Chapter Fourteen

-Gumi-

Hmm… Piko Utatane. I say the name over and over again in my head, trying to associate it with anything other than a dress-wearing, chipmunk-voiced shota. As Miku and I stand outside of his door with our suitcases in hand, I bite my lip in deep thought. Piko Utatane. Not a shota. Piko Utatane… Gah, this isn't working. I'll have to wait until he opens it. He might not even be home.

"Try it again," I suggest. Miku pushes the doorbell again. Suddenly, it opens.

In front of us stands a tall man with snowy white hair. He wears a green and blue plaid shirt and jeans. The colors of his shirt match with his eyes, which are… Wow. Amazing. Dazzling. B-Beautiful…

"Hi, Miku. Who's this?" he asks. His low, handsome voice echoes through my ears. Oh, I'm asking the same question about you…

"This is Gumi Megpoid," she responds cheerfully. She turns to look at me. "Gumi, this is Piko Utatane," she smiles. This is Piko Utatane? This… non-shota? My eyes widen in complete shock. So this is what she meant when she said that he looked different. And here I was thinking that this was his brother or something.

"P-Piko…" I repeat clumsily, "Is it really you?" I ask. He chuckles.

"Yeah, it's really me," he replies with a smile that makes my heart flutter out of my chest. I swallow down the feeling- or at least I attempt to.

"P-Piko, you look so different…" I trail off, lost in his endless eyes… So hollow, yet so deep… They seem to be twinkling… at me? I can't help but blush as I tear from his gaze. And to think, you'll be spending the next 10 days with him…

"Yeah, Miku said the same thing," he chuckles, looking at her. Suddenly, he gives us a confused look. "Why are you guys holding suitcases?" he asks, tilting his head. As he does so, his long bangs fall over his stunning eyes.

"You know how Kaito told us about the whole money thing…" Miku starts, "Well, we kind of can't pay off our house anymore, and we're wondering if we move in with you for the week?" she asks. As soon as the words tumble out of her mouth, I suddenly hear how stupid the whole idea sounds. Gosh, Rin. Why'd you do this?

"You… want to move in with me?" Piko repeats, his features loosening.

"Please, Piko, we won't be a bother, we promise," Miku says, placing her hands pleadingly over her chest.

"It's not that that I'm worried about. I'd actually be happy to have some company," he smiles. "It's just, it's only a two-bedroom house," he shrugs.

"That's okay," I pipe in, "Can't I just share a room-"

"With me!" Miku finishes with a smile. Suddenly, I bite my lip. That's not what I was going to say, Miku.

"I guess you could. My parents are on a business trip in England and they won't be home until a couple weeks later. Their room will be big enough for both of you, don't worry," he assures us. Miku holds her breath.

Suddenly, she collapses into Piko's arms, closing her eyes and breathing in and out heavily as she smiles. Piko looks shocked at the unexpected embrace, but then he… he returns it, wrapping his arms protectively around her waist and back. No… he can't be… Piko and Miku… they're not… together, are they? They- they can't be! Miku wouldn't do that to me… She doesn't even know that I-

"Piko, I can't thank you enough," Miku says, breaking away. Piko still holds his hands on her shoulders affectionately as he gazes into her eyes. Piko… no… don't fall for Miku… she doesn't return those feelings… she's in love with Kaito… oh, why won't he do that to me? Miku's lips curve into an honest smile as Piko's eyes soften, gazing into hers. Why won't he do that to me?

"Don't you guys think we should probably unpack now?" I ask, shattering their emotions of adoration for each other. Piko, who realizes that he's still clutching onto Miku, slides his hands awkwardly off of her shoulders. I soon find my eyes narrowing as a sheepish blush clumsily inches its way onto his cheeks.

"R-Right," he says embarrassedly, turning around to allow us room to walk into the door. Miku and I drag our suitcases into the house and follow Piko upstairs. We make a left. "This is my parents' room. Is it big enough?" he asks. I look around at my surroundings. The bed is huge and extremely grand-looking. It should fit both Miku and I without a hint of trouble.

"Yeah," we both reply. He smiles.

"Good. If you need any closet space, they've packed pretty much everything for their business trip, so you should have enough room," he says, peering into the closet. "Yeah, looks like you should just hang up all of your clothes to the left side of the closet," he concludes, looking back at us. Miku and I both nod. "What about Luka and Rin? Where are they staying?" he asks suddenly.

"Don't worry," I say, "They're fine. They're staying with Kaito and Len." He nods with a soothing smile.

"Alright, as long as everyone's okay," he says. Suddenly, I melt.

"Oh, Piko, you're so understanding!" I smile, "Thank you so much for letting us stay here. It means so much," I say. He turns his head slightly to the left and raises his eyebrows with a grin.

"Really, it's no problem. Besides," he assures us, "It's good to have company while my parents are away. You girls can help yourself to any food or anything that you may need. The kitchen is downstairs," he adds.

"You're too kind, Piko," I smile. I can feel the warmth rushing back to my face, painting my cheeks with a pink so bright that it matches my lipstick. He gives me a nod and a smile. He didn't look at me like he looks at Miku… face it, Miku will always be better than me, prettier than me, more talented than me…

"I should be heading downstairs," he tells us, interrupting my thoughts. "You girls make yourselves at home," he smiles. Miku and I both nod as he exits the room and closes the door behind him. I wait until I hear the bottom stair creaking with the weight of his foot.

"Isn't he the best?" I ask, smiling dumbly.

"Oh, Gumi… you're not in love, are you?" Miku asks with a giggle. I look up.

"You two are dating, aren't you?" I whisper in a cracked, heavy monotone voice, not sure how to respond. Her eyes widen.

"What? No, I don't even like him like that," she says, furrowing her eyebrows as she holds up her hands defensively. I breathe a sigh of relief. "So you do like him," she laughs suddenly. This time, it's my turn to widen my eyes.

"What? Okay, fine. I really do… But I don't think he feels the same way," I admit. Suddenly, Miku gets this expression on her face as if she's seen a ghost. "Miku? Are you okay?" I ask, trying to catch her attention again. Suddenly, she snaps back to normal. "Six seconds," I report as she sighs. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"I just think… never mind. Maybe I should go and look for a job?" she asks unsurely. I raise my eyebrow. Something's definitely up. I'll have to see later.

"You might want to get a job in the mall here," I suggest. She nods her head and thanks me. Suddenly, I begin thinking about my own job. Babysitting. Can I actually pull this off? Well, it couldn't hurt to get a little help from someone who just happened to insult the idea… Suddenly, a grin sneaks on to my face. Hehe…

Uh-oh. Everybody knows that when Gumi does that little "hehe" cackle of hers, nothing ends up well...