Work Text:
When Obi slipped into the Miss’s balcony that night, all he had intended to do was close the doors she left wide open to the chilling spring wind. He didn’t expect to happen upon the sound of her crying. Of course she would feel bad about the news, much worse than she had made it look at work - yesterday, a letter arrived telling them that Zen and the others would be away for one more year. She had smiled it off and expressed her excitement for Master, though Obi feared the dam would break anytime soon.
Now there he stood, unsure of what to do, with Shirayuki unaware of his presence from the other side of the curtain.
‘Miss?’ he finally called.
The sobs turned into sniffles, but there was no reply.
‘Miss, do you mind if I come in?’
When everything remained silent, Obi decided to draw the curtains and step inside. There she was, a small figure in a spare white-and-red nightgown, huddled among the sheets with streaks of tears glistening down her cheeks. A candle on her desk dimly lit the room.
Obi closed the doors behind him and went to Shirayuki. ‘Hey,’ he greeted kindly. He sat at the foot of the bed and bent over to get a good look at her face. Her hair fell over it untidily so he tucked one side behind her ear, careful not to let his hand linger too long. When Shirayuki lifted her wide, confused eyes, he gave her an easy smile.
‘Want to tell me about it?’ Obi offered.
A shudder went through her and the tears fell freely from her face.
‘I thought I was strong enough,’ Shirayuki began, her voice shaking. ‘I thought two years of being apart would have prepared me for this.’
While Shirayuki opened up, Obi listened patiently. ‘Everyday I tell myself that Zen and I are getting closer. I know it’s only going to be a year, but’ - she paused - ‘sometimes the days are too long.’
Obi waited until Shirayuki had spent the worst of it. When she calmed down, he told her goodnaturedly, ‘Enduring hardships doesn’t mean we’ll be spared of pain forever. Besides, no matter how strong a person is, I think they’d feel the same in your place.’
Shirayuki looked at him, awed.
‘If anything, Miss,’ Obi continued, ‘I think this only proves how strongly your feelings for Master continue to grow. And that’s going to make it all worth the wait.’
There was an unexpected pang in his chest as he said that, but Obi didn’t want to insert himself into the picture. Besides, with Shirayuki slowly regaining composure, he must be doing something good. ‘Right, Miss?’
Shirayuki wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and when she smiled back Obi knew she wasn’t forcing it anymore. ‘Maybe I’m focusing too much on the negatives,’ she answered.
Obi stretched his arms up and flopped backwards on the bed. ‘Take it easy on yourself, Miss. It’s bad enough that you’re still stuck with me.’
‘No,’ she said with a swoop in her voice, lying on her side. ‘That’s probably the best part of it.’
Obi flashed his usual grin. All he wanted now was to cheer Miss up. ‘Aside from discovering new cures, perhaps? And meeting new friends, seeing new places, watching little Ryuu grow taller…’ He counted them on his fingers.
Beside him Shirayuki giggled. 'I want to spend a whole day at the marketplace and not come back until midnight.’
'See? No curfew! Let’s make it a date this weekend then.’ Obi paused to think. 'That is, if Miss isn’t busy. And of course Ryuu can come.’
When Obi turned to Shirayuki, her eyes were closed. He hoped his presence made a difference, that he made her feel better. Her cheeks still somewhat shone where the tears had fallen. Obi also noticed for the first time that the tip of her nose had a hint of freckles like the ones on her cheek, and…
Wait. Their faces were too close.
Obi swallowed and propped himself up on one elbow while he still had the mind to. 'It is one more year of me insisting that you get rest when you need it, though,’ he said. But as he was about to go, Shirayuki laid a hand on his arm.
'Please stay,’ she whispered.
Obi froze. Against Shirayuki there was absolutely no resistance in him.
'Miss?’
She didn’t respond. I could wait for her to fall asleep then go, Obi considered. Anyway, it’ll come easy now that she’d just finished crying.
Obi laid back down, and Shirayuki still didn’t pull her hand away. The candlewax on her desk had melted completely and the flame snuffed out. They were enveloped in silence.
However, Obi’s thoughts were restless. On one hand he knew this proximity was no longer allowed; on the other, though, who’s to say what it was when the Miss herself asked him to stay? Literally the only one stopping him from leaving was Shirayuki.
If during the day Obi stayed well within the walls of his heart, trying to ignore every brush of their hands or bump of their knees, fighting the urge again and again to pull Miss into his arms once and for all, right now those walls came crashing down. Obi couldn’t tell at which point he reached for her face and traced her jaw lightly with his thumb. When he slid his hand behind her neck, his fingers combing through her hair, he felt Shirayuki huddle closer until the heat of her breath danced upon his shoulder.
Obi wanted to drink in the moment but somehow remained hesitant. He couldn’t deny the fact that there was also a certain satisfaction in simply watching her from a distance. That way, he knew he wasn’t betraying anyone’s trust, especially Shirayuki’s. That way he hurt no one, except probably himself.
Obi savored those final moments of warmth before he pulled away. Gently he removed Shirayuki’s hand from his arm and pushed himself up as noiselessly as he can. The moon outside hung at an angle such that it flooded the room with soft silver light. Obi unfurled the bunched up blanket from the foot of the bed, draped it over Shirayuki, and as he turned to leave he smiled at how easily she fell into deep sleep.
If anything, it was already an exception for Shirayuki to be the one to close the distance this time. But what else was he asking for, really? What could be better than having more time to spend by her side, no matter how she ends up feeling about him?
Obi could only hope.