#it’s natural … it’s medicinal .. it’s ah heck the man’s stressed

[smulie]

Arielle proposed a trip to Granite Falls as a way to lift Lapis' spirits after he lost his job.

[psychosistr]

Talk to Me- Chapter 3

Summary: They’ve reached the restaurant and everything’s going great so far!...So why is Steelbeak so nervous about messing everything up? Maybe Domino can help him loosen up a little.

Notes: This scene was so much fun to write- I love writing date stories far too much x3

-First Chapter-

As far as Steelbeak was concerned, the ride to the restaurant had been a complete success. Flirting with Domino had been easy, natural, and fun- and that stroke of luck with the song on the radio had resulted in a surprisingly romantic moment that he honestly couldn’t have topped even if he’d planned it himself. They’d been seated quickly without having to wait, and had even gotten a great table by one of the windows with a stunning view of the moonlit bay in a corner of the restaurant with no one else around. All things considered, it was a great start to the night.

Which, unfortunately only made him more anxious about doing something to mess it all up.

He kept trying to tell himself that things were different this time- that things between him and Domino were better now- but, in the back of his mind, he kept thinking about how all of his attempts at conversation last time they went out to eat had ultimately messed everything up and left him with nothing but a bill to pay and quiet, lonely car ride home. It was a stupid thing to worry about, and he knew it, but he was so completely out of his element that it left him feeling more than a little unnerved.

It wasn’t the going out part he wasn’t used to, mind you. He’d gone out on plenty of “dates” before and those had gone well enough to earn him several “girlfriends” that were so charmed by him that they’d wait literally MONTHS just for a chance to see him again.

No, it was the idea of going out on an actual date with someone he was actually interested in seeing again that had his nerves frazzled.

Every other date he’d been on before had been the same routine: Dinner and drinks. Some sweet talk that he didn’t really mean. Drive back to his place. Have a little fun. And then he’d send them on their way with the usual “Don’t call me, I’ll call you”. Lather, rinse, repeat- the same thing every time.

With Domino, though, things were different. The other man was too sharp to fall for his usual sweet talk (though flirting was definitely still on the table). Steelbeak also wanted more than just a one night fling- he wanted to go out with him again in the very near future, or maybe even just hang out more outside of work. He wanted-

“-something wrong?” The loon’s voice cut through his thoughts instantly.

“Huh?” Steelbeak blinked and looked up from his half-touched plate of seafood paella, unaware that he’d spaced out. “Sorry, ya say somethin’?”

“……” There was that stare he’d become all too familiar with over the past few months- the look that told him the shorter bird was mentally picking him apart and analyzing him with unsettling accuracy. “Something’s on your mind and it’s stressing you out.” And he’d hit the nail right on the head, as always. “What is it?”

Darn, he really couldn’t hide anything from this guy, could he?

With a frustrated sigh, Steelbeak frowned and ran a hand over his comb. “Is it really that obvious?” A nod from his partner accompanied by his deadpan stare told him that, yes, it WAS that obvious. “You’re gonna think it’s stupid..”

“Probably.” Wow, he didn’t miss a beat with that, did he? “But I still want to hear it.”

Well, he thought, might as well spit it out. Otherwise the darker bird would just keep giving him that look until he did. “Can ya ‘least promise NOT t’ laugh?”

The edges of the other’s beak curled slightly in a smirk as he shrugged. “Maybe.” That was probably the best he was going to get.

Figuring that he wouldn’t be able to get it all out if he was looking into those seemingly all-seeing red eyes, Steelbeak chose instead to keep his gaze on the bay. “…..I..ain’t exactly used t’ datin’ like this.” His eyes followed the rolling motion of a wave as it crashed on the beach before receding. “Don’t get me wrong, I like goin’ out with a cute dame much as the next guy, but I don’t even bother rememberin’ their names half the time. We go out, I tell ‘em what they wanna hear, and it works good enough t’ get ‘em home with me.” He blindly waved his hand in Domino’s general direction. “But, with YOU, I don’t even know how t’ start a freakin’ conversation. If I try talkin’ to ya like the rest, it’d probably be charmin’, but it’s not gonna be real- my brain ain’t exactly wired for honesty, y’know? So I’m tryin’ real hard t’ think of somethin’ t’ talk about ‘sides small talk ‘cause I wanna say somethin’, but I don’t wanna look like an idiot for tryin’ too hard.” He gave a short, self-deprecating laugh and shook his head. “Aaaaaannd I just heard myself out loud: I’m tryin’ too hard t’ NOT try too hard..guess that don’t make a whole lotta sense, huh?”

