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Vamola made Momo a very nice hot chocolate to warm her up for the day ahead and to ward off the early morning chill. It had been a frigid night, frost still clinging to the grass outside and fogging the windows, promising an unpleasant walk to school.
She passed one or two groups of students milling about, and snippets of conversation, the main subject of which was abundant complaint about the weather. It was a wonder it hadn't snowed yet, since all the forecasts in the area had determined it was going to happen sometime this month.
Momo groaned internally at the mere thought of snow. Cold, slippery, wet- everything she despised when it came to weather. She'd much rather be wearing her fashionable clothes with confidence rather than worry about how much thermal insulation they'd provide her.
Still, it came with a bonus, it seemed.
Meeting Okarun on the way to school, she got to witness him wearing a knitted beanie. Quite a garish one that was no doubt more geared for Christmas wear. Red, grey and white, a scene of swirls skipping around his head. She briefly wondered how hilarious it would look if it included a pompom on top.
He huffed and complained away her jabs and questions, ignoring her giggles and ducking her attempts to swipe it from his head, finally indulging her as they reached the school gate, where, surprisingly, Sakata was waiting for them along with Jiji.
Of course, Sakata had caught wind that today was the mysterious Tuesday that Okarun seemed to loathe. He'd caught bits of discussion on where some kind of fight was to take place- and it was to his utter shock to learn that Okarun was to fight with Jiji- no, Evil Eye.
He couldn't imagine a fight with that guy- he seemed so… scary. But if his two buds were going to duke it out, no way was he going to miss it.
"So what is the purpose of this fight? Is it training?" He questioned, squinting at Jiji.
Jiji chuckled sheepishly, "Oh, n-no… nothing like that. Well, I guess it could be seen like that in a way? But no. Evil Eye has a deal with Okarun. If they don't fight every Tuesday- well, he'll try to kill everyone."
Sakata gasped aloud, far too loud, earning more than a few strange looks from students walking by.
"You mean to say this fight holds the key to life or death for all of us!?"
Beside her, Okarun sighed as he listened, a long and drawn-out noise of resignation.
Once again, Sakata was blowing things out of proportion- though the more she thought about it, the more she began to slowly realise that what he'd said wasn't actually far off the truth, really. If Okarun failed, Evil Eye would go on to attack the others.
Clearly, the conversation wasn't doing much to settle Okarun's nerves, despite his determination to uphold his end of the contract.
Momo had to intervene.
"Nah, Okarun's got this. He'll kick Evil Eye to the dirt, and we'll all have hot chocolate and taiyaki after," Momo hummed, patting Okarun on the shoulder like some proud saleswoman.
Because this boy could totally trounce any evil spirit, any day!
Okarun averted his gaze to the ground. Little did she know how it warmed his heart that Momo held such confidence in him. He silently resolved to make it a quick fight; he didn't want them to be waiting out in the cold for too long.
"Of course he will! But, if Evil Eye cheats, I'll step in and set him straight!" Aira announced confidently as she inserted herself straight into the conversation, like she'd been a part of it all along, as she came up to join their gathering at the gate.
She fixed Jiji with a pointed glare, one he obviously didn't deserve because it wasn't his fault what Evil Eye did or didn't do!
Momo rolled her eyes and stepped between them, walking her way towards the school doors.
"Chill out, he won't cheat. It's part of their agreement that he can only fight Okarun. Besides, it's not like it's Jiji's fault if he does…" she called over her shoulder. "Come on, I ain't standing out here freezing all day."
Now walking home early in the snow, Okarun trudged ahead, well aware- and only slightly irked- of Momo, Jiji, Aira and Sakata tailing him closely and taking full advantage of his trail in the snow to avoid contact with it as much as possible.
He didn't much care, especially if it meant Momo's feet were kept a little warmer and drier. He was mostly dreading the battle that was to come.
"Reckon we should take it further from the house this time?" Jiji asked, surprisingly calm.
Momo huffed loudly between her teeth, "Duh, you idiots ain't wrecking my house again. Especially in this weather!"
