Pfft... Sure, sure. You're really bad at pretending you're not embarrassed, you know.
[ She's a little wobbly once she's back on her own feet - no wonder when her thighs are as sore as they are. She's honestly dreading looking at herself in the mirror, just a little.
But she unzips the hoodie and starts doing her best to work it off her body. ... Though going by the way she's fumbling, her aching muscles are making it kind of a difficult task. ]
Could you at least check and make sure the bath water's still good? I made sure to fill it before we set out, but who knows if that heater is any good...
[ He can do something about that, of course. He checks the bath water… of course, it’s lukewarm at best. Guess that answers what state the heater is in… but then again, it’s not too high of a priority.
Not when he has magecraft specifically designed for mundane things such as heating up bathwater. ]
Tch…
[ She’ll be able to hear him click his tongue before waving his hand over the water, clearly doing something about the temperature not being good enough. As for Ai herself…
…well, it’s only natural that all her bruises and marks have gotten much much darker, isn’t it? ]
For a long moment, Ai just stares at herself. Maybe it's just the contrast of her pale skin under the dark jacket, but the marks seem to stand out on her like brands. She's... still a mess in the literal sense, still sticky and sweaty, but even worse and even dirtier is the map of his touch that his hands and mouth have left all over her body.
How filthy. How unacceptable. How unforgivable for an idol like her.
A smile wobbles onto her face. ]
You really didn't let up on me for a second, did you...
[ It's worse the more layers she peels off. Her shoulders, her breasts, her thighs - at this point, there's nothing else... coming out of her and everything's going right into the laundry but completely undressed like this, she can tell what a mess he's made of her. ]
J-just how many times do you need to go before you're satisfied, anyway? You made such a mess. You're an animal.
[ He’s still heating the water, but he turns his head to look at her.
Damn, he’s good. She’s so beautifully marred by him… her thighs are turning darker by the second, her breasts are showing evidence of all the abuse he did to them, even the entrance that Oberon rammed into the entire time looks like the very definition of sore. ]
If I wasn’t such an animal… you wouldn’t look as beautiful as you do right now.
[ . . . She's not pink in the face. Not even a little. ]
Of all the things for you to be proud of...
[ But, well. She anticipated that even as she was inviting him to bathe with her. She finally peels off the hoodie and tosses it unceremoniously into the laundry in the entryway before she turns to him and gives the hem of his shirt a little tug. ]
... come on. I can't close the door and start running the shower if you're still dressed. Unless you want to be all sticky and gross when I'm done.
[ He's just about finished anyway. With hot water now guaranteed, he turns to her and pulls his own shirt over his head.
It really is a strange sight, him looking so... normal. His skin is as pale as ever, and he's a gangly fellow as well... not scrawny, he's still certainly bigger than Ai in just about every regard, but still on the thinner side. He's also lacking in his usual dragonfly wings... though that's been the case all day, hasn't it? He's always said that they were only there for show, after all.
...this isn't the first time she's seen him like this, but this might be the first time she's seen him bare in the light like this. ]
[ Ai doesn't even try to pretend she's not staring. They've long since passed the point of intimacy where seeing each other undressed isn't always so much of an event but something about the sight of him now makes her pause. ]
... you look... different, like this.
[ She'd thought it back when she'd seen him on the roof all those weeks ago - that without that heavy stole, he seemed smaller and less imposing. That's true here as well but what strikes her even more strongly is how... ordinary he looks. Like someone she could have passed in the street in Tokyo and not even looked twice.
Without really thinking, she lifts her hand and lays it tentatively on his back, in the middle of his shoulder blades, where it would usually be bracketed by those wings of his. ]
[ He flinches slightly at her hand on the middle of his back, but quickly relaxes into her touch. ]
...Well, I'd say that'd be the case for most.
[ It's not exactly easy to maintain an imposing, heroic visage, when naked after all. He's always given off the impression of a dark prince, a villain no matter how you look at him... but it shouldn't be surprising to either of them that even that is a lie. ]
...No talking about this to anybody else. I have a reputation to uphold, you know.
[ A warm laugh puffs out of her on a soft exhale. ]
Just who would I go around tattling to, anyway? Give me at least a little credit. Besides, if I was going to spread gossip about you then I'd want it to be something really juicy.
[ Her hand slowly skims down the trail of his spine down to the small of his back before she finally pulls it away. ]
[ He finishes undressing, finally turning around to look at Ai with his usual grin. ]
Ah yes... though it had better be good gossip in that case. More scandalous than, say, a famous idol being a masochist.
