Coffee and Nicorette [Kureno, Asuka]

[asuka_sensei]

Two weeks, Rin said. Two weeks working with the new team, without cigarettes, and see how she did before he'd decide whether or not to let her start smoking again. It was a matter of life or death, she'd said, theirs or hers or more likely both, but he still wanted her to wait two weeks

Comments

[yuuhi_kureno]

The thing about a loud and obvious clearing of the throat was that it was, well...loud and obvious; and one only did so when deliberately trying to get someone's attention by giving them the decency of "noticing them first". Kureno wouldn't have thought much of it if he hadn't realized that he was still staring at the condoms and thus meant being caught in a rather socially awkward situation by someone he knew.

'Please don't be Kiba, don't be Kiba... And don't be Aki either. ...Or Kakami. Really don't be Kakami.'

Kureno turned to look and after a stupor of thought wondered why he didn't think to add Asuka to that list of "don't be's".

Well great. Because things weren't awkward enough between them, were they. 'Don't think about Kiba's condom joke and Asuka. Don't think about-- I said don't!'

Really hoping he was miraculously keeping his embarrassment to himself for a change, Kureno quickly said, "I'm here for headache medicine."

Which would have been a lot more convincing if he'd already had said medicine in hand. This was just going to be one of those days, wasn't it.

[asuka_sensei]

That would have been a much more convincing response if he hadn't been staring at the condoms for something like two and a half minutes. Unless he suddenly needed some extremely strong prescription glasses (which she'd teased him about for years, what with all the paperwork he did), only someone who was actually looking for condoms would stand there staring at the boxes for two and a half minutes.

"Right." It was hard not to say it neutrally, but Asuka thought she managed well enough; at least it didn't come out completely sarcastic. "That's not aspirin."

[yuuhi_kureno]

If he'd been managing to not blush before, that comment effectively ruined that appearance. "Well, no," he replied, shooting a rather withering look to the display on his left. "But it just made me think of something."

...Well obviously.

Quickly he continued, "For someone else, not me, I mean." That didn't sound much better. "I mean someone else recently asked me something that made me think of something when I saw--"

'Stop Yuuhi, just stop.' Kureno turned back to Asuka with a flat stare and flushed cheeks and blatantly changed the subject.

"What are you doing here, Asuka?"

[asuka_sensei]

The eyebrow she struggled to contain just rose with every consecutive stumble in his explanation. It was really, really hard not to say anything, but it was clear that this was embarrassing - Kureno hardly ever blushed at anything, so having successfully managed to do so without hardly saying a word seemed like one hell of a victory. Although, on the other hand, if the thing he was thinking about was -

No. No, not going there.

Asuka cleared her throat again, this time a little more self-consciously and not quite so deliberately, and turned back toward the Nicorette display, resting her hands on her hips. Yes, change the subject. Good idea.

"Fruit or cinnamon?" she asked, figuring this would be subject-change enough.

[yuuhi_kureno]

Kureno took a minute to read the display she was looking at (not even pausing to be grateful that she'd helped change the topic, just going with it). Dedicating all of his thinking to something else helped chase his own embarrassment away practically instantly.

"Rin's still not letting you smoke, huh," he managed to conclude.

[asuka_sensei]

"He said two weeks without smokes with this team, then he'd see," came the sullen reply, her demeanor changing to unhappy and sulky almost as quickly as his embarrassment vanished. "But of course, when two weeks is up, he's no where to be found. I figure, he said I couldn't smoke, not that I couldn't have nicotine, so I might as well get it anyway way I can..."

Nevermind the fact that she had, for all extents and purposes, been quit for a year now. More than a year now. It hadn't been voluntary - or, well, not entirely voluntary - but rather something she'd deliberately put into Rin's hands by promising that she wouldn't smoke again until he gave her leave. Even knowing full well that he may never give her that leave... it was the best she could think of, on short notice, to make up for what she'd did. He'd always worried about her smoking, so...

But that didn't mean she liked it. Oh no. Asuka wanted her cigarettes, and wanted them bad, and if it had been anyone other than Rin she probably would have broken that promise in a heartbeat. But it was Rin, and that made the difference.

