3rd Person's Point of View:
Naru watches as his fiancé slips on a mint green shirt that she'd recently bought. He'd refused to let her buy her clothes from the thrift shop. Someone else probably needed those clothes and he had the means to give her something different.
Today, Mai opted out for jean shorts and the mint green button up (see through) shirt. Her swim suit is black and he can see it through the shirt. The shirt only stopped right under her belly button, so he could see the ties from her bikini bottom.
This whole analysis of her outfit has to do with the fact that Mai had forced him in to swimming shorts and a t-shirt. She had also somehow managed have him to agree that going to the beach was a good idea. When he'd brought up the fact that he is the owner of a company, she happily informed him that Madoka took over her position while Lin took over Naru's. There was no getting out of this unless he somehow contracted a terminal illness.
"Mai—" Naru begins.
She shoots him a glare as she continues to get dressed. Picking up her brush, she makes her way towards him, "There is no way that you're not coming, Naru. Yasu is bringing some of his friends and even John and Masako are coming with a few of their friends. It's time we started hanging out with people our own age."
Damn. He knew that look in her eye.
"Fine." He grumbles, taking the brush from her and beginning to brush her hair. This particular motion started with Mai always complaining about her hair being knotted. Naturally, he complained about her complaining and had a hair brush thrown at his head. He researched the type of hair that is straight and always seems to be knotted. The result was that Mai just washed her hair too much. Getting her to wash her hair every 2 to 3 days was a war all on it's own (Mai is very self conscious for some odd reason), but he convinced her in the end. Now her hair is easier to comb, and he did it the first time this entire ordeal began, so he just kept doing it.
"Naru?" Mai says quietly, causing the dark haired man to look up and see her peering at him in the mirror. He raises an eyebrow in a silent question. She smiles gently at him then, the smile that has his heart pounding and his mouth twitching. She reaches back and grabs his hand, turning so that she can face him. "Thank you for agreeing to come. It really means a lot to me."
Naru sighs, unable to deny that the only reason he hasn't flat out denied is because… well, it's Mai. And what she wants, she gets. That's the bottom line and always will be.
An hour later, they're leaving their apartment for the beach. On the way there, Naru calls to rent a beach house.
Naru smiles when Mai shrieks a laugh with some of the other girls as the waves crash over them. Yasu is on his right while John is on his left. John is reading his bible and Naru can see Yasu 'eye flirting' with those girls that were trying to catch Naru's attention. Monk is busy with his band.
"Well well, Big Boss." Yasu says, causing Naru to look up from the book he wasn't reading, "It seems you and Mai are getting along well as an engaged couple."
Naru looks at him for a moment and considers ignoring his comment, but Mai's words from earlier about having friends their own age echo in his mind. He sighs, giving the man a brief answer, "I wouldn't plan to marry someone I'm not compatible with, Yasuhara."
Yasu nods, agreeing with him, "Good point. Though I believe we all saw it coming. Mai has had a crush on you since before I even knew the the two of you. I remember being in high school and wondering how someone younger than me found someone like that."
Naru closes his book, putting the bookmark in place. He pulls off his sunglasses to look at Yasu, "Like what?"
"It's difficult to explain," John butts in to the conversation. He places his bibles down and pulls his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees, "You and Mai-chan are polar opposites. She's loud and cheerful and you are… well…" he trails off.
Yasu happily picks up where John fell off, "You're mute and vaguely depressing to be around." Naru eyebrows shoot up and behind him John titters, but then feels bad for laughing. Naru rolls his eyes, and opens his mouth to retort just as a young girl steps in front of them.
She couldn't be any older than sixteen, but she was defiantly a foreigner. A short blonde bob and small blue eyes with a too skinny body is not the first thing Naru notices, actually it's the last thing. The first thing he notices is that the kid blocks his view of Mai… which is not okay.
"Hello!" She says with a very thick accent.
Naru ignores her as John and Yasu both both greet her, "Hi!"
"You're Oliver Davis, right?"
Naru's head snaps up and he glares, speaking in English, he cooly says, "Who's asking?"
"My name is—" she's cut off by a particularly pretty brunet in a black bikini and a ring on her finger.
