By your window

8.

"You're a very talented musician" said Five one evening, after he'd been silently listening her practice for the better part of an hour. Marben flushed and sweetly smiled at him. "My sister's been endlessly pestering our Father about borrowing his violin, since she saw you playing for the press...oh, sorry about ruining it, by the way. The most sincere apologies from me and my siblings".
"Apologies accepted" the girl conceded, faking a haughty attitude, "Only because it wasn't really your fault: Myery and I got interrupted by a screeching woman among the public".
"Yes, but a bit of the blame goes to my brothers too. Diego and Klaus came in looking for girls". Five seemed to be a bit uncomfortable while saying it.
"And what about you?" Marben asked promptly, and although that made her blush she didn't take it back. "Didn't you come in...looking for girls?".
"Not really. Romance isn't really my thing...however, that ended up being one surprising day".
Marben's eyes shot up to find Five staring at her, with a surprisingly tender smile on his face. In that moment she felt like crying and screaming, and laughing out loud, and telling him he was the most exciting thing ever happened to her. Instead she smiled, bashful and radiant at once, put her violin down and reached Five on the windowsill, sitting by his side; he was still looking at her like she was something magical, so Marben rested her head on his shoulder and felt him vibrate with the sheer emotion that simple contact ignited.

"Is your father a musician too, then?" she asked softly after a while. Five felt like he was being forcibly torn from a pleasant dream.
"What? No! For some reason he owns a violin and that's all. I don't even think he can play" the boy said dismissively, not wanting to talk about his Father. Feeling suddenly jealous of his time spent with the blond girl, Five tried to dispel the gloomy aura evoked by his Father's name by clumsily resting his head on Marben's. He wasn't sure he was doing it right, but he immediately felt relieved.
"Mmmmh. Well, it's not for everyone: bow technique is a bitch, finger calluses too...and you need a swift left hand...".
"Yay, power to the lefties!". Marben ignored him, smirking.
"...elastic tendons and articular dexterity. Then come shoulder and back pains...".
"Cool. So what should I tell Vanya, if I wanted to cheer her up?" joked Five, resuming his usual irony after an uncharacteristically sweet moment; Marben looked up at him with a strongly passionate smile.
"That everything will be worth it".
'You are worth everything' thought Five, overpowered by the sudden impulse to lean down and kiss her rosy lips. Never before he had felt that compelled to kiss someone, or to act like the older boys and girls he'd seen on the streets and in the cafes, all grabby hands, languid eyes and kissing so ravenously it looked like they were trying to eat each other's faces off. It simply had never appealed to him. But now it did, it was new and Five wasn't scared in the slightest: he was actually feeling all warm and fizzing. So he did lean down, just a fraction, and Marben got the hint, she craned her neck...and kissed his cheek.
Five stayed there, torn between the glorious sensation of her lips on his face and the desolation of the cold night breeze on his own mouth; luckily, he was somewhat spared the embarrassment of having to look in the girl's eyes, for she immediately nested her head back on his shoulder.

"I could teach your sister some of the basics, if she wanted" whispered Marben, still focused on Vanya's interest in strings. But having his romantic leap ignored so blatantly had gotten Five bugged, so he wasn't interested in it anymore.
"Yes, that would be...very generous, of you". He cleared his throat and in the gentlest possible way slipped away from her.
"Sorry, but...I have to, uh, go. The old man could find out any moment that I'm not in my bed, and having to explain myself about it would surely be unpleasant".

With a strained smile that looked more like a grimace and a stiff nod, Five made to align his fists and jump, but Marben grabbed him swiftly by a wrist, making him turn in the process: without a single warning, a small and cold hand cupped his cheek, and smooth, strangely warm lips sealed themselves on his own. Five's eyes shot wide open for the surprise and he gasped, then closed them and relaxed as he felt Marben's lips latch more firmly. And then, it was glorious. A warm and gentle - if a bit clumsy - kiss in the quiet of the night, on a fire escape, exchanged by two teens too smitten with each other to utter a single world about it.

"I still love to kiss the moles on your dimple" Marben whispered fondly when they parted, tracing with her thumb the offending dimpled cheek that had stolen the previous kiss. Five smiled radiantly, and looking at her dazzled face, felt completely anew.

A/N: ...and at last, FINALLY A KISS! You're welcome. A lot of fluff is coming, I warn you. You'll get plenty of it.

I wish to send a sincere and devoted 'thank you' to whomever is paying attention to this little story. You're all very kind, and I think of you with fondness and gratitude.

Love.