Flutter - Level Thirty Nine: Rage Quit [13/10/24]

[Sharp-O]

“H-Hisao…”

This is the infamous Iwanako? Huh. I was expecting shorter hair for some reason. Her violet eyes glance around at all of us from behind long, fluttering eyelashes. My eyes dart to Hisao who stands stone still, like he’s frozen in time or something. God knows what’s going through his head but I’m actually more worried about his heart. I gently press against Hisao’s arm and wrap my free hand tenderly around the wrist of the hand I’m holding.

His heart is pounding but thankfully he’s using the breath control I taught him. It’s keeping him standing at the very least but otherwise… I feel pretty useless.

Iwanako lifts a quivering hand, causing Hisao to flinch and making her respond in kind. It’s just like the footsies with me and Mai until the boy comes in as a striker, stepping partly in front of Iwanako.

“It’s, uh, good to see you, Hisao.” He says with an almost warm smile on his friend.

“You too, Shin. Didn’t get that hair-cut, I see.” Hisao responds calmly. This is Shin?! And he’s with Iwanako. And Takumi said… Crapbaskets.

“Nah. Still wearing sweater vests? Aren’t you a little warm, buddy?” Shin jokes with a crooked smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Boiling.” A restrained growl leaves Hisao’s throat as his hand and arm clenches tight. The street falls silent, or as silent as a city street could be, before Iwanako steps back, her eyes now larger and manic. She’s gasping for air

“I c-c-c-can’t do this!” She shouts, turning in a flare of dress and dark hair, running back the way she came. Shin moves instinctively to follow then stops, looking back at Hisao before running after the girl.

I… I don’t know what to do. What could I possibly say after that awkward mess? Think, girl, think! Say something, anything!

“… Hisao? Let’s go home, man.” Until Mai speaks for me. Softly, tenderly, like an old friend should when you’re in pain. His arm relaxes as his other raises it to meet his dropping head.

“Yeah. Let’s go home.” He mutters. I squeeze his hand and he holds on to mine firmly. It’s all I’ve got right now and I hope it’s enough.

The clouded sky grows darker as we make our way back to Meguro; a bad omen if ever I saw one though I can’t imagine this day could get worse for poor Hisao… No one says another word until Hisao finally feels comfortable enough to speak up as we arrive in almost the same spot we met Mai and Takumi.

“It’s been good to see you guys.” He says, nodding. “I had fun. I’ve missed us hanging out.” He smiles politely, but glumly, at Takumi and Mai. They reach with tender touches to his shoulders and no judgement in their eyes for his spiral into depression.

“We’ve missed you too, Hisao.” Takumi responds before embracing him with a sympathetic smile and friendly hug. Mai, meanwhile, is oddly forward as she embraces me with whispered concern.

“Take care of him, yeah? He’s got the same look he had in the hospital.” She breaks the hug with a concerned look to me, to which I give a curt nod. She smiles a little and walks off with Takumi, leaving me and Hisao alone. We begin the walk back to his house and I finally gather up the courage to say something.

“Somehow… ‘Are you okay?’ seems redundant…” I begin and his face remains passive as his eyes flit to me. “But I’m here if you need to talk or whatever.”

“I know and… Thanks.” He responds but can’t quite bring himself to smile more than a minuscule half-smirk but he keeps holding my hand tightly. We reach Hisao’s house and enter quietly, just in case his parents are still asleep.

Hisao lets go of my hand to take his shoes off and slinks into the kitchen and I quickly follow. I find him nonchalantly opening cupboard doors and sighing loudly.

“Oh yeah. We didn’t get food, did we?” I frown and he nods silently. I sneak up behind him and wrap my arms around his stomach, resting my head between his shoulder blades. “How about you go into the living room and I’ll fix you something, okay?”

“Thanks, Rika…” He rubs my arms before I turn him around and release him in the direction of the door like a wind-up mouse. I follow behind my bewildered boyfriend, splitting away from him to head upstairs. I could spend time making something, with what little cooking skill I have, that he may not even feel like eating or…

I grin as I pluck a sealed packet of cookies and a small ziplock bag of my decaffeinated tea out of my luggage; both left over from the care package mom gave me when she visited Yamaku. As I leave the guest room, I run into Mrs Nakai, dressed in a gown and looking very surprised to see me.

