Hey! Back with a short Naegiri one-shot. Please enjoy your stay!
...
Her eyes fluttered open. A rhythmic thumping akin to a person's heartbeat penetrated her eardrums, almost lulling her back to sleep but she resisted the calls of slumber. Warm. She was warm. The sweet scent of honey enveloped her senses and she wanted to drown in this redolence. It was homey...familiar even. Sleepy, glazed lilac irises focused on what seemed like a man's Adam's apple and she realized that she wasn't alone in bed. She wasn't alarmed and further nuzzled her head by the crook of his neck. It was almost instantaneous, the action. Instinct. She wasn't in control of her body anymore. There was a part of her that just needed to stay like this for an indefinitely amount of time.
And maybe she could.
"Kyoko-chan! Hey, you in there? Hellooo." A loud, harsh knock banged against wood.
"What was th-" The other occupant of the bed, woken up by the commotion, stared wide-eyed at the woman practically draped over his body. "Kirigiri-san?"
"Shh. I'm sleeping, Naegi-kun." She could hear his heartbeat quicken. Softly, an apology fell from his mouth.
Muffled shouting was heard on the other side of the door. "Kyoko-chan! The boys are saying Makoto is missing. Are you awake?"
"Jeez, the menfolk are fretting like mother hens." Another girl whispered.
Makoto shifted slightly to his right, worried about the panicked voices outside. What was this about him being missing? His cheek touched the side of her head, and he could feel her hot breath hitting his skin. From the looks of it, he wasn't in his dorm so he must have spent the night in her...room.
"Are you awake now?" Silence greeted him. "Kirigiri-san?" Attempting to break through her ironclad grip, her arms tightened around his waist, locking him in place.
More shouting blasted outside, "Oi, maybe Kirigiri ain't even there. I bet they went somewhere to bone." A loud smack echoed in the hallway. "Ouch! That hurt Sayaka! It was a joke."
Sayaka seethed, unable to tolerate her friend's uncouth retorts. "Leon! You and Hiro-kun were the ones who woke us all up shouting that Makoto has been kidnapped. I was sleeping so nicely until you…" The flurry of "oww," "ouch," and "please stop hitting me" from Leon made Makoto chuckle. Sayaka was giving him a hard time.
"Damn, Maizono-chan. You are not a morning person. If the entire academy could see their idol now."
"Don't start as well, Junko." Only a guttural laugh was the response.
Switching to Makoto, he tried to pry himself from her surprisingly steely hold but no matter how much he wriggled, he couldn't escape. It felt like he needed a crowbar for this. Almost every part of him touched her body and he'd rather not have her witness his morning problem. "Kirigiri-san…" Contemplating on his next actions, he could answer the door (when he eventually broke free) but what could his excuse be? There were certain rules that frowned upon "co-ed sleepovers" at their academy and they will definitely be getting an earful from their class representative. He struggled but got one of his hands out until finally, he managed to untangle himself from the slumbering girl. Sitting by the edge of the bed, he noted her soft features and parted lips.
They were inviting.
He coughed as he forcefully willed away any strange thoughts from invading his mind. Makoto averted his emerald beads and focused on the laptop at the foot of the bed. That's right. The pair were watching a movie last night and they must've just fallen asleep.
"I would not answer the door if I were you." He turned to the voice. Kyoko must have stirred from all his squirming.
"Kirigiri-san! You're finally awake. We have to answer the door though!" He then added, "...before they break down your door."
"Agreed. Since this is my room, I will do it. Try to be silent." Before he could respond, she had already opened the door and closed it behind her. Out of curiosity, Makoto pressed his ears onto the door.
"Hey! Kyoko-chan!" It was Asahina who greeted Kyoko first. He could imagine the bright, cheery smile plastered on her face.
"Asahina-san. Good morning."
"C'mon, Kyoko-chan! I told you Hina is fine! Stop being so formal."
Kyoko cleared her throat. "Yes, I will work on it."
"Anyways." The voice of another classmate, Junko Enoshima, drew closer to the door. "You guys banging in there?" Enoshima jibed.
"Whom would I be banging with?" Makoto covered his mouth from yelping. Listening to the monotone cadence of Kyoko's mixing with such crude language was startling.
