On the way to you.

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〖 ⎯✫⎯ 〗

        "... !!"

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      Despite her saying that he was unfair, she’s very much aware that she still wasn’t exactly even with him as the coat drops to the floor.

〖 海 〗

〘楓〙

      She was definitely burning red now.  Hazel eyes watch his actions, and moves along with them.  Her coat is slipped off with such ease leaving her only in her thin sweater and pants but before he does anything else he gently guides her in for another kiss– 

    It’s more heated this time, and she tries to respond as best as she can.  Lips press against his own firmly, a gasp in between the pressure as his tongue traces her lips.  She opens them obediently, a moan turned mewl escaping as she feels his tongue in her mouth.  A huff of air escapes, red cheeks becoming the new norm.  

    Her hands come to clutch at the cloth of his own clothes, tugging him closer as if to get more friction between her skin and his.  Her own hands begin to fiddle with his cloak as it clumsily begins to undo the buttons that kept it on.  An eye for an eye, her heated mind tells her as she breaks the kiss.  Red cheeks and swollen lips–how did she look?  The thought made her burn more before a hand comes to cradle his cheek. 

    “Can I take your cloak off?”  Comes her mumbled voice between pants.  Her other hand continues to fiddle with the button shyly.  “It’s…unfair if I’m the only one without…clothes…”

〖 海 〗

        "Of course." he chuckles breathily, leaning into her touch. Her mouth was sweet, coupled with the faint taste of tea. There is that emotion that makes his lips curl upwards again—did he find it cute that she felt that way? Gloved fingers reach to assist her with the process, and soon the outer garment is dropped carelessly onto the floor.

〘楓〙

   Goosebumps trails up her arms as she feels his lips, snapping her out of the semi-daze she was in.  Was this real?  It had to be as she feels his breath near her ear.  His deep voice was attractive–something she noticed when they had first met.  Velvet words embellished with a sweet and sultry tone.  

   As she feels a hand rest on her chest and suddenly she forgets how to speak.  

   Did she mind?  

   Not necessarily. Maybe it was just the thought of doing something so intimate with another person that threw her for a loop.  No memories or past to be found yet here she was, exchanging kisses with another man.  

   “I…don’t mind.  But…”  She trails off, words becoming a jumbled mess in her head.  A hand comes to gently cradle the hand above her heart, fingers tracing the gloved hand shyly before clearing her throat.  

    “Since it’s you I…don’t mind.” 

〖 海 〗

        The caster says nothing in response, instead only smiling against her neck. His hand that is not upon her chest reaches for her shy hand from behind. He briefly links his fingers between hers, his hand atop hers, and gently stretches her fingers to open her hand before planting a kiss upon her exposed palm. Her skin feels soft, and as her scent fills his nose he finds himself being overcome with a desire to feel more.

        Gloved hands move to remove her coat—the main thing that kept him from properly touching her body. The garment is thick and looked heavy, but Passenger manages to slide it off her shoulders easily before placing it somewhere nearby. Exactly how many layers did she wear on a daily basis? Well, it didn't really matter, did it?

        They would all be on the floor soon, anyway.

〘楓〙

   "Oh.  I wonder why.”  There’s a bit of dry sarcasm in her voice as she replies, her voice still muffled by his clothes.  She can hear her heartbeat and another–thankfully it seems like the caster operator wasn’t as calm as he appeared to be.  Still, for a brief moment she wonders what’s come over him–while she wants to ask there’s no way for her to openly ask, or rather she didn’t know how too.  

   As he presses her closer, she feels soft lips hit her neck and her confusion grows as she turns bright red.  The touch is gentle and fluttering, and she’s unsure of what to do besides continue to hide her face as he body squirms once she feels the operator’s hands begin to press onto her body.  She had her coat on her as usual–was he trying to feel pass that?  

    “…Passenger.  You’re not usually…Forward?”  Was that the word she was looking for? She takes a breath of his scent, before turning her head upwards to face him.  “Are you feeling okay?”

〖 海 〗

        "I admit that I am not feeling my usual self." he says, his lips never leaving her skin. His hot breath tickles gently against her neck as he speaks. Yet he continues to move up her neck, until he is located right directly at earlobe. His next words come in a whisper:

        "I may very well be the one with an affliction instead."

〖 海 〗

        He is not entirely sure that he could put into words what compelled him to take the intiative and kiss her. If the Doctor had reacted negatively in any way at all, he would have been prepared to apologize for his behavior. But when he feels the slight pressure of her lips against his, he feels something ignite with him, like the strike of a match lighting up a dark room.

        Before he has the chance to react, she has already pulled away from him and buried herself into his chest. The sight stirs something else from within him as well—was this what they called endearing? Or perhaps cute? There is no one that will be able to tell him the answer, nor is there anyone that can explain to him why he feels compelled to see more of this flustered side of hers.

        "Likewise, are you alright, Doctor?" His voice is as calm and soothing as ever, but there was no doubt that with the other so close against his chest, it was impossible for her to not hear his heart racing.

〘楓〙

     What?  

    A quick exhale escapes instead of that word, confusion forming plainly onto her face.  Any words get caught in her throat and are unable to sound off whatever questions she had that would pop out without any thought.  

