So This Is Love

Chapter 30

[Lingerie shopping, dry humping, and dirty talk :) in case you needed a reminder that this was an 18+ story]

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Natsuo had his father's build. He sat across from Abiteth, and next to his sister, pewter eyes narrowed and arms crossed over his chest. White hair sat upon his head, spiked up and out. From what Enji had made her aware, he would be going into his final year of high school once this term ended.

Fuyumi was much more engaged in the conversation than Natsuo - partially because she and Abiteth had met once already, clicked, and been texting back and forth every now and then. She was studying to be a teacher, a profession Abiteth felt suited her bubbly and kind personality. Her white hair was peppered with traces of red, and the same pewter eyes that Natsuo had, hidden sometimes behind the glare of light on her glasses.

Enji had since left the table, leaving his two eldest children with Abiteth, 'so either he trusts me, or he knows his presence is unwelcome.'

Her eyes drifted to Natsuo while Fuyumi excitedly talked more about her studies. He was still glowering at her - sure, he had relaxed a tad since Enji had left, but without his father there, the anger in his pewter eyes had been redirected to her.

"I'm sorry, Fuyumi, I didn't catch your question?" Abiteth turned her attention back to Fuyumi, finally pulled from her thoughts.

Fuyumi merely nodded eagerly, "have you worked with my father a lot?"

Once again, Abiteth was distracted by Natsuo's reaction. He heaved a heavy sigh, rolled his eyes, and glared off to the side. Fuyumi deflated immediately upon her brother's reaction.

"I have worked with your father, yes, more frequently in recent years than before. I met Shoto the other day, he told me that he likes to create origami animals for the family."

"He does?" Natsuo chimed in, scrutinizing the dryad hero.

Abiteth's expression fell, "yes...?"

If not for how Natsuo scowled and sunk further into his seat, Abiteth would have asked why the siblings didn't know; her throat was dry with the implications behind that, but she shook her head to clear her thoughts, 'I don't get anywhere with implications and speculation. I should know that by now.'

Instead, she smiled kindly, "he likes to make llamas for you two!"

Fuyumi perked up, some light returning to her pretty pewter eyes, "that's so sweet of him! How'd you find out? You didn't mention it to me before."

"I asked Shoto."

"Enji let you?"

"Enji has no control over me - perhaps he does have that kind of control over Shoto, but not over me," she gazed levelly at Natsuo as the younger man sized her up, "even if he is my superior as a hero, I'm not one to let other heroes walk all over me. If they do something I don't like, I will challenge them."

"How so?" Natsuo leaned forward in interest, crossing his arms over the table instead of over his chest. Abiteth explained the situation with Hubris: how she had barged into the debriefing on her day off, and gotten right in the other hero's face. How Nephila had to intervene before Abiteth could say something worse than what she already had.

"What do you really think of Endeavor?" Natsuo pressed once Abiteth was done with her retelling.

Her smile evened out to a neutral line, chin tipping downward to look at Natsuo from an angle below her brows. He straightened in his seat, eyes flicking to the side, struggling to hold her gaze now.