The feeling of possessiveness that's gone unfulfilled for twenty-four years.
He shakes his head, trying to ignore the feeling. Could he bear to start over? Would it even work? What with him knowing so much about her... but her knowing nothing about him?
Yet another thought to ignore by just... focusing on looking for something Ai can wear. Unfortunately, there's nothing in his wardrobe that won't dwarf Ai in size. Him being taller than most even outside of Japan doesn't help, and Ai being on the smaller side helps even less.
He eventually finds a white button-up shirt... not too dissimilar to what he once wore as a Servant. It's bound to cover her all the way down to her legs... which is good, at least, since he's got nothing for her to wear below the waist that won't simply fall off.
So she has a shirt left out for her in the changing room... and Oberon can only slump back onto his couch and rub the bridge of his nose. What the hell is he gonna do now... ]
[ She stays in the shower a good while longer than she really needs to - even though she can practically hear Miyako in her head, lecturing her on how long baths and showers will dry out her skin. She might have been the clear victim hear, the object of sympathy, but after an incident like this where everyone's eyes will be on her in the aftermath, she has to ensure she looks her best. Untarnished, clean and pure.
Of course, if she was that concerned about being pure, she wouldn't have come here in the first place.
Eventually, though, she steps out into the changing room. She tries not to think about what she's going to do when she steps out - or how completely insane this entire situation really is - and just focuses on drying her hair and changing into the shirt she's been left. It's long enough that she's technically modest - it's more or less a dress on her, hanging all the way down to just shy of her knees, but she's still incredibly overly aware of how little else she's wearing.
... You wouldn't dress a stranger like this, right? Especially not if they showed up out of nowhere. You wouldn't, and yet...
She shoves the thought to one side. Dressed and... as presentable as she's going to get, Ai eases the changing room door open and steps out into the cooler, drier air of the apartment with a lopsided smile. ]
... Thanks. Sorry again to just show up out of nowhere like this. I, um... I guess I just wanted to make sure I talked to you before I lost my nerve.
[ It's not even a matter of "wouldn't"... it's a matter of "shouldn't", really. You shouldn't dress a girl who just showed up shivering at your door like this, especially if they're basically a stranger! Even if... she's not a stranger. Not to him. Not to her.
He looks up as she steps out... and well, he tried to mentally prepare himself for what he was going to see when she stepped out, but...
There's no preparing for this. It's unfair, actually. His eyes go wide, briefly locked onto Ai... post-shower, wearing one of his shirts, alone with him in his apartment...
...there's a good few seconds where he stays like that before he manages to wrench his own eyes away so he can respectfully keep his eyes on literally anything else. Last thing he needs is Ai, without her memories, thinking of him as a creep. Nevermind the fact that... that ship might've already sailed. ]
Y-Yeah? Well... don't mention it.
[ What, for the thanks right now? Or the whole saving your life thing? Who knows. Not even Oberon knows what is happening right now. ]
[ Ah. Being stared at like that by him makes the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. It's not unpleasant - far from it. It's so familiar that it makes her throat tighten a little. It's lovely. But it makes her stomach churn with guilt, too. If he really doesn't remember, is he even the same person? If he's not, should she even want him to look at her like that?
She fidgets with the hanging sleeve of his shirt and as she peeks cautiously at his expression... no, she thinks. Even if he doesn't remember... something is still the same. Seeing that look on his face makes her chest twist, after all.
The question spills out of her mouth before she can stop it. ]
Why, though? Or- what I mean is...
[ She fumbles with her words before she can find the right ones. ]
How... did you even know I'd need help to begin with?
[ It's... not an unreasonable question. Sure, he lived nearby, but that didn't necessarily justify how he could've possibly appeared at the apartment building in time. He'd managed to avoid having to give a story to the press so far, but... everything aligned just a little too perfectly, hadn't it?
Not that he sees it that way. He'd planned on stopping her killer before he had even reached Ai's doorstep, but as if fate wanted to toy with him one last time, he somehow missed him... and practically had to sprint as fast as he could to get there in time to put his fist in Ryosuke's jaw. It was much more than just being in the right place at the right time... ]
Just... just a feeling. Right place, right time. That's...
[ "That's all" he starts to say, only to trail off. ]
It takes her a moment to recognize the feeling as fear. Fear tangled up with something desperate and on the verge of breaking. Because the way he says it... it's familiar. So familiar that she might just barely be able to bring herself to hope.
Her mouth pulls into a lopsided smile and in a warm, rueful voice she says; ]
You liar. [ But it doesn't sound like an accusation. Somehow it sounds... familiar and pleased. Maybe even knowing. ] You should know better than to try and wave me off with a lie like that. You knew he'd be there, didn't you?
