Ooc: Log
Who: Miranda and Gokudera
What: Helping with Christmas decorations
Where: Gokudera's room on the Vongola
When: December 3
Warning: Gokudera's foul mouth and a tiny make out scene
"Alright, back in your box." Gokudera holds out the small box and frowns at Uri. The cat meows pathetically and looks up at him with large, pleading eyes. "Not this time. You've caused enough trouble." And he watches as the cat dives back inside the dirty-looking box. The teen tucks it away and then turns to make sure most of his presents are hidden away in the closet. They range from small cooking molds to a giant quartz crystal ball, and he's taken care to put thought into every one. Gokudera sits at his desk and looks at the large pile of twisted up yarn, wondering if he should replace it for Miranda.
The Exorcist smoothes the front of her skirt down, having ruffled it a bit in the rush to get over. She didn't want to take up too much of his time, considering he did say he had some things he needed to do. Miranda arrives at Gokudera's door, running a hand through her hair trying to calm that down, and knocks.
"Come in," He says and stands up to greet her. Gokudera moves forward and his foot catches on some of the yarn hanging from the desk. It's also tangled with his chair leg, so when his leg pulls back, he pitches forward, throwing his hands out, "Shit!"
Just as she opens the door, she raises a hand to greet him, but is stopped by the sight of him falling. She yelps, throwing herself forward in an attempt to break his fall, but careful not to knock their heads together. "A-Are you okay?!"
Gokudera's hands land heavily on her shoulders and his free leg catches the rest of his weight so he doesn't force her down. "Yeah," He seems a bit embarrassed and tries to brush off the little fall by yanking his snagged foot forward. The office chair goes flying and lands with a loud clatter a few inches behind him. "Just... fine." The teen clears his throat and stands fully, trying to help the exorcist up as well.
Miranda smiles sympathetically at him, allowing the teen to help her to her feet. "That's one way to say hello" she says, trying to help him feel less embarrassed. She's not sure whether to make a move to hug him or not, so instead she just stands there, peering over at the office chair and the yarn that he tripped up in.
"Yeah, well... As you can see, I have your yarn." He turns to stand beside her and motions his hand to the colored string that has wrapped around his desk and office chair.
She pouts, examining the yarn from where she stood. Even from far away, she could tell that it was frazzled and frayed. And unusable. Miranda figured she would just need to buy more to finish up her Christmas gifts. "Ah well.... I guess Uri will be receiving her gift early..." She saunters over to where the string was tangled, and begins trying to untangle it so as to free Gokudera, the desk, and the chair from its grasp.
"She needs a scratching post." He says and joins her in untangling the yarn. "Maybe that has a picture of me on it," Gokudera moves over to the office chair and rips the already unraveling yarn from the wheels, annoyed at how quickly it got out of hand. It was only a single strand a few moments ago.
Miranda cringes slightly at the ripping sound. Such good yarn, wasted. Well... not really, considering Uri was going to use it, but still. She chuckles a bit at what he says about the scratching post. "I'm sure you'd be able to find somewhere online that does that"
"Probably. But something tells me she's already had enough fun to last for the year." Gokudera can't believe he went without his box weapon for so long. If they'd been attacked, he doesn't doubt that Uri would come to his aid, but it still made him worried to be parted for so long with a vital part of the weapon system. He's quiet as he works on pulling pieces of yarn from the chair, and sets it upright when he finishes.
"Where did you find her?" The woman’s' brow furrows as she asks this question, encountering a fairly stubborn knot. She studies it for a moment, trying to figure out which string led where, and then sets her fingers to it again, but with no luck. She sighs. "Do you have scissors?"
"The laundry room." Gokudera says and reaches into his desk to pull out a pair of scissors. He offers them to her handle first and kneels down to see if he can offer help. "She likes where it's warm and tight spaces." The teen supposes that the box is just fine, then.
"She must have been very comfortable, then" Miranda muses, nodding in thanks as she takes the scissors from him. A few snips, and the nasty knot comes undone, along with the rest of the yarn-mess. She picks it up between ungloved hands, and turns to him. "Throw it away or gift it to Uri?"
"I'll get her a new one. You too." Gokudera says and takes the mess from Miranda, tossing it in the waste bin. "Do you have any plans for Christmas?" He asks, seeming a little hopeful.
"You don’t need to" She stands, smoothing her skirt once again. She looks at him, a sudden guilty feeling bubbling in her stomach. "Kind of... Christmas is Allen's birthday... and Smoker is having a party for him... B-but that's later in the day! Did you have something in mind...?"
"Oh." He has a hard time wiping the look of disappointment on his face so he turns it away, since it isn't as evident in his voice. Gokudera tries to find something to distract himself, hide the fact that he's bothered by her answer, since it's selfish of him to keep her from her friends. She never asks him to take time away from his boss, and she has to compete with him. But he can't really get the weight out of his stomach and he finds the strands of popcorn he's been stringing together the past few days.
The guilt-monster in her stomach is twisting now, and Miranda's face matches it. She moves after him, placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing over so slightly. "D-did you want to do something...?" She can't stay the whole day but... she could miss out helping to set up the party to be with him if he had something planned, right? Besides... she as sure Tsuna and Gokudera and the others would all be invited as well.
"If you're not free, that's okay," Gokudera says and puts his glasses on, putting his hair up, and trying his best not to look up at her. He's always spent Christmas alone, so maybe he can just... spend time with the boss, or work on the tree. Either way, he's going to have to cancel the dinner reservations.
"W-well... you can come with me! And so can Tsuna, and everyone else!" she says, trying to cheer him up. She can tell something is up, but not exactly what, and the last things she wanted to do was disappoint him. "It could be fun! Have you ever been on the Lady Justice? it's a beautiful ship..."
"... I haven't." Gokudera says and squints as he leans forward, piercing the cooked kernel with his needle and pushing it down the thread with it's other white companions. "I'm sure the Tenth would enjoy that." Alright, maybe he can just spend this Christmas alone, like the others.
"Tsuna would... but what about you?" Miranda steps a little closer to him, hand on his shoulder having wandered down to his bicep, clinging a little to the fabric. Her expression is pleading; she really would like him to go. They always had fun at parties when they went together, right? And... she knew he didn't like Allen but... "Would you go with me?"
"You're doing this for your friend, right?" Gokudera says and finally looks at her, his frown heavy. His voice is firm and he doesn't want her to know about how selfish his wishes are. "Then I don't want to get in your way."
"But... you won't be. I know you don't like Allen but... it's also a Christmas party! So... please?" She's frazzled, beating herself up for making him frown like that. Miranda leans forward, pressing her cheek into his. "Please? Be my date..."
His cheeks glow a little and he pouts, "...If it will make you happy." Gokudera says, feeling defeated knowing he has to share her with everyone else on the day he had hoped would just be theirs. But... if this is what she wants, then he'd rather her not be upset and wreck any other chances.
Miranda sighs a little in relief, wrapping thin arms around his middle and embracing him. "I'm sorry... It's just.... it's his birthday, and I don't want to miss it" She lets go of him, not wanting to make him feel odd by hanging on too long, and smiles reassuringly at him. "Besides... you never answered my question"
"I know." He says simply and his eyes follow her as she moves away slightly, the crease between his eyebrows deepens slightly. "Don't apologize." Gokudera looks back at the popcorn and picks out another piece from inside his desk drawer to string it with the others."Oh?"
"Sor-" She stops herself, sighing heavily. Dammit she always did that. "Did you have something planned?" Miranda asks innocently, blinking at the bomber very much confused.
"Yes." He says and continues to work, holding up the string to make sure it looks decent before he continues. The pale decorations will look nice against white-tipped spruce needles, he thinks, trying to pay them more attention than Miranda, who keeps reminding him of his ruined plans.
Her expressions drops to something sad as she frowns, sighing. "I-I'll.... I'll make it up to you. I promise. I'm not sure yet how but... I will" Her gaze switches to the popcorn garland in his hand, and then back to him. "For the tree?"
"Hm." He nods and digs in his pocket for a hair band and a clip. When he does find what he's looking for, he sets down the popcorn and pulls back his hair, exposing his small ears. Bangs fall to frame his face before he pulls them up and pins them down. Satisfied, he returns to work once more. He wonders what he should get Miranda's friend. It's true he doesn't like Allen, but it would at least be courteous to show up to his birthday with some kind of gift.
Miranda shifts from one foot to the other awkwardly. "Do you need help?" She asks, hoping to make herself useful by doing something more than standing around and chatting.
"I'm fine on my own." He snaps sharply without looking at her and breaks a few pieces of the popcorn on the string, cursing at himself for screwing it up.
She cringes visibly, taking a step back. Okay this... this wasn't going to end well. "Maybe I should go..." Her arms are crossed protectively over her chest, she looks uncomfortably from the garland to his hands and then to the floor once he curses.
Gokudera sets the broken pieces down and hangs his head lightly, using one hand to hold it and he mutters, "Yeah." The teen knows he can't think straight when he's this angry, and the longer she stands there, the more he feels pressured to fake happiness purely for her sake.
"I'll... I'll talk to you later, then?" she says, staying in place. Miranda's not sure whether to go to him and hug him or just leave so... Dark eyes scan him, searching for something, any kind of hint to tell her what to do to do something right for once.
"..." Gokudera drops his hand and looks up at her, but doesn't say anything. It's obvious that he's upset, but he's not angry at her, just himself. He shouldn't have assumed that Miranda wanted to even go on another date with him.
Arms drop to her sides seeing his expression, and she steps forward, closing the distance between them. Worry and concern overshadow the awkwardness as she cups his face gingerly in her small hands. "Gokudera... what's wrong? You're acting strange..."
"Nothing. It's stupid." Gokudera says and he glances away though he's facing her. He doesn't want to admit that he's a little jealous of Allen. It's not like the guy can change the birthday party he hasn't even planned! But he feels as if everything is determined from keeping him from having real quality time with his girlfriend.
"It's not stupid to me... and If it's upsetting you, then we should talk about it" Isn't that the biggest problem in relationships? Communication? Is something was wrong... it needed to be fixed. She didn't want it to bubble under the surface and fester.
"I owe you a date." Gokudera says. In a way, he feels like he can't keep a promise, like he's let her down, and that now that he admits it, it feels even worse.
Miranda frowns, her hands traveling from his cheeks to his shoulders. "But... we went on a date? A very nice date at that" Her frown perks up a bit, recalling learning how to ice skate. Though some parts were unexpected, she had fun all the same. "That wasn't a date?"
"Well. It was... but." Gokudera moves his hands forward and moves close to Miranda, wrapping his arms around her somewhat tentatively. "I just thought we could have a real one. Just the two of us."
She blushes looking up at him nervously, but leans into him none the less and coveting the closeness. "I-I'd... I'd like that" The corners of her mouth quirk up happily, liking that idea very much, actually.
"Really?" He asks, and his eyes sparkle with hope. Gokudera's fingers lace together against the small of her back and he feels a smile pull at his mouth to mimic hers.
"I'd like that a lot, actually" she grins, ecstatic to see him perk up. Her hands wander to the back of his neck, hanging there as she stands up a little straighter and steals a light chaste kiss from him.
He blinks at the kiss and then his lids lower as he moves in to place a soft kiss on her lips right back. "How does Christmas Eve sound, then?" Gokudera asks and moves in even closer. No way is something on her schedule going to keep him from having a real first night alone with his girlfriend.
