#I didn't remember how l3wd this got Rip

[xxthefairywitchxx]

Run While You Can (Please Stay With Me)

AKA 6,088 words and 32,143 characters of pure self indulgent selfship nonsense with no italics or bold because it was written in notepad and I was bullied into posting it

Running reports and new plans by his father was never really That fun, but Rio Ranger supposes it wasn't supposed to be fun. It was supposed to be informative, and maybe he'd get a little praise for listening so well to orders? He sighed, shaking his head as he entered the main lobby. He had to admit, he was thankful to get let out of the meeting early. It was all just boring repeats of the last one.

To his surprise, when he looked up he saw someone else in there, the only human he didn't mind seeing too…Even if seeing her right now did make his face warm slightly, considering the state he'd seen her in this morning…Damp hair, skin glistening, a shirt which barely covered her breasts, and tiny shorts that put his miniskirt to shame in revealing length.

He let his eyes roam over her form from the doorway. She was wearing the spare clothes he brought her, and he felt a wave of smug possessiveness rush over him. None of the others could have done that for her. She was sitting in the corner of the room with a scattered assortment of art supplies around her, and she was scribbling away in a notebook. Watching her face while she scratched away made him think about what Tia had said, about keeping her for himself. Seeing her like this, he was starting to consider it.

Maybe he should have just walked away without approaching her, he should have pretended he didn't see her and gone to his room, take care of his growing problem…Before he'd realized it, he waltzed right over to her and sat down beside her without a word, making the girl gasp and practically do a double take when she looked up and saw him.

Whatever he was going to say died on his tongue when she set aside whatever she was working on face down and leaned over him, wrapping her arms around his neck, giggling out a greeting. How was he supposed to respond to that? He was sure he'd never get used to the way she acted around him.

"I'm so happy to see you, Rio!" Her voice is soft when she pulls back, like she's trying to keep down so they don't get caught, and it makes Rio feel like they're sneaking around…It's almost an exciting feeling, it brings images of him taking and hiding her away in his room, where no one else can see her. Where she'd be a secret joy, just for him.

"Whoa Renni, what are you doing up so late? It's past bedtime for all the little humans you know?" Rio's playful voice doesn't betray any of the thoughts in his head as he watches her gather up some of the art supplies…Is she done? Or is she getting ready to leave because he's there?

She giggles at the question then hums softly in thought, something sitting on the edge of her tongue before she decides to leave that topic untouched. "There's a strict bedtime? That's hardly fair." Her hands hesitate before she grabs a small paintbrush, and he's so distracted by her hands he doesn't notice it until he feels her lean over and brush her shoulder against his. "And who knew you'd be such a stickler for rules, Rio!"

"Hardly!" Rio snorts waving the hand that isn't holding up one of his expression signs…He thinks it's the cartoony grin. "But you and I both know you're gonna get dragged around by all the others and their mothers tomorrow! You really should get some sleep, that's like….Really important for humans, yknow?"

There's a far off look in her eyes as she stares forward, she's smiling but it looks tired. "I know, I know, I just…" She sighs, pulling her knees up to her chest, her hands resting on her knees while she stares into nothing. "I don't know why, I just haven't been able to get any sleep recently."

There's some part of Rio that's surprised she's sharing this information with him, but she's always been like this with him, especially when they're alone. "Ahh, I get it, you're worried about all those guys running around, aren't you? Especially now that some of them have gotten another peak at the goods, huh?" Of course, he knew that wasn't why…Though, he felt like it should be at least part of it.

"No, no!" Her laugh is soft and breathy as she tries to keep her voice down. "Honestly, no! I trust everyone here!" A look crosses her face briefly, so quickly Rio almost missed it completely. She looked…Angry. "Ah…Well…Almost everyone, anyway…" Her expression was back to smiley and squishy so quickly he almost thought he imagined it.

This time, he leaned over to her, bumping his shoulder against hers a bit harder than when she did it. "Oooh~? Someone here that Miss Pollyanna herself doesn't trust~? Oh tell me, I have to know!" He switches his expression card to the diamond cat mouth, letting his eyes narrow slightly at her. "Is it maybe the bad boy in the cute red skirt~?"

She chuckles softly, putting her hand on his shoulder and very gently shoving him away. "Oh don't be silly, of course I trust you Rio!" Her voice is still soft but the truth of that simple statement seems to echo through the room.

It shocks Rio to his very core. She said it so plainly, so matter of factly, like there was no other option for her. "Then who is it you don't trust?" He asks, trying to distract himself from the way his face has warmed considerably.