“Afternoon, Mrs Nakai.” I smile, putting aside my dislike from yesterday because god knows today has had enough unpleasantness. “Did you have a nice sleep?”

“Y-Yes! Thank you, Rika. Did you?” She questions as we descend the stairs, one after the other.

“I did, thanks. I hope we didn’t wake you when we came in.” I apologise pre-emptively and she shakes her head.

“No, I was already awake. Sho is still snoring away…” She says with an airy tone behind me. “I didn’t expect to see you two back so soon. Is everything alright?”

I grimace as I turn and Mrs Nakai becomes visibly concerned.

“We, uh, we went into Shibuya with Mai and Takumi and went to an arcade…” I explain in a hushed tone, glancing towards the closed living room door. “But when we went to get some food we ran into… Iwanako.”

“Oh my god, really!?” She exclaims before covering her mouth and looking at the door. Smooth, lady. “I-Is Hisao okay? He didn’t have an attack, did he? Was there shouting? Fighting?” She fires off questions quicker than I can answer but I place a hand tenderly on her bicep.

“It’s okay, Mrs Nakai. There was some awkwardness but no shouting and definitely no attacks. He’s a little fragile right now but it’s more emotional than physical as far as I can tell.” I try my best to reassure her but given the face she’s pulling, I’m not doing well.

“Th-That’s good to hear. Damn that… that girl. That little hussy! I don’t know how she has the nerve… How dare she…”

“It seemed like just a coincidence. We ran into them completely by acci-”

“You don’t know what that girl is like, Rika. She’s manipulative and cruel and slutty and-and-and-”

“I don’t, nooooo, but considering that Mai and Takumi didn’t know Hisao was back; I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t have-”

“Are you seriously defending her?” Mrs Nakai shoots an accusing glare at me and I hold my hands up.

“What? No, but I just think…” It’s no good, she’s already on the warpath and I’m just a convenient target.

“You don’t know anything.” She storms past me and into the living room without another word, the sound of intense mothering over the TV following in her wake. Urgh, what the hell is your problem, lady? I’m trying to help here!

I go into the kitchen and toss my stuff onto the counter, bracing myself against it. I take a few deep breaths to steady my nerves before I begin searching through the cupboards for mugs. I know how Hisao takes his coffee but it’d be rude not to offer to make Mrs Nakai something.

“Heeeeey,” I peek into the living room with a forced smile. “Would you like something to drink, Mrs Nakai?” A piping hot mug of shut the f-

“Please, Rika. Black coffee, no sugar.” She smiles back, trying to pet down Hisao’s stray hair that defies gravity. He looks super-pathetic being coddled like that.

“I’ll be back in a minute, Hisao.” To rescue you.

-----------

I know she’s a comforting presence for Hisao but being forced into awkward interactions with Mrs Nakai is painful. It’s like spending time with Enomoto… I really, really don’t want to get into an argument though so I make polite small talk until Mr Nakai wakes up and comes downstairs.

“Well, this all looks very cozy.” He smiles after his momentary surprise to find Hisao and his mom on the couch and me relegated to an armchair. “How is everyone?”

“I’m okay.” Hisao responds but is immediately followed by his doting mother.

“He isn’t! Iwanako followed him into the city!” She says, myself and Hisao rolling our eyes in unison before noticing what we both did. That got a little smile out of him at least.

“I am and she didn’t. It was just… Unexpected…” Hisao explains and his dad sighs with a sympathetic gaze.

“Sounds like you’ve had a rough day, kiddo. Do you want anything to drink?” He asks and Hisao shakes his head. Mrs Nakai offers up her mug and I get up out of my chair with mine.

“Oh, I can do that for you.” Mr Nakai says and I flash a quick smile before shaking my head.

“It’s okay, sir. I’m a little particular when it comes to my tea sooo…”

“Say no more,” He chuckles. “I’m just the same.”

We head into the kitchen; Mr Nakai making some toast for breakfast while I make my tea in my own little order. I graciously move out of the way for him to prepare his coffee.

“So how are you dealing with today’s encounter?” He asks as I perch myself on the stool Hisao had been sitting on earlier in the day. “Can’t imagine meeting Iwanako was easy for you either.”

