Kuroro felt pretty good about himself. It was pretty amazing that he'd managed to get this far with the Kuruta. Of course, the moment that he had decided on seducing the boy, he was pretty sure that he would succeed, but it was still something pretty amazing all the same. He woke up feeling refreshed and in good spirit. It was such a wonderful feeling, waking up and knowing that he had had such an effect on the boy the previous day. It was exciting, exhilarating, knowing that he'd gotten to a point with him that Kurapica would actually touch him, that he would bring him pleasure. It brought him such a feeling of power and control. Ah, he could get addicted to this.
After he’d left the boy's room the previous day, he'd taken a long shower, then stayed in his own room the rest of the evening. Kurapica needed to think and if Kuroro were to press him now, it would confuse him even more. At first, it had been what he was after, but now, he had to move it to the next level. Kurapica had to want him. Not just do things because Kuroro had made him feel excited, but because his head was completely taken by thoughts of him. He had to play a bit of a cat and mouse game now, touching just enough to keep Kurapica's thoughts on him, but not to the point that the boy simply allowed things to happen. No, Kurapica had to actively want things to happen between them. It would be a delicate operation. One that he had to play very carefully if he wanted to proceed with this plan.
How exciting.
He'd slept wonderfully well and woke up feeling like he could own the world if he so desired. He went into the lounge area and grinned when he saw the blond already at the coffee machine. “Good morning,” he said cheerfully.
Kurapica tensed, turned an intense shade of red and his eyes slid up to his face, then away. He bit his lower lip and took a step back. “Good morning,” he replied, apparently speaking to the floor.
Kuroro leaned back against the counter next to him. “Sleep well?” he asked, because it was fun to watch him squirm uncomfortably. He wanted to keep him right there and not let him escape back to his room. The younger man was too polite not to answer a question. Plus, he looked like he hadn't slept a wink, and it was amusing to pretend not to notice.
“Not really,” he said with a light shrug.
“Why not?” Kuroro pressed him, even though he knew perfectly well what had kept the blond up through most of the night.
The boy shrugged with only his right shoulder. “Had a lot to think about,” he said. He grabbed his cup from the coffee machine as soon as it was done and made to go back to his room, but then he hesitated. “Are we leaving today?” he wanted to know.
“Yeah, we still have one pair of eyes to retrieve up north. We should get to it as soon as possible before people start realizing only people who own a pair of Scarlet Eyes are being targeting by this new wave of robberies the newspapers are all talking about. They're already starting to catch on. It'll only get more and more difficult from now on.” He noticed the boy looking at his bare chest, though it was probably more because he couldn't make himself look at his face than because he was staring at him. “See something you like?” he asked anyway, because he just couldn't not tease him about it.
Kurapica jerked slightly, blushed a little more and hid behind his coffee. “No,” he muttered and he took a sip.
Kuroro smiled and moved closer. Kurapica finally looked up at him, and he had such a vulnerable look in his eyes, the older man just wanted to pull him closer and kiss him breathless. Instead, his smile widened and he said, “I'd like some coffee too, if you don't mind.” He tilted his head towards the coffee machine in front of which Kurapica was still standing.
“Oh,” the Kuruta took a step away and Kuroro started making his own coffee. He half-expected Kurapica to turn tail and run back to his room, but the blond asked, “What time are we leaving, then?”
“As soon as I finish my coffee and we're all packed up. You don't mind eating breakfast on the way out of town?” Kurapica shook his head. “Good, then that's what we'll do.” He paused, looking down at the blond, who was still standing near him. “I'd like a good morning kiss, if you don't mind,” he told him, because he was curious to see what Kurapica would do.
The blond looked up at him, then his eyes slid down again, and he licked his lips, shifting uncomfortably. He breathed in, did a half-nod, hesitated, then finally nodded. “Okay,” he said and he moved closer. He pushed himself onto his tiptoes and placed a kiss on Kuroro's lips.
It wasn't nearly enough, so the Spider head chuckled and said, “I'd like a proper good morning kiss.” He slid his hand down Kurapica's arm, going for the cup of coffee he was still holding. He took it from him and placed it back onto the counter top behind him. Kurapica had lowered himself back so his feet were firmly planted on the ground. Kuroro wrapped an arm around the back of his waist and pulled him closer, lowering his head so his lips were mere centimetres from the Kuruta's. There, he paused. Kurapica let out a soft, shaky breath and Kuroro's arm tightened around him, but he cotrolled himself. Slowly, carefully, he placed his lips on the boy's. He felt him respond, so he pulled back, smiled, then went back in for a deeper kiss, liking how Kurapica showed no hesitation in letting him, in kissing him back with all he had.
When the blond finally pulled away, he licked his lips and said, “I'm going to get ready, then.” Then he looked up and met Kuroro's eyes with a steady gaze in spite of the blush on his cheeks. He nodded to himself, as if he'd taken a decision, and then he picked up his coffee again and walked slowly back to his room, closing the door behind him. Kuroro was intrigued. He really wanted to know what conclusion the boy had reached. His coffee finished brewing, so he took his cup and went back to his own room, where he got dressed and gathered his things. Pretty soon, they were both in the car, driving north. Breakfast was mostly silent, the younger man lost in thoughts, the Spider head observing him, and they finished their meal quickly. Then, it was back on the road, out of the city and into the suburbs, then the country side. Kurapica was reading at first, but eventually, he fell asleep, his blond head leaning sideways against the window. Wordlessly, Kuroro took the book from his lap and placed it onto the back seat, keeping his eyes on the road and one hand on the steering wheel. He made a detour to a small rest stop to buy a couple of sandwiches for lunch but the blond didn't stir, so he left again and ate half of his sandwich, keeping the rest for later. It was mid-afternoon before Kurapica finally blinked blearily around. “Where are we?” he asked.
