Chapter 198: Favorite Meal

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Kuon would definitely beef up under Kyoko's care.

Kuon felt like he no more than closed his eyes when the alarm startled him awake. He used his cat-like reflexes to shut off the phone before the offending sound could wake his girlfriend, but it wasn't fast enough. Kyoko mumbled, stirring awake. "Shhh, baby, go back to sleep," he cooed into her ear and kissed her temple. His girlfriend merely smiled and rolled over, resuming sleep, her soft little snores filling the quiet room.

Kuon kissed her shoulder and only moved when he was assured she was back asleep. He rolled over to pick up his phone and realized he forgot to turn off his first alarm. It was way too early for him to get ready for his audition. As much as he loved cuddling his girlfriend, Kuon decided to get out of bed. This was his last morning in LA and there was no guarantee when he would be back. He fluffed up the pillows around Kyoko and pulled the covers up to her chin, fortifying her against the slight chill in the room.

He ducked into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face then got dressed. Kuon drew to the side of the bed and stared down at his girlfriend like a creeper. Hopefully, she wouldn't have any more bad dreams while he was gone. Before heading upstairs, he moved toward his bag and wrote her a quick note just in case she woke up looking for him. He placed the sheet on the bedside table along with a crane. Slowly, but surely he was going to get every single one of them done before his time was up. It was coming up with unique ways to present them to her that were becoming difficult.

Kuon quietly closed the bedroom door behind him and took the stairs up to the main level. He found the exact person he was looking for sitting at the kitchen island tapping on his phone and...eating. Always eating.

Kuu beamed at his presence and put down his phone.

"Morning, I was wondering if you were going to head out one last time," Kuu grinned, nodding to the wetsuit Kuon wore on his bottom half.

Kuon smiled, pleased that he had made the right call to get out of bed and spend this time with his father. Like Kuon, his dad had donned his full wetsuit and had the upper part hanging down with the sleeves tied around his waist; however, unlike Kuon, Kuu wore a t-shirt while he was bare-chested.

It made him happy to know Kuu remembered what he said about walking around the house practically naked with Kyoko present. It was silly since she'd been around him when he wore only swim trunks which didn't seem to bother her. Something told Kuon she would be very embarrassed under these circumstances and he didn't want her to be uncomfortable in the house.

"Want some cheesecake? It's phenomenal," Kuu moaned, interrupting his thoughts as he stuffed another large bite into his mouth.

Kuon chuckled, shaking his head, then moved toward the fancy coffee maker to pour him a cup of the freshly brewed elixir. Taking a sip, he closed his eyes as the steamy black liquid slipped down his throat and the caffeine became infused in his blood.

"You have to eat something," Kuu mumbled around a forkful of the cake.

Kuon snorted into his cup and took a seat across from his father. "Said the man, eating cheesecake as a morning snack. I hardly think that's the breakfast of champions."

Kuu laughed, the sound warming his heart. It was nice interacting like this again these past few days. It was something they never had during his teen years when his father was too busy and Kuon was too...he winced internally. He had to stop doing that.

I need to just focus on the future. He took another sip of his coffee and released a contented sigh.

Kuu chuckled, digging up another mouthful. "I guess that line about coffee stunting your growth is a total lie. You turned out to be a beast despite your poor appetite." Kuu nodded at Kuon's muscular physique.

Kuon glanced down at the muscle definition on his chest and arms, knowing full well that he had put on a significant amount of muscle mass over the months, thanks to his girlfriend's stubb..err...tender care. Before Kyoko, all he needed to get through the day was some coffee and a snack. Now, he looked forward to eating, preferably if it was her home-cooked meal, and more importantly if she was there to eat with him. They might not have been eating dinner together because of his late schedule, but he could always count on breakfast with her. It was becoming his second favorite meal of the day.

His lips weren't the only thing that twitched as he thought about his favorite meal and how soon he could get another taste of it.

"Shall we go?" His dad asked, putting the kibosh on Kuon's straying thoughts. Kuu got up and stored the remainder of the dessert in the fridge and placed his dishes in the sink.

"Yeah," Kuon stood, taking a generous sip of his drink, then poured the rest down the drain and followed his dad out.

...

They stood at the shoreline with a few of the regulars, skimming over the water, searching. The off-shore winds had four to six-foot swells rolling in and breaking cleanly, beckoning them to enter. They couldn't have asked for more perfect surfing conditions, but nobody was in the water.

The five of them stood quietly for several minutes watching cautiously. Kuon glanced at the men, but their eyes were trained on the water. He had seen them here every day since the first day he came out with his father. They were about Kuu's age or a few years older, and none of them cared about their celebrity status. It was refreshing that nobody mentioned the attack on Cedric or the fact that he was supposedly a Japanese actor named Ren. Their joy for surfing is what brought them out here, leaving all the other bullshit behind.

