AN: I'm so so sorry please don't kill me! For the longest time I was suffering from tremendous writer's block, and I haven't been able to write anything. But now school's started back up again, I'm a sophomore, my grandmother died last week... basically a bunch of stuff has happened. And now that I finally have a free moment, I went back and read some of the more recent-ish chapters. They've grown on me- especially Acceptance. To apologize for the hiatus, I'm determined to get at least two chapters out in the days remaining of September. Read, review, enjoy! Don't forget to send in a word that you want to see written!

(also ngl writing that last section was hard bc im so innocent)

This prompt was requested by and dedicated to ffn user Snavej- I'm so incredibly sorry this took so long!

XXX

"Come on, Mai! I promised I would help you apply your makeup, taking valuable time out of my own schedule- you can't back out now! Especially when you look so gorgeous that even Father Brown would feel a bit of temptation," Ayako tugged at the younger girl's arm, impatient and mischievous.

"Ugh, Ayako! I don't want to think about that! Leave Father Brown out of this! And anyways, there's no way I'm that pretty, even with makeup. What if Naru just laughs at me? Oh my god, I'd be totally mortified! I knew this was a bad idea, let me go back and wipe it all-"

"Absolutely not. Mai, you're a pretty girl. Naru knows that. Did you really think he actually drinks 20 cups of tea in 2 hours? You're delusional." With one final pull, the priestess managed to get Mai out the door and into her own very expensive Corvette. "We've gotta hurry- what would his parents think if we were late to a dinner that we invited them to?"

Despite Ayako's previous assuring words, Mai still had her doubts. She wanted to look professional- after all, this would be her first time meeting the highly esteemed Martin and Luella Davis- but she would also be dining with Naru in a semi-formal setting. She almost felt like she was meeting her boyfriend's parents for the first time- the only difference being, of course, that she and Naru weren't dating. Despite that, she was still extremely nervous. "Ayako, are you sure I don't look too gaudy or anything?"

"I'm not even going to give you a proper response."

"Ayakooooo, stop being so mean!"

"No. Now be quiet, I need to figure out where to go from here."

X

Mai smiled brightly- she had nothing to worry about. Luella Davis was an amiable woman, and talked enough for everybody at the table- five times over. While her husband wasn't nearly as chatty, he still seemed to exude an aura of comfort. Bou-san practically monopolized his attention for the majority of the dinner. Ayako, Madoka, and Luella seemed to be getting along spectacularly- Madoka, of course, already being best friends with Luella. Mai, as per the norm, flitted like the social butterfly she was from conversation to conversation, managing to forget her insecurities.

But once the food arrived and the conversations died down, she noticed that the black haired boy across the table was staring at her rather peculiarly. It was expected that he rarely talked, and even the staring could normally be attributed to fascination with a lesser being. But something about his gaze suddenly made her feel even more self-conscious than she had earlier in the day. His eyes were half-lidded, long eyelashes fluttering every now and then. Brows furrowed ever-so-slightly, gaze darting from to and fro across her face, he stared.

It didn't take long for Mai to realize that his gaze kept returning to one feature- perhaps the most embarrassing of them all.

Her lips.

Ayako had let Mai use one of her expensive lipsticks- she said that it wouldn't smudge or stain, and was ideal for situations where one would be eating. Mai was shocked at how mature it had made her look; the dark wine red adding an aura of- dare she say it- sexiness to her otherwise youthful face.

But the dinner was soon over, and Mai hurried back out to Ayako's car, trying to avoid lingering in Naru's line of sight any longer than necessary. However, her valiant efforts proved fruitless: almost as soon as she walked out of the door of the restaurant, Naru grabbed her arm and turned her body so they were face to face.

"Wh- ah... huh?" Mai's face blushed brilliantly when she became aware of the sudden proximity of their noses and eyes and lips. She noticed how Naru seemed to be slightly out of breath, though he had no reason to be exerted. "Naru?" She asked, after several moments of tension-filled silence. "Are you oka- ah!"

Mai was suddenly and wonderfully cut off by warm lips descending over her own. Her eyes slipped shut, and Naru's own arms shifted so she was wrapped in his embrace. She had never felt safer, she had never felt happier, and by god, she had never felt this damn entranced with such a simple act of kissing. As they both relaxed into the action, their lips pressed against the other's, adding just the right amount of pressure here and pulling away just slightly there, allowing Mai room to let out a small whine, demanding more. Nothing seemed more perfect than the two of them right then.

But slowly, Naru pulled away for real, allowing his hands to slowly fall from the small of her back, and giving time for both him and his assistant to regain their breath. Once fully recovered from the passion of the moment, Naru smirked.

"I've never been better."