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Gura couldn’t pick out when it began.
There’s a softness to a low falling sun. It casts long shadows along the roads. Gura can feel the evening chill on her skin, but it’s nothing to the burning feeling running up her nerves. Breathing is difficult but in a way that’s exhilarating. She can’t stop smiling. She’s glad to see Amelia can’t stop smiling either.
The blonde has ice cream dripping over her fingers. Gura has eaten hers and she’s sort of disappointed about it because now she has nothing to occupy her hands, nothing to stop her from fidgeting. Amelia takes a bite out of hers and leaves a smear of strawberry over her lips.
“If we’re going to pick up dinner we should drop by the corner store.” Amelia is saying, her voice light-years away but so close to her ears it’s sending Gura’s head into orbit. “I want snacks.”
“You want candy?” Gura asks.
“Maybe.” Amelia licks her fingers. “Did you wanna watch a movie tonight?”
Gura smirks, “You just want an excuse to pig out.”
“Popcorn isn’t tasty without a movie.” The blonde says simply. A breeze is tussling her hair. She’s leaning into it with a hum, her eyes fluttering shut in a pretty way. Gura can barely breathe. “So?”
“So what?” Gura’s voice cracks.
Amelia cracks an eye open in amusement, “Did you wanna watch a movie or not?” She’s turning her head to get a look at Gura. Gura straightens, her tail twitching by her legs. Was her staring that obvious?
Gura clears her throat, “Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Are you okay?” Amelia snorts. “Never mind, you wouldn’t tell me even if you were dying. C’mere.”
Huh? Gura flinches as Amelia touches the back of her palm to her forehead. Her face is burning and it’s not from a fever. Amelia purses her lips. Gura can see the pink of her eyes this close. The sunset hues are reflecting off her in a beautiful way. She looks ephemeral. She was making the sun look bad.
“Gura?” Amelia’s brow is pinched, “You okay?”
“Uh, yeah.” She reaches up with shaky fingers to take Amelia’s hand off her head. “Don’t get your sticky fingers all over me.”
Amelia deadpanned, “Yeah you’re fine.” She’s leaning back and throwing her arms above her head into a stretch. Her shirt rides up a bit. Gura averts her eyes. Her throat feels dry. She tries not to think about it too much.
Amelia holds out a hand for her, “C’mon, let’s get going.”
Gura hates how easy that is for her. Amelia thoughtlessly bares her heart in her hand but it’s not with anything real there, nothing binding. It’s just her. Maybe that’s okay, she thinks, it doesn’t have to be more than that.
Gura takes her hand. She makes a face, “You need to wash your hands.”
“Deal with it.” Amelia squeezes her hand. It sends butterflies to Gura’s stomach.
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Maybe it begins somewhere quieter when the lights are off and they’re underneath blankets. It’s the closeness, where she can hear Amelia’s breaths in her ear. The detective sleeps like she hasn’t slept in years, her arms splayed out and her legs kicking at the blankets every once in a while. It’s endearing, Gura thinks. The distance between them is a tragedy.
Amelia’s sleeping face is inches away. Her lips are parted just slightly. Gura’s hand twitches. There’s a part of her that wants to touch but she’s not sure what she would do. Amelia’s bangs have fallen into her face without her hairpiece there and Gura wants to fix it. She wants to brush her fingers through her hair and tuck it behind her ear. She wants to trace her cheek and run her fingers over her jaw. She wants to caress her cheek until her eyes flutter open. What would she say?
Would she smile?
Gura hesitates. She doesn’t have a lot of courage. Her heart is tripping over itself to catch up with her thoughts. Just go to sleep dummy, why is it such a big deal?
She reaches out slowly. She stops just sort of Amelia’s face where her breath brushes over her knuckles. It sends goosebumps up her arm. Tremulously, she touches her fingers to Amelia’s lips. Nothing spectacular happens. Amelia sighs in her sleep.
