Stupid Sexy Accent
You know how I'm a horrible procrastinator? Well after over a year, possibly two, I have finally finished the ficclet for this ship!
Disclaimer: No puppies were hurt in the writing of this scene.
Stupid Sexy Accent
Everyone was leaving the common room they had all gathered in, quickly forming smaller groups as they got out of the doorway. Some hurried, trying to avoid certain people, while others took their time as their attentions were constantly being drawn elsewhere.
Mik was standing around outside of the room, looking at each person that had passed her. Though she knew every person that passed her none of them was the person she was looking for. As the amount of people exiting the room thinned, her expectancy of seeing this person grew. After five minutes of watching what must have been the last person to leave the room, Mik realised she had somehow moved from where she had been waiting by the wall to pacing by the door with her arms crossed.
Tossing her arms suddenly apart then dropping them to her side, she paced in front of the door one last time before walking back into the room. ‘Karoline must have gotten her again.’
“Roomie?”
Looking towards the assorted sofas and tables placed in the centre of the room, Mik was soon frowning when she didn’t see a single person there. ‘Huh, that’s weird. Cure was in this room and I didn’t see her leave with the rest of us.’ As she continued to look around the rest of the room she felt her body freeze up when she spotted a person that had been sitting in the corner of the room. “Oh… shit-!”
“Were you looking for something, love?”
That English accent - oh. She should have been used to it by now but he hadn’t even finished that sentence before she felt like her knees would buckle. “Fuck. Stupid…” Muttering under her breath, she wasn’t quite sure whether it was directed at herself or at that annoying Curse that was getting up from his seat and approaching her now.
Suddenly, Mik was glaring at Richard, realising a little too late how much closer he was. “STAY BACK! I DON’T WANT YOU HERE!” Although he did stop, there was less than a metre’s distance between them and that was far too close for Mik’s liking.
“There’s no need to get angry. You were looking around and I only thought I would offer to help.” Richard had a look of hurt on his face as he spoke, but his tone was completely calm. He used the cane he carried around to lean on, that look of hurt immediately gone after his last word, waiting expectantly for the next of Mik’s outbursts.
“I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP, SO GET LOST!” It was an immediate response out of anger but Mik’s glare faltered when she had a thought over something she had only noticed. “Wait… what are you still doing in here? You’re always the first to leave the room.” She creased her brows in thought; this was odd behaviour for the Curse. “What are you up to?”
Taking his time to look Mik up and down, Richard then smiled, which caused Mik to flush and ball her hands into fists. “D-don’t do that!” She felt like slapping him, but that would require her to get closer to the male so she refrained.
With a hum, Richard made a quick glance towards the centre of the room, making Mik look in the same direction to see what he was looking at. However, she never saw whatever it was and he was just as soon turning back to her, waving his free hand to dismiss whatever thought he had. “Forgive me, but I had to ensure you weren’t wearing a bug that could have recorded my plan if I were to tell you.”
Blinking, Mik looked at Richard, more wary than before. “And what plan is that?”
He slowly searched the room, wanting to be sure no one had suddenly appeared inside without using the door. As he finally was ready to answer, he had a serious look on his face. “My dear, I plan on waiting in this room to be the first here when the ladies of this house return.” With that, he straightened himself up and lifted his cane off the floor, holding it now at about an inch below the handle.
Frowning in thought, Mik had to mentally replay that response to make sure she heard it correctly. “But that’s what you always do, what’s so secret about-…” Just then, it dawned on her and she was then giving him a stoic look. “You don’t have to mock me.”
By now he was smiling again. “I couldn’t resist; you were making it far too easy for me. Do consider what you asked for a moment, though. What else would I be doing when I’m waiting in these common rooms?” Although he didn’t give her any time to answer that question, because as soon as she opened her mouth he was taking a step closer to her and offering his hand out her. “Come, my love, and sit down. It may take a while for your friends to figure out that they shouldn’t have left this room.”
She slapped the offending hand that was offered to her away, and took a few steps back until she was standing in the doorway. “Or I could leave and come back after you’ve left!” Again she was glaring at the man that refused to take the hint that she didn’t want him near her. “And I keep telling you, I don’t want you getting close to me! Stop that!”
Resting both hands on top of the handle of his cane, he held it out in front of himself, keeping a patient air around him as if his offer being rebuffed meant nothing to him. “You have such a beautiful face; it would be a shame if you gave yourself early wrinkles from all that glaring and frowning.”
“I wouldn’t be glaring or frowning if you’d piss off!”
This did nothing to change Richard’s countenance, and Mik sorely wished that he would stop looking so pleased and patient. It could be so difficult to keep herself angry when he was being this calm. It was only made worse by the fact that everything he said was in that damned accent.
“Have I done something to offend you?”
