A/N:- Okay, I'm back rather late with this month's new story!
This is dedicated to lici910 as she has been a really great friend to me, has written one of my suggestions to her so I feel I owe her and also provided me with the suggestion for this! So, a big thank you lici910!
Disclaimer:- I own absolutely nothing but the words I used to write this!
Math Homework
Naru's POV
Mai suddenly burst through my personal office door, no knocking, nothing.
"Naru, I really need your help." She declared with desperation colouring her tone. I cared nothing for this, only that she had disturbed the quiet sanctity of my office. Okay, maybe I was a little concerned at what had caused her to so rudely barge in, but I wanted to deal with her intrusion first.
"Mai, thank you so kindly for knocking and waiting for me to tell you to come in." I said sarcastically, hoping she would get the message to leave and try again more politely.
"But Naru…" Mai tried to argue. I fixed her with a glare. She let out a huff of annoyance and stomped back out of the door, slamming it as she went. I relaxed back into my desk chair waiting for her inevitable knock and contemplating how cute she looks when she's angry. 'Hold on, what? How cute she looks when she's angry? What the hell am I thinking! I have no interest in that temperamental girl whatsoever!' I heard her hurried knock and called out for her to come in. Fixing my gaze upon her again, I watched as she blushed and fiddled nervously with the hem of her skirt.
"Is there something you wanted?" I prompted, hoping to get rid of her as fast as possible so I could figure out that ridiculous thought I had before she knocked.
"Um…uh…well, you see…" She stuttered.
"Spit it out Mai, I don't have all day." I ordered, watching her face contort slightly with anger.
"Argh, I was going to ask you for help with my homework, but obviously you're too busy being obsessed with yourself to even contemplate taking your head out of your ass to assist someone else for a change." Mai shouted. 'Where the hell did she get that conclusion from?'
"Actually Mai I hurried you because you were wasting time with needless stuttering instead of sharing the problem with me."
"Yeah, and whose fault is that? If you had just heard me out the first time I came in here I wouldn't have stuttered it out just now." She argued.
"When you just burst into my office without knocking I have no desire to hear a word you have to say." I replied diplomatically, getting tired of this conversation and wishing she would just hurry up and leave.
"Fine, if you don't want to help me I'll just get someone else to." Mai huffed, turning to leave again. I let out a silent sigh and called her back.
"Mai, what is this homework you require my help with?" I asked resignedly.
"It's math." She said sulkily. 'I see. Not exactly my strong suit, but I guess I can try.'
"Make me some tea and I will assist you." I informed, placing my elbows on my desk, lacing my fingers and resting my chin on top so that I could fix her with a contemplative gaze.
"Y…you mean..?" She stuttered, blushing again. Sighing, I nodded slowly, confirming I would help her. She squealed and practically skipped out of my office, heading towards the kitchen. 'Why the hell did I just agree to that? I think I'm losing my ability to say no to her.'
Mai came back ten minutes later to inform me my tea was on the table in the main room and she had set up her homework ready for me to help her. I shot her a look that said 'why couldn't we just do this here in my office?' and she shook her head.
"Naru your office is way too cramped to comfortably add another chair so you can assist me." She informed. I guess she's right; it would be rather difficult to work on her homework in here. I just didn't want anyone to see me in case they thought I'd gone soft.
I sighed and shoved myself away from my desk to trail after her into the area we use to entertain clients. Mai sat on one of the sofas in front of where she'd laid out her work on the coffee table. My tea was placed next to it clearly indicating that was where she wanted me to sit. I had other ideas though and scooped my teacup from its spot on the table, gracefully seating myself in my usual armchair.
"Uh…Naru? You're gonna have to sit here if you're going to help me." Mai said patting the seat next to her on the sofa. I scowled at her and deliberately took a sip of my tea to pointedly indicate I wasn't going to move. She let out a cute growl of annoyance at my stubbornness and shuffled herself and her stuff closer to me. 'Whoah, again with the finding her cute! There is something seriously wrong with me today! Unless…oh no! I've fallen for her! Oh well, if you can't beat them, join them as the saying goes. I might as well have fun with this and with helping Mai with her homework. She says it's math she needs help with eh, perfect!'
"Um…Naru, could you stop looking at me like that, it's creepy." Mai said, dragging me from my haze of thoughts. I cleared my throat and refocused my attention on her.
"So, Mai, what exactly are you having trouble with?" I asked politely, trying to ignore my new urge to sit nearer to her now I'd figured out my feelings.
"Well, we've just moved on to algebra and I'm not understanding it at all. Please can you help me?" Mai whined adorably. How could I refuse such an endearing request? Also this fits in perfectly with my plans.
"Alright. Show me what you don't understand and I'll try to help." I replied, leaning forward in my chair a little to get a better look at her work.
"Well, I just don't get any of it." She continued to wail attractively. 'I really need to take a moment before I do something I regret!' Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore Mai staring at me with those gorgeous brown eyes of hers, I looked at the first problem on the page. 'Hm, a plus b equals four. Well that's pretty simple. How does she not get this?'
