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useless-bi-otch · 1 year ago

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Cookies'n Cream - Chapter 24

Last chapter / MasterList / art by @aneenasevla

Chapter 24 - All The Colors of a Peacock

Tomori woke up the next day feeling hot. Very hot, to the point of even sweating a little. She wasn't too surprised, though. It was summer and she was covered in the plush bedding above her waist.

And of course, there was a huge, equally hot wall of muscle pressed against her, right behind her body, strong arms wrapping around her waist and refusing to let her go an inch away. She smiles, closing her eyes again and snuggling closer to him.

They had forgotten to turn on the AC last night, apparently. But she wouldn't leave the comfortable position she was in, being the little spoon for the man who had rented that luxurious love hotel room for them and given her an amazing night.

She felt blessedly tired, her legs a little wobbly, very specific parts of her anatomy a little sore. And she couldn't be happier and more satisfied, because it was exactly what she wanted. Not only for fulfilling an old fantasy, but also for now being sure that she was desired by the guy she liked.

More than desired, in fact. The way he had touched her, kissed her, devoured her with his eyes... what woman wouldn't wake up the next day feeling like the most beautiful, hottest creature on the planet? An injection of self-esteem that made her want to roll over, wake him up with a nice kiss in all the right places, and then do to town with him again...

Her stomach suddenly rumbles, unceremoniously reminding her that she wasn't a machine and that sex with him, no matter how good it was, wouldn't fill her stomach. She sighs softly, then stalls a little when she feels Okubo move behind her, making low, husky sounds in her ear.

"Hnnnn… Tomoh...," And he brings her closer, touching the curve of her neck with his nose and taking a deep breath. "G'morning…"

"G'morning. Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up so early...," She lifts her hand to caress his face, feeling the stubble prickling her fingers lightly. She shivers when he touches her neck with his lips.

"It's okay, I was going to wake up soon anyway. Damn, it's hot as hell in here...," He grumbles, curling up with her still in his arms. "But I don't feel like getting out of bed..."

"Yeah, and you also don't feel like letting go of me to see if it makes you feel less hot, apparently," She jokes, and giggles when he gives her a kiss near the ear.

"As if you want me to. You've been rubbing your back against my chest all this time, grinding that cute little ass against me... I'm suspecting it was on purpose," He jokes, and she squeals when his hand squeezes and lightly slaps her right buttock.

Yeah, she definitely got the wrong impression about him. He was far from innocent. He was a huge pervert who would give Rihito a run for his money. And holy shit, was she loving it!

"No, it wasn't!," She protests, trying to escape his bear hug and, as expected, failing to do so. "I don't know what you're talking about, I'm innocent!"

“You did things to me last night that were far from innocent, lady."

"And I don't remember hearing you complain about it!"

"And you never will! I wouldn't even let you leave here anymore, if it was up to me," He hugs her more willingly, and Tomori screams and squirms when he starts spreading smacking kisses over her face and neck, his stubble tickling her. "You'd be in this bed with me all the time, just sleeping, eating and letting me make you the happiest woman in this entire love hotel."

"Aaah! That's kidnapping! False imprisonment!"

"Only if it isn't consensual! Don't lie to me, I know you'd like that, hehe..."

"Noooo...," She whimpered between laughs, not even trying to escape his caresses anymore, which were already making her go limp again on the mattress. "It's an impossible dream, Naoya. What were you gonna do when the owner of the establishment came to kick us out?"

"I'd bribe him, obviously!"

"And he says that without any shame," She laughs harder, turning her head to the side to offer even more of her neck for him to kiss. "Okay, but what about my job? And yours?"

"I'd bribe the owner some more to let you use the kitchens and send the cookies, donuts and sandwiches to the bakery to resell. And I can still have one or two matches per year, we'll just need to turn a part of the room into a micro gym."

“And all those things would require us to get out of bed, which makes this plan flawed from the outset."

"Come on, woman, don't rain on my parade..."

"Alright, I'm sorry. What about our friends? Our families? Aren't we going to see them anymore?"

"They can come visit us, no problem at all! I'll even let Auntie use the kitchens if she wants to, the Heavy Bakery is getting a branch," He sniffs her hair. "We'd only have to sanitize the place very well first 'cause sandwiches and cookies aren't the only things being eaten around here."

She laughs out loud, both at the stupid joke and the tickle his beard against her skin caused.

"My God, you're nuts!"

"Yeah, a lot of consecutive blows to the head will do that to you," He laughs along with her, touching her face to make her look at him. "And having you like this, like I've been wanting for so long, too."

Her eyes soften, a heat unrelated to the temperature of the room radiating across her chest. She turns to face him, bringing her face closer to his, and he immediately kisses her, hugging her around the waist as she rests her arms on his shoulders.

The situation was not the most propitious. The room was uncomfortably hot, his stubble itched against her skin and none of them had brushed their teeth. And yet their will to get away from each other was zero.

"Hnnn…," She sighs after they break apart to catch their breath, still touching each other's faces. "I hope having me here in this bed for another hour or two is enough."

"It sure is. To think that I'm gonna have more of those hours throughout the month too..." He nods slowly. "I wanted this so much, Tomori…"

"I wanted it too... so much so that it was hard to hide...," She smiles shyly. "You could've told me you wanted it too, you know. You already saw yesterday that I wouldn't say no."

"Haha, yeah... but I really didn't know that, or at least I wasn't sure," He changes position on the bed, lying on his back and bringing her along, whereupon she lays her head on his chest, listening to his heart beating. "I didn't want to force myself on you, to be an inconsiderate pervert like I used to be," He confesses, looking at the bedroom ceiling. "I wanted... I dunno, I wanted you to see that I didn't want to just sleep with you. Especially after how I did wrong by you. I felt that I needed to regain your trust before anything else."

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, and the relief and happiness she felt when hearing that even made her a little emotional.

"That means a lot to me…"

"Great. And don't think I wasn't enjoying those more chaste encounters of ours. I love spending time with you in any way, okay?," He assures, stroking her hair. And then he laughs. "But I'm not gonna lie, I'm definitely going to want to do more of this, hehehe!"

"Of course you will," She laughs too. "I can see that you are the insatiable type."

"There's no way I wouldn't be, when I'm having a massive crush on a cook who's as delicious as the things she cooks."

“God, I really opened the lions' cage, didn't I?,'' She jokes, raising her head to nibble on his chest, just for the pleasure of seeing him shudder. "I'm happy to know that you're attracted to me that much, and that you were just being a gentleman. I was left feeling pretty stupid and insecure when my seduction tactics didn't work..."

There's a second of silence before Okubo looks up at her, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Seduction tactics?"

Tomori blushes a bit, again hiding her face in his chest.

"Yeah, uh… I kinda tried to show that I was in the mood on our date that ended with both of us in the emergency room. But you ended up not noticing..."

"Wha- no, wait a sec…," He gets even more perplexed. "That day? That's when you...," And then his eyes widen even more, his mouth falling open. "Oh... holy shit, so... all those things you're doing... fuck, it was- it was on purpose?!"

“Uh… oh my God, so you noticed?," She gets even redder. "And you didn't say or try anything?! Shit, I was practically subliminally begging you to fuck me!"

"I- I didn't know you were doing those things on purpose! I didn't even considered...," He holds his head in his hands, perplexed. "I thought you were doing that without realizing, being innocent... but- but when you asked me to help you with your posture, or when you were stretching, or when you laid down on the grass like that..."

“Yeah… it was on purpose,” She nods, a bit mortified. He continues to stare at her in disbelief.

"And when you seemed to get all upset..."

"That was me getting more and more frustrated that nothing was working," She nods with a frown. "And that you were being absurdly cute and getting me all hot and bothered without even trying, while I wasn't getting any reaction out of you even with all my efforts..."

“Uh…sorry about that,” he says finally, scratching the back of his neck, now looking almost as embarrassed as she does. Tomori shakes her head.

"No, Naoya, you don't need to apologize. I'm the one who should, actually. I had no right to be mad when you didn't even know what was going on, what I' was doing...," She sighs. "Sorry for making you confused and uncomfortable."

"I…," He starts to say, still extremely confused. "I was confused, yes, but not bothered… not in a bad way, at least," He settles better in bed, leaning his back on the pillows and sitting up partially, still with his hands on her hips. "That day… holy shit, how much I had to hold back to not let on that I was dying to get busy with you right then and there…"

Tomori blinks, pulling herself up on her elbows and widening her eyes as well.

"Wait, really? So- so my plan was working?

