Hilary paced in her room anxiously. Biting her bottom lip, she groaned.
"I can't believe I have to work with Tyson! This is insane! What if I screw up! It'll ruin my chance with him! Why it has to be him?" Hilary sighed. "Where is Hiky when I need her the most?" As if heard, Hikari opened the door.
"Hi Hils!" Hikari hyped. Hilary just glared at her in return.
"Where were you?!" Hilary snapped, making her twin flinch. "You didn't arrive for the assembly, you literally disappeared after class, and then you just barge into the house saying 'hi Hils'?! Do you even know what happened today?!"
"Relax Hilary," Hikari hummed. "Hadrik?" She clapped. Then suddenly, an old man appeared at the door and bowed respectfully. On seeing him,Hilary rushed towards the old man, her anger now replaced with joy.
"Sir Hadrik! What are you doing here?"
"Just for a delivery Young Mistress," He smiled at the girl. "And please, call me Hadrik, I'm your servant."
"No, you're the head butler. And you are as old as my grandfather, I should be the one to respect to you. After all, you're our Secret Santa Claus." The trio laughed heartily.
"I see you have quite the memory and humbleness Young Mistress, just like your grandmother." The old guy patted her on the head.
"So what's the delivery?" Hilary asked curiously, wondering what was so important for which the butler had came along.
The butler nodded and pointed towards the door.
Two bulky guards were climbing the stairs with a huge box in their hands. The box was more than half the height of Hilary. But for some reason, the guards were struggling to grip the box. Now this was something interesting.
They kept the box at the door way and, was there something sort of, rumbling? Curious, Hilary walked towards the box and reached for it, but to her utter shock, the lid flew open.
It was very fast, but she didn't fail to notice something fly out of the box and it took towards Hikari. As soon as Hilary looked back at the box, she was greeted by a cute, loyal pair of eyes staring at her with joy.
It didn't take time for Hilary to recognise who it was, or for a big smile to spread on her face. She immediately took the 'thing' in her hands and screamed,
"LUCA!" She looked at the greyish blue and white Husky dog, ruffling his soft fur with her fingers. In response, the dog shone his sapphire eyes, wagged his furry tail and licked her mistress on the cheek.
"This is the best surprise ever!" She looked at Hikari, who was busy nuzzling her pet African Grey Parrot.
"Nala, say Hi to Hilary." Hikari hummed to the bird.
"Squawk! Hi Hilary! Squawk!" The parrot tone rang into the house.
"You knew about this Hiky?" Hilary asked, not at all angry.
"Well, you were down the last few days, so I talked to dad and he sent us some company. BEST company I assume." Hikari tickled the bird as the it laughed like a human.
"Aww! Thank you so much Sis!" Hilary beamed, then looked at the butler.
"But where's Alesia?" Hilary asked, referring to the dog's female mate.
"She couldn't come, Young Mistress." He replied. The twins looked at each other.
"Why? What happened?" Hikari questioned.
"Is she sick?" Hilary looked at the canine worriedly.
"Well, you see," the butler bent and patted the dog on his head. "Master Luca is going to be a parent soon."
There was silence for a while. Then suddenly, the room was filled with squeals!
"You're going to be a Daddy Luca?! You made so happy! You made me a granny! Come here!"
"Squawk! Luca is going to be a Daddy! Squawk!!!" Nala chirped.
"Well, now I shall take my leave." Spoke Hadrik as he bowed respectfully.
"Won't you stay for tea, Hadrik?" Hikari asked, looking up at the old man.
"No thank you Mistress. I had enough tea in the flight."
"Well, I think you should go then Sir," Hilary smiled. "Take care of Alesia!"
"And don't forget our hi to mom and dad!" The twins bid goodbye to the butler.
Hilary looked into the box and took out two pieces of rods and handed them to Hikari, who set it up as a T-shaped stand. Nala flew and rested on it. Then Hilary took out a big, round, light green cushion and kept it in the corner. Then took out the pet food, to which both the pets eagerly stared.
"Yeah yeah, you'll get your food, don't worry." Hikari sighed, to which Hilary giggled.
As soon as Hilary kept his bowl of dog food down, without even bothering to sit on the cushion, he hungrily attacked the food, making a mess out of himself.
"LUCA!" Hilary looked furious, but then met with his eyes, correction, puppyeyes. How can someone be mad at this adorable baby?
"C'mon,"Hilary sighed as she took out a wet wipe."I'll clean you off." Luca forwarded his face, and enjoyed the feeling as his mistress wiped the food marks from his snout.
After she finished, Luca stretched, went to his cushion, and fell asleep, immediately.
"I can't believe he's going to be a father soon..." Hilary pressed her temple tiredly.
"You know Hilary," Hikari started shyly. "Luca is just like Tyson."