"It's just…" She looks to the doorway with a strange expression on her face for a moment instead of clarifying. "I don't trust the Receptionist Doll." Her voice holds a level of suspicion he hasn't heard from her before.

"Oh yeah?" He had to admit, it was probably in her best interest not to be so trusting of his father. "Any reason in particular, or is it just a bad feeling?" He asked, but he really didn't expect an answer. Humans rarely have good reasons when deciding who and who not to trust. Obviously, since she trusted him as much as she did.

She didn't look at him, and her hands balled into fists before uncurling again. "He's so quiet, I can't tell what he's thinking ever…And he just…Appears and disappears whenever, where ever. It's unsettling…"

He considers her reasons as they hang in the air, surprised a little at how reasonable they are.

And then she whirls around to face him, her eyebrows scrunched down and her lips pressed in a thin line with her cheeks puffed out and the action makes him startle back ever so slightly.

"And yknow what else?! Guys with mustaches are always secretly evil!! They can't be trusted as far as you can throw em!" Her voice is a hoarse whisper when she says this, as though it's top secret.

And Rio couldn't help but laugh in her face. He'd put his expression cards down, and he had to cover his mouth with his hands as he laughed heartily at the ridiculousness of what his favorite human just said to him with her whole chest.

Renni's expression remains before she breaks out into a grin and leans closer against him, giggling and snorting along with him, her hands covering her mouth.

He was surprised once again how easy interactions with her are, something he attributes to her complete and total naive trust in his. Though, the longer he spends with her one on one he realizes her lack of judgement towards him, his actions, his cruelty, his shitty attitude, and everything else about him must have something to do with it.

They lapse into a comfortable silence, her head leaning against his shoulder and he's startled to realize he doesn't hate the physical contact when it's her. He lets himself lean his head against hers, ignoring the way his hand itches to hold hers as best he can.

His hand inches towards hers while he argues with himself. Right before his fingers brush hers, she sits up and claps her hands together.

"Oh! Hey Riri, do you wanna see what I was working on before you joined me~?" Her smile when she looks at him is so warm and kind he can only nod, even while he misses her warmth against him.

She giggles softly and picks up the notebook. "Don't judge it too harshly, okay? It's not finished, it's just a first draft too, I just wanted to get the idea down on paper before I forgot it." He nods as she hands the notebook over to him and he nearly drops it seeing what she's done.

It's a water coloring drawing of him, in an outfit that looks like it was designed for him. It's frills and poofy shorts and a hooded cloak with rabbit ears. It's not a perfect drawing, but it's lovely and it's warm and soft, and so much he can't process completely.

"I know, I know, it's rushed, but I really wanted to get it down on paper…" When he can tear his eyes away from the page, he sees that Renni's face is colored crimson and she's pulled her pigtails in front of her face to cover her flushed expression. "But…Even still…Do you like it? The outfit, I mean, I call it 'Ranger Rabbit'~. The drawing is subpar I know…"

"Subpar?!" Rio raised his voice more than he meant too, judging by the way she flinched away from him. He cleared his throat and made a conscious effort to control his volume as he spoke. "I don't think the drawing is subpar. I like it. If you don't like it, I'll keep it." He looks down at the page again, fighting the urge to hold the notebook against his chest. "The outfit is pretty too, did you come up with the design?"

"No, not entirely. I saw it once before, but I changed some things up to make it fit you better, like the colors. I'm glad you like it though." Her voice is soft, and he bets she's smiling that smile where she tries to hide her teeth. "I want to make it for you sometime, if I can. The outfit, I mean."

He looks back at her, trying to keep his eyes from widening. "Huh? Why would you want to do that?"

"I want do something nice for you, as a thank you for helping me." She says it so plainly, again, like it should be obvious to him.

He puts back up his cartoony grin expression card as he tries to hide his own flushed face. "C'mon, I already told you, you don't have to thank me for getting you a spare set of clothes, it's nothing special y'know?"

"But it is special!" She insists with a small huff. "You keep saying that, but you do so much to help me! You bandage me up when I get hurt, you go out of your way to find me some dry, spare clothes so I don't have to walk around in my pajamas, you lead me around by the hands so I don't get lost, and your hand is always so gentle when you do it, and even when you're annoyed at me for being stupid you're always patient and kind with me! And you have no reason to be!! I'm not one of the contestants, you have no duty of care for me, but you take such good care of me!"