“Ehhhh.” I respond, rocking my hand side to side in an undecided motion. “I was too focused on Hisao to pay her much attention. She was just as shocked as Hisao, that’s for sure.”

“Bet she thought she saw a ghost or something.” He chuckled. His gallows humour is certainly surprising.

“Did you mean me or Hisao?” I respond, smirking as his focus turns away from his almost obsessive compulsive preparation to me with a bemused smile.

“I’m sure you came as a surprise as well! You can make quite the first impression.” He seems to word himself carefully for some reason. I decide to push my luck a little since he appears much more chilled out than his wife.

“You’re quite brave for allowing a mischievous spirit like me into your home, sir. I’m pretty sure Mrs Nakai is one wrong word away from banishing me from this earthly realm.” I wave my arms in a spooky fashion and he laughs earnestly.

“I’m sorry if Seiko is a little off with you. She’s been a bundle of nerves ever since Hisao’s attack and she’s just being protective. She’d be calling Hisao every two hours at school if she had her way.”

“Don’t worry, Mr Nakai, I’ve been keeping a close eye on your son and making sure he isn’t getting into more trouble than he can handle.” I smile a little before I notice his raised eyebrow. “Um, I mean, medically and, um…”

“I know what you mean, Rika, it’s alright. No need to be embarrassed. I’m actually pretty thankful Hisao met you. He seems much more like his old self and I think that’s a lot to do with you.” He smiles earnestly at me and I blush hard.

“Well… Heh, we have a lot in common.” I shrug, earning me another curious eyebrow. “Can I let you in on a little secret, Mr Nakai?”

“O-only if you’re comfortable sharing it, Miss Katayama.” My question takes him aback, to the point of becoming more polite.

“Me and Hisao are more similar than you think.” I tap my chest softly with my index finger for emphasis, Mr Nakai’s eyes going wide with shock. “I know what he’s going through because I’m going through something similar.”

“You mean…”

“Yup, what’s going on with the outside is only the tip of the iceberg of stuff that’s wrong with me.” I giggle but even Hisao’s dad’s humour can’t quite see the funny side.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Rika…” He apologises like it’s his fault or something.

“Like I said, I know what your son is dealing with and I’ve lived with it a lot longer. If I can help him adjust and show that you can be… ‘normal’…” I air-quote with my fingers. “Then I’m happy to do so.”

Mr Nakai nods approvingly with a warm smile which I return in kind before we gather up our drinks and return to find an even grumpier Hisao caught in the clutches of his mom.

-----------

I change into some much more comfortable shorts and a t-shirt after having a much needed shower, more to refresh my mental state than anything. Hisao had a shower earlier and I find him where I left him; laying on his back on the couch playing, more Pokémon, the packet of cookies I brought out as comfort food half-eaten by him. He already had dinner and he’s still stuffing his face? He’s worse than Fuuka…

“Where are you now?” I ask, sitting on the floor in front of the couch, reaching for an untouched cookie and stuffing it into my mouth.

“Hm? Oh, just reached the Forest Manor. I think there’s some kinda puzzle in here or something.” He frowns showing me the screen. I don’t remember anything like that…

“What do you mean?” I lean in, resting my head on his shoulder to see the screen.

“I came into this dining room, right? And there was this little butler guy there before going off-screen and he just disappeared when I followed. I also saw a girl in another room but when I got to the room she wasn’t there. Is there a puzzle to this?” He explains. Ah, I get it now.

“No, there isn’t. Those two just proc randomly as far as I can tell.” I laugh, moving out of the slightly uncomfortable position. “Proc means activate, by the way.”

“Okay but they really don’t do anything? What’s the point in that?” He groans quietly.

“To build atmosphere, I guess. It is a spooky mansion.”

“It’s not that spooky; especially with these sprites.” He rolls his eyes before focusing on the game again.

“Alright, grumpy! Where’s the TV remote?” I ask, looking around for an escape from the dreadful talk show on the screen. “Are you lying on it?”

“Probably.” Hisao shrugs.

“Can I… Have it?”

“I dunno,” He looks at me with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow. “Can you?”

Argh! you’re really pushing your luck, senpai! I get on my knees and slide my hand under his side closest to me. He giggles a little as I dig for the remote. Ticklish, huh? I am soooo going to use that against you at some point.

“Other side.” His smirk spreads wider at my frustration.

