What is this?! I am actually writing romance?! Hahahah... I actually thought about how I sucked at it and my incapability of putting romance in any of my bigger stories so I decided, well shit, nothing will change if I stick to my usual shit and so, I tried to write romance.
Roommates
Pairing: Dio & Mari
Written in Dio's Point of View
Someone once told me that this was going to be hard. I laughed at him like the bastard I was, confident that I could prove him wrong. I think at that time, I already knew that it was going to be freaking hard but the person who warned me was none other than Sieghart, so I had to laugh at him. But that just meant that there are not to be any regrets from me.
So what exactly was going to be hard?
"Dio…. You're disturbing me…"
"But I'm-"
"Dio. One of the rules of staying was that you're not to disturb me…"
"Tch!" I jerked away from the busy girl. Knowing myself, I would never care about who, what and how people threatened me. Mostly because I had power to kick their asses back to hell. But I hate to admit, there are always exceptions in those three categories of who, what and how.
This workaholic, unfashionable and empathetic woman who sat before me fell in all three. She was Mari Ming Onette and whatever she says was usually literal. So if she said she was going to kick me out, she would gladly do it without a second thought. How she was going to do it? Probably drug me and kick me off the balcony…. I think…
I stalked away from her workspace, annoyed at the fact that I was shooed away so simply. I knew if I were kicked out of her place, I still could sleep back home or crash at a friend's place. I mean Zero would gladly accept me and Rufus…. Yeah, I can bribe him with a couple of steam buns to let me stay.
But I'm sick of meeting the same annoying farts back at home, especially that useless butler of mine and I don't want to wake up to see half naked men already at the kitchen and making breakfast. Not to say Zero walks around without his shirt, but it's that roommate of his, Gran… Whatever his name is. My life felt like it was scarred when I saw him. On the other hand, I nearly mistook Rufus as a woman from the back… And I don't ever want to remember that incident….
I'd like to rent my own place but I needed money (my old man seems to think if I lived by myself I had to work for myself, living expenses included, as a means of learning to be a great and independent man…. Annoying dick…). So I looked around and Mari just happened to have a 2-LDK apartment. She didn't seem to mind when I asked about it. Me, who was a fully grown man that could pose as a potential threat. Nevertheless, I took it immediately.
She only had a couple of rules:
1. Pay the rent on time (of which I could afford)
2. Make sure everything was cleaned up after use
3. Don't bring back friends without her approval
4. Never disturb her whilst she work
I thought it was kind of easy. And it was. At first, it was pretty awkward, living with someone I wasn't used to and a girl to boot. I even had fantasies of accidentally walking into the bathroom whilst she was still in. But nothing of the sort happened. Mari was careful and took note of my habits faster than I thought so she never did pose as a nuisance to me. Because of that, I kind of returned the favour by obeying her rules. Besides, there was no reason for me to pick on her or tease her or even argue with her.
In fact, it was because of that, everything was still awkward to me. We were roommates, but we weren't close enough to be called friends. But I've known her since high school as just another weird classmate. Never did talked to her and never did tried to approach her. Back in high school, I remember always fighting with some idiot and had the time of my life hanging out with my guy friends. And yes, I had friends other than Zero and Rufus. Asin was particularly interesting and Lass was forced to be acquainted with me because of his brother.
Back to the main story, I didn't hang out with any girls. Or even tried to make friends with them. I'm not gay or anything, but there's this one bitch, Ley, who annoyed the hell out of me and it proved to me that girls could be irritatingly troublesome. In the end, it was mere coincidence Mari and I ended up going to the same university. I had always thought she'd end up somewhere high or even abroad, but instead she went to some average local university like me. Nevertheless, we were of separate majors – I took politics (surprised? Then stop underestimating me!) and she took mechanical engineering. We had completely different interests so there wasn't much to talk about and she always keeps herself in her room when she's not hungry or not in classes.
The only reason I knew that she was looking for a roommate was because of Zero. Apparently he and Mari were somewhat friends and regularly talked about the strange things about humans. But never mind that, he mentioned to me that Mari had a place and she didn't mind it being me. And there was the fact that she never did act like how I assumed a girl should act. She was actually quite independent and cool so I kind of respected her for that.
I thought I could live on like this until I get a job and move out. But speaking seriously, I was attention deprived. I thought if I went on like this, I might even go so low as to find that idiot rival of mine and treat him to a cup of coffee. And I don't ever want that to happen. EVER.
So I stayed back in the university one day and waited for Mari. Sure enough, when her class was over, she was walking towards the gate. I chased after her and called her out.
"Mari! Tonight… Do you want to eat out? My treat."
"…. Is it required for me to eat with you outside?"
