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Rooftop of Random Play
Night hung over New Eridu as the two stood on the rooftop, taking the night air into their lungs after a long night of watching movies. “I can’t believe I haven’t been up here before, Random Play never fails to impress, even if it is a flat rooftop!”
Wise glanced around at the windows near Random Play. “Are you certain you wanna be up here, Astra? People could talk if they see you up here.” Each of those windows risked a pair of eyes peering through, ready to report that Astra Yao was currently with someone, alone, on the rooftop of a small video store.
Astra spun herself around as she stretched out her hands. “Nope, I don’t care! Let them say what they want!” He didn't understand why she had so little care given the fact she frequently recruited him to dash around the prying eyes of the public with her. How could you not be scared? Wise raised an eyebrow. “Um.”
She paused in her spin to stretch out, winking a single eye at him. “They say all sorts of things when I stand next to anyone in particular so I’m used to it! But in the end, there is someone I like.” Astra stepped to his side, joining him in looking down at the street.
Wise chuckled to himself, oblivious to how close her shoulder lingered near his. "Astra Yao going after a relationship? That's pretty hard to believe."
“Someone who is a pretty stand-up guy that manages a video store.” Her words entered his mind, rattling around like a tumbleweed across the Outer Rim. His blood ran cold, heart stopping in place as his mind finally digested the fact it was him.
Wise couldn't believe her, why him? A nobody, respectfully. But Astra? She was someone. A beautiful actor and singer was never supposed to return his affection.
“I think you could do a lot better than that guy, pretty small pennies for someone like you in my opinion.” He didn’t match her gaze, staring off into the street below, his lips formed a small smile.
“Hmmm,” a resonant hum came from his left, he could almost picture her with a finger placed to her lips while her eyes worked away at calculating things, “nope! I’m quite content with this one! Talented, pretty cute, supportive. I guess he acts like he doesn’t deserve things and pines away to distract himself, but that’s just a work in progress for me.” A hand touches his shoulder.
He can't run from her, who could?
Swallowing the lump in his throat he turned to the songstress who looked at him with a soft, alluring smile.
“Are you certain it’s for the best, Astra?” He looked into her orbits, glowing stars promising him coffee dates and love letters. Neither could back down after this, seemingly neither had any plans to.
He was throwing himself off the deep end, just how much did the two risk by starting a relationship?
“I know what I want, Wise.”
If he did, he chanced drowning.
“Then…” His hands gravitated toward hers.
He’d still risk it for her.
The depths of his mind compelled him to action and snapped his body forward. In the blink of an eye, his lips were capturing hers. A surprised noise came from the singer’s throat before a pleasant hum followed. Her hands dug into his jacket like a cat holding onto its prey, eyes narrowed in with an almost predatory gaze as they picked him apart.
With a sweep of her leg, she led him down to the rooftop floor, choreographed so calmly he had barely noticed in time before his back was on the floor and Astra was on top of him.
A slow-burning began to build up across his lungs and veins as his body begged for air, he was no match for the trained singer who held her lips closed without any complaints. Sensing his growing discomfort, Astra let him loose and pulled herself back a touch, her claw-like hands still holding onto her quarry.
His organs rejoiced as oxygen began to flow freely once more, the girl above him laughed heartedly as he gulped in the air. “Y’know, Belle said I’d take a lot of effort to get you to do something first. Knew you had it in you!”
Wise could only offer her a dorky smile as he collected himself and desperately tried to form words to comment on anything that happened in the last sixty seconds.
She rewarded his slight effort with a giggle that resonated across his mind in lovely waves before she rolled off of him, joining his side with a plop.
The hollow-covered Moon dragged through the sky, a few stray stars visible even through the bright city lights. “Ugh, going to Port Promenade would have been so romantic! Stupid paparazzi! Not to say your roof has a bad view or anything.” A warm hand wrapped around his.
Squeezing her hand helped bring his mind together to the point of making conversation. “We’re both pretty good at sneaking around at this point…and no one is around there this time of night…so-” Before he could finish, the bundle of energy that was Astra was already upright and tugging him with her in a storm of giggles and laughter, pulling them toward the latter down into the store. “C’mon!”
Stepping down onto the first floor Astra was quick to wave a little goodbye towards Belle who raised an eye at them while they swung the backdoor open. “Hey where are y-” Astra cut off Belle’s question, “Bye, Belle!”
“It’ll be a couple of hours, bye B-ACK!” Wise attempted to give a more proper farewell before getting tugged through the door frame like a character in a horror film.
Within the blink of an eye, Wise found himself next to the ever-reliable car belonging to Random Play which had the passenger seat already occupied by the songstress. She nodded her head back and forth excitedly, humming a tune he recognized as one of her works.
Wise plopped himself into the driver's seat and looked over to her just in time to see her planting her glasses on her face. He had no idea why she insisted on using something like that, it wasn’t exactly hard to spot her with them on…
Sighing to himself he slotted the keys in, pressed the clutch, and then the break down before the engine came to life. “A night of fun and joy awaits us! Charge onward!”
