Mission Log
Title: A Friendly Wager (Part 1)
Characters: Arisawa Tatsuki, Ishida Uryuu
Location: Future 7; Uryuu's Quarters
Timeframe: May 30th, Directly following Uryuu's last post
Status: Closed
Warnings: NC-17, people. What else do you think strip poker leads to?
Thirty-three days.
It had been exactly thirty-three days since Tatsuki had last found herself in this particular situation, rummaging through her belongings as she tried to decide exactly what to wear to Uryuu’s room that night.
Not a month, but thirty-three days. The one month mark had already passed, and without too much notice; being crew members of a Gotei ship often meant having to forego celebrations and the like, for the work honestly never seemed to cease. Of course, that wasn’t to say that Uryuu had forgotten by any means-by the end of the day, her tongue was… sore, to say the least.
However, whether or not Uryuu had noticed it-he probably had; Uryuu had the tendency to be very perceptive when it came to her-Tatsuki had been more than a little tense that night. Having never really been in a relationship prior to… whatever it was she had with Uryuu, Tatsuki wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, what it entailed. Would Uryuu try to take their relationship further? Ever since their first night, Uryuu had been especially careful about slowing the pace down, with making sure that Tatsuki was entirely comfortable with a situation before proceeding, but would he feel as though holding out for an entire month entitled him to something more?
To be honest, Tatsuki had almost felt slightly disappointed when it soon became clear that Uryuu was not going to make the first move. After returning to her quarters, Tatsuki had spent the remainder of the night thinking about other things.
Three months now since she had seen him last.
Nevertheless, there was no doubt in Tatsuki’s mind that Uryuu had made the right move. The fact that he had refrained from taking advantage on a day when Tatsuki was quite susceptible to temptation meant that she could trust him. Meant that she indeed had the reins and probably wasn’t going to hand them over anytime soon. And even if it so happened that taking the relationship further was something that Tatsuki secretly longed for in the back of her mind, well. That was what the card game was for.
Thirty-three days.
Had it really been that long?
Smiling to herself, Tatsuki slipped her arms into a light windbreaker before glancing briefly at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Along with her chest binding, t-shirt, panties, boxers, jeans, socks, and shoes, it came to a grand total of ten articles of clothing.
Grabbing her deck of cards, Tatsuki quickly scurried down the hall and to his door, knocking exactly three times.
She was ready.
Uryuu wasn't ready.
As soon as he'd hit the enter button on his keyboard and stepped away from his computer, the analytical part of his mind had gone into overdrive. There was a lot to be said for the anonymity that chatting via online journal provided. It'd certainly given him enough courage to do what three weeks ago he would have considered impossible. Hmm. Maybe impossible wasn't the word-- extremely difficult.
Uryuu rubbed his eyes, settling down on the edge of his bed. He'd just conducted the most thinly veiled conversation ever. At the time, inviting Tatsuki to his room for a friendly game of cards had seemed like a smooth move. Confident, yet casual, it was a way to have her near without the burden of calling it a date. But like everything else that could be blamed on his dramatic nature, the rush of confidence had gone straight to his head and pushed logic right out the window. He didn't even know how to play poker, let alone strip poker.
He eyed his bureau from across the room. Briefly he considered the idea of putting on more layers to be on the safe side, but quickly dismissed the idea. That would be like saying that he thought he was going to lose, something he never did willingly. There were other factors to consider too. Besides the fact that a beautiful girl was on her way to his room. Besides the fact that they were about to play a game whose sole purpose was the removal of clothing. What happened when the cards were gone? What-- Uryuu swallowed-- what happened after the clothes came off?
Any hormone driven male could answer that question easily. Even Uryuu, who would never place himself in a category so crass had a good idea. But Tatsuki wasn't some girl that he intended to use for the sole purpose of "getting his rocks off". She'd already been through so much...and there were still things that she kept guarded from him. This was definitely a situation that he'd have to think through.
But it didn't look as if he'd have as much time to think at all. The knocking on his door pulled him from his thoughts into the present, where he was still sitting on his bed staring off into space. Giving his spotless room a quick once over, he activated the door and watched it slide open.
"Tatsuki. Hello."
So stiff and awkward. That wouldn’t do.
Eyes immediately flicking upward as the door slid open, Tatsuki reached for one corner of Uryuu’s collar, tugging sharply to pull him down, lips curling into a smirk.
“Hey,” she murmured, cocking an eyebrow before throwing her free arm around Uryuu’s neck to lean in for a kiss, tongue running along his lower lip and barely pushing to reach the inside of his mouth before pulling back. Just enough to give him a little taste, to get the adrenaline going.
Without another word, Tatsuki squeezed by Uryuu and into the room, glancing all around and shaking her head slightly at its immaculate order. She didn’t really understand how Uryuu managed to keep the room so clean, didn’t really understand how Uryuu could put up with living in a room so spotless. Personally, a little bit of mess here and there felt more comfortable to Tatsuki. More human and relaxed.
While she had no doubts that the floor was probably clean enough to eat off of, Tatsuki made a beeline for his bed instead, plopping down with a small bounce and purposefully wrinkling the sheets a bit. Sprawling playfully and rolling onto her stomach, Tatsuki gestured for Uryuu to come as well. Being small really did have its occasional advantages; even while lying down, Tatsuki didn’t even take up half the length of the bed, legs bent at the knees and hanging over the footboard.
“You know the rules, right?” Tatsuki asked, sliding the cards out of the box and counting to make sure that she had them all. “Standard, five-card Texas Hold’Em?”
Still new to the greeting he'd just received, Uryuu took a moment to recover, eyes blinking as he licked his lips. The kiss had lasted no more than a few seconds but still contained enough heat to ignite him. If he'd had any qualms about what Tatsuki's late night visit entailed (even after all the hinting and clever wordplay), there was his answer.
Closing the door behind him, he turned in time to watch Tatsuki climb onto his carefully made bed, rumpling sheets that he'd taken the time to fold with accurate precision. Even while Uryuu knew it hadn't any sense to straighten the only area of his room large enough to hold two people, it'd served as a way to occupy his hands while he waited. Though, when he thought about it, the time may have been better spent reading up on poker games and maneuvers-- especially considering he didn't know how to play.
"It's been a while," Uryuu said carefully as he perched himself onto the bed and scooted back. "You may have to refresh my memory."
“Fair enough,” Tatsuki replied, not feeling any need to ask further questions as she tossed the card which listed the instructions for the game to Uryuu, then proceeded to shuffle the cards. “You didn’t really strike me as the gambling type anyway.”
Once the cards had been thoroughly shuffled, Tatsuki crawled over to Uryuu’s side of the bed, resting her head on his shoulder as she read the instructions along with him. “It’s all about getting the best combination of five cards at the end, like the ones listed here… we’re dealt two cards in the beginning, place blinds on the table-since we’re doing strip poker, I’d say that we’d use antes of one article of clothing each-and you can up the bet before the first three cards are shown, although usually it isn’t the best idea. Once the three cards are shown, we can either check or up the bet, and the same goes with the fourth and fifth cards. Pretty simple, really.”