"Christmas Eve sounds perfect" she says, arms tightening around his neck ever so slightly. Her chest is swelling with warmth, and she feels that odd mixture of happiness and nerves in her gut that she got whenever they were like this. Miranda settles comfortably against him, sighing as she does so.
"Alright!" Even if he can't change the date on the reservation, because of the holiday, they can always have a private dinner on one of the decks. The teen can feel his heart flutter in his chest when he plants another kiss on Miranda's lips. He's content to just hold her close, and enjoy the time they're sharing right now, even if it isn't a date.
She wants to say something along the lines of 'Problem solved~!' but can't considering she has another mouth pressed against her own. Not that she minds at all. A hand meanders up to his scalp, pulling lightly on the strands, as her lips press back affectionately against his.
Gokudera's hands move up her back and rub slightly. As Miranda's hands work against his scalp, he moans gently and the pressure behind his fingers eases up. His lips part from hers before he swoops back in again, pressing his lips a little more firmly.
The woman blushes hearing him moan, and hesitates in her movements. Did his fingers easing up mean he was going to pull awa- Oh. Guess not. Her hand tentatively travels from his scalp to cup his cheek, softly kissing back. Miranda's nervous, obviously, because they hadn't really kissed for more than a few seconds since... Tsuna's party. And she's still at a loss for what to really do.
Gokudera breaks the kiss and rests his forehead against hers, taking long, deep breaths. "Then... it's a date." He says quietly as one hand moves onto her shoulder and over her arm.
Miranda blinks up at him innocently, her lips quirking up in a small smile at his soft and tender voice. She brushes the tip of her nose against his, feeling the nervousness ease away and contentment take its place. "Indeed it is" she says back, just as gently before resting both hands gingerly on his chest.
He feels a little giddy thinking about being able to spend real time with her and pecks her lips once more. The teen's hands move away, since he doesn't really want her to feel like she has to stay, but he doesn't want her to leave either.
A giggle and she returns the peck, though she takes a small step back when he releases her. Miranda smiles, peering at him curiously, a brow quirked. "Do I get to know what we're going to do on our date?"
"It's nothing fantastic," Gokudera says modestly. "Just going out to dinner." He shrugs and wonders who many people he's going to have to threaten to get a table on short notice.
Even though he acts as if it's no big deal, she's already excited for it. Tsuna and Haru having come along on her last date wasn't exactly expected, though she didn't mind it so much, but this time they actually got to be alone. The thought alone had her grinning. Though not too widely, because she didn't want him to feel pressured into anything. "I like the sound of that"
He lets out a sigh he had no idea he'd been holding in. The teen really wishes the best for their night alone, "I'm glad." Gokudera says simply, though he's a lot more than glad. "You can be my date, and then at the Christmas party, I'll be yours."
Miranda’s' grin softens a little at that, and she feels a sudden strong wave of affection for the bomber. As such, she closes the distance between them again to nuzzle his cheek. "it's a deal" She would have to make sure Lavi and Allen and Rinali knew ahead of time they were coming because... well... he didn't really like any of them and didn't want the night to end up with the Lady Justice with a gaping hole in her side.
Gokudera blushes a little when she nuzzles him and thinks it's a bit funny of her to nuzzle at him like that when he isn't used to it. Her hair always ends up poking at him and as funny as it is, he wonders if maybe he isn't all that great a kisser. "Hmm." He takes her hand and leads her to the door.
She squeaks, making a little confused noise as he guides her to the door. D-Did she do something wrong? Miranda follows nonetheless, though she is looking at him with a quirked brow. She didn't really want to leave yet but... then again he did say he had things to do, right?
He stops and turns to her when he hears the squeak, "Something wrong?" Gokudera asks, taking not of her curious expression. He'd thought she'd wanted to leave, so what was with that odd look on her face. It was almost too cute for him to frown at.
"N-no... I-I guess you have a lot to do, huh?" The woman smiles sheepishly at him, hand tightening around his ever so slightly. Last thing she wanted to do was keep him from his duties and work.
"Just string more garland," He says and seems bored with the idea, although only moments ago, he'd been focusing on it with all his might. Gokudera pushes up his glasses a little as she squeezes his other hand, feeling a bit better.
"You sure you don't want help with that?" Two people would make is go faster and... she was pretty handy with a needle and thread. Or... at least that's what she kept telling herself.
"Well, I'm sure you have gifts to work on," Gokudera says, not wanting to keep her too long if she was working when he called her over.
She laughs dryly. "I've been knitting nonstop for almost two weeks now. I'm actually about halfway through with the gifts. I can spare an hour or two" Or possibly longer, depending on how long Gokudera wanted to put up with her.
"You haven't had enough of string?" Gokudera asks and glances at his desk and the bit of garland threatening to hang off the side.
"But that's different. Besides, I've never made Christmas garland before..." Miranda says, peering over curiously at the stringed popcorn. She idly wonders how it's going to last from now till Christmas, considering it could very well be eaten by ants or rot on its own, couldn't it?
"Me either." Gokudera says and then leads her back over to his desk by the hand. "Until recently. It's going to look so cool when the Tenth freezes it... I have to finish it first."
There's a slight trumpet of victory music playing in the woman's mind, happy she was able to get to stay a little bit longer. Once at the desk, she scans it quickly with dark eyes, looking for the thread and needle he had before. "Why does Tsuna have to freeze it? Can't you just stick it in the freezer when you're done?" Would the freezing keep it intact longer? Miranda thinks that once they take it out, the water would just cause it to crack.
"The ice that the Tenth can make doesn't melt so easily." Gokudera smiles, "And he's going to frost the tree, too. I'm not very good at the decorating, so I'm helping build everything that he needs in order to make it look its best!" A spark of enthusiasm passes behind his bright eyes as he explains it to her.
Miranda looks at Gokudera skeptically. Now, she's been on the Vongola for quite some time now, and hasn't ever heard of Tsuna's amazing ice that doesn't melt. "And how does he do that?" she asks, spotting the needle and thread and taking it up in her hands.
"It's the reverse of his dying will flame, and he's used it to seal off someone else's flame. But I've seen him use it in other situations before." Gokudera puts his hand on his thigh, remembering how Tsuna had saved him from losing his leg with it.
Her mouth contorts into a confused line, still not quite sure of what he's talking about. She supposes it's just one of those things she would have to see for herself one day. Miranda turns her attention back to the task at hand, holding the needle and thread poised and ready to get to work. One problem though... "Where do you have the popcorn?"
He watches her and frowns, wondering if she understands. "When he freezes it, you can see for yourself." Gokudera moves over to his desk and open the bottom drawer, pulling out a bag of popped popcorn, "Right here." He grabs a handful and drops them in a dish on desk. A few roll off onto the floor and he bends down to pick them up.
She makes a grab for the popcorn in the dish, piercing one down the middle when a few fall onto the floor. Miranda makes a move to grab for a few, but Gokudera beats her to it. She's left half-way bent down, eye level with his... well... let's just say those are some nice pants he has on. She blushes instantaneously, straightening up and going back to focus on the garland in her hands. Hopefully she wouldn't prick herself now that her mind was elsewhere.
He can see her out of the corner of his eye and he straightens up with the popped kernels in his palm, "I only dropped a couple." Gokudera says and is glad they're not eating it. Even if his bedroom floor is clean, he'd rather not eat food from it. "But we can still use them." Since she has the only string he'd been working on, he's out of a job and crosses his arms while she works, wondering what he should do to help.
"T-they won't go to waste, that's for sure" she chirped, eyes focused on the garland. They had to be. Miranda has a sneaking suspicion if she looked at him she would be looking at his tush again. As such, she doesn't see him standing around with his arms crossed.
Gokudera looks over his desk and pulls out one unpopped kernel from the bag. He begins sifting through it, searching for the useless pieces that Miranda can't string. She's working well, but he knows she can do it faster. "Not as easy as it looks?"
"E-Eheh..." she laughs nervously, trying to be so careful not to prick herself with the needle. The garland wouldn't be as pretty with her blood on it. "I-I've never made these before... I never really decorated for Christmas before"
"Here." Gokudera leans over her and eases the needle from her hand with his right, and then the popcorn with his left. "It's strong in the center, so don't try going through there. It'll only break, but right where it connects..." His tongue pokes out between his lips as he slowly threads the needle through and he grins, glancing down at Miranda.
Miranda blushes furiously at his closeness, especially since he's behind her. She tries to focus on what he's showing her, but there are too many tangled thoughts going through her head right now. Like... was it just her or did it get really hot in her suddenly? Maybe that was just her burning cheeks but... "I-I see..." she says, trying to keep her attention at the task at hand.
He places the string back in her hand and carefully puts the needle down, "You can do it." Gokudera says softly as he hears the nerves behind her voice. The teen has no idea it's his fault, though.
The woman inhales sharply, his quiet voice hovering just behind her ear. For some reason that sent some kind of jolt down her spine, and now she has no idea what to make of it. Miranda laughs nervously again, nodding and taking the needle in her hand, continuing with her work. Focus, woman, FOCUS. Garland. Popcorn. String. Forget about the boyfriend that was glued to your back. And was breathing down your neck. And... "...do you have water?"
"Need a break?" He asks and one hand squeezes her shoulder firmly before he ducks down and it falls slightly. Gokudera finds his backpack by the desk and starts rummaging through it one-handed. The teen moves batteries, a flashlight, a bag of stones, a few sticks of dynamite, and a rope aside until he finds a bottle of water.
"J-Just thirsty" she titters nervously, stiffening a little at his touch. Dammit, it was doing nothing to calm the firestorm on her cheeks. The needle and thread and garland were placed gingerly on his desk as she rests her palms flat against it. Just... breathe. There was no reason to get so worked up, right? Just her stupid, stupid insecurities were making her a twittering bundle of nerves, right? Right. She just needed to relax.
"Are you alright?" Gokudera asks as he hands her the bottle. He could feel Miranda seem to jerk a little at his touch, and he can see the flush on her cheeks. When she takes a deep breath, he wonders if she's trying to stomach something and his hand rubs a little, trying to be some comfort.
"F-Fine. Perfectly fine" Miranda tries to smile reassuringly, the last thing on her list of wants being to make him worry. The water bottle is taken gingerly, and she sips from it just as his tries to comfort her. Her stomach flops, touched at the display and wondering if she should react in anyway. She's so not used to people caring so much about her, and not even her adopted family at the Order had prepared her for this. Sips are taken carefully, and she tentatively leans against him. "Thank you”
"Yeah." He doesn't believe Miranda when she says she's alright, but he doesn't have anything but her word to go by. Oh well, he's determined to make her feel better, even if he has to make a fool of himself. Gokudera sucks up his pride and turns to lean against her, running a hand up to her neck and then gently to the side of her face.
N-no not again! She can feel her cheeks burning, BURNING as he turns so that her cheek is laying flat against his stomach. Miranda can hear the odd gurgling noises from his stomach, and wonders when was the last time he ate something. Alright, just... relax. This was normal for couples, right? Right. This was no big deal right? R-Right. Dark eyes shut just as she lets out a shaky sigh, pushing her cheek a little into his abdomen.
"What are you so nervous about, hm?" Gokudera asks and looks down at her. He can feel the heat in her face and his fingers trace gently over her jaw so he can tuck hair behind her ear. "And don't lie. You're shitty at it."
