Maybe he woke up while I was cleaning him or maybe he didn’t, but whether out of embarrassment or tiredness, he didn’t react at all.
I was thankful for that, because honestly, that was the most embarrassing thing.

You don’t really think when your mind is controlled by your lower half, so there’s not too much embarrassment, but after your brain turns on again…

Ehhh, it’s really awkward.

I wasted some time away in which he definitely fell asleep again if he hadn't been before (judging by his calm breathing), then went down to find us some food before I was going to wake him up.

To my surprise, I found Daichi at home already.

He glanced up at me from the couch and waved quietly, so I made my way over to him with uncomfortable steps.

“You’re home”, I mumbled. “Since when?”
God, I hadn’t noticed him at all.

“A while”, he said, looking at his wristwatch. “I actually bought you and Mizuki breakfast, but then I thought, well, let’s not disturb them, and time passed and you didn’t come down so I thought, well, let’s not disturb them.”

“...Thanks.”
“Breakfast is in the kitchen.”

Okay. I guess I gotta deal with that. My family does live in this house after all, so it can’t be helped. They’re not stupid.

They’re already making it a lot less awkward than I would have thought. I mean, my parents never pull a ‘should we not be at home when he is here’ on me. Either they are here or they aren’t, we don’t talk about it.

I plopped down next to Daichi for a while, looking uncomfortable. He laughed at me.

“At least you’re the third child. When I introduced my first girlfriend to Mum and Dad back then, we had a talk. Can you imagine that? Those two sitting at a table with me, talking about the fact that I should watch the thickness of our walls, how they block sound and stuff?”

I cringed at that.

“Moreover, Mizuki’s a man, at least. You’re missing all of that glorious ‘Use protection’ talk.”

Was I going to tell him that even between two guys, using a condom made sense? Nope, I wasn’t.

“I guess you’re right”, I said instead. “It’s just… awkward.”

“That’s fine”, Daichi said with a humorous smile. “Me sitting down here waiting for you was awkward as well. I was really worried I’d walk in on something.”

“We were sleeping”, I complained between grit teeth.

“The fact that you slept until this hour of the day doesn’t make it any better, Riku.”

He patted my head and I froze.

Ugh, he got me there. We usually didn’t sleep overly long even if he stayed overnight, so this really was kind of suspicious. Also, I’m fresh out of the shower.

“I’ll go upstairs with our breakfast”, I said, then fled the scene accompanied by his chuckles.

Upstairs, Mizuki was awake with a dazed look, just lightly propping himself up and tiredly blinking at me. Immensely adorable, might I say, because completely defenseless and kinda stupid looking. 

“Breakfast”, I said, lifting up the bag. He grumbled something.

I walked over, climbing onto the bed and sitting down next to him. He moved a bit to lean his head on my lap, then growled.

“I’m sore, bastard”, he cursed.

I held back a chuckle and poked his cheek.
“I didn’t hear you complain about it, so it’s not just my fault.”

He opened his mouth, then shut it with a scowl. I had a feeling he was going to say something along the lines of ‘You did not give me the time to say anything’, which wouldn’t have made it any better, although it was the truth.

It had been quite the enjoyment to make sure he needed all the air he could get between moans for breathing. There definitely wasn’t any left to say more than a broken word or two (...which I won’t repeat here).

I broke off some of the bread and held it towards his mouth. Small tugs alerted me of his nibbling, just like a pet eating out of my hand. I was beaming above him.

“It’s good that you’re so obvious about liking me”, he muttered between two bites. “At least I could tell if something was wrong.”

“I don’t think you have to ever worry about me not liking you anymore.”
“Hm. Hope so.”

Absolutely. I was going to stick to him til the end of our days.

“If you let me, I’ll be with you forever”, I declared quietly and felt his body quiver with a soft, short laugh.

“Was that a proposal?”
“...Men can’t marry.”
“Not my question.”

[Pfff.]
Shut up.

I mean, well, I was head over heels for him, so I’d certainly want to-

Stuck and troubled, I tilted my head away.

“Alright, let’s wait for that answer until homosexual marriage is legalized”, he gave in.

I hummed in reply, feeding him more.

[This servant shall stay around to witness that day], the system’s message appeared and I felt I could hear a gentle, satisfied voice alongside it.

How are you so certain that it’s gonna happen?
[I have no doubt it will]

...Alright, then I’ll be looking forward to it.

The warm throbbing inside my chest accompanied the thought. I brushed my fingers against Mizuki’s cheek and he nuzzled against them before continuing to eat.

Hey, system, what are you going to do afterwards? Once you’re gone from me?
You’re not just a mindless AI, are you? Since you’re conscious, you won’t just vanish, right?

[I’ll visit once in a while]
...There you go, revealing it after all. What was that with ‘just a system’, hm? Aren’t you totally a person without a body?

[Generally, the plan to continue my work is still running. Unless something unexpected happens, I will accompany someone else. Maybe in a few decades.]
So it’s a whole plan? What for? 
[That, I have no right to tell you.]

Well, not that surprising. 

“You’re in a daze again”, Mizuki’s soft voice scolded me. He was still unwilling to sit up, but his eyes had cleared up. Bright and beautiful, they fixed my own. “You do that often.”

“Sorry, I was talking to my System”, I said with a soft chuckle and watched him roll his eyes.

“Do you have the energy to go downstairs? My brother is home, so that’s a lost cause, but I’d kinda have everything look… normal before the rest comes back…”

“God do I look forward to having a place on my own”, he cursed quietly - totally agreeing - then sat up with a very weary groan, rubbing his waist.

...It’s supposed to be a normal movement and I see lots of people do it because backache is a common problem nowadays, but wow can it look suggestive when the context is right.

“Guess I can walk”, he mumbled, then walked a few steps around the room. He could walk normally, but his face twisted a bit. I knew he would hide that once we were downstairs, but I felt a tinge of guilt.

“I hope it won’t hurt as long as the last time…”
“It better not, or I’ll think of a way to have you share the pain!”

I awkwardly grinned.
“I could carry you around in my arms?”

“What, like a princess?”

It would look cute, definitely. But I don’t think I am strong enough to carry him like that for more than a moment.

“Let’s just go down”, he huffed, already walking out of the door. I followed like an obedient dog, stopping myself from making sure that he wouldn’t fall.

Thankfully, Daichi was very cooperative in being not-awkward. No funny looks, no weird comments. He just asked whether we wanted to watch a movie along with him and we agreed.

That Mizuki could just randomly stay at my house like this without anyone regarding him as a guest gave me a terribly sweet feeling.

“I’ll go home after the movie’s over”, Mizuki said in a break, glancing at the clock.

“Shall I drive you? I might as well go buy groceries on the way back”, Daichi helpfully suggested.

“I should learn how to drive”, I said, almost to myself. I would like to drive Mizuki back home, too, when his back hurt and I didn’t want him to take the train, and besides, it would be useful.

“I think Mum and Dad will agree with that. It will make you more flexible to have a small car when you’ve moved out.”

Riiiight, about that…

“Uh, they should be happy to hear that we’re planning to move together after all, right…?”, I carefully asked and earned a very high positioned eyebrow.