[ Does he? Does he? Her heart's pounding so hard in her throat she can hardly speak around it.
[ At first, his response is to lie again... more instinctive than anything else. ]
Hah, how could I...
[ Then she speaks again, and now both of their stomachs are lurching. He freezes mid-sentence, his head slowly turning to face Ai. It occurs to him that... all of a sudden... her voice is so much more familiar to him...
Seriously? There's no way, right? Such a thing... ]
...Ai?
[ His eyes are wide, locked on her. Not on her indecent appearance or anything else... her. ]
[ Oberon looks at her and Ai knows him. Fae Eyes or not, she knows that feeling of being looked into so deeply, right into her guts and the very marrow of her bones. The way only one person has ever looked at her.
Her breath catches in her throat. For a second, she can't speak at all and she has to swallow again before she can even try. ]
It... it wasn't until I'd already opened the door - n-no, after that. I didn't remember until after I was already safe, but...
[ Her mouth makes a helpless shape and she takes a tentative step towards him, one hand clutched in the other.
The hand that, once, had been branded with a Command Seal. ]
Did... did you really come all this way to find me again?
[ His eyes are wider than they've ever been before. He sits up, all but gawking at Ai as she steps closer. He finds himself reaching forward, reaching for her... ]
T... Twenty-four years... all I've... everything I've done...
[ It was all for her. Everything. Everything he's done has all been for her sake... for the sake of finding her again. Saving her. ]
She dreamed of that theater and that tragic play enough times to know how old the Servant the Grail had sent her was. Not to understand - could any human ever, really? - but to know that she was an impossibly fleeting existence in comparison. To a creature like that, twenty four years would be nothing.
To a human... it's everything. It's a whole lifetime. It's longer than her lifetime - the one she would've been doomed to have, if not for this. A lifetime of waiting and searching for someone like her.
A trembling hand rises and like she can barely believe he's stood in front of her, the tips of her fingers just barely ghost his cheek, combing his hair back so she can properly take in his face.
Even now, he's still...
A laugh shakes out of her and with it comes a stream of tears finally breaking from her lashes and down her face. ]
You dummy. Didn't I tell you not to call me that anymore?
[ It's strange... being human... being without her... made everything go so much slower... ]
Hah...
[ He brings his hand up to hold Ai's as they come close to his face... and in seeing tears start to roll down her cheeks, something breaks in him as well.
All of a sudden, his hands shoot out to pull her towards him. One hand on her back, and another on the back of her head so that once she's against him, he can desperately crash his lips against hers. He doesn't care how little she's wearing once she's in his lap... he really doesn't care.
[ The kiss comes on so fast and so deep that it steals all the breath out of her lungs before she can even pull any in to spare. Her languidly beating heart slams into motion with a vivacity and intensity that makes her feel a little dizzy - her hands scrabble to latch onto him, fingers catching hold of his shirt to steady herself. She barely notices when she's no longer on her feet, only caring about the warm press of their bodies against each other and his lips against hers. ]
Oberon... [ Her gasps pour into his mouth in the space between each kiss. ] You're really- I didn't think-
[ She shuts herself up, just so she can press in a little closer to keep kissing him. The rest can all come later. ]
[ Look at them... from an outside perspective, this must look like the most stereotypical scandal to ever exist. Famous idol Ai throwing herself at the man who saved her life... honestly, it's a much more reasonable story than what the truth is. ]
Ai... Ai...!
[ Nothing else really matters at this point anyway... all that matters is his hands on her, pulling her closer as he kisses the woman he loves so desperately... as though he'd been starved for those twenty-four years and is only now being fed.
His fingers run through her hair, still damp from the shower. He loves her without restraint, his heart swelling at finally having her in his arms again. ]
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no subject
Unfortunately, though, he got unlucky and ended up having to catch the knife with his bare hand... which let him wrench the thing out of the killer's grasp, but in exchange for a nasty slash on his palm. His hand is still thoroughly wrapped up in a bandage after some doctors took a look at him... and it still hurts like hell, honestly.
Needless to say, Ai's dome concert was cancelled... probably not forever, but still, it's hardly the most important thing on Oberon's mind.
He did it. Twenty-four years... all for the sake of that one moment. What happens from here is a mystery... honestly it's entirely possible that she could just get into another mess and end up dead anyway. It's not like it'd surprise him if the world decided to spit in his face like that.
But he did it. He... saved her.