[ He says, following his words up by leaning down to give her a quick kiss. He simply can't allow her to get away with teasing him today, now can he? ]
Now then, I went through all the trouble of making sure our water is hot... let's use it, then.
If you're not careful, I really will make you go sleep on the beach. [ she won't ] So you'd better behave.
[ m-masochist, though....... does he really have to put it like that? it's not as though she wants that from him in particular... it's just that Oberon is maybe the only one she could ever trust to do it and stop the moment it's too much.
... she's protesting way too much and it's only inside her own head. He's so annoying. ]
You can get in first. Somebody made sure I was a total mess before I got home, so I want to rinse off before I get into the bath.
[ They're lucky enough to have a proper setup even in this apartment, after all - she can settle herself on the stool and wash herself without any of it dirtying up the bathwater.
She pulls it over to do just that, but even as she sits, she winces - for all she'd been encouraging him to do that damage, the consequences are pretty inconvenient. ]
[ He laughs... that's practically the definition of the word, Ai. That he's the only one she trusts to do it to her, though... well... he can't help but be flattered.
...He'll never betray that trust. Never. ]
...Nope.
[ He sees the way she winces when she sits down on her bruised up thighs. There is admittedly a twinge of guilt, but well, she had encouraged him to do that... and he had enjoyed doing it to her just as much.
He starts running the water in the tub, but once that's done, he kneels down next to her and takes the showerhead from her hands. ]
I should clean up my mess, shouldn't I? Now sit still.
[ Is... is he pampering her? Since when did he put this much effort into aftercare? ]
Ah-? [ Surprise makes her expression soften just a bit. She blinks at him and then her gaze slides away for a moment. ] ... You should, but it's not like you ever do...
[ She sits still, though. If he's really going to do what he seems to be offering then she really doesn't want to protest. The idea of Oberon treating her so delicately when he'd just been so rough...
She tells herself the flush staining her cheeks is because of all the warm steam in the air. ]
... It hurts most around the backs.
[ No wonder, with just how much abuse they'd taken. ]
[ One moment he's breaking her into tiny pieces, the next he's pampering her oh so lovingly... is this perhaps the ideal boyfriend for a masochist? Minus the fact that his personality is so shitty. ]
Right, right...
[ He had fucked her up against the rough wall a good few times... her back was covered in scrapes. He turns on the water at a soft level so that it isn't battering her skin and starts to rinse her down. He's not bad at it, either. For someone who spends all his time living like a slob, he's not bad at providing hygiene. Just how deep do the lies go...?
He's gentle with her, too. So gentle that it's baffling to think that his hands were also the ones who damaged her this badly. It's not like he's never switched to being gentle for aftercare before, but he's being so thorough this time... he even starts to wash her hair.
Maybe that's just his way of making it up to her. This is certainly the roughest he's ever been with her... so he's balancing it out by treating her this lovingly afterward. ]
[ Maybe it really is all the steam in the air, but the moments that stretch out as he touches her feel oddly delicate and dreamy. The water pattering against her overstimulated skin tingles and buzzes but the slow, gentle sweep of his hands in its wake is so soothing her eyelashes flutter.
She doesn't say anything at all. She doesn't think she should. The whole thing feels fragile as the surface of a soap bubble and the idea of doing or saying the wrong thing and popping it is awful. She wants it drawn out for as long as it can last, so she can enjoy it to the last drop.
It's not until his fingers are stroking through her hair that her breath comes out in a sigh and from it, words follow. ]
So you really can be gentle when you put your mind to it.
[ It doesn't break, he continues to do as he's doing, gently pampering his bruised and broken Master. His touch turns firm when he starts to stroke her hair for the purpose of properly washing it and rubbing the shampoo in, but even that is firmness not unlike a massage, rather than the firmness from before that left dark marks in her skin.
He may not be planning on getting rid of his hard work, but he can at least make her feel better about them. ]
'Shut up', huh? Jeez, you're so transparent sometimes.
[ Ah. That really does feel nice. It's a little funny to think that the Servant who was so frightening and full of seemingly inevitable violence when she first summoned him would be so...
Her eyes gradually slide all the way shut. She was already exhausted but this is lulling her into such a lovely doze it's impossible to resist. ]
If you felt like doing this kind of thing a little more often instead of picking on me, I really wouldn't mind at all.
