Japanxreader: Heating up

You groaned as another bead of sweat trickled down the side of your face, and dropped the pencil in your hand that you were using to draw with. You simply couldn't work in this heat.

You were currently in your room, and the temperature in there was at least 92 degrees, if not higher. The reason, was because it happened to be the middle of summer, and the air conditioning had decided today would be a GREAT time to break down. Your parents were out of town too, so they couldn't do anything about it either.

You turned to your best friend, Kiku Honda, who just happened to be spending the night tonight. Kiku was seated against the wall, cross-legged, seeming to be reading a manga book that you owned. He looked almost as bad as you did, soaking with sweat and looking about ready to fall over. You felt really bad for him. I mean, your room was usually warm, so you've become more adapt at withstanding heat, but he most likely hadn't, and unfortunately he was stuck here, being it was at least 2:00 am, (you both couldn't sleep due to the heat).

You got up from your desk and walked over to where he sat, seating yourself down beside him. He must've been really out of it because it took at least a minute for him to realize you had moved over to him.

"Can't concentrate either?" He asked quietly, shutting the book and placing it down beside him.

"No, it's too hot..." You muttered. It felt like the heat had sucked all the energy out of you, leaving you lifeless. It was a rare occurrence because you were usually a very energetic and talkative person. You glanced over at Kiku, noticing him look away when you did. He'd been looking at you.

"Sorry that this happened Kiku, it never has before." You apologized in a soft voice.

"No, you didn't mean for this to happen, don't feel you have to apologize for it. Besides," he paused to wipe some sweat from his forehead. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You look awful though." You stated.

"So do you." He stated back. Did you really? Well, you guessed it was probley true, because you certainly felt awful. You felt really bad for him though, and wanted to fix this somehow.

"Well, how about instead of sitting around complaining about how hot it is lets go find some way to cool off." You suggested after some thought. He glanced at you, then nodded. You smiled and got up, extending a hand out to him to help him up.

"I'm fine." He mumbled, getting up by himself. You frowned, putting your hand back to your side. It was annoying somedays the way he refused to make any sort of physical contact with you or anyone else. You'd developed quite a bit of a crush on him over the time that you'd known him, so it felt to you like being rejected somewhat whenever he denied you for things like that.

"_____-san?" Kiku waved a hand in front of you, bringing you back to reality. You gave him a weak smile.

"Sorry, spaced off there for a second. Lets go." You responded, and walked past him to look for ways to cool off, him following behind you.

.:Time skip:.

In the end you found yourselves back in your room, in the same spot you had been in previously. You had tried a few different things, like going to another room, looking for a fan to stand in front of, going outside. The different rooms and outside didn't work because the temperature was about the same and there was more to do in your room anyways, and the fan idea didn't work because the only fan you'd found turned out to be broken.

You let out an annoyed sigh and began to drift into your thoughts after awhile, since there was no conversation of any sort going on anyways. You were interrupted by an uncomfortable sigh from Kiku though. He really did look awful, especially his shirt, which was soaked with sweat. It made you uncomfortable just looking at him

"Hey Kiku," You started, waiting for him to look at you first. "Why don't you just take off your shirt?"

He suddenly got extremely flustered, a blush flowing into his cheeks.

"W-W-What? I-I can't do that!" He stammered, panicked. You were a little surprised at his reaction, you hadn't expected this.

"Why not?" You asked, confused. What was wrong with a guy taking his shirt off?

"Because it'd be indecent!" He responded, fidgeting around. You just stared at him, utterly confused. What was indecent about it? He wasn't a girl, he didn't have boobs. What was the point of getting all flustered? Though, this was the first time you'd seen him like this. He's usually very calm and collected, and rarely showed any emotion. It was actually fun to get a reaction out if him. Not only that, but you'd never seen him without a shirt, and you were sudden determined to get it off.

"Come on, just take your shirt off, you're sweating to death there. You're a guy, there's nothing wrong with it." You reached over and grabbed his shirt, attempting to pull it off yourself. He freaked out, telling you to stop and using one hand to hold his shirt down while the other tried prying your hands off him. You fought each other for a bit before he finally got you off him, curling up a little so that you couldn't try it again. You let out a huff and sat back against the wall again, contemplating how to do this. An idea popped into your head, and you smirked at it. It sounded like it would be fun.

"Well if you won't take yours off, I'm taking mine off." You remarked. Kiku whipped around to face you, eyes widened and face turning an almost unnatural red.

"W-W-What?!" He stuttered in shock.