    “I–I see.  I suppose it’s fine if that’s what you want.”  She says in a hushed and muffled voice.  The feeling wasn’t unpleasant, nor bad, but it seemed…foreign for him.  So she remains still for a few more moments to let the other get comfortable.  As he doesn’t move, she pauses before looking up at his hidden face.  Orange hair once again clouds her vision and it looked like a sunset.  Should she say so?  

    This “Sand Soldier” was rather different from the file she read.  She was hardly afraid of any operator since she was accustomed to dealing with mercenaries and newly hired operators.  While the Rhodes Island Operators were skilled in battle, many seemed to have their own demons to face.  They spoke with her like a friend with open ears about their worries once she worked with them for awhile.  

   Perhaps that was what Passenger needed?  A friendly touch, and a friendly voice.  

   Or maybe that was just her way of coping with an unusual situation.  

    Carefully, she wraps one arm around him and gives him a half hug and an awkward pat.  A hug for a child who had to grow up to fast, and a hug for a solitary person.  

    Hopefully he wouldn’t take offense of her rather…affectionate act.

〖 海 〗

        The Liberi hums at her words, thankful for her permission as he continues to rest his head against hers. In this relative calm, he allows his thoughts to wander as he tries to find a reason for his rather... uncharacteristic behavior. When the Doctor returns his embrace with an awkward one of her own, he feels as if something clicks in his mind.

        Swayed by his thoughts, Passenger brings a hand to the other's chin, tilting her head up so that their eyes stare into one another. Orbs of a deep hazel meet his of foggy blue-grey. Would she, too, one day disappear and leave him without purpose or direction?

        ( he doesn't want to feel lost like that again )

〘楓〙

     “I…I suppose so. I’ve probably slept too much for my good.”  Her reply is a bit awkward,  as she continues to feel herself pressed against his chest.  A hand shifts to press against her cheeks again, trying to calm it down.  He still doesn’t release her and she wonders why–did he think she was going to roll off again?  Or did he forget about their currently…embarrassing position.  

   She glad to know that at least no one could walk in without her saying.  She didn’t want to, or desired to explain the current situation if Amiya, or someone else walked in.  Would they believe her if she said it was about her ankle?  

    Probably not.  

    As she feels his breath on the top of her head, she hesitates, mouth opening to question him until she feels him draw even closer to it.  Was his face in her hair?  

    “Uh… Passenger, are you alright?”

〖 海 〗

        "Forgive me, Doctor," he starts, his voice somewhat muffled. Her scent is relaxing, which causes him to unconsciously hold her tighter. Gloved hands just barely graze the parts of her body that might be considered more sensitive than others. "but embracing you is oddly comforting. As such, I find myself not willing to let you go."

〘楓〙

     As she feels herself being pulled back into the bed, she feels like how a worm feels when caught by a bird.  In a sense, wasn’t this the same thing?  As she lays pressed up against his chest again, only one thing popped into her head.  

    And it was just the sound of herself, screaming internally, as every decision in her waking life came back.  

   “Understood.  Got it!” Any decorum she had was out the window, voice clearly flustered as she tries to wiggle away for a moment, before being still.  She doubts the man really would understand again, why her face is red or why she feel awkward–if he even felt remotely the same he didn’t show it.  

    “I’ll just…take a nap.  Slumber.  For eternity maybe.”

〖 海 〗

        Passenger hums softly at her words, though it wasn't out of agreement or anything of the sort. Did she really understand? Twice had she already endangered herself with rash and impulsive decisions—something that was very unlike her presence on the battlefield. There appeared to be something very wrong here, and the man found that it troubled him.

        "Eternity would not be preferable in the slightest." he states simply, his deep voice reverberating in his chest. The caster makes no move to let the Doctor go as he loses himself in his thoughts again, perplexed by the foreign feeling building up in his chest.

〘楓〙

     “Eh–”  She manages to silence her voice before it evolves into a shocked yell,  embarrassment evident by her reddened cheeks.  Once again, she feels the warmth of his body and feels a cool palm push against her forehead.  

     And once again, she was horribly close to him as he leans towards her, orange hair spilling over her arms.  She can barely hear his words over her the thumps happening in her ears–was it her heart?  Could he hear it?  The breeze on her neck makes goosebumps form like the other day when they were both drenched in water.  

    Some part of her wishes the sprinklers would go on to cool off her head.  

    “I-Uh–Well–”  At once she shifts away from his thoughtful gaze, her own hand going to rub her forehead as if to get rid of the foreign warmth.  Things just seemed to be digging a deeper and deeper hole–and she’s unsure whether she could climb out after that.  

     She moves further away until she feels the bed under her disappear.  

    And then the shout escapes from her as she falls.

〖 海 〗

        Though lost in thought, Passenger was in no way unaware of his surroundings. He notices as the young woman begins to inch away from him and begins to open his mouth to warn her of the threat. However, he quickly realizes that his words will not reach her in time—not at how fast she was retreating from him, at least.

        So instead he quickly leans over the bed, wrapping his arms around her body like one holding a body pillow before she can entirely fall off. Immediately he pulls her away from the edge and a nasty fall and close towards his body instead.