Chikao Ayaki rolled his eyes for the hundredth time that night.

His friend, however, not only ignored him but also kept on blubbering slurry her story. The young man stared at her curiously and puzzled. Risa looked to be not herself tonight. She seemed too excited and too annoyed. She usually would not make such a fuss over anything and even if she would she'd do her best to not let the whole world know of her problems again and again in the same night. But as she whistled for the waiter, it hit him.

"Hey, my man!" the tall girl shouted, waving maniacally her arms in the air so to get the attention of the cafe's waiter. "Could you get me –whoa!" she tripped on her seat and fell on the floor, if such a thing is even possible. "Oops! I fell off!" she giggled childishly while her friend stared at her horrified. "Anyway, could you get me three more of these little things? They taste sooooo goooood!" she said and held up one of the shots she had swallowed down.

"No, no. We'll have no more, sir, thank you. Just tell us how much we owe you." Chikao cut in just before the waiter had turned his back on them. The man seemed to be enjoying the sight of a really tall and pretty girl getting drunk but her friend was not. And to think her condition was his fault filled him with guilt and made him want to punch himself. But how could he have guessed that a 17-year-old girl had never had alcohol in her entire life? Well, he had not seen her in four years, maybe he should have asked her first.

"Wha?! We're…leaving?!" Risa gave him a puppy look. "Nooo! I'm having sooo much fun! Let's stay a bit moreeee! Pleeeeease!"

"Absolutely not!" The young man exclaimed as he paid for her drinks and pulled her on her feet. "You've never had alcohol in your life, have you?"

The girl let him pull her arm around his shoulders and forced her to walk, unsteadily but still walk. She placed a finger on the corner of her lips and frowned pensively. "Does a Hawaiian Dancer contain alcohol?! 'Cause that's what I order each time I go to a cafeteria."

Chikao nodded and mumbled something so to prevent her from mentioning her boyfriend again. Since the moment he asked her if she was still single, she wouldn't shut up about that Otani fellow. She had told him their whole story which was interesting but at the sixth time of narration he was more than bored of it. "How the hell am I supposed to take you to your parents in this condition?! They'll kill us both! Not to mention I have no idea where you live. And considering the state you're in, you don't either."

"Well, I do." A grave, scornful voice was heard from behind, startling them. They turned around to see a short boy around their age in the middle of the dark street, with his hands on his hips glaring death with his eyes at them.

Chikao sighed a sigh of relief. "Please tell me you are Otani!"

"I am. And you are?" he seemed surprised that he'd know his name and walked a bit closer to them. "What are you doing with Koizumi? And what the heck is wrong with her?"

"I am Chikao Ayaki, an old friend of Risa's. And as to your other question, well, maybe you should already know the answer. You are the reason she ended up like that."

"Chikao-kun! Who is this boy?" Risa lifted her head from his shoulder and pointed at Otani with a look of confusion. "AH! A SHRIMP MONSTER! HELP!"

Otani's controlled face had now turned into that of an untamable beast's, his teeth sharp like a shark's and his eyes spitting flames of hell. He had not been this angered since that time Risa got kissed by that midget while she was sleeping. "What the hell?! Stop joking around and tell me is wrong with you!"

"Risa, why don't you sit at the bench over there while I have a talk with him?" Chikao suggested and the girl nodded, looking intimidated at her boyfriend. "I'm sorry; it's also my fault she's like that. I accidentally bumped into her in the afternoon. We used to be best friends back in middle school until I got transported. So we decided to go for a drink and catch up. Unfortunately, she did not tell me she had never drunk alcohol in her life so…"

"You mean she's drunk?! Why?!"

"Disappointed and sad by her boyfriend's behavior." Otani's features got gentler and understanding, though the flaming rage was still in his eyes as he gazed concerned at a giggling-for-no-reason Risa. "Anyway, this is none of my business. So should I leave her in your hands? You can take her to her parents, can't you?"

The boy scratched uncertainly his head as he thought everything through. "I'm not sure I can. They will freak out and maybe ground her. And it's not her fault she got drunk." He finished glaring meaningfully at the greatly taller boy who only gave him a look that reminded him whose fault it really was. "Anyway, I'll take her to my place; I owe her after all."

"Good. Take good care of her. And I would suggest that you fix this problem between you. It may be unclear to her but it is not to me."

"What is?"

"That you love her more than you dare admit."

The short boy stared after him in wonder before Risa's incomprehensible, slurred singing got his attention. He had to smile. Even at such a condition she would still sing the song they'd always pick at karaoke, which is Umibozu of course. "Aho, come on, let's get you home."

