Law opened the door and turned on the living room light, stepping inside of his apartment and moving out of the way for Summer to follow. The blonde, now wearing a casual pair of jeans and a t-shirt, walking to the side behind him, eyes wandering over the living room of Law's home.
"Sorry, I forgot to clean those up." He said, gesturing to the xbox game boxes that littered the floor. Summer only grinned, hanging her purse onto the hooks for coats.
"I don't mind." She replied, taking in the interior. He had a large flatscreen tv set up on one wall, with a black leather couch facing it. A plush chair was set to the side, and a coffee table sat between the tv and couch.
"Make yourself at home." He said, taking off his jacket and hanging it beside her purse, before heading down a hall, presumably towards his bedroom. Summer walked slowly into the living room, looking down at the game boxes. She picked a few up, inspecting the titles. The Elder Scrolls, Gears of War, Halo…She didn't really recognize any of them, but she had heard others talk about them.
Hearing footsteps coming closer, she stood, and watched as Law entered the living room, wearing a different shirt. "As you can see, I don't really entertain much."
"What, and you think I do? I don't mind at all." She laughed, gesturing to the games. "I'm not really a gamer. Which one do you want to play?"
"Well, later tonight Shachi and Penguin want to try to beat me at Halo, so I could show you that first. If you want." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, suddenly unsure if Summer would want to do that. But much to his relief, she simply smiled.
"Ok, but you should probably be prepared for lots of questions."
Feeling a little more comfortable, he approached the tv and knelt in front of his collection of games. He got it all set up, while Summer took a seat on the couch, content to simply watch him from her spot. She still felt nervous, just by being in his home with no one else. It felt…intimate. Just like the night Law had returned her camera. There was something extremely personal about being in one's home with someone else.
Law stood, holding two black controllers. He turned to the couch and sat beside her, handing her one of them. Her eyes widened, gently holding the controller in her hands. It felt unfamiliar. "Wait, I thought I was just watching."
He cocked a brow, giving a mischievous smile. "What's the fun in that? Besides, you learn better when you're actually playing. The screen showed a white sphere with a green x in the middle, before a profile selection screen appeared. There were three profiles. One for Law, and two others that looked suspiciously like Penguin and Shachi.
"Do I have to have a profile to play?" She asked, still trying to get her hands comfortable in the controller. He picked his own profile and set the controller to the side, reaching over to her hands to help her hold her own.
"No, but we can make you one if you want to." He placed his hands over hers, nudging her fingers into the correct positions. "Like this, that way you can reach the bumper and trigger buttons on the top, see?"
"Oh, ok." She tested out a few of the buttons, just to feel how they moved.
Law picked his controller back up and flicked through the menu, selecting Halo and a loading screen popped up. The music began to play in the background, and Summer laughed, thinking of something then.
"Is this all you do when you don't go to work?" He gave her an unamused look, but it was obviously fake.
"I'd like to think I have more of a life than that." He replied, but she only laughed. Giving in, he smiled again, shaking his head. "No, I have other hobbies. This is my way of appeasing Shachi and Penguin when I don't want to leave the house."
While Law selected their gameplay and other options, Summer shook her head. "Are they that annoying?"
"Let's just say…one can only take so much of their antics in a single day." They laughed, waiting for the game to load. Soon, the game was loaded and it skipped to a cutscene, panning across a starry sky.
"Switch me controllers." Law said, holding out a hand to take hers. She complied, taking Law's into her own hands. It was warm where his fingers had held it. "I don't have the first game, but you can learn just the same from the beginning."
"There's no tutorial or anything?" She bit her lip, watching as something white flashed across the night sky on the screen. Law chuckled.
"Nope. Since it's the third game, they expect you to know what to do already, but I'll help you. And trying to teach you on multiplayer against me just isn't fair, so I'll have you start with the Campaign."
"O-okay." She swallowed, suddenly apprehensive watching the scene play out. She didn't want to look like an idiot in front of him, but she didn't want to just give up before she gave it a chance either.
The white flash branched off into a second one, and it angled towards the camera view, becoming larger and larger until a fireball streaked right past their viewpoint. It cut to black, before showing a group of people dressed like fighters. "Who are they?" She asked.
