“C’mere, you can sit in my lap until I am done working.” - Eisuke Ichinomiya [Request]
For @leoamber66
“Yes, of course,” I mutter, switching the phone to the other ear while my fingers grab my laptop from the table, opening it. My eyes catch Yuki’s own, and I mouth a quiet ‘sorry’ to her.
For probably the fourth time this week, in a similar situation as the previous ones.
Hmph. Of course, he couldn’t have chosen a better time to finalise the deal.
Yuki sighs, getting up and letting her legs take her in the direction of the kitchen.
Within a few minutes, almost as soon as I hang up on the call, the comforting aroma of coffee fills the room, instantly relaxing me.
I take a deep breath, letting the pleasant smell, along with it’s warmth, fill me up completely. Rolling my shoulders back once, I start working on the final details of the proposal.
Before I know it, I have finished going through a few pages of the document and a warm cup of coffee has been placed in front of me.
“Here,” she mutters, putting the cup down on a coaster on the table in front of me before standing back up.
“Thanks,” I say, looking at her, and give her an apologetic smile.
“Of course,” she says, turning around and walking up to the bookshelf at the opposite side of the room. “Don’t mention it.”
I’m sorry, Yuki. I know you were looking forward to tonight.
I remember her asking me if I was free today evening with that same excited look in her eyes she always gets when she sees something that even mildly piques her interest. When I asked her the reason for such inquiry, she told me she wanted to sit down with me and watch a movie together.
Lately, the both of us have been busy; with her being occupied with the seasonal massive influx of guests, and I with my latest partnership.
Today was the only day in a while that the both of us could find the time to do something other than fall into bed the moment we reached home...
... until this phone call ruined it.
I internally roll my eyes at the terrible timing of it all, when I feel the couch sink beside me.
Looking sideways, I see Yuki right there with a book in her hand, making herself comfortable.
“What is it?” she asks, turning to face me when my eyes fail to stop staring in time.
I shake my head once, internally commanding myself to focus on finishing the task at hand instead of allowing myself to be smitten by my girlfriend.
Through my peripheral vision, I see her look at me in confusion for a second before shrugging, her fingers opening the book to the page where she placed a bookmark the last time she read it.
Her eyes focus in on the page, and her eyebrows furrow a little in concentration.
Her head barely moves and so do her eyes, focused solely on the words printed in front of them, almost as if mesmerised.
Focus, Ichinomiya.
Soon enough, a comfortable silence envelops us as I type and she reads, both of us in our own little zones.
As my eyes keep scanning one page after another and look for places where I need to make edits, I feel my girlfriend’s longing gaze on me. Before I can so much as look at her, she suddenly gets up, putting on her footwear.
“I’m heading to bed,” she mumbles, and I don’t miss the slight disappointment which she definitely tries to hide, but fails.
I hum out an affirmative response, telling her I’m fine with it or rather, encouraging her to get to bed early and not lose out on her sleep. I long for her too, but for me, her health comes first. She can’t be sitting here, waiting for me to finish my work when she is clearly tired and sleepy.
She nods, then turns around and goes into the bedroom, leaving me all alone in the living room.
Strange... it suddenly feels cold.
It’s not even full five minutes before I see her tiny form peeking out from behind the door of our bedroom, her eyes looking at me, as if wanting to ask me something.
“Yes, Yuki?” I ask, looking up at her across the room.
“Will you take time?”
“Is something the matter?”
“Um...” she trails off, averting her eyes. Her cheeks are dusted with a light pink as her big brown orbs look anywhere but at me. “I... wibeloly.”
“Excuse me?” I say, asking her to repeat the last part louder.
“I said,” she takes a deep breath, “I will be lonely.”
Ah.
She fidgets in her spot, suddenly seeming to find the carpet very attractive.
“Heh,” I scoff to myself, amused at her utterly adorable behaviour.
All of a sudden, it’s as if something takes over her and she quickly says, “Uh- forget it. I’m heading to bed. Sleep soon.”
Not so soon.
She quickly makes a U-turn, intent on walking back to the bed before hearing my response.
“Wait,” I call out, stopping her in her tracks.
She turns around slowly, her gaze almost betraying the feeling of longing she seems to be trying so hard to bottle up.
“C’mere, you can sit in my lap until I am done working.” I say, gesturing her to come closer.
“What? Really?” She raises her eyebrows, her eyes wide in surprise. “Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
She bites her lip, smiling bashfully, and walks closer to me. When she is close enough, I put the laptop aside and make space for her.
