by Delmire Hart
They described what they had seen online so far and while everyone agreed that while the save the lost child thing was a good idea, he really needed to work on his game. Bed hair, dino pj’s and nearly falling flat on his face? Awkward penguin as one friend called him. Then his mother called him a ‘cute little housewife’ for helping the girls learn to cook and Takumi threatened to hang up before they let him off the hook.
Maybe this talk to your family time wasn’t actually a good idea.
***
They all quickly fell into something of a routine. Yume won the talent show with her cute song and dance routine. Takumi managed to mostly break dance and didn’t look like an idiot doing so, this is according to Jian so he mostly trusted his judgement.
He spent another few days swanning around the mansion and avoiding all the drama. This generally meant avoiding Mori, which defeated the point of being there, but Takumi was happier with his relative peace and quiet. He had found an excellent sunny spot where he would curl up with a book in the afternoon and nap a little.
He needed to recuperate his energy after dealing with the others. Sometimes he even borrowed Bethany the chicken for naptime just to give the poor thing some peace as well.
Takumi was stretched out in the window seat again, book cast aside and dozing in the warm sunlight, when he felt himself being shifted. He shuffled over and blinked sleepily as he was pulled up onto something very warm and solid. With a yawn, he settled back down and quickly drifted back off to sleep.
When he awoke a little while later, it was a slow process. He was exceptionally comfortable and stretched languidly. It was then that he noticed that his pillow was a little too hard and it moved. Blue eyes blinked open, and he took a long time to process the difference. He was still stretched out on the window seat but his pillow was actually Mori’s chest. The man had an arm wrapped around his waist and Takumi’s book open in front of him as though he had been reading it.
Amused golden eyes looked down at him and for a few heartbeats they just stared at each other. Suddenly Takumi’s body kicked into gear and he pushed back, trying to escape. Where to, he didn’t know, because all that was behind him was the glass of the window as freedom lay on the other side of the large man.
“Oh no you don’t.” The arm wrapped around his waist did its job in keeping Takumi trapped in place and he looked around wildly. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
Takumi gave up trying to get away and instead stayed in his partially sitting position so he could look at the man without being quite so close. “Ah, not intentionally.”
“Really?” Mori’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline in clear disbelief. “I’ve had copious amounts of time talking one on one with everyone else but you are never to be found or quickly sneak away when I do find you. I’ve seen you napping here in the sun a few times and decided that’s when I would catch you. I was beginning to wonder if you were solar powered.”
Takumi snorted at that. “Yeah, I run on sunrays and caffeine.”
“Noted.” Mori’s eyes twinkled with barely concealed amusement. He tugged Takumi back down onto his chest and shifted around before settling. “If you wanted to sleep some more, you are welcome to. I am quite enjoying your book.”
He found he couldn’t settle down now that he was aware just what he was lying on but at the same time he enjoyed the firm chest under his cheek. They started talking about the book and then went from there. Favourite books, TV shows, food. They moved on to other topics and Takumi was surprised just how comfortable the conversation could be once he got over his initial awkwardness.
By the time Mori left to go and finish up some left over work they must have been talking for hours. Takumi gathered his book and dragged his feet into the kitchen only to be pinned in place by more than one glare. These were the gazes that pinned Jian that first night and he was far more impressed by his seeming imperviousness now he was experiencing it firsthand.
“Playing hard to get just to steal all of Mori’s time, huh Hisato?” Kaneko’s sneering voice cut through the heavy silence.
“Not intentionally. Anyway, Mori came and sought me out. And I probably slept through half of the time he was there.” Takumi strode towards the fridge and began pulling out ingredients for dinner, relieved when Yume came over to help. Until she tried cutting something and he quickly stepped in to remove the knife from her hands. It offered a good distraction though.
“Ugh, even worse.” Whatever else he said, Takumi just tuned it out and focused on dinner.
His cheeks tinted red every time he remembered the feeling of Mori’s deep voice rumbling through his chest under his ear though.
***
Kaneko won the next solo date and Takumi was about ready to punch the smug right off his pretty face. The white pony lady beat him to it and slugged Kaneko in the stomach after a nasty comment to Chiyo.
“Let’s be honest, who wants a fucking virgin.”
Takumi made her a cocktail and raised a toast in her honour that evening. This place was causing him to drink far too much. But it shut Kaneko up to the point that he left to sulk with Jian and Okuda in the bedroom.
Ah, the sweet sound of peace.
He spent the entire next day having one massive cooking lesson with a few of the other contestants. Several others declined the lesson but were more than happy to sample and judge the dishes. It was going well until Aoki set fire to a pot on the stove top and the head of the mansion security, now impromptu firefighter, had to come and scold them after putting it out. Aoki was banned from the kitchen and everyone one else given strict warnings.
They got take out that night for dinner.
Kaneko returned from his solo date preening like a stuck-up bird, loud and proud about the ‘make out session’ he had with Mori. Takumi considered punching him once again but Aoki drowned him out with music from Yume’s little iPod and they set to having a dance off in one of the living rooms.
