Full Metal Panic Fan Fiction ❯ Castle of Fantasies ❯ Private Eyes ( Chapter 1 )

TITLE: Private Eyes

 

SERIES: Castle of Fantasies #1

 

AUTHOR: TaleWeaver

 

DISCLAIMER: if you recognize it, Shouji Gatou created it. I'm not profiting from this in any way. But the actual words used here are my own. Wraith's line about a `certain European Ambassador' is taken from my favourite comedy movie, Hercules Returns. I don't own the musical or movie of `Grease', either. Sousuke's thinking about the scene at the drive-in, where John Travolta runs his hand through his hair and uses his hair-grease to get his class ring off.

 

FANDOM / PAIRING: Full Metal Panic! Sousuke/Kaname

 

RATING / CONTENT: R. M/f sex. References to voyeurism.

 

SUMMARY: Castle of Fantasies #1. Sousuke and Kaname are asked by Wraith for a... small favour. Which they're going to milk for all it's worth!

 

PROMPT: Written for 30_kisses prompt #10, the number 10, as well as 30_lemons prompt #15, The Bordello, or, "Dude Looks Like a Lady of the Night." I chose to interpret `bordello' as `a place where one pays to have sex' rather than `place where prostitutes do business'.

 

SPOILERS: Takes place after the current story arc. Sousuke and Kaname are third years at Jindai High and living together. Not actually intended as part of the Grand Timeline.

 

REFERENCE MATERIAL: If you can't quite work out what some of the Fifties slang means, I went to http://www.fiftiesweb.com/fashion/slang.htm

 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I asked my most faithful reviewer, Perpetual159, to pick one of several ideas for my next story, and she mentioned something from `What music they make' - specifically, she wanted to know how Sousuke and Kaname coped with Wraith's surveillance when they were new lovers. I should also point out that I only have a vague idea on how love hotels actually work in Japan - if I make some sort of obvious blunder, please tell me and I'll do my best to correct it.

 

SOUNDTRACK: The first song Kaname plays on the jukebox is `Everyday' by Buddy Holly (one of my faves!). When they start dancing, the music switches to `Dum dum' by Brenda Lee. If you can find it, play it when she does!

 

“Private eyes, are watching you!

They see your every move...”

`Private Eyes' Hall & Oates

 

“Sousuke, stop sulking,” Kaname told her lover in a firm voice.

 

“I am not... sulking,” Sousuke replied. “That would be unprofessional and childish.” At Kaname's sceptical look, Sousuke continued, “I will admit to being unhappy with the situation on a personal level.”

 

“We're only having Wraith over for dinner, not throwing him a birthday party,” Kaname retorted. Even in presumably private conversation, she always referred to Wraith as male, at the Intelligence Agent's request.

 

“I would still prefer Wraith to have as little direct contact with our lives as possible.”

 

Kaname simply reached out and took his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers and squeezing lightly. Sousuke had never really forgiven Wraith for what he saw as dangerously inadequate protection of Kaname on several occasions, the most drastic being a rain-soaked night on top of a downtown rooftop, right after his recall from Tokyo. It was a blind spot, he knew - he didn't understand why only a few people in the world besides himself understood how wonderful Kaname was, and why it was so important to keep her safe, for reasons that had nothing to do with being Whispered - but it was one he was happy to keep.

 

There was also something he and Kaname had never really discussed - Wraith's influence on their sex life. As Kaname's most constant surveillance agent, Wraith was a witness to almost every time the two of them made love, and with Sousuke's notoriously sensitive instincts to being watched, it tended to make him very hesitant. Kaname, however, coped by accepting it as something that wasn't going to go away and thus ignoring it (much the same way as she did her hamster when it was in the same room). Then working out exactly how to make Sousuke so crazy that he forgot about anything else but her. While she immensely enjoyed the vigorous lovemaking that always followed, it would have been nice to take things slowly sometimes. But that only happened on the rare occasions Sousuke was sure he'd blocked all surveillance, including making the room as dark as possible.

 

It only made Sousuke's mood gloomier when they found Wraith already waiting for them in their apartment.

 

Kaname merely sighed, anticipating Sousuke spending far too much time in the near future reviewing all the booby-traps he set in their apartment as a matter of course. Making sure none of them were explosive or lethal was the sole compromise she'd managed to extract from Sousuke - when it came to her safety, no amount of battery by halisen could budge him.

 

She was pleasantly surprised by how well the meal turned out - Wraith made a concerted effort not to provoke Sousuke, unlike her usual behaviour, and Sousuke responded, keeping the conversation on the subject of situations and people that all three of them were familiar with.

