Best Friends With Benefits

Chapter 7: Week 2

by: Iggy

...Day 8...

Ikuto's POV

I couldn't believe it...

I walked into work to find everything in complete chaos. Kids were running around everywhere, screaming, crying, yelling and making a mess.

Suzuki was trying to calm a few crying kids down and Yaya was trying to round up the rowdy ones.

"Oh! Ikuto! Thank goodness! Help us calm the kids down will you?" Suzuki begged.

I quickly went over to some kids who were hitting each other and pulled them apart. "Guys, stop fighting."

"He started it! He made fun of me!" Miki is a dark haired eight year old that is regularly at the daycare. She wore a white button up shirt with a vest on top and dark blue jeans. Her mother is very busy, going to school, then work, then picking Miki up late in the afternoon around six pm. The single mother only really gets to spend time with her daughter on the weekends.

"Did not! She is lying!" Yoru was the typical prankster kid. He had dark black hair that spiked up slightly and golden eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with a cross on it and a pair of black shorts.

"How did he make fun of you?" I asked.

"H-He made fun of my drawing!" She said holding up a picture of a cat. For a kid, it looked pretty good.

I looked over to Yoru. "Is that true?"

He looked away frustrated, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes glared at the floor. "Maybe.."

"Why did you make fun of her drawing?"

"..." Yoru bit his lip, not wanting to say. "...because..."

Oh how I love the because answers, such a stereotypical answer from a kid. "That's not an answer Yoru."

"I... I was angry... I am the one who likes cats! Way better than her! Why can she draw them so much better than me?" He yelled, throwing his fists to his sides.

I laughed a little, causing both to look at me strange. Kids reasons for fighting were so much more silly than adults.

"What's so funny?" Yoru asked glaring at me.

"Its just... I can't see why you two can't be friends.." I explain to them. "Yoru, you love cats and so does Miki. Miki can draw cats well, why don't you ask her to help you draw cats?"

Miki gave Yoru her cat drawing, a small smile on her face.

Yoru's face lit up and he grinned back at Miki, causing her to blush.

Glad that was settled, I got up and tried to settle the rest of the class.

By the end of the day, we were exhausted.

...Day 10...

I am so exhausted. Suzuki had decided to basically promote me after helping them for the past few days with the rowdy kids. Now I get ten dollars an hour and I work from seven in the morning to five in the afternoon. So I now get to work with the kids and clean instead of just cleaning.

I walked into the classroom and kids ran over to greet me.

"Ikuto-nya!" Yoru said running over to me, Miki right behind him. "Look! I'm a cat!" He said pointing to his cat ears, tail, and paws.

I ruffled Yoru's hair and gave him a small smile. "That is awesome Yoru."

"Mmhm! Miki is my owner! We are playing house! Play with us Ikuto!" Yoru and Miki took my hands and pulled me over to the play house area.

"You can be the doggy!" Miki exclaimed, excitedly. She opened the costume chest and pulled out a headband with dog ears attached on top. "Bend down!" She commanded.

I leanded over and let her place the headband on my head. "What do I..."

"No! Doggies only say woof!" She scolded, wagging her small finger at me.

"...Woof."

"Yay! Good doggy!" Miki said laughing.

The rest of the day I found myself getting dragged into costumes as the little kids were so amused by it.

...Day 13...

It was nap time for the kids, but none of them wanted to go to sleep.

"Come on guys! Nap time! Yay!" Yaya tried to enthuse them into nap time, but this time the kids were too energetic to listen.

Luckily, I had come to work prepared today.

I walked over to the back of the room, into the small office room and pulled out a case. I went to the front of the class and opened the case and pulled out a violin. I started to play and after a few minutes the kids became silent as they looked at me play the violin. When it was quite I stopped playing.

"Aww!" The kids whined.

"If you want to hear Mr. Ikuto play more of his violin, then go to your mats and sit or lay down." Yaya said, pointing over to the mats.

The kids hurried to their matts, sitting up and waiting in anticipation for me to start playing.

I decided to play them a lullaby that I had made for Amu when she was little.

I played the soft melody that creshendoed into a fast pased song.

The kids started to fall asleep by the song. Eventually all of them were asleep.

I continued to play the song, closing my eyes as I remembered the notes. The notes danced around inside my head. I opened my eyes and continued to play as I watched the sleeping kids with smile lingering on their faces. I turned around and looked toward the door, what I saw caused me to stop mid song.

Amu stood leaning in the doorway, a smirk on her face. "Hey Ikuto." She said in a hushed voice.

I looked over to Suzuki who allowed me to take a step out for a little, a smile on her face.

I walked over to Amu and took her hand in mine and pulled her into the hall, shutting the door behind me. I put my violin against the wall before turning back to Amu. I brought my hand up to her face, cupping it in my hand.

Amu smiled and leaned her face into my hand. Her hand grabbed mine gently, keeping it against her cheek. "I missed you Ikuto."

"I missed you too Amu." I leaned down and kissed her lips lightly.

She pulled away and gave me a small smile. "I'm so happy for you Ikuto, you get to work with kids, just like you wanted. I was surprised to see you here actually. I was on my way to my Psychology class, when I heard music and the closer I got I realized that was the lullaby you made for me, so I followed the sound and well, here you are. Why didn't you tell me you got a job?" She laughed.