Mik bit her bottom lip. It took her a while to register what the question was without getting distracted by that accent. ‘Come on, get angry. Think of something. Dick punching puppies… yes, that’ll work.’ Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in before she answered through gritted teeth. “Yes! You won’t leave me the fuck alone!”
“Hm.” Getting off the cane he was leaning on, Richard then held the item at his side by one hand. Using his now free hand, he took the monocle he wore off and placed it into his suit’s pocket. Mik still had her eyes closed, so she couldn’t see Richard as he pulled a small case from another pocket while walking away from her to take a seat on one of the sofas in the room. Though he kept looking back to see if she had opened her eyes yet. “You were looking for your roommate when you walked in, yes? She will be returning to this room soon, so you may as well wait here for her.”
Mik could hear a distant shuffling sound, and though she was trying to not look at Richard, she couldn’t help but open her eyes to see where it was coming from. She almost fell over in surprise as she saw that he had walked away from her and was looking through the items - manga or comics, she couldn’t tell from this distance - on the table. She took a single step closer, slightly curious about what he was planning.
“Why do you keep saying everyone else is going to come back in here? What are you up to?”
He didn’t look up at her, and instead found a manga of interest to look through. “I am not planning anything. I simply am fortunate enough to know that Internet Connection has disabled the internet in all other rooms on this floor.”
“And this is the only room that has internet?” The nod from Richard caused Mik to sigh. “Of course it is.”
“All your friends will have to return to this room if they want internet.”
“And why do you want everyone to be in this room?”
Richard was about to turn a page but paused. Though he raised his head, he didn’t turn to look at Mik. “I’ve already told you that I’m not planning anything. Whatever Internet Connection chooses to do with his time is none of my concern.”
“I don’t believe you.” She said in a low tone that was almost a hiss.
Shrugging, he continued to flick through the manga and ignored her accusation. “Why don’t you sit down, love? It isn’t wise to stand there and block the doorway for your friends when they return.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that.” Grumbling in a low tone to herself, Mik then hesitantly made her way to where the sofas were, knowing deep down that she didn’t have much reason to not take a seat. Though she was sure she didn’t take the same sofa that Richard was on, or take any of the seats near him. She made certain to take the comfy blue sofa that was across the wide table from where Richard sat.
He hadn’t looked up from the manga he read nor did he say anything to her as she passed. She was finding this behaviour to be unnerving. The thought of saying something to draw his attention came to her mind but she shook her head and dismissed it immediately. However, it wasn’t long until she forgot that dismissal, just as she saw the glint of something coming from Richard’s face. “Wha… is-is that-…?”
Looking up at Mik, he held a very convincing innocent expression, appearing confused at her stunned face. “What is it, dear?”
“G-glasses…” Once he was staring at her directly with those blue eyes behind thin framed rectangular glasses, she gulped. She wanted to turn away so that she wouldn’t have to look at him, but she couldn’t help herself except to stare. “Wh-why are you wearing… uh those?”
There wasn’t much of a change in Richard’s expression, however his eyes clearly showed the amusement he was suppressing. “I require the aid of glasses in order to read.”
“What… no, no… you don’t!”
“I wouldn’t be wearing these glasses now if I didn’t, love.”
“No… you can’t wear glasses… uh… I’ve never seen you wear them before!”
Richard adjusted his glasses until he was able to look down at Mik from above the frames of his glasses. “I don’t like to advertise the fact that my vision isn’t perfect. It’s embarrassing for me.”
Clutching onto the fabric of the cushion she was seated on, Mik’s cheeks began to turn pink. As much as she hated to be thinking it, those glasses did suit Richard. It was then that she finally had the strength to turn away from him, mentally scolding herself for even thinking such a thing. She felt like kicking herself, or better yet, kicking him for getting her this flustered. “It’s just glasses… it doesn’t make him look any better.” She began talking to herself in a tone too low for Richard to hear clearly, trying to make herself angry again. “Think: Dick punching puppies. Dick punching puppies.”
“Excuse me?”
He stared at her in confusion, failing to make out any of the things she muttered. Turning back to him now - feeling more confident that she could resist both the allure of his accent and glasses - she quickly realised in relief that he hadn’t heard a word she said.
“I said…” Tilting her head slightly, she tried to quickly come up with something that was relevant to the topic without making it obvious that she had been saying something else. “If it’s embarrassing then why are you wearing those things around me?” She was proud to hear that her voice sounded more assured and firm when she spoke this time.
Richard sat back comfortably in his chair, relaxing his facial features now that he could hear what he thought had been the words Mik had muttered earlier. The manga he had claimed to be reading almost forgotten other than the fact that he was still holding onto it. “Because, I don’t believe there needs to be such secrets between us. We must learn to trust each other more if we want our relationship to grow.”
