Popping the Question || Chapter Two

Weeks passed, and nothing changed. Not visibly, anyway. Adrian could tell Kanna was getting antsy, maybe even annoyed with him. His window of romantic opportunity was beginning to close; any further past that was the "took you long enough, ya coward" timeframe. Adrian was secretly devoting hours to what was easily the most intricate, difficult device he'd ever constructed. He kept it under lock and key, and was torturing poor Kanna by appearing as if he barely thought about marriage seriously. He'd also gone behind her back, and got Pen to help him figure out Kanna's ring size. He took that to a couple giant jewelers around town, who directed him to a place that could manufacture the ring he described at a human scale. 

The device was ready- a twist of the key, and the metal rose expanded, each row of petals rotating in alternating directions as they leaned away from the center, which held a little circular inlet where the ring could sit. Now he just needed the ring- which he planned to check on today. 

He changed into clean clothes: a soft blue shirt and dark brown trousers, and his usual work boots. Adrian opened the door, excitement and pride buzzing inside of him- and stopped short, when he saw the woman on the elevated human walkway lining the hallway.

"Kanna!" He exclaimed, rather loudly in his surprise. "What... what're you doing here?" 


"We were meeting today, were we not?"
Kanna looked to be the epitome of displeasure, arms crossed, back straight and expression dead cold. She wore a tasteful white blouse with a grey blazer over top and a matching pencil skirt, her hair tugged back into a neat bun.

"I waited at the cafe for nearly an hour wondering where you were. And now, I find you home doing what, exactly?"
She let out a long sigh that betrayed some of her uncharacteristic impatience with him as of late.
"At any rate, since you have stood me up, I thought I would inform you that I will be teaching a class tonight at the university. So in case that you ever decide to get your act together to pull away from whatever invention has you so occupied constantly, please, do look me up for a quick bite of supper this evening during my break in classes."

Ade brought a hand to his temples, shaking his head. 
"Damn... I've just been busy with the shop, it slipped my mind."
She seemed to have expected as much, and turned to leave. The walkway shook along with his hasty steps, and he fell to his hands and knees to peer in at her. "Hey. I'll make it up to you later. Promise." 

Kanna halted more for the sake of Adrian's disruptive steps more than any real desire to slow. However, that provided a calm window which allowed her to breathe a moment.

"...Alright. But please don't leave me waiting without you for so long. I can respect that you have something important to make but..." She turned around and looked straight towards him. "Don't forget about me."

He swallowed, eyes dilating just a bit. He consoled himself with the fact that this would be over soon. 

"Never." He tried to lean in more, but his forehead bonked the roof rail. "Ow..." he reeled back a bit, muttering about how they should have built the walkways with a more open design. "I'll pick you up around 8." 

His face was replaced by an expansive view of his clothes as he got to his knees as prepped to stand. 

Kanna didn't bother suppressing her guilty giggles at Adrian's clumsiness, a hand coming to her mouth as the musical sound left. Then, as he made to leave, she did the same with a smile on her lips and hope in her breast.

~~~~~

Chalk tapped against the board a moment and the writing was circled-- the assignments for the reading.

"I expect your knowledge to be expansive as you can make it by next class."

Her eyes swept the classroom, the college holding enough room for a few giants in the newly renovated classroom. Kanna copied down what her chalkboard said on a projector and watched her five giant students scribble things down. There was a large amount of males in her Contemporary Literature class that seemed to have signed up for a hot teacher. 

Kanna glanced at the clock and felt her heart flutter; nearly time now to see Adrian again. Her eyes glided to the door.

~~~~~

"There you have it. As specified."

Adrian peered through a device much like microscope at the jeweler's. Under the lens was the completed engagement ring. It was a work of art in itself: white gold, with the centerpiece of a 1/5 karat diamond, surrounded by emeralds on every side. 
"It's perfect." Adrian just had to make the final payment on it tonight, and it was his. He raised his head and looked at the speck on the plastic dish. But holy shit was it miniscule. 