[ though, let's be real. if this ever comes back around, it'll be on top of a whole lot of equally horrible bullying. ]
[ The point of aftercare is soothing after particularly intense bullying, is it not? Does the promise of the softest aftercare anyone's ever seen make one more receptive to looking like they fell down a flight of stairs? That's for Ai to find out... or decide on. ]
Yeah, well don't get used to it. One time deal.
[ So he lies says before picking up the nearby bucket, now filled with warm water, and dunking it over her head to wash the suds away. ]
Done. Now come on, if you're gonna sleep, at least have the courtesy to do it in my arms.
Right, right. [ In the voice of a girl who absolutely doesn't believe him. ] I'll make sure to enjoy it while it lasts, then.
[ And really, she has done. Every second of it, for all her fussing and complaining. Oberon must know it, too - he sees through her so easily there's no point in lying to him outside of ingrained habit. It's just like she'd said - everyone else wants her to be so clean and pretty. He's the only one she can trust to want her even when she's dirty.
With her skin finally clean, Ai wobbles back onto her feet - exhausted as she is, she's feeling refreshed enough to give him a little grin. ]
If I was still feeling mad at you, I'd make you carry me into the bath, you know. But I think I can manage.
[ The water's hot enough to sting, but the noise that comes out of her as she sinks into it is a long, heavy sigh of relief. She's been looking forward to this, okay? ]
[ So he says before starting on rinsing himself off. He's covered in sweat, but at the very least he's not nearly as much of a mess as Ai. Less hair to wash, too. It's strange for him, a Servant, to be doing this at all... but that's the price of mana transfers as intense as theirs.
Still, whether it's on account of personal laziness... or haste to get in with her while the water is still warm, it doesn't take long for him to finish and make his way over himself. Whether it was satisfactory is another matter entirely, but... ]
...Alright, scoot over.
[ ...He'll be shoving himself right in behind her, now. ]
[ She makes no effort to hide the fact that she's watching him, but there's something almost innocently curious in her eyes as she does so over any other emotion. There again is that slightly off kilter feeling of seeing her Servant, picture perfect fairy tale villain that he is, doing something at mundane as rinsing his skin before climbing into the bath. Someone who didn't know any better could probably be tricked into thinking that what they were looking at was human.
She makes for him without complaint, settling back against him automatically once he's sat down. The water swills and laps at the rim of the bath, displaced by their combined presence, but it doesn't quite spill over. One last mess avoided, it seems. ]
It really has been such a strange day.
[ Her voice is soft. ]
It's been so... I don't know. Not normal, but... I just didn't exactly feel like your Master today, I guess. ... It was nice.
[ For what it's worth, a nice hot bath... isn't a terrible feeling. Especially not once Ai settles back against him once he's in, her scraped and bruised back settling against his chest. Having her in his lap like this should drive him crazy... but he got all of that out of his system already, so he's perfectly content simply having her close to him like this.
Under the water, his arms wrap around her waist, holding her close in what can only be described as utter affection. His hands are completely gentle, careful in the way they trace over her bruises and marks.
He's certainly not apologetic about them, but... ]
[ That's not a lie, at least. Whatever underscores her words is wavering, too fluid and transparent to pin down or put a name to. It's warm and glad and fond but it's nothing concrete that can be drawn out and identified.
But then, when has she ever been able to do that for her feelings? ]
It felt... normal, I think. Which is funny, right? This kind of normal isn't normal for me at all. If everything was how it was supposed to be, we wouldn't have even been allowed to stand next to each other on the beach. Forget holding hands or eating together or anything else we did. Idols don't do that.
[ 'Funny', she says, when her voice is so dry of mirth. ]
It just made me think... Maybe things really can work out, even when I'm not your Master anymore.
[ She's a greedy idol. She wants all the happiness in the world... and really, isn't that just the nature of humans? This is what he wanted for her. For her to wish for her own happiness again, so that he could bring her that happiness. Everything he's ever done... has always been for that star, and somehow, she became that star.
Yet when she speaks of their future... of a future together with her, not as Master and Servant, but as...
...
...He's careful not to squeeze too tight where her body is bruised, but he can't stop himself from doing it at all. His chest aches. This is already too much... far more than he should ever be allowed to have.
The star is in his hands, in his arms, sitting between his legs with nothing separating them except skin. It is miracle enough that the star he's always chased now rests in his hands... so is it hubris of him to wish to continue holding onto this star even longer?
He recognizes the hypocrisy in urging her to greedily wish for everything... happiness as an idol, as a mother, as a Master while he himself can't bring himself to do the same, but... ]
Ai, I...
