Yusaku liked having a girlfriend.

Seriously. He did. Honestly. Swear.

Having such an intimate relationship with someone he was attracted to was oddly comforting. Having a lover provided him a sense of security that he wasn't aware he really wanted before. Aoi Zaizen was, irrefutably, a fantastic partner. She cared for him, gave him all the attention he could ever desire, and most of all, loved him unconditionally... It was like having a best friend who also made his temperature rise when the mood called for it.

Except it was precisely that last point that made this whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing a little challenging.

Yusaku was unprepared for the surges of jealousy that struck him seemingly out of nowhere. He had never considered himself the jealous type, but only because he hadn't necessarily been in situations wherein he could feel such intense envy in the first place. Maybe when he was younger, he'd feel a little it of that green monster here and there if an adult he felt somewhat of a connection to gave significantly more attention to another child, but all that nonsense was lost on him as soon as he hit his teenage years.

In the case of his current situation, it wasn't anything Aoi did that made him feel jealous; it was how others reacted to her that ticked him off.

For example, the other day, he passed by the Duel Club having an unusually public meeting outside of the AR room and saw that Aoi was talking to a new guy. Most of the members of the club were hardly competition for Yusaku, which he noted with arrogance, but this newcomer was a billion times better looking than any other guy in that group.

And more forward.

The stranger was leaning against the wall, angled closely to Aoi, who was standing in front of him with a soft smile on her face; a rare occurrence that ruffled Yusaku's feathers when it happened with someone other than himself. The new student was laughing a little too happily, shifting his weight on his feet and rubbing the back of his neck: a clear sign that he was flustered. This was lost on Aoi, who was just pleased that she seemed to be making a potential friend, but Yusaku took her complacency as near-betrayal.

'You are sooooo dramatic.' Ai whined. 'Is Aoi-chan not allowed to talk to other guys?'

'Sure she can.' Yusaku snipped. Then, after a while, 'And I'm sure she'd also be perfectly fine with me talking to other girls.'

'Oh, come on!' the Ignis sighed. 'Is it possible for you to get any pettier?!'

Nope, Yusaku thought silently, but he wasn't about to give the AI the satisfaction of getting under his skin.

A part of him wanted to just march up there and physically tear Aoi away from the club's new addition, but he digressed. After all, he and Aoi agreed to meet at his place after school to work on a project that they decidedly wanted to be paired up with on. That would be a more appropriate opportunity to bring this discussion up. Plus, it would give him more time to collect his thoughts so that he wouldn't come across as so...

Jealous.

So after classes finished up for the day, Yusaku darted back home. He wanted to have some time to shower and prep himself before Aoi's arrival. Though he would never admit it out loud, he prided himself somewhat on his appearance. He was aware that he had a good body and that some of his facial features were absent in other men in this country. He knew that he stood out, and he was shamelessly proud of that.

But now, his insecurity was beginning to show. He kept thinking of that guy that Aoi was speaking to, and he wondered if she preferred that kind of guy over himself.

There was a knock at the door.

'Yusaku...' Aoi spoke from outside his apartment unit. 'Can I come in?'

'Sure.' he called from his bed. He was seated on the mattress with his hands palming his knees. It was a visibly tense position; one which Aoi noted as soon as she came. She wondered why he was so uptight.

Yusaku noticed something different about her as well. He examined her pretty face and observed that her features were oddly erotic. Her eyes were brighter somehow, as though flecks of gold were swimming amidst the warm hazel, and her lips looked bitten and swollen; the same way they appeared after each and every intensely passionate kissing session they've had on his bed.

His gaze never left her, even as she climbed down the stairs and gave him a quick peck on the lips. That was when he finally felt a sticky substance on her mouth, which smelled and tasted surprisingly sweet. It was fruity, like cherry-flavoured soda. When she pulled away, Yusaku finally realized that she had put makeup on her lips so that they were shinier and redder, though not unnaturally so.

'What's with that?' Yusaku bluntly asked.

'What's with what?'

'That.' he raised a brow. 'That coloured oil on your lips.'

Aoi rolled her eyes. Figures; she tries to give herself a boost of confidence and her own boyfriend just smacks her down with his stupid remarks. 'It's called lip gloss.'

'Huh?'

'Lip. Gloss.' Aoi repeats, slower, harder, as though she were speaking to an idiot.

'OK. Why are you wearing it?'

'Because I want to.' Aoi huffed defiantly. She turned her back to her boyfriend and started unpacking her school bag on his desk. Why was he in such a bad mood today?Well, she wasn't about to start a fire over it. She'd rather just get down to business and study for their stupid project so that she could get out of his line of attack. Whenever Yusaku was having a bad day, no one was spared from his wrath. Even if they were romantically connected, Aoi didn't like being around him when he was like this. There was just no reasoning with him.

