Lisa wasn't sure what was brought up to led all three of them to sit on the sofa watching some romantic comedy movies that Nine and Twelve downloaded onto a laptop. Normally spending time with the two made Lisa feel happy and comfortable, finding the activities to be more homely than her actual apartment when she lived with her mother. Japan had slowly gone back to the way it was before the final atomic bomb set off, but something subtle had changed. People seemed a lot more friendly and happier, which Lisa felt like was the ultimate goal of Nine and Twelve's plan; to have people realize the miraculous adventure life was. To come to terms with their morality and cherish what time they have on the planet. Lisa's view was no exception, in fact, she felt like she learned far more than anybody from the past couple of months. Not only did she realize she was more than just a speck in the universe, but Lisa had numerous possibilities and could do whatever she pleased with her life.
Lisa had chosen to continue living with Nine and Twelve, finding their companionship to be a pleasant addition in her new, profound life. The young girl was more than happy when Twelve and Nine accepted her into their lives as well. Twelve had gone ahead and outright said that he appreciated Lisa's existence, and was glad to have met her.
The two have gone on adventures together in the city, taking return trips back to the amusement park once it was operating again. Lisa and Twelve had developed a habit of holding hands subconsciously and while at first Lisa felt anxious each time, she eventually incorporated it into her routine. Being with both Twelve and Nine had improved Lisa's self-esteem and confidence in herself. It was the bravery that grew inside Lisa that ultimately led her to give Twelve a soft kiss on his cheek one night when they were walking back to the apartment. Though she immediately regretted the action right after, Twelve turned her around and kissed her on her mouth sweetly, catching her off guard. Lisa could recall the taste of cotton candy from their first kiss, since Twelve had eaten two sticks of sugar fluff when they went to the amusement park that day. Underneath the sugar, Lisa felt warm and a feeling of safety from the kiss. Twelve who had never experienced the act before had described the interaction as a bomb that was full of confetti and happiness, using his hands to convey the enormous feeling. It was then Twelve and Lisa agreed that they had loved each other.
Nine, on the other hand, did not express his feelings and thoughts as easily as his partner in crime. He had kept to himself most of his time and only shared his opinions in short, blunt, statements. However, both Twelve and eventually Lisa learned to decipher Nine's feelings. Since both boys were together for the longest time, they had known almost everything about each other and sometimes knew things the other didn't even know yet. Proven when Nine discussed to Twelve about Lisa; he had accused Twelve for having powerful feelings for the girl. Twelve of course, did not deny the truth, but had caused Nine to be caught dumbfounded when he accused the same to him. Nine did not make any rebuttals on the accusation but pushed it to the side. He could have easily admitted that he appreciated Lisa's company and found her person to be simple and comforting, but only saw her as a companion. However, Nine did not say anything at all since he didn't know if that was the truth or not.
The accusation's topic was brought back when the three of them were eating dinner one evening. Lisa had attempted to cook something as easy as eggs over rice but had ended up burning the rice and getting shells in the eggs. Nine and Twelve had both agreed that Lisa's cooking skills were getting better, and that her food was edible now to her relief. They did however make a new pot of rice and Nine showed Lisa how to crack eggs easily and more accurately. Lisa had assured the two she would work harder which they both encouraged her to do so.
As Twelve rambled on about different subjects that had happened to him that day, he abruptly asked Lisa if she had to choose to stay with either Nine or Twelve, who would she choose. This led Lisa to jump in surprise and Nine to spit some of his water back into his glass. Nine had shot a piercing glare to Twelve who in return grinned mischievously. The smiling boy then looked to Lisa and asked for her answer. Nine was about to protest, saying that if Lisa didn't feel comfortable, she didn't have to answer. However, Lisa had already begun to speak.
Both Twelve and Nine will never forget Lisa saying she cared for both of them strongly and could never make such a decision. She would rather be by herself than with neither of them. To know that Lisa would have rather gone back to the time before she met the two of them rather than have them all separated caused both Twelve and Nine's hearts to stir. From Lisa's flushed face, Twelve and Nine could tell she was starting to feel awkward which led to bags of chips and a blanket over the three of them on the sofa with the laptop on Lisa's lap.
"We should watch the movie about the stuffed animals that become humans!" Twelve cheered as he turned the laptop towards him and began typing. Lisa had giggled softly while Nine simply rolled his eyes but said nothing. Twelve found a torrent and placed the movie on full screen, moving the laptop back to its original position and leaned onto Lisa's shoulder. Nine adjusted his legs and leaned back on the sofa, moving his glasses into a better position. Lisa had smiled softly, feeling the comfort she had always strived for from before. She had finally felt like a real teenage girl, hanging out with two important people to her and doing adolescent activities like watching a movie.
"Your kisses tastes like candy!" One of the characters said to the other from the movie. The now-human teddy bear had kissed his person of romantic interest and said those lines, which caused Twelve to laugh. Lisa giggled as well, knowing why he had burst out laughing as they both recalled their first kiss and the cotton candy that she had tasted.
"I'm glad though! Could you imagine if I had eaten garlic fries right before? Gross!" Twelve laughed as Nine rolled his eyes. The taller boy adjusted his glasses and stared at the small screen.
"It's not the kisses that taste like anything. It's what was in the mouth that makes you think that. A kiss is purely flesh, nothing more." Nine had explained, finding the movie to be corny and not as entertaining as he had hoped. Lisa and Twelve both turned their heads towards him, staring at him in confusion.
