[Microfic] [MC!Nanako] ( king's quest )
Every now and then, Nanako had to wonder exactly how she got herself into these situations.
Maybe "wonder" wasn't the right word for it. Her teammates were very happy to clarify matters, especially if they ended up getting dragged along for the ride. 'Impulsive' got thrown around a lot. And 'surprisingly naive.' Also, 'slow the hell down before you kill us all.' (That last one was totally unfair. How the hell could they go "too fast" when half her team couldn't even keep up in the first place?)
Still, this one was entirely not her fault. The club had been Rise's suggestion, not hers, as were the drinks -- and she hadn't even tried them yet when people started getting drunk. "Aw, c'moooon," said Rise, clinging to Nanako's arm. "You're 'sposedta be the fun one! Ain't this fun?"
"Yeaaaah," said Yukiko, also latching on. Nanako felt the color rising in her cheeks. Had it been that hot in here a moment ago? "You gotta do the King's Game with us! No fun without our fearless leader."
"Nanako-chan'll do it for good ol' Teddie, right?" He flashed her an especially seductive sparkle. "She's always been BEARY special to me..."
"O-okay, okay!" said Nanako, her ears beginning to turn red. "Just don't tell my Uncle."
Rise nuzzled Nanako's shoulder. "You kidding? This's a secret. 'What happens in Vegas' and stuff."
"Promise?"
"Prooooomise."
Nanako nodded. "Okay then!" she said, her eyes suddenly sparkling with determination. "There'd better be smooches!"
"Smooches!" agreed Yukiko.
Yousuke did a quick mental tally. "Hey, better than 50/50 odds here. I am good with smooching."
"Me too, me too!" said Teddie, jumping to his feet. "Bring on the smooches!"
"Oh god, kill me now," said Chie, and covered her face.
*
With the first round (as well as Kanji and Teddie, sprawled as they were) out of the way, there were suddenly a lot fewer boys on the playing field. Yousuke's mood had considerably improved; Chie's had not. "So ... Nanako's the King this time," she said, eying her leader's red chopstick. "At least you'll keep the requests ... ... reasonably sane?"
Yukiko giggled. "You don't sound so sure about that~"
Nanako, meanwhile, couldn't help but grin. "She knows me too well," she said. She rolled the chopsticks between her palms, trying to think of something good.
"S'how the game's 'sposed to go!" burbled Rise. "No turning back now!"
"Aww, c'mon Chie," said Yousuke. "All in good fun, right?"
Chie shot him a glare. "You're just happy because it's only girls left."
"Okay!" said Nanako. "I've got it. I want ..."
> #1 to rest their head on her knee
> #2 to sit in her lap
> #3 to give her a hug
> #4 to get a piggyback ride
> ???
> #1
“All right,” said Nanako, sighing. “I’ll keep it sane.”
Chie brightened. “I knew I could count on you,” she said.
“Boooring,” said Rise.
Nanako couldn’t help but redden a little. “I-I’m not! Look, just - person number one has to put their head on my knee, okay?”
“- hey, that’s me,” said Yousuke. “Well, I’m sure not gonna argue with that.” He picked his way over to Nanako and settled himself on the opposite side, where there was just enough room for him to sit down. Except he didn’t. Instead, he laid himself down against the soft cushions, with his head quite firmly in Nanako’s lap. “Hey leader,” he said, winking up at her. “You make a pretty good pillow.”
For a split second, Nanako stared at him. Then two things happened. First, Nanako leaned back, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Having a boy in her lap was one thing. Having a boy looking up at the undersides of her boobs was another thing. The second thing involved Chie, who jumped instantly to her feet. “Hey!” she said. “That’s not what she said!”
“Aww, c’mon!” Yousuke’s grin quickly turned into a frown. “My head’s on her knee! I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“You were staring right at her breasts, you jerk!”
“Was not!”
Another day, another squabble. Nanako fought the urge to strangle the both of them. “Fine, just keep fighting,” she grumbled. In the meantime, she’d be busy braiding Yousuke’s hair.
