So Anxious

Candles. Moody lights, not too dark, but not too bright, either. Soothing jazz playing the background, as the setting sun’s light began to slip in through the windows. It was a calm, romantic scene, and not one that Carmen typically had in her apartment. But tonight was a special sort of night.

It had been a few weeks since her win at Climax, her first title defense as the 24/7 Champion. The aches and pains had gone away for the most part, and Carmen had fallen into her usual schedule - maintaining the gym, tutoring her students, training and promotion. The main difference was that, now, she had to carry a belt around with her wherever she went, which opened up a few minor annoyances with people who didn’t understand that you needed to have a referee present to take win a pinfall on the champion.

It was a stressful sort of life, but it was the one she’d chosen, so there were no regrets. But she did want to take some down time and recharge her batteries. She wanted to relax, ease into the next year and defend the belt with a reinvigorated energy. She needed to relax. Better yet, she needed to relax with someone, and she had the perfect name in mind

Akino Sanada. It had been far too long.

They’d met at Purgatory and shared an awesome night together. Sensual wrestling, domination, mind-blowing sex, appealing to almost every fetish the two could think of. The younger woman was amazingly energetic, but also skilled, and Carmen found herself wishing she could’ve gotten to know her a little better. Unfortunately, she won the 24/7 title shortly after they met, and her already small social life shrunk to nothingness for a little while.

But now she had her free time. She could spare a night. Army was out, staying over with Amy for the night, so the apartment was all theirs. Carmen had made a few alterations to the workout room, little changes that would make it interesting if things went the way she expected them to. She’d invited Akino over, and the time was rapidly approaching.

Carmen moved over to the oven, where the black beans and rice she’d been cooking were just starting to simmer down, filling the apartment with its heady aroma. She mixed in a few spices, but took care not to get any on her dark red dress - she didn’t usually wear something so feminine, showing off her legs and her shoulders and running along the contours of her body. She even had on the matching high heels. Not her most comfortable attire, but Akino was worth it.

Everything was perfect. Now, all she needed was her lover…

The most sobering thought that had crossed Akino’s mind after her last encounter with Carmen had come as the one-eyed maiden had left Purgatory and returned home, the thought that she had no idea how long it would be before she could see her again. It hadn’t been long after that her match against Alaina Sanders had brought about an injury that had plagued and nagged Akino ever since. Had she not been so stubborn about competing, she would’ve been at a hundred percent some time ago. Still, she’d improved considerably now, though she was eager to have some time away from the intense competition of matches.

So when she got an invitation from Carmen to come over to her place, Akino had initially thought it had been a dream - she’d even literally pinched herself just to make sure it wasn’t. She’d heard Carmen had become Tension’s 24/7 champion, while she was happy for her, the selfish side of Akino couldn’t help but notice that would make finding time to see her again all the more difficult. Yet, it was happening.

When a taxi pulled up to Carmen’s place, the door opened and out stepped Akino, wearing a brown and white dress, and a pair of black heels.

Spoiler:

She smiled as she made her way to the door, paused to take a quick breath, then knocked. She could smell something being cooked inside. And though she couldn’t quite figure out what it was, it smelled fantastic, and only made her even more excited about seeing the latina awaiting her inside.

Carmen was nervous. She wasn't any stranger to that feeling, but she rarely got this bad before a simple date. She hadn't been this nervous before her match with Clyde, and the stakes weren't nearly that high. It was a date. Just a date. A date with a beautiful, sexy, alluring young woman who could easily be with anyone else that she wanted, but was choosing to come and see her.

She sat back in her chair at the table and smiled at the thought. Life was good, so good, sometimes.

The knock at the door startled her as it pierced echoed through the apartment, and she realized how eerily silent the place was. She got up as quick as she could - this was, probably, only the tenth or so time she'd worn high heels in her entire life - and strutted her way out of the kitchen, making sure to turn up the music a few notches on the way.

She click-clacked on over to the door, paused to take a deep breath, then opened it with a wide smile. "Akino, hola..."

Her voice trailed off as she took in what her lover was wearing for the evening. All the sudden, she felt downright casual - Akino's dress was so much more elaborate and stunning, putting all of her finest features on full display. She didn't just look sexy, but exotic, and it certainly wasn't something you could find in some clothing store at the mall. "You look..." She shook her head and opened the door all the way. "Come in, come in."

“Hola~” Akino replied with a small grin after Carmen opened the door and greeted her. Judging from the latina’s reaction to seeing her, it seemed the one-eyed girl had made a good choice for her clothes tonight, which was a gigantic relief even if she didn’t do anything to make it apparent. Akino had never had a terrific sense for fashion - this was the same girl who typically went to the ring wearing a maid outfit for her matches. But as Akino scanned Carmen over, she was loving what she was seeing. The tight red dress perfectly outlined her figure while also putting her legs on wonderful display.

“Thanks.” she said with a brief giggle before walking in when Carmen started to comment on her appearance, having a feeling whatever adjective she was looking for was a good one. “You look wonderful too, Carmen-chan.”

Akino managed to break her gaze away from Carmen so she could look around the place. The lights were dimmed but not too dark, with candles illuminating much of the room. And though Akino had never gone out of her way to listen to much jazz, she felt the music calming her soul and easing some of the nervousness she’d had to mask as she had approached and entered the apartment. “You have a nice place, Carmen-chan. Did you do all this just for me?” she asked innocently through a teasingly playful smile as she turned back to look at her again.

Akino told Carmen she looked good, but she didn't really need to speak the words. It was obvious from the way she looked over her, the way her eyes fell on certain parts and lingered on others. Carmen prided herself on an ability to read people, and Akino's body language told the story - even though the situation was different, the younger woman still liked what she saw. Good.