"WHAT?!" Hilary exclaimed, baffled by the comparison. Luca wasn't fazed by her high pitched voice.
"Tyson starts ragging you, and instead of you getting mad, you get swooned over his charms. And end up liking him even more."
"That's not true..." Hilary's voice trailed off as she joined her two index finger.
"And speaking of which," Hilary narrowed her eyes at her twin. "Do you even know what happened at school today?!"
"Well of course I do," Hikari said lucidly. "I'm paired up with Kai, in fact, all our friends are paired up with the person they like." She laid on the couch. "You can thank me later."
"Thank you for what?" Hilary eyed her suspiciously.
Hikari put a finger on her, chin pretending to think.
"Well, you see..."
Flashback... (Hikari's POV)
' Okay now, what should I do? What can I do to bring Hils and Tyson together? Get them on a blind date? Nah... Organise a party? No, that's just gonna ruin their moment. They need some privacy, okay, a LOT privacy, but what exactly? Think Hikari! Think! Hmm...'
I continued to search inside my brain until someone tapped my shoulder. I turned and saw Miss Kincaid standing with a soft smile.
"Mr Dickenson is calling for you Hikari, come to the Office with me."
As we reached at the cabin, I stood at the doorway.
"You called me Sir?" I asked as sweetly as possible. I hope it's not for the chaos I was caused in the cafeteria today.
"Oh Hikari, I have something for you." He stood from his seat and held an envelope.
"This is from your father, I think it's something important." Mr D handed me the envelope as I excitedly open the envelope on the mention of our dad. Father was once Mr Dickinson's student at high school, so it was obvious that Mr Dickinson was pretty nice to us, not that we can take it as an advantage.
I read it and got the message that dad was going to send a small surprise for us. As I continued to read the letter, I overheard Miss Kincaid and Mr Dickinson talking about something serious.
"Have you thought of anything Sir?" MS Kincaid asked worriedly.
"No, not yet. But we have to do something soon." Mr Dickinson sighed. I decided to interfere in the conversation.
"What is it Sir? Is anything wrong? Maybe I can help!" I smiled. He returned the smile and spoke tiredly,
"No need to stress about it Hikari, it's for us."
"C'mon at least tell me, I'm sure I can think of something." I pleaded. He looked at me for then sighed in defeat.
"You know Boris?" He asked. I shook my head in denial.
"He has been after the college for the last couple of years. He implies that his facilities are going to improve the students further, but I don't agree. His teaching methods don't have humanity, it only gives the thirst for money. Recently, he has challenged our college to prove our knowledge. He has given us the choice of competition, but we can't think of anything yet. If we loose, this university is going to be his."
As soon he ended, I felt anger bubbling in my blood. Who ever this bastard is, he has the nerve to take our college?! How dare he?! I've got to think of something, something unique. Hmm... Then suddenly, a brilliant idea popped in my head, that'll not only would help Mr D, but also Hilary.
"Sir I do have an idea." I spoke carefully. His eyes widened, and he signalled me to continue.
"We can hold an exhibition! But with a twist! The pairings will not be from the same year, and will be chosen by the teachers. This can not only help us students to get more knowledge, but also help in co-operation!" I said in an enthusiastically, both of them looked at each other, before looking back at me.
"And if, like you mentioned, they lack humanity, they will find it difficult to cooperate with their juniors." I explained the reason for my suggestion.
"Seems fair enough." Miss Kincaid supported. I smiled at her, then looked at Mr Dickenson.
"Very well then," He finally agreed. "But we'll still need time to think about it." I nodded my head happily. He chuckled.
"And," I pretended to hesitate. "Would you mind if I suggest a few groups?"
"Okay, sure." Mr Dickenson answered, totally unaware about my plan.
"There are a few friends of mine that I'm sure would excel more if they are paired up with certain seniors..."
End of Flashback (End of Hikari's POV)
"You did WHAT?!" Hilary exclaimed, grabbing a pillow and repeatedly hitting Hikari with it, as Hikari continued to laugh.
"Squawk! You did What!"
"Hey! Why are you hitting me?" She asked in fake tears.
"Why do have to you pair me up with Tyson of all the people?! What if I mess up?! He's my senior!" Hilary continued her assaults.
"Nah, don't worry. Kai told me that you two are going to be fine. Just chill." Hikari shrugged.
"Kai knows?!" Hilary asked.
"Kai knows! Squawk!"
"After the announcement, he approved it too."
"Ugh, how did you got Kai as your partner?"
"Luck. I nevertold Mr Dickenson about my partner. I think we're truly mates!" Hikari sighed dreamily.
"Squawk! Truly Mates! Squawk!"
"Now what should I do?" Hilary groaned as she slumped on the couch beside Hikari.