When they first came down the cliff in the cart, Kuon noticed the three men that were often in the water whenever they arrived just standing there, looking out toward the water with their boards laying a few feet away from them in the sand.

"What do you think they're staring at?" Kuon asked, hopping out of the cart.

"What is it?" Kuu asked as they joined the men on the beach.

"Shhh," all three shushed him like his loud voice would disturb the scenery. Kuon and Kuu kept quiet at that point, hoping one of them would explain. They scanned the water and saw nothing. Before they could question them again one man piped up.

"See, there it is," he yelled pointing to a spot. Kuon squinted his eyes, staring in the direction of the man's extended index finger. The sun had risen enough for him to make out the large shadow swimming close to the surface. When the dark dorsal fin breached the water, all the men got excited and began tossing around their theories.

"It's gotta be a juvenile. It doesn't look that big."

"Yeah, maybe six feet," another man added.

"How tall are you, kid?" The man asked, sizing up Kuon.

"About a hundred ninety-three centimeters," he answered, knowing he could only be referring to him since he was the youngest one there. Kuon took no offense to the reference even though he towered over the guy by like six inches.

"Shit, it's too early for math. What's that in inches, anyone know?" He asked, turning to Kuu and the other guys.

"Well, I'm 6' 1," Kuu piped up, "and he's taller than me by a few inches." His dad beamed proudly and stood closer to Kuon, confirming his declaration.

"Should have listened to your mother and eaten all your veggies, Art," the first guy quipped, making everyone chuckle.

"And laid off the coffee," the other one, not Art, joked. Kuon and Kuu shared a look and chuckled at the expense of the shorter man. All of them varied in height, but Art was by far the shortest.

"Yeah, yeah, everyone's a comedian. So who's going in first?" Art asked, returning the topic to their six-foot-plus dilemma.

"It looks like a great white."

"Are those common here?" Kuon asked, keeping his eye on the fin that kept popping in and out of the water.

"No," his dad responded.

"I'm going to pass."

"It's only a juvenile, Stan," Art protested.

"You don't screw with nature, bro. Juvenile or not, it has sharp teeth. When it mistakes you for a seal and sinks his teeth in your foot like you're its favorite meal. Don't say I didn't warn you. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to spend endless hours in an ER getting stitched up when I could be home spooning my wife."

Every one of them grunted their agreement, including Kuon.

"You pose a valid point. Detailed, but valid. I'm packing it in too," the other guy stated. "I'll see you fellas tomorrow."

The three men left, leaving Kuu and Kuon alone.

"Well, so much for one last ride," Kuu said dejectedly, turning to walk to the cart.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, son?"

"Can we sit here for a few minutes?"

"Of course!" The joy returned to his father's voice as he plopped down next to Kuon in the sand. They sat in companionable silence for a few moments until Kuu spoke, recalling the memories from their time spent down here as a family.

"You didn't!" Kuon gaped at his father's recount of a memory Kuon was too young to remember.

"How could I not? You were so adorable and proud of the little cake you made me. You even decorated it beautifully with seashells you and your mother gathered from the beach."

"I know you have a black hole for a stomach, but it was sand," Kuon stated skeptically, waiting for his dad to admit he was pulling his leg.

"My precious son worked hard to make my 'fav-it mill,' of course, I was going to eat it," Kuu praised. "Although, I have to admit. It was a bit dry."

Kuon shook his head and laughed. "You're silly."

"No regrets, buddy. You'll understand when you become a father." Kuu wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder and squeezed. "Maybe the next time you kids visit we can have a proper beach day. Preferably when the water is warmer."

"I'd like that," Kuon smiled, glancing at his father and swallowing down the lump forming in his throat. "I'm sure Kyoko would too."

Kuu gave his shoulder one final squeeze and said, "want to head back and get started on breakfast for the girls?"

"Sure," Kuon stood and reached down to help his dad up. Kuu took the opportunity to pull him into a hug and patted his back.

"I'm so happy you came, son."

"Me too, Dad," Kuon replied genuinely, marking it as one of the best decisions he had ever made. It was right up there with him reluctantly tagging along with his father for work when he was ten years old and meeting an adorable little girl by the river. Fast forward over ten years later, the little girl was all grown up and still by his side, encouraging him every step of the way. It was an incredible feeling.

They walked back to the cart and made the trek up the side of the cliff, filling the conversation with various breakfast ideas.