I thought she was mocking me for saying that at first, but the way she said it and the way her face looked so confused told me otherwise. It seemed obvious to me that she had never eaten out before with a friend.
"Yeah, we can skip making dinner tonight and try out something new."
A pause, like she was trying to think of what she should do. I rolled my eyes and took her by her hand. "I'm taking that silence as a yes."
I remembered that day; we went for something the both of us never tasted. Chinese. Don't get me wrong, we had nothing against it. It's just that I've never tasted commoner's food other than what Mari cooks and Mari doesn't seem to explore food much. Neither of us couldn't believe what we've missed, even though it was something simple. I guess the saying, never take things for granted comes in.
As we walked home, I grew to realise how our initial interest may not intertwine with one another, we'd both grew to like something completely new together. It was definitely fun and I decided we should both eat out at a new place every Tuesday nights, to which Mari agreed without resistance. I even thought there was a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. I guess maybe it was then I started to fall… As in, I literally fell over and hit the ground by accident….
We started to speak more in meals and sometimes I'd get her out of her room to watch some horror movies. Apparently she didn't fear them, which was a total disappointment because I was expecting a scream. But when we got to the tech stuff, she grew interested; despite saying it was all bullshit movie magic. So that was another thing that I learnt. Mari was a robotics nut.
And then it was her turn to drag me out. In one of the mornings of the weekends, it was my turn to make breakfast (And don't you guys dare think of something silly! I practised my ass off to make something taste good!). And Mari was there, wearing something a little fluffy? I'll call it fluffy compared to what she normally wears. She actually looks kind of cute for a change.
I blamed that sudden change for the heartbeat I felt.
And she was also looking at me expectantly.
"What….? Did I do something wrong? Oh shit! Did I forget to throw the trash again?!"
"No… I… Want to ask you if you'd like to accompany me to convection."
I blinked at her. She hadn't ever done the initiatives until now. Actually, I practically dragged her in the other times.
"S-sure…. I'll just quickly make some omelettes and shower and-"
"We can buy something to eat there, Dio. My treat." Mari looked at me like she really wanted me to come with her. But I noticed how her lips kind of twitched a little. Was she nervous? Heck, it kind of reminded me of how I suddenly told her that I wanted to eat out together. And maybe in her eyes, I was making that same confused face as how she once made when I asked her out.
"Can I at least get a shower?"
"Yes. Yes you can."
It was a funny feeling. Having Mari dragging me out somewhere. Usually I'm the one who leads or gives orders whether around my friends or superiors or even against my old man (he'd scold me for that…). But Mari… It felt natural to let her do as she please. I guess I adapted to it when I started living with her with those rules she imposed from the start. Or maybe it's because she doesn't really bother me much that I don't feel like picking on her.
I've already considered her as my friend. She was different compared to the other friends I have, being a girl and all, yet at the same time, she was worth… 'Sticking up for'. This kind of thing was something I wasn't used to, seeing as the friends I got didn't need much help. Not that they needed it.
I remembered I picked out a decent set of casual clothes. The kind where you save for something special. I thought she was going to bring me to an important convention seeing as she was dressed up 'cute-like'. Even Mari herself was pretty bewildered at my get up. But I think there was a small curve in the end of her lips.
"Let's go." She turned away and walked out of the door. I got used to her aloofness (everyone around me are kind of aloof anyways). But I knew that there was something different when she turned away. Her ears were slightly red despite her empty expression.
I guess even Mari thought I looked cool when I also change from the usual. I wondered if her heart ever skipped a beat like mine.
Well, yeah. It should have. It's a natural reaction.
It's not like we were in a relationship anyways.
Just friends.
No wait. Mari was a special friend. My roommate.
But she was not a roommate like how I described at first. It was hard to explain, but she was just that. Roommate of a closer degree?
After that I followed her to a really huge convention. And I did not expect it to be an anime convention. I even pinched myself a bit to check if I was dreaming, that Mari, she who always kept herself in the world of mechanical engineering and what not, had brought the both of us to an anime convention.
"Did this surprise you?" Mari said as she took glances around curiously. "Actually it surprised myself as well. But when I saw the convention being promoted, I recalled I've never gone to one that was anime related and I felt uncomfortable doing something new without your company. Was I wrong to bring you along?"
"Nope, it's okay." I replied, also looking around to the busy people around having fun. "When I was a kid, I actually went through the anime geek phase. But I never got the chance to visit a convention because they weren't so grand as now."
I kept my eyes busy, looking around in curiosity. I knew that Mari was staring at me happily.
That was another heart beat skipped…. That was another natural reaction…. Right?