"C'mon now!" Hikari encouraged. "I know you would think of something! You always have! Your ideas for exhibition are extraordinary! Like the black hole, Wormhole, and Kepler something-"
"Kepler 452b." Hilary narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, that. And what not? I'm sure you'll do the same this year too. Tyson will be more than impressed, he'll fall for you!"
"I hardly think anyone would like to fall for a nerd Hiky," Hilary sighed. "Especially a guy like him."
Hikari sighed in defeat. Then she walked towards her twin's room. Hilary raised an eyebrow.
She came back with a brown overcoat and pink cap and handed to Hilary, and picked her up by her arm.
"What are you-"
"No questions, now go. Visit the library, go to the park and browse through your phone, I don't care, but go get some ideas! I struggled to get this amazing idea and you're not going to ruin it!" She handed Hilary her purse and phone, and shut the door in her face.
"Squawk! Bye Hilary! Have a nice day! Squawk!" Nala was heard from behind the door.
Hilary sighed.
'I think Hiky's right. I should stop panicking. I can do this.' With a determined look on her face as she pumped her arms up and down.
"Yeah! Let's do this!" With that she rushed outside.
Tyson walked on the footpath of the main street of Central Tokyo. He was wearing a black turtle neck sweater, a pair of grey jeans and his regular sport shoes. His cap clashed with his outfit.
It was still early morning, foggy and moist. The sun seemed to have taken a day off. The birds chirped pleasantly, adding music to the calming aura. A few people were walking too, but they were early birds, unlike the navy haired head.
"Why did I have to wake up so early today of all days? I could have slept without anyone disturbing me, today was a holiday! But my sleep knew better..." Tyson yawned. He was tired, but couldn't sleep for some reason. He looked at his watch.
"6 am," He muttered, groaning inwardly. "And is it just me who is cold?" He looked at the others wearing short sleeved shirts and hoodies. "Should have bought something for my ears." He mumbled as he blowed on his palms and pressed them against his ears.
He continued his little stroll, but eventually realised that he had gone way far than he expected.
"Central Library?" He blinked. "Wow, I walked this far without noticing? Well, since I'm here, better take a walk around."
He started to walk around the building, there was no way he was going inside, but something caught his eye that made him reconsider his choice.
Hilary.
Tyson stared dumbfounded at her for a while, who casually walked into the library, carrying a couple of books close to her chest along with her college bag.
'Library…so early?' Tyson decided to follow her for some unknown reason he himself wasn't aware of.
He slowly entered the building, as if he would be shot any minute if he wasn't careful. He went into the microbiology section, and crept behind the shelf. There weren't much people.
He spotted Hilary standing on one of ladders as she pulled out a book from the upper most shelves and climbed down.
He blinked at the thick pile of books in front of her. He was a bit shocked, but was also convinced because she was good at academics. He playfully smirked as he slowly went and stood behind her, deciding to give her a small fright.
"Hilary?" Hilary nearly fell from her chair as the familiar masculine voice called her out of nowhere. She immediately turned and faced her senior.
"T-Tyson Sir?" She stuttered with a racing heart.
Tyson chuckled. He loved how cute she looked when she blushed because of him, adding her startled look to the bonus.
"You are here so early. You really take your studies seriously, don't you." He wearily pulled a chair close to hers and taking his seat.
"You can say that..." She muttered, still standing but now looking at the small pile of books.
"And you can sit down too." He reassured softly. She was shocked at first at his lack-of-mischief-voice, but took a seat anyways.
Tyson picked up one of the books, and read the title out loud,
"Superbugs-The Race to Stop An Epidemic," He frowned. "I don't remember reading that in first year."
"It's for the Exhibition." She smiled at him. It took him a while before it clicked in.
"Aren't we supposed take the topic fromthe textbook?"
"There's no rule like that. We can also be innovative. And I thought you'll get bored, so I thought to try something new." She shrugged, making no eye contact.
Tyson nodded.
"So what is it exactly?" He questioned eyeing her with a smirk. "And look at me and answer."
Hilary hesitated, but turned to him and started explaining, "Um, well it's basically related to bacteria, that are highly antibiotics resistant bacteria. They kind of get immune to drugs because of careless use of antibiotics, and may lead to a pandemic in future, so we can introduce the topic to public and also give suitable suggestions." She spoke fluently, but she was still nervous of what the blunette would say.
"Nice." He grinned, encouraging her to continue.
"My uncle is a microbiologist. He is in Kyoto, we can also seek advise from him." She added happily, making Tyson grin even more as he nodded.
"So your place?"
"Huh?"
"You know so we could talk about this more clearly." He answered, clearly feeling the librarian's glare on his back.
"Okay, how about 11?"
"Sure, your address?" Hilary couldn't figure out his intentions, so she immediately wrote her address on a piece of paper and handed him.
