A/N: Yes, after an almost five month hiatus, it's time for a new installment of Heartbreak Cure! Thank you all for your patience. I'm not 10 chapters ahead or anything so it won't be a weekly update basis, but I'll do my best to keep working at it. A certain turning point is fast approaching so just so you know I definitely have an incentive. Thanks to all new faves, follows, and reviews!
ZainR and Cha0T1cPeace, glad the plot twist was a success! XD Seriously I'd been sitting on that reveal since at least Chapter 18. I've never been so excited to see Noda. As for Nagisa, oh, it wouldn't be a Clannad reunion fic without her. ;) (Haha, wait until Hinata finds out Hejjiguchi high-fived Naoi before he did!) Aww, I appreciate that you noticed that! It's the little things, you know? They deserve to have their little happy natural unconscious couple moments.
Also! Cha0T1cPeace, Masuda is quite like Chaa, isn't he? Serious and smirky and somewhat militaristic. I can only say you're wise to make connections between the two... ;D
Guest: Maybe so! Though I can't imagine what Kanade would need it for at the present time. Hand sonic to open her mail? Distortion as a neat party trick? Knowing what I do of HC's storyline, it's safer for a couple of reasons if she doesn't use it. (I would, however, like to recommend the fic To Live Life Fully by 1caiser. Not only does Kanade have her guard skills in it but when I first started shipping NaYuri and googling "naoi yuri fanfiction," that was the first fic I read.)
Well, I won't delay things any longer. On with the chapter! Enjoy!
[Chapter 40]: What You Want
Despite Yui's misguided suggestions that they set up near the amphitheater, Ryou and Yuri led them in the opposite direction near the park's fountain. It had a covered area with tables, but the group elected to have the picnic in the grass anyway. The spot was close to the river and the clouds had swept over the sun by now, so it wasn't quite as hot or dry out.
Now they were parked in the soft grass on a subtle slope of a hill, enjoying the mid-afternoon. Botan and Mitsuo were play-fighting off the energy they'd gained after conspiring to steal and share a pizza slice or two. All in all, everyone seemed to be having a good time.
Conveniently enough for the Battlefront, everyone was just as much of a stranger to Kyou as they were to her very bewildered boyfriend. Going by a few conspiratorial whispers between twins, Ryou must've said something to coax her, because Kyou went from furtively glancing between Noda and everyone else to clearing her throat and asking some not so subtle get-to-know-you questions.
"So where are you all from?" was one of them, and Noda had stiffened as his ears perked up in interest (though he coolly tried to hide it).
But then Hinata had preened proudly, and started up with some crap like "Well, Otonashi, Kanade, Yui, and I are from Shibuya, which is basically the best spot in Tokyo…" like it was something to flex about. Ayato rolled his eyes and tried to tune out the strange residential pride; why did he keep bragging about this?
Kyou thankfully interrupted to express surprise. "Best place to shop, for sure… but isn't it a busy place to live in?"
"Oh, sure, it can be," Hinata amended. "We're no strangers to chaos, so it was easy to get used to and it was just like there were new things to discover every day. Not to mention the life-changing concerts." Kyou nodded and hummed deeply as if she understood. "But it's actually not too noisy where we're at. There are a lot of peaceful forests and parks like this one, just a whole lot bigger. It's been our home for about nine months now—"
"But before that, Hideki and I were from Kyuuya," Yui cut in with a suspiciously bright smile, "just like Shiina here! It's the kind of small town where everybody knows each other, you know? Community baseball games, small business shops, unique festivals… it's a place where everything feels like family."
Ayato stared at her, aghast. Yui too?! At this point, they were both starting to sound like salespeople – and it wasn't as annoying as it was disturbing.
"Yeah, family that never minds their business," Hinata said scornfully.
Yui huffed at him, crossing her arms. "What? You think Shibuya is any better at that?"
"Way better!" he said automatically. "The people in Shibuya actually leave you alone. They don't all know you from birth and automatically think that means they get to tell you what to do or watch your every step with a damn eagle eye. Small towns are the ones that put you in the spotlight."
Huh… That was actually very true; Ayato personally didn't miss being known around town as "the potter's son." He would have to give him that one.
Ryou looked a little puzzled by all this. "Yui, to tell you the truth I'm surprised you're not more passionate about Shibuya," she said earnestly. "I would've thought you'd prefer it for all its energy and its shopping districts."
Hinata scoffed. "Yeah, you'd think."