“Why are you being such a jerk?” I pout at him.

“Because you’re cute when you’re salty.” He shrugs as I lean across him to feel under his underside.

“I would curse you out something fierce right now if it weren’t for…” My grumble trails off as I find the remote but have to lean a little further to reach it, bringing our faces dangerously close together.

“Yeah? Maybe I should see my ex more often… It’ll stop you from bullying me so hard.” He jokes in a flat but still somewhat amused tone. His hot breath is on my cheek as I grab hold of the remote and I decide to show him how I really tease someone.

In one quick motion, I lean into his face and lick his nose. I don’t know which reaction I found funnier, the disgusted groan as he pushed me away or the furious wiping of his nose as he sat up. His shove knocks me back onto my butt and hands, a giggling wreck.

“Heeeeee! Got Yooou~ Hehehehe!” I titter at his dumbfounded face, glaring at me like I’m a crazy person.

“What the hell was that!?” He exclaims, his open hands out in front of him like he’s grasping for the answer.

“I just wanted to see what you’d do! Plus that serious look doesn’t suit such a cute face.” I smile coyly at him and he flops backwards into the couch.

“Can you blame me though?”

“No, I can’t. I understand but I honestly have no idea what to say or do in a situation like this. Never had a real boyfriend before soooo…” I quietly admit.

“I guess but it’s not like I’m much of a master of romance either… Me and Iwanako dating mostly consisted of a lot of her crying, hand-holding or talking about school while I was recovering…” Hisao lets out a wistful sigh and rubs the back of his head slowly.

“Being stuck in a hospital doesn’t give you a lot of options for exciting dates, huh?” I offer with a sympathetic smile that earns me a wry smirk.

“Even when I was much more stable and she was the last one to visit me… Things didn’t get far.” I watch his cheeks become redder while I lean forwards in my cross-legged position on the floor.

Ooooooh? I crawl over to him, crossing my arms over his knees and looking up at his reddened face with a flirty smile.

“Wh-what?”

“Just be thankful I’m not going to press you on what is clearly a story.” I smirk at him. “But I think we’ve spent far too much time on your ex today. I don’t think I need to remind you that we have the house to ourselves~”

“Oh, um, w-w-well…” The hesitation in his voice is adorable but as I close in for the kill, the lights cut out, along with the rest of the power.

In the dark and silence, I hear the hammering of rain on glass. If there’s a power outage then that must mean…

“Oh shit…” I whisper.

“What’s wrong, Rika?” Hisao’s hands grasp me, making me yelp as a flash of lightning outside illuminates us all too briefly, it’s light dulled by the thick curtains of the living room. “It’s okay, it’s just a little lightning.”

“One Mississippi, t-two Missi—”