The jeweler climbed up and put the precious ring in a black pouch, which he then put in a giant pouch of the same making. 

"Don't misplace this now." He said, reluctantly exchanging the ring for money.

Adrian shot him a withering look. "I'm not gonna lose it." 

He made the final preparations, but it took him longer than expected. Not to mention delays in walking to the college, with the crowded, mixed-species campus. Then he went to the wrong building. But finally--

"Kanna!" He caught sight of her leaving with her eyes down turned. "Hey. I'm here." 

Kanna repressed the urge to shout at Adrian in public for being late yet again and managed quite successfully to do so by gripping the handle of her briefcase until her knuckles went white. She lifted her head and paused then turned slowly to face him, eyes traveling far up the length of her boyfriend's body. Though she could barely make out his face even from this distance, she made he knew of her cold fury.

"...Why are you late again?" She called up to him, checking her irritation in favour of an attempt at rationality.
"It would be one thing if you were late once but this is the second time today alone."

"I was... Just working on something. Can I take your bag?" He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the human college students in the immediate vicinity were a safe distance away before he crouched down and gingerly pinched her briefcase. 

He wore slightly dressier clothes than usual. All traces of grease were cleaned from his hands and face, and he smelled of a recent shower. 

Why is he dressed so well? Kanna questioned inwardly and regarded him a moment, relinquishing ownership of her briefcase. Her questioning expression served as ample enough inquiry to his physical state but she stepped forward closer to him none the less.

I certainly won't complain. He looks incredibly handsome...

Adrian dropped the little case into the inner pocket of his black vest, then returned to sweep Kanna quite literally off her feet. He stood up to his full height and planed a kiss on her cheek. 

"So. Whose ass do I have to kick today?" He beamed down at her. It was a running joke between them that started a few months back- when Adrian happened to notice several college boys making cat-calls to his girlfriend one night when he was waiting for her. When one of them made the mistake of slapping her ass, he promptly intervened by picking him by his shirt, giving him a talking-to up close and personal, and finally "accidentally" tossing him into the university fountain. He had received a 50 ducrat fine in the mail later on for mistreating a student, but it was totally worth it.

A skinny brow rose and Kanna crossed her arms in a truly teacherly fashion.
"You will be kicking no asses today, thank you."
The word 'ass' sounded nothing short of bizarre crossing Kanna's otherwise clean lips, her prim speech in direct contrast.
"You owe me dinner for missing our date."
She pointed out and stood with excellent balance upon the familiarized terrain of a hand. 

"I do?" He asked, a mock pout on his face. "Well, I'll see what I can do on such short notice..." 

He lowered his hand a little above waist level as he turned and made the tedious walk out of the crowded side of town. Voices floated up- students celebrating passed exams, others reuniting with friends not seen in months. Street lamps were being lit- tiny dots of human sized ones, and the burning embers of the giants', too. The sun was nearly gone behind the horizon. 

Adrian passed the shop district, the apartment he lived in, the suburbs... And he kept walking. 

Kanna lowered herself into a dainty seated position in her boyfriend's palm and watched his fingers curl inward just a smidge the way they always did when he held her. She supposed there was some protectiveness in the gesture and it was flattering enough to receive. She never felt unsafe being held in such a way. 

"Where are you taking me?" She inquired. "Or is that a secret?"

Adrian looked down. She was giving him an expectant look, so he brought her to his face and angled his ear towards her. She repeated herself, and he smiled.

"Well, it won't be secret much longer. We're almost there." 

There was an undeniably pep in his step as he exited city limits and hiked a mile through the sparse woods bordering the outer walls under he came to the place he had prepared. It was a small clearing- by giant standards, anyway. A little boat was tied off to a tree atop the lapping pond bank. Lanterns were hanging from every other tree leading up to the little spot, and a box in the boat held their dinner.

