“come closer. i’m not repeating myself. it’s cold and i want you near.” with overhaul
snow fell in quiet sheets outside the compound, the kind of cold that made every breath sting. you’d been sorting through files at the far end of the room, giving kai space. something he usually preferred. but today, every few minutes, he glanced over his shoulder as if checking that you hadn’t vanished.
when his patience finally ran out, he didn’t bother hiding it. “come closer. i’m not repeating myself. it’s cold and i want you near.”
his voice was calm, clipped, but the command hit you with surprising warmth. kai chisaki didn’t ask for closeness. he didn’t ask for anything unless the want was strong enough to irritate him. you approached slowly, watching the tension in his shoulders ease with every step. he hated the winter, hated how it made the air feel unclean, but you… you were the exception he never said aloud.
“good,” he murmured when you reached him. he didn’t touch you at first when he shifted his chair slightly so your hip brushed the armrest, so he could feel your presence without having to admit he needed it. “finally.”
you raised an eyebrow. “you could’ve just told me you were cold.”
“i did.” he shot you a look, sharp but not unkind. “you just take your time listening.”
his gloved hand moved then, hesitating before resting lightly on your waist. even through the material, his touch was meticulous, like he was cataloging every detail. he leaned closer, just enough that you felt his breath warm the side of your neck.
“winter is inefficient,” he muttered. “slows everything down. lowers focus.” a beat. “i don’t like when you’re far.”
you almost laughed. “is that your way of saying you missed me?”
he tensed, then exhaled. “don’t push it.”
outside, the wind picked up. inside, kai nudged you between himself and the desk, guiding your hands to the edges of his coat as if this closeness were clinical, necessary, logical. but his eyes softened when he looked up at you.
“stay here,” he said quietly. “christmas or not… i work better when you’re close.”
his forehead brushed your neck, enough to reveal everything he couldn’t say.