Tatsuki tilted her head to briefly run her nose along the line of Uryuu’s jaw. “Game ends, of course, once one of us has lost all of our clothes. Or refuses to take off any more, depending on how modest we feel tonight.” Grinning, she slid back to the other side of the bed, giving Uryuu time to think or ponder as she dealt out the first set of cards.
“Any questions?”
She snuck a peek at the cards in her hand. Nine of clubs and jack of diamonds. Not too bad.
Slowly, she removed her right shoe and placed it-bottom up, of course, even though they were indoor shoes and honestly weren’t all that dirty-in the center of the bed. No need to start big.
Sliding a hand out to pick up his playing cards, Uryuu shook his head. The instructions had been easy enough to follow and he didn't think he'd have trouble remembering them. In the end, all it really came down to was whether or not he played his cards right. While he couldn't argue Tatsuki's claim that he wasn't the gambling type, he knew that if idiots like Ichigo could play this game, then he could too-- and better, obviously.
One the other hand, Kurosaki had probably never been privileged with the same sort of distraction he was up against.
Straightening his glasses, Uryuu held his cards up to examine them. A five of spades wasn't worth much, but an eight of hearts wasn't too bad. At least it was a card of higher value, even if it wasn't one of the face cards he'd rather have. According to the instructions Tatsuki had shown him, he now needed something of the same suit or the same number. But of course he'd have to wager an article of clothing first.
Thump. Hearing the sheets rustle, the pilot glanced up in time to watch Tatsuki place her shoe on his bed. Eyebrows shooting up, he pressed his lips together in a tight line. While he appreciated her courteous attempt to keep his bed clean, his inner neat freak was already scolding him. Pushing the thoughts aside, Uryuu settled for a polite cough, reaching to untie his shoes as well.
"I didn't know that shoes counted, but if they do, shouldn't they go as a pair?"
Dropping them onto the floor, Uryuu smiled at Tatsuki and nodded in the direction of the deck that sat between them. "Ladies first."
Sneaky, sneaky.
Whether or not Uryuu was doing it on purpose, Tatsuki wasn’t sure, but he had just significantly decreased the number of articles she was able to work with-assuming that socks came off in pairs as well. She felt a little bad about placing her shoe on the bed-wait, no she didn’t, if she started admitting stuff like that she’d turn into a neat freak like him, no doubt-and so Tatsuki similarly picked up the shoe and dropped it on the ground, toeing the other off as well as she brushed the nonexistent dirt left behind by her shoe onto the ground.
She’d just have to deal with his inner perfectionism.
“In pairs, then,” she replied, lips curling into a grin.
Leaning slightly back, Tatsuki grabbed the deck and dealt the flop: five of diamonds, nine of hearts, five of hearts. So, from the get-go, she already had two pair; not too shabby. Placing the deck back down, she glanced at her face-down cards again just to get that little bit of reassurance that her mind wasn’t simply filling the blanks with whatever was convenient, then looked up at Uryuu again.
“I think I’m going to add to the bet. One more article of clothing.”
Sitting up, Tatsuki reached down to her feet and tugged her socks off, letting them drop onto the shoes she had so unceremoniously tossed onto the ground and flopping back onto the bed afterwards.
Leaning forward to get a better look at the cards in front of him, Uryuu calculated his hand. If Tatsuki had upped the ante, that meant that she was feeling confident about the hand she'd been dealt. But considering the two fives in front of him and the five he held, that gave him three of a kind...which was a good thing, right? Besides, this was poker. She could just be bluffing to see how far they could take things in the first round.
Uryuu could feel a grin pulling at his lips, considering the idea to be a sort of backwards compliment. Just as quickly he calmed his expression into a more placid one. He'd remembered the term "poker face" being used in several literary excursions. How appropriate.
"I'll see your bet and raise you one."
Pulling his feet unto the bed once more, he also removed his (dress) socks, placing them on top of his shoes so that they could be found later. His whole body on the mattress now, he sat indian-style across from her. What to remove next? He hadn't really thought that part out... Glasses were easy, but out of the question, based on the logic that he still needed them to see the cards. Pants weren't an immediate option either, considering he only had boxer briefs on underneath. That and the idea of pulling his pants off first made him seem to entirely too eager. It appeared his shirt would have to do.
Reaching for the zipper, Uryuu slowly pulled it down and off, folding the shirt neatly before placing in the center of the bed. A chill ran down his spine as the cool air blowing from the conditioner made contact with his skin.
Oh, it was a smart move on Uryuu’s part, upping the bet in such a distracting manner. She could’ve sworn that he was purposefully drawing things out-it took him far too long to pull that zipper down-but Tatsuki wasn’t going to complain. Not when her eyes were finally resting on a bare chest. His bare chest. Sure, there were times when her hands had snuck under his shirt, and it was always clear that there was no pudge or beer gut there, but actually getting to see it was another thing entirely. She’d have to do this more often.
“Well, it’d be no fun if I folded now,” Tatsuki remarked, putting quite a bit of effort forth to keep her lips from curling up, but unable to stop a flush from rising to her cheeks. She wasn’t too worried about matching his bet; after all, it was highly doubtful that he had a five, and if he also had a nine, then perhaps they would end up splitting the pot.
And she had more articles of clothing to bet anyway.
Smirking, Tatsuki imitated Uryuu’s motions, pulling the zipper of her windbreaker down and slipping it off, folding it haphazardly before putting it on top of Uryuu’s shirt. It was actually somewhat of a relief to be rid of the windbreaker, considering the fact that she still wore a t-shirt underneath, and Tatsuki tossed her hair to the side before reaching out for the deck again.
Jack of spades on the turn card.
Why, she had two pair already.
Pausing for a moment and rubbing her chin, Tatsuki considered her next move carefully, not so much because she was afraid of what Uryuu had in his hand, but more to decide just how much would look too eager.
“I’ll raise another,” she murmured, peeking briefly at her cards before sliding off the side of the bed. Pants were clearly the next thing to go. She still had the boxers underneath that anyway.
Tossing her pants onto the pile, Tatsuki slid back on top of the bed, feeling significantly more exposed than before. Nervously, she did her best to cover her legs with her arms, mimicking Uryuu’s Indian-style position and hoping that he wouldn’t stare too much at some of the scars and bruises that occasionally dotted her legs. Most of which were innocuous. Some, not so much.
With as much control as Uryuu thought that he had over his face and his hormones, both failed him as he watched Tatsuki slide her pants off and place them on the bed. Even if she had been smart enough to wear boxers, preventing an immediate view of the undergarments he assumed she'd have on, there was a lot more skin exposed now. He couldn't help from staring, no matter how surreptitious he thought he was being.
