Safe

'I can't believe I agreed to this.' Sam looks into the foggy mirror and shakes her head. Her heart is pounding in her ears like a drum.

She blow-dries her hair absentmindedly while wondering if her clothes would fit Kei. She is thankful she had some comfortable, oversized clothes in her closet.

When she reluctantly leaves her bathroom, she finds Kei already lying in her bed, waiting for her. He is on his side with his elbow propped up. His head is resting on his hand while his fingers are buried in his damp hair. As soon as he sees her, he pats the bed with raised eyebrows.

"Hey sexy, I've been waiting." Kei wiggles his eyebrows.

Sam chuckles. "Saying those words while wearing my baby Yoda t-shirt has no effect on me."

Kei laughs. "Damnit."

"At least the clothes fit."

"Well, the shirt is fine." Kei adjusts the tight shorts before looking up at Sam with a smirk. "The shorts don't fit…in some areas."

Sam shakes her head with amusement. "You're such a tease."

"We aim to please, ma'am." He shrugs.

"Well, only cuddling, Kei. Right?"

"I promise I'll behave," he jokes, making Sam narrow her eyes at him. "I swear," he quickly adds.

Sam takes hesitant steps to the bed. Can she really trust Kei, or more importantly, can she trust herself?

Kei pulls the blanket off for Sam to get under it. She lies down facing the other way before he covers her and wraps his arm around her.

"You're not getting under the blanket?" Sam asks.

"I thought this might be more comfortable for you," he tells her. "You looked like you were about to jump off of a plane or something."

Sam laughs. "It gets cold at night. Just get under the covers, Kei."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's fine," she tells him.

Kei happily tugs the blanket from under him and covers himself. He pulls Sam against him and wraps his arms around her. It is warm and comfortable. The feeling is strange and overwhelming, though.

Sam has never felt this way before, not even with Andrew. She feels safe, as if nothing could hurt her anymore. A peaceful sensation engulfs her heart, and she feels light, protected, like nothing can touch her there, in Kei's arms. It is like she is finally home, after years of being away.

Kei's face is buried in Sam's red locks, she smells of lavender. He inhales her scent and it does something to him.

'Down, boy.'

He can't, in any way, break his promise to Sam and try anything more than cuddling. He is just glad that he could convince her to sleep together. He feels content and safe next to her.

Sam seems smaller, more vulnerable next to him. Something precious that Kei would do anything to protect and to cherish. It feels like Sam is finally back to her rightful place, wrapped in his arms.

As the night goes on, Sam and Kei continue to cuddle in silence. They both enjoy the warmth and comfort of each other's bodies until they fall asleep.

The next morning, Sam wakes up first. She finds herself facing Kei. His arms are still around her and one of his legs is between hers. She feels a blush creep up her cheeks but she doesn't move away. Instead, she studies Kei's sleeping face.

'Gosh, he's so sexy.' Her eyes travel to his parted lips, she has a strong urge to kiss them but shakes her head. 'Get a hold of yourself, Samantha.'

She gently disentangles herself from Kei's embrace and gets out of bed as quietly as she can. Kei looks so peaceful and she doesn't want to wake him up.

Sam heads down to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast. She is in an extremely good mood, and an unwavering smile is pulling on her lips. She goes all out, making a big American breakfast. It reminds her of the Sunday breakfasts Kei's mom used to make for them.

Kei soon joins her, looking a bit disheveled but still smiling. "It smells so good," he says, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

"Did you have a good night of sleep?" Sam asks as she places a plate of hash browns on the table.

"Actually, yes," he answers. He hasn't had a good night of sleep in a very long time.

Sam smiles. "Have a seat. Do you want coffee or tea?"

"Coffee, please."

Sam brings her French press and sits down across the table from Kei. The latter looks at the food with impressed eyes.

"I remember when we didn't let you cook because we were afraid you would burn down the house," Kei teases.

"Oh yeah?" Sam takes a sip of her coffee with a smirk. "Do you still think I would burn down the house?"

"God no, this can easily compete with any five-star hotel breakfast."

Sam chuckles at his exaggeration.

They enjoy the delicious food together, chatting about their schedule for the week and making plans to meet for a few days. It feels lovely.

After breakfast, Kei stands from his chair and takes his and Sam's plates to the sink. As he walks away from the table, Sam notices the large scars he had along his leg. She hadn't noticed them the night before because he was lying down. But in daylight and while wearing shorts, they are very visible. Her heart clenches when she thinks about the accident and what he had to go through.

She brings the rest of the dishes to the kitchen. They both work together putting the leftovers away and washing the dishes. After they finish, Kei leans on the wall for a moment and stares at Sam with an elated expression.

"What is it?" Sam asks, feeling shy under his gaze.

"Damn it, I don't want to leave, but I have to go."

Sam giggles at his whining. "How about lunch tomorrow?"

"I would love that very much," Kei says while taking slow steps toward Sam.

Her heartbeat suddenly quickens. He gets closer to her, but she can't move or ask him what he was doing. Their eyes are locked on each other. Kei places his hands on the countertop, trapping Sam in the middle. He leans in slowly and pecks her cheek.

"Thank you for breakfast, it was truly delightful." Then, he strides away and disappears into the guest bedroom to change.

Sam's hand touches her left cheek unconsciously, still in a daze. 'Did I just expect something else?'

She has no time to dwell on the thought because someone rings the doorbell. She rushes to the intercom monitor, but she can't see anyone.

"Hello?" she calls.

Thinking that it might be a delivery, Sam unlocks and opens the door. It had totally slipped her mind that only the day before, Denji was stalking her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam hisses, faced with someone far worse than Denji. "Andrew."