"Thank you, Dio." She said as she grabbed my hand. "Let's go explore around."
Like how I first grabbed her hand and pulled her around, she had taken mine and dragged me around. I thought I would hate it. I knew that when that bitch Ley did this, I had the most irritating time of my life. But with Mari, it was the exact opposite.
I think it's because we both had a mutual understanding that we wanted to do this. Not a one-sided thing. Or because what we're doing was just exciting. Or maybe because it's so amusing to see her many expressions when she's learning something new.
Though there was one thing that disturbed me in the whole event. It was when we went across the fujoshi circles. I knew there was something wrong with how they stared at people when we were looking around. At the time, I didn't even know what a fujoshi is. But we innocently walked up to them to check out their stuff. They giggled in a freaky manner when I picked up one of their fan books.
I knew why and I was scarred.
Mari on the other hand seemed to be interested in them. 'Oh god, please don't let her join them…' That was what I kept thinking about.
Instead Mari closed the book, thanked them for letting her look through and dragged me away.
"I-I nearly thought you were into those things…." I laughed dryly.
"Perhaps… I've noticed these people making fan books seem to have their own individual preferences imposed on their favourite characters. So I was wondering what I would be interested in…"
"… So you looked through to see what fetish you had?"
"To put bluntly, yes."
"Hahahah" This time, I laughed happily. Which girl would look through everything to find out what perverted fetish she had? Apparently Mari. And it was really silly. "I didn't expect you to be so gullible. I've always thought you to be so perfect like a robot. And here you are being all adorable."
That slipped out of my mouth by accident. I only noticed it when Mari blushed after being called adorable. No way. Had she never been called adorable?! I thought every girl would at least be called adorable or cute or pretty once in their life. It was like a rule or something.
To think I'd be the first to call her that. It just seemed unbelievable.
Mari was a fine woman. There was no way anyone wouldn't turn a blind eye on her. Sure, her stoic personality is a bit hard to figure out, but it was just...
There was a funny feeling inside of me, knowing I was the first to make her blush like that. Mari, being Mari, stared at me in confusion, yet her face had turned a beautiful shade of red. I looked away.
"C-come on… I haven't had breakfast and it's already lunch. Let's have a break…"
"Y-yeah.. Let's go…"
Neither of us looked at each other in the eye. I'm taking a wild guess that she's trying to figure out in the most logical way why she was feeling like that. Me on the other hand, I knew why she was reacting that way. I just hope she didn't mistake it as love instead of the natural reaction of any girl when they get complimented by a guy for the first time.
So why do I feel anxious? I mean, even I'm worried about it by thinking about it instead of just casually leave it aside.
The atmosphere between us only returned back to normal when we got into what they called a maid and butler café. It's funny how people actually enjoyed that kind of get up. They called it a servant fetish. I for one couldn't understand it since the butlers I have back at home are pretty annoying. From there, I grew the desire to be more independent rather than getting spoiled over like a brat. But being in this café, it gives off a different feel.
Mari seemed to enjoy it. Or maybe she's thinking of using one of them as her own personal butler so she could work without wasting time on taking care of herself. That sounds like her. Well, she seems like she had a rough time being so independent nearly her whole life so being spoiled was like a luxury for her. I was suddenly reminded of that feeling I had of her when I first moved in to her place. That she was a total stranger.
I shook my head. Such thoughts were now foreign to me. I've learnt so much about her and understood (nearly) a lot about her. She was not a stranger. Rather, she was a person of a complex background that shaped her to who she was now.
For one thing, it kind of made me feel selfish. That I shouldn't take my butlers, my old man's nagging and my fortunate life for granted. I should've felt grateful that I was born with those things in my life as they helped me grow in one way or another.
Then again, if I did, I would have never met Mari. So maybe it was a good thing I realized it now.
'….. Why was it a good thing I met Mari….?' I thought, but then it was fine. If we were the greatest of friends now, perhaps we would eventually become one as well if I had chosen a different path.
Home felt like heaven when we reached back. Both our feet ached because of too much walking but neither of us complained. I didn't say a word because my pride would never let a girl see my weak side. And Mari was obviously being her aloof self and tried not to depend on anyone by even complaining a little to release the stress. The thought of it did irritate me.
I called Mari over to the sofa.
"Yes, Dio?"
"Sit down and pull your legs up."
She complied. Then I reached out to her foot, to which she immediately retracted. A reaction I expected.
"I'm not going to do anything but to massage you. Look, we both had a hellish day for our feet. Yours worse because of those high heels. So be obedient and let me rub it for a bit."