Despite her diminutive height, Tatsuki's legs looked lean and smooth, blemished only by bruises he assumed had been achieved she was on the run. This only served to add to the distraction her body caused him, eyes sweeping quickly down her legs until they returned to the cards between them.
Mind fighting its way through the cloud of lust that began fogging his head, he was reminded that she had upped the bet once again. Which meant that he had to remove another article of clothing. Dammit. Granted they were only engaging in a friendly game of cards, but the thought that might actually be losing the game was a hit to his pride. Not to mention that they'd both been required to remove the same amount of clothing and he'd somehow ended up nearly naked.
Note to self. Next time dress in layers.
Moving to the edge of the bed, Uryuu gripped the fastener of his pants, but didn't open it.
Instead he glanced over at Tatsuki, a sudden flush attempting a hostile takeover of his face.
"D..do you mind turning around or closing your eyes?"
She was able to stifle her laugh, but not the snort. Oh well. So the mood just happened to take a mini nosedive. It could’ve been worse.
“Turning around or closing my eyes? I didn’t see you do either of those things when I stripped, Mr. Ishida. And, quite frankly, I don’t think it’s particularly fair.”
To be honest, Uryuu wasn’t the only one who felt rather distracted at the moment; Tatsuki had known very well what she was doing when she had slipped her jeans off, and she didn’t exactly want to miss the show. Whether or not he noticed it, she had been eying him rather closely, and it certainly wasn’t for the sake of trying to read his expressions-she didn’t think that they’d be much use to her at the moment anyway. Besides, if Uryuu was already asking her to turn away just for the sake of taking off his pants, it would certainly prove difficult to get things swinging in the direction that Tatsuki was secretly hoping that they’d go.
Did Uryuu really think that things would be any less embarrassing after he’d taken them off? Or was he planning on draping the pants over his legs to cover them?
Or-and Tatsuki couldn’t help snickering at the thought-was he embarrassed for another reason entirely? She hadn’t observed any bulge in his pants, but…
“Take it off!” Tatsuki whooped, grinning as she rested her chin in her hands.
Now he knew how male strippers felt. Really, how could men handle all that pressure? Flying an aircraft and fighting bad guys, sure-- but getting undressed (and for the first time!) in front of someone was a different experience, altogether. Tatsuki having made it painfully obvious that she had no intention of turning around, Uryuu had no choice but to oblige her.
"Fine, fine. Just don't catcall."
Reaching for the fastener a second time he unzipped his pants, fully aware that her eyes were on him and not feeling nearly as self-conscious as he'd been seconds ago. Tatsuki hadn't asked him to turn around, even when she'd done the same and it was only fitting that he return the favor. Pushing the pants past his hips and knees to reveal navy blue boxer briefs, he slipped the fabric off his feet and onto the pile.
It was amazing, the courage you gained once you resolved in your mind to do something.
Feeling the mattress dip under his weight as he regained his position on the bed, Uryuu did his best to look as dignified and nonplused as a man sitting crossed-legged in his underwear could be. Cheeks still flushed, Uryuu glanced at Tatsuki over the top of his cards. It was his turn, but he wasn't feeling nearly as confident about his cards as he was a few hands ago. How powerful was three of a kind supposed to really be? Still, he would rather bluff than fold.
Placing his cards face down on the bed, he scooted closer to the deck and Tatsuki. "You seem pretty sure of your hand. I guess you'd think I was being foolish if I upped it again..." With a smirk, Uryuu removed his glasses and set them down on the bedside table. "But I'd really hate to lose without giving you a fight."
Okay. Tatsuki was less sure of her hand now. Because for Uryuu to be willing to bet his glasses, the last article of clothing he even had on other than his boxer briefs, he either had some pretty kickass hand or was just terrifyingly horny, since Tatsuki still had a decent number of articles to work with. The latter wasn’t something that Tatsuki minded at all-heck, save for that irritating bit of cloth, her boyfriend was pretty much in the nude; no way was she going to be able to take that and remain completely composed-but if Uryuu was playing to win, which wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, then soon Tatsuki could very well end up watching Uryuu redress himself and leave her further behind.
But by this point, there really wasn’t any going back. She had placed far too much at stake already.
So, tossing her hair to the side, Tatsuki shot Uryuu an equally smug grin as she slid to the side of the bed once more, noting amusedly that without his glasses, Uryuu probably wasn’t going to be able to enjoy the show as much. Letting that wear away the majority of her inhibitions, Tatsuki slowly began to rock her hips, stretching the waistband of her boxers before slowly pulling them down to reveal the panties underneath. Red ones.
Once they had slipped all the way down, Tatsuki flopped back on the bed, tossing the boxers in Uryuu’s face. “You’re on.”
Feeling significantly warmer in the cheeks and a couple of other choice areas, Tatsuki put another card in the burn pile before revealing the final card, a queen of clubs.
Stuck with the two pair after all.
“Well. I’d up the bet again, except if I did, you’d wind up in your birthday suit, and seeing as how you even wanted me to turn away when you were taking off your pants…” Tatsuki sprawled on the bed, staring at Uryuu mischievously. “I’ll leave the decision up to you. I check.”
"Hmmm."
Removing the glasses had made his vision blurry around the edges, however Uryuu could still see well enough to not only play, but "enjoy the show". It was that show now that made his mouth dry as he tried to swallow, watching his girlfriend shimmy out of her boxers before throwing them into his face. Functioning on autopilot he caught them easily, his mind so temporarily blank that for a few moments he just held them in his hands instead of adding them to the growing pile of clothes sitting between them.
"That's generous of you, Tatsuki," Uryuu began, barely able to keep the relief out of his voice at the thought that he didn't have to get completely naked just yet. "I'll have to do something nice for you in return."
Rising to his knees Uryuu slowly closed the distance between Tatsuki and himself, legs straddling the deck to keep it from falling over. Bringing his face inches from hers, he placed a hand along the line of her jaw, guiding her forward as he placed his mouth over hers in a warm kiss. Increasing pressure, he could feel her breath fanning his face, noses brushing against each other as he found a comfortable angle. His confidence in this area had grown considerably due to extensive practice and it showed, tongue darting out to run along the length of her lips in a teasing manner before disappearing again.
Now moving in his briefs was going to be problem.
Breaths a bit ragged as he straightened, Uryuu placed the playing cards he'd been holding on display for Tatsuki to see. His voice grew husky as he chuckled, making eye contact with her.
"Check."
Eyes automatically closing at the kiss, Tatsuki leaned forward to deepen it, mind caught between very much liking where this is going and it’s kind of embarrassing to just have panties on now. It had taken her by surprise, albeit in a very enjoyable manner, and when she felt Uryuu’s lips threaten to break contact Tatsuki tried to lean forward even more, chasing them for a fraction of a second before similarly straightening once she realized that it was futile. Fucking tease. When and where had he learned to be so damn smooth?
