Breaking Habit for Happiness

"I see, it makes me at ease to know this. I was worried you would be attached to them, but I did not think I could salvage them." Iyuki nodded and started cleaning up the breakfast items, humming a tune under his breath as he quickly gathered and put it out for cleaning.

Glancing at Muika a few times, he frowned as he thought of how to ask something. His hands itched to brush her soft hair and he pulled out his brush, moving to her side. "May...May I brush your hair Muika? It would be a great honor to."

"Oh, ah no...I'm not attached or anything. So that's fine if they can't be." Muika replied as Iyuki took to cleaning up the table of their plates and such.

As he went about with cleaning up a bit, she'd caught the some of the occasional glances towards her; which caused her to avert her eyes out of slight embarrassment, the heat rising to her face again at some point.

When she sensed him at her side she did glance up at him though from her seat, noticing the brush in his hand as he spoke. "S-Sure, I don't mind...Should I...move somewhere else though?"

If she stayed in her seat here he'd have to stand...wouldn't it be better if they both sat? More comfortable anyway...The futon was still laid out so that could be more comfortable to sit on...

"If you wish to be more comfortable, we can sit on the futon." Iyuki bowed slightly and waved his arm to the futon, allowing her to go ahead first. Muika had thought wisely, he could brush her hair longer if she moved and it would be comfortable. He wanted to play with it a bit before they left, and since she was allowing him... he wasn't going to lose this chance.

"'Kay." Muika nodded, moving from her seat at the table back to the futon where she sat down.

She felt a little embarrassed, mostly due to her thoughts...she wanted to tell him that if he enjoyed doing this, like brushing her hair and stuff...considering he'd seemed to enjoy it at the park and he'd wanted to now...that he could do it whenever he wanted to and that she didn't mind it....that it actually felt nice...

As Muika sat, Iyuki moved up close to her back. His fingers reached out gently and lifted her cream colored locks off of her back as he gently ran the brush through the ends. Working his way up, he took care of the long section first before moving onto the upper part.

Slowly but surely he got all the knots and tangles out, in a very gentle and practiced manner. His fingers brushed her neck and head as he set the brush down, before fully starting to play with her hair with his hands. As he worked with her hair, his voice slowly rose up in a song that he seemed to be fond of. It fit his voice nicely.

Muika was content as he worked on her hair, her face tinted though slightly due to his singing. He'd always seemed pretty at ease when he did this, though she remembered last time when she'd complimented his singing he'd gotten embarrassed...she could understand that, if she were ever caught singing she had a feeling she'd likely die...

He was content though, just like she felt for the most part and that was good and while she used to find it a bit...annoying she actually kind of felt glad she'd kept that part of her hair long...

"I....Iyuki..." Her earlier thoughts returned to her, making her face redden a tint darker since she was embarrassed to say. "If...If you enjoy...doing this...I-I don't mind if you want to...keep doing it f-from now on..."

Iyuki's voice grew as he grew more and more entranced in his work, his singing becoming stronger as he forgot about how embarrassed he was when he sang. His fingers teased and pulled gently on the hair, before he heard Muika's voice and quickly silenced himself with a deep red blush. He...when he did this he sang! And she had sat there listening... this was the worst...

However her words gave him permission to do this often, since she didn't mind. He smiled softly and leaned forward, his arms wrapping around her chest and neck as he laid his head on top of hers. He nuzzled it gently a few moments before speaking. "It would please me to do so, your hair is wonderfully soft... Thank you Muika."

She let out a small 'eep' of surprise at Iyuki's actions, but not fighting them; instead blushing furiously as her hands came up to clutch the sleeve of the arm over her chest since it was closet. He was hugging her and...and nuzzling her hair.

"Mm..Mm...I-I don't mind...f...feels...nice..." Her words were quiet, mostly due to feeling rather embarrassed to admitting it; that embarrassment also mixing in to how flustered she felt at the moment.

