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CHAPTER 39
There's Always the Restaurant Slapping Scene
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The raven-haired young man woke up to the sound of whirling, the first thing he saw as he opened his eyes being your back facing him while you sat down on the edge of your bed, holding an active hair blower that scattered your hair everywhere while facing the 12-inch mirror placed on top of your bedside table. You were dressed with short undershorts and a sleeveless white undershirt, its thin fabric letting him see through to your bra.
Kuroo smiled to himself as he remembered last night's events, also realizing that he's still completely naked under the blanket. Shifting his body closer to your figure, he wrapped an arm around your waist and peeked at you from the side of your stomach. "Good morning, babe."
"K-Kuroo! Good morning." You turned off your hair blower, placing it down on the table and taking your hair brush to start fixing your hair. "I already washed and dried your clothes, you should get ready for school too." You stated, watching his reflection from the mirror when he sat up, revealing his bare chest and abdomen.
A blush crept on your cheeks from his hotness that reminded you the events of last night, and your boyfriend embracing you from behind only made it worse. "Hmm... You're not... regretting what we did, are you?"
"Of course not!" You quickly responded, knowing he only asked that to make sure everything's fine. He had also repeatedly asked you last night before proceeding, and you really appreciated how careful and reassuring he was.
"Then... Does that mean we can do it again another time?" Your face heated up even more, and you covered it with your hands as you nodded.
"Hurry up and get ready, Kuroo!"
A hearty chuckle left his mouth as he unwrapped his arms around you, moving away to get off the bed without even bothering to cover himself with anything.
"Guess I'll use your shower then."
You gasped and looked at him in disbelief when he walked around bare naked, even having the confidence to do stretches that showed off his well-toned thighs even more. "At least cover yourself, stupid!"
"Why? There's nothing to hide, you already saw everything." He turned to face you, a playful grin on his face when you squeaked and covered your flustered face again.
"Kuroo!"
He laughed at your reaction, wanting to embrace you for being too cute if only you two didn't have to go to school. Finally, he entered your bathroom and gave you the space to breathe, although your face was still red and your heart was still racing.
"Damn, that guy...!" You grumbled, continuing on brushing your hair as you looked at your flushed reflection on the mirror. "And he left a hickey on an obvious place, too..." You decided to make him fix your hair to a side braid in order to hide it.
Before long, you two finished getting ready and were able to reach your classroom ten minutes early. He was immediately stolen by his friends from the class, while you busied yourself with random sketches. Like your everyday routine, you went to your part time after school, and continued working on art commissions once you get home. The same routine continued on for several days, and a week easily passed by.
You frowned upon reading a certain text, and although it was an unregistered number like every other number in your phone, you were able to realize who it was from basing on the previous conversations. "Why would he be here...?"
"What's wrong?" Kuroo asked from behind you as you were sitting between his legs, your head using his chest as a pillow. He was holding a manga in one hand, his other arm being wrapped around your waist.
You two were just spending your rest day together, deciding to stay at his house and cuddle instead of going out. "My father just messaged me asking if we could meet tomorrow..."
"Hmm? Shouldn't he be in America?"
"That's what I'm wondering about. I haven't heard anything from him since the Christmas party so it's also surprising." You frowned, reading the message again as you thought of what to reply. You didn't really have ill feelings towards him, as you already gave up on trying to keep a relationship with your parents. You already accepted your fate of surviving by yourself and having no contact with them, so suddenly being messaged by your dad caught you off guard.
"Are you alright?" Kuroo softly asked, placing down the manga he borrowed from you so he could completely give you his attention. "Did he say anything else?"
"I don't know, I'm just a bit confused." You sighed, then turning to face him as you showed him the message. "Why he's suddenly back here in Japan and why he'd want to meet in Kyoto, of all places... I don't know, but it gives me a bad feeling."
Your boyfriend placed his hand on top of your head, his thumb caressing your forehead to ease your frown. "Fretting over it won't do anything. Are you going to meet him?"
"I guess... Would you come, too?"
"Of course. I'll always be here to support you, love."
You can't help but smile at how sincere his words felt, and when he enveloped you in a hug, it made you feel calmer. You felt reassured just from his presence, as if charging you with courage to face whatever was coming.
You messaged your father back that you'd go and take Kuroo with you, and surprisingly, he agreed and would even book an accommodation for him, stating he would cover all the cost of travel for both of you. Your parents are rich, so it's not that surprising, but the generosity made you feel a little skeptical.
"He's letting you come with me, but he wants to meet and talk to me alone... I'm feeling conflicted, but I guess it'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
You nodded. "Mhm. It might be related to family matters or something."
Now having a sudden trip to Kyoto for the next day, you decided to go home to prepare. Luckily, it would still be your day off from work and it was also a Saturday, and so you had less things to worry about.
When you two arrived at Kyoto the next day after taking the Shinkansen, you first stopped by Kuroo's hotel accommodation to rest until lunch. Your anxiousness kept you from trying to enjoy the place, and you were just quietly cuddling with your boyfriend the whole time. He understood that you only needed physical comfort at the moment, so he also kept quiet as he drew soothing circles on your skin using his fingers.
