Doubt: An OTP Short

Matt and A’s Home
Tokyo, Japan
July 2015

“You keep exhausting yourself over work.”

“I can’t help it.” Green eyes gazed tiredly at the screen of the laptop, “At this point, it’s practically part of the job description to obsess over work and take it home.” Matt gave a quiet sigh and squeezed her shoulder; A bit her lip. “Sorry…I know you wanted to go out today and watch a movie, but the report can’t wait and Touta needs it by tomorrow so he can present on Monday,” she rambled.

Matt pressed a kiss against the woman’s temple. “Don’t worry about it. We can always move our date to next week.”

“Not tomorrow?”

“You’re going to be tired tomorrow,” he said gently. “It’s already eleven, A. Knowing you, you’re going to end up waking up early because of work stress.” She looked away and Matt then proceeded to ruffle her hair. “Don’t stress on it too much, alright? Get that done and come to bed. Can’t afford to have my girl miss out on some cuddling.” That made her smile a bit and she nodded, going back to her typing quickly. Matt watched for a few more seconds before leaving, kicking off his shoes and taking his place on the left side of the bed.

Taking out his phone, Matt watched her occasionally while texting. Kenichi updated him on the week’s plans (another goddamn meeting with Sakahibara, when were they going to give up?) and what they had to accomplish. Kenichi eventually ended the conversation, asking for him to send his greetings to his girlfriend.

A little past midnight, he heard her shut down the laptop and close it with a tired sigh. His ears perked, “Are you finished?”

“Finished and exhausted.” A mumbled. The ginger watched as she got up, soon walking to the bed with a defeated expression on her face. “I’m tired.”

“Do you want to sleep early tonight?” he offered. “We can skip out. I’m fine with that.”

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all. What’s wrong?” A stayed quiet and climbed into the bed, “Did something happen at HQ? Something go wrong?”

“It’s just an energy crash.” She slid under the covers and pulled them over her head, Matt watching with a semi-worried expression. “Another…another crash. I’ll be alright.”

Impulse: A Relationship Short

Hospital
Tokyo, Japan
June 2015
(Matsumoto, Kenichi)

“You are such a fucking idiot.”

“You’re welcome,” Matt croaked. Kenichi rolled his eyes at him and folded his arms over his chest. “Ow, shit – did they get him? I hope they got him,” the ginger managed as his nerves began to cooperate again. “And that you didn’t get yourself get banged up like the first time.”

“Yes, well – we’ve clearly changed positions this time,” Kenichi grumbled. It took Matt a number of seconds to focus on Kenichi’s face. The businessman had a few scratches and a healing bruise, nothing too bad. He briefly remembered pushing him away before the big, searing pain in his chest. “Don’t be so reckless next time. You know we swore to clean up our act.”

“Can’t exactly clean it up if you’re dead, can you?” he gave Matt a hard look and the ginger glanced away. “Instinct, asshole. I’ve been doing this for a few years and you expect me to get used to not being that guy who guards your ass all day?”

“Yes, I do expect that!” the other snapped, “I’m not the only one you’re guarding, Matt. You’re my right hand, not my shot or my conman. We’re better than that. You’re better than that. Don’t argue,” Kenichi added with a glare. “We agreed, remember? No more shady deals in the underground or using you as a meat shield. Those times are over.” He stood up and straightened his tie, proceeding to look away from him. “You’re getting time off.”

“The company–”

“The company can live without you for the next few weeks or month.” At the other’s offended look, Kenichi rolled his eyes. “Get over it. I’m not having you bleed all over your table and the carpet. I just got it cleaned.”

Aesthetic Closer: Death Note AU

"Just a bunch of people who want to change the world."

Character Aesthetics: Mail Jeevas

"I'm doing this for her."

Appetite: An OTP Short (2/2)

Matt and A’s House
Tokyo, Japan
April 2015

“Sweetheart…can we talk?”