The other Battlefront members exchanged odd glances, similarly puzzled by the couple's bickering. Which was a relief to Ayato – finally they acknowledged the strangeness of those two!
"Um… I'm from Suginami?" Ooyama offered nervously.
Kyou brightened, whipping around to look at Noda as her boyfriend fell into a speculative squint. "Oh! Kiritsugu, isn't that the town where you grew up?"
"Yeah, up until the end of middle school," he said thoughtfully. "So that's how I know you. Weren't you the kid I saved from those seniors? The basketball players?"
Ooyama paled, wide-eyed like he was gaining yet another repressed memory… for the second time in one week.
"They were trying to dunk me in the fountain," he recalled quietly.
"Either that or eat you for breakfast," Noda agreed, and heartily chomped into a slice of pepperoni and mushroom for good measure.
"But then you came and beat them up…" Ooyama stared into the middle distance, possibly narrating a flashback in his head. Completely unaware of Otonashi, Hinata, and Fujimaki's disbelieving looks around him. "With – what was it again?"
"Some walking stick I found on the ground," Noda said casually. "Felt like too good of an opportunity to pass up. Remember when I knocked them into the fountain? How great was that?"
Ooyama didn't respond, mouth still agape as he was lost to the flashback. He only startled out of it when Hinata swatted him on the shoulder.
"Dude!" he said. "Why didn't you tell us you'd met him before?"
"I forgot!" Ooyama cried defensively. "I didn't know it was him! The one who saved me was almost as scrawny as I was!"
Noda harrumphed, mildly offended as he cracked his neck and flexed a muscle. "Well, when we got suspended, I thought those guys would try to teach me a lesson. So I started training with the punching bag in my basement."
"Your old video games gathered some dust, huh?" Kyou teased him.
"Yeah, yeah," Noda muttered, with the smallest hint of a grin at the corner of his mouth. He stretched out his arms. "And after a while, these happened."
"Well, this is a small world," said Kyou, touching Noda's shoulder as she offered Ooyama a light smile. "You once told me you considered that moment the first cool and heroic thing you ever did."
Noda grumbled something under his breath and looked away, scratching the back of his head.
"And here you two are again," Ryou prodded, beaming as she passed Yuri a can of pomegranate soda. "It's almost like some people's paths are meant to cross!"
With a slight eye-roll, Noda returned his attention to his neglected pizza slice.
"Your sister warned me you were deep into the destiny and fortune-telling stuff," he said. "No offense, Ryou, but I don't really believe in all that." And he resumed eating his pepperoni and mushroom. But Ayato could have sworn, even for a fraction of a second, his pensive gaze had flicked over to Yuri.
(If so, Noda had better mind his wandering eyes and keep them on his girlfriend – or else Ayato could think of a few ways to turn him into a sure believer.)
As the afternoon went on, Kyou continued making idle icebreaking conversation with the Battlefront while Noda seemed vaguely interested in his usual aloof manner. Asking about their jobs and families, and then more boldly trying to scratch the surface of the Afterlife backstory when Noda started wondering how the hell they all met if they were from different cities.
"You guys are in your twenties and yet you act like you're in some sort of universal after-school club," he said, steadily looking more amused than skeptical.
Matsushita the Fifth had laughed jovially. "That's one way of putting it!"
And after that, it had turned into an unspoken game between the Battlefront where nobody could decide whether or not to play it safe with Noda. So they'd alternate between feigning complete normalcy, and dropping major hints and baffling Afterlife memories but brushing it off like it was nothing.
This was 70% Hinata's idea, of course. As one of the most casually extroverted of the group who had "known" Noda the longest (and wasn't his former crush), he took it upon himself to gradually lure him into their ridiculous little group. Once most of the pizzas had been depleted and everyone was sort of doing their own thing, Hinata and Ooyama took to conversing with Noda and the Fujibayashis. Ayato had to admit, every few minutes catching an utterly confounded look on Noda's face was an unexpected treat.
To be fair, sometimes Noda started it.
"Why do you have a tail?" he asked Yui at one point, narrowed eyes following its unnatural swishes.
Yui replied shortly, "Why don't you have your axe?"
His eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he recoiled. "The hell do you mean?"
"Your axe!" Yui repeated, her devil tail growing increasingly hyper and agitated. "You used to carry around a big axe that you liked to threaten people with! Haven't you even had any Battlefront dreams? Work with me here!"
His expression may have wavered for a moment, but it was hard to tell when he turned his back and headed for Kyou. "I think you've had too much caffeine."