Kyoko stretched out of her warm cocoon, smiling contentedly, although feeling a little sensitive in her nether regions. She blushed at the soreness between her legs, remembering exactly why she would be hurting down there. Ms. Brittany wasn't lying. The way she made love with Kuon last night felt good, but it was obvious that her body was not used to the deeper penetration the angle afforded. She turned toward Kuon's side of the bed and was greeted by pillows. Kyoko winced sitting up as she glanced around the room in search of her boyfriend.

She heard the shower running in the bathroom, and decided to join him. The notes on the end table caught her eye when she climbed out of bed. He had gone surfing and was already back. Kyoko snatched up the crane eagerly and carefully unfolded it.

I love how possessive you are in your sleep. Your body traps me every night that I can't even get up to pee. xx

Kyoko squeaked, her face burning red as she glanced down shamefully at her naked body. She couldn't possibly control her actions when she was unconscious, could she? It was best she apologized to him and promise to try not to be too clingy in her sleep again. Even if he said he loved it, having her all over him in the middle of the night had to be uncomfortable.

Kyoko crossed through the master closet and entered the bathroom. She was hit by a warm gust of steam and her throat went dry. Her eyes widened at the heavenly sight of water cascading from the rain showerhead above onto the gorgeous body of her personal Adonis. He looked every bit her fairy prince in the woodland-themed bathroom. It was wrong, but Kyoko silently thanked her in-laws for inadvertently providing her with the means to make her fantasies a reality by gifting their son and this overindulgent bathroom.

Kuon hadn't noticed her yet, so Kyoko quietly backed up out of sight and peeked around the corner to secretly gawk at the magnificent being in front of her. Her wide eyes tracked his hands as he rubbed soapy suds over his neck, down his chest, and over the valley and crests of his abdominal muscles until they dipped lower. Kyoko pervertedly licked her dry lips as he gave attention to the junction of his thighs. If he could turn just a little, she'd be able to see everything. A strangled cry escaped her lips when one hand tugged on his flaccid dick and the other reached further to clean between his legs. His hands eventually moved on to other parts of his body, but her eyes stayed glued to his groin area.

Kyoko gaped as she watched him go from rest to attention until he was sporting a full-blown hard-on. She had seen him rise like this so many times and it still fascinated her.

"Come here, baby," Kuon demanded, breaking her gaze from his erection and shooting up to stare at his face like a deer caught in headlights.

"Ehhh?" She sputtered, then realized some time during her appreciation of his male form she had come out of her hiding place and was fully exposed. Did his cock have some sort of tracking beacon on her or something? Why couldn't her treacherous body just stay hidden as she intended so she could continue to enjoy the show?

"Come." His husky command sent shivers down her spine and straight to her clit.

Yes, please! The dirty vixen in her screamed, forgetting that she was still hurting down there.

Kyoko crossed the large bathroom and caught her reflection in the mirror. She did a double-take at her appearance.

"Oh, my Gosh," she gasped, staring at her bedraggled image in the glass. What the hell is going on with my eyes? She moaned pathetically at the realization that she had forgotten to remove her makeup last night and somewhere in their bed was now a missing eyelash. She looked awful.

Before she could take action and drown her face in the sink's water, a very soaking and very naked Kuon appeared behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist, pulling her against his hard chest, while the other shielded her eyes.

"Corn? What are you doing?" Kyoko asked breathlessly, her heart rate shooting up at his closeness.

"Let's get you cleaned up, baby," he murmured into her ear and gently kissed the skin beneath her lobe. The touch of his soft lips grazing that sensitive spot sent a wave of heat straight to her core, successfully making Kyoko forget her haggard appearance.

Kyoko relished the feel of his hard body pressed against her as he led her toward the shower. His erection jutting into her back the whole time, sent little jolts of pleasure throughout her body. He removed the hand covering her sight to help her step into the natural pool of the shower.

Kyoko stood under the water, her eyes openly watching Kuon's every move as he went through the motions of getting her hair cleaned.

"Hold still," Kuon whispered, his gorgeous green eyes focused on her face. Unsure of what he was staring at, Kyoko went rigid, obeying his command. She held still, trusting him to take care of her. Her eyes bugged out of her sockets as his index finger and thumb drew closer to her eye. When his fingers pinched on her lashes, he asked her to close her eyes. Kyoko did what she was told and felt a slow tug on her eyelid. It didn't hurt at all.

"I caught a spider," he smirked, dangling the drenched eyelash in front of her face. It did look like a pitiful spider.

"There's one hiding in the bed too," Kyoko giggled.

"Oh I caught that one sucking my blood earlier," he confessed, laughing at Kyoko's appalled expression. She covered her face with her hands, too embarrassed to look at him.