Ah great. She was hoping he wouldn't notice her blushing. He hadn't noticed so far right. Miranda wants to tilt her head away from his gaze, but looking down would NOT be a good idea, no sir. Miranda bites her lip, trying to best figure out the way to word her own nervousness and tension. "J-just... being with you" she admits honestly, if not quietly.
His hand stops moving gently against her and he frowns, dropping it, but not moving away. "Oh." Gokudera frowns and looks forward, away from her dark eyes. It's obvious that he takes her words very seriously and it hurts him.
"I-it's not a bad thing!" she reassures, looking up at him yet keeping her cheek in warm contact with his stomach. "I'm just... not sure what I should be doing, or what you want..."
The teen looks down, "Whatever feels right." Gokudera says and his hand moves to her shoulder, though it's so gentle, it's as though it's hardly there at all. "Isn't that what you want too?"
"W-well yes but..." Miranda sighs, frustrated and not sure how to but her emotions and worries into words. Her gaze drops again, looking off into the corner before closing her eyes and settling against his stomach. "I'm so worried about messing up that I can't tell what feels right or not..."
"If you mess up, I'll tell you." He says and frowns, trying to make it simple. Gokudera is scared he'll mess up as well, but he's also extremely driven to prove to her and himself that he can make this work. "I'm not perfect. Neither are you..." The teen runs a hand through her hair. "And I can live with that..."
Miranda feels some of her nervousness slip away at his comforting words and touch. A small smile graces her countenance as she turns her head slightly, her nose brushing against the cloth of his shirt. "I-I'm glad" And with that, her arms are tentatively wrapped around his waist in an odd embrace.
"Don't feel like you have to hold back." Gokudera doesn't think there's anything she can do that would really bother him. Miranda is much more mature than any girls who have ever liked him before, and so there is no squealing, no headaches, and no sick feelings he has to endure when the exorcist is around.
She holds her position, pouting a bit into his stomach, grateful that he can't see it from above her. To a certain extent, she thinks, she does have to hold back, because she doesn't want to come across as too clingy, since she knows Tsuna comes first. Not that she minds, but she just doesn't want to get in his way. Not to mention their age difference still nagged at her every now and again. Smoker's advice echoes in her mind; 'Just get him drunk and molest him', and her arms tighten around his midsection, brain breaking a bit at the thought. N-no, that certainly wouldn't do.
"Miranda?" Gokudera can feel her arms tighten around him and he wonders if he's upset her. If those arms tighten again, he thinks Miranda may very well cut off circulation to his legs. He blushes a little when he looks down at the woman's face buried in his stomach, or rather... the top of her head, since it's all he can see from his angle.
The woman squeaks, letting go of him realizing that she was probably holding on a little too tight. "I-I'm sorry!" she exclaims with a stutter, looking up at him with wide and worried dark eyes. Not to mention a slight blush to match his.
"What? Why?" Gokudera blinks wide eyes right back at her. Sure it was tight... but it was warm and comfortable and now he feels a bit saddened by the lack of contact. His blush seems to increase tenfold as he admits this to himself.
W-W-Why was he blushing all of a sudden?? Miranda blinks at him, utterly confused now, and tilts her head slightly whilst peering at chem.‘s-Something wrong?" She almost had half a mind to stand up and check his temperature, but reasoned that people don't spontaneously develop fevers.
"Nothing." He mutters and runs a hand through his hair, looking off at his whiteboard so he doesn't have to worry her with his blush. She's not clinging on to him anymore, so he moves to retrieve the bottle she'd been nursing just a few minutes ago.
"Oh. A-Alright" she fidgets, tucking some stray strands of hair behind her ear and turning back to the work on the desk. Right. The garland. Poor thing had been forgotten about. Miranda takes the string back in her hand, and threads the bits of popped corn the way Gokudera had showed her.
He gives her a long look before moving to his bed and lying on it, arms crossed under his head. Gokudera stares up at the ceiling, "If you keep that up, I won't have any work to do tomorrow." The teen glances at his girlfriend's back while she works.
Miranda takes this as 'stop working on the garland'. As such, she gingerly places the threaded popcorn pieces on the desk, careful to not break any. She glances over her shoulder warily. "W-what would you like to do then?"
"You helped me with the thread," Gokudera can think of something else his box weapon snatched, but he knows she's prone to blushing her face off and he'd rather not have to cool her down. "And the garland. Don't you ever think of yourself?"
She blinks at him, thinking, and stands, sauntering over to him. "Helping makes me happy. So in a way, yes, I'm always thinking of myself" It's sort of selfish, she thinks, how she always helps to make herself feel useful, but it can't be that bad if someone else gets something good out of it, right? Miranda sits gently on the edge of his bed, hands folded on her lap, smiling at Gokudera gently.
"When don't you?" He asks and props himself up on his elbows, giving her a curious look. Gokudera's eyes move to her hands and he wonders if all women from her time act like her. He can hardly compare Rinali to her, since Leo's girl is just that... a girl. The teen doesn't understand them, or even women and he feels a bit of frustration pull a pout on his lips.
Her own lips pull into a tiny pout in response to his own. What was the matter now? "When don't I what?" Miranda asks, not sure if he was referring to her helping or thinking of herself.
"Think of yourself." The teen remembers when she looked after him while he was small and that he'd felt like such a burden. He even remembers Reborn telling her that she didn't have to help him. She'd chosen to do so, and so... she was making herself happy. "Don't tell me you're so selfish that you think karma pays you back each time you offer help... When was the last time you didn't think of yourself?"
Her brow furrows at him slightly. When he put it like that it sounded so... bad. Its true, she did help because it made her feel useful, but there were also many instances where even if she knew she would feel useful, she didn't want to partake because it was just too scary. But she did so anyway for those she loved. Miranda can recall instances back in her world where she was on the point of death and would not release her invocation so as to give the others a moment more of relief. And when Gokudera was hurt... she just wanted to be with him, so maybe that was selfish... "...Smoker was feeling miserable about Karen. I tried to talk to him to cheer him up... does that count?"
"Does it make you happy to think your words helped comfort him?" Gokudera asks. "You said that when it makes you happy, then you are always thinking of yourself." He takes one of her hands with his own. "You're selfless."
Miranda blushes automatically, not at the touch, but at the statement. She certainly didn't consider herself selfless, not in the slightest, but he probably didn't share her opinion on how nobody can be truly selfless.” I-I'm... really not" Dark eyes avert themselves to some far off corner, avoiding any look he might give her.
"Maybe not always." He says, agreeing with her. "You do things because you enjoy them, but you find ways to benefit others in the process." Gokudera says, "And you care for people you barely even know."
She blushes darker, her hand tightening in his. "I-I guess..." she fidgets nervously, almost wishing she was back at his desk working on that garland. Almost.
"I could have killed you." He says, face hard. Gokudera doesn't pride himself in hurting anyone, but he wouldn't go out of his way to help himself, so why would she?
As red as her face was, it goes ghostly white at his words. W-was he talking about when they first met? Y-yes, she supposed he very well could have.. Miranda gulps, and looks to him warily. "I-I'm glad you didn't" She smiles, trying to cover up her nerves. But obviously failing.
He pulls his hand quickly from hers and clears his throat, turning away completely. "I just think you need to think about yourself more. That's all." Gokudera thinks he should kick her out and beat his head against a wall.
"S-sorry..." she replies out of habit, slowly retracting her hand to fold it again neatly in her lap. Miranda's gaze drops to these hands, glancing somewhat meekly at the bomber every now and again just to see what he was doing.
An awkward air hangs between them and Gokudera will not look at her, though he can feel her eyes sweep him over. He regrets having said anything, after all, aren't girls suppose to be the talkative ones?! And don't they like talking about themselves?! The teen hangs his head. 'Go with the flow' Fujiko had said. She had made it sound so easy...
The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. The Exorcist sighs, sensing that he wasn't going to do anything about it, because he had the same fears she did. He said to do what feels right, right? Yes, he did. So. It was Miranda's job to fix things, because this odd silence certainly didn't feel right. She crawls over to him, a slight blush rising to her cheeks. The woman pecks Gokudera lightly on the cheek, leaning away from him slight once down to offer a reassuring look that just pleaded with him to relax and not be so hard on himself.
He stiffens up suddenly and his cheeks go hot, slapping a hand over his cheek in surprise and giving her a wide-eyed look. "What was that for?!" Gokudera splutters and his frown softens to something of confused embarrassment at her pleading expression.
"B-because I wanted to...?' Miranda asks, now unsure if what she wanted was the right thing to do. She hangs her head, sighing heavily. So much for making him relax.
"I just tell you I could have killed you when we met, you apologize, and then you want to kiss me...?" Gokudera fails to see how she would want to kiss him more now than she would have earlier. "You really are a masochist." He says, deadpan expression fixed on the exorcist, even if she can't see it.
"I-I wanted to break the silence and the tension" she sighs, running a frustrated hand through her hair and lifting her gaze to him again. Her brow furrows a bit at his expression, and she pouts. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"It only makes it worse!" Gokudera says and his ears burn a hot pink as he slouches forward, "Makes sense... I'm pretty good at fucking everything up."
Miranda's pout turns into a heavy frown, having made a situation worse instead of better like she had planned, AGAIN. Her hand rests on Gokuderas' shoulder. "You don't mess everything up... Didn't you say earlier that neither of us are perfect?" Her hand rubs lightly into his shoulder, hoping to be of some comfort.
"You like it that way, apparently." He sighs in defeat and slouches so his back can push against her hand. "Since I'm not nearly as perfect to the degree you are."
She stares at him, perplexed, wondering what in the world he was thinking. Perfect? Riiight. Miranda’s hand squeezes his shoulder some, massaging the tense muscle hoping for it to relax. "Hayato... I'm just as far from perfect as you are"
He groans gently when her hand presses on a tense spot and he has to prop his face in his hand to cover the odd expression it forces to accompany the noise. "Hmm." Gokudera turns his head so his cheek rests in his palm. "Not a single person on the whole Grand Line would believe that."
Her expression softens, hand wandering to the back of his neck and pressing small circles with her fingers there. Poor thing was wound up tighter than one of her yarn balls. Miranda's eyebrow furrows slightly. "What on earth are you talking about?"
His head falls forward slowly so his chin presses to his collar bone, "It doesn't matter. I'm not trying to compete... with you." Gokudera's hand falls from his face to rest in his lap. It embarrasses him how she's able to home in on his weak point.
Miranda's left eyebrow flies up, nearly into her hairline. He really wasn't making any sense now. She sighs, her hand leaving his neck as she crawls behind him. It'll be easier to give him a massage and relax him from here instead of next to him. That is, if it was ok with him of course. Her hands rest tentatively on his shoulders. "T-this is ok, right?"
"Yeah." The teen watches her move until she's behind him and even then he can still feel her behind him. It's comfortable and he wonders if she knows what she's doing.
No, Gokudera, she doesn’t really know. Not too well. She knows enough from massaging herself after sore training sessions and various beatings, but that only can get one so far. Miranda supposes it's good enough to offer some relief, though, and presses her fingers gently into his shoulders.
The force behind her fingers isn't nearly enough to relieve the tension from his muscles, but he doesn't say anything about it. He just sits quietly, eyes shut while she starts working. "I just... meant.. You're good."
“Not really. I've never really given someone else a massage before..." she admits with a slight laugh. Him. He didn't react like he did a few minutes ago, so maybe there isn't enough pressure in her fingers? Miranda presses a little harder into his shoulder through the fabric, hoping maybe this was enough.
