Kenshin turned to his window as he heard the sounds of a car door opening and shutting. Glancing at the clock he felt a smile tug at his lips. Moving towards the window he leaned against the class. His breath was warmer than the thick plane, so it fogged up a bit but he was still able to see the object of his attention.
A smile curled the edges of his lips as he watched her slam her door and take off at a brisk walk that wanted to be a sprint for the stairs. Long black hair swung behind her, sliding across the water-proof lines of her thick jacket. She was forced to slow her dash when she reached the stairs, for chunks of ice still littered the ground from where the caretaker had broken the ice up with his bag of salt and the end of a shovel. He sighed in disappointment as she rounded the corner so he couldn’t see her.
It didn’t matter.
In a few moments he would be able to hear her clanging around the kitchen as she desperately heated a cup of tea or hot chocolate and dove into the store bought cookies that were supposed to replace homemade ones. Later on the sound of the bath filling would filter in through as well. Sighing as he rolled his warm mug between fingers still slightly chilled from the weather outside, he ran a familiar question through his mind.
What would it take to get her from her apartment into his?
Setting his mug down he considered his options. He had another thirty seconds before she can sprinting around the corner and searched for her keys. He could easily stick his head out the door and ask her in for a cup of tea. While she would be grateful for the heat, he had it under good assurance that the heater in her car was both crappy and fluke-y, but that wouldn’t change the light in her eyes for Kenshin to someone else.
He was going to have to do something to change her perspective of him. Until then, he had some cookies that were fixing to come out of the oven. Since Misao had stolen all his decorative sprinkles she was going to have to deal with thick icing and ridiculous shapes instead.
Setting his mug down he considered formulating a plan, but decided against it. He already knew what he would in certain situations if they ever arose. Other than that, Kaoru had the most aggravating and delightful habit of ruining anything that was carefully laid. It was aggravating because he would have preferred to already have her snuggled into his side with a blanket on his couch; but rather delightful because she almost managed to foil all of her ex-roommates schemes with a artless grace that amused him. He wondered if they were aware of exactly how thin the walls were in the building or if they just forgot randomly. His lips curved again as he thought about the things that had, over the past six months, caused them to forget. His eyes darkened for a moment as some of the reasons he had heard raised voices came back to him.
Shaking his shoulders as if to loosen the grip of whatever had been clinging to him, he set about making little designs and using the little frosting kit Megumi had given him last Christmas. It was fun and he generally used it to bribe her three-year-old to give him a toothless smile, and hype him on sugar to gleefully give him back to Sano; but the first time Kaoru had seen his cookies she had laughed.
He loved her laugh.
It was her laugh that had first attracted her to him. He had planned on moving out of the apartments last spring. He had grown tired of the continuous noise and the noisy neighbors. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford more, he had simply enjoyed being somewhere he had been anonymous. It had adequate kitchen space, and while it was ideal, the house he was having built was delayed because the teak floors he had ordered were behind on shipments. His home had been completed six weeks ago, yet he hadn’t been able to tear himself away from the dingy little apartment that was an easy two-block walk from his borrowed office.
He had been baking some bread Megumi had requested on his off time and heard the unmistakable laughter of a young female. Unsurprised at the prospect of getting new neighbors, the couple who lived next door had finally fled; he had gone to glance at the parking lot in front of his window.
The first girl he had seen was struggling with a box that was nearly as long as she was tall. Her hair had been tightly braided so that it kept slapping around her knees in a distracting factor. The other one had been camouflaged behind what had appeared to be a recliner with more patches and attempts of salvaging that he would have thought possible. She was leaning against it, clutching at her ribs, and laughing at her friend’s predicament. He had been fascinated by her smile and even more so by the bright blue of her eyes as she finally ran over to offer her assistance.
He hadn’t been able to go down and offer his help until after the bread was finished (Megumi would have had his balls on a platter and deep-fried) but they had been grateful for his help if lifting some of the more precarious boxes. He had later learned that the girls were teachers at a nearby school for the year had been delighted at the chance to live together. The smaller of the two, Misao, had been a variable chatterbox while Kaoru set about organizing and cleaning. He didn’t blame them. From everything he had been able to tell of the couple before them, they had not been the most hygienic of residents.
