Chapter Text
The twisting of the mountain road and the van's muffled engine slowly eased Mai out of her peaceful state of sleep. The sky was still dark, the trees making a barely discernible silhouette against the deep horizon. The young brunette yawned as she fully began to comprehend the situation. They had been called to a case in the far north of Japan, but due to scheduling conflicts, they were not able to depart until around 11 PM. Mai was still too drowsy to recall the details of this particular case, but knew that Naru would surely scold her if she were to ask. Speaking of Naru, Mai poked her head forward into the gap between the two front seats in order to see the young man in the passenger seat.
Surprisingly, he seemed to be sleeping, yet still emanating an aura of awareness. His breathing was slow and steady, and his body was shifted down in his seat slightly, allowing his head to lay against the back of the seat. Mai smiled- though in daytime her boss was cold, condescending and rude, even he was susceptible to the look of innocence and warmth that one takes upon themselves as they sleep.
She turned her head slightly to the right, acknowledging the shadowed, ever silent form of Lin, driving the van towards their destination. His eyes briefly abandoned the road to meet her glance, returning to their original position as quickly as they left. Mai did not expect anything more, after all, they were driving on a twisted mountain road at 4 AM.
Naru shifted in his seat, sliding back up into a normal sitting position. Mai turned back towards his side, making eye contact with the raven haired psychic. The weariness of the early morning seemed to be present in his features, and Mai felt a wave of sympathy for her boss. He had confided in her a few cases ago about his chronic insomnia, and she knew he probably hadn't slept for very long. Before she realized what was going on, Naru had signaled to his silent guardian to pull over onto the side of the road. He exited the van, surprising the young girl, and then reentered so he could sit next to Mai. After he buckled in once more, he again made eye contact with Mai. Her face heated quickly, the cold blue gaze piercing her thoughts until all she could think of was him.
All too soon, his stare broke away, leaving her body feeling empty. That chill swept throughout her body, only to be abruptly stopped by a new sensation- that of a soft hand taking hold of hers. Her chest constricted, her breaths became shallow, and the only thing she could feel was his hand. For two hours, Mai sat perfectly still, feeling his larger hand delicately caress hers. And those two hours felt like eternity, for which she would gladly be immortal. As she once more looked at her beloved narcissist, she realized he had once more fallen asleep. Mai knew that the entire sequence of events most likely only occurred because of his drowsiness, but the young psychic could not help but dream.
The sky was lighter now, with tints of pink shading the edges of the clouds. The rising yellow sun illuminated Naru's delicate features, causing his hair to glow in the light. His skin was a palette of reds, oranges, and pinks. Mai imagined the sunrise painting his face, and then growing jealous of its masterpiece because he was more beautiful than his creator.
Mai smiled.