driftfleet | (no subject)

[Okay, that has her attention. Kirito turning down food (at least for the moment) is cause for concern in her book. She takes a step back, arms sliding away from his shoulders until both hands are resting there. Her eyes meet his, and they're questioning. Almost worried.]

Yes, of course. Nothing happened, right? You're okay?

What? No, no! I mean, everything's fine! Probably.

[Wait, that sounded bad, too. He exhales through his nose, exasperated with himself, and reaches down to take her hand, guiding her out of the kitchen.]

Just let me show you...

[Instinctively, her fingers intertwine with his, and she can't help but giggle a little at his now apparent nervousness. Asuna squeezes his hand in reassurance as she nods to follow him.]

Of course. I'm just glad you're all right.

I haven't been doing anything dangerous today.

["Today" being the keyword there, but neither of them need him to say that part out loud. He leads her all the way to her room instead of his, pausing outside the door, fidgeting nervously.]

Hey, before you go in... if you don't like it, you don't have to keep it, okay? If it's in the way, or... anyway, just say so.

Hm? [If she wasn't too curious before, she really is now. Asuna tilts her head slightly at his statement.] Sure...

[She lets go of his hand and crouches down to open the hatch to her room, then descends the ladder, expecting him to follow her. Once her feet are on the floor, she looks up at him curiously. And when he's by her side again, she glances around her room.]

[He's quick to follow her down, eager to see her reaction, for better or worse. Thankfully she'd waited for him, and he offers up a grateful smile and points out to the rest of the room- more specifically, the new addition to one corner.

Tucked against a wall, resting on a short table, is a vertical glass tank full of water, with some sand, colourful stones, and kelp decorating the bottom. Inside the tank are two fish.]

[Being in such close proximity makes it easy for him to hear her soft gasp when she sees where he's pointing. The room is lit, of course, but there's a softer, slightly different shade coming from the tank. Asuna walks over to it, almost mesmerized, and crouches down to get a better look at the fish inside. A giggle escapes her.

Eventually, she turns her head to look at Kirito--whether he joined her by the tank or not-- with a big smile on her face, one grateful and touched by his actions. He done did good.]

You did all this?

[The relief is palatable in his expression- from the look on her face, she does like it, which means he gets to show some of the enthusiasm he'd been holding back until he knew whether or not it was a good idea.]

Yeah... I mean, it started off as just the one fish, but the other one looked so pretty I thought it'd suit you well, and since you just got here you don't have as much to put in your room...

[He trails off before he starts to really ramble too much, scratching his cheek.]

So, you like it?

[JUST TO BE SURE]

[Asuna reaches up and grabs his arm, all but yanking him down to her level. Her free hand moves to cup his cheek as she moves in for a kiss, lips pressing to his slightly more urgently than she intended. Still, it's perfectly fine.

The hand on his arm moves to grip the front of his shirt to tug him a little closer, and she leans into him with a happy hum.

Boy did good.]

[Okay, yup, message received loud and clear. He returns the kiss without hesitation, his arm winding around her to keep her close rather self-indulgently. Only when they draw back does he grin, leaning in to touch his forehead to hers.]

Wanna see the best part?

[His eagerness in showing her more after that kiss earns a huff of amusement against his cheek. She kisses the tip of his nose, then leans back to simply nestle beside him as she look at the tank.]

As long as no one has to move much, I'd love to.

Not much, I promise.

[He's not too inclined to let go, either, but he does reach up with one hand to lift the tank up, sliding it back a few inches, and taps his fingers to the water a few times to alert the fish. They float up curiously, bubbling at the surface for a moment, and then abruptly hop out of the water entirely to float through the air as if still swimming.]

[This gets another light gasp, and she turns her head to follow them around the room as much as she can. A happy giggle soon follows when the darker fish comes to poke at her ear. It twitches, causing the fish to abruptly turn and swim-fly away before warily approaching again.]

Kirito-kun, it's wonderful. [Asuna faces him to plant a soft kiss on his jawline, just below his ear, knowing he likes that spot. A quiet whisper follows.] Thank you.

[Pulling back, something pops into her head.] Oh, do they have names?

A-ah... you're welcome. I'm glad you like it.

[Between her words and the spot she kissed, he can't help a shiver, his arm tightening a little around her. Mission accomplished, apparently.]

Names? Oh... I hadn't thought of any. I figured you might want to name them yourself.

[He's giving them to her, after all. Naming them would be kind of presumptuous.]

[The tightening of his hold causes her chuckle and snuggle up against him once more. Still there, the two of them sitting on the floor of her room, she watches the fish circle around and poke at things as they see fit.]

Mn, well, I'd like you to name one, too. They're something we can take care of together. [Asuna shifts, now positioned slightly in front of him, so she rests her head back against him.]

I'd like to name the black one.

[Kirito keeps an arm around her middle, reaching his free hand out to one of the fish as it floats nearby, gently bobbing its nose. It nibbles on his finger rebelliously.

The thought of naming one is a bit intimidating - he's so, so bad at that sort of thing - but he really can't say no to her.]

Okay... have you got something in mind?

[She knows he can't say no, and it's actually sort of endearing to her. Asuna reaches up with one hand, waiting for a moment, until the black fish makes its way over and begins to circle her.]

I do. [As she slowly lowers her hand, the fish follows, eventually settling on floating around in abstract patterns around her.]

I'm calling him Kazu. [Yes, there is a little smugness in her voice. But it's sweet.]

[ashgkjsdf w h y]

A-Asuna! You can't be serious!

I am. Because sometimes I think you need a reminder, it's not simply Kirito the black swordsman that I care about-- it's all of you that I fell in love with. Hopefully this won't let you forget that so easily.

[Her free hand goes to take hold of his that's holding her to him, snuggling against him again.]

Are you still against it?

[Say yes. She dares you.]

[...O-oof. She's really got him there. He should thank her and say something romantic in return.]

You're not comparing me to a fish, are you...?

[But first he'll say something stupid, because it's the first thing that pops into his head.]

[A huff and a little shove with her elbow is the response he gets first.]

Maybe if we're talking about your simplemindedness at times... Jeez.

[Oh, Kirito. Fix this.]

[y-yes ma'am.]

I-I mean...! It's fine if you are, I can see where... er... that is, I know what you mean.

[Okay, okay, backpedal, what was he trying to say again? Deep breath.]

That is... thanks. I get it... Kazu's, uh. It's a good name. I won't forget.

[Asuna heaves a sigh, (once again) resigned to his inability to keep a moment romantic. But she knew that going into the relationship. And the fish tank and new additions is pretty impressive. Overall, this one's a win for him.]

I know it is. Now you can name the other one, and we're all set.

[one day he'll learn to stay on top instead of just barely surviving an encounter. one day, surely.]

Ah.... I'm bad with names. Can I think about it for a while?

Nope. You're stuck here until you come up with a good one.

[Because he's in such a horrible situation right now. Yep.]