"Excuse me, sir, but my name is Risa, thank you very much!" she tried to look smart as he placed an arm around her waist and pulled hers over his shoulders. Otani rolled his eyes and tried to push away any kind of worry that was consuming his soul by telling himself he would enjoy very much teasing her about this when she was herself again. "Hey, Mr. Shorty, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did and my name is Otani, you amazon!"

"Yeah, whatever. So, Kotani, do I have a boyfriend?"

So she was that drunk? Maybe he should not push her by yelling at her for calling him such humiliating names. "Hai. Do you not remember him?"

"I just remember that I am really mad at him and for some reason, I want to curse him to…uhh…" she searched with difficulty for the proper word "…hmm…"

"Not that curse again…"

It could actually work at some point. "…to shrink…?"

"Damn you woman! If it does happen, you'll pay for it!" he suddenly barked and she screamed in fright and attempted to run away.

"NOOO! It's back! The shrimp monster's back! HELP!"

"Shut up, you freaking amazon and get inside!"

Thanking God that she kept quiet while they snuck in the house, he pushed her violently in his room and asked her to remain there quietly for him. He then informed his mother that his girlfriend would sleep over for the night and asked her to be the one to call Koizumi's parents and let them know. He also came up with the idea that she'd borrow her sister's pyjamas and he assured her ten times that he'd sleep in the couch.

Risa's drunken calls for "Kotani" gave him the excuse to save himself from any questions and run back to his room with a glass of water and some snacks.

"Shut the hell up! You'll wake the whole neighborhood up!"

Risa giggled innocently as she lied comfortably on his bed. "Sorry, Kotani. But you left me and I have more questions!"

"Oh, boy…" the young man muttered and braced himself for the next insults and curses he'd receive. Even when this drunk, she was just too mad at him. And…hurt. Their friends were right, it was so stupid of him to tell her such mean things –for example, her being annoying- and not apologise when she gave him a chance to.

"Do you know why I'm so mad at my boyfriend? Because I don't. And it's like…really…ANNOYING!"

"Shhhh! Keep it down. I know." He said, turning red by her choice of words. "Well, I think he said some really stupid things to you and did not apologise. I think he's probably a jerk."

"No!" she suddenly yelled and sat upright on the bed. "Don't call him that! I mean he is an idiot… but…don't call him that. He's…a good guy so…" her voice trailed away sorrowfully and she lied back down, turning her back on him and drawing her feet to her chest. "He's a good guy…"

All Otani could do was stare at her back in surprise. "No." he muttered to himself with a sigh. "I am a jerk." He really had overdone it this time. And as if the guilt eating him up wasn't already enough, she had to prove once again she really loved him by defending him to a 'stranger' despite her anger. She really is amazing that girl. Mimi-chan's voice rang in his head once more. "I am sorry…Risa."

"Huh?" she softly uttered and rolled slightly on her other side to study at him. "Who is Risa?"

The boy tried to conceal his disappointment and shock. Well, she was completely lost in her little world that was now pouring alcohol and was blurring her mind. "My girlfriend."

"Awww…" she exclaimed in adoration, her round eyes narrowing in a cute expression. "How is she like?"

"She's…amazing." He simply replied and then they both remained silent, just staring at one another. In his eyes, she suddenly seemed so vulnerable and petite, despite her height and loud personality. She actually looked really cute. Before he knew what he was doing, his feet had dragged him all the way across his room and were kneeling beside her. "Really amazing."

He was glad a part of her normal self was still left unaffected by the alcohol since she stared in wonder in his eyes as he closed the distance between them, an effect he remembered having on her each time he attempted to kiss her. She was about to whisper something, but he would not let her ruin the moment again. So he rushed to brush his lips on hers for a brief second. But still that wasn't enough to keep her from giggling like a lovesick fool once he pulled away.

He furrowed his brows in confusion as she suddenly stared at him in fright and shock. "Oh, no, this is bad!"

"What is?"

"If my boyfriend learns about this…! This is wrong, you shouldn't have done that! I love him, I don't want him to break up with me over something like that! Don't you dare tell him you did this!" she said in one breath. He studied her in disbelief before he suddenly burst out in a violent laughter, holding his stomach with an arm while hitting the other on the floor. That girl…honestly, she was such an idiot, even when drunk she worried about him. How could he not love her? "Hey, what's so amusing, you shrimp? Stop laughing like an idiot, it's pissing me off!"

"Sorry, sorry, it's just that…sheesh, you are so stupid! You dummy!" he said while catching his breath.

She sat on the bed, her arms crossed over her chest as she sent daggers with her eyes at his direction. "Are you laughing at me, Kotani?!"