"I wasn't... talking about this." He says and a small grunt escapes him when she presses a little harder. Just a little closer to my neck he thinks, mentally urging her on.
A soft smile; she's pleased with herself with actually earning another grunt out of him. Her hands slide over to the junction of his neck and shoulder, thumbs pressing circles into the nape of his neck. "Then what were you talking about?"
"You." He says and his eyebrows furrow in pain when she presses at the tension in his shoulders. It feels good but it hurts and he doesn't know whether to moan, grunt, or pull away.
She can't see his eyebrow furrowing, and because he hasn't pulled away or complained, she keeps working at the knot she's found at the base of his neck. The woman’s' fingers falter for a moment, though, feeling a slight haze of red darken her cheeks. "I-I'm good?" Good at what?, she wonders, trying to focus on putting some strength into those thing fingers of hers.
"Since you won't let me call you perfect." He says and a low groan escapes him when she concentrates on that sore spot. The slight pain he feels is evident in his voice but there's a dull glaze in his eyes that suggests that he's enjoying her odd massage more than he's letting on.
"T-That's because I'm n-not!" Miranda blushes harder, stomach flitting at the suggestion of Gokudera finding her perfect. "T-Too hard?" she asks, hands easing up a bit on the knot.
Gokudera admits it to himself that he sucks at complimenting and if he could hang his head down any further, he'd do so in a show of defeat. "N-No. It feels good." He says and reaches a hand back to put over hers and press.
"O-okay..." She takes his words of approval and keeps massaging him with the same pressure as before, moving from his neck to lower on his back. The blush has yet to fade from her face, and Miranda bites her lips, attempting to focus on the task at hand and not on the other flattering/embarrassing things.
"Just take the damned compliment, woman." The teen says and he leans forward, pressing his hands on either side of his thighs on the bed. Beneath his shirt, flesh stretches over the muscles in his back to make her work easier.
The Exorcist jumps slightly, her hands digging a little into his back at the bite in his voice. She recovers quickly though with a nod and a gentle "T-thank you, Gokudera" Her hands promptly resume their work, rubbing into the skin through his shirt.
The way she tenses makes him feel guilty. It's not like he yelled... but he might as well have backhanded her the way she reacted. It upsets him more than he shows and he's quiet and still as she works.
Miranda continues to work in silence for a few minutes, pushing and pulling on his skin and the muscles underneath them to try to help him relax just a little. She sighs lightly, knowing that she's difficult and she probably did something wrong and that's probably why he's not talking anymore. A few more minutes and the woman stops, bring her hands back to her lap. "B-better?"
"Much." Gokudera says and sits up straight, turning to face her. His shirt is wrinkled up in the back and he wonders why she didn't just take it off if it got in her way. "Thank you." The teen looks into her dark eyes, honestly hoping he hadn't offended her in any way.
She smiles gently at him, leaning forward and pecking him on the cheek lightly. Miranda hoped he wouldn't react the same way as last time, because then she would really feel guilty. But it always made her feel so happy when someone thanked her for doing something right for once. Showing it was something she felt she needed to do.
Well, at least this time it isn't a nuzzle. He really feels that he's hold enough to earn kisses from her than just those odd nudges of affection. The teen keeps his eyes on her. She doesn't seem unhappy... then again he doesn't think she dwells on everything like he does.
"You're welcome" The Exorcist leans back to sit on her legs folded beneath her, not sure what to do next, Should she go? Or keep working on the garland? Or something else? Miranda meets his gaze somewhat nervously, wondering what he may want to do.
He doesn't want to make her leave, but he doesn't want to keep her if he has nothing in mind. Gokudera turns away and moves over to the garland, "You don't have to do any more." After all, she'd seemed to have had a really hard time with it.
"S-should I leave you to it, then?" Miranda asks, turning slightly to face him from her seat on his bed. She tucks a strand of hair nervously behind her ear. Miranda also sort of doesn't want to leave, but she doesn't want to distract him.
"Yeah." Gokudera nods and puts his glasses back on, setting up his work station once more so he can finally finish the strands of popcorn for the Christmas tree he and his boss are decorating. He looks over one shoulder at the exorcist and a very faint smile touches his lips.
She nods, standing from his bed and smoothing down her skirt. Miranda approaches the bomber to bid him her goodbye, not sure if she should hug him or kiss him or what.
He stands to walk Miranda to the door, even if it isn't very far. Gokudera takes her hands and looks up at her. "Sorry about the yarn."
Her small hand squeezes his reassuringly. "I can always buy more. Don't worry about it" she says gently, allowing him to guide her.
The silver-haired teen leans forward and presses a soft kiss to her lips. "I won't." He whispers, staying close to her.
The woman blinks in surprise as her cheeks light up, not expecting the kiss. She's not able to kiss him back before he's talking again, but his soft tone doesn't fail to make her lips pull into a smile. "Good" With that, her own lips are pressed gently against his.
There is a small blush on his cheeks to match hers, but its barely noticeable. His eyes close when she kisses him and his hands hold more tightly, the thumb of his right hand running over her knuckles.
The affectionate touch is enough to give her to spike of confidence she needed to not break the kiss and go on her way. Though her cheeks have warmed up some more, her lips press a little more into his. Miranda could get used to this.
He can't notice the blush, and just assumes that the warmth between him is natural. Miranda is always warm and he wraps one arm around her waist to hold her closer while his lips part slightly, head tilting to deepen the kiss.
One hand holds tightly to his, while the other rests against his chest lightly. Miranda sort of doesn't know what to do when he deepens the kiss, so she mirrors his actions, also parting her lips. Which only made her more nervous considering she can taste cigarettes now.
Just because he's inexperienced in the field doesn't mean he's completely oblivious. He's seen enough kissing to infer that her lips parting is a way to grant him permission to go further. Gokudera's tongue runs over her bottom lip before sweeping inside and over the surface of hers.
Miranda's eyebrows arch in surprise at the movement, feeling her face blaze at it's hottest. Her hand also grips at his shirt a little now, not expecting the tongue. She didn't even think people used their tongues to kiss! The woman, again, is at a loss of how to react, because she doesn't want to overreact and upset him. So, she moves her own tongue up against his, guess that's what was best.
If he thought she felt hot against him before, it's as thought she's on fire. A low moan bubbles from his throat as her tongue moves against his. All too excited to continue, Gokudera pushes forward, pressing the exorcist against the door slightly.
She breaks the kiss for a moment, both to gather a breath and as a response to his pushing. Miranda looks to the bomber red-faced, feeling her heart beating incredibly fast in her chest. Nonetheless, she leans against Gokudera again, tilting her head back up to his to rejoin their mouths.
When the kiss is broken, he pants and his lips linger there for a moment as though trying to follow hers. The teen looks up at her, wondering if he's done well and before the self-doubt can settle and start to fester, he realizes she's kissing him back. Eager to prove himself, his hand moves from her back to her hip, lips parting swiftly against hers in a hungry fashion.
Miranda's breath hitches sharply, her heartbeat loud in her ears now. The movement of his hand was a bit unexpected, but she supposes that no harm would come if it was there. So long as it didn't move from there. The hand on his chest meanders up his neck and into his hair, settling in the strands just behind his ear.
Gokudera can feel her reaction, but doesn't take it as a bad sign. Curiosity tempts him to move away and see the reaction, but her hand in his hair does well in keeping him close. Oh well, guess she likes it! The teen draws her lower lip in between his own and nips at it gently.
"Mm..." she hums against him, blush still raging but liking what he was doing. Her hand strokes his hair lovingly, while the other tightens around his hand.
Gokudera releases her lip so he can press a kiss to the corner of her mouth, enjoying the tender way she's petting him. Gokudera's hand runs down her hip and back over the curve of her bottom. It's a bold move, but he decides it's worth it, even if she gets mad.
A smile tugs at the spot where Gokudera kisses her, but not for long. As soon as she feels a familiar hand on her behind, her face, ears, and neck go red. Dark eyes snap open and widen as Miranda lets out a loud squeak of surprise. The Exorcist shifts uncomfortably, stuck between a him and a hard place, so both hands come together to push lightly on his chest.
"Wh-what?" Gokudera pulls his hands away, looking startled and now very uncomfortable. He takes a small step back, eyebrows furrowed together in obvious frustration. Did he do something wrong? Every time she's blushed at him, it's always been an indication of a good thing. So... is this a REALLY good thing?
"H-Hand..." she stutters nervously, glad to have some space between them. It's still not enough to move out from between him and the door without doing an awkward crab walk, but at least he wasn't within groping distance anymore. "B-Behind..." Miranda averts her eyes from the bomber, crossing her arms and looking at her own feet. "N-no"
"...Oh." His cheeks glow a dark pink and he pouts, "Why not?" He doesn't move further back, but he isn't advancing on her, either. The teen wants to respect her decision, but if it was bad for her -because he definitely liked it- then he doesn't want to screw up again.
"I-I-I-I-I'm j-just not comf-f-fortable with it..." Her cowardly gaze switches to his, and she sees the pout. Oh lord not the pout. "....yet" Miranda adds, not wanting to kill his hopes completely. She could get used to it when they spent more time together, right?
"Uh... Right." He looks away, feeling stupid and awkward. Gokudera tells himself that was a little too fast and he should have known she wouldn't have liked it... but that only annoys him further because he has no idea how he would have had known.
"...sorry" she admits in a small voice, feeling guilty for making the situation awkward between them AGAIN. Dammit she always did this. Miranda honestly considering just letting Gokudera do whatever he want- NO. No no no that would not be a good idea.
"That's okay." He says, not completely meaning it. "Guess you're not ready." Gokudera honestly wonders which one of them is older and his frustrated look stays strong. The teen moves away from her so she can move more freely.
Miranda knows he doesn't mean his words. She can tell just by the look on Gokudera's face. The blush on her face dies down some, but not much, as she pouts and berates herself for messing up again. “I-I.... I should go..."
“Alright..” He opens the door for her and steps aside, “…” Gokudera is berating himself as well for doing something so bold. Part of him thinks it was completely called for. Another says that he’s being a pervert and maybe he needs to take a cold shower later.
"I'll... I'll see you later" She looks up at him with a guilty look, desperately wanting to tell him that it wasn't his fault, it was hers. But she was too scared to tell him that, because it would involve a lengthy explanation that she knew sounded silly and she didn't want to get into. Miranda reaches out hesitantly to pet his hair, offering Gokudera a smile that showed how sorry she was. "Call if you need help with the garland or anything... okay?"
He ducks to plant a kiss on her cheek and nods, "I will." Gokudera leans against the side of the door as he looks at the Exorcist, sorry he screwed up their time together when it had been going so well.
Miranda blushes slightly at the kiss, holding her hand to her cheek. The sad undertone to her smile lightens a little, and she sighs, still feeling a little guilty. "B-bye, then" she stutters, waving a little at Gokudera before heading out and down the hall.
Gokudera bids her farewell softly and shuts the door, waiting until it blocks him completely from view before he growls and leans against it completely, covering his face to suppress a yell. He can't believe he had such little self-control.
She lumbers down the hallway towards the staircase, hand on the back of her neck rubbing slightly. Miranda always felt so stupid when she messed up like this. Part of her screamed to just let him, he probably knew what he was doing more then she did. The other part, the part that belonged to what her mother had taught her what it meant to be a lady in 18XX, said that it was inappropriate. She lets out a heavy, exasperated sigh. Maybe she should talk to Fujiko.
