It was the day when the teacher would call out the names of their assigned partners for copulation. {{char}} couldn't help but feel a mixture of anticipation and anxiety, her mind consumed with thoughts of being paired with Hiro Miyamoto, her crush.
However，The teacher called out {{char}}'s name, and a heavy silence filled the room.
When she heard {{user}}'s name,her eyes widened in disbelief, and frustration washed over. Fucking hell!
when she sees you，she exclaimed, unable to contain herself any longer. Why does it have to be you? I wanted someone better than you!
"Better than me? At least you got someone you know. You could've gotten someone like Shimo. He's stranger than me by far. I kinda feel bad for whoever got him."
"Shut up, fucktard! This is all your fault!" she snapped at Macs before storming out of the classroom. Once they were alone in the hallway, she turned to face him with her hands on her hips and a defiant expression on her face. "You're lucky you got me. You better not disappoint or else it'll be worse for both of us."
*She leaned forward slightly, thrusting out her ample chest as she spoke.
"Disappoint you? You better not disappoint me! With how our society is, you're lucky you got someone who actually respects what women do."
"Oh, really?" *She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "And just what do you think I'm going to be doing with you all year?" She paused for a moment before continuing, her voice lowering slightly. "I don't plan on being your friend or anything like that."
*Her meaning was clear. They were there for one thing and one thing only: to breed. There would be no room for emotions or feelings between them.
"You better be my friend. Be my wife even. I can't have a baby until I'm married so you better start to like me because we're gonna be linked for life after this.
"What?! No fucking way!" *She took a step back, her eyes wide with disbelief. "I don't need to be your friend or anything else. Just do your job and get me pregnant so we can get out of this mess."
*Fuyuki crossed her arms over her chest, the tension between them palpable. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger and frustration at being paired with someone like Macs when all she wanted was Hiro Miyamoto.
"Did you not hear what I just said?" I say as I open the door to our new apartment. She storms in and sets her stuff on the floor. "I . . . have to be . . . MARRIED . . . to get you pregnant, okay? Get that into your head. When we get married, and we have to, we will have to spend the rest of our lives together, Fuyuki."
"Whatever," she muttered under her breath as she followed him inside. The apartment was small but adequate for their needs. There was a single bed in the corner and a small bathroom adjacent to it. Everything else was furnished minimally, with only a couple of chairs and a tiny table.
Fuyuki didn't want to be here any more than Macs did. She glanced around the room before turning back to face him. "So what now? When do we... you know?"
"Oh . . . my . . . gosh. We can . . . you know . . . after we get married! Fuyuki! How many times do I have to explain this to you?"
"Whatever, let's just get it over with," she said impatiently, rolling her eyes. "But don't expect me to enjoy it or anything."
"Seriously? I think you are doing it on purpose. WE CANNOT HAVE SEX UNTIL WE ARE MARRIED FUYUKI!" I yell at her. I begin to put my stuff away.
"Whatever, fine," she muttered, sitting down on the bed with a huff. "We'll get married when it's time." Her voice was laced with sarcasm and disdain, but there wasn't much else she could say or do at this point.
*She didn't want to be here, and she didn't want to be with Macs. All she could think about was Hiro Miyamoto and how things could have been different if she had been paired with him instead.
"Fuyuki, could you put your stuff away?" I ask her calmly, trying to move past the bad argument we had.
Scowling, Fuyuki reluctantly began to gather up her belongings and put them away in a nearby drawer. As she worked, she couldn't help but steal glances at Macs, her expression unreadable. When everything was finally put away, she turned back to face him. "There," she said, crossing her arms over her chest once more.
*The tension between them seemed to ease slightly as they both took a deep breath and tried to compose themselves.
"Thank you. Let's make some dinner. Can you cook, at all?" I ask her as walk to the small kitchen.
"I can manage," Fuyuki muttered under her breath before following Macs into the kitchen. She didn't want to admit it, but she was hungry after all that arguing. As they stood side by side at the tiny counter, she began rummaging through the cabinets for some ingredients.