> #2
“Number two! You have to, um … sit on my lap.”
“Whoooo’s number two?” said Yukiko, continuing to sway. “Who whoooo?”
Chie nudged her in the ribs. “That’s you, silly,” she hissed.
Yukiko squinted down at her chopstick. Then she turned it, squinting at it again. “Ohh. I had it upside-down.”
“… upside-down?” asked Yousuke, tentatively.
Yukiko bobbled her head so hard that Nanako instinctively reached out a hand to steady it. “Looked like a seven! Aaaanyway.” She got to her feet unsteadily, toddled the entire two feet over to Nanako… then she plunked down.
She was surprisingly heavy for a girl her size; Nanako found herself straining to breath. “O-oof,” said Nanako, wincing. “You’re kinda on stomach…”
Rise tsked. “That’s what you get for slouching!”
“Y-yeah, but…”
“Hang on, hang on…” Without waiting for Nanako’s response, Yukiko shifted her position. … except, she shimmied up rather than back down towards Nanako’s knees. Nanako quickly found herself lying back on the the seat, with Yukiko straddling her torso. “Theeere,” said Yukiko. “Much better.”
“B-better,” said Nanako, laughing nervously. “Right…”
“I am so jealous of you right now,” said Yousuke, but Nanako couldn’t figure out which one he was talking to. Perhaps he couldn’t either.
> #3
“Hmmm…” said Nanako, looking thoughtful. “I could use a hug.”
Rise giggled from her place on Nanko’s arm. “From who? C’mon, you gotta pick!”
“Number three?” She eyed her teammates hopefully. “Who’s that?”
“-oh!” said Rise, perking up. “That’s me! Except,” she added, looking down at Nanako’s arm, “I’m already doing that.”
“So we’re already done?” asked Chie. “Great!”
“Nooot yet,” said Yukiko. She tapped a finger to her lower lip, thinking. “If y’already did the King’s order, then you’ve gotta up it. Make it more extreeeeme.”
“Right!” said Rise. And then she leaned in abruptly, giving Nanako a quick kiss on the lips.
The group stared. One in horror (Chie), One with a mixture of horror and very, very close attention (Yousuke), and one who just plain wasn’t paying attention at all (Yukiko). Nanako, meanwhile, went completely red. “I - e-er -”
“There!” said Rise. “Perfect. Who else wants a Risette kiss?”
“This is the best night of my life,” said Yousuke, before settling in next to Rise as well.
> #4
“You know what?” said Nanako, putting her hands on her hips. “I want a piggy-back ride!”
Yousuke paused. “Wait, wasn’t the suggestion for you to give someone else a piggy back ride…?”
“Doesn’t matter!” said Rise with a wave of her hand. “The King’s word…”
“… is absolute!” finished Yukiko.
“Better hope it’s someone with good upper arm strength,” said Yousuke.
Nanako pouted. “I’m not that heavy,” she said. “Who’s number four?”
Chie started. “Huh? You mean me?” She laughed nervously. “W-well, I’m strong enough! For a little while, at least.”
“You mean it?” said Nanako, her expression brightening. “Really?”
“Sure!” She got to her feet. “I mean, how hard could it be?”
Nanako answered her with a flying tackle. She wrapped both arms around Chie in a tight monkey grip, with her legs dangling off Chie’s back. “Giddyap!” she said. “High-ho Chie!”
“Urk -” Chie wobbled. For a short moment, it looked as though she might regain her balance; then both of them toppled over. Chie hit the floor with a breath-stealing thud; Nanako, on the other hand, was a lot less lucky. She smacked her forehead soundly against the table, then hit the floor as well, instantly unconscious.
“Leader!”
“Senpai!”
“The drinks!”
Naoto leaned down calmly, pressing his fingers to Nanako’s neck. “I will call for medical assistance,” he said, and made his way down the stairs.
> ???
"On second thought," said Nanako, staring ruefully down at her chopstick, "I really can't decide."
"Reallly?" said Rise. "Really really really?"