"If it was working? You were driving me insane with all your posing, brushing, stretching and rocking! Damn, I should get an acting award, if I managed to hide it so well," He comments with an astonished laugh. "I'll tell ya, pretty women are hard to deal with, but when they know they're pretty and take advantage of it, they're the devil themselves..."

She laughs, relaxing into him as the embarrassment and remorse slowly leave her, making her feel a whole lot lighter.

"Come on, you saw yesterday that I'm not as sweet and innocent as I look," She pokes playfully at his chest. "You shouldn't be surprised to learn that I can do these tricks."

"Yeah, I shouldn't. Your 'Wolfie' nickname now makes a lot more sense, hahaha."

"Yeah. And besides...," She looks up at him again. "You could've said something. You could've told me you wanted it after we'd made up. We're both adults, and adults should talk more openly about these things. We only need to not be too intrusive about it..."

He is silent for a few seconds, hands still stroking his back. And then he arches an eyebrow at her.

"I should say the same thing. Why didn't you tell me you wanted it? You've never had a problem taking the initiative since we met. I wouldn't have felt emasculated or anything..."

"Uh..." Tomori didn't expect him to turn her own question against her like that. She tries to think of how to respond truthfully without sounding like an idiot, and sighs again when she's unable to come up with anything. "It's just… that sorta thing has always been my modus operandi."

"What? To make your intentions clear with your body, instead of with your words?"

"Yeah… a woman of a lot of action and… no, if I said 'few words' I’d be lying, I'm a chatterbox," She ponders, and smiles embarrassed when he laughs. "It's just that I always found it fun to play these games, y'know? To feel the guy I'm interested in has his eyes on me, wanting me and not hiding it... it's a nice stroke on the ego. Yes, women like that too."

"Damn… I'd never imagine you using that kind of strategy if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," He comments, very surprised. "You didn't seem like that type… hey, hey, I'm not complaining!," He assures quickly when she gets even more embarrassed, looking away. "And much less judging. It's just that I'm realizing more and more that I didn't really know you before and assumed a lot of wrong things just because of your cute ways..."

"And as I told you, cute Tomori is also me. People can have many facets, you know," She shrugs, still not able to look him in the eyes. "But... yeah, now that I think about it, playing games like that when you're a grown-ass woman is pretty ridiculous, if not pathetic. I really should've been more clear with what I wanted."

"Yeah… I guess I should've too," He nods slowly. "I felt like an idiot yesterday too."

"But in your case, you took a while to say you wanted it because you were trying to respect my pace. I just wanted to feel wanted, in control."

“Well…did I make you feel that way last night?," He asks after thinking a little, smiling in the corner. And despite the embarrassment, she does not resist and reciprocates.

"Without doubt. I still feel that way, with you looking at me like that..."

"Yeah… I'm not screwing your brains out right now only because I'm trying not to melt in this heat."

"My god, I created a monster."

"Nah, this monster has always existed. You just opened the cage and forgot where you put the key."

She laughs heartily, allowing him to hug her again, even though said heat was really dampening the mood. They lay side by side, her head snuggled against his broad chest. That was better than a lot of pillows, dammit...

"Yeah... the good thing about leaving the cage open is that I can talk to the monster better that way," She murmurs, and makes a contented sound when he kisses her on the top of her head.

"Yeah… is it that thing about communication, honesty in relationships and all that shit?," He asks, and she makes a fart-like sound.

"Pffft... Yeah. So much so that there are psychologists earning a hefty sum over couples in crisis just to point out the obvious."

"Boy, and I thought that it was just emotional bullshit..."

"What? Communication? You never sat down with your friends to talk about your problems or anything?"

"Yeah, but it'd be like asking them to make fun of me! Talking with our fists is much less work."

She laughs again, giving his chest a little push.

"I used to think so too..."

"Really?"

"Yeah. When I was sixteen."

"Are you calling me childish? You're one to talk, Mowgli, the wolf girl!," he teases, and she squeals and squirms when he nudges her in the ribs to tickle her. She retaliates by rubbing her butt against his groin, making him gasp, shudder and hold her by the hips. "H-Hey, that's a low blow!"

"And what do you expect from a 'wolf girl', eh? You deserved it," She sticks her tongue out at him, and is pleased when he gives up, relaxing on the bed and chuckling softly.

“Yeah, I guess I did… although you seem to be pretty varied in the animal department."

She frowns a little, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You understood me, c'mon. Wolf…,” He touches her nose with his fingertip. And then his hand goes down to her left thigh. "Peacock."

She follows the glide of his hand with her eyes until it lands on her tattoo, which was large enough to take up almost the entire side of her thigh and extend down to her buttock.

Tomori blinks. Oh… of course he'd seen the entire tattoo last night. She had even been a little embarrassed by his stares, which was funny, considering that her tattoo was already something so intrinsic to her that she sometimes forgot it was there. The huge iridescent blue peacock (finding a tattoo artist capable of reproducing that shade had been an adventure, to say the least), whose tail opened in an explosion of colorful flowers was fading a little, but still looked lush. She gives an embarrassed little smile.

"Oh yeah… you saw it."

"There was no way I wouldn't. It's even bigger than I thought," He comments, sliding his hand up and down her thigh, to the hem of the stocking she was still wearing. "And the peacock took me by surprise, I won't lie."

"It always takes everyone by surprise," She concedes with a sigh. "I'm used to judgments."

“But there's no judgment on my part, Tomori. You've known that for a while," He assures her. "I'm part of a fight promotion with international reach, I've fought tattooed opponents so much that it made me lose some hair," He slides his other hand over his head, smiling when she can't resist and laughs. "Seriously, I I don't have a problem with that. I'm just curious about the story behind it. A peacock with a flowery tail awakens these feelings in people."

She laughs again, much more relaxed by his reassurance. Knowing that her tattoo didn't make him uncomfortable or make him hesitate about the directions their relationship was taking...

“My god, Tomori, what were you thinking? How are you going to find a man who wants a woman with such monstrosity on her thigh?!”

Her mother's voice, shrill with indignation, reaches her ears as if she were there in the room with them. She grimaces, looking to the side.

"I hope you'll be happy to find out there was nothing to worry about, Mom..."

"Uh… if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine too," He tries to dismiss the conversation when he sees her expression. "I just asked out of curiosity…"

"No, relax, I can talk about it," She reassures him quickly, stroking his shoulder. "I told you, it's not even one of the most outlandish life stories I have. It's actually kinda cute, in a cliché way..."

"You're in luck then. Today I'm in the mood for these things," He coos, hugging her again and kissing the back of her neck, whereupon she shivers and laughs again.

"My god, you're so corny, hahaha…," She scratches his jaw with her nails, and he practically purrs. "Just let me take these stockings off first, my legs are on fire."

"But you look so hot in them..."

“Not when my legs get blistered from friction. You don't want to subject me to that, do you? Yeah, thanks," She nods when he pouts. "And turning on the AC is a good thing too, before we pass out from dehydration."

He nods, looking around for the AC control as she takes her stockings off. And when the room was blessedly cool and they were both sprawled out on the huge bed, Tomori felt motivated enough to talk.

“So, remember when I told you about my delinquent phase?"

"I do, and it's taking that into account that makes me not feel weird about the tattoo," He comments in a playful tone. "But dammit, I don't remember many high school students who got tattooed without being kicked out from school or home, haha."

"Ooh, but I didn't get tattooed in high school! I was no longer so out of control after graduating," She guarantees with a low laugh. "It was when I was already twenty years old, going to college and working. That way my parents couldn't accuse me of using their money to do things they disapproved of..."

“Oh… yeah, that makes a lot more sense,” He nods after thinking. But he still looked confused. "But in that case, what does your delinquent phase have to do with it? If you were already more mature and responsible at the time..."

"Well… at the time, I still felt guilty for all the trouble I gave my parents," She confesses, unconsciously playing with a lock of her hair. "You saw that even today my past haunts me, and at that time it was even more difficult to escape from it. I was reminded all the time of what I used to be... and so was my family. Straightening myself out, attending college and working seemed not to be enough for me to redeem myself..."

“Which is bullshit. Past doesn't have to define people forever. We can learn from it and improve ourselves," He mumbles, serious, and Tomori looks at him affectionately.

"I know. You're a great example of that."

"Hehe…thanks," He scratches his nose, smiling like a fool, and she lies on her side so she can look him in the eyes.

"Anyway... I wanted to show my family that, contrary to what other people thought, they did matter to me. I didn't do what I did because I didn't appreciate them, but because I was going through a bad time. I wanted to prove to them that things had changed, that I was better... and I decided there was no better way than to etch it into my skin, literally," She explains, gesturing with one hand while looking up, to which Okubo widens eyes a little.