Lips parted, a baited breath escaped upon the sight of this expertly crafted haven. Kanna softened to some degree before turned to gaze up towards Adrian's faraway face. Silently, she wondered.

"You don't get seasick, right? I couldn't remember." Adrian gave her a slightly sheepish smile. He knew full well that this was pretty much as cheesy as it got as far as romantic. But it was all for her, and he was putting forth the effort for her because she was worth it.

He set her down on the middle seat of the little boat so he had both hands free to grab the oar resting on the tree and untie the boat. 

Water lapped at the edge of the boat which rocked more than what felt comfortable, though her pride bid her no more then stiffened muscles at present. Kanna felt open and vulnerable out of Adrian's grasp or even remotely far away from him but she saw logic in his actions. After all, his movements would need to be free and uninhibited by a human rested atop his body to propel the boat out further. 

She shook her head at Adrian and rubbed her arms self-consciously. Her cheeks heated when she thought about his effort...not to mention that as Ade started rowing, his breathing grew heavy. And that sparked incurably suggestive thoughts about what she could possibly do on her own to make him do that in another context.

Suffice to say, Kanna was blushing harder than she would have liked and forced herself to tone it down.


It took several minutes for him to find a spot on the lake where they wouldn't be swarmed by bugs. He was glad it was dark; not as humid as it could be, so he was still sweat-free despite the minor exertion. Adrian pulled the oars out of the water carefully. He leaned forward directly over Kanna in order to fold them behind her. 

"Don't wanna get your pretty skirt all wet." He explained, the boat rocking gently as he returned to his seat across from her. He opened the box and removed two tea light candles, lighting then with a box of matches he produced from his vest pocket. Then he pulled out the food, a prepared portion for Kanna's consumption all ready for her. 

"Ambience." He waggled his eyebrows at her, sliding the candles into place on opposite sides. "I tried this recipe for the first time, so if it tastes bad, don't sue me." Adrian joked. He could hardly keep a straight face. Because he knew when he did, his anxiety started to shine through. And she was a human- she didn't miss anything he did. It was strange, he thought he got over the whole "butterflies in your stomach" thing years ago. 

As they ate, dots of yellow lit dancing amongst the far off sillouhuettes of trees along the water's bank. He hadn't even planned on fireflies popping up, but it added a touch of whimsy and made him look ever better as far as thoughtfulness goes.

While she prided herself on her adeptness in remaining collected whilst in the face of most scenarios, Adrian's romantic side always proved to be a weak point that shattered much of her own cold exterior. Kanna took the first bite of her dinner then glanced upwards towards her boyfriend curiously. The atmosphere, the candles, the privacy-- a part of her predicted what he was likely planning.

"...It's beautiful." She finally broke some of the silence produced by eating dinner.
"All of this. You...You're very good at this. At being romantic, I suppose."

Normally, he would have come back with a sarcastic "don't get used to it" or something of the sort. But to both their surprises, he blushed a little and nodded, then focused intently on selecting his next bite.

"It's just.. Y'know, been a while since I took you out to dinner. And this way, I don't have to wear a three-piece suit to get into one of those fancy places downtown." He found her tiny seated form in the dim glow and smirked.

As he went to move the box lid from the floor, his fingers brushed a dot of liquid. 

"Did you spill your wine already? We're not even two drinks in, sweetie..." He reached to refill her glass, but it was still full, hardly touched. She was giving him a perplexed look. Adrian looked more closely at the floor of the boat. 

"Crap." He whispered.

Kanna's expression turned deadly serious and she rose to her feet.
"Adrian." Though her statement came out as a single name, the question of his sudden shift in mood implied itself expertly. 
Whatever had just happened probably was not a very good thing.

"Um, looks like we're gonna have to head in early." 

This could not be happening. Not tonight. 

