Room 502, Sunday Morning

[withoutverona]

Romeo had plead a headache to stay home from Cal's party the night before, and Yurika had been too excited to do more than a little concerned clucking before heading off for ice cream. But in truth, he had been busy with some private preparations for the morning. It was, after all, a rather important day.

Once he woke up, he slid out of bed taking care not to dislodge Yurika from where she lay, still asleep. He kept things simple; an enormous fan of blood-red roses in the bed beside her, fresh orange juice and champagne for mimosas, chocolate croissants from J,GOB's, and coffee bubbling away. Finally, Romeo put a folder of some papers on the bed beside her.

And then there was nothing to do but watch her sleep and hope she woke up before impatience killed him.

[OOC: For one. Dojima modded with permission.]

Comments

[withoutverona]

"You said yourself you might not be done with SOLOMON for a long time, if ever," Romeo countered. "I'm supposed to content myself with visits and vacations for years and hope you don't get shot for the sake of your giri? Romantic or no, we both know exactly how well that would work."

As in, not at all.

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

"Then what do you want me to do about it?" she yelled, throwing up her hands in frustration. "I can't quit! It doesn't work like that! And you don't have any right to ask me to!"

Quit your job, Yurika. Give up the one thing you've gained on your own merits, the one place you've ever been wanted for your own talents. Like hell.

[withoutverona]

"I have never, ever asked for that," Romeo answered, almost violently. "Ever. I would like you to, I've made no secret of that, but I know you won't walk away and you know I know that." He had yanked a shirt over his head, and his fingers were clenched on the hem.

"You job cannot mean I'm not allowed in Tokyo, though. That's absurd."

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

"I will be watched," Yurika hissed. "Not just by SOLOMON, but by Zaizen as well, the paranoid old bastard. At least until I convince him that I'm the worthless airhead that everyone thinks I am, and possibly even longer. I'm not going to paint a nice big target on your back."

Paranoid? Possibly. But that was one of the reasons that Yurika was so very good at her job.

[withoutverona]

"So after we graduate it's vacations and visits, all for my own good," Romeo sulked. "Fine. Fine. Should we bother dating for the next three months, or just call this a wasted year?"

He didn't entirely mean that, and his eyes fell on the ignored champagne and flowers.

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

Yurika just stood there for a moment, a stricken look on her face before she turned to flee.

Forget her shoes, her purse, anything else. She wasn't staying where she wasn't wanted.

[withoutverona]

"Yurika!" Romeo cried, reaching blindly for her arm. "I ... I didn't mean it. Please. Stay. We can worry about graduation at graduation."

Denial was their friend.

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

Yurika shook her head. "Which part? The wasted year, the bit about dumping me, or one of the other million things?" she asked quietly. "We can't pretend this didn't just happen, Romeo, or it will keep happening."

[withoutverona]

"We can't pretend," Romeo admitted, leaning in to touch his forehead to hers. "But can we just ... I don't know. Come back to bed, love, we can at least put off the hard decisions."

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

Yurika let herself be led back to the bed, still half-way tempted to just leave before it could get worse.

"I don't know what you want from me," she confessed, closing her eyes as she curled up against the pillows. "I just don't."

[withoutverona]

"I didn't think it was a secret," Romeo said, relaxing into her. "Your love, that's all."

He tried to kiss her gently to wash his hurt away.

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

"You know how I feel," Yurika sighed, twisting her fingers into the hem of his shirt as she fidgeted. "Don't be silly."

[withoutverona]

"I do," he answered. "Do you understand why it's all hard for me?"

He couldn't be more specific about what it was.

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

"I know that this isn't your first choice of situation for anyone, friend or girlfriend," Yurika joked weakly. "I get that, I do, but it's a little late for me to change it, aijin."

[withoutverona]

"And I know that," he said, stretching his foot along her leg. "It seems as though I keep asking for things you can't give. But I didn't mean that being with you was a waste."

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

She flinched slightly at 'waste', but forced herself to relax since he was trying to calm her.

"You don't ask for anything by halves, that's for sure," she answered. "I said I'd think about it, and I mean that, but... I need time, okay? I'm not exactly comfortable with the idea, for a lot of reasons."

[withoutverona]

"I know, Yurika," Romeo said, a little dully. "And I can give you time. But know it's hard for me, too, to see myself losing something I love so much."

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

"Who said anything about losing something?" Yurika asked, curling closer to nuzzle lightly at his neck. "No matter what, things are going to change, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. You aren't going to 'lose' me, I promise."

[withoutverona]

"You can't promise that," he told her, and moved in for a kiss as if that would be enough to make it not so.

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

Yurika had told him once that she wouldn't make promises she couldn't keep, and she meant that.

But kisses would probably speak better than words right now, considering how high emotions were running. She reached out to tug him closer and tangle her fingers in his hair. Kissing now, dealing with Life later.

Much later. Like, in six months or so. July sounded like a fantastic time to put off this conversation until.