For a moment, she lets that hang in the air before she sighs. "I just…Want to do something nice for you too, yknow? I thought if I could make you some clothes, something made just for you, that you might like it…I don't think it's fair to you, that Miss Sue Miley and Miss Tia Safalin both have outfits that were clearly designed for them, but you have to scavenge around and pray you'll find something that'll cover you. So, if I can manage it, will you let me make you something?"

When her sweet, dark eyes turned to him, Rio audibly gulped. He nodded, trusting his voice would fail him if he tried to say anything, especially with the way his hand, holding his expression sign, was shaking at his side. He sets her notebook to the side, to give his other hand something to do.

She smiled at him, and he lost his breath because of it. "Thank you." She said it as though he did her a favor by accepting her offer. "Still, I wish I had something I could give you now to show you how I feel." She sighs softly, before letting out a breathy chuckle. "I guess this is all I can do for now."

Before he can react, Renni has leaned over to him and pressed her lips against his expression card.

She pulled back as quickly as it happened, but he swore he could almost feel her lips on the other side of the plastic card. So, so close to his own.

He let out a shakey breath. "Honestly, if you're gonna kiss me, you oughta do it properly." He let out an indignant huff, pretending his face wasn't on fire…Fuck, what was his face made out of again? If she kept this up, she might just make his face melt off.

He bet if his face melted off, she'd just keep smiling at him anyway.

"…Okay." Her soft voice snaps him out of his thoughts and he looks at her again, her face is as red as his feels.

"…Huh?" He blinks at her.

"I'll do it…Kiss you properly, if…That's what you want." She glances down then back up to him.

"N…No, there's no way you mean that." He doesn't sound sure, he feels like he's sure, but when he looks at her face, he can't tell anymore. She looks sure.

"Of course I do." Her voice is steadier than he feels, setting his expression cards down.

He reaches out, slowly, unsure, and cups her face with both his hands.

"You're sure?" His voice comes out barely above a whisper.

"I am." She nods, her voice soft as his is, like if either of them raises their voice, the moment will shatter.

He's slow as he leans in, giving her ample time to pull back, to change her mind, to stop him, to yell at and curse him for trying to do such a thing to her, because really, it's cruel isn't it? To kiss her when she's looking at him like that, when he can't look at her the same way?

Her eyes slip shut, and her hands move gently over his and he gulps softly, close enough to her now he can feel her breath on his lips, and he hesitates.

Her thumbs stroke the back of his hands through the gloves he's wearing.

He closes his eyes and closes the distance, pressing his lips against her warm, soft ones.

Their lips move together, awkward and slow, but gentle, and for a moment, he thinks he feels warmth bloom in his chest.

And it frightens him, and he pulls back, just enough to get out of her dizzying warmth. He opens his eyes again, and licks his lips slightly, tasting something fruity on them when he does.

Her eyes open slowly, her face is brilliant scarlet, and when the first thing she sees as her eyes open is him, she smiles and nuzzles into his hands. Her fingers curl softly against his hands, and she giggles softly, airy, and the sound makes Rio's head spin.

"What are you laughing at?" He asks, frowning, perhaps a bit too much to correct for the way he's feeling.

Her eyes shut again, crinkling at the corner as she lets herself laugh freely. "I'm just so happy!" She says, pressing his hands a bit closer to her face.

"About what?" He asks, almost indignant.

Her eyes open again, though they're lidded as she looks at him, her smile is soft and welcoming. "I'm happy because my first kiss was with a guy a like so much~."

Such a simple sentence feels like a punch to the gut for the Dressup Doll. Her first kiss? And what does she mean she likes him? She can't mean it the way it sounds…Is she teasing him?

He wants to get angry, it would be so easy to get angry, too. But he knows whatever game she's playing, she can't have bad intentions. She's never done anything to suggest she might, and if he's inclined to believe anyone here is completely without ulterior motive, he'd believe it with her. So he wonders, is she just trying to be nice? Is she teasing him? Is she lying to make him feel better? To try to make him feel included in these weird human games?

Good intentions or not, she can't be allowed to get away with teasing him like this. Honestly, she's lucky it's him she's toying around with, other guys would jump at the chance to give her reasons not to trust them.

Maybe that would be a good punishment, honestly. Show her what will happen when she's not careful with who she gives her affection too.

Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

He slips his hands out from under hers and before she can respond, he reaches down and grabs her by the hips, lifting her into the air and he drags her over to his lap and holds her there. She gasps and startles, her hands pressing gently against his chest while her face colors further.

