(Untitled)
Ooh~ la la! Never in my wildest (and wettest) dreams did I ever think this kink meme would yield such passionate results! With nearly five thousand comments in the initial post, I figured it was high time we bring the naked party over into a new post to leave the first open for request followup and... other forms of fulfillment
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He reaches to close the blinds on the window - but a figure in the street catches his eye. Whoever they are they're stupid enough to walk around in the rain without a coat, just a hat instead, and - oh shit.
Kanji scrambles for the light switch - maybe he can just pretend he's asleep - but he stumbles and smacks his leg hard into the sewing table. "Fuck!"
Master of subtlety, that's him. He hopes his Ma didn't hear that. Naoto evidently did, because she's calling to him from the street. "Kanji-kun?" Her voice is a little raspy; Kanji can't tell if she's tired or just trying to lower it. He sighs, picks himself up, and walks downstairs.
When he reaches the shop door, Naoto's outside, drenched and shivering. "I...I apologize for the late hour," she says, one arm wrapped around herself.
Kanji told himself he was going to play this cool - and he manages a pretty casual "S'up?". Then he looks at Naoto again, and shit, she doesn't look good at all. "Uh...sh-should you be up?"
"I'm fine," she tells him. Still lying. "I...feel obliged to explain myself."
Kanji doesn't want to hear it, because what's there to explain? Naoto messed him around. Simple as that. Plus they only pulled her out three days ago; she should be resting. "It...it can wait, y'know? Go home."
"No." Naoto looks up at him, eyes glazed but defiant. "I will not. I want to talk to you, Tatsumi."
Did she walk all the way here? She's supposed to be the smart one, Kanji thinks - then realizes he's being a total prick, because Naoto's standing swaying on the doorstep and he's telling her to walk all the way back again. He jumps back and ushers her through the door. "Just - look, just get inside, okay? You ain't well."
"I don't wish to cause a disturbance," Naoto mutters as she walks in.
Too late for that. Kanji closes the door, and when he turns around, Naoto's leaning against the shop counter. Looking at her now, he wonders how he was fooled. She's way too small and skinny for a guy. Talk about stupid.
But hell, she was convincing. Or maybe he just wasn't hard to persuade.
Naoto looks distracted - she's just staring at the floor - so Kanji walks over, tips up her cap and quickly puts a hand to her forehead. She jolts back like he expected, but it's enough to tell she's running a pretty fierce fever. "Shit, Naoto. You need to go rest."
"Later. We need...we should talk, Kanji."
"At-at least sit down, okay? Let me get you a drink or something." He's babbling. "Or get you dry clothes," he adds, because her shirt's clinging way too close to her and fine, maybe he shouldn't be looking - because he's still mad, don't get him wrong - but it's really hard not to when--
"Kanji."
Naoto's staring at him. He stops, swallows. "...Look, there ain't nothing to talk about."
"There is. I...may have misled you. I wanted..." She winces, raising a hand to her head. "I thought..."
She's going to get nowhere, just saying the same stuff again and again. Cut to the chase, Tatsumi. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"...why do you think?" It's quiet enough that he barely hears it. "It had nothing to do with you."
"Bullshit. You know how much it screwed me up?"
Naoto bristles visibly, then turns away from him. "It didn't appear to bother you at the time."
He can feel the heat rush straight to his face. "I...I didn't know you were a girl! I would've..."
"Would've what? How would it have been different?"
Kanji stops dead. There's an answer to that, there has to be. He just can't find it. "I...I would..."
Fuck, what would he have done? Wouldn't have told her to stop, that's for sure. He'd probably have felt less confused for a few months afterwards - but if he's being fair, it's not like those feelings started with Naoto. She was a catalyst, not the cause. His Shadow didn't spring out of nowhere; that stuff was locked up for years. And it's no less true now.
"Well?" Naoto's looking at him expectantly.
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