The boat rocked less than gently when he leapt to his feet to check the other side of the divider. They had been out here maybe half an hour? Fourth minutes, max. Already there was a thin lining of water collected at the bottom. Not something he could just if up and forget about. In fact, it was too dark for him to even see exactly where the wood was splintered. 

"Knew that old man was too happy to have me take it off his hands.." He muttered, sitting back down again. 

"Adrian." Kanna said "Stay calm and row as close to land as you are able."

"I am perfectly calm!" Adrian hissed. 

She stood and started to walk along the seat of the old boat then used part of its ribbing to walk along. Naturally her climbing abilities had increased due to having a giant for a lover but there was no denying she wasn't as adept as Penelope. Upon reaching the other seat, she walked briskly along it until she reached Adrian then hauled herself up his trouser leg before promptly securing herself against him.

"Go. We don't have time to wait." she said.

As soon as Kanna was out of the way, he was reaching over for the oars again. He was finishing getting them into place on each side when he felt the pinch of little hands and feet on his thigh. He looked down, acknowledged her with a nod, then heaved the oars with his upper body strength. Taking a page from Kanna's book, he chose to take measured, paced out action instead of hysterics. His strokes were long and strong; quick, but not frantic. Still, though, his breathing became almost ragged by the time they were halfway there. The leak was filled past his ankles now, and it was getting harder and harder with each row to burden the added weight of water. His arms ached, but he kept going. 

"You might want to try climbing a little higher, Kanna." 


Kanna watched the water pool at his feet and thanked God that was was a proficient swimmer. The question remained how far out they were and how deep the water was. She nodded, regardless of the fact that Adrian could not see the action of affirmation then began to scale his shirt, slowly and carefully to compensate for the movements of his arms. She was reminded of her once more prominent dislike of heights and without Adrian's hands free to catch her, fear played in her eyes. She kept her eyes on his shirt and kept climbing. Ade has his focus, she had hers.

The right oar snagged on a thicket of kelp mid-stroke. "You've got to be kidding me..." He yanks at it, but all he got was a dangerous rock of the boat and a whimper from Kanna. Adrian set the other oar down and doubled over from exertion to catch his breath. A sharp on his collar and kicking feet on his collar bone prompted him to raise a hand beneath his girlfriend and help her back to his shoulder. 
"Sorry, hon." He rasped, pressing her to his neck comfortingly. He knew she wasn't a huge fan of climbing. "Looks like we're swimming." He instinctively patted his chest over his left best pocket where the device and the ring were. He could not lose it. 

"How far..." She panted from so much climbing "...Until land?"
Kanna pressed herself against Adrian's neck and barely suppressed her own shivering. It was dark and she couldn't see much of anything. She was grateful that the clouds weren't too plentiful or else they would have been truly finished. 

"Not too far. For me anyway. I can't tell how deep it is..." He looked over the side, holding the flickering lantern over the black water. Creepy, but not really helpful in ascerning the depth.

He reached up and set Kanna on the very edge of the boat. Then he stood up and went to the edge of the little boat. This had been an awful idea. He had to work up the guts and jump into the icy water. It made his lungs ache for warmth instantly, and his already aching muscles became stiff. He resurfaced, treading water. He immediately looked up for Kanna only to see something horrifying; the rowboat was belly-up on the water. 
"Kanna?" 

Ice cold water stood the chance of filling her lungs but Kanna forced her mouth shut to prevent the loss of precious air. She'd been lucky after falling from the capsizing boat that she'd landed away from the underside, otherwise she was aware of how hairy the situation would have grown. 

Her lungs burned and she fought to stop herself from all out panicking as she kicked and flailed her arms towards the surface. When at last she broke the top of the water, she gasped for breath and coughed, body finally indulging some of its insistent, instinctive panic.

"A-Adrian!" She called out and tried to keep treading water but her arms couldn't seem to hold her above after having to climb so much. They ached and she moved them until she slipped under water again.