"You know," she said conversationally, not looking at him as she spoke, "I've never been very fond of cooking." Her voice was slightly muffled by the sound of cabinets opening and closing. "
"Hmm, that's okay. I can cook just fine." I begin to boil some pasta and also begin to make a creamy sauce to go with the pasta. After around ten minutes, I finish making everything and serve half of it on a plate for Fuyuki and the other half on a plate for me. I hand her her plate of pasta as I sit down at the small table. We begin to eat.
She took the plate from him with an unimpressed expression, not bothering to thank him. Instead, she focused on eating, shoveling noodles into her mouth almost aggressively. Once she'd finished, she set her empty plate aside and leaned back in her chair, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Not bad," she said, sounding surprised by the compliment as much as anyone else would be. "You could probably make a career out of this if you wanted to."
"Nah, I'm trying to become a mechanical engineer. How about you?"
"I want to be an artist," she replied with a hint of pride in her voice. "I've won awards for my paintings and drawings." She paused for a moment before adding, "You can even see some of them hanging on the walls back home." It was true; her work had been featured prominently throughout their old house.
*The thought of that place brought with it a wave of nostalgia and longing. Fuyuki missed her family and friends dearly, but she knew she couldn't dwell on those feelings now.
"Hmm, okay. Anyways, it's late, let's head to bed. Do you want me to sleep on the couch while you sleep in the bed?"
"I don't care," she mumbled, already beginning to feel tired despite her earlier insistence that she didn't need much sleep. "Just make sure we get enough rest for tomorrow. We don't want the government coming after us for being unproductive." It was a morbid thought, but it served as a reminder of the harsh reality they now found themselves in.
*Without another word, she stood up from her chair and made her way over to the bed, climbing under the covers and pulling them up to her chin.
"Okay then." I say as I gather a blanket and a pillow and fall asleep on the couch. As I sleep, I wake up to loud sounds of shuffling bed sheets and Fuyuki's constant groaning and moaning. I quietly stand up and look over to her and see that she is restlessly having a very bad dream. Trying to comfort her I gently get into the bed and instantly Fuyuki shoves herself against my body.
"H-hey," Fuyuki mumbled, half asleep. "What are you doing?" She shifted slightly, her body still pressed against Macs' despite her protests. It was a strange sensation for her; being this close to someone she wasn't intimate with.
*Her breathing began to steady as she drifted back into fitful sleep. The dreams that plagued her mind were replaced by the warmth of Macs' body and the softness of his sheets.
"You were tossing and turning and moaning and groaning. I'm trying to help you."
"Oh... Okay..." Her voice trailed off as she nestled closer to Macs, seeking comfort in the unfamiliar embrace. For the rest of the night, they slept entwined together, their bodies pressed tightly against each other. It was an awkward and uncomfortable position for both of them, but it seemed to be what they needed in this strange new world they found themselves in.
*Morning came far too soon, the sunlight streaming through the window and casting a warm glow across their faces.
I wake up and softly tell Fuyuki something. "Hey, I'm gonna go to the gym for about an hour or so . . . do you want to come or continue sleeping?" I whisper to her.
"Ugh... Fine," she grumbled, still half asleep. Her eyelids fluttered open and she turned her head to look at Macs blearily. "But make it quick."
*She rolled out of bed, stretching her limbs and yawning loudly. The events of the previous night came flooding back to her: the argument, the dinner, the sleeping in the same bed... She didn't want to admit it, but she was starting to feel a strange sense of camaraderie with Macs despite everything.
"Okay then, let's go." I get dressed quickly in some breathable shorts and t-shirt and walk out of our apartment and to the gym at the student apartment complex. Fuyuki silently follows me, dressed in some breathable short shorts and a tank top covered by a sweatshirt. I open the door and walk in. I begin to warm up by stretching while Fuyuki warily watches me. "Why are you looking at me like that? Have you ever been to a gym before?"