“Relationship?!” Almost choking on the word as she said it, she brought her hands up to wave them in front of herself as she shook her head to disagree with that notion. “We don’t have a relationship! We’re not dating and we’re never going to date! I don’t even like you!”
Regardless of what Mik had said, Richard smiled. It felt out of place and Mik was feeling some of that fire inside her die. He was planning something, she could tell. “What?” A part of her wanted to get this over with so that he could be done with his plan and leave, but another part of her was urging her to run out of that room now. The longer she watched Richard sitting there calmly with a smile at her, the more she leaned towards acting out that second feeling.
“I just couldn’t help but admire how beautiful you are, my love.”
Thrusting her hands into the cushion she sat on, Mik sat rigid in her seat, almost about to stand up and storm over to him. However, she never did leave her seat. She felt weak in the knees and worried that standing up abruptly may cause her to fall. The butterflies she now had in her stomach did nothing to help the matter either. ‘I hate him! Why does he have to say that in that stupid accent?! He’s doing this on purpose!’
After a minute of watching Mik have an internal struggle, Richard finally turned away, searching around the room for something he couldn't find. “Someone has left the heaters in this room on for too long.”
“Ex-excuse me?” Mik's voice was too high for her liking, but she was partially grateful for the change of topic, regardless of how weird it was. It was better than fighting to keep herself level headed as Richard complimented her with that swoon-worthy accent. She glanced around, pretending to look for those heaters as an excuse to not look at those glasses he was wearing. “They're on?”
“Yes. It's making the room too hot for my liking.”
‘That's funny. It doesn't feel like the heaters are on to me.’ Frowning at the thought, Mik took a deep breath in then exhaled, preparing herself to look into those glasses. Though as she turned to Richard, her jaw dropped, as nothing could prepare her for the sight she witnessed. “What-?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
Richard had stood up and taken off the jacket of his suit, revealing a white buttoned shirt and brown suspenders. Turning to Mik, he removed his hat and cocked his head to the side, looking confused. “My dear, it is too hot to be wearing a jacket in here.”
Mik couldn't respond. Her mind was whirling with so many different thoughts that she was unable to keep track of them. In the end all those thoughts came to a single conclusion: Richard was undeniably sexy. She gulped loudly.
“The heat's affecting you too. Your face is quite red.” For only a second, Richard smiled but that immediately faded into a look of concern. Mik was almost certain that he was amused but she had other matters on her mind to worry about. Such as the fact that she was blushing. She did not want Richard to be the cause of her blushing.
“I-I'm not... I-I... h-hot...” Her tongue was suddenly numb and it made talking very difficult. This was not the situation she wanted to be in; she had to get out of here! However, her legs still didn't feel like they'd be able to support herself long enough to make it to the door. Falling in front of Richard was not an option.
He was slowly making his way towards her, leaving his hat on the table in the process, and that instantly caused Mik's heart to jump into her throat. Those glasses and those suspenders were coming closer. She knew she would not be able to ignore those items any longer but she couldn't escape without either falling or being caught by Richard. ‘I can't let him win. I gotta focus on something else other than... other than... ah... I gotta focus on something else! Dick punching puppies. Dick punching puppies. Dick punching... punching...’
Those suspenders were directly in front of her face now. Gulping, she glanced upwards and saw the shine off his glasses before she even noticed his eyes. This would not bode well for her.
Bending forwards, Richard placed a hand on Mik's forehead. “Hm, you don't have a temperature, love.” As he spoke, he enunciated each word with as strong of an English accent he could muster, earning a shudder from Mik. He couldn't help but to smile. “Perhaps I should take you to bed, nonetheless.”
“B-bed?!” It came out no louder than a whisper. Her throat felt too hoarse for her to speak any louder than that. However, she knew she had to say something in protest now before it was too late. As hard as it was, she had to force herself to be coherent. “No... no. I... I'm fine.”
Unfortunately, her voice was still too soft. “What was that?” Richard leaned closer to Mik's face, resting the side of his index finger under her jaw to prevent her from looking away. “I couldn't hear a word you said. Would you care to repeat it?”
She didn't hear a word he said. All she could register was that his face was directly in front of her's. His face, with those eloquent glasses that framed his beautiful eyes too perfectly. Those lips of his moved, so she knew he had said something, something in that wonderfully alluring accent, but she didn't hear any words.
A part of her mind was telling her that she had to get away from him now, but being here felt warm. Her stomach wouldn't stop turning over on itself, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was such an unusual sensation for her, and yet she knew she couldn't allow him to get her in this way.
Mik reached a hand out to Richard, hesistating in whatever goal intended that she had now forgotten. She searched her mind for an answer of what she had been trynig to do until the tips of her fingers felt the leather of one of those suspenders. Without any thought, she clasped onto his left suspender.