He hadn’t really seen a lot of them until a week or so later, as he was contemplating where exactly he could move, when he had looked out his window to see Kaoru digging around the backseat of her car. She had been wearing a pair of shorts that rode low on her hips and barely extended three-inches down her thighs. The tank-top she was wearing had rode up, so that when she stood up, he could still see the clean lines of her spine and the two dimples that set just above the waistband of her shorts. Her legs had been clean and slim, muscles shifting under the skin as she shut the door and turned to move into the apartment. She must have been working out because her top had clung wetly to a few interesting places on her body, a few drops of sweat still trembling on her throat and temple.
That was the first time he had invited her in for tea. Granted, it had been iced tea at the time, topped with lemon and some cinnamon bread he had made the day before, but she hadn’t seemed to notice his fascination with her outfit or the way she swallowed.
Every so often he had made a point to invite her in for a snack or tea. Thursdays always seemed to be her worse day and it almost became a ritual for him to stick his head out as she walked down the hall, draped with her purse and briefcase, bluish marks under her wide-eyes that attested to her long day. She had confessed, with some careful prompting, that Thursdays were worse than Mondays, because you were so close to the weekend that you could taste it, but you were forced to go to work anyway.
Misao sometimes joined them, but, much to his amusement, she had crashed into Aoshi one day while he was delivering papers and there had been sparks. He had heard from Kaoru that Misao was making wedding plans, or at the very least, a trip to the JP before Christmas. He wished the small women luck. He had spent the weekend before cleaning out her stuff because she had decided to move in with Aoshi. That suited Kaoru fine, because she was excited about the idea of more closet space, but both girls had almost been tearful.
Now Kaoru was over in her apartment. Alone.
Once the cookies were cool he loaded them up on the tray and looked out the window. It was starting to snow again, and with only one week to go until Christmas, it looked like it was going to be very cold and white. His tree twinkled merrily in the corner opposite the fire he had built. The stockings that hung had been a gift from Sano, which meant they were an interesting shade of fire-engine red with some sort of design that could not be stared at too long, lest you become dizzy. He had been hoping he could take a day off and spend it decorating his new home with lights but now that he was planning on staying in the apartment for a little while, had decided against it.
It was something he would rather have done with company.
Kenshin considered taking the pot of tea over with him but decided against it. Kaoru might have used instant hot chocolate, but it was a forgivable sin since she wasn’t entirely sure how to use the stovetop. She was a masterful chef as long as it didn’t take more than three minutes in her microwave. Picking up the tray he slipped on his shoes. He was thankful he had worn a thick sweater, because the air was cool in the hallway. Standing patiently in front of the door, he rapped on the door and only rapped a second time because he heard her swearing. Smiling to himself as he heard the sound off frantic footsteps, he blinked at the image that greeted his eyes as she jerked the door open, the security chain only allowing it to open a few inches.
Her hair fell damply around her still-flushed face. Her lashes damply clung together and the shoulders of the long-sleeved T-shirt she wore clung. She must have just crawled out of her shower and he smiled at her embarrassed expression. “I made some cookies,” he bribed her softly. “I was wondering if you would care for some?”
Her eyes flickered to the plate she could only seem the rim off and she shut the door. The sound of her unlocking the chain was his answer and he kept from grinned at her choice at pants only with a great deal of willpower. Little snowmen danced along the flannel material and bunched a bit at her feet, testimony to them being a size to big. She was attempting to tame the mass of her hair back into a messy bun and he felt a stab of disappointment. Ignoring her protests he set the cookies on the stove and set about gathering the cups and instant hot-chocolate. Rolling his eyes behind the cover of his bangs he gave her a look. “I know my way around a kitchen,” he informed her. “Maybe you should go and put some socks on?”
Kaoru propped her hands on her hips and gave him an adorably indignant look. “I know when to put by socks on and you shouldn’t…Kenshin!” Her voice sounded exasperated and he turned back to the microwave and ignored her.