"Oh… so, is the peacock a tribute to your family?"

"Yes, and so are the flowers. Here...," She leans on one elbow, raising her torso a little to touch her left thigh. "The daisies represent my mother. They symbolize pure love, sensitivity, affection, kindness. She has all that and more, despite driving me crazy with her antics, haha."

"Like any good mother, hehe."

"Yeah… the gerberas represent my brother," She continues after laughing along with him. "They symbolize the positive energies of nature, the beauty that is seen in life, the success of someone's hard work. Tatsu is one of the most energetic and determined people I know. I used to be envious of him for that, but today it's become admiration."

"Wow... I thought you thought he was a pain in the ass, considering everything I've heard about him..."

"And he is! But we can still love and admire the qualities of a annoying person, like you do with Rihito."

"Yeah, that fucker is my best friend, but I definitely wouldn't tattoo flowers in his honor," He jokes, and Tomori laughs again.

"Good to know. But anyway... the gladioli represent my father," She slides her hand over the tattoo once more. "They symbolize strength, integrity and connection with moral values. My father is stubborn as all hell, but no one can say that he isn't strong-willed, upright and someone who values his family above all else. And even though he's so stubborn, he was the one who forgave me the fastest for my mistakes...," She swallows a little when her throat closes in a lump. Okubo strokes her face gently.

"I can see that he and his wife raised a daughter who has all these qualities."

She smiles shyly, closing her eyes and kissing his fingertips.

"Thanks. I do what I can. And now, about the rest of the tattoo..."

She rests her hand on the peacock's chest, tracing the lines of the tattoo with her thumb, absently.

"The peacock symbolizes protection, compassion, prosperity, purification and wisdom. These are things my family always gave me... and things I acquired after listening to that speech of yours and deciding I needed to be better. For me and for them…," she pauses. "And… Each of the four 'feathers' of this peacock… they represent me, my parents and Tatsu… we are all part of the peacock,… and we all have a little of those flowers on ourselves."

She swallows hard, again suppressing a sudden urge to cry. She wondered now if she had sounded too corny, if she embarrassed him by getting too emotional about a story that wasn't even that emotional...

"… Damn," She finally hears him say, and when she looks up quickly, she sees him staring at her with an affectionate dazzle that makes her blush. "Marking all of this on your skin, knowing that you'd deal with judgments and restrictions because of that, but not caring because you wanted your family to understand how important they are to you... how did you think I was going to judge you for that, huh?"

She takes a deep breath, curling up against the sheets as her heart skips a beat. Holy crap...

“I… I didn't think that,” She manages to say, in a barely audible confession, “Like- Like I said, it's a corny, silly story. Nothing amazing. There are people who say it doesn't justify getting a tattoo..."

"I don’t know who these 'people' are, but whoever they are, they can go fuck themselves," He decrees, reaching out to touch her on the side of her face, sliding his thumb over her skin. "If it is something that awakens such passion in you, it certainly justifies it. Even more so if it's your family. Man...," He laughs softly. "The 'wolf' nickname really suits you, but not for the reasons you imagine."

She sighs deeply, that warmth from earlier returning in her chest with a burning force, seeming to want to come out through her eyes. She holds his hand against her face, not wanting him to stop touching her.

“That's one of the nicest things you've ever said to me."

“It's what you deserve to hear, after all."

"Thanks… but I definitely wasn't such a wolf when I gathered the courage to show this tattoo to my family," She smiles, embarrassed. "That day I was much more like a scared bunny."

"Oh, I can imagine," He makes a sympathetic face. "Your parents must not have been very happy..."

"Ya think? They freaked out, especially my mom!," She widens her eyes at him, hoping that this would emphasize what she was saying. "I think she didn't kicked me outta the house that day only because my dad stopped her."

"Holy shit, that's a bit much too...

"Eh, my mom is a very emotional and impulsive person," She shrugs. "She probably would've kicked me outta the house, and then, four or five hours later, she would've called me crying and telling me to come back. That wasn't the case because my dad stepped between us, calmed things down and demanded an explanation from me. And then, when I explained everything..."

She then starts laughing at the memory, cringing and putting a hand over her face, whereupon he pulls her closer for a hug.

"What? C'mon, I'm getting curious now!"

"Ahaha, no- it's not a big deal, really. It's just that I'm remembering their faces, when they finally understood," She shakes her head. "The mixture of happiness and anger… they didn't know whether to give me a slap or a hug, hahaha! I was eventually forgiven, but to this day they say I'm a stupid daughter, that I didn't need to mark my body to prove something they never doubted... and my mother is always moaning about how my tattoo will make it difficult for me to get a man."

The last sentence slipped out before she could process whether or not it was worth saying. She felt her face heat up, and she couldn't use the heat in the room as an excuse this time. She wets her lips slowly before looking at him hesitantly.

Okubo was also a little red. But she saw no embarrassment or discomfort in his expression as he brought his face close to hers, touching foreheads and noses, a shy smile playing on his lips.

"Well, it's good she was wrong about that, isn't it?"

She smiles too, her whole body relaxing in his arms, her cheeks actually hurting a little.

“Yeah… and that's the story of my tattoo. Nothing amazing or worthy of a biography, as I said."

“Still, it was nice to hear it. Thanks for sharing this with me. I even feel privileged, y'know," He jokes, making a low sound as he curls up on the bed, lowering until he nestles his head between her breasts. She giggles, his breath there tickling her.

"It's not that much, come on. It's just a random story of my life..."

"And that you probably only told the closest, most intimate people. Of course it's a privilege!," He hugs her more willingly, even rocking with her on the bed. "It's like when you unlock the dark past of a member of your party after gaining enough friendship points with 'em. It's even an in-game achievement!"

She laughs louder this time, scratching his scalp with her nails.

"Oh is it? And when am I going to earn enough friendship points to unlock your dark past, huh?"

She felt him tense for a second in her arms, but he distracted her with kisses on the gap between her breasts when she started to ask what was wrong.

"Keep doing that with your fingers and you'll get a shitload of them. Hnnnn..."

"I swear, you're the corniest man I've ever met, Naoh, haha."

"Naoh...," He repeats the nickname in a low, honeyed tone. "You called me that yesterday too..."

"Oh... yeah," She nods slowly, her cheeks burning again at the memory. She was the type to get her tongue loose in the middle of the deed, and sometimes, she herself couldn't believe the things she said. "You called me Tomoh, so I thought it was only fair… but if you don't like it, I'll stop."

“No…I like it,” he confesses, lifting his head to look into her eyes. His stupid smile was adorable and made her want to kiss him all over his face. "Call me that again, c'mon!

"Hahaha! Naoh...," She murmurs in a sweet tone, leaning down to kiss him on the top of his head. "Naoh...m" She repeats, now kissing his ear while she went back to scratching his head with her nails.

He makes a sound of absolute happiness, burying the side of his face in her breasts as if they were the best pillow in the world, like he didn't want to take his head off of there any time soon. And she didn't want him to, either.

This was so different from the fantasies she used to have… in them, he sat like a king on a throne, letting her lie there in his lap. Never like this, looking so vulnerable in her arms...

Holy shit, who would've thought that reality could be so much better than the fiction in her demented mind?"

“I really do love him, don't I? Damn..."

Welp... there was nothing she could do about it. She could only accept it and try to deal with whatever life threw their way. But for now, she just wanted to enjoy the moment with him, with nothing to get in the way...

... Except for her stomach, which chose that moment to embarrass her. She blushes a little as he laughs, his face still buried between her breasts.

"I think this is a good time for us to order room service, huh? An empty bag won't stand."

"I agree," She nods, still stroking his head, "I think I’ll ask for disposable hygiene products too, I want to get this taste out of my mouth…"

"My taste? Damn, that hurts..."

"I like it, but I like to be hygienic too. By the way, we also need a bath..."

"No problem, we'll take one together."

"Naoya..."

"It's to avoid wasting water! Saving the planet starts with small gestures...," He squeezes the sides of her hips and kisses her in the middle of her breasts, which she has to stop herself from going with the flow.

"The idea is very tempting, but if we go into that bathroom together, we won't be able to get out of it anytime soon. Then there won't be any water savings," She gives his head one last kiss before scaping his arms. "You go first, I'll order breakfast for us in the meantime."

"Alright," He makes a pout, but doesn't insist, getting up from the bed and stretching. "You can ask anything you want. We deserve to eat well after all the effort yesterday, hehe."