[ If he holds this star for too long... will it stay with him, or will he burn up as if caught in an insect trap? ]
...I'm glad you enjoyed it.
[ ...all he can do is fight for her, and that's what he'll continue doing no matter what. Whether her greed is enough to give form to a miracle... that'll just have to remain to be seen. ]
[ It's new, that odd, wounded note in his voice. She hadn't ever heard it from him before they'd properly looked at each other but now it leaks out of him sometimes and she wonders if she's supposed to hear it. For a long moment, Ai doesn't say anything at all but then her voice unfurls into a fond sigh and she tips her head to rest it against the side of his neck. ]
It's a good thing, too. It's not like I could go back for a redo now that I'm like this. Aah, I'll never be able to wear a swimsuit again...
[ She's playing with him, but gently. If only to ease that unfamiliar waver to his voice. ]
I'm gonna have to stay home and laze around enjoying the air conditioning and eating ice cream. Maybe next summer I'll be able to wear something cute. So long as you behave.
[ She says it so casually but you really can't take the words next summer as anything but a tentative promise.
For all that she insists she can't keep them for him, she can't quite stop making promises. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ She's a little wobbly once she's back on her own feet - no wonder when her thighs are as sore as they are. She's honestly dreading looking at herself in the mirror, just a little.
But she unzips the hoodie and starts doing her best to work it off her body. ... Though going by the way she's fumbling, her aching muscles are making it kind of a difficult task. ]
Could you at least check and make sure the bath water's still good? I made sure to fill it before we set out, but who knows if that heater is any good...
no subject
[ He can do something about that, of course. He checks the bath water… of course, it’s lukewarm at best. Guess that answers what state the heater is in… but then again, it’s not too high of a priority.
Not when he has magecraft specifically designed for mundane things such as heating up bathwater. ]
Tch…
[ She’ll be able to hear him click his tongue before waving his hand over the water, clearly doing something about the temperature not being good enough. As for Ai herself…
…well, it’s only natural that all her bruises and marks have gotten much much darker, isn’t it? ]
no subject
For a long moment, Ai just stares at herself. Maybe it's just the contrast of her pale skin under the dark jacket, but the marks seem to stand out on her like brands. She's... still a mess in the literal sense, still sticky and sweaty, but even worse and even dirtier is the map of his touch that his hands and mouth have left all over her body.
How filthy. How unacceptable. How unforgivable for an idol like her.
A smile wobbles onto her face. ]
You really didn't let up on me for a second, did you...
[ It's worse the more layers she peels off. Her shoulders, her breasts, her thighs - at this point, there's nothing else... coming out of her and everything's going right into the laundry but completely undressed like this, she can tell what a mess he's made of her. ]
J-just how many times do you need to go before you're satisfied, anyway? You made such a mess. You're an animal.
no subject
[ He’s still heating the water, but he turns his head to look at her.
Damn, he’s good. She’s so beautifully marred by him… her thighs are turning darker by the second, her breasts are showing evidence of all the abuse he did to them, even the entrance that Oberon rammed into the entire time looks like the very definition of sore. ]
If I wasn’t such an animal… you wouldn’t look as beautiful as you do right now.
[ His gorgeous, beautifully broken idol… ]
no subject
Of all the things for you to be proud of...
[ But, well. She anticipated that even as she was inviting him to bathe with her. She finally peels off the hoodie and tosses it unceremoniously into the laundry in the entryway before she turns to him and gives the hem of his shirt a little tug. ]
... come on. I can't close the door and start running the shower if you're still dressed. Unless you want to be all sticky and gross when I'm done.
no subject
[ He's just about finished anyway. With hot water now guaranteed, he turns to her and pulls his own shirt over his head.
It really is a strange sight, him looking so... normal. His skin is as pale as ever, and he's a gangly fellow as well... not scrawny, he's still certainly bigger than Ai in just about every regard, but still on the thinner side. He's also lacking in his usual dragonfly wings... though that's been the case all day, hasn't it? He's always said that they were only there for show, after all.
...this isn't the first time she's seen him like this, but this might be the first time she's seen him bare in the light like this. ]
...What?
no subject
... you look... different, like this.
[ She'd thought it back when she'd seen him on the roof all those weeks ago - that without that heavy stole, he seemed smaller and less imposing. That's true here as well but what strikes her even more strongly is how... ordinary he looks. Like someone she could have passed in the street in Tokyo and not even looked twice.