A felt his hand squeezing hers, yet she didn’t squeeze back. Not yet. A didn’t want to squeeze his hand. All he would do was reassure her things would be okay, then leave the room and bring her something to eat in hopes that she would consume anything. Just the mere thought of Matt’s Hayashi rice made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

“…what do you want to talk about?”

“It’s about you. You know. Your eating habits,” he admitted. “I want you to tell me, A – do you want me to try something else? I understand that eating Japanese all the time can get tiring because we live in fucking Tokyo. Or does my cooking suck now?”

She muttered something.

“What?”

“It’s…not your cooking,” A repeated. “It definitely isn’t. If it was, I’d be eating more than I have been, right?” she joked. But even that was enough to make him frown, and A gave a defeated sigh. “You already know, Matt. You already know – why ask me what’s wrong if you already know what it is?”

“Because I don’t want to assume.”

“Assuming. Okay.” She sat up straighter and pulled her hand away from his, a few fingers running through her hair. “You know how I was a few years ago…”

He did.

Appetite: An OTP Short (1/2)

Matt and A’s House
Tokyo, Japan
April 2015

After a few years of living with his girlfriend, Matt wasn’t quite sure how A had been able to fend for herself. She had told him before that in the beginning, Touta would be there to do the cooking for her. He’d cooked a storm, stocking her fridge to the brim and telling her to just microwave the other dishes. His own homemade sushi could be eaten cold.

It had been that way for a few months, she explained to him over a dinner of delivered pizza and wine. Finally, A grew tired of having to rely on Touta and purchased a few cookbooks for her to try out. It took her a long time to reassure the older man, but he soon relented. The food stopped.

Her first cooking attempt was a disaster.

In other words, the dish she had made (katsudon) wasn’t exactly the most edible. The pork wasn’t cooked well, the egg wasn’t great, and the rice turned out to be overcooked. A had felt a pang of guilt when thinking of throwing it out and attempted to remedy it through cooking it again. However, that nearly caused the kitchen to burn down.

(The katsudon was burned to a crisp.)

Not wanting to be a burden to Touta, she instead drove to the nearest grocery store and bought foods ranging from cereals to packs of instant noodles. Bottles of water, cartons of milk, and different vegetables as well as salad dressings filled the shopping cart. A bottle or two of cheap wine was thrown in. Fruits joined the mix. She avoided looking the cashier in the eye upon paying.

With that, A lived on ridiculously simple meals. She would toss vegetables together and make her own salad. She would blend fruits together and create decent-tasting smoothies. Empty packs of instant meals filled the trash.

Somehow, she managed to survive.

Ephiphany: A Friendship Short

Matsumoto Residence
Tokyo, Japan
May 2014

“A plays well.”

“She does,” Matt agreed. The guests had gathered around to hear a woman playing on the piano, watching in both awe and surprise as her fingers flew off the keys. “She was nervous about playing tonight, you know. It’s been a long time since she’s played the piano and actually immersed into it.” Kenichi glanced at Matt, taking note of the proud smile which came onto his face.

“When was the last time?”

“England.” Kenichi mouthed a soft oh and nodded to himself. “That’s always been her special talent. Even before she was known as one of the smartest. There were skilled painters, skilled athletes, geniuses…and there was A, who adored the piano. She told me that her mum taught her the basics when she was younger. She’s been hooked ever since.”

“You told me that she has a marvelous voice too.” At that, Matt’s smile grew a little bigger. “Very?”

“Very. She can carry a tune and she can bloody well sing. If she didn’t work for the police, then I bet she’d be making it in the music industry,” he mused quietly. Both men fell quiet as A continued playing, Kenichi recognizing the tune as Yiruma’s Love Me. “She’s been practicing.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. She’s been trying out different pianists until she came across that one. It’s her favorite to play now.” Matt explained, watching as his girlfriend became one with the music. “That and a few others. We might be able to hear them later if she wants to keep playing.”

