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The night was a cold one, as much as an understatement as that sounded, it was true and it was as much as Ryo could be bothered to come up with at such an hour. At this hour? Did this mean the former Hell Kaiser was tired?! Yes it bloody well did…knackered as Asuka would say.
Ryo sat away from the taxi window, feeling the cold radiate off the glass as he watched the raindrops glow with orange light down the window pane. The taxi driver was thankfully silent, I think that anyone in their right mind would be this late at night.
The truth really was that he couldn’t bear to know the time while he was recovering from heart failure, couldn’t bear to count down the seconds, his brain wouldn’t shut off with crossing off the minutes until he could see Asuka again.
Asuka…
Asuka was sat next to him, pressed shoulder to shoulder seemingly unintentionally. It had been around six years since then and things still felt like they weren’t cement yet but if Asuka wasn’t willing to talk about it then neither was Ryo.
He focused his attention back to the outside world. Domino City's night life whizzed past his vision, only parts of it exposing themselves when they drove past a bright light or open restaurant, flickering image of people and other cars announcing themselves through the bright dishes of their headlamps.
Just as Ryo was beginning to recognise some of their surroundings more clearly, the rain became heavier and it rattled fiercely against the roof of the cab. He could hear Asuka sigh in disdain next to him and when he turned he could see Asuka looking out of the window much like he was doing.
Ryo looked tired, he imagined he looked very much in the same state. They had spent the past two hours sat in a dingy alleyway on a stake out and the last hour they used running through rainy Domino after a famous jewel thief stole his watch while he was walking on the street. Luckily a police officer had been doing the rounds and had crashed into the criminal. Good thing he did too otherwise they might have never caught him. The rest of that hour was spent in his office filling in the appropriate forms, a dull task, and now they were finally heading home.
The taxi pulled up outside of his apartment and, without a word, turned round for an expectant tip. Ryo gave him a glare and fumbled in the pockets of his coat before dropping the fee in the drivers’ hand, he nodded and faced the front once more as Ryo huffed open his door and got out, watching Asuka do the same.
He walked around the car, the tarmac glistened orange in the rain and he could feel the water seeping into the hem of his trousers. Jamming his hands in his pockets and bowing his head, he was so exhausted that he barely realised Asuka hadn’t moved until she had pretty much collapsed on him.
The water slowly doused them, seeping into what seemed like their bones as Ryo fumbled with the key to his apartment, Asuka's weight on his back probably didn’t make the task any easier.
“Hurry up.” Asuka whined, she hadn’t slept in three days and she could see herself sleeping out here if the moment so called for it.
“Calm down, my hands are cold.” The Pro Duelist replied in a light hearted frustration and then finally the click of the lock sounded and both former Obelisk Blue elites nearly fell into the building. Ryo shook the rain from his coat as he hung it up whereas Asuka was just happy to be in the warmth once more, she leant against the doorframe of the hallway, her posture hardly having changed from when she was outside, arms crossed tightly around her wet coat and head bowed in fatigue. She seemed about ready to fall to sleep on the spot.
She heard Ryo sigh and a second later he was being maneuvered out of his coat by familiar hands. She shifted a little and tried to help but it felt like her limbs were made out of concrete and her eyes didn’t seem to want to open so instead she just leant on Ryo.
“This is ridiculous, I told you not to stay up, but what did you do?” Ryo chided, his voice soft and warm in Asuka's ear as he wrapped his arms around her, guiding her up the stairs to their apartment. Asuka mumbled in disagreement, if she was more awake she would’ve probably stated that sleeping was useless at that moment in time but instead she allowed herself to be lead into his living room.
“I don’t have the energy to carry you to the room…” Two strong hands on his shoulders, “Come on now, lie down and for god’s sake, go to sleep.” Asuka complied easily, shifting her legs up onto the seat and resting her head on one of the cushions. She could hear the rain pattering on their windows and somewhere off in the flat the wind blew fiercely through an open window.
She felt the settee shift in weight slightly and suddenly there was a warm body curled into her, Asuja accepted it gladly and moved her head so Ryo could rest easily on her shoulder. Ryo sighed into her neck, resting an arm around Asuka's ’s waist. His hair was damp under Asuka's chin but he was warm and for that Asuka was thankful.
“You did well today…” Asuka muttered and Ryo felt his lips moving against his neck as she spoke. Despite his tired state the Pro Duelist managed to crack a smile.
“When do I not?” his voice was thick with sleep and he felt Asuka respond with a small chuckle. In the distance on Domino City a bird chirped loudly, suggesting that the morning wasn’t as far as they had suspected. Asuka imagined this rain would go on for most of the day but it hardly bothered her, she could deal with rain.
She could smell Ryo's cologne, a expensive brand that he often wore on a daily basis with a musky, almost spicy smell about it.
There was a squeeze on her arm and Asuka could sense Ryo's gaze on her..
“Stop thinking and go to sleep…” Asuka twitched a small smile, Ryo had obviously known her long enough to recognise all the typical signs to represent her thinking. The Pro Duelist settled down again and Asuka sighed deeply, exhaling all the thought from that day, all the deductions, all the smells and all the tastes. Domino rain poured on the murky streets and washed her mind clear of any other sound a part from Ryo's breathing when, finally, sleep claimed her.