It was also obvious that their sexy clothing wouldn't stay on all night, but that was a matter for a little while. One step at a time.

She closed the door with a soft click and moved after Akino, taking care not to stumble with the heels as she crossed the room. "Unless there are any other beautiful, blue-haired Japanese women in the vincinity - yes. It's all for you." She moved over to Akino and gently took her hand, like it was a precious thing she didn't want to dare breaking.

"It's been too long, querida." She placed a soft kiss on the top of her lover's hand, barely grazing it with her lips. "How've you been?"

Akino chuckled again at Carmen’s reply, and kept her eye locked onto her lover as the taller girl strode over to her and took her hand to softly kiss it. “You really know how to make a girl feel welcome, Carmen-chan.” she said. And though her voice maintained her playful tone, she did mean it. Akino had felt fairly nervous about tonight, but already she was feeling much more relaxed.

“I’ve been alright. Much better now that I’m here.” she said, finally answering the question. “Being a wrestler can be stressful. But I’m sure you know all about that. Right, champ?” she said with a little grin. “Congratulations, by the way. I watched your match from Climax. That was quite a fight, Carmen-chan.” Really, she’d seen many more of Carmen’s matches than just that one. But one of the reasons they were here tonight was to get away from the madness of wrestling. No point in diving too deep into that topic right off the bat. Besides, the night was young. There’d be plenty of time for that later.

Then the smell of the food Carmen had been cooking caught Akino’s attention again. “Mmm, something smells delicious. What are you making? Or is it a surprise?” she asked curiously, before a minor detail she’d neglected suddenly made itself present in her mind. “Oh! Sorry, I can’t believe I almost forgot. How’ve you been?”

As much as she wanted to properly greet Akino and make her feel welcome, Carmen had to admit that she had her own selfish reasons. It had been a good long while since she'd put her lips on her lover's skin and tasted it, and even though she was sure she'd get more chances before the night was over, she had to have a little sample to tide her over. Just for a little while.

Carmen moved over to the table and pulled out a chair for Akino, motioning for her to sit at her leisure. 'Hectic. And thanks." She nodded towards the 24/7 belt, proudly displayed in the living room over the fireplace. "It sort of fell into my lap, but I'm trying to make the best of it. It's the reason things have been so crazy, really. I was busy before I got it, but now it's meetings and press releases and photoshoots and conferences and on and on and on..."

She let out an exasperated sigh as she made her way into the kitchen, but she quickly straightened up. Tonight was not about stress. "It's worth it, though. And I'm whipping up beans and rice, just like I used to make back home." She started to fix two plates, but stopped as she got ready to load up Akino's plate. "Might be a little hotter than your used to. Not a problem?"

“Thanks.” Akino said as Carmen pulled a chair out for her, before taking a seat on it. Then her gaze shifted over to the 24/7 belt as her lover nodded toward it. It looked quite nice the way it was displayed above the fireplace. And as she listened to Carmen talk about it, she could only imagine how nice it must be to hold that title. Akino had never so much as competed in a championship match before. Her pre-AFW experience had consisted of a handful of one off matches, and not too much had changed about that since. Not that that was anything to complain about. She loved the competition. But this was the first time she actually imagined to herself what it would be like to be a champion. And she had to admit, it was a tantalizing thought.

“Heh. I can only imagine.” she said with a light chuckle when Carmen explained how hectic things had been for her. Though the one-eyed girl had a feeling her lover probably didn’t mind all those things nearly as much as as she was making it seem. It all seemed like a relatively small price to pay in Akino’s mind. Though then again, it’s easy to think that when she hasn’t been in that sort of position herself yet. She hadn’t ever been involved in any photoshoots, press conferences or any of that mess.

Her eyes turned back to Carmen as the girl made her way into the kitchen, and she smiled again as she started preparing the plates. “You already know I like it hot, Carmen-chan~” she answered teasingly.

A soft, pleased moan came from the kitchen after Akino’s innuendo, mixed with just a little bit of mirth. ”That's a fact, querida?” She added a touch more spice to both of their plates and made her way out with one in each hand. ”The way you reacted when I put those ice cubes on your skin, I could've sworn the opposite.”

She sat a plate in front of Akino, then put one down on her own side, and two glasses of sweet tea followed after.. Carmen struck a match and lit up the two candles on each side, giving the table a flowery scent as they burned.

”There.” Carmen adjusts her skirt and sat, easing into the seat. She started to temple her fingers and whisper a small prayer, but paused and looked back at her lover. ”Oh, I'm sorry.” a light blush came over her face. Probably not the last time that would happen tonight. ”Do you…”

Another soft chuckle came from Akino, and she lightly bit her lip at hearing Carmen’s teasing response. She briefly allowed her mind to replay that scene in her head a few times, recalling every wonderful sensation the ice had unexpectedly brought. “Fair enough~”

The one-eyed girl smiled as the plate was set in front of her, and she breathed in the smell of the food Carmen had expertly prepared. For a moment, she paused to think about what sort of food she could make if the opportunity ever came to have a night like this at Akino’s place. She wasn’t much of a cook by any stretch. Certainly not anywhere near being on Carmen’s level. Maybe she should start learning just in case... But her mind then came back to the present. “It looks delicious.” she said.

Akino started putting her hands together in front of her, but was then caught of guard and momentarily perplexed by Carmen’s sudden and apparent embarrassment. “Hm...?” It took her a moment, but Akino realized she and Carmen were about to do two completely different things. “Oh! Sorry, I thought you...” she paused for a second to get her thoughts straight. “I’ve never really been the religious type. But before meals I put my hands together and say ‘itadakimasu.’ It’s...sort of like a little prayer, I guess, but not quite the same, exactly. But if you want to pray that’s completely fine with me.”