It Takes Two"Reina! You should dry your hair properly!"
Ai gave Reina a disapproving look, but the younger girl simply ignored it, flopping onto the rug in front of the coffee table, hair still dripping from the quick shower she had just taken. Ai shook her head, putting down her book and reaching for the towel that still hung around Reina's neck.
"You'll get a headache if you don't dry your hair." Ai admonished, starting to rub the towel into the damp mass of hair. Reina leaned back obligingly, scooting up to sit between Ai's legs, her back against the couch. She purred as Ai kneaded her scalp while she was at it, a pleased little grin on her face.
"I don't have to do it if you do it for me." Reina answered, closing her eyes to enjoy the impromptu massage Ai was giving her. Ai sighed, raising her eyes to the ceiling.
"You're just taking advantage of me, aren't you?!" Reina did not deny it, her lips curving further to show her glee. Ai snorted, but did not stop until Reina's hair was more or less dry again. Reina rubbed her cheek against the inside of Ai's thigh, purring in thanks.
"You're such a brat." Ai said, but she was smiling. Reina smirked, leaning her head against Ai's knee and looping an arm around the lower leg. Ai giggled as Reina deliberately ran her fingers lightly along Ai's calves, tickling her.
"Stop that!" Ai squealed, reaching down to grab Reina. They ended up rolling around on the rug, Ai trying to tickle Reina back and Reina trying to get away. It finally ended when Reina hit her shoulder against the coffee table, making her wince. When Ai tried to examine the bruise, Reina took the opportunity and rolled Ai over, sitting squarely on the older girl's back in triumph.
"Yatta! I win~" Reina cheered like a little kid, making Ai smile despite her current position. Reina leaned down, nuzzling against the back of Ai's neck as the older girl relaxed on the ground, stretching fully.
"Ne, Reina?" Reina made a non-committal sound, fully content to lie on top of Ai for the time being. Ai nudged her with an elbow.
"Get off, you're heavy." Reina growled at that, poking at the ticklish part of Ai's back, making the older girl squirm under her.
"Don't wanna~" Ai grumbled under her breath, but didn't protest further. Reina lay face down on Ai, using her back as a pillow.
"Ai?" Reina said after a moment. Ai made a muffled sound, eyeing her book that was just out of reach. Reina rapped the back of Ai's head sharply, making the older girl grunt.
"What's that for?" Ai complained, pouting. Reina idly drew circles on Ai's back with a finger.
"You weren't paying attention." Reina said sweetly. She pressed her face into the crook of Ai's neck, breathing in deeply. Ai shifted uneasily. Reina's breath was tickling her neck.
"So how long did you date him for?" Reina said suddenly. Ai tensed underneath her, but Reina did not seem ready to move off any time soon. Ai sighed. She didn't really want to talk about it.
"Well?" Reina prodded her again. She hadn't really wanted to ruin the relaxed atmosphere with the question, but it had been itching at her all evening.
"6 months."
And 5 days, 10 hours, and 32 minutes. Ai added in her head. She hadn't intended to keep track, but somehow it had stuck. Yamashita
was her first boyfriend, even though he turned out to be a complete jerk. After such an experience, Ai wasn't sure if she wanted to date anyone in the near future.
Reina was silent for a moment, so still on Ai's back that the older girl thought that she had fallen asleep. Just to keep the conversation going, and because she was sort of curious too, Ai asked tentatively.
"Have
you ever had a boyfriend?"
Reina twitched a little at that. Playing with the strands of Ai's long hair, she replied.
"Nope, Fuji and the guys always chased off anyone who tried to hit on me." She shrugged. Somehow, having a whole gang of overprotective male friends had pretty much reduced the number of prospective suitors to nil. Ai chuckled.
"Maybe some of them like you."
Reina stared for a moment, then burst out laughing. Curious, Ai turned her head around to look at the hysterical kitten on her back.
"Are you serious? No way! They're like brothers to me!" Reina spluttered in between fits of laughter, kicking her legs against Ai's.
"I was talking about how
they might feel about you, not how
you feel about them." Ai pointed out. Reina stopped laughing, tilting her head in thought. She shuddered after a moment, making a face.
"Ew." Reina jabbed Ai in the side when the older girl started laughing at her. "Stop that, it's not funny!"
"Is it that bad?" Ai asked curiously. Reina frowned.
"Well...they're not such bad guys, but dating them?" Reina repressed a shudder again. "I wouldn't date Fuji in a million years. He's a great guy, but just...no."