He strained his ears to hear her. Anything. But it's quiet. So dreadfully quiet. Adrian turned his head this way and that but she was nowhere to be seen. A cold panic gripped his heart. He was about to dive under where he hears a sputtered version of his name. The giant whirls in time to see a little splash of water of a body submerging. Adrian sucks in a deep breath and goes under.

It's dark as ink down in the night water. He can't see a damn thing. He out stretched a hand, waving it around the area she had disappeared; feeling for her. Something dainty bumped into his hand, pushed away by the momentum for a moment. But tiny hands weakly latched at him, and Adrian closed a fist around her. With a few more strokes, he was able to get to a shallower part- around forty feet deep, in which his feet hit the lake bottom. He trudged the rest of the way out, his clothing becoming heavier and heavier as he did so. He held Kanna in an open palm, looking down at her with big, worried eyes. Even in mere moonlight, she looked extremely pale. 

Kanna's eyes remained shut and blind to the world, her lungs heavy with a bit of swallowed water. Her skin was cold to the touch and her chest did not rise or fall just yet. She resembled a cemetery statue-- motionless, pale marble and frightening epitaphs of mortality. 

A faint breeze caressed the giant and woman alike and stung the air with worsened coldness.

Adrian drug himself onto the shore and held Kanna up to his eyes. He pushed her wet hair off her face with a shaking finger and peered closely for breathing. She was so still. Like a lifeless doll. The thought made him feel ill.

"Kanna! Dammit, Kanna don't do this to me..." His voice choked up. He couldn't perform CPR on her cause he was so stupidly big. He tore at the collar of her shirt, and the first three buttons popped off. His intent wasn't a peep show- it was to loosen the fabric around her neck, help her breath. Then he trailed the same fingertip down her chest, to her diaphragm. He pressed down once-harder than normal, then again. 

Chilling moments of silence over took the air save for heavy, frantic breathing and a terrifying lack of it from the woman in Adrian's grasp. Eventually, though, the pressure applied made her cough up water, body wracked with heaviness. She turned over onto her side and coughed in Adrian's palm until her lungs burned and her throat felt raw then she gulped in mouthfuls of air.

The relief was nearly crippling. She was okay. Adrian smiled breathlessly down at her, grateful to see her move. Then the guilt came. He had nearly killed her. His fault. Tipped the boat...

He let himself relax to an extent, crawling a little ways over to a willow tree and rest back against the trunk. 
"Hey don't... don't try to talk yet. Just breathe okay? Just breathe...."

"A...dri...an.." She rasped and shivered, clinging to his finger with surprising ferocity. Though she felt weak, she fought the instinct to let that overtake her. Kanna pressed her shuddering face into the pad of his thumb and sucked in clean air.

He frowned. She was shaking like a teeny-tiny earthquake in his hand. Normally, he would give her the best hug he could, but he was as soaked to the bone as she was. Ade brought her up right to his mouth and sucked in a breath. He breathed out slowly over her back, hoping it would hold off hypothermia.

"I guess I'm not cut out for this romance stuff after all. I'll get you outta here. Just gotta... catch my breath.. is all." He panted.

The warmth of Adrian's breath aided immeasurably. Kanna rubbed her arms then turned towards his face
"Y-You should hurry a-and warm yourself."
She insisted, teeth chattering, uncaring of the fiasco and only of his well being.

"I'm a giant. I'm f-fine." He tried to rationalize with her. They both knew it was a load of bullox, but he hoped that she was just dazed enough that it would pacify her for now. He breathed over her again. Then he stiffened rigidly.

The ring.

Adrian patted himself down. The box wasn't there. 

"No no no-" He muttered incoherently to himself. With a sudden burst of frantic energy, he got on his hand and knees whilst still bearing Kanna aloft and scanned the river's edge. He was losing hope. It could be at the bottom of the lake right now- He smiled. A sharp edge of black was standing out against the soft white sand of the river bank. He scrambled over, dusted it off and checked on the silver rose mechanism inside. It was safe. 