When he finally turned his attention back to his date, he saw that the other bird had reached across the table with an extremely small, unmarked vial of something and currently had his hand angled over the rooster’s glass of water- clearly preparing to drip whatever was inside of the glass vial into his drink. “……” Realizing he’d been spotted, Domino slowly leaned back into his seat properly and set his hands back down in his lap, maintaining eye contact the whole time as if that would hide what he’d been about to do.

“…Dom..what’s that?” Steelbeak asked his partner incredulously.

“…Nothing…” He was clearly lying through his teeth and trying to maintain his poker face, despite being caught red-handed.

“We both know I ain’t buyin’ that.” Steelbeak looked down at the table obscuring the loon’s hands from his view. “I know you ain’t tryin’ t’ slip me a mickey, so spill it.”

“Fine..” The poker face finally fell away and Domino’s hand came back up to rest on the table with the vial still between his fingers, surprising the rooster with the dejected, guilty frown on his face. “It’s a truth serum.”

Steelbeak’s eyes widened in surprise at the admission. “Why the heck do ya have truth serum on ya??”

The darker bird shrugged a little. “I like to be prepared for anything- it comes in handy for emergency interrogations.” He set the vial on the table between them so that Steelbeak could see it better. “I thought that, if you’re uncomfortable because it’s hard for you to speak honestly with me, then a drop or two might help.”

The tiny glass container sat on the table, looking so small and insignificant, but Steelbeak knew better than to assume things when it came to drugs and chemicals in their line of work. “..That stuff really works..?”

“I’ve found it to be effective more than 98% of the time.” Domino replied. “It’s fast acting, too- most people notice the effects almost instantly.”

“……Eh, what the heck?” Steelbeak grabbed the vial and, instead of putting a few drops into his glass as Domino had been about to, he popped the drip-cap off and brought it directly to his beak to chug half of the colorless liquid in one go. “!!” He immediately regretted his decision- the liquid was oily and tasted like someone had boiled down a bottle of mouthwash into a loose syrup. After grabbing his napkin and coughing into it for a solid minute, as well as chugging his entire glass of water to weaken the nearly medicinal taste still coating his tongue, he set the half-empty vial back down in the middle of the table. “Ugh, this stuff better be worth it..”

Domino picked the vial up and put it away after screwing the cap back on. “You know, two drops would have been more than enough. Don’t blame me if you start spilling F.O.W.L.’s most highly guarded secrets.”

“Figured I’d need all the help I could get.” With the horribly minty taste finally cleared from his pallet, Steelbeak took a moment to think about how he felt. “Y’know..I do feel calmer. Wow, you weren’t kiddin’ ‘bout that stuff- it works REAL fast.”

The darker bird smiled a bit, but there was something sly about that look in his eyes that Steelbeak couldn’t quite place. “Let’s test it out: What would you like to talk about?”

“I wanna know more about YOU.” The words fell from Steelbeak’s mouth with surprising ease. “We don’t talk ‘bout much on the clock, so, I wanna know, what sorta stuff do ya do for fun?”

“Hm, that’s pretty tame, but a good place to start, I suppose.” Domino picked up his fork, idly spinning it between his thumb and index finger as he thought the question over. “Well..I read, mostly. I also enjoy going to the shooting range- it’s a fun way to exercise and keep my skills sharp. During the winter I like to go for walks in the snow or even ice skating, if it’s cold enough. Oh, and sometimes I just like to go driving along the coast at night since it’s so quiet.”

“Sounds like a good time.” Steelbeak smiled a little, a general feeling of satisfaction coming over him. He couldn’t believe how easy that had been! He felt more relaxed now, like he had when they talked in the break room the other day, or after their mission to raid and blow up a S.H.U.S.H. base. “Never woulda pegged ya for a skater, though. Found any good places ‘round here for that?”