Blushing, she sits down on my lap and places her arms around my neck, cuddling close, making herself comfortable.
I take out my tablet instead, deciding to review the rest of the document on the said device.
“Getting comfortable, are we?” I mutter when she sighs in content as her warm, soft body relaxes against my own.
I smirk at the way she looks away, amused. Wrapping my arms around her, I move back, aligning my back with that of the couch, cuddling her close.
I place her head onto my shoulder with one hand and play with her hair while my other hand opens up the proposal I was working on.
I sigh in content, losing myself in reading through the lines as my fingers massage Yuki’s scalp.
Soon enough, I feel her body let out even breaths as she falls into a deep slumber, right there in my arms.
I pull back a little to look at her sleeping face, as bright and peaceful as a quiet, warm spring afternoon.
“You have no idea,” I chuckle before closing my tablet and getting up with her snugly fit in my arms.
“You come to my room and wake me up at 4 AM, to cuddle?” - Eisuke Ichinomiya [Request]
What in the hecks is up with this whole ‘sleep in separate rooms’ thing? What are we, high scholars?
I lie on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, cursing inwardly at the ridiculousness of the situation.
We have come to Venice, Italy, to meet with Mr. Bucci, one of Eisuke’s most important acquaintances, on the former’s persistent invitation. He had called Eisuke yesterday and told him to board the chopper he’d sent; no context, no warning whatsoever.
I crack a smile when I remember how exasperated Eisuke looked just yesterday, when I was running around our home, rushing to pack our clothes and other travel items as quickly as possible.
We boarded the helicopter soon enough and were in Italy before we knew it. Our day was filled with Mr. Bucci and his daughter, Carolina, taking us to various places around the city of Venice. It was a good day, all in all.
... that is, until Mr. Bucci dropped a bomb on us.
Not a literal bomb, of course.
“Hmm, I know you and your girlfriend love each other, Eisuke, but tonight (Y/N) mustn’t sleep with you. Carolina wants to have what she called a ‘sleepover’ with her new friend, here. So, you must sleep in separate rooms tonight.” - Antonio Bucci, 2020.
Of course, when the Italian Mob Boss asks something out of you, you never say no.
If you love your life, I mean.
“So much for a sleepover...” I mutter to myself, turning my head to look at Carolina’s snoring form. “So much for ‘girl talks’, ‘bad jokes’ and ‘movie nights’.”
I sigh, turning over to look away from her.
Is Eisuke thinking of me right now?
My fingers play with the ends of the pillow cover, my mind wandering off to thoughts of just one man.
Hmm, I wonder if he is even asleep?
My eyes close, trying to go off to dreamland for the nth time.
I miss him.
I shake my head to try and stop thinking about the warmth I’m so used to having beside me, holding me.
I want him to hold me. I want him beside me, helping me fall into a peaceful sleep.
I huff, and my eyes open again.
Shut up, brain. You don’t have to get poetic.
I roll my eyes at myself in annoyance, before giving up on sleeping at all. I get up, and grab my mobile to check the time. It’s nearly 4 AM in the morning, and I haven’t gotten a wink of sleep.
I turn to look at Carolina, who is fast asleep beside me.
Before I can stop it, my brain presents me with an idea.
I get up, wondering if this idea is foolproof, and walk towards the door which connects this room to the hallway.
Stepping out of the room without making a sound, I look around to check if anyone is awake. All I am greeted with is silence so quiet that you could hear it if a pin dropped. Although, that’s kind of the whole point of silence.
I take slow steps towards the room where I know Eisuke is staying, and in no time I am standing in front of the door.
I stand there for a moment, second-guessing this “plan.”
What if he is asleep? What if I am disrupting his rest?... Wait. What if Mr. Antonio finds out? Would he be angry?
Shaking my head to get rid of the doubts, I muster up the courage to knock on the door thrice.
I look down, suddenly finding my feet very interesting when I hear footsteps, before the door in front of me opens.
“(Y/N)?” A voice calls out, making me freeze.
That doesn’t sound like Eisuke... It sounds like-
“Looking for Eisuke, hmm?”
My eyes shoot up to look at the person in front of me, and I see Mr. Bucci there, smirking to himself.
“(Y/N)? Are you alright?” He asks, when I stay mute for longer than I should have.
“U-um, yes!” I say, internally screaming when my voice comes out a little too high-pitched, “I- um, I was- uh yes! I was looking for a restroom, actually.”
“Since when did you need to knock on doors to the restroom?”
“U-um-”
“Eisuke’s room is the other one, three doors from mine,” he says, the smirk never going off his face. “I was just teasing you, young lady.”