“With that skill, she can take the stage for the whole evening,” Kenichi chuckled. This made Matt smile more and the Japanese took a sip from his glass, humming the tune of the song quietly to himself. “She has wonderful taste.”

“That she does.” Silence fell between them again, but it wasn’t as comfortable any longer. Matt gained the impression that Kenichi wanted to talk and cleared his throat, taking a new bottle of beer from a passing waiter. “Do you want to talk?”

Ablaze: An OTP Fanmix

and i'll always choose to burn with you

[listen] [download]

YBC Challenge: The Last Day -- Black and White

They completed each other in many different ways.

Matt acted as the heart to her mind; there were times in which the black-haired woman remained too cold and logical when the moment called for her to be considerate. He made sure to somehow ‘melt’ her when she had to be melted, when the ice she used to build walls around herself got too thick. When she started to isolate herself from him and the rest of the world, he managed to take her out and remind her that she wasn’t made to handle things alone.

It went the same for A, who acted as the ice to cool him down when he got too into things. Matt’s irritability could skyrocket if too many things rubbed him the wrong way all at once and she knew that. So when he was about to spit profanities which burned like hellfire, A always made sure to use the right words to calm him down and mellow him out. It worked most of the time – but when his fire was getting harder to control, she had to put her foot down and go ice against flame.

There were times wherein the ice could bring frostbite and the fire could leave nasty burns. Both of them knew that – it couldn’t be perfect hundred percent of the time.

When that happened, either of them had to give.

It was usually Matt who regained his senses; the one whose emotions would flare up and then disappear as quickly as they came. Due to this, it was him who tried to defrost A when both of them had an argument or a fight.

Cold reason and a passionate heart were never thought of to work out. People usually thought that the cold could suffocate and the passion would burn too deep and burn out. But the two of them proved wrong, showing that it could be beneficial instead of painful; something that was worth negotiating over and trying for.

Fire and ice.

Light and dark.

Shades of Red: Mail Jeevas

"What have I seen? I've seen it all.
I've gone from rags to riches,
Guns to business,
Two sides of life condensed into one.'

[Happy 25th Birthday, Matt! <3]

YBC Challenge: The Sixth Day -- Violet

They all had their own personal vices.

Kenichi’s was work. The young Japanese couldn’t get away from it; after being repeatedly told to focus on getting to the top as a child, the businessman was now unstoppable. Taking over the business his father had left wasn’t exactly hard, and now he was close to the very top.

Matt’s had been smoking, previously. He had been a heavy smoker in his teenage years and only resolved to stop upon finding out about A’s own unease around fire and/or smoke. Smoking helped calm his nerves; it was a nasty habit he started right before he left the Wammy Orphanage. Matt smoked before an exam, before departing the institution, before lifting his gun and sniping. He smoked after an exam, after departing Wammy’s, after seeing the body of his target slump to the ground. He smoked as a form of celebration and as a form of relieving stress.

It was an excessively unhealthy vice, he knew. So he prepared for the comments from future flings, shrugging them off with relative ease.

What he didn’t expect was for his current girlfriend to have an unhealthy vice as well.

Matt sent smoke washing through his lungs.

A drank herself to oblivion.

Almost.

He had first noticed on the fourth date. Matt’s old girlfriend usually ordered simple drinks or fancy cocktails when they went out, but A ordered shots and downed them one after another. She had realized that he was watching the third shot down, and she gave an embarrassed smile with her cheeks a little pinker than usual.

“I-I’m sorry. Rough day,” she apologized. Matt nodded quietly and kept watching her, stopping the half-German at her fifth. At that point, her face was a glowing shade of pink and she was more receptive to his actions, flashing him smiles and flirty half-smirks. A was on the way.

What shocked him was that she didn’t seem to have an intention to stop.

YBC Challenge: The Fifth Day -- Blue

His flaming red hair stood out in the middle of the sea waves.