Damnit.

[yuuhi_kureno]

"Huh. And here I've been poking at you to quit for years. To think I'll I had to do was get Rin to do it for me." Not that he had ever really minded her smoking habit except when she did it excessively, which she had at the time. But she wasn't nearly so bad these past years, and bothering her about it had become moot since it had ceased to really bother him.

"Now that I really think about it," he admitted out loud, "I'm actually amazed you managed this long without sneaking in at least one. Even to the point of you buying gum. ...Huh." That 'huh' might as well have been a 'wow' for all the disbelief he put into it. But then he shrugged as if once again unimpressed. "I prefer cinnamon flavors over fruity ones, but it's up to you."

[asuka_sensei]

Her shoulders slumped. She would have snuck plenty more than just one, but feeling miserable because her stress management skills were zero outside smoking cigarettes was far preferable to feeling guilty because she'd broken a promise. Asuka had more than enough guilt to go around as it was.

"I made a promise," she muttered. It didn't really matter if he believed she'd keep a promise like that or not, which is what it kinda sounded like. Rin would know if she'd broken it, and so would her conscience, and frankly she'd had quite enough of that annoying little bastard lately.

With a sigh, Asuka forced herself to concentrate back on the very important decision of fruit versus cinnamon. Mint was simply out of the question - she hated mint, especially when mixed with her nicotine - but then, in general she also disliked chewing gum. Cinnamon would be less like chewing gum and more like... maybe more like those hot cinnamon candies? Maybe that would be too hot. But on the other hand, fruity would be fruity and gummy and she didn't like gum.

She just wanted a cigarette. Why must life be so complicated?

Twisting her lips into a frown, she dug into her pocket to check and see if she had enough cash on hand to get one of each. Hell, at least then she could know what she'd buy in the future...

[yuuhi_kureno]

It must have been one heck of a promise. Kureno would have to ask Rin later what he did to get her to make such a vow, and what exactly were her motivations for keeping to it so faithfully. It had to be more than doctor's orders. While Kureno didn't doubt any promise Asuka made to him, he wasn't sure she'd ever made one to him that required that much discipline and sacrifice from her. ...It made him kind of jealous really, but then lots of things did these days when it came to Asuka.

"Need any help?" he asked, watching her search her pockets.

[asuka_sensei]

"Um." She rifled through her wallet for a moment, mentally tallying the total cost of two packs of that ridiculously overpriced gum and deciding she could afford both - if barely. She didn't drop that much in cash anymore, since team ten didn't exactly get together all too frequently now. Asuka folded the wallet closed again and looked back up to Kureno. "No. Just checking to make sure I can get one of each. Might as well, right?" The display was given a dirty look. "I'll probably need it for a while."

Rin probably wouldn't mind the gum, really. In fact, if he knew she was using the gum, he'd probably permanently forbid cigarettes on the basis that she didn't need them if she was getting her nicotine some other way. The longer and harder she looked at this, the more she doubted she'd ever get to smoke again. ... it definitely soured her mood.

Pressing the button next to the display, that would call someone up from pharmacy to unlock it and let her get her pick, Asuka decided to try and focus her attention on something else. Something not related to her addiction.

... she picked the first thing that came to mind, much to Kureno's loss.

"I don't have enough to get you a pack of condoms too, though. You'll have to cough that up yourself."

[yuuhi_kureno]

Kureno scowled at the shot she took at him, enough to be more irked at it than embarrassed. Good thing, because otherwise he'd never have been able to come up with, "I have plenty already, thanks."

Well okay, he could have done without mentioning something like that. (And actually, the ones he had were getting a little old now, so maybe buying a new pack would be a good idea. ...Not now of course, but...)

"Kiba came by a few days ago and told me she'd talked to you," he said, suddenly recalling the incident and finding it a good way to peek into some of her other thoughts. "Whatever you said, she felt I should keep myself 'prepared' and gifted me with a whole box of them. Mind me asking what exactly it is you said?"