Waving a dismissive hand at her direction, he stood on his feet and walked out of the room, saying he'd get her a pair of pajamas of his sister's. However, when he returned, he found a sleeping Koizumi on his bed, one leg dangling freely on one side and so was her arm, while she had the other one resting on her belly. She just looked too serene, too calm –and might he add, pretty- to wake her up just to give her the cloths. So all he did was sit on the floor by her side, and after placing her dangling arm on the bed as well and after lots of studying of her sleeping figure, he swiftly drifted off to dreamland.

Risa woke up with a start. She jumped upright on the bed, her already dizzy head getting ever fuzzier and hurting like hell, while her vision was slightly blurry and unfocused. Her surroundings seemed strange but not unfamiliar. All she knew for certain was that it wasn't her room.

With a moan of pain, she brought a hand over her head and rubbed her temple. What was wrong with her? Where was she? All she could remember was meeting with Chikao after four years and having funny-tasting drinks with him in a cafeteria while narrating hers and Otani's story. Otani? Yes, that's right! That was his room! And what the heck was she doing in his room, on his bed while she was still furious at him? And why did that headache instead of getting fainter and fainter grew even more unbearable every passing minute?

"It's all that migdet's fault!" she muttered scornfully only to find that it only hurt her head to hear her own voice. "What the hell?! Why am I like this?!"

Just as she was about to keep on talking to herself, the door creaked open and Otani appeared with a tray filled with plates and glasses. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" he exclaimed sarcastically when seeing her. But as an answer he only received his pillow being violently thrown at him the moment he placed the tray on his table. "What the-?!"

"Keep your voice down, aho!" she hissed in a whisper and pressed her hands with all her might on her skull. She must have looked extremely in pain for his features grew gentler and he silently passed her a glass with some funny looking liquid in it. "Pain killers?" she guessed and grabbed it off his grip as he nodded. "Thanks." She mumbled and before she knew herself what she was doing, she was on her feet and was heading to the door. But he easily caught up with her and grabbed hold of her waist as her body was too weak to walk any further.

"What the heck are you doing? You can't leave like this, dummy!"

"Oh, sorry, I just thought I'd be a nuisance to his majesty king Kotani!" she grumbled sarcastically but let him lead her back on the bed.

He only sighed at her response and with a look of surrender he sat next to her as she gulped down the painkillers. But what he did next was a surprise to both of them. With a curt curse that sounded like «Damn!» and an abrupt jerk of his arm, Risa found the boy nestling his head in the crook of her neck.

«Otani!» she exclaimed, and this time her loud voice didn't hurt just her ears. She felt his forehead rushly and picked up his face with both hands so that she was staring right into his eyes with her worried ones. «Are you okay? Are you sick maybe too?»

He merely rolled his eyes –always concerned over him, that girl- and pulled his face out of her gentle hold. «Didn't you hear what I just said then?»

«Umm… 'damn'..? Was it?» she recalled puzzled.

He slapped loudly his forehead. «Not that, you BUFFOON!» She was about to shoutingly protest so he only slapped his hand over her mouth and said with a steady and clear voice. «I said I am sorry! You know, sorry? S-O-R-R-Y? That's what I am for everything I've done to distress and sadden you! Somehow I always end up doing so, even though I yell and curse myself that I will stop!»

Risa's brown orbs instantly adopted the sweetest and kindest look her had ever seen in anyone. He knew he could be blushing so he turned away. Did he really deserve that girl? «What are you staring at with that idiotic face, you idiot?» he muttered but her answer was merely a tight bear hug.

«Thank you, Otani. You are such a good person. That's why I've fallen in love with you so easily.» she admitted as she pressed her face against his back.

«So stupid...» he whispered back but she could listen to the soft smile in his voice and he knew it. He looked at her over his shoulder and she looked up back at him, both smiling lightly. «And to think you went and got drunk over stupid reasons… As expected of an idiot such as yourself…»

«Drunk?» she inquired, pulling away. «I've never tasted a single drop of alcohol in my life! What are you- uhh! My head! It burns!»

«And this is the aftermath of getting drunk!» he concluded proudfully to be proven right. «Now eat something and lie down for a while. Then we… can go for a walk…or go play somewhere fun…»

Risa smiled widely and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. «Yes, I wil!» she announced and stuffed her mouth with the breakfast his mother had prepared for them. He grinned at her back. «That's my girl. Always willing to be with me.»

Why, hello there everyone! I haven't posted anything in the LovCom fandom in a while, have I? Well, I had this little one-shot rusting in my computer's hard drive for about a year or so and thought I might just publish it! Better late than never, right? I hope you like it! Long live Risa and Otani! They're so adorable! I hope you let me know what you think of what I've written! Thank you very much! God bless!