He rolled his eyes as he got up from his seat, reluctantly grabbed one of the books and began his way outside, but not before saying,
"Don't think I'm into libraries, I was just out for a stroll." His voice reached the bystanders, making Hilary chuckle nervously.
'He sure knows how to attract attention.' She sighed.
...
Warm hot steam leaked its way out of the bathroom's door as it opened, revealing the ruby-eyed brunette walking out of her warm shower. Draped in her lemon yellow bathrobe, she squeezed out the water out of her chocolate locks with her towel. Just then, Luca skipped towards his mistress, trying to take a deep sniff of the sweet scent of his mistress' shampoo.
"Luca, I've just showered, wait a bit." Hilary said softly, as she climbed on the couch so that Luca couldn't reach her. Luca whimpered, but went back to his cushion, burying his head in the green plush. Hilary sweat dropped. Suddenly, she heard a whistle.
"Girl, I bet you can kill Tyson a million times with that look." Hikari winked as she looked up from her red tablet. Hilary blushed in all shades of red. Hikari giggled.
"Aww... Hils, I think we should drop out of college. With your beauty and charms, we can earn a fortune!" She imagined Hilary in various outfits as she finger-framed her. "How unfortunate it is, for you to waste your beautiful youth on that..." Hikari scrunched up her nose, pointing at the wardrobe, half filled with full-sleeved formal shirts.
"You're forgetting Hiky," Hilary sighed, picking up a hair dryer. "I can't wear anything else without looking like a freak."
"Who said that?" She climbed behind Hilary and showed her face in the mirror.
"Look at that face! It's screaming for attention!" Hikari squeezed her twin's cheeks. "And who said you need to wear 'exposing' clothes? Do you even know what today's fashion trend is like? Today brother-in-law is going to visit, and today I'm going to show him the real 'Goddess' that has been hiding from him." Hikari looked determined.
'I have a bad feeling about this...' Hilary smiled nervously.
One hour later...
"Okay, I guess this isn't that bad..." Hilary muttered ask she stared at herself in the mirror.
She wore a brown turtle neck full sleeved sweater and black long pleated skirt. Her mid back length chocolate locks were left open, looking more lively as they were washed. No makeup. Just a simple cute attire matching the brunette's angel aura.
"Mwah! Darling! You look so cute! I wish I could be here to see Tyson's face, but I will be with Kai for the project! Promise me to fill in all the details after I return!" Hikari hugged Hilary tightly as both of them giggled.
Hikari then grabbed her bag, kissed Nala good bye, startling the half awake bird.
"Good Bye! Good Bye! Good Bye?" The parrot tilted her head questioningly.
"I'll be back in a few hours Nala, no need to worry." She patted her feathered friend and left the room.
"Sigh.." Hilary looked around the room. A neat clean room, with a cheery African Grey Parrot on the stand, a lazy Siberian Husky lying on his green plush cushion, and a messy table. Not a common sight you see everyday.
Hilary walked towards the desk and started tidying up.
'After tidying up, what should I do?' She pondered. "I've already prepared our topic, and I also don't have anything else to do," She looked at the wall clock, 9:50 am...
'Should I do some sketches? Or...' Her mind went on wondering, then a blush crept on her cheeks.
"Maybe I can bake something?" She mumbled. "Cookies? What would he think? Will he like it?" She wondered all possible things he could say, smiling at the thought. She remembered all the times he had complemented her in his own chic.
She softly bit her lower lip with amusement, smiling contently. She put her hand on her chest and giggled.
"So cookies it is!" She pumped with determination. "Today I'll make him fall for me no matter what!" With that, she walked into the kitchen.
Tyson lied on his bed, dully staring at the page of the book he had borrowed from Hilary. His original plan was to just keep the book and directly discuss about it with her, but Hiro had his other plans.
"At least check the keywords," was what he told Tyson, "Don't burden her with that slow brain of yours."
So here he was, scrunching up his nose at the unpronounceable words and confusing definitions of the theory of evolution, viruses and bacteria, antibiotics and vice versa. He was familiar with some terms, but the book only made it difficult...
"Ugh!" He groaned as he sat up. "I should have read the book first, directly reading the keywords feel like rocket science!"
He glanced at the clock, 10:05.
"Maybe I should get ready," he smirked. "Give her a little shock, watch her get flustered, and maybe spend some more time with her..." He grinned stupidly. He shook his head and went for a short, cold shower.
He couldn't help but imagine how it would go working together, there will be mistakes, a little embarrassment, maturity, and most importantly, deepening of their relationship...
He came out with a towel wrapped around his waist, whistling in his own chic. He dried his hair, immediately changed into a dark yet dashing attire; a pair of light blue jeans and white t-shirt,which had two red stripes across the chest, and a black leather jacket to top it off. And of course, his beloved cap.
