Disclaimer: see chapter 1.

"Do you want to tell me what has been troubling you?"

Silence. Then.

"Huh? Nothing's wrong. What d'ya mean?"

"Don't even try. You haven't touched that disgusting muddy mess you call chocolate porridge, when usually it doesn't stay on your plate longer than five seconds."

"Mhh, 's really good and pthasty – "

Sigh.

"Alright. I, uh… I won a Juliet. It's a photographic prize of the most… er, enticing view."

"Well, then, I think congratulations are in order."

"Yeah. Whatever."

"You're finally getting some recognition and you're not happy about it?"

"What's there to be happy about when I fucking messed all up!"

Raised eyebrows.

"Twenty-first of May."

A smile, genuine one. "The day you couldn't stop playing with the pole."

"Me?! Gomen, you absolute sick, but it was you who tied me up and – never mind. Do you write everything you're planning to do to me in your calendar beforehand, cause you seem to remember all a little too well? What a productive yakuza we have here."

"No one could forget those moans and pleas you let out. And you should feel complimented."

"Well I don't!"

"This is a truly fascinating subject we have here but what has it got to do with your Juliet?"

"Actually I took part in a different contest. I had this pretty good snap of a car doing slide, the timing and placing were sugoi… not that it matters 'cause I was an amateurish little idiot and ended up sending the wrong picture. I didn't even check whether the envelope had the right contents!"

Deep blush. "It was a total accident, but I had my camera in room when… on the twenty-first."

"And…?"

"I don't know when it went off and why the result was so… when there wasn't a flash. And you can well stop licking your lips, this is not arousing or fun and I'm not going to have my screw-up as a new kind of foreplay!"

"Was it a picture of you? Me? Us?"

"Me. Of my face. All red, all flustered, all sweaty, eyes gleaming and obviously mumbling something really embarrassing, arigatou gozaimasu. Right on the edge. Who the fuck are you calling?!"

"Restaurant. Reservations. My little kitten is on his way to grandeur and has achieved his first great milestone. This is something we must celebrate."

"Ha ha. Wait till I send them my version of Romeo."