"Naru!" Mai yells running up with a smile on her face. She greets the girl warmly, "Hi! I'm Mai." The girl shakes her hand with false kindness before turning to Naru, "I'm going with Ayako and Masako to get a quick bite to eat, okay?" Reaching behind him, in to their beach bag and grabs his wallet. He pulls out a stack of money and hands it to her. She tries to shake her head and hand it back, but Naru flicks her on the forehead and with a stern glance from him, she accepts the money. Then she gets up and follows the other two women.
Naru looks up the girl, who smiles down at him and sits on the end of the beach towel. Then she begins to prattle off about ghost hunting and tries to sound intelligent, but it was even obvious to Yasu and John that everything she sad she'd memorized from Naru's books.
•
The girl— Chi— is beginning to annoy Mai. Naru can tell his fiancé is trying to be nice, but it's just not working. The pink haired girl really is that annoying, not to mention the fact that Chi seems to try to one up Mai at every turn.
Mai walks towards the bathrooms, and Naru takes the moment a break away from the annoying girl, who was currently showing him 'data' from one of her 'adventures with the paranormal'. She doesn't notice as he just walks away.
He finds Mai glaring in to the mirror at nothing in particular. He glides behind soundlessly and wraps his arms around her waist. She jumps, but relaxes against him when she finally snaps back to reality. He kisses the top of her head, "You're allowed to say when someone is annoying you, mon tout."
Mai smiles wistfully, "That obvious, huh?"
Naru shakes his head, grabbing her hand and entwining their fingers, "No. I just pay attention."
Mai nods, "She seems to have a lot of information about ghost hunting memorized."
Smiling, Naru leans forward as Mai tilts her head towards him. He pecks her lips, "Do you want to come scope out the beach house with me?" Mai's smile is blinding as she agrees.
"Naru, this thing looks gigantic." Mai says as they walk up to the beach house. It is off to the side of the beach with the rest of the houses. No one is allowed to enter without the proper identification, so it's private. The beach house they're currently standing in front of DID look large, but probably because it's only one floor with five bedrooms and three bathrooms. It's about the size of his parents' home, only it has more of a backyard.
With a forest behind the community of beach homes, Naru of course chose the one farthest in to the woods, for plenty of reasons. For one, Naru liked his privacy, but it was still near a portion of the ocean. Basically, on the front porch, you have a beach; on the back porch, you have a forest. Naru saw it as a win-win situation. Second, the backyard had a path through the forest that their vehicles could easily travel and get to the house. Lastly, he knew Mai would like this.
"Come on," he says, tugging her along. She follows him with a sigh. As he unlocks the front door, cool air washes over him. So the house has a cooling system. That's helpful.
Walking in, Naru allows Mai to walk in first. Immediately, their facing a long hallway. Mai takes her time, looking at each individual room. The kitchen first, which Mai gushed about the window that showed the ocean and about how large the kitchen itself is. Next is the sitting room, which she comments about the windows once again, and then how spacey it is. Then each of the rooms and the bathroom. Each room had a window showing either the ocean or forest. The master bedroom had two windows, each showing both. The master bathroom was just as Mai liked it. A walk in shower, but also a bathtub. Two sinks and a mirror over the sinks and an entire wall makes up a mirror as well. Bottom line, Mai adored the entire building.
They sit on the couches provided in the sitting room as Mai continues to praise the house. Then she pauses for a moment, before saying, "Is this the one you rented? We'll be staying here for a while?"
Naru smirks, "We'll be staying here for about fifty to sixty years, Mai."
Her expression is comical, to say the least, "Huh?"
"I bought it." Naru says softly, leaning forward and taking her hands in to his, "Welcome home, Mai." Tears of happiness streak down Mai's face.
"I can't believe you bought this house," Yasu says with a grin as Mai, Ayako, and Masako flit from room to room with an excited air to them. Yasu turns to the dark haired professor, "It's a beautiful home, Boss."
John speaks up them, "A lovely place to raise a family." Naru's eyes slide to him and he gives a brief nod, agreeing with him.