He slipped his firm fingers into his black finger less gloves, when suddenly he got a call.
Yo Tysie! On your way to Himmy's?
"Kind of. Just getting ready. And you can't call her that." Tyson frowned,replying Max's texts.
"So what are you planning to buy for her?"
"Huh?" Tyson blinked.
"Jesus! Tyson! You don't know anything about love, do you? You're visiting a girl! A woman! And not any woman, your woman! And you were thinking about going empty handed!"
Tyson flinched hearing Max's rare American slang as he scolded.
"Tysie you're going to her house! You think her parents are gonna like you seeing you empty handed! You think they will give their princess daughter's hand to you! You're just gonna embarrass yourself!"
Now that was enough to get Tyson's gears going.
"Oh Crap! I completely forgot about her parents!" Tyson exclaimed, nervous as heck.
"Maxie you gotta do something! Please!"
"What am I supposed to do? You were the one who invited yourself to her house! Well, I can't let my best favourite friend suffer! So hear from the expert!"
Tyson could feel Max grinning from ear to ear, he somewhat felt annoyed. Max did had this natural talent to cheer anyone up no matter how much they were upset, but one thing made Tyson a little jealous, Max's taste when it came to girls. He always knew what, when to do while he was with any girl, and Tyson always came out to be the naive one.
'When we were kids, Max didn't know the D of dating, now he has become a genius in this field,' Tyson sighed. He had no choice but to hear him.
"Firstly, choose a gift. Anything, anything that a girlcan like. Chocolates, teddy, dress, jewellery, so. I think a bouquet of roses will be enough."
"Okay.." Tyson muttered.
"And look a bit less reckless, and behave! Don't pull out any stunts like you do at college!"
Tyson sweatdroped at Max's warning. 'I'll be too nervous to pull anything Maxie!'
"You think a jacket and shirt would do, or do I need to where something more formal?" Tyson looked at himself.
"Yeah, will do. Just don't wear your gym clothes or ripped jeans. Those are pretty indecent."
"Fine fine. No need to accuse my clothing." Tyson defended, he just liked comfortable clothes, what's wrong with that?
"So that's all! Now go and show them who you really are!"
"It's not as easy as it seems..." Tyson mumbled so that Max couldn't hear him, then immediately added, "Thanks Maxie! I promise you a treat at the famous Hakai restaurant!
"And?"
Hearing Max mischievous tone, Tyson couldn't help but make a disgusted face.
"And buy you two bottles of Mayonnaise."
"Yep! You rock dude! Talk to you later!"
Beep.
Tyson ran his fingers through his navy blue bangs, letting the stress sip in.
"Today is going to be some day alright."
...
"This is the house?" Tyson blinked, staring at the flat in front of him. It was nice, well-maintained expensive flat, but still, he expected it be a small, yet luxurious white marble classic bungalow. He was confused on seeing the address, he jokingly thought that there would be so many rooms that he needed to know her room number, but she really lived in an apartment, which he still found hard to believe.
He decided to use the staircase instead of the elevator, instantly regretting it, as Hilary lived on the fourth floor.
"So 208, huh?" He panted looking at the slip of paper. "203, 204, 5... 208!"
He stood in front of her caramel brown door, which was different from others. This door had cute doodles and crafty decors on it, while the others' were plane and dull.
'I knew my girl was a unique one!' He grinned. He fixed wild jungle of navy blue hair, though it seemed stubborn enough to not to change, wiped the sweat beads off his face, and hastily rang the doorbell.
As he waited, he nervously shuffled a regular bouquet of roses, lilies, daffodils, and other sweat scented flowers in his hands, wondering if he should hide it behind his back. Just then, the door swung open, revealing a flour-nose-covered, messy-bunned, wrapped-in-an-apron Hilary.
They stared at each other for a while, he on her floured face and she both on his face and the bouquet almost shoved in her face. The time was 10:35 am, so he certainly made aquick,unexpected visit, cutting her off guard and, making it an awkward yet cute meet.
The silence was broken with Tyson's muffled laughter.
"Pfft.." His eyes teared up, as he held his stomach and his mouth to prevent himself from laughing, but was on the verge of failure.
"What's so funny?" She crossed her arms and scoffed, despite the fact that she was flattered by the bouquet and the smell of his cologne.
"Pfft.. Your nose..." Tyson wiped his tears and pointed, but he couldn't control his mischievous grin.
"What's wrong my nose?" She lightly rubbed her nose, but once worsening the fact as she had flour on her fingers too.
"No! Just hold on a bit..." Tyson chuckled as he took a step forward and kept the bouquet on the desk by the door. He then reached for her face, which was beet red, Hilary not being able to cope with the distance between them, or rather the lack of it.
