sigelphoenix

Title: Late-Night Exertions
Characters: Gunnar, Sae, and a tiny bit of Reika
Warmakers Adventure: 20
Word Count: ~3000
Summary: Gunnar sneaks into Sae's room in the middle of the night and takes her off somewhere to get hot and sweaty.
Notes: Email RP with ratzeo.

Gunnar doesn't really advertise how good he is at sneaking around. That seems counterproductive. If they don't know you can meld into the shadows, they're less likely to be looking over their shoulders.

But for Sae he's willing to unbend a little. He should be, anyway. That's how this kind of thing is supposed to work.

****

It's the middle of the night, probably around three in the morning, but that doesn't mean so much when you don't really have to sleep. People walking down a hallway aren't going to look at you strangely if they never see you. And doors ... Gunnar crouches down at the base of the hotel room door, low enough so that he can just barely see through the crack under the door. Then he's gone into shadow. Doors aren't really that much of a problem.

Musashi is still with him, hovering disapprovingly over Gunnar's left shoulder. Gunnar thinks at the little swordsman, knowing that Musashi can hear him somehow. "I know you want me to be training. I promise you'll get me all to yourself for at least a handful of hours. But I think you'll be less annoyed when you see what I have planned." The ancient Japanese spirit still radiates skepticism as Gunnar silently crosses the room, ignoring Reika and her ironclad sleep.

"Sae." He breathes the word, too quietly to wake anyone but the lightest of sleepers. Sae's eyes open almost instantly, and she sees Gunnar standing at the foot of her bed, one finger to his lips. "Get dressed. Don't wake your sister." Musashi glares down at her unhappily.

In a soundless flow of motion, Sae slides out of bed, shrugs into the harness with her guns, and stands up. "Is something wrong?" she asks, buckling on the belt with her sheathed scimitars.

"No, nothing like that." Gunnar tried to hide a smile and fails miserably. "Come on. I'm going to have to hold on to you for this to work." He turns away to open the window. It isn't a big enough opening for a person to fit through, but neither was the crack under the door. Gunnar turns back to Sae and opens his arms. "Ready?"

Is Gunnar ... laughing at her? Sae blinks, the anticipatory tension in her body instantly broken. It's a gentle smile, not mean-spirited or mocking; and besides, it's Gunnar smiling, so Sae really doesn't mind.

He is still waiting at the window with arms held open, and Sae realizes that he's going to take her outside. She takes a step forward, then hesitates when she sees Reika's sleeping form. "Are we going far?" she asks, remembering their Leader's edict.

Gunnar shakes his head. "Not far at all. And Nariko's on watch. She knows we'll be gone, too. I wouldn't compromise anyone's safety or Reika's orders." Musashi huffs a silent sigh and turns away from both of them, his posture conveying his annoyance. Gunnar ignores him, and makes a beckoning motion with his hand, still smiling like a delighted little boy. "Coming?"

Sae realizes that there's no Guardian-related business constraining them. Gunnar is just doing this for fun. A smile blooms on her face to match his.

She slides her weapons off her body. If Gunnar doesn't think she'll need them, she trusts him. She still puts on her armored trenchcoat, though; it can't hurt to protect herself, and besides, it will keep her warm in the night air, since she's just wearing pajamas.

Sae joins him at the window. As his arms close around her, she swallows against the pitter-patter of her heartbeat. Keeping warm won't be a problem.

Gunnar looks over his shoulder through the crack in the window and holds Sae tight. The office building across the way is higher than the window, but only by a couple of stories. That's going to make things exciting right from the get go. He changes his grip on the tiny girl, scooping her up. "Hang on to my neck." Suddenly, they slip into the shadows and out again in an instant, ten stories up, Gunnar's feet already scrabbling for purchase on the wall of the office building.

There's a moment of vertigo as gravity tries to grab hold, and then they're moving up the side of the building, Gunnar's feet making a rapid, quiet thumping as they shoot up. He starts to lose momentum as they approach the chain link fence that surrounds the roof, but he simply grabs a fistful of the fence's wire with the hand that had been supporting Sae's legs a moment ago, then tosses her over with his other hand. As the girl lands silently on the rooftop, Gunnar swarms over the fence and joins her a moment later.

"Ha. Made it." Gunnar looks up at the sky, then at the skyline. "Stars aren't much to look at with all the light pollution. Sorry."

Sae shakes her head. "No, it's ..." She doesn't have words, though she can feel the doofy grin on her face, and hopes Gunnar understands. Her heart is pounding, exhilaration and pleasure swirling in a heady mixture through her veins. She stands on tiptoe and presses a quick, hard kiss on his mouth.

Gunnar flushes a little, but keeps smiling. "So. I was thinking. Feel like another race?" He reaches inside his jacket and hands her a map print out with hotel at the center and a few of the blocks around it shown in detail. A route is traced around the edge of the map in black pen. It never gets more than a few blocks from the hotel. "I've got the route on my Heimgard computer, so I can see it in my display contacts. You can have the file or the map, whichever you want. If you even want to race, that is. I mean, we can just stay up here or something, if you want..." For the first time that evening, Gunnar looks unsure of himself.

