A Cure


"Ku...Zzz..." Ayato was snoozing away on his majestic large comfy bed, all cozy and toasty warm under a couple of blankets. But comfort wasn't going to last long for him for it was around five fifteen in the morning; it wasn't even close to the time that new shop would open but...

"...up...Wake up!" He heard a familiar voice; it was the annoying voice of his youngest brother, just a couple of ages below his, Kanato. He groaned, closing his eyes tighter and snuggling his cheek deeper into his pillow, getting a bit more comfy. All he really planned to do today was play video games, buy some of takoyaki along with running Kanato's errand in the afternoon then watch a movie with his brothers.

"Wake up already Ayato! Get up and go fetch me my cake already!"

But like hell he was going to wake up this early, go out into the freezing cold, just to run Kanato's stupid little chore.

"Hmm...mhmm..." Unfortunately for him, he then felt his pillow being taken away, making him hit his cheek against the mattress with a thump, and got assaulted by the stolen object. "Gah! You bastard, go away!"

"Hurry up and get my cake first!"

"Argh, I'll get your stupid freaking cake in the afternoon..." He sat up in bed and brought his hands in front of face to shield him from the pillow assault, only to get hit by the pillow more painfully. Quickly thinking up of an excuse, he blurted out,"I have a date in the afternoon too so quit it and let me rest up!"

"..."

He then felt no more pillow assault, glad his little brother stopped the beating. He successfully stopped Kanato from continuing the pillow attack on him but he still couldn't stop his brother from annoying the hell out of him.

"Keh, what's so important about this one? You're never serious about it...there, now you have no date today," he heard his brother commented. Wait...wait a minute. How in the world was he able to...

"What do you mean—How did you get past the password I set up?"

"Aren't you an idiot? It's so obvious what your password is...I love takoyaki...what a terrible password!"

"Bastard, how dare you insult yours truly like that!"

He was about to snatch back his property, but his annoying ass of a brother threw the phone towards the doorway, towards Laito. His precious phone was now in the hands of his other bothersome brother, Laito. And in a split sec, the notification sound rang.

"Nfu~ She just asked why you're busy~ What should I text back?"

"She doesn't need a reason so just leave it like that." Ayato heavily sighed as he got out of his bed, not able to persuade his brothers in letting him sleep in; he couldn't even stop them from annoying him half the time so he just gave in earlier this time around. When finished with his daily routine of brushing his teeth, he was about to look though his closet for something warm to wear when suddenly Laito grabbed him by his forearm and out of his own bedroom he went.

"Wait—what...What the hell! I'm going to freeze out there without my jacket!"

Kanato fussed. "No one cares if you freeze to death, just get my cake!"

...

"Brr..."

Yui huffed and puffed as she ran. It was so cold she could see her own breath crystal clear as she exhaled out her mouth as well as out her nose. There was even ice on the sidewalk...though there wasn't really much of it, but still, it was freezing outside! But as chilly as morning was, the sky just blanketed with light gray clouds, she was adorned in winter clothing such as a simple light brown fur coat, ending around her ankles, which wasn't very puffy but satisfyingly warm and a pink fuzzy sweater worn underneath that also kept her toasty warm.

The parts of her body that were just cold as heck were her cheeks and nose.

"Ha...how dare they mess with my timer! Geez, telling me to go to work...How could they!" Yui softly fumed as she ran, furious with her brothers. She understood very well that her brothers were worried about her but she thought they really shouldn't worry much. It wasn't like she was completely traumatized over yesterday's incident or anything. Anyone could pass out from such an unexpected robbery after all. "They shouldn't worry about me so much..."

Granted that she still has a phobia of men, she would diligently work on fully overcoming that fear. After all she couldn't let her brother's hard work go to waste. Because of her siblings, the only dilemma she probably has as of right now is speaking with men, always stuttering here and there. She just could not waste her siblings' efforts.

Finally having arrived in front of the shop's door, she hurriedly knocked on it for a few times then smacked the cold glass with the front of her hands to get the attention of her siblings inside the place.

"They better...What...But..." she quit her onslaught on the door for a few moments. From inside the shop she saw Ruki, giving her a look that told her to go back home and rest and Yuma, along with Azusa, waving at her in greeting. As for Kou, she presumed he was in the kitchen.

"Open the door," she hollered as she resumed her assault on the ice-cold door.

She promptly saw Ruki on his phone and in a jiffy she received a text message. Yui took out her phone and read the...lengthy ass text message she just got from...her big brother...Ruki. "There's no way I'm going to head home now!"