"Naegi-chan, obviously. You can tell your pal, Kirigiri-chan." Enoshima goaded with enthusiasm. She was ever the instigator, a type to poke a wasp nest and not regret it.
"I'm not at a liberty to discuss such private matters with you, Enoshima." Makoto unconsciously slapped his forehead. Being coy about their "private matters" wasn't helping the burning fires of gossip. Besides, nothing occurred between them.
Nothing ever does.
"I hope that you are aware that co-ed sleepover is against school regulations…" As expected, the class representative, Ishimaru Kiyotaka, in accordance with his strict personality, started the castigation with ear-shattering zeal.
Kyoko soon raised her hand and stopped him midway through his explanation about rule 32. "Yes, thank you, Ishimaru-kun. Apprise me of this rule at a later date."
Makoto snickered behind his hand, hoping his amusement wasn't being heard. He shouldn't be laughing. He'll probably be on the gallows soon enough.
Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. Kyoko managed to excuse herself and he could see the doorknob twisting. The two was almost in the clear so of course, he had to ruin everything. He felt a sneeze coming. Muffling the incoming attack was futile as it came in a loud burst like a bomb was set off in a quiet environment. He could have recovered from it but an accidental expletive spilled out from him, worsening the situation.
Kyoko retracted her hands from the knob and massaged the bridge of her nose. His luck struck again.
"Yo, that was Naegi!" Leon exclaimed a bit too gleefully as if he just won the lottery. Makoto could picture all eyes on Kyoko.
Kyoko had a plan as one who considered every multiple outcomes. A funny one cropped up. Her peers have been telling her to lighten up and there were already several misconceptions about her relationship with Makoto so what was the harm of adding more. "Very well. Naegi-kun and I were sleeping together." Naegi couldn't hold back the coughs any longer. "Now that the air is clear between us all, I shall head back inside and resume our apparent banging." Kyoko hastily absconded the scene and slammed the door in front of her bewildered classmates but realized she forgot to add the "just kidding" part. She needed to work on her comedic deliveries.
"Kirigiri-san! What the heck was that?" His dumbfounded expression mirrored that of their class.
"It was a joke. Did you not hear the humorous connotation tinged within my tone?
"Since when do you joke around, Kirigiri-san?" She flinched at how high pitched he just got.
"Was it too risqué? I was aiming for a double entendre because we technically were sleeping toge-" She was interrupted by a balmy palm to the mouth. He just couldn't handle hearing that phrase from her again.
"I…" Her lips brushed against his palm. He could've sworn he heard her mumble out, "I found it funny."
He sat down on her bed, sure that he wouldn't be able to confront everyone for the time being. Fortunately, there was no class tomorrow. "Don't worry, Naegi-kun. I'll make it extra clear to our class that everything is extra platonic between us." Playfulness riddled her voice. The word platonic wasn't exactly what he'd described...whatever they were. Naegi 's deepening frown didn't go unnoticed by her hawk-like eyes.
"Extremely platonic, then?"
"Is what you believe, Kirigiri-san?" He slumped his shoulders and braced for her reply.
"I know I'm comfortable around you. More than anyone I'm used to." It didn't take long for her to answer. "You're a welcoming presence in my life." There was a pregnant pause. "I would prefer that you remain with me forever." At this point, the redness had stretched all the way to his ears and neck. Meanwhile, she maintained her straight-faced composure.
"I feel the same way, Kirigiri-san." He spurted out the first thing he thought of with a slight stutter.
A hushed, calming air enveloped the couple so her next words were a surprise. "I'm just kidding, Naegi-kun."
Makoto stared at her, unblinking.
"That was also a joke." She quipped.
"Which part was the joke, Kirigiri-san!" In hindsight, he shouldn't have encouraged her to be more jocular.
She patted his shoulders. "Relax, Naegi-kun. We should get some food in us. I'll need your time later." Her advising him to ease up was like calling the kettle black.
"Oh? What for?"
"I require fresh eyes on a case I'm working on unless you're busy."
Thankfully when they exited her quarters, their class members were nowhere to be seen. "No, I'm not but I'm not sure how much help I'd be."
"Then, you could just keep me company. Besides, our late night banging must take its toll on you. We should explore other ventures."
Makoto immediately shushed her. "Please, can you stop saying that!" He frantically pulled on her arm before anyone else overhears them.
…
Kyoko's attempt at a joke was rather...interesting.