"Hey!" I shout to everyone with a huge smile on my face. The Metigami twins immediately run over to me and start apologizing on Yatoshi's behalf. I just grin and wave them off. I turn to Hakashi-kun, "So, how does it feel to find out nearly every girl in your high school is pining after you?"
Miki Yatoshi was the reason behind the girl spirit attacking all of the girls that came in to contact with a certain silver-haired boy. The evil demon/spirit had been tailing his descendant—Shuto Hakashi— for quite a while and that just added fuel to the fire.
He sighs, "Annoying." I laugh at him.
"Hakashi-san." Naru's deep voice says from behind me. He walks behind me and places a hand on my right shoulder, "May I speak to you for a second?" Shuto nods and they both walk away. The bell rings and everyone has to go to class; I wave goodbye to them as I make my way to the two stoic men.
"Mai," Naru says as I walk up, "How do you feel about having an extra coworker?"
I had read Hakashi-kun's file on the way over here. He used to belong to a rich family, but they all hated that his mother was a culinary maid by trade, and they killed her. His father commited suicide not long after, and Hakashi-kun was put up for adoption in a orphanage. No one ever adopted him. He made a few friends and they taught him how to use his large frame and muscles in a fight.
Basically, Naru's probably about to hire him as a door guard or something.
"That's awesome!" I shriek, excited, "We need a new face around SPR." Hakashi-kun looks back and forth between us and a smile breaks out on his face. I'm struck by just how young he looks as he smiles. I grin back at him and then reasoning pops in to my head. I turn to Naru, "But what would Hakashi-kun be doing?"
Naru smirks, "Well, babysitting you, of course."
My face turns read and anger bubbles in me, "No! No way! Not on your life you stupid narcissist!"
"This really is unnecessary, Shibuya-san." When Naru ignores him, he turns to me, "Taniyama-san, reason with him please!"." Shuto asks in a panicked tone as we all continue I move the furniture in to the apartment.
I smile up at the silver haired high schooler, "Sorry, Shuto-kun. I can't change his mind once he's made it up." Actually, I probably could (with lots of fighting between us), but I think this will help Shuto in the end. Then I pinch his arm, "How many times have I told you to call me Mai?"
He jerks away on reflex from the pain, "Sorry, Mai."
Monk chuckles, walking in the door with a box. He sets it down and pats Shuto on the back, "You'll get used to Mai's motherly tendencies."
My face burns and I glare at Monk, "I do not have motherly tendencies."
Masako walks over to me. She must have just gotten here. I didn't expect her to be here. She didn't even help me move in last week. I raise an eyebrow at her presence, and she rolls her eyes, "Madoka forced me."
"I did no such thing!" Madoka says in passing. She walks straight in to Shuto's room with a box of his clothes.
Naru apparently didn't think it was appropriate for one of his employees to live in an orphanage so far away. So Lin and Madoka became Shuto's legal guardians and Naru gave Shuto an apartment.
When I heard, I made Naru fresh tea for the rest of the day with out having to be asked. I didn't even wait for a thank you. Naru, however, must have thought it was weird, because he questioned me on it.
—~—
"Here you go, Naru!" I say bubbly as I set down the tea in front of the man who is currently in my good graces. Naru had recently forced Lin and Madoka (not really forced, they agreed with him) to become the legal guardians of Shuto Hakashi, and then Naru gave him an apartment for free rent!
Shuto is an orphan, so he's lived in an orphanage since he was twelve, and he wouldn't be getting his inheritance until he turned eighteen. The fact that Naru displayed the same compassion with Shuto that he did with me makes me feel… all warm and bubbly inside.
If I was his girlfriend, he'd get lucky.
'You practically are his girlfriend!' Gene exclaims playfully, 'Go make me nieces and nephews!'
'Go away!' I growl, but keep a smile on my face as I turn and begin to leave Naru's office.
"Mai." Naru's deep voice makes me freeze in mid-step. I turn and smile at him. He nods to the big comfy black chair that I love.
I feel brief happiness flit through me as I skip over to the chair and sit down. I sink in to it and grin at myself. I look up to see Naru watching me, a question in his raised eyebrow. I grin at him, "I love this chair."
He doesn't say it, but I could practically hear that thought that just flashed in his eyes. 'Idiot.' I roll my eyes at him, but perk up when he begins to speak, "Mai, you've been acting…for lack of a better term… odd all day."