Takumi was dancing with Jian and the twins when he noticed another presence amongst them. He grinned as Mori reluctantly let himself be pulled onto the large rug that served as their dance floor. He let the music wash over him and just kept dancing, awkward he might be but dancing was one of the few times he could relax enough to just flow, loose limbed with the music.
Takumi was singing along to the song when Mori moved up behind him and he moved backwards just enough to tease a little and continued to dance while he sang. At his favourite section of the song he spun around to sing at Mori. They stood far too close together, pushed in by all the people moving around them vying for Mori’s attention, but Takumi stayed just slightly away from the man’s body.
Golden eyes were unusually dark, they seemed to drink in Takumi’s form and the hungry look that flashed across his face positively thrilled him. The chorus started up again, and he spun around to continue dancing. A hand brushed across his lower back, just teasing the edge of being a little too low before Mori was being pulled away into the clutches of the twins.
Surprisingly, Jian spent most of their time as his dance partner and damn was he good. He was as fluid and graceful when dancing as he was normally but it was intensified somehow. They danced and drank late into the night before falling into their beds and passing out.
***
It was too damn early and his head was making protests over the alcohol last night. He groaned and dragged himself out of bed. Honestly, he would have stayed in bed seeing as there was no events today but he was not going to stay for another minute and listen to Kaneko jack off loudly in the bathroom. The moans of ‘Mori’ were stupidly loud and the man was clearly just begging for attention.
Disgruntled and hung over, Takumi blearily made his way downstairs.
His eyes were slits as he tried to keep out the too bright light and he moved at a snail pace across to where he knew the jug should be. He was just about there when he was stopped by something large and warm at his side and a cup was pressed into his hands. Takumi inhaled the bl
essed aroma of coffee and mumbled his thanks, coupled with a sleepy smile.
Leaning against the large warm thing at his side, he drank half the cup on one go, and only then opened his eyes properly to look around.
He stared up at Mori for a long drawn out moment. He was leaning against his chest. When his mind caught up to the situation, he jumped back with a squeak of surprise and slipped on his long pyjama pants. His arms flailed awkwardly, cup of coffee going flying, the rest of the contents dumping on him, and he landed on his ass on the floor with a dull thud.
Gales of laughter erupted from the other side of the kitchen and Takumi groaned. He looked down to assess the damage and noted with a grimace that his cat pyjamas were soaked.
Cat pyjamas.
That were as cutesy as the dinosaur ones.
Great.
Why was Mori only ever in the kitchen when Takumi was wearing his embarrassing pyjamas?
“How is it,” He looked up to find golden eyes staring down at him with perplexed amusement. “That you can move like that on the dance floor and still be the clumsiest person I have ever met?”
Takumi sighed and then flopped back to lie on the floor, covering his face with his hands.
“Can I just sink through the floor please?” More giggles met his words and he sat back up. Mori held out a hand and hauled him to his feet where he nearly overbalanced again.
That was it, he was going to spend the rest of the day in bed.
At least he had tomorrow’s group date to look forward to so he could redeem himself.
Hopefully.
Chapter Four
Takumi didn’t redeem himself.
The only good thing was that he didn’t look like even more of an idiot. The last group date was ‘fashion’ themed and it didn’t seem to suit Mori at all. Sure, he always looked good and presumably had a decent dress sense outside of the suits but Takumi was secretly of the opinion that it was chosen for the more fashion inclined of the group.
Which was everyone barring about five people. The twins won that little competition and decided that they would share the date, rendering the term ‘solo date’ void.
His mother had scolded him for not being more forward in his advances but if Mori didn’t like him being himself then, quite frankly, he can fuck off. Still, they had been here three weeks and the toll was starting to show. Cat fights were becoming common place and Takumi’s quiet nap time was often interrupted just so someone could moan and rant at him.
All he wanted was some goddamn peace and quiet. He escaped onto the mansion roof the other day just to have an hour of peace and the cameraman that had to tail him, Watari, was not happy about his choice in location. He had noticed that he now pretty much had a permanent cameraman that followed him around, odd considering that for a start he was left mostly alone. Watari was the one most commonly assigned to him but there had been others as well.
But today was different.
Mori was holed up in another part of the mansion stuck on an all-day business conference call and everyone had been given the opportunity to leave the mansion and go shopping for the day. Everyone was going, and that was when Takumi decided that he wasn’t. Initially he had been so excited to just get out and do something, anything, that wasn’t inside or dictated by someone else. Until he realised that if he stayed back, he could have the rest time he so desperately needed.
It was with great relish that he slept in until nearly lunch time and then had the entire bathroom to himself. It was the most relaxing shower he had had in weeks. He could almost feel the tension draining out of his body under the warm spray of water. Feeling rested and more energetic than normal, he made his way down to the kitchen to cook himself a nice lunch. He was dressed in only a too-large t-shirt and briefs and raised an eyebrow when he noticed Watari observing him from behind a camera.