"Okay Mai, I will explain this for your sake. When doing algebra we must replace each letter in the equation for something different. As this is math it will be a number…"
"You don't say and here I thought we were doing cooking!" She said in a snarky tone.
"Do you want my help or not?" I asked, peeved by her remark.
"Yes." She replied in her sulky manner again.
"Then don't make stupid comments. As I was saying, as this is math the letters will be replaced by numbers. For example, looking at our first problem, we know the answer will be four so now we just have to think of combinations of numbers that add up to four. So, Mai see if you can figure out the answer." I informed, settling back in my chair and feeling thoroughly pleased with my explanation.
"I still don't get it." 'Is she joking? A five-year old can work that out! How stupid is she?'
"What? How do you not get it? I explained it to you didn't I? I even used the most basic of words so that you could understand. How do you still not comprehend the work?"
"I don't know! Also there's no need to insult me. I may not be of your level of intelligence, but there is no reason to make me feel even more stupid." Mai looked like she was about to cry whilst saying this. I felt bad for what I had said.
"Hm, well, how can I help you understand this better as I am at a loss." I replied.
"Um…how about giving me more examples of how it works?" Mai suggested.
"Okay, say the equation is a plus b equals a cup of tea the answer would be that a is a teabag or tealeaves and b is hot water. Now do you get it?" I asked.
"Nope. Sorry Naru."
"Argh, how about a plus b equals a haunted house? The answer would be a is a ghost and b is a house. Do you get it now?"
"Um…sort of?" Mai replied uncertainly.
"Well why don't we give the math problems another go?" I questioned, praying that she had finally gotten it a little. "So, let's work out the first one. How, Mai, would you make four?"
"Uh…two plus two?"
"Right, but the problem has two different letters meaning they are two different numbers so how else can you make four?" 'I seriously feel like I'm talking to a child!'
"Oh, I know this, three and one." She declared proudly.
"Mai seriously, do you actually have any brains at all? You do realize that although that was the correct answer you sounded like you were stupid enough to not know that." I sighed.
"A simple correct, well done would have sufficed." Mai bit out.
"Well anyway, do you get what you are doing now?" I asked, hoping she would say yes so I could get back to my office and back to work.
"Yeah, I think so." She replied, biting her lip a little.
"Okay, I will leave you to it and go back to my office. Knock when you're done and I'll go through them with you." I responded, getting up and retreating back into my sanctuary.
About two hours later a knock sounded on my door and I looked up from the algebraic equations I was writing out to bid whoever it was enter. The door opened to reveal a timid looking Mai clutching her, now hopefully completed, homework and biting her lip.
"Come in and let me take a look." I said, holding out my hand to accept the papers she was holding. She handed them to me and then started messing with her skirt. 'She looks so cute when she does that!' I looked over the answers she had written and hummed in approval at each one.
"This is very good Mai. You really seem to have gotten the hang of it." Mai blushed and mumbled out a thanks at my compliment. "I have prepared a little test for you just to make sure you know what you're doing." I continued, motioning her over to my desk. "We can do them together though if you'd like."
"Sure, if that's okay." She responded.
"Of course it is. They might be a little difficult for you after all." I said. "Now, let's look at the first one. So, u plus me equals I love you. What do you think the answers are?"
"Um…uh…oh, that's hard! Um…"
"I'll give you a clue, this has nothing to do with math and the answer to u is two words beginning with M and T."
"I'm really not getting this Naru." She replied. I sighed at how dense she was.
"Mai, what letters do your name begin with?" I asked in a slightly bored tone.
"M and…Naru are you saying what I think you're trying to say?"
"I don't know, let's figure out the rest of these and we'll find out." I answered evasively. With renewed energy she began trying to stare holes into the paper in front of us, determined to find the answers.
"Okay, let's see, me plus u equals a date Saturday night at seven." She looked slightly shocked and lifted an eyebrow at that one and I tried to hide a smirk at my handiwork. The last one would definitely be the best one though.
"What does the last one say Mai?" I asked silkily.
"It says, my lips plus your lips equals a kiss, how about it? Naru, I don't think this last one is an equation somehow."
"I know, but what is your answer?" I enquired. She looked at me with a mixture of incredulity, confusion and uncertainty before giving me her answer. It wasn't a verbal one, no far from it. Her answer was placing her lips nervously on mine as though deep inside she was hoping this wasn't some kind of joke. I returned her tentative kiss with as much force and passion as I could to try and relieve her of some of the fear I could see she was feeling. Seriously, the girl is like a book with a predictable plot, you don't even need to read to know what goes on inside it. We broke our kiss and I slightly slipped back into business mode.
"So, what are the answers to the other questions?" I purred at her. She blushed again for the umpteenth time before looking back at the sheet of paper in front of us to refresh her memory on the questions.
"Uh…well, the answer to the second one is sure and the answer to the first one is I love you too Naru." I smirked at her answers before pulling her into another deep kiss. 'I think math is now my favourite subject!'
A/N:- Hope you enjoyed reading this everyone, especially you lici910 and thanks for the awesome suggestion that made this!
Please read and review! It will make me smile! See ya!