KRA-KOOOOOOOM

GAH!

~~~~~~~~

Previous Level <---> Next Level

[swampie2]

I'm here early! I get to point out errors!

that he may not even fell like eating or…

Feel

And there was only one... you're too good sharp

As always, you've got me hooked.

[Alex FRD]

Another great read, even if the ending is very ominous. Is Rika so afraid of thunder she'd have a heart attack? Tune in next time on Flutter! Shamelessly continuing the DragonBall Z joke

[azumeow]

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA


Plsnu plsnu plsnu

You torturous monster! How could you dooo thiiiissss?!??!?!?

[Dash9]

FINALLY a post where I'm not about to go to sleep! Thanks Sharp =)

His arm relaxes as his other raises it to [] meet his dropping head.

...as his other raises to meet his dropping head?
Also, did you mean 'drooping'? Or is it just another instance of my narrow-minded lack of experience with different writing styles?

onto the counter, bracing myself against the counter.

...against 'it'?
Second use of the word 'counter' seems odd to me.

Swampie already beat me to your only actual typo already so I feel less useful now =(

“Just be thankful I’m not going to press you on what is clearly a story.”

Dammit, I would have liked to hear the story. Oh well, I assume we'll hear about it later on.

As for the ending: GODDAMMIT YET ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER Q_Q
Also, not sure if it was just me but without the 'thump-thump' sound effect, it took me a little bit to identify the meaning of the pulse overlay in your image. I may just be a little stupid today, but it HAS been quite a while since I actually went thru the original KS proper. Perhaps a slightly more overt (text) indicator of what was going on wouldn't hurt?

Also, sorry if I'm being nit-picky but do you have to end EVERY chapter with a cliffhanger? I understand that you want to create hype for your next chapter and all but it feels a little bit forced, especially when you do it twice (three times?) in a row. I suppose it's a writer's prerogative and maybe it's the norm for fan fiction? <pre-submit edit> I was gonna whine a bit more but after skimming your previous chapter endings, I suppose it's considerably less tense when the following chapter is available to continue the story, and that tension existing means that you ARE succeeding in keeping people's interest between chapters. But I'm still of the opinion that you're tipping ever-so-slightly towards the excessive/artificial/[eyeroll] range. It almost feels as if you could keep going for just a few lines more to round things out, but stop somewhere solely because it's more dramatic. In the interest of post length (and because I have a breakfast meeting to get ready for), I'll skip the examples, but feel free to PM me if you're interested in discussing specifics.

Anyway, as always, thanks for sharing this with us. I shall now resume checking my inbox 500 times a day to see if there's a new reply notification which *may* indicate the next chapter.

P.S. Found a typo in chapter 14 while I was skimming through all the previous chapters to see if you really do have too many cliffhangers overall. While you do have quite a few (cliffhangers), I actually had a hard time deciding whether it was truly excessive in hindsight, but I still think at the very least twice in a row like this is overdoing it.
anyway:

All the questions… I expected it but still, I thought I could be around my old friends at least a little while without my condition or Yamaku dominated the conversation…

dominating?

[Mirage_GSM]

I'm here early! I get to point out errors!

Swampie already beat me to your only actual typo already so I feel less useful now =(

I see the forum is in good hands, even if I'm absent for a while

[Alpacalypse]

Well, that was entertaining. I'm wondering where the whole Iwanako thing is going to go (because, let's face it, there was no way that that was a throw-away event). I'm also curious as to why Hisao's Mum was so pissed at her - was there a specific reason, or is it just that she's pissed because she thinks it was Iwanako's fault that the whole situation has come about? I guess we'll find out next time.

On a related note, goddamn cliffhangers!
In all seriousness, though, I think Dash has a point here - you may be overdoing it just a tad

[Sharp-O]

Yeah, I can see your points about the cliff-hangers. I think I end up doing it purely because this serialised format to keep people coming back but I promise I'll try to tone it down.

[Hoitash]

Yeah, I can see your points about the cliff-hangers. I think I end up doing it purely because this serialised format to keep people coming back but I promise I'll try to tone it down.

Eh, what's the point of being a writer if you can't troll your audience once in a while?

I like the idea that Iwanako is just as messed up from the incident with Hisao -possibly more so it seems.

I kinda feel for Hisao's mom here a bit. She wants to go all Rambo on Iwanako and all she can do is hold her child and tell him its okay. She probably feels as helpless as Rika did.

[Dash9]

Don't worry Sharp, after 15 chapters of great writing and Rika being adorable, we'll be coming back whether you add cliff-hangers or not. Even those who have short attention spans likely won't go anywhere thanks to your rapid release schedule.

The only difference is whether I'm glaring at you with frustration along with the normal impatience as I jackhammer my f5 key between releases.


Thanks for taking our (selfish) criticism so well, and as always, thanks for sharing this wonderful story with us!

[Sharp-O]

Eh, what's the point of being a writer if you can't troll your audience once in a while?

This guy gets it!

I like the idea that Iwanako is just as messed up from the incident with Hisao -possibly more so it seems.

*knowing smirk*

I do appreciate it when you guys call me out though and I'll try to keep the cliff-hangers for when I call a chapter Ice Climbers

[Sharp-O]

“Aaaaagh!”

“Rika, it’s okay! It’s just lightning!”

I KNOW! I fucking hate it! Not as much as the feeling of my heart thumping like it’s a speed bag being pounded by a boxer though, god! Goddamnfuckmethatstings!