"I'll say. There's no way I'd let you bunk at my place," Aira huffed.
Okarun was feeling far too tired to be dealing with petty jabs. He was cold, and typically that made him tired- and kinda grouchy. Still, he'd put on his best attempt to be social despite wanting nothing more than to go home.
"It'll be fine. We can ask Vamola if she can put up Empty-space for us if needed. We don't want to ruin the rice fields, or be too far away from the shrine or Miss Seiko if things turn south."
Momo caught his tone, how tired and fed up he sounded. "You good? We still might be able to trick him into thinking it's Monday-"
Jiji sighed, "Ain't an option… he knows it's today. I can already feel his excitement."
"What exactly are the rules of this engagement?" Sakata quizzed from the back, raising his voice a little to be heard.
"We already told you-" Momo answered back, placing both hands on Okarun's shoulders to keep herself centred in his trail as she cast a look over her shoulder. "Okarun creamed Evil Eye in their last match. Which apparently got him all fired up. Now they've got an agreement, he won't fight anyone else until he beats Okarun. Which obviously ain't gonna happen-" she squeezed Okarun's shoulders pointedly, aiming to reassure him.
She absolutely did not mean to make him blush redder than the hat on his head.
"It's simple-" Okarun began, having to take a moment to take a deep breath to steady his voice. "Me and Evil Eye fight, everyone can spectate, but nobody is to interfere in any way."
Momo hummed in agreement, "Pretty much that. Kinda sucks though since Evil Eye has his whole cursed house move and stuff. Okarun's got like no ranged attacks. Kinda sucks."
Okarun did his best not to absolutely sag at Momo, essentially saying he sucked- because that is absolutely how he took it.
"That's why he has me~" Aira preened, flicking her hair.
Momo growled, or at least, made a very annoyed-sounding noise in her throat.
"Then why does he end up having to save your ass in almost every fight so far!"
"Hey! You're one to talk. You barely even do anything but weigh him down! Why do you get to ride him anyway!"
Okarun was turning as red as his hat again as he thought about Aira's statement.
Yeah… why did Momo continue to sit on his back? They no longer needed to keep the curse in check. It had mostly become a habit at this point, perhaps, but it definitely wasn't without its advantages. Her psychic power helped deflect attacks he couldn't dodge - but it also helped to keep her safe, to keep her out of danger.
Though that technically also put her in danger from whatever was attacking him at the time.
He should think more about this, but found himself shaking his head and disregarding the thought entirely. No, having her on his back was most definitely the safest option available. Why would he even think otherwise? Certainly not because he secretly liked-
Okarun quickened his pace that little bit, and Momo stumbled to keep up with the sudden change.
"Wh-hey!"
"I think it's best if we hurry on to your house! This cold is just going to make us sick if we stay out in it too long." Okarun replied, though clearly he was just feeling too flustered from the conversation and his thoughts were getting a little too real. The reminder of phantom thighs around his waist, gentle fingers gripping the hem of his jacket, he didn't even mind the heels of her shoes digging into his abdomen when she tightened her grip that little bit too hard.
He stuffed the thoughts and feelings down as hard as he could, in part wishing he too had psychic powers- so he could squish the unwanted thoughts as hard as possible, until they were insignificant and barely noticeable, so they could never again rise to the forefront of his mind.
As they walked, it took the gang embarrassingly long to realise it had begun to snow again. Jiji was first to notice, expressing quiet wonderment and tilting his head back to try catching snowflakes on his tongue.
"Thith ith awethome!" He exclaimed, spreading his arms and chuckling toward the sky.
Okarun wanted to enjoy it; he really did. But his mind was stuck on other things right now. Momo noticed the noise of worry he made, squeezing his shoulder in hopes of reassuring him.
"Hey, you good? Seriously, we can try to call it off if you really need…"
Okarun sighed, "No. It's fine. I made a promise, I'm not going to back out on it!"
The house was cosy as they filed into the entrance, shoes abandoned in neat piles as they moved into the lounge space, whilst Okarun, Momo and Jiji retreated to separate rooms to change out of their school uniform.