The question of what he does from here... remains unfortunately unanswered, though. Ever since then, he's been... listless, for the lack of a better word. Just laying around in his apartment, trying to ignore the pulsing pain in his hand.
Then, unexpectedly, he hears the buzzer... and her voice.
His reaction is... embarrassingly delayed, but the fact remains that he nearly falls off his couch in scrambling towards the answering machine. ]
Y-You...
[ There she is... right there on camera... and looking absolutely freezing what the hell? ]
W-What the hell are you doing out in the...!
[ Ugh... what the hell, how did she even get his address? Sure he was nearby, but it can't have been that easy... and why is she here? What, to thank him...?
He briefly considers the possibility... the possibility that she'd remember him, but surely if she had, she wouldn't have just let him walk away... right? ]
U-Ugh... come in, then...
[ What kind of idol shows up at a guy's home with no warning asking to be let inside...? Is she asking for a scandal?? In any case, the buzzer beeps, signaling that she's being let inside. ]
no subject
So she makes her way up. She tries not to think too much about what she might or might not say when she's in there or how much trouble she might or might not get into because of it. All that really matters is that she wants to be there full stop.
She doesn't bother knocking when she reaches his door - he's buzzed her in and he's expecting her, so she just gives a quick courtesy rap of her knuckles before pushing the door open and stepping inside, her smile sheepish. ]
Heehee. Can you believe my luck that I didn't bring an umbrella? I'll probably drip everywhere, sorry...
[ With a clock, she shuts the door behind her. ]
Um... is it okay to ask how you're doing after all that?
no subject
I'd say it's more surprising that I have Ai herself arriving at my door soaked from the rain... you know there are less suggestive ways to thank someone, right?
[ Huh, he's acting a whole lot differently compared to that talk show way back when... or in general whenever he's on a screen.
Though to Ai, it's much more familiar, isn't it?To answer her question, he raises his bandaged hand so she can see it. ]
About as well as I can be. Better than being stabbed, at least.
no subject
[ She gets to towelling her hair dry as she makes her way further inside, trying not to make her inspection of the place too obvious. It's tidier than she expected... so even he can keep things from turning into a garbage heap when he has to, huh.
With her hair as dry as it's going to get, she lets the towel drape around her neck - her clothes are beyond help at his point - and tries to put her clueless smile back on but the instant she sees his still bandaged hand, her face falls. ]
Ah...
[ It'd all been such a blur that she'd hardly taken it in but that was right. He'd gotten hurt trying to save her, hadn't he? She just... hadn't realised it was quite this bad.
She doesn't even bother trying to control her expression. She just steps forward and tentatively, hesitantly, lifts her hands to take his. Just so she can get a closer look. ]
Mm. I guess it's definitely the preferable option. [ Her voice is flat. ] ...I still don't like it.
[ Even after all this time, the idea of him getting hurt for her is just... ]
no subject
[ You know, since being almost murdered tends to leave a person fairly shaken.
...Honestly, he's not sure what to do in this situation. With Ai, who doesn't remember him, coming to him for the sake of thanking him for saving her life. Despite the fact that there are certainly better way sto go about that with a man who is, by all means, a stranger to her.
Still, being lost in thought means being caught off-guard Ai steps forward... and allowing her to take his bandaged hand in hers.
He wishes he wasn't immediately blushing. ]
...You don't have to like it, but... I don't regret it, if that makes you feel any better.
[ ...Despite that, though, he can't exactly ignore that she's still completely soaked. Sure, she dried her hair, but wearing wet clothes is still plenty likely to get you sick. ]
...Gah, fine, whatever! Scandals be damned, you're too damn wet! How long were you out in the rain anyway!?
[ He raises his unhurt hand and places it roughly on the top of her head, frowning down at her. It's been raining for a while, so if she's been out like this for too long, just throwing a towel at her and bundling her up isn't gonna do much. ]
Warm shower, now. I didn't save your life just for you to catch a goddamn cold, so unless you're leaving, you better warm the hell up.
no subject
It's probably a little irresponsible. But so was coming over here to begin with, huh?
[ The grin she flashes him is a little forced... and then it eases back into that tentative, uncertain little smile. ]
Um... maybe it's a little much to ask when I showed up out of nowhere like this but I don't... W-well, I'll have to borrow some clothes. If that's okay.
[ A flat refusal is as good an excuse as any to flee back home after all. ]
no subject
...Fine, no complaining about the size, though.
[ Did he seriously just say that? Actually, what the hell is she thinking asking that!? All of his clothes are bound to dwarf her in size, so her wearing his clothes...
