In Your Arms (Shinomiya Natsuki x Reader)

Hush now, let's go quiet to the park where it first started
Cold night, us lying in the dark
I felt my heart was trying to find a place for you to stay
A place where I'd feel safe

READER

As I made my way to the park, I snuck glances at the silver moon hanging up above my head. I remembered the night when Natsuki asked me to be his girlfriend. It was a serene, cloudless night like this one, and for most of that night, we had been lying on a picnic blanket side-by-side. I had my head touching his and he would point out the stars and their countless constellations.

            And then suddenly, he told me he loved me. I felt my heart expanding, trying to make way for the amount of love he had for me, and I knew that by loving him as I did, I would never feel harmed.

Anything we have known
Anything we've forgotten
In the rain, in the dark we'll lay
In your arms, in your arms I'll stay

NATSUKI

I waited for ____-chan underneath the tree where I confessed to her, remembering that night from a year ago. I didn’t actually plan that moment—the words just came out of my mouth. But if I didn’t do it then, ____-chan and I probably wouldn’t be in this situation—a happy couple celebrating their anniversary where they first got together.

            But I had been worried this morning, worried that it might rain. But knowing the both of us, we would just come back here all the same. I knew that neither of us would pass up the opportunity to cuddle with each other under the stars.

Take my hand, let's go into the trees
Behind the branches, falling on our knees
I remember feeling like this part of us would never change

“Natsuki,” I heard someone whisper, and looked to the direction where I thought I heard the sound. Something golden gleamed from the curtain of darkness, and somehow I knew that it was ____-chan.

            I stood up and held out a hand. Instantly, I felt it being taken by a small hand. The texture, the size, it all told me that the person I loved was here, with me.

            I pulled ____-chan to me and captured her in an embrace. “____-chan…” I whispered near her ear. “I’m glad you’re here.”

            ____-chan pulled away and caressed my cheek with the back of one hand. “I’m glad you’re here, too,” she said, smiling. Though the night was dark, I could still make out her features: (h/c) hair soft as the velvety night sky, (e/c) eyes that twinkle like the stars, (s/c) skin as radiant as the moon’s light. Her lips were as pink as ever, and I almost couldn’t help myself from kissing her.

            I smiled, seeing that she hasn’t changed. It might be weird to revel in all of this now, but I hadn’t seen her in over a month. STARISH’s debut tour kept me from seeing her. Only calling her or E-mailing her had been our mode of communication. I had gotten home only a few hours ago and messaged her to come to this park. I had wanted to make tonight special, in honor of our anniversary, so instead of lying on a picnic blanket, I pulled her towards the tree.

            “Where are we going, Natsuki?” she asked.

            Smiling, I looked back at her and said, “I hope you’re ready to climb, ____-chan.” Putting my hands to her waist, I lifted her up with ease and she immediately grabbed hold of the first branch within her reach. Slowly but steadily, she began climbing, and I climbed up after her.

            After a while, I told ____-chan to stop. She did so and sat on a branch. I followed suit, sitting beside her carefully, so the branch wouldn’t break. I looked up.

            The gaps between the leaves and branches showed the sky. From up here, one could see more stars than from the ground. They twinkled in a rhythm like they were dancing to the wind’s song. The moon was like a mirror, beckoning us to look into it.

            Beside me, ____-chan gasped. She had glimpsed what was beyond the leaves and was marveling at the beauty of it, just as was doing. Our eyes flitted back and forth to different areas of the sky, trying to take in its beauty.

            “Oh, Natsuki,” ____-chan breathed. “This is so beautiful.”

            I put an arm around her shoulders and let her lean into me. “You’re much more beautiful, ____-chan,” I whispered, kissing the crown of her head softly.

Anything we have known
Anything we've forgotten
In the rain, in the dark we'll lay
In your arms, in your arms I'll stay

Follow me
We both know the way
It's always been the same

Anything we have known
Anything we've forgotten
In the rain, in the dark we'll lay
In your arms, in your arms I'll stay

READER

I looked at Natsuki and found him gazing at me with love, so much love I felt I would explode. He was looking at me so tenderly, like I was the most precious jewel kept safe within a treasure chest. It made me want to kiss him, to thank him for loving me, to tell him that I loved him.

            And so I did.

            I kissed him, pulling his face gently towards mine and connecting our lips with each other. The loneliness of the past month made the kiss so passionate that I almost wondered if this was really Natsuki with me. Somewhere in my heart I knew it was, and it just made the moment all the more beautiful and touching.

            When we parted, Natsuki touched his forehead to mine and smiled, still looking into my eyes with his beautiful green orbs.

           “I love you, ____-chan. More than how much Cupid loved Psyche. I will love you until death like Orpheus and Eurydice. Nothing in this world will make me love you less.” He kissed me again, and I, wanting to show him how much I loved him, said:

            “Natsuki. You are my Pygmalion. You brought me to life with your love, and I will love you to the ends of the earth, love you as many as the sand in the sea, love you even when time stops.” With that, I pulled him to me and hugged him, hugged him like there was no tomorrow.

            “I love you,” we said together.

            We stayed like that for a while, holding on to each other, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

THE END