Shakily, Gura withdraws her fingers. She cradles her hand close to her chest and fights to calm down her racing heart.
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It might be with the smell of breakfast. Its warmth is wrapping around her nose and drawing her back to sleep. The table wasn’t the most comfortable spot to nap. The crispy smell of cooking bacon and eggs is helping. She’s halfway into a coma when a hand touches the top of her head.
“Gura, c’mon, don’t fall asleep at the table.” Amelia’s voice floats to her. It has that morning quality to it. Gura hums when her fingers scratch along her scalp. The feeling goes all the way down to her toes. Her tail curls happily. She hears Amelia huff, “You’re gonna make me get your food too?”
“I made breakfast yesterday.” Gura mumbles. “It’s your turn.”
“Not even gonna help me.” She’s leaning against Gura, draping herself over her and resting her chin on her head. “Gura, help me.”
“Ugh,” Gura says.
Amelia makes a whiny noise in her throat, “Please?”
Gura groans in defeat. She feels a giggle muffled to the back of her head. Playful hands are wrapping around her shoulders and Amelia is pecking her on the cheek. It's so quick Gura can barely even register it happened before Amelia is unwinding herself from the shark. Gura inhales as the detective moves away from her. There’s a cold absence without her. She wants to grab her around the waist and rope her back in for- for what?
“Do you want extra bacon?” Amelia calls from the kitchen.
Gura mutters under her breath, “I want an extra kiss.”
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It's a lamplight.
Gura can’t breathe. This isn’t a bad thing, she reasons, this is a wonderful thing. She’s gasping for air and almost immediately after Amelia is back on her, her lips on hers and her fingers digging into her shoulders. It’s not painful. It’s grounding her and stopping her heart from flying out of her throat.
Amelia kisses her sweetly. There’s a shyness to it. Every kiss starts off eagerly, a sliver of that detective confidence nearly drowning her. The kiss flutters in Amelia’s nervousness as she loses that confidence the longer the kiss lasts. Gura takes those moments for herself. She cups Amelia’s cheeks and draws her in. She gives her more and lets Amelia take, and take , and make every noise she wants.
“Do you…” Amelia pants against her lips. Gura’s face burns from it. She’s gripping Amelia’s elbows like a lifeline. “Um…”
“Yeah?” Gura breathes.
“I dunno, it’s dumb.”
Gura laughs weakly, “I’m kissing you. You’re kissing me! What’s dumb?”
Amelia leans her forehead against hers. The blue of her eyes is a shallow sea. It’s the prettiest blue waters taking ahold of Gura and cradling her in its waves.
“Do you love me?” She asks.
Gura can’t work her jaw for a moment. What can she call love when she’s felt it on a hot summer evening? How can she describe the feeling of wanting to kiss ice cream just because it reminds her of strawberry kisses? She doesn’t have words for when the light burns low and Amelia’s smile turns brighter than the sun. Those gentle moments when her hand brushes hers. Something preciously shared that feels like nothing but means everything.
I love you is too small for that. Gura is leaning up to pepper kisses over Amelia’s lips. Between each one she’s whispering, “I adore you, I think about you, I’m in love with you, I would kill for you, you drive me wild-”
Amelia is laughing. She’s trying to duck her head away from the onslaught of kisses. Gura is hunting for more, a smile tugging at her lips as the embarrassed detective tries to flee from her. She gets more dramatic with her words, “You’re insane, you laugh funny, I can’t get enough of your hiccups. Are you listening? I’m going to kiss you forever.”
“Gura.” Amelia laughs. Her eyes are shining. “Stop talking.”
“Yes ma’am.” She says. She’s tilting her head for more and Amelia meets her halfway, her hands fluttering shyly over her shoulders. Gura smiles into the kiss. Fondness is welling up in her chest. She winds her arms around her detective. She can’t tell if the pounding in her ears is from her heart or Amelia’s.
She loves the sound of it.
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