dinohouse | For Ankh

My waking is a lot less peaceful than my falling asleep. I know I said I wanted Eiji to still be here when I woke up, but I might rethink that position in the future if he makes a habit of screaming every time he wakes up.

"What?" I jolt upright in bed, blinking sleep away and trying to be fully alert for whatever is attacking. "What is it?"

Only it's just the woman from yesterday - Chiyoko, my brain reminds me - with a tray of food and a bright smile. The food smells amazing, and my stomach gives a great growl as I remember that there's a restaurant downstairs.

Ankh bolts upright while I yank the covers up to my chin. Chiyoko-san deposits the food on the small table next to the bed.

I yelp when there's an animalistic noise, but it's only Ankh's stomach. Whoops.

"Thank you, Chiyoko-san," I say obediently. She grins at us both.

"Ah," I nod at Chiyoko, still rubbing at one eye to try and get my vision less sleep blurred. She gives us both a wide, oddly curious smile, then bows and leaves us to our food.

I stare at the food she left, just the smell is overwhelmingly amazing, I can only imagine how it'll taste. I reach over Eiji and whine, the tray just out of my reach.

Ankh near flops on me, making a whiny noise when he can't reach the food. I grin, and sit up properly, with some effort. I could shove him off, but I don't really want to.

"I'll get it. Be patient."

I take the tray and put it on my knees, so he can reach whatever he wants. Smells good.

There's a whole array of food on the tray, for all my hunger all I can do is stare at it for a moment as I try and decide what to eat first. Probably not the eggs, it still feels wrong on some level to eat anything bird related, but the fruit and bread based food look promising.

I begin sampling, humming happily and closing my eyes after the first few bites. It really is amazing be able to taste things. Really taste things first hand, not through someone else's pallet.

I lean against Eiji as we eat, all shoulder-to-shoulder, feeling amazingly content.

I grin and try not to stare at him openly, but he's making the most adorable faces, the most enthralled little noises.

I lick the end of a piece of melon, then wipe my fingers, smiling at him. "That good, huh?"

I lick a bit of jam - strawberry, I think - from the corner of my mouth, humming happily before turning a glare at Eiji.

"Imagine not being able to taste anything your whole existence, only getting passing flavors from a borrowed palate, and then suddenly being able to taste everything on your own." I gently smack Eiji on the back of the head, unable to keep the affection from my voice. "Idiot."

"Ow," I protest, head jerking forward a little. "So that's a 'yes', then?"

Sheesh. It was only a question.

I sigh, long and unnecessarily dramatic. I reach with my hand again for the back of his head, only this time instead of smacking him I just tangle my fingers gently in his hair, sort of kneading at his scalp a bit.

This time when I call him an 'idiot' it ends up sounding like a pet name rather than any sort of insult.

His hair gets all blowy when he sighs like that. I tense reflexively as he reaches for my head, but then start to relax. Mm, that feels nice.

"Hmm?" I murmur lazily.

I can feel it when Eiji relaxes, suddenly melting next to me, like all his muscles immediately loosen and his contentment switch has been flipped. He's so easy to read sometimes, so easy to please.

I continue kneading at the back of his head, my fingers wandering a little lower, down to vaguely rub at the back of his neck. He's still so much warmer than me, even after I've had a proper meal and a full night's rest.

He keeps massaging the back of my head, sending gooey contentment down the back of my spine. Mmm. "Your fingers are so cool," I murmur wonderingly. They feel *nice*.

I hum, sort of vaguely thoughtful. His contentment is infectious, I can feel it pooling in my stomach, all warm and soft. I shift a little closer to him, until we're hip-to-hip.

I turn my hand so that the backs of my knuckles are against his skin, and slowly glide them down the back of his neck, just to see what sort of reaction that causes.

I think I might be some kind of science experiment for him. Now he has his own human body, he's investigating what he can do to me before he tries things himself.

I can't say I mind.

The feel of the back of his hand makes me shiver deliciously. I groan under my breath, leaning against him just a little. Well, either he's experimenting or he just wants me to shut up. Again, I'm not complaining.

Eiji makes this sound, a low little groan, and it makes me feel things. Things I still don't have words for. Things that feel a lot more primal and powerful than hunger or exhaustion.

He leans a little into me and I bite my lip. The shift in angle guides my fingers from his neck up behind his ear, and I turn my hand so I can trace a little circle back there.

His hand goes up behind my ear, and I turn into him, my arm going across his lower back. I rest my head on his shoulder and utter a strangled half-laugh at the feel of his fingers, because I'm a little ticklish and it feels *good*.

His hand slides over the small of my back and I respond by arching my spine, the shiver his touch draws out of me making this movement almost completely involuntary. Humans are indeed very strange creatures.

I repeat the circle with my fingers, trying to make him laugh again. It's a pleasant sound, and I'm greedy.

...

Heh.

Oh, that was a nice reaction. I gently run my fingers along the line of his hip, smiling, wondering if he's sensitive there, too.

I laugh again as he repeats the motion. "Not fair," I protest amiably. "I'm obviously more ticklish than you are."

"Ah!" My hips jerk when his fingers trace there, another one of those almost violent trembles running through me. I hiss after, I really don't know what category to file that feeling under. Certainly pleasant, but more than that.

I don't really think it's a ticklish sort of reaction either.

He laughs again and that makes me oddly happy, and a little proud? I run my fingers behind his ear again, more purposefully this time. "I never play fair."

Odd, my voice is quite a bit rougher than it usually it.

He flinches, yells, but... but doesn't move away. I shudder as he runs his fingers on that spot again. "No, you don't," I agree unevenly.

The tray bumps against my leg, and I grab it with my free hand. "Whoops, I better take this back."

A strange surge of frustration runs through me when Eiji pulls away. I let him though, obviously the tray can't stay on the bed forever. I watch him leave the room and sigh, flopping over on the bed and sprawling all my limbs out.

The room hasn't changed much from what I've recovered of my memories, nothing major has moved. It still feels strange though, like I'm looking at it from a different angle. Technically I am, since this was always Eiji's bed... I perched up high. Yes. In a bright red nest I made for myself.

My shoulders ache and I roll over onto my stomach, heaving a heavy sigh and crossing mt arms under my chin.

I take the tray back, and get hugged by Chiyoko over and over again. I hug her back, getting near absorbed by her cloud of perfume. Phew, it's strong, hope Ankh won't mind.

I tap on the bedroom door before I open it again. "We should probably shower- Ankh? Are you all right?"

I look up at Eiji through my bangs - still somewhat messy from sleep - and give him a small, lazy smile. I'm pretty sure my affection for Eiji is showing in my eyes again; I really need to work on that.

"I'm fine," I shrug, though I don't make any motions to move from my current position. "Just still trying to sort out my memories."

He is so pretty.

Enchanted, I plop down beside him, completely inside his personal space, and rest an arm across his shoulders. "Okay. Would you like to go out today? Maybe that would help? What would you like to do today?"

He flops down beside me and I unconsciously shift a little closer to him. But then his arm drapes over my shoulders, and I'm reminded of the dull ache in my shoulder blades.

I sigh, turning my head on my arms, looking toward the window and out, at the bright blue sky.

"I want to fly," I mutter without really thinking, very softly and into my arm, a weary longing taking me for a moment.

A second later I sigh again and turn my head to face Eiji, offering him another soft smile, voice returning to its normal clarity. "Nothing specific."

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