Wise moved the vehicle through the empty highway leading towards Port Promenade. He rarely ever had the chance to put this thing in fifth gear, and frankly, he had some PTSD of it since that time Belle nearly shifted down to 2nd while he was trying to teach her how to drive a manual. Driving with a wonderful view of the sea, soft music coming through the radio, and a beautiful woman in his passenger seat. Life was good, at least for now.
Astra rested her head against the glass, tracing the skylines of New Eridu as they pulled off the highway and approached the port road. She inhaled the growing salty air, a scent she had come to love with her brief outings into the waterfront with Wise before getting dragged back by Evelyn. It was a place of freedom for her with the ocean just a few steps away and the rolling winds around her constantly.
“Oh, maybe we should go swimming together, Wise! I still have that swimsuit from the photo shoot!” She turned her eyes to him.
The car jerked a touch as the images entered his brain while he shifted down a gear. Her laughter filled the car, directed at a flushed Wise who averted his gaze from her. “T-that's…an option.”
Wise thanked his lucky stars while he pulled the car into its parking spot before he stepped out to open her door for her. Astra rewarded him with a smile before stepping out and snagging her arms around his neck, pushing herself back into a freefall which forced Wise to use all his might to catch her with his hands around her back. “A gentleman through and through,” She erupted into a giggle before she pushed herself upright and lifted him up by the waist, swinging him around a few rotations, “although it’s a lot more fun to swing you around like Eous! Can’t believe I’m taller than you!”
“Barely-mph!” Astra gave him a particularly strong squeeze as she rubbed her nose against his. “Still taller!”
“G-go easy, Astra!” Wise groaned out while his body protested about previously unstretched bones getting quite the exercise thanks to the power of his girlfriend.
Finally relenting, Astra set him down on the ground where he breathed air into his lungs at last. She giggled at how much energy that took out of him. Wise was like a porcelain vase in terms of his fragility, an artifact to observe and rejoice in its beauty from afar, not handle in person. Yet how could something so cute be unhugged?
Wise collected himself for a few seconds before wrapping his right hand around her left, tugging her closer while his eyes found hers. “What should we do, my dear Astra?” He asked her with a smirk.
It was impossible to not laugh at how cheesy he was saying that, it was like something out of a movie. “Where’d that confidence come from?! You’re so cheesy, lucky you, I like it.” She lightly flicked his forehead with her fingers.
With his free hand, Wise rubbed the back of his head. “That doesn’t answer my question still, dear Astra. Should I say some more titles?”
“Let’s just walk and figure out where our senses take us. You can hold off on the lines for now, my dear Wise~.” Astra stepped forward, pulling Wise into her steps as she looked around for anything that caught her eye.
She wanted a good night with her and Wise, so only the finest, most romantic location could do. The night sky above the horizon found her eyes as she noticed the pricks of light in the sky. Being some distance away from the thickest depths of New Eridu helped with light pollution. It wasn’t no Outer Ring but it was better than the spot on his roof. She wanted to snag Wise away and dance with him up there to give the stars a real show.
Imagine him clumsily trying to match my step as I spin him around before pulling him off his own feet. A date for another day. Astra giggled to herself.
Her gaze finally fell on the lighthouse which overlooked the harbor sitting silently in the dark, long abandoned for its purpose of guiding ships along the rocky coast. With its height and overlook of the harbor, it would make it a great spot to visit.
She turned to Wise who looked out at the slowly pulsing waters which gave her time to analyze his face. Those green amber eyes of his always found her attention first, like dim little stars carrying a weight of restlessness and lack of sleep upon their backs, staring off into space.
She squeezed his smooth hand, his skin was incredibly soft until her fingers crossed a rough ridge or crack of a scar. He worked with circuitry with his hands so something like this wasn’t a surprise, what stories did they tell? She wondered. “Hey Wise, let’s go to the lighthouse.”
His hand tensed under her exploration for a second before she let her continue feeling his skin, touch like this was foreign to him. He nodded at her request and let her pull him along, his eyes shifting from the sea to her hair as the wind shifted a few strands into his face.
Making their way up the interior of the lighthouse, Wise held the catwalk door open for her, a gesture she thanked him for with a kiss to the lips as she passed by onto the metal grating.
She thanked herself for not wearing heels today as she skipped over to the side of the lighthouse that overlooked the hollow and the harbor. A salty wind blew through her long hair as she heard the soft steps of Wise approach her. “It’s so beautiful up here, I wish I could do this whenever I want!”
“I’ve only been up here a few times and it’s always been for other reasons…never really got to appreciate how nice it is up here.” He walked to her side, his familiar warmth making the occasional nips of the wind seem almost void.
“Lucky~” She plopped her head against his, the inch or two between them coming into play as Wise settled for tucking his head further into her shoulder.
Silence fell between them, only the rush of waves to shore and the passing of wind entering their ears. Her hand fidgets with his, sliding fingers between his while gliding along his skin. She could get used to this sensation.
“Hey, Wise. After we’re done at the port… let’s head to my place~.”
Belle sighs out into the empty Random Play store as she shuffles through a comic book. Late-night duty was always boring, and of course, it usually fell on her. At least Wise took the morning shifts since he was always in bed before midnight.