"Yeah, I agree. But I'd like to split the bill with you this time- okay, okay, I get it! No splitting today," She says quickly when he throws her a frown over his shoulder. "But don't get used to it."

“Too late, miss. I'll be right back," He smiles at her, giving her a wink, marching to the bathroom next. And okay, Tomori wasn't going to lie, she was admiring his ass until the moment he closed the bathroom door behind him. Hell, she wasn't made of stell!

She stretches out on the bed, moaning softly before sitting up, working up the courage to get up and go ask for the room service... until she hears a very characteristic ringing, accompanied by vibrations, both coming from her purse hanging on the coat rail next to the door.

She jumps to her feet, immediately concerned. Nobody used to call her this early if it wasn't an emergency, not even her parents. She goes to her purse and opens it, taking out her phone and checking the contact number before quickly answering it.

"Hiro?," She calls, worried, and immediately hears a moan on the other end of the line.

"Tomoh... I'm sorry for calling you at this time in the morning and in this situation, but I couldn't contact anyone else..."

"All right, relax. But what happened?," She asks anxiously. "Are you okay?"

"Hnn... it depends on the point of view, I guess..."

"Huh?"

“If you mean me being out in the middle of nowhere, nauseous and with my head bursting with a fucking hangover, then no, I'm not okay,” he whimpers. And then he goes on, his voice a little clearer as if pondering, "But, if you mean being in the company of three hunks, all with unshaven stuble and one of them shirtless, showing off his sweaty chest, then yes, I'm okay."

"I took my shirt off because it's hot as fuck in here! Go gawk at something else!"

"Wha- is Rihito there with you?," Tomori widens her eyes when he recognizes the second voice, which had shouted indignantly. "Wait, where are you?"

"Hnn… I'm not sure, but from the looks of the surrounding area, I think Asakusa? Yeah, probably..."

"And how did you guys end up there? And together, on top of that?," She asks agitated. "I didn't even know you guys got along..."

"Me too, darling, but surprisingly blondie and I have a lot in common. And not only him, Hot Stuff and Cute Fox are here too!"

"Can you not call me that?"

"What? Hot Stuff? You should feel flattered, I don't give that title to just anyone. Anyway, to put it shortly: we went out drinking yesterday and ended up going to freakin' town. None of us remember much, except that we partied, drinked our asses off and ended up in a little shabby hotel."

"Oh… my God, Hiro…," Tomori grunts, rubbing her hand over her face tiredly. "I thought something bad had happened to you, dammit! Something serious..."

"But it is serious! I wouldn't be calling you and interrupting your glorious morning with your gorilla if it wasn't! By the way...," He now spoke lower, almost whispering. "He's there with you, right? You two spent the night together, right? Girl, please say yes, for the love of God...!"

And despite her annoyance, Tomori couldn't stop herself from smiling and vibrating with excitement.

"Yes, we did! He's taking a bath now, so-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Tomori had to move the phone away from her ear so as not to be deafened by the high-pitched scream on the other end of the line, which was soon followed by several others.

"Damn it, don't scream like that, you fuckin' wacko! Our heads are already almost bursting here!"

"Holy shit, I dropped the cigarette on the carpet…!"

"Another scare like that and I'll throw up again..."

"Sorry, darlings, I freaked out a little here but it's over! Ooooh, Tomoriiii...," Hiro squeaks with happiness, returning to speak in a low voice. "Shakira was right, those hips don't fuckin' lie! I'm going to release so much fireworks at this year's Obon, lord heavens above...!"

“Ahaha, yeah… I think they'll be less noisy than you,” Tomori jokes, sticking her finger in her ringing ear, to which Hiro laughs sharply.

"You haven't heard anything yet! I’ll be even more noisy if I don't have details of your night on my desk in five minutes!"

"Stop it, the most urgent matter comes from your side, not mine," She hisses, lowering her voice too. "If you only went out partying with Rihito, Himuro and Kaneda, why are you calling me like it's an emergency?"

"But it is an emergency! None of us have our wallets here, so we can't pay the hotel bill!," The cashier hisses back, distressed. "It's one of those old, shabby hotels that only accept cash!"

"Wait, did you lose your wallets?!"

"No, they're in my car."

"Huh? Then why don't you go get 'em?"

"… I don't remember where I parked it."

Tomori raised her eyes to the bedroom ceiling and closed them, taking a deep breath and mentally counting to ten.

"Holy shit, Hiro… now I understand why you called me, and not Kanny."

"Yeah… I’d never hear the end of it if I called her and I'm too hungover for that."

"Which is what you deserve, honestly! Ugh... what do you want me to do then?"

"Can you come here to help four helpless friends? Sorry, I swear I didn't mean to bother you and your man..."

“It's okay, we weren't doing anything but making out and talking."

"Wait, really? Damn, I could've sworn he'd want an encore first thing in the morning, that perverted gorilla of yours..."

"Oh, he wanted it! It was me who told him to calm down," She confesses, opening a dreamy smile. "Look, Hiro, last night was amazing, but I'm definitely going to need to exercise more. This man made me work my socks off, my legs are all wobbly..."

"Yeees, that's what I wanted to hear! I was worried he couldn't get it up, but I'm glad I was wrong!"

"Keep your voice down, his friends are there with you!"

"Nah, they're distracted, chill out. They're too busy discussing possible escape plans in case we don't find our wallets."

"Dear lord..."

"Anyway, can you come get us? I'll look up the exact address in GMaps and send it to you. And helping us look for my car would be really nice too..."

"I swear to God… you'll owe me one after that," She sighs. "Anyway, I'll let Naoya know, and then we'll come get you as soon as we've had something to eat."

"Alright, we can wait. I can even distract those beefcakes and the hotel manager for a few more hours if you still want to roll around in bed with your bald bull a little longer-"

“We'll talk more later, Hiro. See you soon," Tomori interrupts him without much ado, huffing, before ending the call and putting her phone back in her purse. Hell, she knew her friends were in a pinch and she wanted to help, but to be interrupted on a morning like this would put any girl in a bad mood!

At least last night had been very fruitful... she lays down on the bed again and hugs a pillow, allowing herself a small burst of happiness, which is interrupted when Okubo comes out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Damn, the water's great! Your turn, Tomori. If you want help scrubbing yourself just say so, I don't mind getting wet again, hehe," He jokes, smiling when he sees her sprawled on the bed. "Have you ordered our breakfast yet?"

"Uh… no not yet," She admits, hugging her pillow tighter as she cringes a little in embarrassment. "There was kind of an interruption while you were bathing…"

"Oh? What kind, exactly?," He asks while untying the towel around his waist and using it to dry the top of his head. And again, Tomori can't resist enjoying the view for a few seconds before answering.

"An emergency call…"

"Was it work?"

"No."

"Your family?"

"Nope..."

"Can it wait? I can see the way you're looking at me, so it doesn't seem like such an emergency," He comments, arching an eyebrow and smiling ingratiatingly at her, resting the towel on his shoulders. She hugs the pillow more, pouting.

"Well, Hiro said it could... and he's not alone either..."

"Let me guess... Rihito, Himuro and Kaneda are with him, right?"

"Wow, bullseye!"

"Yeah, it was easy to guess after what happened yesterday at the bakery. Those bastards abandoned me, they left me for their new friend...," He sniffs theatrically, pouting, and Tomori laughs as he leans over her and lays his head on her stomach, the towel falling to the floor.

"Ooh, poor thing… I hope my company has been a consolation."

"The best of all consolations! But I'm still kinda sensitive about their indifference. I need to be consoled more…," He lifts his head, pushing the pillow out of the way and planting a kiss on her belly. Tomori shudders and gasps as he starts to make his way to her chest.

"Naoh, you just took a bath..."

"I'll take another one with you later."

"We haven't eaten anything yet..."

"I'll give you whatever you want to eat later, I promise. What I want most right now is you...," He reaches her neck, kissing it slowly, and she goes all limp on the mattress, shivering. Hell, if it went on like this, they wouldn't be able to help their friends before early afternoon...

But the bed was very comfortable, the room was cool after the AC was turned on and he still had a condom in his pants pocket...

"Hnnn... you're lucky that I want you as much too," She murmurs in a hoarse tone, to which he kisses her willingly.

Those four could wait. Who told them to drink until they dropped anyway?

* * *

"Seriously, what took you so freakin' long?!"

"Unlike you, Rihito, we are not driven by booze. We wanted to eat something."

"Wow. If we needed a hypocrite, you wouldn't do, because you're already above that level."