"Then I shall make you feel more nice." Iyuki's voice was soft as he whispered that, rather pleased with himself at this. Pulling her back, he held her against his chest and on his lap. She didn't weigh too much and his body was a bit stronger due to working and living here.

Once she was securely on his lap, the arm around her neck moved and stroked her hair as his head moved from hers. He did give the crown a quick kiss though, flushing red as that instinctual reaction killed him. "I-Is this okay?"

Feeling something equivalent to a shiver at his whisper, her blush only seemed to intensify as he pulled her into his lap and against him. Her grip on his sleeve tightened as she gave a small nod to answer him.

"M...Mhmm." Okay, so she'd managed to get more than just a nod out...that was good, she wasn't completely unresponsive. If she became unresponsive he might...might think he was doing something wrong and...and he wasn't!

Iyuki played with her hair gently, trying to not think about the fact that he had just pulled something sleepy Iyuki would do. However Muika seemed to enjoy it? This was good, her hands on his arm telling him that as well as her own confirmation.

He started singing again, slowly but surely, becoming entranced in the actions of playing with her hair again. If he was singing a love song, it wasn't noticed by him. Nor was the tightening of his grip slightly. They should go shopping but Iyuki was distracted badly by this.

She would die at this rate, she'd seriously die! That thought was likely a recurring one but also extremely appropriate for this situation as he continued playing with her hair and began...singing again! She'd even felt his grip tighten!

The red in her face burned strong, not likely to go out anytime soon even when this eventually came to an end. He was singing and he hand't asked anything else, but...but since he was doing more that was a sign to show him she...that she liked it as flustered as she was. With some mental urging she managed to relax somewhat in his arms, leaning back a little more slightly after having done so...if...if she acted too broken he'd think she was tensed up because she was uncomfortable...which wasn't the case...as embarrassing as that was to admit! She couldn't bring herself to another vocal response either, not wanting to interrupt him or anything...not that she thought she could get many vocal responses out in general at this point!

As Iyuki felt Muika's tense body relaxing, he let out a sigh as the song ended. It was relieved and grateful, his fingers still twined in her soft hair. He stopped singing for a bit but started humming, his fingers playing with the longest parts of her hair.

His head moved down to hers once more and he rested his mouth against the top. If his body and mind hadn't been utterly soothed by playing with her hair, the young man might be more inclined to panic or freak out about his actions. However it was like magic as he continued. "Muika... I do not wish to stop but we really should go soon. The whole day can not be devoted to shopping, there are chores I must do here...unfortunately."

Even as he said those words though, his body did not stop or let her go.

"W-W...Well...you can...continue...l-later on...or..." May lightning strike her and save her from the embarrassment of what she was pushing herself to say. "Or...I...I can...l-lay next to you...tonight...like...like last night and...and you can p-play with my hair th-then..."

Just what was she saying!? How had she even managed to get that out!? Sure, it'd felt...comforting going to sleep and waking up like that...before embarrassment overtook everything for a few moments, but...but still!

Iyuki's hand stopped mid stroke and his whole body froze. He squeaked out a few broken syllables before he finally formed words with his voice. "...Y-You...wish to share...a bed with me? O-Or...is this... only for hair playings?"

How could he have asked that question? It was important to know, yes, but... Well she had promised he could do this again later, that is what truly mattered! Not this talk of bed sharings. Which his mind could not comprehend with any degree of success.

Wh...Why'd he have to word it like that!?

"I-If....If y-you want...to..." She replied, her face burning. "It...It'd been...c-comforting...and...comfort...comfortable..." Where was the lightning she'd asked for? It had obviously failed her in her request..."B-But...But only...only if you want to!" She added quickly.

"...T-Then...we should...share your bed. I would...not want to make you sleep on the floor for such comfort..." Iyuki spoke the words, his face dying as he buried it in her hair. Please let them both burn up and die. "I-I would not..be adverse...to such...arrangements..."

"Mm..." She managed a nod, having thought...that would probably be the best option anyway...since it was a proper mattress and all and not...not on the floor as Iyuki said. Even before...all of this she'd still felt bad he was sleeping on the floor even if he had said his futon was fine. "'K-Kay...then." She added with a stutter, her grip still tight on his sleeve around her.