"Let's go home." He kissed Kanna's wet forehead in a tender motion, then rose up and started for his apartment, dripping wet. 

"Why does that box matter so much?"
She questioned, voice soft and tired. She'd certainly noticed how often he'd checked his pocket throughout the evening and had been too preoccupied to make a formal inquiry.
"Is that what you've been working on all this time in your work shop?"
She shivered and rubbed her arms continuously.

Adrian sighed, hating himself something fierce. 
"Yeah. I'll show you later." 

~~~~~

Half an hour later, Adrian had Kanna set up in front of the fire place in his apartment. He had changed into dry pants, but had yet to put a shirt on, though it was waiting for him on the back of the armchair. Kanna sat surrounded by one of his softest undershirts, her own clothes drying over closer. 

He clenched the box in his pants pocket,
"I'm sorry." He apologized again, probably the third time now. 

"Haven't I already told to cease with your rampant apologies, Adrian Kaufner?"
She sighed and sent him an unimpressed look, neck and shoulders bared from her near nudity beneath the over modest covering of a gigantic shirt. Kanna trained her eyes on whipping flames large enough to consume an entire house in the fireplace across from the rug she sat on in Adrian's living room.
"You are the most hopeless man I will ever meet."

"You've mentioned that once or twice." Adrian muttered, a dejected smile on his face. He released the box and pulled it his hands to warm them by the fire. "The chicken was good though, right?" 

His mood was killed entirely, but he tried to make a joke. Just to make her smile. The proposal was ruined... He supposed he'd just have to try something else. 

Absently, she hummed a yes as her eyes spoke of a wandering mind, reflecting the fire in a surprisingly gentle fashion. Yet, the intensity was not lost in translation.
"Adrian?"
She asked, covering her shoulders again with his shirt. It smelled like him.
"...Why did you do all this tonight? Surely...there is a reason?"

Shit. She was onto him.

"Not really." He shrugged. Ade felt her eyes on him and in his self-directed anger and embarrassment, he ended up taking it out on the person he loved most. 

"I was trying to get you naked alright? I know you love all that romantic crap. I guess it worked." He said hastily. He hated himself for such a lie. Based in his past chauvinist behavior, it was on she might believe. "I'm gonna make some tea.." He mumbled. Adrian rose and left with thudding steps to the kitchen. 

Kanna rolled her eyes. 
"You are the worst liar I've known yet." She called after him, her own ire rising from his behavior.
"I've already told you it's alright for tipping the boat, ignoramus! And yet you are throwing a tantrum like a young boy over something foolish! We are both alive and healthy, yes?"
She huffed and tugged the folds of clothing that much closer
"And the fact that you would use such a disgusting end game as your bluff? I am frankly disgusted by that, even though I can tell full damn well you are hiding something!"

"Please," Adrian scoffed, reappearing momentarily in the doorway. "I am not the worst..." 
Focusing on such a petty portion of the argument seemed to only further stir her up. He focused his energy on preparing the raspberry tea. When he brought out the two appropriately sized teacups, Adrian appeared much calmer. Remorseful in fact, in his gentleness. 

"Here," he muttered, pinching the tiny teacup tightly for her to grab. His thigh brushed the bunched up shirt as he sat down behind her. His sipped loudly from his cup, then put it back down on the floor. 

It being so close to her, the size difference between his human girlfriend and his teacup was brought to his attention. And being that Kanna was already naked under that shirt... it didn't take much for his mind to put the two together. He imagined her lounging in his cup of tea like it was a flavorful bath. Then he imagined picking it up and going to take a drink- her giggling protests before her bare flesh sank against his lips--

"What?" Adrian blurted. Paranoid of his own silent wandering mind, he jumped back to attention the moment he heard her move. 

A slender brow rose.
"I know that expression, you filthy minded cad."

Kanna held her tea and waited for it to cool, fingertips appearing more delicate when in contrast with a cup. She watched soft tendrils of ash coloured steam rise from the fragrant contents then chanced a sip, drawing back sharply with pursed lips and scrunched eyes. Still too hot. Her lips stung. 