“F-fucking thunder…” I growl. The tightness in my chest is soon joined by a pair of arms squeezing me around the shoulders.

“Just breathe, Rika. It’s alright. I’m here. Just breathe.” Calm words. Soft tone. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Rinse and repeat. Focus on breathing. Calm it down…

Another flash from behind the curtains. God damn it!

“One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Missi-”

The low rumble still catches me by surprise but less so as it’s coming much later which means the storm’s moving away… Thank god.

I breathe a huge sigh and lift my arms to stroke the ones that currently hold me in a vice grip.

“Thank you, Hisao… I’m… Not a huge fan of thunderstorms.” I explain as my chest slowly heaves; the pain subsiding and my heart rate normalising.

“It’s okay. Just… keep breathing.” He says, resting his head against mine.

Sitting quietly in the dark with my boyfriend’s arms around me — normally, I’d actually want my heart to be racing right now and I really wish it was doing it for something more than a little thunder…

I nestle against him more and he seems more than happy to let me, moving his arms from my shoulders to my torso.

“This is nice.” I sigh affectionately, nuzzling his head.

“Yeah… You okay?” Hisao kisses my neck, making my skin all goose pimply.

“I am now.” I smile back at him. That was a pretty bad one even for me. “My hero.”

“Just doing what you’ve done for me.” He smiles as sweetly as he always does.

“You’re certainly doing it for me…” I smirk, pressing against him a little more, as the lights flicker on again.

“What?”

“Oh, hey! The lights are back on!” I quickly change the subject as Hisao’s phone buzzes on the table in front of us. I pass it back to Hisao and he answers.

“Hello? Hi, Mom… Yeah, we’re alright, the lights just came back on here too.” Hisao looks down at me. “No-no, we’re really fine. Right, Rika?”

“Totally fine, Mrs Nakai!” I laugh as I back Hisao up.

“See? Yeah, we will. I love you too.” He closes the phone and groans before raising his voice slightly. “‘Are you sure? Do you want me to come home?’ Like we need babysitting.”

“Right? We can totally look out for each other.” I laugh. “Unless something frightens us both, then we’re probably in trouble.”

“Is there anything else that freaks you out like that? Just for future reference.” Hisao asks with concern, placing his phone back on the table before cuddling me again.

“Thunder, mostly because I don’t know when it’s going to follow the lightning. Makes me super-anxious.”

“Hence the counting?”

“Hence the counting. Top marks.” I offer up my hand and begin tapping out the other things that have triggered flutters in the past on my fingers. “Thunder, moths flying at me, horror movies, ferris wheels…”

“Okaaay, duly noted. And, god forbid, if all those things would happen at once?”

“Don’t even joke about that; the idea alone may actually kill me!” I laugh, swatting at his arm. He joins in, squeezing me slightly.

“I guess you can put running or most exercise on mine. First attack I had after I got out of hospital was because I was stupidly trying to beat Emi in a race.” He groans.

“Ooooh! Many a man has fallen — like, literally — for that tiny temptress’ trap. She should have a little siren on her head to let people know to steer clear of her.” We laugh at my dumb little joke before I clamber out of Hisao’s arms and onto my feet.

I help Hisao up and we make ourselves more tea and settle in front of the TV with our relaxing drinks and what’s left of the cookies. If nothing else, my little episode seems to have distracted Hisao a little.

We cuddle up, my legs curled up close to me, on the couch but I’m not really paying attention to the TV. With my arm behind his back, I have free reign to play with his hair and watch his blank face as he watches TV. He took today surprisingly well. I thought he’d have shut down completely but here he is; perfectly normal. Seems that way on the surface at least. I don’t want to push him too much to open up. He’s been incredibly open with everything so far and if he’s feeling down, I’m sure he’ll say so. I just wish I knew what he was thinking…

“Don’t you dare lick me again.” Hisao says, his gaze not breaking from the TV.

“Wh-what!?”

“I’m serious. Don’t lick me, Rika.” Hisao repeats, turning his head to look at me.

“I wasn’t even th-thinking about…” I stammer as my cheeks burn, Hisao raising a questioning eyebrow at me. “Well, I am now but you put the thought there!”

“You were totally thinking about it…” He smirks, turning his attention back to the TV. I pout and sit up on my knees, pulling his face back towards me.

“Excuse you, senpai, but I will not have my reputation sullied by the likes of you!”

“You’ve already done it once!” He laughs as I lean down at him menacingly, causing him to slide sideways.

“Yeah! For a joke! What kind of girl do you take me for, huh?!” I poke and prod at his shoulder, my free hand supporting me on the back of the couch as we continue our downward trajectory until Hisao is on his back and I’m leaning between his legs to chew him out.

“A really pretty one?”

“Is that a question or a statement, Nakai?” I playfully growl, planting both hands alongside his chest, just under his arms.

“Why am I getting hassled for this? You licked me and now I’m the bad guy?!” He protests and I just smirk down at him.

“And what are you going to do about it senpaieeeeee~” A shiver rockets through my body like chain lightning, making my whole body quiver, originating from my throat to my chin. Where Hisao just licked me in retaliation. He licked me.

“I’ll do that.” He sticks out his tongue and I’m honestly in shock. That… That felt… “See? Feels weird right?”

I catch his eyes and look away, embarrassed, as my whole body warms. “I, uh…” liked it. I really liked it. I look back at Hisao and lower myself onto him, my hands reaching up to his face as I kiss him. Deeply and passionately and for so long I have to take a deep, noisy, breath through my nose.

Hisao looks shocked when I finally let him go and I bury my face in his chest.

“Sorry! That was w-weird! I didn’t know I l-liked that sort of thing!” I ramble. Seriously, why did that turn me on so much? I mean, sure, it’s not the worst fetish to have but really? Hisao’s going to think I’m a pervert and the worst part is he’d be right! Aaaargh, why isn’t he doing it more?

