wanderlust | s. itoshi

Thirty seven

SAE'S BROWS FURROWED in concentration as he tilted [y/n]'s head upwards with his thumb and index, ignoring the way his entire body tingled with a feverish heat while he skillfully swiped a gloss of vibrant red over her lips.

His fingers lingered for an appreciable amount longer than necessary, the calloused pads brushing lightly along her warm skin before he sharply exhaled, tearing his hand away with such reluctance that one would think it hurt to not touch her.

Hastily twirling the lipstick back down into its cylindrical container, he clicked the top back on and slipped it into his pocket. 

"How do I look?"

A single sentence was all it took for his breathing to develop a stutter as he reveled over her appearance like it was it was the culmination of all the good karma he'd earned over his past thousand reincarnations.

The pair were currently at a local fair after sneaking outside post-practice, and although it was far too crowded for people not to eventually recognize them, both were far too immersed with the other to care.

"Breathtaking." Sae could barely muster a reply back, his voice trembling ever so slightly as he forced himself to swallow the spit that had started to collect in his mouth.

[y/n] wasn't making it any easier when she leaned closer, an amused lilt to her voice after having clearly caught onto his fluster, "how so?"

His black sunglasses sat perched daintily atop her nose bridge, placed there as a result of the male's persistent concern that the sun's glare would somehow strain her vision.

However, seeing as to how the sun had long set, she lifted them up, and upon being able to indulge in the full beauty of the vivid emerald eyes she loved dearly, her lips tugging upwards to form a delicate arc that short-circuited his brain.

Only then did Sae realize how terribly he'd messed up by volunteering to retouch her makeup because the temptation of her painted lips wasn't something he could survive.

All he could think about was what it would take for her to finally cover him head to toe in that rouge like he nothing more than her personal barbie doll.

"I- you..." he stumbled over his answer, the crinkle of her eyes paired with her teasing smile sending his heart sent into an unexpected flurry of somersaults and leaving him in a broken daze. As his wide eyes flickered between her ruby lips and her playful [e/c] hues, the poor boy could barely even register the sudden warmth that bloomed across his cheeks.

So badly—so terribly, maddeningly badly—he wanted her lips against his, kissing him until he was drunk on her taste and too weak to stand.

Ever since their little "fight" and subsequent reconciliation, Sae had made sure to be on his best behavior—to avoid anything that would even hint at a repeat of what happened with Mateo.