Escape Velocity // The Flash

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Complete

In the room that is twilight and shadow Barry stood close enough for Mineko to breathe in his scent. His arms wrapped around her back and in one gentle pull their skin touched. Mineko felt his hand in her hair, how he loved the softness, watching it tumble as he released it. Then his hand moved down her cheekbones to her lips. This was their last day in Metropolis, and they hadn't had much time together since they arrived. It was the middle of the night now, and after returning from a fairly routine run, he had decided to make the most of having a room away from his father.

Mineko seemed a little hesitant though, and this was only confirmed when she stepped away from his touch. Barry's breath hitched at her reaction. Had he done something wrong? Had he insulted her or misread her? Anxieties riddled his mind. He had been wanting to be closer to her for so long that maybe he had overstepped a boundary. Barry inwardly cursed himself for his own recklessness.

"I'm sorry..." Barry gulped, hands falling in defeat at his sides. "I didn't mean to-"

Mineko shook her head. "It is not your fault. I should be the one apologising. I am just...I do not know how to say this."

Barry wanted to reach out to her and reassure her that her words wouldn't change how he felt, but he didn't want to scare her away by doing so... It had been so long since he'd been with anybody that he was out of practise. Not just physically but emotionally as well.

Thankfully, Mineko was strong. She didn't need support, only enough time to process how to express her feelings. Barry had granted her that, and she continued speaking a few seconds later. "Where, or when, I come from the...physical side of a relationship is much more controversial than it is here. You know that before I ran away and found the monastery, I was in training to become a Geisha - an escort. When you're old enough the people that paid for your training sell your virginity to the highest bidder. I wasn't there for long, but it is an accurate reflection on the opinions of people in my time. If you were not a virgin you were somehow lesser, tainted. No man would touch you or marry you. They had this obsession with being the first and only one to see a woman's body."

Barry attempted to understand but found it immensely difficult. Times had changed...so much so that these people Mineko spoke of sounded alien to him. He bit his lip and forced himself to respond. "So...you're afraid that if we do this and something happens, that no other man will want you?"

"No, you misunderstand." Mineko sighed. "I had resigned myself to a lonely life years before I met you. I did not ever think of finding a husband or settling down. I did not like the thought of being the lesser part of a relationship, or being wife to someone who participated in such degrading ideas. I suppose that is the problem...I never expected to meet someone like you. I never expected to actually want to be close to a man, because in my time the want or needs of a woman are not considered relevant. They simply had no choice. This era is different. You are different. I think I am just afraid of what that means."