All You Need Is Love (MewGulf AU)

🌞Chapter 24🌻

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"Sorry I took so long."

"What were you doing? That was a pretty long time to find a dictionary." Gulf was a little annoyed at Mew's breezy comment.

"I never use it, so I don't know where it was."

He plopped down onto the wooden floor instead of the sofa and crossed his legs, but then immediately raised his right knee.

"Okay, let's get going. I remembered that there's a TV show I want to watch at ten."

It was near four o'clock. That left six hours until the show, but considering Mew's situation, it didn't seem like much. Was he serious about studying or not?

"Quit goofing around and open your book," Gulf was getting tired of pushing him. He pulled a notebook and his english book out of his bag. "First, I'm going to show you the study guide, so mark the stuff in your book."

"Aw, man."

And for the next hour and a half, though he complained about everything, Mew listened earnestly to Gulf's instruction. He had the basics down, so all that was left was memorizing the vocabulary.

"Next, we'll do some exercises."

Mew looked up suddenly. "Hold on a second. I need a break."

"If you have time for a break, you'd be better off memorizing an extra grammar rule."

"I can't. I'm hungry. I can't think with low blood sugar."

"Quit it." Gulf smiled grimly. They weren't being efficient, even without taking a break, but Gulf was hungry too. "But, whatever, we can take a break. We probably should eat."

"See? I know a good diner nearby, and it even delivers. Let's get that."

Mew was smiling, as content as a child, and he got up excitedly. He pulled open a drawer in a cabinet and rummaged around until he found the menu.

"Their tempura is really good. It comes with Kansai-style udon or white rice. They have salad too. Get whatever you want."

"Oh wow, I just can't decide."

"Well, if you can't decide on one thing, just order two or three. We're going to get hungry tonight. Speaking of which, you can sleep over if you want." Mew made the offer with a carefree smile.

"Sleep over?" Gulf's heart was pounding again.

"School's not that far from here. And since the test is tomorrow, you're not going to need your books or anything."

"That's true, but---"

"What's up? Why are you making a face like that? It's not like you're staying at a girl's house. What's the problem?"

Gulf didn't say anything. Mew continued. "Oh, I guess your parents are strict, huh?"

"They're pretty average, I think." Gulf's heart was pounding so loudly. He felt like flames would leap off of his burning cheeks.

"I'm not really sure what that means. But let's order the food at least. What do you want?"

"T-the tempura."

"Do you want udon or soba noodles with it? Or maybe the rice?"

"T-the udon."

"I'm going to order some fried pork and rice to go with it for later. Their pork cutlets are really thick. You'll like it."

Mew stood up and walked over to the telephone. Gulf was looking at his back as he made the call, when a thought struck him...what did Mew usually do for his meals? He felt strange.

Mew lived alone in this huge condo. His parents were in Tokyo. Gulf didn't know if he had any brothers or sisters. His guardian AA was the only one who came to check up on him, which meant that he was probably always alone and always ate alone. Despite his huge dinner table, he never had to coordinate his dinner plans with anyone. Mew just phoned some place and watched TV. Of course, he probably didn't stay at home all the time. But since downtown was full of kids and there was nowhere else to go for fun, he must have been alone a lot of the time.

"They said it would take about thirty-minutes."

"Then, can I use your phone? I'm going to call my parents."

"Go ahead. I'm going to take a shower while you do that."

"What?" Gulf cried, his hand frozen on the phone receiver. He was reacting way too much.

Mew turned back around, the buttons of his shirt already undone, exposing his naked chest and stomach to Gulf's view. "I'm sweaty and feel gross. You can take a shower too if you want. I can lend you some of my clothes."

Watching Mew's stomach move as he spoke, catching the faint scent of his sweat, Gulf's nerves stretched taut. He felt as if normalcy was no longer normal. He couldn't understand what was happening in his mind.

"Uh, thanks. But I'm good for now." Gulf turned around quickly and put the phone to his ear.

"If you change your mind, just let me know."

Mew's laughing voice grew distant. It wasn't until he heard the sound of a door closing and the faint hiss of running water that he could relax.

"This is unbelievable." He pressed his hands against his head and crouched down beside the phone.

Gulf wasn't talking about Mew. He was talking about himself. He wanted to demand just what was going on here. He almost felt sorry for himself because Mew excited him so much, both his heart and his body.

He wasn't some girl all a-twitter with his first love. But this denial flooded his brain with fire. 'First love. Love.'

A cold breeze chilled Gulf's spine, freezing him in place.

Who was in love with who? And why? No, it couldn't be that.

Gulf rejected the idea.

TBC