He lets out a chuckle and my cheeks turn red, realising that he switched Eisuke’s room on purpose.
“I knew my daughter would end up falling asleep,” Mr. Bucci looks at me, before pointing to the left.
I am about to walk off and plan my demise from all the embarrassment, when Antonio Bucci decides to add the cherry on top.
“One more thing,” he says, stopping me in my tracks, “Keep it down, hmm?”
And before I can dig up a hole in the ground to bury myself in, I hear the door to his room close.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I walk towards the door he pointed at earlier.
So much for you, Eisuke Ichinomiya. So much.
I pray to all heavens and hells to not let me face another session of Embarrassment 101 as my fist goes up to the door, knocking.
I hear footsteps. I hold my breath, wondering if it really is Eisuke this time. It almost feels like an over-dramatized cliffhanger scene from a drama.
“Yes?” I hear a familiar voice utter as the door opens, revealing the very root of most of my embarrassing moments. Also all of my most amazing and happy moments, but that’s not the point.
“I couldn’t sleep.” Those are the first three words that tumble out of my mouth the moment I see him.
“So, you chose to disrupt mine, too?” he smirks.
This brat-
I sigh, stopping my mind from thinking anything that’ll put me in trouble if it accidentally spilled out of my mouth.
“I missed you,” I mutter, looking down.
“You did, hmm?”
“This is your cue to pull me into your arms and tell me you missed me too, just saying.” I hear him chuckle at those words, before he turns around to look at the clock hanging on one of the walls in the room.
“You’re telling me,” he looks back at me, “You come to my room and wake me up at 4 AM, to cuddle?”
I look up, my eyes meeting his gorgeous dark brown ones. “Yes. Yes I am.”
“Very well,” he smirks, his arm snaking around my waist and pulling me to him in a flush.
He shuts the door behind him and leads me towards the bed, before pushing me down.
I grab his hands, stopping him from doing whatever he was planning to do.
“We can’t, Eisuke,” I say, trying to reason with him, “Mr. Bucci is like, just three doors away.”
“I thought you wanted to cuddle?”
“No, you can’t have your way- wait, what?”
His wide eyes turn back to normal as his lips form a smirk.
Oh lords. What have I done.
“Are you sure you weren’t able to sleep because you missed me in a very... non-erotic sense?”
“Eisuke!”
“Yes, (Y/N)?”
“I-” I start, then pause. I don’t know what to say.
Eisuke chuckles at my speechlessness, before plopping down beside me and wrapping me up in his warm arms, pulling me close.
I close my eyes, and let out a relieved sigh at finally being able to hug him close.
“Also,” he starts, making me open my eyes, “Mr. Bucci asked you to keep it down, hmm?”
... Shit.
I feel his body shake as he laughs, still holding me in his arms, his fingers placing themselves along my jaw and pulling my face up.
“Not another word, Ichinomiya,” I say, averting my eyes, feeling my cheeks heat up again.
“Is that my shirt?” ”Well, this is awkward.” - Eisuke Ichinomiya [Request]
For @leoamber66
"Alexa, play news,” I say, sitting down on the couch beside the coffee table.
Taking my laptop, I switch it on. WIthin a few minutes, the living room is filled with sounds of the keys of my keyboard clicking as my fingers type away on them, apart from the news playing on the speaker.
“Morning, Mr. Dahen,” I say, picking up the call as soon as my phone starts to buzz; a usual start to another day of an endless flood of incoming calls from clients and acquaintances, and a million other people.
As the minutes tick by, my craving for a taste of my morning coffee starts growing.
I sigh, not wanting to wake my girlfriend up for just a cup of coffee, and instead shift my focus to the proposal on my laptop screen.
“Good morning, Eisuke,” I hear Yuki say as she steps into the room, as bright and cheery as ever. “Sorry, I woke up a little late.”
Talk about timing.
A tiny smirk makes its way to my face at the thought of her impeccable timing.
“Coffee,” I mutter, my gaze not moving from the proposal I’m reviewing.
“Right away.”
I look up from my laptop to wish her a good morning, but instead I find myself to be the only person in the room. The only sign of her being close are her fading footsteps and the random tune she seems to be humming to herself.
I can’t help the small smile that makes its way to my face at the normalcy of the routine, without a hint of worry about what the day might hold.
I could get used to this.
A few minutes later, I get up, feeling a little thirsty.
Walking over to the table, I fill a glass with water and have a sip as my thoughts take this breather to wander on to Yuki.
We haven’t been on a date in a while.