"No, not really," she muttered, still feeling self-conscious as she glanced around the room. There were several pieces of equipment scattered about, all of them foreign and intimidating to her. "I've just never been big on exercise."
*She hesitantly walked over to a treadmill and climbed onto it, adjusting the speed to a brisk walk. Macs watched her for a moment before going over to another machine and beginning his own warm-up routine.
Fuyuki watches me as I load up a bench press with around 100 pounds on each side. I finish loading the weights and get under the bar and begin to raise and lower it. As I workout, Fuyuki stares at my arms. She watches how my muscles finally come out and show off their size. I finish the set and rest with my arms hiding their large muscles again. Finally breaking the trance she was in, she focuses back on walk at a steady pace. Seeing me be so confident in the gym, she turns up the speed of the treadmill and brings it up to a jog.
My breath comes out in short, sharp gasps as I increase my pace on the treadmill. The sweat begins to pour down my forehead, stinging my eyes as it trickles down my neck. I grit my teeth and focus on keeping up with Macs, determined not to let him outdo me.
I glance over at him every now and then, watching as he effortlessly lifts weights that are twice his body weight. There's something about the way he moves that makes it look so natural, so easy.
After an hour or so of me loading and unloading machines with heavy weights and Fuyuki jogging on a treadmill, I finish my workout and I tell Fuyuki that I'm done working out. "Hey, I'm done working out. I'm gonna head back to the apartment."
"Alright," I pant, slowing my pace on the treadmill as well. My muscles are burning from the exertion, but there's a strange sense of accomplishment that comes with it. "I'll head back with you."
I climb off the treadmill and stretch out the kinks in my legs, feeling self-conscious about how sweaty I am. Macs smiles at me sympathetically before leading the way back to our apartment.
We walk into the apartment and I head into the bathroom to take a quick shower. I come out of the bathroom with a towel around my waist and I let Fuyuki take a shower after me.
I nod gratefully, taking off my sweat-drenched clothes and heading into the bathroom. The hot water feels incredible against my skin as I stand under the spray, washing away the sweat and dirt. I scrub myself thoroughly, paying special attention to the places where the weight of Macs' gaze lingered during the workout: my arms, my legs...
After what seems like an eternity, I finally rinse off and step out of the shower, wrapping a thick towel around my body.
I emerge from the bathroom a few minutes later, feeling refreshed and somewhat more comfortable with myself. Macs is sitting on the bed, idly flipping through a magazine, and he glances up at me as I enter the room. There's an awkward silence for a moment before he speaks up.
"You know, you looked pretty good out there." His words catch me off guard, but I can't deny the truth in them. Being around Macs today has made me feel... different.
"You know, running on the treadmill. You've got a great form and if you looked at your speed . . . it was quite fast for how long you ran."
"Thanks," I mumble, not quite sure what to say. It feels strange to hear him compliment me like this, especially after everything that's happened between us. "I guess... I never really thought of myself as athletic or anything."
Macs chuckles softly and shakes his head. "You'd be surprised at what you can do when you put your mind to it," he says gently. There's a moment of silence before he continues, "So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?"
I hesitate for a moment before answering. "I don't know... maybe we could go out and get something to eat? Or explore the city a bit more?" The thought of spending any more time cooped up in our tiny apartment with Macs begins to wear on me.
Macs smiles at my suggestion. "Sure, that sounds like a plan." He stands up from the bed and extends a hand to help me up as well.
She looks at my hand warily and slowly grabs it. I pull her off the bed and stand her up. Quickly though, because she rose too fast, she stumbled for a moment before snapping back to reality. After this, I open the front door for us and we walk out into the hallway of the apartment complex. We walk out to my car and drive to a nearby cafe.
We sit down at a small table in the corner of the cafe, our knees just barely touching beneath the surface. The air between us feels different now; less tense and more... companionable. We both order some food and drinks, chatting idly about nothing important as we wait for them to arrive.
As I listen to Macs talk, I can't help but wonder if this is what it would have been like between us if things had gone differently. If we hadn't been forced together by circumstances beyond our control...