Although, glancing at his boxers-haha, what a position to be sitting in at a time like this-he wasn’t all that smooth after all. Not that Tatsuki minded.
She could feel the blood pounding in her ears as she sat back down, licking her lips to seal the indirect kiss and breathing heavily. For a couple of seconds, the hand that Uryuu laid out didn’t even register in her mind, aside from the initial ‘oh, look, he doesn’t have any face cards.’ Once she looked back down at the community cards, however, it slowly began to click.
Fuck. She lost?
Lips thinning and cheeks growing even redder with humiliation-really, it was foolish of her to bet so much for a mere two pair-Tatsuki flipped her pocket cards with the tip of her index finger, laying them out on the bed for him to see.
“…three of a kind beats two pair. You win,” Tatsuki mumbled, brows furrowing together tightly.
She hoped that he’d at least keep the shirt off.
Uryuu couldn't help letting his mouth form a smug grin, taking pride in his victory. Once again he'd conquered something on his first try and it felt damn good. Overachieving was just something that was in the Ishida blood... blood that seemed to have left his limbs to converge below his waist.
He could feel the heat radiating off his face as he shifted to sit in a more modest position. Was it too much to ask to have control over bodily functions? On the other hand, it was a good sign. With his hormones battling his brains for control, Uryuu was less likely to focus on his self-consciousness and act a bit more reckless...well, reckless for him, anyway. It helped that out of the two, he was the one with the advantage now.
"I'll deal this time."
Picking up the cards he shuffled them carefully, doing his best to make sure that they were properly mixed before dealing two cards to Tatsuki, then himself. Looking down at his cards, his hand wasn't much better than the last: a three of diamond and a queen of clubs. At least he'd gotten a face card this time. The community cards weren't much help to him either: seven of spades, four of hearts, jack of hearts. He watched Tatsuki's face from behind his cards, trying to analyze whether or not her hand had been dealt better.
Four of clubs, five of spades. Tatsuki had indeed been dealt better, but she sure as hell didn’t feel like it. With Uryuu’s type of luck, the guy probably had a straight or something by now. Goddamn.
But she wasn’t about to let it on. Granted, she didn’t have much bluffing material to work with, but maybe if she distracted Uryuu enough, then… well. Tatsuki swallowed thickly, squirming a bit on the bed, as she was beginning to feel decidedly odd in certain areas. Especially considering that Uryuu had not put any clothes back on like Tatsuki had expected him to. She could tell that he was a bit sidetracked too-she wasn’t even going to mention that the two of them were supposed to have put down an article of clothing each as a blind first. Well, or maybe he’d done that on purpose. To pity her. Hmph.
“All right, I’m in,” Tatsuki declared with a grin, pushing Uryuu’s pile of winnings closer to him before slowly pulling her shirt off over her head, taking care not to drag the binding out of place in the process. Shivering as she suddenly felt decidedly exposed, Tatsuki dropped the shirt to form a new pile and gave a sheepish grin. It was so distracting that, for the moment, she didn’t even give a second’s thought to the large scar on her side, the one that she usually took such care to hide.
Briefly, Tatsuki considered pulling her knees to her chest to help hold onto whatever heat she could, but if she was going to give Uryuu a show, she might as well give him a good one. Tatsuki continued to sit tall, folding her hands strategically in her lap before flicking her gaze at Uryuu.
“Your move.”
Cards momentarily forgotten, Uryuu paid no heed to Tatsuki's words, his eyes choosing to roam the length of her torso. It was an intoxicating formula: take one beautiful girl, subtract clothing, add sexual tension and stir. The removal of her shirt had all but evened the playing field, both parties down to the bare essentials. If it'd been her intention to distract him from the game, mission accomplished.
Checking the community cards for a second time didn't make them anymore helpful, but the pile of clothing he'd gained helped immensely. Even if he lost, he could bluff his entire way through the current game without consequence.
"It'd be a hassle to get dressed again, so pretend I put my clothes back on," Uryuu chided as he placed his folded shirt back on the pile. "...I guess I should add these too," he said as an afterthought, indicating his pants. "I'm not ready to fold just yet."
Even while maintaining a semblance of the cool, calm, facade most were used to seeing, Uryuu's thoughts were jumbled and frenzied. Body already way ahead of him, it'd chosen to respond to all the visual stimuli Tatsuki provided. His mind registered the binding around her chest, still familiar from the memory of his first (and only) attempt to examine it up close. Further down the expanse of exposed skin was the scar that covered her side, so different from the last time he'd seen it-- large, gaping, and covered in blood--on the night he'd first met her.
Moving as if drawn by magnetism, Uryuu lifted an arm to slowly examine the wound.
Tatsuki's skin was smooth beneath his palms, hands warmed by the heat of her body. Using a touch that was almost feather light in delicacy, he traced the shape of the scar with his fingers, pads skimming carefully around the edges. Lowering his head to follow his hands, Uryuu took closer look.
"It seems to have healed well...," his voice was a murmur, lips drawing closer to her body as he spoke. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as instinct took over for logic.
"Does it still hurt?"
Closing his eyes, the pilot placed a soft kiss on her torso.
Every touch of his hands on her skin seemed to light her nerves on fire, the feel of his fingers tracing her scar sending particularly strong jolts, both physical and mental. No matter how soft his touch was, no matter how tender, it still served to send Tatsuki’s mind back to the night she had obtained the injury that had left such a lasting mark on her body. Even as she shivered, Tatsuki knew that it wasn’t completely out of desire, but out of fear as well. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, already picturing the red eyes, the cold laugh, the blade sliding forward and back, in and out, slicing.
No. No. She couldn’t let herself remember, couldn’t ruin the moment like that, not when things were progressing so nicely. She had to get over it. The danger was always going to be there, undoubtedly so, but if there was anything Uryuu had been somewhat successful in drilling into her mind, it was the fact that there were certain times when it was best to move on. Besides, Tatsuki had fallen in too far already. Couldn’t imagine a day without him.
But the wounds were still fresh, if not literally, then figuratively, so Tatsuki desperately searching for any and all modes of distraction. The kiss was a nice start, Tatsuki diverting all of her attention to that small patch of skin-somehow, his lips felt so different-and letting the heat of the moment sweep everything else away.
“No,” she breathed, not sure if it was the truth or a lie, not sure if she was responding to his question or mentally barricading herself from thinking about all of her scars. Perhaps it was a bit of everything. “No.”
Her lids felt heavy as the kiss ended, brain wading through clouded thoughts before finally registering that Uryuu had upped the bet. Which meant that something of hers had to go.
She didn’t think that they’d make it to the end of this round.
“I’ll… I’ll match that,” she rasped, shifting on the bed until her back faced Uryuu. “But you’ll have to help me… the pin for the binding’s on my back, and it’d take too long for me to remove it myself…” Slowly, Tatsuki turned to look over her shoulder, peering into Uryuu’s eyes, lips slightly parted.