"They are from the UAC. It's a long explanation, but basically, they are a military organization that protects earth from other aliens species."
"Oh, there's aliens in this?"
"They're called the covenant, but I'll tell you more about them later." He said, gesturing back to the screen so she'd keep watching.
It showed a man in a green suit laying unmoving in a large crater. "Who's that?" She pointed, wondering why he wasn't moving. Oh, maybe he was the thing that crashed into the earth.
"That's Master Chief. He's a Spartan soldier, who was modified and enhanced to have superhuman capabilities. He's with the UAC."
"Oh, ok."
They watched for a little while longer, before she had another question. "Who's Cortana?"
He sighed, chuckling under his breath. "I guess I should have bought the first game for you to play, huh?"
"Sorry…" She muttered sheepishly, pursing her lips. He shook his head, reaching over to tap her forehead with a finger.
"Don't be, I know this must be really confusing for you. I really don't mind all the questions." She looked at him, trying to see if he was lying, but his eyes held amusement and content. Smiling finally, she settled further into the couch.
"If you say so."
"In answer to your question, though, Cortana is an artificial intelligence assigned to assist Master Chief. You learn more about her in the other two games but…"
Law continued to give her commentary and answer her endless questions as she began to play. Once the game actually began and her character was able to move around, she had to get used to the controls. Most of the time she was either staring down at the ground, accidentally jumping off cliffs, trying to fix the camera angle, shooting off in random directions and completely missing the target, or walking into obstacles on either side.
Law laughed at her mistakes, but was quick to help her correct them. Summer was still worried that she'd make a fool of herself but after awhile she was more focused on the game and Law being so close on the couch beside her.
He had her play for awhile, until she knew all of the symbols and notifications on the HUD, and what all of the terms and buttons meant. Finally, after she completed the third or fourth level, seeing as she hadn't been keeping track, she turned to Law.
"I want to see you play. I think I understand most of what's going on, so now it's your turn." He raised a brow but nodded, figuring that he could only teach her so much at a time. Besides, that hopeful smile was too much for him to resist.
He switched her controllers again, backing out of the game and opening another save file. This one was set on a much harder difficulty than what he had her play on, and he returned to the progress he'd made the last time he'd played. It was at a different part of the game, but Summer tried her best to keep up.
Summer would ask questions every once in awhile, but was otherwise entertained just by watching him play. His movements on screen were much smoother and coordinated than hers had been, and he effortlessly gunned down the aliens he faced against, rarely missing a shot.
He played a few more levels into the game, and Summer was caught up completely in the story and action. Law completed another level, then nudged Summer beside him, who had been staring at the screen in interest. She looked his way, noticing the amused smirk.
"Having fun?" He asked, and she chuckled.
"Oh yeah. Are you taking a break?" He stood, stretching out his back with a pop. He set the controller on the couch and turned back to her.
"Well, it's close to six. Did you want something to eat?"
Summer's eyebrows raised in shock, and she looked towards the clock on the stove. Indeed, it was almost six o'clock.
"Wow, I didn't even know we'd been playing so long." She stood, following Law towards the kitchen. "Sure, I could eat something. Do you want me to help?"
He waved her away, opening his fridge. "No, I've got dinner covered. How does pasta sound?"
"Sounds great. Are you sure you don't want help?"
Law went to the pantry and pulled out a box of noodles, finally turning to Summer who stood at the edge of the kitchen, wringing her hands. He smirked, approaching her. "I'm sure. You're a guest, after all." He reached up to gently cup under her chin, drawing her attention to his face. "Come on, I'll show you some other games you can play while I make us dinner." He smiled, dropping his hand and guiding her by her shoulder back to the living room.
He didn't notice the way her cheeks heated up at his touch, and she simply followed where he sent her. They returned to the couch and he knelt in front of the tv stand. Opening one of the doors underneath, he revealed two shelves chock full of video games of all kinds. Summer sat beside him, and he picked through the titles.
"I'm not sure what you want to play, but you're welcome to any of these." He shifted over so she could see, and the blonde peered in, scanning the sides of the boxes for anything that sounded fun.
"Hmm…what about this? I think Soma has this one." She pointed to one of the boxes and looked up to Law's confused face, before adding, "Soma is Hitomi's little brother."