"Kah..." Yui frowned as her hands slowly sliding off the glass door; her arms were now drooping by her sides as she heavily sighed. "I guess I'll just wait until they open..."

She made herself comfy, sitting in front of the door and leaning her back against the glass. She cupped her hands, brought them in front of her mouth and exhaled, warming up her hands. "Maybe I should have worn mittens..."

Gazing around the area, the streets wasn't as busy as she assumed it would be. Maybe it gets busy at eight or seven… Her eyes then landed on the back of a long light green bench, about six feets away, in front of her with someone sleeping on it and got a glimpse of red hair. That red hair was very familiar...to her...and it was...the guy she had unintentionally hit with the tray yesterday. Oh shoot—Oh, wait a minute. She inspected further and became aware that he was asleep, taking a nap.

"Ah, thank god," she commented, letting out a breath of relief and took one long gaze at the red-head. "Hmm, it looks like he's shivering over there..."

Yui stood up and walked over to the bench. He's really shivering. One thing that just instantly caught her attention when she inspected his features was his teeth chattering. She swiftly took off her coat, draping the warm clothing on the male like a blanket. "There we go, that should—Kya!"

The redhead grabbed hold of her left wrist, making dilated pink eyes meet aesthetic drowsy green ones.

"Hmm...Laito? Is that—" Yui yanked her arm away from him, about to slap him with her free hand but before her hand could come in contact with his cheek, she was caught again. He was still drowsy; his eyes was half closed. "Bastard, why are you trying to slap me Laito...wait a moment...Who are you?"

She felt as though this was the most embarrassing moment in her life. She was hovering over him, like she was about to kiss the guy. Both of her wrists were in his grasp and though he wasn't entirely wide awake, he had a secure hold on her.

"You...What...are you doing—"

Her cheeks were splashed in red and the cause of it was definitely not the cold as she stuttered. "It's n-not what it looks like! I-I w-wasn't trying to—"

"Yui!" She heard Kou's voice as she felt herself being torn away from the redhead's grip. His hands were quiet cold so she was glad she was no longer in his grip. "Control your brother Laito, geez! Hey, are you okay little kitten?"

She nodded, assuring her brother she was alright. But the redhead was certainly not going to be fine. She gasped when Kou's friend, Laito, started to pour hot coffee all over the red-head's face. "Is he going to be alright Kou?"

"Ayato? Of course he'll be alright, no worries~ Now, let's get you inside." She was pushed inside the shop, a very cozy and snug place but felt guilty when she heard screams and cursing. Even from inside the shop, she could still heard Laito's and Ayato's voices and she was most certain the redhead, which Kou mentioned was Ayato, was not okay at all.

"Wake up~ Rise and shine Ayato~" Laito spoke in a playful voice but she also detected a hint of menace in his tone.

Ayato screamed, pissed at Laito. "What the hell Laito—It burns! Ow, ow, it fucking burns so much!"

Definitely not alright.

...

Seated in one of the tables aligned right next to the window, Ayato looked out through the window, listening to his brother interact with the people associated with the shop. His elbow was propped on the table while his cheek was supported by the palm of his hand.

"It's all dirty now, sorry Yui."

"I-It's o-okay!"

"Oh? You're not used to me yet?"

"S-sorry..."

"Nfu~ It's okay. Besides, this is the first time meeting in person after all. Nice to finally meet you in person~"

"Y-yes! M-me t-too!"

Ayato heard a different voice interject. "Hah? You're making no sense you idiot."

"Yuma is...right. Big Sis...should rest..."

"I told you to go back home and rest Yui."

Soon after that, Ayato heard laughter, groans and a lecture.

"Just how does he know them...Besides, why was he so mad with me," he murmured. His brother seemed to be familiar with them quite well, especially the one known as Kou. Laito did say something about an idol once. Anyhow, that Kou guy was the only face he was familiar with since he would always see his face on television.

"Hello~" Ayato heard Kou drawl out and felt the presence of the idol but his eyes were still glued though the window; the streets were getting a bit busy as he heard car honks. But he redirected attention to Kou, glaring at the idol, when the blonde mocked. "Would you like a hot cup of coffee again~"

"Bastard—"

"Then, how about a cake to cool off~"

"Hah? What are you going on about—" A freaking cake was mashed into his face but the remains of the cake got into his mouth which tasted way too delicious for him to burst into rage.