"…. I'm hesitant because you've never seem to help your friends. It's unlike you…"
I guess she was right. Heck, I didn't even know why I was doing it but I hate the thought of watching her bottle up her pain. Besides, as I once said to myself before. I don't help my friends cause they don't need it. Mari on the other hand….
She didn't need it either. She could massage it herself since she had her own hands. So why do I want to help her….?
"Forget that. Just give me your feet." Mari stared at me cautiously so instead I grabbed one of her foot. She was going to struggle free and kick me but I instantly pressed on one of the muscles on the heels. And like magic, Mari quieted down. I took a peek at her and she was sighing in relief. "See? I'm pretty good, right?"
"… It's very… Unexpected for you to know this…"
"Alfred, one of my butlers, used to do this for me when I'd get tired of standing in one of my family's events so I picked up how to ease the muscles in the foot."
"Hmm…." She only hummed. Instead of peeking, I now glanced to her. Mari had relaxed onto the sofa's arm and smiled in comfort. It was definitely a rare sight of Mari, but one worth witnessing for a little manual labour. She looked as if she was momentarily free from her worries, unlike her studious usual self. It'd be nice if she was always like this. That would ease me as well.
"While I'm taking care of you, shall I make a nice ice cream Sunday as well, Master?"
It was silly of me to call her master, being a young master myself. Never have I imagined myself becoming someone's servant, but Mari actually giggled and kicked me lightly with her other foot. It all felt worth it. "Don't tease me, Dio. This is enough."
There it is. Mari's reserved side. Like she was just satisfied with what she had now. To me, that was simply testing me that I still haven't reached the quota that she deserved. I felt like I had to tease her into letting me go my way to spoil her.
"What was that, Master? It isn't enough? Then shall I also become Master's lap pillow and sing a lullaby for Master to sleep with?" I continued to throw in more things to do to spoil her. Mari had kicked me gently once more, giggling softly once more.
"Dio, that isn't-"
"Dio?"
A foreign voice called out my name and my head shot towards the entrance. Mari had pushed herself up and dragged her foot off of my grip and to the ground. We both saw a man standing at the entrance, looking at us, baffled.
"Sieghart."
Mari said the man's name in such a cold tone compared to how she had been calling me just now. Actually, she used the same formal tone as the one she once used when we first met.
"I made a duplicate of the spare key you lent me before as an emergency." Sieghart pointed to the door with his thumb. In his finger were keys. One of them being the said duplicate. He then stared at me, grinning in a mocking manner. "And I'm glad I did because I would've never seen the ever so mighty Dio actually stoop so low into becoming a servant."
I wanted to punch his face. This was the idiot I've spent my school days fighting with. I don't really know why he had a bone to pick with me. But I remembered it was he who started first. And since then, I always loved dreaming about kicking his ass and grinding his face on the ground and it had become instinct to glower at him as a threat.
Mari stood and crossed her arms. I've seen Mari angry before but I've never seen her so furious like how she was now. "Why did you come back, Sieghart?"
"…. I wanted to be your roommate again."
Mari pointed to the door. "Leave the duplicate and get out."
Sieghart sighed and scratched his head. "Yeah yeah. I kind of realized you've got a servant roommate already. I'll be leaving."
I watched him obediently following Mari's orders and left. But not before he glowered at me. Figure he couldn't hold it in him to glower at me. But I didn't know Mari had lived with Sieghart. Sure, I knew the two of them were quite close to one another back in high school. Actually, Sieghart's pretty much around her if he wasn't fooling around.
That kind of bugged me. They had a great bond and lived together. Didn't that mean that there was a possibility that Mari might have been in a relationship with him. I looked at Mari and she was definitely pissed. There was no doubt that she and that idiot had something happened in between them that broke that bond.
Yet I kept thinking about Sieghart being in a relationship with Mari. Didn't that mean that Sieghart would actually be the first to ever seen this side of Mari..?
The thought of it burned me inside.
"Hey Mari…. Sieghart was your previous roommate, huh…?"
"He is my worst mistake." The girl immediately blurted turning away from it all and facing back towards her room. There was a general pause from her to perhaps recollect her thoughts and to choose the right words to explain it to me. I felt like I needed it too, her explanation, even though I didn't had rights to butt into her mess
"He… I don't wish to associate with him ever again…"
I remember after that, Mari just kept quiet, like she reverted back to the old anti-social Mari I first met. But worse. Every time I tried to approach her, she quickly tells me she's busy (she looked busy) and left me. It irritated me to the point I actually felt like yelling at her, yet my voice couldn't escape my throat whenever I had the chance.
I learnt that eating alone was horribly silent.