When the time to meet your father arrived, he took you safely to the family restaurant and gave you an encouraging embrace, leaving only after you entered the place. You looked around, easily spotting your dad waving at you. A frown crossed your face when you saw an unfamiliar middle-aged woman sitting beside him, and across them was probably a young man whose face you can't see from the current angle.
"Dad..." You stopped beside their table, looking at the woman again and then to the other guy, who looked to be around the same age as you. "They are...?"
"Please take a seat first, (Y/N). Don't be rude."
Sighing, you did as told and sat down beside the young man. He had wavy blonde hair and fair skin, but his eyes were squinty similar to the woman's. You figured he was probably a half-foreigner, while the middle-aged lady looked pure Japanese.
"(Y/N), I know we haven't talked for months so I'm sure you feel awkward right now. But relax, okay? What would you like to order?" Your father smiled gently, and the way the woman nodded at you before they looked and smiled at each other as if having a mental understanding made you feel sick. You couldn't relax with all the weird, confused thoughts running through your head.
"Desserts."
"O-Okay... How about you, Kurt-kun?"
"I'll have grilled pork and mushroom soup, Uncle. Thanks."
Uncle?
"And you, honey?"
"I'll have what you will."
Honey? What the hell? Is that her name?
You looked at the woman and to your father back and forth, reading their interaction to be too intimate to simply be colleagues. 'What the hell...?' There was obviously something between them, and it made you confused and annoyed at the same time. You needed answers, and being left in the dark was starting to snap your short patience.
"Dad, why did you want to meet me?" You questioned, cutting off the laughter shared between the two. They turned to you with a nervous smile, and your father reached on your hand that was resting on top of the table.
"Well... Things happened and... Your mom and I, we... divorced. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."
Huh? Seriously?
You kept your surprise from showing, already guessing what he'd be saying next. Clenching your fist, you remained quiet and looked at him with an obvious displeasure on your face.
"And... I wanted you to meet my girlfriend, Rina, and her son, Kurt."
The woman gave you a sweet smile. "Nice to finally meet you, (Y/N)-chan. I'm Kugisaki Rina. My son, Kurt, is almost the same age as you so I hope you two would get along."
Huh? Wait a sec... Seriously?
Your father nodded and continued, "We're planning to marry soon, so we thought we should also have you move in with us here in Kyoto. I know I lacked a lot as a father, but I want to change that and start again with you and our new family."
The hell's with that?
"Ah. I see." You replied dryly, snatching your hand away from him. You tried to hide your irritation, but some of it was just leaking out. "And?"
"(Y/N), don't act so rude! They're going to be your new mother and brother, and Rina is pregnant with my child. You're going to have another sibling soon, aren't you glad?"
Not really. I don't really care.
You weren't upset over your parents divorcing since you never felt any attachment to their relationship anyway, it didn't matter to you if they'd both go ahead and get remarried or start a new family, that didn't bother you at all. But still, you felt irritated at how your father just said whatever he wanted.
"I don't really care, dad. Get married and start a family, for all I care! Just... leave me out of it!" You uttered, unable to contain your emotions from bursting.
"What?! (Y/N), how could you say that? You're my daughter!" (F/N)'s voice raised, making you flinch a little on your seat.
You lowered your head as you glared at your clenched fists, trying your best to stop your tears from falling with all the emotions pouring in. You couldn't choose the right words to say, and you were afraid that what would come out of your mouth would only make you sound selfish and disrespectful. But then, you thought of Kuroo and how he'd always motivate you, you thought of how you wanted to continue being with him. To you, he was more important than anyone else. He was someone you didn't want to be away from, and knowing that, you definitely didn't want to move in with your father.
"Why can't you... Think about how I feel, even just once?" Your voice trembled as you asked.
"This is for you, too! When are you going to stop rebelling?"
"This isn't about rebelling!" You snapped, raising your head to face him as you slammed your palms on the table. The waitress that was going to serve your food noticed the tension, and was now reluctant to get close. "I don't get... how you view trying hard to achieve the future I want for myself... as rebelling... but..."
"The university I want to go to isn't here. My friends aren't here. The person who makes me happiest doesn't live here either. I've been working hard, surviving by myself without your help. You and mom refused to acknowledge the future I wanted and abandoned me, so why... All of a sudden... Without consulting how I feel... Why would you make me move in with you and a couple of strangers?!" You yelled, standing up with another slam of your palms that created a loud noise, earning the attention of some other customers.
"(Y/N)!" Your father was frustrated and embarrassed, and he didn't know why he decided to slap you at that moment. He instantly regretted doing so as the sound echoed, but that was the final string of patience that snapped to you.
You were done with him. You know that you couldn't properly express what you felt, but what he did was just unreasonable. You scoffed, shaking your head to yourself as you held your cheek before marching out of the restaurant without saying anything else.
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To Be Continued
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