“Why do they even bother have someone follow me when no one else is around? I’m pretty sure all the drama will be with the others in the city.” Watari just shrugged and Takumi sighed. Whatever, he wouldn’t let it get him down and he had no intention of changing his plans now. He had his own little iPod in hand and had borrowed Yume’s portable speakers so he could listen to some of his own music while cooking.
Setting up the speakers so they played his favourite dirty club music, he turned it up and couldn’t help but singing along. It was embarrassing to like this type of music but it was the best to dance to and he loved dancing around the kitchen when he was cooking by himself. He only hoped no one was tuning in to hear the dirty lyrics.
Takumi scoffed at himself. Like anyone would be watching him and he could deal with Watari’s judging stares. Cheering excitedly at finding his requested candy treat, a large box of pocky, Takumi scoffed one down while he set about whipping up a delicious feast for lunch. As much as he did enjoy cooking with the others, it was nice to be able to move about unhindered and not be worried about anyone setting things on fire.
He popped the end of another chocolate stick into his mouth, then gathered his gyoza complete with handmade sauce, and turned around to place them on the island counter. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the man sitting at the counter. Mori sat looking tired but amused with his chin propped up by one hand.
Takumi opened his mouth to speak and looked down at the pocky that had fallen from his mouth in devastation. He only had one box and intended to savour it. Stepping over it to the counter, he placed down the food and finally found his voice.
“I thought you had a work thing all day?”
“We stopped for lunch.” Mori’s deep voice was warm with amusement. “I heard the music on my way downstairs and came to investigate. I thought everyone had left for the day.”
Takumi scooped up the pocky from the floor and deposited it into the bin with a wistful sigh before turning back to the man at the counter. “I thought it would be more relaxing to stay here while everyone was away.” He ruffled a hand through his hair in embarrassment then jumped as he suddenly remembered the food still on the stove top cooking. Takumi turned around and quickly checked over everything before turning back to Mori. He pulled two sets of chopsticks from the draw, offering one set to Mori and keeping one for himself.
“You said you were stopping for lunch, I can make some extra if you would like to join me?” he explained at Mori’s raised eyebrow. The older man actually seemed a little surprised but took the proffered chopsticks and followed Takumi’s lead, helping himself to one of the gyoza. Takumi stuffed one into his own mouth before hurriedly checking on the food again.
“It’s good.” He threw a smile over his shoulder at Mori at the comment.
“Thanks. It’s one of my favourite recipes. Is there anything you’re allergic to or don’t like to eat?”
“Nothing particularly.”
He hummed along to the music absently as he pulled out a few more ingredients to bulk up the meals to be enough for two people. He had already made a little too much as it was so it wouldn’t be hard. He got lost in preparing the food for a while before he could turn back and sneak another bite of gyoza. Mori sat staring at him with an amused smirk and Takumi cocked his head in silent question.
“You have interesting taste in music.”
Takumi froze as he tuned back into what song was playing, he had only been partially aware that something was playing as he had been too distracted with cooking.
Oh.
Oh.
His face flushed bright red instantly as the lyrics blared out clearly from the speaker. Takumi wanted to sink through the floor in embarrassment, had he been singing along to that without realising? It was a song about enjoying and partaking in rough sex. He tried to remember the other songs that had been playing but he couldn’t remember.
He was one hundred percent sure they were just as bad though. The smirk Mori was directing at him said that yes, yes they were and he had waited to bring it up because he thought it was funny.
Takumi reached out a hand to chan
ge the playlist or turn it down or something but Mori interrupted him. “Don’t change it on my account, I don’t mind at all. Just a curious choice of songs.”
“They are all good to dance to and I like to dance around the kitchen while I cook.” Takumi was mumbling to the floor at the end, not even sure if Mori could hear him, but the chuckle suggested he had heard enough, at least.
“I’m more surprised by the content, they are all rather similar in that regard.” Takumi was sure his cheeks would be permanently red after this. The entire playlist was based around sex, all just dirty club music. His secret list of music purely for dancing around the house by himself.
“No one was supposed to be here, so I figured it wouldn’t matter.” His eyes flew wide in realisation. “But now that you’re here everyone will be watching and now everyone is going to know.” He flailed a little as he tried to figure out a way to save the situation that was rapidly spiralling out of control to no avail. He groaned and thumped his head down on the kitchen counter, hands covering his head in embarrassment as Mori laughed openly.
“So cute little Sleeping Beauty isn’t as innocent as he appears.”
Takumi shifted so he could glare up at the man but was halted in his tracks by the heat in Mori’s eyes. That was something he didn’t expect. Flustered and unsure, he stared for a few moments.
Until the sound of a pot threatening to bubble over jolted him back to the present and he jumped up, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste to get back to the stove top. Thankfully nothing was burnt, but he was overly conscious of both the music and the man behind him. Takumi could almost feel the gaze burning into his skin like a physical thing.
The longer he cooked, the more his attention focused back on the familiar task and the more he relaxed again. Plating up the food, he gave one tray to Mori to carry outside onto the large patio where he planned to eat. It was a beautiful sunny day after all and he switched off the music with a sense of relief before following the other man with a second tray.