Tyson's hands stopped just inches away her face, as he asked genuinely asked, "May I?"
Hilary's mind was too occupied with random thoughts to reject him.
Is he going to kiss me? But isn't it too early? Wasn't he here for the project? What's with the flowers? Should I give in?And so continued her thoughts as she hastily nodded.
As his fingers brushed against her skin, she instinctively closed her eyes, as she readied herself. But instead, his thumb brushed her nose and cheek, wiping off the flour on her face. Then he withdrew.
"There was flour on you face." He grinned, as Hilary went red with embarrassment.
No way I looked like that in front of him! Everything's ruined!Her panicked reaction was enough to make Tyson crack.
"Don't worry, you still look cute. By the way, are you going to welcome me or would I need to stand here the whole day?" Hilary blinked.
"Of course, please come in Tyson, sir." Tyson inwardly chuckled at how formal she sounded.
He was about to enter when he heard a low growl, a very dangerouslow growl. Both looked down to find Luca, glaring at Tyson, ready in an attack pose.
Tyson got a little nervous. He didn't know Hilary had a pet! That too this furious one! He had a bad feeling about it.
"Luca," Hilary warned. "That's not how you welcome a guest. Lower your guard now Luca, NOW!" The animal whimpered, but backed down immediately, sitting back on the green cushion.
"Welcome! Squawk! Welcome Guest!" The parrot sang and flew across room back its stand.
"Two pets?" Tyson asked bewildered, seeing two rare pets in the household.
"That's Nala, she's Hiky's pet," Hilary used her finger to pat the feathered friend. "She's friendly, don't worry."
"And you Mister?" Nala tilted her head to the side.
"Call me Tyson, little guy." Tyson also patted her, instantly earning her approval.
"I'm so sorry for Luca, it's pretty rare for him to get so protective."
'It can't be that he was jealous, was he?' Tyson stole a look from Luca, and if looks could kill, Tyson would have been murdered a million times by a dog. He shook the thought away.
"Cut to the chase. Here, I brought these for you. And no need to be formal when we're alone." He handed her the bouquet, which she accepted with a small smile.
"Does that mean I can call you by your name?" She asked timidly. Tyson felt like he would lose his control if she continued to look so adorable.
"Yeah, maybe. Cause I feel I like it. But just for now." He shrugged. Hilary nodded excitedly.
"By the way, where are your parents and Hikari? Are they hiding somewhere to pounce on me?" He asked, making her laugh as she led him to her room.
"We don't live with our parents; they're in Kyoto, and for Hiky, she has gone to Kai sir's house for the project." She smiled. Tyson nodded.
'Lucky guy, he didn't need to worry at all.' But then something clicked in.
"That means we're alone?" Tyson cocked an eyebrow, smirking. Hilary softly blushed, but nodded hesitantly.
"You can get comfortable where ever you want, Tyson," she relished how she could say his name out loud in front of him. "I'll be back in a sec." And disappeared into the washroom.
Tyson made himself comfortable on her bed, noting down the well-kept interior of the room. Just then his eyes fell on her sketchbook.
On it was written, 'Do not touch', but it only triggered his curiosity.
'She wouldn't mind if her senior took a sneak-peak, would she?' He slowly took the book and flipped through the pages.
First came the portraits of her friends, random people, animals and birds, and cartoons. The remaining whites were filled with doodles.
'Damn! She's talented!' He gawked at the pages of art work in amusement, a certain sense of pride made its way through his chest.
'Once Max knows that his sister-in-law shares his passion, he will go nuts!' A faint blush made its way across his cheeks, but it soon went away.
The next few pages were filled with more doodles, but this time, there were various designs for dresses and interior decoration. Her work was no different from Max's, but it was more organised, and neat.
He reached the last page, and his auburn orbs met with a pair of their carbon copies, grey in colour. It was a sketch of himself!
Tyson stared at the drawing for a while, but it didn't take long for a satisfied smile to cover his face.
He continued to flip through the pages, now there were only pictures him, making his chest burst with pride.
"You're full of surprises Himy..." He whispered to no one.
He kept the book back in its place. He got up and wandered across the room, fully aware of Luca's deadly stare on his back. He then heard Nala's voice, "What's up?! Human Tyson?!"
Tyson chuckled. Then an idea struck him in head. A very mischievousidea.
Tyson smirked.
...
When Hilary's came out of the washroom, Tyson was sitting on the bed, looking here and there out of boredom. When he heard the door click, he turned and was awestruck staring at her.
It was the first time he had seen her outside something formal, and this made her look more feminine than some highly-formal classmate or junior. This only made Tyson more eager to have her.
'She's wasting herself in those formal outfits.' Tyson bit his lower lip.
"Um, Tyson?" Hilary asked shyly, catching his eyes on her.