The confusion cleared and he nodded, pulling out Grand Theft Auto from the shelf and closed it, opening the box to take out the disc. Summer watched where he placed the disc so she would know how to pick another game in the future.
"Alright, you can play on my saved file, since I've completed all the missions and you pretty much have unlimited money." He chuckled, wondering what sort of trouble Summer would create in the game. He stood, having put in the disc. "Just shout if you need anything, and I'll get dinner started."
"Ok, thank you." She said, grabbing the controller and waiting for the load screen to complete. With one last glance in her direction, Law returned to the kitchen and began working on their dinner.
During the course of making dinner, Law heard Summer giggling at whatever it was she was doing. He ignored the first few times, but raised a brow to himself in amusement all the same. He was busy making the sauce for the pasta when she burst into another laughing fit, and Law's curiosity finally won out. He popped his head out into the living room, trying to figure out what she was laughing at.
Her character on the screen was running up the street, punching people left and right as the passed them. With each NPC she socked in the face, Summer would laugh. Law chuckled quietly, returning to the kitchen to cook. At least she was enjoying herself.
He continued to hear her laugh from the kitchen, and he couldn't help but smile at the sound. He didn't realize how much he loved hearing it until that moment. He wanted to make her laugh, so he could hear it again, and know he was the one to cause it. Drifting off in his thoughts, it took a moment before he realized he'd stopped stirring the pot of noodles. Shaking his head, he finished their meal and turned off the stove.
He dished the meal out onto plates, walking out into the living room with them in his hand. She giggled some more, driving a stolen police car through the pier, running over people as they tried to jump out of the way. Law laughed, walking to the front of the couch, still holding the plates.
"Should I be worried, considering all the destruction you seemed to have caused in such a short amount of time?" He questioned, and she snapped her head around to watch him set both the plates on the coffee table in front of them.
"I feel like such a bad person, but it's so fun!" She giggled out, trying to evade the authorities chasing her. "I'm not very good at driving in this game, since most of the time I end up in the ocean or blowing up against a street pole."
"Well, at least your crime sprees come to an end." He teased, and she punched his arm playfully. "Here you go." He pushed the plate of food closer to her, and she hit the start button to pause the game.
"Ooh, it smells great." She complimented, accepting the fork he offered her.
They ate on the couch, with Summer describing all of the stupid and funny things she'd managed to accomplish during his time in the kitchen. Law laughed and made fun of her for it, but she didn't mind much. Summer complimented Law on his cooking abilities, and even asked if there was more. There wasn't, but he appreciated her enjoyment of his food.
They both finished eating quickly, and Law stood to take the dishes to the kitchen, but Summer beat him to it. "You stay here this time. I want to help a little."
He was about to protest, but she had already grabbed the dirty plates and tromped to the kitchen. A moment later he heard the sink turn on, and figured that if it made her happy, he'd let it slide this once.
While Summer was in the kitchen, Law felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out, seeing that it was a call from Penguin.
"Hello?" He said, answering the call.
"Hey, are we still on for Halo tonight?" His friend asked. There was a shuffling sound, before Shachi butted in. "You'd better! You've backed out of the last two times, but you don't have an excuse for this time!"
"Yeah, we're still on."
"Good! You better be ready to get your assed kicked, too. Penguin and I have been practicing and memorizing your strategies, so don't think you'll win so easily this time!" Shachi exclaimed, loud enough that Law had to hold the phone away from his ear. He smirked.
"Go ahead and try." He heard the sink turn off, and that reminded him. "Oh, and Summer is here with me too, so you'd better be on your best behavior."
"Eh? Summer's there?" Shachi asked. The shuffling noise happened again, and Penguin took back his phone. "What!? Are you guys-?" He started to ask, but Law immediately cut him off.
"No, we aren't." There was a pause, but Law knew them both well enough to know what question they would ask next. "And no, we didn't. So don't ask."
"Jeez. No need to be snippy with me. And no worries. We won't blow your chances of getting laid tonight, if that's what you meant."
Law gritted his teeth, rubbing at his forehead. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."
He could hear them laughing on the other end of the line, before Shachi was back on the phone. "Whatever. Anyways, we'll be getting on in the next couple minutes, so be ready by then."