I slept over at Rufus' once. First time crashing at someone else's place after I moved into Mari's. But it was because my old friends got a small get together for some drinks since it was his birthday (we decided to barge into his place with drinks and a hell lot of steam buns). Actually, it was the first I'm seeing them after meeting Mari.
"Dio, where the hell have you been? You know you missed some funny shit happening between these idiots." Rufus laughed as he pointed to both his brother and Asin. "They were caught by the girls' reunion and forced to cross dress! Hahaha!"
"Says the one who got mistaken as a girl and got his ass groped in the train by some old pedo without cross dressing!" Lass countered immediately and the two just tackled one another. It felt like old times.
The old times felt so, nostalgic yes, yet I felt something missing.
I watched the three 'barely' adults go into an all-out wrestle. Zero was sitting next to me with his silent chuckles (they're so silent, you'd have to lean reaaaaaaly close to him to hear it). Then Zero asked.
"Something wrong, Dio?" I half expected him to ask that. Zero and I have been best friends since way back. He knew it if I was anxious by just smelling me…. Probably… the thought of that just freaked me out, but you guys get the idea.
"What do you mean?" I answered back like a tease. Think of it as part of my personality. Stuff like that kind of comes out automatically (Most of the times were intended though…).
"You're a little spacy and I know that means you've got something in mind you're worried about."
"And you're a little chatty and I know that means you've drunk too much."
"This is still my first can of beer." Zero stared at his beer, shaking it lightly. It was still full. Then he was staring at me in a really expectant manner. Honestly, sometimes I mistake him as my real mother instead….
"I… Think Mari hates me now. We were really getting on well recently but suddenly she just stopped and it went back to the awkward times. It feels like she wants to kick me out any time soon."
"You can still get back to your folk's place. And if you'd prefer to stay at my place, I can get Gran to agree without him parading around stark naked."
"It's not about the place, Zero…"
"Then what is it about, Dio? You're unusually concerned about a person you think that hates you. And we all know that you usually don't care about people who hate you."
Zero was right. I grew up with people already hating me because of a lot of reasons. Just being born had already become one. My old man taught me to not care about them because they resorted to hating me to feel better for themselves rather than to use their heads and work on a way to be better than me. So I never did give a damn for those who hated me. There were exceptions, but it was probably worth keeping in the side when I need to vent out a little anger.
But the point he made was that I cared about Mari. I didn't want to be hated by her of all people. And that was probably the first time ever I care about someone's opinion on me. But why was it Mari? Why do I only care about her? I couldn't understand it. She was my friend, like these guys here. But I don't care whether they'd start isolating me or anything.
Well, the only difference I could think of was that she was more than just my friend. She was my roommate.
Zero chuckled once more before he sipped his drink. "You're in love with her."
"What?"
"Zero, you asshole! I heard you're going to a Europe tour!" On the other side of the room, Rufus was simply drunk and crying. "Damn it! Why'd I join law school?! I want to be a baker and eat all the steam buns I want!"
"Yes, yes, Rufus. I'll bring souvenirs back." Lass and Asin were keeping him down from trying to strangle Zero. On the other hand, the grey haired smiled, but his smile was intended for me.
So… I'm in love with her...
I saw her in my dreams that night.
Mari was really beautiful, wearing a classy black one piece with her hair tied up. Her back was exposed and I could almost touch it and hear her moan. I reached out to her waist to pull her closer to me. Our gaze met and damn it was sexy.
I just wanted to touch her more so I did. I wanted to kiss her and bite her and hug her and most definitely embrace her. I want to make her pant my name, scream at the top of her lungs for me, breathe for me again and again, and I'd give everything to her.
I wanted to wake up next to her in the morning with her in my arms, snuggling into the crook of my neck. Our legs would be clumsily entangled and we'd just not bother getting out of bed, sleeping peacefully in the others' warmth.
The dream vanished when I got jerked away. My eyes blinked open as I felt my neck stretched out in pain. Then I noticed I had been hugging Lass.
"Oh What th-"
"Shhh! I don't want them to wake up finding out you were hugging me! Who knows what shit Rufus could think of and torture me for life…" Lass glowered at me before he turned away and hid under his blanket. On the floor. It reminded me I too had fallen asleep on the floor. Zero must have dominated the sofa. Rufus at his couch and Asin must've le-…. Oh he was on the coffee table…
I groaned and scratched my head, noticing the digital clock at the far end of the room. 3.46 am. Ah… And I had such a wonderful dream.
"Dio… You must really like that girl, huh?"
"What?"
Lass was still under his blanket as he spoke to me, curled up on his side. "You kept mumbling you wanted her so much and hugged me until I felt strangled."
I was glad it was dark and he wasn't facing me. My face would've been really red in embarrassment.