“The lake in the park was nice, I went there last time it snowed.” The loon had a soft smile on his face as he glanced out the window, clearly remembering the day fondly. “It was in the middle of the night, so there was no one else crowding the ice or crashing into me.”

Ah, there it was- that rare but genuine and gentle smile that made Steelbeak’s heart melt a little. “Maybe I’ll tag along next time. Haven’t gone skatin’ in ages.”

Red eyes looked back up at him, that smile growing a little more. “I’d like that.”

For a moment, they stayed like that, just smiling contently at one another.

Then, Steelbeak noticed, Domino’s shoulders began to shake the way they did when he was trying not to laugh out loud about something. “What’s so funny?”

“Well, it’s just..” Domino’s smile was turning into a grin as he continued resisting the ever-growing urge to laugh. “You know that truth serum you drank?”

“Yeah, what’s in that junk, anyway?” Steelbeak asked, his curiosity piqued now. “I mean, I’m glad it worked, but it tasted like melted toothpaste.”

Domino’s body was practically trembling, as was his voice, but he managed to get out a simple reply. “It’s peppermint oil.”

“…What?” Steelbeak blinked, unsure if he’d heard the other bird properly.

“You just drank a bottle of peppermint oil.” And the last of the loon’s resolve crumbled, allowing him to openly laugh at the baffled rooster.

“What?!” Steelbeak sputtered for a moment. He’d seriously just chugged freaking PEPPERMINT OIL?! After a few seconds of his partner laughing at him, the rooster finally groaned and let his head fall forward to hit a clear spot on the table. “Can’t believe I fell for that…why the heck would ya even HAVE that..?” Somehow it seemed more believable that the other bird would carry truth serum on him then peppermint oil.

Wiping a few laughter-induced tears from the corners of his eyes, Domino’s smile didn’t go down one bit. “Like I said, I like to be prepared for anything. Peppermint is very versatile- it can relieve nausea, help with indigestion, or just be used to freshen breath after a less than fragrant meal. I’ve also used it as a fire accelerant before.” He took notice of the way the lighter bird's shoulders were starting to tremble and his grin lessened slightly. “Hey, are you ok-?���

Before he could finish his question, Steelbeak sat up with a huge grin of his own spread across his face and started belting out his distinctively nasal laugh. “Friggin’ peppermint oil! Oh, that was good!” He had to wipe away tears of his own so he could look his partner in the eyes again. “This is why I like ya, Deedee: You keep me guessin’. I never know what t’ expect with ya. You’re exciting.”

Domino’s own smile returned. “You’re certainly not having any trouble being honest now, are you?”

Steelbeak shrugged, the huge grin still practically splitting his face. “Yeah, but it’s gonna be easier on my ego if I just keep pretendin’ it’s ‘cause of a truth serum. So, let’s keep talkin’ before I lose my nerve again- sound good?” He raised his almost empty glass towards his partner expectantly.

Domino picked up his own half-full glass and tapped it to the other’s. “That sounds good to me. Let’s talk.”

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

End Notes: Just to clear up any possible confusion: Domino WAS trying to get caught spiking Steelbeak’s drink so he could bluff and get him to try it willingly- the guy knew what he was doing x3 Also, by “peppermint oil”, I’m referring to edible peppermint extract that’s used in cooking- he didn’t make Steelbeak drink an essential oil because that is dangerous xP

[downtomyunderoos]

insomnia

// akihiko sanada (downtomyunderoos) & minako arisato (canonressentiment)

1. Akihiko --

"I can’t sleep - I’ve tried everything.“

2. Minako --

The female frowned as she sat with the boxer in the common room. Shifting, she rested her elbow on the table.

“Tried everything.”

Hamuko’s mouth echoed Akihiko’s words as she seemed a bit lost in thought before blinking. “I’m going to assume you have tried hot milk, tea, things like that?” She inhaled slowly as she leaned back in her chair then pulling a concerned face.

“Are you not getting enough sleep after we go to Tartarus? If you need, we can cut investigations short for you to get more sleep, Senpai.” The auburn Fool offered with a thoughtful look.

