The Hero and the Damsel

First Kiss

            I blushed as Toshinori held me in his large, strong arms. I felt so secure in those arms. Safe. "Y-You don't mind me c-calling you A-Ayano, right?"

I smirked, attempting to turn myself to face him. "I prefer it to you breaking up with me." I gave a bit of a sigh as I rested my head against his forehead. "You are so bad at romance Toshinori." After a moment, I gave a grin at the feeling of his face heating up. I gathered this was most likely because I said his first name. However, my grin didn't last long as I started to go into another one of my coughing fits.

Toshinori quickly and carefully put me down, resting one of his large hands squarely on my back. "A-Ayano...?" I gave a slight glance up at him, as one of my hands was clutched to my chest. I could see the deep amount of concern in those wonderful, caring blue orbs. "This cough hasn't gotten better, or left? I'm starting to worry...considering..." I noticed his eyes drift from focusing on mine to what I could only assume was the thin, white scar across my already pale neck.

He seemed pained. I hated that expression on his face. I hesitated, leaving my hand on my chest as I attempted to collect myself, breathing calmly to work through the coughing. Toshinori rubbed my back in small circles, probably hoping to soothe me and my coughing as well. After a minute or two, I was calmly breathing, a bit shallow, but I wasn't coughing anymore at least. I released my chest, going to place my small hand on his Adonis-like chest. "Don't worry about me Babe. I'm sure it's...nothing. And stop staring at my scar."

Toshinori hung his head. He stood there a moment before taking my hand on his massive chest into one of his hands. He held it tightly in his as he spoke, "If I had been there a sooner..."

I gave a bit of a groan as I shook my head. "Toshinori, don't start with that again." I held his hand in a manner I hoped was reassuring and comforting to him. "I'm fine."

I watched him shake his head as it hung there, before he let go of my hand in favor of picking me up once more. He lifted me up to be eye level with him, the motion making me feel weightless. However, when I reached his eye level, I saw the face he was making and that weightless feeling all but vanished. "I'm still worried Ayano...I-I'm worried about my b-beautiful girlfriend..."

I flushed. He had a way of saying such things like that so effortlessly. All I desired to do was hide my embarrassed face. I readjusted myself to lean forward, placing my head into the crook of his strong, firm neck. As I did the action, I gave a muffled reply. "Idiot...How can you say something like that without a stutter or blush, but the moment I bring up your underwear, you start stammering and getting red?"

As if on cue, I felt the heat of his embarrassment rising as his arms tensed and held me closer. "M-M-Must you always b-bring that up?"

I glanced up to see his embarrassed expression. He was really adorable like this. To think a man of his stature...adorable. He was though. All flushed and embarrassed like this, such a dorky. I couldn't help but smile at him. "You're such a dork."

He blushed more as he walked over to the couch and sat down, keeping me in his arms. "I-I'm not a dork. First you say I babble...a-and now I'm a dork. Why can't you ever say anything nice to me?"

I tensed. I guess...I never did really say many nice things to him. Here he was, always complimenting my appearance and how brave and smart I am. Daring and begrudgingly reckless. I...never even told him that I liked him. Hm...I never thought about this from his perspective. I always just kind of did my own thing. But! I did do that little thing when he face-bumped me. Perhaps it was time I start being more honest with him.

I adjusted myself in his lap so I could face him properly. I was determined to say something nice. His crystal blue eyes watched me with anticipation as his hands released me from the hug and rested at my hips with some slight shaking. I opened my mouth to speak and give him a reassuring compliment. I felt my face starting to turn red, his hands were still trembling on my hips. "You're shaking."

He nodded as he left his hands on my hips. "I-I-I always shake when I hold you. I-I-I don't want to hurt you."

I nodded as I starting blushing more. "So...s-something nice. Well, um..." I started frantically looking around. Is this how I always made him feel? He was turning the tables on me, this wasn't fair! Compliment! Compliment! Something nice! "I...think it's really cool that you...s-s-such a nice g-guy and all."

I sat there, my face completely flushed as I stammered out the compliment. I felt the hands on my waist lift as the expression on his face changed to laughter. Loud laughter, but not his obnoxious laughter. He...found my compliment funny. Ass! I immediately started lightly hitting him. "You ass! That took a lot for me to say!"

He kept laughing as he looked at me. "Sorry Ayano, it's just you are always telling me that I need better adjectives and yet you gave me that as a compliment."

I grit my teeth, my mouth set in a determined line as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well, you threw me off my game. I wasn't ready for you to ask for something like that. I didn't have a compliment in mind and I didn't want to go with the generic response of what a fine drink of water you are."

He started to collect his laughter as he looked at me. "A what?"

I looked at Toshinori as I grinned. "You know, a fine drink of water, a hot guy." I leaned forward, uncrossing my arms as I wrapped my arms over his shoulders and around his neck. I rested my head near his ear as I whispered, "A fine piece of ass."

As I pulled away, Toshinori's face was bright red as he looked at me with amazement at what I said. "A-Ayano!"

I snorted as I started laughing as I rested my head against his chest. "Pay backs a bitch Babe!"

He wrapped his arms around me once more, trapping me in his lap and clutches. "A-A-Ayano...y-you're t-teasing me all the time...c-c-can't I tease back? I noticed you get r-really red when I catch you off guard. Your blush is cute."

I hesitated and moved myself to be staring at his blue eyes deeply. "When did you find that out?" I was nearly demanding an answer with the tone I gave. Assertive.

He quickly responded, "When you got those clothes from the clothing store. I picked you up and told you that you looked alluring and your face was bright red."

I started blushing again as I stared at him in disbelief. "H-How did you n-notice?"

Toshinori smiled at having caught me off-guard again. "Mirror." He remained hugging me tightly. After a moment though, I started coughing again. I tilted my head down, attempting to cough into my hands.

Toshinori quickly released me and placed his hand on my back. "S-Sorry...was that too tight? I-I-I'm sorry Ayano...S-So s-sorry..."

I waved my hand, trying to demonstrate that I was okay. It took another minute for me to calm my coughing down. I sat there, rubbing my other hand on my chest. "Ah...that hurt." I glanced up at Toshinori with gentle eyes.

I guess he interpreted my glance as something else because in one moment I felt his hand on my back, but a moment later I felt his large hand cupping my face, carefully. He was trembling again. The blush was ever visible on his face, however it seemed worse than usual. Toshinori lifted my head with care as, his hand remaining on my cheek he was pulling me closer to his warm face. I closed my eyes in embarrassment. I could feel his breathing against me, and then, in a moment I couldn't feel his breath.

Instead, I felt something rough lips press against mine. They were hesitant, shaking, but ever so gentle. At first, I pulled back, frightened and confused, but as Toshinori's hand pulled me closer to him, I melted into the kiss immediately. My arms instinctively finding their way over his shoulders to pull him closer to me. As a made the motion, I felt his hand on my cheek stop shaking as another hand snuck around me and lifted me a bit by resting and slightly pressing up on the small of my back.

After deepening the kiss, he slackened his hold of me and the kiss ended. I was in a fuzzy haze as I just grinned like an idiot. "I-I like you so much Toshinori..."