What: Helping with Christmas decorations
Where: Gokudera's room on the Vongola
When: December 3
Warning: Gokudera's foul mouth and a tiny make out scene
"Alright, back in your box." Gokudera holds out the small box and frowns at Uri. The cat meows pathetically and looks up at him with large, pleading eyes. "Not this time. You've caused enough trouble." And he watches as the cat dives back inside the dirty-looking box. The teen tucks it away and then turns to make sure most of his presents are hidden away in the closet. They range from small cooking molds to a giant quartz crystal ball, and he's taken care to put thought into every one. Gokudera sits at his desk and looks at the large pile of twisted up yarn, wondering if he should replace it for Miranda.
The Exorcist smoothes the front of her skirt down, having ruffled it a bit in the rush to get over. She didn't want to take up too much of his time, considering he did say he had some things he needed to do. Miranda arrives at Gokudera's door, running a hand through her hair trying to calm that down, and knocks.
"Come in," He says and stands up to greet her. Gokudera moves forward and his foot catches on some of the yarn hanging from the desk. It's also tangled with his chair leg, so when his leg pulls back, he pitches forward, throwing his hands out, "Shit!"
Just as she opens the door, she raises a hand to greet him, but is stopped by the sight of him falling. She yelps, throwing herself forward in an attempt to break his fall, but careful not to knock their heads together. "A-Are you okay?!"
Gokudera's hands land heavily on her shoulders and his free leg catches the rest of his weight so he doesn't force her down. "Yeah," He seems a bit embarrassed and tries to brush off the little fall by yanking his snagged foot forward. The office chair goes flying and lands with a loud clatter a few inches behind him. "Just... fine." The teen clears his throat and stands fully, trying to help the exorcist up as well.
Miranda smiles sympathetically at him, allowing the teen to help her to her feet. "That's one way to say hello" she says, trying to help him feel less embarrassed. She's not sure whether to make a move to hug him or not, so instead she just stands there, peering over at the office chair and the yarn that he tripped up in.
"Yeah, well... As you can see, I have your yarn." He turns to stand beside her and motions his hand to the colored string that has wrapped around his desk and office chair.
She pouts, examining the yarn from where she stood. Even from far away, she could tell that it was frazzled and frayed. And unusable. Miranda figured she would just need to buy more to finish up her Christmas gifts. "Ah well.... I guess Uri will be receiving her gift early..." She saunters over to where the string was tangled, and begins trying to untangle it so as to free Gokudera, the desk, and the chair from its grasp.
"She needs a scratching post." He says and joins her in untangling the yarn. "Maybe that has a picture of me on it," Gokudera moves over to the office chair and rips the already unraveling yarn from the wheels, annoyed at how quickly it got out of hand. It was only a single strand a few moments ago.
Miranda cringes slightly at the ripping sound. Such good yarn, wasted. Well... not really, considering Uri was going to use it, but still. She chuckles a bit at what he says about the scratching post. "I'm sure you'd be able to find somewhere online that does that"
"Probably. But something tells me she's already had enough fun to last for the year." Gokudera can't believe he went without his box weapon for so long. If they'd been attacked, he doesn't doubt that Uri would come to his aid, but it still made him worried to be parted for so long with a vital part of the weapon system. He's quiet as he works on pulling pieces of yarn from the chair, and sets it upright when he finishes.
"Where did you find her?" The woman’s' brow furrows as she asks this question, encountering a fairly stubborn knot. She studies it for a moment, trying to figure out which string led where, and then sets her fingers to it again, but with no luck. She sighs. "Do you have scissors?"
"The laundry room." Gokudera says and reaches into his desk to pull out a pair of scissors. He offers them to her handle first and kneels down to see if he can offer help. "She likes where it's warm and tight spaces." The teen supposes that the box is just fine, then.
"She must have been very comfortable, then" Miranda muses, nodding in thanks as she takes the scissors from him. A few snips, and the nasty knot comes undone, along with the rest of the yarn-mess. She picks it up between ungloved hands, and turns to him. "Throw it away or gift it to Uri?"
"I'll get her a new one. You too." Gokudera says and takes the mess from Miranda, tossing it in the waste bin. "Do you have any plans for Christmas?" He asks, seeming a little hopeful.
"You don’t need to" She stands, smoothing her skirt once again. She looks at him, a sudden guilty feeling bubbling in her stomach. "Kind of... Christmas is Allen's birthday... and Smoker is having a party for him... B-but that's later in the day! Did you have something in mind...?"
"Oh." He has a hard time wiping the look of disappointment on his face so he turns it away, since it isn't as evident in his voice. Gokudera tries to find something to distract himself, hide the fact that he's bothered by her answer, since it's selfish of him to keep her from her friends. She never asks him to take time away from his boss, and she has to compete with him. But he can't really get the weight out of his stomach and he finds the strands of popcorn he's been stringing together the past few days.
The guilt-monster in her stomach is twisting now, and Miranda's face matches it. She moves after him, placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing over so slightly. "D-did you want to do something...?" She can't stay the whole day but... she could miss out helping to set up the party to be with him if he had something planned, right? Besides... she as sure Tsuna and Gokudera and the others would all be invited as well.
"If you're not free, that's okay," Gokudera says and puts his glasses on, putting his hair up, and trying his best not to look up at her. He's always spent Christmas alone, so maybe he can just... spend time with the boss, or work on the tree. Either way, he's going to have to cancel the dinner reservations.
"W-well... you can come with me! And so can Tsuna, and everyone else!" she says, trying to cheer him up. She can tell something is up, but not exactly what, and the last things she wanted to do was disappoint him. "It could be fun! Have you ever been on the Lady Justice? it's a beautiful ship..."
"... I haven't." Gokudera says and squints as he leans forward, piercing the cooked kernel with his needle and pushing it down the thread with it's other white companions. "I'm sure the Tenth would enjoy that." Alright, maybe he can just spend this Christmas alone, like the others.
"Tsuna would... but what about you?" Miranda steps a little closer to him, hand on his shoulder having wandered down to his bicep, clinging a little to the fabric. Her expression is pleading; she really would like him to go. They always had fun at parties when they went together, right? And... she knew he didn't like Allen but... "Would you go with me?"
"You're doing this for your friend, right?" Gokudera says and finally looks at her, his frown heavy. His voice is firm and he doesn't want her to know about how selfish his wishes are. "Then I don't want to get in your way."
"But... you won't be. I know you don't like Allen but... it's also a Christmas party! So... please?" She's frazzled, beating herself up for making him frown like that. Miranda leans forward, pressing her cheek into his. "Please? Be my date..."
His cheeks glow a little and he pouts, "...If it will make you happy." Gokudera says, feeling defeated knowing he has to share her with everyone else on the day he had hoped would just be theirs. But... if this is what she wants, then he'd rather her not be upset and wreck any other chances.
Miranda sighs a little in relief, wrapping thin arms around his middle and embracing him. "I'm sorry... It's just.... it's his birthday, and I don't want to miss it" She lets go of him, not wanting to make him feel odd by hanging on too long, and smiles reassuringly at him. "Besides... you never answered my question"
"I know." He says simply and his eyes follow her as she moves away slightly, the crease between his eyebrows deepens slightly. "Don't apologize." Gokudera looks back at the popcorn and picks out another piece from inside his desk drawer to string it with the others."Oh?"
"Sor-" She stops herself, sighing heavily. Dammit she always did that. "Did you have something planned?" Miranda asks innocently, blinking at the bomber very much confused.
"Yes." He says and continues to work, holding up the string to make sure it looks decent before he continues. The pale decorations will look nice against white-tipped spruce needles, he thinks, trying to pay them more attention than Miranda, who keeps reminding him of his ruined plans.
Her expressions drops to something sad as she frowns, sighing. "I-I'll.... I'll make it up to you. I promise. I'm not sure yet how but... I will" Her gaze switches to the popcorn garland in his hand, and then back to him. "For the tree?"
"Hm." He nods and digs in his pocket for a hair band and a clip. When he does find what he's looking for, he sets down the popcorn and pulls back his hair, exposing his small ears. Bangs fall to frame his face before he pulls them up and pins them down. Satisfied, he returns to work once more. He wonders what he should get Miranda's friend. It's true he doesn't like Allen, but it would at least be courteous to show up to his birthday with some kind of gift.
Miranda shifts from one foot to the other awkwardly. "Do you need help?" She asks, hoping to make herself useful by doing something more than standing around and chatting.
"I'm fine on my own." He snaps sharply without looking at her and breaks a few pieces of the popcorn on the string, cursing at himself for screwing it up.
She cringes visibly, taking a step back. Okay this... this wasn't going to end well. "Maybe I should go..." Her arms are crossed protectively over her chest, she looks uncomfortably from the garland to his hands and then to the floor once he curses.
Gokudera sets the broken pieces down and hangs his head lightly, using one hand to hold it and he mutters, "Yeah." The teen knows he can't think straight when he's this angry, and the longer she stands there, the more he feels pressured to fake happiness purely for her sake.
"I'll... I'll talk to you later, then?" she says, staying in place. Miranda's not sure whether to go to him and hug him or just leave so... Dark eyes scan him, searching for something, any kind of hint to tell her what to do to do something right for once.
"..." Gokudera drops his hand and looks up at her, but doesn't say anything. It's obvious that he's upset, but he's not angry at her, just himself. He shouldn't have assumed that Miranda wanted to even go on another date with him.
Arms drop to her sides seeing his expression, and she steps forward, closing the distance between them. Worry and concern overshadow the awkwardness as she cups his face gingerly in her small hands. "Gokudera... what's wrong? You're acting strange..."
"Nothing. It's stupid." Gokudera says and he glances away though he's facing her. He doesn't want to admit that he's a little jealous of Allen. It's not like the guy can change the birthday party he hasn't even planned! But he feels as if everything is determined from keeping him from having real quality time with his girlfriend.
"It's not stupid to me... and If it's upsetting you, then we should talk about it" Isn't that the biggest problem in relationships? Communication? Is something was wrong... it needed to be fixed. She didn't want it to bubble under the surface and fester.
"I owe you a date." Gokudera says. In a way, he feels like he can't keep a promise, like he's let her down, and that now that he admits it, it feels even worse.
Miranda frowns, her hands traveling from his cheeks to his shoulders. "But... we went on a date? A very nice date at that" Her frown perks up a bit, recalling learning how to ice skate. Though some parts were unexpected, she had fun all the same. "That wasn't a date?"
"Well. It was... but." Gokudera moves his hands forward and moves close to Miranda, wrapping his arms around her somewhat tentatively. "I just thought we could have a real one. Just the two of us."
She blushes looking up at him nervously, but leans into him none the less and coveting the closeness. "I-I'd... I'd like that" The corners of her mouth quirk up happily, liking that idea very much, actually.
"Really?" He asks, and his eyes sparkle with hope. Gokudera's fingers lace together against the small of her back and he feels a smile pull at his mouth to mimic hers.
"I'd like that a lot, actually" she grins, ecstatic to see him perk up. Her hands wander to the back of his neck, hanging there as she stands up a little straighter and steals a light chaste kiss from him.
He blinks at the kiss and then his lids lower as he moves in to place a soft kiss on her lips right back. "How does Christmas Eve sound, then?" Gokudera asks and moves in even closer. No way is something on her schedule going to keep him from having a real first night alone with his girlfriend.
