[MrTerrorist]

Originally Posted by SmokinFerret88

Ask and ye shall receive; real.

Enjoy the future scene.

Spoiler for Present at the center of His world:

In that moment, for the first time in what felt like years, everything seemed right in the world.

Neither Touma nor Mugino had a single care in the world; they had no reason to. Rapid breaths escaped from both parties as they stared up at the ceiling which was acting as their temporary settlement. The usual emotions that were commonly present did not exist in that moment. There was no contempt, no fear, agitation, concern, or anything of that nature. All that was present that moment was exhaustion; the rise and fall of their chests and the loud exhales as both struggled to regain their respective composure.

They were a coated in sweat, they were physically exhausted, and they were definitely looking far worse for wear in terms of appearances.

But as the pace of their breathing slowed, something else surfaced on the features of these two particular teen’s faces. Touma, despite himself, was actually smiling from the place in which he lay; and unknown to him so was Mugino. It was rather difficult not to express satisfaction when attaining success, at least that was the way Mugino chose to view it. Touma was just relieved to finally be on the receiving end of fate’s good fortune.

Lord knew he was long overdue for it.

So relieved, in fact, that he actually started to chuckle. At first it sounded like the kinda laughter that was born out of disbelief; and part of that was true. But as it continued, it became more and more apparent that he was doing it out of joy. Yes, he was happy; for the first time in a good while, he actually felt good about himself for his success.

In a way, he felt more alive now than he ever felt before.

Yet it seemed the giggle bug was contagious, as the girl who was laying beside him soon joined him in his laughter. Initially surprised by the odd behavior of her company, that feeling soon gave way to the sense of accomplishment she felt. Neither party was particularly loud about it, it wasn’t the kinda laughter that belonged someone after being told a hilarious joke. The laugh they shared was more like the kind an adrenaline junky uses after completing an exhilarating event of some sort.

Had Touma really cared, he probably would have taken in the girl’s laughter for what it was worth. It was a rare sight to see her act in such a manner and he was the only person there to witness it firsthand.

He probably would have also noticed that Mugino was literally right next to him; her head resting just a few inches short away from being on top of his chest.

“We did it.” In spite of his laughter, the smile, and the look of satisfaction on his features, Touma was still somehow able to sound skeptical. “I still can’t believe it, but…just…wow.”

“Were you expecting some different outcome?” Gasped out Mugino beside him between her own chuckles, confident as ever and showing no doubts or disbelief in what had just been done. “I’m more surprised that I worked up a sweat than anything else.”

She was jesting, this much he was aware of after spending as much time with her as he had. Usually such remarks when directed at him were condescending, sometimes being just plain hurtful. But this was another one of those rare moments in time where such things were lacking. Despite their views, beliefs, and other differences, there did exist moments like these where they could truly get along. Moments when her smile or her laughter were not stained with an underlining layer of malice or contempt.

He liked hearing her laughter and in the few instances he witnessed her smiling he had always found it a beautiful sight to behold.

Touma just couldn’t understand why anyone would willingly desire to tarnish such radiance.

At that thought, Touma adjusted his head to look at the girl in question; and in doing so realized just how close the two of them were. Mugino had already turned to look at him, so she saw the look of surprise on his face when that realization came to mind. She had already noticed, yet cared oh so little about the level of closeness the two shared within the confines of their temporary lodgings. He certainly did, it seemed, for his face suddenly started to become tinted a nice shade of red.

Probably had something to do with the fact that she had rolled onto her side to look at him; unintentionally pressing her chest up against his side.

“A-ah-ahahah.” Embarrassed as he may have been, he was guilty of enjoying both the sensation and the unexpected view of her valley right in front of him. For that reason, he had chosen to look away whilst a hand rose to scratch at his scalp. “Yeah, usually it takes a lot to exert you this much, doesn’t it?”

He was trying to distract himself for the sake of not staring at her. Her unintentional actions already pushing the boundaries of what was dangerous for his health and what wasn’t.

But…perhaps it wasn’t unintentional?

Perhaps Mugino hadn’t done those things inadvertently.

