[ Ann gives a little snort as she begins to run her fingers through his hair. Though there's definitely more than one interpretation to his request, Akira's half-asleep already. She'll see him the rest of the way there. ]
Okay. I'll stay, I promise. We can talk more in the morning.
[ Carefully, she plucks his glasses off his face and folds them, setting them aside so they don't poke her in the chest. ]
[He could get used to this all over again. At the end of the day, Ann will always be Ann, doting and kind. Akira can't help but lapse into his comfort zone where only he and the girl he loves are free to tread, his breaths slowing to a long, meandering crawl.]
...in the morning, let's go out for a bit. Just you and me.
[There's one last thing he has left to do before they've Officially™ kissed and made up.]
... Sure. Whatever you wanna do, I'll go with you.
[ Even though it's cold as snowballs out there.
As Akira begins to doze, Ann feels herself growing more drowsy by the minute. She shoots a quick text to the boys not to wait up for her, nails working over Akira's scalp. ]
[Akira's on a mission here, snowballs be damned. With Ann agreeing to his silly little request, Akira lets himself drift off to sleep, the beating of her heart ensuring he'll sleep soundly through the night.
Rather, it should have. Late into the night, Akira startles awake, jolting upright and scanning the room with wild eyes. Right... he's in his bedroom. While he hasn't quite settled into it, he's right where he should be. Still, expecting to palm the mattress when he puts his hand down and groping Ann instead makes him startle all over again. Right. She's also in his room.
Scrunching forward, Akira rubs his temples. Another nightmare... Hopefully he didn't wake Ann with all his tossing and turning.]
[ But of course he did. Even if they'd been sleeping side-by-side rather than him cozied up on top of her, she'd have woken up with that abrupt movement.
Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Ann props herself up on her elbow and peers at him through the darkness of the room. The wind is still howling outside, but his eyes seem a little too wide for that to be the reason he woke up. ]
[The contents of that nightmare begin to trickle back in bit by miserable bit. It's nothing elaborate, nothing so terrifying as being struck down by a ferocious beast, but a nightmare that plays on Akira's most base fear and exacerbates it.
Alone. He was all alone in that dream, yet he was surrounded by a sea of unfamiliar faces. Still, no matter how far he extended his hand, he couldn't reach any of them.
By all counts, a dream like that shouldn't have been enough to startle him awake, but it did, Akira's face blanched white and his fingers shaky where he buries them in the sheets.]
A dream... No, I guess it was a nightmare. It's nothing. Sorry I woke you.
[But it isn't "nothing." It's quite clearly something, else Akira would not sound so shaken.]
[ Sitting up, Ann reaches for Akira and pulls him in close, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. ]
It's okay. I'm here.
[ It makes her wonder how often this happens--and just how much that unflappable attitude of his is all a facade. She's had her concerns before, but this cements in her mind that he's not invincible, no matter how much he tries to act it. ]
[It's been a façade from the very start. His friends needed him to be strong, and so Akira was. They needed him to be their pillar, their strength, but what they never realized is that what fortified him were the bonds they shared together. Without them... well. Ann can see the result with her own two eyes.]
Really, I'm fine.
[It's become natural to lie, to pretend he's fine when he isn't. That poker face is one Akira wears well, but it's a heavy, cumbersome thing. He could bear that weight when it served a purpose, but what friends remain with him here on this island no longer need to rely upon him for his strength.
They've all found other purposes, other sources of strength, other people to tie themselves to. So it goes, and so it shouldn't bother him... and yet it does.]
You never got to see this side of me before, did you? Guess I'm grateful for that, but there's no hiding it now.
[Exposing his deepest darkest fears to Ann is no easier the second time around, but this is the woman he loves. If anyone deserves the effort, it's her.]
[ Ann listens quietly, watching Akira's face as he makes an admission that's obviously difficult for him. It makes sense, in hindsight, that this would be something he feared. He'd been ousted from his home, but through the wringer of the legal system for a crime he didn't commit. Of course it makes sense that he would be afraid of being left alone.
But... ]
You aren't alone, Akira. I'm here with you, remember? I love you. I'm not going to leave you behind.
That's what does him in. Akira could've kept himself afloat if not for those words– ones he's heard her speak before, albeit in a different time and place. Akira remains smiling, that mask of his well-worn and sturdy... yet it betrays him and slips. Ann speaks those words to him and Akira can't keep that smile from slipping away, turning his face to one side and burying it in the palm of his hand.