"Christmas Eve sounds perfect" she says, arms tightening around his neck ever so slightly. Her chest is swelling with warmth, and she feels that odd mixture of happiness and nerves in her gut that she got whenever they were like this. Miranda settles comfortably against him, sighing as she does so.
"Alright!" Even if he can't change the date on the reservation, because of the holiday, they can always have a private dinner on one of the decks. The teen can feel his heart flutter in his chest when he plants another kiss on Miranda's lips. He's content to just hold her close, and enjoy the time they're sharing right now, even if it isn't a date.
She wants to say something along the lines of 'Problem solved~!' but can't considering she has another mouth pressed against her own. Not that she minds at all. A hand meanders up to his scalp, pulling lightly on the strands, as her lips press back affectionately against his.
Gokudera's hands move up her back and rub slightly. As Miranda's hands work against his scalp, he moans gently and the pressure behind his fingers eases up. His lips part from hers before he swoops back in again, pressing his lips a little more firmly.
The woman blushes hearing him moan, and hesitates in her movements. Did his fingers easing up mean he was going to pull awa- Oh. Guess not. Her hand tentatively travels from his scalp to cup his cheek, softly kissing back. Miranda's nervous, obviously, because they hadn't really kissed for more than a few seconds since... Tsuna's party. And she's still at a loss for what to really do.
Gokudera breaks the kiss and rests his forehead against hers, taking long, deep breaths. "Then... it's a date." He says quietly as one hand moves onto her shoulder and over her arm.
Miranda blinks up at him innocently, her lips quirking up in a small smile at his soft and tender voice. She brushes the tip of her nose against his, feeling the nervousness ease away and contentment take its place. "Indeed it is" she says back, just as gently before resting both hands gingerly on his chest.
He feels a little giddy thinking about being able to spend real time with her and pecks her lips once more. The teen's hands move away, since he doesn't really want her to feel like she has to stay, but he doesn't want her to leave either.
A giggle and she returns the peck, though she takes a small step back when he releases her. Miranda smiles, peering at him curiously, a brow quirked. "Do I get to know what we're going to do on our date?"
"It's nothing fantastic," Gokudera says modestly. "Just going out to dinner." He shrugs and wonders who many people he's going to have to threaten to get a table on short notice.
Even though he acts as if it's no big deal, she's already excited for it. Tsuna and Haru having come along on her last date wasn't exactly expected, though she didn't mind it so much, but this time they actually got to be alone. The thought alone had her grinning. Though not too widely, because she didn't want him to feel pressured into anything. "I like the sound of that"
He lets out a sigh he had no idea he'd been holding in. The teen really wishes the best for their night alone, "I'm glad." Gokudera says simply, though he's a lot more than glad. "You can be my date, and then at the Christmas party, I'll be yours."
Miranda’s' grin softens a little at that, and she feels a sudden strong wave of affection for the bomber. As such, she closes the distance between them again to nuzzle his cheek. "it's a deal" She would have to make sure Lavi and Allen and Rinali knew ahead of time they were coming because... well... he didn't really like any of them and didn't want the night to end up with the Lady Justice with a gaping hole in her side.
Gokudera blushes a little when she nuzzles him and thinks it's a bit funny of her to nuzzle at him like that when he isn't used to it. Her hair always ends up poking at him and as funny as it is, he wonders if maybe he isn't all that great a kisser. "Hmm." He takes her hand and leads her to the door.
She squeaks, making a little confused noise as he guides her to the door. D-Did she do something wrong? Miranda follows nonetheless, though she is looking at him with a quirked brow. She didn't really want to leave yet but... then again he did say he had things to do, right?
He stops and turns to her when he hears the squeak, "Something wrong?" Gokudera asks, taking not of her curious expression. He'd thought she'd wanted to leave, so what was with that odd look on her face. It was almost too cute for him to frown at.
"N-no... I-I guess you have a lot to do, huh?" The woman smiles sheepishly at him, hand tightening around his ever so slightly. Last thing she wanted to do was keep him from his duties and work.
"Just string more garland," He says and seems bored with the idea, although only moments ago, he'd been focusing on it with all his might. Gokudera pushes up his glasses a little as she squeezes his other hand, feeling a bit better.
"You sure you don't want help with that?" Two people would make is go faster and... she was pretty handy with a needle and thread. Or... at least that's what she kept telling herself.
"Well, I'm sure you have gifts to work on," Gokudera says, not wanting to keep her too long if she was working when he called her over.
She laughs dryly. "I've been knitting nonstop for almost two weeks now. I'm actually about halfway through with the gifts. I can spare an hour or two" Or possibly longer, depending on how long Gokudera wanted to put up with her.
"You haven't had enough of string?" Gokudera asks and glances at his desk and the bit of garland threatening to hang off the side.
"But that's different. Besides, I've never made Christmas garland before..." Miranda says, peering over curiously at the stringed popcorn. She idly wonders how it's going to last from now till Christmas, considering it could very well be eaten by ants or rot on its own, couldn't it?
"Me either." Gokudera says and then leads her back over to his desk by the hand. "Until recently. It's going to look so cool when the Tenth freezes it... I have to finish it first."
There's a slight trumpet of victory music playing in the woman's mind, happy she was able to get to stay a little bit longer. Once at the desk, she scans it quickly with dark eyes, looking for the thread and needle he had before. "Why does Tsuna have to freeze it? Can't you just stick it in the freezer when you're done?" Would the freezing keep it intact longer? Miranda thinks that once they take it out, the water would just cause it to crack.
"The ice that the Tenth can make doesn't melt so easily." Gokudera smiles, "And he's going to frost the tree, too. I'm not very good at the decorating, so I'm helping build everything that he needs in order to make it look its best!" A spark of enthusiasm passes behind his bright eyes as he explains it to her.
Miranda looks at Gokudera skeptically. Now, she's been on the Vongola for quite some time now, and hasn't ever heard of Tsuna's amazing ice that doesn't melt. "And how does he do that?" she asks, spotting the needle and thread and taking it up in her hands.
"It's the reverse of his dying will flame, and he's used it to seal off someone else's flame. But I've seen him use it in other situations before." Gokudera puts his hand on his thigh, remembering how Tsuna had saved him from losing his leg with it.
Her mouth contorts into a confused line, still not quite sure of what he's talking about. She supposes it's just one of those things she would have to see for herself one day. Miranda turns her attention back to the task at hand, holding the needle and thread poised and ready to get to work. One problem though... "Where do you have the popcorn?"
He watches her and frowns, wondering if she understands. "When he freezes it, you can see for yourself." Gokudera moves over to his desk and open the bottom drawer, pulling out a bag of popped popcorn, "Right here." He grabs a handful and drops them in a dish on desk. A few roll off onto the floor and he bends down to pick them up.
She makes a grab for the popcorn in the dish, piercing one down the middle when a few fall onto the floor. Miranda makes a move to grab for a few, but Gokudera beats her to it. She's left half-way bent down, eye level with his... well... let's just say those are some nice pants he has on. She blushes instantaneously, straightening up and going back to focus on the garland in her hands. Hopefully she wouldn't prick herself now that her mind was elsewhere.
He can see her out of the corner of his eye and he straightens up with the popped kernels in his palm, "I only dropped a couple." Gokudera says and is glad they're not eating it. Even if his bedroom floor is clean, he'd rather not eat food from it. "But we can still use them." Since she has the only string he'd been working on, he's out of a job and crosses his arms while she works, wondering what he should do to help.
"T-they won't go to waste, that's for sure" she chirped, eyes focused on the garland. They had to be. Miranda has a sneaking suspicion if she looked at him she would be looking at his tush again. As such, she doesn't see him standing around with his arms crossed.
Gokudera looks over his desk and pulls out one unpopped kernel from the bag. He begins sifting through it, searching for the useless pieces that Miranda can't string. She's working well, but he knows she can do it faster. "Not as easy as it looks?"
"E-Eheh..." she laughs nervously, trying to be so careful not to prick herself with the needle. The garland wouldn't be as pretty with her blood on it. "I-I've never made these before... I never really decorated for Christmas before"
"Here." Gokudera leans over her and eases the needle from her hand with his right, and then the popcorn with his left. "It's strong in the center, so don't try going through there. It'll only break, but right where it connects..." His tongue pokes out between his lips as he slowly threads the needle through and he grins, glancing down at Miranda.
Miranda blushes furiously at his closeness, especially since he's behind her. She tries to focus on what he's showing her, but there are too many tangled thoughts going through her head right now. Like... was it just her or did it get really hot in her suddenly? Maybe that was just her burning cheeks but... "I-I see..." she says, trying to keep her attention at the task at hand.
He places the string back in her hand and carefully puts the needle down, "You can do it." Gokudera says softly as he hears the nerves behind her voice. The teen has no idea it's his fault, though.
The woman inhales sharply, his quiet voice hovering just behind her ear. For some reason that sent some kind of jolt down her spine, and now she has no idea what to make of it. Miranda laughs nervously again, nodding and taking the needle in her hand, continuing with her work. Focus, woman, FOCUS. Garland. Popcorn. String. Forget about the boyfriend that was glued to your back. And was breathing down your neck. And... "...do you have water?"
"Need a break?" He asks and one hand squeezes her shoulder firmly before he ducks down and it falls slightly. Gokudera finds his backpack by the desk and starts rummaging through it one-handed. The teen moves batteries, a flashlight, a bag of stones, a few sticks of dynamite, and a rope aside until he finds a bottle of water.
"J-Just thirsty" she titters nervously, stiffening a little at his touch. Dammit, it was doing nothing to calm the firestorm on her cheeks. The needle and thread and garland were placed gingerly on his desk as she rests her palms flat against it. Just... breathe. There was no reason to get so worked up, right? Just her stupid, stupid insecurities were making her a twittering bundle of nerves, right? Right. She just needed to relax.
"Are you alright?" Gokudera asks as he hands her the bottle. He could feel Miranda seem to jerk a little at his touch, and he can see the flush on her cheeks. When she takes a deep breath, he wonders if she's trying to stomach something and his hand rubs a little, trying to be some comfort.
"F-Fine. Perfectly fine" Miranda tries to smile reassuringly, the last thing on her list of wants being to make him worry. The water bottle is taken gingerly, and she sips from it just as his tries to comfort her. Her stomach flops, touched at the display and wondering if she should react in anyway. She's so not used to people caring so much about her, and not even her adopted family at the Order had prepared her for this. Sips are taken carefully, and she tentatively leans against him. "Thank you”
"Yeah." He doesn't believe Miranda when she says she's alright, but he doesn't have anything but her word to go by. Oh well, he's determined to make her feel better, even if he has to make a fool of himself. Gokudera sucks up his pride and turns to lean against her, running a hand up to her neck and then gently to the side of her face.
N-no not again! She can feel her cheeks burning, BURNING as he turns so that her cheek is laying flat against his stomach. Miranda can hear the odd gurgling noises from his stomach, and wonders when was the last time he ate something. Alright, just... relax. This was normal for couples, right? Right. This was no big deal right? R-Right. Dark eyes shut just as she lets out a shaky sigh, pushing her cheek a little into his abdomen.
"What are you so nervous about, hm?" Gokudera asks and looks down at her. He can feel the heat in her face and his fingers trace gently over her jaw so he can tuck hair behind her ear. "And don't lie. You're shitty at it."
