sigelphoenix

Title: Lying Down
Characters: Sae and Gunnar
Warmakers Adventure: 13
Word Count: ~500
Summary: An alternate version of events in the Osaka love hotel.
Notes: For the Valentine's Day kiss drabbles.

When Sae wakes up in an unfamiliar bed, she isn't surprised that someone else is in it with her; she's used to sharing a bed or room with Reika, after all. What does surprise her is that the shadowed form next to her is neither small nor female.

It takes a second for her to remember that they are in Osaka, that they're staying in a love hotel, that the person next to her is Gunnar, and that it's all Reika's fault.

Sae finds herself holding her breath, as if afraid that even breathing could make too much noise and wake Gunnar up. But, she realizes when she looks out the tiny window, that it is still the middle of the night and Gunnar is sound asleep.

And now Sae is wide awake, lying on her side as she stares at Gunnar in bed next to her, and too nervous to go back to sleep.

Instead, she lies awake and stares at Gunnar's back. His giant back. She's always known he was a big guy, of course, even before she started noticing him like that - but it's different when she's lying next to him in a bed.

It's scary, to be this close, but also fascinating. Kind of exciting.

She can see, above the collar of his turtleneck, the edges of his burn scars, since the contrast between them and his unblemished skin is discernable even in the dark. She has only seen them once, that time in the Vatican when Gunnar had to undergo surgery and she walked in on him when he was bandaged but shirtless. Curiosity makes her lean forward - slowly, quietly - to get a better look.

As Sae squints to see the scars in the faint moonlight, she feels a blush creeping up her cheeks. She was already close to Gunnar - the bed is narrow, after all - but now her face is just a handsbreath from his neck. This time she really does need to hold her breath, because otherwise she'd be breathing right on his skin.

The scars mesmerize her. She can only see a few centimeters of them above his sweater; their dark, uneven texture lead down underneath his clothing and make her wonder how far they go. She knows there are some on his arms, as well, but are they two separate patches of scar tissue? Or do they cover his entire back, turning all of his pale skin red?

They look rough, and she wonders how much he can feel, or if the trauma has deadened his nerves. From what she's seen, they're an angry, dark red color. Even now, she imagines she can feel residual heat radiating off of them. Or maybe that's just Gunnar. Or maybe that's her blushing.

Heart pounding, feeling wildly daring, Sae scoots forward just a little more. Close enough that she can feel Gunnar's warmth against her face. Close enough that she barely moves at all - just shifts her weight, leans ever so slightly - to touch her lips to the back of his neck. Right on his scar.