Granted, there was one more thing that was on her mind. “Or we can try what I do and write every night.” She commented softly before tapping at the table. “Heck, Senpai, you might just need a sleeping buddy.”

3. Akihiko --

“Yeah, I’ve tried those…” Akihiko paused — in fact, almost gasped— midst self-deprecation; by a long shot he of all people didn’t want to be the cause for shortened Tartarus excursions much less pulled from the party. Shame tingled up his spine from the thought. “N-no, it’s not Tartarus…” he hoped.

Then the next suggestion, implications and all, Arisato threw caused a hefted eyebrow — and a slight facial tinge perhaps?

Spine sloped into the chair’s back support. His inflection cautious yet curious. “‘We’? ‘Sleeping buddy’?”

4. Minako --

She wasn’t very serious about the sleeping buddy idea, especially when she smiled as sweetly as she could and pointed to herself. And to had to the joking nature, she even commented that she would be Akihiko’s sleeping buddy. And literally left it at that. One would say she was mean but it was a bit of fun to mess with the dense boxer from time to time. Plus, she hardly ever did that.

“Well, if it is Tartarus, I can cut back, like I mentioned.” She commented soothingly before watching the male closely. Then she raised a hand to tenderly play with the other’s hair then poked at his noggin. “Is there a lot going on here too? Does your mind race before you fall asleep, Akihiko-senpai?”

The auburn Fool retracted her hand slowly as she made a face before standing up slowly. “I mean, we can see if there is any medicine for this at the mall.” Hamuko offered as she looked at the male. “Wanna come and go see?”

5. Akihiko --

‘H-hey,’ Akihiko mentally sputtered as his flustered head effortlessly became a playground for her hand. Soft and warm. Part of him didn’t mind much, truth be told.

His own hand flipped to autopilot, reaching, making brief contact with Arisato’s as she stood.

“N-no, it’s alright.”

Not that the suggestion was a bad idea. Probably he needed it. Thing was—

“To be honest, you nailed it. My.. mind does race whenever I close my eyes. I figured in time I would knock it off,” he blinked and glanced at the carpet out of hesitation, “but…”

6. Minako --

The Fool halted when she felt the hand on hers. Blinking, she looked at the male with pink cheeks before sitting down respectfully. “O-Okay, so no medicine.” She nodded slowly before inhaling as she tapped at the table gently.

Her crimson orbs rested on Akihiko when he spoke up once again, her brows furrowing in confusion as he talked about how his mind did race. But why would it race? Other than he was…maybe scared?

Hamuko’s face shifted to a nervous expression as she nodded, encouraging her senpai to speak his mind. “But? It’s okay, senpai, if it’s something bad, you know I won’t be the one laughing.” The female sighed, making sure that she wasn’t coming off bad. She just wanted to know the reason why Akihiko was so tired.

7. Akihiko --

Ohh.…

So the conversation made it this far. His head bowed with agitated fingers knit on his lap. Until now Akihiko shoved away those thoughts he had, with the reason being they had to do with her.

“I.. appreciate it,” he said carefully, weighing what to reveal. “Um… can you promise you won’t get mad? It’s just… Have you been eating properly? You seem to have a lot on your plate.”

His face burned before he abruptly shook his head at the realization. “I didn’t— I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

Akihiko groaned. His fingers fidgeted even more. Dang, was he clumsy at stringing words together on the spot. Was he even making sense?

“What I mean is, I hope appointing you as leader hasn’t stressed you..”

Saying it out loud like this still sounded wrong to him. No, this wasn’t exactly it. Not that he was lying, but Akihiko couldn’t understand what it was he felt.

Something told him he was scared.

8. Minako --

Raising a brow, she watched the male’s hands and was about to ask if he was okay when he spoke up.

Was she…eating properly?

Confused, Hamuko soon nodded as her brows knitted in her confusion. “I-I am, Akihiko-senpai.” She mumbled before moving her hands to her lap. “If I don’t have time to cook, I always grab something from the strip mall. Now it’s probably not the best but it’s fuel.” The auburnette chuckled before looking up at him.

He was…flustered. It was something that was never a thing with Akihiko. He was always so calm. Yet… He was here, flustered. Fidgeting. And…it was kinda cute.

