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Eager to catch his smile, and impress it onto her memory and mind first thing, her whole body moved to lie on her side; with as little noise as possible, holding her own breath as if almost suspended, still, in a dream-like status, waiting and hoping for the vision not to fade away and abandon her, all at once. And in order to savor it even better, she raised her own chin - just a little, barely enough for the girl to finally look at him from a different angle and perspective. A better one, perhaps. Different points of view for the same, sweet and comforting result, and sight. Even with the lacking light coming from outside, his figure was clear enough to be perfectly seen and shaped inside her mind. Well, what hour was it then?
She would have never get used to the amount of flickering lights and noises from outside, out in the street that, even at night, almost made the place and the tall, tall building shine like little, stubborn and distant stars - making the true dark ambience, crowd and sky seem all faker from up above; everything just turning out to be nothing more than props and a bunch of moving, talking little dolls roaming the streets whenever. Pathetic a bit, and sad at the same time. Yet Tokyo might have really been the so-called sleepless city for the same pondered reason.
Her hair, a mess on the pillow, a hand under her head - and her own cheek. Revealing herself in such state was so rare for Mitsuru.
He had pulled over the end of the soft sheets - perfectly clear and immaculate, just white as driven snow and with a characteristic smell and perfume she was quite fond of, as of now, grabbing just over the lower half of her body. As if in a childish attempt to shield her, from things Mitsuru couldn't understand. After all, the cold was definitely not a problem for the girl; especially with the close proximity to the boy himself, now.
A single corner of her mouth curved upwards a little, as the rest of her body remained completely still. Chest moving with breaths taken all ever so slowly, deeply. Aside from the freshness and cleanness of not only the bed, but the whole area and space - which had positively surprised her, Mitsuru could clearly discern his smell too. A particular worth of praise, or just embarrassment on her part; one he might have never known.
And so, it was an imprecise aroma she couldn’t associate with anything or anyone else in the world and any reality she was familiar with, but his very own; when he wasn’t covered in sweat after training sessions, of course. Barely indicated, lingering in the air, yet so intoxicating - maybe the true reason for her smile. And the peace she was feeling too. Somehow she could swear of being able to hear his calm, yet steady heart beats - for how absurd, practically, it was in truth. It would have never been possible; maybe all she was hearing was her own heart.
"You’ve been gone so long, I forgot what you felt like."
She noticed his eyes on hers, fixated. Akihiko had spoken. And the tone, sweet – volume, nothing stronger than a whisper. Not that anyone else could have eavesdropped on them. Still, just as if they had been sharing a bad in some public space, at the mercy of anyone’s hearing and judgment, those words and whispers made her cheeks considerably flush of red. Not out of mere embarrassment, though.
"Still, now I’m truly back – I had promised you we would have had more chances to meet up here with spring, non? And I keep my word."
Although the season could have been considered the best for new business agreements and economy to start again, flourish and shake things up for her Group's sake, it did also mean more chances to leave the adored hometown and mansion to attend the ever so many meetings and formal duties she wasn’t new of losing count of. Venturing into a world she was finally starting to adjust to. Plus, there were pressing things to resolve incognito. Shadow Operative was born to deal with the evil entities before new kids did, resulting in tragedies that wouldn’t have ceased from happening. Cases of chronical Apathy, a strange fog or apparent brainwashing – intel were clear as the sun and easy to understand, when Shadows were actually involved.
Even though not officially anymore, she was glad to still have its vice to her side again, supporting her hard work even when dealing with protection or police forces to respond to; secrecy was harder to maintain with each passing day though. And surely, he was as busy as her, lately, with work - she could read that on his face with a simple glance. That he was trying his best to keep up with the horrible schedule they both had happened to adopt, in order to work more time and more efficiently. In their defense, though, Akihiko and Mitsuru both had never used to go to sleep earlier than midnight. Ever.
