Disclaimer: I do not own Mai Hime, Sunrise does.
Last time I updated anything was almost 4 years ago, so forgive me if I'm a bit rusty. This is actually a small fic to get out of my author's block. Enjoy!
There they go at it again, Natsuki thinks absent-minded as she watches through the open crack of the window on the seventh floor of the building. She's on her lunch break, half perched on the window-still of her office, one leg dangling and the other bent, knee touching the glass she's spying through; it's a rather secluded place, so she's confident no one will come and bother her, adding to the fact that people stopped seeking her out for company long ago due to her coldness towards strangers.
It's a sort of ritual by now, her coming to this isolated corner to relax and watch the outside world for a few minutes. Here, the smell of smoke is minimal, the nicotine inhaled by her co-workers does not invade her nostrils, she doesn't have to put up with unnecessary chit-chat and gossip, or pretend she's at least interested in the latest news.
She also gets a few good snickers from her spot. She didn't realize it at first, what with her head in the clouds and her general non-existent knowledge of addresses and directions, but her girlfriend's building is right across from hers, and she loves it.
There are two reasons for this: the first is that she gets to see her most precious person more often. She's not one to divulge her feelings or demonstrate much, God forbid if it happened in front of others and they mistook it as a sign to get closer to her because they discovered she actually feels things. She doesn't celebrate the typical coupley days, nor does she go to great lengths to show her affections to her partner. However, she is also human, and she finds a sense of peace whenever she can catch a glimpse of her beloved Shizuru.
She's usually too into her own work to notice; she hasn't, to Natsuki's knowledge, found out about her occasional escapades to this place. It's a sort of relief to Natsuki; this is her corner, her own bubble, from here she can watch her partner at ease in her environment.
People often mistake Shizuru for an all-smiles woman, a sensible being always ready to solve whatever may come her way with the subtlety of an aristocrat. There may be some truth to that; it's certainly the way she portrays herself to most people, but Natsuki knows better. Although reluctantly, her partner has shown her her deepest parts, acknowledging the fact that, as Natsuki so bluntly pointed out, you just cannot have trust if you do not want the other person to see you.
There is a second reason for Natsuki to sneak out and people-watch her partner, and it's far from any stalker-ish reason anyone would come up with if they saw her now. She's not checking in on her like a controlling idiot. She's secure in their relationship, in Shizuru and the bond they share. It is a much simpler reason.
Natsuki smirks. As if the universe responds to her musings, she catches sight of a young woman approaching Shizuru. She's seen her a couple times already during her breaks. Nice looking, confident gait, smile in place at all times. This one is persistent, she will give her that. Which is why she's so entertaining to watch.
The woman becomes more confident as Shizuru lifts her gaze from her computer screen. Her lips curl up in a pleasant smile the moment the older woman tilts her head in a greeting nod. She sets some papers on Shizuru's desk and gets a bit closer than professionalism requires. Her calves tighten as she uses the tip of her toes to gain height and peek over Shizuru's shoulder. Natsuki sees her lips move rapidly as she leans on close to her partner.
There's tension in the air, anyone privy to this spectacle would notice; however, it's just Natsuki, Shizuru and the woman who are aware of it. Natsuki continues to smile and leans more easily against the window as Shizuru indulges the woman and offers her some words in return. Her face is passive, that calm and soft smile giving away nothing but propriety. Natsuki takes a second to glance at her watch to check if she has time to spare. She is pleased to see that she does.
The shift is immediate. The blue-haired woman observes as her partner checks her surroundings for a fraction of a second before she pushes her chair back ceremoniously and stands with the grace of an Olympian. She towers over the woman with her extra three or four inches; not to mention she put on heels this morning before heading out to work. Her face inches closer to that of the woman, Natsuki just knows there is a blush spreading over the woman's cheeks as her partner closes distance between them. It's almost intimate, how Shizuru almost embraces her as she pulls her closer by the collar of her impeccable white shirt. Her lips almost rest over the woman's earlobe, hands at the sides of her shoulders. The placid smile never leaves her face as she starts whispering into the woman's ear.
The poor thing never had a chance. For all that Natsuki is not jealous, Shizuru overcompensates by being... reactive. It's a little thing Natsuki has noticed over the years, something that has become more noticeable the moment they started living together. She has always been confident in their relationship, from the very beginning. Her partner has never, not even once in the course of their partnership, shown in any way that she would harm Natsuki. More than once she has in fact stated that she would rather drag herself through Hell and back before such unspeakable act. She works every day to show Natsuki this. So, no, she has never had a moment of doubt over them.
There is a subtle squeeze of shoulders. Whatever Shizuru has told this woman seems to have had an impactful effect, for as fast as she blushed before she has paled now, considerably. She doesn't even have time to struggle; Shizuru lets go as soon as her tirade finishes. Her face no longer a calm front, a tempestuous fury clearly reflected in the distasteful curl of her lips and the way she looks at the woman up and down like she's the most insignificant being on this planet and the next. It must have quite the impact as the woman stumbles out of Shizuru's office like the Devil himself is after her tail. The brunette takes a second to compose herself again, she goes back to her desk as if nothing happened. And for Natsuki the curtains of this act have closed. She stretches and jumps down from her peeking position. She starts walking lazily to her office, smirk in place.
Shizuru always gets a bit passionate in her defence of their relationship. Every woman or man who dares to come near either her or Natsuki faces a fate worse than mere rejection. Natsuki has never been privy to what is said between Shizuru and their suitors, but the mystery of it entertains her, so she's content to leave it as it is, not to mention she'd have to ask Shizuru herself about the details and it simply would not do to blow her cover.
In any case, the woman got away with it with a swift swat to the hand, as far as the blunette is concerned. Oh, she's very much confident that whatever that poor soul has just endured in the hands of her crush is nothing compared to what the brunette must have promised to Natsuki's own candidates. It is one thing to approach the brunette and another, like an universes-apart difference, to seek Natsuki herself. Those murderous eyes just get Natsuki going.
And she's not about to point out how toxic it may seem, because, well, Natsuki just relishes in seeing those women cowering for daring to touch what is hers.
All constructive criticism is welcome, as always!