"Shut up and eat your toast and drink your watermelon and strawberry smoothie. If you want, I'll ask Tomori to bring some bananas..."

"I'll tell you where you can shove those bananas!"

"Shut up, your voices aren't helping at all with the headache..." Himuro groans, threading his fingers through his hair while Okubo and Rihito snarled at each other, at one end of the biggest couch in Tomori's living room. At the far end, Kaneda and Hiro lay prostrate, pale and with their eyes closed so the ambient light wouldn't bother them too much.

"Yes. And have a minimum of decorum, we're in a lady's house..."

"Take a good look at the walls around you, Mr. Fox. You can bet that this living room has heard far worse."

"Shut up, Hiro. And there you go!," Tomori appears from the kitchens, smiling radiantly while showing them a tray full of cut fruits, snacks and fresh juice. "Lucky for you, I went grocery shopping a few days ago and I had a well-stocked fridge."

"Thanks, Miss Uta...," Rihito, Himuro and Kaneda murmur with weak voices. Okubo snorts.

"What's up with that morose tone? She welcomes you guys into her house, lets you eat her food, helps you with your hangover and this is how you say thank you? Thank her properly!"

"Don't be a pain, Okubo."

"…Hey, Tomoh, how about we turn on the karaoke machine later? I don't think we've celebrated the bakery's success and the start of your vacation enough yet-"

"Thanks a lot, Miss Uta!," The three of them quickly raise their voices, alarmed, to which Tomori laughs and Hiro groans, resting the back of his head on the back of the sofa.

"Uugh, spending one night with this she-wolf was enough for him to contract her wit by osmosis. I swear to God..."

"And spending one night with these three was enough for you to contracted their inconvenience!"

“I already had plenty of that, big guy. I'm the bad apple, not the one getting spoiled because of it."

"I’ll need to agree... are you guys seriously making me play the mom friend part and give you a hard time for getting drunk?," Okubo shakes his head, looking directly at Kaneda. "Especially you, Kaneda! Always criticizing our bad drinking habits, but you also spent the night getting shitfaced..."

"It wasn't my fault! I was beaten by the majority," Kaneda whimpers while accepting the glass of juice that Tomori was offering him. "Especially by him! You have no idea how convincing he can be...,” He points at Hiro, who gives a weak chuckle.

"Yeah, my lip service is off the charts. Take it any way you like."

"Aargh, I'm too hangover for this…," Rihito moans, while Himuro picks up pieces of fruit with chopsticks, his eyes a little narrowed.

"You can say what you want, Okubo, none of us reached your levels of cluelessnes. Nobody here went on a date while drunk..."

"Damn, how long are you going to keep throwing this in my face?! Only Tomori still has the right to scold me for that...," Okubo makes a embarrassed pout, but the expression immediately fades when Tomori affectionately squeezes his shoulders, smiling.

"Relax, Naoh, that's in the past. It's just that it can't happen again, ever."

"It won't, I promise you!," He guarantees, intertwining his fingers with hers, both smiling a little dazzled at each other.

The reaction around the tea table is immediate: Hiro makes a high-pitched noise of happiness, Kaneda nearly chokes on his juice, and Rihito and Himuro exchange very meaningful glances, their eyebrows raised very high.

"Naoh...?"

"Aww, Lord Satan below, these two are so cute, I can't stand it...!," The cashier does a light tap dance, to which the couple blushes a little.

"Hiro, aren't you hungover?," Tomori asks quickly. "You should rest instead of having those outbursts…"

"Eh, I will survive. I even think that it is already passing, considering the sugar levels that you two are bringing to the table..."

"Yeah, like we're going to believe that," She rolls her eyes. "You didn't even remember where you parked your car!"

"Yeah, we had to drive about three blocks while looking for your old wreck..."

"Ooh, a thousand apologies for not having enough money to buy a SUV! But if I had, I would worry more about a hair transplant..."

"I already told you that I shave my head 'cause I prefer it that way! This joke isn't funny!," Okubo complains, even shrieking a little, while the other four men laugh heartily. "Oh, c'mon now, Tomori, even you?," He whimpers when the hostess also can't hold back her laughter. She clears her throat.

"Sorry, Naoh… but seriously, it's not with metaphorical sugar that you'll recover, but with lots of fluids and light food that doesn't hurt those poor livers," She jokes. "Who knows, maybe you'll even recover some memories of yesterday..."

"I'd rather not recover anything...," Rihito mutters, to which Hiro pouts at him.

"Wow, Blondie, waking up hugging me in a hotel bed was that bad?"

"Shut the fuck up, dammit! Don't go spreading it from the rooftops!," Rihito shrieks, his voice barely overlapping the laughter of the others. "And I was too boozy to know what I was doing! You took advantage of me..."

"I was drunk too, did you forget? But I'm not complaining, I slept like a baby..."

"Cut it out! And anyway, Himuro and Kaneda were also wrapped around each other on the other bed..."

"That was Himuro's doing. He trashes around a lot during his sleep, he almost knocked me out of bed at dawn...," Kaneda murmurs, red in the face and pointing at Himuro, who snorts and pushes his hand away with a light slap.

"I'm used to always having someone to hug in bed! It's not my fault if, out of all of us, you're the one who looks like a woman the most..."

"Hey, hey, come on now..."

"Apparently it was a tremendous fraternization, huh!," Okubo smirks. "Hey, Mr. Hiro, did you take them to those dance clubs full of thecno music and guys with wandering hands?"

"I tried, but Blondie here almost jumped outta the car," Hiro points to Rihito, who makes a face. "We went to a sushi bar, then to a karaoke where we let our voices out some more..."

"And lastly we stopped at a pub," Kaneda makes a face, scratching his hair. "From then on the memories get hazy… what I know for sure is that there was a time when Mr. Hiro must've broken about fifteen traffic laws."

"Come on, I didn't run that fast..."

"I thought we were all going to die at some point! Then I decided that life was too short and chose to go all out along with them..."

"Hell yeah, man! We would die, but we would all die together!," Rihito raises his glass in the air, to which Himuro and Hiro toast too, laughing. Tomori laughs too, while Okubo pouts a little.

"So you decided to replace me for good? Did you find your new official driver? You're such shitty friends..."

"Ooh, are you going to be jealous now, Egghead?," Rihito slaps Okubo on the shoulder, making him rock on the couch. "I don't know what you're complaining about, since you spent the night with even better company!"

"I don't know if I'm flattered or embarrassed…," Tomori scratches her left arm, looking to the side, while Okubo shakes his head.

"I know, but that doesn't change the facts!"

"Don't worry, baldie, I promise that next time I'll let you sleep with blondie on the same bed, just the way you want..."

"That's not what I meant!," Okubo squeals to Hiro while Himuro and Kaneda burst out laughing. Rihito, on the other hand, makes a disgusted face.

"Hell no! First of all, I don't sleep with men-"

"From my own experience, I know that's not true..."

"Shut up! And second, he snores a lot too-"

"And how do you know that if you apparently don't sleep with him?"

"You always have an answer at the tip of your tongue for everything, right? We have a new candidate for the blabermouth post, it seems!," Rihito growls, very red, while Himuro and Kaneda were almost sob-laughing by then. "Anyway, stop whining, Okubo, I'm sure Miss Uta's company made up for the lack of ours."

“Grunf… yes, it sure as hell did, but that's only about her and me. So give it a rest, because you're embarrassing her," Okubo commands, pointing to his friends while holding a mortified Tomori's hand with the other. Fortunately, the other four had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Sorry..."

"It's okay. I have to thank you anyway," She murmurs, still embarrassed, but trying to smile. "What do you think of a nice lunch? Naoh and Hiro have tried my savory dishes, but the three of you haven't."

“We're up for it, if it's not too much trouble,” Himuro nods, and Kaneda scratches the back of his head.

"Yeah, we don't want to bother you more than we already did..."

"In that case, let's make a deal! I cook and you wash the dishes afterwards, how about that?"

"Fair enough," The two of them nod, but Hiro sighs and Rihito grimaces.

"C'mon, Tomori… I already have to wash the dishes at the bakery every other day!," The cashier complains. "And besides, we're on vacation..."

"Uugh… Well, I agree with one condition!"

"Rihito, don't-"

"Your friend's number will make wrinkled hands with soap and water worth it!"

"You can't try to negotiate with the hostess after she welcomes you to her house with a hangover, you dumbass!," Himuro scolds, missing Rihito's head with a kick only because he narrowly dodged it, screaming in alarm.

"And you can't threaten the physical integrity of others in someone's house either! Miss Uta, there are people here who deserve to be kicked out!"