I raise an eyebrow, "What do you mean by odd?"
"I mean you've been prompt." Naru says slowly, as if choosing his words carefully, "Normally, I'd have to ask you for tea several times a day. You've been doing this all day." He waves a hand towards the tray. He looks back up at me, and clears his throat, "If this is another one of your stupid pranks because you're mad at me about something—"
"Why do you always think I'm mad at you?" I ask, placing my chin in my palm as my elbow sits on the arm of the chair.
"Because you're always mad at me, Mai." Naru says in a monotone.
"Hey!" I exclaim, standing up and pointing at him playfully, "I resent that!"
He gives that 'would-be' laugh of his, before all amusement is wiped off his face, "Honestly, Mai, did I do anything to make you angry?"
I feel all silliness leave my body and I smile softly at my favorite dark-haired professor. I walk towards him and around the desk. I put my butt on the corner, leaning against the black wood desk. In a moment of boldness, I reach up and brush his thick hair out of his dark blue eyes. I smile softly down at him, "You haven't done anything to make me angry. Just the opposite actually."
He raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"
"Shuto?" I provide.
His eyes widen and he stands up quickly. His hands go on either side of my hips, and he stares at me, "Who told you about that?"
I laugh, "I would have found out eventually, Naru. I mean, we are neighbors." Suddenly, all of the blood in my body rushes to my face as I realize what kind of position we are in. How did I not notice this before?!
Naru seems to understand my sudden embarrassment because he smirks. He leans closer and I lean back. He just follows. I squeak. Eventually, I'm practically laying down on his desk with Naru hovering over me. Suddenly, he bursts out a loud hiccup. I open my eyes to see a genuine smile on his face. I'm assuming that that hiccup of his was actually Naru trying not to laugh.
I gasp and jump off the desk, "You ass!" I smack his shoulder. He bites his lip. It was probably to keep from laughing again, but it made my pulse raise.
"You haven't answered my question." Naru says, the secret laughter still adding an interesting tilt to his voice.
I feel that same soft smile on my face, "It was Lin, but I'm glad he did. I think it's a really sweet thing for you to do, Naru."
He watches me for a moment, before turning away to look out of the large windows. These particular windows have always been cool to me; ceiling to floor windows that looked out over the rest of the neighborhood. Naru clears his throat, "I only did it because it would be inconvenient for Hakashi-san to live so close away."
I sigh, "Just like it would be inconvenient for me to call you formally by your last name, Davis-san?" He turns and glares at me. I smile at him, "Naru, you know just as well as I do that this is all from the kindness of your heart, and this is just my small way of thanking you."
I walk forward and stand in front of him. I grab the back of his neck and pull him towards me gently. Naru allows it, and I softly brush my lips against his cheek. I whisper, "Thank you." Then stand up straight, and remove myself from Naru office as ordinarily as I could… even though I was probably seven different shades of red.
—
"Mai!" Shuto groans childishly, still trying to nag at Naru, "Why won't he listen?" Shuto is actually a really hyper active person. He's just shy around new people. Ever since he started working with us, he's opened up bit by bit.
I laugh and grin up at him, "Because Naru is a stubborn idiot. You'll get used to it."
"Who are you calling an idiot, Mai?" Naru glares.
I offer a sugar sweet smile, "To the same man who is a great professor and self-proclaimed genius yet doesn't know Latin." He looks stupefied for a moment, before he glares hard at me and turns away. My laugh that follows seems to annoy him.
"No mother!" Naru's voice is echoing in to my apartment. 'Mother'? Why was he yelling at his mother?
'You'll see.' Gene comments and then he's quiet again. I sigh and slide on some slippers. I hope the hallway isn't too cold. It's eight o'clock at night and I'd already taken my bath, so that means I was in pink cotton shorts and a white tank top.
I walk out of my apartment and go right next door to Naru's. He answers when I knock and watches me for a moment. He was wearing dark blue pajama pants that hung from his hips and a thin black undershirt. It was odd seeing him in something else other than a suit (I'd only ever seen him in pajamas one other time), but then again, he's never seen me in anything like this either.
He suddenly glares, but I know it isn't for me, "Mother, I have to work! I can't just up and leave just because you wish it!" He motions for me to come in with his hand. I follow him in and close the door behind me.