"Fine." He answered, hanging up without listening to whatever they were going to say next. He probably wouldn't want to hear it anyways. He could hear Summer moving around in the kitchen, before appearing back in the living room, looking uncertain.
"Umm, I don't know where your dishes go, so I just dried them and put them on the counter. Is that ok?" His smile returned instantly.
"Yeah, that's fine. I'll put them away later."
Summer smiled and returned to her spot on the couch, picking up her controller, but Law spoke up again.
"Penguin and Shachi just called and want to start playing Halo. But if you want to keep playing this, I can tell them we'll do it another day."
She shook her head. "No, no! I want to watch you play with them. Besides, I can play this any other time, right?" He tried gauging her expression to see if she truly wanted to watch or if she was just trying to be polite. Nor did he miss the subtle question she hid underneath her words. She wanted to know if he would allow her over in the future.
"Of course." He answered truthfully, flashing her a small smile. Her enthusiasm seemed genuine enough, and finally he shrugged, exiting out of Grand Theft Auto before putting the Halo disc back into the game console.
He returned to the couch, sitting on the other side opposite to Summer, making himself comfortable. There was a headset on the table, and he put it on, adjusting the mic on the side to a better spot. She looked quizzically at it. "Oh, do you talk to Shachi and Penguin with that?"
He nodded. "Yeah, but most of the time they just yell at me in frustration when I beat them at everything." She matched his amused grin, before he turned to the tv and navigated to set up the multiplayer game.
"You ready?" Law tested out.
"Yup!"
"We're good to go over here." Summer heard Shachi and Penguin respond over the headset. Luckily, they talked loud enough for her to hear, and she smiled, curling her feet underneath her to get more comfortable.
Law suddenly turned to her and winced. "First off, I'd like to apologize for everything that they are about to say."
"Hey!"
"We heard that!"
"Don't make us out to be these awful people!"
"Summer, we're not as bad as Law makes us sound."
Summer laughed, scooting closer to speak into the small microphone. "I'm sure."
Law gave her a glance ah she leaned back away, but didn't say anything, putting all the settings in place for their game. Summer returned to her respectful distance on the couch, leaning on the arm to watch.
They began the game, with Law pretty much dominating the match. Even with Shachi and Penguin teaming up to take him down, Law was much more skilled in the game and layout of the map than they were, and was able to avoid every trap or tactic they put into place.
Most of the time, as Law had predicted, Shachi and Penguin cursed at Law, who only smirked in return, getting kill after kill. They managed to kill his character every once in awhile, but only very rarely.
"Aw, come on! That totally counts as camping!"
"How is it that you get the sniper rifle every time we kill you?"
"You have to be cheating!"
"You just can't accept that you aren't good at this game." Law taunted, killing Shachi's guy yet another time. The man in question yelled out in frustration.
"Summer! Tell him to stop cheating!"
She only giggled, entertained by their banter. She leaned in to speak into Law's microphone. "Sorry, guys. Can't help you."
"Even Summer has abandoned us."
"We just have to win her favor back by beating him!"
Summer smiled, and went to return to her side of the couch, but Law wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She gasped in surprise, looking up to his smirking face as he pulled her in to lean on his chest. Because he only had one hand controlling his character, Penguin was able to kill him, but he didn't seem to mind, concentrating only on Summer for that moment. She didn't resist, and found herself tucked closely to him. The blush returned to her face, but she soon settled comfortably beside him.
He returned to playing the game, sneaking occasional glances at the blonde leaning into his chest. Law hoped she didn't register the way his heart was beating a little faster. She watched the screen with a small smile in place. Good, he was worried that she wouldn't have fun, but it seemed that she was enjoying herself.
Summer didn't know how long she'd sat there watching them play, before she heard Shachi announce that they needed a break for drinks and the bathroom. Law agreed, and they stopped the match to return to the game lobby, where they could choose a map to play.
Law set his controller onto the coffee table and flipped the microphone up higher on the headset, away from his mouth. He turned to Summer, who still lay on his chest. "Having fun?" He asked, wanting to be extra sure she wasn't bored. She giggled, propping herself up to look him in the face.
