A Taste of Forever (Katakuri x Reader)

Chapter 23 - Hon'nin Hon'nin no mi and Memo Memo no mi

With a towel wrapped around your body and another one around your head, you strolled from the bathroom to your closet.

The bath was a much-appreciated rest. You had to shower first to avoid bathing in dough, but the warm water soothed your muscles, and you appreciated the tranquillity of the moment. You couldn't remember the last time you had thoroughly soaked your body and while you were at it, you studied the smell of every bubble bath and bath salt that stood on the shelf until you eventually added some vanilla bath salt to the water.

It reminded you of Katakuri's cologne and that alone helped you relax.

At the sound of you walking across the living space, Katakuri shifted his attention from sharpening Mogura to you, and he was more than surprised to see you walk through the suite so casually, his grip around the trident tightening at the sight.

Leaned against the wall, he watched individual droplets of water drip down your legs while you stood in the closet, casually going through each of your drawers in search for a new set of clothes while you hummed to yourself.

He appreciated the real you, the relaxed you, the happily married you. The you that stayed hidden behind stress and sadness much too often. The you he hoped to see much more of in the future.

Upon settling on a comfortable set of jersey shorts and tank top, you turned around and your face flushed a deep red when you saw Katakuri quickly avert his gaze back to Mogura.

I saw that.

You were as flattered as you were flustered when you walked up to the door and shut it before you slipped on your new clothes. Onlya few moments later you reemerged from the closet, followed by you hanging upthe wet towel in the bathroom before climbing onto Katakuri's usual couch,which was located right next to his standing figure, holding the book in handyou had picked up along the way.

Resting your arm on his armrest, you softly ran your fingertips along the tall man's leg while your mind was already buried in the pages in front of you.

However, upon your first touch, Katakuri's muscles instantly tensed under your fingertips, and leaving you to retract your hand as you gazed up at him.

"You mind?"

He was silent for a moment, and you felt your heart sink into your stomach. You were looking forward to more physical intimacy and although he had never struck you as the overly physically affectionate man, the day before it had looked like he had really enjoyed giving and receiving physical intimacy. His body had seemed to have burnt for yours just as much as yours had for his. Plus, he had promised that you could act like a normal couple in private and to you, physical affection was part of it.

An involuntary and yet unmistakable frown transferred your frustration to your face, allowing Katakuri to quickly catch on to your change in demeanour. That wasn't what he was trying to communicate. To salvage the mood, he balanced his grinding stone and Mogura in one hand as he extended the other, wrapping it around yours and placing it back against his leg.

"No. Unusual, but not unwelcome."

His words made your heart breathe a sigh of relief, and with a smile returning to your lips, you returned to your previous position, softly stroking his leg while you were lost in your fictive love story.

The two of you spent some time in comfortable silence next to each other. The love story of your fictional characters had your full attention, while the sounds of Katakuri running the grinding stone along his trident's blades and the turning of your pages filled the room.