While he washed her body, Kuon had her in stitches, confessing to her narrow miss of having a shower of the golden variety. He admitted to screaming upon finding the fake eyelash adhered to his skin. Kyoko loved that this normally suave man was not above making fun of himself.

Kyoko was laughing so hard she snorted trying to breathe which sent her into another fit of giggles.

"Hey," he cried in mock offense. He tugged her against him and kissed her soundly on the lips stifling the laughter still pouring out of her.

"Are you done laughing at me woman?" He demanded pulling away from her when she was good and breathless. His seriousness managed to set her off again.

"I see. Kissing you is not enough," Kuon threatened as his hands roamed over her body, seductively. Kyoko was melting under his touch until his fingers brushed against her slit and dipped in, making her hiss from the pain.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Kuon panicked, concern filling his eyes.

"Yeah," she replied, sheepishly. "I'm just a little sore after last night. We can try —"

"Shh, it's okay. I don't like hurting you," he frowned, clearly upset with himself.

"You didn't hurt me, Corn. Last night was good…I mean really good. Ms. Brittany knew what she was talking about," she clarified to ease the furrow of his brows.

"Really good, huh?" He began to relax, the corner of his lips turning up into a smile.

"It was great! I can't wait to do it with you again!" She blurted vehemently, making Kuon laugh.

"Okay, we can try it again when you're better. Now, let's get cleaned up before Dad starts knocking on the door. I was supposed to help cook breakfast."

"Oh my goodness!" Kyoko spluttered, rinsing the soap off her body and getting them both out in less than a minute.

Kyoko easily averted going upstairs with Kuon with the excuse of tending to her face and drying her hair. It was perfect to avoid the awkwardness of his parents knowing exactly what they were doing down here together.

When she was finished getting ready, Kyoko headed upstairs to find Kuon and his dad working together in the kitchen wearing matching aprons. They were adorable.

"Morning," she called as she entered the room.

"Morning, sweetheart," Kuu greeted, kissing her on the top of her head. She was going to miss being spoiled by the Hizuris affections.

"It smells good. What are you guys making?" She asked while grabbing herself a cup of coffee and eyeing the chicken simmering on the stove.

"Dad's showing me the proper way to make his famous Maui omurice," Kuon answered as she sat down on the other side of the kitchen island to watch them work.

Kyoko blinked back tears and cleared her throat. It made her happy to see them bonding, but she wondered if the meal choice had something to do with what he had going on today.

"I'll be able to make it for you properly next time," Kuon promised. It was the sincere look in his eyes that assured Kyoko everything was okay.

Kyoko nodded, understanding his intentions. She appreciated Kuon's version of the meal, but she had to admit, she was curious to taste the original recipe.

"This used to be one of Kuon's favorite meals when he was little," Kuu commented as he directed Kuon to add more ingredients to the pan.

"He had a favorite meal?!" Kyoko asked incredulously.

"Shocking, right!" His dad dramatically gasped.

"Let's not get carried away," Kuon told them, rolling his eyes. Kyoko and Kuu laughed together.

"What's so funny?" The Fairy Queen asked as she finally joined them in the kitchen, looking effortlessly beautiful as usual.

"I was telling Kyoko that this was Kuon's favorite meal growing up," Kuu explained.

"That's right! He used to eat every bite I fed him," Julie recalled.

Kyoko noticed the momentary grimace flash across Kuon's face. It seemed he wasn't exaggerating when he told her his mother used to force-feed him. She smiled at him sympathetically. At least, his eating habits had improved significantly since they'd been together.

The remainder of the meal preparation was filled with love and warmth. The conversation and laughter were plentiful while Julie and Kyoko played paparazzi, with their men. The father-son duo acted like they were hosting their very own cooking show. They must have taken over a hundred photos and bits of video to commemorate this morning. If the tabloids ever got a hold of these images, the internet would surely break.

"Wait!" Kuon stopped them before they could pierce into the perfect egg wrap. Kyoko knew exactly what he was doing when he headed to the refrigerator and came back with a bottle of ketchup.

"Can you please do the honors, my lady?"

"Of course, kind sir." Kyoko took the bottle of ketchup and drew a perfect infinity symbol across the top.

"For luck," Kuon stated and kissed Kyoko on the cheek.

"For luck," his parents replied and they all dug in.

AN: Happy new year, lovelies! I apologize for the delay. I thought I'd write more over the holiday break, but that didn't happen with all the real-life distractions coming at me. Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I finally got them to breakfast. Slowly, but surely, I'm going to get them back on that plane to Tokyo, please bear with me.

Thank you for the reviews of the last chapter; I appreciate all the love!

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^