"What?! That's totally irrelevant right now!"
Hinata laughed as he came up alongside his wife. "Way to lay it on thick, Yui."
"Oh please," she said loftily. "He loves me already."
As it turned out, she may have been onto something. Ayato later overheard Shiina muttering "how shallow-minded" amongst the rabble, to which Noda had nodded in approval and gestured grandly toward her, saying, "Finally, someone makes sense around here." This was widely regarded as a good sign.
But for the most part, Noda was keeping a reasonable distance for a guy who'd just met a group of imbeciles. As mid-afternoon rolled in, he rested comfortably on the grass next to Kyou and let Botan scope out his pizza crusts. Kyou said something under her breath that made him snort with laughter, and she bumped him with her shoulder before leaning against his.
Their affectionate display, although casual, did not escape Yuri's notice. And her attention did not escape Ayato's.
The fleetingly focused glint in her eyes, that miniscule twitch of her lip, the curious head tilt… Was it jealousy after all? Did she desperately want what she could no longer have? It wouldn't be the first time…
A phone buzzed nearby, dissolving the thought. Ayato snapped his head around in his search to glare daggers at the source.
"Would ya stop pining like a creep and go talk to her?" Hinata said, arms folded with an unimpressed brow raise as he approached him. And yet, his quirked mouth looked more like he was fighting back a smirk. "I swear, Noda's right. We must actually still be in high school."
"I'm not pining," he said adamantly. And then, before he could stop it, "She is!"
"You both—" Hinata stopped, frowned, looked over in Yuri's direction for a second, and then rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? You're still jealous of Noda?"
Ayato curled his lip in disdain, and started to reply – but Hinata shook his head and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders.
"No. Dude. You're still jealous, of Noda," he repeated slowly. "Let that sink in."
Damn... It was so much more humiliating to hear it out loud, particularly when Hinata was the one saying it. But it still wasn't worth admitting. "Why the hell would I be jealous of that idiot?"
"Well I don't know!" Hinata exclaimed, throwing his arms out exaggeratedly but having the decency to keep his whisper down to a dull roar. "Maybe because you'd rather make up another reason to mope around instead of getting what you want."
Ayato squinted at him; now he was just as confused as Noda. "What are you saying?"
Groaning, Hinata dragged a hand down his face.
"You're impossible, both of you," he said, noticeably exasperated. "It's like you don't even know what you want. You go on and on about how your love was a lie and you don't feel anything for her—"
"Which I don't," Ayato reminded him.
"—and then you start sulking whenever you think you have even the slightest competition," Hinata went on, nonplussed. He ran a hand through his hair, chuckling, "If you're gonna feel threatened by every Battlefront member who ever had a thing for her, then let me tell you—"
Eyes wide, Ayato tightened his jaw and silenced Hinata with a wicked warning glare. If the dolt was saying what he thought he was saying, he would prefer to wipe both their brains of the matter right now.
Hinata's chuckle quickly turned into a nervous cough as he wisely changed the subject.
"Look. I agree, her betting on Noda was a cheap shot. But you obviously fell for it, and if you ask me that's equally embarrassing," he continued, with a matter-of-fact scoff. "Just… stop trying to see what isn't there. You're doing the mental gymnastics thing again, and it's a waste of your time."
Sighing, Hinata gestured in Yuri's direction.
"C'mon. You won this round, at least go brag about it."
The suggestion lifted his eyebrows. He couldn't say he wasn't tempted, but the rant behind it gave him pause.
"Why do you even care about all this?" he asked, making a face at him.
"Because you two," Hinata jabbed a finger in his face, "are getting on my last nerve. This isn't a damn romcom, Naoi, will you guys just admit your feelings already?"
Ayato turned and walked off with a dismissive wave. "Nothing to admit."
The roar of frustration behind him brought a grin to his face. In his peripheral vision he could see Yui cheerfully strolling up beside Hinata as he growled into a heavy face-palm. Giggling, she squeezed his arm.
"It's because you ship them, don't you?" she said coyly.
Hinata muttered, "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
Not long after he left Hinata to his rage, Kyou announced that they should probably pack up the leftovers and head back. It was Ryou who remembered something in time and rushed to her sister's side to whisper furtively in her ear.
"Oh, they do that?" Kyou blinked. Ryou whispered some more, and Kyou considered her boyfriend for a moment. "Well, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing he'd have to deal with all day. Kiritsugu, do you mind getting in on their group picture for a second?"
