I Tripped and Fell in Love With You

Chapter 9: Support

Laying back to back, Obito yanked the bed sheets from Emi's grasp and crossed his arms over his chest to secure his hoard.

"We agreed you would hold me in the mornings," he stated.

"Yeah, but I wanna be the little spoon right now," she whined, curling into a ball. Her obnoxious teeth-chattering did not sway the steely man. He shook his head and denied her material comforts.

"You were the little spoon yesterday morning too. It's my turn. Suck it up." He wiggled closer, squishing her. The imminent threat of her skin touching the exposed metal below the window on the back door drew nearer.

Groaning, kicking her feet, calling him a baby, tossing and turning. She made a big show of rolling over and snuggling up to the big oaf. At the first contact of her cold nose on his hot back, a content sigh left her mouth and she ran her lips over the mottled skin between his shoulder blades.

The way their bodies fit together when she was the big spoon was imperfect. His too-broad back blocked her view. It forced her cheek to press against his slight muscles, instead of admiring them from afar. Her neck ached at his expanding breaths. Due to their height difference, his butt rested on her thighs. None of it was convenient, but she'd put up with the neck cramps and inability to breathe correctly if it meant Obito felt loved.

Emi used all brain power to channel her just-woken-up strength into her flaccid arm around his middle and crushed him to her small frame. He had let go of the sheets, but she didn't take them. His warmth was adequate.

Obito fanned his fingers over her hand grazing his stomach and laced them, bringing them up his chest to sit over his heart. The muscle that beat for her.

The moment his eyes opened this morning, anxiety prickled him in itchy sweat. Today would be promising, or rather, he promised much to today. And he wasn't sure if he could live up to it, and her expectations.

"Let me know when you're ready to get up," she said.

He moved her hand up to his parched mouth, sliding her smooth fingernails over his lips. Fidgeting while his brain assaulted him and went blank all at once. He tried to soothe himself by brushing the nails back and forth, back and forth, jamming her knuckles under his chin until his gum stung. The pain. Her touch. Fuck, anything to drown out the terror of his thoughts.

"Just a few more minutes."

~~~

Dry desert transformed to open flat lands of cracked soil. Greenery interrupted the dirt in patches, starting small, then grew from withered trees to rolling hills, to ancient Redwoods streaking the powder blue sky as it opened for the majestic mountains. Creeks slithered along the road and under bridges where natural waterfalls surged. The van climbed, dipped, and climbed again. Their ears popped.

Deducing a family of baby turtles could've beaten them in a race, Emi parked at a fast food restaurant to give the van a break, noting the wisps of smoke coming from the brake pads as she went inside.

"Ow, ow, ow-"

Obito leaned forward to rise from the table just as the door was kicked open and Emi leapt in, hissing, cursing, face full of scorn directed at the two paper cups in her outstretched hands. The dark liquid licked the underside of the lid as she dropped them on the table and waved her hands in the air to cool them off.

"They ran outta the cardboard sleeve things so I just carried them." She clicked her tongue and shut the door. "That's what I get for feeling guilty about using their Wi-Fi without buying something.

"So, did you narrow it down?" Emi asked, flopping next to him. Her knee knocked the corner of the table, sending the coffee sloshing; she glared at it to stop, and it did.