◇Fighting Fate◇ : Kougami Shinya x [Reader] : Psycho Pass

Chapter 14

Tik. Tok. Tik. Tok.

Although the kitchen was occupied by two best friends, the only noise that can be heard was the grandfather clock stationed beside the dining table. [Name], seated on one side of the table, silently ate her breakfast in a mechanical fashion. She prolonged her chewing and never looked Shinya in the eye, seeing as how his rugged morning look was far too drool-worthy. When she wasn't focusing on her breakfast, her eyes would unconsciously drift up and gaze at his lips, the same ones that passionately kissed her late last night. All she could think about was the way he roughly--

"Staring isn't going to clear the air," Shinya commented when he caught one of her glances.

She flinched and dropped her utensil, "Y-Yeah."

He sent her a scowl. "Well?"

She couldn't piece together a sentence when her feelings were still running rampant. How could she express them? He kissed her passionately, and it was something she had always wanted. His feelings were now clear and so were hers. They should be celebrating, but this was a friendship they both valued. Nothing could be expressed easily, not even Shinya was able to procure one complete sentence on how he felt.

Once again, she eyed him, but this time she noticed how guarded he was with her. He wasn't the only one since she too was on edge with the matter. However, seeing him like this made her want to lessen the tension. "Breakfast is delicious," she spoke up timidly.

He quietly agreed with her and resumed eating. She stared at him with disbelief and felt disheartened at the drop of the subject. The confusion was apparent, and she wanted to know how to proceed with their friendship. It was impossible to think that they could return to normal. That kiss was there, like an elephant in the room, and someone had to address it. With a surge of confidence, she continued on.

"I--"

"What?"

She cleared her throat as she suddenly became nervous. "Were you drunk?"

His guarded expression fell. "Why would you say that?" he softly responded.

She shifted in her chair as she tried to choose her words carefully. "Because... You kissed me, and I was happy that you did." Her cheeks heated up with embarrassment at the admission of her feelings.

The silence in the room only fueled her paranoia, but she refused to elaborate on her statement. It would make her faint from embarrassment, and then this would all have been for nothing. Her feelings were blatantly out there, and he couldn't deny not knowing them. They were going to solve their dilemma right here, right now. "Well?"

"Are you sure about that?"

"About what?" she groaned.

"About the kiss."

The screech of her chair being pushed back resonated within the house as she stood abruptly. "Fine, Shinya. You could have just said that you don't want to be together," she muttered.

Taking her bowl and utensils, she traveled to the sink to wash her plates. As the water ran, she choked back the tears of rejection but failed as they spilled down her cheeks. She didn't know she cared this much about how he felt. They've been friends for almost five years, and now was when she realized how desperate she was to be much more than that.

When she felt the warmth of Shinya's hand encircle her wrist, she tried to hold back a whimper. "[Name]."

"Shinya, we're going to be late for work. Let's hurry," she fussed.

"No, you're misunderstanding what I meant," he sighed as he turned her body around. When they made eye contact, his eyes widened. "Shit, did I make you cry?"

She frowned and ignored his question. "What was there to misunderstand?"

He clicked his tongue. "Look, I'm not good at this," he started, "but I asked that because I'm not exactly the poster child of what a boyfriend should be." Her response was a giggle. "What?"

"You said boyfriend."

He exhaled harshly but erupted into a smile. "I did."

"Does that mean that maybe we can be... together or something?"

His urge to claim what he wanted burned his body. If she became his, he wouldn't have to worry about any pesky men trying to seduce her. The idea made his heart throb, and he couldn't help himself in enjoying another taste of her lips. He pushed her back towards the sink and captured her lips. It wasn't as heated as last time, but rather sensual and loving.

She responded in the same fashion, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer. The kiss represented much more than just their lust. No, this was an ode to the many more kisses to come and the beginning of a new relationship. A relationship that should have happened years ago, but now that they were finally at this point.

"Coooongratulations~" the AI sang, interrupting their moment.

Shinya growled as he turned to shut their home butler off, but his anger fell at the sight of his mom. "W-What the hell?"

"If you guys got together, I programmed the AI to make a cake in celebration," Toumo explained as she held the pastry with a large smile. Scribbled on the cake were the words 'congratulations, lovebirds!'

"That's creepy," Shinya sighed as he shook his head with disbelief.

"But sweet," [Name] laughed.

"Do you want to celebrate now or--"

"We have to get to work," Shinya cut his mother off as he dragged [Name] down the hallway.

The young woman just stared at him in awe, the antics of his mother long forgotten and in the back of her mind. All she could do was marvel at the fact that Kougami Shinya was finally her boyfriend.

>>>>

"You two are late," Gino growled as he watched his two friends waltz into HQ, slightly out of breath.

"Sorry, it's been a long morning," the [h/c] woman laughed as she sent Gino a grin. "But what else do you expect from me?"

His annoyance was quick to dissipate at the validity of her question. She was the queen of tardiness after all. "Che," he clicked his tongue as he turned on his heel. "Let's go, Shinya. We have to report in."

"What? There's another job?" Shinya questioned as he began to follow Gino. However, he froze in a matter of seconds and returned to his girlfriend's side. "I'll see you later, okay?"

[Name] blushed as sweat accumulated in her palms. She didn't know how to say goodbye to him since relationships weren't exactly her forte. All she had was her trial with Gino and a few disastrous first dates to fall back on. "O-Okay. Be safe."

Gino watched the two with mild interest. Usually, they conversed in such a laidback manner, but this looked... "You two are acting suspicious."

"EH? NU-UH!" she exclaimed.

Shinya sighed, "That makes it even more suspicious." He turned to Gino, "We're sorta together now."

Gino narrowed his eyes as he inspected his two friends. It seemed that the vague explanation on the subject left him confused, but upon noticing the slight flush on their cheeks, he realized what Shinya meant. "Well, I hope it doesn't affect your ability to perform."

"What a shitty response, Gino," [Name] grumbled. "Usually people say congratulations."

The bespectacled man quirked a rare smirk. It was his only response as he returned to his travels back into HQ.

Shinya let out a throaty laugh, "That's as good as it gets with him."

"I know," she mumbled. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you."

She watched Shinya follow his friend down the hallway until they were out of sight. With a long exhale and her head in a daze, she traveled towards Unit 2's room to begin her day. It was going to be a long day, but she didn't mind one bit. Not when she could come back to Shinya.