"Oh yeah! Don't worry about me." She chuckled, and Law grinned. He tilted his head, examining her appearance. She smiled, and he raised a brow. "Thanks for dinner, by the way. And for inviting me over. I didn't realize how seldom I actually get out of my house until now." She pushed away off of his chest and stretched her arms above her head, arching her back to get all the kinks out.
"Anytime. Are you wanting to go home? I can take you when you're ready." Her words sounded as if she was getting ready to leave. Her smile faded a bit.
"I mean, if you want me to go, I can-" He waved off her words, trying to correct his mistake.
"No, that's not what I meant." Summer saw his cheeks flush, and he looked a bit flustered. "I don't want you to go yet. I just wasn't sure if you wanted to go but didn't want to be rude." He continued, and Summer was starting to wonder if he himself wasn't sure where he was trying to go with his words anymore. It made her smirk.
"Don't feel like I'm trying to kick you out or anything, that's not-"
Having heard enough, Summer chuckled and pushed herself up higher, leaning in close before placing her lips onto his, effectively silencing him. Caught by surprise, he recovered instantly, bringing up his hands to hold her close. They wrapped around his waist, and she twisted to sit more comfortably, their lips never separating.
Summer placed a hand gently on his cheek, her thumb brushing over his goatee on his chin, and he couldn't suppress a low groan. Law leaned forwards, taking control over the kiss, as he pulled her to sit on his lap, her legs straddling him on either side.
Summer's heart was beating wildly in her chest, her entire body felt hot, and tingly all over. She couldn't breathe, but she didn't care, as the tip of Law's tongue licked her bottom lip, asking permission. Sparing only a moment's hesitation, she relented, giving him what he wanted.
"Mmm…" She moaned softly, feeling his tongue tangle with her own in a uncoordinated dance of dominance. Her arms found their way around his neck, her fingers trailing up to thread through his short black locks.
They broke apart for air, neither of them opening their eyes. Resting their foreheads together, they panted, each other's breaths mixing and mingling in the space between them. Summer's mind was foggy, too focused on the gratifying feeling of being hugged close to his body. She felt warm and safe, as if there was nothing more to the world than him, right at that moment.
"I'm not leaving." She muttered still out of breath, remembering what he'd been saying before.
"Good." He replied, equally as breathless.
Recovering her breath, Summer kissed him again, this time with more heat than the first. He didn't resist, unwrapping one arm to cradle her face with his hand. His thumb rested at the edge of her chin, his fingers splayed out along her jaw.
Oh, she hadn't felt such bliss with anyone else she'd ever met. Law, the things he could make her feel, it was extraordinary. He slowly tilted her chin up with his thumb, and his mouth left hers to trail further down, over the ridge of her jaw and lower still to the delicate skin of her neck.
She gasped, the sensation of his tongue gliding over the sensitive area sending heat straight between her legs. Her knees squeezed his legs between them of their own volition, and Summer felt like she couldn't keep still.
"Mmm…Law…" She whispered, unable to help herself from saying his name. She felt more than heard the growl at the back of his throat, spurring him on. In retaliation for saying such sexy things, he nipped at her neck with his teeth, the pain barely registering over the pleasure that followed it. He kissed the same spot to lessen the sting, his other hand rubbing her thigh with tightening fingers.
"Alright! We're back!" A voice yelled into Law's ear. He jerked in surprise, suddenly remembering the headset that was still atop his head. He pulled away, and it seemed Summer had heard too, because she was smiling, trying to hold back her giggle. He scowled at the unprecedented interruption, as his heart began to slow down in his chest.
Before Law had a chance to react, Summer reached up and brought the mic down closer. "Law went to the restroom. He'll be back in a moment." Summer lied, somehow able to mask her breathlessness, smirking mischievously at him. Law felt a spark of want, seeing equally the amount of pleasure in her eyes. He returned her grin, his hand on her thigh resuming it's gentle massage over her clothed flesh.
"Oh, ok. But make sure you tell him to hurry up!" They said, and she chuckled.
"Will do!" She replied, flipping the mic back up so they wouldn't hear. Taking the hint, Law connected their lips once more, enjoying the way her fingers ran through his hair, pulling every so often.
