Number 7

Twenty-Four: What Else Is There?

Akiyasu

"I need to change into a different pair of clothes first. I don't like wearing my hero suit to personal events." I explained to Shota as I drove toward my house.

"I don't think your mom cares either way." He argued.

"It's not about what she cares about. I just want to wear something normal. We have a half hour left to get there anyway." I pulled my car into the driveway and hopped out quickly, Shota following behind me at a slower pace. We both got through the front door and I went straight to my bedroom, immediately looking through the clothes in my drawer for a nice shirt and some black jeans. Shota stood in the doorway, watching me rifle through my belongings. Finally, I found a nice enough top and slipped my shirt off before stripping off my pants. Still, Shota stood in the doorway.

"What's up?" I asked, grabbing my new jeans and attempting to pull them on.

"Nothing." He shook his head and leaned his shoulder against the door, his eyes washing over me.

"Oh yeah?" A smirk met my lips as my tone became playful. "Are you sure you don't just like what you see?"

A smirk of his own found his face and he lowered his gaze, crossing his arms. "Maybe I do."

His response caught me off guard and a deep blush met my skin, making my face warm.

When I didn't respond, he looked back up at me and grinned. "Cat caught your tongue?"

Snatching my old shirt off the floor, I quickly threw the clothing at him, hitting him in the shoulder. "Fight me."

He got a twinkle in his eye at my words and started to advance into the room toward me.

"What are you doing?" I asked cautiously, take a step back.

"You asked for this."

"No." I warned him. "You better stop." My hands reached for anything nearby on my dresser and found a book, so I used it to pathetically shield myself from his hands.

His grin grew wider and he reached out for me, trying to tickle my ribcage. I smacked his arm with the book but he didn't care because he snatched the book from my hand and tossed it back on the dresser before bypassing my outstretched arms and pinching at my sides. Laughing hysterically, I tried to get away from him but the few steps I took backed me against my bed and I had nowhere to go. So, I fell on the bed and began to backward crawl across the mattress. Shota stayed on top of me, still ruthlessly tickling me despite my shouts at him to stop and to go away. Now I began to slap at him and I even made a few attempts to grab at his hands, but he subdued me. Eventually, I decided I would just hold a really long scream until he stopped, which he did, finally leaning back onto his calves, chuckling.

"I fucking hate you." I panted hard, grabbing a pillow and smacking him in the face with it. He caught it and ripped it out of my grip, dropping it to the floor carelessly.

"I don't think that's true." He shrugged.

I sat up too, though his legs were still straddling my own, and wrapped my arms under his, grabbing him by the torso tightly. Then, I leaned back, making him fall with me, though he used her arm to stop himself from squishing me.

"If you ever tickle me again, I will beat you up." I threatened.

"I don't think that's true either." He pressed his lips against my cheek softly, though his dark stubble was still painfully prickly. My breath hitched in my throat at the moment. The smell on his shirt was enthralling and he was so warm, providing me with a sense of safety and security. I didn't want to move. "What's wrong?" His deep voice whispered above me.