Adrian mumbled an apology, not having it in him to even make a suggestive remark about the matter. The fire hissed and crackled, setting their distinctive skin colors ablaze with flickering orange shadows.

"You promise you'll see Dr. Leeman for a followup? Make sure you don't contract pneumonia.."

Kanna leaned forward and a section of Adrian's shirt slipped away, revealing her shoulders, neck, a generous portion of her bare shoulder blades and the tops of her breasts as she set her tea cup down gently to cool. Though a portion of her mind felt like she should cover what flesh she had exposed, another questioned what harm there was in being bare around her own boyfriend. Though seemingly nefarious and lecherous upon first meeting, Adrian had proved himself entirely the respectful gentleman she'd fallen in love with.

She clung to just enough of his colossal shirt to keep her most private assets covered.
"Mmn. Only if you do as well."

He chuckled softly. "Fair enough." 

The brief conversation was wrapped up seconds after it had begun. To fill the silence, Adrian picked up his cup again and took a careful sip of the hot contents. The tea left a pleasant burn all the way down. Over the rim of his cup, he glimpsed his shirt rumpling on the floor. The tiny beauty in the middle became more visible. Adrian lowered his cup to his lap, licking residual taste from his lips. Kanna looked beautiful. She was always beautiful to him now, even when she was honestly a mess. Fondness overpowered the lust in his eyes. He loved her more than he loved himself. 

"Hey, um..." He started off. He suddenly disliked the sound of his own voice, how loud and bulky it was compared to hers. Adrian sighed. "Stay the night, would you?" 

Though she was not liberal in her admission about her attractions to Adrian's size and the perks it offered, her silent expression conveyed enough. 

She heard him breathe, even from her vantage point on the floor like a great living mountain and there was something comforting about that fact. She felt when he'd shift sometimes, the tiny shockwaves he'd send through the earth when he applied enough weight. She loved the immersive nature of his voice, how she could close her eyes and there would be only Adrian there.

She'd never expected to fall for a giant, of all the possible men in the world. But he was the exact fit, the other end of fate's red string.

Kanna nodded then affirmed her answer.
"Yes."

The giant relaxed. He didn't have to point out the late hour (half past midnight), or convince her of the practicality of it. Which meant she wasn't mad enough that she wouldn't stay just for him; just because he wanted her and she wanted him. 

He finished three-quarters of his tea, before he was left with the grainy bits at the bottom. And nobody like that. Far too comfortable to trek back into the kitchen, Ade pushed his empty teacup across the floor to sit by the edge of the bookcase that bordered the fireplace. He leaned over to see if Kanna was finished, too, but she looked like she had barely touched hers. He wouldn't rush her. Instead, he pulled off a cushion from his cerulean sofa. There was a dulled puff of air as he dropped it into position on the floor and laid down behind her on his back. Eyes closed, he ran the night back through in his mind and started planning anew. 

Kanna touched the edge of her teacup again, testing the temperature before chancing the liquid inside. Finding it satisfactory, she sipped her tea and watched the flames whip about within the hearth. She turned around and glanced over her shoulder, taking in Adrian's resting body, watching him with fond eyes. She took a long drink of tea.


Content. That's what he was. 
His breathing was so quiet now, he bet even Kanna couldn't hear it. His body was exhausted from the strenuous evening and was thankful for the rare chance it was currently getting to be completely immobile. 

After a few minutes, he turned his head to face her, just about a foot away and at a much more detailed angle now that he was lying on the floor. As she continued to make progress with her drink, Adrian put a huge hand at her back, rubbing slow circles with his first two fingers. 