That was all he needed. Richard moved closer until he could plant his lips onto hers. As she didn't resist, he felt it was safe enough to move his finger from under her jaw to rest his entire hand behind her neck. Her lips were soft and tasted of chocolate, and he felt so warm and secure being this close to her. If only he could get closer, the wonderful feeling he'd get from that-
Her lips parted, relaxing. Feeling this, his heart skipped a beat. He then closed his eyes, wanting to enjoy the feel and taste of her kiss. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, indulging in her sweet taste and warmth.
“This ship sails itself!”
Mik suddenly felt more aware of her surroundings, and her heart plummeted through her stomach. How could she have been caught like this?! Richard had hurriedly pulled away from her as she let go of his suspender, and he turned around to face a grinning Shiny at the door.
Feeling her resolve strengthen, Mik finally managed to force herself to stand up. Her face was a bright red though, making it clear to Shiny that the anger to come was nothing more than a cover for the embarrassment. “YOU! YOU PLANNED THIS FROM THE BEGINNING!”
Having already regained his composure and removed the glasses he had been wearing, Richard was back to his usual smug self when he turned back to Mik. “Planned what? Do you mean that kiss of passion we shared, my love?”
“IT WASN'T LIKE THAT, YOU FORCED YOURSELF ON ME!”
“How could I have forced myself on you when you were happy to repricate my kiss?”
“I WASN'T! I DIDN'T! I-... UGH! FUCK OFF!” In flurry of emotions, Mik shoved passed Richard, wanting to get as far away from him as possible. She ran out of the room, not bothering to look back, although she just knew he was smiling. As she passed by Shiny, she couldn't bring herself to look up at the other female, but managed to spare a “Hi,” while running out of the room.
Shiny opened her mouth to greet Mik in return, but at that point, Mik was already down the corridor. Closing her mouth again, Shiny then turned to Richard, who still wore a smile on his face. “Do you think she wanted to keep this a secret?”
He shifted his cane in his hand until he was holding it more suitable to use it to walk with. “There is nothing secret about the love her and I share.” He made his way to the table, unnecessarily using the cane as an aid as he walked.
“Oh good, because I can't wait to tell the comm about this.” Not that any response from Richard would have stopped Shiny otherwise, and it was clear to him by the overly innocent smile she had.
Picking up his hat, jacket and a DS, he then placed his hat back on and tipped it in Shiny's direction. “If you'd excuse me, I must go to the Cursed Management's office. Poof has lost his glasses again and he's too much of a twat to report it himself.” With that he began making his way out of the room, passing Shiny, who was still standing by the door. “Good day.”
OMAKE
Back in her room, Mik was laying stomach down on her bed, burying her face into her pillow. She could still feel the embarrassment of being caught kissing Richard and the butterflies that kiss had given her. Until she was certain she was over it, she was not about to leave her room and risk running into him again. She wasn't sure how she'd be able to cope with him in her current mood.
Frost began barking at the door, and when Cure opened it and walked in, he jumped on her, expecting a pat from her. “Frost, down.” She chided him only softly, but despite that, she patted his head, causing him to do as she told him. With him no longer trying to hog her attention, she could finally focus on her room, and see that her roommate was in bed. Cure frowned slightly in concern.
“Hi Roomie. What's wrong?”
Surprised by the voice, Mik shifted to her side to look up at Cure. “Hi Roomie.” However, once Mik tried to answer, she felt sick and ended up burying her face into her pillow again. All she could manage to do was muffle out the name “Dick”and hoped that that'd explain it all for her.
Fortunately, Cure understood and made her way over to Mik's bed, using her free hand to pat Mik on the back in a comforting guesture. Deciding it was better not to talk about it more, she held out the DS and envelope she was holding in her other hand. “This might make you feel better. Karoline found your DS.”
Mik instantly perked up, her eyebrows raised as she looked between Cure and the DS. “Karoline found it?”
Cure nodded. “Mhmm. She told me to give it to you, and to give you this note.”
Now Mik was feeling even more confused. 'Why would Karoline give me a note?' Regardless, she sat up and took the DS and envelope from Cure. “Thanks.” Looking over the envelope, Mik could tell that Cure definitely hadn't opened it, not that she ever expected Cure would do so.
As Mik began opening the envelope, Cure sat down besides her, giving her an encouraging smile. Glancing at Cure for a moment, Mik couldn't help but feel a little better. It made her feel confident enough that whatever was in this note would not be that bad. And so, she turned back to the note and began reading it.
Dear Mik,
I noticed you had left your DS behind, after running off. I would have given it to you after our kiss of passion, but you were that flustered, I decided it would be best for your roommate to give it to you once you've calmed down.
You must learn to take better care of you items and not leave them laying about, dear.
Love, Richard.
Groaning, Mik collasped back onto her bed, dropping the note and ignoring the DS. “I was wrong. That was so much worse than I expected.” With another groan, she buried her face back into her pillow, mentally swearing to never leave her room for the rest of the week.