It would have been a hopeless search to look for a tea-pot in her cabinets. If she had previously owned one, Misao would have taken it with her. Anything that had been stove worthy had been tossed into a box labeled “dangerous.”
He kept his smile to himself as he placed both mugs in the microwave and pressed the one-minute button. The sounds of car doors opening caught him attention and he turned to see if her windows overlooked their shared parking lot. Misao’s stocking capped head was apparent as she dug through a purse to find something. Shrugging he turned when Kaoru came back out of the room, bright purple socks on her feet. “Is Misao joining you?”
Kaoru gave him a curious look. “Not that I know of…” her eyes flickered with an emotion he hadn’t expected. “Why?”
Kenshin shrugged, “she just pulled up and I was…”
His words trailed off at the horrified expression on Kaoru’s face. She raced to the door, almost tripping, and slammed the locks into place. Spinning on her heel as Kenshin opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, she ignored him. Instead she grasped the front of his sweater with one tiny hand and jerked him with enough forced to pull him off his heels.
“Kaoru…what…” he started, uncertain if he should be concerned or not as she flicked off every light switch in the apartment and dragged him towards a little closet that she kept her winter-coats and rain boots in. He blinked rapidly as she jerked the door open and all but threw him inside, and he breathed deeply from his teeth when she tossed herself in after him.
“Please, please,” Kaoru whispered, her breath brushing against his ear so that he had to clench his teeth to keep from shuddering. “Don’t say a word.”
Her breath continued to ghost down his throat and around the shell of his ear, and he wondered if she was aware that, in her desperation to keep him quiet, she was pressing everything quite firmly against him. Her left hand was clutching at his shoulder and the length of her right arm was wrapped firmly around his waist. She was fidgeting, as if she was nervous, and he closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh scent of her hair.
“Kaoru…”
“Please,” she whispered again, her voice slightly frantic. “I promise I will explain just…”the sound of the door opening and Misao calling out for her silenced her and she tightened her grip nervously around him.
Misao’s voice continued to echo for a few moments before the was the sound of her being joined by a second body.
“Kamatari,” Misao said clearly, her voice annoyed. “I told you to stay in the car!”
The voice of a rather delicate voice echoed back and Kenshin frowned at the voice of his co-worker. “And let you get to have all the fun? Where do you think she is?”
Misao laughed. “Hang on…I just have to adjust…there!” Her voice was proud. “She will never know the difference. Kaoru? Oh, see those cookies? She is probably over at Kenshin’s getting milk or something…”
There was a bit of silence. “Himura Kenshin?”
Misao seemed to be distracted. “Yeah…he is out next…kind of cute…Kaoru’s is more than half in love with him but won’t say anything. Bad break up and everything. Thinks they’re ‘just’ friends, and is afraid of losing his friendship if she open….hey, you’re supposed to...Kamatari! Snap out of it!”
“Do you think this is a good idea?” Kamatari finally asked.
Misao snorted. “Kamatari, Kaoru is going to kill me if she finds out I accidentally borrowed and ripped her favorite dress. Now shut up and there! It’s back in place and I doubt she even noticed it gone. Were lucky she decided to work out today!” There were the sounds of more footsteps and the door shutting as the locks kicked into place.
Kenshin didn’t really care. The woman in his arms had gone still the moment Misao had started rambling and he was positive she wasn’t quite breathing either. He slipped his arms a bit more firmly around her, knowing that once the shorter woman’s words became apparent she would bolt. A fine shiver ran down her frame and he was thankful it was to dark for her to see his expression. At that moment it would have been anything but reassuring.
“So…” Kenshin purred, letting his breath exhale down the rim of her own ear so she shuddered in his arms. “Your half in love with me?”
The move she executed was textbook and beautiful, and he blinked rapidly when the dim lights of her apartment crashed over him as she once again dragged him around. He found his body being propelled towards the door so he easily shifted his weight and encircled her small wrist with his longer fingers. She stilled, both because of the resistance of his body and the way he softly said her name.
She wouldn’t look at him and Kenshin realized he wasn’t going to get anywhere taking that particular approach. And here he thought he had all of the ideas of how to handle her mapped out, labeled, and properly organized.
