Authoress here.
Okay, I'm back and ready to post. And I'm sick, so I'm home from school and hacking up bits of-
ANYWAYS! Oh yes, this chapter is dedicated to my partner in health, JewelValentine. We're both at home sick, and posting chapters like mad things.
Onto the chappy!
Side Note: This takes place after the lemon. If you haven't read it, we learn that afterwards Aoyou is feeling really guilty about loosing her virginity to two gay men and before marriage and all that.
Three Way Tie
Chapter Fourteen: A Lesson in Regret
Gravitation
About one week later
"I'm home!" Shuichi's voice rang through the house as the front door slammed behind him.
"Good afternoon," Aoyou called from the kitchen. She was still clad in her work attire, and was hurriedly putting a pot of water on the stove to boil.
"Now what did we tell you?" Shuichi sounded slightly exasperated as he entered the kitchen. "You don't have to cook every meal!"
"Don't you like it when I cook?" She sounded slightly annoyed by his comment. He withdrew immediately.
"Of course I like it when you cook." He moved into the kitchen, taking her hips in his hands, holding her to him. "You cook wonderfully."
"Thank you." Aoyou sounded somewhat cold. Shuichi let go and started for the hallway, confused. Ever since last week, when they had…well, Aoyou had been distant with both of them since then. Yuki reasoned it was because she was sore, but Shuichi doubted it. He remembered the pain from his first time, but the glow of happiness had been worth it.
"Hey, Yuki," Shuichi said dispiritedly as he passed the open door to Yuki's office. The clicking of keys told the teen that Yuki was hard at work.
"Hey," The keystrokes stopped briefly and the older man leaned around the doorway to peer into the hall. "Good day?"
"Yeah." Shuichi leaned against the lintel. "Press conference went smoothly, not too many awkward questions."
"Good. Damned nosey reporters." Yuki snorted in disgust. "Hey, Shuichi, I've got something to show you."
"Eh? What?" Shuichi watched as Yuki pulled a stack of paper from a drawer at his desk.
"Read it."
Shuichi took the offered papers and looked at the first one. It wasn't written in kanji, but in a print he couldn't read.
"I don't get it."
"It's English." Yuki said. "Translated. Aoyou finished it last night."
"That's cool." Shuichi shrugged, and then quietly closed the door, shutting the two of them inside of his office. "Yuki, what's wrong with Aoyou? I don't get it. She's been acting this way for awhile now."
"You know women, Shuichi," Yuki said dismissively. "She'll get all hot and bothered about not being a virgin anymore, and after awhile the guilt will wear off and she'll be back for more."
"Really?"
"No shit, Sherlock." Yuki said. He sighed, watching the teen's doubtful face. "Listen, Shuichi, if you don't believe me, just wait a couple more days. Then, after a nice fuck you'll be convinced."
"You make it sound so lewd, Yuki," Shuichi said with a smile. The older man's confidence had lightened his conscience quite a bit. He felt much better, relying on Yuki's vast experience for answers.
"Dinner'll be ready in ten," Aoyou called. She sounded stiff, as if she needed sleep.
"One good fuck and she'll be back to normal." Yuki promised. "now why don't you run down to the kitchen and put on your puppy dog act and help her set the table."
"Huh?"
"You know, big, sappy expression of adoration. Women kill for that look."
"Oh." Shuichi plastered on a simpering expression. "This?"
"That." Yuki gave him a buffet to the back of the head. "Now go."
Aoyou Tsumaru
After dinner, I made an excuse that I wasn't feeling well and I escaped to my room. Being there with them, having to watch them, having to know that I- that I had recently slept with them made me feel slightly ill to my stomach.
I still love them, I know that much. It's just…this cascading feeling of guilt and self-loathing is terrible. After what should have been one of the happiest days of my life, I feel miserable.
They were trying so hard to make me feel better, and that only made it worse. I had to talk to a third party, someone impartial.
Himoru. Even if she wasn't my best of friends, I could still talk to her.
At Himoru's home
"Thank you." I tipped a thousand yen into the cab driver's hand as he pulled up in front of Himoru's apartment.
"Would you like me to wait for you, miss?" The cabby asked. "It's a little late for you to be waiting for a taxi alone."
"Thanks, but my friend will probably get me home safe." I smiled at the cabby, who touched the brim of his baseball cap before driving off into the deepening night.
I only had to knock once on the door before it flew open, revealing Himoru. "Come on in, hon."
I had called her earlier to tell her I was coming, so she already had two mugs of tea sitting on her coffee table.
"What's wrong?" She demanded the instant we sat down. "You look like someone told you they ran out of chocolate."
I sat there for a few seconds before bursting into tears. She put her arm around my shoulder and sat there for a half hour as I sobbed out the entire story, leaving no detail out. Well, I didn't describe EVERYTHING, but enough to get the drift.
"And now I feel just terrible." I blew my nose of an offered tissue. She sat quietly, patting my back in a comforting manner.
"Well," Himoru said, all matter of fact, "You still love them both, right?"
I nodded, mascara tracing down my face in two little rivers.
"But you still feel guilty."
I nodded again.
"Maybe you should give yourself a little space." Himoru suggested. "After awhile, everything will sort themselves out."
I nodded again, and took a sip of tea. It was cold by now, but it still tasted good. "Now, Himoru, you've got to promise me you won't tell anyone about this."
She rubbed my back comfortingly. "Of course not. This is too big for ordinary gossip."
"I'm sorry for punching you back in middle school." I sniffled. The thought had occurred to me, and after how nice she was being, I felt sorry about it.
She laughed. "Now don't you go on about that, my dear! It was a good conversation piece, that black eye. Remember Brian Frane, that cute boy from the junior year? He asked me about it and we ended up going out to the football game together."
"Really? I don't remember that." I scratched my head.
We spent another hour reminiscing about high school, until I reluctantly called up another taxi. Talking with Himoru had cleared up a lot of things for me, one of which was the clearest: I needed to go home. Not home to Yuki and Shuichi, but back to America.
End Chapter
Authoress right smack dab on the dingy…here.
Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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