At the Finish Line [Haiji Kiyose] - Run With the Wind

twenty-nine - "distracted"

Closing the door, tugging her shoes off and placing them to the side, Chiyo brushes the hair out of her face and walks down the hallway and into the kitchen.

She smiles upon seeing Haiji stood by the sink drinking a glass of water. "Hey, you."

"Hey, did you say goodbye to Hisa and Hayato?" He asks, filling the glass up again.

She nods. "I watched them get on the train home. I think their kids will be happy to see them."

Agreeing, Haiji places the glass of water on the side, resting his hands on the work surface behind himself as he looks at her. "It was nice to see you and her together. It reminded me of high school."

Chiyo grins. "She's the coolest. She has my dad's honesty like me, but the sass to go with it. If I could be like anyone, it would be her."

Haiji gently shakes his head. "You shouldn't say that. Yeah, your sister's great and you both get on really well. But you're you. I don't think you should want to be anyone else but yourself."

She crosses her arms. "You keep telling me things like that, Haiji."

"Then how many times do I need to say it for it to get into your head?" He jokes.

Taking a step forward, Chiyo reaches a hand to his cheek, her eyes studying his face. "I think a few more times."

"Well, maybe you should get it into your head and I wouldn't have to keep telling you." He cocks an eyebrow.

Her thumb strokes his jaw, his eyes closing and his lips parting. She brings her other hand up to his neck, placing a gentle kiss below his bottom lip.

"What are you doing?" Haiji asks, his voice raspy.

She looks up at him, her eyelashes grazing his skin. "I'm not sure. I wanted to talk to you, but I can't keep my hands off of you."

"That's not a bad thing." He mummers, his hands stroking her sides.

As quickly as their lips almost touch, they're pulling apart as they hear the sound of footsteps outside the kitchen.

Shindo raises the curtain and smiles at the pair. "Hey, Haiji? Can you come and check out some stuff for the website quickly?"

He clears his throat, glancing at Chiyo from the corner of his eye. "Of course. You're not going to bed yet?"

"I wanted to get a head start on some of the emails we've been receiving about interviews," Shindo explains. "I thought I'd talk to you before mentioning anything in front of the other guys."

Haiji agrees, taking another quick swig of water, before following after Shindo. He lifts the curtain, looking back at Chiyo. "I'll see you in the morning."

She sends him a curt nod as he leaves, raking a hand through her hair.

-

Staring up at the ceiling, hands by her sides and laying on the mattress in her room, Chiyo purses her lips. She flexes her toes, listening to the quiet sounds of the house, accompanied by her fingers tapping on the floor and her steady breathing.

The only other thing she can hear is the sound of Haiji leaving Shindo's room, soft footsteps on the wooden floor of the corridor and then his door opening and closing.

Sitting up in her bed, she pushes her hair out of her face, throws the cover off her bare legs and stands up. She opens her door, quietly pulling it closed behind herself and tip-toeing over to Haiji's room.

Taking a few deeps breaths, Chiyo raises a hand to the door, knocking three times and lowering her hand to her side.

She hears him moving around inside and he opens the door, a surprised look on his face. "Chiyo?"