"Huh?" Tyson blinked. "Oh, nothing. Just that, I've never seen you in anything out of formal shirts and trousers, and with your hair left open..." He trailed off as he got up and walked towards her, his eyes on her open locks.
Hilary softly gasped as Tyson's fingers made their way through her chocolate curls. He neared her neck and took a long sniff of her shampoo.
"You smell so good, what shampoo do you use?" He openly asked, making Hilary feel a little feverish.
Is he ragging again?Her mind was not letting her think straight.
"Lo-L'Oréal..." She shuddered, feeling a little scared yet liking it at the same time.
"Hmm," he backed off and grinned. "So shall we start working on our project, or do you want to stand there all day?"
You were the one delaying it!She mentally huffed and hastily nodded towards Tyson.
"Of course! Let's sta-WOH!" She almost tripped as something, or 'someone' grabbed, or 'bit' her skirt's hem.
"Luca?" She blinked and bent down to take a proper look of her furry friend's puffy, puppy eyes as he whimpered slightly.
What is this nuisance up to now?Tyson cocked his head suspiciously.
"What happened sweetheart? You okay baby?" Hilary lovingly shuffled his greyish-blue fur.
Sweetheart?! Baby?! Why the heck is she treating 'it' as a human?!Tyson was fuming for some unknown reason, his expression darkened.
And suddenly, the little guy was full of enthusiasm! He climbed on his Mistress' lap and licked her softly yet excitedly. Tyson eyes flicked in rage.
"You just needed attention, didn't you sweety? You little potato, munchkin..." Hilary continued calling him with nicknames, tickling that dog softly.
One more name, and that dog will have a ride to hell!
"Kawaii!" An anime vein popped on Tyson's head. He looked at Luca, and was that a teasing look on Luca's face?
He, he was teasing me?! Tyson could feel smoke coming put of his ears. Then he paused.
Why do I feel jealous? That too by a DOG?! What the freaking fish is wrong with me?!He shook his head and coughed, he wasn't going to let that fussy ball roll on his plans.
Hilary embarrassingly broke away from Luca and smiled apologetically at Tyson. He just rolled his eyes.
"Okay Luca, mommy and her friend are going to work, don't disturb us..." She stood up from her place and went towards her desk, collecting her notes and required books for the project.
Tyson looked back at Luca and showed his tongue, teasing the dog back. Luca just made a grumpy face before going back to his couch.
"Maybe it's better if we start with basics," Hilary said, "That reminds me, the book you had taken was actually an advanced one, for specialist in that field. Did you go through it?" She asked casually, as now she was more focused on the work than the guy in of her.
"Yeah, kind of. I only went through the summaries and keywords, though there still are things that went above my head..." Tyson scratched his head sheepishly. He wasn't lying. He did understand a few things, but that was very little in comparison to what was on the table...
"That's great! That might just give us some boost!" She cheered happily, while Tyson made an odd expression.
"Have you brought it with you?" Tyson pointed towards her desk. She noticed the book kept on her sketchbook.
"Well," She turned back to him. "Maybe we should still go through the basics, we can focus on that later." She sat on her bed and gestured Tyson to do the same, which he followed.
They began with her notes, which had mostly brain maps to cope up with the info, and then some animated videos to visualise the concepts. And surprisingly, Tyson felt more focused and calm unlike in any of his sessions with Hiro; finding himself questioning and adding pointers of his own. He stole a few glances at Hilary, who was more engrossed in their work. He didn't know why, he felt certain relief on opening to her confident side, a certain kick that he couldn't explain. She was soft, yet sharp. Even though she was blabbering about the lame theory of evolution and what not, he was more focused on her voice and the movement of her lips, which he was certain to write a song on, once he was in the comfort of his own bedroom...
She joked once in a while, marking his hard-shell of ego crack as he gave in chuckling.
"You know it's like a funeral grab; just go and eat the remains of that person, and BOOM! You got blonde hair! Or in this case, immune to penicillin! I wish humans could do that too, but it's really yukky, YUK!!!"
"Don't say that! Max's gonna get mad if he finds out we're talking about his funeral!" Hilary laughed.
"Who's gonna tell him? You?" She winked teasingly, to which he returned with a smirk. They both chuckled and continued the session for one and a half hour.
"Maybe we should take a break." Hilary heaved a big sigh. Tyson who had just realised his tiredness, slumped against her bed.
"Man, I feel like my motherboard is fried." He grazed his fingers through his hair, trying to ease the slight headache.
"Um maybe, maybe I can help?" Hilary timidly asked, a blush adoring her nose and cheeks. Tyson blinked.
"Sit straight." Tyson sat as she climbed on bed behind him, kneeling down as to go above his height. She then slowly seeped her slender fingers into his hair, gently grabbing some strands and moving them in some circular motion, massaging his scalp. Tyson's eyes widened, but soon relaxed as he leaned back, giving in her sensual touches.
