'Why are you still awake?' A woman's voice came from behind the door before it flung open.
'Kei.....Keisuke?? You have a girl here!'
I immediately bowed to apologise out of embarrassment.
'I'm sorry Ma'am. I'm going to leave...' I waited for her reaction. An answer. A sigh. Anything will work so that I can run. But she stood there frozen. Before I got a chance to ask her what's wrong she rushed towards me squishing my cheeks with her large palm of her hand
'Keisuke....you brought this adorable girl home. Where did you find her?!'
'Ma stop, please.' Baji begged with embarrassment.
'Aww...arent you gullible, come here,' she pulled me in a hug despite my hesitancy my body didn't retaliate, nor did it try to move away for once. Her arms were warm. Her scent felt....so familiar.
'You are pretty squishy too even though you look like the skeleton in the biology lab.'
'Ma stop already,' Baji pleaded as he separated me from her arm.
'Keisuke, you know everything right? No sex before marriage.'
'Ma!'
My face flushed with cherry pink tint forming on my cheeks as I protested ' Ma'am we aren't really dating. We are.....friends. Nothing is going on or is about to happen I assure you.' I was stuttering as Mrs Baji's eyes dawned over my face.
'I see. Anyways I will let you two take care of your business. Good night sweeties.' She said as she left the room. I collapsed on the floor from that sudden encounter that probably drew all my yakisoba-energy out of me.
'So we are friends?' Baji asked with a grin.
'NO! I said that for the sake of the situation.'
'Well, either way. What are you going to do tonight?'
My body was heating up like I was on a stove. The thought of Baji touching me, caging me flashed in my mind making me flinch when he called me again.
'Hello?'
'What...what do you mean?'
Baji tilted his head sideways from confusion as if he has absolutely no clue whatsoever.
'Do you want to stay here? Or do you want to go home?'
'Oh. That.' Damn it. Damn it! My fucking horny hormones misunderstanding the fucking situation.
'When you finally decide let me know in the morning.' he said walking out of the room, his hands in his sweat pant's pocket.
'Where are you going?'
'Chifuyu's.'
'Can I go instead?' I said but then it hit me. Why the fuck do I want to go?
'No.' He said calmly before leaving me alone in his room. It got quiet now. The bugs were chirping outside with the moonlight illuminating its beauty in the room. I turned off the light and sat on his bed which was by the window against the wall. It was soft and cosy. Well, my indecisiveness at least got me a cosy bed tonight instead of me sleeping in a sleeping bag in the storeroom. Well, technically that's my room.
Meow.
'Hmm?' I looked up from my hands to see a black cat in the room. It wasn't here a minute ago. Where did it come from? The cat walked towards the bed and jumped on my lap purring its life away while going in circles before comfortably sitting dosing into sleep.
'So you will sleep and won't let me. Is that your plan Mr?' I asked. I slowly tugged myself in bed putting the cat near my chest as we both fell asleep. After myriad years of sleepless nights, who knew that a bastard's scent lingering on a bed will help me sleep. The strong cologne still wavering in the room with no shouts or slurs thrown at me, I felt at peace.
Baji's POV
*knock*knock*
Chifuyu opened the door.
'Baji-San'? What are you doing at this hour?'
'Eh? Is it the 1st time?'
'Come in,' he cleared my way to go inside his room. The cats were already there, Mochi, Nina, Yachin but were is Keisuke?
'Keisuke is nowhere to be found tonight. It is the 1st one to climb in through the window.' Chifuyu said as he served the food in the bowl.
'Probably found some girl.' I said, my back crashing on his bed. I sighed thinking about the kiss earlier. It wasn't anything new for me to be thinking about but.....
'Where is Y/N?' Chifuyu interrupted.
'In my room doing who-knows-what.'
'Oh,'
I peeked to see Chifuyu smiling to himself. 'What are you smiling for?'
'Not....nothing,' he stammered trying his best to look away from my glare.
'You like her, Chifuyu?' I asked relaxed my head on his soft baby pillow.
'No... it's not like that Baji-San'
'Then what is it like?' I finally got up to sit beside him while Mochi walked up to me to snuggle on my lap. Chifuyu could donate some of his blush to the make-up industry at this point. 'So you do like her.'
It was a shock since he didn't like girls at all in the 1st place. Now he likes Y/N. I see.
'I don't know Baji-San'. He snapped me out of my thoughts again. 'She is different than others and that intrigues me. She is pretty and doesn't even realise herself. Goes around doing crazy shit as if it was nothing.'
'What do you mean goes around doing crazy shit? You have been following her?'
'Not really. I just happen to see her burn some abandoned cars the other day.'
'What?!' My astonishment caught Chifuyu off the guard while Moch jumped to scratch my chin. 'Ouch! What is wrong with you Moch!'
'Don't startle the cat Baji-san' Chifuyu laughed as I held on to my chin.
'What else did you see?' I asked dabbing the scratch with my finger.
'Nothing else really. She sat there looking at the fire slowly burn down to ashes. That's something we do and I didn't think anyone else might do it.'
I sat there thinking about the absurd story Chifuyu has been blabbering all this time. Does she know us already? She is a mystery, unlike others.
*******Next morning*******
I came down to my room to get ready for school. It's quite early for anything, let alone school and I hated it. I slowly opened the door of my room. She is still sleeping. She had a baby glow to her face when the sun peck on her cheeks. She looked brighter and jollier than the morning sunshine. I tiptoed in the room only to discover Keisuke in her arms fast asleep.
'There you are. You did get yourself Y/N little Keisuke. I see,' I whispered while slowly taking my uniform from the closet. Before leaving the room I glanced at her for the last time. Should I wake her? She looks delicate, incredibly fragile. It's like she is sleeping after a long long time. I slowly left closing the door and headed to the dining room where Ma was already making breakfast.
'Don't you have work today Ma?' I asked while sitting down.
'Yeah, but I took a day off.' She said with a short reply.
'Why did you act weird yesterday? It wasn't the 1st time you have seen girls I brought?'
She was silent. Her back was to me as she hummed to herself while flipping the eggs. I knew that was the cue that she will not tell me something. She is my mother after all. If she wants to hide something she hides it well.
'Do you want your sunny side runny, baby?'
'Yeah'.
It was weird. Her coming into my room and hugging Y/N. She never hugged any girl I brought before. Now she is taking a day off. Women are too complicated to understand. I ate my food in silence when I felt my mom hugging me from the back.
'I love you Keisuke,' her voice was shaky. 'Take good care of Y/N, alright. Even if I'm not around.'
'Ma what's wrong?' I asked as I turned around my tool to see her.
'She is different than others. I can feel it. Don't let it slip.' She stopped, inhaling a big gulp of air. 'If you ever feel like giving up on her, give it a last try for Ma okay?' She said as her eyes roamed around my utterly confused face before going back to making breakfast.
I know asking her won't do any good. So I ate my food and left for school.
****Mrs.Baji****
'After all this year you came back Y/N. Destiny has brought you back to me. I won't let you go this time. I will keep my promise.'