Empathy hit her like a ton of bricks as she got up and moved closer to the male, moving to grab his hands to calm them as a warm smile came to her face.

“I get what you are trying to say, Senpai.” She smiled. “If you are worried about me and my eating, then I don’t mind going and getting to eat with Senpai. But I promise you. Because I am the leader and that I have eyes on me at all times, I make sure I eat as much as I can at a healthy ammount.”

There was a calmness about her, as if she understood his worries.

“It is stressful but I will admit that I am doing fine. I got things under control really. Except when Junpei whines but I think I got it.”

9. Akihiko --

It startled him — how her hands voluntarily joined his nervous ones — but this did not turn him away. Arisato heated him once more, from the warmth of her petite hands to the erupting blush Akihiko strained to conceal.

“Ah—“

He almost didn’t know how to react for a moment there.

“Th-that’s good. One’s body is important. I, too, don’t mind going out to eat with you more often… I’ll look forward to it…” he steadily said this — as if he were recalling a dream. But the topic wasn’t merely about food to him, despite making it sound like it was. And it used to be. The fact Arisato mentioned eyes and how being leader is stressful didn’t escape his hearing, pressing him to speak with more clarity.

“You know… you can always talk to me, o-or the others, if things get hard for you. I don’t want you to feel you’re alone in this.”

10. Minako --

Such words warmed the auburn Fool’s heart. Something like what this Emperor has said stopped her completely.

At first, Hamuko was unable to say a word, unsure if she should break the rather silent understanding of his… but eventually spoke up.

“Senpai. I will make sure I personally come to you with any issues.” A happy, cheerful smile graced the female’s face as her hands gave his a firm squeeze. One that could have more than one meaning if you gave it much thought.

“Only because you asked. And plus, you’re easier to talk to than talking to Mitsuru-Senpai.”

The fool gave a warm giggle as she looked at her hands holding his, only to drop her smile slightly.

“Are your hands okay now? They were fidgeting before and I wanted to make sure you were doing better, Akihiko-Senpai.”

11. Akihiko --

Her smile was infectious; his started out small, shy, but slowly grew against his cheeks as Arisato’s hands squeezed. It was as though she could summon spring from inside her senpai, with tulips and daffodils opening fast, and she played the role of the sun. Arisato was reassuring even if the additional compliment was mere fact.

“I have to admit: it’s not every day someone thinks that about me.” For someone who was considered strange the longer another person stayed around him, being told he was easy to talk to rendered Akihiko flattered. Then again.. it was easy for someone to think that when being compared to Mitsuru, huh…

“’Ask’? That’s all I had to do?” He blinked at this simple task. However, he thought it to be unnecessary. “If I didn’t say anything.. would you have continued keeping to yourself, then?” Had she this entire time? Did he seem untrustworthy until this moment (if she keeps her word, that was)?

“Oh — uh,” his fingers flinched at the sudden spotlight, “yeah, they are. Sorry if I’m weirding you out or anything. I, uh… I’m not used to saying these.. sorts of things.”

Or this amount of physical contact for that matter.

12. Minako --

Surprise was something that could not describe what she had felt. Such a warm full smile on this man… The female just couldn’t help but feel her heart explode. The Gods had looked down on her in a heaven’s light with this man!

Such a blessing should be protected. That’s what Hamuko told herself as she blinked once.

“Wait, no one thinks of you like that? Like, at all?”

Her brows rose in surprise, this time it being genuine and not a mix. Her crimson orbs flickered down to the table as she thought then frowned. “Well, I will be sure to change that for sure. Because you are very kind and nice.” She smiled softly.

Then she nodded once more. “Of course that’s all you have to do.” However, his question stopped her. As if an arrow of Yukari’s hit her chest, she looked to the side then dropped her head a bit.

“Yes- Well, probably. I- You guys already have so much to worry about with us fighting shadows to the grades and making sure you all are living normal lives.” Hamuko explained before looking to the side as she huffed softly, her fingers fidgeting as her hands slowly came back to her.

“I don’t want to be a burden. I don’t want you guys to suddenly stop just to make sure I am doing fine.” Hamuko chuckled nervously as she played with her own fingers then blinked.