Disclaimer: No puppies were hurt in the writing of this scene.
Stupid Sexy Accent
Everyone was leaving the common room they had all gathered in, quickly forming smaller groups as they got out of the doorway. Some hurried, trying to avoid certain people, while others took their time as their attentions were constantly being drawn elsewhere.
Mik was standing around outside of the room, looking at each person that had passed her. Though she knew every person that passed her none of them was the person she was looking for. As the amount of people exiting the room thinned, her expectancy of seeing this person grew. After five minutes of watching what must have been the last person to leave the room, Mik realised she had somehow moved from where she had been waiting by the wall to pacing by the door with her arms crossed.
Tossing her arms suddenly apart then dropping them to her side, she paced in front of the door one last time before walking back into the room. ‘Karoline must have gotten her again.’
“Roomie?”
Looking towards the assorted sofas and tables placed in the centre of the room, Mik was soon frowning when she didn’t see a single person there. ‘Huh, that’s weird. Cure was in this room and I didn’t see her leave with the rest of us.’ As she continued to look around the rest of the room she felt her body freeze up when she spotted a person that had been sitting in the corner of the room. “Oh… shit-!”
“Were you looking for something, love?”
That English accent - oh. She should have been used to it by now but he hadn’t even finished that sentence before she felt like her knees would buckle. “Fuck. Stupid…” Muttering under her breath, she wasn’t quite sure whether it was directed at herself or at that annoying Curse that was getting up from his seat and approaching her now.
Suddenly, Mik was glaring at Richard, realising a little too late how much closer he was. “STAY BACK! I DON’T WANT YOU HERE!” Although he did stop, there was less than a metre’s distance between them and that was far too close for Mik’s liking.
“There’s no need to get angry. You were looking around and I only thought I would offer to help.” Richard had a look of hurt on his face as he spoke, but his tone was completely calm. He used the cane he carried around to lean on, that look of hurt immediately gone after his last word, waiting expectantly for the next of Mik’s outbursts.
“I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP, SO GET LOST!” It was an immediate response out of anger but Mik’s glare faltered when she had a thought over something she had only noticed. “Wait… what are you still doing in here? You’re always the first to leave the room.” She creased her brows in thought; this was odd behaviour for the Curse. “What are you up to?”
Taking his time to look Mik up and down, Richard then smiled, which caused Mik to flush and ball her hands into fists. “D-don’t do that!” She felt like slapping him, but that would require her to get closer to the male so she refrained.
With a hum, Richard made a quick glance towards the centre of the room, making Mik look in the same direction to see what he was looking at. However, she never saw whatever it was and he was just as soon turning back to her, waving his free hand to dismiss whatever thought he had. “Forgive me, but I had to ensure you weren’t wearing a bug that could have recorded my plan if I were to tell you.”
Blinking, Mik looked at Richard, more wary than before. “And what plan is that?”
He slowly searched the room, wanting to be sure no one had suddenly appeared inside without using the door. As he finally was ready to answer, he had a serious look on his face. “My dear, I plan on waiting in this room to be the first here when the ladies of this house return.” With that, he straightened himself up and lifted his cane off the floor, holding it now at about an inch below the handle.
Frowning in thought, Mik had to mentally replay that response to make sure she heard it correctly. “But that’s what you always do, what’s so secret about-…” Just then, it dawned on her and she was then giving him a stoic look. “You don’t have to mock me.”
By now he was smiling again. “I couldn’t resist; you were making it far too easy for me. Do consider what you asked for a moment, though. What else would I be doing when I’m waiting in these common rooms?” Although he didn’t give her any time to answer that question, because as soon as she opened her mouth he was taking a step closer to her and offering his hand out her. “Come, my love, and sit down. It may take a while for your friends to figure out that they shouldn’t have left this room.”
She slapped the offending hand that was offered to her away, and took a few steps back until she was standing in the doorway. “Or I could leave and come back after you’ve left!” Again she was glaring at the man that refused to take the hint that she didn’t want him near her. “And I keep telling you, I don’t want you getting close to me! Stop that!”
Resting both hands on top of the handle of his cane, he held it out in front of himself, keeping a patient air around him as if his offer being rebuffed meant nothing to him. “You have such a beautiful face; it would be a shame if you gave yourself early wrinkles from all that glaring and frowning.”
“I wouldn’t be glaring or frowning if you’d piss off!”
This did nothing to change Richard’s countenance, and Mik sorely wished that he would stop looking so pleased and patient. It could be so difficult to keep herself angry when he was being this calm. It was only made worse by the fact that everything he said was in that damned accent.
“Have I done something to offend you?”