“Don’t you want to swim, baby?” Matt called. He had resurfaced with his hair slicked back, a grin on his face as he took in A’s figure on the beach. The Englishman’s blue eyes ran over his lover’s figure, hastily looking at her face when she stirred on the blanket. “The water’s really cool. You should swim,” he insisted. A took off her sunglasses and squinted, her own green eyes meeting his. “Get yourself under the sun a bit more. Maybe even end up tanning,” he teased, and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m not letting myself out there when the lotion hasn’t dried,” she defended. Matt shook his head.

“You’ve been waiting it out for the past twenty minutes. I think you’re good,” he declared, moving towards her and A paling considerably.

“No. I’m okay, I swear,” she tried and Matt shook his head, lifting her into his arms while the woman let off a shriek. “Matt you better not do what I think you’ll do,” she started, but her threat fell on deaf ears as her boyfriend whooped and leaped into the water with her. A screamed, scrambling to get out of his arms but failing – Matt still held her tightly, laughing as they resurfaced.

A’s hair stuck to her face; the woman huffed in slight irritation and raked it back, green eyes intent on glaring at her English lover.

“You prat–”

“It was the only way for you to cool down,” Matt insisted, starting to laugh yet again as she splashed him and (playfully) smacked his chest. “Jesus Christ baby, don’t get all rough on me–”

“If I tan, you’re going to pay,” she threatened. A glared up at the sun and sighed, a visible grimace settling on her fair face. “I was planning to read,” the woman began to whine, but Matt shook his head in disbelief and swept her into his arms again. She let off a surprised squeak.

“I take you to the beach and all you’re going to do is read?” he quipped. She glowered. “Don’t take it the wrong way, sweetheart. But we’re here to relax.”

“I am relaxing,” she told him, poking his nose lightly. “I was going to relax with my book and then take pictures around the place after resting on the blanket and staying out of the sun.”

Strokes of Color: A YBC Graphic

"You waltzed into my life with a paintbrush

and everything suddenly turned a little more colorful."

YBC Challenge: The Fourth Day -- Green

He never stuck to a schedule. On most days, Matt just rolled out of bed, had a quick shower and changed into whatever he pulled out of his closet. Afterwards, he would race out of his room, video game stuffed in his pocket, and raced down the stairs, rushing to the doors that would lead outside.

Upon stepping outside, Matt would eagerly scan the area, running behind a tree, eyes searching the gardens for the large oak tree that was right in the middle of the outdoors. And when he found it, his gaze would travel down the leaves and down the trunk, to the grass where a small girl would sit would a book in her hands.

At that moment, he’d blush a heavy red and would rake his fingers through his messy hair, watching silently and hiding from another tree meters away from where she was. The girl would normally be facing elsewhere, and he would do his best to catch a glimpse of her face. This was always part of his mornings. Wake up, dress, run and watch quietly until he had to go. In truth, Matt had always wanted to talk to her. She was the girl in the white dress, the girl with long hair and bangs, the girl who always carried something in her hands.

The girl was an enigma to him. He knew her name, which classes she went to – but he wanted to know more. He wanted to know her name even though they weren’t supposed to share their true name, he wanted to accompany her to the music room just so he had an excuse to watch her play the piano. Matt wanted to be with her, simply to find out more and dwell deeper.

But he couldn’t. He was a boy with freckles on his face and wild, unruly ginger hair. The scabs on his knees wouldn’t go away unless he picked at them, and he sure as hell guessed that a geeky boy who spent all day playing video games wasn’t her type. Maybe she’d smile, but eventually, she would drift away from him.

With that, he concluded that she was out of his league.

Mutual Efforts: A YBC Graphic

"Love them at their worst,

Love them at their best.

Love them at their sweetest,

Love them at their saltiest.

Love them with all that you have,

And I swear they'll love you the same way."

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.