"If she said it once, then she means it," said Chie, looking quite relieved. "One round was enough, wasn't it?"
Nanako shook her head. "It's not that," she said. "It's just that..."
"... thaaat?" said Yukiko.
"That they're all really good choices!" Nanako gave the group her biggest, brightest, and definitely cutest smile. "So let's do all of them!"
Chie's mouth dropped open. "W-what? Now? All at once?"
"Yep~!"
"But -- but -- "
"Dibs on the lap!" said Yousuke, before they all piled on Nanako in a messy (but quite fun ♥) heap.
> #5
Silently, Nanako counted off the number of people in the room. "All right then," she said. "#5 owes me a kiss too!"
"Five?" said Yukiko, scrunching her brow in confusion. "I mean, m'definitely seeing two of Rise, but I don't think y'can specify which one..."
"That's because there aren't five left," said Chie. "Not with Kanji and Teddie being all over the floor."
"mmnghhMMPH"
"Like I said!"
Nanako frowned. "But there is one more person," she said. "Didn't you get one too, Naoto-kun?"
The girls jumped a bit. They'd all sort of forgotten about the detective; an easy mistake, considering how quiet the boy had been. "Naturally," he said, his expression cool. "But not due to any interest in participating."
"What?" said Rise with a wide, drunken swivel of her head. "No fair! Rules're rules!" She detached from Nanako long enough to put her hands on her hips. "If you took a chopstick, then you're playing, mister."
Naoto sighed. "Must I?"
The girls nodded. Especially Nanako, whose cheeks felt very pink indeed.
"Then I suppose I have little choice." The detective prince leaned forward, angling Nanako's face with his fingers. Slender, beautifully smooth fingers, Nanako noticed.
And then he kissed her. He kept it brief, his lips just barely brushing against hers, but that didn't stop Nanako's heart from fluttering. She sank back into the booth seat with a deep sigh. "I think the Prince just topped the King there," said Yousuke. "Man, how do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Rouuuuund three!" said Rise, helping herself to another drink. Not that Nanako cared -- for her, the game was already won and over, thank you very much.
Maybe "wonder" wasn't the right word for it. Her teammates were very happy to clarify matters, especially if they ended up getting dragged along for the ride. 'Impulsive' got thrown around a lot. And 'surprisingly naive.' Also, 'slow the hell down before you kill us all.' (That last one was totally unfair. How the hell could they go "too fast" when half her team couldn't even keep up in the first place?)
Still, this one was entirely not her fault. The club had been Rise's suggestion, not hers, as were the drinks -- and she hadn't even tried them yet when people started getting drunk. "Aw, c'moooon," said Rise, clinging to Nanako's arm. "You're 'sposedta be the fun one! Ain't this fun?"
"Yeaaaah," said Yukiko, also latching on. Nanako felt the color rising in her cheeks. Had it been that hot in here a moment ago? "You gotta do the King's Game with us! No fun without our fearless leader."
"Nanako-chan'll do it for good ol' Teddie, right?" He flashed her an especially seductive sparkle. "She's always been BEARY special to me..."
"O-okay, okay!" said Nanako, her ears beginning to turn red. "Just don't tell my Uncle."
Rise nuzzled Nanako's shoulder. "You kidding? This's a secret. 'What happens in Vegas' and stuff."
"Promise?"
"Prooooomise."
Nanako nodded. "Okay then!" she said, her eyes suddenly sparkling with determination. "There'd better be smooches!"
"Smooches!" agreed Yukiko.
Yousuke did a quick mental tally. "Hey, better than 50/50 odds here. I am good with smooching."
"Me too, me too!" said Teddie, jumping to his feet. "Bring on the smooches!"
"Oh god, kill me now," said Chie, and covered her face.
*
With the first round (as well as Kanji and Teddie, sprawled as they were) out of the way, there were suddenly a lot fewer boys on the playing field. Yousuke's mood had considerably improved; Chie's had not. "So ... Nanako's the King this time," she said, eying her leader's red chopstick. "At least you'll keep the requests ... ... reasonably sane?"
