This is ridiculous.â Shirayuki breathed through clenched teeth. âYouâd think with all the money the agency makes they could afford nicer accommodations. I understand us sharing a room but-â Her cheeks coloured as she gestured to the queen bed in the center of the hotel. â-this is unnecessary.â
Her bag slipped off her sloping shoulder, and she placed it on the nearby chair. The room was clean, but the bed was small. Far too small for platonic acquaintances to share. Obi shrugged, lips pulling into a passive downward expression of indifference.
âWell Miss, it will all be fine as long as you keep those golden hacker fingers on your side.â His wink was easy going and his trademark smirk- the one that helped him be the best insurgent in the agency- lifted over gleaming teeth.
Her face only felt hotter. Hacker fingers? How did he make it sound so⌠lewd?
âYou want the first shower?â He changed the subject, and she was so, so grateful that he did. The distraction was quite welcome.
She shook her head, tucking her fringe behind her ears. It was growing again. Best to get that trimmed soon. âNo. I need to set up everything and hook it up to the surveillance bugs that our B team installed. You go ahead, Romeo. You need to smell pretty for your charms to work.â
Obi gave her a mock offended face, hand raising to his chest. âWhy Miss. Are you suggesting my masculine musk does not attract my prey??â He leaned close. His scent did hit her then. He had been kidding, she knew, but oh, oh he wasnât wrong.
Oh. She shouldnât have goaded him. Her tongue shot out to wet her lips nervously. This mission was already a disaster and it hadnât even started yet. This is why she preferred to work with Kiki.
She still got flustered, but at least Kiki didnât do it on purpose.
His lip lifted at the corner, just enough to give her a hint of the white beneath. Â Finally, he stepped away, stretching one long arm across his chest to massage his shoulder.
She turned away from him in a hurry, fingers fiddling with her bag to unpack her laptop and other equipment.
âI can sleep on the floor. I was only kidding, relax a little.â Â He said with a small, kind smile. Shirayuki wasnât used to the disarming softness on his face. It didnât quite--fit somehow, like it was being placed there for show. âI wonât bite, so you can stop looking so frightened of the big scary agent.â He called as he shut the bathroom door behind him.
She frowned in thought. She wasnât frightened. It wasnât that at all. She didnât want him to think she was scared of him. She was used to the dangerous air of field agents. It wasnât foreign, to look at someone and know what dirty works their hands were capable of inflicting.
He almost sounded pained, voice clenched in his chest, and he had hastily shut the door. It felt like a vise grip in Shirayukiâs throat to imagine that he was not as unaffected as he had always seemed. Maybe more vulnerability existed there than he let on.
Obi was words. Words inside of words inside of words. Walls built up around him made of jests, flirts and half-hearted threats. No one was a stone wall all the time. Did he have someone he could let himself just⌠be around. No masks, no walls?
Shirayuki pondered the meaning as she slipped her equipment out with utmost care, the cool plastic and metal a reminder of the coldness of the work they did.
It helped her keep her identity safe, but it was also lonely, even for her.
She had seen him hang out with the others, but never had she witnessed any real serious interaction. He kept to himself and everything was detached. He was a flawless agent, completely separating his personal self. She realized she didnât even know his birthdayâŚ
Her fingers clutched her mouse for a moment, pausing in unwinding wires and feeds.
Strengthening her resolve, she moved over to the bed, brushing her fingertips over the scratchy duvet in thought. When he came out, sheâd insist that they both needed proper rest, and it would be best to share the bed. It should show him she isnât afraid, and it was also the most logical conclusion. Even his abundance of charm would be lessened without sleep and he needed every ounce of his wits to do his job the way it should be done.
She hardly heard the door to the bathroom open, so caught up in resolving herself to say what she needed to.
When Obi cleared his throat she jumped, startled. âOh!â
He chuckled at her gasp, but oh, why was he not wearing a shirt?!
Beads of water were still running down his chest, a sinful path she willed her eyes not to trace. Â His hair was wet spikes and he was rubbing it with towel in hand, the other thumb hooked behind him at the bathroom.
âYouâre up. Itâs a little steamy in there so watch your step, tiles are kinda slick.â
Shirayuki forgot promptly every single argument she had prepared. Instead she swallowed, feeling so incredibly warm in ways she hadnât before he entered.
She nodded vigorously, grabbing clothing hastily and ran into the bathroom without speaking.
What had she gotten herself into?
Slipping into the hot water, undressed and still flustered, she bolstered her courage once more. She. Was. Going. To. Share. The. Damn. Bed.
Steam followed her into the bedroom in whisps, her soft bjs bore drip marks from her still damp hair, and she marched up to where Obi was perched on the arm of the chair, determination ground into her features.
âWe will sleep in the bed.â Her voice was much steadier than she thought, even if her knees felt strung up on marionette strings, held up by no power of her own.
Golden eyes blew open, and his neck whipped to the side to stare out the window. She couldnât read his expression but- was there red tingeing his ears?
âAh. No. The floor is fine.â His voice was light. He shifted from the chair, grabbing an extra blanket from his bag he trudged to almost the door, placing himself in front of it with purpose. He was still avoiding her gaze.
Her brows drew together in stubborn determination.
She brought the duvet with her and sat beside him on the floor. âThen Iâll sleep here too.â
âDonât be stubborn. Get in the bed.â When he finally- FINALLY-- looked at her, his eyes were sincere, tired.
âOnly if you come. Look. We both need good rest for tomorrow. Sleeping on the floor will not add to your wit and charm. Youâll toss and turn. Plus, what if you get sore from it? If an emergency happens youâll need to be in your top form.â She didnât mean for her eyes to trace the lines of his neck into his strong shoulders when she mentioned his form, it just happened.
Flicking emerald back to gold, she watched a shy smile spread on his lips.
âAlright. Weâll share the damn bed. Just because you are so worried about my top form.â
She swallowed when he emphasized it. Would she ever live this night down?
