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35: Browsing With the Boys

Naoki slash Yuma spent the next five minutes whistling Row, Row, Row Your Boat, despite all my nudging him to get him to stop.

I even verbally said it.

"Please stop," I had said. He looked at me and kept whistling.

The second time I asked him to stop, he did.

"Do you want to join me?" He asked, sounding jovial.

"No, but I'd like you to stop, though," I said.

"Well, I can't do that," he chuckled.

"Why not?"

He got back to whistling. I sighed and turned, watching as Piko drew closer with a tray in his hands. Gakupo and Oliver were following close behind. Piko had a funny look on his face.

"It's still wet," he said once he was at our table, setting the tray down in front of Yuma.

"What is?" I asked. He turned around.

"My shirt, it's still wet," he said. "It feels cold and weird...Thanks a lot, Gakupo."

"Hey, no problem," Gakupo said. He and Oliver set down their trays as well. "Just doing my job, you know?"

Piko rolled his eyes. "This thing is so uncomfortable..."

"Aww, poor Piko..." Yuma said, getting up. And then, completely out of the blue, he took his shirt off and handed it to the boy. "Here, you can have mine."

Gakupo coughed loudly. I gawked at Yuma, standing there, half naked.

And then Piko took his off. "This might not fit you..."

"What the hell, you guys, you can't stand around shirtless in the middle of the food court," I said, making sure I looked at their faces and nowhere else.

"Well, I am very delicious, so yes, I can," Yuma said, grinning. I shook my head.

"Yeah, what the hell, guys," Oliver snickered. "You're embarrassing Gumi. Put your damn shirts on!"

Gakupo started to laugh like a maniac. I took my bowl of salad (mostly carrots, but still) and poked around in it. Piko put on Yuma's shirt and I watched from the corner of my eye. It was super baggy on him, because the sleeves and everything were just too long.

"No, really, you know, there is a 'shirt and shoes required' policy around here, right?" Oliver said, serious this time.

"Yeah, yeah," Yuma said, reaching forward and messing up Oliver's hair. "I was going to put it on anyways..."

I watched as he forced the shirt on. It fit him too tightly, and the hem hung a few inches above the hem of his pants, leaving his sides uncovered. The sleeves ended just below his elbows.

"You look ridiculous," Gakupo said.

"Why, thank you," Yuma said, sitting back down. "That really is a compliment, coming from you."

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" I asked.

"What, you want me to take it off?" Yuma snickered as my eyes widened at his comment. "That's the only other option, pumpkin."

I sighed and started to eat. Gakupo, Piko and Oliver did the same, and Yuma sipped his coffee.

"You have to give me some," Gakupo said to Piko, grabbing a noodle in between his fingers and slurping it right up.

"Hey, hey," Oliver said, sticking his fork in Piko's plate and grabbing a whole wad of noodles, conveniently wrapped around his fork.

"You guys are all awfully rude to Piko," I said.