"Nobody here will be kicked out," Tomori sighs too. "Anyway, it's decided. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything. Can you come help me, Hiro?"

"But there's still no dishes in the sink..."

"No, but four hands work faster when cutting vegetables than two. And I like to talk while I cook, you know...,” She arches an eyebrow, staring at him. The cashier then seems to understand something, widening his eyes and smiling.

"Oh, you're right! Damn, how could I forget?," He gets up from the sofa, hitting his hands on his pants as if to clean them. "We'll be right back, sweethearts. You've been to Tomoh's house before, baldie, so you can give your friends a tour of her hall of fame."

"Of course, if I have permission from the hostess...," Okubo smiles at Tomori over his shoulder, and makes a very happy sound when she circles his neck with her arms and rests her chin on top of his head, smiling sweetly.

"Go right ahead! If you show yourself to be a good guide, I can even enforce your contract..."

"Then I'll do my best," He holds her right hand and kisses its back, to which she laughs. She then walks away, even humming softly, to which Hiro, who followed her, throws Rihito, Himuro and Kaneda a victorious smile over his shoulder. They reciprocate before focusing their attention on Okubo, who was accompanying Tomori with a dreamy expression on his face. It took a good few seconds for him to realize the mocking looks of his friends fixed on him.

"What?"

"We should tell you what it is, but luckily we're too curious to bother too much with your sappy bullshit," Himuro comments, while Rihito leans towards Okubo, agitated.

"So, dude? Did you hit it or nah?"

"Rihito, keep your voice down! She'll hear us...!," Kaneda hisses, an index finger on his lips, to which Rihito shakes his head.

"I just want him to answer me! 'Cause if you just spent the night cuddling with her in bed while watching her favorite soap opera or something like that, I swear to God...!"

"Seriously, Rihito, the day you have the privilege of spending a night cuddling with a girl, just enjoying the moment, you'll stop seeing it as a waste of time," Okubo grumbles. And then he smiles a lot. "But that wasn't the case this time."

"Really?," Rihito widens his eyes, sitting more rigidly on the sofa, to which Okubo puffs out his chest, very full of himself as he raises two fingers in a V for Victory.

"And why do you think we took so long to pick you guys up earlier? She wanted a encore and I would be an idiot if I said no..."

There was a second of silence. And the next, there was the quietest burst of triumphant joy Okubo had ever seen. Himuro clenches his fists and hisses a “yeees!” Between his teeth, Kaneda smiles from ear to ear and imitates Okubo's V for Victory and Rihito throws his fists in the air, even lifting his legs off the carpet while silently shouting,

"Fuck yeeeeees...!"

"Rihito! Keep! It! Down!," Kaneda hisses again, and Rihito shakes his head again.

"Let me celebrate, dude! Finally, goddamn it, finally this motherfucker hit it!"

“To be fair, he's hit it before, but this time it was the good kind of hit,” Himuro jokes, and Rihito has to put a fist in his mouth to keep from laughing too loudly. Kaneda shakes his head, a little disapprovingly. But the smile refused to leave his face.

"And that explains her being so calm about having a bunch of hungover guys at her home. But tell me if it wasn't worth the wait, Okubo!"

"It was so worth it, man!," Okubo just laughed, delighted, as he watched the other three throwing their arms over each other's shoulders, humming and moving their bodies from left to right in a small dance of victory, albeit in a whispered tone.

"He did it! Hey! He did it! Hey! He did-"

"Okay, that's enough, stop!," Okubo interrupts them by hissing through his teeth, making alarmed gestures, pulling Rihito to break the human chain they had formed. "Are you sure you're not drunk anymore? You...! Get your head off my lap, damn it, she's the only one allowed to do that!," He complains when Rihito falls on his side, having a coughing fit amidst laughter.

"It was you who pulled me as if you wanted to kiss me, you fuckin' fag, hahaha!," He reaches his arm for Himuro to pull him back. "But really, can you blame us for wanting to celebrate? Finally that ship sailed, damn it!"

"Better late than never, right?," Himuro nods, smiling satisfied. "Because honestly, no one here could stand this shilly-shallying anymore. Neither us nor her friends, apparently."

"Hell, since when did our love and sex life become your problem to be solved, huh?," Okubo snorts, to which Kaneda imitates him.

"Since you made it our problem! But anyway, now you understand what I've always been saying, don't you? Taking things calmly and respectfully gets you a lot further than acting like a desperate idiot."

“… Was that a jab at me?”

"If the shoe fits, Rihito..."

"You want me to beat the shit outta you, don't you?"

"Anyway!," Kaneda shakes his head. "Ever since that Saturday afternoon, when you decided you wanted to go to the market to buy ingredients to make rice balls, I already felt that things could take that course."

"Wait, really?,"! Okubo blinks, surprised. "But I wasn't even in love with Tomori at that time. It was more of a crush and me wanting to... you know...," He lowers his voice when they hear high-pitched laughter coming from the kitchens. Kaneda smiles more.

"I know, but my intuition said it was a matter of time and circumstances. And I'm glad I was right. It's like you said, she's just the kind of woman you like."

"Yeah… that's what I thought too," Okubo ends up smiling too, more tenderly. "But now I think she's more like the kind of woman I needed."

"Holy shit, that sounded so gay…," Rihito laughs, shoulders shaking. "Did you managed to get her to go to bed with you last night with that smooth talk?"

"Me? Believe it or not, but she was the one who took the initiative," Okubo says, again puffing out his chest. "Can you believe she wanted it all this time? Holy shit, I love forward woman, specially when she's mine..."

"And you made the poor thing wait all this time... man, you're lucky that she didn't get tired and gave up on you," Himuro comments. "I mean, she's a knockout, so it musn't be hard for her to get a man..."

"Bite your tongue, Himuro!," Okubo exclaims, turning to Himuro with a frown. "You can be sure I did my best so she wouldn't feel the need to look for any other man that's not me!"

"Hell yeah, man, you said it!," Rihito raises his hand, and Okubo and he exchange a high-five. "And now I want all the details you can give! Tell me, is she the type to play coy or the type that climbs into bed and becomes a-"

“Hey, hey, careful with what you're gonna say!," Okubo growls suddenly, raising his fist in a threat. "Show her some respect!"

"Dude, I wasn't gonna say anything!," Rihito shakes his hands quickly. "I'm just curious to know if all this waiting was worth it."

"It was. It was worth every second, every yen spent, every time I held back from acting like a perverted asshole," Okubo grumbles, lowering his fist. "And that's all I'm going to say."

"Huh? That's all? No details?!"

"Giving details would imply exposing her intimacy, and I won't do that! It's something just for the two of us..."

"Man, miss me with that fag shit..."

"It's not fag shit, it's respect and consideration for the girl I like! If one day you have someone like this, you'll understand me."

"Which means, he'll never understand."

"Fuck you, Himuro! But damn, I've been looking forward to this," Rihito complains, pouting. "That way it sounds like it wasn't that great and you're making up excuses not to admit that she didn't satisfy you..."

"Man, it's the opposite! She satisfied the fuck outta me...," Okubo's expression turns dreamy, and Rihito eyes widen.

"For real? She's that good in bed?!"

"She sure is! But again, that's all I'm going to say. You know when you have something really important that you feel could be spoiled if you shared it with anyone, even your best friends? A memory that means a lot to you and that you don't want to be analyzed, chopped up or altered by outside opinions? That's the case," He explains. "Sorry guys, but I prefer it that way."

"That's okay, Okubo. We understand," Kaneda nods, while Rihito snorts and crosses his arms, a bit annoyed. "It's something special, isn't it? Something that only concerns you and your girlfriend."

"Uh… well…," Okubo scratches the back of his head, looking away. "About the girlfriend part…"

"What? You...," Himuro widens his eyes a little. "You haven't opened up to her yet? Didn't you tell her that..."

"I… no," He admits, and he flinches before the fulminating looks of the other three. "Come on, it wasn't because I didn't want to! It's just that I didn't had the chance..."

"Why not? You could've said something yesterday. Fuck, you could've said something this morning, when you guys were cuddling in bed!," Himuro gestures, a little frustrated. "I can't believe that, instead of just solving this problem, you created another one."

"I know, right! Holy shit, it's the second season of this fucking soap opera," Rihito grunts, rubbing his eyes. "Those shitty streaming services cancel the best series, but renew the most boring and tiring ones, every single time..."

"Leave me alone, goddamn it! This is in my plans, and I guarantee it won't take as long to happen as this one did," Okubo defends himself, crossing his arms too. "I've already done the hardest part, after all. I just want to make sure that she feels the same, so I don't end up looking like a sucker."