 

Kaname should have <i>known</i> it was too good to last.

 

It was after the dishes had been cleared and tea served, that Wraith had cleared her throat.

 

“Much as I appreciate the meal, there was another purpose to my accepting this invitation.”

 

Sousuke's face hardened, and his mouth twisted ever so slightly in a way only a few people would have detected. Even fewer would have interpreted it as grim satisfaction.

 

Wraith sighed, and continued, “Let me please state for the record, this was <i>not </i> my idea. In fact, I argued against it, and am only bringing this up for discussion because I've been ordered to - and the fact that this really is the best solution anyone can come up with.”

 

Kaname frowned and carefully placed her cup down on the table. Wraith, of all people, being against this idea did not bode well.

 

“About half an hour's drive from here, in one of the most outlying suburbs of Tokyo, stands a mansion that dates back to the nineteenth century. Roughly ten years ago, Amalgam acquired the property and began a very exclusive bordello on the site.”

 

“Wait... bordello?” Kaname asked, blushing. “That really doesn't sound much like Amalgam. They're all about better ways of killing and maiming your fellow man.”

 

“This was one of the most successful projects of their intelligence department, Kaname. This place catered to the rich and powerful - very rich, and very powerful, including the most highly placed men - and women - in the fields of business, diplomacy, military, and government. I'm sure you're aware of how many secrets can be spilled during pillow talk.”

 

“Not really, no,” Kaname mentioned, looking over at Sousuke with a small, slightly lecherous smile. She could get Sousuke to say almost anything she wanted during sex, if she waited for the right moment - but the few times she'd tried to get him to say something classified, like telling her where his forthcoming mission was, he'd been absolutely silent. Even that time she'd copied a scene from one of her favourite romance novels, involving a half-blown rose, and he'd actually yelled when he came...

 

A dry cough brought her out of her desire-induced trance, and Kaname blushed as she motioned for Wraith to continue.

 

“Very impressive, Sagara,” Wraith said, holding back a smirk, and continued, “I can assure you, however, that the customers were not nearly so well-trained. There was also another factor-“

 

“Blackmail.”

 

“Your stock continues to rise, Sergeant,” Wraith acknowledged with a nod. “Exactly. This house catered to those with a taste for the exotic and even illegal. I can tell you for a fact that without the cooperation of two of the customers, production of the Arastols would have been delayed by several years.”

 

Kaname sobered, considering. “What do you want us to do?”

 

“Here's where it gets a little difficult. Thanks to many factors - including actions taken by you and Sergeant Sagara - Amalgam had to abandon the house in a single night. However, not before one of their top operatives - something of an opposite number to me, actually - concealed a flash drive stuffed full of what we can only assume to be extremely sensitive and damaging information in one of the rooms. We need that drive. Not only for the information it could tell us about Amalgam's operations, but the influence of those in power whose secrets could be on those files.”

 

“So why can't you just go in and get it?” Sousuke asked suspiciously.

 

“Amalgam may have intended to let the house lie abandoned for some time, then resume operations. But one of their clients made an offer for the property immediately, and they were in desperate enough need of liquid financial assets at the time that they accepted. By the time we became aware of what had happened, the opportunity to make a straightforward search had already passed.”

 

Kaname frowned, not liking the implications. “You want us to go into a brothel?”

 

Only Wraith's instant denial appeased Sousuke, who looked ready to jump over the table and tear Wraith's teeth out with his throat, simply for the idea.

 

“It's not a brothel anymore, for a start. It's now a far more conventional love hotel. One that still caters to the rich and powerful - specialising in elaborate settings, and including costumes for role-play. It's called the Castle of Fantasies. The Intelligence department has already worked out the only real option for searching; a Diamond membership, which entitles the holder to a regular weekly appointment, and can be used on every room in the house.

 

“In case of background checks, both your backgrounds - even if Sagara's is a cover - are wealthy enough to suggest that you'd have the financial resources to buy a membership, and your youth means that you'd find the idea exciting, even though you're living together. It would be perfectly natural for you to search the rooms thoroughly, under the guise of novelty and exploration.”

 

“Wait,” Kaname said doubtfully, “You're saying that Mithril's intelligence department is going to pay for us to have sex on a weekly basis, in exchange for a search. That seems... kinda kinky, actually.”

 

“What about covert operatives that specialise in sexual situations? I know Mithril has them,” Sousuke asked grimly.