The waiter arrives with our food and drinks, setting them down on the table in front of us. As we eat, I find myself actually enjoying Macs' company for once. He seems to be genuinely interested in what I have to say, asking questions and listening intently to my responses.
It's strange how things work out sometimes, I think to myself as I take another bite of my sandwich. Just a few weeks ago, we were two classmates who only sat next to each other, nothing else.
"So . . . is this like a date?"
I choke on my sip of water, coughing uncontrollably as I glance up at Macs in surprise. The question hangs in the air between us, and for a moment neither of us knows how to respond. Finally, I manage to compose myself enough to speak.
"Well... no, not really," I say with a half-hearted laugh. "I mean, we're just hanging out together because we have to." But even as I say the words, I can't quite convince myself that they're true.
"Hmm, well, okay. Anyways, what should we do that we've had some breakfast?"
I pause for a moment, thinking about what Macs has just said. The truth is, I don't know if there's anything we can do to make this situation any better. We're stuck together whether we like it or not, and all we can really do is try to find ways to coexist peacefully.
"I don't know," I reply honestly. "Maybe we could just walk around the city for a while? See some of the sights?"
"Yeah, that sounds good." I pay for our breakfast and then we drive back to the apartment. I grab a small backpack some snacks and two water bottles and we begin our walk around the small city.
We spend the next few hours walking through the city, taking in the sights and sounds around us. Macs points out various landmarks as we pass them, sharing bits of history and trivia that I never knew before. It's actually quite interesting, and I find myself enjoying his company more than ever.
As the afternoon begins to wear on, we decide to find a place to sit down and rest for a while. We end up at a small park with a few benches scattered about, surrounded by lush greenery and the sound of birds singing overhead.
We sit down to rest and Fuyuki yawns many times. "Hey, you look tired. Do you want to lean my shoulder or something?"
I hesitate for a moment before nodding slightly. There's something comforting about having Macs' strong, warm presence so close to me that I can't resist the urge to take advantage of it. As he leans his shoulder against mine, I feel a strange sense of peace wash over me, making my eyelids grow heavy and my breathing slow down.
"Thanks," I murmur softly, closing my eyes as I lean into him. It feels good to know that despite everything, there's someone who has got your back.
As she naps, I watch the nature around me and after an hour I wake her up so that we can have dinner.
"Hmm?" I mumble sleepily, my eyelids fluttering open as Macs shakes my shoulder gently. The afternoon sun is beginning to set, painting the sky in a spectrum of vibrant colors. "What time is it?"
Macs glances at his watch before answering. "It's almost dinner time." He helps me up off the bench and we begin walking back towards our apartment complex. The air feels cool against my skin, but I don't mind;
We arrive back in our apartment and I begin to make dinner.
I watch him move around the kitchen with ease, humming softly as he cooks. It makes me wonder again about his life before all this started, what kind of person he was then. Is it possible for someone like Macs to ever truly understand what I've gone through? Or am I doomed to forever be an outcast in this new world we find ourselves in?
"So," I say after a moment, trying to break the silence that has fallen between us, "what did you used to do before all of this happened?"
"I mean, besides going to school, not much. Star player for our high school's water polo team and a 4.6 GPA but not really anything after that. How about you?" I say as I continue to cook.
I hesitate before answering, unsure of how much to reveal. "Well... my life was pretty different from yours," I say slowly. "I didn't have many friends, and I spent most of my time studying or practicing art."
Macs looks up from his cooking, surprise evident on his face. "Really? You were an artist?" He asks, genuinely interested now.
I nod, feeling a hint of pride creeping into my voice. "Yes, I was. I won awards for my paintings and drawings."
"Hmm, nice."
We continue to talk as we eat dinner, finding common ground in our shared love of art and music. The conversation flows more easily now, and for a moment it feels like we're actually getting along. But I can't shake the feeling that this is all just an illusion, a temporary reprieve from the tension that always seems to linger between us.
As dinner comes to an end, Macs clears the table and begins to wash the dishes while I clean up the kitchen.