'Because you want to?' Yusaku pressed. 'Or because you want to impress someone?'

'Not everything I do is for you!' she fumed, now irritated that he had basically uncovered the truth that she wanted him to compliment her today. Yes, she wanted to wear some gloss because she liked it, but she was also hoping that her boyfriend would express that he was fond of it as well.

But Aoi's words were processed differently in Yusaku's mind. Not everything I do is for you! 'Who is it for, then?' he insisted with an ominous narrowing of his eyes.

Aoi threw her hands up. They fell to her sides and she leered at Yusaku incredulously. 'I just wanted to try something different, OK?'

'But for who?'

'Yusaku! Stop!'

'Is it for that new guy in the Duel Club?' he demanded, frowning deeply.

Aoi's eyes widened. 'Eh? Makoto-kun? What about him?'

'Are you trying to look sexy for him?' Yusaku interrogated, his hard stare burning into his girlfriend, who he was terribly upset with. 'Is that lip gloss supposed to impress him?'

Silence befell the pair.

Then, Aoi burst out laughing.

'What's funny?' Yusaku hissed.

'Nothing...' Aoi wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. 'Nothing at all...'

'Aoi... Answer the question.'

'I wore it for you, silly.' she answered honestly, boldly straddling him. She knelt on the bed with her legs on either side of his hips. In this position, she was taller than him. He made no move to get her off of him, but his arms crossed over his chest defensively. He wasn't about to let her off the hook just because she was being cute. 'Come on...' she cupped his face and tried not to laugh at how adorably stubborn his expression was. 'Don't be like that.'

'Don't patronize me, Aoi.'

She sighed. Why was he being so difficult?

'I saw you.' he admitted. 'Talking to that guy. Looked like a fun conversation.'

'We're just friends.'

'Whatever.'

'Hehe...' she giggled sweetly, knowingly. 'Are you jealous?'

'No.' Yusaku replied too quickly. 'No.' he repeated, trying to convince himself more so than his companion. 'Not at all.'

'You don't have to feel jealous.' her voice was seductively syrupy. Yusaku felt the permafrost on his heart chip away. Damn her. She was always so... 'Because I love you.'

Yusaku averted his gaze. The heat rushed to his face and his heart was beating dangerously fast. He never knew how to respond to her whenever she said that. Even so, no matter how many times she declared her love for him, he never could get past the shock and gratitude of being accepted by another person in that way.

'Come on...' she leaned in to give him a tantalizing lick up his neck. Then, her mouth hovered over his ear so that he could feel her hot breath on his skin. Emerald eyes shut and he let out a strained moan. 'Kiss me. Hold me.'

'Aoi...'

'You're the only one I love... The only one who can touch me.'

He turned his head to face her and promptly kissed her. Cherries bit his tongue but this time, he felt no ounce of jealousy. All he felt, tasted, and wanted was Aoi, and she was irrevocably his in this moment. She gently pushed him with her weight, and he laid down so that his back was flat against the bed and she was free to do as she pleased on top, grinding against him and running her hands through whichever part of his body she wanted to.

Suddenly, she stopped and sat up, as if stunned by electricity.

'We need to do work.' she reminded him. Her expression was serious.

Yusaku groaned. 'You must be joking.'

'I'm not! It's due tomorrow.'

'Fine...' he clicked his tongue. He examined her up and down and realized that her shirt had hiked up and her skirt was lopsided. 'I messed your clothes up. You should fix that.'

Aoi laughed. 'Well, you should speak for yourself.'

He tilted his head, confused.

'Hehe...' she leaned back in and kissed him on the nose before whispering, 'You've got lip gloss all over your face.'

'I see... Does the colour suit me?


Hey guys! Thanks so much for the encouraging words I received in the last oneshot. This is another oneshot, unconnected to the last chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it and I look forward to hopefully seeing your feedback!

I responded to those with accounts privately. I know it's been a long time since I updated this and since you guys left reviews, but I still respond down below.

Yujo0147, thank you so much for saying that you love my stories! Those kind words are very encouraging. I do find it easier to make Yusaku more receptive to affection in short stories since I feel like I don't have to build towards anything and can establish early on that he's comfortable with Aoi.

Guest, thank you for your review! And yes, it's a shame that they don't interact much.

Guest, thank you for your review! Yusaku was indeed clueless last chapter, so in this story, I tried to make him overly perceptive.

Guest, thank you for your review and yes, I do try to get the thumbnails to be somewhat representative of the story's mood.

Rose, thank you for your review!

Guest, I will be continuing writing oneshots, but I currently have no plans to expand on any of those short stories published so far.