Mik bit her bottom lip. It took her a while to register what the question was without getting distracted by that accent. ‘Come on, get angry. Think of something. Dick punching puppies… yes, that’ll work.’ Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in before she answered through gritted teeth. “Yes! You won’t leave me the fuck alone!”
“Hm.” Getting off the cane he was leaning on, Richard then held the item at his side by one hand. Using his now free hand, he took the monocle he wore off and placed it into his suit’s pocket. Mik still had her eyes closed, so she couldn’t see Richard as he pulled a small case from another pocket while walking away from her to take a seat on one of the sofas in the room. Though he kept looking back to see if she had opened her eyes yet. “You were looking for your roommate when you walked in, yes? She will be returning to this room soon, so you may as well wait here for her.”
Mik could hear a distant shuffling sound, and though she was trying to not look at Richard, she couldn’t help but open her eyes to see where it was coming from. She almost fell over in surprise as she saw that he had walked away from her and was looking through the items - manga or comics, she couldn’t tell from this distance - on the table. She took a single step closer, slightly curious about what he was planning.
“Why do you keep saying everyone else is going to come back in here? What are you up to?”
He didn’t look up at her, and instead found a manga of interest to look through. “I am not planning anything. I simply am fortunate enough to know that Internet Connection has disabled the internet in all other rooms on this floor.”
“And this is the only room that has internet?” The nod from Richard caused Mik to sigh. “Of course it is.”
“All your friends will have to return to this room if they want internet.”
“And why do you want everyone to be in this room?”
Richard was about to turn a page but paused. Though he raised his head, he didn’t turn to look at Mik. “I’ve already told you that I’m not planning anything. Whatever Internet Connection chooses to do with his time is none of my concern.”
“I don’t believe you.” She said in a low tone that was almost a hiss.
Shrugging, he continued to flick through the manga and ignored her accusation. “Why don’t you sit down, love? It isn’t wise to stand there and block the doorway for your friends when they return.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that.” Grumbling in a low tone to herself, Mik then hesitantly made her way to where the sofas were, knowing deep down that she didn’t have much reason to not take a seat. Though she was sure she didn’t take the same sofa that Richard was on, or take any of the seats near him. She made certain to take the comfy blue sofa that was across the wide table from where Richard sat.
He hadn’t looked up from the manga he read nor did he say anything to her as she passed. She was finding this behaviour to be unnerving. The thought of saying something to draw his attention came to her mind but she shook her head and dismissed it immediately. However, it wasn’t long until she forgot that dismissal, just as she saw the glint of something coming from Richard’s face. “Wha… is-is that-…?”
Looking up at Mik, he held a very convincing innocent expression, appearing confused at her stunned face. “What is it, dear?”
“G-glasses…” Once he was staring at her directly with those blue eyes behind thin framed rectangular glasses, she gulped. She wanted to turn away so that she wouldn’t have to look at him, but she couldn’t help herself except to stare. “Wh-why are you wearing… uh those?”
There wasn’t much of a change in Richard’s expression, however his eyes clearly showed the amusement he was suppressing. “I require the aid of glasses in order to read.”
“What… no, no… you don’t!”
“I wouldn’t be wearing these glasses now if I didn’t, love.”
“No… you can’t wear glasses… uh… I’ve never seen you wear them before!”
Richard adjusted his glasses until he was able to look down at Mik from above the frames of his glasses. “I don’t like to advertise the fact that my vision isn’t perfect. It’s embarrassing for me.”
Clutching onto the fabric of the cushion she was seated on, Mik’s cheeks began to turn pink. As much as she hated to be thinking it, those glasses did suit Richard. It was then that she finally had the strength to turn away from him, mentally scolding herself for even thinking such a thing. She felt like kicking herself, or better yet, kicking him for getting her this flustered. “It’s just glasses… it doesn’t make him look any better.” She began talking to herself in a tone too low for Richard to hear clearly, trying to make herself angry again. “Think: Dick punching puppies. Dick punching puppies.”
“Excuse me?”
He stared at her in confusion, failing to make out any of the things she muttered. Turning back to him now - feeling more confident that she could resist both the allure of his accent and glasses - she quickly realised in relief that he hadn’t heard a word she said.
“I said…” Tilting her head slightly, she tried to quickly come up with something that was relevant to the topic without making it obvious that she had been saying something else. “If it’s embarrassing then why are you wearing those things around me?” She was proud to hear that her voice sounded more assured and firm when she spoke this time.
Richard sat back comfortably in his chair, relaxing his facial features now that he could hear what he thought had been the words Mik had muttered earlier. The manga he had claimed to be reading almost forgotten other than the fact that he was still holding onto it. “Because, I don’t believe there needs to be such secrets between us. We must learn to trust each other more if we want our relationship to grow.”
“Relationship?!” Almost choking on the word as she said it, she brought her hands up to wave them in front of herself as she shook her head to disagree with that notion. “We don’t have a relationship! We’re not dating and we’re never going to date! I don’t even like you!”
