Keigo didn't have work for the next few days while his wings grew back and decided to spend those three days at Mariko's apartment. At first, shed conceded seeing as he'd had a hard day, but grew to regret her kindness as time went on. The blonde wasn't a particularly bad house guest. Surprisingly, he wasn't messy, there would just be the occasional shirt strewn on the floor next to an unmade bed at the most. The only real issue was that he had become extremely clingy. He was always around her, whether it was sitting in the kitchen as she cooked or picking her up to go to lunch. She nearly kicked him when he'd woken her up at three in the morning for night time take out. If she wasn't paying attention to him or it looked like she hadn't noticed him yet, he practically made it a mission to get her to focus on him.
"Mari, what's this?" he asked as he rifled through her bathroom cabinets. He was staring at a green tube with cucumbers and coal on it. Mariko glanced up at him from her place on the couch, she had been reading up on a new medical study that had just come out.
"It's a face mask," she told him.
Keigo's eyebrows raised in surprise, "You have this sorta stuff?" he asked. He'd never pegged the brunette to be into face masks and the like. He'd just assumed her skin was naturally flawless.
"Sure looks like it," she quipped sarcastically before returning her attention to the article on her tablet.
"Can I use it?" He was absolutely bored from not being able to do anything other than paperwork for the past few days.
"Go ahead, just don't make a mess," she said dismissively.
Hawks shrugged off her lack of attention and turned to the bathroom, as he read the instructions, he realized he had no idea what they meant.
"Hey Kid, can you come'ere a sec?" he called.
The brunette sighed, setting her tablet on the coffee table and walking towards the bathroom.
"What's wrong?"
"I have no idea how to use this."
"Did you read the instructions?" she asked, picking the tube out of his hands.
"Yeah, but they're small and boring so I sorta skimmed through the last part."
"So you read the safety warnings, but not the instructions? Read all of it first before getting me," she sighed, shoving the product back into his arms and walking into the kitchen. Now she just wanted some tea.
It wasn't even five minutes later before the blonde was calling for her again.
"What is it now?" she shouted back; she wouldn't move unless he told her first. There was no response, but a few moments later the male was walking into the room, globs of the product on his face. He hadn't spread it out at all.
"It just said to put it on and wait. I don't see how this is gonna do anything though," he said.
Mariko choked on her tea as she took in his ridiculous appearance. "You know you're supposed to spread it around so it covers all of your face right?" she asked sarcastically.
Keigo looked at her expectantly, silently asking for help.
"You're such a lazy ass," she groaned, setting her cup aside and walking towards him. She knew he was perfectly capable of doing this himself, he was just bored and wanted attention again.
She brought her hands up to his face, her fingers lightly brushing the product over his cheeks and forehead, making sure that it was all covered. Keigo stared down at her, sighing lightly at her soft touches. It was over all too soon as not even a minute later, she was walking away from him and wiping her hands on a dishrag.
"Wait ten minutes before washing it off," she instructed.
He nodded and washed his hands in the sink. "What's the point of wearing this stuff anyways?" he asked as he took a seat on a barstool.
"The one you're wearing is to brighten up the skin," she explained.
"Nice," he said slipping his phone out of his pocket to play a game.
Mariko returned to her tea. By the time she finished, it was time for him to wash the mask off. "Go to the bathroom and wash it off now," she said nodding to the hallway.
He hopped off the stool and went to the bathroom, only to return sometime later with his face freshly washed. "How do I look?" he asked pretending to flick hair over his shoulder sassily.
The brunette looked up at him, "positively radiant," she joked.
"Why thank you Mari," he said.
The use of the nickname didn't go unnoticed by the female, but she didn't object to it. She had long since accepted his tendency to be familiar and give people nicknames and was no longer bothered by it.
Keigo waited for a moment to see if she would reject the use of the nickname but smiled brightly when she remained unfazed. His wings flapped slightly at her positive reaction.
The movement caused her to look at him, she realized his wings were almost back to their original size now. "They're coming back pretty fast. When are you gonna head back to work?" she asked.
He shrugged, "Probably the day after tomorrow."
She nodded in response.
The blonde eyed her carefully for a moment before a smirk stretched across his lips. He leaned in slightly, his eyes glittering with mischief. "Are you trying to get rid of me?" he asked.
She looked up at him and nearly jumped back when she saw how close his face was to hers. She didn't move though, and her expression was a beautiful mask of nonchalance. "Clearly no one ever taught this man about personal space," she thought annoyedly. "Just wondering when I'm getting my apartment back," she lied. They both knew that even if he did annoy her sometimes she had no intention of kicking him out. He was welcomed to stay for as long as he liked.
"Aw come on. I'm a great house guest!" he exclaimed.
Mariko rolled her eyes and turned to her tablet again, an action that did not go over well with the blonde who had been trying to get her to pay attention to him for the past half hour. "You and I clearly have different definitions of the word great," she responded.
He gently grabbed her chin and turned her face back towards him, "Just admit it, you love me," he insisted.
Despite the compromising position which would've left most women flustered, the brunette remained unshaken, "In your dreams. And get your hands off me," she deadpanned.
Keigo cringed, pulling away slightly, "So icy," he commented. He wasn't offended by it though.
Mariko laughed a bit as he admitted his defeat. She smiled at her friend, who was looking down at her in amusement. Noticing he still had a bit of the mask left on his jawline, she shook her head. "He's like a little kid sometimes. Such a disaster," she thought. "You've still got some of the mask left on your face," she told him. She reached out this time and pulled the male back towards her.