“Yuki,” I call out, “Want to go somewhere tomorrow?”
“Sure,” she responds, “But where?”
“Hmm, we could go buy you some new clothes,” I suggest, already thinking of boutiques I want to check out with her.
“There’s no need for that, Eisuke,” she says, and I picture her shaking her head, “I already have plenty of clothes.”
“There is always room for more,” I retaliate, walking towards the kitchen.
I see her standing in front of the counter, her back towards me as she whips the coffee.
Wait. Is that-
“No, no, I have so many alre-”
“Then why are you wearing my clothes?”
She freezes, slowly looking down at the shirt she’s wearing. I cover the distance between the two of us, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind.
“Is that my shirt?” I whisper.
“Well, this is awkward.” She whispers back.
I smirk, turning her around to face me. My fingers take a hold of her delicate chin, pulling it up.
“So, you were saying something about having too many clothes?” My voice is low, and I add a little huskiness to it.
“I- Yes.”
“Then do tell me, baby,” I mutter, loving the way her body trembles at the nickname, “why do I see my shirt on your body?”
“Be-because, I-”
“Because you what, Yuki?”
“It was the first thing I got a hold of in the morning!”
“It was, hmm?” I bend lower, placing a tiny kiss on a spot beneath her ear, “Are you sure about that?”
“What... do you mean?”
“Are you sure it was the first thing you got a hold of this morning?” I look at her in the eyes, my eyebrows raised, hinting at the rather mischievous activities we indulged in earlier.
Her eyes widen as her cheeks take on a beautiful shade of red and she looks away, embarrassed.
“So, you gave me an incorrect answer, right?” My lips start going lower, reaching the spot between her collarbones.
She stays quiet, her hand moving to cover her mouth to muffle her moans.
“Answer me, baby,” I remove her hand from between her lips, intertwining our fingers.
“Y-yes. I gave you an incorrect answer.”
“Good,” I say, my fingers moving up to lightly caress her jaw, “So, shouldn’t you be punished?”
“Punished?” she looks at me, her brows furrowed, “How?”
“I think it's about time I took my shirt back,” I say, the buttons of the shirt coming undone between my fingers.
She was clinging to him in her sleep, her hands wringing the back of his shirt. Eisuke took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of her shampoo.
‘If you ever get tired of me, don’t ask Soryu to dispose of me,’ she said jokingly. ‘And I’m terrified of being sold at the auctions again, so not that either! Just slip something in my drink. I want to be dead before I can feel any pain.’
She was grinning at him then, but Eisuke didn’t appreciate dark humour when it was about her.
Because he knew.
He knew she was scared. Of his power. Of the stories she heard about other people in his position, other businessmen, who had the money and means to get away with murder.
He had never done anything to make her feel scared- not that he was aware of. But sometimes some gruesome story of abuse linked to Soryu’s rival gangs would come up, and she would catch wind of it.
Baba had told him that some commoners were terrified of the power of the elite- the bourgeois, and rumours would always circulate in their circles, disgusting and terrifying them at the same time.
And he could see the distrust in her sometimes.
Most of the time, it was directed towards other people around him. But sometimes- very seldom- she would realise the difference between them, and a sad smile would fall on her lips.
Eisuke took another deep breath and held on to her tighter. He was meant to protect her. That was what he had vowed to do on their wedding day. And if she couldn’t feel safe in his presence- what was the point then, of everything he did?
She stirred, and Eisuke pecked her forehead in an attempt to lull her back into the land of sleep.
I’m going to keep you safe, he repeated to himself, pressing her chest to his, hoping his words would reach her somehow. Tomorrow, when you wake up, I’ll do my best to explain myself. I’ve never done it before, so I hope you’ll be patient, my love.
Writer’s comment: A part of me finds clickbait really funny.
Gentle fingers stroked her sweat drenched forehead. ‘Mmhm.’ Miki stirred, rousing from her feverish sleep.
‘Shh,’ said Eisuke. ‘I’m here, baby. I came early to take care of you.’
Miki opened one tired eye, but all she could see was darkness. She was sweaty, but oh, so cold . Her skin, sensitive because of the fever, had her bra digging into it uncomfortably.
'Is there anything you want?’ Eisuke whispered into the dark room.
'Can you unhook my bra strap?’ she mumbled sleepily, vaguely registering how sexual it sounded.
'Sure, baby.’ Eisuke slipped his hand under her clothes and swiftly unhooked her bra. She felt instant relief and sighed.
