Instinctually, he tensed his arm at the contact, cutting an anxious glance down to Chizuru--no, Tokio--and reaching out to her side to steady her with the same arm she gripped, watching the blush crawl over her skin in tandem to his own with the realization of their proximity. Acting uncertain would do them little good if they intended to perpetuate the appearance of a young couple, but that didn’t make it any less difficult to look at her directly when they were so close.
Normally, when she dressed in a man’s clothes and kept her head bowed before the Shinsengumi captains, Saitou could ignore how sweetly she smelled, put the fact of her gender out of his mind and treat her like any of his other subordinates.
But like this? Well. The look suited her as much now as it had on New Years, and noting that in a seconds-too-long look only made his blush burn deeper. Flashing a weak smile, he turned his gaze to the crowds ahead of them abruptly, curling his elbow and lifting his opposite hand to lightly squeeze hers on his arm with nervous affection, “Please hold onto me if you feel overwhelmed. The crowd can be disorienting, especially if you are unaccustomed. We will need to see about our cargo with the first mate.”
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timeasmymeasure
with matching icons even
Date: 2013-02-23 01:21 am (UTC)Normally, when she dressed in a man’s clothes and kept her head bowed before the Shinsengumi captains, Saitou could ignore how sweetly she smelled, put the fact of her gender out of his mind and treat her like any of his other subordinates.
But like this? Well. The look suited her as much now as it had on New Years, and noting that in a seconds-too-long look only made his blush burn deeper. Flashing a weak smile, he turned his gaze to the crowds ahead of them abruptly, curling his elbow and lifting his opposite hand to lightly squeeze hers on his arm with nervous affection, “Please hold onto me if you feel overwhelmed. The crowd can be disorienting, especially if you are unaccustomed. We will need to see about our cargo with the first mate.”