65- Vignette- Post-Game

xxxxx

Waiting on You

"So…could I get…um…some tea?"

"Yes, Master!"

Seeing his girlfriend in a maid dress was beyond strange. Apparently, Shiki's class was doing a typical maid/butler café as their school festival event. Being the seamstress she was, Shiki had made the costumes for every single person in class. While Neku was impressed, he was not used to this sort of scene and felt quite out of place.

"Would you like anything else, Master?"

Neku gulped. The frilly white band of lace Shiki had atop of her head framed her face perfectly. The length of her skirt was shorter than she would usually wear it, and it was accompanied with white thigh-socks, emphasising how long her legs were. To cut it short (no, the skirt's short enough as it is), it was very…er…distracting.

Shiki pushed up her round glasses and tilted her head to one side. "Master?"

"Cut that out," Neku muttered quietly.

"Cut what out, Master?"

"The whole 'master' thing. It's giving me the creeps," he said. Creeps? Wait, he didn't mean that.

It was too late to take the words back, though, because Shiki's eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me, but this is my job, Master." Shiki had purposely put some stress on the 'master' bit.

She took the menu from him, not without a little force. "It seems that you don't need anything else. I'll bring your order to you later."

She walked away, turning sharply.

Neku didn't know what was worse. That Shiki was now mad at him or that her skirt had floated almost too high when she had spun around like that.

…The latter was worse. Definitely worse.

Once Shiki had told her classmates at the counter the order, she went around a few more tables to take more orders. Neku did not miss the lecherous stares of the guys that she was serving. Get away from her, he thought. Then he wanted to hit himself because he was sure that he had basically been looking at her kind of like that too. Just because he was her boyfriend, it didn't give him the right to ogle her (dammit, that was what I was doing, wasn't I?). In fact, he should have refrained, especially because he was her boyfriend.

Even with that thought, it didn't stop him from wanting to send those other guys into oblivion. Hey, maybe he could ask Joshua for help. Argh. His brain must have really been fried because he shouldn't wish Joshua on anyone.

By the time Shiki had returned to his table, he was feeling pretty miserable, his face almost completely hidden by his collar (even more so than usual).

"Master, your tea is here." She did not ask him what was wrong, but her eyes implored him.

"…Sorry," he apologized. "I don't think it's creepy. I just…" A thought occurred to him. "Do you call them 'master' too?" At 'them' he nodded his head in the boys' direction.

"Yes, of course I do, Master," Shiki said. She didn't look angry anymore – more like curious. "Why?"

"…" That's a good question.

He was saved from answering them when those particular boys asked if they could have another order, specifically calling out to Shiki. She was about to leave but somehow Neku's hand, having a mind of its own, grabbed Shiki's arm.

"…Master?"

I can't do this.

He tugged at her arm and didn't exactly know what he was going to say until he said it, "Shiki, the dress you're wearing is very distracting and I don't think that you should go over there."

Now he just sounded demanding. Nice one, Sakuraba.

She didn't, however, ignore him like he thought she might.

"You're distracted by what I'm wearing?" She looked surprised.

He was too. He didn't say that. "No-"But, it's true. "Yes. It looks…" He should have stopped talking, but he didn't. "…good on you."

Shiki looked at Neku. Then to the boys. Then back at Neku again.

"Are you jealous?" Shiki said the last word as if it was foreign. (Ironically, they both know it wasn't, but neither had thought she'd be using it for him).

Neku simply said "yeah," in a pretty hopeless voice.

He had just openly admitted that he had been checking Shiki out (his mind cringed at the term) and that he was jealous that she was serving other guys. Even though she was supposed to.

Oh God, he was being playing the part of 'the jealous boyfriend'.

Old Neku would have just shrugged it off but New Neku knew that he was probably being a jerk. Then again, Old Neku didn't have the pleasure of knowing Shiki, and would not even be in this situation; Old Neku scoffed at the idea of having friends, let alone having a girlfriend.

She, to his astonishment, giggled. "I have to go now, Master. I've got one more thing for you before that, though."

She leaned down and gave him a kiss. And no, it was only on the cheek. (Good thing too, because his heart was just about to burst as it was). He should really be used to that by now, but nevertheless, his face turned pink.

People were looking, now, and Shiki smiled shyly at him, before giving him a small bow.

As she went off, he sank back into his seat, though now he had a smile behind his collar.

If playing the jealous boyfriend gets him that , then hey, why not?


A/N:...but three - no...wait...not three...there's -