Without really thinking, she lifts her hand and lays it tentatively on his back, in the middle of his shoulder blades, where it would usually be bracketed by those wings of his. ]
It's not bad. ... I just wasn't expecting it.
no subject
...Well, I'd say that'd be the case for most.
[ It's not exactly easy to maintain an imposing, heroic visage, when naked after all. He's always given off the impression of a dark prince, a villain no matter how you look at him... but it shouldn't be surprising to either of them that even that is a lie. ]
...No talking about this to anybody else. I have a reputation to uphold, you know.
[ So he says before continuing to undress. ]
no subject
Just who would I go around tattling to, anyway? Give me at least a little credit. Besides, if I was going to spread gossip about you then I'd want it to be something really juicy.
[ Her hand slowly skims down the trail of his spine down to the small of his back before she finally pulls it away. ]
You never stop catching me by surprise.
no subject
Ah yes... though it had better be good gossip in that case. More scandalous than, say, a famous idol being a masochist.
[ He says, following his words up by leaning down to give her a quick kiss. He simply can't allow her to get away with teasing him today, now can he? ]
Now then, I went through all the trouble of making sure our water is hot... let's use it, then.
no subject
[ m-masochist, though....... does he really have to put it like that? it's not as though she wants that from him in particular... it's just that Oberon is maybe the only one she could ever trust to do it and stop the moment it's too much.
... she's protesting way too much and it's only inside her own head. He's so annoying. ]
You can get in first. Somebody made sure I was a total mess before I got home, so I want to rinse off before I get into the bath.
[ They're lucky enough to have a proper setup even in this apartment, after all - she can settle herself on the stool and wash herself without any of it dirtying up the bathwater.
She pulls it over to do just that, but even as she sits, she winces - for all she'd been encouraging him to do that damage, the consequences are pretty inconvenient. ]
no subject
...He'll never betray that trust. Never. ]
...Nope.
[ He sees the way she winces when she sits down on her bruised up thighs. There is admittedly a twinge of guilt, but well, she had encouraged him to do that... and he had enjoyed doing it to her just as much.
He starts running the water in the tub, but once that's done, he kneels down next to her and takes the showerhead from her hands. ]
I should clean up my mess, shouldn't I? Now sit still.
[ Is... is he pampering her? Since when did he put this much effort into aftercare? ]
no subject
[ She sits still, though. If he's really going to do what he seems to be offering then she really doesn't want to protest. The idea of Oberon treating her so delicately when he'd just been so rough...
She tells herself the flush staining her cheeks is because of all the warm steam in the air. ]
... It hurts most around the backs.
[ No wonder, with just how much abuse they'd taken. ]
So... be careful?
no subject
Right, right...
[ He had fucked her up against the rough wall a good few times... her back was covered in scrapes. He turns on the water at a soft level so that it isn't battering her skin and starts to rinse her down. He's not bad at it, either. For someone who spends all his time living like a slob, he's not bad at providing hygiene.
Just how deep do the lies go...?He's gentle with her, too. So gentle that it's baffling to think that his hands were also the ones who damaged her this badly. It's not like he's never switched to being gentle for aftercare before, but he's being so thorough this time... he even starts to wash her hair.
Maybe that's just his way of making it up to her. This is certainly the roughest he's ever been with her... so he's balancing it out by treating her this lovingly afterward. ]
no subject
She doesn't say anything at all. She doesn't think she should. The whole thing feels fragile as the surface of a soap bubble and the idea of doing or saying the wrong thing and popping it is awful. She wants it drawn out for as long as it can last, so she can enjoy it to the last drop.
It's not until his fingers are stroking through her hair that her breath comes out in a sigh and from it, words follow. ]
So you really can be gentle when you put your mind to it.
[ One of those soft, breathy laughs. ]
I really like it.
no subject
[ It doesn't break, he continues to do as he's doing, gently pampering his bruised and broken Master. His touch turns firm when he starts to stroke her hair for the purpose of properly washing it and rubbing the shampoo in, but even that is firmness not unlike a massage, rather than the firmness from before that left dark marks in her skin.
He may not be planning on getting rid of his hard work, but he can at least make her feel better about them. ]
Still... good to hear.
no subject
[ Ah. That really does feel nice. It's a little funny to think that the Servant who was so frightening and full of seemingly inevitable violence when she first summoned him would be so...
Her eyes gradually slide all the way shut. She was already exhausted but this is lulling her into such a lovely doze it's impossible to resist. ]
If you felt like doing this kind of thing a little more often instead of picking on me, I really wouldn't mind at all.