YBC Challenge: The Second Day -- Orange

A loved and hated the cold.

For one, it gave her the liberty to wear the extensive amount of winter wear she had in her closet; long coats and boots were usually worn when chilly Decembers came. Cold weather meant warm coffee and hot chocolate; December weather meant Christmas sales and clothes for half the price. Cold weather gave her an excuse to cuddle up to her lover when the nights got extra frosty, an excuse to drink some alcohol to send warmth throughout her system. Christmas season showcased her generous side once Christmas shopping rolled in.

On another hand, the cold was a bitch.

Fog would be so intense that she couldn’t risk driving while cold winds would sneak into the three to four layers of clothing she wore on a particularly freezing day. Cold weather meant nearly getting frostbite and/or hypothermia while she was out on a case; it meant having Matt out more often since the fog would be an excellent advantage (or so Kenichi said). Cold weather meant lazy mornings and still-dark sunrises. Christmas season brought on the inner road devil in her when everyone was speeding and honking while in traffic.

And then there was the worst part of it.

Cold weather meant having to act like a freezer.

A was cold – literally cold. Passing of files and objects was usually met with the person’s hand jerking back due to shock. Your fingers are freezing, they told her, eyes laced with disbelief. The woman would merely shrug it off. How can you survive the cold like this? She wasn’t exactly quite sure how she was able to manage either – A always felt warm until someone else commented on the fact that their co-worker was a freezer.

In fact, she was the only one in Squad A who had such quirk. Thomas maintained his regular body heat while Peters and Touta radiated. Peters gave off an energizing aura to him while Touta oozed with warmth and charisma. A always noticed that the two men in particular were very warm and hardly had problem with the cold.

Peters explained that living in New Jersey toughened him up; Touta merely remarked that he was used to Japan’s climate. So A frequently made excuses to go near either of them just to warm up when the weather was getting to her. Frustratingly enough, coffee didn’t seem to do the trick.

But Matt did.

YBC Challenge: The First Day -- Red

Her lipstick was lethal.

Matt had always been a fan of A’s lips since he had encountered her in that warehouse – they were the first thing that caught his attention. Contrary to due belief, it wasn’t her green eyes which caught his gaze when he saw her again. It wasn’t even the coldness of her stare or how the leather clung to her body in the middle of the freezing night.

That came second.

His eyes caught her lips when she walked into the warehouse, removing the helmet which covered her face. Black hair swung down and rolled down her shoulders. Her eyes looked tired and only highlighted her irritated features. Matt knew make up, and in seeing her, he knew that she had only begun to remove the traces of it ten or fifteen minutes before she arrived.

The only thing that had remained was her lipstick.

It wasn’t exactly nude or plum or anything like that. Not even reddest of red. The color of her lips that night reminded him of strawberries or any other berries.

(Matt wondered nights later how it felt to kiss those lips.)

Her upper lip was a bit thinner than her lower, which was definitely on the fuller side. The way they were pressed together on that night told him something –

She was tired.

People watching and studying gave Matt an advantage.

TFDC: Day Five -- Camaraderie

Matt and A’s Home
Tokyo, Japan
December 2014
Christmas Day

“Are you honestly sure that it’s alright for me to bring her along, Mack?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. A doesn’t mind guests as long as they aren’t serial killers or those wanted by the law,” the man answered lightly. Jian gave a (tight) smile and glanced around him, Mack noticing that the man was often looking around to see if someone had arrived. “Who’s it, anyway?”

“A dear friend of mine – don’t give me that look,” Jian chastised. Mack had made a face and the Taiwanese other had smirked in reply, “She’s someone I met a few months ago. And no, she isn’t as interested in men as to women.”

Mack gave a mildly guilty smile, his eyes softening. “Right. Be here in thirty?”

“I will. See you.” The call ended and Mack looked up, pocketing his phone soon after. The festivities were in full swing in the living room, the scientist hearing the eager chatter of the rest of his friends.