Hisao’s chest judders as he chuckles and I look up to see him smiling at me.

“You really are weird, aren’t you?”

“It’s n-not like I knew I liked that k-kinda stuff! I’ve never been… licked by a guy before…” I smile awkwardly, slightly frowning and blushing like crazy.

“I can tell! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush this much!” Hisao laughs.

“It’s not funny!” I whine, burying my head in his chest again but covering my head with my hands this time.

“It’s pretty funny. And god knows I could use a laugh today.” He chuckles before moving my hands and lifting my head up. “Thanks, Rika, for being here. I don’t think I’d be able to do this if you weren’t.”

“That’s sweet of you, Hisao but I haven’t done anything. This is all you.” I smile warmly, which he returns, before curling my arms around his neck and kissing him again. I could stay like this forever and as Hisao’s hands slide up my back, I think he could too.

But then his lips leave mine and head to my neck, causing me to press myself against him harder, tightening my grip around his neck. I’m not sure if my heart is still shaky or I can actually feel Hisao’s heart beating in counter-rhythm to mine. The cheeky boy under me decides to push my buttons further and I feel his tongue on my neck. Squeezing him tight as I gasp, he manages to choke out a laugh.

“Sorry, sorry, I won’t—”

“Don’t. Stop.” I whisper.

God, what am I turning into? He hesitates but licks my neck again and I moan. He attacks my neck with affectionate kisses making me writhe on top of him. His hands slide down my back and a new wave of pleasure follows in their wake as they reach my hips.

We kiss again and my heart races in that good way I wanted. We break away and I tuck my loose hair behind my ears as hot, lustful breaths collide between me and Hisao. This got hot and heavy quick and I think we’re both just now realising it. I throw him a crooked smile and he laughs.

I ease up off him, my hands sliding along his front as I do. I slip them under his t-shirt and slide my hands up his stomach but Hisao grabs my arms, suddenly looking concerned.

“W-wait a minute…” He says but he’s not looking at me but at where my hands were going. It takes me a second but I realise why he stopped me. His scar. Even after all this time, even as we got closer and closer, he must still be self-conscious about the grim mark on his chest. A wound he got not too far from here…

Removing my hands and grabbing the bottom hem of my shirt, Hisao scoots back as he sits up, looking at me curiously as I pull my shirt up and over my head. A bold gamble on my part but I want to show him. I want him to know…

“It’s okay, Hisao… You don’t have to be shy with me.” The pale skin up my arms is turning pinker by the second as I cross my arms to cover my bra but still show my chest. “I mean, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

I look down at my own scar before eyeing Hisao, who covers his mouth with his hand. After what just happened, it doesn’t feel all that weird to have Hisao stare at my chest, even if the reasons why have changed a bit. Hisao tilts his head as he studies the scar on my chest before looking up at me.

He looks down at my chest once more, gulps hard, and shuts his eyes tight as he pulls the t-shirt off his torso and over his head but leaves it draped on his arms in front of him. He blows a long huff through his lips before opening his eyes again.

“Didn’t even really click with me until just now that you’d have a scar too but… Hell, if you’re going to show me yours, it’s only fair to show you mine.” He blushes cutely.

A good thirty seconds rolls by as we blush and look at each others’ scars, notice the other looking and then look away with a smile. I can’t take much more and move towards him, planting my hands on his shoulders and kissing him softly once more.

He pulls the t-shirt from his arms before sliding his hands up my sides. It tickles and I squirm at his touch but he only pulls me closer. I found myself fascinated as I slide my hands down from his shoulders to his chest.

I’ve never done this before and I’m super-nervous but I’m not hearing any complaints from Hisao as my fingers brush across his skin. I don’t know why but I can’t help but giggle at the confused look on Hisao’s face as I touch his nipples.

“That, uh, feels weird…” He mutters as my thumbs circle the darker nubs on his chest. I always wondered if guys liked this sort of thing and I guess he doesn’t.

“Learning all sorts of neat things about each other tonight, aren’t we?” I whisper and he nods, his hand gliding up my stomach and over my left boob. Oooh~

“Looks like it.” He smirks devilishly as his other hand joins the other in fondling my chest. I close my eyes with a coy smile while rolling my shoulders as my arms erupt into goosebumps. Yup. Definitely like that.

“I don’t like that you’ve found two things I like and I haven’t found any of yours yet…” I tease, pushing my whole body against him and running my hands further down his stomach to his lounge shorts. “I can guess one of your major weak points thooooough!” And I’m going to ‘attack’ it for massive damage!

“Are you, uh, sure you want to go that far right now?” Hisao asks and I raise an eyebrow at him.

“You’re seriously going to refuse?”

“Not that I would but… I’m just worried with the lightning earlier and getting this excited… Could be bad.” Hisao winces as he voices his concern. It is a legit concern though, one that’s hard to argue with but c’mooooon… You’re fondling my boobs and I am literally a squeeze away from holding your junk, senpai!

Arrrgh, what kind of guy cock-blocks himself? But when I look into those big brown puppy-dog eyes of his, I don’t need to answer. He would, every time, if he thought I was in danger. With a resigned smile, I wrap my arms around my silly, but sweet, boyfriend who offers the same and lays back with me atop him.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Hisao Nakai.” Flashing a derisive smirk at him, I sigh and rest my head on his chest facing the TV. And we stay like that, content in each others’ arms.

You win, Hisao. For now…