[ though, let's be real. if this ever comes back around, it'll be on top of a whole lot of equally horrible bullying. ]
no subject
Yeah, well don't get used to it. One time deal.
[ So he
liessays before picking up the nearby bucket, now filled with warm water, and dunking it over her head to wash the suds away. ]Done. Now come on, if you're gonna sleep, at least have the courtesy to do it in my arms.
no subject
[ And really, she has done. Every second of it, for all her fussing and complaining. Oberon must know it, too - he sees through her so easily there's no point in lying to him outside of ingrained habit. It's just like she'd said - everyone else wants her to be so clean and pretty. He's the only one she can trust to want her even when she's dirty.
With her skin finally clean, Ai wobbles back onto her feet - exhausted as she is, she's feeling refreshed enough to give him a little grin. ]
If I was still feeling mad at you, I'd make you carry me into the bath, you know. But I think I can manage.
[ The water's hot enough to sting, but the noise that comes out of her as she sinks into it is a long, heavy sigh of relief. She's been looking forward to this, okay? ]
no subject
[ So he says before starting on rinsing himself off. He's covered in sweat, but at the very least he's not nearly as much of a mess as Ai. Less hair to wash, too. It's strange for him, a Servant, to be doing this at all... but that's the price of mana transfers as intense as theirs.
Still, whether it's on account of personal laziness... or haste to get in with her while the water is still warm, it doesn't take long for him to finish and make his way over himself. Whether it was satisfactory is another matter entirely, but... ]
...Alright, scoot over.
[ ...He'll be shoving himself right in behind her, now. ]
no subject
She makes for him without complaint, settling back against him automatically once he's sat down. The water swills and laps at the rim of the bath, displaced by their combined presence, but it doesn't quite spill over. One last mess avoided, it seems. ]
It really has been such a strange day.
[ Her voice is soft. ]
It's been so... I don't know. Not normal, but... I just didn't exactly feel like your Master today, I guess. ... It was nice.
no subject
Under the water, his arms wrap around her waist, holding her close in what can only be described as utter affection. His hands are completely gentle, careful in the way they trace over her bruises and marks.
He's certainly not apologetic about them, but... ]
...What did you feel like, then?
no subject
[ That's not a lie, at least. Whatever underscores her words is wavering, too fluid and transparent to pin down or put a name to. It's warm and glad and fond but it's nothing concrete that can be drawn out and identified.
But then, when has she ever been able to do that for her feelings? ]
It felt... normal, I think. Which is funny, right? This kind of normal isn't normal for me at all. If everything was how it was supposed to be, we wouldn't have even been allowed to stand next to each other on the beach. Forget holding hands or eating together or anything else we did. Idols don't do that.
[ 'Funny', she says, when her voice is so dry of mirth. ]
It just made me think... Maybe things really can work out, even when I'm not your Master anymore.
no subject
[ She's a greedy idol. She wants all the happiness in the world... and really, isn't that just the nature of humans? This is what he wanted for her. For her to wish for her own happiness again, so that he could bring her that happiness. Everything he's ever done... has always been for that star, and somehow, she became that star.
Yet when she speaks of their future... of a future together with her, not as Master and Servant, but as...
...
...He's careful not to squeeze too tight where her body is bruised, but he can't stop himself from doing it at all. His chest aches. This is already too much... far more than he should ever be allowed to have.
The star is in his hands, in his arms, sitting between his legs with nothing separating them except skin. It is miracle enough that the star he's always chased now rests in his hands... so is it hubris of him to wish to continue holding onto this star even longer?
He recognizes the hypocrisy in urging her to greedily wish for everything... happiness as an idol, as a mother, as a Master while he himself can't bring himself to do the same, but... ]
Ai, I...
[ If he holds this star for too long... will it stay with him, or will he burn up as if caught in an insect trap? ]
...I'm glad you enjoyed it.
[ ...all he can do is fight for her, and that's what he'll continue doing no matter what. Whether her greed is enough to give form to a miracle... that'll just have to remain to be seen. ]
no subject
It's a good thing, too. It's not like I could go back for a redo now that I'm like this. Aah, I'll never be able to wear a swimsuit again...
[ She's playing with him, but gently. If only to ease that unfamiliar waver to his voice. ]
I'm gonna have to stay home and laze around enjoying the air conditioning and eating ice cream. Maybe next summer I'll be able to wear something cute. So long as you behave.
[ She says it so casually but you really can't take the words next summer as anything but a tentative promise.
For all that she insists she can't keep them for him, she can't quite stop making promises. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)