“No, senpai, it’s fine. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. I just wanted to make sure thatyou were doing okay. I just know you were upset when you were injured that you couldn’t help us and I just wanted to make sure you were still doing okay.”

13. Akihiko --

“Uhh, no, I guess not.”

‘Why can’t he be more friendly~?’ echoed in his skull, courtesy of his fangirls. However, the way he behaved towards them was intentional — meant to keep them at bay. That didn’t mean Akihiko was a mean person. There cemented a wall between him and his peers for various reasons. People respected him, nonetheless.

“Th-thanks…” Akihiko said, ducking his head a little due to her genuineness; Arisato knew him better than most. It helped that they fought under the same cause.

“I see…” He nodded as if confirming those obligations. She wasn’t wrong about them. Everyone in SEES juggled double lives. Those fresh into SEES were his and Mitsuru’s responsibility. There was a lot going on, and the way she explained their secrets was like sprawling cards across the table.

But to see Leader as a burden? There was no way. These were his initial thoughts:

“If the leader wasn’t doing well, then the rest of the team would take the hit. Don’t force yourself if you aren’t fine. We have your back.”

Deep down without entirely but slowly realizing, Akihiko couldn’t actively tell what it meant to be a ‘burden’ in an interpersonal relationship in general. That this was what caused him to lose sleep.

They were the same in that regard, weren’t they? But admitting such a thing after Arisato said that didn’t look it’d bode well.

( At least he was making revelations as their conversation bounced back and forth, day by day. Somehow his mood perked despite it. Damn— figuring out emotions was like playing detective. )

“‘Doing okay’, huh…? I can’t predict how I’ll sleep tonight, but talking to you does help a little. It’s like I’m learning something new.” Akihiko chuckled softly, feeling himself gain newfound appreciation for his underclassman. For all he knew, he probably came across as vague in her perspective. “And here I thought you were going to sing me a lullaby or something.”

14. Minako --

“Pity. Because you are seriously, one of my favorites here.” Hamuko winked to the male as she watched the male. And almost as if she was smitten, she glanced up to the ceiling in thought.

She blinked once as her eyes flickered down to look Akihiko in the eyes before turning her head a bit in question. “Senpai, if you still don’t know how you are going to sleep. Please, let me stay with you for the night,”

At first, yes, all sorts of red flags and alarms would ring. A girl like Hamuko asking to be let into Akihiko’s room. But the caring glint in those crimson orbs of hers really proved that she had meant that she just was going to be his sleeping buddy. She respected her after all.

“I’ll sing you to sleep. I just want to make sure you get the sleep you need and desire, Akihiko.” The fool reached her hand out to Akihiko so he can be certain that she was going to be happy just helping him.

15. Akihiko --

Wait, what?

He could tell she wasn’t kidding. The way Arisato sprung this figuratively made his back squeeze against a wall. He felt more awake than ever now. His fingers dug into his knees. Reasons being:

A girl never visited his room before for anything other than Mitsuru to deliver reminders.

He’d be at his most vulnerable.

She will be singing to him?!

Akihiko imagined himself comically swaddled tightly as if in a cocoon in his own bed, bright red while Arisato’s at his side and contently crooning to a hot potato wrapped in tin foil.

That would be weird. That would be weird, wouldn’t it?!

What if… what if those inhabiting neighboring rooms were to hear? But, ah, the bedrooms themselves were spacious enough. If someone wanted to sing another to sleep, they wouldn’t be loud in the first place, would they? Plus it was late. Nobody would catch them in their suspicious act, right?

Why was he considering this?!

And Arisato seemed so sure of herself.

Finally, Akihiko spoke.

“I… I uh…” His eyes darted away, and his throat continued generating peculiar sounds. “If you really want to give it a shot, I.. could try. Just don’t.. just don’t tell anyone about this ever, okay? And don’t laugh at me…!!”

16. Minako --

Hamuko blinked once before shaking her head as she moved to take his hand gently. Slowly, she led them both up to his room as she hummed softly. “Shh, Akihiko, it’s fine. I’ll be out before everyone wakes up.” She promised as she stopped at the male’s door before looking at the door knob.