He walks in to the kitchen, still in a heated argument with his mother, "Yes, I realize that mother, but if I were to leave and go home, then who would run the office?" He sits at the table and runs a hand through his already disheveled looking hair. In an attempt to calm him down, I start making tea. After digging around for a few moments, I found a tea kettle and some tea leaves.
Earl Grey.
Figures.
"Mother, if I were to go to England, I'd take Lin with me, and I won't leave Madoka to have a Christmas with out her husband!" He was shouting in to the phone now, and making gestures with his hands as if he was actually talking to some one in person.
Naru was right though. Before Lin came back, Madoka would have Monk run the office while she went back to England to go visit Lin. It was the only time she ever didn't work. I remember Madoka saying that Naru payed for the tickets every year. I guess that was just another thing he did out of the kindness of his heart.
"Mother, I don't have anyone else I'd want to take with me!" Naru exclaims. I place his tea cup in front of him and he sighs before taking a sip. Suddenly, Naru's head snaps up and his eyes meet mine, "Hold on one moment, mother." He pulls the phone away from his ear, "Mai, do you have anything planned for Christmas?"
My face turns red and I stage whisper to him, "Naru, you are so not about to bring me half way across the world to your parents house just because your mother is annoying you."
"I asked you a question." He glares at me. I mentally groan. Out of all of the men in the world, I had to fall in love with the most Alpha Male of them all.
"No, I don't have anything planned." I roll my eyes.
"You don't have Christmas with Matzusaki-san or Takigawa-san?" He raises an eyebrow, clearly perplexed. The black phone was still slightly held away from his ear, but I had the sneaking suspicion that his mother could hear every word of our conversation. It doesn't bother me as much as I think it should.
"They invite me, but I don't want to ruin their Christmas. John's invited me to the church and Yasu's invited me to his dad's, but I don't want to ruin their Christmas either." I say simply, then sigh, "Besides, I've been having Christmas by myself since I turned eleven."
"After your mother died." Naru murmurs. We're both silent for a moment, before he puts the phone back to his ear, "Mother, change of plans. I'm coming for Christmas. I'll bring Mai as my plus one—"
"What?!" I shriek, standing up so quickly that my chair falls backwards.
"—so have a room prepared for her. One with a walk in shower, as well." … "Yes, mother. You too." Then he hangs up.
"Naru, I can't have Christmas with your family!" I shriek, following behind him as he brings his empty tea cup to the sink. Then he maneuvers around me and walks towards a room that I presume is his living room. Only there isn't a TV. Just several different book shelves with millions of books. He sits on the couch, still ignoring me. I growl, "Naru! Answer me!"
Silence.
"Oliver Davis!" I shout. His head jerks up and surprised blue eyes meet mine. I feel my hands clench in to fist as I yell at him, "You can NOT make plans with out me saying the okay! It's not fair and I won't stand for it, you narcissistic idiot!"
I'm out of breath now and can feel my eyes stinging with angry tears. I pick up one of his couch pillows and throw it at him. It sails and hits him in the face. It falls on to Naru's lap and he looked completely flabbergasted now.
I don't care what kind of intentions he has! I am my own person and he is not my ruler. I don't care what kind of personality he has or how much I love him, it doesn't give him the right to boss me around when I'm off the clock. I deserve respect, dammit!
'Mai, calm down.' Gene's worried voice bounces around in my head, 'Your energy is bouncing around. You're going to get sick.' It was too late, I was sweating and I could feel my skin heating up. I groan and put my palm on my forehead.
A cool hand is suddenly on my face and I hear him hiss, "You're burning up."
"That happens sometimes." I murmur, trying to push away the throbbing that is going on behind my eyes. It was making my eye twitch.
"Here." Naru says simply, I look up to see two little red and white pills in his hand.
"What is this? Some type of complex medicine for PK users or something?" I ask, popping the pills in my mouth and taking a swig of the water that he hands me.
"No. Advil." Naru says, looking at me oddly. I blush crimson and sit on his black couch. I sink in to it like the chair in his office. The small happiness reduces my headache slightly. Naru sighs and sits next to me.
After a moment of silence, I speak up, "I meant what I said, Naru. You can't just say that I'm going to England for Christmas."
He sighs, "This temper tantrum of yours isn't about me making plans on your behalf, Mai." He turns and places his arm on the top of the couch while leaning his head on to his hand.