"Group picture?" Noda leered at the Battlefront as everyone milled around the path and Yui handed the camera off to Ryou. "You're all getting weirder and weirder by the second. Plus if you guys are dead, you won't even show up in pictures."
"That's vampires, stupid," Hinata said, yanking him into the group by the scruff.
Fujimaki laughed. "Yeah, we don't bite necks. We drain brains!"
Scoffing, Noda side-eyed Ayato as he shuffled into a good spot behind Hinata. "This one looks like he bites necks."
"Ask Yurippe."
SMACK.
Luckily in the snapshot, Fujimaki's head was bent just so that his bangs fell in front of the red handprint on his face. He had a very smug, mellow grin to go with it, obviously pleased with himself and not at all worried by the welt that briefly marred his cheek. Ooyama's distracted concern would forever be frozen in that picture, though, as would Noda's suspicious narrow-eyed stare boring a hole into the back of Yuri's head.
Or possibly Ayato's. He couldn't tell from that angle.
(Perhaps Noda should learn to look straight ahead at his girlfriend rather than create photo evidence of him peering at other women.)
On the walk home, Otonashi and Yuri tried to explain to Noda that they weren't dead at all, just alive again, and they were in fact the Not Dead Anymore Battlefront. But then Noda scoffed, "That's a stupid name," which ignited (or apparently reignited) the great Battlefront naming argument that would last for a good five minutes. Kyou, extremely lost in all this, gave up and trotted to the front of the group with Botan. Noda joined shortly after, while Fujimaki, Ooyama, and Shiina came up alongside them with Mitsuo. So occasionally from the front the rest of the Battlefront would hear small yips, snorts, and "puhi-puhi" of the two pets having their own heated debates.
The rest of the group maneuvering, Ayato suspected, was either Otonashi's or Hinata's idea. He should have caught on to their careful increase in speed, but he didn't – and the next thing he knew, he and Yuri had gone from the middle of the group to the only two at the back. Damn him for zoning out.
She was a couple of steps in front of him, staring straight ahead from all the way back in her own little world. What was going on in that head of hers? He followed her gaze to the front of the group, where Kyou and Noda could be seen walking shoulder to shoulder and possibly whispering sweet nothings to each other.
Hm.
"You won this round, at least go brag about it."
Picking up the pace, he sidled up to Yuri and matched her stride, hands folded primly behind his back.
"So it was Noda after all," he said smoothly, and cast a side glance at her with an innocent grin. "Was it everything you wanted it to be and more?"
Yuri closed her eyes for a moment, possibly counting to ten in her head.
"I'll admit I didn't see it coming," she responded, then gave a small conceding shrug. "But it's interesting. And the lack of memories thing kind of works with him, makes it more of a fun challenge."
A fun challenge? What…?
"He still has a girlfriend," he tersely reminded her.
"And?" Yuri asked, giving him an odd look. "It's not like she's an obstacle. You said it yourself, she'll make it even easier to see him."
His eyes widened at her level of shamelessness, mouth forming a small "o" of disbelief. "Yuri Nakamura, you little homewrecker!" he managed through a cough of shocked laughter.
She made a face at him at first, but then realization crashed and her hand flew to cover her own embarrassed squeak of laughter.
"Stupid! I was talking about the Battlefront operation!"
"Well it's hard to tell, the way you kept staring at them like that!" he threw back, and inwardly cursed because it had sounded much more smug in his head. Hinata and Yui were within close enough earshot to overhear the pettiness in his tone, and simultaneously threw him an obnoxious knowing look over their shoulders.
Luckily, Yuri seemed to have missed it, as her expression was unfazed and far away.
"I was just curious," she said calmly. "Like I said, it's interesting."
"Interesting," Ayato repeated with an amused, dubious scoff. He set his gaze forward, rubbing absently at his wrist. "You'd think it'd be more upsetting to someone. Knowing the one who used to love you – just doesn't anymore."
Yuri hesitated at first, side-eyeing him for a moment while considering his words. Then she shook her head, closing her eyes again as she lost herself in a thought.
"I imagine it's easier," she said quietly, "when you never really loved them back."
There was no real need to lower her voice for that — Noda wouldn't remember even if he knew she was talking about him — and yet the softness in its delivery would've been what struck the devastating blow. When the conviction of her statement brought his attention back to her, the cool sincerity in her eyes stole all the oxygen he had and replaced his blood with static. And in the pins and needles of his mind sparked a possessive urge to lean in and capture her lips – to remind her, there was only one, he was the only one—
Blinking twice, he broke away from whatever dangerous trance she had on him. And struggled to compose himself.