"You should tell her that, or else she might walk out of your life…"
How much of everything did he hear from my sleep talking?! Or was he not paying attention to his regular fights with his brother and had an ear listening to Zero and I talking?! Then again, Lass was called the informant back in high school…
"… Definitely… I might be scarred for life…" The silver haired man finally concluded and shifted about a few inches away from me. I couldn't possibly think of why he would get scarred over-
…
Oh… I had a wet dream… And my… While I was hugging him….
I had no idea why but when I shut the door behind me and left the apartment, I couldn't stop laughing. Maybe I laughed that Lass was scarred because of this or I laughed because I hadn't had a wet dream in a while.
Ultimately, I laughed because I've been so stubborn not to accept it. That I like Mari so much.
I never did try to figure out why I was so tentative to accept it in the beginning. I was already at the front door of our apartment when I arrived.
I stopped reaching for the doorknob.
I heard a crash from inside.
A scream of terror.
Mari would never scream. She was just the type to keep her cool façade in every situation. She sought logic in everything and did not succumb to fear.
Besides, it was the scream of a man.
The door finally swung open and Sieghart had rushed out, pushing me aside and darting to the stairs. I was taken aback. Never had I seen that guy running in fear before. Then I looked inside to see Mari in the hallways. And she was holding a huge revolver.
"Dio? You're early."
"What the hell was that?"
"I let him in because he wanted to 'talk'." Mari said in her cool fashion. "We did and he won't be back for a while."
"No shit. Even I saw his face and I could tell you threatened him with something even I might have to think twice living here as well…." I replied back, staring at the revolver in her hand. I don't even recognize the model at all and here I thought I've seen it all after befriending Rufus. Mari quickly hid the gun behind her.
"…. Don't..."
"Yeah. You need me to keep him from staying, right?"
"No. There is another reason." She pulled me in and shut the door behind me. I saw the whole place was literally wrecked.
What the hell happened here?! – is what I wanted to say. But I didn't.
Mari was hugging me, burying her face onto my chest. And I felt warm tears pressed onto me.
"S-sorry… I need to recompose myself…" She said as she squeezed me. Really, what she meant was that she was going to use me to calm down a bit. I thought of nothing else but to pat her head, gently caressing her to help her find peace again.
I didn't dare to say anything else. Why was Sieghart in let in in the first place? What was there to talk of? Why was the apartment a mess? What the heck seriously happened? Questions began to form in my mind as I looked down on to this woman I held in my arms.
"… Sieghart's my childhood friend…"
"I know."
"He always caused problems and I'm made to help him fix it."
"… I understand…" somewhat. But it explains why Mari seemed to know how to properly take care of herself. No wonder she was so aloof. It was like she didn't want to add any more unnecessary problems in her life that she isolated herself from the world, thus forcing herself to be independent. And maybe that's why she's so stubborn to keep her pain to herself.
"He went too far once. And it resulted in my failure to take my scholarship abroad. So I kicked him out."
"… That's also understandable…" I continued to stroke her. Who wouldn't be angry for missing such a great opportunity? To think it was his fault that Mari ended up going to such a crappy school. That must also be why she's always busy studying her ass off. So she'd get back that recognition and reclaim back what was rightfully hers.
"He thinks he's changed since and accepts it if I didn't want to forgive him. I did."
My guts suddenly sink. Did that not mean that he was allowed to be her roommate again? That I had to stop living here with Mari? And there'd be no more of the both of us sharing the same table for breakfast? And no more playing around with something together? No more seeing her face every day?
"I told him I won't accept him as my roommate again though. I have you already."
And then a wave of relief flooded me.
"And I wanted no one else…."
"I'd like that…" I hugged her tightly now and she nuzzles into my nape.
Since then, we grew from being strangers, to normal roommates, to strangers again, then to close roommates. Our lives kind of intertwined tighter then before and we grew to depend on one another. Mari more than me. Mostly because I couldn't let her suffer more than she had now. And somewhere along that, I got permission to go into her room as she could mine. And I've grown to enjoy sleeping on her bed and listening to the soft scribbling of her pens and her soft mutterings to herself when she was thinking out loud...
However, there was still one thing that bugged me.
"… You haven't confessed to her?! GOD, WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"
Lass screamed at me and hit me hard with the hard edge of his book. He didn't care how the other customers of the café were staring at him. I called him out for advice because Zero was already flying off to Europe and I didn't want to waste my money on phone bills. Lass was the next person in mind and since he already knew about this, I didn't need to worry as much.
"You idiot… Even though your relationship with her is like that, it won't mean that it's truly mutual. What if your stupid sexual urges come about? What then? She'll get freaked out if you don't tell her you want to be her lover, damn it. To think I suffered that one night in vain…."
