"Taiga, come on."

"No, this is stupid." She paused and folded her arms. "And I've heard about this! It's an oversea thing where you trick someone into watching a movie and then you get all bedroom eyes. I'm not having it!"

"I promise, I just want to watch a movie with you. I mean... It is a western film, but it's got a lot of action so I think you might like it."

She stood in the kitchen and gave Ryuuji that look that sends most people screaming and running away. But not him. Not the dragon. He simply waited for her with a blank face until she sighed and gave up. She came and sat next to him on the floor and he put in the movie. The previews start and Taiga gets anxious.

"Make us a snack or something. I hate these stupid ads."

"You just ate dinner. You just said five minutes ago how stuffed you were. Besides, I like the ads."

"Skip 'em."

He narrowed his eyes and grabbed the remote, skipping through the ads to the main menu. He adjusted the subtitles and pressed play.

"Wait, subtitles? This thing isn't voiced over?"

"No, but you aced your English exams in school and so did I so we should do pretty well even without the captions. I chose them as a safety net if we get lost."

"This is becoming a chore, you know that?"

He rolled his eyes and let the movie play. Taiga was having a hard time getting into the movie or getting comfortable. She kept shifting her position and asking questions.

"Just watch. I'm sure it will be explained."

She frowned and got up, turning the lights off and coming back to sit next to him. Still she fidgeted and found it hard to stay in one position. Her moving was making it hard for him to concentrate on the important context and build up. He grabbed her hand and she paused. He looked to her and patted the floor in front of his lap. She blushed and thought about it. Was he trying to pull something pervy? Even if he was her fiancé, nothing between them of that sort had happened other than the pool incident a few years before. Of which she still thought of from time to time. She finally gave in and climbed over his leg, sitting in front of Ryuuji and folding her legs under her, resting her hands on her ankles.

He smiled and watched the movie. As the movie went on she relaxed her posture and leaned back a bit. She was inches from him and he was still unsure how to deal with all of this. They had gone from loving each other's best friend to confessing their love for each other in a matter of less than 24 hours and the whole eloping situation was a disaster.

But it was winter now. Ryuuji had a full time job as a chef at a local high class restaurant and the pay was great. Taiga helped train people at a local dojo and though the pay was little, it was more about keeping herself busy while also letting out her pent up emotions in a physical why that was acceptable and alternative to kicking lamp posts. She had finally gotten her parent's blessing, both of them, and she had enough money in the bank for the two of them to live in a comfortable apartment, such as the one next door. She even had enough where they really didn't need to work. But for some reason they refused to leave that cozy home where they first became close.

Yasuko had left to live with her parents. She wanted to reestablish the relationship that had been lost when she was young and foolish. The house was theirs. Just the two of them. It met their needs and that's all they really wanted.

But the relationship thing... how to progress and what to do after they were actually married, was a scary ordeal for the both of them. Eighteen might seem adult to some people, but it's really not. You are all of a sudden responsible for everything and it can really burden people. Ryuuji's life didn't change. He had always taken care of his mother and cleaned the house and did all the chores so nothing was any different besides the lack of school. Taiga was already living alone at the start and had learned how to be organized and responsible from Ryuuji. They had both passed that awkward phase of trying to be an adult because they already had the world on their shoulders. It was simpler now. Minus relationship things.

He looked down to her, completely engulfed in the move and smiled. He remembered how awkward yet amazing their first kiss was. And the second. And the third. Right in a row. It made his heart race. He had to act like he knew what he was doing. He would be damned if she made all the moves. How pathetic would that make him look? He took in a silent breath and leaned forward, her body against his. He leaned down and kissed her hair. Although he couldn't see it, she was blushing and suddenly unaware that a movie was even playing. He took his hands and ran them down her arms with a light touch and eventually came to hug her around her middle. He held her tight to him and rested his head on hers, turning his attention back to the movie.

She was still blushing but she smiled. She was reminded that no matter how angry she got, no matter how loud and bullheaded she was, he still loved her. And she still loved him. She was filled with warmth and it seeped down into her bones.

She turned her head to glance back at him and he tipped his head down and kissed her cheek. She felt like steam was going to come out of her ears. She was embarrassed, elated, and most of all, suddenly competitive. She would never let him win. Even in love. She turned her body and was on her knees in front of him. She stared straight into his eyes with what looked like rage. He blushed and gulped. Maybe it had been the wrong time.

She took his face in her hands but she was so quick that she basically slapped both his cheeks at the same time.

"Hey what-"

He was interrupted by a pair of warm, soft lips. They hadn't kissed since their fake wedding rehearsal. His head spun but his body acted correctly, wrapping his arms around her body and pulling her in for a deeper kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and made a noise he had never heard her make. A tiny, uncharacteristic whimper. His head wondered if she was displeased but her actions told him she wasn't. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he pulled his legs together, letting her sit in his lap.

She broke the kiss softly and felt hazy. They were silent for only a few second but it felt like eternity.

"Was this time better?" He asked, unashamed of his red face.

"You've been using lip balm." She observed calmly.

"Hmm? Oh... Yeah I have." He stroked her hair and smirked. "You said it was like kissing a dry dirt patch last time so wanted to make sure that didn't happen again."

She smiled and put one hand under his chin. She had his full attention.

"I love you, Ryuuji."

He got butterflies and also a little enraged that she said it first this time. The second her hand dropped he cupped her face and pulled her closer.

"My Taiga."

She turned beet red but didn't stop what came next. His lips came down on hers harder than they ever had before and she didn't know what to do with herself. Part of her said fight back but a much larger part of her told her to enjoy what was happening. Neither of them knew what they were doing. All they knew was what felt good and what their bodies told them to do. The harder he pushed the more she surrendered. Eventually they fell backwards towards Taiga. Ryuji caught himself and hovered above her. She looked up at him and was frozen for a moment. Then she did the unthinkable and started laughing. He smiled and started laughing too, realizing they were still on equal ground, even after all this time.

"I guess you really didn't want to watch the movie." She accused. He just smiled and shook his head.

"I did, I really did, but somehow I find you very distracting lately."

"I didn't know my womanly charm was so powerful." She teased and laughed. He shook his head again and was going to sit up but was caught by the collar of his shirt. He looked back down at her and her eyes had a darkness to them he hadn't seen before.

"It's a movie right? We can restart it?"

Before he could answer her strong arms pulled him down into another kiss and they both forgot about the movie for the rest of the night.