Did...Did he want to sleep on the outside though or against the wall side? She usually curled up on the wall side but...but if he wanted to lay there she didn't mind...she'd done so for a sense of comfort when she had so...and if Iyuki was going to...

"..." Iyuki couldn't speak, he was afraid the words would be jumbled up. How was he to say that he was terrified and yet oddly...excited? He had never shared a bed fully with someone before, not like this. She wanted that with him... already... He wasn't sure his brain could figure or deal with such feelings at this moment. How was he to deal with being a gentleman when she was...wishing this?

Finally unfreezing, Iyuki unburied his face and pulled away slightly. "W-We should...get dressed and head out..."

Otherwise he would die here.

She gave another small nod, ready to momentarily put off the embarrassment about...what they'd just agreed on. It'd just...she'd felt...comforted...as she'd said and in a way safe and secure and before...well the whole morning event with the embarrassment and all it'd definitely beat how she'd felt when she'd been sleeping by herself.

"Y-Yeah." Her grip on his sleep slackened some, for when he was ready to pull away fully.

"Y-You definitely need pajamas then." Iyuki spoke quickly and at a whisper as he pulled away, unable to speak louder than this. His arm slipped from around her, out of her hands and from her body as he gently moved her off of his lap.

He took a deep ragged breath, one hand coming up to brush his hair from his face as he attempted to gather himself up enough to get dressed. Deciding today he would wear his usual garb, the black coat and vest due to its pockets and the fact that they'd be inside mostly, he went to his items to scrounge it out. Muika would do what she usually did while he changed, so he had no worries about that... unless... she was his girlfriend now.

"...Did you wish to see me change?" Iyuki's face was beat red as he looked at the floor, wondering if that was what she wished to...see...

A few unintelligible stutters escaped her as her blush intensified. Just...Just what was he asking her!? C-Couples...Did that sort of thing so soon!? She didn't know but-! She moved to do what she normally did, that being climbing onto her bed and turning her back to him; bringing her blanket with her to practically cocoon around her.

"I-I-It's...W-We don't need to..to ah...I..." She couldn't even form a proper answer at that! "S-S-Sorry!"

"I-It is okay! I am sorry! I just... did not know what would make you happy so I asked! I did not realize..." Iyuki turned beat red and stumbled to a wall, his head resting against it as his body shook with how embarrassed he was. It didn't last long, but at least he hadn't collapsed!

Slowly but surely he undressed, finally getting redressed much faster than he had started out. Coughing politely, his body and mind composed once more, he slipped his gloves on. "Muika, I am decent."

"Y-Y-You don't have to apologize...I-I just...d-didn't know if that's something that...h-happens already a-and I got embarrassed." It likely wasn't something that happened this soon but, she wanted to voice her reasoning for freaking out anyway.

She turned when he claimed he was finished changing, she need to change pants at least...put on leggings and a skirt since she didn't really wear the shorts out at all...she just slept in them...though...should she bring them to toss with the other things later? Since he'd mentioned getting new pajamas even though, while these were a bit worn, she was still confused over the whole 'proper pajamas' thing.

"'K-kay then...I need to change too...so..." She offered him the blanket, in case he didn't want to go outside yet to deal with getting ready or something. It'd taken her awhile to get used to this method, but after time she'd realized he wouldn't peep or something like that and since waiting outside just to change was annoying this was an easier method...just involving a bit more...belief in each other.

"It...normally does not... But neither does sharing a bed. E-Especially...with..." People who aren't used to sex or relationships. However the young man could not say that though. He just could not, not right now. At the offered blanket, Iyuki moved over and took it with a nod.

It was their dressing ritual, having to go outside being rather annoying once they both had trust in the other... Though that had been more on Muika's end. He had never thought his Lady would want to look at him in such a manner. He crawled into the bed, covered himself and closed his eyes while facing away. Waiting patiently for the okay to come out.