Smile, You're being watched!

Get down, somebody's coming and we're dead if were found so don't make a sound
This desperation is romance…

-Awkward time in elevators, The Pink Spiders

Natsume gulped down the rest of the carton of chocolate milk, glancing at his watch. There were fifteen minutes left for lunch, and he still couldn't find the preppy brunette, try as he may. Yuu walked up to him, tossing a small bag of Lays at him, which he deftly caught.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Yuu smiled, pushing his glasses up, "people-watching?" Natsume nearly choked on the potato chip he was chewing. The other boy grinned. "So I'm right."

The pyro looked up from his coughing fit, eyes narrowed. "And how did you know?"

The blonde looked around nervously. "Er…a little birdie told me so."

"Or was it the two little birdies?" Natsume pried.

"Right you are!" Yuu flashed him a victory sign and turned on his heel, glancing back at Natsume with a small smirk. "She's waiting for you at the vends…"

Natsume shook his head, noting to smack the twins later on. However, he sent a grateful smirk to the blonde and took the shortcut in between the trees, the loam still soft from the precipitation. He trudged through mud until he saw a large vending machine obstruct his view of a certain pretty girl.

"Hey." Mikan turned around, looking at him with unspoken relief. She wrapped her arms around his neck abruptly, sending them toppling onto the floor in an uncomfortable heap. "Whoa, whoa. Someone's eager to see me. " He joked with unease.

"Gosh, just trying to see if you were okay." She pouted, still straddling him, brushing a few strands of hair out of his face. Natsume shifted his body torso down to prop himself up on his elbows.

"And I am." He replied. Mikan grinned, wrapping her arms around him again, this time, snuggling into his neck, awkward as it was.

"I know. But I still worry. Right, BFF?" He quirked a brow and sat up. FLASH! A bright light and the sounds of annoying bouts of giggling followed. Natsume's eyes settled into a deadly glare as she climbed off of him, nearly tripping over her own feet to pursue the Uglies, the school's equivalent of extremist paparazzi. He dashed into the foliage, only to find no trace of the prying idiots.

"Shit. Shit shit shit!" He gritted his teeth, running a hand through his raven locks with a frown. Damn it, this wasn't supposed to happen! Now the 'get away from me' image he'd built up was gone, and Mikan's reputation was as good as gone…. Mikan trembled.

"Natsume?" She wrung her hands. "It's okay, right?" Her hazel eyes watched him with concern as he paced around slightly. "It's just going to be a rumor…"

"But they have proof." He snapped, but regretted it at the small wince Mikan gave. He turned away, looking anywhere but her. "This is bad."

The brunette looked around nervously. "But…people are still going to leave you alone." She argued weakly.

"It's not about me!" Natsume almost yelled, gripping her arms tightly as he turned around. "It's about…you! You're going to lose your reputation, your place in the preps, your friends! I know that Imai doesn't want you associating with the Hyuugas!" He held his breath. Looking up at him with a face contorted in confusion and hurt, Mikan took a deep breath and shoved him away, whipping around in the opposite direction. Her voice was suddenly stronger.

"And you think I care about that?" She trembled, throwing her arms in the air in a desperate gesture. "For all I care, screw that! For once, this time, I'll forget what Hotaru said. I'll freaking leave the Preps!" Her breath was heaving. He gaped at her in shock, then shook his head.

"It's not like that…" Natsume stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her securely. She didn't flinch; instead, she held back a furious scream, and refused to reciprocate his embrace. He nudged her with the side of his arm, until she relented and leaned into his secure touches.

"Then why are you so worried?" Mikan asked quietly, leaning her head onto his warm chest. "It's not that big of a deal." He chuckled softly.

"I was thinking you'd be more affected if you didn't have that goody-goody reputation anymore." She rolled her eyes playfully and pulled out of the embrace, hands immediately clasping together to fiddle with her thumbs out of pure habit.

"Um… So, it's not that important, right?" Mikan asked, just in case, as she turned to face him once again. He shook his head.

"After that, I don't really want to think about it," Natsume let out a small, breathy sigh, his lips curling into an almost smile. Then, in a whisper, he leaned closer. "So, what do you say we pose for a picture?" Mikan giggled, already hearing the rustle of reporters in the bushes a few feet away.

"Of course." She whispered back. Natsume smirked, wrapping his arms around her provocatively as she melted into his embrace, tippy-toeing and brushed her lips against the side of his cheek, dangerously close to his lips, grinning at the sound of a camera going off.--

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