Law kissed her until he'd had his fill, drinking in her taste and relishing in the sensations that were going straight to his pants. He'd be lucky if she didn't notice the obvious bulge that was growing underneath his jeans, but at this point he didn't care.
Summer, all too aware of what she was doing to him, felt a sudden spark of fear at what Law would expect from her. Did he think she'd want to up and have sex so soon? Were they even in an official relationship? Was that the kind of relationship he wanted with her? All of the questions were running through her head, and Law seemed to realize that she was distracted by something else.
He began to slow his kisses down, finally placing one final chaste one onto her lips, before opening his eyes to take in her flushed face and swollen lips. He grinned, resting his forehead on hers. "You're thinking too much." He whispered, making sure it was quiet enough so Shachi and Penguin wouldn't hear through the microphone.
"What?" She questioned, more than a little confused. He reached up and tucked a stray hair from her face, brushing his fingers over her cheek. Her eyes were clouded from lust, but he saw the worry and apprehension behind her longing. He could take a guess at what was eating away at her.
"Nothing's going to happen that you don't want, alright?" He reassured softly, eyes never leaving hers. "I don't want something as superficial as that to come between us."
"O-okay." She breathed out in relief. But a part of her was still unsure. Law waited for her to voice her thoughts, knowing there was something else to it. "Um…I don't…want whatever this is to be temporary either." She finally said.
He frowned, not quite sure what she meant. Seeing his confusion, she reiterated, though unable to look him in the eyes.
"You mean a lot to me, Law. I don't want our relationship to be just some fling that lasts two weeks. I want…" She hesitated, trying to put the words together. "I want to be with you as long as you'll let me."
His eyes widened, catching her meaning. Slowly, he brought both hands up to cradle her head, capturing her lips in a soft, slow, and sweet kiss. He used the opportunity to try to think of some speech that would reassure her that he wasn't a 'fling' type of guy, or that sex wasn't what he aimed for, or even that he had felt a pull towards her for the longest time. But even after all of that…
"So do I." Was all he could manage in the fog of mind.
They kissed, the seconds feeling like an eternity, sitting in Law's darkened living room. Then, Summer remembered that Shachi and Penguin were still waiting on them to return to the game. With a quiet chuckle, she broke the kiss, smiling sweetly up at the black-haired man. He looked like he wanted to continue, but Summer reached up for the microphone again.
"Ok, he's back now."
"Finally!" Shachi said, and Law raised a brow, silently wondering if she wanted him to be annoyed to death by his two friends. She only shrugged, smirking devilishly. He decided right then that she could be just as malicious as him.
As Law tried to get comfortable in the couch again, Summer got off of his lap, but didn't stray far. Curling up into his chest once more, she sat beside him and lay her legs across his lap, positioning her so she still had a view of the tv while she could cuddle the bartender.
Law didn't say anything about it, but he silently reveled in the feel of her leaning into his chest again. He was glad that she'd spoken her worries about where their relationship was heading, because he felt a lot more satisfied about it afterwards too. Though he'd never admit to it, he'd had similar fears.
Would she grow tired of him? Maybe he'd misjudged her character over the years, and she would be unfaithful? What if she found out about his past? Would he tell her, or pretend it had never happened and try to look only to the future? Was he even capable of maintaining a long term relationship? Would Summer want him that long?
He didn't want to jump the gun, nor did he want to rush into a relationship with the blonde, but he hadn't been sure what she'd expected out of him either. Thankfully, it seemed that even just a fraction of those questions had been answered, and he was fine with that. The rest could come later, as things progressed.
He distracted himself with the game for awhile, hoping that it would help his little 'problem' go away. It worked to some degree, but he felt every shift of Summer's body when she tried to get more comfortable, which only snapped his thoughts back to the blonde clinging to his chest.
He glanced at the clock on the wall, noting it was close to 9:30, and wondered if he should invite her to spend the night, if she wanted to. Then, immediately dashed the thought. It was too soon. He didn't want to scare her away, or come on too strong and mess things up.
So he simply played his game in peace, enjoying the feel of her presence beside him, and burned this pleasant memory into the back of his mind. He wanted to remember this night, with every small detail, forever.
ns 15.158.61.5da2