“You should go,” she told him suddenly, spinning to glare at him from under drawn black brows. Her lips were pressed tightly together.
A different approach…
“I think I am going to enjoy that cup of hot-chocolate,” he purred down at her, satisfaction in the way her eyes flickered racing down his spine. Teasing her fingers free from his shirt he considered kissing each digit, but she still looked like she was going to bolt, so he rapidly thought of a plan while he reheated the water again.
“Kenshin…”she started and then stopped. He listened to the sounds of her muttering under her breath and he realized, in amusement, that he was making her nervous.
Good.
“You look cold,” he told her, tossing her an assessing glance that froze her in her tracks, her eyes widening. She swallowed and he stomped on the urge to simply drag her against him. “Sit down, Kaoru.” His eyes flickered to the blanket with meaning. “You should turn your heater up.”
‘That’s it Himura…’ he told himself firmly. ‘Let her relax.’
He changed his mind when he turned around. Her eyes were shadowed and she had tucked her bottom lip up between her teeth. Here were faint strain lines around her eyes that hadn’t been there before. He stared at her for a long moment, taking in the way her fingers were nervously twisting around each other. The lines of her body were stiff and awkward, and he set the cups down carefully.
“We’re not going to get to enjoy those if you keep looking at me like that…” he warned her softly, shifting his weight around slowly. She swallowed, almost wilting in on herself. Swearing fiercely, her eyes jerked back to his.
It took two steps to reach her startled frame.
It took two heartbeats to pull her against him.
His lips settled against hers and she was stiff for a moment before she melted into him in the most gratifying manner. Her lips were slightly chapped under his, and when he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, she opened for him willingly. He groaned into her mouth when her cool hands buried themselves in his hair, tangling as she rose up enough to press that much closer.
Her mouth was tangy and wild, with the sugary undertones of the frosting she had swiped earlier. She was soft and warm and he wasn’t aware that he had pressed her back up against the fridge until the sound of the magnets hitting the ground shattering the silence. He tore his mouth from hers, loving the way she sucked air through her parted lips, her lashes lifting to show dazed eyes. She stared at him for a moment, until confusion suddenly flickered into her expression little face. He growled a bit before leaning back in, shoving his leg between hers so he could hoist her up and trace the flare of her waist into his and the outer curve of her breasts.
Only when she was trembling in his arms did he stop.
This time when she opened her eyes they were more black than blue. She took several shaky breaths, still hoisted onto his thigh so she was on her tip-toes, and she swallowed. “Oh,” she breathed out. Her fingers were still buried in his hair
He chuckled, letting his hands leave where they were resting on the bare skin of her waist. Reaching up he cupped her face between his hands, enjoying the way her eyes fluttered with pleasure at his touch. Leaning in he felt his lips curve with a hint of mischief.
“I have a secret,” he informed her, distracted by the smooth skin under ear. Nibbling for a moment he soothed with his tongue and was rewarded with her gasp of surprise.
“Y-you do?” She whispered in return, the faint throb of nervousness making her words shaky.
“Hmmm,” he replied lazily, lowering his hands to smooth down her neck before he leaned back and tilted her chin with his thumbs, and smiled at her. Leaning in so his lip brushed her with every word he whispered, he was rewarded with the slow tremulous smile to her own lips before she kissed him.
X
Kenshin smiled to himself as he heard the sound of footsteps racing down the hall. His smile broadened when the swearing got louder and his door was suddenly jerked open. Turning, he smiled at the woman who was kicking off her shoes in an attempt to save the cream carpet. He watched her eyes flicker over the whip-cream smothered hot chocolate and then plate of gingerbread. He got a pleasant surprise, when instead of going for the warm drink; she all but barreled into him.
Her cool hands slipped under his shirt so he yelped, prompting a giggle from her as she pressed even closer, her cold nose pressed just above the collar of his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned back into the counter. Slowly her shivers stopped and she sighed in delight, breathing deeply.
“You smell like gingerbread,” she informed him in a muffled tone.
Kenshin smiled indulgently above her ear.
Kaoru didn’t expect him to answer and allowed herself to be pulled closer so she could leach the rest of the heat from his body.