"We already told you, only an idiot wouldn't see that she feels the same," Rihito grumbles, to which Himuro rolls his eyes.

“In that case, him not seeing it makes perfect sense."

"Fuck off," Okubo mutters angrily. "I won't beat the crap outta you only because it would be disrespectful to do that inside her house. And 'cause I'm kinda indebted to you too... thanks for yesterday, guys," He ends up smiling weakly. And Rihito, Himuro and Kaneda can't resist, reciprocating in equal measure.

"Don't mention it. As I said, I've been feeling very generous lately," Himuro comments.

"Yep. Again, we want this to happen almost as much as you do," Kaneda guarantees, and Okubo scratches the back of his head.

"I know. I will make it worth your while. But you didn't need to make up that stupid story that the bassist is the most expendable member of the band-"

"Who said we made it up? The only thing we really missed was your head serving as a reflector to create cool lightning- dude, I'm kidding!," Rihito narrowly dodges a punch from Okubo, almost falling over the arm of the sofa. "Holy shit, anyone who sees you can't imagine that you got laid yesterday and again this morning, 'cause you look like you're on menopause!"

The four of them stay there on the sofa, making fun of each other, laughing and still celebrating Okubo's feat, who despite being irritated by the nonsense his friends said, was still too happy to really get angry. At one point, Tomori returned from the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel.

"Alright, the rice cooker is already on! Who wants fish tempura?"

"We do!," They all throw their hands up in excitement, their stomachs already rumbling. She chuckles.

"Good to know that mentions of food atre enough to cure your hangovers..."

"In my case, the smell of fish helped a lot," Hiro murmurs, also leaving the kitchens, wearing the same frilled blue apron that Tomori had lent to Okubo the first time he had visited her house. "Get ready, we're going to have a bunch of dishes to wash later."

“Again, fair enough. We need to show the hostess some gratitude," Kaneda shrugs. "I'll even help with lunch, if needed. I just need to wait for my stomach to forgive me..."

"More pairs of hands are always welcome, but for now you can rest while we wait for the rice to cook," Tomori says simply. "In the meantime, you can take the dirty plates, glasses and fruit tray to the sink, please. Then you can take a good look at the kitchen too..."

“I already know the place, I even helped Miss Uta make cookies once,” Rihito points to his chest, and Okubo snorts.

"Me too. You can no longer use this as an excuse to brag, you jerk."

"Come on, don't fight over something like that," Tomori laughs. "Everyone will have an opportunity to see my kitchen and even help with some new decorations. Naoh, you took the neon sign box out of the car, didn't you?"

"Oh, that's true! We can install it in the kitchen as soon as we finish lunch," He smiles a lot. "In the meantime, let's find the best spot to put it without it getting in your way."

"Wow, you seem more excited about this than I am, hahaha!"

“It's just that I'm hoping that with a cool incentive like that, you make better and better cookies,” He touches her chin, smiling in the corner, and she laughs, blushing a little.

"Of course you would think about how it'd benefit you too…"

"Of course, I'm no stupid! Even more so 'cause it gives me an excuse to come see you if the neon sign malfunctions and I need to take it for repairs..."

"And you're going to pay for it out of your own pocket?"

"If I have cookies, kisses and other things as compensation, why not?"

Tomori laughs harder, patting his hand playfully as they head into the kitchen together, Okubo putting an arm discreetly around her shoulders. Rihito, Himuro, Kaneda and Hiro watch them, exchanging meaningful glances afterwards.

“I want to help with the cooking, but I feel like I'm going to be the third wheel if I do so,” Kaneda comments, and Himuro rolls his eyes.

"Only you? We'll be a whole set of tires."

"And seriously... Naoh?," Rihito laughs mockingly. "Those pet names are so fucking corny..."

"Which means, it's just like them! Oh, my darlings I'm so happy...!," Hiro has a silent burst of happiness. "Our plan was an absolute success!"

"Yeah, we can't deny that," Rihito concedes, twisting his mouth a little. "Even if that son of a bitch hasn’t asked Miss Uta to be his girlfriend yet…"

"This is no longer our business. We've already done our part," The cashier shrugs, to which the other three stare at him, a little surprised.

"What? Does that mean there won't be more crazy-ass plans?"

"Why, if they finally spent a night screwing each other's brains out? I told you that day, what we would do was give that engine a very necessary push," Hiro reminds them, smiling slyly. "And we sure as hell did that. Now, where that car goes is no longer our concern, since we aren't the ones driving it. It's up to them now."

This makes Rihito, Himuro and Kaneda smile, both in agreement and in some relief.

"Yeah, that's true… good to know that my role in this romcom is finally over," Himuro comments, and Rihito snorts.

"Yeah, it's over and I still haven't seen a single digit of Miss Uta's friend's number! Maybe she'll give it to him now, if Okubo asks. If he did the job that well..."

"Give it a rest, Rihito. But in fact, driving that car is no longer our job, and thank God for that," Kaneda mutters, and then faces Hiro with annoyance. "Because if it were up to you, that car would end up crushed against a concrete wall, at the bottom of a lake or being apprehended by the police for speeding!"

Hiro laughs out loud, throwing his head back.

"Quit whining, Mr. Fox! I'm still going to take you for a quieter and more sober ride, so you'll see what an excellent driver I am."

"No, thanks! I like being alive and I want to stay that way."

"I can already see that your friends are masters in the art of convincing you otherwise, so I won't worry about it. But oooh, what a happy day!," He claps happily. "Making an alliance with you was a very good decision, darlings! I'm open to future partnerships!"

"As long as it doesn't involve us making asses of ourselves in public again…," Himuro grumbles.

"And as long as it doesn't involve us risking death in a traffic accident…," Kaneda sighs.

"And as long as I receive the payment due to me!," Rihito grunts, crossing his arms. "I just hope these two don't force us to get involved anymore. I'm a nice guy, but my niceness has a fucking limit."

"As I told you, we've already helped enough," Hiro nods, satisfied, putting his hands in his pockets. "Now we can reap the fruits of our labors..."

They watch from the kitchen entrance, Okubo and Tomori opening together the neon sign box on the marble counter, smiling at each other from time to time, as if forgetting that they had company.

And even though they were still annoyed by the fact that the soap opera Okubo got them into was still going on, Rihito, Himuro, and Kaneda couldn't help but smile.

The directions taken in that relationship no longer concerned them. But dammit, watching everything from the box like the faithful spectators they were was a privilege they wouldn't give up.

NEXT CHAPTER

#Kengan Ashura #Kengan Omega #kenganverse #fanfiction #Okubo Naoya #Naoya Okubo #okubo x oc #kengan oc #Rihito #Himuro Ryo #Kaneda Suekichi #cookies'n cream #the heavy bakery series

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binniedeactivated · 4 years ago

Text

— #txt reactions.

(toxic txt....)

a/n; hey guysssss <3 toxic txt under the cut

╰┈➤ soobin --- it finally happened and you couldn't be happier. you were waiting for this moment since you first got the job. especially since you worked your ass off in that place day and night, picking up the slack that your coworkers left for you. you were excited that all of that work didn't go to waste and that your boss finally saw the value you held at the company. when you finally came home you just wanted to do a happy dance across the kitchen floor. a $25,000 raise and a promotion was enough to make you dance like no one was watching. except, someone was watching and it was your beloved husband soobin, who was currently cooking and smirking a little at how giddy you looked. "someone's excited?", he spoke, stirring the food in the pot. you turned to hang your coat on the coat rack trying to hold back how much you wanted to just run around the house. "I have good news baby". he fetches the seasonings across from him. "what is it?". you exhaled, "remember when I'd come home complaining about work and how lazy my coworkers are and how they never do anything?". soobin nods and hums. "mhm?". your heart started to pound. "well.. I don't have to do that anymore because i finally got a raise and a promotion! And I'm making more money than them now. I even get to manage several locations I'm so excited!". you were expecting a lot of reactions out of soobin, but one thing you weren't expecting was for him to go completely cold after that sentence. he didn't smile or jump around with you. he just stood there and continued cooking as if you didn't say anything at all. "soobin?". he hums in response. "did you hear me? I just said I got a promotion and a raise". he nods his head. "yeah I heard you". you throw your hands down at your sides, getting pissed. "so? you're not going to be happy for me?". he leans his hands on the counter giving you a deathly stare. "you don't ever think before you take things? like honestly. how are you going to manage several locations that are much too far from the house? that position is too much". he said annoyingly. you couldn't believe he was being like this. "it's a position that's going to get me closer to the position I really want to be in. why are you turning this into something negative?". he continues stirring, "because it is. it's a dumb decision".