She…couldn’t bring herself to open it…

“Open it, senpai!” She cheered softly, smiling happily.

17. Akihiko --

“Y-yeah, of course.”

Akihiko maneuvered, the door opened, and the light flicked on. Exercise equipment stood their ground, glistening and guarding his bed.

Thankfully, her senpai was tidy, although he hadn’t anticipated this scenario. A few textbooks and magazines sat cracked open on various surfaces. A few clothes here and there.

“I, uh, hope you don’t mind my bedroom looking like this,” he then explained, existing and being too aware of it. Suddenly he can even identify his own scent. “Oh… I guess I should leave the lights off, huh?”

The deed was done. For a bit they just stood with the door closed behind them until the inevitable beckoned. Somehow Akihiko felt four as he meekly headed towards the bed, lifting the sheet. He was already bearing sleepwear — just a plain shirt and shorts (he’d remove them with nobody present, otherwise). A breeze greeted his bare legs.

Akihiko settled, somewhat.

18. Minako --

Watching Akihiko open the door his own dorm room, Hamuko felt a ping in her chest. A ping of “I shouldn’t do this.” But she began to ignore it as she stepped in to the boxer’s room.

It certainly was something, in a good way. Taking a moment to actually take in the fact that she was in her senpai’s room, the smaller brunette of the two glanced up to the walls then squeaked at Ahikiko’s sudden words.

Shaking her head, Hamuko waved her hands before smiling as she chuckled. “It is a lot neater than I have seen Junpei’s. I believe your room is the least of my worries.” She chuckled as she watched Akihiko shuffle to his bed.

Another ping hit her, but this time it was more out of worry that maybe she was causing him to be aware of somethings in his room. Things that really didn’t bother Hamuko. Looking down, she shifted before reaching up to grab the light for Akihiko.

“Akihiko, you can relax.” She whispered before shuffling slowly to his bed as she moved to sit next to the bed. “I won’t lay on your bed. Unless you ask me. But As promised. I’ll just sing.” Hamuko chuckled before shifting as she cleared her throat, singing soft lullabies to the male while resting her hands and chin on his bed.

19. Akihiko --

“Y-yeah… I’m trying… I’ll relax…”

Pitiful. Who was he trying to persuade? Akihiko quietly laid back and pulled the blanket over. Could feel her weight on the bed, near him. This.. felt like a dream in the sense he couldn’t believe this was happening, but he was trying to allow it. To let this be normal for just one night.

His eyes had been closed, but he found himself concentrating into a pillow instead of feeling sleepy. Her singing was soft and pretty yet the issue which weighed on him earlier lightened only a little. A small revelation, but not much progress. However, enough to accept Arisato in here. Baby steps, Akihiko supposed…

But after a while–

“Argh…”

He shifted, disheveling his hair, and peered at her with guilty eyes. She was putting in the effort, yet…

“..I’m sorry… I can’t seem to fall asleep still.”

20. Minako --

Hamuko didn’t press much other than trying to remember the lullabies her mom sung. Yet, that was a foggy memory in itself. After a moment, she reached over to gently run her fingers through his silvery hair.

But she tensed up when Akihiko shifted in his own bed and she felt her cheeks turn red as she stared at him in the eyes, a soft hurt in her chest as he looked at her with those eyes.

At first, Hamuko was silent, feeling as if she was not doing enough to help him. Shifting, she sat up more as she looked at the male. “I’m sorry, Akihiko… Uhm, what can I do to help? Do you need me to go make something to help you, like tea?”

21. Akihiko --

“No, you don’t have to do anything..” It tugged at him how he seemed to be dragging Arisato around at this point, despite the offerings. A dejected sigh emitted from his lips as Akihiko slouched, at a loss.

This scenario was habitual, but a witness alerted him how hopeless he appeared. A hand ran through his messy hair as he wondered how, funnily enough, he could make her feel better.

( Akihiko never wanted to care for another person like this. How did things end up like this..? )

“You know… I never had anyone sang like that for me before. As a child, I mean.” He attempted for someone else, though… a melancholy reminder. Akihiko smiled softly at his kouhai, nonetheless. “You sound nice… I mean it. Thank you.”