Yukiko giggled. "You don't sound so sure about that~"
Nanako, meanwhile, couldn't help but grin. "She knows me too well," she said. She rolled the chopsticks between her palms, trying to think of something good.
"S'how the game's 'sposed to go!" burbled Rise. "No turning back now!"
"Aww, c'mon Chie," said Yousuke. "All in good fun, right?"
Chie shot him a glare. "You're just happy because it's only girls left."
"Okay!" said Nanako. "I've got it. I want ..."
> #1 to rest their head on her knee
> #2 to sit in her lap
> #3 to give her a hug
> #4 to get a piggyback ride
> ???
> #1
“All right,” said Nanako, sighing. “I’ll keep it sane.”
Chie brightened. “I knew I could count on you,” she said.
“Boooring,” said Rise.
Nanako couldn’t help but redden a little. “I-I’m not! Look, just - person number one has to put their head on my knee, okay?”
“- hey, that’s me,” said Yousuke. “Well, I’m sure not gonna argue with that.” He picked his way over to Nanako and settled himself on the opposite side, where there was just enough room for him to sit down. Except he didn’t. Instead, he laid himself down against the soft cushions, with his head quite firmly in Nanako’s lap. “Hey leader,” he said, winking up at her. “You make a pretty good pillow.”
For a split second, Nanako stared at him. Then two things happened. First, Nanako leaned back, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Having a boy in her lap was one thing. Having a boy looking up at the undersides of her boobs was another thing. The second thing involved Chie, who jumped instantly to her feet. “Hey!” she said. “That’s not what she said!”
“Aww, c’mon!” Yousuke’s grin quickly turned into a frown. “My head’s on her knee! I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“You were staring right at her breasts, you jerk!”
“Was not!”
Another day, another squabble. Nanako fought the urge to strangle the both of them. “Fine, just keep fighting,” she grumbled. In the meantime, she’d be busy braiding Yousuke’s hair.
> #2
“Number two! You have to, um … sit on my lap.”
“Whoooo’s number two?” said Yukiko, continuing to sway. “Who whoooo?”
Chie nudged her in the ribs. “That’s you, silly,” she hissed.
Yukiko squinted down at her chopstick. Then she turned it, squinting at it again. “Ohh. I had it upside-down.”
“… upside-down?” asked Yousuke, tentatively.
Yukiko bobbled her head so hard that Nanako instinctively reached out a hand to steady it. “Looked like a seven! Aaaanyway.” She got to her feet unsteadily, toddled the entire two feet over to Nanako… then she plunked down.
She was surprisingly heavy for a girl her size; Nanako found herself straining to breath. “O-oof,” said Nanako, wincing. “You’re kinda on stomach…”
Rise tsked. “That’s what you get for slouching!”
“Y-yeah, but…”
“Hang on, hang on…” Without waiting for Nanako’s response, Yukiko shifted her position. … except, she shimmied up rather than back down towards Nanako’s knees. Nanako quickly found herself lying back on the the seat, with Yukiko straddling her torso. “Theeere,” said Yukiko. “Much better.”
“B-better,” said Nanako, laughing nervously. “Right…”
“I am so jealous of you right now,” said Yousuke, but Nanako couldn’t figure out which one he was talking to. Perhaps he couldn’t either.
> #3
“Hmmm…” said Nanako, looking thoughtful. “I could use a hug.”
Rise giggled from her place on Nanko’s arm. “From who? C’mon, you gotta pick!”
“Number three?” She eyed her teammates hopefully. “Who’s that?”
“-oh!” said Rise, perking up. “That’s me! Except,” she added, looking down at Nanako’s arm, “I’m already doing that.”
“So we’re already done?” asked Chie. “Great!”
“Nooot yet,” said Yukiko. She tapped a finger to her lower lip, thinking. “If y’already did the King’s order, then you’ve gotta up it. Make it more extreeeeme.”
“Right!” said Rise. And then she leaned in abruptly, giving Nanako a quick kiss on the lips.