Okarun was glad he was told to leave a spare set of clothes here- the number of times he'd ruined his uniform and clothes in general was startlingly high. Not that any of that was his fault!
In the lounge, Seiko was already complaining about how many friends Momo was making, causing Aira to wheel off into a long-winded speech about how she and Momo most definitely were not friends. How she was only here to make sure Okarun was safe and treated fairly, because she was his friend and certainly not Momo's.
"Didn't ask for your life story, kid…" Seiko huffed, tilting her head back before raising her voice. "Get this show on the road, four-eyes, clock's a-ticking!"
In the bathroom, Okarun sighed heavily- he was so not looking forward to this. He pulled on his white jumper and reluctantly peeled off his socks. It could be worse, he supposed. Evil Eye was probably going to be pretty much naked. At least all Ken had to deal with was his feet freezing.
The group gathered outside, and it was only now that they realised Ken had stepped out with no shoes or socks.
"Dude, your toes are gonna fall off!" Momo worried loudly.
"It's better than-" Ken began, only to stare at the house as a certain someone came out. Evil Eye. Fully clothed in Jiji's clothes.
"Wait, your clothes are still on?" Aira frowned.
"It is too cold. I do not like this weather!" Evil Eye complained in response. "I will fight with clothing. Hurry up and change!"
Okarun lamented his poor feet.
"Can't we get you some shoes that fit?" Momo asked, but Okarun shook his head as he slipped into his Yokai form.
"Sorry, babe, shoes don't do it for me-"
He absolutely ignored the punch he received on the arm for that.
"I need to feel the ground when I run; besides, shoes wouldn't keep up with the strain. The soles would wear out, or melt…"
Momo was surprised but pieced it together pretty quickly. Yeah, he'd need some pretty gnarly shoes to withstand the punishment. Socks would probably be a bad idea too; they could slip far too easily, and in this weather, they'd just get wet and freeze his feet faster.
"Don't worry, I got this-" Okarun answered, despite alternating which foot he was standing on to limit their contact with the snow as much as possible, like some confused flamingo.
"Ready!" Vamola called, as Momo retreated to the sidelines.
In a flash, Empty-space surrounded them, and Evil Eye launched his attack.
"Bummer-" Okarun drawled as he dipped low, aiming a nasty kick at Evil Eye's knee. The latter jumped to avoid it- leaving him perfectly open for an uppercut, which Okarun, of course, took full advantage of.
The fight progressed, and despite the heat generated from moving, Okarun could feel his feet turning numb. He stumbled on one of his dodges, slipped and skidded before he could connect one of his attacks and overall became slower to react.
"What is wrong with you!? Fight me like before! Do it properly!" Evil Eye had clearly noticed the piss-poor performance, stamping his foot impatiently like the spoiled toddler he was.
"Hey! Be lucky he's fighting you at all!" Momo yelled, hugging herself tightly for warmth despite the space heater Sakata had made with the Nanoskin to keep the spectators warm. "It's freezing out here, and he's barefoot! He probably can't even feel his feet anymore, so quit complaining!"
Okarun melted a little. "Momo…"
She was defending him even now. Man, he must really suck. He wondered if she secretly thought he was being a wimp- yet here she was, still out here waiting in the cold whilst he floundered like a useless idiot.
Unacceptable. He wanted Momo to be warm and cosy inside the house, not out here watching him be useless!
He crouched low, adrenaline and determination filling his veins before he launched himself- a surprise all-out. Evil Eye would never see it coming! Sure, it might be low and dirty while he was talking to Momo, but he didn't care anymore. He needed this fight to end so Momo could head inside and warm up.
Unfortunately, Okarun wasn't nearly as slick as he thought he was. Blame it on the cold, but a sneak attack like that was so stupidly obvious.
Before he could react, Evil Eye conjured the house in the space between them, compacted for maximum durability.
The sound when Okarun's head met the house was deafening. Somewhere between ice cracking and a tuning fork as the first wall of the cursed house cracked- but stood firm.
Okarun managed to stay on his feet.
