Chapter Text
It's hard to say when her feelings for him changed. A part of her wonders if it's because they've been through so much together. Stumbling into freaky abnormalities one after another, her life has become...more eventful, to put it one way, since she became friends with Hanako. She's met her fair share of new people and apparitions alike, along with perhaps a few too many close calls, as is standard when maintaining the supernatural order. Though she couldn't say her life had changed for the worse. They've had their ups and downs, but there was one reason she stuck through it all (well, besides the fact that she was literally bound to this business).
Yashiro liked Hanako.
For as much of a pain as he could be, she trusted him. Early on in their friendship, she sensed that there was more to him than the attitude he affected. A dismal past and a "mysterious heart" kept under lock and key. Neither of which she'd completely puzzled out to this point, but she was happy to know the kind-hearted boy behind the school's seventh mystery. He cared about her: each and every time she was in peril, he would come to her aid.
And the one time he didn't, it was for her sake. But he came around in the end, didn't he?
She thinks about that a lot, about the look on his face when he told her he wanted her to keep living. She thinks about...him, a lot. After they left that fabricated world, everything feels so different even as they return to the status quo. And eventually, she comes to find out something about herself.
Yashiro liked Hanako.
He wasn't her type at all but she just started to think that maybe that didn't matter. He's kind of a slimeball but he genuinely values her companionship. He's weird and cryptic sometimes but that's okay.
It was okay for him to steal her first kiss, too.
Oh, alright, more than okay, she has to admit to herself. It wasn't what she imagined it to be like at all, no dashing princes, or floating sakura blossoms, or soft spring breezes to brush through her hair—but it's a real, raw kind of perfect that made her knees wobbly and her heart pound in her ears.
Later, he tells her that she looked like a daikon in the middle of an earth tremor. She elbows him in the collarbone.
Even then, she lets him take the second, the third, the fourth...
Today, too, she'll let him.
Whenever they were together, Hanako was always insistent on keeping her in his general vicinity, and even more so after they became official. It's a tentative, fragile state they're in: no one besides them is even aware that they're dating. As if putting it out there might make them fall from cloud nine to their reality, to their circumstances, and the uncertainty of their future...
Stop it, Yashiro Nene! That's too sad to think about while you're being kissed by your boyfriend!
Not to mention, too weird while her back was up against the cool tile of the bathroom wall. It's about as cold as the feeling of his lips on hers, a sensation that sounds much worse than it actually is. Despite his lack of body heat, or maybe partially because of it, she shudders as he tilts his head to further seal her mouth with his. She can feel the confident grin pulling at his face—a marked change from the initial hesitance of their first kiss.
(She'd been just as nervous, but she looked back on the memory fondly. The bright red fluster spanning from his neck to the tips of his ears was just too good. Even Hanako could be cute at times, and those became more frequent with each passing day.)
To her chagrin, he pulls away moments later, but not enough to stop pushing her up to the wall. The hand cupping her chin stays still, save for his thumb brushing the skin below her bottom lip.
"Yashiro," he murmurs. Something about her name on his tongue is enough to set her skin on fire, as if she wasn't already warm enough. It's like she was making up for the both of them.
After taking a second to breathe, only to find that he hasn't continued speaking, she asks, "Is something wrong?"
"Mmm..." Nothing seems wrong, per se, but there's definitely something on his mind. His other hand is stationed on her right shoulder; her left is soon met with the same weight as he lets go of her face. He smiles fondly and it creases the corners of his round eyes. "You belong to me, don't you?"
Yashiro can swear that steam's spewing out of both ears and her agape jaw. How did he always manage to word things in the most embarrassing way possible? "What? Y-Yes? Wait—"
He snickers.
Hey, just what are you making me say!?
"I mean, um, what do you mean?" she quickly corrects herself.
"I wonder," he says lightly, poking his chin with one finger. "Can you guess?"