The group stared. One in horror (Chie), One with a mixture of horror and very, very close attention (Yousuke), and one who just plain wasn’t paying attention at all (Yukiko). Nanako, meanwhile, went completely red. “I - e-er -”
“There!” said Rise. “Perfect. Who else wants a Risette kiss?”
“This is the best night of my life,” said Yousuke, before settling in next to Rise as well.
> #4
“You know what?” said Nanako, putting her hands on her hips. “I want a piggy-back ride!”
Yousuke paused. “Wait, wasn’t the suggestion for you to give someone else a piggy back ride…?”
“Doesn’t matter!” said Rise with a wave of her hand. “The King’s word…”
“… is absolute!” finished Yukiko.
“Better hope it’s someone with good upper arm strength,” said Yousuke.
Nanako pouted. “I’m not that heavy,” she said. “Who’s number four?”
Chie started. “Huh? You mean me?” She laughed nervously. “W-well, I’m strong enough! For a little while, at least.”
“You mean it?” said Nanako, her expression brightening. “Really?”
“Sure!” She got to her feet. “I mean, how hard could it be?”
Nanako answered her with a flying tackle. She wrapped both arms around Chie in a tight monkey grip, with her legs dangling off Chie’s back. “Giddyap!” she said. “High-ho Chie!”
“Urk -” Chie wobbled. For a short moment, it looked as though she might regain her balance; then both of them toppled over. Chie hit the floor with a breath-stealing thud; Nanako, on the other hand, was a lot less lucky. She smacked her forehead soundly against the table, then hit the floor as well, instantly unconscious.
“Leader!”
“Senpai!”
“The drinks!”
Naoto leaned down calmly, pressing his fingers to Nanako’s neck. “I will call for medical assistance,” he said, and made his way down the stairs.
> ???
"On second thought," said Nanako, staring ruefully down at her chopstick, "I really can't decide."
"Reallly?" said Rise. "Really really really?"
"If she said it once, then she means it," said Chie, looking quite relieved. "One round was enough, wasn't it?"
Nanako shook her head. "It's not that," she said. "It's just that..."
"... thaaat?" said Yukiko.
"That they're all really good choices!" Nanako gave the group her biggest, brightest, and definitely cutest smile. "So let's do all of them!"
Chie's mouth dropped open. "W-what? Now? All at once?"
"Yep~!"
"But -- but -- "
"Dibs on the lap!" said Yousuke, before they all piled on Nanako in a messy (but quite fun ♥) heap.
> #5
Silently, Nanako counted off the number of people in the room. "All right then," she said. "#5 owes me a kiss too!"
"Five?" said Yukiko, scrunching her brow in confusion. "I mean, m'definitely seeing two of Rise, but I don't think y'can specify which one..."
"That's because there aren't five left," said Chie. "Not with Kanji and Teddie being all over the floor."
"mmnghhMMPH"
"Like I said!"
Nanako frowned. "But there is one more person," she said. "Didn't you get one too, Naoto-kun?"
The girls jumped a bit. They'd all sort of forgotten about the detective; an easy mistake, considering how quiet the boy had been. "Naturally," he said, his expression cool. "But not due to any interest in participating."
"What?" said Rise with a wide, drunken swivel of her head. "No fair! Rules're rules!" She detached from Nanako long enough to put her hands on her hips. "If you took a chopstick, then you're playing, mister."
Naoto sighed. "Must I?"
The girls nodded. Especially Nanako, whose cheeks felt very pink indeed.
"Then I suppose I have little choice." The detective prince leaned forward, angling Nanako's face with his fingers. Slender, beautifully smooth fingers, Nanako noticed.
And then he kissed her. He kept it brief, his lips just barely brushing against hers, but that didn't stop Nanako's heart from fluttering. She sank back into the booth seat with a deep sigh. "I think the Prince just topped the King there," said Yousuke. "Man, how do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Rouuuuund three!" said Rise, helping herself to another drink. Not that Nanako cared -- for her, the game was already won and over, thank you very much.