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Tokyo spilled out under the night sky like an upturned chest of jewels. It had been sunset when the two of them had ducked into the hotel but now it was pitch black outside and the rain that had stirred him awake was running in rivulets down the window. It blurred the view beyond to an indistinct wash of rainbow lights reflecting and refracting in the rain-slick streets until everything was dyed neon. The only thing spoiling the view was his own reflection, a ghostly smudge on the glass that looked even more pale and insubstantial than the real thing.
He remembered hearing, once, on some variety show or another that Tokyo was considered one of the world's most beautiful urban settlements and seeing it from this vantage point and at such a picturesque hour, he could believe it.
That didn't stop him from hating it, all the same. But there was nothing he could do about that. Urban centers like Tokyo were where the vital points of the entertainment industry converged, so there was nowhere else for the likes of him to go if he had any hope of maintaining relevance.
Besides. If he ever decided to leave this city behind, he was sure she'd follow. Even he couldn't bring himself to be quite that selfish.
Not yet, anyway.
"Hikaru-kun?"
Soft and sleepy, her voice drifted across the room and pulled his attention back where it belonged.
He turned around and found Ai looking up at him from the bed, her dark hair splayed out across the white pillows. The light spilling out from the open window framed her bare shoulders in a delicate glow and caught in the long strands of her hair. Not five hours ago, she'd been dressed to the nines in the shades of raspberry red and pink her fans loved best but here and now, with her makeup and her clothes gone, she looked even smaller than she already was. Looking at her in that light, he was suddenly and acutely aware of how delicate she really was.
"Sorry," He let go of the curtain and it fell back into place, partially veiling the sodden streets outside. There was still a narrow strip of glass uncovered, through which he could see the lights from the street below and the vague shape of himself in the mirror, but that was all right. "I didn't mean to wake you."
Ai shook her head. "You didn't," she told him - but she yawned as she said it, so it was probably a lie. "How come you're up?"
"The rain woke me."
It was almost the truth - he'd been dozing only fitfully when the downpour started, the soft patter of droplets against the windowpane just loud enough to keep him from properly drifting off. That had stirred him out of bed to the window to watch the rain come down over the city, but it wasn't the reason he'd been awake in the first place.
It was a nice hotel, or at least it was trying to be. The decor was a mix of minimalist modernity and old-fashioned luxury; the floor-to-ceiling windows offered an enviable view over the city and the furnishings were tasteful and had probably been quite trendy when they'd been bought. For the price both of them had paid, it was just a touch underwhelming but the staff here took pride in being tight-lipped. Even though Japan's most beloved idol was spending the night here with an actor who almost matched her in stardom, you wouldn't hear it from anyone who worked here.
There were certainly worse places to have ended up, especially on such short notice. Both of their schedules were so packed these days that any overlap of spare time between the two of them was a rare and precious commodity. An entire unoccupied night between them with enough of the next day free that neither of them would have to leave early was practically a miracle and he wasn't fool enough to waste that time being picky about their accommodations. Either of their homes would have been nicer, but that was much more complicated now than it had been when the two of them were children.
So a hotel it was. And again - it certainly was a nice hotel.
But hotels were difficult.
It dredged up something old and dirty in him to occupy one of these anonymous spaces again, even for an evening. The old haunt that she had preferred had long since gone out of business, but all hotel rooms were fundamentally the same at the end of the day. No matter the decor or the furnishings or the amenities, no matter how clean and fresh the sheets were, his nostrils would fill with the fetid stench of perfume all the same.
It was - frustrating. To be a grown man, the sort who should be in control of himself and to still be jumping at monsters under the bed who were long gone from this world. Most nights the two of them were together, Ai's slow, steady breathing was enough to fill the worst of the silence but tonight...
"It's coming down pretty hard," she murmured, sitting up a little more fully. The sheets pooled around her waist, exposing the rest of her bare skin to the cool air. He watched goosebumps prickle along her arms and that was enough to finally draw him away from the window and back towards the bed.
"You'll catch a cold."
"Nuh uh." Even half-lidded with sleep, her eyes twinkled with mischief. "Idols don't catch colds."
Despite himself, a smile tugged at his mouth. "Is that really how that saying goes?"
"It should be." She patted the bed next to her, where he'd abandoned his rumpled sheets. "But you're not an idol, so you might get one. C'mon, I'm getting lonely."
He didn't make her ask again. With a quiet sigh, he slid back under the sheets beside her, the mattress dipping under his weight. In truth, he hadn't realized how chilly the room had gotten until he was back next to her and the heat of her skin soaked into his. Her fingers trailed along the bare expanse of his side and she gave a little huff of disapproval.
"You're freezing."
"I wasn't in bed for very long."
The admission came out more honestly than he'd meant it to and he regretted it at once - but only for a moment. He saw something flicker across Ai's face and her expression softened, just a bit. He knew then that she'd probably guessed the reason why and felt at once a little embarrassed and a little glad to have been seen through after saying so little. For all she fretted about never understanding anyone else's feelings, at times like this Hikaru felt known inside and out.
She didn't do anything as tactless as to say it aloud, though. She put on a little show instead, huffing and puffing her cheeks out, playing the diva for an audience of one. "I can't sleep with an ice cube in bed with me," she complained. "I'll have to warm you up."
One arm snaked around his chest and pulled him closer, her slender fingers spread wide against his ribs. He let himself be pulled and then settled in, her head tucked beneath his chin and her leg hooked over his. They were close enough for her heartbeat to drum against his skin, slow and steady, and when he let his own hand slide down her bare back, he was faintly satisfied to feel her pulse flutter just a little.
"Is that better?"
She made a soft noise in the affirmative and then tilted her face up, nosing against his jawline until he took the hint and dipped his head down to press a kiss against her waiting lips. It was a lingering thing, unhurried, and the soft warmth of her mouth against his chased the chill right out of his bones. When they broke apart, he tipped his head back just enough to press his lips to her temple and then lingered there, letting the silky strands of her dark hair tickle his cheek.
This close, there wasn't any perfume. Just the sweet and clean scent of her shampoo and the sleepy warmth of her body. It was enough.
"It's late," he told her softly. "Go back to sleep."
"Mmm."
She hummed in agreement, a pleasant and sleepy sound. The arm slung over his chest was limp and her body was a warm and solid presence pressed against him. Already her breath was coming a little slower, a little heavier, and he was content to lay there in comfortable silence, his fingers idly tracing the line of her spine.
Even from bed he could tell it was still raining, a steady drumbeat against the window. With Ai's body tucked so comfortably against his side, it didn't feel quite as suffocating. It was easier, in that moment, to breathe. Easy to forget the old and ugly thing stirring in the depths of him and to put it to rest, for a while at least.
Hikaru closed his eyes and pressed his lips softly against her temple again, revelling in the warmth of her, a star dropped down from the sky he'd been lucky enough to claim. Any other star might have burned out but even now, Ai was still bright, full of light, and somehow she had chosen to share that light with him.
They were the same, after all. Whatever the size of their world, it was complete so long as the two of them were in it together.