The reasonable thing to do would be to say no, or provide an alternative... but instead he said sure!?
...God he must miss her way more than he thought, and that's saying something. ]
no subject
Jeez. What kind of girl must she be coming off like right now? No wonder he's embarrassed. If she's lucky, he'll think of her as ditzy and a little eccentric and nothing more.
So she forces one of those blithe, clueless smiles back onto her face. ]
That's fine with me. I just didn't want to impose any more than I'm doing already.
[ She lingers, though, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She doesn't quite want him to leave her sight just yet. ]
Could you show me where I'm supposed to go?
no subject
Still, it is what it is. It's for the best anyway, right? He genuinely doesn't want her to catch a col— ]
Huh...?
[ He glances back at her. Show her where she's supposed to go...? It's not like it's a huge apartment. He's about to say exactly that... ]
...
[ ...except what the hell, she's just as cute as ever. How the hell is he supposed to say no to her again? ]
...Fine.
[ And, without thinking, he takes her hand with his own and starts to drag her towards the bathroom. ]
no subject
For a second, the question wells up in her throat, desperate to be asked. Does he remember her? He must, to act like this, right? But even as she parts her lips to speak, the words won't come to her mouth. What will she do if she's wrong? How is she supposed to ask without sounding completely insane?
So she doesn't. She just follows along in silence until they stop in front of the right door. ]
... Right, this one. Okay.
[ She gives his hand a tiny squeeze - it's all she dares to do - before sliding it out of his. ]
Thanks. Um - if you leave what I'm borrowing in the changing room, I'll use it when I'm done.
[ She flashes him another of those meek, uncertain smiles and makes her way inside. Maybe now, with a little time alone, she can control herself. ]
no subject
With no way of knowing (besides, y’know, asking her), he just silently guides her to the bathroom. ]
…Yeah.
[ He averts his gaze, unable to stop the mess of feelings from welling up whenever their eyes meet. ]
I’ll… try and get you the smallest thing I have.
no subject
The heat from the shower is a relief - she hadn't realised just how chilled to the core she'd been until it'd started to thaw but the steam and the gentle patter of water do nothing to soothe the thoughts whirling around in her head. As she rises her hair through, she catches a glance of the back of her hand, clear and unsullied.
If there was a Command Seal there still, just how much easier would this all be? ]
no subject
It's a thought that provokes... a twisted sense of satisfaction that he hasn't felt in a long time. The feeling of possessiveness that's gone unfulfilled for twenty-four years.
He shakes his head, trying to ignore the feeling. Could he bear to start over? Would it even work? What with him knowing so much about her... but her knowing nothing about him?
Yet another thought to ignore by just... focusing on looking for something Ai can wear. Unfortunately, there's nothing in his wardrobe that won't dwarf Ai in size. Him being taller than most even outside of Japan doesn't help, and Ai being on the smaller side helps even less.
He eventually finds a white button-up shirt... not too dissimilar to what he once wore as a Servant. It's bound to cover her all the way down to her legs... which is good, at least, since he's got nothing for her to wear below the waist that won't simply fall off.
So she has a shirt left out for her in the changing room... and Oberon can only slump back onto his couch and rub the bridge of his nose. What the hell is he gonna do now... ]
no subject
Of course, if she was that concerned about being pure, she wouldn't have come here in the first place.
Eventually, though, she steps out into the changing room. She tries not to think about what she's going to do when she steps out - or how completely insane this entire situation really is - and just focuses on drying her hair and changing into the shirt she's been left. It's long enough that she's technically modest - it's more or less a dress on her, hanging all the way down to just shy of her knees, but she's still incredibly overly aware of how little else she's wearing.
... You wouldn't dress a stranger like this, right? Especially not if they showed up out of nowhere. You wouldn't, and yet...
She shoves the thought to one side. Dressed and... as presentable as she's going to get, Ai eases the changing room door open and steps out into the cooler, drier air of the apartment with a lopsided smile. ]
... Thanks. Sorry again to just show up out of nowhere like this. I, um... I guess I just wanted to make sure I talked to you before I lost my nerve.
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Not to her.He looks up as she steps out... and well, he tried to mentally prepare himself for what he was going to see when she stepped out, but...
There's no preparing for this. It's unfair, actually. His eyes go wide, briefly locked onto Ai... post-shower, wearing one of his shirts, alone with him in his apartment...
...there's a good few seconds where he stays like that before he manages to wrench his own eyes away so he can respectfully keep his eyes on literally anything else. Last thing he needs is Ai, without her memories, thinking of him as a creep.
