ADMIRE ME |Brothers Conflict

14

Quickly, I wrapped my hands around the cup, hoping that it would warm me up. Shivering, I took a sip but burnt my tongue. Blowing heard on the surface of my drink, I tried to take another sip. I couldn't judge whether the chocolate milk's temperature had dropped, but I did burn my tongue again.

With a sigh, Fuuto pulled his coat off.

A little impressed by how it was possible to be warm in this weather, I perked up.

"You're going to catch a cold," I warned him.

Fuuto quirked an eyebrow in response to my heartfelt warning. "Lecturing someone on being dressed too lightly when you're turning into a popsicle? Classy," he mocked.

"I'm not that cold," I defended myself, "and I wear a coat while you don't."

My defence was rather weak, as I could hardly avoid to let my teeth clatter audibly. Sitting on the terrace had been a bad idea, after all.

The warm fabric of his coat rested lightly on my shoulders as Fuuto wrapped his jacket around me.

"Thank you," I mumbled, embarrassed.

"You're high maintenance, [Y/N]-chan," he commented casually. "I hope you realise that."

Oh. Well, I probably deserved that jab.

"Since we're waiting here anyway, I would like to know what your plans for tomorrow's date are," I said, fishing the schedule out of a pocket in my coat.

Carefully, I flattened the piece of paper on the metal tabletop, but I couldn't remove all the wrinkles.

"I'm in no condition to take a walk through the park with you and jump into the bushes when Ema looks away. I mean, I'll be the bait to lure Ema along, but I'm afraid, I can't just disappear without her noticing," I explained, tapping on the short description of Fuuto's proposed date in the box.

Fuuto touched the box which read Wednesday in fine print too, bumping into my finger which still rested on the text underneath the date.

"Okay," he said, "I have a back-up plan."

I couldn't tear my gaze away from our touching fingers, his skin warm against my index finger, making my skin feel ablaze.

"Hey," he called for my attention.

Before I could turn my head, he covered the distance between us, his face stopping a hairbreadth from mine.

"Are you listening to me, [Y/N]-chan?" he asked before leaning back again.

I leaned in his direction automatically, moving without thinking about I was doing until my chin rested on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I whispered in his ear, having at least enough sense to refrain from yelling. "I was distracted, but I'm listening."

A visible shudder ran through Fuuto that instant, which I could only interpret as a reaction to my words. Fuuto's head snapped in my direction, his hand lifting to his ear. With wide eyes, he studied my features as we both came to the realisation that I had imitated Fuuto.

I felt a surge of panic as I anticipated Fuuto's final reaction. Outwardly, however, I tried to appear calm.

Shrugging, I lifted the cup with chocolate milk to my lips. "Your bad behaviour is rubbing off on me," I explained because I had no other explanation for my actions. My lips had almost graced the shell of his ear.

"You are unbelievable," Fuuto huffed, his spooked expression betraying how unsettled he was by my odd reaction.

"Don't pretend that you're any better. Besides, you're the one who started this," I argued complacently. If I kept getting insulted by everything Fuuto said or did, there would be no end to the fights and apologies.

"Is this a game of gay chicken?" Fuuto asked, his amusement with the situation audible.

I didn't think I could survive such a game, to be frank.

"That depends on what your intentions were when you started it."

Fuuto smirked before he planted one hand on the table for support and leaned over.

"I think it depends on whether you're willing to play along," he said, pressing his lips against the shell of my ear briefly before he fell back in his chair with a triumphant expression, impatiently waiting for my retaliation.

Unfortunately for Fuuto, I was too shaken by this sort-of-kiss to give him a reaction. I could still feel the press of his lips on my ear, a featherlight pressure that didn't fade at all.

Silly Fuuto hadn't realised that my silence was an answer too. Instead of giving me a triumphant grin, he kept waiting for an answer.

In truth, this answer was a resounding 'yes', because I wanted to play the game more than I had ever wanted anything else.

I wanted his focus to be on me. So that he would notice every detail about me - because they all mattered to him. Even under normal circumstances, I couldn't help wondering how his lips would feel if they brushed over mine. Did he suspect I wanted to be more than partners in crime?

"Shall we do our homework instead?" I asked because it was the only thing I could say in response.

Fuuto gave a start, the smirk on his face faltering for a second.