"If you keep teasing me like that, I'm going to make you regret it." With his hands still on her hips, he can feel it when his words make her shiver, and she looks at him with her wide, doe eyes, glistening somehow in the low light.

"I'm not teasing you, I mean it. I feel lucky that my first kiss was with you." Her voice is soft, and holds no sign of dishonesty, but how can he believe she's being truthful when it's him she's talking about kissing?

…If she's being honest, it's worse. He can't return those feelings, not in the same way, not in anyway that would be good for her…

He has to hurt her, to chase her off somehow. He can't let her continue to get attached to him, he can't give her the kind of love she deserves.

"Fine." His voice is cold, cruel. She doesn't react, she never has before. "If that's the game you want to play, I can play it too." His arms move, wrapping around her waist, pulling her tightly against him, and she lets out a soft whimper. "But I'm going to win..!" The words come out with almost a hiss as he leans his face close to hers.

He hesitates a few centimeters away again, and her eyes close again as he draws near. Even now, she trusts him not to hurt her.

That realization pushes him on, and he presses his lips to hers again, a considerable roughness in his motions that wasn't there before. The difference in his approach isn't lost on Renni, if the little sounds she's making are anything to go off of. And hell, were those sounds ever encouraging, even to someone like him.

He wasted no time in slipping his tongue into her mouth, letting it press against and bully hers, making her whimper into his mouth. He smirks against her when he feels her hands grip the front of his shirt. As he brings one of his hands up to tangle it in her hair, he wonders if this is enough? Has he pushed her far enough that she'll actually take this lesson to heart? The way she leans into him tells him no, he hasn't.

He lets out a frustrated noise into her mouth, tugging on her hair, wondering just how far this game is going to have to go for her to get it? How long was he going to have to taste her, an intoxicating mix of some candy she got from the prize booth and something so so warm and so so human? Really, what did he need to do to make her get it? Would he have to put his hands on her, find and use all her sensitive spots for his amusement? Would he have to slip his hands under her clothes, feel her soft flesh under his hands? If that wasn't enough, what would be?

Would he need to take her back to his room, take the clothes he so graciously provided for her and throw them to the side? Would he have to put his mouth on her body, mark up her soft, delicate flesh with bruises and bites so everyone knew who she belongs to? Would he have to press his fingers in her, to tease her, to please her, to get her ready for more, to watch her squirm and whine and beg for more? Would he have to strip his stolen clothes off, leaving them both bare and fully exposed? Would he need to press inside her, warm and wet, becoming one with her? Would it finally be too much when he's rutting inside her until they're both seeing stars and he's painted her insides white?

What would he do, if after all of that, she still looked at him with such tender, loving eyes? Would he have to keep her all to himself after all? Fuck, he would keep her, he'd take such good care of her, his own secret joy, just for him. Just for him, her sweet little sounds, her soft delicate body, her big doe eyes, her addictive kissable lips, all of her, all for him…

Her arms move to wrap around his neck and he groans into her mouth. He pulls her further down into his lap and shivers as their groins are pressed flush together, drinking in her startled moan. He moves his free hand to grab her waist and starts forcing her up and down against him while he ruts up against her, the electrifying friction making her whine so so deliciously into his mouth. He untangles his hand from her hair, instead dragging it down her body until it reaches her breast and he starts groping her through her clothes. All of her gasps, moans and whines shoot straight to his core, and as he grinds against her, he thinks about easy it would be right now, to push aside their underwear and just start fucking into her right here and now, making his claim on her right here where anyone could see.

He thinks about what adorable face she'd make when he'd force his cock inside her tight, hot little hole. He thinks about the lewd noises their bodies would make together, with him rutting up into her, the wetness of her around him only drowned out by the sound of skin on skin. His thumb starts rubbing soothing circles on her hip, though he's pretty sure he's already bruised her with his grip.

He pulls his hand back from her breast long enough to slip it under her shirt to start groping and massaging her through her bra. One of her hands starts carding through his hair and he moans into her mouth. He pulls back from her mouth, a trail of saliva connecting them briefly, and the whine she lets out from him suddenly pulling back like that goes straight to his ego and his dick and he grins smugly.

"Awww, look at you pretty girl, you're putty in my hands~." As if to prove a point, he pinches her hardened nipple through her bra, tugging on it and rolling between his thumb and forefinger.

"A-ahh~…Fuck, Rio..~" The way his name rolled off her tongue when she moaned had him grind up against her harder, groaning. Fuck he wanted her…

He dipped his head down to press his lips to her neck, desperate to make her cry out his name more. He wants to bite her, he wants to bite her so badly, but he doesn't want to hurt her, not until he knows what she can handle at least, so he plays it safe, kissing and licking down her neck until he reaches her collar bone, where he nips and sucks lightly at the flesh.