Her eyes slid shut and she polished off the last of her tea, setting the cup down before turning around to meet his fingertips. Kanna released the handfuls of shirt she'd been grasping and caught Adrian's index finger, lifting the digit towards her face. She pressed her lips to it once slowly then held it to her heart, lashes fanning closed eyes. A silent grace demurely coated the room and love spoke in wordless volumes.

Adrian relaxed the muscles in his hand. He'd gotten pretty good at that by now. He still remembered that one time months ago she grabbed his hand and he'd accidentally flicked her in the eye. He was just glad the bruising had been minor.

He pressed over her heart lovingly, just barely rubbing the very top of the supple area of bare skin. Large green eyes reflected the casual flames in the hearth, fixed on Kanna Kitsuragi. 

Kanna Kaufner. He played with the hypothetical name in his head. Had a nice ring to it.

His breathing was no longer silent. 

"I am still cold." She announced, continuing to embrace his finger with a certain fierceness akin to possessiveness she hadn't known she could have until meeting her large boyfriend. Soft eyes the colour of dark wood met green ones.
"Warm me."

A faint smirk immediately appeared on his face, though softened by bedroom eyes. Warming Kanna was something of a specialty of his. Needing no further instruction, Adrian removed his finger from her grasp, replacing it with his thumb while the other four wound around her back. He grabbed a bunch of the fabric along with her, sweeping both Kanna and shirt flush to his chest. He liked the way she was looking up at him, eyeing him up all over. 

Blush took hold of her cheeks when their gazes connected too long, Kanna averted her eyes towards his chest. She lifted her upper half up from the shirt and opted for Adrian's natural warmth held in his skin, pressing herself against him.
"...Taiyou no yo ni..." She murmured, words Japanese and foreign. "Like the sun."

Kanna repeated, voice a romantic breeze of fond truth telling as she spread her arms up his body like climbing ivy. 

The vast wall of muscle expanded and contracted slowly but steadily beneath her tiny palms. Adrian lay there on his side, savoring her tender caresses while he kept a constant pair of fingers running across her shoulders and a little bit lower, sometimes inadvertently throwing her forward from the force. Not hard, but enough to make him ease up yet again. 

"Adrian." She craned her neck up towards his face and pursed her lips. Kanna ran her palm down his chest slowly and leaned forward to kiss the flesh before her tenderly.

"You will not break me." And she kissed again. "Don't be afraid."

His eyes both implored and desired. 
"You seem pretty sure of that." said Adrian. He didn't have he same faith in himself that she did. Nonetheless, his feather light touches increased in pressure. "Is that okay? If it's too much, I can ease up..." 

The increased pressure felt astronomical and it was near impossible to believe that Adrian was likely barely touching her. Kanna knew not to be frightened by his strength; he was gentle, more often than not for her sake. She pressed the side of her face against his chest and closed her eyes, listening for the loud thump of a heart beat.
"You are fine, Adrian."

He kept going, even daring to go a teensy bit harder in flattening her body against his through the bunched up shirt. He felt her little shoulders stiffen that time, so he settled for a medium pressure. She was so soft and skinny and friggin' tiny... It never stopped sending his brain in a tizzy. His heavy eyelids were lifted the moment he felt her minuscule fingertips trace over his skin again. It wasn't fair that Pen was a cleric; she and Jude got be frisky whenever they very well pleased. 

Adrian moved on from her back to wrap all the way around her, nearly completely encasing her in a gentle fist and transferring her to the pillow next to his handsome, albiet quite large, face. His green eyes danced over her as he watched her gently clutch the collar of his shirt over herself. His full pink lips parted, hinting at the white smile behind. 

"Hey." he mumbled a redundant greeting.

A slender limb extended towards the bridge of Adrian's nose, a palm smoothing across the surface. Kanna drew in closer and kissed him right between the eyes before backing up again, staring into two large living emeralds, as large as they were loving. She bequeathed him a smile.

The scent of burning wood warmed the air, banishing its chill.