I'm not going to leave you behind. He remembers her speaking those words to him as well. Back then, he'd also lapsed into tears when she promised to remain by his side no matter how difficult the road ahead got. He'd been weak, weary, and so very afraid... but she remained by his side anyway.]
[ Silence falls in the room again, save for that eerie sound of howling wind as it catches on the corners of the building and rattles the windows. Ann exhales a long sigh through her nose, her features grim as she takes Akira's wrist in one hand and his chin in the other and all but forces him to look at her. ]
Because ... why, exactly? Like if I see you feeling scared or lonely, I'll think you're a loser or something? Like that wasn't the way I was feeling when you chased me down and made me spill my guts to you?
[ Her grip loosens to something gentler, thumb running over his cheek. ]
Come on, don't be ridiculous. Having those feelings just means you're a human being. I already know you're strong and brave. Like, duh. But seeing you this way... it makes me feel closer to you, because I know that you feel those same things I've felt. Besides, isn't being brave more about doing the things that scare you than not being afraid at all?
[No, don't look at him cry. It's unsightly at best, but Akira doesn't wrench out of Ann's grip. Knowing full well he'd suffer the brunt of her ire and concern alike, he doesn't dare.
So watch your boyfriend weep, Ann. Watch, because he's never going to get much uglier than this, sniffling and working very very hard to keep his nose from running. Guh.]
Crying isn't very cool.
[And Morgana isn't here to assure Akira that he is, in fact, very cool. Just another thing to cry about!! All the same, Akira's smile returns just a bit, his hands coming up to frame Ann's face.]
You really are my Ann. I've read girls like a sensitive guy, but when it comes down to it, no one likes being blubbered on.
[Except, perhaps, his darling girlfriend. Turning his face to one side, Akira kisses her palm. Turning it once more, he kisses the other.]
[ To prove her point, she pulls him in towards her and kisses his wet cheeks. It's true, too--she does think he's cool, and she thinks it's also cool to be able to be honest about your feelings with the person you love.
Her lips find his in a chaste kiss as she bundles him up in her arms, pulling the blankets around them to keep the rest of their pooled body heat from escaping into the chilly room. ]
I want you to feel okay being vulnerable with me, because I love you a lot.
[ But she also wants to help him feel better, too, so if there's any way she can do that, she will. ]
[Stop, comforting him is his kink??? Wreathed in her kisses, Akira smiles, chuckling warmly in her tender touch. Folding into her arms feels so natural, so warm and tender, and Akira wraps his arms snug around Ann's waist.]
I love you too. I'd be hard pressed not to.
[Nuzzling against her neck, Akira kisses her there... bites her there too. Comfort comes in all sorts of shapes and forms, doesn't it? He could use some of the more salacious variety.]
[ Ann gasps softly when Akira's teeth dig into the sensitive skin of her neck, shuddering as it fills her body with heat--a pleasant distraction from the cold outside. His wordless request is understood. If this is what he wants, she's pleased to give it to him. ]
Akira... how do you want it?
[ Her face turns bright red at the question, even though he's seen her naked before. They've had sex before. She supposes this is just what it's like to talk to the person you're crushing on. ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2020-12-13 11:05 pm (UTC)Okay. I'll stay, I promise. We can talk more in the morning.
[ Carefully, she plucks his glasses off his face and folds them, setting them aside so they don't poke her in the chest. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-13 11:20 pm (UTC)...in the morning, let's go out for a bit. Just you and me.
[There's one last thing he has left to do before they've Officially™ kissed and made up.]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-13 11:28 pm (UTC)[ Even though it's cold as snowballs out there.
As Akira begins to doze, Ann feels herself growing more drowsy by the minute. She shoots a quick text to the boys not to wait up for her, nails working over Akira's scalp. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-13 11:37 pm (UTC)Rather, it should have. Late into the night, Akira startles awake, jolting upright and scanning the room with wild eyes. Right... he's in his bedroom. While he hasn't quite settled into it, he's right where he should be. Still, expecting to palm the mattress when he puts his hand down and groping Ann instead makes him startle all over again. Right. She's also in his room.
Scrunching forward, Akira rubs his temples. Another nightmare... Hopefully he didn't wake Ann with all his tossing and turning.]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-13 11:43 pm (UTC)Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Ann props herself up on her elbow and peers at him through the darkness of the room. The wind is still howling outside, but his eyes seem a little too wide for that to be the reason he woke up. ]
What's wrong?
no subject
Date: 2020-12-13 11:52 pm (UTC)Alone. He was all alone in that dream, yet he was surrounded by a sea of unfamiliar faces. Still, no matter how far he extended his hand, he couldn't reach any of them.