 

“There are more than twenty available rooms in the Castle of Fantasies. Nearly all of the operatives you mention are on deep cover missions, and can't be spared for more than a night or so at a time. The very few that aren't, need to be kept for emergency missions - they can't be spared for a weekly appointment for God knows how many weeks. Only a Diamond pass is guaranteed to get you into every room at the mansion, and only a couple would bother to buy one. If we used a pair of operatives, we'd need to spend at least a month building up their cover. You two are the genuine article - no matter how hard any security team looks, there would be nothing suspicious to find.”

 

Kaname frowned. There still seemed to be something off about the whole idea. But it wasn't like she ever needed a reason to make love to Sousuke, and this actually sounded kind of fun. The notion of playing out a few of the more... elaborate fantasies she'd come up with in the past was intriguing, and might even get Sousuke to relax for a change.

 

Sousuke, however, still had some questions. Leaning forward in his seat, he nailed Wraith to the spot with a single look.

 

“All right, Wraith. Spit it out. What's the part you're not mentioning?”

 

Wraith took in the simmering temper in the grey eyes, and grimaced. “Wondered if you'd pick it up. We also suspect that one of the staff is utilising the surveillance system Amalgam used for blackmail purposes - to supply a local porn dealer.”

 

“What?” Kaname squeaked, eyes wide in alarm. “You're one thing, Wraith - I can ignore you. But <i>PORN!? </i> No way!”

 

“We're not asking you!” Wraith said hurriedly, raising her hands in a peaceful gesture. “We can detect and interrupt any broadcast signal coming from one of the rooms. We'd need to, to make sure no one realised you were searching the rooms.”

 

“But wouldn't you miss us?” Sousuke asked dryly.

 

“Don't be ridiculous,” Wraith retorted. “It's not like I enjoy that part of my assignment.”

 

“And you really expect me to believe that you have absolutely no interest in watching Kaname and I making love?” Sousuke accused, his eyes narrowing.

 

“Do you get turned on watching animals mate on National Geographic specials?” Wraith shrugged. “You've spent too much time with Kurz Weber. I've been doing long-term surveillance for nearly a decade. I haven't been shocked by anything since I witnessed exactly what a certain European Ambassador liked to do with two live hamsters, a wetsuit, and a bathtub full of custard.”

 

Sousuke and Kaname both blinked at that. Then blinked again at the idea of what those items could be used for.

 

“Ummm, did the hamsters survive?” Kaname asked.

 

“Yes, though they were very much in need of post-trauma therapy,” Wraith grimaced, before adding, “Believe it or not, this is one of the reasons I brought this idea to the two of you in the first place. With me always around, I thought you might appreciate some private time, and the Castle has a top of the line security system, so you could turn off the radar - so to speak - for awhile.”

 

“Oh, I can bet that's one of the reasons you asked us,” Sousuke added grimly. “How could a dealer of pornography resist getting someone as beautiful as Kaname on tape?”

 

Kaname broke out of her aghast shock to smile at him fondly. She wasn't the only one in this relationship who might be wanted; Sousuke really had no idea of just how good-looking and sexy he was - most of the time, he didn't even realise that another girl was interested, while he had an uncanny knack for knowing when another guy was eyeing her - and that was just the way she liked it. She knew that Sousuke would never be unfaithful to her. But she loved having the knowledge of just how wonderful he was as her own secret. Tessa - and even Kyouko - could speculate and guess, but she was the only one who knew, and that was how it was going to stay.

 

“There's also the fact that I'm still a minor,” Kaname pointed out. “Even if someone,” and here she paused to look at Wraith pointedly, “messed up and the signal was recorded, it would be all you needed to bust them for child pornography, shut the place down, and search it all you want.”

 

“That would be strictly as a last resort,” Wraith informed her. “We want this done as discreetly as possible; best case scenario, no one at the Castle or even Amalgam will ever know anyone was searching for something, much less found and the information used. If it helps any, the Diamond pass is yours to keep, even if you find the flash drive on your first night.”

 

Kaname chewed her lip in thought, and looked down at the table. Sometime during the argument, Wraith had brought out a thick booklet with discreet Gothic lettering on the cover. As Sousuke and Wraith kept arguing, she flipped through the shiny pages, looking more like the portfolio of a set designer or an interior decorator than the document of a residence dedicated to exotic sex.

 

Then she came across one particular page. She looked hard, and then slammed the booklet shut.