"You wouldn't know anything! You haven't kissed anybody!" Twelve teased in a singsong manner. It was untrue though; Nine had been kissed by Five on the highway before she had caused her own demise. Recalling the interaction, Nine agreed to himself that the kiss did not taste like anything but the blood in his mouth , and all he had felt was pain that was piercing through his body from being tossed. Nine wouldn't tell Twelve or Lisa that though, he had preferred to keep it to himself.
Shaking his head, Nine sat back and took out his earbuds as well as his music player. He felt a sharp pain throb in his temples causing him to groan softly and rub his head in irritation. Closing his eyes he bent over and breathed hard, both Lisa and Twelve seeing this and got up. Lisa held Nine's arm gently and rubbed his shoulder as Twelve stood and watched, pursing his lips. Once the migraine had passed, Nine leaned back against the sofa and panted softly.
"Still getting those?" Twelve softly asked. Nodding his head in reply, Nine looked up to the ceiling. Each migraine reminded all three of them how short his life actually was. It was a reminder to Twelve as well, but more of a slap to the face of the realization that their fates were sealed from the very beginning. Though both Twelve and Nine had accepted their destiny, they were not prepared how it would impact Lisa. They had not foreseen Lisa coming into their lives and what they both were scared of was the unknown. They had explained to Lisa early on about their condition and she had slowly accepted it with protest. Though she was constantly proposing they could find help, a cure perhaps, both Twelve and Nine knew it was futile. They had all decided they would spend the rest of their time together enjoying each other's presence.
"I'll get y-you some water!" Lisa stood up but was stopped by Nine holding onto her arm.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Nine exclaimed softly, taking off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. Lisa looked over at the boy and sat back down, wrapping her arms around him. Nine had recoiled at the abrupt embrace but slowly placed his hands onto her back. Twelve grinned and jumped over to the other side to pull Nine into a half hug. Twelve motioned to Lisa and then counted with his fingers to three; the two of them kissing Nine's cheeks at the same time.
Lisa had pulled away and buried her face into her hands while Twelve began to laugh, watching Nine's face grow red. The flushed boy placed his glasses back on and looked at Twelve, sending him a glare that he couldn't take seriously from his red face.
"I-I'm sorry!" Lisa meekly apologized, flushing to herself as Twelve fell onto the floor in a heap of laughter. Nine cleared his throat and replied that it was fine and they should all get back to watching the movie. Twelve couldn't stop laughing and Nine had kicked him over onto his back in annoyance.
Twelve had passed out on the floor with one leg propped up on the sofa while his face pressed into his bicep. Nine was used to Twelve's sleeping habits, knowing that he was also a drooler and that his hair will be intangible if his head is on the floor. However, Lisa was not as an abstract sleeper. She slept peacefully on the sofa with her arms to her sides. Though Nine did not sleep as much as the other two, he felt the fatigue washing over him, confirmed by a yawn. Taking the blanket off the sofa, he looked at the two and sighed, choosing to wrap Lisa with the blanket since she was more prone to get sick if she got too cold. Draping the fleece blanket around her, Nine tucked the ends behind her back and adjusted the rest over her legs. Moving her hair out of her face, he took a moment to study her.
Nine rubbed his thumb across her cheek and noticed how soft her skin was. She wasn't extraordinarily attractive, she was rather simple, but refined in Nine's opinion. It wasn't her outer beauty that Nine cared about however. Both Twelve and Nine understood from when they first encountered was that she was an outcast as well. She was ostracized from others and became nothing but a shell. They had both felt a connection to the girl but it was Twelve that acted upon it, letting his emotions guide his actions. Though Nine's judgment was based mostly on logic and critical thinking of outcomes, Nine did have emotions himself, and he had felt pity for Lisa when he first saw her.
Leaning over carefully, Nine placed his lips over Lisa's and held her shoulders softly. He felt the warmth of their lips meeting and shivered softly. There was a quick rush that went through his body that played a rhythm. Nine jumped softly when Lisa placed her hands over his, kissing back gently. If Nine was poetic enough, he'd say the kiss was felt like music and that the rhythm of the warmth danced between them. But since he wasn't, Nine pulled away and looked into Lisa's eyes. Her face was red, but she was smiling softly back to him.
"I-I'm not sure if you felt something but…" Lisa mumbled quietly, lacing her fingers with his.
"I did." Nine didn't bother to further explain himself before he leaned back to kiss Lisa passionately, holding her face in his hand. Lisa melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around the taller man's shoulders, kissing back gently. The feeling of music danced between them, feeling their bodies heat up in a warm, comforting manner.
"Ahaha! Curious were you?" Lisa and Nine both jumped, turning over to Twelve who was propped up onto his elbows, grinning like the Cheshire cat at the two of them. Nine held his face and groaned, taking one of the sofa pillows and tossing it at Twelve who continued to laugh and grin.
"Do I get a kiss too?" Twelve beamed, getting up and sitting next to Lisa. He folded his hands together and puckered his lips, closing his eyes as he made exaggerated smacking noises. Lisa giggled and held her mouth while Nine grinned to himself. He grabbed Twelve's face and pulled him up, kissing his lips hard and pushed him back. Twelve sat there, mouth wide open with a shocked expression as Lisa began to laugh to herself, holding her hands over her mouth.
Nine only grinned wider and went down the hallway to the bathroom, leaving Lisa laughing and snorting while Twelve's face became crimson red, too shocked to say anything for the first time.