Her brows furrow in confusion. "Because I'm your assistant?" She squints at him. "Are you saying I'm your property? Like this is some kind of weird roleplay?"
"No, no, no, no, no," Hanako denies right away. "Never mind, no more guessing. It's...how do I put it...I was wondering if you'd be," and then he stops. She's about to speak again but holds off because she can feel the change in his demeanor, once he dips his head to bury into her shoulder. His hands move to grip her upper arms. Her mouth forms a small "o" shape when she realizes.
He's shy!
Does he mean it in a romantic way? In a "you're mine" kind of way!? She could scream.
He kisses the skin of her neck. "If you'd be okay...if I made it clear," he mumbles, then opens his mouth just slightly enough to graze his upper teeth against her. "What you are to me."
Oh.
"H...Huh!? That's...um..." Yashiro tries and miserably fails to fight the fierce blush overtaking across her cheeks. "W-W-We can't! Kou-kun's going to be here any minute!"
"Ehh...?" Even if she can't see his face, she can hear his pout. "Doesn't the risk of getting caught excite you?"
"No way! Hanako-kun, you're such a perv!"
He presses her tighter against the wall, the pressure bringing her breath to a hitch. "But you want me to anyway. Right?"
Her gaze drifts to the side as she makes a small, embarrassed whimper.
"Yashiro?"
The girl shifts underneath him, raising her arm. He gets the hint and, albeit confusedly, lifts his head to let her pinch the collar of her uniform. Now she can see enough of him to catch the moment of comprehension: a flash of interest across amber hues. The way he eyes the bit of exposed skin when she tugs down the fabric makes her want to combust.
"Right here," she squeaks out, tapping the spot.
Hanako meets her eyes, his face glowing faintly pink despite being the one to suggest this. The corner of his mouth tugs in the beginnings of a boyish grin. "Really? I can?"
To which she nods quickly, shutting her eyes. He laughs, just a little giddy as he leans in again.
"Then..."
Another kiss is planted on the warmer area previously covered by her sailor's collar. And once more, open-mouthed this time. She squirms underneath him as she felt him bite, then suck, but his hold on her is firm and unyielding. It's unexpectedly sharp, but not bad. He's so eager and it's not like she can deny that feels good.
Eventually, he releases with a subtle pop, withdrawing to take a look at his handiwork. When she opens her eyes, he's staring intently at the mark he made. His hooded gaze is burning with desire, and try as she might, Yashiro can't help but tremble in its intensity.
"Is it good?" she questions quietly. "...Hanako-kun?"
Hanako doesn't answer. He shifts further up to press his lips to the much more visible crook of her neck—she gasps as he aggressively kisses the tender skin. Greedy is the way she'd describe him, his mouth just as much so as his hands usually were.
"Wait, hold on," she interjects, but he just sinks his teeth in response. A much harder suck has her whining out his name, her insides like jelly as it feels like he is the only thing keeping her upright. Her neck is craned even higher to accommodate for the boy passionately marking her up a second time.
As soon as he finishes, he runs his tongue over the bruise, allowing the discolored blotch to set before he pulls back. "There we go."
"Hanako-kun..."
His gaze picks up at her growl, but he seems too self-satisfied to be fazed by her irritation. "Yeeeesss?"
"You idiot! You're not supposed to put it in such an obvious place! How am I supposed to hide this?" She shoots a glare that probably just looks adorable to him, seeing as she still resembled a tomato.
What am I going to do if someone notices? she groans inwardly. Aaaahhh, why did I have to give in?
"Sorry, I couldn't help it," he half-sings, taking her hands in his. Yashiro begrudgingly permits them to intertwine between their chests. "It's hard to hold back when you make noises like that, y'know."
"Nnnnn..." She puffs her cheeks out at him. "Sheesh, at least give me a warning next time!"