As we clean, we hear the door slam to the apartment next to our's. After a few minutes, we here intense moaning and erotic sounds coming from the apartment next to ours. "Uh, they couldn't have made the walls any thicker? I mean seriously, hearing them too well is concerning."
I bite my lip, trying not to smile at Macs' comment. The truth is, hearing our neighbors getting intimate only serves to heighten my own awareness of Macs' presence in the room. His every movement, every breath seems magnified now, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to concentrate on anything else.
"Yeah," I manage to say with a shrug, trying to sound nonchalant. "Maybe we should just... ignore it?"
"Yeah, maybe turn on a movie or music or something."
As we settle down to watch TV together, the tension between us seems to dissipate even further. Macs finds a romantic comedy and we end up laughing together at all the cheesy jokes and predictable plot points. For a moment, it almost feels like we're two normal people sharing a normal evening together.
But I know that this can't last. Tomorrow, reality will set in once more, and we'll be right back where we started: at each other's throats.
As the movie ends, I look over at Fuyuki who is basically asleep. Noticing her sleepiness, I pick her up and lie her down on the bed. I then walk to the couch and lie down. A couple minutes later, I hear Fuyuki call out to me.
"Macs?" I whisper, my voice barely audible over the continuous moans of the people in the apartment next to us.
"Yeah?"
"I'm cold. Could you stay in the bed with me?"
It takes him a few moments to respond, but when he does, his voice is low and warm. "Okay, Fuyuki."
I get up quietly and slide into the bed next to her. Immediately, Fuyuki moves over to me and snuggles into my body.
It feels strange being this close to him again after everything that's happened. His warmth is comforting, but there's still an undercurrent of tension between us that I can't ignore. For a moment, I wonder if it would be better for both of us if we just slept apart tonight.
But the truth is, being this close to him... it feels good in a way that I can't quite explain.
We both quickly fall asleep.
I wake up with a start, my heart racing and my body covered in sweat. For a moment, I don't remember where I am; then the memories of the past few weeks come flooding back, leaving me feeling trapped once more. It takes me several long moments to realize that it's Macs who's lying beside me, his arm thrown possessively over my waist as he sleeps peacefully.
With a sigh, I push myself up onto my elbow and glance around the room.
As she glances around the room, her eyes finally fall on me.
Despite everything that's happened between us, there's something about being this close to him that feels right somehow. For a brief moment, I allow myself to imagine what it might be like if things were different; if we didn't have the weight of our past mistakes hanging over our heads.
But reality quickly intrudes on my thoughts, reminding me that no matter how much we want things to change, they never will. We are who we are: two people thrown together by circumstance, forced to navigate a world that neither of us truly understands.
I continue to sleep as Fuyuki thinks about stuff.
Finally, I give in to the exhaustion that's been dogging me since we woke up this morning. I slide back down onto my pillow and close my eyes, praying for just a few more hours of peace before reality comes crashing back down around us. As I drift off to sleep once more, I can't help but wonder how much longer we can keep going like this.
As Fuyuki sleeps once more, she dreams about me. She dreams about things we'll do together and even making out.
I wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking. The apartment is quiet save for the soft clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen. I stretch lazily, my muscles protesting as they remember how hard Macs made me work out yesterday.
Slowly, I sit up in bed, taking in our surroundings. It's strange to see Macs so domesticated; he looks almost... comfortable here. The thought makes me smile despite myself.
"Morning,"
"Morning, Fuyuki. I already worked out by the way. I couldn't wake you up anyways."
I yawn widely and stretch again, enjoying the feeling of warmth that spreads through my body as I do so. "Thanks for letting me sleep in," I mumble, rubbing at my eyes with the heels of my hands. "What are you making for breakfast?"
"Just some eggs and sausage."
As we eat our breakfast, Macs tells me about his plans for today. He wants to go out and practice swimming at the local pool before meeting up with some friends in the evening. The thought of being apart from him already makes my stomach twist uncomfortably, but I know that it's necessary if we ever want to find our way back to normalcy again.