Ah great. She was hoping he wouldn't notice her blushing. He hadn't noticed so far right. Miranda wants to tilt her head away from his gaze, but looking down would NOT be a good idea, no sir. Miranda bites her lip, trying to best figure out the way to word her own nervousness and tension. "J-just... being with you" she admits honestly, if not quietly.
His hand stops moving gently against her and he frowns, dropping it, but not moving away. "Oh." Gokudera frowns and looks forward, away from her dark eyes. It's obvious that he takes her words very seriously and it hurts him.
"I-it's not a bad thing!" she reassures, looking up at him yet keeping her cheek in warm contact with his stomach. "I'm just... not sure what I should be doing, or what you want..."
The teen looks down, "Whatever feels right." Gokudera says and his hand moves to her shoulder, though it's so gentle, it's as though it's hardly there at all. "Isn't that what you want too?"
"W-well yes but..." Miranda sighs, frustrated and not sure how to but her emotions and worries into words. Her gaze drops again, looking off into the corner before closing her eyes and settling against his stomach. "I'm so worried about messing up that I can't tell what feels right or not..."
"If you mess up, I'll tell you." He says and frowns, trying to make it simple. Gokudera is scared he'll mess up as well, but he's also extremely driven to prove to her and himself that he can make this work. "I'm not perfect. Neither are you..." The teen runs a hand through her hair. "And I can live with that..."
Miranda feels some of her nervousness slip away at his comforting words and touch. A small smile graces her countenance as she turns her head slightly, her nose brushing against the cloth of his shirt. "I-I'm glad" And with that, her arms are tentatively wrapped around his waist in an odd embrace.
"Don't feel like you have to hold back." Gokudera doesn't think there's anything she can do that would really bother him. Miranda is much more mature than any girls who have ever liked him before, and so there is no squealing, no headaches, and no sick feelings he has to endure when the exorcist is around.
She holds her position, pouting a bit into his stomach, grateful that he can't see it from above her. To a certain extent, she thinks, she does have to hold back, because she doesn't want to come across as too clingy, since she knows Tsuna comes first. Not that she minds, but she just doesn't want to get in his way. Not to mention their age difference still nagged at her every now and again. Smoker's advice echoes in her mind; 'Just get him drunk and molest him', and her arms tighten around his midsection, brain breaking a bit at the thought. N-no, that certainly wouldn't do.
"Miranda?" Gokudera can feel her arms tighten around him and he wonders if he's upset her. If those arms tighten again, he thinks Miranda may very well cut off circulation to his legs. He blushes a little when he looks down at the woman's face buried in his stomach, or rather... the top of her head, since it's all he can see from his angle.
The woman squeaks, letting go of him realizing that she was probably holding on a little too tight. "I-I'm sorry!" she exclaims with a stutter, looking up at him with wide and worried dark eyes. Not to mention a slight blush to match his.
"What? Why?" Gokudera blinks wide eyes right back at her. Sure it was tight... but it was warm and comfortable and now he feels a bit saddened by the lack of contact. His blush seems to increase tenfold as he admits this to himself.
W-W-Why was he blushing all of a sudden?? Miranda blinks at him, utterly confused now, and tilts her head slightly whilst peering at chem.‘s-Something wrong?" She almost had half a mind to stand up and check his temperature, but reasoned that people don't spontaneously develop fevers.
"Nothing." He mutters and runs a hand through his hair, looking off at his whiteboard so he doesn't have to worry her with his blush. She's not clinging on to him anymore, so he moves to retrieve the bottle she'd been nursing just a few minutes ago.
"Oh. A-Alright" she fidgets, tucking some stray strands of hair behind her ear and turning back to the work on the desk. Right. The garland. Poor thing had been forgotten about. Miranda takes the string back in her hand, and threads the bits of popped corn the way Gokudera had showed her.
He gives her a long look before moving to his bed and lying on it, arms crossed under his head. Gokudera stares up at the ceiling, "If you keep that up, I won't have any work to do tomorrow." The teen glances at his girlfriend's back while she works.
Miranda takes this as 'stop working on the garland'. As such, she gingerly places the threaded popcorn pieces on the desk, careful to not break any. She glances over her shoulder warily. "W-what would you like to do then?"
"You helped me with the thread," Gokudera can think of something else his box weapon snatched, but he knows she's prone to blushing her face off and he'd rather not have to cool her down. "And the garland. Don't you ever think of yourself?"
She blinks at him, thinking, and stands, sauntering over to him. "Helping makes me happy. So in a way, yes, I'm always thinking of myself" It's sort of selfish, she thinks, how she always helps to make herself feel useful, but it can't be that bad if someone else gets something good out of it, right? Miranda sits gently on the edge of his bed, hands folded on her lap, smiling at Gokudera gently.
"When don't you?" He asks and props himself up on his elbows, giving her a curious look. Gokudera's eyes move to her hands and he wonders if all women from her time act like her. He can hardly compare Rinali to her, since Leo's girl is just that... a girl. The teen doesn't understand them, or even women and he feels a bit of frustration pull a pout on his lips.
Her own lips pull into a tiny pout in response to his own. What was the matter now? "When don't I what?" Miranda asks, not sure if he was referring to her helping or thinking of herself.
"Think of yourself." The teen remembers when she looked after him while he was small and that he'd felt like such a burden. He even remembers Reborn telling her that she didn't have to help him. She'd chosen to do so, and so... she was making herself happy. "Don't tell me you're so selfish that you think karma pays you back each time you offer help... When was the last time you didn't think of yourself?"
Her brow furrows at him slightly. When he put it like that it sounded so... bad. Its true, she did help because it made her feel useful, but there were also many instances where even if she knew she would feel useful, she didn't want to partake because it was just too scary. But she did so anyway for those she loved. Miranda can recall instances back in her world where she was on the point of death and would not release her invocation so as to give the others a moment more of relief. And when Gokudera was hurt... she just wanted to be with him, so maybe that was selfish... "...Smoker was feeling miserable about Karen. I tried to talk to him to cheer him up... does that count?"
"Does it make you happy to think your words helped comfort him?" Gokudera asks. "You said that when it makes you happy, then you are always thinking of yourself." He takes one of her hands with his own. "You're selfless."
Miranda blushes automatically, not at the touch, but at the statement. She certainly didn't consider herself selfless, not in the slightest, but he probably didn't share her opinion on how nobody can be truly selfless.” I-I'm... really not" Dark eyes avert themselves to some far off corner, avoiding any look he might give her.
"Maybe not always." He says, agreeing with her. "You do things because you enjoy them, but you find ways to benefit others in the process." Gokudera says, "And you care for people you barely even know."
She blushes darker, her hand tightening in his. "I-I guess..." she fidgets nervously, almost wishing she was back at his desk working on that garland. Almost.
"I could have killed you." He says, face hard. Gokudera doesn't pride himself in hurting anyone, but he wouldn't go out of his way to help himself, so why would she?
As red as her face was, it goes ghostly white at his words. W-was he talking about when they first met? Y-yes, she supposed he very well could have.. Miranda gulps, and looks to him warily. "I-I'm glad you didn't" She smiles, trying to cover up her nerves. But obviously failing.
He pulls his hand quickly from hers and clears his throat, turning away completely. "I just think you need to think about yourself more. That's all." Gokudera thinks he should kick her out and beat his head against a wall.
"S-sorry..." she replies out of habit, slowly retracting her hand to fold it again neatly in her lap. Miranda's gaze drops to these hands, glancing somewhat meekly at the bomber every now and again just to see what he was doing.
An awkward air hangs between them and Gokudera will not look at her, though he can feel her eyes sweep him over. He regrets having said anything, after all, aren't girls suppose to be the talkative ones?! And don't they like talking about themselves?! The teen hangs his head. 'Go with the flow' Fujiko had said. She had made it sound so easy...
The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. The Exorcist sighs, sensing that he wasn't going to do anything about it, because he had the same fears she did. He said to do what feels right, right? Yes, he did. So. It was Miranda's job to fix things, because this odd silence certainly didn't feel right. She crawls over to him, a slight blush rising to her cheeks. The woman pecks Gokudera lightly on the cheek, leaning away from him slight once down to offer a reassuring look that just pleaded with him to relax and not be so hard on himself.
He stiffens up suddenly and his cheeks go hot, slapping a hand over his cheek in surprise and giving her a wide-eyed look. "What was that for?!" Gokudera splutters and his frown softens to something of confused embarrassment at her pleading expression.
"B-because I wanted to...?' Miranda asks, now unsure if what she wanted was the right thing to do. She hangs her head, sighing heavily. So much for making him relax.
"I just tell you I could have killed you when we met, you apologize, and then you want to kiss me...?" Gokudera fails to see how she would want to kiss him more now than she would have earlier. "You really are a masochist." He says, deadpan expression fixed on the exorcist, even if she can't see it.
"I-I wanted to break the silence and the tension" she sighs, running a frustrated hand through her hair and lifting her gaze to him again. Her brow furrows a bit at his expression, and she pouts. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"It only makes it worse!" Gokudera says and his ears burn a hot pink as he slouches forward, "Makes sense... I'm pretty good at fucking everything up."
Miranda's pout turns into a heavy frown, having made a situation worse instead of better like she had planned, AGAIN. Her hand rests on Gokuderas' shoulder. "You don't mess everything up... Didn't you say earlier that neither of us are perfect?" Her hand rubs lightly into his shoulder, hoping to be of some comfort.
"You like it that way, apparently." He sighs in defeat and slouches so his back can push against her hand. "Since I'm not nearly as perfect to the degree you are."
She stares at him, perplexed, wondering what in the world he was thinking. Perfect? Riiight. Miranda’s hand squeezes his shoulder some, massaging the tense muscle hoping for it to relax. "Hayato... I'm just as far from perfect as you are"
He groans gently when her hand presses on a tense spot and he has to prop his face in his hand to cover the odd expression it forces to accompany the noise. "Hmm." Gokudera turns his head so his cheek rests in his palm. "Not a single person on the whole Grand Line would believe that."
Her expression softens, hand wandering to the back of his neck and pressing small circles with her fingers there. Poor thing was wound up tighter than one of her yarn balls. Miranda's eyebrow furrows slightly. "What on earth are you talking about?"
His head falls forward slowly so his chin presses to his collar bone, "It doesn't matter. I'm not trying to compete... with you." Gokudera's hand falls from his face to rest in his lap. It embarrasses him how she's able to home in on his weak point.
Miranda's left eyebrow flies up, nearly into her hairline. He really wasn't making any sense now. She sighs, her hand leaving his neck as she crawls behind him. It'll be easier to give him a massage and relax him from here instead of next to him. That is, if it was ok with him of course. Her hands rest tentatively on his shoulders. "T-this is ok, right?"
"Yeah." The teen watches her move until she's behind him and even then he can still feel her behind him. It's comfortable and he wonders if she knows what she's doing.
No, Gokudera, she doesn’t really know. Not too well. She knows enough from massaging herself after sore training sessions and various beatings, but that only can get one so far. Miranda supposes it's good enough to offer some relief, though, and presses her fingers gently into his shoulders.
The force behind her fingers isn't nearly enough to relieve the tension from his muscles, but he doesn't say anything about it. He just sits quietly, eyes shut while she starts working. "I just... meant.. You're good."
“Not really. I've never really given someone else a massage before..." she admits with a slight laugh. Him. He didn't react like he did a few minutes ago, so maybe there isn't enough pressure in her fingers? Miranda presses a little harder into his shoulder through the fabric, hoping maybe this was enough.