"Ahahaha", Evil Eye laughed. "You thought you could sneak attack on me!?"
Okarun didn't respond, even as Evil Eye recalled the house.
"Enough playing, I will murder you."
"H-hey, Evil Eye, hold up!" Momo called, holding up her hand as she ran out to check on Okarun, who was suspiciously still and silent. "Hey, Okarun? You good?"
The trickle of blood down his forehead was most definitely not good, nor was his right pupil being wildly dilated in comparison to his left.
"Ah, crap, hey, hey, Okarun!" She shook him by the shoulders. The only response was a blink, a dumb, blank stare, as if she were an angel sent from heaven above to heal his sins and wash away all pain and sorrows. By god, he felt sorrow, sorrow that he hadn't met her sooner.
Because she absolutely was an Angel. The teal 'wings' on her back, the halo of light around her head (which was definitely real and not a silhouette of the house flood-light behind her), the soft worry in her gaze and the gentle grip of her hands on his shoulders.
There was no doubt. She was definitely an angel sent to guide and nurture him, and he should do whatever she told him.
"Why are you interfering! I hate waiting, hurry up already!" Evil Eye screamed, an impatient tantrum that their fight was put on hold.
"Dude, chill!" Momo huffed, casting a glance over her shoulder. "This ain't gonna be a fun fight if he can't fight at one hundred per cent, right? Do you really wanna beat him when he's tired and cold and not fighting at full strength? Kind of a wimpy way to win, dude…"
Okarun didn't hear the way she goaded Evil Eye, how she taunted him to postpone the match. He was too lost in the way the snow was collecting in her hair, how her hands squeezed reassuringly on his shoulders- the touch enough to relax his entire body. The sheer confidence and aura she exuded as his guardian angel.
…What was he doing out here?
Evil Eye stomped his foot angrily. "I am not a wimp!"
Empty-space flickered, and they were returned to the real world.
"What's going on?" Aira demanded.
"Hey, fetch Grandma-" Momo replied, both hands cupping the sides of Okarun's head to peer at him in concern.
That most definitely wasn't a whine that spilt from him, utterly uninhibited by the lack of embarrassment and control normally had in human form.
Thankfully, Aira listened, and Seiko trudged out moments later, muttering what were no doubt ancient obscenities.
"You idiots still out here?" She griped, nudging Momo aside and gripping roughly at Okarun's maw to take a closer look at him, "Lemme take a look at ya…"
Okarun grumbled low in his throat. Who was this lady? He didn't much care for her touch, but her hold merely tightened as he tried to pull his head away.
"Quit squirming, kid," she tutted loudly.
He huffed, coughing behind the stony teeth of his mask from the puff of cigarette smoke in his face.
"Hmmm… Yeah, the kid ain't fighting like this…" Seiko announced before casting her gaze towards the Evil Eye. "It's a draw this week. You shouldn't be out fighting in this weather anyway, you'll both catch a cold… and goodness knows what'll happen when you sneeze…"
Okarun was thankful when the lady let go of his maw, immediately moving closer to the brunette to seek her attention again by gently tugging at her sleeve.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Momo asked, frowning at the Yokai as he lowered his head and whined.
Seiko took a long drag of her cigarette as she turned to retreat inside, to the warmth and TV no doubt playing Bakatono or some corny game show. "He's got a concussion, but he'll live. Keep an eye on him, don't let him fall asleep."
"Huh? Shouldn't we take him to a hospital?" Aira rushed over to Okarun, though she froze as the Yokai stepped aside to hide behind Momo, keeping the gyaru between them.
Even Momo was a little confused by his behaviour, but secretly quite smug that he chose to avoid Aira's attention in favour of hers. "Hey, Okarun?"
She was met with awkward silence, but didn't miss that he had begun to shiver.
"Dammit… Hey, come on. Let's get you inside. Can you follow me?" Momo gently squeezed his shoulder and, finally, he looked up to meet her gaze with his lop-sided one.