"If you try to harass her again, you'll get more then just a cake in your face." The idol had a very lively smile on his face but the tone he used was in complete utter contrast to that disturbing bright smile. The idol's tone was threatening with a hint of playfulness to it, like the type of voice Laito had used when he woke him up with freaking hot coffee. But he had no absolutely no clue why he was getting threatened here. Bitch please, I was just taking a fucking nap on that bench.

"Hah? The hell are you even talking about? If anything she's the one who was trying to assault me!"

"As if I would believe you," the idol shot back, about to slam the cake into his face once more.

"Kou! What are you doing!"

"Eh? What—" the idol turned back to face another blonde, a female with wavy shoulder length hair; he remembered her and knew that she was the true culprit that hit him in the head with a tray but he let it that slide yesterday.

The blonde female walked over to his table with a tray carrying a warm cup of coffee and a slice of, what he assumed to be, blueberry cake and place it in front of him as she explained her side of the story. "I'm the one who bothered him. He didn't do anything bad at all! Hurry and clean up this mess Kou."

"Tch, you're way too kind for your own good." The idol glared at him before disappearing off into the kitchen to fetch the cleaning materials.

He just rolled his eyes and muttered insults. "What a bitchy idol...Stupid idol bastard, how fucking dare he blame yours truly..."

"I-I'm really s-sorry about that..." His attention was now directed to the blonde female, checking her out by instinct. More specifically, he was checking out her chest. With that flat chest of hers...Tch, she's totally not my type at all. He now studied her face, amused with how nervous she was around him. She was a stuttering mess. "I-I h-hope you enjoy this lemon blueberry c-cake..."

He was amused with her. She couldn't even manage make eyes contact with him. She was nervous, afraid, shaking all over as if she would collapse any second. Heh, maybe she's afraid that I know she was the one who hit me with a tray yesterday. Her cheeks were rosy red, almost the color of a deep red rose itself. She was just so entertaining to him that he couldn't help but want to tease this one. When she was about to turn around and head into the kitchen, he commented. "Hey, you're face is really red. Do have a fever? Maybe you need—"

"I-I don't h-have a fever at all! I-I d-don't need to r-rest!"

He would usually use that line as a pick up line but this time around he was just using it to tease a girl. Her reaction was way too amusing. Aside from other girls he flirted with, this one just lit up in flames.

And it wasn't because she was infatuated with him nor mad that he used a pick up line on her. Heck, he bets she doesn't even she was being flirted with.

She was enraged because she thought he was implying something else.

To him, he found that odd and hilarious.

...

"S-so, if y-you're trying to t-tell me I n-need rest, I-I don't need any b-because I'm p-perfectly h-healthy!" The nerve of that guy. She couldn't believe he was about to suggest that she needed to rest. Soon after her little outburst, the redhead just burst into laughter. "W-What..."

"W-What a-are you laughing at?" She stuttered, not able to comprehend what made him burst out into laughter.

She frowned as he just continued laughing. "Bah...hah...Hah aha!"

Kou's friend, Laito, came and silenced the one known as Ayato with a method she disapproved of. He took Ayato's slice of lemon blueberry cake and smothered it all over the redhead's face, enraging him. "You...You wanna die Laito?"

"Cool off Ayato. Besides, you're not allowed to flirt with little bitch."

She saw Kou exit the kitchen, but he didn't have the cleaning materials. What he had was just a rectangle sized cake and for some reason he was glaring at Ayato whose laughter slowly came down to a soft chuckle. "Quit calling her that Laito! She's more like a cat, not a dog!"

"Eh~ But your nickname doesn't fit her at all~"

Azusa sent Ayato a death glare. "How...dare he..."

Yuma looked ready for a fight, glaring at Ayato and cracking his knuckles. "Heh~ So this is the bastard who touched her?"

Ruki was also glaring at Ayato while indirectly trying to threaten him. "Laito, train your brother to not flirt with every single girl he sees...especially with Yui or else he will definitely receive a bloody nose from Yuma."

"Yes, yes~ Roger that~"

"Huh? F-Flirt," she questioned ridiculously, furrowing her brows. She thought it was ridiculous, most certain that the guy wasn't flirting with her. "He wasn't flirting with..."

She heard a snort coming from Ayato who wasn't fazed with her siblings' glares or threats one bit and turned to face him, sending him a curious look but then received a task of containing her laughter. "W-What is it..."

"Yours truly was flirting with you but don't worry, I have no intention of dating someone with a flat chest."