╰┈➤ yeonjun --- as soon as you guys started this type of relationship you agreed it would be a strictly friends with benefits type of deal. no romance or anything of that sort. just sex. good enough sex to satisfy you both throughout your stressors of life. you couldn't get enough of yeonjun and he couldn't get enough of you. he knew exactly how to handle you. but as yeonjun came and went from tour to tour around the world, you had kids. two of them. and it was getting difficult by the day caring for them by yourself and taking in all the finanical responsibility especially if their father was a pop star. yes, yeonjun was their father and you had yet to tell him. in order to cover things up you told him you were screwing around with one of your exes, which yeonjun didn't really care about since he was only with you just for the sex anyways. well, that's mainly what scared you. he didn't care about you or your life, just sex with you. it was the weekend just before yeonjun was scheduled to go on another tour again, and after another session with him he had fallen asleep beside you. money was getting tight and you were on the verge of almost losing your home due to caring for the kids. you decided that it was time he knew, so that he could at least help you. you shook him gently until his eyes fluttering open. "yeonjun? we need to talk". he rubs his eyes and yawns. "about?". you bit the sides of your tongue nervously. "i haven't been honest with you". you admitted, leaving yeonjun to immediately give you a heart wrenching stare that gave you goosebumps. that was another thing about yeonjun. he had a temper equivalent to a lion's roar. "what are you talking about?". you breathed. "those kids? that I told you were from my ex...they're not. they're yours. I had them while you were touring and I hid most of my pregnancy from you and I'm sorry. I'm struggling to raise them alone and I really need a father figure to help me with this". he immediately exhales and facepalms himself in distress. "why are you just now telling me this shit?". "I was scared of what you were going to say". "you don't just drop that on someone. especially while I'm in the midst of another tour-- i can't do this right now". he grabs his shirt and wrestles it over his head. "where are you going?". "I'm leaving. I have to deal with this when I'm ready to deal with it". he lifts himself off the bed and you panic when he walk towards the door. "yeonjun I'm telling you I need help I can't do this alone". he doesn't even look at you before he shuts the door behind himself. "I have to go".

╰┈➤ beomgyu --- "well I think this house is perfect for you both and I can't wait to see you two moving in it". you nodded at your realtor, doing the last walk around in the home you and beomgyu dreamt of having. you wished he could've been here, the moment you guys were finally going to pay the closing costs and settle things just before moving in. but unfortunately he told you that he had to work almost all day today and he wouldn't have the time. you thought this was kind of a special moment but you didn't want to make such a fuss about it. you instead did things on your own, pooling out your wallet to pay the money that would make you and beomgyu home owners. but once you unzipped your wallet you realized that every wad of cash that you held within it was gone. your stomach churned at the sight, not believing this was happening to you at this moment. you gave a nervous chuckle at your realtor, doing another search through your purse trying to figure out if it dropped in there perhaps. you could've sworn it was in your wallet beforehand. looking through your purse hadn't helped, you could only find a couple of old crumpled dollar bills. what was once the most happiest moment of your life quickly became the most embarrassing. and to make matters worse you recalled that beomgyu had been spending more than usual lately, thousands at a time in fact and claiming that it was for work. nothing made you more angry than being embarrassed like that in front of your realtor and possibly loosing the home, most of this anger is the anger that you unleashed on beomgyu as soon as he walked in the door that night. "so what the fuck gyu? what the fuck was that today?". he kicked his shoes off at the door tiredly. "what are you talking about?". he asks even though he knew already. he expected this to happen."you know that house that we already started buying? yeah the closing fee had to be paid today and you knew that. where did all that money go?! why the fuck are you spending so much money?! that was the house that we always wanted". "I didn't spend the money. I don't know what your problem is, blaming me when you're the one being irresponsible". "you're a liar! that closing money was in my wallet for weeks. now all of a sudden when I'm about to spend it it's gone. you have bad spending habits and lately they've gotten worse. where's the fucking money gyu?". he said nothing, just continued walking passed you and getting ready for bed like you weren't even there. he knew what he spent the money on. strippers and explicit services from different women. but that was the last thing he was going to tell you. you swallowed hard and continued speaking. your cheeks burned with fury. "and to top it all off you knew I wanted that house to be ours so we can build a family and start our life in it. why do you do fucked up shit and just not care?". he finally shifted his attention towards you, looking more mellow than anything else. "you need to calm down. alright? I didn't spend it. and if anything, we can find a house somewhere else. it isn't that serious and you need to stop blaming me for everything".

╰┈➤ taehyun --- it always got like this when taehyun was drunk. and taehyun drank pretty often. he wasn't a stranger to liquor and that's what made you most afraid when he got a hold of any. especially on a night like this. your job was having a banquet in celebration of your boss and you were required to attend. you bought a beautiful gown for yourself and of course a lot of expensive makeup and jewelry. you wanted to look your absolute best since almost every executive you could name would be there. but unfortunately taehyun was home, drinking and watching you get ready. he winced at the burning sensation of the liquor slithering down his throat. "where do you think you're going?". you could see him through your long mirror, looking like a drunken mess. his eyes were hazed and he didn't really look like himself. not the sweetheart taehyun that you once knew, the one that used his funny and romantic personality to reel you in the beginning. "I'm going to a banquet taehyun. it's for my boss and I can't be late". he swallows and takes another look at you. "you think you're going anywhere looking like that? what? are you planning on leaving me?". you should've. you should've left him a long time ago as soon as he started to show signs and you knew it. "It's a banquet taehyun. I have to look my best. I can't be looking crazy in front of everyone". he did that fake laugh that you hated. "stop being a liar. you think you're leaving me, and I'm not letting that happen". you shake your head. "don't start this. not tonight. I told you I have somewhere to be and I'm telling the truth. If I were leaving you I would've been gone already". he gives another throaty laugh before taking another swig of his drink. he was nothing like you thought he was when you first met him. "please. you would've been gone already? do you really think there's people out there that want you?". you snapped your head back at him in shock. "what?". "I said do you really think there's people out there that want you? you're lucky that you even have me. you haven't left me not because you don't want to, but because you can't". you clenched your jaw tightly in a fit of rage. "what?". he smirked. he liked whenever he hit a nerve with you. "you heard me. you made me like this. drinking all the time and shit. you drive me crazy. you see how much you've ruined me? you're a toxic piece of shit and no one else is going to put up with you".

╰┈➤ kai --- you both talked about this already. way before your relationship had even started heuning assured that he was completely fine with it. you had a son from your previous boyfriend and kai offered to care for him even though he wasn't exactly his. your son wasn't the problem but it was your ex that drove kai up a wall. he hated the way that your ex was still in love with you. he hated the way he looked at you. he hated the way he talked to you, sweet, and almost as if he was trying his absolute best to win your heart back. what you didn't know about kai was that his jealousy streak was far beyond anything you could ever imagine. so much that he wouldn't even be able to stomach the thought of you with someone else. or you having friends even, taking away the time you could've been spending with him. his jealousy went to unbearable lengths, most of which you haven't seen because he hid this trait from you. it was your son's third birthday, you were throwing a party from him in the backyard of your home. it was the cutest thing kai had ever saw and he wanted to just jump in the bouncy houses along with the kids. but instead, your boyfriend put his childlike traits away and steadily watched you and the father of your child talking across the yard. he couldn't tell what the conversation was about but he saw the man smiling. it didn't take much for kai to make assumptions and as of now he assumed he was flirting with you yet again. he approached the both of you, sliding his arm around your waist and kissing you on your cheek right in front of him. he could see the anger simmering in the man's eyes but kai didn't care. he does that smile that he does for everyone. the smile that made him look like an innocent child "baby I think jae had an accident in the bouncy house", kai informed you. you hurried to the child's aid just like he wanted, leaving him and the man alone. kai reaches into his back pocket and discreetly flicks up his blade, pushing it against the man's clothed stomach. the man's eyes grew large at the sudden threat. kai smirked at his fear. his smile faded and his eyes grew incredibly dark. "flirt with my fiancé again and I promise this blade will go straight through you".

#yeonjun #yeonjun angst #toxic!jun #soobin #soobin angst #toxic!soobin #beomgyu #beomgyu angst #toxic!gyu #taehyun #taehyun angst #toxic!tyun #kai #heuning kai angst #toxic!kai #toxic!txt #txt reactions #txt angst #toxic relationships

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