I Can't Stand You

A Piece of Paper - Katsu

"Hey."

Katsu was sitting on the counter when he arrived. It had been along night of... nothing. There was nothing to do but wait for Ebisu to come in. He was been out getting drinks with some friends, but he was finally here. But, he was here most nights, and had been for the past year.

"Hey, Handsome."

"Busy tonight?"

"Nope.  Completely dead.  How was training?"

"It was fine.  These new kids need a lot of work."

She grinned at him.

"I know you're just the man to condition them- why are you holding your arm like that?"

"One of them let a jutsu loose and blasted me.  Again. I wasn't expecting it."

"You never are.  Hold on."

She reached behind the counter and pulled out the tin of salve and a roll of gauze.  Rolling her eyes, she bandaged him.

Even a year later, he was still in awe of her, and she was deeply honored.  Soon he was wrapped and stuck in Katsu's grasp, her legs around his thighs as she held him against the counter and herself.  She cooed at him tenderly, telling him how much she missed him today. She had missed him a lot, apparently.

"Can I ask you something, Kat?"

"Of course."

He sounded a little hesitant.

"Where do you see our relationship going? Where do you want it to go?"

She smiled as she continued to bandage his arm.

"Honestly, I don't have any expectations. Nothing in my life has turned out the way I thought it would, so I just let it go and roll with it. What I have now is far better than anything I ever dreamed I could have: porn shop owner who makes her own money and hours was never in the plan. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. Our one year anniversary is coming up, and you know I'm not one for asking what my partner wants. If you have an expectation, I'd like to know. I don't want you waiting around for a proposal, but I also don't want to ask you to marry me and scare you, or make you feel like you have to do something you really don't want to do."

"Do you want to get married?"

"I don't care either way. That's why I'm asking."

She finished bandaging his shoulder.

"No, I don't really care about being the porcelain bride. I don't even have anyone I'd care to celebrate a marriage with, other than my partner. It's just a legal thing. And, unless some reason arises, I don't care if I'm ever married. As long as you're here and you're loving me, that's all I need. In my mind, you're already the partner on the end of my Red String. We don't need the paper to prove it."

He was grinning at her.

"I'm not going anywhere. We already live together. We share a life together. I never thought I'd find anyone as loving as you. Your love is fierce, and I'll love you for as long as you'll have me."

"That's going to be a long time."

"I'm ready."

She took off his glasses and gazed into his eyes. They were deep green and beautiful. And they were full of love for her. She meant it: she didn't need a piece of paper to prove that this man was her soulmate. If they were deciding to have a family and grow their clan or something, that would be a different thing, but two lovers with their own lives coming together to live and love: that didn't need anything but a verbal commitment. Besides, he was a private person, and she knew that he didn't go around bragging about her. He wanted to keep her close to himself and safe since he was an Elite Jonin. And that was fine: Ebisu was her delicious little secret that she didn't go around talking about, either. People could know, and some people did know, but they weren't shouting it from the rooftops.