W Hotel New Orleans

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"Yeah, that's definitely it." He playfully lifted his shoulder as if to dislodge her, making her laugh merrily. "Get your head outta the way, woman! I want to watch TV!"

"Make me!" she shouted back at him, and he leaned over to meet her lips halfway through her giggling. He pulled back far enough away that their lips parted, but he could still see the individual lashes, long and framing her huge, laughing eyes.

"You're the best view." he said.

Erin only smiled back, pulled herself toward him again and continued the kiss. She must have known, right? How serious this was. Even if everything went wrong from here on out, if all their dreams rusted away. He seriously liked to have her here, and to say things like that...like 'you're the best view', wasn't really like him. It meant something, every time. He would hate himself if a day came where it didn't mean something to him every time.

He wasn't sure how long they laid there. When the phone in the room started to ring, he groaned and sat up, looking around at the room for a clock. Like someone waking out of a dream, he groggily stated, "Erin...it's getting late. Do your parents...?" He turned to her, "Heh. I bet they don't. Let me take you back home." It's still your home, at least. How do I tell you I won't go back inside? At least not today. You'd understand, wouldn't you?

"Come on. You know you have to go, or you can't come back." He smiled at her, albeit with a bit of sadness. "And I definitely want you to come back. Or Kagasan is gonna drive me nuts. Seriously."

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

"Erin..."

"Hmm?" She looked up at Yukito curiously, her hand slipping off his shoulder when he sat up. Lay back down.... I liked my head next to yours like that.

"It's getting late. Do your parents...?" He turned to see her smiling demurely, both of them knowing what was coming. "Heh. I bet they don't." That made her laugh a little. Even though, really, what was she gonna do, call them up and say, "Yeah, I'm at a hotel with my boyfriend because he's in the middle of a crisis." That would go over so well. "Let me take you back home."

Despite the cold and discomforting atmosphere of a hotel, especially this one, Erin's face immediately fell at his suggestion. "I don't wanna leave you, though..." It kind of made her feel a little guilty, to think of leaving him when he had asked her to come, when he probably needed her to be there.... Her fingers entwined with the sheets of the bed.

"Come on. You know you have to go, or you can't come back." He smiled at her, and Erin sighed, knowing good and well that he was right. "I know..."

"And I definitely want you to come back. Or Kagasan is gonna drive me nuts. Seriously."

Erin snickered at his comment, then looked at him a bit curiously. "Kagasan... that's a new one for you..." Then with a sigh that was slightly more exaggerated than it probably needed to be, and stood to her feet. "All right, then, I guess you can take me home..."

Standing at the door, Erin paused and turned back to meet him. "Yukito? You'll tell me if you need anything, right? Even if you want to, I dunno, scream at something... or something... or... whatever." It was her lame attempt of saying that he could even cry with her if he wanted, but she couldn't get the words out. So instead she brushed her hand through his hair, watching his eyes. "Yukito, I mean it. I love you."

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

The inevitable statement came. He would have to take Erin home, or her parents would start to freak, like they always did. "I don't wanna leave you, though..." Erin sat on the edge of the bed, watching him with a disappointed look. He wanted to tell her she didn't have to, but there was no real helping it. Neither of them wanted to pay for it later.

"Come on. You know you have to go, or you can't come back." He smiled at her, and Erin sighed, knowing good and well that he was right. "I know..."

"And I definitely want you to come back. Or Kagasan is gonna drive me nuts. Seriously." Erin snickered at that, and he leaned over with his hands on either side of her as he nudged her nose with his. He's my best friend, but I'm afraid your company is much more fulfilling than his...

"Kagasan... that's a new one for you..." Yukito worked his lips, debating in his mind before responding. "Um...yeah. He's kind of tired of me calling him by a formal name after I've known him for forever." He nudged noses with her again. "We'd better go before we talk ourselves out of it." Yukito could have spent hours saying they should go before actually moving to the door.

Erin relinquished a sigh of great weariness. "All right, then, I guess you can take me home..." He slipped off the bed first and grabbed for the hotel room key, his hand finding hers when they stopped at the door. "Yukito? You'll tell me if you need anything, right? Even if you want to, I dunno, scream at something... or something... or... whatever." Their eyes met and she ran her hand through his hair, and he smiled. She must have known how good that felt, to feel her fingertips brushing aside his black hair like that. She must.

"Y'know, I felt like doing that earlier, actually." he smirked at her crookedly. He wasn't going to relate to her the weird way he'd handled things when he had first arrived at the hotel. It didn't matter now, anyways. Even if it affected him to hear her offer. "But then I saw you, and I felt a whole lot better."

"Yukito, I mean it. I love you."

"I love you, too." The words came more easily than he could have ever imagined. Would there be day it didn't seem to mean anything? As if to place a protective seal from that possibility, he leaned down to catch her lips in another kiss, pulling the hands of hers he held in his behind his back, drawing her towards him. "I mean it, too," he said once the kiss ended. Thank you for being here like no one else is.

"Let's get you home. For real, this time." He rolled his eyes and pulled her reluctantly away from the hotel room, his vaguely responsible side declaring that he didn't want to make enemies with this girl's father anymore than he already had. At least not if he could avoid it.

Yukito is done here, methinks!

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

"Yukito? You'll tell me if you need anything, right? Even if you want to, I dunno, scream at something... or something... or... whatever." For lack of comforting words, she opted for her fingers in his hair. She wasn't sure just how much he liked it, but he seemed fine with it, and for her it was comforting, so...

"Y'know, I felt like doing that earlier, actually." He smirked at her crookedly. "But then I saw you, and I felt a whole lot better."

His words drew out a smile from her lips. "Yukito, I mean it. I love you."

"I love you, too." Yukito punctuated his promise with a kiss, meanwhile pulling Erin to him by her hands. It ended too soon. "I mean it, too."

"I'd hope so, by now," Erin replied playfully.

"Let's get you home. For real, this time."

"Aww..." She was joking, mostly, making Yukito roll his eyes at her and tug her from the doorway. "Fine." Even if she didn't like the idea of him staying in this hotel very long. She also didn't like the idea of leaving him, when she was pretty sure he needed her. Yukito.... I wish I could take it all away for you... if someone could show me how to do that, no matter what it took... if it could make you free from everything like this... I think I'd do it.

Erin is done here too!