Foreign Ground (Yuzuru Hanyu)

10. Saitama Holiday

Lilis sat against the headboard and unsure, played I movie she rarely showed others. The last time she did it, it bit her back badly. But for some reason all it took was one glance at Yuzuru's open, expecting expression for her to decide to risk it, just what exactly did she have to lose?

The movie played in black and white and Yuzuru sat cross legged at the end of the bed, far away and his back facing her - cutting Lilis away. Maybe it was for the best, Lilis thought.

As the opening credits and the interlude to the film was happening before her eyes once again, he was quiet, and Lilis almost forgot he was there at all.

With the first few scenes, although they were forever amusing to her, he was mostly still. Then, as Audrey Hepburn started throwing a temper tantrum over her busy schedule, Yuzuru laughed - loud and high pitched, turned around and like a child pointed to the screen, asking for Lilis' attention.

"That's me!" he exclaimed.

All Lilis' worries disappeared in that moment and she only smiled and pointed back to the screen so that he doesn't miss the next important bit.

Lilis normally disliked people talking during films, to her it meant the person wasn't getting it, but this, Yuzuru, she didn't mind.

He laughed loud, even obnoxiously to the princess falling asleep like a drunk around the city and on the guy she just met. Just like before, his laugh rung through the room and right through her stomach, warming everything again. She wanted the movie to be even funnier, even more obscene, she couldn't wait for the next scene, and the next, his laugh growing more and more obnoxious every time and her - more and more content.

He would also, at random moments, read the Japanese subtitles out loud, mimicking the actors. But his personal commentary was the best bit.

"I'm so she."

"He's mean."

"No, don't do that!"

"I want to go Rome."

"Don't understand Italian." 

"Looks better short."

"She's pretty."

"Awwww"

And a lot in Japanese, which she didn't understand, but liked hearing anyways.

As the comedy toned down, Yuzuru got calmer with it, scooted back and lied down next to her, prompting his head on pillows. Lilis, eyeing his head, resting right next to her lap, completely aware of her actions, but unable to control her motions, simply, without permission, did what she had imagined doing that whole day — touched the tips of his hair at first, then removed it from his forehead, before completely diving her fingers in that wonderful black mess.

As she touched the skin of his forehead to get the fringe out of the way, she felt him stiffen beneath her and her heart grew restless as his eyes stopped reading the subtitles and froze somewhere in space, but it was to late to go back now. What did she have to lose anyways?

Her right hand brushed the hair back gently and it came to her as a surprise that that silk wasn't as smooth nor as soft as silk actually was. It was rather stiff and sharp and that surprising fact caused such joy, that in sudden excitement her hand grabbed a handful of locks and gently pulled on them to which he softly mumbled and closed his eyes.

Lilis smiled to herself, looked back to the screen as her hand continued to gently brush through. She felt like she had been let in on the most secretive of secrets. Just unlike his elegant demeanor suggested, he was tough and harsh on the inside, and just unlike his powerful presence suggested, he was approachable and down to earth in reality — like that, his seemingly fluffy, soft hair was instead like the fur of a terrier. Lilis giggled to herself at the thought of Yuzuru being a petite, annoying, but fierce dog. Yuzuru was full of unexpected traits. She wondered what kind of contradictions he was still keeping hidden away.