Bungou Stray Dogs ~ One-shots

[Chuuya xR] A new world (2/2)

(Contains mentions of blood!)
   
    
  
Over the past few months, he had returned to the bar regularly, sometimes even for days at a time. So much so that Kumiko had begun to call him by his first name, and so had he.

When he was in that place with its sober shades and amber lights, he felt as if he were in a completely different world from the one he actually lived in. The blood and violence of his work no longer existed here, and he felt as if he were just an ordinary person in this infinite universe.

In Kumiko's eyes, barely breathing in the aroma of coffee that reigned in her establishment, and seeing the smile of her owner, he felt like a normal person, and at the same time unique. She now sat with him almost every time, when the bar was not too crowded, and talked with him for hours if she had the chance.

He was aware that he sometimes said things that he should never have said to someone outside the Mafia, but he felt that he needed to tell her bits of his daily life, in order to lighten the weight that rested heavily on his shoulders, but without revealing to her what his work actually consisted of. Kumiko was content to listen to him with a benevolent smile, asking him from time to time a few questions about what he was saying, which he decided to answer or not.

One night, like any other, he did not know what had taken him. He had let his thoughts speak for him, and had invited the pretty waitress to have dinner with him. She had looked surprised by this sudden request, before a slight blush came to enhance her beautiful smile.

"I would love to, Chuuya!"

He had felt his heart swell with joy at the answer, which even the whining and incessant nagging of that bastard Dazai couldn't make it dry up when he returned to work the next day. He was looking forward to this new meeting with Kumiko, the young woman who had been occupying most of his thoughts lately.

As expected, the young woman looked beautiful in her "civilian" clothes. The waitress uniform suited her, certainly, but less than the dress she wore during their rendez-vous. He had the pleasant and exhilarating feeling of being unique, while he had the chance to observe Kumiko as she was in everyday life.

Their dinner was like a dream. Chuuya had of course booked the best table in a big, fancy restaurant, where even the price of the chair they had to sit on would have been enough to make anyone faint.

Kumiko had been quite uncomfortable at first to be in such a place, but as the evening went on she had put that aside and concentrated on the meal itself, whether it was the delicious food, the equally good wine, or the conversations she had with Chuuya.

When they had gone out, Chuuya had noticed that the young woman was wobbling slightly, and that her eyes were closing by themselves. When he came to put his hands on Kumiko's shoulders to prevent her from falling, he also realized that his date's cheeks were flushed.

She must certainly not be used to drinking alcohol, he concluded, feeling slightly guilty, but smiling nonetheless as he saw the one Kumiko was addressing to him, her eyes sparkling in the light of the street lamps and the stars, firmly anchored in his.

She was beautiful. Without hesitation. In the silence, interspersed only with the distant sounds of cars, he could have sworn he could hear his heart beating a little louder as her hand rested gently on his cheek, which flushed red at the touch.

Kumiko looked at him with a particular gleam in her alcohol-weary eyes that he could not define. His own blue eyes opened wide as her lips touched his, as Kumiko's hands came to rest on his shoulders, before they slid around his neck as her body pressed against his.

He did not know how to react at the time, too disconcerted and taken by surprise by the sesudden actions, which he had absolutely not seen coming. More than ever, he could smell the aroma of coffee lingering on the skin of the young woman, pressed against his. The hands that played absentmindedly with the red locks of his hair triggered something in him, so much so that his arms moved of their own accord to surround Kumiko's waist, responding favorably to the kiss.