God he wants to mark her up, to cover her throat in hickies and bites so dark they can identify who made them with his dental records. He wants to rip her shirt and bra to shreds and take her nipples in his mouth, teasing her with his tongue. He wants to pull her panties out of the way and slip his fingers inside her and make her moan and cry his name out so loudly the whole killing game knows who she belongs to.

He lets his hand trail slowly from her breast down her body, kissing back up her neck until he finds her mouth again, forcing his tongue into her mouth the second they're connected again. His hand moves down to her thigh, where he kneads the flesh, and he moans thinking about how it would feel to have her plush thighs wrapped around his head as he makes her cum on his tongue again and again.

His hands moves slowly up her thigh and under her skirt until he reaches her panties, and she whines softly as he ghosts his finger down the hot, slick patch in the center. Fuck, he wanted her, he needed her, he was going to have her--

"Ahem."

An unknown voice cut through the air, and faster than she could react, Rio's arms moved to wrap around Renni's waist, pulling her head to his chest as he broke the kiss, leveling a glare he wasn't aware was on his face at whoever dared to interrupt his game.

Ah.

The Receptionist Doll.

Gashu Satou.

Rio Ranger's father and creator.

It should have been a comfort for Rio, that it was only him who walked in on this. Still, his arms tightened around Renni's body. He was embarrassed being caught in such a position by his father, but he had to admit, he was pretty infuriated too. He didn't have to come this way to interrupt his fun, so why did he?

"What's going on here?" Gashu's face is blank, carefully so. It makes Rio recall Renni's words from earlier. 'He's so quiet, I can't tell what he's thinking ever…And he just…Appears and disappears whenever, where ever. It's unsettling…'. Rio snorts slightly thinking about it.

"Nothing too important. I'm just playing with one of my toys." Rio's voice is carefully blank, but he's still yet to realize there's an intense scowl on his red face that gives away how he's more invested in this…Incident, than his words would let on. "She's so soft and cute, and since she's not a contestant, I'm thinking of keeping her for myself. I mean, there's no rules about it after all so why shouldn't I take this one for myself?"

'So hop off my dick about it already, dad.' Rio thinks bitterly, watching his father's unchanging face.

"Very well. Carry on then. But if these activities are going to continue, you should go to one of your rooms." His voice is blank as he speaks, as it always is, showing no signs of how he feels about this incident…Rio feels like he's got a scolding coming later, but he ignores it. If his dad has issue with him taking a pet, he can tell him like an adult.

Gashu nods and leaves down the hall without ever entering the lobby, and Rio huffs. He really did go out of his way to interrupt them!

In an instant, exactly what was interrupted comes back to him, and he flinches, slowly unwinding his arms from the human against him, letting his hands settle gently on her shoulders and pull her back enough he can get a look at her.

Her hair is messy, her lipstick is smeared, her face bright red and eyes bleary as she looks at him. Her clothes are messy, and there's some light marks on her neck that he's sure won't last the day. His eyes drop down further and he gulps, her skirt is pushed up to the point he can see her panties and the damp spot…And his own skirt is pushed up too and he sees his bulge pressed against her crotch and he shivers.

"R-right…" He barely manages to tear his eyes away, to look her in the face as he speaks. "Well…I think…It about time we get you to bed, you…You've still got things to do tomorrow."

She nods and mutters an affirmative, and the two of them untangle their limbs, and they gather up their things. He passes her back her notebook, and gulps slightly when their fingers brush together. Her legs shake as she stands up, and he wonders how and if she can walk in her boots right now especially. They awkwardly rearrange their clothes, and after a moment, he reaches over and takes her hand in his gently.

"Here, I'll walk you back to your room." He says, holding up his cartoonish smile sign and she nods.

He leads her there, even though he's sure she knows the way, and she leans against his arm.

It's not long when they make it to her room, and he feels himself deflate slightly, not wanting to leave and deal with his…Issue, and not wanting to face his father after what he walked in on…And he didn't want to leave her.

"Welp, I better get going, huh?" His voice is a forced casual tone as he pulls his hand from hers, he's sure she can tell how forced it is…

"Please stay." Her voice is firm but gentle.

"…Huh?" He feels his face redden more under her gaze.

"Please, stay the night with me…" Renni asks, her voice quiet and a bit hoarse.

