Log; Complete

[midgardsnake.livejournal.com]

When; September 28
Rating; PG for a kiss...or two
Characters; Ryuusuke Yamino (midgardsnake) and Karen Kasumi (fervent_inferno)
Summary; Yamino's been hit with the Cupid Day curse.
Log;

Yamino had only been in Xanadu once before, and that was for Tamaki's concert. It had been crowded and noisy then, packed with all sorts of people who had come to listen to the Host Club King sing. But Xanadu was different during Yamino's second visit. It was silent save for the breeze and the faroff birds. The flowers were no longer mere decoration; they were the center of attention.

Yamino took a seat on a stone bench. He wrung his hands anxiously, desperate to tell Karen what was on his mind but also afraid of what her reaction would be. He hadn't known her long, so it was weird feeling so strongly about her... but he was positive that it was real. Why else had he been so adamant about saving her when she'd been kidnapped?

Karen had been a little confused by the post of Yamino's, but she had agreed to meet him, after all, so she couldn't very well back down. She was concerned... Were they finally going to talk about that one curse day? They had been somewhat avoiding each other ever since then, but she had hoped that perhaps he had forgotten about it. She practically had.

With a sigh, she clutched her white lace shawl around her shoulders with one hand, smoothing down her black turtleneck and red skirt before walking out the door. Why would he want to meet at a place like Xanadu? It would seem like if he wanted to discuss something so serious, the café would be better.

Once entering Xanadu, she had to squint and lift a hand as a sunbeam caught her right in the eye. Reflecting off that huge... mecha, or whatever, in the far corner of the garden. She had to blink a few times before spotting Yamino on the bench, and she smiled and walked over.

"Yamino-san. How are you doing?"

Yamino looked up at the sound of her voice, startled out of his thoughts but overjoyed at her smiling face. His heart skipped a beat at the way she glowed in the autumn sun.

He stood and clasped her hands. "I'm good, really good. Sit." He returned to the bench... then found himself unable to continue. The words he wanted to say stuck on the tip of his tongue and refused to let go, but he knew that blurting everything in one breath would potentially scare Karen. That was the last thing on his mind.

He decided on some small talk first. A slow, comfortable start would ensure she didn't run away or... well, he didn't want to think about worst-case scenarios.

"Karen," he began slowly, "we haven't really seen each other... well, we haven't talked to each other in a while, and yesterday doesn't really count. How have you been, aside from yesterday?"

The way he started off made her worried. Small talk... What was this about? She was a little surprised at having him clasp her hands. He wasn't usually so forward...

Oh! Maybe something had happened? Something terrible?

Immediately concerned, Karen sat with him and squeezed both of his hands, her shawl slipping off of her shoulders and onto the cool bench as she leaned in a bit. "I have been...well. There have been a little problems with some friends here and there, but I consider myself lucky still. How about you? Something hasn't happened, has it?"

Yamino chose his words carefully. "Well... Nothing particularly bad has happened. All of my friends are safe. But uh... I've been thinking about that one curse... The, um, the day when I had cat ears and there was coffee everywhere. You remember, right? Well..." He faltered. He wasn't sure how to connect his thoughts.

"I would like it if we... saw each other more often."

There. He said it. Well, they weren't the exact words he wanted to say, but he hoped this would be easier to take in than an outright "I love you." He watched her face intently, steeling himself for what he hoped wouldn't happen.

Karen's worries evaporated with his last sentence, and she tilted her head back to laugh a little. "Oh, what a relief. Here I was expecting a scolding for my behavior that day."

She pulled her hands back, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear, though it fell right back out anyway. "I would like that, too. In a place such as this, friends are good to have plenty of."

Friends.

Yamino felt his spirits plummet. He hadn't even expressed all of his feelings, and he'd already been rejected. ...Well, maybe Karen didn't fully comprehend the meaning of his words. He'd have to try harder.

"Yes, of course!" Yamino forced a laugh. "Friends are wonderful people, and I'm glad you're one of mine. But, um..."

He looked away, trying to pick his words so he wouldn't stumble over his confession. He spied a dash of white against the green shrubbery of Xanadu--white oleander dotted the bush stationed beside their bench. Yamino picked a blossom, then reached over and tucked that rebellious lock of hair behind Karen's ear with the flower pinning it in place.

"I'm... not satisfied with just being friends."

Immediately, she felt her cheeks redden with a hint of a blush, and all of the red suddenly on her made the white flower stand out all the more. She glanced away and down, eyeing the toe of her black high heel before pulling her shawl back around her shoulders.

She suddenly felt cold.

"I already... ...There is someone back home, who I..." Karen bit her lip, then sighed and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, who am I kidding. He is married, and has children... I never plan for it to go anywhere. I wouldn't want it to."

Now Yamino was just confused. It was obvious that Karen loved someone deeply, even if he was married with children. So had he been rejected, or was she just trying to sort out her feelings?

Yamino stood up and turned away, head tilted towards the sky. "I'm sorry. It would be rude of me to press you to a decision. I just thought that..." He shrugged. "You're a very kind and beautiful woman, so you should have no problem finding someone good enough for you."

He turned back around to face her, forcing himself to smile as widely as possible. "Thank you."

Karen quickly stood and reached out to take his hand. His forced smile hurt her heart. She hadn't realized that Yamino had felt this way... She had assumed that he had been avoiding her because he was upset. Had he really just been trying to sort out his feelings?

She knew what it was like to not be given a chance in love... How could she possibly not even give this a chance?

"You are more than good enough for me. Oh, silly Yamino-san, if you knew some of the things I've done... I'm hardly good enough for you." Squeezing his hand, she leaned up and gave him a pert kiss on the cheek.

It was Yamino's turn to blush, but the feeling of exuberance quickly outlasted the awkwardness. It no longer hurt to grin--in fact, he couldn't stop. He'd been terribly afraid of the consequences of expressing his feelings so candidly, but he couldn't imagine what it'd be like if he hadn't.

He held a finger to Karen's lips in a hushing gesture. "Not Yamino-san. Just Yamino."

He took his finger away and kissed her chastely on the lips.

The kiss was so chaste it honestly made her heart flutter, and she had to wonder when she had turned into such a little girl who was so easily caught up in the moment.

With a smile, she reached up and tapped a perfectly manicured nail against the tip of his nose. "Aren't you the romantic...Yamino."

Yamino shrugged again. "I'm not well-versed in love at all. I just know what they put in movies and books." He smirked and began to lead her to the garden's entrance. "Come on, this is when the scene changes to a... comfier setting."