"Okay, okay—"
He cuts himself off, and a split-second later she knows why. The sound of approaching footfalls is enough for the couple to separate, scrambling to put distance between them. Well, Yashiro is at least scrambling to adjust her uniform and get away while Hanako casually floats off. The last thing she wants is for someone to catch her in an embarrassing position.
"Yooo, Hanako, Senpai!"
WAAH! The mark!
Immediately, she slaps her neck, just barely in time to avoid one Minamoto Kou from seeing her hickey.
"Ah, Kou-kun!" She smiles at her underclassman and prays that he doesn't notice how she's sweating.
"You haven't started cleaning yet?" The younger boy adjusts the strap of his bag over his shoulder before looking between his two friends. Hanako seems carefree as ever, if not a little more smug than usual. Though Yashiro is still holding her hand up to her mark, a fact that Kou is quick to mention. "Senpai, what's wrong with your neck? Did you hurt it? Here, lemme see."
"I-I'm fine!" As Kou approaches, Yashiro takes a step back. "It doesn't hurt! I just, um, I don't want to..."
Kou tilts his head to the side, concern now tinted with confusion. "Is that a bug bite?"
"Yeah! That's right!" She bobs her head frantically, quick to jump on the excuse her underclassman so graciously provided. "It was a bug! A really big, annoying bug!"
"Hey, that's not very nice to the bug," the apparition cuts in. Yashiro ignores him.
"A-Anyway! It's kind of gross, so I don't want to show it."
"Oh. Sorry, I don't have anything to help cover up." Kou's hand reaches behind his head, fussing with his short hair. "Do you want me to get you a bandage, or something?"
"No, you don't need to go to the trouble. I can, uh, cover it with my hair," she says with a nervous laugh.
"Alright, just...let me know when you're done."
Because Kou is a gentleman, unlike a certain someone, he has the decency to look away as she adjusts her hair to hide her love bite. Her boyfriend has nearly nonexistent manners in comparison, smirking right at her, and observing his claim on her until it disappears from sight.
You are so toast later, her eyes threaten.
Hanako's smirk widens.
"Nene-chan?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Erm..." Aoi places a hand on her cheek. Her smile is earnest, though with her brows knitted there's a definite awkwardness there. "You've got a little something..." With one finger, she gestures at the area above her own collar.
"What?" Yashiro's eyes widen to saucers. Dread freezes her spine.
Aoi takes out a small pocket mirror and aims it at her friend, confirming her fear. As soon as she recognizes the smudged makeup and the small spot of red it betrays, her hand snaps up to shield it from the world. It's all she can do to not shriek in horror.
"Gahit'snotwhatitlookslikeIswear!" the words tumble out in one flustered mess. "I got this huge bug bite yesterday! S-So I tried to cover it with makeup! Darn, it must've smudged somehow!"
"Is that so?" There's no judgment to be found on Aoi's face, but somehow, Yashiro can only take the question as an accusation. The other girl giggles. "Pretty inconvenient spot to get bitten."
"Akane-san!" Aoi turns to the entrance of their classroom, where one of the male teachers is calling out to her. "Can you come here for a second?"
"Okay, Sensei! I'll lend you some concealer later, Nene-chan."
Aoi leaves, the fortunate timing saving Yashiro from further mortification. She sighs, adjusting her hair to curtain over her neck before slumping over her desk. "So embarrassing..." she mutters. She hardly reacts when a ghostly hand pats her head.
"There, there."
"Don't act like this isn't your fault," she replies flatly.
"Mmmhm, guilty as charged." As Hanako looks back at Aoi, his hand simply rests on Yashiro's hair, content to linger for a few moments. Then he raises it to hook a finger under the collar of his gakuran. In an instant, he reappears behind her, his free arm wrapping around her shoulders.
"Too bad she can't see that we're matching."
Yashiro peers over her arms and is greeted with the sight of Hanako showing off her claim on him. She flushes hotly. "You're really happy about it, huh."
"Yup. Really."
She makes a resigned hum as he nudges his cheek against hers.
...Oh, well.