 

“We'll do it,” she told Wraith firmly. “On the condition that nothing is ever recorded, and that the pass is ours to keep. And <i>no one</i> is ever told that we're the ones doing this - especially anyone on the Tuatha de Danaan.”

 

Sousuke looked at her dumbfounded.

 

Wraith looked at the booklet lying underneath her hand, and smirked. “What room persuaded you?”

 

“You'll never find out,” Kaname retorted. She looked at Sousuke, and gave him her most smouldering, I-want-you-naked-right-now look, and told him, “Sousuke, we'll enjoy this. Trust me.”

 

Sousuke gulped, blushed, and nodded dumbly, but the hot gleam in his eyes told Kaname that he'd be unbuttoning her shirt before Wraith left their building.

 

Kaname, on the other hand, had no intention of waiting that long. As far as she was concerned, she was going to be straddling Sousuke in his chair with her underwear on the floor by the time Wraith was in the elevator.

 

* * * * *

 

The next Friday afternoon found Sousuke and Kaname approaching an immaculately kept, incredibly elegant mansion on the very outskirts of Tokyo. While Sousuke paid the taxi driver, Kaname re-read the email instructions she'd received, after their membership had been confirmed by Wraith and Kaname had booked the first `session'.

 

“Sousuke? We need to go to the south entrance.”

 

Walking through the large oaken double doors, Sousuke and Kaname found themselves in a tiny lobby, with a blueprint-style map of the house on the wall. Kaname went to the keypad set into the wall next to it, and punched in the identification code they'd been given. The keypad beeped, and a slip of paper spiralled from the bottom of the keypad, printed with directions. Simultaneously, a room glowed blue on the map, along with a route from their current location.

 

Sousuke eyed the map in mild surprise, and asked, “So, we just head along this path?”

 

Kaname nodded. “There's an ante chamber at the front, with our costumes. After we change, we just go in the room and...” she trailed off, as her cheeks heated and she licked her lips in anticipation.

 

“And?” Sousuke asked, with a slight smile. Kaname could tell from the distortion in his pants that he was already aroused - personally, she was so wet that her underwear had been sticking to her uncomfortably almost since they'd entered the taxi.

 

Kaname giggled and asked, “Sousuke, if I need to finish that sentence... well, we're in the right place for it.”

 

Still smiling, Kaname grabbed Sousuke's hand and led him through the wood-panelled corridor, until they found room #10. The door opened into a room about the same size as the second bedroom in their apartment - the one Sousuke used as a makeshift armoury - most of the space taken up by two large booths, just like the changing rooms at a clothing store, though considerably larger. Kaname supposed it was so clients could surprise each other with their outfits. Peeking into the nearest, Kaname found an old-fashioned dressing table with a large mirror, assorted hair accessories and makeup arranged tidily over the surface.

 

“This one's gotta be mine,” Kaname commented, letting go of Sousuke's hand as he moved to the next booth. “Remember Sousuke, think mufti!” Not knowing when or if the recording would kick in, Kaname didn't think she should use the word `weapons' openly.

 

She'd had a very hard time persuading him to do this `naked' - only quizzing Wraith extensively about the security system had allowed him to even consider it. In order to persuade him, Kaname had had to do something she'd previously sworn she would never do - bring up a certain make out session in one of the Jin High closets, where she'd wrapped a leg around his hips, squeezed... and accidentally set off his stun gun. He'd been out for most of fifth period.

 

Just to make sure, she'd searched Sousuke before leaving the school earlier that day, making him leave most of his equipment in his gym locker (not to mention, almost getting an early start on things in the locker room).

 

Changing out of her jeans and shirt - they'd both agreed that wearing school uniforms for this was a bad idea for many reasons - Kaname started to slide into the costume provided. Not surprisingly, it fit perfectly - the membership application had asked them to include physical measurements, for just this purpose. She thought about leaving her bra on, as the top of her costume was a simple white blouse, but discarded it with a shrug - it wasn't like she'd be wearing it for long. Her underwear, on the other hand, went with a sigh of relief.

 

Deciding against makeup - Sousuke didn't like it, and it would only get smeared, in any case - Kaname dug into her schoolbag for her hairbrush and a few accessories she'd picked up.

 

She hurriedly put up her hair in a high ponytail, tying a chiffon scarf around it as a ribbon, leaving the ends free. She'd rented a couple of movies to check this sort of thing - and then had to spend an hour explaining the concept behind `Grease' to Sousuke. The flying car at the end alone had taken fifteen minutes.

 

“I'm done, Sousuke! Give me two minutes to get settled, and then follow me, okay?”