He was mocking her. So full of himself with that confident sickening smirk plastered on his lips but she couldn't take him seriously with the remnants of the cake along with a white frosting mustache on his face and just burst into laughter instead of bickering with him.

"Y-You...ah haha pft...haha!"

She collapse in her knees, the tray dropping to the floor beside her, and clutched her stomach as she laughed.

She really couldn't take him seriously right now.

"You—What are you laughing at you flat chest," he provoked.

"Ah haha—Please don't call me that!"

"Flat chest, flat chest, flat chest~"

"Don't—"

"Flat chest, flat chest~"

"Please cut it out already!"

"Amazing~ Little bitch didn't stutter at all." She heard Laito comment.

Her siblings stared at the her and Ayato in wonder while Ayato had this 'what the fuck is going on' expression.

Yui blinked a couple of times, registering what Laito had said. And just in case she truly wasn't dreaming, she pinched and slapped her cheeks with both of her hands. "You're right!"

Laito was absolutely correct. She didn't stutter once while she was bickering with Ayato.

...

"Hey Ruki, let's have my dear brother help her completely get over her fear of men~"

"Hmm, I will consider that option."

"What are you—" Ayato didn't know what in the heck was happening or what his brother was getting him into. "Like hell I'm going to spend time with this flat chest!"

"Eh~ Why not?"

"Flat chested ones aren't my type, you know that already!"

"He's hooking you up with her idiot," he heard the idol drawled out in annoyance. "Just help her out if you can."

He still felt murderous intents coming from the girl's siblings but it didn't disturb him. He had been beaten up pretty badly by quite a number of girls with siblings before, so feeling their death glares and the deadly intentions was no big deal for him. "No way—"

"Kanato and I will stop bothering you if you agree."

And because of Laito's quick thinking, Ayato instantly took the bait.

"Gah! Why can't I go home!"

Now he was in the shop's resting room. Voices of customers pouring into the shop could be heard as he lied on a black couch, staring at the ceiling in boredom. The blonde girl wasn't his type at all. If her chest was bigger he would have accepted the task of curing her phobia of men with no objections whatsoever. Well, anyhow, he was now stuck with nursing the blonde but at least he got reasonable deal with Laito also... A smirk settled on his lips. Heh, maybe I should play around with this one while I'm at it.

"Let go Yuma! I don't need any rest, I'm perfectly fine and healthy!"

"Yes, yes now in you go!"

He sat up when he heard voices getting near the resting room which was connected to the kitchen with a doorway adorned with a bead curtain that created the image of cakes and cupcakes. Entering the resting room was the blonde and her sibling with brown messy hair.

"Hey! You better not mess with her!"

Yuma was much taller than him but he wasn't intimidated and just rolled his eyes at the warning.

"Che, I would never go for a girl with a flat chest."

"Is that so...Tch, I actually trust you on that." With that said, Yuma exited the room.

"This is unfair...I'm perfectly well rested already..."

He saw that the blonde was about to take a seat on the couch but he swiftly laid back down, taking up all the space and managed to irritate her.

"Please move your legs off the couch."

He flat out ignored her request and randomly commented. "You can sit on me if you want...You know...you're really weird Pancake..."

"I'm not going to sit on you." He saw her take seat on the floor, leaning against the couch. "And pancake?"

"It's your nickname because of you're flat-chested."

"Don't call me that!"

And just like that her cheeks were dyed red. He couldn't believe how easily he could get her so upset and enraged; he wasn't sure but he just might be intrigued with the idea of playing around with her a bit, to break her little heart for fun. She seemed way too easy to break. Perhaps he could set a record of breaking a girl's heart within a week; his fastest record was a month.

"Then, how about flat chest?"

"Please don't call me such nicknames relating to the size of my chest y-you...mustache cake man!"

One thing for certain though was that she was amusing to him, hilarious in fact.

"What...the fuck...You—Then it's decide, your nickname is Pancake!"

"Please stop calling my that or else your nickname will be mustache cake man!"

"Pancake, pancake~"

"Quit it—"

Ruki popped in for a lecture. "I can hear you two squabble from the cashier area. I'm sure even the customers have heard your bickering as well. What is wrong with you two...Act more mature...Quit acting like little..."

"Che, I don't need this stupid lecture—"

"What was that? Do I need to start over again?"

His ears was traumatized after about an hour later. When the lecture was finished, he just zoned out and stared at the ceiling along with Yui till the shop closed and night came.