She could forget.
Characters: Arisawa Tatsuki, Ishida Uryuu
Location: Future 7; Uryuu's Quarters
Timeframe: May 30th, Directly following Uryuu's last post
Status: Closed
Warnings: NC-17, people. What else do you think strip poker leads to?
Thirty-three days.
It had been exactly thirty-three days since Tatsuki had last found herself in this particular situation, rummaging through her belongings as she tried to decide exactly what to wear to Uryuu’s room that night.
Not a month, but thirty-three days. The one month mark had already passed, and without too much notice; being crew members of a Gotei ship often meant having to forego celebrations and the like, for the work honestly never seemed to cease. Of course, that wasn’t to say that Uryuu had forgotten by any means-by the end of the day, her tongue was… sore, to say the least.
However, whether or not Uryuu had noticed it-he probably had; Uryuu had the tendency to be very perceptive when it came to her-Tatsuki had been more than a little tense that night. Having never really been in a relationship prior to… whatever it was she had with Uryuu, Tatsuki wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, what it entailed. Would Uryuu try to take their relationship further? Ever since their first night, Uryuu had been especially careful about slowing the pace down, with making sure that Tatsuki was entirely comfortable with a situation before proceeding, but would he feel as though holding out for an entire month entitled him to something more?
To be honest, Tatsuki had almost felt slightly disappointed when it soon became clear that Uryuu was not going to make the first move. After returning to her quarters, Tatsuki had spent the remainder of the night thinking about other things.
Three months now since she had seen him last.
Nevertheless, there was no doubt in Tatsuki’s mind that Uryuu had made the right move. The fact that he had refrained from taking advantage on a day when Tatsuki was quite susceptible to temptation meant that she could trust him. Meant that she indeed had the reins and probably wasn’t going to hand them over anytime soon. And even if it so happened that taking the relationship further was something that Tatsuki secretly longed for in the back of her mind, well. That was what the card game was for.
Thirty-three days.
Had it really been that long?
Smiling to herself, Tatsuki slipped her arms into a light windbreaker before glancing briefly at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Along with her chest binding, t-shirt, panties, boxers, jeans, socks, and shoes, it came to a grand total of ten articles of clothing.
Grabbing her deck of cards, Tatsuki quickly scurried down the hall and to his door, knocking exactly three times.
She was ready.
Uryuu wasn't ready.
As soon as he'd hit the enter button on his keyboard and stepped away from his computer, the analytical part of his mind had gone into overdrive. There was a lot to be said for the anonymity that chatting via online journal provided. It'd certainly given him enough courage to do what three weeks ago he would have considered impossible. Hmm. Maybe impossible wasn't the word-- extremely difficult.
Uryuu rubbed his eyes, settling down on the edge of his bed. He'd just conducted the most thinly veiled conversation ever. At the time, inviting Tatsuki to his room for a friendly game of cards had seemed like a smooth move. Confident, yet casual, it was a way to have her near without the burden of calling it a date. But like everything else that could be blamed on his dramatic nature, the rush of confidence had gone straight to his head and pushed logic right out the window. He didn't even know how to play poker, let alone strip poker.
He eyed his bureau from across the room. Briefly he considered the idea of putting on more layers to be on the safe side, but quickly dismissed the idea. That would be like saying that he thought he was going to lose, something he never did willingly. There were other factors to consider too. Besides the fact that a beautiful girl was on her way to his room. Besides the fact that they were about to play a game whose sole purpose was the removal of clothing. What happened when the cards were gone? What-- Uryuu swallowed-- what happened after the clothes came off?
Any hormone driven male could answer that question easily. Even Uryuu, who would never place himself in a category so crass had a good idea. But Tatsuki wasn't some girl that he intended to use for the sole purpose of "getting his rocks off". She'd already been through so much...and there were still things that she kept guarded from him. This was definitely a situation that he'd have to think through.
But it didn't look as if he'd have as much time to think at all. The knocking on his door pulled him from his thoughts into the present, where he was still sitting on his bed staring off into space. Giving his spotless room a quick once over, he activated the door and watched it slide open.
"Tatsuki. Hello."
So stiff and awkward. That wouldn’t do.
Eyes immediately flicking upward as the door slid open, Tatsuki reached for one corner of Uryuu’s collar, tugging sharply to pull him down, lips curling into a smirk.
“Hey,” she murmured, cocking an eyebrow before throwing her free arm around Uryuu’s neck to lean in for a kiss, tongue running along his lower lip and barely pushing to reach the inside of his mouth before pulling back. Just enough to give him a little taste, to get the adrenaline going.
Without another word, Tatsuki squeezed by Uryuu and into the room, glancing all around and shaking her head slightly at its immaculate order. She didn’t really understand how Uryuu managed to keep the room so clean, didn’t really understand how Uryuu could put up with living in a room so spotless. Personally, a little bit of mess here and there felt more comfortable to Tatsuki. More human and relaxed.
While she had no doubts that the floor was probably clean enough to eat off of, Tatsuki made a beeline for his bed instead, plopping down with a small bounce and purposefully wrinkling the sheets a bit. Sprawling playfully and rolling onto her stomach, Tatsuki gestured for Uryuu to come as well. Being small really did have its occasional advantages; even while lying down, Tatsuki didn’t even take up half the length of the bed, legs bent at the knees and hanging over the footboard.
“You know the rules, right?” Tatsuki asked, sliding the cards out of the box and counting to make sure that she had them all. “Standard, five-card Texas Hold’Em?”
Still new to the greeting he'd just received, Uryuu took a moment to recover, eyes blinking as he licked his lips. The kiss had lasted no more than a few seconds but still contained enough heat to ignite him. If he'd had any qualms about what Tatsuki's late night visit entailed (even after all the hinting and clever wordplay), there was his answer.
Closing the door behind him, he turned in time to watch Tatsuki climb onto his carefully made bed, rumpling sheets that he'd taken the time to fold with accurate precision. Even while Uryuu knew it hadn't any sense to straighten the only area of his room large enough to hold two people, it'd served as a way to occupy his hands while he waited. Though, when he thought about it, the time may have been better spent reading up on poker games and maneuvers-- especially considering he didn't know how to play.
"It's been a while," Uryuu said carefully as he perched himself onto the bed and scooted back. "You may have to refresh my memory."
“Fair enough,” Tatsuki replied, not feeling any need to ask further questions as she tossed the card which listed the instructions for the game to Uryuu, then proceeded to shuffle the cards. “You didn’t really strike me as the gambling type anyway.”
Once the cards had been thoroughly shuffled, Tatsuki crawled over to Uryuu’s side of the bed, resting her head on his shoulder as she read the instructions along with him. “It’s all about getting the best combination of five cards at the end, like the ones listed here… we’re dealt two cards in the beginning, place blinds on the table-since we’re doing strip poker, I’d say that we’d use antes of one article of clothing each-and you can up the bet before the first three cards are shown, although usually it isn’t the best idea. Once the three cards are shown, we can either check or up the bet, and the same goes with the fourth and fifth cards. Pretty simple, really.”