 

“That is not a problem, Kaname,” Sousuke told her.

 

Kaname grinned lecherously as she moved to the double doors. Yeah, she'd bet it wasn't a problem. Her grin turned into a genuine smile as she opened the doors... and stepped into a time warp.

 

The room was a perfect replica of an American nineteen-fifties diner, complete with black and white tiles in a border along the white walls, booths upholstered in red `leather' (although Kaname would bet it was real leather, here) with tables and a matching counter topped in faux-marble that ran almost the length of the room, with red-leather stools facing it.

 

Kaname's eyes lit on the jukebox at the far end, flashing with colourful neon, and swiftly moved over. Flipping quickly through the listings - all songs from the fifties or early sixties - she punched in several selections, before moving over to the counter. Behind it, there was a small bar fridge, stocked with drinks. This was one of the rooms that came with custom snacks on request, and Kaname smiled, as she carefully took out a chocolate milkshake in a tall frosted glass and set it on the counter. She'd though about an ice-cream soda - so she could lick the ice cream off Sousuke later - but decided against it. Sousuke was still very nervous about this whole thing, and she didn't think he'd be comfortable staying for an extended session.

 

Ah, well. She had another twenty rooms and the rest of the school year to get him to loosen up.

 

Realising that her lead-time was almost up, she quickly hopped on the stool, arranging her skirt to show off the appliqué poodle, and leaned towards the straw of the milkshake, taking a sip and posing as Buddy Holly started singing about roller coasters.

 

*****

 

Sousuke, in the meantime, was glad that Kaname had chosen a scenario with a simple costume - for him, anyway. The blue denim jeans and white T-shirt - although tighter than he preferred -weren't too different from something he'd normally wear, neither were the sneakers. Noticing that the jeans were button-fly, Sousuke left his briefs neatly folded with his other clothes. It wasn't really as out of character for Sousuke as Shinji or even Kurz would have thought - for most of his time in the Middle East, underwear was unnecessary. For the early part of his time wandering through Asia after he'd been separated from Kalinin, before he'd made the necessary contacts to ensure regular freelance work, underwear had been a luxury he couldn't afford.

 

He poked curiously among the jars and bottles left on the bench in front of him, before picking up one with a name he recognised. It was the same product that Kurz swore by for his own hair. Remembering a scene from that movie Kaname had shown him to give him some idea of the `atmosphere', Sousuke grimaced. Granted, this was a far more sophisticated hair-styling product than Danny Zucco had had access to, but just the memory of that scene was repulsive. Besides, he'd noticed that Kaname liked threading her fingers through his hair during intimate moments - the thought of her doing so, then drawing her fingers away, making a disgusted face as she looked at the goop coating her fingers... Sousuke felt the semi-erection he'd been suffering since they entered the taxi wilting.

 

Simply running a hairbrush through his dark mop - he should really ask Kaname for another haircut soon - Sousuke shrugged into the black leather jacket. Curious, he studied his reflection in the full-length mirror at the end of the booth. Moving his shoulders, Sousuke studied how the jacket fit him - it was actually very comfortable. While the style was obviously old-fashioned, Sousuke rather liked it. Maybe he could keep it afterwards?

 

Deciding to ask Kaname when they'd finished, Sousuke realised that he'd kept his lover waiting long enough. Pocketing the device Wraith had given them to detect the presence of the particular alloy the flash drive was made of, Sousuke hurried to the doors.

 

Kaname made a lovely picture, sitting on a stool with her hair swaying against her back and hips, her light pink skirt draping to show off the odd picture of a dog that was somehow patched onto the skirt, with a glittering line meant to represent a leash spiralling up to disappear under the wide black leather belt that showed off her small waist.

 

It took him a moment to register exactly how she was sucking on the straw, but the way she slowly licked her lips slammed the point home. Taking a deep breath, Sousuke moved towards his beloved, uncertain how to begin. Kaname's eyes twinkled, and she obviously decided to help him.

 

“Hey there, baby - is this place coolsville or what? Join me for a malted?” As Sousuke came closer, Kaname topped her previous performance with the straw by lifting it from the glass, and curling her tongue around and along the straw as she slowly sucked it clean.

 

Feeling his jeans getting tighter than they were a few seconds ago, as he remembered the last time she'd used that exact move on <i>him</i>, Sousuke gulped and made a mental note to ask Kaname later to never ever do that in public.

 

“Don't worry about the bread, the bill's already covered,” Kaname continued, putting the straw back into the brown liquid, and languidly swirling it around.