She chuckled her next breath, her free hand traveling to his shoulder, then neck. Lucky thing he wasn’t sitting up – or reaching him a decent way would have been a problem, for she was laying flat down still. He somehow seemed to radiate a sort of tranquilizing warmth and the fact reassured her more than words could have explained; could his Persona predisposition and power still influence him to that very point? Or was it simply biology, a product of fantasy her mind used to elaborate when they happened to be that close to each other ?
Fingers reached for the smooth skin of his cheek ( had he shaved recently or– ? ) then a bit of his hair, which she lazily caressed. It did last a moment though. After that, the tired limp just dropped flat on the pillow, between them, with a soft noise, muffled against the softness of the bed. Hair still covering part of her face, yet she kept on smiling, flattered.
"So long. Winter can get so long, you’re right. I missed--"
What had they missed? The contact, the soft whispers, and the rarest smiles - the ones that did let one see of the other’s teeth, a brief white glimpse. The ones that did make eyes narrow a bit, too and cheeks grow warmer and redder. The embraces and glad eyes, the jokes and the smallest, most normal actions of common, simple life being shared with the sweetest and most obvious, cherished, of the companies. The moans and sighs and the skin of one against the other's... always so careful - in an irrational fear and funny awkwardness they couldn’t still explain fully. And the kisses, intoxicating sometimes - asking for even more to be added to the scene, with much grace that did suit the both of them, and sometimes hurried rush of feelings and desires; or perhaps, the timidest and shy times as well, the little moments of candor beauty one could steal with the greatest of ease from the other and that she would have always denied to show in public.
She had missed Akihiko whole tremendously too.
She felt his hand covering hers all of a sudden, while Mitsuru was lost in her thoughts. Thus, surprise came as well, and in the dark, she flinched, even if just a little, never stopping to tenderly gaze at his direction. The reddish, flickering lights outside that did escape the obstacle of the window’s close, did partly reflect inside his pupils, and she kept focused on said colorful spots in the sea of grey.
It might have been a good and perfect time for a change. Of what, though? Initiative or perspective? She could have moved. She could have been bold enough to even surprise him, they were both awake. Or simply enough, she could have moved her head and admired him from some other angle. Which option was best?
Regardless of the correct answer, she propped gently but steadily on her arm, lifting her weight as much as she could to get closer to him - almost if hovering over Akihiko. Well, in a very weak attempt. Luckily enough for both of them, it lasted for just a few seconds, when a bunch of innocent yet long strands of her hair escaped from behind her ears, tickling of her nude shoulders and over the tip of his nose. A small scoff, or maybe a dull sigh from his part, was adverted by the girl; it triggered a little nod of her head, the sweetest, crystalline laugh, as she apologized and tucked the escaped bangs away from his face.
His eyes did now look glassy, in their pretty color - barely discernable, in the dim light. Yet the proud Empress had gazed at them, so closely too, and for so many times already it would have been hard not to imagine them even now, in the darkness, pointing at her visage. They... oh didn't they had caused her, during his absence, sighs and sweet thoughts to keep her awake some nights, too? Confusing her and deceiving her. How was she supposed to forget such a thing that easily?
The taste of his lips instead, yes, was definitely the missing piece of the puzzle, there.
"We – you shall not forget. Not anymore, we shouldn’t allow it to happen again, I presume. And it’s all that counts, right now."
Their noses could almost touch now. Hands moved to his shoulders, then jaw - a finger gently tracing its perfect shape. She could detect, again, the faint smell of aftershave he did use, recently; maybe, she thought, a rule imposed at work ( she had never lamented of his facial hair before.) Just like the beautiful, formal yet sometimes uncomfortable clothes and shoes she had to wear for her job’s standards. It somehow pulled her even closer to his figure – more locks and curls falling gently on his chest and cheeks in the process. Her slender neck bending on a side for the perfect angle and then her kiss, lips meeting his for an instant - an idyllic one, even though short. Sweet, gentle and good, as nectar or honey.