Tatsuki tilted her head to briefly run her nose along the line of Uryuu’s jaw. “Game ends, of course, once one of us has lost all of our clothes. Or refuses to take off any more, depending on how modest we feel tonight.” Grinning, she slid back to the other side of the bed, giving Uryuu time to think or ponder as she dealt out the first set of cards.
“Any questions?”
She snuck a peek at the cards in her hand. Nine of clubs and jack of diamonds. Not too bad.
Slowly, she removed her right shoe and placed it-bottom up, of course, even though they were indoor shoes and honestly weren’t all that dirty-in the center of the bed. No need to start big.
Sliding a hand out to pick up his playing cards, Uryuu shook his head. The instructions had been easy enough to follow and he didn't think he'd have trouble remembering them. In the end, all it really came down to was whether or not he played his cards right. While he couldn't argue Tatsuki's claim that he wasn't the gambling type, he knew that if idiots like Ichigo could play this game, then he could too-- and better, obviously.
One the other hand, Kurosaki had probably never been privileged with the same sort of distraction he was up against.
Straightening his glasses, Uryuu held his cards up to examine them. A five of spades wasn't worth much, but an eight of hearts wasn't too bad. At least it was a card of higher value, even if it wasn't one of the face cards he'd rather have. According to the instructions Tatsuki had shown him, he now needed something of the same suit or the same number. But of course he'd have to wager an article of clothing first.
Thump. Hearing the sheets rustle, the pilot glanced up in time to watch Tatsuki place her shoe on his bed. Eyebrows shooting up, he pressed his lips together in a tight line. While he appreciated her courteous attempt to keep his bed clean, his inner neat freak was already scolding him. Pushing the thoughts aside, Uryuu settled for a polite cough, reaching to untie his shoes as well.
"I didn't know that shoes counted, but if they do, shouldn't they go as a pair?"
Dropping them onto the floor, Uryuu smiled at Tatsuki and nodded in the direction of the deck that sat between them. "Ladies first."
Sneaky, sneaky.
Whether or not Uryuu was doing it on purpose, Tatsuki wasn’t sure, but he had just significantly decreased the number of articles she was able to work with-assuming that socks came off in pairs as well. She felt a little bad about placing her shoe on the bed-wait, no she didn’t, if she started admitting stuff like that she’d turn into a neat freak like him, no doubt-and so Tatsuki similarly picked up the shoe and dropped it on the ground, toeing the other off as well as she brushed the nonexistent dirt left behind by her shoe onto the ground.
She’d just have to deal with his inner perfectionism.
“In pairs, then,” she replied, lips curling into a grin.
Leaning slightly back, Tatsuki grabbed the deck and dealt the flop: five of diamonds, nine of hearts, five of hearts. So, from the get-go, she already had two pair; not too shabby. Placing the deck back down, she glanced at her face-down cards again just to get that little bit of reassurance that her mind wasn’t simply filling the blanks with whatever was convenient, then looked up at Uryuu again.
“I think I’m going to add to the bet. One more article of clothing.”
Sitting up, Tatsuki reached down to her feet and tugged her socks off, letting them drop onto the shoes she had so unceremoniously tossed onto the ground and flopping back onto the bed afterwards.
Leaning forward to get a better look at the cards in front of him, Uryuu calculated his hand. If Tatsuki had upped the ante, that meant that she was feeling confident about the hand she'd been dealt. But considering the two fives in front of him and the five he held, that gave him three of a kind...which was a good thing, right? Besides, this was poker. She could just be bluffing to see how far they could take things in the first round.
Uryuu could feel a grin pulling at his lips, considering the idea to be a sort of backwards compliment. Just as quickly he calmed his expression into a more placid one. He'd remembered the term "poker face" being used in several literary excursions. How appropriate.
"I'll see your bet and raise you one."
Pulling his feet unto the bed once more, he also removed his (dress) socks, placing them on top of his shoes so that they could be found later. His whole body on the mattress now, he sat indian-style across from her. What to remove next? He hadn't really thought that part out... Glasses were easy, but out of the question, based on the logic that he still needed them to see the cards. Pants weren't an immediate option either, considering he only had boxer briefs on underneath. That and the idea of pulling his pants off first made him seem to entirely too eager. It appeared his shirt would have to do.
Reaching for the zipper, Uryuu slowly pulled it down and off, folding the shirt neatly before placing in the center of the bed. A chill ran down his spine as the cool air blowing from the conditioner made contact with his skin.
Oh, it was a smart move on Uryuu’s part, upping the bet in such a distracting manner. She could’ve sworn that he was purposefully drawing things out-it took him far too long to pull that zipper down-but Tatsuki wasn’t going to complain. Not when her eyes were finally resting on a bare chest. His bare chest. Sure, there were times when her hands had snuck under his shirt, and it was always clear that there was no pudge or beer gut there, but actually getting to see it was another thing entirely. She’d have to do this more often.
“Well, it’d be no fun if I folded now,” Tatsuki remarked, putting quite a bit of effort forth to keep her lips from curling up, but unable to stop a flush from rising to her cheeks. She wasn’t too worried about matching his bet; after all, it was highly doubtful that he had a five, and if he also had a nine, then perhaps they would end up splitting the pot.
And she had more articles of clothing to bet anyway.
Smirking, Tatsuki imitated Uryuu’s motions, pulling the zipper of her windbreaker down and slipping it off, folding it haphazardly before putting it on top of Uryuu’s shirt. It was actually somewhat of a relief to be rid of the windbreaker, considering the fact that she still wore a t-shirt underneath, and Tatsuki tossed her hair to the side before reaching out for the deck again.
Jack of spades on the turn card.
Why, she had two pair already.
Pausing for a moment and rubbing her chin, Tatsuki considered her next move carefully, not so much because she was afraid of what Uryuu had in his hand, but more to decide just how much would look too eager.
“I’ll raise another,” she murmured, peeking briefly at her cards before sliding off the side of the bed. Pants were clearly the next thing to go. She still had the boxers underneath that anyway.
Tossing her pants onto the pile, Tatsuki slid back on top of the bed, feeling significantly more exposed than before. Nervously, she did her best to cover her legs with her arms, mimicking Uryuu’s Indian-style position and hoping that he wouldn’t stare too much at some of the scars and bruises that occasionally dotted her legs. Most of which were innocuous. Some, not so much.
With as much control as Uryuu thought that he had over his face and his hormones, both failed him as he watched Tatsuki slide her pants off and place them on the bed. Even if she had been smart enough to wear boxers, preventing an immediate view of the undergarments he assumed she'd have on, there was a lot more skin exposed now. He couldn't help from staring, no matter how surreptitious he thought he was being.