"Hikari usually gets tired pretty soon while studying," Hilary whispered yet it was enough to catch Tyson's attention. "She asks me to press her head, so I thought it'll help you too."
"It did," Tyson replied with a smile, "In fact, I think you would do great if you become a massage therapist, but you'll become something big, won't you?"
Hilary grimaced, "Yeah, I guess..." Tyson frowned, knowing the expression too well to just let it slip.
"You okay?" Hilary blinked.
"Yes yes, just remembered something." She quickly replied.
Tyson looked a bit thoughtful.
"Do you, miss your home?" Tyson guessed. Hilary was a little taken back by the question.
Miss home? I have nothing there to call home.
"Yeah. My parents have high hopes for me."
"Hehe, I know you'll do great." They continued their pep talk, but then,
"Grrrrrrr..." went Tyson's stomach. Both of them sweat dropped.
"Is it snack time for your tummy?" Hilary chuckled.
"I kinda get hungry when I study for sometime..." Tyson scratched his head awkwardly, sitting up straight.
"Well, I had made cookies, you want some?"
"Cookies?" Tyson's eyes lit up. "Sure! I love cookies!" Hilary giggled and went into the kitchen.
'Such a big foodie,' Hilary looked at the small tray of cookies.
Maybe Hikari was right, Tyson and Luca are somewhat alike.
Hilary smiled cutely before taking the tray in her hands.
She returned to a scene of Tyson and Luca's staring contest. She rolled her eyes.
"Here," She squealed lightly as a certain sense of excitement and giddiness overtook her system.
"Oh wow," He whistle, immediately grabbing one and devouring it, not giving Hilary a chance to ask whether he had washed his hands. She sighed.
Hopefully he has...
"Hmmhm! This ack some cookies agight! I can eat hunrets of thessse!" He said with his mouth full as grabbed his fifth cookie.
Hilary's eyes widened, not being use to such a fast and messyeater!
"Ugh! Slow down Tyson! The cookies aren't going anywhere!" She reached for a tissue from her desk and brought it close to his face. As soon as it made contact, their eyes met. Tyson had cookie crumbs on his face, which made him too cute for her to endure.
Back of Hilary! Back off! Or you'll lose control!
She hesitantly tried to pull away, but much to her amazement, Tyson's arm had made its way around her waist, resting on the small of her back. Her mind went became frenzy, again.
Her cheeks stained red on how close his face was to hers. He looked serious, as he continued to come nearer... nearer... nearer...
A small whimper made its way to their ears. They both immediate broke apart.
Luca had curled into a ball, pushing his bowl with his snout. He showed his big puppy eyes, which one certain brunette couldn't resist.
"Luca," Hilary softly hummed, a motherly attitude overtaking her features.
"Don't worry, I've make something for you too." She smiled as she entered the kitchen, only to return with a aluminium bag.
"Here," She dumped a few, custom-made dog cookies on his plate, beaming at how excited the canine got on seeing her handwork.
Meanwhile, Tyson glared at the obstacle he was facing now.
What is his problem?! That son of a bitch!He fumed as he thought about what just happened.
For some reason, I felt addicted to her. I wonder why?He pondered calming down a little.
"Sorry Tyson, he's a really a foodie, he must have gotten hungry when he saw you relishing the cookies." Hilary stood up and gave an apologetic smile, which Tyson returned.
"Eh, at least something is common between us." Tyson muttered, but it was audible for Hilary.
There's lot more common really.She chuckle nervously at her own remark. I like you both a lot!
"Maybe we should continue with the work," Tyson remarked, dusting off the cookie crumbs from his face and fingers.
"Yeah.." Hilary handed him a tissue as he held a yawn.
"Let's complete this already, I'm feeling sleepy." Tyson rubbed his eyes. Hilary smiled and nodded.
A few hours later...
"So you're gonna get an appointment at your uncle's?" Tyson asked as he neared the door.
"Yeah, we are going to address him as students, not as relatives. So we'll need that." Hilary shrugged. He nodded.
Luca was asleep to witness Tyson leave. But Nala was ready for the farewell.
"So tomorrow at?" Tyson asked, reluctant to go so soon, which was four hours.
"I'll text you the time," she replied, they had already exchanged numbers. "So, see you soon, Tyson?"
"Sure, Himy." Tyson smirked at how red she got on hearing a nickname from him.
"Bye! Bye! Himy's boyfriend!" Nala squeaked. Hilary panicked.
"Nala!"
"Himy's boyfriend! Squawk!" Tyson laughed.
"Catch ya later, alligator." He called Nala, which she obviously didn't mind, leaving a flustered Hilary on the doorstep.
"Squawk! Alligator! Squawk!"