He always did this. Hinata was more right than he realized. He always dreamed up a perceived threat where there was none and embellished it to absurd heights. Even back in Akuma, his jealousy towards even their friends had his mind racing to come up with hypotheticals. It was just that he'd been very aware of her charm, and, well… with Yuri, for the first time in his life, he was someone's plan A. He'd wanted to keep it that way.
But it wasn't like he was anything to her now. Getting all worked up – about Noda, for God's sake?! He felt like the second biggest imbecile here.
By the time he emerged from his thoughts, Ryou's house had come into view up ahead and Mitsuo's and Botan's footsteps could be heard scampering more quickly in recognition.
What time was it now? The sun was still high but it felt like it was nearing early evening. He wondered how much of the day they were going to spend with the sisters before it bordered on imposing. As he was mulling this over, another thought occurred to him.
"Hang on. So if Kyou and Noda are spending the night at Ryou's, as I assume they are," Ayato mused, stroking his chin before casting a curious glance at Yuri, "won't that make the sleeping arrangement awkward?"
"Hm?" Yuri blinked, startled, perhaps by the broken silence as well as the question. A journey of emotions crossed her face, each one deepening her frown bit by bit. "They could share the bed in the guestroom… no, can't count on that. Unless they put bedding on the floor…"
Ayato mimicked her frown, watching her contemplate the possibilities under her breath. Kyou sharing Ryou's bed while Noda took the guest room and put Yuri on the couch… Kyou and Yuri taking the guest room with Noda on the couch… Yuri sleeping on the floor in Ryou's room…
Honestly, it was rather offensive.
"Nakamura, all your solutions still don't account for one crucial detail," he told her.
Yuri cast her frown towards him now, looking wary. "What's that?"
"Your best friend's sister's boyfriend, spending the night in the same house as a mysterious girl who claims to have known him closely in a different life," he said matter-of-factly. Or afterlife, he silently amended. "I believe Kyou already has her suspicions. Imagine getting out of bed for a drink and bumping into him in the middle of the night. One little conversation and you could accidentally trigger a tender moment, with his poor girlfriend witnessing at precisely the wrong time."
A small, tentative smirk tugged at her lips. "You think if I stay over, I'll reawaken old feelings in him."
He clicked his tongue at the scandal. "Best not to risk it."
"I see." She looked ahead, watching the commotion at the front of the group as Matsushita and Ryou tried to free Ooyama from the leash wrapped around his legs. "Fujimaki and Ooyama have a couch free. Maybe I'll talk to them about it later."
Fighting back a choked groan and a facepalm, Ayato bit down on the inside of his lip as he considered his next move. Why did she have to make this so difficult? Wasn't the potion enough of a grenade to lob at him, now they had to play this game? It wasn't like he was trying to win her back or anything – this was for the Battlefront's sake.
"You might want to rethink that," he said after some time. "Two male roommates who've only lived alone or with each other? They probably leave the toilet seat up. You're better off in familiar territory."
"I think Fujimaki used to live with his sister," Yuri reminded him.
"His older sister," said Ayato. "He's probably glad to be free of her rules. I've seen their place, it's a bit messy."
Yuri snorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "And you think you're any better? You're a guy, you've lived alone for a while."
"Yes, but I've actually lived with a woman," he returned. "And a wife, not a sister." The words I know how to please you almost left his mouth, but his mind was merciful enough to play the thought back to him. He could just hear the cell phone buzz already!
He flicked a suspicious glance towards Hinata, who was busy poking Yui in the ribs as he jeered something to Otonashi about a canceled Kyuuya concert from a long time ago. His wife squawked indignantly and sounded almost tragic as she chastised him to "never speak of it." Honestly, what those two were on about this afternoon, he still didn't know.
Yuri gave a thoughtful hum, directing his attention back to her.
"I dunno, back when Ooyama was Hinata's roommate he was always sort of orderly," she reflected. "So I don't think one night would be that bad."
His eyes widened from the force of not rolling them. As opposed to one night with… ugh, never mind. Unbelievable.
At last he managed an uncaring harrumph. "And here I figured you'd rather stay with Kanade and Otonashi in the guestroom."
This prompted a quiet scoff from Yuri, shaking her head as she passed through the gate to Ryou's house.