Despite her diminutive height, Tatsuki's legs looked lean and smooth, blemished only by bruises he assumed had been achieved she was on the run. This only served to add to the distraction her body caused him, eyes sweeping quickly down her legs until they returned to the cards between them.
Mind fighting its way through the cloud of lust that began fogging his head, he was reminded that she had upped the bet once again. Which meant that he had to remove another article of clothing. Dammit. Granted they were only engaging in a friendly game of cards, but the thought that might actually be losing the game was a hit to his pride. Not to mention that they'd both been required to remove the same amount of clothing and he'd somehow ended up nearly naked.
Note to self. Next time dress in layers.
Moving to the edge of the bed, Uryuu gripped the fastener of his pants, but didn't open it.
Instead he glanced over at Tatsuki, a sudden flush attempting a hostile takeover of his face.
"D..do you mind turning around or closing your eyes?"
She was able to stifle her laugh, but not the snort. Oh well. So the mood just happened to take a mini nosedive. It could’ve been worse.
“Turning around or closing my eyes? I didn’t see you do either of those things when I stripped, Mr. Ishida. And, quite frankly, I don’t think it’s particularly fair.”
To be honest, Uryuu wasn’t the only one who felt rather distracted at the moment; Tatsuki had known very well what she was doing when she had slipped her jeans off, and she didn’t exactly want to miss the show. Whether or not he noticed it, she had been eying him rather closely, and it certainly wasn’t for the sake of trying to read his expressions-she didn’t think that they’d be much use to her at the moment anyway. Besides, if Uryuu was already asking her to turn away just for the sake of taking off his pants, it would certainly prove difficult to get things swinging in the direction that Tatsuki was secretly hoping that they’d go.
Did Uryuu really think that things would be any less embarrassing after he’d taken them off? Or was he planning on draping the pants over his legs to cover them?
Or-and Tatsuki couldn’t help snickering at the thought-was he embarrassed for another reason entirely? She hadn’t observed any bulge in his pants, but…
“Take it off!” Tatsuki whooped, grinning as she rested her chin in her hands.
Now he knew how male strippers felt. Really, how could men handle all that pressure? Flying an aircraft and fighting bad guys, sure-- but getting undressed (and for the first time!) in front of someone was a different experience, altogether. Tatsuki having made it painfully obvious that she had no intention of turning around, Uryuu had no choice but to oblige her.
"Fine, fine. Just don't catcall."
Reaching for the fastener a second time he unzipped his pants, fully aware that her eyes were on him and not feeling nearly as self-conscious as he'd been seconds ago. Tatsuki hadn't asked him to turn around, even when she'd done the same and it was only fitting that he return the favor. Pushing the pants past his hips and knees to reveal navy blue boxer briefs, he slipped the fabric off his feet and onto the pile.
It was amazing, the courage you gained once you resolved in your mind to do something.
Feeling the mattress dip under his weight as he regained his position on the bed, Uryuu did his best to look as dignified and nonplused as a man sitting crossed-legged in his underwear could be. Cheeks still flushed, Uryuu glanced at Tatsuki over the top of his cards. It was his turn, but he wasn't feeling nearly as confident about his cards as he was a few hands ago. How powerful was three of a kind supposed to really be? Still, he would rather bluff than fold.
Placing his cards face down on the bed, he scooted closer to the deck and Tatsuki. "You seem pretty sure of your hand. I guess you'd think I was being foolish if I upped it again..." With a smirk, Uryuu removed his glasses and set them down on the bedside table. "But I'd really hate to lose without giving you a fight."
Okay. Tatsuki was less sure of her hand now. Because for Uryuu to be willing to bet his glasses, the last article of clothing he even had on other than his boxer briefs, he either had some pretty kickass hand or was just terrifyingly horny, since Tatsuki still had a decent number of articles to work with. The latter wasn’t something that Tatsuki minded at all-heck, save for that irritating bit of cloth, her boyfriend was pretty much in the nude; no way was she going to be able to take that and remain completely composed-but if Uryuu was playing to win, which wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, then soon Tatsuki could very well end up watching Uryuu redress himself and leave her further behind.
But by this point, there really wasn’t any going back. She had placed far too much at stake already.
So, tossing her hair to the side, Tatsuki shot Uryuu an equally smug grin as she slid to the side of the bed once more, noting amusedly that without his glasses, Uryuu probably wasn’t going to be able to enjoy the show as much. Letting that wear away the majority of her inhibitions, Tatsuki slowly began to rock her hips, stretching the waistband of her boxers before slowly pulling them down to reveal the panties underneath. Red ones.
Once they had slipped all the way down, Tatsuki flopped back on the bed, tossing the boxers in Uryuu’s face. “You’re on.”
Feeling significantly warmer in the cheeks and a couple of other choice areas, Tatsuki put another card in the burn pile before revealing the final card, a queen of clubs.
Stuck with the two pair after all.
“Well. I’d up the bet again, except if I did, you’d wind up in your birthday suit, and seeing as how you even wanted me to turn away when you were taking off your pants…” Tatsuki sprawled on the bed, staring at Uryuu mischievously. “I’ll leave the decision up to you. I check.”
"Hmmm."
Removing the glasses had made his vision blurry around the edges, however Uryuu could still see well enough to not only play, but "enjoy the show". It was that show now that made his mouth dry as he tried to swallow, watching his girlfriend shimmy out of her boxers before throwing them into his face. Functioning on autopilot he caught them easily, his mind so temporarily blank that for a few moments he just held them in his hands instead of adding them to the growing pile of clothes sitting between them.
"That's generous of you, Tatsuki," Uryuu began, barely able to keep the relief out of his voice at the thought that he didn't have to get completely naked just yet. "I'll have to do something nice for you in return."
Rising to his knees Uryuu slowly closed the distance between Tatsuki and himself, legs straddling the deck to keep it from falling over. Bringing his face inches from hers, he placed a hand along the line of her jaw, guiding her forward as he placed his mouth over hers in a warm kiss. Increasing pressure, he could feel her breath fanning his face, noses brushing against each other as he found a comfortable angle. His confidence in this area had grown considerably due to extensive practice and it showed, tongue darting out to run along the length of her lips in a teasing manner before disappearing again.
Now moving in his briefs was going to be problem.
Breaths a bit ragged as he straightened, Uryuu placed the playing cards he'd been holding on display for Tatsuki to see. His voice grew husky as he chuckled, making eye contact with her.
"Check."
Eyes automatically closing at the kiss, Tatsuki leaned forward to deepen it, mind caught between very much liking where this is going and it’s kind of embarrassing to just have panties on now. It had taken her by surprise, albeit in a very enjoyable manner, and when she felt Uryuu’s lips threaten to break contact Tatsuki tried to lean forward even more, chasing them for a fraction of a second before similarly straightening once she realized that it was futile. Fucking tease. When and where had he learned to be so damn smooth?