"Hey, chill. It's not like I raped you or any-"
"I freak out when I'm near other guys. That much is the damage you caused me. So either you tell her you love her or I'll make sure you freak out near girls…" The silver haired growled as he glowered at me. He was dead serious and I sighed. Yeah, he had a point.
I noticed it too that I've been getting more wet dreams. Not on a daily basis, but it was more than before. And when I casually hug Mari sometimes, I feel like kissing her neck and hear her purr in pleasure.
Somehow it kind of felt wrong as well. In the first place, it was already wrong for a guy and a girl to be roommates, but then… Never mind. It just felt wrong to me somehow.
I like the relationship we had now anyways. Our lives were in sync and we'd just spend the days peacefully. It already became second nature for me to take care of her sometimes and it was hell trying to persuade her to get use to me serving her once in a while, but worth the trouble.
Perhaps I didn't want this relationship to be just lust.
"... Holy shit… I think I know why…" I looked up and saw Lass smirk in the most disturbing manner I've ever seen. "She's your first love, isn't she?"
"Tha-! I-…. S-So what?! Mari's really a great woman compared to everyone else and I-"
"Since it's your first love then it's understandable if you have no idea how to handle this situation and have been hesitant in moving to the next level. You're scared of any shit happening if you ever did."
Wow… I didn't think he'd put it in a way that I understood. Then again, Lass was took a psychology minor (his major was criminology).
"And I'm guessing you're serious with her… Like you want it to be a healthy relationship that had the perfect balance of physical, emotional and spiritual love, eh?"
"…. Kind of…"
"With that kind of awareness of the relationship you'd want, then there's no point in worrying. You'll do fine." Lass concluded confidently. "Only a small amount of people will come to realize that in the early stages of their life. And they only do realize it if they're…. heheh…"
"What…?"
The bell of the café opens and he just had to barge in in the wrong time. God…
Sieghart, why are you always coming around when I seriously don't need to see your ugly face?! I wanted to scream that but glaring at him was enough to tell him that. Even so, he smiled back and that irritated me more.
Then he sat on the same table as we were…. What the hell?!
"Yo… So Lass called me over cause of Mari yet all I see is this dipshit."
"What the hell is this, Lass….?"
The silver haired man shrugged in between the glares of both Siegahrt and I. I didn't dare to raise a hand on him though. Not even Sieghart dared to hit him. Lass appeared like he knew what he was doing and we both automatically placed our trust in him.
"Come now, we're all gents so we can talk, right? Besides, you two need to clear something out." He looks at Sieghart. "I mean, Mari's like your sister and you finally get to talk to the guy who's taking her away from you."
Sieghart turned a shade of red. Something the average person didn't expect to see. "W-well I… I really hate you, Dio."
"Of course you do…" I sarcastically replied. Lass groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Sieghart, just tell him so you can move on with your life as well…."
Oh?
Sieghart shifted around his seat uncomfortably before he finally looked me in the eye like a real man. I mean seriously like a real man. "I caused trouble for Mari for her attention, yeah, but that's because I hated the way she looked at you back in high school. We're best friends and I can't just see her going off with some random fool who looks like she's might be toyed around!"
"… You're speaking like a worried father…"
"Shut up! I'm not taking that from you, stupid!"
"Well, live with it, idiot! Because I really love her!"
Silence once more fell onto the table. Only the soft sound of Lass stirring his tea filled the air around us. Then I realized something.
"... She's been staring at me for that long…?"
"On the day I first fought with you… I heard her say you were interesting. She had never called anyone that, not even me. And you know that Mari's compliments were of a different degree.."
I understood him and I remembered that day. In lunch I left the classroom for a bit to get some food and drinks for everyone (my circle of friends of course) after losing fairly against them in a small game of rock-paper-scissors. And I saw a girl in the hallways, carrying a hell lot of stuff. At first I didn't care and went straight to the canteen. But when I returned to that same hall way, she was still carrying heavy stuff from one place to another.
It felt irritating that she was doing it alone. So without her consent, I took a few boxes off of her hands and carried it with one hand. "Where are you bringing this?"
"I…. Just to the maths department."
"The hell?! From the resource room to there?! That's bloody far! And you're doing this alone?!"
"I suppose… My friend has yet to show up…"
"Your friend's an asshole for not helping you."
"Hmm… True… But this is a simple matter of transporting materials. I could do this by myself."
The way she said it had a bittersweet taste. And it was the awful kind as well. I ended up helping her bring everything instead. And when we were done, I even handed her my share of food.
"What…?"