Maybe she wanted him to look at her, to see her as she was, and wanted to relish in the thought that he was looking at her and no one else. Thanks to the thin layer of sweat, any part of her exposed flesh gave her body a brilliant sheen thanks to the lighting above them. But he would not see it, he refused to for the sake of maintaining his livelihood and to prevent the woman from growing agitated. They were having a good moment here, something they rarely experienced, and the last thing he wanted to do was instigate her and ruin it all just because he couldn’t stop staring at her cleavage.

He couldn’t see it from the corner of his eyes, but beside him Mugino’s expression became more pensive, underlined by a mild case of irritation.

So what did she do?

“Huh–G-gah!”

If he was going to try and avoid her, the best altnernative then would be to give him no choice but to look at her. Having said that, in spite of her fatigue, she altered her position entirely until she was literally on top of him; straddling him at the waist whilst making herself flush with the remaining portion of his body.

“W-wh-wha-what are you doing!?”

Poor lucky bastard.

“Why are you trying to ignore me?” Unlike the usual cases, the tone used wasn’t as frigid as it usually was. It was more of a…chilled manner of ferocity that wasn’t quite angry, but not quite happy either. “Is there something distasteful about my appearance that bothers you enough to avoid looking at me?”

“Where did this come from and why are you so curious about it all of a sudden? A-anyway, could you please just–what are you doing now!!”

The simple answer was that she had sat up and swiftly removed the coat she had been wearing; exposing the glistening skin in which the shirt couldn’t hide.

Said material wasn't hiding very much admittedly; as a generous portion of her midriff was being showed off along with her bare arms. If Touma angled himself a bit more, he probably would have been able to see right up her shirt and see the violet undergarments beneath.

Mugino was by no means a loose woman, never had been, never viewed herself to be, and never would be. So it was safe to assume that she didn't do certain things for just anyone unless she had a very deep reason behind it. To her, the things she felt all this time for the boy were always obvious, she had given hints at it and yet he never returned or even acknowledged them. The assumption that he wasn't interested was not an issue here, she had seen the interest and attraction in his eyes whenever she caught him staring at her; deliberate or not.

So yes, she knew he was interested in her, whether or not it was actual attraction or just lust was something she couldn't determine. But he was oblivious to matters like these, ignorant to the feelings other women around him feel in regards to him. But with that ignorance came opportunity and in this moment she would ensure that Touma would be hers.

She wanted him to only look at her, nobody but her, and be at the center of his world.

“Look at me, you stupid fuck.”

If she needed to be brash then so be it.

“Keep your eyes on me, and don’t fucking look away.”

If she needed to spell it out word for word then she would.

“I don’t care; if anything it’s what I want you to do. So stop acting like a damn idiot and look all you want.”

If she needed to go the extra mile just to make him understand, she would go as far as she needed to.

Even if Touma didn't want to look, he was given no choice in the matter. Mugino’s hands had already found themselves placed at either side of his head to keep it in place; her fists clutching his spiky hair to ensure that he wouldn't move. The action itself might have been painful had Touma really cared to notice it; but the fact was he didn't. He was too stunned, too captivated, by the girl’s actions and words to register anything else.

He was giving her exactly what she wanted, because for that moment nothing else existed in his world.

No words came from his mouth either, despite how much he wanted to speak. He wasn’t sure why, but something was urging him to say at least something back, something to offer in return for what was spoken to him by this girl. The same girl he feared yet cherished, the same girl who thrived in this dark world yet whom he desperately wished to save.

Kamijou truly wanted to say something, anything, but nothing would leave his lips.
But it seemed Mugino had something else she wanted from him. Something nobody she was aware of had yet to claim and was currently hers for the picking.

“You are mine, and through hell or high-water, you will stay mine.”

Without further warning, the woman’s face descended down towards his own before capturing his lips with her own in an aggressive, but far from unpleasant, kiss.

You sir, are awesome.

Originally Posted by SmokinFerret88

I'm starting to realize that I need a damn editor...cause I keep on second guessing myself so much that it's killing me!

On another note, does anyone think Touma should get some money from ITEM due to his involvement in the ORDER arc? It's something I've been thinking about lately and it might open the door to the whole 'recruitment' conversation they're eventually going to have.

Any thoughts on this?

He should. After all the troubles he's been through, he deserves a paycheck.