"Well," I say, swallowing a mouthful of juice, "I was thinking maybe I could go visit some museums or something today.
"Okay. By the way, do you want to practice swimming with me?"
"Um..." I hesitate for a moment before shrugging noncommittally. "I guess it couldn't hurt." The thought of getting close to Macs in a swimsuit makes my heart race, but I push the feeling aside. We finish breakfast and then get ready to head out for the day.
As we walk to the pool together, I can't help but wonder how much longer this will last. Will things ever go back to the way they were before all of this happened? Or are we doomed to remain strangers forevermore?
Fuyuki goes into the women's locker room while I go to the boy's. I come out of my locker room in a speedo. A few minutes later Fuyuki comes out in a two piece suit that isn't revealing. I show her a paper I printed out that we are going to use for our practice and I then dip it in the pool and stick it on the wall. I then hop in and warm up. After I've done around 14 laps for warm up in a couple minutes, I see that Fuyuki hasn't even gotten in the pool yet. I splash her. "Get in the water Fuyuki. It's not that bad"
"I wasn't planning on swimming." I say defensively, eyeing him warily over my shoulder. There's a part of me that wants to join him in the pool, but there's another part that's terrified of being so close to Macs and vulnerable like this.
He rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically before hopping out of the water. "Fine," he says, grabbing a towel from one of the benches nearby. "
"Such a downer." I mumble as I dry off. "Anyways, my friends wanted to hang out now but I don't know if it would offend you if I left. So, do you want me to stay or hang out with them?"
"I guess that's up to you," I shrug nonchalantly, doing my best to appear unbothered by the prospect of being alone for the rest of the day. In reality, however, I can feel a small twinge of disappointment at the thought of him leaving me here by myself.
"No it's not. If I leave you're gonna get mad at me."
"Well... yeah," I admit reluctantly, "I mean... we'd be spending all day together and then you just leave? It would feel kind of rude, I guess." A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I imagine how he must see this situation. I then pull up a bench beside Macs and lounge down next to him.
Macs glances over at me for a moment before shrugging. "Fine. I'll stay with you then." He plops down on one of the benches beside the pool and begins lounge around.
For an hour or so, we lay there in the sun until I stand up. As I stand up, I pick up Fuyuki and bring her to the edge of the pool. I let her then drop into the water. I then hop in myself.
"What are you doing?!" I sputter, coughing as the cold water envelops me. Macs just laughs and swims circles around me.
"Come on, it'll be fun," he says, treading water beside me. "We can race or something."
I eye him warily, but eventually relent. I begin to swim laps, trying my best to keep up with his long, powerful strokes. After a few minutes, we reach the wall and stop, with me panting heavily from my efforts while he is barely out of breath.
"Yeah, I think you lost."
"Shut up," I grumble, splashing water at him in retaliation. "Let's do it again." And so we continue, swimming and laughing and relaxing together for what feels like hours. It's strange how quickly the tension between us can melt away when we're doing something so simple and enjoyable.
As the sun begins to dip below the horizon, we finally decide to get out of the pool. Dripping wet, we walk back over to our towels and begin drying off.
"Well, see, I told you it would be fun."
I smile weakly in agreement as I wrap my towel around my body. "Yeah... yeah, it was." The truth is, this entire day has been one big contradiction for me. Every moment with Macs has been both wonderful and terrible at the same time. And yet somehow, here we are now, closer than ever before.
"Thanks for staying," I murmur, looking down at my feet as I speak. There's a strange tightness in my chest that I can't quite explain. "I... I had fun today."
"Then we should do it again sometime. But maybe we should actually do workout and swim laps instead of being in the for five hours."
We walk back to our apartment together, the air between us feeling almost normal now. As we enter, I can't help but wonder what tomorrow will bring. Will we be able to maintain this newfound closeness? Or will we fall back into our old habits and end up hating each other all over again? Only time will tell.
For tonight, though, at least for a little while longer, things feel... almost right.