"What's so bad about him?" Ai had heard Reina mention her group of friends before, but this was the first time they had girl talk of this kind. For whatever reason, the topic of boys had never come up before. At any rate, Ai was just glad to be talking about something else other than her own misadventures when it came to that topic.
Reina finally rolled off Ai, sprawling comfortably on the fluffy rug. The two girls lay next to each other, though Ai had turned on her side to watch Reina. The kitten shifted onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.
"Fuji's a flirt." Reina said bluntly. "He changes girlfriends every other week, and he's always looking at other girls even when he's attached. He's really nice to me because I'm like a little sister to him, but he's not boyfriend material."
"I see." Ai nodded, putting that little tidbit of information aside. "What about the others?"
Reina thought about it. "Hmm, Ishihara's a joker. He's fun to hang out with I guess, and he makes me laugh." She shrugged then. "I wouldn't mind going out with someone like that, but, well, he's
Ishihara." Reina paused. "Besides, I think he's gay."
"Ehhh????" Ai spluttered, almost sitting up in shock. She had felt a little uneasy when Reina admitted that she wouldn't mind dating the guy, but the last bit was surprising. Reina laughed.
"It's not such a big deal. He doesn't talk about it or do anything around us, so I'm not sure, but I have a feeling he is." Reina smirked. "Besides, I'm not sure if I want to date a guy who spends more time on his hair than even I do for my own."
Ai giggled nervously at that, twirling the ends of her hair with a finger. She waited, and true to expectations, Reina continued, obviously still intrigued by the topic Ai had brought up.
"Yabara..." Reina paused. "He's really kind to me. When I'm upset, he always tries to cheer me up." Reina smiled. "He's a nice guy."
Ai watched Reina closely. For some reason, the feeling of unease was growing again. Carefully, Ai asked.
"So you would date someone like him?"
Reina thought about it. "Well, he's nice, he's funny, he treats me well...and he's taller than me." She shrugged. "Why not?"
"Ah." Ai flopped onto her belly, burying her face in her arms to keep Reina from seeing the change in her expression. For some reason, it was both depressing and irritating to hear Reina say something like that.
"That's good I guess..." Ai mumbled, feeling like she should say something nice about the situation. Next to her, Reina shifted closer.
"What about you? What kind of guy would you like?"
Ai muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "anyone but Yamashita". Reina nudged her again for an answer. Ai grumbled under her breath.
"I don't know." She admitted. She had never seriously thought about her criteria before. With Yamashita, she had just gone along with the flow of events somehow. She liked him because he was nice, and she had been lonely.
Reina gave her a look. "Don't tell me you've never dated anyone before that bastard."
Ai looked down. Reina clapped a hand to her forehead dramatically. Ai glared at her.
"It's not like you've dated anyone either!"
"Yeah but I'm younger than you~" Reina stuck her tongue out at Ai, who returned the gesture just as childishly. They held the pose for a moment, before both of them cracked up.
"Seriously though, what would you like?" Reina asked, after recovering from the impromptu laughing session. Ai rolled onto her back, considering.
"I think I'll settle for someone who isn't a jerk." She said solemnly after some thought, making Reina snort in response, punching her shoulder lightly. "Ow."
"You should aim for better, silly." Reina scolded her, taking the opportunity to cuddle close and resting her head on Ai's chest. Ai chuckled deeply, the sound vibrating in her lungs.
"It's not like I have the time to date now, anyway. Work is more important." Her tone was serious. She ruffled Reina's hair with one hand, stroking the younger girl's head as one would pat a kitten. Reina purred, pleased by the attention, though her fingers played restlessly with the hem of the oversized top Ai was wearing.
"You have time for me~" Reina taunted, shifting to flop over Ai's belly while looking up at the older girl. Ai pushed a finger into Reina's forehead, making the already wonky eyes cross further.
"That's because you're really clingy." Ai teased. Reina blew a raspberry at her before finally grabbing hold of Ai's finger, pretending to bite down on it. Ai watched, amused as Reina pretended to attack her hand like it was separate creature.
"Am not!" Reina shot back, still mock-wrestling with Ai's hand. Caught up in the game, Ai let Reina tug on her arm, before changing her mind and sitting up straight in an instant. Off balance, Reina fell over on Ai's lap. She was about to get up when Ai deliberately rested her elbows on her back, pinning the kitten down.
"Hey! Get off!" Reina thrashed wildly. Ai tutted disapprovingly, poking the back of Reina's head. Reina pouted, making Ai smile in response.
