YBC Challenge: The Third Day -- Yellow

The roads were too congested for any of them to come to work, Touta told her over the phone. Even he – Touta – was pushed to stay home for the day. The rains going on outside were incredibly outrageous. People were advised to stay home, classes were suspended and even Kenichi had told Matt that work would be put aside.

“You want something to eat, lovely?” Matt called from the kitchen. He poked his head out and A could smell the faintest scent of instant ramen. She held back a snort.

“You’re a right hypocrite, do you know that?” the ginger gave her a stare, “Telling me to not stuff myself with instant ramen, but here you are cooking some up,” she teased. Matt rolled his eyes affectionately and stuck his tongue out at her.

“If you don’t want some, you could have just rejected me kindly–”

“Who said I was rejecting you?” she interrupted. “You know I want some.” His eyes gave a twinkle and he popped back into the kitchen, A watching fondly before turning her attention back at the TV screen. She heard him hum to a rock song as he prepared their meals and A shifted on the couch, eyes scanning over the screen for news (even though Touta told her to use the day to relax), waiting for any news of crime.

The lights gave a flicker. She anxiously glanced to the light bulbs and shrugged it off, gluing her eyes back to the screen as continuous weather updates filled the news segment.

“Bloody lights,” she mumbled. The scent of the ramen got stronger; A wished Matt could hurry up and bring the bowls to the kitchen –

And with an alarming noise, the electricity shut down.

The lights were horribly dim when A and Matt came across each other for the first time in Tokyo.

It took flashlights and such for the place to be lit until they had gotten some adequate light source. When the lights came and illuminated the area, A squinted as she took in the irritated looks on the men’s face and the apprehension on Matt’s.

A also remembered staring for a good five seconds before regaining her cool and telling her squad mates to round up the thugs who had ganged up on a seemingly-innocent Englishman in the middle of the night. Her face was mildly flushed as she watched Touta and Peters back them into the car, cursing quietly to herself for letting herself handle him.

The strange man who illuminated even the darkest corners with his smile.

Weeks had passed after their encounter. A had gotten to know about this strange light – as far away as he was, Matt was still able to attract her like how a moth was to a flame.

He was incandescent.

The more she got to know him, the closer she got to that light without being blinded. The man was people-oriented, incredibly outgoing and good with words – he could study people without being creepy and knew when to strike. He practically surrounded himself with people each day, acting as Kenichi’s right hand by day while switching to a guard and confidante by night.

Placed in any situation, he was still radiant.

A adored him for that.

The two shined in their own ways; Matt did his best when he was surrounded with people. He freely associated and developed bonds, studied people and knew when they were lying or what made them tick. He gave off a vibe which made people trust him easily; that certain vibe reminded A of Jian’s own charisma.

A, on the other hand, shined best when she was alone. She followed her own system and her own schedule, preferring that to having conflicts with others. Being in a group tended to restrict her from going her own way; Squad A, however, was able to avoid that. It was that, combined with her own introversion which made her think that she wasn’t exactly suited to be with someone more extroverted than she.

Matt, however, proved her wrong.

Being with him early on caused slight discomfort; she didn’t want him to overshadow her. When Kenichi invited Matt to one of his galas, it always took him time to convince A to go with him as his plus one. She made dozens of excuses – work, not knowing anyone else, what if they didn’t like her – but he refuted each and every one of them until she caved in and decided to come.

“Don’t worry too much. Kenichi loves you already. A little too much for my comfort,” he had joked before going in. A had attempted at a smile but it ended up looking weak and highlighting her worry more than ever. Matt noticed and stopped her, tugging at her wrist lightly and then brushing a strand of hair away from her made up face.

“You’re going to kill it.” He took her hand and squeezed it, “There’s absolutely no need to worry about tonight, A.”

And he was right. Amusingly enough, she was able to catch the attention of Kenichi for almost the whole night. The two had talked immensely until Matt cleared his throat, wishing to dance with his girlfriend. Kenichi had snarked back but let him take her away, giving the lady a wink as Matt pulled her to the center of the room to dance.

With Matt, she was able to shine as ardently as he did.

“Buggering fuck–”

Matt’s curses brought her out of her thoughts. The woman gaped and squinted at the kitchen, trying to figure out what had happened. “Matt? Are you okay?”

“Peachy. Stay there,” he instructed, and she listened to him fumble around the room while cursing more. Finally, a small beam of light came out and Matt entered the living room safely, bearing a tray with two bowls of instant ramen ready for them to consume. Her eyes flickered to the kitchen and she stood on instinct, wanting to check every appliance –

“I switched everything off.” Matt approached the couch and set the tray down on the table, seeing the look on A’s face. “Don’t worry,” he added hastily. “I made sure to check twice.” A nodded slowly and took the warm bowl into her hands, leaning against the couch.

“I wasn’t worried,” she scoffed, but her shaky fingers told him otherwise. He noticed.

“Do you want to check?”

“…I’m fine,” A murmured. She sipped from the bowl and felt her nerves settle; Matt watched from beside, his own bowl left on the tray. The green-eyed woman kept an eye on the small candle which lit the room and Matt carefully wrapped an arm around her, she feeling herself relax even more with him there. “Okay. I’m okay,” she murmured.

“Shit day, yeah? Rains are keeping us inside and the power’s out.” Matt glanced at the candle, “I hope you’re not bothered.”

“I’m not.” A turned to him and pecked his lips lightly, causing the ginger to smile. “Don’t worry about me too much, alright?”

Matt grinned. “You’re my A. Of course I’m going to be worried. But if you insist,” he pressed his lips against hers lightly, “I’ll try to calm down.”

Her arms pulled themselves around him; Matt gently pushed her down on the couch and trailed kisses by her jaw.

The rains outside went on. 

But even in the middle of the dark, A could see.