"I'm taking my shirt off, it's sweaty and it's bugging me" You repeated, then grabbed the ends of your shirt and began to pull them up. You barely lifted your shirt an inch though before Kiku suddenly grabbed your hands, stopping your action.

"P-Please don't ______-san." He stammered, clearly panicked.

"Why not?" You asked innocently, trying not to smirk from amusement.

"B-Because it'd be inappropriate." He responded.

"Why?" You repeated. It sure took willpower not to smile like an idiot at this all.

"B-Because..."

"Because why?"

"Because you're a g-girl!" He burst out, his face going a deeper red. You couldn't hold back anymore. You burst out laughing, tears forming in your eyes after a bit from laughing so much. You loved how indirect he was trying to be, despite the fact that it was too obvious what he was referring to.

"Oh wow, I am!? I thought I was a guy all this time!" You replied sarcastically after you'd calmed down a bit. He looked you in the eyes, clearly embarrassed and a little upset.

"Please don't joke around, I'm being serious, keep your shirt on. If you want to change, do so in another room." He pleaded. You stared at him, considering whether to continue with your plan or just drop it. When he makes an expression like that, it's hard for you to not do what he says. You weren't going to give into it this time though.

"Then take your shirt off."

"W-Why do you want me to take it off?" He questioned. His hands were still firmly holding yours, making  sure you didn't undress. You felt yourself starting blush a little as you realized this, since he'd never really touched you before.

"Because it looks uncomfortable, drenched in sweat like that."

"I'm perfectly fine."

"I highly doubt it, take it off, I can wash it for you."

"It's fine, and besides I don't have another shirt to change into!"

"Why do you need to change into another shirt, just go without one!"

"No, I've told you, that would be indecent!"

You just glared at each other for awhile. He was clearly getting annoyed, but the man was being unreasonable! What was wrong with a guy going shirtless?

"Either you take yours off, or I take mine off." You threatened. Kiku just stared at you, a mad blush striking his cheeks once again. You smirked, awaiting his answer. You'd gotten him.

"You're really going to put me through this decision?" He asked slowly. Your smirk turned into a devious grin.

"Yep."

He stared at you for awhile longer, probley hoping you'd crack and apologize, say you'd just been kidding or something like that.  You didn't, just stared at him back, still holding your grin. Eventually he let out a defeated sigh.

"At least look away when I take it off..." He muttered. You giggled a little and nodded, turning your head to face the opposite wall. You listened to him grumbling stuff in Japanese, shifting around as he took his shirt off. After a moment or two it got quiet again, signaling he'd gotten it off. You slowly turned around again, feeling your face heat up when you finally saw him. You didn't usually care about it when a guy was shirtless, but DAMN!

"Please don't stare at me..." Kiku mumbled, his entire face completely red now. You jerked your head forward, but couldn't help looking at him through the corner if your eye. What can you say, he looked good without a shirt. There was an awkward silence after that, broken only by Kiku shifting around, obviously uncomfortable being exposed in front of someone. If there was one thing you hated most, it was silence, especially the awkward ones. You noticed his shirt in the floor in front of him.

"Here, I'll go wash your shirt for you." You offered, reaching out and grabbing it, then standing up to head to the washing machine.

"No you don't have to." He protested, standing up and grabbing your arm to stop you, then pulling back quickly when you looked at him.

"That's one of the reasons I wanted you to take it off though, I doubt you'll want to put a dirty
shirt back on when you leave tomorrow, and I defiantly don't think you're going to walk home without a shirt on. It's the least I can do." You explained.

"No, you don't have to wash it, I will." He reached over, took his shirt and began to head for the door.

You started after him. "Wait you don-" Suddenly you tripped over your own foot, letting out a yelp and grabbing Kiku, who had turned around when you'd yelped, to try and stop your fall, but instead just ended up falling on top of him. You both collided onto the floor, a loud thump sounding as the back of Kikus head smacked against the ground. You were still for a second, in shock at what had just happened before coming back to your senses and sitting up quickly. Kikus face was the reddest you'd ever seen it so far.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!! I tripped on my own foot, really!!" You apologized panickedly, mentally slapping yourself for being so clumsy.