Nevermind the fact that... that ship might've already sailed.]Y-Yeah? Well... don't mention it.
[ What, for the thanks right now? Or the whole saving your life thing? Who knows. Not even Oberon knows what is happening right now. ]
I just... did what I had to do. That's all.
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She fidgets with the hanging sleeve of his shirt and as she peeks cautiously at his expression... no, she thinks. Even if he doesn't remember... something is still the same. Seeing that look on his face makes her chest twist, after all.
The question spills out of her mouth before she can stop it. ]
Why, though? Or- what I mean is...
[ She fumbles with her words before she can find the right ones. ]
How... did you even know I'd need help to begin with?
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[ It's... not an unreasonable question. Sure, he lived nearby, but that didn't necessarily justify how he could've possibly appeared at the apartment building in time. He'd managed to avoid having to give a story to the press so far, but... everything aligned just a little too perfectly, hadn't it?
Not that he sees it that way. He'd planned on stopping her killer before he had even reached Ai's doorstep, but as if fate wanted to toy with him one last time, he somehow missed him... and practically had to sprint as fast as he could to get there in time to put his fist in Ryosuke's jaw. It was much more than just being in the right place at the right time... ]
Just... just a feeling. Right place, right time. That's...
[ "That's all" he starts to say, only to trail off. ]
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It takes her a moment to recognize the feeling as fear. Fear tangled up with something desperate and on the verge of breaking. Because the way he says it... it's familiar. So familiar that she might just barely be able to bring herself to hope.
Her mouth pulls into a lopsided smile and in a warm, rueful voice she says; ]
You liar. [ But it doesn't sound like an accusation. Somehow it sounds... familiar and pleased. Maybe even knowing. ] You should know better than to try and wave me off with a lie like that. You knew he'd be there, didn't you?
[ Does he? Does he? Her heart's pounding so hard in her throat she can hardly speak around it.
Ai swallows. ]
... I didn't remember in time.
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Hah, how could I...
[ Then she speaks again, and now both of their stomachs are lurching. He freezes mid-sentence, his head slowly turning to face Ai. It occurs to him that... all of a sudden... her voice is so much more familiar to him...
Seriously? There's no way, right? Such a thing... ]
...Ai?
[ His eyes are wide, locked on her. Not on her indecent appearance or anything else... her. ]
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Her breath catches in her throat. For a second, she can't speak at all and she has to swallow again before she can even try. ]
It... it wasn't until I'd already opened the door - n-no, after that. I didn't remember until after I was already safe, but...
[ Her mouth makes a helpless shape and she takes a tentative step towards him, one hand clutched in the other.
The hand that, once, had been branded with a Command Seal. ]
Did... did you really come all this way to find me again?
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T... Twenty-four years... all I've... everything I've done...
[ It was all for her. Everything. Everything he's done has all been for her sake... for the sake of finding her again. Saving her. ]
I... I ask of you... are you...
[ "Are you my Master?" ]
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She dreamed of that theater and that tragic play enough times to know how old the Servant the Grail had sent her was. Not to understand - could any human ever, really? - but to know that she was an impossibly fleeting existence in comparison. To a creature like that, twenty four years would be nothing.
To a human... it's everything. It's a whole lifetime. It's longer than her lifetime - the one she would've been doomed to have, if not for this. A lifetime of waiting and searching for someone like her.
A trembling hand rises and like she can barely believe he's stood in front of her, the tips of her fingers just barely ghost his cheek, combing his hair back so she can properly take in his face.
Even now, he's still...
A laugh shakes out of her and with it comes a stream of tears finally breaking from her lashes and down her face. ]
You dummy. Didn't I tell you not to call me that anymore?
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Hah...
[ He brings his hand up to hold Ai's as they come close to his face... and in seeing tears start to roll down her cheeks, something breaks in him as well.
All of a sudden, his hands shoot out to pull her towards him. One hand on her back, and another on the back of her head so that once she's against him, he can desperately crash his lips against hers. He doesn't care how little she's wearing once she's in his lap... he really doesn't care.
It's her... ]
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Oberon... [ Her gasps pour into his mouth in the space between each kiss. ] You're really- I didn't think-
[ She shuts herself up, just so she can press in a little closer to keep kissing him. The rest can all come later. ]
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Ai... Ai...!
[ Nothing else really matters at this point anyway... all that matters is his hands on her, pulling her closer as he kisses the woman he loves so desperately... as though he'd been starved for those twenty-four years and is only now being fed.
His fingers run through her hair, still damp from the shower. He loves her without restraint, his heart swelling at finally having her in his arms again. ]
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