"I'd follow you anywhere yo-"
Instantly, Momo felt the heat rising in her face. "What the hell, don't go saying that crap! Come on, before your toes fall off…"
Okarun followed her dutifully whilst Evil Eye angrily kicked up a flurry of snow at him- he didn't care. His heaven-sent, radiant angel was going inside, so he was too!
"Takakura, are you okay?" Aira called after him, not giving up her attempt as she swiftly closed the gap between them.
She partly expected to get utterly ignored- which, of course, she'd blame on his concussion.
What she didn't expect was for him to turn and face her, glaring, whilst that odd reptilian growl sounded in warning.
"Hey, don't growl at her!" Momo reached over to yank him back by the hood of his jumper.
Okarun barely moved, so she pulled harder, enough to have him stumble back and force him to pay attention to Momo.
She had heard that noise before, that growl, but figured it was just a part of his transformation! Never did she think it was an actual growl he could do, at will, whenever he wanted.
She should be questioning why he was growling, but the flutter in her chest made it hard to focus on much right now.
"Well, that was pretty disappointing," Sakata muttered as he wandered in, followed by Vamola.
Jiji stepped in behind Vamola. "Uh, yeah… so what exactly happened? I don't feel very worn out…"
Momo ignored them all, slipping her shoes off before tugging Okarun up the step and towards the spare room.
Aira immediately took notice. Of course, she would.
"Hey, where are you taking him!"
"Away from you idiots!" Momo yelled back, sliding the door closed irritably before her attention fixed firmly on Okarun.
"Sit."
Momo pointed to a space on the floor. Okarun obediently followed the order, quietly sitting on his knees.
He was still in Yokai form.
"…are you gonna change back anytime, or what?"
Okarun blinked blankly at her.
Momo sighed heavily, sitting herself down cross-legged in front of him, both hands gripping gently at his maw to angle his head down so she could get a closer look at his head.
The cut had already begun to heal, a perk of Yokai powers- something she found herself quite jealous of. The last fight had her nurturing a sore shoulder for a good week after, during which Okarun had been quite adamant on carrying her bag for her.
It had been rather nice, really, having him fuss over her and cater for the slightest of needs for an entire week, though, of course, Miko and Kei had much to say about it- as did her other classmates whenever Okarun walked her into class and came in to collect her bag.
"Well, your head looks like it's healed up, but…" she peered into his carmine eyes.
She'd never noticed before, since they would usually be in the midst of battle, that there was a small ring of gold around his pupils. Of which, his right pupil was still so much larger.
"Guess there's a limit to the healing of Yokai powers… are ya dizzy at all?"
Okarun gave a low and quiet non-committal hum, supplying no meaningful answer other than acknowledging she'd said anything at all.
"Dude. That's not an answer…"
"Will you keep holding me if I give you one?"
Momo froze up as her face turned bright red, barely aware as the Yokai nuzzled his maw against her hands, another hum the only noise filling the stunned silence.
He was moving before she realised it, crawling closer as her hands slipped from his maw as it practically kissed her nose with its stony teeth, finally snapping her from her stupor.
"H-hey, what're you-!?"
"I'm feeling dizzy, yo, so I should get somewhere safe and stable," was his lax answer, lowering himself until his upper body rested quite comfortably on her lap, lanky arms wrapped loosely about her waist as he relaxed against her thigh.
Momo, only slightly mortified, fought through her options. He was concussed, clearly- shoving him off would be far too cruel despite the immense and overwhelming heat in her face now reaching the tips of her ears.
It would just be for a little while, a relatively short time, probably. Besides, he was always trying to comfort her and attend to her needs; it was only fair she returned the favour- it wasn't likely he would remember any of this anyway.
She could afford him just a little sympathy, right?
Her thoughts were gently interrupted by a relaxed sigh from her lap, from the surprisingly light Yokai that nestled there so boldly, so confidently- it made her wonder if Okarun truly was the same person in Yokai form. Such an act from him would be so out of character that she may as well claim him possessed.
Momo didn't know what to do with her hands, still raised where his maw had been moments earlier. No, at least a minute earlier- she had been so stunned by his so sudden and bold move that she neglected to actually do anything.
