Chapter Text
His lips are as soft as she’d dreamt they’d be. Kyoko Kirigiri had just kissed Makoto Naegi and pulled away to look at him. Cheeks flushed, he’s grinning the widest she’s ever seen him.
So cute.
Kirigiri isn’t going to hesitate this time – she shifts her arms between them to wrap around his neck and press herself closer to the luckster. It’s her turn to initiate a kiss, one in many she hopes, in their blossoming relationship. Well, maybe not blossoming by this point – rather, ignited. And much like fire, their second kiss burned with a passion both have been meaning to light.
Then a third kiss. And a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, and so forth until they’ve lost count. They’re pulling each other close, loosening ties, kicking off their shoes and boots. Crawling onto his bed, hands roam and caress as if they could find some of the time they lost not being together in this way.
“Kyoko…” Makoto says, pulling away to get some much needed air. “Yo–mmPH” her lips cut him off. Whatever he’s trying to say, she can feel it. From the way he cups her cheek or squeezes her hand, he doesn’t have to say it.
She settles on his lap, legs to one side, resting her head on his shoulder to nuzzle the crook of his neck. Naegi’s arms languidly wrap around her waist, hands playing with the ends of some loose strands of her lilac hair as he sits against the wall. They stay like this for a few minutes, enjoying the presence of each other and how close they are.
“Makoto,” she starts, moving one of her hands in her lap to rest on his racing heartbeat. He’s so cute.
“I’m scared.” His shoulders jump and he’s quick to try to pull back and look at her. But she was quicker to calm him, preemptively pressing her lips against his jaw as his shoulders raised.
“Makoto, you’re fine.” She takes a deep breath. “I meant I’m anxious.”
“Should I move?” Naegi unwraps his hold from her waist and waits for her answer. She doesn’t show it but the absence of his arms leaves her feeling empty. Without a word, she grasps one of his sleeves and pulls his arm back around herself, gesturing for him to return the other one as well.
Back in his loving embrace, she settles herself back on his shoulder. “I’ve told you how my cases develop at times – they’re not always information gathering or robberies gone wrong. Sometimes, too often, they’re premediated murder. To solve these cases and catch these criminals, I have to think of the worst possible outcome. I have to be scared. That’s what I’ve been trained to do so I don’t get hurt or worse.”
Or worse. Kirigiri can feel his body stiffen and the arms around her pull her a little closer. As flattering as his protectiveness is, especially as the smaller and less athletic one, she drops the hand on his shoulder to his chest. His heart is beating fast but whether it’s out of abashment or apprehension, she can’t tell. She places another kiss on his jaw before continuing.
“But that’s my job and to my grandfather, my job is my life. I was born into it. He loves me and I love him too but…” She stops, sighing and gripping him by the sweater again. Kirigiri tilting her head down tells him she’s losing herself in her thoughts. They’ve talked like this before. He forgets everything, focusing on her just to get a glimpse into her world, and in essence, Kyoko herself. He knows her hands are scarred even though he’s never seen them. He knows not to ask too much about the Headmaster regardless of how much he wants to know. He knows her boundaries. And it is because he knows all these things after she’s divulged them, they grew close long before they kissed.
As one of the few people she’d let do this, he takes her hand into his and intertwines their fingers. Gently, his thumb caresses her hand until she responds with a stroke of her own. With even more care, he brings her hand to his mouth, pulling just a bit away from her, and placing featherweight kisses on top of the leather. He glances at her to see her expression. She’s blushing and the corners of her mouth are ever so slightly upturned.
Holding her hand isn’t some arbitrary matter to Naegi and Kirigiri knows this. Without words, he wants to show he’s there for her and will accept any part of her, regardless of what it is or how it came to be, and love it just as much. Usually, the blush on her face conveys an “I see.” Maybe it’s the fact they’re closer now, maybe it’s because she’s divulging more information, but the pink dusting her cheeks seems to say, “Thank you.”
“I’m only human. I love what I do but I love other things. I didn’t get to try much before my father… Before my grandfather took me in and started training me to be a detective and I missed out on a lot of things because of it.”
Throughout everything, Kirigiri has been very cool and composed. Naegi’s heart has been racing ever since they walked in the room. But like she said long ago, her emotions aren’t on her face or in her voice. If he had to guess, she’s just as nervous as he is if not more considering the nature of today’s get together and what she’s saying in this moment.
“I know how to talk to people, develop rapport, and spend time with others. But the way I’ve been doing it with you has been different. At first, going out with you and the others was just something that happened. I’d do it to take a break and become more familiar with everyone.” She lets go of his hand and places it back on his shoulder. She buries her face closer to his neck, trying to hide the growing heat in her cheeks. He can feel how warm her face has become, his reacting the same way at the realization. “But you just kept coming back to me, even when you thought I was leaving.” Another breath.
“Makoto, you’re too trusting, easy to read, and even easier to influence. In my line of work, that’s dangerous.”
Kirigiri isn’t the most straightforward person so maybe these are compliments. But as she said, he’s too easy to read. The ever so slight tilt in his head to think about what she says tips her off. Smiling, she pulls away and cups his face, making him look straight at her. Softly, she places her lips against his and trails her hands to back to his shoulders, pulling away after what seemed like an eternity that didn’t last long enough. “But that’s what I like about you. You’re honest, you show your appreciation for everyone you care about, you work hard towards all your goals especially things you don’t normally do, and,” she gets close, resting her forehead against his.
“It’s cute when you get flustered when I tease you.”
His heart stops, eyes wide in surprise. It’s an endearing comment, not the first she’s said to him, but he’s still embarrassed. She smirks to suppress a laugh. “Life is unexpected and sometimes, you do things you might regret,” she says, eyeing her gloved hands. Looking back to him, “But you also need to take risks.” The sudden change in topic smooths the expression in his eyes.
She shifts back to resting on his shoulder and trailing her hands wherever she feels like. Her face is a lot warmer than last time and Naegi can’t help but smile even wider. “So yes, I’d like to have you as… my… b… boyfriend… If that wasn’t obvious when I asked you to kiss me.”
“Kyoko, yo-you’re cute t-too.” The words leave his mouth more as a surprise than a statement, coming out too quickly right after hers. At this point, Kirigiri doesn’t even try to stifle her giggle. Gripping him by his tie, she leans back to lay down with him and snuggles up close to his chest. Reaching up, he grabs his pillow and tucks it underneath their heads. One arm slides underneath the pillow as an additional headrest for her whilst the other pulls her closer by her waist.
“Makoto, please don’t change.”