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THE FLIGHT HOME -
"JUST STAY HERE FOR THE NIGHT"
Nanami begged Mieko, watching as she redid her jacket up. She giggled a bit at the idea.
"And what? Sleep in this?" Nanami hissed at the thought with a smile on his face. "Yeah I can't let Kiyotaka and Gojo see what I just saw."
But very quickly, the tone in the room changed, Nanami could feel the moment in turned from arousal and playfulness to the awkwardness that was to unfold. He tried laughing in order being back the energy from before, "Do you have to leave now? I still got another round in me."
"Nanami." Mieko blurted out sternly, after having just stood in her jacket in the middle of the hotel room, silently.
"Mieko, whatever is bothering you, you can t—"
"I'm not going back to Japan." Mieko said, looking up from the floor to stare at Nanami. Nanami's smiled dropped.
He tried to find the joke. But her lips were straight, her eyes were empty, her hands were by her side, her eyebrows were still. "W-what?"
"I'm going to be staying here for a bit." Mieko sighed, finally letting her blunt face to rest, letting her nervousness show.
"What the fuck do you mean?" Nanami asked, his voice raising only slightly as he pushed himself out of the bed.
"I got things to sort out here." Mieko stated a shaky voice. "So, when you go back to Japan, I'll be staying here to sort them o—"
"We just fucked! Multiple times! You just let me come inside you! And now it's just bye. See you later!?" Nanami fully yelled out, making Mieko cower down a little. "That is totally fucked up, Mieko!!"
"I haven't sold mine and Kwang-Ho's house yet. I haven't gone through his or Seo-Jun's things. I haven't done official records, I haven't taken out their life insurances. My bank account is still connected to Kwang-Ho's... these are the things I put off, and I need to get them done." Mieko tried to explain, she rushed over to Nanami and placed her hands on his chest, but he quickly pushed her away.
"You are so fucked up!" Nanami hollered in anger and pain. His eyes held tears. "You are fucked in the head, Mieko!"
"Nanami! It's not going to be forever. I promise you, when I'm ready I'll come back to Japan. I'll come back to you. Don't you understand these are things I need to get done?" Mieko tried to pled, tears in her own eyes.
"Oh, and I suppose you told that to every other guy you fucked in all those other counties you lived in!" Nanami argued.
"Nanami!" Mieko yelped out. "You know that's not the truth! You're the first guy I've been with since Kwang-Ho!"
"Nanami! I love you!" Mieko pleaded once more, she pushed Nanami back onto the bed, straddling him in one swift movement. "I love you! I really do! But I need to get these things done before I can move on and live with a life with you. But, I promise you I really do want that!"
"Why are you making this harder! Just fuck off already!" Nanami argued, despite his anger he slid Mieko off of him onto the bed, gently. "I swear! I swear on Seo-Jun that I am telling the truth!"
"Mieko. Leave." Nanami demanded, with a stern voice.
"Nanami, please just give a few months and I will be yours, I promise."
"Leave!" Nanami bellowed out with a raging fury, his hands taking out their anger by throwing the glasses on the nightstand onto the floor.
Mieko winced, still seated on the bed. She closed her eyes, and tightly braced herself and when the noise of glass breaking mellowed out, she slowly got up, walking over to Nanami placing her hands on his chest once more. "Nana—"
Nanami bolted over to the door, pulling it wide open, and with a stern and bitter face, his eyebrows deeply furrowed, his lips downwards, he made a final deep-gutted voice, "Leave."
Mieko listened, she took a step out into the hallway, where the door was slammed behind her back as quickly as it could be. She turned herself around to look at the door, taking a few steps back. She stared at the door with tears swelling in her eyes, her fists balled by her side. She was gaining the courage to storm in the room once more, when she heard the giggles and chuckle of familiar voices. She tried to turn around and quickly make her leave when she heard the feminine voice call out, "Mieko!?"
Utahime instantly squealed out in joy, rushing over to the woman and embracing her in a hug. "Mieko! It's so good to see you! Come in!" Utahime slurred her words due to her playful and drunk state.
"Yeah, come in. Nanami needs to talk to you." Gojo mentioned, surprisingly sober.
"No I have to go." Mieko said, her tears now visible to the group. Their playful aura dropped suddenly.
Before anyone could protest or fight back, Mieko ran down the corridor. Gojo quickly entered the hotel room, still standing in the doorway to call out to Nanami. "Hey! Nanami, buddy! Mieko was just here. If you want to talk to he..." But his voice trailed off when Utahime gasped upon also trying to enter the room, seeing the broke glass, scattered discarded clothing on the floor and the mess up bed of Kiyotaka— who sighed when he seen the sight.
Nanami stayed laying in the couch, the whole bottle of whiskey in his hand. He quickly downed whatever was left in the bottle as Gojo bent down on the floor next to the couch.
"Nanami... what happened?" Gojo carefully asked, Nanami just shook his head, tears still running from his eyes.
"Don't wanna talk about it."
ON THE FOLLOWING FLIGHT HOME,
Despite everything, Nanami wholeheartedly wanted to see Mieko come to the airport. But she never showed. When they boarded the flight, Nanami looked for her face in everybody who passed by him, but none of the faces were hers. And when the plane started to take off, he glanced to the side of him, seeing the empty seat next to him. He still didn't want to believe that Mieko wasn't coming home.
He only accepted it when they landed in Japan's airport. When he seen the for sale sign in her apartment's window. When the seat was empty next to him during the meeting concerning "Carolina and Kwang-Ho". When his apartment was still dirtied on days he didn't feeling like cleaning. When the agency finally had someone clean out her locker and desk.
But the pain her absence caused, hurt especially on the days when he bought two coffees, instead of one.