His hand reaches over and everything seems to go in slow motion as his hand grabs mine. He pulls it to him gently and his thumb strokes that place between my thumb and pouter finger. He looks up at me, "What's this really about?"
I stay quiet, still staring down at our hands. His hand was rough and I could feel the callouses on them. How did he get callouses from reading and doing paper work all day? I look up at him and see his PK tattoo poking out of his shirt. I hadn't noticed it before.
My eyes close as I squeeze the words out, "Naru, I don't want to get in the way of your family's Christmas. I'd feel like…"
"You'd be taking Gene's place." Naru finishes for me, "Mai, that's stupid." My head jerks up as my eyes snap open. My mouth had fallen open and then I connect the pieces. He's trying to make me feel better.
I smile at him softly, "Yeah, it is stupid, huh?" He smiles at me. The action makes me blush and I giggle. He turns back to the front and we sit in silence for a moment. I let my gaze roam and then it lands on a hardcover book that has the inscription: Eugene Davis
"No way." I say, darting forward and picking up the sizable book. I gaze at the dark blue color and then look up at Naru with my best puppy dog eyes, "Can I read it?"
His eyes widen when he sees the book and he stands up with his face hardening, "Absolutely not." He jerks the book out of my hands and I flinch back. I take a few steps back and on reflex fold in to myself. My arms cross over my middle and I bend slightly, trying to appear as small as I can. I hate it when he's mad at me.
'Dammit, Noll…' Gene whispers, nearly silent in my mind. If it wouldn't have been so quiet in the room, my mind wouldn't have been quiet enough to hear him.
Naru sighs and I look up to see him run a hand through his hair again. I notice he does that a lot when he's in deep thought, though I've only ever seen him do it when we're alone. It must be a habit that he resists a lot.
Naru take two large steps and then he's in front of me. He grabs my hand gently and places the book in it. He grabs my other hand as well. He makes sure I have a firm grip on the book before letting go, "You can borrow it but don't lose it. Please, just… don't lose it."
I look up in to his eyes and I'm shocked by the swirl of emotion I see there, but the one displayed the most is trust. My instincts are screaming at me that this is another test. A big one. If I fail it… I don't even want to think about what would happen.
"I promise, Naru." I say truthfully. Nothing is going to happen to this book. Naru gazes at me for a moment with a look that I'm beginning to realize he's only ever given me. I'm not sure what that look means, but it seems important.
He nods silently, then he murmurs, "It's getting late. You should go home and sleep. I'll book our flight for Friday, so you have four days to prepare. You still have that passport that Madoka made you get right?" At my nod, he nods as well, "Good. I'll book nighttime tickets, so we'll be there around nighttime in England as well. I mean, if you want to come that is."
He looks at me with those blue eyes and I can't resist the submissive smile that crosses my face, "Yes, Naru. I'd love to spend Christmas with you and your family."
He smiles down at me, "Good."
"Oh, that's awesome!" Madoka gushes, sitting down next to me on the office couch. I had just told her about yesterday night, leaving out the talk about Gene (I just told Madoka that he asked nicely) and the book ordeal. Madoka grins at me, "You're going to love Luella. She's such a sweetheart."
Lin, who was sitting opposite us in the chair, snorts, "Luella is a manipulative hyper active woman with a sweet smile and devil horns hidden behind that overly long hair of hers." Lin glances up at me, a teasing glint in eye, "On second thought, you two might very well get along."
Naru smirks as I gasp. Madoka laughs at me when I start spouting insults at the Chinese man. He chuckles before looking back up, "And Mai, make sure you pack warm clothes. England is very cold naturally, and considering it's winter, I'd say it's snowing."
"Snowing?" I say, perking up, "Really?"
"Yeah." Madoka grins, "It's thicker there than it is here, though."
"Cool!" I exclaim happily.
"My office is not a café." Naru's voice reaches me, "Mai, get back to work and make me some tea."
I groan and lift my back pack up, which contains my school books and the dark blue book that I've been protecting with my life since I got it yesterday.
Excitement flits through me as I think about the upcoming trip. I've never been out of the country. Madoka just made me get the passport just in case. I couldn't wait to actually use it, and on top of that, I get to see where Naru and Gene both grew up. That's awesome.
And the best part is… I wonder if I can convince Mrs. Davis to show me some pictures of Naru when he was a kid?