 

Reaching her side, Sousuke took the glass from her and sucked gently on the straw himself. Looking at Kaname from the corner of his eye, he noticed her focusing on his mouth and was satisfied that he'd turned the tables a little. Turning and lowering his head to kiss her, Sousuke could taste the rich flavour of chocolate, and wasn't sure whether it was from his lips or hers. Sousuke couldn't help but take a few seconds to enjoy the kiss, especially when Kaname, aggressive as was her wont, ran the tip of her tongue along the seam of his lips, demanding entry. Unable to resist her (as if he ever could!) Sousuke let her tongue slide into his mouth, licking at his palate.

 

Biting back a groan, Sousuke broke off, and bent further to kiss behind her ear. Reminding himself as well as her, he murmured, “Business first.”

 

Kaname tilted her head to the side, granting him better access, and muttered in return, “We got lots of time, baby, maybe we should cool it for a while?” Breaking away from Sousuke, she slid off the stool and asked, “Wanna dance?”

 

“Umm, I didn't really understand the way they did it in that movie...”

 

Kaname shook her head and smiled, “Don't worry about that, Sousuke, that sort of thing takes lessons. Just hold me and move like we usually do.”

 

Sousuke frowned. He and Kaname didn't dance in public (unless you counted that formal reception they'd attended once, where she'd relentlessly charmed the entire governing board of Mithril), and dancing in their apartment together normally led to clothes being unfastened and the two of them writhing together on the nearest flat surface in short order. “Kaname, I thought you wanted to slow things down, not accelerate the proceedings.”

 

Kaname smiled again, “Okay, I see your point. Let's try something slow, then.” Heading over to the jukebox, she threw a wicked grin over her shoulder as she punched in a selection, giving Sousuke the impression that he'd better perform that scan swiftly, as he was going to be completely occupied with his lover very soon.

 

With the snicker-snish of snare drums, something playful and sultry rang out as Kaname approached him, hips swaying. Sousuke watched her body move - and her breasts move a little more than he was used to seeing. At the realisation that those sensitive globes of flesh that he enjoyed so much were completely unencumbered under the thin cloth of her blouse, he suddenly wished that his jeans were at least a size bigger.

 

Reading his mind as she often did in this sort of situation, Kaname wrapped her arms around his neck, waiting until his own were firmly around her waist, before whispering in his ear, “I left my underwear behind, too.”

 

Unable to suppress the groan this time, Sousuke pulled her body more tightly against his own as he stepped backwards, gently steering her around the room. Feeling the steady humming vibration in his front pocket from the scanner, he daringly tried a move he'd seen in the movie, twirling Kaname under his arm and out. Kaname laughed and spun back towards him anticlockwise, wrapping his arm around her. Spinning out again like a top, Kaname came back towards him, resting one hand on his shoulder while their linked hands rested on his chest.

 

Resting her head on his shoulder, she murmured, “Have you scanned the whole room?”

 

“Electronics need to be closer. I need to do the jukebox and the refrigerator in the bar.”

 

Kaname broke away from him, running her hands down his chest. Sousuke felt one hand swiftly dip into his pocket and palm the scanner, as she remarked, “Oh, the milkshake! Better put it back, or it'll get warm.” Grinning at him as she skipped away, she added, “I want to finish it later.”

 

Sousuke was too busy eyeing the way her breasts bounced to notice her tone of voice.

 

As he followed her, Kaname asked him, “Want to hear something different?”

 

Sousuke shook his head; feeling her nails tease his skin through his T-shirt had been the last straw. Deciding to leave the jukebox for later, he eyed her skirt with an intent expression. “If I flip your skirt up, will it cover your face?”

 

Kaname didn't even blink; she simply replied, “Wanna try and see?”

 

Sousuke took her hand and led her over to the nearest booth. Gripping her hips, he lifted her to sit on the table. Kaname reached for his straining fly buttons, but Sousuke gently knocked her hand away. “We're not going straight to the main feature?”

 

Picking up her cue, Sousuke answered, “Thought we'd start with a preview of coming attractions.”

 

“Well, in that case...” Kaname trailed off. Twisting her body to the side and scooting along a little, she nodded to the bench seat. “Why don't you hit the bench and take a load off?”

 

Sousuke watched Kaname resting the soles of her saddle shoes against the padded back of the booth, before realising that sitting in the booth would put him directly between her legs. Eyes gleaming with lust, he slid onto the bench, the nearest of Kaname's shapely legs lifting like a drawbridge, then settling back into place, so that she had a leg either side of his shoulders.

