Draw Again

Chapter 8

"When is she going to wake up?" Anna inquired.

"Yeah. How are we suppose to celebrate when she's asleep?" Yata said.

"You're going to celebrate, Yata? That's unexpected," Totsuka said.

Yata could be heard grumbling curses off in the distance, while others laughed. I was aware that I was laying down, but my head and left arm felt oddly warmer than the rest of my body. Though I could hear people joking around, and saying my name I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes, or move. I felt comfortable with where I laid and I didn't want to move just yet.

"I'm heading out," Yata called.

"Be careful. The blues will be on us more than usual now," Kusanagi warned.

"Bring 'em on!" Yata said. His voice fading into the distance.

"Wait for me Yata," called a thick voice.

"You're giving me that look again," Mikoto said.

I almost jumped when his voice sounded right next to me. My left hand clenched around whatever I was holding. It was soft and thin between my fingers.

"You were the one that broke down their front door," Kusanagi said.

"They refused my entry," Mikoto stated.

"You didn't knock," Totsuka commented.

"I don't knock," he said.

A giggle bubbled to my lips that I couldn't stop. Just the thought of Mikoto politely knocking on someone's door was ridiculous. He wouldn't greet the other person with a friendly grin, or with sweet words, but the scene that played out behind my lids was too funny to keep inside.

"She's awake," Totsuka cheered.

"She's laughing," Kusanagi said.

Opening my eyes my laugh cut off immediately with my heart leaping into my throat. I was staring up at Mikoto, his amber eyes looking back down at me with what I was hoping was just curiosity, and not irritation. Clenching my hand even tighter I realized that the fabric I was gripping was his cotton shirt.

"Nao-chan," Totsuka sang.

Releasing Mikoto's shirt I carefully sat up to find myself back at the bar sitting on the couch. As I glanced around my stomach knotted when my brain realized that my head had been lying in Mikoto's lap. My cheeks heated as I turned to Totsuka.

"Hey Totsuka-kun," I said.

The brunet bounded across the room to sit on the arm of the couch where he grinned happily at me. Running my hands through my hair I tried to calm myself down, but I could still feel the heat from Mikoto on the back of my neck.

"You seem to have a knack for passing out," Totsuka joked.

"Only started happening when you guys showed up," I commented.

"Our looks are enough to make the ladies swoon," a guy said. He was sitting at a table with a few others as he adjusted his glasses and leaned back in his chair.

My eyes narrowed at him as I said, "Yeah I don't think that's it."

The guys around him laughed while he dropped the rim of his derby hat to cover his face from view. Even Totsuka, next to me, laughed. The scene felt normal, like it was just another day at Homra instead of me crashing in on their atmosphere.

"So you're not usually this much trouble?" Mikoto inquired.

My heart rate increased as I turned to face him, but it switched into overdrive when I saw a smirk tilting his mouth.