Thankfully, the group manages to avoid Chi again. She was annoying and they all silently thought so, even John. Night comes quickly, and Mai decides to cook for everyone. While stirring the pot of food, she plays the radio in the kitchen— her kitchen. Naru looks through the crack in the door and he watches as she caresses the tops of the counter, and gently moves about, closing the doors to the cabinets with the upmost care. He opens the door wider, which thankfully doesn't make a sound, and he leans against the wall as Mai continues to move around the kitchen. Her ring shines and she smiles at it, pushing it farther onto her finger to keep it in place, before she begins to sing softly to the music from the radio.
Naru has a brief thought of two little children sitting at the table. Twins boys, so much like Gene and himself, only happy brown eyes twinkle as they watch their mother dance around the kitchen like a beautiful little fairy.
Mai turns and notices him there; while jumping and dropping the utensils she was holding, she calls out, "Oh crap—!" Naru snorts and she sends him a glare before picking up a pot holder and tossing it at him, "You jerk!"
Naru smiles as she bends and begins to pick up the fallen silverware. He moves forward and bends with her. Out sight, behind the table, Naru takes the utensils from her quickly, causing her head to snap up. She parts her lips to speak, but instead of words coming from her mouth, a sigh does.
Naru moves his tongue over the galaxy that is Mai's mouth. Her lips so soft; her taste so sweet. The woman would never fail to amaze him. Mai always has been his light. Looking back on it, Naru secretly likes to believe that in his entire life, Mai had been waiting for him. As she had waiting for him those years he was gone.
Pulling away, he reaches a hand up and caresses her cheek. The brown haired girl leans in to his hand, and the professor chuckles, leaning forward to peck her lips before standing back up and helping her up. She accepts his hand gratefully.
Naru sets the table as Mai cooks. He takes a seat at the table, only to have a cup of tea placed in front of him. Small hands rest on his shoulders, before the arms connected to them wrap around his neck, and he's hugged from behind.
"I love you." Mai's softly voice fills his entire body with warmth, and it's times like this that remind him it's not just her feistiness that the professor loves about her.
Mai is his light.
Naru strokes her arms gently, "I love you."
John admits he is naïve. Not like Mai-chan, but very naïve for someone his age. The priest knows that it's a fault to most, but he quite likes how clueless he can be to things like taint and sexual indues, because then he can notice the little things.
Like how at dinner, Mai-chan casts glances over at Naru, which the young professor pretends to ignore, but he priest knows that he doesn't. Naru catches every single one of Mai's loving glances and somehow returns them. Either by defending her in a topic of conversation, or handing her a paper napkin, or in some way that no one notices.
Unless they're naïve, as is Mai Taniyama and John Brown.
Sometimes it pays to be naïve, because John gets to witness pure, true, unconditional love…
…and he couldn't pray for any greater blessing for his friends.
Mai is moving.
That thought makes Naru's eyes pop open instantly. He's on his stomach, but he can feel Mai moving around against his back. Then she's gone. He sits up quickly to find her loudly sneaking her way out of the room. Standing silently, he follows behind her. She moves herself in to the kitchen, and begins to heat a pot of water on the stove. A quick glance at the clock shows the time.
5:47 am.
What the hell is she doing up so early? Naru silently wonders.
She turns around, only to jump nearly three feet in the air. Her loud gasp is just a quieted shriek, Naru knows. Her eyes turn accusing as she silently asks him what the hell he's doing.
Naru's gaze drops as he quietly says, "You left."
Mai's gasp is quiet and then she's in front of him with a loving smile and understanding eyes. She grins up at him, "I knew you'd be waking up before everyone, so I came down to fix you tea."
Naru's eyebrows shoot up, "You wake up early to fix me tea." The dark lines knit together when Mai confirms it with a gentle smile.
Suddenly Naru's lips are on hers and it's hurried. The professor backs Mai in to the counter, before grabbing her waist and easily lifting her on to the counter. Long tan legs dangle off the counter top and Naru moves between them. Mai pulls away when Naru's fingers graze the inside of her thigh.
"What are you doing?" Mai whispers, placing her hands on both cheeks.
Naru rubs his nose against hers, "Shhhhhh, mon tout. Just be quiet." Then his lips are over hers again, and a breathless sigh leaves her. Mai knows she isn't going to get answers until he gets what he wants, so in a boldness that has grown side they'd begun having sex, Mai's hand finds it's way in to Naru's pants.