So far, beyond the embarrassment of having no clue what to do in this situation, and the not entirely unpleasant fluttering in her chest, there had been no harm in indulging the Yokai in his simple desire.
He may talk so informally and at times rather intimately when addressing her, but this wasn't so bad.
"You're so warm, Momo," he purred softly, nuzzling the ebony maw against her leg, causing her to shift slightly in discomfort from the hard edge rubbing against her thigh.
Okarun caught it, Momo's wordless complaint, and soon after, his Yokai-given maw slipped away, like ink diluting into water; it dissipated into thin air- like it never existed at all.
'Don't just go saying stuff like that, ya perv!' That was what she wanted to yell, but she instead found herself gawping at him uselessly.
It wasn't often she got to see him in Yokai form without the maw; she could count on one hand the number of times she'd seen him without it wrapped around his lower face, so it was still a little surprising to her whenever she did get to see him.
His cheek was smooth and cold against her leg, right below where his fringe now tickled higher up her thigh, head turned away respectfully despite the whole situation.
Like he wasn't currently lying in her lap, concussed and purring.
Wait. Purring?
In her wonderment at the maw vanishing, she hadn't even noticed when it started. A low, reptilian-sounding purr, one could mistake it for humming, but she felt it against her calf, where it pressed against his chest, a steady rhythm of contentment despite the thick barrier of his jumper in the way.
"I don't think this is gonna help your head. Come on, sit up and-"
"Why does she get to do that? I should be the one tending to him!"
Aira's voice was shrill and full of petulance as the door slid open and Vamola stepped into the room, sliding the door closed behind her despite the rant from Aira. In her hands, she had a wash basket filled with items.
"V-Vamola?!" Momo felt that heat returning tenfold as the bubble of privacy between her and Okarun was unceremoniously burst.
'So much for patient confidentiality, ' she thought hysterically.
Vamola, however, didn't seem at all fussed or intrigued by their position and plopped the basket down beside Momo before kneeling to root through it.
"Uh, what is all this?"
Momo jumped as Vamola suddenly thrust an object towards her with both hands enthusiastically.
"Hot bottle!" She exclaimed.
That was most definitely a hot water bottle.
Momo frowned at it, then looked to Vamola for explanation.
"Feet!" She moved before Momo could take it, grabbing Okarun's left ankle and tugging it over until both feet were close enough to lay the hot water bottle on top of them- he didn't seem to care.
Ah. Right. His feet. That made sense. Seiko must have put Vamola up to this.
Momo would've mentally punched herself if it weren't for the slim chance she might actually end up doing it- thanks to her spiritual hands. She was supposed to be making sure he was okay- instead, she was just sitting here acting as his pillow.
Though, in her defence, Okarun hadn't mentioned being cold or uncomfortable. Then again, he probably wouldn't say even if he was- and in Yokai form, there was no way he'd say anything to make her worry.
"Thanks. What else you got in there?"
Vamola looked up, then frowned and pointed with worry as she sat bolt upright.
"Sleep bad! No sleep!"
Looking down, Okarun had closed his eyes, and his breathing had slowed considerably.
Ah. That'll be why he didn't react.
"W- hey. Hey, Okarun-" Momo gently rubbed at his shoulder, trying to rouse the Yokai boy.
"S'comfy…" came his lax and quiet drawled reply.
Momo did her best to keep her face a reasonably normal shade whilst he continued, unaware of her sudden blushing.
"I just wanna stay like this forever…"
Vamola, satisfied that Okarun wasn't in fact asleep, turned her attention back to the basket of supplies. A box of painkillers, a water bottle and a blanket were pushed towards her.
"Thanks, Vamola, can you help me move-oh-"
Momo was silenced as Vamola simply draped the blanket over Okarun whilst he was still lying on her lap.
"Wait a minute, Vam-"
"No sleep! Care!" Vamola interrupted as she took the now-empty basket and left the room, sliding the door closed again and leaving the two of them there.
Momo found herself staring at the door for a while longer, lost in thought and realising she was now more or less stuck here.
Well, she supposed she didn't mind all that much.
