[D3EA] Date with a Dragon (CLOSED)

[Usagi Rei]

Tilting his head, he kissed the top of hers. His hand turned over, palm up. It still touched hers, but she could take hers away anytime she wanted. He could see there was something about them, but, well, he didn't care. Except as far as she might want to share with him.

"I was just thinking," Rei said, still speaking softly, "-it's when we are naked that we're most vulnerable. But that's not just clothing. But when we're laid bare, so to speak, that's when we can be really hurt."

"Am I making any sense?" He asked. A soft exhale, a tiny bit of laughter at himself.

[Susumu Yakumo]

"Yes," she murmured in agreement, relaxing a little bit. "... I was just never good at being vulnerable, to be honest." It was somewhat of a lame deflection from her actual discomfort about it.

"We all carry secrets with us. Some more visible than others. Some you can read on a person's face, or their body..." her free hand did press against his arm at the last word, "but I see few visible secrets on you."

[Usagi Rei]

"I was once. Thought I'd lost the trick." Rei chuckled softly. "But maybe not entirely... I don't know. It's hard."

A very brief tension, and then his arm relaxed under her touch. "Oh? What do you see, then?" He asked, chuckling softly again. "I guess I really did tell you the big one..."

Except actually, there was one more. His arm tensed again and relaxed, so fast it might be missed. Not yet. He couldn't. Not anyone.

[Susumu Yakumo]

"You did," she agreed, trying to trace his outlines, as if in search of these secrets she could not see. "I see someone who... hmmm... works out a lot?"

At least that made her giggle a little bit, surely but slowly easening her tensions.

[Usagi Rei]

It made Rei laugh too, open and honest. "Well, that's certainly true." Indeed, he had many fine masculine lines that she was tracing.

His fingers teased her bare flank, blunt nails tangible against her skin. "But that's an easy one." He turned his head, looking at her. "Like when I say that I'm looking someone who's the most damn beautiful woman on the whole damn planet."

He shrugged. "See? Too easy."

[Susumu Yakumo]

His nails teasing her flank made her yelp in surprise, and breaking out into a laugh. "Waaay too easy, yes," she chuckled, poking his side in return.

"You're pretty good looking yourself, you know. Guess all that training pays off, hm? And practicing in the mirror too, I bet."

[Usagi Rei]

An amused grunt as she poked his side. "I mean... well... yeah. A bit." Rei grinned, even as he flushed. "As much as I like people to think I just roll out of bed looking great, it does actually take some work."

He took a deep breath, bare chest rising and falling. "There's more when I look at you. I see a few secrets. Some obvious..." He shifted, trying to find those violet eyes of hers. "Some less obvious. So much below the surface..."

For a few moments, he was silent, content to look into her eyes. "However much of you you want me to know, I'm okay with." Rei smiled. "If you just want to use me for sex, great, sign me up. Or..." He shrugged gently. "-more. Whatever you want."

[Susumu Yakumo]

She made a face at his choice of words, and untangled herself from him to roll over onto her side to sit up. "That's a rather vulgar way to put it," the grimace could be heard more than seen.

"No. If I just wanted that, Rei, I wouldn't have spent this time getting to know you first. And... I'm not that kind of person." Yakumo was mostly unbothered by stupid gossip, but she didn't need to hear something like it in private. "... I value your companionship, and friendship, more than the physical, just to make that clear."

Her miscolored hands ran through her hair to sort out some of the tangles that were beginning to form. "I am a lonely person, and I seek connection, but... it's not like I'm looking for something permanent, you know?" She was a loyal Spider, a dutiful servant. Any permanent settlement was out of her hands, as she saw it.

[Usagi Rei]

"Hey. Hey hey hey." Rei rose, shifting to sit next to her. "I'm sorry. Really. I am." Her anger cut him surprisingly deep, a sinking feeling in his gut, a sudden rush of adrenaline numbing his fingers.

He looked at her, lips compressed. "That was a stupid thing for me to say. Because I don't just want the physical either. If it was..." Rei took a deep breath. "-I wouldn't have shared what I did."

Reaching up, he put his hand by her shoulder, not quite touching. "Let me try again?"

[Susumu Yakumo]

Leaning back a little, her shoulder moved into Rei's hand. "Mm..." she nodded, taking a moment to gather her words. "... You're right, I... was hasty. And, you haven't shown yourself to be like that. Sorry, I'm just a bit prickly sometimes."

With a soft chuckle, Yakumo tilted her head back to look up at Rei. "Let's both get a do-over, hm? I am sorry I misintepreted your words in the worst way possible."

[Usagi Rei]

Letting out a breath Rei hadn't realized he was holding, his hand stroked reassuringly against her back. Actually, he was pretty good at it. "No. I shouldn't have." He shook his head.

But when he looked again, she was looking at him. "Thank you." He breathed, meaning it. "And hey... I really do feel a connection." He smiled, just a little. "Even if it's just for a little while, I want to explore that." His hand came up to brush across her cheek, back through her hair.

He took another breath. "But I also won't push if you want to hold something back."

[Susumu Yakumo]

As she felt the hand across her cheek and through her hair, Yakumo leaned into the touch. Even humans could not resist the wonderful head-pats.

"Hmmm..." was the only response she managed at first. "... Yeah, I want to do that too. For as long as it lasts here." Her words were soft, almost murmured. Because head-pats.

"Likewise, you don't need to push yourself for my sake either. We share as much as we are comfortable with, and sometimes, maybe we test borders - explore further into unknown territory?"

[Usagi Rei]

Rei smiled. "Okay. Great. For as long as it lasts here." It was something of a promise. His hand stroked back across her cheek again. He was good at that, too; probably all the practice with Airi.

He pursed his lips a moment, then nodded, smiling. Sitting next to each other, Yakumo could see that his hair had gotten a bit mussed too. "Yeah. I like the sound of that. And it was hard, but I think it was good to tell you what I told you. Explore unknown territory together." He smirked. "Let's do it."

Shifting, he started to urge her to lie down again, but he hesitated. "Because I actually do have a secret or two left." Rei said, looking at her, his pale eyes a little wide. "But... not yet."

[Susumu Yakumo]

As she leaned back further to rest against him again, she reached up... and mussed his hair some more. To her, it was pushing herself a bit more to get more used to that interaction of hands.

"That's ok. We both have some more secrets left." And a part of her was relieved that Rei hadn't seemed disgusted with her disfigurements. "Hmmm... Airi probably shouldn't be left alone too long? Will I even have a garden left?" Yakumo chuckled, wondering if Airi might've torn apart the shishi-odori.

[Usagi Rei]

Rei laughed, grinning as Yakumo mussed his hair. It was such an honest, human gesture. He couldn't help but follow it with a kiss, tender rather than passionate, as his passions were still thoroughly spent.

Parting, he smirked. "Your garden is probably safe. The fruit plate is probably not." RIsing, he gently took her by the hand, helping her to her feet as well. "Let's go check it out."

Once they had arranged themself, they would in fact find Airi, asleep again, but this time in the middle of the fruit plate.

(/ftd?)