Eisuke gently massaged her back, then covered her up again. 'Sleep with me,’ Miki whined, throwing one arm into the dark, hoping to touch him.
Her fingers clumsily landed on his face. He chuckled against them and planted two quick kisses, before leaning down and slipping into the sheets with her.
Eisuke kissed her forehead and moved closer to her, one arm around her waist, one leg covering both of hers. He massaged her back as she nuzzled into his neck, groaning childishly.
'Oh no.' She opened the oven and was hit by the horrible smell of burned chicken. A mitten on her hand, she took out the remains of what was supposed to be roasted chicken. She was sitting on her knees, and she put the tray on the floor, surveying the damage. The top was entirely black, smoke steaming out of it. She was lucky it hadn't caught fire. Feeling utterly useless and pathetic, she simply sat there, tears dampening her eyes. 'Miki?' Eisuke's voice broke her out of her reverie. When she didn't turn to look at him, he stepped beside her and kneeled down. 'What happened here?' he asked. That was enough to flip the switch. 'It got burnt,' she managed to say, before bursting into tears. 'So that's what burned food looks like. Why are you crying?' 'I'm sorry.' She tried rubbing her eyes but the tears kept coming. 'I-I wasted a whole chicken.' 'Don't cry,' he said, putting his hands on her face and gingerly wiping away her tears with his thumb. 'We can get another chicken.' 'But- I'm no good at cooking. I promised I'd cook for you but I still have a lot to learn... I'm sorry...' She looked down, but Eisuke held her chin back up and kissed her forehead. 'Don't worry about it. You don't have to cook for me, all you have to do is stay by my side.' He traced the outline of her lips as she finally smiled. 'I'll order something from the kitchens, alright? And once you're an expert at it, I'll make you my personal chef.'
Eisuke was at the other end of the ballroom, in a group of businessmen much older than him, with glasses of wine in their hands as they faked laughter at each other’s jokes.
Miki was at the snack bar with Baba and Ota as they tried to decide what to order.
There was a dance floor in the centre of the room, sparsely littered with a few young couples as they danced to an Ed Sheeren song.
‘I want fries,’ Miki said.
'How about we get one plate of fries and one plate of mozzarella sticks and share them?’ Baba suggested.
Miki frowned at the absurdity of his words. 'No, I’m not sharing my fries! What the heck?’
'Okay, okay,’ said Ota to the waiter. 'That’s one mozzarella sticks and two fries because someone is a glutton.’
The song changed.
Ota started describing his newest project.
I know this song, she thought vaguely.
'It’s a bit of both. Light and dark,’ said Ota.
Wise men say
'Like yin and yang?’ she asked.
'Kind of. I’m still working out the details…’
Falling in love
With you
Miki jolted and gasped.
'It’s our song!’ she blurted out.
'Um… Everything ok?’ Baba asked.
'Eisuke, we have to dance!’ she said out loud, and jumped up from her seat, colliding into a man as soon as she turned around.
Somethings… are meant to be.
'E-eisuke!’ she said breathlessly as she stumbled backwards.
'Wasn’t he all the way over there?…’ Ota muttered.
'What are you doing? Aren’t you the one who always wants to dance to this song?’ Eisuke said, putting his glass on the counter.
'Y-yes!’ She grasped at his sleeve. 'Quickly! We don’t have time!’
Eisuke grinned, not doing much to mask his delight as she dragged him to the dance floor.
For I can’t help
Falling in love
With you
'But what about your fries?’ Baba shouted after them.
'Agh.' Miki whined, throwing herself at Eisuke as he typed away on his laptop, too focused to even raise an eyebrow. 'Aghhhhh,' she repeated, throwing her arms around his neck and slipping down up from the edge of the chair into his lap. He didn't respond, but he shifted his chair back to accommodate her. 'I have a headache,' she sniffed, speaking into his neck. 'Maybe you should have slept last night inside of writing away in your notebook under the dim night light.' Miki stiffened. 'You noticed?' 'Don't think you can hide anything from me,' he said bluntly. However, his tone had no effect on her, because he was patting her back gently, his other hand continuing to type away. She mumbled some gibberish. Eisuke sighed. 'You know I can't understand you when you mumble.' She sank further into his arms. 'It hurts,' she said. Eisuke pushed his chair back. He repositioned her and picked her up. 'Wha...' 'I'm putting you to bed,' he said. 'You sure are spoiled.' Despite his words, he was looking at her with beautiful, tender eyes, giving her a smile that was only hers to see. 'It can't be helped, since I'm the one who spoiled you. I'll be the one taking care of you, so remember that.'