"That's for sitting on me just now." Ai said serenely. She pondered for a moment. "Now how should I punish you for using me for a pillow the whole time?"
"Not my fault you're comfortable!" Reina argued, arching her back and trying to push herself off. It failed when Ai simply leaned her weight down on her elbows, making Reina go 'oof' and fall back down to her starting position.
"You're heavy..." Reina whined, hoping that pity would make Ai release her quicker. Ai was not impressed.
"Are you saying I'm fat?" Ai pretended to be insulted, slapping Reina's butt with one hand while her other elbow remained to pin the active kitten down. Reina squealed suddenly, then tried to muffle the sound in her hands. Ai raised an eyebrow, then repeated the action quite deliberately. Reina squirmed under her, another muffled squeak coming through her hands. Ai grinned suddenly as she realized another spot she could take advantage of.
Reina burrowed her face into Ai's stomach, gasping when Ai
did in fact spank her lightly. After a few light whacks, Reina was a flushed mess, her hands tugging on Ai's shirt, crumpling it. Ai stopped, concerned.
"I didn't hit you that hard..." Reina mumbled something incoherent. Ai rubbed Reina's butt soothingly, feeling the girl on her lap tremble at the action.
"Stop molesting me!" Reina complained, turning her head up to glare at Ai, who blushed at the accusation.
"I'm not!" Ai leaned back, letting go of Reina in the process.
"It's sexual harrassment!" Reina pushed on gleefully, getting up to sit on Ai's lap, prodding the older girl's shoulder accusingly. "I'm underage too!"
"So it's ok if you're of age?" Ai shot back thoughtlessly. Reina stopped in mid-poke as the world ground to a halt around them.
Silence. Reina reacted first, blushing heavily for reasons she refused to contemplate. Snapping a quick "baka!" at Ai, she scrambled off the older girl, hopping back onto the couch to hide her embarrassment. Ai stared blankly at her for a moment, her cheeks tinted pink.
After a moment, Ai crawled up next to Reina, making puppy eyes at the younger girl, who was steadfastly staring at the tv screen.
"Reina?" The kitten ignored her. Ai bumped her shoulder against her. "Rei~"
"Since when did you start calling me that?" Reina mumbled, her hands tight around the remote control. Ai paused, thinking about it.
"Since...today?" Ai nudged Reina again. "Are you angry with me?"
"Hmph." Reina did not dignify that with an answer. Ai frowned, leaning her chin on Reina's shoulder and staring at her with unconscious puppy eyes. Reina twitched, trying not to look at her.
"I won't spank you again." No response. "I'll buy you chocolate." Still no response. Ai tried again.
"I'll go karaoke with you." Ai paused, gauging Reina's reaction, then added. "For as long as you want."
Reina smirked, but said nothing. Ai wondered what else she could do. Suddenly, a thought hit her.
"Ah!" Scrambling off the couch, Ai shot off to her room, leaving a confused Reina on the couch. The kitten turned around, wondering what was going on, but forced herself to turn back and pretend disinterest again when Ai came back out.
Ai plopped back onto the couch next to Reina, holding a box in her hands. Reina shot discreet glances at it, while pretending to be absorbed in the variety show on tv.
"This is for you." Ai said, opening the box and handing it to Reina. The younger girl tried to look as if she didn't care, but one look at the gift broke the image.
"It's so cute!" Reina reached down, her previous act completely forgotten. Ai beamed.
"I thought of you when I saw it." Reina stroked the cat earrings, marvelling at the workmanship. Turning to Ai, Reina grinned brightly and hugged her.
"I love it! Thank you!"
Ai smiled. "So you're not angry with me anymore?" She asked tentatively.
Reina still did not disentangle herself from Ai, but her reply was haughty.
"That, is a completely different matter." At Ai's crestfallen expression, Reina giggled, rubbing her cheek against Ai's.
"Don't think I'm going to let you forget what you promised."
"Chocolate?" Ai said weakly, hoping that Reina would forget the next one. A smirking Reina patted Ai's cheek almost condescendingly.
"
You are coming with me to karaoke some day, for as long as I want."
Ai groaned. What had she gotten herself into?
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And there! Fluff!
I wonder how many lurkers there are out there. I feel like doing a quick roll call to see who's reading lol. Oh well, kinda used to the whole ninja in the woods thing going on here.
Hope you guys like the chapter!
Edit: Wheeee I got a new page!
Topic: Destiny Love [16/02 - In My Own Time] (Read 78690 times)