For a moment, he was frozen. It was the expression on her face that had completely stunned him. Her eyes were focused on her hand as she gently rubbed the dried paste off him; but her face was completely relaxed, a small, almost unnoticeable smile playing at her lips. And her eyes, her eyes. He'd become used to the half-assed glares and looks of annoyance, but he would never get used to seeing her looking at him with what he could only hope was endearment. Her sapphire irises lightened to an azure color, like the sea on a cloudless day.
"There you go," she muttered, pushing him away. She nearly turned her attention back to her tablet when she noticed the male had been rendered motionless beside her. She looked up at him, surprised at the sincere smile and affectionate look that graced his features.
"Thanks Mari," he said.
The brunette felt her cheeks warm up slightly, she opened her mouth to say something, when her phone started ringing. A startling familiar ringtone made her still. Her change in attitude was immediately noticed by her friend.
Keigo watched as she walked over to her cellphone and stared at the screen for a moment before answering the call. "Should I leave?" he wondered. It seemed like it might be a private conversation, but the blonde was curious, and she hadn't left the room, so maybe it was okay for him to stay? "Worst case scenario she tells me to leave," he thought.
"Hayato," she greeted. Keigo noticed the warmth in her voice as she said the name. It was particularly obvious, because she had never taken that tone with him.
"Yeah, I'm okay. How is everything over there?" she asked.
There was a pause.
"That's good to hear. I'm really happy for you guys," she said. Her voice was unbelievably soft, he didn't think it could sound like that. It bothered him slightly.
There was another pause, and suddenly she went rigid.
"You're what?" she asked. Her eyes were wide and her expression was the epitome of worry.
Unfortunately, Keigo couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, so he didn't know wha was making her so upset; but he was developing a growing distaste for whoever was on the other end. "Who the heck is this person and why are they able to get that kind of reaction from her" he wondered.
After a moment, her face and posture relaxed. She huffed in annoyance. "Yeah well next time start with that would you? You scared me half to death dumbass!" she pouted.
"Really? They haven't contact me, but even if they did I'd decline. I like working at the hospital," she told him.
More silence.
"I know it's been awhile...A year or so... Well, when you do bring them with you."
Keigo's eyes widened at her words. "She loves them?"
An affectionate smile stretched across her lips, "Love you too. Stay safe," she said and hung up.
Hawks frowned, his wings spreading slightly in anger. That was his goodbye. "Who's Hayato? You two seem pretty close," he growled.
Mariko raised an eyebrow at the blonde's sudden change in demeanor. "He's a child hood friend of mine," she answered.
"That it? Seemed like there's more going on."
She flinched at the comment, "Please tell me he didn't hear anything he said," she silently prayed. "I guess you could say he's the closest thing I have to a brother." she elaborated.
He raised an eyebrow, still not believing her completely. "You love him?" he asked, his voice containing a tinge of bitterness.
The brunette stared at him, her eyes narrowing as she tried to analyze him. "Of all things why'd he points that out?" she wondered. "Is he jealous?" "Are you jealous?" she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
Keigo flinched and he stared at her, his eyes wide as dinner plates.
"You are," she gasped. A smirk forming on her lips.
The blonde spluttered, not knowing at all how to respond.
"Who would've known Hawks was the jealous type!" she exclaimed.
"I'm not fucking jealous," he spat out, his face burned with embarrassment.
She laughed at him, "You totally are."
"I am not." He insisted, standing up from the dining room table.
"Why are you lying?" she asked, egging him on.
"Don't mess with me Kid," he warned.
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do? Hurt me? That wouldn't be very heroic Hawks," she teased.
The smirk was wiped off her face when feathers were sent flying towards her. Little blurs of red she was almost unable to dodge. She got out of the way in time for them to impale themselves into the wall by the couch but ended up falling backwards onto the floor. "Ugh, you better get that shit fixed. I don't want holes in my walls." She groaned.
Hawks laughed a bit, much to the brunette's annoyance and walked over to her, offering a hand. She huffed and accepted it, allowing him to pull her up. He yanked her to her feet with an excessive amount of strength, throwing her off balance and causing her to stumble forward into his chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him. "You should know," he whispered his lips so close to her ears she could feel his breath fan her neck, "I'm not the jealous type... but I sure as hell am fucking possessive. I don't like sharing," he told her.
Mariko swallowed thickly, and pushed back a bit, her hands resting on his chest. Unexpectedly, a smirk was stretched across her lips, "You know repeating yourself like that only makes me believe you less right?" she asked.
The blonde's cocky demeanor fell in an instant and was replaced with one of playfulness. He dipped his head slightly, his chest shaking in laughter. "Of course, nothing fazes her," he thought. "You're so boring. The least you could do is blush," he joked.
She patted his chest sympathetically, "I'll keep that in mind. How bout we watch a movie?" she asked him.
The male nodded and he practically dragged her to the couch. He settled down beside her, sitting a little closer than usual. "I'm picking," he told her. There was no protest.
"I haven't seen him in a year or so. I kind of miss him. I wasn't close with my family, so he was the one always looking out for me. He was like the big brother I always wanted," she said suddenly.
Keigo turned to her surprised. This was the first time he was hearing anything about her life. You were worried about him then..." he realized, "You freaked out for a second during the conversation. I saw it on your face," he noted.
Mariko rubbed her arm, becoming slightly uncomfortable, "Ah well... He was offered a position in the military. I got worried because its risky of him to take those kinds of positions when he's got a wife and kid to take care of. He told me he wouldn't be doing anything dangerous though, so it's okay."
He nodded, "What's he gonna be doing now then?" he asked.
She shrugged, "No clue. He didn't say," the lie rolled off her tongue easily.
Keigo nodded and turned back to the movie catalog, trying to find something to watch.