Although, glancing at his boxers-haha, what a position to be sitting in at a time like this-he wasn’t all that smooth after all. Not that Tatsuki minded.
She could feel the blood pounding in her ears as she sat back down, licking her lips to seal the indirect kiss and breathing heavily. For a couple of seconds, the hand that Uryuu laid out didn’t even register in her mind, aside from the initial ‘oh, look, he doesn’t have any face cards.’ Once she looked back down at the community cards, however, it slowly began to click.
Fuck. She lost?
Lips thinning and cheeks growing even redder with humiliation-really, it was foolish of her to bet so much for a mere two pair-Tatsuki flipped her pocket cards with the tip of her index finger, laying them out on the bed for him to see.
“…three of a kind beats two pair. You win,” Tatsuki mumbled, brows furrowing together tightly.
She hoped that he’d at least keep the shirt off.
Uryuu couldn't help letting his mouth form a smug grin, taking pride in his victory. Once again he'd conquered something on his first try and it felt damn good. Overachieving was just something that was in the Ishida blood... blood that seemed to have left his limbs to converge below his waist.
He could feel the heat radiating off his face as he shifted to sit in a more modest position. Was it too much to ask to have control over bodily functions? On the other hand, it was a good sign. With his hormones battling his brains for control, Uryuu was less likely to focus on his self-consciousness and act a bit more reckless...well, reckless for him, anyway. It helped that out of the two, he was the one with the advantage now.
"I'll deal this time."
Picking up the cards he shuffled them carefully, doing his best to make sure that they were properly mixed before dealing two cards to Tatsuki, then himself. Looking down at his cards, his hand wasn't much better than the last: a three of diamond and a queen of clubs. At least he'd gotten a face card this time. The community cards weren't much help to him either: seven of spades, four of hearts, jack of hearts. He watched Tatsuki's face from behind his cards, trying to analyze whether or not her hand had been dealt better.
Four of clubs, five of spades. Tatsuki had indeed been dealt better, but she sure as hell didn’t feel like it. With Uryuu’s type of luck, the guy probably had a straight or something by now. Goddamn.
But she wasn’t about to let it on. Granted, she didn’t have much bluffing material to work with, but maybe if she distracted Uryuu enough, then… well. Tatsuki swallowed thickly, squirming a bit on the bed, as she was beginning to feel decidedly odd in certain areas. Especially considering that Uryuu had not put any clothes back on like Tatsuki had expected him to. She could tell that he was a bit sidetracked too-she wasn’t even going to mention that the two of them were supposed to have put down an article of clothing each as a blind first. Well, or maybe he’d done that on purpose. To pity her. Hmph.
“All right, I’m in,” Tatsuki declared with a grin, pushing Uryuu’s pile of winnings closer to him before slowly pulling her shirt off over her head, taking care not to drag the binding out of place in the process. Shivering as she suddenly felt decidedly exposed, Tatsuki dropped the shirt to form a new pile and gave a sheepish grin. It was so distracting that, for the moment, she didn’t even give a second’s thought to the large scar on her side, the one that she usually took such care to hide.
Briefly, Tatsuki considered pulling her knees to her chest to help hold onto whatever heat she could, but if she was going to give Uryuu a show, she might as well give him a good one. Tatsuki continued to sit tall, folding her hands strategically in her lap before flicking her gaze at Uryuu.
“Your move.”
Cards momentarily forgotten, Uryuu paid no heed to Tatsuki's words, his eyes choosing to roam the length of her torso. It was an intoxicating formula: take one beautiful girl, subtract clothing, add sexual tension and stir. The removal of her shirt had all but evened the playing field, both parties down to the bare essentials. If it'd been her intention to distract him from the game, mission accomplished.
Checking the community cards for a second time didn't make them anymore helpful, but the pile of clothing he'd gained helped immensely. Even if he lost, he could bluff his entire way through the current game without consequence.
"It'd be a hassle to get dressed again, so pretend I put my clothes back on," Uryuu chided as he placed his folded shirt back on the pile. "...I guess I should add these too," he said as an afterthought, indicating his pants. "I'm not ready to fold just yet."
Even while maintaining a semblance of the cool, calm, facade most were used to seeing, Uryuu's thoughts were jumbled and frenzied. Body already way ahead of him, it'd chosen to respond to all the visual stimuli Tatsuki provided. His mind registered the binding around her chest, still familiar from the memory of his first (and only) attempt to examine it up close. Further down the expanse of exposed skin was the scar that covered her side, so different from the last time he'd seen it-- large, gaping, and covered in blood--on the night he'd first met her.
Moving as if drawn by magnetism, Uryuu lifted an arm to slowly examine the wound.
Tatsuki's skin was smooth beneath his palms, hands warmed by the heat of her body. Using a touch that was almost feather light in delicacy, he traced the shape of the scar with his fingers, pads skimming carefully around the edges. Lowering his head to follow his hands, Uryuu took closer look.
"It seems to have healed well...," his voice was a murmur, lips drawing closer to her body as he spoke. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as instinct took over for logic.
"Does it still hurt?"
Closing his eyes, the pilot placed a soft kiss on her torso.
Every touch of his hands on her skin seemed to light her nerves on fire, the feel of his fingers tracing her scar sending particularly strong jolts, both physical and mental. No matter how soft his touch was, no matter how tender, it still served to send Tatsuki’s mind back to the night she had obtained the injury that had left such a lasting mark on her body. Even as she shivered, Tatsuki knew that it wasn’t completely out of desire, but out of fear as well. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, already picturing the red eyes, the cold laugh, the blade sliding forward and back, in and out, slicing.
No. No. She couldn’t let herself remember, couldn’t ruin the moment like that, not when things were progressing so nicely. She had to get over it. The danger was always going to be there, undoubtedly so, but if there was anything Uryuu had been somewhat successful in drilling into her mind, it was the fact that there were certain times when it was best to move on. Besides, Tatsuki had fallen in too far already. Couldn’t imagine a day without him.
But the wounds were still fresh, if not literally, then figuratively, so Tatsuki desperately searching for any and all modes of distraction. The kiss was a nice start, Tatsuki diverting all of her attention to that small patch of skin-somehow, his lips felt so different-and letting the heat of the moment sweep everything else away.
“No,” she breathed, not sure if it was the truth or a lie, not sure if she was responding to his question or mentally barricading herself from thinking about all of her scars. Perhaps it was a bit of everything. “No.”
Her lids felt heavy as the kiss ended, brain wading through clouded thoughts before finally registering that Uryuu had upped the bet. Which meant that something of hers had to go.
She didn’t think that they’d make it to the end of this round.
“I’ll… I’ll match that,” she rasped, shifting on the bed until her back faced Uryuu. “But you’ll have to help me… the pin for the binding’s on my back, and it’d take too long for me to remove it myself…” Slowly, Tatsuki turned to look over her shoulder, peering into Uryuu’s eyes, lips slightly parted.
She could forget.