Chapter 3: Hunting Season(ing) Part Two

[mp_npc]

God, was there some planet in retrograde right now? Everything was so…gray. Tome usually would have been able to cite a specific planet but she had been too oddly deflated all day to speculate.

At least she wasn’t the worst one off. No, not by far. That honor went to the pompadour’d thug who did nothing but sulk in the corner of their shared club space now. Her own club mates who were always too scared of him to even approach even tried to offer him one of their honey chip bags out of sheer pity. Tome, usually quite stingy with the resources (especially now they didn’t actually have funding anymore) didn’t even object. ‘How the mighty fall.’

Goda had spent some time trying to cheer Onigawara up. That boy was too nice for his own good. Him AND Kageyama. Tome didn’t know what Goda had been trying, exactly, since she was too engrossed in (or rather numbed by) her video game to listen but she could guess. The Body Improvement Club had one solution for every possible human ailment. It was exactly why she didn’t risk complaining today.

Tome glanced at the clock—it was getting to be that time, wasn’t it? The time where everyone finished their club activities up. Ah. Orwell was calling her name once again.

Comments

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um. Well, I'm kind of worried about my family getting the wrong idea."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“What do you mean?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"My parents think we're together. If I asked to spend the night, they'd probably think that we were sleeping together."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teru spluttered—and burst into laughter that heaved his whole body until it hurt. Hearing something so unexpected and bawdy in Mob’s perfect deadpan—it was simply too much to take.

“G-Good one! Oh my god, I knew you had a wild sense of humor…! Seriously though, call them. It’s getting really late.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I'm not joking."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teru laughed again, but it was forced. Then it trailed off into nothing.

He swallowed the obvious and burning question of HOW and WHEN and felt himself ready to fall over again. No, no, he couldn’t pass out now. He had a problem to solve for Kageyama!

“…Um…then…say you’re at a different friend’s…”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"You're the only friend I have ever brought home."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“Well I’m surely not your only friend! You have an entire club of people you can call on, remember?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yeah, but we're not really close." A pause. "I suppose I could say I was staying with Master Reigen."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

’What?!’

“Well! Surely nothing suspicious about that, right?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Ritsu might be suspicious, though." Mob appeared to consider this.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Somehow that didn’t surprise Teru. He quieted his internal scream from Mob’s admission and scraped his composure together.

“Hey…it’s up to you in the end, but…I’d really enjoy having you over.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I think it would be easier to tell them the truth. Besides, I don't like lying."

Mob fished out his cell phone and started typing out a text. His fingers were far slower than Teru's were.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teru opened his mouth and closed it again. A swell of anxiety rose in his chest as he watched Mob fumble with his phone.

What impression had he given his parents? What impression did Mob give his parents of him!?

And somehow the most important question he wanted to ask but absolutely could not…did they disapprove?

And he couldn’t peek at what was being typed either. That was excruciating.

Mob’s phone quickly buzzed with a reply. That’s fine, Honey.

A pause. Another text came.

Stop by before school, okay? You can have breakfast and pack your dinner for lunch.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Oblivious to Teru's spying, Mob looked up from his phone as be shut it. "She says it's okay for me to stay over."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teru could have fallen over from relief. That was a good sign, right!? Despite their severe misreading of the situation, they were okay with it…? With him?

‘No, no, that’s not right…should I include a card with my thank you gift for the food explaining things? …Gah, but that would be really humiliating for Kageyama-kun, wouldn’t it!? “Thank you for the cheesecake and nikujaga. I promise to take care of your son in every way but a sexual one.”’

Teru rubbed at his forehead. If he wasn’t careful he’d give himself another fever. There was no way to cope with this so he decided to take action himself by pulling out his own phone. “Good. I’ll call my personal driver.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Personal driver?" Mob repeated. This had come as a surprise.

[mp_npc]

“Personal driver?” Tome repeated right behind them, causing Teru to spin around.

“Tome-senpai! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She pressed one hand to her head. “One moment we were by the river and the next I was just…walking down the hill.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"So you don't remember anything?"

[mp_npc]

Tome shook her head, but she didn't look to Mob or Teru for confirmation of anything. Even if she couldn't quite remember, she felt certain that the dove had done what it had come there to do.

Tome's hood began to rustle and she gasped. A tiny head poked it's head out. An oriental turtle dove looked around uncomprehendingly and it's puffy chest expanded---

Coou-coou.

Then, it took flight. Tome watched it disappear into the distant tree canopies with a smile.

"So! Personal driver, huh?" Tome pointed at Teru. "Were you holding out on us this whole time or something?"

"No, no. I don't call on him much. Walking or bussing is way more satisfying."

Tome cringed. "You've gotta be joking."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob watched the dove fly away; his gaze stayed on the sky long after it soared out of his sight -- which didn't take long given how late it was. The only true light in the area was coming from the old lady's house.

"It won't be a problem, will it? We're pretty far away." They didn't have much of a choice, though. The last bus had come and gone over an hour ago.

[mp_npc]

"Don't worry about it. He's salaried." Teru tapped away quickly at his phone with one hand. "Right. He'll be here in twenty minutes."

The bus ride out had taken forty-five.

Tome rubbed at one of her eyes. Fatigue was washing over her. She should have been energized from so many incredible things happening in one night, but...

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"That's gonna be awhile." Mob turned and looked down at the ground. "I'll make us somewhere to sit."

Mob didn't like to use his powers unnecessarily. But Mob justified this was necessary. They were all wet and cold and tired. And Mob didn't want to risk getting sick so soon after the last time.

The trees had been stripped of leaves during the monsoon, leaving a sizable amount of them spread across the ground. With his powers, he pulled them towards him, then formed a thick blanket across the muddy earth below.

Mob stepped up on one foot so that leaves could spread themselves across the gap where his foot had been. He stood on the other one and it filled the blanket in completely.

"It should be done now." Mob sat down experimentally. It was pretty comfortable -- and somehow dry. It wasn't what Mob intended, but he wasn't going to question their luck.

[mp_npc]

Tome formed a small 'o' with her lips and wasted no time in flopping back onto the quilted pile. Teru lowered himself in a more controlled manner, flipping his some of his soggy bangs back to hide a wince.

"...Kageyama. Can you make a car?" Tome asked with a yawn.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um. I don't think so." Mob was the only one sitting.