From being active with Naru for so long, she's learned what it sounds like when he's pleased. And if the sigh that he gives isn't any indication that he likes what she's doing, she doesn't know what is.
The entire act is hurried and fleeting, but as the couple make love for the first time in their home, they both know that this place is going to be home to them for a long, long time.
•
When Yasu wakes up the next morning, he wakes up to the smell of cooking food. His stomach rumbles and he bolts out of the room at the same time every one else exits their room. Moving down the stairs quickly, they all freeze on spot when they see the kitchen door wide open. The smell of food is still prominent through the house, but it's the sight before them that has their hearts filling with light.
Mai laughs breathlessly as Naru continues to twirl her around the kitchen to whatever soft love song is playing on the radio. The group watches as Naru's face comes in to view and they're all floored when they see the gentle expression on his face. Where as normally his face is tense and forlorn, the professor's face is soft, and they all watch in wonder as he smiles down at Mai. He twirls the brunet again before dipping her with grace.
All of the men can practically hear the women swoon.
Deciding that watching the couple dance in the morning light is boring, Yasu greets them loudly, "Good morning!"
A loud thump is heard as the great Oliver Davis drops his fiancé.
"Mai," Naru calls, standing by their old kitchen table in their new house. Mai's head jerks up. Her eyes are dazed and dark bags hang under her eyes. She's been like this since going back go school a few days after they'd moved in. Her finals are coming up so she's pushing herself to get the highest scores. Naru sighs irritatedly, "You need to stop, idiot. You're working yourself too hard."
Mai blinks her eyes, before yawning loudly, "Whaff affer Naou."
"Don't 'whatever' me, Mai." Naru barks. Quickly moving next to her, he scoops her up.
Mai begins to squirm, "No, Naru! I need to figure out the quadratic formula for the polynomial!"
Rolling his eyes, he glances at the page before biting out, "X equals six and Y equals four." Then he carries her to their bathroom. Mai gasps when Naru sets her down, and begins to peel her day old clothes off. In the process, he somehow turns on the shower and adjusts the temperature.
Soon enough, Mai is under the shower with old make-up running down her face and her hair sticking to her face. Naru is in the shower with her completely naked a moment later.
"Naru, what are you—?" The brunet is cut off when Naru's lips touch hers. Her entire body heats up with desire and she moans when he deepens the kiss.
The professor pulls away from his future wife, "We haven't made love in almost a month, Mai. I'm going through withdrawals."
Mai sighs, "I'm sorry, Naru, I just—"
"Have some type of fear that you aren't good enough for me, right? That's why you're pushing yourself so hard." It seems he's right with his hypothesis, because Mai's eyes widen and she tears up. Even with old, clumpy mascara running down her face and dirty, matted hair sticking to her body, Naru still thought she was gorgeous. He brushes her hair out of her face and kisses her wet forehead, "Mai, never think you aren't worthy of me. It's quite the opposite, actually."
Mai looks up at him with a disbelieving look, "What are you talking ab—"
"Shut up." Naru says, kissing her deeply, before grabbing her shampoo and beginning to wash her. Mai sighs, irritated by his Alpha Male attitude, but all together completely in love with him for it.
•
Make no mistake, after washing themselves, the two of them had sex in the shower, which Mai promptly passed out because of exhaustion. Naru had expected it, so he cleaned her up, and brought her bed. Afterwards, he found himself in the kitchen, cleaning up her left over homework supplies.
Naru spots her planner, and in a moment of genuine curiosity, he goes through it. Surprisingly everything is color coated. Dates with Ayako and Masako are green dots. Time with Monk are yellow. Time spent with Madoka talking about the baby are light blue. Work times are written out in black, while changes are made with red. And dates with him are dark blue.
However, a red dot is always present in the months, but not since two months ago, when they'd move in to the new house and Mai had started this studying of hers. The only answer Naru can think of is that the red dots represent her monthly cycle. However, if there hasn't been any dots for two months now. Mai was probably too busy to notice that she hadn't had her period. There also wasn't a possibility that she'd forgotten to mark it or anything. Madoka has her in the habit of color coding (he didn't even have to think on that part. Madoka is OCD), so there was only one solution.
Mai is pregnant.