Something told her he would not be coming back early tonight. She hoped he wasn’t doing anything stupid with Astra. There were no doubts in her mind that those two were in a relationship,, and with Wise at the wheel, God only knows what could happen.
Usually, no one came in this late aside from the stray customer or Jane Doe waltzing in with a tape…that or anyone except Anby from the Cunning Hares rushing in to return the tape before the midnight deadline.
“Belle~” A sultry voice came from the customer side of the counter, snapping her vision up from the comic.
Jane Doe stood with that practiced and oh-so-deadly smile.
“W-wuh! H-hi Jane! When did you get in?” Belle slammed the comic shut and assumed her work posture.
“Oh a minute or two ago, you looked so invested in that little comic. It was cute to watch you pine away at it. I’m just returning a tape.” Jane set the videotape on the counter with a plastic tack.
“Thank you, Jane.” Belle sighed as she grabbed the list of rented tapes to cross Jane off.
The rat thiren set her elbows on the counter, catching the attention of Belle. “Something troubling you, hm? I notice Wise isn’t around.” Her tail swung about.
“Nothing major, j-wait how did you know Wise is gone?!” Belle exclaimed to her amused eyes.
“Scent, Belle, scent. His presence is a bit more subtle, softer, sort of vanillaish. I can tell you two apart just by scent alone. Do you miss him?” Jane teased her.
“No, it’s just that-well-promise not to tell anyone? Because it’s gonna be hard to believe.” Belle leaned forward a touch.
“All ears, there isn’t anything I haven’t heard before.”
Belle was certain she hadn’t heard this one before. “You know Astra Yao right, the singer?”
Jane nodded attentively. “Yep, I own one of her records. Beautiful lady with a beautiful voice.”
“Wise is um…currently on a date with her and he doesn’t know the slightest thing about women! THE star singer, Astra Yao just snatched up my brother!”
Jane was a good friend of Belle, she had seen Jane go through a lot of things, and seen countless expressions on her face but not one of them had ever been shocked. There was no smile on her face, just a blank expression with slightly raised eyes.
“I haven’t heard that one before... Wise, your brother, is on a date with her?”
“Am I going to be an aunt, will Astra Yao be my sister-in-law? I don’t know!”
The rising sun peeked over the bustling skyline of New Eridu, or rather below it from the perspective of the room. Wise groaned as the bright light pulled him from his sleep.
He should go out and get his raffle tick-wait. This room.
He blinked his eyes, he was in fact somewhere quite different from his room. It was a gorgeous room, to the right sat a massive window that overlooked the city, and to the left was a wall full of musical decorations with a door that seemingly led outside of the room.
“Wise~” The sing-song voice of Astra Yao cooed out as she clambered on top of him. “You’re not snuggling me~” A pout formed on her lips before she pulled her shoulders toward him, tucking him into her neck as she brought him to lay on his side.
He snapped his gaze up to her face before he could take in the sight of her flawless skin and the obvious fact the two were naked, something countless men and women dreamed of enjoying with Astra Yao no doubt. “M-morning…Astra.”
Lithe fingers trailed along his back, etching lines along his bones, sending his hair to stand on end as she touched his skin. “Morning, sleepyhead.” She carefully pushed his head out from her neck, poking his nose as she flashed such a genuine smile it nearly made his heart stop. Once again an image that would never leave his mind. That luring smile with closed eyes, the morning sun drifting up behind her shoulders.
“You’re too cute for your own good, Wise!” She snaked one of her arms between his left arm and his waist while her other arm did the same around his right. She rubbed her nose against his, lips ghostling along his.
Wise couldn’t stomach the slightest bit of confidence to withstand her barrage of love and simply let himself get swept away in her coddling. “You’re um…really cute as well.”
Astra cooed out again before she ran her hands through his tangled locks. “Thank you, my dear~. Your hair is all messed up from last night, guess I went a little too hard on you, huh?”
A little would be an understatement. If New Eridu ever found out he was not only the boyfriend of Astra Yao but also had a very romantic and physical night with her, he would be dead within at least twenty-four hours if not under.
“Evelyn isn’t going to kill me, right?” Wise looked up at her.
She giggled at him. “She wouldn’t…probably. If you got me pregnant though…hehe…maybe?” An unconvincing smile arose from her lips.
“I didn’t do that…right?” His eyes dilated, visions of fiery ropes wrapping around his body in a darkened alleyway flashing across his mind.
“It’s safe, relax~. She’d probably just make you marry me! Can’t be that bad, right? Visions of growing old together when we’re still both so young, oh how romantic!” Her right arm raised into the air and gave a little wave of excitement.
“The public, Astra.” Wise cautioned her.
Astra whined a bit at the logic. “I know, let me tease at least a bit. Either way, we’re getting married one day, by my decree. For now, we can at least snuggle. Next time I want to stay at your place!” Giggles formed from her throat as her hands ran all over his back and neck, tugging him as close to her as possible.
“I’ll go through with your plans. Random Play will always have a place for you, Astra. Stop by any time. How about I cook something for breakfast?”
Astra looked at him in thought before some idea struck her. “Let’s shower first!”
“Wai-WAH” Wise was yanked out of bed.