“Nearing Puruki,” Kuroro said, then he glanced at him. “Sleep all right?” he wanted to know.
“Yeah,” Kurapica said. “My neck's a little sore, but the nap helped.”
“Good,” Kuroro said with a smile. “I bought you a sandwich if you're hungry.” He pointed to the backseat with his thumb. “Actually, can you grab the bag, I want to finish my lunch, too.” Kurapica twisted in his seat, got the bag and his book, and put the items on his lap. He found Kuroro's half-eaten sandwich and gave it to him. “Thank you,” the taller man said and Kurapica nodded in response.
They ate in silence, the kilometres stretching behind them. When Kurapica finished his meal, Kuroro glanced at him. He'd finished a while ago and expected Kurapica to just go back to his book, so he commented, “You're very quiet, today.”
“I was sleeping,” Kurapica pointed out.
“You're awake now,” Kuroro said, and the blond shrugged. “So tell me, what is keeping you so pensive?”
Kurapica glanced at him. “I'm sure you know,” he answered. “So why are you asking? Do you genuinely want to know or are you just bored?”
Kuroro laughed, “Maybe a little of both,” he answered honestly. “I do want to know and sitting like this in absolute silence is kind of boring, yeah.”
Kurapica turned to look at him, and he studied his face silently for a moment. He turned away when he finally answered, “I've been thinking about how far I'm ready to follow you in this. How much I am willing to give, how far I'm ready to fall. I'm not walking into this,” he made a vague gesture with his hand, “whatever this is, with my eyes closed. I'm not willing to just follow you blindly. You have the upper hand in this because you have more experience than me. But I'm not going to be like a dog on a leash for you to play with.”
“That's not exactly a mental image I needed,” Kuroro commented with a grimace.
Kurapica glanced at him again, looking amused. “Anyway, I told you I was going to see where this leads us, but I'm not going to just let you play me.”
Kuroro nodded. “Does this mean you'll take the initiative next time?”
Kurapica licked his lips slowly, thinking it over. “Maybe, maybe not.”
“That's not an answer,” the older man pointed out.
The blond had a little smile. “Perhaps, but it's the only one you'll have.”
Kuroro chuckled. “Fair enough.”
Kurapica picked up his book and started reading after that, so the Spider head turned on the radio and scanned for a classical music station. Once he found one, he left it there and focused on driving. The rest of the afternoon went by in silence. They stopped as the sun was coming down. They found an inn that had a small restaurant attached and had dinner there before they went up to their rooms. Kurapica hesitated outside of Kuroro's door. The taller man tilted his head questioningly at him. “Yes?” he prompted when the blond just stood there without saying anything.
Kurapica frowned lightly, looking pensive for a moment. “Well,” he finally said, “I was wondering if I should,” he hesitated, pushing some hair behind his ear nervously. Then he said, “To hell with it.” He pushed himself on his tip-toes and planted a solid kiss on Kuroro's mouth, then pulled away. “Good night,” he said, already turning away from the older man and retreating back to his room. He didn't see the smile pulling at Kuroro's lips.
“Good night,” the Spider head called after him, then he went into his room and closed the door. He read for some time, but eventually he set his book down. He had to think about his next move carefully. It felt like the younger man was falling deeper and deeper and that was a very good thing. But now, Kuroro wanted to hold back, to see if Kurapica would eventually come to him and ask for his touch. He doubted he would. Not right away, anyway. How could Kuroro make him want him more without touching him?
This could be fun.
The next morning, they had breakfast and when they went back up to their rooms to collect their belongings, Kuroro paused in front of his door and tilted his head at the blond. Kurapica shook his head and went into his own room. Kuroro let him. He wasn't going to press him, just make it clear that he was welcome if he wanted more. Once they were showered, dressed and had their things packed into his Fun Fun Cloth, they were off again. They drove through the morning and stopped for lunch in a greasy diner where neither managed to eat the food. They paid anyway, something Kuroro found absolutely ridiculous, but Kurapica insisted. By mid-afternoon, they had arrived to a somewhat large resort town, where he knew a private collector had a pair of Scarlet Eyes. He took a luxury suite in a large hotel, feeling the need to indulge himself a bit. All this time on the road was starting to get tiring.
They had the rest of the afternoon and the evening to themselves, so Kuroro took a long shower, even though it was his second one that day. Then, dressed in a fresh set of clothes, he went to the lounge area of their suite and sat on the plush sofa with a book. Kurapica wandered out of his room, looking freshly showered and wearing different clothes than he had on the road, too. He went to the coffee machine and prepared a pot, then started it. He turned around to face Kuroro, tilting his head when he caught him looking at him.
“Did you make some for me too?” the Spider head asked.
Kurapica nodded. “I figured you'd want some.”
“Thank you,” Kuroro said, to which the blond shrugged. The taller man patted the sofa next to him invitingly, but the boy just turned away and busied himself with fixing their coffee. Once it was ready, he brought Kuroro a mug, which he handed wordlessly. The older man took it from him and Kurapica quickly turned away to fix his own beverage. Then he went into his room. A moment later, he came out, carrying his book in one hand, coffee in the other. He sat on the far end of the sofa, set his mug down on the table next to him, opened his book and started reading.
Kuroro lowered his head over his own book, trying to hide the victorious smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.