Touta was watching as A tore open his gift, the Englishwoman gasping in surprise. (“Oh my God, you didn’t have to–” “No shut up, you’ve been pining for that for weeks!”) Kenichi and Peters were talking sports while drinking from their beers, laughing and arguing here and there. Away by the window, J and Matt were having a quiet conversation. Matt had been relaying what had happened to him since he left the Wammy’s, and J was listening while giving input here and there.

Mack, at first, thought of their ‘group’ as rather odd. After all, they comprised of four police agents, one forensic scientist, two businessmen, a bartender and an ex-model. And hell, Mack didn’t even know who the ex-model yet except for the fact that she was a (most likely bisexual) female and an old friend of Jian’s.

“Mack, when’s Jian arriving?” A asked. She and Touta had walked up to him, the former wearing the latter’s gift; a cream-colored cardigan with gold-colored buttons. “So I can prepare a few more drinks for him and his guest.”

“Give it thirty minutes. Nice cardigan by the way,” he added, and A gave a twirl. Touta merely smirked. “Was that the one you spent an hour searching for, T?”

“Might have been the one,” he shrugged. “But it was easy to acquire. Can’t blame me, the store was huge.” A made a face at him and walked off to the bar, taking out a few bottles as well as two glasses. The threesome proceeded to talk while A prepared the drinks, Touta retelling his tale in great detail.

In the living room, Kenichi took an easy drink from his beer and listened as Touta told him all about baseball. “So wait a minute – who do you support?”

“New York Yankees. Nearly sobbed when Jeter took his final bow,” the brunette replied, memories of Derek Jeter’s play throughout the years coming to mind. “The family’s been supporting the team since I was young. I’ve got all kinds of merc,” the American laughed.

“Yankees. I think I watched a game of theirs when I was in the States a couple of years back, in the stadium itself. Can’t remember against who. It was a good game,” he said, and Peters nodded enthusiastically. “…huh – so that explains why A’s been asking me if I have connections with those merc sellers in the States.”

“Connections?”

“Mhm. Oh well. You’ll see it in your gift,” Kenichi replied cheerfully, watching in plain amusement as the six footer gaped and scrambled for his gift, which he had left on the other couch.

TFDC: Day Four -- Devotion

A and Matt’s Home
Tokyo, Japan
December 2014
Christmas Eve

Matt still couldn’t pin what exactly about her drew him to her. He knew that it was a mix of many contributing factors – her physical aesthetic, her complex personality, the depth of her and far her mind could go; but even after years of being with her, he couldn’t trace which part attracted him like a moth to an open flame.

And as amusing as it was, it frustrated him. Matt would spend minutes, nearly hours watching her as she did her thing and each quirk of hers always made him smile; whether it be the way she would let the corner of her lips perk up into a half-smirk when she reached a likely conclusion, or the way she would tap her pen against the paper when in deep thought. Even the simple sight of her scanning papers and analyzing data was enough to catch his attention.

People always said that when treating someone you love – a significant other – they should be treated like a temple; something incredibly holy. Something that was to be worshipped and treated carefully. After all, the soul in a body could be likened to something divine that was to be found in a beautiful temple.

But Matt thought of that as bullshit. A – his A – was definitely not a temple.

If anything, A hated to be treated like something fragile; like fine china in a display. She may have had nicks and bruises from growing up, wounds that didn’t quite heal or scars that were still there, but she gave them no second glance.

If he could liken her to something that wasn’t a temple, then she was a canvas of experience.

He liked to think that everyone was born pure – clean – a clean canvas. Throughout a person’s life, they’d get streaked and slashed with color, color that would represent either emotions or experiences. At the time of death, then they’d be what all people were destined to be: a masterpiece.

“You’re doing it again,” she teased. Matt snapped out of his reverie and looked up; A was standing in front of him, a smile tugging at her tips as she held cups of hot chocolate in her hands.