"I guess I forgot. I haven't even told Kukai or Utau or Lulu either." I laughed.

"Oh!" Amu exclaimed looking at her watch. "My class! Its starting in a minute! Gah! I got to go! Bye!" Amu said running off.

I waved goodbye.

...Day 14...

Work was over and I was incharge of cleaning up and locking the room.

I closed the door behind me and locked it, pulling the key out aftewards and placing it in my pocket.

I walked out of the school and headed toward the parking lot.

I noticed an all to familiar pinkette crouched down by the curb of the sidewalk.

The closer I got, the more I realized that she was talking to someone. I finally noticed that she was talking to Yoru, whose face was red and puffy from crying.

"Yoru?" I ask.

Yoru looks up from Amu, happy to see me, he runs up to me and leaps into my arms.

I scoop him up and place him on my hip. "What's wrong Yoru? Where is your mom?"

"I-I don't k-k-know!" He sobbed.

Amu walked up to me and ran her fingers through Yoru's hair. "He has been waiting out here for a while. Poor boy."

"Is that true Yoru?" I ask him.

He nods his head yes as he continues to cry.

"I'll wait here with you Yoru for your mother, Amu you can go home now, I got it." I sat down on the sidewalk and put Yoru in my lap.

Amu sat down next to me. "No, I'm staying here too." She always was the stubborn type. "I found him here first, so I am going to stay until he gets picked up."

"Fine, do whatever." I retort.

We sit in an awkward silence for a while. Then I start to play some games with Yoru as we wait.

Two hours had passed and his mother had still not yet picked him up.

It was nine pm and the mother was no where in site.

"Mommy isn't coming is she..." His voice held disapointment, like this had happed multiple times before.

I looked down at the ground, feeling his pain. Like him, my parents were rarely there for me either. When they finally decided to try and be parents again, it was too late, I was a full grown man, out on his own.

"Its okay Yoru, maybe your mommy is just running late." Amu said trying to be optimistic.

I stood up keeping Yoru on my hip. "Lets go." I say, walking over to my car.

"Ikuto where are you going? We have to wait for his mother!" Amu called after me.

I put him in the back seat and buckled him in before closing the back door. I turned to Amu who stood a few feet away from me. "His mother isn't coming back, atleast not tonight. She has a drinking/partying problem and aparantly has left Yoru here a multitude of times. If she wants to, she can get ahold of us, we gave the parents our numbers."

Amu stood there, thinking. "Let me stay, just for tonight. I want to make sure he is okay."

I didn't know why, but I felt good when I heard her say that. "Okay, get in."

Amu got in the passenger seat. She did not bring a car to school because she lived close by that she just took the bus, or walked.

When we got to my appartment, Yoru was asleep in the backseat.

I got out of the car, unbuckled his seatbelt, and picked him up, resting him on my hip.

Amu closed the car door then ran to the apartment door and opened it.

"Still have a key here, eh?" I ask teasingly in a hushed tone. I walk in and place Yoru on the couch, putting a pillow under his head and a blanket ontop.

"Yeah I guess I forgot to give it back to you." She said.

I walked into my room and started to strip down to my boxers.

Amu walked in, then while blushing slightly, excused herself to the other room.

I turned around and grabbed her wrist. "What's the matter Amu? You've seen more of me than this before, why are you blushing?" I grinned as her blush turned darker.

"N-No reason, its just hot in here..." She lied. "I'll go sleep on the floor in the other room."

When she started to walk out, I grabbed her waist and pulled her close to me, her back hitting my chest.

"Stay with me tonight." I whisper in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"Fine, but we aren't doing anything, there is a kid here." She said, pulling away from me and heading to my bed.

I smirked. "So you're saying that if there wasn't a kid here, we would do something?"

"..No." She said frustrated that I twisted her words. "If there wasn't a kid I wouldn't even be here right now." She got in bed and while sitting up, removed her clothes down to her underwear and bra. "Can I borrow one of you shirts?" She asked.

I go to my drawer and toss her an oversized black t-shirt.

She puts it on, then pulls the covers over her after she laid down, her back towards me.

I get in bed and lay down next to her, staring at her back in the darkness of the room. I grab her waist and pull it toward me, drapping my arm over it.

Amu tensed slightly at first, but then relaxed and began to fall asleep.

I rested my head in the crook of her neck, smelling her strawberry hair, falling asleep to the intoxicating aroma.

"..to...kto...Ikuto..." Yoru said quitely poking me.

I groggily woke up, my eyes looked at the clock.

Three AM

"What's wrong Yoru?" I ask slowly untangling myself from Amu.

Amu also woke up, leaning on her elbow.

"I... I couldn't sleep... I had a bad dream..." He said ashamed.

Amu sat up and motioned for Yoru to get in bed.

Yoru scampered into the bed and lay between us, falling asleep immediatly.

Amu lay down and so did I.

I watched as Amu ran her hands through Yoru's hair and hummed a melody. Her eyes were smiling as she looked over him. She looked so motherly right now.

I fell asleep listening to her hum.

Iggy: Yay! Another chapter! Review! I'll update when I have 115 reviews! Till then!