What Would You Do? YuseixOC

Chapter 19

The sun is up when I wake, streaming through the windows and forcing me to squint through the beams. The other side of the bedroll is cold. Yusei had never gotten to sleep and neither is he in the room with us. The children sleep soundly, having had quite a lot thrown at them in the last few days.

The tapping of keys draws me up into a sitting position. Looking right, I see Himuro at the keyboard, typing up something on a desktop computer. "Oh, Pinoko. Good morning."

"Ugh. Don't talk to me unless you have caffeine, please."

"There's coffee right over here!" The waving of a yellow sleeve alerts me to the steaming pot at Yanagi's side. He sits on the furthest couch from me, a small carafe resting on the side table nearby.

"Thank the stars. Are there any mugs?"

The cups are few and far between, but I pick out a little green one at Yanagi's pointing to the cupboard. I fill it with the dark liquid, the heat of it warming my hands. There isn't any sugar or cream, but beggars can't be choosers.

Sitting on the couch with Yanagi, I decide to wait for it to cool off before drinking. "How long have you been up?"

"Me? Ah, maybe a few hours. Himuro woke up half an hour ago." The old man takes a sip from his own mug. His blanket lays on the arm of the couch, the warm morning light keeping the chill away.

"No Yusei?" The hand of fear finds its way back into my stomach, but I will it back down at the worried looks.

"I'm sure he just went on a walk, Pinoko! The weather's so nice, after all!" Yanagi's forced smile looks back at me.

"Yeah, okay. It's fine. He'll probably be back soon anyway." I busy myself, leaving my mug on a desk while I start cleaning up. I've folded most of the blankets in little time. I can't just leave the mess that I created for someone to trip on later. When I run out of things to do, I return to the old man's side, sighing. The blue cushions catch my weight easily as I slump down, two hands on the cup. "When do you think he'll be back?"

They both chortle at me, but not before sharing a look.

"He's fine. You're worrying too much."

"Himuro-chan, it's not just worry. It's young love!"

The last word falls from his lips and I spurt out the caffeinated beverage. I'd never been so shocked in my life and I'd definitely never done a spit-take before.

"What?" I wipe the dark liquid from my lips. The spatter has already started to stain my shirt, light shades dotted with dull browns now. I'll have to pat it out before it dries. "No, we-we're just friends. He doesn't like me like that."

"Oh yeah?" The sly smile growing on Himuro's mouth should have clued me in that I'd said the wrong thing. The ruddiness of my cheeks increases exponentially, so it seems. "But you do, right? Saiga and I talked about this before he left."

"Uh, wait. What?!" Saiga and Himuro talking about me and Yusei? I'm mortified. "What the fuck? I can't believe you guys!"

Yanagi has given up on the conversation, settling in with his drink and refusing to meddle. The old man is enjoying every moment of this, though, no matter how uninterested he pretends to be.

Himuro's laughter eventually peters off, allowing him to continue his prying. " If you like him so much, just say something."

"No. No way." I shake my head, rising from the couch to refill my cup. "There's way too much going on for me to put all that on his plate." I take a sip, cautiously this time.

"Okay. And if he wants you on his plate?"

A second spray of coffee coats the carpet. "Damn it! What is wrong with you?" I can't keep down the cherry red blush that warms my cheeks.