lovestruck | Maki Zenin

❝𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐩❞

[Mainly fluff]

---

"When was the last time we had a date like this?" 

Maki's golden eyes locked onto yours, her soft hands holding onto yours as you both strolled through the amusement park, searching for rides to enjoy. You shrugged in response to her question. "Probably two months ago... my work has my schedule tight as hell."

"You could say that again. I'm so glad we get to share this moment together," she smiled warmly at you. Her smile made your heart skip a beat, and you felt your cheeks warm up as you looked away. "Me too," you mumbled, slightly flustered.

"So? What's the next ride?"

"You decide this time."

Maki scanned the park, searching for an interesting ride, but her and your attention shifted when her stomach rumbled loudly with hunger. "Well, I guess that's my answer," she laughed nervously.

"Let's go before the food stands start getting crowded."

"Did you have to get this much food?" Maki questioned, her gaze directed at the array of food on the table. "Well, you seemed pretty hungry, so..."

"I'll feel bad if you p--" You hushed her by placing your hand over her mouth and your index finger on your lips. "Shhhh... It was my decision to take you out, so let me spoil you today." You winked at her, a mischievous smirk sitting on your lips.

Maki's cheeks turned into a light shade of red, and she looked away from your gaze. "Yeah, but I'm not letting it slide the next time," she said, playfully pushing your hand away before diving into the delicious-looking food before her.

"By the way, how are your wounds healing? I hope you're taking care of yourself," she questioned with genuine concern. You nodded, taking a bite of your takoyaki balls. "They weren't so bad, so they healed pretty quickly."

"What about you? How's work?"

"Boring. I'm only coping because of my  coworkers some how entertain me with their arguments," she complained between bites, her hunger drove her to eat quickly and messily. You found her messy eating kind of cute and chuckled to yourself as you watched in amusement.

"Yuji again?"

"Yup, he keeps getting into arguments with Fushiguro and..." Maki's voice paused as she mentioned Megumi's last name. You also paused once you realised what she was going to ask. You had forgotten to tell her the connection between Megumi and your boss, Toji, and fear filled within you.

"What?"

"I just realized... your boss's last name was Fushiguro, right?" she interrogated, her curiosity clearly showing. You nodded, wondering how much Toji had told her when they met. "Yeah... Did he tell you?"

"Uh huh... and what about Megumi Fushiguro?"

You knew this question would come up eventually. However, explaining Toji's relationship with Megumi and the fact that he was taken to a mental institution not less than three years after having him without giving a negative image on Toji was going to be hard.

"Uh... I don't know, honestly... I think you'd have to ask Megumi or Toji about that," you replied, clearly lying to her. Maki was quick to catch your lie, she knew you for way too long. She sensed there was more to the story which caused her to narrow her eyes in suspicion, but she decided not to pry too much into it and let the topic slide.

"Okay then... I'll ask Megumi."

You breathed out a sigh of relief as Maki seemed convinced by your obvious lie. You couldn't afford to make Maki suspicious of you at all.

As you continued your conversation, your focus was taken by a group of young adults who seemed to be your age nearby. One of them seemed interested in Maki from the way she looked at her.

"She's totally my type! I wonder if I should go for her number!" The girl exclaimed, a hue of pink forming on her cheeks. Your eye twitched as you overheard her words, your jealousy groing. The adults around her cheered for her as she stood up and walked towards your table.

"E-excuse me... do you have a moment?"

"Yes?" Maki turned her head towards the young woman approaching. You clenched your hands under the table, nails digging into your skin as you struggled to keep yourself from doing anything dumb. Your face remained nonchalant but your stare was deadly.

"I...I saw you from my table and thought you looked really pretty. I was wondering if I'd be able to take your number and take you out during the week..." the girl stammered across her word, her eyes staring right into Maki's.

She's going to die... I'm gonna kill her... how dare she even think of asking my girlfriend out... in front of me...

"Oh? I'm sorry, but I'm not interested. My girlfriend is right in front of me," Maki replied calmly, her gaze returning to you. Your eyes pierced through her and your thoughts were filled with nothing but how much you wanted to end her right now. She frowned, not bothering to meet your look. "Oh, I understand... have a good day!" And with that, she returned to her table.

The tension in the air quickly left and released the breath you hadn't realized you were holding. Maki's foot kicked you under your the table shifting your attention, a small grin displayed on her lips. "You can stop death glaring her now," she teased you with a slight giggle.

"Gosh, although it's kinda hot, you really need to stop getting so jealous. I'm not going to leave you for anyone else..." Maki handed you an ice cream that sat on her side, her tone seeming caring. "You need to cool down." She joked.

"Haha... very funny Maki." You sarcastically spoke while opening the package. "Thanks though."

"You wanna go home now?" she asked, her gaze lifting to the slowly darkening sky. After taking a look at your watch, you got up from your seat. "Fine, but you can wait in the car while I clean up this place," you suggested, handing her the keys to your nearby parked vehicle. Maki raised an eyebrow and shook her head, she began to gather the trash from the table. "I'll help you instead," she insisted. You let her at it, knowing that if you tried to protest, she wouldn't listen.

Your mood had been slightly ruined by the girl earlier, and it was evident by your actions. Maki picked up on this while she watched you. As you both made your way towards the car, she wrapped her arms around your shorter body. You were taken back for a moment and confused by her sudden behaviour but you didn't it mind at all. "What are you doing Maki?"

"Cheering you up," her voice came out muffled as she buried her head into your neck while she spoke . A small smile formed on your lips, eventually turning into a slight laughter. "I didn't need it, but thanks," you replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, let's go home now,"