 

Shoving impatiently at Kaname's skirt, Sousuke frowned at the heavy resistance from the light cloth. “Kaname, what is wrong with your skirt?”

 

Suddenly comprehending that Sousuke had come smack up against one of the more uncomfortable aspects of Fifties fashion, Kaname told him, “That's not my skirt, Sousuke, that's my petticoats. I had to wear three of them to push the skirt out properly. They're scratchy as hell - and back then, they used sugar water to keep them stiff.”

 

“Well, how do I remove them?” Sousuke demanded impatiently.

 

“Let me stand up.”

 

Dropping her feet to the bench, Kaname stood, straddling Sousuke's lap, as she undid her belt and dropped it on the table. She then lifted up her circle skirt to expose the stiffened netting of her petticoats. Luckily, they had a simple elasticised waist, and Sousuke took the hint and grabbed the waistband. Kaname teasingly let the skirt follow the petticoat's descent, so by the time Sousuke had the netting bunched on his lap, helping her step out of them, his view of her nakedness was blocked again. Noticing his disappointed look as he tossed the petticoats out onto the diner floor, Kaname swiftly settled back onto the tabletop, lying back and once more settling the soles of her feet against the padded back of the bench.

 

Grabbing her skirt hem, Sousuke answered his earlier question by flipping the fabric up smoothly. Hearing Kaname sputter as the material not only covered her face but her whole head, Sousuke informed her, “I enjoyed the milkshake, Kaname, but I would rather taste you.”

 

Not bothering to mess around, Sousuke buried his face between her legs.

 

The skirt material muffled Kaname's yelp of surprise, and she found it oddly arousing. Unable to see anything except the pink fabric of her skirt, and the music only reaching her ears faintly, the wide skirt even fell over her arms. Unsure if Sousuke wanted her to move her skirt back down, or leave it up so he had complete access to her lower half, Kaname decided to just lie back and enjoy the odd experience of only being able to feel. Normally anything but passive, she was too busy trying not to thrash and buck under the influence of Sousuke's talented mouth. But when Sousuke sucked firmly on her clitoris, Kaname couldn't help the involuntary push of her feet against the booth, which slid her a few inches along.

 

Sousuke made one of those growl-groans that always drove her nuts, this time in disapproval, and grabbed her hips roughly, yanking her back into place. Using his grip on her hips to tilt her pelvis up, his tongue stabbed deeply into her core, and that was all she needed; one thrust, two, and Kaname came, this time kicking her heels into the booth.

 

Coming down from her high, Kaname feebly pushed at the skirt, finally unfurling it to lie over her thighs, so she could see her somewhat ruffled lover's face.

 

“Why on earth didn't you warn me about those things?” Sousuke demanded.

 

“I kinda thought I'd be naked before we really did anything. Or that you'd at least use your hands first.”

 

Sousuke frowned, and grabbed the underneath of her knees, dragging her closer. Kaname never minded when Sousuke manhandled her during sex, even things she'd halisen him for if he tried it any other time. Probably because she was usually too busy writhing in pleasure at the time.

 

“Next time, warn me about things like that! Who knows what kind of injuries I could have received from those things.”

 

Kaname laughed, before wriggling her way off the table and smoothing down her skirt. She couldn't help but sigh, “What a relief. No wonder girls wore huge panties and stockings under these skirts; they probably got a rash otherwise. Want to change the music and dance some more?”

 

Sousuke only gave an absent `uh-uh' in reply as he eyed the way her skirt hung. Despite the voluminous folds, without the petticoat it moulded to her shapely rear in a way he enjoyed very much. “Actually, I'd rather we took this to a bed, but there doesn't seem to be one here-“

 

Kaname interrupted him with a giggle, and nodded over to the corner. “Cast an eyeball over at that booth.”

 

Sousuke did so, and realised that the table of the booth was lowered to the same height as the bench seats, and that the tabletop was actually padded in much the same way as the sides were. The corner booth, in point of fact, was actually a cleverly fashioned queen-size bed.

 

“Well then, shall we move the proceedings over there, then?” Sousuke added with a grimace, “These jeans are really uncomfortable.”

 

Kaname snickered and strolled over to the corner booth backwards, unbuttoning her blouse as she went, so that her breasts were gradually revealed to an eagerly following Sousuke, who left his sneakers, jacket and T-shirt in a trail on the floor in his wake.

 

Smiling playfully, Kaname held her blouse closed and twirled, making her skirt flare out level with her waist and giving Sousuke a teasing view of her bare backside and womanhood.