"Your feet warm now?"
Okarun hummed quietly, turning his head slightly to peer up at Momo, ethereal hair tickling against her thigh with the movement.
"My feet?"
"…Maybe you hit your head harder than we thought," Momo sighed, bringing her hand up to slide under his floppy fringe to rest against his forehead. His Yokai form always ran cold, so the slight bit of warmth she felt there was only a slight concern.
He was probably just a little warm from being so close to her.
Snuggled against her.
Hugging her.
Momo would love to think of herself as being in control of her emotions- short answer, she most certainly was not. Miko and Kei had, on more than one occasion, seen her absolutely lose her bottle at the slightest inconvenience before- and whenever a certain actor was mentioned.
Right now, the name or any hint of said actor hadn't been uttered in the slightest form, yet she felt her face warming at the idea of Okarun snuggling up to her. Wanting to be near. The very fact of the matter that he was doing so this very moment- well, that blew everything out of the water.
In Yokai form, Okarun lost his filter- he became informal and suave, confident and all too relaxed in situations that would normally have him shaking in fear.
So this moment right here- was this how he secretly wanted to be with her?
She was distracted by her thoughts as she felt the weight increase against her hand and a low hum as Okarun leaned against it, closing his eyes with an expression that could only be described as pure contentment.
"You take such good care of me, Momo."
She quickly retracted her hand in favour of fidgeting with the blanket, pulling it up a little to better cover his shoulders. Now was NOT the time to be inspecting these feelings, certainly not in any level of detail.
"Well, duh, can't let you just up and die on us… That'd be so anticlimactic, especially after everything we've already been through," she defended easily. "Besides, you work yourself way too hard for everyone. Me included. Take a break once in a while, y'feel me?"
Okarun whined.
'I'd love to feel you-'
He quickly and thoroughly stabbed that thought before it could ever pass his lips. He may care less about how he said things, but saying THAT would definitely be crossing a line. No way.
Momo took the silence that she'd somehow made him uncomfortable- or perhaps he was growing more aware and embarrassed of the fact that he was still cuddling her waist and lying on her lap.
"I'm gonna see if we have any hot chocolate. I'd say you've earned it-"
She carefully slipped his arms from around her and scooted the pillow under his head, patting his hair- Gosh, she loved how his hair felt. She internally cried that she couldn't just run her hands through it all day, because that would just be weird.
Before he could answer, she was out the door- and already arguing with Aira outside.
Okarun watched the door for a long while after, the noise of arguing barely audible to him as his mind focused on the memories of the scent of her perfume and the detergent of her clothes, the warmth of her hand on his forehead and the smooth, plush feeling of her thigh against his cheek- how easily his lanky arms encircled her waist and how unbothered she seemed by it.
Momo truly was an angel-
Ah.
Momo? That wasn't right.
His friend, Momo- Miss Ayase.
Realisation hit him like a brick wall, a pile-up of emotion, desire, regret and embarrassment too tangled and messy to deconstruct.
His Yokai form slipped away, but the rampant thoughts swirling in his head did well to distract him from the dull ache he still felt there.
He had been cuddling.
Snuggling, Miss Ayase.
The room was suddenly too hot. Everything was too hot as his face lit up, tantamount to a canvas of red, painting a picture of pure embarrassment.
How could he act like that to poor Miss Ayase! So incredibly and inexcusably rude, and so invasive of her personal space!
And… how could she… be fine with it?
No. Of course, she was just looking after him, making sure he was okay after the battle with the Evil Eye, that's all! There were absolutely no feelings involved whatsoever, no matter which angle he looked at the situation.
Hugging the pillow tightly and smothering his face into it did little to quell the burning under his skin or the beating of his heart- it just made the nose-pads of his glasses dig against his nose and cheeks uncomfortably; no doubt his glasses were now completely smudged over now too. How was he supposed to deal with this, move on from this?
As he heard the sound of the door sliding open, of Momo's return, he knew he was a dead man- and he wouldn't be able to swap back into Yokai form fast enough to elude the inevitable conversation to come.
Time to face the music.