By all counts, a dream like that shouldn't have been enough to startle him awake, but it did, Akira's face blanched white and his fingers shaky where he buries them in the sheets.]
A dream... No, I guess it was a nightmare. It's nothing. Sorry I woke you.
[But it isn't "nothing." It's quite clearly something, else Akira would not sound so shaken.]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-14 12:00 am (UTC)[ Sitting up, Ann reaches for Akira and pulls him in close, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. ]
It's okay. I'm here.
[ It makes her wonder how often this happens--and just how much that unflappable attitude of his is all a facade. She's had her concerns before, but this cements in her mind that he's not invincible, no matter how much he tries to act it. ]
You can talk to me, you know.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-14 12:16 am (UTC)Really, I'm fine.
[It's become natural to lie, to pretend he's fine when he isn't. That poker face is one Akira wears well, but it's a heavy, cumbersome thing. He could bear that weight when it served a purpose, but what friends remain with him here on this island no longer need to rely upon him for his strength.
They've all found other purposes, other sources of strength, other people to tie themselves to. So it goes, and so it shouldn't bother him... and yet it does.]
You never got to see this side of me before, did you? Guess I'm grateful for that, but there's no hiding it now.
[Exposing his deepest darkest fears to Ann is no easier the second time around, but this is the woman he loves. If anyone deserves the effort, it's her.]
I'm afraid of being alone. Terrified.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-14 01:16 am (UTC)But... ]
You aren't alone, Akira. I'm here with you, remember? I love you. I'm not going to leave you behind.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-14 01:37 am (UTC)That's what does him in. Akira could've kept himself afloat if not for those words– ones he's heard her speak before, albeit in a different time and place. Akira remains smiling, that mask of his well-worn and sturdy... yet it betrays him and slips. Ann speaks those words to him and Akira can't keep that smile from slipping away, turning his face to one side and burying it in the palm of his hand.
I'm not going to leave you behind. He remembers her speaking those words to him as well. Back then, he'd also lapsed into tears when she promised to remain by his side no matter how difficult the road ahead got. He'd been weak, weary, and so very afraid... but she remained by his side anyway.]
I don't want you to see me this way.
[I don't want anyone to.]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-14 01:49 am (UTC)Because ... why, exactly? Like if I see you feeling scared or lonely, I'll think you're a loser or something? Like that wasn't the way I was feeling when you chased me down and made me spill my guts to you?
[ Her grip loosens to something gentler, thumb running over his cheek. ]
Come on, don't be ridiculous. Having those feelings just means you're a human being. I already know you're strong and brave. Like, duh. But seeing you this way... it makes me feel closer to you, because I know that you feel those same things I've felt. Besides, isn't being brave more about doing the things that scare you than not being afraid at all?
no subject
Date: 2020-12-14 02:58 am (UTC)So watch your boyfriend weep, Ann. Watch, because he's never going to get much uglier than this, sniffling and working very very hard to keep his nose from running. Guh.]
Crying isn't very cool.
[And Morgana isn't here to assure Akira that he is, in fact, very cool. Just another thing to cry about!! All the same, Akira's smile returns just a bit, his hands coming up to frame Ann's face.]
You really are my Ann. I've read girls like a sensitive guy, but when it comes down to it, no one likes being blubbered on.
[Except, perhaps, his darling girlfriend. Turning his face to one side, Akira kisses her palm. Turning it once more, he kisses the other.]
Thank you for loving me. Tears and all.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-14 04:06 am (UTC)[ To prove her point, she pulls him in towards her and kisses his wet cheeks. It's true, too--she does think he's cool, and she thinks it's also cool to be able to be honest about your feelings with the person you love.
Her lips find his in a chaste kiss as she bundles him up in her arms, pulling the blankets around them to keep the rest of their pooled body heat from escaping into the chilly room. ]
I want you to feel okay being vulnerable with me, because I love you a lot.
[ But she also wants to help him feel better, too, so if there's any way she can do that, she will. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-12-15 03:02 am (UTC)I love you too. I'd be hard pressed not to.
[Nuzzling against her neck, Akira kisses her there... bites her there too. Comfort comes in all sorts of shapes and forms, doesn't it? He could use some of the more salacious variety.]
two months later...
Date: 2021-02-18 06:42 am (UTC)Akira... how do you want it?
[ Her face turns bright red at the question, even though he's seen her naked before. They've had sex before. She supposes this is just what it's like to talk to the person you're crushing on. ]