"Of course I want to race. You never have fun." She cringes. "I mean - you always worry about Guardian business, so you don't get to ..." Taking the map from Gunnar, she shakes her head to clear it and starts over. "I mean, yes, I like your idea."

Gunnar shrugs off the verbal stumbling. He knows what she means, and that's what's important. "Good. Great." He gestures to the north side of the building as he takes her hand. "I'll get us back down to ground level. May I carry you again?"

Musashi, oddly enough, looks begrudgingly cheerful. Perhaps his student isn't going to be wasting the whole evening after all.

Sae grasps Gunnar's hand without looking, her eyes on the map. She thinks of the streets their route follows - mostly level with few obstructions. On a straightaway route like this, she has the advantage of pure speed. But Gunnar is good at navigating unusual terrain, as evidenced by the way he just ran up the vertical face of this building. She wonders what he has up his sleeve. The challenge is invigorating; she'll have to think on her feet, drawing upon the abilities she's developed in her training with Gunnar.

Just hours ago, Sae's father - her real father, Yanagisawa Otonashi - told her that she and Reika could choose to use their power however they wanted. He'd been referring to their choice to become Guardians and fight the devils.

But there's other choices - smaller ones, happier ones.

As Gunnar picks her up again, putting her face on level with his, Sae murmurs, "Thank you."

Gunnar bumps her forehead lightly with his own. "No problem." He hops lightly onto the edge of the chain link fence, balancing himself for a moment, the leaps down and across to the roof of another building. "We're going to have to be careful not to be seen. At least, not if we do anything particularly ... noticeable." Leap. Thump. "Like running faster than people are supposed to go." Leap. Thump. They are at the edge of another building, above the starting point of the route. The building itself is about twenty stories high, higher than where they started. The boy takes a deep breath and gathers himself ... then runs straight down the face of the building. His feet lose their purchase while he and Sae are still well above the street, but he simply kicks away from the building and falls the last half dozen stories, landing with a surprisingly quiet thump in the alley way.

"The intersection we're supposed to start at is right over there." He points as he sets Sae back on her feet. His hands linger a few seconds longer than is strictly necessary, but then he walks to the mouth of the alley and looks around. No one there. "There are some obstacles to make things more interesting ... And I suppose civilians count in that regard, too."

Sae reaches into the pocket of her coat and is relieved to find a hair tie. Nothing to be done about her bare feet and pajamas, but at least she won't get hair in her face. She pulls her hair into a ponytail as she asks, "Anyone out at this hour is probably drunk, especially with the festival tonight. They probably won't notice us. Or they'll just think they're hallucinating."

She does a few quick stretches, taking advantage of the time to regain her focus and slow down her heart rate. She's used to concentrating on physical training when Gunnar is around, but not so much when he's being ... well, playful. Maybe his offer of spending time alone on the roof will still stand after their race.

For now, there's a task at hand. "Ready?" she asks.

Gunnar gathers his focus into himself. "Ready. Um ... I hadn't thought about how to start us off, but -" Musashi cuts Gunnar's stumbling voice off with a single, commanding gesture, then floats away from Gunnar's shoulder, hovering a few meters in front of the young couple. He raises one hand and waits, clearly expecting them to get ready to run.

Gunnar and Sae crouch down into sprinter's stances and look to the tiny ghost, then to the straightaway that starts the race. Gunnar mentally wishes Sae good luck, and then Musashi's arm falls, and Gunnar is away like a shot, faster than either of them have ever moved without Ichiro's magic. It takes the ghostly swordsman by surprise as well, as his tiny form is whiplashed from head to foot and then drug in the face first in the wake of the sprinting boy. [1]

Behind him, Gunnar hears a high-pitched noise that lasts for a split-second. Like an indignant cry that was abruptly bitten off.

Then there is only silence, as Sae's mouth sets in a grim line and she pushes herself to catch up.

Hmmm. Hope she isn't angry.

Musashi finally catches up to Gunnar, grabbing onto his shoulder and straightening his ethereal clothing. He looks annoyed, too, but he needs his feathers ruffled every now and then anyway.

Sae's catching up too. Maybe she won't stab him.

This part of the course is just a three block straightaway through Tokyo streets, past convenience stores and through intersections, ignoring red lights as he sprints through. Left turn ... and now another straight shot. Half a dozen Tokyo blocks in less than a minute. Sae's almost up on him now, but that's okay. This is where it gets tricky.

He corners into an alleyway, the next leg of the race. Even though he can barely see it, he sprints through the closely packed, rubbish-strewn alley without a single misstep.

Sae sees the alley coming, and gathers energy in the way she learned from Gunnar. She expends it in a massive jump that sends her clear over most of the alleyway. Still, she lands far short of the street entrance, and has to pick her way over mounds of refuse - she's going to need a shower after this - and loses precious seconds. She watches with a mixture of awe and envy as Gunnar bounds forward, seeming to know just where to step without looking down. [2]

Gunnar can hear Sae's footsteps get steadily louder as she closes the gap between them on the straight, open street. With a thought, he shifts into the mindset of a hunter, rather than a racer, and catches her scent to track how close she gets. But the next leg of the course takes them through another alleyway, and he leaves her behind again.