 

He inhaled harshly, and told her, “Don't tease me, Kaname. I'm not really in the mood.”

 

Whipping off her blouse and tossing it at Sousuke's head, Kaname watched him catch it deftly, before he dropped it onto his T-shirt. “Silly Sousuke. That's the whole point of coming here.”

 

As her skirt hit the floor, and Kaname sat on the edge of the bed to take off her socks and saddle shoes, she saw Sousuke blink as he processed her comment.

 

“Oh!”

 

Sousuke couldn't help but exclaim in wonder, as he finally understood.

 

For Sousuke, making love with Kaname was many things - the most profound expression of his love for her, a physical cohesion unlike anything he'd ever known, the ultimate meaning of `home', and very occasionally a religious experience. He'd never understood before this that it could be fun, as well. In that instant, looking into Kaname's laughing eyes, he realised that <i>this </i> was why she'd agreed to this idea. She'd wanted to teach him how to play.

 

Using the most adult of activities to illustrate one of the childhood pleasures he'd never known might not make sense to most people; but when it came to the two of them, the more unusual the situation, the more smoothly they worked together. It was also true that he let all his various shields drop when they were together like this - he was never more receptive than when adrenaline-laced pleasure was racing through his system.

 

Breaking out in a rare grin, Sousuke moved to stand between Kaname's legs as she sat on the bed. Casting his mind back to the list of slang words that Kaname had shown him, he told her, “Baby, you've got me so cranked I'm about ready to explode.”

 

Kaname rewarded him with a delighted giggle and a deep kiss, and Sousuke decided that he should really try to make her laugh more often.

 

Working furiously on his button-fly jeans, Kaname shoved the tight denim floor ward, then wriggled back on the padded surface, lying back and wearing nothing but a pink chiffon scarf around her neck. Sousuke hurriedly stepped out of his jeans and crawled up the bed, until he and Kaname were lying side by side. Reaching out, he gathered her close, kissing her deeply while their legs entwined. For Sousuke, nothing was better than being skin to skin with Kaname - except being inside her.

 

Normally, the longer sex lasted, the better they liked it, but Sousuke's need was urgent. Rolling them so he was on top, he gazed into Kaname's eyes. Just as he'd known she would, she understood his silent question and answered in kind; wrapping her legs around his waist and locking her ankles together.

 

“I can't wait either,” she laughed, before she reached down to grasp his buttocks, her short nails scraping teasingly. “C'mere, my military maniac, show me what you've got!”

 

As his hips automatically shifted to the right angle and position, Sousuke searched for an appropriate reply, but discarded the idea when his erection instinctively found Kaname's entrance, hips instantly rocking forward to penetrate her deeply. Sousuke sometimes thought that Mithril's state-of-the-art tracking and homing devices had nothing on the way his penis seemed to constantly and mechanically seek and strain to enter Kaname's womanhood.

 

Kaname moaned and dug her nails in lightly, trying to push him further inside, but his pelvis was already flush to hers. Unable to manoeuvre back and forth, Sousuke twisted his hips instead, moving his hard cock from side to side inside her. It was a technique he hadn't tried before, and it was very well received; Kaname's nails drew blood, her entire body jerked violently, her back arching, and she cried out his name.

 

Sousuke was too aroused to hold back much longer; mustering his willpower, he kept up the pace until Kaname moaned and her passage clenched around him once more, then he gratefully let go and climaxed himself. Feeling his well-honed body go limp, he barely managed to slip out of his lover before collapsing on his side next to her.

 

Judging by Kaname's wide smile, this experiment had been a great success for her, too.

 

“Well, that was a blast and a half,” Kaname remarked breathlessly.

 

Remembering another phrase from the `research material', Sousuke agreed, “The most.”

 

As Kaname giggled in response, he recalled something that he'd been wondering on and off for the past week. “Kaname? What was the room that persuaded you to agree to this?”

 

His beloved gave him a feline grin. “Oh, I think I'll keep that to myself for a while longer, Sousuke. I will tell you that with the number of fantasies I've had with this location? We'll need to book the whole day - so that you can take a nap or two in between rounds, to replenish your strength.”

 

Sousuke's eyes narrowed, and he eyed his lover provocatively. “I have a great deal of stamina, Kaname, especially when it involves intimate activity with you.”

 

“I know, Sousuke. But I have a <i>lot</i> of fantasies to fulfil,” Kaname told him, as her grin turned downright wicked.

 

FINI