NOVEL NEXT Arc 3, Ch. 16: Nicknames for everyone!
“Fuck! I just realized, I can make money of you two!” Tarou hit the table, eyes wide. “I can sell photos! Damn, Riku, let me take some, okay? Or send me some!”
“The things that should sell best would be kisses, photos that show their bodies and suggestive ones like them being in bed together”, Kaoru immediately joined in on the idea with a serious face.
I gasped, exasperated. “You guys!"
Mizuki chewed on his fork, mumbling out a question. “How much could you earn with that?”
“You aren’t planning on cooperating, are you?!”
“Money is money and I’ll stick to you, anyway.”
-Might as well take photos, eh?!
Oh geez! I never thought I’d turn into a person whose photos could be sold one day…
There were actually some really nice photos I’m sure would sell well. For example, I snuck one when Mizuki was sleeping on my chest one night, which made him look really cute. Or when he fell asleep on my shoulder after a boring movie.
The point was, I had enough of these photos, but I didn’t want to share them! (But did Mizuki being so easy-going about it mean that he wouldn’t mind even if I told him I had those photos?)
Yuji was the calmest. “Anyway, it’s good to hear that you were worried about nothing, right? Everyone is fine with it.”
“Well, some are a bit unhappy with him getting such a good-looking boyfriend, but the general reaction is positive, yes”, Prez added. “To tell the truth, the main point is that Taizou looks like a cat resting in the sun. The girls are just going crazy over him looking like that.”
Mizuki frowned as if I couldn’t understand that, but I nodded with a serious face.
“Yes. It’s very cute. Ow-”
I got pinched.
“...I got it, I got it! I won’t call you cute!”
“Just making sure you don’t misunderstand me as a woman.”
“I think guys being cute is a valid thing”, Tarou mumbled with a full mouth, pointing his fork at Kaoru who instantly turned angry.
“I’m not cute!”
“Sorry, you saying that with your face flushing in anger isn’t exactly helping”, Tarou retorted and even Yuji hummed along.
“You really are a weird group”, Prez said in amazement. Yuji flashed his teeth at him.
“Aren’t you sitting with us, too? So you’re part of the weirdo group.”
“Oh, should we introduce us then?”, I asked amusedly. Prez and Mizuki turned to look at me while I pointed around. “The two idiots, Mum, and the ball of condensed stress, me.”
Yuji tilted his head. “Now we’ve got a boyfriend for our stressed ball, so what’s he?”
“The ice-prince?”, Mizuki mused, playing along.
“Fits. And Prez is Prez.”
“Mum?”, Prez asked, astonished, looking at Yuji. The tall guy pulled Tarou and Kaoru into his arms, nuzzling them.
“Yes! Just look at my foolish little babies.”
“He spends so much time trying to calm me and making sure the idiots don’t cause a mess; that title was just the most suitable.”
There’s a reason for those nicknames. They fit us perfectly. You couldn’t play around like that with just anyone, though. I knew them well enough that they’d not mind if I called them idiots or ‘Mama Yuji’, and neither was I offended to be called a stressed ball.
I guess in a way it’s just loving teasing.
“Do you have a nickname for Taizou, by the way? Because I really can’t see you call him sweetie or darling or shit like that”, Tarou said with a shudder.
...Yeah, really not suitable. I pulled a face.
“No, we just call each other by name. I can’t really think of a nickname that would be comfortable to call.”
Tarou flapped his mouth open and quickly shut. Then he turned to drink something with a scrunched brow. Yuji scolded him before he could even say anything: “No. Just, no. Don’t say it. No matter what you just thought of, just don’t say it.”
“I… I won’t… I think it would be too dangerous.”
I am curious, but god beware me ever asking him what he was thinking about when he had that look in his eyes. I’m pretty sure I’d just get mad at him.
“We’re the real-life Odd Squad1From 1/2 Prince. Great novel.”, Kaoru laughingly said, although neither Prez nor Mizuki got the reference.
“Well, you lot look happier than many other groups I know, so you have to be doing something right”, Akihito commented with half-closed eyes moving over our group.
I held back a smile and intended to continue eating my food, only to realize that a good part of it was gone.
Stunned, I followed the fork that stole another bite up to my boyfriend who, without my conscious notice, had continued to empty my plate.
“Hey!”, I complained with some desperation.
A soft smirk played around his lips, mischievous, and he pushed his own food towards me.
“Can have some of mine.”
“...Why didn’t you finish your own food first instead of stealing mine?”
“Yours is tastier.”
I’m pretty sure it isn’t but okay??
As a guy who is completely brainless when in love, I’m not going to question that statement.
The day is brighter when you smile, my life is only in colour when you’re with me, yada yada, let’s not talk about food talking better if it’s your boyfriend’s.
“Ew. The public display of affection is a bit too much for my pure heart”, Kaoru joked and Yuji reacted by hitting him.
“You and pure? I could question Riku during his nightly activities and I’m sure his thoughts would still be purer than yours!”
Tarou opened his mouth.
“NO!” Yuji scowled.
“...I got it, I’ll shut up.”
“Am I the only one who finds this funny? If Riku had a girlfriend, we’d be pestering every five seconds about whether they’ve done it yet. If the girl was part of our group, then we’d pester him via app. But he has a boyfriend and we’re all just fidgeting?”
I swear that all of our surroundings within earshot just turned a whole lot quieter. I slapped my hand against my face.
I mean, yeah, it’s true, but normally you wouldn’t say that kind of thing?!
Yuji slapped Kaoru’s head again, but Mizuki had a deadpan expression, not at all troubled.
“Hm? Have.”
...Heeeey, boyfriend, aren’t you… awkward at all? I mean, with how you interact with me, they already guess that you’re the bottom, so aren’t you… just a bit awkward at admitting you got pushed down?
Prez choked on his food.
The surroundings got a constant, squealing tone below the murmurs of the cafeteria’s conversations.
“Weeeeell, so much for that question”, Kaoru muttered, eyes wide and exhaling slowly. “I hadn’t expected an answer.”
I buried my head between my shoulders, sinking low and hissing. “Why did you have to breach that topic in such a public place! Have some shame!”
Kaoru glared at me, offended, and pointed to the side. “Fuck, the girls draw gay porn in public and I can’t even talk about you? Who would have thought that Taizou would answer!”
“Just making sure everyone knows the ‘trophy’ is gone”, Mizuki growled, looking around.
Ooh. Of course, from those that wanted to obtain Mizuki, most were after his virginity. Looking around, there were some irritated faces around, some showing regret.
The competition around him had been cruelly large.
“Besides, I’m no girl. I don’t worry about it.”
“I should turn gay”, Tarou lamented in frustration. Hey, it’s not as if guys are easier to date?! (Probably?! Not like I can compare...)
Our conversation was going nowhere, but it was a great distraction from the people around me. There were too many curious stares burning into my head.
I was relieved when I could flee into the safety of my classroom… Until break, at least.
I almost sank under my table when five girls - just representatives for the rest, judging by them staying behind and watching - approached me with twinkling eyes.
“Are you and Taizou going out?”
Not even a shred of hesitation. Sob! orz
“Yes”, I answered, relieved to see Yuji come over to support me. The idiots stayed behind to not cause a mess.
The girls exchanged glances that I couldn’t really judge well. Were they unhappy or not?