"I-I-It's okay, I-if you could just g-get off of m-me..." He stuttered, not moving. You blushed deeply when you realized you were still on top of him, practically straddling him. You stood up quickly, your face and ears burning. Out if habit you offered your hand to help him up, glancing at the wall so that you wouldn't look at him and get more flustered. To your surprise he took it, and you helped him him off the floor, then retracted your hand quickly when he was fully balanced. There was another awkward silence, both of you looking away from the other. After a bit you slowly peeked over at him, curious to see what he looked like right now. He was still bright red, even his ears were a dark red color, and he seemed to have fallen into his own thoughts. You stared at him for awhile, wondering if he would notice that you was looking at him. He didn't, whatever world he was in it wasn't here.

"Kiku?" You whispered, leaning closer to him. He jumped at this, letting out a small gasp and backing away from you quickly. You must've scared him.

"Are you alright?" You asked, concerned. You were aware that an embarrassing moment that defied his entire 'personal space' issue had just occurred, but you didn't think it would effect him so badly.

"I-I-I'm f-fine, I just have to, um, go to the r-restroom. Sumimasen*..." He stammered before hastily rushing out of the room, closing the door behind him. You let out a sigh and sat down on the edge of your bed, waiting for him to get back since there was nothing else you could do really.

It was a good 5 minutes before the door to your room slowly creaked open again, Kiku slipping back inside. He looked normal again, with only a light, rosy shade of pink remaining on his cheeks. He looked at you and gave a weak smile. "Gomennasai*, it seems I've made you wait."

"Oh it's fine, you didn't make me wait for very long." You smiled and patted the part of the bed next to you. "Come sit down with me."

Kiku was still for a moment before walking over and seating himself down beside you. As he settled down on the bed his hand brushed against yours, and almost instantly you both blushed. He quickly moved his hand to his side, looking down at the floor. Both of you sat in silence for a few minutes, him watching the floor and you watching him. The longer you watched him, the more you wanted to do something with him, like kiss him or hug him. You glanced down at his hand at his side, and before you could stop yourself, reached over slowly and slid your hand into his. Surprisingly, it actually took him a second to react, blushing profusely and looking over at you. He attempted to try and pull his hand away, but you held onto it firmly, not wanting to let go.

"_-_____-san, w-what are you doing?" He stammered, still trying his hardest to pull his hand away from yours.

"Holding your hand obviously." You replied simply, keeping a straight face.

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

His expression was a wide mix of emotions, ranging from panic to confusion. "F-Friends shouldn't hold hands..."

It hurt a little when he said 'friends' for some reason, even though that's what you were.

"Why not?" You asked.

"Because holding hands is what couples do..." He explained. He had stopped struggling to free his hand by now, instead just letting it go limp.

"So you're saying we'd have to be a couple if I wanted to hold your hand?" You inquired, not sure where you were going with this. Kiku didn't respond, probley clueless as of how to answer.

"Kiku I...I like you. Alot. I have for awhile now actually." You told him in a quiet voice. You weren't sure how you had had the confidence to admit it, but you felt a little happy that you had gotten it off your shoulders at last. He stared at you for awhile, his blush still fixated on his face, before turning his head back towards the floor silently. You felt a pang of sadness as he did, turning your gaze to the floor as well. He didn't share the same feelings. Though what were you expecting? Were you really expecting him to say-

"Daisuki*..."

You paused and looked up at him slowly. He was full on red again, and was glancing at you from the corner of his eye, as if afraid to look at you directly. The only reason you actually knew what he had told you was because of all the anime you and him watched regularly.

"As more than friends?" You asked quietly. He gave a small nod, still keeping his head turned to the floor. You gave him a warm smile, hoping that he could see it from the corner of his eye. He must've, because he finally faced you directly and smiled back. He was looking at you like you'd never seen him look at anyone before. It was such a loving expression, and it looked adorable on him. You could feel your cheeks burning again just by looking at him. You scooted closer to his side and rested your head on his shoulder. He tensed up a bit, because he wasn't used to it. It didn't bother you though, you had been expecting it now,  and you understood. What you didn't expect was him to rest his head lightly atop if yours as well. It was very comfortable though, so you didn't complain one bit. You finally began to feel tired, despite the smothering heat still in the room, and closed your eyes, enjoying every moment of this time right now.

---------

You must've fallen asleep after that, because the next thing you remember was waking up in your bed. You were laying down too, which confused you for a moment before realizing Kiku must've properly put you to bed. You could hear some faint game music coming from something next to you, and turned around to see what it was coming from. To your surprise, you discovered Kiku laying next to you playing a DS game you owned. He looked extremely tired, and made you wonder if he had even slept at all last night. The reason why you didn't dwell on because there were too many different reasons he might not have. You also noticed he had his shirt back on, which meant he must've washed it sometime after you'd dozed off. You rubbed the drowsiness out of your eyes and let out an unexpected yawn. Kiku looked at you as you did so, and smiled at you.