"You know, you almost make it sound like you actually want me there," she said lightly, and passed a speculative look over her shoulder. "What, do you?"
Ayato hesitated at the gate. Just ahead, Ryou was waiting by the open door and everyone was taking off their shoes and piling in. Except for Noda, who was lingering on the front porch squinting in their direction. From suspicion or the sun glowing through a thick lair of clouds, Ayato couldn't tell. Hinata had moved in front of him, talking his ear off, while Matsushita the Fifth slung an arm around his shoulder and happily dragged him inside.
"It's like you don't even know what you want."
Hinata's words hung annoyingly over his head, like a cobweb he wanted nothing more than to beat away with a broom. What he wanted…! What he wanted was to not be the reason most of the Battlefront didn't see their beloved leader at night. What he wanted was to make sure drama wouldn't sprout between the Fujibayashi twins and Yuri if Noda's crush rekindled.
What he wanted was to not lose his mind tonight. Or any of his precious sleep.
"For Battlefront's sake, yes," Ayato said firmly, as that was the honest truth. Or, part of it. "That's where most of them are going to be tonight."
"Except for Ooyama and Fujimaki."
"Those two can stay as late as they want, since they know their house is just a short drive away," he reminded her. "Not my fault if they'd rather go back to their own beds. You, on the other hand, might prefer somewhere more familiar to you."
Yuri's features scrunched up before she turned her face away. At that moment, Hinata, Otonashi, and Kanade had their heads peeking out the front door like they were spying on them. Hinata looked embarrassed to be caught, while Otonashi did a confused little wave as if beckoning for them to come in. Kanade just blinked expectantly – then caught Yuri's eyes and gave a soft smile.
Sighing, Yuri tented her fingers in thought.
"Three in one apartment, versus eight in one house," she muttered.
"Four if you count Mitsuo," Ayato pointed out. "Eight's lucky, four's unlucky."
She threw him a weird look over her shoulder, but her crinkled eyes had a hint of amusement in them. "Do you even know who you sound like?"
Ugh. She was right. Here he was, awkwardly chiming in about lucky numbers as if he'd been momentarily possessed by their superstitious high school friend Ami. Could she do that from all the way in Akuma? Well, if he could learn hypnotism…
"Says the one who searched for an extra drama club recruit for weeks after she wouldn't add you on as the ninth," he said scornfully, eager to change the subject while he regained his cool. There was a fine line between graciously inviting her back and begging for her company; if he crossed it, the power would be all hers.
Blowing his bangs out of his face, Ayato stepped forward and closed the gate behind him.
"Look, Nakamura, the sleeping space isn't a problem," he said, breezing past her towards the front porch. "But don't make me one either."
After he took off his shoes at the door, he stole a glimpse over his shoulder. Yuri was still standing at the closed gate, arms tightly folded with churning uncertainty still stitched into her features.
He turned back to the door and went to open it, then paused just as his fingertips grazed the handle. Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly and forced himself to say what had come to mind. "You should know you're dearly missed when you're gone."
Silence.
All that followed for ten seconds… silence.
For a moment, Ayato wondered what else he'd expected from her. What she could possibly be reading into it. Even as he played it back in his head, he should have known it was too obvious. Too vulnerable. He shook his head at himself, opened the door, and stepped inside.
"I'll think about it."
The sternness in her voice made him hesitate at first. Then her words settled and a smug grin took over his lips. He'd been married to her long enough to translate. In tone and in word choice, that was Yuri-speak for a strong maybe on the side of yes.
"Good," he said calmly, and waited by the door.
She narrowed her eyes at him as she stepped up onto the porch. "I only said I'd think about it."
He nodded. "I heard you."
"Well, stop being so cocky about it or I'll decide right now!"
Choosing to call her bluff, he merely scoffed with a small smile and turned away, wandering through the entry hall. She could make a fuss over her pride all she liked or she could join him in the living room with the rest of their friends.
While it was her choice, he hoped she'd make the right one.
A/N: I am honestly so enthused to be getting back into the swing of things, sort of. Despite using TEDOU as a practice fic, I'm still rusty, but I'll manage!
Until next time - which I promise won't be five months away!
Preview:
"That sounds like him, alright."
"Maybe Noda could come hang out with us?"
"Don't you dare!"
"I wish I could bring the rain to you."
"You still talk to your mommy?"
"You can't get magical information like this anywhere else!"
"I'm starting to think some of these aren't real."
[Chapter 41]: Babysitting Battlefront.