"Take it or I'll kick you for thinking you can do things yourself. There's a reason we live with other people, you know." I remembered I said that and left her. She was a stranger and I didn't know why I felt like helping her. But by the time I got back to the others, they were prepared to fool me for being late (I got Zero to share his portion with me, if you all were worried about me... Yeah, I know. You guys don't care if I starve in my afternoon classes).
Maybe it was because she was being someone I'd like to be – independent and nonchalant. And maybe when I saw her sigh in relief when I helped her, I thought she wasn't supposed to take that role and instead, get spoiled and treated like she was important.
"… Hey, Dio…. She'll be okay with you, right?"
Sieghart stared at me with every ounce of trust he could give to me. It wasn't much but it was something I thought I should hold on to carefully.
"Yeah. She's in safe hands."
"… It'll be hard, you know? She's not exactly a typical woman."
I laughed. I knew that for a long time. I decided to leave the two, with a plan of action and the determination to do it successfully.
I didn't think of whether she'll reject me or not. I was that confident.
Now the story comes back to where I had just got shooed out of Mari's room. Well, she did have an important test tomorrow, so I'll save it until she ended.
The next day, I kept waiting for Mari back at home. I wore a suit and tie, which was definitely uncomfortable. And in my hand was a package. The moment I caught eyes of her coming into the house, I shoved the package at her.
"Dio? Where are we going?"
"Eating out."
"But it's not Tue-"
I didn't listen to her. "Wear this. The place we're going has a dress code."
She seemed to have quieted down and followed my orders. Maybe she noticed how my hand was shaking terribly when I was holding onto her. Nevertheless, she took it and nodded. After she changed, I thought my jaw fell.
Mari looked exactly as beautiful as the one in my dreams. Perhaps even more gorgeous. She really did fit in a one piece black dress. When she said she was ready, I took her hand and we went out. The restaurant I chose this time was Chinese. It wasn't the first shop we both went to – that one got shut down a long time ago. But this shop was still Chinese. And I chose a really classy one too.
And just saying my name, they gave us the VIP table, the kind where we can talk privately and all.
"I… This is very high quality, Dio…"
"Yeap… Because I thought a special night deserved a special feast."
Mari looked at me in a puzzled manner but I smiled to her. It must've looked like an awkward smile because that sentence I used felt so cheesy. Yet she was really enjoying herself. Me on the other hand, I felt a lingering nervousness.
"This… Does bring back memories… Eating Chinese food…" Mari chuckled. Even I laughed at the thought of it. The food really did remind me of everything we went through. She then pointed at the waiters in their classy suits. "Them too… It reminds me of that maid and butler café we went to…"
"And you discovered your fetish for butlers?"
"Perhaps… You have yet to make that Ice Cream Sunday nor become that lap pillow of mine, or even sing a lullaby for me to sleep to."
"ah… I forgot about that…." I sheepishly replied. "But I think I could get Alfred to lend me a suit and I'll wear it for you."
Mari laughed. "To wear the costume itself isn't necessary, Dio. I actually think you're doing more than enough."
"And why is that Master?" I smirked as I asked that. Mari kicked me beneath the table lightly. But her feet continued to touch mine.
"Taking me out for dinner, always finding new things to do together, merely doing as I say. That is more than what a roommate should do."
Roommate… I saw that word as just a normal word. Gradually living with Mari, its meaning turned into friends. And step by step, it became close friends.
"…"
"Hey, Dio… You know… The word 'roommate'…. Means that someone was occupying the same room as you… There's no definite meaning when it comes to how close these people were. And I thought… Ever since we've lived together, its depth meaning always seemed to change…"
Ah… Did she think the same way as me? So would she be meaning to say that her definition of a 'roommate' was simply close friends?
"Dio… Technically you're not my roommate."
"W… what?"
"You haven't moved into the same room as me." Mari blushed as she spoke, and her voice turned into a small whisper. "That is to say… Would you like it if we officially… Became… Roommates…?"
The both of us turned a shade of red. Maybe redder than this Chinese restaurant. Mari was basically asking me to move into her bedroom and…
"Hah… Hahahaha…" I laughed and took her hand. "You know… I was going to ask you the same thing… Except I had a better way of saying it."
"T-that is?"
"Will you be my lover?"
Mari continued to blush the whole night.
[Roommate – End]
Well, that was... I had mixed feelings in all this... Seriously...
But please, PLEASE review. I think this is my first time begging for a review, so PLEASE. I just want to know whether I'm doing the romance right or not. And if I did something that needs to be fixed, tell me.
Thanks in advance.
Oh and sorry if I've made Sieghart and Ley appear as assholes... I think I took out my anger on being bad at romance on them... Honestly, I do love them too!