He has one last chance to push his lead when they emerge from the alley and hit a chain-link fence. Gunnar focuses on what he can see through the links and slips into shadow, emerging several meters past the barrier. Behind him, there is a very un-subtle crashing noise as Sae hits the fence at a full run and launches herself over it.

So much for being inconspicuous. Hopefully they move too fast for any bystanders to catch a glimpse of them.

Just a few hundred meters left. This is all clear street, and Sae almost laughs with delight. The obstacles that slowed her down earlier seem like a blessing now, as they gave her a chance to catch her breath and she now has the strength for one final push.

Within seconds of hitting the street, the pounding of Sae's footsteps closes in on Gunnar. And it is pounding - Sae is clearly too tired to worry about being quiet now, and he can hear her breath coming in loud gasps. He wonders how long she'll be able to push herself - it hasn't even been two minutes, but at a full-out run even Sae must be spent. He wonders if she'll be able to hold her pace until the finish line.

Watch out behind you, Slayer, is the only thing Sae has the energy to think as she sprints. The building that marks the end of their race looms in her vision, and she knows she can get to it before him - almost - if she can just hold on -

In the space of a single second, Sae explodes past Gunnar, clears the last several yards of the race in the lead, touches the wall of the goal building, and throws her body against it as her legs give out. Her vision fades in and out for a moment, and she clutches the wall for support. [3]

Gunnar skids to a stop in front of her, sweaty and breathing heavily, but moving lightly as if they just had a pleasant jog.

Sae doesn't care. "Still ... faster ..." she wheezes with a lopsided grin. Then she slides to a seat on the ground and tries not to dry-heave.

Gunnar sits next to her and waits for her to recover. After a few minutes, Sae's breathing has slowed to normal, and he asks, "Did you like that?"

Sae responds by pouncing on him.

After a moment of surprise, Gunnar kisses her back. Sae relaxes against his body, slipping her arms around his chest. Their bodies are both heated from the race, and Sae presses closer to his warmth with a shiver of pleasure. She doesn't care about being outside on a Tokyo street, or the fact that it's the middle of the night.

She does pull back eventually, though, because Gunnar tends to become uncomfortable when she gets ... energetic. And she doesn't want to spoil the evening by making him push her away.

"Yes," she says, flushed with pleasure and shyness and exertion.

****

They make their way back to the hotel using a direct route, walking at a leisurely pace and holding hands. Sae's body resonates with the pleasant hum of exertion. Gunnar makes her body feel good - not just with the obvious, like kissing, but also the fact that she can use her body to the fullest when she's with him. The mere knowledge makes her happy in his presence. Calmer.

When they get in sight of their hotel, he lifts her in his arms. This time he doesn't need to ask.

But Sae can see what he can't - that the window to her and Reika's room is now closed. Reluctantly, she tells him to put her down, and they enter by using her hotel key like - relatively - normal people.

At the door to her room, they look at each other with awkward hesitation.

"I could teleport you inside, so you don't make noise," Gunnar offers. "But it looks like Reika is awake anyway."

Sae nods. "Thanks anyway. I ..." She trails off. It's almost like they were on a date, and Gunnar is just dropping her off at her front door after dinner and a movie. But it's past midnight, and Sae is still in her pajamas and trenchcoat, and they aren't normal at all.

She thinks for a moment, and decides that she prefers it this way. She finishes her sentence, "I liked this better than a normal date."

Gunnar grins, and Sae watches him as she unlocks the door to her room, watches him even as he turns and walks away.

Reika rolls over in bed when Sae gets inside. "Where'd you go?" she mumbles, rubbing her eyes.

Sae answers her question with another, "Did you close the window?"

"I got cold. You didn't answer my question," she says with a sleepy pout.

"Don't worry, everything is okay. I just ... went out. With Gunnar." Sae didn't expect the words to be so difficult to say, nor her cheeks to feel so warm.

"You snuck out with a boy. Even I didn't do that with Mom and Daddy here," Reika whispers, but her voice is teasing.

Sae throws one of her spare pillows at her sister.

Quiet settles over them, as Reika yawns and Sae slips into bed, dirty feet and all. Sae looks over at her sister, who is smiling at her in the dark. "It was a lot of fun, though."

Reika giggles. "I'm glad."

Game mechanics:

[1] Gunnar uses a temporary boost of movement rate from the Diamond Mind tactical feat, coupled with Heroic Surge and Sudden Leap to take advantage of the increased speed, thus moving 400 feet in round one vs. Sae's 180 feet (225 with a Heroic Surge), but she gains 20 feet a round on the straightaway.

[2] About a minute of running. Sae is only a few steps behind him, assuming she used a Heroic Surge. They hit the alley, and Gunnar is already in Step of the Wind, allowing him to ignore the double movement cost of the difficult terrain in this alleyway. Sae uses Sudden Leap to clear some of the terrain.

[3] In the final thirty seconds, Sae must make increasingly difficult CON checks to keep running. Gunnar doesn't, because Endurance applies. Sae makes all of her checks, using action points for two rounds, so her higher movement rate allows her to outpace Gunnar.