"I wasn't... talking about this." He says and a small grunt escapes him when she presses a little harder. Just a little closer to my neck he thinks, mentally urging her on.
A soft smile; she's pleased with herself with actually earning another grunt out of him. Her hands slide over to the junction of his neck and shoulder, thumbs pressing circles into the nape of his neck. "Then what were you talking about?"
"You." He says and his eyebrows furrow in pain when she presses at the tension in his shoulders. It feels good but it hurts and he doesn't know whether to moan, grunt, or pull away.
She can't see his eyebrow furrowing, and because he hasn't pulled away or complained, she keeps working at the knot she's found at the base of his neck. The woman’s' fingers falter for a moment, though, feeling a slight haze of red darken her cheeks. "I-I'm good?" Good at what?, she wonders, trying to focus on putting some strength into those thing fingers of hers.
"Since you won't let me call you perfect." He says and a low groan escapes him when she concentrates on that sore spot. The slight pain he feels is evident in his voice but there's a dull glaze in his eyes that suggests that he's enjoying her odd massage more than he's letting on.
"T-That's because I'm n-not!" Miranda blushes harder, stomach flitting at the suggestion of Gokudera finding her perfect. "T-Too hard?" she asks, hands easing up a bit on the knot.
Gokudera admits it to himself that he sucks at complimenting and if he could hang his head down any further, he'd do so in a show of defeat. "N-No. It feels good." He says and reaches a hand back to put over hers and press.
"O-okay..." She takes his words of approval and keeps massaging him with the same pressure as before, moving from his neck to lower on his back. The blush has yet to fade from her face, and Miranda bites her lips, attempting to focus on the task at hand and not on the other flattering/embarrassing things.
"Just take the damned compliment, woman." The teen says and he leans forward, pressing his hands on either side of his thighs on the bed. Beneath his shirt, flesh stretches over the muscles in his back to make her work easier.
The Exorcist jumps slightly, her hands digging a little into his back at the bite in his voice. She recovers quickly though with a nod and a gentle "T-thank you, Gokudera" Her hands promptly resume their work, rubbing into the skin through his shirt.
The way she tenses makes him feel guilty. It's not like he yelled... but he might as well have backhanded her the way she reacted. It upsets him more than he shows and he's quiet and still as she works.
Miranda continues to work in silence for a few minutes, pushing and pulling on his skin and the muscles underneath them to try to help him relax just a little. She sighs lightly, knowing that she's difficult and she probably did something wrong and that's probably why he's not talking anymore. A few more minutes and the woman stops, bring her hands back to her lap. "B-better?"
"Much." Gokudera says and sits up straight, turning to face her. His shirt is wrinkled up in the back and he wonders why she didn't just take it off if it got in her way. "Thank you." The teen looks into her dark eyes, honestly hoping he hadn't offended her in any way.
She smiles gently at him, leaning forward and pecking him on the cheek lightly. Miranda hoped he wouldn't react the same way as last time, because then she would really feel guilty. But it always made her feel so happy when someone thanked her for doing something right for once. Showing it was something she felt she needed to do.
Well, at least this time it isn't a nuzzle. He really feels that he's hold enough to earn kisses from her than just those odd nudges of affection. The teen keeps his eyes on her. She doesn't seem unhappy... then again he doesn't think she dwells on everything like he does.
"You're welcome" The Exorcist leans back to sit on her legs folded beneath her, not sure what to do next, Should she go? Or keep working on the garland? Or something else? Miranda meets his gaze somewhat nervously, wondering what he may want to do.
He doesn't want to make her leave, but he doesn't want to keep her if he has nothing in mind. Gokudera turns away and moves over to the garland, "You don't have to do any more." After all, she'd seemed to have had a really hard time with it.
"S-should I leave you to it, then?" Miranda asks, turning slightly to face him from her seat on his bed. She tucks a strand of hair nervously behind her ear. Miranda also sort of doesn't want to leave, but she doesn't want to distract him.
"Yeah." Gokudera nods and puts his glasses back on, setting up his work station once more so he can finally finish the strands of popcorn for the Christmas tree he and his boss are decorating. He looks over one shoulder at the exorcist and a very faint smile touches his lips.
She nods, standing from his bed and smoothing down her skirt. Miranda approaches the bomber to bid him her goodbye, not sure if she should hug him or kiss him or what.
He stands to walk Miranda to the door, even if it isn't very far. Gokudera takes her hands and looks up at her. "Sorry about the yarn."
Her small hand squeezes his reassuringly. "I can always buy more. Don't worry about it" she says gently, allowing him to guide her.
The silver-haired teen leans forward and presses a soft kiss to her lips. "I won't." He whispers, staying close to her.
The woman blinks in surprise as her cheeks light up, not expecting the kiss. She's not able to kiss him back before he's talking again, but his soft tone doesn't fail to make her lips pull into a smile. "Good" With that, her own lips are pressed gently against his.
There is a small blush on his cheeks to match hers, but its barely noticeable. His eyes close when she kisses him and his hands hold more tightly, the thumb of his right hand running over her knuckles.
The affectionate touch is enough to give her to spike of confidence she needed to not break the kiss and go on her way. Though her cheeks have warmed up some more, her lips press a little more into his. Miranda could get used to this.
He can't notice the blush, and just assumes that the warmth between him is natural. Miranda is always warm and he wraps one arm around her waist to hold her closer while his lips part slightly, head tilting to deepen the kiss.
One hand holds tightly to his, while the other rests against his chest lightly. Miranda sort of doesn't know what to do when he deepens the kiss, so she mirrors his actions, also parting her lips. Which only made her more nervous considering she can taste cigarettes now.
Just because he's inexperienced in the field doesn't mean he's completely oblivious. He's seen enough kissing to infer that her lips parting is a way to grant him permission to go further. Gokudera's tongue runs over her bottom lip before sweeping inside and over the surface of hers.
Miranda's eyebrows arch in surprise at the movement, feeling her face blaze at it's hottest. Her hand also grips at his shirt a little now, not expecting the tongue. She didn't even think people used their tongues to kiss! The woman, again, is at a loss of how to react, because she doesn't want to overreact and upset him. So, she moves her own tongue up against his, guess that's what was best.
If he thought she felt hot against him before, it's as thought she's on fire. A low moan bubbles from his throat as her tongue moves against his. All too excited to continue, Gokudera pushes forward, pressing the exorcist against the door slightly.
She breaks the kiss for a moment, both to gather a breath and as a response to his pushing. Miranda looks to the bomber red-faced, feeling her heart beating incredibly fast in her chest. Nonetheless, she leans against Gokudera again, tilting her head back up to his to rejoin their mouths.
When the kiss is broken, he pants and his lips linger there for a moment as though trying to follow hers. The teen looks up at her, wondering if he's done well and before the self-doubt can settle and start to fester, he realizes she's kissing him back. Eager to prove himself, his hand moves from her back to her hip, lips parting swiftly against hers in a hungry fashion.
Miranda's breath hitches sharply, her heartbeat loud in her ears now. The movement of his hand was a bit unexpected, but she supposes that no harm would come if it was there. So long as it didn't move from there. The hand on his chest meanders up his neck and into his hair, settling in the strands just behind his ear.
Gokudera can feel her reaction, but doesn't take it as a bad sign. Curiosity tempts him to move away and see the reaction, but her hand in his hair does well in keeping him close. Oh well, guess she likes it! The teen draws her lower lip in between his own and nips at it gently.
"Mm..." she hums against him, blush still raging but liking what he was doing. Her hand strokes his hair lovingly, while the other tightens around his hand.
Gokudera releases her lip so he can press a kiss to the corner of her mouth, enjoying the tender way she's petting him. Gokudera's hand runs down her hip and back over the curve of her bottom. It's a bold move, but he decides it's worth it, even if she gets mad.
A smile tugs at the spot where Gokudera kisses her, but not for long. As soon as she feels a familiar hand on her behind, her face, ears, and neck go red. Dark eyes snap open and widen as Miranda lets out a loud squeak of surprise. The Exorcist shifts uncomfortably, stuck between a him and a hard place, so both hands come together to push lightly on his chest.
"Wh-what?" Gokudera pulls his hands away, looking startled and now very uncomfortable. He takes a small step back, eyebrows furrowed together in obvious frustration. Did he do something wrong? Every time she's blushed at him, it's always been an indication of a good thing. So... is this a REALLY good thing?
"H-Hand..." she stutters nervously, glad to have some space between them. It's still not enough to move out from between him and the door without doing an awkward crab walk, but at least he wasn't within groping distance anymore. "B-Behind..." Miranda averts her eyes from the bomber, crossing her arms and looking at her own feet. "N-no"
"...Oh." His cheeks glow a dark pink and he pouts, "Why not?" He doesn't move further back, but he isn't advancing on her, either. The teen wants to respect her decision, but if it was bad for her -because he definitely liked it- then he doesn't want to screw up again.
"I-I-I-I-I'm j-just not comf-f-fortable with it..." Her cowardly gaze switches to his, and she sees the pout. Oh lord not the pout. "....yet" Miranda adds, not wanting to kill his hopes completely. She could get used to it when they spent more time together, right?
"Uh... Right." He looks away, feeling stupid and awkward. Gokudera tells himself that was a little too fast and he should have known she wouldn't have liked it... but that only annoys him further because he has no idea how he would have had known.
"...sorry" she admits in a small voice, feeling guilty for making the situation awkward between them AGAIN. Dammit she always did this. Miranda honestly considering just letting Gokudera do whatever he want- NO. No no no that would not be a good idea.
"That's okay." He says, not completely meaning it. "Guess you're not ready." Gokudera honestly wonders which one of them is older and his frustrated look stays strong. The teen moves away from her so she can move more freely.
Miranda knows he doesn't mean his words. She can tell just by the look on Gokudera's face. The blush on her face dies down some, but not much, as she pouts and berates herself for messing up again. “I-I.... I should go..."
“Alright..” He opens the door for her and steps aside, “…” Gokudera is berating himself as well for doing something so bold. Part of him thinks it was completely called for. Another says that he’s being a pervert and maybe he needs to take a cold shower later.
"I'll... I'll see you later" She looks up at him with a guilty look, desperately wanting to tell him that it wasn't his fault, it was hers. But she was too scared to tell him that, because it would involve a lengthy explanation that she knew sounded silly and she didn't want to get into. Miranda reaches out hesitantly to pet his hair, offering Gokudera a smile that showed how sorry she was. "Call if you need help with the garland or anything... okay?"
He ducks to plant a kiss on her cheek and nods, "I will." Gokudera leans against the side of the door as he looks at the Exorcist, sorry he screwed up their time together when it had been going so well.
Miranda blushes slightly at the kiss, holding her hand to her cheek. The sad undertone to her smile lightens a little, and she sighs, still feeling a little guilty. "B-bye, then" she stutters, waving a little at Gokudera before heading out and down the hall.
Gokudera bids her farewell softly and shuts the door, waiting until it blocks him completely from view before he growls and leans against it completely, covering his face to suppress a yell. He can't believe he had such little self-control.
She lumbers down the hallway towards the staircase, hand on the back of her neck rubbing slightly. Miranda always felt so stupid when she messed up like this. Part of her screamed to just let him, he probably knew what he was doing more then she did. The other part, the part that belonged to what her mother had taught her what it meant to be a lady in 18XX, said that it was inappropriate. She lets out a heavy, exasperated sigh. Maybe she should talk to Fujiko.