Rio scoffs quietly, unsure of what else to even do. "Do you have no idea what you're offering when you go and say shit like that..?!" His frustrations about not being able to chase her off flare up slightly. "Did you forget what just happened? Don't you think at all before putting yourself in dangerous situations like this..?!" Before he can think better of it, his hand goes up and he flicks her forehead, making her yelp.

Her hand moves up to rub her forehead, and she looks at him with a pout and slightly teary eyes. "There's nothing dangerous about this situation, you wouldn't hurt me." She says slightly indignantly, so sure of herself. So sure of him. So sure of the trust she's placed in him, it makes his breath get caught in his throat.

"Besides," She continues taking his hand in both of hers and pulling it up to her chest. "I don't think…You should be alone right now, after what happened…I know…From personal experience that…Being alone when you're emotionally delicate isn't a good idea." Her words are so gentle, so caring…Filled with so much love.

All he can do in response is to nod dumbly, and the way she smiles at him makes him sure he won't regret staying with her, how can he when it makes her so happy?

She kisses the back of his hand before she leads him into her bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

The lights are flicked on and Rio looks around the room, though there's really no reason too. It looks just the same as all the other contestant's rooms…Of course, Renni's not a contestant, and Rio can see a few of her personal items around the room. The clothes that got splashed this morning are hanging up in front of the mirror to dry. He sees her backpack is in one of the two chairs.

"So…Am I taking one of the chairs?" Rio asks, pointing to the free chair. He didn't really need to sleep, so it'd be no problem…But he would be a brat about it, just for fun.

"What? No, of course not!" She laughs from behind him and he snorts.

"What, so you'd have me sleep on the floor? Like an animal?!" He ponders if it'd be better for him to anyway, given the way he was behaving. However, he stopped being able to think of much of anything when he turned around to face Renni.

"Don't be silly, Rio! The bed is more than big enough for both of us!" She laughs again, and her laugh is clear and warm as ever.

But there's a chill settling inside of Rio where the warmth he usually felt around her was.

She was changing, her back to him, taking her bra off and leaving her top half completely bare. And while there was a warmth on his cheeks that he couldn't deny, the rest of him was cold as he looked over the marred flesh of her back.

He snaps out of his staring and turns back to the chairs, ignoring her reflection as she pulls her pajama shirt over her bare upper half.

"Oh? You sure that's a good idea?" He asks, his voice is shaking now as he is fully aware of the shuffling of clothes he hadn't noticed before.

She hums softly instead of answering him for a moment. "Why wouldn't it be? You wouldn't do anything bad to me." She sounds so sure of herself, while his head replays everything that already happened and everything he thought about doing to her just that night. "You should take your shoes off, too."

"What, for free?" He jokes easily, pretending he didn't see what he did as he kicks his boots off. The joke got the reaction he wanted, another batch of giggles from her.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't look, I promise~." Her own little joke nearly made him choke on his spit, letting out a startled laugh.

He bet she wouldn't look, if he asked her not to. He bet she'd let him blind fold her if he asked her, if he was insecure about her seeing him while they--

His thoughts cut off when he feels Renni's hands take his arm and pull him down onto the bed with her as she flops down on the bed, pulling him down on top of her, pressed against her completely with his face buried in her neck.

"W-warn a guy next time!" He pulls back enough to speak, stuttering and red in the face as she laughs under him, their bodies close enough he can feel her shaking from the laughter.

"Oh man, I didn't think that'd startle you so much! You're usually too aware to be caught off guard like that!" She giggles still, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. "Sorry for spookin ya." Her voice is gentle and genuine as she whispers her apology into his skin, before she plunks back down, rolling over to her side and dragging him with her. Only now, as he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her closer to him, does he realize she shut out the lights again at some point.

"Good night, Rio~." Her voice is light as she speaks, but she stifles a yawn. She might be more tired than he realized.

He huffs slightly, but presses a quick kiss to the top of her head. "G'night princess." He mumbles into her hair, and he feels her sigh contentedly, her breath fanning out against his skin, making him shiver.

He pulls her blanket up around them and puts his arm back around her, where it fits so nicely against her. Like it's where it's meant to be.

"Thought you had trouble sleeping…" He mutters, not expecting an answer, when he realizes she's already fallen asleep against him. Just how much did she trust him? How safe around him did she feel, to just…Fall asleep pressed up against him of all people?

Thoughts about her, how much she trusts him, how happy she always was to see him, how soft she was as he held her and more are what finally lure Rio to sleep with her.