itâs not easy to forget that they had flirted with danger before when she seems so keen to investigate for trouble with a blind eye. or maybe her iher gaze is sharp and intent. he thought he knew noeul, that she was innocent, so much so that he by all accounts marked her as off limits for the potential trouble she may bring. but it always felt like she brought her own trouble regardless. he would be dishonest if he implied not to like it, so perhaps thatâs why he smiles like a wolves jaws before they snap.
âyouâre not,â he confirms shortly, laying his line when he can feel her fingers poised at the strings of him. she doesnât run, he can see it in her eyes. she hadnât ever ran before and now that he really takes a note of it, there were many times she probably should have. not just today, but since the day they met. she lights a fire with her mirror smirk and he likes how she can surprise him. âyouâre not as innocent as you seem sometimes,â chani gently sweeps his nose against her temple while he says it, on his way closer to her, an attempt to make two into one in this moment. she baits him back so thatâs why he does it, no other reason but because itâs a game now that sheâs throw out her intent with wicked, gullible abandon.Â
sheâs not the girl he sometimes found giving him gifts to smile more, bringing food when she felt he forgot to eat. laughing louder so that she catches his eye and makes him laugh, too. annoying how refreshing she got, like standing in the sunlight with a squint. heâs the moonlight. they shouldnât coexist â his arms overlap by now from pulling her so close into him that not an inch doesnât touch, holding onto his elbows like she was a pillow to hug, drawing her, petite and eager in his arms, up onto her toes. âi warned you.â not this time, this time he brought this on. this time he wanted her to defy him. heâs dipped down by a head so itâs easy to finish sensually curling around her like smoke clinging to a surface, coiling inward until he steals upon her lips with his. a long kiss, deep and practiced to be simple new year innocence. he kisses her like he had the first time, slow, purposeful like a trap with bait. the last time they were alone, this time in public but it makes no difference to him. everything else fades away for the moment as he makes his point, pulling back only after his instincts tremble from the strain of nearly taking too much.Â
her smile broadens at that, a laugh bubbling up as he called her bluff just as easily as she had given it. chani was not the first to mistake her kindness for naivety, nor would he be the last, but it always struck her as interesting. though she has a tendency to gravitate towards those who werenât quite so bright, her intentions are rarely to change them â her expectations always low, she only tries to lend a little light where she could. though he was intense, he wasnât quite so scary as he once had been as a more distant figure. to say she understood would be an overstatement, but she would almost go so far as to say she trusted him. perhaps not her wisest decision by his own warnings and admissions, but she had yet to see a reason she should be careful. a little excitement never killed her before. Â
she leans into his touch ever so slightly, though before she gets a chance to dispute that he ever thought of her as innocent, his lips were on hers, and with them went her breath once more. a small voice reminds her that perhaps this is why she shouldnât push at him, should act with more caution, but it hardly feels important, forgetting their surroundings and her image. though as he pulls away, she becomes more aware of how it must look, should anyone be paying attention. her cheeks flush as she detangled her arms from the front of his shirt, her smile remains in tact, more sheepish than smug.Â
âyouâre right.â the agreement comes easily, mischief dancing in her eyes just before she catches his cheek with an open palm, leaning up once more to press a kiss to the corner of his lips, much quicker, though hardly as innocent as her peck to the cheek had been, before settling back on her heels. âbut you still shouldnât play games, especially if youâre not certain you can win.â she spares a quick glance around for her managers, with a silent prayer none of them would be waiting to give her an earful about her image once more, the lecture usually reserved for variety shows. it seems safe, for the time being, though she felt off balance after that display. âwell, happy new yearâs. i think i need another drink, you want one?âÂ