~~~~~~~~

Previous Level <---> Next Level

[swampie2]

“You’re going to be the death of me, Hisao Nakai.”

Flag number 1.

Couldn't find any errors on my read-through either, good job. I totally expected Hisao's first time seeing Rika naked would be one of those "Character walks into the room to find a naked person" type deals though, with nosebleeds and all.

[Hoitash]

I'd say you're deliberately teasing us for your own sadistic amusement, but real life ain't no fairy tail, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now .

Either way, still adorable. I honestly figured they'd start going at it only for Mrs. Nakai to barge in, but that would probably have killed them both.

[Dash9]

found a typo...maybe

Just… keeping breathing.” He says

just keep breathing?

See? Yeah, we will do.

yeah, will do?

'I’m just worried with the lightning earlier and getting this excited… Could be bad'

could end badly? It's probably correct as is, but the sentence structure bugs me for some reason.

“Sorry, sorry, I won’t—”
“Don’t. Stop.” I whisper.

Seeing as he continues after that, I'm going to assume Rika meant 'don't [you dare] stop?'

Also, Rika doesn't use much profanity, so it really conveys just how much pain she was in at the beginning. Well done, too many people nowadays overuse such language so it loses it's intended impact.
Fooling around on the couch is always a fun time. They sure are a SUPER cuddly couple, even when out in public in previous chapters. (I approve, but isn't that unusual in Japan?) Also, is Hisao's only reason for putting on the brakes his concern for Rika? I feel like I'm either reading too much into things or picking up on something really subtle, and I can't tell which. Also, she backed down quite quickly considering how things were heating up. I'm fairly sure I know HER reason tho.


Great chapter and as always, thanks for sharing.
--Dash

P.S. Thanks for not leaving on a cliffhanger. I promise I'll still be beating the crap outta the refresh button till your next chapter regardless.