Silver ice storm (Ami thread, Lime warning)

[Liddo-kun]

Flopping down bonelessly onto the couch, Haruka splits her attention between the scenery outside and Viluy in the kitchen.  Laying back, allowing the soft cushions to absorb her into its depth, she closes her eyes and allows a sigh to escape her.

Haruka stops herself short of falling fully asleep as she sits up to stare out the window once more.  Waaaay too comfortable, she comments to herself, eyeing the couch warily.

[Anastasia]

You watch Viluy microwaving water - cheater - and getting some packets of cocoa. Well....after today, you suppose real hot chocolate would be a bit much. You observe as she stirs...zzz...stirs....zzz...walking back...

"Haruka," Viluy asks, her voice loudly painful compared to the seductive slumber you felt.

[Liddo-kun]

Haruka drags herself back to wakey wakey land as she rubs her eyes slightly.  "Thanks," she replies as she stretches her arms overhead before taking an offered mug from Viluy.

The sip she takes is tentative, but it still manages to scorch her throat some as it goes down.  Deciding that stubborness would only lead to a burning trail running down her gullet, she allows the brew to sit, choosing to watch the steam waft into the cold air.

Turning her attention to Viluy as she takes the seat next to her on the couch, Haruka prompts, "So, is there something you wanted to talk about?  You seemed so pre-occupied with your thoughts since we got back, want to share?"

[Anastasia]

Viluy nods, putting her hands in her lap after a single sip of her own drink. She places it by yours, twins trails of steam twirling in the air amid a backdrop of snow. "There is," she says quietly. "It's probably nothing, but...

I'd like to be sure. One way or another. It kinda caught me off guard there, but...something about it."

[Liddo-kun]

Haruka cocks her head curiously, but patiently waits for Viluy to begin speaking her mind.

[Anastasia]

"I saw you and Ami," she begins, letting her eyes follow that trail of steam. "And...I don't know, but...it just seemed close somehow. Intiamate. Like...

Are you interested in Ami at all, Haruka," Viluy goes right out and asks, not really satisfied with dancing around it. "I mean, if you are..." she says weakly, bowing her head. "It's that when...I don't know, when you gave her your Space Sword, and when you helped her...

It just kept swirling in my mind...and it made me jealous. Really jealous..and concerned."

[Liddo-kun]

Haruka carefully takes in Viluy's concern and allows her to finish before responding.  "I understand you're worried, but you trust me, don't you?" she asks, lifting the girl's chin so that they can see eye to eye.

[Anastasia]

Viluy nods, after a moment of pause. "I do. It's...I trust you, but Ami..."

Shruggin helplessly, "I don't know, Haruka. I just felt something. Maybe I'm being paranoid. Maybe I'm reading into Ami's shyness."

[Liddo-kun]

Haruka finds herself blinking, the bafflement evident on her face as she digests Viluy's stated... suspicion? mistrust? of Ami.  She found herself thinking that it was a strangely contrary sentiment to associate with the blue-haired genius.  Almost funny.

On seeing the distress in Viluy's eyes, she decides to field this concern with kid gloves.

"Why do you think I'd leave you for Ami anyway?"  Haruka felt she was being a tad repetitive with the question, but she honestly did not see what it was that Viluy saw between Ami and herself.  And if it really was a matter of trust between them, well....  Ouch.

Could I be more dense and oblivious than I think? she wonders.

[Anastasia]

"I don't know!" she says again, a more than token bit of force.  Eyes in a storm, Viluy breaks her gaze away, back down to her knees. "I don't want you to run off...and the way you and Ami were there..."

Your love just shrugs helplessly, again. "It just feels like it the more I think about it. The way Ami was..."

[Liddo-kun]

Haruka notes the subtle bite in Viluy's tone, but keeps herself calm to avoid setting off any sparks that might ignite any conflicts.  "The way Ami was, what?" she asks the distraught, and now morose, girl before her.

[Anastasia]

"Yeah...at first, I thought it was nothing. But then, I kept thinking about it...

The way Ami blushed when you smiled at her, the way you grinned when she did just that...." Viluy takes a moment, running a hand across her face to compose herself. On that, she rises up again to meet your eyes. "As I said...maybe I'm just making something out of nothing because it was such a strange day."

Leaning into Haruka, "Just tell me either way. If I'm being crazy, or if you..."

[Liddo-kun]

"I don't think you should look too deeply into it," Haruka says after mulling over Viluy's thoughts.  "I grin, smirk, and smile a lot," she tells her plainly, smiling at her as a point, "and Ami, she blushes a lot."

After a bit of a pause she adds, "I think it must be as reflexive for her as smiling is for me," Haruka says with a shrug, really only guessing on Ami's part.

Haruka looks across at Viluy before deciding to tug the girl towards her and capturing her in a hug.  With a sigh, she runs her hand across her back to soothe away further worries.  "So, this is what had you so worried, huh?"

[Anastasia]

There is a tense moment, as if frozen in place and time. It's strange, Viluy's body no more than a cardboard cutout for that instant.

I...I believe you, Haruka. I...

Hugging you back after that, "You're right...I'm just being silly," she murmurs into your ear, half falling agaisnt you. "Between earlier today and everything at the mall...." To this, Viluy sighs and snuggles up. "Just forget it for now. I'm tired..." Still murmuring into your ear, "Let's get some rest..."

You have to admit, having Viluy leaning into you is better than a blanket, for what that's worth.

[Liddo-kun]

"You know..." Haruka begins to tell Viluy in soft tones, not relinquishing her hold, "you aren't the only one who gets worried, you know?  The times you flinch or pull away or freeze up like you just did..., scares me too," she admits.

Pausing a moment to keep in check the tremor that threatened to squelch her voice, "But I know deep down, that the two of us will be together forever, no matter what.  And that's why I can keep smiling despite my fears."  Taking Viluy's hand now, she rests it upon her chest.  "Because the heart that beats here, beats for you and you alone."