"Ohayou Gozaimasu*, did you sleep well?" He asked, turning off the game and setting it down beside him.

"I guess so, did you?" You responded sleepily.

"Oh, um, I was...unable to...sleep..." He mumbled, trailing off at the end. So your guess had been right, he hadn't slept last night.

"Oh, that's too bad." You avoided asking him why, figuring it'd be better not to ask. "What time is it?"

"About 12 o' clock." He responded after glancing at the time.

"Wow, you let me sleep that long?" You chuckled.

"W-Well you looked so peaceful sleeping, I didn't want to disturb you." He explained, getting flustered.

You giggled a little. "It's fine, I usually sleep in a little late when I go to bed at a late hour."

He just laughed slightly and got up. The rest of the day was pretty normal from that point, despite last nights events. Kiku insisted on making breakfast for you both, and you eventually let him after a bit of arguing. Then after breakfast (which was amazing!), you just hung out with each other for awhile before Kiku decided that he should head home. You helped him get ready to leave and walked him to the door, feeling sad that he had to go. As you watched him leave, you suddenly remembered something you'd meant to ask him.

"Kiku wait!" You shouted, stepping outside and running over to him.

He stopped and turned back around to face you. "What is it?"

"I meant to ask you earlier, but do you want to start going out?" You asked, looking him in the eyes.

He looked a bit puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Would. You. Like. To. Be. My. Boyfriend?" You rephrased, pausing between words so that he heard you clearly this time.

He looked at you for a second before smiling. "Of course I would."

You grinned at him, then suddenly tackled him into a hug. He tensed up again before wrapping his arms around you, pulling you closer to him. You stayed like that for a minute or so before looking up at each other simultaneously. You randomly reached up and kissed him lightly on the cheek, making him blush slightly. All of the sudden you felt him pull you closer and press his lips to yours. It was a very light and delicate kiss, but nonetheless still a passionate one. It lasted only a few seconds before he pulled away, blushing profusely and you doing the same. You gave him another smile and disconnected yourself from him, watching him smile back, wave goodbye to you, turn around, and head back to his house. You waited for him to be out if sight before running back inside to your room, slamming the door shut, and letting out a high-pitched squeal of delight. Oh what a day!!

.: Bonus ending! :.

"Kiku! You're finally back aru!!" The Chinese man exclaimed, glomping Kiku as soon as he closed the door.

"Please don't do that Yao-san." He sighed, giving his older brother a small push to get off of him. Yao pouted a little before releasing him. He stared at Kiku for a bit, a puzzled expression on his face.

"W-What?" Kiku asked, becoming uncomfortable from being stared at.

"You're REALLY red." Yao stated.

"I am?"

"Yes, very much aru."

Kiku just glanced away, attempting to walk away but being stopping by Yao.

"What happened with you and _____~?"

Kiku quickly looked over at the wall, avoiding eye contact. "N-Nothing!" He stammered, his face getting even redder.

"Aiyah! I knew it, something DID happen! Tell me aru!!!" Yao demanded excitedly.

"T-That's personal, you shouldn't intrude on others lives!" He scolded, his face burning.

"Ah, I know! You finally confessed to her, didn't you aru?" Yao proclaimed, bouncing with excitement. Kiku didn't answer, still attempting to get past him.

Yao let out a small shriek of happiness, tackling Kiku into another hug. "Aiyah!! You did!! I'm so proud of you aru!!"

Kiku hastily pushed his brother off of him, quickly retreating towards his room.

"Kiku wait! Are you guys dating now? I deserve to know at least that much, right aru?" Yao shouted after him. Kiku paused just outside his room, looking from the floor to Yao, then to the wall.

"Yes..." He answered quietly before rushing into his room and closing the door quickly.

Yao let out another shriek and ran to Kikus door. "You must give me details aru!!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's personal and I don't want to!"

Yao pouted again, giving out a loud sigh. He stood outside the door for a bit, hearing some ruffling and shifting around inside. "What are you doing aru?"

"Taking a nap, I didn't get any sleep last night." Kikus voice sounded from inside.

"Oh my god what did you guys do aru?!"

"N-NOTHING!!! Stop thinking inappropriate things!!!"

Yao laughed, listening outside for a bit longer until it was silent inside. He smiled and gave out a quiet sigh. "My little brothers finally growing up aru." He whispered before walking to another room to call _____ and ask what happened.