꧁ LIFE and DEATH ꧂

MEMORY

Is this part 2 of Babysitting? No, sorry. But this one is mostly written by @QueenOfNewfypoos, so we can all enjoy their wonderful work. :)

Nene stared at her textbook. Her flustered brain wasn't even registering words, just jumbled letters. Sighing, she shut off her computer and closed the textbook. Nene glanced at the cover, willing her brain to connect the letters into words.

The History of Vaccines: Creation To Testing To Your Body

Nene shuddered at the thought of a vaccine, her anxiety spiking as she remembered the smell of the disinfect, the doctor holding her down, and shoving a needle-

"Hey, Yashiro, you good?" asked Amane.

Nene had almost forgotten she'd asked him to study with her.

Amane gently laid an arm across her shoulders, his fingers brushing her upper arm. Where the vaccine would go. Tears crept into her eyes, and her entire body locked up. Panic surged, cold and numbing. She could already feel pain leaching from her arm. She had no idea how she'd survived the first one.

Actually, Nene did. She'd fainted in the chair, and they'd just continued giving her the shot.

Amane just pulled her into a hug. Within a few minutes, Nene was sobbing into his shoulder. How was Amane so calm? He never freaked out before a shot.

Swiveling, she wiped her nose on her sleeve before running out of the room. Amane ran after her. Nene knew it was a matter of seconds before Amane caught her-- unless she hid. Throwing open the door, she ducked under a bush, curling into a ball. She didn't hear Amane call after her, or the light summer breeze rustling the leaves. After an hour, Amane finally found her. He gently brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. With a final, shuddering sob, Nene collapsed into his arms. Leaning on him, they both stumbled back towards Nene's house.

~~_~~

Nene and Amane made plans to meet up before their shots. On the car ride there, her family tried to cheer her up:

Her dad (cringe joke coming): What do you call a pile of cats? A meowtain!

Her mom: It'll just be a prick.

Her sister: We're going out for ice cream with the Yugis after!

Her dog: WOOF!

After parking in the lot, Nene noticed Amane and his family walking over. Nene ran up to him. "H-hey..." she trailed off.

Something about Amane made her feel calmer. Settled. Safer.

Their parents handed over their vaccine cards, and the two meandered over to the convention center, where they would be vaccinated.

After they walked in, Amane pulled Nene into a roped-off area. "I don't think we're supposed to be here," said Nene nervously.

Amane grinned and whispered in her ear, "I heard about a way of not being afraid of something. It's called exposure therapy. Basically when you create a happy memory around something that scares you. That way, when you think of that thing, you only see the good memory." Nene's heart stopped.

"But what would make a happy memory around here . . ." she wondered aloud. But then she felt Amane kabedon her.

And then she got it. Her cheeks were flushed. And when she looked him in the eye, he pulled them together. Their lips crashed together, and Nene drowned in the feeling of his soft lips against hers. Moaning quietly, she slipped her hands into his silky hair, messing it up. He slid his arms around her waist, and they leaned into each other.

Finally, they pulled away. There was no sound except their uneven breaths and pants, as they realized what they'd just done.

"An appointment for a Yashiro, Nene? Yashiro, Nene?" an intercom above them announced. They both pushed themselves away from the wall and walked into the room labeled Vaccines.

~~_~~

Nene walked out of the building, still in shock. She'd kissed Amane! And she'd . . . gotten a shot. She hadn't even felt it. She couldn't even think when Amane was still looking at her like that.

"Hey, Yashiro."

Nene spun around, blush dusting her cheeks. "Y-yeah?"

Amane leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Is it too much to hope you'll be getting another vaccine soon?" He winked suggestively.

Nene was quick to headbutt him.

A/N:

. . . 

"That when-you've-got-no-idea-what-to-put-in-the-author's-note silence"

I'm currently working on Part 2 of Babysitting, plus another Choices. This one is Amanene in a science museum! :D

Stay safe and healthy!

~~ Author-chan ~~