Regardless of what Mik had said, Richard smiled. It felt out of place and Mik was feeling some of that fire inside her die. He was planning something, she could tell. “What?” A part of her wanted to get this over with so that he could be done with his plan and leave, but another part of her was urging her to run out of that room now. The longer she watched Richard sitting there calmly with a smile at her, the more she leaned towards acting out that second feeling.
“I just couldn’t help but admire how beautiful you are, my love.”
Thrusting her hands into the cushion she sat on, Mik sat rigid in her seat, almost about to stand up and storm over to him. However, she never did leave her seat. She felt weak in the knees and worried that standing up abruptly may cause her to fall. The butterflies she now had in her stomach did nothing to help the matter either. ‘I hate him! Why does he have to say that in that stupid accent?! He’s doing this on purpose!’
After a minute of watching Mik have an internal struggle, Richard finally turned away, searching around the room for something he couldn't find. “Someone has left the heaters in this room on for too long.”
“Ex-excuse me?” Mik's voice was too high for her liking, but she was partially grateful for the change of topic, regardless of how weird it was. It was better than fighting to keep herself level headed as Richard complimented her with that swoon-worthy accent. She glanced around, pretending to look for those heaters as an excuse to not look at those glasses he was wearing. “They're on?”
“Yes. It's making the room too hot for my liking.”
‘That's funny. It doesn't feel like the heaters are on to me.’ Frowning at the thought, Mik took a deep breath in then exhaled, preparing herself to look into those glasses. Though as she turned to Richard, her jaw dropped, as nothing could prepare her for the sight she witnessed. “What-?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
Richard had stood up and taken off the jacket of his suit, revealing a white buttoned shirt and brown suspenders. Turning to Mik, he removed his hat and cocked his head to the side, looking confused. “My dear, it is too hot to be wearing a jacket in here.”
Mik couldn't respond. Her mind was whirling with so many different thoughts that she was unable to keep track of them. In the end all those thoughts came to a single conclusion: Richard was undeniably sexy. She gulped loudly.
“The heat's affecting you too. Your face is quite red.” For only a second, Richard smiled but that immediately faded into a look of concern. Mik was almost certain that he was amused but she had other matters on her mind to worry about. Such as the fact that she was blushing. She did not want Richard to be the cause of her blushing.
“I-I'm not... I-I... h-hot...” Her tongue was suddenly numb and it made talking very difficult. This was not the situation she wanted to be in; she had to get out of here! However, her legs still didn't feel like they'd be able to support herself long enough to make it to the door. Falling in front of Richard was not an option.
He was slowly making his way towards her, leaving his hat on the table in the process, and that instantly caused Mik's heart to jump into her throat. Those glasses and those suspenders were coming closer. She knew she would not be able to ignore those items any longer but she couldn't escape without either falling or being caught by Richard. ‘I can't let him win. I gotta focus on something else other than... other than... ah... I gotta focus on something else! Dick punching puppies. Dick punching puppies. Dick punching... punching...’
Those suspenders were directly in front of her face now. Gulping, she glanced upwards and saw the shine off his glasses before she even noticed his eyes. This would not bode well for her.
Bending forwards, Richard placed a hand on Mik's forehead. “Hm, you don't have a temperature, love.” As he spoke, he enunciated each word with as strong of an English accent he could muster, earning a shudder from Mik. He couldn't help but to smile. “Perhaps I should take you to bed, nonetheless.”
“B-bed?!” It came out no louder than a whisper. Her throat felt too hoarse for her to speak any louder than that. However, she knew she had to say something in protest now before it was too late. As hard as it was, she had to force herself to be coherent. “No... no. I... I'm fine.”
Unfortunately, her voice was still too soft. “What was that?” Richard leaned closer to Mik's face, resting the side of his index finger under her jaw to prevent her from looking away. “I couldn't hear a word you said. Would you care to repeat it?”
She didn't hear a word he said. All she could register was that his face was directly in front of her's. His face, with those eloquent glasses that framed his beautiful eyes too perfectly. Those lips of his moved, so she knew he had said something, something in that wonderfully alluring accent, but she didn't hear any words.
A part of her mind was telling her that she had to get away from him now, but being here felt warm. Her stomach wouldn't stop turning over on itself, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was such an unusual sensation for her, and yet she knew she couldn't allow him to get her in this way.
Mik reached a hand out to Richard, hesistating in whatever goal intended that she had now forgotten. She searched her mind for an answer of what she had been trynig to do until the tips of her fingers felt the leather of one of those suspenders. Without any thought, she clasped onto his left suspender.
That was all he needed. Richard moved closer until he could plant his lips onto hers. As she didn't resist, he felt it was safe enough to move his finger from under her jaw to rest his entire hand behind her neck. Her lips were soft and tasted of chocolate, and he felt so warm and secure being this close to her. If only he could get closer, the wonderful feeling he'd get from that-
Her lips parted, relaxing. Feeling this, his heart skipped a beat. He then closed his eyes, wanting to enjoy the feel and taste of her kiss. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, indulging in her sweet taste and warmth.
“This ship sails itself!”
Mik suddenly felt more aware of her surroundings, and her heart plummeted through her stomach. How could she have been caught like this?! Richard had hurriedly pulled away from her as she let go of his suspender, and he turned around to face a grinning Shiny at the door.
Feeling her resolve strengthen, Mik finally managed to force herself to stand up. Her face was a bright red though, making it clear to Shiny that the anger to come was nothing more than a cover for the embarrassment. “YOU! YOU PLANNED THIS FROM THE BEGINNING!”
Having already regained his composure and removed the glasses he had been wearing, Richard was back to his usual smug self when he turned back to Mik. “Planned what? Do you mean that kiss of passion we shared, my love?”
“IT WASN'T LIKE THAT, YOU FORCED YOURSELF ON ME!”
“How could I have forced myself on you when you were happy to repricate my kiss?”
“I WASN'T! I DIDN'T! I-... UGH! FUCK OFF!” In flurry of emotions, Mik shoved passed Richard, wanting to get as far away from him as possible. She ran out of the room, not bothering to look back, although she just knew he was smiling. As she passed by Shiny, she couldn't bring herself to look up at the other female, but managed to spare a “Hi,” while running out of the room.
Shiny opened her mouth to greet Mik in return, but at that point, Mik was already down the corridor. Closing her mouth again, Shiny then turned to Richard, who still wore a smile on his face. “Do you think she wanted to keep this a secret?”
He shifted his cane in his hand until he was holding it more suitable to use it to walk with. “There is nothing secret about the love her and I share.” He made his way to the table, unnecessarily using the cane as an aid as he walked.
“Oh good, because I can't wait to tell the comm about this.” Not that any response from Richard would have stopped Shiny otherwise, and it was clear to him by the overly innocent smile she had.
Picking up his hat, jacket and a DS, he then placed his hat back on and tipped it in Shiny's direction. “If you'd excuse me, I must go to the Cursed Management's office. Poof has lost his glasses again and he's too much of a twat to report it himself.” With that he began making his way out of the room, passing Shiny, who was still standing by the door. “Good day.”
OMAKE
Back in her room, Mik was laying stomach down on her bed, burying her face into her pillow. She could still feel the embarrassment of being caught kissing Richard and the butterflies that kiss had given her. Until she was certain she was over it, she was not about to leave her room and risk running into him again. She wasn't sure how she'd be able to cope with him in her current mood.
Frost began barking at the door, and when Cure opened it and walked in, he jumped on her, expecting a pat from her. “Frost, down.” She chided him only softly, but despite that, she patted his head, causing him to do as she told him. With him no longer trying to hog her attention, she could finally focus on her room, and see that her roommate was in bed. Cure frowned slightly in concern.
“Hi Roomie. What's wrong?”
Surprised by the voice, Mik shifted to her side to look up at Cure. “Hi Roomie.” However, once Mik tried to answer, she felt sick and ended up burying her face into her pillow again. All she could manage to do was muffle out the name “Dick”and hoped that that'd explain it all for her.
Fortunately, Cure understood and made her way over to Mik's bed, using her free hand to pat Mik on the back in a comforting guesture. Deciding it was better not to talk about it more, she held out the DS and envelope she was holding in her other hand. “This might make you feel better. Karoline found your DS.”
Mik instantly perked up, her eyebrows raised as she looked between Cure and the DS. “Karoline found it?”
Cure nodded. “Mhmm. She told me to give it to you, and to give you this note.”
Now Mik was feeling even more confused. 'Why would Karoline give me a note?' Regardless, she sat up and took the DS and envelope from Cure. “Thanks.” Looking over the envelope, Mik could tell that Cure definitely hadn't opened it, not that she ever expected Cure would do so.
As Mik began opening the envelope, Cure sat down besides her, giving her an encouraging smile. Glancing at Cure for a moment, Mik couldn't help but feel a little better. It made her feel confident enough that whatever was in this note would not be that bad. And so, she turned back to the note and began reading it.
Dear Mik,
I noticed you had left your DS behind, after running off. I would have given it to you after our kiss of passion, but you were that flustered, I decided it would be best for your roommate to give it to you once you've calmed down.
You must learn to take better care of you items and not leave them laying about, dear.
Love, Richard.
Groaning, Mik collasped back onto her bed, dropping the note and ignoring the DS. “I was wrong. That was so much worse than I expected.” With another groan, she buried her face back into her pillow, mentally swearing to never leave her room for the rest of the week.